text:
Golden Nugget is earning information once more. Late Monday, the corporation introduced that they have attained an settlement to companion with Growth Entertainment, a leading gaming technological innovation company.
As a result of the offer, Golden Nugget On the net Co., which will be ordered by DraftKings, will have access to Boom’s casino match library as nicely as its strong remote activity server. In addition, Golden Nugget will receive marketplace access in Ohio and absolutely free-to-enjoy and true income sporting activities betting online games by way of Boom. As element of the transaction, Golden Nugget will also turn into a minority trader in Increase, which is poised to start actual-funds on line casino games for casino operators for the first time in the coming months.
The businesses also revealed that Boom, which features that a lot more than three million prospects have played their online games in the very last two decades, will acquire a new suite of casino and sports-themed video games that will be accessible exclusively from Golden Nugget On the web.
With their offer with Increase, the latest announcement of their acquisition by DraftKings, and the optimistic financials the organization has posted so much in 2021, Golden Nugget is continuing to be a notable brand in the gaming marketplace.
Golden Nugget Releases Income Report For Initial Fifty percent of 2021
It’s been rather a 12 months for Golden Nugget Online Gaming Co., and it is continue to not Labor Day nonetheless. The business has seen mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and field shakeups all all-around them. They introduced previously in August that DraftKings will acquire Golden Nugget On the internet in early 2022, (much more on that under).
Golden Nugget announced on Monday that for the 2021 2nd Quarter, revenue was $31.7 million, up from $27.7 million for the very same time period in 2020. This lifts Golden Nugget’s YTD earnings to $58 million, which is an enhance of 38.6% over the past 12 months.
The earnings will increase sign a wholesome rebound from the pandemic-impacted 2020 year for Golden Nugget, who also created information by inking market place accessibility partnership agreements in Ohio and Arizona. This came on the heels of promotions for Golden Nugget to enter into Virginia in March, and an arrangement with Barstool to seek out access to New York in February. The organization now has gaming pursuits in 14 states.
What DraftKings’ Obtain Of Golden Nugget Implies
Previously this thirty day period, DraftKings announced its intention to obtain Golden Nugget On the internet Gaming Co. for $1.56 billion in an all-inventory acquisition, in a transaction that will reshape the gaming marketplace.
For DraftKings, a organization that has the largest share of the day by day fantasy athletics industry, attaining Golden Nugget will instantly enhance their existence in the on line casino gaming area. With DraftKings and rival FanDuel splitting about 90 % of the DFS current market, the former plainly has their sights established on chipping away at the expanding on line casino gaming business.
With Golden Nugget Online Gaming in their portfolio, DraftKings can force its rivals in the DFS room by siphoning off end users who prefer to stick with one app for both equally their DFS and casino gaming. They also attain a foothold to acquire on on line casino gaming operators and maybe grow even further into the retail casino and vacation resort small business in the foreseeable future.


text:
Dell reportedly will release its new Ubuntu-powered computers on May 24. In his blog, LinuxQuestions.org founder Jeremy Garcia writes that a Dell staffer told him, “We will be launching a Linux based OS (Ubuntu) on the E520, 1505 and XPS 410 starting next Thursday, 5/24.”
From this employees note, it appears that Dell doesnt expect these system to sell all that well. “We expect these systems to be less than 1 percent of our OS mix for the entire year which is ~20,000 systems annually,” he is quoted as saying.
Still, this employee clearly hopes the Ubuntu-powered Dell systems sells better than that, as he reportedly added: “The goal of launching Linux is to continue to give our customers more choices to customize their new Dell. Providing more options to our Linux Enthusiast customer group will hopefully create even more Raving Fans!!”

domain: news


text:
In June 2019, Cypress Semiconductor (CY) announced that it was being acquired by Infineon (IFNNY 1.36%) for $23.85 per share. The deal still hasn't been finalized but could go through any day now. As of this writing, Cypress stock is trading at $23.41 -- meaning there's only about 2% upside from here.
A 2% short-term return isn't worth it when there are plenty of other top stocks for investors to chose from. But maybe Cypress' business is something you're excited about, and you're sad to see it be acquired. In that case, here's why you should consider buying Alphabet (GOOG -0.30%) (GOOGL 0.08%) instead.
Why investors liked Cypress Semiconductor
Cypress' legacy business segment produces semiconductor memory products. But in recent years, the company divested parts of its memory segment as it went all-in on producing semiconductor products for two huge industry trends: self-driving cars and the Internet of Things (IoT). Right now, these two arenas account for 79% of Cypress' revenue.
Free cash flow was another reason investors liked Cypress Semiconductor. In 2017, 15% of revenue was turned into free cash flow. In 2018, margins improved slightly to convert 16% into free cash flow. Management targeted returning 50% of all free cash flow to investors through share buybacks and dividends. It hadn't quite reached that long-term target but was getting there. In the first quarter of 2019 -- its last earnings call as an independent company -- Cypress returned 45% to shareholders.
Why investors should consider Alphabet now
Alphabet may seem like a strange investment alternative to Cypress Semiconductor. But when it comes to trends like autonomous vehicles and the IoT, Alphabet looks to benefit from both the production and consumer sides. The company is more than just Google and YouTube. It's a collection of subsidiary companies including Waymo and DeepMind, while Google produces a line of IoT consumer products under the Nest brand.
Waymo is a leader in autonomous vehicles. Earlier this year, the company began offering a completely driverless taxi for a select group of people in the Phoenix area. Besides having its own app, it has also partnered with Lyft to offer driverless taxis on its platform. Future applications of Waymo's technology include retail delivery. The company has already partnered with AutoNation to deliver car parts autonomously in the Phoenix area.
For the record, Waymo is still miles away from profitability. Alphabet records Waymo financials under its Other Bets segment. In the third quarter of 2019 alone, Other Bets recorded an operating loss of $941 million on only $155 million of revenue. That's a lot of cash burned, so it's worth watching. But the positive takeaway is that Alphabet's spending is positioning it for a leadership spot in the space.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are an integral part of the autonomous driving future and require an extreme amount of computing power. Traditional CPUs are inadequate, with production shifting to much more powerful GPU processors. DeepMind is Alphabet's AI division, and to better serve its computing needs, it has created its own processors that are even more powerful, called TPUs (for tensor processing units). Unlike its semiconductor peers, Alphabet offers access to these processors for consumers using its Google Cloud.
Over many years (including the last five, shown in the above chart), Alphabet has consistently grown both its top and bottom lines. Investors who liked Cypress Semiconductor's policy of returning cash to shareholders should also like Alphabet. The company doesn't pay a dividend, but in July it authorized a new stock buyback plan of $25 billion. So far in 2019, it has bought back $12.3 billion in stock, which was 31% of the free cash flow during that span.
Betting on Alphabet
With nearly a $1 trillion market cap, Alphabet is a massive company, and it's impossible to discuss every facet of the business in one article. The point is, shareholders of Cypress Semiconductor were invested in certain trends: IoT and self-driving cars. Alphabet gives investors exposure to those trends as well. Far from a pure-play, this company is a diverse portfolio of products and solutions that continue propelling double-digit top-line growth. And it's a great company, especially for new investors.


text:
The Exhibit Hall Show Floor, Number of Exhibiting Companies and Attendance Grows for 4th Consecutive Year
Rosemont, IL, November 3, 2016 - BNP Media, publishers of ASSEMBLY Magazine and producers of The ASSEMBLY Show announced growth in all areas at the recent trade show and conference that was held last week at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The exhibit hall floor had 276 exhibits occupying 67,000 net square feet, a 12% increase over 2015. With over 7,000 industry professionals from 48 states and 41 countries registered to attend. The ASSEMBLY Show also experienced a 5% increase in registrations over 2015. The exhibitors responded enthusiastically with over 70% of the 2016 show exhibitors renewing booth space on-site for the 2017 Show, which will take place October 24-26 back in Rosemont.


text:
Amazon has announced the startups chosen for the Alexa Next Stage accelerator program. The seven startups from five countries will..
Voice App DevelopmentArticles
Ever have trouble getting a selfie with your friends because you can’t position your camera and thumb correctly at the..
Specialty and Custom Voice Assistant Design with VUI Agency’s Esslinger, Hassan, and Baumeister – Voicebot Podcast Ep 151
Over the past few weeks, I have brought in executives from three companies with specialty assistants that have shown early..
Voice Industry Professionals See Services as Best Voice App Monetization Option, Confidence in Product-Based Businesses Fall
Sixty-two percent of voice app developers reported in January 2020 that building custom voice apps for businesses provides a clear..
Indian voice tech startup Slang Labs has created a voice-enabled tool for tracking COVID-19 outbreaks in India by region. The..
AIAlexa SkillsAmazon AlexaGoogle ActionsGoogle AssistantNewssmart speakerVoice App DevelopmentVoice Assistant
Voice tech startup NextNest has created a platform for anyone to build their voice broadcasts through Google Assistant or Amazon..
Microsoft is adding new voice styles and emotional variations to the neural text-to-speech (TTS) feature of Azure Cognitive Services. The..
Enterprise Voice app platform Voicify is working with state governments to build voice apps to answer questions during the ongoing..
Amazon announced a new startup accelerator program as part of the Alexa Fund on Monday. Alexa Next Stage will supersede..


text:
7th Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition officially kicks off
The 2021 Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition was launched on Friday, 07 May to once again provide a once in a lifetime business opportunity for the overall winner, in the form of prizes that amount to N$100,000 which includes a fully furnished mobile food trailer.
The competition which is in its 7th year, is open to Namibians from across the country. Preliminary rounds will be held at the Coast on Saturday, 29 May, in the North on Saturday, 26 June, and in Windhoek on Saturday, 10 July.
Finalists from these rounds will then battle it out at the final, which is scheduled for Saturday, 7 August, where the winner of the Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition 2021 will be crowned.
This year the winner will once again walk away with an SME package which will jumpstart their entrepreneurial journey. The entry level winners will walk away with; 1st place, Mobile/Trailer Kapana Kitchen, Nedbank account with N$10 000, Bakpro Vetkoek voucher to the value of N$5 000; 2nd place, Nedbank account with N$7 000, Bakpro Vetkoek voucher to the value of N$3 000; and 3rd place, Nedbank account with N$3 000, Bakpro Vetkoek voucher to the value of N$2 000.
Nedbank Namibia’s Manager for Communication and PR, Selma Kaulinge, noted that the competition is one which is embedded in the Nedbank culture, but encompasses elevation of business and employment creation.
“The Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition speaks to entrepreneurship and job creation. Past winners of this competition have gone on to become successful business owners. With many Namibians finding themselves out of work and desperate for a source of income, the Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition provides an opportunity for the winner to establish and grow a successful business,” she said.
Bakpro, a subsidiary of Namib Mills, is once again a co-sponsor of the Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off. To date, Nedbank Namibia has invested over N$3 000 000 in hosting this flagship national competition in support of small businesses and celebrating our true Namibian cuisine.
Entries for 2021 Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off Competition are officially and available at all Nedbank Namibia branches country-wide as well as on the Nedbank Namibia website.
The four-event series commenced with a media launch which saw 14 Namibian media houses experience the thrill of the Nedbank Kapana Cook-Off, as they competed amongst each other in an unofficial competition to make their version of a Kapana dish.


text:
Your IT Consultant
Information Technology Blog
by John W. Simek, Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
Samsung Patches Fingerprint Problem
October 24, 2019
Last week, I gave another example as to why you shouldn't configure your phone to unlock with a fingerprint. Samsung has now released a patch to fix the reported problem with the fingerprint reader and some third-party screen protectors. As The Verge reports, Samsung stated that the error was due to the ultrasonic fingerprint mistakenly "recognizing 3-dimensional patterns appearing on certain silicone screen protecting cases as users' fingerprints."
The patch is only available in Korea now, but will be rolling out to other countries shortly. Apparently, it will only be pushed out to devices that are configured with fingerprint unlock. Android Police reports, "Samsung recommends everyone with fingerprints registered should remove third-party screen protectors from the phone immediately. Once the biometric update hits phones, you'll want to re-register your fingerprints, and the new algorithms should prevent screen protector patterns from contaminating biometric data going forward."
It is unclear if the suggestion is for all users to delete their fingerprints and rescan or if the patch will really fix the problem.


text:
Current Bolt EV and EUV axed suddenly earlier this year
New model coming, but no word when
Chevrolet has just announced that there will be a new generation of the Bolt EV. The company’s CEO made the announcement during an earnings call, saying that the second-gen Bolt would continue to offer affordability and range.
When Chevrolet announced the death of the Bolt EV and EUV earlier this year it came as a surprise. Sales of the low-priced EV are up by 300 percent this year and the announcement came with no news of a replacement. GM CEO Mary Barra acknowledged the popularity of the current model on the call today, saying that “our customers love today’s Bolt. It has been delivering record sales and some of the highest customer satisfaction and loyalty scores in the industry.” She added that “it’s also an important source of conquest sales for the company and for Chevrolet.”
“We will keep the momentum going by delivering a new Bolt,” Barra said. “And we will execute it more quickly compared to an all-new program with significantly lower engineering expense and capital investment by updating the vehicle with Ultium and Ultifi technologies and by applying our ‘winning with simplicity’ discipline.”
Using GM’s Ultium platform, which is already under the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, and upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV, offers the potential for long range and flexibility, in addition to bringing the car to market more quickly.
Barra and Chevrolet didn’t announce how soon “more quickly” meant, but the announcement said we can expect more information to come.
GM calls the Chevrolet Bolt EV, launched in 2017, “the first long-range, mass-produced EV available to customers at a truly affordable price.” 80 percent of Bolt buyers stay in the Chevrolet brand and nearly 70 percent came from a non-GM product. The company is looking to continue that legacy with the new model.


text:
Every other year, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) publishes its statistical findings from the year prior. One of those reports is the Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. The publication reports buying and selling trends in real estate as well as other influencers affecting the market. One stat I find especially interesting every two years is how buyers actually found the home they bought.
In the latest edition, print media was dead last. That’s no surprise to anyone. The overall effectiveness of signs has wavered somewhat as well. But at the top of the list is the internet with half the total. Just below that, with 28% was the real estate agent. What the report does not take into account is how many of those online views are from a public version of a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) or an agent’s website.
I remember over a dozen years ago, those top two numbers were flipped! Back then, several real estate experts were concerned that the internet was going to be the end of their profession. Without a Realtor to help buyers locate a suitable home, the industry would just shrivel up. “After all, if they don’t need us to find a home, what do they NEED US for?”
Decades ago, the general public assumed the most important thing an agent did was help locate a home. Why the experts gave in to that way of thinking is beyond me. Unless you are in a very rural area, it’s not about helping clients FIND a home but rather to GET a home. Realtors do so much behind the scenes to make a family’s dream a reality. And there is the problem… it’s too much behind the scenes. We need to better inform our people of the actions we take to work for them. Otherwise, they assume we did nothing, especially when they locate the house. No one considers a material defect or liability issue until they have one.
And now the industry is ringing its hands again anxious that an online retailer is going to get in the act. How will this change the industry dynamics? Even Zillow is worried about it! Relax… it’s not day trading, it’s real estate. Abraham Lincoln once stated; “A lawyer’s time and advice is his stock and trade.” The same is correct for real estate agents. A seasoned expert has been around the block a few times and knows how to guide her clients. Great attention to detail must be given for a house to close. The type of attention given by a local individual, not a website and customer service pods half way around the world.
I recall about fifteen years ago, there was a large retail chain looking to get into the realty business. The idea was to have kiosks set up in their stores where customers could browse listings of properties in the area. They would sit down with a store clerk and simply “put in the order.” There were even a few pilot programs to test the waters. In the end, the mega retailer dropped the project. It was just too much of a hassle.


text:
MEC is preparing to ship the first production units in its new ’91 series’ of electric powered Rough Terrain scissor lifts.
Manitowoc Cranes has warned that the number 79A boom tops on 32 units of its Model 18000 crawler cranes must be inspected before further use.
Technically Death Wish 43 this one has seasonal touch to it, hopefully this man will be around for the celebrations
Manitowoc Cranes has appointed Andreas Schwer as senior vice president of global engineering and innovation.
Finning International has appointed David S. Smith as executive vice president and chief financial officer.
The first of the new Liebherr 100 tonne LTM1100-4.2’s has been delivered to Dunagép RT of Hungary.
Kran Warylo, the Polish based rental company has taken delivery of a 750 tonne Liebherr LG1750, the largest crane in Poland.
A crane travelling down a narrow lane in Wiltshire, UK, slipped off the road and became bogged down on the verge at the weekend.
Demag industrial and port cranes has reported revenues for its full fiscal year up over 13%, while profits jumped 45%.
Peter Lancken, chief executive of Australian rental company Kennards says he will step down from the job during 2009.
The UK HSE has appointed Philip White as the new chief inspector of construction.
A large dragline has been badly damaged after its boom was dropped when a crane’s winch failed while lowering it for maintenance at the Curragh mine in Queensland.
Several of you have asked who won the Facelift Spot the difference competition that ran in Cranes&Access here are the results.
Riwal the Dutch based international sales and rental company has boosted its equity and strengthed its senior management team..
We are just wrapping up the Cranes&Access 2008 rental rate survey, if you have not yet completed a form you can do one online now.
Aichi, the leading Japanese aerial lift manufacturer has confirmed that Ranger Equipment will represent it in the UK and Ireland.
The European Rental Association will now hold its 2009 annual convention in Manchester, UK. It had originally been scheduled for London.
When Swindon (UK) town council tried to put a Christmas tree on its famous Magic Roundabout it ran into difficulty, the choice of crane didn’t help.
GGR-Unic the UK mini crane distributor and rental company has made it into the Virgin Top 100 fastest growing companies.
Phillippe Parmentier, the used equipment sales manager for Genie Europe has left the company.
The Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, signed off on a tough set of crane safety laws yesterday.
California based aerial lift manufacturer MEC has delayed the production start up for its new booms until late 2009.
An aging truck mounted lift tipped over in the town of Galabovo, Southern Bulgaria last week killing to men.
Cargotec -Hiab has completed its employee co-operation negotiations in Finland which aim to cut costs and end manufacturing in Salo.


text:
Volvo Launches XC90 R-Design - The Sportiest XC90 Yet
- Host of visual, dynamic and equipment upgrades
- Key equipment includes 20-inch alloy wheels, leather sports seats and a 12.3-inch TFT information display
- Available now, priced from £49,785
Volvo Car UK has launched a new R-Design version of its award-winning XC90. R-Design models are the sportiest XC90s to date, featuring a range of design, dynamic and equipment upgrades to give Volvo’s seven-seat SUV a sporty makeover.
The outside of the car is distinguished by 20-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, silver-effect door mirrors, gloss black mesh front grille and tinted rear windows. Inside, there are leather/nubuck sports seats, a 12.3-inch active TFT driver’s information display and a perforated leather-trimmed steering wheel complete with gearshift paddles. R-Design XC90s also get a powered front passenger seat with memory function (to match the driver’s seat), sports pedals, black headlining and upgraded interior lighting. There’s even an exclusive R-Design leather-clad remote key fob.
R-Design models come with Drive Mode Settings and Adjustable Steering Force as standard, too, which allow you to choose between different settings for the engine, transmission, steering and the optional air suspension.
This is on top of the already generous standard specification of entry-level XC90 Momentum models, which includes a nine-inch touch screen control system, Sensus Navigation, two-zone climate control with Volvo’s ground-breaking CleanZone air quality system, LED headlights, power-operated tailgate with handsfree opening, and the Volvo On Call mobile app. Standard safety equipment includes City Safety (which features pedestrian and cyclist detection, and front collision warning with full auto brake), driver alert control with lane departure warning, and front, side and full-length curtain airbags.
Nick Connor, Managing Director of Volvo Car UK, said: “The launch of the XC90 R-Design makes our premium seven-seat SUV even more distinctive and dynamic than before. Its sportier looks certainly make it stand out on the road, and its extra equipment ensures that the interior is as luxurious as it is stunning.”
R-Design versions are available with the D5 diesel and T6 petrol Drive-E engines, and in T8 Twin Engine petrol-electric hybrid form. Prices of the XC90 R-Design start at £49,785 OTR.
For more information on the Volvo XC90, please visit the website: www.volvocars.com/uk
Volvo XC90 Wins Best New SUV - CUV over $60,000 at the 2016 Canadian Car of the Year Awards
Toronto, ON. November 24th, 2015. The Automobile Journalist Association of Canada (AJAC) announced this year’s “Best New” category winners for the 2016 Canadian Car of the Year Awards. Winning the 2016 Best New SUV - CUV, over $60k, category was the 2016 XC90. The two other finalists that finished behind the XC90 in voting were the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class and the Lincoln MKX.
“Volvo Canada is pleased to see the continued recognition from the AJAC contingent, with this being the second year in a row we have been recognized as a Canadian Car of the Year ‘Best New’ winner,” said Marc Engelen, President & CEO of Volvo Cars of Canada. “The XC90 continues to impress, and we are thrilled to add this award to our growing list of accolades for arguably the best luxury SUV in its segment.”
The event in which each vehicle was measured was at the annual “Test Fest” held in Bowmanville, Ontario this past October. The testing site was Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Volvo Pilots In-car Delivery in Sweden
With just days to go before Black Friday and Cyber Monday – the busiest shopping days of the Holiday season – Sweden’s Volvo Cars has unveiled a brand new way to take some of the hassle out Holiday shopping.
The premium car maker has launched the world’s first commercially available in-car delivery service in Volvo's hometown, Gothenburg, Sweden. In cooperation with PostNord, the Nordic region’s leading communication and logistics supplier, Lekmer.com, the leading Nordic online toy and baby goods store, and Mat.se, a Swedish online grocery retailer, customers can have toys, gifts, food and drinks delivered to their car.
Volvo In-car Delivery promises to bring some of the cheer back to the Holiday season by eradicating the more unpleasant aspects of seasonal shopping such as a desperate search for parking space in a busy parking lot, crowds of stressed people and the disappointment of missed deliveries.
The Volvo In-car Delivery works via a digital key, which is used to gain one-time access to your vehicle. Owners simply order the goods online, receive a notification that the goods have been delivered and then just drive home with them.
“Christmas is fun – but let’s be honest, it is also a busy time for most families. This service simply makes shopping easier,” said Björn Annwall, Senior Vice President for Marketing, Sales and Service at Volvo. “Volvo In-car Delivery provides concrete proof that connected car technologies can be used to save people time and make their lives easier.”
Volvo In-car Delivery is currently only available for Volvo drivers in Gothenburg who subscribe to the Volvo On Call service, but it will be introduced elsewhere in Sweden and to other countries in future. There will also be a wider range of goods available for In-car Delivery as Volvo joins forces with more companies in future.
The service is extremely simple to use. Volvo owners just choose the In-car Delivery option at the online checkout when they buy their gifts, food, drinks or other packages.
The Volvo In-car Delivery service is a good example of Volvo’s broader attitude to how new technologies can be introduced to its cars.
Volvo is always keen to explore new technologies, be it in the areas of safety, autonomous driving or connectivity, but believes fundamentally in Scandinavian utility – meaning it will only introduce a technology if it actually saves lives, saves times, adds an element of convenience or benefits drivers.
“Volvo is not interested in technology for the sake of technology,” said Klas Bendrik, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Volvo. “If a technology does not make a customer’s life easier, better, safer or more fun, we don’t use it.”
Volvo Cars to develop next generation automotive technologies with Microsoft
Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, will work together with Microsoft, the leading platform and productivity company, to jointly develop next generation automotive technologies.
The two companies today revealed how Microsoft HoloLens, the world’s first fully untethered holographic computer, might be used in future to redefine how customers first encounter and explore a car, as well as how cars might be bought and sold in future.
Areas of future collaboration between the two companies could include autonomous driving technologies and the utilization of data generated from connected cars to create new services.
Today’s HoloLens demonstration was conducted at Microsoft’s global headquarters in Redmond, USA, and showed how mixed reality might be used by customers to configure cars in three dimensions. With HoloLens, a powerful, wearable computer, holograms are mixed into the physical world.
“HoloLens offers the freedom to create a bespoke experience which customers can steer themselves. Imagine using mixed reality to choose the type of car you want – to explore the colors, rims, or get a better understanding of the features, services and options available,” said Björn Annwall, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Service at Volvo Cars.
He added HoloLens technology might also liberate dealers from more traditional sales environments and allow them to take a car configurator out on the road in small Pop-Up stores, shopping malls or on the high street, opening up new sales channels and introducing cars to a far larger potential audience.
At the HoloLens demonstration today, participating journalists were also given a mixed reality preview of Volvo’s new S90 premium sedan, which will be unveiled in reality at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
Today’s event offered an indication of the potential of mixed reality to transform the relationship between the customer and the car. Journalists were able to experience Volvo’s new sedan and its latest autonomous driving technology in 3D before the car has even been built and launched.
“We are thrilled to be working with Volvo Cars to reimagine what is possible in car design, discovery and purchasing. We are excited to be at this intersection of technology and human-centric design with Volvo,” Scott Erickson, Senior Director, Microsoft HoloLens at Microsoft Corp.
Today’s demonstration marks the beginning of longer term cooperation between Volvo and Microsoft that will embrace a range of new technologies, all of which have implications for the automotive industry.
One area of focus will be autonomous driving. Volvo Cars is a pioneer in car safety and is leading the way when it comes to connected cars and autonomous driving. It has announced a program called Drive-Me in which 100 self-driving and connected cars will be given to real customers on real roads around the Swedish city of Gothenburg by 2017, the world’s largest autonomous driving experiment.
Other areas of cooperation are expected to include how information gathered by cars and their drivers can be used to enhance the driving experience and the possibility of using predictive analytics to improve safety.
“We are extremely happy to innovate with Microsoft in the field of future mobility,” said Klas Bendrik, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Volvo Cars. “Today’s technology will allow us to achieve not only a more sustainable and crash-free future but also new benefits for our customers and society. Together with Microsoft we aim to pioneer in this field.”
Volvo Cars unveils Concept 26, delivering the luxury of time
Volvo Cars’ ongoing research into autonomous driving has confirmed what we all know - that the daily commute is taking the joy out of driving. It is during the commute and on long-haul motorway trips that people are most willing to delegate the act of driving to their car.
With this in mind Volvo has developed Concept 26, named to reflect the average daily commute to work of 26 minutes – time that could be spent doing something more meaningful than sitting in stop-go traffic. Volvo has set out to bring choice and freedom back to the driver; to enjoy the driving experience when they want to, or to delegate driving to the car when they want to do something else.
Drive, Create, Relax
“It’s all about people. Our research clearly shows that some people will want to use their commuting time creatively when they have full autonomous drive available, while others will want to just sit back and relax, watch online media or listen to music. Autonomous drive will make all of this possible. This is what Concept 26 has captured by reimagining the entire car experience,” said Robin Page, Vice President of Interior Design at Volvo Cars.
Concept 26 is based around an all-new patented seat design that actively cradles the driver during the transformation phase into one of the three modes: Drive, Create or Relax. With these three modes the concept creates a new autonomous drive innovation platform that can adapt to new needs and technologies over time.
When the driver wishes to delegate driving to the car the steering wheel retracts, the seat reclines and a large display emerges from the dashboard allowing the driver to enjoy the time spent in the car as they like. Concept 26 embraces the need for radical change of the basic design of car interiors and provides a space that can be used as the driver/passenger wishes.
Concept 26 opens up a new paradigm of possibilities in the car - from entertainment to service provision and beyond, using the technology that is now a natural part of our everyday lives. It also signals the huge potential for new business opportunities and high-tech collaborations that autonomous drive will bring.
“We have gone to great lengths to understand the challenges and opportunities that autonomous cars will bring to people in coming years, and our flexible approach to engineering and design, enabled by our new Scalable Product Architecture, means that we can readily bring this from concept to reality,” said Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development at Volvo Car Group.
Volvo Cars’ ongoing Drive Me research project, which will see an extended fleet of fully autonomous cars driving real customers on the roads of Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2017 is further proof that Volvo is a leader in autonomous drive technology, building firmly on its foundation of safety.
“Volvo Cars is among the first to address the subject of self-driving cars and liability. We firmly believes that car makers should take full responsibility for the actions of the car when it is driving in full autonomous mode. If a manufacturer does not accept liability it clearly implies that they are not confident about their autonomous drive technology,” said Dr Peter Mertens.


text:
Last night, an anonymous hacker claimed he had a database of over seven million Dropbox usernames and passwords. He or she leaked the first four hundred credentials online to prove the info was legitimate and began asking for donations to leak more.
Dropbox quickly responded, stating the leaked password database was not obtained from the company’s servers. Dropbox had not been hacked. Instead, the usernames and passwords were obtained from various other password dumps from separate attacks.
Here’s the company’s official statement:
“Recent news articles claiming that Dropbox was hacked aren’t true. Your stuff is safe. The usernames and passwords referenced in these articles were stolen from unrelated services, not Dropbox. Attackers then used these stolen credentials to try to log in to sites across the internet, including Dropbox. We have measures in place to detect suspicious login activity and we automatically reset passwords when it happens.”
Dropbox also verified that many of the passwords in the dump were already expired, but reset user accounts just in case.
It’s unclear where this database of passwords and usernames originated from, but it’s likely the hacker is sensationalizing his attack to soliciting money from the internet black market.
If there’s anything to take away from this story, it’s that hackers are becoming increasingly aggressive. They’re collecting as much user data as possible to sell on the black market, whether or not the information is actually useful.
Snapchat also faced a security scare this week. While Snapchat wasn’t hacked, users who signed up for unauthorized Snapchat apps that saved their friends’ photos and videos allowed hackers to leak over 200,000 photos and videos.
It bears repeating that you should never use the same password on multiple sites. Always use a password manager to generate passwords for each site you use.
Dropbox also supports two-factor authentication, which requires you to have a randomized code either sent to you via SMS or using an authenticator app. If you don’t have this feature enabled, do it now. Check out my guide on how to enable it.
While Dropbox may not have been compromised, you should still change your password just in case.
For more about protecting yourself online, read my guide on how to protect your online identity and why you should care.
Source and image credit: Dropbox
Follow me on Twitter: @lewisleong


text:
18 May 2009
Japan's economy contracted dramatically in the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 but recent reports indicate that the economy may have seen the worst.
The Japanese economy contracted 3.2 percent in the last quarter of 2008 and is estimated by economists to have contracted over 4 percent in the first quarter of 2009.
Reports from last week and today indicate that the economy has performed somewhat better since.
Last week, the Cabinet Office reported that it composite coincident index of business conditions fell to 84.9 in March from 85.2 in February, the smallest decline in eight months. Even better, the leading index rose to 76.6 in March from 74.5 in February, indicating a possible rebound in the near future.
Another report from the Cabinet Office based on the economy watchers survey showed that workers in economically-sensitive jobs have become more confident about the economy. The survey's diffusion index for current conditions rose to 34.2 in April from 28.4 in March. The diffusion index for future conditions rose to 39.7 in April from 35.8 in March. Both indices are now well off their lows of 15.9 and 17.6 respectively hit in December last year.
Today, we learn that Japanese consumers have also become more confident. The Cabinet Office reported today that its consumer confidence index rose to 32.4 in April from 28.9 in March. Based on the index, Japanese consumer sentiment last month was at its highest level in 10 months, having rebounded from a low of 26.2 in December.
So it is quite clear that the Japanese economy is stabilising. It now remains to be seen whether the improvement can develop into a sustained recovery.
Top of page
Disclaimer: The commentaries posted here represent the opinions of the author at the time of posting and should not be taken as investment advice. Readers who wish to take any investment action based on information obtained from this site should seek appropriate advice from a qualified financial adviser.


text:
Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Shri Ratan Tata is investing an undisclosed amount in a Pune-based electric motorcycle startup; Tork Motors. For a while, Tork Motors has been on a lookout for investors to raise funds.
Tork Motors | Highlights
- Tork Motors is preparing to launch its first product in India called the Tork T6X. The Tork T6X is estimated to cost around ₹1.5 lakh once it is launched and will compete with other premium 125cc-200cc motorcycles.
- The T6X electric motorcycle will be powered by a lithium-ion battery which will provide a range of upto 100 kms in a single charge and can be charged upto 80% in an hours time. The T6x will be powered by a 3.5KW battery which will initially be dust and waterproof. The T6X e-motorcycle has been under development for the past 4 years.
- Tork Motors founder and CEO; Mr Kapil Shelke has earlier raised finds from raised funds from auto component giant; Bharat Forge and OLA cabs founder; Bhavish Aggarwal.
- Bharat Forge has invested almost ₹34 crores and holds an equity stake of almost 49% in Tork Motors.
- Bharat forge has also assisted Tork motors in with its product engineering, plant designing, manufacturing and supply chain management.
- As per media reports, Tork Motors is aiming to produce 5,000 units in the very first year of its production starting off from Pune.
- Future plans include expanding to Bangalore and ramping up annual retails to up to 20,000 units.
- In a recent interview when asked about the Ratan Tata’s investment, Mr Shelke said I am glad that Mr Tata’s office representative visited the (Tork’s) factory, understood the concept, evaluated the product and had ridden the (electric) motorcycle. Post this, Mr Tata took an informed decision.
- Adding further, Mr Shelke said We have recently opened up our first fast-charging station in Pune. Our flagship product is ready and we plan to launch it soon. The T6X is a completely indigenized electric motorcycle
Also Read: Volvo XC40 Recharge Launched | First Electric SUV


text:
A video posted on the Youtube video sharing platform has revealed the shocking quality issues of Tesla Model Y. Buying a new car is usually for peace of mind. Most zero cars lose about 20 percent of their value as soon as they are bought and used. For this, people generally prefer to buy zero cars by taking this loss of value instead of buying used cars. But sometimes there are some production problems in zero vehicles. The owner of this Tesla Model Y claims that he has encountered this problem.
As we know Tesla Model Y has just started to be delivered to vehicle owners. In the USA, someone who has just received his car has taken a video of the new Tesla Model Y showing some shocking quality problems and shared it on Youtube. These shared images quickly became viral.


text:
Don’t lose your chance to reduce yours, and more importantly, your customer’s tax bills.
With the end of the tax year rapidly approaching, one of the tax efficiencies that was brought in in 2021 is coming to an end.
That was, Super Deduction!
Now, not everybody will have paid attention to this, but they should have.
Why is it important to you and your customers. Well aside from the big kit, this “deal” was also applicable to computer hardware and other things like desks and chairs. This might mean your customers have 30% more in their pot than they thought. It also means, anybody buying kit in the first half of 2023, should be aiming to buy it by the end of March 2023 to make use of this efficiency.
31st March 2023 is the last day companies can take advantage of the UK Government’s generous “Super deduction” Scheme announced in the 2021 Budget, by claiming 130% capital allowances on qualifying plant & machinery ( which includes computer equipment). This scheme was announced in the 2021 budget, starting 1st April 2021 and finishing 31st March 2023.
What does this mean for companies- in very simple terms, spending £1000 on qualifying products, means you deduct £1300 ( 130%) when computing your taxable profit, therefore reducing your taxable profit when paying corporation tax. (Obviously, speak to your tax adviser for more details).


text:
We’ve finally caught our breath after the annual CES® in Las Vegas last week (and this weekend) and we’re more convinced than ever the future will be lit by fiber. Early in the show was a fiber-focused panel featuring a group of our members sharing their thoughts on connectivity and on how fiber empowers this future of innovation.
But we also spent some time on the show floor and here are our thoughts on the emerging tech trends that will dominate 2017 and how fiber will be crucial to their performance and widespread consumer adoption.
The cloud and the Internet of Things (IoT)
The biggest overall trend we saw this year? The sheer number of things expected to connect to networks. Companies like Under Armor, Lowe’s and even Carnival Cruise Lines were in the technology playground, showing off the items they expect to connect in the months to come. As the technologies that connect to the internet become smaller and require less power, we expect next year will also bring more devices in buildings, more smart sensors throughout our cities, and even more IoT devices in rural areas addressing concerns such as precision agriculture.These devices are expected to produce small amounts of data — at a massive scale. Gartner estimates that the average family home will have more than 500 smart devices by 2022, and Ericsson believes that there will be 50 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020 — that’s ten devices for every person online. We will need fiber deep within and throughout our networks to ensure these devices work they way they are intended and that they stay reliably connected.
If you ask many people, the real winners of this year’s CES were the wide range of “personal assistants” and other artificial intelligence “chatbots” like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google’s Home. In 2017, we’re told to expect even bigger changes in software that can learn on its own — and where we’ll find AI. Fiber networks will be crucial to handling the coming data deluge: according to IDC, annual data generation is expected to reach 44 zettabytes by 2020.
Consumer Technology Association’s Julie Kearney, VP for Regulatory Affairs, called 2017 CES 5G’s “coming out party.” And indeed, several keynotes, panels and displays focused on this ultra-fast, cutting-edge wireless technology. While fiber is not usually people’s first thought when thinking about wireless, it should be. The performance goals touted for 5G networks — high capacity, low latency, extremely reliable — are dependent on having lots of fiber, in lots of places.Here’s to a big year!


text:
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday, Huawei launched its new flagship smartphones, the P10 and P10+, with the promise to “make every shot a cover shot”.
Huawei launched two new flagship smartphones during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday. The Huawei Consumer Business Group announced the P10 and P10+, co-engineered with Leica, promising to “bring professional studio-like effects to enhance your portrait photography”, and claiming these to be the most advanced photography smartphones available.
For the first time in a smartphone, Huawei P10 and P10+ feature a Leica front camera, to complement their Leica Dual rear camera. By utilising the world’s most advanced photographic technology to create modern artistic portraits in Leica’s signature image style, Huawei says “the P10 and P10+ put all the tools of an artistic studio in your pocket”. With features including studio-like re-lighting and 3D facial detection technology, it says, users are able to produce beautiful photography results in any environment.
Huawei provided the following information:
The new front camera allows anyone to capture perfect portrait photography in Leica image style whilst the rear camera captures facial features with incredible detail, bringing your photos vividly to life. Whichever way your lens is pointed you will be able to make every shot a cover shot, and professional lighting effects make your subject stand out, whatever the conditions. Huawei’s Hybrid Zoom, is an additional feature that allows users to focus in on specific areas of an image while still keeping the sharpness of image quality.
Further, through a special partnership with Pantone Color Institute, the world’s pre-eminent thought leader on colour, the devices are introduced in the latest on-trend colours, optimised for the phone’s Hyper Diamond-Cut finish.
As well as redefining portrait photography through the latest photographic technologies, the P10 and P10+ set a new standard in colour and design. Co-created with Pantone Color Institute, the devices launch in two specially selected Pantone colours: Pantone Greenery*, the official Pantone Colour of the Year 2017, and a captivating deep blue shade which Huawei is offering as Dazzling Blue. By combining Huawei’s advanced industry design expertise and leading metal craftsmanship with the trusted colour thought leadership and direction of Pantone Color Institute, the P10 and P10+ embody the personalities of the contemporary consumer.
The result of hours of careful craftsmanship and cross-collaboration between Huawei and Pantone Color Institute, both colourways have been specially optimised for the surface and texture of the P10 and P10+ to deliver smartphones that are as beautiful to look at as they are to use. Greenery delivers a clean and stylish sandblast finish, whilst the unique Hyper Diamond-Cut in Dazzling Blue is brought to life through a stunning glow effect. To complement these unique colourways, the P10 and P10+ are also available in a selection of striking colours including Ceramic White, Dazzling Gold, Prestige Gold, Graphite Black, Rose Gold and Mystic Silver.
As part of the Huawei P series, the P10 and P10+ feature an ultra slim, minimalistic form with rounded curves. The high-quality design extends to its high-performance functions which include super-fast charging, thanks to Huawei’s proprietary SuperCharge technology, an operating system that will always stay just as fast as they day you purchased it and superior connectivity that ensures wherever you are you’ll stay connected.
Richard Yu, CEO of the Huawei Consumer Business Group, said: “With Huawei P10 and P10+ we have created a smartphone that revolutionises and redefines portrait photography. Thanks to the evolution of our partnership with Leica Camera users now have an incredible Leica front camera on their Huawei device in addition to the rear. To match this innovation inside, Huawei’s partnership with Pantone Color Institute ensures that the devices are equally as beautiful on the outside. The Huawei P10 and P10+ are smartphones that are as fashionable as they are functional.”
Laurie Pressman, VP of Pantone Color Institute added: “With consumers increasingly comfortable using colour as a form of expression, we are seeing more experimentation and creative uses of colour. Colour is truly a medium through which individuals can express themselves to the world around them. Huawei recognises this evolving consumer dynamic and through our partnership we’re looking forward to providing Huawei customers with the ability to make a bold colour statement.”
Huawei has harnessed its relationship with Saatchi Gallery and Leica Camera to redefine portrait photography. Seven renowned photographers recommended by these iconic institutions have created a collection of stunning, artistic works using the Huawei P10 smartphone. Focusing attention on the evolution of portraiture, the photographers have created their own interpretation of portrait photography, using the handset.
Oliver Kaltner, CEO Leica Camera said: “Our partnership with Huawei allows us to demonstrate to millions of customers that amazing and professional imagery can be achieved on a smartphone and that our expertise in lenses and optics can help them achieve fantastic portraits. Huawei P10 and P10+ give users all the tools of an artistic portrait studio in their pocket, allowing them to achieve stunning results every time they take a shot.”
These artists’ work debuted for the first time at a special pop-up exhibition in Barcelona, from 26 February – 28 February 2017. And selected works will be included in the ‘From Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition at Saatchi Gallery London from 30 March.
Huawei has also partnered with Chinese designer Ricostru to develop a new aesthetic for a new collection of P10 and P10+ accessories. The collection features the mini smartphone bag; the perfect partner for the new devices. Small but stylish, the bag fuses retro and oriental elements throughout weaving textures and a sculpted architectural aesthetic. To ensure that your new Huawei smartphone never runs out of power in the most fashionable way possible, Ricostru also introduces a unique, fashionable bracelet that can quickly transform from a chic braided band, into a mobile phone charging cable.
Huawei P10 key Portraiture Features:
- 3D Facial Detection An all-new intelligent facial detection system features over 190 detailed identification nodes for accurate recognition for perfect selfies.
- Leica Dual-Camera 2.0: The Leica Dual-Camera 2.0 on the P10 features a 12MP RGB + 20MP monochrome sensor that captures detailed facial features. The 2.0 Pro Edition carries SUMMILUX-H Leica lenses, with a larger F/1.8 aperture to capture more light in low-light situations
- Hybrid Zoom: An additional new feature that allows users to focus in on specific areas of an image while still keeping the sharpness of image quality
- Embedded ISP: The Kirin 960 with embedded ISP enables real-time viewing of depth-of-field changes and facial features.
- Studio-like Portrait Enhancements: The artistic imaging algorithm in the Huawei P10 and P10+ is based on the extensive research of various different face shapes and skin colors. By understanding the relative position of each facial feature and the uniqueness of skin type, the portrait enhancements can be applied in a customized and more natural way.
- Dynamic Illumination: Huawei P10 and P10+ include an auto-sensing algorithm that tracks environment lighting changes and automatically adjusts the shooting configuration, including the AWB, shutter speed and more
- Front Camera Sensor: All-new front camera sensor that captures more light to improve picture quality in low-light conditions.
The Huawei P10 and P10+ are available in Europe and China from March, 2017, followed shortly after by Asia, Latin America, South Africa and Russia in April, 2017. Priced at: P10 €649, P10+ (64GB + 4GB) €699, P10+ (128GB + 6GB) €799.
Smart home arrives in SA
The smart home is no longer a distant vision confined to advanced economies, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
The smart home is a wonderful vision for controlling every aspect of one’s living environment via remote control, apps and sensors. But, because it is both complex and expensive, there has been little appetite for it in South Africa.
The two main routes for smart home installation are both fraught with peril – financial and technical.
The first is to call on a specialist installation company. Surprisingly, there are many in South Africa. Google “smart home” +”South Africa”, and thousands of results appear. The problem is that, because the industry is so new, few have built up solid track records and reputations. Costs vary wildly, few standards exist, and the cost of after-sales service will turn out to be more important than the upfront price.
The second route is to assemble the components of a smart home, and attempt self-installation. For the non-technical, this is often a non-starter. Not only does one need a fairly good knowledge of Wi-Fi configuration, but also a broad understanding of the Internet of Things (IoT) – the ability for devices to sense their environment, connect to each other, and share information.
The good news, though, is that it is getting easier and more cost effective all the time.
My first efforts in this direction started a few years ago with finding smart plugs on Amazon.com. These are power adaptors that turn regular sockets into “smart sockets” by adding Wi-Fi and an on-off switch, among other. A smart lightbulb was sourced from Gearbest in China. At the time, these were the cheapest and most basic elements for a starter smart home environment.
Via a smartphone app, the light could be switched on from the other side of the world. It sounds trivial and silly, but on such basic functions the future is slowly built.
Fast forward a year or two, and these components are available from hundreds of outlets, they have plummeted in cost, and the range of options is bewildering. That, of course, makes the quest even more bewildering. Who can be trusted for quality, fulfilment and after-sales support? Which products will be obsolete in the next year or two as technology advances even more rapidly?
These are some of the challenges that a leading South African technology distributor, Syntech, decided to address in adding smart home products to its portfolio. It selected LifeSmart, a global brand with proven expertise in both IoT and smart home products.
Equally significantly, LifeSmart combines IoT with artificial intelligence and machine learning, meaning that the devices “learn” the best ways of connecting, sharing and integrating new elements. Because they all fall under the same brand, they are designed to integrate with the LifeSmart app, which is available for Android and iOS phones, as well as Android TV.
Click here to read about how LifeSmart makes installing smart home devices easier.
Matrics must prepare for AI
By Vian Chinner, CEO and founder of Xineoh.
Many in the matric class of 2018 are currently weighing up their options for the future. With the country’s high unemployment rate casting a shadow on their opportunities, these future jobseekers have been encouraged to look into which skills are required by the market, tailoring their occupational training to align with demand and thereby improving their chances of finding a job, writes Vian Chinner – a South African innovator, data scientist and CEO of the machine learning company specialising in consumer behaviour prediction, Xineoh.
With rapid innovation and development in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), all careers – including high-demand professions like engineers, teachers and electricians – will look significantly different in the years to come.
Notably, the third wave of internet connectivity, whereby our physical world begins to merge with that of the internet, is upon us. This is evident in how widespread AI is being implemented across industries as well as in our homes with the use of automation solutions and bots like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana. So much data is collected from the physical world every day and AI makes sense of it all.
Not only do new industries related to technology like AI open new career paths, such as those specialising in data science, but it will also modify those which already exist.
So, what should matriculants be considering when deciding what route to take?
For highly academic individuals, who are exceptionally strong in mathematics, data science is definitely the way to go. There is, and will continue to be, massive demand internationally as well as locally, with Element-AI noting that there are only between 0 and 100 data scientists in South Africa, with the true number being closer to 0.
In terms of getting a foot in the door to become a successful data scientist, practical experience, working with an AI-focused business, is essential. Students should consider getting an internship while they are studying or going straight into an internship, learning on the job and taking specialist online courses from institutions like Stanford University and MIT as they go.
This career path is, however, limited to the highly academic and mathematically gifted, but the technology is inevitably going to overlap with all other professions and so, those who are looking to begin their careers should take note of which skills will be in demand in future, versus which will be made redundant by AI.
In the next few years, technicians who are able to install and maintain new technology will be highly sought after. On the other hand, many entry level jobs will likely be taken care of by AI – from the slicing and dicing currently done by assistant chefs, to the laying of bricks by labourers in the building sector.
As a rule, students should be looking at the skills required for the job one step up from an entry level position and working towards developing these. Those training to be journalists, for instance, should work towards the skill level of an editor and a bookkeeping trainee, the role of financial consultant.
This also means that new workforce entrants should be prepared to walk into a more demanding role, with more responsibility, than perhaps previously anticipated and that the country’s education and training system should adapt to the shift in required skills.
The matric classes of 2018 have completed their schooling in the information age and we should be equipping them, and future generations, for the future market – AI is central to this.


text:
Geoff Keighley, PrestonPlayz, CouRage, and more Raise Awareness for Breast Cancer
Frisco, TX – September 27, 2020 – National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. ® (NBCF) announced today the kick-off event for Game Pink, their video game focused fundraising initiative that aims to activate the gaming community to raise awareness and help women and families impacted by breast cancer.
Kicking off on October 3rd, Game Pink is partnering with some of the biggest names in gaming along with developers and brands for Game Pink Live. Hosted by gaming industry veteran Geoff Keighley, Game Pink Live will feature interviews and gameplay from PrestonPlayz, KelseyDangerous, Bugha, JD Witherspoon, CouRage, QuarterJade, dasMEHDI, and many more.
“I’m excited by the opportunity to join Game Pink and the game industry in coming together to help the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s efforts to support women and say game over to breast cancer,” said Geoff Keighley, Game Pink Live’s host.
NBCF is partnering with Xbox to be the official console sponsor for Game Pink Live which will stream from the official Xbox channels and will offer digital content or limited-edition items from Xbox Game Studios titles Sea of Thieves, Halo, and Grounded, as well as Cuphead from Studio MDHR, to help raise funds for patients in need throughout the entire month of October.
In the current COVID climate, support is needed now more than ever as more patients face challenges in getting treatment and flexible access to services.
“There has been a lot of concern this year with everything shutting down to COVID-19 and we unfortunately may see a surge in later stage diagnoses next year due to people putting exams on hold,” said Kevin Hail, President and COO of NBCF. “We’ve had a lot of success with our Game Pink event in the past and now, by expanding our activities, it’s our goal to quadruple past donations and educate the gaming community to help more people and families.”
Knowing that 46% of gamers in the U.S. are female, Game Pink is asking gamers to share their stories of how breast cancer has affected them or someone they know to create a gaming support community. Gamers can enter their stories at www.gamepink.com or on social media at @NBCF using #GamePink. Select submissions will be chosen at random and showcased during Game Pink Live on October 3rd.
“One of the many things I love about the gaming industry is the charitable efforts its community continues to support,” said Chris Erb, CEO of Tripleclix, NBCF’s Gaming Agency. “We have some incredible things planned with the community for October 3rd and beyond.”
Donate: Game Pink on Tiltify
Follow on social: #GamePink @NBCF (IG and Twitter)
About National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. ®
Recognized as one of the leading breast cancer organizations in the world, National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) is Helping Women Now® by providing early detection, education and support services to those affected by breast cancer. A recipient of Charity Navigator’s highest 4-star rating for 14 years, NBCF provides support through their National Mammography Program, Patient Navigation, breast health education, and patient support programs. For more information, please visit https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
Tripleclix (http://www.tripleclix.com) is a strategic gaming agency focused on developing marketing partners for game publishers while helping brands navigate the gaming industry. With over 60 years of industry experience, the agency specializes in building strategy, promotions, original content, and lifestyle marketing by combining publisher driven gaming content with innovative and iconic brands. Tripleclix acts as the connective tissue through which brands, publishers, and consumers interact.
Follow Tripleclix on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @tripleclix or online at Tripleclix.com.


text:
Airlines are always trying to keep up with modern trends and make the experience better for the passenger and the latest concept to interest European travellers is that the little bell above our heads for calling a steward and the hassle of ordering dinner could be a thing of the past thanks to a new app. Lufthansa are taking advantage of this new software to bring some of the conveniences we are used to, and some new and improved services, right to the passenger's tablet or smartphone.
Lufthansa passengers will enjoy a whole new in-flight experience with better access to more choices.
All passengers need to do to receive this new experience is install the app, which will be available in iOS, Android and Windows stores, and they can then connect to the plane's servers for instant access to menus, duty free shopping experiences, destination information and a selection of in-flight movies that will be streamed wirelessly to the device. This new approach to the menu and shopping will surely be welcomed by many passengers because it has the potential to make choices and orders much easier, whether passengers are simply looking to top up their glass and browse the catalogue in peace or are looking for specific meals due to dietary restrictions or particular brands.
This idea is not entirely new, Virgin Australia and El Al Isreal Airlines are both using versions of this program to enhance their own flights and other companies are said to be following suit in the near future. In preparation for this innovation, Lufthansa are currently installing the same BoarsConnect servers into the planes for simple connectivity and, even though there will be a transition period where the screens currently installed in the plane will use the system, these screens will eventually be removed in favour of the passengers' own devices. The service, and the free app, are expected to come into operation in the summer.


text:
The Baby Boomers and Generation Y pose a $7 billion conundrum for the fashion industry.
U.S. apparel and footwear consumers are expected to cut their spending in the two categories to $344 billion by 2020, down from $351 billion in 2010, according to projections from Euromonitor.
It’s not that consumers are going to be spending less overall. The research firm predicted shoppers would boost annual expenditures by $3 trillion over the decade to $11 trillion, with increases of $730 million in spending for health goods and medical services, $412 billion for leisure and recreation and $137 billion in communications.
“People are more pleasure orientated in their budgets and I think that it’s in retaliation for the prices they have to pay for things like health care,” said Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist at Golden Gate University.
She summed up the attitude like this: “When I’m going to buy something for fun, it’s damned well going to be fun. It’s going to feel really good. I want emotional impact for what I’m buying.”
And consumers also have new outlets for shopping energy.
“People, especially young people, get so much pleasure from their technology,” Yarrow said. “It’s such a creative outlet for them and it’s also a way to identify with different groups of people and so it’s taking up some of that money that would have been spent on fashion.”
Hana Ben-Shabat, a partner in A.T. Kearney’s retail practice who analyzed the Euromonitor data for a recent report on consumers, said changes in fashion spending are being driven by Baby Boomers entering retirement and focusing on “experiential” spending, while Gen-Y shoppers come of age with their own priorities.
“These two groups of consumers are going to make a big change in how people shop for clothing,” Ben-Shabat said.
They are also playing into longer-term trends in how consumers spend their discretionary dollars. Citing government statistics, Ben-Shabat said apparel expenditures as a percentage of disposable income fell from about 6 percent in the Seventies to 4.9 percent in 1988 and 2.9 percent in 2010.
“The category has been very promotional over the last few years and we’ve seen that everywhere,” she said. “Maybe total demand is not going to decline volumewise, but we’re just not going to get the same money for it because it’s highly promotional. If you want to maintain traffic, promotions are still a way to move people in.”
For Boomers, though, there might be almost no level of promotion that will do the trick.
“As you retire, you need fewer clothes or different clothes, but casual clothes are cheaper than suits,” said Christine Chen, senior investment analyst at investment firm Ashfield Capital.
The fashion retailers that will win in this environment will be in the luxury space or providing some sort of value on the other end, she said.
Retail, perhaps because of these demographic and societal shifts, is in a period of serious flux. Even retail staples like price promotions are being seriously reexamined. Chief executive officer Ron Johnson’s overhaul at J.C. Penney Co. Inc. eliminated coupons at the 1,100-door chain. Other retailers, including Ann Inc. and Express, are trying to get customers away from lower price points while solidifying their fashion credentials.
The departure of the Baby Boomers would be bad enough for fashion, which has relied on their spending for decades — just look at the travails of The Talbots Inc. — but they start to exit the workforce just as household incomes plateau.
“That’s just a brutal squeeze play on the industry,” said Jonathan Low, a partner and cofounder of consulting firm Predictiv. “Spending on apparel and footwear starts to decline as people get older, but you can see spending on leisure activities increasing. The moderating influence is immigration to the U.S., which is why it won’t be declining further.”


text:
India’s domestic auto sales rose 25 percent to 2,279,151 units in June this year, driven by robust sales in passenger vehicles and increase in demand for two-wheelers in rural areas, said a report.
Domestic car sales were up 34.21 percent at 1,83,885 units against 1,37,012 units in the same period last year, according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).
The sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment expanded at a faster rate than cars, SIAM said, adding that the domestic SUV sales grew by 47 percent to 73,654 units in June.
The report also highlighted that there is a shift in preferences among consumers from large cars to SUVs. Thus, SUV segment is expected to clock strong growth in 2018-19.
However, the prolonged impact of pay commission arrears can lead to some slowdown in car sales in coming months, SIAM said.
The two-wheeler sales last month increased by 22.3 percent to 11,99,332 units from 9,64,729 units a year earlier. The two-wheeler sales are likely to keep up the momentum assuming normal monsoon and strong rural sentiments, according to SIAM.
Sales of commercial vehicles (CVs) were up 41.7 percent at 80,624 units. The surge in the commercial vehicle segment was largely due to the low-base effect due to Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) emission norms, which came into effect on April 1, last year, the report added.
However, the government’s push towards infrastructure execution before election and increase in infrastructure expenditure with focus on housing construction under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna and irrigation is likely to improve the CVs sales in remaining months of this fiscal.
During the quarter April-June 2018, the overall vehicle sales were up 18 percent to 6,942,612 units as compared to 5,882,912 units in the same quarter last year.
The passenger vehicle and two-wheeler sales grew by 20 percent and 16 percent respectively, during the April-June quarter this year. Total commercial vehicles sales were up by 51.6 percent during the same period.
First Published: IST


text:
BBB warns of new Target scam
Scammers are taking advantage of victims affected by the security breach at Target stores.
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers not to share credit card and personal information.
Here's how the scam works.
You receive a text message, which claims to be from your credit card company.It says your card has been blocked in response to fraudulent activity.
The message asks you to call a phone number to verify your account information.
This latest warning comes as Rhode Island's Attorney General joins the national investigation into the security breach at Target.


text:
As we prepare to head on in to the HTC event today, we wouldn't be off to a great start if there wasn't some last minute rumors popping up. No, we're not talking about those Facebook phones here. We're talking about the HTC Revolver which has been suggested to be a Honeycomb loving phone that is headed to AT&T. Of course, the fact it's a phone running Honeycomb has us wondering about the legitimacy of it all.
Spec wise the information suggests a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen, 16GB of on-board storage, and 1GB of memory with an 8 megapixel camera on the back and an 3 megapixel camera on the front. As much as we'd like to see how Honeycomb would run on a device like this, we'll have to wait for the HTC announcements later today. [Engadget]
*Update* - As expected, nothing to see here. just some Tom Foolery.
You probably shouldn't use Apple's MagSafe charger on your Android phone
The science behind wireless charging says not to put anything magnetic close to either side. Apple did the work to make it safe, but chances are other phone makers haven't. Yet.
Samsung delivering an update to the Galaxy S7 isn't a cause for celebration
Samsung just rolled out a security patch to the four-year-old Galaxy S7. While it is good that the phone is getting an update past its guaranteed three-year commitment, the current system of Android updates is broken, and things need to change.
Latest Galaxy Watch Active 2 update brings another Galaxy Watch 3 feature
Samsung is bringing another feature from its latest and greatest smartwatch to the Galaxy Watch Active 2 with a new software update.
The Xperia 1 II is our favorite phone for shooting video
If video recording is your thing, then look no further than the Sony Xperia 1 II — it offers a large screen, three great cameras, and extremely robust manual video controls.


text:
WASHINGTON – The National Retail Federation issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay after the White House announced plans to move forward with tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports.
“We’re disappointed the administration has announced plans to move ahead with tariffs, which will lead to higher costs for consumers, fewer jobs and retaliation. China’s trade practices raise serious concerns, but job-killing tariffs aren’t the answer. As the U.S. and China prepare for another round of negotiations, we hope the administration has clearly defined objectives and concrete solutions to resolve this trade dispute without tariffs. The lack of clarity surrounding the administration’s plans is creating significant uncertainty for American businesses, disrupting supply chains and threatening to undermine the economic gains we’ve seen over the past year.”
A recent study by NRF and the Consumer Technology Association found tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, coupled with retaliation promised by China, would reduce U.S. gross domestic product by nearly $3 billion and destroy 134,000 American jobs.
The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association. Based in Washington, D.C., NRF represents discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.


text:
The snowstorm that ravaged North America kept people indoors and hurt many retailers hard. The Artic vortex that went south and stayed there made a mess for the people who could go out for shopping. Companies like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) had spike orders from the people who were trapped indoors. Retail business was stunned. Everything sounds awful. So why should you bet on the retailers hit by severe weather?
- Extreme weather events can't last forever.
The coldness we experienced wasn't the worst in history, but it did last very long. This severe coldness is unlikely to happen every year as we know that the warm Atlantic ocean currents which could bring more heat to the North Pole don't change their path constantly. (Atlantic ocean current change could make summers hotter.)
- Extreme weather events usually amplify anxiety and fear.
Was the weather really so cold that we couldn't even get out? We had not experienced anything "cold" before this "real" winter came. The average temperature was not so unbearable. Thanks to the fickle media, we read scary titles that made our bodies cooler than they actually were.
- Extreme weather events bring down the retail business.
Many retail companies have said that the frigid weather impacted their businesses. Kohl's (NYSE:KSS) warned of Q4 troubles after weather problems. Home Depot (NYSE:HD) estimated a $100 million loss caused by cold weather. Although we know that these earnings impacts were temporary, the market punished the companies that missed their earning estimates anyway.
I have followed a few companies that had suffered earnings misses due to the chilliness.
Francesca's Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:FRAN) declared its earnings report for Q4 2013.
- Francesca's Holdings : Q4 EPS of $0.27 misses by $0.02.
- Revenue of $92.1M (+6.2% Y/Y) misses by $2.23M.
- Francesca's saw margins deteriorate by 280 bps to 50.6% in FQ4 as traffic was soft.
- Comp sales fell 6% during the period.
- The retailer warns that the negative trends it saw in January have extended into the current quarter.
- The company sees EPS of $0.20-$0.24 in FQ1 vs. $0.28 consensus.
As a result, FRAN plunged more than 15% after its earnings report.
Francesca's CEO Neill Davis said:
Sales results for the fourth quarter were below our revised guidance driven by the impact of 370 full and partial daily boutique closings during January due to extreme weather conditions.
FRAN's comparable sales are expected to be in a range of low negative to low positive single-digit for 2014 fiscal year period compared to minus 2% for the 2013 fiscal year comparable sales.
FRAN's business was challenged by competitions. I am surprised comparable sales fell hard during the period even with lots of stores closed down. FRAN's business model allows it to quickly expand and quickly follow the unpredictable fashion trends. In theory, FRAN should be able to do well expanding its business along with excellent comparable sales growth. Stephen Simpson's article explains this situation well.
FRAN opened 91 news stores and remodeled 30 stores in 2013. FRAN now expects to open another 85 new stores and remodels up to 50 stores in 2014.
FRAN is trying to remodeling its current business. Thanks to the size of their stores, FRAN has the ability to quickly change or modify its merchandise by sacrificing limited amount of sources and time. New stores openings and merchandises with high profit margins may mitigate possible weather and margin impacts. In addition, the board reveled that it may repurchase shares further into 2014.
What I am trying to say is that the Q4 2013 earnings report was influenced by the cold weather. The punishment by the market was probably unjustified.
After the adjustment, the 2014 estimated EPS for FRAN is about $1.22 per share. Revenue growth rate is expected to be around 15%.
My opinion for FRAN is that its earnings will improve for the second half of 2014; its fair valuation should be around $23 - $25. ($1.22 X 20 = $24.4) A P/E of 20 is given here to reflect possible earnings improvement.
Bed & Bath Beyond (NASDAQ:BBBY) revealed its Q4 2013 earnings reports on March 7, 2014.
- Bed Bath & Beyond cut its FQ4 outlook after it said severe weather led to 464 times a store was closed for a full day and 1,923 times a store was closed for a partial day.
- Forecasts FQ4 (March) EPS of $1.57-$1.61 vs. prior guidance of $1.60-$1.67 and analyst consensus estimate of $1.65, and sees comparable store sales up 1.7% vs. previous guidance of 2%-4% gains.
- Bed Bath & Beyond estimated that the winter weather reduced its earnings by 6 to 7 cents per share for three-month period that ended March 1. It expects to earn $1.57 to $1.61 per share for the quarter, down from its prior forecast of $1.60 to $1.67 per share.
Bed & Bath Beyond is another company that I have followed for years. I admire BBBY's business model and position since it's the biggest player in the sector, which means smaller players cannot threaten BBBY's business directly. BBBY has splendid historical financial stats and operating efficiencies. Its EPS has been growing consecutively since 1993. (Except for the 2008 financial crisis, the EPS for that year stayed flat.)
There is a voice that Amazon may threaten BBBY's business by offering similar products. Because of the severe coldness, many customers stayed at home and did most of their shopping online. The storm helped Amazon supporters.
Indeed, many shoppers were shopping on Amazon during the winter. I have noticed that BBBY only adjusted down its guidance for the next quarter by 3.5% (estimated EPS is down to $1.61 from $1.67). Thanks to the bad weather conditions, the board was finally aware of the weakness in its online distribution channels. Investing in online channels is BBBY's priority now.
Some people are concerned that customers will shift their loyalties to Amazon gradually. Similarly, people are concerned that PetSmart (NASDAQ:PETM) will lose its business to Amazon. Well, we must realize that there is an element of exaggeration in the case of how well Amazon could beat up conventional retailers. PETM proved that it can do well under the threat of Amazon by beating estimates consecutively. BBBY, on the other hand, as the biggest player in the sector, has the resources to fight off Amazon.
We know that shopping experience is the key to retailers, which help customers to enjoy the process of purchasing products. Amazon's shopping experience is incomparable to other smaller sites like ETSY or ASOS in my opinion because Amazon doesn't have the resources to lift their shopping experience for every sector yet. Besides, BBBY has more variety than Amazon.
BBBY has made several important acquisitions such as Linen Holdings and Cost Plus to strengthen its market shares. BBBY's main goal for the year is to invest in its IT department to catch up with the cyber-shopping trend. We know that the weather impact is most likely a one-time incident which is unlikely to make its damage exactly the same as last time. When the clouds fade away, customers will visit retail stores again. Recent prejudices will be gone.
BBBY's estimated EPS for 2014 and 2015 are $4.8 and $5.28 respectively.
Estimated Revenue growth for 2014 and 2015 are 5.6% and 4.8% respectively.
BBBY has no debt with more than $1 billion cash or cash equivalent items and short-term investments.
My evaluation for BBBY is $5.28 X 15 = $79.2. A share price around $80 is fair.
One-time incidents are the kinds of opportunities that the market occasionally produces for contrarians. I have had investments in these opportunities throughout my career and they have turned out to be good fortunes. For example, LXU Industry had an explosion that hit one of its major factories, where the damaged area only affected less than 5% of its overall business. However, the market was driven by fear. People were busy dumping LXU's shares rather than taking a close look first.
There are other retailers that have taken impacts from the coldness this year. (NASDAQ:LNDC), (NASDAQ:TFM), and (NYSE:LB) are my potential picks. For those of you who like to play contrary investments, you may have a best year ahead of you.
Disclosure: I am long FRAN. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Additional disclosure: I may initiate a long position in BBBY over the next 72 hours.


text:
At a time when our economy is in a crisis and consumers are struggling financially, credit-card companies in too many cases are gouging them, hiking interest rates on customers who pay on time and consistently meet the terms of their credit-card agreements.
Past News ReleasesRSS
Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) March 18, 2009
The current economy may be driving even more pet owners to seek pet health care coverage. The North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) represents leading pet insurance providers in North America and in this difficult economy the association finds opportunity for the pet insurance industry to protect and insure more pets. Pet insurance has been available in North America for over twenty five years, still only 2-3% of insurable pets are covered. The market however is very strong and has grown over 300% in just the past few years. More pet health insurance providers, a wider range of pet insurance options, more competition, and now the economy, have all played a role in the positive growth of the market.
According to NAPHIA Executive Director, Loran Hickton, "The current economy makes pet insurance critically important for pet health and the financial wellbeing of all pet owners. Pet owners simply don't have the disposable income to cover emergencies or even routine pet health care. Many pet owners have relied on credit cards to cover emergency care, surgery and other unforeseen veterinary care. This has become more complicated and problematic due to the economy. Clearly, credit cards are no longer an option for many pet owners."
"Veterinary bills have been escalating. Invoices well over $1000 are not unusual. This is NOT a budgeted expense and thus most families are totally unprepared and without readily accessible financial resources. We need to find ways that pets can receive the best care possible for the conditions that they have while concurrently insuring that pet owners have the ability to make decisions from their hearts and not from the pocketbooks," according to Peter Weinstein, a veterinarian in California and Executive Director, Southern California Veterinary Medical Association.
Financial institutions are unilaterally reducing lines of credit, raising interest rates and charging additional fees for the use of credit cards. The United States government is stepping in to better protect consumers through tougher regulations on changing the terms and fees of credit cards. During a recent Senate hearing (Feb.09), Senator Chris Dodd, chair of the Senate Banking Committee, stated, "At a time when our economy is in a crisis and consumers are struggling financially, credit-card companies in too many cases are gouging them, hiking interest rates on customers who pay on time and consistently meet the terms of their credit-card agreements."
"While senator Dodd and members of his committee work on legislation to better protect consumers, the current economy and changing credit cards terms make pet insurance more important than ever before," according to Hickton. "As an industry, pet insurance now has an opportunity serve all pet owners and provide needed protection and value. Our pets have become beloved members of our families; certainly most of us want to provide them with the same care we would expect for ourselves. Pet insurance is the means to provide needed care. More pet owners are facing the choice of paying their utility bills or providing care for their pets. Some face a far worse decision: the excruciating choice between providing necessary care or euthanizing their pet."
Research by the American Veterinary Medical Association shows the pets are truly members of the American family. About 60% of U.S. households have at least one dog, cat, bird, or other companion animal. Many have more than one. There are more than 72 million pet dogs in the U.S. and nearly 82 million pet cats. Pet owners spent $24.5 billion on veterinary medicine in 2006, more than double what they paid 10 years earlier.
For more information contact the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, call 1-412-319-7730 or visit http://www.naphia.org.
# # #


text:
Jump to navigation
Michael Orye, Managing Director for Recycling at DS Smith, explains what the future holds for paper and card recycling rates, and what is required to bring them back on track.
Legislation approved specifying recyclable materials that must be presented, collected and managed separately from April 2024
Use of machine learning is powering a new generation of recycling robots in materials recovery facilities (MRFs) highlighting the potential for further innovation.
Lars Rensing, CEO of Protokol, speaks on the need to embrace Digital Product Passports for textiles, to increase circularity within the fashion industry
Use of fuel from waste fats, including cooking oils, demonstrates potential to reduce net emissions associated with air travel
The podcast aims to engage fashion industry leaders and open important dialogue on sustainability in the textiles industry
A new WRAP report has uncovered an increase in the number of flexible plastics entering the market
Tim Gent, Managing Director of Recresco, comments that action is needed to alleviate confusion on glass recycling reforms to help reduce waste going to landfill
Paul Sanderson, chief executive of The Recycling Association, weighs in on whether Simpler Recycling has met the industry’s expectations
Alupro’s Martin Hyde looks at deposit return schemes to improve recycling rates and explains what decisions need to be made to ensure maximum impact
Engineers, procurement professionals and health and safety managers in the waste industry can tackle the growing demand on services by embracing specialised services and solutions
The Government’s announced increase to the packaging levy in line with inflation has been criticised for not going far enough in disincentivising the use of raw materials.
A report published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation highlights the value that reuse models can have in reducing plastic pollution
According to DG Environment the provisional agreement prohibits export of non-hazardous plastic waste, including material sent from the UK to European ports
Addressing the growing need for transparency and sustainability in the packaging industry, a consortium of partners from the packaging industry have unveiled a transformative solution for packaging data management
The partnership enables the production of a sustainable liquid petroleum gas replacement from refuse-derived fuel, in collaboration with Circular Fuels Limited
A new report has provided a baseline figure for future progress on food waste from some of the globe’s largest retailers
The initiative aims to direct furniture away from disposal and support the growth of a circular economy
Work has begun on the final capping of full trenches ready for permanent closure at the site
© 2000 - 2023 Resource Media Limited


text:
Jawbone has released the Icon we heard rumors about before. This new Bluetooth headset from Jawbone improves on Jawbones previous designs with some no brainer upgrades. For example, now it has a simple on off switch! Why don’t all headsets have those! They have also thrown in a standard MicroUSB port so you don’t have to carry around their annoying proprietary connector anymore.
They have also added:
- A new voice prompting menu which will tell you the number of the caller ID and more
- New MyTalk apps let you customize the firmware
- Connect to multiple phones and switch between calls on them like call waiting
- More improvements into the noise cancellation and volume
Check out the headset at us.jawbone.com and let us know what you think!


text: On the 17th local time, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced further restrictions on Huawei in an attempt to cut off Huawei’s ability to acquire chips through commercial channels, and added 38 Huawei subsidiaries in 21 countries into the so-called “entity list” on the basis of previous restrictions. The US side’s move is threatening. “The intention of the U.S. side to do so seems to be to increase pressure on Huawei,” the Wall Street Journal quoted industry analysts as saying. If Huawei can’t get semiconductor chips, then they are defeated in this battle. ” Perhaps because of this, some foreign media have exclaimed that the U.S. move is a “fatal blow” to Huawei. Pompeio, the “pioneer” of the United States, also said triumphantly that the move was a “direct attack” on China. On the 18th, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry made it clear that “we urge the US side to immediately correct its mistakes, stop stigmatizing China and stop suppressing Chinese enterprises. The Chinese government will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. “. As for the measures to be taken, China has not yet made clear. However, judging from the record of Sino US exchanges, we may as well wait and see if China does what it says. In the absence of any evidence, the US side has generalized the concept of national security, abused state power, and taken various restrictive measures against Huawei and other Chinese enterprises on the charge of “unnecessary”. China’s implementation of reciprocal countermeasures against the United States also belongs to self-defense. Moreover, according to the wrong logic and practice of the US side, any country can take similar measures against any American enterprise on the ground of national security. Since the United States has opened the “Pandora’s box”, it is normal for it to eat its own fruit. < / P > < p > there is no doubt that the U.S. restrictions will have an impact on Huawei and its suppliers. There have been media reports that Huawei will not be able to produce its flagship Kirin chip next month due to pressure from the United States on Huawei’s suppliers. But the technical blockade has never frightened the Chinese. The history of new China’s industrial technology development is a glorious history of breaking through foreign technological blockade. The successful development of “two bombs and one satellite” is the best example for Chinese people to break through the external technological blockade. The spirit of “two bombs and one satellite” of “self-reliance and hard struggle” is still inspiring Chinese people. The U.S. crackdown on Chinese enterprises again and again is actually a clarion call for the Chinese people to break through key technologies again and again. Now, the Chinese government has paid unprecedented attention to strengthening the original innovation, and is strengthening the research on the key core technologies of “sticking neck”, including the crucial chip. No difficulty can overwhelm the Chinese people. The day when the “Chinese core” will replace the “foreign core” in an all-round way will become a reality in the near future. < / P > < p > in the face of the latest US provocation, China has not yet “taken the necessary measures”, and some American enterprises have already felt pain. John neuver, chief executive officer of the American Semiconductor Industry Association, said in a statement on the 17th that “these extensive restrictions on the sale of commercial chips” will bring great damage to the US semiconductor industry. We are surprised and worried about the sudden change in government. The U.S. semiconductor industry is facing huge losses. In 2018, Huawei purchased $11 billion worth of parts from US companies such as Intel, Qualcomm and micron technologies. As noeve said, sales to China bring profits that can be used for innovation by American enterprises. “If you kill a thousand enemies, you will lose eight hundred.” If the white house doesn’t change its course, the semiconductor industry in the United States will suffer a lot. If the US side unreasonably suppresses Chinese enterprises, it will encounter resistance in the United States. The eyes of the masses are bright. Most foreign media will mention when reporting that the United States has suppressed Chinese enterprises. Although the United States has long claimed that Chinese enterprises such as Huawei may use its network to engage in espionage activities for the Chinese government, US security officials have never provided evidence in this regard. In fact, such evidence does not exist at all, and it is impossible for the US side to present it. The United States regards the so-called national security as the reason to suppress the enterprises concerned, which has thoroughly broken the “veil” of the market economy and the principle of fair competition. Japan’s Toshiba, France’s Alston and other companies have been subjected to arbitrary pressure from the United States. Now it is Huawei and other Chinese enterprises that are under pressure. Which country’s enterprises will be in the future? The international community has its own steelyard. To put it bluntly, the ultimate goal of some American politicians to crack down on Chinese enterprises is to curb China’s rise. But American politicians need to recognize that the situation is better than people. No force can stop the progress of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. This is the general trend of the world today and is irresistible!


text:
Here's another Samsung Galaxy SII commercial that attempts to build the hype on the dual-core processor power. I believe I have lost count on these commercials now. I think this is five or six, not that it really matters... more importantly, we have news that the smartphone has been released in the UK for £149 on Pay Monthly or £399.00 on Pay & Go. Perhaps this bodes well for a release in the U.S. soon. We're keeping our fingers crossed.
Source: AndroidCentral and PhoneArena