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This is the new Sao Paulo alternate jersey 2020, Sao Paulo FC’s new secondary shirt for the 2020/21 footy season. Made by Adidas, the new SPFC away shirt was officially unveiled by star striker Alexandre Pato on social media site Instagram on May 20, 2020.
The jersey is a tri-coloured one, featuring red, black and white on the jersey. The stripes do not however go all the way around the back, as is oft the case with kits released these days. Continue reading
If reports from the papers are to be believed, Watford have decided to switch kit partners from Adidas to Kelme beginning the 2020/21 season. The new Watford Kelme shirt deal will be for a period of four years, which will see the Spanish sportswear brand outfit the Hornets for the 20/21, 21/22, 22/23 and 23/24 seasons.
Adidas were reportedly paying Watford £750,000 a year, and this is set to significantly improve under KelmeKelme, who are prepared to offer the Vicarage Road outfit as much as £2.5m (almost four times as much). Watford have been with Adidas since 2017, when the German brand replaced Dryworld Industries.
This will be Kelme’s first foray into the English top flight- they currently provide kits for the likes of EspanyolEspanyol and Alaves in La Liga. Continue reading
Ayr United have inked a new kit deal with Hummel that will see the latter make uniforms for the Scottish Championship club beginning the 2020/21 season. The new deal was officially announced today (March 24, 2020) and brings an end to the club’s six year partnership with Adidas. Danish firm Hummel will now supply shirts for the next four seasons (2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24). The club also chose this occasion to unveil their new home shirt- the first as part of this new deal. It will be paired with black shorts and white socks.
Hummel had announced a deal with Kilmarnock last month and have now brought Ayr, who have previously been known for using models in body paint to reveal their kits, on board.
The value of the deal was not revealed, but the club have said it’s a record contract. Continue reading
This is the new Northern Ireland away kit 2020/21, NI’s new alternate strip for international games in 2020 and the upcoming 20/21 season. Made by Adidas, the new NI away jersey was officially unveiled on 16 March, 2020.
The jersey is predominantly white with a navy collar and mint trim on the sleeves. It will be paired with navy shorts with mint detailing on the sides and mint socks with navy trim.
Northern Ireland finished third in their Euro qualifying group behind Germany and the Netherlands, which earned them a playoff tie away against Bosnia. The winner of that playoff will square off against the winner of the other playoff semi-final (Slovakia vs Republic of Ireland), which could potentially mean a NI vs ROI final in Belfast. Continue reading


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Cereal bars and other similar foods are filled with large amounts of sugar and glucose syrup.
Some, such as Fruit Bowl Strawberry Fruit Flakes, sold in supermarkets including Tesco, are 69 per cent sugar.
Health experts called on the food industry to cut the amount of sugar it uses, in the same way that it has focused on reducing salt and saturated fat.
Prof Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said: “Sugar is a cheap commodity and is used in bulk in a lot of foods.
“There needs to be pressure on the industry to produce foods which have a lower sugar content.”
Manufacturers said that often the snacks contained naturally occurring sugars from fruit, as well as refined sugar.
Tesco Healthy Living Forest Fruit and Raisin bars are 50 per cent sugar, while Kellogg’s Fruit Winders Doubles, described as “all the goodness of fruit, with the great taste of a sweet” are 37 per cent sugar.
Another Kellogg’s product, Kellogg’s Special K Fruits of the Forest bars, are 39 per cent sugar, a higher proportion than contained in Coco Pops.
By contrast Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream contains only about 20 per cent sugar.
The Food Standards Agency defines a high sugar level as 15g per 100g and a low amount as 5g in 100g.
The Fruit Bowl Fruit Flakes have almost 14g of sugar in a 20g bar.
Health experts warn that too much sugar can cause tooth decay and could increase the risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
A spokesman for Fruit Bowl said that the majority of the sugar in the company's fruit flakes came from fruit.
A spokesman for Kellogg’s said: “Seventy per cent of a Fruit Winder is pure fruit. We also add sugar, just as you would when making jam, to help it set from fruit pulp into a fruit chew.
“However, one Winder still only contains just over a teaspoon of sugar, with half of that coming from the fruit.”
Tesco said that a Forest Fruit and Raisin bar has only 95 calories and contains only 15 per cent of the recommended daily intake of sugar.

domain: news


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Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizers expands the production of a promising product
Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizers (part of Uralchem) is increasing the production of the universal granular nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
The ammophos workshop No.1, where at the end of 2020 the company launched the production of NPKS fertilizers of various brands with a capacity of up to 200 thousand tons per year, mastered the production of a new brand NPKS 8:20:30:3. It’s already being produced in the ammophos workshop No.2 and is highly demanded in agriculture. At the end of the first half of 2021, the output of NPKS 8:20:30:3 doubled compared to the same period up to 141.5 thousand tons.
Pilot testing at the site of the ammophos workshop No.1 took place in early August 2021. During the pilot operations, the workshop produced over 6 thousand tons of products, which fully meet the established technical norms and quality standards.
“The tests for the production of a new product were carried out according to the plan and in full accordance with the set tasks,” said Alexander Nikolaev, Head of the ammophos workshop No.1. “We have proved that in case of such a need we will be able to quickly switch to the production of NPKS 8:20:30:3 fertilizer and produce this product with high quality and in the required volumes.”


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Eva Herzigova claims her top beauty secret for lightening her locks is pouring vodka on her hair.
Eva Herzigova used to lighten her hair using vodka.
The stunning supermodel claims she poured shots of the popular party drink on her tresses to brighten her blonde locks and insists the remedy really works.
Speaking to France's Marie Claire magazine, she said: ''[Do I drink vodka every night?] My only daily dose of vodka was the one I used to use to lighten my blonde hair... it really works!''
The 40-year-old beauty also revealed that lots of rest is the secret to her youthful appearance.
She added: ''My best beauty tips? Never get too much sun, drink a lot of water, lots of rest, and feeling loved!''
Meanwhile, Eva insists the fashion industry has changed for the worse since the height of her fame in the 90s and believes models today have become carbon copies of one another.
She explained: ''Nowadays, girls all look like store window mannequins, that's what you're asked to be. Pretty but with no charisma. Before, they were extraordinary women and their imperfections made them beautiful.
''Everyone had their own personality. They formed legendary couples: Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere, Stephanie Seymour and Axl Rose... Now everyone looks so similar, the era of supermodels is over... It's sad.''
Eva remains one of the most respected supermodels, having featured in the world famous 'Hello Boys'' Wonderbra campaign in 1994.
The Hollywood duo - who have children Violet, nine, Seraphina, six, and Samuel...
Suzi Perry, the BBC’s official Formula 1 correspondent, has emerged has a possible...
New judge on ‘The X Factor’ Rita Ora has revealed that she couldn’t say no to Simon...
The Rolling Stones are set to celebrate their long career as a band next year (2016) with their first exhibition at London's Saatchi Gallery.
The star makes his superhero debut in the upcoming movie.
The ‘Game of Thrones’ actress has given some hope to Jon Snow’s legions of fans.


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Coffee’s sustainability journey can be supported by the B Corp framework
Dear Green founder Lisa Lawson explores how the industry can be more sustainable and why it’s not always easy having ‘green’ in your name. A guest blog written for United Baristas as part of their 'Looking forward to 2022' series.
The past two years have been dynamic. Our recent experience at Glasgow-based roastery Dear Green includes being the most heavily locked-down UK city at the height of the pandemic, followed by the most anticipated global climate change summit and simultaneously the most intense centre of activity for environmental activism. And all of this just before the annual period of mass-consumerism known as Christmas! Having been immersed in these happenings, it’s difficult to do anything other than want to encourage further action and change.
Dear Green is named after the city of Glasgow, our home and now the home of the Glasgow Climate Pact. It is often presumed that by having ‘green’ in our name that we are environmentally friendly. We wish that was a resounding ‘yes’. When Dear Green launched in 2011 we weren’t wanting to label ourselves as anything other than a quality-focused roaster of specialty coffee. But despite us always working to keep our impacts to a minimum, how could we be ‘green’ when we sell a product that travels thousands of miles, is roasted using fossil fuels, sold in disposable packaging, before often being served in a single-use cup and consumed with milk, be it dairy or otherwise! For all of the environmentally-conscious practices and responsible sourcing within the specialty coffee industry, we all have to face up to our obvious shortcomings.
With COP26 coming to a close last week, our answer to being green now has to be an unquestionable ‘yes’. Not just for us, but for every other roastery, cafe, business and industry as well. We have to show our commitment to change, we will see the results both in our carbon footprint and in our financial performance – something the pandemic has prompted a greater awareness of. The Covid lockdown helped us to focus our efforts, to simplify operations, to travel less and to consider more. COP has engaged us, taught us and highlighted the climate emergency and the need for group action.
Businesses with a zero waste mantra are opening in every city while pledges for net zero are following suit, our own included. Coffee packaging is being looked at across the supply chain by both policy makers and consumers for its recycled content, recyclable status, reusability as well as its compostable and biodegradable properties. There are as many greenwashing options as there are science-based facts and indie businesses are working to find their best way forward.
Our journey at Dear Green is by way of the B Corp framework, a growing movement which is informing and inspiring every decision in our roastery. B Corp is a third-party audited certification which we are proud to promote and share our experiences of in order to collaborate and create greater collective impact.
We are all part of an unofficial group of coffee professionals globally who define ourselves through the pursuit of excellence in coffee. We promote quality coffee and improving the quality of life for those who produce it. For this very reason we should all be putting climate change at the top of our agenda.
We need to speed up the trend towards decarbonising our industry, with less reliance on offsetting (which relocates our problem) and more focus on carbon reduction. This ensures that we can take greater responsibility for our actions and ultimately for the devastation wrecked on some of the poorest countries, including those where our coffee crops are grown. We also need to more openly engage with those communities that are underrepresented, particularly those in our very own supply chain.
The uncertainty of the pandemic has taught us that a sustainable coffee business model is good business. Looking ahead, it’s clear that systemic change is required, and urgently. From the smallest roastery to the multi-national companies, the clock is ticking. We are competitors in this industry but we can work together to ensure coffee is good, for good! Let 2022 bring change. Let 2022 be the year where we truly respect the environment and ultimately the ongoing existence of coffee, the endangered crop which we all love so much.


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Extremely elated on the occasion of launching EMOCOIN, the first Crypto Coin combined with Utility Services in India, Sachiin Sharma, Marketing Head (South East Asia EMO DAO) said in a press statement that EMOCOIN is the future of digital currency. While he released the EMOPAY ROADMAP, he emphasized that EMOCOIN is true democratization of Digital Currency which will empower individuals to participate in a Decentralized Economy enabling people and businesses to conduct trustless, anonymous, and secure transactions globally built on the cutting edge blockchain, cryptography and peer-to-peer technology. Explaining the roadmap further, Sachiin Sharma said that the Emocoin ecosystem will allow users to have access to countless products and services that any individual requires in his daily life including Crypto Wallets, Currency Swap, Web Browser, Exchange, Staking, Loans, Payment Gateways, Retails, Entertainments, Healthcare and many more. Emocoin a futuristic digital product of EMO DAO with the brand name EMOPAY is set to attract smart people to have a smooth ride in the digital financial world.
As a first, EMOPAY is the latest potential crypto coin. Counting the benefits, Sachiin Sharma said that Emocoin has no third-party risks; it is transparent, quick, and smooth; it does not necessitate any need for capital reserve; it has a secure deposit management and on top of all it has automatic execution of terms with no mediators. Being asked about the services that will be associated with Emocoin, Sachiin replied that major sectors are Education, E-Commerce, Real Estate, Travel, and Healthcare besides many others.
As far as the investors are concerned, Emocoin staking is going to be a magnificent way to increase an investor’s investment that would be sitting in his wallet. Once an investor has staked his Emocoin, he can earn staking rewards on top of his investments and grow them further by compounding those future rewards smartly. Speaking further he said Emo staking is very simple and accessible with the smallest of investment and anyone can start the program by investing only 500 EMOs which will add extra security to the system. The investors will surely be rewarded based on their tenure. Staked EMO can be used to provide loans to borrowers and help generate income for lenders creating a revolution in the financial market.
“In fact, Emocoin is an upgrade that will include the addition of smart contracts to the Emocoin blockchain using the Chain Key cryptography, technology that removes the need to use a bridge,” Sachiin said in the press statement.
Recalling the journey of Emocoin he said that the development of the EMO Wallet began during September-December, 2021 when Victoria (Mascot) was launched. During the same period EMO Pay i.e., Third Party payment Gateway Integration API, began.
Focusing on the new Roadmap, Sachiin Sharma enthusiastically explained the plans. As per the new Roadmap, EMO DAO is soon going to launch in May 2022 the facility of Recharge of Prepaid Mobile and DTH services in India. He was extremely happy to share that the very first Test Trial would be conducted in India. Come June and you will find EmoSwap, a peer-to-peer buy/sell facility and launch of the EmoPay Android Mobile App. July 2022 will see booking of flights, hotels, buses, rails, fastags, and metro cards along with LUCKY-7 an interesting game. With the onset of monsoon, pre-sales will start for EmoValley, a Decentralised Mixed Reality Real Estate Project. Followed by this to amuse the Emocoin Owners, Emo Poker Game will be launched in September 2022. EMO DAO is set to launch EMO Swap (Exchange) and NFT Marketplace and work in this direction is in full swing. This is going to be another futuristic burst that may take the investors by awe.
Quarter beginning from October 2022 shall see Gift Coupons Purchase like Amazon or Flipkart gift coupons, and believe it, it will be another revolution in the digital world.
Sachiin said that they are taking the Emocoin to such levels where no exchange would be required. Terming this Roadmap as a 6-month roadmap, he said that the onslaught of the next half of 2023 is bound to see Blockchain by EMO DAO.
Before talking on the 2023 plans, Sachiin said that his company believed in bringing 100% utilization of the currency that empowers all of our products and services to bring credibility, accountability, agility, and freedom to Emocoin owners who will be empowered to participate in the decentralized economies.
“All transactions carried out in the near future in all our portfolios will be through Emocoin, directly or indirectly. We will be working for continuous innovation and development to strengthen this link and it will help us to connect with our users and growth of the ecosystem” said a confident Sachiin Sharma. Speaking again on EMO Staking he clarified that Staking in Emobank is a program that includes purchasing and freezing EMO in the system for specific tenure where participants will be remunerated by Earning EMOs according to their staking tenure. He further stated that by freezing these coins, the participants will become a part of the organisation’s security framework and support in the development of the project, and increasing the price valuation of the currency. The freezed EMO in the staking program will be utilized in giving loans to the borrowers and generating income for lenders, he reiterated.
Sachiin invited investors who have cryptocurrency lying around to utilize it and make more. He advised them to lend the same to borrowers globally with ‘borderless lending’ and get higher returns than typical bank deposits peer-to-peer lending free from geographic and economic constraints.
Highlighting the EMO Lending Platform, he said that it is an online stage that permits investors to loan their crypto in return for interest mutually agreed between borrowers and lenders in a ‘Smart Contract’. Explaining it further he said that borrowers that need actual cash, for example, USD or EUR, that will take credit through these stages in return for interest. Similarly, he said, that loan specialists, normally called financial backers, that have some crypto lying around might want to produce easy revenue from it.
While concluding, Sachiin Sharma said that the biggest challenge in the financial sector is a Lack of Trust. With banking organizations being extra stringent in their lending procedure, time, costs, and hassles of obtaining a loan are forcing consumers to marketplace lending. He said that borrowers face high costs, complex procedures, lengthy approvals process, access to information, storage of personal data, trustworthiness, access to funds, lack of transparency, and strict lending criteria.
“It is time to listen to the consumer, appreciate their needs, empathise with their concerns, and address them with SMART Goals. If we use the research available to us, adopt the latest technology, and combine the passion with innovation, we can create a suite and service to better cater to consumer demands. By bringing the core function of finance on the blockchain we can vastly improve and future proof services, with the help of smart contract” said Sachiin calling it a huge opportunity.


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February 17, 2015
HSM has released its latest Motor Trade Investment Bulletin and reports that yields in the motor trade investment market have exceeded all expectations in 2014, driven predominantly by a high volume of car sales, and resulting in a narrowing of the yield differential between manufacturer and national dealer covenants.
A healthy 2015 is predicted and HSM reports that strong regional dealer groups at yields of at least 6% offer the best opportunities for investors as prime yields fall to 4.5%.
2.4 million cars were registered in the UK during 2014, the fourth largest total of all time and the highest in a calendar year since 2004. This represents a market growth of 9.3%, which has had a knock on effect on for the used car market and after sales operations, greater security of income for investors and an increasing need for manufacturers and dealers to acquire larger sites.
Richard Harding of HSM comments: “The motor retail industry remains buoyant with a trend from occupiers towards larger sites as trading volumes rise across all parts of the business. An overly congested site is proven to have an adverse effect on the operational success of a dealership.
“Brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen ideally now want sites of between 2.5 and 3.5 acres and, where prime positions in conurbations are at a premium, sometimes look to locate after sales operations away from the main dealership facility. However, the overall requirement remains for a traditional glass fronted showroom with main road frontage, despite the advance of the digital-savvy consumer.
“In line with the wider investment market, yields in the motor trade investment market advanced further than anticipated in our last report in April 2014. Investors continue to be attracted to the sector due to the availability of long leases, often incorporating some form of guaranteed rental uplift, the covenant strength of tenants and strong underlying site values.”
The recent sale of the new Honda facility in Orpington to CBRE Global Investors for approximately £5,650,000 set a record net initial yield of 4.35% and is evidence of how yields have strengthened, particularly for the best opportunities. Prime yields have fallen to 4.5% with a narrowing of the yield differential between manufacturer and national dealer covenants.
This transaction followed a previous landmark sale, the leaseback of three prime dealerships in East London, Milton Keynes and Colchester by Lancaster Plc. The East London property is under construction and will be a flagship facility for Porsche. The portfolio was purchased by F & C for a price of £24.15 million, representing a net initial yield of 4.88%. This is the first time a sub-5% yield has been achieved for a dealer group covenant and there was competitive bidding for both deals.
Richard Harding adds: “We envisage continuing high levels of interest in the sector. Strong regional dealer groups at yields of at least 6% particularly offer good opportunities for capital growth, with the potential upside of covenant improvement through corporate acquisition.”


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The Big Debate: Could the UAE ever have its own Silicon Valley?
25,000 products, 3,300 companies, 83 countries, 130,000 visitors. Gitex 2008, organisers claimed, would shrug off the global economic typhoon and emerge triumphant. Certainly this is possible and Gitex has always proved that the technology sector is no exception when it comes to Dubai’s reputation as a regional enterprise hub. But many would challenge the idea that the UAE can become the Silicon Valley of the Middle East – in other words, they would argue the UAE has little chance of becoming an innovation hub. Silicon Valley, California, is known as a centre for the development of new hardware, software and technology products and while it does not have the monopoly on invention, it has an established history of the technological, in both the private and public sectors. Dubai, for example, could be thought of as the ideal platform to regionally launch such products given its reputation for consumerism. But some would say the emirate cannot boast the infrastructure or skill-base needed to build competing alternatives for these products. However, others may point to Silicon Oasis, Dubai’s glimmering centre of semi-conductor and micro-electronics manufacture. They may say that if you consider that the technology park is host to the Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai (RIT Dubai) – an academic institution committed to training the next generation of engineers – then you must allow for the possibility that this is a fledgling Silicon Valley. By Stephen McBride business24-7.ae


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Cheshire West and Chester Council has created new charging points across the borough using dual-socket fast GeniePoint chargers, installed and managed by Engie EV Solutions.
These charge points are at car parks in Chester, Ellesmere Port, Frodsham, Neston and Northwich, close to areas where residents lack off-street parking.
The Council says the cost of charging an EV will be keenly priced to encourage people to make the switch.
Council company Qwest Services in partnership with Engie will deliver the project, using funding from the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and a Government Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) grant, along with match funding from the authority.
Also, at the Council’s Canalside Operations Depot in Ellesmere Port, up to 28 Council electric vehicles will be able to fully charge overnight and a further pair of rapid chargers will be available at the nearby Canal & River Trust’s National Waterways Museum.
These will give a full charge in as little as half an hour. As well as servicing the Council’s electric fleet, the Waterways Museum chargers will also be available for use by local businesses.
Maria Byrne, Director of Environment and Communities at Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “The charging points have been installed and will be connected to a power supply ready for use around mid-May.
“The rapid chargers at the Boat Museum are in a prime position for use by businesses along the M53 and our facilities in car parks can benefit both residents with no private driveway to install their own charging facilities, as well as shoppers and visitors.”


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(Updated 1/29/2020) Several new stores and eateries plan to expand the offerings at Tysons Corner Center.
Cotton On, B8TA, Teriyaki Way and China Kitchen will all open within the following months, a mall spokesperson said. (Tysons Reporter previously reported that Cotton On and B8TA plan to open stores in the mall.)
The Australian brand Cotton On, which offers clothing and stationery brands, will be located across from Oakley and Abercrombie & Fitch, the press release said.
Meanwhile, B8TA will be located on level 1 by Kids Foot Locker and Abercrombie Kids, according to the press release, and allow shoppers to “try on the latest and innovative products out of the box from home, technology, to health-related and lifestyle focused items.”
China Kitchen will be located on level three in the food court, and Teriyaki Way will be next to California Pizza Kitchen.
Opening dates have not been announced yet for any of the upcoming locations.
Sunglass Hut, which already has a location in the mall near now-closed Lord and Taylor, will add a second location just a few steps away near Macy’s, according to a sign outside the location.
Renovations will be finished in March, the sign said.
Along with the upcoming openings, a few stores plan to say goodbye or have already closed.
American Tandoor was still closed yesterday (Monday). The Indian restaurant has signs saying it’s “temporarily closed until further notice.”
“The closings of Brio and American Tandoor are for different circumstances and has no correlation to the vitality of Tysons Corner Center,” a spokesperson for Tysons Corner Center told Tysons Reporter on Jan. 29.
More snow is on the way to Fairfax County, though Northern Virginia isn’t expected to see the worst of this storm. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather…
Fairfax County is working on ways to ensure that consistent and fair wages are linked to public construction contracts. At a board meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 25), the Fairfax County…
The national chain Kura Sushi is bringing a sushi bar to Tysons, its first Virginia location. The publicly traded company, whose closest site right now is in D.C., plans to…
Virginia Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Possible Snow — “The National Weather Service is calling for 2 to 3 inches of snow in the District of Columbia and the…


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Research shows we touch our cell phones 2,617 times per day
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The typical cell phone user touches his or her phone 2,617 time every day, according to a study by research firm dscout. And that's just the average user-the study found that extreme cell phone users (meaning the top 10%) touch their phones more than 5,400 times daily.To test a previous study that found cell phone users go through 150 mobile device sessions every day, the folks at dscout tracked 94 Android users with a special tool that counted the study participants' every mobile device-related action, 24 hours a day for 5 days. Actions like typing, tapping, and swiping the phone's screen counted as a 'touch.'Advertisement
The dscout research also found average users spent 145 minutes on their phones and engaged in 76 phone sessions per day.
As for iPhone users, Apple recently confirmed their device users unlock their phones 80 times every day. That's about 6 to 7 times every hour.So no matter your smart phone preference, the facts make a clear point: we are addicted to our mobile devices.
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Porsche employees banned from using social media sites due to fears of spying
We thought that social media sites were fast becoming an important tool for auto brands and their marketing campaigns. Apparently, we thought wrong. Well, at least where one auto brand is concerned.
According to Bloomberg, Porsche has blocked employee access to social-networking sites like Facebook and Xing. The company’s motives in doing so? They felt that by blocking these sites, they could protect themselves from insider spying and espionage.
The company has apparently become weary of employees posting classified information about the company on these sites, making it easy prey for outsiders looking to catch a glimpse of Porsche’s "trade secrets". Yeah, looks like Porsche doesn’t want the whole world, especially its competitors, to see what they’re researching and developing behind the scenes.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Dirk Erat, a Porsche spokesman, said the move to block these sites was done to prevent confidential information about the company from leaking out. “These services imply a certain threat potential,” he said.
"Barring access at workstations to sites including EBay Inc. reflects ’principal company policy’."
While we understand Porsche for feeling a little threatened given the lengths of transparency these sites give to all its users, we do wonder what kind of "classified" information they’re trying to keep under wraps.
There’s probably more to this than what’s being let on. So, while we are digging around, let’s have some fun trying to guess their secrets. Leave your guesses in the comments section below!


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BEE Attends 7th Annual Global Gathering To Share Insights And Network Among SaaS Founders, Executives And Venture Capitalists
San Francisco, CA –News Direct– BEE
BEE, a business unit of Growens and a leading digital content design platform, today announced that it will be speaking at this year’s annual SaaStr event, the world’s largest software conference B2B non-suppliers. BEE has actively participated in SaaStr sponsored events and this year Mariela Towers, Head of Marketing and Jules Costa, Head of Content, will take the floor to talk about “Behind the Scenes of a Build vs. Buy Decision”.
SaaStr is known to be the most inclusive event in SaaS. Over the past three years, 60% of the speakers were female or multicultural speakers, and they strive to continue this growth through future events. BEE echoes the sense of diversity and inclusion and will be represented by two of their own women leaders to speak at the conference. For the first time, Towers and Costa will bring their diverse experiences in business strategy and content to the SaaStr conference by joining key industry conversations.
“We look forward to the event and the opportunity to securely engage and network with other SaaStrs in person this year,” Towers said. Of course, I can’t deny that the BEE team is really proud to be part of the movement to balance what diversity in tech should look like.
“SaaS products continue to play an important role in the future of work. We have found that remote collaboration has become expected and, at times, crucial to sustaining business, ”says Costa. “The ‘make or buy’ decision is part of getting these products to market faster.
For more information on this upcoming event, see saastrannual2021.com. BEE is on booth 323 where the team will also be showcasing BEE Plugin, the company’s embeddable email, landing page and popup generator, integrated with over 600 different SaaS applications around the world.
BEE provides no-code design tools that allow anyone to quickly create content that resonates. BEE visual builders are used to design emails, landing pages, one page sites, etc. They offer fantastic design flexibility and an exceptional user experience, combining granular control over design elements with convenient features like editing content right in the mobile view. BEE is built on its vision to help democratize content design, with millions of monthly users in over 20 languages and from over 150 countries. BEE’s design tools are available online at beefree.io and integrated into over 600 SaaS applications.
BEE will present on Tuesday, September 28 at 12:00 p.m. PST / 3:00 p.m. EST.
See the source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/bee-set-to-take-stage-at-saastr-2021-annual-conference-to-address-industry-trend-of-build – vs-buy-429860711


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India's mandate will let consumers use their mobile wallets at any UPI-accepting merchant and send payments to consumers using different wallet brands
Get a peek into our Digital Trust Rankings by downloading a FREE preview of our 2020 Digital Trust Enterprise Edge Report!
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Let's talk turkey: your Christmas lunch will cost more than last year
Friday 23 December 2011
The cost of ingredients for this year's Christmas dinner has risen by £7.50 since 2010, official figures have shown.
The typical basket of goods has gone up in price by 7.5 per cent from £99.82 last year to £107.32, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Cream crackers showed the steepest price rise in percentage terms, going up by more than 50 per cent from 55p to 83p for a packet. Filter coffee was next, rising by 20.9 per cent to reach an average cost of £2.95.
Turkey steaks have typically risen to £8.15 per kg, an increase of 3.8 per cent, while fresh chicken has gone up by 7.2 per cent to average £3.14 per kg.
The old favourite snack of pigs in blankets is also a more expensive treat, with the price of both pig and blanket rising.
The cost of back bacon typically rose by 6.2 per cent to £9.11 per kg and the cost of pork sausages was up 5.6 per cent to £4.33 per kg. Despite high living costs, some vegetables are cheaper this year, with carrots dropping by more than a fifth (20.5 per cent) to average 62p per kg.
Old white potatoes have dropped in price by 10.4 per cent to average 60p per kg. New potatoes are also cheaper, averaging £1.41 per kg, a drop of 9 per cent. But other vegetables such as frozen peas have seen price rises.
The ONS Christmas basket does not include "seasonal" items such as sprouts and Christmas puddings, which are not regularly tracked to show inflation.
While Christmas cake was not on the list, the price of a whole sponge cake has risen by 18.2 per cent to reach £1.30, while ice cream is up 6 per cent to average £2.30 and a box of chocolates now costs £4.47, a 6.7 per cent rise on last year.
There were also price hikes across the various bottles of alcohol included in the basket, with champagne experiencing an 8.6 per cent increase to average £28.93. Red wine is up by 14.2 per cent to reach £5.63, white wine has increased by 8.1 per cent to reach £6.56, with fortified wine such as sherry and port soaring by 11.5 per cent to average £7.30.
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Kersey Mobility, Washington’s leader in vehicle modifications for people with disabilities, is proud to offer products by nationally acclaimed VMI. Just recently, VMI made national news by appearing in MotorTrend, a magazine with over a million readers. MotorTrend, which tests more vehicles than any other automotive magazine, recently raved about the Toyota Sienna conversion after comparing it against its competitors.
The conversion, which is carried at Kersey Mobility, was praised for its easy installation, compactness and quietness during operation. Direct quotes from MotorTrend say “The VMI van boasts impressive interior space” and “We found VMI’s control system very easy to use.” The credibility that this article helped establish only reinforces the quality of products that VMI carries – and the best part is that these products are available to you!
For the finest deals on VMI mobility products, look no further than Kersey Mobility. The staff at Kersey would be thrilled to answer any questions you may have in finding the products you need. When you are looking for the top mobility brands and the mobility solutions that will improve your experiences, remember to look to Kersey for mobility for life.


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China retains its title as the fashion world’s most valuable player with its consumers taking care of a third of the world’s luxury market. Designers from all over the globe are heading to the East to be part of the spectacle. Dsquared, Lanvin and Vivienne Westwood have secured their spot in this week’s festivities but heads are turning towards the local competition.
A new wave of Chinese designers has seen China grow into an increasingly influential design-hub. We look forward to seeing what these rising stars deliver for the autumn-winter season. We suspect that London, Paris, Milan and New York, known as the ‘Big Four’, might be recruiting a fifth.
Scroll through our list of Chinese brands to watch!
Peng Chen is a London-based designer who keeps the theme of equality in mind. CHENPENG‘s ‘one-size’ fashion philosophy is to craft designs that satisfy all shapes and sizes. The Chinese brand bundled up at New York Fashion Week with a collection inspired by the Himalayas. We’re keen for more coats, larger-than-life fits and daring fabric combinations.


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Holden informed the Australian federal and state level governments that it will cease car production in Australia by 2017, citing a “perfect storm” of unfavorable exchange rates, high production costs and a small but competitive car market that has seen sales of traditional Australian-made rear-drive sedans and Utes plummet in recent years. An estimated 3000 workers are said to be directly affected by the closure of Holden’s manufacturing facilities.
If you want to see the future of Holden in Australia, this is it. Yes, it’s the same car that Jack Baruth took to the woodshed in today’s edition of TTAC, but it’s also a harbinger of things to come for the iconic Australian marque, with the announcement that Holden’s Elizabeth, Australia plant will be tooling up to produce the first ever front-wheel drive Commodore. And even that looks doubtful.
At a dealer event in Sydney, Australia, Ford CEO Alan Mulally defended the company’s decision to close its Broadmeadows and Geelong assembly plants in this country, saying it was Ford’s only option if they wanted to remain in the Australian market, what Mulally called the most competitive in the world. The Ford executive also explained that the automaker is taking three years to manage to shutdown in order have an orderly transition and to treat “stakeholders” equitably. Read More >
Holden and HSV try their hand at the “Imported From Detroit” style car commercial. As someone who has always been partial to Aussie muscle sedans, it’s easy for me to say I’m a fan. No doubt the line about cars becoming “smaller, quieter and more vanilla” will resonate with many of us. In a country where the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla have knocked the Commodore and Ford Falcon off the top perches of the sales leader boards, it carries extra significance.
After enduring what The Motor Report calls “a spiraling and damaging media campaign – run, in the main, by Fairfax media,” Volkswagen spoke up. According to Reuters, “Australian Managing Director John White told Australia’s Fairfax newspaper on Friday that VW “have issues” after car owners complained of transmission and engine failures causing loss of power, but did not order a general recall.” Read More >
Every so often, the same tired rumor will pop up again, like a particularly resilient pimple that habitually reappears in the same conspicuous spot. Thanks to the incessant hunger for clicks among auto websites, these rumors refuse to die, no matter how asinine they are. How many times have you seen a “BREAKING” or “EXCLUSIVE” story on the next Toyota Supra or some absurd BS fabrication regarding a diesel Mazda MX-5?
Sorry, subtitles not available
The death of an Australian woman who was rear-ended two years ago is making new headlines. In 2011, 32-year-old Melissa Ryan was killed when a truck with two trailers hit her Volkswagen Golf from behind. A coroner is looking into the matter. The report is expected to be completed in July. In the meantime, Australian media does not let simple technical facts get in the way of a bad story. Read More >
The most famous Holden product to ever wear a Buick badge is the Chinese-market Park Avenue, a car that Buick dealers inexplicably rejected. But back in the mid-1990s, GM apparently planned to use the VT Commodore architecture as the basis for a new Buick sedan, previewed in the XP2000 concept above.
With the launch of the all-new VF Commodore just around the corner, Holden’s Mike Deveraux doesn’t Ford’s bad news to steal the limelight away from his very important product introduction.
Something was happening, and must have been very big or wrong for our office to became that noisy during the lunch break. In fact, the bad news were just a couple of clicks away.
Today is a sad day for the Australian automotive industry. Heck, I would venture to say it is a sad day for the country. I don’t know how sad or upset the street is, but happy is not the world I’d use to describe the mood I saw around the rest of the afternoon.
While the Ford Falcon is getting the bulk of the attention with respect to Ford’s soon-to-be-shuttered Australian operations, Ford also made another product, based off the Falcon platform, that never made it to our shores. The Ford Territory might be the most desirable CUV ever made.
A sad day for both Ford and Australia. The Blue Oval has officially announced an end to building cars in Australia, which Ford has done since the 1920s.
Ford has long been at the forefront of the currency debate, claiming currency manipulation when the yen went to levels that nearly killed the Japanese auto industry, and shouting “currency manipulation” now that the yen is back to normal levels. Now, Ford itself experiences the devastating effects of changing exchange rates: Ford is shutting down all its manufacturing operations in Australia. The reason: A strong Australian dollar. Says Reuters: Read More >


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Hyundai Launches ‘BotRide' Autonomous SUVs in California with Pony.ai & Via
【Summary】Hyundai Motor Co, in collaboration with autonomous driving startup Pony.ai and ride-hailing company Via, today unveiled “BotRide”, a shared, on-demand, autonomous vehicle service operating on public roads in California.
Hyundai Motor Co, in collaboration with autonomous driving startup Pony.ai and ride-hailing company Via, today unveiled "BotRide", a shared, on-demand, autonomous vehicle service operating on public roads in California.
Beginning Nov 4, a fleet of self-driving, fully-electric Hyundai KONA SUVs will provide a free ride-sharing service to the local community of Irvine, California.
"The pilot introduces BotRide to several hundred Irvine residents, including college students. The goal is to study consumer behavior in an autonomous ride-sharing environment," said Christopher Chang, head of business development, strategy and technology division, Hyundai Motor Company.
Hyundai partnered with autonomous driving startup Pony.ai to build the self-driving system and with Via to create the BotRide on-demand ridesharing technology and application.
New York-based Via aims to reinvent public transportation from a rigid system of fixed routes to a dynamic, on-demand network similar to how people hail a ride with Uber. Via's advanced algorithms enable multiple riders to share the same vehicle.
"The BotRide pilot represents an important step in the deployment and eventual commercialization of a growing new mobility business. In addition to the technology partners powering BotRide, the broader city and community ecosystem have also played an important role in making BotRide possible. The BotRide pilot can serve as an example of how cities and companies can come together to truly enable smart cities and smart transportation systems of the future." said Daniel Han, manager, Advanced Product Strategy, Hyundai Motor America.
Using the BotRide app created by Via, riders can hail an autonomous driving Hyundai KONA Electric SUV directly from their smartphone. The Via app directs passengers to nearby stops for pick up and drop off. The self-driving Kona EV is outfitted with autonomous vehicle technology from Pony.ai.
Armed with the latest hardware and software developed by Pony.ai, Hyundai says the BotRide vehicles are able to navigate complex road scenarios safely. The self-driving Hyundai Kona's can handle pedestrian traffic in urban areas, accurately monitor the surroundings, including the precise position of nearby vehicles, and predict the behavior of other road users to navigate a route.
In addition to testing Pony ai's self-driving capabilities, BotRide is validating the overall user experience, envisioning a future where people will interact with commercial autonomous vehicles.
BotRide's technology prioritizes passenger-to-system interactions such as automated onboard passenger verification, giving riders the chance to familiarize themselves with technologies expected to become commonplace in an autonomous mobility future.
The service area covers several residential, commercial, and other points of interest.
Pony.ai is currently testing its self-driving system in the U.S. and China. The company was founded in late 2016.
In addition to its work with Hyundai, Pony.ai is teaming up with Toyota on a pilot program on public roads in Beijing and Shanghai. The mobility pilot will utilize Toyota's Lexus RX vehicles outfitted with Pony.ai's autonomous system.
Earlier this month, Via launched its ride-hailing service in Cupertino, California, the home of tech giant Apple.
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The World’s First Level-4 Automated Parking Feature Developed by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch is Approved for Commercial Use
Hyundai Motor Group Signs MoU with SK On Co. to Secure Batteries for EVs Built in the U.S.
- Rivian, Mercedes-Benz Partner to Produce Electric Commercial Vans
- Volvo is Building a New EV Service and Training Facility at its U.S. Headquarters in New Jersey To Fast Track its Electrification Plans
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- Mercedes-Benz Begins Production of the Highly Anticipated EQS Electric SUV in Alabama
- Honda's New EV Friendly Retail Plans Hint at the End of Mega Dealerships
- Vietnam-based Electric Vehicle Startup VinFast Ships its First Vehicles to the U.S.
- Shares of Volvo’s EV Brand Polestar to Begin Trading on the NASDAQ After Closing on its SPAC Deal With Gores Guggenheim
- Valeo Signs Major Deal with BMW to Supply Advanced Driver Assist Hardware for the Automaker's Forthcoming 'Neue Klasse' EV Platform
- Federal Tax Credit on EVs Still Applies to American-Made Vehicles
- Qualcomm Ventures Invests in ThunderX, a Company Developing a Domain Controller-based Intelligent Vehicle Compute Platform


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So much to choose from
Updated: 2013-07-26 09:07
By Cecily Liu, Chen Yingqun and Qiu Bo (China Daily)
Increasing urbanization has created opportunities for foreign brands as people become more demanding and discriminating in what they buy. Provided to China Daily
China's growing hordes of savvy consumers provide new opportunities for foreign brands
Increasing sophistication is walking hand in hand with urbanization to retail counters all around China. As well as creating millions more consumers with rising incomes, rapid urban expansion is also creating far more demanding and discriminating consumers, and in the process, creating new opportunities for foreign brands.
"Urbanization plays an important role in that it makes people more exposed to brands or products than in towns or villages," says Jeff Walters, a partner and managing director of Boston Consulting Group Greater China.
Foreign companies have great advantages in China, he says, as they are often supported by brand reputation and heritage, especially in areas where quality is important to the Chinese consumer, such as luxury products and food.
Such advantages are particularly pertinent to supermarkets and hypermarkets, which can stock more than 200,000 brands of merchandise at any one time.
These superstores scarcely existed a few decades ago when China was mostly a rural society. But as the country opened up, cities grew and the market economy developed, retail chains such as Wal-Mart, from the US, Carrefour of France, and the UK's Tesco moved in and have expanded in China with global expertise in management as their key advantage.
Christina Lee, senior director of corporate affairs at Wal-Mart China, says the company has about 400 stores in China, with 80 percent of them located in second and third-tier cities.
She says it is now looking to open more stores in smaller Chinese cities where competition is less fierce.
"Customer needs are always our top priority," she says. "We will open new stores where we find that need and the market is ready.
Chinese consumers welcome hypermarkets, Lee adds, because they provide a wide variety of products at cheaper prices, achieved through economies of scale.
"Our consumers at all income levels want to protect their savings and are insisting on lower prices and better value, which leads to smarter shopping. They are moving away from wet markets or smaller grocers and choosing hypermarkets, where product quality and food safety standards are more consistent and prices lower," she says.
To ensure competitive prices, Lee says Wal-Mart focuses on simplifying business processes to save operational costs, lowers the cost of goods by sourcing them directly from suppliers, centralizes and maintains good relationships with suppliers, improves supply chain efficiency, and reinvests these savings in the business.
Good quality and safety, especially for food items, is also key to satisfying Chinese consumers, says Thierry Garnier, president and CEO of Carrefour China.
Garnier says that Carrefour has set up 43 mini-laboratories across China and four large-scale laboratories in major cities to conduct daily random investigations of food quality.
The bigger laboratories, in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Shenyang, test food safety using 65 parameters such as extent of pesticide residue and food additives and preservatives. The smaller labs have facilities for testing 11 parameters.
The Chicago-based Dover Corporation is also benefiting from China's increasing population of quality and safety-conscious consumers. Its printing and identification section, which first came to China in 1991 to provide services for industrial products, focuses more today on printing services for consumer products such as food, beverages, cosmetics, and personal care and pharmaceutical products.
It prints "best before" dates and codes that trace products back to source.
"China's consumption of packaged goods is growing, and Chinese customers are very brand conscious," says John Hartner, CEO of Dover's printing and identification division. "Our printing and labeling solutions help them find products of high quality from good sources that are fresh and safe."
Dover's customers in China range from multinational brands such as Pepsi and Nestle to Chinese ones like Tsingtao Beer, Want Want and Mengniu Dairy.
The faster lifestyle in urban centers has also fuelled the growth of fast food chains. The US chain Subway has 400 stores in China and plans 80 more this year. It aims to have 900 by 2015, and 1,600 by 2017.
"White-collar workers in the city are really busy. They opt for convenience and they want a quick lunch," says Tomaz Hladnik, Subway Greater China area manager.
He says Subway is to add 20 stores in first-tier cities and 15 in second-tier ones every year, convinced that China's bigger cities are still experiencing increasing demand despite the availability of many fast-food outlets.
Because Chinese consumers are becoming more concerned about food safety, he believes Subway's method of making sandwiches in front of customers gives it an advantage.
Another is in letting them select ingredients, rather than offering them standard meals already prepared.
Along with the fashion retail industry, the market for electric appliances has also witnessed a growing number of foreign companies.
British technology company Dyson only entered China last November, opening stores in Beijing and Shanghai to sell vacuum cleaners, hand driers, and bladeless fans and heaters.
Company founder James Dyson says he has been surprised by how much people's preferences have converged globally over the past few years. People want smaller, more efficient technology that makes their lives easier, and Dyson's cordless technology has proven popular in China, he says.
Ira Kalish, director of global economics at Deloitte Research, says Chinese consumers are becoming more sophisticated mainly because of the Internet, with growing awareness of global brands and trends.
Consumers are increasingly giving feedback about specific products, so that other consumers can make more informed buying decisions, he says.
"For foreign and domestic sellers, it is critical to provide information about product attributes, to maintain a high quality of products, and to price competitively," Kalish says.
E-commerce has also allowed many foreign luxury or designer brands to enter China's market without a physical presence, says Jessie Qian, partner in charge of KPMG China's consumer markets.
"Shopbob.com, for example, has very good user experience," she says. "They have a Chinese website and offer free delivery. Such platforms offer new market entrants an opportunity to test the water and get data about the Chinese consumer."
However, Qian points out that foreign brands lack knowledge of the local market, compared with domestic companies, so extensive market research is necessary.
"Some of our clients have research and development centers in China to learn Chinese consumers' tastes and preferences," she says.
But China's urban consumer market is prevented from reaching its full potential because of income inequality and the lack of social security for migrant workers, says Wu Jiangang, a research fellow at China Europe International Business School's Lujiazui International Finance Research Center.
"Without adequate social security provision and necessary social welfare, those with low wages would worry about basic expenditure, and have to save up more and spend less," Wu says.
"China is only just over 50 percent urbanized, but it has the potential to become 60 to 70 percent urbanized in the next decade. This trend's contribution to building China's sustainable economic growth is immense."
Therefore, Wu says, the government should act on people's concerns about spending on housing, education, pensions and healthcare by improving the country's social security system.
He says this can be achieved by setting up a social welfare system and building more social housing, allowing migrant workers to live, work and receive social and medical care in cities.
"But stimulating consumption is hard to achieve only by fiscal stimulus," Wu adds. "What the Chinese government should do is to encourage the growth of Chinese small and micro-sized enterprises, including small-scale financial enterprises."
This could be done by policies such as reducing market entry barriers, helping state-owned enterprises step back from competitive industries, and reducing tax levels, so they can provide more employment opportunities to accommodate an increasing migrant worker population and continuously support urbanization.
Contact the writers through firstname.lastname@example.org
(China Daily European Weekly 07/26/2013 page24)


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Mediterranean Shipping Co. said it will put a new piracy surcharge into effect on containers it transports between ports in South Africa and East Africa beginning in March.
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Whether you think it's an SUV, a hatchback or a coupe, the new BMW X4 is definitely distinctive.
John R. Coughlin/CNN
In a bid to maintain its standing as America's most popular car, Toyota unveiled a substantially redesigned -- and less conservative-looking -- Camry at the New York Auto Show Wednesday.
After seeing the concept version earlier this year, Acura is now showing off the production version of its all-new 2015 TLX sport sedan.
Jeep is hoping its new small SUV with global roots will be a big hit here at home.
Hyundai revealed the all-new 2015 version of its popular mid-size Sonata sedan Wednesday at the New York Auto Show.
Courtesy General Motors
General Motors officially unveiled what the automaker is calling the fastest convertible car it has ever produced at the New York Auto Show Tuesday.
General Motors wants a bankruptcy court to protect it from the growing number of lawsuits stemming from the company's botched ignition switch recall.
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General Motors has found another flaw in the ignitions of the 2.6 million vehicles it's already recalled, and will replace an additional part to remedy the problem.
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The King of Fighters XIV 3.0 is now available and adds a brand new stage.
Destiny 2 DLC 2 Warmind will release on May 8 along with Season 3
Extinction will get its first DLC pack in May
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Splinter Cell will crossover with Ghost Recon Wildlands from April 10th in Special Operations 1
Spider-Man DLC confirmed once game launches on September 7
Shantae Half-Genie Hero Costume Pack DLC will release on April 10th
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is receiving Year 2 content starting April 10th.
Call of Duty WWII DLC 2 The War Machine gets a new trailer


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Civil Society & Tech: A Benevolent Partnership?
While technology companies have brought many positive developments to our world, they have not always lived up to their responsibilities towards society. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, now a partner at investment firm Greylock, and WaitWhat CEO June Cohen discuss what should be done to make tech giants live up to their promises – and what startup founders should consider when growing their businesses to a size that affects all of society.
June is co-founder of WaitWhat, a US-based media invention company that creates and owns premium content. WaitWhat’s properties include the Webby Award-winning Masters of Scale (hosted by LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner Reid Hoffman), the genre-defining hit Meditative Story (in partnership with Arianna Huffington’s Thrive), and the provocative and timely Should This Exist (hosted by Silicon Valley Internet pioneer Caterina Fake).
An accomplished entrepreneur, executive, and investor, Reid Hoffman has played an integral role in building many of today’s leading consumer technology businesses. In 2003 he co-founded LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking service, and joined Greylock in 2009. He serves on the boards of numerous companies and not-for-profit organizations and is also the host of the Masters of Scale podcast.


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The very last shipment of Hostess Twinkies hit stores in Chicago this week, and quickly began flying off the shelves.
Customers began lining up at the stores before they opened to stock up on the possibly soon-to-be-extinct snacks. Some shoppers even had requests to fill from relatives around the country.
Hostess Brands spokesman Erik Halvorson confirmed that his company had, in fact, baked its last batch of the cream-filled cakes which were then shipped them to Chicago.
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MariSilicon X NPU to power Oppo’s next flagship phone camera
As part of the first day of Oppo's Inno Day 2021 event, we were introduced to the MariSilicon X – the company's first NPU with a focus on imaging, destined for 2022's Find X flagship
By Alex Walker-Todd
Tech AdvisorDEC 14, 2021 5:30 pm GMT
The big focus on day one of Oppo’s annual Inno Day technology showcase was imaging, with one of the most prominent reveals being the debut of the company’s first in-house image-centric NPU – the MariSilicon X.
Oppo teased the new chipset in the lead up to its Inno Day event, which kicked off on 14 December; with its first real-world application set to be inside the company’s next flagship Find X phone, slated to arrive sometime in Q1, 2022.
NPU stands for ‘neural processing unit’ – hardware purpose-built to carry out machine-learning-based computation – and in the case of the
MariSilicon X, the lead 6nm NPU is paired to an ISP (image signal processor) and “multi-tier memory architecture,” which collectively handle advanced image processing, with a flair for AI-based tasks.
As a point of comparison, according to Oppo, the AI noise reduction algorithm that the company uses on its current 2021 flagship – the
Find X3 Pro – runs 20 times faster when handled by the MariSilicon X. The new chipset also enables live preview when using Oppo’s 4K AI Night Video feature and, what’s more, it can handle real-time RAW image processing (which includes HDR data too).
Considering Oppo’s next top-tier phone (thought to be called the
Oppo Find X4 Pro) is already confirmed to be running the new
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile chip (which itself packs Qualcomm’s updated AI-supported Spectra ISP), Oppo must be particularly confident in the MariSilicon X’s abilities, in order to spend time and energy implementing its own standalone chip, alongside the integrated imaging hardware that the 8 Gen 1 already offers manufacturers.
Typically, a standalone chip usually results in a more significant power draw than an integrated solution, but Oppo hopes to assuage concerns by quoting a potential throughput of 18 TOPS (trillion operations per second), while only drawing 1W per 11.6 TOPS (or about 1.55W at that quoted 18 TOPS).
The ISP portion of the MariSilicon X allows for 20-bit image capture (up from 10-bit on the Find X3 Pro) with an expanded 120db dynamic range (four times broader than on the X3 Pro), which should offer one of the most noticeable improvements to image quality versus its predecessor; an area that the likes of Apple and Google have also paid particular attention to with the camera experiences on their latest phones.
Noise reduction in both images and videos also looks to be a particular focus for the MariSilicon X, with a promised “8dB signal-to-noise ratio for images” and – with regards to Oppo’s use of RGBW camera sensors in its most recent devices – support for “the separation and fusion of RGB and white signals to deliver an 8.6dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio and a 1.7x improvement in texture quality, making images more expressive in both photos and videos.”
While Oppo was keen to showcase the benefits building their own purpose-made NPU/ISP brings to the table, we’re still left wondering just how much more the next Find X’s cameras will get out of the MariSilicon X rather than simply relying on Qualcomm’s integrated solution – which boasts its own 18-bit ISP, allowing for 8K HDR video capture for the first time on mobile – especially where power efficiency is concerned.
Day one of Oppo’s Inno Day event also played host to the first “assisted reality (aR)” headset, which it calls


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The designers of the very first iPhone had a problem: how to get a workable on-screen keyboard into 2.0-by-1.3-inch space. Apple designer Ken Kocienda explains the difficulties in an excerpt from his upcoming book.
His 304-page description of his 15 years at Apple isn’t out yet, but he gave an early look at a keyboard concept that didn’t work out.
Ten years ago, Apple co-founder andthen-CEO Steve Jobs understood that smartphones were going to be a big deal. And he realized software would be an important part of that.
With 20/20 hindsight, it’s easy to dismiss that vision. But Jobs was talking in August 2008, a year after the release of the first iPhone, and only a month after the iOS App Store debuted. Most people had flip phones, and PCs dominated the computing landscape.


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03 Oct Mt Gox fraud still ripples through bitcoin market today
In February 2014, the infamous Tokyo-based Mt Gox cryptocurrency exchange was hacked and more than 850,000 bitcoins worth an estimated $473 million at the time were stolen.
Today, those bitcoins would have a market value of more than $5 billion. That’s part of what makes the receivership and bankruptcy proceedings such a challenge.
More than four years later, the impact of the notorious cybercrime is still being felt in the digital coin markets.
Mt Gox receiver sales continue
In a September 25, 2018 statement, the bankruptcy receiver for Mt Gox provided an update on the sale of stolen bitcoins and efforts to liquidate assets for former account holders.
Between the creditors’ meeting on March 7, 2018, and the start of civil rehabilitation proceedings on June 22, 2018, trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi provided an update on the sale of assets.
24,658 bitcoin and 25,331 bitcoin cash were sold bringing in an estimated $230 million or an average of $8,100 for each bitcoin according to Bloomberg.
The trustee has earlier sold more than $400 million of bitcoin and bitcoin cash into the marketplace prior to this latest reporting. It’s the large-scale sales and the impact on bitcoin prices that is so controversial with investors around the world.
Mt Gox “whale” sales contentious
Because of the large size of bitcoin holdings and the effort to sell the assets back into the market, Kobayashi is considered a “whale” whose large sales potentially impact the value of bitcoins significantly.
Many investors claim Kobayashi collapsed prices by selling on spot markets, rather than selling in an auction or over-the-counter platform the way other large investors and institutions typically sell assets.
The market value of the cryptocurrency in 2018 has been in a constant downtrend until recent months when a slight recovery stabilized bitcoin values recently at around $6,400.
Kobayashi denied the claims in an earlier report, writing: “Upon consultation with cryptocurrency transaction experts, Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash were sold in a manner that had no effect on market price and not by ordinary sale on an exchange while ensuring the security of the transaction to the extent possible.”
How the most recent cryptocurrency sales occurred has not been disclosed.
In June 2018, creditors won a case in Tokyo District Court that changed proceedings from a bankruptcy into a civil rehabilitation proceeding that may allow creditors to receive their payment in bitcoin and therefore at significantly higher value.
Much depends on the future value of bitcoin and bitcoin cash and the volatile cryptocurrency markets.
Meanwhile, it’s all eyes on the “Tokyo Whale.”


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Hollywood's controversial request for a waiver on Selectable Output Control (SOC) has finished the first phase of its cycle. Monday was the last day for comments on the big studio's petition for a lift of the Federal Communications Commission's ban on SOC. About 20 prominent parties have filed on the issue. Not surprisingly, TV content streamers AT&T and DIRECTV stand out among supporters of the plan, but there are nay-sayers and skeptics too.
As Ars Technica has reported, the petition comes from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which wants a waiver on that restriction in the case of high-definition movies broadcast prior to their release on DVD. SOC lets video distributors close down analog or digital output on broadcasts, which could be used to force HD downscaling to SD and/or block output to devices such as DVRs, an option that MPAA says will allow it to more securely distribute early-run studio films on TV. "The Petitioners' theatrical movies are too valuable in this early distribution window to risk their exposure to unauthorized copying," MPAA wrote to the FCC in June. "Distribution over insecure outputs would facilitate the illegal copying and redistribution of this high value content, causing untold damage to the DVD and other 'downstream' markets."
As of now, well over 500 individuals and groups have filed opinions with the Commission, most of them brief. Here is a summary of the longer comments.
Go for it!
AT&T enthusiastically backs this proposal. "MPAA has persuasively shown that grant of its waiver request will expand consumer choice by allowing consumers to purchase and enjoy high definition digital movies in their own homes prior to release of such films on pre-recorded media, and thus much early than they can today," three attorneys for the telco wrote. Like MPAA, AT&T notes that the proposal would not "alter the current application of the Commission’s encoding rules." This truism may calm anxieties about the proposal, but the point, obviously, is to alter SOC rules after a given date in the future.
A vice president of DIRECTV takes a similar stance. "The requested waiver would not deprive any consumer of services she currently has access to, and applies only for the limited period necessary to safeguard this valuable content during a more accelerated release window," DIRECTV veep Susan Eid told the FCC. And, not surprisingly, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association says it backs the proposal. "The FCC's [SOC ban] stands as the only impediment to the emergence of new business models for the distribution of early-release movies over cable and other MVPD systems," NCTA's comments conclude. "It is time to lift that restriction so that consumers can benefit from access to more highly attractive programming for home viewing."
The MPAA petition's other cheerers include tax cut crusader Grover Norquist, whose filing emphasizes the convenience of watching early-run movies at home. "The logistics involved in gathering the family and transporting them to a theater, finding seats together, and all that is involved in that, not to mention the cost of feeding a family at a theater, has put the idea of first-run movies out of reach for many Americans," Norquist wrote.
The National Taxpayers' Union, which files with the FCC on spectrum auctions, VoIP issues, and the proposed XM/Sirius merger, also supports the waiver. NTU's filing claims that the MPAA plan "does not seem to have massive opposition precisely because so many facets of the private sector stand to benefit."
Certain parts of the private sector would beg to disagree.
No, no, no
The National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) requested and received an extension on this proceeding. The group represents companies running about 30,000 theaters across the country. NATO's 17-page filing opposes the waiver request. "For our millions of patrons who love the unique and compelling experience of seeing movies on the big screen with quality sound, consumer choice is disserved [sic] by business models that threaten the viability of cinemas," NATO warns. "If, as we believe inevitable, neighborhood cinemas begin disappearing in the wake of collapsed windows, consumers will recognize too late that the new gizmo of early release movies in the home was hardly worth the novelty."
The Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) also says nay on the proposal. IFTA represents indie studios like Morgan Creek and Lionsgate. The groups' eight-page statement calls the MPAA plan "extraordinarily vague as to exactly how this new service would work." The IFTA eyes with suspicion the intent of the big studios that launched this proceeding: Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal City Studios Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Brothers. "The Petition's request for more exclusive access for only studio-supplied content simply reinforces the alarming trend that US television increasingly is only a channel for content by a few companies to reach the public, contrary to the purpose of the Communications Act and sound public policy," IFTA's comment concludes.
Ditto on the vagueness issue, warns the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), whose filing worries that "the inevitable consequence" of giving the studios SOC power "will be the loss of viewing, for which consumers have paid or are willing to pay, by consumers who may not be interested in recording and may not even own a recorder or have any Internet connection." CEA calls SOC a "blunt instrument," the use of which "must be balanced against the harm inflicted on innocent consumers and on the public interest."
Eight nonprofits have also weighed in against the MPAA request. Seven groups led by Public Knowledge argue that granting MPAA's petition will "give MPAA members unprecedented and undesirable control over consumer device design..."
"The waiver is not limited to analog outputs, and would allow the selective disabling of any output on MVPD networks. Should the MPAA choose to turn off other types of connections, it will harm even more users. Perhaps worse, it will give content owners the leverage to decide which outputs should be used in consumer electronics. Using this leverage, content owners could force consumer electronics designers and manufacturers to agree to almost any conditions to display SOC content, including design choices which are consumer-unfriendly and which are not driven by reasonable consumer desires or technological considerations."
The Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC) observes that although the waiver is not "purportedly" directed at home recording, it could have the effect of hurting sales of home devices that support digital recording. "In other words, the FCC's giving MPAA members the unbridled and nonreviewable discretion to turn off recordable interfaces will allow them to do what neither the Congress nor the courts have tolerated since the Betamax case: to disable technology simply because it supports home recording by consumers," HRRC says.
A handful of groups think that the waiver ought to be granted with various strings attached. The agency that helps coordinate digital copy protection standards for the so-called "5C" manufacturing group (Toshiba, Intel, Matsushita, Sony, and Hitachi) is skeptical of the plan. SOC "cannot be left to the unfettered discretion of content owners and MVPDs," warns the Digital Transition Licensing Administrator (DTLA). "Such unchecked authority places far too much power in the hands of content owners, to the potential detriment of all other equally-important stakeholders."
But DTLA says it can live with the idea under two conditions: First, the waiver must be limited to early-delivery high-definition movies, and for a limited time. As for the second condition, Ars' reading of this syntactically ambiguous paragraph [below] suggests that DTLA opposes SOC outputs that will inhibit the copying abilities of home viewing systems.
"SOC cannot be applied to 'de-select' any digital output that will (i) protect content as 'copy never/display only' with no analog output allowed, (ii) protect content from unauthorized redistribution outside the home or personal network, and (iii) prevent retransmission across the home network except to downstream devices that meet these same three conditions."
TiVo will accept the proposal if the waiver only lasts two years so that all parties can evaluate the results. After that time, "stakeholders will have the opportunity to raise concerns or express support based on their experiences with the Service," TiVO argues. Plus the service must be able to work with all CableLabs approved outputs. And the FCC must oversee the process to prevent discrimination against certain technologies. A Sony vice president filed somewhat similar comments.
And the American Association of People with Disabilities takes no position on the matter, but asks that if the FCC approves the waiver, the Commission ensures that SOC does not harm closed captioning, video description, or set-top box design accessibility.
Needless to say, MPAA has repeatedly met and filed with the FCC on behalf of its request. The comment period of this cycle on SOC has now concluded. Replies to comments are due on July 31.


text: Looks like the Free Willy hand roll will no longer be on the menu. A sushi restaurant in Santa Monica, California, and one of its chefs were charged Wednesday with selling endangered-whale meat. Illegal sale of a marine mammal product is a misdemeanor that comes with a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000 for an individual, or $200,000 for an organization. "Someone should not be able to walk into a restaurant and order a plate of an endangered species," said U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. in a statement. The allegations came when a New York Times story revealed the restaurant, Hump, had served endangered Sei whale meat, which may have come right out of the trunk of a white Mercedes.


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Massachusetts companies exported nearly $27 billion in merchandise last year, according to recent data from Wisertrade.org, which tracks international trade. Trade remains an important component of the state’s economy as key industries, such as technology and pharmaceuticals rely on overseas markets for growth.
With the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, marking its 20th anniversary this year, trade is again an issue. President Obama wants to complete a controversial free trade pact with Pacific Rim countries. The United States is also negotiating a trade agreement with the European Union to link two of the world’s biggest economies.


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Cruise companies reassure customers on safety standards
In the wake of the January 13 Costa Concordia tragedy, cruise companies have been working tirelessly to demonstrate the rigorous safety standards that they hold themselves to.
Royal Caribbean Cruises chief executive Richard Fain has responded candidly and openly to public concerns after the accident by addressing the prime concern of how cruises can be made safer in the future, rather than simply speculating on the past tragedy. He said in a recent Financial Times interview:
“It’s so central to our success as a company and as an industry that it’s a very appropriate topic of conversation. I also think that the whole subject is not just a question of numbers and technology and procedures. It’s also a question of culture and consciousness. Safety should be a habit.”
Though the Costa Concordia belonged to a Carnival Cruises Corporation subsidiary, Royal Caribbean’s chief executive said that his company also suffered a noticeable shortfall in bookings over the traditionally strong January period. However, several months after the incident, it has become clear that most observers believe that the blame will ultimately be placed on the human error of the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, rather than any inherent flaw in the ship’s design.
Along with many other cruise companies, Mr Fain has defended the safety measures of his company’s cruise liner designs, emphasising:
“There are steps we have taken – very powerful steps – to protect our passengers and our crew from human error, but we can always learn if there are things we can do even better.”
In an effort to improve profitability as well as safety, Royal Caribbean – along with other cruise companies such as Princess Cruises – has decided to slow down its orders of new ships and concentrate on where best to operate their existing liners. This has had the benefit of opening up many exciting new options for holidaymakers as the cruise companies take stock and diversify into new territories.
Thomson Cruises have decided that the time is right for modernisation too, as the company will replace one of its older vessels – the 1982-built Thomson Destiny – with the significantly larger Thomson Majesty. This represents just one of the many decisions cruise companies have recently made which will hopefully allay public doubts on the safety standards of cruise holidays.
Thomson line manager Fraser Ellacott said: “Majesty is a fantastic ship with great onboard facilities, more outside cabins and the same first-rate service you'd expect from Thomson Cruises.”


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New Leak Reveals Clearest Look at How ‘Apple Tags’ Will Work in iOS 13
Apple was rumoured to unveil a new Tile tracker competitor and previously leaked screenshots showed the product existed within internal iOS 13 builds.
Now, MacRumors has shared screenshots offering the clearest evidence yet of the existence of ‘Apple Tags’. These screenshots—seen below—are from the hidden “Items” tab within Apple’s Find My app within iOS 13, an internal build dating back to June of this year.
MacRumors’ Joe Rossignol explains, “Similar to the existing “People” and “Devices” tabs in the Find My app, the “Items” tab will display a map at the top and a list of items associated with a user’s Apple ID account at the bottom. The existing “Me” tab in the Find My app will be relocated to an avatar hovering over the map in all tabs.”
The screenshots show a tracker codenamed “B389”, while the “Items” tab explains, “Keep track of your everyday items. Tag your everyday items with B389 and never lose them again.” The tab shows icons for keys, luggage and a bicycle, suggesting these are potential use cases for ‘Apple tags’.
These images above affirm Apple’s so-called Tile-tracker competitor does exist and was most likely pulled before the September special event. These screenshots are not seen in the recent iOS 13 beta builds released earlier today.
Despite rumours by Apple crystal ball holder, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicted a Tile-like tracker would be announced at the company’s September event, it never happened. Apple’s latest iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max include a new U1 chip, which supports ultra wideband technology, which can detect location accuracy indoors far better than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
As far back as April, it was discovered Apple was working on a tracking product similar to Tile. This most recent leak pieces together previously leaked screenshots in August of B389, but this time adds more context in how the system would work in the Find My app.


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According to PaidContent.org, Apple decided to approve the application 'Spotify' for use on the iPhone, despite controversy that Spotify represents a growing threat to Apple's iTunes.
Decisions regarding which applications Apple allow for its devices have been closely watched by many due to the previous applications which have been rejected by the company. For Apple it seems to boil down to duplicated functionality; in short, if the application submitted for approval duplicates what the device can already do, then it is rejected. According to Robert Andrews of PaidContent.org, "The FCC is currently looking into Apple's failure to approve the Google's Voice app, which has sparked some criticism in tech and media circles, with some alleging that Apple's is influenced by its desire to protect its network partners' voice call revenue, rather than have it be undercut by Google voice data traffic."
When the Spotify application was submitted to Apple, there was a great deal of speculation as to whether Apple would regard an unlimited music program as something which would tread on the toes of the more "a la carte downloads" the iTunes store provides. Submitted around a month ago, the Spotify application being allowed will surely begin to rake some money in for Spotify. However, despite being a fairly big step for Spotify, it is by no means their only business model.
Universal Music Sweden was reported to have said that they are making more money from Spotify than iTunes, so others are wondering whether Apple were delaying approval of the Spotify application whilst keeping quiet about their own version of the unlimited music service in its upcoming Sept. 9 event.
According to PaidContent.org, Spotify is gaining rave reviews, but a question mark hangs over its chances of financial success. The app would be free to download but requires a Â£9.99-a-month subscription, which also removes ads. Spotify says there will also be an annual-subscription option.
Some consider the development of this application to squeeze the remaining breath out of iTunes, however the popularity of the application along with how well it works remains to be seen.


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To protect the data shared by smart devices, Everything Set has launched a new home network security solution.
While smart devices, such as light bulbs, robot vacuums, and security cameras, provide new conveniences on a regular basis, they can also be a source of new risks due to the vast amounts of data collected.
To safeguard that information – and the conveniences it provides – Everything Set just released a home security system that monitors and safeguards data-sharing behavior between smart devices.
To collect similar information across all smart devices, the company leverages AI and real-time analysis of anonymized crowdsourcing data. Traditional home data security solutions like firewalls and antivirus software don’t keep track of what information is exchanged with the outside world, but Everything Set uses statistical analysis and algorithms to keep track of smart gadgets and warn users about potential security threats.
“Identifying viruses, classifying them, and constructing a firewall against known dangers the traditional way is like defending a warehouse with only a chain and padlock,” stated David Knudsen, CEO and founder of Everything Set. “Our homes and businesses are unprotected and open to sophisticated attacks, and current security measures haven’t kept up with new, ever-evolving malware.”
Everything Set connects to any router and watches how individual devices operate while looking for security flaws, such as unfamiliar or suspicious IP traffic.
Users are brought up to date with system-wide network analysis and real-time alerts of odd activities via the Everything Set app. The program then offers remedies such as blocking rogue communications, assisting users in keeping their devices safe, and other auto-fixes.
The house, according to Phil Black, co-founder of True Ventures and an investor in Everything Set, is the new data privacy battleground.
“We’re living our entire lives online within the boundaries of our smarter houses,” he continued, “from your home office to your thermostat to your fitness regimen.” “All of our smart devices are learning our habits, so it’s vital that we safeguard what’s being sent to the cloud.” Everything Set is the safety net we need to ensure that all of our technologies are working in our favor.”
- Everything Set Is Now Available to Protect Your Smart Devices and Data
- How Can IoT Devices Be Secured And Protected From Cyber-Attacks?
- Two computer experts describe how the Internet of Things (IoT) may intrude on your privacy
- Users’ Privacy Is Jeopardized By Third-Party Alexa Smart Devices