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Herr Normalverbraucher (''ordinary customer'') is having trouble finding meat , high-fat butter, and bicycle pumps in East Germany. He is hopeful, however, that raisins and almonds - which have all but vanished in the past two months - will be back in stores for Christmas baking.
The government will probably comply with the latter wish, although it can't do much about the more basic shortages of milk, cheese, rice, and noodles. It has already ordered a raid on central stocks for one surge of goods in late October, and the grapevine has it that all the raisins and almonds are being saved for a second, pre-holiday surge on the market.
The East German economy is running into hard times, and the man on the street feels it right in the shopping bag. The culprits are the Polish dollar debts, Soviet reductions in fuel deliveries, a drastic curtailing of imports, diseased cattle, the inefficiencies of a centralized command economy, and hoarding.
These things have to be seen in perspective, of course. East Germany's industrial growth rate of 4.2 percent so far this year is probably the highest in Europe, East or West. And the average East German, after a 33 percent rise in meat consumption in the 1970s to an impressive 90 kilograms (198 pounds) a year, eats and lives more comfortably than any other Eastern European or Soviet citizen.
Unfortunately for the East Berlin government, however, the perspective that the East German Normalverbraucher employs is not that of Warsaw or Moscow, but the Hamburg and Munich he sees on his TV screen every night.
If he is attentive, he knows that East Germans average only 43 percent of West German net incomes (a drop from the 78 percent of 20 years ago), that East German output is only 46 percent of West Germany's, its productivity only 60 or 70 percent. If he's not attentive, he still gets the impression that even those 2 million unemployed West Germans can buy the pork and raisins in stores that he can't.
The deteriorating consumer situation in East Germany has several causes. The most basic, in a way, is Poland.
Warsaw's near default on its Western debts jolted Western banks into doubting credit worthiness throughout a Soviet-Eastern European world that now owes some (with Western debts running an some $10 billion) is having a hard time raising even ordinary supplier credits.
East Berlin has therefore cut imports drastically and stepped up export of goods that would normally go to the home market. This program has been successful; it is running a surplus in hard-currency trade for the second year in a row, with exports exceeding imports by 3.8 billion marks ($1.5 billion) in the first 10 months of 1982.
The program has squeezed the East German consumer, however. Imports of consumer goods were among the first items to be dropped. And this year's 15 percent reduction in high-quality imports from America seems to have led to a significant reduction in the weight of slaughtered livestock.
Then as shortages of foodstuffs have developed in different parts of the country, customers have taken to hoarding whatever appears in stores, thereby increasing the pressure of unsatisfied demand on available supply. Added to this has been the downward adjustment as the Soviet Union pulls out of its 1970s subsidization of Eastern European energy bills. The price of Soviet oil is shooting up this year and next under the pricing formula averaging the previous five years of Western costs.
At the same time, the Soviet Union has cut its volume of oil exports to Eastern Europe (down from 19 to 17 million tons for East Germany in 1982), diverting the difference to the West for hard currency. East Germany has had to make do with the resulting 12 percent drop in diesel fuel by such measures as transporting perishables by train rather than truck - and bearing the much higher spoilage.
Down on the farm all these economic strains have been exacerbated by organizational mistakes and several negative developments. The overall grain harvest this year was good, at a record 10 million plus metric tons.
But the grain fodder crop was poor, and the potato and sugar beet harvests were below average. In the northern part of the country there was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
Most seriously, the giant collective farms that totally separate livestock raising and crop farming are working very badly, as a number of officials have been admitting.
Figures recently released show astounding stall losses of 1.7 million pigs in the first 10 months of this year, including 646,000 piglets in the first six months, or 9.3 percent of the total piglets being raised.
In this pork-eating part of the world there is a smaller cattle population, but here, too, losses are proportionally heavy, at 182,000 for the first 10 months.


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Karbonn Sparkle V (Android One)
Micromax Canvas A1 (Android One)
Micromax Canvas Nitro A310
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
Xiaomi Redmi 1S
Asus Zenfone 6
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HTC One (M8)
Google's Sandeep Menon explains Android One
AMD's David Bennett on gaming, great APUs & the competition
iOS 8: Huge for developers, not yet for you
The Indian Spotify: 4 mobile music streaming apps that you can use
Android One shows massive improvement in battery life for budget smartphones
How tech is taking football to the next level
Classic FPS games are a dying breed
Slowly gathering steam...
The obsession within
Carmick Shift: Can John Carmack and Oculus Rift change the world?
Apple denies plans to shut down Beats Music
Steam gets major 'Discovery' update, brings recommendations, curation
India to become the second biggest smartphone market by 2019
Jolla smartphone with Sailfish OS launched in India at Rs. 16,499
Aviary is now part of Adobe's Creative Cloud
Moto G 2nd gen launched, available from midnight at Rs. 12,999
Xiaomi goes for the kill, prices Redmi 1S at Rs. 5,999 in India
Xiaomi lists Mi3 cases and power-banks on Flipkart, offers 10,400 mAh powerbank for Rs. 999
Moto G2 expected to be announced on 10 September
Motorola Moto X (Gen 2) smartphone, Moto 360 smartwatch announced for India
Notion Ink Cain
Wickedleak Wammy Desire 3
Karbonn Titanium S10
Intex Aqua T2
Tutorial: How to implement H.265/HEVC for Intel Atom Based Android Platforms
How to use Native Library Compression SDK for Android apps
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HTC 820 - First Look
NVIDIA Editors Day 2014 Highlights
NVIDIA Editors Day 2014 - HBAO+, PCSS, TXAA and God Rays demo in Far Cry4
NVIDIA Editors Day 2014 - Turf effects in Grass Demo
Jolla smartphone: Hands-on
First look: HTC Desire 820
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Upcoming smartphones that you should wait for
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On Thursday, Apple released iTunes 11, the latest update to its music and video service.
Love it or hate it, Apple's new version of the software recognizes that music playing is as much a mobile activity as it is at the desktop. The new update attempts to provide a look and feel more in sync with Apple's iOS. Gone is the left-hand nav bar; playlists and radio now appear in the top menu. If you'd like to access a movie, TV show, podcast, or various attached devices, you must click on the drop-down menu underneath the "Music" icon. There’s a new edge-to-edge design that’s reminiscent of iOS, which dominates music sales; Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, has said that more than two-thirds of iTunes downloads now come directly from iOS devices.
Apple showed off iTunes 11 at its iPhone 5 event in early September, as well as a revamped version of the iTunes Store for iOS, which has been live for some time. The revamped iTunes was originally scheduled to go live by the end of October, but Apple said at the time that it needed a few more weeks because "we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right."
In the next few pages, we've highlighted a few of the cooler features in the new iTunes. And stay tuned for our formal review.
Copyright © 2010 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc

domain: news


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In a trading update this morning (October 14), STM revealed that although the last quarter of the year typically provides “solid new business growth”, it expects to see significantly lower levels and will have to “take a more conservative stance” on its new business numbers for the remainder of 2020.
Alan Kentish, chief executive of STM Group said: "It is incredibly disappointing to have to reduce our anticipated new business numbers, particularly given all the hard work involved in bringing the Options business into the STM family.
“Covid-19 has certainly created a more difficult backdrop in which to do business, and whilst we have looked after our existing clients admirably, it is apparent that our new business expectations for 2020 will not be met.
“We believe that much of the new business shortfall is a timing issue and thus expect it to come through in 2021, supporting our confidence in expected material growth in profit before tax for 2021."
Despite its Options workplace pensions business currently achieving a 50 per cent revenue uplift year-on-year, it is now expected to fall short of its overall revenue target by £320,000, as a direct result of lower than expected new business for September and expected shortfalls in the remaining three months of the year.
Options is the new name of Carey Pensions, which was bought by STM in 2018.
STM has also scaled back its anticipated new business numbers for its flexible annuity product as conversion rates into applications remains “frustratingly slow”
The expected impact on new business revenue for the last quarter is £150,000, with this directly impacting 2020 profit before tax.
STM stated: “There remain a number of specific initiatives and opportunities that remain in play for 2020 and into 2021, which have the ability to claw back some of the 2020 new business shortfall, however there is not sufficient certainty on their delivery to include them within our new 2020 business expectations.”
The group said it will continue to actively pursue acquisitions and is still working to integrate the recently acquired Berkeley Burke businesses.
In August STM announced it had acquired 100 per cent of the share capital of Berkeley Burke (Financial Services) Ltd and Berkeley Burke Employee Benefit Consultants Ltd, which provide administration and consultancy services to Ssas and international businesses.
The two acquired businesses are independent of the Berkeley Burke Sipp business, which was sold to Hartley Pensions after it entered into administration in September last year.


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If you are living in any of Vietnam’s big cities, chances are you have eaten out at one of your city’s hundreds of restaurants with hot pots, a barbecue buffet, and draft beers on the menu.
Increases in household incomes and living standards in urban areas have led to a boom in the barbecue buffet business model, giving rise to a slew of popular chains seeking to cement a hold on the burgeoning market.
Latecomers are eagerly hoping to cash in on the success of the already well-established brands in the sector, many of whom are chalking up annual revenues well into the trillions of dong. (VND1 trillion = US$42.9 million)
A half-a-kilometer strip of Tran Thai Tong Street in Cau Giay District, Hanoi, is home to more than half a dozen hot pot and beer restaurants, according to news website VnExpress. Just four kilometers away, on Tran Thai Tong Street, several more brands have set up popular barbecue and hot point joints.
Though competition is fierce, there are two brands that seem to be rising above the rest: Golden Gate and Redsun.
A two-horse race
Golden Gate Company, known for its flagship brand Ashima, and Redsun were both established in 2008 and have since grown to become massive players in the industry.
Golden Gate’s portfolio has since grown to nearly 20 different brands which raked in combined sales topping VND3,300 billion (US$141.9 million) in 2017, a serious jump from VND500 billion ($21.5 million) in 2013.
Redsun, Golden Gate’s top competitor, owns more than ten brands, including Seoul Garden, ThaiExpress, King BBQ, Sushi Kei, and Hotpot Story which reported over VND360 billion ($15.48 million) in revenue in 2017.
By the end of 2017, Golden Gate had operated 227 restaurants across Vietnam, compared to Redsun’s 140 restaurants.
It is difficult to walk through a busy shopping center in any of the country’s major cities without spotting an eatery owned by one of these two giants – typically Redsun’s flagship brand King BBQ standing side by side with Golden Gate’s Gogi or Sumo BBQ restaurants.
The key to the success of these two companies has not been their staggering revenues, but rather their abnormally high gross profit margins.
By leveraging the buffet concept, each chain has managed to make service its biggest expense, rather than food costs.
In 2017, Golden Gate achieved a nearly 62 percent gross profit margin. In other words, an average of $0.38 out of every $1 spent at these restaurants goes toward operating and food costs.
Comparatively, Golden Gate spends more than 40 percent of its total revenue on operational costs.
According to Golden Gate’s 2018 business, the company is targeting sales of more than VND4,400 billion ($189.2 million), up VND1 trillion ($43 million) from 2017.
The company expects to open 89 more restaurants, including 36 restaurants in the north and 53 in the south, with a primary focus on expanding Kichi-Kichi, Gogi, and Hutong brands.


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Mr. Speaker, I am glad the minister mentioned the SPP because this issue is very important. It is not only about our jobs; it is about our sovereignty.
On February 6, the American buyer ATK had this to say about RADARSAT-2, “the key for us is to be able to move that technology, transfer that technology into the ATK U.S. space”. Canadians have invested $445 million to develop this technology. Now the Conservatives are giving it away.
We all remember all too well it was a Conservative government that sold out Canada's aerospace industry when it scrapped the Avro Arrow. Will the Conservative government repeat that same mistake and sell us out again?


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The Teslas will be part of a transportation system designed to free people from owning cars and at less than the monthly cost of traditional car ownership.
If you like indie music, you'll love this huge batch of tunes, provided with no strings attached by the good folks at NPR.
Company says its flagship Galaxy smartphone S series has smashed through a gargantuan milestone.
Samsung's newest flagship device is its fastest selling smart phone to date, hitting the 20 million mark in record time.
Ramping up: 10 million Galaxy S3 smartphones sold in one month isn't bad, and 20 million in just over three months ain't too shabby, either.
Online reservations for the new iPhones have shot past 100,000 at China's second-largest mobile carrier, reports Bloomberg.
Only $100 separates the iPhone 5C and 5S. But with all the advantages of an iPhone 5S, paying that extra cash is a no-brainer.
The Canon PowerShot S100 is a generally great little camera for advanced shooters who don't mind slowing down a bit from a dSLR.
The PowerShot S100 delivers better photo quality than its predecessor, the S95.
A great enthusiast compact for manual-focusing fans.


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In 2020, as a result of 122 attacks on representatives of the blockchain industry, hackers stole almost $3.8 billion in cryptocurrencies. This is evidenced by the results of the Atlas VPN study.
Data: Atlas VPN.
The attackers stole most of the funds as a result of attacks on cryptocurrency wallets — more than $3 billion.
Hackers often attacked decentralized applications on the Ethereum blockchain. In 2020, they were successfully hacked at least 47 times.
As a result of 28 hacks, cryptocurrency exchanges lost more than $300 million last year.
Calculations were made at the exchange rate as of January 12, 2021.
Analysts noted that in 2020, the number of hacks aimed at the blockchain industry decreased for the first time in five years. Experts expect that the trend will continue this year.
Recall that in October, Atlas VPN estimated that since 2012, the blockchain industry has lost more than $ 13.6 billion as a result of hacker attacks.
Read about the biggest hacks of 2020 in the ForkLog exclusive.


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CKGSB Alumnus Helped South Korean Companies Enter the Massive Chinese Healthcare Market
In 2021, EOFlow, a South Korean provider of wearable drug delivery solutions, announced to establish a joint venture company “SINOFLOW Co., Ltd.” with Changsha Sinocare, China’s largest diabetes device company, marking this Korean company’s first step into China’s large and growing diabetes market.
Behind the cooperation was Perry Jung, alumnus of CKGSB MBA Program and CEO of Vision Creator, a Korean Venture Capital firm that invests in Korean tech companies and facilitates them to succeed in cross-border business in countries like China.
From not knowing Chinese to building bridges between China and South Korea, a key step that Jung took for himself and for his career was to enroll himself at CKGSB in 2008.
Before applying, Jung was working for a Korean investment bank. “I actually didn’t have any plans to go to China for an MBA at that time.” Jung said. But then he was involved in the IPO of 3NOD Electronic, the first Chinese company ever listed in South Korea. The company’s stock price hit the ceiling after the first trading day 11 days in a row, and went up several times during the next few weeks.
“It was a really shocking moment in my life,” Jung said, adding that 3NOD President Liu Zhixiong, a fellow CKGSB alumnus, had advised him to enroll at CKGSB to better understand the enormous market. Jung’s “Chinese dream” was kindled. He was eager to dive into the Chinese market and understand it more. “That was why I applied to CKGSB and also got a scholarship.”
At CKGSB, Jung learnt a lot about Chinese culture and Chinese entrepreneurs through numerous case studies on Chinese local companies. “I especially like Professor Teng Bingsheng’s MBA strategy (course). That experience and education actually helped me a lot to support companies to set up a business mindset.”
Equipped with knowledge of the Chinese market, Jung started his own company, Vision Creator, in 2016, specializing in offering business consulting services to Korean companies venturing into China by providing consultancy and bridging Korean startups with the right business partners and investors in China.
“You can’t do things without support from local partners,” he said, which he learned at CKGSB. “Our firm has expertise for Chinese market. Our advantage is to help Korean companies expand the Chinese market with good consulting, good network and good advice. That’s why EOFlow finally accepted our investment.”
EOFlow is Vision Creator’s first successful joint venture with a Chinese partner, according to Jung, who is now trying to launch the second and third successful cases for Vision Creator’s portfolio companies in China.


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New state survey shows consumers are unable to spot the latest fraud tactics as scammers prove ‘fear sells’
The barrage of automated telephone solicitations or “robocalls” we get on our home and mobile phones seems to be never-ending. In fact, robocalls coming into Washington state have more than doubled in recent years to 560 million calls annually. To make matters worse, experts estimate that up to half of these calls may be attempts to defraud consumers.
In the face of this massive increase in unwanted scam calls, a new AARP survey shows many Washington state adults are unaware of the latest scammer tactics and are putting themselves squarely in the sights of con artists. According to “Who’s Really on the Line,” AARP’s new survey of residents age 18 and older, Washington adults are relying on outdated advice when it comes to screening out unwanted calls. While the majority of respondents are using caller ID to avoid numbers they don’t recognize or calls marked “Unknown,” “Private,” or “Restricted,” advances in technology have put them one step behind the cons.
“While those traditional red flags may have been enough to protect consumers in the past, con artists today have gained the upper hand by using ‘spoofing’ tools that mask their true identities,” says AARP State Director Doug Shadel. “By using programs that are readily and cheaply available online, scammers can manipulate your caller ID so that calls appear to come from any number or source they choose—and consumers are falling for it.”
According to AARP’s survey, nearly two-thirds of Washington adults (60 percent) say they are more likely to answer the phone if their caller ID shows a local number. Nearly half of respondents (48 percent) will likely answer if shown an area code where friends and/or family live, and four in ten (41 percent) say they are more likely to pick up if the prefix on caller ID matches their own.
AARP’s survey was released in late May at a “Spoof Proof Your Life” event at the Museum of Flight. The event was the first in a statewide series launched by AARP, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Microsoft, the Federal Trade Commission, and BECU. Attendees learned how to spot and stop some of the latest scammer tactics.
“Impostor scams are among the top complaints received by my office each year, because scammers continue to find new ways to trick consumers,” said Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson. “Scammers use tactics like robo-dialer technology and ‘neighbor spoofing’ to convince you to pick up the phone. The number of complaints we receive about robo-dialer calls has increased dramatically in the last year, but there are ways that consumers can protect themselves,” said Ferguson. “Take advantage of the resources offered by AARP, my office, and others to spot and stop scammers before they get their hands on your hard-earned money,” he said.
According to AARP’s survey, avoiding new spoofing techniques is only half the battle. Once consumers are convinced to pick up the phone, many of them are playing directly into the hands of the scammers. When presented with some common robo-dial or online scam pitches, more than half (57 percent) of Washington adults said they were likely to follow up or ask for more information. “The only surefire way to avoid becoming a victim is to never engage with a scammer in the first place,” said Shadel. “Con artists have become increasingly sophisticated and devious, and once they get you talking, it’s far too easy to fall prey to their ploys.”
AARP’s survey may also help explain why a growing number of scam pitches are designed to threaten or scare victims into handing over their money. According to the findings, Washington adults are significantly more likely to respond to negative or fear-based pitches like “You owe unpaid taxes” or “You are facing jail time for missing jury duty,” than those promising rewards like “You’ve won the lottery” or “You qualify for a free vacation.” Half of survey respondents (50 percent) said they would respond to a fear-based pitch, compared to only 44 percent who said they would respond to a promise of wealth.
“We know from previous social science research that human beings respond more to stimuli that helps them avoid losing things than stimuli that offers them a positive gain,” said Shadel. “Fear sells, and it’s clear that con artists understand the power of scare tactics when it comes to making a buck.”
Campaign partners urged consumers to take four important steps to help protect themselves from fake and misleading robocalls or online pitches. Survey findings show very few Washingtonian adults are currently taking these important precautions.
- Don’t rely on caller ID alone to identify who is calling. “Whether it’s online or on the phone, advances in technology have made it very easy for scammers to impersonate trusted sources,” said Sean Murphy, BECU SVP Chief Information Security Officer. “Be suspicious of requests for personal information or pressure to take action quickly. Also be wary of requests for abnormal payment methods, such as through a gift card or wire transfer.”
- Use call blocking services. Consider getting a call blocking service like “Nomorobo” or “You Mail,” or contact your phone company and inquire if they offer a call blocking feature. AARP’s survey showed that most Washington adults (81 percent) do not use a robocall blocking service.
- Independently verify the identity of those calling. According to AARP’s survey, half of Washington adults (51 percent) seldom or never look up a number online to determine if it’s a scam. “The best thing you can do to prevent fraud is to be vigilant, avoid unsolicited offers, and safeguard your personal information,” said Courtney Gregoire, Assistant General Counsel, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit. “Be wary of unsolicited phone calls or pop-up messages on your electronic devices. Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team of whom you are already a customer. If you think you may have been the victim of a scam, file a report with law enforcement authorities, including your local consumer protection authority. You could help stop fraudsters in their tracks,” said Gregoire.
- Report fraud to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. AARP’s survey showed that most Washington adults (79 percent) have not reported telemarketing robocalls, calls with fake or misleading display numbers (84 percent) or attempted telephone scams (81 percent) to authorities. “It’s important to always report scam attempts, even if you don’t fall victim,” said Chuck Harwood, Federal Trade Commission Regional Director. “Your story makes a difference. Every report is a piece of the puzzle that helps authorities see a fuller picture of what scammers are doing, which can also help in law enforcement actions. Scammers don’t rip off just one person, and your story could be the one that helps protect others,” he said. Consumers should report scams to the FTC at gov/complaint, and to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office at atg.wa.gov/file-complaint.
Contributor Jason Erskine is the Communications Director at AARP Washington. Learn more about AARP Washington at aarp.org/wa.


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The company called a pair of experts, including a New York University professor who said that an earlier expert called by Apple used a flawed study that resulted in an inflated damages estimate.
NYU professor Tulin Erdem said that an Apple-commissioned study by John Hauser teaches consumers about the features at issue in the case — features most consumers aren’t aware of and weren’t already valuing, resulting in what Erdem says are “demand artifacts.”
“You are elevating artificially the importance, the value of these things,” Erdem said.
By contrast, Erdem said in her deposition they were the kind of features that only a weird or crazy person or a “techno-whatever” would care about.
“They are not even in the radar screen of consumers,” Erdem said on the witness stand on Friday. “These are very granular … and they wouldn’t drive demand.”
Samsung on Friday also played deposition testimony from several Apple executives who said that hundreds of features go into the iPhone’s overall ease of use.
The Korean Electronics giant is also arguing that its products don’t infringe on Apple’s patents and also that Apple’s patents are invalid. Many other witnesses this week have testified as to those issues.
Apple has argued that a number of Samsung phones and tablets do infringe and argues Samsung should have to pay more than $2 billion in damages.
Testimony in the case is winding down as each side has used the bulk of its 25 hours of time before the jury. At the current pace, the final witnesses will be called a week from now, with closing arguments on April 28.
Samsung asked Judge Koh on Friday to give each side an extra bit of time, but Apple opposed the move and Koh denied to extend the case.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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US lawmakers have asked Facebook to “immediately cease implementation plans” of its Libra cryptocurrency. Before it continues any further, the House Financial Services Committee, driven by Democrat Maxine Waters, needs to inspect risks around cybersecurity, worldwide financial markets, and national security concerns, it said in a letter to Facebook.
“We write to request that Facebook and its partners immediately agree to a moratorium on any movement forward on Libra — its proposed cryptocurrency and Calibra — its proposed digital wallet,” the committee wrote. “It appears that these products may lend themselves to an entirely new global financial system that is based out of Switzerland and intends to rival US monetary currency and the dollar. This raises serious privacy, trading, national security and monetary policy concerns for not only Facebook’s over 2 billion users, but also for investors, consumers and the global economy.”
Facebook propelled Libra cryptocurrency a month ago as an approach to “make it easy for everyone to send and receive money just like you use our apps to instantly share messages and photos,” Mark Zuckerberg wrote. The arrangement is to in the long run surrender control to an independent consortium of more than 100 organizations, with players like MasterCard, Visa, Uber, and Spotify previously having probably marked on.
Be that as it may, the dispatch of the Libra and Calibra was promptly met with extraordinary skepticism, particularly considering the Cambridge Analytica outrage and other client protection issues. Critics brought up that Calibra’s terms of service show that Facebook could utilize it to share client data and account data in specific conditions. What’s more, given Facebook’s billions of clients, it could make the organization a key player in advanced installments, expanding its officially huge influence in the public arena.
Facebook said that Libra “will be regulated like other payment service providers” and firewalled off from Facebook itself. However, neither the House Financial Services Committee, led by Democrats, nor the Republican controlled Senate Banking Committee, are convinced.
“If products and services like these are left improperly regulated and without sufficient oversight, they could pose systemic risks that endanger U.S. and global financial stability,” Maxine Water wrote. “Because Facebook is already in the hands of over a quarter of the world’s population, it is imperative that Facebook and its partners immediately cease implementation plans until regulators and Congress have an opportunity to examine these risks and take action.”
I’m a communication enthusiast and junior editor-reporter at Research Snipers, I have completed a degree in Mass Communication but am very enthusiastic about new technology, games, and mobile devices. I have the main interest in Technology and games.


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Europcar has launched its new mobility flagship station in Brussels. Designed as a unique and exclusive multimodal platform, the new station reflects the group’s ambition to become a global mobility solutions leader.
Europcar UK has opened its latest commercial vehicle supersite at Heathrow Skyport. The new West London hub, with its convenient positioning near the motorway network as well as Heathrow airport, is set to provide businesses with access to a dedicated van hire service.
Europcar UK is demonstrating its commitment to sustainable mobility solutions with the opening of a new branch at Milton Keynes Central railway station. Making all forms of vehicle rental - from hybrid and electric vehicles to hourly hire and long term rental - available from the heart of the railway station, the new location sets the benchmark for connected mobility.
Europcar Group has confirmed the acquisition of GuidaMi, the station-based car sharing company in Milan. The European vehicle rental services provider take control of the company through subsidiary Ubeeqo, an innovative mobility start-up in which Europcar owns a majority share.
Europcar Group has confirmed the acquisition of its Irish franchisee, one of its biggest in terms of revenue. Through this acquisition, the group extends its corporate network from nine to ten countries, benefiting from strong leisure flows coming from all its subsidiaries, and strengthens its mobility footprint with the acquisition of the car rental and car sharing activities.
Europcar Group’s supervisory board today announced the appointment of Caroline Parot as chief executive officer, effective immediately. She succeeds Philippe Germond, with a mandate to accelerate the implementation of the group’s strategy of becoming a leader in global mobility solutions.
Europcar UK is taking a ground-breaking step by adding hydrogen fuel vehicles to its fleet. Underpinning this initiative is the company’s successful bid for an Office for Low Emission Vehicles grant of €200,000, which is enabling the company to harness Toyota’s hydrogen fuel technology. As the largest private sector winner of the coveted OLEV grant, Europcar UK is adding several Toyota Mirai to its fleet, giving it the largest privately owned fleet of hydrogen cars and strengthening its commitment to reducing fleet emissions.
Europcar has announced total revenue of €707 million compared for the third quarter of 2016, compared to a figure of €693 million in 2015. This represents a 5.1 per cent increase at constant currency. Excluding Locaroise, its third French Franchisee (fully consolidated since July), total revenues growth reached 4.5 per cent.
As it marks its third successive year as the official Mobility Partner for WTM London, Europcar will be showcasing its latest developments to help reduce the stress for busy travellers. A number of enhancements have been made to the Europcar Deliver & Collect service, to take the stress out of picking up and returning rental vehicles.
Europcar Lab has announced the launch in France of an innovative pilot with GoMore, the European leader in no-fee car sharing. They have designed a new everyday car product that combines medium-term rental with the option of car sharing. This innovative urban mobility solution, called Drive & Share, allows customers to rent a car for four to 12 months, with the option of sharing it on the GoMore platform whenever they aren’t using it.
Vijay Kumar, group general manager, Europcar Dubai, talks to Breaking Travel News about their successful growth in the car rental sector in the Middle East.
Following the announcement earlier this year that it was setting up a new organisation structured around business units, Europcar Group has organised its management board in order to optimise the roll out of its strategy. Management board members’ roles have now been redefined and they will focus on their new group responsibilities.


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The star cast of the upcoming thriller 'Roy' held a press conference at a five-star hotel in Delhi as part of its promotional campaign.
Arjun Rampal. Pics/Yogen Shah
Ranbir Kapoor who was missing from the promotions so far finally showed up in his trademark avatar — a leather jacket with denims.
Photos: Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu promote 'Naam Shabana'
Flashback: When sexy models sizzled in bikinis at Tokyo fashion show
Photos: These Indian cities top the list in online purchase of sex products
In pictures: Indian-origin artistes in Hollywood
Photos: Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt at studio in Bandra


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Shares Rovio Entertainment, the company which developed Angry Birds took flight on its initial public offering (IPO) debut on September 29, 2017. The company decided to go public at the beginning of September 2017.
Rovio’s shares were up 5.3 percent, trading at EUR 12.11 from its final price of EUR 11.50 in IPO in Helsinki. The aforementioned figures indicate the scenario of stock market by 08:14 am GMT on September 29.
Atte Riikola, an analyst at research firm Inderes stated that there is a high demand at initial stages. However, he noted the reaction is not too dramatic, provided the oversubscription of IPO taking place multiple times.
The market valuation of Rovio was EUR 950 million, which seemed higher based on the company’s historic profit.
Rovio launched Angry Birds in 2009 and its profits grew instantly. The growth slowed down with the availability of free mobile games.
The company reduced one third of its staff owing to operating losses in 2015. However, the company gained traction following the release of 3D Angry Birds movie and other games.
Rovio stated the decision to go public aims to generate growth and participate in gaming industry consolidation.
“In the IPO, Rovio received gross proceeds … that will be used to support Rovio’s growth strategy. We also believe that the listing will strengthen Rovio’s brand recognition and brand awareness … and thus enhances Rovio’s competitiveness,” Chairman Mika Ihamuotila said in a statement.
In the first half of 2017, Rovio’s profits doubled as compared to last year. It generated EUR 153 million and recorded a leap in core profits from EUR 11 million a year earlier to EUR 42 million.
Analyst Riikola emphasized that the company needs to continue good performance to perform well in stock market.


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Earlier this week, I came across several four-year-old columns I wrote about Facebook when it was near $20 per share. I’ve trimmed some of my Facebook US:FB over the years since I wrote these pieces, but it remains one of my largest positions to this day, in large part because it’s up 400% since as I note below from back in 2012, “I’d built it into one of my top 3 largest positions.”
No trades for me today, as we didn’t get the final panicky intraday selloff I’d been looking for to add some longs and/or buying some call options. Remember that so much of our long-term success in trading and investing is not overtrading or forcing trades. This look back at Facebook before it quintupled in price is a good reminder of that.
July 23, 2012 COMMENTARY
By Cody Willard
Much of the speculation about Facebook has been whether it can monetize the enormous traffic growths it’s seeing from mobile devices, whether its Apple’s iPhone or a Google Android or a Research in Motion Blackberry (yes, those are still out there).
The idea is that desktop Web traffic is the most valuable to advertisers and ad agencies (like early Facebook investor IPG), and that kind of traffic is in perpetual decline. Which makes some sense, right? I’m with my phone basically 24 hours a day, [and] if I’ve already checked Facebook on mobile, I don’t need to when I sit down at my trading station. That Facebook hasn’t yet perfected the mobile-advertising game is pretty well accepted on Wall Street and in the media. Check out this Forbes article from the awesomely-named Chris Versace. Here are a few excerpts:
“Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg has admitted that his hardest job right now is figuring out how to adapt Facebook to mobile devices in part because the user experience is so different than on desktop computers. How can a website or an app offer advertising on a two-inch-by-four-inch screen and still offer a great smooth experience for users?”
“Some simple math and we realize that the vast majority of advertising revenues are generated from those non-mobile users. But the shift toward mobile devices is accelerating at a time when PC demand, particularly in the U.S., is slipping and that does not bode well for Facebook. During Q2 2012 smartphone penetration continued to grow, with 54.9% of U.S. mobile subscribers owning smartphones as of June 2012.”
“The risk is more people accessing Facebook on the go than at the PC, not a good thing for the company’s PC centric display advertising business model.”
We’re going to do some simple math of our own in a second, for which we need to look at that mobile argument. What I’m saying is that you want to own Facebook because that’s the platform everyone is consuming and sharing content on, whether through desktops or mobile or hologram or augmented-reality glasses.
If the entire world stops using PCs as their primary way to access the web, wouldn’t you still want to be long Facebook, a company that is growing tremendously in a tremendously growing market? And any new technology platform that emerges, you can be sure it will be used to check Facebook plenty. It’s not on the table that mobile engagement on Facebook is going down, in fact, everyone agrees it’s going up. The issue the pundits have is that it’s a different and new kind of engagement.
And my argument is that different engagement is far, far better.
So here’s how Facebook gets to a $200 billion market cap. Their valuation right now is just under $70 billion. Last years’s revenue was about $3 billion, so that’s 22x sales, let’s say 20x for good measure. Facebook says they have 900M monthly-active-users (MAUs), a 33% jump from the year before.
Let’s say the prices/sales multiple holds over the next five years, that would mean Facebook would need $10 billion in revenue to get to a $200-billion market cap. But let’s halve the multiple to 10x sales, so we’re looking for $20 billion in sales. And let’s say that explosive MAU growth slows by a third to 11% for the next five years, which would give Facebook 1.5 billion engaged users. Divide that $20 billion in revenue by the 1.5 billion users. So if Facebook generates $13 in revenue per user per year, it will at a $200 B market cap.
Let’s make that even simpler — that’s about four cents per day, per user.
Everything I just stated is the bear case, and about half what I expect to materialize, but generating four cents per user per day, by connecting engaged users with advertisers, is not that hard. And if Facebook needs some time to evolve their strategy or shift the thinking of advertisers and agencies to the mobile reality, good thing they have billions in the bank from the IPO.
No changes to my Facebook strategy, as I’ve already built it into one of my top three largest positions with lots of upside leverage via a wide range of longer-dated calls.
We’re still up a couple bucks or more since I bought the stock, and I’ve been trading options on Facebook and detailing it on TradingWithCody.com (not affiliated with Marketwatch) but it’s definitely been that bumpy ride that I said was all too possible.
At any rate, I wanted to be the first to point out how astonishingly little revenue per user per day this company needs to generate to get that kind of a valuation.
Back in the current day, one of the most important themes in Revolution Investing is that you have to be able to look out years into the future and stick by your convictions. And one of the other most important themes when it comes to Revolution Investing is that we are betting on brilliant CEOs. Mark Zuckerberg has proven he is one of those repeatedly for the four years we have owned this stock.
And like I said at the top of this newsletter, Facebook is one of my largest positions to this day.


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Following a global fan vote, the next-generation Monopoly board game is going to be missing a number of once-loved player tokens.
As well as the boot, the thimble and the wheelbarrow are set to be jettisoned from the board and will be replaced with a T-Rex, a rubber Ducky and a Penguin.
In the lead up to World Monopoly Day, March 19, Hasbro, which owns the rights to the iconic board game decided to poll fans in 100 countries as to what should and shouldn't be in the next iteration of the game.
And via a combination of 64 potential objects and 4.3 million votes cast, the company has arrived at a new set of eight player tokens that will be included in the next generation of the game, which lands in stores this August.
And in terms of voter popularity, those tokens will be the Scottie Dog; a T-Rex; the Top Hat; the Car; a Rubber Ducky; a Cat; a Penguin; and a Battleship.
"The global Monopoly community has spoken!" said Jonathan Berkowitz, senior vice president of marketing for Hasbro Gaming. "The next generation of tokens clearly represents the interests of our fans around the world."


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To take on its rival Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel has now announced a new VoWi-Fi calling service named Airtel Wi-Fi Calling. However, the service is currently limited to Delhi-NCR circle and is limited to 24 smartphones.
The Airtel Wi-Fi calling service, as the name suggests, will allow customers to make and receive calls over a Wi-Fi network. The company has further added that the Airtel VoWi-Fi service will be available only via Airtel broadband.
The service’s call connection time and quality are said to be superior compared to standard and VoLTE calling technologies. The service requires no additional or separate app to log in for usage.
Airtel customers can toggle the Wi-Fi calling service by heading to their smartphone’s SIM Card Settings and enabling VoLTE Switch and then Wi-Fi Calling Switch. Once done, the user needs to restart the device. It should be working fine if VoWi-Fi symbol appears in the status bar.
The list of smartphones that support Airtel Wi-Fi calling include Apple smartphones running iOS 13 – iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and iPhone 11 Pro; Samsung smartphone Galaxy J6, Galaxy On6, Galaxy M30s, and Galaxy A10s; Xiaomi’s Poco F1, Redmi K20, and Redmi K20 Pro; and OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T, and OnePlus 7T Pro.


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Dell shines the spotlight on the potential of a circular economy
In recent years, technology has been responsible for a number of innovative shifts. Virtualization, for example, enabled enterprises and service providers to make the most of their available computing resources while eliminating unnecessary hardware. Technology has been a linchpin for a range of other recycling and green efforts, supporting strategies to reduce energy usage and shrink carbon footprints.
Now, it seems that tech and sustainability go hand in hand, and for good reason. Dell is looking to take this a step further with its focus on the circular economy and designing for the environment.
Starting at the beginning: What is a circular economy?
A circular economy is based on the elimination of waste, and the continual reuse of available materials.
“The technology industry is uniquely positioned to help foster this change.”
“A circular economy is one that is restorative and regenerative by design, and which aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles,” The Ellen MacArthur Foundation explained.
Dell expanded on this, noting that all materials are valuable within this type of economy. What’s more, the current landscape supports a shift in this direction.
“As the population grows, more join the middle class (and adopt their consumption habits) and pressure on natural resources increases, we all must look at new ways of doing things,” Dell stated.
The technology industry is uniquely positioned to help foster this change, and Dell is currently leading the way here.
Moving from linear to circular
As opposed to harvesting raw materials and creating goods that will be eventually thrown out, Dell noted that it’s time to eliminate this wasteful point of view. Instead, we should leverage our available resources in a more efficient manner for a longer period of time.
“The system relies on designing products with the entire lifecycle in mind (including ease of reuse, repair and recycling), finding more efficient materials and means (including use of renewable resources) and looking at new business models that transform processes and relationships,” according to Dell.
This approach could have a significant impact on the world. In addition to considerably reducing overall waste and boosting efficiency, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation pointed out that a circular economy could also save money and create employment opportunities. Overall, switching to circular economies could help establish 400,000 new jobs and save $1 trillion a year in material costs.
Where the technology sector fits in
Now is potentially the best time for the technology industry to embrace the idea of a circular economy, especially as so many enterprises continue to ditch legacy hardware for new, virtualized solutions.
Dell has taken this idea and ran with it – the company utilizes a closed-loop recycling strategy certified by UL Environment.
“Using plastics recovered from technology collected through our recycling efforts to make new plastic parts gives these plastics an extended life, has a smaller carbon footprint and even reduces costs,” Dell pointed out.
In addition, the technology provider is also encouraging a
“In the spirit of delivering technology with fewer resources used, Dell cloud services help customers scalably provision various types of technology for their workforce or their customers without tying it to new hardware,” Dell stated.
Virtualization: A step in the right direction for enterprises
As technology vendors do their part in recycling available materials, it’s also important for enterprises to join in on these efforts as well. As noted, virtualization can make a big difference here, helping to reduce dependency on hardware while enabling businesses to better utilize their computing power. Instead of installing an entirely new server, IT teams can spin up digital environments in which their critical documents, databases and other assets can live within a partitioned server already in place.
This approach can also help combat the growing problem of zombie servers, which are machines that are turned on and consuming energy without providing any real or valuable computing operations. According to 2014 statistics from the National Resources Defense Council and Anthesis, more than 3 million of the 12 million servers in the U.S. are zombie servers.
“Virtualization is another way our customers can extend their technology without taking on new resources,” Dell pointed out. “Migrating physical servers to virtual ones and consolidating can lower monthly power and cooling costs and reduce the whole data center footprint, delaying or even eliminating the need to build new facilities.”
Spreading the word: Dell’s “Legacy for Good” short film contest
Dell is also taking this idea to the streets with its short film contest in partnership with actor and Dell Social Good Advocate Adrian Grenier.
“There are many inspiring examples of how innovative thinking and new technologies can help us to create a more sustainable economy and we want to bring these stories to light to help inspire broader action,” Grenier said.
More information on the contest can be found here.<< Back to Resources


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AN ELITE cycling team with big ambitions is celebrating success so far in its first year while still being a team for the people.
Starley-Primal Pro Cycling, which is the UK’s only professional male and female team, is a project driven by Altrincham shop Starley Bikes, including its marketing director, Davenham man Nick Fountain.
The team’s latest success is rider Eileen Roe who won the 2014 Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series in June and will compete in the Commonwealth Games representing Team Scotland this summer.
Nick said: “We’re one of the only UK teams that has professional male and female riders but run and managed by the same team of people.
“It’s quite exciting times.
“This is our first year and it was a bit of a last minute decision – we came to the table quite late with the team but they’re doing well.
“We’ve got two riders in the Commonwealth Games as well and we’re just doing the custom bikes at the moment.”
Nick, who is often spotted driving the Starley car in and around Northwich, said the team was looking for more sponsors to help it step up a level next year to a pro continental UCI team but that it was keen to maintain its accessibility.
“I don’t like the way cycling is becoming like football in that high profile riders are kept separate from the fans,” he said.
“We encourage people to talk to our riders and walk around the pits.
“We’ve been around to lots of schools giving talks while doing the Tour Series and I think the riders enjoy it more as well because of that.
“The riders have a real passion for what they do and it’s a shame to keep them away from people because of their level of riding ability.
“We want to make sure that we’re a team accessible to everyone.”
The team calls itself the people’s team and hopes to inspire people to race bikes as well as ride them.
Starley Bikes has a similar ethos in that it is a bike manufacturer that builds each of its cycles around the rider, with every bike custom made and all of the bikes using the same components as the team bikes.
“We can use the team as the test bed for the business,” Nick said.
“We can test something out and if it works it’s easy to give access to the consumer.
“We also encourage people to learn – people can come in and ask questions and we will show them how to do things like adjust their gears.”
He added: “I think a lot of bike shops these days can be quite intimidating but for me it’s a memory of childhood – you should be really excited.”


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Positioned to take on the Tesla Model S. Continue Reading...
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The next vehicle from VLF Automtive will be the F1 Roadster. Continue Reading...
Fisker could be paying a firm to leave positive comments around the internet. Continue Reading...
Henrik Fisker has released a teaser image of his first new car. Continue Reading...
Henrik Fisker is making another attempt at producing electric vehicles. Continue Reading...
The VLF Force 1 debuted at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show today, despite Aston Martin’s attempt at blocking the unveil. Continue Reading...
Former General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz and Henrik Fisker have announced a new, US-based luxury sports car company… again. Continue Reading...
The New Year is upon us and that means the 2016 Detroit Auto Show is right around the corner. Continue Reading...
Henrik Fisker has filed a lawsuit against Aston Martin, alleging “civil extortion.” Continue Reading...
Fisker Automotive may not have succeeded, but Henrik Fisker isn’t struggling to find work. Continue Reading...
Henrik Fisker’s next creation will debut at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. Continue Reading...
Henrik Fisker is returning to the big stage at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Continue Reading...
Henrik Fisker and the electric automaker’s former directors are being sued by Atlas Capital Management, an investor group that had purchased Fisker securities. Continue Reading...
Fisker Automotive’s fall from grace has been well documented over the last couple of years, but now a report has surfaced showing just how much money the American electric automaker lost. Continue Reading...
Things may be looking grim for Fisker Automotive, but Henrik Fisker isn’t giving up on the brand he founded. Continue Reading...
Henrik Fisker, founder and Executive Chairman of Fisker Automotive, has resigned his position at the struggling automaker the bears his name. Continue Reading...
It’s no secret Fisker Automotive is in trouble. The maker of premium electric cars is clinging to life by its fingernails. One more setback could send them plummeting into the fiery abyss of financial ruin. Still, even if they roll snake eyes the firm’s founder has more than a few thoughts on what future transportation… Continue Reading...
After a rough year full of being in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Fisker is looking forward to 2013 and is hoping to turn the corner with a strategic partner. Continue Reading...
Tesla and Fisker are essentially polar opposites right now, despite both specializing in developing luxury electric vehicles for the automotive industry. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has never shied away from speaking his mind, and the bold CEO has been highly successful in developing his businesses. Continue Reading...
Originally code named Project Nina, Fisker Automotive unveiled its newest model on the eve of the 2012 NY Auto Show. Now called the Atlantic, it may be a concept car, but according to company co-founder Henrik Fisker it’s 90 of what the production car will be. Fisker didn’t provide a timeline on when it hopes… Continue Reading...
Fisker Automotive announced today that former Chrysler head Tom LaSorda will replace the company’s namesake, Henrik Fisker, as the new CEO. Fisker first called LaSorda to join the team as an observer and to assess the company as a whole. After two months of evaluation,He asked LaSorda to become CEO. Fisker meanwhile announced his intent to “build… Continue Reading...
Citing complex certification processes, Fisker Automotive has cut its sales target for the plug-in hybrid electric Karma once again. Initially set at 15,000 units for 2012, in November the American start-up automaker headed by renowned automotive designer Henrik Fisker shopped the forecast to 12,000 units in November. Now Fisker has reduced that goal once again,… Continue Reading...
Just as the Karma begins to enter showrooms, Fisker is raring to get a move on its Project Nina. However, despite the optimism, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Fisker. Although it was initially intended for the $50,000 Nina hybrid to be completed by 2012, circumstances require the product’s launch to be pushed back a… Continue Reading...
Fisker Automotive has finally been given EPA certification and as a result can start officially selling cars. The U.S.-based builder of luxurious yet green vehicles has received a 52 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) rating for its Karma sedan. With a 32 mile electric-only range, the Karma’s gasoline only rating is a less impressive 20-mpg…. Continue Reading...


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iPhoto 8.1.1 released by Apple
Long awaited but here now thankfully iPhoto 8.1.1 has now been released.
Apple have now released the update iPhoto 8.1.1 which addresses issues which have been said to affect face recognition performance along with accuracy.
It also claims to fix minor issues around book ordering and iPod touch support, it is available via software update and also as a standalone installer. The latest update is recommended for all users of iPhoto 09. For further information including the download go to macdailynews.com


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HTC’s newest phone isn’t a flagship, but it might be the start of something big for HTC.
Ever since Google made Android 6.0 Marshmallow official, many users have wondered, “When will my phone get the latest update?” Well, that largely depends on the manufacturers and carriers. Here’s what we know so far.
Palmer Lucky has stated that the Oculus Rift is going to be north of $350 — exactly how much, we still don’t know.
A number of Oculus and VR-related announcements broke yesterday — here’s your quick roundup.
A new company, Nextbit, believes cloud computing and storage are the future of smartphones. Its upcoming Robin is designed to capitalize on that idea, but will users bite?
HTC is in dire straits, but a rumored 2016 hero device might be its salvation.
A new security report illustrates that fingerprint scanning on Android devices is fundamentally broken on a number of devices. HTC is in particularly bad shape.
After several years of speculation — really since the thing first hit Kickstarter — Oculus VR has finally announced a consumer version of its Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.
HTC’s new Uh-Oh Protection program allows you to toss your phone around with impunity, because the company will replace it for free in the first year if something happens to it.
Sony’s updated Project Morpheus VR headset has a larger screen with an incredible 120Hz refresh rate.
Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.


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Considering the starlet is one of E!'s main moneymakers, it almost seems like choice has been made!
BUT there's one other star who would like to join the contenders…
A gaggle of celebrities showed up for the The Shops at Target launch party in NYC Tuesday, including radiant youth Emma Roberts and stuffy, frigid TV mom
Betty Draper January Jones (We heart you in real life, Jan!).
Emma repped the department store by wearing a Webster for Target cardigan, which she paired with Citizens of Humanity jeans, and an Edie Parker clutch.
January mixed business with adorable pleasure in a white, button-up collard shirt tucked into a flowery mini. Both ladies wore classy, black heels.
The Shops at Target concept collection debuts in stores and online THIS weekend! We wonder what creative items Target will be blowing our minds with!?
[Images via WENN.]


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Briefly: Pillars of Eternity has been shuffling release dates for a little while, but Obsidian Entertainment sound pretty confident about March 26. The old-school RPG raised $US3.9 million on Kickstarter back in October 2012, and it was supposed to come out in Q2 2014. Then, it was late 2014. Now, it's March 26. Hopefully!
Pillars Of Eternity Shuffled To March 26
Trending Stories Right Now
With today’s launch of Overwatch on Nintendo Switch, there is officially a worst way to play one of the best games of all time.
ALDI is the god of offering cheap shit you don't actually need and its upcoming sale has you well and truly covered. This time around, it's got gaming gear on sale from PCs and monitors to mouses.


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Shares of AT&T held firm late Wednesday after the carrier’s wireless business posted some lackluster fourth-quarter results that nonetheless managed to meet analysts’ expectations—to one degree or another, anyway. The No. 2 U.S. carrier lost 67,000 postpaid net phone customers, marking its ninth consecutive quarter of defections—but significantly beating analysts’ expectations—and wireless revenue was 0.7% lower than the year-ago period as ARPU continued to slide.
But investors didn’t seem displeased by AT&T’s earnings as the company’s stock inched up less than one-tenth of a percent in after-hours trading Wednesday.
Contrast that with Verizon, which just a day earlier saw its stock slide more than 4% after its 167,000 postpaid handset net adds, easily beating analysts’ estimates. Postpaid ARPU was down 7.6% year-over-year, however, which led to the shortfall, and service revenue shrank 4.9% year-over-year. Worse, Verizon executives said wireless revenue won’t return to growth this year—and some questioned whether it could finally see growth again in 2018.
The market-share gap—and the network gap—continue to narrow
Meanwhile, Sprint continues to claw back market share in an ultra-competitive environment, but its subscriber growth is coming at a cost. Last quarter, for instance, the nation’s smallest major carrier posted 347,000 net postpaid phone adds, way up from 62,000 during the same period a year ago, as its overall customer count grew by 740,000.
But much of that traction was surely due to Sprint’s promotional offer to cut monthly bills in half for users who switch from competitors, and the carrier still posted a net loss of $142 million for the quarter. That promotion will almost surely end soon—it simply doesn’t seem financially viable in the long term—and whether Sprint can return to profitability as it regains market share is far from clear.
The notable discrepancy among major carriers, of course, is T-Mobile. The nation’s third-largest carrier has yet to report fourth-quarter earnings, but its third quarter of 2016 was another beauty: It added more than 2 million net customers, marking its 14th straight quarter of more than 1 million net adds, and gained nearly 1 million net postpaid customers.
And it managed to boost the bottom line as it grew market share: T-Mobile reported $7.1 billion in service revenues during the third quarter, up more than 13% year-over-year, and its $9.2 billion in total revenues marked an increase of 17.8% over the prior year.
“In the third quarter, when Verizon and AT&T each reported losses of postpaid phone subscribers and negative wireless revenue growth, T-Mobile quietly once again gained both market share and market strength, capturing more than all of the industry’s revenue growth and subscriber growth in Q3,” Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson wrote at the time.
A race to the bottom in basic wireless services?
T-Mobile’s progress is particularly notable because—unlike its larger competitors—it has increased as the carrier has remained focused on its core business of providing wireless services. But analysts have begun to question whether that strategy is viable over the long haul. Like Sprint, T-Mobile rolled out so-called unlimited plans several months ago, then doubled down on that strategy earlier this month when it killed its longtime Simple Choice plans entirely and started to include taxes and fees in the price of its new T-Mobile One plans.
The move will surely appeal to customers looking for a better deal, but it also prompted MoffettNathanson to downgrade T-Mobile shares to neutral from buy, citing concerns about the overall U.S. wireless market as competition increases. T-Mobile’s momentum over the last few years is undeniable—and incredible—but whether it’s sustainable is another question.
The challenge for U.S. mobile network operators, then, is to find ways to differentiate their offerings in an era of nearly ubiquitous—and nearly commoditized—connectivity. AT&T’s massive media strategy is bold, to be sure, but it’s a big bet with an enormous downside. Verizon’s more deliberate moves may be wiser in the long term, but wireless revenues look bleak for at least the next year, and the prospects for monetizing 5G—a segment in which Verizon is clearly a leader—are uncertain. And Sprint and T-Mobile are gaining shares of the traditional wireless market, but the value of that market may be on the wane.
Carriers still have plenty of opportunities to make money in wireless, of course. Investing in spectrum—particularly mid- and high-band spectrum—can ensure they can meet ever-increasing demand for mobile data, and densifying their networks is also crucial. And there is no shortage of business cases for the IoT, from connected cars to smart cities to healthcare. The era of making big money from basic wireless services is coming to an end, though. Carriers who recognize that and develop innovative new strategies and business models will thrive. Those who don’t face a bleak future. - Colin | @colin_gibbs


text: Australian golf has a new look from today with Golf Australia launching its new brand and visual identity. Inspiring, challenging, inclusive, accessible, relaxed, honest and fun these are just some of the key words reflecting the new Golf Australia brand, declared Golf Australia CEO, Tony Hallam, as he unveiled the new Golf Australia logo. The new design incorporates the image of a golf ball and a map of Australia, symbolising Golf Australia s role as the game s national governing body. Following the amalgamation of the Australian Golf Union and Women’s Golf Australia in January, there has been a clear need for a new corporate logo and to define the Golf Australia brand, said Tony Hallam. Our new visual identity and branding strategy will appear on and influence all our communication materials. This will effectively contribute to communicating our brand vision, which is for Australians to look upon golf as a game for life, where participation in the game contributes to a healthy Australian community. In developing its new brand strategy, Golf Australia enlisted the services of leading brand strategists, The Gemba Group, while Richard Henderson and his team at R-Co provided the design for the new visual identity. Our creative consultants worked to a brief that sought the creation of a brand that would assist in revitalising the image of golf in Australia and stimulate renewed participation, interest and enthusiasm in the game, said Tony Hallam. In essence, the new brand seeks to inspire all future and current members of the Australian golfing community players, spectators, sponsors, clubs and service providers by connecting them with inspiring players and tournaments, inspiring golf courses, inspiring moments of personal golf achievement and through social interaction on a personal, family and corporate level. The new Golf Australia brand will reinforce public perception of Golf Australia as the main conduit to all such moments of inspiration. Our brand will evolve with the changing needs of the golf consumer as we aim to make golf accessible to people of all ages and abilities, added Hallam. In conjunction with the brand launch, Golf Australia has also released a redeveloped website at www.golfaustralia.org.au. Developed by leading website provider, Sportal, the updated Golf Australia website incorporates the new visual identity and provides a much needed comprehensive first point of call for golf information. The website also provides an active channel of communication to connect players, officials, sponsors, spectators and golf industry bodies. The new visual identity and brand strategy will be rolled out across all Golf Australia communications from today. Golf Australia anticipates that the general public will quickly identify with the new branding; it will feature prominently during the 2006 MFS Australian Open from November 16 to 19 at The Royal Sydney Golf Club.


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2017’s Top Enterprise Content Management Market Trends
The Enterprise Content Management (ECM) market saw a lot of changes in 2016, and 2017 is shaping up to be a year of transformation as well.
Top ECM provider OpenText recently swallowed up another large player in the market: Dell EMC’s Enterprise Content Division, and that included Documentum. Plus, Lexmark was acquired by Apex Technology in a deal that separated their Enterprise Software group. The deals gave execs in the industry a reason to look twice at the ECM market.
The definition of ECM has evolved, according to workflowotg.com, from a term used to describe solutions with various capabilities that manage content to a tool that emphasizes a need for a more flexible approach to content management that is personal and based on context, according to Gartner.
So, going into 2017, keep a close eye on these trends in order to figure out how to utilize ECM and get the maximum amount of benefits after implementation:
New Regulations May Mean Compliance Challenges
Keep an eye on the various new regulations that were launched last year and ones that will go into effect this year. The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of them and important for organizations that manage personal data of European Union residents. Data Protection Officers now have new challenges and will have to organize data as well as integrate procedures that allow for the data to be portable.
Uptick Expected in Hybrid Cloud Deployments
Forrester says cloud adoption will grow in 2017, as 59 percent of decision makers have said they have plans to utilize a hybrid cloud model. Companies will be looking to increase efficiency levels as they grow their computer resources in order to keep their customers satisfied.
Hybrid-cloud based ECM tools have already become trusted options for businesses looking to manage parts of their content in the cloud while keeping other, more sensitive items on-prem.
Enterprises Will Finally Put Mobile First, If They Haven’t Already
Mobility has and will continue to change the way we work. And it’s been said that there will be 6.1 billion smartphone users around the world by 2020, leaving only 30 percent of the population without one. Therefore, a more detailed approach is necessary for using mobile technology in the workplace. It hasn’t happened on a large scale yet given that companies haven’t armed their employees with enterprise software apps that meet the criteria of modern consumer mobile apps.
But a change is expected in 2017. More businesses are starting to learn that their staff needs mobile apps that offer simple, functional tools that they use on their own personal devices.
ECM platforms that work on mobile will become more popular in 2017 and will offer workers the opportunity to access corporate resources anytime and anywhere.
Use these trends to help plan your content strategy for 2017, and if you’re looking for a new provider, download our ECM Buyer’s Guide. You can also connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for all the latest news in the ECM space.


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We hope you had a great and restorative weekend! We have some interesting links for you to check today, so grab an afternoon coffee and take a moment to catch up:
I. The Port of Memphis is about to get an overhaul: The city-county Port Commission has been seeking funding for a $50 million overhaul of its 63-year-old public dock, where river access has been severely curtailed since a series of high and low water events earlier this decade.
II. PricewaterhouseCoopers has some interesting data from the second quarter, as well as some good forecasts for the logistics and transportation industries. PwC transportation and logistics consultant Andy Schmahl shared, “Incremental developments in technology are coming more fast and furious—faster than any one transportation company can develop in and of itself,” he said. “We’ll start seeing companies using acquisition to increase their capabilities.”
III. From Supply Chain Digest – an in-depth look at data from the World Bank. “Every couple of years, the folks at the World Bank (which is headquartered in Washington DC, if you didn’t know) put out a report analyzing the logistics competencies of most nation’s across the globe…SCDigest summarizes…”
IV. Last month ShipBob raised $4 million in Series A funding. The company has now announced that ShipBob has entered the Los Angeles market. With this move ShipBob is now active in the three largest cities in the United States. Expanding to LA represents a significant step forward for ShipBob, whose mission is to provide the power of Amazon-scale logistics to small businesses everywhere.
Image Credit: ShipBob
As of September 8, 2020, Crimson & Co (formerly The Progress Group/TPG) has rebranded as Argon & Co following the successful merger with Argon Consulting in April 2018.


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OFFECCT has entered into a partnership with one of the main sponsors of Falsterbo Horse Show, Mercedes-Benz.
Falsterbo Horse Show goes on from July 3 to July 11 2020, and is always as much Horse as Show. With almost a thousand horses and riders, fifty different disciplines and over six hundred people working in the Falsterbo Horse Show crew, you soon realize Falsterbo Horse Show is not just an ordinary event. It is a lifestyle, a venue and above all, the week of the summer everyone is waiting for.
Mercedes-Benz has got a number of lounges – or temporary showrooms, if you like – where this prestigious car maker displays a number of their latest car models. OFFECCT’s partnership with Mercedes-Benz means that these lounges are decorated with some of our trendy, qualitative and sustainable products such as FLY, GROW and FLO. Together we have created an attractive meeting point for the visitors of Falsterbo Horse Show. Welcome!


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Smartphone market in North America is unlike any other region, and the latest report from Canalys reminded us of the stark difference in sales performance and brand representation.
The analysis firm revealed the total smartphone shipments in Q2 2022 declined 6%, but Apple and Samsung managed to increase shipments and market share. According to the report, every second smartphone, shipped in North America between April and June, is an iPhone.
The market managed returned to growth last year 2021 after a challenging 2020, but now several factors are turning the tide yet again. The high inflation, waning consumer confidence and overall economic slowdown is shrinking demand, said Runar Bjorhovde. Most top vendors managed to match their shipments from Q2 2021.
Apple managed to increase its shipments thanks to strong iPhone 13 performance, while Samsung saw success with the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Ultra. Interest in mid-rangers such as the Galaxy A33 and Galaxy A53 was poorer than expected.
Analysts say that people usually purchasing a smartphone in the $250-$600 price range tend to go for a cheaper device, widening the gap between entry-level phones and flagships. Demand in the low end remains solid as the Galaxy A13, the new Moto G Power phones, and various carrier-branded solutions from Verizon and T-Mobile provide budget-friendly options.
Canalys also revealed all three iPhone 13 variants were among the Top 5 bestsellers in Q2 2022, along with the iPhone SE (2022) and the iPhone 12.
Predictions for the second half of the year are demand will keep decreasing, and companies will invest heavily in marketing to push their current inventory in bundles and other promotions rather than launch more and more new products.


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Health warning labels similar to those found on tobacco products may have a powerful effect on whether parents purchase sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) for their children, according to a new study led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study is the first of its kind to examine the influence of SSB warning labels. Results show that regardless of a parent's level of education, they may be significantly less likely to purchase an SSB when a label warning that consuming beverages with added sugar may contribute to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay is present, compared to a label that only bears the calorie count of the beverage, or no label at all. Additional results suggest health warning labels improve parents' understanding of the health dangers associated with overconsumption of such beverages. The results, which come just one week after the U.S Department of Agriculture issued new eating guidelines recommending added sugar be limited to 10 percent or less of daily calories, are published online in the journal Pediatrics.
Research shows that SSBs including soft drinks and juices marketed for children contain as many as seven teaspoons of sugar per 6.5 ounces -- nearly twice the recommended daily serving of sugar for that age group.
"In light of the childhood obesity epidemic and studies suggesting that more than half of children under the age of 11 drink SSBs on a daily basis, there is a growing concern about the health effects associated with consumption of these beverages," said lead author Christina Roberto, PhD, an assistant professor of Medical Ethics & Health Policy at Penn Medicine. "Some states have introduced bills requiring SSBs to display health warning labels, but to date, there is little data to suggest how labels might influence purchasing habits, or which labels may be the most impactful."
In the first study to examine the influence of sugar-sweetened beverage warning labels, researchers conducted an online survey of 2,381 parents with at least one child between six and 11 years old. Participants had diverse backgrounds, and many identified as racial and ethnic minorities -- groups which have the highest obesity rates in the United States. After being divided into one of six groups -- the control group, which saw no warning label on beverages, the "calorie label" group which only saw a label displaying the beverage's calorie count, and four "warning label" groups, which saw one of four variations of content warning about possible negative health effects -- participants were asked to choose a beverage to purchase for their child.
Results showed that while the specific text of the health warning labels did not affect a parent's purchase choice, the presence of the label was significant. Overall, 40 percent of parents in the groups exposed to health warning labels said they would choose an SSB for their kids, compared to 60 percent of participants who saw no labels on the beverages, and 53 percent of parents who saw the calorie labels.
"Regardless of the specific wording, results show that adding health warning labels to SSBs may be an important and impactful way to educate parents about the potential health risks associated with regular consumption of these beverages, and encourage them to make fewer of these purchases," Roberto said. "The findings are in line with similar studies conducted on the effects of warning labels on tobacco products, which have been shown to increase consumer knowledge of health risks related to tobacco use, and encourage smoking cessation.
The study also evaluated consumer support for sugar-sweetened beverage warning labels and found that nearly 75 percent of participants would support adding them to the containers. The authors hope the results will encourage future research focused on determining how these labels influence beverage choice for a variety of consumers, and dietary choices beyond SSBs.
"We can now say that warning labels have the potential to educate parents and motivate behavior change when it comes to purchasing SSBs, which could help gain support for bills requiring labels to be added to beverage containers, but there are also many unanswered questions that require further study," Roberto said. "For example, it would be interesting to see if people who choose not to purchase a sugary beverage that contains a warning label end up compensating for those calories by purchasing other high-sugar foods that are unlabeled."
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If you’ve been around Twitter for the past few weeks, there’s more than a high possibility that you’ve heard of Wordle. The puzzle game made by Josh Wardle became an overnight sensation during the Omicron surge to the point where you wouldn’t see a Twitter feed without it. Players have lauded the game’s simple mechanic and how it feels so rewarding to finish the word puzzles, but above all the fact that it is completely free.
Well, that last phrase might become obsolete soon as The New York Times has just acquired Wordle for an undisclosed amount somewhere in the “low seven figures” which means less than 10 million and more than 1 million USD. All of that goes to the game’s creator alone as there is no company behind Wordle. It was originally meant as a gift for his girlfriend but was later released publicly in late 2020.
For those who haven’t come across the game, Wordle is a simple word puzzle game and is a cheeky spin on the creator’s name “Wardle“. You get six attempts to guess a five-letter world and you can share your performance online with colorful square emojis representing the letters you got right (or wrong). The catch here is that you get those six attempts per day. That’s what makes the game so exciting, while most games market themselves to be played as much as possible, Wordle thrives on its moderation.
The New York Times acquisition of the game comes out of nowhere in a flurry of acquisitions in the past few weeks, but it’s one that makes a lot of sense. The NY Times has a goal to gain 10 million digital subscribers by 2025 and it already has classics like Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Crossword, and Vertex under its belt—puzzles that set it apart from its rivals. So, acquiring a popular word puzzle game that is meant to be played once per day is like a match made in heaven for The NY Times.
This, unfortunately, also means that the game will likely go behind a paywall in the future. The NY Times has said that the game will remain free for now and players will be able to keep and manage their progression, but once the honeymoon phase is over, the game will be caged behind the $0.25/week subscription. While this will be disheartening for many players when it eventually does happen, it’s quite relieving for Josh.
The game’s creator has openly stated that managing a game played by millions daily all on his own is a challenge, especially when it was never expected or intended to blow up like this. Selling to The NY Times this early on not only nets Josh a nice little paycheck, but it also takes the burden off his shoulders. If anything, this was the best thing Josh could do seeing the immense popularity of the game and how overwhelming it was to run the whole thing by himself.
An update on Wordle pic.twitter.com/TmHd0AIRLX
— Josh Wardle (@powerlanguish) January 31, 2022
That being said, Wordle is a very simply browser-based game that includes all the future words right in its code. So, in theory if you have the entire webpage downloaded as an HTML file, you could play it for roughly seven years before you run out of words. Even aside from this, countless mirrors of the webpage have already been created that would be up for years where you could also enjoy you daily cruciverbal.
Wordle has become such a superstar that copycats have already popped up and been removed from the App Store in the meantime. Nobody is sure what the future holds for Wordle but it’s certain that, as with all good things, it will come to an end. So, it’s high time that you cherish the moments now before you yearn for them in a nostalgic hindsight years later when another viral game takes the internet by a storm.


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AbbVie said Friday that the company's fourth-quarter profit reached $1.5 billion, up from a loss of $810 million reported in the year-ago period, boosted by strong Humira sales. Meanwhile, quarterly revenue rose 18.4 percent to $6.4 billion, roughly in line with expectations. Shares in the drugmaker rose as much as 11 percent on the news.
CEO Richard Gonzalez said the company "delivered strong performance in 2015, exceeding original sales, margin expansion and earnings projections for the year," adding that it expects "to continue building on that momentum in 2016."
Sales of Humira in the quarter rose by 10.5 percent compared to the corresponding period of 2014 to $3.7 billion, in line with analyst estimates, while full-year sales of the drug totalled just over $14 billion, representing more than 60 percent of AbbVie's global revenue. AbbVie previously estimated that sales of the drug would reach more than $18 billion by 2020, compared to analyst forecasts of about $13 billion.
Gonzalez noted that AbbVie is prepared to pursue litigation to prevent the launch of biosimilars versions of Humira in the US until at least 2022. "Any company seeking to market biosimilar versions of Humira will have to contend with this extensive patent estate, which AbbVie intends to defend vigorously," Gonzalez said.
In other quarterly results, AbbVie recorded sales of the hepatitis C therapy Viekira Pak, which was cleared by the FDA in December 2014, of $554 million, falling short of analyst projections of $569 million. Meanwhile, Imbruvica, which AbbVie obtained from its $21-billion takeover of Pharmacyclics last year, generated $343 million in revenue, compared to analyst forecasts of $348 million.
For 2016, AbbVie confirmed its prior forecast of per-share earnings in the range of $4.90 to $5.10, reflecting double-digit growth versus 2015.
To read more Top Story articles, click here.


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According to a new study carried out by insolvency trade body R3, 38 per cent of the British public are planning on spending less money on their holiday this year.
Those who continue to go abroad for their break are aiming cut their expenses by choosing cheaper accommodation and travel options or deciding to reduce the number of times they eat out while away.
However, the majority have chosen instead to make home soil the destination for their next trip. Some 59 per cent of those hoping to save money have embraced the idea of a staycation. And while many will have done so to save cash, others - including motorhome owners and camping enthusiasts - will already have experienced the delights of trips across Britain and made the staycation an annual event.
Commenting on the figures, Frances Coulson, R3 president, said: "It's unsurprising that people are choosing to stay at home instead of holidaying abroad to cut down on their expenditure, given that we have seen consumers' disposable income become squeezed as a result of inflationary pressures."
"The nation deciding to stay at home might provide the much needed boost to the UK economy, particularly in tourist areas and coastal towns where insolvency levels rocketed during the recession," he added.
And it could be that new and old staycationers alike who are setting off in their motorhomes benefit from a caravan sat nav system that allows users to plan practical routes based on the vehicle's width, length, height and weight and search for thousands of campsites and stopovers across the world.
[image credit to Mick]


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Shortly before the end of 2018, eToro announced that the eToro wallet now supports XRP. For a limited period through to the end of January 2019, no fees will be charged for both XRP wallet creation and XRP coin transfer. The eToro platform allows clients to trade cryptoassets, and the eToro Wallet now allows clients to transfer supported cryptoassets beyond the eToro ecosystem, sending and receiving directly via blockchain and also converting between cryptoassets. At the moment, supported currencies include Bitcoin, Ethereum and, now, XRP. The eToro security system’s strict security protocol only permits transfers from the platform to the wallet and not from their wallets back to their eToro portfolio.
The eToro Wallet is provided by eToroX Ltd., a subsidiary of eToro, set up with the aim of further defining and executing eToro’s vision using blockchain and the development of cryptoassets. eToroX will continue to provide an evolving crypto product range in addition to the infrastructure that supports the growth of tokenised assets.
eToroX Ltd. is regulated in Gibraltar, having recently been granted a DLT licence by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission, the jurisdiction’s regulator. eToro group has been diligent in pursuing regulation, believing that this will allow for better security and trust for clients and for a greater worldwide adoption of cryptoassets.
Yoni Assia, Founder and CEO of eToro commented is quoted on the company website as stating: “We are proud to say that we are among the first companies in the world to obtain a licence for cryptoassets and one of very few regulated companies in the crypto space. Just as eToro has opened up traditional markets for investors, we want to do the same in a tokenised world and the creation of eToroX will help us do this.”
Doron Rosenblum, Managing Director of eToroX, added: “We believe that a strong system of regulations will support the mass adoption of blockchain technology, including cryptoassets. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel to regulate blockchain. While blockchain brings some unique challenges to regulators, we can protect users and help support new ideas by applying the same fundamental principles as we have in other financial markets.”


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Apple has released tvOS 15.2 beta 3 to developers. The update is available as an over-the-air software update to Apple TV users who are already enrolled in the beta program.
Apple released tvOS 15 a few months ago with Spatial Audio support for AirPods, HomePod speaker support, Fitness+ updates, redesigned video player, and a new “Shared with You” section in the TV app. tvOS 15.1 was the second major update and shipped with SharePlay support.
What’s new in tvOS 15.2 beta 3?
November 16: The third beta is now available for tvOS 15.2. Nothing new is listed in the release notes so it likely includes just under-the-hood bug fixes.
What’s new in tvOS 15.2 beta 2?
November 9: The new update features just one developer-focused fix:
Fixed an issue where subscriptions continue to auto-renew after calling expireSubscription (productIdentifier:) in automated tests using StoreKit Test.
What’s new in tvOS 15.2 beta?
Apple has only shared two fixes in the release note for tvOS 15.2 beta:
HomeKit and HomePod
- HomePod media scenes fail when executed. (84441246)
Resolved in tvOS 15.2 beta
- Fixed an issue where using alert(_:isPresented:actions:message:) and confirmationDialog(_:isPresented:titleVisibility:actions:) didn’t present. (83731075)
It is unclear what features will Apple ship with the final version of tvOS 15.2. So far, it seems to be just bug fixes and likely under-the-hood performance updates. We will continue to update this post as we discover any new features.
Does your Apple TV support tvOS 15.2 beta?
tvOS 15.2 beta can be installed on the following Apple TV models:
- Apple TV HD
- Apple TV 4K (2017)
- Apple TV 4K (2021)
Upgrade Apple TV to tvOS 15.2 beta
Unlike public beta updates for Apple TV, installing developer beta updates is not a simple process. Developers have to use Xcode and connect their Apple TV to a Mac. Of course, this also requires access to Apple Developer Center. If you are an enthusiast, we recommend waiting for the public beta which can easily be installed by going to Apple TV settings. If you are still interested in installing the new developer beta, check out our guide on how to install tvOS 15.2 developer beta.
Apple has also released iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, macOS Monterey 12.1, and watchOS 8.3 beta to developers. Check out our coverage below:


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Last week, cryptocurrency enthusiasts and entrepreneurs in India anxiously waited to see how the country’s Supreme Court would rule regarding the banking ban that was put into place by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Unfortunately, they would have to wait longer, as the courts, for the second week in a row, delayed the hearing until today. As the legal debate over cryptocurrencies rages on in the country, RBI has continued to try and sway the court’s decision, but now has taken a different approach—it wants the courts to stay out of the debate.
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is one of the entities that has filed a petition with the Supreme Court over the RBI ban. The central bank issued a response to the petition on September 21, stating, “Inc42 has the copy of the petition filed by IAMAI as well as the response filed by RBI on September 8, 2018,” adding that the petition, in addition to others, “is not maintainable either in law or on facts and, hence, liable to be dismissed as such.”
The RBI ban was introduced at the beginning of April, setting in motion a legal fight that doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The crypto-based companies argue that the ban is in violation of the Indian Constitution” and has already forced several companies to shut down.
According to RBI, “The impugned circular and the impugned statement neither violate the right to equality guaranteed under Article 14 or the right to trade and business guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution…The petitioner cannot seek to exercise the extraordinary jurisdiction of this Hon’ble Court to avail a right which they do not have.”
It further states, “There is no statutory right, much less an infringed one, available to the petitioner to open and maintain bank accounts to trade, invest or deal in virtual currencies.” RBI also asserts that IAMAI and others “haven’t got any reasonable or tenable ground for interference by this court.”
Fortunately for the crypto companies, there has been a few ways to get around the ban. At the end of August, Coindelt indicated that it had relaunched support for the rupee and almost two weeks ago, Koinex announced that it had begun to offer deposits and withdrawals for rupees, allowing users to use their crypto wallets. As others find additional workarounds, cryptocurrency will certainly see a resurgence in the country.
New to Bitcoin? Check out CoinGeek’s Bitcoin for Beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoin—as originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto—and blockchain.


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About the Awards
Marketing magazine is proud to present the eighth edition of Marketing Excellence Awards in Hong Kong. Designed to recognise outstanding work in Hong Kong’s marketing industry, it is one of Hong Kong’s largest awards shows to celebrate the region’s top marketers.
Judged solely by an independent panel of industry leaders and senior marketers, the awards present the perfect opportunity to recognise the companies that have pushed their brands towards measurable success and to claim your position at the forefront of this success.
Winners will be revealed at a glamorous awards gala dinner on 7 November 2019 at InterContinental Hong Kong and will be featured in Marketing’s magazine and e-newsletter.
Highlights from 2018
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