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Fear Effect Sedna port on PS4 and Xbox One announced in a new Trailer
The development studio Sushee confirmed that Fear Effect Sedna will be sold on PS4 and Xbox One in addition to the PC. To support this revelation, a gameplay video was unveiled.
Unveiled last month, Fear Effect Sedna marks the return of the franchise that began in 2000 on PlayStation. Under development at the French studio Sushee, the title looks really like a Fear Effect 3, but as a spin-off that takes only the script written at the time for the third installment.
The development team has recently revealed the title, originally scheduled on PC, will also be adapted on PS4 and Xbox One. To mark the announcement, the studio released a first gameplay video after a prototype version of the game.
This allows us to get an idea of the game approach with its isometric view and inspiration that came from Shadowrun Returns. The battle system is real-time, but replays will be in order to take the time to analyze the situation to take cover or attack.
The developer has also said about its decision to further expand Fear Effect‘s output plans:
“Over the past few weeks, we had dozens of messages requesting a console port for Sedna. It was a difficult decision for us, because developing on PS4 or Xbox One requires a lot of work, and significant financial investment too. It was a tough job, and we had to make choices, but today we can officially announce that we will be porting the game on PS4 and Xbox One!”
Fear Effect Sedna has now raised more than 74,000 euros (about 100,000 euros required) on Kickstarter. If funding ends positively, the title will be released in May 2017 on the above mentioned platforms.


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Don't panic! Europe is not facing imminent de-industrialization.
Russian gas cutoffs are not a mortal threat. Chinese competition will be a tougher challenge.
A couple of months ago, I wrote that Europe’s winter gas crisis wouldn’t be nearly as catastrophic as lots of people were predicting at the time. I was right. Europe bought a ton of liquefied natural gas from the U.S. — so much that the price of gas in the EU fell by more than half, even though Russian imports are now a negligible part of consumption. Meanwhile, the winter is forecast to be milder than usual, gas reservoirs are filled, and supplies are stable; it looks like gas rationing won’t even be necessary. People were predicting blackouts in Germany, but now those are regarded extremely unlikely.
But people are still panicking about Europe, and especially about Germany. The worries now are less about freezing in the winter, and more about the longer-term loss of competitiveness from high energy prices. A number of German folks are talking about “de-industrialization” in quite dire terms:
A few are even blaming the U.S. as well as Russia:
The German economist Hans Werner-Sinn, meanwhile, blamed the green energy transition. Conservative media has been especially concerned, with one writer declaring that the cutoff of Russian gas to Europe could signal “the end of Western dominance”.
Now, I do think that it’s sensible to worry about things like this, because some degree of worry is necessary to galvanize a rich, contented population to accept the need for major policy change; I’ve often argued that one of U.S. culture’s biggest strengths is that we’re always in an uproar over potential problems, which helps us avert those problems. But at the same time, panic can lead to foolish decisions born of fear. In Europe’s case, excessive worries about de-industrialization might frighten the region’s leaders into reversing the energy transition, starting a trade war with the U.S., or even offering up Ukraine as a sacrifice to Russia as a way of begging Putin to turn the taps back on.
Such rash actions would be a mistake, because the worries about de-industrialization in Europe, and Germany specifically, are very exaggerated.
German industry looks pretty resilient
Right now, German manufacturing appears to be suffering only modestly. EU imports of Russian gas started falling in the spring, well before the explosion in the Nord Stream pipeline on September 27. This led to falling natural gas demand in Germany. But so far, in most primary industries, industrial output held steady through the summer:
And here’s total manufacturing output — again, pretty unchanged through August.
Of course, this could have changed after the pipeline was blown up; we won’t have more data for a little while. But online job postings in manufacturing appear to be up in the last two months:
How are Germany manufacturers weathering the storm? One way is simply by finding ways to be more efficient in their use of natural gas:
A few industries, of course, can’t adapt so easily. But a study by the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, commissioned by the German government, recently concluded that the ~300 products (mostly chemicals) that are especially vulnerable to gas price spikes could be imported cheaply from overseas, keeping costs low for other manufacturing industries. That seems consistent with the data from August showing steady production in most industries except for chemicals.
In other words, folks like Werner-Sinn are basically assuming that the production function for German-made goods is extremely inelastic, but that assumption appears to be wrong. In a recent presentation, German economist Ben Moll shows that even a small degree of substitution away from gas can alleviate most of the negative effects on overall output.
Of course, this is just Germany, but August data for French and Swedish and other European countries’ manufacturing looks even more resilient than Germany’s through the month of August. The overall Eurozone manufacturing PMI (a measure of sentiment) remains slightly in the red, but improved in November, beating expectations.
In other words, the abrupt cutoff of Russian gas looks to have had only a minor effect on European industry so far, thanks to adaptability and the ability to import both gas and gas-intensive products from the U.S. and other trading partners. And over the long term, we can expect Europe’s energy crunch to ease — the region will import more LNG from the U.S. and deploy more renewables (and hopefully more nuclear power too), while companies learn even more ways to economize on gas.
That said, there is a long-term danger to European manufacturing, and German manufacturing in particular: Chinese import competition.
China: from symbiosis to competition
Primary industries like chemicals or metals are not big sources of value added for an advanced industrial economy. The real money comes from advanced products like cars and electronics — specifically, from the design, marketing, and servicing of these products, as well as the manufacturing of the technologically advanced components that go into them and the machinery that’s used to make them. The actual assembly work is a lower-value activity that rich countries have generally outsourced in recent decades, while maintaining control of the higher-value-added stuff. In the case of the U.S. and rich Asian countries, the outsourcing was mostly to China, while Germany and the other rich European countries also outsourced quite a bit to East Europe.
Because its high levels of education and engineering know-how compensated for costly wages, Germany itself was able to hang on to lots of high-value-added, capital-intensive manufacturing, especially in the auto and biomedical industries, making manufacturing a bigger portion of its economy than in most of its European peers. Wage restraint on the part of German unions helped, as did Germany’s large volumes of exports to other EU countries. Germany was too small to be the workshop of the world, but it remained the workshop of Europe.
But this position is now under threat from Chinese imports. Traditionally, the EU exported a lot more cars to China than vice versa, but Bloomberg’s Chris Bryant and Anjani Trivedi note that this has suddenly reversed:
Bryant and Trivedi point out that most of this is due to a surge in Chinese exports of electric vehicles. Europe buys a whole lot of electric cars, consistent with its intention to accelerate the green transition. That’s good. But unlike China and the U.S., Europe buys a lot of EVs that it doesn’t produce locally:
This is especially worrying for Germany. The country is an industrial cluster of internal combustion — German companies have a huge amount of accumulated technical know-how regarding how to build very high-quality internal combustion engines, and German engineers and line workers have a ton of skills and tricks that they pass down to their students, junior coworkers, and apprentices. Industrial clusters like this tend to be extremely durable over time. But the green transition means that the role of the internal combustion engine in the global economy will shrink dramatically — it’ll still be used for planes and some other applications, but as far as autos are concerned, internal combustion will be more or less obsolete.
That will put Germany’s fabled engine-building cluster in danger. If the country’s car companies can’t win a significant position in the new EV world, the heart of Europe’s most important industrial cluster could be torn out. That could lead to true de-industrialization.
Fortunately, the German auto industry has a few things going for it. First of all, cars are very expensive to ship, which is why they tend to be made close to where they’re consumed. Second, Germany’s big car companies, unlike their Japanese counterparts, are intent on shifting to EVs very rapidly.
Another key German industry is machine tools. These are the complex, capital-intensive machines that make the global economy run, and Germany has long been one of the industry leaders — especially its highly medium-sized manufacturers. In fact, much of China’s amazingly rapid industrialization was powered by huge imports of German machinery, which helped Germany sustain its exports in the 2000s and 2010s. But now the student may be close to surpassing the master — China’s exports of machine tools surpassed Germany’s in 2020. German tools are still more technologically advanced, but as Politico reports, China’s catch-up in the lower echelons means that Germany is having to sell China more and more cutting-edge stuff to keep exports up. This is from a Politico article in 2020:
The main worry in Germany’s Mittelstand, the medium-sized businesses that form the country’s industrial backbone, is that sometime in the not-so-distant future, China won’t need them anymore. The reason German exports to China have remained so robust over the years is that German engineering is still superior. That’s particularly true of German machinery-makers, the country’s so-called hidden champions.
But China is catching up. In the past, German industrial companies combatted China’s attempts to steal their technology by holding back their latest innovations from the Chinese market. In most cases, even if the gear they sold to China wasn’t state-of-the-art, it was generally superior to what Chinese suppliers could offer. That strategy has become increasingly difficult as Chinese rivals have become more sophisticated, forcing German companies to put their top-shelf offerings on the Chinese market.
For German industry as a whole, the long-term question is whether access to China’s vast market is worth the risk.
“We have created a massive competitor in exactly the businesses that we’re good at and we are being squeezed out of the market,” [Janka] Oertel said.
This would follow an unfortunate pattern. German company Siemens built high-speed rail for China back in the 2000s, but a condition of the deal was that the German company had to transfer its technology to China. China promptly used that technology to stand up domestic champions that ended up competing with Siemens. By 2015, Chinese companies were outcompeting Siemens for German government orders! If the same thing happens with advanced machine tools, a far more important German industry will have given away its future for short-term profits.
In other words, Germany has been both far too short-sighted and far too naively trusting when it came to its economic relationship with China. Just as German banks were too trusting of American banks in the early 2000s, which allowed the Americans to sell them exploding mortgage-backed products and leave them holding the bag. Just as Germany was too trusting of Putin when it allowed itself to become dependent on Russian gas.
All in all, I’d say Germany needs to be a little less trusting.
As yet, there are only a few fitful signs that Germany — and Europe as a whole — are waking up to the threat of Chinese manufacturing competition. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ recent trip to China, with a group of business leaders, made it clear that the country’s leaders still see China primarily as a partner rather than as a competitor whose combination of technological appropriation and cutthroat mercantilism could lead to Europe losing some of its most valuable manufacturing clusters.
European manufacturing will weather the storm of Russian gas cutoffs. But as to whether the region can remain one of the world’s key manufacturing centers in the face of Chinese competition over the next four or five decades remains to be seen.

domain: news


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Billiards Popularly Declining Around the World
- May 29, 2015
- No Comments
Billiards is a sport that has been able to stand the test of time but it seems that this sport is once again being challenged as a whole. The Star Online, a newspaper website revealed that the Billiard Federation was losing players all around the world. This isn’t the main issue as local bars no longer have the same amount of people go to their Billiard Tables while their drinking, sporting stores no longer sell Billiard tables what so ever and the lack of interest in the sport from the overall majority is at an all-time high. The reasoning for this is because Billiards proves to be a sport of …..


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Author: Stephen Olson, Hinrich Foundation
The verdict on China’s recent currency devaluations differs depending on who you listen to. To some, the devaluations are either a positive and responsible step in the direction of a more market-determined exchange rate and a liberalised financial system. To others, they are potentially destructive, beggar-thy-neighbour competitive devaluations intended to prop up declining GDP growth by unfairly boosting exports.
In an effort to separate heat from light, let’s start by being clear on exactly what China has done. Every day the People’s Bank of China establishes a reference rate for the renminbi and allows its value to move up or down from that point within a 2 per cent band. China’s recent move has simply allowed that opening point to be determined to a greater extent by market forces based on the previous day’s trading. It is those market forces that have produced the devaluation. So it could be argued that the Chinese government didn’t devalue the currency at all. It simply opened the door slightly wider to the market, and those market forces were responsible for driving the currency down.
Critics of China who have long pushed China to allow its currency to float more freely (on the assumption that this would result in an export-crimping appreciation) now find themselves in an awkward position. Criticising China for doing what they advocated simply because it produced the opposite result they desired smacks of hypocrisy.
An argument could be made that China’s currency moves are in fact not about trade at all but rather about the broader goals of allowing a more market-driven currency valuation, creating greater openness in the capital account and eventually establishing the renminbi as an international reserve currency. In essence, China is doing what the International Monetary Fund and many Western governments have long called for. Indeed, even the US Treasury Department — an institution that has not shied away from criticising China’s currency policies in the past — noted that China’s actions were ‘another step in its move to a more market-determined exchange rate’.
On what basis then are some analysts and officials ascribing significantly more nefarious motivations to the recent currency moves? In broad strokes, the argument goes something like this: After more than three decades of stratospheric double digit growth, China’s economy is in trouble. The export-led development model that has propelled China’s growth to this point has just about run out of steam. China’s future growth, and its ability to vault over the much dreaded middle income trap, will be dependent on its ability to navigate the tricky transition away from low-cost exports (enabled by a favourable exchange rate) and towards greater domestic demand-driven growth.
But as this fraught transition unfolds, the argument goes, there are limits to how much economic slowing Chinese officials will tolerate. With weakening exports compounded by anaemic domestic demand and lacklustre factory output — to say nothing of a massive debt overhang from the 2008–09 stimulus — even the comparatively modest growth rate target of 7 per cent is in jeopardy. Chinese policy makers are under increasing pressure to take measures to spark growth.
So — according to this viewpoint — China has dipped back into its ‘old bag of tricks’ and attempted to rev up the export engine one more time in order to give its flagging economy a much needed ‘shot in the arm’.
Of course, given how much the renminbi has appreciated in recent years (more than 30 per cent against the dollar since 2008), it remains to be seen just how much of an export boost will result from the recent devaluations. But given the history, the sensitivities and the extremely thin margins in many export industries, China’s move has rekindled deep-seated suspicions amongst many of its trade partners and ensured that this issue will be a hot topic of discussion when President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping meet in Washington in late September 2015.
But regardless of the ebb and flow of the two president’s conversation, it seems safe to say that China’s management of its economy will not be tethered to any rigid doctrines. Policy responses will sometimes incline towards greater market orientation and on other occasions (as in the case of the recent heavy-handed stock market interventions) the government will keep a firm hand of the economic tiller. President Xi has made it clear that he views stabilising the economy as the ‘centre of everything’ — full stop. Expect any and all measures, irrespective of doctrine, to be deployed in pursuit of that goal.
So, how are we to interpret the recent currency move? Is it another incremental step in the ongoing process of financial sector reform or a thinly-veiled attempt to unfairly boost exports? Strong arguments are being made on both sides. The real test will come when market forces begin to push the renminbi towards a significant (and export-dampening) appreciation. Will China allow market sentiment to hold sway or will we see direct or indirect market interventions? Stay tuned.
Yet one thing seems clear. The marching orders for Chinese policy makers are stability above all, reform when suitable and pragmatism always.
Stephen Olson is a research fellow at the Hinrich Foundation, Hong Kong.
Go here to see the original:
Hypocrisy mars RMB devaluation debate
ASEAN weathering the COVID-19 typhoon
Author: Sandra Seno-Alday, Sydney University
The roughly 20 typhoons that hit Southeast Asia each year pale in comparison to the impact on the region of COVID-19 — a storm of a very different sort striking not just Southeast Asia but the world.
Just how badly is the COVID-19 typhoon thrashing the region? And what might the post-crisis recovery and reconstruction look like? To answer these questions, it is necessary to investigate the strengths and vulnerabilities of Southeast Asia’s pre-COVID-19 economic infrastructure.
Understanding the structure of the region’s economic house requires going back to 1967, when Southeast Asian countries decided to pledge friendship to one another under the ASEAN framework. While other integrated regions such as NAFTA and the European Union have aggressively broken down trade barriers and significantly boosted intra-regional trade, ASEAN regional economic integration has chugged along slower.
Southeast Asian countries have not viewed trade between each other as a top priority. The trade agreements in the region have been forged around suggestions for ASEAN countries to lower tariffs on intra-regional trade to within a certain range and across limited industries. This has lowered but not eliminated barriers to intra-regional trade. Consequently, a relatively significant share of Southeast Asian trade is with countries outside the region. This active extra-regional engagement has resulted in ASEAN countries’ successful integration into global value chain networks.
A historically outward-facing region, in 2010 around 75 per cent of Southeast Asian commodity imports and exports came from countries outside of ASEAN. This share of extra-regional trade nudged closer to 80 per cent in 2018. This indicates that ASEAN’s global value chain network embeddedness has deepened over time.
Around 40 per cent of ASEAN’s extra-regional trade is with the rest of Asia. From 2010 to 2018 Southeast Asian countries forged major trade relationships with four Asian countries: China, Japan, South Korea and India. Outside Asia, the United States is the region’s major trading partner. ASEAN’s trade focus on Asia’s largest markets is not surprising. Countries tend to establish trade relationships with large, geographically close, and culturally similar markets.
Fostering deep relationships with a few large markets, however, is a double-edged sword. While it has allowed ASEAN to benefit from integration in global value chains, it has also resulted in increased vulnerability to the shocks affecting its network connections.
ASEAN’s participation in global value chains has allowed it to transition from a net regional importer in 1990 to a net regional exporter in 2018. But the region’s deep embeddedness in a small and tightly-coupled network cluster of extra-regional global value chain partners has exposed it to disruption to any and all of its external partners. By contrast, ASEAN’s intra-regional trade network structure is much more loosely-coupled: a consequence of persistent intra-regional trade barriers and thus lower intra-regional trade intensity.
In the pre-COVID-19 period, ASEAN built for itself an economic house held up by just five extra-regional markets, while doing less to expand and diversify its intra-regional trade network. The data shows that ASEAN trade became increasingly concentrated in these few external markets between 2010 and 2018.
This dependence on a handful of markets does not bode well for risk and crisis management. All of the region’s major trading partners have been significantly affected by COVID-19 and this in turn is blowing the ASEAN economic house down.
What are the ways forward? The immediate task at hand is to get a better picture of the region’s position in global value chain networks and to get on top of managing its network risk exposure. Already there are red flags around the region’s food security arising from its position in food value chains. It is critical to look for ways to introduce flexibility into existing supply chains for greater agility in responding to crises.
It is also an opportune time for ASEAN to harness the technology transfer gains of global value chain participation and invest in innovation-driven diversification of products and markets. The region’s embeddedness in global value chain networks certainly places it in a strong position to readily access large export markets not just in Asia but also Europe and the Americas.
Over the longer term, ASEAN is faced with the question of whether it should seriously look…
Tiger Trade Launches SGX Trading, Meeting Demand from Asian Investors
Access to the Singapore Exchange (SGX) adds to Tiger Brokers’ current menu of stock exchanges, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq Stock Market (NASDAQ), the world’s two largest stock exchanges, as well as the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX).
Can Asia maintain growth with an ever ageing population ?
To boost productivity in the future, Asian governments will have to implement well-targeted structural reforms today.
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- China’s Minimum Wage Guide (Updated as of February 19, 2024)
- Getting Vietnam’s economic growth back on track
- Legal Ways to Manage Sensitive Personal Information in China


text: SQLGuru writes to tell us that ATI has announced plans to release a new graphics product that could provide a shake-up for high performance computing. From the article: "ATI has invited reporters to a Sept. 29 event in San Francisco at which it will reveal 'a new class of processing known as Stream Computing.' The company has refused to divulge much more about the event other than the vague 'stream computing' reference. The Register, however, has learned that a product called FireStream will likely be the star of the show. FireStream product marks ATI's most concerted effort to date in the world of GPGPUs or general purpose graphics processor units. Ignore the acronym hell for a moment because this gear is simple to understand. GPGPU backers just want to take graphics chips from the likes of ATI and Nvidia and tweak them to handle software that normally runs on mainstream server and desktop processors."


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Warzone Mechanics Apparently Won't Change Once Black Ops Cold War Releases
By Nick O'Neil
Warzone game mechanics will apparently remain the same even when Black Ops Cold War releasees according to leaker TheLongSensation.
A known COD leaker, TheLongSensation has recently shed some insights on the upcoming battle royale soon to launch in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Warzone within Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will look eerily similar to its current state, claims TheLongSensation. The upcoming mode will feature the same movement and mechanics, including lean and mount features which will not be available in the multiplayer mode. While there are expected to be some new cosmetic changes taking place including additional weapon unlocks, the mechanics and even many previous weapons will remain.
Players excited about playing Warzone in the new Call of Duty installment may be frustrated by the number of bugs still in the game. Recently, players found a heartbeat sensor glitch which can instantly kill players. Infinity Ward has mentioned it is working on a fix, but it has yet to be patched into the game.
It's no surprise Infinity Ward and Activision don't plan to change anything in Warzone due to the popularity. Warzone is here to stay.


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Troy University will now be selling beer at the football games. (Source: MGNOnline)
TROY, Ala. (AP) - Troy University is joining a growing number of colleges selling beer at football games.
University officials say beer will be available Saturday for the Trojans' game against Duke. But fans in Veterans Memorial Stadium will have to show proper identification and get a wrist band. Officials say customers can purchase no more than two beers at one time and beer sales will be halted at the end of the third quarter.
Athletic Director John Hartwell says the sales will be monitored to make sure the stadium remains fan friendly and family friendly.
University officials tell WDHN-TV (http://bit.ly/1nYcP7u ) that each beer will cost $5 and the university will get a little more than $2 from each sale.
Troy is among more than 20 universities selling beer at games to generate revenue.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thursday, June 8 2017 12:44 PM EDT2017-06-08 16:44:50 GMT
A man wanted on charges in a kidnapping and shooting in Alabama is under arrest in New Jersey after a traffic stop. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police say an officer pulled over 23-year-old Birmingham...More >>
A lease agreement has been agreed upon to move a minor league baseball team to northern Alabama. Al.com reports that BallCorps LLC announced the signing of a lease, license and management agreement for the BayBears minor...More >>


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American retail giant Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. will report earnings for the first quarter of the fiscal year 2017 before markets open Thursday. Analysts polled by Reuters expect the company, which is the world’s largest retailer by sales, to report earnings of 88 cents a share in the quarter ending April — a 14.3 percent drop over the same quarter last year, when it reported $1.03 per share in earnings.
Wal-Mart’s revenues — which shrank for the first time last year since the company went public over four decades ago — are expected to drop 1.4 percent on-year in the quarter, to $113.2 billion from $114.8 billion.
In recent months, Wal-Mart’s profits have been hurt by spending on e-commerce operations and wage increases. The company has also been hurt by a broader gloom in the retail sector that recently forced it to cut its sales forecast for the current fiscal year.
“While issues are largely in international markets, the overall trajectory is concerning and suggests Walmart is losing ground to Amazon and others,” analysts at MKM Partners reportedly wrote in a note published Thursday. “The slowing growth is also a disconnect with the massive investments Walmart has been making in digital.”
However, as domestic spending in grocery stores rose by 3 percent in the three-month period ending April, the retailer is expected to be somewhat insulated from the spreading retail gloom that has affected its peers such as Macy’s and Target.
Wal-Mart’s same-store sales are expected to rise 0.5 percent on-year in the quarter, marking its seventh consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales.
On Tuesday’s Wal-Mart’s shares closed down 3 percent in New York. However, the stock has risen 2.4 percent this year, outperforming the broader index.


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Turkey’s white meat exports – poultry and seafood – increased by 447% in the first nine months, the Turkish Minister of Food, Agriculture and Animal Breeding said on Monday.
Mehdi Eker said: Turkey’s share of Russian imports increased in the first 9 months of the year compared with the same period last year. We predict a further increase next year.” Minister Eker visited The Anadolu Agency’s Editor Desk on Monday and was interviewed by AA editors.
Turkey is a major supplier of food and agricultural produce to Russia with $1.68 billion worth of trade last year. Read more here.


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Seeking to highlight their sustainability efforts, Uni-ball UK turned to the creative strategy experts at Highlands.
Uni-ball is a worldwide leading writing instruments manufacturer and supplier who relentlessly pursues the highest standards of quality, design, innovation and technology with the desire to create products that uniquely match the needs of the individual user.
Credit @Ryman Instagram
Uni-ball was looking to create point of sale messaging, mockups and a pitch deck that highlighted new and ongoing sustainability efforts in order to win shelf space at Ryman, a UK stationery retailer with over 200 outlets nationwide. The campaign needed to incorporate a consistent tone of voice with a newly refreshed marketing approach around the concept ‘moments that matter.’
The Highlands Difference
As part of their ongoing engagement, Highlands revealed that Uni-ball and their main competitors had similar messaging with a heavy focus on features and a lack of emotional connection with the consumer.
With this in mind, Highlands developed a new marketing direction focused on day-to-day life moments that matter to the consumer. The campaign was modern and relatable and therefore emotionally connected the consumer to the client’s brand.
Using this direction, Highlands designed an impactful sustainability campaign to tell the story of the client’s past, current and ongoing sustainable efforts.
Ryman agreed to roll out point of sale displays to all stores, as well as including Uni-ball’s sustainability campaign in their back to school mailer (2M copies distributed via Royal Mail, and an additional 200K in-store copies), in their email, on their blogs, Instagram and Facebook. The concept was so well received Ryman launched a series of outdoor ads across London including bus stops, train and in the Tube. In addition, Uni-ball extended the campaign to trade press, across their social media, and it’s featured on their newly executed website. Uni-ball intends to roll out the campaign to all UK retailers by back-to-school 2020.


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Bangladesh remains the second biggest apparel exporter
Release Date: August 2, 2018
Bangladesh held on to its status as the second biggest apparel supplier in the world in 2017, accounting for 6.5 percent share of the market, according to data from the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
In 2017, Bangladesh exported garment items worth $29 billion, the data said. In 2016, Bangladesh's share of the global apparel market was 6.4 percent. China remained the largest apparel supplier globally, although its share shrank to 34.9 percent. The value of exported clothing items from China last year was $158 billion.
Vietnam came in third with its 5.9 percent market share, the WTO data said. It exported $27 billion worth of garment products in 2017.
Neighbouring India, with its garment exports of $18 billion in 2017, ranked fourth. Turkey came fifth with a 3.3 percent market share.
Source From: The Daily Star
- The next hot spot for apparel sourcing August 8, 2018
- India doubles import tax on textile products, may hit China August 7, 2018
- Green factories can give garment exporters another edge: BKMEA August 3, 2018
- ‘Bangladesh’s apparel industry needs an urgent business transformation plan to remain relevant’ July 25, 2018
- BGMEA for Dhaka-Delhi cooperation in textile sector July 22, 2018


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real-time news and commentary for investors
Monday, Oct 22
2012, 6:29 PM
Gartner now expects 2012 global IT spending of $3.6T (hurt by forex), down a bit from a prior...
Gartner now expects 2012 global IT spending of $3.6T (hurt by forex), down a bit from a prior forecast of $3.75T. Spending is expected to grow a muted 3.8% next year to $3.7T. Microsoft and IBM's Q3 reports and commentary (I, II) have already raised fears of a soft IT spending environment. Also: Gartner expects half of all non-PC devices sold in 2016, and half of all business IT devices sold at the end of the decade, will be bought by employees - that's a long-term trend that could benefit Apple and hurt Microsoft.


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T-Mobile is now using Nangu.TV’s media platform to provide OTT mobile TV services to its Czech customer base, with users able to watch content by downloading the app to Apple or Android devices.
“Being able to provide OTT services for our customers is a very important step for our company. We’re delighted to expand our existing relationship with Nangu.TV to deliver the highest quality of service that enables our customers to watch what they want, where they want, when they want,” said Milan Hába, vice president category and product management, T-Mobile CZ.
ICYMI: Viaplay to launch in the UK, Germany and Canada digitaltveurope.com/2021/09/22/via… https://t.co/TMHMKIlAwY
22 September 2021 @ 19:01:00 UTC
ICYMI: Xavier Niel’s Iliad to acquire UPC Poland from Liberty Global digitaltveurope.com/2021/09/22/xav… https://t.co/JmgRY2UxE6
22 September 2021 @ 18:00:01 UTC


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The Great British Pound-Not looking Great
The fall in the value of the pound is raising concerns about the UK government’s finances. The Great British Pound has been falling precipitously in recent weeks, causing concern for the UK economy.
On September 26, the pound fell to $1.03, an all-time low against the US dollar.
The fall in the pound came just days after Britain’s newly appointed chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, announced the new administration’s 2022 Economic Growth Plan, which is expected to include the country’s most sweeping tax cuts in 50 years.
While the pound has since recovered slightly, Kwarteng’s announcement has fueled fears that England will soon face worsening inflation and accelerate toward a recession. However, the change in currency values may have different implications for Indian consumers.
So, why is the pound sterling falling so sharply, and what will this mean for the UK and other global economies? Let us investigate.
Trail of “The Great British Pound”
The pound sterling (GBP) is a widely traded currency in the foreign exchange (forex) market. The pound sterling, the home currency of the United Kingdom, has a long history and is the oldest actively traded currency on the forex market. Its popularity stems from the fact that London is one of the world’s largest forex hubs.
Many people who start trading forex choose the GBP as one of the currencies they trade because of its popularity and familiarity among traders.
Knowing which reports to follow that affect the GBP the most can save traders a lot of time and provide guidance on specific areas on which to focus their efforts if they trade on fundamentals (economic reports and news events).
Why is the British pound is slumping?
The recent record drop in the value of the British pound has resulted in a crisis. The most obvious reason for the Pound’s decline is the UK government’s recent tax cuts, among other things. The drastic shift in economic policy following the change in government is forcing the foreign exchange markets to turn against the United Kingdom. Liz Truss, the Ex-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, believes that more money can be used to fund investment and boost the country’s overall productivity.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the Ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer or the Ex-chief Finance Minister of the United Kingdom, is accused of ignoring a 9.9 percent inflation rate, which the economic expert predicted would fall further. Instead, he chose to unveil the mini-budget on Friday, which promises to inject more money into the economy. This shifted currency traders’ sentiments, sending the GBP from USD 1.20 to USD 1.03 before rebounding to USD 1.06.
What does the sharp drop in the value of the pound mean for the United Kingdom and other countries?
A sharp and sudden drop in a currency creates uncertainty in any economy, causing imports and exports to suffer. These importers and exporters anticipate a certain amount for their imports and a certain amount for their exports and services. Importing goods becomes more expensive when the currency is less valuable. And, as currency rates fluctuate, the loss of imports and exports becomes unavoidable.
A drop in the value of the pound would cause inflation in essential commodities such as oil and food, raising the overall cost of living. In terms of the impact on countries, as goods, services, and assets become more affordable, foreign investors will seize the opportunity to store more assets that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive.
Similarly, current investors will see a decline in the value of their assets, forcing them to sell them as the currency falls further. Tourists will have more money in their pockets as a result of the improved exchange rates.
Three Core Areas
-Inflation and Prices
The first important factor, price and inflation, has a significant impact on the value of the GBP. In general, countries with high levels of inflation in comparison to other countries see their currency depreciate more than those other currencies. Furthermore, inflation usually prompts the central bank to take action, such as adjusting interest rates, in order to control these undesirable effects.
Traders in the United Kingdom typically use the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is compiled and released by the Office for National Statistics. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculates the change in prices of goods and services purchased by consumers over a given period. This report is significant because it is the metric used by the Bank of England (BOE) to determine its inflation target. Any deviations in the CPI from the BOE’s inflation target could imply future monetary policy action, which could have a significant impact on the GBP.
Furthermore, while consumer prices tend to influence the majority of changes in inflation, other measures such as the Producer’s Price Index (PPI) are also useful. Many consider the PPI to be a leading indicator of inflation because it reflects inflationary changes at the raw material level, which can eventually work their way up to the consumer level, as reflected in the CPI. Because the PPI report is released before the CPI, the two should be viewed together for a more complete picture.
-Confidence and Sentiment
Surveys of market sentiment are another useful tool for fundamental traders. Confidence and Sentiment reports for the United Kingdom are important because traders want to know whether the majority of people are optimistic or pessimistic about the economy. The changes and the magnitude of the changes can be important in detecting shifting trends in the underlying economy and, as a result, changes in the GBP.
Many traders will pay attention to the Gfk Consumer Confidence and the Nationwide Consumer Confidence Index (NCCI) reports to gauge sentiment in the United Kingdom. Both reports are surveys based on five questions about the general economic environment, employment, and future expectations. The primary distinction between the reports is the time periods used. The NCCI survey reflects respondents’ feelings about their current situation as well as their expectations for the next six months. The Gfk, on the other hand, reflects the respondent’s feelings about events that occurred in the previous 12 months as well as their expectations for the next 12 months. Both can be used to gauge public opinion about the direction of the UK economy.
-Balance Of Payments
Finally, a country’s balance of payments (BoP) is an accounting record of its interactions with the rest of the world. The BoP is comprised of three accounts, but only the current account is of general interest to forex traders. The current account shows how much a country exports and imports, as well as the flow of income and transfer payments. A current account surplus is generally positive for the currency because it indicates that more capital is flowing into the currency than leaving, whereas a deficit is negative for the opposite reason.
It should also be noted that the trade balance report is issued monthly, whereas the current account report is issued quarterly.
The pound is affected by a variety of economic indicators. The first step is to determine which data reports to use. The difficult part is interpreting and combining reports to generate a trading direction. If you’re just getting started and want to base your pound-based trades on fundamental reports, these three key areas are a good place to start.


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The bitcoin exchange rate plummeted by 8% on rumors that the wallets containing the coins of the defunct Mt. Gox, make transactions. It quickly became clear that the information was caused by a technical error, but the incident clearly demonstrated the market reaction to the possible sale of thousands of coins from the bankrupt exchange. RBC Crypto.
Mt.Gox was one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges that operated from 2010 until it filed for bankruptcy in 2014 after a series of hacks. At its peak, Mt.Gox accounted for about 70% of the total Bitcoin trading volume. As a result of the 2014 hack from Mt. Gox stole 850,000 bitcoins, worth $17.8 billion at the current exchange rate.
The exchange’s bankruptcy led to a 7.5-year legal battle before a solution was developed in 2021 in the form of a rehabilitation plan for affected users. Since not all the stolen coins were returned, they will be compensated only for a part of the initial amount – about 200 thousand BTC. The payment deadline is September 30th. $1.7 billion, 141,000 BTC and another 142,000 Bitcoin Cash (BCH) coins will be distributed as part of a civil rehabilitation plan designed for 10,000 clients worldwide.
On the afternoon of April 26, the bitcoin rate exceeded $30,000. However, at 22:00 Moscow time, the value of the asset began to decline sharply and dropped to $27.6 thousand by 23:00. By the morning of April 27, the price of the asset recovered to $29,000. bitcoin rate with rumors about the sale of bitcoins Mt.Gox.
However, Arkham Intelligence, the analytics platform that originally sent out the warnings, later said the data was misinterpreted.
Thousands of bitcoins
“Bitcoins Mt. Gox” has been a hot topic for retail traders for several years now, explains crypto expert and author of the GFiS Channel telegram channel Taisiya Romanova, who specializes in blockchain data research and algorithmic trading in cryptocurrencies. According to her observations, often the appearance of any information related to them causes a market reaction.
This is largely due to the fact that robots for trading that track sentiment (the so-called market sentiment) and due to delusions react to headlines of this kind, the expert explains. As the April 26 incident showed, a mere mention of the name of the exchange is enough for the market to react, even if the assets are not directly related to the wallets that actually hold the bitcoins of the victims of the hack.
The payment system is “rather confusing” and does not provide for a one-time payment to all victims. In addition, it may be beneficial for the fund manager to delay the process, making sure that the payment of compensation does not happen quickly and at once.
“Some of the affected users chose a refund in cryptocurrency, the other part chose a bank transfer at a rate several times lower than the current market. Some chose to receive a smaller amount early, while others chose a larger amount within a few years, and so on. Thus, the option is impossible in which the entire mentioned amount of 140 thousand bitcoins will somehow be simultaneously sold “through the glass” on the exchange, Romanova explains.
Analysts at Matrixport came to similar conclusions, publishing a brief report on market events on the night of April 27th. According to their findings, payouts to Mt.Gox clients will result in a limited impact on the price of bitcoin.
Analysts emphasized that market participants should be aware of this turn of events, so one should not expect a serious impact on cryptocurrency prices. Taking advantage of the fall in the rate to buy coins in anticipation of a return to their original levels following the refutation of rumors, according to the authors of the report, looks like a successful trading strategy. When Arkham representatives reported the error, the rate of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies really recovered.
In February 2014, when Mt.Gox went bankrupt, Bitcoin was trading at around $550. Given the payments at the current rate, clients can theoretically return their coins with a high profit. But given that the affected users will receive payments in installments, how they will dispose of them is a big question, Taisiya Romanova. It is not at all a fact that they will decide to sell them immediately, and it is on exchanges, and not to use OTC platforms without affecting the open market.
Similarly, concerns about the sale of cryptocurrencies confiscated by the US government should be taken, Romanova believes. Such coins are sold at auctions, and, as a rule, subsequently do not fall directly into the order book. For amounts of this order, there is an OTC market, the expert explains.
The first official buyer of confiscated bitcoins is investor Tim Draper. In 2015, he managed to win an auction for the distribution of bitcoins of the first ever illegal online marketplace Silk Road. Draper never said at what rate he got the coins. He is an open supporter of cryptocurrencies and predicts the rise in the price of the first cryptocurrency to $250,000 in 2024.
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May 22, 2013, 7:34 am PDT
Xatori, whose Plugshare app helps electric vehicle owners find the nearest plug-in station, has been sold to Recargo, a Southern California company that…
May 22, 2013, 6:00 am PDT
More than 20 top Silicon Valley venture investors are now available to the highest bidder — for lunch in a fundraiser that benefits the region's Leukemia…
May 21, 2013, 3:04 pm PDT
With the NFL awarding Santa Clara the Super Bowl in 2016, Bay Area residents will get the chance to take part in the big event for the first time in over…
May 21, 2013, 11:30 am PDT
Deborah Magid, director of software strategy for IBM Venture Capital Group, is meeting with a small group of founders next week in an ongoing series of…
May 21, 2013, 8:02 am PDT
Gamgee, a stealthy mobile health care startup, disclosed on Tuesday that it has raised $2 million in equity funding.
The Palo Alto company led by CEO…
May 21, 2013, 6:45 am PDT
Corporate performance management company Adaptive Planning has raised a huge $45 million fourth round of funding.
The Mountain View company led by CEO…
May 21, 2013, 6:19 am PDT
Tesla plans to repay its U.S. Department of Energy loan this week—on Wednesday, to be exact. In a tweet Monday, CEO Elon Musk wrote, "Given govt loan…
May 21, 2013, 6:15 am PDT
Owen Tripp set out to protect people's online reputation with his first startup, Reputation.com. Now he is out to protect their health with his new startup,…
May 20, 2013, 9:34 am PDT
There was some actual business news amid the fun and gadgets at Maker Faire over the weekend with the announcement that Autodesk Inc. bought Tinkercad,…
May 20, 2013, 9:03 am PDT
Bloom Energy's $130 million funding was last week's biggest venture investment in Silicon Valley and a little more detail about it was reported on Monday.
May 17, 2013, 9:36 am PDT
Next week is a relatively light one after the flurry of events of the past week and this weekend.
But there are some quality opportunities for founders…
May 16, 2013, 6:22 am PDT
Arizona has done it. Utah has done it. Virginia has done it. Now Canada is sending a political delegation to Silicon Valley to lure entrepreneurs and tech…
May 15, 2013, 2:13 pm PDT
Just a month after failed GOP vice president hopeful Sarah Palin labeled Tesla Motors a "loser," the company announced it will raise about $830 million…
May 15, 2013, 1:47 pm PDT
It’s been a good month for Elon Musk to say the least.
Not only did his Tesla Motors report its first profitable quarter (as Musk promised), but Consumer…
May 13, 2013, 1:43 pm PDT
UPDATE: In Tuesday morning trading, the stock continued to climb, up 6.5 percent to 93.56 at the time of this post.
Tesla Motors can do no wrong these…


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17,698 Asda Colleagues Share Record £50.9 Million Windfall From Award-winning Sharesave Scheme
- Share ownership scheme has now delivered over £530 million for colleagues since it was first launched in 1982
- Announcement follows last week’s Employee Benefits Award for the “Most effective all-employee share scheme”
Today, 17,698 Asda colleagues are set to pocket a record £50.9 million as a three-year Walmart Sharesave scheme matures.
This year’s payout, the biggest on record for colleagues, will see those saving £50 a month receive more than £2,808, over £1,008 more than their original investment of £1,800. Colleagues who have saved the maximum amount of £250 a month will take home £14,008, over £5,008 more than their original investment of £9,000.
The scheme, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, allows colleagues to set aside £5 to £250 per month for a three year period, at the end of which they receive a tax free bonus and an opportunity to buy Walmart shares at a 20 per cent discounted price. Colleagues are then able to sell the shares at market rate, giving them the opportunity to benefit from an additional dividend on top of their savings.
Since launching back in 1982, Asda colleagues have shared over £530 million through the scheme.
Hayley Tatum, Executive People Director at Asda, said:
“Our in-store and depot colleagues are the heart of our business and work tirelessly, week-in week-out, to serve the 18 million customers that visit us each week.
“Giving our colleagues the chance to have a stake in the company is just one of our ways of saying thank you and a great way to ensure that they share in the success that their hard work has achieved.”
The most popular choices for colleagues to spend their windfalls on remain foreign holidays, weddings and home improvements.
Carol Davinson, who has worked at Asda Dewsbury in Yorkshire for over ten years, will be using her Sharesave money to take her family down to Plymouth to see her son, James, at his passing out parade for the Royal Marines.
Lisa Hughs, from Asda Pwllheli in Wales, has worked at Asda for over four years and will be putting her Sharesave money towards a family holiday to Disneyland Paris.
Lisa said: “I have been saving through Sharesave for the last three years and this maturity couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ve recently split up with my husband after fourteen years and will be using the money to take my three young kids to Disneyland to help take our mind off things – I literally can’t wait!”
The Sharesave maturity comes after Asda was awarded the Employee Benefit Award for the most effective all-employee share scheme strategy’ [Thursday, 31st May]. The award, which was accepted by members of the Asda Sharesave Team, recognised Asda’s commitment to encouraging colleagues to take up the Sharesave scheme and opportunity to save.


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NVIDIA is rumored to launch GeForce GTX 750 Ti graphics card next month, Sweclockers reports. The card is said to be released on February 18th, to be exact.
No specifications are known, but it's speculated the card would surprisingly be based on new Maxwell architecture. However, GPU would be manufactured on 28 nm silicon fab. 20 nm Maxwell-based GeForce GTX 800 series would follow after a month or two. GTX 750 Ti would likely replace GTX 660 and compete with Radeon R9 270 and R9 270X from AMD. The price would be set at $150 to $200. It's also possible it would end up at GTX 650 Ti Boost performance segment since GTX 650 Ti Boost has been discontinued some time ago. As always, keep in mind this is just a rumor.


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Work is underway to improve the business system to increase the contribution of the sector in the country’s development.
Work is underway to improve the business system so that the sector can contribute to the country's development.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Melaku Alebel, said that the trade and manufacturing sector is working harder than ever to increase its national growth rate by overcoming the shortcomings of the past two decades.
The minister said although the manufacturing and trade sector is one of the sectors that has been affected by COVID efforts are being made to increase the economic contribution of the sector to the development of the country by fulfilling the needs of the community by establishing an international system to provide the required quality of industrial and commercial services.
- The cost of living should be controlled by controlling the supply and distribution of goods
- Staff of the ministry celebrated the 15th Ethiopia nations, nationalities and peoples’ day.
- Ninety-five percent of the ministry’s staff registered their assets
- Free, Fair and neutral organization is vital for every aspect of development
- The white gold
- Consumers and business community should stand with the government to prevent inflation.
- Leaders and staff of the Ministry of Trade and Industry showed their support for the Ethiopian Defense Forces by donating blood.
- 3.5 million masks will be produced and distributed for free to the public
- Trade white pigeon pea only through Ethiopia Commodity Exchange
- The second integrated agro-industrial parks (IAIPs) project steering committee meeting held at Elilly Hotel.
- work is underway to increase the contribution of our country's salt production to the country's development
- Women's participation needs to be strengthened to achieve sustainable economic growth
- In the next ten years, it is planned to earn 9 billion US dollars from the trade and manufacturing industry
- The Ministry of Trade and Industry is holding a 10-year master plan with the leadership of the Ministry in Debre Berhan
- Mr. Melaku Alebel Received African Business Leadership Awards of the Year 2020
- The Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia announced that the post-production market can be considered as an opportunity for the manufacturing sector.
- The Ministry held a discussion on export trade
- Covid-19 related PPE has been donated to MOTI.
- Manufacturing industry owners should provide the foreign exchange information they generate after production.
- Work is underway to improve the business system to increase the contribution of the sector in the country’s development.


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A new survey suggests the rising cost of living has forced more than half of Canadians to cut costs in myriad ways including by choosing cheaper, less healthy foods and skipping medications.
The Salvation Army released the data today as part of its Christmas fundraising campaign.
Research by Edelman Data & Intelligence suggests a growing number of Canadians are worried about inflation costs, with 52 per cent of those polled reporting food-related budget challenges over the past year. That’s up from 39 per cent the year before.
Among the tough spending choices of respondents, 41 per cent said they bought cheaper, less nutritious food; 21 per cent skipped or reduced the size of a meal; and/or 11 per cent skipped buying a regular medication.
The research was conducted online Nov. 10 to 15 among a nationally representative sample of 1,505 Canadians. It did not include Canadians living in Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
The latest edition of Canada’s Food Price Report released Monday said food prices will continue to escalate in the new year, with grocery costs forecast to rise up to seven per cent in 2023.
For a family of four, the total annual grocery bill is expected to rise more than $1,000.
The Salvation Army poll found 59 per cent of Canadians who recently visited a food bank were first-time users and 33 per cent said they faced challenges managing limited resources in the past year.
A quarter of Canadians polled said they needed to take on an additional source of income.
The polling industry’s professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.


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E3: Virtual reality, indie games take centre stage
CBC's Kim Brunhuber provides an inside look at E3 and this year's gaming industry trends
Through the crowd snakes a procession of costumed characters. There's Scaryman, Hornhead, Captain Something, some sort of morose fish, that guy ... Chances are you'd actually recognize these video game characters if you were one of the thousands like Erica Nelson who came from around the country — even the world — to be here.
"I come every year. This is my Disneyland," says Nelson, before running off to get her picture taken with a huge man wielding two plastic swords.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, runs Jun 16-18 at the Los Angeles Convention Centre and it's not open to the public. Those in attendance are part of the exploding video game industry, here to launch, sell, or try out new games.
Better VR technology
This year's big trend: virtual reality. VR has failed in the past, says Greg Miller of Kindafunny.com who hosts a video game podcast and YouTube channel. But better technology, he adds, means it's here to stay.
"If it was just Sony, if it was just Microsoft, if it was just Oculus, you could push it off as a passing fad," Miller says. "But the fact that everyone here has a headset, everyone here has a game they want to show you, this has legs. And this is only version one. Where it's going to be in two years, three years, four years, a decade? That's what's really exciting."
Cory Smallwood is already excited. He slips off his Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles after trying out Adr1ft, 505 Games' "first-person experience" about an astronaut in peril, and almost seems disappointed to find himself back on Earth.
E3: Sony unveils The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII remake and Shenmue 3 Kickstarter
"At first I was just moving the analog stick, and then I was like 'oh wait, I gotta move my head!'" Smallwood says. "It actually feels like you're in space. And that was dope."
Jessica Blum, who just tried out Microsoft's VR system, agrees.
"Virtual reality's the way to go now."
That's not necessarily what Toronto video game developer Benjamin Rivers wanted to hear.
"Whenever there's really awesome technology that comes out, I panic," Rivers says, smiling.
- E3: Microsoft touts HoloLens, Xbox backward compatibility
- E3: Fallout, Doom, Dishonored latest installments previewed
His game Alone With You is designed to be pretty much the opposite of VR. With its intentionally primitive, purple-and-pink graphics a flashback to the '90s.
"I'm competing with everyone else here on the show floor who's showing off a game," Rivers says. "So if everyone else is making way better stuff than me, I'd better step up my game."
Luckily, his and other small game studios are benefiting from this year's other big trend: the huge growth in indie games.
A couple of years ago when Raphael van Lierop left the multinational video game developer and publisher Ubisoft to start Hinterland Games, the market was completely different.
"It used to be that in order to develop a game or market it and get it to the players, you had to have really large marketing budgets, you need to spend a lot of money on technology," van Lierop says. "So the basic infrastructure to build a game might be a million dollars just to start with."
Now he says The Long Dark, his game about survival in the Canadian wilderness has sold 350,000 copies and has been translated into 35 languages.
"And all from a small studio that's headquartered in Cumberland, B.C., in the middle of the northern Vancouver Island wilderness," van Lierop says with a laugh. "So it's pretty incredible."
Game creation tools
Why is this happening?
Toronto's Nathan Vella, co-founder of Capy Games, says there are more easy-to-use game creation tools on the market.
"The days of trying to find $10 million from a publisher — that doesn't have to happen anymore," Vella says. "People can kind of sit with their friend, just like we did when we started our studio, and build stuff. People have access to game engines that they can learn, to tutorials online, to communities in their cities and wider, and all of that amounts to being able to make your own stuff."
And as in the beer industry, the big companies saw the rise of the small craft industry and want a piece of the action. In addition to poaching indie talent and buying up small companies, they're also supporting the DIY games by incorporating them into their platforms. That means Rivers' game — designed by a handful of people — is now potentially available to millions.
"Now that a game like mine can come out on a Playstation platform, as well as a multi-million dollar blockbuster title, people don't treat them so differently like they used to," Rivers says.
"Now everyone's in the same stores. You would buy your Call of Duty at the same place you would buy my game. And that's a new thing."


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Sunday store opening met with protests in Athens and Thessaloniki
There were protests in Athens and Thessaloniki on Sunday to mark the first day that a new law, allowing stores in 10 parts of the country to open on the last day of the week, was being implemented.
Store employees went on strike and protesters jeered shoppers or clapped them sarcastically as they exited shops in Greece’s biggest cities.
The new law allows stores to open stores to open every Sunday in the centers of Athens and Thessaloniki, on Rhodes, Kos, Syros, Myconos and Santorini, in Halkidiki and some suburbs of Attica.
Unions say the new measure will favor chain stores and may force small, independent shops out of business.


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Mastercard (NYSE:MA) – Stock analysts at Jefferies Group dropped their Q1 2018 EPS estimates for Mastercard in a research note issued on Tuesday, April 17th. Jefferies Group analyst R. El-Assal now forecasts that the credit services provider will post earnings of $1.26 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.30.
Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $188.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $171.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Barclays restated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Mastercard from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $179.78.
Mastercard (NYSE:MA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The credit services provider reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.25 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 31.33% and a return on equity of 83.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.86 EPS.
A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 31.2% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 89,369 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $13,527,000 after purchasing an additional 21,262 shares during the period. Certified Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $2,158,000. D.B. Root & Company LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $211,000. KCM Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter worth about $219,000. Finally, Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB lifted its position in shares of Mastercard by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Xact Kapitalforvaltning AB now owns 193,241 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $29,249,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742 shares during the period. 76.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
In other Mastercard news, Director David R. Carlucci sold 5,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.10, for a total value of $1,089,445.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Michael Fraccaro sold 3,993 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.37, for a total transaction of $692,266.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $928,049.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 45,571 shares of company stock worth $8,174,328. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 9th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 6th. Mastercard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.83%.
Mastercard Company Profile
Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. It facilitates the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing, and settlement, as well as delivers related products and services.
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SCOFF Pop-up will run for an additional four weeks at Avonside,Melksham, after proving hugely popular with people keen to tuck into itstantalising street food offer.
Bringing a diverse range of global street food toAvonside, SCOFF Pop-Up kicked off on Thursday April 8th for an initialfour-week run, which has now been extended until Friday May 28th thanks to itshuge success. Running on Thursday and Friday evenings, the pop-up's offeringchanges each night on a rotational basis.
SCOFF Pop-Up hosts some of the South West's mostexciting street food traders serving up delicious food including smashed beer,lamb or falafel juicy burgers with sides from Boigers,Alpine raclette and tartiflette from Raclette Raclette,and buttermilk fried chicken sando with a signature sauce served in a briochebun from Los Hermanos.
Sophie Bowden, the creator of SCOFF Pop-up, said:"We've had a wonderful reception at SCOFF Pop-Up, Avonside, with peopleturning up on foot, bike and by car to get a taste of the incredible array ofstreet food we have on offer. The atmosphere has been great, with plenty ofpeople ordering as a Thursday or Friday night takeaway treat for the wholefamily. We are thrilled to be extending the pop-up for an extra four weeks andencourage people to keep an eye on our social media channels for details ofwhat's on offer."
Traders are ready to serve from 5pm until 8pm, orsell-out. The street food traders joining the line-up for SCOFF at Avonsideover future weeks will be announced weekly on the SCOFF and Avonside socialmedia channels, alongside special deals. SCOFF Pop-up offers a safe, takeawayservice with COVID measures in place including hand sanitiser on thestalls, contactless payment and social distancing in place.
The tie-up with SCOFF Pop-up forms part of a visionfor Avonside, by owners Create Real Estate, to make the most the town centrelocation and riverside setting to create a vibrant quarter for both leisure andbusiness. Originally built as the home of Unigate Dairies, Avonside is momentsaway from the high street of Melksham and within a 15-minute drive of a numberof surrounding towns. Visitors to SCOFF at Avonside can park for free on site.
Ricky Humphreys, director at Create Real Estate,which owns Avonside, said: "We are thrilled that Melksham has given SCOFFPop-Up such a brilliant welcome. It's the start of exciting things to come forAvonside where our vision is to create a destination for people to relax andsocialise by the riverfront, enjoy amazing food and buy artisan produce. Wewould really like to hear from other pop-ups, unique concepts like SCOFF,exciting start-ups or already established independents offering great qualityfood and drink that are interested in being part of this journey."
SCOFF Pop-up is a new venture set up by localevents director Sophie Bowden, who runs Finzels Reach's much-loved street foodmarket in nearby Bristol. The idea was originally born during lockdown whenstreet food markets were closed and out of a desire to bring the delights ofstreet food to local communities during the pandemic. The concept has alreadyproved to be a great success in Portishead as well as Redland and Clifton inBristol.
Avonside also has a range of versatile business andcreative spaces available on flexible terms. Enquiries are welcomed via thewebsite https://www.avonsidewilts.co.uk/or by emailing firstname.lastname@example.org.
Follow Avonside via the handle @AvonsideWilts on Twitter, Instagramand Facebook.For more information about Avonside, go to: https://www.avonsidewilts.co.uk/
Follow SCOFF via the handle @Scoffpopup on Twitter, Instagramand Facebook.For more information about SCOFF, go to: https://sophiebevents.co.uk/scoff-pop-up.html


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HD clock began ticking, now we've got something to pencil in on our 2008 calendar. According to a new release from DirecTV, the recently launched DirecTV 11 satellite isn't expected to become "operational" (read: start dishing out new HD channels to more subscribers in more locales) until sometime in September. If you'll recall, the same estimate was given last year on the DirecTV 10, though it lifted off several months later (in July) than the D11. Reportedly, D11 is set to "provide capacity for up to 50 additional national HD channels," and if that doesn't get your motor running, you can also look forward to seeing another bird take flight in 2009 in order to offer up space for 200 national high-def channels. Not quite 900 or anything, but we reckon there's still a few years to go.
[Via gadgetell, thanks Keith]


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U.S. Treasury note yields dropped early in the week as investors favored safe haven assets. The bond markets are digesting uncertainty from numerous sources. The Italian government refused to revise their deficit target per the European Commission’s request. In the United Kingdom, key Brexit ministers, including Prime Minister May’s chief Brexit negotiator, resigned regarding the Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan. Investors question whether the resignations could undermine confidence in Prime Minister May’s position. Lastly, in the United States, the Treasury is selling large amounts of U.S. backed debt as the tax cuts have enlarged the Federal deficit. Last week saw a handful of economic data. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.3% in October, meeting consensus estimates. The CPI is up 2.5% from a year ago. Real average hourly earnings, which is adjusted for inflation, declined 0.1% in October, but are up 0.7% in the past year. Retail sales grew 0.8% in October, beating expectations. Retail sales rose the most in five months, bouncing back from September’s hurricane-related decline. Industrial production rose 0.1% in October, versus the consensus expected gain of 0.2%.
Equities were on a see-saw last week. The S&P 500 Index was down -2.8% thru Wednesday, only to pare losses and close last week -1.3%. The discretionary and technology sectors were laggards, while real estate and materials were the only positive returning sectors. Brick and mortar retail stocks were hammered after Nordstrom Inc. (-22% return) and Macy’s Inc. (-12% return) announced disappointing earnings results. The worst performing technology stocks last week were Nvidia Corp. (-20%) and NetApp Inc. (-12%). Nvidia announced quarterly revenue and earnings below market expectations, which caused the stock to plummet on Friday. The advanced computer chip maker pointed to waning crypto-currency demand, which slowed sales and grew inventory. NetApp dropped after revenue was reported on the lower end of expectations. The supplier of flash memory appears to have strong end-market demand in every category but government spending fell which management claimed was a timing issue. Oil dipped below $60 for the first time since February. After reaching $76 in early October, the commodity plummeted down to $55 on Tuesday, only to stabilize and trade slightly higher to end the week. Global growth concerns, a strong dollar, and continued pumping all have contributed to the price drop. As a result, the S&P 500 Energy Index was one of the poorest performing sectors last at a -1.9% return. The worst performing stock in the S&P 500 Index last week was California utility PG&E Corp. (down -36%), which faces significant risks around the potential financial liability from fires in southern California. Edison International, another California utility, was also down -11% last week for similar reasons. Both PG&E and Edison did have large gains on Friday after California Public Utilities Commission officials indicated that it would apply a cap when evaluating fire-related expenses. Looking ahead to next week, investors will be focused on housing starts, consumer confidence and durable goods orders for confirmation of continued economic strength.
Charles and Brian
Securities and Advisory Services offered through Client One Securities, LLC Member FINRA/SIPC and an investment advisor. Sawyer Wealth Management and Client One Securities, LLC are not affiliated.
The views presented are not intended to be relied on as a forecast, research or investment advice and are the opinions of the sources cited and are subject to change based on subsequent developments. They are not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investments.


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In the midst of the holiday cheer this year, you may have noticed longer delivery times and more out-of-stock items, even though you’ve ordered more online than in the past. Businesses and consumers have learned over the past 21 months that the COVID-19 pandemic has created supply chain bottlenecks and hindered delivery times. Companies often have no control over these delays, but a recent $ 950,000 settlement between the State of California and Yeezy Apparel LLC / Yeezy LC (Yeezy) – a clothing and footwear company owned by Ye (formerly Kanye West) – highlights the need for businesses to plan ahead and remain vigilant when promising fast product delivery. Most importantly, online retailers need to work with manufacturing and shipping partners and ensure that confirmation websites and emails accurately convey information. the Yeezy case provides an uplifting story for companies who can promise fast delivery of the products consumers buy online.
On October 21, 2021, prosecutors for Los Angeles, Alameda, Napa and Sonoma counties jointly filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Yeezy. The complaint alleged that Yeezy violated California consumer protection laws when he made allegedly misleading statements. Yeezy allegedly failed to ship the products within the time frame stated on the website, including when customers paid for expedited shipping, and at times failed to ship the products within 30 days of an order. California Business and Professions Code Section 17538 (a), in particular, requires businesses to ship Internet orders within 30 days of payment or take corrective action if they cannot meet the deadline.
the Yeezy Trial
Yeezy reached a settlement agreement in November with the counties. While Yeezy did not admit any wrongdoing, he paid $ 950,000 in civil penalties, attorney fees and a cy pres contribution to the California Consumer Protection Prosecution Trust Fund. the Yeezy the agreement also included an injunction measure. Yeezy and its current or future third-party logistics provider would be required to take various measures to ensure compliance with laws, such as developing a compliance policy, employing a compliance officer, establishing a system for tracking and responding to consumer complaints, and maintaining various methods for consumers to contact the business.
Although shipping delays reportedly started long before the pandemic, the complaint highlights steps businesses should take given persistent supply chain obstacles and the surge in internet sales over the past 21 years. last few months, especially during high volume sales periods like the holidays. As discussed below and alleged in the Yeezy claim, California requires companies to notify customers when they cannot fulfill an order within 30 days to offer a refund, provide similar replacement products, or proactively provide a refund.
Below we outline some preventative steps businesses may wish to take to avoid headaches, many of which are beyond their control.
Keep an eye out for overseas supplies
Companies should create systems to track and update national supplies of products and components. Before the pandemic, companies with finely tuned supply chains often reduced the need for home warehousing through âjust-in-timeâ manufacturing. Companies have often tried to minimize the delay between manufacturer and consumer as much as possible. With container ships anchored outside Atlantic and Pacific ports, businesses face challenges in getting products quickly from shipping containers to warehouses to consumers, or even to their own facilities. assembly plants in the United States that create finished products from components from around the globe.
Coordinate messaging on website and in emails
Companies should also ensure that their manufacturing branches coordinate with website operations. If the business anticipates manufacturing or downstream transportation delays, the retail and internet marketing divisions should timely update website information and communicate accurate information to consumers where possible. . Sellers may also want to notify consumers in confirmation emails that the pandemic continues to cause unforeseen delays beyond the retailer’s control.
Communicate with shipping partners
Transportation providers have taken significant steps to meet the logistical demands of the proliferation of Internet orders since March 2020. Despite increasing capacity and stabilizing online sales in fall 2021, online retailers must prepare for future shipping disruptions. Unknown events such as high and continuous staff turnover rates and new coronavirus variants may impact shipping capacity in the future. Businesses should communicate regularly with their third-party shipping and fulfillment partners when issues arise, or in anticipation of delays, to take corrective action and address customer concerns. Companies that have exclusive contracts with a single shipper and may not be able to use an alternative supplier should be especially vigilant.
Prepare to take corrective action
the Yeezy The case illustrates that internet retailers have little or no control over some of the factors that can lead to pandemic-related delays and other unforeseen delays. refunds or offering written notice of delays with refund offers or equivalent or better substitute product proposals.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect many aspects of American life. Consumers and businesses have no way of anticipating all future events. Supply chain and shipping delays are expected to remain an issue for the foreseeable future. Businesses should take steps to reduce the risk of litigation or enforcement actions related to various consumer protection laws.
 People c. Yeezy Apparel LLC, et al., No. 21STCV38971 (Cal. Super. Ct. LA Cty. 22 October 2021).
 Cal. Bus. & Code Prof. Â§Â§ 17500, 17538; Cal. Civ. Code Â§ 1770.
 Cal. Bus. & Code Prof. Â§ 17538 (a) (1) – (4).


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Doncaster, UK, March 2008: Fellowes, in partnership with BackCare, the charity for healthier backs, has launched Ergonomix, a nationwide month-long campaign that aims to reduce the risk of RSI, back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders by raising awareness of workstation assessments and ergonomics in the workplace.
Not only do musculoskeletal disorders cost businesses £600 million per year and ten million lost work days, but research commissioned by Fellowes, the leading supplier of workspace solutions, shows that 36% of the UK’s office workers have never had a formal workstation assessment, with a further 12% admitting that their last assessment took place so long ago they can no longer remember the advice they were given. With over 75% of employees claiming that they would consider suing their employer over a workplace injury , incorrect posture is no longer an issue that businesses can afford to ignore.
Fellowes and BackCare are leading the fight against workstation illnesses and have set up a dedicated website www.ergonomix.info with detailed information on how to protect your workforce – and your bottom line – by conducting regular workstation assessments and providing ergonomic products.
“Often, a low-cost investment by businesses can help employees avoid potentially costly long-term injuries,” said Dr Dries Hettinga of BackCare. “The ROSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) estimates that workstation related illnesses cost UK businesses £1,000 per employee, per annum . Yet simple information and products designed to provide safe, comfortable and productive working – such as wrist rests and back supports – can cost as little as £10 and won't need replacing for at least three years.”
Louise Shipley, Fellowes’ ergonomic expert, agrees: “With conditions such as thoracic outlet syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, tenosynovitis, tennis elbow and trigger finger, amongst others, frequently attributed to poor posture in the workplace, businesses can no longer be complacent.”
“Fellowes has created a dedicated health and safety toolkit, containing detailed information on how to prevent injury, as well as an interactive workstation assessment CD. This is available free of charge from the website www.ergonomix.info now – order yours, assess your business and be sure to stay protected.”
About Fellowes UK
Fellowes UK is based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire and is a subsidiary of Fellowes Inc. headquartered in Itasca, USA. Fellowes offers an impressive range of products to equip the workspace, including paper shredders, binders and laminators, desktop accessories and record storage solutions. With subsidiaries in Canada, Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, China, Singapore, Japan, Korea and Australia, Fellowes employs more than 2,700 people throughout the world and expects global sales in excess of $700 million this year. For more information, visit www.fellowes.co.uk
BackCare is an independent national charity that helps people manage and prevent back pain by providing education and information through its publications, telephone helpline and local branches. The charity also funds research and regularly campaigns to raise the profile of issues surrounding back pain. For further information, please visit www.backcare.org.uk
Back pain is the nation’s leading cause of disability with 1.1 million sufferers experiencing some form of back pain each year. Department of Health statistics have estimated that back pain is costing the British industry an annual £5 billion and the NHS £481 million each year. Recent research has concluded that children are also experiencing various forms of back pain.
For further information and photography, please contact:
020 7395 7167
This press release was distributed by ResponseSource Press Release Wire on behalf of FleishmanHillard Fishburn in the following categories: Men's Interest, Health, Women's Interest & Beauty, Consumer Technology, Medical & Pharmaceutical, for more information visit https://pressreleasewire.responsesource.com/about.


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Facebook’s Libra set out to transform cross border payments, but died in the hands of regulators. Giants like Amazon and Google have attempted alliances with large banks that have not cracked the code in linking financial services to digital powerhouses.
It is Elon Musk’s turn through Twitter to enter into the financial services sector, but do not count him out. He is a risk taker, but has also had the patience to bring about dramatic change over a long period of time. It may be the difference, as Musk has been able to innovate beyond the digital universe.
Musk also first hit it big as a founder of PayPal. The biggest undoing of these also rans were compliance, something that Musk has had to contend with in his previous ventures.
It is not clear how far “X” will go in the fintech world, but Linda Yaccarino the company’s CEO has stated that payments and overall banking will be part of its future business model backing up Musk’s original vision when he bought twitter. He even spoke at the time of lending capabilities coming in a very short time. It was his initial payout of $180 million plus from PayPal that helped him to launch Tesla, which helped him to buy Twitter.
One of the biggest challenges, however, goes beyond just compliance and regulation. One question will be can Musk and Twitter overcome consumer hesitancy to trust an unrelated brand with financial transactions.
Banks have greater loyalty and trust than almost any technology company. It would be Musk’s greatest triumph yet if he can manage to win consumers and lawmakers, but sometimes first mover advantage is not an advantage at all. It may be good timing on his part, even if the original acquisition of Twitter made the world’s richest man a lot poorer.
Consumer belief, overcoming compliance hurdles, and finally the right banking partners could yield success over the next few years.
Musk said that when he started Tesla that he thought “it probably would not work.” He could be wrong again….


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A My Hero Academia figure will be available exclusively through Loot Crate.
Attention all My Hero Academia fans, Loot Crate has announced an exclusive figures will be available in December.
The My Hero Academia figure is of Izuku Midoriya in his beta costume while striking a pose. It’s only available in Japan but are being made available for the first time in America through Loot Crate during the month of December.
Also during the month of December, Loot Crate is having an Underdog theme and will include items from Black Clover, Saint Seiya and Justice League as well. Fans who are interested can sign up for Loot Crate, the Underdog theme will end on December 29th at 9pm.


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(Pocket-lint) - Samsung might just have the mother of all phone leaks on its hands, with a video appearing online of a supposed Samsung Galaxy S4 being put through its paces.
The phone, which appears to be fairly thick and hefty as well as a touch laggy, has us wondering if it is a development device or the build journalists will be shown at the 14 March launch in New York.
The front of the handset is black, with the other side set in a gloss white - which does appear to agree with the black and white posters currently sitting in Times Square. It also has the same faux brushed-aluminium look as the previous Galaxy S3, and is obviously the same lightweight plastic.
The metallic wraparound seen in Samsung's own Twitter pic this morning is also present on the handset. On top of this, the leaked video clearly shows the Galaxy S4 packing quite a screen, with rumours suggesting a 4.99-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel display to compete with the likes of the Sony Xperia Z and HTC One.
We are fairly impressed by the video, which does appear to be showing an as yet unseen handset from Samsung. That thickness is what has us apprehensive though, so don't take it as concrete evidence of what the new phone will look like.
On the back of the handset appears to be a dual-SIM slot, so this looks to be a variant that will probably have limited global distribution, as well as a microSD option to keep memory fans handy.
The hands-on video also gives the camera a brief whirl which shows some sort of burst mode and new look UI.
Listed as the GT-i9502, the Samsung leak could very well be the new SGS4. It runs on Android 4.2.1, has a massive screen and an AnTuTu benchmark of 26118. There is also mention of a 1080p screen as well as a quad-core ARMv7 processor.
Whatever happens, all will be revealed on 14 March. Pocket-lint will naturally be bringing you coverage straight from the event.


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It only took about seven months, but Google’s Nexus S smartphone is finally getting support for AT&T’s network and a big fat subsidy to boot.
Starting July 24, you can get the Nexus S, with untainted Android 2.3, at Best Buy for $99.99 with a two-year contract. The phone has a 4-inch gently-curved display, 1 GHz processor, 5-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing camera and 16 GB of storage.
Strangely, as TechCrunch‘s Greg Kumparak points out, AT&T doesn’t appear to be involved with the launch. The carrier isn’t selling the phone directly, and Samsung’s press release doesn’t have any of the usual fawning quotes from AT&T executives. Sounds like Samsung worked out a deal with Best Buy to get an AT&T-optimized phone subsidized at least.
As with its brethren on T-Mobile and Sprint, the AT&T Nexus S runs a pure version of the Android software–meaning no superfluous software modifications by phone makers–with no pre-installed, carrier bloatware that can’t be removed. In its heyday back in December, it was the best Android phone around.
Of course, that was seven months ago, and plenty of new phones have emerged with beefier processors, faster network connections and better cameras. AT&T, for instance, sells the Motorola Atrix 4G, which packs a dual-core processor and support for AT&T’s HSPA+ network, and we’re hearing that Samsung’s coveted Galaxy S II will launch in the U.S. next month.
The Nexus S stands apart from these phones because of its pure Android experience, but even that may soon be outdated. Google is rumored to launch a new Nexus phone, possibly called the “Nexus Prime,” this fall with an updated version of Android codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich. If you need the latest and greatest smartphone, I suggest waiting a month or longer. But if you need a pure Google experience right now, and have only $100 to burn, Best Buy will be waiting for you on Sunday.


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Windows 10 officially arrives on July 29, bringing with it hopes that it can revive a PC market in freefall.
Early reactions have been mostly positive, with industry watchers noting that the traditional desktop no longer takes a back seat to a touch-first interface and features like Continuum finally allow Windows two-in-one PCs to shine. Besides helping its OEM partners win back the Windows faithful—and taking a stab at increasing its ranks—the new operating system is a crucial pillar of Microsoft’s Internet of things (IoT) strategy, according to Richard Edwards, principal research analyst at Ovum, an IT research firm.
“Microsoft is pinning its future hopes on Windows 10 too, but this isn’t about recapturing the important mobile operating systems market [which it’s pretty much conceded to Apple and Google]. It’s about gaining a strong foothold in the next multibillion dollar market: the Internet of things,” said Edwards in an email to eWEEK. “Windows 10 will underpin Microsoft’s foray into the Internet of things by providing an operating system and ancillary services for ‘things’ that do not resemble traditional computing devices.”
The Redmond, Wash., software giant is already pouring resources into its cloud IoT services, he noted. Its Azure Intelligent Systems Service (ISS) service helps organizations not only connect to their “things” but also capture and manage the data generated by sensors and smart devices.
Microsoft’s cloud-based IoT technology is also stretching into its business software products, including its Dynamics line of CRM and ERP applications.
“Today, Azure IoT services are comprised of Azure Event Hubs, Azure DocumentDB, Azure Stream Analytics, Azure Notification Hubs, Azure Machine Learning, Azure HDInsight and Microsoft Power BI,” Edwards said. “Microsoft clearly understands that many paths will open up along the IoT value chain, so it is building a range of components that partners can combine, enhance and extend as the market evolves.”
In terms of software that powers those devices, Windows 10 is a chance to avoid a repeat of the company’s costly stumbles in the smartphone market. “Microsoft was caught wrong-footed when Google harnessed the Linux kernel to produce the Android operating system that now dominates the smartphone market, but this time, with cloud-savvy Nadella at the helm, Microsoft is ready for action,” Edwards said.
The price is also right. “Microsoft continues to remind partners and device builders that Windows 10 IoT is free for small devices, and is urging manufacturers to consider the Windows operating system as they build their new, intelligent, connected devices,” Edwards said. “These might range from familiar micro kiosks and home automation units, to new industrial machines, robotic systems and innovative medical devices.”
Finally, the new OS can help serve as an IoT pathway for both mainstream users and the company itself. “For Microsoft, Windows 10—a product that is new yet familiar—is the transit vehicle from the old-world of connected PCs to the new-world of connected things, so market acceptance is of huge importance to the company’s current initiatives and its future prospects,” Edwards said.


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We automotive journalists were a bit shocked when the 2013 RAV4 premiered at last week’s LA Auto Show and neither a V6 powerplant nor a hybrid version was included in the model line. The outgoing model was offered with either a four-cylinder or a 268-horsepower V6, which could propel even the most modest of soccer moms through suburbia at breakneck speeds.
The new RAV4, however, is only offered with one engine option: a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder producing 176 horsepower, which is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Although Ford stepped away from the hybrid line with its 2012 Ford Escape, offering instead even more fuel-efficient four-cylinders, we were sure that Toyota – king of the hybrid – would offer one for its compact SUV buyers.
Delightfully, we’re learning from several sources including Motor Trend, that a RAV4 hybrid is a real possibility. The 2.5-liter RAV4 is estimated to achieve 24 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway. A hybrid version would easily top 40 MPG, which would make it extremely versatile and fuel-efficient.
A potential hybrid wouldn’t be the only electrified variant of the RAV4 on the market. Toyota and Tesla teamed up to offer an EV version of the old RAV4, which is currently on sale. With a range of 103 miles and a recharge time of six hours, the RAV4 EV isn’t for everyone but certainly a step in an interesting direction for both automakers.
If you’re looking for a big hybrid from Toyota in the meantime, the Prius V wagon should do you just fine.
- Muscle cars, trucks, and EVs roared into the subdued 2019 Detroit Auto Show
- The biggest production and concept car debuts at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show
- 2020 Ford Explorer branches out with sporty ST, efficiency-focused hybrid models
- 2019 Toyota RAV4 first drive review
- 2019 Mazda CX-5 First Drive Review