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Apple Announced New MacBook Air: Specifications, Features, And Pricing
After a long overdue Apple finally announced an update to the beloved MacBook Air. The new MacBook Air has been updated both inside and outside. In fact, the new MacBook Air now looks similar to the MacBook Pro 13-inch without touch bar. So here’s everything you need to know about the new MacBook Air.
MacBook Air: Specifications And Features
The major highlight of the new MacBook Air is the 13.3-inch IPS LED-backlit retina display. MacBook Air has been completely redesigned and this compact notebook now feels more premium. As for security, the MacBook Air now has the TouchID sensor integrated within the keyboard and powered by the T2 security chip.
The new MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel i5 8th Gen processor coupled with Intel UHD Graphics 617. MacBook Air offers 8GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 RAM and comes with 128GB and 256GB PCIe-based SSD storage options. Furthermore, the new MacBook Air has two USB Type-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The new MacBook Air has improved speakers that enhance the overall experience while consuming media. In addition to that, the butterfly switch keyboard and new Force Touch trackpad make interacting with MacBook much easier.
MacBook Air is a perfect and reliable MacOS laptop for casual users that can be used for all sorts of productivity tasks like checking emails, word processing, and much more. Retina display on the MacBook Air also makes it a portable and ideal media consumption device that offers great battery life. That said, the MacBook Air isn’t perfect for professional uses like video editing and gaming.
MacBook Air: Pricing
The base variant of the new MacBook Air with 128GB storage is priced at Rs. 1,14,900 in India. While the variant with 256GB storage will retail for Rs. 1,34,900.
Samsung W2019 Flip Phone Announced: The $2700 Flagship
Samsung is possibly the only brand that offers futuristic foldable smartphones and the good old flip phones. The South Korean tech giant recently announced its new flagship flip phone the Samsung W2019.
Apart from its form-factor this flip phone packs flagship grade specs and it’s almost double in price compared to any other flagship smartphone. So here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung W2019.
Samsung W2019: Specifications And Features
Samsung W2019 is a premium flagship flip phone that sports two 4.2-inch AMOLED displays. These two displays have an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of 1920×1080. Similar to other flagship devices the Samsung W2019 is powered by the Snapdragon 845 processor and Adreno 630 GPU. The flip phone comes with 6GB RAM coupled with either 128GB or 256GB storage.
As for cameras, the Samsung W2019 features a dual camera setup consisting of a 12MP variable aperture wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto lens. It is worth noting that the Samsung W2019 features the same dual-camera setup as on the Galaxy Note 9. The Samsung W2019 is backed up by a 3700mAh battery.
The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and it runs on Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. Lastly, Samsung W2019 comes with a USB Type-C port but it lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Samsung W2019: Pricing And Availability
Samsung W2019 is available in Rose Gold and Platinum color variants. Presently, this premium flip phone only retails in China and will be exclusively available through China Unicom. The sales for this smartphone will begin on 11th November. The Samsung W2019 is priced for 18,999 CNY which roughly translates into $2270 or Rs. 1,95,000. Samsung offers free screen and battery replacements for this flip phone twice a year.
Next Apple iPhone may have a hole in its display, patent reveals
Apple who started the “notch” design standard that saw every other Android OEM incorporating in its smartphone is looking to trend set another legacy.
The Cupertino giant who had filed a patent back in June for a camera cut-out in the display has finally been approved. The patent titled “Integrated Camera Window” was approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on November 8.
The folks at LetsGoDigital who discovered Apple’s new patent shows an iPhone with a hole for the camera in the display. In other words, Apple is looking to place the iPhone’s front camera under the device’s screen in its future phones, thereby killing the notch design.
“Apparatus, systems, and methods for camera integration with a cover glass and for processing cover glass to provide a camera window for an electronic device are disclosed. A camera window can be integrated into the cover glass. The apparatus, systems, and methods are especially suitable for cover glasses, or displays (e.g., LCD displays), assembled in small form factor electronic devices such as handheld electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones, media players, personal digital assistants, remote controls, etc.,” the patent description read.
Besides iPhones, other electronic devices such as portable computers, tablet computers, displays, monitors, televisions as well as iPads, MacBooks, and iMacs could see in-display camera technology soon.
While patents are filed all the time, it is not necessary that every patent is converted into a finished commercial product or even a prototype. Whether or not, Apple will go ahead and implement the display technology in its future devices, only time will tell.
With this patent, Apple joins the list of companies such as Samsung, Asus, and LG who have filed similar patents in the past. However, Apple’s patent is a bit different from its contemporaries.According to the patent, Apple wants to fit the camera window with a ‘cover glass’ where cover glass refers to the display. This display technology is presently applicable only to the LCD screen.
Google still allows third-party developers to scan your Gmail accounts
In July this year, we had reported how Google is allowing third-party app developers access to user’s private messages in Gmail.
Now, the search giant has officially admitted in a letter to US lawmakers that it allows third-party apps to access and share data from Gmail accounts, even though Google itself has stopped the practice for the purpose of ad targeting last year.
“Developers may share data with third parties so long as they are transparent with the users about how they are using the data,” wrote Susan Molinari, Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs for the Americas at Google in the letter sent to the US Senators in July, which was made public on Tuesday.
Molinari also reiterated that Google employees can read Gmail users’ email content only in cases where a user has given consent, or where the content is required to be inspected by the company for security purposes, such as investigating a bug or abuse.
In the letter, the company said that it thoroughly vets any third parties that are granted 9access, and also manually reviews privacy policies and uses computer tools to detect any significant changes to the behavior of the apps.
Suzanne Frey, Google’s director of security, trust, and privacy explained in a blog post in July that Google grants certain permissions to third-party apps and services in order to enhance the experience for Gmail users.
“We make it possible for applications from other developers to integrate with Gmail – like email clients, trip planners and customer relationship management (CRM) systems – so that you have options around how you access and use your email.” Ms Frey wrote.
“We strongly encourage you to review the permissions screen before granting access to any non-Google application,” she added.
Those who do not wish third-party apps scan your emails, then it is suggested that you can either uninstall extensions that you don’t trust and use apps from reputed developers or choose not to install the apps at all.
Real-time Google Translate available on all Google Assistant headphones
When Google launched the Google Assistant-enabled Pixel Buds last year, one of the highlighted features of the headphone was its ability to translate in real-time using Google Translate. However, until now this feature was exclusive only to Pixel Buds paired with a Google Pixel smartphone.
Google is now opening up the feature to more users and bringing real-time translation capabilities to all Google Assistant-powered headphones, according to a report from Droid-Life.
Google has updated the support page for the Pixel Buds that reads “Google Translate is available on all Assistant-optimised headphones and Android phones. The Google Assistant on Google Pixel Buds is only available on Android and requires an Assistant-optimised Android device and data connection.”
Some of the few headphones that are equipped with the Google Assistant include the Pixel Buds, Bose Quiet Control 35 II, Sony WI-1000X, Sony WH-1000XM2, Sony WH-1000XM3, JBL Everest 710GA, JBL Everest 110GA, OnePlus Bullets and a few more come with built-in Google Assistant.
If you are interested in trying out the feature, all you need to do is say “Hey Google, help me speak (name of the language)” to the Google Assistant on your earphone or device.


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With the return of Bob Iger as Walt Disney Co.’s CEO, fans are advocating for changes to the company’s theme parks.
On social media, people have expressed wanting the park reservation system gone citing that it ruins the overall Disney Park experience, among other things.
The reservation system requires guests to make a reservation before visiting a specific theme park. On some days, park reservations are unavailable for certain theme parks. The company has not announced plans to change or eliminate the park reservation system.
“I want to believe that Iger will get rid of the reservation system because I don’t want there to be a park reservation system,” Alicia Stella, a theme park blogger, said.
During a highly anticipated town hall for Disney employees on Monday, Iger announced that he would want to talk to Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, before making any decisions about the future of the reservation system.
The system debuted in 2021 at Disneyland Resort when the parks reopened after a yearlong closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new addition was supposed to monitor how many guests would be visiting the U.S. parks, according to former CEO Bob Chapek. The reservation requirement debuted in 2020 for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, since the park reopened earlier than its Anaheim counterpart.
As a frequent visitor to the Magic Kingdom, Stella said that the system negatively impacted her theme park experience more than it helped.
“It’s an annoyance for the guest, and it’s not giving them the peace of mind they think it is,” Stella said.
The theme park blogger explained that the parks still seem busy even with the reservation system in place. Sometimes, it can even be hard for Stella to obtain a park reservation. Recently, Stella tried to get a theme park reservation to meet up with a friend but couldn’t, even during the perceived “offseason” when the parks typically aren’t busy.
Other Disney Park fans, like theme park content creator David Vaughn, believe that the reservation system should only be used on certain days.
“I’m not super against the reservation system if it is needed to manage crowds,” Vaughn said. “It just doesn’t seem to be the case these days that it’s a huge benefit for the guests.”
Vaughn suggested that the company can use the reservation system when they expect to see large crowds due to a special event or new ride opening.
Regardless of the future of the park reservation system, Vaughn believes that the company should listen to its fans, especially when ticket prices keep increasing.
“If they are going to keep reservations, maybe the exchange would be to keep the crowds lower, especially on days when people are paying the most to go,” Vaughn said.

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MCCI: Mauritius business confidence up in 1st quarter 2015as domestic demand recovers
The business confidence index for Mauritius is favourable, depicting slow economic recovery and positive consumption confidence in the first three months of 2015; although certain sectors continue to be at risk, causing the future economic environment to depend on the performance of the upcoming months. (Image: labalisemarina.com)
Business confidence in Mauritius improved in the first quarter, driven by a recovery in domestic demand, according to a survey from the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) which showed that the quarterly confidence index rose to 87.9 points from 82.5 points in the last quarter of 2014.
This also signals a second consecutive increase in the index, which has not been seen since 2010,such that the business confidence index had increased from 77.5 points in the third quarter of 2014 to 82.5 points in the fourth quarter of 2014, and has now again increased to 87.9 points in the first quarter of 2015.
The overall assessmentreveals that the confidence of entrepreneurs in the island economy was at its lowest rate yet for five years in the third quarter of 2014, at 77.5 points, and thissecond consecutive increase to 87.9 points in the first quarter of 2015heralds“investments and growth”, announcedMCCIeconomistRenganaden Padayachy.
According to Renganaden Padayachy, this increase was mainly caused by an improvement in the situation of the entrepreneurs as they realised more sales upon direct increase in domestic demand.
However, certain sectors could face difficulties in the coming months, as there is a uncertainty with regard to the future ofsuch sectors, such as the commerce cluster for instance, where traders must get ready to face challengesover the next three months in particular.The analyst stressed that the next three months will accordingly determine whether there will be an economic recovery.
The above assessment shows the island economy has slowly been recovering from the global financial crisis, which dampened tourist arrivals, particularly from Europe.
The government’s decision to increase the old-age pension has already had a positive impact on consumption but a further increase in public investment is necessary to stimulate economic recovery, Renganaden concluded.


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If you’re a parent, chances are you know a thing or two about disinfecting your home in the aftermath of the cold or flu.
“If it is a bad bug, I literally quarantine the sick kid in their own room,” said Reno resident Laura Furumoto when asked how she “de-germs” her home. “Meals are eaten there, we put the VCR in their room, etc. Then when the cold has run its course, we use Lysol wipes on furniture, wash the bedding with OxyClean, color safe bleach and Tide, then spray everything down — carpets, door knobs and the bathroom with Lysol spray.
“And lots and lots of hand washing, antibacterial gel, latex-free gloves for cleaning, etc.,” she adds to the list of tips. “I am a nut about it.”
But experts advise that being a “nut” about disinfecting can cut the duration of a cold that may be making rounds in your home.
“Efforts at decontamination have been shown to work and decrease frequency of various respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses,” said Dr. Robert Rand, general practitioner with Reno’s Rand Family Care. “It is unrealistic to think you can live in a germ-free environment, but scrubbing down the surfaces in your home or work with any number of the various commercially available disinfectants generally works.”
So we’ve all heard that household items like toothbrushes, doorknobs and bed sheets can be breeding grounds for germs, but is this idea based in reality — or urban legend?
“Yes this is true,” Rand said, noting that cold germs are mostly spread by airborne transmission, but can settle on surfaces and infect other people. “The medical term is fomite, which is basically an inanimate object that can hold or ‘harbor’ germs.”
And one of the most usual of usual suspects: a toothbrush, which experts say can certainly be a source of germs following a cold or flu.
“Change your brush every three to four months,” Rand advised. “Store your brush open to the air. Rinse it well after use. And common sense dictates, wash hands after using the bathroom and before grabbing the tooth brush.”
What are some other tips to help kill cold germs before they strike again? The experts at Good Housekeeping advise the following:
• Assign the patient a specific hand towel or, even simpler, use paper ones.
• Line wastebaskets with plastic bags — or put out paper bags in the bed, bath and living rooms as tissue receptacles — for easy disposal.
• Place bottles of alcohol-based (at least 60 percent) hand sanitizer in convenient locations around the house to encourage use in addition to frequent hand-washing.
The need for hand sanitizer cannot be over-emphasized, Rand said — especially in light of recent research.
“A new study shows that 95 percent of people do not wash hands properly,” Rand said. “I am a believer in hand sanitizer — even in place of hand washing, because people don’t wash hands correctly. Keep hand sanitizer next to the sink. Use it and then rinse with water if needed.”
“Better yet, put hand sanitizer on, step out of the bathroom and then rub the hand sanitizer into your hands,” he added. “This gets you past the bathroom doorknob, which is surely contaminated unless it is cleaned with a high degree of frequency.”
And while winter cold season comes with the accompanying disadvantage of freezing temperatures, Reno’s summer and fall months mean breezy evenings and brisk mornings — which another Reno mom swears is a further key to decontamination.
“Open all the doors and many windows — get fresh air circulating, wash all bedding and towels and do the regular house-surface cleaning,” said Reno’s Katherine Loudon. “Everything just feels healthier with fresh air and linens — counters aren't all that need a refresh.”


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By Pelican Consultant Emma Scott
3 minute read
- Young children are increasingly making their voices heard, and big brands are listening.
- Children represent an increasingly important demographic to marketers.
- As the consumers of tomorrow, what matters to them should matter to you.
Gone are the days when children were seen and not heard. Quite the contrary, children are making their voices heard, and big brands are listening.
The Greta Thunberg effect.
For evidence of how much influence a single child can have, look no further than Greta Thunberg. In August 2018, aged 15, the Swedish activist began spending her school days outside the Swedish parliament, calling for stronger action on climate change by holding up a sign that read ‘Skolstrejk för klimatet’ (School strike for climate). Before long, other students engaged in similar protests in their own communities.
In March the following year, more than 1.4 million young people around the world took part in school strikes for climate action.
Ever since, children have been inspired to drive change in the classroom; challenging their school’s use of plastic straws, questioning the carbon footprint of school trips, demanding changes to lunch menus. They then come home and preach the climate change gospel to their parents. I know, I’m one of them.
My own nine-year-old daughter came home last week and proudly announced her new role as ‘Eco-rep’, before complaining about the fact leftovers from school dinners are being put in general waste.
But children are not limiting their passion for all things environmental to the confines of their own homes and classrooms. They’re identifying specific problems and taking their concerns right to the top.
Lego recently announced it will start replacing plastic packaging with paper bags from 2021, a move prompted by letters from children. Charity Comic Relief then revealed Red Nose Day 2021 will feature plastic-free red noses for the first time after schoolchildren asked for a switch to a natural alternative. The pupils from Cornwall even got support from Sir David Attenborough.
Why are big brands paying attention to little kids?
Put simply, children represent an increasingly important demographic to brands.
Firstly, children have significant purchasing power, especially now pocket money is going cashless. A 2019 study of the financial habits of four to 14-year-olds was not based on cash transactions, rather, data from parents who use Rooster Money’s app and preloaded contactless card.
Secondly, children have an increasing say in the buying decisions of their parents. From toys and games to food, and even dining out venues, 87% of parents surveyed say their children influence their purchase decisions.
Last but not least, children are the next generation of consumers, and big businesses recognise the value of laying the groundwork now by listening to what’s important to their future customers.
Why you should engage with young people
This all brings us back to Greta, the children of Fourlanesend Community Primary School in Cornwall, the young Lego enthusiasts and my own eco-rep daughter. What’s important to them is the planet they will inherit.
Just like millennials and generation z, children expect brands to ‘do the right thing’. Putting environmental concerns at the heart of your purpose statement, and actively reducing your environmental impact, will pay dividends.
Aside from green issues, looking at ways to partner with local schools is a great way to show you care about the community your business operates in, and prove you run a business with purpose.
There are lots of ways to get involved with local schools:
- Showcase student art or science projects.
- Involve students in environmental projects that relate to your business or organisation
- Provide curriculum-related speakers assemblies
- Offer internship or employment opportunities for students
- Host a visit or tour of your business
- Provide matching incentives for school fundraising activities
By actively engaging with young people now, you are not only adding brand value, but investing in potential future customers who will reward your purpose-driven business with loyalty in the years to come.
Pelican Communications is a specialist in the environment & CSR, food, packaging & logistics and trade association sectors and offers a range of services such as strategy, design, content creation, public relations and people development. Contact us for marketing and communications expertise.


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Singapore CPI -0.5% in 2016
Singapore's all Items CPI inflation rose to 0.2% in December from 0.0% in November, due to a stronger pickup in the cost of private road transport, latest data released by Monetary Authority Singapore and Ministry of Trade and Industry said.
Private road transport cost increased by 1.7% in December, following the 0.2% rise in November, as a result of higher petrol prices and car park fees. Services inflation edged up to 1.6% from 1.5% in November, on a faster increase in holiday expenses.
Food inflation was 2.0% in December, unchanged from the previous month. Price increases for both non-cooked food items and prepared meals were broadly stable.
Accommodation cost fell by 3.8% in December, overall retail goods inflation eased to 0.0% in December from 0.2% in November, on decreasing prices of personal care products following the rise in November.
For the whole year of 2016, CPI-All Items inflation came in at -0.5% for the second consecutive year, the release noted.
- APMR News


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Car dealers' group sees 10 percent increase
Car sales may burn rubber
Dealers' group sees 10 percent increase
Published 6:30 am, Wednesday, January 14, 2004
A healthier economy, aggressive incentive programs and and a wider selection of models will give Houston auto dealers a 10 percent boost in sales this year, Nason Feldman, the newly elected chairman of the Houston Automobile Dealers Association, predicts.
Auto sales were down 7 percent in 2003 from the previous year, but Feldman said there are several reasons to be optimistic now.
Last year, there was uncertainty over impending war in Iraq, and the economy was down, he said.
But the current healthier economy fosters a "wealth effect," he said: With the stock market up, "people are feeling better about their 401(k)s," more secure about their financial futures and more willing to invest in new cars.
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Additionally, auto dealers are still offering exceptional incentives, including rebates up to $5,000 and zero percent financing, Feldman noted.
2000, 2001 and 2002 were "very, very strong" for Houston auto dealers. Last year, although down a bit, was still the fifth best year on record, locally, he said.
Feldman also is planning on 2004 being a "cycle year," in that many of the hordes of people who bought vehicles in 2000 and 2001 will be back in the market for a new car or truck.
Along with his prediction of a 10 percent increase for Houston-area auto sales, he sees a 5 percent to 10 percent rise the following year.
Feldman, previously an investment banker, is vice president of Helfman Ford, where he has worked since 1982.
Jim Hossack, a consultant with AutoPacific, an automotive marketing and consulting firm, foresees a "slightly better" year for dealers nationally, which, he said, is quite good, considering that the industry has experienced the best five years in its history.
Hossack predicted that pickup trucks, particularly the new Ford F-150 and Nissan Titan, will be hot sellers.
Chris Cedergren, an analyst with the consulting firm Nextrend, also envisions a slight boost in auto sales. Noting that manufacturers spent $2,500 and more per vehicle on incentives last year, he said the amount spent this year may be lowered to $2,000, "or it may stay where it is."
He said the Chrysler 300, an upscale sedan, and the Dodge Magnum, a sports wagon, should do better than the models they replaced. He also expects strong sales for the new Ford Mustang, making its debut this fall, as well as the Volvo S40 and BMW 6 series.


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Epson has restructured its local management team in a bid to better support its retail sales channel. The decision has resulted in four redundancies.
Marketing director, Mike Pleasants, said the company's retail business had become significantly stronger in recent times. Mass merchant partners include Harvey Norman, OfficeWorks and Dick Smith.
"It's about 50/50 [retail/distribution] now," he said. "Four years ago, it was more distributor weighted, with as much as 75-80 per cent going through that channel depending on product range.
"I think all of the industry has seen an increase in retail activity."
As a result, Epson has retrenched two regional sales managers in Queensland and Western Australia. Regional managers in NSW and WA/NT will now fulfill their responsibilities.
It has also cut two staff from its call centre. The changes came into effect earlier this month. Pleasants said it was increasing retail resources by adding merchandisers and account managers in WA and Queensland.
"The changes are in order to make sure we have retail covered in those two territories and have more support to address their needs," he said.
But despite the growing focus on mass merchants, Pleasants said Epson would continue to give the IT channel access to its full range of products.
"For products $US1500 and under, there's no differentiation [between retail and IT]. The area where we get more channel specific is the large format printing - about 44-inch wide," he said. "There's a higher skill set required, and we have a dedicated division looking at that."


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Westpac is expanding access to its banking services with a major technology upgrade that will enable customers to use any branch across the group’s brands for cash transactions.
With the roll-out, customers of St.George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne will be able to make transactions, including withdrawals, deposits and transfers, at any Westpac branch, and vice versa.
The new capability builds on Westpac’s co-location strategy, where two Group brands in one area are brought together under one roof in key locations. More than 80 co-locations have opened across Australia since 2021.
“This is part of our broader strategy to provide our customers, including in rural and regional Australia, greater access to banking services through investing in technology, digital services such as our mobile app and video banking, branch footprint and key partnerships,” Westpac CEO Peter King said.
To facilitate the change, legacy platforms across Westpac Group brands have been modernised to create a one bank system for handling cash. That means that all ATMs and coin deposit machines will also be available for use by customers across all brands.
“Our customers are now doing their banking across multiple channels, so we’ve created a more connected branch network to make it easier for them to bank with us, no matter which of our brands they choose,” said Jason Yetton, Westpac Group chief executive, consumer.
Led by the consumer and business banking divisions, the project entailed an overhaul of the cost centre structure for the branch network, including changing branch BSBs.
Yetton made the announcement at the new co-located BankSA and Westpac branch in Torrensville, South Australia.
BankSA customers will now have access to 488 additional banking locations across Australia, including 15 Westpac branches in South Australia, while Westpac customers will have access to 53 BankSA branches in South Australia.
“We know many small businesses and sole operators also need access to cash to do business, and this change means it will now be even easier for them to visit one of our branches for essential tasks like deposits, withdrawals and transfers,” Yetton said.


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Twitter Bans Third-Party Apps Without Warning
It began shutting off API access to popular Twitter clients like Twitterific and Fenix several days ago and has now made the change official.
Google to Add Package Tracking Features to Gmail
Google is adding integrated package tracking to Gmail, which looks like a real time-saver for those who are constantly checking in with their shipments.
Google Officially Puts Hangouts Out to Pasture
After announcing that its popular chat platform would shut down in 2018, Google has been urging users to switch to Google Chat. But now, you've got no choice.
Microsoft to Add Android 13 and New Features to Windows 11
Microsoft plans to improve the Windows Subsystem for Android with a move to the latest Android 13 OS.
Google Updates Messages App to Enhance RCS, Annoy iPhone Users
Messages will let you react to all messages with an emoji, but that's probably more about annoying iPhone users than anything else.
Newly Updated Steam App Lets You Start Remote Downloads to Your PC
The new version, now live on Android and iOS, has a more functional design, additional login options, and the ability to remotely install games on your PC.
Pfizer Buys App That Diagnoses COVID-19 by Analyzing a Cough’s Sound
The pharmaceutical and biotech company has been working toward expanding its digital health portfolio, and ResApp’s trial results are promising, especially for a company already intimately familiar with the fight against COVID-19.
Google Wants Future Android Apps to Work Across a Range of Devices
To start, cross-device apps will focus on linking multiple Android devices together to enable collaboration and sharing in new ways.
Android 13 Source Code Hints at 64-bit Only Apps Starting in 2023
Hints in the Android 13 source code show that Google's upcoming Pixel Tablet may be the first Android hardware to specifically disallow 32-bit apps, and the next version of Android may do the same.
Winamp Is Back to Whip the Llama After 4 Years of Development
The first release candidate is available for download, and it still whips the llama -- yes, Winamp 5.9 plays that iconic intro when you first launch it.


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Confused by the multitude of dog food and cat food recalls in 2012? With the manufacturer of Diamond Naturals and Diamond Dog Foods and Cat Foods, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Premium Edge, Taste of the Wild and other brands making an initial recall on April 6th due to potential Salmonella contamination, only to be followed by nine separate expansions of the original recall (to date), it’s become increasingly difficult to keep up with the rapid pace of pet food recall news.
We’ve researched and culled through hundreds of articles associated with the most recent recalls and have summarized the findings in a new Pet Food Recalls page on our site:
Here’s a bit of background on the recalls:
To date, at least sixteen humans and innumerable dogs and cats have become sick or have died in 2012 (no human deaths reported) after eating and/or handling Diamond Pet Foods products or foods produced at Diamond plants, including at least one infant.
On May 29th the U.S. FDA reported that samples from two Diamond Pet Foods plants reported positive for Salmonella contamination, with Salmonella Liverpool identified at the plant in Meta, Missouri, and Salmonella Infantis in Gaston, South Carolina. The FDA initiated a week-long investigation on April 12th, 2012 of Diamond’s facility in South Carolina and found numerous violations, including notifying the company that its screening process for possible contaminants wasn’t thorough enough.
The recalled dog food products were sold or distributed in over thirty states and two countries, including Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Recalled dog food brands include:
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
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Moss Bros offloads Cecil Gee to JD Sports
Tuesday 21 June 2011
The suit retailer Moss Bros has sold off its chain of Cecil Gee stores after two decades of ownership to JD Sports in a deal worth £1.7m.
The divestment, which closed on Saturday, is part of Moss Bros chief executive Brian Brick's strategy to sell off peripheral parts of the business and "simplify the structure".
Mr Brick called the disposal a "significant milestone" in his strategy to make the company profitable. He said: "When I joined, the business was too complicated; we had to get the core business right." Yesterday's announcement follows the sale of the Hugo Boss franchise business announced earlier this year.
While like-for-like sales at Moss Bros were up 13.4 per cent for the 20 weeks to 18 June, the chief executive would not commit to the company's return to profit beyond saying it was "poised" to move back into the black.
Moss Bros can trace its history back 160 years. It merged with Cecil Gee in 1988, with the deal bringing prestigious stores including Beale & Inman and the Savoy Taylors Guild. Analysts at Altium Capital backed the decision to sell off the chain, saying it left Moss Bros a "much cleaner and more focused company" before adding the company was an "interesting recovery play, which should benefit from further self-help measures".
For the financial year to 29 January, Cecil Gee lost £500,000 but JD is confident it can turn the operation around. Peter Cowgill, the executive chairman of JD, said the takeover would be a "low-risk springboard for the development of a well-funded profitable premium-brand fashion chain". Cecil Gee will sit with JD's Scotts and Bank chains.
JD Sports also launched JD Sprinter after taking a 50.1 per cent stake in Spanish sports retailer Sprinter, it announced yesterday.
The remaining 49.9 per cent of shares in the group are owned equally by the Segarra family, who set the chain up in 1981, and the Bernad family, who have been investors in the chain for 15 years.
JD said the two acquisitions would expand its retail operation in Europe and increase its exposure "to a broader portfolio of premium brands".
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Destination wedding industry in Seychelles takes huge hit amid COVID
According to the Civil Status Office, over 1,000 tourists marry in a typical year. (Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency)
(Seychelles News Agency) - Amid rising COVID case numbers and new or continued travel restrictions, foreigners hoping to marry on the sandy shores of Seychelles have had to postpone, cancel or change wedding plans.
A full-time wedding decorator and planner, Jeanina Edmond, said that although the international airport reopened on August 1 to scheduled passenger flights, the number of tourists coming to Seychelles to get married during this time of the year has dropped.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, I only organised the wedding of two foreigners. Now I am not doing any weddings but I have turned my focus rather on preparing bridal bouquets for newlyweds," said Edmond.
According to the Civil Status Office, over 1,000 tourists marry in a typical year.
Edmond, who resides in the northern district of Anse Etoile, usually gets her clients through hotels.
"In the good days, we were getting at least two to three wedding events to organise. Now the business has dropped by almost 80 percent," said Edmond who added that she is not discouraged as she is following an upskilling programme set by the government to help entrepreneurs diversify their business.
Another wedding planner, Audrey Jupiter, said that her business has been badly impacted since the pandemic crippled the tourism industry, the top pillar of the Seychelles' economy.
"Wedding planners and decorators have been struggling to keep their businesses up and running during this unprecedented time," said Jupiter.
She added that "Seychelles remains a wonderful place to say 'I do'. We need to sit down with the authorities to see how we can continuously entice newlyweds to get married here. This is a form of tourism."
Jupiter said that "weddings have historically been recession-proof. Though budgets and trends may change, weddings will always go on. While this is devastating for the hospitality and event industry, those who remain steadfast will come out stronger on the other side. I have a feeling the celebration will be appreciated more than ever."
Meanwhile, with the aim of promoting Seychelles as a wedding destination, the Seychelles Tourism Board participated in the first 3D virtual wedding fair, held last month. STB joined five other partners in 'The World of Weddings' where it presented offerings of the destination for intimate weddings, celebrations, honeymoons, and family getaways.


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|By PR Newswire||
|August 13, 2014 01:07 PM EDT||
NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IgnitionOne, a global leader in cloud-based digital marketing technology, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Human Demand, a leading mobile marketing technology company providing mobile advertising, audience and tracking solutions to marketers. With this acquisition, New York City-headquartered IgnitionOne continues to enhance its Digital Marketing Suite(SM) (DMS), the industry's most comprehensive integrated digital marketing technology solution, by adding mobile display advertising and cross-device tracking capabilities.
Human Demand's fully transparent, highly scalable and efficient mobile media solution will integrate with the DMS to:
- Better reach mobile audiences and mobile app users through mobile display, video and rich media advertising through the IgnitionOne DSP
- Provide additional capabilities for cross-device tracking to inform cross-channel attribution and user data
- Deliver targeted mobile audiences, including hyper local geo-targeting, at scale with superior location insights, campaign optimization and visual analytics
- Understand 100 percent of the users seen in-app through mobile exchanges with enriched bid request data targeting mobile audiences in real time
IgnitionOne's clients will benefit from Human Demand's intuitive self service interface whose capabilities will be seamlessly integrated into the DMS. The DMS is a digital marketing hub that centralizes the ability to buy, manage and optimize digital media across Search, Display, Social and Mobile, understand client prospects and customers through Data Management, Marketing Automation and Cross Channel Attribution, while optimizing conversions on a marketer's website through experience and content personalization.
IgnitionOne's Programmatic DSP module of the Digital Marketing Suite (DMS) and programmatic audience targeting business in the U.S., Netmining, will immediately benefit from this acquisition by expanding mobile advertising and targeting capabilities.
Human Demand currently handles 65 billion mobile real time bidding requests per month. The acquisition also brings to IgnitionOne Human Demand's partnerships with all major mobile ad exchanges, leading 3rd party data providers and access to thousands of top mobile publishers. Human Demand features the industry's first and only complete index of brand safety for over 2 million apps and proprietary mapping of 2,300+ chains, businesses across the US.
"We continue to break new ground in our efforts to make marketing simple by bringing together the purchasing, optimizing and management of media as well as the centralizing of user data all in one place," said Will Margiloff, CEO of IgnitionOne. "Human Demand brings to the table key capabilities that will make the Digital Marketing Suite the most complete and integrated technology in the industry."
"We are very excited to join a team that clearly 'gets it,'" said Human Demand CEO Howie Schwartz. "IgnitionOne has consistently been ahead of the innovation curve and committed to helping marketers reach their audience regardless of the channel or device – truly going beyond the silos."
This acquisition is the second in 2014 for the independent, 450-person company and supports IgnitionOne's goal to integrate best-of-breed digital marketing technology into a single, integrated solution.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
IgnitionOne® is a global leader in cloud-based digital marketing technology providing a world-class proprietary platform and expert services to improve digital marketing performance across PC and Mobile platforms. IgnitionOne's integrated Digital Marketing SuiteSM (DMS) empowers marketers to buy, manage and optimize digital media across Search, Display, Social and Mobile, understand client users through Data Management and Cross Channel Attribution, while helping to optimize conversions on a marketer's website through Marketing Automation. At the core of the DMS is the proprietary User Engagement Score Algorithm which determines the value of a user in order to automate the delivery of the right message, at the right time, at the right cost, to a marketer's users, on and off their website.
IgnitionOne currently scores over 300 million users monthly in 75 countries and powers more than $30 billion in revenue each year for leading brands, including General Motors, CenturyLink, Bridgestone, La Quinta and Fiat, as well as advertising agencies such as 360i, GroupM and iProspect.
SYS-CON Events announced today that BMC Software has been named "Siver Sponsor" of SYS-CON's 18th Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7-9, 2015 at the Javits Center in New York, New York. BMC is a global leader in innovative software solutions that help businesses transform into digital enterprises for the ultimate competitive advantage. BMC Digital Enterprise Management is a set of innovative IT solutions designed to make digital business fast, seamless, and optimized from mainframe to mo...
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Join us at Cloud Expo | @ThingsExpo 2016 – June 7-9 at the Javits Center in New York City and November 1-3 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA – and deliver your unique message in a way that is striking and unforgettable by taking advantage of SYS-CON's unmatched high-impact, result-driven event / media packages.
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The cloud market growth today is largely in public clouds. While there is a lot of spend in IT departments in virtualization, these aren’t yet translating into a true “cloud” experience within the enterprise. What is stopping the growth of the “private cloud” market? In his general session at 18th Cloud Expo, Nara Rajagopalan, CEO of Accelerite, will explore the challenges in deploying, managing, and getting adoption for a private cloud within an enterprise. What are the key differences betwee...
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18th Cloud Expo, taking place June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy. Meanwhile, 94% of enterprises are using some...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Tintri Inc., a leading producer of VM-aware storage (VAS) for virtualization and cloud environments, will exhibit at the 18th International CloudExpo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, and the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Isomorphic Software will exhibit at SYS-CON's [email protected] at Cloud Expo New York, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Isomorphic Software provides the SmartClient HTML5/AJAX platform, the most advanced technology for building rich, high-productivity enterprise web applications for any device. SmartClient couples the industry’s broadest, deepest UI component set with a java server framework to deliver an end-...
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In his keynote at 18th Cloud Expo, Andrew Keys, Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise, will provide an overview of the evolution of the Internet and the Database and the future of their combination – the Blockchain. Andrew Keys is Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise. He comes to ConsenSys Enterprise with capital markets, technology and entrepreneurial experience. Previously, he worked for UBS investment bank in equities analysis. Later, he was responsible for the creation and distribution of life ...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that ContentMX, the marketing technology and services company with a singular mission to increase engagement and drive more conversations for enterprise, channel and SMB technology marketers, has been named “Sponsor & Exhibitor Lounge Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 18th Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York. “CloudExpo is a great opportunity to start a conversation with new prospects, but what happens after the...
May. 26, 2016 11:30 AM EDT Reads: 954
With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing IoT strategies, now is the perfect time to attend @ThingsExpo 2016 in New York and Silicon Valley. Learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is as "IoT-Ready" as it can be! Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place Nov 3-5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, is co-located with 17th Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty ...
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SYS-CON Events announced today the Docker Meets Kubernetes – Intro into the Kubernetes World, being held June 9, 2016, in conjunction with 18th Cloud Expo | @ThingsExpo, at the Javits Center in New York, NY. Register for 'Docker Meets Kubernetes Workshop' Here! This workshop led by Sebastian Scheele, co-founder of Loodse, introduces participants to Kubernetes (container orchestration). Through a combination of instructor-led presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on labs, participants learn ...
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text:
From The Wall Street Journal:
Amazon.com Inc. for years has successfully fended off attempts by its U.S. employees to unionize. Now the tech company is preparing for a labor battle unlike anything in its history.
In the next two months, thousands of Amazon employees at an Alabama warehouse are set to cast mail-in ballots over whether to organize into a union, a vote that could reshape the relationship between workers and the nation’s second-largest employer.
The commerce giant faces a familiar opponent: the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, or RWDSU, which along with local organizers is helping to lead the pro-union campaign. The union has helped organize thousands of poultry workers in Alabama, a right-to-work state, and has become a frequent Amazon antagonist in recent years. The RWDSU fought the company’s plans for a second headquarters in New York in late 2018 and supported worker protests at some warehouses during the coronavirus pandemic.
So far, the current effort has had more success than other attempts to organize Amazon workers, according to labor experts. They note that a successful union push at the warehouse could spur similar actions at Amazon’s more than 800 facilities in the U.S.
“Amazon has seen their demand skyrocket” during the pandemic, said Arthur Wheaton, director of Western NY Labor and Environmental Programs for the Worker Institute at Cornell University. The company’s continued growth will bring increasing scrutiny over how it pays and treats its employees, he said.
The effort still faces formidable obstacles. Amazon has sought to postpone the election’s scheduled Feb. 8 start and appealed the National Labor Relations Board decision to allow a mail-in vote. While the vote is likely to proceed as scheduled, a decision to unionize could lead to years of bargaining over the first contract, labor experts say.
The company is holding frequent meetings at the 855,000-square-foot facility about 15 miles southwest of Birmingham to counter the union’s effort, employees say. It also hired a law firm that specializes in countering organizing efforts and set up a website asserting that employees already receive the benefits and pay for which a union would bargain and should vote no to avoid the cost of dues.
An Amazon spokeswoman said the company doesn’t “believe the RWDSU represents the majority of our employees’ views. Our employees choose to work at Amazon because we offer some of the best jobs available everywhere we hire, and we encourage anyone to compare our total compensation package, health benefits, and workplace environment to any other company with similar jobs.”
If workers vote in favor of the union, Alabama’s “right to work” rules mean employees aren’t automatically part of the union. Workers wouldn’t be required to join the union or pay dues, potentially making it harder to expand membership. Some workers interviewed by The Wall Street Journal said they weren’t supportive because they didn’t believe union representation would substantially improve their conditions.
. . . .
Organizers collected thousands of signatures from employees showing support for an election. In December, the labor board decided to allow the election to move forward and later set the February-to-March voting period.
The RWDSU has had success in Southern states, particularly within the poultry industry. The union said it represents roughly 15,000 poultry workers across the South, including Alabama. Early in the pandemic, it reported on deadly Covid-19 outbreaks in poultry facilities while urging employers to improve working conditions. Major poultry companies have implemented temperature checks, increased cleaning and issued protective equipment, among other measures.
Chartered in the late 1930s, the RWDSU now represents thousands of employees from retail chains that include Macy’s Inc. and Bloomingdale’s, as well as workers in warehousing and the service industry.
. . . .
The union was among a group of critics at the heart of a fierce backlash when Amazon announced plans to locate a part of a second headquarters in New York City in late 2018.
Amazon had selected the city as part of its so-called “HQ2” development around the same time the RWDSU had been rallying support for workers to unionize at a facility in Staten Island, an effort that ultimately fizzled. The union opposed the nearly $3 billion in government incentives Amazon would have received for creating 25,000 jobs in the city.
The union was involved in a last-ditch meeting with company executives organized by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to salvage the planned expansion. In the meeting, executives and labor leaders tentatively agreed to continue discussions related to the unionization effort, according to people familiar with the talks.
Amazon ultimately scuttled its plans for the New York expansion, but the company has recently announced plans to hire thousands of new employees in various major U.S. cities, including New York.
“We saw that they were large and big and powerful, but they were also arrogant,” Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, said in an interview. “‘You can take on Amazon’ was an important lesson from HQ2.”
Link to the rest at The Wall Street Journal (PG apologizes for the paywall, but hasn’t figured out a way around it.)
PG tends to be reflexively anti-union because of repeated corruption and criminal charges brought against union leaders.
He certainly believes there was a time when unions were an important force for improving the lives of blue-collar Americans, but, fortunately or unfortunately, that time has passed.
He also suspects that Amazon can afford to shut down the Alabama warehouse in question without seriously harming the company’s operations. At PG’s last check, Amazon had well over 200 general-purpose warehouses (including two others in Alabama plus 25+ warehouses in adjoining states) plus a bunch of additional specialty warehouses in the United States.
PG is not an expert on labor law, but he suspects that, if the employees in the warehouse described in the OP voted to unionize, Amazon might shut down the warehouse permanently or for a long period of time, ship all the computers and equipment to one or more new US warehouses under construction and either try to sell the building or leave it vacant for awhile. Amazon starts its warehouse employees at $15.00 per hour. The minimum wage in the United States and Alabama is $7.25 per hour.
(In the U.S., states can set higher minimum wages. After a quick check, it appears that California’s minimum wage is the highest state minimum wage – $14.00 in 2021 for employers with more than 26 employees.)


text:
"Bihar too had abolished the APMC Act some years ago," says S Sivakumar, the chief executive of ITC's agribusiness unit. "But not much has happened there." New linkages between farmers and consumers have not come up; neither have farmers received their fair share of higher realisations nor consumers the benefit of lower prices. According to Sivakumar, it is incontrovertible that the APMCs have outlived their utility. Before they were created, traders used to buy produce from farmers by visiting villages. Often, at very low rates.
To supervise these transactions, and give farmers a better deal, the government came up with the idea of having all agricultural produce transactions at predetermined locations — where officials could supervise them.
Sivakumar feels APMC yards (essentially, mandis) are not needed anymore. "They were needed in the 1960s as a competitive price discovery mechanism, compared to the village trader system, prevailing till then. But now one can discover prices sitting in the village, by leveraging new technologies, and bypass the APMC mandis. This certainly reduces transaction costs, including handling losses." The APMC yards have also seen instances, as in the case of onions, where a small number of traders have come to control the market, giving them undue pricing power over farmers.
There are other problems. According to YK Alagh, former chairman of Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), not only are Indian farmers responding to the higher demand for non-cereals, they are also heading to small towns to sell their produce. "We are simply not creating the processing, market and transport infrastructure for them," he says.
For that reason, he adds, "the APMC noise is largely misplaced. It will not have much impact either on food prices or farmer incomes, because it does not address the problem of improving the marketing infrastructure where it is needed -- close to the demand centres." Without addressing these questions of market access, not much will change. Says Narasimha Reddy, a Hyderabad-based researcher who specialises in Indian agriculture, even under the new non-APMC regime, smaller farmers might struggle to access larger markets. If anything, the networks and individuals who control the existing trade in fruits and vegetables might become more dominant.
These new models could be like Hyderabad's Rythu Bazaars. For the longest time, Sekhar Goud, a farmer in Andhra Pradesh's Rangareddy district, used to sell his vegetables to traders in mandis. That changed in 1999, when the state government rolled out Rythu Bazaars (Telugu for 'farmer markets').
In these markets, set up in urban centres, farmers can sell directly to consumers, thus realising a better price. The model is working, says Goud. "We are happy with the prices we get." Today, Rythu Bazaars account of 41% of all vegetable supplies in Hyderabad, and about 10% of the total urban requirement in the state. They attract even small farmers, who bring their produce from 25-30 km afar in a state transport bus. That distance can be, at times, a limitation. "We see a lot of farmers sell their produce in distress in the evenings to clear stocks for the day (and return home) and fear of perishables," says MK Singh, CEO of Rythu Bazaars. "Wastage is anywhere between 30-50%."
In contrast, another model, like the Safal Mandi, on the outskirts of Bangalore, works on a larger scale. These started coming up about 10 years ago. Here, farmers from a 100-150 km radius are aggregated into producer organisations.
They send their produce in truckloads to the mandi, where consumers – typically, businesses like retail chains or eateries — buy through an electronic auction after the produce has been graded.
However, such models —or procurement by companies outside mandis — are still the exception rather than the norm. "These models were struggling to come up till now as there was a monopoly on agricultural marketing," says Sivakumar. "Without the APMC, there is a possibility that we might see new ones come up."
Another problem with APMCs, says Sivakumar, is they made the relationship between farmers and the next level in the value chain purely transactional. "Each of them is only looking to maximise value for themselves; in the process, the whole chain became expensive due to added costs and risks." If the newer models are collaborative between buyers and farmers, they can also trigger investments and raise productivity. As diverse models come up, India will need to ensure better price discovery across multiple channels.
It will also need to ensure that unfair practices do not take place. For that reason, there will still be a need for the APMC regulations.
Says Sivakumar: "APMC mandis should exist as an auction mechanism, competing with other agri marketing alternatives such as direct marketing or contract farming, but these mandis must operate under the jurisdiction of the Competition Commission or a new regulatory authority for agricultural produce marketing."
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More devices, more sales, more challenges
March 12, 2015 11:28 AM
The good news for retailers is that consumers are shopping anywhere and everywhere—on the train from a smartphone, while waiting at the doctor’s office from their tablets or at home from laptops. And it’s not just multiple device sizes and formats fostering the growth of e-commerce and m-commerce. More coffee shops and bars offer Wi-Fi, and cities like Chicago have announced that big carriers will bring LTE, or 4G, to subways.
In short, purchasing from an online retailer from just about anywhere is much faster and easier than even just a few years ago. That opens the door to more online sales but also requires that retailers design for a slew of devices that are being used by consumers in many scenarios all day long. Speakers at the IRCE Focus: Digital Design 2015 will help exploit the surge in m-commerce and e-commerce, offering tips to remove design headaches and clearing a path to drive sales.
“It’s a great positive that customers have so many ways of connecting with us, but it’s difficult to keep up with designs that work reliably and effectively across all possible iterations,” says Kevin Ertell, senior vice president, digital, at cookware and housewares retailer Sur La Table Inc. Ertell will deliver a keynote speech at IRCE Focus: Digital Design on Wednesday, March 18, entitled: Designing the Web Site to be the Hub of the Brand.
Sur La Table, like many other retailers, is increasingly moving toward using images and away from displaying a lot of text on its site. This is because consumers frequently browse from mobile devices, where text can be tough to read on a smaller screen. Mobile networks, as mentioned before, also are getting stronger and can load rich content, like high-definition images, faster than before, Ertell says.
Adapting to mobile design is important to Fathead LLC, an e-retailer of vinyl wall decals and home decor because sales coming from consumers using mobile devices are growing fast. Fathead’s mobile sales grew 50% last year, topping out at $10.1 million, or just under a quarter of total online sales, according to Internet Retailer’s 2015 Mobile 500. Michael Layne, director of Internet marketing at Fathead, will present a featured address at the conference entitled: Responsive Design: The Year-One Lessons That Build an Even Better Year Two. Responsive design is a technique many retailers are employing with the increase in the many varying sizes of mobile devices. Instead of a retailer creating separate sites for the plethora of devices, responsive design lets retailers design a site using a single codebase that automatically adapts to the screen size a shopper is using.
“The question to ask yourself is, when 60% of your traffic is on touchscreen devices, why are you still basing your designs on desktop monitors?” Layne says.
Fathead is No. 356 in the Internet Retailer 2014 Top 500 Guide; Sur La Table is No. 303.


text:
Tony Rackauckas. (Courtesy photo)
A number of plaintiffs attorneys, hoping to jumpstart lawsuits over General Motors Co.’s ignition switch recalls, are challenging a court order that prevents them from pursuing their claims.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber has temporarily halted proceedings in consumer lawsuits filed over GM’s ignition-switch defect, which prompted recalls of 2.6 million vehicles this year. Plaintiffs lawyers in three cases, hoping to escape Gerber’s stay order, assert that their claims aren’t subject to decisions in GM’s bankruptcy. So far, their challenges have been unsuccessful.
“GM’s strategy in the bankruptcy court has closed the door to every court in America,” said Gary Peller, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, one of the lawyers challenging the stay order. “This is a real abuse of the legal process.”
GM, represented by Arthur Steinberg, a partner at King & Spalding in New York, alleges the claims are subject to the bankruptcy proceeding because they involve cars, trucks or automobile parts made before 2009, when the company filed for Chapter 11 protection.
On May 16, Gerber, of the Southern District of New York, issued the stay, which remains in effect until he decides whether those lawsuits are barred under the terms of GM’s bankruptcy. GM has moved to toss out most of the ignition-switch cases on that ground. On Monday, Gerber delayed briefing on that issue.
On Tuesday, Orange County, Calif., District Attorney Tony Rackauckas sought to partially lift the stay so that he could seek remand of his case to Orange County Superior Court. Rackauckas sued GM on June 27 seeking civil remedies on behalf of California consumers with cars and trucks recalled over 35 defects, including the ignition switch.
“This action is a police-power action,” said Mark Robinson, a senior partner at Robinson Calcagnie Robinson Shapiro Davis Inc. who is working on the case with Rackauckas. “This is not something they should have removed.”
In another case, nine named plaintiffs claim they’re not subject to the bankruptcy proceeding because they bought their cars after 2009. Gerber disagreed on Aug. 4. “Our argument is that, once GM emerged from bankruptcy, anyone who bought their product isn’t covered by the bankruptcy sale order,” said Jeffrey Block, co-founding partner of Boston’s Block & Leviton, who brought the class action.
A third case, brought on behalf of a couple who owned two 2006 vehicles, asserts claims under the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act. Peller, who represents the couple, argued their lawsuit is exempt from the bankruptcy stay because it involves GM’s conduct after 2009—namely, its failure to disclose safety defects.
“The Elliotts are not claiming when they bought their cars that they were tricked,” said Peller, referring to his clients, Lawrence and Celestine Elliott. “They’re claiming new GM was the wrongdoer. They knew their car was dangerous and failed to tell them. Their entire case is based on the conduct of new GM.”
Gerber, citing his ruling in the earlier case, rejected that argument on Aug. 12.
Plaintiffs attorneys in both cases said they would appeal Gerber’s decisions to U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman, who is overseeing more than 100 ignition switch lawsuits. On Aug. 15, Furman asked lawyers in both cases to come up with a schedule to address their appeals.
Contact Amanda Bronstad at firstname.lastname@example.org.


text:
French household consumption of goods was down by 0.1 percent in April after rising 1.1 percent in March, national statistics institute Insee said on Monday.
Last month’s drop in expenditure stemmed mainly from decelerating energy consumption which slowed by 0.9 percent compared to the 4.4 percent increase reported in March on falling petroleum products.
Insee data also showed a significant drop in food consumption by 1.2 percent, due mainly to a further decrease in meat consumption and a downturn in beverages.
However, on a quarterly basis, household goods consumption grew by 1.6 percent thanks to a rise in the consumption of energy products and durable goods.
The consumption of manufactured products accounts for 25 percent of France’s total expenditure of goods and services. (Cihan/Xinhua)


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Robinhood can now add a class action lawsuit to its growing list of headaches after it said it would restrict users from trading GameStop and other stocks. A class action lawsuit was filed in New York Thursday, alleging that Robinhood “deprived their customers of the ability to use their service,” in an effort “to manipulate the market for the benefit of people and financial intuitions.”
GameStop, a company that was expected to close hundreds of stores in 2021, has made a stunning comeback in the stock market. And it’s all thanks to an army of Reddit users who were gutsy enough to take on big Wall Street.
Last year, steep declines in Chinese stocks were periodically followed by dramatic, if less severe, declines in U.S. and European stocks.
On 2016’s first day of trading, it’s more of the same.
Mobile payment service Square filed for an initial public offering (IPO) today. Here’s what it means…


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New data shows that only 12% of consumers oppose a store's pledge to remain closed on Thanksgiving Day
Costco. Ikea. Marshalls, Neiman Marcus, and Petco. Even the Mall of America — the nation's largest shopping center.
What all these businesses (and plenty others) have in common is that they'll be closed on Thanksgiving Day, allowing both their employees and customers more time to spend with friends and family. Some analysts are calling this closed-doors policy a backlash against the growing trend of starting Black Friday sales earlier and earlier, year after year — even if that means cutting into the national day of thanks.
A new survey from YouGov shows that the public largely favors this stance, with 79% of US adults reporting that they support a store's pledge to remain closed on Thanksgiving Day. Only 12%, on the other hand, are opposed to the idea.
Further data shows that 44% of the public considers Black Friday, and its digital cousin, Cyber Monday, a distraction from the holiday season, which includes all the celebrations that occur between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. By contrast, 31% believe Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become a part of the holiday tradition.
When it comes to giving gifts, the majority of consumers (63%) prefer a personal item, such as something handmade or infused with sentimental meaning, as opposed to the latest and greatest device on the market. The same is true for what people want in return: 61% indicate that they'd prefer receiving a personal gift instead of, say, this season's most popular video game console.


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It has been a difficult year for companies in the semiconductor businesses, including Lam Research Corporation (LRCX 2.36%), which sells etch and deposition equipment to chip companies, with a majority of sales in the memory industry. Currently, there's a debate as to whether the recent dip in memory prices is a near-term, shallow blip or a harbinger of a more severe downturn.
Last week, UBS Group held its global technology conference, where Lam Research CEO Martin Anstice answered pointed questions about the negative sentiment surrounding the industry.
Hand-wringing over the semi cycle
Skeptics believe that since the industry has had such a large "boom" over the past couple of years, the ensuing "bust" will be just as severe. Many are scarred by the last downturn, in 2016, which was much worse than many were anticipating.
Anstice articulated the opposite view, however, saying, "... it's true that our customers are spending more money than ever in history on wafer fabrication equipment, it's also true ... at least in recent years ... they've never spent a smaller proportion of their profits, which is a commentary for me on sustainability." [Transcript via Seeking Alpha.]
In other words, Lam's customers are enjoying profitability so much greater than in the past that even if profits were to decline, these customers would still likely be able to afford investments in next-generation technology, including Lam's equipment).
Of course, earnings are likely to decline as memory prices have been coming down in 2018 and leading chip companies have issued cautious guidance amid the current U.S.-China trade war.
Regarding a current spending pause among customers, Anstice said, "... the adjustments are quick and direct and I think we live in a world of variability and less cyclical, in the traditional definition; more secular I think to the fundamentals to the industry."
In other words, Anstice believes that memory manufacturers are slowing down their spending earlier in the cycle than they have in previous years, not overproducing in an effort to gain market share. Anstice added, "For the last five or seven years I've felt like it's an entirely different industry and an entirely different dialogue with the customers than was true when I joined the company, and one element of that is, is discipline and proactiveness."
What about the NAND flash crash?
Currently, the weakest sector of the chip market is NAND flash memory, which is currently in a state of oversupply. Flash suppliers have increased 3-D NAND production in 2018, leading to an explosion of supply. At the same time, the cloud industry is stepping off the gas after years of heavy investment, and mobile phone sales are stagnating.
This is a potentially dangerous setup for Lam, which derives a majority of revenue from the NAND flash industry.
However, Anstice maintains that while the next few quarters may be challenging, the long-term picture for NAND is bright: "If I would have to pick ... part of the industry [that] has more clarity than any other in terms of technical roadmap, I pick NAND flash. And if I would pick ... the industry that I think has more fundamental demand drivers, I would pick NAND flash."
The AI-powered economy of the future means huge amounts of data will need to be stored safely and processed quickly. That means NAND flash will be in demand over the long term, even if the current surge of supply has overwhelmed demand in the near term.
Equipment makers are also dealing with a new ban on sales to China's Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., which was recently accused by the U.S. Commerce and Justice departments of stealing intellectual property from U.S. companies. While rival KLA-Tencor was relatively sanguine about the ban, Lam's other rival, Applied Materials, just guided for sequential revenue declines, driven entirely by the missing sales to Jinhua. Still, Anstice doesn't think the impact on Lam will be severe: "I can't speak to other companies, we've been more or less paid for what we've shipped. And to the extent that we are now unable to ship new systems or spare parts or support an installation with labor, the impact to the company is not material."
Anstice followed up by saying that even if China's memory industry were permanently stalled, growth would come from somewhere: "If one customer doesn't spend, another one usually does, because at the end of the day there is a global marketplace for devices."
Despite Anstice's reassurances, semi equipment manufacturers have been hit hard. But if you believe Anstice's narrative of less cyclical, long-term growth, all of these stocks look pretty cheap. I happen to think this whole space is undervalued, but the near term may be turbulent, so invest accordingly as it pertains to your risk tolerance.


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SnoPUD offers incentives, tips for conserving energy in cold weather
Last updated 10/28/2020 at 11:36am
With below average temperatures forecast and more workers and students staying home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping energy consumption down is more challenging than usual. Snohomish County PUD offers incentives on energy-efficiency products and easy energy-saving tips to help customers reduce usage and expenses.
The PUD is currently giving away energy-saving bundles to residential customers while supplies last. The entertainment bundle includes six LED light bulbs, an advanced power strip and an LED night light. The bathroom bundle, which includes four LED globe light, a handheld show...


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Five businesses have brought new life to the two buildings in The Timbers development, which opened in 2007 along Hwy. 35 in Onalaska.
Four of the businesses have opened in the last few months, and the fifth – Crossroads Bar & Grill — will open Monday in the south building at 426 Second Ave. S. The north building’s address is 420 Second Ave. S.
All five businesses are holding a grand opening celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, with such things as live music, door prizes, appetizers, ice cream samples and golf and baseball/softball simulators.
United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties, whose La Crosse-area office is in the south building, will host a La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours gathering at The Timbers for chamber members from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
The other businesses that have opened in The Timbers are GameDay Supply, The Zone and Crossroads Ice Cream Parlor.
Those three businesses are in the north building, which Aaron and Amanda Ross bought in July. The Ross family opened The Zone in part of that building on July 19.
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The Zone has a golf simulator, a baseball and softball simulator and two batting cages that are available with or without a pitching machine. While those facilities all can be used by individuals, registration continues for golf leagues, which already have started play. And registration is underway for baseball and softball leagues, which will begin play soon.
The Rosses opened Crossroads Ice Cream Parlor in July in the storefront next to The Zone. Their daughter, Addie, manages the ice cream business, which sells 16 flavors of Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream in the form of cones, cups, sundaes, malts and shakes.
In the space on the other side of the ice cream parlor, Derek Morse opened GameDay Supply. He started that business in 2015 as a mobile sporting goods store mostly selling baseball and softball items to players and fans at tournaments. Within the past year, he’s also created a website that he sells sporting goods on.
Morse opened his retail store in the north building in July. In it, he sells custom athletic apparel and uniforms, sporting goods such as bats and fielding gloves, and a line of fishing apparel that he designed. He also sells custom batting gloves with logos that teams and other organizations can order for players.
The Ross family will open Crossroads Bar & Grill on Monday in the south building of The Timbers. It will open at 10 a.m. seven days a week and remain open into the evening, said Aaron and Amanda Ross’s son, Austin Ross, who is its kitchen manager.
The bar and grill’s menu will include such things as specialty burgers made with Angus beef, wraps, soups, salads and other sandwiches, Austin Ross said. He predicted some of the most popular burgers will be the Mac Attack, which will include a layer of deep-fried macaroni and cheese; and The Beast, with a patty made from a combination of elk, buffalo, wild boar and wagyu beef.
For more information about the bar and grill, call 608-668-9057. Its website and Facebook page were under development last week.
The south building was purchased in July by Josh Genz, who is a partner in the United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties agency.
The agency’s La Crosse-area office moved from Holmen to The Timbers south building in August.
Last week, Genz described the agency as a real estate brokerage that covers the Tri-State Area of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. He said it is a unique business that serves buyers and sellers in many specialty property groups with a focus on residential homes, recreational/hunting land, farms, country homes, waterfront properties and luxury homes, as well as commercial and development properties.
“It is also launching its already established and dynamic auction services into the La Crosse-area offices,” Genz said.
While the agency’s local office occupies half of the south building’s first floor, Genz said its second floor is used as a conference room and for training. The second floor also is available for rent for small events such as baby or bridal showers or business or club gatherings.
Genz said he bought the south building, and the Rosses bought the north building, after they had been looking for locations where they could open businesses.
“This was an opportunity that we thought would be good for not only the community, but also would be a good real estate investment,” Genz said.
“We’re excited to showcase the buildings” during Thursday’s grand opening celebration, Genz said. “We’ve had more positive comments from people saying it’s great to see something coming in here.”
“We wanted to bring something to The Timbers that nobody has done before,” Aaron Ross said. “We wanted things that would blend together, so you could come here for a day if you wanted, to create a destination.”


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Topjack Games nominated for eGR B2B Awards
Instant-win lottery and mega jackpot online casino games supplier Topjack Games has announced that it has been nominated for a pair of prestigious prizes at the upcoming eGR B2B Awards.
Insured by Lloyd’s of London, Topjack Games has signed a raft of ‘white-label’ agreements since premiering in March of 2012 and most recently agreed to have its games appear on Cake Poker Network sites.
Malta-based Topjack Games revealed that it has been nominated for the Software Rising Star and the Innovation In RNG Casino Software prizes at this year’s eGR B2B Awards, which is schedule to take place on June 6 at The Pavilion in the Tower Of London.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for these two awards,” said Nick Lynes, Chief Executive Officer for Topjack Games.
“A panel of top online gaming industry professionals chooses these nominations, people who have shaped our industry in many ways, so it’s great to be acknowledged by them.
“Being acknowledged as a rising star is fantastic but getting recognised for our innovation is the icing on the cake; especially when you consider the other nominees. It is an honour to be in such esteemed, established and professional company.
“Since the company’s inception two years ago, we have increased our portfolio of games and we now offer our business partners a wide range of jackpot games including slots, blackjack, scratchcards, bingo, video poker, roulette, keno and many others.”


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Games such as Wii Sports Boxing made players feel like they were in a drunken pub fight, but Nintendo wants to revive the format’s fortunes
It truly is just who it appeals to, people are going to complain that they have to move while they play a game and they don't want to. So don't buy the game. I can't wait for it personally. And it does look so unique, my only concern is this will be the first game to display front and center the motion controls, I wonder how it will play. Can't wait though.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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I was recently a panel speaker at a digital insurance forum where the topic was ‘Are brokers going the way of the dinosaurs?’ My answer to that is most definitely not.
It’s true, in recent years,
Happy International #womeninscience day!— innovationXchange (@dfat_iXc) February 10, 2019
As one of the first women in Fiji to hold a professional drone pilot's license, Amrita from @WeRobotics is leading the way.
She’s ready to deploy drones when disasters strike Fiji.https://t.co/uUAQlBU5Qi pic.twitter.com/lgd7qcNIQ0
- Post launches new Reputation event focused on creating an ethical and inclusive insurance market
- Aviva transfers 1.39m policies to post-Brexit Irish business
- Court ruling swerves ‘new category of professional negligence claims’
- Gareth Howell steps down as managing director of Axa retail
- Allianz sets date for completion of LV business transfer
- This week in Post: Couples and coupes
- Chip shop worker jailed for £248,000 fraud


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Etsy replace chief executive after losses
By Mark Hayhurst 03 May 2017
There has been a shake-up at the top at Etsy following losses in the first quarter of 2017.
Chief executive Chad Dickerson, who was also chairman, has been replaced by former eBay executive Josh Silverman.
Etsy made a loss of $421 million in the first three months of the year, having earned $1.2 million a year earlier.
The company also announced an eight per cent cut to its workforce with the loss of 80 jobs.
Shares in the company fell 17 per cent in after hours trading in the US.
Etsy revealed it had sales of $96.9m in the three months to March, an 18 per cent increase from the year before.
However, that still came in below analyst estimates.
Dickerson said: “It has been an honour to lead Etsy as CEO for the past six years and the three years before that as CTO. The Board decided that it was time for new leadership to take Etsy forward and I support that decision. I deeply admire and respect each and every person on the Etsy team who has worked so hard during my tenure to deliver a great experience for Etsy buyers and economic empowerment for creative entrepreneurs around the world.
“I have the greatest degree of confidence in the long-term growth opportunities for Etsy under Josh’s leadership. I wish the company and the community the greatest success and look forward to supporting the
global community of Etsy sellers as a regular buyer after the transition.”
The company announced that the Etsy board of directors has appointed Silverman, a director on the board since November 2016, as CEO, effective from May 3.
Fred Wilson, who joined the Etsy Board in June 2007 and has served as lead independent director since October 2014, will succeed Dickerson as chair of the board.
As the new CEO of Etsy, Silverman has two decades of product development, marketing and e-commerce expertise.
He previously served as president of consumer products and services at American Express. Before American Express,
Silverman was CEO of Skype, CEO of shopping.com, an eBay company, and held various executive roles at eBay. He was also a co-founder and CEO of Evite Inc and he currently serves on the board of directors of Shake Shack.
Silverman said: “I have a deep appreciation for the mission of Etsy and the unique role that it plays in global e-commerce. Our focus will remain on delivering value to our community, including our shareholders. Having worked at other marketplaces, I recognize how difficult it is to create a differentiated value proposition for buyers that provides a unique opportunity for sellers—and Etsy has done that. In the coming weeks, I look forward to listening and learning from our employees, sellers, buyers and shareholders to help ensure we are focusing on the most value-enhancing near- and long-term opportunities.”
In addition, Etsy also announced that John Allspaw, chief technology officer, will be leaving the company and Mike Brittain, VP of Engineering, will be named interim CTO.


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- Real Estate
- Food & Drink
Dec. 23, 2020
Downtowners have a new option to stay fit.
Coast 2 Coast Athletic Club opened earlier this month on Main Avenue between Ninth and 10th streets in the former CPM Fitness space.
Owner Corey Vasquez’ first gym opened in northern Sioux Falls about seven years ago, and soon after he relocated to Tea, a facility now known as Coast 2 Coast South. He said having a second location has been a dream of his for a while.
“The downtown area itself has just such a cool vibe, and we really want to be a part of the culture,” Vasquez said.
Fitness has long been a part of Vasquez’ life. Originally from San Diego, he moved to Sioux Falls to play baseball for the University of Sioux Falls and later went to play for the Canaries.
His new downtown Coast 2 Coast location has a variety of fitness options with an emphasis on metabolic and resistance training. He has a staff of five personal trainers, who are available throughout the day for group fitness training.
“It’s basically like having a personal instructor walk with you and help you with form and make sure that you’re getting a good push,” Vasquez said.
These group classes are intended to fit around the average 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday schedule, with options in the early morning, late afternoon and midday during the lunch hour.
Unique to downtown are Coast 2 Coast’s infrared yoga classes, something Vasquez said is new to the Sioux Falls fitness scene.
Coast 2 Coast has a variety of membership tiers available, including some part-time options for people who already may have a gym they like but who are looking for another option a couple of days a week. Memberships are intended to be affordable, Vasquez said, with plans starting at $20 a month.
Customers also can drop in for a day or purchase a punch card for five or 10 classes, including yoga. The best way to sign up is through the Mindbody app.
Vasquez said he recognizes that opening a gym in the midst of a pandemic is an “out there” decision, but he has been pleased with the response.
“There’s only one way to grow, and that’s to make things happen and to put one foot forward,” he said. “The city itself has been extremely supportive, and the downtown community, everyone seems to be extremely welcoming.”
Coast 2 Coast Athletic Club has opened a downtown location.


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Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Apple continues to improve its mapping product by adding new features and content, albeit often under the radar. Last year, reviews and content from Booking.com and TripAdvisor began to show for locations and travel destinations, especially outside the US. In June of this year, the company introduced public transit routing as part of iOS 9 […]
Use of app indexing will send searchers from Google into the Facebook app, but only on Android and not for all Facebook content.
It’s been a year since we have seen coverage of a new Google Search Quality Rater’s Guide. Here is what is new.
Google is now smarter at understanding queries that include superlatives and times, as well as more complicated questions.
Image extensions are now available in all Bing Ads markets.
It’s clear in today’s market that traditional media companies need to adapt to the digital environment to grow their market share. A major challenge for agencies is to be able to quickly and accurately identify which customers are ready to adopt a digital strategy while insuring their sales team a cost-effective and efficient conversion. In […]
In the third and final article on the mobile search impact of Android Marshmallow’s new features and capabilities, contributor Cindy Krum discusses the “Click to Search” feature.
Digital marketing is a cluttered space. With a list of ad formats and platforms that seems endless, there is an ever-growing number of ways to measure ad performance. Digital marketers have many optimization tactics at their disposal including, bids, budgets, targeting and keywords. While these all are important, the only thing that your potential customer […]
Local & Maps
SEM / Paid Search
The post SearchCap: Google Smarter Search, Facebook Google App Indexing & Foursquare With Apple Maps appeared first on Search Engine Land.