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Gil de Ferran once said an Indy car should “be a beast” -- a high-speed, high-horsepower racing monster.
The “Beast” is back in IndyCar racing as the series announced before Saturday’s Indianapolis 500 qualifications a new engine formula that will produce 900 hp beginning in 2021.
A 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 engine projected to generate at least 100 hp more than the current 2.2-liter platform was announced by IndyCar president of competition and operations Jay Frye along with U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports for General Motors Jim Campbell and Honda Performance Development president Art St. Cyr.
The new package will be utilized for six years beginning in 2021 and running through 2026.
It’s a throwback to the days when engines in CART and the Indianapolis 500 produced 900 or more hp while advancing the technology of creating more performance and speed from a smaller engine platform.
“It’s been a long process for the last year, and we are quite excited about this,” Frye said. “The drivers the last couple of years have talked about horsepower gains, and this will get us to where we need to be. We have a five-year plan with the car, and this will extend it through 2026.”
Chevrolet and Honda have both worked together on this engine platform.
“There are times we compete on the track intensely and times like this we have to work together for the betterment of the sport, and this is a great example of that,” Campbell said. “We like the direction we are going adding more horsepower, that will translate to more speed both on road courses and the superspeedways, as well.
“Importantly for a manufacturer in our business, although we are going up in displacement, this is still a small-displacement engine. This is important because that is a trend in our industry right now -- small displacement with direct-injected boosted engines. That technology translates to what we do in the showroom.
“We will start at a new point for this engine and continue to take those learnings and drive that to the production side of our propulsion systems. We really like that principle and that is one of the key reasons why we race, the technology transfer to the showroom.”
Honda believes IndyCar is the purest form of racing and has been involved in the series since 1993. It is the key reason why HPD was founded.
“HPD and its involvement in IndyCar is very linked, and this will highlight the technology of the midterm future of our technology,” St. Cyr said. “It’s very important to us to have this new formula. We’ve been working on the current engine formula and we think this engine is a good platform to bring in other manufacturers, as well. This is a formula that looks like it is going to work. We like the higher horsepower concept to put the racing more in the driver’s hands.”
Frye said additional manufacturers have been included in the planning of the next-generation engine.
“We’ve talked to a lot of key executives and asked for their opinions, and they have all said this is a very relevant platform to what they are doing,” Frye said. “There are certain other manufacturers we treat as if they were our engine partners. We get their input and their feedback. Does that mean something is imminent? No, but we get their feedback, and they think we are on a good path.
“We are sticking to the plan. Everybody in this group has played a huge part in developing this piece. We are all in this together.”
The engines will continue to turn a maximum of 12,000 rpm, and on-track testing will begin in the summer of 2020.
“Our drivers have been asking for more horsepower, and thanks to the hard work of Chevrolet, Honda and the IndyCar engine group, they’re going to get it,” Frye said.
Campbell said turbocharger boost level will increase and his technical team will start working on initial designs and development of a new engine. He would also like to see an additional engine manufacturer join the series.
“It will be interesting to see if other OEMs are more interested to see if this is an option for them,” Campbell said. “It will be increased displacement, boost increases and that means more horsepower, more speed and more excitement for the fans.”
St. Cyr said the agreement is for the framework of the engine. There remain details of the engine that haven’t been agreed upon yet.
“We are starting from a fresh sheet of paper,” St. Cyr said. “The overall package of the engine is designed to fit in the car, so overall dimensions will not change.”
And that means during the six-year time period, fans may once again here the term, “And, it’s a new track record!” at the Indianapolis 500.
“That is certainly feasible,” Frye said. “There are a lot of elements that go into that, too. The car right now is 2018-2020, and the engine formula begins in 2021, so we need to see the next piece of that equation.”
Honda’s St. Cyr said it’s not a stated goal, “but it will happen as we gain performance.”
In the future, both Honda and Chevrolet would like to see a car that is relevant to the passenger car industry, but that is not part of this engine platform.
“For this application, it’s 2.4-liter, twin-turbo, direct-injected,” Campbell said. “There is still much efficiency to wring out of this engine. We have to continue to find ways to take that efficiency level up, deliver the power the teams need to perform and do it reliably.
“The same principles apply, whether that is in racing or the passenger car industry.”
IndyCar also has the security of knowing Chevrolet and Honda remain partners of the series for the long term.
“They have been phenomenal, and we are all in this together,” Frye said. “We are also going after another OEM together. We are growing and when a third one comes into play, that’s vitally important.”


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The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired more consumers to shop small this holiday season. These tips will help merchants make the most of Small Business Saturday, leveraging excellent customer experiences to drive brand preference and increase sales year-round.
Consumer Support for the Shop Small Initiative on the Rise
Ware2Go’s recent consumer survey revealed that 76% of consumers feel more compelled to shop small as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether this sentiment was spurred on by seeing their favorite small businesses struggle through shut-downs or more quiet time at home reflecting on the value of community, it could mean a big opportunity for small businesses this holiday season. In fact, in the same survey, 52% of consumers indicated that they plan to participate in Small Business Saturday this year, and 63% overall plan to make a purchase from a brand they’ve never shopped with before.
But Small Business Saturday Will Look Different This Year
Of those shoppers planning to participate in Small Business Saturday, 44% plan to make their purchases online. This is an extension of the overall trend towards online shopping that spiked during Coronavirus shut-downs. In fact, 83% of consumers indicated that they plan to shop online this holiday season, with 35% saying they’ll be doing all of their holiday shopping online.
This is probably unsurprising for most SMB’s who have already navigated changing consumer shopping habits brought on by COVID-19. Respondents to Ware2Go’s recent merchant survey indicated overwhelmingly that they pivoted their selling strategy in response to COVID-19 shutdowns, with 35% of merchants launching an online store for the first time.
How to Succeed on Small Business Saturday
So how can merchants make the most of consumer sentiment towards the shop small movement this holiday season?
Optimize Digital Sales Channels: It may be time to perform a site audit and tune-up on your ecommerce site to ensure a seamless customer experience. Look for broken links, cumbersome checkout processes, and conflicting or unclear messaging. And don’t stop at your ecommerce storefront, but leverage a multichannel approach to expand your reach. Update product listings across all channels with excellent photos and descriptions, highlighting holiday gift ideas and seasonal offers.
Leverage Community: Many communities have Small Business Saturday events — make sure your business is participating. These events may look different this year, with a higher emphasis on virtual events, but talk to other business owners in your area to stay in the loop. And be sure to share consistently on social media, infusing posts with your personality to set yourself apart from big box retailers. 32% of survey respondents said that they shop at small businesses because of their unique personalities/brands.
Run Small Business Saturday Promotions: 72% of consumers report that they would be interested in shopping at a small business if special discounts or offers were available, but don’t think that those promotions have to eat up your profits. As opposed to steep discounts, consider promotions like a free gift with purchase, limited edition products, or special holiday bundles.
Be Strategic With Ad Spend: Digital advertising costs are on the rise. Big box retailers announced early in the season that they would not open their doors on Thanksgiving day and would rely more on extended online holiday promotions rather than in-store Black Friday deals. As a result, small businesses will find themselves competing with major retailers for ad space, which could quickly drive up their Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC). SMB’s should maximize their ad spend by employing targeted local campaigns and extend their reach with free posts by using hashtags and locations.
Understand Customer Expectations for eCommerce Sales: If your business is new to online sales, it’s important to understand that consumer expectations for fast shipping extend to businesses of all sizes. In fact, 37% of survey respondents indicated that they expect SMB’s to ship faster than their big box competitors. Children’s toy and furniture manufacturer, ECR4Kids, learned this first-hand when they branched into marketplace sales. They found that delivery expectations for ecommerce sales were much different than their traditional sales channels and needed to find a fulfillment solution that would satisfy the fast pace of marketplace sales.
Leverage Shop Small Sentiment Year-Round
Possibly the best news for SMB’s this Small Business Saturday is that 84% of consumers who are aware of Small Business Saturday said the day makes them want to shop small all year long. That means merchants have a unique opportunity to find new customers this year and convert them to loyal shoppers and brand advocates.
It’s clear that fast shipping is now a major component to customer satisfaction. In a merchant survey released earlier this year, 58% of merchants reported seeing more repeat customers when 2-day shipping is offered, and 38% reported better online reviews.
To learn how Ware2Go is helping merchants of all sizes deliver exceptional customer experiences through shipping and fulfillment, reach out to one of our fulfillment specialists.
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The corporate owner of Albertsons said Wednesday that it will eliminate up to 2,500 jobs at the supermarket chain, which has stores in Lake Elsinore and Wildomar.
The company, Supervalu Inc., said the jobs will be trimmed from all 247 Albertsons stores in California and Nevada, beginning June 17.
Supervalu attributed the decision to “simplifying its organization and reducing expenses to help reinvest in” initiatives for customers.
In a statement, Dan Sanders, president of Albertsons Southern California Division, said:
“A decision of this nature is never easy, but it is the necessary step for us to take to help improve our business and accelerate our turnaround. Our goal is to more effectively serve the marketplace by scheduling associates more appropriately to serve customers at the times they shop. I am confident our team will embrace these changes and help us to compete more effectively in a rapidly changing marketplace.”
The decision follows earlier cuts four months ago that led to a reduction in staff at Albertsons' Fullerton store support center.
Last year, Albertsons and other grocery stores went to the wire Workers were prepared to strike over wage and insurance costs.
Local Albertsons stores include in Lake Elsinore and in Wildomar.


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ALBANY — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Saturday announced a proposal to raise the minimum sales age for tobacco and electronic cigarette products from 18 to 21 will be included in the 2019 executive budget.
The proposal is part of the Governor's comprehensive legislation to curb tobacco and e-cigarette products, which also calls for an end to the sale of tobacco and e-cigarette products in pharmacies and clarifies the State Health Department's authority to ban the sale of certain flavored e-cigarette liquids, among other measures.
"We have made great strides to stamp out teen smoking, but new products threaten to undo this progress to the detriment of millions of Americans. In New York, we refuse to stand idly by while unscrupulous businesses target our young people and put their very futures at risk," Governor Cuomo said. "With this comprehensive proposal, we are taking aggressive action to combat this very real public health crisis and curb the use of nicotine products before they result in deadly consequences for an entire generation of New Yorkers."
To combat the use of harmful tobacco and vapor products, Governor Cuomo will propose comprehensive legislation that includes:
Raising the minimum sales age for tobacco and electronic cigarette products from 18 to 21;
Ending the sale of tobacco and electronic cigarette products in pharmacies;
Implements display restrictions;
Clarifies the Health Department's Authority to ban the sale of certain flavored e-cigarette liquids;
Restricting discounts on tobacco and vapor products will strengthen the impact of New York's tax on tobacco and disincentivize tobacco use; and
Require e-cigarettes be sold only through licensed retailers
Since Cuomo's election, New York State has moved from the 18th healthiest state in the nation in 2012 to the 10th healthiest state in the nation in 2017. In 2017, Governor Cuomo expanded the Clean Indoor Air Act to prohibit e-cigarette use in nearly every workplace to protect workers and the public from harmful secondhand tobacco smoke and vaping aerosols.
Despite this progress, tobacco use continues to be the number one cause of preventable death in New York State. About 28,000 adult New Yorkers die every year as a result of smoking. Additionally, an increasing number of underage youth are using both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes. From 2014 to 2018 youth use of e-cigarettes increased by 160 percent from 10.5 percent to 27.4 percent and more than half of teens falsely believe that e-cigarette use is harmless.
New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said, "New York State, under Governor Cuomo's leadership, continues to fight the epidemic of nicotine addiction and this important legislation will further safeguard New Yorkers from the adverse health effects associated with exposure to tobacco products, especially among our youth."


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New Delhi: India has imposed anti-dumping duty on 47 steel products from half-a-dozen nations, including China, Japan, Korea, Russia and Indonesia, to protect domestic industry from cheap imports.
Anti-dumping duty has been imposed for five years on 47 steel products including hot-rolled flat products of steel and those coated with zinc and clad steel. An official notification issued late yesterday stated that the anti-dumping duty will be in effect for five years beginning August 8, 2016.
The duties are in the range of USD 478-561 per tonne. It said the Directorate of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has found in its investigation that the subject goods have been exported to India at below their normal value, thus resulting in dumping of the product.
This has resulted in "material injury" to domestic industry, it said, and recommended "imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty on the imports of subject goods."
The duty has been levied on hot-rolled flat products of alloy or non alloy steel, originating in or exported from China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia, the notification said.
Companies affected by the duties include Hyundai Steel, POSCO and Samsung C&T of South Korea, while Japan's Honda Trading Corp, Mitsui & Co Ltd, Uttam Galva International, Nippon Steel, Sumitomo Corp, Toyoto Tshusho Corp and Marubeni-Itochu Steel would also come under its purview.
From China, the companies to be impacted include Jiangsu Shangang, Xinsha International, Burwill Resources, Lu Qin, GS Global and Steelco Pacific. India had imposed provisional anti-dumping duty on the steel products with effect from August 8, 2016 for six months. They were extended by two months in February. The same are now being regularised and levied for a five-year period.
Besides, India had previously imposed the duties on August 17, 2016, for six months on cold-rolled flat products of alloy or non-alloy steel from China, Japan, South Korea and Ukraine. The same were extended by two more months. Now, the duties have been imposed on hot-rolled products for five years.
"The anti-dumping duty imposed under this notification shall be effective for a period of five years (unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier) from the date of imposition of the provisional anti-dumping duty, that is, August 8, 2016, and shall be payable in Indian currency," the notification said....


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"We had a bold vision; a revolutionary one. That we stumbled along the way can never detract from the energy and hope that brought us together," writes the outgoing CEO
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UMG has purchased the firm, acquired by SFX Entertainment in 2013 to serve as the in-house marketer for ID&T and React festivals, for $1m
By IQ on 27 May 2016
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest music corporation and record label group, has acquired digital marketing agency Fame House from SFX Entertainment.
UMG – which was, according to Delaware bankruptcy court documents, the sole qualified bidder – reportedly paid US$1 million for Fame House and agreed to take on around $400,000 worth of debts and liabilities.
“The sale to Universal is in the best interests of the debtors’ estates and creditors”
Financial advisor Adam Keil, representing SFX, says his firm, Moelis & Company, conducted a “thorough marketing process designed to ensure engagement with potential buyers with the greatest ability to maximise the value of the Fame House assets” and that the sale to UMG is “in the best interests of the debtors’ estates and creditors”.
Fame House was founded by Mike Fiebach in 2011 and acquired by SFX in 2013. It has produced digital campaigns for artists such as DJ Shadow, Eminem, Pearl Jam, Ice Cube and Tiësto, as well as SFX-owned promoters ID&T and React Presents.
SFX Entertainment filed for bankruptcy on 1 February 2016.


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IT | Feb 25, 2017 | Master3395
If you are wondering why YouTube is down for you, you are not alone, the world’s biggest video-sharing website is suffering an unknown outage currently and the users are unable to access the website.
The users who visit the website can see a 500 error along with a message saying, “500 Internal Server Error Sorry, something went wrong. A team of highly trained monkeys has been dispatched to deal with this situation”, like the one seen below.
According to the DownDetector, the YouTube came down around 6 pm GMT. However, we do not have any clear reason for the site coming down. People at Hackread are keeping an eye on this situation and once the website is up or if there is an official statement about the incident from Google about the downtime we will be updating this article.
After being offline for more than 2hours YouTube came back, but, there has been no word from Google on this incident and why the website was down. Stay tuned and we will update Google’s comment on this issue.
Keywords: Google, Youtube, down
Jul 21, 2019 | Category: General | Comments
The new display standard can take over HDMI
Last month, we wrote that a new version of the display connection standard DisplayPort is on its way. Now, all specifications are officially launched, although we probably have to wait at least another year before we start seeing products that support it.read more…
Jul 20, 2019 | Category: General | Comments
"All" gets better thanks to new Microsoft Edge.
With its entry into the Chromium world, Microsoft has been a great provider to the browser platform we are well acquainted with, including Google Chrome. The latest news means that all Chromium-based browsers are now getting closer to Windows 10.read more…


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The boys and girls of the E.D.F. are back and ready to repel the latest roster of repugnant ‘roaches wreaking havoc on the people of Earth.
The latest instalment of the bug-blasting, EDF: World Brothers, sees the franchise take on a new aesthetic but retain the same furious blasting. World Brothers has already released in Japan, and now has a release date on Switch, PS4 and PC in the West on the 27th of May, 2021.
You can watch a trailer for EDF: World Brothers below.


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Global orthopedic trauma fixation devices market to reach $9.3B by 2020; the global orthopedic trauma fixation devices market is expected to grow to $9.3 billion by 2020, according to a Transparency Market Research report.
New materials regulations in the European Union (EU) mean medical devices have onemore layer of red tape to cut through before they can reach the market.
The FDA is cutting the fiscal 2015 user fees paid by medical device companies to have their products reviewed by 3% across the board.
Google isn’t just searching the Internet. The company will soon search the insides of people’s bodies for new biomarkers by collecting their urine, blood, saliva and tears as part of its Baseline Study initiative.
The National Institutes of Health is launching three new programs in emerging areas with the lofty goal of transforming biomedical research in the next 5 to 10 years.
Complications of diabetes are more easily treated when they are found early. Researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital have developed a wearable optical device to detect diabetic autonomic neuropathy, a common diabetic complication, that could be better than existing detection methods.
In response to back-to-back incidents involving government laboratories, a top official at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has resigned, and the agency has assembled a safety board to address concerns that have arisen after workers were potentially exposed to anthrax and H5N1 flu.
In a new final guidance issued in July, the FDA announced that it will frown upon the use of multiple predicate devices in 510(k) submissions, unlike when it cleared metal-on-metal hip implants, which the Agency later said can damage surrounding bones and contaminate the body by releasing ions into the bloodstream.


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A Vegas-based sports bar will soon bring so much plaid — well, just small amounts of it per each scantily-clad server — to the Fenway neighborhood. Tilted Kilt, self-dubbed “The Best Looking Sports Pub You’ve Ever Seen,” is set to open at 96 Brookline Ave. in the former Copperfield’s space by the end of the month, bringing with it a Celtic take on the “breastaurant” genre. This will be the second Massachusetts location for the chain; there’s one open in Billerica. Quincy didn’t want one.
This project has been in the works since the summer of 2015, and Copperfield’s closed in November 2015 to make way for the pub. Tilted Kilts around the country have a combo of classic pub fare and regional specialties. Fenway’s location will have a “Wicked Boston Burger” along with an appropriately named rib entree called “The Big Rack.” Other menu options include shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and a barbecue pulled pork sandwich. There will also be more than 30 different beer options.
This new location is expected to hire more than 100 positions before it opens at the end of the month, and a group of those hires will be Kilt Girls, or servers who audition to wear the restaurant’s patented uniform of a mini-kilt and plaid crop-top. Tilted Kilt will also have televisions for diners to watch sports. The chain is rapidly expanding, and there will likely be close to 100 locations around the country by the end of the year.
Correction, 2/10/17: This piece has been updated to correct the expected number of locations that could open by the end of 2017.


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The explosive rise in online shopping over lockdown has flooded our streets with delivery vans. Nothing wrong with that you might think. After all, home deliveries are convenient for many and replace a large number of car shopping trips with a smaller number undertaken by professional drivers. However, many aren’t entirely professional. In fact, in many cases they’re downright dangerous.
With the exception of pavements with road signs showing a car half on the road and half on the pavement, it’s illegal to drive on the pavement. For added clarity, here is an excerpt from a parliamentary briefing on the subject.
According to Tesco, their delivery drivers ‘need’ to park on the pavement. The company appears oblivious to the fact that it is not only illegal to drive on the pavement, it’s highly dangerous.
Many delivery firms, including Tesco, seem unaware that aside from the obstruction caused by pavement parking, the practice can be deadly. A four-year-old girl was killed in Liverpool by a delivery driver who didn’t want to hold up the traffic behind him. He pulled onto the pavement and killed the child as her mother looked on helplessly. This is not an isolated incident. Every year in Britain, drivers kill over 40 people as they walk on the pavement.
Bad Parking Awards 2021 – How to nominate
Our Bad Parking Awards are a chance to name and shame the UK’s worst delivery company. Please send your nomination and accompanying photo to email@example.com and we’ll award a suitable trophy to coincide with Green Transport Week later this year.
An ethical provider like no other
Not only are we voted to be an ethical company, but we also campaign for sustainable transport. Sometimes that means protesting until a school gets the zebra crossing they’ve been refused, inventing a tyre-bursting device to protect pavements, running roadshows to encourage people out of their cars, or fixing bicycles for free. Supporting this work is easy – you simply have to take out insurance with us. We provide home insurance, cycle insurance, and breakdown cover – all while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.


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BETHESDA, MD (BRAIN)—The Consumer Product Safety Commission denied the industry’s petition to exclude children’s bikes from a strict new lead law on Tuesday, but granted a two-year stay of enforcement giving manufactures a bit of breathing room to figure out how to best comply with the rule.
John Nedeau, president of the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association, which filed the petition on behalf of the industry back in January, called Tuesday’s decision a victory.
“My view is it’s a win for the BPSA and the bike industry. When you juxtapose us against all the industries that have been impacted and we had this outcome. Our effort, our strategy was effective," Nedeau said.
That strategy included forming a legislative committee, headed by Trek counsel Bob Burns, and enlisting the help of D.C. regulatory attorney Erika Jones, Bikes Belong’s Tim Blumenthal and that organization’s chief lobbyist to provide scientifically based reasoning for why children’s bikes should be exempt from the law.
“We did not attack the Commission. We recognized that the Commission is simply in place to enforce the law; they didn’t make the law. I think that understanding guided how we approached it and they appreciated our approach,” Nedeau said.
The new lead limit, which is prescribed in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, restricts the amount of lead in children’s products to 600 parts per million. Some small bike parts like valve stems, spoke nipples and cable ends exceed that limit, but a toxicology report provided by the BPSA shows the amount of lead in those parts doesn’t pose any danger to users.
Acting CPSC chair Nancy Nord said the language of the statute didn’t give the commission the flexibility to approve the petition, “even though our staff does not believe that lead exposure from using bicycles and related products presents a risk that they would recommend the Commission regulate.”
Instead the Commission extended the enforcement deadline to April 30, 2011. The CPSC granted a similar extension to the ATV/youth motorcycle industry in April.
The extra time will give the industry and the CPSC time to find common ground on how best to enforce the lead limits, particularly as the regulatory landscape continues to shift with the new administration, Burns said.
“As the bicycle industry has historically done we will work with the CPSC to ensure that the U.S. children’s bicycle industry is in a position to continue to supply bicycles to the youth market and all market segments after April 30, 2011,” Burns said.
Nedeau said the BPSA would strategize its next step at a boarding meeting at the end of the month. He hopes that bicycle companies on both the mass market and specialty side of the business will support BPSA’s role in representing the industry to the CPSC and CPSC staff during this nearly year-long process.
“I’m hopeful that industry players not members of BPSA would recognize the benefit of the work we’ve done and be more considerate about joining,” he said.


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Chanel cosmetics will return to Lotte Department Store after the company pulled out nearly four years ago. The French luxury brand will reopen its booth at Lotte's main branch in Sogong-dong, Seoul on Oct. 3, it said Thursday.
The booth will be on the same site as the old one.
Chanel came into conflict with Lotte over space and location in January 2009, and shut down its outlets in seven branches including the ones in Jamsil and Yeongdeungpo. A Chanel spokesperson said they recently reached an agreement after three years of negotiations.


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COVID-19 Impacts - Italy
Three examples that can provide a measured outlook on the economy in Italy as it is beginning to recover from COVID-19 include orders in the fashion retail sector rising by 18% since 28 March, after recording a 40% drop in the previous two months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Searches and bookings for travel to Italy have also started to grow, with an increase in year-over-year bookings of 149%. Detailed information is below.
The Retail Industry
- According to 365Retail, the Italian fashion retail sector is reporting a slow but steady recovery as the COVID-19 crisis starts to slow down. This is after recording a 40% drop in e-commerce orders for Italian brands in the last two months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fashion and accessories segment also saw its revenue drop by 26%.
- However, since 28th March of this year, orders have steadily climbed by 18% and revenue has increased by 13%. Luxury items such as trainers, handbags, sportswear, and gloves are currently experiencing a rise in sales and the trend seems to be happening globally.
- According to the senior vice president of verticals at Emarsys, Alex Timlin, Italy leads the world in fashion and the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the sector hard because of lockdowns. However, he adds that consumer confidence has started to grow and the fashion retail sector has started to see a steady recovery.
- Timlin notes that brands that only sold items in-store responded to COVID-19 by also switching to online selling and this has resulted in e-commerce orders increasing again. He states that if the trend continues, it could positively impact the Italian economy.
- The sector still has a long way to go before it can register a full recovery, with Fashion Network reporting that online orders for fashion and accessories in Italy lagged behind those of the UK, US, and France.
The Travel Industry
- Accord to Sojern, which has access to real-time data on travel trends, inbound travel intent to Italy has begun to show signs of recovery in the third and fourth quarter of 2020. Data that Sojern collected on April 6, 2020, indicates that travel searches to Italy rapidly declined in March, falling to -82.1%, while bookings to the country rapidly declined in March, falling to -95% on 22 March, as shown in the searches and bookings graphs.
- However, in the past few weeks, searches and bookings for travel to Italy, although still low, have started to grow, starting in the fourth quarter, from as early as October. Flight searches to Italy are up, including an increase of 144.7% for January 2021.
- Italy as a destination, one of those to experience a devastating impact of COVID-19, has started to see an increase in "year-over-year bookings of 149%, by February 2021." The country has always been a popular destination for travelers from other countries and signs of an intent to travel to the country are returning "as early as November 2020 and continuing well into 2021. The intent is currently strongest from Eastern and Western Europe and from the Middle East."
- Although outbound travel from Italy has been low due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data from Sojern shows that intent to travel from Italy has increased in the third quarter of 2020 and is growing evenly into 2021.
- Currently, Italian travelers are showing the biggest interest to travel to Spain, France, and the UK. Travel searches from the country to France in February 2021 have risen almost 600% year-over-year, increased 773% to the United Kingdom, and are up 489% to Spain. This is a positive trend especially if the searches translate into bookings and could help the economy start to recover.
The Financial Industry
- According to Bloomberg, business investment in Italy has fallen by over 10% and the economy is on its way to a 6% contraction in 2020. In response, the Italian government has released around 50 billion euros or $55 billion to aid the economy. This will add to what the government has already borrowed, which is equivalent to 135% of GDP.
- As new COVID-19 infections and deaths continue to slow down, the Italian government is allowing some businesses to re-open to kick-start economic recovery. The government has also announced a $435 billion package mostly to be given to businesses to help sustain the economy. The plan ensures that $217 billion is used to guarantee liquidity to companies, and another $217 is earmarked to sustain foreign trade.
- According to the Italian minister of economy and finance, Roberto Gualtieri, this economic intervention has started to counter the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and is helping the country start getting back up.
- The Italian government also enacted the "Restore Liquidity" law on 8 April 2020 that is already providing businesses affected by the COVID-19 crisis with financial assistance to help stay afloat and weather the short term effects of COVID-19.


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Shares of Finisar (FNSR) have soared today, up by 30% as of 12 p.m. EST, after the company scored a $390 million investment from Apple (AAPL -0.95%). The investment was awarded from the $1 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund that Apple set up in May of this year, which is dedicated to supporting innovation and job creation domestically. Apple previously awarded $200 million to another supplier, Corning, out of the fund.
The money will help Finisar boost its research and development spending and ramp production of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), the sensors that are a critical piece of the new 3D-sensing TrueDepth camera system in iPhone X. Considering the iPhone X's expected volumes, Apple is now a huge purchaser of VCSEL arrays.
"In the fourth quarter of 2017, Apple will purchase 10 times more VCSEL wafers than were previously manufactured worldwide over a similar time period," according to the Mac maker.
Finisar is in the process of acquiring a new facility in Sherman, Texas, to expand its manufacturing capacity, and the Apple award will help cover the costs. On its earnings call earlier this month, Finisar said the facility was acquired for $20 million, and the project will create 500 high-skill jobs. All of the VCSELs that Apple purchases from Finisar will be made in Texas, including at another nearby facility in Allen, Texas. Apple is also helping secure renewable energy to power the new facility.
"VCSELs power some of the most sophisticated technology we've ever developed and we're thrilled to partner with Finisar over the next several years to push the boundaries of VCSEL technology and the applications they enable," Apple COO Jeff Williams said in a statement.


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Bhubaneswar, Jan 15 (LocalWire) Traders in several cities and towns in Odisha including in state capital Bhubaneswar on Wednesday staged protests against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as he arrived in India on a brief visit.
Accusing the company of adopting unfair practices, the traders also urged the central government to intervene and protect the interest of the small traders.
In Bhubaneswar members of the Federation of All Odisha Traders Association staged a demonstration near Kali temple at unit 9.
The protesters were seen carrying placards and shouting slogans Amazon go back ..go back. Similar protests were also observed in other cities including at the steel city of Rourkela and Cuttack.
“We are the owner of our country and the trade of our country is ours” association general secretary Sudhakar Panda told LocalWire.
Many trade associations across India are protesting the India visit of the Amazon founder.
For the last few months, the organization of small traders have been organising protests against multinational companies accusing them of offering huge discount and snatching away their businesses.


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Public release of Foodservice 2003
Four years after it was published, we have released our Foodservice 2003: Inside the Kitchen report to the public. As we said at the time: “After fifty-five in-depth interviews with chefs and owner operators across New Zealand, the report the foodservice industry has been waiting for is now available! With $4.6 billion in turnover and $1.8 billion in purchases, foodservice in the New Zealand isn’t a sector your company can afford to ignore.” We specialise in Foodservice research. Please contact us if your company is interested in further research in this growing area.


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Keynote Speakers - More Announced Soon
Dr Antje von Dewitz – VAUDE
Dr Antje von Dewitz sits on the board of the European Outdoor Group and is highly respected within the industry for heading up one of the best-known European outdoor brands and for pioneering sustainability within her own business.
After leaving the business for three years to study for her doctorate, Antje returned to VAUDE in 2005 as a Marketing Manager before taking over the management of the company from her father, Albrecht von Dewitz, in 2009 as CEO and continued to build upon the company’s practises for strong environmental and social responsibility policies.
Antje has a strong background in environmental protection and sustainability which she has used to help implement a strategy at VAUDE to have some of the strongest environmental ethics and working practices in the industry.
Scott Nelson – European Outdoor Group
The EOG’s Single-Use Plastic Project – Evidence of an Industry Coming Together for Change
The Single-Use Plastics Project is an industry collaboration consisting of over 35 brands and retailers engaged in significantly reducing the impact of their single-use plastic packaging. Working together, they have been able to move from researching the issue, to sourcing solutions, and then testing concepts.
Different from many similarly-titled initiatives, the Single-Use Plastics Project outcomes were centred around a single industry – allowing the group to quickly design ambitious, innovative alternatives which cut across the entire sector. In short, the outcomes can be big, while remaining focused.
The project is open to all other members of the industry who see the inherent environmental, legal, and profitability risks of our single use plastics problem. Scott and his team view collaboration as the only means whereby marked improvements can be made and invite interested outdoor organisations to join the project.
Prior to joining the outdoors industry, Scott worked for Apple for several years in retail customer experience and co-managing special environmental projects.
He completed an MBA at the University of Cambridge focusing on digital transformation and sustainability and worked as a consultant for Patagonia. Currently, he is the Programme Manager for the European Outdoor Group, managing key initiatives including the Single-Use Plastics Project.
Dylan Wyn Pugh – Red Bull
Dylan is responsible for driving the commercial growth and marketing expansion of Red Bull’s properties in sports, culture, consumer products and media. He heads up the commercial team at Red Bull which includes working with brand partners to create video-led projects that inspire audiences to make the most of their time and talent.
Dylan also oversees the publishing team that produces The Red Bulletin, a monthly magazine that covers stories, features and product reviews to live ‘Beyond the ordinary’ distributed nationwide through airports, travel hubs, retail stores and universities.
He builds on 10 years spent evolving the business models of multi-platform publishing brands (The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun) to compete in a digital age. He is an ongoing adviser to multiple vide-based start-ups. At home, Dylan struggles to turn down a sporting challenge and is a keen surfer, cyclist and mountain biker.
Richard Leedham – Outdoor Gear for Good
Outdoor Gear for Good is a new project to take unwanted outdoor industry inventory and to reuse or recycle it in the best ways that we know. It is being created for the industry and supported by the European Outdoor Group.
All profits go to outdoor industry approved charities that either promote participation in the outdoors or progress environmental improvement. Richard will highlight how this project could benefit your business and how you can get involved in this exciting new initiative that has sustainability and the environment at its core.
Richard Leedham has spent most of his career in the outdoor industry, leading the Berghaus brand until 2018, as well as being a board member of the European Outdoor Group and the OIA for many years. Richard is now working on several initiatives including Outdoor Gear for Good.
Andrew Denton – Outdoor Industries Association
Our Chief Executive, Andrew Denton will take centre stage to deliver the conference and explain what the OIA had been doing over the last 12 months.
Andrew has been working in the outdoors since 1984, starting his career in outdoor education and then moving on to a series of senior management & ownership roles in businesses such as Rohan, Mountain Equipment, Sprayway, the Outdoor Sports Company and now ownership of several indoor climbing walls.
He is best known as the modern founder and co-owner of the international technical brand Mountain Equipment where he built the brand over 17 years and then sold in 2003 to The Bollin Group. Andrew has been CEO of the OIA since August 2011.
Breakout Sessions - Announced Soon
OIA Partner Presentations - More Announced Soon
The OIA’s Partner Presentations are a number of special slots ove the two day conference where we’ll hear from OIA member organisations about some of their key current campaigns and how they are having a positive impact on the industry.
Mike Seaman – Raccoon Events
Following his success with The National Running Show, Mike will inform delegates of an exciting new show, the National Outdoor Expo. This new B2C event is set to take place on 27th – 28th March 2021 at the NEC, Birmingham.
The event has 4 core objectives: increasing participation, growing the market, giving back to the industry and being environmentally conscious.
Do not miss Mike’s presentation to find out more about this exciting new venture for the whole of the outdoor industries.
Mike has spent 16 years of organising events and exhibitions all over the world. He is the CEO of Raccoon Events, the company behind the award-winning National Running Shows in Birmingham, London and Paris.
Liz Beverley – Ordnance Survey
Helping more people to get outside more often
GetOutside is the consumer-facing participation initiative for GB, firmly focused on helping to get more people outside more often. Find out how your brand can join the industry to engage with the initiative, and build a collective voice and to drive mass market participation.
Liz joined Ordnance Survey in 2001 and has been leading the GetOutside initiative since 2015. She has grown the OS GetOutside Champion programme from 15-60 ambassadors over the last 3 years and the GetOutside initiative is now engaging over 1 million people a month across web and social.
Passionate about shifting perceptions and driving behavioural change, Liz firmly believes that helping to break down some of the barriers to leading an active outdoor lifestyle will encourage people to step over ‘their’ threshold.
Josephine Lavelle – The Forestry Commission
Josephine is responsible for marketing, communications, arts and learning at Forestry Commission England. She has nineteen years of marketing, membership and fundraising experience in the leisure, tourism and environmental sectors.
She is passionate about connecting people with the outdoors in innovative and engaging ways. Using brand partnerships like the Gruffalo she has helped double visitor numbers at forest visitor centres over the last four years.


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Coffee fanatics have taken their devotion to the next level. A recently published study called Systematically Improving Espresso: Insights from Mathematical Modelling and Experiment suggests a radical new take on pouring an espresso.
It’s commonly agreed that the best espressos are made from 20g of coffee in the portafilter and for the extraction process to take 15-20 seconds. This new research recommends measuring out 15g of coffee and using a coarser grind so that extraction only takes 14 seconds. This does not negatively affect the taste of the coffee; in fact the study claims this process creates complex flavour profiles, so nothing is lost despite the coarser grind.
What are the benefits?
The obvious economical benefit is that if a coffee shop is using 25% less coffee when making an espresso based drink, then they’re saving 25% of the cost spent on coffee beans. In addition, the barista will be able to make drinks faster, as it will take less time for the espresso to pour. A quicker drink turn around means more customers served, smaller queues, and happier customers.
What are the implications?
For big companies that buy their coffee in bulk and sell millions of cups a day, this could be revolutionary. The savings made by reducing the amount of coffee per cup would be immense. Even smaller, independent coffee shops will benefit from making these changes.
However, will customers be pleased to learn that they’re getting less bang for their buck? What impact will this have on coffee farmers, who often are only getting a few pennies back from every cup of coffee sold? Can we, or should we, quantify coffee, when coffee making is viewed as an art and a skill, not a science?
Give this new method a try and let us know what you think.


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In its centenary year, SPC has forged a significant partnership with a Shanghai company that will see the company's packaged fruit brands tap into the world's largest consumer market, and drive investment in packaging innovation.
A signing ceremony was held in Shanghai in late January to commemorate the official partnership between SPC and China State Farm Agribusiness (CSFA) including the signing of the contract (Master Distributor Agreement).
Speaking to PKN, SPC managing director Reg Weine says the company has already shipped its first two containers to be sold cross border in the economic free trade zone.
All products will be produced and packed here in Australia as finished products under the Goulburn Valley, SPC or IXL brands.
“It’s all about leveraging our clean, green credentials and provenance,” Weine says.
Asked what steps SPC is taking on pack to create track-and-trace transparency for the Chinese consumer, Weine says: “We currently have QR codes on the labels and have been trialling GPS co-ordinates on packs, which allows consumers to search on-line and locate the orchard where the fruit was grown as well accessing beautiful imagery of the orchards and Goulburn Valley.”
Initially SPC will focus on supplying its premium Goulburn Valley fruit range in 700gm plastic jars, but the the contract has prompted investment in new packaging technology to support new product development.
“We are installing a new state-of-art pouch filling line and high care facility to support our pouch fruit NPD for China,” Weine says.
Weine notes that packaging plays an important role in the overall brand positioning and is a strong cue to ‘premium’.
“We will continue to evaluate the best packaging formats to convey and reinforce our premium position,” he adds.
Commenting on the potential flow-on benefits of the deal for SPC's supply chain, Weine responds: “All of our stakeholders will benefit over the long term from our market entry in China but it does take time to build a brand in any foreign market let alone China. Those that benefit directly include our growers, packaging, labelling and equipment suppliers, logistic providers and marketing agencies. Naturally, many downstream suppliers also benefit and for every $1 spent on SPC products it returns $1.73 to the Victorian economy.”
This launch looks set to be the first of many with other products in SPC's portfolio to follow suit as well as new products tailored for the Chinese market.
“We have conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative consumer research in China. We are developing bespoke products based on those insights and unmet consumer needs, specifically for the Chinese market and the Chinese palette but still anchored in our Goulburn Valley provenance and with a premium brand position.”
"In our 100th year, we are thrilled to be able to bring our premium Goulburn Valley & SPC packaged fruit to the largest consumer market in the world," Weine says. "China represents a significant business opportunity for SPC in the years ahead, and this is an important step in realising our growth strategy."


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The word from the top brass at Tata Motors is "not enough selection" so they're moving toward a whole new line-up of vehicles coming soon.
Tata Motors is doing just fine, thanks. Coming in at No. 241 on the Industry Week 1000 list, Tata Motors Ltd. nearly doubled its revenue after acquiring Jaguar Land Rover in 2008. This, after posting a loss of nearly $530 million on slow Jaguar Land Rover sales in 2009. But the company, which reported year-end 2010 results on March 31, said the Jaguar Land Rover business rebounded by posting a profit in the latest fiscal year.
CEO Carl-Peter Forster plans on moving fast to capitalize. “Over the next few years we plan to nearly double our vehicle selection,” he told Automobilwoche, a German sister publication of Automotive News.
Together with Ralf Speth, the new JLR Chief, he took inventory of the brands, and found some gaps he’d like to fill.
“We didn’t actually have to start at zero, but there were many gaps in the portfolio,” Speth said. “We had to initially consider what the brands should look like and what models we should have. We are building additional variations on existing models, we are launching new model lines and we are investing in new engines.”
So far they’re not doing too poorly on that score. Consumers Reports is just out with their new findings on the LR4, saying "A new 5.0-liter V8 dramatically improved performance, as well as fuel economy. Towing performance is effortless. While it’s still obvious that the LR4 is a big and tall box handling-wise, tweaks have made it feel more responsive and controlled. Compared to the $57,435 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ or $56,555 Lincoln MKT we recently tested, the $54,010 LR4 with the HSE Plus package oddly seems a bit like a bargain.”
Add that to the sleek new Range Rover Evoque – the smallest and lightest Range Rover yet – and you have the makings of an exciting new direction for Land Rover.
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The Best Marketing Automation Software and Solutions: The 2022 CRM Industry Leader Awards
Research firm Global Industry Analysts (GIA) valued the worldwide marketing automation market at $3.9 billion in 2020 and expects it to reach $6.3 billion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6 percent.
Of those totals, GIA expects cloud-based software to grow at a 9.6 percent CAGR to reach $4.6 billion by 2026, while the on-premises segment will see a 6.8 percent CAGR for the next seven years. On-premises deployments currently account for a 37.3 percent share of the total marketing automation market, the research finds.
GIA says the growth of the overall market is being driven by the rise of digital advertising, sharp increases in e-commerce, and the surging popularity of social media. Other advanced technologies impacting market growth include voice-based marketing, artificial intelligence, and mobile platform integration, the firm says.
And while still a few years away now, the inevitable phase-out of third-party cookies—along with a de-emphasis on third-party data in general and growing legislative and industry standards around data privacy—will completely upend the market in the next few years. Marketers will need to prepare far in advance to meet these challenges before they are forced to do so.
The Top Five
Both Adobe and Marketo by themselves would be powerful forces in the marketing technology space, but together since 2018, they are among the industry’s best for sure. “Either name deserves notice, but they synergize even better,” says independent CRM analyst Marshall Lager, who notes that Adobe today offers “some of the best creative web analytics technology available.” Ray Wang, founder and chairman of Constellation Research, agrees, calling Adobe “one of the top players in the market.” Add to that the Adobe Digital Experience Platform—which Paul Greenberg, president of the 56 Group, calls “a bit of a diminution of what it really does”—and it’s hard to deny that Adobe has the most diverse and comprehensive portfolio in the market, analysts argue.
HubSpot is fast becoming an analyst favorite in marketing automation, but it is also gaining traction among end users, particularly in the midmarket segment. There, “customers continue to rate it highly for its full-suite approach,” Wang says.
And HubSpot continues to get stronger, constantly rolling out “more integrations and connectors, still with the ease of setup and use,” Lager says. “HubSpot has identified its core value proposition and is pushing it for all it’s worth.”
Microsoft has always found strength in its ability to integrate the marketing capabilities within its Microsoft Dynamics 365 product with its own wide selection of business applications, but Microsoft now has been pushing out its product to external sources as well. The company has also shown a unique ability to steadily improve the product internally as new market forces emerge. “The product has improved over the years and is really starting to gain traction,” Wang observes.
Whether through acquisitions or internal product development, Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud and related products have a long history of dominance in the space, but its recent work, particularly in analytics, has really garnered attention. But that’s not all: “Salesforce continues to invest in marketing automation and ancillary areas, such as loyalty management, that enable customers to provide more targeted personalization,” says Rebecca Wettemann, founder and CEO of Valoir. Lager agrees: “Between Pardot and the Salesforce Marketing Cloud itself, businesses will find what they need to keep the leads flowing, the campaigns running, and the messages resonating.”
Although Zoho is a relatively new entrant in the marketing space, analysts argue that it cannot be ignored. The company’s Marketing Plus should be especially attractive “for midmarket customers looking for core marketing automation functionality and value-adds, such as content and digital asset management, events management, collaboration, and project management,” Wettemann says. Marketing Plus, she adds, “ticks the boxes for marketing automation, customer journeys, and omnichannel engagement.” It brings together many products in the Zoho technology stack, including Campaigns, Social, Webinar, Analytics, Marketing Automation, WorkDrive, PageSense, Survey, and Backstage. Greenberg also appreciates how Zoho includes sophisticated capabilities in a package ideal for smaller firms.


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Gerstner files to cash $20 million in IBM shares
But he still has several hundred million to go...
Lou Gerstner has filed to sell 142,000 of his IBM holdings, worth a cool $20 million at today's prices. The sale will make a fair old dent in his current portfolio -- around 500,000 shares worth $60 million -- but diversification is a challenge for unlucky Lou. The trouble is he can't sell shares fast enough. He has a further three million shares in stock options coming to him, and at current prices these would net him nearly $50 a share. But we're most unlikely to be talking about current prices, aren't we? IBM's stock price is currently nudging $150, and over the option period Lou can expect (matter of fact, we believe he has some influence here) the price to appreciate somewhere between five to ten per cent per annum. Having all this money riding on a PC manufacturer would be a problem, according to Forrester (see Forrester predicts terminal slump for PCs), but it was just last week that Lou was saying the PC era was coming to a close, so that's OK. ® Click for more stories Click for story index
Sponsored: RAID: End of an era?


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Barry-Callebaut Launches a Crowdsourced Platform for Ruby Fans
From the release:
Since its launch, the fourth type of chocolate, Ruby, is rocking the foodie world across the globe and a broad range of Ruby chocolate products are now available in retail stores and chocolate boutiques. To spur the arrival and development of the fourth chocolate category, and to put consumers in the driving seat to explore the endless applications of Ruby chocolate, a crowdsourced platform has been created, www.rubychocolate.com.
Read the full press release at:


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As we move into the fourth quarter of 2020 we wanted to look back in time for some stock market comparisons. As the old cliché goes “It’s different this time”. We have always been skeptical of this saying, especially when examining the markets.
We recently read a quote from GMO analyst James Montier which captured our view on the recent stock market moves of the Big Five tech names. “The U.S. stock market looks increasing like the hapless Wile E. Coyote, running off the edge of a cliff in pursuit of the pesky Roadrunner but not yet realizing the ground beneath his feet had run out some time ago.”
Let’s take a look at which companies were the big five technology companies 20 years ago?
Dell Computer (DELL)
All great companies right? Absolutely, but guess how many years you had to wait before you made money if you bought their stock in January of 2000? It took MSFT 16 years to get back to where it’s price was in 2000, but it has done well. CSCO lost money, Intel lost money, Dell lost money. QCOM just crossed into a profitable trade in 2020.
The moral of the story…Be careful about jumping into Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Apple at their current prices. It could be a longtime before you see a profit.
We continue to emphasize diversification around the world in both the stock and bond market.
Please reach out with questions or concerns.
Stay safe and healthy!
The Creekside Team,
Andy, Teresa and Mike


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PayPal is to purchase its portfolio company Paidy, a consumer finance service provider. Paidy is part of the wider payment tech space, which has seen an increasing number of exits since last year.
Digital payment processor PayPal agreed to acquire its Japan-based consumer finance service portfolio company Paidy for about $2.7bn. The deal is expected to definitively close during the fourth quarter of 2021. Paidy will continue to operate under the leadership of its founder and executive chairman Russell Cummer and president and CEO Riku Sugie.
Launched in 2008, Paidy offers a buy-now-pay-later service that enables its customers to make instant credit purchases, which they can repay on a monthly basis. PayPal plans to use this acquisition to strengthen its capabilities and presence in the domestic payments market in Japan.
Paidy is part of the broader payment tech space, which has enjoyed much interest from corporate investors over the past decade but from which we had only began to see a growing number of exits last year, as our GCV Analytics chart below illustrates. In 2020, we tracked 23 exits from that space, worth an estimated total of $7.3bn, well above the 4 exits, worth an estimated $381m in 2019. This momentum, fostered by the effect of the covid-19 pandemic and the massive liquidity injections in public and private markets that ensued, has been sustained through 2021 so far. By the end of August, we had tracked 18 exits, worth an estimated total of $7.74bn.
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Windows 10 Mobile update imminent [screenshot]
Windows 10 Mobile for older phones may happen this week
Microsoft is expected to start rolling out Windows 10 to the some of the older Lumia phones later this month, and according to several sources, the company may announce its plans on January 12th.
Last week, the company released build 10568.63 for Fast Ring Insiders, and we expect that the same build will reach the Slow ring in the coming days. This build is also quite likely to be the software Microsoft is pushing to the older Lumia phones as an official Windows 10 update in the coming weeks.
Here’s a screenshot of the window that informs Windows Phone 8.1 users about a Windows 10 Update ready to be downloaded.
We will let you know as soon as we hear new information about Windows 10 Mobile. Stay tuned.


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Chinese "Samsung Galaxy S9" to Cost Just $300
You gotta love Chinese phone makers. Every time a new high-end smartphone from the world’s leading tech companies is about to reach the market and CADs or renders leak to the web, these companies move super-fast to create their own clones that look nearly the same as the real deal.
Case in point is a company called Vkworld, which has already created its very own Samsung Galaxy S9 copycat using unofficial information that made the rounds lately.
Basically, the skilled designers at Vkworld closely inspected the available Galaxy S9 leaks and changes that Samsung has been rumored to introduce, and implemented all these ideas on a phone that’s called… S9.
The Vkworld S9 comes with a dual-camera system on the back and a fingerprint sensor that’s placed under it in a layout that perfectly resembles the one the Galaxy S9 is expected to adopt. Samsung, however, is likely to use the dual-… (read more)
Read more at: Source link
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Prepare your wallets: The Google Pixel 6 Pro will be 'expensive'
- Google has confirmed that the Pixel 6 Pro will be “expensive.”
- The details stem from Rick Osterloh in an interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel.
- The Pixel 6 Pro, and vanilla Pixel 6, are expected to debut in the coming months.
Google officially unveiled the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro yesterday, divulging some juicy details in the process. However, one key detail that went unmentioned was the price. Now, Google’s Rick Osterloh has hinted that the Pixel 6 Pro might be bad news for those wanting a slim price tag.
In an interview with German publication Der Spiegel (via Reddit user u/Dr-Sommer), Osterloh confirms that the Pixel 6 Pro “will be expensive.” The Google SVP of Devices and Services also describes the phone as a “mainstream premium product,” and hints that the higher price supports the “latest technology” in use.
Usually companies play down the price of a product, especially if it’s pricier than previous iterations. But Osterloh seemingly believes it’s a signal of intent by Google.
See the full machine-translated exchange below:
SPIEGEL: Google has been selling its own smartphones since 2010. Are the new devices an attempt to gain market share in the premium segment?
Osterloh: We haven’t been in the flagship smartphone segment for the past two years – and before that, not really. But the Pixel 6 Pro, which will be expensive, was designed specifically for users who want the latest technology. That’s an important, new approach for us, and we believe it will help us be attractive in new market segments. But the Pixel 6 also belongs to the upper segment and can keep up with competing products. I would describe it as a “mainstream premium product”.
Pixel 6 Pro: A proper Google flagship?
Google has traditionally priced its top-end smartphone products well below its competitors, mainly as the firm rarely focused on true flagship hardware and features.
At $699, the Snapdragon 765G-powered Pixel 5 competed against the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and OnePlus Nord at launch. Both are excellent devices, but neither are regarded as the pinnacle of their companies’ offerings. The Pixel 6 Pro seemingly heralds a change to Google’s philosophy.
How much would you pay for the Google Pixel 6 Pro?
We already have some idea of what to expect, too. Early hands-on details point to a 120Hz 6.7-inch QHD+ display with Google’s custom Tensor SoC. New camera hardware is expected, complete with a 4x optical zoom snapper.
Of course, Osterloh doesn’t give us an actual number, even when asked by Der Spiegel, so “expensive” is really up to interpretation. But if Google really is gunning for the true flagship market, the Pixel 6 Pro could be the first device in its family to break the $1,000 barrier.
Where do you think Google will price the Pixel 6 Pro? How much would you be willing to pay? Be sure to vote in our poll above.


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The Ghana Export Promotion Authority is targeting an annual revenue of US$2.8 billion from exporting semi-processed and processed coconut annually. as there is a booming global market for fruit. According to Deputy CEO of GEPA, Samuel Dentu the Authority in the last five years has given priority to the coconut industry.
According to GEPA's 2021 non-traditional export statistics, coconuts raked in US$11.44 million, while coconut-oil earned Ghana some US$6.99 million. These figures represent an increase of 132 percent and 33 percent respectively over the 2020 figures.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, said the sector had been identified by government as a major driver of the economy into the next decades based on the economic potential of the crop — including food security, environmental protection and poverty alleviation.


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ElGreen energy company has published electricity imports tariffs for April 2021, Trend reports via Georgian media.
ElGreen company carries out trans-frontier electricity trade operations and transits electricity from Azerbaijan to Turkey. Starting 2015, the company supplies cheap electricity to Georgia too.
In April 2021, Georgia’s electricity imports constituted 259.6 million kw/h, including 173.45 million kw/h was imported from Russia, 36.2 million kw/h - from Azerbaijan, and 50.1 million kw/h - from Turkey.
ElGreen supplied 23.1 million kw/h of 36.2 million kw/h to the Electricity System Commercial Operator (ESCO) at 3.9 cents at night, 3.9 cents on weekends, 6.9 cents during the day, while direct agreements were signed with consumers on a supply of 13.1 million kw/h.
“Azerbaijani electricity is cheaper compared to import from Turkey and Russia,” said Zurab Noghaideli, member of ElGreen energy company’s supervisory board.


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Dubbed the Donnee in Denver, the biannual Azione Unlimited conference is bringing together over 250 members for three days of business advice, collaboration, and a few thoughts on the future of lighting. Aside from the continued conversations, the buying group will host the conference TED Talk-style - akin to the wildly popular global speaking series - giving nine different speakers from a broad range of backgrounds 15 minutes to talk about a variety of topics.
Following Azione's path so far, members have been exposed to a few unique companies and how they are influencing the future of the industry. The last meeting for Azione members in Philadelphia hosted Google Home, Sonos, and a handful of industry partners in the architect, building, and design arena. Their views all dovetailed nicely into each other as they talked about why the future of form meeting function becomes so important.
The Philadelphia meeting also introduced Boston-based lighting designer Wolfers and the newly acquired System 7, who offer a turnkey solution to the vetting, purchasing, delivery, and installation of lighting. And the initiative has already begun to make huge progress as integration firm's like San Diego-based Acoustic Evolution is already seeing positive growth. They have essentially become the go-to for many of their clients (and a few new ones) to be the contractor for all things lighting design in a home.


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Buildings are seen in Beijing's central business area, China, April 1, 2018. Picture taken April 1, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee
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China's economic growth held steady in the quarter ending in March amid a worsening trade dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump, buoyed by strong e-commerce and factory output.The world's second-largest economy expanded by 6.8 percent over a year earlier, in line with the quarter ending in December and down slightly from 2017's full-year expansion of 6.9 percent, data showed Tuesday. The statistics bureau said growth compared with the previous quarter, the standard used by other major economies, slowed to 1.4 percent from 1.6 percent in the final three months of 2017 . Beijing has begun to report such quarter-on-quarter figures in recent years but its headline number is measured against a year earlier, which makes Chinese growth seem smoother than that of other economies.China's trade balance swung to a rare deficit in March as exports shrank 2.7 percent over a year earlier.
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An article in Forbes caught my attention recently with its prediction that the future of managed services is in the cloud. But reading through it, I realized the story focused on enterprise-size companies, rather than the smaller businesses we so often work with at MyITpros. In fact, I had to wonder if our clients might read it and think the predictions of cloud growth don’t apply to them at all.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Based on what we’re seeing and hearing from our clients, the cloud is now more than ever an IT destination for businesses of all sizes. To demonstrate that point, let’s take a look at the very compelling information in the Forbes article – but in the context of what companies like the ones we work with are experiencing.
Seeing Growth On The Horizon
There’s definitely “room for the cloud to grow in enterprise usage,” as the Forbes article states, and that prediction applies to companies beyond the enterprise classification as well. Every new prospect I talk to these days has some component of their business in the cloud, whereas just a few years ago, this was true of only about 20 percent of businesses on our radar.
Migration to the cloud is in full swing, and I anticipate MyITpros will see this growth continue. Over the last couple of years, we’ve mainly seen an increase in companies moving file storage and email applications to the cloud, driven largely by the release of the Microsoft Office 365 platform. But there are still companies that haven’t moved these types of applications over yet, and there are also still other applications that will be moving in the coming years. It seems inevitable, especially when you consider the benefits the cloud offers.
Doing Business At The Speed Of Cloud
One of the most tremendous benefits we’re seeing for companies moving applications to the cloud is the speed at which they’re able to get things done. For example, we recently had a new client – a startup company – asking for recommendations for an email platform. We walked them through a few options, they quickly made a choice and, by the next business day, they had email up and running.
Not all that long ago, if a small business needed email, they would have had to buy a server (assuming they had the physical space to house it), acquire an email domain, have the server set up, get the email going on the server – it would typically take several weeks to get the job done. But now, with the cloud, a new business can have email completely up and running in just a day.
Streamlining Business Requirements
As I mentioned in the previous example, before the cloud was a possibility, businesses not only needed physical servers, they needed physical space to house those servers. Today, the cloud is making it possible to streamline the amount of space a business needs – or to eliminate the need for space entirely.
One of our clients took advantage of the cloud to get their startup going without having to wait until they had the resources for office space and equipment. Instead, they signed up with our cloud service and got their startup established exclusively in the cloud. This enabled them to work from their homes for the first couple of years while the company got established. Eventually, they moved to a physical office. But the fact that they didn’t have to do so immediately allowed them to get their business going sooner.
Giving Businesses The Agility To Compete
For smaller businesses or businesses just starting out, the cloud provides more than just the speed and flexibility described in the preceding examples. More significantly, it offers the advantage of business agility. One of our clients, a small company that manufactures and sells consumer goods, is now much better equipped to compete with major companies to get to market, because the cloud enables them to turn on a dime, shifting strategy and quickly deploying applications and data to support changes.
It’s just not that easy for a large enterprise to respond to dynamic markets, because they’re likely to be more deeply invested in traditional systems and hardware that they can’t always change quickly. Adding capabilities in the cloud helps, but it’s rare that a sizable enterprise will be as agile as a smaller company that has more resources in the cloud.
If you’re wondering about the wisdom of moving more of your business to the cloud, I’m confident you’ll discover many of the same benefits that larger enterprises are seeing – and some additional advantages, too.
[include id=”11″ title=”Is The Cloud Right For Your Business”]
Bill McCharen, COO
Our goal for this blog is to answer the questions you ask. If you have any questions about cloud computing for small businesses or any other topic please email me at firstname.lastname@example.org. To learn more about IT subscribe to our blog.


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Digital TV News: CANAL+
Pay TV subscribers in Africa to exceed 50 million by 2026
Jan 4, 2021 – According to Digital TV Research, nearly 17 million pay TV subscribers will be added in Africa between 2020 and 2026 to take the total to 51 million.
News categories: Digital TV Research, Simon Murray, Africa, Digital TV, Subscribers
M7 selects NAGRA content protection
Nov 4, 2020 – NAGRA (SIX:KUD.S) has announced that Canal+ Group has selected NAGRA content protection to secure the pay TV services of M7, the satellite operator it acquired in 2019, across new and legacy set-top boxes.
News categories: NAGRA, Canal+ Group, M7 Group, Thierry LeGrand, Jérôme Trift, Austria, Belgium, Content Protection, Czech Republic, Digital TV, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania, Satellite, Set Top Box, Slovakia
CANAL+ extends satellite agreements with SES for Europe and Africa
Oct 29, 2020 – SES and CANAL+ have signed agreements for satellite capacity across three geographies, strengthening the companies’ longstanding partnership and underlining the importance of satellite in delivering premium content to more than 10 million subscribers.
News categories: SES S.A, CANAL+, Steve Collar, Jacques du Puy, Africa, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Europe, Satellite
Groupe Canal+ takes 6.5% stake in Multichoice
Oct 5, 2020 – MultiChoice has received formal notification that Groupe Canal+ has acquired ordinary shares of the Company. The Groupe Canal+ holding now amounts to 6.50% of the Company’s ordinary shares in issue.
News categories: MultiChoice, Groupe Canal+, Africa, Digital TV, MandA, Satellite, South Africa
CANAL+ to launch Ethiopia's first pay DTH platform
Jul 28, 2020 – Eutelsat (Paris: ETL) and CANAL+ have signed a multi-year, multi-transponder contract for Ku capacity on EUTELSAT 7C to support the launch by CANAL+ of a premium DTH platform in Ethiopia at the beginning of 2021.
News categories: Eutelsat, CANAL+, Rodolphe Belmer, Jacques du Puy, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Ethiopia, Satellite
ADB integrates Netflix on second STB for Canal+ Platforma
Apr 29, 2020 – ADB has completed a second Netflix integration for Canal+ Platforma, on the operator's UltraBOX+ platform supplied by ADB. It follows a December 2019 implementation performed on the first edition of UltraBOX+.
News categories: Advanced Digital Broadcast, Canal+ Platforma, Jacek Galik, Jarosław Kordalewski, Apps, Digital TV, OTT, Poland, Satellite, Set Top Box
Disney+ rolls out in Europe
Mar 24, 2020 – Disney+ has launched in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. The service will launch in France on April 7th. Audiences can stream Disney+ on nearly all major mobile and connected TV devices.
News categories: Disney+, Kevin Mayer, Apps, Austria, Digital TV, Gaming, Germany, Ireland, Italy, OTT, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Smartphone, Spain, Switzerland, Tablet, UK
CANAL+ Poland exploring IPO
Jan 31, 2020 – ITI Neovision (CANAL+ Platforma) is working with shareholders and advisors to explore IPO options. Group CANAL+ intends to retain its role as the strategic shareholder of ITI Neovision SA regardless of such a process.
News categories: ITI Neovision, Digital TV, IPO, Poland, Satellite
CANAL+ Poland selects ADB UHD satellite solution
Sep 12, 2019 – ADB has announced that CANAL+ Platform has selected its UHD satellite solution to provide subscribers with advanced TV services in 4K. The solution provides features like multiple recordings, fast channel change and access to multi VOD libraries.
News categories: Advanced Digital Broadcast, CANAL+ Platform, Jacek Galik, Jarosław Kordalewski, Digital TV, IBCShowcase, Poland, Satellite, Set Top Box
- MENA pay TV revenues continue to fall
- FCA first automotive OEM with Alexa Custom Assistant
- Firstlight Media and NPAW optimise CDN switching for OTT providers
- ViacomCBS, DISH Media, Adcuratio enable broadcast inventory on MVPD STBs
- DoubleVerify earns MRC accreditation for CTV measurement
- Philco launches Roku TV lineup in Brazil
- Chips&Media introduces WAVE6 series of video codec IPs
- Worldwide semiconductor revenue up 7.3% in 2020
- Kantar expands TV audience measurement panel in Georgia
- TDS introduces live, streaming TV product
- LG announces 2021 NEXTGEN TVs
- GTPL Hathway digital CATV subscribers unchanged YoY at 7.35 million
- Nordic consumers’ media spend unaffected by the pandemic
- Amazon launches mobile-only video plan in India
- VUALTO event orchestration and DRM chosen for ITV Hub VOD delivery
- Nielsen now tracking premium theatrical films on VOD platforms
- rlaxx TV now available on Amazon Fire TV and Android TV
- SK Broadband selects NAGRA forensic watermarking for IPTV STBs
- MovieLabs updates Enhanced Content Protection specification
- 24i integrates Float Left Roku framework with its app platform


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Engine Trouble for Mercedes-Benz? Well, last week we reported on a proposed settlement between Mercedes Benz and some unhappy customers who allege consumer fraud over Mercedes Benz USA failing to inform buyers of its luxury vehicles with analog Tele Aid communication systems that the company planned to phase out the analogue emergency communications systems altogether on its models from 2003-2006.
This week, Mercedes Benz is back on the books with a defective product class action. The allegations? Premature wear taking place with its M156 engines, specifically the cam shafts. The suit alleges that the premature wear in the M156 V8 (63 AMG) engine leads to engine problems and in some instances engine failure.
The lawsuit states that the camshafts used are made of cast nodular iron but the valve lifters used are made of 9310 grade steel, and that the combination of these metals as designed is contributing to premature wear of the M156 motors. The suit alleges that Mercedes and AMG (Aufrecht Melcher Grossaspach), a division of Mercedes that sells the high-end M156 have known about this issue since 2007. According to the lawsuit, the luxury vehicles sell for between $60K and $200K. OK, for that kind of money I would not be expecting engine problems – ever.
Libby Montana Asbestos Settlement. This is a biggy and a long time in coming…long-suffering, potentially terminally ill residents of Libby, Montana, suffering from asbestos-related illnesses including asbestosis and mesothelioma have been awarded a $43 million settlement by a judge in that state. The people were made ill as a result of their exposure to asbestos from the infamous W.R. Grace asbestos mine in Libby, Montana. Reports indicate that a large part of the settlement will be paid by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed against the state and the mine by former miners and their families who accused the state of failing to properly oversee the mine or warn workers of dangers there. Miners had originally sued W.R. Grace but after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001, they sued the state for failing to adequately protect them, court documents state.
Some 1,400 people are expected to receive payouts from the settlement, which was approved September 8, by Montana District Court Judge Jeffrey M. Sherlock, ending ten years of legal wrangling. However, while the settlement ends numerous cases and claims against Montana it “expressly reserves their claims against all other responsible parties,” according to the agreement.
Many of the people who suffered asbestos exposure from the Libby mine are now over the age of 65, and others have since died of asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis and cancers such as mesothelioma, records show. It may be a good ending but it’s certainly not a good story.
Snap, Crackle…Pop! Goes the Immunity Claim… Ok—hands up—how many of you actually believe a breakfast cereal could boost your immune system? Really.
But no matter, as long as the claim is made…
Kellogg, finding itself in a position of having to defend such a claim, to a potential class of consumers who filed a consumer fraud lawsuit, has proposed a settlement… cheaper than going to court after all.
In a nutshell, the lawsuit claims the Kellogg Company falsely advertised that Rice Krispies cereal and Cocoa Krispies cereal supported a person’s immunity system despite not having competent clinical evidence to support the claim. Now there’s a surprise.
So—if you purchased Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Cereal or Cocoa Krispies Cereal between June 1, 2009 and March 1, 2010, you may be entitled to a cash refund from a class action settlement.
The only way to get a cash refund: Claim Forms must either be submitted online or postmarked by November 16, 2011. If you wish, you can get out of the lawsuits and the settlement. Get no cash refund. If you wanted to exclude yourself, you must have sent an request postmarked no later than July 30, 2011. The deadline to file an objection to the settlement was July 25, 2011. If you do nothing, you will get no cash refund. However, any leftover money will be donated to one or more charities.
OK. That’s it for this week. See you at the Bar. (I’ve been told a Bloody Mary is also good for the immune system…)


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Apple has launched a campaign to promote the iPhone 5. “There’s the iPhone. And then comes everything else “is one of the slogans that Apple wants to make clear how special the iPhone. Another slogan emphasizes how easy it is to keep the iPhone 5. The timing of the campaign, via the web and email is conducted, not quite happen naturally, so soon after the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S IV. According to the first reviews that device has impressive specs, but it remains at a crucial shortcomings: it feels like the cheap plastic casing still like a toy phone. Apple is trying to campaign to make clear that the iPhone is superior to other smartphones, in build quality.
The iPhone is therefore continuously at the top of the rankings when it comes to customer satisfaction, Apple emphasized. Highlights iOS 6, iCloud, the App Store and the housing of the iPhone, both in design and what technology is concerned. But the campaign also mentions some points which you can put into question, such as “fantastic battery life”. Many people will think differently.
And the remark that only the iPhone has a Retina display is rather bland. Apple is the only company that the term ‘Retina’ used logically so. It had been more honest to the actual screen resolutions and pixel densities using. But they do not, because all the iPhone 5 would not have come out on top.
Apple seems the hot breath of competition in recent days some stronger neck to feel. Just before the Galaxy S IV was introduced uttered Apple’s marketing chief Phil Schiller in an interview negative about the competition. This is rarely done, Apple usually chooses to focus on their own products and to the outside world too much to let on what the competition is thought.
If the campaign on Apple’s website to view, you can do so here: Why iPhone?


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munchies nom nom thin mints
According to national organization guidelines, Girl Scouts are not allowed to sell cookies outside adult-oriented businesses such as liquor stores, casinos or marijuana centers. However they may sell cookies outside family oriented businesses, such as grocery stores. Grocery stores selling liquor, beer, lottery tickets and tobacco are also permitted.
This is a big news controversy because lots of top performing Girl Scouts have recently been setting up sales outside of Dispensaries.
My take? The rules need to change.
February 7th, 2018 10:29pm
Front page on Reddit.
February 7th, 2018 11:11pm
The whole thing is a scam.
February 8th, 2018 1:52am
February 8th, 2018 2:56am
Very interesting article, NewsBot.
So practically none of the cookie sale profits go to support activities of the girl scout groups themselves. Most of it goes to pay central administration salaries at one of 332 regional scouting councils. Salaries average $90,000, with full benefits. These are paper pushers whose main job seems to be second guessing girls who sell in front of the wrong places.
February 8th, 2018 8:47am
Oh that article is from 1993. $90,000 salary in 1993 is pretty fucking high! But the article says it's typical for a non profit staff. It says their main job is to "enforce policies". That staff is a bunch of losers with no business experience, no degree, none who could get a job at WalMart.
February 8th, 2018 9:09am
>that article is from 1993
Things will have only got worse since then.
Who decides the bakery to get the contract?
How is that decision reached?
How much is that contract worth?
How transparent is the selection process?
How transparent is the management and finances of the Girl Guides?
The scout movement as a whole?
Who are you?
What are you doing in here?
Is that a gun?
February 8th, 2018 9:55am
We are very sorry to report that Plm appears to have:
Please be assured that:
nothing has been stolen
He didn’t suffer
He managed to:
twice in the back of the head.
February 8th, 2018 10:02am


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The IFA 2017 trade show has begun in Berlin, and several tech giants have pulled wraps off their latest innovations. Like every year, the IFA 2017 trade show will also be completely about laptops, and especially, there will be numerous gaming laptops this year.
Acer announced 3 new laptops at the on going IFA 2017 yesterdays – Acer Launches Swift 5, Switch 7, Spin 5 Laptops at IFA 2017. LG is also planning to unveil the LG V30 at IFA on 31st August 2017.
Dell, the reliable laptop brand launched their latest gaming laptops at the event. Read on to know more about Dell’s latest laptop.
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series Powered By GTX 1050 Ti / GTX 1060
Dell has announced a new version of its popular 15-inch Dell Inspiron 7000 series. The Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series is especially known for its attractive pricing. And the new version of the laptop comes with an improved graphics card and slightly refreshed design.
The New Dell laptops come with a refreshed design with matte black finish and with the red backlit keyboard. The laptop also has a very distinct front grill which makes it look unique in a pool of gaming laptops.
As we have been saying, the major highlight in the new model is the graphics. The current 7000 Gaming has NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti graphics card powering it, but the latest one adds an option for a 6 GB GTX 1060 Nvidia Max-Q technology based graphics card.
Nvidia Max-Q technology makes the laptops thinner and improves the cooling efficiency of the machine and also allows for addition of high end graphics cards to laptop machines without a need for increasing the bulk. Recently Asus launched the Asus Rog Zephyrus in the Indian market which is powered by the Nvidia GTX 1080 and is very thin laptop.
Rest of the specs of the machine are similar to the previous model: Intel 7th gen i5-73000HQ of i7-7700HQ chipset options, 1080p and 4K display panels, can swap between 4 GB and 32 GB RAM options and you there is a lot more hard drive and solid state drive options this time around.
Oddly, Dell is still using the 7th generation of Intel processors which are used in almost all the gaming notebooks from 2016 and early 2017, we were expecting them to use the 8th Gen Intel Kaby lake refresh processors in the new Dell Inspiron 15 7000 machine to increase the performance and FPS in games.
Also, the new model comes with a better Wi-Fi adapter- 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Along with upgraded graphics card, the laptop also features a smaller battery. Dell has shaved down the battery size by 25%, which is the only letdown. Though Dell claims that the new Inspiron batteries come with fast charging support and can charge from 0 to 80% in just 1 hour.
Moreover, there are some design changes as well, especially Dell has played around with the vents in the laptop.
Ports in the new machine include USB 3.1, HDMI, and a new Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C port.
This new machine will be up for sale at $1000 for the 1080p display model and $1500 for the 4K display model. It is not known when Dell will introduce these new models in India but they will be available in the US in mid September.
The new Dell Inspiron 15 7000 is a great machine both for the college or school work as well as for gaming, something which lot of young college goers would be looking to buy.
Dell has also launched new Dell Alienware laptops at CES 2017.


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You might be still polishing off the last of the Christmas selection boxes and playing with your new presents but supermarket bosses have decided Easter is already on its way.
Shoppers discovered Tesco stores selling Easter eggs just TWO DAYS after Christmas.
And next Easter falls on April 24 - just one day earlier than its latest possible date. The shopping aisles are stocked with a range of confectionery, including chocolate bunnies, chicks and eggs. Church leaders branded the move ‘absurd’.
Father John Flynn, a spokesman for the Salford’s Catholic diocese, said: “It is odd that supermarkets would want to be stocking eggs when thousands of Christians up and down the land are still trying to celebrate Christmas. It seems a bit misplaced and absurd.”
Baffled customers watched staff stocking shelves with Easter goods at stores in Burnage and Portwood, Stockport.
Julia Dodgson, from Stockport, said: “They should allow the Christian community to celebrate one festival at a time. We’re still celebrating the birth of Jesus and they’re selling symbols of the resurrection.
“It’s completely greedy – young children will be mithering parents to buy them.”
Angie Brown, from Bredbury, Stockport, who was shopping with five-year-old daughter Millie, said: “It’s ridiculous – we’ve just had lots of selection boxes. I don’t understand why they’re selling them already.”
Ross and Sarah Harwood, from Chapel-en-le-Frith in High Peak, said: “We’ve not even got Christmas over yet. It’s awful. It should be Valentine’s day next anyway.”
ASDA and Morrisons both confirmed they were not yet stocking Easter eggs.
Tesco say they are simply responding to demand. A spokesman said: “Customers have asked us for a small range of Easter eggs at this time of year and we’re happy to supply them.”