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Here halfway through 2020, the year when Hollywood finally embraced its streaming-video future, and four months into the Covid-19 lockdown that made the sector essential, it’s time to issue another report card on how the major subscription competitors are doing.
Some flew high, some stumbled badly, and some are still waiting to show what they’re capable of. But demand for streaming video skyrocketed, and some rose to the occasion. Others did not. Here’s our take:
Netflix: If any streaming service “won” the first months of the quarantine, it was Netflix, which saw its global audience swell by 10 percent, or 16 million subscribers, and became the must-have TV service for millions of bored viewers around the planet. A dizzyingly broad mix of shows including Inflection, Outer Banks, All For Love, Southern Survival, The Order, Space Force, 365 Days, Warrior Nun, even a rebooted Unsolved Mysteries have proven to be big hits.
The company also had a lot to contribute in the wake of protests for racial justice fueled by Black Lives Matter. It committed to deposit $100 million in banks serving communities of color, a pragmatic approach that could make a difference in underserved neighborhoods. CEO Reed Hastings and his wife also donated $140 million to the United Negro College Fund and two Historically Black Colleges in Atlanta, Spelman and Morehouse.
The company also made a superstar hire in new CMO Bozoma St. John, of Ghanaian descent. St. John first made a splash at Pepsi’s music unit, Beats and then Apple Music. Later, she was brought in as CMO to fix messes at Uber and Hollywood holding company Endeavor. By comparison, Netflix has no mess to clean up, but it now is courting a more global audience with an equally diverse array of programming. Count on St. John to shift the company’s $2 billion marketing budget to more emotional pitches that do more to build the overall Netflix brand amid many new competitors, rather than that of its monthly onslaught of new releases.
While many may have bought another channel, it’s important to note that few dropped Netflix. And it was that monthly onslaught of new releases that proved a difference maker as the quarantine has ground on. Production halts shut down most of Hollywood, hamstringing the launch or expansion of several newcomers at a crucial time. Netflix’s deep, international production pipeline allowed the company to keep posting 50 to 60 new series, films, docs, and specials every month. Compare that screen o’ plenty to the paucity of new releases on Apple TV+ or Disney+ since they launched, or the half-dozen of new shows that HBO Max launched with. Next week’s earnings announcement, after the company’s share price broke $500 for the first time this week, should confirm what already seems evident: Netflix is rocking it. Everyone else is fighting for second place. Grade: A, because it did everything right.
Disney+: Disney+ is just about the only part of Disney still doing well amid the pandemic (are you really heading to Disney World as it reopens amid Florida’s huge spike in Covid-19 cases? ). Disney+ was, in fact, perfectly positioned four months after launch to deliver a family-safe source of on-demand programming to millions of suddenly homebound children. As the lockdown hit and the company expanded into new overseas territories, signups soared past 50 million. That worked well for the first couple of months of lockdown. But discernible grumbles could be heard by Month 3 about the dearth of shows for grownups, or anything new that wasn’t effectively marketing meta-content about how wonderful it is to be Disney.
The company quieted the grumbles, for a couple of hours at least, by shifting the filmed version of Hamilton from theaters to Disney+ on July 4 weekend. Even smarter, the company stopped giving out free one-week trials, so people had to at least pay something to watch. It paid off big: downloads of the Disney+ app jumped 72.4 percent over the weekend, according to AppAnnie. The Hamilton maneuvers still don’t fix the bigger challenge: Disney+’s strength is also its limiter. If you’re not into superhero movies or kids programming, or just American-only, scrubbed-clean mainstream entertainment, Disney+ has little to offer. It could effectively be the world’s biggest niche channel. Netflix, with a library chock full of all kinds of shows made all over the planet, is still better positioned for global success, even as Disney+ continues to expand overseas. Grade: A-, for excellent work, but not enough it original and arresting.
Apple TV+: Apple’s entry in the streaming wars had a less than stellar start, at least compared to Disney+, which launched less than two weeks later in rocket-ship fashion. Regardless, Ampere Analysis estimated it ended 2019 with nearly 34 million subscribers, though most got their first year of TV+ free with purchase of an iPhone, Mac, iPad or even, appropriately, an Apple TV streaming device. It’s telling that Apple has been virtually mum since the launch on subscriber numbers. That suggests there hasn’t been a great story to tell, even though the pandemic provided a unique chance to lock in locked-down consumers.
But since Q2 started, there have been some signs of a newly engaged Apple. At the World Wide Developers Conference in June, the kickoff event featured a trailer for the upcoming version of Foundation, a series version of Isaac Asimov’s beloved science-fiction franchise. That show’s arrival sometime in 2021 won’t do much for Apple’s big shortcoming, a thin library of originals-only programming that was quickly exhausted.
Still, Defending Jacob broke out in the spring, and there are significant signs that Apple is adapting to the new realities. It bought Greyhound, the Tom Hanks WWII naval drama debuting today, from Sony for $70 million (The Greatness Code – a sport docuseries backed in part by LeBron James, Michael Strahan, and Tom Brady – and Little Voice – a scripted series from J.J. Abrams and Sara Bareilles – are also debuting today). Apple spent another $120 million at the virtual Cannes market on an Antoine Fuqua-Will Smith film project, a record for any pre-festival acquisition. It cut a deal with the Maurice Sendak estate for animated programming based on his beloved children’s books such as Where the Wild Things Are. And Apple reportedly is dumping its originals-only approach and acquiring some third-party shows, though little has surfaced yet. It’s also running Emmy For Your Consideration campaigns for The Morning Show, Defending Jacob and other shows. All of this makes it feel like Apple is warming up to actually running a subscription video service. Given its $1.6 trillion market capitalization and vast hoard of cash, other students in this class might have reason to worry if Apple starts applying itself. Grade: C+, for increasing effort.
Amazon Prime Video: Inexplicably, it took until the first week of July, 2020, for Amazon to finally begin rolling out two of the most basic user-friendly features one might expect from any modern subscription streaming service. One was the addition of user profiles, so different people in a household can create their own watch lists and histories, and have a personalized experience. The other big addition allow different kinds of profiles for children, with additional restrictions on what can be watched, bought or rented. And, in a trend that’s happening more widely, Amazon also launched its version of Watch Parties, allowing people to virtually watch and comment up on a show together.
Less awesome was the continuing standoffs between Amazon with carriage of HBO Max and Peacock. Roku has the same problem, meaning the two services aren’t available on devices reaching roughly two-thirds of U.S. households. That’s not, strictly, a problem for Prime Video, which is just one of Amazon’s metastasizing collection of video services. But Prime fits into a broader vision of not just cementing sales of Amazon’s e-commerce operations but also its efforts through Channels and IMDB.TV and Twitch, etc. to provide the entire spectrum of online video options. The continued standoffs are a fail.
After huge success with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fleabag the past two years, there hasn’t been the same kind of breakout original show this year. Prime just launched new seasons of Hanna and Jack Ryan, and still has that half-billion-dollar Lord of the Rings spinoff series coming, sometime. There’s also the deal it signed with some Westworld creators for a series built around the dystopian game franchise Fallout, a deep and clever narrative universe that could be fertile ground for a video spinoff.
But Amazon has understandably been a distracted student, as it focused on dominating e-commerce during the pandemic, which also helped Amazon CEO break his own record as the world’s wealthiest humanoid. Perhaps Prime Video will get back in the competition for viewer attention online soon, given all the resources Amazon can bring to bear. Extra credit: Production is underway on a 10-part series from Barry Jenkins based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Underground Railroad, Whitehead said online this week. Good timing on that. Grade: B- for turning in late projects and not enough original work.
HBO Max: AT&T finally joined the streaming party in Q2, but it was hardly the splashy debut that new Warner Media CEO Jason Kilar would have wanted. The pandemic meant only half a dozen originals debuted on launch day, including Anna Kendrick’s winsome turn in Love Life, and the voguing competition show Legendary. Fortunately, Warner Media has a very deep library, starting with all the available shows from HBO’s remarkable collection of award-winning series.
Key component HBO continued its run of excellence, picking up 16 nominations, including four for Watchmen, from the Television Critics Association awards this week. The challenge going forward is whether HBO can continue making bell-cow shows such as Watchmen while also filling out the herd with a lot of other good-enough shows. HBO Max also includes films from the Warner Bros. vault, beloved animation house Studio Ghibli and a superb group of classics from the Criterion Collection are a gift for cinephiles. And there’s plenty of classic TV as well, beginning with Friends. So, even without many originals, there’s plenty to watch, though at the highest monthly price of any service.
Unforced error: Debuting Gone with the Wind just before weeks of racial-justice protests. Warner certainly couldn’t have anticipated the protests, but plenty of people have raised concerns for years about GWTW’s antebellum, no, antediluvian depiction of race relations in the South. The company pulled the film for a few weeks to add commentary and perspective about those depictions. Perhaps that could have been done, oh, 15 years ago?
Second unforced error: Deep confusion over branding and accessing the service. Where, many consumers wondered, did HBO Max fit with HBO Go, HBO Now, and, well, HBO HBO. The company moved to clean up some of that confusing as it sunsets Go and Now.
Third unforced error: Continued disputes with Roku and Amazon about carrying the service. That keeps HBO Max off devices that reach an estimated 80 million households, which doesn’t feel like a win for anyone, least of all consumers. Warner Media absolutely should want to keep all its viewing data, subscriber relationships and advertising possibilities (an ad-supported tier is coming eventually). But the deal with Apple suggests compromise can happen. For now, HBO Max is turning itself into a niche service, given the limited carriage.
On the plus side, Richard Tom, Kilar’s cohort at both Hulu and Vessel, joined in June as CTO, bringing more online smarts and product orientation to the 97-year-old media company. I look forward to seeing what both do to reshape and focus the diverse collection of admirable assets now crammed into HBO Max.
Meanwhile, the strip-mining of Warner Media’s other streaming service, DC Universe, continues, with Star Girl moving to the CW for its second season. HBO Max already claimed Doom Patrol, and reportedly will get an animated Harley Quinn series too. That leaves DCU just one original exclusive series, Titans, and a likely ticking clock on its prospects. Grade: D+, for way too many unforced errors, and that very late debut in the market
Hulu: The “other” Disney entertainment service continued to impress, bolstered by buzzy originals from its FX on Hulu dedicated hub, including Devs and Mrs. America. The FX and FXX programming provides an edgier alternative to the scrubbed-clean pastels of Disney+. It also has some broader hits than anything on its corporate cousin, even The Mandalorian, according to new data from Parrot Analytics. Both Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Brooklyn Nine-Nine cracked Parrot’s top 10 most in-demand online shows. along with seven shows from Netflix, and Game of Thrones.
The downside: viewers have to buy two services, with different log-ins, billing and the rest. Add in Disney’s sports-focused ESPN+, which has been hamstrung by the pandemic, and it’s three log-ins, for no obvious consumer benefit. Grade: B+, for steady, if uninspiring work.
Quibi: It’s easy to say I told you so, but Quibi had a mangled launch, and not just because of the pandemic, despite founder Jeffrey Katzenberg’s blame game. The company made a series of bad decisions that looked a lot like what happens when the Olds make a new media service designed to appeal to Gen Z and Millennials. It didn’t do well. A business model expecting people to watch on mobile a few minutes at a time throughout the day didn’t work when those people were suddenly homebound, with time to kill and big screens to watch.
Unforced error No. 1: You couldn’t “throw” a Quibi show onto those big screens. Unforced error No. 2: The company blocked screen shots, so no one who actually watched and liked a Quibi show could share it on social media. The company is trying to fix some of that, but prospects are grim. Mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower issued a report suggesting the company’s subscriber numbers fell off a cliff, to just 72,000 users, after the initial three-month free trial ended for most. Even with $1.75 billion raised, that money will go fast without paying subscribers or advertisers.
Extra credit: Jason Reitman’s fan-video-style “remake” of The Princess Bride, featuring brief appearances by everyone from Jack Black and Jon Hamm to Mackenzie Davis. The unlikely hit moved Variety critic Owen Glieberman to wonder whether the “(sort of) addictive” series was “a shaggy public-access novelty or the savior of Quibi.” In the streaming future (which without rapid iteration won’t include Quibi), you can be both. Grade: F+, because Princess Bride.
Peacock: The Comcast entry into the streaming wars finally takes flight next week, at whatever altitude, after roosting quietly for free on the company’s broadband and Flex services the past three months. You can’t grade what you can’t see, so finally, as the teacher always demands, NBCUniversal will have to show its work.
Like HBO Max, the roster of new originals will be sparse, just nine shows, including an adaptation of Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World.” And, bad luck, it won’t have the hoped-for boost of hundreds of hours of Olympics coverage later in the month. It will have 7,500 hours of classic films (Jurassic Park, Shrek) and TV shows (Parks & Recreation) available in the free, ad-supported tier that initial marketing will emphasize. Paying customers will get double that library, for $5 a month, and the whole enchilada ad-free for $10. There will be live news, late-night shows and sports, like more than 100 English Premier League soccer matches courtesy of NBC Sports, which is also different from most of Peacock’s new competitors.
Extra credit: NBCU cut a last-minute deal with ViacomCBS to add a significant cache of the latter’s films (The Godfather trilogy, American Beauty) and TV shows (Ray Donovan, The Affair) to Peacock. And its executives have said they used the three-month soft launch to tweak and reshape the service further If you’re going to be late, at least use the time to look better. Grade: Incomplete, still.
CBS All Access: ViacomCBS executives keep promising they’re going to release details on plans to make CBS All Access more than a niche service for Star Trek shows and The Good Fight. The beefed-up “ViacomCBS All Access” almost certainly will have lots of shows from Paramount and all the Viacom cable networks, but we still don’t have clarity on how it will handle licensing to services such as Peacock while keeping some parts of its library to itself.
Equally confusing is where Pluto TV, the free, ad-supported service it bought in 2018, fits. Pluto just announced it has more than 100,000 hours of content, double levels of just six months ago. That includes 40 shows from CBS and Comedy Central such as Survivor, America’s Next Top Model, South Park and Beverly Hills 90120.
Again, the clock’s ticking on ViacomCBS to show how this all fits together. In the meantime, you might as well watch another Star Trek episode. Grade: D+, for missing way too many classes.


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The commitment to producing traditional superfine wool on their property in the Yass Valley, despite many seasons of disappointing returns, is now paying off for Robyn and John Ive.
During the recent dinner of the Australian Superfine Wool Growers’ Association held in Goulburn, the Association’s annual national fleece competition awards were announced: and a fleece grown by a three-year-old wether on the couple’s property “Talaheni”, received the award for the Goulburn-Yass region with the solid score of 93 points.
Sired by a Rock-Bank ram, the fleece had the following characteristics: 3.3 kg skirted weight, 73.8 percent yield, 15.9 micron, 20.1 percent CoV, 99.2 percent Comfort Factor, 15.4 micron Spinning fineness, 125 deg/mm Curvature.
The following Thursday on May 24, the “Talaheni” wool clip was sold in Sydney through AWN and received the top three prices in the catalogue; in fact, the top three prices across all wool selling brokers for the day.
“Not only that, the weekly market report put out by Landmark identified “Talaheni” as having received the second and third highest prices across all wool selling centres for the week- a week when the EMI went up 40 cents to 1983 c/kg clean,” Mr Ive said.
“As has been the case for some years, the top line was bought by G Schneider Australia for 3702 c/kg clean, with bidding undertaken by Tim Marwedel. The next best line made 3664 c/kg clean. The top line was 15.2 micron, 73.2 percent yield, 86 mm staple length and 35 N/kTex, the second line was 14.2 micron, 71.5 percent yield, 76 mm staple length and 27 N/kTex staple strength.”
Obviously very pleased about his returns, Mr Ive was however cautious about pumping up their relative values and said, “while these prices were good, they fall well short of prices regularly received a decade or more ago before the slide in superfine prices.”
“Our skirting lines however, sold very well and consolidated the overall result; for instance, pieces made 2719 c/kg clean resulting in an overall pleasing result of 3230 c/kg clean average across the clip.” he said.
“In fact, it is extra pleasing given the tough seasonal conditions we have endured over the past two years.”
Mr Ive, who had a long career with CSIRO before becoming a full-time wool grower, pointed out that claims that current prices are at record levels are misguided.
“In nominal terms this is true but in real terms, as reported in other press reports, current prices are far short of previous peaks,” he said.
“If one is going to claim record wool prices, then one must also recognise costs are at record levels.
“Although the financial position is better than recent times, they still fall considerably short of previous periods of good returns.”
Mr Ive is hopeful the current rising trend, particularly for wool finer than 16.5 micron will continue given the reduced production of traditional superfine wool due to poor prices over a decade or more.
Although the quantity of sub -16.5 micron wool has increased over the past 25 years, Mr Ive said it has been predominantly due to an increase in supply of broader crimping styles, with traditional superfine declining sharply.
“This decline is continuing and needs at least current prices to be maintained if the situation is to be reversed,” he said.
“There are no doubt processors are starting to realise the serious decline in traditional superfine wool supply and the impact upon their future processing opportunities - hence the recent sharp increase in prices.
“In addition, several processors have bought extensive farming properties in traditional superfine wool growing areas.”

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Arctic Cat rides virtual reality for all-year marketing
Minneapolis — It can’t snow in Minnesota all 12 months — and few would want that.
So what do you do in the warmer months when you still want people to get excited about snowmobiles? Arctic Cat is making its own winter experience in warmer months with the help of virtual reality.
It’s the latest marketing tool for the struggling snowmobile and all-terrain vehicles manufacturer.
Thrill-seeking enthusiasts can take part in the “Arctic Cat 360 experience,” the recently launched simulation that incorporates Samsung Gear virtual reality headsets to help consumers feel like they are riding a snowmobile or a side-by-side in a 360-degree virtual world.
In an increasingly competitive marketplace, Arctic Cat has upped the ante on its marketing and promotional campaigns to increase awareness of its brand and spur sales.
Selling and marketing expenses totaled $43.7 million, or almost 41 percent of operating costs, in the company’s most recent fiscal year. That’s up from $39.6 million the year before.
“We know we have really cool products that users want to engage in, and we have this really passionate user base,” said Greg Williamson, who was hired by Arctic Cat as its first-ever chief marketing officer last year.
“Our pathway to success we feel is providing that experience getting people onto our machines and in front of our machines in every way possible,” he said. “When we looked at virtual reality, that just seemed like one more lever we could pull to do something that’s exciting and engaging and most importantly provide that ride experience.”
During a conference call after the announcement of the company’s earnings last month, CEO Christopher Metz told analysts one of Arctic Cat’s strategic initiatives was to turn the company into “a brand marketing powerhouse” and “activate sales through experiential marketing.”
Arctic Cat has been trying to stage a business turnaround. For the full fiscal year, which ended March 31, Arctic Cat reported a net loss of $9.2 million.
Arctic Cat’s 360 project was a brainchild of Minneapolis advertising agency Periscope, which has done work for the company since 1982.
Periscope began exploring how it could assist Arctic Cat in helping more people experience their products at trade shows, stores and other places where demonstrations on the real thing may not always be possible, said Matt Miller, vice president and experiential creative director at Periscope.
The setup: A participant usually sits on a side-by-side or snowmobile and then straps on the Samsung Gear virtual reality headset. The user does not actually control the direction or movement of the vehicle on the screen, but the headset allows for a panoramic view of the ride.
The virtual reality ride premiered in March at the company’s dealer meeting in Las Vegas. Last month, Arctic Cat announced a second virtual reality experience featuring racer Tony Stewart in a Wildcat exploring red Utah canyons. The company demonstrated the virtual reality rides at its recent investor day in May. Many Arctic Cat dealers have already started ordering virtual reality merchandise kits to add the 360 experience to their stores to translate into more sales.
Arctic Cat and Periscope are not the only ones to explore use of virtual reality. Marketers worldwide are helping clients experiment with the technology, seen as another avenue for brands to interact with customers.
“I can see (virtual reality) easily applying to a few other businesses we have. … A lot of brands are looking to create more intriguing, experiential content,” said Peter Nicholson, Periscope’s chief creative officer. “This is a big part of that.”
Last year, local advertising agency Space150 launched a promotion of Polaris’ Victory Motorcycles that used the Oculus Rift to give those at trade shows the chance to virtually ride through the Black Hills of South Dakota. The firm has gone on to develop more virtual reality experiences on other platforms including the HTC Vive.
While playing a big part, 360 video is not the only way that Arctic Cat is experimenting with marketing strategies. A couple of months ago, Arctic Cat rolled out a free snowmobile racing game for mobile users in an effort to reach a young demographic. Arctic Cat Extreme Snowmobile Racing has had over 1 million downloads.
Earlier this year, Arctic Cat announced it was the lead sponsor of the sprint car racing series that is now known as the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions.
Another extension of the company’s marketing will be its new Minneapolis headquarters, which it will move into this summer. The North Loop building will give the company the visibility that its old suburban offices didn’t allow — complete with two glass-enclosed, top floors.


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Fashion sales at John Lewis suffered a year-on-year decline last week owing, it said, to warmer than average weather.
Overall sales at John Lewis department store fell 4.6% to £86.4m in the seven days to October 14, with revenues in its fashion department down 5.1%.
Despite the drop in fashion, the retailer said beauty sales were up 4.3%. Fragrance sets sales rose 3% as shoppers started their Christmas shopping.
Home sales were down 2% in the seven days, while electricals and home technology sales dropped 6.7% year-on-year.
At upmarket grocer Waitrose, sales excluding fuel edged up 0.7% to £127.62m.
It said the warmer than average temperatures resulted in relatively summery sales patterns, with products such as quiche, dips and soft fruit proving popular – up 14%, 8% and 15% respectively.
Organised shoppers started buying advent calendars, with sales 82% higher than this time last year.
It added that there are 28% more Waitrose.com delivery slots booked in for Christmas week than at this point last year.
Across the partnership, sales slipped 1.5% year-on-year to £214.02m.


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8 November 2023
In October 2023, Ukrainian companies exported 76,000 tons of sugar, which is the highest value for the recent years.
According to customs statistics, Ukrainian sugar exports in the first month of the new season amounted to 76,000 tons, compared to 25,000 tons in the previous month and 30,000 tons in October 2022.
Moreover, the export in October was the highest value during one calendar month in recent years (the previous highest value was recorded in May of the current year, when Ukraine exported 70,000 tons of sugar).
The main factors that led to the record result:
- High world prices for sugar
- Significant sugar stocks in Ukraine, which were formed at the end of the previous season due to the ban on the export of sugar from the country, which was in effect from June to mid-September 2023
- Relatively large expected production of sugar in the current year (the area planted under sugar beets in the current season has increased by 36% compared to the previous one, the expected total production of beets - up to 12 million tons, sugar - 1.6 million tons (1.25 million tons in 2022).
Our recent review of the Ukrainian sugar market is available here.


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German seller is ready to part with an extremely low-mileage McLaren F1, but only to those prepared to pay $24 million up front
In conjunction with the opening day of the Classic & Sports Car Show at the Alexandra Palace in London, the McLaren F1 was honored as the “Greatest Supercar Ever”
McLaren Special Operations may not have placed such an advertisement, but it has distributed a news release to inform that McLaren F1 069 is available for sale.
Jay Leno has called it “the greatest car of the 20th Century.” It was the McLaren F1, of which only 106 were built between 1992 and 1998 by the British racing team.
The Pick of the Day was created by an Air Force pilot from an aircraft belly tank, custom tube frame and Volvo running gear.
Exotics owned by McCartney, Stewart, Mason on Bonhams docket for Goodwood sale
Meanwhile, the BBC’s famed pink taxi drives into a place at Beaulieu
Brightwells schedules the sale for March 21 at Bicester Heritage
BMR Suspension releases new Mustang torque box reinforcement braces


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On Friday 19th August 2022, Distaquaine Tu’ihalamaka, CEO Ministry of Trade and Economic Development and H.E Rachel Moore, Australian High Commissioner, marked the launching of the first E-Commerce Strategy & Roadmap for Tonga.
This strategy was prepared as one of the components on the project – “Strengthening an Inclusive Enabling Environment for e-Commerce in Tonga” funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) under the E-Commerce Aid-for-Trade Fund (Round II).
The Minister of Trade and Economic Development, Hon. Viliami Uasike Latu references in the strategy how “Tonga needs to have in place the necessary frameworks that can harness optimum gains from the opportunities of e-commerce.” That this strategy will also “require interaction and collaboration amongst leaders in both government, non-government agencies and the private sector”.
The strategy’s mission is to accelerate Tonga’s Digital Transformation through accelerated economic growth that is inclusive and equitable. A robust legal and regulatory framework for e-commerce is identified as one of the drivers for e-commerce growth in Tonga and Cabinet has approved for the review of the relevant legislations or bills to facilitate e-commerce. This will increase confidence for both consumers and suppliers and consequently, encourage more online consumers and business boosting multiple sectors.
As one of the key measures, the Ministry sets out to establish a National E-Commerce Committee, to ensure continuous implementation of the Strategy.


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With so many payment innovations being churned out, it is important to keep track of what consumers think about them and more importantly how the innovations change their behaviour.
For example, the most popular apps within payments are budgeting, balance checking and loyalty/rewards schemes, according to research from Vocalink/One Poll. This reveals that people are becoming more conscious of their spending, but at the same time value recognition for their spending.
Moreover, over half of the 2,000 people surveyed said that they would be interested in using a payment or banking app of some kind.
In terms of actual innovations, only 17 per cent of people have paid using a mobile phone. Men appear to be more open to mobile payment technology with 21 per cent of male respondents saying they have made a mobile payment compared to the 12 per cent of women.
The infographic below breaks down the rest of the data.
Daniel Smith, Director of Relationship Management, Basset and Gold interview: “Consumer demand for new and innovative forms of finance is soaring”
Basset and Gold has announced the launch of its new Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA).
CEO and Co-Founder of Payworks Christian Deger explains how developing partnerships between SMBs and VARs is benefiting the industry.
Amin Lalani, CIO Executive at Huawei Western Europe, explores the rise of self-serving banks.
A new case study by Payment21 payout solutions explores how gaming merchants can expand market shares and realize the potential of a new target group.


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In this role, he will help provide oversight to DFA’s varied investments and joint ventures. In addition, he will help guide and support any future merger, acquisition and joint-venture opportunities for the national milk marketing cooperative.
Bernon brings a solid track record of leadership in the dairy industry to his role at DFA. Most recently, he served as president of Dean Foods Dairy Group. Bernon began his dairy career in 1976 when he joined his brother, Peter, in the family business, Garelick Farms, in
In 1997, the Bernons sold the Garelick companies to Suiza Foods. It was this acquisition that launched Suiza on its path as the leading consolidator of dairy businesses throughout the
Following the sale of Garelick to Suiza, Bernon joined the Dean Foods Co. Board of Directors, while also assuming responsibility for Dean’s Northeast region as its chief operating officer. Bernon played a key role in identifying, acquiring and integrating Dean’s expanded operations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Bernon became president of Dean Foods Dairy Group in January 2006.
“I am honored that Alan has agreed to join us in our mission to make DFA a stronger, more successful organization, and one that delivers greater value to our farmer owners,” said Rick Smith, president and chief executive officer of DFA. “Alan’s experience, entrepreneurial success and integrity make him an invaluable asset to DFA.”
In his tenure at Dean Foods, Bernon is credited with increasing sales in the company’s Northeast region from $300 million in 1997 to approximately $1.5 billion in 2003.
Bernon and his family will continue to reside in
Kansas City, Mo.-based Dairy Farmers of America Inc. is a milk marketing cooperative that serves and is owned by more than 18,000 dairy farmers in 48 states. DFA is one of the country’s most diversified manufacturers of dairy products, food components and ingredients, and is a leader in formulating and packaging shelf-stable dairy products. For more information, call 888/DFA-MILK (332-6455) or visit www.dfamilk.com.


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The video-conferencing giant will carry out an annual security assessment of its software and have its internal security program assessed by a third-party every two years. It also has to create a vulnerability management program, and add security safeguards, such as multi-factor authentication and proper data deletion.
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It’s been a bumpy ride, but if Nintendo plays their cards right then the Switch could put them back on top
Say what you will about Nintendo, but you can’t accuse them of resting on their laurels. Over the past three decades, the Kyoto Japan-based company has consistently shifted the playing field in the video games industry by delivering unconventional and exciting products which, while not always a success, manage to innovate and set the stage for trends that often become the industry standard. Whether it’s the Wii’s motion-based controls, which went on to inspire the move and and the current stable of VR controllers, or the 3Ds’ touchscreen, which paved the way for the PS4 and Vita’s touch-based controls, Nintendo’s unconventional methods are often a recipe for success. And Nintendo’s penchant for innovation has without a doubt made things more exciting, even if it hasn’t always resulted in the Big N edging out their competition.
Of course, this desire to change the industry’s dynamic isn’t just a phenomenon that started with the Wii and its waggle-tastic peripherals. Nintendo are the ones who made portable gaming mainstream with the monochromatic masterpiece, the Game Boy, way back in 1989. The handheld went on to be a massive success, paving the way for countless handhelds from the competition like Sega’s Game Gear, SNK’s Neo Geo Pocket, and Bandai’s Wonderswan – ultimately paving the way for mighty handhelds that we play today. Hell, you could even argue the ill-fated Virtual Boy laid the groundwork for the PlayStation VR, but that’s probably just me permanently viewing the world through rose-tinted glasses after spending extensive time with the unit. Thanks for that, Gunpei Yokoi.
All joking aside, Nintendo’s dogged efforts to make the video gaming landscape more exciting through unorthodox hardware has been one of the company’s greatest strengths over the years. However, the company’s critics, and even some longtime fans, feel Nintendo’s refusal to adapt to industry conventions has put the company at a disadvantage when compared to their competition. When Sony and Microsoft christened the HD era with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Nintendo decided to stick to low fidelity visuals and focus on motion-based controls. This this did a great job of attracting casual gamers,. Unfortunately, the middling hardware did very little to entice hardcore gamers, who largely shifted their attention elsewhere.
The Wii U suffered a similar fate. Nintendo’s tablet-based controller was an exciting prospect. But the underwhelming hardware that powered the experience was a turnoff to third party studios, who were unable to bring their most successful franchises to the console. This lack in horsepower eventually lead to sporadic first-party releases keeping the system on life support. A real shame, especially when considering the console had a large stable of third party support when it launched on November 18, 2012.
Now, here we are, one day after Nintendo pulled back the curtain and revealed their latest console – the aptly-named Switch. We’ve talked about the console at length since it was revealed, and it certainly looks to continue the trend of technical wizardry over conventional design. Many hoped the console would be a return to form for Nintendo, providing Nintendo’s fans with a more powerful and conventional console meant to rival the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case – at least not at this early stage. That’s not to say the system looks like a bust – quite the contrary – but the system’s focus on portability certainly seem like it could come at the cost of overall power. And a system that’s drastically outgunned by its competition will always struggle to secure to secure the most ambitious titles. It’s happened time and time again for Nintendo, and a repeat could really hobble the onetime console juggernaut.
Of course, horsepower isn’t everything. Nintendo is obviously banking on once again changing the way people play games. Whether it’s starting up a game of Skyrim and taking it on the go as you leave on your morning commute, or making Smash Bros. tournaments possible at the drop of a hat, the Switch seems well equipped for the task. Hell, the controller, known as the Joy-Con, can even slide off the unit and used as a pair of min-controllers for instant multiplayer capabilities. It’s some seriously cool tech. But it’s unclear if all of the Switch’s capabilities will be enough to make Nintendo a contender again. After all, the Wii U was fairly disastrous for Nintendo by most accounts despite its innovative controller, and you have to wonder if all of these bells and whistles, as cool as they are, will be enough to win over the hardcore gamers who’ve felt burned by Nintendo’s last few consoles.
In the end, it will be the games that define the Switch’s legacy, not the hardware. And this is one area where we’re left scratching our heads. We know that the console will at least be getting a new Mario game, along with Splatoon, Mario Kart 8, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Skyrim Remastered. Apart from those titles, details are absolutely scarce – and Nintendo has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal’s Takashi Mochizuki that they won’t be revealing any new details on software or hardware specs until next year, which is at the earliest just three months before the console’s worldwide release in March 2017.
Nintendo: no more official announcement would come this year on 1) game titles 2) spec details, including region-lock status.
— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) October 21, 2016
Having said that, it’s really hard to gauge what we can expect to see from the Switch. But one thing is for certain, after multiple generations of losing ground to the competition, Nintendo desperately needs to craft a console that can go toe-to-toe with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, or at the very least make a noticeable foothold in the marketplace. The hardware certainly does some innovative things that could make the platform a real game changer, but without a stable of strong software to prop it up, the console could be yet another swing and a miss for Nintendo.
Personally, I’ll be lining up to grab my Switch alongside millions of gamers when the console releases next March. It’s something I’ve done for the past few decades whenever a new Nintendo console rolls out. After all, who can resist the allure of taking the Elder Scrolls on the go, or saving Hyrule from the highway? These are the kinds of experiences that players of all stripes are sure to celebrate. However, I’m still not entirely sure the console will have what it takes to win over the majority of my playtime. In any case, I’m certainly excited to find out!
So, do you think the Switch will be able to really compete with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4? Are you happy with what you’ve seen from the console following yesterday’s hardware reveal? We’d love to know what you think. Be sure to sound off in the comments section and tell us if you feel Nintendo can come out on top when they flip the Switch next year.


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We are constantly being told that the future is based on entrepreneurs. People running small businesses who hire local talent to expand and slowly grow. And yet, in South Africa, we don’t seem to have a viby start-up culture. There is still a big stigma and embarrassment associated with starting a venture and failing but failure (and learning from it) is a core factor to running the next amazing business. When I chat to successful entrepreneurs failure is something that they don’t hide from – is a fact. They also always attribute their success to having learnt valuable lessons from these failures. [check out Vinny Lingham’s tips for running a great business]
So where does one start ? where does someone with a business idea begin?
One such place could be a tech hub or an incubator which not only helps the entrepreneur with technical skills but also mentorship of how to run the business, how to market, how to employ and how to expand. When I looked at My World of Tomorrow, I noticed that Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) is going to be there. TIA, according to their website, “was established with the objective of stimulating and intensifying technological innovation in order to improve economic growth and the quality of life of all South Africans. This is done through developing and exploiting technological innovations. TIA’s core business objective is to support the development and commercialisation of competitive technology-based services and products.”
Funding the Youth
Clare Mattes, took the opportunity to chat to Dr Sibongile Gumbi, Group Executive of the TIA about their role in the South African economy and what they are doing to fund the youth who are the future of the country :


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After a break of four years from TV screens, SPAR UK is set launch a new campaign which is intended to celebrate its convenience, and champion its value, product ranges and fresh produce, while "reinforcing its heritage at the heart of local communities". SPAR will kick start this new initiative with a 40 second brand building advert and sponsorship of 'Lorraine' on ITV from October, which will continue until the end of December. It is understood this campaign will also feature digital advertising, a customer magazine and in-store communication.
Commenting on the announcement, Phillippe Rondepierre said "The campaign is a significant milestone for our business and we are delighted to be working in partnership with two leading agencies to help us create a powerful and effective campaign. There is an enormous amount of warmth towards the brand, which we would like to communicate. SPAR is customer driven; we understand and listen to our customers' needs, and are continuously striving to give them what they want and deliver the very best service".
Want to know more...
Best-in-class SPAR retailer Kevin Hunt takes to the stage at Convenience Retailing 2013 conference, taking place in London on the 21 November to discuss how he’s differentiating to compete in the channel. Book your place to find out how SPAR and other key operators are standing out from the crowd in the fast and evolving world of convenience.. More >>


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STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — The owners of a Studio City store that sells unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is asking for the public's help in identifying burglary suspects who allegedly stole $10,000 worth of merchandise.
The Drones Plus store located at 11376 Ventura Boulevard was reportedly broken into around 4:15 a.m. Sunday, according to store manager.
Surveillance video released by the store appeared to show two suspects shatter the front door and proceed to take what Drones Plus manager Justin Henderson says amounts to "thousands of dollars" in GoPro cameras.
The video showed the suspects in the store for only about a minute. Police showed up about 20 minutes later, according to the store.
Owners say the burglary is the first for Drones Plus since it opened in February and comes just days after two drones were stolen from a Van Nuys store.
for more features.


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Electra America, BH Group plans for $1b redevelopment of 80-acre Southland Mall Site in Miami-Dade County
Electra America, along with its U.S. affiliate, American Landmark, and BH Group, has unveiled preliminary plans for the redevelopment and reinvention of the Southland Mall in Cutler Bay, located approximately 20 miles south of downtown Miami.
The 80-acre, $1 billion redevelopment will be one of the largest projects of its kind in the Southeast and will be called Southplace City Center.
The new ownership team envisions a city within a city for living, working, shopping and playing that will feature more than 4,000 residential units, over 500,000 square feet of curated retail, and exciting dining and entertaining venues at the existing mall, with an additional 150,000 square feet of prime retail space and outparcels for food and beverage operators. The phased redevelopment project will be a charming, self-contained community with abundant green space, bike and golf cart trails, walking trails, a trolley system, and easy access to public transit – specifically, the so


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The Indian economy shrank 23.9 percent during the April-June quarter this year, confirming fears of a crippling slide across several industries and services that are profusely bleeding through multiple deep cuts caused by COVID-19-induced disruptions.
National income accounts data released on August 31 showed that India’s “real” or inflation-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 22.6 percent, the sharpest drop by 41 years, compared to a growth of 8.1 percent within the same quarter last year.
If GDP growth falls again within the current quarter (July-September), India would technically be during a recession, an economic state characterised by a minimum of two successive quarters of contraction, underscoring the pandemic’s bludgeoning impact on a rustic that until not-too-long-ago was the world’s fastest growing major economy.
India was during a recession last in 1979 when the important GDP fell 5.2 percent.
MG Motor India post 41.2% increase in retail sales in August
GDP numbers exposed Modi govt’s fake narrative: P Chidambaram
Premium drinking water firms address retail market as limited operations in aviation, hospitality sectors dent sales
The agriculture sector, aided by plentiful summer rains this years, however, stood out as a beacon of hope, growing 3.4 percent within the half-moon of 2020-21 from 3 percent last year, but wasn’t strong enough to offset the damages in other segments, all of which appear to possess fallen off a steep cliff, data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed.
The manufacturing sector contracted 39.3 percent from a growth of three percent last year, while the mining sector shrank by 23.3 percent from a growth of 4.7 percent last year, reflecting the collective shuttering of operations forced by lockdowns.
Gross Value Added (GVA), which is GDP minus taxes that experts consider as a more realistic proxy to measure economic activity, contracted 22.8 percent in April-June 2020 compared to 4.8 percent growth last year, because the lockdown bore an impact very almost like a mechanical hard stop on a running device.
Unlike other recessions caused by systemic flaws like the debt bubble of 2008, the present fall has been brought upon by a medical emergency that forced factories to pack up because people should occupy home to contain the virus’s spread.
The construction sector contracted 50.3 percent compared to a growth of 5.2 percent last year as roads and infrastructure projects grinded to halt for many a part of April-June 2020-21. the important estate sector, which had to prevent overnight because areas with large gatherings had to be emptied out, also was severely affected. the world , along side financial and professional services, shrank 5.3 percent in April-June 2020, emblematic of the lockdown’s impact on realty projects, walloped by a severe cash crunch and therefore the plummeting demand for houses.
The COVID-19-forced restrictions have also dealt a huge blow to restaurants, shops, hotels and traders all of who have seen their businesses nosedive dramatically as people stayed put reception , stopped eating and travelling out, and export shipment orders dried out from overseas destinations. Trade, hotels, transport, communication and services associated with broadcasting contracted 47 percent within the half-moon of 2020-21 compared to a 3.5 percent growth last year, the value data showed.
The GDP numbers will upset the government’s fiscal math which will force major changes within the public finance estimates. within the allow 2020-21, minister of finance Nirmala Sitharaman had assumed nominal GDP growth of 10 percent in 2020-21, and monetary deficit of three .5 percent of GDP, a goal that appears almost unthinkable to realize given the rapid turn of events. The minister of finance had posited India’s tax revenues will grow by 12 percent in 2020-21 compared to the previous year. She had pencilled during a non-tax revenue growth at 11.4 percent to Rs 3,85,017 crore.
The math had also set some very tall targets from receipts like divestment (Rs 2.1 lakh crore), spectrum and other proceeds from telcos (Rs 1.33 lakh crore). All of those , and lots of more, would wish a significant re-examination.


text: Latest News FGX International Inc. Acquires Suntech Optics Inc. By Staff Wednesday, December 11, 2013 12:30 AM SMITHFIELD, R.I.— FGX International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Essilor International (ESSI.PA), has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Suntech Optics Inc., a privately held company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. This acquisition also included the purchase of Naked Eye Enterprises and Bugaboos Eyewear Corporation. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. “The Suntech acquisition strengthens our position as the leading non-prescription sunglasses and over-the-counter reading glasses company, and is a key strategic business accomplishment to solidify our position in the North American market,” said Cesar Melo, CEO of FGX International. Suntech, a company with a 41-year history, is primarily engaged in the sale of sunglasses and reading glasses under proprietary brands including Infokus and Solair. Suntech’s base business is comprised of retailers in the drug, grocery and mass channels of distribution. Suntech has distribution in over 2,800 retail outlets throughout Canada. “With the deep pool of talent and resources of FGX and Essilor we are now in a strong position to take these brands global,” added Brent Martin, CEO for the combined Suntech/Bugaboos companies. “What sealed the deal for me is the FGX/Essilor commitment to making a difference in the world, something that mirrors my values.” Established 29 years ago to target the sport channel, Bugaboos Eyewear Corp. is the founder, owner and designer of Ryders Eyewear, an internationally recognized brand in the performance eyewear category, currently serving over 1,800 retailer locations in North America, South America and Europe. FGX International’s eyewear brands include Foster Grant, Gargoyles, Solar Shield, Magnivision, Corinne McCormack and Anarchy and licensed brands including Ironman, Dockers, Nine West, Body Glove and Disney.


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Verizon’s aggressive 4G LTE network roll-out continues unabated. The nation’s leading wireless carrier on Monday announced six new markets getting its speedy fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology today: Durango, Colorado; Corbin and Madisonville, Kentucky; Adrian and Mount Pleasant, Michigan; and Marietta, Ohio.
The carrier, for the first time, released a list of LTE-enabled locations which with today’s additions counts 497 markets, up from 440 locations Verizon claimed last December. The big red carrier’s LTE network is now two and a half years old, for those wondering. If all goes according to plan, Verizon should cover its 3G network entirely with LTE by the middle of this year… Read More
Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty was visiting Hong Kong and Taiwan recently. She is now back from China with some interesting Apple news. Tim Cook & Co., she wrote in her note to clients, may be close to striking an iPhone distribution agreement with China Mobile, the world’s top wireless carrier by revenue and subscribers.
Specifically, Huberty wrote that “TD-LTE licenses, and related phone launches, are expected by year-end,” in her note to clients. China Mobile debuted small-scale TD-LTE network in 2010 and last year expanded coverage to select large cities. In case you were wondering, TD-LTE is a variant of the fourth-generation Long Term Evolution radio technology, also known as LTE… Read More
Having expanded its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology to include fifteen new markets (and four major U.S. cities before that), the U.S. wireless carrier AT&T has now expanded LTE coverage in five new markets. If you live in Manhattan, Kansas, Sedalia, Warrensburg or Missouri, AT&T’s LTE network should pop up on your LTE devices.
Compared to its third-generation network, AT&T’s 4G LTE offers ten times greater download speeds, always-on functionality, simultaneous talk and surf and other perks… Read More
After adding five more cities to the list of LTE-covered places and announcing a major expansion of its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier AT&T Mobility on Tuesday announced fifteen new LTE markets across ten U.S. states.
If you live in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Texas, you could be seeing increased download speeds provided AT&T’s LTE expanded to your area. Go past the fold for the full breakdown… Read More
T-Mobile is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the United States and also the furthest behind of the four major telcos in terms of deployment of the fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) cellular technology.
Sprint and AT&T, respectively the nation’s third and second-largest wireless carriers, announced availability of their fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology in new markets. Sprint confirmed its customers in 21 new markets can take advantage of high-speed cellular downloads, including Los Angeles, Contra Costa County, California, Charlotte, North Carolina, Norfolk, Virginia, and Memphis, Tennessee. AT&T on its part announced it has turned on LTE in Florence, Massachusetts, Cushing, Oklahoma and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Verizon flipped the switch on LTE in two new markets… Read More
We reported last Friday that T-Mobile had begun deploying a special over-the-air (OTA) update which enables support for its LTE, HD Voice, the 4G indicator, Visual Voicemail and other network-related features on the existing (and unlocked) iPhones the company has been hosting on its network.
But soon after, the Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless carrier pulled a support document highlighting all of the changes that the OTA delivered, leading us to believe it prematurely rolled out the update.
Looks like we were right as it’s just been reported that both Apple and T-Mobile have officially pushed the carrier bundle (IPCC) to enable LTE and other T-Mobile network service on iPhones… Read More
Last time we checked, AT&T’s fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology covered 288 million people in the United States. Today, the telco is flipping the switch on LTE in fourteen new markets as part of its ongoing network expansion, so that number is bound to go up in the following days.
Unfortunately, AT&T (for now) shows no sign of updating its sales policies to match T-Mobile’s new installment payment offering which entices people to buy the iPhone 5 separate of their wireless service for $99 down plus $20 per month over 24 months… Read More
This is quite noteworthy. Following a jailbreakhack which purports to make your unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 (model A1428) work on T-Mobile’s LTE by way of loading a custom carrier firmware, a new report claims the Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless carrier itself will be sending out a carrier update designed to officially enable T-Mobile’s LTE and Visual Voicemail, among other features, on unlocked GSM devices.
The update is scheduled for delivery beginning April 5, a week ahead of T-Mobile’s official April 12 roll-out of its LTE-ready iPhone 5. The patch is good news for AT&T customers looking to jump ship as they won’t be required to buy a newly tweaked iPhone 5 model from T-Mobile in order to enjoy T-Mobile’s 4G LTE speeds. There’s more to know so go past the fold for full details… Read More
Yesterday, iDB reported that T-Mobile’s iPhone 5 is actually a factory tweaked version of the existing AT&T model A1428 device, with support for T-Mobile’s LTE AWS bandwidths. As a result, existing AT&T customers cannot use their iPhone 5 to take full advantage of T-Mobile’s LTE speeds until after the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco launches its iPhone 5 on April 12, at which point Apple will replace the existing A1428 hardware with this re-tooled version.
But a hack has come along claiming to make AT&T’s A1428 iPhone 5 – jailbroken and unlocked (officially or unofficially) – work on T-Mobile’s LTE on the 1700MHz band. It accomplishes this by using a custom carrier firmware that enables support for T-Mobile’s LTE AWS bandwidths. However, it won’t make your AT&T device compatible with T-Mobile’s speedy 3G DC-HSDPA on the 1700MHz band nor will your Verizon iPhone be fooled into accepting T-Mobile’s LTE bands… Read More
With all the necessary regulatory approvals concerning T-Mobile’s merger with MetroPCS under its wings, the Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier is expected to accelerate its 4G LTE plans. It’s a tad surprising that T-Mobile has put itself in a position where it remains the sole major U.S. telco without high-speed LTE cellular radio technology.
Be that as it may, its LTE situation is about to change later this month. Just last week, a curious user spotted super-fast data speeds on T-Mobile’s network in Astoria, Queens, a New York City suburb.
Shortly after, the carrier officially confirmed that it will begin providing 4G LTE service by the end of this month and now more LTE spots have been discovered in as much as nine major U.S. cities ahead of the official launch… Read More
As part of the ongoing rollout across the country, AT&T’s LTE now covers 288 million people in the United States. The carrier also flipped the switch on LTE in Dyersburg and Ripley, Sebring and Athens and announced a new prepaid option for its Wireless Home Phone service… Read More
This is kind of interesting. T-Mobile’s long-awaited LTE network has been spotted in the wild, offering up super-fast data in a suburb of New York City. The carrier is the only one left of the major four in the US that doesn’t offer the 4G tech, but it’s expected to finally launch this year. And a curious subscriber just discovered one of its sites in Astoria, Queens… Read More
Aren’t you sick and tired of top U.S. carriers advertising their 4G LTE service as the nation’s fastest and most reliable? This mostly false advertising has been ticking me off for quite some time, especially how T-Mobile promotes its 3G HSPA+ network as 4G. Time for a reality check.
Research firm Rootmetrics yesterday published the results of its survey of U.S. carriers and their fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks. Surprisingly or not, AT&T’s LTE came on top as the fastest, but rival Verizon grabbed the title of the nation’s best LTE coverage. More tidbits right after the break.. Read More
Doesn’t it bother you that Apple sells its LTE devices like the iPhone 5 and latest iPads in a bunch of variants, depending on your carrier and geographical location? For example, the iPhone comes in two GSM models and one CDMA version. Blame it on the limitations with existing wireless chipsets, not Apple. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a fantastic technology, but it’s also highly fragmented.
And with nearly fifty different cellular bands in use globally worldwide, no wonder LTE is a bag of hurt, one that has introduced fragmentation unlike any other cellular radio technology before it.
Fortunately, chip maker Qualcomm has announced a new cellular solution which supports as much as 40 different bands on a single chip. It could finally allow Apple to build a truly global iPhone model that could support all implementations of the major cellular technologies used by carriers the world over… Read More
U.S. carrier AT&T Tuesday announced that it is expanding its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology in Denver, Boise, Nassau and Suffolk counties while making it available in Gainesville. The carrier continues to poor billions in network expansion as it races rival Verizon Wireless for LTE coverage. According to AT&T, its 4G LTE currently covers 288 million people in the United States… Read More
Sprint’s implementation of the fourth-generation Long Term Evolution radio technology has been spotted being deployed in certain parts of San Francisco, New York City and Washington, D.C., all major metropolitan markets. Apple added an additional 36 LTE carriers with the January 28 release of the iOS 6.1 software for iPhones, iPads and iPods.
Sprint on its part during January 2012 lit up LTE towers in 58 markets (here and here). This is a notable improvement because previously only those in neighborhoods in San Francisco could see Sprint’s LTE signal, although coverage in San Francisco is spotty because Sprint has just begun deployment… Read More
Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom-backed FreedomPop startup made waves with its Freedom Hub Burst no-contract wireless appliance that serves one gigabyte of free 4G data each month to up to 10 wireless or wired devices simultaneously.
Monday, Forbes reported that FreedomPop could unveil an iPad sleeve with 4G data via Sprint’s LTE network. A new report out today sheds more light on the matter: a FreedomPop LTE clip compatible with iPads is indeed due in the second half of this year. We’ve got more tidbits right after the break… Read More
Owners of LTE-enabled Apple devices in France won’t get to enjoy the benefits of speedy cellular downloads before the end of 2013 amid lobbying between the country’s wireless carriers and the agency for telecommunications ARCEP.
The country’s local carriers like Orange and SFR last year spent to the tune of €1.2 billion, or approximately $1.6 billion, to acquire the 800MHz band.
The problem is, this radio frequency is supported neither by the iPhone 5 nor by many mobile devices from other vendors, including Samsung. Moreover, these carriers are now asking the ARCEP to wait until at least end of 2013 before refarming the 1,800MHz spectrum, which is compatible with Apple’s handset… Read More


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A night market in Yangon, Myanmar, on Tuesday. (Photo: Global Times)
The number of Chinese tourists visiting Myanmar will increase during 2020 with the opening of the China-Myanmar cultural tourism year, booming bilateral relations under the Belt and Road Initiative and the opening of more direct flights, industry insiders and business representatives said.
The comments were made ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Myanmar from Friday to Saturday. During the visit, Xi, along with Myanmar leaders, will attend a series of events including the opening ceremony of the China-Myanmar cultural tourism year, China's Foreign Ministry announced.
U Kyaw Win, chairman of Myanmar company Shwe Than Lwin Group, which has extensive operations in local tourism, told the Global Times that he estimated more than 4.5 million tourists will visit Myanmar in 2020, and the number of Chinese tourists will jump quickly.
In the first eight months of 2019, about 1.94 million Chinese tourists visited Myanmar, up1.145 million from the same period in 2018, according to media reports.
U Kyaw Win said that the fast expansion was thanks to more direct flights from Chinese cities to Yangon, Mandalay and other cities in Myanmar as well as the arrangement for on-arrival visas for Chinese nationals.
At least 16 Chinese cities have direct flights to Myanmar.
U Kyaw Wei , chief executive officer of the Myanmar-China Cultural Tourism Promotion Association, told the Global Times on Wednesday that more Chinese cities will open direct flights to Yangon, Mandalay and the capital of Naypyidaw in 2020, which could provide a new boost to the bilateral tourism industry.
Li Qiuyan, Lvmama's branding development director, said that the number of Chinese tourists travelling to Myanmar via the platform is "quite small" compared with those visiting other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. "But it is growing very fast."
Xi's visit will facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and Myanmar, helping Chinese tourists to form a better understanding of the Southeast Asian neighbor's culture and traditions, and further triggering their interest, industry insiders said.
"There are many tourist attractions in Myanmar such as cultural and religious sites, ancient cities and beaches. Due to the similarities of culture, religion and tradition between China and Myanmar, Chinese tourists enthusiastically visit Myanmar where cultural heritage sites exist," U Kyaw Win said.
Xu Xiaolei, chief brand officer of China CYTS Tours Holding, told the Global Times that as China's young generation is undergoing a consumption upgrade, Myanmar's unique travel experience will cater to their needs.
"We hope Myanmar could become a new hot spot in China's outbound tourism," U Kyaw Wei said. "A booming tourism relationship will also cement paukphaw friendship, which means brother in Myanmese, and lead to cooperation in other fields."
But industry insiders also suggested Myanmar should further improve its accommodation facilities, such as transportation, hotels and catering services, to attract more tourists.


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Its newfound investment dollars—which have given the company a $41 billion valuation—are financing a massive international lobbying operation, catching state and municipal leaders offguard, according to an extensive Washington Post probe of Uber's lobbying efforts.
"San Francisco-based Uber has pioneered not just a new sort of taxi service but also a new way to change long-standing local ordinances. Uber’s approach is brash and, so far, highly effective: It launches in local markets regardless of existing laws or regulations," the very detailed story said. "It aims to build a large customer base as quickly as possible. When challenged, Uber rallies its users to pressure government officials, while unleashing its well-connected lobbyists to influence lawmakers. Over the last two years, Uber has hired an armada of contract lobbyists, vacuuming up some of the most skilled and politically connected representatives in at least 50 U.S. cities and states."
In an example in Virginia, when being pressured to shut down in that state, Uber sent notes to all of its customers in the state to overload the personal E-mail account of the then-low-profile regulator. They did and a reprieve was granted.
"Riders, for instance, have been sent alerts on their phones to sign petitions when a key decision point is imminent. More than 450,000 Uber riders have signed petitions, the company says, and when an alert goes out, people respond quickly — sometimes at a rate of seven electronic signatures per second. In Illinois, as Uber fought legislators’ efforts to impose new restrictions, the company sent its riders an interactive map, allowing them to e-mail an Uber testimonial to their state representative with a single click," the Post story noted. "At the same time, the company has assembled a lobbying empire with traditional ties to both major parties, bringing onto its payroll with startling speed a sprawling team of former gubernatorial aides, former state legislators, high-level political operatives and other well-connected advocates."


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Cartera raises $12.2M for expanding card offer tech
- Kyle Alspach, Boston Business Journal
Lexington-based Cartera Commerce Inc., which provides the customer loyalty technology known as “credit-card-linked offers,” said Tuesday it’s raised $12.2 million as it seeks to provide small merchants with an alternative to the daily deals model.
Cartera is working with three of the country’s four largest card issuers to enhance “points” rewards on customer’s cards at certain retailers, such as Sears, Best Buy and Target.com.
But a recent focus has been on smaller local merchants, of which there are 5.5 million in the U.S. that accept credit or debit cards, Cartera CEO Tom Beecher said in an interview. The company is working with 2,000 currently through its OfferLink service.
“Whether you like or dislike the daily deal model, it’s really changed the way local merchants think about local marketing,” Beecher said. “We now see a much bigger marketing opportunity (with local retailers). That’s one key area we’re excited to put this capital to work in.”
Beecher said that in 2011, $1 billion worth of commerce went through the Cartera system in total. “We have a good read that that’s bigger than everyone else in the space combined,” he said.
Cartera isn’t disclosing the names of the banks and card issuers it’s working with, but Beecher said the company’s network includes 65 million cardholders overall. Those cardholders receive marketing from the banks and card issuers about where the points enhancement is available.
Cartera, which changed its name from Mall Networks in 2010, was founded in 2005 and is the oldest of the local card-linked offer players. The company employs about 200 (100 in Massachusetts) and expects to grow to 300 within the next year, Beecher said.
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Stuttgart launches an ‘edgy’ but pricey seven-seater into the family EV market
Electrified C-Class aims to move the PHEV game on to new heights
German limousine does comfort exceptionally well, but more striking still is how adept it is dynamically
Mercedes creates an electric equivalent of the E-Class in its quest to outdo Tesla
Can this volume-selling EV make an impact while relying on an adapted platform?
Four-seat executive drop-top gets a new engine and design update, but to what effect?
More than just an electric S-Class equivalent, this is a first look at the future of every new Mercedes
Butch looks and extra space set the tone for the new GLB. What else can it offer?
Plug-in A-Class broadens Mercedes’ extensive hybrid line-up, but will it top the class?
Second-generation Audi Q2 and BMW X2 rival rolls out of Stuttgart with a greater emphasis on its crossover billing
Can Mercedes’ third-generation GLS behemoth justify its claim to be the ‘S-Class of SUVs’?
View all latest drives


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Update – 25th April 2022 As the second month of the conflict in Ukraine comes to a close, CybelAngel is releasing our latest analysis of cyber activity in the conflict. As part of our responsibility as a cybersecurity company, we are taking action to prevent the conflict from spreading into a broader cyber war that […]
CybelAngel is proud to host WiMLDS, Women interested in Machine Learning & Data Science, at our Paris office this Saturday, March 12! WiMLDS and Marie Sacksick, Senior Data Scientist at CybelAngel, will be hosting a sold-out crowd for a scikit-learn sprint! This scikit sprint is a day dedicated to helping participants work on one issue […]
To better understand what digital risks are most important in manufacturing, we can look to the three biggest cyberattacks in the manufacturing industry.
War brings out the darkest moments. But in the pitch-black, even the smallest mote of light is incandescent. CybelAngel condemns the war against Ukraine and all violence. We are joining hundreds of other companies calling for an end of the war and a return to peace in and around Ukraine. The CybelAngel team is a large […]
українською мовою. на русском языке. War brings out the darkest moments. But in the pitch-black, even the smallest mote of light is incandescent. CybelAngel condemns the war against Ukraine and all violence. We are joining hundreds of other companies calling for an end of the war and a return to peace in and around Ukraine. The […]
CybelAngel protects from food fraud, negative publicity, hefty privacy fines, and costly downtime When a global food & beverage manufacturing enterprise saw their competitor hit with a devastating supply chain attack, they knew it wouldn’t be long before they were targeted. Knowing their brand’s operations, customer food safety, and brand reputation was on the line, […]
In 2020, industrial manufacturers became a favorite target for cyber attacks. IBM Security’s annual X-Force Threat Intelligence Index found manufacturing is now one of the most targeted industries for cyber attacks. Industrial manufacturers received 17.7% of all attacks on the top 10 industries — more than doubling over the year prior. Before the digital transformation, […]


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Jay Z's Tidal is throwing a ridiculously starry celebration in Brooklyn tonight, October 20, and it's livestreaming for everyone, not just the 1 million subscribers worldwide. (The event is in honor of the service reaching that milestone.) Tidal X: 10/20 Amplified by HTC is scheduled to begin streaming at 7:35pm EST with a pre-show and will reportedly span the entire concert, which officially kicks off at 8pm EST.
All ticket sales from the sold-out fête—plus an equal amount matched by Tidal—will go toward "nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing positive community relations and effecting systemic change for the development and sustainability of just societies."
Tidal X: 10/20 Amplified by HTC lineup
DJ Cipha Sounds
Tidal Rising acts


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How to Safely Dump Your Tech Trash
Allison Ford | Divine Caroline
November 10, 2010
During the holidays this year, many lucky folks will be treated to new iPods, computers, televisions, cameras, and electronic gadgets and gewgaws. But all that consumer buying power and technical innovation has led to an unimagined side effect: millions of tons of electronic waste generated by our constant need for newer, better, and upgraded gear.
The EPA reports that two million tons of electronic garbage ends up in American landfills every year, about six times as much as what gets recycled. Luckily, the movement to recycle old computers and tech trash is increasing, and many retail stores offer recycling opportunities for old, outdated, or broken models. Every piece of e-waste that gets recycled is one less piece of waste that ends up in our landfills. Unfortunately, although many consumers believe that they’re doing the right thing and helping the environment by dropping off their old devices for repurposing, the truth is that what happens to the devices afterwards is often far from environmentally friendly.
It’s important for e-waste to be recycled properly because electronics contain heavy metals that can cause harm to humans and the environment. Older computer monitors contain up to seven pounds of lead. Old televisions contain cathode ray tubes, which are under enormous pressure and can explode if not handled correctly. Electronics also contain potentially hazardous amounts of PCBs, PVCs, cadmium, copper, beryllium, dioxins, gold, and other heavy metals. When e-waste ends up in landfills, these chemicals leach into the soil, contaminating the groundwater and causing cancers, kidney disease, endocrine disorders, tumors, and other illnesses.
Recycling is obviously the better option, but it’s not as foolproof as it may seem. When a consumer drops off an old computer or device for recycling, the item is taken to a recycling facility where it’s broken down into its component parts. In America, these facilities have adequate safety protocols, including masks, ventilation systems, and gloves to prevent workers from inhaling harmful fumes or handling hazardous wastes. They also have waste management standards that prevent runoff from contaminating the land or surrounding water, and the workers are paid a livable wage. The problem is that most of our e-waste doesn’t go to one of these top-of-the-line American facilities; it goes to developing nations, where recyclers operate without any of those human or environmental safety protections.
Greenpeace estimates that between 50 and 80 percent of e-waste is eventually sent out of the country, and many American recycling companies ship e-waste to developing nations, where labor is cheaper and laws about disposal and safety are laxer. Much of it goes to India, Ghana, and Hong Kong, but the undisputed world capital of technological trash is the southern Chinese city of Guiyu.
Guiyu, in Guangdong Province, receives more e-waste than any other site on earth. The recycling companies located there employ men, women, and even children to harvest the metals and valuable components of electronics so that they can be resold. In Guiyu, as in many e-waste hubs around Asia and Africa, workers work without masks or adequate skin protection in small, poorly ventilated workshops using acid to burn plastics and metals over open fires. Waste and ash is released into the air and dumped into local water systems or the ocean. Because of the lack of protection for the workers and the environment, Guiyu has become one of the most polluted places on Earth. According to a report from Shantou University, the air in the city has the world’s highest levels of carcinogenic dioxins, women are six times more likely to experience miscarriages there, and 70 percent of the city’s children have hazardous levels of lead in their blood.


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Ganz has recalled 8,200 Grumpy Cat stuffed toys, according to an announcement issued Wednesday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
It said the eyes can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.
To get a replacement, call Ganz at 800-724-5902 or visit its website at www.Ganz.com and click on Recall Info for more information.
The recall involves three styles of plush Grumpy Cat stuffed animal toys by Ganz: an 8-inch Grumpy Cat in laying position, a 5-inch long sitting Grumpy Cat and a 4-inch Grumpy Cat key clip.
The sold for $8 to $10.


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Taking a page from its own products, Chicago’s new flagship Apple Store will have what appears to be a MacBook-inspired roof topping its entrance. Videos from the Chicago Tribune and Twitter surfaced earlier last week detailing its roof installation complete with a white apple logo. The Foster + Partners design will offer unobstructed views towards the Chicago river as a tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie-style homes outside the city.
The new Apple store on the Chicago River is starting to take shape, and could open this fall https://t.co/RGRt8qdMVx pic.twitter.com/Grww7KeqN7— Chicago Tribune Biz (@ChiTribBiz) March 29, 2017
The 20,000 square-foot Chicago store is broken down into a glass entrance pavilion with a grand staircase descending into lower levels, reminiscent of its patented 5th Avenue design. In order to be as thin as possible, the roof is made from a lightweight fibre-reinforced polymer (used in yacht construction) with a white oak interior. Partner James McGrath from Foster + Partners details the project's construction in a video from the Chicago Tribune below:
News via: The Chicago Tribune.
New Drone Footage Captures Finishing Touches Being Applied to Apple's "Steve Jobs Theater"
New footage from drone videographer Duncan Sinfield reveals that finishing touches are being applied to one of the Apple Campus's more important outward-facing buildings, and perhaps its most 'public' - the "Steve Jobs Theater".
Foster + Partners' Milan Apple Store to Feature Public Plaza and Waterfall Entrance
Renderings have been revealed for the upcoming apple store in Milan's Piazza Liberty, designed by Foster + Partners in their latest collaboration with the technology giant. Following an extremely site-specific approach, the new flagship store will be located under the existing piazza, introducing a new public amphitheater and waterfall feature that will double as the store's entrance.


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Shlomo Benartzi, a well-known behavioral economist and professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management, is joining Acorns, a digital advice startup best known for its micro-investing service, to head a new project to build products that help people save and invest.
Acorns' Money Lab initiative will bring together a network of leading behavioral scientists to "increase the financial well-being of the up and coming in America," according to a statement. The company said 25 universities have already submitted ideas to Money Lab for field experiments focused on reducing consumer spending.
Mr. Benartzi will serve as chair of Acorns' behavioral economics committee.
"I've spent my entire career trying to answer a simple question: How can we get everyone to make better financial decisions about the future?" Mr. Benartzi said in a statement. "At Acorns, I have the opportunity to apply my learnings at scale and nudge millions of customers to make decisions that will improve financial outcomes — everyone deserves to have a better and safer financial future."
Acorns CEO Noah Kerner announced Mr. Benartzi's hiring at Yahoo Finance's All Markets Summit and shared some details about his first experiment with Acorns, which looked at whether customers would rather save $5 every day, $35 per week or $150 monthly?
The sum total is roughly the same, yet only 7% opted for the monthly option while 30% would save $5 a day.
"Saving $5 a day makes us think about skipping a Starbucks latte (that seems doable), while $150 a month makes us think about car payments, which is a much more daunting amount to give up," Mr. Benartzi said, adding that framing investing around small, daily amounts instead of large monthly contributions can help lower-income people save more.
Mr. Kerner sees the research as an affirmation of Acorn's strategy of letting investors with as little as $5 invest by rounding up their expenses and putting the change toward a portfolio of ETFs. Some claim the company's fee structure exploits small investors.
But Mr. Kerner is also expanding the ways that Acorns serves investors. The company recently launched a debit card, called Acorns Spend, and retirement accounts, called Acorns Later. Mr. Kerner hopes the new products will show that Acorns is more than just a micro-investing app.
"We've solved the first big societal problem: getting people to start investing," Mr. Kerner said. "Now we're focused on how we can combine insights of psychology and economics to create an entire financial system that helps people save and invest."


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LaDiff opening a Short Pump store
LaDifférence, a popular downtown Richmond furniture store, is expanding into Henrico County.
The store announced today that it will open a 7,000-square-foot location at West Broad Village in Short Pump Feb. 2. The store will host a grand opening celebration there Feb. 19-21.
The new location is smaller than LaDiff's 50,000-square-foot showroom on South 14th Street but will offer a variety of modern furniture and accessories and what co-owner Sarah Paxton calls "showstoppers" from throughout the world.
"For years we’ve had customers driving from the West End and Charlottesville to our flagship store, and what we’ve heard is that they wanted us to be more convenient to where they live," Paxton said. "By opening a second store at West Broad Village, we’re making LaDiff more accessible than ever. We’re excited to expand our footprint in Central Virginia and bring LaDiff’s unique shopping experience to even more customers.”
Chris Pine, president of Eagle Commercial Realty, said LaDiff is a perfect tenant for West Broad Village, a pedestrian-friendly urban living, office and shopping community. “We are still very much in a growth phase at West Broad Village, and we expect that LaDiff will be a major draw for many people from around the area,” he said.
LaDifférence co-owner Andy Thornton said the architecture of the West Broad Village store – about the size of two-and-a-half tennis courts – will maintain the open look and feel of the three-story downtown store “and bring that experience out to Short Pump.”
LaDiff, which employs 25 people, expects to hire three or four more full-time commissioned sales positions to staff the new store. Jobs will be shifted from the downtown location until the positions are filled. The store manager is Matthew King, a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate who has several years of experience in the retail and international shipping industries. Initially, the store hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
“We’re forecasting this location to contribute to a substantial portion of our company’s overall sales,” said Thornton, without giving a specific figure. “And while we want our customers to have a shopping option closer to their homes, we also hope this location will encourage folks to come downtown and visit our flagship. This location in the West End is really about convenience and access. We want everybody to be happy, because we’re happy guys.”
Citizen Staff Reports 12/15/2014
CVWMA curbside recycling collection and trash collections will have a one day delay in collections Dec. 25-26 and Jan. 1-2. There will be no collections on Dec. 25 or Jan. 1.
Curbside recycling collections Monday through Wednesday will be on regular schedule. Red Thursday and Red Friday curbside recyclers will have a one day delay in collection services Dec. 25-26. Blue Thursday and Blue Friday curbside recyclers will have one day delay in collection services Jan. 1-2. Containers should be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day. All Friday collections will take place on Saturday. > Read more.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) will host a candlelight vigil of remembrance and hope Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. at the University of Richmond, outside the Cannon Chapel. The public is invited to attend and join MADD to honor victims of impaired driving crashes, while helping to remind the community to be safe during the holidays. > Read more.
Among participants at the Seventh Annual Coordinators2Inc Golf Tournament and awards luncheon Oct. 3 were (from left) Rebecca Ricardo, C2 Inc executive director; Kevin Derr, member of the winning foursome; Sharon Richardson, C2 Inc founder; and Frank Ridgway and Jon King, members of the winning foursome.
Held at The Crossings Golf Club, the tournament will benefit placement of children from Virginia's foster care system into permanent families through Coordinators2. > Read more.
For our Top 10 calendar events this weekend, click here! > Read more.
One of the most unique holiday traditions in Henrico, the James River Parade of Lights, takes place tomorrow. The viewing spot in Henrico will be at Osborne Park in Varina. Another annual event in the east end is the Eastern Henrico Holiday Extravaganza, taking place this year at The Armour House & Gardens and the Dabbs House Museum. In the West End, the Glorious Christmas Nights’ production of “Under the Same Stars” at West End Assembly of God will conclude its run on Sunday. For all our top picks this weekend, click here! > Read more.
Halligan blends local theme with tasty classics
A Halligan fan for years, I regularly patronized the Shockoe Bottom location before the roomier Short Pump site opened. Call me cornball, but I am a sucker for the decor – dominated by a fire engine with beer taps extending from the sides – as well as the story behind it.
Owner Shawn Gregory, a retired Henrico firefighter, outfitted the Halligan West location with a 1967 fire truck that his own father rode in his early career at the Highland Springs station.
Among other firefighter memorabilia incorporated into the theme are buckets and firefighter helmets suspended from the ceiling to serve as lamps, and fire hoses wound into the railing of the patio. The walls are covered with tools, photos, badges, and memorabilia from fire companies around the country, and Gregory rents a small "VIP" party deck on top of the fire engine and donates proceeds to charity, including a burn foundation. > Read more.
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CalendarStart the countdown to “Avengers 2” early by watching the second movie in the Thor series at 1:30 p.m. at Glen Allen Library, 10501 Staples Mill Rd. A movie gift… Full text


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Tag: Pure Telecom
A Shropshire communications company is celebrating the biggest new client win in its history.
The team of staff from a leading Shropshire telecoms company has just picked up an important national award.
A leading Shropshire telecoms company has just been awarded a top industry accolade for the third year running.
Pure Telecom, a leading telecoms company founded in Shrewsbury, celebrated a decade in business by hosting an open day,
A leading Shropshire telecoms company has announced an important sponsorship deal.
More than 80 people attended an open day held to mark an important milestone for a Shropshire business.
A leading Midlands telecoms company has announced an important expansion.
A Shropshire telecoms expert has welcomed the announcement of a major government investment in digital infrastructure.
A leading telecoms company, founded in Shrewsbury, is celebrating a decade of success by hosting an open day next month.
Pure Telecom, a leading Shropshire telecoms company has just been awarded a top business accolade.
A new business development manager has been appointed at an expanding Shropshire telecoms firm.
A leading Staffordshire charity has chosen Pure Telecom as its mobile communications partner after a fiercely competitive tendering process.


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- Pound (GBP) slumps on new covid mutation, b orders closing
- Brexit talks miss another deadline
- Euro (EUR) looks to consumer confidence data
The Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate is slumping as the new week kicks off, paring some gains from the previous week. The pair rallied over 1% across last week, settling on Friday at €1.1029, approximately half-way between the weekly high and weekly low. At 05:15 UTC, GBP/EUR trades -0.55% at €1.0960 at the low of the day.
Brexit and covid remain the key drivers for the Pound. Over the weekend, parts of the UK including London were put into Tier 4 owing to a significantly more infection mutation of covid circulating in the South East. Many countries are also shutting their borders to the UK.
The mutation is reportedly around 70% more infectious causing the daily infection rate to surge 200%. Non-essential shops which rely on this key holiday trading period have been forced to once again shut their door and Christmas has effectively been canceled around a third of Brits.
Another Brexit deadline has come and gone. Brexit negotiators will continue talks, failing to agree on fishing by Sunday’s deadline. Hopes are for a deal to be agreed this week a few days before the December 31st final deadline. However, that optimism could be ill placed as talks are still stuck with differences still remaining of fishing rights. Michel Barnier said on Sunday that talks are at a crucial moment. Failure to bride the gaps will see the UK trade on unfavorable World Trade Organisation terms with its largest trade partner,
The Euro fell versus the Pound in the previous week but put in a resilient performance versus other major peers, despite surging covid cases, tighter lockdown restrictions and macros economic data falling short of impressive.
Whilst the preliminary estimates for PMIs were slightly stronger than forecast the service sector remained in contraction, industrial production declined and inflation remains in negative territory.
Looking ahead Consumer confidence for December is expected to remain unchanged from the previous monthly estimate at -17.6.


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"This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo is taking a giant step towards returning to the glitzy, people-packed shows of three years ago, with attendance expected to be about ten times last year's show and the exhibit halls nearly the same size as the shows that once included ear-splitting rock bands, fire juggling and bikini-clad models.
E3 2009 will also see the return of a more relaxed registration policy for show-goers and rules that once more allow models on the expo floor.
The return to the size and glamor of earlier E3s comes after two years of downsizing and falling attendance at the show that once drew 70,000 people to Los Angeles to revel in all things video game.
In 2006, the Entertainment Software Association announced they would be downsizing the show and moving it to Santa Monica. In 2007, the show returned to the Los Angeles Convention Center, but remained a shadow of its former self. Several developers decided to not attend last year's show, including Activision, Atlus, Bethesda Softworks, Majesco, NCsoft, Vivendi Games and Warner Bros. Interactive.
This year's list of attendees shows that all but NCsoft are returning to the show.
“The 2009 E3 Expo will be the preeminent North American computer and video game event,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA. “With robust exhibitor sales, high attendee interest, and strong commitments from multiple industry sectors, we are going to ensure the full excitement and energy of this industry is on display.”
Currently about 70 exhibitors are listed as attending the show, which is more than double the number at last year's. And event organizers say that the floor is filling up quickly.
"We encourage interested companies to contact us because floor sales are going quickly with more than half sold out," a spokesman told me.
Another major change to the show is the new registration policy which has been relaxed to allow more attendees to make it into the show. The last two shows were by invitation only. But this year's show return's to the 2006 policy of allowing people to register to get in.
The show is open to all "credentialed" international and U.S.-based media, industry analysts, retailers, developers and business partners.
Industry professionals need to submit two pieces of identification showing they work in the industry and press credentials are acquired by registering on the site. Both media credentialing and attenddee registration is now official open over on the e3 site.
While the show floor maps aren't yet available on the official site, I've heard that this year's show will essentially be the same size as 2006's convention hall-filling show but without Kentia Hall."
Too bad it takes 400 bucks to get in :< (And that's if you buy your ticket before May...)
Official E3 Site


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News about Olleh.
January 3rd, 2012
Five million Koreans already have an NFC phone, says mobile network operator KT, and payments for bus, subway and taxi fares are the most popular NFC applications.
September 22nd, 2011
The Korean mobile network operator is offering iPhone users a case that enables them to make payments at merchants and on public transportation with their mobile phone.