text:
Foursquare has been sending out an email to its users informing them that as of January 28, it will add in two new items that will reveal more user data than before: the use of full names and the ability for businesses to access longer data logs for individuals.
Wednesday 26 December 2012
As The Guardian points out, if companies refuse to release films or TV shows in US and UK at same time, they only have themselves to blame for piracy.
This may sound a bit harsh but if you want people to buy media, you have to offer it for sale. If it's not for sale, they won't buy it, but many of them will still want to watch or hear or play it, and will turn to the dark side of the internet to get for free the media that no one will sell to them.
This isn't a surprising research finding. Everyone who's ever run a business or worked in any kind of sales job knows that rule one is to make a product that people want and then offer it at a price they're willing to pay. Doing this won't always make you rich, but no one ever got rich without starting from there.
Tuesday 25 December 2012
PRQ, the infamous ISP created by Fredrik Neij and Gottfrid Svartholm of The Pirate Bay, has been nuked by PayPal.
PayPal ended their relationship with the so-called bullet-proof hoster by freezing the company's funds for up to 6 months. On PayPal's advice PRQ opened a second account to get by while the dispute was being sorted out, but, according to TorrentFreak, PayPal seized those funds too.
This isn't the first time Paypal has closed accounts of companies providing services that are popular with Bittorrent users. In June, Paypal banned TorGuard, a company that offers VPN and proxy services. In the case of PRQ however, things are more complicated than that. PRQ has long a long history of defending the freedom of speech of its users and had as such gained a reputation as a safe harbor for whistle-blowers and political activists.
Thursday 13 December 2012
Monday 26 November 2012
Matt explains why:
Essentially the Google Disavow tool is nothing more than a glorified crowd sourcing project.
Why try to identify low quality links via algorithmic signals when you can get an army of millions of webmasters around the world to do it for you?
And what better way to motivate that army than by telling them if they do all this work it will helpthem?
It's nothing more than a bulk snitching tool dressed up as a solution to a problem it doesn't actually solve.
Wednesday 21 November 2012
VWorker account holder received the following email:
Freelancer.com is proud to announce that we have just acquired vWorker, and we are delighted to welcome you to our vibrant freelancing marketplace. We have a suite of great features that will be of benefit to you, including our Rewards system and our great UI.
Our Rewards system is our way of recognising your professionalism and performance, and as you gain experience points, you will unlock unique benefits for your account, badges for your profile, and Freelancer.com credits. Basic, Standard and Premium members can then redeem these credits for rewards, including highlighted bids, a Freelancer T-shirt, and even a Skype session with the CEO!
Our UI is clean and intuitive. Gone are the days of tearing your hair out trying to manage a project. Freelancer.com streamlines and simplifies communication between employer and freelancer, taking the stress out of managing and working on projects.
Your vWorker account has been migrated into our marketplace. Included in this migration is your profile, balances, reputation, messages, existing and past projects, feedback, attachments and more. The migration of your feedback, attachments and past projects may take up to two weeks. During this time, your reputation may vary slightly - but after two weeks, it should very closely match the reputation you had on vWorker. We will also be giving you a unique vWorker Foundation Member badge!
Thursday 15 November 2012
MarketHealth added a new site to their lineup: Pro Testosterone Muscle Builder.
Pro Testosterone is a completely natural supplement than can help you get over your low testosterone. Pro Testosterone was created by expert herbalists, combining ingredients long-used for their ability to address symptoms associated with low testosterone. Because the supplement is all natural, there are no side effects or downside to using this supplement. All you'll get is the enhanced sense of well-being that comes with getting your testosterone levels back on track.
Authorized Marketing Methods:
- Pay Per Click
- Search Engines
Friday 12 October 2012
At RSA Europe, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said the site's blackout played a key part in defeating the USA's controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
The English version of Wikipedia, Reddit and hundreds of other smaller websites coordinated a notional service blackout for a day in mid-January to raise awareness of SOPA. Wales described SOPA as introducing a Chinese-style blocking system in response to complaints about copyright infringement. In response, Wales said, 10 million people contacted Congress (an unnamed senator told Wales) and the bill was pulled days later.
I am quite anti-piracy. This was a strike against bad legislation.
Saturday 6 October 2012
More than one-fifth of U.S. newspapers now require a paying subscription for full digital access, twice the number that did a year ago.
That's according to News&Tech, whose growing list of newspapers with metered paywalls or some other form of digital subscription plan has surpassed 290. There are 1,387 daily newspapers in the U.S. as of 2009, says a Pew study published earlier this year.
Friday 21 September 2012
One teen's misguided sense of humor earned her jail time when she posted a Facebook status update LOL-ing at the fact that she was cited for DUI.
Kentucky teenager Paula Asher had one too many that fateful night she decided to drive, and she sideswiped another car as a result. Though there were four people in the car hit, thankfully no one was hurt. Asher was cited by police for driving under the influence.
The 18-year-old laughed about driving drunk on her Facebook page after the fact, posting a status update reading,
"My dumbass got a DUI and hit a car LOL."
The judge presiding over Asher's case found little humor in a crime that results in, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 28 deaths each and every day. Asher was ordered to shut down her Facebook page as a result, and when she refused, the judge held her in contempt of court and had her thrown in jail for two days.
Asher's told her local NBC affiliate,
"I didn't think LOL would put me in jail."
Thursday 20 September 2012
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More Namecheap coupons.
Thursday 13 September 2012
The Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) of the European Parliament is preparing these days in view of the discussion on unitary patent on 17 and 18 September 2012. The issue of interest is whether these discussions will bring back the return of software patents as it seems to be the case, having in view the recent patent wars in the US (like that of Apple against Samsung). There is also the threat of letting companies monopolize the market thus preventing innovation and the introduction of new products.
Several groups, like April and FSFE, call for a general mobilisation to contact all MEPs, so that the European Parliament finally tackles the issue of the software patentability.
Gérald Sédrati-Dinet, April's patent advisor:
"Software patents are a real scourge for companies and software developers. They do not contribute to innovation whatsoever, but prevent us from developing new products while exposing us to ever increasing legal uncertainty."
Although European laws prohibit software patents, the European Patent Office (EPO) has been trying for years to legalize software patents and, under the new proposal to be discussed, the power and control on the law on patentability would be left to an organisation, without any democratic control or the opinion to go before an independent court.
Under the current proposal, the European Patent Office has the right to award a patent, but also takes the final decision on whether it remains valid when someone complains.
After a one year and a half battle with the US authorities, the sports streaming and download Spanish site Rojadirecta has succeeded in winning back its domain names, after the authorities dropped the lawsuit against it on 29 August 2012.
The .org and .com domains of Rojadirecta were seized in January 2011 as part of operation Operation In Our Sites, on a very questionable basis of intellectual property rights violation, and without any court order. The site had already been considered as legally operating in Spain by two Spanish courts.
This is not the first case of this type. In 2010 music blog Dajaz1 had its domain name seized which was returned after more than 12 months. It turned out that the seizure, initiated by the RIAA, was a mistake.
Wednesday 12 September 2012
This webinar will cover the 3 main options available to the B2B online marketer and discuss the critical considerations you need to be aware of before engaging in one of these programs.
- Discover if this tactic makes sense for your business
- Understand the full cost of these programs
- Evaluate the CPL vs your ARPU figures
- Get clear on timeframes and expectations
- Understand some of the impacts these will have on revenue and your sales and marketing teams
- Understand what critical questions must first be asked
Presenter: Hartland Ross
Saturday 8 September 2012
Facebook is not like other companies that have hard assets and an established user base that will be there even when the company disappears. Facebook is not Apple nor Microsoft nor IBM nor Google nor GE nor Samsung. Those companies have hard assets and an established user base.
Just one day of bad trading, could easily set up a domino effect for more bad days with Facebook stock, and soon thereafter, it would be in its deathbed. Companies such as RIM and Nokia, would take a lot longer to dwindle down to nothing. A Microsoft or an Apple or a Google, would take a long longer, and, their death spirals would have triggered by some very huge mistakes in management.
You may like Facebook and so do many millions of people, but, what Facebook offers, is not a critical product or service that people couldn't live without, and that's what most people fail to realize. Facebook's core business is not its social networking platform. It's the sale of advertising space to advertisers. The millions of Facebook users are not Facebook's clients. The advertisers are. The social networking platform is a MEANS to gather viewers and information about those viewers so those eyeballs can be sold to advertisers. And that's where the problem lies. So far, Facebook has been good at attracting visitors, but they fail at keeping their real clients, the advertisers, happy. And a client who isn't happy is a client who won't be back and will spend his money elsewhere.
Facebook has no steady stream of income and has maneuvered itself in such a position where it has to be extremely careful about how it plans to force more ads on its visitors... or it might end up being the next MySpace.
Friday 31 August 2012
BayTSP and Peer Media, two prominent anti-piracy companies that are expected to participate in the U.S. six-strikes anti-piracy scheme are already monitoring thousands of torrent files. Statistics obtained by TorrentFreak show that BayTSP and Peer Media have been increasing their activities in recent months.
The BitTorrent activity of these two companies is three times greater than that generated by all customers of a smaller ISP such as Sonic.net
For years BayTSP and Peer Media have been hired by movie studios and record labels to track the IP-addresses of file-sharers so these can be reported to their Internet providers.
In the U.S. this process is about to change as it will soon be formalized with the upcoming six-strikes anti-piracy scheme. Under this mechanism customers of five large ISPs will receive so-called copyright alerts. Besides being warned, repeat infringers face a variety of punishments under the new regime including temporary Internet disconnections. The MPAA and RIAA may eventually use the collected data to sue file-sharers even though New York Judge Gary Brown has already ruled that an IP-address alone is not sufficient evidence to identify copyright infringers.
Tuesday 21 August 2012
Last Thursday and Friday, Facebook Inc director Peter Thiel sold roughly $400 million worth of Facebook shares, according to a regulatory filing. Thiel sold his shares at average prices ranging between $19.27 and $20.69 per share after the end of the first lockup, which barred early investors and insiders from selling shares following the IPO.
Thiel, who co-founded PayPal and was among Facebook's earliest backers, still owns roughly 5.6 million shares of Facebook.
Thiel, the libertarian entrepreneur who pays students $100,000 each to drop out of school and pursue business ideas, is one of Silicon Valley's more prolific investors. After selling his then-startup PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion, Thiel bankrolled Facebook in its early days.
Monday 20 August 2012
Mt. Dew had a "Dub the Dew" campaign to let Internet users choose the name for a green-apple infused soft drink... Awfully optimistic.
The Mt. Dew marketing team forgot just what they were dealing with. After all, they were asking the same people who exiled rapper Pitbull to a Walmart in Alaska for advice. As could have been expected, the results of Dub the Dew were so offensive and useless that the entire promotion needed to be shut down.
Tuesday 7 August 2012
Tuesday 31 July 2012
So Microsoft launched a new email service today -- not a redesigned version of Hotmail, but a completely new, built-from-the-ground-up service. It's called Outlook.com, and for now, at least, it will exist separately from Hotmail, as Microsoft attempts to distance itself from Hotmail's bad rap.
So far, so good. But when we visit outlook.com, what is the first thing that happens? We get redirected to a live.com login page. The help section there is not dedicated to the new outlook.com site, but it's the generic live.com stuff.
Why would I want to sign up for an outlook.com account, if you can't even visit outlook.com without a live.com account? What features does does an outlook.com account have? I don't know because outlook.com doesn't even have a "features"-page or a "faq"-section. Or maybe it does, but unless I first sign up for a live.com account, I'll never know.
After reading the engadget article, I was curious and wanted to find out more. Two seconds after visiting outlook.com, it looks like Microsoft dropped the ball again. But then again, when was the last time Microsoft didn't drop it when they developed an internet service?
Wednesday 25 July 2012
A confidential internal report of the music industry outfit IFPI has been inadvertently made available online by the group itself. Penned by their Head of Internet Anti-piracy Operations, the report details the global strategy for the major recording labels of IFPI. Issues covered include everything from torrent sites to cyberlockers, what behavior IFPI expects of Internet service providers, the effectiveness of site blocking, and how pirates are accessing unreleased music from industry sources.
The IFPI report says it has 5 possible reactions to a threat:
IFPI splits illicit content availability into two sections:
- "content held on users' computers" and distributed via P2P networks such as BitTorrent, Gnutella, DirectConnect, eDonkey and Ares.
- "content held on central servers", including file-hosts and cyberlockers.
IFPI is also keeping a close eye on the downloading and sharing of content across mobile data and other wireless networks. IFPI worries that these networks are providing here-and-now streaming of content via all-you-can-eat plans. Making matters worse is that IFPI reports challenges when it comes to matching an IP address to a subscriber.
The recording group also reports that Apple and Android architectures are encouraging the creation of 3rd party music apps. IFPI say they are crawling both the App Store and Google Marketplace and are focusing on "quick take down agreements" with Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nokia and Palm to remove apps they don't like. They are also mulling an expansion of their "payment provider program" to target "rogue" Android app developers.
Unauthorized music sites
IFPI say they have identified in excess of 50 Russian and Ukrainian pay MP3 download sites. The group reports that law enforcement authorities have "secured evidence that the illegal sites are annually stealing hundreds of millions of dollars" which is creating opportunities for money laundering and tax evasion investigations. IFPI say their next steps will include strangling the sites' finances with the help of payment processors, recovering proceeds of crime, and developing asset confiscation.
Disruption of revenue streams
IFPI's advertiser strategy is based around the "disruption of revenue streams" to unauthorized sites by several methods. In the report they speak of a "structured notice and take down program targeting Google's AdSense and DoubleClick advertising networks," plus "out reach" to IASH and IAB to implement "comprehensive infringing block lists." IFPI says it also initiates direct contact with advertisers to flag when their ads appear on infringing sites. Agreements are said to be in place with VISA, MasterCard, PayPal, CTIA, Monitise, PaySafeCard and PhonePayPlus to strangle finances to unauthorized sites.
Thursday 19 July 2012
The European Parliament rejected ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, with a large majority on 4 July 2012, but just one week later the EU is trying to push back the rejected agreement through the back door, that is, through CETA, the EUCanada trade agreement that includes measures similar to ACTA.
The negotiations between EU and Canada on CETA started in November 2009 and will probably be ended by the end of this year. Just like ACTA, the trade deal has been drafted in secret but leaked documents, dated February 2012, have shown parts of ACTA being introduced in this new agreement.
MEP Nigel Farage drew the attention over the similarities between ACTA and CETA:
If the commission has a glimmer of respect for the voice of the people it would change CETA as soon as possible and stop trying to bring ACTA into legislative life by stealth. ACTA is like a Frankenstein which has been bolted together and keeps on moving. It is dangerous and must be brought to an end immediately.
The backdoor ACTA approach creates enormous risks for Canada's trade ambitions. Given the huge anti-ACTA movement, the Canada-EU trade deal could face widespread European opposition with CETA becoming swept up in similar protests.
Monday 16 July 2012
In January, a federal judge in Dallas imposed $10,000 in sanctions on the Texas-based lawyer Evan Stone and required him to pay $22,040 in attorneys' fees. Mr. Stone, in his zeal to get the names of those who illegally downloaded a German porn flick Der Gute Onkel, had knowingly sent out subpoenas without the court's permission.
From The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. District Judge David Godbey used words like "wanton" and "grave" to describe Mr. Stone's conduct. The judge accused Mr. Stone of transforming the use of subpoenas "from a bona fide state-sanctioned inspection into private snooping."
Mr. Stone appealed the sanction to the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit swept Mr. Stone's arguments aside, saying he never raised them in the lower court so they weren't preserved for appeal. The court was unsparing in its criticism of Mr. Stone:
No miscarriage of justice will result from the sanctions imposed as a result of Stone's flagrant violation of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the district court's orders. Stone committed those violations as an attempt to repeat his strategy of suing anonymous internet users for allegedly downloading pornography illegally, using the powers of the court to find their identity, then shaming or intimidating them into settling for thousands of dollars, a tactic that he has employed all across the state and that has been replicated by others across the country.
Sunday 15 July 2012
TechDirt warns us about the dangers of patents and how China is using them to harm foreign competitors:
For many years, US companies and government officials complained publicly and privately that China just didn't "respect" patents. They would point to how various Chinese companies were famous for making knockoffs of various products as evidence of this, and they'd put strong diplomatic pressure on China to both "respect" foreign patents more and beef up its own patent system. Of course, for years, we've been warning about just how stupid this is. China recognizes that patents are really a protectionist tool, and is using them as such. It has certainly increased its patenting effort... but nearly every single major patent lawsuit in China has been about punishing foreign companies and blocking competition to domestic Chinese companies.
Chinese companies and politicians must be laughing at just how self-defeating the Americans and Europeans are. Despite it being obvious that patents harm the economy, American companies and politicians will still continue to insist that China needs to "strengthen" its patent system and EU Commissioners like Karel De Gucht continues to promote ACTA. If ACTA (the so called Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) would come into play, Chinese companies would be able to enforce their patents in the US, Canada and the EU, harming even more companies.
Thursday 12 July 2012
Thursday 5 July 2012
Good news for anyone making money online in an honest way. ACTA, the controversial trade agreement that was drafted in secret between the US, Canada, Japan, the EU and a few other countries, was rejected by the EU Parliament after a long anti-ACTA campaign by online activists.
As Dave Neal from The Inquirer wrote:
This is a victory for everyone except corporate cartels
This victory was thanks to your continued pressure which helped ensure that at every step of the way Europe's representatives voted to reject the provisions within ACTA. We know that MEPs have been inundated with emails and calls from people who, just like you, have fought tirelessly in the defence of our freedoms
ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, was officially intended to fight online piracy, but as liberty advocates, privacy groups, bloggers, lawyers, quickly pointed out, the overly broad language of ACTA would have made it possible for politicians to use ACTA against political opponents and activists. ACTA would also have allowed major corporations to harass and ultimately shutdown its smaller competitors through the use of questionable patents. And it would have made it possible for corporations or politicians to silence news outlets when those outlets wanted to release information damaging to the corporations or politicians.
No matter how hard the pro-ACTA lobby tried, it could not stop the waves of opposition that the draconian treaty attracted and as more and more people protested so it became harder for supporters to convince anyone that ACTA should be approved.
We will have to remain vigilant. EU commissioners like the Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht have already stated that they will not let this slide. Chances are the Commission will reintroduce ACTA, possibly with some tiny cosmetic changes, on a later date. Apparently, the internet and the freedom to communicate, exchange ideas and do business with people all over the world, is so threatening to the EU Commission that it is willing to ignore the will of the people.
Saturday 30 June 2012
Thursday 28 June 2012
You don't get instant Twitter traffic from a huge follower count unless you are a somebody and people actually read your tweets. In the short run, you get traffic from Twitter with retweets. In the long run, tweets containing your urls will help you rank your site in the SERPs.
Going on twitter and adding a ton of people (who you hope will add you back) is an idiotic strategy. You will have all of these people shitting up your stream, so you probably won't read anything they are saying. They don't read their stream, and you don't read your stream, so who exactly are you knuckleheads actually talking to?
If you don't read the people you are following, you can't build relationships. No relationships, no one is reading you, clicking links, or retweeting.
Twitter marketing takes time and work. You can't treat it like spammy fire and forget link building project if you want to get a real benefit from it. You have to put in time, work and dedication.
Sunday 24 June 2012
According to TorrentFreak, TorGuard, a company that offers VPN and proxy services, has been banned from using the payment processor because of "its affiliation with BitTorrent". Thousands of dollars belonging to the company have been frozen.
In response to new Internet surveillance initiatives there is a growing interest in privacy enhancing services such as VPNs and proxies. TorGuard is one of the many companies catering to this demand. As the name suggests, TorGuard has several plans specifically targeted at BitTorrent users who prefer to hide their IP-addresses from the rest of the world.
Being a BitTorrent-friendly VPN appeals to a wide audience. However, the company has also learned that it has a downside. Without prior warning or detailed explanation, PayPal decided to ban TorGuard for promoting their services to BitTorrent users.
The following email was sent by PayPal:
When we reviewed your account, we noticed that your activity violates some of the agreements you have with us. Because of this, we've limited your accounts and can no longer offer our services to you. You'll still be able to log in to view your transaction history, but you won't be able to send or receive money.
Apparently, PayPal is going down the same route as Apple, where everything related to BitTorrent is simply a no-go. Over the past years the payment processor has already thrown out many cyberlockers and BitTorrent trackers that linked to infringing content, but to our knowledge this is the first time that a VPN service has been banned.
Despite the setback, business continues as usual for TorGuard and TorGuard's owner Jason commented:
Those who are serious about private payment solutions should consider one of the many alternatives like Prepaid VISA cards, OKPAY, Bitcoins, and other ewallet services.
Sunday 10 June 2012
Just 5 days after buying social-messaging and advertising company Meebo for a rumored $100 million, Big G is beginning to shut down the company's various products.
On July 11, Meebo Messenger, Sharing on Meebo, Meebo Me, and all of Meebo's mobile apps will be shut down, according to a blog post on Meebo.com. Google is folding Meebo's staffers and technology into its fledgling Google+ social network.
It may seem a waste to buy a company for $100 million just to shut it down, but from Google's perspective it makes perfect sense. Google has been struggling to get its social media platform off the ground. At a time when people are already starting to count Google+ amongst Google's other failed projects (who even remembers Google Audio Ads, Google X or Google Lively?) and no one besides a few Google employees and clever SEO specialists seem to be using Google+, buying up the competition and shutting it down may be one of the only moves Google has left.
Thursday 31 May 2012
Every time when Facebook makes a big change, a good portion of the user base freaks out for a little while and then scammers try to take advantage of that. this time it's the Facebook timeline feature. a lot of users don't like it and now scammers are targeting them with "tools to remove the timeline".
According to WebProNews:
A recent survey showed that many users (up to 88%) are concerned about their privacy with the new Timeline, and another survey suggested that an overwhelming percentage of comments surrounding the Timeline on Facebook have been negative.
No wonder scammers continue to use the timeline to target victims.
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Researchers at Kaspersky Labs have analyzed an interesting worm. LilyJade, as the piece of malware is called, uses Facebook to propagate itself (it spreads by publishing spam messages about Justin Bieber from compromised Facebook accounts), but uses the Crossrider cross platform API to install itself on ALL OS platforms. Quite clever. It spoofs clicks on Adsense and other ad networks whenever the infected user's browser shows sites with those ads.
Tuesday 15 May 2012
Facebook has raised the price at which it hopes to sell its shares from $28-$35 to $34-$38, potentially putting its total value above $100 billion. Trading in the shares is expected to begin on Friday. A valuation at this level would make the social networking site worth more than Disney, Ford and Kraft Foods.
Friday 11 May 2012
A month ago we mentioned how Lightspeed Media's mass-lawsuit was likely to fail. New York Judge Gary Brown has now ruled that an IP-address is not sufficient evidence to identify copyright infringers. In his recommendation order the Judge labels mass-BitTorrent lawsuits a waste of judicial resources. For a variety of reasons he recommends other judges to reject similar cases in the future. This doesn't bode well for Lightspeed.
Wednesday 9 May 2012
Outsource broker GetACoder provides a variety of options that can be used to deposit money into your account:
- debit card or credit card (*)
- liberty reserve
- moneybookers (aka skrill)
- wire transfer
(*): This includes the Paxum, RedPass, Payoneer and OKPay prepaid MasterCard.
Tuesday 1 May 2012
Back when ePassporte was still and business (before Chris Mallick ran off with the money and used it to bankroll his Middle Men and Columbus Circle movie projects), a popular trick amongst adult pay-site owners was to lower the scrub and use fresh ePassporte virtual visa cards to get the chargeback ratio under control. They would fund those extra joins themselves and then recuperate the money on the other side.
Interestingly, Zombiao, a billing company, launched an ewallet service last year: RedPass. RedPass users can order a RedPass MasterCard and fund it using their RedPass wallet. On GFY and JBM a few users hinted at the possibility that Zombio could be planning to use RedPass cards in the same way the old ePassporte virtual visa trick was used to get chargeback ratios down. Given the stricter MasterCard regulations, I highly doubt this is the case or even possible.
Monday 30 April 2012
Outsourcing tasks over the internet is a good way to save money and make better use of your time. As internet marketeers we regularly find ourselves doing tasks that can easily be automated. However, sometimes setting up the whole automation process itself might cost us more time and money than it's worth. Especially when the task is a bit more complex and does not always follow the same pattern. In that case outsourcing is the solution. But as many of us have learned the hard way: finding the right people is not easy. Those of you who're tired of hearing the same excuses over and over again, will get a chuckle out of the following commercial:
Wednesday 25 April 2012
The answer is simple: I have no idea.
Well, that's not entirely true. It know it's some kind of payment system. I know some bitcoin exchanges allow you to use Dwolla to buy or sell bitcoins. But that's about it. Today, I visited Dwolla's website, dwolla.com, hopping to learn more. Sadly, there wasn't a whole lot to learn.
On their front page they have a "How it works" button, so obviously I clicked that. The result:
How Dwolla works
Dwolla is a new payment network that works with your financial institution to offer a cheaper, safer, and overall better payment experience.
* Dwolla for Personal use
* Dwolla for Merchants and Non-profits
* Dwolla for Developers
Ok, so Dwolla is a new payment network. That, we already knew. Wanting to learn even more, I click the "Dwolla for Personal use" link and get:
Dwolla works with users and their banking relationships to offer a cheaper, safer, and overall better payment experience.
* Send money to friends through social networks
* Pay for stuff with your phone
* Shop easily, and safely online
Find out more about the experience
So we are already 3 clicks deep in the Dwolla site and we still haven't found anything useful. Next, I click on the "Find out more about the experience" link. This leads to www.dwolla.com/personal, a page that is filled with buzz words and no useful information whatsoever. We learn that Dwolla is a next generation payment network, that Dwolla is somehow more secure than plastic which carries sensitive financial information inside the 16 digits on the card, that it somehow taps into the mystical power of mobile devices to bring you the new tools, services, and overall convenience that you've grown to expect from 21st century technologies and that the people behind Dwolla are dedicated to building smarter technologies (whatever that may mean).
So even after reading all that I still have no idea what Dwolla is or how it works. Is it an ewallet like Paypal, Paxum, RedPass or OKPay? When I visit those sites, I at least immediately understand what it is they are offering. How does it work? Do I open an account? How do I fund it? How does it differ from other ewallets? If it is even an ewallet of course.
When people can't clearly describe what it is they are selling or offering and prefer to use a lot of marketing buzz words instead, an alarm goes off: *Snake Oil
The Dwolla site reminded me of a scene from the movie Ideocracy. Brawndo's got what palnts crave. Dwolla taps into the power of mobile devices. *sigh*
Tuesday 17 April 2012
The claim brought under 18 USC 1030 is a farce. Any first year attorney can run a truck through the hole in their pleading.
Monday 16 April 2012
According to CNET, police allege that an Anonymous hacker posted a picture of his presumed girlfriend's breasts as a taunt to US authorities. The picture allegedly contained GPS information that led the FBI to her. The photograph of the breasts linked authorities to Ochoa -- because, taken with an iPhone, it contained GPS information.
Sunday 15 April 2012
Saturday 14 April 2012
Thursday 12 April 2012
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Tuesday 27 March 2012
You can now load your Trafficholder account using Liberty Reserve. It's also possible to cash out your earnings (money you've made from selling clicked traffic to Trafficholder) using Liberty Reserve.
For webmasters that sell traffic and need Liberty Reserve, but don't want to use a third party exchanger, this should be great news.
Tuesday 13 March 2012
Pete Cashmore, the blogger who started Mashable, one of the world's biggest social media websites, from his bedroom because it was 'something to do without getting out of bed' is set to become a multimillionaire amid the likely sale of the site to CNN for $200 million.
Cashmore, now 26, created Mashable.com from his room when he was just 19 in an attempt to escape the boredom of his studies.
Seven years later, the tech news site now has its head office in New York and Cashmore is set to become one of the world's wealthiest men.
Monday 12 March 2012
Sunday 11 March 2012
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Thursday 1 March 2012
OpenX CEO Tim Cadogan announced that Supply-Side Platform (SSP) LiftDNA will become part of OpenX:
As the only yield optimization technology to work completely within an ad server, LiftDNA by OpenX increases revenue for publishers by using a breakthrough approach, delivering an average revenue increase of 50%-150% to publishers. "Building yield optimization directly into the ad server breaks the mold of remote, third party services, dramatically increases revenue and aligns perfectly with OpenX's vision of providing publishers with a comprehensive revenue serving platform. We're delighted to be able to bring this superior monetization solution to publishers around the world, starting today!" said Mr. Cadogan.
Monday 30 January 2012
Sunday 29 January 2012
A good affiliate marketer is always on the lookout for new niches with low competition and high demand. The biggest niches are weight loss and anti-aging followed by products men can use to enhance their "performance".
A niche that has been mostly neglected, but has a lot of potential and has been growing a lot of the last year is the market for "Female Libido Enhancement" products.
Thanks to attention from the mainstream media, this niche is growing faster than any other niche out there. Even major talk shows have featured the subject and reviewed some of the products. As the subject becomes less taboo, I expected the niche to grow even more. Webmaster Guide blogged a list of affiliate programs that sell these types of products. I recommend SellHealth, but it's always a good idea to diversify and send traffic to several different programs at the same time.
Wednesday 11 January 2012
Granted it can take up to 21 days for them to deliver the package, but it will be fully insured if it gets lost.
Extra tip: Make sure you double or triple box it, in good boxes. Or even put it in a strong plastic container, then double box it.


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"We are going to examine whether the licensing and distribution practices of these three companies may be denying consumers access to wider choice and better deals in the Single Market," Margrethe Vestager, the EU competition commissioner, was quoted as saying by the Commission's press statement.
The investigation concerns merchandising products such as clothes, shoes, accessories for mobile phones, bags and toys, which bear images or text. The manufacturer may use such images or text if it has signed a licensing agreement with the owner of the relevant intellectual property rights, the statement said.
Nike, Sanrio and Universal Studios license the rights for some of the world's most well-known brands, such as 'FC Barcelona', 'Hello Kitty' and computer-animated comedy movies 'Minions' and 'Despicable Me.'
On May 10, the European Commission adopted a report on the earlier launched e-commerce inquiry, which had gathered evidence from 1,900 e-commerce companies and analyzed around 8,000 distribution and license contracts. The initiative was taken in the context of Digital Single Market strategy, adopted in May 2015 with the aim to make Europe a world leader in digital economy by ensuring free movement of persons, services and capital through seamless access online under conditions of fair competition.

domain: news


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MARCH 3, 2014
MARCH 3 — It was not surprising that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate was left intact at this year’s Budget. After all, in 2011, the government gave the assurance that a hike in the GST rate, if any, would not happen for at least five years.
As the government increases its spending on healthcare, education and social programmes to build a more inclusive society, it is a matter of time before some form of tax hike has to occur to fund the escalating costs.
Today, GST contributes close to 22 per cent of Singapore’s tax revenue. Our GST rate is among the lowest in the world. Unlike a rise in income tax, an increase in GST is unlikely to hurt the country’s international competitiveness, given that it is a domestic consumption tax largely borne by end-consumers.
This is also consistent with the shifting of reliance from direct tax to indirect taxes by governments worldwide to fund expenditures. The average European Union standard rate for Value Added Tax (a consumption tax similar to the GST) has increased from around 19.5 per cent to more than 21 per cent between 2008 and 2012.
We are also seeing similar trends in Asia. Japan will be raising its consumption tax rate over the next two years — from 5 per cent to 8 per cent next month and subsequently to 10 per cent next October.
Malaysia has also recently announced its intention to implement GST from April 1 next year.
COMPLYING WITH STRICTER GST AUDITS
Regardless of whether a GST rate hike may happen, businesses should note that the GST audits by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) have evolved over the years. The regulatory environment is tightening and the IRAS is adopting more sophisticated tools and methodologies in auditing businesses.
Making errors and not complying with the GST rules and regulations can be costly for businesses in terms of penalties, additional GST to be paid and reputational risks.
Traditionally, the IRAS would enforce GST compliance by way of desk and field audits. To supplement the audits, the IRAS has now introduced two programmes to encourage businesses to take a more proactive approach in managing their GST risks and improving GST compliance.
Under the first programme, known as the Assisted Compliance Assurance Programme (ACAP), businesses that have a robust GST control framework could apply to have their controls reviewed and tested and be awarded the ACAP status by the IRAS.
Under the second programme, the Assisted Self-Help Kit (ASK) programme, businesses could conduct self-review of their GST returns by using the methodology prescribed by the IRAS. Businesses should consider participating in either programme if they wish to enhance their GST compliance.
We are also now seeing an increasing trend of companies moving their finance functions, including the preparation of GST returns, to shared service centres located outside Singapore.
Such an arrangement will inadvertently increase the risk of GST non-compliance. Businesses should put in place controls to manage the risks associated with outsourced functions and consider participating in either ACAP or ASK.
Besides using the ACAP and ASK, data analytics should also be considered in analysing and ascertaining if transactions within an organisation are being processed and dealt with correctly. Data analytics are software tools used in analysing large volume of data for anomalies.
This is particularly useful in the review of accounts payable and accounts receivable transactions.
The analysis performed by data analytics includes reviewing the relevant data for over-claiming of GST, incorrect GST coding, duplicate invoices processed, incorrect GST on invoices and so on.
With business transactions becoming increasingly complex, so does the burden of GST compliance. As we watch expectantly for a GST hike, let’s not lose sight of the everyday tasks of GST compliance at hand. — Today
* This article was first published here.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/evolution-of-managing-gst-in-singapore-yeo-kai-eng-and-kor-bing-keong#sthash.Awe44Aow.dpuf


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Kotak Securities Limited (KSL) has announced an investment in fintech startup Multipl as part of the company’s $3 million Pre-Series A round of funding, along with other investors- Blume Ventures, GrowX Ventures, and IIFL. Founded by serial investors Jags Raghavan, Paddy Raghavan and Vikas Jain, Multipl encourages its users to save money for short term goals. The fintech is working on a ‘Plan Now Pay Smarter’ aka Save Now Buy Later for its users, said an official press release. Multipl works in contrast to BNPL – Buy Now Pay Later, and discourages its users to make credit purchases that can strain their finances.
Partnering with leading brands, the fintech startup has created a Brand Saver Plan where users can save more money on their future spending from these brands. Another model offered by the company is the Market Saver plan, where users can avail of dual benefits- returns from the market and exclusive discounts from the brands.
“Indians have traditionally been savers. Multipl, through its embedded shopping experience, has created an interesting category altogether to incentivize people to plan their spending in advance,” said Shripal Shah, President and COO, Kotak Securities commenting on the latest investment.
Multipl’s CEO & Co-founder Paddy Raghavan said that Kotak’s validation in form of the investment will help the platform in creating a new category that can positively impact the users in the way they save and spend. “Multipl is pioneering the idea of saving for a future expense in a way that is not only financially superior but is also exciting and rewarding,” he added.
Kotak Securities has recently been focusing on engagement with startups involved in innovation and product development for the financial sector.
Earlier, Kotak Securities had previously invested close to Rs 3 crore for a minority stake in fintech startup, Entroq Technologies as part of its Startup Engagement and Investments initiative. Entroq Technologies operates the brand FlipItNews and focuses on ‘reinventing; financial literacy in India by providing curated financial news in less than 50 words. Announcing the investment, KSL said that it was excited to partner with the vision of FlipItNews, especially at a time when simplification of the stock market has become paramount for retail investors in India.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.


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A cold beer can be refreshing after a workout, but too many are likely to leave you dehydrated and in worse shape than before. Now, a team of Australian scientists is working to change that by developing a new type of light beer that hydrates on the same level as a sports drink.
A team of researchers at the Griffith University health institute in Queensland modified two commercially brewed beers to replicate the hydrating effects of a sports drink, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Researchers removed some of the alcohol content and added electrolytes to an amber ale and a light beer without altering the taste. They then compared the hydrating effects of all four varieties.
Ben Desbrow, the associate professor who led the study, said the enhanced light beer replenished nutrients and hydrated test subjects one-third better than a typical beer did. “Of the four different beers the subjects consumed, our augmented light beer was by far the most well retained by the body, meaning it was the most effective at rehydrating the subjects,” he said.
The full results of the test can be found in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
While it might seem like a better idea to simply dissuade some people from drinking, Desbrow said it’s actually a much better idea to cut the risks associated with drinking in the first place. “If you’re going to live in the real world, you can either spend your time telling people what they shouldn’t do or you can work on ways of reducing the danger of some of these socialized activities,” he said.
The new hydrating beer may be a boon for a gym rat looking to hydrate and get a buzz after a workout, but there’s another, more general use for a hydrating beer as well: eliminating hangovers. There are a variety of factors that go into hangovers, but the primary cause is dehydration. Keeping drinkers more hydrated could likely help them avoid killer hangovers the morning after the night before.


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Orange County has no entries in Fortune magazine's 9th annual list of fastest growing small public companies for the first time in at least four years.
Four local companies were on the list in 2008. California dropped from 18 entries in 2008 to 10 this year. It's possible the decline reflects the relatively deeper recession here than in other parts of the nation.
Here are the number of companies on Fortune's list of fast-growth small companies:
Fortune Small Business compiles the annual list based on companies with less than $200 million in annual revenues and stock price above $1. Growth is calculated on the past three years of revenue.
The fastest growing company on the 2009 list is Life Partners Holdings with 121% growth. That's considerably slower than in 2008 when the top company, Astronics in East Aurora, N.Y., grew 201.4%.
"To thrive in these conditions, you must be extraordinary," the magazine quotes Ted Zoller, director of the center for entrepreneurship at Kenan Flaglar Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "You have to offer a smart solution that solves a genuine problem for customers."
California often has more companies on the list than any other state, but this year, New York had 13.
O.C. entries on the 2008 list were:
- ICU Medical, San Clemente, 45th
- Quality Systems, Irvine, 52nd
- Smith Micro Software, Aliso Viejo, 85th
- CAM Commerce Solutions, Fountain Valley, 98th
Click here for the entire 2009 list and access to previous years' lists.
Other entrepreneur stories...


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April 11 - The Real Business Investec "Hot 100" list of fast growing private companies has featured Air Charter Service (ACS), an air chartering specialist with 16 offices worldwide, due to their increased sales growth over the past four years. ACS is one
Chris Leach, chairman and founder of the company, said: "Considering the uncertain state of the world's economy recently, our growth has been exceptionally strong. Much of our success over the past few years has been down to the opening of new operations, and I am confident that the ACS business model is robust and that we will see further expansion this year - we have already opened two new offices in 2012."
He added "Our place on the list is the latest recognition of our growth, following our inclusion in The Sunday Times'Top Track 250' just last year".


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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) unanimously approved restrictions on unreasonable repairs by large corporations on July 21 (local time) and issued a statement on its policy policy.
In a statement, the FTC prioritizes investigations into restrictions on repairs under applicable laws, including the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which regulates consumer product safety, or Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices. It is said to be carried out with
This is the latest move on the right-to-repair movement, which has recently garnered much attention, the FTC statement following a presidential order on promoting competition signed by the president on July 9. A presidential order requires third parties to adequately address unfair anti-competitive restrictions on repairs or self-repairs.
According to the FTC policy, it is first required to provide information to general consumers in order to strengthen the legal system. Although the current law does not provide for civil punishment for violators or remedies for victims, prosecution of violators is reviewed based on collected information. In addition, it is said that existing laws and regulations will be updated to realize an open repair market by conducting an investigation to see if there are any deceptive acts or practices.
It is also said that major technology companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are actively lobbying to block the enactment of the right to repair bill. However, this FTC statement will be a major turning point for the enactment of the right to water bill. In response to the FTC statement, Kyle Wiens, CEO of repair firm iFixit, said manufacturers have been harassing consumers for too long and driving local repair shops out of business. The groundbreaking new policy will change that. He praised the FTC’s decision, saying that there will be a new sheriff in Related information can be found here.


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DUBLIN, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Autonomous Cars Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth and Change to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
Autonomous Cars Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Growth and Change to 2030 provides the strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global autonomous cars market.
Major players in the autonomous cars market are BMW Group, Tesla Inc., Ford Motor Company, General Motor Company, Nissan Motor Corporation, Daimler AG, Toyota Motor Corporation, Volkswagen AG, Volvo Group and Waymo LLC.
The global autonomous cars market is expected to grow from $719.94 billion in 2020 to $809.15 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4%.
The growth is mainly due to the companies resuming their operations and adapting to the new normal while recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $1383.89 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 14%.
Rise in the development of smart cities is a key factor driving the growth of the autonomous cars market. The electric autonomous cars help reduce air pollution in smart cities and also help to fight climate change. By using driverless cars, traffic accidents can be decreased by 90%, significantly improving the safety of our roads.
Several countries such as Mexico, Canada and the United States are deploying digital infrastructure to promote communication between vehicles and networks to collect essential information, thereby reducing traffic congestion and improving road safety. Therefore, rise in the development of smart cities is expected to drive the growth of the autonomous cars market.
Cybersecurity and safety concerns are the key factors hindering the growth of the autonomous cars market. Although the self-driving car market has enormous growth potential, many customers are not quite ready to hand over the keys owing to the threat of hackers as they can try to steal data and self-driving cars can go unofficial by exposing their driving routes and destinations that could threaten the privacy of passengers. The prospect of hackers taking control of the vehicles is even more concerning.
For example, the first case of an autonomous car killing a pedestrian was reported in Arizona (USA) in 2018. In July 2020, cybersecurity researchers used the latest hacking techniques to hack into the electrical systems of a Jeep Cherokee. Using the Internet, they were able to obtain wireless control of the Jeep Cherokee giving them on to the Jeep's entertainment system, allowing them to relay commands to its dashboard functions, steering, brakes, and transmission, and they were ready to do all of this remotely 10 miles away from the vehicle's location. The correlation between these attacks on common IoT devices and attacks in a connected or autonomous vehicle is the possibility of increased life and property risk in the vehicle context.
Full automation vehicles is a key trend in the autonomous cars market. The full automation vehicles are capable of performing all driving functions in all circumstances, these vehicles are being designed to be used as robo-taxis, among others, such as Waymo.
Eventually, these self-driving cars will blend into U.S. roadways by improving technology across six stages of driver assistance in the coming years from No automation (where a fully engaged driver is still required) to full autonomation (where an automated vehicle runs independently, without a human driver).
In June 2019, Apple, an American based company, designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services acquired Drive.ai for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition boosts Apple's own development of a self-driving vehicle system. Drive.ai, a California based company, works on autonomous cars.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Executive Summary
2. Autonomous Cars Market Characteristics
3. Autonomous Cars Market Trends and Strategies
4. Impact of COVID-19 on Autonomous Cars
5. Autonomous Cars Market Size and Growth
5.1. Global Autonomous Cars Historic Market, 2015-2020, $ Billion
5.1.1. Drivers of the Market
5.1.2. Restraints on The Market
5.2. Global Autonomous Cars Forecast Market, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion
5.2.1. Drivers of the Market
5.2.2. Restraints on the Market
6. Autonomous Cars Market Segmentation
6.1. Global Autonomous Cars Market, Segmentation By Product Type, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion
- Semi-Autonomous Vehicles
- Fully-Autonomous Vehicles
6.2. Global Autonomous Cars Market, Segmentation By Application, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion
- Robo Taxi
- Ride Hail
- Ride Share
6.3. Global Autonomous Cars Market, Segmentation By Type, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion
- Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
- Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)
- Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)
7. Autonomous Cars Market Regional and Country Analysis
7.1. Global Autonomous Cars Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion
7.2. Global Autonomous Cars Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion
- BMW Group
- Tesla Inc.
- Ford Motor Company
- General Motor Company
- Nissan Motor Corporation
- Daimler AG
- Toyota Motor Corporation
- Volkswagen AG
- Volvo Group
- Waymo LLC
- Continental AG
- Nvidia Corporation
- Intel Corporation
- Baidu Inc.
- Honda Motor Company Ltd.
- Hyundai Motor company
- Uber Technologies Inc.
- FCA Italy S.p.A.
- Autoliv Inc.
- Bosch GMBH
- Jaguar Land Rover Limited
- Subaru of America, Inc.
- Audi AG
- Groupe SA
- AB Volvo
- Robert Bosch GMBH
- Denso Corporation
- Google Inc.
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pqp5sz
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
SOURCE Research and Markets


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AFTER a long period of silence, Africom, one of Zimbabwe’s leading converged telecoms company, have released yet another service to address the current home Internet needs with a new WiFi package that is set to get the market talking again.
The WiFi packages will see home customers accessing the service at a fixed fee of $60 per month.
Using your WiFi hotspot equipment, Africom hopes to improve connectivity for multi-users sharing the same access point.
These are gadgets which are meant to send wireless Internet signals to at least 10 users at the same time without necessarily compromising on the connectivity speeds.
The same gadget sends a signal back to the service provider and acts as a router to the local users.
The major advantage of such a device is that it’s a plug-and-play gadget where, in most cases, only a WiFi access name and password have to be configured then everything else is set for a great browsing experience.
“There are also prepaid WiFi services accessed through portable WiFi devices which customers can use for home and on the go adding so much convenience and browsing experience,” Africom Marketing Manager Prosper Mutswiri said.
Africom has also been silently placing WiFi hotspots around town with most these visible around busy shopping malls and restaurants.
Notable spots around Harare where one can purchase WiFi recharge cards in the Shop and start browsing are Africa Unity Square, Chapman Golf Club, Peddy’s Hotspot at Newlands Shopping Centre, Africom Shop along Nelson Mandela Avenue and Africom Shop along Jason Moyo Avenue.
They have managed to create two separate packages for their prepaid and contract customers as folows
$60 monthly fee
Reliable Internet connectivity
Comes with free kit and free installation
24-hour customer support
Pre-paid WiFi connectivity at home and on-the-go
Portable access device
24-hour customer support
Africom has previously made headlines for being the first Internet service provider in Zimbabwe to offer the most affordable internet rates when they pioneered their $25 per gig package a move they once quadrupled with a six-month promotion when the offered 4G for the same price.
However , Africom still has a lot of work to do to make sure that they expand their code division multiple access (CDMA) network coverage for national coverage as Zimbabweans have for long been yearning for broader coverage from the service provider which still has lots of patches to clear.
Interestingly, rumour has it that they are now partnering Huawei to have affordable smartphone handsets that have a capability to receive both the common GSM and CDMA signals, a move that is likely to boost their subscriber base.
Africom voice does not work on the common GSM handsets, but requires a special data phone which is CDMA-enabled and getting such a deal with Huawei dual sim will bring relief to millions of Zimbabweans who cannot easily access the CDMA phones.
l TechnoMag is Zimbabwe`s Premier Technology Magazine, more www.technom.ag/5l or join us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/technomagzw Email: firstname.lastname@example.org or Twitter on @TechnoMagZw


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Apple is in negotiations with multiple global automakers. Hyundai is one of them and we are in the early stages of talks. Nothing has been decided, Hyundai Motor Co. said in a statement.
The official comments come in response to an earlier report by the Korea Economic TV, a unit of The Korea Economic Daily, that Apple has approached Hyundai Motor Group to propose cooperation in its efforts to develop an electric car as well as rechargeable batteries used in EVs.
A Hyundai Motor official initially denied the report, according to The Korea Economic Daily.
The South Korean automaker Chairman Chung Euisun, who took the helm of the automotive group in October last year, has told The Korea Economic Daily the company will actively push for new growth businesses focusing on EVs, hydrogen fuel cell cars and future mobility platforms.
According to the report, production of the electric Apple Car could start as early as 2024.
The Reuters report explains that central to Apple’s strategy is a new monocell battery design that “bulks up the individual cells in the battery and frees up space inside the battery pack by eliminating pouches and modules that hold battery materials.”
The iPhone maker is also examining chemistry for the battery called LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, the person told Reuters, which is inherently less likely to overheat and is thus safer than other types of lithium-ion batteries.
The future of Apple’s self-driving car?
Throughout its history, Apple has set an example of design, performance, and durability (and high prices). Today, companies that deliver great products are compared to Apple (e.g., the Apple of gaming, the Apple of cars, etc.). But this history of perfection has also set high expectations for Apple. Where consumers allow other companies to fail and recover, they expect Apple to be flawless. And at the moment, self-driving car technology is anything but flawless.
This might partly be the reason that Apple has been reserved until recently and only leaked information about its self-driving car project through unnamed sources. It gives the company the maneuverability to backtrack on parts of its plans as the industry and its own project develop. The self-driving car industry is changing rapidly, and I wouldn’t be surprised if what we see in 2024 is very different from the initial report.
But what’s for sure is that Apple is serious about creating a self-driving car, and its engagement can have a serious impact on the future of transportation and the company itself.


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Personal aircraft are typically slow to evolve, as manufacturers must work through long, complex procedures of gaining official approval for new technologies and designs from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). But that is changing fast, as recent FAA rules that took effect in August are making it easier to certify new designs, and companies are eager to bring fresh ideas to the market.
The new rules are “nothing less than a total rethinking of how our industry can bring new models of pistons, diesels, turboprops, light jets, and new electric- and hybrid-propulsion airplanes to market,” says Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
The changes are also making it easier for manufacturers to provide safety-enhancing modifications and upgrades to their existing fleets. “The rules reduce the time, cost, and risk involved in certification,” Bunce says, “while improving safety for customers.”
Though not all a result of the simplified FAA regulations, the following are a few of the exciting new designs in the personal-aircraft market.


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Charter Communications to Enhance its Bottom Line with Behavorial Targeting
Last week, Charter Communications sent out letters to a test group of its high-speed internet subscribers informing them of a new feature that will provide them an “enhanced online experience“. Sounds great, right?
The truth of the matter is that Charter will begin to monitor its customers’ surfing activity and use that information to inject targeted ads into the sites they visit. According to Charter, the feature, “…uses completely anonymous information and, based on your surfing and search activity on the Internet, it infers your interests in certain product or service categories, such as automobiles/sports cars, fashion/handbags, or travel/Europe, and so forth.”
Charter will not only be monitoring what sites you visit but also their content. This is made possible by using deep packet inspection (DPI) technology. DPI allows an ISP to look at the actual information contained in packets traveling to and from your computer. The nation’s largest internet provider, Comcast, was recently investigated by the FCC for using DPI to throttle P2P traffic coming from programs like BitTorrent. After an initial blanket denial they eventually admitted that they were in fact using DPI to block or otherwise disrupt file-sharing traffic.
Why would Charter decide to essentially spy on its customers for the purpose of injecting targeted ads? Simple, extra revenue. Charter’s stock price is down roughly 68% over the past year and they were nearly delisted from the NASDAQ for having shares priced lower than $1. There is no telling how much this new “feature” could mean to Charter’s bottom line if it were to expand to all 5.7 million of its customers. This isn’t the first time Charter has used ad delivery to squeeze more cash out of its subscribers. Earlier last year, Charter started to redirect “server not found” error messages your browser displays when you mistype a URL to their own page that shows ads and referral links.
Customers are able to opt-out of these “enhancements” by visiting a website that will place a cookie on the surfers’ computer that will prevent the ad injection. The problem with this is that if you ever decide to clear your cookies, use a different browser, or connect from another computer you will have to visit the site again to have it reapplied. This might seem like Charter cares about the customer and wants to provide them with an option but it is really a red herring. Opt-out cookies or not, Charter will still be using deep packet inspection to monitor all of your web traffic, email, p2p, instant messages, etc. I would like to think that this monitoring will only be used as part of their ad targeting efforts but if the actions of Comcast are any indication I would imagine there is more going on that hasn’t been made public.
If this new feature is so harmless and will actually “enhance” the online experience why doesn’t Charter make it opt-in? Surely customers would signup in droves to have their surfing monitored for the purpose of advertising! Sadly, according to Ted Schremp, Charter’s senior vice president for product management and strategy, “opt-out has become the norm for all targeting on the Internet.”
Perhaps this is the norm in the minds of some marketers but the general public is starting to take notice and object to these annoying practices.


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SEATTLE, Wash. — With the 2021 growing season underway, the Eat Local First Collaborative announces the launch of its Meet Your CSA Farmer campaign now through March 31, 2021. The campaign features a new CSA Finder tool, integrated with Eat Local First and the Washington Food & Farm Finder to help consumers find CSA (community-supported agriculture) farms near them.
The CSA Finder allows consumers to customize their search with multiple filters including availability, content (i.e. vegetables, fruit, flowers, meat, dairy, eggs), season and distribution options like home delivery, neighborhood pick-up or on-farm pick-up.
Additionally, the campaign will feature a curated Meet Your CSA Farmer video series featuring local CSA farmers sharing how and why they grow, raise and harvest in Washington, and how consumers can purchase shares. The 15+ videos will run on the Collaborative’s Facebook and Instagram channels. Additional resources on how to make the most out of CSA shares include tips from local CSA farmers along with an enter-to-win for state residents to win $100 toward their CSA share of choice can be found here. Given the impact on local producers in Washington state as a result of COVID-19, consumer demand to purchase CSA shares is expected to remain strong.
“Our CSA expanded from approximately 175 boxes to 395 boxes in 2020,” says Michelle Tonnemaker, who runs the farm’s popular CSA program sourcing from Tonnemaker Hill Farm in Royal City (Grant County) and Tonnemaker Valley Farm in Woodinville (King County). “With social distancing becoming a new norm, more people are looking for ways to have deliveries to their homes and neighborhoods. I’ve already had many inquiries asking when our 2021 registration would start which we opened this past weekend. In just two days, sales have increased 10% compared to the same time last year.”
Also encouraging consumers to start the sign up process is Micha Ide, manager of Pierce County Fresh a member of the ELF Collaborative. “I have heard from many local CSA farms that shares are selling out quickly due to exceptional demand,” says Ide who is also co-owner and farmer at Bright Ide Acres in Orting, WA. “I encourage shoppers to use the CSA Finder and act swiftly to find their farm and sign up for a share right away. The good news is many farms are expanding their CSA memberships this season to meet the demand, so if you don’t find one right away try expanding your search area a little bit.”
Ide also says that when using the new CSA Finder tool, consumers can view more results by “just un-checking some of those boxes on the tool, then click submit again or reset to view. Farms are unique and may not fit inside your checkboxes.”
Consumers also can view approximately 230 CSA farms on the Washington Food & Farm Finder here.
With consumer interest in local food continuing to grow, a recent article in Forbes detailed a number of ways the global crisis has given consumers more reasons to eat local, quoting the World Economic Forum that has advised countries and consumers of the “post-COVID need to support local food systems with shorter, fairer and cleaner supply chains that address local priorities.”
However, the growth of CSA as a critical part of the local food infrastructure in Washington state has not been an overnight phenomenon, says Dr. Laura Lewis, Director of the WSU Food Systems Program, another ELF Collaborative member.
“For the past decade, options for CSAs have steadily increased across the Pacific Northwest, allowing consumers to purchase directly from a farmer (or fisherperson through CSFs). Over the past year, the model became even more important, as direct-to-consumer farmers saw subscriptions increase, and retail and wholesale producers pivoted to address local and regional food demand,” Lewis said. “It is great to see community members invest in farm and fish operations early in the season, providing capital that supports farming and in turn supports our health – both personal and community wide.”
Launched last November, the Eat Local First platform features the Washington Food & Farm Finder, a comprehensive mobile-friendly searchable database connecting consumers with approximately 1,700 local farms, markets, food businesses and local food resources. Free listings are available through 2021.
The Eat Local First Collaborative is a collective of food system organizations working together to facilitate connections between consumers and farm and food businesses statewide. Members include The Local Food Trust, Pierce County Fresh, Sustainable Connections, Tilth Alliance, Washington State University Food Systems, and Washington State University Regional Small Farms Program with anticipated future participation from additional partners.
— Tilth Alliance
For more articles out of Washington, click here.


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Posted by Mark J. Miller on June 27, 2012 11:04 AM
General Mills and Kellogg have been ruling the cold-cereal market for an eternity. Those two behemoths now own about 60 percent of a $9 billion U.S. market, but that doesn’t mean other companies aren’t finding some success cutting into their market.
One in particular, the 93-year-old MOM Brands Co., which was recently renamed from Malt-O-Meal, is producing such cereals as Tootie Fruities and Honey Nut Scooters, which bear more than a passing resemblance to Froot Loops and Honey Nut Cheerios.Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on June 26, 2012 02:04 PM
In an historic and formidable alliance formed by America's Cable Advertising Bureau, a consortium of TV networks, print, radio, digital and media brands and individuals are joining forces to educate marketers about the buying power and "the new realities" of the Black consumer market.
The CAB has pulled together a who's who of black media for its 23 charter members: BET Networks, HuffPost BlackVoices, Black Enterprise, Burrell Communications, Essence Communications, GlobalHue, Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, KJLH Radio, Johnson Publishing Company, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, Nielsen, North Star Group, National Newspaper Publishers Association, One Solution, Radio One, TV One, Interactive One, Reach Media, Steve Harvey Radio, TheGrio, The Root, The Africa Channel, UniWorld Group, Vibe Media plus Walton Isaacson to create America's first black media and marketing consortium, #INTHEBLACK.
Using a Twitter hashtag as its name is a catchier hook than the group's more SEO-friendly alternative name (Reaching Black Consumers). The initiative launched Monday with a microsite and an ad in the business section of the New York Times and trade magazines such as Adweek and Broadcasting & Cable, as well as ads across of the consortium's media member outlets. The goal, they stated, is "to encourage increased investments in the African American consumer marketplace while helping companies reach the African American audience more effectively."Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on June 26, 2012 01:01 PM
The fever pitch of Linsanity has died down a bit since mid-February, when every move New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin made was scrutinized and revered. His spot on his brother’s couch was ballyhooed as the mark of a man who overly impressed with himself and his status as an NBA player. His entire manner was an antidote to the general self-promoting boorishness that is generally expected from his fellow NBA players.
Plus, the guy went to Harvard! And helped build the Asian market even further and bring in more bucks for the sport! Not to mention being the very model of a modern Asian American. What else could the league ask for?
A few others, of course, saw Lin’s rise as a big opportunity to make some money for themselves as well and went ahead and filed for the “Linsanity” trademark. As we recently noted, Lin — who is not yet confirmed to be returning as a Knick — did the same in an attempt to keep himself from potentially seeing his own name on hot pads and t-shirts and ice-cream flavorings (and, naturally, make a few dollars down the road as well).Continue reading...
name that _______
Posted by Mark J. Miller on June 25, 2012 04:03 PM
Everybody is looking for cash these days, but how to drum it up when everybody is also paying extra close attention to where a wallet’s contents are disappearing to. Cities are no different. Government services are hurting for cash and there are only so many ways to generate more dough.
So cities are getting creative, the New York Times reports. Baltimore is currently trying to sell space on its fire engines to raise some extra pennies. And why not? The city’s current budget has made the elimination of three city fire companies necessary this summer.
Philadelphia is selling ad space on its subway fare cards and one of the city’s main train stops is now named for AT&T. Chicago is selling naming rights to its eleven "L" subway stations. As for the Times' hometown, the naming rights for the Atlantic Avenue subway station at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn were sold in 2009, and the MTA implemented the Barclays name change in May.Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on June 25, 2012 11:51 AM
Brands Spotted: 0 (if you don't count Scotland)
Standout Placement: N/A
Most Memorable Placement (positive): N/A
Most Memorable Placement (negative): N/A
Overall Product Placement Integration Grade (1-10): N/A
Comments: Some critics have called Brave, Disney/Pixar's new film, formulaic. It's an easy conclusion to reach. The idea behind Brave appears to be taking the popularity of young women archers (cue The Hunger Games, and already a Brave-themed attraction at Disney Parks), pinching some themes from other recent popular franchises (How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek), updating the Disney Princess juggernaut, and wrapping the whole thing in the aura of an earlier epic Scottish tale of bravery (Braveheart*). But Brave's guts aren't the only formulaic element of the film.Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on June 21, 2012 05:05 PM
Hedi Slimane, newly installed creative director of the Yves Saint Laurent fashion empire, is reportedly spurring the iconic brand name and signature logo created in 1961 at the inception of the house to Saint Laurent Paris. “For Slimane to make the decision to change YSL to SLP before his first collection for the label has been shown is a strong statement about regime change. Clearly, Slimane intends to do things his way," commented the Guardian.
“WWD assures us that the classic YSL logo 'will not disappear,'" reports Racked. In fact, Slimane's rebranding looks to the past as well as the future: He's hoping to tap into the sense of youth and modernity that Yves himself captured with his Saint Laurent Rive Gauche ready-to-wear line in 1966.”
Update: Yves Saint Laurent provided the following statement to brandchannel clarifying the evolution of its branding:
The YSL logo, created by Cassandre in 1961, will remain intact and the name Yves Saint Laurent will continue to be used and represent the fashion house. The Ready-To-Wear line, originally called "Saint Laurent Rive Gauche" in 1966, will now be called "Saint Laurent Paris." Therefore the principal change will be the RTW’s name, "Saint Laurent Paris" and the fashion house will continue to go by the name Yves Saint Laurent. Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on June 13, 2012 01:12 PM
CNET’s Paul Sloan calls it "the greatest landgrab in Internet history.” The new gTLD application window that opened on January 12, 2012 and closed on May 30th is finally revealed with all of the gTLD strings applied for during this round announced today at a press conference in London. From .AAA (filed by the American Automobile Association to .zippo, there were 1,930 top-level domain applications in all, with a few surprises including what wasn't on the list.
“One of the biggest 'reveals' of the day has been the absence of some very significant players: we did NOT see .FACEBOOK, .COKE, .COCACOLA or .PEPSI, .DISNEY, .IKEA, .EBAY, .NINTENDO or .NESTLE or .NESCAFE,” stated FairWinds Partners, which submitted applications on behalf of clients such as Allstate (.allstate), Symantec (.antivirus) and SC Johnson (.afamilycompany). “The heaviest-hitting industries are Auto, Finance and Pharmaceuticals. We've also seen many brands apply for generic terms. Google is a big one, of course, with 101 applications in total, as is Amazon.”
What we did see, as the Washington Post notes: "Amazon.com wants '.joy,' Google wants '.love' and L'Oreal wants '.beauty.'" The most coveted domain? .APP.Continue reading...
Posted by Barry Silverstein on June 6, 2012 06:05 PM
In the annals of brand taglines, "Nobody Doesn't Like Sara Lee" is considered a timeless classic. It evoked images of delectable baked wholesome goodies, fresh from the oven. As a result, the Sara Lee name was indelibly etched into the minds of a generation of moms. (Actually, the full tagline was "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee.")
But that was yesterday. Today's Sara Lee is moving in an entirely new direction — with a product line that concentrates on packaged meats rather than baked goods. So goodbye "Sara Lee" and hello Hillshire Brands, the official new name of the food company's North American foods business as a result of its corporate split. According to a press release, "The new name of the company ... will become effective after the June 28, 2012 spin-off to shareholders of its international coffee and tea business."
It's a natural evolution, given the fact that Sara Lee had already divested itself of the snack cakes and cookies that were its claim to fame. Still, when a brand name with the equity of Sara Lee is abandoned, well...Continue reading...


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US: Kohl's third-quarter earnings edge up
- Third quarter net income up 1.9%
- Sales increased 2.6% to $4.5bn
- Comparable sales grew 1.1%
US department store operator Kohl's saw third quarter net income edge up on the back of rising sales.
The company today (8 November) said that third-quarter net income increased 1.9% to US$215m over the quarter ended 27 October. Net sales were up 2.6% to $4.5bn. Comparable sales grew 1.1% over the quarter.
Gross margin narrowed to 38.1% from 38.6%.
"Our sales performance in the third quarter was consistent with our expectations, while our gross margin results were better than expected, said chairman, president and CEO Kevin Mansell.
The company is expecting a robust holiday season, with Manesll adding that it has made "noticeable investments in holiday inventory - both in both in depth and content - and the in-store experience".
Generally, 2013 is seen as being another challenging year for the apparel industry - although there is cautious optimism for an improved business environment. Issues such as compliance, sustainability...
Opportunities the apparel industry should focus on this year include developing strategic relationships to improve flexibility across the supply chain; a focus on adding value through design, innovati...
What should apparel firms have learnt from the upheaval of the past couple of years - and what should they be doing now if they want to remain competitive into the future? They need to remain nimble e...
Uncertainty is perhaps the biggest challenge facing the apparel industry in 2013. The economic situation in Europe and the US, a combination of rising production costs and flat prices, the pressure to...
The following is a general roundup of US apparel and shoe retailers' January 2013 sales results....
Catherine Malandrino is set to be the third designer to team up with US department store retailer Kohl's Corporation on its DesigNation limited-edition collection. ...
Global sourcing giant Li & Fung Ltd has seen its full-year profit slump despite a slight rise in turnover, blaming ongoing restructuring costs and weakness in its distribution business....
- Under Armour on track with new UAS sportswear line
- Myanmar garment exports surged 20% in 2015
- EU trade ministers push on TTIP and Canada pacts
- What does the future hold for world wool supply?
- Why synthetic fibres are a safe bet for the future
- US retailers urge action on Hanjin Shipping crisis
- Zara launches eco-friendly Join Life collection
- Adidas unveils first Speedfactory running shoe
- Bangladesh calls for US duty-free apparel access
- Ascena Retail disappoints amid challenging year
- Too Many Standards
- Apparel (GLOBAL) - Industry Report
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- Ralph Lauren Corporation : Retailing - Company Profile, SWOT & Financial Analysis
- Central America strategic sourcing review - a focus on Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras


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The folks Newport Convertible Engineering have made a specialty out of taking coupes and sedans and converting them into convertibles. Sometimes this results in absolutely weird creations like a Range Rover droptop, but its latest project is significantly greener. The company has developed hard and soft top conversions for the Tesla Model S, and they are already quite popular too. An investor in China has ordered 100 of them.
Newport Convertible Engineering
Newport Convertible Engineering, the Southern California company that can't keep its top on, has revealed on its website that it is now producing three different droptop versions of the Nissan GT-R Convertible. It's just another page in its work with high-end offerings like the new Range Rover and the Jaguar XJ. NCE owner Al Zadeh tells Autoblog that the superfast speedster came about during a trip to Abu Dhabi, when clients of his that collectively owned ten GT-Rs said they wanted him to engine
The idea of a convertible SUVs remains attractive enough that manufacturers are still trying to figure out how to make it work - case in point, we recently heard that Range Rover continues to debate production of the Evoque convertible. On that note, the folks at Newport Convertible Engineering, lately of Acura TL convertible fame, have given us a look at what a 2013 Range Rover Autobiography looks like with its top removed.
The roofless Acura TL you see above is a product of Newport Convertible Engineering. No stranger to taking the lids off of Acuras - and a bunch of other cars, like this Jaguar XJ and this Toyota FJ Cruiser - NCE says it was the first US coachbuilder to produce an Acura NSX convertible.
- Most and least efficient car companies
- Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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Talk about legs! Or should we say wheels?
Still have your Wii hooked up to race down Coconut Mall and toss shells in Funky Stadium? You’re not alone: as reported by GoNintendo, Nintendo’s recent financial briefing revealed Mario Kart Wii‘s sales went from 37.10 million to 37.20 million between March 2018 and March 2019; to be exact, that’s over a hundred thousand copies! While the game frequently broke gaming sales records throughout the Wii era — it remains the console’s best-selling Mario game and is the tenth best-selling game of all time — it’s a wonder a 2008 title continues selling copies in the shadow of Switch’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Speaking of which, here’s a brief comparison — remember the Wii U version of that game? According to that same report, Mario Kart 8 only sold 20,000 copies in that same period (8.42 to 8.44 million). While you’d normally expect as much from a dead console, its being outstripped by its Wii predecessor only further highlights the failure of Nintendo’s ill-fated HD console. To further rub salt into the wound, perhaps Mario Kart 8‘s sales only reached 20k in part of confused parents? Of course, one could apply the same logic for Mario Kart Wii, but the point remains regarding Wii’s penetration.
Pat yourself on the back, Mario: you’ve earned it! In the meantime, what do you think of Mario Kart Wii‘s silent sales success? Let us know in the comments below!


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A second phase starting Jan. 1, 2015 will ban the bags at small grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies and food markets.
In addition, the new ordinance directs stores to provide customers with recyclable paper bags at 10 cents each. The stores may provide customers with reusable bags for sale or no charge.
Since the ordinance’s adoption, the city has distributed reusable shopping bags to residents at community events. Free reusable bags are available to residents, one bag per customer, while the supply lasts.
Residents can pick up a bag from July 7 to July 11 at the Public Works Building, 345 N. Foothill Rd., between the hours of 9 am to 3 pm. For more information please call 310 285-2467.


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Announcing their bankruptcy restructuring and ceasing of automobile sales in November, American Suzuki Motor Corporation is entering its 50th year of operations in a humble position. Despite the selling the Suzuki SX4 (one of the most affordable all-wheel drive vehicles available in the United States) and the Kizashi sedan, the automotive division simply had to go.
Completing the 2012 calendar year with 25,358 vehicles units sold total, American Suzuki Motor Corporation represented a 5 percent decrease over 2011. Comparing month of December alone however, the final period of 2012 recorded a 32 percent drop in customer demand with only 1,946 Suzuki vehicles sold. Much of the sales drop is caused by the fact Suzuki dealerships have fewer vehicles left to sell.
As automobile sales continue to wind down for the United States marketplace, Suzuki intends to operate business as usual up to the point where the final vehicle is sold. During the month of January, the final 2,500 new Suzuki vehicles to be sold in the United States will arrive at dealership locations. As of the 2012 model year, the only vehicle not imported from Japan was the Nissan-built Suzuki Equator. It’s likely production of the Equator compact pickup truck had already concluded (perhaps before or shortly after the Nissan Frontier pickup truck‘s move to the Canton, Mississippi manufacturing plant). If sales remain at the same levels, it should take under two months for the final US-spec Suzuki cars and crossover vehicles to make their way from dealerships.
The 32 percent lower sales in December of 2012 compared to 2011 is evidently a sign that consumers are concerned about Suzuki. A drop reflecting less the present state with the United States Suzuki branch in bankruptcy but rather concerns support of vehicles could be sketchy heading into later years. One encouraging sign came in early December where 215 of 219 (98 percent) of current Suzuki auto dealerships have said they will continue providing parts and customer service to owners. American Suzuki Motor Corporation has repeatedly stated they will honour all ongoing vehicle warranties. Perhaps the only issue will be in the practical supply of parts and components for a relatively small group of automotive products moving forward.
By the time spring arrives, Suzuki in the United States will probably have met the same automotive brand oblivion that has currently added Pontiac, Mercury and Saab.
Information and photo source: American Suzuki Motor Corporation


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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – With the U.S.-China trade war at a stalemate, more than 50 major global enterprises, including Apple Inc., are weighing whether to shift their production sites away from China, the Nikkei News reports.
More than 50 manufacturers are either planning or considering moving away from China, estimates Nikkei news.. Last month, the news agency reported that Apple is considering moving 15 to 30 percent of its production capacity out of China.
Chinese acoustic components producer GoerTek (歌爾聲學), one of the outsourcing manufacturers for Apple, will soon start producing AirPods on a trial basis in Vietnam. The first wave of Indian-made iPhones, assembled by Foxconn’s local unit, are expected to hit the market as soon as next month.
U.S. laptop producers HP and Dell are considering shifting as much as 30 percent of manufacturing to Southeast Asian countries, and Nintendo is considering doing the same for its Switch video game console. Beyond the consumer electronics industry, footwear companies ASICS and Brooks and construction equipment manufacturer Komatsu (小松製作所) are also exploring the prospect of moving production to Southeast Asia, the U.S., or Japan.
Foreign companies account for 40 percent of Chinese imports and exports, according to the report. The outflow of foreign companies will not only impact China’s economy but also force the companies staying in China to rebuild their supply chains.
However, considering the size of the Chinese market and its well-established suppliers’ network, it is likely that a large portion of production will remain in the country. Nikkei predicts that the global supply system will be split between China and the U.S., hurting the efficiency of scaled economics and pushing up costs for manufacturers.


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Maruti Suzuki India Limited disclosed sales figures for April 2023. The previous month, the carmaker maintained its dominance in the passenger vehicle arena. It sold a total of 160,529 units in April 2023. Domestic market sales last month were 1,37,320 units, an increase of 12.56% year over year over the 1,21,995 units sold in April 2022. There was a 15,325 unit increase in volume. Further, its overall export sales fell by 1,442 units from 18,413 units in April 2022 to 16,971 units in April 2023. On an MoM basis, the carmaker reported an increase. According to Maruti Suzuki, MoM sales increased by 4,557 units, or 3.43%, from the 1,32,763 units sold in March 2023. Let's take a closer look at the detailed sales report of the leading carmaker in India.
Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Fronx Gets a New Exterior Colour; Deliveries Commence in India
Maruti Suzuki Sales April 2023: Key Highlights
From 76,321 units sold in April 2022 to 89,045 vehicles sold the previous month, sales in the micro and compact categories rose by 16.7%. In the micro-segment, Maruti Suzuki deals in the Alto and S-Presso, while in the compact class, the company offers the Dzire, Ignis, Baleno, Celerio, Swift, WagonR, and Tour S. From 17,137 units sold at the same time last year to 14,110 units sold in April 2023, sales of the Alto and S-Presso declined. However, the company in the compact range delivered 74,935 units in April 2023 compared to 59,184 in the same month the year before. Moreover, the Ciaz led the mid-size sedan sector with 1,017 sales last month, an increase from 579 units delivered in April 2022. Thus, the combined sales of these three segments increased from 76,900 units in April 2022 to 90,062 units in April 2023.
In the SUV segment, the carmaker offers Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Ertiga, S-Cross, XL6, Grand Vitara, and the new Fronx. According to the firm, the SUV category saw an increase in sales of 8.3% to 36,754 units in April 2023 from 33,941 units sold in April 2022. Further, the firm reported that it sold 10,504 units of Eeco vans last month, representing a YoY decline from 11,154 units in April 2022.
Also Read: Maruti Suzuki to Boost Production Capacity by 10 Lakh Cars in India
Maruti Suzuki Fronx Launched in India
The Maruti Suzuki Fronx was finally launched by the automaker in India, after much anticipation. The entry-level Sigma model costs Rs 7.47 lakh, while the more expensive Alpha turbo version is priced at Rs 13.14 lakh. These are both ex-showroom prices. Sigma, Delta, Delta+, Zeta, and Alpha are the five trims of Maruti Suzuki's new SUV. In India, the Fronx competes with the Renault Kiger, the Nissan Magnite, the Tata Punch, and the Citroen C3.
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REDCAR and Cleveland welcomed an increasing number of visitors to a staggering 3.74 million in 2017, spending £167 million and supporting more than 1,700 jobs throughout the borough.
The latest figures (for 2017), calculated by Global Solutions on behalf of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, reveal:
• 3.74 million people visited Redcar and Cleveland – an increase of 5.6% from 2016
• £167 million spent on tourist related activities – a further increase of 5% on 2016
• 1,749 people directly employed in tourism – an increase of 4%. When indirect employment in the supply chain is taken into account total employment stands at 2,197, up by 4.5% on 2016
• 4.18 million ‘visitor days’ – a further increase of 5% on 2016
• 327,000 overnight visitors, representing a £50 million spend – an increase of 2.7% on 2016
• 3.4 million day visitors, representing a £118 million spend – an increase of 6% on 2016
• The Food and Drink sector accounts for 34% of all spend and 36% of all employment
The percentage increases are broadly in line with the rest of the Tees Valley which saw an overall increase of 6% in visitor numbers to 19.76 million and a 5% increase in spend to £923.41 million.
Councillor Carl Quartermain, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Communications, said: “This is really great news.
“A large part of our economy is dependent on tourism so we’re thrilled to see it thriving. But we aren’t resting on our laurels. There’s always more we can do.
“The figures show most of our visitors come only for the day. We want them to stay overnight, to experience more of what we have to offer and frankly, to spend more money while they’re here.
“Our ‘Welcome to’ support scheme provides match funding for hotels and B & B’s in the borough to bring unused rooms into use to create more bed spaces for visitors. The more hotel rooms we have, the more people can stay.
“We’ve also recently launched a new place marketing campaign, in partnership with local business and other organisations, to show the benefits of Redcar and Cleveland as a great place to live, enjoy and do business. We’ve got a great new website and active social media feeds to show off the best of our borough.
“As a borough with a coast on one side and stunning countryside on the other, we have a unique offer here in Redcar and Cleveland. We’re keen to share it with as many people as possible.”
Find out more about what Redcar and Cleveland has to offer visitors and tourists.
Hotel and B&B owners interested in the ‘Welcome to’ funding opportunity should call 01642 444494 or email: firstname.lastname@example.org.