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SAVE 78%: A two-year subscription to Private Internet Access is on sale for £2.19 per month as of May 14, and includes an extra two months for free.
Private Internet Access is not the best looking VPN. Its interface is a little dated, and the whole site feels clunky. None of that really matters though, because this powerful VPN is packed with advanced features for securing your online world.
Users get P2P support, malware protection, unlimited bandwidth, multiple gateways, and much morePrivate Internet Access also provides access to an absolutely massive network of servers based all over the world, which is great news if you’re looking to unblock streaming sites. Read more…
First there was Libra, Facebook’s ambitious project to create a Swiss-based, global digital currency. Then Libra was no more; following massive regulatory pressure, the project’s scope was narrowed and the name was changed to Diem.
And now, the project isn’t even Swiss-based anymore, as Diem’s primary operations are being moved from Switzerland to the United States.
On Wednesday, Diem Association announced it has partnered with U.S.-based Silvergate Capital Corporation, whose Silvergate Bank will be the exclusive issuer of the upcoming Diem USD stablecoin.
“We are committed to a payment system that is safe for consumers and businesses, makes payments faster and cheaper, and takes advantage of blockchain technology to bring the benefits of the financial system to more people around the world. We look forward to working with Silvergate to realize this shared vision,” Stuart Levey, chief executive officer of Diem, said in a statement. Read more…
SAVE 68%: A two-year subscription to NordVPN is on sale for £2.74 per month as of May 12, saving you 68% on list price.
VPNs can seem complicated, but the concept is actually pretty straightforward. A VPN provides you with a secure, encrypted tunnel for all of your online traffic to flow through. Nobody can see into the tunnel, so all of your browsing remains private. Make sense?
NordVPN is one of the best VPNs when it comes to online security, with powerful encryption, strong connection speeds, and a massive network of secure servers. It’s also a good option for unlocking streaming sites.


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Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM) reported weaker-than-expected second-quarter results and announced disappointing March quarter guidance Tuesday, citing a soft demand environment.
Although estimates have been lowered accordingly, the company witnessed a return of bookings to normal levels in recent weeks and its profitability metrics remain among the best in the semiconductor universe, according to MKM Partners.
Analyst Ruben Roy maintained a Neutral rating on Maxim Integrated Products and cut the price target from $56 to $54.
Maxim Integrated Products reported December quarter revenue and EPS of $577 million and 60 cents, respectively, well below the consensus expectation of $590 million and 62 cents, respectively.
The company’s operating margin contracted from 38 percent in the prior quarter to 33 percent, driven down by lower revenue, Roy said in a Wednesday note.
For the March quarter, Maxim Integrated Products guided to revenue of $520-$560 million. The midpoint of $540 million is below the consensus estimate of $597 million. The company projected EPS in the range of 49-55 cents. The midpoint of 52 cents is significantly below the consensus estimate of 64 cents.
The analyst lowered EPS estimates for 2019 and 2020 from $2.75 to $2.45 and from $2.90 to $2.60, respectively.
Despite the disappointments, bookings have returned to normal levels and the company has maintained industry-leading profitability metrics, the analyst said, adding that Maxim Integrated Products’ revenue diversification is a “meaningful longer-term positive."
Maxim Integrated Products shares were down 3.63 percent at $52.98 at the time of publication Wednesday.
Goldman Sachs Shares Semiconductor Stock Picks For A Challenging 2019
KeyBanc Starts Coverage On 10 Semiconductor Stocks, Downgrades Cypress Semi
Latest Ratings for MXIM
|Jan 2019||Bank of America||Downgrades||Buy||Neutral|
|Dec 2018||Morgan Stanley||Maintains||Equal-Weight||Equal-Weight|
|Oct 2018||Morgan Stanley||Maintains||Equal-Weight||Equal-Weight|
View More Analyst Ratings for MXIM
View the Latest Analyst Ratings
See more from Benzinga
- Morgan Stanley: Illumina's Q1 Guidance Puts 2019 Targets In Question
- Morgan Stanley Loses Confidence In Allergan's Pipeline Optionality
- Google Will Post Solid Revenues, But Expenses May Weigh On Margins, BofA Says In Q4 Preview
© 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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China sincerely wants to let it be known by the world. I know there are many foreigners who have never been to China but hold a qutie demoded view of China. Some others are influenced by western media's bias report. It is time for China to actively let world know what is a real China|
China is broadcasting a 30-second-long "Made with China" TV advertisement in Europe and Asia to boost the image of the country's products.
The ad, which shows goods labeled with a "Made with China" tag being manufactured with the help of top foreign firms, started showing on BBC World News, Eurosport, and Eurosport 2 on June 28. It will air about 400 times before Aug 8, said the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, one of the four industry groups who commissioned it along with the Ministry of Commerce.
It previously appeared on CNN last November and was also shown at the Chinese Grand Prix of 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship (F1) this April.
"The ad generated a lot of positive response during the previous two rounds of broadcasting, which is an important reason the ministry supports another one," a Ministry of Commerce official, who declined to reveal her name, told China Daily on Thursday.
According to a survey on the popular online portal Sina.com conducted when the ad was showing on CNN, as many as 97.5 percent of respondents said they liked it.
"(The ministry) has made a detailed and complete plan to boost made-in-China products' image globally," the ministry official said.
"We will likely expand the branding campaign beyond ads in the future."
China Business News quoted an unnamed insider as saying, "Both Eurosport and Eurosport 2 are quite popular with Europeans. The World Cup presents a golden opportunity to show the ad to a larger audience."
Communication University of China advertising department dean Huang Shengmin said the government has made progress in its goal of improving Chinese products' global image.
"Unlike ordinary commercials, the 'Made with China' ad's impact might not be immediately apparent," he said. "But it will gradually influence viewers and ultimately have a greater effect than regular ads."
Huang said the government should consistently use such marketing methods and develop new ones, too, such as constructing overseas showrooms for Chinese products or recruiting high-profile image spokespeople.


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Life is very different these days for the Coupon King.
Larry Krasnick`s fast cars, easy money and invincible shield have been stripped away.
Instead of driving a $60,000 Jaguar, he is driving a cab to make ends meet.
The Internal Revenue Service is after him, he owes $750,000 to manufacturers he stole from, and he faces five years in prison.
But Krasnick, a convicted con man who masterminded Florida`s largest white- collar scheme, said he wants to turn his life around.
He hopes to work for the companies he cheated out of millions. He wants to pay off the money he owes by helping them catch coupon crooks, people like him, who steal money by sending in fraudulent coupons to manufacturers.
And the father of two teen-age sons wants to stay out of prison, where he says he cannot be of service to anyone.
``I feel I owe the industry something,`` said Krasnick, who said he thinks as many as one out of every two coupons are redeemed illegally. ``And what I have to offer can save manufacturers billions. If they want my help I can help clean up coupon fraud in the country.``
Some people in the coupon industry scoff at Krasnick`s proposal. Others, impressed with Krasnick`s knowledge, would not be surprised if the Coupon King lands a consulting job with a few manufacturers.
What few argue is that Krasnick woke up several sleeping giants who had refused to believe coupon fraud costs the manufacturing industry up to $500 million yearly, investigators say.
``Krasnick helped jar manufacturers into realizing the scope of how much fraud exists,`` said Judy Farrell, coupon fraud investigator for AC Nielson Co., a Chicago agency that is employed by 800 manufacturers to hunt for coupon fraud. ``Manufacturers like Kellogg`s, who lost thousands to Krasnick, are now doing something about coupon theft.``
Krasnick`s coupon fraud business involved 80 retail stores and 100 employees. It handled more than 110 million coupons worth more than $44 million during the past 10 years.
The windfall ended in July 1988 when Krasnick and 61 others involved in illegally redeeming coupons were arrested. All but two pleaded guilty to a host of charges, including racketeering, grand theft and organized fraud.
After police showed up at his door with a search warrant, Krasnick began helping the people he had conned.
He has spoken to manufacturers at two national conferences about how he operated his enterprise, has cooperated with the state investigation into his activities, and he has helped convict William and Florence Winokur, who had refused to deal with the state.
The Winokurs, who face several years in prison, bought thousands of coupons from Krasnick and operated stores in Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties primarily for the purpose of redeeming coupons.
There were goods on the shelves, but the coupons that were redeemed did not accompany purchases, although they were represented to manufacturers that way.
Krasnick thought his coupon-fraud business was invincible. The money was just as good as the drug trade and the risk was minimal. The only way Krasnick figured his venture would end was if he retired.
``They never showed they cared,`` Krasnick said of the manufacturers. ``It was very easy to steal coupons from them.``
Fifteen months ago, reality struck when police came to his home with a search warrant. They took away his white Jaguar, black 1983 Cadillac, $560,000 in cash, silver coins and bars.
Krasnick shakes his head at the memory: ``My problem was I was too greedy.``
Krasnick got involved in coupons 10 years ago when he bought a retail discount store in Miami and the previous owner passed on a tip: Send in coupons to supplement your income, even though the coupons were not used to purchase a product.
``They said: `Only steal a little. It`ll last forever because coupon manufacturers don`t care,``` Krasnick said.
The previous owner introduced Krasnick to a couple of ``little old ladies`` who worked for the United True Sisters, a Miami charity that raises money for the Miami Children`s Hospital.
The charity ran coupon drives, collecting coupon inserts, then sold them to Krasnick by the pound.
Eve Ruthfield, president of the True Sisters, denies anyone in her organization knew about Krasnick`s illicit activities.
``We just sold them,`` she said. ``We had no idea what he was doing with them. That wasn`t any of our business.``
Krasnick said he bought 8,000 to 10,000 coupons a week from the True Sisters during three years. As his business grew, he said he bought coupons from several charities, paying $6 to $12 a pound and turning around and redeeming the coupons for up to $400 a pound.
Initially, Krasnick said, he only stole a few hundred dollars from manufacturers. But stealing money by illegally redeeming coupons was easy. And he wanted more.
He bought more stores to use as conduits for his venture. The stores had items on the shelves, but just for show. The primary business was coupons.
Soon, he admitted, he was stealing $3,000 to $4,000 a month instead of $1,000.


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PETALING JAYA: The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is probing the tour and travel agency for allegedly duping consumers by inducing them to buy fake packages at a cheap price.
Deputy Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (pic) in an interview with The Star said that the ministry was compiling evidence.
“Full investigation is taking place since the notice of revocation of licence was served on July 6 in accordance to the Tourism Industry Act 1992,” he said.
On LinkedIn, the company involved – Dulcet Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd – indicated that it was established in December 2013.
The company said it provides tour packages within and outside the country and other related services such as hotel reservation, transportation, van and bus rental, cruise ship services, travel visa, insurance and airport check-in.
The company also noted that it is a registered company under the ministry and has obtained licences for inbound tour, outbound tour and ticketing from Tourism Malaysia.
Attempts by The Star to reach the company via the office number provided were unsuccessful.
Muhammad Bakhtiar advised victims to file claims with the Tribunal For Consumer Claims under the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to retrieve their monies.
He added that victims could also file a civil lawsuit against the company.
“A civil lawsuit against the company is possibly the best way forward.
“This is one of the ways to secure back all the payment made to the company,” he said.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Datuk Tay Kok Liang said Dulcet Travel & Tours had not renewed its MATTA membership.
“Consumers can make a complaint to the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry as they are responsible for licensing and regulations of travel agencies, hotels and tourist guides.
“All members are required to abide by a strict code of ethics. Violation of this code can result in disciplinary action being taken,” he said.
Tay added that disciplinary action that could be taken by the ministry against the company include suspension or termination of licence of the said company.
“We hope the ministry will carry out a fair investigation,” he said.


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looks like it’s about to be hit by an antitrust lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission. That’s not necessarily bad news for shareholders.
(AMZN) didn’t offer any concessions to the FTC in what could be the final talks before a lawsuit is filed against the online retailer, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The lawsuit is likely to suggest measures which could lead to a break up of the company, according to the WSJ.
Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Shareholders shouldn’t worry too much – they might even celebrate the news. That’s according to analysts at D.A. Davidson, who calculated that if Amazon were to be split up it could be worth between $148 and $193 a share.
The calculation was based on a scenario where Amazon is broken into three parts – its own retail operation, a third-party retail or marketplace platform, and its cloud-computing business. The analysts, led by Tom Forte, argued that could be better than keeping Amazon in its current form where it would increasingly struggle to achieve a 10%-20% compound annual growth rate to maintain its premium valuation.
Amazon shares were down 0.7% at $136.37 in premarket trading on Wednesday.
It’s hardly the first time a breakup of Amazon has been mooted – Barron’s wrote about the possibility back in 2018. However, the FTC lawsuit could concentrate investors’ minds on what would happen if Amazon is forced into the move rather than it being its own choice. Other analysts have put Amazon’s valuation at around $200 a share in a breakup scenario.
A breakup wouldn’t be a simple task. D.A. Davidson’s Forte suggested the period of distraction could last more than a decade, based on previous complex company separations. However, he noted that both Google-parent
-owner Meta Platforms (META) shares have performed well while being sued for antitrust by the government.
Write to Adam Clark at email@example.com


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Amid the trust crisis, how can Huawei win its way?
The intensifying US-China tech cold war is taking a toll on Huawei. Since the US would not let up on campaigns persuading allies to internationally freeze Huawei out of 5G tenders by accusing the company of deliberately building in security flaws in collusion with the Chinese government, the telecommunication giant is struggling to regain trust worldwide. Nevertheless, it’s never an easy step to take since Huawei deals with issues in a totally different way from the West and seems to lack international insights with regard to cultural respect. What is Huawei and how can it crawl out of this swamp, maybe some hints can be found in this post.


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MACAO, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) recorded 167,000 visitor arrivals from May 1 to 5, the May Day holiday in the mainland, the Macao Government Tourism Office said on Friday.
Of the visitors, about 156,000 were from the mainland, according to the office.
The daily average number of visitor arrivals to Macao stood at 33,000, up 158.2 percent from that during the Chinese New Year holiday week in February and up 25.4 percent from that in April, said the office.
The number of visitor arrivals on May 1 reached 45,000, the highest daily record since the COVID-19 outbreak, said the office.
The average hotel occupancy rate during the May Day holiday reached 83.2 percent, up 34.6 percentage points from the figure in the Chinese New Year holiday week.
The daily average of visitor arrivals during the May Day holiday recovered to 21.1 percent of that in the same period of 2019 before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Hotel occupancy rate recovered to 96.6 percent of the level in the same period of 2019. Enditem


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- Social media users — including Cardi B — are crediting their healthy hair to natural alternatives to shampoo.
- Dr. Alexander Dane, a board-certified dermatologist, said some natural alternatives like rice water can benefit the hair.
- Other items, like baking soda and castor oil, might cause more damage to ther hair and skin.
Cardi B jumped on the trend, telling her Instagram followers this week that she washes her hair with boiled onion water.
"My last 2 washes I been boiling onions and using the water to wash my hair," she said in an Instagram post. "It's odorless and I notice that it's been giving a shine to my hair."
Shampoo-naysayers may have a point, said Dr. Alexander Dane, a New Jersey-based board-certified plastic surgeon. Chemicals in shampoo can strip away the hair's natural oil, and some are even known to cause cancer or disrupt your body's hormones.
"People are becoming more aware of what they're putting into and on their bodies, and we're starting to see people reach for natural alternatives as an alternative to using these store-bought, synthetic shampoos that can actually sometimes cause more damage than good," Dane told Insider.
Shampoos can contain chemicals that strips your hair of color, natural oils, and moisture
The "clean beauty" trend likely has to do with Americans becoming more cognizant of the dangerous health effects chemicals in their beauty products can have, according to Dane.
"If you went into your local drug store and you pick up any bottle of shampoo and you turn it around to see the ingredient, oftentimes you see there's 20 to 30 ingredients listed, most of them being synthetic with numerous chemicals that actually are banned in other countries," Dane said.
The dermatologist said some of these chemicals include:
- Sulfate, a foaming agent in haircare products that strip the hair of natural oils and coloring, and may cause irritation.
- Triclosan, a chemical added to prolong shelf-life in anti-bacterial products that can interfere with the body's hormones and might be linked to cancer and reproduction problems.
- Parabens, a chemical that strips the color out of hair, and can lead to dryness and irritation. Researchers are studying the effects of parabens on breast cancer.
- Benzene, a known human carcinogen that may have contaminated Procter & Gamble's shampoos products in 2021, leading to a recall.
- Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen that is still used in some shampoos.
Natural shampoos that damage your scalp
- Baking soda, though touted on social media as a way to exfoliate your hair and scalp, contains a high pH balance, which can irritate the scalp and strip the hair, Dane said. He would avoid using baking soda as a standalone hair treatment.
- Dane also warned against castor oil. Excess amount of castor oil in the hair can lead to "acute hair felting," or when the hair becomes matted, twisted, and so entangled it resembles a birds nest, according to a 2017 paper in the International Journal of Trichology.
- The acidity in lemon juice can help restore dry or frizzy hair, but using too much can lead to excessive dryness and brittle hair. Plus, if lemon juice leaks out of your hair and onto other parts of your skin, interaction with the sun can cause a rash or discoloration.
Dane said while hair can benefit from natural alternatives to shampoo, overdoing it can cause negative effects on the skin and hair. "Just because something is natural, you don't wanna overdo it," Dane said.
Homemade washes you should try, from eggs to chickpea flour — but in moderation
- Chickpea flour mixed with milk. Dane said research backs up the use of this centuries-old homemade shampoo in India. Chickpea flour, as well as rice flour, contains proteins that can help strengthen keratin — the protein that keeps your hair and nails strong.
- Rice water. Many people in China, Japan, and parts of Southeast Asia use the starchy water from soaked rice as a hair cleanser. Dane said it is "filled with nutrients" like folate, vitamin B, vitamin E, amino acids, and antioxidants that increase the moisture in your hair and scalp, adding volume and definition. Limit use to once or twice a week, he said — too often can cause flakiness.
- Eggs — whether applied topically or eaten as part of your diet — can help produce shiny and healthy hair, Dane says. That's because they contain biotin, iodine, and vitamins A, D, E, and B12. The sulfur in eggs work as an antimicrobial, and yolks contain vitamins that can make brittle hair more resistant to damage. Apply and wash out an egg-and-water mixture once or twice a week, Dane says.
- Coconut oil spray is fast emerging as a promising natural haircare product. One study found it may treat head lice better than chemical treatment. Studies also indicate coconut oil protect hair from sun damage by filtering UV rays. And a paper published last year found it can treat dandruff. Dane said not to use too much coconut oil, as the buildup can clog pores in your scalp, but using it once in a while and fully rinsing it out can help maintain healthy hair and scalp.


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Now, thanks to one Glasgow family, the humble pakora is being devoured by everyone from Shetland to Auchtermuchty -- and all stops in between.
Muhammad Wasim and his wife Helen’s variety of handmade pakoras have made such a huge impact in the catering trade in the last few years they could justifiably refer to themselves as the king and queen of pakora.
Introducing daring new flavours such as spinach and broccoli; mushroom, onion and cashew pakoras has earned them an enviable reputation as suppliers of some of the tastiest spicy food this side of Lahore.
Wasim and Helen’s journey from courting couple to humble shop owners to running a burgeoning business began almost 30 years ago when Wasim, who had come from his home in Pakistan to study at Glasgow University, caught the eye of the local supermarket checkout girl.
“Helen worked in the local Presto supermarket on Byres Road,” says Wasim, 50.
“She used to work on the checkout and I used to pop in during my break and say hello. We’ve been married now for 29 years.”
After graduating with a degree in development economics, Wasim fell into a series of unfulfilling jobs before his elder brother Muhammad Nasim stepped in.
He said: “He persuaded me to start a small business. He was, and still is, my mentor.”
Both Wasim and Helen took over the running of a local food store in Woodlands Road.
It wasn’t long, however, before Wasim had an idea that would turn the shop into a West End institution.
“About 15 years ago I fell on the idea of pakora,” says Wasim.
“I thought, I’d like to try something different and I remembered my mum used to make pakora. In fact, all others used to, it was a way of using up leftovers.
“They’d gather up bits of vegetables and mix it all together.
“I thought, why don’t I try it. So, I made some, put it in the shop and everyone loved it.
“That really encouraged me so I began to experiment and I came up with seven types of pakora.”
For the next 15 years, Wasim and Helen served an inventive concoction of pakora and introduced a variety of flavours not seen or tasted before.
Where previously, revellers stopping off at a takeaway on their way home could munch on either vegetable or chicken pakora, Wasim pushed the culinary boat out with such concoctions as mushroom onion and chive, spinach and broccoli, spinach and brie and even mushroom, onion and cashew pakora.
He said: “The basic vegetable pakora was a family recipe but the rest were my own. I’m afraid the customers were my guinea pigs.”
As well as pakora, Wasim and Helen soon expanded into a range of samosas (including the perennial favourite, mince samosa) and a selection of veggie burgers.
“People were buying in bigger quantities and I had been thinking about leaving the shop and starting something on an industrial scale for a while,” adds Wasim.
Much to the chagrin of their loyal band of customers, Wasim and Helen took the great leap five years ago and put their shop up for sale.
“Helen said that if we didn’t make a move now, we’ll be here for the rest of our lives,” says Wasim.
“In 2005 I got up one morning and decided, that’s it, it was a total revelation. I was working until four in the morning at the weekend and I had been doing that for 15 years.”
Now trading under the name Subzi Spice from an industrial unit in Queenslie, the couple began the slow process of building their business as large-scale food suppliers.
Wasim readily admits the first year was their toughest as they were out of their retail comfort zone.
“I started to question myself,” he says, “and ask ‘what have I done’? I remember we only had one chest freezer and a single frier.”
Five years later, at their new larger premises in Springburn, business has blossomed to such an extent, they now have the capacity to produce a tonne of pakora a day.
The family-run business, which also includes the couple’s son Omar and nephew Yusuf, began to grow and it wasn’t long before Wasim’s handmade pakora was available in shops, universities and golf clubs across the country.
“Yusuf and me would get in the van and chose a different direction each day.
“We stopped at every shop with a freezer and showed them samples. It was hard work but two out of every five shops would buy the pakora.”
Their big break came when cash and carry chain Booker agreed to stock their pakora in every one of its Scottish outlets.
“I’ve been told that there is not a single trolley from a caterer which does not contain at least a few bags of our pakora,” beams Wasim.
While he harbours ambitious plans to spread Scotland’s love of pakora to the rest of the UK, Wasim is taking a sensibly cautious approach.
Remaining focused on Scotland for the time being, he has recently opened two retail outlets in Glasgow, under the banner of The Party Food Shop.
With a store each in the Forge, Parkhead, and the Savoy Centre on Sauchiehall Street, it’s son Omar who will take charge of the retail side of the business.
“I want to take pakora to the British high street,” says Wasim.
“Our ambition is to have lots of shops selling the frozen, oven-ready pakoras, samosas, veggie burgers and curries.
“We have rivals but when it comes to authentic pakora, we are the only people in the trade, as far as I know, who do it by hand.
“The minute you introduce machinery it becomes mechanised food and the quality drops.”
With an unwavering passion for his product and seemingly endless energy, Wasim’s dream of supplying the entire UK with his handmade pakora seems inevitable.
But the continuing success of the business is not solely down to Wasim’s evangelical approach to his product. It’s something much more important, he admits.
“In this place, Helen is the rock,” he smiles. “Without her this place would not work. It’s all down to her.”


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Mouret has tapped French artist Leyman Lahcine to create a limited-edition series of hand-drawn perfume bottles.
Mouret had relocated there two years ago, but is shifting the attention to e-commerce and wholesale, which has been robust.
Guests at the zodiac-themed cocktail and dinner included Barry Diller, Joan Collins, Alice Temperley, Erin O’Connor, Ashley Hicks and Paloma Faith.
“It’s not a retrospective,” said the designer, whose book will be published by Rizzoli on Nov. 6.
FLOTUS’ choice of pale yellow was meant to pay homage to Queen Elizabeth II, who is said to also favor the color, stylist Herve Pierre said.
FLOTUS lands in London wearing a fitted taupe dress by British designer Roland Mouret.


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"With so much at stake, the opportunities for fraudsters are countless and we need to do more."
One in six smartphone users have fallen victim to cyber attacks, according to information services firm, Experian.
The mobile devices and their tablet counterparts are particularly vulnerable due to a lack of protection from malicious software.
Reported attacks include phishing emails, and perhaps more worryingly, session hijacks. Victims of the latter have had their browsing interrupted, usage monitored and their session taken over remotely, by cyber criminals.
Ori Eisen, lead researcher at Experian has cited this year in particular as a ‘tipping point,’ for mobile cyber attacks.
The firm found that there has been an 80 per cent increase in mobile-targeted phishing attacks.
He said: “The rapid rise in demand for online banking and retail combined with very little security on devices has created a massive opportunity for cyber criminals leaving many people and businesses extremely vulnerable.”
Experian’s findings come just as retail’s busiest period gets into full swing. Shoppers are expected to spend up to £74 billion over the holiday season.
Research indicates that nearly half of mobile users are using internet banking services, and one in three are using their devices for online shopping.
Internet sales are expected to contribute £17.3 billion.
“There are approximately five billion connected devices globally, serving a billion online bank accounts and contributing $13trillion to global ecommerce sales and transactions,” Mr Eisen continued.
“With so much at stake, the opportunities for fraudsters are countless and we need to do more – as an industry and as individuals – to protect ourselves.”
93 per cent of Britons profess to having security software installed on their Laptops or PCs, indicating that mosts are aware of the risks.
However, a third of participants in the mobile-centric study, claimed they didn’t have anti-virus installed because they were unaware that they needed it.
A further 12 per cent reportedly assumed protection was provided by their service provider.
The report follows recent arrests made in November 2014, tackling cyber criminals using Remote Access Trojans (RATs). RATs give hackers control over computers, allowing them to monitor user activity.
Hackers can even turn on the user’s webcam, breaching the personal privacy of victims as well as accessing sensitive data.
Earlier in 2014, DESIblitz reported that Hammad Akbar, CEO of a business selling ‘Stealth Genie’ software, was arrested.
The software, billed as a method to catch cheating spouses, allows users to monitor activity on the device, including texts, emails and internet activity. It’s easy enough to install, and once on the device, the app goes undetected.
Research has shown that Android devices are most vulnerable to attack. A study from Finland-based, F-Secure Labs found that 97 per cent of mobile malware was Android targeted.
However, Apple users are still susceptible. Recently, the Android rivals introduced Apple Pay to the US.
Apple Pay has been billed as a revolutionary way to pay, but experts have pointed out a number of vulnerabilities.
The payment method is tied to the user’s iTunes account, that have been known to have been compromised before. In 2012, some devices were compromised by simply following Apple’s official password reset protocol.
Also, Apple Pay works by transferring data via near field communication (NFC).
Experts say NFC transmissions, used in Apple’s staple mobile device, are just like any other data transfer, and can be compromised.
Dmitry Bestuzhev of security software firm, Kapersky said: “It sends and receives information which can be intercepted.”
Considering the disturbing ‘one in six’ statistic, it begs the question of just how far an experienced hacker can dig into mobiles – devices that follow almost everybody, everywhere that are often always connected to the internet.
So should we be worried that our privacy is at risk?


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Shox Is Reportedly Secures 79 Billion Rupiah Funding, Introducing Social Commerce Platform for Household
Also participated in this series A round AC Ventures, Teja Ventures, and a number of other investors
The Shox platform developer is reported to have received $5.5 million funding or equivalent to 79 billion Rupiah in the series A round. Also participated in this round Ephesus United, AC Ventures, Teja Ventures, SGInnovate, Partech, and a number of investors.
The data has been submitted to the regulator. DailySocial.id has tried to confirm the news regarding this investment from related parties, however, there had been no response until this article was published.
This startup was founded by Sonat Yalcinkaya (Kaya) and Vyani. Kaya himsel previously had experience in handling e-commerce businesses for big brands such as Philips and Midea. Meanwhile, Vyani is known as the co-founder of the logistics startup Pakde, which acquired by Shipper in 2020.
In fact, Shox has been operating since 2019 and currently has tens of thousands of application users. Shox's service focuses on users in rural areas, targeting the unbanked population.
Shox Rumahan is currently being transformed as an application to fulfill household demands-- from kitchen utensils, electronic equipment, and so on. With a social commerce concept, this platform allows its users to earn additional income by entrepreneurship through the partnership/community program with the social gathering feature in the application.
Evolution from Soyaka AI
Previously, Kaya was also known as the founder of Soyaka AI - a developer of artificial intelligence-based social commerce platforms. The Soyaka site and team are currently rerouted to fully work on Shox Rumahan. Even though in terms of backend, Shox also utilizes the engine from the Soyaka platform.
Saoyaka's AI capabilities allow Shox to offer excellent features, such as using scanned photos or images to find products; then come up with product ideas and inspiration according to existing trends.
Shox Rumahan is growing quite rapidly, to the day this article was published, they already have around 150 employees stated on LinkedIn. Some of the team is headquartered in Yogyakarta.
From an article published by Kaya in 2021, Shox is said to have gathered users in more than 5000 villages in various regions. By analyzing existing purchasing trends, their team has helped build a credit scoring system, which will then be used as capital to create a comprehensive digital banking and payments ecosystem.
It is also said with the current business model, the cost for customer acquisition is much cheaper than the general e-commerce concept. "Our CAC (customer acquisition cost) in this rural community is 10 times cheaper than existing players. And these customers stay because they see true value," he wrote.
In terms of logistics efficiency, Shox is more focused on serving bulk purchases (usually on a per RT scale). Ordering in large quantities makes it easier for them to reduce logistics costs, around 5-10x cheaper. Although it must be taken to a location far enough from the city center. "Our current average order value (AOV) exceeds $200, which is 5 to 10 times that of other social commerce players," Kaya said.
–Original article is in Indonesian, translated by Kristin Siagian


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Recently, we found a new exploit using port 5555 after detecting two suspicious spikes in activity on July 9-10 and July 15. In this scenario, the activity involves the command line utility called Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a part of the Android SDK that handles communication between devices that also allows developers to run and debug apps on Android devices.Read More
This blog tackles the recently ill-famed VPNFilter malware and if deployed devices are vulnerable to it. VPNFilter is a newly discovered, multi-stage malware (detected by Trend Micro as ELF_VPNFILT.A, ELF_VPNFILT.B, ELF_VPNFILT.C, and ELF_VPNFILT.D) that affects many models of connected devices. Based on our data from June 1 to July 12, plenty of the devices are still using old firmware versions. In fact, 19 known vulnerabilities, not only taken advantage of by VPNFilter but other malware as well, can still be detected in devices up to this day.Read More
Even before the term IoT was coined, we had the routers at the gateway, most of the time publicly exposed on the internet. In the context of the IoT, the router is perhaps the most important device for the whole infrastructure. All traffic goes through it and it allows for the provision of many services, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Domain Name System (DNS), content filtering, firewalls, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), to all connected devices, including computers, smartphones, and IP cameras. If an attacker is able to compromise the router, every device connected to it can be affected. And that’s what a hacking group in Brazil just did.Read More
If there is anything to be learned from the massive attacks that have been seen on connected devices, it is that the internet of things (IoT) is riddled with vulnerabilities. We have seen this time and again with how botnets are created from system weaknesses and have harnessed poor basic security to disrupt many devices and services.
In the past year, we embarked on a closer look at the security of IoT devices around the world. We chose devices that are available in different Amazon regions and are widely used in the Japan market, and tried to find out whether remote code execution (RCE) is possible. What we ended up finding out was more than that.Read More
Our network monitoring system recently detected an enormous amount of Mirai-like scanning activity from China. From 1:00 p.m. UTC on March 31 to 12:00 a.m. UTC on April 3, our team detected an influx of activity coming from 3,423 IP addresses of scanners. Brazil appeared to be the target location of the scanning of networked devices, including routers and IP cameras.Read More


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When you attach a voice and a story to a piece of legislation - if that doesn't move congressmen and senators, they shouldn't be here.
Elma, New York (PRWEB) December 14, 2012
The Made In America Store is kicking off their holiday event this Saturday and there will be plenty for the community to do. Robin Tolsma, the Author of ‘Everything Changed’ will be on site signing copies of her 100% US manufactured book.
Robin Tolsma's book talks about how her life drastically changed on February 12th, 2009 when Flight 3407 plummeted out of the frozen sky and crashed, killing her husband Darren Tolsma on board and 48 other individuals on the aircraft including one man in the home the plane had hit. Speculation swirled around Western New York and the nation as to how something like this could happen. 50 people total were killed in the accident and many families were affected by the tragedy.
Consumers looking for a copy of Robin Tolsma's book, "Everything Changed," about Flight 3407 can visit http://www.MadeInAmericaStore.com or can visit our location at 900 Maple Road in Elma, New York. 14059
After the media attention and the public "Thank you's" to the first responders and cleanup crews subsided, Tolsma and the families affected by the accident set their goal on changing some rules and regulations to have better pilot training.
The new federal Aviation Administration, or FAA bill, that robin is trying to pass, states that new pilots require at least 1,500 hours devoted to flight time upon being hired as opposed to the current 250 hours flying time needed today. The new piece of legislation has passed the House of Representatives but is on hold at the Senate.
"People like Robin Tolsma are very important," said New York Congress Representative, Chris Lee. "When you attach a voice and a story to a piece of legislation - if that doesn't move congressmen and senators, they shouldn't be here."
Robin Tolsma is dealing with more than just the accident and heading the movement to change the FAA rules. Tolsma was diagnosed seven years ago with the autoimmune disease lupus and just a few months before Darren's passing, she discovered she had leukemia. With what looked like the odds being against her, she is still more concerned about her children.
"I'm going to be fine," said Tolsma of her illness. "But my fear is I don't want to leave the kids without a parent. I think of that all the time."
The Great Made In America Store Christmas will start at 10am and go until 4pm. The event will be catered by Dale’s Rollin’ Smoke BBQ, where he will be offering his signature Barbecued Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Salt Potatoes and Chicken Wing Soup. Consumers that visit the Made In America Store for the event will be given a chance to win a Christmas tree from local farmer, Berner’s.
The Made In America Store will be presenting Nashville Recording Artist, Ricky Lee. Ricky teamed up with the Made In America Store back in April of 2010 and since then, Ricky has performed numerous Made In America Store events, Country Music Concerts and Charity events. Fans and Made In America shoppers can enjoy some of Ricky’s original songs, Country hits of today and some Christmas jingles.
For the children, the Great Made In America Store Christmas will have live alpacas and Santa Claus is schedule to make a visit. Matt Hannah from ‘Insane Chain’ will be on sight all day long sculpting something special for the holiday season. Matt, with his uncanny ability to sculpt with just a chainsaw, has been at every Made In America Store events. Matt even has some of his artwork for sale at the store.
The Great Made In America Store Christmas will also bring some of the store’s vendors out to display their US made products. Robin Tolsma and Baldwin Hill Farm will all make a presence for the Christmas event. Robin Tolsma, the author of “Everything Changed,” will be doing live book signings and interviews. Bubble’s BBQ Sauce will on site to sample their signature sauce for anyone to try. Baldwin Hill Farms will also be at the event giving samples of their products. Baldwin Hill Farms is known for their Maple Syrup and delicious Maple Candies sold at the Made In America Store.
Back in 2007, Mark Andol had lost a multimillion dollar contract to a Chinese manufacturer at his steel fabrication facility, General Welding & Fabricating. The loss was so catastrophic; Mark was forced to lay off a third of his workforce just to stay afloat.
“It was one of the hardest things I had to do during the holiday season,” said Mark Andol. “Christmas just isn’t the same when you have to lay off your brother-in-law.”
Mark Andol, owner and creator of the Made In America Store, would like to let everyone know there is more to the store and the event than just a time to have fun. Mark makes it known to everyone that visits the store this time of year, it’s more important than ever to buy American.
“A lot of Americans don’t have jobs right now,” said Mark Andol. “If we can all spend just $64 this holiday, we can collectively create 200,000 US jobs. Feel better about your purchases that are American. Not only are you supporting a US based company, you’re saving and creating jobs this Christmas season.”
The Made In America Store is the only brick and mortar store that sells 100% made in the United States products from over 350 vendors. Consumers can visit http://www.MadeInAmericaStore.com or call 716-652-4872 to get more information or shop our catalog of over 3,500 items. Both Active Duty Military Personnel and U.S. Military Veterans receive a 10% discount every day. Followers of the “Made In America” movement can keep updated with the Made In America Store through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, FourSquare and even their own blog on Wordpress!


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Carlson Rezidor has announced it will open Park Inn by Radison hotels in Bucharest and Onitsha.
The 210-room Park Inn by Radisson Bucharest Hotel & Residence will be the brand's first property in Romania and is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of this year.
Part of a dual-branded property, it is being constructed next door to an existing Radisson Blu hotel.
Park Inn by Radisson Bucharest
Facilities will include a lobby lounge and bar, an all-day restaurant, four meeting rooms and a pre-function area. A fitness center with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool will also be available.
Park Inn by Radisson Onitsha will contain 152 rooms and is due to open in the third quarter of 2016. It will be Carlson Rezidor's seventh property in Nigeria.
The hotel will be part of a mixed-use development that also features a shopping mall, convention centre, an office park and residential apartments.
Park Inn by Radisson Onitsha
The property will feature three food and beverage options including a rooftop bar and lounge, 170 sqm of meeting space, a business centre, the aforementioned conference centre, and an outdoor swimming pool and terrace.
Subscribers can read a review of Park Inn by Radisson Glasgow City Centre here.


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For Immediate Release: November 9th, 2011
Ride West BMW Launches Sales Campaign
This week Ride West BMW announced an aggressive sales program for new BMW motorcycles. For buyers who qualify with BMW Financial Services, new BMW motorcycles can be purchased with a 0.9% loan over 48 months, or 1.9% over 60 months (K 1600GT and GTL models are excluded).
According to company president Keith Thye, “We have not offered a Finance program this beneficial to the customer since 2003. It’s a fact of life that we always have motorcycles in the winter, when demand tends to sag, and we always run out in the summer, when demand is high. With this program we hope to get the motorcycles into the hands of buyers at the time of year we have them.”
The new sales program runs through December 31st of this year and comes after an actual model shortage of most new BMW models for the past several months.
Continued Thye, “In a way, this is a reward for our customers who wanted to purchase a new BMW from us over the summer when we simply could not meet the demand. We’re pretty confident our customers will be excited by this new program.”
Ride West BMW consistently ranks as one of the top five BMW motorcycle dealers in the United States. Ride West is located at 8100 Lake City Way in North Seattle.
For further information, please contact:
Ride West BMW
(206) 527 – 5511
1- (888) 527-RIDE


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If you are planning to get a new smartphone for you or anybody else then this is the right time to buy one because there is bad news for all of us.
The Indian government is going to increase the GST rate on smartphones from 12 percent to 18 percent
which causes a heavy increase in the prices of smartphones in India.
Look here for new government jobs:
The reason behind this is direct import which makes the smartphone more expensive from next month.
The GST council of India issued a notice to implement the new GST rates from April 1st.
An increase in GST rates and weak Indian rupee will automatically boost the prices of new smartphones in India.
The CEO Xiaomi India Mr. Many Kumar Jain also tweet this information by requesting prime minister
and finance minister of India to reconsider the GST rates on smartphones because the industry already struggling with the low currency value and due to Covid – 19.
So if you are planning to buy one this is the right time to go for it and also inform your friends and family members about this.


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VeriFone Holdings (NYSE: PAY), today announced a licensing agreement for deployment of its taxi payment and media solutions in South Africa.
The agreement with iMobilise Transportation Systems (iMTS) will modernize taxis in time for the World Cup in June.
iMTS anticipates installation of VeriFone systems in 1,500 taxis in the urban centers of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Deployments will begin this spring and provide passengers with the latest in passenger information technology and payment options including credit cards, Chip and PIN-based debit, and contactless.
"Our solutions enhance the customer experience by providing them with their preferred payment options and access to multimedia content during their trips," said VeriFone CEO Douglas G. Bergeron. "These systems ensure the convenience of card payments and offer real-time media delivery that provides advertisers with a compelling new venue for digital content."
VeriFone has deployed transportation systems around the world, from Istanbul to Singapore to New York City, and supports both EMV and non-EMV bank-issued cards as well as closed-loop cards.
VeriFone's taxi payment and information systems ensure the convenience of card payments and offer real-time media delivery that provides advertisers with a compelling new venue for digital content.
VeriFone Transportation Systems provides the next generation in mobile payment and transportation automation solutions, enabling mobile payment, navigation, dispatch, text messaging, and real-time information delivery capabilities to taxi fleets.


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|Телеком||ТВ и медиа||Облака||ПО||Кадры|
|ИТ в образовании||ИТ в медицине||Big Data||E-commerce||Спутниковая связь|
Cable Losing Market Share But Finding Digital Service
|23 августа 2006|
According to a report released Wednesday from J.D. Power and Associates, the increase in digital service usage is being fueled by greater availability of digital video, data and voice bundling options.
Currently, the firm said, 29 percent of U.S. households subscribe to satellite service alone (up two percent from 2005) while 58 percent of homes subscribe only to cable (down from last year's 60). With additional one percent of households subscribing to both cable and satellite services, a total of 88 percent of U.S. subscribers have either or both, the company said.
"Digital service is the key for consumers in taking advantage of the aggressively marketed triple-play bundle of digital video, voice and internet services," said Steve Kirkeby, executive research director at J.D. Power. "With analog cable subscribers increasingly converting to digital, this becomes a major advantage for cable companies in the race against satellite providers to maintain market share." Plus, the analyst said, increased popularity of bundled services is another contributor to a decrease in monthly payments for cable subscribers.
The report also factored in the "significant" increase of DVR usage over the past year. Thirty-eight percent of cable subscribers and 25 percent of satellite subscribers report that they are using DVRs supplied by their provider, while another 24 percent of customers report using TiVo as their DVR, the company said.
Source: SkyREPORT E-News
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H&M announced today their new NorthPark Mall retail location will open on August 18, 2011.
We had heard the NorthPark spot would open in the second part of the year, but this is the official word from the H&M honchos, and it comes with some additional goodies.
For the first 500 fashionable folks in the doors on opening day (which starts at noon), H&M will offer an "Access to Fashion Pass" valued up to $500. One lucky winner will get a pass that lets them be the first to shop in the new location, as well as some one-on-one time with a stylist to help them get the fashions that fit.
“H&M is thrilled to be expanding into the Texas market,” says Daniel Kulle, U.S. President for H&M, in a press release. “We have been waiting for this for quite some time. The Dallas market is such a big opportunity for H&M. We remain dedicated to bringing our customers the best new locations and continually expanding our presence in the United States. The grand opening of H&M at the NorthPark Mall will be a great addition to the Dallas retail landscape.”
Apparently, the expansion will be more than just the NorthPark store, too. Recently, we heard the Shops at Willow Bend would get an H&M location as well.


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Online grocery Dingdong Limited (DDL) saw Q3 revenue of 5.1 billion yuan (US$700 million), but a net profit of 2.1 million yuan. Operating costs and expenses were 5.2 billion yuan, a 17.6 percent decrease from last year.
The company has closed down in numerous cities since last year. In the first half of this year, it suspended operations in Chongqing and Chengdu.
DDL’s GMV in Shanghai grew by 7.8 percent in Q3, and its GMV in Jiangsu and Zhejiang grew by over 13 percent sequentially, achieving overall regional profitability for the fourth consecutive quarter and covering headquarters expenses.
DDL founder and CEO Liang Changlin said the company is more concentrated on goods closely related to daily life. Based on this, DDL will increase its investment in promotions and discounts.


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Verizon has announced that it will deliver 5G pre-commercial services to select customers in 11 cities throughout in the US on its newly built 5G network. Verizon will begin offering 5G to pilot customers during the first half of 2017 in the Ann Arbor, ... Fone Arena, 1 month ago
WHEN I FIRST began corresponding with novelist Bharati Mukherjee in New York, it was spring of 2015 and a time of dreaming. ‘I am so honored by your interest in my work,’ Mukherjee had written graciously in her letter; this became a precursor to a few ...Open Magazine, 1 month ago
By Alana Wise NEW YORK (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday promised a "major border tax" on companies that shift jobs outside the United States, further pressuring American businesses days after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said heavy ...Sify, 2 months ago
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump targeted Toyota Motor Corp on Thursday, threatening to impose a hefty fee on the world's largest automaker if it builds its Corolla cars for the U.S. market at a plant in Mexico.Sify, 2 months ago
on your WebpageAdd Widget >Get your members hooked!


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- A new rumor says the iPhone 13 series will have almost the same design as the iPhone 12, with Apple planning a few notable changes.
- The iPhone 13 will be slightly thicker, and the phones will feature smaller notches than the Face ID notch Apple used so far on its iPhones.
- The camera system on the back will also get a makeover, and the iPhone 13 models will be slightly thicker than the iPhone 12.
The pandemic impacted every aspect of our lives last year, including the economy. Lockdowns and travel bans hurt the technology sector as well, and some products arrived much later than expected. That’s what happened to Apple’s iPhone 12, which launched in two phases last fall, in mid-October and early November.
But unlike other phones hurt by the pandemic, the iPhones sold well. A few of the four iPhone 12 models were sold out for weeks after launch, and the iPhones dominated sales charts over Christmas. While the iPhone 12 has been on sale for less than three months, Apple is already working on the next-gen iPhone series. As a result, the first iPhone 13 rumors have already begun to spread. Some say the new iPhones will support a 120Hz refresh rate, a feature only available on some Androids right now. Others say the iPhone camera won’t get a meaningful upgrade until 2023, although LiDAR might make its way to every model. And a brand new story out of Japan claims that the iPhone 13 will deliver the design change we’ve been waiting for since 2017: A smaller notch.
For the most part, there are two smartphone designs on the market. Most Android phones have a hole-punch display, and most iPhone models have the same notch that the iPhone X introduced in 2017. Both these display compromises are necessary to accommodate a wide variety of cameras, sensors, and speakers.
The notch is the more palatable compromise of the two, with 3D face scanning that few Android handset makers can match. Then again, Face ID during the pandemic is basically useless with a mask on.
Smartphone vendors are already working on the perfect smartphone display without bezels or cutouts. The cameras and sensors would sit behind the OLED screen, but that technology isn’t ready. Several Android vendors have shown prototypes, and others have patents which show they are studying the technology. But the big names in the mobile industry won’t launch phones with under-display cameras until they’re confident the performance of the selfie camera won’t suffer.
There’s no telling whether we’ll ever have an iPhone with an under-display camera and/or Face ID system, but a smaller notch has been rumored for years. In 2020, reports said the iPhone 12 would have a smaller Face ID bezel, but it didn’t come true. Unsurprisingly, the rumor has been recycled in 2021.
The latest rumor comes from the Japanese-language blog Macotakara, which offered a few 2021 iPad rumors earlier this week. The site claims it has obtained information from Chinese suppliers about the iPhone 13. As with previous iPhones, Apple is already developing the iPhone 13, but this is still a rumor that can’t be confirmed.
Apple will supposedly launch four iPhone 13 models that will generally have the same design as the iPhone 12 lineup. Apple will use the same enclosure design, with the height and weight matching those of the iPhone 12. But iPhone 13 phones will be thicker by 0.26mm, according to the report.
As for the notch, the blog says that the receiver at the top of the display has moved to reduce the size of the TrueDepth camera system. The report also addresses the rear camera module, saying that the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max’s cameras will be the same size. This implies that the iPhone 13 Pro will have the same lenses as the Max. That’s not the case with the iPhone 12 Pro, as the iPhone 12 Pro Max features a unique telephoto lens that delivers 2.5x optical zoom and an ultra-wide sensor with sensor-shift stabilization.
The rear camera will grow by about 0.9mm on every model, so the camera systems will still protrude. But Apple will reportedly use a new design for the camera module, covering the entire unit with sapphire glass.
Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 13 in September, providing the pandemic doesn’t cause another delay.


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Not posted as a deal because no price stated (yet)
Starts Saturday in some stores:
The new range will include a collapsible wheelchair and fold-up walking stick as well as devices to help remove lids from jars and turn taps.
The supermarket is also branching into the market for bathroom aids such as shower seats and raised toilet seats.
The range will be sold in 75 Asda stores from Saturday, and rolled out to more of the chain's 350 stores if it proves popular.
Link in first post


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Before it’s too late, let’s once again look into AdGooroo’s crystal ball to see which costumes you are most — and least — likely to see while trick-or-treating tonight. Continue reading “The Most and Least Popular Halloween Costumes of 2017 By Paid Search Clicks”
It’s less than two weeks out from Halloween and AdGooroo has produced an analysis of the top paid search advertisers of the season thus far. Continue reading “Who’s Leading on Halloween Keywords for Paid Search Text Ads and PLAs?”
It’s October and time once again for AdGooroo’s annual look at the top Halloween costumes of the season. Continue reading “Top Halloween Costumes of 2016 by Paid Search Ad Spend”
Costume retailers may have something to be scared about this Halloween, and it’s called Jet.com. Continue reading “Jet.com Captures 19.4% of Product Listing Ad Clicks for Halloween Costumes”
It looks like we really can be heroes just for one day. And that day is October 31.
If you plan to dress as a Disney-owned character on Halloween night, you are likely going to find it’s a small world after all. AdGooroo examined 1,128 Halloween costume keywords for Text Ads and Product Listing Ads on U.S. Google AdWords Desktop/Tablet from August to September this year and found that 31% of all Paid Search spend for the keyword group was for a Disney-owned character. Continue reading “Naughty or Nice? It’s Going to Be a Disney, Sexy Halloween”
It’s that time of year again, when goblins and ghosts of all ages roam in search of tricks and treats. And that means big spending according to the National Retail Federation, which predicts U.S. consumers will shell out $6.9 billion on Halloween-related products and activities in 2013.
Keeping in the spirit, we decided to gaze into the AdGooroo crystal ball (a.k.a. the world’s largest search marketing intelligence database) to see what this means for Paid Search. As such, we examined advertising activity around 842 Halloween-related search keywords on U.S. AdWords, between September 2012 and September 2013.
AdGooroo celebrated Halloween in style today with a hotly contested costume competition. Top prize went to Charlie Sheen’s Girlfriend, followed by Big Ballerina and Hot Dog and Shaggy Dog, who tied for third place. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Continue reading “Things are getting very scary at AdGooroo…”


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Mobile may be the future, but when it comes to online shopping consumers have plenty of reasons why they head back to the old PC to make a purchase.
Among their grievances: 43% of shoppers said they would choose a PC because they can’t get a clear enough image of a product on a smartphone or tablet. That’s according to a survey by United Parcel Service, charted by Statista, which asked shoppers to list to their reasons. They were allowed to list more than one.
Shoppers still lean toward a desktop or laptop over a mobile device. According to the survey, 44% said they prefer a PC, while 7% went with a tablet and 4% a smartphone. (Don’t close the brick-and-mortar stores yet: 41% said they prefer a physical store.)
Laying out their reasons for preferring a PC to a mobile device, 34% said product info that is too hard to read on a gadget. Without seeing decent pictures or product info, shoppers have trouble comparing items and lack confidence in their decision-making, UPS said.
The list can be read as a cheat sheet for companies in e-commerce. Other reasons included data privacy concerns, trouble finding a particular site or app, or difficulties during the checkout process.
– Brian R. Fitzgerald


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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan. 7, 2015) — Consumers and regulators should not be fooled by the autonomous vehicle hype coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, the group Consumer Watchdog warned.
“Robot car advocates are putting a glitzy spin on their ‘autonomous' technologies,” said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project director. “The fact is that while some emerging technologies may promote safety, self-driving robot cars are not remotely ready for deployment on public highways without a steering wheel and pedals so a human driver can intervene when necessary.”
Regulators appear to be emphasizing safety as they develop regulations and policies covering autonomous vehicles, according to Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest group. It urged them to “continue a deliberate approach that emphasizes safety and not yield to corporate pressure.”
California currently has regulations covering testing robot cars on the state's highways, requiring a driver behind a steering wheel capable of taking control. Last month the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued draft regulations for the general use of robot cars on California's roads that will also require a driver behind the wheel capable of taking control.


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New York City will play host to the Global Marketer Week 2012. WFA and its US member, the ANA, will welcome leaders from the global marketing industry and marketers from the world’s biggest brands to share, learn and rethink strategies as part of the headline global event for client-side marketers.
The highlight of the week will be our Global Marketing Conference on 14th March. The event will share eclectic and inspirational approaches to global brand building from the four corners of the world.
Confirmed keynote speakers include Joe Tripodi (The Coca-Cola Company), Marc Menesguen (L’Oréal), Chris Burggraeve (Anheuser-Busch InBev), Luke Dowdney MBE (Luta) and Lakish Hatalkar (Novartis Consumer Health).
To learn more, go to http://www.wfanet.org/en/events/nyc-2012


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The Automotive X Prize
Creating a 100 mpg car is actually quite easy. Engineers have designed vehicles that were capable of several times that amount. The problem is that those vehicles could barely qualify as "cars," much less a vehicle that can take a family of four to the movies. Many of these vehicles also use very expensive materials. That's the real challenge: creating a consumer-friendly car that's attractive, reasonably priced and capable of going 100 miles on a gallon of gas.
To that end, the X Prize Foundation recently announced the Automotive X Prize. You may remember the Ansari X Prize, won by the SpaceShipOne team. The Automotive X Prize is a contest to build a "production-ready" four-passenger car that could be profitable to produce on a wide scale [Source: Edmunds]. The car has to be capable of 100 mpg and has to win a series of races. The prize is expected to be up to $25 million, though some participants, especially those backed by corporations or prominent entrepreneurs may spend even more than that on their contest entries. The Automotive X Prize allows participants to use several different types of fuel, so some teams might be using natural gas, ethanol, diesel or electricity.
Given the designs that are already out there and Google.org's success with its Prius plug-in hybrids, multiple teams could feasibly break the 100 mpg threshold. To do it, they'll have to improve fuel efficiency, which means cutting weight. Strong, lightweight materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber and magnesium can lighten the car's body, electronics and wheels. (Some of these materials, like carbon fiber, can be expensive, so the team has to remember that this car must be profitable to produce and market.) Glass actually adds a lot of weight to a car. Types of lightweight glass and composites are being developed, some of which might make their way into Automotive X Prize cars.
Resistance is another key feature for fuel efficiency. Aerodynamic design and low-resistance tires can decrease drag, though those tires can decrease handling. Finally, improved insulation would reduce the need for heating and cooling systems, which would cut down on weight and save gas, though the Automotive X Prize requires entrants to have some sort of air-conditioning system as well as a stereo.
The Automotive X Prize will release its final rules this summer, designs will be reviewed next year and the final batch of races will likely be in mid-2009. While you're waiting for your 100 mpg car, keep your eye on the efforts of Google, the EPA's hydraulic hybrid, the Tesla Roadster and the many researchers, entrepreneurs and amateurs who are looking to create the next generation of ultra-high-mileage cars. It seems Detroit has caught up as well: Google reports that no less than seven automakers are researching plug-in hybrids.
For more information about fuel efficiency, hybrid cars and related topics, check out the links below.
Related HowStuffWorks Articles
More Great Links
- Alvarez, Cesar. "Ford Model T." Top Speed. Apr. 16, 2007. http://www.topspeed.com/cars/ford/ford-model-t-ar32509.html
- Baker, Billy. "The Race to 100 MPG." Popular Science. Sept. 2006. http://www.popsci.com/popsci/automotivetech/e5690576b64fc010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html
- Carney, Dan. "Autmotive X Prize Seeks 100-MPG Car." Edmunds.com. May 20, 2007. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=120844
- Hargreaves, Steven. "Google pushes 100-mpg car." CNNMoney.com. June 19, 2007. http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/19/news/economy/google_plugin/index.htm?cnn=yes
- Shannon, Victoria. "Google jumps into green arena." International Herald Tribune. June 19, 2007. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/19/business/google.php
- Stewart, Ben. "100 MPG Available Now!" Popular Mechanics. July 18, 2006. http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to/3374271.html
- Ulrich, Lawrence. "All Amped Up." Wheels. New York Times Blog. Apr. 20, 2007. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/all-amped-up/
- "Inventors to race for millions in auto-efficiency prize." CNN.com. May 29, 2007. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/29/psyk.diamandis/index.html
- "RechargeIT.org." Google.org. http://www.google.org/recharge/
- "Automotive X Prize." X PRIZE Foundation. http://www.xprize.org/xprizes/automotive_x_prize.html


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There will be dancing and singing, outrageous costumes and thousands of flashing Christmas lights as South Florida's holiday revelers take to the waterways this weekend in three popular boat parades.
The largest display of waterborne whimsy will be offered Saturday by the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade, in which more than 100 boats, ranging from 20-footers to a 179-foot corporate mega-yacht, will cruise in stately procession through Fort Lauderdale. There will be a pre-show with kayaks and paddle boarders.
Pompano Beach and Boynton Beach will also host boat parades, on Sunday and Friday respectively.
The Winterfest Boat Parade will begin at 6:30 p.m....


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Apple has announced a 128GB version of its fourth-generation iPad, doubling the storage capacity from the previous 64GB maximum.
The fourth generation of iPad tablets was introduced in November last year.
57 of the UK’s top 100 brands now have a mobile-optimised website, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau UK.
That’s a 54% increase from just six months ago, when only 37 of the top 100 brands had optimised their websites for mobile.
Jennifer Lazuta of voanews.com writes:
Rene Mendy, a street vendor in Dakar, has never had enough money to open a bank account. But now, thanks to an emerging mobile phone banking service, he has access to many financial services.


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Chinese tech giant Alibaba posted its worst quarterly sales growth since going public in 2014, amid increased regulatory action on the country’s tech sector by Beijing, reports the Financial Times. The group said on Thursday total revenue grew only 10% to RMB 243 billion ($38 billion) in the final three months of last year, with the slowdown at its core e-commerce business deepening.
In its seven years as a public company, Alibaba had never previously reported year-on-year quarterly revenue growth below 20%.
Alibaba chief executive Daniel Zhang blamed the poor results on China’s slowing economic growth and sliding retail sales because of Covid-19 as well as increasing competition from other tech groups.
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On 3rd August, Justin Sun, the Founder and CEO of Tron Foundation, announced that the TRX tokens can now be used in over 20,000 stores in Italy and Spain. The payment machine works with a voucher model where a customer is asked to purchase a voucher from a store that accepts tokens which can later be redeemed for cryptocurrencies.
Justin Sun announced on Twitter:
“Thanks for the support to
#TRON. Now you can buy $TRX #TRX at over 20000 stores in Spain and Italy or at Bitnovo”
The Foundation has stated that Bitnovo, a cryptocurrency platform, is responsible for the trading of the TRX tokens in these countries. Bitnovo also enables users to trade in other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin.
The market chains that accepts TRX in Spain and Italy include Carrefour, FNAC, and Game. Moreover, Bitnova claims that they hold the security in the highest regard and to extend that they have appointed a special cryptocurrency security team.
Tron has been enjoying a surge with multiple developments occurring over the past few weeks, with the launch of the Tron Virtual Machine [TVM] being a major boost to the company. The Tron Virtual Machine is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine and developers can shift from the Ethereum platform to the Tron platform ‘almost free of cost’.
Moreover, Justin Sun also revealed the secret project, Project Atlas. The project is going to enable 100s of million users of BitTorrent to be a part of the Tron ecosystem. This is considered as one of the biggest achievements of Tron in the community as Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin [BTC] had also mentioned BitTorrent in one of his emails.
Tron was also in the news for the launch of the Tron Wallet on the Google Play Store making the application available for Android users before Apple users. The wallet was developed by the Tron Foundation in association with Getty/IO, a software company.
Iliono, a Twitterati said:
“Very nice, good job….gogo Tron, sleeping giant overcome the other projects now and in few Month and years the rest!! Top 5 Crypt guaranteed, no doubt! Just hodl and buy the dipps.”
Bonpilos, another Twitterati said:
“i don’t recommend bitnovo, if you have no choice fine, but if you have it, you better take the long way , it will be more profitable.”
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Binance coin pumps by over 6% in an hour; breaks its all-time high
On June 20, Binance coin [BNB], a coin ranked seventh on CoinMarketCap, surged by a massive 6.38% over the past hour. The coin also broke its all-time high and was trading at $36.47, at press time.
At press time, BNB was being traded at $36.47 with a market cap of $5.097 billion. The 24-hour trading volume of the coin was reported to be $571.64 million, as it spiked by 2.35% over the day. Over the past seven days, the coin noted a rise of 2.03% in its price and continued to rise by 6.38% within the hour.
This hike follows Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange, KuCoin, listing Binance coin [BNB] and Binance announcing the launch of Elrond project on Binance launchpad. Binance funded the sharding-based public blockchain network in a private funding round, as the company closed the round with $1.9 million. It will be the next project supported by Binance launchpad and the token sale will be carried out in a lottery fashion. The token sale is scheduled to begin from June 22, 00:00 AM [UTC].
The coin was highly traded on Binance exchange with BNB/USDT pair and BNB/BTC pair. BNB/USDT took the first place as it noted a 24-hour trading volume of $137 million, followed by BNB/BTC which reported a volume of $126 million. The third position was taken by LBank exchange, which registered a trading volume of $120 million with BNB/USDT pair.
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Ripple’s partnership with Euro Exim Bank explores possibilities other than the use of XRP
Ethereum Classic [ETC] community welcomes Atlantis Hard Fork
The first $BEXAM IEO successfully completed on X-Hive Exchange
Calvin Ayre rides the Libra wave; floats unlikely Facebook – nChain – Bitcoin SV partnership
Using Ripple’s tech is five times more expensive than Western Union’s present system, says CEO Hikmet Ersek
Bitcoin [BTC]: #DropGold campaign gets called out for being ‘Bitcoin cartel’
Tron’s [TRX] Sun Network testnet goes live as Justin Sun places bet on its ‘unlimited scaling capacity’
Gaming giant Ubisoft takes its first steps towards bridging the gap between crypto and gamers
Tron join hands with LATOKEN to become an IEO payment token
Convincing Warren Buffett to buy cryptocurrency in just three hours is unrealistic, admits Tron’s Justin Sun
Facebook’s Libra speculated to wash away MoneyGram; Ripple effect on the horizon?
India: New RTI response clarifies India’s stand on cryptocurrency regulation
Bitcoin worth $300,000 at the center of an alleged scandal involving Brazil’s Justice Minister, The Intercept
Binance steps up its game by introducing tokens pegged to Bitcoin [BTC]


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Two of the top shared electric scooter businesses in the US, Hen and Spin, are releasing new cars right now. Spin is revealing a new, additional rugged electric powered scooter, which it is making in-house for the very first time. Meanwhile, Fowl is demonstrating off a new electric bicycle with a toddler blue paint scheme. Both of those businesses are under growing force to capture up to Lime, which is the number just one micromobility service provider in the entire world with about 200 million riders past calendar year globally.
There has always been an arms race among the shared scooter and bike corporations to deliver the greatest, longest-lasting, and most technically innovative electric powered cars. But with raising pressure to turn out to be profitable and some micromobility firms deciding on to go public through reverse mergers with unique acquisition organizations, the race to increase and improve auto fleets is using on new dimensions.
Hen, which was the initially firm to introduce shared electric scooters in a US city, has normally flirted with the plan of e-bikes. The firm to start with rolled out its Scoot-branded electric mopeds in Los Angeles in 2019 but was pressured to pause the Cruiser plan for the reason that of the pandemic.
Final May well, the enterprise announced that it was heading general public by merging with a SPAC called Switchback II. In its pitch to traders, the firm provided an graphic of a shrouded bicycle following to numerous graphs charting the meteoric rise in e-bicycle product sales in the US. “Coming before long,” the graphic promised.
Perfectly, shortly seems to be now. The firm says the bicycle, with a rear-hub motor and a leading velocity of 15.5mph (25kmh), will be accessible in “select cities throughout North The usa, Italy, Spain, Germany, Ireland and France this calendar year.” Hen says the bicycle will have a range of 56 miles (90km), dual handbrakes, onboard diagnostic abilities to aid recognize doable problems, and an “aerospace-grade” aluminum alloy body that really should stand up to the requires of shared use. A geofence mechanism will routinely gradual or halt the bicycle in places in which motorized motor vehicles aren’t permitted.
The bikes will be out there to lease using Bird’s smartphone application. The organization says it also ideas to lover with preexisting shared bicycle and scooter operators, like e-moped provider Zig Zag in Italy.
“Cities and riders are most effective served by economical, collaborative transportation networks, not walled gardens,” Chook CEO Travis VanderZanden mentioned in a assertion. “Bird’s vision of wise, responsible bicycle sharing is staying equipped to provide the ideal shared bikes and functions when towns have to have them, and acquiring the foresight to supply the best guidance and multimodal integrations when they do not.”
Bird’s selection to include e-bikes to its products lineup coincides with Lime’s the latest moves to extend its individual fleet, this sort of as with the addition of electric powered mopeds. Whilst both corporations are mainly recognized for their electrical kick scooters, there is a expanding sense among the micromobility providers that the more assorted your vehicle lineup is, the far better your chances are at turning into a economically soluble business enterprise.
These are the varieties of concerns that are clearly on the minds of Spin’s new executives. Earlier this thirty day period, the Ford-owned scooter enterprise announced that its co-founder and CEO, Derrick Ko, would be moving into a strategic advisor function, together with two other co-founders, Zaizhuang Cheng and Euwyn Poon. In their put, Ben Bear, Spin’s chief enterprise officer, would be the new CEO. These alterations came just after experiences surfaced that Ford was seeking to divest alone from Spin, possibly by providing it or as a spinoff.
Against this backdrop, Spin announced a new flagship electrical scooter now: the S-100T first edition. The business is touting the scooter as its most rugged product nevertheless, possessing executed more than 400 different safety and longevity exams, together with extraordinary warmth, extreme cold, and corrosive humidity. The scooter has a number of basic safety features, which includes a few unbiased brakes and the industry’s very first stomp brake.
In a departure from most North American-dependent scooter businesses, Spin stated its new scooter would arrive with a swappable battery “to generate a a lot more effective and sustainable charging process.” Other international locations, like China, are embracing battery-swapping technological know-how as a way to develop obtain to their electrical motor vehicles. But US-centered companies like Hen assert that swappable batteries can guide to greater production emissions and require more vehicle miles traveled to retrieve, substitute, and recharge scooters.
Irrespective of whether the new scooter will be ample to suitable-dimensions Spin’s finances will count mainly on its life span. The additional journeys and miles a solitary scooter can include, the improved it is for scooter companies that have to recoup the price tag of each motor vehicle ahead of they can start off generating income.
In the early days of scooter sharing, the off-the-shelf Chinese-manufactured products would past considerably less than a thirty day period, as a lot of weren’t designed to withstand sustained fleet use. Now, scooter firms are churning out products that can previous on the avenue for up to 24 months, which is encouraging make improvements to the device economics of scooter sharing. Spin would not share the new scooter’s approximated daily life span, but it did notice that it was developed to face up to the harsh requires of town riding.
“To attain our vision of a 15 minute town, we wanted to build a car or truck that was challenging plenty of to handle all the things a town could toss at it and then nonetheless be trustworthy to earn our riders’ believe in,” Bear said in a assertion. “S-100T is that car or truck.”


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Birdies, the Meghan Markle-approved slipper-inspired flats, have a brand new look. The line's "Starling" style now comes in leather in addition to velvet, suede, and cheetah-printed calf hair.
"For us, launching our best selling silhouette, the Starling, in leather was a natural progression," founders Bianca Gates and Marisa Sharkey told T&C via email this week. "We wanted to offer our customer something elevated yet still true to the Birdies brand, and by using the highest quality leather, we did just that."
The leather version of the shoe is available in three perfect-for-fall colors: taupe, black, and cognac, and it still features Birdies' signature cushioned sole.
The Duchess of Sussex has yet to wear the new leather style, but we wouldn't be surprised if she sports a pair sometime soon.
"Meghan has been a big part of our story from the very beginning, quite honestly. Even before she was dating Prince Harry, she was a big fan of the brand," Gates told Town & Country in an interview earlier this year.
"She was a great brand evangelist from the very beginning and embodied the brand we wanted to grow up to be so much."
Since joining the royal family, the Duchess of Sussex has worn the Starling style on multiple occasions, including shortly after she announced her pregnancy last fall.
"She chooses to wear us in such amazing moments in time," Gates previously told T&C. "We really believe that she's being very thoughtful about when she shows herself wearing Birdies."


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Apple cuts iPhone production due to lack of chip, Bloomberg
Apple is cutting production of its iPhone 13 by 10 percent because suppliers to Broadcom and Texas Instruments can’t deliver enough chips for the phone.
Wu wrote, “Apple Inc. is expected to lower its expected iPhone 13 production targets for 2021 to 10 million units. […] The company had expected to produce 90 million new iPhone models in the last three months of the year, but now it is telling manufacturing partners that the total number will be lower as Broadcom Inc. and Texas Instrument Inc. supply more components. Are struggling for
Shares of Apple fell as much as 8% in late trading after the report.
Amid the global supply chain crisis, manufacturers of all types of products have suffered a setback this year, which is expected to continue until next year.
According to the iPhone 13’s iFix teardown, the Broadcom device has four separate chips, including a wireless power receiver, two front-end RF chips, and some sort of filter. Texas devices are thought to have three chips, a USB 2.0 repeater chip, a power management chip for OLED displays, an LED flash driver chip, and a VCSEL laser driver array chip.
Also: IPhone 13 Review: Good enough to be the best.


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Woke Disney is facing more than $120 million in lawsuits from canceled stars who have decided to fight back. Over the years, many careers have been ruined because the actors and actresses couldn’t live up to Disney’s high moral standards. Now, with the new wokeness movement of groomers, Disney cancels stars for not believing in their sick political philosophy.
Roseanne Barr, canceled from her self-named show for having an opinion unpopular among the woke, is suing Disney subsidiary ABC as well as Disney itself for slander. She’s asking for $87 million in damages. Gina Carano, canceled from The Mandalorian for being honest, is asking for $34 million.
Other stars have joined the fight but don’t have a financial interest, like Mark Lovington Sweatt, otherwise known as Kid Rock, who says he canceled his Disney plus and a plan to take some neighborhood kids to the Magic Kingdom later this year. Amanda Bynes, canceled when she went kinda nuts, says she’d like some pistachio ice cream and is otherwise down for just about anything.
Disney spokesman, Christopher “Bus” Tatroll, said the company truly just does not care what these stars, or those who think like them, want:
“So there we were, trying to figure out how to deal with the issue of loud, obnoxious assholes and their screaming, bratty, on the verge of tears from being slapped when nobody is looking all day kids. Then it dawned on us. Cancel some shit. Join the rest of the 21st century. Everyone is on board with doi9ng away with an old habit or five if it pisses off America’s morons. That’s 30 or 40 million customers we don’t want. You know those people you pass in the parking lot forcing their kids to eat soggy tuna sandwiches while all the other kids eat $16 chicken tenders? Yeah, we get it. We could lower the price of chicken tenders. Because it’s out fault that these isiotd drag their kids a mile and a half across the surface of the sun to save 30 bucks, only to come back screaming that they have to wait in line again to get in.
Good fucking riddance.”
Well, patriots. If that’s Disney’s stance, maybe we should double down and boycott it double. Like the NFL. They’ll be out of business in no time.


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While admitting there were “particularly sophisticated intrusions” of its networks in 2010 and 2011 by the NSA, Gemalto says the hacks never got near its SIM encryption keys. The Company also refuted many of facts listed in the February 19th website news story that set off the investigation.
Norway’s Telenor, TeliaSonera and Tele2 have selected the Amdocs Mobile Financial Services solution to advance their Strex joint venture for mobile payments. Mobile financial services are already very popular in Norway, with Strex handling more than 75 million SMS-based payment transactions annually.
Mobile money is shaping up to be one of the most exciting areas in mobile communications and is quickly transforming the way in which consumers and enterprises transact. Mobile network operators (MNOs) are taking advantage of the growing popularity of mobile money to boost average revenue per user and counter the increasing pressure on voice revenues.
NCR will demonstrate how the right technology “fit” can help any restaurant – be it a large chain or a small coffee shop – operate more efficiently, manage more profitably and drive consumer engagement at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show 2014. With NCR’s POS systems and operational solutions, ease-of-use is infused in every step of the transaction – from the guest reservation and table management and mobile ordering solutions – to accurate and timely order placement with the kitchen production system, all the way to tableside ordering and quick merchant processing. When operators want a more detailed look, they can run reports for sales and labor data, helping to increase visibility into a business and reduce costs. Gift card and loyalty programs help operators stay connected to customers even after they leave the restaurant. NCR’s consumer feedback tool allows guests the opportunity to provide meaningful feedback and provides insight into the profit impact of a guest.
Western Union Company global payment services certified the Ericsson Wallet Platform, allowing Ericsson to offer its operator customers the ability to include Western Union® Mobile Money Transfers in their financial services portfolios. The Ericsson M-Commerce services portfolio is designed to unlock the potential of the mobile wallet, fast-track mobile operators’ time to market for deploying mobile financial services, and support the rapid adoption of m-commerce by their subscribers.
NCR Corporation is set to showcase a variety of Software as a Service (SaaS) and hardware solutions at the RetailNOW 2012 show in Las Vegas, highlighting how channel partners can offer both SaaS and hardware solutions in a way that allows retail and hospitality end users to better serve their customers. For resellers serving the independent retailer and hospitality segment, SaaS offers an opportunity for channel partners to create a recurring revenue stream to augment the more infrequent revenue associated with the sale of hardware solutions and software licenses. NCR will also showcase retail grocery solutions at the show, NCR Advanced Checkout Solution (ACS) for independent retailers, NCR Advanced Back Office (ABO), NCR SelfServ™ Checkout and the NCR RealPOS family of POS workstations and peripherals.
Mobilis Networks international software applications company offering mobile wallet and billing solutions for mobile operators announced software services. These services include mobile wallets using POS fingerprint verification for international money transfers to mobile wallets and NFC mobile payments that support any mobile phone. By deploying Mobilis’ mobile wallet services for international remittances, a mobile operator can receive international money transfers directly into their subscribers’ mobile wallets through point-of-sale devices located in other countries.
Russian EMA has announced that market volume for e-money reached 125 billion roubles in 2011 and is expected to double in 2012 when Law “On National Payment System” fully comes into force. Russian Electronic Money Association announced the results of e-money industry for 2011 and Q1 2012. In 2011 customers topped up their e-wallets for…
Oberthur Technologies announced a key partnership agreement with Interop Technologies mobile device management, connectivity gateway, and messaging solutions for CDMA operators. Oberthur Technologies will integrate Interop’s CDMA OTA provisioning platform into its broader OTA management solution in order to serve CDMA wireless network operators worldwide. Oberthur Technologies currently supports GSM operators with its Application Loader and Management (ALM) solution, a field-hardened SIM OTA management platform deployed in 2G and 3G networks. By adding Interop’s CDMA solution to its product suite, Oberthur Technologies enables CDMA operators to manage the full range of available handsets.
At the GSMA’s 2012 Mobile World Congress, Neustar real-time information and analysis to the Internet, telecommunications, entertainment, advertising and marketing industries is showcasing a full range of mobile cloud solutions, including its latest Neustar Intelligent Cloud Location service. Neustar will show how financial institutions can harness the Neustar Intelligent Cloud and other Neustar services to better manage prepaid gift cards. Neustar will showcase five new mobile services in its stand located in Hall 7 within the App Planet #7A86. Mobile application providers can now reach over 325 million mobile subscribers through just one connection with Neustar.
Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, launches the new UpTeq NFC SIM vault to offer mobile operators higher return on investment from their NFC roll-outs, and unmatched security for protecting mobile transactions. The powerful and robust new SIM has attained more security certifications from independent authorities and to the highest level possible. This enables…
VIVA announced its latest partnership deal with TransferTo international airtime transfer, allowing its prepaid customers to transfer credit to their loved ones overseas simply via SMS. Prepaid customers can now ensure their families and friends abroad are always able to get in touch with them no matter the occasion, celebration or emergency at hand. The service, introduced by VIVA for the first time in Bahrain, is secure, immediate and can be used around the clock. It is available for twelve receiving countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Thailand, Morocco, Jordan, Syria, Indonesia and Nepal.


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Standard Bank has been named an alleged violator of Nigerian exchange control rules as that country investigates MTN
- The Nigerian government is investigating possible exchange violations by MTN, Business Day reported on Friday.
- A confidential audit report commissioned by the Nigerian Attorney General names Standard Bank among the alleged culprits.
- It is one of several global banking groups who allegedly breached Nigeria's foreign exchange regulations – repeatedly.
An audit report of into foreign companies' compliance with exchange controls in Nigeria names Standard Bank as a possible violator.
Standard Bank was named alongside Standard Chartered and Citigroup as having failed to properly report on foreign currency flows.
The report recommends that other banks – but not Standard – should be made to “refund and return” billions of dollars according to Finance Uncovered and amaBhungane.
See: The PIC took a R1.8 billion hit after it bought Cyril Ramaphosa's company out of MTN Nigeria
The report was commissioned by Nigeria's Attorney General.
It alleges that Stanbic (a 53.25%-held subsidiary of Standard Bank), may have failed to declare almost $950-million (R11.32 billion) in capital inflows to Nigeria.
It recommends that Standard's future right to use such declarations to repatriate dividends for MTN shareholders be withdrawn.
Read the full amaBhungane article: Nigerian bank investigation could embroil MTN, Ramaphosa
The report’s demands for “required enforcement actions” were delivered to the attorney general and the central bank last October but almost five months later there are concerns nothing has been done. A whistleblower, angry at the perceived inaction of Nigeria’s authorities, showed a copy of the report to Finance Uncovered.
Neither MTN nor Standard are new to wrestling with Nigerian authorities. Stanbic was slapped with a $5 million fine back in 2015 for alleged accounting malpractices. Nigeria's telecommunication’s regulator imposed a $5.2 billion fine on Johannesburg-based MTN Group Ltd. for failing to disconnect Nigerian customers' unregistered sim cards.
According to a Business Day report, the spokesman for Standard Bank’s Nigerian subsidiary said it had received no “formal communication” from the Nigerian government about the investigation and therefore could not comment.
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