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Panda 4.0: Good News for True Performance Marketers
Sylvia Nankivell, Traffic Acquisition Manager at Affiliate Window
When we hear Google has released another algorithm update, site owners, and in particular affiliate site owners, tend to feel a sense of anxiety, and sometimes even a little panicked.
The introduction of Penguin and Panda updates have seen many affiliate sites taking hits to their traffic over the past few years, and have even led some to be pushed out of the affiliate business altogether. Certainly, the rules are a lot harder than they used to be.
So, the innate dread that some of us now feel upon hearing the news of a new algorithm update is understandable. However, perhaps, for those of you that saw a significant increase in Google traffic, occur on May 19, you may actually be able to let go of that disbelieving breath.
Yes, you heard right, Panda 4.0, is actually benefiting smaller affiliate sites.
At the Search Marketing Expo in March, Google’s Head of Search Spam, Matt Cutts, disclosed that “One Googler on his team was specifically working on ways to help small websites and businesses do better in the Google search results. This next generation update to Panda is one specific algorithmic change that should have a positive impact on the smaller businesses.”
Is this the end of Google Panda Brand Protection?
As always, if particular sites are moving up in Google search results due to an algorithm update, inevitably, other sites will be moving down. In fact, much of the news and insights you read regarding Panda 4.0 will revolve around the fall in rankings that some huge sites such as ebay.com, ask.com and American coupon site retailmenot.com have experienced at the hands of Panda 4.0.
Historically, Google’s updates may have felt somewhat unjust to some smaller affiliate sites, and there has been much talk of the magical protection of the big brand. I have heard complaints from affiliates whose sites consist of pages of in-depth, rich content, and yet they’re losing out to big brands with a page containing only a brief sentence on it.
Is it possible this new Panda 4.0 update is in response to these sorts of complaints? It seems that now, big name brands, as well as the smaller businesses, need to consider how rich the information is on all of their pages and directories.
This does however mean that sites that have suffered damage to their traffic from Panda in the past, may now feel that justice is being done. With the introduction of this new algorithm change, thin directory pages such as those within http://www.ask.com/question/ are no longer outranking well thought-out, informative content on smaller sites, simply because they are on a big brand website.
So what’s Next?
The narrative given by Google around this latest update focuses on the ‘softening’ of Google Panda, and that it “also lays groundwork for future iteration.”
This means that even if your company or site hasn’t been hit by Panda 4.0 on May 19, thin content pages will still be at risk of future Panda 4.0 updates (that future “iteration”). If you are working on a site that has a series of pages with insufficient and uninformative content on it, it may well be time to consider strategies for turning these pages around and evaluating its quality vs. quantity.
Hopefully this means that more future updates to Panda will continue to help smaller affiliate sites recover.


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MANILA, Philippines – PayMaya, PLDT Inc.’s digital financial services arm, teamed up with leader of international payments, Paypal, in providing convenience to the country’s freelancers and online businesses.
The partnership centers on providing easy and fast PayPal funds withdrawal. Filipinos who get their payments through their PayPal accounts can link their accounts to PayMaya. Account holders will enjoy 80 percent off on withdrawal fee through PayPal until December 21.
Many freelancers and online businesses would be able to rely on PayPal, which has a reach of over 200 countries worldwide. Receiving overseas transactions’ payments will be more manageable.
PayMaya Philippines and Voyager Innovations Inc. President and CEO, Orlando Vea, stated that the agreement will not just assist Filipinos to get their funds easily. It will also give them an opportunity to draw advantages from digital applications.
PayPal General Manager for Southeast Asia, Rahul Shinghai, added that the deal streamlines the firm’s goal of making transfers and management of finances easily via the internet. Shinghai stated that the collaboration will keep business moving since downtime on accessing funds and cash flow will be avoided.
The requirement of traveling to a bank, lining up, filling up forms, or even securing a minimum initial deposit will now be eliminated. The deal now allows Filipinos to withdraw from the prepaid online payment app.
To access the amazing online payment features, you need to download the PayMaya app. The app is available in App Store and Google Play. Afterwards, you will be given with Visa card, which is accessible virtually.
On the PayPal website, you can link your prepaid online payment account by choosing the option “Link a Card”. Just enter necessary information to finish setting up.
You can withdraw funds at any Bancnet Automated Teller Machine (ATM) through the use of your virtual Visa card.
Furthermore, online and local store shopping with the use of the card is applicable.
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There’s been a lot of questions about why Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would be willing to pay $3.2 billion for Dr. Dre’s Beats Music, a great company no doubt but one that a 2013 deal involving The Carlyle Group LP (NASDAQ:CG) valued at about $1 billion. But Forbes contributor Joe Harpaz may have hit on one of the driving factors behind the deal: tax benefits.
Apple Inc. would have to pay billions in taxes to repatriate overseas cash
“If Apple acquires Beats, it could actually include Beats Legal entities that are based in Ireland. Beats Electronics Holding Limited was established in 2012, giving Beats tax residency in Ireland,” writes Harpaz. “This could allow Apple to make the purchase with foreign funds that have not been repatriated to the U.S.”
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has billions stuck overseas that it would have to pay 35% to repatriate. Since Apple already has more cash than it knows what to do with, it doesn’t make much sense to bring some of the overseas holdings back home and take the tax hit. But if the Beats Music deal can be structured so that it uses that overseas cash and takes place in Ireland, the actual cost to Apple would be closer to $2 billion (the amount Apple would get from repatriating $3.2 billion).
Apple Inc. – Beats acquisition easier to understand at $2 billion
That’s still double the valuation from last September, but the whole reason for the previous deal was that Dr. Dre wanted to take control of his company back from HTC because he didn’t think it could continue to benefit from the partnership. If HTC sold its stake in the high-end headphone company a bit too cheaply, and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) decided to pay a slight premium to put some of its cash to use and to bring a hip, well-known brand onboard then the whole thing starts to seem more reasonable.
There’s been some speculation that the combination of low valuations, US corporate holdings abroad, and the promise of a recovering economy could spur merger and acquisition activity in Europe. While this isn’t exactly that scenario, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s acquisition of Beats Music could be the first in a long line of deals that have to be understood in the context of companies avoiding cash repatriation.


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DSL vendors are using a variety of methods such as bonding several copper lines, creating virtual ones and using advanced noise cancellation to increase broadband over copper to several hundred megabits per second.
Operators have merged two different platforms for distributing Web-based mobile applications, in a effort to start competing with the likes of Apple's AppStore and Google's Market.
NBN Co has confirmed the Network Termination Unit (NTU) being installed on residents' homes as part of the National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout will not have an ADSL emulation port among its set of interfaces.
Alcatel-Lucent has opened a services delivery center in Bangalore that can manage, operate and maintain multivendor fixed and mobile telecommunications networks, the company said.
The spectrum shortage is forcing mobile operators to experiment more with pricing models, new technologies and partnerships, executives speaking at the Mobile Future Forward event in Seattle said Wednesday.
Alcatel-Lucent has acquired OpenPlug, the creator of ELIPS Studio, a tool that allows developers write an application once, and then translate it into native code that can run on iPhones and Android-based smartphones.
LTE is generating excitement in the world of consumer electronics and ever-faster online video viewing, but the 4G (fourth-generation) mobile network technology may have even greater implications for specific industries that lack a good means of conn...
Extreme Networks has named Oscar Rodriguez, a 20-year industry veteran, as its new president and CEO. Rodriguez replaces CFO and acting President and CEO Bob Corey, who will continue as CFO.
Alcatel-Lucent's second-quarter revenue fell 2.4 percent year on year, dragged down by slow sales in fixed-line network equipment and terrestrial optical networks, but the company reduced costs, cutting its operating loss by two-thirds compared to a ...
AT&T is patching software in its network to fix a bug that kept iPhone 4 users from getting the full upstream speed on their handsets.
Australia and Japan appear to have signed a bilateral agreement relating to broadband, with NBN chief executive, Mike Quigley, and other government officials having met with Japanese Communications Minister, Kazuhiro Haraguchi, this week, according t...
Heavy demand for upload capacity from the iPhone 4 has exposed a flaw in the software for Alcatel-Lucent's 3G network equipment, temporarily forcing lower upstream speeds for some AT&T subscribers.
Alcatel-Lucent has acquired ProgrammableWeb, which hosts an on-line directory of over 2,000 open web APIs (application programming interfaces) that developers can use to build 'mashups' of Web services.
Alcatel-Lucent has hit its short-term goal, to reduce its carbon footprint by 10 percent by the end of 2010, a full-year early. The company said the move was aided by significant IT measures.
Alcatel-Lucent and Apollo SCS (Submarine Cable System), which sells transatlantic bandwidth to telecos and ISPs, has transmitted about 3T bps (bits per second) across the Atlantic Ocean, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday.
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Google search has now become a part of our lives. Most of the people use it to find information from internet. But have you ever thought of its effect on our brain?
As long as we know where to find information, we are less likely to remember it. The easily accessible data anywhere, anytime is changing the way people handle information. So in effect Google is making people dumb, by destroying our memories.
A new study has revealed findings that could just go to show that Google could be destroying our memories.
According to the study published by Psychology professors from the Columbia University, the University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Harvard University:
“People remember less by knowing information than by knowing where the information can be found. The Internet, with its search engines such as Google and databases such as IMDB and the information stored there, has become an external memory source that we can access at any time. It has become so commonplace to look up the answer to any question the moment it occurs, it can feel like going through withdrawal when we can’t find out something immediately.”
[advt]The four tests that the professors conducted on individuals in short, confirmed that searching for information on the internet could be wiping out our “internal memory”, which stores data. “When people expect to have future access to information, they have lower rates of recall of the information itself and enhanced recall instead for where to access it”, said the study.
So instead of remembering data, say what happened during an event, we tend to remember which sites we saw that information on, or where on Google we found the site.
According to the study “These results suggest that processes of human memory are adapting to the advent of new computing and communication technology. We are becoming symbiotic with our computer tools growing into interconnected systems that remember less by knowing information than by knowing where the information can be found.” “This gives us the advantage of access to a vast range of information—although the disadvantages of being constantly ‘wired’ are still being debated”, concluded the professors in the study.


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Visit Bucks County is once again hosting its popular dining event where participating eateries around Bucks County offer special $25 and $35 prix fixe meals throughout an entire week.
The 2019 Visit Bucks County Restaurant Week will take place Sunday, April 28, through Saturday, May 4, at various restaurants in Bucks County. Doylestown residents and visitors will be happy to note that many Doylestown restaurants will be taking part in the Restaurant Week festivities.
Participating Doylestown restaurants offering the $25 prix fixe menu include the following:
- Blu Mediterranean Grill (Menu)
- Casa Toro Mexican Grill (Menu)
- Empanada Mama
- Geronimo Brewing at Lilly’s Jury Room (Menu)
- Kung Fu Restaurant (Menu)
- Quinoa Peruvian and Mexican Restaurant
Doylestown eateries which will be offering the $35 prix fixe menu include the following:
- Bacco Bistro and Pizza (Menu)
- Bocelli’s Doylestown (Menu)
- Chambers 19 (Menu)
- Domani Star (Menu)
- Genevieve’s Kitchen (Menu)
- The Hattery Stove and Still (Menu)
- Il Melograno Ristorante Italiano (Menu)
- Maxwell’s on Main (Menu)
- Piccolo Trattoria (Menu)
- Water Wheel Tavern (Menu)
Even better than these fabulous deals and specialty menus is the fact that Visit Bucks County will be partnering with the United Way of Bucks County to benefit the Bucks Knocks Out Hunger campaign. Select restaurants will be donating a portion of their Restaurant Week proceeds to the Bucks Knocks Out Hunger Campaign which will provide food to Bucks County food pantries.
Start perusing the list of Doylestown restaurants participating in Visit Bucks County Restaurant Week and see which prix fixe menus pique your interest for dining out April 28 through May 4.


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30-second summary: Within the digital marketing space, the conversation around privacy and cookie changes has focused heavily on programmatic and paid social But how will third-party cookie deprecation and new privacy regulations impact paid search? Here is what search marketers can expect and how to prepare In the digital marketing world, targeting, measurement, and optimization have foundationally relied on the ability to accurately track user behaviors and performance across the web. However, as we all know, platforms like Google and Apple have introduced privacy-focused initiatives over the past few years that complicate targeting and measurement for advertisers
30-second summary: Find out how Clubhouse differentiates itself within the sea of social media apps Clubhouse has turned its voice-only design from a potential constraint into its key strength Users are able to multi-task while staying on the platform as background chatter (like in a coffee shop!) Because the app is so new and fresh it took some time, but many brands are now using Clubhouse Wherever there are influencers, advertisers aren’t far behind Just this week Clubhouse announced a new monetization feature, Clubhouse Payments, as “the first of many features that allow creators to get paid directly on Clubhouse” Now might be a good time to consider building an online community to add value and deepen the connection with your audience, here’s how Clubhouse is the latest entrant into the ring of popular social media apps. The pandemic fast-tracked broader usage and many A-list celebrities have adopted the platform pivoting it into a more mainstream space and conversation. Clubhouse is an audio-only network that has become a disruptor to more mainstream social media channels and has provided a breath of fresh air and a much-needed distraction for those of us suffering from video and zoom fatigue.
30-second summary: Keywords represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding consumer intent Using AI-powered chatbots, conversational data that occurs over messaging channels like Facebook Messenger and Instagram Messaging can give businesses a deeper understanding of what consumers want Below, we’ll discuss how conversational marketing platforms like Spectrm use natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI) to guide customers through the buying funnel A robust conversational marketing platform makes it possible for companies to build chatbots that engage and convert customers on the websites, apps, and social platforms where people spend their time For more than two decades, Google and other search engines have attempted to crack the consumer intent code. The entry point for a search marketing campaign is the keyword list.


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Thai AirAsia will start flights between Kolkata, the gateway to Northeast India and Bangkok, the capital of Thailand from December 16.
The airline has a promotional one-way ticket offer starting at ₹3,999 (all inclusive) for booking between October 20 and November 2, for travel between December 16, 2016 and October 28, 2017.
Daily flight FD-121 will leave from Kolkata at 0210 and will reach Bangkok at 0640. Return flight FD-120 will depart from Bangkok at 0005 and will arrive at Kolkata at 0110.
A press release by Thai AirAsia reads: Thai AirAsia is fully ready to further penetrate the Indian market this year and has been confident in the great growth potential, bolstered by escalation of brand familiarity locally and the airline’s amiable reception in the past. Existing routes also activate high demand as our direct flights from Chennai and Bengaluru maintained a Load Factor Average of 83 per cent in 2016 and our Kochi route was well received as soon as it was introduced in May this year.
Thai AirAsia currently connects Bangkok to three Indian cities: Chennai, five flights a week; Bengaluru, five flights a week; Kochi, seven flights a week.


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The Turner Broadcasting System channel is launching a new Ben 10 series in 2016, with production collective Man of Action executive producing the show for Cartoon Network Studios.
The animated series is based on the popular franchise that has driven boys-skewed viewing on Cartoon Network since first debuting nine years ago. It has spawned four separate series and movies, with its licensing and merchandising business generating more than US$4.5 billion in global retail sales.
The new series will introduce the Ben Tennyson character to a new generation of viewers. It will see the character, his cousin Gwen and grandpa Max travelling the country on a summer vacation, during which he finds the Omnitrix and benefits from its alien superpowers.
Unusually, it will debut on international Cartoon Network channels in 2016 before rolling out on the flagship North American network a year later.
“We decided it was time to introduce Ben to a new generation of kids,” said Cartoon Network chief content officer Rob Sorcher. “Ben 10 has been an overwhelming success story across all media platforms, and we know kids around the world will be eager to see the reinvention of this beloved character.”
The show is latest franchise brand to get a reboot on Cartoon Network, coming after The Powerpuff Girls, which rolls out internationally next year.


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By now, most people know about the Vietnamese security firm that fooled Apple’s new cutting-edge security feature, Face ID, which was introduced as part of the iPhone X. The idea behind Face ID is that everyone’s face is unique, so it’s a foolproof way to secure your phone. The technology behind it is impressive, too; Apple’s TrueDepth camera analyzes and creates a detailed depth map of your face using more than 30,000 invisible dots. Those dots are used to create a 3D image of your face, which is remembered by artificial intelligence within the phone; your face is then the only one that can successfully unlock the phone.
Of course, Apple was quickly reminded that not every face is completely unique; twins were able to unlock their siblings’ phones easily. The worst thing that might come of one twin hacking into another’s phone might be some inappropriate text messages to crushes, but what if a “twin” could be created for the purpose of breaking into the phone of a high-ranking business or government official? Cybersecurity company Bkav recently proved that Face ID could be fooled by a 3D printed mask, though the company did admit that it would be hard to reproduce such a mask without sophisticated 3D scanning equipment and detailed knowledge of how Apple’s AI system works.
Now, however, Bkav has upped its game. The company has created a new 3D printed mask from stone powder with 2D printed infrared images of eyes glued on. While it took several hours and a lot of effort to unlock the phone with the first mask, it took only seconds to unlock it with the new one, working as simply as it would for a twin. According to Bkav, the new mask required no learning of Face ID.
“About 2 weeks ago, we recommended that only very important people such as national leaders, large corporation leaders, billionaires, etc. should be cautious when using Face ID,” said Ngo Tuan Anh, Bkav’s Vice President of Cyber Security. “However, with this research result, we have to raise the severity level to every casual users: Face ID is not secure enough to be used in business transactions.”
When the iPhone X was launched, Apple issued a recommendation that anyone with an identical twin protect sensitive information with a passcode, and Bkav now says that Apple should caution all users to use a passcode to protect sensitive data. Which raises the question – why not just use a passcode to unlock phones in the first place? Yes, they can be hacked, but so, apparently, can facial ID data. The most secure way to protect a phone, said Bkav, is still a fingerprint. While those too can be reproduced using 3D printing, it’s much more difficult – especially because now Bkav has been able to create detailed 3D scans of people’s faces simply by setting up hidden cameras at various angles around a room and using photogrammetry.
“Security should approximate to absolute, and AI should only be a supplement, not the sole security base for Face ID like the way Apple is working on,” said Nguyen Tu Quang, CEO of Bkav. “AI, in any way, is now still human-made and it does at its best based on the experience of its creators and trainers, here is Apple. Thus, anyone who is more experienced than the creator can bypass it.”
See how easily Bkav beat Face ID below:
Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.[Source/Images: Bkav]
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23 Sites Like Rawstory.com
More About Rawstory.com
Rawstory.com yet another famous and one of the most widely visited the online news-based website. Basically, it is an American based online news company that was launched by John Byrne in 2004. This website specifically emphases on political and economic related news and stuff. Apart from covering all the local political news and economic activities, the site includes international news too. Rawstory.com has been nominated for various performance awards and is appreciated widely all over the globe. According to the stats of 2015, the site had 10.7 million active users.


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Dr PD Vaghela, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) organised a review meeting with industry stakeholders with an aim to understand the industry’s preparedness to implement the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) in the country.
Chairing the virtual meeting, the DoP secretary also discussed issues related to black marketing of COVID-19 treatment medicines across the country. During the meeting, he mentioned that based on media reports, it is noted that gaps, largely in the retail distribution channels, are leading towards black marketing of COVID-19 essential medicines. He also re-checked with each association’s representative whether they have received any official complaint against their member companies pertaining to black marketing of COVID-19 medicines. All the association representatives informed the authority that no such cases have been reported against their member companies. But, they expressed the need to fix the gaps in the retail distribution channel.
Dr Viranchi Shah, National Vice President, IDMA informed, “IDMA agrees principally with the government’s stand of having a voluntary code of ethics for marketing practices in pharmaceuticals. IDMA has already uploaded on its website the UCPMP guidelines. We have also set up an apex committee and ethics committee as required by DoP. We have also updated the DoP of these compliances.”
He continued, “We have also cited some suggestions and comments regarding the code to the DoP in past. However, due to disruption caused by pandemic, we agree with the view that the review of code can be deferred until a new normal is attained. We look forward to working closely with other pharma associations and government on this issue.”
An industry observer also cited that the COVID-19 pandemic has overall changed the definition of pharma marketing. Therefore, the required amendments should be incorporated into the draft UCPMP guidelines. The code of UCPMP remains a voluntary exercise to be adopted by pharma companies.
An industry source informed that the follow-up meeting on the subject is likely to be held on August 29, 2020.


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Microsoft has defended its proposal to buy Activision Blizzard – the maker of Call of Duty and Candy Crush – at an EU competitions hearing.
Microsoft says it believes the $68.7bn (£56.8bn) deal will bring more choice to more gamers.
But rival Sony, which also attended the hearing, says the merger would give Microsoft too much control over some of the world’s most popular games.
Sony owns PlayStation – a major rival to Microsoft’s Xbox console.
Microsoft president Brad Smith described the EU hearing on Tuesday as “an important day”.
He also rejected concerns voiced by Sony that Activision Blizzard games – specifically Call of Duty – might become restricted to Xbox users if the merger goes ahead.
“This has never been about spending $69bn so we could acquire titles like Call of Duty and make them less available,” he said after the hearing.
“That’s not a great way to turn a $69bn asset into something that will become more valuable over time.”
In a statement, Activision Blizzard said: “We are confident regulators will find that our proposed merger will enhance competition and create greater opportunities for workers and better games for our players.”
Chip designer Nvidia and Google were also understood to be present, although the hearing was not open to the press or public.
Nvidia and Microsoft have announced a partnership which would enable both Xbox PC games and Activision Blizzard titles to become available via Nvidia’s cloud-streaming platform GeForce Now.
The tech firm has to convince regulators around the world that the deal – the largest in gaming history – would not harm its competitors. Today was Microsoft’s final chance to put forward its case in Europe before the commission makes its decision.
News Source: BBC News


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New Delhi: A top executive of General Motors Co on Tuesday expressed strong support for efforts by the United Auto Workers union to organize U.S. electric vehicle battery plants it is building with a partner, but stopped short of endorsing unionization without a formal worker vote.
"We are supportive of the UAW, we are partners with the UAW. We believe there has been good that has come out of that partnership and that good is transferrable to other operations," GM executive vice president Gerald Johnson said during a briefing for reporters about broader efforts by the company to expand its environmental, social and governance efforts.
Johnson said the decision to join a union should be up to workers, but he did not endorse a so-called "card check" organization that bypasses a secret ballot vote.
The UAW can "make their case without interruption and with complete neutrality" from the automaker, Johnson said.
"We expect we will work together with the UAW going forward in these sites," he said.
GM said on Tuesday it is establishing a $25 million fund to provide grants to community organizations to help promote the adoption of electric vehicles.
In April, outgoing UAW President Rory Gamble called on GM and Ford Motor Co to commit to union representation at new joint venture EV factories, and GM responded that its Ultium LLC battery facilities "are part of a joint venture and are a separate company - Ultium Cells LLC." GM's partner in that venture is South Korean EV battery maker LG Energy Solution.
In May, GM said the UAW is "well-positioned" to represent workers at the Ultium plants in Ohio and Tennessee.
U.S. President Joe Biden told automakers during a visit to Dearborn in May that they should deepen their partnership with the UAW.
German luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz, which has recently launched its second electric offering EQS 580 sedan for India, said that while the electric car is manufactured in Germany, India is the only country to locally assemble the EV outside of the home country. With this, Mercedes will also be the first and only luxury carmaker to assemble an EV in the country, thereby giving it an edge over its rivals in terms of pricing.
According to a complaint filed by Vivek Gupta, the Chief Financial Officer of JBM Group, Sector 44, it was on Friday that he received messages on WhatsApp requesting to transfer certain sums to bank accounts indicated in the messages.


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- The UAW ordered its membership to strike General Motors on Sunday night after contract negotiations broke down.
- GM’s 46,000 UAW-represented workers could take to the picket lines.
- The UAW has been bristling for a strike since early 2019, when GM “unallocated” several US factories, including its Lordstown facility in Ohio.
- President Donald Trump, who won Ohio in 2016, has been agitating for GM to sell or reopen that plant.
- The 2007 strike against GM lasted just a few days; it’s uncertain how long this new action will hold up.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
General Motors’ 46,000 employees represented by read more >>>


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Victoria O.Mon, Jul 19, 2021 6:02 PM
Watchdogs: Solving Problems In Chinese — What Happened To Crypto?
Attempts to legalize crypto have been made since 2016. European countries are favorable to innovations, testing various ways and methods of their implementation in the real economy.
New technology companies are developing rapidly in countries such as Sweden, Japan, and the United States. Moreover, the EU countries are carefully approaching the regulation of blockchain technologies, taking a wait-and-see attitude. There are also countries such as Thailand, where any turnover of cryptocurrencies has been banned. With the spread of blockchain technologies, the development of the sphere of smart contracts, new opportunities for regulating crypto appear.
China occupies a separate place in the list of countries that work closely with companies related to cryptocurrencies. The exchange rate on cryptocurrency exchanges depends on each decision of the authorities of this country regarding blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
China and Crypto: Abusive or Strong Relations?
China has been talking about its cryptocurrency since 2014 (the Digital Currency Electronic Payment project). The system includes two types of digital currency.
China has strict legislation regarding cryptocurrencies and crypto businesses. Blockchain is supported in the country as China strives to become the most developed country in the world. But the turnover of cryptocurrencies in the country is being monitored extremely closely.
2013: Crypto = Danger
China's regulatory authorities have banned banks from making transactions with cryptocurrency. The People's Bank of China has issued a circular on closing accounts and banning the activities of crypto exchanges. Bitcoin is defined not as a currency, but as a virtual commodity. The Chinese government considered ICO projects risky since they could have a connection with illegal activities and the withdrawal of large cash flows from the country.
2017: Virtual Property
A law has come into force in China that establishes the legal regulation of cryptocurrency in the country. The act becomes the first legal document that describes the principle of regulating cryptocurrencies in China. According to the Chinese law "General Principles of Civil Law of the People's Republic of China", cryptocurrencies are considered as "virtual property".
2020: We Will Support The Domestic Manufacturer
An application for using the national cryptocurrency has been launched in test mode. China was going to launch its national platform called BSN, but these works have been suspended due to the pandemic. The idea is not abandoned, although the exact dates are not called. For China, the national cryptocurrency means to control, as well as reducing dependence on the dollar. In early July, the "Plan for the development of blockchain innovations in Beijing for 2020-2022" was presented.
In 2020, an active movement towards the crypto-yuan continues — the pandemic and the related changes in the economy have strengthened plans to create a national cryptocurrency. China Construction Bank (CCB) opened the registration of wallets for digital yuan. It supports replenishment of the bank card balance, payment by QR code, and transfers. No major deals are being concluded yet. In May, testing of the central bank's national digital payment system began - with the payment of transport subsidies to officials.
Present Time: Chinese Financial Regulator
China Central Television released a video in which it reported that crypto assets have grown by 70% since the beginning of the year. The article "Cryptocurrencies are the number one asset of this year" was published. The Chinese media are controlled by the authorities and are used to promote politically pleasing ideas, so the audience is wary.
Cryptocurrencies in China fall under the classification of "Virtual Goods". The activities of cryptocurrency exchanges and companies are strictly regulated. Relations with ICO in the country are strictly prohibited, and companies that are caught in connection with ICO projects are deprived of licenses and may become defendants in criminal cases. Against the background of news about the ban on cryptocurrency business in China, the bitcoin exchange rate fell. Is this a victory? We will find out this a little later.


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Black Desert Online Musa/Maehwa Awakening Overview
Black Desert Online releases another class awakening: those for Musa and Maehwa, who gain the Polearm.
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Responding to and recovering from supply chain disruptions such as COVID-19
As the UK enters the sixth week of lockdown, supply chains have become visible like never before; revealing to the public at large the ‘globally networked’ reality of businesses. Although a lot of commentary has focused on the geographical structure of modern supply chains, especially the proportion of medical products sourced from China, the most pressing concerns relate to supply chain disruptions.
Why is it that the supermarkets initially ran out of, even more locally sourced products, like toilet rolls, soaps and flour? In part this is the result of changing demand patterns, not necessarily hoarding or panic buying (although market research firm Kantar did report that “6% of liquid soap buyers have taken home extraordinary quantities”), but because of supply chain structures that have traditionally separated consumers and businesses customers (e.g., restaurants). In other words, there’s actually plenty of product in the system, but it’s just not where people want it to be right now. This raises some profound challenges for supply chains in terms of how much - and whether they can - adapt their operating to what may be an extended but still temporary shift.
Please click here for the full article.


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After releasing its Qik video messaging app for Android, iOS and Windows Phone, Microsoft on Wednesday introduced the upgraded Skype app for iPhone models.
The Skype version 5.6 for iPhone will now show more number of messages under the conversation view and more number of recent chats on the screen. It also comes with optimised and scaled UI for the recently launched iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
The company blog post also mentioned that Skype 5.6 for iPhone “is our second release that continues to build on the new iOS 8 extensions.” The updated app supports models starting from iPhone 4 up to iPhone 6 Plus.
Notably, the previous version of the app made use of iOS 8’s interactive notification system and enabled users to answer/decline voice or video calls or access text conversations directly from the lock screen and notification centre.
Options to choose whether to answer the calls via video or voice, or to return the call, or reply in text for missed calls, were also included. Users could access the above options by swiping towards the left from the lock screen or the drop down notifications panel.
Also, Skype brought back support for voice messaging and profiles in version 5.2 for iPhone. These features had been removed by the company when it had launched Skype 5.0 ‘Remastered for iPhone’, in June.
However, Skype on Tuesday moved ahead of voice calls and messages by introducing the Qik app, which allows users to create and send videos up to 42 seconds long. The new service is aimed at helping Microsoft catch up to rivals in the fast-growing mobile messaging space.


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Leading engineering and technology company, Technip Energies, continues to make waves in accelerating the energy transition.
Technip Energies’ work in this field grows with a plethora of new announcements, technologies, and solutions in support of the journey to a carbon-free energy system. Digital solutions are at the heart of the company’s mission and progress within the space, and will remain a crucial aspect moving forward.
In another exclusive interview, Recharge Content Studio spoke with Francois Haynes - VP in charge of Digital Services Sales, to learn more about Technip Energies' digital strategy and get a glimpse of what’s to come in the company’s lineup of digital services for the energy transition.
“From smart to wise”
When first presented with the potential benefits of digital, the energy industry was relatively slow to adopt new advanced technologies. Recent years have seen a major pivot in digital approach and adoption.
“Our once conservative industry is transforming itself rapidly and the trend is accelerating,” shares Haynes, “Digital is now much more than an opportunity for more efficient and flawless operations. The purpose of digital has been extended from smart to wise.”
Digital plays a crucial role in supporting decarbonisation, and in accelerating development of carbon-free energy sources. Technip Energies' recognition of these truths has led to sustainability-focused operational changes and more support for new business models. The company has increased research and development focuses towards new technologies supporting the energy transition, all backed by digital tech.
One notable example is the recently announced GO.H2 By T.EN, which a suite of solutions aimed at accelerating the move to net zero. With concepts based on renewable power sources such as wind and solar, GO.H2 By T.EN offers a suite of flexible solutions that serve as building blocks tailored to each client’s specific needs.
Fully embracing digital technology
Taking a pragmatic approach to digital, Technip Energies' ambitions fully embrace digital technology as a core enabler of a sustainable and profitable business model.
Recharge Content Studio and its partner brands help industry professionals nurture and influence audiences across the shipping, seafood and energy sectors in creative, innovative ways.
Whether you’re looking to supercharge your video SEO rankings — or overhaul your entire content strategy — Recharge Content Studio can help.
“We are progressing our journey to digital along three strategic goals,” tells Haynes, “data and digital foundations that strengthen our data culture and management practice to create more data-driven business value, digital project execution that establishes digital project management practice as a competitive differentiator, and digital services for the energy transition that cover entire plant's lifecycle.”
The company has invested heavily in what they describe as a “digital factory” supported by a highly competent team of digital experts & partnerships. From here, Technip Energies' can remain agile in delivering solutions that support the industry across the entire project lifecycle.
“A big part of our investment is our new digital platform Beyond by T.EN, which gives our clients direct access to information about our digital solutions.“
Beyond by T.EN
Beyond by T.EN sits at the heart of the company’s digital services lineup and is a key enabling factor of their agenda within the energy transition. Beyond serves not only as a platform to access digital information, but also a portal for clients to take advantage of Technip Energies' current & future digital solutions
“We are continuously enhancing technologies to execute our project more efficiently with lower carbon emissions, by deploying a new project lifecycle management approach,” shares Haynes.
”On the operational excellence side, we are working on new situational awareness technologies, immersive digital twins,” he continues, “and also metaverse technology where we think Technip Energies will meet clients and deliver digital services in the future to further promote the energy transition.”
Interested in learning more about Beyond by T.EN?
From concept optimisation, advisory services and project delivery to decarbonisation and plant performance improvement, Technip Energies has solutions spanning the full asset cycle.
Connect with Francois Haynes on LinkedIn or click the button below to learn more about Beyond by T.EN & the company’s digital strategy or solutions.


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Facebook is publicly working on a dark theme for its flagship mobile application, which first appeared in the late summer of last year…
Dark themes are well-known to provide a better experience for the eyes in low-light situations. But, dark modes also help to reduce battery drain. And, about half of all consumers prefer the option over stark white. In recent years, dark motifs have been showing up on a number of popular sites, including Twitter and many more. Facebook has been slow to adopt the option but it appears it’s getting closer.
Facebook Mobile App Dark Mode Test Underway
Recently, code sleuth Jane Manchun Wong, who has a knack for uncovering new features before they roll out to the public, was able to confirm Facebook is indeed publicly experimenting with a dark mode for both its Android and iOS mobile apps. Now, this isn’t the first time. (A dark theme has previously been spotted in August 2019, and then again in November of last year.)
Facebook introduced a dark mode for its desktop interface earlier this year. But as for the mobile application, it’s only briefly been available to a very small group of users. That’s ostensibly going to change. However, at present, it’s still pretty limited. Anyone part of the test will see the option in the Settings & Privacy section under the Menu tab.
Facebook is publicly testing Dark Mode! 🌙
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) October 30, 2020


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Maxi’s Welcome Balli to to their Extended Family
The trusted and well known chain of family and trendy restaurants, Maxi’s, is delighted to announce that another store will be added to their ever growing family, this time in Ballito.
Maxi’s Ballito has been developed with all the latest and trendiest design elements, offering patrons the perfect dining experience. Maxi’s is a family restaurant that serves an extensive range of tasty meals, combined with a stylish and friendly atmosphere; that pride themselves in delivering outstanding, freshly prepared products of the best quality.
The proud new owner of this established brand franchise restaurant is Leonard Reuben. He strongly believes that the store is going to grow into a well established family and community restaurant where people can start off the spring season with a great meal at Maxi’s. “It is important to see the brand grow and leave an even larger footprint as South Africa’s most desired family restaurant,” says Reuben.
“We are very excited about our new store in Ballito and are equally excited about Leonard Reuben joining the Maxi’s family,” says Christo Calitz, CEO of Taste Holdings – Food Division. “It is always a proud moment for us to open a new Maxi’s, expanding the brand nationally and bringing our great products to more consumers.”
The success of Maxi’s is evident as the franchise group won the FASA 2010 Franchisor of The Year Award and continues to open new stores nationwide.
This new addition to the brand will see Maxi’s further entrench itself into the hearts and minds of South African consumers. The brand’s goals are to provide their customers with a wide variety of meals made from the freshest ingredients in generous portions and if the demand for stores is anything to go by, Maxi’s is certainly providing a winning recipe.
“My goal is to run a successful business with integrity, building longstanding relationships with the community, adding value to the brand and to be a respected business man,” says Reuben. “It is very important for us to add value to the community and give back to less fortunate people.”
With Maxi’s franchise owners having such determined and focused attitudes, the number of restaurant outlets will certainly keep growing and the brand itself will celebrate many more years of serving South African families.


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The idea that eating pasta will lead to weight gain is a myth, a new study has concluded...although it is worth noting that said study was performed by Italians.
Scientists analysed the diets of more than 23,000 people from two different Italian cities. Participants recorded everything they ate in a diary and were quizzed about their eating habits in telephone interviews.
The researchers compared the amount of pasta they ate to their BMI, waist and hip measurements. Results showed no link between eating pasta and being overweight. In fact, eating the carbohydrate was actually linked to being slimmer. Licia Lacoviello from the Neuromed Institute in Pozzilli where the research was carried out said:
"In popular views, pasta is often considered not adequate when you want to lose weight. And some people completely ban it from their meals. In light of this research, we can say that this is not a correct attitude. We're talking about a fundamental component of Italian Mediterranean tradition, and there is no reason to do without it."
He says the main take-home message from the study is that eating pasta as part of a Mediterranean diet, which involves mainly tomatoes, onions, garlic and olive oil, is good for your health.
So should dieters rejoice and celebrate with a massive plate of spaghetti bolognese? Not so fast, says Dr Gunter Kuhle, associate professor in nutrition and health at the University of Reading. It's important to understand that 'pasta intake' can't be seen in isolation, but as part of a dietary pattern. It's the 'Mediterranean diet' that's the important bit, rather than the pasta itself. The vegetables and olive oil which accompany the pasta could be the true health components. But Dr Kuhle says,
"What is interesting however is that these results clearly show that it is wrong to demonise carboyhydrates as the data clearly show that consumption of a carbohydrate rich food such as pasta does not have to have an adverse effect on body weight."
Though Dr Aseem Malhorta, advisor to the National Obesity Forum pointed out that we tend to eat far larger quantities of pasta in the UK. Those in the study ate around 50g to 65g a day, so it's well worth weighing out this serving size per person before you cook. Or, dietitian Helen Bond reckons a healthy portion of (cooked) pasta is about the size of a tennis ball.
And you can increase the health benefits of your meal by choosing wholewheat pasta over white which will limit blood sugar spikes and provide more fibre. So don't feel too guilty about answering that pasta craving, but, as ever with nutritional advice, remember: everything in moderation.


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I'm trying to listen to the replay on the company's website. Seems like it's on there, but nothing happens when I click on it. Like it's supposed to start playing, but doesn't. Anyone having any luck? Would like to know what management said about all these acquisitions, if anything.
Nice quarter. Technology that reduces water use (hello!) just getting started in project in Wichita Falls. Every city in a hot climate suffering from drought conditions might be banging down FSI's door soon.
Anyone hear the conference call? Product has a market potential in the BILLIONS?? We're at a $16M market cap. Company now profitable. With an exciting technology that could help hundreds of cities in the U.S. and around the world save their precious water supplies.
Here's a CEO comment from the earnings release. Bring on the significant revenue!
"Subsequent to the end of the quarter, we received news that a pilot WaterSavr program has started in Wichita Falls, Texas which, if successful could result in significant revenue in 2015.”
Great day for GV longs. Even I'm surprised it's up so much. I was hoping for a 10% pop. To see it up 20% is incredible. And day isn't over yet. Might go higher with that huge volume!
Wow I certainly don't get it! But I'll gladly buy up the cheap shares that people are throwing away below $3. Down 27%? On a good quarter?? Because of the CA sales tax issue? Jeez. Didn't anyone listen to the CC? Not the end of the world folks. And that's IF there's even an issue at all!
Listening to the CC, there's sure a lot of positive things going on with this company. The recycling sector is going to boom for YEARS to come. Do the sellers think people will stop caring about the environment? That the whole 'Going Green' revolution is already over? To those who panic sold today...don't check back on the price of ARCI. It will likely be double or triple the current price sometime next year.
Funny thing is he would have made a killing if he was short the market the last few weeks. But it's a better use of his time to hang out on the GV board where he has no vested interest.
Nobody can figure it out. Not dumb enough to short a $1.60 stock. Yet he clearly doesn't want to go long. But instead of researching other stocks he might buy/short, he spends his time here.
Hey you jinxed it! Ha still not bad on an ugly market day. If the broader market keeps selling off, will gladly pick up some cheap AMOT ahead of earnings.
Who would give away their shares at $6.50!? CPSS just had great earnings of .22/share. Up from .15/share last year and sequentially from .21/share. Current quarter we should see earnings around .25/share. This stock would be undervalued at $10.
Sure looks like someone is accumulating ahead of earnings. Hopefully someone in the know!
I'm surprised with all the turmoil in that part of the world right now...people continue to sell TCCO at cash value. Such a momentum driven market right now. When TCCO announces a large order and the stock jumps 50% in a day...THEN the buyers will jump in. I prefer to accumulate now.
Yes stock could get to $9. It's only .54 away! Panic selling in full force today...so who knows how low it goes.
But eventually logic will return. And people will see that EZPW makes a ton of money. Earnings prob over $1.50/share next year. Stock will rebound to $12-$15 in the coming months.
I'm surprised too. This looks like GOOD news to me! Stock has been driven down from $35+ in 2011. Many quarters of underperformance. Why in the world are people sorry to see this guy go??
Have seen a lot of people explaining today's news must mean earnings next week will be bad. Uh...EZPW already announced last month a solid Q3 and even better...guided for a very strong Q4. Unless something has changed dramatically, this stock is an absolute steal below $10! Today's drop seems like a HUGE overreaction, but I'll gladly take the cheap shares.
I'm gladly buying here. Stock is trading at cash value! And at multi-year lows. Don't get who would sell here. Yes next couple quarters won't be great, but only a matter of time before TCCO gets another large order on their traditional products...and quarterly losses quickly swing to sizable profits. Stock could be pushing double digits when that happens!
Recent turmoil in Mid East should only increase demand for their secure communications products. TCCO could also announce orders for their newer products. Any contract announcement will send this low floater rocketing higher.
I think downside is very limited at $4.02 with such a strong balance sheet. Tangible book value is $5.50, including $3.89/share in cash & securities.
Did you bother to look? There's not many EV plays out there, especially profitable ones like SEV. I think the whole sector will be a huge winner. In a few months, SEV will be pushing $20 just like KNDI.
SEV will be the next EV runner. Profitable, growing company. Way under the radar. Tiny float. Recent Joint Venture in China! Will benefit from new China regulations just like KNDI. Stock is $8, way off $14+ highs a few months ago. Only a matter of time before it jumps back up to double digits! CEO was very upbeat in last earnings release:
"This was a particularly strong quarter for us in Asia, where we posted high double-digit sales growth, year-over-year. This growth continued to be driven primarily by aerial work platform and fork lift truck demand in Japan and China. In addition, we are beginning to benefit from our new business initiatives in the on-road sector in Asia, primarily in China."
"We believe the market will begin a meaningful shift towards larger electric and hybrid vehicles, and that inflection point may well be closer than many people think. Our product roadmap has the potential to put us in the sweet spot for this next phase of EV market growth."
Profitable growing EV company way under the radar. Tiny float. Way off its $14+ high this year. Recent JV in China! Today's great KNDI news should be very bullish for SEV too.


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Microsoft has announced that it brought in designer Philippe Starck to create
The Optical Mouse by S+ARCK, which features two buttons that extend from front to back, with a scroll wheel between them at the top of a lighted strip. When the wired S+ARCK mouse ships in August, it will carry a US$34.95 price tag and be available in two colors, blue and orange. The same month, Microsoft will also ship a new version of its Wireless Optical Mouse called Mood Ring ($44.95) and two new color variations on its Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer: Cobalt Basin and Crimson Fire (both $54.95). In addition to the graphic patterns on their bodies, the new mice also feature scroll wheels with Tilt Wheel technology, a better version of Microsoft Optical Technology and more than six months of battery life, on average. As MacCentral posted this article, product pages were not yet available on the Microsoft Web site.


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Japan Tobacco International Philippines, the local unit of Japan Tobacco International, asked the government over the weekend to impose stiffer penalties against people or groups found involved in illicit tobacco trade.
JTI Philippines general manager John Freda said in a statement the problem of illegal trade in tobacco was a growing one and required more attention. He said while the government was striving hard to stamp out the problem, the situation required absolute vigilance.
“Illegal tobacco makers are directly stealing from the state. As legitimate businesses, we are a very effective tax collector and clearly we can’t do that if there is an illicit problem. Illegal trade cheats everyone―governments, consumers and legitimate businesses,” Freda said.
“In my previous role, I had seen situations where if the issue is not mitigated early, things can go badly wrong like Malaysia where over 60 percent of the cigarette market is illegal,” he said.
Freda said for a country with so many islands like the Philippines, it was a huge challenge to control the problem, but the deterrents needed to be stronger.
“Stiffer sanctions are required - we need to see people being caught and brought to justice in a way that deters others from being part of this criminal endeavor,” he said.
“The illegal tobacco trade is a feast for criminals who make huge profits often with very low risk of being caught and insignificant penalties. A lucrative business indeed for anyone who has the logistics in place and can copy our products and import without paying the taxes, which is unacceptable,” Freda said.
Freda said with JTI products, quality was assured throughout all stages of sourcing, manufacturing, storage and distribution in full compliance with regulatory and legal requirements.
He said JTI’s factory in Batangas ensured that all products passed rigid quality checks before they were released in the market.
“If you see the factories these illicit makers are using, you will be surprised how they treat their products and where they store them. We have done tests on these products, and they have been found to contain animal feces, plastic materials, dirt and high levels of lead,” Freda said.
JTI earlier published a report entitled “The Gathering Storm” showing how the illegal tobacco trade were operating during the COVID-19 global pandemic and preparing to reap the rewards in the economic aftermath that will follow.
Law enforcement agencies around the world also welcomed the report, which was based on 63 field studies, conducted across 50 countries including Russia, Canada, Malaysia and the Philippines where tobacco smugglers have a strong presence.
JTI intelligence found that the global public health crisis and financial downturn created the conditions for a “perfect storm” where organized criminal groups would further exploit public demand for cheap goods and capitalize on dwindling buying power in the impending global recession, particularly in countries with high tax regimes.


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Crash Bandicoot was once a critically acclaimed PlayStation exclusive franchise, and then it turned into a series of multiplatform games with fluctuating quality. The series returned to the PlayStation 4 last year in the glorious Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, but, for whatever reason, Activision has decided to try Crash’s luck again on non-Sony consoles later this year.
The Spring 2018 edition of Licensing Source Book Europe is filled with over 200 pages of material. It’s honestly a daunting task to look through the entire thing, but on page 97, tucked away in a little corner, you will find an intriguing statement by Max Arguile, the licensing manager of the merchandising company GB eye:
The new game was a huge success at retail with no marketing spend. Next year it will be going broader (Switch and PC) and there will be another game in 2019. Activision have a five year plan for this and GB eye is delighted to be fully on board for all products.
The Nintendo Switch and PC, you say? Whatever could Arguile mean? Odds are he means the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is being ported to the Switch and PC, which sadly leaves the Xbox One out in the cold, a pattern that is all too common these days. After all, the Xbox One has sold a measly thirty million units. Sure, that doesn’t sound measly, but compared to the PlayStation 4’s sixty-two million, that’s downright low. The Nintendo Swith has only sold sixteen million, but it hasn’t been on the market anywhere near as long; sixteen million units in under a year is still impressive. Many developers and publishers seem to believe it’s not worth the time and money to develop their games for the Xbox One, Activision included.
Moreover, what is this about “another game in 2019?” Will Activision publish a new Crash Bandicoot game, or has it hired Vicarious Visions again to remake other games in the franchise, such as Crash Team Racing or The Wrath of Cortex? Given the game is set to release next year, we are almost guaranteed an announcement trailer during this year’s E3.
As a gamer who doesn’t own a PlayStation 4, I am excited to finally play Crash Bandicoot on my PC.


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Amnesia: Rebirth Gets an Adventure Mode for „Chickens”
Hubert Sledziewski, 31 March 2021, 10:45
Released last year, Amnesia: Rebirth is now available in Adventure Mode. It enables us to experience the game's story stripped down of its horror elements.
Amnesia: Rebirth has Yet to Break Even Due to Cyberpunk 2077, Among Others
Karol Laska, 16 March 2021, 21:25
Do you still remember Amnesia: Rebirth? The game was released in October last year, but the developers have yet to earn something on their game. Nevertheless, they are optimistic.
First Reviews: Amnesia Rebirth - Good But Somewhat Conservative
Christian Pieniazek, 19 October 2020, 19:13
The first reviews and socres for Amnesia: Rebirth from Frictional Games have appeared online. They reveal an image of a solid, though somewhat repetitive horror game, based on the solutions developed for the first installment of the series.
Amnesia: Rebirth PC System Requirements and New Gameplay
Adrian Werner, 16 October 2020, 13:48
Frictional Games has released the system requirements for the PC version of the horror game Amnesia: Rebirth. New video with 17 minutes of gameplay has also been released.
New Gameplay From Amnesia: Rebirth Drips With Atmosphere
Paul Musiolik, 02 October 2020, 10:01
Release of the sequel to the iconic horror game is approaching. Amnesia: Rebirth presents its dark qualities on the first gameplay video.
New Trailer of Amnesia: Rebirth Reveals Release Date
Jacob Blazewicz, 15 September 2020, 19:31
Frictional Games has released a new trailer for Amnesia: Rebirth. The material reveals the release date of the sequel to the iconic survival horror game.
Amnesia: Rebirth is the New Game From SOMA Devs
Milosz Szubert, 06 March 2020, 16:31
Frictional Games has announced Amnesia: Rebirth, another installment of the popular first-person horror series. The game will launch this autumn on PC and PlayStation 4.
SOMA Devs Prepare to Announce New Game; Watch New Teaser
Bart Woldanski, 28 February 2020, 20:25
Frictional Games is preparing to announce a new project. Developers of such games as SOMA and Amnesia: Dark Madness have released a rather mysterious teaser of their next title.


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A UK finance association appreciated the technology on which Cryptocurrencies are working, as an alternative to traditional settlement processes.
The International Association of Money Transfer Networks (IAMTN) is a non-profit membership organization. This organization represents payment service providers globally. It works closely with governments, regulators, regional associations, and private companies to promote the creation of safer, reliable, faster, cheaper, transparent, and inclusive international payments.
IAMTN did a study on crypto & blockchain technology and found that crypto-backed Blockchain technology bears huge potential and it can eliminate the middleman actors of the payment system, so basically it will kick out the delays associated with the payment system & further can make transactions efficient.
The organization directly appreciated the role of Cryptocurrencies in the payment systems and said that the use of crypto in payment may be a good option over the traditional payment systems.
“The use of cryptocurrencies for the settlement of transactions can be a good alternative to traditional settlement processes.”
Further finance organization said that people will not be required to go through the banking system, which requires hours to complete the settlement.
“(Blockchain) allows to settle transactions instantly on a blockchain, without the need to go through the correspondent banking system, with its limited opening hours and long processing times,” the report said.
Interestingly, Here IAMTN study noted that the introduction of blockchain technology in the payment system should happen in the corresponding cross-border payment systems alongside the traditional banking system. So here the finance organization tried to bring the clarity that it doesn’t want to see a situation where crypto should be directly introduced into the existing traditional system. In short, the organization doesn’t want to see a sudden disturbance in the traditional banking infrastructure.
This study also noted that Blockchain & crypto technology use in the payment system or other kinds of technologies is a challenging thing in the majority of the regions in the world because of the existing strict laws.
IAMTN report suggested lawmakers do fast to allow the use of blockchain and crypto technology.
Read also: Ripple vs SEC Lawsuit Judge losing patience, Says Legal expert
Comments are closed.


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Jimmy Lupien, UMA Solar national logistics manager, recently relocated to the UMA Solar warehouse and distribution center in southern California.
“While this move has been challenging, it has also been very rewarding,” said Lupien. “Meeting some of our West coast partners has already given me a sense of being at home. UMA Solar has such a wide variety of products to offer that it only makes sense that the southern California market would be one of the many distribution areas that UMA wants to call home.
“With our northern California office in Fairfield growing and with the CSI program going strong, there is just a need for a one stop solar shop in southern California and the surrounding areas. I look forward to meeting all of our west coast customers and helping them to grow their business.”


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On Thursday, Kohls announced that it will begin selling Apple Watch at 400 of its 1,100 U.S. retail locations. The move comes just weeks after Macy’s announced a similar deal with Apple, according to Fortune.
In a move to increase its activewear and wellness business, Kohls will begin selling Apple Watch on Tuesday, Nov. 15 in the hopes to “attract more well-heeled customers during the Christmas period and beyond.”
Competitor Macy’s is selling the watch within Apple boutiques at 180 of its stores. At Kohls, the products will be in the activewear and wellness sections.
Michelle Gass, Kohl’s chief merchandising and customer officer explains:
We’re not launching it as an electronics partner. We were positioning this as an active and wellness device.
At launch, Kohls will stock 10 different kinds of Apple Watch. Each will be shown on 4-foot-tall display fixtures that feature four different watch models.
Kohls will sell both Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2, along with a variety of bands and accessories.
For more Apple Watch news, see:


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Out of Home Advertising Up 40.5% in Q1 2022
OOH Produces Largest Quarterly Increase in History of the Medium
WASHINGTON D.C. (June 6, 2022) – Out of home (OOH) advertising revenue increased 40.5 percent in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the previous year, accounting for $1.8 billion, based on figures released by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA).
The digital OOH format led total OOH growth with a 57 percent increase over first quarter 2021. The Billboard category increased double digits, while the Transit, Street Furniture and Place-Based categories all rose triple digits reflecting a strong pandemic recovery.
“Out of home advertising is poised to take a greater share of budgets as advertisers increasingly recognize its critical role in the marketing mix,” said Anna Bager, President and CEO, OAAA. “These first quarter figures show that OOH is already outpacing the same period in 2019, and we are on track to reach or exceed pre-pandemic spend in 2022.”
Eight of the top ten product industry categories increased double digits led by Financial, and Media & Advertising, which both nearly doubled. Reflecting a consumer return to pre-COVID behavior, the Public Transportation, Hotels and Resorts industry category jumped 58 percent. Emerging product categories also helped drive OOH success, as noted below, when compared to Q1 2021:
- Cannabis spend increased 31% percent
- Political spend jumped 113% (and 90% over the last midterm election cycle in Q1 2018)
- Sports betting spend rose 131%
- FinTech spend increased 22 times
Ranked in order of OOH spending, the top 10 advertisers in the first quarter were Apple, Capital One, McDonald’s, Netflix, HBO, American Express, Amazon, AT&T, Verizon, and Universal Pictures.
Nearly 90 percent (87) of the top 100 OOH advertisers increased their OOH spend from Q1 2021, and 47 of them more than doubled their spend. Advertisers on this list who did not spend in Q1 2021 included: Cirque Du Soleil, Credit Karma, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, Molson, Monday.com, The New York Times, Not Milk, Peacock, Turner, UiPath, United Artists Pictures, VRBO, and William Hill.
Over 30 percent (31) of the top 100 OOH spenders were technology or direct-to-consumer brands including these top ten finishers among the thirty-one (according to spend): Apple, Netflix, Amazon, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, ClickUp, Expensify, William Hill, and BetMGM.
OAAA issues full industry pro forma revenue estimates that include, but are not limited to, Miller Kaplan and Kantar Media (which is not adjusted to reflect changes in data sources), and member company affidavits. Revenue estimates include digital and static billboard, street furniture, transit, place-based, and cinema advertising.
For more information about specific category spend, please contact Steve Nicklin at [email protected] or (202) 833-5566.
About the OAAA
The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) is the national trade association for the $8.6 billion U.S. out of home advertising (OOH) industry, which includes digital out of home (DOOH), and is comprised of billboards, street furniture, transit advertising, and place-based media (including cinema).
OAAA is comprised of 800+ member media companies, advertisers, agencies, ad-tech providers, and suppliers that represent over 90 percent of the industry. OAAA is a unified voice, an authoritative thought leader, and a passionate advocate that protects, unites, and advances OOH advertising in the United States.
OAAA-member media companies donate over $500 million in public service advertising annually. Every year, the industry celebrates and rewards OOH creativity via its renowned OBIE Awards (obieawards.org). For more information, please visit oaaa.org.
LBG Public Relations for OAAA


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Canopy wants to bring conservation science to the boardroom.
The Canadian forestry not-for-profit last week launched a free online tool to help pulp- and lumber-sourcing businesses identify—and avoid—ancient and endangered forests across the globe, from the boreal forests in the Great White North to the rainforests of Indonesia.
ForestMapper is the first interactive map of its kind, according to Canopy, which rallied designers, brands and retailers such as C&A, Eileen Fisher, H&M, Kering, Marks & Spencer and Stella McCartney to eliminate the use of ancient and endangered fibers in their rayon, modal and viscose clothing through its CanopyStyle initiative. (The aforementioned companies helped fund the development of the tool as well.)
Roughly 70 million to 100 million trees are logged annually to produce pulp for rayon, viscose, modal and other cellulosic fibers, Canopy noted. With demand for dissolving pulp projected to increase by 122 percent in the next 40 years, the cellulosic-fiber industry poses an increasing risk to threatened forest ecosystems.
ForestMapper, said Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s founder and director, can serve as a “one-stop shop” for brands seeking to assess and mitigate their supply-chain risks, protect biodiverse ecosystems and further their sustainability goals.
“Canopy works on the ground with local NGO partners and communities to decrease pressure on ancient and endangered Forests. We bring this reality into boardrooms of some of the largest companies in the world who, in turn, work with us improve the sustainability performance of their viscose, paper and packaging products,” Rycroft told Sourcing Journal. “We developed ForestMapper to bridge that gap—to help brands have a better understanding of what’s actually happening on the ground and where they are sourcing. It enables brands to make better decisions based on science, which helps them reach their sustainability goals, as well as contribute to the global push to stem species decline and climate change.”
Because large forests are massive carbon sinks, halting and even reversing deforestation can provide up to 30 percent of the mitigation action needed to limit climate change’s worst effects, according to Conservation International.
The fashion industry is already benefiting from ForestMapper’s data, which has been used in the CanopyStyle Audits, Rycroft said.
“These independent third-party audits have concluded that 31 percent of the global viscose supply has been verified at ‘low risk’ of being sourced from ancient and endangered forests,” she said. “Brands from all over the world now have this new information to take into consideration when making sourcing choices.”
Rycroft said Canopy will support businesses that uncover risks in their supply chain to conduct “additional diligence” with their suppliers. Meanwhile, producers operating in areas that contain ancient and endangered forests will be encouraged to work with local partners to establish rigorous conservation planning in the region. Such planning, she added, will help identify which areas need to be conserved or restored and which will support sustainable forestry.
“We applaud Canopy’s work in linking forest conservation to supply chains and providing companies with a roadmap to source more responsibly,” Géraldine Vallejo, director of sustainability programs at Kering, said in a statement. “ForestMapper is an important science-based tool to help verify Kering’s supply chains to ensure that we do not have any negative impacts on these important natural systems. The business community needs to make every effort to protect and steward old-growth forests so that they remain functioning systems for long-term resilience against climate change.”
The tool is available at www.canopyplanet.org/tools/forestmapper/.


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FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- Germany's BASF SE (BAS.XE), the world's biggest chemicals company, said Thursday that improving sales lifted second-quarter net profit by about 23% on the year but warned that growth could slow in the second half because of market worries.
Net profit for the period rose to EUR1.45 billion from EUR1.18 billion a year earlier, roughly in line with the EUR1.5 billion forecast in a Dow Jones Newswires poll of 10 analysts.
"We continue to be concerned about the development of the euro as well as the debt situation in some European countries and the U.S.," said BASF's Chief Executive Kurt Bock, who took up the reins at the company in early May.
He added that persistently high oil price are hitting margins and leading some customers to be more cautious in their orders.
Nonetheless, BASF confirmed its guidance for the current year. It still expects "significant sales growth" in 2011, aims to increase earnings before interest and taxes, or EBIT, before special items on the year, and aims to earn a high premium on its cost of capital in 2011.
Sales rose about 14% on the year to EUR18.46 billion in the April to June period, also roughly in line with the EUR18.5 billion analysts had expected. EBIT, grew about 7% to EUR2.22 billion.
BASF said price increases were necessary in several business areas and will continue in the future.
Since the start of the year, BASF shares have gained around 10% of their value, outperforming the European Chemicals stock index, which has gained about 5.7%.


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In its South American operations, Mead Johnson has facilities in Columbia, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Besides China, the company also has operations in the Asian emerging markets of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, as well as in Thailand and the Philippines where Mead Johnson has manufacturing facilities.
It is in China where Mead Johnson clearly established its superiority against Nestle and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), two other major foreign players in the Chinese infant nutrition market. Pfizer last year divested its infant nutrition business and sold it to Nestle. The latter, in effect, was merely buying market share when it gained 9.8 percent slice of the Chinese market following the acquisition. Nonetheless, Nestle still trailed Danone and Mead Johnson in the Chinese infant formula market derby with market shares of 9.8 percent and 11.7 percent, respectively. As a result of its divestment, Pfizer’s adjusted earnings per share dropped 4 percent to 47 cents in the 2012 fourth quarter. In comparison, Mead Johnson EPS in the same quarter rose to 66 cents from 42 cents a year earlier.
In summation, Mead Johnson appears a solid stock choice for this year. The company forecast 2013 earnings of $3.22 to $3.30 per share, excluding special items, and sales growth of between 6 percent and 7 percent. For this year, it will draw strength from operational improvements and cost controls that have been set in place, including those that enabled successful reduction of distributor inventory in China.
The article Bucking the China Odds originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Renia Bula.


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Tensions between the masters of the universe at Facebook and United States lawmakers continue to mount, as the company confirms that it actually did share user data with Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei.
Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, demanding answers after the revelation that Facebook had farmed out its extensive user data to over 60 different phone manufacturers. Now, the company has responded.
The social media giant has admitted to having such deals in place with four Chinese companies: Huawei, Lenovo, Oppo, and TCL. However, they maintain that the shared user data never made it to Chinese servers, remaining on the phone of the affected users.
“Given the interest from Congress, we wanted to make clear that all the information from these integrations with Huawei was stored on the device, not on Huawei’s servers,” said Facebook Vice President Francisco Varela. That may be a very important distinction, as Huawei is currently considered a national security threat by U.S. intelligence agencies.
“Like all leading smartphone providers, Huawei has worked with Facebook to make Facebook’s services more convenient for users,” a Huawei spokesperson said. “Huawei has never collected or stored any Facebook user data.”


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An Overview of a Thriving Canadian Online Retail Giant: Beyond The Rack
It can seem almost impossible to open a newspaper or visit a Canadian business news site these days without being bombarded with the pessimistic mantra that Canadian businesses (and entrepreneurs) are risk-averse, conservative and doomed to play second-fiddle to our southern neighbour in the innovation orchestra of the online world.
Here at Dx3, however, we don’t buy into that kind of thinking. That’s why we recently unveiled our “Made in Canada” series. Each week on the Dx3 Digest, we highlight a Canadian visionary who took a chance, dreamt big and is now stepping boldly into the global marketplace.
About Beyond the Rack
You can’t have a serious conversation about online retail in Canada, let alone Canadian entrepreneurial triumphs, without mentioning Beyond the Rack at some point. It’s one of those rare examples of a homegrown success that threw away the rule book, took a big risk on a new concept and won big from doing so. It is for these reasons that the company (and its founder) are the focus of this week’s “Made in Canada”.
Based on an idea that some early critics swore could never work, Beyond The Rack has emerged as one of the country’s fastest growing businesses despite only launching three short years ago. The company’s business model is that of a private online sample sale fashion site. Users sign up to join, recieve an invite, and then get access to brief sales of highly discounted brand name clothing. It may sound like a more familiar concept these days, but back in 2009 the idea struck many potential investors as risky, completely unproven and financial suicide. Oh how wrong they were.
The untested nature of the business model proved to be a major obstacle for Beyond The Rack’s founder (Yona Shtern) in these early days. Without any precedent to go off of, investors were initially cagey and hesitant to get on board for what seemed like completely new territory. Nevertheless, after several months of shopping the concept to VC’s around the globe, Yona (and his business partner Robert Gold) had assembled enough funding to launch what would become a major giant in the online fashion retail space.
Today, the future of the company is anything but dim. According to Canadian Business “Beyond the Rack’s sales hit $6 million in its first year, $50 million in its second and $100 million in its third. For 2012, sales are expected to double.” Those are the kind of numbers that would make anyone stand up and take notice.
As of 2012, the company has now raised over 50 million dollars in funding.
Even after this initial difficulty, however, Yona and Beyond the Rack had other major obstacles to overcome. Perhaps the biggest of these was, as is so often the case with online retailers, the dreaded question of shipping and logistics. As the company grew exponentially and its legend spread, tackling the hundreds of thousands of orders became a tremendously daunting process. Orchestrating shipping across the country (and even into the United States) required tremendous organization and coordination. This was almost a disaster for early Beyond the Rack. “We started too late in the game when it came to logistics” Yona told me over the phone, “It was a nearly fatal flaw that almost caused us to lose our shirts.”
It’s the kind of story so many Canadian online retailers know all too well.
Advice For Canadian Entrepreneurs:
Against both these major obstacles, Beyond the Rack (and its founders) prevailed. As a result, these experiences have left Yona with some critical advice for other Canadian entrepreneurs looking to follow a similar path in their own ventures.
When it comes to raising capital, Yona told Canadian Business that the key is resilience, a solid business plan and determination to withstand rejection. “More people will tell you more reasons why you’ll fail than people who will be supportive,” he said in his Canadian Business interview. “You need to be resilient. Anyone who’s done sales knows it takes nine nos to get a yes. In our business, it takes 49 nos to get a yes. But we still don’t give up.”
For the question of shipping, however, I spoke with Yona directly to get his input on how Canadian online retailers can make ends meet while also getting their products to the people who want them.
“At the end of the day logistics is biggest expense after cost of goods. You’ve got weight, overage charges, zones and all kinds of considerations to take into account. So you’ve got to stratify your shipping charges based on what people buy and where they buy it from. Then, as the business scales, the way to win is to automate as much of that process as possible.”
According to Yona, however, waiting too long to do so can be very dangerous.
“It’s critical to automate logistics as soon as possible. We started too late but once we made the move it saved us thousands of dollars. It was our single best investment.”
This can seem like a prospect that is easier said than done, so in order to undertake the process Beyond The Rack teamed up with Canada Post in its early days. By pre-sorting orders at their own facility using Canada Post’s software, Yona told me, Beyond the Rack is able to cut their logistics costs considerably simply by doing the trickiest organization steps in house. Useful tricks like that can mean saving millions in shipping overhead costs — savings like that matter for margins as slim as in eCommerce.
The Road Ahead:
Beyond the Rack’s meteoric rise is a study in entreprenurial innovation in success. With 1597% growth in the past two years and over 80 million dollars in revenue in 2011 alone, the company Yona founded has definitevely stepped out of the “startup” phase of its lifespan.
Even more promising is the fact that Beyond the Rack is a global retailer rather than simply a national one. Whereas we all too often hear about the “US invasion” of big American chains when it comes to Canadian retail, Beyond the Rack is bucking the trend by doing the exact opposite. In fact of last year’s 80 million in revenue over 30 was in exports — an uncommonly large figure for a fashion retailer in Canada.
This rapidly growing international presence and the fact that the company has created well over 300 jobs in just 3 years is why Beyond the Rack is such an exciting company to follow. Stay tuned to their story — it’s only just beginning.
Stay tuned to the Dx3 Digest for our ongoing “Made in Canada” series:


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Tesla’s humanoid robot is intimidating, but it’s important to take into account a far from trivial detail to put its technology into perspective. On the occasion of Tesla AI Day 2022 next September 30th, the presentation to which we will be entitled will only be the result of last-minute artisanal work.
Please note: The Autopilot/AI team is also working on Optimus and the (actually smart) challenge/fleet, which have deadlines at the end of the month.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 20, 2022
Optimus of his name is not ready yet. Elon Musk announced this personally on Twitter in response to a user’s question. To meet the deadline, he added that he was calling some of the teams responsible for developing autonomous driving at Tesla. These employees are now responsible for supporting the team in charge of Optimus.
Tesla probably didn’t have a choice. The AI Day event has been scheduled since July and the humanoid robot is one of the most anticipated items of the conference. A month later, it will be Elon Musk’s neuroscience company Neuralink’s turn to host an evening to present updates. Then two important events.
Robot Tesla in priority
The Tesla AI Day program will also end with the presentation of the Smart Summon mode, which allows you to move the Model Y without being on board. The “Autopark” mode will also be. No additional information on the FSD (Full Self-Driving) side, which only pushes back its deadlines and starts to annoy impatient customers.
I’m not sure that strategic changes to employee performance won’t help silence critics. Moreover, initially the Tesla robot was supposed to be only a parallel project to the rest. This has become a top priority for the brand. “In terms of product priority, I think the most important development we’re doing this year is the Optimus humanoid robot,” Elon Musk said in an announcement of Tesla’s fourth-quarter results.
Now it’s hard to understand why. If not for the figurehead of this project, Tesla head of AI Andrey Karpaty, Optimus would certainly be the most powerful of the AI development platforms within the brand. The main advantage, if not to develop technologies that we could then apply to cars, would be to solve the problem of labor shortages.


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Thursday, June 4, 2015
LocalBitcoins.com largest UK exchange according to new study
Yesterday, UK based Bitcoin news site Miningpool.co.uk released the results of a study on bitcoin use in the UK. According to their results, LocalBitcoins.com is the most used site to buy bitcoins in the UK. The study reveals that LocalBitcoins has 41.7 % of the P2P exchange market, and is the most popular way to acquire bitcoins in the country.
The most surprising fact of the study, however, is that only 13% thought governmental regulation of bitcoin to be bad and a whopping 48% think it is a good thing. A few respondents are cited as saying regulation should encourage bitcoin usage and improve it's public perception. Yesterday with the release of the BitLicense, the state of New Yorks regulation framework for cryptocurrency, the industry receive one of it's first regulations squarely designed around cryptocurrency. It remains to be seen what the effects are on the bitcoin ecosystem.
The study also looked at how UK residents use bitcoins, and the majority said they were acquiring bitcoins for purchases or savings use. Only 20% of respondents said they were engaged in day trading with bitcoins and 18 % said they used the currency to send cash to friend & family.
A summary of the study is available as a slideshare, which you can see below:
Posted by Anonymous at 10:01 AM
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Turk + Taylor fashion show
Published 4:00 am, Sunday, December 4, 2011
As guests filed past a taco truck humming with business and into Steven Wolf Fine Arts on a recent Thursday evening, it was clear that there would be no room for the Turk + Taylor runway show.
"Oh, we're moving venues," said Turk + Taylor's Andrew Soernsen calmly, less than an hour before the start of the show. A venue shift to the Guerrero Gallery across the street seemed a fitting twist for the first official fashion show from the local label. Designers Soernsen and Mark Lee Morris are known for embracing sartorial challenges, creating garments from defunct hot air balloons and Vietnam War-era parachutes.
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"They do things that no one else does," said Liddy Parlato, a buyer for Mission shop Hangr16, which carries the label, along with Luna in Presidio Heights and Hayes Valley's Modern Appealing Clothing.
Started six years ago as a graphic T-shirt company, these days Turk + Taylor focuses on sustainable materials, including vintage fabric, linen, organic cotton and even sailcloth. "Sustainable doesn't just have to be organic. We love that these materials had a life of their own," says Morris of the upcycled textiles in the fall and spring collections.
Casually hip pieces for men and women came in a black, white and gray palette, including bold plaids and an abstract print derived from a photo Morris took of a Utah canyon. For spring, African prints inspired by Morris' time in Ghana stood out, as did tailored khaki jackets and an ethereal gown of parachute material that seemed to float down the runway. Said Parlato after seeing the gown, a favorite piece: "They get movement."


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Samsung posts bonds with ITC, suggests continued infringement of Apple patents
Following its defeat in court on Friday, Samsung has posted surety bonds with the U.S. International Trade Commission, a move that strongly suggests the South Korean tech giant is still importing and selling at least some products that infringe on Apple-held patents.
In handing down a victory for Apple on Friday, the ITC left open the possibility for Samsung to continue to import and sell infringing phones, media players, and tablet computers so long as the firm posted a surety bond of 1.25 percent. As Foss Patents' Florian Mueller notes, Samsung has now posted that bond, which will forestall sales bans on infringing products until the completion of a 60-day Presidential review period.
Following the ruling, a Samsung spokesperson said that "upon a thorough review of the order, we will decide upon which measures to take."
The amount of the bond posted is unknown, as that figure is redacted in the letter of receipt from ITC Secretary Lisa Barton to Samsung. The bond is meant to ensure that Apple can recover damages in the event that Samsung's liquidity changes between now and the cessation of ITC proceedings.
What is notable is that the bond is intended to specifically to cover infringing products, not those products for which Samsung has already developed a workaround. The South Korean firm has already done as much with a number of Apple patents, including some multitouch features and a mechanism for detecting when a headphone jack has been inserted into the unit's plug. An administrative law judge has consequently cleared such products for continued importation and sale in the U.S., and the workarounds were additionally supported by Judge Thomas Pender.
As Mueller points out, the posting of the bond, then, would seem to indicate that Samsung is aware that some number of the products it is still importing still infringe on Apple-held patents. Further, it would appear that the firm has been importing such products throughout the duration of the ITC's investigation.
The ITC's decision covers "electronic digital media devices that infringe one or more of [the patent claims-in-suit that the ITC deemed valid and infringed and that satisfied the domestic industry requirement]," according to Mueller. That definition could well cover products as new as Samsung's flagship Galaxy S4. Apple has already tried to add that model and others to the suit, saying that the GS4 and newer Samsung models still infringed its patents.