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If AMD's CPU group is going to turn things around and start generating a profit this year, it's imperative that they find a way to improve their overall profit margins per processor.
Normally the easiest way to improve your margins is to introduce higher-performing parts that you can charge a premium price for. Getting high-end Phenom II CPUs out the door earlier this year was key to that strategy for AMD and it was beginning to work, with PC vendors like Dell introducing gaming-oriented XPS PCs based around AMD CPUs for the first time.
The recent arrival of Intelís Lynnfield CPUs however puts a major obstacle in front of those plans. Charging anything over Intelís $200 asking price for the Core i5-750 is now impossible for any Phenom II CPU considering the performance of Intelís latest mainstream processor.
Without a high-end, premium-priced CPU to rely on, AMDís instead going to have to improve their profit margins on the low-end of their CPU lineup. In other words, theyíve got to make these CPUs cheaper to produce. The key to making this happen is their new 45-nm manufacturing process.
As we mentioned in our Phenom II X2 550/Athlon II X2 250 article, the lionís share of AMDís entry-level CPU lineup is based around existing 65-nm Athlon X2 CPUs. Some of these chips are even parts based on their old K10 Kuma core used in Phenom CPUs. The 65-nm Athlon X2 7850 is one such chip, it features a 285mm2 die size. To put that in perspective, the die size of AMDís latest Phenom II X4 965 is just 258mm2, with the core featuring over 750 million transistors (Kuma has 450 million transistors).
Taking quad-core CPUs to new price points
With this in mind, AMDís currently racing to switch from these large 65-nm chips to purpose-built 45-nm designs that are built from the ground up to service the value CPU segment. The 45-nm Regor core used in AMDís Athlon II X2 250 for example contains 234 million transistors with a die that measures just 117.5mm2. This CPU core has been tailored specifically for the entry-level dual-core CPU market.
Now AMDís targeting entry-level quad-core. As software thatís capable of taking advantage of more than two threads becomes more pervasive, the need for quad-core CPUs increases. It isnít cost-effective for AMD to address this segment with the Deneb core found in todayís latest Phenom II processors. Its 6MB L3 cache takes up a huge chunk of real estate on the CPUís die.
As such, AMDís decided to remove it entirely. Thatís right, their entry-level 4-core Athlon II X4 CPU, which utilizes the ďPropusĒ core, eliminates the L3 cache completely. Without a third level cache, Propusí die measures 169mm2. Hereís what it looks like in the flesh:
AMDís introducing two new CPUs based on Propus today, the Athlon II X4 630 and Athlon II X4 620. Priced at $99 and $122 respectively, AMD feels theyíve hit the sweet spot when it comes to quad-core price/performance.
Weíve secured samples of both chips to see how they stack up against the competition in terms of performance, OCíing, and power consumption. If you recall, one of Phenomís key weaknesses was its tiny 2MB L3 cache. This crippled its performance in comparison to competing Intel quad-core CPUs. Can Propus keep up with Intelís popular Core 2 Quad 8000-series CPUs?


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Several casino operators in the past few years have jumped on the real estate investment trust train, selling their properties and leasing them back. "That gave them a liability they never had before: rent," Christopher Palmeri writes.
Hotels are finding novel ways to join the fight against coronavirus, such as Alaska's Hotel Captain Cook donating rollaway beds and toiletries to the nearby Covenant House Alaska shelter for homeless youths. Several other hotels around the country that had shuttered to regular guests have opened their doors to health care workers and noncritical hospital patients.
Macao's casino revenue plunged 80% year over year in March with just $664 million, about five times less than March 2019's numbers. Analysts had expected a dive of 70% given that the casinos reopened in mid-February after a two-week coronavirus-related closure.
Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson has donated 2 million face masks and 20,000 protective suits to US hospitals battling the coronavirus, while Encore Boston Harbor has provided masks and toilet paper. Detroit's Greektown Casino is letting first responders stay in the hotel for free.
Police in Hong Kong have arrested 29 suspects in connection with a racket that used arcade machines for betting games, taking in more than $1.8 million over six months. The syndicate's command center was in Mong Kok.
In light of some affiliate companies using the coronavirus outbreak to increase search results, Gaming Innovation Group is offering online gaming operators free searches to suss out such exploitative behavior. "Our technology can scan and analyze thousands of web pages within a short space of time," GiG's James King says.
Hard Rock International has expanded into social casinos via a partnership with KamaGames with "Hard Rock Blackjack," which provides various table games. "We're also expanding the ability for Hard Rock to reach new guests to introduce a vast portfolio of real-world experiences," Kresimir Spajic of Hard Rock says.
Osaka, Japan, has pushed back its timeline for an integrated resort from mid-2025, but MGM Resorts and partner Orix, a Japanese financial services company, still intend to bid on the project. Global Market Advisors believes a resort will be active by 2026.
Unexpected sports betting offerings such as table tennis from Russia are being joined by virtual tennis. The ATP Tour and IMG Arena are working on a licensed product with 3D motion technology to join IMG's existing golf, motorsports, greyhound racing and other sports.
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U.S. Manufacturing Sector Is the Little Engine That Could
Manufacturing conditions in the United States continued to improve in December, according to indexes maintained by the Institute for Supply Management and Markit Economics. Both indexes, which measure the health of the manufacturing industry in similar ways, closed 2013 near 12-month highs.
Each purchasing managers’ index is determined by conducting a survey of industry executives; a reading above 50 indicates growth. The ISM Manufacturing Report on Business showed a 0.3 percentage point decline in its headline PMU, from 57.3 to 57, indicating slightly slower growth in December than in November. The index was weighed down by inventories, which actually contracted in December, and exports, which slowed down but still showed growth. Importantly, though, new orders increased, indicating ongoing healthy demand for manufacturing goods.
A purchasing and supply executive said in the ISM report, “Amazingly enough, we are seeing meaningful increases in our sales in nearly all segments and regions.” Another added that markets are sound: “We typically see a seasonal 4th quarter slowdown. However, this year … not so.” Another comment indicates that reduced government spending has been a headwind for the transportation industry, but overall, executives appear to agree that conditions are both good and improving.


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According to a new report, children and teens are seeing fewer ads for sugary drinks on television, but they remain a prime target for marketers through other means such as product placement and social media.
The report, conducted by researchers at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, said kids ages 6 to 11 years old viewed 39 percent fewer television ads for sugary drinks in 2013 than in 2010. Teens saw a 30 percent drop. The number of ads found on websites mostly visited by children also declined during the period.
But Yale researchers said that beverage companies continued to reach children and teens through sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as mobile apps, and much of that marketing promoted unhealthy products.
"They're trying to talk about offering healthier choices and lower sugar products, and that's really great," said the lead author of the report. "But if they keep marketing their high-sugar products to children and teens, they can't say they are being a part of the solution."
Under a voluntary program called the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, major soft drink companies do not advertise beverages other than juice, water or milk-based drinks to any audience that is comprised predominantly of children under 12.
The Yale report examined total advertising, not just advertising on children's programming. Researchers found that with some brands, children's exposure to unhealthy drinks has increased since 2010. Preschoolers saw 39 percent more television ads for PepsiCo Inc's sugary drinks. Meanwhile, both teens and kids ages 6 to 11 saw more television ads for Red Bull GmbH.
All research on this web site is the property of Leslie Beck Nutrition Consulting Inc. and is protected by copyright. Keep in mind that research on these matters continues daily and is subject to change. The information presented is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. It is intended to provide ongoing support of your healthy lifestyle practices.


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This CNN.com report covers the career and fall of James McCormick, who sold thousands of fake bomb detectors to governments and individuals in all parts of the world, some of whom paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the devices. British police say the ADE651 is really just a golf ball finder.
A UK judge has now sentenced Mr. McCormick to three ten year sentences on three counts of fraud, to run concurrently. He will not be eligible for parole for at least five years.
At the sentencing, the judge told Mr. McCormick he was successful in convincing customers to purchase the devices through "extravagant and fraudulent claims." Detective Inspector Edward Heath told CNN that the defendant "'is a conman. He uses sleight of hand, absurd sales tactics to actually con governments, officials, private individuals out of money to buy this device.'"


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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As you sit at home working remotely, e-learning or even playing your favorite online game, it may be hard to imagine why cyber criminals want to attack you.
But the answer is simple, and it's up to you to protect yourself, according to cyber security expert Ryan Cloutier.
"Your data is worth money," Cloutier said. "The average adult's data is worth $250 to $300 on the black market."
Hackers can get in through your phone, computer, smart devices, routers and even gaming systems.
"Basically, if it's on the internet and we're not doing the best job to secure it, that provides an opportunity for a bad guy to get in," Cloutier said.
An easy way to secure those devices is to make sure they're updated.
"Having devices that are not up to date is equal to leaving the windows and doors of your home open and then leaving," he said.
Everything from your devices to your mobile apps to software apps like browsers on your computer all need to be updated -- so do this regularly. Even your router needs to be updated. And if it's more than five years old, Cloutier recommends upgrading.
"All of these things are going to help you to be less likely to be a victim of cyber crime," he said.
Right now, scammers are posing as human resources professionals from your employer, the IRS, charitable organizations helping COVID-19 patients and people selling personal protective equipment.
"We've seen a huge increase, about a 6,000% increase in phishing in just the last few weeks, specifically around COVID," he said.
So it's critical to avoid click bait in your inbox. Never hand over information unless you know it's from a legitimate source.
"The easiest trick is to read the email out loud and pretend that there's a human actually standing in front of you asking you for this," Cloutier said. "A lot of times that will cause us to pause."
Some schemes can look legit, so to be extra cautious.
"Don't click links that are in the email. Type those addresses into your browser," he said.
With so many devices on one network, Cloutier recommends setting up a second Wi-Fi login, or a guest network. Put your sensitive devices on one network and less sensitive devices on the other to outsmart bad actors.
"So if for example your gaming system was compromised by a bad guy, having it on the guest network makes it very difficult for them to then gain access to your work school or personal finance computer," he said.
Also, don't forget to keep an eye on your little ones.
"We do want to trust our children, but sometimes our children don't realize that they're not at a legit site, or they don't realize that the person they're talking to isn't a peer, but really an adult maybe with malicious intent," Cloutier said.
He also recommends setting up a password if you use video conferencing for work. Applications like Zoom and Teams are big targets right now.
for more features.


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Photo sharing app Instagram added a new feature that challenges online bulletin board Pinterest.
Instagram’s users can now save their posted photos and videos in private collection, similar to what users of Pinterest have been able to do for some time. Saving posts on Instagram gives users a way to bookmark items they want to remember for the future, such as places to travel or products to buy.
The change to Instagram builds on a feature it introduced in December that lets users save posts from friends. Facebook-owned (FB) Instagram said on Monday that 46% of its users have saved at least one post since then.
Now users can create multiple collections of saved Instagram posts, and name those collections. For now, collections are private, meaning no one else can see them besides the users that create them. That’s slightly different than Pinterest, where users can choose to share items publicly.
For more on Instagram, watch:
Instagram hasn’t been afraid to copy the features of some of its rivals. In its quest to compete with messaging app Snapchat (SNAP), for example, Instagram has cloned a number of details including Stories, a feature for collecting and sharing photos and videos about individual events.
Last week, Instagram also updated its messaging service to be more like Snapchat’s by integrating its messaging feature with disappearing and direct messages.
Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.
Whether Instagram entirely copies Pinterest’s collections will depend on whether users can eventually share their saved collections. Judging from past history, it may only be a matter of time.


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Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to open a data centre region in Auckland in 2024.
The region will comprise three “availability zones”, which were described by AWS NZ country manager Tim Dacombe-Bird as separate physical locations with one or more datacentres.
The cloud services giant said it will invest $7.5 billion over 15 years in New Zealand and promised its new infrastructure would add 1,000 jobs and $10.8b to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) over the period.
“This is AWS’s largest investment in NZ to date,” Dacombe-Bird told NZ media on Thursday.
“It will unleash further innovation, drive greater productivity, increase our skilled workforce, and truly position NZ at the forefront of digital commerce for generations of Kiwis to come.”
AWS currently offers more than 200 cloud services such as data storage, compute power, analytics, and artificial intelligence.
Dacombe-Bird would not break down the $7.5b figure but said it included capital spend for the datacentre builds, specialised hardware for them, operational expenditure for the facilities, the purchase of goods locally for the supply chain, and salary and wages for the created jobs.
“Our investments reflect AWS’s deep and long-term commitment to Aotearoa. We are excited to build new world-class infrastructure locally, train New Zealanders with in-demand digital skills, and continue to help local organisations deliver applications that accelerate digital transformation and fuel economic growth,” said Adam Selipsky, chief executive officer of AWS.
Currently, the world’s three major cloud services providers AWS, Microsoft, and Google, do not have physical local datacentres on NZ soil, meaning NZ customers’ data is stored offshore.
A local data centre avoids data sovereignty issues that can arise when sensitive data is hosted offshore. In 2020 Microsoft announced plans to open a datacentre region in Auckland, though a firm launch date is not yet confirmed.
The big three are seemingly in a race, but it looks like Microsoft will get there first.
Offshore data storage can also slow the speed of NZ customers’ cloud services.
“The AWS region here will enable customers from startups to enterprises, as well as government, education and non-profits organisations to run applications and securely store data from data centres located right here on NZ soil,” Dacombe-Bird said.
He said AWS is committed to powering its operations, including its data centres, with 100% renewable energy by 2025.
AWS announced an ‘edge location’ in Auckland in September 2020, its first physical infrastructure in NZ designed to reduce latency and improve the speed of cloud services to its customers.
Google announced a similar Auckland setup in July.
Head of SMB for AWS NZ Haren Samarasekera said the datacentre announcement represented the company’s investment in addressing NZ’s digital skills shortage.
Alex Burke, the chief executive of AWS customer Education Perfect, agreed and said it will help his company attract talent to NZ.
An AWS region in Auckland would bring greater availability, speed, and reliability, with faster and more seamless access to Education Perfect’s platform for its customers.
“The market for tech workers is very competitive, and there is no reason why NZ cannot become a tech hub,” he said.
“This investment, whilst in Auckland, will positively impact the whole country. We are a Dunedin based regional business with this infrastructure, we will reap the benefits of this investment. This is the beauty of the cloud, allowing tech to be leveraged from anywhere.”
AWS opened a new office in Auckland in May a month after it posted $35.9m in revenue for 2020, up from $19.4m in 2019. Despite this growth, the wholly-owned subsidiary recorded a net loss for 2020 of $2.5m, up from $697m the year prior.


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Sony’s online gaming service isn’t working for a lot of people. All PlayStation Network services are experiencing outages, according to Sony’s status site. Gamers have taken to social media to complain about the inability to log into their accounts and play online multiplayer game. This outage is also keeping many people from playing primarily single-player […]
You have to take online security seriously these days and two-factor authentication is a good way to reduce the odds that your account will be hacked. Since most PlayStation Network members have their credit cards on…
Sony has added an additional layer of security for PlayStation Network users.
I've heard horror stories of people losing access to their PlayStation Network accounts because of a weak password, unfortunate luck, or whatever the case may be, and while those nightmare scenarios don't exactly keep me up at night,...Show More Summary
Sony has announced the NFL Network has launched on PS Vue starting today, giving football fans access to 24/7 NFL coverage. In addition to its launch, users who subscribe to a PlayStation Vue plan that includes the NFL Network will also...Show More Summary
Playstation Vue subscribers with either a Core or Elite plan can now access the NFL Network for complete coverage of the upcoming season, Thursday Night Football games, shows like NFL GameDay Morning and more.
Two-step verification is one of the best ways to defend your online accounts, and Sony just made the feature available to anyone with a PlayStation Network account — the one that you use to make purchases on all your PlayStation consoles. Once...Show More Summary
Are you ready for some football? We are! Starting today, NFL Network will launch nationwide on PlayStation Vue, so you can access NFL coverage 24/7 using PlayStation Vue’s unique streaming features. Also starting today, users who subscribe to a PlayStation Vue plan that includes NFL Network can also subscribe to NFL RedZone.
Five years after a disastrous hack on the PlayStation Network, Sony has finally enabled two-factor authentication for PlayStation accounts. You should enable it right now.
Sony has introduced 2-Step verification for PlayStation Network accounts. As with Steam, Battle.net, Xbox Live, Google and many other services, once the user signs in with their PSN ID, a verification code will be sent to the account holder via text. One the code is sent, the user will need to enter said code in […]
The PlayStation Network catches up with the rest of the world
Sony has officially launched two-step verification for all PlayStation Network accounts in North America. We learned Sony was taking this approach with keeping PlayStation Network accounts safe from hackers earlier this year. Starting...Show More Summary
This morning, Sony quietly added two-step verification to the PlayStation Network, allowing users to add an extra layer of security to their PS4, PS3, and Vita accounts. Finally. Read more...
PlayStation Network now allows users to better secure their accounts with the rollout of an optional two-factor authentication process. Widely used by other, more secure services, the measure amounts to the digital version carrying two forms of identification. Show More Summary
You can now add an additional layer of security to your account -- despite how late the feature has arrived.
Considering how much the PlayStation Network breach cost Sony, it's kind of crazy that the service didn't offer two-factor login authentication before now. But, that's no longer the case. Protecting your PlayStation account is SMS-based (which has its own limitations) versus using an authenticator app, however. Show More Summary
Ready or not, here's another PSN Flash Sale. "Otherworldly Games"? Whatever you say, pal! I sometimes question my ability to make recommendations aside from whatever personally speaks to me, so with that in mind, these are the top six...Show More Summary
The second beta demo for PlayStation 4 exclusive Nioh has been dated. As previously reported, it will arrive in late August through PlayStation Network and it comes with loads of additional content. This is the final demo to be released for the bloody action title, and it’s your last chance to fight for access to […]
Hi! I am Etienne Jacquemain from Magic Pockets, and I’m very excited to share some details with you on Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers, a new action game coming to PlayStation 4 this November. I've gathered a few questions I hear often to give you all an idea of what to expect when Battle Crashers arrives!


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2016 has been quite a year, with global events presenting new challenges and opportunities for the payments industry.
Looking back to our predictions for 2016, we talked about cryptocurrencies becoming more widely accepted, and while Bitcoin has hit the headlines for trading at its highest price since 2014, blockchain technology has been the main focus with a number of major banks experimenting with it.
Many other experts predictions for 2016 included an increase in mobile payments, increased collaboration between banks and FinTechs, and a shake-up of legacy infrastructure – all of which have been accurate.
Open banking initiatives were given a boost, with the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and PSD2 paving the way for better access to banking rails and customers, which will increase competition for the big players early in 2017.
Mobile payments see growth – but is by no means mainstream
The mobile payment ecosystem has grown in 2016; and according to research conducted by Timetric, the global mobile NFC transaction value will grow more than fivefold between now and 2020. However, in-store mobile payments still haven’t achieved the rapid adoption many experts predicted; consumer disinterest and concerns about security are two reasons cited for preventing mobile payments from achieving mainstream adoption.
An offshoot of the mobile payments trend is an increase in contactless payments and wearables. Barclays bPay joined forces with fashion giants Topshop and premium brand Lyle & Scott to create a range of wearables and contactless accessories. Contactless rings, similar to those provided to Olympic athletes by Visa in Rio during the summer, have also increased in popularity. Whether consumers are willing to leave their wallets at home en masse in the near future, though, is yet to be seen.
Regulation and better access to infrastructure levels the playing field
Regulation has been a hot topic and a cause for concern for many throughout 2016. While some have welcomed the changes in the regulatory landscape, for some, including incumbents, the news has not been so welcome.
On a positive note, the UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) confirmed that in addition to opening up infrastructure to new players in an effort to increase competition, it will also take steps to adopt “a common international messaging standard for Bacs and FPS to lower barriers and encourage new entrants to the market”.
RegTech comes to the rescue for businesses struggling with compliance
With new regulations come new challenges, so it’s no wonder that RegTech companies that specialise in developing automated solutions for financial institutions have increased in popularity in the last 12 months.
The FCA not only launched a regulatory sandbox that provides FinTechs with a safe environment to test new products; it also published ‘Supporting the development and adopters of RegTech‘ – a feedback statement which explores the FCA’s role as facilitator in the development of the RegTech sector.
As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, both big and small players will have to adapt to keep up, and as a result, RegTech will continue to see accelerated growth over the next few years.
Overall, while the last 12 months have been challenging for some in the payments industry, we are looking forward to seeing what new developments and opportunities 2017 brings.


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Predicated on CNBC, 10 nonbank lenders you to Borrowing Suisse music delivered 368 mil direct-mail pieces in-may, a quantity improve out of 10% more elizabeth months a year ago.
It can be 24 months away, but once the our company is creating about three-to-five-year loans, we all know we have been riding on the a recession
“It’s ironic these particular electronic firms use 20th-millennium technical to track down customers, however, nothing beats this new emphasizing convenience of direct-mail,” listed Peter Renton, founder of Provide Academy and you can LendIt. “Particularly when claims features some other laws and regulations and you can interest rate maximums, it generates concentrating on much more energetic.”
The company estimates ten mil users takes out HELOCs between 2018 and you will 2022, over double the amount originated from 2012 so you can 2016. cuatro trillion in home security. In the 70 million residents manage qualify for a home collateral range now, and regarding 800,100000 household guarantee credit line individuals is nearing end-of-bring in the second 12 months.
“You continue to find some body make back guarantee yourself” while they recover from the last market meltdown, Kimball told you.
Kimball and additionally needs you to just like the rates go up, individuals will start to reconsider higher-attract personal credit card debt and you will consider all the way down-rate credit lines.
“New HELOC, because it’s safeguarded, brings people with collateral in their home an effective way to get a less costly way to obtain borrowing from the bank,” the guy said.
“My expectation is just as we transfer to so it room so when i confirm it is a space that is common, not only will users reach so it more he’s got, nevertheless the competition absolutely will come to that,” Kimball told you.
“Perform I like to be in a space where no one competed with me? Yes,” he said. “My personal dealers would love one too. That’s not possible you to definitely exists having way too many spaces. You can look at battle within the a victim way or in a just how-does-this-make-me-better way. Once we look at competitors, actually indirect competition, we view, what exactly do they actually do well, what problems have it produced that people is also learn from? We’re constantly studying out-of competition, and i also assume these are typically doing a comparable with us.”
Immediately following on line lenders knowledgeable a rise in non-payments within the 2017, Prosper, SoFi, LendingClub and you will Avant all of the fasten their credit criteria.
Household security personal lines of credit might be very popular over the next several years, based on a study TransUnion put out during the October
“On the second one-fourth, we took tall adjustments to your strategy toward borrowing,” Kimball said. “Many of these is actually, eg the majority of people, we come across an economic downturn nearby. People want to see uniform overall performance.”
“What we should should not manage is offer loans to prospects who can not spend united states straight back,” Kimball said. “That is not ideal for anyone, it is far from ideal for the fresh investor. Therefore we are constantly researching to pick individuals who are ideal happy or better in a position to pay.”
This means that, Prosper will show “rather less” mortgage frequency with its third one-fourth money declaration, that comes away Wednesday.
Prosper are the first online bank to utilize machine studying within the the underwriting, predicated on Kimball, and it’s towards the 7th age bracket out-of credit activities, about to release the brand new 8th.
“We have been constantly appearing, just as the competition is obviously searching, for ways to boost underwriting,” Kimball told you. “We’re deciding on other sources of pointers to https://www.paydayloanservice.net/title-loans-mi simply help all of us.”
“One thing we now have seen is found on a-year more season basis you’ll find much more anyone taking direct mail off to users than simply there have been inside the 2017, it’s an even more crowded place,” Kimball said. “We’ve got dialed right back on direct mail since the we feel you to place is actually crowded at this time.”


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Masoutis To Offer 30% Of Net Profits As Bonus To Employees
Greek retailer Masoutis has announced that it will offer 30% of its net profits as a bonus to employees working in its stores and logistics facilities, amidst the current coronavirus challenges.
According to chief executive Giannis Masoutis, the decision stems from the group's belief that "our strength is our people", with its workforce "doing their duty" with dedication at this challenging time.
The exact value of the bonus is yet to be determined, however CNN Greece noted that 30% of last year's profits equated to around €3 million.
The bonus will be paid in December of this year.
Masoutis is a family-owned business that operates 333 stores across Greece.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine


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Selena Gomez Accosted by Anti-Sweatshop Protester at Fashion Event
Apparently, not everyone loves Selena Gomez as much as we do!
The singer-actress was in NYC at a fashion event when she was approached by a sweatshop protester, according to Us Weekly.
Selena was at a fashion show for NEO by Adidas, as she's their brand ambassador, when a woman in a T-shirt and hoodie handed her and other attendees a flyer that read, "Selena Gomez: Be an ambassador for children, not for sweatshops."
The protester claims that Adidas uses sweatshop labor practices overseas.
Selena was said to be shocked by the protester. Thankfully, the rabble-rouser was kicked out by security before she could cause more trouble.
It sounds like the rest of the fashion show went off without a hitch. Kudos to Selena for rolling with the punches!


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Banners Are the Worst Advertising: Invisible
Bob Hoffman is a partner in Type A Group, an advertising and marketing consultancy. He is also author of The Ad Contrarian blog , and the book “101Contrarian Ideas About Advertising.” Follow him on Twitter @adcontrarian.
This publication recently ran a piece called “5 (Un)Alarming Stats About Banner Ads.” The article was an apologia for banner advertising. This is a clear indication that banner advertising is finally earning the disrepute it deserves — even from those who used to defend it.
The piece starts by giving us some statistics about online display advertising. First, that it will generate $15 billion in revenue this year. Second, that it will grow by 18 percent. Third that Facebook’s revenue grew 80 percent last year, mainly from display. I’m afraid this is not evidence of the effectiveness of banner advertising. It is evidence of the cluelessness of advertisers.
The article then goes on to explain how 5 statistics quoted as evidence of the deficiencies of banner ads are actually points in its favor. I would like to disagree.
1. On overload: “Over 5.3 trillion display ads were served to U.S. users last year… (but) 23.5 trillion TV commercials were ‘served…’”
This is a disingenuous equivalency for a media person to make. TV commercials are not served 7 to a screen. Nor are TV commercials squeezed to the margins of the screen by “content.” While the impact of a TV spot has often been exaggerated, the idea that a banner ad has the equivalent impact is absurd. We are certainly overloaded with TV spots, but that doesn’t mean we are not overloaded with banners.
2. On clutter: “The typical lnternet user is served 1,707 banners each month… (but) the typical U.S. consumer watches 3,200 minutes of TV commercials each month, or about 6,000 TV ads. Still think banners are oversaturating the market?”
Yes, I do. The typical U.S. consumer spends over six times as much time with TV as she does on the web (Nielsen Cross Platform Report, Q3 2012.) In order for TV to be as saturated as the web she would have to see over 10,000 TV spots a month.
3. On effectiveness: The 468 x 60 banner has a 0.4 percent click-through rate… TV spots have a 0.5 percent response rate… Billboards have a lower, 0.3 percent response rate. Radio fares best at about 0.13 percent…”
This is the most disturbing and the most often used defense of banner advertising. It’s the “Nobody Ever Clicked On The Mona Lisa” defense. It is deceitful and irresponsible. TV advertising, billboards, and radio were never meant to be “interactive.” Banner advertising was breathlessly sold to us as an interactive medium – a medium in which there would be a direct, immediate interaction. The fact that we were misled, and that nobody wants to interact with banner ads, is not the fault of TV, billboards or radio.
And, by the way, if you’re going to pretend there’s an equivalency between a click and “response rate,” it would be nice if you defined exactly what “response rate” is measuring.
4. On click rates: “You’re more likely to survive a plane crash than click on a banner ad. … once the plane has crashed, yes, you are more likely than 4 out of 10,000 to (survive)… But your odds of being on (sic) a plane crash in the first place, in which at least one person dies, is 1 in 3.4 million. Nice logical mistake…”
No, the logical mistake is yours. The premise of this stat clearly states “survive” a plane crash. It says nothing about “being in” a plane crash.
5. On trust: “Thirty-four percent of people don’t trust banner ads at all. Well, 35 percent of Americans think dinosaurs roamed the Earth at the same time as humans…”
I’m not sure what the point is here but, okay, I’ll give you this one.
You don’t have to be an advertising or marketing expert to observe that almost no one pays attention to banner ads. If you doubt this, try to remember even one of the tens of thousands of display ads you’ve been served. Or try to recall the last time you heard anyone talking about that awesome banner ad they saw. Or name me one substantial brand that has been built by banner advertising.
On the whole, banner ads are the worst thing advertising can be — invisible. TV, billboards and radio advertising may be annoying, but they are not invisible.
This does not stop defenders of banner advertising from torturing the data to “prove” to us how effective banners are.
What these people seem not to understand is that the value in advertising is related to its impact. Regardless of how many screens an ad appears on, if nobody notices it it has no value.
The impact of a banner ad? About as close to zero as you can get and still be called advertising.
Image via Shutterstock
‘We see a world where publisher data replaces third-party data’: News U.K. puts its data at the nucleus of post-cookie push for media budgets
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There are 600 new hotel rooms in the pipeline downtown. Is that too many?
The seemingly never-ending overhaul of downtown buildings continues. This time the focus is on hotels.
There are 600 new hotel rooms in the pipeline, or under construction, in the Central Business Improvement District. That doesn’t count the established hotels undergoing major renovations.
The Residence Inn & Courtyard by Marriott is set to open in the next few weeks on West Church Avenue. The new Embassy Suites on Gay Street is deep into construction with completion expected within the year. Also in the works is a potential Aloft hotel on the only empty parcel on Gay Street next to Mast General Store, as well as a mixed-use development that could include a hotel at the former Supreme Court site on Henley Street.
To match the new product being brought to the market, existing hotels are going through renovations. Just last month, the Holiday Inn World's Fair Park and Tennessean Hotel were purchased by Rockbridge Capital, a national hotel investment group with more than 200 hotels around the country. (Full disclosure: The Holiday Inn World's Fair Park and Tennessean Hotel were developed by the Cazana Family.)
Rockbridge’s plan is to convert the Holiday Inn to a full-service Marriott. Total investment in the project will be close to $61 million and will provide Visit Knoxville with a huge asset when it comes to recruiting events for the Knoxville Convention Center next door.
“These names – Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt – mean something because it shows the growth of Knoxville,” Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas said.
The Average Daily Rate (ADR) in downtown is up 2.6 percent to $132.08 from 2017 to 2018. That increase is slightly lower than the countywide ADR jump of 3.9 percent. Occupancy has been basically flat for the downtown hotels over the past few years.
For Bumpas, timing and quality of the new hotels is a huge factor.
“If you were opening all of these at the same time it would be a problem, but the timing of the projects over every eight to 12 months is huge," Bumpas said. "Plus, it's bringing in the quality of customer that we couldn’t attract before."
“More and more we are seeing a ‘flight to quality’ from a market standpoint,” said Michael Bernath, a principal in Avison Young’s Hospitality Group. “You aren’t seeing roadside hotels. You are seeing real brands being built by experienced developers. That is where projects are going today and where lenders will make a bet.
“It helps that the consumer today is so sophisticated. In this economic environment, they are willing to pay $30-$40 extra for a newer product that gets (a) good review on Orbitz or TripAdvisor,” Bernath said.
While there is a “rising tide lifts all boats” mentality, there is some caution to be considered when you increase the market inventory by nearly 40 percent.
“Unfortunately, it can be a posthumous look back at what comes together and it usually takes four to five years to catch up,” Bernath said. “There is no formulaic way to make sure you are covered. But Knoxville has one long-term permanent driver in the University of Tennessee. It is always growing and will drive hospitality forever.”
But history also shows that the big names like Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton are less market dependent and will support this downtown growth in the long run.
Rockbridge’s chief executive officer, Jim Merkel, has focused on markets like Knoxville for growth.
"During the recession, you had demand growing and really limited supply growth across the country, so we’ve been in a building and more robust development environment for a while to catch up to the demand because demand has been growing significantly," he said.
Justin Cazana, CCIM, SIOR, is a founding principal of Avison Young commercial real estate. The firm specializes in commercial property management, brokerage, leasing, and landlord and tenant representation. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Barber shops are slowing making a resurgence in America, and many say it’s because they are reinventing their services to appeal to today’s customers. According to the Small Business Development Center Network, the U.S. haircare services industry includes about 86,000 establishments with a combined revenue of about $20 billion. Of these establishments, about 4,000 are barbershops.
Barber Salaries By State
- District of Columbia
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- West Virginia
A Look at the Haircare Services Industry
The haircare services industry, says the Small Business Development Center Network, is one driven by demographics and population growth. While large players in this industry are often successful through their purchasing and marketing efforts, smaller companies often find success when they offer superior service and secure favorable locations.
Revenue growth in the haircare services industry is expected to increase at a rate of 3.2 percent to $58.7 billion by 2019. Industry profit is also expected to increase, rising from 1.9 percent in 2009 to 5.7 percent in 2014.
So, what will drive employment and salary growth for barbers in the United States? Industry statistics show that improving market conditions affect the number of industry operators, which then drives employment growth and higher salaries. In fact, employment in this industry is expected to sustain an annual rate of 3.8 percent, reaching 1.7 million employees through 2014.
Barber Salaries in the U.S.
With an industry ripe for job opportunities, salaries for barbers are expected to increase along with employment numbers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean, hourly salary for barbers in the U.S. is $13.32, or $27,710 per year, as of May 2013.
The top 10 percent earn more than $21.25 per hour, or $44,190 per year. There were 15,100 barbers employed in the U.S., as of May 2013, reported the BLS. The largest share of that number (14,330) was in personal care services.
It is important to realize, however, that barber salary statistics may be far from accurate, as the bulk of a barber’s salary may come in the form of tips, which are not always accurately reported. For example, a recent post in on a website aimed at helping barbers improve their business and become successful leaders in their communities reported that many barbers who possess “professionalism and a level of seriousness” often earn well over $70,000 a year.
While actual salaries for barbers are debatable, what is evident is that a number of factors likely affect the incomes of these haircare professionals.
Factors Affecting a Barber’s Salary
While a barber’s salary ultimately depends on the work performed and the tips received, a number of other factors play a part in a barber’s bottom line:
Unlike other professions where salaries are greatly influenced by the area of the country in which they work, according to BLS statistics, barber salaries are quite consistent throughout the U.S.
Barbers in Illinois, according to the BLS, earned the highest annual salary, as of May 2013, at $44,480, followed by Minnesota at $41,050, Colorado at $40,730, and Alaska at $37,180.
While the salaries for many professions are consistent with the cost of living in a particular city or state, barber salaries appear to be similar, regardless of the area in which they work. In fact, the cost of living appears to have little effect on a barber’s income. For example, in states like California, where the cost of living is much higher than other areas of the country, barbers earn an average, annual salary of just $25,210, far less than in states like Texas, which has a lower cost of living that many states, where they earn an average of $29,580 a year.
Salaries for barbers at the metropolitan level also do not appear to be consistent with the cost of living. The top paying metropolitan areas for barbers, as of May 2013, included:
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin: $41,460
- Wichita Falls, Texas: $38,420
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: $33,570
- Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas: $29,470
- Louis, Missouri-Illinois: $28,940
- Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas: $28,300
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas: $28,030
- Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington: $27,960
- Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, Iowa-Illinois: $27,720
Pay structure often affects a barber’s bottom line in terms of income. Most barbers new to the profession work as either employees of a hair salon, where they earn an hourly salary with tips or a commission-based income. A typical commission split for barbers is 60/40, with the barber earning 60 percent of the services provided and the barbershop earning 40 percent. Many times, barbershops will also split the sale of any products the barber has made, thus providing them with an incentive to push retail sales.
However, barbers with experience and a list of steady clients often make the transition to working as independent contractors, choosing instead to rent space in a barber shop. Called “booth rental,” barbers that work as independent contractors pay the barbershop a weekly or monthly fee to rent space in their barber shop and keep all earnings for themselves. This type of arrangement allows barbers to earn higher salaries as long as they maintain customer traffic, while allowing barbershops to bring in a steady income each month, regardless of customer traffic.
Ultimately, it is skill and experience that drives a barber’s income. Skilled barbers who perform precise cuts, close shaves, and great customer service will see repeat customers and plenty of customer referrals. A loyal clientele is what allows a barber’s business to flourish.


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While the release of new comic books each week has slowed to a drip during the coronavirus pandemic, there's still copious amounts of comic books on the proverbial shelves and back issue bins worth digging out. And one comic book creator wants to harness that in a hashtag turning Wednesday - the traditional 'New Comic Book Day' - into 'New To You Comic Book Day' - with commensurate social media hashtag of #NTYCBD.
"Basically instead of the old #NCBD hashtag, it's a chance for pros, fans, press, or retailers to shout out some hidden gems or books they think deserve more love," writer Matthew Rosenberg tells Newsarama. "Hopefully it's stuff still available and in print so folks can order them from local comic shops."
So, you tell us - what are you reading on this #NTYCBD? Post it on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms using the #NTYCBD and tag us as well!


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MEXICO CITY — Mercado Libre is moving to support Mexican designers as it takes on archrival Amazon Fashion by adding more young brands to its fold.
Mercadolibre.com.mx recently launched the nation’s first digital fashion awards and has been promoting its Tu Estas de Moda [“You are in Fashion”] channel, stocking more than 20 local and international clothing, accessories, jewelry and beauty labels.
“We have been supporting fashion for over a year. The idea is to foster good Mexican production while helping designers monetize their talent and boost fashion sales in Mercadolibre.co.mx,” fashion director Francisco Alatorre told WWD.
The site, which remains the largest e-commerce platform in Mexico with 17 million visitors, will launch a section for Compra Moda Nacional, a platform marketing new talent in Mexico, by June, Alatorre revealed.
The move follows the recent rollout of Galo Bertini, an up-and-coming men’s suit brand, and the site has started selling buzzy jewelry brands Arte Joyas and Goretti.
Mercado Libre, which recently deployed a major outdoor ad campaign for “You Are in Fashion,” also hosts in-store events, special “boutiques” and pop-ups.
Alatorre declined to provide sales forecasts, but said the e-commerce firm will support designers by sponsoring runway shows and other special events. He ducked questions about how the site competes with Amazon and other rivals like Claro Shop.
“What they are doing is pretty good,” said Francisco Saldana, one of the designers behind Malafacha, an alternative fashion brand. “Mexico needs this because there are many distribution channels for mass apparel and foreign luxury, but hardly any for small or independent designers.”
“E-commerce is strengthening in Mexico [with fashion reportedly leading penetration at 28 percent] and Mercadolibre.com.mx is the leader, so for them to do this is wonderful,” added Saldana, who hopes to start selling on the e-tailer after Mexico Fashion Week.
Saldana added his voice to the chorus of designers and activists who have slammed Amazon Fashion’s stocking of Donald and Ivanka Trump clothing in Mexico, which triggered a boycott campaign against the online giant in March.
“I think it’s myopic, especially as they just launched Amazon Fashion,” Saldana continued. “Mexico is a huge market and selling these brands shows a lack of sensibility and vision.”
The e-tailer also came under fire this month for stocking Costume Agent’s unisex shirt bearing a “Mexico Will Pay’” slogan.
Amazon Mexico public relations director Julio Gil said the Trump brands are still carried, declining to comment on the boycott’s impact. “Amazon is a place where consumers can find all types of products,” he said. “Our interest is in that premise. Unless something directly offends a particular group of people, we don’t limit the stock.”
Gil, however, said the “Mexico Will Pay” merchandise is not on sale on Amazon Fashion Mexico, which launched last summer.
He declined to comment on reports Amazon is supporting 10 designer-shoe brands in Guanajuato, Mexico state. However, Carlos Martin del Campo, who leads the state’s exports lobby Cofoce, said the firm in March hosted a workshop to help the labels enter its marketplace in coming weeks.
“We provided the infrastructure and they did the training,” said Martin, adding that Cofoce is working to diversify commercial opportunities for the state’s footwear labels as Mexico faces the specter of declining U.S. sales under President Trump’s trade agenda.
“We are not the only ones,” added Martin del Campo. “Amazon is also doing this in other Mexican states.”


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“Our ambition from the start with Watch Dogs has been to deliver something that embodies what we wanted to see in the next-generation of gaming,” Ubisoft said. “It is with this in mind that we’ve made the tough decision to delay the release until Spring 2014.”
“We know a lot of you are probably wondering ‘why now?’ We struggled with whether we would delay the game. But from the beginning, we have adopted the attitude that we will not compromise on quality. As we got closer to release, as all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place in our last push before completion, it became clear to us that we needed to take the extra time to polish and fine tune every detail so we can deliver a truly memorable and exceptional experience.”
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you. We thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the way you respond on the web, at events, press conferences and during other opportunities we have to interact. Your passion is what drives us.”
“We can’t wait to see you in Chicago next spring. We are confident you’ll love this game as much as we love working on it.”
Watch Dogs was scheduled for release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U in late November.
As a result of these delays, Ubisoft has revised its financial targets downward, and now anticipates sales of between €995 million (NZ $1.6 billion) and €1.045 billion (NZ $1.687 billion) down from to the earlier target of between €1.420 billion (NZ $2.259 billion) and €1.450 billion (NZ $2.340 billion).
“Our long term goal is to win the next generation,” said Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft co-founder and CEO. “The tough decisions we are taking today to fully realise the major potential of our new creations have an impact on our short-term performance.”
“We are convinced that, longer term, they will prove to be the right decisions both in terms of satisfaction for our fans and in terms of value creation for our shareholders.
“We are building franchises that will become perennial pillars of Ubisoft’s financial performance. In a context of growing successes for mega-blockbusters, the additional time given to the development of our titles will allow them to fulfill their huge ambitions and thus offer players even more exceptional experiences.”


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Optus has agreed to refund mobile customers after an ACCC investigation found that some were provided less data, calls and SMS than promised.
The consumer watchdog on Monday reported finding three separate occasions over 2015 and 2016 when customers signed up for prepaid Optus mobile products based on inclusions mentioned in advertisements, but were later given less data, calls or SMS when the services were activated.
In response, the telco has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking that it would provide affected customers with the amount of data, calls or texts that they missed out on. The compensation will be credited to accounts or customers can request a refund.
"Mobile providers must provide the 'value' and benefits they advertise. Optus prepaid customers who may be entitled to a credit should visit the Optus website or the outlet where they bought the prepaid product," said ACCC commissioner Sarah Court.
The prepaid products in question included mobile broadband devices, mobile phones and mobile SIMs bought on the '2 days on us' promotion and signed up to 'My Prepaid Daily Plus', 'My Prepaid Monthly' and 'My Prepaid Monthly Plus' plans.
The discrepancy occurred when Optus reduced the data, call and SMS allocation after the customer had purchased the product, but before they activated it for use.
The ACCC gave an example of a Huawei wi-fi modem purchased from Optus before August 31, 2015. At the time, the modem was advertised as including 5GB of data valid for 30 days. Then in October 2015, the telco downgraded the promotion to include only 2GB of data lasting 14 days. But anyone that bought it under the August promotion but activated the service after October would have only been given 2GB expiring in 14 days.
An Optus spokesperson said that, as well as the refunds, public notices had been published in stores and online and plans were in place to "implement an upgraded and enhanced compliance program for its prepaid products".
The deal with the ACCC also includes a promise from Optus to improve its monitoring of compliance with Australian Consumer Law.
"Businesses must act swiftly to offer consumer redress and meet their obligations under the Australian Consumer Law or face action from the ACCC," Court said.
Read more posts on Business Insider Australia »


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AOL said Tuesday it has opened the interface to AIM Call Out, a move that will let programmers more easily build products that tap into the service for making calls over the Internet to mobile or landline phones
The Open Voice API (application programming interface) is freely available. Building it into a device, such as a phone with Internet access or with support for SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), can let people call using AOL's network and bypass much of the ordinary telephone infrastructure.
AOL charges fees for using the Call Out service, but the rates are compelling, the company argues. Calling within the United States costs 1.7 cents per minute; calling Beijing costs 1.5 cents per minute; and calling a mobile phone in the U.K. costs 20 to 25 cents per minute.
"Our offering and our rates are competitive with traditional landline and mobile carriers, as well as other VoIP carriers in the space," Brent Newsome, director of AOL's voice services, said in a statement.
The move is part of the Time Warner division's effort to expand its free AOL Instant Messaging network into revenue-generating areas. AOL has 62 million active AIM users, the company said.
It's not the only company making the move from IM to voice over Internet Protocol. Yahoo Instant Messenger, a top rival, said Tuesday it's moving off its in-house phone connection technology to that ofin the third quarter.


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Government of Karnataka has agreed to fulfill the demands of Handloom Weavers. Government of Karnataka has stated that powerlooms shall not be introduced in the traditional handloom clusters and Handloom Reservation Act will be enforced effectively. Government has invited handloom weavers representatives for discussion on the financial demands of handloom weavers and various handloom schemes. A delegation will go to Delhi to discuss about various schemes of central Government.
In the background of all these developments, Karnataka Unit of the Federation of All India Handloom Organisations have decided to defer the Handloom Satyagraha in Karnataka and to end the hunger strike. The Satyagraha shall continue in other States of India.
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri Siddaramaiah, Hon’ble Minister for textiles Shri Babu Rao Chinchansur, and officers of handloom and textile department, are to be congratulated for responding positively to the demands of handloom weavers. Various organisations of weavers, workers and farmers, writers, artists, social activists and handloom consumers have joined hands and are responsible for the success of Satyagraha. The federation is grateful to all of them.


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Honda Motor Company open to win-win global partnerships, says CEO Toshihiro Mibe
The company has so far partnered with General Motors for the North American market.
At a time, when its Japanese rivals - Toyota, Suzuki, Nissan, Mitsubishi have joined hands with other global competitors to build scale and alternate fuel competencies, Honda Motor Company which has steered its fortune for the last decade on its own, has said it too is open to alliances across streams as long as it is a win-win solution for both the companies.
The company has so far partnered with General Motors for the North American market, but unlike Renault Nissan Mitsubishi, and Toyota-Suzuki, who are leveraging each other’s vehicle architecture and product distribution to build portfolio and scale, it is missing for Honda.
Honda Motor President and CEO Toshihiro Mibe told select Indian journalists on the sidelines of Japan Mobility show, "With GM we do not have any capital partnership but we do have an alliance, as long as we can find a win win situation for both of us, I think there will be a possibility for various kinds of alliances going forward, wherever we can find benefit."
Honda Motor Company's light vehicles output in the last decade has increased by just half a million units from 3.54 million to 4.07 million while volumes for other rivals too have grown at a similar rate or even may have declined - but the combined scale with alliance partners has helped them deliver a bigger product portfolio and frequent model intervention with alternate fuel technologies.
Thanks to the global alliance of Toyota Motor with Suzuki, the world's largest car maker has been able to expand rapidly in the Indian market, with its volumes doubling in the last three years, and in fact the maker of Corolla and Camry is looking at adding new capacity. Similarly, Nissan Motor Corporation has leveraged its global partnership with Renault and Mitsubishi to share vehicle architectures not only for Japan, but key global markets of India, Latin America and other parts of the world.
To be sure, Toyota has been able to almost double its India sales thanks to an alliance with Maruti Suzuki in the Indian market that offered multiple rebadged cars at the entry level for the Innova maker. Similarly, Renault Nissan has announced $660 million investment in India to introduce new platforms, whereas Honda Cars India will be going solo in its vision to launch 5 SUVs by the end of the decade including an EV.
Mibe explained that Honda Motor Company already has an alliance with General Motors - which may not be an equity partnership, but it is strategic for the future growth of the company. "We have various kinds of discussions going on with GM to look for some beneficial engagement for both companies."
Honda interestingly announced the end of the affordable EV project with GM a few weeks back, however it is going ahead with the performance cars with US car makers. And both Honda and GM both formalised a driverless taxi JV which will be operational in early 2026 in Tokyo.
On the fuel cells too, Honda has done research and established a JV company to produce fuel cells. “Next year we will be able to launch the car that carries the fuel cells that are produced by this company,” reminded the Honda Motor Company CEO.
On the importance of the Indian market, Mibe said, it is a big market, a market where the use of EVs, electrification is rapidly progressing (for cars and motorcycles).
Elaborating on India gameplan, Toshio Kuwahara, President and CEO, Asian Honda Motor and Head of Regional Unit (Asia and Oceania) reaffirmed its commitment to India and said the company plans to launch a battery EV within the next few years in India.
“As I have mentioned before, our target is to launch a battery EV within the next 3 years. So naturally, there will be some amount of investment for that, and our plan is to keep progressing and pushing forward our electrification. By the way, just to share about the size of the Indian market right now, of the total sales in terms of the number of units sold, India is number 7 in the world. So along with that growth of the market itself, we will be making necessary judgement, because we know that the growth is happening right there,” assured Kuwahara.
The money will be used to provide necessary flood relief and support for the communities affected by the cyclone.
Ashok Leyland is one of the oldest corporates in Tamil Nadu.


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Microsoft has announced that it will cut its workforce by up to 18,000 jobs, or 14 per cent, in the next year, as part of a broad effort to streamline the company in the wake of its acquisition of phone-maker Nokia.
Ralph Whitworth, who'd been chairman of Hewlett-Packard for just over a year, is resigning from his job for health reasons, HP said on Tuesday.
Facebook has followed Google and Yahoo in revealing just how diverse its workforce is, and just like the other two tech giants, it's a whole lot white and a whole lot male.
Acer named one of its co-founders, George Huang, to the post of company chairman as the Taiwanese PC maker battles to become a force in mobile devices and software.
SAP's former technology chief Vishal Sikka will head ailing Indian outsourcer Infosys, in a marked shift from his focus at his former company on technology and product development.
Three U.S. tech worker groups have launched a labor boycott of IBM, Infosys and Manpower, saying the companies have engaged in a pattern that discourages U.S. workers from applying for U.S. IT jobs by tailoring employment ads toward overseas workers.
Twitter and Foursquare both said Thursday that some high-ranking executives would be stepping down, with the changes coming as both companies look to expand and try out new products.
70 percent of Google's employees are men and 61 percent of its U.S. employees are white, according to a workforce diversity report released by the company.
Google, Apple, Intel and Adobe Systems have agreed to pay US$324.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the companies of entering into secret agreements not to hire each others' workers, according to a filing seeking preliminary appr...
NetSuite is facing a lawsuit from a skin care product retailer that alleges an overzealous salesman led them to buy a software system that utterly failed to meet its needs.
John Chambers may stay chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems for the time being, but with the company's financial results just beginning to emerge from a slump and major challenges remaining, it won't be an easy time to hold onto one of the longest leade...
Samsung offered its "sincerest apology" for the sickness and deaths of some of its workers, vowing to compensate those affected and their families.
The developers of Blink, a messaging app that could be programmed to destroy messages, are moving to Yahoo to work on communications products.
SAP is trimming an unspecified number of workers as part of an effort to restructure its overall skill set.
Samsung Electronics' 72-year-old chairman Kun-Hee Lee is in a stable condition after suffering a heart attack.
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Lone Tree City Council unanimously passed a resolution further adjusting the 2020 budget to align with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I'm hopeful for the future,” said Mayor Jackie …
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Lone Tree City Council unanimously passed a resolution further adjusting the 2020 budget to align with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I'm hopeful for the future,” said Mayor Jackie Millet, “but we have to take these steps today.”
The newest resolution cuts the city's budget by just under $1 million, bringing the city's total “net COVID impact” to $8 million in cuts. The newest amendment is a net of roughly $10 million in projected revenue shortfalls, thanks to less sales tax revenue, and $9 million in expense cuts in things like canceling or postponing certain public works projects, according to the Sept. 15 staff report.
City staff recommended the use of the city's “working reserve” to cover this deficit, according to the staff report. The working reserve is specifically in place to cover unanticipated revenue shortfalls as a result of economic downturns, the staff report says.
The new total appropriations for 2020 are being decreased by $6.2 million in the general fund, $1.3 million in the Cultural and Community Services Special Revenue Fund and $453,249 in the Arts and Cultural Facilities Debt Service Fund. These are aggragated cuts made since stay-at-home orders began in March.
Finance director Ulli Nierling presented before council in the Sept. 15 virtual council meeting, stating that the city's intent is to provide a more realistic look at the impact COVID-19 continues to have on the city's budget.
"The impacts on our budget, it's really due to a few changes in behavior … as well as consumer spending shifting toward online shopping,” Nierling said. “In Colorado, losses were truly concentrated on communities reliant on outside spending, which is the case for Lone Tree.”
Lone Tree suffered a greater financial impact than its neighboring communities, Nierling said. The city's reliance on sales tax revenue and zero additional property tax created the perfect storm, causing significant setbacks in projects as well as furloughing city staff.
“Unfortunately, we've spent more time on the budget this year than the two years prior, and we're not finished yet,” Millet said. “We're just starting the process for 2021.”
Millet thanked city staff and council for their time spent adjusting the budget, as well as the finance department's emergency preparedness throughout the pandemic.
“A huge, tremendous thank you to the city staff for shepherding us through this challenging year,” Millet said. “No one could have forecasted this … but I'm pleased we did have working reserves and a debt service fund. We had planned for something — we didn't know what — I sure hope it doesn't happen again, but we were very responsible with our planning."
The new budget amendment includes a placeholder for unbudgeted expenses related to COVID-19, which will be paid for through CARES Act funding, according to the staff report. Those expenses include personal protective equipment, technology needs and reallocation of staff resources.
Every part of Lone Tree's budget felt the pinch from the latest cuts. The most significant decreases, according to the staff report, came in sales tax revenue, lodging tax and the Douglas County Shareback for Transportation, which is based on sales tax collections, the staff report says. Expense cuts include cancellations of capital projcets, reductions in operating costs, hiring freezes and furloughs and cancellation of city events.
For more details about the city's amended budget, visit cityoflonetree.com.
“Nobody runs for office with ever having the intention of having to tell someone to take a reduction or cut ... but we appreciate our staff in the City of Lone Tree, and this in no way reflects how much we rely on you, how hard you work and how much you mean to not just us but the residents and businesses you serve,” Millet said. “We look forward to a renewed consumer confidence in Lone Tree's retail and restaurants as we've started to see them come back.”
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Senior executives of American sports trying to grow their businesses in China said they are keeping a close eye on developments as a trade war brews between the two superpowers.
US basketball, golf, American football and others have invested significant time and money in their presence in the Chinese market but they face potential disruption if relations sour further.
US President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods in an attempt to pressure the country to reverse what he claims are unfair trade practices, prompting dire warnings of a new cold war.
Derek Chang, the CEO of NBA China, said the impact of a protracted trade dispute was hard to predict -- but he remained hopeful that sport could act as a bridge between the two countries.
"I think we hope that it won't impact our business, but you never know," he told AFP during an on-stage interview at the Sports Connects sport-business conference in Dongguan, southern China.
"That being said... I think sports truly does bridge cultures, I think that's our focus. You can't really focus on things that we can't control."
The world's favourite basketball league has built up a huge following over many years in China and gains estimated annual revenues of $150 million from its Chinese arm, which has been valued of more than $4 billion.
The US PGA Tour has also been active in China, setting up a subsidiary tour in 2014. This week, the organisation announced the creation of three academies at Mission Hills, the world's largest golf facility and host of Sports Connects.
Arjun Chowdri, the PGA's senior director of global and corporate strategy, said the organisation was thinking long-term about China and expected to ride out the storm.
"I think the benefit that we have is we get to play this long-term. So a trade war, we hope, if it does occur, isn't a 20-year lapse," he said at the conference.
"So we have the ability to go 'OK, long term, what do we (US sports) want the ultimate outcome of our respective leagues and organisations to become' (and) figure out the way to become that.
"We're going to hit some bumps in the road certainly and many won't be controllable by us, some will. But that's part of learning and pivoting and moving forward."
Richard Young, managing director of American football's NFL China, said he was "certainly mindful" of the developing dispute.
But he added: "If there's anything that can supersede that, it would be sports."
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Thursday, March 21, 2013
Nike Air Max 90 Premium "Volt" Restock
In case you missed out the first time they released, the Nike Air Max 90 Premium "Volt" recently restocked. The shoe features a white base grey and black details along with volt accents. You can check for your size now through Finishline. Stay with FollowTheKicks for more sneaker news and updates.


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MUSCAT – A World Bank report on SME finance points out how Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are playing an important role in many economies around the world. MSMEs account for a vast majority of businesses and are major job creators worldwide representing about 90 percent of businesses and more than 50 percent of employment opportunities. Their long-term success, however, is dependent on having ready access to financing so as to be able to focus on running their business. Having long recognised this vital ingredient for success, Bank Muscat has been steadily launching a number of new products and services through its Retail Enterprises (Najahi) department over the past many years. The bank’s financial and non-financial support has been crucial in the emergence and success of several MSMEs in the Sultanate.
Omani ride-hailing app OTaxi has been one of the success stories in the Sultanate’s MSME sector. Banking support facilitates business growth, which in turn create more jobs for the local community. Thanks to the PoS Receivables Financing support from Najahi, OTaxi continues to steadily expand its services in Oman catering to different customer segments. The app has more than 1,800 drivers registered with it.
Notably, the ride-hailing app has been witnessing a steady growth of over 5 per cent every month even during the challenges thrown up by the pandemic, with growth expected to climb to over 12 per cent in 2022. Through its expansion into newer categories like luxury transport and women-only cabs, the startup hopes to create many more new jobs in the future. The foray into luxury transport is expected to create 10 new jobs immediately with more jobs expected in the future. OTaxi is a great example of how business can flourish with the encouragement of a supportive banking partner like Bank Muscat Najahi.
Bank Muscat’s Najahi is the only financial product from any bank in the Sultanate to offer loans without any collateral. The Najahi suite of products include the value-added Najahi Current Account, Najahi Flexi Loan to support working capital, business expansion and other business needs; the Najahi Business Credit Card; and Najahi PoS Receivables financing for customers who use PoS machines for sales. All financing options are available to the Bank’s customers ‘collateral free’. Bank Muscat has launched a series of initiatives covering all segments of the SME sector in Oman. Serving as building blocks for entrepreneurs, these initiatives assume importance in the backdrop of the priority accorded by the government to develop the MSME sector in Oman.


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Instead, Microsoft chief financial officer John Connors and other executives reflected on the company's results for fiscal 2003, which ended June 30, and looked ahead to the current year. They anticipate revenue growth in each of the company's product segments and improving margins in the four business areas that lost money last year: Business Solutions, MSN, mobile and embedded devices, and home and entertainment. Sales growth will be helped by anticipated increases in the number of PCs and Intel servers shipped, but corporate spending on IT continues to be a wild card. "How much will that IT budget increase worldwide is question number one," Connors said.
Open-source software is one factor that will influence Microsoft's business model, CEO Ballmer says.
Photo of Steve Ballmer by NewsCom-Reuters/JeffChristensen
One factor influencing Microsoft's business model will be the degree to which the open-source movement undercuts demand for commercial software. "Will software be a business of innovation and value or will it become a business that gets commoditized by clones, free alternatives?" Ballmer said. Victor Raisys, an analyst with SoundView Technology Group, says Linux is already cutting into server sales and could do the same in desktop operating systems and applications. "Open source has the potential to commoditize intellectual property and, more specifically, the software market," Raisys says. "I don't think it's an overstated threat."
Still, Ballmer said Microsoft gained share in each of its business areas in the past year. Despite the growth of Linux, server sales were strong, increasing 17% in the quarter ended June 30 to $1.93 billion. And Windows Server 2003, released in April, is ramping up. The operating system was deployed at three times the rate of Windows 2000 in its first few months of availability.
Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect, gave an overview of the company's development projects, which will be fueled in the current fiscal year by $6.9 billion in spending on research and development, an 8% increase over last year. Products to be delivered over the next 12 months include Office 2003, an upgrade to the Tablet PC operating system, versions of Windows Server 2003 and Office 2003 for small businesses, Services For Unix 3.5, and upgrades to many of its server products. In 2004, Microsoft will launch the first broad test of its next major operating system, code-named Longhorn. Microsoft will deliver versions of its System Management Server and Microsoft Operations Manager in fiscal 2004 and, later, combine those into a single product called System Center, said Eric Rudder, senior VP of servers and tools.
Reducing the cost and complexity of software patches and updates "is absolutely strategic for us," Gates said. The vendor plans to consolidate its Web pages for downloads into a single site, called Microsoft Update and add automatic-update capabilities to more products.
What about that $50 billion in reserves? Said Ballmer, "The money's being well taken care of."


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DirecTV 4K efforts got another lift this week when LG Electronics announced webOS upgrades that allow for Ultra HD streaming without the need for an extra box.
LG said its 2015 lineup with webOS 2.0 will provide online access to DirecTV Ready and DirecTV 4K Ready features. Select 2014 and 2015 LG Smart TVs will allow subscribers with a Genie HD DVR to get “a full HD DVR experience on each” LG set, the TV maker said.
The LG integration helps to expand DirecTV’s 4K activity, which got underway last November when it launched a limited library of Ultra HD content.
Last month, DirecTV introduced its first UHD-capable box, the 4K Genie Mini, which works in conjunction with the DirecTV Genie HD DVR (model HR34 and above). Pricing on the new device varies per customer, but the value of the 4K Genie Mini is $99.
DirecTV initially offered UHD fare by linking its Genie HD DVR to 4K TVs from Samsung. It also has plans to extend similar support to Sony-made 4K sets.
Among other U.S. providers, Comcast offers a s 4K streaming app for Samsung TVs, and is closing in on the launch of 4K-capable boxes for its X1 platform. Dish Network isnearing the debut of a 4K service that will run on a new UHD-capable Joey box.
Back to the free LG firmware update, it will also lock in new content partners such as iHeartRadio and Rdio.
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Stretching the food budget is a legitimate concern for most people, especially those with limited income. The Olympia Farmers Market now offers a fabulous, money-doubling incentive to enjoy more fruits and vegetables for people using SNAP/EBT Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It’s easy.
Stop by the Market’s main office where your EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card will be swiped for any amount of your choosing. You will receive an additional dollar for dollar match, of up to $10 per day, per card holder, in $1 Fresh Bucks vouchers that can be spent with any local farmer on locally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms and edible plant starts. During the regular Market season you can purchase up to $40 of additional produce each week ($10 per day for four days). That’s no “small potatoes.”
The Fresh Bucks program originated from the Food Insecurity and Nutrition Incentive federal grant program. The Washington Department of Health was awarded this grant for just under of $6 million. Mary DiMatteo, the community outreach manager, explained that the Department of Health is an “excellent partner,” and added that she is deeply pleased that the Market can play a supportive role in providing access to Market produce for families on a tight budget, looking to increase their healthy food consumption. Nutritious food is integral to overall well-being. Our area is fortunate to grow delicious and abundant produce. The farmers also benefit by selling more produce directly to the consumers. “It’s a win-win situation,” DiMatteo exclaimed.
Shoppers can easily identify which vendors accept Fresh Bucks. Bright signs with the Fresh Bucks logo are displayed at all qualifying vendor booths. With the season getting underway, it’s worth a trip to the Market to behold the vibrant greens. As the weather warms up, the array and variety of produce increases with such favorites as strawberries and tomatoes. Don’t miss out on any of it!
The Market also accepts Women, Infant, Child (WIC) checks and Senior Checks. For more information, visit the Olympia Farmers Market website.
Eat Well – Be Well


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SHANGHAI — Foxconn Technology, a major supplier to the world's electronics giants, including Apple, said it had closed one of its large Chinese plants Monday after police were called in to break up a fight among factory employees.
A spokesman said some people had been hurt and detained by police after the disturbance escalated into a riot that involved more than 1,000 workers late Sunday.
The incident was confined to an employee dormitory and "no production facilities or equipment have been affected," the company said. The cause of the disturbance was still under investigation.
One Foxconn employee reached by phone Monday afternoon, however, said the incident began when workers started brawling with security guards.
Unconfirmed photographs and video circulated on social networking sites, purporting to be from the factory, showed smashed windows, riot police officers and large groups of workers milling around. The Foxconn plant, in the Chinese city of Taiyuan, employs about 79,000 workers.
The Chinese state-run news media said 5,000 police officers had been called in to quell the riot.
A Foxconn spokesman would not say whether the Taiyuan plant made products for the Apple iPhone 5, which went on sale last week. He did said it supplied goods to many consumer electronics brands.
An employee at the Taiyuan plant, however, said iPhone components were made there. Most Apple-related production, though, takes place in other parts of China, particularly in the provinces of Sichuan and Henan. Apple could not be reached for comment.
Foxconn said it employs about 1.1 million workers in China.
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Samsung CEO Claims Galaxy Fold Display Fix Confirmed, Re-Launch May Be Imminent
Samsung pitched a "revolutionary display" as part of the Galaxy Fold, the folding smartphone "made from bonded layers of innovative polymer material." And maybe it will be revolutionary when all is said and done. That will depend in part on whether or not Samsung has figured out and fixed the issue(s) that plagued the Galaxy Fold's initial launch, as the company claims it has.
For anyone who has not been following the situation, the Galaxy Fold represents Samsung's attempt to innovate in the smartphone space, with a handset that folds in half to function as a regular smartphone (albeit a chunky one) and opens up to operate as a mini tablet.
"The 4.6-inch cover display allows for easy one-handed use. Open it up to reveal the tablet-sized, 7.3-inch main display for a more immersive view," Samsung says.
Unfortunately, the initial design appears to have not been ready for prime time. There have been issues with the phone's main display, which had been noted both by users how preordered the handset, and by reviewers.
The folks at iFixIt subsequently performed a teardown of the Galaxy Fold, which found several problematic gaps that could lead to trouble (by way of letting dirt and debris migrate underneath the display). Samsung then halted a broader roll out and even cancelled some preorders in the US while it investigates.
Samsung believes it has found the problem, though, and may resume shipments soon.
"[Samsung] has reviewed the defect caused from substances [that entered the device], and will reach a conclusin in a couple of days [on the launch]," Samsung CEO Dong-Jin Koh said, according to The Korea Herald.
He also added, "We will not be too late," in response to a question about re-launching the Galaxy Fold in the US later this month. That does not really answer the question, though it does confirm that Samsung is planning to forge ahead with the Galaxy Fold, and wants to re-launch it sooner than later.
One of the main issues with the Galaxy Fold is a protective film that comes pre-applied. This is crucial to the operation of the display. Removing it can cause permanent damage to the phone's screen, though that was not obvious from the get-go.
It's not clear if Samsung is redesigning the film, or has found an alternative solution to ensure that dust and debris can't sneak inside.


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Scammers are already trying to steal your stimulus checks and related personal information, the Better Business Bureau warned. Here's how to avoid the scams.
The FBI said 'swatters' who make bogus 911 calls about dangerous situations at victims' homes were now hijacking home security cameras to watch what happens when heavily armed police show up.
Android devices still running Nougat or earlier can still use the internet past September 2021, thanks to an ingenious workaround by a digital-certificate authority.
President Trump threatened to veto the Covid-19 relief bill unless stimulus checks were boosted to $2,000, and the Democrats are playing along. Here's what could happen next.
Acting DHS head says his agency is 'reviewing' alleged Chinese 'backdoors' in TCL TV sets running Android.
Scammers and phishers are using anxiety about the COVID-19 vaccines to swindle you out of your money and personal information.
China has been spying on 'tens of thousands' of Americans using security flaws in the global telephone system, a report says.
Not everything about Gmail is so easy to use. Here's how to get through the tough parts and get more out of Gmail.
Ransomware pretending to be digital downloads of Cyberpunk 2077 is targeting Windows and Android users.
Avast researchers found 28 malicious Chrome and Edge browser extensions that could steal user data and install malware.
Congressional leaders were said to be very close to reaching a deal on a stimulus package that would include another round of stimulus checks.
President Trump said he wanted a new round of stimulus checks going out to American taxpayers, even as Congress debated bills that exclude the checks.
Microsoft said the Adrozek malware family infects Firefox, Chrome and Edge, steals passwords and hijacks search results to show ads.
A Google researcher figured out how to plant malware on any nearby iPhone using a flaw in the AirDrop protocol.
Even as its rivals offer their best possible Cyber Monday TV deals, Walmart still has them undercut with its Onn brand.
Cybercriminals and advertisers are just waiting for you to head to shopping malls and retails websites on Black Friday. Here's how to avoid their traps.
A database of 380 million stolen login credentials is being used to break into thousands of Spotify accounts, researchers have revealed.
The most common, and the worst, passwords of the year look pretty much like those of previous years, a new report says.
A new Russian-made Trojan malware called Jupyter steals saved passwords from Chrome and Firefox and tries to trick antivirus software.


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Microsoft held a 90-minute conference at E3 2021, revealing a lot of exciting projects — most of them will appear on Xbox Game Pass on the day you go out. Starfield will officially only release on Xbox Series and PC — on other consoles don‘t expect the game. Release November 11, 2022.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers will receive the game on the day they go out. The project will be the first game on Creation Engine 2.
R. 2 has been subtitled Heart of Chernobyl and will be released on April 28, 2022.
The developers finally showed the first gameplay. Shooter will immediately appear in Xbox Game Pass.
2 will be released on April 28, 2022 — Gameplay TrailerBack 4 Blood from the creators of Left 4 Dead will officially enter Xbox Game Pass on release day 12 October. The creators of Just Cause from Avalanche Studios do co-op action Contraband.
With the start of season three (June 22), Sea of Thieves will add A Pirate’s Life story campaign with Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean” . Sea of Thieves will host a crossover with “Pirates of the Caribbean” Yakuza: Like a Dragon added to Xbox Game Pass.
Showed 3-minute gameplay trailer Battlefield 2042. Release 22 October.
BattleField 2042 received the gameplay trailerInteractive thriller 12 Minutes will be released on August 19 on Xbox Series, Xbox One and PC. From release will be available on Xbox Game Pass.
Psychonauts 2 will be released on August 25 on Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS4 and PC. From release in Xbox Game Pass.
Doom Eternal will be updated for PS5 and Xbox Series as early as June 29 — let‘s have a rayracing mode and 120 FPS. In 2022 Fallout 76 players will go to a new location.
Hades get to Xbox, Game Pass, PS4 and PS5 as early as August 13. The author of Limbo and Inside introduced Somerville — first the game will be released on Xbox Series, Xbox One and PC.
From its release in 2022, it will be available in Game Pass. Somerville by one of Limbo’s contributors is released in 2022.
The debut show of the Halo Infinite shareware multiplayer — the first season starts together with a story campaign in the fall. Unfortunately, the exact date is never named.
Fresh story trailer. Halo Infinite: a new story trailer and multiplayerRemake Diablo II will be released on September 23, and will go public in August testing — you need a pre-order to access it.
The Diablo II remake will be released as early as September 23 — a fresh trailer and screenshotsA Plague Tale will receive a sequel — Requiem. Release in 2022 straight to Game Pass.
Announced sequel A Plague Tale with the subtitle RequieGameplay Far Cry 6 trailer featuring minor story catscenes. Release in early October.
Slime Rancher in 2022 will get a sequel — it will immediately appear in Game Pass. Moscow Atomic Heart also climbed to Microsoft — developers showed gameplay trailer under Mirage.
The shooter will appear in Game Pass with a release. In Atomic Heart‘s new trailer, the Mirage band Age of Empires IV will be released on October 28 on PC.
Game Pass. Age of Empires IV is released October 28.
Announced the most stylish Replaced. The 2022 release immediately in Game Pass.
The Outer Worlds 2 is really announced — “the developers haven’t had time to do anything but come up with the name of the game” . Release once on Xbox Series and PC.
With release immediately in Game Pass. Announced by TheOuter Worlds 2.
The release — immediately to Xbox Game PassMicrosoft Flight Simulator will be released on the Xbox Series in a month and a half — July 27. Immediately into Game Pass.
In addition, developers are working on a supplement based on Top Gun. Forza Horizon 5 is set to Mexico — release on November 9 on Xbox Series, Xbox One and PC.
Immediately in Game Pass. Forza Horizon 5 will be released on November 9.
This time, players will be sent to MexicoClosed conference novelty studio Arkane (Dishonored and Prey) — unfortunately for fans of the team, Redfall is a network sandbox about vampires on survival. Just past the studio profile.
Release in summer 2022 on Xbox and PC. This is an exclusive.
Prey and Dishonored authors announce co-op vampire shooter RedFallLive.


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[Update] Microsoft Talks On Amazon Acquiring Killer Instinct Dev Double Helix Games
Update #2: Microsoft has commented on Amazon's acquisition of Killer Instinct developer Double Helix Games.
Polygon has obtained the following comment from Microsoft, which mentions the future of the Killer Instinct franchise.
We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Double Helix and wish them success in their next endeavor. We want all of our loyal fans to know that the Killer Instinct team at Microsoft is not changing and that the franchise will remain with Microsoft Studios. We remain dedicated to delivering a great experience and plan to announce our new development partner soon. We're excited about the future of this popular franchise.
Update #1: Amazon has confirmed the acquisition to Game Informer with the comment, "Amazon has acquired Double Helix as part of our ongoing commitment to build innovative games for customers."
It's still not entirely clear what Amazon's specific plans are for the developer, but it will definitely have the studio doing what it does best: make video games. Last year, we reported on Amazon releasing an Android based console to compete in the video game console market. You can read more about that here.
Reports have appeared online that Amazon, the online retailer, has acquired video game developer Double Helix Games.
Double Helix Games is the developer behind the recent Xbox One exclusive Killer Instinct, and the upcoming reboot of Strider, which is releasing later this month.
According to a report from TechCrunch, news of the acquisition leaked early in the form of an invite to a joint recruiting event for Amazon and Double Helix. Amazon then confirmed the acquisition to the site. The purchase apparently includes the studio, all of its employees, and intellectual properties owned by Double Helix.
We've reached out to Amazon ourselves for more information and will update our story when we receive a response.
This isn't too surprising, considering Amazon's upcoming console reports, but it's still a strange headline to see Amazon acquire a video game developer. It is especially strange considering the developer is one who has recently seen success with Microsoft, and is working with Capcom to release Strider later this month. That being said, Amazon is a very successful company, and committing to it is a fairly safe bet. I'm excited to see what the company, who has historically not made video games (but has recently dipped its toes in the water), has in store for the industry.