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To save taxpayer dollars and help lower the costs of innovative energy-efficient technologies, the Energy Department is streamlining ENERGY STAR testing for appliances such as clothes washers. | Photo courtesy of Bethany Sparn, National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Every year, Americans purchase more than 300 million ENERGY STAR-qualified products -- making the ENERGY STAR blue label the gold standard for energy-efficient products.
Since the joint program was started in 1992, the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency have certified more than 5 billion energy-efficient products in the U.S., saving families and business an estimated $230 billion on their energy bills and preventing more than 1.8 billion metric tons of carbon pollution. This past April, the Energy Department started to streamline ENERGY STAR verification testing for clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers -- a step that will save taxpayer dollars and help lower the costs of innovative energy-efficient technology.
As part of this effort, the Department is working closely with the Association of Home Appliance Manufactures (AHAM) -- a trade association and an ENERGY STAR certification body -- to verify the ENERGY STAR performance of products participating in AHAM’s verification program. AHAM will follow a series of stringent testing requirements, holding appliances that are potentially eligible for ENERGY STAR certification to the highest of standards and ensuring that these appliances deliver significant savings for energy efficiency and quality performance.
For more on the Energy Department’s agreement with AHAM, read my full blog post on the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s website.


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BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (WXIN) – A new Taco Bell in the Midwest could be the future of fast food.
Dubbed Taco Bell Defy, the newly opened restaurant in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota offers customers a four-lane drive-thru and what some on social media are calling the “food tube.”
“The first of its kind two-story model delivers innovative technology and design, like a proprietary vertical lift to transport iconic craveable Taco Bell menu items straight from the kitchen to fans,” writes the fast food chain in a release.
Taco Bell shared a video of the restaurant on social media ahead of its June 7 opening.
The kitchen is housed above the drive-thru lanes, and once the food is done, it travels down a vertical lift reminiscent of “The Jetsons.”
Customers can also order inside via kiosks or order ahead on the Taco Bell app and get their food by scanning a QR code when they arrive.
Three of the four lanes will be used for pre-orders and delivery drivers working for third-party companies. The fourth lane will be used for traditional drive-thru customers who order in the drive-thru lane itself.
“For those who can’t resist the purple glowing sign from the street and prefer to drop in for their favorite menu items, there’s one lane dedicated solely for this purpose,” said Taco Bell.
The goal is to give you a drive-thru experience of two minutes or less.
Taco Bell Defy does not come without human elements. You communicate with team members on the second floor via two-way audio and video technology.
The restaurant is a result of the partnership with long-time franchisee Border Foods.
The company worked with Minneapolis-based Vertical Works Inc. to bring the design to life.

domain: news


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Electric carmaker Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk promises a “dedicated” self-driving taxi that will “look futuristic,” without giving a timeframe. The announcement came at the opening of Tesla’s $1.1 billion valued factory in Texas, which is home to its new headquarters.
Musk has several times missed his targets of full autonomy. In 2019, he said robotaxis with no human drivers would be available in some U.S. markets in 2020. Tesla now sells advanced driver assistance systems for $12,000, with a promise of more features, and informed the software does not make its vehicles autonomous and requires driver supervision. The beta version, launched in late 2020, aims to enable cars to navigate city streets better.
Musk informed that Tesla had started deliveries of Texas-made Model Y electric sport utility vehicles, with a goal of producing half a million a year at the Texas factory, which he said would be the biggest car factory in the United States. No details of such Model Ys are known, but they are likely to be lower-priced versions to better take on cheaper competitors. Tesla will start production next year of its Cybertruck as well as a humanoid robot, Optimus, Musk said.
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Design has been central to Apple’s formula since Steve Jobs, with help from Mr. Ive, revived the company in the 1990s. Putting Mr. Williams in charge marks a departure for Apple: Never before has core product creation been directly managed by someone who ascended through the operating ranks—a staid domain of planning, procurement and logistics.
Apple didn’t make Mr. Williams available for this article, but people who have worked with him say he has been more visible in the product-development process than Mr. Cook. Mr. Williams has shown interest in products’ look and feel, they said, and helped steer the Apple Watch from being a fashion- and fitness-focused product tethered to the iPhone to one that boasts wireless connectivity and more health features, one of his priorities.
Still, Mr. Williams is an operations executive at his core, the people said, and his skills at logistics and planning make him more implementer than inventor. “He sees where we are, not where we need to be in years to come,” said a former colleague, who also praised Mr. Williams’s leadership, versatility and encyclopedic memory.
Apple has sought to emphasize Mr. Williams’s involvement in product development, which encompasses research and development, as well as the business strategy behind bringing new products to life. His biography on Apple’s website was recently changed to read: “Jeff led the development of Apple Watch in close collaboration with the design team, and oversees the engineering teams responsible for Apple Watch.” Until late last month, that section read: “He also oversees the development of Apple Watch,” according to an archived version of the page.
Apple declined to comment on the change.
Some close Apple watchers say Mr. Williams’s new responsibility makes sense given the difficulty anyone outside the company’s executive team would face replacing Mr. Ive. His role entailed leading a team that helped conceptualize products and turn those ideas into elegant, functional physical forms, collaborating with software, hardware and operations divisions, said people familiar with the process.
Indeed, pressure is growing on Apple to find new product successes. Sales of the iPhone are sputtering, and strength in newer items including the watch and the AirPods wireless earbuds hasn’t made up the difference. In the latest quarter, sales in Apple’s wearables, home and accessories division—which also includes Apple TV and iPod and Beats products—totaled $5.1 billion. However, the total decline in iPhone revenue from a year earlier was $6.5 billion.
Apple Music and other services are growing quickly, but the company needs sustained hardware sales to keep the audience for that business growing.
“Phones have plateaued, so what’s the next vision?” said Sean Stannard-Stockton, president of Ensemble Capital of Burlingame, Calif., which sold its position in Apple in late 2018 after a decade as a top holding. “You could have looked at Jony and said: ‘He’s the soul of Steve Jobs.’ I just wonder about their ability to invent the future now.”
Mr. Williams will have a pair of deputies to help him with that effort, not to mention years steeped in the product culture that Mr. Jobs created. Apple last week named Mr. Ive’s former top lieutenant, Evans Hankey, as vice president of its legendary industrial design studio. Ms. Hankey, a product-design graduate from Stanford University, joined the industrial design team about 12 years ago and has managed the design studio for several years. She has shared in a host of product design patents over the years.
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Mr. Williams, who is 56 years old, also will oversee a team of software designers led by vice president of human interface design Alan Dye. A graphic designer who joined Apple’s marketing and communications team in 2006, Mr. Dye has largely led that team for more than five years.
An Apple spokesman declined to make Ms. Hankey and Mr. Dye available.
Mr. Williams, who received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at North Carolina State University, shares much with Mr. Cook. Both earned M.B.A.s at Duke University, and both previously worked at International Business Machines Corp. —a onetime Apple nemesis. Mr. Cook preceded Mr. Williams as Apple’s chief operating officer before his selection as Mr. Jobs’s successor as CEO in 2011.
Mr. Williams’s involvement in product development has grown over more than a decade. After Tony Fadell, co-creator of the iPod, left Apple in 2008, Mr. Jobs put Mr. Williams on a leadership team with Mr. Ive responsible for developing the iPhone 4, said a member of the team.
Some engineers and designers questioned how a supply-chain executive from IBM could replace Mr. Fadell, this person said, but Mr. Williams quieted doubters.
The iPhone 4 featured a glass back instead of the plastic used on past models. During a thermal-engineering meeting, Mr. Williams probed the engineers with questions about how new materials would affect device performance, this person said. He also picked up the prototype to evaluate how it felt. “It was impressive for a negotiator, and spreadsheet guy, and it just came naturally to him,” this person said.
Carolina Milanesi, a technology analyst with Creative Strategies, said Mr. Williams’s operations background could be an asset in his new role. “You need to have a balance between what is possible and what makes sense,” she said. “If everyone came at it from a design perspective, that may not lead to the best possible product.”


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Financial institutions across the APAC region are working to become more ingrained in the financial decisions of their customers, primarily through the development of digital financial wellness and money management apps.
This is a key finding from the Backbase commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting.
According to the study, retail banks throughout APAC are seeing the value that such apps can bring to their customer experience and revenue, as well as data and insight mining capabilities.
Commonly used by smaller digital-only banks, financial wellness apps delivered through mobile have become more readily adopted by larger organisations in APAC, with spending in this niche set to increase by a regional average of 57%.
Talking about the findings of the study, Backbase regional vice president APAC Iman Ghodosi says financial wellness apps have well and truly moved past the realm of online-only ‘digital banks'.
Ghodosi says, “The data shows the whole retail finance sector is seeing the benefits of interacting with their customers in this way. Larger banks see the opportunity of competing in the space and capitalising on the comparatively low trust APAC consumers have with digital-only banks at the moment.
"The study showed only 26% of consumers trust digital-only banks, compared with 60% of traditional banks.
“Consumers use digital-only banks precisely for the financial wellness and money management tools they provide. Traditional banks see a massive opportunity to compete in digital, and still retain their heritage and trust. And they need to compete.
"Legacy institutions are slowly losing market share to digital-only banks and are getting beaten on data and insight collection through such apps.
Of the 450 retail banking business decision-makers interviewed as part of the report, 89% said they were ‘planning to' or ‘actively expanding' their financial wellness initiatives, while 72% said it was of ‘high' or ‘critical' priority.
These apps provide customers with digital services such as spend analysis, subscription and recurring payment management, creation of savings goals, and transaction categorisation. Many of these features were only recently available through advances in AI, mobile-first technology, and rapid evolution of user experience and smartphones.
The study also revealed APAC consumers do need assistance in certain areas of their financial lives such as building savings (69% find this difficult), planning for retirement (60% find this hard), and managing debt (49% struggle).
Speaking to consumer needs, Ghodosi says, “In the platform era of Grab, Netflix and Spotify, people want the same high level of customer focus and flexibility for financial services they subscribe to.
"They want access to their personal finances anytime, anywhere, through any channel. Banks are realising digital financial wellness tools can address these needs of their customers, whenever and wherever the consumers need it.
“Now more than ever, it is important to own the relationship with your customer. We've now entered the engagement banking era, an evolution that stresses a one unified platform approach for banking.
"The number one priority in this new era is to completely re-architect the bank around the customer, moving away from siloed technology investments."
However, this new era is not without its challenges, the researchers state.
Unlike nimble and dynamic digital banks, legacy financial institutions struggle with many aspects of implementing such mobile-first digital services, Backbone states.
In fact, 67% of the interviewed APAC retail banking business decision-makers said outdated or legacy technology is a key challenge that their bank faces in trying to implement or further develop digital money management or financial wellness tools.
In addition, 55% said internal ‘organisational silos', 65% said a lack of understanding of customer needs, and 53% said competing priorities.
Ghodosi says, “We can see that for traditional banks, the path to success might be bumpy, however the cost for not meeting consumer needs will be far higher, as digital and neobanks flourish.
"We see the next six months as an inflection point in the space with some financial institutions being left behind.
Another notable finding from the research is that the motivation behind this new direction by retail banks is not just about customer engagement and revenue. Through developments in artificial intelligence and data analytics, banks can now offer far more safeguarding and care more for their customers than they previously had the capacity to offer.
Of those surveyed, 64% said their institutions had plans to ‘prevent exploitation of vulnerable and older customers', 57% said they had plans of ‘identifying risks of vulnerability and financial difficulty' in their users.
On top of this, 69% are planning to encourage customers to ‘build better financial habits', and 70% are going to offer further ‘financial literacy tools'.
Ghodosi concludes, “The data points to financial wellness apps being a primary interface between banks and their customers as we move into the future."


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DUBAI / Emirates Business
Running out of data? Not to worry because du just raised the bar for consumer postpaid plans – now du’s entire range of consumer postpaid plans come with generous data at no extra cost. There has never been a better time to change to du.
du addresses its customer’s growing data consumption by enhancing the data offering for its postpaid plans at no additional cost. Three new price point options now offer customers even more for their dirham. For just AED150 per month du customers benefit from 300 flexi minutes and 6GB data, while AED300 gives them 600 flexible minutes and 12GB data. Customers who choose the AED450 plan will benefit from 1200 flexible minutes and 18GB data. On another hand, customers are offered the opportunity to benefit from 1200 national minutes with the AED300 plan and 2400 national minutes with the AED450 plan, in addition to the extra data.
“We constantly listen to our customers, and are addressing their growing data needs. By offering our customers even more options when it comes to their postpaid plans, we ensure that every one of them has access to the amount of data they require to remain connected in a way which suits their lifestyle requirements,” said Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Commercial Officer, du.
As part of the new postpaid offerings, du also offers 25GB data along with a Gold number and free smartphone for AED 1,000.


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Bloomberg BusinessWeek has a fascinating article today on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering by Microsoft on the Nokia devices acquisition. The four page article is mostly about how CEO Nadella is putting things back together, and asserting his vision, but there are some enthralling tidbits too about how the Nokia deal came to be.
In the report, it’s revealed that the original deal included Nokia’s HERE Maps in addition to Nokia’s hardware division. That’s interesting, if only because many arm-chair CEOs have suggested that Microsoft should just buy everything from Nokia. The Microsoft board, however, disagreed. The main complaint? The deal was “too expensive and complex” and the mapping division was not even needed (between Bing Maps and licensing, it’s not clear why Microsoft needs to own HERE Maps).
Even more revealing was a straw poll on the initial purchase. Future CEO Nadella was initially against the deal, though he changed his mind on the final vote. Outgoing Tony Bates was “staunchly opposed” and probably the biggest blow was Bill Gates was not on board either, expressing concern whether the company really needs to head into hardware. From the report:
Ballmer reportedly yelled a lot during the meeting, and some board members have hinted to Bloomberg that it was him not listening to their concerns that finally began the push to oust him from CEO.
New vision, new identity
It seems to be apparent now that Microsoft’s foray into hardware, including the Surface – which was critically praised, but suffered from lackluster sales – was not something the company was united on. Divisions, often reflecting the siloed nature of the company, seem to arise around this question of should Microsoft make its own hardware, and specifically, mobile phones?
Nadella was reportedly against this move, but has since come around. But the divisions the Nokia purchase wrought are obvious, with Tony Bates moving on from the company and other reorganizations expected in the future.
While Microsoft buying Nokia, who controls around 80% of the Windows Phone market, seems evident to outsiders, it’s clear that Microsoft’s board was much more hesitant. But with rumors of Nokia making Android phones after the February 2014, it looks like time was of the essence back when talks began in February 2013.
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The Microsoft-Nokia deal is in its final days of approval, although Samsung and Google may delay things.
Source: Bloomberg BusinesWeek
Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.


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This animal has style and smarts - and may have been looking to do some shopping as well.
A monkey was spotted wandering the parking lot of a Toronto Ikea store on Sunday while wearing what looked like a comfortable coat. The primate shocked onlookers after apparently finding a way out of a crate in its owner's car, CBC News reported.
"It was the weirdest thing," shopper Stephanie Yim told CBC News. "I thought I was going insane."
There is much more to this story from the New York Daily News, to read about it CLICK HERE.


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Firefox for Android is a great mobile browser, but it’s not exactly popular. Mozilla could make it more popular if it were to release a version of its browser on iOS, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Mozilla’s vice president of products, Jay Sullivan, was on a panel at SXSW talking about the mobile browser wars. On the topic of iOS, he said that Mozilla has no plans to bring Firefox to the platform. He also said that you won’t see Firefox on iOS as long as Apple continues to restrict third-party browsers.
The main issue here is that Mozilla can’t use its Gecko rendering engine on iOS. Apple requires all browsers to use the WebKit rendering engine that’s employed by Safari, Google Chrome and many others. It doesn’t help that Safari is the default Web browser in iOS, and users can’t change that unless they jailbreak their phone.
Mozilla could easily get on iOS if it switched to WebKit, but the company doesn’t appear to be doing that anytime soon. Instead, it will push for Apple, and others, to allow more browser choice on platforms. It’s this choice that makes the Web great according to Sullivan.
Besides, Mozilla can’t focus on iOS right now as it’s currently busy with getting Firefox OS out to market. The new mobile OS poses no threat to Apple, but it’s definitely doing things the Mozilla way – fiercely independent and maybe even a little reckless.


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Jan 18, 2010 8:00 PM by Andy Koen
Colorado Springs police may have caught a break in the growing number of robberies that have taken place at local businesses this month. Nearly 50 stores have been hit.
On Sunday night, 5 people were arrested in connection with a pair of robberies at local 7/11 convenience stores.
Sergeant Steve Noblitt say the two adults and 3 juveniles are also suspected in robberies at two Chinese food restaurants and a check cashing store from a week earlier.
A convenience store clerk called to report a suspicious vehicle, and when a patrol officer pulled over the car, the robbery suspects were inside.
"I think it's incumbent on every person whether you have a business or not or if your just a citizen out walking around to be vigilant," Noblitt said. "If you see suspicious behavior to report it."
The adults arrested are Benito Castillo, 23 and Edward Castillo, 21. Sgt. Noblitt says the department is not releasing their booking photos until they've had a chance to see how many other robberies the pair are connected to.


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A no-deal Brexit threatens the UK’s food security and will lead to higher prices and empty shelves, retailers are preparing to warn MPs.
The warning comes in a letter from the British Retail Consortium and is signed by the main food retailers.
It comes ahead of crucial votes in Parliament tomorrow.
The letter, seen by the BBC, threatens the availability and shelf life of many products, and expresses worry over tariffs, with only 10% of the UK’s food imports currently subject to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.
If the UK were to revert to WTO rules, the retailers warn that would “greatly increase import costs that would in turn put upward pressure on food prices”.
The letter spells out the UK’s food relationship with Europe, with nearly one third of the food in the UK coming from the EU.
The letter says at that time of year, 90% of lettuces, 80% of tomatoes and 70% of soft fruit sold in the UK is grown in the EU.


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Jakarta: The Galaxy Unpacked event on August 5 did not seem enough for Samsung to share detailed information related to its newest Galaxy device. Because Samsung is reportedly planning to hold the second part of the event.
Quoting GSM Arena, the second part of the Galaxy Unpacked is scheduled to be held on September 1, at 2 pm UTC.
A poster circulating shows that this event will be centered on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 which was introduced at the previous Unpacked event, but has not yet displayed a number of detailed information regarding this device.
What do you think of this article?
Since its introduction at the Unpacked event in early August, a number of video reviews related to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 have been circulating, displaying information regarding the hardware and software that the new device carries.
Unfortunately, until now, information regarding the price offer for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is still being held by Samsung, so the Unpacked event on September 1 is expected to announce this information.
Previously, after the Galaxy S20 Ultra, the appearance of a greenish hue problem on the device screen was also reported to be found on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra with Snapdragon chipsets, Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7 +.
This greenish hue is said to be increasingly visible based on the screen brightness level. Interestingly, this does not only happen on devices with AMOLED screen panels, considering that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 uses an LCD screen panel.
A number of parties predict this is related to the screen refresh rate because one user reported that this hue only appears in 120Hz mode. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics Indonesia officially launched its newest flagship tablet series, the Galaxy Tab S7 series.
This device comes in two screen versions, namely the Galaxy Tab S7 and a version with a larger screen size, namely the Galaxy Tab S7 +. Samsung claims to present the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7 + as powerful friends to support user productivity.
Therefore, Samsung also provides a tablet with an 8MP front camera which is intended to support the needs of video conferencing as a substitute for face-to-face activities in the midst of the current pandemic.


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An ancient wine cellar in Israel is proving early Canaanites had a taste for the good stuff.
A team of researchers recently uncovered the 3,700-year-old cellar near the town of Nahariya, and said this week that remnants from the site prove just how sophisticated wines in the ancient era actually were, something that was only hinted at in texts before.
“It’s not wine that somebody is just going to come home from a hard day and kick back and drink,” said Andrew Koh of Brandeis University.
Scientists found traces of cinnamon bark, mint, honey, cedar and tree resin in the cellar, and said the wine was probably reserved for special occasions, like a banquet.
Koh, Eric Cline of George Washington University, and Assaf Yasur-Landau of the University of Haifa presented the findings to the media at a press conference Thursday.
“We’re thinking it’s a palatial wine cellar,” said Cline. “It’s just enough for the ruler and his household.”
Researchers plan to continue studying the wine residue, in hopes of recreating the original recipe. The scientists said the amounts of each ingredient indicate the wine was created using a detailed formula.
“We can imagine it was like if you take a resinated wine and pour cough syrup in,” Yasur-Landau said.
The group of researchers has been digging at the site since 2005. The spot is believed to be the remains of an ancient Canaanite palace, the only one of its kind to be found so far in Israel.


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What do you do with a non-performing line? One Blink and it’s gone!
Troubled UK-based supermarket group, Tesco, battered by an accounting scandal, executive suspensions, its share price tumbling, facing a full-scale official investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and losing disillusioned customers by the barrow load, has made a major, headline-stealing decision to save itself some money and put itself back on an even keel. Every little helps.
Yup, it is to sell or close Blinkbox the under-performing video-streaming service that, with much ballyhoo, it bought, very expensively, three years ago. Talk about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Tesco is in serious trouble, so serious that in the run-up to the all-important Christmas season, thousands of its Head Office staff are being sent to the shop floor two days a week to run the tills and stack shelves in an effort to get back to basics and learn about customer needs. Ha, ha. Ha, ha! I'll bet the ordinary shop floor staff will make the most of that: "You there, clean up those broken eggs and then the lavatories," and "Mr. Wilkins, you were two minutes late clocking-on. Your pay will be docked by half an hour and if you are late again you will be dismissed." etc etc.
In the greater scheme of things Blinkbox is a sideshow, a distraction. It was bought to take on the likes of Netflix and Lovefilm and failed dismally to compete. It's an also-ran in an overcrowded market (pretty much like Tesco itself is becoming) and really ought to be put out of its misery.
And a mercy-killing seems the most likely outcome. Tesco's CEO, Dave Lewis, says the company is "reviewing options for Blinkbox" and adds that if a buyer can't be found then it will be shut.
Mr. Lewis is a new broom sweeping through Tesco's Augean stables. However, in this particular Herculean labour he won't be able to divert a river to help him clean things out. Philip Clarke, Lewis’s predecessor as Tesco CEO, invested hundreds of millions of pounds in the Blinkbox on-demand service but now its days are numbered and, no doubt, the costs and debts associated with it will become yet one more item on the wrong side of Tesco's questionable accounts.
Ironically, tomorrow (October 3) Tesco will officially unveil its new Hudl 2 tablet. Blinkbox came bundled with Hudl Generation 1 so it will be interesting to see if engineers and coders have been working overtime to remove the Blinkbox app from the new tablet - or whether it'll still be there, a useless appendage hanging around like some out of town Tesco store.
In the UK shoppers are deserting big supermarkets sited on the outskirts of towns and are returning to the old ways, preferring to shop locally, on a daily basis and for fewer items. These days the big weekly shop is done online and delivered straight to the home. Meanwhile the big out-of-town stores are bringing other retailers on-site, opening restaurants, play-areas for children and even creches in an attempt to lure customers back, but to little avail. Indeed, under-used stores are being mothballed and new builds either abandoned unfinished or not started at all. Meanwhile the cut-price discounters such as Lidl and Aldi, often sited in the High Street rather than in some fly-blown, wind-blown peripheral retail park on the edge of town, are cleaning up. Forecasts are that sales from these outlets will double by 2020. The worm has turned and it's not for turning back.
Blinkbox was founded eight years ago by former executives of the UK TV station, Channel 4, in partnership with ex-staffers from Vodafone. In 2011 Tesco bought an 80 per cent interest in Blinkbox from then owners Eden Ventures and Nordic Venture Partners.The amount paid was never disclosed but a widespread rumour had it that Tesco paid "hundreds of millions of pounds" for it.
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One-third of consumers unaware of life insurance tax benefits, says study
March 18, 2024 by Rayne Morgan
Nearly a third of Americans do not realize that they can save on taxes through life insurance, according to a new study by Assurance IQ. Experts suggest this can be a missed opportunity to save money, especially at a time when most consumers are looking to save.
“Many Americans are stretched thin financially, which makes financial and insurance literacy critical,” Tim Hoolihan, life insurance sales manager at Assurance IQ.


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Allina Health | Aetna, a joint venture health care company owned by Allina Health and Aetna®, a CVS Health® company, is dedicated to providing its members with quality care and coverage. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and flu season begins, Allina Health | Aetna announces it will be shipping boxes of over-the-counter items to all of its Medicare Advantage members across Minnesota. These Caring for You kits contain several items to support Medicare members with simple self-care at home. Kits include a thermometer, hand sanitizer and two face masks, among other useful items.
The Caring for You kits are a one-time expansion of an Allina Health | Aetna Medicare Advantage member over-the-counter benefit to support members during the public health emergency. Kits will be sent to members who were enrolled on or before August 1, 2020. The kits began shipping last week and will continue to be shipped throughout the fall. Read More: PRNewsWire


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Dallas-based AT&T Inc. said Monday that it has a multiyear agreement with OnStar to provide advanced wireless service to millions of General Motors vehicles beginning with the 2015 model year.
Verizon Wireless previously had the contract with OnStar, a GM subsidary, and will continue to provide service to existing vehicles.
Cellphone companies are jostling to connect nonphone devices to their networks. Now that nearly everyone has a cellphone, the companies have to look elsewhere for growth. AT&T has been particularly aggressive, garnering, for instance, the contract to connect Amazon Kindle e-readers.
AT&T said it will provide 4G LTE mobile Internet access for GM’s safety and security services offered by OnStar, as well as information and entertainment services, such as video for back-seat passengers.
“Through this built-in 4G LTE connection we have the opportunity to reinvent the mobile experience inside a vehicle,” Mary Chan, president, Global Connected Consumer, General Motors, said in a statement.
For example, GM could deliver car software updates wirelessly, instead of making owners take their cars to the shop. It could also enable video streaming for passengers, provide in-vehicle Wi-Fi hot spots and give GM a better view of what’s going on inside a car and determine whether it needs maintenance. Owners might even be able to call up views from their car’s cameras, remotely.
“They’re basically smartphones on wheels,” said Glenn Lurie, head of AT&T’s emerging devices division.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. OnStar’s 6 million uses pay $19 a month plus per-minute calling charges.
Staff writer Gary Jacobson,
The Associated Press


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Rumors about a New York Men’s Fashion Week have been circulating for some time now. This past summer, we reported that the Council of Fashion Designers of America were seriously looking into creating a separate week for men’s shows—similar to those of London, Paris, and Milan. However, the members needed to receive funding first and were actively seeking sponsors to make the week a reality.
Well, it turns out the council’s efforts paid off and have already secured money from Amazon, DreamWorks and Shinola, a source told WWD. But now they’re looking to obtain a title sponsor in order to finalize the event.
“We have a little bit of money committed, but we need a little bit more,” Steven Kolb, chief executive officer of the CFDA, told WWD. “There are still a lot of boxes that need to be checked, but we have tentative dates for July of ’15 to be the first one.”
This is excellent news for menswear designers who have often complained about being overlooked during the February and August shows in NYC. It will also be quite beneficial to buyers who won’t have to rush purchasing the collections after viewing them so close to the upcoming season.
“We deserve a men’s week or a men’s moment every season here in New York City,” said Daniel Silver, codesigner of Duckie Brown. “The question is, can I get the same amount of press coverage as I do showing the first days of the women’s calendar? That’s a question mark. But, certainly, it would be better for sales, especially during the spring season, as we sell in July and show in September and then have to sell in September again.”
With the recent hype surrounding menswear, we're excited to see a New York Men's Fashion Week in the works. Here's hoping the CFDA comes through.


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25/02/2008Vivid impressions from the EuroExpo area on Monday.
25/02/2008It's halftime at EuroShop 2008 - what do the visitors say? We asked around and inquired about impressions and opinions.
25/02/2008Sarah Weber, student at the Advertising College in Stuttart, talks about the 'Timewalk' special exhibition, its challenges and message.
25/02/2008Maaten Buursen of the Mannequin Company shows how mannequins are made.
25/02/2008James Damian, Senior Vice-President of BestBuy.com talks about why he visits EuroShop in Düsseldorf.
25/02/2008Ray Ehscheid, senior vice president of store design and merchandising, speaks about travelling around Europe about the specifics and innovations in European bank design.
25/02/2008Christine Belich, vice president of visual merchandising for Sony Style talks about her EuroShop impressions and new trends in digital communication.
25/02/2008Ramsay Weatherford, Operating Vice President–Planning, Macy’s Inc. speaks about why she visits EuroShop.
25/02/2008Lars Nielsen, CEO of Hindsgaul Mannequins speaks about current developments in mannequin design.
27/02/2008Coleman Kernatsch, CEO of the fair construction company MBI, talks about his enterprise and their newest idea.


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I was at an out-of-town function recently, and upon hearing I was from Peoria, another attendee asked me how the city had fared since Caterpillar left. This gave me a chance to combat his notion that Caterpillar was completely gone from Peoria and actually share with him how important they still are to our community. I actually hear this same sentiment from time to time, and not exclusively from external parties. Sometimes, Peorians can be their own worst enemy in wanting to think the worst. But the truth is that Caterpillar continues to be a foundational element in our regional economy and should be celebrated. A recent report of the Illinois Manufacturers Association found that the manufacturing industry generates a total of $17.5 billion in annual economic output in Peoria and Tazewell counties alone, representing nearly 23% and 31%, respectively, of those counties’ Gross Domestic Product. Can you guess the major component in those numbers? Caterpillar.
Though a global company with well over 100,000 employees, Caterpillar continues to choose Greater Peoria as the largest center of its employees. On any given day, over 12,000 locals report to a Caterpillar post. You can see Caterpillar’s footprint across the region in what I sometimes refer to as the Three Ms: Mossville (research and development), Mapleton (foundry), and Morton (logistics). Add in East Peoria (production) and various Peoria facilities (administration, etc.), and you will not find a company with a wider geographic reach than Caterpillar. There is zero evidence that that will change anytime soon as they continue to hire locally and have made multi-million dollar renovations over the past few years to their administration building in downtown Peoria and their logistics center in Morton.
That employee count alone would be enough to make other communities envious of Greater Peoria. But the impact is much wider. Think of all the additional companies that rely on Caterpillar’s business to one extent or another. Some are locally based service providers like PHD Services and Federal Companies. Other national firms like Deloitte do so much business with Caterpillar that they have their own offices here. And, of course, an entire supply chain of parts and other services extends the impact even further. This includes homegrown companies like Morton Industries, SMF and Peoria Production Solutions, as well as foreign companies like Yinlun that move here to be closer to a major customer. These companies combined likely employ over 10,000 more employees – all connected in some way to Caterpillar. And do not underestimate the economic value of the Caterpillar Visitors Center, which brings in thousands of customers and other partners each year, all of whom are spending money locally at hotels, restaurants, and retail outlets.
Finally, and not to be undervalued, Caterpillar continues to be a cornerstone in our philanthropic community. I would be hard-pressed to think of a fundraising gala that didn’t display a Caterpillar logo in its sponsorship booklet. It is widely known that the Heart of Illinois United Way is one of the best-supported charities in the US on a per capita basis. That is undoubtedly due in no small measure to both Caterpillar’s corporate support and individual employee contributions. Caterpillar employees are deeply committed to our community and serve on countless boards of directors, volunteer in our organizations, are members of our churches, temples, and synagogues, and are involved in our schools.
Regardless of what you might hear, Caterpillar is still an enormous part of Greater Peoria. Our challenge – as community leaders, business leaders, and individuals – should be to find more ways of celebrating that fact and ensuring that their impact continues to be felt for generations to come.


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Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI) just announced that they will be forming a brand new company called Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE).
The new company will join all business units that belong to the aforementioned companies, SCE and SNEI, including hardware, software, content and network services operations.
SIE will focus on new products and services that leverage the growing PlayStation business.
“By integrating the strengths of PlayStation’s hardware, software, content and network operations, SIE will become an even stronger entity, with a clear objective to further accelerate the growth of the PlayStation business,” said Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Group Executive in charge of Network Entertainment of Sony Corporation.
Since SCE launched the first PlayStation in 1994, the company has developed a plethora of other video-game related services like the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Plus membership services, and even the PlayStation Now streaming service.
Over the 2015 holiday season alone, the company sold 5.7 million units worldwide. The growth of PlayStation has led to the formation of this new entity with one focus in mind: PlayStation.
SIE will begin operations on April 1, 2016 and will be headquartered in San Mateo, California, while also establishing global business operations in Tokyo and London.


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Hyderabad: Former T-Hub CEO Jay Krishna has joined hands with entrepreneurs Srikanth Chintalapati and Kevin Jacobs to launch a US$60 million cross-border, early-stage venture capital fund
Capital, that will focus on deep tech for human good.
The fund, which has already raised US$ 24 million out of US$ 60 million, will focus on investing in seed and pre-Series A round startups with advanced solutions for human good.
Startups in sectors like food and agritech, circular economy and healthtech with products and solutions that use advanced science and leading-edge technologies like AI, ML, blockchain, photonics and robotics will attract its funds, Mantra Capital said.
While Jay Krishna will be heading the deal flow in India, handling product management and business development for portfolio startups and bringing in global partnerships, Srikanth Chintalapati will be responsible for supporting Indian portfolio startups in product development as well as scaling their operations and distribution in India. Kevin Jacobs will be handling the US deal flow, assessing the target startups, as well as managing exits or merger and acquisitions (M&A) of the portfolio companies.
“The fund will focus on scaling innovative solutions that have rapid acceleration potential and can solve problems locally with a massive global impact. We have started scouting for startups in India and international markets like US for initial investments and are already in advanced dialogue with a couple of startups,” said Jay Krishna, general partner-India, Mantra Capital.
“Our target is to close our first fund by the end of 2020,” said Srikanth Chintalapati, partner, Mantra Capital.
Mantra Capital will provide offshore venture services and managed services to global startups. As part of venture services it will scout and curate US and Indian startups for corporate innovation scaling programs that will be launched in the second quarter of 2020. It will also partner with global corporates and global accelerators to help startups Go-To-Market (GTM.)


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Brookline officials awarded the last of the town’s recreational marijuana establishment licenses Tuesday night but the town may create more licenses down the line.
Select Board members Tuesday expressed a desire to create two additional establishment licenses to remedy past shortcomings in promoting racial and economic equity in the town’s cannabis industry. That decision would ultimately be up to Town Meeting.
The Select Board did, however, vote unanimously to approve licensing for Comm Ave Canna, which plans to open on the second floor at 1030 Commonwealth Ave. It is the fourth marijuana retailer to be licensed in Brookline, following New England Treatment Access, Sanctuary Medicinals and Mission MA, which received Select Board approval last month to open down the street at 1024 Commonwealth Ave.
Unlike the other adult-use retailers in Brookline, Comm Ave Canna is a small, locally owned family business, owned and operated by the Hauck family, who ran Perfect Tan in the same Comm. Ave. location, as well as the restaurant The Living Room in Boston’s North End.
“We’re not a multi-state operator. We’re not a publicly traded company. We’re a small, locally owned family business,” JB Hauck, Comm Ave Canna’s president, told the Select Board Tuesday.


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Will BlackBerry find a niche in 2014?
Even amid the hubbub of the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, BlackBerry managed to make headlines this week - though admittedly, it wasn't announcing new smartphones.
First, news broke that the struggling Canadian smartphone maker had axed singer-songwriter Alicia Keys as Global Creative Director - a year after giving her the gig as it launched the BlackBerry 10 series to much fanfare.
In retrospect, Keys' appointment probably seems something of an embarrassment to BlackBerry bosses - she even started off by tweeting about her new job from an iPhone.
Secondly, John Chen - hired as interim Chief Executive following the firm's aborted sale to Fairfax Financial Holdings in November - revealed to Bloomberg that most future handsets from BlackBerry would feature physical keyboards, unlike the flopped 10 series.
These stories follow a disastrous year for the company, which was once cock of the roost in the enterprise mobility sector. In the three months between July and September, it posted losses of almost one billion USD (£600 million) and was forced to dismiss around 40 per cent of staff worldwide. Even then, BlackBerry's fortunes had further to fall - the company reported a staggering 4.4 billion USD loss in the following quarter.
Mr Chen - who appears to have had 'interim' dropped from his job title this year - subsequently outlined radical plans to turn the firm's fortunes around, including a shift in focus to enterprise services and a new device manufacturing deal with Chinese iPhone producer Foxconn.
To the casual observer, the prospects of a company in such dire financial straits probably don't seem too healthy. This is supported by the fact the smartphone market is maturing rapidly and increasingly Android-dominated - in fact, the International Data Corporation's most recent Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker found BlackBerry's market share had dropped from 4.1 to 1.7 per cent year on year between July and September 2013, surely a death knell for the firm.
Then again, there's something appealing about Mr Chen's leadership approach - and in the promise of new keyboard-equipped handsets, a niche market leaders like Samsung and Apple are roundly ignoring.
In fact, perhaps one of the reasons consumer-oriented devices like the iPhone are so popular in the workplace these days is that there aren't many alternatives. Instead of focusing on features that put productivity first - something a large part of the bring-your-own-device crowd should be able to get behind - BlackBerry has copied competitors, to disastrous results. Perhaps it's learnt from this now, though?
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According to a document released by EA during yesterday’s financial statement, the company plans to release Battlefield 3 on mobile devices as well. The document, obtained by IGN, shows that Battlefield 3 is listed to receive mobile versions during the same launch period as the PC and console versions.
This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen Battlefield going mobile, as you recall, EA released an iPhone version of Battlefield Bad Company 2. The document didn’t reveal what mobile platforms the game would be released on, but expect it to hit the iPhone, and Sony’s PSP/NGP and Nintendo’s DS/3DS.
Battlefield 3 is slated for release early November, 2011.
EA just released its financial report for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, and buried in all the numbers and financial details were the news that Battlefield 3 has been pre-ordered 7 times more than the previous Battlefield game, Bad Company 2. As you recall, Bad Company 2 eventually went on to sell 7 million copies.
EA didn’t disclose how many copies of Battlefield 3 have been pre-ordered so far. The record as the most pre-ordered game is currently held by Halo Reach, which was pre-ordered 2 million times before its release last year.
EA is currently running a pre-order campaign for Battlefield 3 Limited Edition, which includes the DLC “Back to Karkand”, free of charge.
Predicting how well games will do is often a tricky business, the same way it is when it comes to movies. However, some titles you just know will do a lot of business because they’re part of a franchise, and according to industry analyst Doug Creutz from Cowen and Company, Battlefield 3 will sell 10 million copies, he recently predicted in a note sent out to investors. He based his estimate on the fact that the previous Battlefield game, Bad Company 2, sold 7 million units worldwide. Battlefield 3 is a highly anticipated title with a lot of marketing money behind it, so sales should certainly eclipse those of Bad Company 2.
However, Creutz also points out that he expects Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to sell a whopping 25 million copies, 1.5 times more than Battlefield 3. He based his estimate on sales of the previous CoD title, Black Ops, which topped 14 million copies.
Both EA and Activision will spend a lot of money this Fall marketing their games, with EA’s CEO repeatedly saying that Battlefield 3 is designed to specifically compete with Modern Warfare 3. EA intends to spend $100 million in advertising on Battlefield 3.
EA has previously stated that they intend to spend $100 million marketing Battlefield 3, and they’ve already started with a few TV spots during last nights NBA Playoff games, and today, the roll out of website banners has begun, with banners and full site ads appearing on gaming sites like GameSpot, IGN and GameTrailers. In addition, several non-gaming related sites like ESPN have been spotted with Battlefield 3 banners (see image above).
While it’s somewhat unusual to begin advertising of a game that’s 6 months away, it’s clear that EA is trying to create wide awareness of BF3 before the expected news blowout begins at E3, where Battlefield 3 is most likely to be fully unveiled. E3 is the biggest gaming trade show in the world and the biggest gaming event of the year, and runs from June 7 – 9, a good 50 days from now. However, don’t expect EA to stay silent on the BF3 news front until then.
We’ve gotten some confirmation on the Battlefield 3 launch date, and a few more interesting tidbits regarding its marketing campaign.
EA CEO John Riccitiello spoke at an ad conference in New York, where he revealed that Battlefield 3 will launch this November, and will be paired with a $100 million marketing campaign from EA in order to fight off Activision’s Modern Warfare 3. Riccitiello specifically called out Modern Warfare 3, and noted: “This game [Battlefield 3, ed.] is designed to take down that game [Modern Warfare 3, ed.].”
How things play out this Fall is up in the air at the moment, as we’ve seen limited footage of Battlefield 3, and it’s only been the singleplayer part. On top of that, we’ve got no information on Modern Warfare 3 at all. One thing is certain: Activision and EA are gearing up for a big battle this Fall, and both are prepared to spend a lot of money marketing.
EA has announced that Battlefield 3 will be unveiled on March 1, 2011, a good six weeks from now. The unveiling will be done at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, IGN reports. EA will use the occasion to unveil several games, but for us, of course, the main highlight is Battlefield 3.
Every few months, EA sends a demo reel around its studios and offices, showing off what they’re working on. The latest of such “demo reels” features a video of Battlefield 3, according to a NeoGAF forum member, who works at EA. He said:
“I saw that BF3 had guns, explosions, vehicles, large maps and was played from the first person perspective. I got a few flashes of the HUD, but have no idea about how they’re evolving the game’s play mechanics.”
The demo reels are distributed among EA’s marketing staff, to stay in the loop on what the company is doing. If they already have a demo reel of Battlefield 3, perhaps a public unveiling of the game is not that far away. It might be revealed as early as GDC in April, where DICE is scheduled to give talks.
Despite all the information tidbits spilling out from EA and DICE on BF3, there’s still no official release date for the game. EA CEO John Riccitiello has previously commented that Battlefield 3 will take on the next Call of Duty game in 2011 — an indication when we can expect BF3.
In an interview with Industry Gamers, Riccitiello once again stressed the year 2011 as a release time frame for BF3.
“…you’ll see a lot about Battlefield 3 next year, which I think is, at least from our perspective, designed to be the one that is the big leap forward; the one that is going to help a lot.
He commented specifically on Activision and the competition in the first person shooter arena.
“Next year we’ll make a lot more progress. We’ve got a couple of third-party games in the form of Crysis 2 and Bulletstorm, and then our big focus is Battlefield 3 in the second half of the year. I’d be shocked if we didn’t take a notch out of [Activision].”
Unless there’s a delay, we can be pretty sure to see BF3 next Holiday season, as DICE is known for shipping titles on time. Read the full interview with Riccitiello here, where he goes in depth in his criticism of Activision.
According to some, the above is a tiny teaser of an upcoming Battlefield 3 trailer which will be revealed during the VGA Awards on December 11. To be honest, the video does resemble the openings of Battlefield 2 and 2142 (watch them here, BF2 and BF2142), but besides a dozen or so frames, nothing else is really shown.
Then there’s this:
It is quite interesting that EA is advertising for the VGA’s in Battlefield 2142, using their in-game advertising banners, as you can see above. Coincidence? Maybe. But it does raise a few eyebrows — BF 2142 has had a declining user base and most of the ads haven’t been updated for years (just days ago, it still sported ads for new Intel processors from 2008), so EA must have something really interesting to unveil at the VGAs to reach out to the last few Battlefield 2142 players.
According to EA CEO John Riccitiello, who spoke with Kotaku, Battlefield 3 is EA’s main competitor against the next installment of Call of Duty, which is set for release in Fall 2011. Riccitiello said:
“I have great expectations to do a lot better in 2011 than in 2010 on the strength of a couple of products like Bulletstorm and Crysis 2, but most importantly for us, Battlefield 3, which I feel incredibly good about.”
He also commented on the engine which will power Battlefield 3, saying that Forstbite, with its destructible environments will be far ahead of Call of Duty, which usually has static environments and a very linear gameplay.
“Our next game [Battlefield 3] is being built on the second generation of Frostbite which I think is, at least in my opinion, a class act for FPS. I think we’re going to lift the game pretty dramatically in the first-person shooter category.”
This year, Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Medal of Honor went against Call of Duty Black Ops, even though Bad Company 2 was released six months earlier. This means that it’s almost certain that we’ll see Battlefield 3 in 2011, most likely during the hectic Fall 2011 release window.


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Representative image Photograph:( Reuters )
The apps also remained top-grossing apps for the eleventh consecutive month, according to mobile app data analysis firm Sensor Tower
Short video sharing app TikTok and its Chinese version its competitor Douyin have become the world's most downloaded non-gaming apps in February.
The apps also remained top-grossing apps for the eleventh consecutive month, according to mobile app data analysis firm Sensor Tower.
Approximately 79 per cent of TikTok’s revenue was from Douyin in China, followed by 8 per cent from the United States and 3 per cent from Turkey.
YouTube was the second highest-earning non-gaming app worldwide for February 2021 with more than $82 million in gross revenue, which represented 23 percent year-over-year growth from February 2020
Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok is famed for trendy and typically urban influencers.
Rapidly growing ByteDance, the owner of TikTok and the similar Chinese short video platform Douyin, has made sizeable inroads into business areas Tencent holds dear - including ads, gaming, live streaming, social media and office software.
In 2018, ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming traded barbs with Tencent founder Pony Ma, accusing Tencent of blocking and copying Douyin, and the feud has since escalated into a volley of lawsuits.
That includes a suit from Douyin last week accusing Tencent of monopolistic behaviour. Tencent said the claims were false, accused Douyin of illegally gaining user information and vowed to file more suits against ByteDance.
Its Beijing-based rival ByteDance spent most of last year battling a potential US ban on TikTok after then-president Donald Trump raised national security concerns about the app.


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It’s been almost three weeks since I got to experience the Nintendo Switch up close and I finally found sometime to sit down to write about my experience with the system in between editing PAX South interviews.
After months of no news and updates about RiME, we talk to Tequila Works’ Raul Rubio about the game, what’s new and get a release window.
Things seem to be switching up at Nintendo as they have revealed their newest console, the Nintendo Switch.
Pokkén Tournament for Wii U finally has a release date in Japan, with a Western release soon to be determined.
Final Fantasy Explorers is set to explore the West in January for the 3DS.
Capcom is gearing up for E3 next week with three confirmed games to be on the show floor. The first game to be revealed is the Mega Man Legacy Collection.
Bust out that top loader, dust off the Power Glover, the Nintendo World Championships is back and coming to E3 2015.
The 3DS will be a maiden heaven when Lord of Manga releases on the eShop this June.
The Atelier series is about to conjure up its first game on the 3DS in Japan with Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland.
Activision is gearing up for a reunion tour with Guitar Hero Live.


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If you've used a credit card to buy a ticket to the MSU Wharton center lately, you may want to check your statement. That's because last month the Wharton Center had a security breach.
Tech officials discovered an intrusion in the server, used to store patron information. They can't say if the hacking was aimed at getting credit information.
There is no evidence that credit card information was accessed or copied, but names, addresses, credit card numbers and expiration dates of about 40,000, dating back to September of 2003, are in that system.
The Wharton System has replaced the system. They have not changed any security measures.
Michigan State Police are investigating the crime. Wharton Center spokesman Kent Love says they'll change security measures, if necessary, based on the information they discover about the crime.
Wharton Center says you need to keep a close eye on your statement. Contact police about fraudulent activity. For more on what to do, go to http://www.whartoncenter.com/FAQ.


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Monday, November 23, 1998 Published at 13:37 GMT
AOL everywhere with Netscape deal
Like the ad, AOL could be coming at you from every direction
By Internet Correspondent Chris Nuttall
When AOL succeeds in acquiring Netscape Communications the deal will be a fitting climax to the Year of the Portal on the Web and mark the creation of an online services and Internet software behemoth to rival Microsoft.
The takeover will top the bewildering series of acquisitions and mergers taking place this year on the portal front, with companies building brands and adding features to retain Web users by acting as one-stop shops.
With Sun Microsystems also in on the deal, Microsoft's MSN portal, its Explorer browser and its NT operating system and server software will face a unified challenge of equal weight.
How the stats stack up
America Online this month announced that worldwide membership of its online service had exceeded 14 million. More than a billion e-mails were sent over AOL in October and there were 21 million visitors to its AOL.com Website, according to Relevant Knowledge.
Netscape's Netcenter portal drew nearly 16 million visitors in October, while Microsoft.com had 20 million and its msn.com portal, 12 million. Yahoo! is the most visited Website with 25 million visitors.
Netcenter might well be maintained following the takeover. It serves a different audience - mainly office workers - compared to the home users who have helped AOL to market dominance.
The CompuServe online service has managed to keep its identity since it was taken over by AOL, as it too has traditionally catered for a professional audience.
Browser battle could take decisive turn
When AOL buys Netscape, it could replace the Microsoft Explorer browser, which underlies its Internet access software, with Netscape's Navigator.
In the latest survey by the International Data Corporation, Explorer edged ahead of Navigator for the first time in the battle for market share.
It had 43.8% compared to Netscape's 41.5%, but 16 percentage points came from AOL's uptake of the browser. Its deal with Microsoft to include its browser with its software runs out at the end of the year.
AOL's founder Steve Case summarised its strategy in an interview last week: "Our view of this medium has always been pretty broad. These are pieces of a puzzle we are assembling...when it's assembled, it's AOL Anywhere."


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Sep. 2, 2014, 9:53 AM
- P-E firm Thoma Bravo is buying Compuware (NASDAQ:CPWR) for $2.5B. The firm is paying $10.43/share in cash, and assigns a $0.67/share value to the distribution of Compuware's remaining Covisint (COVS +8.5%) shares. $0.18/share is deducted from the buyout price for tax payments related to the Covisint spinoff.
- The deal ends a very lengthy sales process that reportedly saw several bids from P-E firms, and resulted in multiple activists getting involved. Elliott Management (9.5% stake) backs Thoma Bravo's bid.
- Shares remain halted.
- Earlier: Compuware reportedly in sale talks
Sep. 26, 2013, 9:03 AM
- Compuware (CPWR) prices 6.4M shares (960K overallotment) of its Covisint (COVS) unit spin-off at $10/share. Trading is expected to begin today on the Nasdaq under the symbol "COVS."
- The unit's revenues rose 21.5% in FY 2013 to $90.7M, while net loss expanded to $5.6M from $3.3M in the previous year. (S-1)
- The move to spin off its business process cloud platform division comes after Compuware began shopping itself to P-E firms in Aug. and after that plan stalled in "limbo."
- Shares closed at $11.20 yesterday, above the $11 mark of an offer Compuware rejected back in Jan.


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Trade Association Releases Freight Report on Multimodal Funding Needs of U.S. Seaports
In a just-released report, U.S. port authorities identified more than $20 billion in projected multimodal port and rail access needs over the next decade, while one-third cited pressing rail project needs costing at least $50 million for each of their ports. Sixty-seven percent said that funding and financing options are the biggest obstacles in getting essential rail projects started to access their facilities. Furthermore, 37 percent said that problematic at-grade rail crossings or height-restricted overpasses and tunnels near their ports are constraining cargo-handling capacity while 36 percent reported that land acquisition is a big problem in developing and planning port rail access projects.
These are the top-line results from an American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) survey announced today, titled The State of Freight III. This is the third report in as many years conducted by the unified and collective voice of America’s seaports that focuses on the needs of ports to effectively move goods into and out of their facilities by land and water.
AAPA President and CEO Kurt Nagle remarked: “In State of Freight III, we take a deep-dive into the freight transportation needs of our U.S. member port authorities, with an emphasis on rail access. The findings show that while the FAST (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation) Act has been essential in providing the building blocks for a national freight program, more must be done to ensure that multimodal goods movement projects have adequate resources to produce efficient and timely results. These transportation projects are crucial to address our nation’s increasing freight volumes and enhance America’s international competitiveness.”
As a key component of America’s supply chain and a major facilitator for trade, seaports rely on a host of transportation modes and nodes, including roads, rails, waterways, tunnels and overpasses, to move large volumes of cargo, which may be headed to, or originating from, manufacturing, distribution, assembly and processing centers that support economic growth and millions of U.S. jobs.
“Our nation’s ports have identified a vast array of projects which are ready for investment and could move forward if the issues in this report could be addressed,” said Mr. Nagle. “It’s important that steps be taken to resolve the barriers identified in this report that are preventing these projects from progressing.”
About AAPA Founded in 1912 and recognized as the unified voice of seaports in the Americas, AAPA today represents 140 of the leading seaport authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 250 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in seaports. According to IHS Markit’s World Trade Service, combined international sea trade moving through Western Hemisphere ports in 2016 totaled 3.49 billion metric tons in volume and US$3.01 trillion in value. Of that total, ports in Central and South America handled 1.71 billion metric tons of cargo valued at US$941 billion, while North American ports handled 1.79 billion metric tons of goods, valued at US$2.07 trillion. To meet the growing demand for trade, the AAPA and its members are committed to keeping seaports navigable, secure and sustainable. For more information, visit www.aapa-ports.org. On Twitter: http://twitter.com/AAPA_Seaports


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JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) - Jonesboro police still need your help locating suspects involved in Walmart robberies.
On April 30 Region 8 News reported that three suspects, two black males and one black female, loaded several Visa cards with money, but did not pay for them.
Police say a third incident happened Friday at the Walmart on Parker Road.
Employees said, this time, the thieves got away with $6,000.
According to the report, this incident is related to the previous incidents.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crimestoppers at 935-STOP.
Copyright 2016 KAIT. All rights reserved.


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Sales of Satoshi, a special edition plush toy, will be used to build a watering well in Africa.
San Diego, March 23, 2023: SHAmory, the educational Bitcoin company that produces STEM Authenticated and Reviewed books and games for all ages, is announcing a special edition African themed plush toy called a SHAmmy. The SHAmmy will be of Satoshi, SHAmory’s most famous Bitcoin monster from its popular lineup of characters found in its books and game.
With each sale, SHAmory will donate 21% of the gross sales to the Built With Bitcoin Foundation (BWB), a non-profit. The humanitarian organization provides clean water, access to quality education, sustainable farming, and humanitarian support—all powered by Bitcoin. The ultimate goal of the donation is to raise enough funds to build a new watering well in Africa.
Fans can pre-order Satoshi today and the companies hope to begin shipping in May. The plush SHAmmy toy will also be ready for in-person sale at upcoming Bitcoin events, like Bitcoin 2023 in Miami, FL. The retail cost is $39.99 and the plush toy is also included in bundle packs alongside SHAmory’s game, books or other products for a discounted cost.
Some key features of the Satoshi SHAmmy plush toy include:
- Satoshi is holding a toy Bitcoin, with the outline of Africa and the Bitcoin ₿ stitched onto the design.
- Satoshi will include a QR code that will take people to a unique landing page on the SHAmory website. The landing page will include an overview of the project, a donation tracker, and a message from the team.
- Each Satoshi plush will come with a birth certificate authenticating the bitcoin block this project was born on and an area for your mini-HODLer to authenticate their adoption. We’d love to see all the places around the world the SHAmmy’s end up, so be sure to tag @PlaySHAmory and use #MySHAmmy!
- In addition, the birth certificate for the first 300 Satoshi’s purchased will be authenticated as coming from the first batch of Satoshi’s created. This will provide the Satoshi HODLer with the proud feeling of knowing they were among the first to help create this watering well.
The Satoshi SHAmmy plush toy and its focus on supporting philanthropic initiatives in Africa is a pilot project—the first of the SHAmmy line. SHAmory and the Built With Bitcoin Foundation hope to expand the SHAmmy line to include additional monsters representing different regions of the world. The sales of each individual new SHAmmy will go towards benefiting each specific region.
Scott Sibley, Co-Founder and CEO of SHAmory, said: “SHAmory is dedicated to the continued growth of bitcoin awareness, education and adoption. We believe that learning can be fun and it can start at any age. It’s a great honor to know that the Satoshi SHAmmy toy will play a role in introducing Bitcoin into children’s lives and that each purchase will help give other children access to clean water.”
Ray Youssef, Co-Founder of the Built With Bitcoin Foundation: “Bitcoin education is the key to mass adoption. Financial literacy should be a human right and SHAmory does an amazing job of educating kids about Bitcoin’s basic concepts. I’m honored to be working with SHAmory to both welcome the next wave of Bitcoiners and raise funds for a well project in Africa. Prosperity for all, powered by Bitcoin.”
Yusuf Nessary, Co-Founder and Director of the Built With Bitcoin Foundation, said: “I’m proud to be a part of a community that strives for inclusion. Bitcoin is about the people and it’s our job to educate the next generation—they will be the ones to build upon Satoshi’s dream. I am proud to play a part in educating these young Bitcoiners while simultaneously raising funds for a new water project. There’s nothing better than the combination of philanthropy and education.”
This announcement comes off the heels of SHAmory’s continued dedication to the Built With Bitcoin Foundation. The company’s past efforts include donating books and games to schools funded by the non-profit, as well as donating a portion of its sales during the Bitcoin 2022 conference to help build a water well in Africa.
SHAmory is one of the leading providers of Bitcoin educational products for all ages. Its flagship product, SHAmory, is a STEM Authenticated Bitcoin card game for kids and adults. Selected as Best in STEM 2021 by Newsweek magazine and STEM.org, it is the perfect mixture of fun and education for anyone interested in learning about Bitcoin. Learn the basics of how mining works while earning Bitcoin rewards for each block you mine. SHAmory players will not only have a blast while playing, they will also be exposed to key features that have kept the Bitcoin network secure over the past decade. This simple exposure will help individuals become more comfortable with Bitcoin and create the next generation of Bitcoin HODLers.
SHAmory recently expanded its product line with the books, Goodnight Bitcoin and If You Give a Monster a Bitcoin. Goodnight Bitcoin tells the story of Satoshi and Hal as they attempt to create the impossible, a new money called Bitcoin. If You Give a Monster a Bitcoin answers the question, “what would happen if you gave the SHAmory monsters a bitcoin?” Read along with your family and friends to learn how this simple act can send our little monsters down the Bitcoin rabbit hole and make the world a better place. You can purchase any of the company’s products directly on its website. Be sure to follow @PlaySHAmory on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
About the Built With Bitcoin Foundation
The Built With Bitcoin Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating opportunity by providing clean water, access to quality education, sustainable farming, and humanitarian support—all powered by Bitcoin.
Ray Youssef, Executive Director of the Foundation, alongside Yusuf Nessary, Director of Philanthropy of the Foundation, set up the Built With Bitcoin Foundation to provide people with access to education and water. To date, the foundation has built and repaired thirteen schools, seven solar projects, and over a dozen water and farming systems serving hundreds of thousands of people across the globe.
Kristina Bannan, Director, Public Relations, The Built With Bitcoin Foundation firstname.lastname@example.org


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The heavyweight in the Coworking space sector – WeWork – has reportedly joined the list of firms keeping cryptocurrencies on its balance sheet.
Specifically, The SoftBank-owned commercial real estate entity reportedly disclosed details of its crypto balance sheet, which will stem from the company adding cryptocurrency to the list of viable payment measures.
WeWork has reportedly forged an alliance with crypto payment service platform BitPay, to make virtual currency-enabled payments available throughout its workspaces.
The firm’s crypto adoption drive further covers making payments to landlords and different cryptocurrency partners, together with forming an alliance with crypto exchange giant Coinbase from the US.
WeWork additionally disclosed that Coinbase will reportedly be the first entity using WeWork’s facility to use crypto for finalizing payments.
For Head of WeWork, Sandeep Mathrani, the choice for crypto adoption is reportedly in line with the firm’s rising patronage from fintech startups.
“It only makes sense for us to expand on the optionality we provide by adding cryptocurrency as an accepted form of payment for our members,”
“When we think about the workplace of the future and business, we have to consider cryptocurrency a central part of that conversation. Cryptocurrency helps build a stronger global economy, and WeWork’s announcement demonstrates the company’s commitment not only to innovation but also to being a globally focused business.” Head of SoftBank and WeWork chairman Marcelo Claure reportedly agrees with Mathrani’s remarks.


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Petaling Jaya, Dec 20: One of the leading brands in the local cinema industry, MBO Cinemas has announced that it will be making a re-entry under a new management very soon.
Being one of Malaysia’s much-loved cinema companies, MBO Cinemas had previously succumbed to the permanent closure of all of its outlets in the country due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With a strong reputation for providing a wholesome cinematic experience with its special halls and unique cinema viewing concepts, news of MBO Cinemas’ permanent closure was met with a downpour of emotions as fans of the brand took to social media to express their disappointment over the shutting down of their favourite cinema chain.
However, things have now taken a fresh turn much to the joy of the local moviegoers and loyal fans of the brand as MBO Cinemas is now reopening – making a return into the cinema industry backed by a new management.
“We are really excited to bring MBO Cinemas back to where it belongs and our priority is to continue providing the wholesome cinematic experience for which the brand was known for”, Karthiik Doraisingam, Managing Director of MBO Cinema Sdn Bhd said.
“We can assure the loyal fans of MBO Cinemas that we are returning with renewed vigour and enthusiasm while also retaining all of the iconic offerings MBO used to bring for the moviegoers.
“We also recognise MBO’s large followings and we are working to address our loyal fans in the near future,” he added.
Doraisingam also said that the cinema chain will look to gradually reopen some of its outlets to the public, with MBO Cinemas in Atria Shopping Gallery, Damansara becoming the first to kickstart the brand’s resurgence.
“We have planned to reopen Atria Shopping Gallery on Dec 29 and this will be followed by a few other outlets in the pipeline, including Elements Mall Melaka, Taiping Sentral Mall, Teluk Intan, Brem Mall, Space U8 and U-Mall Skudai.
“The management is also currently in talks with a prominent local property developer to open a new outlet in 2022,” he added.
Notably, the MBO Cinemas in Atria Shopping Gallery offer four standard screens on top of the four special screens (two MBO KECIL halls, Big Screen, and Samsung ONYX), bringing the total to eight screens and a combined total of 1231 seats.
On top of this, the outlet also features the cinema chain’s flagship Cafecito – a unique coffeehouse themed concession stand serving fancy beverages and light snacks which will also be relaunching soon.
In line with its official reopening on Dec 29, the MBO Cinemas in Atria Shopping Gallery will be organising free movie screenings for the public from Dec 24 – 26 Dec.
Welcome to dailystraits.com. Please send all interview requests and press releases to email@example.com.


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As the gaming world eagerly anticipates the next wave of exciting updates, Garena’s Free Fire Max is set to steal the spotlight in October with its highly anticipated Booyah Pass. Leaked information has already started to circulate, giving players a tantalising glimpse into the upcoming content, including its release date and the array of items that await them.
Free Fire Max October Month Booyah Pass Release Date, Rewards, and More
Free Fire Max enthusiasts can mark their calendars for the anticipated release of the October Month Booyah Pass. According to leaks from reliable sources within the community, the pass is expected to launch at the beginning of the month.
This release schedule ensures that players can dive right into the action, setting the stage for a month of thrilling battles and challenges. Here is the list of the leaked rewards of October month Booyah Pass:
- M60 Reel Shooter skin.
- Reel Fish Backpack skin.
- Reeling Ducky Skyboard skin.
- Fishing Frenzy Banner.
- Luck Royale Voucher.
- Reeling Duckling Loot Box skin.
- Reeling Rover Car skin.
- You Are Honour ( Mask).
- Gloo Wall- Reel Blade Bastion skin.
- Fishing Frenzy Avatar.
- BP S10 Token.
- Grenade – A reel Puffer.
- Reeling Direction backpack skin.
- Groza- Reel On skin.
- A Reel Hitter- Parang skin.
- The Reel Deal Bundle.
- The Reel Style Bundle.( Upgradeable).
Free Fire Max October Month Booyah Pass is shaping up to be a highly anticipated event in the gaming calendar. With its expected release at the beginning of the month, players can look forward to a month filled with action-packed battles and exciting challenges.
While specific details remain shrouded in secrecy, leaks suggest a plethora of enticing items and rewards that will undoubtedly enhance the gameplay experience.


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NCTC Signs Reach Mobile to Provide Turnkey Tech for Cable Group's Big Wireless Launch
Reach will provide foundational cloud-based SaaS support when the 700+ member NCTC operators (finally) get a master MVNO agreement in place
The National Content and Technology Cooperative has set up Reach Mobile as the provider of foundational cloud-based tech services, moving the group's more than 700 members closer to entering the U.S. consumer wireless business.
Reach will provide key software-as-a-service (SaaS) support to the venture, creating vital components including apps and virtual stores, much in the same way it has underpinned WideOpenWest's recent entry into the mobile market via a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement to use T-Mobile's wireless network.
The NCTC hasn't announced which of the three major U.S. carriers it's going to partner up with -- or such an MVNO agreement going to actually happen. NCTC did say in its Reach Mobile announcement (opens in new tab) that a master MVNO deal will be touted "in the coming weeks."
For its part, Reach's tech supports AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
The Reach announcement didn't say anything specific about devices. But Reach does offer WOW! customers access to a fairly full range of options.
A visit to the landing page (opens in new tab) for "WOW Mobile Powered by Reach" reveals availability of the Apple iPhone XR, as well as a robust spectrum of Android-based handsets from makers including Google, Samsung, LG, Motorola and OnePlus.
"NCTC members now have access to the simplest way to launch an MVNO in the market," said Harjot Saluja, founder and CEO of Reach Mobile, in a statement. "Additionally, NCTC members will be getting access to a platform that supports a full portfolio of broadband connectivity solutions, starting with mobile."
Reach's turnkey solution will provide participating MSOs an app in Google Play and Apple App Store, as well as a virtual store to shop for plans and gadgets. (It's doubtful that the NCTC's tier 3 .
Participating NCTC members will also be able to bundle mobile plans with core services like home broadband and pay TV video.
And while they won't have to hire engineers to manage the service, NCTC members will get real-time analytics that show conversion, purchase-to-activation ratio, churn rates, promotions, influencer campaigns and more.
NCTC's entry into the mobile market comes as most U.S. tier 1 and 2 cable operators have already plunged into the business ... and have found the waters invitingly warm.
Comcast and Charter, which have attached their respective mobile business strategies to the hip based on very similar MVNO agreements with Verizon, both said they finished the year strong with major customer additions to each finish 2022 with 5.3 million wireless customer lines.
With Comcast's Xfinity Mobile adding 365,000 lines in Q4, and Charter's Spectrum Mobile tacking on a whopping 615,000 through enticing bundling options, the Nos. 1 and 2 U.S. cable companies are growing their mobile offerings much faster, at least customer-wise, than even AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon right now.
Both cable operators offload much of their service's wireless traffic to their Wi-Fi hotspot networks, which they share. And both MSOs, which also collaborate on mobile tech, are developing the use of Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) to further expand the capabilities of their respective wireless gambits.
The nation's third largest cable operator, Altice USA, followed Comcast and Charter into the mobile market back in 2019.
Meanwhile, Cox Communications just entered the mobile business in January, and Mediacom appears ready to do the same.
Now, what one analyst has termed "junior cable," wants a piece of the action, too.
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Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!


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Last year, 23 million tons of seafood certified as sustainable was sold worldwide to the tune of $11.5 billion. Continue reading →
The shocking finding was revealed in a newly released report that investigates the inefficiency of the world's plastic economy.
Fish catches are higher and fisheries' declines are greater than official figures suggest, according to a new study. Continue reading →
Your living room decoration can become a home for fish or goat chow. →
An aquatic creature called the stickleback is amazingly adaptable.
In 2015, there were a number of positive developments from the ocean world. Here are some of our favorites.
Rising carbon dioxide emissions could cause a collapse in the marine food chain from the top down. Continue reading →
Nearly half of the edible seafood supply in the United States is wasted each year. Continue reading →
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The import of poultry meat, beef and vegetables, which are used for the production of baby food, is now allowed.
The Russian government removed poultry meat, beef and vegetables, which are used for the production of baby food, from the list of banned products.
A document with the relevant decree was posted on the official Russian legal information website, Belsat informs.
Russian Ministry of Agriculture was instructed to develop a procedure for confirming the purpose of the imported goods.
Let us recall that previously, almost immediately after the announcement of the G7 plans to extend sanctions against Russia, Dmitry Medvedev announced about Russia’s intention to extend the food embargo until 2017. For nearly two years, distributors and retailers have adapted to the new conditions and do not expect any changes in their work due to sanctions.


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NEW ORLEANS - It goes without saying that the Mighty Mississippi River has been a bustling route for importing and exporting goods throughout the state.
It is the reason why Paul Aucoin, Executive Director of the Port of South Louisiana, is monitoring the international business world every day.
Tariffs or taxes that are placed on imports and exports, are increasing around the world.
In May, President Donald Trump announced he plans on imposing tariffs on aluminum imports coming in from Europe, Mexico and Canada. It's a move which is likely to impact Louisiana. It's alarming, but Aucoin says there is no need to panic just yet.
"There was a Bloomberg article that says we're trembling and spooked. I don't know where they got that word from, but we're not trembling. If there are some trade tariffs or tariffs that are imposed we'll deal with it," Aucoin said.
Gregory Rusovich, CEO of Transoceanic Development, says negotiations are still taking place.
"For years now, decades and decades it has been an unleveled playing field. So the way to finesse this is to figure out how to make that playing field more leveled without going into a trade war, that could be really bad for all parties," Rusovich said.
If it happens, we could be impacted in different ways.
"For manufacturing, this could have a positive impact on some manufacturers. You've seen the President talk about the improvement for steel manufacturing, here in the U.S., so you could have some increments and improvement in certain pockets for steel manufacturers," Rusovich said.
Consumers could also see prices go up on certain goods.
"I mean, Wal-Mart, would have a lot of goods coming in from China. So if those China goods have tariff's against them, clearly the consumer would see that average price go up when he or she goes shopping," Rusovich said.
For now, the threat of a trade war is not set in stone, but it is something to definitely be aware of.


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Grindrod is a global freight logistics and shipping services company.
The deal will give global entrepreneurs and startups the opportunity to showcase their ideas and deploy innovative solutions.
Despite a $999-million plunge in his net worth, Rupert remains South Africa's richest man and one of Africa's wealthiest billionaires.
Greubel Forsey, which was founded in 2004, manufactures very complicated timepieces.
The billionaire has lost more than $286 million in a single day.
SEACOM is privately funded and about 75-percent African-owned.
Rupert's net worth has dropped by more than $1.8 billion this year.
The double-digit percentage decline in Richemont shares caused Rupert's net worth to fall by more than 10.3 percent.
Rupert's net worth is valued at $11.7 billion, making him the 179th richest man in the world and the second-wealthiest man in Africa.
The move by SEACOM represents a significant step forward in its five-year strategic expansion plans.


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Necessity, the cliche goes, is the mother of invention.
For Bella Modi founder Kim Mitchell-Catlett, necessity hit the day the strap broke on favorite pair of shoes.Read more
Karie Boesiger bakes a mean cookie.
As a child, she spent summer days with her grandmother learning to bake. Those summers stuck with her. “To this day, I just love to make people happy through baking,” Karie says.
So in 2005, she decided to make a job of it with business partner (and mother-in-law) Kris Boesiger, whom she had previously worked with on a line of locally made mustards, called Mom’s Mustard.
This time though, they went after something a little bit sweeter.Read more
While most of his classmates were frantically applying for jobs before graduation, polishing resumes and editing cover letters, Zach Voss was starting his own business.
“I formed the [limited liability corporation] with the state of Idaho the last semester of school,” Zach says, “I transitioned from being a student to a small business owner.”Read more
We’ve all seen it: an athlete twists an ankle, and then TV announcers use instant replay to analyze what could have happened.
Over. And over. And over again.
Like most of us, Chris Dean quickly grew tired of watching such replays. But one day, while watching an NBA game at his brother’s house in San Jose, Calif., he started seeing the replay of one player’s ankle roll differently.Read more
For Annalisa DeMarta and Ken Johnson, family camping trips have transformed into a family business: LoneCone.com, an e-tailer focused on outdoor gear for the whole family.
The company, which sells through Amazon, it’s own website and — beginning in May — a retail showroom in Boise, is now a profitable, growing and well-respected retailer.
But it wasn’t always this way…Read more
There is a saying that the best day in a boat owner’s life is the day they buy it. The next best is the day they sell it.
Kyle Sales says he has a new “best day” for owners of boats, jet skis and recreational vehicles: The day they find Outdoor Toy Share.Read more


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In 2005, Google was widely regarded as an ad-supported search engine company. But 15 years later, to this day, Google has achieved the best acquisition ever. He has bought ownership of small startup company Android.
As everyone knows, the deal to buy ownership of Android was a big achievement for Google. If he hadn’t acquired Android, it probably wouldn’t exist today.
Using the skills of a new Android team member, Google took three years to develop the operating system for mobile devices. Thus, in 2008, the first public version of Android, T-Mobile G One / HTC Dream, was unveiled.
Today, Android is the most popular operating system in the world. There is a huge difference between other OS and this OS. As of December 2019, 74.13 percent of new smartphones used the Android OS, according to research firm Statista. In addition, Android overshadowed installed operating systems such as Microsoft Windows Phone, Nokia’s Symbia and Blackberry.
In May 2019, Google revealed that there are more than two and a half billion active users of Android. That number has risen since then. Apart from smartphones, Android is used in smartwatches, tablets, smart TVs and many other devices today. Probably because of Android, Google has established itself as the largest and most influential company in the world. But the journey has not always been easy for Android.
Google bought the ownership of Android from the autonomous company Android Corporation. The company was founded in 2003, a few years before it was acquired by Google. Andy Rubin, the famous co-founder of Palo Alto Company, got the nickname of Android while working for Apple Company. Seeing his attachment to robots, his colleagues gave him such a nickname.
In 1999, Rubin helped set up a company called Danger. The company unveiled the first Proto smartphone, The Danger Hiptop. The phone was rebranded and sold by T-Mobile in 2002. Rubin split from Danger in 2003 to start an Android company. He was accompanied by other co-founding friends at the time, Rich Miner, Nick Sears and Chris White.
At the time, the company was founded with the goal of building an operating system for digital cameras. And the same idea was shared among investors. But assessing the sinking market for digital cameras and the scenario that mobile phones are replacing them, the company announced a change in its design. Rubin and Tim decided to change their focus and created an open source OS for the phone.
But for a few moments, the Android Company seemed to shut down completely. In a miserable situation, Rubin proposed to another investor, Steve Pearlman, for extra money. Pearlman went to the bank and brought ten thousand dollars in cash and gave it to Rubin. Rubin raised a lot of money to keep Android running for the day after that cash transaction.
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But to get to the next deal, the Android Company needed to survive. Google, meanwhile, invited Android co-founders to a meeting in January 2005 and said it wanted to help the company.
At the second meeting, Android co-founders showed Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google a prototype of their mobile operating system. Google then immediately offered to buy ownership of Android. According to official documents, the deal was completed for 50 million dollars.
Page and Brin decided to buy Android in the belief that the mobile operating system would expand its core search feature and expand Google’s business, which was only doing business on personal computer platforms at the time.
On July 11, 2005, the Android team officially moved to Google’s Campus Mountain View in California. July 11 is the official date of Google’s acquisition of Android. But the news of the acquisition of Android did not go public for a few weeks, until August 2005.
Why is Android a great acquisition of Google?
The value of 50 million is negligible compared to the success that Google has had in the 15 years since the acquisition of Android. In fact, when the company completed the entire deal in 2005, it paid Android 130 million.
A year later, Google spent 1.65 billion to acquire YouTube. At the time, there was much controversy over the value of YouTube’s acquisition. However, the popularity of YouTube has made up for that today. But compared to today’s success of Android, the cost of its acquisition was negligible.
Some other acquisitions by Google have not been successful. Owning Motorola, which he bought for 12.5 billion in 2011, was his worst move. The company had to sell the company to Lenovo for 2.90 billion after three years. Even today you can find the story of some of his failed acquisitions in Google’s grave.
Some of Google’s acquisitions are still in progress. Nest Lab, which he bought for 3.2 billion in 2014, has started to keep pace with the slowdown. Google has big plans in the coming days for this company which has brought Nest Lab under its umbrella.
Google also plans to acquire Fitbit for 2.10 billion. But only time will tell what the outcome will be. But no matter how much and how much the company invests, it will probably never get the same return as Android.
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The 50 million startup’s turn today is unprecedented. After 15 years, Android has not only become a major acquisition, it has become a major achievement of the overall technology industry.