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When Apple posted the Messages Beta for the Mac over four years ago, I knew I would feel right at home. iChat was long overdue for an upgrade, and bringing iMessage to the Mac would further bridge the divide between iOS and Mac OS X. I was excited to start messaging my friends and family from the comfort of my computer, until I realized, “Where’s the camera button?”
ISight Stories March 10, 2016
ISight Stories December 18, 2015
Flickr today released their list of most popular cameras and brands used for photos shared on their site this year, and it’s no surprise that Apple’s iPhone continues to top the list. The iPhone 6 alone tops the list of most popular camera on Flickr in 2015, accounting for 5% of all photographers on the photo sharing site this year. Various models of the iPhone from 2015 and earlier still in use take 8 out of the 20 slots on the top camera list this year. In total, Apple-branded cameras made up 18.52% of ones used on the service this year.
ISight Stories October 2, 2015
Live Photos aren’t perfect. The video shot in a Live Photo is a mediocre 12 frames per second, compared to the 30fps iPhones generally capture. Low-light photos are noticeably less vibrant when Live Photos are enabled. Shoot a Live Photo in the wrong orientation then rotate it, and you’ll revert back to a standard photo. Sharing Live Photos is fairly fragmented by Apple standards, even on Macs running the latest versions of OS X El Capitan. And it’s not easy to frame the perfect Live Photo; great ones tend to happen by chance, not technique.
But despite obvious day one omissions in the Live Photo experience, I’m honestly quite surprised at just how much I appreciate the new iPhone 6s/6s Plus feature. Using my iPhone 6s Plus for a full week now, my take on Live Photos has evolved from “curious but confused” to “I get it but when should I use it?” to wishing I had Live Photos years ago. Read on for how I believe Apple can improve the Live Photos experience and how the new iPhone 6s feature has changed my approach to shooting photos and videos… expand full story
ISight Stories September 18, 2015
Update, Sept. 19: Vogue originally posted the wrong photos. They’ve now been updated with the correct images shot on iPhone 6s Plus.
Apple’s new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus won’t officially arrive for customers until September 25th, but Apple is giving the upgraded camera on the devices a real world test drive at New York Fashion Week. It appears Apple handed over a few of the unreleased phones to Vogue and they enlisted photographer Kevin Lu to shoot the show entirely with the new iPhone. expand full story
ISight Stories September 2, 2015
Starting with the iPhone 3GS, every new iPhone has started with 16GB of storage as a base model — a capacity that has come under increasing fire as both videos and apps have grown in size. Despite new capabilities and the presence of 4K video recording in the new iPhones, sources say that the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus will retain the same storage tiers as the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB. On-contract pricing will also be the same as the 2014 models: $199, $299, and $399 for the iPhone 6S, versus $299, $399, and $499 for the iPhone 6S Plus. We previously posted images of pre-production next-generation iPhone components that indicated that the 16GB option could remain.
ISight Stories August 26, 2015
Apple has called the iPhone “the world’s most popular camera,” a title originally earned by aggregating all iPhones together for counting purposes. But while the exact sales numbers for each iPhone model are difficult to quantify, there’s no question that Apple has already sold over 750 million iPhones, and well over 100 million iPhone 6 devices. Those are huge numbers, and well beyond the typical sales of individual point-and-shoot cameras.
Few people appreciate that growing iPhone demand has created an unusual challenge for Apple: reliably sourcing the tens of millions of parts needed to meet first month demand for tens of millions of iPhones. To that end, Apple’s camera maker Sony had to upgrade its manufacturing plants twice this year to produce more of the CMOS image sensors needed for smartphones including the iPhone. Even with a partner as large as Sony, however, iPhone-specific engineering requirements and the risk inherent in brand new technologies have led Apple to hold off on using the latest and greatest camera innovations in its devices. Instead, iPhones go with thin, lower-resolution sensors that offer great overall image quality for their size, and never eclipse rivals on raw specs.
So what can we realistically expect from the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus cameras next month? Here are my educated guesses…
ISight Stories June 10, 2015
Code found in the first iOS 9 developer betas reveals that Apple is planning to support some significant camera features and upgrades with the new software version. Presumably planned for the next iPhone hardware version, developer Hamza Sood has discovered code in iOS 9 that reveals support for long-awaited changes to the front-facing FaceTime camera. According to the code, iOS 9 adds support for a FaceTime camera with 1080p video capture, up from the current 720p camera on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus… expand full story
ISight Stories May 26, 2015
A trio of new rumors from a handful of Asian sources have popped up over the holiday and today, each predicting a different facet of the upcoming ‘iPhone 6S‘. While these are still just very unverified whispers at the moment, odds are that at least one of these will end up coming at least partially true.
Here’s a roundup of the latest iPhone rumors, in no particular order:
ISight Stories April 14, 2015
Apple has reportedly bought Israel-based camera technology firm LinX Computational Imaging Ltd, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the report, the acquisition may have been for an estimated $20 million.
LinX specializes in producing “miniature multi-aperture cameras designed for mobile devices.” Apple’s motivation for purchasing the firm would clearly be to improve the camera technology on mobile devices including the iPhone. expand full story
ISight Stories November 7, 2014
iPad mini in Silver or Space Gray: $199 shipped or pickup at Walmart ($50 off)
Today only, Walmart offers Apple’s iPad mini (non-Retina) in new condition either Space Gray or Silver for $199 shipped or ship to store. That’s $50 off Apple’s current price (though Walmart mistakenly says $100 off last year’s price) and tied with the lowest price we’ve ever seen. A nice pickup for the same price as the iPod touch. Features:
- 7.9-inch LED-backlit display
- A5 chip
- 5MP iSight camera with 1080p HD video recording
- FaceTime camera
- Up to 10 hours of battery life *
- Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
These often sell out pretty quickly so you might want to jump in early.
ISight Stories October 17, 2014
The online Apple Store is down as Apple readies the site to take pre-orders of the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.
The iPad Air 2 is 18% thinner than the original Air, adds Touch ID, M8 motion-sensing chip and an AX8 processor that Apple says is 40% faster than the previous model. It also has camera and wifi improvements, and is available in gold … expand full story
ISight Stories September 22, 2014
With the release of iOS 8 and the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, a ton of new video shooting features are now available to iPhonographers including Time-lapse mode, 240-fps Slow-mo mode, 60-fps HD capture, and Cinematic Video Stabilization. Apple demoed some of these video shooting features earlier this month at the September event, and the iPhone 6 camera microsite includes sample videos of each mode.
With Apple selling over 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets from pre-sales and launch weekend, we’re likely to see a more and more incredible videos shot on Apple’s new devices, and below we’ve put together a collection of some of the best videos shot in each mode from early iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus adopters. expand full story
ISight Stories July 1, 2014
Apple’s new & cheaper 16GB iPod touch with rear camera goes international
Apple has launched the cheaper 16GB version of the iPod touch with a 5 megapixel iSight camera internationally. The new iPod also comes in the same Space Gray, Silver, Pink, Yellow, Blue, and (Product) RED models as the 32GB and 64GB configurations. The new 16GB player first launched in the United States last week, but today marks the first time that the units are available at Apple’s sales channels across the world. The pricing of the 16GB iPod touch is now local equivalents to $199, which is a reduction from $229. The device is shipping within 24 hours from several online stores, including the ones for the U.K., France, Italy, and Germany.
ISight Stories June 26, 2014
Apple has updated its Online Store with a new $199 iPod touch, discontinuing the frontside-only $229 iPod touch in the process. The new 16 GB iPod touch, which ships today, is now almost identical to the 32 GB and 64 GB models, including a rear camera. However, it seems that the $9 loop accessory is not bundled with the $199 model. Customers wanting the loop will have to purchase it separately. Incidentally, this means that the 16 GB SKU is now available in the same color choices as the more expensive sizes, no longer limited to only Space Gray.
The prices for the 32 GB and 64 GB model have also fallen. The 32 GB model now costs $249 (down from $299) and the 64 GB model costs $299 (from $399), a significant $100 drop.
These new price points aren’t particularly shocking or unprecedented since we have seen better prices for both models within the past couple of months. Staples ran a 1-day sale that yielded the 32GB iPod touch for $224 and the 64GB iPod touch for $299. Also, the new retail prices have prompted Apple to drop refurbished prices. The 32GB model is now $199 (down from $219) and the 64GB model is now $239 (down from $299). The 16GB model without a rear camera is now just $149 refurbished (down from $189). As always, make sure you are following 9to5Toys to keep up with the best prices for everything Apple.
ISight Stories February 11, 2014
Sony is positioned to dramatically increase its sales of CMOS cameras to Apple for use in an unreleased iPhone, Nikkei Asian Review reports. Sony already supplies most of the rear-facing iSight cameras shipping on iPhones today, and as the report suggests, negotiations between Sony and Apple to double the amount of CMOS sensors supplied points to Sony also providing the sensor for the front-facing iPhone camera… expand full story
ISight Stories January 9, 2014
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone 4 in 2010, Apple began focusing heavily on the device’s camera as an area for continuous improvement and promotion. That device featured a 5 MP backside camera, and the next three models (iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s) featured an 8 MP iSight camera with various improvements along the way.
According to Nomura Securities (野村證券), Largan’s recently lagging performance in the market is caused by rumors that Apple may adopt an 8 mega-pixel (MP) camera with improved optical image stabilization on its upcoming handset, instead of the 16 MP upgrade anticipated by industry observers.
While the report leaves room to speculate a minor bump in pixel count could see the light of day, it’s not too farfetched to believe Apple’s successor to the iPhone 5s could resist increasing pixel count in favor of further improving optical performance with low light and high dynamic range capturing… expand full story
ISight Stories December 19, 2013
Miss Teen USA spied on via MacBook camera while indicator light was off
The Washington Post reports that when a high school classmate of Cassidy Wolf (aka Miss Teen USA) spied on her via the iSight camera in her MacBook, he did so using software that allowed him to keep the green indicator light off while viewing.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University were able to replicate the exploit, demonstrated in the above video, but only on MacBook and iMac models released before 2008.
Stephen Checkoway, a computer science professor at Johns Hopkins and a co-author of the study. “Apple went to some amount of effort to make sure that the LED would turn on whenever the camera was taking images,” Checkoway says. The 2008-era Apple products they studied had a “hardware interlock” between the camera and the light to ensure that the camera couldn’t turn on without alerting its owner […]
In a paper called “iSeeYou: Disabling the MacBook Webcam Indicator LED,” Brocker and Checkoway describe how to reprogram the iSight camera’s micro-controller to allow the camera and light to be activated independently. That allows the camera to be turned on while the light stays off.
While this particular exploit appears limited to older Macbooks, it was recently revealed through court papers that the FBI has the ability to do the same thing with a variety of current laptops including Apple products.
ISight Stories October 2, 2013
With Apple’s rumored next-generation iPads expected to be launching as early as this month, often reliable KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is sharing some new details on the expected iPad 5 and second generation iPad mini. Kuo is still expecting both products to launch later this year sometime in 4Q13, but in his latest report claims that Apple is prepping a camera upgrade for the new iPads that would include a bump up from the current 5 megapixel iSight camera to 8 megapixels along with other improvements:
Apple could upgrade the camera as a selling point for the new iPad in a bid to increase competitiveness.
We expect the upgrade will include 8MP rear camera, up from 5MP, and larger aperture. Lens module ASP will rise 10-20% on this optics spec upgrade.
As a reminder, the new iPhone 5s includes a new five-element lens designed by Apple that also includes a larger a F2.2 aperture with an 8 megapixel sensor. The device also brings a sensor with a 15 percent larger active area, auto stabilization, and bigger 1.5 micron pixels.
That would indeed be a nice camera to put on iPads. expand full story
ISight Stories September 17, 2013
Apple announced last week that Burberry would be capturing its London fashion show that took place yesterday entirely with its new iPhone 5s, and today Burberry has posted the full video of the event. There’s no mention whether or not the full 15 minute long video above has been retouched after being shot on the iPhone, but Apple and Burberry say the entire show, including photos and video, was “shot exclusively on iPhone 5s.”
We’ve seen a few shots leak throughout the week already, but Pocket-Lint has an inside look at how Burberry’s photographers shot the show using 14 different iPhones and an interview with Burberry’s creative director Christopher Bailey: expand full story
In case we’d forgotten, Apple reminds us the 5s and 5c arrive on Friday …
Apple® today announced that iPhone® 5s, the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world and iPhone 5c, the most colorful iPhone yet, will be available to customers on Friday, September 20 at 8:00 a.m. local time at Apple retail stores and at 12:01 a.m. PDT at the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com). iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK.
For the 5s, Apple highlights the A7 processor, iSight camera with True Tone flash, and Touch ID. For the 5c, which appears in a new ad, the focus is unsurprisingly on the new design ‘packed with features we all know and love.’ Both handsets, says Apple, “offer more LTE bands than any other smartphone in the world.”
In the US, the new iPhones will be available through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, select Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and Walmart stores and Apple Authorized Resellers – though you may have to be quick if you hope to grab a 5s on launch day.
Despite encouraging signs on pre-orders for both 5s and 5c, the lack of any hard numbers, coupled with no official word still on a China Mobile deal, is causing a certain degree of nervousness on Wall Street, and it’s notable that the PR provides neither.
Full press release below the fold …
ISight Stories May 30, 2013
Late Wednesday night, Apple quietly removed the fourth-generation iPod touch from their online store, replacing it instead with a modified version of the current generation. The new model features only a few differences from the fifth-gen, but the omissions are significant. expand full story
ISight Stories April 23, 2013
The iPhone lockscreen hasn’t changed much in the past six versions of iOS, with the exception of the addition of a camera slider. Atom is a new jailbreak tweak that seeks to completely redesign the lockscreen and add new functionality, and it does not disappoint.
Keep reading to find out how Atom can make your lockscreen even more useful.
ISight Stories November 5, 2012
Apple just announced 3 million new iPads sold in just three days, doubling its previous first weekend record of 1.5 million Wi-Fi-only units sold for the iPad 3 launch. Apple is of course not including cellular iPad models in its numbers, but it confirmed those models “will ship in a few weeks in the US and in many more countries later this year.” CEO Tim Cook confirmed the company is “practically sold out of iPad minis,” and he noted it is “working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”
“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”
However, Apple did not specify how many of the 3 million iPads sold were made up of iPad 4 and iPad mini units. Apple also said in the press release that many pre-orders for new iPads have already shipped, but some are “scheduled to be shipped later this month.”
Apple’s full press release is below:
ISight Stories October 23, 2012
Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller is now live on stage at the company’s special media event in California, and he just unveiled the new iPad mini.
“The iPad mini is every inch an iPad,” announced Schiller.
The iPad mini is the much-rumored smaller tablet from Apple, and it just debuted at 7.9 inches and .68 pounds.
“It’s as light as a pad of paper,” Schiller added.
The new Apple-branded tablet boasts a 1,024-by-768-pixel resolution, like the previous-generation 9.7-inch iPad models, but it has a 7.2mm-thick aluminum shell that is 53 percent lighter and 23 percent thinner. The iPad mini also has a dual-core Apple A5 processor, a 5-megapixel iSight camera, 802.11n Wi-Fi, LTE capability, Lightning connector, and a 10-hour battery life. The base model
Full iPad mini specs:
- Comes in Wi-FI and Wi-Fi+ Cellular models
- 7.2mm thick— 23 percent thinner, “as thin as a pencil,” etc.
- 53 percent lighter, 0.68 lbs, “as light as a pad of paper,” etc.
- Colors: black with slate, white with silver
- 7.9-inch diagonal
- Exact same pixels as previous-generation iPad: 1,024-by-768—all software works unchanged
- 163 pixels per inch (ppi)
- Bezels: made of aluminum, where as Android is plastic (Schiller comparing iPad mini to Nexus 7)
- FaceTime HD camera: 1.2MP photos, 720p HD video, FaceTime video calling over Wi-Fi or cellular, Face detection, Backside illumination
- 5MP iSight camera: 5MP photos, Autofocus, Face detection, Backside illumination, Five-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, ƒ/2.4 aperture
- Video recording: 1080p HD video recording, Video stabilization, Face detection, and Backside illumination
- 802.11a/b/g/n, Ultrafast LTE wireless
- Battery: Built-in 16.3-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, charging via power adapter or USB to computer system, 10 hours of battery life (ad: “largest and thinnest single-cell battery we have ever designed”)
- Dual-core A5
- Lightning connector, 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack, built-in speaker, microphone
- Supports AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV (second and third-generation) at 720p and AirPlay video streaming to Apple TV (third-generation) at up to 1080p and Apple TV (second-generation) at up to 720p
- Get more details at Apple’s website.
Go to 9to5Mac’s full coverage of the iPad mini for more information on pricing and availability.
An image gallery is below.


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Since October, Nordstrom in Skokie's Old Orchard shopping mall has offered a feature not generally found in retail stores, and I don't mean live piano or hazelnut lattes. I'm speaking of an X-ray lab offering mammograms to female shoppers.
In its first two months, the Breast Health and Mammography Center, near the store's cosmetics department, performed nearly 700 mammograms, some 25 percent of those on women who decided to get a mammogram on the spur of the moment. Most prominent patient: Illinois First Lady Brenda Edgar.
"From that group, we did four biopsies, and discovered one positive case of cancer," reports Douglas Silverstein, vice president of Evanston Hospital, which operates the service with its affiliate, Glenbrook Hospital. X-rays are read by the hospitals' radiologists and results forwarded to a woman's M.D.
Many women prefer doing the procedure at Nordstrom's rather than a hospital, says Silverstein. "They like the less threatening environment."
Even so, an anticipated Christmas rush never materialized. "We figured that with stores doing 40 percent of their annual business in December we'd be overwhelmed with patients," says Silverstein. "But while we don't have final totals in for December yet, they're much lower than we anticipated.
"Women gave us two reasons. The shopping time was so hectic, they just wanted to get out of the stores, and no one wanted to get bad news right before the holidays."

domain: news


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Really like that video you posted on Yahoo Video? Well, if you want it back, you better hurry up and download it.
Adobe today is announcing version 5.4 of its Adobe WEM (Web Experience Management) suite of content and campaign management tools. Based on the CQ5 content management system acquired from Day last year, Adobe WEM adds a capability to automatically re...
Tablet computing is a decade-old technology, but one that lay buried since users rejected Microsoft's "heavy OS" approach a while back. A year ago, Apple's iPad resurrected the tablet computing concept, delivering a lightweight sheet of computational...
The Internet has played a crucial role in the popular revolts that have inflamed the Middle East and Italian communications experts claim they contributed significantly when they launched an appeal for an Internet Bill of Rights at the United Nations...
Recalling all those AOL disks promising hundreds of hours of free usage (minus the disks), Microsoft is offering up to 750 free hours of use on its Azure service as an enticement for developers to try cloud computing, the company announced Tuesday.
Late last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a budget bill that included a prohibition on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission enforcing net neutrality rules, but it's unclear whether that provision will survive.
French company 1plusV has accused Google of stopping smaller competitors from generating advertising revenue by abusing its dominant position in the search market. The company said it made the allegations in a complaint filed with European Union anti...
Apple's iTunes Store that can reveal what content another person has downloaded, which could be a privacy concern for users of the service, says a research scientist at MIT.
China Mobile and China's state-run Xinhua News Agency have launched a new search engine at Panguso.com that will also tap the country's growing mobile Internet market.
The massive audience at Facebook helped it take a top-ten ranking for the first time in ComScore's January survey of the number of unique visitors to U.S. Internet sites and advertising networks.
Adobe says Flash support for tablets based on Google's upcoming "Honeycomb" version of the Android operating system will be available "within a few weeks".
The average, everyday Twitter or Facebook user likely won't have much need for HootSuite, a Web-based social media management application. But power users -- especially those who rely on and manage multiple Facebook pages and Twitter accounts for the...
Information security professionals should treat cloud computing as they would any other external supplier, according to an analyst at the Information Security Forum.
Corporate IT departments are increasing their spending on hardware and cloud services, but not on new hiring in this weak economy.
LinkedIn is rolling out an entirely redesigned privacy and security settings page aimed at helping users find important information quicker and navigate controls easier.
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GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.
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Torstar Corp. said Friday its Metroland Media Group has taken over Central Ontario Web Ltd., a commercial printing company in Barrie, Ont.
The price was not disclosed for the acquisition, which adds printing capacity for the Metroland stable of community newspapers.
The purchase of Central Ontario Web, which has provided digital prepress services and web offset printing to a variety of clients, ``reflects our increasing presence in Barrie, Orillia and Muskoka," stated Metroland president Murray Skinner.
"The additional capacity will allow us to better serve these thriving and growing communities."
Torstar's other holdings include the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper, along with the Harlequin Enterprises women's-fiction production house and an array of online properties.


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Google and Xiaomi appear to have a pretty serious security issue on their hands.
Reddit user Dio-V recently discovered that when trying to access their Xiaomi security camera on their Google Nest Hub, they were being shown still images from other peoples' homes. Some of the images shown are a bit corrupted and hard to make out, but others offer a clear view of things like a porch and a child sleeping in a crib.
The camera being used by Dio-V is a Xiaomi Mijia 1080p Smart IP Camera. As noted by Android Police, you can link this camera to your Google account and then access the feed on your Google or Nest device using Xiaomi's Mi Home service.
In a statement, Google has confirmed that it's aware of the issue and working with Xiaomi on a fix. Until a solution is found, Google has disabled Xiaomi integrations on Google devices, meaning that Mi Home devices can no longer integrate with Google Home and Assistant. Dio-V has confirmed that their Xiaomi camera is now longer viewable on the Google Nest Hub.
This is major security issue. While it's not clear exactly where these still images are coming from, it's still unsettling that the Xiaomi camera and Nest Hub are feeding images from other peoples' security cameras to this user, especially since they're showing other people and children sleeping, unaware of what's happening. It's good that Google quickly killed Xiaomi's integrations with Google devices while the two companies work on a fix.


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Chinese data for October was out late yesterday and it shows an economy with a fading stimulus pulse. Industrial production was up 1.8% YTD and a more encouraging 6.9% YOY. Fixed asset investment was up 1.8% YTD and retail sales are still the laggard down 5.9% YTD but up 4.3% YOY:
The all-important real estate sector is slowing. Despite lifting credit, prices are fading fast, down to a barely positive 0.15% in October and 4.3% over the year:
There are 1820 words left in this subscriber-only article.


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Danone’s chairman Emmanuel Faber has now reportedly been ousted by the board. This comes shortly after he relinquished his role as CEO in a bid to calm criticisms as Danone saw weak stock market performance and growth. The move comes weeks after the board initially proposed to separate the functions of chairman and CEO. Some criticisms faced by the company include the lack of investment in marketing and innovation under Faber’s leadership, say media reports.
In February, prior to the split of the roles, investors Artisan Global said in an open letter that the CEO’s current strategy undermines the strength of its brands and ultimately the health of the company.
“The roles of CEO and chairman should be split to reflect modern-day corporate governance. Governance standards also require that prior leadership leave the board. And logic demands more consumer goods experience on the board of directors,” it said. Artisan Global also said it expects a new, non-financial CEO with consumer goods experience and a track record of success to be installed to restore Danone to the elevated status it deserves within the French business establishment. Meanwhile, activist investor Bluebell also made similar demands.
Investors also questioned why Danone’s sales and volume growth, as well as profitability, continue to trail relevant category competitors and pointed out that Danone's water business had declined more than Nestle's; the sales decline of Danone's nutrition business is in stark contrast to the sales growth of Nestle and Abbott.
“These trends do not represent solely issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic—rather, they are a continuation of the trends reported over the last six years,” Artisan Global said. While Artisan Global noted that management had appointed a new team and structure to reshape the company, it added that overhead put in place by the current management team is to be reduced, and brands purchased by the current management team need to be sold.
According to its 2020 full year results, Faber previously said that the company faced material specific short-term challenges in a number of key categories and geographies but also “clearly uncovered significant long-term opportunities”.
Faber added that after making 2020 a year of both delivery and progress under challenging conditions, 2021 would be a year of recovery for the company. Nonetheless, the company would require till Q2 to bounce back but Faber was “fully confident that Danone is building the right conditions and momentum to reconnect with profitable growth agenda as soon as H2”.
“In this context, we fully recognise that our share price is not where we would like it to be and we are pleased that this FY announcement resumes our ability to dialogue openly with our shareholders,” he said. Faber also said he would be sharing more on the growth platforms, as well as progress on transformation plans by the 25 March, when the second investor update is planned for. The event would have focused on how Danone will accelerate profitable sales growth.
Last year the company also announced a move to reshape its organisation onto a geographic structure to create efficiencies, whilst adopting a “local first” approach which would provide a lever for growth acceleration. On November 23, 2020, Danone hosted an Investor update focused on providing additional details on how shifting to a local-first organisation would unlock future growth and drive margin expansion in a post-COVID world.
The company was also in the midst of conducting a full strategic review of the portfolio of SKUs, brands and assets, starting with a review of its strategic options for Argentina and its Vega brand.
In the US, Danone is in the midst of acquiring “Follow your heart”, a California based pioneer company, leading the cheese and mayonnaise plant based alternatives. The acquisition was said to be building further on Danone’s global leadership on plant-based, now representing 10% of its sales.
Meanwhile in China, Danone reached an agreement with COFCO Dairy Investments to convert Danone’s stake in China Mengniu Dairy Company which it previously held indirectly, into a direct holding. Listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with a current market capitalisation of approximately €18 billion, Mengniu is a leading Chinese manufacturing and distribution company of dairy products, in which Danone first became a shareholder in 2013. This conversion is the first step towards facilitating Danone’s disposal of its stake in Mengniu.
(Photo courtesy: 123RF)
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Danone's AQUA moves lead brand account to Wunderman Thompson
Danone shifts MY media biz from Wavemaker, retains OMD in Thailand
Danone-AQUA wins Best PR Campaign: FMCG category at PR Awards 2020
Danone Indonesia urges consumers to mask up by covering up billboard


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Some basic facts: Last year BMW produced more than 400,000 cars at its $7 billion plant in . . . South Carolina. About 70% of the cars were exported, which makes BMW the top automotive exporter in the U.S. Last year a Mercedes plant in Alabama made 300,000 cars. Foreign-based auto makers (including Toyota, Mitsubishi and others) produced 5.5 million cars in America last year and have invested $75 billion in U.S. operations.
German Automakers in the U.S.


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After teasing arrival of Tecno Pova 5G on social media platform, the company has announced the launch date for its upcoming model. According to the latest update, Tecno will launch its Tecno Pova 5G on February 8.
“2 Days more! #UnlockThe5thDimension to get more storage with POVA 5G’s Ultra-Fast Memory (sic),” tweets TECNO Mobile India.
In another tweet, it said be prepared to #UnlockThe5thDimension, POVA 5G is on its way to amp your style! Sparkles.
Talking about specifications, the model will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 900 on POVA 5G, coupled with 11 GB RAM with Memory Fusion + LPDDR5 RAM.
“Gear yourself to unlock bigger memory and powerful speed with 11GB* RAM with Memory Fusion + LPDDR5 RAM on POVA 5G,” reads another tweet.
According to reports, the phone is expected to be the fastest 5G phone under 20k, 6000 mAh battery and memory fusion.
Earlier, it announced that the experience of the future is closer than before! Gear up to explore powerful performance, endless possibilities, ultimate speed, and stay tuned to #UnlockThe5thDimension with #POVA5G.
The phone is expected to have Bluetooth v5.2, GPS/ A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB Type-C port for charging. Tecno Pova 5G is expected to be priced between Rs18,000 and Rs 20,000 in the country.
Also, Read Here: Google Chrome’s modified icon to appear across devices soon


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Battered bitcoin rose back toward $4,000 on Sunday as Ohio appeared ready to become the first state to allow businesses to use the digital currency to pay their taxes.
Beginning this week, businesses will be able to go to OhioCrypto.com and register to pay everything from cigarette taxes to employee withholding taxes with bitcoin. Eventually, individuals will be able to use the digital currency for their taxes.
Bitcoin declined earlier Sunday to $3,447.58, the lowest level since August 2017, according to the news site CoinDesk.
Over the past week, the digital currency has lost almost 30 percent of its value. It reached its all-time high of almost $20,000 in December 2017.


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Samsung is hosting it’s first Unpacked event for 2024 today in San Jose, California. The company will announce its new flagships Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, Galaxy S24 Ultra, and we also expect to see introductions of Galaxy AI generative model, One UI 6.1, and likely a detailed look towards the Exynos 2400 chipset, powering the non-Ultra phones in certain markets.
The event begins at 6 PM UTC, which is 1 PM EST/7 PM CET/11:30 PM IST. There is a live stream, which we added below.
The Galaxy S24 and S24+ should have the same design as their predecessors, but the new chipsets are opening a new era of Generative AI capabilities. The phones are also expected to be slightly cheaper at launch compared with their predecessors in certain markets.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to move to a flatter screen and come with a titanium frame. The chipset is expected to be Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and there is also a new telephoto camera on its way. Here’s what to expect from the S24 Ultra.
Once the event is over, we will be ready with detailed coverage, so keep an eye on our homepage.
news, #Watch #Samsung #Galaxy #S24 #announcement #live


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The latest Samsung ad featuring Akron native LeBron James was released Tuesday night in conjunction with the start of the NBA regular season.
The ad, titled "LeBron James -- At Home" features James and his family partaking in everyday life while using a variety of Samsung products.
"Love the LeBron Samsung ad from LeBronís standpoint," ESPN sport business reporter Darren Rovell said on Twitter. "Helps to humanize him even more."
In September, James' foundation donated $280,000 in Samsung tablets to Akron schools.


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The Weekly Wrap, November 24, 2023
Pay it forward - Holiday sales in November and other consumer trends
By Mark Parsons, ATB Economics 24 November 2023 7 min read
In this week’s ATB Economics Weekly Wrap…
- Inflation - a little less sticky
- Retail sales - holding ground
- Household debt ratios - age matters
- Tourism - taking flight
- Chart of the Week: Black Friday special - Holiday spending in November
It’s all about the consumer this week. Inflation is the big news, with the annual rate easing last month and even more so in Alberta. Consumers are still spending, but showing some signs of restraint heading into the holidays. Today is Black Friday, so we naturally ask: what do Albertans buy more of in the lead up to the holidays?
Encouraging inflation report ahead of December rate decision
It’s way too early to declare victory, but inflation headed in the right direction for the second straight month in October.
High and sticky inflation has been an irritant for the Bank of Canada on its journey back to its 2% target. The economy has stopped growing and the labour market has softened. The Bank admits that the economic slowdown is easing price pressures, but noted last month (at the October 25 rate decision) that progress has been slow and that “measures of core inflation show little downward momentum.”
With that in mind, there is much to like about October’s inflation report—the last one before the December 6 rate decision. First, annual inflation fell to 3.1%, the lowest since June, nudging in just below expectations. Second, food inflation is trending in the right direction (though still very high). Third, year-over-year core inflation measures, while still elevated, eased again. The bad news? High inflation lingers in the shelter category. In addition to rising mortgage interest costs, rental costs continue to accelerate and have replaced food as the latest inflation driver.
Wrap it all up, and this is an encouraging report. We see the Bank on hold next month and into next year with rate cuts starting mid-2024. Expect the hawkish, inflation-fighting talk to continue next month, but for the language to soften with time if the disinflationary trend holds. That already appears to be happening. In a speech this week, Governor Tiff Macklem signaled that the policy rates may be at its peak: "This tightening of monetary policy is working, and interest rates may now be restrictive enough to get us back to price stability.”
Here in Alberta, there was even more to like. Annual inflation slipped well below the national rate last month, clocking in at 2.1%. There’s only been one month this year where Alberta’s inflation rate has been higher than Canada’s. Gasoline prices fell more here, and the fuel tax pause factors in again (the tax was partially in place in October through December 2022 at 4.5 cents/litre). Electricity prices are still high, but rose at a slower rate year-over-year, thanks to a pullback during the month. Beyond that, the improvement was fairly broad-based across categories, with inflation excluding energy and food remaining well below the national rate.
Inflation numbers can be hard to relate to (how many households look at their ‘core’ inflation rate?). Maybe this chart will help. It shows more detailed components that you see every day and how much prices have risen (or fallen) over the last year.
Alberta retail sales hold ground
Retail sales in Alberta have outperformed other provinces this year, supported by stronger job and population gains. We expect the pace to cool next year amid rising debt servicing costs.
We have been surprised by the resiliency of Alberta’s consumers this year. That persistence continued in September with spending up 0.9% over August, and up 4.3% year-over-year. So far this year, retail sales have posted a 5.2% gain—well above the 2.2% national pace and second only to PEI.
Auto and parts sales have helped drive the retail numbers this year (+7.9% year-to-date). Other big gains include food and beverages (+9.9%), clothing (+10.8%), shoes (+25.8%!), and sporting goods, hobby and related (+10.5%).
Looking past the monthly swings, the trend line has flattened and this shows up in the ATB consumer index as well. Overall sales are still below the January peaks and have leveled off on a 3-month moving average basis, declining in per capita terms over the last two quarters.
What’s next? We expect consumer spending to slow in late 2023 and into next year. While Alberta’s fast growing population remains a tailwind, rising debt servicing costs should weigh on items that are typically more rate sensitive and discretionary.
Household debt ratios - then and now
Alberta households will continue to face higher debt servicing costs next year as loans are renewed at higher rates. Fortunately, debt ratios have declined from where they were in the mid-to-late 2010s.
Alberta’s household debt to disposable income ratio (‘debt ratio’) was 178% in the second quarter, according to the latest data on household balance sheets. This is below the national average (188%), and third among provinces after Ontario (207%) and B.C. (218%).
The debt ratio has declined in Alberta since 2016, compared to an upward trend nationally (see chart). A key reason is Alberta’s relatively flat housing market (at least until recently), resulting in Albertans, on average, taking on less mortgage debt compared to other provinces.
Age structure matters when comparing debt ratios. Younger families naturally carry more debt: the Canadian average debt ratio is 72% for 65+ year olds compared to 258% for 35-44 year olds as of Q2. Alberta’s young working age population and a lower share of aged 65+ (roughly 15% vs. 19% nationally) puts upward pressure on its average debt ratio.
Factoring in the other side of the balance sheet, Alberta continues to report higher net worth per household than the national average as of the second quarter ($1.04 million per household on average vs. $970,000 nationally).
Tourism sector takes flight
Alberta’s tourism industry is still finding its footing after COVID, but it’s encouraging to see visitor spending bounce back briskly. Last year it surpassed 2019 spending levels, and more timely data show international airport travel is largely holding above pre-COVID levels this year.
It’s been a long road, but tourism spending has clawed its way back following COVID disruptions. Travel Alberta reports that Tourism spending in the province hit $10.7 billion last year, up from only $6.3 billion in 2021 and surpassing the pre-COVID level.
Digging deeper, it was in-province and rest of Canada travel spending that pushed Alberta above 2019 levels last year. Overseas and U.S. spending continued to lag. However, higher frequency daily data on airport visits suggests that international travel has staged an impressive comeback in 2023. It’s been holding above 2019 levels for most of this year.
While demand has bounced back, the industry faces labour challenges. Food and accommodation has the highest job vacancy rate of all major sectors at 9.2% as of the second quarter, more than double the provincial average of 4.5%.
Interesting Fact: In 2015, Amazon was the first company to offer "Black Friday in July" deals in what they coined "Prime Day." Other companies have followed suit with similar summer deals.
Chart of the Week: Holiday shopping in November
Move over last-minute holiday shoppers (myself included). It seems that more people are electing to buy their gifts earlier, in part to take advantage of Black Friday day/week sales. It wasn’t always this way in Canada. While the U.S. has long had a tradition of Thanksgiving sales in November, Black Friday in Canada took off much later amid the emergence of online sales and competition with U.S. retailers.
Looking at clothing and electronics (popular holiday gifts) sales in Canada, we find that the big shift towards November sales occurred after 2010 (see chart). While the share of spending in November and December has been fairly stable (22-24% of annual total), more holiday spending now takes place earlier than before.
What’s in store for this holiday season? It depends on the survey. The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) in their annual shopping survey notes that Canadians expect to spend more than last year on holiday spending. On the other hand, surveys by Rakuten, KPMG and Deloitte point to a pullback. Across all surveys, one thing is clear: expect more bargain hunting than normal as many households struggle with elevated inflation and rising interest rates. The RCC survey highlights increased intentions for Black Friday shopping (40% of respondents vs. 28% last year).
What do Albertans spend more in the runup to the holiday season? As shown in the Chart of the Week, Alberta retail sales spike for clothing, electronics, and jewelry starting in November. Liquor retailers see a jump in December amid the holiday festivities. Do we spend less on anything in the final two months? Gasoline and autos sales max out in the summer months during the busy travel season and typically sag during the holiday season.
Answer to the previous trivia question: Women accounted for 59% of total enrolments at Alberta’s public colleges and universities in 2021/22?
Today’s trivia question: Black Friday is the big shopping day after U.S. Thanksgiving, but what is Gray Thursday?


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Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec.19 /Trend F.Milad/
Iran will reach self-sufficiency in rice production in the next Iranian calendar year (to start March 20, 2013), Iranian Deputy Agricultural Jihad Minister Jahangir Porhemmat said on Wednesday, the FARS News Agency reported.
According to the Agriculture Jihad Ministry's plan, Iran was supposed to reach self-sufficiency in the rice production field by the end of the current Iranian calendar year, but officials announced in November that the plan needs some more three years for completion.
Mehdi Kabuli, an official with the country's Agricultural Jihad Ministry also said on December 12 that Iran needs to import 500,000 tons of rice each year.
Iran plans to produce over 2.4 million tons of rice in the current Iranian calendar year which ends March 19, 2013, the ISNA News Agency quoted Kabuli as saying.
The annual rice consumption in Iran stands around 2.8 million tons so we only need to import less than 500,000 tons of rice this year, he said.
Referring to the fact that Iran is currently importing more than the country's needs, he went on to note that the agriculture ministry plans to store the rice for the future and there is no need for farmers to worry.
"The quality and price of the Iranian rice is really reasonable, so farmers can easily sell their products," he added.
Based on the reports published earlier this month, Iran has imported 775,000 tons of rice valued at $758 million in the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 20.
Compared to the same time as the previous year, the figures show a 12.01 per cent increase in terms of value, and a 2.35 per cent decrease in terms of volume.
India, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan were the main exporters of rice to Iran.


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Hamilton Wood Turners put grant to good use
THE Hamilton Wood Turners welcomed Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC) mayor, Mary-Ann Brown, to their home on Thursday to show off their new piece of equipment.
The Woodfast electric speed lathe was purchased thanks to support from council with their Greater Grants Program.
The new piece of equipment will be used by the group of 20 regularly, and will assist them in teaching others their skill.
The group make incredible wooded items including bowls, toys, lidded boxes, kitchen utensils, pens and much more, and said the newest addition will speed up their processes, replacing an older manual control lathe.


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During it’s panel held at this weekend’s Japan Expo USA, the creators at Sekai Project, have announced plans to release Clannad visual novel on Steam in the future. This version of the game that’s being released will be the Full Voice edition of the game, which will feature voice acting for the complete game. The game is better known for being one of the most popular visual novels, owing to its emotionally gripping storylines, and lack of sexual content. The game was also adapted into multiple anime adaptions, with Sentai Filmworks releasing both TV series and their respective OVAs on home video.
A release date for “CLANNAD Full Voice Edition” is TBA.


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Google has said over and over gain in the past that websites couldn’t do much to a competitor site to bring down page rank. However, the language suddenly changed with Google’s Matt Cutts stating that negative SEO is somewhat possible but very difficult to achieve. Since search engines value natural links and positive SEO rather than paid links, a competitor site could take down other sites over time with spam links.
Last year, Tasty Placement even did a study on how to effectively use negative SEM on their own sites, just for fun. This infographic says it all.
However, like always, the rules changed. The link disavow tool was introduced in order to get rid of low quality links not produced by the site owner. In other words, to fight crime against those nasty competitors trying to bring down a site with negative SEO. Obviously, Google was paying attention to a big problem.
Now, the game has changed again. Google is backstepping slightly to adjust their former stance, but they are only saying that they work hard to prevent competitors from using negative SEO. It was all explained in changes made to the ”Can Competitors Harm Ranking?” page, which includes a helpful video on SEO strategy.
While Google accepting that there is a problem is a big step forward, it’s also publicly putting out a new strategy for all webmasters to consider. Should negative SEO be used? It’s a question for competitors that may strike concern or glee depending on which evil mask you wear.
Negative SEO can be harmful for any site, and most webmasters who are in the know have dealt with these issues in all different forms. It’s important to watch your backlinks, clean up negative links and alert Google to any negative SEO with the disavow tool.


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Jobs to go at seafood business in Dingwall
A seafood business in Dingwall is to close with the loss of dozens of jobs.
The Thai Union Group-owned Edinburgh Salmon Company (ESCo) processes salmon as its own-brand products for retail and wholesale.
The Ross-shire processing plant has 163 staff workers, and up to 100 temporary workers at times of peak demand.
Production at the site is to cease at the end of the year after its owners could find "no feasible alternative solution to closure".
Européenne de la Mer, a subsidiary of Thai Union Group and the operator of the ESCo business, said in September that the salmon plant had been suffering heavy losses as a result of a "highly challenging market".
In a statement, the owners said: "At this time, our primary concern is the future of our employees and we are now entering into an individual consultation process with each of them.
"We are making every possible effort to support them in their search for alternative employment.
"We are exploring all opportunities and are working with the Scottish Government and local enterprise and skills agencies to identify employment options in the local area."
ESCo is to "maintain the necessary employees" to fulfil all current contracted obligations which run until the end of the year.
The statement added: "We would like to thank all employees for their commitment to the company to date and their professionalism during this difficult time."


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This spring, Roku customers can embark on exciting adventures from the comfort of their couch.
The streaming media service will launch a GoPro Channela one-stop video destination delivering on-demand content.
GoPro videos are "unique," head of programming Adam Dornbusch said, because they "emotionally resonate with a global audience."
"The GoPro channel will make it simple for Roku customers to watch GoPro originally produced and 'best of' user-generated content on their television at home," Dornbusch said.
Arriving later this year, the new channel will include featured playlists like "Deep Sea" and "Full Throttle," access to favorite videos and recently watched content, and product discovery for those interested in purchasing a GoPro camera.
"We are excited to bring the world of GoPro to Roku customers," Dornbusch said, "as they are one of the most engaged customer bases when it comes to the amount of streaming content they view."
"Roku delivers an experience that our customers truly love," Roku's vice president of content, Ed Lee, said in a statement. "And I know that they're going to be captivated by the inspiring new content available to them with the launch of the GoPro channel this spring."
Roku already counts Xbox, LG, and Virgin America among its distribution partners.
You don't have to run to the nearest electronics store to pick up a Roku set-top box, though. Adrenaline junkies can get their fix on GoPro's YouTube channel. Or pick your own camera to take on death-defying adventures.
Last month, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association teamed up with GoPro to offer player-level views of on-the-ice action. Footage is limited to videos that debuted during NHL All-Star events held in January; it is unlikely players will wear GoPro cameras during the 2015 regular season.
Referees, however, may be kitted out with cameras, and GoPro could eventually build cameras into hockey helmets.
For more, see PCMag's review of the GoPro Hero4 Silver (test footage below) and check out 15 Crazy GoPro Stunt Videos You Must Watch and our roundup of Roku tips in the slideshows above.
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June 4, 2020 – Citrine Informatics, a leader in AI for materials and chemicals product development – is expanding its operations to Japan with the opening of a Tokyo office. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Citrine provides award-winning AI and smart data management platform to help companies develop products faster and at lower cost. It sees expansion in Japan as an important part of its international growth strategy.
Greg Mulholland, Citrine CEO & Co-Founder, explains “Japan has a long and storied history as a global leader in materials and manufacturing innovation, and we’re excited to invest more deeply in the market.”
The company already works with global leaders in materials and chemicals, including Panasonic, AGC Building and Industrial Glass, and LANXESS, and is building on early success by ramping up its presence in Japan.
“Citrine is making inroads with Japan’s paints and coatings, adhesives, polymers, alloys, glasses, and specialty chemicals companies,” said Mike Smocer, Citrine VP of Global Sales. “This expansion allows us to work more closely with our Japanese partners and customers to bring the world’s best materials informatics solution to the country.”
ABOUT CITRINE INFORMATICS
Citrine Informatics is the award-winning materials informatics platform for data-driven materials and chemicals development. It won the 2017 World Materials Forum Start-up Challenge, the 2018 AI Breakthrough award as the “Best AI-based Solution for Manufacturing,” and 2020 Cleantech 100 honors. The Citrine Platform combines smart materials data infrastructure and AI, which accelerates development of cutting-edge materials, facilitates product portfolio optimization, and codifies research IP, enabling its reuse and preventing its loss. Citrine’s customers include Panasonic, LANXESS, and some of the biggest and most respected names in the materials and chemicals industry in Asia, North America, and Europe.


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The new Ford Focus is due to arrive in the next few months in the UK. After months of rigorous testing, several high-profile unveilings and a steady drip of pricing and specification information one of the most eagerly anticipated models of the year is about to arrive in UK showrooms.
However, there is something which many people looking for new cars may not have considered. The current generation Ford Focus, widely regarded as one of the best hatchbacks ever built and a regular in the top three best-selling cars in the UK, will see prices plummet when the new model comes in.
But why would buyers choose a previous generation model when the shiny new Focus will be on sale within months?
The Ford Focus is one of the best driver’s cars out there. Handling and steering a sharp and responsive and make for a fun, involving drive no matter which model is chosen.
The current Ford Focus uses Ford’s ‘kinetic design’ language and as such, does not seem dated and out-of-touch like some older cars.
The headline figures, however, will always be the price. A basic, entry-level Ford Focus from new is priced at around £15,545.
But with the next generation looming on the horizon, a quick scan of Perrys hot deals show the Ford Focus is available brand new for as little as £11,795.
This is the same price as many much smaller, less practical cars and represents a discount of over £3,750.
Moving up the range, a high-spec Focus 2.0-litre Zetec S, one of the best equipped in the line up, has had nearly £4,000 slashed off the asking price and now cost just £13,495.
Also hidden away in Perrys’ hot deals is a single high-performance Focus RS complete with 2.5-litre 305hp powerplant.
Over £1,000 has been knocked off the price to bring it down to £26,495 for one of the most popular hot hatches on the market today.
The biggest saving, however, can be found on a five-door 1.8-litre Zetec which comes in at £12,494 – a massive £4,800 off the original list price.
The petrol Focus is matched to a manual gearbox and comes with zero per cent finance or a £500 deposit allowance coupled with a low rate of finance.
While the new Ford Focus is sure to be a strong seller, now could be the time to get a ’60’ plate Focus for a bargain price.


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Read it Rapidly.
By Team Latestly
The Real Madrid jerseys were posted on social media by Footy Headlines, who usually share a glimpse of football team kits before they are officially announced. And the new home kit for Los Blancos keeps their traditional white colour with pink highlights on the sleeve. As of now it has drawn negative reactions from most of the fans.


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BARCELONA—Mobile World Congress plays host to new connected tech from all around the world, including plenty of shiny new smart home products.
The big theme this year was centralized home automation, where users can control every connected appliance and device in their homes through voice-activated digital assistants like Alexa, Bixby, and Google Assistant using a smartphone or smart speaker. We scoured the Fira Gran Via show floor and found everything from smart refrigerators and home security cameras to connected lights, pillows, and showerheads. Take a tour through the smart homes of the future below.
1. Samsung SmartThings
The big star of MWC this year is Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S9
smartphone, which can also control your entire Samsung-branded smart home through the Bixby voice assistant. The Galaxy S9 comes with a new app called SmartThings(Opens in a new window)
, available in March. Samsung set up a full-blown kitchen at its MWC booth where you could ask Bixby to do everything from preheating your oven and starting the washing machine to activating your robovac
2. Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator
Samsung also showed off its newest smart fridge
, the Samsung Family Hub, which debuted at CES. The refrigerator is also now powered by Bixby
and serves as a full SmartThings home automation hub in its own right. From the large touch screen on the door, users can now see what's inside the fridge and what's expired, make a shopping list, check the weather, play music, look at photos, or even adjust the thermostat and check real-time camera feeds throughout the house.
3. LG SmartThinQ
LG showed off its own smart home automation hub, LG SmartThingQ, which now works not only with Alexa
but Google Home
as well. Through a Google Assistant-connected speaker or the new LG V30S+ ThinQ
smartphone, users can use voice-activated commands to control a range of LG connected home devices including smart TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, and microwaves.
4. Amazon's New Ring
In the middle of MWC, Amazon announced it was spending more than $1 billion to buy
video doorbell and smart camera maker Ring. We happened to stop by the Ring booth right before the announcement to check out its range of smart home products, including floodlight cams
, spotlight cams, and more, all of which will likely be integrated with Amazon's own smart home products and services.
5. Vodafone V Home
Vodafone partnered with Samsung(Opens in a new window)
on its own V Home smart home automation lineup. V Home uses Samsung SmartThings to control a range of smart bulbs, door sensors, plugs, sirens, smoke detectors, and more that are connected to the European telco's network and Wi-Fi products.
6. Livin Shower
The Livin Shower(Opens in a new window)
is a smart showerhead integrated with Amazon Echo and Google Home. The connected showerhead lets you personalize your shower settings including temperature and music playlists, and helps optimize your water use.
7. Smanos SmartHome DIY Kit
Smanos offers what it calls a SmartHome DIY Kit(Opens in a new window)
to let you install and control smart home devices from Android, iOS, Alexa, or Google Home. The kit comes with up to 50 wireless sensors to install on doors, windows, and anywhere else in the house, and is compatible with both Philips Hue and the Nest thermostat to control smart home devices from different manufacturers all from a single app.
smart picture frame syncs with your smartphone and uses a smart curation algorithm to choose and sort through all your favorite photos. The HD display adjusts brightness based on its surroundings, and you can change the photo on the frame with gesture control. You can also invite friends and family to contribute their own photos to a frame.
9. Tend Secure Lynx Solar Camera
Tend already has a great indoor home surveillance camera
, and now the smart home company is releasing its new Tend Lynx Solar(Opens in a new window)
camera for outdoor use. The new solar smart home camera can turn one day of sunshine into a week of power, controlled through the Tend Android or iOS app. If there's a power or internet outage, Lynx Solar can store up to three days of data.
PillowSoft, a new smart pillow from South Korea, automatically adjusts pillow height. According to its creators, the pillow can also detect sleep apnea and prevent snoring, all while using fabric pressure sensors to monitor your sleep and send the data to a mobile app.
11. The Best Products of MWC 2018
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Woolworths Admits To Error That Meant Kids Were Fed Dog Food
Supermarket giant Woolworths has been forced to admit that their brightly coloured dog biscuit packs have found their way into the snack food aisle and into children’s hands.
The grocery giant has apologised after a Sydney mother accidentally fed her children the pet food after thinking the biscuits were aimed at children.
Woolworths went onto say they believe that this is the only occurrence of the treat being stocked among human snacks but more images are appearing online of the treats above Tiny Teddies across the country.
Tania Toomey from Sydney wrote on Woolworths Facebook yesterday that she put the biscuits in ‘lunch boxes and kids came home that afternoon and said ‘yuck they are disgusting,” “On closer inspection they are DOG treats. It does say that it is pet food only — human friendly but not recommended! BE CAREFUL the store is much disorganised.”
A Woolworths spokeswoman has responded saying “Woolworths can confirm that a single packet of Scooby Snacks dog biscuits was accidentally placed in the biscuit aisle at the Woolworths North Strathfield store last week and subsequently purchased by a customer.
“We can confirm that the product is stocked as intended in the pet food aisle in the stores where it’s sold, with the product marked as ‘Pet Food Only’.
“Store teams have had further communication this week to ensure that no packets are mistakenly placed in the wrong aisle.”


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In our June 27, 2022 issue, Plastics News covers our 2022 Injection Molders ranking and index.
Breaking news over the weekend included a shooting at a WeatherTech facility in Illinois. One person was killed and two others are injured, police said.
Economics Editor Bill Wood will talk about inflation and supply chain issues in this month's Numbers That Matter Live on Tuesday, June 28 at 2 p.m. To learn more or sign up click here.
Canada moves to ban single-use plastics in the country and limit what can use the recycling logo; the Rhode Island House of Representatives stop a chemical recycling bill; and a deep dive into consumer interest and medical recycling. The viewpoint this week features fact-checking the plastics connection to the climate debate.
This issue also features coverage from the Injection Molding & Design Expo 2022.


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Profitability under pressure in 2018
23 June 2019
Three retail groups announcing their annual results this week have seen profitability come under pressure.
Hendy Automotive’s 2018 profit before tax dropped to £3.6 million with a turnover of £556.3m, against £5.0m in 2017 on £532.8m turnover. During 2018 it bought the £15 million-a-year Seward business adding Suzuki and Renault/Dacia, and its latest accounts show that in March this year it agreed to pay £21 million for the Westover business, which should see the 2019 turnover pass £1bn.
Ford retailer TC Harrison which also has a JCB operation and a profitable contract hire business saw its overall profits drop slightly from £2.1m to £2.0m on a turnover that increased from £287.7m in 2017 to £304.8m last year.
And after a year of transition as Vauxhall was incorporated into the PSA group, Drive Motor Retail reported a significant profit drop in 2018, down to £1.7m from £6.7m in 2017. Turnover for the group remained almost flat at £219m for the year.


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Ethnic Content Can Help Fill Digital Gap
New York-Creating content specifically for ethnic minorities would help to bridge the so-called "digital divide," said a number of speakers on a new media panel at last week's National Association of Minorities in Communications'Urban Markets Conference here.
Hispanics and African Americans still trail the U.S. average in terms of the percentage of households online, panelists noted. However, those ethnic minorities that do use the Web are more active participants in electronic commerce and music downloads.
"The digital gap persists," said Cyber Dialogue senior media analyst Idil Cakim.
Community-affairs efforts that extend broadband-Internet services to predominantly ethnic neighborhoods are only part of the solution, because it's not just a matter of access and income. Cakim noted that 53 percent of ethnic households with incomes higher than $50,000 per year are still not online, and 46 percent of ethnic minority households with incomes over $75,000 per year also remain offline.
Many consumers who are not yet online say they see no need to go to the Internet, Cakim said. Those who use the Web tend to do so for both business and leisure.
Strong entertainment content can help draw ethnic minorities online, especially if it's not widely available elsewhere.
In reaching the U.S. Hispanic market, it's important to offer content with an American focus, and not just news and information imported from the target audience's countries of origin, said Galavision general manager Lucia Ballas-Traynor.
"Once you decide to uproot your family and transplant them, your whole value system changes," Ballas-Traynor said. "Content relevant back in the home country is no longer relevant here in the U.S."
DME Interactive Holdings Inc. created a division targeted to the urban market called Places of Color "to create relevant experiences to engage people to go online," marketing director Jared Leake said.
Attracting ethnic minorities is a three-fold challenge, Leake said. The issues include content, affordability and access to infrastructure.
"We wanted to remove all barriers of entry for people of ethnic descent," Leake said. The company will help deploy used personal computers so that first-time users can go online more quickly, as well as new equipment so those same users can upgrade as soon as they're ready.
Places of Color also hopes to keep its customers up-to-date on other new technologies, such as wireless-communications devices, which will also offer online services either now or in the future. The company may develop content for wireless phones "so we can keep our minority users on the cutting edge," Leake said.
In order to help spur electronic commerce in the ethnic minority community, the industry also must find "a solution for people who don't have the means to transact on the Web," such as credit cards, Leake added.
Latinflava.com is targeted to the Hispanic market, specifically to "Generation X" and "Generation Y" users, Latinflava Inc. president Tony Martinez said.
Among the site's planned electronic-commerce ventures are the sale of calendars featuring "flava beauties," or models of the day, week and month. The site also plans to sell books by Latin authors that its audience might not find at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon.com, Martinez said.
In addition, the company may also create special VIP travel packages to Miami that bundle in passes to top Latino clubs.
"We'll be very proactive in the community," Leake said.
Galavision plans to target its Web site to bilingual, urban Latinos-the same audience that its cable network aims for, Ballas-Traynor said.
"We'll go after the ones that are doing a lot of surfing, but not necessarily finding enough content of relevance," she added.
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AWG admits mistake over bonuses
EXECUTIVES at AWG, who oversaw the water group's much-criticised financial restructuring, were paid nearly £500,000 in special bonuses which the company now admits are in breach of corporate governance best practice.
According to AWG's annual accounts, Chris Mellor, the ousted chief executive who left in the spring with a £1.2m pay off, got a £150,000 one-off bonus for organising the debt refinancing of its Anglian Water services in a long-winded restructuring which cost it an extraordinary £128m.
Elliot Mannis, the finance director and mastermind of the restructuring, got a one-off £200,000 swelling his total pay for the year by more than 90% to £585,000. Fellow Anglian Water executives Roy Pointer and Tony Eckford shared £125,000 in 'additional bonuses' on top of £173,000 'annual bonuses'.
But in the company's annual report, the remuneration committee, headed by Logica executive Jim McKenna, indicates the special bonuses may have been a mistake.
In his report, McKenna said: 'The payments were made in July 2002. In accordance with best practice, the committee has now determined that special or transaction bonuses would not be expected to be paid in the future.'
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Britvic Ireland, the largest Soft Drinks Manufacturer in the Republic of Ireland has been awarded Origin Green Gold Membership for 2021, joining a committed group of leading food and drink companies who have been recognised and celebrated by Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme for excelling in their sustainability targets and demonstrating best-in-class environmental performance among their peers.
The award this year is especially meaningful as it reflects 8 years of progress across a series of Sustainability targets which were set when Britvic first received Origin Green accreditation as part of the Healthier Everyday strategy. Achievements span reductions in sugar, energy use, water footprint and packaging circularity.
Since first achieving Origin Green accreditation Britvic Ireland has made major breakthroughs in Sustainability across all areas of the portfolio including:
Reducing Sugar: 43% reduction in Calories per Serve achieved through a combination of sugar reduction, consumer education and the launch of delicious low sugar options such as Club Zero.
Reducing Waste: Achieving Zero waste to landfill from all Britvic Ireland sites.
Reducing Emissions: A move to 100% Renewable electricity across all manufacturing sites.
Reducing Water: 25% reduction in Water Footprint
Supporting Packaging Circularity: Achieving 100% Recycleable consumer packaging and step-changing the use of recycled materials with Ballygowan in 100% recycled PET bottles.
Supporting Local Communities: Providing meaningful support to a variety of local charities and grassroots sport including raising an amazing €2.8million to date through the Miwadi Trick or Treat for Temple Street campaign.
Origin Green Gold Membership is awarded to companies who demonstrate an exceptional annual performance on their sustainability targets based on the assessment of the independent verification authority, Mabbett.
Sian Young, Head of People & Planet at Britvic Ireland, commented on the award; “We are delighted to have been awarded Origin Green Gold Membership for 2021, and be recognised as a company who demonstrate best-in-class environmental performance and can be an inspiration and role model for our peers. We are incredibly proud of our Sustainability journey to date and our Origin Green Gold Membership is yet another milestone achieved under Britvic Ireland’s Healthier People, Healthier Planet strategy.”
In 2020 and 2021 Britvic have continued their drive for 100% sustainability across the business, under their new Healthier People, Healthier Planet strategy and have made significant investments in embedding sustainability across the business operations and products in service of ambitious targets for 2025 including a 50% reduction in Direct Carbon Emissions, 30% Reduction in Water Footprint and 20% Reduction in Packaging per Serve.
Kevin Donnelly, Managing Director Britvic Ireland, paid tribute to the team effort involved in achieving the award. It’s a privilege to receive gold accreditation and a recognition of the hard work of the whole team at Britvic Ireland. We have set exacting sustainability targets, which are transforming every aspect of our business. Today’s award gives us encouragement that we are on the right path to achieving our goals.”


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Lake City and Sterling National are the latest US banks to launch new digital banking services, targeting both consumers and businesses.
Indiana-based Lake City Bank has unveiled a “next-generation” digital banking platform to serve commercial and retail customers.
Called Lake City Bank Digital, the platform is designed to combine digital functionality for clients in one device-agnostic solution. Previously, this would have meant using four separate online and mobile solutions for both business and consumer accounts.
Customers will be able to view accounts, pay bills and transfer funds as well as manage cards and subscription services. This will also include financial management tools, with budgeting, planning and saving functions.
“Our commitment to Lake City Bank Digital connects with the relationship strategy that has driven the bank since its founding,” said David Findlay, president and CEO of Lake City Bank.
“We made this move very intentionally to ensure that we are not only competitive on the digital banking front but positioned for long-term competitiveness with competitors of all sizes, particularly those digital services offered by much larger banks. Despite the challenges inherent in rolling out this digital platform during a pandemic, it was critical that we move forward to be at the forefront of delivering this next-generation platform.”
Elsewhere, Sterling National Bank, based in New York, has entered into a partnership with cloud-based digital banking platform BrightFi.
The bank will provide banking solutions to support the BrightFi platform, following similar strategic partnerships it has recently signed with Google Pay and Rho Technologies.
“We are excited to partner with BrightFi in building and delivering an innovative set of services that bring digital banking solutions to those that need it most,” said Matthew Smith, an executive managing director at Sterling National Bank. “We see our collaboration with BrightFi as an opportunity to create and deliver seamless banking experiences to current and future clients.”
Many bank management teams have realized that offering digital banking services is a way of challenging for market share in the aftermath of the pandemic.
However, recent research by Capgemini revealed that many large and established US banks were not structured for digital shifts.
This has presented an opportunity for fintechs, with the research finding that 36% of customers had discovered a new financial provider during the crisis and had planned to continue using them post-pandemic.
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There are several advantages of electric hand dryers over other methods of hand drying.
Americans have a great fondness for paper towels. Nearly every U.S. household uses them to clean up spills and wipe down surfaces. Indeed, shoppers around the country spend about the same amount on the product as the rest of the world combined.
Throughout the pandemic, U.S. consumers have bought even more. Sales of paper towels climbed to $3.45 billion during the first half of 2020, up 28% compared to the first half of 2019, according to data platform NielsenIQ. Demand has softened since then, but remains higher than before the outbreak.
The environmental price of paper
Although the situation has provided more revenue for paper towel manufacturers, critics warn it’s a precarious one. The single-use nature of paper towels, they say, is harmful for a planet already in crisis. A new report from environmental advocacy nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) gives legacy paper towel brands such as P&G’s Bounty, Georgia-Pacific’s Brawny and Kimberly-Clark’s Viva an “F” grade on sustainability due to their reliance on virgin fiber.
Read more about how paper towels harm the environment here.


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After the tech world nearly imploded Monday morning with news that EA had acquired social gaming startup Playfish for no less than $275 million in cash, we decided to speak with Chris Cunningham, founder and CEO of appssavvy, about the future of this hugely blooming social gaming business.
Because appssavvy works with Zynga and Playdom, as well as Playfish, we asked Chris if he could offer some insight in what to expect from Zynga and Playdom over the next few quarters.
As is often the case, the answer is in the numbers. The revenue numbers, that is. The most recent reports indicate that Zynga and Playdom are pulling in annual revenues of $200 million and $50 million, respectively, with Playfish's numbers falling a bit lower. The two larger companies, Chris expects, will probably go public as opposed to being acquired by a big gaming company. Some estimate that Zynga will go public as soon as next year.
Looking at the revenue models, however, one cannot help but be reminded of the recent rash of scams that TechCrunch has fondly termed ScamVille (a play on Zynga's super-popular FarmVille game), in which the big social gaming companies were caught supporting promotions on the platform that ultimately scammed the user out of money for in-game points.
"I always thought it was a little questionable," says Chris, who could see what was going on before the controversy was made public. "I'm glad it's been called out and addressed. I don't think it's going to go away, but I think it will slow down a little bit. Considering other revenue streams makes a lot of sense."
What other revenue streams are there? Well, that's where appssavvy comes in.
In the game for two years now, appssavvy is a 30-person sales organization working directly with developers to monetize applications, specifically social applications like those on Facebook or the iPhone, through brand advertising. So far, the New York City-based startup has launched 150 campaigns for big-name brands like Huggies, Oakley, and Lexus. Its plans for the next year involve expanding to more mobile platforms as well as to social CRM platforms.
As we discussed with Chris, brand advertising makes a whole lot more sense for gaming companies because, not only is the possibility for scamming drastically reduced, but also it provides a steady revenue stream.
In completely focusing on virtual goods, games could possibly alienate some of their biggest fans. For example, a quickly rising iPhone first-person shooting game called Eliminate Pro looks like it could be a huge win for its developer, ngmoco, but gamers hate having to wait hours to play the game again just because they don't want to pay for in-game "power cells."
With appssavvy, Chris guarantees that a users' all-day play time would be sponsored by a big name brand. Game companies shouldn't be punishing users for not wanting to buy virtual goods. If a user wants to play all day long, that should absolutely delight game companies and their advertising partners.
We will just have to wait and see what happens to the social gaming platform, though undoubtedly virtual goods will be here for awhile. Since appssavvy works with Zynga and Playdom, as well as Playfish, this is one startup that will certainly play a big role in the future of social gaming monetization.


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Finance, tech and the complexity of trust.
Finance, tech and the complexity of trust
Behavioural economics tells us that trust plays an important part in how we think and behave. We see this in the authority heuristic, or shortcut, which dictates that we have a strong tendency to follow the lead and advice of a legitimate authority. As humans we also have a need for certainty – ambiguity can trigger a threat response resulting in anxiety, so when we interact with brands we want to be sure that we can trust them to act in our interests.
We also know that trust is particularly pertinent within financial services. When it is our own money at stake, our innate loss aversion kicks in because nobody wants to lose what they already have.
This raises some interesting questions when we look at the results from Edelman’s 2019 Trust Barometer. Of 15 sectors across 26 markets, the financial services sector comes last in terms of trust, with 57% saying that they trust the sector. For a long time, there has been little consumers can do about this aside from simply not using banks at all.
That is until recently, when Apple announced their arrival on the financial services scene by launching a credit card, in conjunction with Mastercard and Goldman Sachs, offering consumers a new alternative when it comes to their finances. When we look back at Edelman’s Trust Barometer, which sector tops the list? The technology sector, with 78% trust.
However, new research from Walnut Unlimited reveals the multi-faceted nature of trust, and how the high levels of trust in the technology sector do not necessarily transfer into financial services.
Defaulting to the status quo
Our results show that just one quarter of the UK adult population would consider a financial product, such as a credit card, from a technology company. This is level with the consideration we see for digital only banks which offer many similar features as the new Apple credit card, such as budgeting and an easy to use app.
There is a clear contradiction in the minds of consumers when it comes to their finances. On one hand, 71% of UK adults say that there needs to be a shake-up in the financial sector, yet 87% say that they prefer to stick to traditional banks. It is apparent that trust is a key factor in this, with less than half (42%) of UK adults saying that they would trust a technology company such as Apple or Google with their finances, despite high levels of trust in the technology sector as shown by Edelman’s Trust Barometer.
All this shows that the nature of trust in financial services is complex. Whilst we may not comparatively trust banks or financial institutions, this does not necessarily mean that we would be more likely to trust others to look after our money. If we go back to behavioural economics, we know that humans favour the status quo, preferring to stick with what we are used to.
Know your brand perceptions
The ‘Apple Ecosystem’ may not easily extend into the financial world then. Trust reigns supreme when people’s money is on the line, and if one of the most recognisable brands in the world looks like it could also struggle, it serves as a notice to banks and financial providers that they would do well to monitor how their consumers perceive their brand.
With a majority of consumers looking for a shake-up in the industry, there is an opportunity to be seized by the brands that are considered to be more trustworthy than others.
To know more about how your brand is perceived, please get in touch.


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PeopleImages.com via Getty Images
There are many things you can do to increase your search rankings. But all of that effort will be for nothing if search engines are unable to index or crawl your site. Many people don't even realize that this is a potential issue.
PhotoAlto/Sigrid Olsson via Getty Images
Shodan allows users to pull screenshots from nanny cams, security cameras and other connected devices around the world that don't ask for a username or password.
Photodisc via Getty Images
Is your website optimized for mobile? If it's not, mark your calendars: April 21 marks the day Google will launch its newest algorithm update, affecting websites that are not optimized. With the number of mobile users rapidly growing -- 87 per cent of consumers rely on mobile devices to conduct searches at least once a day -- Google is ready to reward those who prioritize customer experience.
eCommerce will exceed $US1.2 trillion in 2013, according to a new report by eMarketer, and that's just for B2C transactions. The web is THE most important sales and marketing tool. There are only three things that matter in retailing according to age old wisdom: location, location, location.
There are many acquisitions that have raised eyebrows or resulted in a general state of confusion among observers, both within and outside of the tech industry. Sometimes, acquisitions are made that don't seem to make any sense, at least not on the surface. Below are three such acquisitions made by tech companies this year and some educated speculation as to why they might have occurred.
There are few things in life we can count on: death, taxes and changes to Google's algorithm. What does that mean? It means the same tricks that helped a company rank high last year may no longer help. In fact, they may hurt.


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COMPANY NEWS; MONTGOMERY WARD EMERGES FROM BANKRUPTCY
Published: August 3, 1999
The Montgomery Ward Holding Corporation emerged from bankruptcy court protection yesterday after being acquired by GE Capital Inc., a unit of the General Electric Company, for more than $650 million. Montgomery Ward, the Chicago-based retailer, has closed more than 100 money-losing stores, shortened its name to Wards and begun renovating stores and upgrading its product lines. Under a reorganization plan approved by a Delaware bankruptcy court, GE Capital, which already owned 53 percent of Wards, is acquiring the remainder and is giving up more than $1 billion in claims against Wards. Unsecured creditors are getting about 28 cents on the dollar for their claims.


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Recently, Harsha Mariwala, the chairman of Marico and independent board member of L&T Finance, bought 46,000 shares in L&T Finance from open market. With its pan-India presence in 24 states and a loan book size of more than Rs. 57,000, the leading multinational conglomerate, L&T Finance has a strong presence in the Indian financial market. Mariwala, who is so optimistic about L&T Finance and its future growth, says that he has bought the shares as per his individual capacity, after taking approval from the board.
It is reported that the company will deliver substantial growth in the coming years with its focus on core business and diversified loan book. Recently, L&T Finance redefined its business strategy and decided to hive off most of its non-core activities such SME loans and as car financing leases in the coming year.


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Shabbat service times announced
PLATTSBURGH — Temple Beth Israel will not be holding services tonight.
There will be a special Shabbat service starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. At 9 a.m., a TOT Shabbat service will be offered for families with young children. That service will last a half hour.
All are welcome.
Fair Trade Sale to benefit mission’s efforts
SARANAC LAKE — First Presbyterian Church, 57 Church St. will become an international bazaar of exotic sights and sounds at its eighth-annual “Give the Spirit” Fair Trade Sale from 4 to 7 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
The community is invited to shop for fairly traded gifts and holiday items.
“For the eighth year in a row, we’ll transform our Great Hall into a world market, selling fair trade handicrafts from Colores del Pueblo, Mira Ethnicity and SERRV International,” Debbie Kreider, mission chairperson, said in a news release. “These are nonprofit, fair trade-certified organizations that work directly with artisans from around the world to find markets for their products in North America.”
The marketplace will feature jewelry, hand-woven bags and scarves, ornaments, toys and home accessories. The sale will also feature fairly traded coffees, teas and chocolates from Equal Exchange and a Heifer Project living-gift market. Local artists will provide music to shop by. All proceeds from the sale benefit local and world missions.
For more information, call the church at 891-3401.
Coats available for those in need
KEESEVILLE — St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Clinton Street has winter coats available for those in need.
The public is invited to come browse the church’s clothes racks from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, in the church hall. The ladies of the church will also be serving cider and doughnuts.
Vendors needed for church craft sale


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Longridge cocktail bar Mrs Sippy announces new opening date after Christmas setback
and live on Freeview channel 276
Aptly named Mrs Sippy, the bar will be housed on 60, 62 Berry Lane, Longridge, Preston after taking over the former Bartley's Bar site.
The bar was due to open before Christmas but, due to ‘an ongoing delay in the delivery of some vital items’ the date has now been pushed back until Wednesday, January 3.
Announcing the news on Facebook, they said: “We have been working extremely hard to pull out all of the stops to have the bar open for you to enjoy in the lead-up to Christmas.
"However, due to an ongoing delay in the delivery of some vital items, we find ourselves having to push back the grand opening to the new date of January 3rd, 2024.
"We understand the excitement and anticipation that many of you have expressed, and we share your disappointment.”
They added that the new opening date would ensure it to be ‘an experience to remember’ for customers and that reservations for bookings would available from January 3.
The team are also on the look out for staff. Anyone interested should email: [email protected].


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We've learned to take possible TouchPad release dates with a grain of salt at this point, but enterprise vendor Synnex has now provided yet another possible one, as well some additional confirmation of earlier leaks. According to a pair of listings on its website, the HP TouchPad (curiously also sporting the Pavilion moniker here) is estimated to be available on June 22nd in both 16GB and 32GB capacities for $499.99 and $599.99, respectively (the latter of which matches the price already spotted at Walmart). For those looking to accessorize, an HP-branded TouchPad case is also listed. Of course, an ETA doesn't necessarily indicate an actual release date, but this particular one is at least closer to the last official word out of HP than recent rumors have suggested. Head on past the break for a shot of the listing for the 32GB model.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.


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Metis, a Pacific Northwest M&A advisory firm specializing in the hospitality, wine, and beverage alcohol industries, today announced it opened a new office in Portland, Ore. With offices already in Seattle and Walla Walla, this new office and expanded local team increases Metis' commitment to the Oregon market, bringing time-tested strategic advisory services closer to Oregon business owners. The office is headed by Managing Director Andy Steinman and Associate Jessica Leung.
Hackers use programs to apply stolen data in a flood of login attempts, called "credential stuffing." These days, more than 90% of e-commerce sites' global login traffic comes from these attacks. The airline and consumer banking industries are also under siege, with about 60% of login attempts coming from criminals.
The Napa County Planning Commission postponed a hearing on a proposed warehouse following a labor union's call for more research on how the project might affect the California red-legged frog, Swainson's hawk and other wildlife
The family that owns the Kendall-Jackson wine empire has unveiled plans to build nearly 100 homes on the former Wikiup Golf Course, converting half of the 31-acre property into a housing development. The remaining half of the property, renamed Wikiup Commons, would be dedicated to open space or parkland, including a possible trail along Mark West Creek.
In late June, Wine Enthusiast Magazine's 100 Best Wine Restaurants 2018 hit newsstands. For this year's recipients, the 100 wines were selected from 59 different restaurants! In honor of the issue, the magazine hosted a panel at the Landmark 57th West to discuss all things wine with top individuals in the industry.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) set up a dispute panel on Friday to rule on a U.S. complaint against restrictions in Canada's province of British Columbia on wine sales in grocery stores, a WTO official said
When it comes to the wine drinkers of tomorrow, what will a looming demographic switch mean for those who make Napa's staple drink today? A panel of analysts broached the question at the California Association of Winegrape Growers' summer conference ....