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Believe it or not, Asia features an exciting LGBT app scene where numerous online dating apps tend to be providing the estimated 10s of huge numbers of people in LGBT community in Asia. Although the government has launched regulations in 2016 to prohibit portrayal of homosexual affairs on television dramas and web collection (in Chinese), the LGBT online dating app market has-been burgeoning nevertheless.
Here are the latest networking apps catering toward LGBT community in Asia.
Created from LGBT NGO Danlan, Blued was released in 2012 and it has since pocketed six rounds of financing using newest C++ round from investment arm of this Beijing Development, a state-backed magazine cluster.
Blued boasts over 27 million registered users, about 20percent which are offshore customers, per their formal website. The China-born app are ambitiously eyeing international market specifically. It’s launched workplaces in European countries and Southeast Asia, addressing over 190 countries and parts, and is also in 11 dialects. In December 2016, Blued also produced a strategic financial investment around matchmaking app Hornet in an effort to generate forays into North American and Latin-American areas. As a part of the offer, Blued invested an undisclosed amount as an extension with the $8 million collection A Hornet established in November 2016.
On the other hand, Blued has made income thanks to the flourishing live online streaming element as well as its mobile marketing companies. The development of the alive streaming sector in 2016, Blued rated the 13th among all the Chinese apps (of all verticals) which in fact had live streaming characteristics, based on a Cheetah worldwide Lab’s report circulated earlier on this present year.
But there’s something that the software should be extra mindful your alive streaming function: Zank, Blued’s past competing, got shut all the way down (in Chinese) by government in April because of its direct information during live streaming features yet to re-open.
LESDO (?Do) was perhaps the greatest lesbian dating app in Asia, offering 1.5 million people. Based by a team of homosexual women, the startup launched in 2012, as well as the application came out in 2013.
In 2014, the software got angel money from GSR Ventures, therefore the the coming year got scores of United States bucks of pre-A financing brought by IVP, SOSVentures, and Linear.
LESDO isn’t only a social network software. It has in addition developed unique web dramas. Its 34-minute mini-movie, lose you usually, was saw 1.36 million period on iQiyi, China’s major video clip streaming website.
Aloha is actually a social networking app made for homosexual men. Obtaining the “swipe” ability from Tinder, users swipe left for “nope” and suitable for “aloha” getting coordinated with other regional boys.
Aloha, Blued’s major opponent in China, is particularly noted for its friendly UI design for photograph posting, which makes it significantly more than a dating application with Tinder and Instagram-like services rolled into one.
LesPark (????), the main rival of LESDO, was a dating app catering to gay women. The application is renowned for the real time streaming ability and it has an incredible number of new users.
It’s worth keeping in mind that LesPark’s mother company additionally rolling out an LGBT “marriage service” app, Queers, a network software for homosexual and lesbians to locate partners for sham marriages or “marriages of convenience.”
Rolling in December 2012, the L is just one of the big lesbian location-based internet dating software in China.
It’s interesting to remember your L has additionally made its own internet crisis to bring in more users like LESDO. The organization in 2015 released The L Bang, which illustrates the story from the daily physical lives of some young women who get acquainted with one another through L and go to live collectively in a huge city in Asia.
Timmy Shen is a technology reporter situated in Beijing. He is passionate about photography, studies, as well as things technical. Give secrets and opinions to [email protected] or heed him on twitter at. Much more by Timmy Shen
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Christmas spirit filled the streets of downtown Statesboro Friday.
The annual First Friday Christmas Celebration brought thousands of people downtown.
Stores stayed open late as part of the fun. The downtown Farmers Market also offered plenty to buy.
The evening featured the annual chili cook off and live entertainment.
"It shows what new businesses are here and reminds people of the restaurants that are here," said Allen Muldrew of Downtown Statesboro Development. "If they haven't been here in a while, it may be a shock."
Dal Cannady was the emcee and the official starter for the 5k Road Race.
Copyright 2013 WTOC. All rights reserved.

domain: news


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What to eat, what not to eat are the most asked questions by everyone around the world during this COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of rumours and misinformation is being circulated that is creating havoc among people.
One such erroneous information that is going around is to avoid frozen desserts or ice creams. But WHO (World Health Organisation) has clarified that no types of ice cream or frozen foods can spread the virus and that there is no scientific evidence to support that claim.
The official press announcement by FDA (Food and Drug Administration) clearly mentions that there are no reports of the virus being spread through foods and food packaging. Avoid all such falsified information, The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the food safety regulatory body of India, has clarified that any ice cream, frozen food, and food served cold/chilled does not spread the coronavirus.
One has to verify the authenticity of any information regarding the virus spread, cure or prevention. It is pretty important to maintain hygiene practices for food preparation, storage, and handling it. Many newspapers have posted articles debunking the myths on the consumption of frozen foods and the spread of coronavirus.
Indian Ice cream Manufacturer's Association (IICMA) requests people not to fall prey to wrong information and happily consume one's favourite flavours of ice creams in this scorching summer like always. These frozen desserts will surely light up one's mood and make one happy during these tough times.
IICMA urges everyone to maintain hygiene, wash hands often, wear a mask while travelling in crowded places, eat balanced diet food, exercise, and most importantly to absorb information only from reliable sources.


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TOKYO — Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. has unveiled its latest retail concept — a two-story store that combines several of its brands under the roof of the Printemps Ginza department store.
The 28,000-square-foot store, called Uniqlo Marché, features dedicated sections for its Uniqlo, Comptoir des Cotonnniers, PLST (an offshoot of Theory) and G.U. brands. The store, which opens today, also houses the first Japanese outpost for French lingerie and swimwear brand Princesse Tam Tam, one of Fast Retailing’s smaller labels.
“I think there are a lot of people who, until now, haven’t known that our company has these different brands, and I think these brands will be successful not just in Japan but also globally,” Fast Retailing chairman, president and chief executive officer Tadashi Yanai said Thursday, adding he would consider rolling out similar retail formats elsewhere, possibly in other countries.
The new store brings a bit of attention to the Japanese group’s other labels, which tend to live in the shadow of the larger Uniqlo business. Fast Retailing groups these non-Uniqlo assets into its Global Brands division comprising Theory, PLST, G.U., Comptoir des Cotonniers and Princesse Tam Tam.
Collectively, these brands saw sales rise 23.3 percent to 153 billion yen, or $1.94 billion at average exchange rates, for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31. Operating profit advanced 65.4 percent to 14.5 billion yen, or $184.3 million. The division makes up 16.5 percent of Fast Retailing’s annual revenue.
Fast Retailing has been heavily promoting its budget-conscious G.U. brand lately, employing Harajuku model and electro pop recording artist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in the advertising. Fast Retailing is planning to take the brand international in its fiscal year ending August 2014.
“It’s only been six years since [the brand] was born, so I am extremely happy that we are able to open a store here alongside [other Fast Retailing group brands],” said Osamu Yunoki, ceo of G.U.
Elisabeth Cunin, ceo of Comptoir des Cotonniers and Princesse Tam Tam, said it only makes sense to bring the French lingerie label to Japan.
“Japan is important because we are part of the Fast Retailing Group. How can we enter and not succeed in Japan?” she said, adding that there are plans to open more Princesse Tam Tam stores in Japan but it is too soon to quantify how many.
Fast Retailing does not break out sales figures for Comptoir des Cotonniers and Princesse Tam Tam. For the most recent fiscal year, the company said Comptoir des Cotonniers “struggled” in the first half and recovered in the second. Princesse Tam Tam reported a “flat performance.”
Both brands are heavily exposed to a challenging European market, but Cunin said they did well given the circumstances thanks to loyal customer bases and strong brand images.
“I believe we’re small enough to be able to grow whatever the market and strong enough in terms of brands to be able to grow whatever the types of markets,” she said.
Princesse Tam Tam, which has a wholesale presence in New York at Bloomingdale’s, is planning to open its own stores in the city over the next few years, said Pierre-Arnaud Grenade, director general and chief operating officer of Princesse Tam Tam.
@kith is moving into children’s. The men’s and women’s streetwear brand has launched Kidset, a Kith kids line located in New York at 64 Bleecker Street. The line includes mini versions of staple Kith pieces like the Astor bomber jacket and the Kith box logo sweatshirts, along with a wall that can display up to 120 pairs of shoes from @adidas, @newbalance, @timberland and more. #wwdfashion
“I just wanted to create this fully rounded character, but I do think what excited me most was just the opportunity to give a group of people representation that I feel needs it. I like to do characters in projects that stand for something and Karolina definitely does, so that was really exciting to me,” @ginnygardner says of her new role in @hulu’s “The Runaways.” Gardner plays Karolina Dean, a queer superhero, which is a rarity for @marvel. Read more about Gardner’s character on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @dandoperalski)
@heriethpaul and @gracebol have a moment on the @victoriassecret fashion show 2017. See every look from the runway on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: @giovanni_giannoni_photo) #wwdfashion #victoriassecret #VSFashionShow
“Azzedine has been one of the biggest influences in my life. He has always been such a strong, loving, fatherly figure to me. I call him Papa. His designs are indescribably unique, they are pieces of art. He knew how to make the female form look its loveliest. I have so many memories of him; my favorite might be during my first show with him in Paris. He liked me and he wanted to help me get more work. He called all his friends at Kenzo and Comme des Garcons, and asked them to book me. They said, ‘But she can’t walk!’ And he said, ‘but she has such a great ass!' His friendship and support has been the great privilege of my career. I can't imagine life without him. Repose en paix mon Papa.” - @stephanieseymour tells @wwd. #wwdfashion (📷: @steveeichner) #alaia #azzedinealaia
Azzedine Alaïa, flanked by two of his closest friends, models Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell.
He designed Seymour’s dress for her 1995 wedding to Peter Brant, and treated Campbell (who famously called him Papa), like a daughter. For more on the legendary designer, tap the link in bio. #wwdfashion #alaia #azzedinealaia


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Elon Musk said Friday that his planned $44 billion purchase of Twitter is “temporarily on hold” pending details on spam and fake accounts on the social media platform, a turning point amid signs of internal turmoil over the proposed acquisition. .
In a tweet, the Tesla billionaire cited a financial filing from Twitter from a Reuters story from May 2 that estimated false or spam accounts of less than 5% of the company’s “monetable daily active users” in the first quarter. had gone.
“The Twitter deal, tentatively pending details, supports the calculation that spam/fake accounts actually represent less than 5% of users,” Musk said, adding that he suspects the number of unauthenticated accounts would be so high. is less.
A little later on Friday morning, Musk tweeted that he was committed to the purchase.
It was not clear whether the issue could affect the deal. Shares of both Twitter and Tesla jumped sharply in opposite directions, with Twitter stock falling 17% to $37.20 before the start of trading in the US, and Tesla, which Musk bought 5 to help fund the Twitter deal. % jumped. Twitter’s share price is now well below the $54.20 per share that Musk agreed to pay for the company.
Calling Musk’s tweet “bizarre,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said, “The implications of this tweet will send this Twitter circus show Friday the 13th horror show as the Street will now view the deal as 1) Potentially rupture, 2) Musk negotiating a lower deal price, or 3) Musk walking away from the deal with only a $1 billion breakup fee.”
Twitter disclosed its findings on bots and spam accounts in a filing for its first-quarter results. The company said, “We have conducted an internal review of a sample of accounts and estimated that the average of false or spam accounts represented less than 5% of our accounts during the first quarter of 2022. [monetizable daily active users] during the quarter.”
Twitter said it was possible that “the actual number of false or spam accounts may exceed our estimates.”
Investors have weighed in on legal troubles for Musk, as well as the possibility that Twitter’s acquisition could be a distraction from driving the world’s most valuable automaker. Musk has also come under scrutiny for his tendency to disclose so-called “material information” — information that could affect a publicly traded company’s stock price — via Twitter, rather than through regulatory filings.
“It is deeply disturbing for us to see Musk create so much uncertainty in one tweet (and not the filing),” Ives said in his note to investors.
Musk’s tweet comes a day after the social media company sacked two of its top managers. Twitter said the company is halting most hiring except in critical roles, and is “pulling back on nonessential labor costs to ensure we are responsible and efficient.”
In a memo sent to employees and confirmed by Twitter, CEO Parag Agarwal said the company hasn’t hit growth and revenue milestones since it began making “aggressive” investments to expand its user base and revenue. Is.
This story is basically . was published by CBS News On 13th May 2022.
Don’t Trust On this News and Website Maybe it’s Fake
Reference from www.etonline.com


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OnePlus Fold leak provides a glimpse at its foldable smartphone
The renders are based on a prototype, not the actual device.
The OnePlus Fold has been in the news for some time now. This device, supposedly named the OnePlus V Fold, is expected to be the company’s first-ever foldable smartphone, and it’s rumored to launch later this year.
Up until now, we haven’t had much information about OnePlus’s foldable smartphone. But that changed this week when a few renders of the OnePlus Fold leaked.
OnePlus Fold Leaked Renders
The renders are based on a prototype, not the actual device. So, we might see some changes when it hits the market. But so far, the design looks quite intriguing.
To start with, OnePlus’s new gadget will be a book-style foldable smartphone similar to Samsung Galaxy Z Fold.
Interestingly enough, one key feature from OnePlus – the Alert Slider – is visible on the render on its left side. Although Vivo X Fold 2 had this slider before, it remains an uncommon feature among foldable smartphones.
The volume rocker is also visible on the right side of the render. But we couldn’t spot the Power button. However, some online sources claim the power button is on the side with a fingerprint scanner. But this information isn’t confirmed yet either.
Another interesting addition is the front camera.
The render shows a punch-hole cutout in the left corner of the inner display – quite different from what we usually see with foldable smartphones, where camera cutouts are typically found on the right side and not all way up to the corner.
Switching to the rear camera, there’s a circular cutout featuring the Hasselblad logo with three visible lenses. One of them appears to be a periscope lens, but that’s purely speculative at this point.
The unexpected leak of these prototype renders suggests that we might not have to wait much longer for the OnePlus Fold launch. A recent leak even hinted at an August release for OnePlus’s foldable device in both the US and India.
- Review: OnePlus 10 Pro – a great smartphone for under $1,000
- Should you buy the OnePlus 10 Pro? Here’s what the reviews say
- Samsung leak pretty much reveals its entire Unpacked lineup
- Someone dropped a Z Fold 6 leak before July’s Z Fold 5 launch


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Marketing metrics firm Retviews has analysed the collections and market strategy of Jacquemus to pinpoint the elements enabling the French label to hold its own against top houses, only 11 years after its creation.
It’s been a weird year for fashion retail so far and Q2 in particular saw unprecedented global conditions, so it’s no surprise that the new Lyst Index is different from usual with Nike and Birkenstock's riding high.
Live fashion finally returned to France on Thursday when Simon Porte Jacquemus staged a rather wondrous show where a beautiful cast marched through a giant field of bearded wheat in the Val-d’Oise, northwest of Paris.
Jacquemus has announced plans to stage an actual live runway show in a secret Paris location next week, making it the first physical catwalk event by a deisgner in the city since France went into lockdown.
A strong and coherent image, a good international and online presence, and a certain agility have allowed designer labels to establish their success. This has proved a winning formula but it could evolve with Covid-19.
We all still remember the fashion show she staged at last June's Pitti Uomo, which featured featured 3,500 guests. This Friday, instead, Carine Roitfeld is organizing an amfAR fashion show of confined models on YouTube.
The latest Lyst Index comes in the middle of the biggest crisis to hit fashion in decades. And the luxe search giant said the impact of Covid-19 was felt in the quarter, affecting what people searched for.
Given the ongoing lockdown, fashion brands have had to think outside the box to organize photo shoots. The latest to date is Jacquemus, which has captured the visuals for its new campaign via FaceTime.
The LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers has called off the final of this year’s event, and instead plans to direct its prize money into a fund for young designers, the latest cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.


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A Nike swoosh or the Golden Arches might one day call to consumers from the back of your car.
The legislation that could allow some companies to stamp their corporate logo on Florida license plates as a way to bring in some cash for the state and save drivers some money - is likely to get a vote in a Senate committee next week.
The vote is likely this coming week after the Senate Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee adds the language to a shell bill that will be before the committee, said its chairman, Sen. Mike Fasano, who floated the idea a few weeks ago.
Fasano said a couple of companies actually have expressed interest in the idea and that he thinks it's a good one. The money that the company would put up would allow the state to discount the cost of the tag.
It would reduce the cost of someone's auto tag siginificantly, said Fasano, R-New Port Richie.
There's an obvious question that arises immediately: what type of companies would be able to advertise on tags? Would the state be able to discriminate against certain companies in accepting the logos?
Were going to have to approve them, likely on a case-by-case basis, Fasano said. We certainly don't want the Pussycat Lounge on somebody's tag.
Well, maybe some people do, he acknowledged.
No would-be advertisers have actually come forward as interested although a company that billed itself as being able to go out and find corporations that might want to advertise on tags approached the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles about the idea, said agency spokesman Dave Westberry.
Fasano is trying to balance a state transportation budget without dipping into the Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for road building. The House is planning to siphon off some of that trust fund money for other needs. We do not, Fasano said. We protect the trust fund.
That means scraping around for money elsewhere, particularly since Fasano also wants to reduce a bit the driver license fees that went up last year as part of legislative efforts to balance the budget. Fasano's committee is proposing this year to lower those fees by about $6.
Westberry said if the legislation passes and the program begins, Florida might be the only state with advertising on license plates.
As far as we know, there are not any other states in the union that are currently using this program, Westberry said.


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Due to sagging consumer spending, auto parts retailers are more or less sinking except Pep Boys (PBY) . Shares of PBY are up 8.08 percent to $11.37 on June 10, continuing the momentum it gained in after-hours trading on June 9 following the release of the company’s Q1 earnings results. .
The Nuts and Bolts of Pep Boy’s Earnings
For the period through May 3, 2014, the Philadelphia, Pa.-based company Pep Boys-Many, Moe & Jack posted net income of $1.61 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, comparing with $3.90 million, or $0.07 per share one year earlier. In addition, sales edged up to $538.80 million, compared to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate a profit of $0.06 per share on $542.10 million in sales. Comparable store sales for the quarter decreased 1.40 percent, and the retail sales 1.90 percent.
The company stated that they expect sales trends to improve in the second half of the year while reporting that its service business has improved during the first five weeks of the current quarter.
“Our first-quarter operating improved significantly over the prior year driven primarily by higher gross margin,” said CEO Mike Odell in a statement. “Our core service business remains solid and we expect tire sales trends to improve in the back half of the year. Our service business footprint also continues its growth, with 25 new Service & Tire Centers planned for 2014.”
Currently, there are more than 800 Pep Boys locations in 35 states and Puerto Rico, which represent more than 7,500 service bays. The company would also strengthen its customer strategies and digital operations.
“Our target customer groups have been endorsing our improved customer experience with new and repeat business, but we need to get to critical mass to accelerate our performance,” said Odell in the statement. “We also continued to see strong growth in pepboys.com digital operations, which includes on-line service appointments, tire sales that are made on-line and installed in our stores, ship-to-home sales and products that are ordered on-line and picked up in our stores. From a mix of business perspective, sales through digital operations accounted for 4.0 percent of our sales during the first quarter as compared to 2.3 percent for the prior year.”
According to its financial results, Pep Boys shows strengths in multiple areas, such as good cash flow from operations, growth in earnings per share, and low debt-to-equity.
The company’s net operating cash flow has significantly increased by 87.56 percent to -$3.45 million since the year-earlier quarter, which also vastly outpaces the industry average rate of 15.13 percent. The current debt-to-equity ration, 0.37, is low and is below the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels. However, it should be noted that the company's quick ratio of 0.20 is weak, and demonstrates a lack of ability to pay short-term obligations.
Rest of Industry Lost Ground, But Not For Long
The auto parts industry is not a monolith, evidenced by the slight dropdown for the rest of the sector. Aside from Pep Boys, the rest of the industry sank on the day. AutoZone, Inc. ($AZO) lost .02 percent, O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY) was down 0.34 percent, Advanced Auto Parts Inc. (AAP) lost 0.58 percent, and U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. (PRTS) shed 0.58 percent on the day.
Though they didn't move in tandem on the day, the auto parts industry as a whole still looks bright. Several factors have contributed to the increased demand for auto parts. As the economic recovery in the U.S. matures, the initial surge in new auto sales has slowed down. Fewer people buy new cars, and there is a greater need to fix and maintain their current vehicles. Furthermore, customers prefer keeping their cars longer.
The second major factor is inclement weather. The harsh winter last year has benefited auto parts makers considerably. It looks that, as Pep Boys' earnings indicate, the industry looks to continue the gains they experienced last year.


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New leaks show iPhone 11R color options and camera bump
The Apple Core
It's full steam ahead with iPhone 11 productions, new iPhone colors coming soon, and what's new in the latest iOS update.
Let's get to the core of this week's Apple's News and Rumors.
We are a little less than four months away For meeting the next batch of iPhones and things are starting to move quickly in terms of production.
Now, last week, Bloomberg reported that Apple has started production on the next, a 13 shift that will power the new batch of iPhones.
And we're still getting a few more tidbits about the design of these iPhones, the 11 11 max and 11 [UNKNOWN] Sad little, at this point I got to say, I don't think there is much hope for a major design change based on the many concurrent lists we've seen week after week and that three eye monster on the back of the phone.
Seems to be here to stay.
The latest leak, tweeted by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, shows the same thing we've been seeing.
Even the iPhone, which is rumored to only have two lenses, a telephoto and a standard wide-angle, Would not be spared of the massive square.
But hey, at least we may be getting new color options to distract us from the square.
Bye-Bye coral and blue.
Hello Green and lavender.
According to supply chain blog site Makoto Carr cited in 95 math, the 11 are.
Will come in a total of six different colors, just like last year.
White, black, yellow, and product red.
And then those pastels would come in to replace the other two colors.
Now these renders are from French site Eiffel [UNKNOWN] and here are some sample glass Colors tweeted again by Mark Gurman.
The themes like lilac or lavender is the color of the season because Google also launched its new Pixel 3A in this color.
Now let's move on to software.
This week, Apple released updates for iOS, MacOS, WatchOs, and TVOS.
The last major updates to your devices before the big ones are revealed WWDC in a few weeks.
So let's talk about iOS 12.3 for a second, because if you have an iPhone or an iPad You will get the welcome standard bugs fixes plus some improvements for Apple News+,Apple Music, Apple TV remote, and CarPlay, along with AirPlay 2 support.
We heard about this in January but it's now becoming a reality so you can better watch your content.
On the biggest screen in your house.
But one of the biggest changes to come with iOS 12.3 is to the Apple TV app.
Not to be confused with Apple TV, which is the company's physical streaming box, or Apple TV Plus which is the Netflix style subscription service.
Apple just announced in March, this was the app that you may already have pre loaded on your iPhone or iPad and you may not have used yet, because it wasn't that helpful until now.
The overhaul makes it a lot more practical.
In the past, it just pretty much displayed all your video content in one place, but you had to leave the actual app to view your content.
And now you can actually play all that video on Apple's App.
Instead of getting kicked off to the Hulu app, the Prime Video app, or HBO app, depending on what you have.
However, the catch is, you have to have signed up to these subscriptions through the actual app.
Now this is all done in the new channels section of the app.
And it offers some pretty big incentives that you might not find by going directly to the subscription services.
The biggest one in my eyes is that you can view content offline, even if your show or that particular service does not offer it on it's own app, like HBO.
So basically you can download the entire game of thrones season to view on the airplane.
The other benefit is that your content is streamed directly from Apple servers, which in theory should mean you have a faster, more reliable connection.
Each service comes with a seven day free trial, but then similar prices is what you'd find outside of the Apple TV app.
Netflix however, is notably absent from the list of options and this is because the two decided not to play nice in this round.
So, what if you already have the subscription to some of these services that we mentioned?
Like myself, sadly, there is no real way to migrate them to get all these benefits yet, from what I gather, at least you'd have to counsel and then re subscribes through the TV app this because Apple gets a cut of all the subscriptions made through the app so it makes sense.
And now for the fun part.
Last week we talked about how Tim Cook revealed that Apple acquired a new company every two to three weeks.
So I asked you guys which company Apple should buy next, with is roughly $225 billion in cash and investments that they have to spend.
And here are the results according to you.
Among your picks.
Spotify, Fitbit, iHeartRadio, Logitech to fix their keyboard issues, which I agree on.
And number three in terms of popularity seem to be Samsung, but I wanted to leave that one clear that.
It's not possible because Samsung is too expensive for Apple to buy and then number two though.
Iamsteezze says, can they just buy Netflix once and for all that be the best tech buy of the century.
And I happen to agree.
Why start from scratch with the Apple TV.
plus yet another subscription service when they can provide a giant like Netflix.
Then in number one though was Tesla which was actually rumored to be in the works back in 2014.
All though nothing really came of it.
So I think the time for an Apple Tesla merger has left the building.
Apple though could basically buy both of these companies with the money that they have.
I personally like Alejandro Sandoval's idea that Apple should buy Tesla SpaceX or NASA.
Okay, so that last one may be a stretch but an Apple space program Prom in a Tesla vehicle.
That sounds cool.
I personally would also like to throw in a company like GoPro or DGI in the mix to expand Apple's portfolio products.
Thanks so much to everyone who participated and sending in your comments.
You guys had some interesting suggestions that I think Tim Cook should take note of.
And if yours didn't make it on this show there's always next time.
Alright, so this week, I want to know what new colors you would like to see on the iPhone 11R.
But you know what, let's expand it to the entire iPhone 11 lineups.
So that can include new metallics, maybe some matte colors, maybe bolder colors.
You know the drill.
Leave your pics on the comments section below.
Or you can Tweet me or Instagram me.
Whatever your prefered method of communication is.
And we'll be talking about it on next week's episode.
So remember to come back and I'll see you then.
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iPhone 13 rumor roundup
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iPhone 12 Mini: Small phone, big potential
No iPhone 12, now what? Apple's September event preview


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Adobe has now launched new AI-centric features in its Experience Platform (formerly known as the Cloud Platform), dubbed as the “next generation” of its Sensei artificial intelligence and machine learning framework.
At the company’s annual summit conference in Las Vegas last week, the company unveiled a collection of new AI-centric services (currently in beta mode) designed to drive customer engagement and highlight key points in client relationships.
“Success for brands today depends on assessing the evolving needs of customers, curating offerings that match with customer’s decision state and measuring the impact of a firm’s decisions on long-term customer value,” said Abhishek Pani, Senior Director of AI, ML, and Data Science at Adobe. “The customer path is convoluted, with moments spanning digital and physical worlds. While AI has made progress as of late, it’s been siloed within individual teams to refine specific tasks. We’ve yet to see AI truly transform enterprises and power what brands really need — real-time decision making to ultimately drive better customer experiences.”
The three new features launched are:
- Customer.AI – Experience Cloud’s Customer.AI tool taps Sensei to recommend ways marketing engagements might be tailored to target specific user segments.
- Journey.AI – The other new feature – Journey.AI, continuously analyzes the behavioral data of up to “millions” of users and automatically activates experiences at “optimal” times, with the goal of boosting acquisition and retention.
- Attribution.AI – The third feature added to this suite is Attribution.AI, which analyzes resource and marketing investments by leveraging Sensei to make more transparent the impact of owned, earned, and paid media on sales.
“Hundreds of features across Adobe Experience Cloud … have already enabled marketers, data scientists, and others to intelligently automate cumbersome processes and uncover better insights,” said Adobe fellow and VP of technology Anil Kamath. “Adobe’s new AI services are an industry-first and will further elevate the role of AI in the enterprise. beyond novel feature implementations. empower businesses to make mission-critical decisions much better and faster.”
“Many companies today have the appetite to leverage AI, but lack the internal resources and frameworks to do so,” Pani said. “Our new Adobe Sensei services will empower brands to use AI in new ways across an entire organization in real time, driving decision making for the right audience when it counts.”


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So, you’re buying a car. One thing to watch out for is an open recall on the vehicle. By definition an open recall is a notice issued by automobile manufacturers to inform owners of harmful safety defects in components. As the name implies the vehicle must be returned for fixing. As a buyer it’s in..
Tag: cars for sale
Used car prices peaked in June 2021, according to Cox Automotive data. The average price was US$ 25,000, up from near US$ 19,500 a year before. Similarly a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis says prices for pre owned vehicles rose by 21% in April, compared with the year before. Edmunds reported the..


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- Coinbase has new plans to quickly add more assets to the exchange this year following Binance’s new regulatory troubles.
- The major crypto exchange has expanded to Germany with a new license to offer its services in the country.
- Brian Armstrong warns that while new listings will come soon, investors must evaluate their own risks.
Co-founder and CEO of Coinbase Brian Armstrong revealed that the firm aims to list every crypto asset in the market as long as the coins are legal. Armstrong urged investors to do their own research to evaluate the risks of each cryptocurrency, as a listing is not an endorsement.
Coinbase takes on new opportunities
Coinbase has recently shown its dedication to allowing its users access to a wider range of cryptocurrencies, including Dogecoin. Although the leading crypto exchange expects to list more tokens, Armstrong has warned investors to take caution with investing. He said:
Outside of our listing standards (for safety/legality), we don’t offer an opinion on the value of each asset. We are asset agnostic, because we believe in free markets and that consumers should have a choice in the cryptoeconomy. This is how we’ll have the most innovation.
The CEO cautioned that listing a coin on Coinbase does not mean endorsement of the specific asset and that users should do their own research and exercise good judgment.
According to Armstrong’s blog post, the cryptocurrency exchange would also serve the growing demand for DeFi products and services and non-fungible tokens (NFT), smart contracts, decentralized autonomous organizations, and more.
The Coinbase co-founder also mentioned that the firm would be sending more products to new international markets while working with regulators in more “established markets.”
Coinbase is seeking to expand around the world, with its latest move in Germany, where it recently obtained a license to offer its services in the country. The Nasdaq-listed firm is now the first company to gain such a license in Germany, which allows the exchange to conduct proprietary trading of digital assets, according to BaFin.
While Coinbase continues to add to its reach, its competitor, Binance, has been facing regulatory challenges lately. The exchange headed by Changpeng Zhao has been banned in the United Kingdom, while the country’s Financial Conduct Authority stated that the platform could not conduct any regulated activity.


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Leak Reveals Photos of Logitech G x Tencent Handheld Cloud Game Device
We now know how the new Logitech G and Tencent handheld device looks like.
We recently learned about one of the biggest collaborations in the gaming industry between the tech giant, Logitech G and popular Chinese developers Tencent Games. The partnership was made in order to create a cloud gaming handheld device that was scheduled to release later this year. Both companies are closely working with Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce NOW to bring all the best console and PC titles to their device.
We're thrilled to announce an official partnership with @TencentGames to bring a cloud gaming handheld to market later this year that will support multiple cloud gaming services.
Be the first to learn more by registering for developments updates: https://t.co/tfAmQMTKCD pic.twitter.com/dNfmuKIz3w— Logitech G (@LogitechG) August 2, 2022
Now we have more information to share about the device. Through a recent leak by a popular source and phone enthusiast, Evan Blass, players were able to get a first look at the device that could be revealed through the partnership. In Evan's tweet, he has posted images of the back and front of the device, showing all of the buttons, the display format and other details for the upcoming cloud gaming handheld console.
Through these images, the players will be able discern a great number of details about the handheld device such as the buttons, the aesthetic and more. The handheld device has picked up a simple aesthetic with a white device and black and green accents. At the front of the device, there are two joysticks, one D-pad, 4 buttons, X,Y,B and A, just like the Xbox. Two buttons at the top which can be assumed as options and share buttons. There are two other buttons at the bottom, one with a home icon and the other has the Logitech G logo on it.
There is not much at the back of the device other than rubberised grips for increased ergonomics. At the top side of the device the players will see four trigger buttons, L1 and L2 and R1 and R2. There is also a volume rocker on the top, a switch that might be used to switch the device on or off and another button that is speculated to lock the device when not in use. That is all we know about the device, which is only the surface, there is a lot more to be shared such as the tech specs, the display orientation and more. Players should look out for an official announcement to know more about the device.


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02 August 2019
The ASUS ROG smartphone made its debut in late 2018. Its success left people waiting for the launch of the ASUS ROG Phone 2. Rumour has it that the smartphone will launch in July 2019. Well, it seems like the company is no longer remaining silent on the issue as it has shared new details of the ASUS ROG Phone 2. One of the highlights of the smartphone is its screen refresh rate of 120Hz.
ASUS has joined hands with “Under the One Man” game from China to ensure a smooth and seamless gaming experience on its upcoming smartphone. Well, this isn’t exactly a surprise as the company did mention its association with Tencent games for the launch of its smartphone. The company has promised that games will be optimized to deliver a 120Hz experience. This is certainly an improvement since the first iteration of the smartphone which offered a 90Hz refresh rate. The ASUS ROG Phone 2 will be the third smartphone to launch with a 120Hz refresh rate panel. The only other two being the Razer Phone and the Razer Phone 2.
Unfortunately, other specifications of the smartphone are still yet to be revealed. However, rumour has it that the device will be driven by the Snapdragon 855 SoC. This will supposedly be coupled with 12GB RAM. There is a good possibility that the smartphone may launch in different variants according to storage size. The only way to truly know is to have patience and wait for an official release of its specifications.


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When PayPal updated its mobile app for Android and iPhone devices last month, it included a new Donate feature that lets you dispatch funds to charities at the speed of a tap. The beauty of it is that you avoid the rigmarole of most Web-based giving: Typing in name, address, phone number, credit card number and expiration date.
At the time, I was looking for a charity benefiting victims of the Pakistan floods. I didn’t find a cause in the PayPal Donate section designated for Pakistan flood relief, so I eventually donated to a Unicef drive on the Web (name, address, phone number, credit card number, and expiration date all duly entered).
But back on my iPhone, I thumbed through the charities listed on PayPal’s Donation app and munificently bestowed three $5 donations. Turns out I’m an under-giver: The average donation in the United States is $11.72, according to Laura Chambers, senior director of PayPal Mobile.
The concept behind the Donate feature is simple: little from many. Today 5 million people use PayPal Mobile, and small donations from many people could result in some serious cash. You have more than 23,000 charities and organizations to choose from.
But I wondered why PayPal couldn’t dynamically add reputable charities as needs arise, as with the Pakistan floods. The reason, I found out, is that PayPal doesn’t have much control over the charities its app displays because it uses a company called MissionFish to qualify charities and process payments. MissionFish, a non-profit organization, takes a 3.75 percent cut from each donation, Ms. Chambers says.
Charities displayed on the Donate feature are ranked by appeal and popularity. That’s why you’ll see the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross and the ASPCA as the first three options on the screen. Fortunately, PayPal has an effective search capability that enables you to pinpoint specific types of organizations.
In the future, Chambers says that PayPal plans to be more proactive in promoting causes as need arises. As the U.S. hurricane season gets under way, that could be a very useful enhancement.


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St James’s Place says fate of Lloyds stake ‘too early to call’
Is St James’s Place for sale? Market watchers assume the upmarket financial adviser must be, now that 60 per cent shareholder HBOS has been rescued by the Government and bundled into Lloyds TSB.
Chief executive David Bellamy insists he’s just getting on with running the company — something today’s results suggest he is doing well. Profits for 2008 fell by
£40million to £204million but new business figures are resilient, and existing clients are staying put.
Bellamy said it was 'too early to call' what will happen to the shares, now owned by Lloyds which is in turn 43 per cent-owned by the taxpayer.
Sale rumours: There is speculation St James's Place may be up for sale after shareholder HBOS merged with Lloyds TSB, pictured.
'HBOS were good shareholders, they did not interfere,' he said. 'Clearly, the short-term position is not desirable.'
Cazenove says the relationship with Lloyds 'appears stable for now'.
But culturally St James’s Place won’t enjoy being owned by a state-controlled entity. The Government itself may object to owning a business seen, perhaps unfairly, as a haven for high-rollers and flash salesmen.
St James’s Place was founded in 1991 by Mike Wilson, Sir Mark Weinberg and Lord Rothschild. Wilson, who ran the business for years, is now chairman but shows little sign of slowing down.
St James’s clients — typically with investments of between £50,000 and £5million — are stoic about the market turmoil, Bellamy said.
The dividend for the year is 4.39p, up slightly on last time.
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5 Woodbury businesses penalized for selling alcohol to minors
WOODBURY -- The state Department of Consumer Protection's Liquor Control Commission has penalized five of the 11 town businesses accused of illegally selling alcohol to minors after a sting operation in November.
Discount Liquors, Good News Cafe, Constantine's and Elenni's each received a one-day suspension of their liquor licenses and a $500 fine. Old Tollgate Inn received a one-day suspension and a $1,000 fine.
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al.cap wrote on Feb 22, 2013 9:07 AM:
in our store, we refuse to return the id when we catch kids. we tell them to bring a guardian if they want it back. "
raycity wrote on Feb 22, 2013 3:53 PM:
patrick10801 wrote on Feb 28, 2013 10:06 AM:
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- Union to look at sick days
- Litchfield debates pool cost yet again
- Watertown council approves 3% raises for nonunion posts


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Quip cuts the cost of international calling.
TELECOMWORLDWIRE-11 August 2000-Quip cuts the cost of international calling (C)1994-2000 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD http://www.m2.com
Online telephone company Quip has introduced new, lower international call charges for UK-based mobile phone users.
To take advantage of the reduced international rates, users do not need to change their network provider but must first register with Quip at http://www.quip.co.uk. Then, before making an international call users dial Quip's local rate 0845 number and enter their account number to connect to the service. Users will be charged for the local call rate by their network provider plus the Quip international call rate for the relevant country.
Quip claims that by using the service mobile phone users can benefit from international rates up to 80% cheaper than those charged by the network providers.
((Comments on this story may be sent to firstname.lastname@example.org))
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|Title Annotation:||Company Business and Marketing|
|Comment:||Quip cuts the cost of international calling.(Company Business and Marketing)|
|Article Type:||Brief Article|
|Date:||Aug 11, 2000|
|Previous Article:||Direct Line offers online personal loans, predicts strong growth for sector.|
|Next Article:||Australian carriers' web sites vie for highest number of hits.|


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Welcome to our new E-Commerce Insider newsletter, a morning email with the top news and analysis on the e-commerce industry, produced by BI Intelligence.
ECONOMICS OF E-COMMERCE: Josh Hannah, a general partner at private equity firm Matrix Partners, published an insightful piece about scaling a successful e-commerce business. Hannah focuses on customer acquisition costs, and why it's important for online retailers to reduce the cost of re-acquiring existing customers. "Retail customers are fickle and forgetful. They will find other merchants they like, and even if they continue to like your business, they will forget to come back to shop. That is, unless you create a systematic method of re-engagement with no marginal cost," explained Hannah.
Online retailers can keep their marketing costs down when trying to re-engage customers by offering loyalty programs, flash sales, or subscriptions for products that consumers typically purchase on a recurring schedule. Entire e-commerce companies have been built around these models (such as BirchBox's subscription business, and Gilt's flash sales). Hannah argues that there is still a lot of room for innovation. (Pando Daily)
KEEPING YOUR TOP CUSTOMERS HAPPY: Related to Josh Hannah's piece about the economics of online retail, retail analytics company RJMetrics released some new data showing how critical it is to retain top customers. RJMetrics looked at data from hundreds of online retailers and found that the top 10% of customers spend $163 per order, which is three times more than the remaining 90% of customers spend on average. What's more, the typical online store generates 43% of its revenue from repeat customers. Many retailers focus their efforts on acquiring new customers, but it's important to not forget about keeping loyal customers happy in order to retain their business. (RJMetrics)
STARBUCKS LOOKS TO MOBILE REVENUE: Mobile is becoming increasingly more important to Starbucks's overall business. The company revealed at its annual shareholder meeting that mobile transactions have grown from 10% to 14% of U.S. sales. Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz said the coffee chain's mobile success is due to investments made ahead of the growth curve. The company recently announced two new features for its iPhone app — digital tipping and "shake-to-pay." The company is also planning to test an order-ahead feature this year, allowing customers to place their orders before arriving in-store. (Mobile Commerce Daily)
ANOTHER REASON WHY MOBILE IS SO IMPORTANT: Mobile shopping might only account for a sliver of total retail sales, but its influence on consumers and where they decide to shop cannot be overlooked. Fifty-five percent of retail marketing e-mails are opened only on tablets and smartphones, according to a new study released by Yesmail Interactive (a unit of Yes Lifecycle Marketing). For comparison, 36% are opened only on PCs and just 9% are opened on both desktop and mobile devices. Because e-mail is a core marketing tactic for so many retailers, it's important that they format their e-mail campaigns so that they are viewed easily on device screens that vary in size. (Yesmail)
WELCOME, E-COMMERCE INSIDERS: This is our new newsletter covering all things e-commerce. Please email email@example.com with news and tips. Click here to sign up for E-Commerce Insights today, and receive it every morning in your inbox.
VULNERABILITY OF OMNI-CHANNEL RETAILERS: Cross-channel (or, omni-channel) retailers are finding it difficult to deter theft and fraud. In addition to credit card fraud, retailers who allow consumers to buy online but return products in-store without a receipt have "created a perfect fraud culture," said Wal-Mart's Director of Global E-Commerce Investigations Fred Helm. Fraud often plagues new financial opportunities, and so it's important for retailers to mitigate their risks by investing in cyber-security. For example, Helm says that he helps lead a team of data analysts and investigators at Wal-Mart who monitor unusual customer activity. (Internet Retailer)
WET SEAL RAISES MONEY TO BOLSTER E-COMMERCE EFFORTS: Teen apparel retailer Wet Seal raised $27 million from an institutional investor to shift its focus from offline, to online shopping. "This transaction enhances our capital structure at a time when our industry is challenged by a number of macro issues, most notably mall traffic and teen shopping patterns," said Wet Seal CEO John Goodman. Wet Seal plans to invest heavily this year in its e-commerce business to compensate for declining offline sales. (Business Wire)
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The wave of digitization is sweeping across all industries and sectors, and the use of technology is becoming increasingly common in business units. Now that sales tech has begun to permeate the market, it can be said that we are in a transitional period, moving from an era of earning money with feet and guts to an era of making numbers with data and theory. In this column, we will look at the skills needed in this sales tech era and the challenges that sales tech faces.
This article briefly introduces the new and upcoming programming language called, "Rust" based on a survey conducted by an IT talent recruitment company Findy.
This article sheds light on the recent trends, future job prospects, and upcoming issues in the IT industry one should expect as an IT professional.
Japan is known as one of the most advanced countries when it comes to technology, but the country is struggling in achieving sustainable growth while coping with a rapid population decline. The country is compelled to incorporate the innovations of the fourth industrial revolution such as the “Internet of Things (IoT)”, big data, artificial intelligence, robots, and the sharing economy into every industry and society.


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June 26, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Nippon Paint Lanka is pushing into the do-it-yourself market as weak spending power coupled with higher labour costs has led to a slump in demand, officials said. “As an industry we are not doing very well. This is not common to us but even the other companies face a similar situation,” Yasas De Silva, Brand Manager of Nippon Pain Lanka (Pvt) Limited told LBO.
“This is probably to do with the disposable income with the end users. That’s the main issue.
“When it comes to paint, it’s the least important part of everyday life of the people. People spend more on their essentials.
Listed Tokyo Cement Plc has reported that sales fell 13 percent to 2.3 billion rupees in the first quarter of 2014 from a year earlier, indicating a slump in construction activity.
ACL Cables, power cables maker said, revenues fell to 2.3 billion rupees in the March quarter from 3.1 billion rupees a year earlier while gross profits surged to 539 million rupees from 428 million rupees.
In Sri Lanka due to import protection, prices don’t fall fast even when international commodity prices go down due to import protectionism practiced against the people by the state,


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WINNIPEG — Kildonan Place Shopping Centre has won top honours among its retail peers for a recent marketing campaign.
The mall won gold at the Canadian Shopping Centre Awards held in Toronto earlier this month for the “Shop Happy” campaign.
“This award is shared with so many people who share the Kildonan Place ‘Shop Happy’ spirit,” said KP marketing manager Corey Quintaine. “From our agency partners to our guest services staff who bring these events to life, this was truly a team effort.”
KP hosting 12 “Happy Days” that celebrated quirky, little-known holidays like Lost Socks Day and National Hot Dog Day, successfully engaging 6,000 shoppers. The centre raised $3,500 for 12 community partners and boosted participating retailers’ sales by four percent to 48 percent.
The campaign also garnered over 10 million impressions through social media and internal media channels.


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- Chinese carmaker Chery is the latest motor brand to pledge support for those affected by the recent floods in Kwa-Zulu Natal
- The company has with the help of its dealers and friends of the brand bought water, blankets and food and those items will be delivered to Chery dealerships in KZN
- Another big helping hand was made by its logistics partner VDS who graciously offered one of their largest trucks and fuel for free to transport the water to KZN
- Once the water and supplies are delivered to KZN, staff and even some customers will help to deliver water to needy communities, old age homes and clinics
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South Africa’s motoring brands are opening up their bank accounts and showing compassion for those residents affected by the recent floods in Kwa-Zula Natal.
Haibo: Video shows community trying to fill up fire truck with buckets to put out fire on burning building
The company’s campaign, ‘With Chery, With Love’ has seen a large delivery truck filled to the brim with containers of water, blankets and food has left the Chery South Africa head office in Johannesburg, bound for KwaZulu-Natal.
Tony Liu, Executive Deputy General Manager of Chery South Africa says:
“This is the first of hopefully many such initiatives by Chery, its dealers and staff. We hope it acts as a small but powerful gesture of our intention to be a very active and supportive part of the society in every town and city that we are active in and of civil society as a whole in South Africa.”
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Liu explains that the Chery South Africa team sprang into action after reading about the continued lack of clean water in parts of KwaZulu-Natal worst affected by the floods that started on 8 April this year, Quickpic reports.
South African public invited to comment on the Department of Transport’s White Paper on bullet trains
Since the call went out to its network a few days ago, Chery has managed to purchase over R300 000 in purified water and ship it to KwaZulu-Natal. In partnership with its logistics partner VDS, the company graciously offered one of their largest trucks and fuel for free to ship the water to Chery dealers in KZN.
Several car manufacturers have pledged financial support to the organisation the Gift of the Givers who have been on the ground in the province assisting residents. Earlier in May Mercedes-Benz it has donated R3 million to the organisation, MotorPress reports.
The Chinese carmaker will coordinate the logistics for the water deliveries from its head office, where it will be in contact with each of its dealerships in KZN to assist with deliveries. Each dealer has already identified less fortunate individuals and institutions, such as old age homes and clinics to deliver the water to, using their fleet of Chery vehicles and those of customers who have kindly offered to help.
eThekwini Municipality partners with Gift of the Givers to distribute R3 million donated to KZN flood victims
Chery’s new Tiggo 7 Pro is now available in Mzansi with the Chinese SUV priced from a competitive R409 900
Chery’s range in South Africa is complete with the launch of the new Tiggo 7 Pro to occupy the upper-midrange position in its SUV line-up, Briefly News reports.
At launch, two versions of the Tiggo 7 Pro will be available in Distinctive and Executive trim levels. On the specification front the Tiggo 7 Pro, both models sports 18-inch alloy wheels with red brake callipers on the Executive model.
Chery sells the Tiggo 7 Pro models are sold with a five-year or 60 000 km service plan. Pricing starts at R409 900 for the Distinction model and tops out at R444 900 for the flagship Executive.
Source: Briefly News


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India-UAE cooperation to sow regional food security
The IndiaUAE food security partnership stands to benefit from multiple points of convergence.
- Global agri-export powerhouse- India has built its status as a global agriexport powerhouse using its vast tracts of arable land, a highly favourable climate, and a large and growing food production and processing sector.
- Public Distribution System- India runs the Public Distribution System, the world’s largest food subsidy programme, providing nearly 800 million citizens with subsidised grains
- Global food security dialogue- As a part of its G20 presidency, India is promoting the consumption and farming of millets — nutritious, drought-resistant, sustainable, crops — that demonstrate the resilience focus that India offers to the global food security dialogue.
What the UAE brings to the table?
- Investments in food parks- During the I2U2 (India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States) summit, the UAE committed $2 billion in investment towards constructing food parks in India.
- Logistics and Infrastructure Pipelines- Given the food corridor’s incredible commercial potential, several UAEbased companies have expressed interest in constructing a supporting logistics and infrastructure pipeline to accelerate trade and reinforce the food corridor.
- Agriota- The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, the UAE’s largest free trade zone, launched Agriota, an agritrading and commodity platform to link Indian farmers to food companies in the UAE.


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You are here
El Nino seen by Mistry boosting palm oil as users seek supplies
[KUALA LUMPUR] The strengthening El Nino risks driving up palm oil prices as consumers seek supplies on concern output will be crimped by dry weather and producers hold back sales.
"Historically, we've seen that in weather markets consumers tend to go long," said Dorab Mistry, a director at Godrej International Ltd, referring to El Nino and the Indian monsoon. "Producers become reserved sellers because they want to catch any upside. Prices tend to rise. How far they will go will depend on how weather problems develop." Mr Mistry has traded cooking oils for more than three decades.
While El Ninos have varied in strength, they are known to cause drought in parts of Asia and increased rains in the Americas. Australia says the first El Nino since 2010 shows signs reminiscent of the most severe event in 1997-1998. The US predicts it may last beyond January, while India expects it to curb the monsoon. The weather pattern may hurt crops and boost food inflation, according to Citigroup Inc.
Futures in Kuala Lumpur have climbed 9 per cent since the start of May to 2,291 ringgit (US$614) a metric ton on Wednesday. At the time of the 1997-1998 event, prices doubled in 12 months as output dropped 7 per cent in Indonesia and fell 5.5 per cent in Malaysia. The countries produce 86 per cent of world supply.
"Trading of weather models more than a few weeks out is very problematic," said Michael Coleman, managing director of RCMA Asset Management Pte, which runs the $250 million Merchant Commodity Fund. "If it does get very dry, then in a few months there'll be lower palm oil production, but I don't think I could trade a very big position on that basis."
Malaysian exports to India, the biggest buyer, almost quadrupled in May from a month earlier, Palm Oil Board data show. Shipments to China climbed 37 percent. Stockpiles at ports in India and in the pipeline were a record 2.25 million tons by June 1, the Solvent Extractors Association said June 12.
Indonesian sales to China rose 40 per cent in the past three months from a year earlier, Palm Oil Association data show.
Mr Mistry said it's not possible to have a strong view on prices because they depend on how El Nino and the Indian monsoon develop. Whether India and China keep buying at the same pace for the next four months and how producers react to rising stockpiles if output remains buoyant will also determine direction, he said in an e-mailed reply to questions on June 15.
So far supply shows no signs of falling. Indonesian output probably increased for a fourth month in May, rising to the highest level since at least 2012, a Bloomberg survey shows. Production in Malaysia has expanded every month since March.
States in Peninsular Malaysia will probably get average rainfall from June through November, the meteorological department said on June 5. Indonesia's forecaster predicts the impact of El Nino may start to be felt in September.
"It would have to be a very severe El Nino for palm oil to be able to move in a completely different trend from soybean oil and crude oil," Mr Coleman said in an interview June 16.
Crude in New York tumbled 44 per cent in the past year amid a global glut, reducing the appeal of cooking oils as biofuel. Soybean oil in Chicago lost 18 per cent in the past 12 months.


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Perumbavoor in Central Kerala is a mini India. Migrant workers from all over India come to this place looking for work. Workers from many states who get paid around Rs 200 for a day’s work in their home states, get around Rs 1000 as wage here.
Sunday is a busy day in Perumbavoor. Workers who get their weekly pay and weekly day off come here to send money back home via Cash Deposit Machines, meet their friends, share their stories, buy clothes, mobile phone, recharge their mobile phone, copy music and films to their phones, , have a hair-cut, watch Bengali or Assamese movies playing in the theatre in town and finally eat rasa gulas and other homely food from Assam hotel.
Narendra Modi’s late night ban of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes hit these workers like a thunder bolt. It paralysed the plywood factories around the town and many of them have closed down making its workers jobless overnight, many companies that still keep afloat are finding it hard to pay the wages and some of them are firing their workers.
I went to Perumbavoor last Sunday. Although there are workers milling around the town, compared to earlier days, it’s a dead town. Benny V Paul who runs the Assam hotel says this is exodus. The crowd who thronged his hotel for their favourite dishes is gone or is going home. Jam-packed trains are leaving from Aluva, the nearest railway station. This is an exodus of enormous proportion.
Jyothi junction, the horde of workers, is almost empty. It has hit all sorts of business. Auto rickshaws which used to do brisk business on Sundays, wait in long queue looking for a customer. Many auto drivers say that they used to make Rs 4000-5000 on a Sunday. Many of them do not own the vehicle but rent from others. The Sunday business was enough to pay the rental and other expenses. Now they hardly earn Rs 1000 on a Sunday and much less on other days. Many drivers have stopped plying their autos.
On Sundays, street vendors mushroom everywhere with cheap jeans, shirts and trousers. Now nobody is buying from them. Sales have dropped by almost 75 % said Ikrasul, a street vendor.
Benoy Peter, executive director, Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development, told Times of India that this exodus is a state-wide phenomenon. “There is a significant industrial stagnation and this has resulted in an exodus of migrant labourers,” Benoy said adding that this is sector specific. According to him, the impact is seen mostly in informal sectors like construction, hotels, quarrying and fishing.
There are around 35 lakh migrant labourers in the state, but it is impossible quantify the people who have left, he said.
“In Ponnani several fishing boats have not gone to sea because the migrant labourers, who were not getting paid, left,” he said. This might be temporary and they might comeback, but this would depend on how quick the currency crisis is resolved. “It’s hard for them to stay back because you need money for food and paying rent. Initially, many were paid in banned high denomination notes. Those without bank accounts used to send money back home through accounts of friends, but this is difficult now,” Benoy said.
The workers who are still have jobs and staying are not coming for their Sunday haunt, not even to eat their favourite rasgullas.
But there is one thing that is doing good business in Perumbavoor. Coloured metal trunks! They will pack their lives, livelihoods and memories in a trunk and go back home. To an uncertain future.
Binu Mathew is the Editor of www.countercurrents.org. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Our food culture is beginning to recognize fish as seasonal, like fruits and vegetables,” says Ashley Watts as she makes her daily deliveries to Honolulu restaurants. “Our customers appreciate that you can’t always get exactly what you want.” During the dry season in Hawai‘i, Local I‘a (i‘a is Hawaiian for fish) customers are likely to receive uku (gray snapper) or aku (skipjack tuna). During the wet season they’ll likely get mahimahi, ‘ōpakapaka (pink snapper) “or whatever is biting,” says Watts.
It borrows from community-supported agriculture, or CSA, in which customers subscribe to a service that delivers seasonal produce weekly from local farms. Local I‘a is a CSF—community-supported fishery—delivering seasonal seafood to restaurants and individuals along with date of catch, the fisherman to thank and suggested recipes. The company doesn’t source from commercial longliners; longline catch is sold at Honolulu’s fish auction, then passed through a series of distributors before becoming poke at a market or plated in a restaurant. Local I‘a grew from Watts’ desire to get fish directly to consumers while supporting small-scale fishermen. When Watts was a federal observer on longline vessels, “I became friends with fishermen,” she says, “and saw how they didn’t always get a fair price for their catch.”
It remains legal to sell seafood directly to consumers in Hawai‘i. Stylish restaurants buy most of Local I‘a’s fish, but anyone on O‘ahu can subscribe for $25 per week to receive four to six servings of fish. “I need to produce 120 pounds of fish by every Thursday, and the demand is rising,” Watts says. The ideal time to consume seafood is three to four days after it’s caught, which is usually about a day after Local I‘a subscribers pick up their orders at one of eight locations on O‘ahu. By comparison, the average tuna fillet in the grocery store is two weeks old. “Our setup is much simpler,” says Watts. “Your meal goes from the dock to the distributor to you.”


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Google-owned video sharing website YouTube has recently registered its largest streaming ever during the live webcast of the U2 concert which was watched by millions of people across the globe, according to reports from Variety Magazine.
As many as 10 million of internet users swarmed to the web to stream the U2 live concert from the world’s most popular video-streaming website, which is perhaps a record for an internet streamed event.
The website claimed that the concert was streamed across the world. It was broadcasted live from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on last Sunday.
Chris Maxcy, the chief of the music partnerships for YouTube, touted the huge event on the website by saying, “This was a big win for the YouTube community”, according to Variety.
The full two-and-a-half hour rendition by the group is still available on the website, with the rebroadcasted version of the video being viewed by a whopping 1.1 million users three days after it was originally broadcasted.
The event has undoubtedly heralded a new era for the Google-owned site, as it could presumably embolden other music groups to go for live streaming of their shows, particularly after seeing the massive reach the website exhibited in the event.
You can see the video on U2's Youtube Channel (opens in new tab)


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Holman Logistics (holmanusa.com) announced that it has been recognized for the eighth year in a row as a Top 100 3PL Provider by Inbound Logistics, a leading logistics industry publication.
Each year, Inbound Logistics editors select the Top 100 3PL providers by carefully evaluating submitted information, conducting personal interviews and online research, and comparing data to readers’ global supply chain and logistics challenges.
Felicia Stratton, editor of Inbound Logistics, commented, “World-class 3PLs offer innovative and efficient ways to increase the productivity of customer operations. Inbound Logistics is pleased to recognize Holman Logistics as a 2023 Top 100 3PL Provider for providing the solutions and expertise that empower logistics, supply chain, and transportation excellence.”
Established in 1864, Holman provides dedicated and multi-client warehousing, manufacturing logistics and operational support, transportation, and omnichannel fulfillment services to some of the world’s most recognized brands.
“Having Holman Logistics included in the Top 100 list for the past eight years is a testament to our Team Members,” said Holman President Brien Downie. “Our Team strives to provide Extraordinary Service in an ongoing effort to help our customers solve logistics challenges and maximize their business growth.”
To learn more about Holman, click HERE.


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Aniplex USA Launches Campaign For Fate/Grand Order Smartphone Game
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The campaign is a Facebook campaign for North American players of the game, and it launched on Saturday. The more likes the Facebook page gets, the more bonuses players will receive once the game launches.
Aniplex has also launched an official website for the game.
Aniplex will release the iOS and Android versions of the game this summer simultaneously in the United States and Canada. Delightworks is developing the North American app, and Aniplex is publishing the app. Aniplex of America is handling PR and marketing for the game.
Aniplex revealed that those who are already playing the Japanese version of the game will not be able to transfer their data to the new version, but players are still free to play both the English and Japanese version separately. The game will launch with content up through chapter 2.
Aniplex released the game in Japan in summer 2015 and it has been downloaded more than 8 million times. Aniplex has released all seven chapters of part one, and the first chapter of part 1.5. Aniplex has already revealed that it will try to release part 2 this year in Japan.
The game inspired the 74-minute Fate/Grand Order: First Order television anime special that aired in Japan on December 31. Aniplex of America, Crunchyroll, and Daisuki streamed the special the same day.
The game is also inspiring a stage play this July.


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Rose Bertram attends the "A Felesegam Tortenete/The Story Of My Wife" screening during the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 14, 2021 in Cannes, France.Rose Bertram is wearing a strapless red column dress
Rose Bertram attends the "Aline, The Voice Of Love" screening during the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 13, 2021 in Cannes, France. Rose Bertram wearing Nicolas Jebran Fall 2021 (July 12, 2021 -
The 2019 British Fashion Council Awards held in London's Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 2. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Cate Blanchett wore Armani Prive Fall 2019 Couture Lily James wore Valentino Fall 2019 Couture
Jennifer Lopez wore custom Versace Rita Ora wore a black Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2018 Couture sheer embroidered gown Blake Lively wore a Ralph and Russo Fall 2018 Couture off-white tuxedo SZA wore a RODARTE Spring
Rose Bertram was in attendance at the De Grisogono party held during the 2018 Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday (May 15) in Cap d’Antibes, France. She wore a silver Georges Hobeika Spring 2018 Couture dress .
Actresses and models in attendance at the amfAR Gala during the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday (May 25). Tracee Ellis Ross wore a red embroidered Jenny Packham Spring 2018 Bridal gown Nicole Kidman wore a


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Audi launches sedan S6 at Rs. 85.99 lakh1 min read . Updated: 15 Jul 2013, 03:21 PM IST German luxury carmaker Audi today launched its sedan S6 in India, priced at Rs. 85.99 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi).
German luxury carmaker Audi today launched its sedan S6 in India, priced at ₹ 85.99 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi).
'We are now happy to add the Audi S6 to our portfolio after the launch of the new Audi RS 5 Coupe earlier this month. With these launches, I am confident of consolidating our leadership position even further,' Audi India Head Michael Perschke said in a statement.
The company's other models in the high performance car segment includes Audi R8, Audi R8 Spyder, Audi S4 and Audi TT Coupe.
The Audi S6 has various luxury features including four zone air conditioner, electrically adjustable sport seats with memory functions for the driver and sun blinds.
Buoyed by good sales growth last year, Audi is expecting India to become one of its top ten global markets by 2014-15.
The company which sold 9,003 units in India in 2012 is aiming to sell around 10,500-10,800 units this year at a growth rate of about 20 per cent.
The German firm expects India to move up to 6th or 7th position by 2020 from its current rank of 22.


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In some ways, things are starting to look up for the U.S. economy. A promising inflation report and low unemployment have many people feeling optimistic that perhaps the worst of this downturn is over.
However, many Americans are still feeling the pinch, and a potential recession is still on the table. To be clear, we're not officially in a recession just yet. The National Bureau of Economic Research, the organization responsible for making that decision, hasn't made the official call so far.
Whether or not we'll face a recession later this year is uncertain. But if there's anyone who knows how to survive economic downturns, it's famed investor Warren Buffett. Here's his advice for getting through a recession.
1. Keep a long-term outlook
Nobody knows for certain whether a recession is looming or how long it might last if it hits. But we do know that, over the long run, the economy and the stock market will recover.
Short-term volatility is normal, and there is a possibility that the economy could slow and stock prices might sink over the next few months. If that happens, your investments could lose value in the near term. However, even the worst recessions are only temporary, and things will get better over time.
Back in 2008, at the height of the Great Recession, Warren Buffett wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times. He explained that amid the recession, "businesses will indeed suffer earnings hiccups, as they always have. But most major companies will be setting new profit records five, 10, and 20 years from now."
2. Invest more
It can be daunting to continue investing when the future is uncertain, but right now is one of the best opportunities to buy more.
While the market has been rebounding in recent weeks, stock prices, in general, are still well below their peaks from earlier this year. That means you have the chance to load up on quality stocks at a discount -- which can potentially save you a lot of money over time.
This strategy can also be incredibly profitable. When you invest during economic slumps, you're setting yourself up for significant returns when the market recovers. For example, in March 2009, the S&P 500 hit its low point during the Great Recession. But in the following year alone, it saw returns of nearly 70%.
According to Buffett, an important rule to remember when investing is to "be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful." If we face a full-blown recession and stock prices fall further, that is your opportunity to "be greedy" and invest as much as you can afford.
3. Focus on quality investments
The best way to ensure your investments survive a recession is to fill your portfolio with strong, long-term stocks. Not all businesses will make it through tough economic times, but healthy companies have the best chance of experiencing consistent growth despite volatility.
This is especially important to remember when stock prices are lower. It can be tempting sometimes to buy shaky stocks simply because they're on sale. But a bad investment is still a bad investment even if it's affordable. You're better off sticking to quality stocks that are more likely to rebound from slumps. As Buffett says, "It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price."
Nobody can say exactly how the market or the economy will perform over the coming months, and there's still a chance that we could face an official recession. No matter what happens, though, the right strategy (and the right investments) can keep your money as safe as possible.


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By Taiwanese-based DigiTimes who Mention unnamed “industry sources,” Apple is Coordinating Iris scanning technologies to allow iPhone 8 consumers to unlock their apparatus or use Apple Pay by authenticating with their eyes, very similar to how Touch ID authenticates using a fingerprint. Even the round muscle of the eye, or An individual’s iris, comprises a complicated and random pattern that is unique to each person.
While DigiTimes has a combined record of reporting Apple’s distribution chain, Taiwan-based provider Xintec, an affiliate Apple manufacturer TSMC is thought to be beginning mass production of iris-recognition processors this year, including fuel to the rumors that the technology will debut this year rather than next year which was previously proposed.
Together with the discussion of Apple replacing the Touch ID sensor using an embedded version this past year, it is possible Apple is working to eliminate Touch ID all something KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo if asserting backed up Touch ID will “finally be replaced with a facial recognition system” for improved security.
DigiTimes has resources within Apple’s supply chain, but it has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple product plans, so this report should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt. The publication said iPhones with iris scanning capabilities wouldn’t launch until 2018.
DigiTimes mentioned a website that stated 2017 iPhone consist of iris scanning skills, but today’s report is based on its sources. The report asserted this year, an affiliate of Apple manufacturer TSMC, Taiwan-based supplier Xintec, would start production of iris-recognition chips.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, among the sources of iPhone rumors, considers Apple is leaning toward facial recognition technology instead of iris recognition, dependent on the bio-recognition patents it’s filed. Way back in March 2016 he said the ‘iPhone 8’ would include either iris or decorative recognition.
Kuo said he believes Touch ID will probably ‘finally be replaced with a facial recognition method’ for enhanced security, in line with rumors Apple will remove the Home button, however, if the technical difficulties can’t be overcome, ” he noted a ‘combination of fingerprint and facial recognition’ is yet another possible solution.
Last month, Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri said the ‘iPhone 8’ could include an infrared detector located close to the front-facing camera and recognition technologies. The feature could allow users to control their apparatus for jobs such as adjusting volume with easy gestures.
Lending credence is the trademark of Apple for ‘Iris Engine‘ and the acquisitions of businesses like PrimeSense and Faceshift.
iPhone would not be the first smartphone with an iris scanner, also as Samsung added the technology on its own Galaxy Note7.
DigiTimes stated the ‘iPhone 8’ would enter production earlier than in preceding decades, based on a report from earlier this week.
Apple has requested its chip, and component providers begin trial production, review and prepare inventories for iPhone show normal, said the resources. Deliveries of chips and parts for the models have to kick off in the second half 2017, the resources suggested.
The trio of iPhone of Apple, including iterative ‘iPhone 7s’ and also ‘iPhone 7s Plus’ versions, are still anticipated to launch in September a year. The ‘iPhone 8’ in particular may cost upwards of $1,000 in the U.S. because of its significant redesign and characteristics that require more costly parts.


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Sale by the cosmetics owner is another move to help balance its books as professional care business doubles in value
Cosmetics conglomerate Coty has agreed to sell a 9% stake in its professional beauty brand Wella to KKR in exchange for half of the private equity’s preferred shares in Coty.
The cosmetics owner will, therefore, redeem around 47 million shares in the company’s common stock, while KKR will fork out some US$426m for the single-digit stake.
Upon completion, KKR will reduce its ownership to the equivalent of 45 million Coty Class A shares, around a 5.2% stake in the business.
The transaction is said to reflect a 50% appreciation in Wella’s value since Coty closed its 60% sale of Wella to KKR in December last year.
Coty will continue to own a 30% stake in the professional hair care business.
“Our strategy for unlocking value expansion in Coty has remained consistent, anchored on three key objectives: accelerating our sales and profit growth, deleveraging our balance sheet, and simplifying our capital structure,” said Sue Nabi, Coty’s Chief Executive.
“With freed funds to drive growth and deleveraging, it is another milestone in transforming Coty into a beauty powerhouse.”
According to the business, the sale will simplify Coty’s capital structure and result in an additional $26m in annual cash savings.
When combined with the KKR secondary share offering that closed in September, Coty has managed to save $52m in annual cash savings.
“The value of Wella has increased significantly since we undertook our partial divestment in 2020 and KKR became our strategic partner in the Wella business,” added Coty’s Chief Financial Officer, Laurent Mercier.
“Today’s announcement is a testament of our initial investment strategy of capitalising on the expected increase in Wella’s value over time to further our dual agenda of deleveraging and simplifying Coty’s capital structure.
“Our remaining stake in Wella remains a key financial asset for Coty, which we expected to bring further value over time.”
The transaction is expected to close in Q2 of FY22.


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A company named Xtreamer recently e-mailed us with an interesting press release, a Korean based company, they have announced that they will soon be releasing a smartphone dubbed the Xtreamer JoyZ, in Korea for €334 (around £285), from May 31st 2013.
And we still haven’t got to the interesting part yet, what makes this phone exciting is both its looks and its specs list, as you can see from the photo above and the video below the phone’s design is very interesting.
Alongside which the company also mentioned that the phone will feature a 4.7 inch display, with a Samsung EXYONS 4 quad-core processor, 3D graphics performance and it runs on Android Jelly Bean.
The phone also includes a 13 megapixel camera, built-in GPS and Gorilla glass 2 technology, with a 2500mAh battery that the company claims will offer 250 hours on standby, 6.5 hours Wi-Fi browsing, 6 hours browsing on cellular and 6.5 hours of video playback.
I’m not sure where exactly the phone would be launching, but it would be very interesting to see it in the UK market, for more information check out their site here.


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Porsche recalls over 40,000 Taycan EVs owing faulty wiring harness: Report
- Porsche called back 40,000 Taycan EVs due to an issue related to the wiring harness of the driver’s and passenger’s seats.
Porsche has announced a recall of over 40,000 Taycan electric vehicles worldwide. Porsche has recalled 40,421 Taycans EV manufactured between 10 July 2019 and 18 May 2021. According to reports these figures are about half of over 80,000 Porsche Taycans, in all variants, that have been sold cumulatively. The reason behind this callback is an issue related to the wiring harness of the driver’s and passenger’s seats.
It is being said that the wiring harness might get damaged during the longitudinal adjustment of the seat and if this happens, there is a chance that the airbags and seatbelt tensioners might get deactivated. This can lead to a safety issue for the users of the EV.
Also check these Cars
Last year, Porsche issued recall of its Taycan electric vehicles twice. Once it recalled around 43,000 Porsche Taycan due to software malfunction while in October Porsche called back about 11,827 Taycans as the hazard lights of the electric vehicle got automatically activated. Porsche had stated that it would resolve the issue as the electric vehicle units were still under warranty. In the former case, around 43,000 Porsche Taycans were affected. The faulty software caused the battery-powered engine to shut down abruptly. It was informed back then that these units will receive a software update to fix the issue.
Porsche Taycan which is the sports car manufacturer's first electric vehicle is a hit with customers. These recalls cannot cause a dent in Porsche's confidence as the brand said in a recent report that it will earn more profits by selling electric vehicles. Porsche is also gearing up for public listing later this year.


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Consumers are ready and waiting for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to launch a bigger iPhone this year. Raymond James analysts did a smartphone survey earlier this month and have released their findings. They say Apple still enjoys strong loyalty among users and, as another recent survey found, that the iPhone 6 might steal a little bit of the market share from Android.
Apple fans remain loyal
In a report dated June 25, 2014, analysts Tavis McCourt and Daniel Toomey shared the results of their U.S. smartphone survey. They found a slight increase in iPhone ownership year over year. This year 51.3% of those they surveyed own an iPhone, and last year, 50.2% did.
The analysts also found that those who expect to buy an iPhone as their next smartphone was about flat year over year at 54.7%, compared to 55% last year. It’s slightly higher than the 49.7% who said in March that they were planning to buy an iPhone for their next smartphone.
For the first quarter of 2022, the Voss Value Fund returned -5.5% net of fees and expenses compared to a -7.5% total return for the Russell 2000 and a -4.6% total return for the S&P 500. According to a copy of the firm’s first-quarter letter to investors, a copy of which ValueWalk has been able Read More
In terms of retention, they said Both Apple and Android enjoy more than 80% retention rates. Apple’s retention rate is a commanding 91.4%, however, while Android’s is only 82%. They also noted that as has been the case for a long time, iPhone users are more likely to upgrade soon, with 48.4% of them saying they’re likely to upgrade, compared to just 37.1% of Android users.
Demand for a bigger iPhone remains high
McCourt and Toomey said they think that a larger iPhone will bump up Apple’s share of the smartphone market a bit, and their survey indeed seems to back up this theory. They say 13.7% of Android users are planning to switch to an iPhone, while just 7.4% plan to switch from an iPhone to an Android phone.
They also found that 21% of all smartphone owners who participated in their survey would pay $100 extra for a bigger iPhone. That’s consistent with the results for this question in the last two surveys they did. They expect that the iPhone 6 will come in a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch model but that only the 5.5-inch model will cost $100 extra.
The analysts report that a third of current iPhone owners are willing to pay an extra $100 for a bigger iPhone, which they say suggests that there’s a lot of pent-up demand for the larger iPhone 6 models that are expected this year.
Apple iWatch, iTV interest is only niche
The Raymond James team also looked into possible demand for Apple’s rumored iWatch and iTV. They say broad interest in an Apple-branded smart watch was 10%, while interest among iPhone users was slightly higher at 13.5%. Interest in an Apple-branded smart TV was better, with broad interest at 25%. All of these percentages were a bit lower than they were in their previous surveys. They summed up all of their findings about purchase intentions for Apple products and products made by its competitors in this graph:
The analysts note that Apple would have some work to do in order to convince consumers that they need its new products, although the company has been good at this. They say that even these small percentages can result in some “pretty big numbers,” as there are now more than 300 million iPhone users around the globe.


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Blockchain, recognition and personalisation will play a key role, says Curtis Nishijima, managing director, EMEA at ADARA Continue reading
Guest Post: Travel tech trends in 2019 and beyond
Blockchain, recognition and personalisation will play a key role, says Curtis Nishijima, managing director, EMEA at ADARA
Over the past year there has been a vast amount of innovation within the travel industry, with one of the most notable cases being Emirates, who utilised utilising the latest facial and iris recognition allowing passengers to be able to check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates Lounge and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport. These technological advancements have provided more personalisation, convenience and functionality which will lead into future developments in how we travel.
As well as innovation across the industry, there has also been some big challenges that we have had to tackle; not least GDPR. This regulation has been viewed by many as one of the biggest challenges across the past year, however, it is really an opportunity for brands to demonstrate their commitment to consumer privacy.
Taking the right steps to ensure GDPR compliance has not only helped brands avoid potential penalties but has also boosted their brand recognition and trust.
Data privacy is at the core of ADARA’s business, in how we collect, store and process data. We understand our compliance obligations under the GDPR regulation and ensure compliance with all Privacy and Data Protection laws and we have taken steps to ensure our data partners and clients can continue to work with us. ADARA applies a “Privacy by Design” approach to our technology and platform, ensuring that we put the privacy requirements of our partners and clients, and by extension, the consumer, first.
In terms of trends that we expect to see in 2019 and beyond, coming in next 5 years, blockchain, recognition technology, robots and personalisation are all going to play a key role:
Blockchain – While still very nascent, experimentation in this area can unlock new possibilities to immediately identify passengers at the airport, guarantee transparency in tourists’ opinions, and provide easy and secure payments.
Recognition technology – As the technology advances and becomes more widely accepted, we can expect facial biometrics to be used to automatically authorise payments, or automatically check out of the hotel. This could dramatically reduce queues, freeing up restaurant or reception staff to deal with customers who require more hands-on assistance.
Robots – Out of all the emerging digital trends in the travel industry, one of the most exciting is the use of robots to perform intelligent tasks. This opens up a huge number of potential uses, ranging from customer service, through to data processing. A particularly good example of the possibilities is the 1A-TA robot by Amadeus. The robot can find out information from customers while they sit in the waiting room, analyse preferences and intelligently recommend suitable destinations.
Personalisation – When it comes to customer service, greater personalisation ranks among the top requests and those within the travel industry are taking note. Big data and machine-based learning both provide hotels with opportunities to deliver a more personalised experience for guests and this trend will only grow in the years ahead.