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SpiceJet recently acqui-hired the team and technology of Travenues, a subsidiary of Ixigo which is India’s leading AI-based travel app. With this deal, the amount of which was not disclosed, SpiceJet aims to absorb the technology team and airline commerce platform.
Last year, Travenues had signed its first technology partnership with SpiceJet for the digital transformation of its consumer-facing experiences, which have now been expanded to other applications. The SpiceJet team firmly believes that the acqui-hire will help SpiceJet strengthen its e-commerce platforms and infuse tech in other applications such as mobile apps, UX, engagement, cross-selling, payments, ancillaries, personalisation and more.
“This acqui-hire will help SpiceJet strengthen its e-commerce platforms as we continue to innovate across multiple technology areas and achieve our vision of being the worldwide leader in aviation technology,” said Ashish Vikram, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, SpiceJet.
How Will Travenues Facilitate Deep Tech To SpiceJet
Bengaluru-based Travenues is an airline technology company that has built several innovative products for airline eCommerce. Founded in 2019, the team has extensive experience across GDS, OTA and meta-search business to improve passenger customer experience. It offers a comprehensive travel-tech optimised airline commerce and ancillary sales platform to airlines that allows for extensive customisation and state-of-the-art personalisation.
Powering the travel industry through deep technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, it applies cutting edge technology to provide seamless solutions to a wide range of travel-tech problems. Some of the solutions that it offers are:
- AI/ML-based travel assist, which is a travel assistance bot that can help with consumer support and deeply integrated booking options
- Highly configurable micro engagement platform capable of reaching the right traveller with the right deal at the right time
The team believes that airlines still face the same problems that they faced a decade ago. Infusing technology can enable them at various levels, giving travellers the best experience.
With this deal, Spicejet aims to use the technology-driven team to help them grow in various domains such as eCommerce, offering customisation and more. It will use the team and full-stack commerce suite that Travenues has built and take innovations to the next level. It will help them focus on B2C business while scaling up B2B offerings though Travenues. It also aims to bring deep-tech integrations to help airlines with user experience on engagement, segmentation, targeting, cross-selling, payments, and customer service.
“We are happy that we were able to incubate a startup and build a next-generation platform with a motivated tightly-knit team that can truly disrupt airline direct sales and airline commerce. The possibilities this unfolds for SpiceJet are endless!, said Rajnish Kumar, Co-founder & CTO, ixigo”
ixigo Shares Its Ambition To Use Deep Tech With Travenues
ixigo has been deeply invested in using AI and predictive analytics to offer a conducive platform to travellers. In an interaction with Analytics India Magazine, Rajnish had said that by using machine learning they were able to predict a lot of travel-related aspects for the user, making the booking experience hassle-free. They also use it to predict seat confirmation, seat availability, flight fares, train delays and much more using millions of data points that they capture from apps. Using deep tech, it evolved from being a metasearch engine to travel marketplace. With Travenues, Ixigo shares a similar ideology and aims to transform the way travel and airlines work.
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Srishti currently works as Associate Editor at Analytics India Magazine. When not covering the analytics news, editing and writing articles, she could be found reading or capturing thoughts into pictures.


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Earlier this month, EA Sports and Epic Games Store fumbled the bag, or so to speak, when they listed FIFA 23 pre-purchase orders for Rs 4.8. While several users had been able to place their pre-purchase order, many had suspected that EA Sports and Epic will eventually cancel the order.
Just yesterday, Epic Games and EA Sports FIFA sent out emails to users who had placed the pre-purchase order at Rs 5 that they will not be cancelling those orders. The listing was only up for roughly 15 minutes but several Indian fans were able to place an order and now they’ve bagged FIFA 23 for Rs 5.
The game is scheduled to come out on 30 September 2022. Those who have placed a pre-purchase order will be able to download or potentially pre-load the game come launch time.
Indian FIFA Fans Score Big W as EA Sports Confirms Pre-Purchase Orders
— Bodhisatwa Ray (@BodhisatwaRay) August 15, 2022
FIFA 23 is the latest upcoming title in the storied football franchise and it will be the last one in the series to have the “FIFA” license. Starting next year, the franchise will begin anew as “EA Sports FC”, but it will continue to have licenses from major football leagues across the globe.
While fans eagerly await to see what the next chapter in EA Sports’ football franchise looks like, the studio has major plans for this year’s title. EA confirmed today that FIFA 23 will be collaborating with Marvel to introduce iconic football heroes to the game.
Essentially, iconic football heroes will be reimagined, inspired by Marve Comics, and introduced in the game as part of FUT Heroes. The collaboration will include vanity items related to fan-favourite football icons immortalized as Marvel-inspired Heroes, including tifos, kits, balls, and more.
Players who pre-order the game before August 21 will also receive a limited-time FIFA World Cut Hero Item along with other in-game rewards.

domain: news


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As he marks the 10th anniversary of his eponymous label, Alexander Wang takes the charitable route to celebrate this career milestone. Fifty per cent of the proceeds of a limited ed t-shirts and hoodies collection shall go to DoSomething.org, a charity focused on the youth and social change.
In classic Wang style, he enlisted 37 of his famous friends to participate in the Steven Klein-lensed campaign. Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Cara Delevingne, Kate Moss and Kristen Wiig are just some of the celebrities who posed wearing a piece from the DoSomething collection.
Browse through the gallery to see all the other celebs.


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With the nation facing imminent “Marmageddon”, W reignited Marmite’s 2013 Marmite Neglect campaign with a Marmite Neglect Helpline, a partnership with dating site MySingleFriend and a “career resurrection mission” for former Eastenders actor Dean Gaffney.
Campaign: End Marmite Neglect
PR Team: W
Timing: January – April 2015
Less than 12 months after a hard-hitting TV campaign exposed the secret world of Marmite Neglect, it was clear that the UK was sliding back towards large-scale delinquency with regards to the polarising yeast extract-based spread.
With the scandal threatening to plunge the nation into “Marmageddon”, W’s mission was to show every man, woman and child the threat Marmite Neglect posed to the very fabric of society, encouraging Britons to reach into their cupboards and give Marmite renewed pride of place on the breakfast table.
The ‘Marmite Neglect’ idea was born out of Unilever’s insight that while awareness of the product couldn’t be higher, frequency of use was slipping.
Britain had already been introduced to the scourge of Marmite Neglect through the hard-hitting TV campaign that made headlines (and sparked controversy) when it was first screened in 2013. Yet with a second on-screen run planned for January 2015, there was a danger that although the brand would be highly visible, the original impact would be impossible to replicate.
W grasped the potential for extending the Marmite Neglect idea, building an immersive, fictitious world around the concept and generating new socially fuelled content.
W re-imagined Marmite Neglect as an unfolding real-life scandal – apeing the ways in which the “shocking” news would break and play out in media.
An online “trailer” – conceived, scripted and filmed in just 19 days – was timed to create maximum anticipation and drama in the week prior to the TV campaign being re-aired. The trailer’s premiere on Facebook in January 2015 created an instant social media sensation.
As the TV campaign went live, W immediately responded by launching its Marmite Neglect Helpline – an 0800 number that made headlines across the national media.
Meanwhile, W ensured the brand had pride of place on the nation’s most influential tables, by producing customised labels for top restaurants and breakfast spots, including The Ivy Market Grill, Quo Vadis, and the Riding House Café – creating instant Instagram opportunities for influential brunch fanatics across the capital.
It negotiated a partnership with social dating platform MySingleFriend that encouraged singletons to state their Marmite preference in their profiles – enabling all parties to enter into relationships with their eyes open, and reduce the risk of any future Neglect. “Marmite Lover” and “Marmite Hater” immediately became as essential as “GSOH” for thousands of daters.
W then widened the Marmite Neglect Squad’s remit to end “Celebrity Neglect”. Resulting in an even more ambitious piece of content… the rescue and subsequent career resurrection of neglected Eastenders actor Dean Gaffney.
The film became the springboard for a media blitz in which Gaffney became the “face” of Marmite generating further social buzz through content such as personalised Vines to his showbiz chums.
Meanwhile, daily Marmite editorial conferences identified opportunities for rapid-fire social interaction, casting the Marmite jar (and toast) as a participant in news events from Madonna’s tumble at the Brit Awards to the Queen’s Birthday and General Election – creating an ongoing dialogue with brand fans and media and recognition from consumer and trade press, as well as Twitter’s senior management itself.
And finally, W’s in-house tech team developed the world’s first piece of “spreadable technology” – an app designed to bring Marmite Neglect to life for the smart- phone generation, tracking consumption to count down to a new purchase.
Within 48 hours, the initial ‘End Neglect’ trailer smashed expectations, acquiring an extraordinary virality, achieving 1.5 million views within the first week, and clocking up the highest Twitter engagement rate of any Unilever video – ever.
The ‘Celebrity Neglect’ film with Dean Gaffney went on to achieve 90,000 organic views in the first 48 hours alone, while further personalised Marmite-themed Vine messages prompted huge spikes of consumer engagement on both brand- and media-owned channels.
Meanwhile, W’s highly responsive and agile content programme grew the Marmite community to 1.2 million, generated an average 8 million impressions per month and achieved recognition in both consumer and marketing press, including topping The Drum post-Brit Awards list of ‘brands that rose to the occasion’. Marmite is now regularly highlighted as an example of social and content best practice by both Twitter and Unilever.
The campaign delivered more than 150 pieces of premium coverage and helped drive an impressive 9% sales increase during the launch period.
The spectre of Neglect may still be with us – but for now, at least, the nation can sleep easy once more – with Marmite jars back on the breakfast table where they belong.
Got a cracking campaign – with impressive results – that you’d like to showcase? Email [email protected].


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PlayStation 5 lead system architect Mark Cerny gave a glimpse into what the new console’s architecture has to offer gamers today.
In a pre-recorded speech titled “The Road to PS5,” Cerny discussed the goals for Sony’s next system. A key decision was to balance evolution and revolution. Evolution came in the form of adding backward compatibility and minimizing architecture differences between the PlayStation 4 and the PS5. Cerny believes that it will take developers less than a month to get up to speed, which is down from the one to two months it took on PS4. Meanwhile, revolution comes in the form of new features and higher efficiency hardware.
During his speech, which was originally meant to be given at this year’s Game Developers Conference, Cerny revealed that the number one request from developers was to include a solid-state drive. While it takes the PlayStation 4 hard drive 20 seconds to load a gigabyte of data, the PS5’s SSD can load 5.5GB in one second. The company’s goals for the SSD were to load games in a second, feature zero load screens, de-duplicate game data, and get rid of long patch installs.
Cerny also revealed some PS5 specifications and confirmed that the system will feature 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, which is the same as what the Xbox Series X packs. It will also have 36 compute units capped at 2.23GHz, which means the
The system architect also wanted to clear the air on the PS5’s graphics processing unit. Cerny reaffirmed that the system will use a custom RDNA 2-based AMD GPU and that Sony collaborated with the company on its development. “If you see a similar discrete GPU available as a PC card at roughly the same time we release our console, that means our collaboration with AMD succeeded in producing technology useful in both worlds,” Cerny explains. “It doesn’t mean that we at Sony simply incorporated the PC part.”
Cerny also explained how Sony achieved backward compatibility on the upcoming system. Rather than including the last system’s chipset like Sony did with launch PlayStation 3 systems, it included the previous system’s logic in the system. The PS5 will have both a PS4 Pro and PS4 legacy mode and can run titles with boosted performance. “We recently took a look at the top 100 PlayStation 4 titles as ranked by playtime and we’re expecting almost all of them to be playable at launch on PlayStation 5,” Cerny notes while saying that games need to be tested.
- Sony’s latest partnership is a big move for PlayStation’s mobile future
- Got a PS5? Here’s how to get 6 free months of Apple Music
- Sony’s new PlayStation earbuds are a perfect match — for my Nintendo Switch
- The new 1TB PS5 has more usable storage space than the Xbox Series X
- How to get tech parts in Spider-Man 2


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The Wii U’s official launch lineup is slowly shaping up, but plenty of established franchises are yet to be announced for Nintendo’s latest piece of hardware. We all have our favorites, but to be honest, none of our opinions mean quite as much as Shigeru Miyamoto’s.
Miyamoto has had a hand in the creation of essentially every well-loved Nintendo series, and when recently asked by IGN about what games he’d like to see most on the new, tablet-based console, he first spoke of Metroid.
“With Metroid it’s very easy to imagine some interesting implementation for Wii U,” said Miyamoto. “I think that having another screen with the gyro built in really gives you a lot of interesting opportunities for development, and we can bring a lot of our games to life in a completely unique way with that.”
That’s all fine and dandy, but there’s a game Mr. Mario himself wants to see in HD even more. Personally, Miyamoto wants a new Star Fox, and he wants it now.
Could both of these games be in development as I write this? Maybe, but there’s no evidence available now to prove it. For now, we can only hope barrel rolls will be achieved both on the big screen and a tablet.
Do you agree with Miyamoto’s choices? Will we see either of these games early in the Wii U’s life? Let us know what you think in the comments below!


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Grain & Barrel Spirits has signed NASCAR driver Tony Stewart as an ambassador for its Dixie Vodka brand.
Off the back of the tie-up, confirmed yesterday, the company has also unveiled Tony’s Tea; a vodka-based iced tea & lemonade RTD that will launch in the US next month. Additionally, the deal with Stewart will see Dixie Vodka serve as the official spirit of his NASCAR racing team, Stewart-Haas.
Financial details, along with the duration of the partnership, were not disclosed.
“The opportunity to partner with legendary driver Tony Stewart is exciting for everyone on the Dixie team and further expands our presence in the motorsports world,” said Grain & Barrel Spirits CEO, Matti Anttila.
The arrangement strengthens Grain & Barrel’s ties to NASCAR, after it signed on as an official sponsor in 2019. The South Carolina-based spirits producer is one of several beverage companies tied into the sport, along with Anheuser-Busch InBev and The Coca-Cola Co.
Last month, Bacardi purchased an Oscars television ad spot for the latest activation from premium vodka brand Grey Goose.
Vodka in the US has seen consistent growth in recent years, according to GlobalData figures. Between 2015 and 2019, the category expanded at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.3%. In 2020, the trend is expected to have continued despite the coronavirus pandemic, albeit at a modest one-year rise of 0.7%. From 2020 until 2024, GlobalData predicts vodka consumption in the US will continue rising at an accelerated CAGR of 1.7%.
Why whisky/whiskey can no longer ignore the allure of flavours – click here for a just-drinks comment


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The 'Netflix of fitness' looks to become a publicly traded stock as soon as next year
- Peloton's latest financing round of $550 million may be its last before becoming a publicly traded stock.
- The company sells $2,000 spinning bikes equipped with a screen to stream recorded and live classes filmed from its New York-based studio.
- Peloton is "a media company akin to a Netflix,” co-founder and CEO John Foley says.
Peloton's latest financing round of $550 million may be its last before becoming a publicly traded stock.
The company sells $2,000 spinning bikes that are equipped with a screen to stream recorded and live classes that are filmed from its New York-based studio.
"We stream 24 hours of live television content around the world every day. We have 10,000 classes on demand. It is a media company akin to a Netflix," Peloton co-founder and CEO John Foley said Friday on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
Foley said the company will spend $45 million to develop "the best" digital streaming studio in midtown Manhattan. He added Peloton also plans to build a studio in Europe.
The new investment round was led Silicon Valley's TCV. Many of Peloton's existing investors, including Tiger Global, True Ventures, Wellington Management, Fidelity, NBCUniversal, Kleiner Perkins, and Balyasny participated in this round.
Foley told The Wall Street Journal the timing of an initial public offering "remains fluid," but 2019 "makes a lot of sense."
The $550 million Series F round brings the total equity raised by Peloton to nearly $1 billion for a reported valuation of $4.15 billion.
— Disclosure: CNBC parent Comcast-NBCUniversal is an investor in Peloton and participated in this round of funding.


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TOKYO — Just before pulling the wraps off the sleek, sporty, radically redesigned fifth-generation Prius, Toyota's global design chief dropped the big question on every doubter's mind.
"How long are you going to keep making hybrids?" Simon Humphries asked, parroting the growing legions of critics targeting Toyota for sticking with gasoline-electrics in the EV age.
Toyota's answer might well be — hybrids today, hybrids tomorrow, hybrids forever.
A quarter century after introducing the world to the fuel-sipping technology with the debut of the first-generation Prius in 1997, Toyota Motor Corp. sees hybrids in play possibly through 2050.
That is when the world's biggest carmaker aims to achieve carbon neutrality. And top executives say hybrids — even with their internal combustion engines — will play a big role in getting there.
"Of course they will," said Toyota Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada, known as the Father of the Prius, who stunned the auto world by developing the first-generation hybrid 25 years ago.


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Formlabs Announces Programming For Fifth Annual User Summit October 25-27, 2022
The schedule of events features an impressive lineup of speakers, including leaders from Hasbro, NASA, MIT, and Mayo Clinic.
Somerville, MA, Oct. 18, 2022 – Formlabs, the leading 3D printing company, today announced the lineup of speakers and sessions for its upcoming Formlabs User Summit, a free virtual event on October 26-27, 2022. The world’s largest 3D printing user conference will reconvene for its fifth year to celebrate more than 100 million innovations printed on Formlabs 3D printers and discuss the future of the industry.
Formlabs co-founder and CEO Max Lobovsky said: “With 100,000 printers sold and more than 100 million parts produced on those printers, Formlabs continues to make additive manufacturing accessible and versatile for a variety of projects and industries. Each year, the Formlabs User Summit is an opportunity to celebrate all that our community has accomplished and inspire anyone to make anything. This year’s event will spotlight the many ways our users’ 3D printed designs, prototypes, and end-use products have made an impact on the industries they serve, and will provide the opportunity to learn about Formlabs products and technologies.”
This year’s event will feature a variety of content spotlighting applications and innovations across many industries. Sessions will be offered in eight languages and a multi-level Formlabs University track will help users boost their 3D printing skills. Special programming will also be available for medical and dental professionals. Key speakers and sessions are highlighted below and the full two-day schedule can be found here. To register for the free Formlabs User Summit click here.
User Summit keynote speakers include:
Shane Wighton, Engineer and Founder, Stuff Made Here
Sheri Thorn, Aerospace Engineer, NASA Goddard
Patrick Marr, Director of Prototype Development, Hasbro
Neil Gershenfeld, Director, MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms
Amy Alexander, Unit Head Biomechanical Development & Applied Computational Engineering, Mayo Clinic
Ryan Mandell, Director, Innovation Hub Makerspace, Penn State
Jaco Snyman, Founder and Lead Production Designer, Dreamsmith
Key sessions include:
Mass Customization is Here: Become Your Own Superhero with Hasbro - For the first time, Hasbro's Selfie Series is bringing mass customization to fandom through 3D printed, personalized action figures. Learn how Formlabs collaborated with the leading toy brand, and what unlocking mass customization could mean for any business.
Building Fictional Worlds With 3D Printed Props and Prosthetics - Learn how Prosthetic Makeup Artist Jaco Snyman used the Form 3L to bring life-size aliens, androids, and other original characters to life in the apocalyptic Netflix series Raised by Wolves.
Orthodontic Innovations: What is the next step in digital orthodontics? - Join this panel moderated by Dr. John Fagbemi, Director of the London Dental Institute, to learn more about the current and future trends expected in the digital orthodontics field.
Proven uses of additive manufacturing by leading medical device companies - Learn from industry leaders why Formlabs technology was chosen to produce prototypes and end-use devices and how 3D printed aides can significantly improve production processes and flexibility.
Formlabs has also expanded its annual Impact Award to eight categories to recognize a wider variety of boundary-breaking innovations across the world, with categories in: Product Design and Engineering, Manufacturing, Dental, Healthcare, Research and Education, Art and Design, User Achievement and Sustainability. The Impact Award honors Formlabs users whose work pushes not only the industry, but also humanity forward, positively impacting the world in a way that was not possible before. Winners will be announced on October 26 and 27. Learn more about the nominees here.
For User Summit media assets, click here.
Formlabs is expanding access to digital fabrication, so anyone can make anything. Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts with offices in Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Hungary, and North Carolina, Formlabs is the professional 3D printer of choice for engineers, designers, manufacturers, and decision makers around the globe. Formlabs products include the Form 3, Form 3B, Form 3L, and Form 3BL powered by an advanced form of stereolithography (SLA) called Low Force Stereolithography (LFS)™ 3D printing, Form Wash and Form Cure post-processing solutions, Fuse 1 SLS 3D printer, and Form Cell manufacturing solution. Through its Factory Solutions offering for industrial users, Formlabs provides the factories of tomorrow with the flexibility and versatility needed for demanding, evolving industrial applications. Formlabs also develops its own suite of high-performance materials that continue to push the boundaries for 3D printing, as well as best-in-class 3D printing software. For more information visit formlabs.com.
Formlabs Media Contact
BIGfish Communications for Formlabs


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Businesses Are Set To Boost Investments In Real Estate
After years of stockpiling cash and buying stocks, US companies are starting to throw money into improving the real estate and equipment their businesses depend on this year.
Experts say rising rates aren’t going to stop them, especially with many execs optimistic that Donald Trump’s presidency will usher in a period of regulatory rollbacks, corporate tax breaks and infrastructure spending — all things experts say will fuel growth, the Wall Street Journal reports. That will be a huge change from the last few years, where companies have largely opted to hoard cash instead of investing, further exacerbating the sluggish economic growth we've been experiencing this cycle despite near-zero interest rates.
GameStop is one of many firms gearing up to make big investments — the video-game retailer boosted capital last year to fuel future real estate purchases that will help the firm expand into new markets. [WSJ]


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A CVS Pharmacy will move into a 12,500 sq. ft. space on the first floor of 25 Washington St. where the old Rte. 16 Grossman’s once stood, providing the town with its fourth CVS store if all goes according to plan.
Newton-Wellesley Hospital has signed a lease to occupy the remaining 21,100 sq. ft. of that building to house an ambulatory surgical center. Nice fit: that center and a pharmacy, no?
Meanwhile, CVS is closing in on Dunkin’ Donuts for bragging rights as the most prevalent business in Wellesley. Dunkin’ Donuts recently opened its fourth shop in Wellesley at 978 Worcester St. (Rte. 9 east), in the same complex where CVS is looking to open its third store in town (the one at 25 Washington St. would make four CVS stores, with Wellesley Square and Linden Square locations being the others). Dunkin’ Donuts has stores across from each other on Rte. 9, plus on Washington St. and on Linden St.
As for the new CVS on lower Washington St., it will be built for opening in 2012 adjacent to Waterstone at Wellesley, a luxury senior housing community under construction. A groundbreaking ceremony took place this week.
“We are pleased to have CVS as a tenant at 25 Washington Street,” said Jack O’Neil, Managing Partner of National Development, in a statement. “CVS is the perfect complement to Waterstone at Wellesley, and will provide a much needed service to the Wellesley Lower Falls neighborhood. This use will help to enhance the village’s identity of Lower Falls.”


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Samsung has announced the acquisition of the mobile payment company LoopPay. The strategic acquisition of a mobile payment system will help Samsung to compete against it’s growing rivals in the heated mobile payment space such as Google Wallet and the newly launched Apple Pay. Financial details around the LoopPay acquisition by Samsung have not been officially stated.
How does Samsung’s NFC Mobile Payment System ‘Samsung Pay’ work? Just like Apple Pay, mobile customers will have to tap their phone on a retail store’s payment machine since both Apple and Samsung use NFC technology. The payment machine also needs NFC, something many merchants will not have until later this year. Samsung will be supplementing their NFC technology with another technology from LoopPay’s acquisition. LoopPay’s technology replicates the magnetic-strip signals on plastic cards, so it works with more merchants. While NFC transactions can be authorized through the phones’ fingerprint sensors, LoopPay transactions might still require a physical signature.
Many analysts are not surprised at this acquisition as LoopPay and Samsung have worked closely together in the past. Last month, LoopPay announced that it will launch cases with enabled mobile payment system for the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy S5 which will be released later this year. The disucssions to acquire LoopPay began in December, but both companies had declined a statement then. The timing was important as Apple Pay was introduced last fall and Samsung did not have a leading product in the mobile payment category, making Samsung vulnerable.
Samsung is estimated to spend a reserved $56 Billion on mergers and acquisitions, which will be a leading factor in the company’s growth this year.


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'She economy' prospers as female-based shows gain popularity
By Wu Zheyu
11:45:00, Aug. 5, 2020
Many advertising companies take women as their targeting audience.
CGTN 04-Aug-2020 An emerging trend of television shows centered on women and their issues have been gaining popularity in China as the country's movie industry struggles to shrug off the pandemic's impact and people remain stuck at home, glued to online streaming platforms.
The pandemic may have hit consumer spending in general but it has definitely left one sector alone: online streaming services. Industry tracing site Maoyan reported that 70 percent of those surveyed had increased their time watching online series. The increase in the second- and third-tier cities had outpaced that of first-tier cities: 26 percent of people surveyed in the first-tier cities spent more time watching shows online while the numbers stand at 41 percent and 40 percent in the second- and third-tier cities, respectively.
Viewers are interested in shows themed on history and crime this year while romance is the most popular genre when it comes to films. Still, more than half of those surveyed said they had bought memberships of video streaming platforms. Maoyan reported that 86 percent of people said they prefer watching shows alone.
Women dominate TV screens
Given that the majority of television viewers nationwide are women, female-based stories have become a major part of the entertainment industry.
Recent weeks have seen several new TV shows featuring the stories of women spur lively discussions on social media. And that's giving a healthy boost to the "she economy."
The beginning of twenties and thirties are considered crucial ages for women. And these are the age groups that many television producers target. The two new blockbuster dramas feature women in their twenties and thirties talking about their love, career and family. The stories resonate with women across the country.
This year has seen an increasing number of TV shows featuring stories about women. Another 14 are expected to debut in the second half of the year. All these are expected to speed up the development of women's genre in the entertainment industry.
The women's genre in television programming is not new. Two years ago, popular TV shows featuring women as the main characters, such as "Ode to Joy" and "Women in Beijing," triggering feedbacks on social media. But the experts say the influence of women's interests on TV programs is increasing.
"Women's tastes are the key for TV shows, whether they are screened on TVs or the internet. Men's interests tend to be important for films. So for television dramas, the crucial thing in audience development is cultivating of women's interests, gaining their acceptance. This is the basic market trend," said Wang Ce, CEO of Shanghai Firstake Consulting.
Advertiser preferences change accordingly
Is this trend going to reshape the TV industry and related sectors? Is this affecting advertiser preference? Teng Jimeng, associate professor from Beijing Foreign Studies University, agreed.
"China has this great tradition of women holding up half the sky. But right now, I think women are holding up even more than half the sky. Women are actually the main breadwinners of the family and the mainstream of the workforce. And they are also mothers who educate children. So they appeal to advertisers," Teng said.
Teng noted that many advertising companies take women as their targeting audience. "For example, companies selling baby care products and baby food are actually targeting this particular group of women on the screen. Advertisers are smart enough to adapt to this change and shape the characters and images they present on the big screen accordingly."
Women's strong purchasing power has been one of the major factors pushing television producers to turn to women's genre. Data from Shanghai Media Group's advertising department shows that 52 percent of China's television viewers are women. A report from Guotai Junan Securities says purchasing decisions for 70 percent of China's households are made by women, with these purchases accounting for more than 66 percent of China's GDP. When it comes to entertainment, women are also willing to pay for an advance look at the top online dramas – but only for the good ones.
"Women are emotional and they usually buy things impulsively. The KOL sales count on women to be their major purchasers. So, psychologically, women turn out to be the major purchasers for TV and media producers," said Wang.
Of course, TV and media producers are happy to take advantage of this fact. In the drama "Nothing But Thirty," for example, advertising for women's products like cosmetics and mother and baby products pop up on the screen for a few seconds, before going away and letting a viewer get back to the action.
And there are more actions on the way. Before long you'll be able to look for these new programs: "Love in Shanghai," "Fighting Youth," and "My Best Friend's Story", all appealing to women, and hoping to appeal to their pocketbooks as well.
(Chen Tong also contributed to the story.)


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NEW YORK (AP) -- A pair of analysts backed their "Buy" ratings for Starbucks Corp. after the world's largest coffee chain posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by a jump in U.S. sales.
Despite a still-sluggish economy and weak consumer spending, the company posted a 7 percent increase in fiscal second-quarter sales at U.S. stores open at least 13 months. It got a boost from new drinks and food, such as its sandwiches and pre-packaged lunch boxes.
Based on its first-half results, Starbucks increased its outlook for 2013. But total sales came in shy of Wall Street expectations, and its shares fell in premarket trading Friday.
Jefferies analyst Andy Barish, who backed his $66 price target in addition to his "Buy" rating, said investors should look at any drop in the stock's share price as a chance to pick up shares at a discount.
Barish added that the company's continued innovation of its food and beverage products continues to resonate with its customers.
"Management was enthusiastic about trends heading into the fiscal third quarter, and we think Starbucks is executing on the right mix of drivers to sustain growth," Barish wrote in a note to investors.
Janney Capital Markets analyst Mark Kalinowski, who stuck with his $68 price target, said his "Buy" rating is driven by expectations of continued U.S. sales growth, potentially lower year-over-year coffee costs through fiscal 2017 and possible gains from global sales of single-cup home-brewed coffee.
Starbucks shares fell $1.30, or 2 percent, to $59.20 in premarket trading Friday.


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General Motors will recall 6,365 imported Buick Enclave cars due to their weak windshield wipers, China’s top quality watchdog said on Monday. The cars in question were produced between Jan. 17, 2010 and March 5, 2012, according to a statement released by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
The cars have faulty windscreen wipers and the defect would lead to drivers’ views being hindered and danger under extreme circumstances, the administration said. The recall starts on Monday. Buick service centers will phone affected car owners to make appointments for free vehicle checks, according to the statement.


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Mar 20, 2013 1:57 AM by Rebecca Taylor
TUCSON - Paper or plastic? Starting soon your friendly grocery store clerk may educate you on alternative packaging.
Tuesday night Tucson's mayor and council passed an ordinance to reduce plastic bag waste.
Stores will now be keeping count of the single-use plastic bags they give out.
The hope is that more people will trade plastic bags for re-usable ones.
The recycling-program is the brain-child of council member Paul Cunningham.
"It just means that we're going to have a better educational program on recycling, educating the public and retailers about reducing the use of single use bags and hopefully make a more environmentally conscious community," says Cunningham.
Six months ago he set up a group of business and environmental stake holders. Their job was to report back to the council how best to reduce consumption of single use plastic bags.
"We're confident retailers will do all they can to promote conservation, as they have thus far," said one stakeholder who attended Tuesday's meeting.
Retailers will be asked to keep a better count of the plastic bags they give out.
"We now have mechanism in place, at no taxpayer expense, that gives us an idea of how many single use plastic bags we're using, and how much refuse tons they're producing," explains Cunningham.
It's a first step as city leaders hope to cut plastic bag use in half by 2015.
"There will be no immediate repercussions, all it's going to be is learning new information on recycling and reusing," says Cunningham.
The ordinance takes effect in 30 days.


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First, there was Netflix, and the Lord saw that it was good.
For quite some time, Netflix was the de facto streaming service. People associated it with cutting the cord, with streaming TV, and with… chilling.
But over the past five years, the competition has continued to expand at a rapid pace, with hundreds of streaming services now available to choose from. Some big, some small, services like Hulu feature dozens of channels, then there are services like Paramount Plus that only focus on their own content.
This morning, a report by The Diffusion Group reported that by 2022, things are going to have expanded so much that every major television network will have their own streaming service. For example, E! Network, TBS, The CW, and more, all individual streaming services that consumers will choose on a one-by-one basis to get the content they want.
“These are early signs of an emerging media tribalism,” argues Berkley. “Major networks will increasingly reserve their best titles for their own direct-to-consumer services, which will help drive total network DTC subscriptions close to 50 million by 2022.”
If current trends are any reflection of this growing industry, the price point for these standalones will likely be somewhere between $5-10 a piece, which when totaled could easily extend past the cost of a traditional cable package. This will also affect the convenience of bundled packages. While the ability to choose what you want to pay for is a welcome change, there are no doubt plenty of channels included with current cable packages that consumers are paying for but not using, it is hard to imagine much benefit to having to pay for somewhere between 5-10 individual services.
“Big media companies are reacting more boldly to changes in TV viewing behavior,” notes Mike Berkley, TDG senior advisor and author of the new report. “Consolidating, bulking up on originals, and marketing directly to consumers are driving their strategic direction.”


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UNL's Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship recently held its annual 3-2-1 Quick Pitch competition. The event gives aspiring student entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch an innovative business idea to a panel of community business leaders in a fast, fun, and competitive format. The five winners received checks for $1,000 each!
The winners of the competition were:
UNL Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship 3-2-1 Quickpitch


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Concepts posted earlier this week that they would be giving the people a second chance for their special box release via raffle on their website. Concepts stated that they would cancel "suspicious” orders successfully checked out by bots to give a fair chance one more time. However, not everything went according to plan. Everyone took it to the internet on @cncpts sharing their frustration about the release; many complaining that the raffle did not load up for them to enter.
However prior to the raffle dropping some of Concepts special loyal customers received an email to purchase entries that enabled them to check out. One of these screenshots of the email were provided by @deadasskickz.
So does this make it one of the worst drops ever of 2022? It appears that many are arguing for the case.
Concepts released their 6th SB Dunk collaboration this time in the Orange colorway on December 2nd on their website. This release allowed people to go for the special box edition which included a 100% and 400% Concepts themed Bear Bricks, multiple colored bands and laces.
Unfortunately, the release was a disaster as the website crashed which didn't allow many manual users the chance to checkout successfully. Concept came out a few days later to state that they would be reviewing suspicious orders and dropping these cancelled pairs to the public one more time.
The Concepts Orange Lobster SB Dunk Low will be dropping via skate shops on December 20th. Check your local skate shops for raffle details.
Make sure to be following @SwiftSole to sign up for upcoming release info.


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Auto parts chain Autozone Inc. is the first Linux user to be sued by The SCO Group Inc. for allegedly violating the company’s intellectual property (IP), SCO said Wednesday.
As of 12:30 p.m. EST, Autzone had not yet seen a copy of the suit filed by SCO and could not comment on the case, said Gina Heard, a spokesperson for Autozone in Memphis, Tenn.
In November 2003, SCO announced it was only 90 days away from taking action against a Linux user. After filing this suit in Las Vegas, SCO has now made good on its promise.
SCO, which claims it owns the rights to Unix, is suing IBM Corp. for US$5 billion for allegedly illegally contributing Unix code to the Linux project. SCO believes it owns IP rights to Linux and is insisting Linux users pay a licensing fee for use of the open source operating system.
Darl McBride, CEO of SCO said during a conference call on Wednesday that Autozone is just the first of many end-users to be sued and likened SCO’s battle against IBM to the cases between the Recording Industry Assocation of America (RIAA) against individuals who downloaded music for free.
Additionally, SCO is embroiled in a suit against Novell Inc., contesting Novell’s assertions that it retains some rights to Unix. It has also launched a case against Red Hat Inc., one of the world’s leading Linux vendors.
Both Red Hat and Novell have offered indemnification to its Linux users along with hardware vendor Hewlett-Packard Co.
Autozone was one of the Fortune 1000 companies SCO sent a letter to in May 2003 outlining SCO’s case against IBM and encouraged those companies to buy SCO IP licenses for Linux, said Blake Stowell, a spokesperson for SCO in Lindon, Utah. SCO suspects Autozone of running Linux on thousands of servers but Stowell would not say which Linux distributions or versions of the Linux kernel Autozone is running.
“[Between] May and today we’ve had a number of communications with [Autozone] and it ultimately came down to that there were copyright infringements in Linux and [it] was unwilling to take out a SCO copyright license,” Stowell said. “Unfortunately, litigation is what we had to resort to [in an attempt] to try to resolve this situation with them.”
So far, only one company has admitted to buying a SCO IP license for Linux. EV1Servers.Net, a division of Everyones Internet in Houston, on Monday announced the IP license purchase. SCO claims other companies have purchased the license but fear backlash from the open source community if they publicize it. McBride would not say exactly how many firms have bought the IP license but indicated it was less than 50.
Additionally, SCO filed a suit Wednesday against Daimler Chrysler Corp. in Auburn Hills, Mich., a company claims is in violation of its SCO Unix license. Daimler-Chrysler took out a Unix license several years ago, Stowell said. In December 2003, SCO sent letters to all of its Unix licensees — about 3,000 — requesting they certify that they were in compliance with their licenses. McBride said less than half of those 3,000 licensees responded to the December letter.
Daimler Chrysler has refused to comply with SCO’s request for certification, Stowell said. That’s why this Unix licensee has been targeted, he added. SCO does not know if this company has in fact violated its Unix license.
By press time on Wednesday Daimler Chrysler had not seen the suit SCO filed against it and thus could not comment on the case, the company said.
However, Autozone and Daimler Chrysler aren’t alone in their fights against SCO. The Open Source Development Lab (OSDL), an organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Linux, based in Beaverton, Ore. in January set up a legal defense fee for any user sued by SCO. So far the OSDL has raised US$3 million and is aiming to increase that to US$10 million.
Stuart Cohen, CEO of the OSDL said Wednesday that the OSDL has notified both Autozone and Daimler Chrysler informing them that they qualify for that assistance but the companies have not yet responded.


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Samsung has announced the next SDC (Samsung Developer Conference) event. The South Korean firm's SDC 2023 event will take place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, USA, on October 5, 2023. This is Samsung's ninth developer conference since the company started holding it in 2013.
Last year, the Samsung Developer Conference (2022) was available to only those who were invited. This year, though, anyone can attend the SDC 2023 event with a prior registration. During this conference, Samsung will highlight the capabilities of Bixby, Knox, SmartThings, and Tizen. The South Korean firm will also showcase how its devices are spread across businesses, serving seamless experiences. The event will be live-streamed on Samsung's YouTube channel and Samsung Developers website.
JH Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of Samsung's Device eXperience (DX) Division, will open the event keynote to outline the company's vision for a more customized and secure customer experience. The company is planning to improve its ecosystem of products and services. JH Han will be joined by the following executives, who will explain various aspects and upcoming features of Samsung's software and services.
- Jaeyeon Jung, EVP, SmartThings Team
- Hobum Kwon, VP, Platform Team, Samsung Research
- Bongjun Ko, EVP, Application S/W R&D Group, Visual Display (TV) Business
- Sally Hyesoon Jung, VP, Framework R&D Group, Samsung MX
- Hon Park, VP, Digital Health Team, Samsung MX
During breakout sessions, attendees can learn more about Samsung's software ecosystem, including Bixby, Matter, One UI 6, Samsung Health, SmartThings, Tizen, and more. Developers can also participate in actual coding through “Code Lab” and get mentoring from Samsung's developers on various topics.


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In autumn the most anticipated device seems to be the latest generation of Apple smartphone. iPhone 5 is about to be launched on September 21 and analysts expect Apple to sell from 6 to 10 million units till the end of the month.
According to various reports the Jobs’ company is able to sell from 26 to 28 million of various devices including the Apple iPhone 5 September launch. Gene Munster, analyst from Piper Jaffray, says that iPhone 5 will help the company to raise its profits during September and gain higher revenue than it was estimated. As it was announced, Apple’s sales were quite slow and made up about 22-23 million through the quarter.
Apple fell in Wall Street estimates the last quarter reporting revenue of $35 billion and $8.8 billion in share, as it had been expected about $37 billion of earnings and over $10 share revenue. Analytics were concerned if the company’s losses were influenced by macroeconomic situation or people were just waiting for the newest Apple iPhone 5 coming up.
For now customers already look for selling their older generations of Apple smartphones, which obviously can mean that they are preparing to buy the fifth version during the next month. Such online traders as NextWorth, eBay Instant Sale, and Gazelle have already noticed the growth of visitors that are about to sell their iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S. Today prices on older versions are around $277, but the day iPhone 5 will be launched it could lower to $100-$90 for a unit. Anthony Scarsella, Gazelle’s chief gadget officer, expects the prices to go down sharply after September 12.
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The spring home buying season is in full swing, according to numbers released Tuesday by the National Association of Realtors. Pending home sales increased by 5.3% from February to March and are up 21.1% from one year ago.
The seasonally adjusted 5.3% boost in sales beat Thomson Reuters economists’ projections of a 4% rise. Pending home sales have risen 13.6% in the past two months and are currently at their five-month high.
Tax Credit Pushes Market Temporarily
A tax credit for homebuyers helped spark sales. The First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, which ran from November 2009 through the end of April 2010, offered Americans up to $8,000 in savings for purchasing a home for the first time.
“Clearly the homebuyer tax credit has helped stabilize the market,” said National Association of Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun.
The tax credit was offered in an attempt to pull the housing market out of the deep trough it entered after the mortgage meltdown and financial crisis. The current level of 102.9 means the number of pending home sales is above average, compared to a standard set in 2001.
Home Sales Numbers Could Take A Temporary Hit
Pending home sales numbers could fall this summer following the April 30 expiration of the tax credit, according to Yun.
“In the months immediately following the expiration of the tax credit, we expect measurably lower sales,” Yun said.
If the economy continues to slowly recover, the housing market could stabilize in a more permanent manner. The U.S. added 162,000 jobs in March, but consumer spending is still driving the recovery more than wage increases or employment boosts are, leaving economists with mixed feelings on the status of the rebound.
“Later in the second half of the year, and into 2011, home sales will likely becoming self sustaining if the economy can add jobs at a respectable pace,” Yun said.
Mortgage rates generally remain low, encouraging potential homebuyers. Pending sales rose in three of the nation’s regions, but fell 3.3% in the Northeast. Sales contracts went up 12.7% in the south.
The Pending Homes Sales Index measures how many contracts are signed within a period. The numbers are considered an accurate indicator of actual sales, which are recorded a month or two later.


text: Micro-Lite Trailer Manufacturing LLC, Elkhart, Ind., has introduced the all-aluminum 17-foot Vymeron light-weight travel trailer series. “It’s meant to be a cabin on wheels,” said President Chuck Ornduff Jr. “It’s easy to maintain, easy to tow and easy to afford.” The 6 1/2-foot wide Vymeron, with a 1,250-pound dry weight, is available in three traditional and two SURV floorplans. The Vymeron Semi sports a small living area with bunk bed, a kitchen and an open 5-foot 8-inch front platform. An appliance package that includes a refrigerator, air conditioning, heater and microwave adds 550 pounds to the unit. Ornduff, whose company also manufactures the Wazat travel trailer, Mo-Jo cargo trailer and Moto-Mate motorcycle trailer, said that size and weight will become increasingly important to consumers. “People are going to come around to this type of trailer,” Ornduff said. “It is easily towable by a mid-sized V-6 SUV.” MSRP: under $10,000, depending on freight.


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bills, bills, bills
Austinites charge up hefty portion of their available credit, study shows
Austin's credit card debt is the subject of a new report, and it reveals a sizable burden for local spenders. The study from CompareCards.com finds that the average credit card user in the Capital City has a credit card utilization rate of 29.7 percent and a balance of $5,878, ranking No. 32 out the 50 largest metros in the country.
Credit card utilization rates — a credit card's balance compared to its spending limit — is "the second-most important factor in credit scoring formulas behind your payment history — how often you pay your bills on time — so it’s a big deal," the site notes. Financial experts generally recommend keeping spending to no more than 30 percent of a card's limit. The good news is that Austin is just below this threshold.
For the study, CompareCards.com compared user data from My LendingTree from September 2017 and September 2018. The same site found in November that Austin had the highest increase in credit card debt in the country at 12 percent. With housing costs on the rise across the city and county, Austin appears to be feeling the pinch. We aren't alone, though.
"For many of these cities, it’s all about income," the report says. "With a few exceptions, most of the cities with the highest utilization rates were among those with the lowest household incomes, while higher income cities tended to have lower rates."
Credit card holders in other major Texas cities struggle even more with mounting debt and high utilization rates.
San Antonio has the highest credit card utilization rate of the cities on the list, at 35.1 percent and with the average credit card balance of $5,477. Houston ranks fifth, with 32.7 percent and an average balance of $5,587. Dallas-Fort Worth ranks just behind Austin, at No. 33. In the Big D, credit card holders are using 29.6 percent of their limit and carry a balance of $5,343.
Credit card holders in the Bay Area have the lowest utilization rates in the U.S. San Francisco-Oakland ranks No. 49 at 26 percent, while San Jose ranks No. 50 with 23.8 percent.


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Motorola Edge 20 Fusion: In Pics
Motorola today launched the Moto Edge 20 Fusion smartphone in India alongside the Moto Edge 20 smartphone. It is a successor to last year’s Edge series smartphones. Take a peek at its features and design.
First Published Date: 17 Aug, 13:48 IST
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS


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'Nanny' key for nervy parents
Ford is launching a digital key that watches over young drivers, ensuring they stick to a pre-programmed speed limit
Electronic keys have been in use for years to deter car thieves. Now a type of key has been developed to control far more dangerous individuals: your children.
Ford is to launch a digital “nanny” key that watches over young drivers, ensuring they stick to a pre-programmed speed limit and fasten their seatbelts.
The device, called MyKey, has been available as standard in America since last year and will be launched in Britain next summer, at first in the Fiesta and Focus and then in other models over the following 18 months. Ford expects it to be popular with parents worried about their teenage children driving.
Parents program the key and set limits. Speed can be electronically restricted to 80mph, with warnings beeping at 45mph,


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Blow to John Lewis bonuses
The John Lewis Partnership is set to give its staff a “significantly” lower bonus this week as it steels itself for an acceleration in the shift to online shopping and rising inflation. The group, whose department stores are run by Paula Nickolds, has said it expects full-year profits to be ahead of last year’s £306m. But it has warned that bonuses will be lower than last year’s 10% of salary. Analysts think they could be 7%-8%.


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Destiny 2 is all set to be built from scratches to pursuit Bungie’s ambition of making the sequel massive. As a result, the game will see its expansion to PC along with some major revamps.
Bungie is going big with the sequel for the sci-fi shared world shooter Destiny. According to the latest reports, Destiny 2 will be arriving on PC platforms along with PS4 and Xbox One.
The news comes from multiple sources as reported by Kotaku. Going by the changes Bungie have underwent earlier this year, the developments doesn’t look a surprise either.
After parting ways with Howard Ryan, Bungie roped in Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy to continue with the developement of Destiny 2. The pair had previously worked for The Taken King expansion, which was heavily lauded at the same time.
Along with the PC version, Bungie is also working on building the Destiny 2 game from scratches. This should sound interesting, but the same may also force Bungie to leave behind many things from the original to pursuit their heavy ambitions.
The most disappointing omission for players would be the dropping of player characters, which has been one of the most engaging for the Destiny fans. That’s not it, Destiny 2 could also bring other massive changes to get it branded as something entirely fresh.
The game will also undergo changes that will effectively help in not testing the user patience levels. This involves removing the boundary spaces between Towns and outposts to cut down waiting time in menus and loading screens.
In a way, this should also relieve the game server with minimal stress. Bungie is also mooting for other changes including addition of areas with both social and gunplay elements.
Destiny 2, which was supposed to get released by this time, has went through a one year delay like its predecessor earlier, pushing its release date to 2017.
The game will also not be made available for the older gen platforms; PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Bungie has already given the indication by shunning the respective versions for its latest Rise of Iron expansion that arrived this month.


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First, the basic pricing details for the 2013 Fiat 500e. The manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) is $32,500 and that includes a destination charge of $700.
Affected by the recall are roughly 30,000 model year 2012 Jeep Patriot and Compass SUVs manufactured between October 2011 and May 2012.
Affected by Chrysler’s drive shaft recall are 78,500 model year 2007-2008 Dodge Nitro and 2008 Jeep Liberty 4x2 SUVs manufactured between March 2006 and March 2008.
Tuesday’s recall covers about 139,000 model year 2011-2012 Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Charger vehicles built between April 2011 and December 2011.
For the 2013 Global RallyCross season, Travis Pastrana and Bryce Menzies will each have their own full time ride with Pastrana driving the #199 Red Bull Racing/Discount Tire Dodge Dart while Menzie
While some of you might be wondering why someone would pay so much for a 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, we should keep in mind that not only has this specific Challenger been owned and driven by o
The announcement of the 2014 New York debut of the 2015 Dodge Challenger came from SRT boss Ralph Gilles as he met with a handful of people from Motor Trend for a video roundtable to discuss the 20
While a great many of the “truck of the year” awards of late have gone to vehicles that may offer great capabilities, the bottom line is that they simply aren’t trucks but with almost everyone pick
The very first 2013 SRT Viper produced was the Stryker Red Tinted Pearl VI #001 that was auctioned off at the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction to benefit pediatric cancer charity the Austin Hatcher Fou
Even though the new 2014 SRT Viper TA is not the most expensive option in the new Viper lineup, it is a culmination of the most crucial high performance features of the base model SRT Viper and the
We use the work “leaked” but what appears to have happened is that one of the sources trusted with embargoed images of the 2014 Dodge Durango R/T have gone ahead and posted them a bit early for eve
When the 2014 Jeep Cherokee debuted in pictures a few weeks back, the unique front end design became an instant hot topic among the car clubs and enthusiast community forums as diehard Jeep fans fu
The Chrysler Group and their Mopar aftermarket performance division teamed up a couple years ago to produce the Ram Runner Concept – a super modified version of the Ram 1500 that would compete in t
The two new teaser shots of the 2014 Dodge Durango are essentially the same image with one being almost entirely darkened to focus on the new taillight setup while the other is better lit, showing


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Studies Show More and More Brides are Buying their Wedding Dresses Online
Studies show that more and more brides are ditching canvassing the physical stores to buy their wedding dresses. Instead, they go to online stores that offer high-quality clothes at affordable rates.
The famous wedding site TheKnot.com conducted a survey on its thousands of users and customers to determine the reasons why most brides-to-be prefer to shop their dresses online compared to physical stores. One of its users named Mary Thornally revealed she was dreading the experience of finding her wedding dress and paying a hefty amount of money. Thornally said how she and her sister originally planned to look around the stores to find their perfect dresses.
However, the thought of spending time wandering endlessly through hundreds of boutiques felt daunting to her. She also didn’t want to get pressured to try dresses and make a decision right away.
According to TheKnot.com, the average price for wedding gowns and alterations cost $1,509 per bride as of 2017. Moreover, the high cost of wedding dresses in the physical stores forced Thornally to find a practical alternative to buy a cheaper dress since she was drowning in her student loan debt.
This prompted her to browse the internet for wedding dresses. She ended up buying her dress for only $180 and got it tailored for $160. Despite the cheaper price, she was thrilled with the quality of the dress. She claimed she saved more money compared to purchasing in physical stores.
As more and more customers like Thornally are embracing online stores and their cheaper rates, the physical stores struggle to adapt to their competitors. The website also compiled the most notable wedding store companies that suffer hurdles due to the rise of online wedding retailers.
David’s Bridal has more than 300 physical stores across the country and an online website that generated an estimated combined annual revenue of $791 million. Despite the astounding numbers, the company is now facing serious financial challenges due to the fall of their sales.
They hired the restructuring adviser Evercore recently to optimize its current weak performance and liquidity to keep up with their competitors.
The company also halted its Weddington Way brand in 2017. The company sold their wedding and bridesmaid dresses primarily at Banana Republic locations.
J.Crew also ended their bridal wear line sometime in the last quarter of 2016. Many wedding retailers like Alfred Angelo Bridal have also gone out of business due to the low sales. The company closed more than 60 of its stores in 2017.
The New Trend
According to IBISWorld, most wedding retailers struggle to increase their revenue since it makes up 43% of the total industry’s revenue. Even if they projected high sales in wedding accessories or high school prom dresses, it’s still not enough to keep their businesses standing.
The rise of online retailers offering cheaper prices and customized dresses prompted most brides to abandon traditional gowns altogether. Aside from buying cheap wedding dresses online, the emergence of rent a gown have also dwindled the physical wedding stores’ sales and profit.
However, this might be a good news for consumers who are seeking customized dresses since they’ll have more freedom and choice in choosing their wedding dresses. Aside from that, these consumers get to enjoy the stunning deals and discounts they get from online wedding stores. Aside from that, the marriage rates in America continues to decline as the years go by.
The number of Americans marrying declined at 6.9% in 2016 compared to 8.2% in 2000. According to the experts, this is due to the burden most millennials face in paying off their student debt. According to TheKnot, physical stores must also launch their own eCommerce website to keep up with their competitors.
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Facebook Is the Only Company That Can Challenge Google and Apple in Smartphones
Facebook Home didn't make much of an impact on the mobile ecosystem, but don't count Facebook out. Source: Facebook
The Facebook phone has already had a couple of iterations, neither of which left much of an impact on consumers. The most recent attempt was Facebook Home, which the company built on top of Google's Android operating system. Clearly, Facebook has mobile ambitions beyond dominating the real estate of your smartphone's app launcher.
But creating a dent in the now well-established mobile OS ecosystems of Google and Apple is tremendously difficult. Microsoft has been able to make only a small impact in the four years since launching Windows Phone. Samsung, meanwhile, has been unable to tear itself away from the grip of Google with its own work on Tizen.
But what makes it so hard to succeed in creating a new mobile OS may be where Facebook can excel.
Building an app storeEarlier this year, Huawei -- one of the top five smartphone makers in the world -- stopped producing Windows Phones. Richard Yu, head of the company's Consumer Business Group, said the phones weren't profitable because Huawei couldn't persuade consumers to purchase them.
The biggest thing holding Microsoft back is its app store. The company said its app store had surpassed 300,000 apps back in August, but it's riddled with spammy fake apps and it pales in comparison with Apple's and Google's million-plus apps.
Facebook, meanwhile, already has a strong relationship with app developers. Its purchase of Parse now has it providing a cloud back end for a slew of developers. Last week, Parse announced that it provides cloud services for 10% of the top apps in both the iOS and Android app stores.
On top of that, Facebook has developed relationships with game and app developers through its popular app-install ads. The company could offer a discount to developers on app-install ads if they port their apps to a Facebook OS. Facebook could easily make back the money by taking a cut of app purchases in its app store.
Additionally, an app store from Facebook could survive a more limited app library because Facebook is really good at recommending apps to users. The company already does this with its app ad feed, which would work even better in an app store.
Facebook owns the most popular appsThe only thing people do on their smartphones more than check Facebook is play games. As mentioned, Facebook should be able to attract game developers to its OS, but its real advantage over Microsoft, Samsung, Google, and Apple is that it owns the most popular apps.
The most exciting feature of Facebook Home was the "chat heads" that integrated Facebook Messenger really nicely with the OS. The ability to integrate the most popular messaging apps in the world -- WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger -- with an OS is a huge advantage over the competition. And Facebook has already shown us that it can create a very nice user experience by doing just that.
Instagram's growth over the past year also makes it a prime candidate for integration with a potential Facebook OS. Apple added extensibility to iOS 8, which allows users to send photos from the Photos app to other apps, but Instagram doesn't support it. Making a more streamlined integration with the OS default apps would benefit users as well as Facebook's growing photo-sharing network.
Facebook is also working on developing its Search product, which is another candidate for integration with a mobile OS. Graph Search is currently aimed at helping Facebook users search friends' posts and photos, but it has the potential to become a local search engine that uses recommendations and mentions from friends to find places. Again, integrating it with a potential OS would increase adoption and provide differentiation.
Should Google and Apple worry?Facebook is a long way away from developing its own OS, but it's very likely the company will make additional efforts to further embed its products into the mobile ecosystem. While Facebook Home was a flop, I still think Facebook has the best chance of making a real impact on the mobile market with its own OS.
If that happens, Google seems more susceptible than Apple. Google's relationships with smartphone makers has grown tense as the company forces more of its apps on OEMs -- which doesn't allow them to differentiate themselves from the competition. It's not clear that Facebook would be much better, but it could differentiate a partner that's willing to take a risk with it.
Facebook needs to learn from its mistakes with Home and capitalize on its successes. But even if it doesn't come out with a full-fledged OS, it still has plenty of growth in mobile left.
The article Facebook Is the Only Company That Can Challenge Google and Apple in Smartphones originally appeared on Fool.com.
Adam Levy owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Facebook, and Google (A and C shares) and owns shares of Apple, Facebook, Google (A and C shares), and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2014 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Melania Trump appears to snatch hand away from Donald
Melania Trump worked as a fashion model before getting married to the President of the United States Donald Trump, 73. It is well known that the First Lady of the United States has a particular love for designer clothes, shoes and jewels, but many have noted that FLOTUS usually wears one particular item of jewellery more regularly than others - what piece does she favour most?
Melania is always impeccably dressed when she steps foot outdoors or attends public events and political functions.
In recent years, the gorgeous First Lady has been spotted wearing one item of her jewellery collection than most - her stunning, and enormous, engagement ring.
When Donald proposed marriage to Melania in 2004, after six years of dating, at the Met Gala, he gifted to her a stunning 15-carat diamond ring on her finger, according to the New York Post.
"The ring is blinding," The Post quoted one anonymous Trump staffer as saying. "I had to put sunglasses on."
Melania Trump favours single piece of jewellery given to her by Donald Trump
The engagement ring is said to have cost an eye-watering amount.
Tobias Kormind, managing director at 77Diamonds.com, told Express.co.uk: “Donald Trump bought her a 15 carat, D Flawless, emerald cut diamond ring from Graff which would today retail for $3million which is around £2.3million.
“At the time, Trump hit the headlines for claiming he had enjoyed a 50 percent discount. Graff was later quoted saying, 'We don't sell items for publicity value’.”
Although the jewel was already worth a huge amount, Donald upgraded it ten years later as an anniversary present.
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“A decade later on their 10th anniversary, Donald Trump upgraded the size of Melania's ring to a 25 carat diamond, also from Graff," Tobias added.
Since the upgrade, Melania has been inseparable from her ring.
She even wore it in her official White House portrait, to show it off to the world.
So, with a grand collection of designer clothes, shoes and jewellery, why does the US First Lady favour the piece above others?
Catherine Turrel, a royal expert and fan of Melania Trump, shared her thoughts with Express.co.uk.
“Often Melania makes statements with her fashion choices. She weaves secret subliminal messages into each outfit she wears,” she said.
After all, many around the world still remember the impact she made by wearing a khaki coat with the slogan “I really don’t care do you?” and although by wearing the jacket she faced a ton of media backlash, the message behind the jacket was simpler than expected.
Melania told ABC News in 2018: "It was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticising me. I want to show them I don't care. You could criticise whatever you want to say. But it will not stop me to do what I feel is right."
Mrs Trump criticised the media for being "obsessed" about her clothing.
"I often asking myself, if I had not worn that jacket, if I will have so much media coverage," she said, adding: "I would prefer they would focus on what I do and on my initiatives than what I wear."
When it comes to her ring, one could assume that she is also sending a message.
“Melania and Donald’s marriage is often at the centre of controversy, with many people in the media assuming she is trapped in an unhappy marriage,” explained Catherine.
“But the way I see it, by wearing her ring proudly out on display she is putting a middle finger up to anyone who criticises her marriage,” she added.
Recently, it was reported that Melania is quite “protective” of her marriage and of Donald, so it wouldn’t be surprising if by wearing the ring she is also trying to convey a message to the media that no matter the criticism she loves her husband.
“The ring symbolises their union and dedication to one another, I think it also shows that they are both happy in their marriage,” added Catherine.


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Ripple’s XRP adoption in recent months has continued to increase despite the US regulator’s accusation of illegal sales of the token. A recent report from eToro shows that UK investors prefer XRP over other digital assets.
Ripples’ XRP Remains the Most Popular Crypto-asset
According to a report on October 15, eToro – one of the world’s leading multi-asset investment platforms, says XRP remains the most popular crypto asset among UK retail investors.
Data from eToro shows retail investors in the UK are choosing XRP over other digital currencies in the third quarter. XRP maintained its crown as the number one choice for retail investors in the UK, with a 4% increase in the second quarter and an increase in ownership of 105% year over year.
In addition, UK retail investors have also shown interest in Cardano (ADA). Cardano overtook Ethereum (ETH) to take second place with an 11% increase over the past three months and an increase of 1230% year over year.
Commenting on the latest data, Simon Peters, crypto market analyst at eToro stated that despite bitcoin holdings being up only 2%, they are up 325% year-over-year, demonstrating how crypto assets can attract retail investors in 12 months which show how they can be an important part of many portfolios.
He also noted that XRP is similar because its quarterly growth rate is only 4%, but many investors hold it. Some people bought it back in 2017, others bought it recently and he thinks there is a strong community of XRP followers who believe in its long-term potential.
XRP Price Movement
The world’s sixth most valuable digital asset opened this year at $0.22. XRP hit a high of $1.9 in April 2021, but there was a big correction in the months that followed. However, cryptocurrencies have been growing steadily since the end of July. Currently, XRP’s retail price is over $1.13 and its market value is more than $53 billion.
In addition to XRP, eToro also highlighted other important cryptocurrency investment initiatives. The biggest changes in the third quarter snapshot came from Algorand (605%), Polygon (430%) and Basic Attention Token (301%) as retail investors look for the ‘next bitcoin’. Demand for new products on the platform is strong, with Shiba Inu in 18th place, Enjin in 25th place and Maker in 29th place.


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"[Kitchen products] is not a key area of advertising with The Australian Women's Weekly," she said. "We are really mindful of our partnerships."
Publishers have long licensed products such as compact discs and books, and are increasingly involved in cross-promoted television and radio ventures. But Pacific Publications was one of the first in Australia to venture into a more extensive retail range. Girlfriend has had licensing agreements for cosmetics, jewellery and accessories for about five years. Nokia even makes a Girlfriend mobile phone.
Ms Deveson said ACP had been encouraged by the success of the Women's Weekly cookbooks, which have sold more than 50 million copies since launched in 1976.
Each magazine's editorial team would have a say in the development of the new products, which would be tested by the company before they go on sale, she said.
"If you take areas like cookware and food preparations, there aren't any particular brands that stand out. We believe, with such an iconic brand, we can do well."
The products will be launched to trade in November but ACP will not announce the range to readers until it hits department stores next March.
Pacific Publications says its licensing arrangements have been very successful, although it would not reveal any sales figures. "It's a long-term business decision," Pacific Publications licensing manager Wendy Miller said. "The work you do now would not come to fruition for eight to 12 months".
Philip Thomas, managing director of EMAP Australia, which publishes New Woman, Empire and Smash Hits, was more hesitant. "You never really make much money out of it," he said. "You have to sell a lot of products to make it worthwhile."
Magazine publishers had undertaken similar initiatives in the UK, he said, with varied results. He also said advertisers could be put offside with such ventures and EMAP was therefore limiting its product ranges to those with close affinities to its magazines, such as Smash Hits CDs.
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Mainland China’s sales of official lottery products in April rose by 9.0 percent from the prior-year period, according to data from the country’s Ministry of Finance.
Total sales in April were nearly CNY41.71 billion (US$6.5 billion), the Ministry of Finance announced on Wednesday. Welfare lottery sales increased by 5.3 percent year-on-year, to CNY19.91 billion, while sports lottery sales rose by 12.7 percent to approximately CNY22 billion.
For the first four months of 2018, total sales of lottery products increased by 9.3 percent year-on-year, to approximately CNY145.88 billion. Welfare lottery sales totalled CNY71.96 billion in the four months to April 30, up by 2.7 percent from the prior-year period, while sports lottery sales increased by 16.5 percent year-on-year to CNY73.92 billion.
In April, sales were up in 26 of the 31 provinces and municipalities of mainland China authorised to sell lottery tickets. Guangdong province, which last year reported the highest combined sales of welfare and sports lottery tickets, saw its sales increase 5.7 percent year-on-year in April.
Guangdong continues to be the leading lottery market in mainland China. Combined sales of welfare and sports lottery tickets reached nearly CNY14.22 billion in the January to April period, up 10.2 percent from a year earlier.
Guangdong was followed by Jiangsu province, where total lottery ticket sales were approximately CNY11.98 billion, an increase of 15.2 percent year-on-year. Shandong province in eastern China was ranked third, with ticket sales reaching approximately CNY10.98 billion in the first four months of 2018, up 2.0 percent from a year earlier, according to official data.
Sep 18, 2020The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced several partnerships to support local business and boost the city’s tourism industry, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The tourism board said in a...
”Many investors cite Golden Week as a catalyst to significant, sustainable visitation increases and a showcase for profitability for many casinos [in Macau]... However… we are concerned recovery estimates may again be pushed back”
Analyst at Roth Capital Partners


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If you had to choose between Galaxy S4 or the iPhone 5, which one is your favorite?
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Inside the Windows 8 pop-up store that's hitting Stockholm this Christmas
Last week, Microsoft and Intel opened a pop-up showroom in the Swedish capital of Stockholm to give Swedes a taste of the latest hardware running Windows 8.
While there's still no word on when the Surface will hit the Nordics, Microsoft and Intel are doing their best to get Swedes to consider a variety of Windows 8 slates and all-in-ones from the likes of HP, Samsung, Acer, Asus and Lenovo.
A view of chilly Stockholm from inside the Windows 8 store
Microsoft has gone with a tasteful, but almost too polite, design for its showroom on Birger Jarlsgatan, in swanky downtown Stockholm.
People walked past the store mostly without turning their heads to see what was inside, while the signage out front could easily be missed from 20 metres away.
The Stockholm Wintel 8 store on Birger Jarlsgatan
This was the store of Swedish glass-maker Orrefors until it recently went bust, leaving a space for Microsoft and Intel to take the place temporarily. The site costs about 600,000 SEK ($100,000) a month to rent.
Acer 27" Aspire 7600
The showroom comes as Microsoft attempts to break the iOS-Android stranglehold on the tablet market. Perhaps to make a point, none of the large touchscreen devices like this 27" Aspire 7600U were displayed with keyboards. (You can find CNET's review of the device here.)
Acer Iconia W700
Here's Acer's W700 tablet with a docking station on display. The tablet has a Micro-HDMI output and a USB port, while the dock includes three more USB ports. CNET's review of the hefty 11.6-inch tablet can be found here.
One of the big touch boys, HP's Envy23
Also on show was the HP Envy23, the 23" all-in-one launched earlier this year.
HP shows off the Windows 8 ElitePad
Swedish HP execs were also on hand to demonstrate the recently announced HP ElitePad, a 10.1-inch slate with Gorilla Glass aimed at the business crowd.
Lenovo's Windows 8 hardware was also available at the showoom, including this convertible holding a Yoga pose.
Dustin - the online retailer with the most Wintel 8 kit
Swedes wanting to buy any of the devices on show were able to make their purchases from Swedish retailer Dustin, who had booths on site despite being an online-only company.


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Less than 24 hours ago, we heard the unlikely news that Microsoft might be bringing Ori and the Blind Forest to the Nintendo Switch, and now we are already seeing things move at a lightning quick pace. For instance, said news was corroborated by Windows Central, with the explanation that Microsoft’s ports can be explained as an internal exercise to test the upcoming Switch version of the cross-platform Xbox API.
Now, Gematsu is reporting that a Switch version for Ori and the Blind Forest has shown up in the database of at least one UK wholesaler, which lends further credence to this release being real and actually happening. According to Gematsu, this Switch version will be published by THQ Nordic, who also published the physical PC versions of multiple Microsoft games in the past.
Once more I need to stress, as exciting as this news is, it is, for now, just a rumor.


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Headquartered in Wilmington, DE, ING Direct USA is a leading online bank featuring savings accounts, checking accounts and certificate of deposits.
Capital One acquired ING Direct on February 17, 2012. from ING Group for $6.3 billion in cash and 54 million shares of stock. Parent company ING was forced to sell ING Direct as part of a restructuring agreement with the European Commission.
ING Direct will change its name to Capital One 360 in February 2013.
Former Chief Operating Officer Jim Kelly is now the CEO of ING Direct.
"I'm excited about our future together," said Jim Kelly. "The combination of ING Direct and Capital One heralds a brighter future for our customers, associates and the communities we serve. Both companies have a legacy of innovation that will sustain our mission to provide unparalleled value and convenience to the digital customer."
ING Direct offers simple and high-paying financial products directly to consumers over the Internet and by phone. The company currently offers online savings accounts of 0.75% which is higher than most retail banks but rates have dropped sharply over the past several years. A one year CD pays 0.50% in interest.
ING also offers certificates of deposit for up to five years. Customers can also get home equity loans, mortgages, checking accounts and buy stocks through Sharebuilder, an online brokerage that ING acquired in 2007.
ING Direct is a federally chartered bank insured by the FDIC. Individual deposit accounts are covered to $250,000.
The company says it has more than 7.5 million customers in the US with $83 billion in deposits at the end of 2011.
ING Direct was launched in September 2000.
The company operates cafes in NYC, Chicago, Honolulu, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, St. Cloud MN and Wilmington, DE where visitors can get coffee, surf the Internet and learn more about ING products.
ING is the main sponsor of the New York City marathon which was canceled in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy.
Updated November 17, 2012


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SATURDAY was the biggest auction day this close to Christmas for at least 12 years with 73 scheduled to go under the hammer.
Buyers were motivated to sign on the dotted line and sellers were eager to close a deal, which helps explain the 71.7 per cent auction clearance rate.
The house that achieved the highest price was a renovated five-bedroom home with city views and water glimpses at 29 Cavell Avenue, Rhodes. It sold for $1.19 million.
Australian Property Monitors data shows it was first listed for private treaty sale on August 21 for $1.4 million. But the owners must have been keen to dispense with their investment property, which had been rented out for $850 a week.
The most recent sale in the street had been a five-bedroom home two doors away at 33 Cavell Avenue, which fetched $1.37 million on May 14 last year.
The most expensive apartment sold was 1/14 Freeman Road, Chatswood. The modern ground-floor two-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms, car space and north-facing courtyard went for $677,000. The vendors had paid $524,000 five years ago. Saturday’s result looks to be a good one since a similar two-bedder on a higher level with better views sold for $675,000 in October.
Bargain hunters were out of luck in Hornsby on Saturday. Two people had registered to bid for a four-bedroom home in Peter Close, Hornsby Heights, only to be told the auction was cancelled because two groups with bigger wallets hadn’t arrived.
APM’s definition of the reported clearance rate is: (Sold under the hammer + Sold prior)/ (All Sold + Passed In + Withdrawn).


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May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month and EltaMD is teaming up with TV host Andy Cohen and the Melanoma Research Foundation to spread the word about safe sun practices. Sunscreen brands and dermatologists continue to stress the importance of protecting your skin from harmful UV rays (they also accelerate skin aging), but nonetheless, there are more than 5 million cases of skin cancer detected in the U.S. each year.
Cohen took to Instagram today to share a GRWM of his daily sun-care routine, including two EltaMD products that we at NewBeauty also love. “Did you know that May is Skin Cancer Awareness month?” Cohen says in the video. “I didn’t know either, but skin cancer is very personal to me. I had a little brown dot right there [points just below his bottom lip] for a while that I thought nothing of. My pal Kelly Ripa noticed it and said, ‘You have to get that checked out immediately; it looks like skin cancer.’ And guess what? She was right. I had a malignant melanoma, which I had removed.”
“It totally changed the way that I view my skin and protect my skin,” Cohen continues. “So to remind you to think about your skin, I am partnering with EltaMD on a really cool project that involves me showing my skin. I can’t believe I’m doing this. What I’m using are these two products. The first one is this UV Clear for the face, and what I like about this one is that it’s got a little bit of a tint—I love a tint. The other one is for the body—it’s the mist [the brand-new UV AOX Mist SPF 40]. One in five Americans gets skin cancer. You’ve gotta protect your skin. I am so serious about this.”
According to EltaMD, Cohen’s partnership involves a social campaign that hopes to spark conversation surrounding skin cancer, while also informing consumers about the importance of skin checks. “More people are diagnosed with skin cancer than all other cancers combined,” says Hamden, CT dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD. “As a dermatologist, I appreciate EltaMD moving the benchmark on this mission by enlisting Andy to spread this imperative message in a viral fashion, eliciting conversation.”
To support this initiative, tag a friend in the comments of Cohen’s IG post to remind them to wear sunscreen daily and also get a skin check with their derm. For every person tagged through June 16, EltaMD will donate one bottle of sunscreen to the Melanoma Research Foundation (up to $100,000 in value). Let this be another reminder to apply your SPF every day.
“Andy Cohen has been a vocal figure on the importance of sun safety due to his personal experience with melanoma, making him a natural fit for this partnership,” says Echo Sandburg, chief brand officer of CP Skin Health Group (EltaMD’s parent company). “His iconic photo in 1994 was the creative inspiration behind the campaign. We even engaged Spencer Tunick, the photographer behind the original shot.”


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The CMP Game Group (which also operates Gamasutra.com) has announced that submissions for next year's GDC Mobile 2007, a mobile games-focused adjunct to the Game Developers Conference, are being accepted from now until Tuesday, September 5, 2006.
The two-day event will take place Monday, March 5 and Tuesday, March 6 at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center North during the week of Game Developers Conference, and at the same location.
GDC Mobile 2007 will bring together publishers, traditional platform game developers, handset manufacturers, aggregators, and operators to discuss the opportunities, challenges and viability in the space. More than 40 lectures, panels and roundtables will explore the future of the medium, and will cover areas such as 3D development, programming, licensing and distribution.
Members of the advisory board include Robert Tercek, Venture Intellect; Andrew Stein, Cingular Wireless; Tim Harrison, Vodafone Group; DC Collier, Pikkle KK; Mark Ollila, Telcogames; and others.
Organizers are seeking submissions for the following tracks:
3D & Programming
Deals & Distribution
World Tour of Mobile Innovations 2007
"With 'Take Control' as the theme for next year's GDC Mobile, we're looking for thought-provoking presentations that will challenge the current constraints and empower everyone in the mobile game industry to do just that," said Jamil Moledina, executive director, Game Developers Conference. "We're also encouraging developers to submit unique game applications for the 'World Tour of Mobile Innovations' session, a staple of the conference."
For a detailed list of topics and to submit a speaker proposal, interested parties can visit the official GDC 2007 conference website


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Apple Inc will launch from subsequent 12 months solely 5G-enabled iPhones and can revamp its funds handset for the primary time in two years, Nikkei reported on Wednesday, citing sources conversant in the matter.
It’s going to begin promoting a 5G model of iPhone SE within the first half of 2022, the report stated, including that the funds iPhone can be powered by its A15 processor and its 5G connectivity can be enabled by Qualcomm Inc’s X60 modem chip.
Apple wouldn’t introduce an up to date model of its iPhone Mini subsequent 12 months, after it didn’t change into widespread amongst shoppers, the report stated.
Apple didn’t instantly reply to Reuters’ request for remark outdoors enterprise hours. Reuters