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There is no doubt in the merits of moving away from fossil-based mobility, but all the efforts must match up to the targets that have been set forth. India has plenty to learn from other countries who have executed their e-vehicle programme with success.
By Alok Raj Gupta
To reduce carbon emissions by 2030, India is determined to accomplish its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, and make itself an energy-sufficient economy. In order to do this, transitioning to electric mobility or e-mobility is seemingly one of the most promising options and there is palpable support across Government and corporate communities towards this goal.
One example is the income tax exemption that Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s Finance Minister, has offered in the last budget. Besides lowering GST from 12% to 5%, in order to accelerate EV adoption, the Government of India has also budgeted Rs 795 crores under FAME-I and Rs 9,634 crores under the FAME-II scheme until the year 2021-22. This has been done to provide an impetus to the EV sector in various areas such as creating demand incentives, developing a charging infrastructure, and building IEC (Information, Education & Communication) efforts. Automotive majors like Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Tata Motors, Hyundai-Kia, Maruti Suzuki and Toyota are already anticipating potential EV growth. Accordingly, M&M alone has committed more than Rs 1,000 crore to build manufacturing lines for electric vehicles and power trains. Similarly, Hero Electric plans to expand its manufacturing capacity five-fold; it will manufacture 500,000 units of two-wheelers a year in order to meet the expected surge in demand.
While all these developments may seem encouraging and similar to the route most other developed nations are following, we might be overlooking a key aspect: the EV growth trajectory that countries like China, USA, Norway and Japan have successfully followed are not necessarily the best examples; the factors that shape them are fundamentally different from those in India. Key factors such as investment priorities, opportunity costs, market preparedness, and policy guidelines may require some more inward thinking in the Indian case. A belated realisation of this particular perspective was what caused the government’s revision of total EV share to 30% from 100% by 2030.
Moreover, ironically, while India’s EV narrative mainly focuses on the need to curb emissions, the primary source of power for these e-vehicles will come from hydrocarbons like coal. Even now, with a total contribution of 70% to total power, coal is the major source of power generation in India.
India currently has sub-optimal capacity to handle the end-of-life dead Li-ion batteries, another grim reality it needs to confront. To make this point, let’s look at EV sales which have taken place as of 2019 — a total of 6.3 lakhs 3-wheelers, 1.3 lakhs 2-wheelers, and 3600 4-wheelers have already been sold.  Going by the trend, and the policy mandate to have 30% of all vehicles as EVs by 2030, the demand for batteries will continue to rise. This translates to an exponentially growing stock pile of discarded batteries. In a scenario where safe recycling of the more common lead acid batteries found in our cars and inverters remains a challenge, the capacity to manage Li-ion battery waste from e-vehicles is literally negligible — a fact that was corroborated by the Central Pollution Control Board in its 2016 compliance report. This clearly articulates our present lack of preparedness to support the intended e-mobility growth. A 2018 study led by Envecologic, in association with SIIB (Pune) lays emphasis on the need to scale up R&D efforts to improve battery efficiency and identify economically viable ways to manage battery waste.
The Bharat Standard-VI (BS-VI) emission norms will be implemented across India by 2020; this is another potential EV growth decelerator. Automakers in India have been busy recalibrating vehicles to meet the new standard, and have already made significant investments to meet the deadline. This translates into divided bandwidth, and the inability to invest wholeheartedly in the EV growth story, especially given the lacklustre demand for vehicles since 2018.
From a consumer’s point of view, the cost of EVs is an impediment, specifically in a value-conscious markets like India. Most EVs in India provide a range of 110 km (on a full battery) and fall in the INR 6-10 lakhs price bracket. This does not offer any cost advantage when compared to higher segment cars with comparable pricing. This could be a crucial deterrent in the fast adoption process.
However, despite these factors, the Government is optimistic that consumers will overcome cost hurdles through the subsidies being offered. That said, other hurdles may continue to sabotage EV prospects. India will need reliable excess power supply to feed the charging stations, which at present looks like a big leap, considering the frequent power outages experienced in many parts of the country, especially during summer.
While a lot has been spoken about the challenges with respect to the network of charging infrastructure, the discussions still prove inadequate. A minimum skeleton network of 4,230 public charging stations in 53 cities with a million plus population has been planned under FAME-II, but even that is just 1% of what is required to meet the needs of the targeted 30% of all vehicles by 2030. The (un)ease of operating electric vehicles will impact the demand significantly. Picturing the infrastructure requirement, one can’t help but remember the long queues in front of CNG stations, and the productive hours wasted waiting in queues for gas. This particular picture does not give a very encouraging message with respect to the electric vehicles.
There is no doubt in the merits of moving away from fossil-based mobility, but all the efforts must match up to the targets that have been set forth. India has plenty to learn from other countries who have executed their e-vehicle programme with success. For example, with just 38 million vehicles on the road and considerable power surplus to boot, the UK’s plan to replace half its vehicles with e-vehicles by 2030 looks somewhat possible. This is alongside its endeavour to phase out coal fired power generation by 2025. Going by this benchmark, India still looks underprepared in its EV pursuit. Overall success in EV adoption will critically hinge upon the coordination between manufacturers, government policies and, most importantly — consumer ability to participate in this new age green revolution. The government must keep in mind that the opportunity cost of India’s e-mobility programme is prohibitive, and sub-optimal execution at any level may come at a high cost.


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(FOX6 News Milwaukee) A 42-year-old Racine woman is now charged in connection with an incident that was captured on video at a Kenosha Walmart.
The accused is Magdalena Ciechanowski – and she faces the following criminal counts:
- Criminal damage to property
- Disorderly conduct
According to the criminal complaint, Kenosha County sheriff’s deputies responded to the Kenosha Walmart around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28 regarding a “disorderly conduct complaint.”
The court paperwork says a “female was throwing candles and yelling ‘Black lives matter’ in the store. She left in a white vehicle with Illinois plates prior to the deputies arriving.
A detective reported that cellphone video was captured of the incident involving the woman. It had been posted to social media.
totally normal stuff here pic.twitter.com/Y9HWBkMsx2— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) March 3, 2022
The complaint says the manager at the Walmart stated the woman had damaged “a considerable amount of merchandise at the store.” He told investigators the woman was “throwing candles down the aisle and yelling.”

domain: news


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SmartAC.com, a local tech startup, emerged Tuesday from stealth mode with $10 million in venture funding and a product that’s very Houston: It monitors the health of home AC systems, alerting customers via smartphone if the house is about to lose its cool.
Josh Teekell, the founder and chief executive who has owned a home services company since 2009, said he knows the “pain points” about air conditioning systems and set out to create a smart-home product that alerts homeowners to early warning signs that could signal full-blown breakdown.
“Most people don’t think about their AC system until it breaks,” Teekell said. “That creates a big demand for repairs when the hottest day of the year comes. We spent a long time researching what data points would be necessary to address problems in advance.”
THINK SIMPLE: How to turn your house into a smart home
Most of the $10 million came from Houston investors whom Teekell declined to name, saying only that many were “high-wealth individuals” who work in the oil and gas industry. He declined to say what value the round assigned to the business.
“They are all homeowners, and they have all had problems with their own AC systems,” he said. “They got it right away.”
The SmartAC.com product consists of three sensors attached to a different component of an air conditioning system that talk to a central hub via WiFi or Ethernet to a home router.
One sensor is placed behind the AC filter and senses air pressure. Another attaches to an air vent in the home to monitor the temperature of the cold air blowing into the home. The third sits in the drain pan to alert when it begins to collect water.
The hardware costs $99, purchased on the company’s website. For homeowners with two AC units, an additional set of sensors costs $59, and all talk to the single hub. The kit is mailed to users, who install it themselves, though Teekell said he has arrangements with some AC companies to provide installation service.
The sensors feed the hub data constantly, and using artificial intelligence, the system determines a baseline performance. If the data change — say, the chilled air isn’t as cold or the air draw isn’t as strong — the user is alerted through a smartphone app. The cloud service is $5 a month and includes the ability to chat with a service technician via the app.
The sensors and data can help with common problems, such as when to change an AC filter or when a drain line is clogged, which Teekell said is the top reason for AC technician service calls.
The hardware is available to order today, and first shipments will go out June 12, Teekell said, adding he hopes to offer retail sales soon.
WYZE SCALE: At $20, this scale is a great smart-home bargain
The product was originally scheduled to launch at the South by Southwest festivals in Austin during March, but that event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Analyst Mark Vena, who covers smart-home products for Austin-based Moor Insights & Strategy, said he was not aware of any other product exactly like SmartAC.com.
“If you have a solution that allows you to correct a situation proactively, that’s great. It’s better to know something is going to fail, rather than have it fail,” Vena said. “To do this for $99, it’s a no-brainer.”
But SmartAC.com may not be alone for long. In January, Google emailed owners of its Nest Learning Thermostats that it was testing a new feature to monitor the health of AC systems. Called HVAC alerts, the feature will send an email warning to a Nest owner if there appears to be an issue, such as taking too long to cool down a house or a room.
Teekell said his product gathers more data to make its AC health determinations, calling Google’s approach “just a binary, on-and-off.”
Release Notes: Get Dwight Silverman’s weekly tech newsletter in your inbox
SmartAC.com began in 2018 and is Teekell’s second AC-related startup. He launched a product called Mistbox in 2013 that attached to the outside unit of a AC system and blew water mist into the condenser’s blades to make it run cooler. Teekell said he is in the process of “sunsetting” Mistbox, and SmartAC.com will be his primary venture.


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"The McLaren of Grand Tourers" Is Coming Next Week
The strip tease is finally about to end.
As unannounced car names go, "The McLaren of Grand Tourers" isn't half-bad, right? It's no Cadillac of hamburgers, of course, but hey, what is? (No, really, what's the Cadillac of hamburgers? We're hungry.) Fortunately, we won't have to wait much longer to learn the name of McLaren's first GT since the Can-Am-derived M6GT, or to see what it looks like beneath the camouflage. The car is scheduled to debut at 8:00 a.m. Eastern on May 15, and a few shadowy images and a new video accompanied the announcement of the date.
Although it's still wearing a camouflage wrap in the initial photos McLaren released, they—and the newer photos—are the first official shots of the car without the bulky, form-obscuring blocks and panels previously applied. Why the partial strip down? Because the final stretch of development is used to assess aerodynamic performance, noise characteristics, and test other aspects of the car that can't be locked down with the obscuring bits in the way.
Promising true grand-touring cred, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt announced the car at the 2019 Geneva auto show. The MoGT is said to be a continent-crosser with "a level of agility never experienced before in the luxury Grand Tourer segment." That's quite the shot across the Porsche 911 Turbo S's bow. Not only that, but the MoGT promises "competition levels of performance" while still being "comfortable and refined over the long distances a grand tourer is expected to consume."
Unlike the cars comprising McLaren's Sport, Super, and Ultimate series, the MoGT won't be based on any other vehicle line; it will be its own car and is likely to begin a new, separate series of slightly cushier McLarens. Despite that independence of form, McLaren says it will share some DNA with the Speedtail, which it calls a "Hyper-GT." Pricing is expected to start at around $200,000 when deliveries start in July or August, according to Flewitt, who promises the car will be the lightest and best-driving car in its segment. A total of 500 units are planned for this year, some 40 percent of which are earmarked for North America.
McLaren is confident enough in its work on the MoGT thus far to also execute a 1,000-mile drive from its development base near Barcelona, Spain, to the company's headquarters in Woking, England, with this sleeker camouflage skin in place. The drive was to be completed at a single go, with two occupants, and a full complement of luggage in the cargo area(s).
The camouflage wrap will come off and the lights will be turned up very soon.
This story was originally published on April 3, and has been updated with the reveal date.
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Throughout its 19 years in existence, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) has consistently upheld its mission to “promote profitable farms that produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.” One of PASA’s newer innovative actions involves a collaboration of local famers and restaurants coming together to develop healthier choices for the dining-out community, called Farm Meets the Table.
Local growers benefit from selling their items on a commercial scale. Local buyers not only benefit from buying foods with maximum freshness and great taste, they also help keep dollars in the local economy, which in turn benefits families within the community.
PASA hosted its premier Farm Meets the Table event last year on April 12 at Restaurant Alba in Malvern. The inaugural event featured a presentation by Alba chef/owner Sean Weinberg on how to buy from farmers and how to sell to chefs.
“We had a really nice turnout last year,” said Weinberg in a telephone chat. “We’re expecting even more this year. There’s even a waiting list for the farmers and the chefs.” The event was such a sucess that Weinberg will reprise his role as host again this year.
“I’m really close to all the people in PASA and I have good relationships with a lot of the farmers,” said Weinberg. “I’m just looking forward to seeing them and having time to really talk about issues [regarding eating healthy, locally grown foods]. Instead of saying ‘we should talk about this,’ we actually will get a chance to talk about it.”
The event will take place Monday, March 14 from 5:30-7pm at Restaurant Alba, located at 7 West King St., Malvern. Registration deadline is March 4 at 5pm.
For more information, contact event coordinator Denise Sheehan at 610-458-5700 ext. 317 or via email at denise[at]pasafarming[dot]org


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Chicago—BtoB’s “2008 Marketing Priorities and Plans” survey found that 60.1% of b2b marketers plan to increase their marketing budgets next year.
The survey of 213 b2b marketers was conducted online during the last week of November and the first week of December.
The biggest budget increases will be seen in online marketing, with 79.1% of marketers planning to boost their online budgets next year.
Also, the average percentage of the marketing budget spent next year on online marketing will be 33.8%, up from 26.5% this year.
Another tactic that will see a spending boost in 2008 is event marketing, with 49.5% of marketers planning budget increases in this area.
Direct mail will also get a boost next year, with 49.0% of respondents planning to increase their direct budgets.
The primary marketing goal for 2008 is customer acquisition, cited by 62.4% of respondents, followed by brand awareness (19.3%), customer retention (11.7%) and other objectives (6.6%).


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The consumer price index, which measures inflation, rose to 11.37% in April 2019, according to the monthly inflation report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
According to the NBS report, year-on-year, inflation increased by 0.12% points higher than the 11.25% rate recorded in March 2019.
Also, month-on-month, the headline index increased by 0.94 percent in April 2019, representing a 0.15 percent rate higher than the rate recorded in March 2019.
Food and other items index rose: The composite food index rose by 13.70 percent in April, compared to the 13.45 percent recorded in the previous month. The NBS stated that the rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of Meat, Fish, Oils/fats, Bread/Cereals, Fish, Milk, Cheese, egg, Potatoes, yam, and other tubers, Fruits and vegetables.
Similarly, food sub-index increased by 1.14 percent for the month under review, up by 0.26 percent points from 0.88 percent recorded in March. On the other hand, core inflation (all item less farm produce) dropped to 9.3 percent, down by 0.2% when compared with 9.5 percent recorded in March.
The Bureau provided further insight into items that recorded the highest increase in inflation, specifically, some of the items include Medical services, Hospital services, Dental Services, Tobacco, Vehicle spare parts, Major household appliances, etc.
States Inflation rose up in the north: In the month of April, northern states recorded the highest inflation on all items. The top three states with the highest inflation rate include Kebbi, Bauchi, and Zanfara. On the other hand, Abia, Delta, and Cross River recorded the slowest inflation rise in headline year on year inflation.
Similarly, food inflation data shows that Kaduna, Kebbi, and Kwara States recorded the highest rise inflation on year on year basis, While Rivers, Bayelsa, and Kogi States all recorded the slowest rise inflation.
Urban Inflation spikes: In the month of April, urban inflation rate increased to 11.70 percent year on year basis from 11.54 percent recorded in March. On the other hand, rural inflation increased to 11.08 percent, up from 10.99 percent in March.
Month on month basis, the urban index also rose by 1 percent faster than rural inflation. Specifically, urban inflation up by 0.19 from 0.81 percent recorded in March, while on the other hand rural inflation index rose by 0.9, up from 0.3 percent recorded in the previous month.
Optics: The rise in April’s inflation rate represents the first time inflation increased in three months. Note that inflation has dropped for three consecutive months, from 11.37 percent in December, to 11.25 percent in March 2019. However, the new inflation is just the same rate recorded in December (11.37%)
As inflation inches up after dropping for three months, it implies all affected items captured by the Bureau witnessed a quick rise in terms of prices. It is important to note that food price spikes tend to be more temporal which is mostly triggered by shortages in supply, in relation to demand.
The rise in inflation rate is against analysts’ predictions that there will a drop in inflation in the month of April. For instance, FSDH Merchant Bank Limited earlier forecasted that inflation rate is expected to drop for the fourth consecutive month in April. Meanwhile, the rise in inflation rate is consistent with Nairametrics earlier report that business owners expect inflation maintain double digit in the next one year.
Upshots: As stated earlier, the spike in inflation rate for April 2019, for instance, means a quick rise in prices. The rise in food index was caused by increases in prices of Meat, Fish, Oils/fats, Bread and Cereals, Fish, Milk, Cheese an egg, Potatoes, yam, and other tubers, Fruits and vegetables.
Hence, the spike in inflation implies that businesses revenue may slightly deplete as the purchasing power of consumers drops, while this may also worsen export and growth for the period under review. Just as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that Nigeria must keep inflation down to maximize full potential.
Controlling inflation is seen as a healthy stimulus for the economy as a whole, but it can also be quite challenging to keep in check. Spike in inflation for the month suggests that small businesses should remain mindful of its effects.
Although, large organizations are generally better-positioned to bear the brunt of inflation, as it can be offset by savings generated through economies of scale. However, small firms, often take a direct hit on margin. A slight increase could hurt capital expenditure, increase the cost of production for goods and turnover of the company.
Read the full Bureau’s report here: NBS April 2019 Inflation Report
Job listings spike up by 183% in April –Jobberman
Jobberman released figures showing a 183% increase in job listings on its platform in April 2020, thanks to its #UnityInAdversity campaign.
Notable job placement website, Jobberman, has released figures showing that there was a 183% increase in job listings on its platform in the month of April 2020.
This increase, according to Jobberman, is a result of the #UnityInAdversity campaign which allowed companies to post job listings and access Jobberman’s database of over 2.2 million professionals across Nigeria for free, rather than paying the usual fees. This was the company’s way of showing support to businesses and individuals, amid the economic challenges which resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the release from Jobberman, this campaign came at a cost to the company since it was trading off its revenue by offering for free, the same services which formed its major source of income.
“At the beginning of March, Jobberman Nigeria saw a 70 percent decrease in job listings due to the reduced economic activity caused by the enforced lockdown and many companies shutting down recruitment budgets to cut costs. Jobseeker sign-ups also decreased by 17 percent. Jobberman took the bold step to put employers’ and job seekers’ needs first” the statement read.
The campaign, which is billed to run till June 30, has paid off greatly as data for April’s job listings alone was more than that of the entire Q1 2020 period. See a breakdown of the job listings below:
- Almost a fifth of the positions (18.79%) were listed in the tech sector
- Banking, finance, and insurance accounted for 9.27%
- Education and training had 6.78 percent
- IT & Software positions accounted for 11.69%
- Sales had 13.32%.
Note that with the increase in job listings, job seeker sign-ups also increased by 39% in April alone.
Speaking about the campaign, the CEO of Jobberman Nigeria, Hilda Kragha said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has made the process of connecting talent to opportunities more complicated and we are fully aware of the strain businesses and individuals in Nigeria are facing. We plan to be here for the next 10 years so making this small sacrifice to help our users navigate these difficult times is something that we think is definitely worth doing”.
Kragha also noted that the campaign has encouraged healthy competition as candidates strive to show themselves qualified for the position.
“We have found that soft skills such as emotional intelligence, business etiquette, time management, which are often overlooked and underestimated in Nigeria, can make a big difference. We know the power of soft skills and we are committed to empowering individuals with the training and soft skills they need to succeed in the workplace” she explained further.
Sequel to this, the company also launched a free soft skills training programme to help job seekers (between age 18 and 30 years) acquire the needed soft skills and better their chances of gaining employment.
Gold prices rise, as President Trump decides on China today
Gold prices jumped on Friday as China and America’s drift deepened over further moves by China to impose security laws on Hong Kong
Gold prices jumped on Friday as China and America’s drift deepened over further moves by China to impose security laws on Hong Kong, lifting the allure of safe havens amid market uncertainties.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser cautioned the Chinese lately that Hong Kong, which has enjoyed special privileges, may now be treated like China when it comes to financial matters and trade.
Trump, who had earlier vowed a tough action on China, will hold a news conference today to announce what measures his administration will take.
Spot gold gained about 0.1% at $1,719.63 per ounce, and U.S. gold futures rose 0.4% to $1,734.60.
The friendship between the Americans and Chinese had weakened, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
President Trump and President Jinping of China have accused each other as a result of issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why do Investors buy Gold? Global Investors most often buy the safe-haven asset in times of uncertainty and use it to hedge against cash (inflationary macros).
“The possible U.S. response could range from a tearing up of the Phase 1 trade deal and fresh tariffs on China, to milder travel or financial sanctions on Chinese officials,” said Shane Oliver, chief economist at Australian wealth manager AMP to Reuters News.
“It is seen as a major threat to the rally we’ve had and the recovery,” “If it’s at the relatively mild end, then I don’t think it would derail the recovery bull market, but if it’s at the more extreme end with tariffs and harsh treatment of Hong Kong, then I think it gets more problematic,” Oliver added.
AfDB board denies asking Adesina to step down, as Obasanjo says the bank risks being hijacked
“The Bureau of the board of governors informs the public that it has not taken any decision. Everyone must allow the Bureau to do its work and allow due process to reign.”
The Bureau of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has denied media reports making the rounds that AfDB’s president, Akinwumi Adesina, has been asked to step down pending the completion of the probe and determination of allegations against him.
The bank’s top governing board members said that they have not asked Adesina to step down from his position as president, even as the board continues to review the fallout of complaints by some whistleblower. The statement from the Chairman of the bank’s board of governors, Niale Kaba, said:
“The Bureau of the board of governors informs the public that it has not taken any decision. Everyone must allow the Bureau to do its work and allow due process to reign. All governors will be carried along in resolving the issue.’’
Kaba also stressed that there was no governance crisis at AfDB as was being speculated in certain quarters. He confirmed that the Bureau of the Board of Governors of AfDB met on Tuesday, May 26, after the request by the U.S Secretary calling for an independent probe. The essence of the meeting was to take a closer look at the allegations by the whistleblowers against Akinwumi Adesina, said allegations which had already been investigated by the ethics committee of the bank.
Kaba further disclosed that even though no decision has been taken yet, the bureau assures that it is treating the case with the utmost seriousness that it deserves.
Adesina, who maintains his innocence of those allegations, had stated that a fair, transparent, and just process will vindicate him.
In a related development, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo had thrown his weight behind Adesina and kicked against the demand by the United States of America for a fresh, independent probe of the AfDB President who had earlier been cleared by the ethics committee of the bank.
In his letter to 12 former African Presidents, Obasanjo said that Africa must stand up and not allow its institutions to be unduly controlled by non-African countries.
Obasanjo said that the bank has witnessed tremendous growth under Adesina’s leadership and has doubled its capital base since he took over.


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A recent report out of Tokyo says that Toyota is working on an SUV version of its Crown sedan, arriving in hybrid, PHEV, and fully-electric versions for its home country in addition to exports of some versions to China and North America. The Crown was the first Toyota vehicle to be exported to the United States in 1958, and it has remained a mainstay model in the Japanese market for 67 years.
Tesla has started to push a new software update to increase the top speed limit of Autopilot for vehicles with ‘Tesla Vision’ to 85 mph.Read More
EV charging network Electrify America has announced the start of a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with renewable energy developer Terra-Gen to build a sustainable solar farm in Southern California. The project, named “Electrify America Solar Glow 1,” is estimated to produce enough solar power annually to more than offset any energy delivered on […]
Major automakers are currently on track to fail to meet necessary climate goals to keep the world under 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, according to a new report by InfluenceMap.Read More


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Are you excited for Guild Wars 2? If not, it's probably because you don't have a gaming PC. Well that's no longer a concern, because it's coming to consoles.
During the NCSoft earnings call today it was announced that Guild Wars 2 will be releasing on consoles. The particulars, including a release date or supported platforms, haven't been released. However, it was stated that the console release will come sometime after the PC launch, which if it's anything like Final Fantasy XIV then we'll have gray hairs by the time it arrives. Whether it'll be for current-generation consoles or the inevitable new hardware is yet to be determined.
Guild Wars 2 was previously one of the most exciting PC-exclusives of the near future. After years of MMOs coming and going, NCSoft has finally got a game to deliver that not only has received overwhelmingly positive marks from those who have played it early, but requires no subscription to play. No more fumbling around with credit cards and worry about running out of gametime. Oh, and there is a slider for breast size, so you know the game will be good.
Now that both Diablo III and Guild Wars 2 are multi-platform, it's safe to say that platform-exclusives are becoming a thing of the past.


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Even Without Its Own Google Phone, Android Gains Ground in the Smartphone Ad Market
As Google prepares to launch its own Android phone next year, a quick update on the progress of the Android handsets the search king doesn’t sell itself: They’re moving pretty quickly.
At least, if you’re looking at the market for smartphone ads and “in-app” smartphone ads–as defined by AdMob, the smartphone ad company Google is buying for $750 million.
Also those caveats aside, compare these two charts from AdMob’s November and October reports, respectively. First, here are the October data measuring advertising activity on AdMob’s network, by operating system:
And here are the November data:
So Google (GOOG) is still trailing Apple (AAPL) by a wide margin, but it’s moving quickly–20 percent to 27 percent in a month is awfully fast. And bear in mind that the search giant was at a mere seven percent not too long ago.
If you want, you can raise an eyebrow about AdMob’s potential bias, given its new owner-to-be, but for a long time the big knock on AdMob’s data was that it was too Apple-centric. In any case, there appears to be something happening here. Let’s see what happens in the January report.


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(2nd LD) S. Korea's exports retreat 3.2 pct in Oct.
(ATTN: ADDS comments in last three paras)
SEJONG, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's exports fell for the second straight month in October due mainly to sluggish shipments of cars and mobile devices, government data showed Tuesday.
Outbound shipments came to US$41.9 billion last month, down 3.2 percent from $43.4 billion the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The October figure marks the second consecutive month of negative growth since September when outbound shipments fell 5.9 percent on-year.
Imports also posted negative growth last month, falling 5.4 percent on-year to $34.8 billion.
September's trade surplus came to $7.2 billion, marking the 57th consecutive month of a surplus.
The trade ministry noted that October's pace slowed from the previous month despite many downside risks at home and abroad, on the back of bullish demand for chips.
South Korea's exports have posted negative growth in 21 months out of the recent 22 months, except for the only plus figure in August, due to a global economic slowdown and a drop in oil prices.
It said the downturn is largely driven by partial strikes at major carmakers, including industry leader Hyundai Motor Co., and the worldwide recalls and production termination of Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Note 7 smarpthone.
Outbound shipments of vehicles fell 11.8 percent in October from a year earlier, narrowing from a 24 percent plunge tallied in the previous month, while exports of auto parts backtracked 6.8 percent on-year.
Wireless devices, including mobile phones and components, tumbled 28.1 percent last month from a year earlier, marking the steepest on-year decline since July 2012.
The walkouts in the automobile industry dragged down the country's exports by 1.1 percentage points, worth $500 million, while the Galaxy Note 7's production halt led to a 1.6 percentage-point drop, or $670 million, in October exports, according to the ministry.
On the other hand, semiconductors and personal computers posted positive growth last month to offset the sharp decline in cars and phones.
Exports of chips rose 1.7 percent in October, turning around from a 2.6 percent drop in the previous month, on the back of a price hike in dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips.
Overseas sales of South Korea-made personal computers rose 7.1 percent last month, extending their winning streak to six straight months, on growing demand for new devices.
Shipbuilders exported 23 vessels last month to post a 49.4 percent on-year surge, a rebound from a 14 percent fall in September.
By region, exports to Vietnam stayed positive, jumping 19.9 percent last month, while shipments to the European Union gained 3.8 percent on-year, swinging to the positive terrain for the first time in seven months.
Exports to China, South Korea's largest export destination, sank 11.3 percent in October from a year ago, continuing the losing streak that started at the beginning of the year.
Shipments to the United States and Japan fell 10.3 percent and 1.7 percent last month, respectively.
The trade ministry expected that downside risks at home and abroad will weigh heavily on the country's exports in the remaining months of 2016.
"Exports will be affected by a continuous slump in wireless devices and ongoing strikes at auto firms," Deputy Trade Minister Chae hee-bong said in a briefing. "But the data will improve to a slight extent as demand for chips, electronic components and flat screens has been on a steady rise."
He said the government will come up with an estimate for next year's exports in mid-November.


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Ingersoll-Rand: An Industrial Bargain
I look for a rotation out of the growth-oriented fare that’s led the market for much of 2017 and into cyclical and value groups including the financials, energy and industrial stocks, explains growth stock expert Elliott Gue, editor of Capitalist Times.
To take advantage of this rotation, we’re adding industrial giant Ingersoll-Rand (IR) to our Wealth Builders Portfolio; the firm's largest division is Climate, which includes market-leading heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) brands Trane and American Standard.
At Ingersoll’s analyst day presentations earlier this year, management outlined a plan for the Climate business to grow from a $10.9 billion business this year into roughly a $12.4 billion business in 2020.
Around one-third of this growth is expected to come from overall global economic expansion, driving demand for HVAC units installed in offices, commercial buildings and residences.
However, two-thirds of that growth is expected to come from company-specific initiatives. One example of a growth driver is the company’s Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) aimed at the trucking market.
APUs are small electric or diesel-powered units that supply power to the sleeper cabs of large (think 18-wheeler) trucks. That power is used to run the HVAC system and other accessories such as lights and cooking equipment.
Currently, two-thirds of all sleeper cabs in the US do not have APUs.


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One of the world’s most respected technology review magazines T3, have featured the VOLT™ Alpine X in their Hot 100 2014 list!
As the name suggests, it’s list of what’s hot for 2014 in the tech world. It’s the Magazine’s ninth annual Hot 100 rundown. We’re thrilled to have our leading Electric Mountain Bike featured in this exclusive list.
As a leading manufacturer of ebikes in the UK, we’re thrilled to be featured in an international list that places VOLT™ alongside the likes of Google and HTC.
Check out our entry in the Hot 100 in this month’s edition T3 magazine or on the T3 website here.
March 13, 2018
February 11, 2014
August 3, 2022
July 29, 2022
July 22, 2022


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Mack Trucks announced the launch of an iPad and iPhone app for its Bulldog Magazine. Available through the Apple iTunes Store, the app – which can be downloaded for free by all iPad and iPhone users – provides access to both current and past issues of the magazine, a 45,000-circulation quarterly publication published by Mack. Readers will be notified when subsequent issues are published.
Published since February 1920, Bulldog Magazine is among the oldest corporate publications in the United States. “Our audience is becoming more and more mobile, and the app gives them the opportunity to read and access Bulldog Magazine on the go,” says John Walsh, Mack vice president of marketing.
Also of Interest »


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The ‘Madness’ is Back: How Local Businesses Can Advertise Around One of The Year’s Biggest Sporting Events
Local businesses have an opportunity to advertise during March Madness, one of the year’s largest sporting events.
A local aquarium wanted to increase ticket sales and with the right advertising tactics, it succeeded.
As the summer tourism season approaches, many travel and leisure businesses are seeing high demand and strong earnings forecasts for 2022.
A media buyer wanted to increase ticket sales, and with the right advertising tactics, they succeeded.
When a unique mix of business challenges threatened a waterfront development, the business realized it needed help to stir up business for its vacation condos and local merchants.
More than half of all American travelers are enthusiastic about traveling in the near future, and many expect to start traveling by the end of April.
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It isn’t much of a surprise anymore that automakers like Volkswagen are announcing big plans in the way of electric cars, autonomous vehicles, and basically anything that we thought would be futuristic in the 70s and 80s. Now with the advent of Tesla – who became the world’s most valued automaker last year (via market cap) – more and more automakers are making the shift to all-electric vehicles.
VW has made two relatively huge announcements. The first is Project Trinity – an all-electric sedan that Volkswagen plans on pushing out in 2026. Granted, that’s five years away, but it’s certainly something to look forward to. VW claims that the Trinity will “set new standards” for charging, tech, and other aspects of EV production. Volkswagen has a history of developing incredibly reliable vehicles that offer simple maintenance, think Jetta and Beetle, and we expect the Trinity to be no different.
The second announcement was made in late February 2021: VW stated that it projects more than 70% of their European sales will be electric vehicles by 2030 – up from previous figures indicating 35%. They also indicate that about 50% of sales in the US and China will be electric cars around then. Ralf Brandstaetter, CEO of Volkswagen, said that they are “stepping up the pace” regarding the transition to an electric fleet. With a budget of about $19 billion dollars, the company plans to invest in “e-mobility, hybridization, and digitalization” to bring Volkswagen right into the EV world.
VW isn’t the only automaker to commit to a shift to EV production: Stellantis (the result of the merger between Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group) and General Motors have both hopped on the (electric) bandwagon as well. With GM focused on meeting an all-electric goal by 2035 and Stellantis indicating that they’ll have fully electric or hybrid versions of all their vehicles in Europe by 2025, a large portion of the industry is following in Tesla’s footsteps.
ID. Buzz – a Return to Volkswagen Glory
If we take a look at some of the most iconic VW’s in history – not just automotive, mind you – but cultural as well, there’s one particular ride that comes to mind. The VW Bus was the mascot of an entire culture throughout the sixties and seventies. Now, they’re bringing it back in the form of an electric MiniBus, and it looks pretty awesome.
Slated to hit the US market in 2023 for the 2024 model year, the ID.Buzz may have a few powertrain options: a rear-wheel-drive option that puts out somewhere around 200 horses, and a top-tier all-wheel-drive that gets closer to 300. As the ID.Buzz is still in development, we don’t know for sure.
VW stated that the ID.Buzz batteries will range from 48 kWh to 110 kWh for a 200 to 340-mile range, with another claim that plugging into a fast DC charger can get you up to 80% in just half an hour. The concept’s interior has three rows of seats, all of which can swivel, lay flat, or be removed. Couple that with the potential for autonomous driving, and you’ve got six or more people in a fully configurable interior that can all face each other and sit around a table that moves through the cabin on a track. We’ll see how much of that makes it to actual production, but so far, it sounds pretty dang good.
The Bottom Line
There’s an awful lot to look forward to here, but until then, we’re only working with existing electric vehicles. If you’ve already got one in mind, use our vehicle finder to search our inventory. Make sure to register today to get started, and for a limited time you can use the code RETURNS21 for 40% off your AutoBidMaster membership: save big on cars, trucks, SUVs, and motorcycles all year. Get a hold of us at +1 (503) 298-4300 between 6:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday Pacific Standard Time, or email us at support@AutoBidMaster.com, and we’ll help you with any questions you may have. Until then, happy bidding!
- 5 Frequently Replaced Car Parts You Can Salvage from Junk Cars - October 16, 2023
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- Top Benefits of Participating in Online Vehicle Auctions - October 2, 2023


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London lights up for the Christmas season
The now familiar Christmas on London's Regent Street have some company this year. Since 12 November, 20 iconic London streets have switched on their Christmas lights - all at the same time. It's a first for the British capital that usually lights up different shopping streets on separate dates ahead of Christmas. The lights are supported by the Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA), a local business association. On Oxford Street, falling shooting stars light up the pavements in cross patterns. Many of the big chain stores have not yet dressed their Christmas windows, but hints of festive spirit are still there. And with the temperatures slowly dipping as the country heads into winter, it's a good excuse for people to venture out. In Covent Garden, the market and its surroundings are set for the holiday season. A 55-foot (17-metre)-tall Christmas tree greets visitors, accompanied by its 30,000 lights. In Carnaby Street, more than 600 sparkling 3D and 2D butterflies hang in the air. The art installation, called "Carnaby Christmas Kaleidoscope," was handmade and set up in collaboration with Choose Love, a NGO supporting refugees. The street's decoration offers a very different and more colourful take on Christmas displays. After almost two years since the start of the pandemic and the relaxation of travel restrictions, businesses are hoping the lights will help draw more people into their shops. But for now, the crowd mostly remain British.


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16 January 2014
Phablets are not a phad
This year will see phablets — an oversized smartphone that’s part cell phone, part tablet — outsell tablets by $25 billon USD according to the 13th edition of Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions report released this week.
According to Deloitte New Zealand partner Darren Johnson, the annual global predictions report says that shipments of phablets, smartphones with 5.0-6.9 inch screens, will represent a quarter of smartphones sold, or 300 million units, in 2014.
“That is double the 2013 volume, and 10 times 2012 sales,” says Mr Johnson.
“But after initial rapid consumer success, 2014 may mark a ‘peak phablet’ year, as only a particular type of smartphone user will want to handle such a large device.”
Continuing on this theme, the report predicts the installed base of compact tablets (with screens smaller than 9 inches) will surpass the base of classic tablets (9 inches and larger) for the first time.
“By end the first Quarter, we expect the base of compact tablets to be 165 million units, slightly ahead of the classic tablet base, with 160 million,” says Mr Johnson.
“In addition, we expect the total global sales of smartphones, tablets, PCs, TV sets, and gaming consoles – what we call the ‘converged living room’ – will exceed $750 billion USD in 2014 and then plateau as consumer usage will continue to converge.”
This year’s 14 TMT predictions cover a range of other topics, from wearable technologies selling 10 million units, the global value of premium sports video rights increasing 14 percent, 50 million homes around the world doubling up on pay-television, and an upsurge in medical eVisits, to name a few.
“While some of the trends covered in this year’s predictions may not seem immediately relevant to the New Zealand market, global connectivity and the speed of technological change will surely make them relevant here in the near future making it a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’,” concludes Mr Johnson.
Highlights of this year’s TMT predictions to impact the marketplace in 2014 include:
• Wearables: the
eyes have it – Smart glasses, fitness bands and
watches, should sell about 10 million units in 2014,
generating $3 billion USD. Of these wearable computer form
factors, smart glasses should generate the most revenues,
from sales of about four million units at an average selling
price (ASP) of $500 USD. Smart fitness bands should sell
four million units, at an ASP of $140 USD; smart watches
should sell about two million units at an ASP of $200
• eVisits: the 21st century housecall – There will be 100 million eVisits globally, potentially saving over $5 billion USD when compared to the cost of in-person doctor visits and representing growth of 400 percent from 2012 levels.
• Doubling up on pay-TV – By the end 2014 up to 50 million homes around the world will have two or more separate pay-television subscriptions, with the additional subscriptions generating about $5 billion USD in revenues. A further 10 million homes will receive premium programming as part of their subscription to another service, such as broadband.
• Broadcast sports rights: premium plus – The value of premium sports broadcast rights will increase to $24.2 billion USD, a 14 percent rise on 2013, equivalent to an additional $2.9 billion USD. This increase in rights fees will be driven by new agreements with certain top tier European domestic football (soccer) leagues and major North American sports leagues.
• The smartphone generation gap: Over 55? There’s no app for that – Over-55s will be the age group experiencing the fastest year-on-year rises in smartphone penetration across developed markets. Ownership should rise to between 45 to 50 percent by year-end, lower than the approximately 70 percent penetration rate for 18-54 year olds, but a 25 percent increase from 2013.
• Short messaging services versus instant messaging: value versus volume – Instant messaging services on mobile phones (MIM) will carry more than twice the volume (50 billion versus 21 billion per day) of messages sent via a short messaging service (SMS).
Full details about the global TMT Predictions are available at www.deloitte.com/Predictions2014.


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AGRIBUSINESS: New Record In Exports For U.S. Agriculture
U.S. Agriculture is expected to reach a new record in exports this year.
According to the USDA, the projected fiscal year exports are at $140 billion. USDA predicted exports in the 2012 fiscal year at $134.5 billion, an increase of $3.5 billion over fiscal year 2011 numbers.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the U.S. has achieved five years of positive momentum in agriculture exports and these exports support more than one million jobs in the U.S.


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Recently, there has been increasing connection between 3D printing and blockchain technology, in which a series of records are linked using cryptography. It’s a secure method of storing and transferring data, and certain 3D printing companies have recognized the efficacy of the technology in protecting the integrity and traceability of 3D printing processes. Particularly in industrial 3D printing, it’s vital that all 3D printing processes are traceable as well as secure, which is a challenge in an increasingly digital world. Blockchain makes it possible to securely record and transmit data related to these processes, and more than one company has taken notice.
The latest 3D printing company to express an interest in blockchain is GE, which recently filed a patent application for the use of blockchain in the use of verifying and validating 3D printed objects in its supply chain. The application was filed in December and was released last month by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
“Current systems for additive manufacturing lack verification and validation systems for ensuring that objects produced by the process are appropriately certified,” the patent application states. “If, for example, a replacement part for an industrial asset is possible to produce via an additive manufacturing process, any user with access to an appropriately configured additive manufacturing device can reproduce the part. End users who purchase or otherwise receive such a part [have] no way of verifying that a replacement part manufactured in this way was produced using a correct build file, using correct manufacturing media, and on a properly configured additive manufacturing device.”
GE believes that the use of blockchain technology could ensure that counterfeit parts are not being sold. The system would give all of GE’s additively manufactured parts a pedigree, so to speak, allowing them to be traced from design to production, as well as certifying the materials, machines and processes used. This isn’t the first time that GE has expressed interest in blockchain technology, either. Last year, the US Patent and Trademark Office released five GE patent applications, filed in 2016, relating to different blockchain applications for aircraft maintenance.
GE also announced earlier this year that it had joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), a blockchain consortium aimed at creating standards in the transportation and logistics industry.
Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Over the last few days, we’ve been discussing the final horsepower numbers for the 2014 Corvette Stingray’s revolutionary new V8 engine. Mixed messages and leaked docs pointed to that number being 455 HP, and it turns out that’s correct, however, GM today finally made it official by saying the new Stingray Coupe actually makes more than that when equipped with the optional performance exhaust.
Here’s what may be the most heartwarming story yet about the seventh generation Corvette.
It’s a story about a dying Corvette enthusiast and the amazing love that his family and friends – along with total strangers and a massive corporation – showed him in the final weeks of his life.
Yesterday we filled you in on what we thought was a typo listing the official horsepower of the 2014 Corvette Stingray as 455 hp in the official press release naming 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh as the driver of the Corvette Stingray Indy 500 pace car.
Well, some more digging on GM’s media site has turned up two PDF documents which say the Corvette Stingray Coupe – both manual and automatic transmissions – will have 455 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft torque. The two PDFs for the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible – both manual and automatics – still list the estimated numbers of 450 hp and 450 lb.-ft torque.
In yesterday’s official announcement from GM that named 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh as the official driver of the 2014 Corvette Stingray Pace Car for the Indy 500, there was a paragraph that described the known performance specs for the new C7 sports car. According to the release, the 6.2L LT1 V8 makes 455 horsepower, not the 450 estimated hp that we’ve been told since the engine’s unveiling last fall.
Earlier this month we learned the 2014 Corvette Stingray would be pacing the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 and now we know who will be driving the Laguna Blue Stingray. Jim Harbaugh, coach of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers has been named the official pace car driver and will lead the 33 Indy Cars and their drivers to the Green Flag this Sunday afternoon.
No more will you be seeing auto transports rolling down the road filled with colorful Corvettes from the Bowling Green Assembly Plant. GM will be transporting the new 2014 Corvette Stingrays to dealers with a special new cover to help protect the new cars as they are in transit.
Our friend Adam Boca is at the Lone Star Classic Corvette show on behalf of the NCM Insurance Agency and the National Corvette Museum. Earlier today he tweeted that a Lime Rock Green C7 Corvette would be making an appearance at the Corvette show. And now we see that the first video showing the newest green Stingray has been uploaded to facebook.
Yesterday, news that the 2014 Corvette Stingray was spied on the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier during filming on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. broke wide open. We brought you some video of the film shoot yesterday but thanks to professional photographer Glyn Lowe Photoworks who was on the scene during the filming, we’ve got a nice little gallery of new photos to share with you.
Jalopnik found this video showing the filming in Washington D.C. of the latest Marvel Comic’s Avengers series, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In the video, we see a Black 2014 Corvette Stingray pull up and actor Chris Evans aka Captain America walks down the sidewalk and stops at the passenger side door.


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It’s been a rough few weeks for Tyga…
The rapper has just been slapped with a $1.6 million lawsuit by a woman who claims he stole her clothing concept.
According to the docs … Tyga and Chuon Guen Lee formed the clothing line Last Kings in January 2013 — and she says Tyga promised to heavily promote the line and get it on shelves in the popular clothing chain, Tilly’s.
Lee says none of those things happened, and then Tyga made off with more than half a mil in merch. The real kick in the gut — she says he started another company with another partner, and cleverly named it … Egypt Kings.
Needless to say, Lee is not amused by the wordplay. She’s suing Tyga and his new partner for $1.6 mil, plus damages.
From one scandal to the next…


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The National Working Waterfronts Network (NWWN) website has been expanded to include case studies, a searchable financing database, economic analysis, law and policy tools, and a historical overview of waterfront trends, all designed to help communities across the U.S. share problems and solutions for managing and improving their local waterfront infrastructure.
Virginia’s oyster aquaculture industry is growing steadily despite the struggling economy and some setbacks in hatchery production, according to a report from Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Virginia Sea Grant.
A new partnership between Virginia Sea Grant and the College of William and Mary is exploring whether a community-supported fishery is a feasible means to help reverse this trend by promoting greater consumption of locally harvested fish and shellfish.
When you think of eating local, what foods fill your imaginary plate? Maybe you think of vegetables and eggs, but what about fish? Would you even know where to find locally caught or farmed seafood if you wanted it? This spring Virginia Sea Grant will lead a team to determine whether it would make sense for local seafood producers could bring their catch to a community supported fishery.
Despite the stagnant economy, Virginia’s oyster aquaculture industry is on the upward move, and the oyster hatcheries plan to keep that trend positive. That’s why representatives from nearly all of the oyster hatcheries in Virginia set aside an entire day on October 25 to hear West Coast counterparts and research experts discuss one more threat to water quality—ocean acidification.


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Jul 8, 2021AeroFarms expands leafy greens product assortment
Newark, New Jersey-based AeroFarms, a Certified B Corp and leader in indoor vertical farming, announced July 8 that it is expanding its line of leafy greens to include five new items: Baby Bok Choy-The New Spinach, Micro Arugula, Micro Broccoli, Micro Kaleand Micro Rainbow Mix.
According to a news release, AeroFarms retail brand of leafy greens is prized for its elevated flavor and is grown using proprietary aeroponics and indoor vertical farming technologies, which yield annual productivity up to 390 times greater than traditional field farming, while using up to 95% less water and zero pesticides.
There has been increased consumer interest in Asian greens and Future Fusebiquity – as outlined in Datassential’s Food Bytes 2021 Food Trends – that takes new generation products and combines them with well-known dishes. AeroFarms Baby Bok Choy-The New Spinach is reimagining how to create a better spinach experience that is juicier, more flavorful, and even more nutrient dense with an ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) score of 865 vs. spinach at 707, and it can be enjoyed in just about any spinach recipe for an updated new take on the dish.
Microgreens were recognized by The Today Show as one of the top health trends for 2021, and AeroFarms has been expanding this category at retail since 2019. Responding to consumer demand, AeroFarms has added Micro Arugula, Micro Broccoli, Micro Kale, and Micro Rainbow Mix to its core line of Micro Spicy Mix and Micro Super Mix. Produced year-round at the highest quality, AeroFarms microgreens offer great visual and flavor excitement, elevating the home cook into a chef. In addition, AeroFarms microgreens provide higher nutrient density than their mature green counterparts, offering a powerful way to provide a potent boost of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
AeroFarms starts by selecting the most flavorful varietals of microgreens and baby greens, then perfects them in its proprietary indoor vertical farms for optimal quality, yield, color, nutrition, texture, and taste. In fact, AeroFarms has trademarked Vertical Farming, Elevated Flavor to highlight to consumers not only where and how their food is grown, but also more importantly, the key growing benefits that AeroFarms uniquely brings to the market, setting a new culinary standard with millions of data points to prove it.
AeroFarms is able to grow its kale to be sweeter and its arugula to be perfectly peppery, and the company has developed its signature FlavorSpectrum to represent the breadth of flavors and hundreds of varieties of leafy greens that it is able to grow. AeroFarms’ team of experts from horticulturists to engineers to data scientists to nutritionists paired each specific tasting note with a representative color to bring the FlavorSpectrum philosophy to life. Across its leafy greens packaging line, the cool blue tones represent sweet and mellow notes, while the intense reds represent bold and zesty flavors.
All AeroFarms leafy greens are safely grown indoors in New Jersey at one of AeroFarms’ state-of-the art commercial indoor vertical farms that is certified for USDA Good Agricultural Practices, SQF Level 2 Good Manufacturing Practices, Non-GMO Project Verification, and OU Kosher. AeroFarms leafy greens are completely pesticide free, and ready-to-eat without any need to wash, providing a major benefit to consumers looking for safety and convenience. AeroFarms leafy greens are available at major customers such as Amazon Fresh, Baldor Specialty Foods, FreshDirect, Morton Williams, ShopRite, Walmart and Whole Foods.
“Our company is committed to partnering with our retail partners to expand the entire category of leafy greens and drive consumption with our sustainably grown produce that is winning on taste,” said David Rosenberg, co-founder and chief executive officer of AeroFarms. “We are excited to expand our line of microgreens, which we believe can move from just a garnish to center of the plate given their exceptional taste – microgreens can be enjoyed all of the time.”s
Since 2004, AeroFarms has been known for its indoor vertical farming and championing transformational innovation for agriculture. Its mission is to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity, AeroFarms is a Certified B Corp with global headquarters in Newark, New Jersey.
Named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company two years in a row and one of TIME’s Best Inventions in Food, AeroFarms patented, indoor vertical farming technology provides the perfect conditions for healthy plants to thrive, taking agriculture to a new level of precision, food safety and productivity while using up to 95% less water and no pesticides ever versus traditional field farming.
AeroFarms enables local production to safely grow all year round, using vertical farming for elevated flavor. In addition, through its proprietary growing technology platform, AeroFarms has developed multi-year strategic partnerships ranging from government to major Fortune 500 companies to help uniquely solve agriculture supply chain needs. For additional information, visit here.
On March 26, 2021, AeroFarms announced a definitive business combination agreement with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: SV). Upon the closing of the business combination, AeroFarms will become publicly traded on Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol “ARFM.”


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Microsoft is using agreements like the one with patent agreement it signed General Dynamic Itronix up for to its benefit. The company so far has licensed up several major companies for the patents it has relating to Android tablets. The last company to sign the patent agreement was Onkyo. Today another Android tablet maker has signed up to license the patents for tablets and other devices.
Microsoft has announced that it has signed Wistron Corp up for a patent agreement that covers a broad range of patents that Microsoft holds. Wistron is licensing the patent for tablets, mobile phones, eReaders and other consumer electronics devices that are running Android or Chrome. Neither party has disclosed the terms of the agreement. I would like to know how much money Microsoft is making off these licensing agreements.
Do you think the new costs associated with Android will keep some companies from bring Android Devices to market? HTC is rumored to be paying as much as $5 per device to Microsoft and that will certainly cut into the budget of companies big and small.
“We are pleased that Wistron is taking advantage of our industrywide licensing program, established to help companies address Android’s IP issues,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft.


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Here’s some news that may influence the way we pay for channels through traditional TV service providers. Coming this July you’ll be able to order channels à la carte on Sony’s PlayStation Vue service. What’s more, PS Plus subscribers will be able to get discounts on programming packages (although not specified), that may make it beneficial to plunk down the $49.99 per year for membership.
PlayStation Vue offers channels such as CBS, Discovery Channel, Fox, and NBC in their “core” channel package that costs $49.99 per month. However, the à la carte channels choices will only launch with Fox Soccer Channel, Machinima, and Showtime (at least for now). Those channels will cost $14.99, $3.99, and $10.99 per month, respectively.
The Sony service has also been expanded. When PlayStation Vue was launched back in March it was only available in a few cities. but the E3 announcement today also brought news that PS Vue will launch for PS3 and PS4 in Los Angeles and San Francisco this evening.
In those cities, PlayStation Vue will offer up to 85 channels per market through the Access, Core, or Elite subscription packages.
Sony also announced the software-based Media Player for PlayStation 4, downloadable starting tonight in the PS4 content area.
Here’s a list of PlayStation Vue channels currently available.


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Huge interest in Xbox event
THERE is a new game coming to the Xbox One this week and to say people are excited would be an understatement.
Since bursting onto the scene with early access on PC in March, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has already sold over 20 million copies - despite the game not even being finished.
So not only are people rushing to purchase an incomplete game, but it has been well publicised that the title will have no single-player campaign and the online component ends as soon as you die - there are no second chances.
So how has PUBG managed to build such hype?
Imagine getting to participate in your own version of The Hunger Games and you might understand.
"Our Battle-Royale game mode will put up to 100 players on a remote island for a winner-takes-all showdown where strategic gameplay is as important as shooting skills," the game's website explains.
"Players will enter a last-man-standing battle where they try to locate weapons, vehicles and supplies in a graphically and tactically rich battleground that eventually forces players into a shrinking play zone as they engage in a tense and spectacular fight to the death."
As part of the game, all the of the players start empty-handed and have to find equipment from supply drops.
To celebrate the release of the game on Xbox, the company dropped loot crates around the country, which contained Xbox One X consoles and Elite Controllers, Xbox Live codes, plus PUBG march and game codes.
The only problem was not everyone seemed impressed by Xbox Australia's efforts, with many complaining about the location of the drops and how fast everything disappeared.
Gamers in Melbourne were disappointed that the drop occurred on an inner-city beach, with those arriving complaining nothing was left within half an hour of the post.
Those in Brisbane also had a gripe with the promotion performing a supply drop in a highly populated area.
There was even a suggestion the location was not where the co-ordinates had detailed, which resulted in crowds of people running around a wedding taking place.
Xbox was quick to address those complaints from those unhappy with the way the promotion was run.
"We apologise for anyone that was not able to make it today or missed out on a prize. Upon revealing the locations of the crates, fans arrived on site within minutes and prizes went quickly," Xbox wrote on Facebook.
And while many people missed out on the loot, not everyone was furious at Xbox.
"The salt in these comments is real ... such entitlement," one user wrote.
"There's more salt in these comments than there is on /r/destinythegame ... christ. Chill out. Well done Xbox ANZ! Great promotion," added another.
Despite the anger over the promotion, if the game has the same success on the Xbox as it does on PC, gamers are in for a good time.


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LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A mid-Michigan girl scout plans to collect and donate 1,000 ‘Black-girl books’ after a popular hashtag made it’s rounds on social media.
#1000BlackGirlBooks became popular back in 2015 when viral sensation Marley Dias realized there wasn’t enough representation of Black girls in children’s books.
But now, Lansing has their very own Marly Diaz. Her name is Melia Frazier and she is just a few hundred books away from her goal.
Her goal is to give them to schools and local Boys & Girls Clubs so kids can have books with leading characters that look like them.
At just 11-years-old, Frazier became inspired after seeing Dias, the founder of the movement, set out a goal to collect 1,000 books featuring Black female protagonists.
Now, Lansing’s very own is doing the same to help her community.
“It just gives me a sense of creativity and opening me to new worlds, and new places,” Frazier said.
Just like Dias, Frazier also feels like many books at her school don’t feature diverse characters.
“Lansing School District hasn’t really opened up to those topics yet. That’s why I’m giving books to the Lansing schools, and some other schools too,” she said.
She needs just 600 more books to complete her goal. She plans to donate them all to local schools and the Lansing Boys and Girls Club, something her father is very proud about.
“I remember as a child growing up and reading books, which were all great, but I never saw myself in those books. And now my daughter and all the other kids around will see themselves. Melia wants to make sure that other kids can read books that have images of themselves, that they can do anything in the world,” said Terry, Melia’s dad.
Frazier not only hopes to win a Girl Scouts Bronze Award for her book drive, but that kids in her community will view reading the way she does.
“I want them to know that they can do anything, and reading helps open their minds, and helps their vocabulary too,” she said.
You can drop off book donations at Sweet Encounter in downtown Lansing, or Socialight Society bookstore inside the Lansing Mall until Aug. 14.
You can also donate money or buy books online by clicking here.


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The new Holden Barina family is starting to take shape with Chevrolet unveiling the sedan at the 2011 Detroit motor show.
The sedan version of the car that goes on sale in Australia in September will compete with other compact sedans from the likes of Ford and Mazda. However, the Barina sedan won’t arrive until early 2012.
Like most sedan versions of city cars – or light cars, as they’re officially called – the Barina sedan does away with truncated hatch’s stylish rump for a more spacious and practical boot.
The Chevrolet Sonic – as the Barina will be called in America – was designed by Australian Ondrej Koromhaz and picks up some of the motorcycle inspired elements on the smaller Barina Spark that went on sale here in 2010; the exposed headlight elements and compact semi-digital dashboard are the most obvious items.
The unveiling of the Sonic in America also raises the possibility of higher performance models to compete with cars like the Volkswagen Polo GTI hot hatch.
While the Barina will be sold here with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine producing about 86kW, the Sonic is also available with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder and 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.
It’s the 103kW turbo that would make an excellent option for a hot hatch version of the Barina. However, it’s not known if it’s available for Australia yet.
The Barina will also get vastly improved safety from the outgoing car, which earlier in its life scored just two stars out of five in independent crash testing (newer versions scored four stars).
The new Barina is expected to get 10 airbags and stability control as standard.
Holden is also expected to increase the price of the new Barina slightly to help it better compete with class leaders such as the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, Mazda2 and Toyota Yaris.


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BASIC INFLATION ON RESULTS OF JANUARY-AUGUST 2005 COMPRISES 2.2%, ELMAN RUSTAMOV
Basic inflation on results of January-August 2005 will comprise 2.2 %, annual figure will be less than 10% in 2005 and next years, Elman Rustamov, the head of the National Bank of Azerbaijan, said.
вЂњBasic inflation on results of eight months made up 2.2%. Inflation in Azerbaijan will not exceed single-digit figure,вЂќ Rustamov said.
In 2005 the National Bank forecasts basic inflation no more than 5%, consumer inflation вЂ" no more than 9%. In January-July consumer prices grew by 12.3% against 5.9% over similar period of 2004.
In September the government will discuss the public budget for 2006 and major directions of the monetary and credit policy, which will be adopted by the Parliament in October or a month ahead of time due to the forthcoming 6 November parliamentary elections.
вЂњThe major goal is not to exceed inflation figure,вЂќ Rustamov said.


text: May I first pay tribute to the BEIS ministerial team for its outstanding work during the pandemic to support businesses in central London, and particularly the Minister for London, my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Scully), who I know has worked tirelessly, and I thank him? What I am hearing now as we rebuild our economy is that businesses across the Cities of London and Westminster are seeing a real rise in vacancies, which is inhibiting their ability to repair their balance sheets and recover their cash reserves and has halted their ability to grow their businesses. We have got the jobs, where are the workers? What steps is the Minister for London taking to help businesses even further, particularly in the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors?


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People are reserving Lunar New Year gift sets earlier than usual as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Homeplus CEO Lim Il-soon is stepping down after more than three years in the top post.
Ahead of this winter's cold wave, Lotte Mart said it offers customer various winter products such as earmuffs and fur shoes at up to 50 percent off through Jan. 13.
Lotte Mart apologized Monday after a guide dog trainer and their dog were kicked out of its Jamsil branch in southern Seoul on Sunday. Lotte Mart came under fire on Sunday after an Instagram post showing what appeared to be a frightened dog...
Lotte Mart workers distribute products that were ordered online at its Junggye branch in Nowon District, northern Seoul, on Monday, before Level 2.5 social distancing is introduced for the Seoul metropolitan area on Tuesday.
Lotte Mart apologized Monday after a guide dog trainer and their dog were kicked out of its Jamsil branch in southern Seoul on Sunday.
Lotte Shopping is transforming offline Lotte Marts as it struggles with the rapid rise of online shopping.
Retailers in Korea are facing a new challenge amid the rising demand for online shopping.
Discount chains are shutting down branches as their sales dip from the Covid-19 crisis.
Employees prepare packages on Tuesday in a fulfillment center at the Junggye branch of Lotte Mart in Nowon District, northern Seoul.


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A new Starbucks store has opened in a Staffordshire town today. Starbucks has opened on Baker's Lane, in the Three Spires Shopping Centre, Lichfield creating 15 new jobs.
Customers are invited to enjoy a wide range opf hot and cold drinks including the Pumpkin Spice Latte and the new Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. The new autumn food items are also appearing at the cafe, including the American Deli Meats Focaccia, the Mushroom and Egg Muffin, and the plant-based Fiery No’ Chicken Wrap.
Store manager Chloe Davies, said: "We are excited to open our new store in Lichfield and look forward to welcoming the local community. To celebrate, we will be distributing vouchers in the local area."
The American coffee chain already has outlets across Staffordshire, including in Cannock, Burton, Stafford and Uttoxeter. The chain has more than 33,000 stores across the world.


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Joe Biden’s Coal-Powered EV Dream
The president’s new EPA emissions rules are a blunt-force Big Government effort to remake the auto industry and eliminate the gas-powered car.
Somewhere in China, Joe Biden must own a coal-fired power plant.
We say this because we’re otherwise at a loss to explain the citizen-beggaring, industry-wrecking vehicle emissions mandates put forth this week by his Environmental (ahem) Protection (ahem) Agency. How does the EPA think these “green” vehicles are being charged, anyway? Certainly not by wind or solar.
threatened promised, Biden’s climate-crazed Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed historically tough greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and trucks sold in the U.S., with the goal of electric vehicles accounting for two-thirds of all new car sales in less than a decade.
“If that comes to pass,” reports the Detroit Free Press, “it would signal a remarkable transition in the American automobile market, given that electric vehicles accounted for about 6% of new sales last year, though that was a substantial increase. Polls have shown many consumers are not sold on making the switch, with concerns about range and the upfront cost of electric vehicles much more than many gasoline-powered models.”
A remarkable transition? You’re telling us.
We wrote about this on Tuesday, a day before the mandates were issued, and it’s every bit as bad as we thought. What we have here is nothing less than a strong-armed statist effort to remake remaking The Great American Industry.
Indeed, the ecofascists of Team Biden are hell-bent on picking winners and losers, ignoring the free market, and forcing all of us into electric vehicles by any means necessary — even if it means ignoring the will of the American people.
And it is ignoring the will of the American people. As we noted, recent polling shows that most Americans aren’t yet sold on EVs, with just 8% of U.S. adults saying they or someone in their household owns or leases one, and just 8% saying their household has a plug-in hybrid. As for the people’s preference, 41% say they’re at least somewhat likely to switch to an electric, but nearly half, 47%, say they’re unlikely to do so.
Polling, schmolling. This is about global climate change, after all. Here’s the eco-spin from our regulatory commissars:
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new proposed federal vehicle emissions standards that will accelerate the ongoing transition to a clean vehicles future and tackle the climate crisis. The proposed standards would improve air quality for communities across the nation, especially communities that have borne the burden of polluted air. Together, these proposals would avoid nearly 10 billion tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to more than twice the total U.S. CO2 emissions in 2022, while saving thousands of dollars over the lives of the vehicles meeting these new standards and reduce America’s reliance on approximately 20 billion barrels of oil imports.
Want more? Here’s EPA Administrator and Chief Propagandist Michael Regan: “By proposing the most ambitious pollution standards ever for cars and trucks, we are delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s promise to protect people and the planet, securing critical reductions in dangerous air and climate pollution and ensuring significant economic benefits like lower fuel and maintenance costs for families. These ambitious standards are readily achievable thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which is already driving historic progress…” yadda yadda yadda yadda.
The EPA doesn’t have the legal authority to force EVs upon us, which is why it’s doing so indirectly by setting onerous CO2 emissions standards for 2027 through 2032. This mandate is even more aggressive than Biden’s August 2021 executive order, which set a goal of 50% EV sales in 2030.
Even with the generous taxpayer-funded subsidies baked into the administration’s so-called Inflation Reduction Act, the numbers just don’t add up. Drawing from a recent Goldman-Sachs report, the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal notes: “The Energy Information Administration last month forecast that EVs will make up only 15% of sales in 2030 and 19% by 2050. While EVs are becoming more popular in the luxury class, they ‘remain less competitive against conventional gasoline-powered cars and light trucks serving the mass market,’ the report noted.”
Got that? EVs are largely a toy of the well-to-do. Which makes sense, since the average cost of an electric vehicle is more that $58,000 — which is up from more than $56,000 a year ago.
What happens if automakers can’t remake their manufacturing facilities quickly enough, or if consumers simply won’t buy what they’re selling? As the Journal reports, “Traditional car makers can make more EVs to meet the EPA standards, but if consumers don’t buy them, the companies will have to buy compliance credits from Tesla or other luxury EV makers.” Yep, carbon credits for cars.
There’s no sympathy here for our gutless auto execs, none of whom had the stones to stand up for the American people — and for their own employees, who are being laid off because of the companies’ failure to sell enough EVs that nobody wants. As the Journal maddeningly notes: “In addition to lobbying for subsidies, they intervened to defend the Administration’s recent emissions standards against a legal challenge by GOP state attorneys general. They sold themselves out to the government for subsidies, and now they are pleading for more subsidies to meet its mandates.”
We’re being incessantly told that EVs are the future, but if that’s the case, why do Big Government progressives think they need to ram them down our throats?
Because, you see, that’s simply what they do.
Start a conversation using these share links:


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Advanced Micro Devices
surged after the bell Thursday on news that
plans to include the AMD Opteron processor in its servers by the end of the year. The AMD chips will be in addition to Dell servers running
chips. Shares of the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based chipmaker gained $4.07, or 13%, to $35.42 in late trading. Intel shares, meanwhile, dropped 88 cents, or 4.7%, to $17.77 after hours.
In addition to the AMD news, Dell reported first-quarter earnings of $762 million, or 33 cents a share, down from $934 million, or 37 cents a share, a year earlier. Sales were up 6% year over year, at $14.2 billion. The results were in line with Dell's lowered projections given earlier this month. The computer maker said it expects second-quarter results to be similar to those of the first quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had forecast second-quarter earnings of 34 cents a share on revenue of $14.34 billion, suggesting Dell's guidance is slightly below current estimates. Still, shares advanced 85 cents, or 3.6%, to $24.80 after hours.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
retreated after the restaurant chain gave disappointing earnings guidance. For the first quarter, the company reported earnings of $7.4 million, or 44 cents a share, down from $8 million, or 48 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue increased 21% to $170.5 million from $141.2 million. Company-owned same-restaurant sales increased 4.8%. Analysts were looking for earnings of 44 cents a share on revenue of $169.7 million.
Red Robin expects second-quarter earnings of 37 cents to 40 cents a share, with revenue of $134 million to $135 million. Analysts predict second-quarter earnings of 43 cents a share and a top line of $136.4 million. For the full year, Red Robin predicted earnings of $1.70 and $1.78 a share, slightly down from its February guidance of $1.72 to $1.82. The company sees revenue of $590 million to $597 million. Wall Street anticipates earnings of $1.78 a share and revenue of $596.1 million. Shares fell $2.70, or 6.14%, to $41.30 recently.
climbed after the apparel-and-accessory chain handily beat Wall Street's first-quarter earnings expectations. The retailer posted income of $6.9 million, or 49 cents a share, up from $3.3 million, or 30 cents a share, a year ago. Sales jumped to $91.7 million from $63.6 million, as same-store sales increased 21%. Analysts had forecast earnings of 38 cents a share and revenue of $85.2 million.
Citi Trends increased its fiscal 2006 earnings projection to $1.43 to $1.47 a share from a previously forecast $1.25 to $1.29. Wall Street targets earnings of $1.32 a share. Citi Trends shares rose $2.20, or 4.5%, to $50.82 in after-hours trading.
surged as the mixed-signal semiconductor maker posted better-than-anticipated fiscal fourth-quarter results. For the quarter ended April 1, the company's earnings jumped to $5.1 million, or 37 cents a share, from $433,000, or 3 cents a share, a year ago. Sales ballooned to $24 million from $11.8 million last year. Analysts were looking for earnings of 32 cents a share on revenue of $22.2 million.
"We expect modest sequential growth in our first fiscal quarter over the prior quarter, double-digit growth over the same quarter last year, and double-digit growth for the new fiscal year over the last fiscal year," said Henry C. Pao, president and chief executive, in a statement. Shares climbed $3.89, or nearly 11%, to $40.50 after hours.
rose after the retailer posted a higher-than-expected jump in first-quarter profits and raised its full-year guidance. The high-end department-store operator earned $131.2 million, or 48 cents a share, in the quarter, up from $104.5 million, or 38 cents a share, a year earlier. Sales rose to $1.79 billion from $1.65 billion a year earlier, as same-store sales climbed 5.4%.
Looking ahead, Nordstrom forecast second-quarter earnings of 59 cents to 64 cents a share, in line with analysts' mean estimate of 62 cents. The company sees earnings per share of $2.24 to $2.32 for the full year, up from its February forecast of $2.15 to $2.23. Analysts project earnings of $2.26 a share for the year ending next February. Nordstrom shares rose 74 cents, or 2.1%, to $36.24 in after-hours trading.


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Who cares about iPhone 15 volume buttons? Apple needs to wow us again
OPINION: Most of the iPhone 15 rumours so far are focused on one singular feature and it’s nothing to get excited about. But what else is there?
So desperate are fans for iPhone 15 nuggets that the ‘will it won’t it’ for this year isn’t focused on the display, the design, or the cameras. It’s all about the volume buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro. Yes, the volume buttons!
Specifically, will they be the traditional physical buttons? Or will they be replaced by haptic solid-state buttons powered by a new Taptic Engine?
The most recent reports suggest the feature – if you can really call it that – will now be held off until next year’s iPhone 16 Pro. The plan was said to be to introduce the feature for this year, but reportedly pre-production technical issues have set it back 12 months.
The question is, would this change have affected many people’s decision to upgrade to an iPhone 15 Pro (or the rumoured Ultra)? Not in my opinion. Given this is likely to influence the protective cases people can use, then it might even have an adverse effect on the purchase decision.
Apple handsets are being retained for longer than ever. Even Apple says people are now keeping their iPhones for an average of three years. There haven’t been that many reasons to upgrade ahead of that time in recent years.
The device design is expected to remain largely the same for the fourth consecutive year. We’re not hearing too much speculation about revolutionary new features that would reignite interest among those who maybe have an iPhone 13 and iPhone 14.
Lost its lustre?
Why is this? It’s somewhat trifling that Apple isn’t really pushing the innovation envelope with its staple, best-selling product anymore. The annual yearly announcements have lost a lot of their lustre and are more public relations events than product reveals.
We hear about big advances in sustainability, but very little in terms of excitability. Is Apple really gambling on the mixed reality headset succeeding the iPhone and is allocating its resources in this manner? Is Apple gearing up to enter the foldables arena five years after Samsung and really shake up the range? Or is this just the natural order of things?
Does Apple believe it has taken the iPhone as far as it can, given the short-to-mid-term base technology outlook? Are there no realistic avenues available to the company to wow us with an iPhone 15 this year?
That would be understandable. All tech sectors tend to hit that zenith where the form factor settles into regular improvements in display tech, resolution, clock speeds, camera quality and the like. When was the last time you got properly excited about a laptop or a tablet for instance?
No more golden eggs?
I suppose the iPhone has an elevated status. If Apple is the goose, the iPhone is the golden egg. The smartphone holds almost mythical status and is arguably the most important consumer technology product of all time. These safe, incremental annual updates have shaken our faith in that and it’s a little disappointing.
Even though these things rarely stay under wraps anymore, Apple may still have something big in store for this year’s updates. It could even surprise everyone with an iPhone Fold, although we’d probably know about that by now.
However, does it even matter?
Apple will still probably sell 200-million of whatever it announces in September because of the brand loyalty consumers have. Most iPhone users who need a new phone will just (and always) buy the latest iPhone available to them. I’m hoping my iPhone 12 Pro Max lasts until the iPhone 16, but if not I’ll upgrade to an iPhone 15 out of necessity.
One thing I won’t countenance? Buying an Android phone. Just ain’t happening and Apple knows it.
Still, I’d love Apple to take a little more risks, to the point that I’m actually excited about the product I’m buying, rather than it feeling akin to needing a new cooker or washing machine.


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Package delivery company United Parcel Service (UPS) reported Q3 earnings per share of $1.44, up from $1.39 in the same period last year, and matching the Capital IQ consensus forecast.
UPS was lower 1% recently.
Revenues for the quarter were $14.93 billion, up from $14.24 billion in the year-ago period, and ahead of the analyst forecast of $14.72 billion.
The company said maintained its adjusted earnings guidance for full-year 2016 at $5.70 to $5.90 per diluted share, straddling the $5.81 per share consensus. UPS will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET, Oct. 27, 2016 to discuss the results.
Separately, UPS said it is planning for “record seasonal global delivery volume,” up more than 14% above the peak delivery period last year.
The company said it is benefitting from two additional delivery days during 2016. It expects to surpass 700 million packages delivered globally in 25 days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.
By Stephen Holmes