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Google’s outcomes, demonstrating a surge in ad income linked to journey and retail, available a glimpse of online shelling out in a post-pandemic planet: Firms are boosting digital advertising to capture a community eager to resume anything resembling ordinary existence once again.
Google parent Alphabet Inc. reported 1st-quarter income, excluding payments to distribution associates, came in at $45.6 billion, pummeling Wall Road estimates. The firm also unveiled a huge new share buyback, sending the stock up as a lot as 5.5% to an intraday history significant of $2,416.98.
Covid-19 limits have limited travel and journeys to bodily outlets, two essential locations of Google’s look for company. Even so, Alphabet shares are up much more than 30% this calendar year on optimism vaccinations in the U.S. are reviving these routines. The business is also pushing even more into e-commerce, but however lags powering rival Amazon.com Inc.
Even though most important tech companies thrived throughout the pandemic, Alphabet’s effectiveness was uneven. YouTube ad earnings boomed as men and women were being stuck at home looking to decrease boredom by looking at films on the internet. Google’s cloud-computing small business also grew speedily on a spike in demand for net-centered products and services from distant employees. On the other hand, the on the net lookup motor dwarfs these other functions and it endured from a slump in commercial queries for things like flights and motels.
Now, with additional than 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine photographs offered, in accordance to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker, buyers have started off to enterprise out to dining establishments, stores and even getaway locations — and they typically interact with Google providers and adverts in advance of they do.
Ruth Porat, main monetary officer, stated the effects “reflect elevated purchaser activity on the net and broad dependent progress in advertiser income.”
For the duration of a convention simply call with analysts, Porat explained it is unclear how “durable” the modern transform in consumer behavior will be, simply because it will depend on the global pace of the Covid-19 restoration.
Barclays analysts said Alphabet’s lookup and Youtube segments noticed a major share shift from other advertising channels, dampening considerations about Google’s large penetration inside the advertising and marketing sector.
The Alphabet board approved the business to repurchase up to an additional $50 billion of its Class C cash stock.
Main Govt Officer Sundar Pichai is attempting to grow past the promoting engine that generates most of Alphabet’s earnings, though contending with a regulatory backlash that incorporates three federal government antitrust suits targeting unique sections of its small business in the U.S. He’s also preparing to bring workforce back to the business in September.
Lookup and other connected corporations created revenue of $31.9 billion in the to start with quarter. Wall Street estimated $29.9 billion.
YouTube advert revenue surged 49% to $6 billion. Analysts were being on the lookout for $5.7 billion. YouTube Shorts, its competitor to TikTok, logged 6.5 billion day by day views as of March, up from 3.5 billion at the finish of 2020.
The company’s cloud division, led by Thomas Kurian, is wooing corporations and other big buyers in a bid to capture market place leaders Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. Google Cloud earnings jumped to $4 billion, in line with Wall Avenue anticipations.
Executives claimed the Google Enjoy store, YouTube’s non-ad revenue and purchaser hardware were being the top drivers of expansion in the “Google Other” category.
Alphabet’s Other Bets, these types of as autonomous motor vehicles and shipping drones, created profits of $198 million. That division shed $1.15 billion.
Alphabet overall created $17.9 billion of net profits, or $26.29 a share, in the most current quarter, compared with $6.8 billion, or $9.87 a share, a year earlier.
— With assistance by Katharine Gemmell


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Samsung announced their flagship handset, Samsung Galaxy S5 in India last month in March 2014. They gave an expected date for the arrival of the handset in the Indian market as April 11 which they have been able to keep. Samsung Galaxy S5 is the latest iteration in the flagship Galaxy S series have been launched in India for Rs. 51,500 and is readily available from all the leading offline and online retailers across the country.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 as we know features the top notch hardware with the heart rate monitor, fingerprint sensor and water, dust proof certification. Detailed specification set are listed below:
Samsung Galaxy S5 Specifications
- 5.1-inch full HD 1920×1080 pixels resolution Super AMOLED display
- Octa-Core Exynos 5422 (Quad-Core A15 1.9 GHz ＋Quad-Core A7 1.3 GHz) processor
- Android 4.4.2 KitKat
- 16MP rear camera with LED Flash, BSI and Ultra HD video recording
- 2.1MP front-facing camera
- IP67 certification for dust and water resistance
- 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB with microSD
- Infrared LED for smart TV remote
- S Health 3.0, Heart rate sensor
- 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2X2 MIMO), Bluetooth v4.0 LE, GPS, USB 3.0 and NFC
- 2800 mAh Battery
Pricing and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is now available in Indian market from the leading online and retail outlets in all the four color options charcoal Black, shimmery White, electric Blue and copper Gold for Rs. 51,500.

domain: news


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Gymboree to close two locations in New Hampshire
Gymboree plans to close two stores in New Hampshire.
Closing sales at locations at the Fox Run Mall and Mall of New Hampshire will start on Tuesday of next week.
The children's clothing retailer announced the closures Tuesday after filing for bankruptcy last month.
The chain is closing 350 stores across the country, including Crazy 8 and Janie and Jack locations.
View the full list of stores closing nationwide here.


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Travel+Leisure’s readership voted for their favourite wellness retreat in the world and have chosen Santani, Sri Lanka as the best in the world. Santani’s unique and scientific approach to wellness and ayurveda has made it stand out once again, with Travel + Leisure elaborating:
“Built with the belief that human beings heal and thrive when surrounded by nature, Santani Wellness Resort & Spa in Sri Lanka features sustainable architecture and minimalist interiors, designed to preserve its green environment. They have added to the global sustainability discussion by introducing the game changing concept of “Human Sustainability” that drives everything at Santani.
Being located on a 120-acre former tea plantation, surrounded by a lush green forest, makes the resort both secluded and accessible. Sri Lanka’s first full-fledged destination spa resort believes its success relies on encouraging practices that guests can carry home to continue a healthier lifestyle. It offers programmes that are fully customisable to suit your needs, with a combination of methods such as Ayurveda, yoga, spa treatments, and digital detox.”
Aindrila Mitra, Editor of Travel+Leisure India said, “Celebrating the 10th edition this year, we are felicitating trendsetters and trailblazers in the fields of travel and leisure, in addition to our other popular categories. These 10 special categories will felicitate game changers in the fields of conservation, travel photography and storytelling, sustainability, wellness, design, F&B, climate change awareness, community tourism and more”.
CEO and Founder of Santani Wellness Resort, Vickum Nawagamuwage commented on the latest accolade. “We are thankful yet again, especially in times like this, to our guests who keeps coming back and voted us as the best in the world, Travel+Leisure, our travel industry partners, and everyone who banded together to help us achieve this laurel. Special thank goes to the team at Santani. This recognition is proof that we have maintained our sometimes-impossible standards through the worst period for global tourism in recent times. We’re taking this recognition to move forward from the COVID-19 challenge by expanding our footprint globally”.
When asked about what expansion plans were in the pipeline, Vickum said, “the global demand for wellness is growing exponentially and we want to grow the brand through our own properties as well as management contracts. We are also creating a mid-market brand centered around the same unique concepts that made Santani a world class brand. We have already secured several management contracts and are in discussions with other owners/developers to build/operate properties in Sri Lanka as well as globally”.
Recently celebrating its fifth anniversary, Santani has become one of the most celebrated hotels in the world in record speed. The Santani brand imbues purpose into everything from the modern, sustainable architecture to the once-in-a-lifetime gastronomic experience, to the perfect union of modern and ancient wellness methods. Everything that happens during your stay at Santani, happens by design.


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Freer trade with UK would help America, says Trump economic adviser
Britain and the US would both benefit from a new open trade deal, Donald Trump’s senior economic adviser told The Mail on Sunday this weekend.
In a wide-ranging interview, Stephen Moore, a former adviser to Ronald Reagan and a key architect of Trump’s plans to slash taxes, said the President-elect was not an isolationist and merely wanted trade to be fair.
Moore said: ‘I think that a more open and free trade system with Britain would be very much in America’s interests and in Britain’s interests. Trump has told me: “I am not an isolationist. I am not a protectionist. I just want to make sure we have free trade, but fair trade”.’
Tax deals: Stephen Moore is a key architect of Donald Trump’s plans to slash taxes
Moore’s views will add to the already divided opinions over whether Trump’s victory helps or hinders UK hopes for a trade deal. Axel Schafer, a Brexit adviser to the German Government, was reported this weekend saying a UK-US deal was always unlikely but under Trump was ‘delusional’.
Moore hailed fracking as being like an ‘economic cure for cancer’ which had boosted the US. He said: ‘We almost doubled our oil and gas production in the last seven years. We are at the beginning stages of an energy revolution. If the US can do it, the United Kingdom can do it.’
Moore added that a tax deal to lure global companies back from low-tax markets like Ireland was the centrepiece of Trump’s economic agenda and would generate billions to spend on big infrastructure projects.
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Last week, attendees at IBM InterConnect 2017 got to learn more about advances being made in security, cloud and mobile. Through use cases and demos, they saw how emerging technologies are being leveraged in various implementations. One of the hot topics this year was blockchain, the distributed ledger technology underlying Bitcoin that is now making waves in other industries.
The conference may be over, but there are still many resources available. Check out the highlights below to see what you missed or to review your favorite parts.
The blockchain revolution
Blockchain is transforming fundamental business processes and the way people transact. It makes it possible for business partners to exchange digital, or digitized physical, assets without the need for powerful intermediaries. In an interview with @theCUBE (video replay), Don Tapscott called blockchain “the second era of the internet.” He further discussed how blockchain can reshape business in his session (video replay).
In an interview with @theCUBE (video replay), Ramesh Gopinath of IBM said that blockchain “is all about increasing trust in business transactions.” He discussed the fundamental properties of blockchain that make it a “trusted” database. However, if blockchain is to work in enterprise, it must be built on enterprise-grade systems.
In the blockchain keynote (video replay), Jerry Cuomo and Ross Mauri of IBM, talked in depth about blockchain for business. One important aspect is keeping blockchain open, which is why IBM is a founding member of the The Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Project, an open community for defining blockchain software for business.
At InterConnect, IBM announced the new release of IBM Blockchain, the first managed enterprise-ready blockchain service based on the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Fabric version 1.0.
Blockchain and identity
IBM and SecureKey Technologies are working together to tackle tough challenges surrounding identity, another important aspect of blockchain for business. They are developing a network designed to make it easier for consumers to verify their identity in a privacy-enhanced, security-rich and efficient way. In an interview with @theCUBE (video replay), Marie Wieck of IBM and Greg Wolfond, CEO of SecureKey Technologies, discussed identity management and creating trusted networks through the verification of participants.
Blockchain in production
In the welcome keynote (video replay), Leanne Kemp called blockchain “the most transformative technology and exponential opportunity of our time.” She went on to describe how Everledger is operationalizing blockchain technology in the diamond industry. By digitizing diamonds on a shared, distributed ledger, stakeholders across the supply chain can verify the authenticity and provenance of diamonds using a single source. In the blockchain keynote (video replay), Kemp shared the story of Everledger and talked about the future of blockchain beyond the diamond industry. Her talks illustrated how blockchain is not a conceptual technology anymore but is being used in production.
Blockchain and cognitive
Also in the welcome keynote (video replay), Donna Dillenberger of IBM demonstrated how smart contracts created through cognitive technology such as IBM Watson can be used to track compliance of diamonds on the blockchain. She ended with the thought that blockchain paired with cognitive can be used to “outthink problems and accelerate shared discovery.”
Powerful technologies and expertise can help provide better data and help people better understand their situation. As the world contends with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, officials battling the pandemic need tools and valid information at scale to help foster a greater sense of security for the public. As technologists, we have been heartened by the […]
In the past year, the IBM Blockchain Platform has made great strides in providing the most advanced tooling and deployment flexibility for building enterprise blockchain networks. Last September, we released a fully multicloud version of IBM Blockchain Platform software optimized for RedHat OpenShift and able to run on any Kubernetes-based environment. Today, we are excited […]
When we act as a global community to govern and resolve, we rely on openness, transparency, trust and authenticity in tandem with other stakeholders. Technology solutions, like blockchain technology, facilitate openness, transparency and authenticity. The world came to Davos for its 50th Annual Meeting since the World Economic Forum (WEF) has championed the Fourth Industrial […]


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Initial prices and specs for the 2021 Kia Stonic have been confirmed via the company’s local website, ahead of its official launch later this week. The compact SUV will join the Aussie showroom just below the Seltos small SUV.
How many SUVs do we need? Well, according to the sales stats the market demand for small and compact SUVs is growing. According to December VFACTS new vehicle registration figures in Australia, the total small SUV segment (both below and above $40k) reported a 1.3 per cent increase in sales in 2020 compared with 2019. The ‘SUV Light’ segment saw an increase of 14.5 per cent. While these might not seem like huge jumps, most other segments reported a downturn in figures compared with 2019, partly due to the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, the new vehicle industry overall saw a 13.7 per cent downturn.
To answer that question, more. Consumers want more SUVs. And so Kia Australia is launching the Stonic, which originally debuted overseas in 2018 (UK-spec 2018 model pictured). Full details on the vehicle are under embargo until January 22, however, the local website has revealed everything, including a complete brochure, pricing and specifications.
According to the brochure from the public website, two variants will go on sale; the Sport and the GT-Line (a press release that has gone out under embargo also shows an entry ‘S’ model). One of the main differences between the Sport and GT-Line, aside from features and some cosmetic details, is the engine. The base Sport uses a 1.4-litre petrol four-cylinder that develops 74kW and 133Nm. This is hooked up to either a six-speed manual or automatic.
Stepping up to the GT-Line introduces a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine that produces the same 74kW, but with 172Nm. It comes connected with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Both variants are front-wheel drive, and both feature Aussie-tuned suspension with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam rear end.
As standard, the Stonic will come with an 8.0-inch touch-screen media interface incorporating Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, along with in-built sat-nav, a rear-view camera, and a six-speaker sound system. There’s also a 4.2-inch digital display for the instrument cluster for both, and two 12V sockets and two USB ports.
Going for the GT-Line adds a sports steering wheel, alloy pedals, carbon fibre-look trimmings for the dash and silver highlights, along with climate control, dark exterior flourishes, LED headlights and fog lights, and unique 17-inch alloy wheels (the Sport also uses a 17-inch size).
The new model will go on sale tomorrow, with prices starting from the following (excluding on-road costs):
2021 Kia Stonic Sport 1.4L manual: $24,490
2021 Kia Stonic Sport 1.4L auto: $25,990
2021 Kia Stonic GT-Line 1.0T DCT auto: $29,990


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The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play isn’t exactly the best-kept secret in the world, and we have long been clamoring for something official to roll out from the cell phone manufacturer. Nice to know that they have finally come up with an announcement, with the Xperia Play being unveiled officially at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2011.
Having experienced a fair number of leaks already to date, at least Sony Ericsson has taken up the corporate responsibility to have word come out from the horse’s mouth, confirming of its official announcement. We do know that the Xperia Play will come with the Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, a 4-inch touchscreen display, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Adreno 205 GPU, 512MB RAM, a 5-megapixel camera and a slide-out gamepad. Well, time to start saving up if you want to grab hold of this when it is available!


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Given the uncertainty that surrounded the Black Friday graphics card deals in the past few years, you'd be right for wondering if you'll be able to get your hands on a new GPU this year. Thankfully, the drought has come to an end, and the best graphics cards on the market are much more readily available than they were during the pandemic years. If you're still as on-edge as we are, however, you'll keep your wits about you for the next month.
The GPU market has taken a positive turn in 2022. As more and more places around the world have taken deeper steps into pandemic recovery, supply chain and chip shortage issues that plagued the graphics card market have subsided. What's more, NVIDIA's 40 series GPUs are experiencing a staggered release, giving people a chance to get even more powerful cards for their gaming PCs. The RTX 4090 released back in October, and the 4080 is set to release before Black Friday. For these reasons, we have high hopes for Black Friday GPU deals. With a new generation of products releasing, and an end to stock shortages, we're hoping that the 30 series GPUs that have been so elusive in recent years will now be readily available, and much more affordable.
Having said that, we can imagine GPUs being a big ticket item for a myriad of shoppers this November. While we can't say for certain whether stock will hold out, we'd recommend you keep your ear to the ground. While Cyber Monday will certainly throw out some great deals on gaming hardware, Black Friday is the one to watch. Deals have started to appear earlier and earlier in the past, so have your eyes peeled in the week leading up to the 25th of November.
If you're lucky, you might spot a graphics card at a discount price before Black Friday. While we'd always recommend that you wait for the best deals of the year so your money goes as far as it can stretch, if you are still traumatised from years of stock shortages, we wouldn't blame you for buying in early.
Buying graphics cards on Black Friday: price history
If we cast our minds back to a few years ago, we see a generally consistent pattern of graphics card deals. Discounts of between $10 and $30 off are common on more recently released video cards, with the older generation GPUs seeing a slightly larger saving of up to $50 in some cases. This pattern has been consistent with retailers such as Newegg (opens in new tab), even with the GTX 700 (mostly the GTX 750 Ti) and GTX 900 (predominantly the GTX 970 and GTX 980) line as far back as even 2014.
The 2019 Black Friday sales event followed this trend for graphics cards as well. We saw discounts of up to $50 off of the, then, flagship RTX 2070 Super at some online retailers, though it's worth noting that the vast majority of other GPUs hovered at the same price point throughout the majority of November.
In 2020 and 2021, the drought was in full swing. There were essentially no graphics card deals available anywhere online, and shoppers were merely praying for restock news, never mind a discount. With a new generation of NVIDIA GPUs hitting the shelves, we would hope that the RTX 30 series sees some cracking discounts this year. Having said that, it's hard to predict a market that's been so disrupted in recent times.
Back in August, NVIDIA even went as far as to say that it had built "too many" GPUs, and it finally had a surplus for consumers to get their hands on. For that reason, we'd expect plenty of deals, but as always there's a twist. Earlier in the year, cryptocurrencies were seeing a massive boom as NFTs were all the rage. At the time, people were buying up entire rooms worth of graphics cards to mine with. While we don't necessarily think that will be an issue come Black Friday, it's definitely another reason for you to be as vigilant as possible.
In conclusion, we'd recommend waiting for Black Friday GPU deals. With a new series releasing from one of the biggest names in computing components, we'd expect big things. But as with all gaming hardware deals around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, things could get competitive. We'll be rounding up all of the biggest and best offers we come across on our Black Friday GPU deals page, so that's a good article to keep an eye on.
Go for power and portability in your gaming setup for less with the Black Friday gaming laptop deals, and find more reliably available components in your build with the Black Friday RAM deals and Black Friday CPU deals as well.


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Adidas made shoe of recycled ocean wasteStaff writer ▼ | July 7, 2015
Adidas creates world first shoe upper made entirely of yarns and filaments reclaimed and recycled from ocean waste.
Ecology Parley for the Oceans
As founding member, adidas supports Parley for the Oceans in its education and communication efforts, as well as its comprehensive Ocean Plastic Program that intends to end plastic pollution of the oceans.
Parley’s partner organisation Sea Shepherd retrieved the nets after a 110-day expedition tracking an illegal poaching vessel, which culminated off the coast of West Africa.
The concept shoe illustrates the direction adidas and Parley for the Oceans are taking, ahead of consumer-ready ocean plastic products being revealed later this year. ■


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A rose by any other name … Oh wait, those are stink bug eggs.
Through Friday, the eighth Olympus BioScapes Imaging Competition brings images of beauty captured under light microscopes to our museum. The winning images were selected from more than 2,000 submissions and reflect the latest advances in neuroscience and cell biology. Visitors can marvel at the beauty of stink bug eggs, be awed by the iridescent colors of a damselfly eye, and yes, even admire the peony-like splendor of a fruit fly’s ovaries.
And you thought you’d seen everything.
Photo: Stink Bug Eggs by Haris Antonopoulos
Not many people can say they’ve hooked up with the four elements, but NYSCI Librarian Rebecca Reitz is working towards doing just that.
Wielding only a crochet hook, Rebecca will use yarn, beads, seashells and other decorative items to create her fiber art piece EARTH.AIR.FIRE.WATER. The first part of the project will focus on Earth and will be displayed at World Maker Faire, a two-day festival celebrating the do-it-yourself movement.
Rebecca’s EARTH project was inspired by a recent vacation in the Adirondacks. Using yarn with various hues of greens and browns, and lots of improvisation (inventing the patterns as she crochets), she has created afghan squares of various Earth-themed subjects, which will be exhibited at World Maker Faire.
“I like reinterpreting the world in crochet – a medium I love,” said Rebecca. “People find a form of expression that best suits their character, and I found crochet.”
Since she was a teenager, Rebecca has been crocheting a variety of items including hats, scarves, blankets and even some molecule-inspired jewelry. At last year’s Faire, she presented three-dimensional, crocheted mushrooms attached to real pieces of wood. And NYSCI’s Science Technology Library displays some of her yarn-bombing work year-round.
To learn more about her art, hook up with Rebecca at World Maker Faire, which will be held at NYSCI on September 17 and 18.


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ASIA – Leading agribusiness merchant, Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has announced that it will invest in Malaysian poultry and livestock feed company, Leong Hup International (LHI) ahead of planned initial public offering.
LDC said the investment is part of the strategy to diversify and expand overseas and strengthen its position in the feed, food and animal nutrition markets.
Established in 1978, LHI is seeking to list all of its shares on Bursa Malaysia with a goal to raise US$291 million in a scaled-down IPO in mid-May, according to Reuters.
LHI has developed an integrated livestock and feed milling model, with activities in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Its portfolio also includes a branded processed food business and the IPO targets to support its intentions to continue to grow its integrated business model in newer markets, with a focus on expanding upstream operations.
“LDC’s cornerstone investment in LHI’s IPO is in line with LDC’s strategy to diversify further downstream and strengthen our footprint in growth markets by partnering with key players in the feed, food and nutrition value chain,” said Ian McIntosh, group chief executive officer at LDC.
Diversification with an eye on Asia
LDC, which trades in global agriculture, food processing, international shipping, and finance has identified a growth strategy that involves increased vertical integration, diversification through value-added products, as well as investments in innovation.
It targets regional presence through targeted investments, partnerships and joint ventures to accelerate growth.
A major part of LDC’s growth strategy has been in Asia, as it opened a new oilseeds processing plant in Tianjin in China.
Earlier, the company completed the acquisition of Sinarmas Natural Resources Foodstuff Technology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., which owns and operates oilseeds crushing and refining facilities in China.
“The investment cements the rewarding commercial partnership that our two companies have enjoyed for many years,” said Thomas Couteaudier, head of LDC’s South and Southeast Asia Region.
“With poultry consumption in Southeast Asia continuing to grow, the backward integration of a livestock business like LHI provides better cost and quality control, as well as the opportunity for LDC to add greater value along the supply chain.
“This is an excellent fit and supports our mutual growth strategies in the region.”


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Luca de Meo, an Italian who has worked at many European car manufacturers before running Volkswagen’s Spanish brand, SEAT, is being labelled the front-runner to become CEO of Renault, said people familiar with the matter.
De Meo has leadership experience in the automotive industry, diplomatic skills, speaks five languages, has helped freshen the model line-up at SEAT and has lead the company to profitability. De Meo has spent 25 years working for various European car manufacturers including Renault, Toyota, FCA, Volkswagen and SEAT, where he has since remained as Chairman on the Executive Committee.
Renault began the CEO search after removing Thierry Bollore, who held the position for under a year after the arrest of Carlos Ghosn in November 2018. Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard has said that it would be more preferable to make a selection by the end of the year, but it will not be a problem if it takes longer.
While Renault is narrowing the list of candidates, no decision has been made and other contenders remain in the running, said people asking not to be identified over confidential matters. The company will complete its shortlist soon, before submitting it to the board for review, according to the sources.


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Korea’s largest retail group plans to enter Vietnam
This is announced by E-mart at the workshop held in Hanoi. According to E-mart representative, Vietnam is the ideal destination for Korean businesses, including retail services, logistic and appliances. In 2012, E-mart has imported more than 7.88 million USD in commodity products from Vietnam. Meanwhile, online selling revenues of E-mart in Vietnam in 2012 reached 89 million USD.
E-mart is urgently implement activities to open its first branch in Vietnam in 2013 and in 2017, they expect to put into operation 17 supermarkets.
In December 1992, Vietnam and Korea have officially established diplomatic relations. Since then, bilateral trade turnover has increased by nearly 40 times, from 0.5 billion USD in 1992 to 20 billion USD in 2012. Particularly November 2012, Vietnam’s commodity export and import turnover to Korean market reached 5.07 billion USD and 14.6 billion USD, respectively.
(Source: VnExpress, ANT Consulting)


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MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT » NEWS
NewsJun 25, 2015 6:27 AM By MCM Staff
China’s recent move to boost its cross-border ecommerce capabilities will be one focus in this year’s Growing Global conference, taking place July 21-22 in Hollywood. Here’s why you need to be there.
NewsJun 24, 2015 5:25 PM By Daniela Forte
In an email this week, flash sale apparel retailer Rue La La spoke out about the shooting last week at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC in which nine people were shot dead by a lone gunman.
NewsJun 24, 2015 4:09 PM By Tim Parry
Alibaba has announced an expansion of its cross-border ecommerce initiatives, including the launch of 11 official country pavilions on its Tmall Global platform and cooperative partnerships between Juhuasuan, Alibaba’s group-buying platform, and 26 foreign embassies in China.
NewsJun 23, 2015 3:37 PM By Daniela Forte
Amazon saw “skyrocketing” sales of Confederate flags after other retailers decided to stop selling them, spiking an amazing 3,000% in 24 hours.
NewsJun 23, 2015 11:51 AM By Mike O'Brien
To save costs, UPS has begun negotiating with major retail shippers about eliminating discounts for large parcels during this year’s peak holiday season.
NewsJun 20, 2015 4:29 PM By MCM Staff
Amazon is trying to make delivery even faster by turning the U.S. into a Nation of Couriers… Who needs drones when you can have an Uber-like delivery experience? Here’s a look at the news, commentary and events that shaped the direct-to-customer world this week.
NewsJun 19, 2015 2:58 PM By Tim Parry
One-day orders on June 18, the day of JD.com’s Anniversary Sale, increased more than 100% compared to last year. Here’s a snapshot look at the results, which include a jump in mobile orders of more than 60% of total sales.
NewsJun 19, 2015 9:58 AM By Mike O'Brien
UPS Capital, a subsidiary of UPS, has acquired Parcel Pro to bolster insurance of luxury goods shipments.
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CINCINNATI – Vantiv, Inc. (NYSE:VNTV), a leading provider of payment processing services and related technology solutions for merchants and financial institutions of all sizes, announced today that it has been selected by the United States Postal Service to provide a full suite of omnichannel payment solutions. Vantiv’s processing services will support the efficiency, scale and functionality required for […]
NewsJun 19, 2015 9:16 AM By Mike O'Brien
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Forest Grove, Ore. – January 2018 – Lennar is thrilled to announce the official Grand Opening event for their newest community, The Meadows at Silverstone, will be on Saturday, January 27 in Forest Grove. Prospective homeshoppers are invited to attend for tasty treats, refreshments and for the first opportunity to tour the professionally-decorated model homes.
“We’re so excited to present these new homes to the public, which offer a truly connected living experience and the latest in home automation,” said Sia Howe, Marketing Manager for Lennar Portland. “The Grand Opening event is a great time to come see for yourself what our new home automation package is all about!”
The Meadows at Silverstone offers homeshoppers five distinctive floorplans to choose from, with sizes that range from 1,764 to 2,306 square feet, three to four bedrooms with two and one-half bathrooms. These single-family residences showcase Lennar’s new Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ home design which offers built-in wireless access points for strong internet coverage in every room.
Additionally, Lennar has elevated their signature Everything’s Included® package to now offer the latest in home automation products and technology at no additional cost. These include the standard features Lennar is known for, such as stainless steel GE® appliances, granite kitchen countertops and air conditioning, along with integrated home automation products and technology. Homeowners can manage lights, front door locks, music, movies and more — remotely from any smart device or using voice control with Amazon Alexa.
Set in beautiful Forest Grove, new homes in this community are priced starting from the upper $300,000s. The community’s location is situated near the prestigious Pacific University, smack dab in the middle of Oregon’s Wine Country and lies about 25 miles east of downtown Portland.
The event will take place at the Welcome Home Center located at 2027 35th Avenue in Forest Grove. For more information or complete directions, visit www.lennar.com/the-meadows-at-silverstone or call (866) 813-7468.
With hundreds of communities nationwide and homes designed for first-time, move-up and luxury homebuyers, Lennar has grown to become one of the nation’s leading and most respected homebuilders. Lennar has a longstanding history of building homes of enduring quality in only the most well planned and desirable locations throughout the country.


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The International Cocoa Initiative welcomes two new members
Guittard Chocolate and Tony’s Chocolonely are the latest additions to ICI’s family. Both companies operate by the principle of sustainable chocolate production, which includes a fair price for the farmers and high quality for the consumer.
The Guittard Chocolate Company, a family-run, 145 years old chocolate maker based in California and Tony’s Chocolonely, a boutique Dutch company aiming at raising the chocolate bar and producing “a fair and honest chocolate” have joined the International Cocoa Initiative in June and July 2015 respectively.
Guided by the principle of “shared responsibility” ICI counts some of the largest chocolate companies, traders and processors among its members and partners (including ADM, Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Ecom, Ferrero, Hersheys, Mondelez, Mars, Nestle, Olam, Toms, Touton and Twinings), as well as international organisations (ILO, UNICEF), civil society organisations (The Sustainable Trade Initiative, Save the Children – Sweden, Solidaridad, Global March, Free the Slaves, and WAO Afrique) and a trade union (GAWU) from Ghana.
Tony’s Chocolonely’s work is guided by five sourcing principles: 1) cultivate quality and productivity improvement; 2) foster independent partnerships between farmers to stand strong in the chain; 3) purchase all ingredients for a price that provides a living income to farmers; 4) commit to long-term relationships with partners – from cocoa farmer to supplier – to enable investments; 5) provide traceability of ingredients to take responsibility for issues and create solutions.
“As part of our roadmap to create as much impact as possible, we want to inspire others to act and also be inspired to improve wherever possible. Because… hey, we’re not perfect,” says Arjen Boekhold of Tony’s Chocolonely. ”ICI is a great forum with even bigger potential to create long lasting impact through cooperation, and bringing in practice innovative ways to change the industry for the better.”
Guittard’s vision for a sustainable chocolate is one where cocoa continues to grow towards an increasingly viable business venture that, through its success and in-country capacity building, supports the growth of thriving communities, thus honouring and preserving ancient cacao varieties and their unique flavors.
“Strengthening communities in producing countries is the first step in creating a viable and thriving cocoa industry,” says Amy Guittard, fifth generation chocolate maker at Guittard Chocolate. “The child protection focus of ICI links closely with our efforts to raise awareness about the farming communities amongst our customers.”
“We at ICI are proud to welcome two highly-respected and innovative chocolate companies with a clear vision for a sustainable cocoa production,” says Nick Weatherill of ICI. “The coming years are going to be of critical importance for scaling up the collective impact that ICI’s collaborative model promotes.”


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Macmillan Returns to Agency Pricing on E-Books, Plans to Test Subscriptions
In a letter this week to authors and agents, Macmillan CEO John Sargent announced that the publishing company had signed a multi-year contract with Amazon late last week and would be returning to agency pricing on e-books for all retailers, except Apple, starting on January 5, 2015.
Under the settlement with the Department of Justice in the Apple e-book pricing case, the five settling publishers had to allow retailers to offer unlimited discounts on their e-books for the past two years; however, because the publishers were prohibited from negotiating new contracts with Apple for varying amounts of time beyond the two years set by their consent decrees (Macmillan’s term doesn’t end until October 5, 2017), Apple has been free to charge whatever it wants for e-books. Macmillan and Simon & Schuster were in court last week to appeal that decision and are awaiting a resolution.
Pointing to Amazon’s 64 percent market share of Macmillan’s e-book business and the need for broader channels to reach readers, Sargent said that Macmillan would soon begin testing e-book subscriptions despite its previous misgivings that such a move would erode the perceived value of the book. Though the risk remains, he said, “We plan to try subscription with backlist books, and mostly with titles that are not well represented at bricks-and-mortar retail stores.”
Nielsen Children’s Book Summit Highlights Growing Market
The first annual Nielsen Children’s Book Summit, held on Friday, December 12, brought focus to the developing children’s book market and the driving force children and teens have on book buying. The event was co-chaired by Kristen McLean, editor of Nielsen’s Books & Consumers Children’s research and founder and CEO of Bookigee, and Jonathan Stolper, senior vice president for Nielsen Books America.
Some highlights of the event, as reported by Publishing Perspectives, include:
- The children’s book market has grown 44 percent over the past decade, while adult publishing peaked in 2008 and is now on the decline.
- At $151 billion, international children’s publishing is the largest area of content creation.
- For children aged 2 to 10, reading is the number-one leisure activity.
- By age 11 to 13, reading as a leisure activity is surpassed by television and games.
- Sixty-seven percent of teens read for pleasure, with 50 percent preferring print over digital books.
- Teens spend five percent of their leisure time reading, versus 19 percent watching television.
- Book-buying teens are the most likely to own gaming devices and electronic reading devices.
- Forty-four percent of teens report needing to unplug at times.
A group of teens also shared, in real time, their thoughts on books and reading at the “In Their Own Words: Live Teen Focus Panel,” coordinated by Stephanie Retblatt of market research firm Smarty Pants. The teens shared ways to best reach them as readers, in addition to receiving free books: book covers on Instagram, book trailers on YouTube, ads on Facebook, and book covers and highlighted passages on Tumblr.
Cameron Post Wins Again With Help of Kids’ Right to Read Project
Six months after Cape Henlopen School District in Lewes, Delaware, raised issue with The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth (HarperCollins), nearby Sussex Central High School is returning the title to its library shelves following its own controversy.
After a complaint about the book’s use of profanity, a review committee voted unanimously to keep the book in the school’s library. The district’s superintendent accepted the recommendation, but the school board president — Charles Bireley, the original complainant — filed an appeal of the decision, which sent the matter to a December 15 vote.
In a December 12 letter, the Kids’ Right to Read Project stressed to the board that the complainant had “no right to impose those views on others or to demand that the public library holdings reflect his personal preferences,” and urged them to “endorse the recommendations of both the committee and the Superintendent.”
The letter continued: “As a practical matter, acceding to the demands to remove something that one person finds objectionable invariably invites multiple, sometimes conflicting demands to exclude other material.... Nobody has to read something just because it is on library shelves.”
Bireley retracted his appeal just before the vote took place on Monday, ending the controversy and reinstating the book to the library.
Duncan, Ellroy Named Mystery Writers of America Grand Masters
On December 12, Mystery Writers of America (MWA) named authors Lois Duncan and James Ellroy as its 2015 Grand Masters for their achievements in mystery writing. The awards will be presented at the Edgar Awards Banquet in New York City on April 29, 2015.
“I’m stunned and overwhelmed by this incredible honor! To have my own name included on this illustrious list of my idols — Agatha Christie, Ira Levin, Stephen King, Tony Hillerman — is something I could never have imagined,” said Duncan of her win.
Elleroy commented, “This is a splendid honor; it lauds my career to date and spurs me on to stay young, healthy, and productive. The Mystery Writers of America: ever honorable, ever grand in their contribution to the craft of crime writing.”


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The Melbourne pair took a risk by quitting their stable careers and starting their own business later in life. But it paid off.
A Melbourne couple who quit their day jobs to start a new business are now raking in $69,000 a month.
Partners Maia Dodds and Craig Ford, who have been together for 15 years, never could have imagined that their idea was exactly what everyone would need during a Covid-19 lockdown.
Back in 2018, Ms Dodds went to get her hair done on an already busy Saturday and “$400 later, three hours later” she was beginning to wonder if there was a better process.
It was time consuming and costly but the only other option the mum could see was buying do-it-yourself kits from the supermarket that irritated her sensitive skin.
So she and her partner decided to launch their own salon-grade hair dye kits without irritants in the ingredients.
After flying to Italy to create the perfect formula, they launched their e-commerce business The Shade in June of that year.
Business was “slow” at the beginning, Mr Ford told news.com.au, with the couple only making $60,000 in revenue for the first full year.
But then Covid-19 hit and suddenly people were unable or unwilling to go their local salon, and interest in their hair kits exploded.
“Covid gave us a good boost,” he said, explaining how they are now turning over more than their yearly revenue in the space of a single month.
Mr Ford, 54, and Ms Dodds, 46, kept working in their existing jobs until 2019.
The couple sold a property and poured the $500,000 from the sale straight into The Shade to get it off the ground.
They initially had 27 different hair colours and the entire package can fit inside a standard letter box.
As well as the actual hair dye, the colour kits include a bowl, brush, four sectioning clips, a protective cape and a bench mat for new customers.
They also come with a colour tube, shampoo and conditioner, barrier oil, hair colour removal wipes, gloves and instructions.
The Shade operates a subscription business model to help as a reminder for women to colour their hair on a continual basis
To get some traction, Mr Ford and Ms Dodds initially gave out their products in a free trial which “cost a lot of money” but ultimately paid off.
The first year The Shade only made $60,000 but by 2020, that had ballooned into $300,000.
For the 2021 financial year they made $769,000 in net revenue and the Melburnians are now raking in $69,000 in sales every month.
“There was quite a significant jump between those two years,” Mr Ford said.
“Up until Covid hit, we were packing from our kitchen table.”
It was the job of their teenage kids to flatpack the boxes in what became a whole family affair.
Once the pandemic arrived, however, the workload became too much to bear and they ended up moving into a warehouse in Dandenong South and hiring contractors.
The Shade now ships products into the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and New Zealand.
Even with the business taking off, Mr Ford revealed that they are still on a “tight belt”.
“We don’t take a salary, we just draw down on the loan,” he explained.
“When there’s cash flow available, we use just enough to get by.”
It helps “knowing one day it will get to a point where we can draw down more of the loan and treat ourselves to a holiday”, he added.
“That’s why we’re doing a fundraiser, so we can get some funds to totally invest in the business.”
The couple are running an equity crowd-funding campaign through Birchal for the next three weeks to put more cash into the business so they can take it to the next level.
“Speaking of future plans, our goal is to set up Shade colour bars around Australia, using only our products,” Mr Ford explained.
“We think it’s going to be very much cheaper than a traditional salon.
“We have increasingly been getting more inquiries from salons. Our kit we use isn’t so appropriate for them so we are thinking about getting bulk products so we can sell that to salons.”


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Cardiff Blues are certain to be on the right footing for the rest of the Guinness PRO12 and European season - after agreeing an exciting new partnership with The Brogue Trader.
At The Brogue Trader, based within the Morgan Quarter in the heart of the Welsh capital, they understand that, for a true gentleman, a well-fitting, long lasting show is paramount.
The successful family business only stock the very best shoes available to the modern man from historic British brands, such as Joseph Cheaney & Son, Loake Shoe Makers, Herring and Crockett and Jones, plus complementing accessories and fine leather goods.
The fine footwear retailer has now teamed up with Blues for the 2014/15 campaign and is kindly sponsoring first team hooker Rhys Williams, displaying its company logo pitch-side and has become a member of the TWL Sky Lounge on match days.
Matt Church, Sponsorship Manager at Cardiff Blues, said: “We’re delighted that such a successful Cardiff business is getting right behind the team this season.
“The Brogue Trader shares many values with us as a family run business where supplying the highest customer care is absolutely paramount.
“We would encourage our supporters to visit The Brogue Trader in the Morgan Quarter and we look forward to developing our links with them for many years to come.”
Chris Macnamara, Owner and founder of The Brogue Trader said: “I am delighted to be associated with the club and wish the team and in particular Rhys ‘Tank’ Williams a successful season and I'm sure this relationship will continue for many years to come.”
For more information on The Brogue Trader visit www.thebroguetrader.com, follow them on twitter at @broguetrader_ or call 0843 658 1812.


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Intel has announced that its Lunar Lake MX processors will be the first to use TSMC’s N3B fabrication technology for their compute tile. This marks a significant development for Intel, as it is the first time the company will use a third-party process technology for one of its flagship CPUs.
TSMC’s N3B fabrication technology, also known as TSMC’s 3nm FinFET process, is the most advanced semiconductor technology in the industry. It offers significant improvements in power, performance, and area (PPA) over previous process technology generations.
The Lunar Lake MX processors are expected to offer:
- Up to eight general-purpose cores.
- The platform will have four high-performance Lion Cove and four Skymont energy-efficient cores.
- It will also have up to eight Xe2 GPU clusters.
- Additionally, it will have up to a six-tile NPU 4.0 AI accelerator.
- The platform will support both 8W fanless and 17W – 30W fanned designs.
- The processors on the platform will come with 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory-on-package.
- Intel estimates that the Lunar Lake MX design will save 100 to 250mm^2 of space compared to typical designs with memory outside the CPU package.
As said in the post, TSMC’s N3B process technology is likely being used because there is a need to integrate CPU and GPU cores within the same piece of silicon. This poses a challenge for Intel, as they do not yet have a mature 18A process technology. In contrast, TSMC’s N3B process technology has already been proven effective by other companies, including Apple and AMD.
It’s a significant development for Intel to use TSMC’s N3B process technology, which indicates that the company is willing to adopt third-party technologies. This approach deviates from Intel’s conventional method of designing and manufacturing its chips. Nevertheless, it’s essential for Intel to stay competitive in the semiconductor industry.
The Lunar Lake MX processors are expected to be released in 2024.


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PC sales are expected to show only modest growth in 2011 and HP's planned spin-off of its personal systems unit may also add to the uncertainty, according to IDC.
The research firm said that global PC shipments were up 2.7 percent in the second quarter and growth for the year will be about 2.8 percent.
Those projections aren't that surprising since Gartner also cut its outlook for 2011 amid demand for tablets and a slowing economy.
However, IDC added a new wrinkle to the PC sales mix. Jay Chou, an analyst at IDC, said "the proposed spin-off of HP's PC business has also contributed to uncertainty in the market." In other words, corporate IT buyers and channel partners are re-evaluating HP's prospects. That fact means that PC sales may take a hit as buyers weigh alternatives---a period that could take weeks to months---or decide to hold off on upgrades. In addition, HP is the top PC vendor so any drop-off in sales is going to affect the industry overall.
Overall, IDC sang a familiar PC tune:
The PC industry lacks compelling offerings.
The economies of the U.S. and Europe are sluggish.
Enterprise spending is holding up and emerging markets look strong.


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Stocks discussed on the in-depth session of Jim Cramer's Mad Money TV Program, Wednesday January 4.
Many voters and shareholders are wondering which presidential candidate will be the best for the stock market. Cramer thinks the main force that has made the market so volatile is uncertainty, and once this uncertainty is resolved, stocks will be more stable. The stock market has been strong under President Obama, but the one concern is that if he is re-elected the EPA might clamp down more harshly on the oil and gas sector. Gold will be worth buying on an Obama victory as well as MLPs and some steady retailers like Ross Stores (ROST) and TJX (TJX). While few of the other candidates have spoken about business, a Romney victory will be good for a wide range of stocks, and perhaps banks could be owned again, as well as industrials.
Cramer took some calls:
Mosaic (MOS) should be up more, but has been missing quarters. Deere (DE) is a good agriculture stock, but Cramer doesn't think food inflation will propel this sector upward; "I think food inflation is going to be benign this year," he said.
Exxon (XOM) has been a "serial buybacker" for many years, and it hasn't been a great strategy. Cramer doesn't recommend Exxon.
Commercial Metals (CMC) is an inexpensive stock, but Cramer isn't expecting stunning results on the upcoming quarter.
Diamond of the Dow: Kraft (KFT)
In a volatile year, the Dow finished up 5.5% (8% with re-invested dividends) for 2011. While some advocate buying the "Dogs of the Dow," these underperformers kept performing badly. Cramer's strategy is to look for diamonds of the Dow, or those Dow stocks that have been executing well and should have continued upside. Kraft (KFT) is the largest packaged food company in the U.S. and its products are in 99% of American households. Kraft has seen a 17% gain in the past year, and it is planning to split into two companies: a high-growth global snack company, called Snacko, and a more steady, consistent grocery products company, Groceryco. The snack company will contain its original snack and candy brands as well as those acquired through Cadbury, and will yield 3.1%. The grocery company will have a dividend of 5% and will sell familiar household brands like Maxwell House, Planter's Peanuts and Kraft cheese. While the two companies look similar, they have very different distribution channels and growth prospects. The breakup is expected to happen by the latter half of 2012, but investors should buy Kraft in the meantime, and its recent strong quarter inspires confidence.
Cramer has been devoting a segment a day this week to discussing top performers in the Dow, S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. On Tuesday, his pick was Cabbot Oil & Gas (CAG) which rose $5 on Wednesday on news of aggressive production growth and a raised dividend. On Wednesday, Cramer compared Alexion (ALXN) and Ross Stores (ROST) which rose 78% and 50% in 2011 respectively.
1. PEG Ratio. This compares the price to earnings multiple by the growth rate. Alexion sells at a high multiple of 43 but with a 35% growth rate. Ross Stores has a multiple of 14.9 with an 11% growth rate. Alexion's PEG ratio of 1.2 and Ross' ratio of 1.4 make them appear pretty similar, according to this metric.
2. Takeout potential. Alexion has a $13 billion market cap and Ross' market cap is $11 billion. There are not a lot of buyers for a retailer like Ross, but with Alexion's niche market in orphan drugs, it has much greater takeover potential.
3. Pipeline. Ross can expand its store count and take market share from other retailers, but Alexion's pipeline is more exciting, with multiple uses for its current drugs and new treatments in Phase 3 awaiting approval.
4. Dividend. Ross yields 1.8% and Alexion doesn't yet pay a dividend, because it spends a significant amount on research and development.
Cramer thinks Alexion is better than Ross Stores, but ALXN wins "by a hair."
Cramer took some calls:
Covidien (COV) has a better short-term catalyst than Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), but if the latter "gets its act together" it might be preferable as a long-term investment.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) may be a buy for those who have strong conviction in its cystic fibrosis drug.
Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS: Trade right alongside a Wall Street pro! Start your 14-day FREE trial today.
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Analyst: iPhone 5 Launch Was Basically Epic
Most analysts were disappointed by the iPhone 5 sales figure released by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) this week, even though the total of 5 million units over three days was a record for the company’s smartphones. Investors responded by suddenly losing confidence in the company’s stock, taking $16 billion off Apple’s market cap at one point on Monday. However, according to Topeka Capital’s Brian White, the market completely misread the significance of the sales figure. The analyst has insisted in a note to investors that it was, in fact, an “epic launch” by the company.
Don’t Miss: Is This Apple’s Sly Move to Hurt Rivals?
“[The] iPhone 5 pre-orders were a blowout and double the iPhone 4S,” White wrote in the note on Tuesday, explaining that the sales figure represented a 100 percent year-over-year growth for the iPhone 5 compared with the 67 percent the iPhone 4S had seen last year. White added that pre-orders were related to demand and not to supplies. He was also impressed that pre-orders for the device sold out in an hour compared to the almost complete day its predecessor had taken to do the same.
Predicted shipment delays for the 4S, launched last October, also only reached one to two weeks, compared with the three to four weeks Apple is citing for the iPhone 5. In addition, White said “most Apple stores sold out of the iPhone 5 soon after the phone’s store launch, while that had not been the case at the time of the iPhone 4S debut. The analyst said his surveys found the new phone was sold out at approximately half of the U.S. Apple retail stores by Saturday and at 80 percent to 85 percent of them by Sunday evening.
White has a $1,111 price target for Apple stock, the highest on record for the company by a mainstream analyst.
Apple has been a huge winning stock pick for Wall St. Cheat Sheet Newsletter subscribers. Don’t waste another minute — click here and get more of our CHEAT SHEET stock picks now.


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Honor may soon get its Android license back. Freed from Huawei, the Chinese brand escapes the American sanctions initiated in 2021. In this context, the firm would again be authorized to install Google applications and services, including the precious Play Store, on smartphones in its catalog.
Huawei has just announced the resale of its Honor subsidiary to a consortium made up of around 7000 Chinese companies, Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology. The deal is accompanied by the transfer of 12,8 employees from Huawei's offices to the premises of Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology. Most employees will simply have to sign a new contract. This transaction, estimated at XNUMX billion euros, aims above all to free Honor's teams from American pressure.
In May 2021, decree signed by Donald Trump blacklisted Huawei. Under the pretext of protecting American national security, the government banned the builder from the United States. De facto, Honor himself found himself on the blacklist and excluded from the American market. The two firms were banned from collaborating with American companies or using technologies from the United States.
On the same topic: Huawei would launch its own chip factory in China to bypass US sanctions
Soon 5G Honor smartphones with preinstalled Play Store?
Like its parent company, Honor was quickly deprived of an Android license. Without this license granted by Google, the brand is no longer authorized to preinstall Google Mobile Services on its smartphones. Concretely, the brand's new smartphones came out on the market without Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail or the Play Store. To download applications, Honor users must go through APKs or App Gallery, the store developed by Huawei. Likewise, Honor has integrated HMS (Huawei Mobile Services) into the Magic UI overlay of its subsidiary's smartphones.
Freed from Huawei, Honor is theoretically able to file a request to recover his Android license. As Honor is no longer on the blacklist, there is no reason for Google to refuse to give him back his license. To ensure that its former subsidiary is no longer under pressure, Huawei also specifies that it no longer owns any share and “will not participate in any business management or decision-making activity in the new company Honor”. For now, Honor and Google have not commented on the issue.
In the same vein, Honor is once again authorized to trade with firms that rely on American technologies. The firm must in particular be able to place an order chips for 5G smartphones from Qualcomm. For its part, Huawei does not always have the right to buy 5G SoCs from the American foundry. Despite an easing of restrictions, the Chinese group must be satisfied with 4G components.
In theory, everything seems to be fine for Honor following the transfer. However, the Chinese brand will now have to produce smartphones without relying on the technologies, software expertise or innovations developed by Huawei. Even if Honor has several research and development laboratories, one is entitled to wonder about the evolution of the brand. “It is not easy to part with Huawei. Software and hardware research and development is expected to slow down. Honor is only an independent brand and lacks technology ”testifies an employee of Honor, whose words are relayed by the Financial Times.
Towards new sanctions against Honor?
Moreover, Honor is not yet pulled from the clutches of the United States. Following the sale, Honor is essentially owned by a consortium owned by the Chinese government. The city of Shenzen is thus one of the shareholders of the coalition. Arguing that Beijing risks placing backdoors in the brand's products, the US administration could again blacklist Honor. Independent from Huawei, Honor therefore remains in the crosshairs of the American authorities in view of its proximity to Chinese power.
For the time being, and in the absence of official information, these are still only theories. To reassure its users, Honor published a statement on Sina Weibo, the Chinese social network. The brand ensures that Honor customer service is not affected by the sale. Likewise, Honor customer accounts will continue to function. Finally, the brand is committed to guarantee software monitoring of smartphones running Magic UI. We'll tell you more as soon as possible. While waiting for more information, feel free to give your opinion on Honor's resale in the comments below.
Source : Financial Times
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South Africa has a shining new fence and it’s guarded jealously. The razor wire runs along forty kilometres of the border with Zimbabwe by the slow curve of the Limpopo River. It’s designed to keep their neighbours to the north at a safe distance. ITV News joined the troops who patrol it, clamping down on a cross border trade that has been a way of life – indeed the only means of making a living – for many people for years. One officer tells us they’re returning hundreds of migrants every day. "Those who want to sustain their families, they cross on the river," says Brigadier General Edward Mulaudzi. "Those who want to do business, they cross on the river. Those who are coming here for medical purposes, then they cross on the river."
It’s the dry season and the mighty Limpopo is reduced to large expanses of sand. The greatest danger used to come from the crocodiles which lurk in the remaining pools of water. But now travellers must watch out for the beefed up army patrols as well. Last month, 2,000 Zimbabweans were arrested on the southern side of the border. Covid has made the illicit crossing both riskier and more urgent. While Zimbabwe has officially escaped the worst ravages of the pandemic – with fewer than 250 deaths recorded – the economic isolation has been catastrophic.
At one point inflation surged beyond 700 per cent. The essentials of life are in short supply or priced beyond most pockets. At the border, stopped by the South Africa army, ITV News met a forlorn looking Tatenda Moyo.
"I cross to buy food and fuel," he tells us. "Back home, there’s no employment. And food in Zimbabwe is too expensive." He’ll try again tomorrow. He has no choice. Nor does Soames Ndlovu, who tries to cross illegally every day. "I have a wife and two children. I used to come and carry bags for people and earn enough to buy food in South Africa but now it’s very tough. "In Zimbabwe, some of the shops have food, but your money won’t buy you anything."
We meet Soames at Beit Bridge; the official customs point. There’s a long queue of lorries waiting to cross. Essential goods are allowed in – but the process is slow. Yet it is a lifeline for those who can afford to import their weekly groceries, those with relatives in South Africa.
In Johannesburg, Patricia Chawoma is entrusting a carefully wrapped parcel to one of the courier companies that travel to Harare, seven hundred miles to the north. There are beans, canned vegetables and long life milk for her three children in Zimbabwe.
"They trouble me. Keeping phoning day and night. ‘Mamma we are hungry. We have nothing’," she says. "But I can’t manage to send them every time." The courier costs are equal to the cost of the groceries – all paid for out of her meagre salary as a shop worker. But still much cheaper than buying in Harare. As the Covid pandemic subsides, authorities on both side of the border are under pressure to ease travel restrictions.
And for Zimbabweans, hunger is a far greater menace than the virus.


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Last night's Adventure Time episode was entitled The Suitor, what did you miss? A Peppermint Butler-centric episode (!!! well sort of), infatuation versus legitimate affection, and male entitlementwaitwhat? There wasn't as much Peppermint Butler as I would've liked, but it delivered heavily in the controversial feels; like all great television, it forced audiences to draw lines in the sand that they might never have otherwise.
Playing used games is going to get a lot more complicated if you decide to move on up to the Xbox One. According to Wired, who got a chance to demo the console prior to today's reveal, every game you buy will have to be installed to the hard drive before you can play it.
On its official Facebook page, Bungie has confirmed that Destiny will be coming to the Xbox One. This is the second next-gen version of Destiny to be confirmed since its Playstation 4 reveal in February.
The Japanese Film Festival of San Francisco is the first fully dedicated annual Japanese film event in the California Bay Area. On Monday, the J-POP Summit Festival announced that they would be holding the event this year from July 27 to August 4, 2013. The festival will feature Shinsuke Sato and the U.S. premiere of his live-action Library Wars film.
There's a short, new Man of Steel trailer out, and after watching it, one thing's for sure: General Zod really wants Superman for... some reason. Also, there's some heat vision and punching, which are always nice. Check out the preview below, Man of Steel lands in theaters on June 14.
Hold onto your slingshots! The 2009 Angry Birds video game, with over 1.7 billion Smartphone downloads to date, is getting a 3D movie. Sources have informed The Wrap that veteran Emmy winning screenwriter, Jon Vitti, will be penning the script.
Well, this Arkham situation just got a heck of a lot more confusing. During the Dallas Comic Con, veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy announced that he would be appearing in a future installment of the Arkham series.
The theatrics are over (for now), but information regarding the Xbox One continues to flow. Microsoft President of Interactive Entertainment Business spoke to Geoff Keighley after the event, and stated that a new IP from Black Tusk will be revealed at E3.
if you plan on getting the Xbox One well, here's some good news. The official Assassin's Creed's Twitter account has confirmed that Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will be available on the Xbox One.
There is some exciting news for Xbox fans and just flat out console lovers everywhere. During its Xbox reveal today, Microsoft confirmed that its new Xbox One console will hit stores worldwide later this year.
After waiting for so what seems like forever, well at least to me, a new official trailer for The Wolverine has been released. The film is based on the celebrated comic book arc that takes Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to modern day Japan. He is out in an unknown world and faces a nemesis in a battle of life-or-death that will leave him changed forever.
According to an update on the ThreeA Production Blog, their highly detailed figures of Atlas and P-body from the Portal franchise will be up for pre-order on May 25th, 9 AM Hong Kong time at www.bambalandstore.com.
Activision is continuing its partnership with Microsoft, and has officially announced that all future Call of Duty DLC will launch on the Xbox One first, offering the system a small exclusive window.
Updated with trailer and behind the scenes video.
343 Industries and Steven Spielberg were on hand to announce that Halo will be turned into a TV series. After the success of the webseries Forward Unto Dawn, it seems like the next logical step. It wasn't quite clear what role Spielberg would play, but if he's throwing his support behind it, it seems like a pretty promising project.
So it looks like the Xbox One does actually play games! Not just that, but Microsoft has decided to show of some new titles, including Remedy's Quantum Break. Although, I'm not really sure what this game is about.
Updated with trailer.


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Good morning, everyone, and how are you today? We are just fine, thank you, although rushing about as we juggle a busy day of speaking, meetings and the usual whatnot. So please join us as we quickly quaff cups of stimulation and run for a train. Hope your day is smashing and you conquer the world. Meanwhile, do stay in touch …
Novartis reached deals with two insurers, Aetna and Cigna, on a so-called performance-based price for the new Entresto treatment for heart failure, Reuters says. The agreement is one of the few such deals that have been made public by drug makers and managed care companies, which are increasingly looking for ways to link the price of a drug to specific health outcomes in hopes of reducing spending on prescription drugs.
Pfizer disclosed its new management lineup as the drug maker plans for the closing later this year of its $160 billion purchase of Allergan, Reuters writes. Geno Germano, group president of Pfizer’s global innovative pharma business, will be leaving while Bill Meury, executive vice president and president of branded drugs at Allergan, will become group president of the new unit, which will be called global specialty and consumer brands.
Eisai, which is one of the largest drug makers in Japan, has agreed to sell active pharmaceutical ingredients to domestic generic drug companies, according to The Nikkei Asian Review. The move comes as the government wants generics to account for at least 80 percent of medications by 2020. For its part, Eisai expects to generate billions of dollars a year in sales between now and then.
Johnson & Johnson violated the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations, The National Law Review tells us. While there is no monetary penalty, the company will not be eligible for a 25 percent reduction for any violations that may occur over the next five years. The US Treasury Department noted that the head of J&J’s mideast unit did not have sufficient compliance training at the time the infraction occurred in 2010.
Sanofi stock slid to its lowest level in two years after the drug maker disclosed that profits will not grow much this year due to competition for its best-selling Lantus insulin, Bloomberg News reports.
The US Food and Drug Administration has rejected more than 13,000 products made in India and more than 15,000 from China between 2010 and 2015, The Times of India says.
Biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing in the US is now as hot as any time in the past 10 years, according to Outsourcing Pharma.
Many of the largest US pharmacies are now mail and specialty businesses operated by pharmacy benefits managers and payers, such as CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth, Drug Channels reports.


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Science fiction no more; e-commerce evolves
SOMETIME in the foreseeable future, your “intelligent” refrigerator will be able to order milk, eggs, cheese or any food online once it detects that existing supply has turned critical. While going shopping, your favorite clothing brand will immediately know your size as soon as you pick a design and a wearable device will confirm biometrics and authorize payment.
These are among the e-commerce solutions that may be part of day-to-day living as the Internet of things permeates across the world, global payment technology solutions provider Mastercard demonstrated during its Innovation Forum 2015 held recently in Kuala Lumpur.
While cash is still king in most parts of the world today, digital payments are seen gaining traction and payment technology is evolving from swiping to tapping and soon, to biometrics. The traditional point-of-sale (POS) terminal—one which merchants use to swipe our cards for either credit or debit transactions—will soon be a thing of the past.
The transformation is already happening, in some parts of the world faster than the others but nonetheless exhilarating. The age of the smart phone makes it all possible.
Mastercard’s digital payment platform MasterPass, for instance, allows consumers to use any payment card or enabled device to go beyond plastic and discover enhanced shopping experiences that are as simple as a click, tap or touch—online, in-store or anywhere. This platform can be used to facilitate payments in transactions made through the many apps that are now emerging in cyberspace.
In some markets like Singapore or the United Kingdom, for instance, the Pay-at-Table app enables consumers to check in at a restaurant and pay the bill directly.
Asia-Pacific, home to 60 percent of the world’s population, is widely expected to set the agenda for global online retail in the next five years as e-commerce innovations attract more of the region’s young and tech-savvy consumers.
“Asia Pacific’s e-commerce trajectory has been nothing short of explosive, and with a growing consumer base that is twice as likel, to buy online than any other group in the world, the opportunities are endless,” said Sam Ahmed, MasterCard group head of Marketing for Asia Pacific.
The Asia Pacific middle class is projected to expand to over 1.7 billion people. The region’s three most populous nations—China, India and Indonesia—are seen by Master Card to be the top countries of e-commerce growth in the next two to three years.
Based on a paper presented by MasterCard’s Ahmed in Kuala Lumpur, here are the 10 key transformations driving e-commerce in the region:
- Mobile devices will be the door to High Street.
“The mobile screen will be a retail destination, opening up access to supermarkets, marketplaces, boutiques and niche stores,” Mastercard’s paper said.
But it was also pointed out that securing prime real estate on the home screen is critical, as this is where the war for the consumer will be fought.
“On average, smartphone users regularly access only 26.7 apps per month out of more than a million available for download. From air tickets to Air Jordans, the consumer is spoilt for choice, equipped with the ability to browse through billions of brands and products at the swipe of a fingertip,” it said.
Beyond consumer goods, other digital experts also expect smart phone apps to shift their focus from entertainment purposes like games, music, video and e-book to local services like life services, group purchases, taxi, travel and food services. In the future, mobile devices can also become a tool for financial analysis, professional consulting, bonus points exchange, personal loans, transfer and remittance, mobile payment, outlet inquiry and personal wealth management. In China, for instance, mass media, entertainment, Internet and mobile phone services firm Tenpay Ltd. has started offering mutual funds through mobile phones.
- Familiarity breeds consent.
“Merchants that use transaction data in a secure and intelligent way will unlock the trust of the consumer. People will be able to choose to only receive offers that are relevant and of value to them. Companies that get the equation right will be given permission to access more touchpoints in people’s lives.”
- Marketing will bring magic to micro-moments to drive transactions.
“Advertising as we know it will be replaced by campaigns that respond to people’s immediate mental and emotional states. With the Digital & E-Commerce Engine, MasterCard is already seeing the effectiveness of similar targeted, real-time strategies.”
- You’ll never shop alone.
Increasingly, consumers’ purchases are being influenced by what they hear from their peer group and the age of social media has made this feedback-sharing real-time. Trust a horrible consumer experience to be the talk of the town in no time.
“Consumers will browse, rate and recommend products and services with friends and followers at all times. We already see an increase in partnerships between merchants and social platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest that make each shopping moment shareable with one-click. This taps into the growing dominance of influencer and peer marketing that consumers are growing accustomed to, “ the paper said.
- Data will drive intent.
“We will be prompted to shop for things even before we know we need them. Fridges will generate shopping lists based on consumption patterns and preferences, and your location will serve up the best deal for dinner. Shopping will be one component of a much larger digital ecosystem. Data gathered from operating systems and mobile devices will inform what we buy, when we buy and who we buy from.”
- Service and rewards will be the killer apps.
“Comparison shopping will make price tablestakes. The merchants who deliver on their brand promise in a personalized and emotionally engaging way will earn the dollars and loyalty of consumers. Reward systems and CRM (customer relationship management) programmes will become critical for sustainable success.”
- Every retailer will set up a digital shopfront.
“Merchants of all sizes will be able to afford the assurance of secure payment transactions. Financial data management will be democratised by integrated operating systems developed by companies like MasterCard.”
- Security in a heartbeat.
“The use of biometric data from mobile and wearable devices will ensure constant identity authentication. This is already being explored with the use of facial recognition and electrocardiogram (ECG) technology.”
- The consolidation of digital wallets.
“With digital payments being progressively integrated on mobile phones, there will be less need to subscribe to a range of digital wallets (there are over 20 in India alone). Payment technology like MasterPass is enabling consumers, issuers and merchants to leapfrog to a secure digital payment network. This is happening through cutting edge technology in digitization, tokenization and authentication of card information. At the same time, big digital players like Apple, Samsung and Android are using existing payment networks like MasterCard, integrated into their card-on-file systems.”
Tokenization is a way of safeguarding sensitive data like bank accounts and financial statements by creating layers of alternative numbers. In credit card processing, for instance, the primary account number is replaced with a surrogate value called a token so that the user would not have to worry even if he lost his mobile.
- Faster checkouts, less fraud.
“The consolidation within the digital payments industry, and the innovations in digitization, tokenisation and authentication will mean that consumers experience a seamless checkout experience. This will also mean that merchants will not need to hold huge amounts of personal payment data which is making them a target for fraud.”
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The entire world is always looking for better ways of doing things; this explains why blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are gradually going mainstream.
Ford Motors Catches Crypto Fever
According to reports, a subsidiary of Ford motors has been given the go-ahead by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), to build cryptocurrency-powered cars.
These unique vehicles will enable users to carry out cryptocurrency transactions and get to their destinations in a super fast manner.
The Ford team calls the system CMMP (Cooperatively Managed Merge and Pass). Ford applied for the patent since 2016; however, the USPTO just granted Ford Global Technologies the exclusive license this month.
Ford has explained that CMMP is simply a crypto-powered ecosystem that is focused on making people arrive at their destinations faster by bypassing traffic gridlocks. It’s a vehicle-to-vehicle or cars-to-cars communication world where cars of members of the platform communicate with each other regarding traffic jam with the help of GPS.
The system also tracks and obtains driver data. Some parts of the patent read:
“The CMMP system operates with individual token-based transactions, where the merchant vehicles and the consumers’ vehicles agree to trade units of cryptocurrency.”
While this is an excellent innovation in itself, there may be some concerns however concerning how people’s personal data will be stored. Because favorite social media platform, Facebook got into trouble recently for improper handling of user data, Ford may likely pay close attention to this sensitive area.
The patent further explains that users of the system are given “preferential lane access” in times of traffic gridlock, allowing them to meander in and out of the congestion for a crypto price.
“Merchant vehicles voluntarily occupy slower lanes of traffic to facilitate the consumer vehicle to merge into their lanes and pass as needed,” the patent explained.
Merchant automobiles receive the CMMP tokens as rewards for helping users of the platform overcome traffic gridlocks.
For example, a driver of a consumer vehicle which is running late for an appointment may request to pass any participating merchant vehicles for duration of 10 minutes on a particular road or highway for 60 CMMP tokens, at a rate of 10 seconds preferential access per token.
If the Ford crypto vehicle project comes to life, it will undoubtedly boost adoption of virtual currencies, especially if the platform integrates other established cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum.


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WASHINGTON — This morning, two economists from the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) will testify in a U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) hearing on how tariffs benefit American workers, domestic producers, and the U.S. economy. The USITC hearings will focus specifically on the Section 232 tariffs on specific industries, and the Section 301 tariffs on selected imports from China. In their testimony, CPA economists Jeff Ferry and Amanda Mayoral will describe how tariffs benefit U.S. national security and the U.S. economy, and why they should be maintained. Read Ferry’s and Mayoral’s prepared testimony here.
Additionally, CPA Trade Counsel Charles Benoit, along with Ferry and Mayoral, filed a pre-hearing brief to the USITC that documents how CPA members have benefited from the 301 and 232 tariffs in particular. The pre-hearing brief details 12 separate sections outlining the benefits of the 201 tariffs on specific sectors. Read it in full here.
The hearings are part of an USITC investigation into the impact of the Section 232 tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum and the Section 301 tariffs on certain imports from China. The USITC has invited a wide range of experts from industry, trade associations, and academia to offer their views.
CPA has cited benefits from Section 301 tariffs for U.S. production in diverse industries, including agricultural products, seafoods, minerals, chemicals, and others. In today’s hearing, CPA economists will highlight the impact of tariffs on the solar module manufacturing industry, where U.S. producers have gained market share as a result of the tariffs, while solar module prices continued to fall. They will also focus on the steel industry, where Section 232 tariffs contributed to industry growth and led to a 77% increase in earnings for the average steelworker.
“The global overcapacity in the steel industry, driven by China’s excess capacity of 400 million tonnes, is an ever-present threat to the western steel industry,” CPA Chief Economist Jeff Ferry will testify. “Implemented in early 2018, the 25 percent tariffs were the trigger for an unprecedented period of growth in the U.S. industry. A broad-based wave of capital investment followed, as the major steelmakers committed more than $10 billion to build new mills in Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, and elsewhere… Today, we have a choice. Under the bogus flag of “free trade,” we can continue to manage our economy to allow the high-value industries like steel to leave our shores and be replaced with ever more big box stores and fast food restaurants, or we can take action to ensure the growth of the high-value industries like steel.”
“Right now the solar industry is giving way to this trend as imports dominate the solar market and force firms to lay off workers or shutdown entirely. Removing tariffs will only exacerbate this situation and undermine our energy security needs,” CPA Economist Amanda Mayoral will testify. “Individual U.S. firms cannot compete against the collective resources of countries like China which provides free land, cheap or slave labor, subsidized loans, major tax breaks and major subsidies, adding up to hundreds of billions of dollars over the last thirty years, according to experts. These conditions make U.S. workers compete with slave labor, such as the slave labor camps in the Chinese Xinjiang province. Tariffs will never compare with these forms of market intervention. Eliminating tariffs would only undermine the current U.S. market. Facing issues like climate change, we need to build a strong renewable energy sector, which includes a resilient solar industry and supply chain. Tariffs are a necessary but insufficient measure to achieving this. Tariffs should be part of a comprehensive industrial strategy that targets the entire supply chain and focuses on quality rather than just the quantity of jobs.”
Read the full testimony of CPA Economists Jeff Ferry and Amanda Mayoral here.


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France. Cheese. Wine. Sounds like the perfect combination, right? But have you ever stood in a wine or cheese store in France and been so overwhelmed that you simply don’t know what to choose? There are something like 400+ cheeses (and wines???) in France so choosing one can be challenging especially if you don’t know […]
- a post by Neil Phillips On Friday, May 9th the winners of the 2014 Ontario Wine Awards were announced at a gala evening in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Founded by Tony Aspler in 1995, the program was designed to highlight the quality wines coming out of Ontario. Two decades years later, one could argue that little […]
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Word on the street is that 3Par is ready to be embraced by Hewlett-Packard. As the epic HP-vs-Dell bidding war stands, Dell has till today to counter HP’s latest $30 per share bid for the cloud storage company.
Following the thread, it seems clear that 3Par management prefers (or preferred) Dell. The company accepted Dell’s initial $18 per share bid. Fast forward, after HP upped its bid to $24, Dell came back with $24.30 which 3Par again accepted.
Some think Dell is a better home than HP–which fields a confusing array of storage offerings from StorageWorks to HDS to LeftHand Networks’ iSCSI lineup and has struggled to pull all of that together into a cohesive lineup. Storage watchers say Dell, on the other hand, did a good job pulling EqualLogic into the fold. Of course, Dell’s storage picture is also somewhat complicated by its alliance with EMC.
If 3Par ends up spurning Dell, it will have to cough up $72 million (up from the $53 million laid out in earlier offers.)
One reseller who is allied with HP and who has watched this drama unfold said Dell, when it upped HP’s bid by a wan 30 cents blew it. “I laugh at that puny 30 cents,” he said.
“Who at Dell forgot they were bidding against HP? If this was a poker game they just blew it,” he said.


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Luxury-Electric Automaker Lucid Motors to Launch its Much-Anticipated IPO Next Week
【Summary】The shareholders of special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Churchill Capital Corp IV have approved its merger with luxury electric vehicle startup and Tesla challenger Lucid Motors, paving the way for the company’s much anticipated IPO next week. Shares of Lucid Motors will list on the Nasdaq beginning on Monday July 26, 2021.
The shareholders of special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Churchill Capital Corp IV have approved its merger with luxury electric vehicle startup and Tesla challenger Lucid Motors, paving the way for the company's much anticipated IPO next week.
As part of the merger with Lucid Motors, Churchill IV, whose shares of common stock, warrants and units are currently listed on the New York Stock Exchange, will delist. Shares of common stock and warrants of the post-combination company, renamed Lucid Group, Inc. Units will no longer trade separately.
Lucid shares will listed on the Nasdaq beginning on Monday July 26, 2021 under the ticker symbols "LCID" and "LCIDW," respectively.
Lucid Motors is one of the most talked about electric vehicle startups since Tesla went public in June 2010 and its IPO will be closely watched by investors looking for the next big thing in the EV space.
Lucid was founded in 2007 as Atieva Inc. by former Tesla executive Bernard Tse and entrepreneur Sam Weng. Atieva originally planned to build batteries and electric powertrains to sell to other automakers, but in 2016 the company decided it would be best to build its own electric vehicle.
With its pending IPO and strong investor interest in EV companies and related stocks on Wall Street, Lucid Motors is well positioned to be a formidable rival to segment leader Tesla, which rose to become the world's most valuable car company last year.
As a publicly listed company, Peter Rawlinson will continue to lead Lucid Motors along with the Churchill IV's leadership team. Rawlinson is an auto industry veteran and former Tesla employee. He worked under Elon Musk as Chief Engineer of the Tesla Model S before joining Lucid Motors in 2013. He serves dual roles as both CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors.
"We are thrilled to complete our business combination with Churchill IV and become a public company," said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors. "Lucid has further increased its momentum as we gear up to make the first customer deliveries of our Lucid Air lineup of electric sedans later this year. We are making significant investments in the long-term growth and innovation of our company, and we will continue to bring to bear world-class technology to positively impact mankind's transition to sustainable mobility."
In May, Lucid announced the hiring of key executives ahead of its planned IPO, including former Waymo Treasurer & Head of Investor Relations Sherry House, as its new Chief Financial Officer. Lucid said that House will bring her "deep understanding of financial operations for both Fortune 500 and emerging companies."
Lucid's first vehicle is the ultra-luxury Lucid Air sedan. It will compete with high-end electric models from Tesla, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and Porsche. The top of the line Lucid Air Dream Edition, which is already sold out, will have a range of over 500 miles and produce up to 1,080 horsepower from its advanced electric, all-wheel-drive powertrain.
The more mainstream version of the Lucid Air called the "Air Pure" is available to reserve now with a starting price of $77,400, before any EV tax credits. Deliveries of the Lucid Air are planned to begin later this year.
Rawlinson said in the past that the ultra-luxurious and high-performance Lucid Air Air sedan will be the "world's most advanced electric car" and will define Lucid Motors as a company.
All Lucid Air models will come with 3 years of free charging from EV charging operator Electrify America.
"Lucid has built an incredible EV with superior, race-proven technology. We are excited to complete this combination and our significant investment in Lucid as it disrupts the EV market, continues to create excellent jobs for thousands across the U.S. and advances sustainable mobility for the benefit of the planet," said Michael Klein, Chairman and CEO of Churchill IV.
The Lucid Air sedan will be built at Lucid's newly constructed factory in Casa Grande, Arizona. The company calls the facility Lucid AMP-1, which stands for "Advanced Manufacturing Plant." It's also the first U.S. auto factory built from the ground up solely for electric vehicle production.
In July 2019, Lucid Motors hired Peter Hochholdinger from Tesla to serve as its Vice President of Manufacturing. While at Tesla, Hochholder oversaw the production of the Model 3, Tesla's first mass-market electric car.
Rawlinson said that Hochholdinger's experience in manufacturing will help the company to launch the Lucid Air and other luxury electric models in the future. The company is also planning to deliver its second electric vehicle, which will be a luxury battery-powered SUV. It's currently in development at the company under the code name "Project Gravity."
Lucid Motors was well-funded prior to its forthcoming IPO. The company received a $1 billion investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) in 2018, but its upcoming IPO could bring a huge influx of fresh capital.
No doubt that investors will be closely watching Lucid Motors as its looks to take on Tesla and others in the premium electric vehicle segment.
Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.
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