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One of the problems with mobile gaming isn’t so much the games themselves, but the download sizes. This holds true with not just your initial update of a big game, but also the subsequent updates that games and apps get that also are big. If you have unlimited data on your plan, then this doesn’t matter much either way. However, if you don’t have unlimited data, the last thing you want to do is chew up a large chunk of your data downloading a 1GB game update.
Epic has announced today that the newest version of their game development engine, Unreal Engine 4, now officially supports Google’s new Android-powered Virtual Reality platform Daydream. The support comes in the form of an official plugin which is actually now available for developers to grab and use to make Daydream games already.
Back in May of last year we reported on a Kickstarter campaign for a platform, called Bloxels, where code-illiterate individuals can make games using a drag n’ drop system with a board game looking set of tools. This system basically allows you to set up each stage using a square area (game board) where you place different colored cubes into the spaces provided.
Back in June of this year we reported on our friends over at Butterscotch Shenanigans and their upcoming Crashlands mobile game, which looks like it will be a hell of a lot of fun. This game has been in developer for about 2 years now, and is a mix of different genres, mainly Survival and Action-RPG, all of which is set in a Sci-Fi themed universe.
Depending on how you learn to do things, you either learn by reading and studying, by watching, or by doing. While most of the other course we have had go on sale are reading/watching and then practicing type of courses, this one is all about learning while doing.
It’s not often when we get to write about a new game development engine becoming available, it’s a hard market to break into. There are the juggernaut engines out there right now that dominate developers and their time, like Unreal Engine 4 and Unity3D for example. However today is a day we do get to write about a new game engine, and this one is called MaxPlay.
A lot of indie game developers have started to release their games on multiple platforms all at once, or shortly after one another. Part of the reason for this is because all of the markets for each platform, be it Android, iOS, PC, Browser-based, and even console, are much more accessible to smaller developers than they once used to be.
Some interesting news today once again regarding Glu Mobile but this time it has nothing to do with zombies or shooting them in the face. This actually has to do with Glu decided to drop what must have been a decent chunk of change as they have just announced their acquisition of GameSpy from IGN.
A lot of people like to use Chainfire3D to get games that normally wouldn’t run on their Android device for whatever reason, usually due to particular devices or chipsets not being supported by the game. Well the developer of Chainfire3D and the SuperSU apps has issued a warning about repacked copies of both applications that are now floating around.
Up until now the Playstation Suite SDK has been in a closed beta but as of today it is now being opened up to more developers and the status is being changed to an open beta. The Playstation Suite SDK is a set of tools developers can use to create games for Playstation Certified devices whether it be the PS Vita or the Sony Tablet S and everything in between.


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THE ODD THING about this recession, says Richard Thalheimer, president and founder of an upscale electronics retail and catalog company, is that it hit higher income levels first.
"The recession hit our typical customers first," Thalheimer said. Therefore, the Sharper Image, the San Francisco-based company that sells items that have been called yuppie toys priced between $15 to $5,500, will undergo some changes.
The Sharper Image will be focusing on "gadgets with a purpose" -- reasonably priced, utilitarian items that are environmentally sound and socially redemptive.
In short, Sharper Image products will be more in step with the attitudes and lifestyles of the 1990s. The company will be pushing items such as their toothbrush purifier and the air ionizer, both of which remove impurities. It also will place more emphasis on selling rugs that support health care for impoverished children in the far east and high-tech key chains made by handicapped workers.
Still, Sharper Image will continue with such products as a motorized tie organizer and radio-controlled scale model sports cars.
This step into social commercialism is as much a response to sluggish retail sales, especially for high-end items and durable goods, as it is a recognition of concern for the environment and the plight of the less fortunate.
Items falling into the $50 to $85 price range are selling well this year, said Jerome J. Jacobi, manager of the Sharper Image store which opened in the Walden Galleria mall in Cheektowaga in mid-November. Last year, the company's average gift price was between $200 and $250, he said.
Sharper Image, which boasts sales in the $200 million annual range, has seen its business slow down this year. Revenues for the six months ended in July dropped to $75.8 million from $79 million during the same period last year, with a net loss of about $3 million.
"Generally, we lose money in the first six months," said Thalheimer, who paid a visit to the local store late last week. "All our profits are made during the fourth quarter."
Now is the time to "rethink our strategy," Thalheimer said.
Recycling is becoming an issue at the Sharper Image, he said. The store is researching rechargeable batteries to cut down on batteries ending up in landfills. A solar-powered watch will send no batteries to landfills, he said. The Sharper Image next year will phase out products packaged in Styrofoam and will replace plastic bags with recyclable paper bags.
Sharper Image will be informing customers about the special origins of products, such as a key organizer or an Oriental-style rug. The high-tech key organizer is manufactured and assembled by mentally retarded workers in Ohio, Thalheimer said. Sales of the rugs support the only free children's hospital in Bangladesh, he added.
Thalheimer calls this marriage of commerce and social responsibility the next logical step for his generation. At 41, Thalheimer counts himself among the baby boomers who were social activists during the 1960s, movers, shakers and deal makers of the 1980s and, now that the tide of high earnings has shifted, cautious and concerned consumers of the 1990s.
"Sharper Image is a reflection of their lifestyle," he said. The 1990s "is a time when I can combine by personal beliefs with making a business successful."
Thalheimer marched on Washington in a 1969 demonstration against the Vietnam War before graduating from Yale University in 1971. He received a law degree in 1974.
After practicing law for a short while, he starting selling digital running watches through ads in a Runner's World Magazine. He parlayed the profits into a catalog company called the Sharper Image in 1978 with 40 different products.
By 1982, Sharper Image was on the map with more than $50 million in catalog sales. By 1984, Thalheimer had augmented the catalog business with four retail stores.
Today, Sharper Image has about 75 stores and mails about 25 million catalogs a year, he said.

domain: news


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Automakers report increased sales for cars, trucks in September
Ford Canada said it had second-best September on record, sales jumped 10 per cent over August
TORONTO—Canadian automakers say consumer demand for cars and light trucks remained strong in September, with most reporting significant year-over-year sales increases.
Ford Canada said it had the second-best September on record, as sales for its vehicles jumped 10 per cent last month, compared with the same month a year earlier.
Ford said it sold 25,956 light vehicles in September, compared with 23,600 in the 2012 period.
The boost could be attributed to a surge in sales of its trucks, including its F-Series, which saw the best September sales on record.
Ford said it sold 20,237 trucks last month, an 8.8 per cent increase from 18,606 sold a year earlier.
It also reported strong sales of the Ford Fiesta, which increased by 64 per cent, while sales of the Fusion jumped by 20 per cent year-over-year.
Sales of the Mustang climbed 10 per cent during the same period.
Meanwhile, Chrysler Canada said it recorded its best sales for September in 13 years.
The automaker said it sold 19,858 cars and light trucks last month, compared with 19,555 vehicles sold in September 2012.
The total marked the 46th consecutive month of year-over-year growth, the longest sales streak in the company’s history, Chrysler said.
The gains were due to sales records for its Ram trucks and Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 models.
Sales of its Town and Country minivan more than doubled to 454 sold in September, compared with 162 sold a year earlier.
Japanese auto manufacturer Honda Canada said it sold 12,449 vehicles last month, up 8.7 per cent from 11,457 sold in September 2012.
Honda said its Civic models continue to be its most popular cars, with 6,262 sold in September, an 8.3 per cent jump from 5,782 sold in the same period a year earlier.
“Strong September sales wrapped up the summer selling season and will help to continue our sales momentum through to the end of the year,” Dave Gardner, vice-president of sales and marketing for Honda Canada Inc., said in a statement.
Its luxury division, Acura, also saw an increase of 4.2 per cent, as it sold 1,515 cars in September, compared with 1,454 sold in September 2012.
Toyota Canada also reported an uptick of sales for September across its cars, trucks and Lexus luxury divisions.
It said it had total sales last month of 15,301, up 3.3 per cent from a year earlier, due to strong gains by its Corolla and RAV4 brands.
Sales of Lexus vehicles also went up 1.5 per cent in September to 1,580 sold in September of last year.
Meanwhile, Kia Canada saw its sales figures decline slightly in September compared with a year earlier.
The automaker reported new vehicle sales of 6,833, down 2.8 per cent.


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24 Jul 2014, 1825 hrs IST
Wipro's IT services reported a dollar revenue growth of 1.2% sequentially to $1,740.2 million for the three month period ending June 30.
Glenmark Pharma Q1 net profit up 43.7% at Rs 184.8 crore
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today reported 43.7 per cent jump in consolidated net profit at Rs 184.8 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2014.
Pfizer Q1 net profit dips 3% at Rs 46 crore
Net sales of the company, however, rose to Rs 239.85 crore during the first quarter, as compared to Rs 237.53 crore in the same period of previous fiscal.
ACC net profit down 7% in April-June
The company sold 6.35 million tonnes cement during the quarter compared to 6.12 million tonnes in the same period of the last year.
Wipro Q1 net profit at Rs 2,067 crore, up 2.6% QoQ
Wipro was expected to report a net profit of Rs 2127 crore, up 5.57 per cent QoQ, for the quarter ended June 30, As per an ET Now poll.
TVS Motor Q1 net profit up 39.42% to Rs 72.32 crore
Total two-wheeler sales of the company grew 22 per cent in the quarter to 5.59 lakh units as against 4.60 lakh units in the year-ago period.
ACC operating profit may lag estimates: StarMine Report
ACC Ltd's April-June operating profit may lag consensus, Thomson Reuters StarMine's SmartEstimates showed.
TripAdvisor's profit misses estimate as costs climb
Net income rose to $68 million, or 47 cents per share, from $67 million, or 46 cents per share, a year earlier.
Alstom T&D April-June quarter net up 89 per cent at Rs 28.4 crore
The total expenses of Alstom T&D India increased to Rs 616.1 crore, over Rs 545.9 crore in the same quarter of the last fiscal, the company said.
Polaris Financial Technology's Q1 net profit dips 11.2% to Rs 38.3 crore
The Chennai-based firm had registered net profit of Rs 43.20 crore in the April-June quarter of the 2013-14 fiscal, Polaris FT said in a statement.
Networkingitimes|Dating & Chat|Email


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Fall is right around the corner with new fashion trends ready to be shown off while summer is coming to a quick end, along with its already worn fads and styles.
There are many possibilities for students to express themselves with unique fashion statements, as many trends and colors will be in style this fall season.
Some students want to combine comfort with fashion, creating a different, laid back and trendy look.
Katie Tuverson, sophomore psychology and criminal justice double major, said she prefers comfort over style. For Tuverson, shorts and tank tops are just fine.
Old trends are starting to come back this fall. One older trend that can be seen around the mall or many popular fashion spots is overalls.
Retailers such as Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters sell overalls. INTERMIX, a high-end retailer, sells expensive overalls.
“I’ve seen people who can work them really well; however, I’m not one of them,” Tuverson replied.
Similar to trends and styles, colors recycle and repeat through the seasons. Orchid, bright cobalt, royal blue and sangria are all colors chosen by Pantone, a global color company that sets each seasons color scheme every year.
RJ Rodriguez, owner of Vanity Haus in downtown Riverside, said while it is popular to wear darker tones during the fall season, he prefers to bring color into his wardrobe throughout the whole year.
In addition, Rodriguez said he sees a notable popularity with metallic colors and expects to see them being worn this fall.
Not all students at California Baptist University plan on sticking to just one style trend this semester. A wide variety of styles and fashion statements can be expected to be seen among students.
“I have a very eclectic fashion sense this year, ranging from bohemian to hipster,” said Megan Carney, freshman biology major.
Carney said she is planning on wearing dresses often this school year.
A pair of high-waisted shorts with an oversized top is a favorite outfit in women’s fashion this fall and floral button-up shirts are popular with men, said Rodriguez.
As the seasons get cooler marking the end of summer, coats and layers will be a must- have that can be paired with a pair of edgy boots.
“Coats are always a big plus,” Rodriguez said. “California is a little bit different though because we tend to go by the seasonal items, but when it comes
to fall/winter we’re kind of limited because we don’t really get the full four seasons.”
Whether it is following a popular seasonal trend or simply trying to stay comfortable, the possibilities are endless for students who want to express unique back-to-school style by adding their own twist to their wardrobe this fall.


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(CNNMoney) — The Treasury Department has sold its final stake in General Motors, closing the book on its 2009 bailout of the auto industry. GM has been revived and is now profitable, but taxpayers are out more than $10 billion dollars.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced the final stock sale late Monday afternoon, saying that Treasury ultimately recouped $39 billion through the sale of shares, dividends and loan repayments since 2009. But the government pumped $49.5 billion into GM to help it get through a bankruptcy reorganization.
Treasury lost an estimated $1.3 billion in its bailout of Chrysler Group.
Still, the bailouts may have been a good deal for both the economy and the Treasury.
Lew said that if both companies had gone out of business, which was a serious risk in 2009, it would likely have caused widespread business failures among suppliers across the country. Experts said that it could have even forced other automakers such as Ford Motor into bankruptcy, due to a lack of auto parts.
Lew said the government also would have been on the hook for pension payments for retired autoworkers that were backed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., a federal agency.
The failure of GM and Chrysler would have cost the federal government between $39 billion to $105 billion in lost tax revenues as well as assistance to the unemployed, according to a study released Monday by the Center for Automotive Research, a Michigan think tank.
“Our goal was never to make a profit but to stabilize the auto industry,” said one Treasury official speaking to reporters on background Monday. “By any measure, we succeeded.”
The government initially had a 61% stake in GM when the company emerged from bankruptcy in 2009, leading critics of the bailout to dub it “Government Motors.” It started to sell that stake with GM’s November 2010 initial public offering.
The timing of the stock sale is in keeping with plans announced in January.
GM shares are up more than 40% so far this year. The company has earned nearly $20 billion in net income since 2010, the year it returned to profitability after emerging from bankruptcy.
GM says it has invested $8.8 billion into its U.S. plants since 2009, which resulted in the company either adding or maintaining 25,500 jobs at those facilities.
“We will always be grateful for the second chance extended to us and we are doing our best to make the most of it,” said GM CEO Dan Akerson.


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Xiaomi recently released the Redmi Note 10 series, bringing in tons of features to people’s plates. It is also the company’s first Redmi Note series to get an AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. While all this appears like the best deal, it might not be the case as the phones are prone to display issues being faced by many. Also Read - Apple dominates list of top 10 best-selling smartphones, followed by Samsung, Xiaomi
The company has now acknowledged the problems and has suggested that a fix is expected to arrive soon. Here’s a look at all the details. Also Read - Xiaomi Mi Band 7 launches globally with Always-on-display and bigger screen
Redmi Note 10 display issues pop up
Several users have complained that their Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro, Note 10 Pro Max, and even the vanilla Note 10 model have screen problems. While some users are noticing screen flickering problems, others are experiencing frequently unresponsive screens. Also Read - Xiaomi 12S with Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 chipset spotted on Geekbench
The flickering is taking place mostly when the display is set to a 120Hz refresh rate. This is also visible in the dark mode.
The Redmi Note 10 users in India took to Twitter to express their concern and possibly find a solution to this. Here’s a look at some of the tweets that raised the concern:
Kya koi Redmi note 10 PRO Max me kuch touch issues face kar rahe hai?
— Naman Dwivedi (AndroWide) (@naman_nan) April 3, 2021
@geekyranjit @Dhananjay_Tech I started using redmi note 10 pro today and I noticed minor screen flickering issues when on 120Hz but the same is not on 60Hz, are you facing the same or is it just me ? Also is it software or a hardware issue ?
— Mridul Verma (@Mridul_549) April 4, 2021
I m facing screen flickering in my redmi note 10 pro it's is more noticeable in dark mode please fix this issue ASAP @RedmiSupportIN @XiaomiIndia @manukumarjain @GyanTherapy @utsavtechie @KaroulSahil @AmreliaRuhez @techstarsrk
— Dark HiTMaN (@darkhitman0) April 4, 2021
.@MiIndiaSupport @MiIndiaFC one of friend bought a new phone of Xiomi Redmi note 10 on 18th march and he started facing touch issues from 20th march means he couldn't type properly. he applied for replacement and he got the phone replaced with new IMEI no. on 1st of April. pic.twitter.com/JxjXhosSni
— Adv. Tarun sharma (@AdvTarun93) April 6, 2021
Following this, Xiaomi has finally accepted the issue and suggested that there is nothing to be worried about since the issue has affected a really small percentage of people. In a statement, the company said, “We are aware of the issues that a few users are facing on Redmi Note 10 Pro. These issues have been reported by less than 0.001% of the Note 10 series user base. We are working to find a solution at the earliest. As a committed brand, our endeavour is to continue delivering on our consumer expectations.”
The Chinese company also said that its devices go through rigorous tests to provide people with high-quality products, which is why this issue is its top priority.
To recall, the Redmi Note 10 series consists of the Redmi Note 10, Note 10 Pro, and the Note 10 Pro Max. The devices fall in the budget price range and come with highlighting features such as an AMOLED display, up to 108-megapixel rear cameras, fast charging, and more. The Redmi Note 10 lineup starts at Rs 11,999.


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Texas Instruments, the largest maker of analog chips, jumped 3.4 percent to $28.20. Amazon.com is seeking to provide processors for smartphones and tablets by buying Texas Instruments’ mobile chip unit, Calcalist reported without saying where it got the information.
AMD gained 0.4 percent to $2.75 after a person familiar with the matter said the second-largest maker of processors for personal computers plans to cut as many as 2,340 jobs, or about 20 percent of its workforce. Third-quarter sales will decline about 10 percent from the prior period, a bigger drop than previously forecast, the company said on Oct. 11.
Investors bought shares of companies most tied to economic growth. The Morgan Stanley Cyclical Index, containing 30 U.S. stocks, gained 0.8 percent, while an S&P gauge of homebuilders rallied 3.1 percent as all of its 11 members advanced. PulteGroup Inc. soared 4.4 percent to $16.30. KB Home jumped 4.3 percent to $15.23.
Apple, the world’s most valuable company, gained 0.5 percent to $633 as it fluctuated between gains and losses. Shares of the iPhone maker have fallen 9.8 percent from an all- time high of $702.10 on Sept. 19, driving the stock below its average price in the past 50 days for the first time since July. The shares are still up 56 percent this year.
Sprint Nextel Corp. lost 0.9 percent to $5.68, while phone stocks erased 0.7 percent for the only decline among 10 groups in the S&P 500. Softbank Corp. agreed to buy a 70 percent stake in Sprint as Japan’s third-biggest mobile-phone operator seeks growth overseas amid a declining local market.


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Toyota has officially revealed plans for its upcoming sports car co-development program with Fuji Heavy Industries, who owns the Subaru brand. The compact rear wheel drive car will feature a Subaru boxer engine, and both Toyota and Subaru will market the car separately under its respective badges. It will be built on a new Subaru platform, but will be designed by Toyota.
“I think there is high potential for this car. We haven’t had a sports car for a long time. This is a long-awaited-for model. Pricing would be not prohibitively high,” said Toyota Motor Corp CEO Katsuaki Watanabe. The car should be quite fun indeed, with rear wheel drive dynamics and that rumbly boxer engine note.
Since FHI president Ikuo Mori says he has personally driven a test version of the car and is pleased with it, development must have been going on for quite some time now. The car will be launched in 2011.
Other Toyota-FHI joint ventures will also increase, and FHI will stop producing compact vehicles of its own design. It will use Daihatsu badge engineered vehicles instead. The Subaru Justy based on the Daihatsu Boon was the first such Daihatsu-based compact vehicle, with the next one set to be a Subaru-badged Daihatsu Coo in October 2008.
Also confirmed is Toyota’s increase in Subaru stakeholding from the current 8.7% up to 16.5% in a deal valued at 31.1 billion yen (US$311 million).


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LAKE MARY, FLA. , February 8, 2005 - Aluria Software, developer of anti-spyware and performance optimization technology, today announced that it will embed SpamCompiler technology from Mailshell, the OEM anti-spam leader, into its award-winning line of products. Aluria currently protects millions of consumers and businesses worldwide from spyware via major distribution partners including one of the largest Internet service providers. Aluria will launch Aluria Anti-Spam, its first 'Powered by Mailshell' spam filter later this month.
With the new partnership, Aluria will license and integrate Mailshell's SpamCompiler SDK which optimizes, compiles and executes more than one million filter checks in a fraction of a second to determine if a message is spam or not. By combining a fast, compact, flexible, complete decision tree with an automatically self-tuning intelligent engine, Mailshell's SpamCompiler consistently generates highly accurate results in recognizing foreign language spam, phishing and other forms of email fraud.
Aluria's expansion to spam filtering is a natural extension of its existing products which combine superior anti-spyware functionality with proactive screening that blocks malicious spyware code in real time, before it is installed on a user's computer. While most anti-spyware solutions merely scan and remove spyware files once they are installed on a user's computer, Aluria's real-time monitoring component - the Active Defense Shield (ADS) - detects spyware before it can be installed by monitoring any changes to the user's file system.
"Focusing on spam filtering is an important part of our overall mission given the malicious payload of the newest forms of spam," said Rick Carlson, president of Aluria Software. "Mailshell's SpamCompiler enhances spyware protection, and catches all types of spam-borne malicious code, phishing and other types email fraud."
"There is obvious synergy and untapped market opportunity in combining spyware and spam filtering technologies," said Tonny Yu, president and CEO of Mailshell. "We've been impressed with Aluria's expertise in security software development, and how it brings its technology to market via strong licensing and distribution," said Tonny Yu, president and CEO of Mailshell.
Mailshell's SpamCompiler SDK, the core engine driving Aluria's new spam products, is the leading anti-spam engine licensed by over 20 US and International OEMs and used by more than 5,000 enterprises and 10 million consumers on over a dozen platforms. The SDK starts at 200k of code, can handle over a million messages a day, and can be embedded almost anywhere. OEMs can immediately generate new anti-spam revenue, upsell existing products to new anti-spam customers, and cut anti-spam engineering and support to near zero.
About Aluria Software: Founded in 1998, Aluria Software is a privately held company based in Lake Mary, Florida. Aluria Software is an industry leader in the development of anti-spyware security solutions and performance optimization software for millions of end-users worldwide. In addition to its product catalogue of end-user applications, Aluria Software also offers customized security solutions for FORTUNE 500 companies and corporations globally. For more information, visit www.aluriasoftware.com or call 888-627-4650.
About Mailshell Inc.: Mailshell is the world's leading anti-spam engine provider and is the first and only anti-spam engine in the world with SpamCompiler Technology. SpamCompiler can process more than a million filter checks in a fraction of a second. Via Mailshell's OEM partners, more than 5,000 companies and 10 million consumers worldwide rely on SpamCompiler software to block spam. Mailshell's software helps its OEM partners, including Cyberguard, Panda Software, Oracle Corporation, Broderbund and Lyris Technologies, among others, generate new anti-spam revenue, upsell existing products to new anti-spam customers, and cut anti-spam engineering and support costs to near zero. For more information, visit http://www.mailshell.com.
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Xiaomi’s automotive business has big ambitions, with plans to launch its first model in the first half of 2024 and a new car in each of the following three years, 36kr.com said Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Xiaomi is aiming for total sales of 900,000 units in those three years, the report said.
In recent months, Xiaomi has been talking with a parts giant and disclosed initial plans for its car business, according to the report.
Today’s new energy industry landscape is no longer friendly to new entrants, with leading companies including NIO, Li Auto and XPeng having established brand recognition and significant capital support. And traditional car companies are transforming themselves by launching independent sub-brands to compete.
Citing industry sources with access to Xiaomi founder Lei Jun, the report said Lei realized that competition would be fierce when Xiaomi launches its first car, so he decided to enter the market with a 10 percent BOM (bill of materials) loss.
On March 30, Xiaomi announced on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it plans to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary to handle its smart electric vehicle business.
Xiaomi’s initial investment in the automotive business is RMB 10 billion, with an expected investment of $10 billion over the next 10 years.
Xiaomi’s automotive business officially completed its company registration in China on September 1 with a registered capital of RMB 10 billion ($1.5 billion).
The company is called Xiaomi Automobile Co and Lei serves as its legal representative.
In the past five months since announcing it was joining the car-making bandwagon, Xiaomi has built up a team of nearly 300 people for its car business, the company said.
Xiaomi’s car team has conducted a lot of user research and industry chain visits and is pressing ahead with product definition, Xiaomi said.


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In the name of providing extra time to polish the game, developer Housemarque has announced that their upcoming sci-fi action game Returnal has had its release date bumped from its original March 19 release date to April 30, 2021. Sony made the announcement via Twitter yesterday.
While the delay is understandable, the decision to release the game on April 30 can be seen as questionable for some. Not only will Returnal face competition from Nintendo in the form of New Pokemon Snap on the Switch on the same day, it’ll have to compete against other genre fare the following week, as Resident Evil Village releases on May 7.
Still, it’s safer to have this polish in place, rather than face the situation that CD Projekt Red experienced last year with Cyberpunk 2077. Returnal is exclusive to the PlayStation 5.


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On this day in 1912, the first Girl Scout troop meeting was held in Savannah, Georgia. The meeting was attended by 18 girls and led by Juliette Gordon Low. Its name was orginally "Girl Guides of America."
As part of Girl Scout Week, National Girl Scout Day is observed annually on March 12th. Girl Scouting began as a way to enrich the lives of young girls by engaging them in service projects, outdoor activities, community programs, and adventures.
Since its first meeting, the Girl Scouts program has since grown to over 3.7 million members.
As far as the cookies are concerned, the Girl Scouts didn't start selling them until five years later, in 1917. It was the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma that began baking cookies and selling them in its high school cafeteria to raise money as a community service project.
- Yakama Nation's fuel tax exemption sought by state
- Yakima's end of Ramadan celebration
- Hit-and-run sends Wapato man to hospital
- Domestic Violence Services seeks air mattress donations
- Walla Walla General Hospital breaks its silence following closure announcement
- State responds to letter from West Richland regarding pot shop location


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Statpro, an AIM-listed supplier of portfolio analytics software for fund managers, is reporting a strong first half of the year, with pre-tax profit rising 48% for the six months ending 30 June 2006.
The group says pre-tax profit increased to £0.82m, compared to £0.55m a year earlier, while turnover was up 26% to £6.33m, from £5.02m last year.
Commenting on the results, Justin Wheatley, chief executive of StatPro says regulation, both existing and new, continues to drive the company's growth: "Regulation in the sector, in particular as a result of Sarbanes-Oxley and Ucits III, is continuing to drive growth, with continued demand for our risk product and other analytics reporting."
Wheatley says second half prospects are "very positive" based on the current pipeline of business.
Statpro says sales have been strong in all regions and across all products, with around two thirds of new business being contracted with new clients.
"There is strong demand for our risk and fixed income products and generally the outlook is positive for all our products in all our territories," he adds.
Wheatley says the group's medium term goal is to achieve at least 20% net operating margins. In the first of 2006, operating margin increased to 12% from 11% a year earlier.
The group proposed a dividend per share of 0.3p, compared to nil in the same period last year.
Looking forward, StatPro says it will focus on developing technology acquired with recent company purchases. In the first half the company bought Alphai, an Australian supplier of performance measurement software to asset managers. Statpro says it will use the acquired technology as the basis of its new ASP offering. The vendor also bought out South African compliance software vendor Kizen in May this year.


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Apple has finally given us AirPods 2 – its third release in as many days
You know what they say about London buses? Yes, of course you do. In a similar vein, it seems that Apple just can’t get enough of releasing new products this week. After two new iPads on Monday and an updated iMac on Tuesday, Wednesday 20 March has seen the announcement of the long-awaited AirPods 2.
“The world’s best wireless headphones just got even better with the new AirPods” stated Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, in an accompanying press release. Big talk indeed, especially given that we thought the original AirPods were so good that they’d be nigh-on impossible to improve upon.
Apple claims to have achieved just that by including a brand-new, purpose-built H1 chip, hands-free Siri and a new wireless battery case, amongst other things. Read on for the full lowdown of everything we know about AirPods 2.
AirPods 2 release date: When will you be able to buy them?
Given how well the original AirPods sold, a successor has always been likely to materialise. The only surprise has been that we’ve had to wait this long.
However, I’m pleased to report that AirPods 2 are available to purchase from the online Apple Store from today (Wednesday 20 March), with shipping beginning next week.
If you’re keen to avoid ordering online, you’ll have to wait until next week for the new earbuds to be rolled out in physical Apple Stores nationwide.
AirPods 2 price: How much do they cost?
AirPods 2 are available in two varieties. They’ll cost you £159 with a standard charging case, or £199 with the upgraded wireless charging case. Alternatively, you can purchase the wireless charging case on its own for £79.
AirPods 2 design: What do they look like?
Even the most ardent Apple supporter would be hard-pressed to spot the difference between the new AirPods and their predecessor. They’re the same familiar looking white earbuds with a long stem that fit neatly into the charging case.
Despite some rumours to the contrary, they’re only available in classic Apple white, and not the range of colours that some commentators were expecting.
There were fears that increased battery would require a larger and heavier charging case but, at least from the images we’ve seen so far, it appears that Apple has managed to avoid this.
AirPods 2 features: What do they do?
Although AirPods 2 don’t feature any drastic changes in terms of aesthetics, there are significant internal improvements.
The first of these is that you can now access Siri through the earbuds simply by saying the words “Hey Siri”. In a similar vein to rival earbuds that feature Google Assistant integration, this means you can get the information you require delivered straight to your ears, rather than being forced to faff about with your smartphone.
Battery life has also been significantly improved: Apple has stated that you’ll get a full 50% extra talk time compared to the previous AirPods. That only equates to an hour, but we’re happy to presume that this also means their stamina when listening to music will have also improved.
Thirdly, and as we have long-expected, the refreshed AirPods come with the option of wireless charging. However, this isn’t the default and, as you may have already noticed in the pricing above, it will set you back an extra £40 compared to the standard option.
You’ll also need to own a third-party Qi wireless charging mat to make the most of this feature, since Apple doesn’t currently supply one of its own (we’re looking at you, AirPower). Happily, though, these can often be found for as little as £15 on sites like Amazon.
All these extra features are powered by a brand-new H1 chip that Apple claims “features custom audio architecture to create a revolutionary audio experience and improved synchronisation.”
Other than that, not much has changed. AirPods 2 will still be ultra-portable, pair easily with your smartphone or other device and deliver surprisingly good audio quality.
AirPods 2: Early verdict
We’ve waited a long time for the release of AirPods 2 and it seems, at least for now, that Apple has delivered significant improvements to the originals, whilst retaining every aspect that made the latter so good.


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O pen sesame,” a person on a San Francisco street said to Jack Ma. “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” a waitress in the city’s coffee shop told him.
Rather than a study of Persian literature, the Chinese school teacher-turned businessman was testing out what he would name his new company. His previous company, China Pages, had flopped. Of the nearly three dozen people he asked that day about the poor woodcutter Ali Baba who stumbled upon hidden treasures from the Arabic-language tales One Thousand and One Nights, he said everyone knew what it meant.
Started in 1999, Alibaba would grow from a Hangzhou, China-based company that helped small, local businesses sell their products online to a behemoth in the world of e-commerce. It’s a web of related companies and Internet properties that would come by 2013 to facilitate the sale of $248 billion worth of merchandise — double what Amazon did in the same year, according to Bloomberg.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. made its American public debut Sept. 19 on the New York Stock Exchange, in what is expected be the largest IPO in history. The conglomerate includes business to business shops, business to consumers shops, wholesalers, music sharing, and an online-payment system, and is valued at $160 billion.
‘Crocodile in the Yangtze’ documentary looks at Alibaba’s rise


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|AGRO NEWS ARMENIA Posted on: 01-04-2016|
Sevan Aqua to produce 685 tons of fish a year
The Armenian government exempted Thursday Sevan Aqua company from the payment of import duties on equipment and raw materials, as well as awarded it a 3 year VAT payment deferment after it pledged to import 1.95 billion drams worth equipment to produce 685 tons of fish products a year. According to the minister, the company plans to create 16 new jobs with average wage of 215,000 drams and earn 2.4 billion drams in the next three years. Minasyan also said overall six companies, whose total investments are expected to make $50 million, which will enable them to create 450 new jobs were exempted from the payment of customs duties. The minister said some other companies, which promised to make 186 billion drams investments and create a total of 4,500 jobs, were given VAT payment deferment. Sevan Aqua is one of the companies which will be producing trout in Lake Sevan. One fish farm will be established this year on the lake and in 3 years it is expected to reach the full capacity of 685 tons of fish per year. Under a government program production of trout in the lake is to reach 50 thousand tons per year in 10 years. The total investment in the project is estimated at 66 billion drams (about $162 million.). ($1 - 480.73 drams).
Armenian entrepreneurs propose to cut milk powder imports, Vazgen Safaryan, head of the Union of Domestic Commodity Producers of Armenia, told journalists on Tuesday. In his words, fresh milk output is shrinking in Armenia because of large volumes of milk powder imports, and this is affecting agriculture. Safaryan said that the necessity of reducing milk powder imports would be discussed with the agriculture minister. "This will increase villagers' interest in cattle breeding and dairy production and will also spur development of other industries, for example leather and shoe industries," he said. Refraining from pointing out volumes of the imported milk powder, Safaryan only said that milk output in Armenia grew just 4.2% in 2015 to 448 million liters. The National Statistical Service of Armenia says 447.9 million liters of milk were produced in the country in 2015 (4.2% growth). Remarkable is that official statistical reports contain no data on milk powder imports. According to the agriculture ministry's latest figures, some 688 tons of milk powder were brought to Armenia in Jan-May 2015 – 38 tons less than at the same period a year before.
ARMENIAN GREENHOUSE FARMS HAVE NOW BIGGER OPPORTUNITIES TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS IN RUSSIA
Armenian greenhouse farms have now bigger opportunities to sell their products in Russia, Vazgen Safaryan, the head of the Union of Domestic Commodity Producers, said today. According to him, the Russian ban on imports of Turkish products has opened new opportunities for the sale of Armenian agricultural products in Russia. Safaryan urged the government to increase the assistance to farmers and speed up the adoption of a government program for development of greenhouse farming. According to him, the government should also provide certain benefits to greenhouse farms for the use of electricity and irrigation water. "Given the adverse climatic conditions, which often cause huge damages to crops, greenhouse farming will not only secure production and exports of agricultural products, but will also significantly improve the economic condition of the villagers," said Safaryan. According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, the agricultural output in 2015 amounted to 1.002.2 trillion drams, an increase of 11.7% from 2014.
Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia Sergo Karapetyan received the delegation headed by the Head of the Unit of Neighbourhood East, Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission Mathieu Bousquet, press service of the Ministry of Agriculture informed “Armenpress. Agricultural sector of Armenia, as a priority branch of economy, has recorded dynamic increase in the recent years in which the joint projects with the EU and other international organizations have had a significant role”, greeting the guest, the Minister said. Among the mentioned projects the Minister singled out the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD). Minister Karapetyan mentioned that Armenia adopted a law on “Agricultural cooperatives” in 2015 and a structural body was set within the Ministry for the support of agricultural cooperatives. This year 45 cooperatives will be set with the support of the European Union.
Artak Shaboyan, head of the Armenian State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition, speakingTuesday in the National Assembly, said that the commission will scrutinize price-making processes at citrus fruits market. The commission, he said, is monitoring prices at the market to find out problems here. «I should just say that the fact that citrus fruits are seasonal products is taken into account as a factor impacting price-making processes,» he said. In his words, there is nothing barring appearance of new banana importers in Armenia. More than that – in 2015 nine new small and medium importers appeared at Armenia's banana market, but they imports products from the Eurasian Economic Union member countries. Admitting that import of bananas from the Eurasian Economic Union is not a very beneficial business, compared with import from traditional banana-producing countries, Shaboyan still pointed out this fact as evidence of market freedom in Armenia. Bananas are imported into Armenia by Catherine Group. According to the National Statistical Service, 12 057.6 tons of bananas worth $9,106,800 were imported in Armenia in 2014 against 9886.1 tons ($11,090,700) in 2013.
Dozens of farmers blocked a major highway in Armenia on Tuesday as they staged a fresh protest against a local winery’s failure to pay for grapes that were purchased from them last autumn. The private company based in Kaghtsrashen, a village in the southern Ararat province, bought in September-November about 200 million drams ($410,000) worth of grapes from more than 100 village residents owning small vineyards. It has still not paid them, citing major losses incurred in recession-hit Russian, the main export market of Armenia’s wine and brandy industry. Several other Armenian wineries have also failed to pay up on time, triggering similar protests in other villages in Ararat and the neighboring Armavir province in the last few months.Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetian downplayed the protests in late December, saying that more than 80 percent of grape farmers across the country have already received payments. Karapetian argued that most of the distilleries increased the volume of their grape purchases from farmers in 2015 despite their financial troubles caused by a sharp depreciation of the Russian ruble. The angry Kaghtsrashen farmers blocked a nearby section of a national highway running southeast of Yerevan after the local liquor firm failed to meet a March 15 deadline for payments set by it last month. It had earlier pledged to pay the grape farmers by February 1. “I invested all my money -- 600,000 drams -- in grapes and have still not gotten a penny in return,” one of the protesters, Sos Vartanian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). He said he is owed 3.5 million drams ($7,200). Vartanian sold his grapes for an average of 100 drams (21 U.S. cents) per kilogram. Some of his fellow villagers could only get less than half that price. Even they have not been paid so far. Traffic through the road resumed later in the day after two deputy ministers of agriculture and representatives of the Kaghtsrashen winery assured the protesters that they will receive payments within a month. The farmers agreed to disperse, even though many of them were skeptical about the pledge. Kamo Araratian, a Kaghtsrashen resident who is also owed 3.5 million drams, said he has already started cutting down his 3,700-square-meter vineyard to switch to other crops because he no longer believes that he can make a living from grape cultivation. “I have no other choice,” Araratian explained. “If it doesn’t even cover my farming costs, why should I keep it?” “Every day they say on television that agriculture grew by 11 percent last year,” said the farmer. “But villagers worked like donkeys for the whole year and didn’t feel that growth on their skin. I guess only the agriculture minister and his deputies felt it.”
The gross production volume of Armenian agriculture grew by 11.7 percent in 2015, making up 1 trn 2 bln AMD (roughly $2,04), Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan said today at the governmental consultation on the Agriculture Ministry’s work in 2015. The percentage of targeted use of croplands grew by 78.8 percent, he added. Under the order endorsed by the government, farmers got loan at 14 percent, 6 percentage points of which were subsidized. The total portfolio of subsidized loans made up about 15.2 bln AMD in 2015. The agricultural product processing companies procured 43.5 thousand tons of vegetables, or 27.6 percent more than in 2014, and 20.6 thousand tons of fruit, or 48.3 percent more than in 2014. In 2015, 76.7 tons of fruit and vegetables were exported from the republic, including 34.4 thousand tons of fruit and berries, 21.3 thousand of which were apricots. PM Hovik Abrahamyan urged the representatives of the Agriculture Ministry to continue making trips to provinces, as well as holding discussions with businessmen. He also instructed to get familiar with the problems in provinces and find solutions to them
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Sheep placenta, gold flakes, bee venom and nightingale excrement sound like ingredients for the world’s worst dinner party.
In fact they are believed to be part of Victoria Beckham’s beauty regime.
The former Spice Girl has become a fan of the latest craze to take over Hollywood – facials made from sheep afterbirth and gold flakes - it has been claimed.
Known more for their potential for regrowing lost limbs and regenerating damaged organs, the cells also have made it into the beauty industry for people desperate to keep hold of their youthfulness.
The 38-year-old is a regular at Beverly Hills dermatologist Dr Harold Lancer, who uses the treatment said to work because of the power of the beneficial sheep’s stem cells to regenerate skin cells.
Dr Lancer, whose offices are on world famous Rodeo Drive, ensures his sheep placentas come from prime New Zealand stock for the £320-a-time treatment.
He said: “These sheep are completely untouched by the modern world.
“It is very important as they have no impurities in their system whatsoever. The stem cells we harvest are amniotic cells which means no harm is caused to the animals.
“The stem cells are preserved because they are full of rich nutrients that fight free-radical damage to the skin and make it more radiant.
“The stem cells interact with your own cells, basically telling them to wake up, produce new collagen, and stimulate new cell growth.
"Gold particles are included as gold helps to diffuse the stem cells and acts as the transdermal delivery system to help it work into the skin.”
The cells are flash-frozen once extracted and then mixed into a gel also containing gold flakes and other ingredients.
It is then applied to the face during a 90-minute facial that starts with an exfoliation before the skin is exposed to steam, then LED light that opens the pores, before the placenta gel is applied.
The gruesome treatment is not the only bizarre inclusion in the mum-of-four’s beauty regime.
She also enjoys a facial made from rare Nightingale birds’ excrement, favourite by Japanese geishas and traditionally used to remove stains from silk garments in Japan.
She is also believed to use night cream that contains bee venom to plump her skin up.
A spokeswoman for Dr Lancer confirmed Victoria had been a regular customer for “several years” and added: “Victoria is a devotee of Dr Lancer’s products and is someone who always wants the latest and best in anti-ageing treatment.
"She has had the stem cell facial several times already. She visits the office every two weeks when she is in town.”
Posh Spice has tweeted her enthusiasm of Dr Lancer’s products including moisturiser Nourish, the costs £70 per tube.
A spokeswoman for Victoria declined to comment on the treatment.
Last night it looked like Victoria had forgotten Harper, just like she once forgot Brooklyn. Check out the pics.


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CHAMPION OF THE DAY
Pikasso adopts technologies for audience measurement
Implementation agreements signed with two international companies
Pikasso, an Out-Of-Home (OOH) advertising company, has signed a partnership agreement with two international companies, CUENDE Infometrics and Quividi, for audience measurement and accountability services.
Antonio Venciti, Chairman of Pikasso, said: “Advertisers and clients don’t want to be kept in the dark and need figures about their audience reach.”
The partnership with Quividi will provide Pikasso with audience analytics for in-mall Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) services, so advertisers and agencies will know how their campaign is performing and will be able to optimize their planning strategies.
According to Vincenti, small cameras will be embedded in digital screens to allow facial detection. The camera is anonymous and automatically erases facial images. It detects the gender, age, and how long people looked at the ad. “This will help advertisers broadcast contextually relevant campaigns,” he said. Using this technology Pikasso can push content through specific ads for specific people.
Locally, Pikasso has around 60 digital screens in malls including ABC Verdun, City Mall, The Spot Choueifet, and Le Mall Dbayeh, which is under installation.
Vincenti said that the company invested around $300,000 in hardware and software. Pikasso will pay royalty fees for Quividi.
“This is the global trend in DOOH, and we have invested massively in the IT department and engineers specialized in hardware and software,” said Vincenti.
The partnership with CUENDE Infometrics will provide Pikasso with metrics to determine the reach and coverage of each campaign on Pikasso’s roadside billboards.
Out-of-home (OOH) audience measurement is based on a combination of travel surveys conducted by IPSOS among 1,650 residents, and big data analysis using satellite imagery to count cars. As a result of these tools companies can know the demographics, gender, and age of people walking on any street. “With this data advertisers can be aware of the audience seeing the ad whenever they book a campaign,” said Vincenti.
According to Vincenti, the company has been working on this project for the last two years. Investment will reach $300,000, which mainly covers CUENDE's fees.
Reported by Rania Ghanem
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Huawei unveiled an upgraded version of its AI assistant designed to meet industry-specific needs, as the vendor continues to jostle for position in the segment.
During the company’s developer conference, CEO and executive director at Huawei Cloud Zhang Ping’an (pictured) said the latest intelligent assistant, dubbed Pangu Models 3.0, has the potential to “reshape industries”, touting improved capabilities and faster response times.
Huawei stated the model was trained on “open industry datasets” spanning finance, manufacturing, and government to meteorology, allowing it to perform specific industry tasks on top of more common AI features.
The company is pushing the model as being different from other AI models in that it focuses on industrial usages rather than generating content.
Huawei has already worked with the Chinese government to launch an intelligent government service assistant based on a foundation model trained on more than 20,000 government data covering policy documents and service processes.
Its previous models were also deployed in railway systems, mining and pharmaceuticals.
Nikkei Asia reported Huawei’s AI system is based on the company’s own hardware as it does not have access to powerful GPUs on which other companies trained their models due to restrictions placed on the vendor by the US.
Meanwhile, fellow Chinese player Alibaba also unveiled an AI image generator similar to OpenAI’s DALL-E.


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Indian online food delivery platform Swiggy has set up a relief fund for the safety and welfare of its delivery partners amid the Covid-19 crisis.
The move comes at a time when the number of coronavirus cases in India is steadily increasing with more than 1,600 people infected by the virus.
According to a PTI report, the ‘Swiggy Hunger Savior Covid Relief Fund’ will be created with contributions from the company’s founders, senior leaders, employees and investors. Swiggy will also accept donations from customers.
The food delivery platform aims to raise Rs100m ($1.32m) through the initiative. It has already procured Rs40m through initial contributions.
The funding will provide 14-day income protection to delivery partners if they are diagnosed with Covid-19. Additionally, the funding will be used to ensure food and grocery supplies to the partners and their families.
Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety said: “To assist our delivery heroes during these testing times, we have initiated this special fund, which will be supported by Swiggy and our investors.
“I am overwhelmed by this collective initiative to support one another while also doing what we do best, which is serving customers.”
Last month, Swiggy introduced a no-contact delivery option where the delivery driver will leave the food package at the customer door to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
This year, the company also raised $112m to support its operations.


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Samsung is reportedly planning to space out the Galaxy S21 and Z Flip2's launches to avoid impacting sales of the S21 series. It reportedly also has three new foldable devices planned for 2021.
Latest Windows Server LTSC Preview out in 18 languages with ISOs
windows server insider preview
Optional update for Windows 11 fixes Taskbar search, thread deadlock, & more
windows 11 insider preview
Unpacked 2020 RSS
Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event is set for Wednesday. The Korean firm will be unveiling several new devices including the Galaxy Z Fold2. Read on if you want to find out how to watch the event live.
High-quality images of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 have leaked, providing the clearest look yet at the large cover display. It will sport two punch-hole cameras, one each for the front and the rear.
As is with every year, Samsung has announced accessories for its newly launched flagship devices, the S20 line. They include two new 25W power banks, one with wireless charging, and a 45W car charger.
Samsung has announced a $150 price cut across the board for the Galaxy S10 lineup. The company also plans on bringing some Galaxy S20 features to the Galaxy S10 via a software update in the future.
How does Samsung's latest flagship, the Galaxy S20 compare to the Galaxy S10? What improvements does the former bring to the table? Check out this detailed specs comparison table to find out.
Samsung announced today its latest generation of wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds+. The Buds+ boast up to 22 hours of music playback on a single charge and an AKG-powered two-way dynamic speaker.
Samsung has announced its second foldable device, the Galaxy Z Flip at Unpacked 2020. It packs a 6.7-inch Infinity Flex Display and its the world's first phone to come with a foldable cover glass.


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NASHVILLE — Neon signs and billboards advertising payday loans are scattered across Tennessee, and legislation (HB 1954) introduced in the state House seeks to ensure existing state laws about the practice are enforced.
Current law prohibits Tennessee consumers from taking out more than two payday loans at a time, and those loans can’t total more than $500 collectively. However, there’s no system in place for lenders to make sure people aren’t asking for more than the law allows, explains Andy Spears, executive director of Tennessee Citizen Action.
“We think at the minimum, if we’re going to have payday lending in Tennessee, lenders ought to follow the rules and the accountability ought to be on the side of the lenders,” says Spears. “This bill creates a database that would allow lenders to check and see how many loans a consumer had out. That’s going to be a much more responsible practice.”
If passed, the state will be able to perform audits to make sure lenders are checking the statewide database.
Further discussion of the legislation is on hold until March, when the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is expected to release additional regulations that may impact payday lending practices in states where it is legal.
Spears says limiting the amount Tennessee consumers can borrow has their best interest at heart.
“The law was designed to both protect consumers and to ensure that the lender gets paid back,” he says. “If someone has four and five loans, it’s very unlikely they’re going to be able to pay those back, and they get into a trap. It ruins their banking situation if they have one. It just spirals out of control very quickly.”
A CFPB study also found that once consumers get into payday debt, they rarely emerge from that debt. It says 80 percent of payday-lending customers took out new loans within 14 days of securing a previous loan.
In Tennessee, payday lenders can charge annual percentage rates of more than 400 percent.


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Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook: July 2021
Exports for All Major Animal Products, Projected To Increase Year Over Year in 2021, Will Remain About the Same or Decline in 2022
Total exports of red meat are expected to increase by 7.2 percent in 2021 compared to 2020 but decrease by 0.9 percent year over year in 2022. Beef exports in 2021 are expected to increase 16.0 percent over the previous year due to robust demand from abroad, particularly from China, Japan, and South Korea. In 2022, beef exports are expected to decline 3.0 percent. Pork exports are expected to increase by 3.7 percent in 2021 over 2020 and to remain at about the same level in 2022, driven by demand from countries in the Americas (North, Central, and South) and from major importing countries in Asia.
Broiler exports are expected to grow by 1.1 percent this year due to increasing supplies and strong demand from Mexico and China. Broiler exports in 2022 are expected to remain about the same as 2021. There is a similar story for turkeys in 2021, with 1.6 percent growth in exports driven by demand from Mexico, but 2022 exports remaining level with 2021. Exports of eggs and egg products in 2021 are forecast to increase 10.7 percent, driven by demand from importers such as Canada and South Korea. In 2022, however, export volumes of eggs and egg products are forecast to decrease by 4.1 percent.
Dairy exports on a skim-solids milk-equivalent basis are expected to increase by 8.7 percent over the previous year in 2021 and remain at the same level in 2022. Mexico, China, and Southeast Asia are the top destinations for U.S. dairy exports.
Pork/Hogs: Information reported in the June Quarterly Hogs and Pigs foreshadows lower pork production forecasts for the balance of 2021 and into 2022. Hog prices were lowered for 2021, but lower pork production will provide support for prices in 2022 and the price forecast was unchanged. Pork exports in 2022 are expected to be unchanged—about 7.6 billion pounds—from 2021.
See the LDP Outlook.


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Indiegogo's Marketplace sells successfully-funded projects
The site could bring more visibility to launched products.
Facebook opens up its Craigslist-like section to retailers
Marketplace will soon have cars, event tickets and real estate.
Facebook Marketplace makes its way to 17 European countries
Marketplace says ciao, bonjour to Italy, France and dozens of other nations in Europe.
Helix wants to build a marketplace for your DNA
One mouth swab and your data can be shared with as many healthcare startups as you can afford.
Facebook's revamped Marketplace goes after Craigslist again
But Facebook's classifieds sadly doesn't have 'Missed Connections.'
'Minecraft' adds a shop for mobile add-ons
The Marketplace brings community content to Pocket and Windows 10.
Facebook didn't mean to let you sell guns and hedgehogs
It says a glitch prevented it from screening Marketplace for contraband.
Facebook opens Marketplace to take on eBay and Craigslist
It'll roll out in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand in the coming days.


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Atlantic Poke opens in Shrewsbury
Atlantic Poke, a fast-casual restaurant specializing in a simple and addictive Hawaiian dish that’s definitely health-oriented, opened mid-July at Lakeway Commons in Shrewsbury.
Founder/CEO Michael Tomaiolo of Shrewsbury calls it an “adventure” for his restaurant guests to build their own poke “POH-keh” bowl, selecting from base ingredients (sushi white rice, brown rice or mixed greens) and add-ins, protein, sauce and toppings.
Tomaiolo explained how the dish is basically Hawaii’s favorite food and has been around for centuries. Poke is healthy and delicious, he said, adding that not every dish includes raw fish. At Atlantic Poke, you can choose from chicken and organic vegan tofu in addition to tuna, salmon and shrimp.
Guests then can incorporate add-in ingredients such as edamame, green onion, carrot, red cabbage, sweet onion, seaweed, roasted corn, cilantro and more. Signature Menu items include The Classic, Spicy Salmon, Wasabi Tuna, Shrimp-O-Licious, Surf and Turf, The Sashimi, Land Lover, The Vegetarian, Green Machine (Vegan), all with a variety of ingredients and homemade sauces created and prepared by Tomaiolo. Guests can opt to kick up the flavor of a poke bowl with traditional sauce, spicy mayo, wasabi mayo, ginger sauce, wasabi soy or soy sauce, some of which are “gluten friendly.”
This is Tomaiolo’s first restaurant. He has a sales and marketing background and said his restaurant is like “the Apple Store meets the ocean.” The space is squeaky clean, with a visually appealing interior design. Guests walk up and select their food and take it back to their seat inside the restaurant, which accommodates 30, or outdoor patio with 16 seats.
The enthusiastic young staff here are referred to as “tour guides and ambassadors” by Tomaiolo, who is at the restaurant daily to greet guests and answer any questions. His “mission and promise is to provide a great customer experience through the consistent delivery of flavorful food with exceptional and friendly customer service in a clean, well-designed, inviting atmosphere.”
He said he makes it a point to check with every customer about the food they’ve ordered. “I really love coming to work every day, and I’m excited about this business,” said Tomaiolo.
He always has been passionate about cooking, he said, although he admits he hasn’t done much cooking at home since the restaurant opened. “Cooking is like therapy,” said Tomaiolo.
Tomaiolo and his wife, Julia, have two young children, Michael and Christian. Michael Tomaiolo’s parents are Dr. Peter Tomaiolo and Phyllis Tomaiolo of Shrewsbury.
In 2010, the Telegram & Gazette published a story about Tomaiolo competing on the Fox TV reality culinary competition series “MasterChef.” His initial dish for judges was “Zuppa di Pesce,” and he told the reporter that cooking was always a hobby. Tomaiolo said he never had cooked professionally, but that a sales background might have helped him with the competitive pressure. He was single at the time of the competition.
The name Tomaiolo has strong ties on the local restaurant scene. Michael Tomaiolo’s grandfather was a partner in the White Cliffs restaurant during its heyday. The historic landmark in Northboro was a private mansion before it became a restaurant and then a banquet facility before it closed. Ownership changed through the years.
Tomaiolo’s cousins own and operate A.J. Tomaiolo’s Restaurant in Northboro.
Atlantic Poke at Lakeway Commons, 193 Shrewsbury Turnpike, Shrewsbury, is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sundays. Telephone (508) 377-4441. For takeout ordering, catering and more information, visit https://www.atlanticpoke.com. Connect on Facebook.
Check it out!
Clustertruck Food Festival will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 25 at Kalon Farm, 339 Seven Bridge Road (Route 117), Lancaster.
More than 30 food trucks will participate. Wachusett Brewery will provide beer at the event, which will include music, artisans and more.
General admission: $5 per person in advance; $8 at the gate. Children 12 and younger have free admission. Visit www.eventbrite.com for tickets. Advance ticket holders will enter through an express line.
VIP tickets in advance are $30 per person; VIP at the gate, $35. Ticket price includes two beverages, access to private outdoor patio and private indoor bar. Must be 21 to buy and/or enter the VIP area.
Veterans Inc., 69 Grove St., Worcester, has announced tickets are available for the Keith Urban concert Sept. 8 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Veterans Inc. will host a fundraiser VIP suite at the concert. Proceeds will benefit Veterans Inc. in its efforts to provide supportive services to veterans in need and their family members.
Tickets, $250 each, include access to the Veterans Inc. VIP Suite, which will include dinner buffet, private cash bar, penthouse view of the stage, early access to Skybox, prizes for best country outfit for an individual and a couple, silent auctions and more.
Tickets are available at www.veteransinc.org and on the Veterans Inc. Facebook page. For more information about the event, call (508) 791-1213, ext. 1162.
“We see this event as a win for everybody,” said Vincent J. Perrone, president and CEO of Veterans Inc. “It is sure to be a great time for those attending the show, and the money raised goes to veterans who need our help.”
Olive Garden has introduced a new annual Pasta Pass that extends the restaurant’s “Never Ending Pasta” promotion year-round.
Here’s the deal:
Pasta lovers can choose from two options beginning at 2 p.m. Aug. 23. The options will be offered exclusively at www.pastapass.com for 30 minutes.
The Annual Pasta Pass: 1,000 Annual Pasta Passes will be available for $300. The pass includes 52 weeks of unlimited servings of guests’ favorite pasta, homemade sauces and toppings, accompanied by unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks.
The Never Ending Pasta Pass: 23,000 Never Ending Pasta Passes will be available for $100. With this pass, guests will enjoy eight weeks of Olive Garden’s popular Never Ending Pasta Bowl promotion that will be held from Sept. 24 through Nov. 18.
Visit https://www.olivegardencom for more information about both options.
— If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to email@example.com.


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1. The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence for this year were announced last week. Which company is the Company of the Year?
2. Ravindra Jadeja has signed a three-year contract with which sports marketing firm?
3. Which surface transport logistics provider has filed for three patents in the US for algorithms created by it, making it a rare instance of an Indian startup seeking to do so?
4. Which country has topped the list of best destinations for expats, according to HSBC's report from the 'Expat Explorer' series?
5. Vinod Sawhny has stepped down as the CEO of which telecom company?
6. Rajeev Sharma has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director of state-run entity?
7. Ronnie Dean Coleman, eight times Mr. Olympia and retired American professional body builder, is toying with the idea of setting up a manufacturing unit in India to make which gym wear brand?
8. Which startup is claiming to be India's first online marketplace to trade ewaste, and other wastes of paper, plastic, textiles etc?
9. Which company has acquired ecommerce services and technology company Sellerworx for an undisclosed amount?
10. Which business personality has invested $1.6 million, or roughly Rs 8 crore, in Philadelphia and Mumbai-based UE LifeSciences, the developer of an affordable breast cancer screening device?
11. Ratan Tata has invested in which virtual fitness coaching platform?
12. Which company has agreed to acquire Norwegian IT and BPO services provider Frontica Business Solutions for about 1.02 billion Norwegian krone, or about $128 million?
13. Which home finance company has appointed Ravindra Sudhalkar as its new CEO?
14. Which company has acquired RH Agro's rice mill in Sonipat, Haryana, for Rs 70 crore?
15. Which Indian company has received government go-ahead for fuel retailing, becoming the eighth player to enter the business?
16. Which French salon and spa chain is making two acquisitions in India - hair solutions specialist Trica Hair Clinic, and home service brand The Home Salon?
17. Facebook Inc. is releasing a feature that will let users post items for sale and shop for things to buy, like they can on Craigslist. What is it called?
18. Telugu actor Mahesh Babu has been appointed as brand ambassador for which online streaming platform for South-Asian content?
19. Which life insurance company has appointed Ashish Vohra as its new CEO?
20. Dassault Aviation of France has entered into a partnership with which Indian group to execute offsets for the recently concluded deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets?
21. Which company has acquired Notedome Ltd of the UK, a manufacturer of neuthane polyurethane cast elastomers, for Rs 120 crore?
22. Which regional airline last week received a national permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation?
23. Which brand recently launched a campaign to promote its new range that offers 100 different styles of shirts to consumers in one colour – white?
24. Which Chilean wine maker has forayed into the Indian market, in partnership with Mumbai-based Aspri Spirits, one of the leading distributors of imported premium wines?
25. V Kalyana Rama has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of which public sector entity?
26. State Bank of India (SBI) recently expanded its overseas footprint by entering which country?
27. Which MNC has launched a television commercial campaign for the ‘Shinobi Pro’ LED TV Range?
28. Which company is back with its ‘Kuch Naya Sochte Hain’ campaign, showcasing a first-of-its-kind casserole called MicroWow?
29. Dhiraj Rajaram has taken over as the new CEO of which data analytics company?
30. Google has introduced a new line of smartphones. What has it been branded as?
31. Which company has acquired 51% stake in JRG International Brokerage DMCC, an international commodity derivatives brokerage registered with the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange?
32. Which well known multinational consumer electronics company has picked India as the first market for the launch of its mobile phone accessories?
33. Which MNC toy maker has appointed ex-Vodafone India business head Ishmeet Singh as its country head for India?
34. Which MNC has agreed to buy an 80 percent stake in high-tech luggage maker Rimowa for 640 million euros ($716 million)?
35. Which MNC is discontinuing its wearable fitness tracker called “Band”?
36. Maruti Suzuki’s premium hatchback Baleno has crossed which cumulative sales milestone in the domestic market?
37. Which two wheeler brand has launched a new campaign aimed to position itself as ‘Guarantor of smiles’?
38. Which bags and shoes brand has launched its new campaign ‘fickle is fun’?
39. Which MNC has sold its FAO Schwarz brand to ThreeSixty Group, a company that designs and sells toys, home goods and other products?
40. Which company will acquire assets of Teva Pharmaceutical in the UK and Ireland for an enterprise value of around $764 million (approximately Rs 5,085 crore)?
41. Which hyperlocal marketplace has unveiled its new brand positioning ‘Local Shopping Ab Online’ and a new logo?
42. Jivi Mobiles, the mobile division of Magicon Impex, has roped in which actor as brand ambassador?
43. Future Group has launched a digital loyalty wallet that helps consumers shop without card or cash across formats such as Big Bazaar, Ezone and Home Town. What has it been branded as?
44. Which travel portal has forayed into alternative accommodation space through a new entity, Rightstay?
45. Which US-based mid-market buyout fund has agreed to buy 100% stake in Sigma Electric for $250 million from its existing owners Goldman Sachs Private Equity?
46. Which US-based luxury watch maker launched its wearable devices in India last week?
47. Which beauty retail venture has announced the launch of make-up and beauty brand Jaquline USA in India?
48. Which mineral water brand recently hit the shelves of retail outlets in Mumbai with its new 'Rockstar' bottles?
49. Which English daily will be launched in Delhi on October 11?
50. Which brand is the most valuable global brand, as per Brand consultancy Interbrand’s 2016 Best Global Brands report?
51. Which fashion brand has unveiled its new campaign christened #forsuccessfulliving?
52. Hindustan Unilever last week entered the baby care category with which brand?
53. Which company has joined hands with Happy Creative Services to make a film - an ode to chai (tea) and how it fuels India?
54. Which company is launching a special, limited edition bike in association with the movie Mirzya?
55. Which quick service restaurant chain has opened an outlet at Rashtrapati Bhavan?
56. Which company will acquire Hiranandani Group's offices and retail space in Mumbai's Powai suburb for around $1 billion (Rs`6,700 crore)?
57. Which handset maker last week launched its own ecommerce marketplace called Wishnbuy(dot)com?
58. Which MNC is buying a prominent US artificial intelligence (AI) startup, Viv Labs?
59. Which homegrown private equity fund has partnered with Sunrise BPO to purchase US-based CRM solutions provider C3 for around $150 million?
60. Which MNC has received a licence from the government to set up 3,500 petrol pumps in India, becoming the 2nd foreign player to enter fuel retailing market in India?
61. Which Argentina-headquartered IT services firm has set up its first development center in India in Pune?
62. Which Australian company has acquired Bengaluru-based Travel Tours to become the second largest player in India's tourism sector, behind Thomas Cook?
63. Which international menswear fashion brand has launched a new campaign titled Don't Hold Back, featuring Ranveer Singh as brand ambassador?
64. Which MNC said it would sell its global infusion therapy business, a part of its $15 billion Hospira acquisition last year, to ICU Medical Inc for $1 billion in cash and stock?
65. Which personal care brand has unveiled its new campaign ‘Dil ko de lift’?
66. Which company last week launched its ‘Captain Series’ feature phones?
67. Which travel portal has launched a campaign to promote two new features -‘Price Lock’ and ‘Pay@Hotel’?
68. Which infant care products brand has launched a campaign titled ‘Smart Mom’?
69. A Balasubramanian was last week elected the chairman of the fund industry trade body AMFI. He is the CEO of which mutual fund?
70. Pan masala brand Pan Bahar has roped in which Hollywood actor as brand ambassador?
71. Which general insurance company has appointed Rajiv Kumar as its managing director & CEO?
72. What has Mahindra & Mahindra named its all new electric car as, which it plans to launch soon in the domestic market?
73. Ford last week produced its last vehicle in which country?
74. Which Indian business group has joined a global list of companies to have declared an internal carbon pricing to reduce their carbon emissions?
75. From October 16, which airline in India will give its passengers the option of flying around the world non-stop in about 32 hours?


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HONOLULU (Reuters) - President Hu Jintao sought to soothe the nerves of foreign businesses over market conditions in China on Saturday and vowed to boost his country’s global role amid growing uncertainty and trade protectionism.
“The new mechanism for global economic governance should reflect the changes in the world economic landscape,” Hu told executives at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Honolulu.
“It should observe the principle of mutual respect and collective decision-making and increase the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries,” he said, urging a more “balanced partnership” for development and governance.
Hu and U.S. President Barack Obama, who spoke at the same forum shortly after the Chinese leader, have not seen eye to eye on how to address pan-Pacific trade among the 21 APEC members during the annual summit.
Relations between Washington and Beijing are beset by disagreements over China’s trade and currency practices, arms sales to Taiwan, China’s military buildup in the Pacific and China’s human rights record.
China has been reluctant to sign trade deals that would subject it to U.S-led efforts to further open its economy to foreign players because that would put pressure on its state-owned enterprises.
The differing views were captured on Friday in a politely pointed exchange between American and Chinese trade officials, when the U.S. trade representative refuted China’s claim that it had not been invited to join a regional free-trade pact being negotiated by at least nine countries.
On Saturday, Hu said China was committed to free trade in the Asia-Pacific but also called for progress in the stalled Doha round of trade talks at the World Trade Organization.
“We should advance the Doha round negotiations and endeavor to reap an early harvest agreement within this year on giving tariff-free, quota-free products from the least-developed countries,” Hu said, adding the world should “firmly oppose and jointly resist protectionism.”
Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by John O'Callaghan


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Lexus made a sriracha-themed car last month. A couple of years ago, Pizza Hut tried baking the spicy sauce into pizza crust. Now Wendy's is the latest brand cashing in on the sriracha craze, and it has a kooky marketing campaign to match.
Today, the Dublin, Ohio-based chain and VML are launching a new TV and digital campaign promoting sricha-flavored fries and a chicken sandwich that has sriracha-infused cheese, a flavored bun and an aioli sauce that target "hardcore" fans of the spicy sauce.
"When you see someone walking around with a keychain that has a bottle of sriracha on it, it's a pretty big indicator that this thing is significant—it's not one of those things like ketchup that's ubiquitous but it's also not one of those things that no one's heard of," said Brandon Rhoten, vp of advertising, media and digital at Wendy's. "It's kind of mainstream, but hardcore mainstream."
For the first three days of the campaign, the word 'sriracha' is taking over Wendy's website and social channels with content about the sauce. On Facebook and Twitter, posts simply read 'sriracha' and community managers are instructed to respond to questions about the spicy stuff.
There's also a couple of TV spots that show different types of fans who are surrounded by sriracha-themed props like pillows, bedspreads and posters. For fans who want to get their hands on the stuff featured in the commercial, try tweeting at Wendy's and see what happens.
"It's the kind of people who would get a tattoo, the kind of people who would outfit their entire bedroom, the kind of people who would paint themselves up in celebration," Rhoten explained. "We're not trying to find somebody who has tried it and didn't like it."
After the first few days of the campaign, a series of Will it Blend-style of digital videos dubbed, "The theory of sriracha in everything," will run on online video networks and Wendy's social channels.
In one video, two scientists try to make a watermelon explode (a la BuzzFeed) by pouring hot sriracha into it. In another clip, the scientists create a paper mache volcano that explodes with a combination of baking soda, vinegar and sriracha.
"If you are a sriracha aficionado, you're going to try just about anything," Rhoten said. "If you're into this ingredient, you're going to be curious about what else you can do with it."
Wendy's is also working with BuzzFeed to create and run ads across all of the viral publisher's channels using BuzzFeed's nine-month-old Swarm format. Examples of content include a video where BuzzFeed staffers put sriracha on random food, articles and a quiz asking readers about foods that they'd be willing to try sriracha on. The campaign also includes a partnership with cable network IFC, which will make GIFs highlighting the sriracha peppers themselves.
Check out all three "The Theory of Sriracha" videos below.


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Architect David Adjaye is to launch his first range of furniture, it has emerged this week, with a series of limited edition benches and seating products to go on sale in January.
According to an Albion Gallery spokeswoman, the pieces are modular and can only be bought in a series of two or more, as each piece supports the other. Each product will be a limited edition of between 50 and 100 units.
The products will be on show at London gallery Albion from 16 January and Adjaye will also create an ‘architectural art installation’ in the space, says the spokeswoman.
‘Design and architecture are crossing the boundaries with art and that’s allowed the Albion, which is a contemporary art gallery, to stage this type of exhibition,’ she says.
In the show, visitors will enter into two nose-to-nose triangular spaces. The first space features one of Adjaye’s bench sculptures facing a landscape obscured by opaque, fretted glass. The furniture itself will be on display in the second room. ‘It’s a meditative space and quite different from his current touring exhibition, Making Public Buildings,’ she says.
The Albion will host another design exhibition next June, with a show of the Campana Brothers’ Transplastic range.


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EA Sports's next-generation game engine 'Ignite' is for Xbox One and PS4 titles, and will not be used to power its latest football sim, FIFA 14, on PC.
"Ignite will be the engine that drives our sports games on PS4 and Xbox One. It will not be used for FIFA 14 on PC," said Frost.
No reason was given as to why the new engine won't be used for the PC version, nor was it clarified if this policy will apply to other PC titles in EA's sports range.
While it went unspecified, one can only assume this means that FIFA 14 on PC will run on the same back-end tech as the current-gen Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.
Frost, along with fellow EA rep Brad Hilderbrand, also confirmed that Tuesday's 'Ignite' reveal trailer was created using pre-rendered footage, but that it's "representative" of the quality expected from the real games.
"The video uses assets pulled directly from the in-game engines, and was rendered to create this first look multi-product trailer," said Frost. "It's representative of where we expect our games will be when they launch."
Hilderbrand further clarified, "Given the timing and planning required for the Xbox One reveal event the EA Sports Ignite video was developed in a pre-rendered video format. We'll be showing off the game using in-game assets at E3."


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Despite improvements from a year ago, PepsiCo’s (NYSE:PEP) namesake soda still shows high levels of a carcinogen in 10 U.S. states, one watch group said in a report released Wednesday.
The levels of 4-MEI (4-Methylimidazole) in the soda were anywhere from four to more than eight times higher than California safety levels in 10 states, according to an independent testing commissioned by the Center of Environmental Health.
The group, which conducted the same test for Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO), found Coke was re-formulated in all but one tested region.
Pepsi responded to CEH by saying its caramel coloring suppliers have been working on the lengthy feat of modifying the manufacturing process to reduce the amount of 4-MEI (4-Methylimidazole) in its soda nationwide.
“The rest of the U.S. will be completed by February 2014,” PepsiCo Senior Director Aurora Gonzalez told CEH. “In fact, we’ll be starting the process and shipping concentrate end of this year.”
The chemical, a by-product of industrial production of caramel coloring. was found to have “clear evidence” of carcinogenicity last year in a National Toxicology Program animal study.
Reacting to the findings, California passed a law requiring soda makers to include the cancer-causing ingredient on their labels. Pepsi and Coke pledged at the time to clean-up the carcinogen nationwide.
While both have since posted improvements in the Golden State, which means their levels of 4-MEI are now below California’s Prop 65 levels, CEH claims Pepsi still trails in other key markets around the U.S.
Shares of Pepsi fell about 1.2% Wednesday, while those of Coke edged up 0.3%.


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Namco Networks has announced that its iPhone applications have been downloaded over 23 million times since June 2008.
The company currently offers 24 titles for the iPhone and iPod Touch including entries in best-selling franchises Pac-Man, Ace Combat, Galaga and Dig Dug.
"With over 100,000 applications available and three billion downloaded apps, the App Store is booming," said Jonathan Kromrey, general manager of Apple Games for Namco Networks.
"Not only are we excited that our worldwide audience is checking out Namco’s premium iPhone content, but that consumers are coming back for more."
The company claims downloads are averaging 36,450 a day. Namco Bandai continues to pursue the social and casual audiences, last week announcing the Namco Arcade for networking site Facebook.


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Kevin Brown: Traditional brick-and-mortar retail has come under pressure from the rapid growth of e-commerce as consumers shift an increasing number of their buying habits online. E-commerce has grown at double-digit year-over-year rates for nearly every quarter since 1999. When we focus on the categories of retail sales that people generally buy online, e-commerce's share is now over 20%.
While we recognize the pressure that e-commerce growth places on traditional brick-and-mortar retail, we believe that physical retail is not going out of business. The growth rate of e-commerce has followed a smooth, declining curve over time. Extending this curve out produces another half decade of double-digit sales growth, but eventually the growth of e-commerce will converge with the growth of brick-and-mortar retail. We believe that e-commerce's market share will continue to climb, but that brick-and-mortar retail's portion will remain large enough to sustain positive sales growth over time, as it has the previous nine years.
The retail REITs that we cover have all built portfolios with high-quality retail assets that should produce continued, solid growth. The Class A properties owned by these REITs should see higher foot traffic, higher sales growth, and be less impacted by store closures than lower-quality traditional brick-and-mortar retail. Additionally, the long-term leases signed with tenants should protect the REITs from any short-term disruption. We think all the retail REITs in our coverage are currently undervalued and provide attractive dividend yields, with Class A mall REIT Macerich being our top current pick. These companies should weather the e-commerce storm and prove to be winners over time, so we believe that investors should consider adding to their portfolio the high-end retail REITs.


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Meghan Markle and Harry paid by Charles for 'interim' says expert
Meghan and Harry claimed in their High Court battle this week against Associated Newspapers that the income from their 2018 wedding “far outweighed” the taxpayers’ contribution to security. Although the Royal Family contributed to the wedding, the bulk of the £32million occasion was covered by the taxpayer. Her lawyers also claimed that the event was “not, in fact, publicly funded, but rather personally financed by HRH The Prince of Wales”.
The couple have asserted this week that they brought in an estimated £300million in public relations value, £250million for retail and restaurants, £150million for fashion and £50million on merchandise.
In total, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex suggested that the event itself had raised £1.05billion towards tourism in Britain, an astonishing assertion which defies previous estimates.
Indeed, several experts did hail the event as a potential windfall in the lead-up to the wedding.
For instance, Brand Finance predicted approximately £200million would come from tourism, travel and hotels.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their wedding day in 2018
Another £150million could have come from celebrations, £50million from royal fans buying commemorative items, while the wedding itself would bring in approximately £100million in free advertising for Britain, according to the experts.
The Mirror claimed shortly after the wedding that the event brought £11million to London and Windsor through Airbnb bookings — although this is far off the estimated £1billion figure.
CNN Business explained just before the wedding that the event was unlikely to live up to the expectations of an economic boost.
The report read: “Past experiences show that grand royal events don’t usually produce the big bucks businesses would like, and they barely register in terms of the performance of the wider economy.”
Howard Archer, the chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club, told CNN: “We would be wary of over-egging the potential impact or seeking to put a hard figure on the potential gains.
“It should be kept in mind that some of the retail spending may just be switched from spending on other items.”
CNN added: “If history repeats itself, the royal wedding will fall flat in terms of economics.”
Many workers took a holiday during their wedding, meaning there was a decrease in output that day.
PwC claimed the Cambridges’ wedding created approximately £107million in extra spending.
Kate’s secret to keeping George, Charlotte and Louis in line exposed [INSIGHT]
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Yet, the CNN report also claimed: “ONS data shows that while retail sales spiked in April 2011, they fell the following month.”
As a result, "any splurge in spending" after Meghan and Harry's wedding "may be followed by a slump in June".
It continued: “The boost [of the Sussexes’ wedding] could be offset by those who choose to stay home and watch the event on television, instead of going out and spending money on other activities.”
Apparently there was no significant boost to tourism either after Kate and William's wedding.
CNN continued: “Analysts expect that any spike in visits from royal fans will be counteracted by the desire of other tourists to stay away from the crowds.”
It added that although a “feel good” factor could have promoted more spending after the wedding, it would have faded soon after.
Mr Archer explained: “This will likely be short lived as it does not affect the economic fundamentals facing households.”
Meghan and Harry’s claim follows months of frustration from the British public after taxpayers contributed to both their wedding and renovations for their home Windsor Cottage — especially as they have both stepped down as senior royals this year.


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Players continue to dash, leap, and vault their way through the Mushroom Kingdom in Super Mario Run, and Nintendo has released a new software update that results in the entertaining auto-runner sat at version 1.1.1.
However, there aren’t any surprises. The update notes on the App Store simply list that Nintendo has “implemented bug fixes,” without any particular reference to what has specifically been addressed.
To coincide with the update’s arrival, a Gold Bowser Statue has been added as a new My Nintendo reward.
Changes Made In Super Mario Run Update Version 1.1.1
- Implemented bug fixes.


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Innovative, End-to-End Solution Designed and Implemented in Only 19 Days
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – February 18, 2020 – i2c Inc., a leading provider of payment and open banking technology, today announced its partnership with SmartHealth PayCard, a leading FinTech pioneer committed to changing the culture of healthcare payments. Enabled with the agile processing of i2c, SmartHealth PayCard provides the first credit card dedicated solely to healthcare, making it easier for consumers to manage their medical expenses in today’s environment of high deductibles, high co-pays and costly medical emergencies. SmartHealth PayCard is also designed for immediate payment to healthcare providers.
The SmartHealth PayCard was implemented by i2c in only 19 days and provides a complete solution including a revolving line of credit, cardholder website, mobile app, secure online tracking and record-keeping, discounts at participating healthcare providers, SMS messaging and, soon, rewards and the ability to provide a dual-card capability to support both credit card and fully compliant health savings account (HSAs) payments. The SmartHealth PayCard will be distributed through a broad network of corporate employee group programs, healthcare providers, community groups, associations and insurers.
“We’re pleased to be changing the culture of today’s healthcare payments with the SmartHealth PayCard,” said Paul Clampitt, an insurance expert and co-founder of SmartHealth PayCard. “We want consumers to have a seamless, frictionless, and more comfortable way to manage their expenses. We’ve been impressed by i2c because they’ve demonstrated an ability to listen to our needs and mobilize to deliver innovative solutions in extremely short timeframes.” SmartHealth PayCard co-founder and healthcare expert Jeff Blankinship calls the card a financial cure for healthcare saying, “Cardholders pay for their health needs right away and their healthcare providers get paid on-time, so they can focus on treating patients instead of accounts receivable.”
i2c’s single global SaaS platform is designed to be highly configurable, flexible, and reliable with over 100,000 “building-block” capabilities that provide the foundation to rapidly create virtually any type of open banking or payments solution. As a result, i2c can partner with banks and FinTechs on innovative solutions while allowing them to bring programs to market quickly and retain full program control.
“The SmartHealth PayCard is yet another example of the innovative credit solutions that i2c can enable to help issuers solve real consumer payment needs – in this case providing a new way for consumers to manage and pay for all their healthcare needs and expenses,” said Nikki Waters, SVP, Head of Global Marketing at i2c Inc. “We recognize how important it is for our partners to bring their product vision to market quickly and the agility of our platform allows us to deliver on that beyond what even our clients believe possible.”
About SmartHealth PayCard, LLC
SmartHealth PayCard seeks to empower individuals and families with financial solutions and resources to simplify and improve healthcare.
The team at SmartHealth PayCard has extensive experience in healthcare, insurance, government regulations, and finance. We seek to introduce transformative change to healthcare that benefits patients, healthcare providers, and society at large. Visit smarthealthpaycard.com
About i2c Inc.
i2c is a global provider of highly-configurable banking and payment solutions. Using i2c's proprietary building block technology, clients can easily create and manage a comprehensive set of solutions for credit, debit, prepaid, lending and more, quickly and cost-effectively. i2c delivers unparalleled flexibility, agility, security and reliability from a single, global SaaS platform. Founded in 2001, and headquartered in Silicon Valley, i2c's next-generation technology supports millions of users in more than 200 countries/ territories and across all time zones.
For more information, visit i2cinc.com and follow us at @i2cinc.
Chuck MeyersDirector, Analyst and Public Relations, i2c firstname.lastname@example.org
+1 917.327.0651 / 800.268.3471
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