text:
PlayStation is showing appreciation to its PlayStation Plus members with including some new games being made available starting in July. Monday marked the ten year anniversary of PlayStation Plus starting. Those three games will be NBA 2K20, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, and Erica.
To thank fans for joining Plus, they announced the addition of three games. PlayStation released their statement on the anniversary and new games that will be available.
“Hi everyone! Wow, it’s been 10 years since PlayStation Plus was first introduced to the world on June 29, 2010, and we truly want to thank all of you for supporting PS Plus over the past decade. It’s been a memorable journey over the years, bringing gamers together and providing access to compelling content and exclusive discounts for our members. We wouldn’t be here without all of you, so as a thank you, we wanted to make this upcoming monthly games announcement extra special by adding a bonus game to our incredible lineup.”
NBA 2K20 Features
Released back on September 6, NBA 2K20 included an open-world concept with Neighborhood. The feature allows gamers to play with each other from around the world. Other game features include an updated motion engine, new signature style moves, advanced shooting controls, and more. The game also added a new feature that allows players to play as WNBA players for the first time. They can be played either on play now or franchise mode.
All three games will be playable to Plus members from July 7 until August 3. For more on the announcement, gamers can check out the news on the PlayStation website.


text:
Rutte Government Makes its Next Move
Last Friday Halbe Zijlstra, Vice Minister responsible for culture (VVD), presented his final plan for cultural funding cuts to the House of Representatives.
The design sector fared well compared with others. It will lose 10% of its funding in 2013 and Premsela, the Institute for Design and Fashion must find ways to cooperate with both the NAi and the Virtual Platform.
The wording of the document is not completely clear, but it seems that the three disciplines will maintain their visibility and the brands of each organization will be protected. The long-term goal, however, is to create one creative industries institute for all three disciplines.
“We were already working on cooperation with the Virtual Platform and we also work together in the DutchDFA programme with which Holland profiles itself as a top tier country in the fashion, design and architecture sectors,” says Els van der Plas, Director of Premsela in an interview with NRC Handelsblad. “Premsela will work to ensure that design guards its own position.”
Ole Bouman, Director of the NAi, is also positive about setting up one cultural institute. “If I see how the different disciplines are growing together, then cooperation can lead to new and interesting projects,” he says in the same article.
For other cultural organizations the scale of the planned cuts are far more drastic.
The VVD led coalition (with the support of PVV) enjoys a majority in the House of Representatives, but already there are rumors of dissent both from within the immediate coalition members and even amongst VVD members themselves.
For the proposals to become legislation, a political majority in both houses is needed.
This week Vrij Nederland, a political weekly magazine, published a fascinating feature about how the VVD managed to get this far. Their vision started back in 2008 and entailed putting full attention on only three issues - the economy, law and order and immigration all the while painting so-called “left-wing, inner-city, intellectual elites” as the opponents of the suburban majority. The goal was to mobilize that majority while fuelling their insecurities.
It is reported that design and architecture were spared from even bigger cuts because the government views both industries as economically relevant. “The government is setting new priorities in its cultural agenda and each sector needs to become more market oriented,” NRC reports.
In an interview with the same newspaper Willem Velthoven, Director of Mediamatic, criticized that sentiment: “The government only looks at how to exploit the arts sector in the short term,” he says.
The point is that even the most economically viable cultural ideas can take years to develop.
Points of sale
( 8 Votes, average: 4 out of 5)
click to vote
- Amsterdam Fashion Week 2013
- Dutch Design Week 2012
- Milan 2012
- Amsterdam Fashion Week 2012
- Dutch Design Week 2011
- Amsterdam International Fashion Week 2010
- Amsterdam International Fashion Week 2011
- Dutch Design Week 2010
- Dutch Design Double 2010
- Milan 2010
- Design.nl 100th Issue Favourites
- Dutch Design Week 2009
- Dutch Design Double 2009
- Milan 2009
- Amsterdam International Fashion Week 2009
- Going Out - Restaurants, bars, cafes, clubs and hotels
- Graphic Design Festival 2008
- Dutch Design Week 2008
- Retail Therapy - Where to buy Dutch design
- FreeDesigndom 2008
- Milan 2008
- Amsterdam International Fashion Week 2008
- Design.nl Tokyo favourites

domain: news


text:
BEIRUT: “Well, it seems that females are much more interested in buying and reading books than males.” This is the view of Hasan Yaghi, from the Arab Cultural Center publishing house, which is taking part in Beirut International Arab Book Fair this year. “When a couple takes a look at our stands, it’s the girl who chooses books and appears more passionate about reading,” Yaghi said, offering the explanation that girls and women generally have more free time to read and don’t shoulder as many responsibilities as males do.
Yaghi’s publishing house is one of more than 200 Arab and Lebanese publishing houses participating in the 53rd round of Beirut International Arab book fair.
The “dean” of the country’s book fair opened on Friday at its now-familiar lodgings at the Beirut International Entertainment and Leisure Center (BIEL), but the 2009 edition is offering more this time around, whether it’s significantly more exhibition space, or Lebanon’s latest attempt to crack a Guinness Bookn record.
This year’s 13-day exhibition is coinciding with Beirut’s turn as the World Book Capital, and the book fair is offering some new programs and activities. In addition to holding lectures, seminars, children’s plays, book signings and ceremonies to honor achievement, the exhibition is hosting a gathering of Arab novelists. Lebanese and Arab novelists – among them Emily Nasrallah, Bahaa Taher, Rashid al-Daif, Mohammad Barada, Elias Khoury, and Alawiya Sobh – will convene in five seminars over several days to discuss how the Arab novel is evolving, amid political and social developments.
Despite the nasty weather that pelted the country during the fair’s opening weekend, a number of publishing house representatives agreed that sales and attendance were showing promise, compared to previous editions of the fair.
“Although it’s still too early to judge, and in spite of the stormy weather, I can say that the level of book sales is much better compared to last year,” said Nasser Fleiti, from Riad El-Rayyes publishing house.
While some publishers said the public was seeking out a wide variety of books this year, others pointed to a jump in interest in novels and political books this year.
“Until now, novels and books that deal with political topics constitute the bulk of our sales,” said Hana Basma, from Al-Saqi publishers.
But the centerpiece for many visitors to this year’s fair won’t be the latest novel, or political expose, but simply, the largest book in the world.
“Beirut, Destruction Wars and Construction Horizons” is being displayed in a special corner at BIEL. A 304-page book might not sound very special, but this one happens to weigh 1,060 kilograms. It pictures sights from Downtown Beirut, Rafik Hariri International Airport, and the Camille Chamoun City Sportive during earlier phases of destruction, and after post-war reconstruction. The book’s photographer-author, Ayman Trawi, took these shots starting from early 1980s, and the massive tome, which entered the Guinness collection, will be exhibited around the world in the near future.
Naturally, visitors have their own opinion about the book fair, and regular customers can often be difficult to please. Huda al-Sibaii, a Kuwaiti university student in Beirut, said she wasn’t that satisfied with the content of the this year’s exhibition.
“Although there are many more publishing houses than previous years, there’s not such a variety of books … most of them are religious books,” she said. “I visit the book fair every year, and I used to buy many more books in the past.”
The Beirut Book Fair will run until December 24 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.


text:
The new 5G standard for phones is just starting to make a splash. However, there’s a lot of development yet to do and equipment installed before everyone’s in 5G wonderland. Nobody really knows what the transition from 4G dominance to 5G normal will look like. What will happen when 5G finally reaches critical mass ? Here are five well-considered predictions.
Faster Speeds, Bigger Data
With 10 million subscribers already on 5G in 2019, providers expect to have up to two billion consumers on 5G by 2024. Drastically lower latency, 10 times faster data and much wider bandwidth will combine to change everything. Industry studies expect 4G LTE subscriptions to peak in 2022, declining as 5G takes over.
People, government and businesses will become vastly more connected in ways never seen before. Huge amounts of data will be available almost instantly, speeding up background and credit checks along with access to personal data. Real-time reporting from the marketplace, researchers, government and consumers will accelerate machine learning for artificial intelligence. Video will transfer instantly. Decentralized broadcasting platforms like YouTube will explode as more people upload bigger files.
Mobile apps are perfectly positioned to exploit this kind of a data revolution. Without a way to slim down data transmission, all this new capacity will slow to a crawl. Large programs take a lot of bandwidth to transfer. Because apps are memory-small and highly focused on particular tasks, they alleviate data bottlenecks. They’re transmitted quickly, maximize storage and conserve bandwidth.
Smarter Cars, IoT and Law Enforcement
Cars are getting smarter and the process is accelerating with breakthroughs in software and technology. Modern automobiles sport several cameras, dozens of sensors and computers embedded into every system. Most vehicles now have some level of autonomous operation including parking, braking, backing and lane warnings.
You can already access instant customization, purchase and delivery of vehicles online, as well as insurance, accessories and services. In the 5G future, you’ll take a virtual test drive from your couch with VR glasses and a phone. The salesman will sit right in the living room via telepresence, discussing features and colors as if in person. Car, phone and house will schedule delivery and dealer service with no human involvement.
The car’s systems will be communicating position, velocity, navigation, proximity to other vehicles and operating condition to maintenance apps and manufacturers. Increasingly, vehicles will be important data hubs, providing camera and weather data, sending information for investigators and updating map services.
AI or police analysts can send cars to the nearest inspection station, reducing tickets and wait times at motor vehicle departments. Insurance and safety compliance will be checked instantly by any office. Your car will transmit everything the officer wants back to his car.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Smarter Homes
Smart home applications will explode in number. Climate control, darkening windows, automated shutters and phone-programmed irrigation are already here. Security alarms, AI cameras, communications and media will combine with energy consumption sensors, transmitting consumer habits back to businesses.
The heater guy will be scheduled for the fall tune-up automatically. Landscapers, repairmen and contractors can be scheduled and paid electronically by the house because there’s finally enough bandwidth to control a huge network of sensors.
Friends will hang around in each other’s living rooms, chatting through telepresence instead of texting. The house will display personal information about repairmen with facial recognition. Overlays on your phone’s video screen, showing weather information or what a backyard fountain might look like can be projected onto picture windows.
Unlimited Communication and Omnipresent AI
The biggest single impact across all sectors will be on artificial intelligence. With so much speed and interconnection, real-time market data can be collated with real-time financial data. Consumer preferences and spending habits will be analyzed in conjunction with credit history and income analysis
With new sensors in just about everything including appliances, cars and even clothing, marketing plans will be drilled down to very specific subsectors. Entire customer databases will be retrieved instantly. Machine learning will classify important factors in the database and automatically target marketing programs to reach optimum archetypes for specific products.
For the consumer, it will be a new age. You’ll be offered deals on products you were already going to buy. AI backends on marketing software will predict that you need shaving cream and put an offer in front of you at the airport or on that picture window.
Cloud Computing, Health Care and Personal Services
5G speed provides burst transfers of large data amounts, but most apps will be remotely operating large systems in the cloud. Cloud computing is going to grow exponentially because millions more people will be able to take advantage of files stored online, now that it downloads 10 times faster.
Remote telepresence will be common for doctor’s consults. Sensors in furniture, phone, computer or specialized medical devices will transmit all the vital information the doctor needs. Your Financial data, insurance information, prescriptions, medical history and shot record will be in the doctor’s hands.
Wrist monitors will provide heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and other basic vitals Saliva or blood sugar testers and scopes for eyes, ears and throat can be worked at home, transmitting data to the doctor. Surgeons already perform operations remotely via telepresence. This is a natural progression.
What is clear is there will be a lot more devices connected. Industry predictions project 250 times the number of devices currently online. Will amazing 5G speeds look so amazing once the network approaches saturation?
Another factor is that even when 5G is fully set, some regions will never achieve optimum speed. In large areas like the southwest deserts, there will never be enough support and hardware. If you don’t live near a major city, it’s likely you’ll never see the fastest speeds being touted by mobile providers.
Inevitably, more devices with more data and more applications doing more things will take their toll, leading to this bonus prediction: You’re going to be waiting impatiently for 6G.


text:
Imagine getting stopped by airport security and having your phone taken away. Then imagine being fined or charged with criminal charges just for having it! Sound like a ridiculous nightmare? Well, this is what would happen if you try to take a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 onto any flight in the United States.
Back in August, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was released as an amazing new phone and competition for Apple’s iPhone 7. Days after its release however, the phones in the US started overheating and catching fire! Samsung immediately apologized, recalling the American version of the phone, claiming the issue was an “isolated problem” from one single manufacturer selling to the US. In September, the situation got much worse for Samsung Galaxy Note 7 users as more and more phones around the world started catching on fire. Even worse, the replacement phones that Samsung sent out in the US as “fixed” also caught fire! Things took another very serious turn in October when one of the replacement phones caught fire on a Southwest flight from Louisville to Baltimore. Can you imagine the security risk of that!?
Since this incidence, the Department of Transportation has banned these phones from all flights. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 can’t even be transported by plane in checked bags or cargo! Because of these combusting phones, most airlines have started carrying special fire resistant gloves and boxes on board their flights to put the burning phones in and better deal with possible future incidents.
Samsung has canceled the phone and urged people not to use them or even turn them on. The company is also allowing trade-ins for different models if owners bring the Note 7 into the store, or sending boxes to customers with special shipping instructions to send the (potentially) dangerous phones back.
Well, yikes! Are you are Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fan? Will you wait to see what Samsung does to fix this problem in its new phones or will you jump ship?


text:
News by Luke Jones on Tuesday August 05, 2014.
|Sponsored links, if any, appear in green.|
In terms of flagship devices, the Motorola Moto X is getting a little long in the tooth, so much so that the flagship is due to be replaced by the Moto X+1 sometime at the end of this summer. However, thanks to Motorola's soon to be severed ties to Google, the device is still extremely close to the Android platform and the company has confirmed it will be one of the non-Google handsets to get the Android L update.Motorola's VP of Product Management confirmed in a Google+ post that the Moto X would be getting the bump to Android L. Of course, Google's latest and presumably greatest OS will have to arrive first, and that will happen in the fall. From there, Motorola will begin rolling out the L release, although the company has not given a strict timeframe just yet. Rival companies such as HTC and OnePlus have already confirmed that their flagships (the HTC One M8 and OnePlus One) will be getting Android L within 90 days of the software being released. Considering Motorola's close ties with Google, we could certainly see the Moto X getting the Android L software before its rivals. In fact, we could see a scenario where the Moto handsets get the update directly after Google's Nexus and Google Play Edition devices. Motorola was purchased by Google two years ago in a deal worth over $1 billion, but Mountain View agreed to sell the brand to Chinese giant Lenovo earlier in the year. That deal is still to go through official channels, but it is thought even after falling under Lenovo's wing that Motorola's solid relationship with Google will continue. So much so that the American company is widely believed to be working with Google on its next Nexus smartphone. Motorola has yet to confirm whether the more affordable Moto G and Moto E will be getting the Android L update, but considering both are within the 18 month update windows, we would think that they will. source: Google
Luke Jones is the Managing Editor at MobileBurn.com and is the person you need to speak to about the content on the site. Luke studied creative writing at degree level before carving out a reputation as a freelance tech writer. He settled here at MobileBurn, where he reviews devices and contributes to the news, as well as overseeing the site's content and direction.


text:
Mercedes and Jaguar Throwing Friendly Punches in Ongoing Ad Battle [w/videos]
Ah, here we go again. Two more luxury automakers are taking some friendly (?) shots at each other through a series of clever ads. While Jaguar threw the first punch — making a yolk out of Mercedes' chicken ad with a clever ruse of its own — Mercedes was quick to strike back. In a recent print ad showing up on its Facebook page, Mercedes shows one of its cars about to come face to face with a Jaguar (yes, the animal). The caption reads: "Because cat-like reflexes aren't fast enough. The PRE-SAFE brake." Shots taken.
We'll keep our eyes peeled to see how/if Jaguar responds in this ongoing battle. For now, watch the two ads that started it all below:
PHOTOS: See More of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz C Class


text:
By Jeremy C. Owens
Earnings View: Wall Street analysts continue on to count on the file profit margins of 2021 to persist in the decades in advance amid file inflation Tesla and Twitter to announce earnings in coming 7 days amid Twitter’s court docket battle with Elon Musk
As earnings period kicks into higher gear, there is 1 big dilemma that could determine in which stocks and inflation will head from below: Will businesses keep on to elevate price ranges or minimize fees in an endeavor to sustain the history income margins of 2021?
As this column talked about a few months in the past, the S&P 500 index’s record gain margin in 2021 was a historic anomaly, topping 12% when it experienced in no way ahead of hit 11%. Wall Street analysts at the time expected report margins to continue on by means of this year and into 2023 and 2024, and these expectations are truly raising. Earnings margins are now anticipated to leading 13% in 2023 and 2024, with the estimate for up coming calendar year rising from 12.93% to 13.25% in the past 3 months.
The much more providers chase individuals file revenue margins by rising selling prices, the bigger inflation could go. Inflation ongoing to maximize in June, with the buyer cost index as soon as once again hitting its optimum enhance in more than 40 decades.
Do not overlook: With inflation climbing and fears of recession, check out out for these 3 key numbers in enterprise earnings reviews
For an thought of what this appears like in an particular person earnings report, take a look at 1 of the first reports of the period, PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) The maker of tender drinks and treats reported that all round product sales volume amplified just 1% from very last calendar year, but the firm reported net income expansion of 7% and organic income progress of 13%. The rationale: Efficient net pricing greater 12% from the year before.
Pepsi executives sounded like they were heading to be far more thorough about selling price boosts in the foreseeable future, even so, simply because of fears about stores and lessen-income buyers.
“We definitely have to go some of these fees to the client, [but] how do we do it in a way that would not affect quantity and it carries on to make progress for [retailers] and growth for us, and people are the style of conversations we are getting,” Chief Govt Ramon Laguarta said when requested by an analyst about pricing in a convention contact Tuesday.
“Clearly, we are all worried in a way about the significant inflation and how that is likely to impact, especially as we search at the comprehensive shopper universe, the lessen part of the profits pyramid, that’s exactly where we’re all looking morecarefully and we’re generating conclusions on entry issue in the categories and how do we carry on to have that specific buyer have interaction in our groups,” he reported.
Study also: Firms are utilizing the ache of inflation as an chance to boost financial gain and line shareholder pockets, report reveals
Despite the cost raises, Pepsi’s web gain margin did decline in the next quarter, to 7.1% from 12.3% a calendar year in the past, even though executives promised to maximize operating margin.
Internet financial gain margins all round appear to be declining, specifically in tech and a lot of buyer-centered categories. FactSet Senior Earnings Analyst John Butters mentioned Friday that anticipations for the quarter have now fallen as precise results had been blended in, with analyst’s anticipations for a 12.7% internet margin at the beginning of the quarter declining to 12.4% so considerably this quarter, even with the bulk of reports however forward.
Even if executives in sectors this kind of as shopper discretionary and tech determine not to chase the document internet margins of 2021, they could remain high general due to envisioned windfall gain from oil companies.
Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) now disclosed anticipations for billions in added 2nd-quarter financial gain thanks to oil and gasoline price ranges spiking as Russian oil was diverted to other markets because of to the invasion of Ukraine, and energy-sector margin anticipations for 2022 have surged to 13.15% from 9.39% at the conclude of 2021.
Study: When will inflation peak? Individuals and economists see mild at the end of a very long tunnel
The 2nd quarter a yr ago was the peak for net gain margins so far with the S&P 500 index, reaching 13%. Whilst analysts nonetheless expect they will mature in the a long time forward, the true path is dependent on what executives make a decision to do, with the numbers, forecasts and executives’ statements arriving in the up coming handful of months performing as our most effective information as to what is to come.
In the week ahead, we will hear from a number of industries that have contributed to the increase in client costs, this sort of as airways, with United Airlines Holdings Inc. (UAL) , American Airlines Team Inc. (AAL) and Alaska Air Team Inc. (ALK) envisioned to report.
This 7 days in earnings
Additional than 70 S&P 500 companies are anticipated to report earnings this week, with seven of the 30 Dow Jones Industrial Ordinary elements on the agenda — Worldwide Business Equipment Corp. (IBM) and Goldman Sachs Team Inc. (GS) on Monday Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)on Tuesday Dow Inc. (DOW) and Vacationers Cos. Inc. (TRV) on Thursday and Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ)and American Convey Co. (AXP) on Friday.
In this article are some of the reports to observe out for.
The phone calls to put on your calendar
Tesla Inc.(TSLA): Tesla earnings phone calls are always unpredictable, particularly when Elon Musk shows up. If Musk shows up this 7 days, nevertheless, it will be a shock, for the reason that he has a good deal else to fret about — A decide designs the to start with listening to Tuesday in his lawful struggle with Twitter Inc. (TWTR) , which will report its second-quarter results early Friday morning with no a meeting call. Tesla will report Wednesday afternoon soon after the electrical-car or truck maker stated deliveries declined 18% sequentially in the next quarter, with Musk’s visual appearance in the earnings simply call afterward still a concern mark.
Earnings preview: Wall Street braces for ‘difficult’ 2nd quarter from Tesla
Snap Inc. (SNAP): Doubts about the on line-advertising field have been growing, and Snap will be the initial significant barometer on Thursday afternoon, hours forward of Twitter’s figures hitting. The coloration from Main Govt Evan Spiegel working with demand, pricing and the continuing outcomes of alterations to Apple Inc.’s (AAPL)strategy to sharing facts will include clues to anticipations for some much larger experiences the upcoming week from rivals Meta Platforms Inc. (META) and Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)(GOOGL)
For more: Twitter has additional to fret about than Elon Musk as doubts about on the internet-advertisement sector persist
The quantities to observe
Netflix Inc. (NFLX)subscribers: Netflix explained a few months in the past that it expected to lose 2 million subscribers in the 2nd quarter, but then the streaming services split the fourth period of its megahit “Stranger Items” in excess of the 2nd and third quarters, which might have saved it from a drop. Even if Netflix managed to keep all those buyers all around into July, nonetheless, it could just force the decline into the 3rd quarter, so enjoy for the forecast as very well.
Earnings preview: Netflix is pulling out all the stops to reverse a slide in subscribers
-Jeremy C. Owens
(Conclusion) Dow Jones Newswires
Copyright (c) 2022 Dow Jones & Corporation, Inc.


text:
NetEnt Announces Release of Strolling Staxx Slot
The Swedish online casino software group, NetEnt has made its second slot release this month. After launching Turn Your Fortune slot as its first rollout for 2019, NetEnt has now announced the release of the new title in its popular Staxx series. You’ll remember popular games in this series such as Neon Staxx and Butterfly Staxx – and now NetEnt has added Strolling Staxx: Cubic Fruits slot to its arsenal.
What stands out immediately in this game is its new cube-based design which is a move away from traditional rounded reels. The bright-colored fruit also add a lively touch to the game as they appear on the five reels and across three rows.
However, Strolling Staxx: Cubic Fruits’ real stand-out feature is its Colossal symbols feature. This means that any symbol which appears as a colossal symbol or a stack symbol has the potential to activate the Strolling Staxx re-spins feature.
Even better, when activating the bonus bet, you are awarded the extra chance to trigger more colossal symbols on the reels – and therefore earn even more Strolling Staxx re-spins. As you can see, the rewards just don’t stop rolling in in this game!
The director of game products at NetEnt, Bryan Upton commented on the rollout of the group’s second slot game this year so far.
“With its bright and playful fruity cubes, Strolling Staxx is here to inject a blast of color into the middle of winter,” he said. “Boxes of fun await the latest NetEnt adventure, especially for our huge recreational player base.”
The new release puts NetEnt on track with its plan to roll out 35 new games this year. These plans were announced to the industry late last year, at the same time the group said that it would be cutting 55 jobs at its Stockholm headquarters. The decision to dismiss these employees was made in order to free up resources to ramp up new game development. In October last year, NetEnt said that it was looking to cut costs in order to streamline operations and speed up the development cycle.


text:
By Tammie Hetrick | President & CEO at Washington Food Industry Association
Business owners I know don’t hesitate in dangerous situations. If someone, or something, poses a risk to the safety of their customers or staff, they act immediately to mitigate that risk.
But a new measure approved 6-2 by the Seattle City Council on Aug. 8 will delay or discourage that action, creating needless safety issues and potentially harmful situations.
At issue is whether app-based companies should be allowed to immediately remove or “deactivate” independent contract workers from service. Situations where a business or customer would need to complain about the behavior of an app-based worker are exceedingly rare, but it’s important to know that serious complaints are dealt with immediately.
The approved measure requires delivery companies to give workers 14 days’ notice before they can stop offering them deliveries, except where they have engaged in egregious misconduct.
What’s more, the new ordinance will give private contractors access to private information about a customer who files a complaint that leads to deactivation – an unheard of provision for other workers. By giving drivers information that can identify who lodged complaints, it will make people think twice before reporting an issue. If workers in our small businesses know their reports of misconduct will no longer be private, or could lead to retaliation, their incentive for calling out bad actors is gone.
The stakes could not be higher: we’re talking about efforts to keep people safe.
This new standard sets a dangerous precedent for other businesses and for the customers they serve. Retailers have come to partner with app-based businesses to deliver groceries safely to their customers. Our members — independent grocers, convenience stores and neighborhood stores — collaborate with them because they provide a valuable service. They trust these companies and the processes they have in place to safely manage deliveries, and act immediately in the face of safety concerns.
As we’ve seen time and again, potential safety threats must be addressed quickly to avoid escalation and serious harm. So taking steps to interfere with how a private business handles a potential safety concern is worrisome on multiple levels.
Our member stores, many of which are family-owned small businesses, operate on slim margins and do not have the resources to invest in significant security systems. They want customers to have a pleasant and peaceful experience while shopping, but with crime rising in cities like Seattle, they’ve had to put more thought into how to make sure their stores are safe. It’s unsettling to think we’ve gotten to this point just to buy groceries.
Unfortunately though, our communities have become more violent. Many of our member stores in some of these higher crime areas are seriously weighing whether it’s worth keeping their doors open because, right now, most of them are operating at a loss. Consumers are feeling the same risks–a recent survey shows that Seattle residents are growing more pessimistic about public safety. Adding to their existing safety concerns will not make matters better.
We’ve all seen the footage on TV or heard stories about stores being trashed or customers being subject to angry outbursts (and worse) from other customers or employees. We’ve seen workplace violence play out time and again. Handing over customer data to a disgruntled worker could produce tragic outcomes at a store or a customer’s front door.
Public safety requires immediate action, not a long process. The council’s new ordinance interferes with our ability to proactively head off a potentially dangerous situation, and creates barriers and disincentives for businesses looking to keep employees, and customers, safe.
And right now, safety matters.
Tammie Hetrick is the president and CEO of the Washington Food Industry Association, representing independent grocers, neighborhood stores and convenience stores.


text:
It is not the only one.
Coding for kids made easy.
Virtual reality gives us a chilling preview of Trump in the White House.
It mimics heart muscles and moves in synch with the organ.
It could one day deliver aid and equipment to soldiers on the field.
Show what you can do with that ball.
Never touch that slimy hair ball again.
Ola will keep you entertained during your ride.
It certainly looks fast.
The controversial saga of the Note7 has come to an end now that Samsung has stepped forward with answers.
A Federal Court ruling dealt a severe blow to Australia's information privacy laws by narrowing the definition of "personal information."
This week's list includes an adult coloring app by Disney.
Two errors affected about 560,000 accounts.
Virtual reality is becoming the best way to play, dollhouses included.
You don't have to completely let go.
OK Google, which smartphones will you be available on this year?
Yep, artificial intelligence.
If you couldn't be there in person, this might be the next best way to experience history.
Apple just did the unthinkable.
As President Donald Trump assumes the oval office, an anti-Trump petition is climbing up the popularity charts on whitehouse.gov.
Forty experts signed an open letter to one publication.
A new President, a new website, a new world.
We might finally see the long overdue redhead emoji.
Messenger is now everywhere.
Desktop gets in line with the mobile app.
The Mobile World Congress will be very interesting this year.


text:
A decade after its last conference, the fresh produce industry’s livery company the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers is preparing for another interactive conference and networking event.
Fruit Attraction is planning a 2017 edition packed with new features and more than 1,500 companies.
A record number of local food and beverage businesses are preparing to capitalise on the growing appetite for quirky and inspired global produce by launching their product lines at Gulfood 2017.
Agritrade Expo and Conference, one of Central America’s top agricultural events, takes place in Guatemala March 23-24 this year under the slogan ‘Growing business together’.
Taking as its theme 'Reimagining the customer experience', the 2017 World Retail Congress returns to Dubai for a second time, where it will take place April 4-6 at the Madinat Jumeirah resort.
With over 50 scientific specialist contributors, the international Frutic Symposium being held this coming February 7 offers the ideal platform for discussions among experts from the field of resea
The sixth edition of the IBO Summit took place in Concordia, Argentina, and Salto, Uruguay, over September 20-22.
Gulfood, the world-leading annual food and hospitality event in Dubai, is undergoing major changes in format and visitor experience in preparation for the next edition, being held February 26 to Ma
Expoalimentaria is the food fair that brings together producers, importers, exporters, distributors, supermarkets and service providers from the five continents under one roof.
The 20th edition of the FHC China exhibition for imported food and beverages and the 4th edition of ProWine China for wine and spirits ended Wednesday November 9 with reports of significant busines


text:
True Capital Partners has completed a first close at $5 million for its recently launched seed investment fund. The vehicle has a mandate to invest in retail and consumer sector start-ups from across Europe.
True Capital Partners LLP (“True Capital”), the retail and consumer sector specialist investment group, has successfully completed a first close at $5 million for its recently launched seed investment fund, with a mandate to invest in the best retail and consumer sector start-ups from across Europe. The investment group, which last month launched TrueStart, the only independent retail and consumer sector specialist innovation hub in Europe, comprising of a 4,500 square foot space in London’s Victoria designed to house up to 20 start-up businesses a year, will use the funds to provide seed funding to entrepreneurs awarded residency at TrueStart.
In addition to providing seed capital, TrueStart residents benefit from a six month start-up acceleration programme that includes intensive mentoring from TrueStart’s full time team of entrepreneurs, legal, accounting and recruitment support and, importantly, access to True Capital’s global retail and consumer sector network, a true differentiator for entrepreneurs. The programme is intended to allow residents to build a platform for scalable growth ahead of a Series A funding round, sourced from the True Capital network. Unlike traditional physical incubators or cohort-based acceleration programmes, TrueStart acts as a long-term partner to entrepreneurs and adopts as very hands-on approach throughout the entire business development life cycle.
TrueStart is interested in world-class entrepreneurs and businesses with innovative products, technologies or services that are targeted at disrupting any aspect of the retail and consumer landscape. This could include in-store technology, social commerce, data analytics for retailers, a new brand or consumer product. Applications from potential TrueStart residents are taken via the TrueStart website (www.truestart.co.uk) on a monthly basis.
Matt Truman, CEO and Founder of True Capital and TrueStart, said:
“The retail and consumer sector continues to undergo dramatic change and access to innovation is core to our wider group’s investment strategy. Our vision is for TrueStart to become the focal point for innovation in the sector and closing our first dedicated seed fund is an important step on that journey. I am delighted not only with the speed at which we were able to close the fund, but also by the quality of the investors we have secured, the majority of whom are senior executives drawn from the retail community. TrueStart is about utilising our network to provide sector specific entrepreneurs with access to the big corporates that will help their businesses to rapidly accelerate. We have already received some fantastic applications from potential residents and I am confident that TrueStart will provide a tremendous platform for the industry leaders of tomorrow.”
For further information contact:
True Capital Partners LLP
Matt Truman, CEO & Founding Partner
Paul Cocker, Founding Partner
Tel: +44 (0) 2037 406 940
Richard Mergler, CEO
Tel: +44 (0) 2037 406 945
Notes to the editors:
TrueStart is a central London based investment hub specifically designed to support innovation in the
retail and consumer sectors, bringing together the brightest young minds and startups under one roof
in order to create the products and solutions that will transform the future of these industries.
TrueStart is part of True Capital, a specialist alternative asset manager, focusing solely on the retail
and consumer sector. The business is overseen by True Capital’s senior management team and run
operationally by experienced entrepreneurs who have founded, built and sold businesses over a
period of many years.


text:
It seems that people are spending less time on the therapist’s couch these days, due to economic pressures and the availability of alternative resources. An estimated 30 percent drop in the psychotherapy business in the past decade has sent many shrinks scrambling to find clients by “niche” marketing their services.
As essay in today’s New York Times Magazine tells the story of one such therapist. Opening paragraphs from “The Branding Cure: My So-called Career as a Therapist” appears below
“Since the 1990s, managed care has increasingly limited visits and reimbursements for talk therapy but not for drug treatment; and in 2005 alone, pharmaceutical companies spent $4.2 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising and $7.2 billion on promotion to physicians, nearly twice what they spent on research and development. Continue reading “Therapists turn to branding as demand drops by 30 percent”


text:
The Customs Authority reactivated the Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN)
Libyan Cloud News Agency – Tripoli
The Customs Authority has reactivated the Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN) to manage and control shipments to Libya.
A member of the Customs Authority, Anas Ammar, told the Libyan Cloud News Agency that ECTN is a global waiver document issued by an international inspection company working in the field of inspection in most countries of the world to provide advance information about imported goods, such as type, quantity, or source of goods, to combat forgery in documents attached to the customs declaration.
Ammar indicated that shipping agencies in Libya were informed about the new procedure to obtain their addresses at any export port in Dubai, Turkey, European countries, Asian countries, or the Americas.


text:
Gamelook report / the previous white paper of the 2019 hard core alliance pointed out that in the first half of 2019, the number of investment events in China's game market was 24, far lower than last year's 152, a decrease of two-thirds. But in the overseas market, it is a different scene. The company holding the top-level game is still the darling of capital.
Recently, foreign media revealed that roblox, a sandbox game platform, recently received $150 million in round g investment, which is led by Andreessen Horowitz's later stage venture capital fund, and other well-known investors include Temasek and Tencent.
More than a year ago, the company's last round of financing of $150 million was valued at $2.5 billion. According to the Wall Street Journal, the San Mateo, Calif. - based company has soared to $4 billion. Why is roblox so popular in the game market where the capital boom has retreated?
Mau exceeds 100 million yuan, and the future potential is more important for capital
Readers who know about sandbox games may know that in the overseas market, roblox, although it has a late start, has exceeded my world, which has monopolized sandbox games for many years. According to the report of sensor tower, the revenue of the mobile game platform of the same name released by roblox Corporation has exceeded $1 billion. The total downloads of app store and Google play in the world are 290 million times, with the highest number of online players over 2 million.
Of its total revenue of $1 billion, $677 million (67%) came from the United States and $89 million (9%) from the United Kingdom. While 75% of downloads come from Google play, IOS players pay more, with iPhone and iPad players contributing 76% of total revenue.
If we further explore the data behind the company's achievements, we may be able to understand why the capital market has a special interest in the company: roblox has successfully won the youth market, and has a solid position among young users in the United States.
Comparison of average online entertainment market of young people under 17
According to comScore's previous reports, among the online entertainment time investment of teenagers under 17 and children, roblox has overwhelming advantages over all competitors, including youtube, steam, Netflix, Facebook and twitch. According to the data provided by roblox, about 40% of users are women.
In other words, Roblox has brought together a large number of teenage users in Europe and the United States, providing a steady stream for future development
Roblox monthly active user growth trend
Unlike other game categories and even sandbox games, roblox has a unique cash flow mode. The only currency in the game is robux. A small amount of game currency can be obtained through free tasks or activities, but players with high consumption demand basically need to buy in. In addition to purchasing payment currency robux, the company also launched a monthly fee membership system. Although "roblox" is a free game, ordinary users can only experience the Games provided by the official or other developers, while paying users can make more character costumes, models and virtual worlds, open more games and worlds to the players at the same time, build their own servers, sell their own created content, trade virtual goods, etc.
In addition to in-game store sales, developers of all creative content can get remuneration (revenue sharing) through their own game creation. In 2017, roblox said that the annual revenue of the highest earning content creators was more than $3 million, and many top developers were between $1 million and $2 million. David baszucki, CEO of roblox, said in an interview that the company expects to distribute more than $100 million in revenue to platform developers in 2019.
With increased community creative enthusiasm, Roblox's platform has more than 4 million monthly creators and more than 40 million maps created online by players and developers, meaning the company can rely on new content even if it doesn't sell it
In this round of financing, roblox also provides employees and shareholders with the opportunity to participate in the second round of financing. The company said that it is currently in the critical growth period of roblox, because the monthly active users of "roblox" reached a new record of 115 million, and the monthly playing time of players exceeded 1.5 billion hours.
Baszucki previously said in an interview,
In 2017, roblox claimed to raise US $92 million, while in fact only US $25 million was transferred to the company's account, and the rest was sold by shareholders to secondary investors for cash. This round of financing will be used to further expand the engine team and use technology and infrastructure to support global creators to create more immersive gaming experiences, the company said.
Only one game in 15 years: sandbox platform company valued at 4 billion US dollars
With the high degree of freedom, the low threshold and the infinite experience of differentiation, Sandbox game has always been one of the favorite categories of many players, especially the young players, which is also the reason why sandbox game can last forever.
Roblox's success looks somewhat like my world
Before that, many had regarded the game as the biggest enemy of my world, but baszucki noted that everything on the company's platform was running in the cloud and could be run on all devices.
Work at a pizza place screenshot
In more than 15 years of development, roblox has become more and more successful instead of declining. Since its release in 2006, roblox has grown at an average annual rate of about 330%; after the introduction of UGC realization system in 2013, both the number of games and the game time of players have increased significantly, and these UGC contents have also been recognized by more and more players, such as work at a pizza place and MEEP City and other games have experienced more than one billion times in the platform.
In 2018, roblox's total mobile revenue was $335 million, up six times from $45.7 million in 2016. In the first three quarters of 2019, the mobile terminal revenue of roblox reached 435 million US dollars, which has increased by 30% over the whole year of 2018. As of the first half of 2019, there are more than 4 million active creators and more than 40 million games launched.
Unlike many companies, roblox did not move to a new field or develop many new games at the same time after its success. Instead, it continued to expand its technology team and infrastructure, and launched an educational version for children to learn programming.
What's more, on May 29, 2019, Tencent game announced its strategic cooperation with roblox, which means that the world's top sandbox game has the possibility of further substantial growth, at the same time, it also provides more opportunities for Chinese game developers to face the global market.


text:
Uber has gone head to head with D.C. regulators since first arriving in D.C. in late 2011, and its new service promises more regulatory battles.
One week after D.C. regulators effectively banned the new sedan-for-hire service UberX from operating in Washington, a District council member who has refereed the many disputes between the D.C. Taxicab Commission and the tech startup Uber said she would intervene again.
In an interview with WAMU 88.5, Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), the chair of the council’s transportation committee, said she will introduce legislation to legalize UberX when lawmakers reconvene in mid-September.
“The legislation will in effect nullify the commission's rules that would say [Uber] can't use certain kinds of vehicles,” Cheh said.
On August 19 the D.C. Taxicab Commission ruled the midsize hybrid vehicles used by UberX drivers failed to comply with size requirements for sedan class regulations because they were not at least 95 cubic feet. The move was seen by critics as an attempt by regulators to protect the District’s metered taxi fleet, because although UberX utilized “sedans,” the service was designed to compete with metered taxicabs by offering comparable fares in similar vehicles.
“Competition is a good thing,” said Cheh, who put the D.C. Taxicab Commission on notice about stifling innovation in a June 4 letter to commission chairman Ron Linton.
“We don’t want competition if the consumer is at risk, so we are always going to protect against that,” Cheh said. “But competition in the marketplace is what drives innovation, and taxis will have to have better service to be able to compete.”
The taxicab commission has been engaged in a long struggle to modernize the District’s decrepit cab fleet, whose poor reputation has allowed companies like Uber an opening to win customers. For instance, the commission has been forced to extend a deadline several times for taxi owners to accept credit card payments, an amenity already available through e-hail smartphone apps used by Uber and its competitors, known as ‘digital dispatch services’ in regulatory parlance.
“I think at the end of the day, whether I came forward with this legislation or not, my instinct tells me the commission would probably find its way clear to allow these additional vehicles [for UberX]. It’s just that they are a little slower, they have a mindset and a culture that is still ‘yesterday’ and not ‘today,’ but I don’t want to wait for them,” Cheh said.
Uber released a statement praising Cheh’s decision to introduce a bill to legalize UberX.
“We appreciate Mary Cheh’s leadership pushing for consumer choice, driver opportunity and innovation in the District and we applaud her continuing to stand up for District consumers. We are very supportive of her efforts to ensure that uberX vehicles continue to operate in the District,” said Uber’s D.C. general manager Rachel Holt.


text:
It seems like the wait for PUBG: New State in India is about the end. Krafton announced the game globally in February 2021 although it had reserved a later date for its Indian launch. Cut to now, the pre-registrations for PUBG: New State have been started across both Android and iOS devices at the time of writing this.
According to the reports, Krafton delayed the Indian version of PUBG: New State because it was re-launching an Indian variant of PUBG Mobile India which is known as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI). As of now, whether you are an Android user or an iOS user, you can go to Google Play Store or App Store to pre-register for PUBG: New State in India.
At the time of writing this, the game attracted 32 million pre-registrations since it was announced back in February. This excludes pre-registrations from India (which have been started now), China, and Vietnam.
Note that there are limited pre-registration slots available so you will have to hurry if you want to get your hands on the upcoming battle royale game before the masses get their hands on the same. For those who pre-register now, they will get a limited edition Lamborghini vehicle skin that they can keep permanently.
The PUBG: New State brings a new take on the popular battle royale genre with 100 players playing against each other in a bid to survive to the last. According to Krafton, PUBG: New State will see “ultra-realistic graphics”. The game uses Vulkan API that furnishes stable performance. The game will be set in 2051 and thus, all the maps will be based on the anarchic ages. There is a tonne of futuristic vehicles that the PUBG: New State will see along with upgraded drone calls, dodging, support, request, and other mechanics.


text:
Zurich based Rinspeed isn't interested in making cars for the one percent—.
Read This Article
Daimler crash-tests its famous microcar.
Details are hazy, but this is what we know, or rather what we think we know: Smart is planning to show us a flatbed pickup truck concept at the Detroit auto show next month.
Remember how we told you that in recent history, automakers have made a handful of three-cylinder engines, and all but the one in the 2014 Ford Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost were terrible?


text:
Auto Rebates Losing Effect
BUY a car, get a check. Over the past decade, the rebate has become as much a part of the American automobile industry as the spare tire. But while spares have become smaller, rebates keep growing, yet accomplish less. The result is a sharp decline in earnings among each of the United States Big Three automakers. But no one is sure how to cut rebates off.
To help keep traffic at the dealerships moving, Ford Motor Company had increased its average rebate to $800 a car last year, from $350 in 1988. This year, the average has already risen to around $1,000 a vehicle.
``Rebates, they've lost their impact,'' complains Randy Oler, a manager with Dahl Ford in Davenport, Iowa.
The latest US auto sales numbers back him up. They dropped 3.3 percent from last year's levels in the March 1-10 period. Even some imports are suffering. Most are being forced to come up with incentives to stimulate sales.
``What other product have you ever seen or heard of whose manufacturers ... have to pay people to buy it?'' asks Ron Tonkin, the immediate past president of the National Automobile Dealers Association, which represents the vast majority of the nation's new car dealers.
``Confusing rebates have to cease and prices must be lowered significantly so we can once again attract buyers to our showrooms instead of scaring them away,'' Mr. Tonkin adds. Some auto industry analysts and many car dealers agree with the call for lower prices for new cars.
Corporate executives insist they are sympathetic. Indeed, they are all too well aware that rebates aren't working the way they used to. But price cuts have also been tried before. Three years ago General Motors Corp. launched a new model year by trimming the sticker prices on nearly a third of its line-up. Within months it was forced to offer rebates anyway.
Last fall, Volkswagen announced it would cut prices on most of its new 1990 models. Sales have been plunging ever since.
The problem, says Chrysler Corporation Chairman Lee Iacocca, is that ``it'll be great PR for a couple of days, then they'll wrap fish in the newspapers that carried the story.''
In the meantime, adds a ranking Ford official, any manufacturer that continued to offer new rebates would keep getting press.
Thus, he says, ``The only way we could cut prices would probably be through collusion,'' with all the carmakers agreeing to abandon rebates at the same time.
That would violate the law. Even if it didn't, at the first sign of trouble, one of the manufacturers would almost certainly break ranks, and start offering money-back discounts again.


text:
Date: Monday, August 9th, 2010, 04:23
Category: iPhone, News
In November of 2008, Apple hired IBM’s Mark Papermaster to be Apple’s Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering, thereby replacing Tony Fadell as head of Apple’s iPod and iPhone divisions. A court deal later forced Papermaster to wait until April 2009 before starting at Apple.
Sixteen months later, Papermaster is out.
Per The Apple Core, speculation abounds that he’s the first casualty of the iPhone 4’s problematic antenna design, but neither Apple nor Papermaster have given a public reason for the departure, the current opinion having reasoned that he may have been asked to resign for the design flaw in Apple’s the iPhone 4.
Its suspect antenna design (dubbed “Antennagate”) has lead to rumors that its successor (the iPhone 5) is being to rushed to market and that it could come as soon as in January 2011, six months earlier than the traditional summer time frame for iPhone launches.
MacRumors chimed in with a rumor that Papermaster has been virtually invisible from Apple’s promotion of the iPhone 4, curious for the head of the department that designed it.
In retrospect, these current events should have cast a light during Apple’s iPhone 4 press conference last month. During the Q&A portion of the press conference, Papermaster, whose division designed the iPhone 4, didn’t seem to be in attendance at the event.
Even Apple’s promotional video for the iPhone 4 released at the device’s introduction in early June, which featured a number of Apple executives talking about the handset, failed to include Papermaster. Bob Mansfield is, however, featured with the job title of Senior Vice President of Hardware, dropping the “Mac” qualifier that had been part of his official job at that time. Per the New York Times, Mansfield was involved in the design of several aspects of the iPhone 4, including its A4 chip and Retina display.
Apple confirmed the shakeup at Apple’s most important devision in a statement to the New York Times stating that Papermaster is leaving the company. Apple noted that Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of Macintosh hardware engineering, who recruited Papermaster in the first place, will be assuming his responsibilities.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.


text:
Expenditure by Indians on online purchases is likely to increase 60 per cent by 2020 to Rs 7.57 lakh crore, a report said here on Friday.
Further, the report predicted a 93 per cent rise in expenditure on purchases made from mobile phones and tablets to Rs 5.76 lakh crore by 2020, against Rs 2.98 lakh crore spent so far in 2018.
"The research highlights that 87 per cent of the Indians surveyed have shopped online in the last 12 months," it said.
People feel online shopping would increase due to its convenience and availability of "more (online) platforms to buy" and expectations of shorter shipping duration, the report noted.
The survey was carried out across 31 countries, the report said, adding that in India interviews were carried out among a sample size of 1,000 people.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


text:
Sydney can seem an untameable beast. Sydney XXXL, a new book by architect Ed Lippmann, looks at the city’s past present and future.
There are more than 400 architects and 800 students ready to help with the recovery effort of the Australian Bushfires just as soon as they are called upon.
In collaboration with Broached Commissions, celebrated Australian designer–maker Jon Goulder has crafted a collection of limited-edition furniture that recounts his artisanal heritage.
The National Gallery Victoria (NGV) and Stylecraft have officially announced the shortlisted designers for the Australian Furniture Design Award 2020.
Writer and freelance journalist Domenic Bradbury has published many books in the field of architecture and his latest, Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses is a comprehensive survey of the ever-popular Mid Century style.
Stylecraft and HASSELL’s collaborative legacy of awe-inspiring showroom interiors has breached new frontiers with the new Stylecraft Singapore showroom.
In a new book that surveys the contribution of female architects from the 20th century through to the present day, author Jane Hall has amassed more than 180 awe-inspiring projects.
The past century has seen monumental feats in the world of design. During this period, the complexity of our landscape has seen ground-breaking innovations that have redefined the way we see, use, and experience our everyday spaces.
The humble bathroom has transformed from outhouse status to become a valued extension of our living spaces – a safe haven of luxury and refined self-expression.
Following a very warm reception from the international interior design market, boutique Australian furniture designer and maker, Beeline Design, has expanded its Ridge Collection.
Chis Connell Designs has designed a modern, sleek, minimalist kitchen for a professional chef in Melbourne, and taken home a title from Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious international Kitchen Design Contest in the process.
Taking cues from Australia’s natural bounty, these unique Australian bathroom designs reflect both the calibre of design – and lifestyle – to be found on our shores.


text:
Android 10 is upon us, and whether you're excited about its new permission settings for apps or the glorious dark mode, there are plenty of reasons to be eager for Google's latest and greatest.
However, as with all Android updates, there's a difference between when Google launches the final build and when the new software actually arrives on your smartphone. Today, we'll be taking a look at all of the major OEMs and breakdown when exactly you can expect an Android 10 update for your device.
Let's start with Google's own phones, the Pixel series. Android 10 has been guaranteed for every existing Pixel device, with the full list being as follows:
- Pixel 3a / Pixel 3a XL
- Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL
- Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL
- Pixel / Pixel XL
As of September 3, Android 10 started rolling out for all of these handsets, making them the first batch of phones to be treated to 10's goodness.
Samsung is the big player in the Android world, as well as the biggest player in the entire smartphone world. The needle moves a fair bit when Samsung updates a phone.
So far, Samsung has issued its Android 10 update to the following devices:
- Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e
- Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+
- Galaxy Note 9
Android 10 is still in beta testing for the Galaxy S9 and S9+, but we expect the stable build to be made available sooner rather than later. If you have an older Samsung phone, like the Galaxy S8 or Note 8, we wouldn't recommend holding your breath for an Android 10 update.
In recent years, LG has become notorious for slow, inconsistent Android updates. It pains us to say that, but that's the fact. As of right now, the only two LG phones to receive Android 10 are the LG G8 and G7 One.
LG announced the rest of its Android 10 update plans on January 24, with the following phones said to get Android 10:
- LG V50
- LG V40
- LG G8X
- LG G8S
- LG G7
- LG K50
- LG K50s
- LG K40s
- LG Q60
The V50 is expected to get its Android 10 update in February, the G8X will be next come Q2, and the rest of the bunch will have to wait until Q3 or Q4.
Huawei is one of the world's largest smartphone OEMs, with its devices ranging from high-end flagships to low-cost budget options.
First off, the following phones have been updated to a stable build of EMUI 10/Android 10:
- Huawei P30 series
- Huawei Mate 20 series
- Huawei Mate 10 series
Android 10 was rolling out to the Honor 20/20 Pro and View 20, but it has since been halted and is expected to resume in February. Also, it's expected that the P20 series will get its Android 10 treatment very soon (sometime in January).
As for phones that are now rocking a beta variant of Android 10, the list is as follows:
- Honor 10
- Honor V10
- Honor 9
- Honor 9X/9X Pro
- Honor 8X
While talking about Huawei and software updates, it's important to briefly mention the company's current trade ban from the United States. Huawei is still allowed to update existing phones to new Android versions, but looking ahead with phones like the Mate 30 that don't have any Google services, it remains unclear how those updates will be handled.
Motorola used to be on top of its game when it came to Android updates, but in recent years, the company has gotten slower and more inconsistent with how it handles new software.
The list of Motorola phones that are now running Android 10 is quite small, including:
- Moto G7 Plus
- Motorola One Power
- Motorola One Vision
- Motorola One Action
There are a few other phones that we expect to get Android 10 at some point, with those being:
- Moto G7, G7 Power, and G7 Play
- Moto Z4
- Moto Z3 and Z3 Play
- Moto E6
- Motorola One
When it comes to Android updates, one company that stands out among the rest is Nokia. Led by HMD Global, this current iteration of the Nokia brand has become synonymous with phones that have clean software and get timely, consistent updates.
Nokia's been hard at work updating a bunch of its phones to Android 10, with all of the following now running the software:
- Nokia 6.1
- Nokia 6.1 Plus
- Nokia 7 Plus
- Nokia 7.1
- Nokia 8.1
- Nokia 9 PureView
That's already quite a list, but Nokia is far from done. Here are the other phones which have been confirmed to be updated this year.
- Nokia 2.2
- Nokia 3.1 Plus
- Nokia 3.2
- Nokia 4.2
- Nokia 1 Plus
- Nokia 5.1 Plus
- Nokia 8 Sirocco
- Nokia 2.1
- Nokia 3.1
- Nokia 5.1
- Nokia 1
OnePlus touts fast updates and a fast track to the latest version of Android as a feature of its phones. The company has proven time and time again that platform updates can be done quickly and fairly bug-free, and that shouldn't change with Android 10. Here are the phones for which Android 10 is now available:
- OnePlus 7
- OnePlus 7 Pro
- OnePlus 6T
- OnePlus 6
If you have a OnePlus 5 or 5T, you can expect Android 10 to arrive during Q2 2020.
Odds & Ends
Here are the phones that don't quite belong in our categories above, but still deserve a shout-out for now rocking Android 10:
- ASUS ZenFone 6
- Essential Phone
- Sony Xperia 1
- Sony Xperia 5
- Sony Xperia XZ3
- Sony Xperia XZ2
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
- Xiaomi Mi A2
- ZTE Axon 10 Pro (Europe only)
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Daily Coronavirus updates: Amazon sets up its own testing lab for COVID-19
COVID-19 has already infected over 1.3 million people globally and caused over 76,500 fatalities. Here are all the ways the coronavirus is affecting the world.
Call of Duty: Mobile is the first mobile game I've fallen in love with
I'm someone that usually doesn't bother with mobile games — like, at all. However, Call of Duty: Mobile pulled me in the day it launched and hasn't let go of me since.
Here's everything you need to know about Android TV
We all know that Android powers phones and tablets, but did you know it's also an operating system for TVs? Here's everything you need to know about Android TV!
These cases will keep your Galaxy A51 looking great all the time
It's tough when you end up scratching or dropping your new phone, especially when you have a phone as great as the Galaxy A51. These are the best cases that you can get to help assist against any potential damage that could happen.


text:
Upgrading to the iPhone 7 may come with a big storage boost for most iPhone owners, according to a new report that claims Apple will double the storage available on the upcoming device expected to be unveiled later this year.
The cheapest model iPhone 7 units will come with 32GB of storage by default, reports the Wall Street Journal in a wide-ranging article that covers possible features Apple’s latest smartphone will have.
“Instead of 16GB as a starting point for the entry-level iPhone, the new starting point will be 32GB,” according to Joanna Stern’s sources. “Hallelujah! I’ve long said that keeping the 16GB iPhone was just a ploy for Apple to get people to buy the 64GB model — for $100 extra.”
Apple’s 16GB baseline storage was introduced with the iPhone 5 back in 2013. Despite the company’s continued focus on iCloud storage, the paltry amount of space was barely enough to allow users to keep most of their apps and photos on an iPhone.
The increase in storage has been rumored for a few months now, with other reports claiming Apple will also add a 256GB option for those who need even more storage. Other new features expected to be added include a simplified case design, new dual-lens camera, better waterproofing, no headphone jack and Lightning EarPods.
The new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus aren’t expected to be unveiled until September of this year, so if you’ve been thinking about buying a new iPhone, it’s best to just wait a few more months.


text:
Upland declared strategic cooperation with FC Porto to give rise to European football in the metaverse. All around the two clubs are peeking to form the future of fandom in the metaverse.
This will encompass various NFT collections and a virtual football stadium.
All about FC Porto’s entry into the Upland Metaverse
This new partnering will discern the club to create a virtual stadium in Upland, as well as create collectible groups and player NFTs.
Considerably, the Upland metaverse charts to the real world. Resulting, in FC Porto’s admission into Upland to infer the opening of the Portuguese city of Porto in the metaverse.
At this midpoint that enthusiasts will be able to purchase NFT possession that is linked to their real-world situations. The aim of this case will be the building of Estádio do Dragão (Dragon Stadium) in Upland.
its NFTs – the initial suite of NFTs of a European football club – will be the main haul for enthusiasts as well. To that result, enthusiasts will have to assemble and exchange NFTs in Upland. The outlet’s unique mechanics will even involve player-owned and regulated stores in the metaverse’s virtual possession.
Eager enthusiasts won’t have to stay a lot to celebrate their team’s virtual efforts. Truly, the initial level of the FC Porto rollout in Upland will occur in the 2022/23 season.
FC Porto Becomes The First EU Football Team In The Upland Metaverse
Upland announced today a strategic partnership with FC Porto to bring European football to the metaverse. Overall the two parties are looking to shape the future of fandom in the metaverse. This will include different NFT collections and a virtual football stadium.
Champions of Portugal FC Porto will be joining the Upland Metaverse very soon.…


text:
German savings startup Raisin raises €30 million from VC linked to Trump's son-in-law
Raisin raised the Series C funding from Thrive Capital, which is founded and run by Kushner. Kushner is the brother of Jared, a key President Trump advisor and husband to Ivanka Trump.
Silicon Valley's Ribbit Capital and London's Index Ventures, both existing investors in Raisin, also took part in the Raisin round.
The investment in Raisin takes the total raised by the three-year-old firm to €60 million. Raisin announced last month that over €2 billion has been invested across its platform by more than 60,000 customers.
Jared Weinstein, a partner at Thrive Capital, says in a press release announcing the funding: "We are proud to support the incredible team at Raisin as they continue to build on their success providing the leading marketplace for savings across Europe."
Raisin says in the release that it will use the new funds to continue international expansion, launch new localised versions of the service in markets such as Italy, and to launch new simple investment products.
Tamaz Georgadze, cofounder and CEO of Raisin, says in an emailed statement: "Our goal is to continuously strengthen Raisin's innovative proposition and to become the go-to-marketplace for all Europeans for their savings and investment needs."
- Credit Card Industry and Market
- Mobile Payment Technologies
- Mobile Payments Industry
- Mobile Payment Market, Trends and Adoption
- Credit Card Processing Industry
- List of Credit Card Processing Companies
- List of Credit Card Processing Networks
- List of Payment Gateway Providers
- M-Commerce: Mobile Shopping Trends
- E-Commerce Payment Technologies and Trends
- Best over-ear wireless headphones with long battery life
- Best QLED TVs in India 2022
- Best wired headphones you can get on a budget
- Best wireless headphones for gamers
- Best smart TVs that come with a built-in voice assistant


text:
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest network operator in Africa, is pleased to announce the resumption of its flights to Mekelle starting from Wednesday December 28, 2022
Radisson Hotel Group is delighted to announce the opening of Radisson Blu Mosi-oa-Tunya Livingstone Resort, Zambia. Nestled on the banks of the Zambezi River, the resort is the Group’s first safari resort in Africa and first resort in Zambia, and is a key step towards its goal of reaching 150 hotels in operation and under development in Africa by 2025.
The airline first commenced services to Victoria Falls in the year 2000 and returning to this route, the seventh wonder of the world was met with much excitement, celebration and ceremonial gesticulation by the community, stakeholders as well as government of Zimbabwe.
Ethiopian Airlines, the leading airline in Africa, is pleased to announce that it will resume direct services to Singapore on 25 March 2023. The flight will be operated four times a week with the ultramodern B787 Dreamliner.
During the closing session of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Global Summit in Riyadh, the Rwandan capital of Kigali, was announced as the host city for 2023, marking the first time the event will visit Africa.
The fourth OurAfrica.Travel virtual trade show will run from 20 – 24 February 2023 – offering an affordable, trusted, accessible and inclusive opportunity for the African & Indian Ocean Islands travel trade to connect with global buyers.
The launch of the maiden Rwanda Tourism Week.The event, scheduled to take place from 28th November – 3rd December 2022 at Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village (KCEV) and Kigali Convention Centre (KCC), carries the theme “Adopting Innovative Approaches to Boost Intra Africa Travel as a drive for Tourism Business Recovery.”
From the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum in Taghazout Bay, Morocco, Marriott International, Inc., this week announced plans to expand its operations in Africa with the anticipated addition of over 30 hotels, and more than 5,000 rooms by the end of 2024
Radisson Hotel Group plans to strengthen its already impressive presence in Africa. The Group has ambitious plans to reach 150 hotels and 25,000 rooms within the next five years across the continent, making Africa a key region for growth.


text:
The Partners in Training tour, set to debut in February 2001, will offer progressive jobbers an opportunity to learn more about their installer customer’s business and improve the business management skills of those same customers.
Sponsored by Federal-Mogul Canada Ltd. in partnership with the Southam Automotive Group (publishers of Jobber News Magazine), eight Partners in Training (PIT) Stops are planned for locations across Canada. Bob Greenwood will conduct the E.K. Williams two-day business courses. Greenwood, who contributes the popular monthly MYOB column in Jobber News, is a leading business trainer in the automotive aftermarket.
“We see this as an important initiative to help the independent professional installer to grow and be more profitable in their market area,” says Mike Holland, general manager, Federal-Mogul Canada Ltd.
“Jobbers have told me that Bob Greenwood really knows his stuff,” says Jobber News editor Andrew Ross. “They say ‘it’s like he’s really been here.’ That’s exactly the type of training he can offer; real-world solutions to real-world problems. And they are solutions that have been shown to reduce the price shopping by installers and improve their profitability too.
“We all know how races can be won, or lost, in the pits. We think that taking a two-day Federal-Mogul PIT Stop may just be the best way to ensure that jobbers and their installers are fuelled up and ready to go the distance in this highly competitive market. We’re really pleased to be able to partner with an organisation like Federal-Mogul to bring this progressive program to the Canadian automotive aftermarket.”
Jobbers are encouraged to attend these sessions with their key installer customers. With an overall theme of “If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Manage It,” the course includes numerous sections: a financial management questionnaire; basics of management; the banker’s financial statement–what does it tell me about my business; early warning signs of operational failure; early warning signs of financial failure; how to analyse an operating statement–up-to-date formulas, ratios and guidelines; review and discussion of industry sales and productivity guidelines and averages; sales potential and capability; six questions of capability; marketing guidelines–selling your shop on quality and enhanced value, not just price; and many other key business management guidelines.
The course also includes discussions and breakout sessions. And, because the number of participants is kept small, to a maximum of about 30, there is ample opportunity for participants to ask questions based on the particulars of their own business.
The tour is slated to kick off in February in Winnipeg, Man., with other PIT Stop training dates in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, London and Halifax. There is the possibility of other dates being added.
Jobbers and installers can find more information at www.autoserviceworld.com, or they can contact their local Federal-Mogul representative.
General Electric to Acquire Honeywell
General Electric Co. has agreed to acquire Honeywell International for $45 billion (U.S.) worth of stock.
The agreement comes after some furious, last-minute dealing by GE which ousted United Technologies’ plans to buy Honeywell for about $40 billion (U.S.). The boards of both GE and Honeywell have approved the deal, which is expected to be completed in early 2001. As part of the deal, Honeywell’s head office in Morristown, N.J. will be closed, taking more than 500 jobs with it.
Its Consumer Products Group supplies Autolite, Fram and Prestone brand products. It had previously been announced that Questor Partners Fund II, L.P. would acquire Honeywell’s Bendix friction materials business.
World Automotive Makes Shad’s R&R Challenge
World Automotive Warehousing director of sales Harvey Presement has challenged others in the aftermarket to aid research into Muscular Dystrophy in lieu of buying their customers and staff Christmas gifts.
“World has been doing this for 10 years now,” says Presement. “I think it’s time others joined in.” World Automotive has never revealed the exact amount of its annual contribution to Shad’s R&R in support of Muscular Dystrophy research, but Shad’s board member John Vanstone has said that it is a “substantial contribution.” Since its inception, Shad’s R&R has raised more than $2 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada, primarily through its annual golf tournament held each June.
Any individuals or groups interested in finding out more about Shad’s R&R and how they may contribute can contact John Vanstone at Specialty Sales & Marketing at (905) 564-2100.
World Automotive made its annual contribution to Shad’s R&R and put the challenge out to others to do the same. At the presentation (l-r): Juanita Ash, accounts payable manager, Pat Reed, catalog manager, Shad’s R&R board member John Vanstone, Sunita Seth, manager accounts receivable, Nancy Ash, inventory manager, Carol Lowry, customer service manager, and Ken Coulter, Shad’s R&R board member.
Ontario Says Public Support for Drive Clean High as Phase 2 Launches
A recent poll shows that public support is growing for Ontario’s Drive Clean emissions testing program to reduce smog-causing pollutants from vehicles, Environment Minister Dan Newman has announced.
“Drive Clean is the cornerstone of our commitment to clean air,” said Newman. “This clearly demonstrates that Ontarians support the program.”
The poll found that 80% of the residents of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Hamilton-Wentworth Region who were aware of Drive Clean supported the program. This is an increase of five percentage points over poll results in April of 1999. And, in Phase 2, where Drive Clean tests become mandatory on January 1, 2001, the support is 85% among those who were aware of the program.
“The poll results are very positive for Drive Clean,” said Jane Armstrong, vice-president of Environics Research Group Limited, which conducted the polling. “They clearly show overwhelming approval of the program. It also gets high marks from those who have had Drive Clean tests.”
Drive Clean emissions testing became a mandatory part of the registration renewal process in the GTA and Hamilton-Wentworth on April 1, 1999. On January 1, 2001, emissions testing becomes mandatory in Phase 2, 13 more urban centers and their commuting zones, from Peterborough to Windsor and the Niagara Region.
The poll also showed that even those who had not heard of Drive Clean support vehicle emissions testing. The support was 83% in Phase 1 and 90% in Phase 2. About 90% of Phase 1 vehicle owners who had gone through the Drive Clean test were satisfied with the service received at Drive Clean Facilities, and 65% of respondents in Phase 1 and 62% in Phase 2 had confidence that consumers were protected in Drive Clean.
The 13 urban centers included in Phase 2, with their commuting zones, are: Peterborough, Barrie, Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Brantford, Niagara Falls, Welland, St. Catharines, London, Sarnia-Clearwater-Point Edward and Windsor.
McCoy Sells Northland
McCoy Bros., Inc. has announced an agreement to sell the Northland Trucks dealership business to Maxim Transportation Manage-ment Services.
The sale, which also includes M.E. Invest-ments Corporation, includes the land, building and outbuildings of Prince Albert, Sask., International dealership as well as the on-hand parts inventories and other equipment. The sale completes a restructuring of the company that also included the divestiture of its wholesale and retail heavy-duty and light trucks parts businesses in Western Canada.
Maxim has existing International dealerships in Winnipeg, Brandon and Regina, as well as trailer dealerships and rental and lease locations from B.C. to Quebec.
Cardone Celebrates 30 Years of Reman
Leading remanufacturer Cardone Industries is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The company was founded by Michael Cardone Sr. with his son in 1970, but the elder Cardone’s involvement goes back to the 1930s, when remanufacturing became a necessity during WWII. He was a pioneer in the field and was named to the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1994.
Since he joined with his son Michael Jr. to form the company in 1970, it has remained a family operation.
“It’s important that we keep our family culture because it gives us a competitive advantage,” says Cardone Jr., chairman and CEO. “When your family’s name is at stake, you take extra care of your customers. My father knew this when we founded the company in 1970.”
Today, 18 family members spanning three generations are involved with the company.
Ontario Agencies Merge
Kingham Marketing and Tribax Sales have merged their organizations to better cover the Ontario market.
The new agency, Tribax Sales, will be headed by Terry Bax and Rob Reith, a former owner of MPA, who has 30 years of automotive experience. Terry Bax started Tribax in 1994 and has nine years of aftermarket experience.
In addition, sales representative Ed Iardas will be moving from Kingham to the new agency.
Honeywell to Distribute Tire Monitoring Product
SmarTire Systems Inc. and Honeywell have announced an agreement in principle to expand the distribution of its tire pressure monitoring products through Honeywell’s distribution network.
For SmarTire, the agreement in principle represents an opportunity to market its tire monitoring products on a global basis through Honeywell’s extensive auto parts distribution network. The agreement also provides for the joint development of new tire monitoring products for the passenger car and commercial vehicle markets.
The companies will also explore opportunities for global distribution, new product development for the automotive aftermarket and future tire monitoring systems for other market sectors.
“The establishment of successful alliances with key strategic partners continues to be our most important business objective,” states Robert Rudman, SmarTire’s CEO and president. “In the area of marketing, distribution and product development, Honeywell is an ideal strategic partner. It has distribution in place to market our products to most major automotive parts retailers in North America and into Europe. SmarTire provides innovation and technological expertise in tire monitoring technology, while Honeywell delivers consumer branded, high-growth automotive products to the global aftermarket.”
Federal-Mogul Locks Up Canadian Tire Brake Business
Federal-Mogul has been awarded the friction, rotor and drum business of Canadian Tire.
Federal-Mogul’s friction products will be sold under Canadian Tire’s private label, Certified Friction, at their retail locations and as Wagner branded product at the PartsSource stores. The drums and rotors will be sold under Federal-Mogul’s Wagner brand at both locations. Canadian Tire currently has 44% of the DIY market in Canada.
Kimberly-Clark Celebrates 75 years in Canada
Kimberly-Clark, supplier of a variety of wiping products, hand cleaners, and other products is celebrating the anniversary of the opening of its first facial tissue facility in 1925.
The facility, in Niagara Falls, Ont., was the first facility, but the company now employs 1,900 and has mills in Huntsville and Terrace Bay, Ont., as well as St-Hyacinthe, Que. and New Glasgow, N.S. Administrative offices are located in Mississauga, Ont.
Aftermarket Wins California OBD II Battle
After three years of relentless grassroots campaigning by state and national aftermarket groups in the U.S., California’s governor has signed an OBD II access bill into law.
“This is a monumental victory for the aftermarket and consumers. SB 1146 ensures that car owners will continue to have access to the most convenient and affordable vehicle aftermarket in the world,” said Al Gaspar, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). The victory is seen as a key component to having full, widespread access to OBD II information.
Specifically, the bill mandates that the independent aftermarket will have access to service information and tools necessary to repair and maintain vehicles equipped with on-board diagnostic computers. The bill further requires that independents have access to information necessary to ensure that replacement components are compatible with on-board computers.
“We are extremely pleased that the governor has chosen to support the continued rights of consumers to obtain quality and competitively priced parts and repairs from the independent aftermarket,” said Gaspar. “This new law will help level the playing field between the aftermarket and new car companies and their franchised new car dealers in providing sophisticated parts and service for late model vehicles.”
AAIA and the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association comprise the Auto-motive Parts and Service Alliance (APSA). The Alliance worked closely with the California Consumer Choice Coalition, a group of state and national aftermarket groups, consumer and vehicle safety groups to spearhead a concerted grassroots effort to obtain passage of the bill.
E.R.I Awards Scholarships
The E.R.I. Group is pleased to announce the winners of the 2000 Richard Miller Award.
Tim Fedak of Halifax, N.S. and Cori Smuck of Jarvis, Ont., were each presented a cheque for $1,000 to help them further their education. We congratulate them on their success and wish them well in their chosen vocations. Fedak is attending Dalhousie University, majoring in biology, and Smuck is attending Brock University, majoring in Accounting.
U.S. Court Enjoins Pennzoil’s Advertising
A New Jersey federal court ordered a halt to Pennzoil-Quaker State Co.’s advertising campaign for Pennzoil multi-grade motor oil.
The court found Pennzoil’s ad campaign–which features quarterback Brett Favre–to be “false and misleading” and “repugnant” to federal advertising law.
The case was brought before the courts by Castrol North America. Among other things, the injunction enjoined Pennzoil from making any claim that its oil is in any way superior to Castrol or any other leading motor oil and that its oil provides better protection against engine wear or engine failure than Castrol or any other leading motor oil. The injunction is effective immediately and applies to all forms of advertising, including television, cable television, print, the Internet and the World Wide Web. The judge reserved for later decision the questions of whether to hold Pennzoil in contempt of court, whether Pennzoil would be required to pay Castrol monetary damages, and whether Pennzoil will be liable for punitive damages.
Among the 18 Cardone family members involved in the business are Dan McClave, son-in-law, Michael Cardone III, son of Michael Cardone Jr., president and CEO and his spouse Jacquie Cardone.


text: At a media briefing in Hong Kong, senior managers of BASF outlined the company’s strategy in Asia from now to the year 2020. For starters, the firm plans to invest $13 billion on capital projects in the region during the period. That spending level would be a notable increase from the $9 billion the company invested in Asia between 2003 and 2012. By 2020, BASF hopes to produce in Asia about 75% of the chemicals and materials it sells there. The company also envisages an increase in its Asian workforce from 16,400 today to about 25,000 in 2020. Competition from international and local chemical companies has increased in recent years, noted Martin Brudermüller, the Hong Kong-based vice chairman of the board. Nevertheless, BASF said it intends to grow annually by 2% more than the industry average. The company will achieve this goal by setting up task forces to explore the markets of Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, and Myanmar and by setting up marketing teams targeting specific segments such as the automotive, construction, packaging, and pharmaceutical industries.


text:
The last few weeks saw a plethora of new high profile gadget announcements and launches: iPhone 5, iPad mini, Nexus 4, Nexus 10, Surface, Kindle Fire HD and the Lumia 920 are the first to come to mind, but I’m almost certainly missing something.
Among these new devices, two stood out to me, for both had specific shortcomings that were heavily discussed among pundits and tech press, as well as in countless reader comments by enthusiasts. The two devices I’m talking about are the iPad mini, notable for its lack of a high resolution retina display, and the Nexus 4, notable for its lack of high speed LTE wireless connectivity. I believe there are good reasons for these omissions, most likely based on constraints around energy consumption and pricing. Marco Arment makes a convincing case that given the size and weight of the iPad mini, a retina screen simply wasn’t feasible, even at higher prices.
I found it curious how press and commenters alike reacted to these shortcomings. Where in the past a retina screen was deemed essential for a great tablet experience among Apple enthusiasts, following the iPad mini announcement they started to grudgingly admit that yes, a retina display would be nice, but its lack wasn’t a deal breaker. Where 7-inch tablets were deemed too small before, the iPad mini with its 7.85-inch screen was suddenly declared the “real iPad” as it should always have been. Android fans meanwhile are eager to point out that the most recent Android tablets trump the iPad mini in pixel density.
On the other side of the Apple-Google chasm, where in the past Android enthusiasts were denouncing the iPhone 4S for its lack of LTE connectivity, it suddenly wasn’t such a big deal when the Nexus 4 was released without LTE support about a month after Apple introduced its iPhone 5 with LTE connectivity. Apple enthusiasts meanwhile delight in pointing out this shortcoming, now that their flagship phone of choice is finally ahead in this particular regard. Never mind the Galaxy Nexus supported LTE a year ago when the iPhone 4S didn’t.
I guess there are no grand conclusions to be drawn from this. It’s hardly revelatory that commentary surrounding the big players in consumer electronics is more firmly rooted in personal notions of sympathy and brand loyalty rather than actual facts and merits. But it’s rarely as obvious as this fall.


text:
Fox, ABC Start Upfront Ad Deal-Making (Report)
Fox's deals are coming at high-single-digit percentage ad rate increases over last year.
Fox and ABC have kicked off this year's upfront advertising deal-making, AdWeek reported.
Fox has begun putting together commitments from car manufacturers and, given its leadership in the demo of 18-49 year olds, at least two movie studios, it said. Fox's deals come at high-single-digit percentage increases in ad rates over last year's upfront, AdWeek said.
ABC is also focusing on hammering out car and film ad deals, and the young-skewing CW has also started writing upfront ad business, according to the report.
Auto spending is expected to be strong this upfront season, while Hollywood studio spending could come in slightly weaker than last year, AdWeek said.
CBS is expected to take its time in striking deals. Earlier in the week, CBS Corp. CFO Joseph Ianniello told an investor conference that CBS was willing to "hold out for what we deserve." The company has targeted double-digit gains in the upfront.
- Danny Boyle in Talks to Direct Steve Jobs Movie, Leonardo DiCaprio Eyed to Star
- Bryan Singer Accuser Names Three Hollywood Insiders in New Sex Abuse Lawsuits (Video)
- The Scene and Stars at the Tribeca Film Festival (Photos)
- Summer Movie Preview: Will Godzilla or Spider-Man (Or Angelina Jolie?) Dominate Your Cineplex?
- MOST SHARED
- MOST POPULAR


text:
General Motors Co's Opel unit came a major step nearer closing its Bochum plant in Germany, telling the roughly 3,000 workers it had not changed its mind about ending vehicle production in 2016.
Opel said it had made rigorous efforts to rescue car manufacturing at the plant but these had come to nothing. "The main reasons are the dramatic declines in the European car market and the enormous overcapacity in the entire European auto industry," it said in a statement.
Continue Reading Below
Although the crisis in Europe's auto industry has already prompted Ford and Peugeot to announce this year plans to each close a passenger car plant, Bochum would be the first to close in Germany in decades.
Opel interim Chief Executive Thomas Sedran told a meeting of Bochum's workforce at the RuhrCongress convention center on Monday that management saw no alternative to ending car making.
The planned measures at Bochum, coinciding with the end of the lifecycle of the Zafira Tourer MPV model, were first announced in mid-June, when management and unions agreed to negotiations over Opel's German operations that employ 20,800.
Some jobs will still be saved at the site.
"We have the clear intention to secure a significant number of Opel jobs (in Bochum), in the warehouse and possibly in component manufacturing," said GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky in the statement.
About 430 people are employed in Bochum's warehousing operations in a joint venture with partner CAT Logistics, now called Neovia Logistics Services and minority owned by Caterpillar .
An Opel spokesman at the brand's headquarters in Ruesselsheim said this number could grow to 600 or more as a result of negotiations.
A drop in demand for the Zafira Tourer is already hurting Bochum, which is in talks with its workers to stop the assembly line for 10 days in January and cut production by about half.
Next year could also see the loss of the night shift completely, according to the local works council.
Opel's top labor leader Wolfgang Schaefer-Klug said the announcement by Sedran did not mean the closure was definite.
"They just told the workforce in Bochum what the initial starting point of the negotiations is," he told Reuters. "From my point of view, there is nothing new."
(Editing by David Holmes)