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Lessons From the Uber Crisis
A viral video has put the company’s CEO in hot water, but that’s not Uber’s only concern. Help is on the way, but help for troubled organizations is complicated.
Some are born great leaders. Some achieve greatness. And some have leadership training thrust upon them after video of them berating an employee goes viral.
OK, so we’re actually talking about just one person here: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, who in the past two weeks has received a very public lesson in the importance of soft skills when it comes to managing an organization. Late last month Bloomberg released a video of Kalanick arguing with his Uber driver about the company’s fare structure changing to the detriment of drivers. You can watch the video at the link if you haven’t already, but suffice it to say that saying “Some people don’t like to take responsibility for their own [expletive]” is a bad look for any executive. And it’s also a candid glimpse of the kind of temperament executives can struggle with when they think they’re not being observed.
For more crisis management resources, consider reading “Crisis Management in the Digital Age.”
Shortly after the video made the rounds across the globe, Kalanick performed the enduring exec-in-trouble ritual of apologies and promises to do better. “I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up,” he wrote in a company-wide email. “This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.”
Last week Kalanick took the first concrete step toward defining what that help might look like, announcing that Uber would be hiring a COO. It’s not a bad initial move—it’s certainly in a long tradition of brash Silicon Valley entrepreneurs hiring a designated grownup to help with day-to-day stuff they’re losing a grip on. But beyond Uber’s own fix, there’s a lesson for leaders of all sorts about the kinds of conversations and changes that a crisis like Kalanick’s should provoke.
Recognize That “Bad News” Often Isn’t an Accident
If Kalanick’s verbal tussle with a driver were the sole leadership problem at Uber, it might have died quickly. But the incident comes on the heels of (among other things) sexual-harassment charges, a lawsuit alleging stolen technology, and public accusations of exploiting last month’s short-lived executive order on foreign travel for financial gain. These are all particular problems with their own issues, but they’re also troubles of a type—they suggest that Uber considers itself above the law or above other classes of people. If an organization has a series of problems, look at how they cluster, what their theme is. It’s likely that they’re more than just the hiccups in an innovative business and instead fundamental flaws in a the model of how you’re leading.
Hitch a Ride, Listen to the Feedback
It may very well be that 99 percent of Kalanick’s Uber rides are genial chats with drivers about what’s working at the company. But if he doesn’t recognize that the rides are opportunities to learn about what can improve workers’ lives at Uber, he does now. He might do what a Fortune reporter recently did, hitching a ride and hearing out some of the commonsense ideas from drivers about what might improve their work lives (lower commissions, opportunities for tipping, a break on tune-ups and car washes). Association CEOs have uniformly told me that one of the best ways they learn to do their job is to spend time with members talking about how they do theirs. You can’t make every member happy, but not every member with a grievance is just looking to pick a fight.
Find the Difference Between Aggressiveness and Aggression
The urge to make changes at an organization is strong, and it’s generally welcome. That’s especially true in the association world, which can be slow-moving ships when it comes to going global, taking advantage of innovations in education, or road-testing new membership models. But there’s a line between aggressively pursuing innovation and creating an abusive culture of one-upmanship, and tech companies like Uber often seem to live on the edge of it. And that’s a tone-from-the-top problem. As one Uber investor told Vanity Fair: “If you put somebody, a brash innovator on a pedestal, why are you surprised when that brashness spills over to how he treats employees and, in this case vendors of the company?” Behavior like that has prompted questions over whether Uber’s COO search is nothing more than a cosmetic fix; one Wired writer thinks Kalanick’s best move, if he cares about Uber’s fortunes, is to step down as CEO.
Amazon has, somewhat infamously, struggled to create a culture that empowers individuals without encouraging them to stomp on one another to get ahead. Now Uber is trying to sort out how it can make a new business model thrive without making wide swaths of its community feel like it’s under somebody’s bootheel. Public apologies help; leadership training helps; hiring a second banana with more conventional business smarts and less swagger can potentially help. But the ultimate goal is a leader capable of taking a clear view of what’s not working culturally at an organization and demonstrating the qualities that are required to fix it. It’s a tough gig, and it remains to be seen whether Uber’s up to the challenge.
What do you do at your organization to hear out and address stakeholder concerns, especially in a crisis? Share your experiences in the comments.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, who recently found himself the subject of controversy. (Fortune Brainstorm Tech/Flickr)


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The iPhone 13's chip is about to start production, but you may want to hold off on buying an iPhone this year if you want game-changing efficiency.
Apple's A15 chip for the iPhone 13 is going into production in less than two months' time, according to a Digitimes report. However, there reportedly won't be any substantial changes from the existing A14 chip, since the big development for Apple's chipsets are tipped for next year.
As Digitimes reports, the A15 chip will begin production in May, which gives plenty of time for Apple to prepare the iPhone 13 for its expected September launch date. Chipmaker TSMC will be the one building it, continuing its long partnership with Apple.
What's more exciting, though, is news of the upcoming 4-nanometer (4nm) chips that TSMC is looking to start making at the end of the year. This is a step smaller than the current 5nm A14 and the upcoming A15, which means Apple will be able to pack in even more transistors and likely offer better endurance.
Apple is getting the first batch of these new chips, according to Digitimes' source, but will use these for Mac devices rather than iPhones. This sounds like the successor to the Apple M1 chip used in the latest MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, and could be used in the new iMac and the next 16-inch MacBook Pro. If Apple doesn't have the time to implement the chips into these rumored 2021 products, then it will likely slot the new silicon into its 2022 Mac devices.
If 4nm isn't small enough for your liking, TSMC is also preparing to manufacture 3nm chips. Those won't emerge until late 2022, though, with Apple and Intel in line to use them. Considering that Intel currently uses fairly old-fashioned 10nm chips, this will give the computers using them a huge performance and efficiency boost.
Apple's iPhones always beat Android phones on performance benchmarks thanks to their powerful A-series chips. There's little doubt in our mind that the A15 chip will keep Apple's position at the top of our best phones guide intact. But if you want an even more efficient chip and even more battery life, you may want to wait until the iPhone 14.

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Congressman not persuaded by Amazon’s privacy pledge
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In a move to address privacy concerns, Amazon said its new “Silk” browser for the Kindle Fire tablet will temporarily log web addresses of users, but will not link the addresses with a customer’s identity.
In a letter to a U.S. Congressman concerned about privacy, Amazon defended its privacy procedures, saying Silk will “only aggregate browsing activity across all users. It will not link browsing activity to individual customers’ browsing habits.”
But the Congressman -- Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) -- said he is not convinced, primarily because he said Amazon has not provided him with enough detail about how the company intends to use customer information the company collects.
“Amazon is collecting a massive amount of information about Kindle Fire users, and it has a responsibility to be transparent with its customers,” Markey said in a statement Tuesday. “I plan to follow-up with the company for additional answers on this issue.”
The issue of privacy and technology has attracted increased scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators. Facebook has just settled with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that it deceived members by telling them their Facebook information was private, but allowing it to be shared and made public.
The Amazon letter was reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Amazon has touted Silk, a split browser that partially lives in Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and partially lives in the Fire, as a way to speed up Web browsing.
Greg Lamm covers banking & finance and law for the Puget Sound Business Journal.
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Microsoft has started licensing out exclusive titles, which could be the start of an exciting new non-exclusive era in gaming.
Microsoft has officially announced its next console, code-named Project Scarlett, with a trailer that touts its impressive technological capabilities.
Xbox France has unveiled this glorious limited-edition "Game of Thrones" console. How limited? Only six were made.
Daybreak Games' S.J. Mueller spoke with CBR about bringing DC's new TV show to the game and the new platform opening up the action this spring.
The story of a family with an eerily real robotic servent, Humans is headed to AMC after the shuttering of Xbox Entertainment Studios.


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Bipartisan legislation providing more than $52 billion for American semiconductor manufacturing expected to pass the Senate this week
WASHINGTON — Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema today led bipartisan legislation investing more than $52 billion in American semiconductor manufacturing through a key hurdle in the U.S. Senate. The historic legislation, now one step closer to final passage, makes an unprecedented investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing – addressing critical supply chain challenges, supporting thousands of Arizona jobs, strengthening national security, and lowering costs for families in Arizona and across the country.
“Arizonans face rising prices and empty store shelves, and deserve to keep more of their own money in their pockets. Our bipartisan, commonsense legislation invests in American manufacturing, research, and development which will help reduce prices and shipping delays, create thousands of new, high-paying jobs, and boost our national security. I’m proud we helped secure bipartisan support to advance our legislation and provide relief for everyday families across our state,” said Sinema.
The Sinema-backed bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act provides more than $52 billion to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing amidst a global semiconductor shortage, reducing reliance on foreign countries like China and enhancing the United States’ global competitiveness. The historic investment will support tens of thousands of jobs in Arizona alone.
The Sinema-shaped bill also modernizes the federal government’s approach to science, improves the National Science Foundation, grows the STEM workforce, and expands our country’s global leadership in innovation, research, and development – keeping us ahead of China and other global competitors in technological advancement. The legislation also includes key provisions ensuring none of the historic investments in innovation, manufacturing, or development can go to China – keeping our bill American-focused and boosting American jobs.
Sinema ensured the legislation reauthorizes NASA, incorporating provisions she drafted as a leader on the Space subcommittee – directing NASA to fund key science research at Arizona universities, maintaining the International Space Station, and sending the first woman to the moon.
The Senate voted to advance the CHIPS and Science Act by a bipartisan vote of 64-32, and followed Sinema’s urging to find consensus and move the legislation forward.
Earlier this month, Sinema met with Arizona manufacturers to discuss how her CHIPS and Science Act – coupled with historic investments from her Infrastructure Investments and Jobs law – will relieve ongoing supply chain challenges, get goods to store shelves faster, and expand economic opportunity in Arizona and across the country.


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Netflix Inc. is the online streaming giant that provides unlimited entertainment offerings to the viewers. The company has expanded its business to almost 80 countries and is right on its plan to cater to viewers throughout the world. The recent act of viewers where they used a proxy to access Netflix in a region where it was not available annoyed the company officials hence it claimed to be operational in all parts of the world in the coming years.
The streaming service provider decided to own and produce its own TV shows and movies as well to eliminate the chance of other online streaming service provider and traditional TV Company’s chance of competing against Netflix or surviving in the market. Regardless of missing analysts’ expectations in the third quarter of the 2015 fiscal year, the company is determined to finish better by the end of this year. After trying several times to make an impact on the film entertainment domain as a production unit, it has finally got a big break that might change everything.
It is difficult to become a new entrant in a very competitive market however Netflix’s strategy to be in film production is clever. The company is picking up and producing all those movies and TV shows that are ignored or shunned by the big studios.
The online streaming service has yet again proved that it is a real threat to all the established networks and businesses in the high quality TV shows world. The WSJ report “As it moves into feature films with the release of ‘Beasts of No Nation’ on its streaming service and simultaneously in a small number of theaters this past weekend, it showed it is taking a different approach: making the type of movies that studios no longer do.”
Beasts are a African war drama which tells a story about a child soldier. This movie is starred by Idris Elba. The company is set to make all those movies which the studios no longer want to make and invest in. This movie also failed to determine a studio home and hence the production started on independent financing. Netflix then bought its worldwide rights for around $12 million which is twice as that of its production budget.
Jonathan King, the co-financier Participant Media’s executive vice president stated, “For Netflix to be a real player and support this kind of very ambitious movie at a time when it’s getting tougher, that’s a big deal.”


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Is what is happening in Japan a sign of things to come in the rest of the world? The online ad market is set to grow from US$234m last year to US$2bn in 2004.
ValueClick Japan has signed a deal with TV Tokyo to develop and distribute details of TV programmes through the ValueClick Japan network. The network provides internet access via computers and mobile telephones.
In a test, banner advertisements for a particular television programme were distributed to the whole ValueClick network just as the programme began. This resulted in an increase in the number of people viewing that programme: a significant 22% of those who watched it said that they had done so after seeing the banner advertisement.
ValueClick is the leading online media network in Japan; Nielsen//NetRatings' figures for September 2001 revealed that it reached some 43% of the Japanese market (CyberAgent reached 36% and DoubleClick just under 25%).
According to Nielsen//NetRatings, Japan has the highest number of Internet users in Asia. It is second only to the US in world ratings and has an estimated 19m active adult Internet users. And according to Japan's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, some 50m Japanese now have mobile phones. Using NTT DoCoMo, the I-Mode technology platform developed by NTT Mobile Communications, ValueClick Japan's wireless ad serving system, MobileClick, delivers 20m page views per week on 1,380 sites.


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The CTA projection for half a trillion dollars in 2022 U.S. revenue includes $130B for streaming services and software
More than 1900 exhibitors are confirmed and 2400 members of the media are registered to attend CES in person, the CTA said
Two in three consumers started their holiday shopping prior to November, according to new research from the CTA
Samsung’s keynote for CES 2022 will present the company’s vision for an ‘Age of Togetherness’ where technology needs to exist together with people and for the planet
A record 191M U.S. adults plan to purchase tech items this holiday season, with smartphones, laptops, wearables, TVs, tablets and video game consoles topping their wish lists, the CTA reported
The NAB wants the base of payors to include broadband providers and Big Tech companies; the CTA calls the proposals “counter-productive” and said its members are already paying fees.
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”ONE PIECE” is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its serialization, and “Tamagotchi” is celebrating its 25th anniversary since its launch.
Collaboration products will be released from two brands: the latest wearable “Tamagotchi Smart” series, which is popular among children and adults alike, and the “Tamagotchi nano” series, which is affordable and popular as a collectible item. Please look forward to further details!
Tamagotchi Smart One Piece Special Set
Tamagotchi Smart is the latest Tamagotchi product based on the concept of a “smart Tamagotchi.”
With Tamagotchi Smart One Piece Special Set, you can raise a Tamagotchi that looks like the Straw Hat gang. In addition, by using items unique to “ONE PIECE,” familiar characters such as Luffy and Chopper can come to play with your Tamagotchi, and you can even redecorate your room to look like the “Thousand Sunny.
In this collaborative product with “Tamagotchi nano,” Chopper can be raised.
Depending on how you raise them, you can enjoy various forms of Chopper, such as “heavy points,” “kung fu points,” and a special form of Chopper wearing a straw hat. The two body designs selected as the top two by fan voting are scheduled to be commercialized. (translated by me)


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To kick off the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Verizon president and CEO Ivan Seidenberg hosted a keynote discussion that focused on how advances in mobile technology, cloud computing, fiber optics and a range of other technologies have fueled "one of the most innovative eras in the history of technology."
Seidenberg also invited Jeff Bewkes, chairman and CEO of Time Warner; Dr. Sanjay Jha, co-CEO of Motorola and CEO of Motorola Mobility; and Mike Cleron, principal engineer of Google, to participate in the address.
But the Verizon chief executive also asserted that high-speed networks such as mobile 4G will be the most critical contribution to a more innovation-focused global economy.
"People are using technology to erase the boundaries between home and work, here and there, virtual and real," Seidenberg said. "The more we infuse consumer electronics with the power and intelligence of high-speed networks, the faster we'll create new demand and accelerate the cycle of innovation and growth that drives the industry forward."
This week's CES gathering comes two weeks after the Federal Communications Commission passed a set of regulations banning cable and network service providers such as Verizon from limiting consumers' access to sites in competition with providers - a controversial move that parties on both sides have argued may stifle innovation.
Regardless of the implications, many industry experts maintain that as the sector moves into 2011, comprehensive intellectual property management systems are needed to protect and maintain companies' innovations.


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A fire has claimed another privately owned Fisker Karma, the second such incident in just over three months.
Our friends at Jalopnik snagged the first image of the plug-in hybrid ablaze in a Woodside, California, parking lot as the owner stopped to buy groceries. No one was reportedly injured during the episode.
The cause of the fire is unknown, but the damage to the Karma appears to have consumed the driver's side section of the hood, right above where the exhaust outlet protrudes underneath the bodywork.
The fire is the second such incident to take place this year, with another Fisker engulfing an owner's garage in Sugar Land, Texas, this past May. The cause of that fire is still under investigation, and comes less than two months after the automaker and its battery partner – A123 Systems – recalled over 600 Karmas due to a possible battery defect.
Another recall was issued in December to reposition a hose clamp that could potentially cause coolant to leak onto the battery, creating a short and possibly starting a fire. Some 239 Karmas were recalled for that defect, with more included in an additional recall in June.
Karma has released an updated statement saying:
Fisker Automotive can confirm that one of its Karma models was involved in a vehicle fire during a roadside incident in Woodside, California. No injuries were reported; the vehicle was parked; and the fire was extinguished safely by the emergency services. Fisker understands damage was limited to the driver’s side front corner of the car, away from the lithium ion battery and electric motors. The car was not being charged at the time.
We have more than 1,000 Karmas on the road with a cumulative 2 million miles on them. There are more than 185,000 highway vehicle fires in the US every year. In an electric vehicle, immediate suspicion is focused on the battery and high voltage components. The location of the damage to the vehicle in this incident appears to rule out that suspicion. Fisker has not had any battery or high voltage fire incidents with any of its vehicles.
Safety remains our primary concern at Fisker, and is integral to the design, engineering and technology of the Karma, a model in which we have absolute confidence. Fisker staff have been in contact with the customer and are investigating the cause of this incident. We are also employing an independent fire expert to assist the investigation. A further statement will be issued once the investigation has been completed and the cause determined.


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Sony Xperia Acro Leaked
BGR recently reported on a leaked image from Sony’s PC Companion Software in Japan. It appears that there is a device named the Acro, along with other announced devices. Although little is know about this device, blogs are speculating the following specifications:
- 4.2″ Display
- 8.1 Megapixel Camera
- DTV Chip
- 1 GHz Snapdragon Processor
- Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
All of these specs are still in the air as rumors, but anything is possible. BGR stated that Sony may announce the Xperia Acro as early as May or June. The downside to this phone is that we’re looking for a launch (not in the US) in Japan on their DoCoMo and KDDI networks.
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Sony’s Tablet S, which never saw a lot of marketing to begin with, has just been cut by $100, so the 16GB model can now be had for just $399
If you’re like me then you may be constantly checking the weather. Even if it has no bearing on your day you still need to know it, just for the sake


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Fashionistas will converge on The Rowley Mile for the ‘Grand Finale’ Best Dressed Competition on Dubai Future Champions Day on Friday, 17th October.
The bar has already been set high for the inaugural staging of the Grand Finale, which is autumn’s answer to Ladies Day at the July Festival, with the winners of the Best Dressed Competitions from all Jockey Club racecourses invited back to strut their stuff in the Fashion Tent.
Among the judging panel for the Best Dressed Competition – which includes sections for Ladies, Gentlemen and an overall winner – is Dubai’s top fashion designer, Huda Al Nuaimi, who is famed for her traditional designs with a modern twist and will be displaying one of her latest collections on the day. There will be a special prize for the overall winner that will be announced shortly.
The Spa at Bedford Lodge Hotel is once again the headline sponsor of the Grand Finale and other prize sponsors include Coast, Giulio Cambridge, Greenwoods Menswear, Laylaleigh Millinery, LK Bennett, Tweny4Seven Fitness and Wellbeing Warehouse.
This championship event in the fashion stakes sits alongside Newmarket Racecourses’ best day’s racing of the year, Dubai Future Champions Day, which boasts six Group races including three Group 1 events for two-year-olds: the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes, the Dubai Fillies’ Mile and the Vision.ae Middle Park Stakes.
Dubai Future Champions Day also sees the centuries-old rivalries between Cambridge and Oxford put to a new test with student riders going head-to-head in a first-ever Flat race between the two Universities. Students who present the relevant ID will be given free admittance on the day, as part of an initiative across both days of the Weekend of Champions.
Dubai Future Champions Day is the highest quality day of racing for two-year-old colts and fillies staged anywhere, in Britain or overseas. Held for the first time three years ago, the meeting features six Group races, including the £360,000 Group 1 Dubai Dewhurst Stakes, which was won by the legendary Frankel in 2010, the £200,000 Group 1 Dubai Fillies’ Mile, the £180,000 Group 1 Vision.ae Middle Park Stakes, the £100,000 Group 2 Dubai Challenge Stakes, as well as the Group 3 Darley Stakes and Dubai Cornwallis Stakes.
Allison is the Publisher of Eclipse Magazine. She loves going to the Races and is learning to bet (despite being officially the worst bettor in the History of the Universe), there’s a lot more to learn…


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It's no secret that BMW is preparing a hybrid version of its latest generation [F10] 5-Series sedan as the Bavarian automaker teased the model at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show with the Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid study. And even though the prototype model seen in our latest spy pictures carries the 535i badge, the "Hybrid Test Vehicle" label on the boot pretty much explains everything.
Being a test mule, the prototype doesn't feature any of the (few) unique styling cues of the concept model, such as the LED strips, different front apron and special alloy wheels, but we assume these details will make it into the production car.
Underneath the body work, we expect to see a similar setup to the concept vehicle, which made use of BMW's straight-six gasoline engine with TwinPower Turbo technology (same as the one found in the 535i), an eight-speed automatic transmission, and an electric drive capable of delivering up to 54HP (40kW). Given that the 3.0-liter turbo is rated in the U.S. at 300 hp, the combined system output should be around the 340 hp mark.
According to BMW, the hybrid powertrain reduces both fuel consumption and emissions by more than 10 per cent over the conventional version, while it also allows all-electric, zero-emission motoring at low speeds.
The production version of the 5-Series Hybrid could be introduced at a major international car show as early as next year with sales most likely to follow in 2012.


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Global blueberry specialist United Exports has appointed Sean Li (Li Xiangrong in Chinese) as commercial director for China, as part of an ongoing expansion plan for its OZblu brand and genetics.
According to a United Exports statement, Sean Li has 11 years of industry experience, most recently serving as a blueberry product team manager at Dole China. Li developed and managed the strategic sourcing plan, for year-round blueberry sourcing, from domestic and import markets and interfacing with retail, as well as for suppliers and growers.
“I am really excited about the growth of the blueberry category in China and the growing consumer interest in the health benefits of the fruit. Blueberries also have a positive impact for humanity in terms of economic, social and environmental development,” Li said in the statement.
This newly created position in the global group is due to the expansion of United Exports using its OZblu genetics and its ability to supply blueberries to China all year round.
The company has expanded its OZblu genetics offering and capabilities since an agreement to grow blueberries in Peru to supply the Americas in early 2018, followed by another agreement to add production in the Northern Hemisphere in 2019.


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Video won't load? Watch in on YouTube.
Type “single-use plastic” into your browser and you’ll find numerous links to articles, and scientific research talking about the risks to public health and the environment. This backlash has created a plethora of new opportunities for water refilling machines to both highlight the misuse of plastic but also highlight the benefits of drinking tap water.
At HydraChill, we were one of the first businesses offering this solution to consumers and are very proud of our history and the impact we have made, with significant further projects under development.
Through trial and error our machines have evolved into more than just a water station. Alongside the reusable bottles on offer from our combined water and bottle units, businesses are now also able to use digital advertising to supplement future profit and ameliorate the loss of revenue from displaced single use water bottles.
In addition to our full system interactive surround solution launched at Cardiff Metropolitan University, customers can now alternatively choose to have digital media screens incorporated into the machine, with HydraChills having also developed the option to incorporate 15”media screens into the front panels of our units.
These screens have already had a tremendous impact according to first buyers. In the attached video, Wyn Evans the Managing Director of Llandarcy Park Ltd talks about how successful retrofitting a screen into one of their HydraChill units has been. He explains how this has not only allowed them to sell their products and services, but also generate additional income from other businesses using the space to advertise.
It’s a great feature for both commercial and non-commercial environments. Bristol University Sport are investing in two further HydraChill units to supplement the three they already have. Both will feature the fifteen-inch screen. So they will serve not just to hydrate and boost the university’s ecological reputation but to help increase awareness on key topics or events that will help boost sports participation throughout the university.
The digital screens are positioned at eye-level and are a great way of catching the customer’s attention whilst waiting for their bottles to be filled. Check out the video to see how yours could look.


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New iPhone XI Case Showcase More Details On The Upcoming Device
If you’ve been following our previous articles on the upcoming iPhone XI (or iPhone 11), renders and reports suggest that the new phone from Apple will come in with a bulky triple camera setup at the back. Now there’s even more details regarding the device.
New renders of the phone’s case has emerged and quashed reports that the iPhone XI will feature a USB-C. It seems that it will still continue the tradition of sporting a Lightning port instead.
It seems that we all might as well accept the fact the the upcoming iPhone XI will come with that ugly and bulky hump at the back, unless Apple themselves show otherwise. Over at the front, it seems like they will still stick with a notch and don’t intend in offering a true full-view display.
As you can see from the render, the iPhone XI will be sporting three lens’ at the back. The successor to the iPhone XR, iPhone 11R or XIR (we’re not even sure which name is better to be honest) will be coming with dual lens instead.
Pokdepinion: Two thing are bothering me right now; the design on the back and the thought of how high they will price these devices when they come out..


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'When we set out to design this version of the platform our goal was to create a search experience that would enable the consumer to find their ideal vehicle with the least amount of frustration.'
Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 23, 2014
DC - based startup, Carsquare, today announced the launch of an entirely redesigned metasearch engine (think Kayak for cars). The revamped vehicle search engine platform’s mission is to simplify the process of finding the exact car for the consumer without having to sift through results on multiple vehicle listing sites.
The company has been perfecting its search functionality for the past year and this new release introduces a multitude of new features including the ability to create a personalized vehicle search profile that continuously searches through online listings and sends real-time, notifications via email or social media when profile matching results are found.
“When we set out to design this version of the platform our goal was to create a search experience that would allow people to find their ideal vehicle with the least amount of frustration. Giving the consumer one platform to search multiple sites simultaneously wasn’t enough, we wanted to create a virtual assistant that delivered the search results to you as they became available,” said Carsquare founder and CEO Khurrum Shakir
In addition to the new search automation functionality, Carsquare has introduced a new way to engage consumers trusted friends, family members, and colleagues in the vehicle search process. With Carsquare’s new “Garage” feature, users with profiles can save search results and engage their trusted circle of advisors to provide thoughts and feedback on specified vehicles.
“One of our design goals for the new platform was to enable consumers to engage their trusted advisors in the vehicle search process. We all know one or two “gear heads” that seem to know everything about cars. We wanted to make it easy for the consumer to get that trusted advice so that they can make an informed decision on what make and model best suits their needs before ever going to the dealer,” said Carsquare CMO and CTO Mikah Sellers.
According to company executives this latest round of new features is the first in a series of new features that will be released over the next few months.
“We have a robust product roadmap that will enable us to continue adding value for the consumer for some time to come,” said Carsquare founder and CEO Khurrum Shakir
In addition to the new features that the company announced, Carsquare has also completely overhauled its brand strategy, positioning, messaging, visual identity and marketing. The company has launched a new national advertising strategy that includes commercial spots on Pandora online radio, search engine marketing and display advertising on Bing and Google.
Carsquare provides the simplest and fastest way to find the new, used or leased vehicle of your choice. Instead of jumping from one auto site to another you can search all of the major auto sites in one place. Carsquare displays customized listings of the cars, SUV’s and trucks that you want, including hybrids and electric cars.


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UBS analyst Timothy Accuri and Munjal Shah in their latest note claim that Apple will be launching four new iPhones in 2020 with screen sizes of 5.4-inch, two with 6.1-inch, and one with 6.7-inch.
The analysts believe that Apple will offer the 5.4-inch iPhone and one 6.1-inch iPhone with a dual-camera system at the rear. These iPhones will also pack 4GB RAM.
The other two high-end iPhones — one with a 6.1-inch display and another one with a 6.7-inch display — will feature a triple-camera system along with a 3D sensing ToF camera. These iPhones will also feature 6GB RAM for improved multitasking performance. The inclusion of 6GB RAM is something that was claimed by Barclays analyst last month as well.
All four iPhones are expected to feature 5G connectivity.
The analysts mirror what other rumors and analysts have been saying as well. Apple will launch four new iPhones with completely new screen sizes this year and varying specs. The high-end models will feature an additional ToF sensor for AR purposes, though all models will feature 5G.
It looks like the 2020 iPhones are going to bring about a major overhaul in Apple’s iPhone lineup. Apart from new screen sizes, they are also expected to come with a completely new design, 5G, improved cameras, OLED display across the lineup, and more.
Will you upgrade to the 2020 iPhones for 5G and new design?[Via MacRumors]


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News releases and comments from GM Freeze are listed below.
For more information, images and interviews, please contact Liz O’Neill on 07811 211 404 or liz[at]gmfreeze.org
Comment (22 May 2018)
DEFRA has given Rothamsted Research consent to plant a new open air field trial of GM camelina plants, including two lines produced using new CRISPR genome editing techniques. The trial application did not include a risk assessment for the CRISPR plants …
Immediate release (28 Mar 2018)
Twenty-six organisations including farmers, scientists, retailers and environmentalists today lodged a formal objection to the latest proposed open-air GM field trial by Rothamsted Research. If granted consent by Defra, the trial will see genetically modified camelina plants grown in open …
Immediate release (8 Mar 2018)
GM Freeze, the UK’s umbrella campaign on genetic modification (GM) in food and farming, today launched twin campaigns aiming to protect key safeguards as the UK prepares to leave the European Union (EU). Focused on issues around growing and importing …


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This Sunday (28th March 2021), Meantime Brewing Company is launching a new ‘Spring Forward’ pale ale, just as the clocks go forward an hour, signalling the start of British Summer Time.
The limited-edition Spring Forward pale ale (4% ABV) has been specially brewed and crafted for longer summer days. The beer is made with Australian Galaxy hops and boasts aromas of passion fruit and peach, supported by a biscuit like malt base. The beer will be available to purchase from Meantime’s online shop https://shop.meantimebrewing.com/.
To launch the new beer Meantime has teamed up with the Royal Observatory Greenwich, also known as ‘The Home of Time.’
Royal Observatory Greenwich hosted the first official tasting of Meantime’s ‘Spring Forward’ pale ale in the Meridian Courtyard, with Meantime Head Brewer Thorsten Fischer and Senior Brewers Sven Hartmann and Joe Gardner.
The Brewers took the first sips of the beer at the Meridian line and in front of the Shepherd Gate Clock, a unique 24-hour analogue time piece that was the first ever clock to show Greenwich Mean Time.
Thorsten Fischer, Head Brewer at Meantime Brewing Company, says: “Our new Spring Forward pale ale has been crafted specifically for British summertime. It’s brewed with Australian, Galaxy hops which offer a distinct passionfruit aroma. It’s bright and refreshing, the perfect drink to enjoy in the sunshine and the longer days. This launch is a very proud moment for our brewing team, as a fellow Greenwich based institution we’re proud to be associated with The Royal Observatory. We look forward to working with them, and other members of the Greenwich community, in the future.”
Lucy Cooke from Royal Museums Greenwich said: “We’d like to thank Meantime Brewing Company for their support, and we were delighted for the first official tasting of their new pale ale to happen at Royal Observatory Greenwich ahead of the clocks going forward this weekend. Meantime’s support will further the Museum’s work, and we look forward to this being the first step in a long and fruitful partnership.”
Founded in 1999 by Alastair Hook, Meantime Brewing Company started life in a small lock-up on an industrial estate opposite Charlton Athletic’s football ground, before moving to the Greenwich Brewery.
Meantime Brewing Company have announced a corporate partnership with the Royal Observatory Greenwich, also known as ‘The Home of Time’.
Since the late 19th Century, Royal Observatory Greenwich has been home to the Prime Meridian, the line that marks the divide between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The longitude and latitude of countries around the world are based on their distance from this spot, which also acts as the global centre of time.
In celebration of the launch, the Greenwich based brewer will be offering home delivery of 1,000 complimentary packs to beer lovers across the UK so they can experience the first taste of Spring in the comfort of their home, with an exclusive giveaway launching at 1am on Sunday 28th of March.
The first thousand beer fans to visit http://springforward.meantimebrewing.com/ will get their hands on a unique code, entitling them to a free six-pack of ‘Spring Forward’ redeemable through the Meantime website Webshop, with codes distributed on a first come first served basis.


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Of course many of us in the social media space were focused on the interface improvements on Google+, but the company also announced:
- It is re-charging the crucial Maps effort, including graphics, animations, and local landmarks
- Partnership with NASA on a new quantum computer laboratory to study artificial intelligence
- A host of specialized apps for Google Glass called Glassware, including alliances with Evernote, CNN, and Elle
- A new free photo storage system that gives you an option to let Google select, tag, and improve your photos for you
- A Spotify-like streaming music feature called All Access.
- Significant enhancements to Google Now, a competitor to Siri.
I wanted to stand up and cheer. In fact, I did stand up and cheer. What amazing stuff!
So you might be surprised when a reporter asked me how this will help Google+ win customers away from Facebook and I answered “It won’t.”
Arguably Google+ already had a better interface than Facebook. So why would an even spiffier interface make a difference? It’s not about the interface. It’s about psychology.
In life, we enjoy having choice most of the time. We like picking out a car or a breakfast cereal from a long aisle of choices. But on the web, we don’t want choice. We only have the psychological bandwidth for one Twitter, one LinkedIn, one YouTube. And yes, One Facebook.
Moving from Facebook is not like switching to another website or even another wireless carrier. It’s switching a lifestyle — and that is very, very difficult to get people to do.
According to research from the Social Habit, 80 percent of Americans between 12 and 24 have a Facebook account and are active at least every other day. That is incredible market penetration. Facebook is the largest media entity in history. And their user interface is terrible. Their record on privacy is terrible. Their ads are annoying. None of that seems to matter, right?
What Google does not seem to realize is that they do not have an interface problem. They have a marketing problem. They need to be spending tons of money to connect to “the cool kids” creating influence and lifestyle choices in junior high and high schools. They need to make Google+ teen-fashionable, not more like Pinterest.
I absolutely love what this company is accomplishing. To a large extent, they are creating our future. I’m just not sure if or when Google+ is going to be part of it on a mass scale.
Now I know there are a lot of passionate Plussers out there ready to skewer me in the comment section. That’s OK. All I ask is that instead of focusing on how much you love G+, let’s focus on the concept of platform adoption. Are these changes enough to get Google+ to “tip?


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Wall Street is bracing for a trifecta of potentially market-moving events this week that could determine the near-term fate of the stock market, which has been flirting with fresh bull market highs.
General Motors signalled Thursday that it plans
to repay another 2 billion dollars in debts owed to the US government
as the largest US carmaker continues to emerge from the burden of
last year's bankruptcy.
U.S. construction outlays rose 0.5 percent in September with gains in spending on residential projects, the U.S. Commerce Department said Monday.
U.S. manufacturing expanded in October for the 15th consecutive month, the Institute for Supply Management said Monday.
It was an American icon: The Pontiac, for much of its life an automobile one up from Chevrolet and one down from Oldsmobile and Buick, a fine family car that also came in coupe form, became some of General Motors' hottest offerings in its GTO and TransAm forms of the 1960s and '70s.
Samsung Electronics Co said Friday that strong demand for memory chips and handsets pushed net profits to $3.96 billion in the third quarter.
Hispanics are increasingly concerned about a backlash against them, even as they are split over the effects of illegal immigration on the country.


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Blog: Nike nicks Adidas' thunder
Petah Marian | 7 August 2012
Nike's Volt shoes
While Adidas is the official Olympic sportswear sponsor, Nike is doing a pretty good job of stealing the German brand's thunder.
Watching the athletics over the past couple of days, it's been pretty difficult to miss the sea of fluorescent yellow running shoes on the track. And unfortunately for Adidas, these eye-catching shoes are part of Nike's Volt range.
A spokesperson for Nike told just-style today that over 400 athletes (mostly Nike sponsored) are wearing the Volt range in the games, with the majority in athletics, but also boxing and fencing. Even South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius' prosthetic spike plates have the ubiquitous Nike swoosh on them.
Nike says over 20 medals have been awarded to those wearing the shoes as of this morning.
The company's 'Find your Greatness' campaign also seems to be getting a positive response. The campaign features ordinary athletes competing around the world (outside the UK) in places that happen to be called London.
Indeed, an online survey of over 1,000 US consumers at the end of July found some 37% of respondents thought Nike was an Olympic sponsor, and only 24% answered correctly that Adidas is one, Ad Age reported.
The importance will not be lost on either brand, with research by the NPD Group (unsurprisingly) finding a spike in sports footwear sales during the months of high-profile sporting events.
It said that over the past four years, basketball footwear sales increased in February, the month of the NBA Basketball All Star game, during the back-to-school period in August and during the December holidays.
NPD chief industry analyst Marshal Cohen highlights the issue faced by Adidas at the moment, saying that using platforms like the World Cup or the Olympics to give a brand a lift is "never a guarantee due to the oversaturation of brand sponsorships".
"The ultimate prize is the emotional association award - the needle will move when consumers connect your brand with an event, team, and athlete they are very passionate about," Cohen adds, something Nike seems to be doing quite well, despite not having paid for the privilege.
I doubt that Adidas would suggest its US$201m sponsorship was a waste, as it emphasised last week that it is closing the gap on Nike in the UK, increasing its market share by two percentage points, with UK sales up 24% so far this year.
Nike seems to be pinning its hopes on gold in the field, and Adidas may just have to settle for silver.
Myanmar is set to become a more attractive garment sourcing and investment destination after plans were agreed on labour law reforms in the country – with Gap and H&M coming out in support of the prop...
Congratulations to Textured Jersey Lanka Plc, which has won top prize in the inaugural World Textile Awards sponsored by The Textile Institute. ...
Ongoing efforts to reverse a slump in sales at its namesake brand are to see US clothing retailer Gap Inc shutter 175 of its namesake stores in the US and axe 250 head office jobs....
Efforts to move forward on key pieces of US trade legislation intensified last week. A package of measures to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and extend the Haiti HELP/HOPE program...
- Levi Strauss raises the bar on sustainability
- Nike reaffirms US production commitment
- Gap and H&M back Myanmar path to labour reform
- H&M faces margin pressure on dollar impact
- Can the Gap brand reclaim its iconic status?
- Myanmar minimum wage set at US$3.2 per day
- Far Eastern to invest $323m in Vietnam textile hub
- Fast Retailing supplier continues strike talks
- China cotton stockpile auction may shake up market
- Under Armour unveils newest retail presence
- Global market review of lingerie - forecasts to 2020
- World Textile and Apparel Trade and Production Trends: The EU - May 2015
- Wool in the 21st Century: new prospects for a familiar fibre
- Apparel Retail: Top 5 Emerging Markets Industry Guide
- Myanmar's Garment Sector - Opportunities & Challenges in 2015


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The Dutch startup/scaleups ecosystem is in a great position and the report from Ebitwise proves it. Ebitwise is an Amsterdam-based flexible senior finance service for scaleups. Post the pandemic, the Dutch startups witnessed significant growth due to the favorable economy.
There’s an upward trend in the number of funding and opportunities for startups and scaleups, especially in the second quarter of 2021. The Dutch Venture Capital Journal, along with Ebitwise has published a report — a Q2 flashback of the Dutch tech venture scene.


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If you didn’t pre-order the new Apple TV earlier this week, there’s still a chance to get the new TV box before other Apple fans even receive their shipments.
Apple didn’t announce what day the Apple TV would be available at retail locations, but it appears that Apple Stores across the US have the new Apple TV in stock starting today.
You can also pick up an Apple TV at BestBuy or Target both of which should have limited units available today. The new Apple TV comes in two sizes, with the 32GB model priced at $149 while the 64GB carries a $199 price tag.
To find out if your local Apple Store has units in stock before driving out, check Apple’s website and click ‘Check Availability’ under the Personal Pickup option. Entering your zip code in the search field will bring up all the stores that have the new hockey-puck shaped device.


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- Listed: 04/23/2014 4:29 am
- Expires: This ad has expired
Foreign visitors to Japan mark record
Date: Apr 23, 2014
Source: NHK WORLD
Foreign tourism in Japan hit a record high in March, thanks to a weaker yen and eased visa requirements for visitors from some Southeast Asian nations.
The Japan National Tourism Organization estimates that 1.05 million people visited the country last month. That’s up over 22 percent from a year before, marking a year-on-year rise for a 14th straight month.
The number of travelers from mainland China rose 80 percent, followed by Malaysia at 74 percent and Vietnam at 63 percent.
Tourism officials say they hope more people will visit Japan, as Haneda Airport recently started handling more international flights. Haneda is closer than the Narita airport to downtown Tokyo.
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FedEx Corp. (FDX) News
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FDX News Highlights
- FDX's 30 day story count now stands at 85.
- Over the past 26 days, the trend for FDX's stories per day has been choppy and unclear. It has oscillated between 1 and 14.
- The most mentioned tickers in articles about FDX are UPS, MILE and CEVA.
Latest FDX News From Around the Web
Below are the latest news stories about Fedex Corp that investors may wish to consider to help them evaluate FDX as an investment opportunity.
The companies said they are focused on employee safety.
UPS and FedEx halting shipments to Russia and Ukraine
"2022 may not be the barn burner GDP growth that everyone was expecting," says FedEx founder Fred Smith. Read More
Brewer Carlsberg, Japan Tobacco and a Coca-Cola bottler were among firms shutting factories in Ukraine on Thursday following Russia’s invasion, while UPS and FedEx Corp. suspended services in and out of the country. Ukraine closed its airspace as Russian forces …
Brazil $1.76 bn Last Mile Delivery Market to 2025: Featuring CRST International, FedEx and Werner Enterprises Among Others - ResearchAndMarkets.com
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Last Mile Delivery Market in Brazil 2021-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com''s offering. The last mile delivery market in Brazil is poised to grow by $1.76 bn during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of 10.32% during the forecast period. The report on the last mile delivery market in Brazil provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. The repor
IPO Edge and the Palm Beach Hedge Fund Association hosted a fireside chat with the CFO of Transfix, Inc. to discuss an overview of Transfix and its technology platform, […]
Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including The Procter & Gamble Company (PG), Chevron Corporation (CVX), and Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO).
Air Transport Services (ATSG) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of 0% and 8.12%, respectively, for the quarter ended December 2021. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?
Brewer Carlsberg, Japan Tobacco and Coca-Cola bottler were among firms shutting factories in Ukraine following Russia''s invasion, while UPS and FedEx Corp suspended services in and out of the country.
Danish brewer Carlsberg and a Coca-Cola bottler shut their plants in Ukraine on Thursday following Russia''s invasion while global logistics firms UPS and FedEx Corp suspended services in and out of the country. Ukraine closed its airspace as Russian forces attacked in the early hours, leaving budget airline Wizz Air trying to evacuate its Ukrainian-based crew, their families and four planes stuck in Kyiv and Lviv.


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Remember, this is Kate!’s last live webinar. I’m SO in, you?
What is You Night?
You night is a runway event hosted by my real life sister, Lisa, that gets beautiful women together who are breast cancer survivors to walk a runway as models. They are literally flooded with love and gifts as their friends and family show their support by attending and cheering them on. If all goes well, this year I will attend. This will probably be a sold out event so book your tickets early. If you’d like to sponsor, write me.
Congratulations Lisa McKenzie!
jbulie’s blog would like to extend a huge well earned mega congratulations to hardworking real life sister, Lisa, at OohLaBra.com. Lisa McKenzie supported by family and friends when awarded the first prize for the sales challenge presented by multinational player Silverline.
In March of this year there was a conference for entrepreneurs called NOEW that stands for New Orleans Entrepeneur Week. I was thrilled when my sister called to tell me that her company, Ooh La Bra was selected as a finalist for as the most innovate product.
That call put her into the top five contestants and eventual winner as an entrepreneur of the year for her original idea to have visible jeweled designer bra straps — an idea that is revolutionizing the way women wear their shoulder baring clothes.
She’s truly amazing to watch as her friends can attest. Right after winning she was contacted by ABC to be interviewed.
Event headliners include Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of Aspen Institute, Hamdi Ulukaya, President, Founder and CEO of Chobani Yogurt and Dana Mauriello, Director of New Business Opportunities for Etsy. Additionally, representatives from Fortune 500 companies, the most prominent venture capitalists, and notable entrepreneurs will be participating, including:
- Lisa McKenzie: Founder, President of Ooh La Bra
- Jim Coulter: Founding Partner, TPG Capital, L.P.
- Donna Fenn: author; contributing editor, Inc. Magazine
- Nick Friedman: Co-Founder, College Hunks Hauling Junk, College Hunks Moving
- Patti Greene: Professor Babson College; National Academic Director, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses
- David Hall: Revolution Ventures
- New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu
- Mary Matalin: Political Consultant
- Kathryn Minshew: Founder, The Muse
- Wendell Pierce: star of HBO’s hit show Treme
- Bridgette Sexton: Google for Entrepreneurs
- Margaret Spellings: Former U.S. Secretary of Education; Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Advisory Council
- Alan Weinkrantz: Global PR Expert
- Tina Wells: Founder, Buzz Marketing; Huffington Post blogger; Black Enterprise columnist
This year, NOEW gathered 3,000 of the nation’s most innovative business leaders, financiers, entrepreneurs, and students to support New Orleans entrepreneurs through over 55 events.
Highlights included Capital Pitch Competitions, which awarded prizes ranging from $100,000 to a personalized guided tour of Silicon Valley’s investment community, and an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Summit that will engage global partners to discuss best practices for sustaining entrepreneurial ecosystems.If you are a store owner and would like more information or to have a starter kit, please write firstname.lastname@example.org Recently featured as a seller at the Oscar Gifting suites. What is You Night?
You night is an event hosted by my real life sister, Lisa, that gets beautiful women together who are breast cancer survivors. They walk a runway as models and are literally flooded with love and gifts as their friends and family show their support.
by Julie Angelos


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(CNN) -- Having recently traded in their chunky tubes for high-definition flat-screens, most consumers aren't finding a compelling new reason to go out and buy more TV sets.
And that's starting to spell trouble for TV makers, who are just coming off their HD high.
Television manufacturers are thinking up all kinds of incentives and cramming a bevy of extras into their high-end product lines. In larger sets, three-dimensional viewing (with special glasses included), multimedia Internet features (using a built-in Wi-Fi chip) and bright screens with LED backlighting are quickly becoming commonplace.
A decade ago, the sales pitch for an HD, flat-screen, digital television was fairly straightforward: It opens up space in the living room, it's equipped for the national shift to digital broadcasting and the picture is sharper, see?
But to witness 3-D, a salesman hands the shoppers a pair of thick plastic glasses, usually attached to a string to prevent theft. The potential buyer frets over buying special glasses for everyone in the family, over having to buy a 3-D Blu-ray player and discs and over the motion sickness that some people experience when viewing 3-D entertainment.
That's an expensive, risky proposition, especially in a sputtering economic climate.
Conventional wisdom in the TV industry has been that 3-D would drive most new TV purchases now that HD sets have saturated the market. For confirmation look no further than the two most recent Consumer Electronic Shows, the annual industry spectacle in Las Vegas, where 3-D TVs have been hugely hyped.
Sure, more 3-D TVs are being bought versus last year, according to research firm NPD Group. But that's because 3-D is more affordable and more widely available than it used to be. In the United States, overall TV sales are up slightly, but revenue is flat, the study says. Globally, TV shipments are mostly flat, and demand appears soft, according to a report from NPD's DisplaySearch.
"The LCD panel industry remains in the midst of a secular slowdown that is likely to only deteriorate further over the next couple of years," Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White wrote in a recent report.
Still pinning hopes on 3-D
So now the top TV makers are starting to revise their game plans. As it turns out, 3-D isn't the big sales draw it was thought to be.
"Here's what we learned last year," said Mike Abary, a senior vice president for Sony Electronics' home division. "Three-D as a technology wasn't necessarily a primary driver for why a customer would want to buy a TV."
Even with that insight, TV makers aren't about to give up on 3-D. For Sony, 3-D is integral to the other parts of its business. For example, Sony Pictures can sell 3-D movies at a premium, and the company's gadget designers are thinking up crafty ways to package 3-D recording into digital cameras and camcorders.
So Sony and the other giants, including Samsung Electronics, have reduced the entry price for 3-D TVs, cut the cost of the glasses by about half and added the function to more models. In Samsung's case, about 60% of its lineup now includes 3-D.
Companies also are placing less focus on 3-D in their advertising campaigns.
"What customers are looking for is the best TV picture quality that they can buy," Abary said. "And if that TV happens to also have 3-D capability, that's just icing on the cake."
Great, but where will the TV industry's next savior come from?
Smart TVs to the rescue?
Abary is betting on bundled Internet platforms, sometimes called IP or "smart" TV, that provide access to Web-based services such as Netflix and Pandora. Sony offers TVs with the Bravia Internet Video software, and others with Google TV, which, by the way, "has not performed to our expectations," Abary said.
"Of all the technologies that have been introduced recently, we think that the game changer is probably the IP TV capability," he said.
Samsung says it has sold 2 million smart TVs worldwide, and more than half of customers make use of the Internet functionality. Vizio says 70% of customers connect their smart TVs to the Web. The rest may not be aware that it's built into the set.
But so many set-top boxes, from video-game consoles to dedicated, inexpensive Google and Apple entertainment units, already do the same thing. So consumers aren't exactly rushing to stores to buy all-new TVs just so they can get Hulu on the big screen.
(Does this seem like a sector that the high-margin-loving Apple would want to get into?)
Samsung is hoping the full package of 3-D, Internet, LED lighting and sleeker designs (e.g., thinner bezels) together will spur purchases, said David Das, the company's vice-president of marketing for displays. The recent softening of TV sales doesn't necessarily indicate doom, he said.
"When you look at the advent of HD or something like 120-Megahertz refresh rate or LED, many of those technologies did not exceed 1 million units" initially, he said.
But the HD advantage was clear and well-timed. Consumers in 13 large U.S. markets on average said LED, 3-D and Internet capabilities each aren't important drivers for replacing their TVs, according to a recent DisplaySearch study. Consumers showed very little interest in the features, with LED ranking slightly higher than the others, the study says.
Looking ahead, organic LED lighting produces even more vivid colors and viewing, while the ultra-HD standard, 4K resolution appears promising. But these technologies are still a way off from widespread adoption and won't necessarily be groundbreaking, said Ross Rubin, an NPD consumer-electronics analyst.
"There doesn't seem to be anything on the scale of HD in the foreseeable future," Rubin said.
So for now, perhaps the only compelling reason to replace a set is when the old one is on the fritz.


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Sega has confirmed that the personal data of 1.29 million of its customers was stolen in an attack on its systems. It comes after the computer games firm said on Friday that e-mail addresses and dates of birth stored on the Sega Pass database were accessed by hackers. However, Sega continues to say that payment information, such as credit card numbers, remained safe.
Sega spokeswoman Yoko Nagasawa said: "We are deeply sorry for causing trouble to our customers." She added: "We want to work on strengthening security." Ms Nagasawa added that it was not yet known when the Sega Pass online network could be restarted.
In an e-mail sent to Sega Pass users on Friday, the company wrote: "Over the last 24 hours we have identified that unauthorised entry was gained to our Sega Pass database. "We immediately took the appropriate action to protect our consumers’ data and isolate the location of the breach. We have launched an investigation into the extent of the breach of our public systems."
Sega explained that it had reset all passwords and urged customers to change their log-on details on other services and websites where they used the same credentials. It added that password details had not been stored in plain text, suggesting that they may have been secured by some kind of encryption. Sega is the latest in a line of games companies to suffer hacking and denial of service attacks on their online services.
Nintendo, Sony and several multi-player gaming communities have been hit in recent months. The hacker group Lulz Security, which has been involved in a number of high profile attacks, including one against Sega rival Nintento, has denied involvement in the Sega case.
Instead it showed some sympathy for the company on its Twitter feed. "We want to help you destroy the hackers that attacked you. We love the Dreamcast, these people are going down," it said.


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New store opens downtown
Published 10:14 am Friday, February 27, 2015
Spring may still be a few weeks off, but that didn’t stop a dragonfly from landing Thursday on Washington Street.
The Dragonfly, a new gift shop located in the former Men’s Closet building, 1211 Washington St., held its grand opening Thursday morning with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by more than 20 people who braved temperatures in the mid-30s and a stiff wind to welcome the business owned by Chad and Shanon Shealy to downtown.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Shanon Shealy said, adding she was surprised during an earlier visit to downtown that there were no opportunities for people to shop after 5 p.m.
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“This store opening shows that entrepreneurship is alive and well in the City of Vicksburg,” South Ward Aldermen Willis Thompson said before the ceremony.
Shealy, whose husband is the Vicksburg Warren School District Superintendent, said the store will offer jewelry, T-shirts, pottery, candles, home decor items, totes and purses and art by Mississippi artists.
The downtown area impressed Shannon and her husband when they visited the city one year ago, she said.
“When we decided to open a business, we knew we wanted to invest in downtown,” she said. “When the opportunity came to purchase this building, we moved ahead. The downtown area is unique, it has a lot of historic buildings, and it’s a beautiful area. We just love it.”
She said they decided to name the store The Dragonfly, “because the dragonfly in almost every part of the world symbolizes change, and change in the perspective of self-realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life.”
Shealy said the dragonfly’s scurrying flight across water represents an act of going beyond what is on the surface and looking into the deeper implications and aspects of life.
“This meaning seemed appropriate for our family as we are excited about the positive changes that are happening and coming in Vicksburg,” she said. “We look forward to being a part of this positive change and all the good things yet to come. The Dragonfly gift shop will be yet another opportunity for our family to connect to the community.
“There have been so many that have been so good to us since we have been here and we hope to be able to pay it forward in many ways back to the community. We will strive to provide quality customer service as that is very important to me. The Dragonfly may overlook the river but we will not overlook our customers.”
Shealy, who has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a masters of taxation and 12 years experience in retail, said she decided to open her shop after she and her family had been in the area for more than a year, adding, “I decided to open my own shop here in Vicksburg as part of our continued support and commitment to the Vicksburg community.”
“We are excited to welcome another business to downtown,” Vicksburg Main Street executive director Kim Hopkins said.
She said the Shealys’ decision to locate downtown would serve as an incentive for other businesses to locate in the area.
“We are getting calls from people asking about locating their business downtown,” she said. “Washington Street is growing, and we’re very happy we’re gaining another resident.”


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4 Results found
One of the oldest car manufacturers in India has a loyal following even today. Inspite of its offerings being priced at a premium, customers don’t shy away from owning a Honda in the Indian market. Their sub-brands like the City are still selling in great numbers, keeping the company among the top 6-7 manufacturers in terms of sales. The model line-up offer a premium appeal, ease of driving, high levels of comfort and a strong brand recall. As of March 2020, the company sells 7 models in
India, ranging from the Amaze to the CR-V. Yes, there is no hatchback offering from Honda and going forward, they will concentrate on the mid and high segments only. In the recent past, the company has also made huge efforts to bring scheduled maintenance costs, on par with rivals in the segment. Also, unlike Maruti, Honda is going ahead with BS6 compliant diesel engines for its products.


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Snail mail is inching its way back into the zeitgeist.
Snail mail is inching its way back into the zeitgeist, a manifestation of one of our 10 Trends for 2012, Objectifying Objects (the idea that as objects get replaced by digital/virtual counterparts, people are fetishizing the physical and the tactile). Lettrs, a recently launched online platform, allows users to upload, save, organize and share physical letters (they can be posted on a virtual refrigerator). Conversely, letters can also be written online, customized with scents and wax seals, and then mailed from a real post office. Earlier this year the online magazine The Rumpus began Letters in the Mail, a subscription service that sends out copies of handwritten letters from well-known authors for $5 a month. And science fiction writer Mary Robinette Kowal encouraged her fans to send one physical letter every week for a month, and respond with another for each letter received.
Physical letters are particularly appealing to Millennials, for whom they represent counterpoints to today’s all-digital, always-on lives. Physical letters are romantic, nostalgic and help their authors stand out from the digital pack. And it seems that physical mail has a way of sticking in the memory that virtual mail doesn’t, according to a 2009 study by Millward Brown for the U.K.’s Royal Mail service. That might account for a resurgence of direct-mail campaigns, which have a higher response rate than digital-only ones. From 2007 to 2009, marketers spent nearly 25 percent less on direct mail, cutting costs by switching to email, but in 2010 and 2011, direct mail began to see modest single-digit growth. Indeed, snail mail is a growing segment of integrated marketing efforts: The U.S. Postal Service projects that marketing mail will rise 14 percent by 2016.


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India’s largest utility and tractor producer, Mahindra and Mahindra or M&M, has set up an Africa-focused business unit as it looks to maintain double-digit growth levels in the continent, the company said on its website.
The flagship company of the Mahindra Group, based in Mumbai is expecting that aggressive expansion will help spur a 10-fold increase in business over the next five to seven years.
Amongst the various business interests of its parent group, the company is mainly involved in the automobile manufacturing. It is one of the leading auto companies of India.
Ashok Thakur, chief executive of Mahindra’s local South African unit, said in a statement: “There is no doubt that the African continent holds tremendous potential and the new African business unit will place Mahindra in a very strong position to strengthen its African presence”.
“We are aware that some of our dealers are already recording sales that give them more than 20% market share in their area of responsibility,” said CEO Thakur.
The company is also involved in a project to expand the network of countries it services in Africa. The network currently includes Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Swaziland with future expansion plans into the SADC region.
Thakur will lead the newly-established continental business unit, based in South Africa, with additional business hubs planned for Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt
Mahindra South Africa, which was established in 2004, has been identified as the fastest growing automotive brand in SA in terms of sales growth in the passenger car and light commercial vehicle (LCV) segments.


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FedEx has cut ties with Amazon, which means that in the long term, Amazon will be doing more deliveries itself.
Look on my throughput and despair.
The Japanese games giant may have misjudged demand.
Overground and underground, Amazon’s transportation metamorphosis is happening fast.
The company just unveiled a huge data-hauling semi-truck called Snowmobile, following plans for cargo planes and of course, delivery drones.
Amazon has registered for a license to ship packages from China by ocean freight.


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She was fed up with working, and asked Gregory help her retire at the end of the year. Gregory sets up a retirement income plan that’s over $50k a year, including Social Security, that will be virtually untaxed. The Guided Planning System shows where she will be financially throughout retirement.
No matter what your age is, go sign up for your Social Security account now at SSA.gov. Setting up your account and password will prevent scammers from setting one up and exploiting your record.
More than half the country doesn’t know what to do with their own 401k when it’s retirement time. Gregory shares some ways to maximize the abilities of the assets in your 401k, and how to turn it into income streams.
Tesla stock takes a hit after Consumer Reports’ low rating of the Model S. Elon Musk vows to fix the braking distance issue with a firmware update. It will be the first time a line of cars could be improved without touching them, according to Consumer Reports.
The new Fortune 500 list comes out ranking the top 500 companies by revenue: Walmart wins! Amazon joins the top 10, while Ford falls out of the top 10. Sears is closing 40 more stores this summer.


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The Fortune 500 companies that make your cereal, shoes and soap are getting serious about climate change.
Kellogg Co., a Battle Creek, Mich., food-maker perhaps more known for Raisin Bran than its environmental practices, announced plans Wednesday to curb greenhouse gas emissions across its supply chain — including from agriculture, which chips in 10 percent of U.S. emissions.
"There is growing consensus that global mean temperature must be limited to less than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels in order to avoid permanently altering the atmosphere and negatively impacting the environmental, social and economic systems that sustain us — both today and in the future," Kellogg said.
The move, with other commitments from other top brands, shows that some businesses are bucking the traditional narrative of industry versus the Obama administration's climate change agenda.
Kellogg's action is part of an Oxfam International campaign that secured a climate change pledge from General Mills, another food company, last month. But other industry leaders, such as Nike, Starbucks and Unilever — the company that owns Dove, Axe and a handful of other food and beauty brands — also have pledged support to the White House's climate push.
The Kellogg's and General Mills agreements are significant because they can impose wholesale changes across the supply chain. Climate change is pinching food companies in various ways, including rising costs for crops exposed to higher temperatures, drought and flooding that some scientists have associated with a warming planet.
Kellogg, for example, said that it would "establish a robust emissions baseline and associated target we will require our key suppliers to measure and publically [sic] disclose their emissions and reduction targets" by December 2015 — most of its emissions come upstream from the agricultural sector. Kellogg also said it would disclose its top palm oil, soy and timber suppliers, which are key drivers of deforestation and land-use change.
Such actions from the private sector reinforce — and expand beyond — the administration's regulatory approach. That's because they would stretch beyond the scope of the EPA's centerpiece climate change proposal for existing power plants, which aims to cut emissions for the power sector alone by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
It's not just cereal-makers, either.
Some of the world's biggest private companies are already taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints. Sixty percent of Fortune 100 and Global 100 companies have renewable energy goals, greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets or both, according to a 2012 study by Boston business sustainability group Ceres, Calvert Investments and the World Wildlife Fund.
All of that is occurring without congressional action, and apart from the Capitol Hill rhetoric on climate change. Congress is gridlocked on the issue, partly because conservatives and centrist Democrats oppose action to reduce emissions that they say would make the United States less competitive. On top of that, some Republicans are skeptical of or deny the scientific consensus that humans are driving global warming largely by burning fossil fuels.
But the businesses that have signed onto Oxfam's effort, with nearly 30 businesses that have signed up for Ceres' Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy, say stomping out greenhouse gas emissions makes prudent financial sense. They say the effect a changing climate has on agricultural yields and other parts of the supply chain could take a bite out of bottom lines.
"The new standards will reinforce what leading companies already know: climate change poses real financial risks and substantial economic opportunities and we must act now," said a group of 128 companies and 49 investors representing more than $1 trillion in assets in a June letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy.


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Web-connected devices may have to comply with new EU security laws
According to a draft proposal obtained by Bloomberg, providers of internet-connected technology -- ranging from iPhones to baby monitors -- will be required to comply with new cybersecurity specifications in the European Union. Offendees risk getting fined and possibly having their products remove... Read more
‘Most home networks are unsecured, wave of cybercrime underway’
European employers rarely secure the home networks of employees. At the same time, smart consumer devices are increasingly popular. "The perfect conditions for cybercriminals", BlackBerry warns in a new report.
The organization spoke with thousands of remote workers across Europe. 25 percent sa... Read more
Google Cloud discontinues IoT Core
Google Cloud is pulling the plug on its IoT Core service in mid-August 2023. Customers have one year to switch to an alternative.
Recently, Google Cloud announced that it will stop using IoT Core as of August 16, 2023. At the same time, customers of this service received an email with the announ... Read more
5G has serious vulnerabilities for IoT services
Researchers at the Technical University of Berlin discovered serious security risks in IoT applications on 5G networks.
According to the researchers, the vulnerabilities primarily originate in the APIs with which operators help customers make IoT data accessible to developers. These APIs are br... Read more
Semtech acquires Sierra Wireless for $1.2 billion
Semiconductor supplier Semtech plans to purchase Sierra Wireless, a deal worth $1.2 billion in all-cash.
Semiconductor and analog manufacturing company Semtech Corporation plans to purchase all the shares of Sierra Wireless. Sierra Wireless is an Internet service provider based in Canada.
The... Read more
MITRE security advisory accidentally exposes vulnerabilities
Trusted security alerts have compromised admin consoles on over a dozen IP devices.
A security advisory for a vulnerability published by MITRE has accidentally been exposing links to remote admin consoles of over a dozen vulnerable IP devices, according to a report by BleepingComputer. They say... Read more
EchoStar launches Europe’s first LoRa IoT network
EchoStar Mobile, a mobile satellite provider, recently launched a 'LoRa-enabled IoT' network – an industry-first.
Short for Long-Range, LoRa is a low-power network protocol best suited for connecting battery-backed devices. Sometimes, terrestrial infrastructure limitations constrain tech usage... Read more
CadCorner and GPO Solutions continue as Innoptus
CadCorner and GPO Solutions are now known as Innoptus. The IT service providers have been working as one since 2017. Changing names is the next step.
CadCorner and GPO Solutions provide software and consultancy services to clients in the manufacturing industry. Among other things, the companies... Read more
Arm unveils new Cortex-M85 chip
Arm has introduced a new processor for IoT purposes. The addition expands the company's "Total Solutions for IoT" portfolio.
Arm today introduced a new processor, the Cortex-M85, that can carry out certain computations four times faster than previous-generation silicon. Arm makes semiconductor b... Read more
Taiwanese TXOne Networks opens European headquarters
Taiwanese company TXOne Networks opened its European headquarters on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven. The security company wants to expand its activities in Europe.
Taiwan's TXOne Networks, a joint venture of Trend Micro and Moxa, provides security technology for industrial infrastructure such... Read more


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Those pieces of information that interest the public are called news. Anything can be news – it all depends on who the source is, what the message is, when, where and how it was told. The public does not form an opinion about those who are not news.
Names are crucial for relations: we cannot properly relate to people and things we can’t address somehow. To remember the name of something, we need to create associations between it and a familiar concept. It can be a quality, an experience, an opinion. The important thing is that we have to form a relationship with it.
We will help you form Relations with the Public by creating strong associations with your name. The stories you tell about yourself are essential to build reputation, brand image, to position you as an expert of a subject, or to educate your consumers – if told in the right place, in the right time, and in the appropriate manner. So, what’s your story?
Education about factoring services, promotion of commercial factoring, attitude formation.
BÁV Factor took the first step in the education of company managers by communication solutions that are not typical for the sector: simplicity, comprehensibility, with the help of clarifying various complex financial solutions.
We made an easily digestible, understandable definition of commercial factoring, we informed the business press about international trends, and we facilitated the understanding of our topics with infographics.
Informing and advocating for vendors on shopping streets, and giving shopping street vendors the opportunity to make their voices heard in the media.
The topic interested the press: the media constantly followed the development of the situation on the shopping streets, representatives of the topic were visited from time to time. All high-reach national media published the issues and as a result, vendors also became much more open to participate in ongoing communication as they felt the effects of the media directly.
Provocative and attention-grabbing messages, organized TV and radio reports, as well as continuous communication and situation reports.
Why was the campaign successful?
The national media and magazines covered our topics, and the Fertőhanság National Park responded to environmental issues discussed in the press, promising to resolve the situation. Half a year after the baby boom's communication, the mayor of Lébény was invited to the Parliament for a roundtable discussion where the small town was awarded the National Association of Large Families by the Family-Friendly Local Government.
Educating dog and cat owners on parasite control.
The No Bite campaign is a perfect example of how we use PR to educate consumers and explain an issue or problem: we provided interesting content on digital channels and we reached as many consumers as possible with them.
After getting the task, the pandemic prompted us to change the planned direction immediately: we updated the content, directed the campaign to digital channels, produced content and conducted a non-representative research.
As a result of the coronavirus epidemic, according to the National Trade Union of Construction Contractors, five thousand Hungarian professionals came home from abroad. The goal of the #maradjitthon (#stayhome) campaign was to reach them and their families and persuade them to find a place in the domestic construction industry.
KÉSZ Group had chosen a well-known and severe issue in the industry and had also offered a solution for it. After sending the first press release of the campaign, almost 1,500 professionals applied to KÉSZ Group in various positions.
The industry has been plagued by a shortage of professionals for years, which is typically solved by employing foreign guest workers. We resurfaced the problem and drew attention to the new opportunity caused by the epidemic situation to convince the returned Hungarian building experts. The initiative was led by KÉSZ Group which maintained its stability even in the difficult economic situation, so it started recruiting.
Promotion of Zing Burger brand and the new product of the fast food chain, Wagyu Burger
The topics of cooking and sports appeared in communication at the same time, thanks to which we were able to address several types of professional journalists. During the campaign, we rekindled a topic that had already appeared in the media before, so the press could easily connect and even continue the story of Tamás Kenderesi and the cheeseburger.
By reviving the relationship between Olympic swimmer Tamás Kenderesi and ZING Burger, by educating the press and consumers, and by involving Hungarian food and sports journalists.
What was the task?
Why was the campaign successful?
The product has been tested by the tech sites of the biggest national mediums with the highest reach. The reviews were quite positive. In the duration of the campaign, we’ve provided products for every tech journalist who were interested in the product, and we’ve developed a handy info package for them to help them create the best articles.
How did we solve it?


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Cleaning up with Windows: Leaked video claims Microsoft's new phones could run the same apps as PCs
- Phones will share code with Windows 8 computers
- Will be easier to create apps that work on both
- Microsoft hopes for 100,000 apps at launch
- Windows Phone predicted to overtake iPhone by 2015
- Nokia has sold 1 million Windows handsets
Leaks from within Microsoft have revealed a suite of hi-tech new features for Microsoft's Windows Phone - including new software that will let the phones share apps with Windows PCs.
A video, of Windows Phone chief Joe Belfiore, and supposedly for consumption by Microsoft's partner Nokia, lists a variety of hi-tech features due in a forthcoming update to Windows Phone software.
The key feature is that apps can be shared more easily with Windows PCs, in the same way as software is shared across Apple's iPhone and iPad.
Nokia's Lumia 900: A leaked video shows off hi-tech new features coming to Windows Phones, including the ability to share apps with Windows
Windows Phone will use much of the same software as Microsoft's upcoming tablet-friendly Windows 8, making it easier for developers to create applications that work on both.
Microsoft hopes to have 100,000 apps available at launch.
The video was seen by website PocketNow, but other tech insiders who have seen Windows Phone 8 have confirmed several details.
Analysts iSuppli have predicted that Microsoft's Windows Phone will overtake Apple's iPhone by 2015.
Nokia, which has partnered with Microsoft to produce smartphones running Windows Phone, has sold a million handsets since launch, beating analyst expectations.
The new software, codenamed Apollo, should appear in new Nokia handsets, although there is no confirmed release date.
The devices will also offer SkyDrive - a remote-storage function which allows users to store files such as digital music online, then access them from any device.
It could mean that Windows users will be able to access their entire music collection instantly without having to sync their devices with a PC.
The update to Windows Phone will add compatibility for a range of new screen sizes, plus a 'digital wallet' function that will let users tap phones against shop counters to pay for shopping
IHS iSuppli's projection shows Android remaining in the lead, but Windows Phone rising to a narrow lead over iOS by 2015
The update will also add support for new screen resolutions and will add an NFC (near field communication) chip for contactless payments in shops.
Microsoft are describing this as 'the wallet experience'.
So far, Windows Phone has remained niche, despite fan and reviewer enthusiasm for the operating system.
Last year, Windows Phone accounted for just two per cent of the smartphone market.
But by 2015, that figure will be 16.7 per cent, says iSuppli - putting the handsets into second place in the worldwide smartphone race, behind Google's Android, but ahead of Apple's iOS.
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DNA sequencing startup Helix is shuttering two offices and laying off an undisclosed number of employees as it realigns its business to emphasize healthcare partnerships over the consumer market, according to GenomeWeb. Business Insider Intelligence flagged Helix as a digital health startup to watch, in part due to its unique approach to consumer DNA testing.
Helix created an app store for DNA that collects, sequences, and stores a user’s DNA sample, and then allows consumers to purchase different testing apps and services from other genomics companies on Helix’ marketplace.
But in April 2019, Helix redefined its business focus, offering its population health solutions to health systems, payers, and researchers.
Helix’s shift in strategy makes sense, as Ancestry.com and 23andMe command the DTC market and demand for DNA testing services from health firms should be strong.
For example, the majority (82%) of C-suite executives at US hospitals and health systems say population health is “very” or “critically important” to future success, suggesting health systems may devote more resources to relationships with companies like Helix.


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A MAJOR shopping scheme which would have helped transform Newport city centre is being ditched, as JANE HELMICH exclusively reveals.
FRIAR'S Walk - the £200 million shopping vision expected to transform Newport city centre - is not going to become a reality.
City bosses have taken the tough decision to call it a day for the scheme which was dogged by continual delays.
They said the developers had revealed they were not in a position to deliver the centre as originally proposed and the council was not prepared to accept a scaled-down version of such an important venture.
It will a devastating blow to many in the city who believed the new shopping venue was vital for the centre's regeneration.
Many shops had already agreed to take up units in the centre including anchor stores Debenham's and Marks and Spencer, along with many other well-known names. A Vue Cinema was also lined up along with restaurants.
But now the council will be looking for a development partner for a new retail scheme and intends to take greater control of the site.
And it will not mean going back to square one as a lot of the groundwork for another project is already in place including the road infrastructure, planning permissions, and a new multi-storey car park almost completed.
Modus (Corovest) Newport Ltd, the company which won the contract in 2005 is understood to have lost investors backing the scheme as a result of the banking crisis.
But, despite repeatedly stating its commitment to Friars Walk, it failed to find new funding.
The council plans to go out to tender for a new city centre development and will be re-marketing the site.
Approval has already been given to complete the on-going compulsory purchase scheme around John Frost Square.
"As far as the council is concerned we have reached the stage where a definite decision needs to be taken on the future of Friars Walk," said council leader Matthew Evans.
"We have done all we can as a council to get this scheme to the stage where the developers had to come up with funding and go on site."
Cllr Evans said it had failed to do this and had told the council that, because of the economic downturn, the council was currently not in a position to deliver the intended scheme.
"Such is the importance of this project for Newport we are not prepared to accept a scaled-down version and will therefore open up the scheme to other interested parties."
He added that businesses and investors knew the huge potential the city had and there was no lack of interest in the Friars Walk which was 75 per cent pre-let.
"The banking crisis has had a huge impact on the commercial property market and unfortunately Modus and Friars Walk have been caught up in the middle of this."
Cllr Evans said they were taking decisive action at a difficult time.
"I know there will be huge disappointment, but we will be failing the people and businesses of Newport if we just allowed the current situation to drift on indefinitely."
Cllr Ed Townsend, cabinet member for economic development and employment, hoped the decision would bring an end to the "cloud of uncertainty and rumour" and enable them to bring a fresh impetus to the city's redevelopment plans.


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Sengled announced two new smart bulbs, a smart plug, and a revamped version of its signature smart hub at CES 2020. Here's all we know about them.
Philips Hue makes some of our top recommended smart bulbs, and they're on sale for Prime Day 2019.
Even though we see tons of tech and gadgets cross our desks throughout the year, only the simple and impactful ones get a spot in our small NYC apartments. These are the home tech buys that make our everyday lives more convenient.
TP-Link's $20 smart lightbulb proves you don't have to spend a lot of money to start a smart home.