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NX: Nintendo Should Hope That More People Buy Their Console Than Buy Their Lies
The Nintendo NX will be launching in March of 2017, missing the crucial holiday season which might have provided it something of a boost out of the gate. This will result in Nintendo’s new system hitting the market several months after the release of the Playstation Neo, meaning that the NX will not even present an appreciable leap in capabilities over what is already on the market. One is not overly supportive of Sony’s plans for a mid-generation refresh, yet one has to respect Sony’s play to handily cockblock the big N. It seems unlikely that Nintendo would deliberately plan to miss the 2016 holiday season, so there is even every possibility that they had to do so on account of Sony entering Neo production before they could, and monopolising Foxcon production bandwidth to such an extent that Nintendo had to push back their release plans in order to build up the requisite inventory. In any case, regardless of the reasoning behind the decision, it nonetheless amounts to Nintendo releasing their console at a time when there is little appetite among consumers for buying new consoles.
This also means that the NX will not be shown at E3, as ten months prior to release is apparently way too early for Nintendo to be showing off one of their new products. Because of this Nintendo will be focusing their E3 efforts on their new Legend of Zelda title, which has been pushed back to March of 2017 – a mere ten months after E3.
“The new Legend of #Zelda will be the focus of #E3 2016. It will launch simultaneously on both Wii U and NX in 2017.”
The reason for Nintendo’s new Legend of Zelda title being delayed to March of 2017 is in order for the team to give it some extra polish and iron out some bugs – it assuredly has nothing to do with the launch of the NX. @Cheesemeister3k confirmed this by translating a tweet from Nintendo of Japan which confirms:
“Zelda for #WiiU, planned for 2016, has been delayed to 2017 in order to improve quality. #WiiU and #NX versions release together.”
Well, that is a relief. One is glad that Nintendo can be upfront like this. Perhaps NX has been delayed to ‘improve quality’ too. At any rate, the launch of the NX promises to to be a historic event, as one can scarcely recall a console ever launching without first being shown off at either E3 or CES before it. Even the shambolic launch of the Sega Saturn occurred at E3, giving it some much needed exposure to general consumers. Nintendo, a company in deep decline, will be launching their NX without the benefit of this kind of exposure, in a period directly subsequent to the glut of luxury spending which comes with the holiday season. Well played, guys!
PSN Now More Lucrative Than All of Nintendo
With Nintendo operating as a nonentity throughout the majority of the console generation, sales of Sony’s PS4 have soared. Moreover, Nintendo is understood to have pretty much nothing significant in store for Wii U owners until their new Zelda title releases almost a year from now, meaning that, much like Sega after the Saturn, Nintendo will go almost a full year without having any kind of home console presence at retail. Hell, by the time Zelda actually does release for the Wii U, owners will likely have to order it online, as the Wii U will have relinquished the scant retail space that still remains to it at present.
As Nintendo shrinks Sony expands, and nowhere is this more evident than in the hard numbers. This week both Sony and Nintendo have released their numbers for the 2015 financial year, revealing that PSN alone is now earning more revenue than Nintendo as a whole. This generation Sony has started charging money for Playstation owners to access online game features, and given that the PS4 has shipped over 40 million units as of the 31st of March, that means that Sony is bringing in a tidy chunk of revenue along with the digital sales of PS4 software:
“Sony’s PlayStation Network sales hit 529,000m yen which means that PSN generated more revenue than the whole of Nintendo (504,000m yen).
Yes, you’re reading that right. PSN generated more revenue than all Nintendo revenue in FY2015/16.”
To put this in US dollar terms, the revenue from PSN was 4.97 billion dollars, while the revenue of Nintendo as a whole was 4.74 billion. In broader terms the revenue from Sony’s gaming division as a whole was 13.7 billion dollars, and now accounts for nineteen percent of all Sony revenue. Because of this Sony as a whole has returned to profitability in 2015 after several years of posting losses. One hopes that they use this breathing room to get the rest of their house in order, so that when these stellar PS4 sales numbers diminish other divisions of the company will be able to hold their own.
As for Nintendo, they do have a large warchest left over from the Wii, so they are in no imminent danger of going out of business. That said, if the NX does poorly and Nintendo’s mindshare and marketshare continues to decrease, then it is difficult to see how Nintendo’s shareholders could allow the company to throw their hat into a subsequent console generation. It is not even as though Nintendo handhelds can take the slack anymore; the 3DS might look great in comparison to PS Vita, but it has still yet to reach 60 million units sold after five years on the market – a far cry from the 154 million units of DS hardware that Nintendo moved during the previous generation. Moreover, Nintendo’s financials could be looking even worse were it not for the runaway success of Amiibo, which went on to generate almost 500 million dollars for Nintendo in 2015, which is roughly half of the revenue accrued by 3DS software sales in the same period.
“Fun Fact: All 3DS software generated $1B for Nintendo over the last 12 months Clash of Clans generated ~$1.4B alone in the last 12 months
Fun fact 2: amiibo and other accessories generated nearly $500m in revenue for Nintendo in FY2016/3.
Nintendo have now sold in approximately 35.2 million amiibo figures (More than half in the US/Canada) and 28.9 million amiibo cards.”
SJW Professors Rob Students of Rare Learning Experience
File this one under pure blithering idiocy. What do Rob Pardo [former CEO of Blizzard], Jenova Chen [founder of thatgamecompany], Dave Stohl [president of Infinity Ward], Brandon Beck [CEO of Riot Games], Peter Levin [president of Lionsgate Interactive], Min Kim [former president of Nexon America], and Jeffrey Kaplan [former director of World of Warcraft] all have in common? Besides being massive industry heavyweights of course. What commonality do these individuals all share with one another aside from the fact that they are immensely important and influential gaming professionals, any one of which would be worth seeking an audience with? The answer to that is quite simple – all of these very important people had taken time out of their busy lives in order to fly to LA so that they could attend a USC panel titled ‘Legends of the Game Industry’. Not only had these industry titans made themselves available to answer the questions of USC game design students, but they were also prepared to take a look at the game design projects that the students had been working on. For most people this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Sadly, it was not to be. Professor Anthony Borquez had organised the event, yet he was only granted the space on the provision that he would not assemble an all male panel. With this stipulation in mind Borquez assembled a panel which included an [as yet] unnamed female gaming professional, yet due to a scheduling conflict she had to pull out at the last minute. A mere four hours before the panel was due to get underway director of USC Games Tracy Fullerton cancelled the event because there was not going to be a female on the panel.
“Dear Students, Faculty and Invited Guests:
After much consideration, we have decided to cancel tonight’s “Legends of the Games Industry” panel. The panel didn’t reflect both the diversity within the USC community and the games industry at large. We intend to reschedule this panel in the coming days and weeks with a balanced group of panelists. We regret presenting an all-male panel and are committed to a diverse and inclusive games industry.
Thank you for your commitment to USC Games.”
This is profoundly sickening in terms of its sheer wastefulness – both regarding the unique opportunity lost to students and the faculty’s flagrant disregard for the time of the guest speakers who had flown out to be there. If the department is able to put together another panel then one imagines that it will look a lot less like ‘Legends of Gaming’ and a lot more like ‘Rejects of Tumblr’. Brianna Wu is a shoe-in to attend for the attention, and so too are the duo behind Tale of Tales [provided the University puts on a free lunch]. However, it is difficult to imagine an actual industry professional taking this joke university seriously enough going forward to waste their time on another such panel. These morons are supposed to be educators, yet they just ruin it all for everybody. Nobody who was actually serious about a career in gaming would have passed up this kind of opportunity in protest over something as silly as gender composition, and unintentional gender composition at that. Of course, the faculty in question likely could not appreciate this, on account of the fact that they were never themselves able to make it in the game industry, and so became career academics instead. Those who can do, do; those who cannot do, teach. Now one just hopes that Caspius will give this author a sporting head start before he looses the hounds!
[UPDATE]: Tracy Fullerton has attempted to explain why she decided to fuck over her students due to petty nonsense:
“There was no perfect choice here. There was only the choice to stand for one set of values or another. So, I chose the path I believe in. You all are free to disagree, but I think it is the right side of history.”
There is no right side of history for hysterical SJWs. Their day in the sun is rapidly setting.
Anime Spotlight: Endride
Shun Asanaga is a fifteen year old Japanese kid who happens to be transported to another world on account of a mild case of kleptomania. Emilio is an Endran prince who is languishing in prison after attempting to avenge his father against the current king of the realm. The former enables the latter to escape, and they subsequently encounter Alicia who has her own pet dragon! In the series Endride the Earth is hollow and contains a second planet beneath its surface known as Endora. The show starts off with both boys attempting to evade the King’s soldiers as they make their getaway, and from there Shun needs to find a way to get home, while Emilio needs to find a way to avenge his father.
Endride is… retarded. The show is somewhat generic, Shun makes for an annoying protagonist, and the quality of animation is less than resplendent. The whole thing feels more than a little goofy. As far as mediocre anime is concerned, Endride is somewhat more interesting than is typical. It is reasonably watchable, yet with so much great anime around there is not really much of a compelling reason to settle for this. Endride is licensed with Funimation, and new episodes are simulcast on Saturdays at 3:00 pm Eastern.


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by Mike Masnick
Fri, Jun 12th 2009 5:50am
This probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to anyone, but China's new mandated censorware that is required to be installed on all new PCs sold in the country has serious security flaws that put users' computers (and their data) at risk. Of course, censorware/spyware type software almost always does that -- and, it seems likely that the Chinese government isn't all that concerned about the privacy of citizens and their computer usage. Still, the bigger fear is that the security flaws can (and will) be used to basically hijack all those computers and turn them into a botnet. That should certainly be a bigger concern, especially given the Chinese governments' insistence that it wants to crackdown on the widespread use of Chinese servers for spamming operations anyway.
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domain: news


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Bluemint Labs was present at the 2016 Las Vegas CES and got the attention of many by presenting Bixi. This compact device makes it possible to control smart devices without one tactile contact. One year later, the gesture remote control received the prestigious 2017 CES Innovation Award.
The Grenoble startup was co-founded by the STMicroelectronics multinational company's former engineer and vice-president : Vijayaraghavan Narayanan and Loïc Lietar. It was only in 2015 and yet, they ended up in the top 28 French Tech the same year, then the next (2016).
To top it off, Bixi was funded in less than 5 hours on Kickstarter in the fall of 2016. They owe it to great partners but also to their wide experience in the innovation and electronics field. If someone were to simplify the use of smart objects for all, Bluemint Labs seems the closest to the goal.
No products for this manufacturer.


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Odyssey and TechIsland Academy Host a Successful Cybersecurity Workshop
7th of March 2023
Odyssey and TechIsland Academy, co-hosted an exclusive invite-only workshop titled “Build an Effective & Applicable Cybersecurity Strategy”, on March 7th at Parklane, Resort & Spa, Limassol.
The event focused on the importance of organisations to redefine their cybersecurity strategy in today’s hyperconnected world to become cyber resilient.
The workshop’s keynote speakers Stelios Charalambous, Head of Advisory at Odyssey and Pandora Tsiliki, Senior Cybersecurity Consultants, at Odyssey, shared their expertise about the new rise of a complex set of digital risks as a result of Digital Transformation, Cloud Adoption and Hybrid Working. The speakers also highlighted the significance of organizations to be aware of their Threat Landscape and Cybersecurity Maturity Level (CML) so as to develop an effective cybersecurity strategy.
Attendees, included business leaders and executives from various industries, actively participated in the interactive sessions and discussions. The workshop also provided the opportunity for networking and exchange of ideas and experiences.


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Bord Bia has launched a major UK marketing campaign placing grass-fed Irish beef in the spotlight this autumn in a bid to drive awareness of its premium qualities and Ireland’s unique grass-fed production systems. It is the first ever television advertising campaign by Bord Bia in the UK and will run during the month of October.
The campaign was created by London agency Spinnaker.
The TV ad is showing across ITV breakfast shows targets families across the UK who enjoy beef and are looking for premium, tasty and sustainable produced grass-fed beef. Ireland’s beef exports to the UK were valued at almost €850 million in 2019 but there are fears that a no-deal Brexit may impact negatively on the trade.
The campaign is being released in parallel with the launch of Bord Bia’s new grass-fed standard for beef in the UK this month. The standard is the world’s first independently verified standard on a national scale, which allows Irish processors to track and verify the percentage of grass consumed in the diet of Irish beef herds.
The grass fed model will use data collected during the ISO-accredited sustainable beef and lamb assurance scheme (SBLAS) – Bord Bia’s quality assurance scheme on Irish farms – at on-farm audits to determine the grass fed status of herds. The TV ad is supported by digital and social activity and tie-ups with high profile British chefs.
Link to the ‘It’s All Right Here’ ad… https://youtu.be/Vg36vzF2Nrg


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Now with added video!
Telecoms.com periodically invites third wheels to share their views on the industry’s most pressing issues. In this piece Ray Le Maistre, Editor-in-Chief at Light Reading notes that the traditional telecom community needs to look in the mirror and ask itself some pretty tough questions.
Thirty years ago, telcos and their technology suppliers were living a life of relative ease and luxury, milking the early days of cellular/mobile (3G was in pre-launch hype mode!) and able to take years to make strategic decisions without fear of having the profit rug pulled from under their feet.
Not any more.
Communications service providers and the attendant vendor community are currently in a state of controlled panic, going about their daily business while the foundations of the industry that used to prop up the balance sheet become ever more eroded by competition, regulation and a pace of business model change that has left them in a spin.
Currently, most are clinging to 5G as a potential saviour and the catalyst for major change. But change what? And how? The industry has to answer some very tough questions right now and figure out a new plan of action – doing nothing will only accelerate their demise.
The list of potential questions is ‘super long’ as the youth of today might say, but my close friend, Mr J. Daniels of Tennessee, and I have come up with a few that we think are worth exploring to get the ball rolling, including: Should telcos own media/video/tv companies?; Should telcos be banks?; Is it possible to get a decent cup of coffee at a telecoms trade show? (OK, so that last one got axed from the final list, but I still think it’s a key industry concern…)
We’ve compiled them in the form of a brief survey that I hope you’ll find 2 minutes to complete, so we can get a sense of where you, the people actually going on this journey, might be heading.
The survey is here: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5327993/2020-Vision-Summit-Survey-2019
The results will be compiled during early December and we’ll be sharing key findings initially with attendees at Light Reading’s annual 2020 Vision Executive Summit in Vienna and then with the wider world shortly after that: All answers are anonymous, so there’s no comeback or any chance of being hounded by related spam.
I hope you’ll share your view with us and check back in December to see what the broader community thinks.
Verizon has released its third-quarter financials with the mobile business growing, broadband middling and media dropping.
Total revenues for the three-month period ending September 30 stood at $32.09 billion, a 0.9% increase year-on-year, though it has racked up $97.093 billion across 2019. As with previous quarters, there are positives to take away though the media business is still weighing heavy on the prospects of the group.
“Verizon continued its momentum in the third quarter by driving strong wireless volumes in both our Consumer and Business segments, while delivering solid financial results, highlighted by continued wireless service revenue growth, increased cash flow, and EPS growth,” said CEO Hans Vestberg.
As many would have imagined, little attention was given to the fragile media business. With each financial statement, the $5 billion bet on Yahoo’s media assets looks a little bit more like a waste of funds. Revenues in this business totalled $1.8 billion, down 2% percent year-on-year.
What was supposed to be the pursuit of alternative revenues in the ever-growing digital advertising segment is seemingly turning into nothing more than an Elephant’s Graveyard for assets in the digital economy. Aside from divesting interests in Flickr, Moviefone, MapQuest and Tumblr, Verizon is also reportedly on the search for a buyer for the Huffington Post. Perhaps executives have just had enough and are searching for a way to elegantly backtrack.
The failings of this business unit have been well-documented, so we do not want to invest too much time here, but Verizon was always going to fighting a losing battle. Winning a slice of the digital advertising profits requires out-of-the-box thinking, the ability to make money out of nothing. This is what Google, Amazon, Facebook and other innovative digital players can do.
But Verizon is not that type of business. It is a functional, engineering-focused, traditional beast. From a culture and risk-appetite perspective it was always going to struggle to compete with the lateral thinking Silicon Valley residents, and this is further evidence.
That said, when Verizon focuses on what it does best it can make money. The mobile business unit boasts of 193,000 retail postpaid net additions over the quarter and revenue growth of 2.6% year-on-year. Revenues for the broadband business are down year-on-year, but the number of Fios subscriptions are up 2.3%. It might not be as exciting to talk to investors about the world of connectivity compared to digital advertising, but it is what the company is very good at.
The team should of course attempt to secure new revenues to bolster the bottom line as the business of connectivity becomes increasingly commoditised but taking on the likes of Facebook and Google for digital advertising revenues always looked like too much of an ask.
Although this is a dampener for the Verizon business, there is more than a glimmer of hope around the corner; 5G.
There might be some questions regarding the coverage of its mmWave spectrum, but Verizon is making progress with 5G deployment. Alongside the financial results, the team also hit the go button for 5G in Dallas, Texas and Omaha, Nebraska. All of the launches are very limited from a coverage perspective, but momentum is gathering very quickly.
5G can form the catalyst for growth is the telcos force themselves through their own digital transformation. Let’s be clear, the telcos will not escape the utilitisation trends with 5G alone. The business needs to be transformed to offer new connectivity solutions to enterprise and consumer customers alike. Digital transformation is a more pressing concern for telcos than any other vertical.
But there is hope on the horizon. The lure of 5G contracts are proving to be tempting for consumers, which will help the bottom-line as data tariffs quickly surge towards unlimited as standard, and enterprise customers are enthusiastic about the connectivity euphoria. There are of course companies who want to steal the profits from the telcos, but the opportunity is still there.
US operator group Verizon is thinking of offloading the crown jewel in its media portfolio according to a report.
The FT has got the scoop on this one, having spoken to a couple of people who think they know what they’re talking about. They say Verizon has been chatting to potential acquirers in recent weeks, but that the talks are still at an early stage and no formal sale process has been launched, hence the anonymous source channel. The FT couldn’t get a useful comment out of Verizon.
There isn’t much more to the FT leak than that, with the rest of the piece spent on wondering whether shelling out billions of dollars for a bunch of aging internet properties was such a great idea in hindsight. Verizon dropped $4.4 billion on AOL, of which HuffPo was the biggest asset, back in 2015 and then went even further back with its internet time machine to spend a similar amount on Yahoo two years later.
The apparent thinking behind blowing 9 bil on digital media seemed to hinge on doing something clever with advertising and big data. Having a broad portfolio of consumer media would make Verizon a no-brainer for digital advertisers, apparently, but by the start of this year it had significantly written down the value of its media assets and was doing some serious streamlining.
While competitor AT&T also decided to diversify into media, it did so by buying the massive video assets of Time Warner. It’s remains to be seen whether that massive gamble will pay off, but it seems safe to say that Verizon’s decision to go for cheaper digital content hasn’t. There seems to be general consensus across the operator world that diversifying into content is the way forward but there is little evidence to support this hunch.
One of the problems is that they are not media companies and seem to take the media product – audience – for granted. Audiences only stay loyal to media if it keeps giving them differentiated, valuable content, but the tendency of acquirers is to save overhead by getting rid of writers and getting the remaining ones to churn out a higher volume of cheaper content. This is often catastrophic for audience numbers and hence the underlying business model.
Verizon seems to have assumed it could absorb the HuffPo audience into its greater media machine, but its traffic seems to be in decline. Another variable is its ‘progressive’ editorial voice, which risks relying on cheap to produce outrage click-bait. This is a very volatile source of traffic, which is probably quite indifferent about the source. It seems likely that these factors will have significantly contributed to Verizon falling out of love with HuffPo and it’s likely to make a massive loss on any eventual sale.
Verizon has announced the acquisition of Jaunt XR, adding augmented and virtual reality smarts to its media division.
While few details about the deal have been unveiled, the deal will add an extra element to a division which has been under considerable pressure in recent months. The Verizon diversification efforts have proven to be less than fruitful to date, though this appears to be another example of throwing money at a disastrous situation.
“We are thrilled with Verizon’s acquisition of Jaunt’s technology,” said Mitzi Reaugh, CEO of Jaunt XR. “The Jaunt team has built leading-edge software and we are excited for its next chapter with Verizon.”
Jaunt XR will join the troubled media division of Verizon which has been under strain in recent months. The ambition was to create a competitor to Google and Facebook to secure a slice of the billions of dollars spent on digital advertising. On the surface it is a reasonable strategy, but like so many good ideas, the execution was somewhat wanting.
Since the acquisition of Yahoo, Verizon has had to deal with the after-effects of a monumental data breach, write off $4.6 billion of the money it spent on the transaction, spend big to secure a distribution deal with the NFL and cut 7% of its staff. The first few years of living the digital advertising dream has been nothing short of a nightmare.
Looking at the financials, during the last quarter the media division reported $1.8 billion in revenues. This was down 2.9% from the previous year and accounted for only 2% of the total revenues brought in across the group.
With Jaunt XR brought into the media family, new elements could be introduced to the portfolio. Details have not been offered just yet, though with VR, and more recently, AR expertise, there is an opportunity to create immersive, engaging content for the mobile-orientated aspects of the business.
This transaction will certainly add variety and depth to the services and products in the media portfolio, but soon enough you have to question whether Verizon is throwing good money after bad. This has not been a fruitful venture for the team thus far.
The apparent anointing of John Stankey as the next AT&T CEO is reportedly what prompted Elliott to announce its activist intentions.
Right now this insight comes courtesy of the WSJ alone, which has chatted to some people who think they know what they’re talking about. The report says AT&T Randall Stephenson plans to call it a day soon and has been grooming his mate John Stankey to take over. Stankey was recently promoted the specially-created role of COO, which would be easy to view as a stepping stone to CEO, especially since most of the company now seems to report directly to the COO.
Shortly after activist investor firm Elliott Management announced it had acquired a significant shareholding in AT&T and intended to use that position to pressure the AT&T management into making changes that it reckons will significantly boost the share price. That is the ultimate aim of activist investors like Elliott, which are sometimes referred to as vulture funds.
The WSJ piece mainly seeks to flesh out Elliot’s objectives. It claims the closed, cronyish succession plan is what provoked Elliott into breaking cover and going public with its concerns. The continued promotion of Stankey is considered to be symptomatic of a botched approach to AT&T’s strategy of diversifying towards media, as he has been put in charge of it all, rather than leaving it to the media experts already in place at the acquired companies.
Elliott has rich form in messing with the grand plans or corporate execs, having recently succeeded in preventing Vivendi from controlling Italian operator group TIM while only owning a quarter of it. AT&T is an order of magnitude larger but the same principles apply. If Elliott can convince other AT&T shareholders that its plans for the company will give them a better return than those of Stephenson and Stankey then it could initiate a proxy battle for control of the company.
The handling of the DirecTV acquisition seems to be especially derided by Elliott, which seems to think AT&T should cut its losses and flog it. But its complaints don’t seem to stop there, with Stankey’s control of WarnerMedia apparently a source of grievance too. A lot rests on AT&T’s imminent SVOD service, HBO Max, which will have to succeed in a very competitive market to reassure its investors.
There are good acquisitions and bad acquisitions, and then there was the prolonged saga with Verizon acquiring Yahoo’s media assets.
In 2017, Verizon decided it wanted to scrap with Google and Facebook to secure a slice of the lucrative online advertising bonanza. Its route to these riches was acquiring Yahoo’s media assets, an on-going saga was has led to little more than headaches for the telco. Now Verizon has announced it will get rid of one of the adopted problem children.
Financials of the deal have not been announced, though WordPress owner Automattic will acquire Tumblr.
“Tumblr is one of the Web’s most iconic brands,” said Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg. “It is an essential venue to share new ideas, cultures and experiences, helping millions create and build communities around their shared interests. We are excited to add it to our lineup, which already includes WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Simplenote, Longreads, and more.”
Perhaps one of the biggest problems with Tumblr is figuring out what to do with it. In its own right, Tumblr is a very successful platform, home to 475 million blogs, though translating such potential is often a difficult task, requiring forward- and out-of-the-box thinking. Automattic looks to be a much more suited business to realise this ambition than the traditional telco.
“Tumblr is a marquee brand that has started movements, allowed for true identities to blossom and become home to many creative communities and fandoms,” said Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan.
“We are proud of what the team has accomplished and are happy to have found the perfect partner in Automattic, whose expertise and track record will unlock new and exciting possibilities for Tumblr and its users.”
For Verizon, this is another chapter is a pretty miserable story so far. The entry into the media world started on shaky grounds with huge data leaks and hasn’t got much better. It does still own some very attractive titles, TechCrunch and Huffington Post for example, though in laying off 7% of staff last October as well as 15% of UK staff in January demonstrates the pain.
The telco has to make the media business work for it, it did make a $5 billion bet after all, but it has not been a simple quest to date.
Vivendi-subsidiary Canal Plus has announced the €1 billion acquisition of pay-TV operator M7, expanding the business into seven new European markets.
The deal, which is still subject to approval from the European Commission, will take Vivendi across the borders of the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. M7’s subscriptions currently total more than three million across its European footprint and revenues of just over €400 million.
“We are particularly pleased with this acquisition project made possible by Vivendi. The operation would allow Canal Plus Group to approach 20 million subscribers worldwide,” said Maxime Saada, Chairman Canal Plus’ Board of Directors.
“Our global subscriber base will have almost doubled in five years, with a clear acceleration starting in 2015. This major operation will allow us to strengthen our distribution capacity in order to leverage content originating from our library and our numerous production operations in Europe.”
The Vivendi media mission is not a secret in the industry. Acquisitions have been somewhat of a guilty pleasure for the business, and this move is intended to further increase the influence of Canal Plus over the European continent, and worldwide. With M7 in the armoury, Canal Plus will have 20 million subscribers worldwide, including 12 million in Europe.
M7 is currently an aggregator of various local and international content, though the acquisition would create additional avenues for Canal Plus to distribute its own content. Canal Plus claims it currently spends €3 billion a year creating content, putting it in the same league as Netflix when you factor in the scale of the subscription bases (Netflix spent $8 billion in 2018 with a subscriber base of roughly 140 million).
Facebook has recently bemoaned the decline in US local news sources, but a major reason for this has been the collapse in media advertising revenues.
Two companies are largely responsible for this decline: Google and Facebook. As digital replaced analogue as the primary way of consuming media, advertising moved to the main online content aggregators, specifically its dominant search engine and its dominant social media service. Not only did this suck revenue away from traditional media, it forced many media to resort to low-quality ‘clickbait’ journalism in order to drive the volumes of traffic its remaining advertisers increasingly demanded.
By definition aggregators don’t produce their own content and are entirely reliant on a steady flow of third party to keep its users active and the revenues it makes on the back of their searching and sharing flowing. This model is, therefore, intrinsically parasitic and comes with the major problem that parasites eventually kill their hosts.
Facebook has belatedly recognised this dilemma and launched a new initiative called ‘Today In’ late last year, that was designed to bring greater attention to local stuff on the site. On top of that it also said it would throw millions of dollars at local news earlier this year. Despite this, however, Facebook yesterday was moved to lament the existence of ‘news deserts’ in the US and is contributing to research to find out what is the cause of them. Some people seem to think that’s somewhat redundant.
There are, of course, plenty of other threats to Facebook’s business model. The Cambridge Analytica scandal raised profound concerns around the use of all this personal data we’re sharing with Facebook. Meanwhile its role in a wide range of high-profile events ranging from elections to terrorist atrocities have put it under enormous pressure to curate and censor its content much more quickly and thoroughly than it currently does.
The parasitic business model is also at the core of a lot of this. In many ways Facebook operates like a very large media organisation, as it makes money by serving ads against traffic to content on its side. But since it doesn’t produce that content it is currently treated as a platform rather than a publisher, with a consequent freedom from direct responsibility for what it presents to its users.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that websites designed to host user-generated content are neither platforms nor publishers, but something in between. Politicians and regulators are increasingly calling for new rules and laws to address this paradox and it seems highly probable that these will both threaten revenues and significantly increase overheads for these companies.
So great are these challenges to Facebook that the company is already publicly contemplating a fundamental shift in its business model, with more controlled, private sharing as its new focus. This coincides with a its core revenues base, US Facebook users, clearly peaking, as you can see in the following slides from Facebook’s recent quarterly earnings presentation.
While user engagement has peaked in the US, Facebook still derives a disproportionate amount of revenue from that market thanks to its much higher ARPU there. But there is growing evidence that this may be increasingly coming from Instagram rather than the core Facebook product and mobile now accounts for nearly all of its revenues. All this points to the distinct possibility of Facebook, as we know it, being unrecognisable a decade from now as the legacy platform undergoes a managed decline.
Which brings us back to the parasitism issue. Facebook’s long term strategy seems to be to completely exhaust its current host while at the same time cultivating a new one. It’s hard to view all this hand-wringing about traditional media as anything more than a pretence at seeking a symbiotic relationship with it while it bleeds it dry. Independent journalist Tim Pool, as ever, has an instructive take on the broader situation.
Research into children’s media consumption published by UK telecoms regulator Ofcom revealed that only 54% of parents agreed the benefits of the internet outweighed its risks, the lowest level since 2011.
The report, “Children and parents: Media use and attitudes report 2018” (and its Annex) and “Life on the small screen: What children are watching and why” were made by Ofcom with analysis of 2,000 British children aged 3-15 years and their parents. Less than half of the parents of 3-4-years agreed that the internet is doing more good than bad.
When prompted with the major concerns parents have about their children’s online life, “companies collecting information about what their child is doing online” came the top with 50% of parents expressing concern. Three other issues have increased in their level of concern from the similar research a year ago: the child damaging their reputation (42% vs. 37%), the pressure on the child to spend money online (41% vs. 35%), and the possibility of the child being radicalised online (29% vs. 25%).
Published by Ofcom today, the reports showed that on average, a 5-15-year old child would spend more than four hours a day in front screens, including 2 hours 11 minutes online (same as a year ago) and 1 hour 52 minutes watching TV on the TV sets (8 minutes shorter than 2017).
“Children have told us in their own words why online content captures most of their attention. These insights can help inform parents and policymakers as they consider the role of the internet in children’s lives,” said Yih-Choung Teh, Strategy and Research Group Director at Ofcom. “This research also sheds light on the challenge for UK broadcasters in competing for kids’ attention. But it’s clear that children today still value original TV programmes that reflect their lives, and those primetime TV moments which remain integral to family life.”
There are differences in media consumption patterns between age-groups and between social groups. For example, the older the age group, the more time the children would spend online, from less than nine hours per week for the 3-4-year olds to 20.5 hours for the 12-15-year olds. Or, children of the 3-4-year old group in C2DE households spend more time going online, playing games and watching TV on a TV set, compared to those in ABC1 households.
When it comes to device ownership and the devices used for media consumption, the research found that 1% of 3-4-year olds already have their own smartphones, and 19% have their own tablets. The penetration rates go up to 83% and 50% respectively in the 12-15-year old group. Again, there are differences between sub-groups on the devices used to consume media on their devices. While TV sets are still being used by more than 90% of children across all the sub-groups, the percentage of them also watching TV on other devices increased from 30% in the 3-4-year olds to 62% in the 12-15-year group.
The penetration of streaming services including Netflix, Now TV, and Amazon Video is already fairly high among all the sub-groups, with 32% of 3-4-year olds using at least one of them, going up to 58% in the 12-15-year olds. But YouTube is still leading in popularity. 45% of 3-4-year olds have watched YouTube, the penetration would go up to 89% in the 12-15-year olds.
As well as content consumption, content creation is also on the rise among children, with “making a video” one of the most popular online activities. While on average 40% of 5-15-years have made an online video, nearly half of all 12-15-year olds have done so.
Time spent on online gaming has remained largely unchanged from a year ago, ranging from a little over 6 hours per week in the 3-4-year group to nearly 14 hours in the 12-15-year group. But gaming is the online activity that demonstrates the biggest gender disparity. While boys in all age groups spent more time on gaming than girls, the difference went up to over 7 hours in the 12-15-year olds. On average girls in this group spent 9 hours 18 minutes playing online games while boys of this age spent 16 hours 42 minutes.
Social networks are another important type of media consumption by children. Facebook remained to be the most popular social media among the 12-15 years group, but its downward trend has continued to the lowest level of 72% penetration since the high of 97% in 2011. Gaining popularity are Instagram (65%, up from 57% in 2017), Snapchat (62%, up from 58%), and WhatsApp (43%, up from 32%). More significantly, when asked to name their “main site or app”, equal number of 12-15-year olds (31%) named Facebook and Snapchat.
Astoundingly, 1% of 3-4-year olds, 4% of 5-7-year olds, and 18% of 8-11-year olds already have social network accounts, despite that most social networks set their minimum age at 13. WhatsApp raised its minimum age for EU users to 16 prior to GDPR came into effect. At the same time, less than a third of parents were aware of Facebook’s age limit, with even less awareness for the age restrictions of Instagram and Snapchat.


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At a time when e-stores are replacing brick and mortar, the makers of HealthyLine
heat therapy products are bucking that trend. Lindsay Griesbach, director of brand
development and strategic partnership for HealthyLine, says their growing online
sales inspired them to open a Manhattan storefront. She expects demand for the
products to grow even stronger now that people can try out the far-infrared heat
mats for themselves.
“Some 500,000 customers in more than 20 countries are using our Inframat Pro to
attain new levels of wellness,” she says. “Anyone who hasn’t tried a mat or is
interested in trying the therapy should come down for a session.”
Although most of the store’s customers buy them for home use, HealthyLine
products are also popular with doctors, yoga instructors, chiropractors,
entrepreneurs, reiki masters, acupuncturists, personal trainers, massage therapists
and spas. The mats are effective for managing chronic pain, reducing fatigue,
detoxification, relaxing sore muscles, improving blood circulation, revitalizing
energy levels and temporarily decreasing inflammation, Griesbach says.
A unique feature of the mats is their incorporation of gemstones, such as amethyst,
tourmaline and jade, long used in alternative medicine to facilitate recovery and
strength, as well as obsidian, a volcanic rock used in hot stone massage.
“When combined with heat therapy, these gemstones release far infrared rays and
negative ions, natural therapies that improve your body’s overall wellness levels,”
Griesbach says. “Our exclusive heat therapy technology also incorporates photon
lights and PEMF.”
Location: 41 W. 36th St. For more information, call 212-300-5092 or visit


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Rallying against Amendment 4
- Kevin Gale
A lot of big names in Broward County business and government will be participating in a rally to oppose Amendment 4 on Sept. 30 at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art.
According to an e-mail, the speakers are:
- Mike Jackson, chairman and CEO of AutoNation (NYSE: AN)
- J. David Armstrong Jr., president of Broward College
- Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler
- Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis
Amendment 4 calls for giving the public a thumbs-up or thumbs-down vote on comprehensive land-use plan changes after elected officials vote.
Opponents, which include those planning the rally, are concerned that Amendment 4 would crimp job creation, lead to a flood of litigation and boost costs for elections.
Amendment 4 supporters say it would prevent politicians and developers from cutting deals that aren't in the public interest.
Both sides of the debate were featured in an Aug. 9 in-depth report in the South Florida Business Journal.
Amendment 4 came up in a Critical Conversation about retail that will be featured in the Oct. 1 issue of the Business Journal. I asked if anybody liked Amendment 4, and nobody on the panel did.
While some retail site owners might benefit if competing development is thwarted under Amendment 4, Ivy Z. Greaner, COO of Ram Realty Services, said that's a very shortsighted view.
Greaner is worried that Amendment 4 might block an industrial project or infill redevelopment that could create jobs.
While some readers might be tempted to laugh at the notion of higher leasing rates for retail these days, our panelists hashed out that topic pretty thoroughly, and explained why some areas have relatively few vacancies. (Others are less fortunate.)
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Fleet new car registrations have recovered market share in April as a return in business confidence helped the market grow 13% over the month to just under 85,000 vehicles, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The number of new cars sold in the UK continued to climb in April as the motor industry experienced growth of 8.2% over the month with total registrations climbing to 176,820.
Fleet registrations accounted for 48% of the market, overtaking private sales during the month.
For the year to the end of April, fleet sales still lag behind private sales after a slow start to the year, and fleet market share has decreased from 46.6% in 2013 to 45.3% despite an increase in fleet registrations of 9.6% year-on-year to 392,037.
April now marks the 26th consecutive month of growth in the new car market and in the four months to the end of April registrations have risen 12.5%, exceeding the SMMT’s original January estimate for 2014.
The figures also revealed that demand for trucks was subdued, with year-to-date sales down 24.8% compared to first quarter 2013, to 10,292 registrations. Similarly, truck sales fell 24.9% year-on-year in April, to 2,718.
Year-to-date, Van registrations were up 12.2% to 100,537. However in April, van registrations slipped 0.6% year-on-year to 20,620.
The SMMT have now revised up their estimate for the total sales for 2014 from 2.3 million vehicles to 2.4 million.


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Watch Out!, Inc., an early-stage consumer safety startup, has acquired San Francisco-based FinTech firm BitWall for an undisclosed amount.
Details are still sketchy at press time as neither company has publicly announced the terms of the deal — financial or otherwise. However, it is likely that a complete termination of BitWall will soon follow so its resources can be repurposed and rebranded as future Watch Out! Products.
Unusual, but Strategically Important Acquisition
Watch Out!, Inc. is currently developing its flagship product, a self-titled app that sends out real-time, critical information to users in times of danger. The company promises to roll out an early version of the app to a select group of users shortly, although it is yet to announce a date for the full-fledged launch.
The acquisition of BitWall may come off as an unusual decision considering that the Bitcoin micropayment firm is primarily focused on enabling online publishers to get their remunerations in cryptocurrencies.
However, according to Michael Lucas, chief executive at Watch Out!, the deal serves the company on multiple fronts. First, it enables Watch Out! to incorporate a sophisticated mechanism for crypto-enabled payment. On top of that, the BitWall acquisition will also pave the way for blockchain-based innovations that could enhance and diversify Watch Out!’s services.
An Opportunity to Boost Consumer Data Analytics and Loyalty
Additionally, Watch Out! Is also expecting to benefit from BitWall’s strategic connections within the digital news industry. All goes well, the acquisition will enable Watch Out! to expand its capabilities by consolidating consumer data analytics and loyalty with a greater efficiency.
That, in turn, will help out the company to ensure that users don’t receive just any random alerts, but only those that matter to them. Be it about product safety, recall, a local outbreak, or weather emergencies.
BitWall has witnessed a rather impressive growth over the past few months. The cryptocurrency micropayment company came into the limelight after striking a deal with Chicago Sun-Times back in 2014. Per the deal, BitWall designed a Bitcoin and Twitter-powered PayWall that enabled the daily newspaper to accept Bitcoin as payment for articles.


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LHUILLIER TOASTS PRE-FALL: Monique Lhuillier hosted an event at her Melrose Place boutique on Tuesday to showcase her pre-Fall collection and unveil her new summer window displays. “I haven’t had an event in my store since we opened seven years ago,” said the designer, adding “The collection is only in town a short while before all the trunk shows start.” Ahna O’Reilly, Ashley Madekwe, Colleen Bell, Crystal Lourd, Alexandra Von Furstenburg, Mary Alice Haney and Sally Perrin were among those who turned out then stayed for a sit-down lunch served on Lhuillier’s signature china and crystal, a collaboration with Waterford. “It’s hers, right?” asked stylist Petra Flannery. “I didn’t want to be tacky and turn over my plate.”
Monique Lhuillier Hosts Lunch at Los Angeles Store
The designer showcased her pre-Fall collection and unveiled her new summer window displays.
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It’s been an exciting couple of weeks in crypto. Among the news of more and more artists, entrepreneurs, and even celebrities jumping aboard the NFT craze, Bitcoin hit a new all-time record, making blockchain enthusiasts worldwide celebrate. Undoubtedly, it seems like crypto adoption is making the headlines every day this month.
However, until now, there weren’t any wallets in the market to help users leverage all the available financial instruments in the blockchain scene.
Enter CoinBurp’s new DeFi | NFT Wallet
In what seems an extraordinary timing of the market, CoinBurp, a fast-growing British cryptocurrency platform, has announced the world’s first NFT/Fiat DeFi wallet.
CoinBurp, known for offering GBP instant deposits and withdrawals, cites the launch of this wallet as “an initiative to make decentralized finance effortlessly accessible worldwide and across all knowledge levels and age groups.” The new DeFi wallet aims to combine the services that crypto trading platforms and exchanges offer with a decentralized and non-custodial solution for fiat-to-NFT purchases. Doing so enables CoinBurp’s wallet to connect to large NFT markets (such as OpenSea or Rarible) directly and interact with DeFi staking, NFT marketplace integration, governance, and insurance.
Along with its wallet launch, CoinBurp, based in London, has released a roadmap that contemplates the launch of a governance token for its DAO. This makes CoinBurp one of the first centralized platforms for crypto trading to leap into decentralized governance systems, as opposed to top-down, traditional structures.
With the ticker $BURP, the governance token will serve utility and governance purposes. Users will be able to stake $BURP to receive APY and NFT rewards offered in a partnership between CoinBurp and other companies, such as the Sandbox, NFT Boxes and others.
The Sandbox, which characterizes itself as “A virtual world where players can build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences on the Ethereum blockchain “, commented upon the announcement:
“The Sandbox is proud to be one of the launch partners of CoinBurp. Coinburp’s wallet user-experience is really seamless and it will help grow the number of NFT holders. Owning The Sandbox gaming virtual worlds LANDS NFTs in your pocket and finding great user-created NFTs such as Entities, Equipments or Wearables for The Sandbox will be a snap!” said Sebastien Borget, COO and Co-Founder of The Sandbox. He added, “We see great value for user-friendly mobile apps to facilitate the discovery, purchase and trading of NFTs, on the go, from a mobile wallet.”
CoinBurp also contemplates a series of improvements and additions to the DeFi | NFT wallet, such as support for ETH and ERC20 tokens, native token staking, direct NFT marketplace access, NFT rewards and direct fiat on and off-ramps. The wallet will also be protected by the company’s $100M insurance which, along with the fiat capabilities offered by CoinBurp, makes it an attractive product for investors that would like to have all the available options for crypto finance under one roof.
Are we living in the NFT year?
While impossible to tell at the beginning of the year, it seems like non-fungible tokens are taking 2021 by storm. So far, this trend has been adopted by the likes of Elon Musk, his girlfriend and electronic musician Grimes (who sold $6 million worth of digital works of art this February), and the NBA, which has managed to profit around $69 million from the new trend, so far.
Time will only tell when we will adopt the revolutionary technology behind NFTs beyond art, but, so far, its proponents and defendants, such as CoinBurp, are certainly paving the road for those to come after them.


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Students To Hold Spooky Canned Food Drive
University of Wyoming students are adding their own spin to the traditional canned food drive.
The UW Service, Leadership and Community Engagement (SLCE) office is sponsoring a “Spooky Sprint” canned food drive Saturday, Oct. 25.
Student participants are requested to dress up in costume to gather donated items around the Laramie community. Volunteers will be required to register at 9 a.m. in the Wyoming Union behind Rolling Mills Café. A free breakfast will be served, and prizes will be given for the best costumes.
Starting at 10 a.m., students with shopping carts then will gather donated items around the community. Local community agencies will receive the canned food items collected by students to be distributed to Laramie families in need.


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Legendary Pattern-Maker Marimekko Keeps Churning Out the Pop Hits
We paid the Finnish brand a visit at its Helsinki headquarters.
Marimekko x Converse Collaboration: Summer 2012 Collection
Finnish brand Marimekko and Converse have teamed up for their fifth collaboration, featuring the brand's signature bold prints and colors on classic converse styles.
Converse Collaborates With Marimekko On Holiday Collection
Converse has announced their Holiday 2011 collaboration with Marimekko, available this month.
Florence Welch Inspires Gucci, Marimekko Collabs with Converse, and Minis Won At The MTV Movie Awards
Marimekko's quirky collaboration with Converse will hit stores June 23.
Fashion Week Daily Special: Marimekko for Converse
Give your footsies a break-- without sacrificing style. Try some uberhip sneakers like Marimekko for Converse.


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Unique Toronto Restaurant Opening Brand New Location in Mississauga
Published August 28, 2017 at 6:23 pm
Mississauga’s food scene is popping and welcoming a few gems that made names for themselves east of the border.
Recently, we found out that Japanese gem Kinton Ramen is opening in our neck of the woods in 2018. Before that, we learned that Reds Wine Tavern is coming to Square One and that the team behind popular Little Italy hotspot Cafe Diplomatico are opening Posta on the waterfront in Port Credit.
Now, it appears that Nomads Restobar is opening a second location in Port Credit.
The family-owned establishment, which will be opening just west on Hurontario on Lakeshore Blvd., currently operates a location on the Danforth in Toronto.
According to the resto’s website, head chef David (also known as “Chile”) has been a Red Seal chef for well over a decade and created a menu dedicated to “Global Inspirations–Local Creations.”
The food is indeed global.
As far as the menu goes, the resto offers cheese and charcuterie boards, a globally-inspired Wanderlust platter, Kalbi short ribs, a satay platter, ceviche, tacos, sushi, jerk-style wings, chana masala, chimichanga, chicken and waffles, shrimp fried rice and more.
The restaurant also offers an extensive cocktail menu and a healthy wine and beer list (which includes an interesting Nomads beer).
Restaurant operators say the new location should be open by the end of October.
We’ll keep you posted on more new opening details as they emerge.insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising


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DATELINE: TMZ has a story on WWE continuing to do their tapings and how the company feels it’s TOTALLY COOL that they’re doing because they’re wearing masks and taking temperatures and stuff. Well I’m sold.
DATELINE: HHH would like reiterate that it’s a marathon, not a sprint in the Wednesday ratings war. You know, because all the stuff they tried to win didn’t work.
DATELINE: You can get a “This Is Such Good Shit” shirt from WWE shop now. We’re through the looking glass.


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Panic is already happening in the markets as people are trying to ‘prepare’, whatever that means, for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Respirator machines, which are said to help with stopping the virus or helping sick people, have already sold out, and people are also buying them up and re-selling them for very high prices on Ebay reports the Daily Caller.
Prices for respirator masks are rising as public supply dwindles amid government warnings about the potential for widespread coronavirus in the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday that Coronavirus is expected to spread in America and that “disruption to everyday life might be severe,” according to Fox News. It seems the public has already taken this warning to heart, as many listings for respirators masks on Amazon, Ebay and other online retailers have sold out entirely.
Despite the fact that commonly available face masks are unlikely to prevent the spread of Coronavirus according to Business Insider, dozens of Amazon listings appear to have sold out and are listed as “currently unavailable,” at the time of publication. Even retailers like Optics Planet, which sells outdoor and shooting related gear, are struggling to meet consumer demand for masks.
Meanwhile, some aspiring disaster profiteers have taken to listing masks at exorbitant rates on Ebay. Prices for these upcharged masks range from $40 to $1,000 for common 3M brand masks that can usually be had for only a few dollars. (source)
A simple mask like this will not stop this virus.
Rather, people need to think bigger.
Think about keeping healthy, eating right, basic hygiene, and avoiding big crowds.
These people are just trying to profit from chaos without regard to public health. Such is the story of American capitalism, which is really not about freedom or stopping “communism”, but about trying to strip one’s neighbor of his resources using “legal” means without regard to the common good.
Panicking right now is not the answer, nor is spending a lot of money.
If anything, buy extra food because people may try to purchase a lot from the sueprmarkets and there could be interruptions, but it is not something to panic about.
Live your life, be smart, and act with reason, not out of fear.


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Microchip Technology recently announced its first App Developer Specialist—WillowTree Apps—the latest company to join its Design Partner Network. WillowTree is an iOS, Android, and Mobile Web app developer that enables Microchip’s customers to focus on Internet of Things (IoT) designs.
WillowTree wrote the first mobile app for Microchip’s Wi-Fi Client Module Development Kit 1, which is available in the Apple App Store. It enables customers to quickly get up and running with the kit’s cloud-based demo. WillowTree can also modify this cloud-demo app to suit a broad range of customer IoT design requirements.
Source: Microchip Technology
Circuit Cellar's editorial team comprises professional engineers, technical editors, and digital media specialists. You can reach the Editorial Department at email@example.com, @circuitcellar, and facebook.com/circuitcellar


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MetroPCS and T-Mobile both announced the availability of the new handset from LG named as LG Aristo in their catalogs. Later this month, the pocket friendly smartphone will be hitting the shelves. The smartphone will be available from 25 January, 2017 on T-Mobile and it would be released on MetroPCS on January 23, 2017.
Specification of LG Aristo
Android Nougat 7 will be running on the handset with a 5-inch display having resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels. The smartphone houses a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor which is clocked with 1.42 GHz. adding to this, also features Adreno 308 graphic chip. The LG Aristo would be furnished with a 5MP front camera and a 13MP back camera with LED streak.
Also, the handset has Gesture Interval Shot, which gives clients a chance to raise a hand and make a clench hand to snap four selfies consecutively. The selfie light would enlighten a delicate light around the handset’s photograph review, and an auto shot encourages selfies utilizing face recognition. The handset brags an inside capacity of 16GB.
It will likewise offer 1.5 GB of RAM. The LG cell phone is powered by a 2410 mAh battery. A unique finger impression peruser is an extraordinary security highlight on any handset and the LG Aristo likewise packs in a unique mark scanner. The cell phone likewise includes Bluetooth 4.2, 4G skilled radio, an earphone jack and a speakerphone. It is Wi-Fi calling empowered and bolsters VoLTE.
LG Aristo Price
The LG Aristo would cost $144 on T-Mobile, or $6 every month for a long time according to the installment arranges by the organization. It would cost $59 after discount on the MetroPCS posting and could be viewed as one of the least expensive in its inventory. By chance, MetroPCS demonstrates an expansion in rate of supporters over parent T-Mobile’s in the previous couple of years. “We’re executing it in paid ahead of time,” said T-portable CEO John Legere amid a late income call. “The dominant part of our development is on MetroPCS, instead of different brands.”
As a limited time offer, the company T-Mobile is giving a 25% off on a Tech 21 protective case and a screen protector for the Aristo when both are bought together. LG K8 2017 is believed to be rebranded to LG Aristo. It will be a welcome addition to the T-Mobile and MetroPCS catalogs as the budget smartphone would have many consumers.


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Gambling systems maker GAN performs ‘in line’ with expectations in 2016
Smurfit-backed firm says outlook for 2017 is ‘positive’ as it eyes growth in Italy and the US
Game Publishing and Distribution: the firm said that by the end of the first half of 2017 it expects to operate systems for 12 major US casinos coast-to-coast together representing in excess of $8 billion in revenues
Game Publishing and Distribution (GAN), the gambling technology provider run by Dermot Smurfit jnr, said the company performed “in line with expectations” during the second half of 2016, and that its outlook for 2017 is “positive”.
In a trading update on its performance in 2016, GAN said the company benefited from cost management and foreign exchange movements, and generated positive earnings in the fourth quarter.
Dublin-based broker Davy noted that the business turned positive in terms of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) in the fourth quarter with the launch of four simulated contracts in the second half of the year. It noted that a further four deals are expected to go live in the first half of this year
The company is backed by the Smurfit family and its investors include Dermot Desmond’s International Investment and Underwriting.
In real money regulated gaming, GAN said its New Jersey business continues to enjoy favourable market conditions and performed strongly in 2016, while net revenue growth in Italy continued in the second half, with GAN benefiting from the seasonally strong fourth-quarter period.
Across the US, the company said that its simulated gaming business continued to benefit from the launch of major new US casino operator clients, and that by the end of the first half of 2017 it expects to operate systems for 12 major US casinos coast-to-coast, together representing in excess of $8 billion in annual land-based gaming revenues.
On its agreement with Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in New Jersey, GAN said Borgata’s simulated gaming online experience is currently expected to launch in the first quarter of this year and would contribute “materially” to GAN’s revenue and earnings.
However, Davy said confirmation that the Borgata deal would not extend to real money online services was disappointing .
“There would have been a hope in some quarters that the customer relationship could be extended to cover more services at some point,” analysts David Jennings and Robert Stokes said.
The company said further cost management actions and the expansion of engineering resources into the lower cost Bulgarian market would deliver positive financial benefits for the company in 2017.
GAN will release full year results on April 26th.


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TO SOME, it’ll be the logical conclusion to years of showroom stagnation. To others, it will be a sad farewell to one of America’s longest-lived – not to mention iconic – automotive brands. That is, it will be if rumours of Chrysler’s imminent demise turn out to be true.
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, will reveal FCA’s next five-year plan on June 1 (European time) at the Balocco test facility near FCA Italy’s headquarters in Turin. Besides expected announcements of a Giulia Coupe and a three-row counterpart to the Stelvio for Alfa Romeo, a new product offensive for Jeep and Maserati, and relocating Fiat’s production base outside of Italy, Marchionne may also put the Chrysler brand in mothballs.
According to industry outlet Automotive News, an announcement of Chrysler’s shutdown could be made at the June 1 briefing. As supporting evidence, the report cites the conspicuous absence of the Chrysler name when Marchionne was quizzed about the automaker’s future plans for passenger cars in North America. While Marchionne voiced his support for Dodge, Chrysler – which unlike Dodge only makes passenger cars – didn’t warrant a mention at all.
If Chrysler isn’t a key part of FCA’s future passenger car plans, odds are it isn’t part of its future plans at all.
And when you look at the state of Chrysler’s showroom, you’d be forgiven for thinking that FCA has been wilfully neglecting the brand. Since cutting the Chrysler 200 small/medium sedan, the company’s North American line-up has consisted solely of the 300 large sedan and the Pacifica people mover. In Australia, the 300 is the sole Chrysler representative in FCA dealerships.
What’s more, the 300 is now seven years old and a replacement has yet to surface. That alone adds weight to the Chrysler shutdown rumour, for if the brand is indeed on the cusp of retirement then why bother engineering an all-new large four-door sedan – especially when corporate cousin Dodge already offers one in the form of the Charger?
It’s a sharp contrast to what was promised in 2014, when Marchionne pledged to bulk out Chrysler’s line-up to eight vehicles by 2018. Clearly, the plan changed somewhere along the way.
We should know precisely what that plan is this weekend.
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Question: Which is more important to airlines, baggage fees, ticket-change penalties or frequent-flier mileage sales?
Answer: All of the above.
Last year U.S. airlines collected $2.7 billion in baggage fees, another $2.4 billion in reservation cancellation penalties, and $2.7 billion in other ancillary fees, mostly sales of frequent flier miles to credit card companies and other partners, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Considering that the U.S. industry had a net loss of $2.5 billion in 2009, according to BTS, it’s easy to see how important fee revenue has become to airlines. And it’s easy to see why airlines are still eager to push it higher.


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China VMF 2020 continues to be a gateway to the vending industry in China and the region
Beginning of march, China VMF will be taking place for the 8th times already. VMF has become one of the most popular and largest exhibition in the self-service vending industry. With 86% exhibitors from 2019 looking forward to 2020, it is expected that VMF 2020 will congregate around 700 exhibitors on a show floor of 50000 sqm. The show will focus on : vending machines, self-service machines, micro market/unmanned stores, payment solutions, office coffee services, vending items, ...
Why is the event important in the region? Well the industry keeps getting bigger. In recent years, China’s vending machines have grown at 30% CAGR. It is predicted that by 2020, there will be 138 million vending machines in China, yearly selling up to 100 Billion Yuan of fast-moving consumer goods according to a report by Forward. Meanwhile, China has become the biggest vending machine manufacturer and exporter in the world, with Guangdong contributing most of the export volume. So it’s not a surprise if events such as CHINA VMF continue to attract attention and are catalysts to business developments in the region.
Vending Machines and Self-service Facilities Fair ( VMF 2020), from the 4th till the 6th of March 2020, China Import and Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China, http://www.chinavmf.com/index.php?lang=en
Contact: Candice Li, +8620-29806570, email@example.comChina VmfVendingOcsGuangzhou


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The spot rate trend in the flatbeds has seen a positive upturn. There are potential rate accelerators and decelerators, however, likely to influence spot and contract flatbed rates.
The flatbed market for spot rates is showing signs of improvement as we move through the new year. February increased slightly from January, marking the third consecutive month of upward movement.
This positive momentum comes as a welcomed shift for carriers, following a challenging 17 consecutive months marked by decreasing flatbed spot prices.
- Several factors could contribute to the current upward trajectory in spot rates. Keep an eye on the following potential accelerators:
- Increase in Diesel Prices: Fluctuations in diesel prices can directly impact spot rates.
- Increased Carrier Exits: As carriers exit the market, supply and demand dynamics can influence rates.
- Disruptive Weather Events: Unforeseen weather events may lead to supply chain disruptions, affecting spot rates.
- Supply Chain Disruptions: Any disruptions in the supply chain can have a direct impact on flatbed spot rates.
- Loosening of US Fiscal and Monetary Policy: Changes in fiscal and monetary policies can influence overall economic conditions, affecting the flatbed market.
- While the outlook is positive, it’s essential to be aware of potential decelerators that could impact spot rates:
- Economic Headwinds: Adverse economic conditions can act as a decelerator in the flatbed market as businesses become reluctant to invest capital in new projects during times of uncertainty.
- Interest Rates: Interest rates may stay higher for longer, which could have a cooling effect on the economy.
- Lower Diesel Prices: A decline in diesel prices would lead to lower rates in general and has the potential to keep more supply in the marketplace due to lower overhead expenditures.
- Slower Carrier Exits: A slower rate of carriers exiting the market may stabilize supply and demand dynamics.
- Geopolitical Factors: Global events and geopolitical shifts can introduce uncertainties that may affect the flatbed market.
- Global shipping challenges: In a missile attack on True Confidence on March 6, the bulk steel carrier was hit by a missile 50 nautical miles southwest of Aden, resulting in a fire. Tragically, three lives were lost in the first known casualties since Houthi Rebels initiated attacks in the Red Sea in late November. These incidents have led to increased transit times from China to Europe and the US East Coast.
- Cass freight index update: There are mixed trends in shipments and expenditures. The cass freight index reports a 7.3% month-on-month (m/m) increase in shipments but a 4.5% decline year-on-year (y/y). While the index remains soft overall, Q1 has shown improvement in underlying volumes, with a projected 3% sequential rise from Q4. Freight expenditures rose 4% m/m but fell 20% on a y/y basis.
- Class 8 truck orders: Normalization has followed a recent peak ftr’s report on class 8 preliminary net orders for January, revealing a decrease of 9% from December but an 11% y/y increase. After reaching a peak in November, Class 8 orders have stabilized around the estimated replacement rate of approximately 25,000 units per month.
- Consumer Price Index (CPI): Higher-than-expected inflation in caused February’s CPI to come in higher than projected, with a 0.3% monthly increase and a 3.1% annual gain, surpassing economists’ forecasts of a 0.2% monthly increase and a 2.9% annual gain. This unexpected uptick may impact the likelihood of the Federal Reserve cutting rates in the early part of the year, contrary to earlier expectations.
Stay tuned for more updates on the dynamic landscape of the shipping and logistics industry. For further details or inquiries, feel free to reach out to us.
Editor’s note: This is an opinion column. The views in this article are those of an experienced supply chain professional on issues of relevance to the current steel market. They do not necessarily reflect those of SMU. We welcome you to share your thoughts as well at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Robert MartinRead more from Robert Martin
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The Bitcoin network is now regularly producing blocks over the 1MB block size limit that was in place prior to Segregated Witness (SegWit).
Bitcoin Blocks Now Exceed 1MB
Bitcoin [coin_price] has been growing in popularity since it was created almost a decade ago. It is used by more and more people each day — and more transactions mean bigger blocks forming the block-chain.
The blocks produced by the Bitcoin network (approximately every 10 minutes) are now exceeding the 1MB limit that was in place before Segregated Witness was introduced in August of last year. “After the upgrade to SegWit in August 2017, although in a much slower fashion than many had hoped, the old 1MB blocksize limit is slowly starting to fade away,” BitMex Research wrote today.
The issue of raising the 1MB block size limit came to the forefront as Bitcoin transactions fees were hitting record highs at the end of last year. SegWit, however, was implemented via soft-fork and was thus an optional upgrade. This is why it’s taken months for exchanges, businesses, and users to see network-wide benefits such as lower fees and bigger blocks.
“The data is there to show that big blockers … don’t speak the truth,” wrote one user in reaction to the news. “[BTC] is scaling, and it’s doing so in the safest way possible.”
But with the drop in price, and with SegWit transactions now comprising almost half of all Bitcoin transactions, the cost of sending BTC has dropped to record lows. It is now not uncommon to see fees of 1 satoshi per byte, the smallest possible on-chain fee in Bitcoin. This means large amounts such as $10,000 in BTC can be sent for just 1 penny.
Bitcoin is Scaling
Indeed, people are still using Bitcoin as the latest data shows that the average block size is now 1.06 MB, according to data from Blockchain.info. Meanwhile, the concept of ‘block size’ has since been replaced by ‘block weight’ — with Bitcoin now supporting a weight of up to 4MB.
Furthermore, the implementation of SegWit also paved the way for off-chain scaling solutions that were not possible before, such as the Lightning Network. This second layer is built on top of Bitcoin and could give it the capacity to significantly outperform Visa and PayPal supporting million of transactions per second — while remaining decentralized and trustless.
“While some blockchain communities have increased on-chain transaction capacity (e.g. blocksize increases), this approach generally degrades the decentralized state of the network and cannot reach the millions of transactions per second the system would generate at world-scale,” Director of Program Management at Microsoft’s Identity Division Alex Simons said.
Other proponents of layered scaling solutions like Lightning include the author of Mastering Bitcoin, Andreas Antonopoulos. “It’s not possible to do orders of magnitude block size increases without fundamentally destroying the decentralization principles of Bitcoin – at least not yet,” explains Antonopoulos.
…Lightning Network really does bring enough scaling. It allows us to change the dimensions of Bitcoin; it allows us to reduce the granularity of payments, not just down to millibits but down to satoshis and even sub-satoshi amounts… and do that all on the scale of millisecond round trips.
Should Bitcoin ever increase it’s block size limit or focus on layers for scaling — or both? Share your thoughts below!
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, blockchain.info.


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Monday, January 16, 2017
Harveys releases new 101 Dalmatians collection
Cruella deVil would love these — if she were okay with bags made out of seatbelts instead of puppies. Harveys has released a collection of bags inspired by 101 Dalmatians. The bags are, of course, white with black spots. They also have red accents and — maybe best of all — a red lining featuring frolicking Dalmatian puppies. Prices range from $54 for a coin purse to $238 for a mini Streamline Tote. You can see the whole collection here, but they're selling out fast.


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There is a discernible rise in inwards investment. International organisations and companies are willing to make a stake in Pakistan. French car-maker Renault are the latest such to announce that they are to start assembling cars in Pakistan by 2018. This was announced by the Board of Investment (BOI) and at least in part is down to some determined lobbying in France by finance minister Ishaq Dar and the chairman of the BOI itself. Renault are to invest around $100 million in the expansion of capacity at the Ghandara plant and the knock-on effects are going to be significant.
The government has wanted to break the monopoly some might say stranglehold which Japanese brands have on the Pakistan car market. The model that Renault are to introduce is the Duster, a compact SUV that will be priced at around Rs2.5 million or cheaper than Japanese 1500cc vehicles, and a cheaper still 1200cc model will be introduced. Toyota, Suzuki and Honda all assemble vehicles locally but at prices that the Duster is going to undercut, as well as exceed the Japanese vehicles in terms of quality of build and specification.
It is a pleasant change to report that a government initiative, namely the offering of attractive incentives and concessions to foreign investors, has paid off. Government representatives promoting Pakistan abroad can rightly point to an improvement in the security environment in the last two or three years, a stock market that is one of the best performing in the region and a widening arterial infrastructure that is going to feed into easier and cheaper distribution of imported products. If Renault are confident to put significant amounts of money into Pakistan then that is going to ease the anxieties of other inwards investors – Paramount Fine Foods of Canada have also announced their entry into Pakistan in the last week albeit on a smaller scale but another confidence indicator – then a cautious optimism is justified. Persistence has paid off with Renault and we hope for similar results for the future.


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Turkish fruit, vegetable farmers wary as closed borders slice prices
A sharp drop in the price of fruits and vegetables could force Turkish farmers to trim output this spring as the coronavirus pandemic slows exports and reduces the needs of restaurants and shops, food industry executives say.
Turkey, ninth globally in confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease, is among the world’s top exporters of fresh produce such as tomatoes, apricots, tangerines, eggplants and peppers.
But in March, heading into the planting season, prices dropped 6.6% for fruits and vegetables, according to year-over-year consumer price data. It was the only basket of goods to decline while a broader measure of food rose 10%.
Executives say this is the result of cratering demand in Europe and elsewhere as measures to curb the pandemic have disrupt cross-border supply chains, restrict social movement and tip the global economy into recession.
“Export markets are shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic (and) it poses a big risk for production. When prices go down too much, farmers do not want to plant,” said Ozgur Tort, chief executive of big Turkish supermarket chain Migros (MGROS.IS).
“April and May are critical planting months for many farmers. If they have price concerns, many of them might decide not to plant this year,” he said on a conference call Tuesday.
Turkey has so far confirmed nearly 70,000 coronavirus cases and more than 1,500 deaths. To curb the outbreak it has shut restaurants and cafes and delayed hotel openings in vacation hotspots, a move that also pinches demand for fresh produce.
The government has exempted agricultural workers from restrictions including weekend stay-at-home orders, and has acted to ensure planting continues, including donating the bulk of seeds to producers in 21 provinces.
But the pandemic has battered the conveyor belts of global food chains, reducing air freight capacity and the number of sea shipping containers.
Tomato exports have also been squeezed by import restrictions in Russia, a big market for Turkey. Farmers there want a ban to help local producers grappling with the coronavirus fallout.
Yuksel Tavsan, chairman of the Turkish Marketplace Federation, said prices have dropped across the board by some 25-30% including for peppers and eggplant due to sagging exports, with Russian quotas hitting tomatoes.


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Vehicle sales figures shot through the roof last month compared to that in May, when the government announced that the goods and services tax (GST) rate would be set at 0% until the return of SST, resulting in customers holding back on purchases for the rest of that month.
With consumers taking advantage of the ‘tax holiday’ as well as Hari Raya festive season promotional campaigns and offers, a total of 64,502 units were registered last month, up 50% from the 42,983 units managed in May. The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) said it was the first time that the sales mark has breached 60,000 units in a month.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how most brands performed in June. As the chart shows, every passenger car player – with the exception of market leader Perodua, which registered a -10.8% drop – had a green arrow last month.
As mentioned, positive growth for every company, including Honda (+41.9%), Proton (+50.9%) and Nissan (+47.6%), but in some cases the percentage increase was quite staggering, as shown by gains made by Volkswagen (+676.8%) and Renault (+1,100%).
Other brands that did very well in a month of sterling sales included Toyota (+466.5%), Mazda (+145.8%), Mitsubishi (+380.6%), Subaru (+436.8%) and Hyundai (+258.7%).
Toyota’s performance meant that it outsold Honda last month (11,482 units to 11,418), but it still has a way to go before it can catch up in overall numbers – in terms of year-to-date figures, it’s at 31,709 units to Honda’s 51,354 units.
Sales of premium vehicles also increased – there’s really nothing better than paying less tax, and it doesn’t matter which part of the spectrum you’re in. Mercedes (+141.2%) and BMW (155.6%) continued on their merry way, but other brands had plenty to smile about.
Porsche (+477.8%) and Audi (+483.3%) vehicle sales went from single-digit to double-digits last month, and Volvo (+625.9%) sold six times the number of cars it did in May. The largest percentage gain in the premium segment was managed by Lexus (+3,166.7%), sales moving from six units in May to nearly 200 units last month.
Click on the chart below to view a larger version.


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Amazon has placed an order of 1,800 electric vans with Mercedes-Benz, adding to the 100,000 electric delivery vans it has on order with Rivian.
Last year, Amazon announced a new initiative called “The Climate Pledge.”
It’s a carbon-neutral commitment across the company, and as part of the new initiative, Amazon confirmed it ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans with Rivian, an electric vehicle startup the retail giant heavily invested in prior to the order.
Now today, Mercedes-Benz announced that it joined Amazon’s Climate Pledge, and along with joining the pledge, they have also received a significant order of electric vans from the company, albeit not as impressive as Rivian’s order.
Amazon has ordered “more than 1,800 electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Vans.”
The order includes around 600 medium-sized eVito electric vans and more than 1,200 vehicles of the large-size van eSprinter electric vans.
Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, commented on the announcement:
I am delighted that we are further intensifying our long-standing partnership with Amazon and working together on the battery-electric future of transportation. With the eVito and the eSprinter, we have electric vehicles in our portfolio, which are ideally suited for the requirements of the courier-, express-, and parcel-service industry for goods delivery on the so-called ‘last mile’ in terms of their equipment and range. They show that local emission-free driving, convincing performance, comfort and low operating costs can be combined perfectly.
The German automaker said that they will start delivering the vehicles by the end of the year in Europe.
Rivian’s electric delivery van for Amazon is coming next year.
Mercedes-Benz released the first details about the electric version of its popular Sprinter van last year.
The eSprinter is equipped with a battery capacity of 55 kWh for “an estimated range of 150 kilometers with a maximum payload of 900 kilograms.”
Mercedes-Benz says that there will be “a second battery option” with a “capacity of 41 kWh” that “allows the payload to be increased by around 140 kilograms to a total of 1,040 kilograms with a range of about 115 kilometers.”
The company also has the eVito, a mid-size van with a 41.4 kWh battery pack for a range “around 150 km” (93 miles), according to the German automaker.
With a 84 kW electric motor, the van can achieve a top speed of up to 120 km/h (74 mph).
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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The global trucking industry is currently facing two great challenges for sustainability: to transport a significantly higher volume of goods, and to further develop new means of delivery concepts.
Tesla, one of the most successful players in the recent history of the automobile industry, aims to address these issues to improve the logistics industry. CEO Elon Musk, whose original “Master Plan” was unveiled ten years ago in 2006, initially mapped out blueprints for autonomous electric cars and energy storage. On July 20th, Musk unveiled his “Master Plan Deux”, which included the “Tesla Semi” to revolutionize and shake up the trucking industry. The Semi, set to be unveiled in 2017, is a large electric-powered, long-haul trucking vehicle that Musk says will “deliver a substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport, while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate.”
The question now is: What impact can this major move have on the company and in the trucking industry?
Trucking is the main means for freight transportation in the United States. Around 14,547M tons worth of cargo was in transit in 2013, accounting for 73% of cargo delivered that year. According to data from the 2014 truck study conducted by Deloitte, sales in the global truck market for medium and heavy commercial vehicles grew at an average annual rate of 2.7% from 2004 to 2014, with HCVs comprising 67% of market share. Additionally, the truck market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.1% in 2024.
However, trucking businesses in the US have been anything but lucrative in recent months. Swift Transportation, the largest truckload shipping carrier in the country, reportedly saw losses of nearly 16% in the second quarter of 2015. The company states that “The truckload freight environment thus far in 2016 has been challenging (due to) excess industry capacity, excess customer inventories, and sluggish demand.” Similarly, Werner Enterprises, another major freight carrier, also experienced drops in net income of up to 30% as compared to 2015. It states that weak demand, high capacity, and customers’ demands for lower rates led to the decline in revenues.
Tesla, with its tested EV expertise, will address the above-mentioned issues. The following are potential reasons as to why Musk’s grand plan may work:
Autonomous Driving: With autonomous features, the Semi will only need to stop for battery recharging and maintenance, as compared to regular trucks wherein drivers need time to rest. Autonomous driving means that companies will save time and money.
Battery-Powered Features: Tesla also makes batteries, so it will be a win-win situation if they install their current battery offerings in the Semi trucks. EV also holds the promise of reduced energy costs.
Untapped Markets. The shift to the manufacturing of electric trucks is recent, as the only “real” rival Tesla has is the recently-launched Nikola Motor Company, which already garnered a US $3B investment and promises emission-free trucks. The market for electric trucks is relatively new and Tesla may just become a leader in this untapped market.
President Obama’s “Electric Vehicle Adoption” Plan: On July 21, 2016, a day after Musk unveiled Part Deux, President Obama laid plans for EVs. The White House released a statement that the Federal government will be “geared towards accelerating the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and putting more electric vehicles on the road.” This timely plan is inclusive of loans, funding, financing, assistance, and commitments to EV deployment and research for companies. Tesla is already a signatory for this new development in the country and will prove to be indispensable for the company’s planned Semi to thrive.
Tesla is optimistic about entering the trucking business. The company’s decision is timely given the dire situation of today’s trucking industry. However, other questions will remain—such as the reliability of autonomous driving. With enough research, experimentation and investment, Tesla may very well be the game-changer and eventual leader in the trucking industry.
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Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End co-director Neil Druckmann has shared a new image of the action-adventure game’s Steelbook casing. The front, featuring the game’s main characters, looks as good as when we first saw it last year. But for the first time, we can see the back of it–and it’s a little creepy.
Reviewing Uncharted 4 Steelbook proofs. Looks even more gorgeous in person. pic.twitter.com/XMTbjT17mw
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) January 21, 2016
As you can see, some unfortunate soul apparently died in a hanging human cage, leaving only their bones behind. Presumably, this will be explained in A Thief’s End.
Note that Druckmann said he’s “reviewing” the Steelbook proofs, so it’s possible the design could change.
After another delay, Uncharted 4 is now scheduled to arrive in late April 2016 exclusively for PlayStation 4. In other news, Druckmann recently talked about saying goodbye to Drake and the Uncharted series, as well as the game’s branching dialogue sections.
What else stands out to you from the Steelbook design? Let us know in the comments below.


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Five amusement parks and four zoos from India are among the best in Asia.
An Italian court has cancelled a fine against online travel company TripAdvisor for allegedly publishing misleading information in its reviews.
The survey conducted in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata and Chandigarh took into account typical costs for two people.
For the third consecutive year, Mumbai is ranked the most expensive city among those surveyed with a three-day weekend getaway amounting to Rs 39,956.
Four Indian museums are listed amongst the best in Asia, picked by leading travel site TripAdvisor for its Travelers Choice awards.
Nikhil Ganju, country manager, India, TripAdvisor reveals why he trusts wearable devices FitBit Flex and Suunto Ambit2 S.
Guiddoo launched the first map-based tour and activity e-marketplace which will allow users to take virtual tours of destinations.
TripAdvisor never asserted that all the opinions were real, even mentioning that verification was impossible and to consider the trend rather than each comment one by one.


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SweetSpot, the UK events company and organiser of the Tour of Britain and Women's Tour professional cycling stage races, has finally secured a new title sponsor for the events after today announcing a new agreement with AJ Bell, the online investment platform.
The upcoming AJ Bell Tour of Britain is slated to take place from 5 to 12 September, with the six-stage AJ Bell Women’s Tour scheduled for 4 to 9 October.
Both editions were cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
SweetSpot has been on the hunt for a lead partner ever since independent energy supplier OVO Energy chose not to renew its deal in November 2019.
Hugh Roberts, chief executive of SweetSpot, said: “It has been a most challenging two years since our most recent races so the positive support of AJ Bell is most welcome and continues the good news as we build up to both tours.”
This year’s Tour of Britain will be the first UCI event to take place in the country since the World Road race championships in September 2019.
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The Women’s Tour is the UK’s only round of the UCI Women’s WorldTour in 2021 and will be staged almost 30 months on from the last edition in June 2019.
It has been a busy period for SweetSpot commercially, with the company having secured several new partners for the events in recent weeks, including alcohol-free wine brand Eisberg, cycling retailer Sigma Sports, bike company Dolan Bikes, craft beer brand Jubel, and coffee brand Tiki Tonga.
That followed previous deals with US sportswear firm Pearl Izumi and Telegraph Media Group, while Czech car manufacturer Skoda also continues to be a long-standing sponsor of the races.
In June, SweetSpot appointed Miles Rose as its new commercial director with responsibility for building the partnership portfolio for the events.