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When Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) went public last year, investors went wild. The stock delivered outstanding returns for those who got in on the ground level, and it seemed that the plant-based burger maker could do no wrong on Wall Street.
Since touching $234 back in July, the stock has come down meaningfully, but at $120 per share, Beyond Meat is still priced for perfection. That’s about to change— the firm’s legal troubles threaten to tear down its vegan empire.
When BYND went public, a tiny paragraph in its prospectus mentioned an ongoing legal battle between itself and former manufacturer Don Lee. Investors largely brushed this off— even in October when Beyond Meat’s earnings report showed a 174% increase in legal costs.
After months of turning a blind eye to Beyond Meat’s mounting legal troubles, investors are finally being forced to confront reality— the company may be in big trouble.
Danny Goodman, director of development at Don Lee Farms, told CCN.com that a judge has ruled in favor of Don Lee in the first of many claims.
The judge has ruled in our favor and has ordered Beyond Meat to pay in the first of several of our claims. They ruled Don Lee Farms proved the probable validity of its claim that Beyond Meat breached its manufacturing agreement. Beyond Meat’s CFO and others are now named individually for fraud.
Don Lee’s victory suggests the family-owned company’s case is valid, and that Beyond Meat may be up against a damaging legal battle in the year to come. According to Goodman, the trial date is set for May 18 this year.
Back before Beyond Meat was the plant-based burger everyone was tweeting about, the firm was using Don Lee Farms to manufacture its Beyond Burgers.
Don Lee alleges that it helped Beyond formulate its flagship product using its own family trade secrets while they were partners. Eventually, Beyond Meat decided to find another manufacturing partner, breaking its contract with Don Lee. The manufacturer alleged Beyond took its trade secrets used to create Beyond Burgers with it.
When Beyond left, the firm was accused of sharing Don Lee’s processes with competitors in order to achieve the same quality product. Don Lee is suing Beyond Meat for breaking its contract and misappropriating trade secrets.
But that’s just the beginning.
Don Lee is separately naming three Beyond Meat executives in its fraud claims:
According to Don Lee, they conspired to doctor a food safety report that raised “significant food safety issues at Beyond Meat’s facility.”
Monday’s ruling will allow the case to go forward, and it shines a spotlight on the culture in Beyond Meat’s executive suite. It suggests that Beyond Meat is finally starting to take Don Lee’s Claims seriously— just 24 hours after the ruling, the burger-maker hired a new legal team.
According to Don Lee Farms President Donald Goodman, this is just the first inning of what’s likely to become a very painful legal battle for Beyond Meat and its investors.
Our claims have been shown to several judges and each one has ruled in our favor. We are pleased with where we are today but it is just the beginning. We will prove our claim that Beyond Meat misappropriated our trade secrets to manufacture the Beyond Burger and other products. We will prove the breach of the Exclusive Supply Agreement and fraud claim committed by Mr. Nelson and others.
As the case is ongoing, Don Lee wasn’t able to provide any specifics regarding finances. But court documents viewed by CCN.com showed that Don Lee is requesting $628,689.00 in unpaid invoices for product shipped to Beyond Meat between April 7, 2017, and May 16, 2017.
On top of that, investors can expect Beyond Meat could be responsible for paying out damages for lost revenue due to the misappropriation of trade secrets and fraud if a verdict favored Don Lee.
The total legal cost to Beyond Meat isn’t completely clear. But when you consider that the product in question, the Beyond Burger, makes up 70% of Beyond Meat’s overall sales— it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which this doesn’t hurt BYND stock moving forward.
So far, BYND stock hasn’t felt much of an impact from the Don Lee dispute. But with the firm’s CFO staring down a fraud suit and its flagship product being called into question, investors may want to consider cutting their ties.
Things look like they’re going to go from bad to worse for Beyond Meat in the months ahead as details about the lawsuit emerge, so it may be time to jump ship.
Disclaimer: This article represents the author’s opinion and should not be considered investment or trading advice from CCN.com. As of this writing Laura Hoy did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
Editor’s Note: 01/30/2020 02:45 AM – The article has been updated for clarity on the allegations against Beyond.


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Tesla has increased the price of its Full Self-Driving package to $8,000 as promised, and it may have saved its quarter.
The decision to pre-sell a “Full Self-Driving” package in its vehicles years before it planned on making the technology available through the software has been controversial, to say the least.
It’s a bold move from Tesla that has been criticized for many reasons.
Some say that it’s confusing customers in thinking that Tesla vehicles are currently capable of self-driving, which is not the case.
Others have also criticized Tesla for often changing the price of the package up and down, even though they haven’t delivered the features promised in the package.
Over the last year, CEO Elon Musk has made Tesla’s pricing strategy clearer when it comes to the “Full Self-Driving” package: Tesla is going to increase the price of the package as it introduces new features.
During the second quarter, Musk signaled several times that Tesla would increase the price of the “Full Self-Driving” package by $1,000 at the end of the quarter.
Now it’s official: Tesla’s “FSD” package now costs $8,000:
Musk also warned that the price will keep increasing in the future:
The FSD price will continue to rise as the software gets closer to full self-driving capability with regulatory approval. It that point, the value of FSD is probably somewhere in excess of $100,000.
As more features are released toward the go of full self-driving, Tesla plans to incrementally increase the price of the package going forward.
That right there might very well be what saved Tesla’s quarter.
I’ve heard from several owners who decided to take advantage of the lower price last quarter. Tesla not only incentivized people to order the FSD package last quarter ahead of the price increase, but they also discounted enabled early Model 3 owners to order basic Autopilot for $2,000 and Enhanced Autopilot owners to upgrade to the FSD package for $3,000.
Many Tesla owners have also taken advantage of those programs, which Tesla publicized through an email campaign to owners.
With new features released over the last few months, I think Tesla is now recognizing more than half the revenue from the FSD package.
The known upcoming price increase has likely increased the take rate of both new buyers and existing owners. Even if it was just increased from 20% to 30%, that 10% difference could represent several hundreds of millions of dollars on the entire fleet and make a giant difference for Tesla in a difficult quarter.
As we reported earlier this week, Musk indicated that it would be possible for Tesla to break even, despite the current global pandemic.
That could have made the difference, but we won’t know until Tesla’s next earnings likely later this month.
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At the moment, Brazilian coffee players are focused on the future crop (2008/09). In August month, the first blooming started to appear and it is important to analyze the weather conditions - rains help a lot the crop development from September on.
The CEPEA/ESALQ Index for arabica coffee type 6, delivered in Sao Paulo (capital) closed at 252.06 reals or 128.41 dollars per bag of 60 kilos on Aug 31st, upping 4.82 percent in Real over July 31st. For the robusta type 6, in the origin Espírito Santo state, the Index averaged 201.50 reals or 102.65 dollars per bag, increase 0.85 percent in Real during the same period.
The third forecast about the Brazilian coffee 2007/08 crop production published by the National Company for Food Supply (Conab) on Aug 24th kept almost unchanged over the previous one (on April), totaling 32.6 million bags of 60 kilos. Based on this estimation and on stocks data, the supply available in Brazil should total 41 million bags until June 2008. This volume is too low to attend the domestic and the international markets.
According to the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association (Abic), the national consumption should reach 17.4 million bags this year and exports, 28 million bags, which results in a demand of 45 million bags.


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By Jeanine Poggi
Glenn Beck’s fledgling cable network, TheBlaze, will test live commercials this week as part of an effort to keep viewers during breaks and counter ad-skipping via DVRs.
Four live 90-second commercials will air during Mr. Beck’s evening show each night starting Monday, to be followed by another test the week of April 29.
"We want to redefine advertising by bringing the ideas and concepts behind radio and original TV advertising to TV today," Mr. Beck said in an email. "Live, in-program advertising benefits our viewers by entertaining them, and benefits our advertisers by most effectively sharing stories of why their products and services are so beneficial."
Mr. Beck already reads ads live on TheBlaze, an approach that’s common on the radio, and that inventory is sold out for the year, according to the company. The new tests will present live ads that more resemble TV commercials, with visual components that could include product demonstrations or employee interviews as well as the logo of the advertiser. Mr. Beck may or may not take part in the conversation, the company said. The network is working with the test’s 10 advertisers — which include Liberty Safe, Blinds.com and TV Guardian — to develop their creative approaches.
TV networks have been experimenting with different forms of TV spots as it becomes harder to get viewers to watch commercials. The results episode of "American Idol" on Fox last week included a commercial break that accompanied ads with live camera feeds from the "Idol" stage, backstage and the audience. It seemed to be the first time the "double-box" format, which has been used during some sports broadcasts, appeared in an entertainment series.
TheBlaze has other ideas in the works to help "transform advertising," Mr. Beck said, including taking viewers behind the scenes as advertisers create their products in weekly mini-documentaries.
"There’s a concern that standard commercials are not driving sales and are a speed bump for programming," said Joel Cheatwood, president and chief content officer at TheBlaze. "There’s a universal concern over the drop-off in audience during the commercial breaks. We wanted to find a way to keep viewers engaged where you don’t lose the audience and they are paying attention to the advertiser’s message."
Solutions such as live commercials, however, actually harken back to earlier eras in TV. "We were reminiscing about how advertisers use to sell products — relying on trusted individuals, whether it was Johnny Carson or Edward R. Murrow, to present the product," Mr. Cheatwood said. "There’s a level of trust and you never lose contact with the key person of the program."
TheBlaze began as a digital video subscription service — originally called GBTV — in September 2011 after Mr. Beck departed Fox News. It says it has 300,000 people paying for a digital subscription, which costs either $9.95 per month or $99.95 per year. Its website got 132,000 unique video viewers in February and 831,000 video views, according to ComScore.
Last year Dish Network also began offering TheBlaze to satellite TV subscribers who bought its "America’s Top 250" package of channels or paid an extra $5 per month, and the network has also lined up distribution on smaller pay-TV operators such as Blue Ridge Communications and Sweetwater Cable Television. It declined to say how many homes its TV network is available in; Dish has roughly 14 million subscribers, although not all of them receive TheBlaze.
Liberty Safe executives hope the live commercials will help connect viewers’ trust in the program with its own products, said Jamey Skousen, marketing director at the marketer. The novelty should also help attract attention at first. "The natural inclination of viewer will be ‘Hey, what are they doing… This is new,’ and be inclined to stay and watch and see what it’s all about," Mr. Skousen said.
"Program audiences are more likely to stay engaged as they see a spontaneous transition to something interesting, rather than the traditional ad break," he added. "Many viewers today often turn channels or get up off their couch during normal commercial breaks, but this new format increases the likelihood that they’ll stay and watch."


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It will lead to more staff going to work when ill.
The Wilko chain of homeware shops has threatened to cut its employees sick pay entitlements, according to their trade union GMB.
The union said that Wilko is proposing that workers who have been with the company for less than a year should get no company sick pay and that workers who have been there longer should only get sick pay once a year.
This would apply to shop and distribution workers. Gary Carter, GMB National Officer, said: “GMB members are furious that Wilko would turn on its dedicated workforce and slash company sick pay. What has Wilko become?
“This will have a negative impact on the business while hard-working employees will be pushed into poverty because they won’t be able to pay their bills if they are sick. Other workers will be forced to come into stores when sick because Wilko has taken away their sick pay.”
Employers who do not pay sick pay have been criticised recently for pushing their employees to work when sick and therefore potentially helping the coronavirus to spread.
As well as company sick pay, there is statutory sick pay – which all employers have to pay. This is just £94.25 a week and is paid by an employer for up to 28 weeks.
Normally, to be eligible for it, you have to have been sick for four days in a row (including weekends). In response to coronavirus, the government has changed this so that statutory sick pay is paid from day one of sickness.
However, to be eligible for statutory sick pay, you also have to have earned more than £118 per week the previous week. The Liberal Democrats are urging the government to scrap this qualification.
A spokesperson from Wilko said: “We have been a family friendly company for 90 years and we remain so. We have been talking to the GMB about our pressing need to reduce our high sickness absence levels for some time and to bring them in line with our competitors.”
“We have a generous company sick pay policy which is over and above the market. In some areas of our business, absence levels are double that of the industry standard and this is a real concern for us.
“Our plan is to take steps to bring our company sick pay into line with the industry standard for retail to be competitive in the marketplace for our customers.
“This is not related in any way to the Covid-19 outbreak. As a responsible business we are following PHE advice, should any team members need time off as a result of Covid-19, they will be paid Company Sick Pay as an exceptional circumstance.”
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Pakistan’s T-shirt export industry has been experiencing enrichment in recent years.
In the first two months of 2023, the Pakistani T-shirt market increased by more than 100%, growing for the second year in a row, said Ghulam Qadir, Commercial Counsellor at the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing.
He said that Pakistan’s T-shirt exports to China reached USD 5.53 million in the first two months of 2023, up by 106% compared to the same period in 2022. Despite the flood which affected cotton crops, Pakistan continues to be a significant player in the global T-shirt export industry, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Wednesday.
Ghulam Qadir said that last year, in the first two months, Pakistan exported $2.68 million worth of t-shirts to China, whereas the whole year of 2022 Pakistan’s T-shirt exports to China were USD 19.6 million. “Pakistan’s T-shirt export industry has several major markets, including the United States, France, and China,” he added.
“We are going to hold an International Textile Exhibition in Karachi on the last week of May, which is one of the biggest events in Pakistan, and expecting many Chinese big players in this sector to attend this Texpo. We also want to meet Pakistani brands in major cities in China,” Qadir informed.
Attempts were being made to enhance T-shirt export to China by using Chinese e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba, and JD, he said, highlighting that Pakistani t-shirts with Chinese zodiac signs were famous around China. —APP


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Jordan Green probably misses a lot of bagels, doughnuts and other office treats brought in by employees to celebrate various occasions. That's because the information technology specialist for Hare dealerships in suburban Indianapolis works from home several days a week.
When he isn't working from home, Green flits between the company's Honda dealership in Avon, Ind., and its Chevrolet store in Noblesville, Ind. — a man without a fixed desk or cubicle.
"It's great," Green said. "I don't always have to drive an hour round trip for work, so I save on gas. And it's a lot less stressful because I don't have to run around and go somewhere to fix something. I can even pull over and stop at a coffee shop, log in and fix problems remotely."
Hare is one of a growing number of Best Dealerships To Work For that allow some employees to telecommute. This year, 59 of the 100 dealerships on the list said they offer telecommuting. That compares with 33 percent for dealerships that applied but didn't make the list. By comparison, not quite one-third of the 100 dealerships on the list in 2014 offered telecommuting.
"That trend is not a surprise," said Peter Burke, president of Best Companies Group, which independently reviews submissions for Automotive News to determine the 100 Best Dealerships To Work For. "The labor market and demographic are changing, so dealerships must come up with more creative ways to engage workers with things like telecommuting, compressed workweeks and other flexible work arrangements."
Why try telecommuting? With the Internet and digital technology making it easier than ever, telecommuting can save money and help increase employee retention. Even so, many dealership jobs aren't suitable for working from home — it's impossible to repair vehicles remotely, for instance. Even dealerships offering telecommuting tend to do so only for certain roles and under limited circumstances.
At Hare Honda, the practice began this year, and eight of 97 employees now have telecommuting privileges. They work in human resources, IT or customer relations. Most don't have scheduled telecommuting days and do it on an as-needed basis, said Marcus Schuh, general manager.
"We want to provide more flexibility for employees and savings for the company," Schuh said. "Now if someone has to stay home, we don't have to hire any extra people to fill in ... and we don't have to put the burden of that extra work on other people."


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NEW DELHI: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal released Foreign Trade Policy 2023 last week terming it as “dynamic” “open-ended” to accommodate the emerging needs of the time. He stated that the policy had been under discussion for a long time and had been formulated after multiple stakeholder consultations.
India’s overall exports, including services and merchandise exports, have already crossed $750 billion and are expected to cross $760 billion this year, he said.
PM Modi’s vision
The minister referred to the interaction that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with exporters on 6 August 2021 where he had encouraged them to increase exports and get more deeply involved in the global value chain. Goyal lauded the vision and guidance of the Prime Minister who believed that given the size of the Indian economy and manufacturing and service sector base, the potential for the country to grow was manifold. He said that this vision was at the core of the policy.
He stressed that every opportunity for export must be captured and utilised effectively. He also mentioned that in the next five months, during India’s G20 presidency, there should be a massive concentrated outreach with the world both sector-wise and country-wise.
Four-pillars of policy
The release of the policy was also attended by State Commerce Minister Anupriya Patel; Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal and Member, Customs, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Rajiv Talwar. Director General of Foreign Trade Santosh Kumar Sarangi gave a detailed presentation on the policy.
The policy is based on four key pillars: (i) Incentive to Remission (ii) Export promotion through collaboration – Exporters, States, Districts, Indian Missions (iii) Ease of doing business, reduction in transaction cost and e-initiatives and (iv) Emerging areas – E-commerce developing districts as export hubs and SCOMET (Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies) policy.
Greater faith is being reposed on exporters through automated IT systems with risk management system for various approvals. The policy emphasizes export promotion and development, moving away from an incentive regime to a regime which is facilitating, based on technology interface and principles of collaboration.
FTP 2023 codifies implementation mechanisms in a paperless, online environment, building on earlier ‘ease of doing business’ initiatives. Reduction in fee structures and ITbased schemes will make it easier for MSMEs and others to access export benefits.
Four new towns, namely Faridabad, Mirzapur, Moradabad, and Varanasi, have been designated as Towns of Export Excellence (TEE) in addition to the existing 39 towns. The TEEs will have priority access to export promotion funds under the MAI scheme and will be able to avail Common Service Provider (CSP) benefits for export fulfillment under the EPCG Scheme. This addition is expected to boost the exports of handlooms, handicrafts, and carpets.
Dynamic approach to policymaking
FOREIGN Trade Policy (2023) is a policy document which is based on continuity of time-tested schemes facilitating exports as well as a document which is nimble and responsive to the requirements of trade.
It is based on principles of ‘trust’ and ‘partnership’ with exporters. In the FTP 2015-20, changes were done subsequent to the initial release even without announcement of a new FTP responding dynamically to the emerging situations.
Hereafter, the revisions of the FTP shall be done as and when required. Incorporating feedback from trade and industry would also be continuous to streamline processes and update FTP, from time to time.
The FTP 2023 aims at process re-engineering and automation to facilitate ease of doing business for exporters. It also focuses on emerging areas like dual use high end technology items under SCOMET, facilitating e-commerce export, collaborating with states and districts for export promotion.
The new FTP is introducing a one-time Amnesty Scheme for exporters to close the old pending authorizations and start afresh. It encourages recognition of new towns through ‘Towns of Export Excellence Scheme’ and exporters through ‘Status Holder Scheme’.
The policy is facilitating exports by streamlining the popular Advance Authorization and EPCG schemes, and enabling merchanting trade from India.
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Recalling the much-watched legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm, from the January 20th 2017 Apple prosecution, to the announcement of a settlement between the two parties, which lasted for 726 days, although in more than two years The two sides did not have too many positive confrontations in the court, but the prosecution and counterclaims during the period were one after another. Until the day before the settlement was reached, the two sides still debated this. In the words of the analysts, the two sides finally reached and resolved. Concerned by the outside world.
Apple sues Qualcomm for a refund of patent license fee
The patent license fee between Apple and Qualcomm evolved into a legal battle between the two parties. It was initiated by Apple’s lawsuit against Qualcomm. On January 20, 2017, Apple officially filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm, accusing Qualcomm of using it.Mobile phoneThe monopoly of the baseband chip field, retaliation for Apple's cooperation with the US Foreign Trade Commission (FTC) and refused to refund the promised $1 billion patent license fee, Apple asked Qualcomm to refund the promised $1 billion in royalties.
Apple’s complaint was that Qualcomm’s share price plummeted. Qualcomm’s share price plummeted 12.7% on the following trading day, and the market value evaporated and evaporated by $12 billion. On November 6, 2017, after more than 10 months, Qualcomm shares returned to the level before Apple sued.
Qualcomm counterclaims Apple's fine number of apples to Qualcomm's various injustices
After Apple procured Qualcomm and caused Qualcomm's share price to fall, Qualcomm also launched a counterattack against Apple. It responded to Apple's lawsuit on April 10, two months later, with a 134-page defense.
In a 134-page defense, Qualcomm denied Apple’s allegations, listed 35 defenses, and filed a countersuit against Apple, detailing Apple’s treatment of Qualcomm’s injustices.
Qualcomm also mentioned in the defense that in the past few years, they have invested tens of billions of dollars, hired nearly 20,000 engineers, applied for more than 130,000 patents worldwide, and developed 2G, The key technology in 3G and 4G communication is their patent in communication to help Apple passiPhoneEarned $760 billion in revenue.
Apple's business and industry to join the dispute Qualcomm said Apple's business and industry refused patent licensing fees
The dispute between Apple and Qualcomm due to patent licensing fees was originally between Apple and Qualcomm, but it soon expanded to Apple's foundry.
Qualcomm said on April 19, 2017 that some of Apple’s foundries have refused to pay Qualcomm a $1 billion patent license fee in the past few months. Qualcomm is not sure whether Apple’s foundry will be in fiscal year 2017. The patent grant fee is paid in the third quarter (as of June 25, 2017).
Qualcomm sues Apple for business and industry, Foxconn and Shuo, and other defendants went to court
Less than a month after Qualcomm publicly claimed that some Apple businesses refused to pay the patent license fee, Qualcomm took the agency to the court.
Qualcomm announced on May 17, 2017 that four suppliers, Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron and Compal, were sued in the federal district court in Southern District of California, accusing the four companies that made the iPhone for Apple to violate Qualcomm. Between the license agreement and other commitments, and refused to pay for the use of Qualcomm's licensed technology, the court requested the court to determine the defendant's long-standing contractual obligations and filed damages.
Qualcomm applies for a court ban and asks Apple to pay the patent license fee
Just one week after the Foxconn and other Apple businesses went to court, Qualcomm filed an injunction with the court on May 25, 2017, asking them to continue paying the patent license fee before the court's decision.
Qualcomm's chief adviser, Don Rosenberg, said in a statement that these vendors are still using Qualcomm's technology before the court's decision, which requires a fee, and Qualcomm is confident that the contracts with these suppliers will be Approved by the court and effectively implemented.
Apple revise the indictment alleging that the Qualcomm patent license agreement is invalid
On June 20, 2017, five months after the lawsuit against Apple, Apple revised the indictment in January, alleging that Qualcomm's patent licensing agreement was invalid.
Apple’s revised indictment came from a US federal court ruling in May of the same year. In the printer manufacturer Lexmark and Impression International’s lawsuit, the federal court ruled that Lexmark’s patents had been used after the printer’s toner cartridges were sold. No patent infringement lawsuit can be initiated against the buyer.
Qualcomm's patent license agreement was signed before the mobile phone manufacturer purchased the chip, which allowed Qualcomm to extract a certain percentage of the cost from the iPhone, which accounted for about 5% of the iPhone's price, but even if Apple purchased the chip from Qualcomm's competitors. This fixed ratio of fees still needs to be paid. Based on the Supreme Court's ruling on Lexmark and Impression International, Apple hopes that Qualcomm can only charge one fee, charge a fee when purchasing chips or only charge a patent license fee.
Qualcomm CEO publicly stated his position on the dispute, believing that both parties will settle out of court
In an interview, Morenkov used the Qualcomm dispute at the beginning of this century as an example. He said that this kind of dispute will usually be settled by out-of-court settlement. Although he does not have any news to announce, he There is no reason not to believe that the litigation between Qualcomm and Apple will not be settled by out-of-court settlement.
Wistron and other Apple companies initiated counterclaims alleging that Qualcomm violated antitrust laws
Foxconn's parent companies, Hon Hai Precision, Wistron, Compal and Heshuo, launched a counterclaim against Qualcomm in the Southern California District Court on the evening of July 18, 2017, accusing Qualcomm of violating the US Sherman Act. Two provisions in the first antitrust law enacted by the US Congress.
Qualcomm sues Apple in Germany, demanding that the court ban iPhone imports and sales in Germany
When Apple’s foundry accused Qualcomm of violating antitrust laws, Qualcomm was not idle, and they targeted the products covered by the granted patent.
On July 19, 2017, Qualcomm filed two lawsuits in Mannheim and Munich, Germany, alleging that Apple's iPhone infringed Qualcomm's two patents and demanded that the court ban all iPhone imports and sales in Germany.
Qualcomm accused Apple of infringing two patents codenamed 8698558 and 9608675, titled "Low-Voltage Power Efficiency Envelope Tracking" and "Power Tracking of Simultaneous Transmission of Multiple Transmission Signals", each involving a patent .
Apple counterclaims Qualcomm accused Snapdragon 800 and 820 processors of infringing 8 patents
After Qualcomm sued Apple for patent infringement in Germany and sought to ban iPhone imports and sales in Germany, Apple also filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Qualcomm.
Court documents published on November 29, 2017 showed that a counterclaim was filed in the San Diego District Court against Qualcomm’s July allegations, alleging that Qualcomm’s processor infringed on Apple’s eight patents, all related to battery life, involving Qualcomm Xiaolong For the 800 and 820 processors, Apple asked Qualcomm to compensate for this.
Apple CEO Cook is involved in the dispute and is required to testify in court.
Although Qualcomm was caught in the trouble of Broadcom's acquisition in the first quarter of 2018, there was no news of Apple's patent licensing disputes for a long time, but this was only a temporary silence, and the dispute between the two sides did not end.
Business cooperation is affected Qualcomm refuses to supply 4G chips for Apple
The legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm due to the patent licensing fee ultimately affected the business cooperation between the two parties.
The jury decided to start trial on April 15 and both CEOs will appear in court.
The legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm for patent licensing fees began after three years of trial.
At the trial, the two parties still do not want each other to make a high claim.
According to the previous arrangement, Apple and Qualcomm had a legal battle against the patent licensing fee, and the trial began on April 15. However, until the trial, the two parties still did not give each other, and all of them filed high claims with each other.
Foreign media said in a local report on Monday that Apple and its allies accused Qualcomm of engaging in illegal patent licensing activities, demanding that Qualcomm terminate the "no chip, no chip" approach, and refund $9 billion, and if the judge supports Apple The antitrust charge, Qualcomm will need to pay the amount of $ 27 billion.
Qualcomm also did not show weakness, accusing Apple of forcing its long-term partners to stop paying part of the patent license fee and seeking to pay $15 billion. Qualcomm also believes that Qualcomm and related contract manufacturers have had years of harmonious cooperation before Apple launched the iPhone. But Apple's use of its position in the industry has caused these vendors to violate long-term agreements with Qualcomm, resulting in a loss of at least $7 billion in patent licensing fees.
After the day after the trial began, the parties canceled all litigation
Unexpectedly, the legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm due to patent licensing fees ended in a settlement one day after the trial began, and the two sides reached an agreement to revoke all ongoing litigations worldwide.
On Tuesday, both Apple and Qualcomm announced on the official website that they announced on Tuesday that they had reached an agreement to abandon all litigations that are going on globally. As part of the settlement, Apple will pay Qualcomm a one-time fee, but the amount will be Unpublished, Qualcomm will also revoke the lawsuit against Foxconn and other Apple businesses.
While agreeing to abandon all of the global litigation, Apple and Qualcomm also reached a cooperation agreement including patent licensing and chip supply. The two companies disclosed in the official website that they had reached a six-year patent licensing agreement, which came into effect on April 1, 2019, and included a two-year extension option. In addition, the two sides also reached a multi-year chip supply agreement, but the details have not been disclosed.


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Lucid Motors is the latest startup to promise a luxury electric car that’s made in the USA. After teasing its Tesla-fighting luxury sedan the company (formerly known as Atieva) announced plans for a factory in Casa Grande, Arizona.
Groundbreaking will take place next year, with the goal of starting production in 2018, a Lucid blog post said. That’s a pretty ambitious schedule for a company that has never built a car before, and still needs to create a working factory from scratch. By 2022, Lucid expects to have over 2,000 full-time employees at the site.
The site selection process began over a year ago, Lucid said. The company considered “over 60 potential sites in 13 states,” and said there were several factors behind the choice of Arizona, including proximity to its Silicon Valley headquarters, a solid supply chain, and availability of a suitable site. While Nevada offered incentive packages to fellow startup Faraday Future for its car factory, and to Tesla for its battery “Gigafactory,” Lucid did not discuss receiving incentives from Arizona.
The Lucid factory will be overseen by Brian Barron, the company’s director of manufacturing. An 18-year veteran of BMW, he previously managed manufacturing at sites in both Germany and South Carolina.
Lucid’s first production model is expected to be a luxury sedan aimed at the Tesla Model S. CTO Peter Rawlinson (who previously worked for Tesla) has said the car will have 900 horsepower, and a range of 300 miles. Lucid’s powertrain technology has already proven capable in “Edna,” a Mercedes-Benz Metris van converted by the company into a test vehicle. It dusted a Model S, a Ferrari California T, and other high-end performance cars in a pair of videos released over the summer.
As Atieva, the company started out making control systems for battery packs used in other companies’ electric vehicles. It’s now reportedly linked to Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, who is connected to Faraday Future. Faraday recently suspended work on its own factory, jeopardizing plans to launch an electric car within the same time frame as Lucid.
- Tesla to fix window software on 1M of its U.S. cars
- Cruise’s robot taxis head to Arizona and Texas
- 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV aims for affordability with $30,000 base price
- Jeep is launching its first two electric SUVs in the U.S. in 2024
- 2022 Volkswagen ID. Buzz first drive review: The iconic hippie hauler goes electric


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App-makers are pulling out all the stops to offer holiday-themed games, treats, and tools for smartphone and tablet owners alike. We put together a list of our favorites. (Read More: Hottest Gadget Gifts for the Holiday.)
NORAD Santa Tracker: A must-have for Christmas Eve, this app follows Old Saint Nick's progress across the globe.
The defense organization started tracking Santa's progress in 1955 after its phone number was accidentally featured in a department store's Christmas Ad.
Though the North American Aerospace Defense Command has used Google since 2007, this year it's working with Microsoft's Bing. But Google isn't dropping its Santa-tracking efforts, instead it's setting up a new Santa Tracker, using Google Maps and Google Earth, along with a Google Santa Hotline.
Elf on the Shelf: The popular "Elf on the Shelf" book and toy franchise is available as ten different elf apps for Android and Apple's iOS platform, with games like a snowball fight.
The concept: A magical elf flies to the North Pole to report to Santa whether children have been naughty or nice, then plays hide-or-seek with kids.
Last year CBS debuted an animated Christmas special based on the book, which is turning into an entertainment empire for its creators. Last year, the brand generated a reported $16 million. (Read More: Top Holiday Toy Crazes of All Time.)
ElfYourself: For those who want to be an elf, there's an app for that too. OfficeMax's "ElfYourself" app is the number two free Apple app. Users can upload photos to turn themselves and friends into elves. There's a choice of music to create a custom video, which OfficeMax encourages people to share via email or Facebook.
Charlie Brown Christmas: And what would the holidays be without the Charlie Brown Christmas. An app retells the TV classic as an interactive book. And it's drawn some holiday love fromStarbucks, which features it as its free app of the week. It's ranked as the number two paid entertainment app in Apple's iOS store.
Not all holiday apps are fun and games — a number of Christmas list apps for Google's Android and Apple's iOS platform help plan holiday shopping, manage holiday to-do lists, track spending, to keep shoppers on budget. And of course, the apps can be password-protected to maintain the holiday surprise. (Read More: Gifts She Won't Want to Return.)
—By CNBC's Julia Boorstin; Follow her on Twitter: @JBoorstin


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(Pocket-lint) - China-based Huawei Technologies will introduce a smartwatch at Mobile World Congress later this month.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Huawei will enter the wearable space with a smartwatch that will unveil alongside a new smartphone and two tablets. There were no other details provided about the smartwatch, but we contacted Huawei and will update when more is known.
Huawei told The Wall Street Journal that, contrary to many reports, its new smartphone will not be the Ascend P7, the upcoming successor to Huawei's flagship Ascend P6. The company will instead unveil its next-generation flagship at a separate event later this year.
As for Huawei's two tablets set to debut at MWC, details are scarce again. However, China's telecommunications equipment certification body - TENAA - recently approved a Nexus 7-like rival called the Huawei MediaPad X1 7.0.
READ: Huawei MediaPad X1 7.0 pops up at TENAA, revealing HD display and 3G
According to TENAA, the MediaPad X1 7.0 is a tablet with a 1,920 x 1,200 high-resolution display at 323ppi. Other specs include 3G connectivity, 2GB RAM, Mali-450 GPU, Huawei’s quad-core Hisilicon 910 Kirin chip clocked at 1.6GHz, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Huawei hasn't officially confirmed its new MediaPad, but a TENAA certification indicates the company will introduce it soon and might even show it off at Mobile World Congress. The annual tradeshow kicks off in Barcelona on 24 February.


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CAPE BROYLE, N.L. — Folks who've enjoyed a freshly brewed cup of coffee at Bannerman Brewing Co. in St. John's within the last few months might have noticed some unique flavours tickling their taste buds.
The minds behind the brewery — which operates as a café during the day and a bar and eatery at night — recently launched a sister company, Cape Coffee.
Beans from Cape Coffee's roasting space in Cape Broyle have been in use at Bannerman since last fall, but the brand received a more formal launch in the last few days. Beans are now available at the brewery to purchase and take home for making pour-overs or however one might prefer to brew their own cup.
Meet the roasters
The coffee roasting itself is spearheaded by a two-person team, Whit MacDonald and Ethan Murphy.
Both have worked at Bannerman since it first opened in 2019. MacDonald previously worked at the popular St. John's café Fixed and roasted beans for four years at Brewed Awakening in Corner Brook, while Murphy has likewise worked in the coffee industry for about a decade.
MacDonald said the idea was there early on for Bannerman to eventually find its way into roasting beans, though it first wanted to assess how customers would respond to lightly-roasted coffee from pour-overs (the café introduced drip coffee as an option within the last few months).
"We started out with strictly pour-overs, because we didn't do drip," MacDonald said.
"It was really different — trying to convert people over to a more elevated coffee experience ... It was going to flow into coffee roasting eventually."
The Bannerman café started out with a focus on specialty coffee, explains Murphy.
"Before we started roasting, we started carrying a roaster in Brooklyn called Sey, and their coffee changes almost weekly. They get different coffee all the time," Murphy said.
“There was a huge outreach component, when we started carrying them, to introducing customers to different coffee all the time ... It's pretty easy to not be adventurous in coffee and be like, 'Just give me a regular coffee,' and we cater to that, too. It's just reading the room."
As that process got easier, and people were more on board with specialty coffee and treating it as such, he explains, they began talking about roasting more.
MacDonald characterizes Cape Coffee’s roasts as lighter and more acidic compared to the offerings of other coffee companies roasting their own beans in Newfoundland and Labrador.
"People love the dark roast coffee as well. But this is the chance to offer something different," he said.
Cape Broyle connection
The setup in Cape Broyle came together through a Bannerman Brewing investor with family ties to the area, Steve Follett.
The former R.J. O’Brien’s General Store was available for sale and hadn't been in use for a few years. A Registered Heritage Structure built in the mid-1940s with a unique character, it was a good fit for Bannerman, a business already recognized for heritage preservation via a Southcott Award from the Newfoundland and Labrador Historic Trust.
"Steve is definitely a big advocate for things happening in Cape Broyle, so opening the roaster there was an exciting project for him," Murphy said.
Bannerman Brewing co-owner and general manager Phil Maloney said it's possible they could open a coffee shop in that space by the summer of 2024.
"The area is getting developed and stuff too, which is cool," Maloney said. "The Irish Loop is pretty touristy. Forty-five minutes from town. But right now, just production."
The Probat drum roaster Cape Coffee uses can handle as much as 12 kilograms of beans at a time, though Murphy said they generally do seven to nine kilograms.
The roaster is connected to a computer that offers more control of the roasting process.
"A lot of these specialty roasters, repeatability is important,” Murphy said. “All of this monitoring of temperatures and gas changes and just keeping everything the same is important for consistency."
The unroasted beans (also known as green coffee) are single-origin, meaning there are no bean blends, though Murphy anticipates Cape Coffee will offer some blends down the road.
Cape Coffee is starting out with four coffees from Colombia, Ethiopia, Honduras and Kenya.
"The first lot that we bought, this Colombian lot — which is tasting super good — we bought this farmer's entire farm, which is only five bags of coffee, but it's everything and it was great," Maloney said.
"Next year, we'll buy it again, and the next year, we'll buy it again and hopefully, go visit them. It's a really cool, cyclical, actually sustainable thing. The importers that we work with are amazing and they have such cool projects on the go where the farmers are actually paid ... because there's so many areas where these little rip-offs can happen."
Beyond visiting the brewery, customers at Mallard Cottage and Chinched in St. John's can currently taste Cape Coffee.
Maloney said beans will be available for purchase at a few stores around the city, and they're even looking to get some beans out to Corner Brook.


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SaaS ERP — with its irresistible pay-as-you-go model and less-costly deployment — is well positioned for the current economy, most analysts agree.
So is SAP missing out on big chances to sell Business ByDesign?
In a week when there’s been no shortage of digs on SAP’s debuted, then-delayed SaaS ERP, and attempts to sway SAP customers to other vendors, it’s tempting to think so. NetSuite is trying to lure SAP customers to its own SaaS ERP offering with discounts and freebies. Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff took aim at SAP during Salesforce.com’s annual Dreamforce conference, saying that SAP — along with Microsoft and Oracle — were too late to the game.
Analysts say that NetSuite’s 50% off offer to SAP customers is less likely to appeal to the R/3 customers it’s targeted at, than to enterprise-size SAP customers who were thinking of deploying SaaS ERP in a smaller division or subsidiary. Those are potential, new SMB customer wins SAP could be missing out on.
But there’s also another view emerging.
The Wall Street Journal, in its Business Technology blog, took aim this week at the claim that online software is recession proof, citing NetSuite’s slightly lowered guidance for the remainder of the year, as well Benioff’s answer on how the economy had affected Salesforce.com — that these were difficult and unusual times, but Salesforce.com was in a position of strength.
And evidence is starting to emerge that IT budgets are, at best, uncertain. A recent story on our sister-site SearchCIO.com, centered on a Forrester Research survey on how IT is riding out the recession, revealed the approach to IT spending right now is somewhat unclear.
While the report said that “more than half of the IT executives said they are not cutting budgets and do not have plans to make cuts for 2009,” it also added that “the number of CIOs responding thus far is roughly a third of what Forrester normally sees at this point in a survey…suggesting deep uncertainty about what is going to happen.”
Will SaaS vendors just ride out the recession better than on-premise vendors, or will they really get a significant boost?
And is SAP missing out on a bunch of chances to sell its SaaS ERP, or, is it no big deal? Is the economy actually good, or at least neutral, for Business ByDesign?
Courtney Bjorlin, News Editor


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Exponential Interactive, the global provider of advertising intelligence and digital media solutions, today announced an expansion of their exclusive partnership with online foreign currency and rate exchange resource XE.com, enabling XE to monetise their in-app and mobile web inventory globally.
XE.com’s app, XE Currency, was launched in 2009 and has received over 30 million downloads, establishing it as the world’s most popular foreign exchange app. Exponential’s SDK (software development kit), offered through its mobile engagement division Appsnack, has been implemented into XE Currency’s iOS and Android properties. Since the September launch XE Currency, continued to illustrate unprecedented global success. Major traction was centered in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, United States and Canada – which saw 6.5 million, 4.4 million, 4.3 million, 3.3 million and 2 million unique visits respectively –equating to over 25 million total visits.
“The impressive results that we experienced last month alone are indicative of the sophistication and ease of use that Exponential’s SDK provides us,” said Kit Purdy, executive vice president, XE.com. “We have maintained a successful, and profitable, partnership with Exponential for years and are excited about moving forward with a new exclusive deal that will make our swift transition to mobile more efficient and streamlined.”
Ben Maudsley, Exponential managing director APAC & South Africa, said: “The campaign results convey the importance of partnering with an integrated, comprehensive solution provider to simplify the ad serving process and increase revenue. We’re happy to collaborate with XE.com as they advance their mobile monetisation strategy.”
Using Exponential’s platform, publishers gain transparency into how audiences are accessing their properties – whether in-app or mobile web – providing valuable insight to help manage and optimise traffic effectively during advertising campaigns.
Prior to this two-year agreement, Exponential and XE.com have had a five-year exclusive partnership to optimise online display campaigns, which, by 2013, resulted in a 256% increase in revenue.


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Established in 2014, SportPesa has quickly made the leap to becoming one of the largest online gaming companies in the world. With more than 12 million customers worldwide, Kenya-based SportPesa continues to develop and grow its global footprint. Prior to its planned expansion into the Italian market, the global gaming operator has decided to partner with Microgame, a top gaming solutions provider based in Benevento. With the expansion, Microgame and SportPesa will work together on an online sportsbook, casino, virtual games, bingo, poker and table game products.
With the new partnership, SportPesa’s proprietary games will enhance the Italian-facing products and the technical staff of Microgame will work with the development team of SportPesa with the integration of the content.
Commenting on the new collaboration, SportPesa Italy Country Manager, Luca Magnano, said: “We’re delighted to be teaming up with Microgame to create a best-in-class gaming experience for the Italian market. We have quickly developed a strong understanding and working relationship with our new partners and we believe that together we will soon be recognized as industry leaders in Italy,” according to the news release.
Microgame Chief Executive Officer Marco Castaldo added: “We are extremely proud to have been chosen outsourcing partner by a successful international group such as SportPesa for its launch in Italy. We are confident about the great potential of this project and will deploy all the resources necessary to ensure its success.”
The move into the Italian gambling market comes just a few months after SportPesa announced they would no longer be supporting local sports clubs in Kenya due to a new revenue tax. Legislation was passed during the summer that would see online gambling operators having to pay a uniform 35% net revenue tax. CEO of Sportpesa, Ronald Karauri, stated that this high tax rate would affect the operations of the firm and the current partners would need to play accordingly due to the tax changes.


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A legislative committee voted vigorously in opposition to medical cannabis legalization in North Carolina six years ago, but things have changed a lot since then. In a groundbreaking moment on Tuesday, August 24, North Carolina Senate committee voted in approval of a revised bill to legalize medical cannabis statewide.
Prior to the bill’s approval, a different version made its way through the Judiciary and another committee in July. However, the measure was rereferred in early August. The latest rule adoption demonstrates growing acceptance for the plant in its medicinal form.
The latest news emerges one week after the legislation was considered during a hearing. However, members of the panel failed to approve changes during that meeting. A voice vote from Senators led to the most recent advancement for medical cannabis in North Carolina.
Moving forwards, the bill must gain approval from the Senate Health Care and Rules and Operations Committees, before it makes its way to the floor and potentially progresses to the House of Representatives. The final stage would see the governor put his signature on North Carolina’s medical cannabis bill.
“We’re encouraged that SB711 has been advanced by the Judiciary Committee,” said DeVaughn Ward, who serves as senior legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project. “This a crucial hurdle that has been cleared on the road to full passage”.
Contrastingly, in March 2015, a group of Republican military veterans was left feeling disappointed after lawmakers rejected their attempt to legalize medical cannabis. A bipartisan committee in the Republican-led North Carolina legislature voted “no” in unison to the request, which could have—had it been approved—enabled veterans to reduce the symptoms of mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
If the proposal—which was sponsored by Rules Committee Chairman Bill Rabon (R)—is enacted into law, patients who are diagnosed with a “debilitating medical condition” could legally gain access to medical cannabis in North Carolina. After enrollment, patients would need to be reevaluated by their healthcare practitioner/doctor for a minimum of one year.
As per the proposed bill, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and HIV/AIDS are some examples of medical conditions featured on the list of qualifying criteria. The committee-amended bill was also updated to allow patients who rely on hospice care, as well as terminally ill patients, to qualify for medical cannabis.
Aside from being able to obtain cannabis-based medicines and cannabis-infused products with a valid doctor’s recommendation, qualifying medical cannabis patients in North Carolina could also legally possess a maximum of one and a half ounces of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis. Home cannabis cultivation, on the other hand, would be forbidden.
Patients who qualify for medical cannabis in North Carolina would be granted the opportunity to smoke and vape the plant. Under the updated legislation, doctors would be obligated to prescribe patients with a suitable dosage and method of consumption; based on the patient’s health status and qualifying conditions.
The defining explanation of what is considered to be a “cannabis-infused” product was amended in the latest substitute version of North Carolina’s medical cannabis law. The language contained in the revised bill stipulates that cannabis-infused products include “a tablet, a capsule, a concentrated liquid or viscous oil, a liquid suspension, a topical preparation, a transdermal preparation, a sublingual preparation, a gelatinous cube, gelatinous rectangular cuboid, lozenge in a cube or rectangular cuboid shape, a resin or wax.”
A yet-to-be-established 13-member Compassionate Use Advisory Board would be tasked with adding new qualifying conditions. Additionally, North Carolina’s amended medical cannabis bill calls for a nine-member Medical Cannabis Production Commission to be created. This Commission would be tasked with licensing oversight, patient cannabis supply issues, and program-allocated revenue generation.
In the event that North Carolina’s medical cannabis bill becomes effective in the near future, the number of medical cannabis suppliers who are allowed to manage the plant’s sale and cultivation would be capped at 10. A total of four dispensaries could be operated by each supplier.
Numerous cannabis advocates across the state have responded to these cultivation rules. The main concern surrounds eligibility, with legal cannabis supporters and lobbyists wondering exactly who would be eligible to receive a cultivation license.
The amended measure asserts that medical cannabis cultivation applicants in North Carolina must first be willing to show documentation proving that they have a minimum of five years experience “in cultivation, production, extraction, product development, quality control, and inventory management of medical cannabis in a state-licensed medical or adult-use cannabis operation.”
Based on the stipulated rule, dispensaries and licenses would be handled exclusively by legitimate out-of-state cannabis companies – something that advocates believe will leave small, in-state businesses isolated from industry involvement.
“Although we are in strong support of medical marijuana legalization and the relief it will bring to patients in North Carolina, we remain concerned about the lack of opportunities for small and independent businesses,” said Ward of the MPP.
As of August 2021, medical cannabis has been legalized in 36 states and Washington, D.C. In regards to recreational cannabis, 18 states have enacted legalization.
With more U.S. states starting to embrace the plant’s widespread uses, not to mention acknowledge the industry’s swelling value, North Carolina could seriously benefit from catching up. Even lawmakers in Virginia (the state’s northern neighbor) passed a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis this past April.
A lack of legal medical cannabis in North Carolina means that patients who rely on plant-based treatment are forced to either go without or seek out the plant from alternative sources, such as the unregulated black market. Moreover, money is being left on the table – medical cannabis is expected to generate $12 billion in the U.S. by 2024.
A poll carried out by Elon University in collaboration with The Charlotte Observer, The Durham Herald-Sun, and The Raleigh News & Observer discovered that 73% of state voters are in favor of medical cannabis legalization. What’s more, just over 50% of voters want to see a recreational cannabis legalization law enacted across the state. Interestingly, 64% of polled voters believe that legal cannabis could strengthen North Carolina’s economy.
During the hearing on August 24, committee members also approved a separate amendment that was supported by the state attorney general’s office. The amendment highlighted issues pertaining to probable cause for evidence found during drug searches.
The Coronavirus has been around for a few years. During this time, researchers conducted studies on a wide range of topics. A 2022 study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research explored cannabis consumption and COVID-19. Researchers found that those who consume cannabis were associated with lower COVID-19 severity among those who have been hospitalized,…
Stoner stigma and stereotypes are not just discriminatory—they are also outdated and are now being rendered invalid. Cannabis consumers, whatever their reason for consumption, are subject to being stereotyped as “lazy stoners.” Fortunately, a recent study found that cannabis consumers are no more likely to lack motivation compared to those who do not consume cannabis. …
The history of cannabis prohibition is plagued by propaganda, racism, and greed. If you’re familiar with this story, it’s likely you’re familiar with a man by the name of Harry J. Anslinger. This individual was highly influential in the implementation of cannabis prohibition in the early 20th century. Since federal prohibition was implemented, it has…
Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr., American rap artist and founder/CEO of the cannabis brands Cookies and VIBES Papers, is celebrating the launch of his new Cookies store in Thailand. Gilbert, whose stage name is Berner, described the Southeast Asian nation’s first cannabis store opening as “a huge step into the global market.” Berner, who has released…
Have you wondered what the best cannabis subscription boxes are on the market today? If so, you’re not alone. Many consumers wonder which monthly box is actually worth the money, and what you can look forward to in the mail each month. There are many different types of boxes out there. Most of them only…
Is there anything that cannabis cannot do? As more research is conducted, the list of health benefits grows. One recent discovery indicates…
Question: I live in a state with legal cannabis and started shopping at my local dispensary a few times a month. I’m grateful…


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NeoGAF user anexanhumethat Electronic Arts has sent out a survey to select gamers that seems to detail the premise of Mass Effect: Andromeda, putting them in a hostile galaxy where humans are the aliens and the targets of a deadly local species.
According to the survey: "Mass Effect: Andromeda takes players to the Andromeda galaxy, far beyond the Milky Way, where players will lead the fight for a new home in hostile territory—where WE are the aliens—opposed by a deadly indigenous race bent on stopping us."
Even more telling, Andromeda will take place in an "open world galaxy". Whether that means players can explore systems as they did in previous games or a new, literal open world game in terms of Dragon Age: Inquisition is unclear. However, players will get to be "the leader of a squad of military-trained explorers in an intense third-person shooter, with deep progression and customization systems."
This being a Mass Effect game, "player choices throughout the game will ultimately determine our survival in the Andromeda Galaxy."
Mass Effect: Andromeda is due to be released Q1 2017. EA says Shepard's story is. Instead, it'll probably be someone named .


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What to Know When Your Vet Says Your Dog Is Overweight
Don’t take it personally — even if that’s hard to do.
Your pet wants you to read our newsletter. (Then give them a treat.)
We love our dogs — no matter what. No one wants to go to the vet and be told that their pup is any less than the perfect angel they are. So, when your dog’s vet comments on their weight, it can feel, well, personal. Did you do something wrong? Is your dog not active enough? Are you feeding them the right food?
First off, it doesn’t help to blame yourself. There could be multiple reasons why your dog needs to shed a few pounds. Per VCA Animal Hospitalsopens in a new tab, an estimated 40 to 45 percent of dogs in the U.S. are considered obese.
“The reasons for the pet obesity epidemic are the same as the human obesity explosion: We’re eating too much and exercising too little,” says Dr. Ernest Ward Jr., a North Carolina veterinarian and president of the Association for Pet Obesity Preventionopens in a new tab (APOP). “In addition, what we’re feeding dogs has changed.”
Although, as Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes have found in the research for their podcast Maintenance Phaseopens in a new tab, diet culture for humans is a complicated thing, but the rules are a little different for your canine pal. Here's everything you need to know about obesity in dogs — including how to keep your pup healthy.
Why Does Your Vet Say Your Dog Is Obese?
Giving your dog a diet high in carbohydrates, sugar, and fat makes them fat, says Dr. Ward. They stay leaner and healthier with a higher protein diet.
On top of poor nutrition, you may be giving your dog too much food. Many people rely on a combination of guesswork and feeding instructions to determine how to feed their dogs rather than working out a diet tailored to their specific pup.
You may not know how many calories they need (far fewer than you think) or how many calories are in the food (often more than you think). Calorie counts aren’t on most food labels, and when calorie counts are included, some can be confusing and inconsistent.
And then there are the add-ons — biscuits, cookies, jerky, table scraps — which certainly add up. APOP estimates that 90 percent of people give their dogs treats, many of which are high in calories, carbohydrates, and sugar. (They’re called treats for a reason!)
“If I could only point to one factor causing the modern-day pet obesity epidemic, it would have to be treats,” Dr. Ward says. “It’s that seemingly innocent extra 50 calories a day in the form of a chew or cookie that adds up to a pound or two each year. By the time a dog or cat reaches mid-life, they're overweight and health risks begin to skyrocket.”
The Risks of Obesity in Dogs
Weight control is about the quality and duration of their lives.
“While those extra five pounds around your waist might not mean much to you and your health, that extra five pounds around your average dog and cat can pose a lot of health risks,” says Dr. Maria Manrique, a Chicago veterinarian and spokesperson for the American Veterinary Medical Associationopens in a new tab (AVMA).
The AVMA links pet obesity directly with diabetesopens in a new tab, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, as well as an increased risk for canceropens in a new tab and orthopedic problems, including painful and debilitating knee injuries and arthritis. In addition, overweight dogs are more prone to heat exhaustionopens in a new tab and exercise intolerance.
How to Keep Your Dog Healthy
The key to good health for your dog? Getting a jump on the problem. Maintaining a healthy weight for your dog is lot easier and less expensive than treating the conditions that result from being overweight. Feeding your dog a healthy dietopens in a new tab and giving them consistent exercise will not only save you money — it will also spare your dog discomfort and suffering, as well as extend their life.
Indeed, a 14-year benchmark study of Labrador Retrievers showed that dogs kept at a healthy weight from puppyhood lived 15 percent longer than their overweight peers. That’s two additional happy, healthy years with your favorite family member. What's better motivation to keep your dog healthy than that?
Lisa Wogan lives in Seattle and is the author of several books including Dog Park Wisdom.


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A man has died after collapsing and falling from a high-rise market in the heart of Melbourne's CBD.The 36-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.A police spokesman said the man's death was "unexplained".He was pronounced deceased at the site about 6:00pm (AEST) on Sunday.The man was a regular at the Market Street Market.Police have not released the names of the man or of the market, which ...
The Bitcoin ecosystem has become increasingly globalised, with more countries now accepting the digital currency.
However, some countries still remain stubbornly reluctant to embrace the cryptocurrency.
This is because the technology itself is still far from ready for widespread use, with the first batch of Bitcoin wallets being launched in January 2018, a year after the cryptocurrency was launched.
But now that the technology has matured and more countries are beginning to accept the digital asset, there are growing concerns over its security and scalability.
A new report by CoinDesk and CoinMarketCap reveals the most popular cryptocurrencies among traders across North America, Europe, and Asia.
The report covers the top 30 currencies, currencies that represent a portion of the total Bitcoin market, and top 20 Bitcoin markets as of November 30.
For a full breakdown of the report, click here.
While bitcoin has seen significant gains in value over the past year, there have been many questions over its long-term viability.
For instance, a study by Blockchain, a blockchain analytics firm, has warned that the cryptocurrency could be “on the brink of a bubble” by 2023.
And while it’s certainly possible that a bubble might develop, some analysts believe that a more gradual decline could lead to a boom.
“As we enter the next decade, bitcoin’s future may be more uncertain than at any point in the last decade, as new developments and innovations take hold,” said Nick Colas, Chief Analyst at Blockchain.
“The crypto-currency’s market capitalization is set to surpass $1.5 billion by 2025, and we predict a major bubble in the next two years.
The cryptocurrency’s volatility has also been a concern, with several bitcoin exchanges suspended due to the digital commodity’s volatile price.
According to the report’s findings, many of these exchanges have already been hacked, and it’s estimated that there are more than 1,200 bitcoin exchanges in the world.
But there’s no denying that the growth of Bitcoin is growing, and that it’s becoming more popular among investors and traders around the world, as evidenced by the rise of digital currencies such as Ethereum.
For instance, bitcoin is currently trading at a value of $1,100 per coin, according to CoinMarketcap, which puts the cryptocurrency at around 20% of the global market cap.
However, that number is set on a volatile trend, with CoinMarketcoast currently reporting that bitcoin is trading at around $1 per coin in 2017.
For this reason, the researchers believe that it may take another year or two before the cryptocurrency becomes a mainstream currency.
While Bitcoin remains the most valuable cryptocurrency globally, its growth is also seeing a growing interest among investors in alternative cryptocurrencies.
The most popular cryptocurrency in 2017 was Ethereum, which gained nearly 80% of its value in 2017 alone, according the report.
While there’s a large amount of volatility in the digital coin, it’s also relatively stable and stable in terms of its market capitalisation.
But it’s not just the price that’s rising in value, but the value of the currency itself.
As of November 28, bitcoin was trading at an average price of $2,091 per bitcoin, and Ethereum was trading for $1 each.
As we continue to learn more about the technology, it may come to light that there’s much more to the cryptocurrency than the price, and many people are looking for alternatives to the traditional currency.
For example, some are looking to develop a cryptocurrency based on a Blockchain-based blockchain, which is a blockchain-based distributed ledger system, which could be used for any kind of financial transaction.
Blockchain has already seen many applications in finance, from lending to managing assets on a global scale.
However the blockchain also has the potential to become the next generation of digital currency, which may ultimately lead to its own boom.


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With manufacturing ramping up year by year and policies already looking to get ahead of the large volumes of end-of-life products, the landscape for lithium-ion battery recycling is rapidly changing. pv magazine recently spoke with Mari Lundström, associate professor of chemical and metallurgical engineering at Aalto University, to find out what is needed on the research side for the effective recycling of batteries.
A survey conducted among top executives in the renewable energy industry elicited positive feedback on most fronts, including government policies, demand for renewable power as well as land.
The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in batteries and solar will help India graduate from a passive recipient to an active driver in the global clean-tech story.
The Indian lead-acid battery major would form a new strategic business unit for lithium cells and battery packs, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, energy storage systems, and other related products and services as it looks to reposition itself as an energy and mobility player.
Often sidelined by nickel and cobalt when it comes to batteries, the metal manganese is finding proponents in science and industry – in particular, by those attempting to avoid supply and cost issues. Ian Morse reports on the role of manganese in battery cell production.
The production-linked incentive scheme for battery storage, with an outlay of INR 18,100 crore (US$ 2459 million), is intended to build a cumulative 50 GWh of advanced chemistry cell (ACC) and 5 GWh of ‘niche’ ACC production facilities in India.
The US-headquartered company has registered its Indian arm by the name of Triton Electric Vehicles India in New Delhi as it plans to capture the nation’s growing EV market. It is also in discussion with a few states to set up a factory.
The Telangana-headquartered lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery manufacturer has teamed up with Las Vegas-headquartered Barrel Energy to develop and manufacture lithium batteries for electric vehicles. The joint venture will establish factories in India and North America.
A new report by government thinktank NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) identifies financing as one of the hurdles for India’s electric mobility transition. It proposes solutions to lower the cost and increase finance for electric vehicles in the nation.
The rebranding to Saft Urja—from Amco Saft—reflects the battery manufacturer’s strategic approach to better leverage the Indian market. The company has also announced plans to increase its production capacity at Bangalore factory by 20%, enhance the workforce at its design office and launch new industrial battery products for India region.
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Thousands of programmers, artists and designers flock to the Game Developer's Conference every year to discuss the state of the games industry. A significant part of that discussion revolves around gaming technology, and the GDC show floor is filled with companies showcasing their latest game-changing hardware.
Any one of these companies could change the future of games in a big way if their hardware is successful. Nintendo did it with the Wii back in 2006, an example that's cited over and over again by every tech company on the GDC show floor. So far we've seen a ton of interesting new technology with the potential to change how video games are made—from Nvidia's GRID game streaming service to the screencasting tech built into the Playstation 4—but one piece of gaming tech stands out: the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Oculus Rift—Palmer Luckey and the rest of the Oculus VR team brought a prototype model of the VR headset to CES in January. But now they’re shipping developer kits to backers who contributed $275+ to the Oculus Rift Kickstarter, and Oculus VR is here at GDC to court new game developers. They're operating a booth on the show floor where attendees can wait—often for over an hour—to try the headset on and run riot though a virtual battlefield in the first-person mech game Hawken.
Oculus VR is also pushing developers to change how games are made in order to accommodate the unique strengths—and weaknesses—of virtual reality. During GDC I sat in on an Oculus Rift developer presentation that ran through some of the surprising weaknesses of contemporary game design, problems that only become apparent when you actually immerse yourself in the game. If VR headsets become commonplace enough to warrant developer’s time and attention in making VR games—and I’m betting they will—these are just a few of the ways that games will have to change to accommodate our glorious virtual reality future.
No more clunky menus or loading screens: Strapping a decent VR headset to your face makes you feel like you’re inhabiting a different world, and nothing takes you out of that world faster than a complicated inventory menu or a long loading screen. If VR gaming takes off, we’re going to see more games that eliminate unnecessary user interface elements and even third-person cameras entirely, because VR works best when the cameras are placed squarely behind a virtual characters’ eyes, simulating what it feels like to play as someone else.
Of course, even if the consumer version of the Oculus Rift proves popular enough to warrant big-budget publishers like Electronic Arts and Activision devoting significant resources to making VR-ready games—and that’s a big if—there’s no reason to expect that all future games will be developed with VR in mind. The folks at Oculus VR might disagree, but non-immersive games—city simulators, real-time strategy games and the like—aren’t going anywhere.
Everything will be bigger: Wearing the Oculus Rift makes you feel like you’re living in another world. Problem is, that world is rarely built to actual scale. It’s an unfortunate side effect of first-person games that play fast and loose with realistic perspective, casting the player as a disembodied camera with a gun that floats roughly four feet off the ground. Play those games with a VR headset on and your natural sense of scale kicks in, telling you that you’re only about four feet tall and thus the rest of the world—which has been built to fit your size—looks like a disconcerting virtual dollhouse.
In the future, games are going to have to adapt to VR headsets by taking real-world measurements into account, creating taller player characters with realistically-modeled bodies and increasing the size of the worlds they inhabit.
Games are going to become more realistic: The neat thing about current game controllers is that you can make amazing things happen by just tapping a button. That’s part of the appeal, but it's going to cause problems in virtual reality games because superhuman abilities don’t mesh well with a camera that moves like your head does naturally. Leaping tall buildings in a single button press while being able to look around the virtual world in a realistic way is amazing, but it's also a great recipe for acute motion sickness.
When I tested the Oculus Rift protoype this problem was alleviated by tying camera control to the right stick of my gamepad in addition to the headset, so that I could look around by either moving my head or using the controller. Problem is, in that demo I couldn’t jump or interact with objects, both physical actions that will need to be carefully adapted to more limited physical controllers for future VR games.
This story, "How virtual reality tech will change the future of games" was originally published by TechHive.


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NEW DELHI: Mumbai Metropolitan Metro has the highest potential for modern retail in the country at Rs 1.05 lakh crore, followed by Delhi-National Capital Region, which has total potential of Rs 77,900 crore, according to Knight Frank & Retailers Association of India’s ‘Think India. Think Retail. 2016’ report.
Bengaluru is third in the list, with potential of Rs 48,600 crore.
As part of the city-level analysis, the report has identified zone level supply-demand gap for apparel, F&B, entertainment and grocery across India’s top markets.
It says the penetration of modern retail is set to increase from the current 13.5% to 50% by 2036 in Mumbai, from 26% to 50% by 2028 in NCR and from 24% to 50% in 2026 in Bengaluru.
While the market potential of daily needs supermarkets and hypermarkets is pegged at Rs 58,800 crore in Mumbai and Rs 51,200 crore in NCR, it stands at Rs 24,300 crore in Bengaluru.
The report says that modern retail penetration in India is extremely low at 19% compared to US, Singapore and China, where the figures are 84%, 71% and 63% respectively.
According to the report, 69% of the total retail spending comes from Mumbai Metropolitan Region, NCR and Bengaluru out of the top seven cities in the country.
Metro has been operating its nationwide chain of 31 cash-and-carry stores since 2003 but intense competition and large investments to sustain operations forced the Dusseldorf-headquartered multinational to first undergo a detailed business review and then choose to give the sell mandate.
As the two global giants poured a combined $24 billion into India and captured 80% of the online retail market with aggressive discounts and promotion of preferred sellers, the kirana shops are fearful of an uncertain future.


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DOCASSESS LAUNCHES NEW BRANDING
WEBSITE TO REFLECT SALES AUTOMATION EXPANSION
Toronto, Ontario – April 11th, 2017
DOCassess Inc., previously known as Office Document Consulting, Inc., a global provider of sales automation toolsets for the office equipment and Managed I.T. channels, announced today the launch of its new branding and website, www.docassess.com.
“A lot has changed since starting Office Document Consulting in 2010. We started out by making assessments easier for dealers in the managed print services space but have evolved into a one stop provider of sales automation toolsets,” said Mike Lamothe, President of DOCassess. “The new website and name change reflect the expansion of our offerings and focus to help dealers grow in the new converged market reality. We are really excited about the new website and know that our customers will appreciate it’s content.”
The original website, www.officedocumentconsulting.com, will automatically direct partners and customers to www.docassess.com. The new website is easier to navigate, mobile friendly, and more clearly reflects the new sales automation tools and benefits. The new website also includes DOCassess new blog, “The Insider”, which will focus on providing helpful original content for it’s partners and customers.
DOCassess is a one stop provider for sales automation toolsets and methodologies for the office equipment and managed IT services channels. Our award winning resources include sales automation tools for assessments, asset mapping, QBRs (Quarterly Business Reviews), TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) calculator and fleet management.


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Turkey Sheep and Goat Breeders’ Association (TÜDKİYEB) Chairman Nihat Çelik said that they aim the year of 2021 to be a peak term in this field by carrying the number of ovine animals to 70 million.
Çelik also said that sheep and goat farming was one of the least affected by the coronavirus epidemic process that started last year and that there was no disruption in production during this period.
Production has not been interrupted so as to avoid food crisis…
Pointing out that the sector grew 5.3 percent in the 9 months of 2020 despite the epidemic, Çelik said, “Our growers continued on their way without stopping production with the support of our government despite all kinds of difficulties, especially increasing input costs and did not confront our consumers with any food crisis.”
Çelik stated that with the supports given, the number of sheep and goats exceeded 60 million.
“Supports made great benefit”
Indicating that the support given for sheep and goat farming has provided great benefits to the breeders, Çelik noted, “Last year, our 196 thousand breeders paid 578 million liras for 23 million animals.”
“We are working to reach the developed countries in meat and milk productivity”
Emphasizing that they are working to catch the developed countries in meat and milk productivity, Çelik added,
“As a sector, we think that we can meet the red meat deficit of our country by increasing the number of animals and meat productivity. I believe that 2021 will be the peak year for sheep farming. We aim to increase the number of sheep and goats to 70 million. For 2023, our target number of sheep and goats is 90 million. We aim to be ranked higher on the world scale by maintaining our first place in the number of sheep and goats in Turkey. This year we will take big steps towards our goals.”
“More support should be given to small family businesses”
Emphasizing that small cattle breeding is an important sector in terms of social aspects in order to prevent migration from the village to the city, Çelik concluded, “We expect small family businesses to be supported more this year.”


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In a move that could advance advanced advertising, NBCUniversal has agreed to join with 21st Century Fox, Turner and Viacom, the partners in OpenAP, a consortium designed to standardize and simplify buying commercials based on specifically selected audiences, rather than using the broader Nielsen demographic ratings, which have been eroding.
NBCU has aggressively pushed its own data-driven targeting capabilities, making it a good match for the OpenAP partners, who have been pestered with questions about who else will sign up since the consortium was announced and had not much to say on the subject other than “stay tuned.”
“I think it’s really positive,” said Mike Law, executive VP, managing director, U.S. Media Investment, Amplifi U.S., part of the Dentsu Aegis Network. “It’s been almost 13 months since they started it, and to get another partner the size of NBCUniversal is a critical next step in terms of the scale of it.”
“Great move for the advanced TV ad sector generally and audience-based buying on TV,” added Dave Morgan, CEO of Simulmedia, a pioneer in data-powered audience based buying. “[It] accelerates standards and buyer adoption.”
In addition to becoming a partner, NBCU is licensing data and technology to OpenAP. More significantly, the four companies, which represent 50% of national broadcast and cable TV entertainment ad inventory, will collaborate on developing technology that will automate, standardize and simplify planning and buying data-based audience-targeted campaigns and the currencies they would be based on.
What of the other big sellers? Disney/ABC Television had no comment. CBS said it “continues to discuss partnership opportunities with OpenAP as well as other Advanced TV platforms.”
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Tria Beauty ranked No. 88 on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500; 1,141% revenue growth from 2006 to 2010 attributed to 'unrelenting pace of innovation' and 'consumer focus'
October 20, 2011
TRIA Beauty, the leader in light-based skincare products that deliver professional results at home, today announced it ranked #88 on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500(TM), a ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. TRIA Beauty grew 1,141% percent from 2006 to 2010. Within its industry, TRIA ranked #7.
TRIA Beauty's chief executive officer, Kevin Appelbaum, credits an unrelenting pace of innovation and consumer focus with the company's revenue growth. He said, "TRIA is thrilled to be recognized for its phenomenal growth as it continues to fulfill its promise of innovation, clinical credibility, high performance and affordability to its consumers."
"TRIA Beauty, like all 2011 Technology Fast 500(TM) companies, has excelled in fostering innovation and channeling it into spectacular growth--against the backdrop of one of the most challenging economies in history," said Eric Openshaw, vice chairman and U.S. technology, media and telecommunications leader, Deloitte LLP. "Deloitte recognizes TRIA Beauty for its remarkable accomplishment."
"We are pleased to honor TRIA Beauty as a 2011 Technology Fast 500 company," said Mark Jensen, managing partner, technology and venture capital services, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "As one of the fastest growing tech companies in North America, TRIA Beauty has demonstrated excellence in technological innovation, entrepreneurship and rapid growth."
Overall, 2011 Technology Fast 500(TM) companies achieved revenue growth ranging from 134 percent to 70,211 percent from 2006 to 2010, with an average growth of 1,736 percent.
About Deloitte's 2011 Technology Fast 500(TM)
Technology Fast 500, which was conducted by Deloitte & Touche LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP, provides a ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies - both public and private - in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2006 to 2010. In order to be eligible for Technology Fast 500 recognition, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or technology that is sold to customers in products that contribute to a majority of the company's operating revenues. Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least $50,000 USD or CD, and current-year operating revenues of at least $5 million USD or CD. Additionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of five years, and be headquartered within North America.
About TRIA Beauty
TRIA Beauty, Inc. creates light-based skincare products that deliver professional results at home. It revolutionized the laser hair removal industry with the TRIA Hair Removal Laser, the first and only FDA-cleared laser available for use at home that is safe, effective and permanent. TRIA then pushed beauty boundaries with the TRIA Skin Perfecting Blue Light, a breakthrough, FDA-cleared blue light therapy that penetrates beneath the skin surface to eliminate bacteria, reduce inflammation and help deliver clear, healthy-looking, even-toned skin without harsh side effects. Revolutionary Light-Based Skin Solutions: www.TRIABeauty.com


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Jul 24, 2015 In the past few years, Russia has instituted new anti-gay laws.
Jul 16, 2015 Molly Wood talks to Olga Smirnova of the BBC.
May 11, 2015 A $2 billion fund will finance agriculture ventures along their border.
Apr 8, 2015 The Russian leader says the Greek PM didn't seek financial aid at their meeting.
Apr 1, 2015 Russian-speaking Latvians may oppose sanctions more than their Latvian-speaking compatriots but most see the country's future in the West.
Mar 31, 2015 Latvia's Russian-speaking minority prefers economic stability to separatism.
Feb 26, 2015 The ailing parent company of Sears and Kmart reports its fourth quarter earnings.
Feb 13, 2015 Hint: It has to do with income.
Jan 30, 2015 What happens when a country's economy crashes?
Jan 14, 2015 Falling gas prices mean people have more money, but are they spending it?


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The Big Tech quartet demonstrated its dominance on Thursday, after Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google-parent Alphabet all reported earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations - the first time all four companies posted financial results on the same day, and a day after the CEOs from each outfit took a congressional beating from lawmakers who alleged they abuse their colossal market power.
Amazon posted its biggest profit in the company's 26-year history. CEO Jeff Bezos calling it "another highly unusual quarter," while brick-and-mortar retailers over the same period had to shut stores during government-imposed lockdowns.
The e-commerce giant's profit beat Wall Street's expectations so much so it looked like a typo. Earnings per share coming in at more than $10 versus an estimated $1.46.
The biggest of the big, Apple, not only posted blowout results but announced a stock split, making the purchase of its shares more accessible to the masses.
Apple reported year-on-year revenue gains across every category and in every geography as consumers working and learning from home turned to its products and services.
Facebook smashed Wall Street estimates for the quarter as well, raking in ad sales as businesses used its digital advertising tools to tap a surge in online traffic during stay-at-home orders even as they slashed marketing budgets elsewhere.
But Alphabet - the $1 trillion dollar parent of Google - did not fare as well as Mark Zuckerberg's social network, posting its first revenue decline in the company's history, but the decline was less than expected as many advertisers stuck with the most popular online search engine over the last few months.
In extended trading, shares of Facebook and Amazon climbed 6% with Apple rising 5% following their reports, while shares of Alphabet were only slightly higher.
All the stocks were already trading at or near all-time highs in the regular session Thursday.


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OLED technology is the holy grail of TV display technology, and sooner or later you are bound to have one of these TVs hanging on the wall in your living room. At this year’s CES, TV manufacturers finally showed production OLED TVs and announced North American availability. As with any new tech, the stumbling block right now is the pricing.
When LG first announced its LG 55EA9800 55-inch OLED TV last year, with a price of $14,999, you may have nearly fallen off your chair. The great news however is that this TV is now on sale and LG has lowered the suggested retail price to a far more reasonable $7,999. Even sweeter is the fact that www.amazon.com is now selling this set for $6,999, with free shipping.
$6,999 is still a lot of dough for a 55-inch TV but if you’re an early adopter that just has to have the very latest, you might be able to cough up the asking price. The competing Samsung KN55S9C Curved OLED TV is currently listed on www.amazon.com for $8,999.
For average consumers waiting to get their hands on an OLED TV, these prices are of course too high, but the good news is that as more manufacturers join the OLED TV race (Panasonic, Sony and others), the prices are expected to fall quickly during 2014-2015.
So why all the hype about OLED TVs?
The LG EA9800 features a curved screen design, providing an immersive, cinematic viewing experience in the home. The entire screen surface is equidistant from the viewer’s eyes, eliminating the problem of screen-edge visual distortion and loss of detail.
Only 4.3 millimeters (0.17 inches) thin and weighing just 17 kilograms (37.48 pounds), LG’s CURVED OLED TV produces astoundingly vivid and realistic images thanks to its proprietary WRGB technology. The unique Four-Color Pixel system features a white sub-pixel, which works in conjunction with the conventional red, blue, green setup to create the perfect color output. What’s more, LG’s exclusive Color Refiner delivers even greater tonal enhancement, resulting in images that are more vibrant and natural than anything seen before. As in the original flat screen OLED TV, the CURVED OLED TV also offers an infinite contrast ratio for optimal contrast levels regardless of ambient brightness or viewing angle. TÜV Rheinland, Intertek and VDE, three international testing and certification bodies, recently recognized LG’s CURVED OLED TV for its superb picture quality.
Finally, LG’s CURVED OLED TV features thin transparent film speakers in the crystal clear stand, providing high-quality sound without compromising the TV’s beautiful design. LG’s CURVED OLED TV took the top “red dot: best of the best” honor at the prestigious design competition earlier this year.
Click here to jump to www.amazon.com


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With possible earnings of around $400M, Floyd Mayweather Jr will walk away the biggest winner even if he loses to Conor McGregor.
Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor’s bout of the year is just around the corner and the purse has gained more weight.
The two will not just be fighting for their share of millions in revenue, but also for a special prize created by the World Boxing Council.
The 69kg Money Belt was revealed by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman last weekend as a special prize for the winner and not for any real WBC championship.
The WBC also created a similarly shiny monstrosity for Mayweather's 2015 bout with Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather was a longtime WBC champion before his retirement.
Tens of millions worldwide are expected to tune in, with promoters claiming it will be available either online or on a TV screen to more than 1 billion homes in 200 countries.
In the United States alone, a staggering 50 million people are expected to watch the highly anticipated fight.
Saturday night’s fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will only be available to Pay-Per-View (PPV) customers.
This is where a bulk of the boxers' earnings will come from, with the rest from ticket sales and sponsors.
There is one main broadcaster who has sole rights to screen the fight - Showtime Sports in the US.
Sub-rights will then be sold off to other PPV broadcasters around the world by Showtime.
The main broadcaster is also selling off special subscription packages to viewers in the US as ticket sales have been low in Las Vegas largely because of astronomical prices.
The fight has become a must-see on TV, at a price of $99.95 on Showtime for US customers, while other sub-rights holders are also selling special packages to their viewers around the world.
Each PPV sale means more money in the wallets of both fighters.
According to The Telegraph, Mayweather will earn around $25 million through sponsorship and branding from just his shorts, robe and caps.
This is before even one punch is thrown.
The entire arena, ring, seating, referee and press conferences will be cloaked by big spending sponsors.
It is estimated that McGregor, a novice boxer but UFC champion, will make around $10 million from sponsors.
There are plenty of tickets left in the 20,000 capacity arena itself, where prices originally ranged from $2,500 in the upper sections to $10,000 at ringside.
Ticket prices have been dropping in the resale market with some available for less than $1,300 on Tuesday, and are expected to decline more in the days before the fight.
An early indication of interest in the fight is the massive betting both in Nevada and in other places where it is legal.
Bookmakers say it will be the biggest bet fight ever, with an overwhelming number of the early tickets on McGregor to pull an upset.
Though estimates vary widely, Mayweather is expected to bank a total of around $400 million, while McGregor will likely pocket at least $100 million.
In Turkey, the fight will be broadcast live on Sunday morning at 6am on PPV channel, S Sport.