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Since 1992, Ten Thousand Villages in Asheville has worked to alleviate poverty through fair trade. The nonprofit’s downtown retail store features products from more than 130 artisan groups in 38 countries. Buying fair trade, says store manager Sara Martin, “furthers empowerment in developing countries. … It creates a lot of transparency between the business, the artisan and the customer, as well.”
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, the nonprofit will celebrate 25 years in Western North Carolina with the International Moveable Feast. The event, which a press release describes as “a shining example of that global-to-local support,” gives ticket holders an international food tour of downtown Asheville with a series of small-plate courses at restaurants that have business practices and values similar with those of Ten Thousand Villages.
The gathering kicks off with tea and wine at the nonprofit’s retail shop on College Street. Level Ground Trading, a direct trade company, will supply the tea leaves sourced from small farms in India (wine options were not available at the time of publication). Next, attendees will make their way to Kathmandu Café for Indian and Nepalese appetizers followed by a stroll over to Addissae for an Ethiopian vegetarian course. The event’s main dish will be served at Blue Dream Curry, with the evening wrapping up back at Ten Thousand Villages with fair trade chocolate and coffee.
Martin notes that the organization works with developing countries in Central and South America, Southeast Asia and Africa, and that she hopes the International Moveable Feast will represent “a cuisine from each of those continents — to really travel through the world of our artisans through this meal.” She also sees the evening celebration as a chance to open people’s minds to the importance of fair trade and the impact it has on local, national and international communities.
“Anytime we can encourage customers to want to know more about where the product they’re purchasing comes from — whether that’s from a local artist in the River Arts District or a woman in rural Bangladesh who makes baskets — I think that benefits everyone because it fosters this desire to know more and to understand that connection a little bit better,” she says. “It’s not just about purchasing the product, it’s about purchasing the story, or at least supporting the story that’s behind it.”
The International Moveable Feast begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3, at Ten Thousand Villages, 10 College St. Tickets are $45 and are available at avl.mx/44b.
Acornucopia Project tasting party
Villagers will partner with the Nutty Buddy Collective on Friday, Sept. 29, to help launch the Acornucopia Project with a tasting party. According to the event’s Facebook page, the gathering is part of a series of parties celebrating the kickoff of the project, which includes “a decentralized network of nut trees, foragers and foodies harvesting the neglected abundance of [the region’s] native trees.” Participants can sample a variety of foraged nuts and learn best practices for gathering these natural goods. Market values and uses will also be discussed and harvesting tools will be for sale.
Acornucopia Tasting Party with the Nutty Buddy Collective runs 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Villagers, 278 Haywood Road. Admission is free, but RSVPs are required. Donations will be accepted at the event. To RSVP, visit avl.mx/44c.
Homegrown Babies Sweet Potato Cooking Contest
The eighth annual Homegrown Babies Sweet Potato Cooking Contest will be held Saturday, Sept. 30, to benefit Sistas Caring 4 Sistas — Doulas for Social Justice, a program that trains and mentors African American women to become birth doulas. The collaborative effort between Homegrown Babies Asheville Childbirth Education and Doula Services and the Buncombe Upstream Community Centered Health Home has worked with women leaders in the Pisgah View and Hillcrest public housing communities to lower the mortality rate for black infants in Buncombe County. The fundraising event will also feature live music, kids’ activities, food and prizes.
The event runs 4-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Homegrown Babies: Asheville Childbirth Education & Doula Services, 201 Charlotte St. There is no fee to enter a dish, but there is a $10 per person tasking/judging/voting fee. For contest details, visit avl.mx/452.
U.S. Cellular Center offers new menu
One of Asheville’s largest event venues, U.S. Cellular Center, recently announced it will no longer serve prewrapped items on its menu. Instead, all food options will be “served straight from the grill or roller-grill,” according to a press release from the venue. New menu items include the Hickory Nut Gap local dog, marinated portobello sandwich, smokehouse burger, garlic fries, beer cheese for pretzels, churros, North Carolina pulled pork barbecue and an upgraded chip and candy selection. The new beverage menu features expanded wine and liquor options, a 24-ounce draft beer and local cider. Additionally, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium will begin a composting program this fall. Specific bins will be marked for compostable items.
For details, visit USCellularCenterAsheville.com.
UNCA gains Green Restaurant, Fair Trade status
UNC Asheville’s Brown Dining Hall has achieved 3 Star Certified Green Restaurant status with the Green Restaurant Association. This designation places the dining hall in the same company as Cúrate, French Broad Chocolates, Green Sage Café and Corner Kitchen. Along with the new certification, the university has also become the first higher-education facility in the state to be designated as a Fair Trade University by Fair Trade Campaigns.


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Global lifestyle brand WK Life has entered the Indian market by launching its maiden flagship store at DLF Mall of India, Noida. The company starts the new store following its success of existing 1,000 + stores across 60 nations.
The newly-launched store is offering a complete range of uniquely designed lifestyle electronic gadgets and accessories with multiple attributes.
Spread across 1,000 sq ft of area, the store provides an extensive range of products ranging from electronic accessories to lifestyle products by putting customers' ideas and concepts into practice.
Rohit Sahni, Director of WK Life, said, "The launch of our first store in India is a significant achievement for us. The decision to enter the Indian market has been driven by the anticipated growth in this untapped sector which is worth Rs 10,000 crore."
Katrina Liu, International Head, WK life, also stated, "We are very happy to launch our first store in India. It has been our endeavor to enhance customer engagement at our stores with superior merchandise, service and the overall international shopping adventure that WK Life has an offer."
Gaurav Dabas, Director of WK Life, added, "The world-class services of the existing stores, our passion and commitment are what truly set us apart. We are happy to welcome everyone at our new store located at DLF Mall of India, Noida."

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For decades, manufacturers have been gradually removing support for independent repair and locking down all manner of equipment -- from commercial HVAC to consumer devices like cell phones. Over the course of 2021, reverse logistics advocates, consumer rights groups, tinkerers and fixers have been able to push back on this trend.
AFTER YEARS OF PRESSURE, MICROSOFT CHANGES COURSE ON REPAIR
Microsoft agreed on October 7 to take concrete steps to allow consumers to get their devices repaired by people outside the tech giant’s authorized network. To comply with the outcome of negotiations led by the shareholder advocacy group As You Sow, Microsoft will hire an outside research firm to analyze the environmental benefits of increasing access to repair, and of making new parts and documentation available beyond its authorized repair network by the end of 2022.
Those are real concessions, and this is a big deal for the Right to Repair campaign. Microsoft has long been one of the movement’s biggest opponents, from designing products with terrible repairability ratings, to its conduct in the case that sent electronics refurbisher Eric Lundgren to prison, to its high-profile lobbying against Right to Repair laws. Now, the tech giant is publicly committing to expanding repair options -- a complete about-face as a result of consumer education, regulatory pressure and shareholder activism.
THE FTC BEGINS INVESTIGATING McDONALD'S ICE CREAM MACHINE REPAIR
McDonald’s ice cream machines, made by market-dominating manufacturer Taylor, are infamous for breaking down. And when they do, franchises have to call high-priced authorized Taylor repair technicians. That’s why a startup company, Kytch, created a product to assist McDonald’s franchise managers with maintenance. It decodes unintelligible error messages and supplements them with instructions on how to avoid similar breakdowns, avoiding pricey service calls. According to a lawsuit filed by Kytch, Taylor illegally obtained and then copied the product, which Kytch asserts it did to “protect a multimillion-dollar repair racket.” It now appears that the FTC is investigating McDonald's equipment repair.
This could be the first investigation the FTC has brought after the commissioners voted in July to step up enforcement around the Right to Repair.
THE DAILY SHOW COVERS RIGHT TO REPAIR
One advantage of McFlurry access being a Right to Repair issue: It’s good fodder for jokes. In October 2021, Trevor Noah and the Daily Show aired a 10 minute, in-depth look at Right to Repair, starting with McDonald's and ending with a more serious issue: medical Right to Repair. It certainly feels like Right to Repair is having its day in the sun. Check out the piece.
APPLE iPHONE 13 SCREEN REPAIR LOCKS SHOWS STAKES OF REPAIR ACCESS
Ask any consumer-facing electronics repair shop, and it’s likely they will tell you that broken screens are a majority of their repair jobs, and that the most common device to fix are iPhones.
Many shops are worried about the news that the new iPhone 13 completely disables the Face ID functionality when you replace its screen. There are two ways to regain Face ID, use Apple’s restricted pairing software, or do an expensive micro-soldering transfer of a Tic Tac® sized chip.
Without the ability to successfully do screen repairs, Repair.org estimates that thousands of repair shops will go out of business over the next few years, as more iPhone 13s come in for service. The clock is ticking to put Right to Repair rules in place, and guarantee access to the necessary pairing software.


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Brits not letting apprehension put them off AI banking
Despite customers’ concern about banks using AI, they still want to make the most of opportunities the technology offers the banking sector, the latest GFT Banking Disruption Index discovers. In this blog, Richard Kalas takes you through the key findings.
Our previous Banking Disruption Index analysed bank customers’ experience whilst spending and making card transactions abroad. We questioned consumers on their awareness of foreign spending charges and their use of neobanks in foreign countries, which highlighted a frustration and general lack of understanding with foreign card usage.
This quarter, we focus on the innovation led by artificial intelligence (AI) and how it is affecting the experience of the modern banking customer.
As we continue to witness the ongoing bloom of the ‘AI spring’, as it is being affectionately referred to nowadays, the evolution of consumer-facing AI solutions is growing and bringing this innovative technology closer to the public than ever before. The general population is quickly coming to grips with generative AI products such as ChatGPT, Google Bard and DALL-E, that all have the potential to greatly improve and evolve their day-to-day lives, as well as enhance their productivity. As this awareness of AI continues to grow, it is natural that customers will begin to question whether or not the critical infrastructure in their lives (finance, healthcare, government, etc), can and should be utilising AI.
Are customers comfortable with banks utilising AI?
Despite the benefits that AI brings, the public’s response to the technology has been varied. Some are embracing the new possibilities it offers, recognising its potential to benefit humanity and its remarkable sophistication. On the other hand, there are parties who have criticised it, expressing concerns about its security and highlighting flaws in its programming that can lead to unpredictable outputs.
In this vein, it is a perfect time to check in with banking customers to see how they feel about AI as it stands. Are they comfortable with their bank utilising the technology? If so, how?
We tailored our questions to a large sample of UK banking customers to delve into their current experiences with AI; how well they themselves understand the technology, how comfortable they are with it, and whether they want their bank to be using it.
The results shine a fascinating light on consumer attitudes towards AI, as well as highlighting where banks can action change to improve the consumer experience for the foreseeable future. Overall, 61% of consumers were happy with their banks using AI to support them, and 13% were excited about AI’s potential in banking.
The AI landscape
AI has dominated conversations over the past 12 months, both in and out of the boardroom. Products such as GPT-4 are continuing to drive the interest and performance of innovation in the technology, led by the new generative AI tools, providing users with intelligent and high-quality responses and information.
For the banking industry, AI has the potential to transform the sector and the experience of millions of customers. But it needs to be integrated into consumer facing products and operations in a considered way, where customers feel comfortable with this technology being used on their behalf.
This is an achievable goal, but constant insight is needed to ensure that any AI-driven service is providing customers with the experience they desire, whilst simultaneously guaranteeing the safety and security of their data.
With this need for insight in mind, our latest Banking Disruption Index reviewed consumer sentiment surrounding the use of AI, how it is impacting their banking experience and what AI-driven services consumers would like their banking provider to offer.
An appetite does exist for AI
There is no doubt AI is already having a huge impact on our lives and will continue to do so for years to come. Our data shows consumers do have an appetite for banks to use AI to support them in multiple areas, from fraud prevention and customer service, to personalised advice. Despite this, there is still some hesitancy from consumers and more work needs to be done in ensuring that customers are part of the journey, and that innovative AI services are always focused on adding value and building their trust.
Banks have a significant opportunity to integrate AI to provide a better customer experiences. However, especially whilst the technology is considered new and the market remains hesitant, banks must ensure it is used safely and securely and that every application of AI is done with the customers’ best interest first and foremost.
This blog is a preview of the latest GFT Banking Disruption Index. Download the report in full here


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A new wave of comic-themed online slot games are set to grace the Playtech platforms.
The world’s leading supplier of casino games, fresh on the back of the removal of all Marvel slots, has unveiled a new selection of DC Comics games.
Many questions surround the demise of the once-popular Marvel games, which included Avengers, Incredible Hulk and Captain America games. Commentators are favouring the suggestion, however, that it is Disney’s acquisition of Marvel that is truly steering the ship.
For many years, Disney has fought off many wealthy business owners attempts to build new physical casinos in Florida, anywhere near their world-famous family resorts.
Now, it appears, the same motivation is pulling Marvel out of long-standing (and surely profitable) agreements with Playtech.
At the end of last year, the firm unveiled its first round of six Batman games, in which the Dark Knight faced off against many of his enemies. Classically styled, and with a hint of Adam West about it, the games were popular with old comic fans and new.
Since then, Playtech has since unveiled Green Lantern, Superman I, Superman II and Man of Steel. Now it is promising even more exciting games, with even more huge brand names coming in 2017.
Mor Weizer, CEO, Playtech, said: “This is a hugely significant deal for Playtech and we’re delighted to have a wider-reaching exclusive DC film- and TV-branded content licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. We’ve had phenomenal feedback from our licensees based on the high-quality and calibre of the DC-branded games we rolled out in 2016.
“Today’s agreement takes this launch strategy to the next level by allowing Playtech to expand its robust offering with an array of new games branded to blockbuster DC film titles. In addition, these new titles will contribute to the growth of the prize level of the DC Super Heroes Jackpot.
This comes as Playtech announce their new slot, featuring animated favourite Stan Smith and his family from American Dad. A new 40-line, five-reel slot, players head to the fictional Langley Falls in hope of triggering Roger’s Random Wilds.
James Frendo, Casino Director at Playtech, said in a statement: “American Dad! is another top casino title and a fantastic addition to our leading portfolio of premium-branded games.
“Based on one of the world’s most popular animated sitcoms, this vibrant, feature-rich game stands out in the market and provides players with unique and high-quality entertainment.”
Amateur Slots is the home of Value and Expected Value – two variants that can help you win more in online slots. For more information, please click through to our introduction to Value.


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The stories about the death of Google TV seem to have all been a bit exaggerated, as Google just announced a slew of new partners -- including ARM processor manufacturer Marvell -- on board with GTV. Before I wax too poetic (I'm a huge Google TV fan), here's the list of announced partners:
- LG - We’re thrilled to welcome global consumer electronics leader LG to the Google TV family. LG will showcase a new line of TVs powered by Google TV running on their own L9 chipset at CES.
- Marvell - Also new to the Google TV family this year is Marvell, an innovative worldwide leader in chipsets. Marvell will be showcasing a new generation of Google TV solutions which will help bring more products across more price points to consumers.
- MediaTek - We’re also excited to partner with MediaTek, the leading Taiwanese chipset designer. MediaTek chipsets will power yet another wave of Google TV devices.
- Samsung - We’re excited to work closely with Samsung to bring Google-TV powered Samsung devices to market in 2012.
- Sony - We’re happy to build on our partnership with Sony. At CES, Sony will unveil new devices for the US and plans to offer Google TV powered products in several countries around the world in 2012.
- Vizio - Last year we announced our partnership with Vizio at CES. This year we’re excited to join Vizio as they hold private demos at CES showcasing their new line of Google TV-powered products.
We'll be sure to get as many details as we can at CES next week, where we expect Google Android news to flow like wine.
The "big deal" here is the ARM support (here comes that poetic waxing). The only thing wrong with Google TV as it stands now is hardware that doesn't have enough oompf to satisfy our fickle desire for speed. The Atom chipset has had it's day, and it's time to move forward. Give me a set-top to replace my Logitech Revue with a quad-core chip and a sizzling GPU and I'm all over it, and expect I wouldn't be alone. We've always thought that Google TV could capture a big portion of the set-top box market, and with news like this it might just be moving into the game console market as well. Long live Google TV!
Source: The official Google TV blog
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The Walt Disney Co opened its first Disney Store in China, getting started on a major expansion into the world’s second-largest economy.
The store, at 9,257 square feet, is Disney’s largest in the world, the company said on Wednesday in a statement. It is located in Shanghai’s Pudong district, where Disney plans to open a CNY34 billion (USD5.5 billion) theme park next year.
Disney, the world’s largest entertainment company, is betting China’s emerging middle class will embrace brands such as Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, and boost the company’s international revenue. The country’s rapid economic growth has made it a prime target for Western brands, though cultural and bureaucratic challenges increase the risk.
(Source: The Business Times)


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Somerset abattoir among producers black-listed by China
SEVERAL Australian meat producers have been black-listed by the Chinese Government in a shock move overnight, the latest development in trade tensions between China and Australia.
Among the four abattoirs known to have been black-listed so far is one at Kilcoy, which is operated by Kilcoy Global Foods (formerly the Kilcoy Pastoral Company).
Kilcoy Global Foods is in the process of expanding its international reach, with offices in America and China, so it remains to be seen how this move by China will impact business.
Kilcoy Global Foods has been contacted for comment.
The other sites that have been black-listed are New South Wales' Northern Cooperative Meat Company at Casino, Beef City near Toowoomba, and the Dinmore Meatworks, both of which are owned by JBS.
A statement released by JBS asserted the bans at their facilities were the result of "technical issues".
It is unclear at this time whether the Kilcoy Global Foods abattoir was black-listed for the same reason.


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Renno Streamlines Home Improvements With Its Materials Marketplace
Sure the latest initiatives from the Teslas, Apples and Googles of the industry tend to dominate the tech news space — and with good reason. Still, the tech titans aren’t the only ones bringing innovation to the sector.
In an effort to highlight up-and-coming startups, Built In has launched The Future 5 across eight major U.S. tech hubs. Each quarter, we will feature five tech startups, nonprofits or entrepreneurs in each of these hubs who just might be working on the next big thing. You can check out last quarter’s Los Angeles round-up here.
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Renovation projects are a hefty undertaking, whether a homeowner wants to get new countertops installed or a designer plans to convert someone’s spare closet into a walk-in pantry. No matter who’s doing the handiwork, they all have one thing in common — they need materials to get the job done. However, acquiring all those materials is often easier said than done.
Khalief Brown spent a decade in the real estate sector with experience ranging from working as an agent to delving into proptech. During that time, he recognized how challenging something as essential as sourcing project materials can be, so he set out to build a solution to make this process simpler. He co-founded Renno in 2020.
“Renno is a B2B platform for building materials,” Brown, Renno’s CEO and co-founder, told Built In. “We help connect building materials suppliers to their customers, and we help their customers — whether it be homeowners or professionals like contractors, designers [and] small businesses — to streamline their renovation process, material sourcing and fulfillment.”
For the professionals embarking on their renovation journeys, Renno’s platform aggregates various material categories, such as flooring, countertops and cabinetry, and enables users to source all their products from one place. Typically, renovators would need to visit around 10 different suppliers for one project, according to Brown.
Furthermore, much of that supplier experience is offline, meaning smaller businesses without websites or other online customer resources have to find business the old-fashioned way through word of mouth. Renno offers tools for suppliers that only have brick-and-mortar locations to expand their business presence with Renno’s online e-commerce solution.
I feel like people shouldn’t just accept that renovations are painful, so our vision is really to improve the entire renovation process.”
In its initial form, Renno strived to connect homeowners to contractors, and it also worked to help facilitate their renovation designs. The company designed 100 projects in 2021 but has since halted this initiative due to the difficulty of remodeling individual properties at scale. Today, Renno counts a few hundred professional users on its platform and offers them services including material delivery logistics and a suite of financial tools to aid in their renovation journey.
While building out the reimagined home of one’s dreams might ultimately be a rewarding experience, the process of finishing those renovations often includes several pain points for homeowners, including extended project completion times and contractors not showing up to the job site. By streamlining the material fulfillment process for contractors and designers, Renno believes the end result will be a positive overall experience for homeowners.
“You hear so many just painful things about renovations, and I think people have just accepted that,” Brown said. “I feel like people shouldn’t just accept that renovations are painful, so our vision is really to improve the entire renovation process.”
Looking ahead, Renno is largely focused on helping suppliers streamline their business operations. Its supplier-facing e-commerce solution is currently active in a private beta, so Renno’s main objective at this point is to build and launch this solution’s final form. It also wants to add new supplier tools like selling products online and accepting different payment options.
“Our whole mission is [to] empower local vendors to be on the same playing field as the bigger companies,” Brown said. “Our product roadmap is pretty much aligned with how we can add more tools and features to help them be more competitive.”
Renno is currently powering this mission with a small but mighty team of around eight people. The company recently pulled in an oversubscribed $1.15 million pre-seed funding round from Techstars, Ulu Ventures, Waveline Ventures, Debut Capital, Lab Ventures, Bragiel Brothers and other angel investors. The fresh funds will go toward growing Renno’s sales and engineering teams.


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São Paulo – Sugar exports from Brazil nearly doubled year-on-year in July, as per numbers from the Brazilian Ministry of Economy’s Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex). Exports were up 83% in revenue and 91% in volume.
Last July saw 3.4 million tons of sugar and molasses shipped from Brazil, up from 1.8 million tons in July 2019. Revenue climbed to USD 964.3 million in July of this year from USD 528 million in July 2019.
Via Brazil-Arab News Agency


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Samsung SDS completes development of blockchain-based verification system “BankSign”
If a customer using BankSign obtains a co-verification certificate from a bank, that customer can use mobile banking of other banks with simple authentication.
Another example of how blockchain technologies can be used in the financial services industry has just been presented to us, as Samsung SDS has announced the completion of the development of BankSign, its blockchain-based co-verification system for banks, for the Korea Federation of Banks.
If a customer using BankSign obtains a co-verification certificate from a bank, that customer can conveniently use the mobile banking service of other banks with simple authentication.
Until now, banking customers have had to go through the inconvenient process of renewing their digital certificate every year for each bank whose mobile banking they use. BankSign makes it easy for customers to access the banking services of multiple banks at once. The authentication process has also been improved with simplified passwords, fingerprint and pattern authentication.
BankSign prevents certificate forgery through synchronization of distributed agreements, which is a characteristic of blockchain technology, and real-time authentication information between banks. Blockchain encrypts communication segments and double-encrypts data and networks, markedly enhancing security. This improved security has made it possible to increase the validity of digital certificates from 1 year to 3 years.
The development of “BankSign” marks another step by Samsung into the blockchain world. Following on from its 2015 start in the blockchain field with the establishment of its blockchain dedicated department, in 2017, Samsung SDS launched Nexledger, a blockchain platform with real-time mass transaction processing and smart contract capabilities and a management monitoring system. Samsung SDS has also been consistently engaging in global collaborative research for the development of blockchain technology.
The interest in the use of blockchain by financial services companies is exponentially growing. In July this year, a group of major banks reported that blockchain platform we.trade had performed its first trades. The aim of we.trade is to create a common platform which enables companies, from SMEs to large corporates, to trade in a fast, easy and transparent way. The goal is to fully automate the trading process and seamlessly connect the entire trade ecosystem.
Some financial institutions, however, remain skeptical as to the application of blockchain. For instance, in a recent bulletin, the Netherlands central bank (DNB) said it had found that blockchain is not capable to respond to the needs of financial markets infrastructure (FMI). Based on the results, of tests involving blockchain, the DNB concluded there were a number of shortcomings of blockchain technologies.
The biggest shortcomings are inadequate capacity, inefficiency due to high energy consumption and lack of complete certainty about having made a payment. Nonetheless, it appears that the resilience of a financial market infrastructure against external attacks could be increased by the use of blockchain technology, but this happens at the expense of capacity and efficiency.


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The capital city of the United States is about to become a recreational marijuana market, at least in spirit even if not by the letter of the law.
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday signed into law the Medical Cannabis Amendment Act of 2021, which for all practical purposes will establish a new adult-use cannabis market, but without any license caps or restrictions on specific medical ailments.
Rather, the bill provides a path to licensure and legal status for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of gray market “gifting” businesses that have been trafficking in cannabis for years. It also removes caps on the number of legal medical marijuana companies in the city, allows for medical patients to “self-certify” that they need cannabis to treat any given medical issue, and sets up a new social equity program.
Though the bill and its substance remain medical in name, in reality it’s a workaround by the D.C. City Council to avoid being overridden by Congress, which retains veto power over the city’s municipal ordinances. It’s Congress – and a perpetually renewed federal budget rider – that have kept the city from standing up a recreational marijuana market since residents voted to legalize in 2014. In this latest move, it appears that city leaders have finally figured out how to circumvent Congressional prohibitionists.
The 2014 ballot measure, Initiative 71, legalized recreational marijuana in the district, but the Congressional budget rider kept the city council from authorizing a full adult-use industry. A loophole in the measure, however, allowed locals to “gift” cannabis to each other. As a result, a new gray market was born, in which entrepreneurs sold extra-expensive ordinary goods such as lighters or T-shirts, along with a “gift” of cannabis.
The number of such companies has swollen over the years, and some have pegged the number of operating cannabis retailers in the city as high as 1,500. That stands in stark contrast to the city’s seven licensed medical marijuana dispensaries and eight permitted cultivators, and means the local industry is primed to grow by leaps and bounds.


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As we all know, Apple has found itself in the desirable position as one of the leaders in gaming industry. This wasn’t something Apple planned to do; as iOS popularity increased, it just sort of fell into its lap.
With that in mind, do you think that it’s time for Apple to take gaming more seriously? Further, should Apple develop a dedicated gaming controller and increase its presence in the industry?
The evidence already suggests that Apple is looking into such a thing, as recent patent filings prove. Of course patents don’t necessarily mean we’ll see a new product of any sort, but at least we know it’s something that’s on Apple’s mind.
I think a controller would legitimize iOS gaming to a further degree, and that it could be a killer product when combined with an Apple TV.
What do you think Apple should do: develop its own controller, or let things continue to play out as is? Sound off with your opinion below in the comments. The most well thought out comments will be featured at the beginning of next week’s Question of the Week.


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Coronavirus: Brand Moves
Week: 13th – 17th April
The latest of Interbrand’s regular round-ups of brands’ responses to the global COVID-19 pandemic
Fashion & Retail
Craft, arts and vintage marketplace Etsy has sent a push notification to every craftsperson on its website in the U.S.: “Calling all sellers,” it said. “Start making face masks.” The website is becoming a go-to destination for homemade cloth masks. Etsy says there was an average of one mask-related search on the site every two seconds in March.
Last week, more than 10,000 sellers sold at least one mask apiece. Unlike the medicalgrade equipment now in woefully short supply at U.S. hospitals, cloth masks can be quickly constructed by anyone with a sewing machine and some elastic.
That means the skillsets of legions of Etsy crafters are suddenly in very high demand. “We believe that the Etsy community is uniquely positioned to address this crucial need during a global health crisis,” the company’s CEO, Josh Silverman, wrote. “We hope that increasing the availability of fabric, non-medical grade face masks from Etsy sellers will allow more medical and surgical masks to reach the people who need them most: front-line healthcare workers.
This is an unprecedented moment in time that will undoubtedly shape who we are as a society. It’s a moment for the Etsy community to band together, to do something important – something that serves a public good and will benefit the world as a whole.”
Beverage giant Coca-Cola has turned over its social media channels – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – to outside organizations including the American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Club, Feeding America and the Salvation Army. The channels “have large audiences and we felt the Coca-Cola brand could use its reach to help and support communities and organizations,” a spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, Nike’s innovation, manufacturing and product teams, together with health professionals at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), are to design and build Personal Protective Equipment in the form of full-face shields and powered, air-purifying respirator (PAPR) lenses to protect against the coronavirus. Nike’s version of the full-face shield transforms elements of the brand’s footwear and apparel into muchneeded PPE. Collar padding once destined for shoes is repurposed; cords originally earmarked for apparel reconsidered; and, most important, the TPU component of a Nike signature—the Nike Air soles—reimagined.
Global retail clothing chain Primark has announced it will create a fund to help pay the wages of the millions of garment workers affected by its decision to cancel tens of millions of pounds worth of clothing orders from factories in developing countries across the world.
Collectively brands including Primark, Matalan and Edinburgh Woollen Company have cancelled £1.4bn and suspended an additional £1bn of orders in Bangladesh alone as they scramble to minimise losses in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic. The move has already seen more than a million Bangladeshi garment workers lose their jobs or be sent home without pay. Primark has announced that it will create a fund to help pay the wages of workers linked to orders that were due for shipment in the month after they were cancelled in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Heinz has announced the launch of new delivery service ‘Heinz to Home’ in the UK. Its first-ever online shop will initially sell canned goods before expanding to sauces as well as the imminent launch of a bundle filled with baby products. President of Kraft Heinz Northern Europe, said in a statement: “The shop is a first for us, and it comes in response to stories we’ve all heard in the last few weeks about people struggling to access food and basic necessities. While we continue to work day and night to get our most loved Heinz varieties on the shelf, we hope this new initiative will help those who cannot otherwise access our products.”
High-end UK department store chain the John Lewis Partnership is designing and installing a wellbeing area for medical staff and volunteers at the NHS Nightingale Hospital at Excel London. It will be the only area of the facility designed to give all staff a space to relax and take time out from the challenging environment of treating patients with Covid-19.
Travel & Hospitality
Hotel chain Marriott, with support from its credit card partners American Express and JPMorgan Chase, has committed to provide $10 million worth of hotel stays for healthcare professionals leading the fight against COVID-19 in the United States. The initiative, called Rooms for Responders, will provide free rooms in some of the areas most impacted including New York City, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C. and Newark, N.J.
Rum brand Bacardi is putting £1.5m into #RaiseYourSpirits, an initiative to help bars and bartenders in the UK and Ireland weather the coronavirus crisis. A key plank of the plan is the launch of a virtual bar with Deliveroo Editions, allowing bars to keep serving customers by delivering cocktails to their homes. It will initially include 120 bars in London and Manchester. The scheme is focused on independent bars that do not have the benefit of corporate support. As well as working with Deliveroo, Bacardi is supporting businesses and staff by hiring bartenders to host training events or serve cocktails, and paying their fee in advance; it is also prepaying for events held in bars.
In April, Delta airline started providing free flights to medical professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis and began utilizing Delta’s wholly owned aircraft interiors subsidiary, Delta Flight Products, to manufacture face shields to protect hospital workers.
Sports & Media
PopSugar, the most engaged-with women’s lifestyle site in the U.S., has created a new advertising program to support women-led small businesses, which have been greatly impacted during this uncertain time. The site will donate 50 million advertising impressions across its owned and operated channels to women-led businesses as well as design resources to help businesses create new ads.
The donated media placements will include a rotation of standard banner ad sizes across the PopSugar network, banner placements in newsletters, and inclusion in editorial and custom posts where relevant. “We are committed to helping women live their best lives and follow their dreams so we want to help however we can,” said founder and President Lisa Sugar. “Our hope is that this new project brings awareness to smaller businesses who might not be in a position to proactively advertise their services.”
George and Amal Clooney have joined the celebrities giving to coronavirus relief efforts, with the actor and human rights lawyer donating more than $1 million to six organizations – $750,000 total ($250,000 each) to the Motion Picture and Television Home, the SAG-AFTRA Fund, and Los Angeles Mayor’s Fund.
They gave an additional $300,000 to three international charities: the Lebanese Food Bank, Lombardo Italy Region, and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). Amal is both British and Lebanese, so the couple’s donations to the Lebanese Food Bank and the NHS are personal. The Clooneys have a house in Lombardo, Italy; their donation to the Lombardo Italy Region will help local hospitals there. The couple is also helping actors and entertainment industry workers in the U.S.: The Motion Picture and Television Home and SAGAFTRA Fund are helping provide financial aid to those affected by the entertainment industry’s widespread shutdown because of the pandemic.
English Premier League soccer players have launched a collective initiative to help generate funds for the National Health Service. The initiative – named #PlayersTogether – has been set up to help those fighting for us on the NHS frontline amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement posted by more than 150 top-flight players on social media, they said they were “collaborating together to create a voluntary initiative, separate to any other league and club conversation”. The intention, they said, was to “try and help, along with so many others in the country, to make a real difference.”
In Ireland, automaker Renault and insurance company AXA are providing frontline healthcare workers who have returned from overseas to fight the pandemic free cars and insurance for two months. The program, called “Covid Car Cover,” is aimed at doctors and nurses who have returned to Ireland in the last month to assist with the pandemic. “It shows real courage to come home from overseas to help us fight the battle and we really appreciate what these returning doctors and nurses are doing,” said Paddy Magee, country operations director at Renault Group Ireland. “We want to help these men and women get organized with practical things like cars and insurance as they prepare to return to hospitals around the country and this is the most practical way in which we can help,” added Antoinette McDonald, a Director at AXA Ireland.
US auto insurance giants Liberty Mutual, Allstate and American Family Insurance have announced they are returning premiums to customers during the novel coronavirus pandemic, saying people are driving less and they are experiencing fewer claims.
Liberty Mutual has announced that it will return $250 million to clients, Allstate pledged to return $600 million, and American Family Insurance said it would return $200 million. Liberty Mutual’s Personal Auto Customer Relief Refund will return approximately $250 million to customers; personal auto insurance customers will receive a 15% refund on two months of their auto premium.
Allstate said most customers will receive 15% of their monthly premium in April and May through a credit to their bank account, credit card or in their Allstate account. “Given an unprecedented decline in driving,” said Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Allstate, “customers will receive a Shelter-in-Place Payback of more than $600 million over the next two months.
This is fair because less driving means fewer accidents.” American Family Insurance said they will give customers a one-time payment of $50 per vehicle that is covered by an American Family personal auto policy, and expects to print and distribute 2.3 million checks within the next two months. “American Family Insurance is doing this out of responsibility to our customers. They are driving less and experiencing fewer claims. Because of these results, they deserve premium relief,” Telisa Yancy, the company’s chief operating officer, said.
Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, has pledged to donate $1bn (£800m) to fund coronavirus research to help “disarm this pandemic”. Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter in 2006 and went on to co-found payments company Square, tweeted on Tuesday that he was donating $1bn of Square shares to a charitable fund, called Start Small, to “fund global Covid-19 relief”. Dorsey, 43, said the donation was equivalent to about “28% of my wealth”. Dorsey has a fortune of about $3.9bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. It is by far the biggest single donation to the global fight to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Samsung Electronics has given tablets to educational institutions for children affected by school closures. In its home country, the company has provided its employee education centre to medical authorities for the purpose of being used as a patient care centre.
To help healthcare organizations get set up quickly and scale their connectivity, HPE Aruba has created the Airheads Volunteer Corps, a registry of volunteer network engineers ready to assist in the build out of network infrastructures for medical facilities on the front lines of dealing with this pandemic. Almost 200 engineers spanning more than 20 countries signed up in the first 48 hours after the initiative launched.
Social sharing tool Snapchat’s latest AR filter lets users donate directly to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. With the Snapchat camera, users can scan 23 international currencies in 33 countries.
The AR filter will show how donations to the WHO are used for patient care, medical supplies and research. Snapchatters can then donate and encourage friends to do the same. Snapchat is also giving media publishers covering COVID-19 on its Discover platform a swipe-up-to-donate feature. To date, over 68 million Snapchat users have viewed COVID-19-related content on the platform, so the feature has the potential to reach a huge population. Snap says over 40 percent of Gen Z in the US has tuned in to the content.
Apple has made changes to its Apple Maps app to better promote things like food delivery and medical services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple’s adjustments follow similar changes made by Google Maps. Grocery stores are now featured at the top, followed by a new category for Food Delivery. Other categories that are less practical during the COVID-19 outbreak have been shifted downwards. When you choose the new Food Delivery category, you see all of the nearby restaurants that are open and providing delivery options. Elsewhere, Siri has been updated to include a new questionnaire for queries about coronavirus.
Apple Card customers can also defer their payments without penalty due to the economic uncertainty caused by the outbreak. And in a development that will be welcomed by struggling music labels and artists, Apple Music is making a $50m advance fund available for independent labels and distributors, to support the indie sector with vital cashflow during the uncertainty of global COVID-19 lockdown.
In the face of a massive fall in demand for ride-sharing, Uber has introduced the Work Hub, a new way for drivers to find other work, whether with Uber or another company. While encouraging drivers to switch to its Uber Eats delivery service, the company is also accepting signups for Uber Works, which connects people to shift work like food production, warehouse, and customer service in Chicago, Dallas, and Miami. And with Uber Freight, where carriers get paid for every load they deliver, they are providing priority eligibility screening for drivers with a Class A Commercial Driver’s License.
The Work Hub will also include opportunities outside of Uber – companies that are currently hiring, like Domino’s, Shipt, CareGuide, and others; it will be including links to job postings for other companies. “The most important thing we can do right now is support drivers.” Said Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO. “They’re doing essential work to keep our communities moving as we fight this virus, but with fewer trips happening they need more ways to earn. With the Work Hub, we hope drivers can find more work opportunities, whether with another of Uber’s businesses, or at another company.”
To read the full report, please download here.
To access daily Brand Moves, please visit www.brandchannel.com


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Ford India is preparing for the launch of two new cars in India. Known as Figo hatchback and Figo sedan as of now, the two variants are being extensively tested around their new plant in Sanand.The test mule was spied in Sanand.
These two cars will be the first cars which will enter production at Ford’s world-class $2 billion car and engine plant. The plant, which is set to officially start production on 26th March, is located just outside of Ahmedabad, in Sanand.
The two new Ford Figo variants to be manufactured here, will not only be sold in India, but will also be exported to many markets across the globe, including Africa and Europe. A reader recently managed to capture Ford Figo export variant in his camera.At the rear, the mule had a placard stating that it is a Left Hand Drive variant.
To be offered in a choice of petrol and diesel engine options, of the two Figo variants, sedan will be launched in July, while the hatchback version will be launched by September. Powering these cars will be a more powerful 1.2l TiVCT petrol engine (naturally aspirated) generating about 85 PS power and a retuned 1.5l Duratoq for high fuel efficiency. No EcoBoost engine will be on offer aboard either of them.Ford Sanand plant was commissioned when the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was the Chief Minister of the state, in 2012.
The Figo sedan is available in two trims, under 4 meter and above 4 meter. The former is for India, while the latter is for export. Both these variants will be manufactured at Ford Sanand plant. Production capacity of Ford Sanand plant is expected to be at 2.5 lakh units annually, in the first phase. In the first year of production, capacity will be at 1.5lakh units per annum (800-900 cars per day).


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Motorola and Xiaomi to use Samsung’s 200MP camera before, er, Samsung
(Pocket-lint) – With system-on-chip (SoC) platforms ever-improving, the option for higher-spec cameras is becoming an increasing reality for flagship devices. Samsung is making a 200-megapixel sensor, that we already know, but it’s allegedly not going to first appear in a Samsung handset.
Nope, that accolade is likely to go to Motorola or Xiaomi first, according to reputed leakster Ice Universe, who stated the following on Twitter:
200MP camera will be adopted by Moto first, then by Xiaomi in the second half of next year, and by 2023, Samsung will adopt 200MP.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) November 24, 2021
Part of this race will be down to the implementation of new SoCs. We’ve already had the reveal of MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000, which can support resolutions up to 320-megapixels, while Qualcomm is expected to reveal its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 platform in the first week of December. Samsung will likely use a split of the latter, plus its own Exynos platform for its Korean and Asia territory phone releases.
Precisely which handset will be the first to boast of a 200-megapixel camera is up for debate. Xiaomi tends to be quick out of the blocks in late December, so there’s still the possibility that the 12 Ultra will house this sensor (although we think that’s unlikely at this stage, as it’s just too soon). Moto’s position: it’d have to be top-end, so a new flagship Edge handset in the middle of 2022 perhaps?
The other question is ‘why a 200MP sensor anyway?’. Well, it’s less about the out-and-out resolution and more about the potential of what more pixels can offer. The Samsung sensor, named ISOCELL HP1, can not only handle 8K video recording, but with so many pixels it will open the door to enhanced high dynamic range (HDR) and various pixel binning possibilities (16-in-1 delivering 12.5-megapixel results as the default).
It’s increasingly likely that we’ll see this new sensor in a prototype device at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Tech Summit, so will be sure to give that device a whirl should it show face. More information in early December is our best guestimate.
Writing by Mike Lowe. Originally published on 26 November 2021.
Comments are closed.


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Everyone is looking to the trends of 2017, investors included, and despite having a struggling portfolio to show on the financial front this year, eyes are turning to Target.
Why, in the face of sales declines and a few investment struggles, is the big red dot piquing financial interest?
Over a five year span the retailer has consistently gone up nearly 8% according to Investorplace, touting consumer loyalty, wiggle room for shipping costs, a younger demographic, and room for digital growth as key reasons to keep your faith (and your money) in Target.
Despite a bumpy ride for 2016, including a slip in sales and a revenue just starting to make a turnaround, the financial source sees consistent potential in the chain versus others on the buy-side.
Investorplace reports that while the store “doesn’t have the same buzz as it once did,” average Target shoppers are younger than those of its competitors and tend to make about 25% more money, meaning a willingness to overlook extra shipping costs that come with online shopping. And increasing online shopping growth is where speculations sat Target’s bread and butter might be, with online sales currently accounting for less than 5% of the company’s total sales, despite a 26% uptick in the third quarter.
With weight still in the market, including the nickname “Tar-jay” among more loyal shoppers, what will the next year hold for this and other big retailers?
Deli Market News will be sure to let you know every step of the way.


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By Kristen V. Brown
San Francisco Chronicle
Pinterest, the social network of choice for cocktail recipes and perfectly manicured succulent gardens, is making a play to broaden its user base beyond the do-it-yourself set.
On Thursday, the online scrapbooking mecca announced a “guided search” feature, a function intended to help Pinners sift through the billions of images posted to the site.
The idea is that when users start searching for something fairly vague — say, road trips — the search engine steers them toward subcategories, hoping to deliver what they’re looking for even when they might not know how to ask for it.
“Pinterest, after all, is about discovering things you didn’t know were out there,” said CEO Ben Silbermann.
The plan is to make Pinterest a more effective tool for “visual discovery” — and, presumably, to attract users who fall outside the site’s vastly female demographic.
Pinterest has always billed itself as a visual discovery tool, but the new search engine function represents a shift away from collection and compilation and toward search and discovery.
It positions the company more effectively as an alternative to traditional search engines such as Google, allowing users to effectively browse for products or images rather than just Web pages.
“The problem of how you discover things is a really tough one,” Silbermann said at a conference last May. “Problems like, ‘What should my living room look like?’ That’s at the heart of our interests right now.”
Pinterest wants its users to think of it as more than just a place to find inspiration in photos of gourmet meals and artfully torn jeans. It wants to be the place people go to search for a new couch or hairstyle.
Pinterest, founded in 2010, has increased its number of pins by 50 percent in just the past six months, and there are more than 750 million boards on the site. Pinterest has been valued at an estimated $3.8 billion. Its first advertising platform, expected this year, has been eagerly anticipated in marketing and advertising circles.


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The new aftermarket coilover suspension systems by BILSTEIN: With the new EVO Performance Line the Ennepetal-based company has expanded its high-performance range of coilover suspension systems for the aftermarket.
Hydrogen instead of carbon. Just over a year has passed since the world premiere of the use of hydrogen in ongoing blast furnace operations. What has happened in this first phase of the trials? We provide an overview.
Intelligent technologies are increasingly smiling at us from futuristic images as a vision of tomorrow. Yet the current use of data analytics and artificial intelligence is already in full swing today and is anything but old news.
For the household appliance sector, we develop innovative materials and surfaces – and supply the starting material for white goods and furniture. A comprehensive range of services rounds out our portfolio.


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Building on a decade of success with The ASSEMBLY Show in the Midwest, ASSEMBLY is launching The ASSEMBLY Show South. Scheduled for April 4-6, 2023, The ASSEMBLY Show South will be held in Nashville, Tenn., to capitalize on the strong growth of the region’s manufacturing sector.
The event will connect attendees with equipment, technology, and innovative new ideas to help grow their business and career, in a location that’s quickly becoming a major hub of thriving manufacturing plants. Attendees will have opportunities to:
- Learn process improvement innovations from top subject matter experts
- Evaluate working equipment and technology with interactive displays from top suppliers
- Establish business partnerships at several engaging networking functions
Free registration will be opening August 2022. For more information, visit https://www.assemblymag.com/the-assembly-show-south.


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Zbooni: How Dubai’s Homegrown Startup Has Introduced cCommerce to the Region
Founded in 2016, Zbooni was initially designed as a platform to assist online sellers with payment management. It was a business idea spawned when Zbooni Founder and CEO, Ramy Assaf, was trying to support his wife in her online business selling customized hats via Instagram.
Though she had the platform for advertising and marketing in an economy dominated by social media as ours is nowadays, the struggle of online payments was still an issue. “She didn’t have any way of capturing payments from customers like you would have with an e-commerce store, or keeping track of customer activity through a CRM,” Ramy explains. “We saw an opportunity to develop new tools for commerce within social and messaging apps, to reduce the frictions that businesses face in capturing orders, accepting payments, growing sales, and tracking their orders.” That’s when Zbooni was born as a software bridge between sellers, customers, and banks to make sales and process digital payments all at once.
Ramy gives credit where it’s due to e-commerce sites such as Shopify that have provided inspiration for their business, but by no means is Zbooni a “cut-and-paste” project. “There are certain things we learn through the lens of Shopify, how they build certain components and tackle their target markets, but Zbooni is built differently and not designed just for e-commerce websites.” Zbooni acts as a single software interface which facilitates real-time customer interactions to finalize sales through social and messaging channels like WhatsApp, where businesses and customers are spending increasingly more time. Business owners simply download the app, create an account, list the products for sale, and share a provided link with consumers via messaging services like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram direct messages. Zbooni’s most attractive feature then comes as customers carry out the entire shopping trip per se without the need to download Zbooni or any external apps. The key is that even check-out takes place through whatever messaging chat that customers access the link from with payment via Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and (Saudi) Mada cards.
Like other online sales platforms such as US-based Mercari, Zbooni has developed an internal screening process for merchant authorization and product authentication. Merchants must meet certain criteria for clearance to sell on Zbooni’s platform and maintain their presence on the system. The aim is to provide consumers with the credibility rate of a seller along with his products to allow educated, guaranteed purchases. Moreover, both merchants and customers are protected by anti-money laundering and antifraud machine learning and artificial intelligence tools.
However, unlike other online sales apps, the Zbooni app only needs to be downloaded by sellers, not their customers. The name of the game in any sector is efficiency – minimum input, maximum output - and the less customers need to do, the more they will buy. Zbooni has successfully introduced a new short-cut to online shopping that not many platforms have explored, setting it apart from most other online marketplaces.
Zbooni’s 2021 SME survey defends their vision of social media-based shopping with reports that nearly 80% and 45% of online shoppers both browse and complete transactions via Instagram and Whatsapp respectively rather than stores’ own websites. Moreover, the ubiquity of WhatsApp for example as a B2C channel is remarkably different in MENA than in North America. “Mobile penetration is very high in MENA, which means we build mobile first (and only) for many use cases,” says Ramy. “Our cart software allows for ‘amending the price’ during sales, for example.” Negotiation is fairly typical for Middle Eastern shoppers and what some might even call tradition, but it’s not common when it comes to Western definitions of commerce. Zbooni’s fine-tuned itself so that MENA’s unique attributes in social media and shopping are now key driving factors for its success in the region.
One of the main factors contributing to Zbooni’s success in their early days, Ramy says, was the six-month incubation period at Facebook, now Meta. Zbooni was one of just eight startups from around the world to be incubated in the program where they developed their product and refined it alongside some of the brightest tech minds in California. Meta sought insights about a range of global markets and use cases through the lens of startups, who in return got more insight into how Meta foresaw their roles in the commerce roadmap.
Ramy also commends co-founder, COO Ashraf Atia, on his unwavering commitment to Zbooni and its customers. Despite dedicating a whole team to client sales and enquiries, Ashraf himself still connects with merchants daily to better understand their needs and improve the Zbooni experience. Since its establishment, Zbooni has grown into a business solutions platform complete with digital storefronts, data insights, and mobile invoicing.
Zbooni has also expanded by catering to both traditional businesses as well as ‘casual’ merchants like social media influencers, and is, in principle, the first business in the region to transcend e-commerce into the sector of cCommerce (connected commerce) to assist in customer engagement and sales communications. This significance comes with the company’s claims that the cCommerce cart is, on average, 2.7 times larger than that of traditional e-commerce with a conversion rate 20 times greater than e-commerce.
Though Zbooni was barely established a mere two years before covid-19 hit, the pandemic only helped the uptake of Zbooni’s services. Digital sales channels and e-commerce itself was in effect the only means for small merchants to maintain operations during lockdowns.
Much of the Middle East was still behind many western markets in terms of conducting digital payments, preferring to utilize physical cash – but this changed during the pandemic. Social distancing and lockdowns only accelerated the region’s take-up of contactless payments and digital payments for orders.
According to Ramy, Zbooni thrived in this pandemic-driven transition with increased merchant demand, customer growth, and service expansion as well as internal software upgrades and product refinement. “Instead of Zbooni’s growth dropping off once Covid was “over”, we saw real stickiness and a continued momentum of that digital shift. In fact, we’re currently experiencing the steepest growth trajectory we have ever seen in our business,” he explains.
Zbooni was serving around 20 merchants in 2017, and from 2017 to 2021, grew almost 200x in terms of payment volume going through the platform. Today, they serve more than 10,000 merchants across four core markets having recorded a customer growth of 600 percent reaching over 150,000 clients in 2020.
To date, Zbooni has raised a total of over US$ 12 million, which has allowed Zbooni to hire new team members, expand beyond the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Jordan into Egypt, and further develop their product with many consumer-centric updates. Zbooni raised US$ 2 million in 2019 through regional institutions including UAE retailer Chalhoub Group and private equity fund B&Y Venture Partners. In 2021, Zbooni closed a Series A round of US$ 9.5 million from international and regional funds. Zbooni’s latest expansion plans come with its official launch in Egypt, the third largest economy in the Arab world. With the support of its regional and global investors, Zbooni will cater to some 3.5 million small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) throughout Egypt to boost the economy at the core of its digital commerce.
“Helping SMEs is in Zbooni’s DNA, and our estimates suggest that there are in excess of 10 million businesses who could benefit from cCommerce (connected commerce through social messaging apps),” says Ramy. Egyptian-American COO Ashraf is even more excited for this expansion to help support and inspire Egyptian businesses and entrepreneurs. He expects that the partnership with JumiaPay and National Bank of Egypt in 2022 will entice thousands of local Egyptian businesses to sell with Zbooni boosting his home country’s economy.
More than physical expansion within the region, the Zbooni team has also acknowledged the importance of broadening the range of products and services on offer to clients. Ramy reports a growth in the health and wellbeing related market including dietary products, nutritional guides, self-care workshops, and therapeutic readings. This is only one of the directions they plan on expanding into, to allow merchants of all trades the opportunity to excel and build a fruitful clientele. As a Dubai-based start-up taking on the region by storm, Zbooni showcases the Emirate’s own success story through the years.
When asked why Dubai specifically, he told us “Where else in the world can you have a microcosm of many of the world’s populations contained into one city?” Ramy explains that it made sense to start in a city with a diverse and digitally savvy customer base for product development and testing. Dubai is also home to some of the biggest investors and brightest tech minds in the world; a population that is also growing all the time. This not only provides access to some of the best talent in the region, but also puts you in close competition with the rest. “That demands worldclass products, and this forces you to be competitive and not cut corners if you want to thrive,” explains Ramy. “Events like Dubai Expo 2020 help shine a light on the city, creating an excitement amongst people about the extraordinary things to come in this land of opportunity.”
Ramy also told us about a few of Zbooni’s partnerships with the UAE government. They recently partnered with the Ministry of Community Development to help local Emirati businesses set-up and thrive digitally. Zbooni has also worked to support the Ajman Chamber of Commerce help its members go online.
In the next six months, the startup says we can expect more Zbooni partnerships within the UAE as well as growth in their newly established markets, namely Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Their plans are also jam-packed with game-changing enhancement features that will give businesses a further edge in acquiring customers, as well as new software product launches designed for a more international audience. The latest product is completely unique, and addresses needs of e-commerce merchants globally. “We are particularly excited about what’s to come in 2023,” says Ramy. “ The common thread across all our efforts is simple, we help merchants sell more.”


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Top Customer Phone Gripes: Calls Not Answered, Complex Recorded Messages, Annoying ‘On Hold’ MusicNov 01, 2022 03:57PM ● By David Dykes
Has this ever happened to you?
You call customer service with a question, to report an issue with a product, or to relay a concern about a possible hack on your account.
Then you’re put on hold – sometimes for several minutes, or much, much longer.
And the music isn’t very soothing.
A new survey shows that companies still aren’t answering their phones, messages aren’t being passed on, phone numbers aren’t being listed on websites, and annoying “on hold” music continues to drive people round the bend.
The survey, conducted among more than 1,053 consumers across the U.S. by global communications company Moneypenny, showed that the top gripe from consumers trying to call businesses was phone calls not being answered (45 percent), followed by complex call attendant messages (33 percent).
Other phone annoyances revealed by the survey were:
Having to leave a voicemail.....................29 percent
Annoying hold music..............................28 percent
Being told to check the website...............28 percent
Feeling rushed and not listened to...........24 percent
Background call center noise...................18 percent
The degree of irritation experienced by the caller seems to increase with age, as the survey showed that calls not being answered is the most annoying factor for older people: More than 51 percent of those over 56 reported this, compared with 36 percent of those 16-24. Older people are also most irritated by annoying hold music – reported by 36 percent of those over 66, compared with 23 percent of those ages 41-56, and only 25 percent of those ages 16-24.
Another annoyance revealed by the survey is that 89 percent of those surveyed said they get frustrated when businesses don’t include a phone number on their website.
However, despite consumer irritation with company calling experience, the phone is still the preferred channel when it comes to the preferred method of communicating with a business, voted for by 41 percent of those surveyed.
While the phone remains the most popular communication method, the survey showed the number of calls to companies is declining, but the calls themselves are lasting longer. Almost 29 percent of those surveyed said they are making fewer calls to businesses than they did three years ago, yet 46 percent said their calls are lasting longer.
Umesh Sachdev, co-founder and CEO of Uniphore, a leader in conversational service automation, said in an online post written for the Forbes Technology Council that an analysis of more than 4 million phone calls showed more than half of Americans say they spend 10 to 20 minutes every week (or 43 days of their life) on hold.
While some may ignore the time consumers wait on hold, Sachdev said businesses should be looking at this in a different light: Customers are willing to wait on hold in hopes of fixing their problem or getting information. He said not only are these customers prioritizing communication with the business, but they are also providing valuable insights that could be leveraged.
Sachdev said poor customer experiences will cost U.S. companies an average of $75 billion a year. He said that’s mainly because there was no way to take any insights from these calls and turn them into usable information to create a better experience for each customer moving forward.
It all comes down, he said, to the fundamental concept of business: serve the customer. Today’s digital-savvy consumers expect an efficient interaction and are no longer willing to wait unnecessarily. And why should they, Sachdev asks?
According to Moneypenny, businesses ignore the importance of good call handling at their peril, as the survey suggests consumers call up when it is really important:
44 percent if it was an urgent matter
33 percent if it was a complicated matter
24 percent if short on time
20 percent if it was sensitive
Perhaps not surprisingly, older people are more likely to call a company than younger: 57 percent of those over 66 and 50 percent of baby boomers (57-66 years), compared to 27 percent of those 16-24 and 29 percent of those 25-40.
In contrast, younger people are more likely to use social media to contact a company: 17 percent of those 16-24 compared to 1 percent of those 57-66.
The power of a phone call in delivering excellent customer service is also shown in the fact that 82 percent of those surveyed said a great call experience is a differentiator for a company.
Similarly, a bad call experience could have repercussions on customer loyalty:
42 percent would call again and ask to speak to someone else
36 percent would take their business elsewhere (customer care really does matter)
33 percent would complain to the business
32 percent would spread the word to friends and family
25 percent would write a negative review
Said Eric Schurke, CEO of the North America Group for Moneypenny: “The results of our survey demonstrate the enduring popularity of the phone, despite the plethora of communication channels now available to us. Customers use the phone when they have an urgent or sensitive issue to discuss, so companies cannot afford to provide a poor call experience, or business will be taken elsewhere.
“By mastering the art of call handling, businesses can keep their customers happy and loyal and boost the bottom-line in the process.”


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- 1914 horsepower, Rimac Nevera pure electric supercar off the assembly line
- Refuse to popularize? The Ora Ballet cat like the Beetle hits the market
- The first domestic pure electric pickup radar RD6 released
- Equipped with the DJI in-vehicle intelligent driving system, the 2023 KiWi EV rolls off the production line
- The sixth-generation Honda CR-V was released, with a comprehensive upgrade of the exterior and interior
- Software development is blocked! Volkswagen Group's key electric models may be affected
- Apple Cars May Not Have Steering Wheels and Brakes
- Polestar is launching a new car, but it's not the car you think
- May Mobility to achieve fully driverless operations next year
- Luo Yonghao believes that traditional car companies have no chance in the era of trams
1914 horsepower, Rimac Nevera pure electric supercar off the assembly line
Croatian pure electric supercar company Rimac has finally launched their first model after merging with Bugatti, the Rimac Nevera.
With 1914 horsepower, the Rimac Nevera can sprint from 100 km/h in 1.85 seconds, the fastest of any current production car. Only 150 units of this accelerated beast will be produced, and it's already sold out.
Rimac said they spent more than two years redesigning the Nevera's powertrain, in addition to developing a new generation of battery systems, transmissions, electronic controls and entertainment systems.
In addition to making all-electric supercars, the startup provides electric vehicle technology and components to the likes of Porsche, and the $537 million Series D round gave the company enough money to fund its expansion plans.
On July 12, the Ora Ballet cat designed for women was launched, and the patent of the guardian mode was disclosed to other car companies.
Ora Ballet Cat claims to reject popularization, but the shape of this car is somewhat similar to the classic Volkswagen Beetle, and there are doubts about such a shape. However, Ora wants to emphasize its function designed for women.
Regarding the guard mode, it means that there is a hidden button near the driver's seat. When the driver is threatened, he can use this button to quietly send the image and location information in the car to the mobile phone of the emergency contact.
Dong Chejun is no longer interested in this appearance. Female friends are welcome to tell everyone your thoughts in the comment area.
Shouldn't I… have no female fans?
The first domestic pure electric pickup radar RD6 released
On July 12, Geely's RADAR brand was officially released, with the Chinese name "Radar", and brought the pickup RD6 based on the SEA architecture, which is also the first pure electric pickup in China.
Regarding the parameters of the RD6, there is relatively little official information released at present. The public information is that the acceleration time of 100 kilometers is 6 seconds, and the pure electric cruising range is over 600 kilometers. The RD6 will be available this year, and the pre-order channel is currently open.
In the past, in the non-commercial field, Chinese people were not very interested in pickup trucks. However, with the rise of the camping economy, the advantages of pure electric pickups with external discharge and strong loading capacity are obvious.
Equipped with the DJI in-vehicle intelligent driving system, the 2023 KiWi EV rolls off the production line
On the 2023 KiWi EV, DJI and Wuling have jointly established an open road test system, simulation test capabilities and AI training platform to achieve 16 core function test verifications (including ACC/AEB/TJA, etc.), covering a variety of user usage scenarios.
At present, the specific configuration of the 2023 KiWi EV will be announced after the launch in August. Referring to the old model, the cruising range of the new product is expected to be 305km.
Like Huawei, more and more technology giants are participating in the research and development of the automotive field, helping traditional car companies to make cars.
The sixth-generation Honda CR-V was released, with a comprehensive upgrade of the exterior and interior
On July 12, Honda's sixth-generation CR-V was released in the United States. The new car adopts a new family design, the front face shape and central control layout are all new, and the power part is also optimized. The starting price of the new car in North America is 28,045 US dollars (about 188,600 yuan).
The new CR-V has two appearance packages of fuel and hybrid. The front surround of the latter emphasizes the design of the air intake, which is more sporty. The rear design follows the usual CR-V style, with barbed taillights making it possible to recognize a CR-V from a distance of 800 meters.
In terms of interior, the new CR-V looks like a "big civic", which is more sporty than the previous generation. This interior is expected to be gradually installed on more Honda models.
In terms of size, the new-generation CR-V is one lap larger than the current model, with a length, width and height of 4703/1866/1680mm and a wheelbase of 2700.
As mentioned earlier, the new car will have a gasoline version and a hybrid version. The fuel version still uses the current 1.5T engine with 193 horsepower and 234 Nm; the hybrid model has been upgraded with a new generation of 2.0L dual-motor hybrid system, with a combined power of 207 horsepower and a maximum torque of 335 Nm.
Delays in software development at Cariad, a software subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, could affect the launch of core electric vehicles for other brands under the group.
Audi's future flagship car is being developed based on the Artemis project and is expected to be delayed until 2027, while Bentley's previous goal of selling only pure electric vehicles in 2030 is facing a rescheduling. More recently, Porsche's new Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron, originally planned for next year, are encountering even bigger changes.
Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess has publicly praised Musk many times, expressing Volkswagen's determination to transform into electrification. According to the current news, the public is facing many challenges.
Apple Cars May Not Have Steering Wheels and Brakes
Recently, a report by The Information revealed some of the current research and development progress and design details of Apple's car. These include:
Apple is seeking permission from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to release vehicles without steering wheels and brake pedals.
Apple cars will likely have four face-to-face seats so passengers can talk to each other.
· Its roof will adopt a curved design similar to the Volkswagen Beetle.
· Designers are testing a trunk that lifts automatically.
· The team is considering a large, liftable seatback screen.
According to Bloomberg, the interior of the Apple car may have referenced the design of Canoo Lifestyle
Employees at Apple's car project are currently considering how to disguise a self-driving test car, code-named "M101," that could hit the road as early as next year. Jony Ive, Apple's former chief design officer, remains on the project as a consultant.
Apple parks test vehicles on campus in Santa Clara, California
But the report also said that there are signs that Apple's self-driving software is still immature. In the first quarter of this year, one of Apple's test cars nearly hit a jogger crossing the street on an unmarked crosswalk while traveling at 15 miles per hour.
At the time, Apple's self-driving software had identified the jogger as a moving pedestrian within a second, but only slightly adjusted the path, forcing the backup safety driver to make an emergency stop. The test car resumed driving a few days later.
Polestar has always promoted high-performance electric vehicles, and recently there have been some cross-border actions. A mountain bike jointly designed by Allebike, called Allebike Aplha Polestar Edition, is priced at $9,500 (about RMB 63,000) and limited to 100 vehicles.
This product features a lightweight carbon fiber reinforced polymer frame with an upright seating layout. Internal cable routing is clean, and the Öhlins shock has 130mm of travel front / 120mm rear.
Polestar is not the first car manufacturer to sell bicycles, but the price of this car is too high and it is destined to be a plaything for a few people. As for Nordic cars, Dong Chejun also imagines that he will own a station wagon in the future, carrying his lover and children through the tree-lined road in the mountains, enjoying the soft sunshine.
TechCrunch news, Michigan-based self-driving taxi startup May Mobility said that they plan to start operating the S-AM, a self-driving vehicle based on the Toyota Sienna, on a global scale starting next year.
The company currently operates low-speed autonomous vehicles in Arlington, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Fisher Island, and Hiroshima, Japan, in an effort to enhance public transportation.
May recently concluded a pilot project to operate a shuttle service on a fixed route on the Hiroshima University campus. They also plan to integrate their self-driving suite into Toyota's e-Palette in the future, they said.
Dong Chejun thinks that this type of car is quite suitable as a shuttle bus from the community to the subway station. I seem to have mentioned before that it takes 25 minutes to walk from my house to the subway station.
Lao Luo recently officially announced the new company ThinRedLine, which will start a business in the direction of AR in the future. In addition, Lao Luo also threw out a point of view that made everyone hot. He said that he admired the three new forces of Wei Xiaoli and believed that traditional car companies had no chance in the era of trams.
Regarding Lao Luo's point of view, Dong Chejun retains his pertinent opinion. Like Lao Luo, I appreciate the surprising performance of new power brands in terms of product power, but for the future of traditional car companies, I think there is still a big opportunity, for the following reasons:
First, traditional car companies have a higher voice in the supply chain , which determines the cost control capability, delivery capability, and after-sales parts guarantee capability of automakers.
Second, traditional car companies have begun to focus on user experience at the software level . Just as among domestic traditional car companies, Geely acquired Meizu and began to focus on in-vehicle software experience, while some joint venture brands have also paid more attention to domestic R&D investment, and localization strategies have gained attention .
Third, at this stage, the assisted driving scheme is evolving rapidly . There are many disputes about the pure vision or lidar scheme. The undecided pattern is an opportunity for everyone. Although the assisted driving hardware configuration of the new forces is full, there is still a lot of room for improvement in optimization, and it is constantly approaching the boundary of hardware performance, and there is still a long way to go in the future.
Fourth, technology giants have joined the auto industry. For the time being, they do not directly build cars but empower car manufacturers, such as Huawei, Apple, DJI, etc.
Of course, traditional car companies also face many difficulties, such as the lack of full-stack self-research capabilities for solutions that are too dependent on suppliers, the lack of experience accumulation in electrification transformation, and the complex enterprise structure and slow response . However, Dong Chejun believes that a determined traditional Automakers still have opportunities.
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- The figures, which include holidaymakers and Britons resident overseas, showed the highest number of arrests and detentions was in Spain (1,909) followed by the USA (1,305).
- Spanish arrests rose 9% in 2011/12, while the USA was up 3%.
- The most arrests of Britons for drugs was in the USA (147), followed by Spain (141).
- The highest percentage of arrests for drugs in 2011/12 was in Peru where there were only 17 arrests in total, although 15 were for drugs.
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It had to happen. Microsoft has announced that from September 22, they'll be cutting the price of the Elite console to $449, shaving $100 off the RRP. On top of that, people who pick up the new Elite between September 22 and October 20 will get a free copy of Halo 3: ODST.
Meanwhile, the Arcade version remains at $299 and the Pro version will remain at $399 "while stocks last".
It looks like Sony's run as "not the most expensive console" was pretty short, huh?


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Clean Technologies Have More Complicated Mineral Requirements Than Fossil Fuels: A Critical Commitment To Transition Critical Minerals
Everledger CEO Leanne Kemp explores how critical minerals mining must evolve in line with growing investor appetite for ESG compliance. In any moment, in any circumstance, a junction appears where we must align ourselves with Trust, Transparency & Truth to prevail. Could provenance technology help tell the truthful stories that investors need to read?&nb
5 Reasons why all roads led me to the UK
Our CEO Leanne Kemp looks back on the early days of Everledger, now a global scale-up, with 70 employees in 4 continents. There was no place better to start other than London. Six years ago, I landed in the beating heart of London, Shoreditch, from my hometown Brisbane Australia – with my backpack and an […]
Rehoming ‘orphan EV batteries’: how technology matches those with batteries and those who need them
As the flow of used electric vehicle batteries increases from trickle to steady stream, what are the opportunities and challenges for manufacturers, repurposers, and the broader ecosystem? Lauren Roman explains how the Everledger Platform can help. Many of the first electric vehicle batteries (EVBs) are now reaching the end of the road. In an ideal […
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Our pledge on this Earth Day
Everledger CEO Leanne Kemp hails the recent progress in the fight against climate change – although much more needs done to #RestoreOurEarth. The growth of tech-for-good and provenance transparency will prove critical.
Making the world a greener place with sustainable supply chains
Carrie George, the Vice President and Head of Sustainability & Impact at Everledger, said in her interview with the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), “There’s no perfect data. There’s better, valuable, and reasonable data that is applicable to the supply chain”. With the increasing general public demand for corporations to play positive
Are lab-grown diamonds a threat to the jewellery supply chain?
Roy Safit provides good reasons why the natural diamond industry is robust enough to cope with the growth of synthetic alternatives.
Luxury e-commerce: has the pandemic stretched the elastic band too far?
Louise Mercer, Chief Experience Officer at Everledger, argues that new retail behaviours from the last 12 months won’t be unlearned in the luxury goods market. This rapid evolution pushes the need for digital provenance up the agenda.
The ‘Battery Passport’ and the future of the auto industry
The growing momentum in the electric vehicle industry is pushing battery repurposing, recycling, and disposal up the agenda. The onus on battery life cycle management globally is placed on vehicle manufacturers, over the actual battery manufacturers.
Is 2021 the year when electric vehicles finally go mainstream?
It’s game on, says Everledger’s Lauren Roman, Business Development Director for the Metals & Minerals Ecosystem. But what does the potential surge in production mean for the future of EV batteries?


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Here’s how to give crooks, corporations, and governments the slip while you search the web.
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Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said in an interview with Nikkei that while semiconductor supply concerns are expected to improve for the remainder of this fiscal year, next year is more "uncertain." This follows the publication of Nintendo's financial report for the first quarter of 2022-2023.
Nintendo reported a 22.9 percent decrease in earnings for April - June 2022, but the business also assured users that it would not raise the price of the Switch further throughout the summer and autumn period.
- Further reading - Nintendo Rules Out Any Price Increase On The Switch In Japan... For Now
Furukawa states that Nintendo will "work out the best strategy" as it goes along and that it is doing its best to "procure high-quality goods at an appropriate price," but that things will only remain clear for the remainder of the current fiscal year:
"With the help of several business partners, we're on track for improvement from the latter half of this summer." However, in terms of our sales prediction of 21 million units for the fiscal year through March 2023, we only have a clear production forecast for this year. "Also, things are hazy."
As Nintendo has already stated in its latest financial report, this cooperation implies that Nintendo Switch supply should improve for the remainder of the year, but it's unknown what demand and supply will be like next year.
- Further reading - Nintendo Switch Sales Surpass 111 Million
Furukawa reiterates that Nintendo isn't considering a price rise "at this point," but the President was also asked about rising material and shipping costs.
"Our OLED model will continue to be less profitable than our other models." Shipping costs have certainly increased for both air and sea. We're thinking about what we can do.
The weaker yen may be seen as a benefit for Nintendo, because such a large portion of our sales comes from abroad, but also our overseas promotional and employee costs are increasing. "We're making more inventory purchases in foreign currencies to counteract this."
While the yen is strengthening, costs across the world are also rising, causing Nintendo to consider other options, including as Furukawa stated above buying more inventory in other currencies.
Furukawa raises the issue of shipping costs, and the company must think of a strategy to avoid this.
The OLED costs more to produce, and while it's more costly than the standard model (and often the best-selling Switch console week-on-week in Japan), it's only marginally more so.
Despite any potential problems with supplies, semiconductors, and prices, Furukawa believes that "hit hardware" in the latter part of the year will benefit the console tremendously, particularly with regards to Splatoon 3 (9th September) and Pokemon Scarlet & Violet (18th November).
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope and Bayonetta 3 are among the few platforms that will be available for the remainder of 2022, while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 might be released before the end of the financial year (March 2023) due to its dated for Spring 2023.
What do you think of Shuntaro Furukawa's statements? Do you think the semiconductor shortage will improve more next year? Let us know in the comments.


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Stratasys to demonstrate how 3D printing cuts costs and saves production time for dental technicians using Polyjet technology
At IDS 2017 Stratasys intends to show how the latest 3D printing technology enables faster and more cost-effective production of more precise dental appliances, and how its “unique” full-colour, multi-material 3D printing PolyJet technology maximises versatility and productivity in the dental lab.
This year’s International Dental Show (IDS) will see leading 3D printing provider Stratasys demonstrate how dental and orthodontic labs and clinics are successfully deploying its superior PolyJet technology to transform labour-intensive, highly-manual dental production processes into a seamless digital workflow that streamlines procedures and slashes costs.
As a result, dental users can generate cost and time savings of up to 90% during production of functional orthodontic/dental models and surgical guides, while ensuring the creation of more accurate, comfortable, and effective dental appliances.
A spokesperson said, “Through a range of customer examples, visitors to Stratasys’ stand will see how the company is shaping digital dentistry via its latest specially-designed dental series of PolyJet 3D printers that meet the ongoing and future challenges of labs and clinics.
“Combining intraoral scanning, CAD design and 3D printing, these solutions enable quick and accurate production of crown and bridge models, implant models and surgical guides, and orthodontic models for appliance fabrication, all with a precise surface finish and unprecedented realism.”
Stratasys provides a broad dental solution offering, which enables all dental labs to cut days off delivery times and go straight from intraoral scan to in-house production with a seamless digital workflow.
Speaking Corner demonstrates advantages of 3D printing for dentistry
Another highlight of Stratasys’ stand will be its informative ‘Speaking Corner’, thanks to which visitors can gain insights into how Stratasys PolyJet 3D printing technology can help transform and streamline dental operations. Amongst the speakers will be Stratasys 3D printing experts, as well as dental and orthodontic customers, who will share their knowledge and experience about how 3D printing continues to revolutionise the dental industry.
See Stratasys at IDS on Stand L-48/M-49, Hall 3.1 at Cologne Messe from March 21-25, 2017.
(Left) The Eden260VS Dental Advantage enables the in-house production of dental and orthodontic models, as well as surgical guides, with extreme accuracy.
(Right) The Objet30 Dental Prime allows the capture of fine detail and high speeds, with the ability to print in 16-micron resolution