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Additionally, there's a paintball gun that can stun and splatter other players' screens, the drone, motocross and eKart are coming online, and June will see four player support added to free roam and activities. "The other is community feedback we've received since we announced the original plans". No release dates are planned just yet for the May and June content.
Watts wrote that three girls in total were inspected for wearing leggings. Watts told 9NEWS she is not associated with the family and was boarding a different flight to Mexico. "I have flown united before with literally no trousers on", Chrissy Teigen also wrote. The post said employees are "regularly reminded" about its dress code .
Uber has paused its self-driving auto program while it investigates a crash involving one of its driverless vehicles in Arizona. The Volvo SUV was making a left turn at an intersection in Arizona, where Uber has been trialing autonomous vehicles, on Friday when another auto " failed to yield " and struck it, according to police.
In Normal and Wet modes, comfort suspension is available. Wet mode is the second selectable mode and alters throttle response to allow the vehicle to cope more easily in slippery conditions, so that the driver can rein it back in the event of an unintentional slide.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was released previous year, August 19, 2016, and after the reports of exploding batteries, on October 11, 2016, the Samsung company recall all the sold devices all over the world to prevent more damages. The South Korean company has pushed for becoming the leading industry standard for battery safety following the fiasco, finding the exact cause of how the devices' batteries were exploding, and unveiling an eight-point test to make sure it never happened again .
Users will be able to access Bixby by a side button on the smartphone. Samsung has put a lot of work into natural language controls for Bixby, so it will rely less on specific commands that other digital assistants require. Viv Labs was founded by Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer, who with technologist Tom Gruber helped build the original Siri app now used by Apple . In terms of context awareness , Bixby-enabled applications will always understand the context of the person's use of the app, ...
Though Rocket League is ridiculously popular and generally well-liked by its community, it doesn't come without its own set of issues, such as long waits for matchmaking and various server problems. "We're looking to see what the technical requirements are". We have seen more and more of you playing Rocket League online, and this has led to new issues that hadn't appeared as we scaled our capacity up to this point.
It's the third-largest amount for a preview gross in March, behind Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice ($27.7 million) and The Hunger Games ($19.7 million). Potts. The tale follows Belle, who attempts to rescue her father from the castle of a terrifying beast , and instead becomes his captor. You will also fall in love with the castle's enchanted staff befriended by Belle as she learns to realize Beast's kind heart and soul of the true Prince.
The latest update for the Apple Watch is now available. From there, go to General Software Update and you should see the update ready for download. These changes are done to ensure that the theater experience of the user is uninterrupted. This expands voice commands to third-party applications, letting you ask Siri on the Watch to do more for you like make a payment, call a vehicle, or send a message.
Picture in Picture ( PiP) support is another big feature in Android O, coming years after third-party apps allowed you to do the same. Background limits regulate what apps can do in the background in an attempt to conserve battery life and improve performance.
U.S. internet service providers will soon no longer need consent from users to share browsing history with marketers and other third parties. But critics say the rule adds costs, stifles innovation and picks winners and losers among internet companies.
The South Korean heavyweight is debuting the new movie display in a series of demonstrations between March 27 and March 30 in theaters at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The latter specializes in creating the best surround audio experience and it's going to make Samsung's Cinema Screen even better. The Samsung Cinema Screen is LED backlit, so does not need front projection.
As announced by the company from its official blog, this new feature will gradually be incorporated in the application for all operating systems and with it, we can share our detailed location in real time with those contacts we have in Messenger .
As of this month, women comprised 36% of Uber's employees, in line with other tech companies, thanks to a prevalence of women in customer support. But, believe it or not, Uber was not the only high-profile tech company holding out. "We'll keep you updated about what we're learning and, importantly, how we're implementing the great ideas we hear about", she added. Uber also says 15 percent of its US employees hold work visas, and they hail from 71 countries.
One thing I can say is that our stance on game production has not changed. Alternatively, you can wait for the Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition on 21st April 2017, which includes the game and both the Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City DLCs.
The new $1.7 billion cracker in Port Arthur is scheduled for a 2020 startup and is expected to create about 1,500 jobs according to the release. "Working in a JV with NOVA Chemicals and Total on a cost effective brownfield investment project, integrated with a cracker, is an attractive opportunity".
Here are five things you should know, so you're switched on about the news. Can give a traditional feel to some gamers: The Nintendo Switch also possesses a dock, which enables the console to be connected to a television. You must be playing a game in order to utilize your amiibo figures. After all, players invest a lot of time and effort into building progress in their games .
Uber has cleared its self-driving cars to return to the roads in Tempe, San Francisco and Pittsburgh - the three U.S. cities where its autonomous vehicle pilot program is now in operation. The San Francisco-based startup endured a shaky December rollout in California - including running red lights - that culminated in a standoff between Uber and state regulators who wanted more transparency and reporting.
UBS Initiates Coverage On the stock to Neutral on 1/11/17 by stationing a price target of $58. The company has a Low Price Target of $19698 and the Mean Target of $1575840, according to the Brokers. The day began at US$85.53 but the price moved to US$85.23 at one point during the trading and finally capitulating to a session high of US$87.401. Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) now has a High Price Target of $65.
Hence, with two recharges of Rs 99 and Rs 303 (or Rs 149), the cost of Jio Prime (Rs 99) would become free. The plans go as high as Rs 499 , offering 56 GB data per month. At Rs 549, Airtel gives unlimited calling with 42 GB 3G/4G data. Users will get additional 1024 MB 4G data for 28 days . VoLTE stands for Voice over LTE and is a new protocol for transmitting voice data over the LTE network and the biggest advantage of VoLTE is that call quality is superior to 3G or 2G connections as ...
Players who purchase a physical copy of LEGO City Undercover on Nintendo Switch at retail are getting the complete game, and do not need to download additional content to enjoy the full experience. Switch carts varying in size from 1GB to 32GB, with prices rising alongside capacity. It just all depends on the process Nintendo's partners use to make the NAND flash used in the cartridges, and until we know exact details, we'll never know for sure.
Above is a photo of someone with a goddamn kangaroo in Detroit , hopping down a street on the city's west side. The Snapchat video posted on Twitter had drawn almost 10,000 retweets by Tuesday afternoon. Detroit Animal Control told Detroit News it was illegal to own a kangaroo in the city and they were investigating the mammal's appearance. "My cousin and I were just laughing", said Javon Stacks.
The cars collided while at high speed and the Uber s vehicle flipping onto its side. Montenegro stated that the Uber auto was not at fault in the non-injury crash, and that the driver of the vehicle that caused the incident had been cited.
Many studies show that exposure to bright-blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep. Click on the Apple icon in the menu bar, then select System Preferences , and click the " Displays " icon.
This, along with the recall, has left the South Korean electronics giant with a lot of devices that need to be "processed in an environmentally-friendly manner'". It had sold more than three million Note 7s before taking the phones off the market. Until now, Samsung's plans were unclear for the recalled phones, which could pose environmental hazards if handled as waste.
The FCC chair, Ajit Pai, a Republican and a former Verizon lawyer, has been vocal in his opposition to the rules . Schumer said that companies should not be allowed to sell personal information about individual identities to third parties unless they have the person's consent.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has said he hopes to hold a vote on the nominee April 3, and Republican leaders want the full Senate to take up the nomination before the Easter recess. Another vote potentially up for grabs is that of Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Gorsuch's home state of Colorado. Sources say that offer was immediately rejected.
Shares of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc . They now have a United States dollars 13 price target on the stock. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Analysts giving shares a rating of 1 or 2 would be indicating a Buy. Are investors supposed to sell when the stock hits the target? At the same time, 4 rate the stock a "strong buy", suggesting more conviction in the story.
The U.S. got a jolt from Ian Kinsler who blasted a two run homer to center field to give the Americans the 2-0 lead in the third inning. Emilio Pagan of your Seattle Mariners, pitched the top of the ninth inning for Puerto Rico. "I'm sure I would have been upset initially but I have so much respect for Mr. Leyland", Stroman said, "I loved playing for him, I'm kind of upset that he's leaving the game and won't be managing again".
According to The Register , the complainants stressed that the defendant " failed to exercise reasonable care in designing, formulating, and manufacturing the Windows 10 upgrade and placing it into the stream of commerce". The complaint specifically blames the free upgrade to Windows 10 that Microsoft pushed out to encourage people to adopt its latest operating system.
It's also possible that any and all streaming data generated by Xfinity Instant TV will not count against the customer's data cap for the month. Reports suggest that Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is planning to expand its over-the-top streaming service across the usa later this year.
AT&T said in a statement it was "deeply concerned" that its ads may have appeared next to "YouTube content promoting terrorism and hate", while Verizon said it has been investigating claims of its ads being on "non-sanctioned" websites. But many advertisers were waiting to see further details or results, before placing ads again. More than 250 organizations including the British government, Toyota and McDonald's have stopped advertising on YouTube in the United Kingdom, according to the ...
Masood, 52, killed four people including unarmed Pc Keith Palmer and injured dozens more when he ploughed a hired auto across Westminster Bridge and stormed the parliamentary estate armed with two blades before being shot by police. Rowley said police carried out more than dozen searches, seizing 2,700 items including "massive amounts of computer data" and were attempting to work out whether others had "encouraged, supported or directed him".
Rahm, 3-down with four holes left, came to life, winning the par-four 15th with a birdie before taking the par-five 16th with another birdie, sinking a 30-footer after an astonishing second shot from the rough that he somehow threaded through an oak tree.
According to the results of the survey, 63 percent of current owners of Samsung smartphones will not be influenced by the exploding Galaxy Note 7 in their decision on whether or not to buy the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus. Those reports suggested that the refurbished devices would ship with a smaller battery ranging in capacity from 3,000 to 3,200 mAh, compared to the fire-prone 3,500 mAh batteries that originally shipped with the Galaxy Note 7.
Tinder Online can be accessed from within a web browser anywhere in the world. Tinder originated as an app, but soon it will be available in web browsers on any device. However its introduction follows the addition of the revenue generating Tinder Boost. Tinder users are also able to pay for Tinder Plus that allows more swipes of profiles.
According to their source, apparently this was due to the discovery of a plot that wanted to bring down a plane with explosives that were hidden inside of a fake iPad that would have appeared as real as the genuine article. Similarly, it's also to be determined whether more countries will uphold the same ban. And previous year, for example, a bomb in a laptop punctured a hole in the passenger area on a Somalia-bound flight.
The demo will let players experience a curated portion of the game. Hangar 13 hasn't released patch notes for the update , but one player on the 2K Forums says it includes most of the files for Faster, Baby! Vehicular combat is not a high point for this game hence; this can add a complete new dimension to it.
Intel is announcing their latest Optane ™ Technology offering in the form of Optane™ Memory, in either 16GB or 32GB modules for Optane™-ready desktop PC motherboards. In a way, it's like the SSD and HDD combos, where files and programs you want to access faster are stored on the SSD. Off-the-shelf enterprise and consumer systems from the likes of HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, and others will begin shipping with Optane memory starting in the second quarter.
Other expected specs on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 includes the use of two brands of processors like Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 for US devices while others will be powered by the Exynos 9XXX processor. It's still unclear where Samsung will sell its refurbished Note 7 devices, but it all depends on local authorities, wireless carriers, and demand. Samsung, under huge pressure to turn its image around after the burning battery scandal, had previously not commented on its plans for recovered ...
Park, the first Korean president to be removed from office by impeachment, arrived at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul around 9:25 a.m. "We are creating a questionnaire", a senior prosecutor said on Friday, adding it is yet unclear how long it will take to complete the inquiry. They'd formerly accused of colluding Ms Park.
Many users were sharing their momentary exact location with each message , which a Harvard student found could be scraped into a Marauder's Map through a Chrome extension he built showing exactly where a friend had been. A small clock in the lower right-hand corner of the map will show the duration you're sharing your location for. The report added that Facebook had already completed the project but was working on optimising the battery usage of the feature.
This isn't the first Apple product to go red for a good cause: The original iPod nano and the current lineup of Beats products and accessories have all received the ( PRODUCT) RED treatment. Apple is expected to launch its eagerly-anticipated iPhone 8 later this year. Apart from this, Apple also introduced Clips , a new app that makes it quick and fun for anyone to create expressive videos on iPhone and iPad.
While Nokia reports that infections on mobile networks are increasing, infections on fixed-line residential networks have been falling since the beginning of 2015, despite a bump in early 2016 due to a surge in adware. However, Windows and iOS-based devices seem to also have been affected by such threats. The Mirai botnet attacks past year demonstrated how thousands of unsecured IoT devices could easily be hijacked to launch crippling DDoS attacks.
Reddit has introduced profile pages and the ability for users to make posts on their own profile. Now the circle jerkers are trying to make their hangout into more of a typical social network with a feature that will allow users to post directly to their profiles .
Ukrainian officials say a woman's body has been found under debris at the site of a massive munitions-depot fire near the eastern city of Kharkiv. A part of a missile seen on the ground near a small shop as a fire rages at a military ammunition depot in Balaklia near Khrakiv in Ukraine on Thursday, March 23 2017.
Be warned that these are just rumors and speculations, but many would still love to have the said upgrades on the Google Pixel 2 when it is finally released. Because of the similarities to the HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography, the new Gcam technique was dubbed HDR+. Google wanted to have a smartphone like camera on the Google Glass, but the smaller sized sensor resulted in poor photos.
Jilani said that going by his experience of last three decades, he feels that the matter can not be settled outside the court and referred to unsuccessful negotiation attempts made during the tenures of former Prime Ministers Chandrashekhar and P V Narasimha Rao.
San Francisco: Recognising more than 10 years of partnership with the Product (RED) charity that fights against HIV/AIDS, Apple on Tuesday announced iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in a vibrant red aluminium finish. The net sales were $78.4 billion from October-November 2016, and sales are up three percent on the previous year making this the most lucrative quarter Apple has recorded.
Akama was the highest level Japanese government official to visit Taiwan since 1972, according to media reports. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China is "firmly opposed to the visit" and has lodged official complaints to Japan regarding the issue.


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Digital TV News: Ericsson
Ericsson ConsumerLab - Ten Hot Consumer Trends 2030
Dec 10, 2019 – According to the Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) ConsumerLab Hot Consumer Trends report, consumers expect an array of beneficial services from connected technology interacting with our senses of sight, sound, taste, smell and touch to be a common reality by 2030.
News categories: Ericsson, Dr. Pernilla Jonsson, Dr. Michael Björn, Digital TV, Market Research, UX, VR, Worldwide
Ericsson releases November 2019 Mobility Report
Nov 25, 2019 – Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) expects average monthly data-traffic-per-smartphone to increase from the current figure of 7.2 GB to 24 GB by the end of 2025, in part driven by new consumer behavior, such as Virtual Reality (VR) streaming.
News categories: Ericsson, Fredrik Jejdling, 5G, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Market Research, Mobile, Smart Home, VR, Worldwide
SK Telecom, Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung partner on 5G and evolution to 6G
Jun 18, 2019 – SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM) has signed Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung Electronics, respectively, for joint research and development in advanced 5G and 6G mobile network technologies.
News categories: SK Telecom, Park Jin-hyo, 5G, Worldwide
Ericsson Mobility Report: 5G uptake even faster than expected
Jun 11, 2019 – Rapid early momentum and enthusiasm for 5G has led Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to forecast an extra 400 million enhanced mobile broadband subscriptions globally by the end of 2024. The company now forecasts 1.9 billion 5G subscriptions – up from 1.5 billion forecast in November 2018.
News categories: Ericsson, Fredrik Jejdling, 5G, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Market Research, Mobile, Worldwide
Video consumption set to rise further with 5G
May 7, 2019 – Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has released a new ConsumerLab report, 5G Consumer Potential, which busts industry myths surrounding the value of 5G for consumers and outlines the opportunities available for communications service providers.
News categories: Ericsson, Jasmeet Singh Sethi, 5G, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Market Research, Worldwide
Swisscom switches on Switzerland’s first 5G network
Apr 17, 2019 – Swisscom has become the first mobile provider in Switzerland to go live with its 5G network. Swisscom is installing the infrastructure in major cities, tourist areas and across the countryside to ensure 5G coverage across Switzerland by the end of the year.
News categories: Swisscom, Urs Schaeppi, 5G, Switzerland
KT launches world’s first commercial 5G network
Apr 12, 2019 – KT (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT) has officially launched the world’s first nationwide commercial 5G wireless network in South Korea, ushering in a new era of super-fast and ultra-reliable connectivity for consumers and businesses.
News categories: KT Corp, Lee Pil-Jae, 5G, Content Distribution, Korea
Singtel, Optus, Ericsson and OPPO make 5G AR call between Singapore and Australia
Feb 22, 2019 – Singtel, Optus and Ericsson have made a 5G video call with Augmented Reality (AR) between Singapore and Australia. Made with OPPO 5G test devices, the call marks the latest 5G highlight for Singtel, Optus, Ericsson and OPPO.
News categories: Singtel, Optus, Ericsson, OPPO, Mark Chong, Allen Lew, Martin Wiktorin, Peter Huang, 5G, Australia, Digital TV, Singapore, VR
Vodafone, Qualcomm and Ericsson to lab test 5G processor and smartphone form factor device
Feb 7, 2019 – Vodafone UK, Qualcomm and Ericsson are conducting ‘over the air’ tests with 5G technology and a device that is similar in size to the 5G mobile phones that are being developed. 5G smartphones will enable extremely high resolution video streaming and gaming on the go.
News categories: Vodafone, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nick Jeffery, Enrico Salvatori, Thomas Noren, 5G, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Semiconductor, Smartphone, UK
- Roku launches The Roku Channel in the UK
- Verimatrix integrates server-side watermarking with Akamai
- HbbTV releases HbbTV Conformance Test Suite v2020-1
- 10 million more digital pay TV subscribers for Eastern Europe by 2025
- BritBox app launches on LG Smart TVs
- Contentos integrates Theta Network decentralized video delivery for COS.tv
- SeaChange selected by Midco to monetize video streaming service
- Apptopia and Braze release state of streaming industry report
- Edge Networks announces 'Evoca' ATSC 3.0 pay TV service
- Allegro DVT releases AL-D21x video decoder IP family with AV1 support
- Nielsen and Sinclair Broadcast announce multi-year renewal
- Verimatrix introduces DRM for video protection between devices
- Deltatre unveils SaaS platform for real-time, data-driven UX decisions
- Omdia cuts 2020 TV shipment forecast by 10 percentage points
- Comscore research shows continuing surge in U.S. daytime TV viewing
- FCC proposed rule change to support ATSC 3.0 distributed transmission
- VideoAmp creates combined Smart TV and STB viewing dataset for the U.S.
- Roku OS 9.3 begins roll-out
- Italian local re-broadcaster RAS goes live with Synamedia virtualized DCM
- Altice Europe terminates discussions on acquisition of Partner Communications

domain: news


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Eversoul Hits 1 Million Pre-Registrations
Kakao Games and Nine Ark Inc. announced today that Eversoul has secured 1 million pre-registrations, just a week after opening globally.
In celebration of conquering this major milestone, players are set to receive a number of exclusive pre-registration rewards, once the game launches. Among the exciting items on offer are the Epic Soul Mica, two Limited Costumes for Seeha & Mica, 1,000 Everstones, and more.
Eversoul is the next highly-anticipated mobile RPG to be published by Kakao Games, and has grasped the attention of players worldwide after being showcased at major offline events such as G-STAR 2022 and AGF 2022 held in South Korea previously.
Global pre-registration opened on November 29 and while interest and expectations for the new mobile title continues to climb, final inspections ahead of launch remain a top priority.
Pre-registration for Eversoul continues globally across North America, Europe, South Korea, Taiwan, and other regions. Players can pre-register on Google Play or pre-order on the App Store until the official global launch.
Eversoul is a mobile RPG set in a vibrant fantasy world where players adopt the role of a 'Savior' who has been called upon by entities known as Souls to help defeat the invading enemies and ultimately save their world.
Also featured within the game is a unique 'relationship system' in which through communication and various interactions, you may romance and strengthen your bonds with the Souls you have collected.
Eversoul is slated for global launch in January, 2023 across North America, Europe, South Korea, Taiwan, and more.


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Fighting online data fraudsters is almost impossible as their ability to hack into new technology often outpaces companies efforts to protect it, senior businessmen and bankers gathering for the World Economic Forum (WEF) said.
The mammoth data breach at U.S. No. 3 retailer Target has made executives even more aware of the need to improve safety standards, but the cost is often prohibitive.
“It’s next to impossible to stop data leakage. It’s a constant battle. You can’t beat it completely,” IT company Wipro Chief Executive TK Kurien told Reuters, calling the hunt for increasingly valuable information “modern piracy”.
While losses on complex derivatives transactions could punch a big hole in a banks’ balance sheet or even compromise its stability, the potential losses resulting from the theft of retail customers’ data are often minimal.
“Secure networks like clean pipes are expensive. You can use them for intellectual property but not for everything,” Wipro’s Kurien said.
With the rapid uptake of technology and hyperconnectivity both for personal and business reasons, people put privacy as their biggest concern with security ranking second, according to an international survey conducted for Microsoft and made public in Davos on Friday.
The more personal information is shared online, the more difficult the battle against fraud becomes, an issue that was already live following the NSA surveillance scandal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waded into the debate at Davos by championing the know-how of Israeli technology companies. With the government investing heavily in the area, Israel intended to become one of the top three countries for cyber-security, he said.
The WEF’s annual global risks report, released this week, focussed on the worst-case scenario of a chronic breakdown of security, or so-called “cybergeddon”, where hackers would gain the upper hand on legitimate users and major disruptions would become commonplace.
That eventuality is viewed by the WEF as a distant risk but there is no doubt that confidence is eroding following episodes like Target, which resulted in the theft which included about 40 million credit card and debit card records.
“Trust in the Internet is declining as a result of data misuse, hacking and privacy intrusion,” said Axel Lehmann, Chief Risk Officer at Zurich Insurance Group.
The Target data breach, a major talking point in the Swiss Alps, triggered a flurry of customer inquiries, reputation.com CEO Michael Fertik, a U.S. digital pioneer who helps 1.6 million customers to protect their digital identities.
“We had lots of sign-up after the Target scandal,” he said.
The incident has also put a spotlight on America’s card system, which does not rely on the sort of chip and PIN technology that has been in place in Europe for years.
“Putting a chip in a card would make it much more secure. It’s an organisational problem,” a senior executive at a technology multinational said. “There is always going to be something more technologically advanced, but we could do things a lot better.”
Bankers and businessmen say the historically low fraud rate in the United States has not encouraged banks and other financial operators to engage in what would be an expensive upgrade of the U.S. card system.
“It’s a trade-off of what it is worth,” a senior American banker said.
(Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler and Paul Taylor; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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Since Donald Trump stated that some trade restrictions on Chinese goods could return, tensions between the U.S. and China escalated
In a reaction, investors began to buy dollar as safe haven.
The British pound dropped against the US dollar in 0,6% on Monday, and on top of that entered a month, in which it typically subsides. Yet, analysts consider it rather a temporary phenomenon, as April positions show market is turning rather bullish on the pound.
During last weekend, the U.S. intensified its criticism against China for having failed to implement adequate protective measures to prevent, or at least slow down, coronavirus outbreak from spreading globally. “And of course U.S.-China trade tensions affected the pound rate,” said Kenneth Broux, FX strategist at Societe Generale.
Investors are buying dollar as a safe haven. Partially, the prevailing uncertainty around the future of UK economy made in impact. Great Britain seems to be dealing with the coronavirus pandemic much worse than other European countries, e.g. Germany. And similarly, there’s still a degree of uncertainty around Brexit and future relations with the EU.


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Pret a Manger sources the salmon trout (known as rainbow trout in England) for its Deluxe Sushi box from Chile, where it is farmed. It is frozen in Chile and shipped to England. An independent supplier, Taiko, assembles the sushi in London before it is distributed to Pret a Manger.
The company has already changed the information on its website after the Sunday Telegraph wrote a lengthy feature about it yesterday, removing the 'spankingly fresh' claim.
The newspaper has launched a campaign to make food labelling easier for consumers to understand, and wants rules allowing producers to label food as 'British' to be tightened up.
Pret a Manger's communications talks a lot about how its food is sourced, saying it only sells dolphin-friendly, line caught tuna and that it almost never air freights any of the fruit or vegetables used in its products.
The Chilean fish farm industry, however, has been criticised by environmental campaigners because it very intensive. Salmon, in particular, have been affected by disease, although the company that makes Pret a Manger's sushi, Taiko, pointed out that it only imports salmon trout and not salmon.
Pret a Manger's website has a section devoted to sustainability but at the time of writing it makes no mention of how it sources its sushi.


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The collar of this sweater by San Francisco studio Sensoree changes colour depending on the wearer’s excitement levels .
Sensoree’s GER Mood Sweater, which goes on show in the UK for the first time today, has a series of LEDs embedded in fabric around the high collar that illuminate to display the wearer’s emotional state.
Related story: (No)where (Now)here: Two Gaze-activated Dresses by Ying Gao
Sensors that the studio calls galvanic extimacy responders (GER) are placed on the hands to read and interpret electric currents produced by chemical action in the skin.
These are connected along translucent wires to a node inside the garment, which translates the readings into specific colours created by the lights.
The white sweater glows red when the wearer feels nervous or in love, turns blue to show calm and can change to purple to represent excitement and yellow for contentment.
The technology presents an opportunity for individuals who are unable to communicate their mood to show others how they’re feeling.
“This concept holds exciting promise for the future, as wearable clothing could be adapted for the personal healthcare arena,” said Sensoree founder Kristin Neidlinger.
“For those who struggle to communicate their emotional state – in Alzheimer’s disease for instance – a person may easily become aggressive and agitated, often without warning and for no apparent reason.”
“Wearable technology, like the Mood Sweater, could be the first step in helping families and carers to better anticipate and understand the moods of people, so they can better support and care for them,” she added.
The GER Mood Sweater has been in development for over four years and was officially launched in New York last December.
A prototype of the garment will make its UK debut during the AXA PPP Health Tech & You Forum at London’s Design Museum today.
The forum will be used to discuss how wearable technology could impact and benefit the health industry in the future.
“We are delighted to showcase the GER Mood Sweater at the forward-thinking Health Tech & You Forum,” said Neidlinger.
“Personal technology is positively impacting many aspects of our lives, and with the GER Mood Sweater wearable technology, we are creating sensitive technology that is intuitive, responsive and illuminates the senses.”
Health Tech & You is also launching a competition for designers to submit their own health technology projects. Award winners will be exhibited at the Design Museum in March 2015.


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Smartphone users are probably familiar with music recognition apps like Shazam and SoundHound by now. For those unfamiliar, these apps will help users identify songs that they might be hearing on radio, television, clubs, the mall, etc. Well for those who felt that Shazam was pretty slow at recognizing songs, the company has recently announced that Shazam 5.0 has been launched for iOS, claiming that it will now be able to identify songs on radio or television in one second.
“With the release of Shazam 5.0 for iPhone and iPod touch, Shazam fans will be able to get the information they’re looking for almost instantaneously, giving them lightning-fast access to content and a deeper experience surrounding the song, TV show or TV advertisement they have just tagged. Shazam delivers the fastest and most exciting way to discover, explore, purchase and share music, access more content about television shows, and get more information and even buy products and services from the world’s leading brands.”
The update will also feature a newly designed interface, improved sharing on social networks and additional language support for Brazilian, Portuguese, Korean and Spanish. For those who have yet to update or to check it out, Shazam is currently free for download from the App Store, so what are you waiting for?
Filed in shazam.. Read more about


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Views on trade deal sought
Consultations about the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (P.A.C.E.R) Plus happening in Samoa this week is seeking views from national stakeholders.
The series of workshops is part of an awareness campaign on P.A.C.E.R. Plus hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in partnership with the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser (O.C.T.A).
More than fifty academics, government officials and those from private sector attended the P.A.C.E.R. Plus workshop being held at the Development Bank of Samoa conference room.
The Chief of O.C.T.A., Dr. Edwini Kessie spoke about the development impacts of the agreement.
Dr. Kessie said the trade in services can play an important role in the development of services sectors and have positive impact on trade in goods.
“Services are potential source of export diversification,” he told the participants.
“This is particularly important for small island states where manufacturing capacity is limited.”
“Liberalization of trade in services is likely to generate gains because barriers are often prohibitive and not revenue generating.”
P.A.C.E.R. Plus is the trade agreement currently being negotiated between the forum island countries together with Australia and New Zealand.
M.F.A.T. Assistant Chief Executive Officer in Trade, Nella Tavita Levy said the overall objective of the deal is to facilitate trade and a platform of trading opportunities.
Mrs. Levy said one of the benefits is having products from Samoa to N.Z., Australia and other countries treated with zero duty.
But the standards imposed byb N.Z. and Australia are a problem.
“One of the biggest obstacles in trading that we’ve seeing right now is to meet standards of N.Z. and Australia markets and international markets,” she said.
“The P.A.C.E.R Plus as we’ve discussed should provide assistance to build the supply capacities of our producers to produce products that are of their standards.”
“N.Z. and Australia will not change their standards and what is needed is for Samoa to build the capacity to meet those standards. So the agreement will come with some development standards towards developing capacity for producers.”
An example Mrs. Levy used for Samoans to export is chili.
If Samoa wanted to export chili to New Zealand and Australia, the local growers need to know demand and requirements from the countries to enter the market.
Under the agreement growers can get that capacity assistance from the countries like Australia where a dedicated person has been assigned to help them.
According to the A.C.E.O. the agreement will also have a link to regional seasonal employment scheme and an Establishment Pacific Level Mobility annual meeting. She added the meeting which is established under the agreement is an annual forum which gives the opportunity to discuss and improve the schemes.
Perhaps another concern of the agreement is that it will mean a loss of government revenue from duties of imported products.
Mrs. Levy said N.Z. and Australia will bind all products at zero percentage while the islands are still negotiating which goods will have duties eliminated.
“At the moment we are looking at about 85percent of products coming in from Australia and New Zealand with no duties,” she said.
“It won’t be immediate elimination we are looking at 25 years to have that.”
A P.A.C.E.R Plus Forum is also scheduled to be held in Savai’i on Thursday at the Apita o Pisaga Hall, Salelologa.


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TN pharmacist unwilling to sell ‘morning-after pill’ sues Walgreens after firing
A Tennessee pharmacist is claiming Walgreens fired him for refusing to sell Plan B — also known as the “morning-after pill” — despite his religious objections.
Phillip Hall was fired in August by his store manager because he was unwilling to sell a drug he found “sinful and repugnant to his sincerely held religious beliefs,” according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Nashville.
A Walgreen Co. spokesman declined to comment on pending litigation, but noted “company policy allows pharmacists and other employees to step away from completing a transaction to which they have a moral objection” and refer a customer to a colleague or manager.
Hall’s dismissal came within weeks of a change in U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules allowing Plan B to be sold over the counter. Before July 1, the drug had been available only behind pharmacy counters.
When the first shipment of over-the-counter Plan B arrived at the store, Hall bought all of it, paying $324.83. Then he disposed of it. Hall was fired two weeks later.
“This was not a decision that was easy for him to make, but one that is firmly grounded in his religious convictions,” said Larry Crain, a Brentwood-based attorney with Crain, Schuette & Associates who represents the Jamestown pharmacist. Crain said Hall is a deacon at his Baptist church and had worked for Walgreens since 1997.
In the past, Hall’s bosses had accommodated his religious objections and he had not been required to sell the drug.
At a July employee meeting about the change to over-the-counter sales, Hall claims pharmacists and staff were told they needed to stock and sell the drug. Hall objected.
When a shipment of six boxes of the drug arrived shortly afterward, Hall noted they were “mislabeled” as a behind-the-counter drug, and “rather than place the inaccurately labeled Plan B on the shelf for sale, Dr. Hall decided to purchase the entire lot of the drugs himself,” the lawsuit said.
Confronted by a loss prevention specialist about the unstocked boxes, Hall provided proof of purchase, and then he was fired, the lawsuit said. Hall claims he contacted another supervisor after he got fired and was told “it was part of his job duties to sell Plan B.”
Hall’s lawsuit is among a handful of similar suits filed by pharmacists across the country over the sale of Plan B, also known as levonorgestrel, Crain said. None of the lawsuits has found its way to an appeals court for a broader ruling.
Plan B is controversial. Abortion opponents consider it an abortifacient that terminates a pregnancy in its earliest stages. Reproductive rights advocates say it is an emergency contraceptive that can be used to prevent pregnancy in the immediate aftermath of unprotected sex.
Reach Anita Wadhwani at 615-259-8092 and on Twitter @AnitaWadhwani.


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Lloyds' buyout arm bags Mountain Warehouse stake
Thursday 02 September 2010
The private equity arm of Lloyds, the state-backed bank, has bought a significant stake in the fast-growing outdoor retailer Mountain Warehouse.
Lloyds Development Capital has purchased about a 20 per cent shareholding in Mountain Warehouse to accelerate its growth from 110 stores to more than 200 by 2014.
The private equity firm has bought the minority stake from Arev, the troubled Icelandic investment vehicle. It is understood that Mark Neale, the managing director who founded the retailer in 1997, will maintain his majority shareholding in the business.
For the year to 28 February, Mountain Warehouse delivered pre-tax profits up by 38 per cent to £7.67m, according to its latest accounts posted at Companies House. Sales rocketed by 51 per cent to £46.75m over the period, helped by new stores.
Mountain Warehouse continues to open stores rapidly and its like-for-like sales are thought to be in positive territory since the end of February. The retailer declined to comment and LDC did not return calls.
The exit of Arev from Mountain Warehouse is the latest retreat by Icelandic investors from the UK high street. It follows the calamitous collapse of Baugur, the group that previously owned stakes in House of Fraser, Hamleys and the company behind Karen Millen and Oasis.
The Anglophile Icelandic founders of Arev, which had a sister private equity firm Kcaj, named the both companies after Coronation Street characters. Kcaj and Arev spelt backwards are Jack and Vera, the former iconic couple in the long-running North-west TV soap.
The two firms previously had stakes in Ghost, the womenswear specialist, Hardy Amies, the former dressmaker to the Queen, and Blooming Marvellous, the maternitywear chain. All three retailers collapsed before being bought out of administration. Arev and Kcaj have also exited their investment in Jones Bootmaker.
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Nintendo is suing a Switch hacker called Gary Bowser.
As reported by Polygon, Nintendo of America filed a lawsuit against 51-year-old Canadian national Bowser, who is an alleged member of Switch hack creators Team Xecuter.
That’s right – president of Nintendo of America Doug Bowser is suing a Nintendo hacker called Gary Bowser. This is the battle of the Bowsers – in court.
In October, the US government issued multiple federal charges against Bowser and alleged fellow Team Xecuter members Max Louarn, a 48-year old French national from Avignon, and Yuanning Chen, 35, from Shenzhen, China.
Bowser is currently being held in custody on US soil after he was arrested and deported from the Dominican Republic in September. Louarn was arrested in Canada, from which the United States is seeking his extradition. Chen is still at large.
It sounds like Nintendo is making the most of Gary Bowser’s custody in the US. According to Polygon, the new lawsuit alleges Bowser infringed on Nintendo’s copyright in creating and selling its hacks. The lawsuit is trying to charge Bowser with two trafficking counts and one copyright violation.
Team Xecuter is perhaps best-known for selling Nintendo Switch modchips, but it’s been operating for years, selling mod chips for consoles as far back as the original Xbox.
There are over a dozen members of Team Xecuter around the world, including developers, website designers, suppliers who manufacture the devices and resellers. Team Xecuter used a variety of product names for its devices, such as the Gateway 3DS, the Stargate, the TrueBlue Mini, the Classic2Magic, and the SX line of devices that included the SX OS, the SX Pro, the SX Lite, and the SX Core.
You may recognise the Gateway name. Back in 2014, Eurogamer reported that Gateway had been accused of allowing users’ 3DS consoles to become irretrievably bricked by a secret “kill switch” it introduced in a recent update. Gateway had previously bemoaned the launch of copycat devices that used modified versions of its earlier code, but were repackaged and sold as separate products.
In a June 2020 interview with TorrentFreak, Team Xecuter refuted the piracy stigma while accusing Nintendo of censorship, monopolistic control, and legal scare tactics. The Department of Justice noted Team Xecuter at times “cloaked its illegal activity with a purported desire to support gaming enthusiasts who wanted to design their own video games for noncommercial use”, but it insisted the overwhelming demand and use for its devices was to play pirated video games.
Polygon reports Nintendo wants damages of $2500 for each trafficked device, $150,000 for each copyright violation, and the complete shutdown of Bowser’s operation.


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Five out of eight defendants have pleaded guilty to charges tied to a fraud scheme involving the theft of personal information from an AT&T call center for use in unauthorized wire transfers and to obtain payment cards.
Brian Cornell, newly appointed CEO of Target Corp., faces the challenge of ensuring that the protection of customer information is a top priority at the company following last year's massive data breach.
Financial institutions feel the pain of recent retail breaches, and they seek new ways to secure payments and fight fraud. But how can security leaders influence changes within their own organizations?
A low-tech campaign combines phishing, small-footprint attack code and Android malware to topple banks' security defenses in Switzerland and three other nations. Will the campaign extend to U.S., U.K., and beyond?
The federal tally of major health data breaches has grown substantially in recent weeks. Incidents added over the last month provide examples of the variety of risks that healthcare entities continue to battle.


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India aims for $57.8 B in exports
NEW DELHI: "Taking into account the prevailing global economic and trading environment, the outlook for 2003-04 as projected by the international agencies tracking global economic developments and the perceptions of the exporting community, a target of 12 percent growth for exports of merchandise goods in 2003-04 in dollar terms has been fixed," the commerce ministry stated Thursday.
While in value terms this translates into $57.8 billion, as compared to $51.7 billion in 2002-03, in rupee terms this would be around 2.74 trillion, up from 2.5 trillion in 2002-03.
The export target has been finalised after extensive consultations with the export promotion councils and commodity boards.
"The prevailing international situation, the robust export performance of 18.05 percent in 2002-03 against the backdrop of weakening global activity, and appreciation of the Indian rupee vis-à-vis U.S. dollar, the crossing of the $50 billion mark in exports and reaching a share of 0.8 percent in world exports in 2002 have all been taken into account while finalising the target," the ministry stated.
In the mid-term, India is targeting garnering a one percent global market share by 2007 with an annual compound rate of 11.9 percent growth.
Already, during 2002-03, India has been able to raise its share in global trade from around 0.64 percent to 0.8 percent.
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A seminar on cashless society is held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 12 to discuss cashless payment.
Banking transactions and mobile payments are experiencing impressive growth in Vietnam when it comes to both the number of users and value of transactions, head of the SBV’s payment department Pham Tien Dung told a seminar on cashless society held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 12.
In the first four months of the year, the number of domestic banking transactions grew 26.2 percent with value expanding 15.7 percent. As of the end of March, the number of banking accounts reached 103.1 million, up 22.4 percent from the end of 2017, Dung said.
Notably, mobile payments increased sharply by 189 percent in number and 166 percent in value from a year earlier, he added.
He attributed the growth to the development of IT and telecommunications, thanks to which banks have created a variety of new user-friendly cashless payment services, such as mobile banking, Internet banking and bankcard payment.
Vietnamese banks have quickly integrated latest technologies, including fingerprint authentication and facial recognition, into their mobile banking apps to provide customers with much more convenient experience, he added.
Nguyen Ba Diep, Executive Vice Chairman and Co-founder of MoMo, one of Vietnam’s leading providers of mobile payment solutions, said MoMo debuted 13 years ago and in the first 10 years, the e-wallet has struggled to gain access to users because most of Vietnamese preferred cash and not many shops accepted this payment service at that time.
But things have changed, Diep said, MoMo has about 20 million users today, more than half of whom started using the services over the last three years.
He further noted that the development of digital economy and the government’s policies to encourage cashless payments for public services, such as payments of taxes, tuition fees and medical services, have smoothed the way for this payment service to take off./.VNA
Transactions via mobile devices recorded a year-on-year surge of 198% in volume and 210% in value last year.
As Vietnam heads towards a cashless economy and mobile technology is becoming ubiquitous, the adoption of mobile money next month is predicted to lure local and foreign firms into joining the game.


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Raising Nebraska opened on Friday to rave reviews. Here’s some of the media coverage from the first weekend!
With a major presence in Nebraska, Cargill has become the title sponsor of Raising Nebraska, pledging $1 million over five years. “As an agriculture and food company, we really identified with one of Raising Nebraska goals of showing how Nebraska agriculture touches everyone,” said Robert Racek, the Omaha-based western region GM of Cargill’s grain business. “The world’s food gets its start every day with agriculture and Nebraska is a major player in that global marketplace.”
Cargill Pledges $1M To Raising Nebraska | The Shelby Report, August 22, 2014
Folks at the Nebraska State Fair think they’ve got an exhibit second to none — “Raising Nebraska”. Showing the diversity and unity in Nebraska agriculture, Raising Nebraska spotlights what our state’s top industry is all about. “There’s an awe factor here, without a doubt,” said Lt. Gov. Lavon Heidemann. “There’s a little bit everything, this is what we do in Nebraska, to grow food. And we do it so well, so I’m glad they’re highlighting that.”
Ambitious “Raising Nebraska” Opens at Fair | NTV, August 22, 2014
It was about lunchtime Friday when the Ron Meyers family of Oxford took their places at a big dining room table at the Nebraska State Fair. But instead of place mats and plates, they looked at a menu in touch-screens embedded in an interactive table and ordered their virtual lunch by dragging items to virtual plates.
Cheeseburger, carrots, pears and milk was one possible combination. “This is awesome! I like this!” exclaimed 11-year-old Justin as he filled his plate, then cleared the screen and started over with breakfast and skipped ahead to supper.
Interactive exhibits, Outdoor Encounter in State Fair’s new Nebraska Building wow | Omaha World-Herald, August 23, 2014
“Raising Nebraska” A Big Hit At State Fair | AgView.net, August 24, 2014
A new exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair is connecting consumers with the farmers who raise and grow their food. “Raising Nebraska: Your food and the families who grow it” is a permanent, year-round agriculture exhibit located in the new Nebraska Building on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds.
Its debut at this year’s Nebraska State Fair at Fonner Park in Grand Island is part of an effort to educate consumers about what Nebraska is doing toward food production and feeding the world and what production agriculture looks like for Nebraska, said Beth Janning, UNL Extension educator.
IANR partners on new Nebraska State Fair exhibit | UNL Today, August 22, 2014
A new exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair will connect consumers with the farmers who raise and grow their food. It’s called “Raising Nebraska”, a permanent, year-round agriculture exhibit located in the new Nebraska Building on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds at Grand Island. It features several interactive displays including a full-sized pivot-irrigation system, a video theater enclosed in a grain bin, a 50-foot-long floor map of Nebraska, a virtual combine ride, an interactive dinner table and other educational experiences.
It’s all part of an effort to educate consumers about what Nebraska is doing toward food production and feeding the world and what production agriculture looks like for Nebraska.
New ‘Raising Nebraska’ ag exhibit debuts at Nebraska State Fair | Brownfield Ag News, August 24, 2014
Talking to Chuck Hibberd about the Raising Nebraska Exhibit | Market Journal, August 22, 2014
Visitors can experience a new exhibit at the state fair this year aimed at showcasing Nebraska’s role in helping to feed the world. Raising Nebraska, which is presented by Cargill, is a new interactive exhibit in the Nebraska Building on the Nebraska State Fair grounds. The 25,000 sq. ft. permanent showcase highlights Nebraska’s commitment to science and innovation, community and culture, and global leadership in feeding the world.
Neb. State Fair Interactive Exhibit Showcases State’s Agriculture | KCSR-610 AM (Chadron), August 25, 2014


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Bajaj Pulsar 150 NS getting close to launch
Bajaj Auto has had a busy start to 2014 with a new bikes being spotted on test. This includes the 150 NS, 180 NS, 200 NS FI, 200 SS, 400 SS, and 400 CS. It is expected that from all these bikes, the first to be launched will be the Pulsar 150 NS.
Pulsar 150 NS was spied sporting a 100/90 section Eurogrip rear tyre which is the same as is used on the current Pulsar 150, while pillion foot rest is similar to that on board the Pulsar 135LS. It is this part sharing that will allow the company to keep prices in check which will have a direct bearing on final price tag.
Once successfully launched, the Pulsar 150 NS will compete with the likes of Yamaha FZ-16 and Honda CB-Trigger besides the Fazer and Hero’s Achiever, Hunk and CBZ Xtreme. Expected to be launched before the festive season begins, expect the price tag to be in the Rs 63-65k price bracket.
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Sony has unveiled what has been described as “a great secret” in the form of its Vision-S electric vehicle (EV) launched at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) this week.
The Japanese electronics giant claimed that it had built the car to showcase its autonomous driving and in-car entertainment systems and has not confirmed if it plans to produce the model.
Sony has been interested in driverless auto tech for a while. Back in 2015 the firm pitched their sensors to auto makers at the CES. And it took a stake in the Japanese firm ZMP developing driverless tech.
The Vision-S showcases imaging and sensing technologies that contribute to safer and more reliable autonomous driving, with cameras and LiDAR creating a 360-degree “safety cocoon” around the vehicle.
In total, 33 sensors are fitted to the car, including ones that can detect who is inside and tailor their in-car entertainment services.
David Bailey, professor of business economics at Birmingham Business School, believes that the car could be more than just a showcase of Sony’s technology, however, and could signal a new entrant into the autonomous EV sector.
Speaking to AM, Bailey said: “It’s still not clear if Sony intends to make such a car or whether this is a vehicle to show auto makers what great tech they have – especially sensors – to sell to the industry.
“My guess it is the latter, but the caveat to that is that they have gone to great length with a list of key players like Magna Steyr.”
Is Sony capable of making an electric car?
Bailey pointed out that Sony has a turnover of US$80bn a year, making it bigger than many car manufacturers.
And with the Vision-S it has indicated that it has technology to potentially create a rival to the likes of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and BMW, who announced a collaboration that they were embarking on a partnership to help them develop the next-generation of electric vehicles (EVs) in June last year.
Bailey said: “(Sony) could afford the capital costs of making cars if it really wanted to. The firm has collaborated with a list of major auto and tech players to develop the car.
“My guess is that Magna Steyr will have developed much of the car with Sony and other tech involved and Magna will have actually built it.
“That might be a good way for Sony to enter the market if it does decide to – i.e. developing cars with other players and contracting out assembly – thus avoiding some of the challenges that Tesla has faced.
“Sony could be a big disruptor is it decided to go down this route.”
While there was no potential pricing or specification data for the Vision-S concept revealed ta CES this week, Sony did confirm that the car is powered by two electric motors with a combined output of more than 500PS.
Unveiling the Vision-S yesterday (January 7), Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida said: “It’s not an exaggeration to say that Mobile has been the mega-trend of the last decade. I believe the next mega-trend will be mobility.”
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FLIR says the acquisition could lead to much greater marine use of its thermal imaging technology
The genesis of FLIR Systems' purchase of Raymarine can be traced to a foggy night about seven or eight years ago, according to FLIR president and CEO Earl Lewis.
Lewis was boating with his son when he realized it would have been helpful to have an infrared camera on board to help guide him. FLIR's infrared technology was mostly used for commercial or military applications, but the experience eventually led to development of a line of infrared cameras for recreational marine use.
"That business has done extremely well," Lewis says. "We've been sort of going it alone, trying to find dealers and get OEMs on board, and we've been very successful, but we're nowhere near the penetration that we think infrared could have in the market if it was integrated into a system or it was distributed through a very large marine electronics company."
And that eventually led to FLIR's interest in and eventual purchase of Raymarine.
Portland, Ore.-based FLIR Systems announced in mid-May that it had entered into an agreement with the administrator of Raymarine plc to acquire all outstanding shares of its wholly owned subsidiary, Raymarine Holdings Ltd. The transaction value of approximately $180 million includes repayment of all of Raymarine's indebtedness and approximately $24 million in proceeds to Raymarine plc, which is equivalent to 20 pence, or approximately 29 cents, per ordinary share. The acquisition represents the entire business operations of Raymarine and its subsidiaries.
"The more we thought about it, the more we thought, well, first of all it's a very good company that just sort of happens to be down on its luck because the whole industry is so bad, but their technology is very good, their market acceptance is very good," Lewis says. "We did surveys of customers and they like the products very much. We do believe strongly that we will be able to sell a lot more of our infrared cameras to boaters by having Raymarine as part of the company.
"We also, in our government business, use GPS, we use radars, and we think there may be some security applications above and beyond what Raymarine is involved in today using their technology."
How it will work
Andy Teich, president of FLIR Commercial Systems, agrees the potential for greater use of infrared (thermal imaging) technology in the marine industry is considerable.
"We believe that thermal will become an integral part of the marine electronics suite, much the way GPS, sonar and radar are today," says Teich. "In fact ... we believe thermal will ultimately be chosen before radar is in the pecking order of marine electronics, i.e. GPS first, sonar second, thermal third, radar fourth, etc."
This, says Teich, is because "thermal is easier to use" than radar.
"Turn it on and look at the picture to know what's out there is the mantra here, versus trying to interpret a blip on a radar screen," he says. "This means that the thermal sensor will be a fully integrated sensor on the marine electronics network. For the user, this will mean that there will be a 'thermal' button on the MFD [multifunction display], and once selected, you will not only see the image but have full control over the sensor."
Regarding Raymarine branding of products, "We will have a full line of products, from hand-held through fixed-mount products, spanning $3,000 to $100,000-plus products available under the Raymarine brand. These products will not only be branded Raymarine, but will fully integrate into the Raymarine suite in a plug-and-play manner," Teich says.
Raymarine's cash crunch
Raymarine, the U.K.-based marine electronics manufacturer, had been looking for a buyer for some time before the sale to FLIR. Last June, the company released a statement saying it was exploring equity fund-raising or a sale of the business and in the absence of either would seek to secure additional medium-term financing with its banking group.
At that time, the company said it was operating close to the "limit of its current bank facilities, in particular as a result of the effect of changes in exchange rates on Raymarine's borrowings and its facility limits."
Last August, Raymarine confirmed it was in talks with Garmin and other parties about a possible sale. In December, it announced it was in "exclusive" talks with another party, and no longer in talks with Garmin. In March, Raymarine said it received a "further approach from a third party, which may or may not lead to an offer being made for the entire issue capital of Raymarine at approximately 3.6 pence per share."
The following month, Raymarine confirmed it had received two further takeover approaches, including one from a direct competitor, which it said was the highest of the approaches. At that time, Raymarine officials said in a statement that the proposal from the unnamed competitor "is highly likely to be subject to an in-depth review by the competition authorities and that antitrust approval is unlikely to be secured."
Also, the company said, a protracted antitrust approval process could be damaging to the company.
At the end of April, Garmin confirmed it had made a cash offer of 15 pence, or 23 cents, per share for Raymarine. Raymarine, in a statement, said it was urging its shareholders to "take no action" regarding the offer.
On May 14, in a flurry of press releases, Raymarine first announced that the "third party" it was in negotiations with to purchase the company said it was "no longer willing to proceed with that transaction."
"It has, however, informed Raymarine's banking syndicate that if Raymarine were to enter into administration it would be willing to enter into a transaction with the administrator to acquire Raymarine Holdings Limited for a consideration that is likely to equate to approximately 17.5 pence (25 cents) per Raymarine share ... in addition to providing for the repayment of the Raymarine group's banking facilities," Raymarine said in a statement.
A short while later, Raymarine announced that its banking syndicate had informed the company it was unwilling to grant a further waiver of its current non-compliance with its covenants and an administrator was appointed. Within an hour or so of that announcement, FLIR said it had an agreement with the Raymarine plc administrator to acquire all outstanding shares of its wholly owned subsidiary, Raymarine Holdings Limited.
Garmin released a short statement a few days after the sale announcement, saying that based on certain conditions to Garmin's preconditional offer for Raymarine the conditions "are no longer capable of being satisfied and the preconditional offer has now lapsed." The company had no other comment about the sale.
Lewis says FLIR had been an interested party since Raymarine first announced it was looking for a buyer and became active in the process in late 2009. "We had an offer we put on the table we thought was fair, and actually the board got us to increase that a little bit and actually so did the administrator," he says. "Through that process we did raise our ante, but we weren't looking at it to beat somebody or anything else. We had a target price in mind that we said we'd pay, internally. We offered that and they felt that ours was the best deal."
The acquisition represents the entire business operations of Raymarine and its subsidiaries. FLIR says it anticipates the transaction will be neutral to 2010 earnings, excluding one-time charges, and accretive in subsequent years.
Portland, Ore.-based FLIR reported positive results in its first-quarter earnings statement, released April 23. Revenue for the period was $287.3 million, up 6 percent compared to the first quarter of 2009. Net income for the quarter was $55.9 million, or 35 cents per diluted share, compared with $54.3 million, or 35 cents per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2009.
In its outlook for 2010, FLIR reported expected revenue of $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion for the year, an increase of 9 percent over 2009.
Lewis says FLIR has no plans for major changes at Raymarine, such as shutting down facilities or laying off employees. FLIR is sending one of its executives to the U.K. for at least the next two years to look after operations.
"We have acquired a number of companies, and all of them still exist where we acquired them. We've acquired at least 10 or 12 companies since I've been here, and they're all in exactly the same place they were," Lewis says.
"We, within FLIR, have been looking at how we brand-name our products over the long run as part of a natural growth of our company, but as of right now we have no intention of changing the Raymarine name," he says.
The two companies don't have competing products, so downsizing of employee ranks is not expected. "We need to understand the business a lot more before we change it much," Lewis says, adding that FLIR plans to honor existing contracts with Raymarine's suppliers and vendors.
"Clearly, I'm sure customers and suppliers both have been very worried about the business and what was going to happen to it, and so just by clearing up all those issues it will perform better," he says.
Other than the addition of infrared technology to Raymarine's lines, Lewis doesn't anticipate many changes in the company's offerings. "We sure hope we can make them better, but all our due diligence said that they're pretty good right now. In fact, they're very good right now," he says. "They did a remarkable job keeping that going as well as they did given the financial difficulties they had. I'm amazed they've continued to invest as much money as they did in R&D and continue to bring out as many good, new products as they have, considering they were up against these difficult financial issues."
This article originally appeared in the July 2010 issue.


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Danish card and MobilePay spending in October, up to and including 12 October, shows spending up by 15% last week, as Danes channel holiday back-pay of more than DKK40bn. (before taxes) towards consumption, leaving little doubt that the money will give a significant boost to private consumption in Q4.
The big winners were in retail, with electronic stores continuing to post record sales. Last week as a whole showed spending in electronic stores more than doubling. DIY stores also saw a significant boost, with sales at 50% above normal last week. With furniture spending up as well, we see clear signs that Danes are spending on improvements at home.
Personal items, such as clothing, footwear and cosmetics are also getting a boost compared with only two weeks ago.
Restaurants continue to struggle following new restrictions to opening hours. However, we have seen some improvement over the past week, going from being down 15% compared with normal at the end of September to 6% below normal last week. Travel spending saw a slight uptick last week but the effect seems to have subsided.
Overall, we are seeing the biggest uptick in spending in categories that have already been doing well over the past six months, while more service-oriented sectors continue to struggle.
This publication has been prepared by Danske Bank for information purposes only. It is not an offer or solicitation of any offer to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Whilst reasonable care has been taken to ensure that its contents are not untrue or misleading, no representation is made as to its accuracy or completeness and no liability is accepted for any loss arising from reliance on it. Danske Bank, its affiliates or staff, may perform services for, solicit business from, hold long or short positions in, or otherwise be interested in the investments (including derivatives), of any issuer mentioned herein. Danske Bank's research analysts are not permitted to invest in securities under coverage in their research sector.
This publication is not intended for private customers in the UK or any person in the US. Danske Bank A/S is regulated by the FSA for the conduct of designated investment business in the UK and is a member of the London Stock Exchange.
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“In the past, agriculture and food production in the UK, as part of the economy, has not been taken as seriously as it should have been,” Coveney told FoodManufacture.co.uk in a wide-ranging interview filmed at the Oxford Farming Conference last Tuesday (January 7).
For too long, agriculture and food production had been treated as a countryside management tool, rather than a means of feeding an increasingly hungry world, he said. But government ministers should give it full priority as a key means of producing food for consumers in the UK and across the globe, he said.
Coveney made clear this was an historic problem, in his view. He believed his opposite number – environment secretary Owen Paterson – had accorded the sector its due priority.
The Irish minister said his strong family connections with the UK made it important to be “truthful” about his view of food production in this country. Not only did Coveney study a science degree in the UK, his sister lives in London and his brother – Patrick Coveney – is the ceo of convenience food manufacturer Greencore. (Don’t miss our recent exclusive interview with the food manufacturing boss).
‘A new golden age’
The Irish minister went on to highlight the importance of government recognition and the use of the latest technologists to help food businesses benefit from “a new golden age” for food production.
Everyone talked about genetic modification (GM) but, in reality, this was only one high-tech food production technique, he said. GM production should take its place alongside other advanced techniques – such as the latest conventional breeding techniques and improved grazing practices – that would improve efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
View the first part of our exclusive interview with Coveney – where he outlines the factors leading to this new era for food production here.
Last week the Irish food board Bord Bia confirmed Ireland’s food and drink exports reached nearly £8.27bn (€10bn) for the first time last year.


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- An industrious young man from Lesotho has wowed local audiences with his capacity for invention, creating an impressive sketching tool
- The young engineers has big plans to improve on his initial prototype, hoping to see his invention do the work of humans 10 times faster
- Although some social media users had some constructive criticism for the young creator, most were happy to see the young man succeed
An innovative student from the heart of Lesotho has captivated Mzansi with his latest invention. The engineer has just designed an incredible drawing machine which he hopes will replace traditional means of artisanal work in the next few years.
The man behind the machine
Thapelo Moeti designed the extraordinary machine while completing his studies towards an Electronics degree. His robot has a pen attachment, making it much easier to achieve the pretty sketches.
Boss moves: Young man saves NSFAS money to start own business, Mzansi showers the entrepreneur with praise
Moeti has plans of building even further on his original drawing machine, hoping to see his robots do carpentry and woodwork faster than any ordinary human.
Social media reactions
While some social media users had a few criticisms of the new invention, most had nothing but good things to say about the talented African engineer.
Check out some of the comments below:
"No wonder Lesotho never imports engineers from Cuba. They have real engineers with practical expertise."
"CNC machines have been around for many years now... hope he creates a totally different one."
"This is great. I'd love to see more stories of #Makers in #Africa, there's much room."
"I'm beyond impressed. This is far from just innovative, it's legendary."
"The design looks more like that of a 3D printer. Impressive."
A laptop for South Africans by South Africans would go a long way in helping students and adults access the internet and become more productive. The entry-level computer is designed to compete with models on the market.
Making technology accessible
Mahlangu struggled as a student to access a computer and the internet, according to the Daily Sun. He said that he had to depend on internet cafes and computer labs. The DTC400 was released during lockdown when people were not able to access school or university computers.
The laptop will have 64GB storage, 6GB Ram and a 400mah battery. The laptop will retail at R4 999. The last hurdle before release is approval from Icasa.
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!


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VANCOUVER, Canada, December 18, 2018 — CoinField, one of the fastest growing cryptocurrency trading platforms, is pleased to announce two new expansions for the month of December.
CoinField has begun listing four new digital assets in addition to its already wide range of cryptocurrency portfolio. The new addition includes: Stellar Lumens (XLM), DigiByte (DGB), Civic (CVC), Loom Network (LOOM) and stablecoin USDC.
All four coins will be listed as XRP-based pairs along with additional XLM direct fiat trading pairs with US dollar (USD), Canadian dollar (CAD) and Euro (EUR). CoinField has already activated all wallet operations including funding and withdrawals for these five digital assets. Existing or new users can commence depositing USDC, LOOM, CVC, DGB, and XLM into their wallets and once sufficient liquidity is established, trading will be enabled on December 21, 2018 at 11:45 a.m. PST.
USDC Added as Stablecoin
CoinField also announced the addition of USD Coin (USDC) as its very first stablecoin. A stablecoin’s purpose is to downplay price volatility by being pegged to a currency. Why a stablecoin instead of just using the dollars themselves? By using this blockchain-based digital dollar, traders can quickly maneuver, store, or transfer USDC rather than the more laborious process of storing real dollars in a traditional bank-account setting.
The December announcement follows CoinField’s November revelation to set XRP as its base currency along with the launch of a powerful new platform with an upgraded matching engine capable of making up to 75,000 trades per second, or up to 1.5 million API calls per second.
The upgraded platform was launched at the same time CoinField expanded its services far beyond Canada’s borders to 61 countries worldwide. CoinField is now adding another 40 countries to make the platform available in a total of 101 countries worldwide. The company has recently partnered up with Jumio to improve user experience by offering a faster KYC onboarding process. The complete list of participating countries can be found here. Registration for traders in the additional 40 countries will open on December 21st 2018.
CoinField boasts a robust field of 37 trading pairs across six fiat currencies: US dollar (USD), Canadian dollar (CAD), Euro (EUR), Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP) Japanese Yen (JPY) and UAE dirham (AED).
CoinField is Canada’s most advanced trading platform, owned and operated by Central Crypto Exchange Corp in Vancouver, Canada. More information can be found at https://www.coinfield.com.


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Jul 28, 2012 1:19 PM by Chris Welty
We've heard of ABC News' series Made in America, well right here local businesses are pushing for all of us to buy Made in Acadiana, or at least to shop local.
A sign at the corner of Ambassador Caffery and Ridge in Lafayette is catching the eye of drivers. Acadiana businesses encouraging people to shop local and buy products made right here in Acadiana.
"We want to make sure that those small businesses that become large stay here in Acadiana," said Alicia Lebouef of Hulco Printers.
Art Garrett is owner of Acadian Religious and has been in business for nearly fifty-years. He's a member of Shop Local Acadiana a group encouraging shoppers to redirect just $50 of their budget to local merchants.
"It can generate nearly 10 million dollars a month. That's a lot of money, that's not chump change, that's a lot of money."
Garrett says the best part of shopping local is the money stays in the community to pay for roads, schools, and other projects. It also helps create jobs and a cycle of money that flows right back into Acadiana.
"It doesn't go to pay some corporate executive in New York or California," said Garrett.
Supporters say local stores drive the economy and news of one closing is taken to heart because local business it is what attracts big business.
"Those big box retailers, they didn't start out with 1,500 stores, they started out as a local store just like us."
Local stores helping keep Acadiana diverse and investing in our region's future.
Shop Local Acadiana is accepting new members and they also have an app to help you find locally-owned stores. Log onto www.shoplocalacadiana.com
You can also get a "Made in Acadiana" sign for your business by contacting Hulco Printers at (337) 232-9128.
1 day ago


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Ramnaresh Sarwan’s Amazonia Mall is scheduled to be opened on July 20, becoming the newest entertainment and shopping hub in the country.
After some three years of construction, this mega plaza will finally open its doors to the public at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
With convenient parking and access to a wide variety of amenities, the Amazonia Mall is perfectly positioned to become to go-to location for all one’s needs and desires.
The Mall itself will boast 33 different stores, both international and local brands ranging from fast food outlets, hardware stores, salons, and restaurants including Sarwan’s very own RS53 Resto Bar.
It will also include a doctor’s office as well as a Caribbean Cinemas which will feature six different screens.
Sarwan, in an invited comment, explained that his idea to develop the entertainment hub was birthed several years ago when he was brainstorming investment opportunities.
In addition to the mall and the restaurant, the West Indies batting legend had invested in a gym, Fitness 53 which is located in a different building in the same compound.
In total, the Amazonia Mall is expected to provide employment for an estimated 250 persons.
With the grand opening of this entertainment center during a pandemic, Sarwan assured that all safety protocols are in place to protect the public as well as workers.
With regards the cinemas, he said it will come into operation as soon as the Government gives the greenlight.
President Dr Irfaan Ali had previously lauded the former cricketer for his major investments into the country.
“When we speak of local content, it is the ability to stimulate investments like these: that will bring greater value to Guyanese, that will bring greater levels of income, that will make a positive impact on society itself,” Ali had said during the opening of Sarwan’s restaurant.
“What I find particularly pleasing is that, in this case, we have a young man, Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was a sporting personality, and to see him redirect his energies in such a positive manner to the development of Guyana, but importantly to see him reinvest in Guyana, creating jobs and creating opportunities, is something I take great pride in,” the Head of State had expressed.


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Alleged Render of the OnePlus 5T Appears, Shows Edge to Edge Display
OnePlus had a history of releasing one new flagship smartphone every year, but that changed last year with the release of the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T. The company leveraged the new chipset from Qualcomm and used the Snapdragon 821 in their refreshed model just before the holidays. Since there isn’t going to be a Snapdragon 836 SoC this year, rumors have started spreading that OnePlus will release the OnePlus 5T with an 18:9 aspect ratio display.
The reductions of smartphone display bezels has become a popular trend lately. Samsung got rid of the side bezels with their Edge variants of the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S series until this year when they used their curved display on both versions. Xiaomi experimented with reduced bezels on the Mi Mix concept phone last year and followed it up with the Mi Mix 2 just recently. Not only are smartphone display bezels shrinking, but a number of them have opted for an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Since there won’t be a Snapdragon 836 SoC this year, rumors have started to spread about the new OnePlus smartphone that would be scheduled right before the holiday season. We’ve seen a number of renders and images published from various sources, and Android Authority just uploaded what is said to be a render of the OnePlus 5T (feature image). They say it is from a “trusted source” and they have been right about a number of things in the past.
While nothing is definitive until an official announcement is made, it does look like OnePlus will be moving to an edge to edge display for the upcoming OnePlus 5. The render shows slim top and bottom bezels that would indicate they’re moving away from the capacitive buttons and there isn’t any indication of a fingerprint sensor in the bottom bezel either.
Are you happy with the trend that OnePlus has gone in with releasing two smartphones in one year? Did you resist buying the OnePlus 5 in anticipation of the OnePlus 5T? Let us know your thoughts down below.
Source: Android Authority


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Few brands have been more troubled recently than BlackBerry – famed for reliability and security, the firm’s email service was knocked out for almost a week thanks to a problem at a data centre based in Slough; the launch of its iPad rival, the PlayBook, was marred by a lack of email; phones that should have launched in February were released on Tuesday. Questioned by the BBC earlier this year about problems with Government interference in the Middle East, the firm’s co-founder Mike Lazaridis simply stopped the interview.
Little wonder that, in the words of independent analyst Ian Fogg, BlackBerry’s owner Research In Motion “stands on a knife edge”. Fogg is one of RIM’s more optimistic observers. However, BlackBerry’s UK managing director Stephen Bates says the firm is in fact “growing at an exponential rate”. He claims “the consumers out there are having a great time. The BlackBerry proposition is resonating on a global scale.” He adds: “We’re in the middle and at the front of a very exciting market and it’s bumpy”.
Perhaps surprisingly, if you ignore the share price, RIM’s numbers support Bates’s view. RIM says it has passed 8 million UK subscribers and seen a 40 per cent growth in its worldwide subscriber base, which now stands at 165 million smartphones. More than 50 million people currently use the free BBM instant messenger service, compared to 28 million in October 2010. According to communications regulator Ofcom, BlackBerry is by far the largest single smartphone vendor among the crucial 16-24 age group, claiming 37 per cent of the market. That may in part be due to aggressive price cuts, but the fact remains a huge chunk of big, corporate clients rely on BlackBerry, and now they are joined by a massive cohort of teenagers.
Some of those young people, unfortunately, tarnished BlackBerry’s brand further by using BBM to organise the London riots. When the network collapsed during a subsequent upgrade, Twitter was awash with users claiming BlackBerry was on its way out.
Bates is apologetic: “The reaction we got was fair – it’s really focused our mind and we really understand the frustration owners feel. We do not underestimate the importance of maintaining the service and we’ve done a lot since to investigate. That is a priority.”
Subsequently, however, user feedback has changed. Bates claims “Certainly people are still angry but I’ve had a lot more balanced reactions,” he says. “A lot of people have said ‘I hadn’t realised how important my BlackBerry was and now it’s back I appreciate it more.’ It’s not a response I expected. Comments and feedback emphasise that BlackBerry was and is really important.”
Bates claims that the “unprecedented” scale of the problems meant the company had not been able to plan effectively to deal with them. Now he says “A wide-ranging technical audit will ensure we take more time to understand the work needed.” As it is, he says that poor communications at the time were down simply to the fact that BlackBerry thought it had solved the initial problems before their full extent became apparent.
The PlayBook tablet, meanwhile, he claims is simply to “complement the existing BlackBerry experience. The tablet is an associated product for BlackBerry users; it’s to try to enable a better BlackBerry experience”. That’s not quite the same line as Mike Lazaridis used at the launch: back then, he said “the PlayBook appeals to everyone”.
At heart BlackBerry, however, knows that the two new handsets it launched on Tuesday, the Bold 9790, which features a keyboard, and the touchscreen Curve 9380, are not really comparable to the latest smartphones from Apple or Google. Even the £4.99 per month music service is not exactly subscription service Spotify, even if it is half the price. As Ian Fogg puts it, the company is “in a hugely challenging period of transition”.
While the current devices are the best BlackBerrys the company has made to date, they are simply evolutionary.
That’s because BlackBerry, like Nokia and Microsoft earlier in the year, is moving from one software platform to another. The forthcoming “BBX” operating system will be “a revolution”, says Fogg, but it won’t be here until 2012 at the earliest. The current BB7 is simply not truly competitive.
How do they keen their existing customers happy, while also preparing the ground for radically new devices.”
BlackBerry has been helped, Fogg says, by Microsoft’s new focus on consumers rather than businesses, but there are plenty of companies focusing on the Canadian firm’s core business. “What we’ll see is their customer base under tremendous pressure,” he says. “And if you look at RIM’s track record they have a history of missing launch dates; that doesn’t bode well. If they fail to ship quality products we’ll see a slow decline.”
BlackBerry’s Bates, predictably, is more upbeat: “The use of smartphones has evolved and become more important to all of us,” he says. “We are fundamentally a communication platform that gives real-time, secure performance – and we‘re evolving.”


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Update: The base pricing has now risen to $15 instead of $12.
In early April, Comcast quietly launched its own mobile network, aptly dubbed Xfinity Mobile. The service offers an unlimited data plan or you can pay by the gigabyte. It's only available to those with existing Comcast internet service, however.
Xfinity Mobile began its nationwide rollout this week, with availability for existing Xfinity internet customers. It's typically $65 a month for unlimited data access, but Comcast is currently offering a promotion at $45 a month. Speeds will be reduced after 20GB, however, which might not make it the best option for large family plans. The alternative is to pay-as-you-go at the $12 per gigabyte rate, but that option becomes quite pricey if you're using more than four gigs a month. The subscription also garners you access to Verizon Wireless's network, as well as access to Comcast's Wi-Fi hotspots in the U.S. and its TV streaming service.
All this this not without its caveats. Xfinity Mobile is available to Comcast's internet customers only, so you'll have to pay for internet in addition to the mobile service. And though the $45 a month rate will continue to apply to existing high-end X1 plan subscribers, that quickly adds up when you're paying for the whole suite of offerings. You also can't bring your own device to the network — at least not yet — though you can pick from a Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, or a low-end LG X Power at typical prices.
But for light data users who maybe don't rely on their smartphones outside of the home as much as the rest of us do, Xfinity Mobile could be a convenient add-on when a tethered internet connection is already getting the most use. Just as long as you don't mind being entirely beholden to Comcast.
Alternative carriers (MVNOS)
- What is an alternative mobile carrier?
- What are the advantages of going with an alternative carrier?
- How to make sure your phone works on a prepaid alternative carrier
- 8 Important Considerations When Switching To An MVNO
- These are the cheapest data plans you can buy in the U.S.
- Mint SIM vs. Cricket Wireless: Which is better for you?
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When last we saw the LG Enact, it was looking like a decidedly ho-hum budget phone for Verizon whose only differentiator was an oddly retro 4-button layout. Evleaks has graced us with yet another look at the phone and... well, it still looks pretty ho-hum, but now it's a slightly more interesting QWERTY slider. Verizon hasn't had a new Android phone with a physical keyboard since the Pantech Marauder over a year ago. Read More
American carriers sometimes get phones later than the rest of the world. Lately the situation has been improving, especially with big-name devices and a few exclusives. But when we see evidence of an upcoming low-end phone that's almost a year old, and one that's been supplanted by a new version, we can't help but sigh. So it is with the Galaxy S III Mini, which was just pegged by Evleaks for an AT&T release. Read More
HTC's yet-unannounced Zara isn't exactly a stranger to the rumor circuit. We've heard all the important specs, but @evleaks has just given us a look at what appears to be a slightly censored press shot.
For those who may not remember, the Zara is rumored to be the midrange lovechild of the One and Desire lines, with (according to @evleaks) a dual core 1.2GHz processor, a 4.5" qHD (960x540) display, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage (expandable via microSD), a 2100mAh battery pack, and Android 4.3 with Sense 5.5 on top. Read More
Just how big is the HTC One Max (AKA T6), rumored to use a 5.9-inch screen? It's big. So big that it dwarfs the HTC One in a new photo from ePrice, the source that leaked the original photos of a purported Chinese model of the upcoming phone. The latest leak shows it next to the One and One Mini, making a family portrait for the One series.
But this isn't just a photo of the baby bear, mama bear, and papa bear of the HTC's lineup. Read More
When Samsung showed off its enormous new Galaxy Mega series earlier this year, we thought that it was only a matter of time before an American carrier decided to pick one up. It looks like AT&T is taking the bait if the latest post from the indefatigable evleaks can be believed. It shows the Galaxy Mega 6.3, the larger of the two phones, with AT&T branding and icons.
The Galaxy Mega phones are relatively low-cost alternatives to Samsung's Galaxy Note series, minus the stylus and digitizer. Read More
The Sony Honami, or possibly the Xperia i1, still doesn't have an official existence. But it's been spotted in leaked renders and system dumps, so it's a pretty safe bet that it's coming to market at some point. The big phone with an even bigger camera sensor was recently spotted hanging out with an iPhone 5 on Chinese forum Digi-Wo, which also compared it to a less bombastic Xperia Z. Read More
Sony has a history of doing odd things with mobile devices, but this is pretty out there. According to Sony Alpha Rumors, which has a good track record on all things Sony camera-related, the company will soon announce a range of "lens cameras" that snap onto Android phones so you can take better pictures. It's every bit as strange as it sounds.
The lens cameras will actually contain almost everything you need to take a picture – a built-in sensor, Bionz image processor, WiFi/NFC, and an SD card slot. Read More
Last week we got our first telling glance of a new HTC smartphone hanging out in China: the T6, or as it may come to be known, the HTC One Max. This purported beast of a phone has the styling of the HTC One with a reported 5.9" screen. Today Evleaks, the Deepthroat of the smartphone world, released a press render on his new Google+ account.
The phone still looks like an enormous HTC One. Read More
According to Geek.com's Russell Holly, the successor to the Nexus 10 - which will be called the Nexus 10 - will be manufactured by ASUS, not Samsung. Holly bases his belief on information from "multiple sources" and an internal Best Buy inventory listing, a well-known Nexus retail partner. Here's that inventory listing, which has otherwise generic "placeholder" info (aka don't pay attention to the obviously-wrong release date).
Now, my first thought was "well, this directly contradicts an earlier report from a reliable source," allegedly Google's own Sundar Pichai, as spoken to by the Wall Street Journal's Amir Efrati, who has since left his post at that publication. Read More
The Nexus 7 2013 is awesome in just about every way, building on the strengths of the original to become an easy choice for the best 7" Android tablet on the market at the moment. But there's at least one company that isn't altogether happy with it: NVIDIA. Their Tegra 3 chip powered the first Nexus 7, but Google switched to Qualcomm for the new version... a decision which hasn't come without problems of its own. Read More