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IDAGIO Debuts CarPlay Integration; Spotify Updates Mobile App; Peloton Settles w/ Music Publishers…
IDAGIO Launches CarPlay Integration — platformandstream.wordpress.com
IDAGIO is now integrated in Apple’s CarPlay, making in-car streaming a seamless experience.
Streaming Music Doesn’t Flow, It Evaporates — www.wired.com
Listening to streamed tunes through a smart speaker squeezes the ecstasy out of the experience. There are ways to get it back.
Peloton Settles Music Publishers’ Lawsuit — variety.com
Interactive-fitness company Peloton settled a lawsuit filed by members of the U.S.’s music-publishing trade organization that had sought damages of more than $150 million.
Spotify tries making its app easier to use in latest update — techcrunch.com
After recently tweaking its design to better showcast podcasts, Spotify announced it’s giving its entire mobile experience a refreshed look-and-feel.
BMW Music Service Now Powered by Napster — platformandstream.wordpress.com
Rhapsody announced that Powered by Napster will be driving the new BMW Music service. The streaming service is integrated with the Powered by Napster platform to create an immersive music experience.
RIAA Report Shows Just How Crucial Streaming Is to the Music Biz — www.rollingstone.com
Streaming represented 80% of recorded music industry revenue in 2019, according to a new report from the Recording Industry Association of America.
How to find Spotify’s ‘Top 1% of Fans’ feature — www.popbuzz.com
Spotify have been telling people they’re in the top 1% of fans for certain artists — but if you haven’t got a notification yet, how do you find it?
How Sony’s 360 Reality Audio makes recorded music sound like an immersive concert — www.fastcompany.com
Inside the L.A. studio where songs have their sounds rearranged in a sphere all around the listener’s ears — even when they’re wearing regular headphones.
Mumbai and Delhi stream more music than any other Indian city — www.livemint.com
People in Mumbai spend more time listening to music, followed by Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Songtrust expands global leadership team with hiring of Rob Wetstone as Head of Client Relations — www.musicbusinessworldwide.com
Exec was previously a VP of Digital Strategy and Operations at RED Distribution/The Orchard.
Vevo expands into Australia and New Zealand, hires Shazam exec Steve Sos to lead new operations — www.musicbusinessworldwide.com
Platform has 10m monthly unique viewers in Australia and 2.2m in New Zealand.
US recorded music trade revenues grew by 11% in 2019 — musically.com
Within the retail figure, streaming grew by 19.9% to $8.8bn, accounting for 79.5% of all recorded music revenues.
Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Human Musicians? — consequenceofsound.net
AI songwriting tools have exploded recently; what tools exist, and will they replace your favorite artists?
✉ Send story ideas & feedback to Jeff: firstname.lastname@example.org
🎵 Want to sponsor an edition of Platform & Stream? Get more info here.


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Floods, strikes and "volatile raw material prices" could not prevent Apollo Tyres Ltd. from increasing its global sales by 23% in the second quarter of its 2018-2019 fiscal year.
Bridgestone Americas Inc. plans to break ground on a three-year, $40 million expansion project at its Warren County, Tenn., truck and bus radial (TBR) tire manufacturing plant by the end of 2018.
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. posted net income of close to 11.3 billion yen on net sales of 285 billion yen for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2018. That compares to income of 11.7 billion yen on sales of 295.2 billion yen for the same period in fiscal 2017.
Pirelli Tire North America Inc. will increase the price of its passenger and light truck tires in the United States.
Jerome Lentz of Challenger Lifts Inc. has been elected chairman of the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI), the trade association dedicated to vehicle lift safety.
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. posted net income of 16.3 billion yen on net sales of 460.8 billion yen for the first three quarters of the year ended Sept. 30, 2018. That compares to income of 21.8 billion yen on sales of 455.5 billion yen in the year-ago period.
There's another big change afoot in the North American tire distribution landscape. This time, it's in Canada. Groupe Touchette Inc. is acquiring Atlas Tire Wholesale Inc. The combined companies expect sales to reach between $550 million and $650 million.
The Triangle TRS02 premium all-position TBR tire is designed to offer a practical solution for regional and urban haul operations.
Continental Tire the Americas LLC will kick off the new year with new prices on Continental- and General-brand passenger and light truck tires.
Michelin North America Inc. will increase prices of both its commercial and passenger tires.
Nokian Tyres plc has added the WR G4 SUV for sport utility vehicles and crossover models to its all-weather product line.
The Falken Ziex CT60 all-season tire is specifically designed for modern crossover utility vehicles. Falken Tire Corp. says the Ziex CT60 provides a combination of long tread life and all-weather safety.
During its 2018 Global Tire Expo in Las Vegas, the Tire Industry Association (TIA) announced several new initiatives.
ASA Automotive Systems Inc. used the 2018 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show to celebrate its 30th birthday and last year’s launch of its TireMaster GTX software. It also took the opportunity to tease tire dealers about its next product.
Members of the Independent Tire Dealers Group LLC (ITDG) and employees of Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels celebrated a new partnership and a new tire at the 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show.

domain: news


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The recently released R300 Radio phone by Sony Ericsson has now been made available as a Pay As You Go handset in its silver colour variant, first launched as a SIM Free phone back in December this smart little device can now be bought at a discounted prepay price.
The Sony Ericsson R300 Radio Silver Pay As You Go phone is a great idea for those that might have a bad credit history as there are no credit checks involved in the purchase, the phone will also appeal to those that are looking to replace a stolen or lost handset aswell as a great gift at a reasonable price.
This Sony Ericsson R300 mobile phone comes in a silver colour on the Tesco mobile network. It also features a VGA (0.3 megapixel) camera with flash so you can capture your moments anywhere at anytime. This Triband phone also features a Bluetooth stereo function and can access internet style pages.


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Music, lighting and even scent have to be coordinated to make people feel welcome in-store.
Three misconceptions about stores, tech and social.
Retailers are increasingly turning to private-label products to lower costs for consumers, while simultaneously increasing margins for themselves. But that isn’t always what consumers really want.
Why supermarkets are moving away from price.
If you want happy customers, you need happy staff.
Companies like Amazon aren’t just ignoring disgruntled customers and their product-returning ways.
Are ‘buy now, pay later’ options at checkouts really the no-brainer that providers portend?
Why retailers can never switch off – even when not on the job.
Encountering unhappy customers is inevitable for any retailer, says Chase Petrey.
Shopper marketing is a growing buzzword for both brands and retailers. Inside Retail Magazine covers the basics for the confused newbie.


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Germany’s biggest car rental company Sixt has started implementing its plans to create a franchise network in the USA. The company will not only continue expanding Sixt’s own system of rental stations, but it now wants to acquire franchise partners in different states step by step so it can increase the pace of expansion in the car rental market in the USA, and reinforce the positioning of the Sixt brand. This step is part of its international expansion strategy, currently the focus of much of the company’s activities.
Over 100 potential franchisees have already contacted Sixt in the USA. They come from almost every state in the country with a clear geographical focus on economically important areas and prime tourist destinations. It´s possible that the first independent car rental companies with their own car fleets and with services which attain the requisite levels could start as Sixt franchisees before the end of this year.
Erich Sixt, CEO of Sixt AG: “For many years now, cooperating with local franchise partners has been a cornerstone in our expansion overseas. Establishing a franchise network in the hugely important US market plays a key role in these plans. Due to our successful progress in the USA and the tremendous interest shown by potential franchisees we are able to start pursuing this strategic objective only one year after making our debut in the US market. Sixt has quickly made a name for itself in the USA.”
Craig A. Olson, Vice President Sixt Franchise USA: “Independent car rental companies and growth-minded local entrepreneurs now have a unique opportunity to join the internationally successful Sixt Franchise system early in our drive to expand in the USA. By working with Sixt, they will be able to grow quickly as our company makes progress.”
Sixt started expanding in the USA in the spring of 2011 when it opened its first rental office in Florida. The company now has five rental offices throughout the state: they are located in Miami (2), Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando. During the course of 2012, Sixt has established further important bases for its business in Atlanta (Georgia) and Phoenix (Arizona), both of which are key transport hubs in the USA.


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One car dealer advertisement promised "the equivalent of 5.9 percent APR financing." Another offered "cash back of $200 to $800." But the best deal clearly was from the dealer whose ad pledged "0 percent interest expense."
If all those ads seem too good to be true, it's because they are.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, a rash of recent car advertisements for bargain loans failed to include all information required by law. The three ads cited above are examples from the agency's file of ads that appear to violate federal credit laws. Some of the ads omit the required disclosure of the down payment, the terms of repayment and the annual percentage rate as the law requires, the FTC said. Other ads don't say that the low interest rate is available only with a large down payment, such as 50 percent, according to the FTC.
So far the FTC has sent letters to 70 dealers in various cities telling them that their ads didn't meet legal requirements and asking that the ads be corrected. More letters are scheduled to go out, and some lawsuits may be filed if dealers don't comply voluntarily, an FTC official said.
"The investigation will continue until we get the advertising cleaned up," said FTC attorney Sarah J. Hughes.
"A year ago, an advertised rate of 6.9 percent for a car loan wouldn't have been taken seriously because everyone knew the prime was 18 percent," Hughes said. "But now, because interest rates have been going down, a 6.9 percent rate is no longer outside the border of reality."
To help car buyers, the FTC has issued a new consumer fact sheet suggesting questions that potential car buyers should ask when trying to evaluate the deals they are being offered in advertisements and in showrooms. Here are some questions from that fact sheet:
* Are you required to pay a higher price for the car to qualify for the low-rate financing? Would the price be lower if you paid cash, or supplied your own financing from your bank or credit union?
Does the financing require a larger-than-usual down payment--such as 25 to 30 percent?
* Do you have to buy special or extra merchandise or services to qualify, such as rustproofing or an extended warranty or service contract?
* Does the dealership require you to give it the manufacturer's rebate to qualify for financing?
The FTC said that many dealers are offering other special incentives besides low-rate financing to encourage consumers to purchase new cars. "Some of the special offers include high trade-in allowances or guarantees that cars will be sold for a stated amount over the dealer's invoice," the agency said.
In considering these offers, the FTC advises consumers to consider these questions:
* Is the stated trade-in allowance offered for all vehicles regardless of condition? Are there any deductions from the allowance (such as for mileage, dents or rust)?
* If the dealer is offering a high trade-in allowance, is the asking price for the new car higher than it would be without the trade-in? Will you end up losing the benefit of the high trade-in allowance by paying more for your new car?
* Does the dealer's price include the cost of options added by the dealer, such as rust- and waterproofing? Is the dealer's stated price on these options higher than you would pay elsewhere?
* Does the dealer have cars in stock without a lot of expensive options? If not, will the dealer order one for you?
A copy of the FTC fact sheet, titled "Buying a Car: Low-Rate Loans and Other Incentives," can be ordered from the Public Reference Branch, Room 130, Federal Trade Commission, Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., 20580.
The agency also is asking consumers to provide examples of ads that don't comply with federal laws. FTC officials said they are "especially interested in ads that fail to state the conditions of the low-rate financing or that advertise a rate far below the true rate of the transaction."
Material and questions concerning automobile consumer credit should be directed to Carole L. Reynolds, Division of Credit Practices, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C., 20580. Her telephone number is 724-1188. If the ads or questions concern marketing practices not related to credit, you should write to Marilyn J. Holmes, Division of Marketing Practices, FTC, Washington, D.C., 20580. Her phone number is 523-3860.


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Apple hasn’t even debuted its streaming video service yet, and already analysts are salivating over the potential cash tidal wave it could earn Apple.
According to Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives, Apple could carve out 100 million subscribers in the next 3-5 years. This could earn anywhere up to $10 billion in revenue per year.
Ives acknowledges that Apple is currently “playing from behind the eight ball” in the content arms race with Disney, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and the like. However, he is confident that Apple has a good shot at carving out a sizable niche for itself.
Much of this will, of course, turn on what Apple introduces. Apple’s service will likely combine content made by Apple with that of third party sources like Hulu, Showtime and HBO. Ives suggests that Apple will initially earn around 25 to 35 percent of the monthly subscriber fees due to paying content partners. However, he thinks Monday’s announcement will just represent the tip of the iceberg.
Original shows will likely arrive throughout 2019, possibly debuting in the fall. He also thinks that Apple could speed up the process of getting exclusive content by acquiring a studio like Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, CBS/Viacom, or MGM. He writes that:
“If Apple executes with minimal speed bumps and aggressively acquires content, given the company’s massive installed base and unmatched brand loyalty we believe reaching 100 million subs in the medium term (3 to 5 years) is a realistic goal that could translate into a $7 billion to $10 billion annual revenue stream over time for Apple and further cement its installed base and halo effect.”
Can Apple hit those targets?
Will it happen? It’s difficult to forecast how television will look in the next half decade. By comparison, Apple Music launched in June 2015. That’s approximately the same time frame Ives is talking about for a video service to hit 100 million subs. At last count, Apple Music had 56 million subscribers as of December 2018. It’s not clear what mix of paid and trial subscribers those might be. However, it does mean that Apple would need to grow its service at just under double the rate it has grown Apple Music.
Next to those figures, Ives’ predictions don’t look ridiculous. But with the number of streaming video services likely to explode in the next year or so, Apple’s certainly got a challenging road ahead.


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The City as a Platform: How Cities and New Mobility Services Can Work Together
February 18, 2019 | Company Blog
Many cities have been caught off-guard by the arrival of shared mobility services on their streets. New York City, for example, has stopped issuing ridehailing licenses after data showed that the services had added thousands of vehicles to city streets and significantly worsened congestion. San Francisco hasn’t stopped issuing licenses, but a report by the county’s transportation authority found ridehailing businesses were responsible for more than half of the county’s growing traffic woes.
Then came scooters, undocked two-wheelers that users can rent by the minute, and leave anywhere. These businesses have caused chaos in many cities, with the vehicles being used on sidewalks, left in doorways, and sometimes vandalized. “Only now, after a summer of scooter mayhem, are many cities starting to cope,” USA Today recently reported.
One way for cities to cope is for agencies to see themselves as akin to technology platforms, enabling multiple services to operate with consistent guidelines. That’s what Seleta Reynolds, General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation told the audience at LA CoMotion, a mobility conference and showcase held in Los Angeles in November of 2018.
“We will never be a product company, but we need to think like a product company,” Reynolds said. “The way Google and Apple invite innovation on their platforms is that they have terms and services that the companies agree to and then they can sell their products in the app store. As soon as they violate those terms and conditions, they are out of the app store.”
“We in cities have tried to regulate the device, the thing that showed up, instead of thinking about how we can put ourselves in the correct seat around the business model,” she said. “In Los Angeles, we’ve been thinking about how we can behave more like a product company to invite innovation on our app store but express our policy through technology.”
What the businesses want, Reynolds pointed out, are certainty and consistency. That’s what policy can create.
The city as a platform is not necessarily a new concept. For centuries, cities have enabled a mix of public and private services designed to enhance the quality of life for their residents and visitors, transportation being a critical one — others include healthcare, public safety, and social services.
What is a platform? Sangeet Paul Choudry co-chair of MIT’s Platform Strategy Summit, has a website devoted to the subject. He calls the platform “a unifying framework for digital business models.” The goal of a platform is to “enable interactions between producers and consumers,” by “providing a central infrastructure on which participants create and exchange value.”
The city as a platform — or at least the department of transportation as a platform in the case of Los Angeles–may indeed be a framework that can facilitate the introduction and coordination of new mobility services into urban centers. Instead of regulating in reaction to the next device, or thing that shows up, the smart cities of the future can offer a more streamlined process for launching and managing new services.
A uniform set of requirements for offering mobility services on the city’s “app store” could help make services more efficient. In New York, for example, one study found that ridehailing vehicles travel 2.8 miles for every mile of personal driving they replace. That’s because vehicles are empty much of the time, in part due to an oversupply of vehicles and drivers. The services are unmanaged, and congestion is one result — evidence that the platform is not exchanging value to all stakeholders.
The same study found that public transit is declining as people opt for private alternatives. One of the terms and conditions cities might enforce could be to coordinate with public transit for first and last mile solutions at peak hours rather than compete with public transit, taking more vehicles off the streets and adding capacity when and where it is needed most.
For this model to work, Reynolds points out, cities will need sincere partners — that truly work together to achieve shared goals. “Cities will not be able to just regulate our way toward the future we desire,” she said. “We must figure out a way to partner toward that future. The trick is finding the companies that understand the meaning of partnership,” which, says, requires trust, communication, and transparency.


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Fired by phone: Yahoo board sacks CEO in a quick phone call
Yahoo! chief executive Carol Bartz has been fired by the company's board, ending a rocky two-year run marked by stagnating growth and a bitter rift with Chinese partner Alibaba.
Ms Bartz, in a short note sent to Yahoo employees from her iPad, said: "I am very sad to tell you that I've just been fired over the phone by Yahoo's Chairman of the Board. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you and I wish you only the best going forward."
She was CEO for nearly three years into a tenure in which the company fell short of the turnaround she was charged with leading.
The company said Ms Bartz will be replaced by chief financial officer Timothy Morse on an interim basis. The company plans to search for a permanent replacement for Ms Bartz.
Ms Bartz, 63, has had a rocky tenure at Yahoo since she was appointed chief executive in January 2009.
Most recently, Yahoo settled a dispute surrounding a Chinese payment service called Alipay in a way that ended up diminishing Yahoo's stake in the company.
Ms Bartz was hired in January 2009 to engineer a turnaround after Yahoo fell further behind internet search leader Google under its two previous chief executives, its co-founder Jerry Yang and former movie studio boss Terry Semel.
Yahoo made more money under Ms Bartz because of layoffs, service closures and other cost-cutting moves since her arrival.
Google, though, has got even stronger in the past two years while Facebook, the owner of the web's most popular hangout, has emerged as a formidable threat that's attracting more of the major marketing campaigns that once went to Yahoo.
The departure was first reported by the Wall Street Journal's All Things D technology blog.
Yahoo shares jumped 74 cents, or 5.7%, to 13.65 US dollars in after-hours trading. That is about 12% higher than they were when Ms Bartz was named chief executive.


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NYRA announces 2012 giveaways at Saratoga
|Saratoga will feature four
giveaway days during the 2012 meet
The New York Racing Association, Inc. will continue its tradition of iconic
giveaways with four Sunday giveaway days scheduled for the summer 2012 meet at
Saratoga Race Course. Each emblazoned with the Saratoga Race Course logo, the
2012 giveaways include returning favorites and one new offering. The schedule is
Saratoga Baseball Cap -- July 29
An annual classic, visitors can pick up a free red, black and white baseball
cap, featuring the 2012 Saratoga logo with the image of a galloping horse on the
Saratoga Picnic Mat -- August 12
A new item this year, it is perfect for picnicking in the backyard. Attendees
can pick up a free Saratoga picnic mat, checkered in the iconic Saratoga red,
black and white colors and featuring the 2012 Saratoga logo.
Saratoga Pilsner Glass -- August 19
Visitors will cheer for this commemorative giveaway -- a Saratoga pilsner
glass featuring the 2012 Saratoga logo.
Saratoga Fleece Blanket -- September 2
Racing fans will keep warm this fall with the final giveaway of the summer
meet -- a red Saratoga fleece blanket featuring the 2012 Saratoga logo.
All giveaways are free with paid admission, while supplies last.
For more information about Saratoga Race Course, call 518-584-6200 or log
onto nyra.com. For
additional information about events at Saratoga Race Course, visit
Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
Send this article to a friend


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Business Tablet Use Set to Close in on Smartphones
- Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014
- Share this article:
While 74 per cent of organisations currently issue corporate-owned laptops, and 71 per cent issue smartphones, tablets lag behind, with only 47 per cent of businesses issuing them to employees. However, that gap is expected to close over the next few years, according to a new study by Frost & Sullivan.
By 2016, tablet use is predicted to rise to 56 per cent while smartphone use will actually decrease to 58 per cent, with tablets larger size and better specifications proving attractive to business users.
While almost 60 per cent of the organisations surveyed allowed personal devices to be connected to their corporate network, only four out of ten had formal bring your own device policies in place. Android has emerged as the most common mobile operating system for corporate-owned devices, with 56 per cent of companies utilising phones on the Google OS, compared to 41 per cent with iOS, 30 per cent with Windows Mobile and 28 per cent using BlackBerry.
“Overall, 62 per cent of the workforce is traditional, working at office locations,” said Karolina Olszewska, research analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “Mobile workers account for 22 per cent and remote workers the remaining 16 per cent. Although this trend is not expected to change drastically within the next three years, the number of in-office workers is expected to decrease, while remote and mobile workers are expected to increase, signifying greater opportunities for smartphone and tablet makers.”


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Category: Tech News
Mozilla says thanks but no thanks to Google revenues
Mozilla says thanks but no thanks to Google revenues It would appear that Mozilla will be fine, thank you even without the millions of dollars in revenue it had once earned thanks to Google. And that's largely in part due to the company's deals with ...
Mozilla Says It Doesn't Need Google For Revenue Anymore
Mozilla Doesn't Need Google Anymore
Firefox can survive without Google Deals
LG bets on OLED screens, possibly for iPhones, with new $8.67B factory
The Apple Watch is the company's only product using an OLED display in lieu of a traditional LCD screen but Apple's iPhone may be next in line. Reports suggest that by 2018, Apple will use the more power efficient OLED technology in handsets, and LG is ...
LG bets $8.7 billion you'll want a TV with rich OLED colors
Universal Display Rises on Chatter 2018 iPhones Will Use OLED Tech
Universal Display on the move on 2018 iPhone chatter
Scientists just caught a black hole swallowing a star — and burping a bit ...
Astronomers have caught black holes in the act of murdering stars before. But a study published Thursday in Science claims to have caught a step in the crime that has remained elusive until now. [This is what it looks like when a black hole tears a ...
Supermassive Black Hole Seen Eating A Star For The First Time
Supermassive Black Hole Caught in the Act of Swallowing a Star for the First Time
Astronomers catch a supermassive black hole doing something they've never seen ...
Amazon Slashes Prices on Echo, Kindle, Fire for Black Friday
Amazon has wide-ranging sales for Black Friday today, including its own lineup of gadgets, which are also significantly cheaper for those who have been eyeing a Kindle or Fire device. The company's popular smart speaker, the Amazon Echo, is just $149, ...
Black Friday 2015 Scam Hits Amazon
Here Are All Of Amazon's Black Friday Video Game Lightning Deals
Amazon Fire Tv Stick offer Black Friday only $24.99
White House reins in expectations for Paris
PARIS — Some deal will almost certainly emerge from the worldwide climate negotiations that President Barack Obama will kick off here Monday. The White House's dilemma: making it seem big enough to match the time and legacy aspirations he has ...
UN climate chief: Deal to reduce emissions within reach
The Changing Climate
Obama to meet with leaders of China, India at climate summit
Debris from failed SpaceX launch found 4000 miles away off British isle
London (CNN) A large chunk of debris from a SpaceX rocket has been found floating off a remote British island, more than 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) from where it exploded after takeoff. The barnacle-encrusted debris -- which measures about 33 feet ...
SpaceX Rocket Debris Found Near UK's Scilly Isles
Debris from SpaceX's failed Falcon 9 launch washes up in England
Debris from US rocket recovered off coast of southwest England
Billion dollar drone company DJI is explanding from consumer and camera drones into agriculture
Li-fi, a faster way to deliver internet access, has been tested in a real-life, working office in Tallinn, Estonia.
90% of disasters are weather-related
The talks, which will be held until December 11, will take place at Le Bourget, north of Paris, and up to 45,000 people are expected to attend, as reported by Reuters. 120 national leaders are to participate at the meeting on Monday. A recent study ...
UN Counts the Human Cost of Climate Change
Natural disasters exact huge toll on Asia
New United Nations Report Highlights Weather-Disaster Relation
Do social media apps in the office spell the end for work emails?


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General Motors seems particularly keen, dare I say, Sirious about implementing voice-recognition technology into automobiles, and to outline this intention, will be implementing Apple’s Siri personal assistant to a couple of its Chevrolet car models early next year.
As well as catering to all of the functions many of us take for granted when driving along, such as skipping through music tracks, altering the radio station or looking for a detour on a long trip, the Siri integration will bring a host of feature to which we’ve become accustomed with the iPhone. Once Siri is intertwined with the Chevrolet Sonic subcompact, Spark minicar, and the 2014 Spark EV battery-powered car, one will easily be able to skim through contacts, alter appointments and reminders, or search for local businesses or restaurants.
Our smartphones have improved at incredible rates over the past year alone, and with technology moving at such a fast rate, it’s proving hard for the cars to keep up – no matter what the engine capacity may be. Still, Chevy wants to be among the the first to take things to the next level, and Cristi Landy, Chevrolet’s small car marketing director, says the company is aiming for “Safe, easy, reliable and portable connectivity" and in reference to the company’s existing in-car tech, goes on to note of how "Siri complements MyLink’s existing capabilities to help deliver an incredible driving experience.”
Devices will hook up, as is often the case, via Bluetooth, and Chevrolet will stick a special Siri button right on the steering wheel for the convenience of the driver. It’s not just General Motors / Chevrolet with the bug; Ford Motor has also just announced its enhanced voice recognition system, which can seamlessly pair a driver’s new smartphone to a car’s existing setup, or infotainment system. For those interested, the 2014 Fiesta will be Ford’s real-world guinea pig.
It’s fair to say that while many automobiles now offer a decent set of toys, integrating them with a smartphone can still be a real pain in the rear. If you do manage to rig everything up correctly, the features you can actually utilize from your device are extremely limited, but if other car companies follow the lead of the world’s largest – General Motors – hopefully our cars and handsets will speak a mutually intelligible language in the near future.
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.


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All Windows Phones have built-in Digital Compasses, but they have had to wait for Mango for the right drivers to make them available to third party developers.
It seems even after the official Mango update the Dell Venue Pro, a seemingly cursed device, still does not have support for the compass.
Users on XDA-Developers complain the device always reads 100 degrees, and further digging discovered that driver do not get installed at all.
XDA-Dev member MJS writes:
Well here is the problem…during the update this is what happened:
Code:NkUpdate succeeded. NkUpdate: Writing the NK partition... NkUpdate: Successfully wrote the NK partition. **** Starting IMGFS Update @ 16:46:58 **** Deleting file compassDrv.dll.
So yeah…good one dell
Good one indeed. Presumably Dell will eventually release a firmware update to address the issue, but it is another blow to DVP owners, who recently learned that they will never get WIFI tethering also, and it seems have to wait extra long for the Mango update on AT&T.


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Cameroon became a Party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on May 4, 2006.
Smoke Free Places: Smoking is prohibited in schools, universities and Ministry buildings. Smoking is not regulated in any other indoor public place, indoor workplace or on any means of public transportation.
Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship: There is a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion on television, radio and in the printed press as well as on outdoor advertising. Tobacco sponsorship is allowed, but there are some restrictions on the publicity of such sponsorship.
Tobacco Packaging and Labeling: The law requires rotating pictorial health warnings on 70 percent of the front and back surfaces of tobacco product packaging. Misleading packaging and labeling, which could include terms such as “light” and “low tar” and other signs, is prohibited.
Tobacco Taxation and Prices: The World Health Organization recommends raising tobacco excise taxes so that they account for at least 70 percent of retail prices. Tobacco excise taxes in Cameroon are well below these recommendations.


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Cuba vs. Information and Communication Technologies
Cuba now ranks 129th in the world in terms of communication technologies, having been demoted from the 119th place.
By Cubano del Este
HAVANA TIMES — In Cuba, where most of the population struggles to put food on the table and scrounge up the bare minimum to get by, the recent report by the International Telecommunications Union (UIT), declaring the island the least developed Latin American country in terms of information and communication technologies, may seem trivial.
The cracks that have formed on the wall surrounding Cuba’s government controlled media in recent times, however, have awakened an appetite for technology among the younger generations that is difficult to satisfy, much less repress. This represents a genuine challenge for a society that practices censorship and manipulation as a means of survival.
In his address before the United Nations during the Sustainable Development Summit, and on presenting the resolution against the US embargo at the UN General Assembly, Cuban President Raul Castro stated that the “blockade” not only holds back the nation’s development but also stands in the way of improving the infrastructure needed to have a high-speed Internet on the island.
Though it may strike some as controversial, and even though to some extent the embargo has a negative impact on the island’s economy, this appears to be the old habit of placing the ball on the other court rather than a sincere description of reality. To illustrate this point, let us review some data about Cuba published by the UIT:
– 11.23 out of every 100 Cubans have a landline;
– 22.48 out of every 100 Cubans hold a cell phone contract;
– The average bandwidth per user is 462 Bit/s;
– 12.9 % of homes have computers;
– 4.12 % of homes have access to the Internet.
For those living outside the island, it would seem that the US government, with its restrictions and persecution of companies that have business dealings with Cuba, have mired Cuba’s population in a thick mud of technological backwardness.
Those who study its recent history, however, will recall that, a few years ago, Cuba’s leadership forbade the import of VHS and DVD players, mobile phones and personal computers. Cubans were also barred from freely owning cell phones or accessing the Internet (which only foreigners residing in Cuba, government officials, artists, journalists and some medical doctors could enjoy).
Despite the shy steps towards liberalization, the Ministry of Communications maintains restrictions on the import of no few information and communication devices, particularly any device related to satellite communications.
At Cuba’s government store chains, one not only finds it impossible to purchase a simple PC (which, if available, will be more expensive and worse than those sold in the black market), one also has a hard time finding a USB drive, a micro SD card or something as obsolete as a radio receptor.
Though ETECSA, the country’s sole mobile phone and Internet services provider, is unable to cover the demand for cell phones, the number of such devices that can be imported is limited, and new customs regulations make it difficult for communication devices and household appliances to be brought into the country. According to the Cuban government, this is in order to “protect the domestic market,” where, in addition to chronic shortages, products are sold at three times their market value abroad.
As though this weren’t enough, cell phone lines, calls, intranet mail and Internet services (offered at a handful of navigation locales and Wi-Fi hot zones) are very expensive, restricting their regular and massive use by Cubans.
Though the number of computers at Cuban schools have been doubled and computer sciences are part of their syllabi, and despite the Computer Clubs in existence around the country, the use of obsolete devices (too few to guarantee regular use) and restricted access to the Internet (no few centers offer merely intranet services, which afford access to Cuban pages or regulated content) demonstrate that these are merely excuses to cover up the State’s interest in keeping Cubans away from the digital world.
Though Cuba’s governing elite accuses the United States of maintaining a digital divide, as of December 17 last year, when the thaw policy was announced, several US telecommunication companies have expressed an interest in doing business with Cuba, but it seems that the Cuban government is ultimately the greatest obstacle standing between technology, the Internet and Cubans.
A recent New York Times editorial recommended an alliance with companies such as Google, so that Cubans will finally be able to access the World Wide Web freely. The article adds that millions of Cubans could have access to the Internet at affordable prices in a matter of months, and that the only thing keeping Cuba in the mists of the digital era is the lack of political will.”
Granma, Cuba’s official newspaper, only reprints those editorials that repeat its own rhetoric, but only 4.12 % of Cuban homes have access to the Internet (and many of these through a slow, dial-up connection). This time around, the embargo served to keep most Cubans from reading the points of view expressed by the New York Times editorial.
(*) Users of the email services offered by ETECSA (nauta.cu) maintain that it is affordable, as they compare it to the 0.35 CUC charged for calls and 0.09 CUC charged for messaging. This service, however, is designed to charge one cent per kb. In other words, if you send a 3 megabyte photo, you will require no less than 3 CUC of cell phone credit, which is more than what they charge for an hour of Internet use (2 CUC). Imagine if your g-mail account charged you, not only for your Internet use, but an additional dollar for every megabyte sent or received!
6 thoughts on “Cuba vs. Information and Communication Technologies”
If anyone in the UK is reading this, and would like to help Cubans take advantage of the internet, and is going to Cuba any time in the next year, please contact [email protected].
You’ve presented a sadly accurate view of Cuban ICT. The only criticism I have is with the claim by the NY Times that “millions of Cubans could have access to the Internet at affordable prices in a matter of months, and that the only thing keeping Cuba in the mists of the digital era is the lack of political will.”
It’s not that easy and it would take investment, time and policy changes as well as political will:
I also wonder whether rushing into a deal with companies like Google (or Telefonica, Orange, AT&T, etc.) is in the long-run interest of the Cuban people. Taking some time to design uniquely Cuban telecommunicaiton policy and leapfrog technology might be juistified:
Access to information is what will transform Cuba from a dictatorship to opportunities for the citizens of Cuba to decide their form of government. This will happen sooner than later so the clock is ticking and like so many despots in the past, the guys at the top in Cuba will be taken by complete surprise. Corruption, lack of motivation, country that should have a self sustainable food supply are all due to the “system” that just doesn’t work. Venezuela, more oil than anywhere in the world just showed us that. My suggestion for those who visit Cuba is bring along something that you can give to the people of Cuba so as to expedite this.
The Cuba government has nothing to fear. The internet makes it eassier than ever to track personal activity and voice. It is the ultimate media for communication for central governments. They need look no further than the China web.
No one except the few living dinosaurs still around from the Castro revolution really believe that the US is too blame for Cuba’s technological blackout. Even the most strident anti-US commenters who frequent this blog realize that if the technology exists anywhere in the world, it is available for Cuba through relationship with China and Russia. The US can prevent nothing from being imported into Cuba.
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It may sound almost impossible but the non-fungible token (NFT) market has managed to attract Khabib Nurmagomedov. He is a legend in the mixed martial arts (MMA) industry.
After shining in the MMA and the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov has decided to do the same in the NFT industry. This is the reason why he has decided to become part of the NFT industry.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Launches a New Collection
The NFT collectors and the fans of Khabib Nurmagomedov will have the opportunity of getting their hands on his collection.
This is a rare opportunity for the fans of Khabib Nurmagomedov and the collectors to get their hands on the unique collection.
As per the creators, the name of the new collection is “Khabib NFT Collection”. The team behind the creation of the non-fungible tokens is GMT.
It has been confirmed by the creators that the particular collection will be in the form of a series.
This a Rare Opportunity for the Fans
This will be a huge opportunity for the collectors and the fans to gain access to the rare non-fungible tokens offered through the collection.
The new collection is being referred to as the legacy of Khabib and the participants have the opportunity of owning them.
According to the users, Khabib’s collection has been created in the form of designer mining rigs. As the users purchase the NFTs, they earn the opportunity of meeting Khabib at the private events hosted by the legend himself.
The officials have revealed that these events would take place several times throughout the year. The enthusiasts will gain the opportunity of meeting and have a great time with the legendary fighter.
In addition to the above, the participants will gain the opportunity of becoming part of Khabib’s exclusive club.
Design and Features of the NFT Collection
The non-fungible tokens offered through the Khabib NFT Collection go on to depict the legendary career of Khabib as a fighter in the MMA.
The creators aim to honor his MMA career and they want to do the same with his quotes and statements. Many memorable elements have been collected by the creators from Khabib’s career to depict them in the form of tokens.
The design of the NFTs has been kept very unique and attractive so the collectors and fans keep coming back.
All of the depictions made for the NFTs for Khabib’s new collection are from his fighting career. The tokens placed in the series show the journey of Khabib in the MMA industry and how he rose to the top.
Significance of the NFTs
As per the creators, they have created the NFTs in a unique manner. They have created them with the backing of the 29 TH/s, which is a symbol that represents Khabib’s impressive in-ring record.
During his active MMA career, Khabib had scored a 29-0 record in all of his matches inside the ring. This makes the NFTs even more unique for the collectors and the fans as well.
Strong Benefits from NFTs
GMT has revealed that they have utilized the mining power of their devices. Their fleet has successfully generated the Khabib NFTs, representing the real computing power of the mining rigs.
The major benefit that NFTs offer their users is the ability to earn a variety of rewards. The rewards even include the portions of Bitcoin (BTC) that the users can earn on a daily basis.
With the help of the NFTs, the users gain the opportunity of getting daily rewards. They can even become part of the NFT pool that would bring in even more rewards for them.
The users can also become part of the NFT community and keep interacting with other members. This way, they can stay up-to-date and earn even more rewards from the platform.
It was back in October 2021 when Khabib confirmed that he had become an ambassador of GMT. Since then, he had not represented the company in a unique manner such as this.


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The smartphones insurance companies hate: Samsung leads least-reliable pack
Smartphone connoisseurs may be anticipating the upcoming release of the HTC One, but the rest of the world can't stop talking about another HTC phone due out Friday, the First.
31 percent of people who took part in a PC Advisor poll to gage the public interest in the Facebook Phone have said that they want one.
Samsung has announced the Samsung Galaxy Win, which appears to be a slightly wimpier Galaxy S3 for the midrange consumer.
Is the HTC One a smartphone that takes pictures or a camera that makes phone calls? That question may sound facetious, but there's the buzz around the upcoming HTC One and its newfangled UltraPixel camera--which will land in consumer hands on April 1...
Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC reported a major decline in its first quarter profit, after the company was forced to push back the launch of its newest flagship phone to April.
Unless you're a huge Facebook fanatic, will this really be something you use every day? Time will tell.
HTC has no plans to launch its new First smartphone in Australia. The company says there is currently "no information available on Australian availability."
Facebook is not building its own smartphone. Instead, it today unveiled Home, a Facebook-focused home screen designed to give Android users quick access to their Facebook friends.
HTC has today announced all major Australian telcos -- Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile -- will begin taking pre-orders for HTC's new One Android smartphone from tomorrow, with the device set to be available in stores from Tuesday 23 April.
A new report shows just how much smartphone users love Facebook, checking it as much as 14 times a day. In advance of Thursday's Facebook phone announcement, this could be good news for the social network.
An image of what appears to be the long-rumoured Facebook phone has been published by by Twitter account @evleaks.
It's a big month for HTC. As the phone manufacturer gets set to unveil their rumored Facebook Phone (or at least unveil their role as the initial handset for a mobile Facebook OS), they are also readying the launch of the newest incarnation of their ...
AT&T and Sprint Tuesday separately announced plans to start selling 32GB HTC One smartphones on April 19 for $199.99 with a two-year contract.
HTC's new One smartphone takes 220 minutes or almost four hours to manufacture, according to a company executive.
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The print quality also does not disappoint, it’s clear, bold, doesn’t smudge and the text is perfectly sized.
The Huddle Board’s built in program; Sharp Touch Viewing software allows us to easily manipulate and edit our documents (jpegs and PDFs) all at the same time on the dashboard.
The biggest perks for me would be that it comes with easy to use and comprehensive programs that make the collaboration process a whole lot more intuitive and organic
I rate the printer as a 5 out of 5 stars as it has been able to fit seamlessly into my busy and mobile lifestyle.
It’s perfect for mobile workers. Just take it out — it’s small enough to sit anywhere — turn it on, load a sheet of paper, and start printing.
The HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile Printer is a great device that fits perfectly into my fast paced and mobile lifestyle. My first impression of the printer itself was how incredibly compact and sleek the device was.
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Top 10 dApps Are Doing $100 million in Weekly Volume
The world’s top 10 dApps handle roughly $100 million in transaction volume every week. This is a stark contrast to the popular narrative that dApps don’t have users or use cases.
The global dApp ecosystem has continued to grow throughout 2018 as new projects from EOS and Ethereum have come online. While there are only a handful of projects that have ever seen more than 10,000 daily active users, dApps are nonetheless generating increasingly high transaction volumes from a small number of users.
Gambling makes up the overwhelming majority of dApp transaction volume. This proves that there is a market for decentralized betting, even if it is minuscule compared to a global online gambling market that is estimated to be worth roughly $50 billion in 2017.
Data source: Stateofthedapps.com


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FedEx said Tuesday it lost a long-running legal dispute with nearly 500 drivers in Kansas over its former practice of classifying some of its U.S. delivery drivers as independent contractors.
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals last week issued an order and opinion concluding that members of a Kansas class-action suit are employees, not independent contractors. The court sided with the Kansas Supreme Court, which had issued a similar opinion last year.
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BERLIN — As pubcaster ARD continues to feel the fallout from a product placement scandal that’s tarnished its credibility, commercial rivals are calling for the practice to be legalized.
Juergen Doetz, head of the Assn. of Commercial Broadcasters and Telecommunication (VPRT), said Wednesday that product placement was increasingly necessary for broadcasters now that more viewers have digital video recorders that allow them to skip commercials.
Classic TV advertising blocks are becoming less and less attractive for advertisers, he added.
Doetz stressed, however, that product placement must be disclosed so as not to deceive viewers. Current German law prohibits product placement on TV. The VPRT proposes that advertisers be listed in the opening and closing credits of programs.
Doetz also welcomed sweeping changes recently proposed by European Union Media Commissioner Viviane Reding to loosen product placement rules.
Yet the VPRT remains steadfastly against advertising, including product placement, on pubcasters.
A German newsmagazine recently uncovered alleged illegal placements by ARD production subsidiary Bavaria Film going back 10 years. Bavaria has partially confirmed the reports.
The scandal infuriated ARD execs, who claim they had no knowledge of the practice, as well as politicos, who are calling for more transparency at the pubcasters.
On Wednesday, ARD program director Guenter Struve said the pubcaster was introducing its first measures to prevent illegal advertising on programming. Net will show educational videos to all of its writers and producers to make them aware of the practice.
Struve added that so-called topic placement — in which advertisers place a specific topic or issue in a show — is becoming increasingly subtle and sophisticated.
Bavaria-produced soap “Marienhof” has been singled out. Its cast dispenses home improvement tips, travel advice and even support for Turkey’s admission into the European Union, all paid for, undisclosed, by advertisers including the Consortium of Textile Floor Coverings, travel operator L’tur and the Assn. of Turkish Entrepreneurs & Industrialists.


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JWU's Larry Friedman International Center for Entrepreneurship was a-buzz because of more than just some extra caffeine Wednesday morning as members of the JWU community mingled and networked with Providence-area entrepreneurs while they awaited the start of One Million Cups (1MC)'s Providence kickoff event.
Johnson & Wales has joined forces with the Kauffman Foundation to launch the first edition of this weekly, national forum for entrepreneurs in New England.
1MC is based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and network over a million cups of coffee. Every week throughout the country, two local entrepreneurs have the opportunity to present their startups to forum attendees.
From Kansas City to the Ocean State
JWU's kickoff event on May 13 began with a greeting from Taylor Brown, senior program coordinator in entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation. Brown walked attendees through the history of 1MC, which grew from a gathering of 12 eager individuals in Kansas City, Mo. in 2012 to the network of 72 cities Providence is now a part of.
“One Million Cups is run by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs,” Brown explained. Nationally over 300 volunteers work within their communities to organize their local 1MC meetings.
Wednesday's event featured presentations from Increment, a toy-design company founded by two Rhode Island School of Design alumnae, and Hippothecary Food Pharmacy, the 2015 Sharkfest People's Choice award-winning startup JWU culinary nutrition seniors Luis Rivera and Rebecca Giambarresi plan on launching this fall.
When asked what advice they had for current students with entrepreneurial aspirations, Increment founders Maeve Jopson and Cynthia Poon quickly responded: “Just do it.” They also encouraged students to find mentors, build relationships, and stay connected with their faculty members and fellow classmates.
Rivera and Giambarresi believe that food can serve as a preventative treatment for many common ailments, but in order to combat the idea that foods that are good for you can't also taste great, they've created a line of non-dairy ice creams. Hippothecary offers 5 types of ice cream, each delivering different health benefits. They've developed vegetable-based, high protein, high fiber, pre- and probiotic, and heart healthy varieties.
After the presentations concluded, Rivera and Giambarresi passed out product samples as attendees excitedly chatted and networked with one another.
“This program creates an ecosystem and support system for young entrepreneurs starting out,” John Robitaille, executive in residence at the eCenter said.
These presentations take place every Wednesday at 9am at all of the 1MC sites around the country, including JWU's, and are open to the public.


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Yesterday we noticed that iPad mini supply has finally caught up with demand. For the first time since the tablet launched last November, all models are showing ‘in stock’ in Apple’s online store, in several countries.
The improved stock is said to be due to AU Optronics solidifying higher yields of iPad mini panels. And not only has it figured out how to make the current-gen panels faster, but it’s begun work on next-gen displays… Read More
According to new reports by Taiwanese media outlets, Apple is said to be lining up suppliers for a fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad. The gizmo is said to adopt a revamped touchscreen technology, basically the same “GF2″ display tech found on the 7.9-inch iPad mini. The iPad mini’s display assembly is notably thinner compared to its bigger brother that sports the glass-on-glass design so the reports jive nicely with previous rumors pointing to the iPad 5 borrowing a few design ideas from the iPad mini, namely a thinner and lighter appearance… Read More
Apple is widely expected to do some major updating to its tablet line this fall. The latest reports allege that the company is going to give its 9.7-inch iPad a complete makeover, and squeeze a high resolution Retina display into its smaller sibling.
The latter scenario is particularly interesting, because screen resolution has been the one complaint users have had with the current iPad mini. But according to new data from iSuppli, consumers may end up paying more for the extra pixels… Read More
As we entered 2013, the rumor mill has been increasingly churning out speculative reports regarding Apple’s rumored TV set and smart watch projects, almost on a daily basis. Even Bloomberg joined the frenzy with claims that Apple has as many as a hundred product designers working on a wearable smart watch-like computer that “may perform some of the tasks now handled by the iPhone and iPad.” But here’s the kicker: what if this group is instead working on a television set – fittingly referred to as an iWatch? Read More
Even though there certainly is no shortage of iWatch rumors these days, we’re kinda short on new mockups. Thanks to the United Kingdom’s The Guardian newspaper which yesterday published this detailed mockup, there’s something to chew on on this slow news Monday (it’s Presidential’s Day holiday in the United States).
We already reported on how former Apple exec Jean-Louis Gassée thinks the iWatch is an intimate computer rather than a smart watch with a twist. We also know from Bloomberg that Apple reportedly has a 100-engineer strong team working on the project. Taking it all in, The Guardian newspaper thinks Apple’s take on the Dick Tracy watch takes advantage of recent developments in hi-tech curved glass, cheaper sensors and better voice recognition software… Read More
LG Display, a major Apple supplier that makes high-resolution screens for the iPad mini, fourth-generation iPad, 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and redesigned iMacs, plans to allocate more than 706 billion won, or approximately $656.7 million, toward building organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens for high-definition television sets by the end of June 2014, according to The Wall Street Journal. The investment will allow LG Display to make some 26,000 sheets per month for customers seeking 55-inch or larger television screens.
It was recently revealed that Apple hired LG Display’s OLED expert Dr. Jueng Jil Lee. Another clue: Apple already holds several patents involving flexible OLEDs, OLED based BLUs for LCDs, OLED control schemes and others… Read More
A web site with an unestablished track record when it comes to Apple reporting has posted a claimed photograph of the iPhone 5S motherboard with Apple’s A7 system-on-a-chip. Of course, the A7 silicon is widely expected to power the next-generation iPhone, the iPhone 5S, but the authenticity of this particular blurry image couldn’t be confirmed at post time.
What’s more, one credible publication has challenged the authenticity of the photograph by zooming in on the chip label to spot some unnatural looking pixels that give it away… Read More
Once a highly valued partner, Google has spent the last few years moving in on Apple’s territory. It’s done it in the computer space, with its Chromebook OS, and in the smartphone space with Android. And now it looks like it’s preparing to do the same thing in retail.
A new report is out this afternoon claiming that the Mountain View company is in the process of building standalone retail stores in the United States, in an effort to get its products into more hands. And its flagship locations could be ready by the holidays…
I know, I know. There’s so many different Apple rumors these days, going in so many different directions, it’s hard to keep track. There’s the 4.8-inch iPhone, and the budget iPhone, and let’s not forget about the iWatch, which has become extremely popular as of late.
But try to block all of that out for a second, and focus on the Apple TV. A new report is out today from Tech Crunch’s well-connected MG Siegler, who says that talk of Apple’s broader television plans is picking up, and we could see something happen as early as this fall… Read More
While there’s been multiple Apple rumors bandied about over the past few weeks, by far, the one receiving the most attention is the iWatch. Three major news outlets have now reported of its existence and the word is, Apple’s bringing it to market.
Well if that really is the case, then it might want to hurry, or risk getting beaten to the punch by its fiercest competitor. That’s right, Samsung has a smartwatch of its own. And if the alleged screenshots above are the real deal, then it’s not too far off… Read More
You can call it the ‘iWatch.’ You can call it a ‘wearable computer.’ Heck, you can even call it a ‘bad idea.’ But after a week of hearing reports from major news outlets that Apple is working on a wristwatch-like device, it looks like it’s happening.
And that certainty becomes a little more solid this afternoon, as iMore’s Rene Ritchie adds his weight to the rumor. Ritchie, who has proven to be very accurate with Apple intel, reports that Apple is indeed moving forward with the project… Read More
Jeffries analyst Peter Misek is on a roll. First he wrote in a note issued to clients this morning that channel checks led him to believe that the iPhone 5S is entering production in March for a likely June/July introduction.
Then word came that Misek thinks Apple could be holding a media event next month to announce a software development kit (SDK).
The official SDK would enable programmers to write full-screen 1080p apps and games for the Apple TV set-top box. And now, we learn that Misek doesn’t see the 4.8-inch iPhone launching this year at all. Instead, Apple is looking to release a bigger iPhone in mid-2014, he writes… Read More
Earlier today, Jeffries analyst Peter Misek told investors that Apple will hold a TV-related media event in March. And he suspects that the focus of the event will be the unveiling of a software development kit that will allow developers to finally make third-party apps for the Apple TV.
Well if that’s really the case, major gaming consoles better watch out. In a recent blogpost rant entitled ‘Stupid, Stupid xBox!!’ Xbox founder Nat Brown says that if Apple opens up an App Store on the Apple TV, the platform would “simply kill” the Playstation, Xbox and the WiiU… Read More
In a déjà vu moment, Reuters this morning reported that shares of the German luxury TV maker Loewe surged 33 percent on renewed talk of a possible acquisition by Apple. The news gathering organization quotes a trader who claims Apple supposedly wants to bid 4 euros a share for Loewe, or approximately $5,28 a share, a 40 percent premium above the company’s closing price on Tuesday.
Loewe’s current market cap sits at 53 million euros, or about $71 million. With its $137 billion cash mountain, Apple could buy Loewe outright without blinking. Nearly one-third of Loewe, or 28 percent, is owned by Sharp, an Apple supplier that was involved in the Apple television rumor last summer… Read More
Apple could be holding an Apple TV-related media event next month, according to Jeffries analyst Peter Misek. Despite the mounting rumors that Apple is working on a standalone television set, channel checks led the analyst to believe that the assumed event will serve as a launchpad for a software development kit allowing programmers to write third-party applications for Apple’s $99 set-top box, something a lot of people have been clamoring for… Read More
Like clockwork, Bloomberg has chimed in with its own ‘iWatch‘ report this afternoon. The site says that two sources inside the company have confirmed that Apple indeed has an enormous team working on a wristwatch-like device… Read More
Talk of Apple working on a smartwatch has really heated up over the past week. Following a speculative piece from a former Apple engineer, both the NYT and the WSJ have reported that the company is indeed building such a product.
So what will this so-called iWatch do? Things like Siri, NFC and support for third-party apps have all been thrown about. But according to the folks over at Joy of Tech, the watch’s built-in Dyson hand drier will be its killer feature… Read More
Watchers and analysts alike are increasingly expecting that Apple will reveal its cards at its upcoming developers conference, WWDC, this summer. First, a set of dubious images made rounds this morning, allegedly depicting the iPhone 5S on an assembly line and hinting at a likely summer launch.
However, eagle-eyed bloggers were quick to point out a few glaring inconsistencies, eventually debunking these spy shots as depicting an iPhone knock-off. Then an analyst said a cheaper iPhone model was due in June and now another report claims an Apple-branded television set is coming this summer… Read More
Over the past week or so, several users have come forward complaining about issues with iOS 6.1. Vodafone has actually told its iPhone 4S owners not to update to the software due to the problems, and AOL Corporate has had to turn off some Exchange services.
Well it looks like Apple is working to get these bugs fixed as soon as possible. A new report out this morning claims that carriers have already completed testing of iOS 6.1.1, and the 23MB firmware will be available in the near future as an over-the-air update… Read More
At last, some pretty credible parts apparently belonging to the iPhone 5S are starting to emerge. A set of images posted by a Chinese tech site and allegedly depicting the iPhone 5S parts on an assembly line include several shots of the device’s internals, including a vibration motor that looks to be a linear oscillating vibrator like that of the iPhone 4S.
That would be a departure from the iPhone 5′s more noisy rotational motor which uses counterweight. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the leaked images are authentic or perhaps show an iPhone clone being assembled somewhere in China, though latter seems to be the case. I’ve included a few more snaps right past the fold… Read More


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In web marketing, multiple channels work together to boost return on investment. Digital marketing tech company Kenshoo wanted to find out how social advertising and paid search together might impact conversion.
In what Kenshoo called the first study of its kind, the company found that when a person was exposed to a brand’s Facebook ads and paid search ads together, there was a 30 percent more return on ad spend than when a person was exposed to paid search ads alone.
“The fact that Facebook advertising on its own during this study was declared a successful initiative and had such a strong impact on paid search is indicative of the power of the platform,” Kenshoo said in its report, adding:
“If marketers only had one Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to compare media channels, the metric of choice would be ROAS [return on ad spend], which is calculated as Revenue/Cost. For example, if an advertiser spent $20 and generated $100 in sales it had a 5x ROAS. Even media with different conversion goals can be easily evaluated based on how much it returned versus how much it spent.”
The study showed a positive lift in average order value as well when the two ad channels were paired together, with a 24 percent boost, said Kenshoo, suggesting that “consumers who were exposed to social advertising became higher value customers.”
Kenshoo said click-through rate also improved, with paid search ads seeing a 7 percent increase in CTRs when a person was exposed to both Facebook ads and PPC ads, “indicating that social advertising was able to positively impact consumer awareness and perception of the brand,” Kenshoo reported.
And when paired together, search and social advertising resulted in 4.5 percent lower cost per acquisition, according to the research.
“On the surface, 4.5 percent may not seem significant when compared to some of the other high numbers reported in this study,” Kenshoo said, “yet ask any advertiser if they could lower their costs to bring in orders by this amount and they would all jump at the opportunity.”
See the full study for more information on the methodology and recommendations on how to pair search and social advertising.
This article was originally published on http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/study/2309466/paid-search-ads-paired-with-facebook-ads-yield-30-more-return-study.
On March 23, ClickZ Intelligence held the webinar ‘The State of Social 2017’ in association with Tracx. As part of the presentation, a huge number of stats and facts were shared about social media. Here are 13 of our favorites.
According to a survey conducted as part of OnBrand Magazine's State of Branding Report 2017, marketers are well aware of the new technologies that are expected to be important to their brands in coming years, but the majority aren't rushing to invest in them before they're fully-baked.
Facebook advertising has come a long way in the past few years, and it provides a highly profitable way for brands either to engage an existing audience or grow new ones.
The rise of YouTube and digital video generally has a lot to do with the rise of the internet and the abundance of digital video content. But YouTube's ascendency is also the result of Google's savvy use of algorithms.


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Realme has started rolling out its Realme UI software update to the Realme 3 and Realme 3i smartphones, joining the Realme 3 Pro, which received the update in late January.
A streaming service’s five-year operation in Asia has come to its closing act. HOOQ, one of the first streaming services in the Philippines, is shutting down, and will officially bid farewell April 30th.
Huawei‘s new EMUI 10.1 update, which launched alongside the Huawei P40 series, brings a flurry of new features, including MeeTime, a new voice and video call option built into the Phone app.
At the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Youth Edition 5G in China, the company also unveiled the latest version of its MIUI overlay based on Android.
It looks like Zoom, a video-conferencing app that has become wildly popular amid the COVID-19 pandemic, will be welcoming new competition soon. Facebook has announced a new feature coming to its social network that will allow up to 50 people to virtually meet together in a video call.
Good news! Fortnite, arguably one of the most popular online games on any platform, is now available on the Google Play Store.
Last month, Huawei announced its new EMUI 10.1 software based on Android 10 alongside the Huawei P40 series.
Besides staying home (if you could, of course) and practicing social distance, donating is one of the best ways to help out while the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the Philippines and most other parts of the world.
Huawei recently launched the new P40, P40 Pro, and P40 Pro Plus flagship smartphones with Android 10-based EMUI 10.1 and Huawei Mobile Services (in lieu of Google Mobile Services) on tap.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected various aspects of life in the Philippines, including travel for those of us in the technology industry. Overseas trips to cover on-the-ground MWC and the Huawei P40 series launch events? Didn’t push through. And many more.


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Food labels are getting a makeover
In this Jan. 23, 2014 file photo, the nutrition facts label on the side of a cereal box is photographed in Washington. Nutrition facts labels on food packages are getting a long-awaited makeover, with calories listed in bigger, bolder type and a new line for added sugars. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File/Thinkstock)
Food labels are getting a makeover
May 31, 2016
Published: May 31, 2016
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Nutrition facts labels on food packages are getting a long-awaited makeover. Calories will be listed in bigger, bolder type. A new line will be added. It is for added sugars.
Serving sizes will be updated. They should be more realistic. A small bag of chips won't count as two or three servings, for example.
First lady Michelle Obama is expected to announce final rules for new labels. She is scheduled to make a speech May 27. It will be part of her "Let's Move!" campaign. The campaign is to combat childhood obesity. The changes were first proposed by the Food and Drug Administration two years ago. They are the first major update of the labels since they were created in 1994. The labels are now found on more than 800,000 products.
"This is going to make a real difference in providing families across the country the information they need to make healthy choices," the first lady said in a statement.
The overhaul comes as the science has changed in recent decades. Fat was the focus in the 1990s. That is when the labels were first created. Now there is more concern about how many calories people eat. The calorie listing will now be much larger than the rest of the type on the label. It will make it hard to overlook.
Serving sizes will also be easier to see. They will be listed at the top of the graphic. And it will be easier to figure out how many servings are in a container. This is part of an attempt to revise long-misleading serving sizes.
Calculations for serving sizes will also be revised. The idea behind listing a whole package of food or drink as one serving size isn't that people should eat more. The idea is that they should understand how many calories are in what they are actually eating. The FDA says that by law, serving sizes must be based on actual consumption. It should not be based on ideal consumption.
Nutrition advocates have long asked for the added sugars line on the label. That's because it's impossible for consumers to know how much sugar in an item is naturally occurring, like those in fruit and dairy products, and how much is added by the manufacturer. Think of an apple vs. applesauce, which comes in sweetened and unsweetened varieties.
There was another change to the labels. The levels of potassium and Vitamin D will be included. They are two nutrients. Americans don't get enough of those. Vitamin C and Vitamin A listings are no longer required. But, they can be included. Iron and calcium will stay.
The food industry has two years to comply.
Reaction to the labels from food companies has been mixed since they were first proposed. Some companies have fought the new line for added sugar. Others have supported it. The Grocery Manufacturers Association represents the food industry's largest companies. It has supported the larger print for calories.
Source URL: https://www.tweentribune.com/article/junior/food-labels-are-getting-makeover/
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CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION
Why will the change in “serving size” help people know the impact of the food they eat?
Write your answers in the comments section below


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ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Seafood lovers don't have to look far in the River City for a fresh catch, and one popular seafood spot is turning the tide with some much-needed renovations.
Seafood Kitchen in Atlantic Beach had been dealing with missing sign letters, a tattered ceiling and a weathered building.
But now, fresh changes are making waves at the restaurant, which has stood at the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Royal Palms Drive for three decades.
Owner Nathan Stuart, who can often be seen warmly greeting his regular customers, said his popular restaurant's recent makeover is reeling in more business than ever.
“We've always had good food. It's just trying to keep up with the 80-year-old building, and it's like we now have a fresh canvas,” Stuart said.
Gone are the red tiles and columns outside the building.
“We tore all those down, framed everything to give it a beachy look,” Stuart said.
When a wall came down in December, health inspectors detected some pests and Stuart had to close for several hours to get rid of the bugs.
The building now boasts a fresh coat of paint, with more updates that have washed ashore in the diner.
Stuart has worked hard to land success, and encourages other restaurant owners to do the same.
“It was important for me to start over with a new everything and not to cut costs where it's most important,” Stuart said. “Spend the money, keep everything updated and it will pay you back tenfold.”
He spent more than $150,000 to remodel the restaurant.
“I tried to keep it homey and beachy. Nothing like five-star fancy,” Stuart said. “This is a family spot that people come after they go to the beach for the day or out on the boat all day.”
Reviews can be found on TripAdvisor, where you'll find Seafood Kitchen anchoring the No. 1 spot.


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Footasylum shares gained more than 74 per cent after the retailers struck a deal which values the company in excess of £90 million.
JD said it has agreed to pay 82.5p per share for the company, marking a 77.4 per cent increase on Footasylum’s closing price of 46.5p last week.
It comes just a month after the sportswear brand said it had no intention of making an offer despite acquiring a stake of 8.3 per cent in the firm, which was later raised to more than 18 per cent.
Pentland, the majority shareholder of JD Sports, also has a 2.6 per cent holding in Footasylum, which was founded by David Makin, one of the co-founders of JD Sports.
JD said it expects the combined business to be able to take advantage of opportunities not available to either on an individual basis.
Barry Bown, executive chairman of Footasylum, said: “The Footasylum board has concluded that the offer represents the best strategic option for Footasylum and its employees.
“It believes the offer fairly reflects Footasylum’s current market position and prospects on a standalone basis and, as such, that Footasylum shareholders should be given the opportunity to realise value from the offer.”
The offer will be subject to a shareholder vote, with the deal expected to complete in April or May.
JD’s executive chairman Peter Cowgill said: “We are pleased to make this offer for Footasylum, which is very complementary to our existing businesses in the UK.
“We believe that there will be significant operational and strategic benefits through the combination of the very experienced and knowledgeable management team at Footasylum and our own expertise.”
John Moore, senior investment manager at Brewin Dolphin Scotland, said: “In many ways, JD Sports and Footasylum are complementary: there are cross-selling opportunities between them, while JD Sports’ brand positioning and relationships should mean that the relatively simple format both businesses offer trades even better than before.
“JD Sports is a long-term business – it will likely be patient and invest more than the previous Footasylum management team could, in order to realise the brand’s full potential.”


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It seems that recently, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 tablet was approved by FCC. The tablet passed the FCC test on February 21 and received certification for wireless LAN and Bluetooth.
This model number it’s SM-T531 and it’s about to be announced as Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 inch. Unfortunately we don’t have any other info about the specs but we know that this Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 model will run on Android 4.4 KitKat and will feature the latest version of Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface.
We expect to see it announced by Samsung next week at Mobile World Congress 2014, where we could see another two Galaxy Tab 4 tablets, the Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 and the Galaxy Tab 4 7.0.


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Prime hogg producers are finally seeing a rise in values after an extremely sticky start to the year.
Auction marts throughout the country have been recording an increase on sale averages each week as the Muslim festival Ramadan commenced on March 22 and continues on until April 21.
It was primarily the export and lightweight hoggs that were gaining momentum in the sale ring but most centres also saw a jump in price for heavyweights this week.
Olly Shearman, director of operations at Caledonian Marts in Stirling, said heavy hoggs took the largest rise at the firm’s sale on Tuesday, trading £10 to £15 more on the week.
He said that hoggs weighing 52kg or more averaged £138 and topped at £155 per head.
“The rise in trade has been well overdue for producers and it’s down to the demand from the Ramadan festival, as well as Easter which is fast approaching,” he said.
“Hoggs with plenty meat on them are selling well but we are still seeing a few leaner ones coming forward. A lot of farmers held onto their lambs to wait for a better trade but not all of them have been finished entirely.”
In total, Caledonian Marts sold 1,101 prime hoggs to average 264.19p or £114.84.
Further north, on the same day, Dingwall and Highland Marts also saw heavier types £15 dearer compared to last week as 745 old season lambs cashed in at 250.4p (+22.6p) and 497 SQQs levelled at 253.7p (+22.1p).
Auctioneer Luke Holmes, said there had been a better show of hoggs forward in the last two weeks, with more meat about.
“The heavy hoggs have taken a big jump and that’s down to the home market in preparation for Easter,” he said.
“The sale topped at £132 and we had many others above the £120 mark.”
Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ weekly sale at Thainstone yesterday saw all classes up on the week by 8p per kg, with last week’s sale up 22p per kg on the previous week.
Colin Slessor, deputy head of livestock at ANM, said hoggs were trading £8 to £10 more on the year and said the sales for the past month were attracting 4,000 head or more.
“Just like most areas, finishers have been holding off on selling and it’s great to see them being rewarded for that,” he said.
“Well fleshed lambs with a good level of finish are selling extremely well and it’s good to see the live ring attracting more buyers, increasing the competition within the market.”


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Home Depot Drives Storm Sales to 12 Percent Net Gain
November 15, 2011,
ATLANTA--Bad weather helped The Home Depot to a good bottom line in its fiscal third quarter, which ended on Oct. 30.
Net income rose 12 percent to $934 million, on a net-sales increase of 4.4 percent to $17.3 billion, a gain that included a same-store sales pickup of 4.2 percent. Frank Blake, chairman and CEO of Home Depot, cited storm-related sales (along with strength in core categories) as one driver to the home-improvement retailer's performance. During the third quarter, the nation was hammered by Hurricane Irene, tropical storm storms and tornadoes, and an early snowfall just before Halloween in the Northeast--all of which undoubtedly boosted sales of emergency home products.
Based on the third quarter, Home Depot said sales for the fiscal year as a whole will rise by about 2.5 percent.
Other Articles By Author
HFN Launches Interactive Idea Book
HFN's DIGITAL EDITION
COVER STORY: HFN Turns 90
We commemorate HFN's 90th anniversary by paying tribute to the iconic retailer and supplier brands--and the people--that have helped the industry flourish, then and now.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Up & Coming Leaders - The home industry is in capable and visionary hands as this year’s 40 Under 40 list attests. Today’s young leaders span all disciplines and varied levels of operation.
- Omnichannel Retailing - In the Mobile App World, Time is Money


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SAN CARLOS, Calif., Oct. 28, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kili Technology Corporation, a rapidly growing developer of secure, low-cost payment processing solutions, announced today it is creating a new company, Dream Payments, which will focus on the development of end-to-end mobile payment processing. Kili will supply Dream Payments and the overall industry the core hardware and firmware needed to develop low cost, secure, EMV-compliant payment processing products.
"The payment processing industry is undergoing exciting changes as it transitions to the widespread use of lower cost, mobile point of sale (mPOS) devices, NFC (Near Field Communications) and a mandate by governments, banks and major credit card companies globally that requires merchants to shift to more secure EMV-compliant payment processing systems," said Alex Walker, Kili's Co-Chief Executive Officer. "This spin-off will allow Dream Payments to concentrate on the development of merchant focused business solutions for this new market, while Kili continues to develop the low cost, high performance semiconductors, firmware and modules needed to support these new requirements."
Low Cost, Secure Systems
Dream Payments' initial offerings will enable merchants to accept payments using IOS and Android mobile devices at a much lower cost than traditional solutions. The company's cloud-based payment platform combined with its EMV-compliant mPOS device will allow merchants to accept credit and debit cards, including contactless and CHIP enabled payment cards, access analytics and reports, and provide digital receipts. For more information about Dream Payments please visit www.dreampayments.com.
Kili delivers certifiable solutions for payment processing, security access control, authentication, and secure Internet of Things (IoT). By integrating its patented technology into System on Chip (SoC) ICs, firmware, reference designs, IP and hardware modules, the company supplies the key components needed to build complete, highly secure, yet cost-effective payment systems.
Kili markets its chipset and related firmware to OEMs and component suppliers and licenses its security and communication IP to companies interested in integrating the technology into their silicon. The company also supplies all the necessary support for evaluation, integration, customization and certification.
About Kili Technology
Kili Technology Corporation develops cost effective, secure and certifiable solutions for payment processing based on its patented technology implemented in system-on-chip (SoC) ICs, firmware, reference designs, IP and hardware modules. This advanced technology, along with Kili's extensive experience in end applications, enables customers to get to market quickly with the lowest cost mobile and countertop solutions.
Kili is a divestiture of SecureKey, a leading identity and authentication provider, which initially developed Kili's core technology over the last five years. Kili Technology maintains offices in Toronto, Canada and San Carlos, California. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.kilicorp.com.
CONTACT: Media Contact: Matthew Quint Principal Quint PR for Kili Technology 650 218-0763 firstname.lastname@example.org
Source:Kili Technology Corp.


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Samsung is already preparing the next proposals that it will launch in the field of top smartphones. This one will find a market full of novelty and proposals that will give this novelty a serious fight.
There is still not much official information about these proposals, but that does not prevent that more is known. Recent rumors have now shown what the new Galaxy S21 and S21 Ultra will be. Specifications and images are the latest news to emerge.
Images and data of the new Samsung
We are still far from knowing everything that Samsung is preparing, but the news already shows a lot of important data. The first one was known a few days ago and realizes that these new smartphones may arrive as early as January.
The brand wants to take advantage of a unique moment in the market and present its news sooner. We have the new iPhone to be positioned and also the Mate 40 from Huawei to arrive very soon. So, it is logical that Samsung wants to be there sooner.
The new Samsung Galaxy S21
The first images of this new smartphone confirm what is being advanced as its specifications. We have a 6.2-inch screen, with more uniform edges (bezel) and a hole-punch front camera.
At the rear we have a new camera module, with a new design, which seems to grow from the outer frame. The dimensions are 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm (or 9.0mm with the top associated with the camera), which makes it slightly wider than the previous model, but very similar to this one.
The new Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Rumors that focus on the Galaxy S21 Ultra reveal that it will have a slightly curved screen. Its dimensions are 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm, or 10.8mm with the cameras. There is also information that there will be no place to store the S Pen, but you can use it, whether it is purchased or comes in the box.
Reinforced is the idea that these 2 smartphones will arrive sooner than in the past. Everything points to January, but it has yet to be confirmed by Samsung itself, probably very soon.


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Startup India Seed Fund Scheme
The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry recently launched the “Start Up India Seed Fund” scheme. The scheme aims to provide financial support to the startups for their prototype development, proof of concept, product trials, market entry.
Startup India Fund Scheme
- The scheme will provide Rs 945 crores in the next four years to the startups.
- It is expected to support more than 3,600 startups through three hundred incubators.
- The scheme will create robust startup ecosystem in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The startups in these cities are often deprived of funding.
- The fund will support transformative ideas and kindle startup revolution.
The funds under the scheme will be disbursed in following ways:
- Up to Rs 20 lakhs is to be granted for prototype development, Proof of concept and product trials.
- Up to Rs 50 lakhs is to be granted to scale up through convertible debentures.
Seed Funds are those funds that are provided or used during the very beginning of an investment.
Need for Seed Funds
Indian startups are facing capital inadequacy especially in the seed and Proof of Concept development stage. Capital requirement is highly crucial at this stage as it might make or break a situation for startups that possess good business ideas.
Expert Advisory Committee
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade shall constitute an Expert Advisory Committee to monitor the overall execution of the scheme.
In February 2021, the GoI announced that a SISFS is to be established by April 2021. It is inline with Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign that was launched in May 2020.
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund crosses Rs. 8,000 crores mark
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare recently announced that the Agriculture Infrastructu...
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana: Free Food Grains till June
The Government of India recently announced that it will provide five kilo grams of free food grains ...
National Maritime Day: April 5
Every year the National Maritime Day is celebrated on April 5 in India. The first National Maritime ...
Regulatory Compliance Portal lunched by DPIIT
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recently launched a regulatory c...
WE Hub: Women Entrepreneurs Hub
WE Hub recently announced its partnership with i-Hub. I-Hub operates under Government of Gujarat. WE...
Category: Government Schemes Current Affairs
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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The massive hack of the credit reporting company Equifax has raised a lot of questions and concerns.
As CBS2’s Hazel Sanchez reported, the private information of tens of millions of people is now at risk – even yours. So what should you do?
The gravity of the Equifax security breach is immense, with hackers gaining access to the personal information of 143 million people.
If you have ever applied for a line of credit, or even a lease for an apartment, the three major credit monitoring companies – Equifax, Transunion, and Experian – likely have our information, and you could be affected.
“It’s very scary,” one consumer said.
“I have not checked,” another said.
Equifax has set up a dedicated website and telephone number — 866-447-7559 — to check if you are among the hacked and sign up for free credit monitoring.
Victims whose Social Security numbers, birth dates and driver’s license numbers are now exposed could be victims of identity theft. CBS News Financial Analyst Jill Schlesinger said the best line of defense is putting your credit on ice – which you can do on the Equifax website.
“A credit freeze essentially prevents anyone from opening new credit in your name, and that also includes you,” Schlesinger said, “and that’s why it’s a bit of a pain in the neck, but it really is the safest approach to take.”
But a credit freeze is problematic for people who need to keep their credit report open as they need to secure a loan, perhaps buy a home or a car. Cyber security expert Adam Levin said those consumers need to sign up for free credit report fraud alerts.
“If your score takes a sudden precipitous, unexplained drop, it could be that you’re the victim of some form of identity theft,” said cyber security expert Adam Levin.
But once you secure the loan, experts said follow their blanket advice for everyone – freeze your credit indefinitely.
Equifax is currently offering a 30-day credit freeze. Afterward, the service will come with a fee.
“It’s worth the investment and it’s a little bit cumbersome, but it’s a lot better than what you’re going to go through in the event you become compromised,” Levin said.
The Equifax breach could have a ripple effect for years to come, with scams already in the making, so security experts said the best time to let your guard down is never.
Equifax is offering one year of free credit monitoring, which after public outcry no longer requires consumers to give up certain rights in order to join.