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Lost Ark has been wildly popular since it released February 11th, 2022. The Action MMORPG recently topped 1.3 million concurrent players, topping Amazon Game Studios previous release, New World, which garnered a total of just over 900k concurrent players.
The long-awaited action RPG Lost Ark has exploded in popularity during launch week, with over 1.3 million players, topping Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for 2nd place on the all-time high peak concurrent players on Steam. Whether Lost Ark has the legs to make its way to the number one spot, topping PUBG with over 3 million concurrent users, only time will tell. Initially, Lost Ark’s head start, that began on February 8th managed to gather over 530k concurrent players at its peak, but the rise in concurrent players is undoubtedly due in no small part to the game being free to play, when it went live on the 11th.
Lost Ark has had a relatively positive launch, especially in comparison to many other MMO’s, but not everything has been flawless. Initially Lost Ark’s free to play launch was delayed due to deployment issues, that eventually got fixed. Amazon also ran into an issue where players that created characters during head start, suddenly found their character missing once the game launched.
Lost Ark servers are online and ready for play!We have found a fix for the missing characters and have pushed a new build configuration to Steam, so you’ll need to exit out of your client, update, and reload the game before you can play.— Lost Ark (@playlostark) February 11, 2022
The auction house on US West was also disabled while the development team addressed the problem.
We are experiencing an issue affecting the Auction House for US West Servers. We have disabled the Auction House for US West until we resolve these issues.We will share more updates as soon as they become available.— Lost Ark (@playlostark) February 12, 2022
Many players have taken to reddit and twitter to complain about queue times, which was also a common issue during the launch of Amazon Game Studios New World. After a quick expansion of server resources for New World the game has since contracted substantially, merging servers as the concurrent player base has shrunk more than 90%. While much of that was due to constant bugs that plagued New World for months, it’s still far too early to tell if Lost Ark will experience similar growing pains.
If you’re interested in learning more about Lost Ark you can read our in-depth review. Currently Lost Ark has a relatively positive reception from critics, but the ongoing issues have begun to turn some players off, dropping the game to a “mixed review” status on Steam, and an abysmal 4.0 user score on Metacritic at the time of this article. While these are most likely only temporary hiccups, we hope Amazon is able to get a handle on the current issues so that players can hop in and enjoy their time in Lost Ark.


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Gluten Pioneer Says Food Labeled ‘Gluten Free’ Isn’t Always What You Think
Think you’re following a gluten-free diet? Not so fast.
A physician who is a pioneer in discovering and diagnosing the problems with gluten says many products touted as gluten-free today are not.
Dr. Kenneth Davin Fine, a gastroenterologist, and creator of Oro-Intestinal Fitness Products (www.finerhealth.com) and the Gluten/Food Sensitivity Diagnostic Laboratory EnteroLab.com brought gluten sensitivity to the public consciousness more than 20 years ago.
He says during those early years, gluten-sensitive patients usually experienced significant improvement in their health on a “gluten-free diet” but his patients have told him in recent years they have seen fewer improvements.
“Products can now be labeled ‘gluten free’ even if that food contains up to 20 parts per million of gluten,” Dr. Fine says. “While that doesn’t sound like a lot, a little gluten can go a long way in the reactions of the most active immune systems.”
Gluten is a protein found in the cereal grains wheat, barley, rye, and oats. It is a mixture of proteins and causes illness in people with either celiac disease, when the immune reactions to gluten damage the intestinal tissues visible on a biopsy, or more commonly non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This happens when symptoms and intestinal dysfunction are present in the absence of such changes on a biopsy.
Recent studies found that most (but not all) celiacs could eat gluten without resulting in damage to their small intestine. In his research, Dr. Fine has found that only about half of celiacs or non-celiac gluten sensitive patients can tolerate oats. He says “gluten-free oats” is a misnomer and may be responsible for symptoms experienced by people who think they are eating a gluten-free diet.
Dr. Fine believes the gluten sensitivity epidemic is caused by:
- A combination of greater immunoreactivity in most people stimulated by mainly environmental factors (stress, exposure to hormones in food, medicines, pollution, and possibly EMS from electronic devices).
- The way many foods have been altered by producers so they can be manufactured in mass quantities more efficiently.
- Widespread use of stomach acid-inhibiting medicines.
- A general lack of breastfeeding in this country from 1955-1985 (when synthetic infant formula was falsely touted to be more healthy than breast milk).
- Public health directives recommending that the public should eat mostly grains as part of the USDA food pyramid.
- An evolution of agricultural practices leading to hybridization of grains to increase their gluten content, and more widespread use of herbicides and pesticides.
Recently, there also has been a significant increase in the mass marketing of products said to assist the gut microbiome in digesting food. The microbiome is the genetic material of all the microbes – bacteria, viruses, and fungi – in the body.
Dr. Fine says the best way to keep a healthy gut and microbiome is to eat the right foods. “Researchers have sometimes detected a different microbiome in obese individuals compared to non-obese individuals; although this has attempted to be the blame for the obesity, it cannot be ruled out that their microbiome is different because they make different, and perhaps less healthful food choices,” Dr. Fine says.
Other reasons for a poor microbiome are frequent exposure to antibiotics, the bactericidal chlorine added to public water, improper sleep, stress, and diets heavy in meat, cooked food (as opposed to raw vegetables/salads and fruit), and “junk food” and other sugar-laden foods. This is all typical of the modern lifestyle, which Fine says is a primary contributor to poor overall health.
“If you really want to achieve a healthy body, you must have a healthy intestine and intestinal flora,” Dr. Fine says. “And when it comes to immunologic food sensitivities, one must really be more restrictive of antigenic foods than was necessary years ago because of the progression of this immunologic epidemic.”
About Dr. Kenneth Davin Fine
Dr. Kenneth Davin Fine, the creator of Oro-Intestinal Fitness Products, (www.finerhealth.com), and founder of the patented gluten sensitivity testing method at EnteroLab.com is an academic gastroenterologist who has held staff positions at both Baylor University Medical Center and the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School. His medical research has appeared in prestigious medical journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, Gastroenterology, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, and The American Journal of Gastroenterology. He has been professionally involved in patient care, medical research, teaching, directing clinical laboratories, nutritional pioneering and original health product and unique organic health food product development for almost 30 years.

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On Dec. 18, 2017, all drivers hauling freight across state lines will be required to use electronic logbooks for HOS compliance. To do that, carriers will have to install electronic logging devices in their trucks.
The biggest impact from the ELD mandate will be felt by small carriers and owner-operators. Some estimate that as many as 1 million trucks currently aren’t equipped with the devices. Those trucks won’t be placed out of service until April 1, 2018, though, allowing for what the FMCSA is calling a "phasing-in period" between Dec. 18 and April 1. Still, some shippers may still require carriers that haul their freight to use an ELD during that period.
We’ve put together an ELD Survival Guide to help small carriers and owner-operates beat the mandate in the most affordable way possible. Fill out this form to get the guide, with tips and tricks on how to maintain flexibility and stay competitive.
Get a demo from the #1 rated ELD solution, KeepTruckin, the most affordable way to beat the mandate.


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Finalist MOTODEV Game Developer Challenge
OAKLAND, CA -- October 22, 2007 -- The Hazmat crew is excited to announce that their entry into the MOTODEV Game Developer Challenge, “Zombie Noir, Chapter 1” made it as a finalist (http://developer.motorola.com/eventstraining/gamechallenge/).
Hazmat Games plans to release “Zombie Noir, Chapter 1” in public distribution to give fans a chance to see why the game deserved finalist status. Be on the lookout for “Chapter 1” early November 2007 and the continuation of the trilogy to come out early 2008.
Hazmat Games would like to thank Motorola for granting the opportunity for third-party developers everywhere to showcase their work and for encouraging the creation of new games. The company would also like to publicly congratulate runner-up Int13 Production and winner Anthill Games.
About "Zombie Noir, Chapter 1"
"Zombie Noir, Chapter 1" combines the action of a shooter and the advancement of an RPG in a mystery thriller set in an alternative 1950s overrun by the living dead. The game follows Morte, a no-nonsense mortician on the trail of the brutal thugs who murdered his girlfriend, Percy.
The "Zombie Noir" trilogy promises to bring better gameplay, a more immersive storyline, and higher quality graphics and sound than any other game on the market with a three-part tale of conspiracies, organized crime, betrayal, lost romance, and zombies.
About Hazmat Games LLC
Based in Oakland, Calif., Hazmat Games LLC is riding the popularity of their first release, “Pegasus Lost” and the “Pegasus Lost – Prequel” with a follow-up based on the same successful engine, with a completely different storyline and theme. As an up-and-coming mobile-device game company, Hazmat Games is dedicated to bring quality games to the hot, yet still fledgling, mobile market. Begun as four dedicated geeks in an attic, Hazmat Games promises to be a strong player in the gaming industry.


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After the peak of component crunch in the second quarter along with insufficient inventory in the third quarter, stress of stagnant deliverables on the highway seems to have been relieved. A consensus of the supply chain is to let the manufacturers breathe. The fourth quarter is in line with the traditional off-season, and the days should be easier. From foundries to IC design houses, Taiwanese manufacturers are in the limelight now. DIGITIMES Asia has noted in its reports that the foundry sector is now a seller's market with strong demand to last in end of 2022. Such messages are based on dynamic changes in demand-supply status of IT industry from the most upstream of the supply chain. Component shortages and component cannibalization require long-term rolling tracking. DIGITIMES Asia has been making dynamic adjustments to its views in line with rolling forecasts.
People get used to work in an office environment since they need office equipment as tools. Thanks to the notebook, paperless environment, e-signature, e-payment, and even home delivery, "hybrid working" environment or working from home is gradually becoming an acceptable work style. Iceland has three days off every week; Facebook allows employees to work from home; employees of Google and Apple are working from home for two days a week. The business community's work patterns are changing. But schooling is a different story. The efficiency of remote teaching is not as good as face-to-face interactins between teachers and students, which will also affect the demand for ChromeBooks.
In response to changes in the global handset market, we now look at it in two blocks: the Chinese market and non-Chinese market. In the past, the Chinese market regularly accounted for more than 30% of the global market, but it has now diminished to 25%. And as the Chinese market is becoming saturated, Chinese handset brands are expanding abroad. They have been able to sweep the markets of emerging countries. Even when the relationship between China and India gets soured, the markets of emerging countries are still being flooded with handsets of Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo. In what way can the experience of the Chinese market and Chinese brands inspire us?
The market decides the supply-demand dynamics of key components. TSMC, MediaTek, and even Samsung, LG, and Chinese brands and assemblers are all keeping an eagle-eye on the market trends. The "Views from Taiwan" series hopes to give penetrating insights into what is happening in the supply chain of core industry sectors, such as notebooks, servers, and handsets.
Our insights are partly based on data collected by DIGITIMES Research, which offers regular and special research reports.
(Editor's note: This is part of a series of analysis by DIGITIMES Asia president Colley Hwang about the global IT supply chain.)


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EcoMotors’ patented “opoc” engine design creates an internal combustion engine family architecture that will operate on a number of different fuels, including gasoline, diesel, natural gas and ethanol. The opoc’s new opposed piston-opposed cylinder direct gas exchange operation provides the emissions benefits of 4-cycle engines, the simplicity benefits of 2-cycle engines, the power density of the opposed piston engine and the latest developments in electronics and combustion technology all tied together in a new and proprietary engine architecture, according to EcoMotors.
"We continue to be on the cutting edge of technology and our development agreement with EcoMotors once again demonstrates our commitment to develop new, innovative approaches to the commercial vehicle industry," said Dan Ustian, Navistar chairman, president and CEO. "Our company has a long history of pushing the envelope and we see great promise in EcoMotors’ breakthrough engine design."
The opoc engine comprises two opposing cylinders per module, with a crankshaft between them each cylinder has two pistons moving in opposite directions. This design configuration eliminates the cylinder-head and valve-train components of conventional engines, offering an efficient, compact and simple core engine structure. The result is an engine family that is lighter, more efficient and economical, with lower exhaust emissions, according to EcoMotors.
"For customers such as Navistar, this remarkable engine technology represents a competitive advantage that enables not only enhanced environmental sustainability, but also greater profitability," added Don Runkle, CEO, EcoMotors International. "Our engineers are working to effectively rejuvenate the internal combustion engine for the 21st century."
EcoMotors’ opoc engine has a number of distinct advantages over traditional internal combustion engines, the company says. The opoc engine has very high power density of nearly one horsepower per pound resulting in an unprecedented lightweight and compact engine. The opoc engine is perfectly balanced enabling stackable power modules. This unique modular displacement capability is one of the long standing, but elusive goals of engine engineers’ quest for high efficiency. In addition, it also results in much less NVH than a conventional engine of comparable power.


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British high street fashion retailer Topshop are hoping to cash in on the popularity of Pinterest this coming Christmas.
Topshop have just launched their new Pinterest campaign which is known as “Dear Topshop” and the marketers behind the campaign hope that keen Pinterest users will enjoy creating their own ultimate Christmas wishlist through Topshop.
Topshop will allow their Pinterest users to pull images from all of the different platforms that the company uses including their website, online store, Facebook and Twitter feeds and anywhere else that a user can find Topshop products to make their own wish list for Christmas.
For the first time Topshop have created a campaign designed specifically for Pinterest users with users being able to make their own boards of products and the most pinned items of the day then being showcased on the main website of the shop.
While most of the activity will be taking place online shoppers in the flagship stores in both London and New York will be able to create their own life size boards using giant touch screens found in the shops.
The Pinterest campaign will also be brought into the real world with staff in the stores wearing t-shirts advertising the campaign and other members of staff going around the stores with iPads to be able to demonstrate the ease that customers can pin items on Pinterest.
Topshop seem to have thought of everything to move their clients onto Pinterest and their Pinterest clients into their stores with the company even offering a series of prizes including front row seats at London Fashion week and the chance to design their own dress for winners of Pinterest board competitions.
The head of marketing and communications for Topshop said: “This holiday season, our aim was to showcase the key products and to facilitate the gifting process.
“Pinterest, being a strong visual platform, was the ideal platform as it allows our customers to collect products and inspirations to share with family and friends. Add the physical component, and we are creating trues “social shopping” during the festive period.”
The new Pinterest campaign from Topshop is being deemed as the first global marketing initiative from the company and many will be watching to see just how successful the retailer is at merging the online shopping world with the high street experience and all through the power of social media as this could well be the future of marketing and sales.


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South by Southwest (SXSW), though not about gadgets and emerging technology, is no stranger to gadgets, but this year’s festival goers had more gadgets to ogle at – thanks to LG. LG had hit up SXSW for the first time, bringing along some really cool stuff, including a series of new AI robots, unique smart lighting solutions, the world’s first rollable TV, the new LG HomeBrew capsule-based craft beer maker and a concept, a connected ice cream maker called Snowwhite.
Obviously, Snowwhite is the one that piqued our interest since we already heard about most of the rest. Apparently, the Snowwhite presented at SXSW is a prototype, but you need little imagination to know what it does. Like the LG HomeBrew previewed at CES 2019 earlier this year, Snowwhite uses capsules to make ice cream and would have features that allow you to create other frozen desserts, including sorbet, gelatos, frozen yogurts, for examples. Beyond that and it will be ‘connected’, no other information is available.
Also present were five new LG CLOi concepts. CLOi are LG’s AI robots that can recognize your emotional state and have the ability to express a variety of feelings, including joy, peace, sadness and anger. Anger? Can we do with the anger. That doesn’t sound like a smart thing to give it, given that it has AI which means they are kind self-thinking. Just saying…
Anywho, LG said the robots are able to recognize space, objects and communicate with users, and boasts new interfaces that will simply smart home’s IoT hub. As expect of robots, it can play your children and pets, and also serve as security by keeping an eye on your home.
And then there a wall clock called TIME + SPACE that tells time and provides a bunch of useful information, including weather, scheduling info et cetera, and a new earring-shaped wireless earphones, called shine. But, unless you were there, details on those are just as scarce.
All images courtesy of LG.
Hat tip: Engadget.


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Tiny, tasty and seductive, the gourmet cupcake is strengthening its hold over dessert lovers with specialty bakeries spreading over the region’s real estate — and waistlines.
Just Baked, a Livonia-based cupcake shop, is doubling its size, with two new locations joining stores in Novi and Ann Arbor. One store opens in Royal Oak on Wednesday, and another in Troy’s Somerset Collection opens next month.
Johnson believes the Birmingham cupcake shop could have as many as 10 franchisees by year’s end. Read full story.
Photo: Charles V. Tines / The Detroit News.


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As many as 900,000 tourists from Serbia are expected to visit Greece this year, according to Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias.
Recently, Kikilias was is in Belgrade for a series of meetings aimed at promoting Greece’s tourism product. The tourism minister spoke about how that, even despite the multiple crises that have arisen in the current year, winter destinations have opened with “a serious strategy”, cruises have multipled, while tourist destinations had a satisfactory operation during the Easter holidays. He added:
“And now the figures are very encouraging. Half a million direct travellers from USA, Greece as the top tourist destination for the French, excellent figures from TUI and Der Turistik in Germany, a higher number of tourists from the UK and the Scandinavian countries, from Israel and from the countries of the Balkans, while Greece is the top road destination for the Romanians.”
Just a few days ago, Kikilias met to discuss similar issues with the ambassadors of Finland Jari Boris Antero Gustafsson, of Norway Frode Overland Andersen, and of Denmark Klavs Holm. Also attending were the ambassadors of Slovakia Iveta Hricova, of Ireland Iseult Fitzgerald, and of Spain Carles Casajuana.
Greece has been heavily promoting travel to the country all across Europe recently.


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Wednesday 18th May 2011
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Higher dairy and fuel prices were key factors in rising producer output and input prices in the March quarter, while capital goods prices were relatively flat.
Publishing the data today, Statistics New Zealand said the producers price index outputs index - prices received by producers - rose 1.7% in the quarter, while the inputs index - costs of production, excluding labour and depreciation - rose 2.2%.
Key influences on the outputs index included an 8.4% rise for dairy cattle farming reflecting higher farm gate milk prices, and a 9.8% rise for the petroleum and coal product manufacturing category reflecting higher prices for petrol and diesel.
Dairy product manufacturing was up 4.6% reflecting higher milk powder prices, meat and meat product manufacturing gained 8.5% as export prices for beef and lamb rose, and mining was up 7.3% as export prices for crude oil rose.
For the inputs index, key factors included a 7.3% rise in dairy product manufacturing reflecting the higher farm gate milk prices, while petroleum and coal product manufacturing was up 15.7% as imported crude oil prices rose.
In the year to March output prices were up 4.2%, while input prices gained 5.3%.
The capital goods price index was up 0.2% in the March quarter from the December quarter.
Plant, machinery and equipment prices fell 0.2%, while both residential and non-residential building construction was up 0.1%, SNZ said.
Transport equipment also edged up 0.1%, with land improvements up 1.1% and civil construction up 1.2%.
Over the year the capital goods index edged down 0.1%.
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A Leading Portal for China Auto Industry
Union leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are vowing to fight a sale of DaimlerChrysler AG's (DCXGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) Chrysler Group to a private-equity buyer, throwing a potential hurdle in front of a deal, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
The opposition comes as Cerberus Capital Management LLC is piecing together a team of auto-industry veterans headed by former Chrysler executive Wolfgang Bernhard to bolster its expected bid for the U.S. unit, people familiar with the matter said in the Journal.
Cerberus, the tandem of private-equity groups Blackstone Group and Centerbridge Partners LP, and Canadian supplier Magna International Inc. (MGa.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) have met with Chrysler executives and begun reviewing financial and product-development information. They are expected to present proposals by month's end.
The union sentiment raises the potential for a push by labor to block any deal that would involve deep cuts of union jobs, the Journal noted.
Blackstone, Centerbridge and Magna have begun meeting labor leaders in hopes of breaking down opposition before bids are submitted, people familiar with the matter said in the Journal.
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Changan Flagship SUV-CS95 is launched today, equipping with 4WD system
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Summary: Best-selling passenger automobile models in the Chinese market in February
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SGMW Passenger Vehicle Project Settled in Qingdao, Capacity Increases by 200,000 Units
Qoros flagship electric coupe to debut next month in Shanghai
Geely Vision SUV is Exposed with 1.4T Engine
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Domestic TLX Launch, ACURA 3 New Models Out
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The team behind franchise REGYMEN Fitness opened its first The Covery, a recovery and wellness concept, on March 22 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The franchise concept is focused on wellness, recovery and injury prevention offering aesthetic, athletic recovery and wellness services such as cryotherapy, infrared saunas, IV infusions, IV NAD+ Therapy, CRYOSKIN, hydrafacial, lymphatic drainage, compression therapy, red light therapy, dry float, hyperbaric oxygen treatments, salt infused saunas, whole body cryotherapy, spot cryotherapy, and a variety of other options based on each location’s demographics.
“The Covery is something we have been working on in the background for the past few years,” EK Navan, co-founder of The Covery and REGYMEN Fitness, told Club Industry. “When the pandemic hit, I had the opportunity to research the science behind the services we offer and the amazing benefits that these treatments contribute to increasing an individual's overall well-being. Now, more than ever, self-care is essential. The pandemic has taught everyone to value their health a little more and that boosting immunity and relieving stress is essential to not only our individual well-being but for all of those around us. This is the perfect time to recognize the power and importance of keeping yourself healthy both mentally and physically. To operate at maximum efficiency in life, we need to be well-rested. Self-care isn’t selfish; rather, it is essential to get the maximum benefit out of the life you live and lift the others up around you. To accomplish this, we all need to unplug to recharge—take a little time for yourself.”
The Covery and REGYMEN Fitness will be offered as two separate franchise models, but some franchisees do plan to franchise both brands because they complement each other, according to Navan. The company is testing a version of the model that has both concepts under the same roof.
The first location is an “express” setting, based in 850 square feet, but the preference is 1,400 to 2,200 square feet, Navan said, noting square footage depends on the location and investment level of the franchisee.
The Covery appeals to a wide range of people looking to franchise since the model is built for flexibility within the space, allowing a scale up-type offer, he said.
The cost to open The Covery can range from $250,000 to $575,000, depending on the services offered, according to Navan. Franchisees looking for a lower-cost investment can initially offer a smaller menu of services with the ability to grow in that space by adding additional services as they reach specific revenue points. Those who already are area developers for other brands or have a franchise pedigree tend to want the larger model with all the additional services from day one of opening, Navan said.
The initial franchise fee is $49,000.
Pricing at The Covery is both membership and drop-in based. For the locations where The Covery and REGYMEN are side by side or combined, REGYMEN members will receive the discounted Covery member drop-in rate for services as opposed to the traditional drop-in rates.
The company has not officially opened franchising and will not be fully offering territories until fourth quarter 2021. With that said, interested groups have placed deposits to hold territories in preparation for the launch of the brand.
The company has six additional corporate-owned and corporate partnered stores opening in 2021, including two locations in Louisiana and one in Alabama set to open in April, plus one in Louisiana opening in May, and one in Florida opening in the fall.


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Tokyo: Sony Corporation announced yesterday the establishment of a research centre in India to tap into the country’s sizeable pool of talent, with plans for multiple sites. The first location will be opened in Bangaluru in 2020 as one of Sony’s global R&D centres. Sony has already been carrying out software development with local talent for over twenty years in the country. The Japanese tech giant says this move will augment its competitive edge in the Indian market and strengthen its research and development capabilities in India.
Sony says it is well-positioned to provide career opportunities for researchers possessing relevant information technology-related skills who are currently living in India or are willing to relocate to India.
Through the establishment of this new research centre in Bengaluru, Sony says it seeks to promote research activities and foster the growth of a diverse pool of engineering talent to expand and increase the diversity of its global R&D operations.
Sony is also promoting open innovation with local universities through research sponsorships as well as collaborative partnerships with faculty and researchers in India, in order to establish lasting initiatives for motivating and fostering research talent.
Sony says it will provide career opportunities not only in India but also at worldwide Sony Research sites as employees’ careers advance.
Recruitment for well-qualified professionals will be starting in the area of applied artificial intelligence. Details will be announced through the company’s careers web page at a future date.
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Californian developer inXile has announced the development of popular Internet game Line Rider for the Wii and DS, with a scheduled release date of spring 2007.
Created by Bostjan Cadez, the game lets you pencil out ramps, hills and jumps, before letting a cleverly physics-programmed sledder career head-first down your course.
"I have been around the interactive entertainment industry long enough to have seen similar phenomenon like Tetris and Bejeweled become massive international hits, and Line Rider has all the elements to do the same," said inXile CEO Brian Fargo. "Line Rider is like a fully animated Etch-A-Sketch and will be perfect for the Nintendo DS and Wii."
The original has proved to be an immense hit with deranged YouTube users, who have created more than 11,000 videos which in turn have produced over 15 million views.
"Line Rider is becoming one of the most popular flash games on the web," reckoned Time.com, while The Wall Street Journal called the game, "Online gamers' new addiction."
Head over to the Line Rider website and put a virtual snow-reveller's life in peril while you're waiting for the Nintendo versions.


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Valard Construction Collective Agreement, Free Trade Agreement Vietnam and EU, and More
In the world of agreements, there are several important ones that play a crucial role in various sectors. Today, we bring you a collection of news articles that touch upon diverse topics such as construction, trade, and more.
Valard Construction Collective Agreement
Starting off, Valard Construction recently reached a collective agreement with its employees. This agreement outlines the terms and conditions for the workforce, ensuring fair treatment and benefits for all involved.
Free Trade Agreement Vietnam and EU
In the realm of international trade, the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EU has been making waves. This agreement aims to boost economic ties and foster mutually beneficial trade relationships between the two regions.
The Four Agreements Prayers
Switching gears, let’s delve into spiritual matters. The four agreements prayers have become immensely popular among individuals seeking personal growth and spiritual enlightenment.
Master Service Agreement Structure
When it comes to service-based industries, understanding the structure of a master service agreement is crucial. This article sheds light on the key components and intricacies of such agreements.
Turkish Airlines Codeshare Agreement
Now, let’s take flight with Turkish Airlines. This renowned carrier recently entered into a codeshare agreement with another airline, expanding its network and allowing passengers to seamlessly connect to various destinations.
In the realm of virtual reality, the VRAI agreement has been making waves. This agreement sets the standards for virtual reality experiences, ensuring safety, quality, and user satisfaction.
Car Leasing Contract
Shifting gears to the automotive industry, understanding the intricacies of a car leasing contract is essential for individuals considering leasing a vehicle. This article provides insights into the terms, conditions, and benefits of such agreements.
Australia and Korea Free Trade Agreement
Coming back to international trade, the free trade agreement between Australia and Korea lays the foundation for mutually advantageous trade relations, potentially boosting economic growth and collaboration between the two nations.
What’s a Consignment Agreement
Lastly, let’s unravel the mysteries of consignment agreements. If you’ve ever wondered “what’s a consignment agreement?” this article provides insights into the purpose, terms, and legal implications of such agreements.
That wraps up our compilation of diverse news articles surrounding various agreements. Whether you’re interested in construction, trade, spiritual growth, or virtual reality, there’s something for everyone in this collection. Stay informed and keep exploring!


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True Source Honey launches a certified honey traceability program open to all interested honey companies to protect honey consumers and customers.
The True Source Honey Initiative announces the launch of a certified honey traceability program beginning in this month. Officially known as True Source Certified, the program was unveiled at the 2011 North American Beekeeping Conference in Galveston, Texas. The program is designed to certify the origin of honey being distributed and consumed within North America, resulting in better food safety and product purity assurances for quality-minded customers and consumers.
The new voluntary program is open to all interested honey companies (packers, beekeepers, importers and exporters) that desire True Source Certification. It was developed by a multi-disciplined group of industry participants who want to maximize industry participation in solving the problem of illegally sourced honey.
Intertek, an internationally recognized third-party audit firm, will begin conducting audits for any interested candidates starting this month. The program will help create transparency within the industry, going beyond current certification expectations and federal regulations while adding an additional layer of traceability beginning at the hive. For those applying for certification, Intertek will conduct unannounced inspections, review documents and collect samples for country-of-origin verification.
A number of honey companies in North America have resolved to purchase only legal, properly sourced honey from legitimate sources. These companies now have an opportunity to certify their purchasing practices through an independent third-party auditor, enhancing customer and consumer confidence while clearly demonstrating the value which they have been providing.
Some honey has been illegally imported by companies misrepresenting the true country-of-origin, in order to circumvent dumping duties of $1.20 per pound that have been assessed against certain countries. This results in honey being sold to companies and consumers that is of questionable origin. Along with creating food safety issues for consumers, this practice threatens the honey industry by undercutting fair market prices and damaging honey’s reputation for quality and safety.
For more information, go to www.TrueSourceHoney.com.


text: According to CoinDesk, the German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) is clarifying how the country's new cryptocurrency custody law will apply to companies operating outside Germany but still serving the German market. In its latest directive issued in January this year, the Financial Supervisory Authority said that companies that have provided digital assets to Germans will not be punished for not having permission. Under the new law, which went into effect on January 1, they will be subject to the same protections as German crypto hosting companies. This means that these companies must announce their intention to apply for a license by March 31 and apply for a license by November 30. Cryptocurrency companies that have not hosted cryptocurrencies for German customers before January 1st but are interested in the following cannot expand into the German market unless they obtain a license first. Germany drafted the law in response to the EU's fifth anti-money laundering directive (AMLD5), which requires crypto companies to demonstrate compliance with enhanced customer understanding (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) procedures. Although companies familiar with German financial regulation are already drafting applications, the industry will still be subject to any directives issued by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in the coming months.


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The email message that began circulating these days claiming Ericsson will give away a free laptop computer to those who forward the message to 8-20 or more people is just a hoax and a dream unlikely to ever come true.
Being even more absurd than usual hoaxes, the above graphical version of the mail that hits your inbox claims to give away laptop models that never existed. Both Ericsson T18 & Ericsson R320 mentioned as laptops in the mail are actually older mobile phone models of Ericsson that have now been discontinued.
In the Recent press releases, Sony Ericsson published the following message regarding this ‘Hoax Competition Email‘
Sony Ericsson has been made aware of an online email campaign claiming that Ericsson will give away a free laptop computer to users who forward the promotional information. The same campaign includes a photograph of the Sony Ericsson logo and mentions an Ericsson contact name and email number.
Sony Ericsson confirms that this email campaign is a hoax. In addition, Sony Ericsson confirms that the Ericsson contact name does not exist.
All competitions and promotions involving Sony Ericsson are run through official channels such as Sony Ericsson’s website or Sony Ericsson’s partners’ websites. Please be wary of any competition or promotion that appears to come from outside of Sony Ericsson or Sony Ericsson’s partners official channels. Examples of these include via spam emails or SMS.
Please do not reply to or forward the email if you receive it.
This is neither a lottery to try your luck nor a competition that demands your skill, but just a hoax that is targeted on those donkeys out there who wants all for FREE!!
To be frank these days not even death is free. Doctors try to keep you from dying. Then you get the bill! Isn’t it so?


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GRAND RAPIDS — Casting a vote of confidence in the economy, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates June 30 for the first time in four years.
The Fed’s Open Market Committee raised its target for the federal funds rate from its 46-year low of 1 percent to 1.25 percent. The Fed reiterated that future rate hikes would come “at a pace that is likely to be measured,” signaling the agency would continue to be cautious about further hikes in interest rates.
“My feeling is that the Federal Reserve action was one that was fully expected by the marketplace,” said George Erickcek, senior analyst with the W.E. Upjohn Institute.
“It was a very cautionary move,” he added.
“If I was going to make an error, I would still err on an easy money market and keep interest rates low because, in my opinion, there’s enough evidence to suggest that the economy is not yet fully on its feet.
“A rising interest rate is a good thing because it shows the economy is growing,” he added. “It’s associated with positive growth, but a lot of people kind of forget that.”
The federal funds rate is the rate banks charge each other on overnight loans. The rate influences the commercial prime lending rate, which in turn affects consumer spending and saving decisions. The recent Fed move triggered a one-quarter increase in the prime rate.
The Federal Reserve sets the target rate to influence economic activity and control inflation.
Inflation is a sustained increase in the general price level and a decrease in the real purchasing power of money. The rate of inflation is typically measured by the consumer price index.
Both inflation and interest rates are still low by historical standards, but a significant increase in inflation would have a significant negative impact on interest rates.
“If inflation did get out of control, we would see interest rates climb,” Erickcek acknowledged. “The Federal Reserve is always cautious. They do not want to be behind the game.
“When inflationary pressures start, it’s very difficult to play catch-up, so there’s the challenge,” he said. “They do not want to be accused of shutting down the economy prematurely, but at the same time they don’t want to be accused of being asleep at the switch.”
Even with the tool the Fed has, inflation can jump on a runaway track.
“All the federal government has is only this one tool that affects the overnight rate that banks charge each other,” Erickcek observed. “When you think about it, it’s a pretty limiting tool. Indeed, all they’re really doing is trying to control inflation by trying to impact economic activity.”
Some inflation is cost-push inflation and the country has experienced some of that with rising oil prices, he said. Oil, for example, is one of those commodities tied to the sale of consumer goods because of transportation costs.
In a cost-push inflationary spiral, interest rates would be a little less effective in curbing inflation because it’s strictly about demand, Erickcek said. The Federal Reserve’s actions are geared towards demand-side factors.
He said that trying to decrease demand for economic activity by making it more expensive is not effective when expenses are already climbing on the supply side. If, for instance, oil prices continue to rise — which Erickcek doesn’t think will happen — then uncertainty and risk increase in the commodity market.
In his estimation, it does not appear to be an environment in which inflationary fires could ignite, given employment gains in recent months, given that the unemployment level is staying about the same and given the fact that productivity has outpaced output over the last five quarters.
Improvements in productivity, coupled with global competition, continue to keep prices down, he said.
“Inflation typically occurs when productivity gains do not keep up with output — when there’s too little money chasing too few goods. We’re just not there.”
However, if China’s demand for steel and other commodities continues to grow, America may see some pressures on the supply side, but they tend to be short in duration, he noted.
In June the auto companies stepped back on their incentives, and consumers reacted by stepping away from the car lots. Sales for the month fell drastically, Erickcek recalled.
“As long as you and I as consumers will not tolerate price increases and simply continue to look for sales, I am not that worried about inflation. I think that’s one of the strongest deterrents to inflationary pressures — the unwillingness of consumers to accept price increases.”
Other factors influencing the interest rates include money demand and supply, the value of the dollar relative to major currencies, consumer confidence, government spending, global economics and political dynamics.
“Given that it’s an election year, I think it’s very clear that the Federal Reserve wants to be as quiet as possible. They do not want to do something that can be taken by either side as being partisan.”


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Shop like a European: The Tipline for 13 March 2019
Senator Richard Blumenthal’s concerns over Amazon’s allegedly anticompetitive pricing policy have been heard. The company has confirmed that it will no longer impose its price parity clauses on sellers using its Marketplace platform in the US – aligning with its policies in the EU and Japan. This news comes a few months after Blumenthal called out the company’s pricing tactics as violating US federal antitrust law and urged the Department of Justice to open an investigation.
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It was all Yellow: Kate Peck is the latest female star to follow suit wearing a canary coloured shirt teamed with black pants and blazer at private Coldplay concert
The exclusive gig drew an A-list crowd whose sense of style is razor-sharp.
But MTV star Kate Peck showed she's a cut above the rest of the fashion pack, choosing a sharp suit paired with a bright blouse for her night at Coldplay's Sydney show.
The 27-year-old model, who will star in a new Nat Geo People production A Model Adventure in July, was a standout in the splash of yellow, possibly intended as a tribute to the band's famous song, Yellow.
Funky presenter: Kate Peck wore an eye catching yellow blouse along with a black suit to Coldplay's gig
She wore a pair of black skinny jeans with a black fitted suit jacket to highlight the shirt's sunny shade.
Kate completed the outfit with black and white heeled boots and painted her nails rock-chick black.
But despite her dazzling looks the blonde bombshell says her assets haven't helped her find love, with the Aussie star recently revealing to MailOnline that she's too busy to find a boyfriend.
Super stylish: Model Kate knows how to make an entrance
‘I’m just a lost cause,’ the media personality said.
‘I’ve just been too busy,’ she added.
Leggy Kate isn't the only Australian celebrity to embrace the female suit fashion statement.
Last week TV host Lisa Wilkinson, 54, turned up to Tod's shoe store launch in Sydney's Westfield wearing the same Beatles inspired outfit she had worn that morning on Channel Nine's Today Show.
And model and TV star Jesinta Campbell, 22, changed up her style last month when she turned up to the Instyle and Audi Women of Style Awards in Sydney last month.
She accessorised the look with a pair of sexy black heels and a quirky head piece.
A catch: The model's unique look famously attracted her to Russell Brand when he was Down Under in 2012
Following suit: Female blazer and pants combos have been seen on Lisa Wilkinson (l) and Jesinta Campbell (r)
Suited up: Lisa Wilkinson wore a black suit with white shirt and tie to Tod's show launch last week
Power suit: Jesinta Campbell chose a white version for Instyle and Audi Women of Style Awards last month
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Google Play Services 4.2 starts going out for Android devices
It’s barely been one month since Google delivered the last update to its Google Play services, bringing us features like turn-based multiplayer for Play Games and a new Drive API. That was all part of Google Play services 4.1, and today Google takes its next steps, ushering-in the era of Google Play services 4.2. So, what’s new about this one?
Well, compared to 4.1, not nearly so much. The big note is the introduction of the Google Cast SDK, enabling apps to transmit screen data using Chromecast’s technology. While this was previously available as a developer preview, with the arrival of Play services 4.2, new independent apps taking advantage of the Cast SDK can start joining the ranks of the Play Store.
Similarly, we see that new Drive API we previously talked about graduate from its developer preview status. That could mean the arrival of a whole bunch of new or updated apps using Drive to store users data and configuration info to the cloud, easing access across multiple Android devices. This release tweaks things a little and tightens-up performance.
Google Play services 4.2 should start hitting Android hardware everywhere as of today.


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The opportunities offered by e-commerce in Western China. With a contribution by ChengFen (Jane) Hou, Partner.
E-commerce: the new opportunity for Western China to have leapforward
There’s a growing smartphone re-commerce market in Europe, also driven by increased consumer demand and sustainability sensitivity. What strategies could mobile operators deploy to ensure […]
Strategy, supply chain sustainability and streamlining of business processes, the “3S” that have helped companies to ride COVID-19 storm. The view on Milano Finanza by […]


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According to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, if current trends in single-use plastic continue, "there could be more plastic than fish (by weight) in the ocean by 2050." Having spent countless family vacations at the beach since she was a child, product design student Lucy Hughes, now 24, was distraught by the amount of single-use plastic she saw littering the shore and water. So she invented a bioplastic made from fish scales and skin collected at a fish processing plant. The scales and skin are bound together with red algae. For her product, called MarinaTex, Hughes just won a James Dyson Award recognizing ingenious design. From Smithsonian:
The resulting product is strong, flexible and translucent, with a feel similar to plastic sheeting. It biodegrades on its own in four to six weeks, which gives it a major sustainability advantage over traditional bioplastics, most of which require industrial composters to break down. In addition to utilizing materials that would otherwise be thrown away, the production process itself uses little energy, since it doesn’t require hot temperatures. One single Atlantic cod fish produces enough waste for 1,400 MarinaTex bags.
Read the rest
Joshua Lifton is one of the founders of Crowd Supply, a company that crowdfunds around products. They take a very different approach to preparation, funding, and follow-up than Kickstarter. Kickstarter just announced that it had crossed $1bn in pledges in its five-year lifetime. Of that, it's disbursed nearly $850m. It's on track to facilitate perhaps half a billion in 2014 alone.
The name Kickstarter may be used interchangeably with the term crowdfunding, and it is the 800 lb. gorilla in the space. (Watch out for the shipping charges on that gorilla, especially internationally.) But in its wake, hundreds of millions of dollars are being raised from all sorts of other sites which fill in important aspects of ecosystem, and Crowd Supply is one of them.
The New Disruptors: RSS | iTunes | Download this episode | Listen on Stitcher
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NEW YORK CITY — An early decision to pivot from a direct-to-consumer model to a business-to-business one was a critical step in the evolution of BankMobile, now BM Technologies, said the banking-as-a-service (BaaS) provider’s CEO, Luvleen Sidhu, during a fireside chat at the Finovate Fall conference Tuesday.
The company, which was incubated by Customers Bancorp for five years before its spinoff in August 2020, was up against mounting competition in the consumer digital banking space from challengers like Chime and Varo, whose advertising budgets were difficult to match.
"We found out pretty early on that our pillar of being able to have a profitable, sustainable model — and as fast as possible — wasn’t happening. The cap was really high. We weren't getting the sort of engagement and direct deposit customers, which are critical in banking," said Sidhu, who co-founded BankMobile in 2014. "It's challenging when you have other challenger banks spending half a billion dollars on marketing, and that's why we pivoted."
After turning its focus to B2B, the company soon realized it could carve out its own space in the market by offering banking services to large nonbank entities.
"In 2016, we took a B2B approach and started implementing [BaaS], our strategy today, which I think over the last 18 months has become a buzzword in this industry," she said.
BM Technologies, as it was called after it was acquired for $140 million by special-purpose acquisition company Megalith Financial Acquisition Corp. last year, secured its largest partnership with T-Mobile in 2019, a deal that allows the wireless carrier to offer its more than 100 million customers a checking account.
The pivot to B2B quickly paid off, Sidhu said. In less than two years, T-Mobile Money became a $1 billion bank, she said.
Key to BM Technologies’ growth has been its ability to recognize early on the additional ways to monetize the company’s services and reach customers, Sidhu said.
"There are other ways we can monetize the strategy and still remain dedicated to our vision and our mission, which is to create a better banking experience for millions of Americans by utilizing technology," she said.
BM Technologies’ partnerships with more than 735 colleges and universities has also proved an efficient method of acquiring customers at a low cost.
"[Colleges and universities] disperse billions of dollars a year in financial agreements and other payments to their students. It's a pain in the butt and operationally and financially expensive for them to do," Sidhu said. "We take that over for them and in return, we've created an extraordinary customer acquisition model where we touch one in every three college students."
The company is able to acquire customers at less than $10, Sidhu said. Average balances are $8,000, and direct deposit accounts for at least 20% of the company’s portfolio, she added.
"It’s all about continuing to be innovative and finding new distribution channels … while still getting to that end product that the consumers love," Sidhu said.
BM Technologies is betting on the ability to enter into more partnerships like its T-Mobile tie-up as it looks to grow.
"There are nonbanks out there, especially larger brands, that have entrenched customer bases, and they are looking for ways to continue to attract and retain those customers, create more loyalty, differentiation, and they're looking for new revenue streams," Sidhu said. "T-Mobile was one of the first players to use financial services as a way to check the box in terms of those strategic opportunities."


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April 14th will mark the release of H&M's environmentally friendly Conscious Collection, in line with this year's Earth Month. White all over but green at heart, this is an eco line with serious style. Without scrimping on style, this stylish line up utilizes low impact fabrications like polyester made from recycled PET bottles, organic linen, polymide made from recycled fishing nets and sustainably produced tencel. According to Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M's head of design, “It’s not just about organic cotton any more, the possibilities for creating a complete fashion statement with eco smarter materials are huge now. By designing recurring Conscious Collections we have the opportunity to show in a variety of ways what’s possible using more sustainable fabrics.” Flip through to see Natasha Poly and Lindsey Wixson, as shot by Solve Sundsbø, working these super stylish, sustainable and eco-approved threads.
Keep reading . . .


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Independent research highlights the stark realities for established banks grappling with competition and changing customer expectations
Bangalore and Paris – November 04, 2015
Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a product subsidiary of Infosys (NYSE: INFY), and Efma, a global not-for-profit organization promoting innovation in retail finance today launched the seventh annual study of ‘Innovation in retail banking’. According to the research, 84% of retail banks have increased their investments in disruptive technologies and innovative services this year to deal with a surge in new industry competitors. This comes at a time when the perceived threat of market disruption in retail banking is mounting.
According to the report, which surveyed over 100 retail banks around the world, approximately three quarters (72%) regard the threat from technology companies, start-ups, retailers and/or telecom players as high or very high. The report highlighted that start-ups introducing new technologies and business models that are counter to established retail banking practices present both challenges and opportunities for banks.
The research also highlighted that multinational retailers, such as Tesco and Walmart, have launched banking products (independently and in partnership with GoBank, respectively) to compete with established financial services providers. It also explored the success of TransferWise (payments) for its P2P model that undercuts banks and legacy competitors.
Michael Reh, Executive Vice President and CEO (Designate), EdgeVerve:
"Digitalization continues to massively shake the business foundations of 'brick and mortar' banking institutions. Banks need to proactively disrupt themselves and explore working with innovative start-ups to accelerate change and develop a leading edge in a competitive market. To achieve this, a dual strategy will be critical. Banks need new capabilities to help their businesses grow in new ways. They also need to renew their existing systems, opening them up to benefits of mobility, analytics, cloud computing, and connected systems."
Patrick Desmarès, Secretary General, Efma:
"This year's global retail banking study demonstrates that banks are eager to innovate, develop formal innovation practices, and increase their involvement with start-ups. This is a step in the right direction, but retail banks must be confident about the value of their start-up investments in order to collaborate with start-ups."
As a global not-for-profit organisation, Efma brings together more than 3,300 retail financial services companies from over 130 countries. With a membership base consisting of almost a third of all large retail banks worldwide, Efma has proven to be a valuable resource for the global industry, offering members exclusive access to a multitude of resources, databases, studies, articles, news feeds and publications. Efma also provides numerous networking opportunities through working groups, webinars and international meetings. True to its vocation, Efma has recently developed an Innovation portal which aims to identify and award the most innovative projects in the retail financial services arena. For more information: www.efma.com
Finacle is the industry-leading universal banking solution from EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infosys. The solution helps financial institutions develop deeper connections with stakeholders, power continuous innovation and accelerate growth in the digital world. Today, Finacle is the choice of banks across 84 countries and serves over 547 million customers – nearly 16.5 percent of the world’s adult banked population.
Finacle solutions address the core banking, e-banking, mobile banking, CRM, payments, treasury, origination, liquidity management, Islamic banking, wealth management, and analytics needs of financial institutions worldwide. Assessment of the top 1000 world banks reveals that banks powered by Finacle enjoy 50 percent higher returns on assets, 30 percent higher returns on capital, and 8.1 percent points lesser costs to income than others.
To know more, visit www.finacle.com
EdgeVerve Systems, a product of Infosys (NYSE: INFY), develops innovative software products and offers them on-premise or as cloud-hosted business platforms. Our products help businesses develop deeper connections with stakeholders, power continuous innovation and accelerate growth in the digital world. We power our clients’ growth in rapidly evolving areas like banking, digital marketing, interactive commerce, distributive trade, credit servicing, customer service and enterprise buying.
Today, EdgeVerve products are used by global corporations across financial services, insurance, retail and CPG, life sciences, manufacturing, and telecom. Infosys Finacle, our universal banking solution, is the choice of financial institutions across 84 countries and serves over 547 million customers – nearly 16.5 percent of the world’s adult banked population.
To know more, visit www.edgeverve.com
Certain statements in this press release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company unless it is required by law.
For further information, please contact: PR_Global@infosys.com


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Analysts have backed up Samsung's claims that sales of the Galaxy S6 are not weaker than expected with reports that the flagship smartphone will give the firm a boost in the second quarter.
Figures from Gartner show Samsung's share of the smartphone weakened in the first quarter, dipping from 30.4 percent in Q1 2014 to 24.2 percent in 2015.
However, thanks to the recent launch of the Galaxy S6, Gartner expects Samsung to bounce back in Q2.
Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner, said: "Despite a weak first quarter globally, Samsung's performance returned to quarter-on-quarter growth with an 11 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2014.
"We expect Samsung's drop rate to be slower than that seen in recent quarters with sales of its new S6 smartphones starting in the second quarter of 2015, and its Galaxy Alpha receiving a good response."
This seems to back up Samsung's claims that sales of the Galaxy S6 have not been weaker than expected.
These remarks came after Yonhap News reported, citing a 'high-ranking Samsung official' that Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge sales had just hit the 10 million milestone, suggesting that it took just over a month to do so.
This suggested that Galaxy S6 is not selling as quickly as the two smartphones before it. The Galaxy S4 reached 10 million shipments within 27 days of being on sale, and the Galaxy S5 just 25 days.
However, Samsung CEO JK Shin has since come out to debunk talk of weak Galaxy S6 sales saying: "(The news reports) are incorrect."
The firm had also said at the handset's launch that it expects the Galaxy S6 to outsell its predecessors, noting that it anticipates 70 million shipments before the year is out.
"The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are drawing positive responses. I have no doubt that they will be the biggest sellers in the Galaxy series ever," an executive at the company said.
Samsung has yet to respond for V3's request for comment, and has yet to confirm how many Galaxy S6 handsets it has so far sold.
While denying talk of slow sales, the Galaxy S6 has had issues since it made its debut on 10 April.
Samsung was earlier this month forced to admit the both the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge were experiencing performance issues after users complained that the handsets were consuming too much RAM.
The firm admitted that the smartphones were suffering from a "RAM mismanagement" issue, and said it would roll out a fix to rectify the problem.
"Micro-updates are in the process of being rolled out to correct issues relating to device performance and stability," Samsung said. "Keep checking for these on your device via Settings > About device > Software update > Update now".
Since, users has revealed that the Galaxy S6 is also suffering from battery and WiFi stability issues.
IBM and Technical University of Munich team demonstrate how Shor's algorithm, which can't be cracked by conventional computers, can be solved quickly with quantum computing
Hubble Space Telescope finds superflares from young red dwarfs could strip away planetary atmosphere
Younger stars are 100 to 1,000 times more energetic than when they're older
Two of the big four supermarkets will use the system to control sales of restricted products
PUBG news and updates: November's Update #23 to bring new Skorpion pistol and changes to blue zone visibility
Genuinely useful side-arm coming to PUBG in Update #23


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Boohoo is a fast fashion ecommerce group based in Manchester which owns and operates an eponymous clothing brand alongside PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal, Miss Pap, Karen Millen, Coast, Oasis, and Warehouse. It picked up the digital assets of Debenhams in January 2021 before going on to add the former Arcadia labels Dorothy Perkins, Burton, and Wallis to its cohort in February 2021.
Total sales at the group increased 41.3% to £1.7 over the year to February 2021 (FY2020), with the UK division posting a 39.1% rise to £945.1m whilst international sales jumped 44% to £800.6m.
The group was founded as the sole Boohoo brand in 2006 by Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane with an aim to design, source, market and sell clothing, shoes and accessories targeted at younger female consumers. The retailer launched its standalone menswear offering a decade later and has since gone on to expand into beauty to remain competitive against rival Asos.
Boohoo’s acquisition strategy has allowed the group to broaden its target audience by widening its product offer and price range. Efforts to widen its appeal beyond its core demographic reflected in Boohoo’s resilience during the coronavirus pandemic, and its plans to pivot Debenhams into a digital department store looks to continue this trend.
Chief executive John Lyttle said Boohoo was seeking ”to capture incremental growth opportunities arising from the accelerating shift to online retail” and to build on its ”successful multi-brand direct-to-consumer platform” which will allow it to ”disrupt the markets that [Boohoo] operates in.”
Revealing its plans for the future of Boohoo, executive chairman Mahmud Kamani added: ”Our other investment activities planned over the next financial year are centred upon automation at the Sheffield warehouse that serves PrettyLittleThing, the opening of third and fourth warehouses in Wellingborough and Daventry for our growing brands, the set-up of our Leicester factory and showcase facility, and in enhancements to our IT infrastructure.”
Boohoo completed its flotation on the AIM in 2014 and used funds raised to scale up its supply chain facilities as it aimed to generate £3bn of global sales. There has also been a focus on improving its apps and websites, as well as exploiting influencers and social media technology to improve customer acquisition and retention.


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? Facebook’s teaming up with Ray-Ban for smartglasses project | Via: Wearable
Facebook is working with Ray-Ban on a pair of smartglasses, according to a new report. CBNC reports that Facebook has sought external help after struggling to make headway with its internal smartglasses projects, which have yielded the odd patent sketch and leak over the last couple of years, but no actual products.
The partnership with Luxottica-owned Ray-Ban might well accelerate Facebook’s progress, and it’s now hoping that smartglasses could be in the hands of consumers sometime between 2023 and 2025. In other words, this isn’t exactly imminent in terms of the market.
Codenames are always fun, though, and Facebook’s come up with a doozy – the glasses are called Orion for now, according to CNBC’s sources.
In more grounded terms, though, apparently the glasses will allow users to take calls, and would project information to the wearer with a small display.
You’ll also apparently be able to livestream your viewpoint on social media sites – something that even Snap’s latest Spectacles can’t do in real-time.
Most current smartglasses, if they have cameras, send images or clips captured to your smartphone for sharing and viewing.
It’s become clear over time that Mark Zuckerberg is particularly interested in the idea of consumer smartglasses, and Facebook’s reportedly had hundreds of employees working on the project in recent years.
But, as Google Glass demonstrated, it’s difficult to fit technology into an attractive consumer product. This partnership could change that – we’ll continue to keep track of Facebook’s movements on smartglasses moving forward.
⬆ The Upside: This move by Facebook should not come as a surprise. Facebook understands that for consumer AR glasses to become mainstream the industrial design of those AR glasses needs to improve dramatically. AR glasses need to look like something that users would want to wear. It will also be critical for Facebook to bring truly contextual capabilities to those glasses.
? North lets you size up its Focals smartglasses by scanning your face | Via: Wearable
Startup North is rolling out a new feature to let shoppers scan their faces through smartphone cameras to choose the right size of its Focals smartglasses.
Previously, you’d have had to visit one of its incredibly scarce retail stores in New York or Toronto to be certain that the specs were going to actually fit your face. Now, so long as you’ve got access to an iPhone with TrueDepth camera functionality, you can take a scan of your face to cut that legwork out.
For the avoidance of doubt, that means any of the following iPhone models: X, XS, XS Max, XR, 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max. The new Focals Showroom app houses the feature, and allows users to order glasses to their address after sizing themselves up. They’ll come in a few weeks, with instructions for final sizing adjustments.
North isn’t stupid – it knows not everyone’s got one of those premium phones, but says that you could always borrow a pal’s if you’re short of one.
After opening the app, you’ll be prompted to take a scan – be warned, we found it pretty pernickety. You can’t be in too bright a room, and compared to taking a FaceID scan it’s pretty painful. Once it’s done, though, you’ll get an Animoji style try-on option, where the glasses will be mapped to your face, letting you try on different sizes and color options.
⬆ The Upside: We believe that this is a good move by North. Using this app instead of going to a retail store will improve the process dramatically. That being said we still believe that the North glasses have limited capabilities. Plus the recent financial troubles and layoffs at North should be a concern for many observers or even potential buyers.
? Wearables, Health, Nutrition News
⌚ Fitbit is considering a sale, with Google named as a potential buyer | Via: Wearable
Fitbit is exploring a sale of the company as it continues to lose market share to its rivals, a new report claims.
Reuters says the company hired investment firm Qatalyst Partners to explore a sale, with Google parent Alphabet one of the names suggested by the firm as a potential buyer.
Qatalyst has reportedly also suggested Fitbit consider private equity firms, according to sources speaking to Reuters. (Update: Fitbit told us it doest not comment on rumors or speculation).
According to the report, Fitbit hasn’t decided to pursue a sale, and may choose not to do so.
But none of this comes as a huge surprise, with the company being squeezed at both ends. It’s struggling to gain a foothold in smartwatches, where Apple continues to dominate the market share; while its fitness tracker business is being eaten into by companies like Xiaomi, which continue to offer functionally comparable devices for less money.
Further to this, sources inside the company speaking to Wareable over the last few months have express concern over Fitbit’s leadership. Some say there has been increasing pressure from investors for CEO James Park to step down, and for the company to appoint another leader to take on its biggest rivals.
Fitbit’s Versa smartwatch was a successful product, and signaled the company might be able to turn things around after the poor performance of the Ionic – its debut smartwatch.
But sales of the follow-up Versa Lite were also disappointing, forcing Fitbit to cut its 2019 revenue forecast. The company just launched its latest product, the Versa 2, which adds Alexa and a new design, and while initial feedback is positive (including our review) it’s difficult to predict how well it will perform.
Apple is the ever-growing threat for Fitbit, having just launched its Series 5 and cut the price of the Series 3 down to $199, which could pose a major problem for sales of the Versa 2.
⬆ The Upside: If true, it should not come as a surprise to see Fitbit looking for a sale. Fitbit’s financial challenges, coupled with the fierce competition (e.g. Apple at the high end and Xiaomi at the low end), are likely the main reasons why Fitbit is looking for an exit.
⌚Huawei Watch GT 2 acts more like a smartwatch than the first Watch GT | Via: Wearable
Unveiled at its event in Munich, The new GT comes in 46mm and 42mm size options, with both featuring a new full round “3D glass design” that Huawei claims allows for a wider look and feel.
The 46mm model features a 1.39-inch screen, while the smaller model has a 1.2-inch equivalent. Those are both AMOLED displays, and 454 x 454 and 390 x 390 in resolution respectively.
There were a whole host of leaks ahead of Huawei’s event, but the facts are now confirmed – the watches will run off its new Kirin A1 chip.
Two models, AMOLED displays
That smaller size is a new addition to the GT watch lineup, and welcome for those with smaller wrists. It’ll also have 20mm straps compared to the larger model’s 22mm bands.
The differences between the models aren’t purely on size, though – the smaller model is quite distinct. It’s got a really small bezel, and a narrower profile overall. The bigger size is much chunkier with bigger accents and a more metallic look.
Previous leaks confirmed that there are a range of watch face options for the GT 2, including some really attractive gray-scale options to give you a monochrome look, and with a range of colored bands available you’ll have a decent amount of control over the look of your timepiece.
Going big on battery life again
Huawei’s got a lot to say about the GT 2’s battery life, and no wonder – from the sounds of it, it’s hugely impressive. Huawei says you’ll get up to two weeks of life from the larger version watch, with heart rate monitoring and notifications on and normal use.
It says the smaller version will offer one week in the same circumstances, indicating that the bigger body is allowing Huawei to sneak a significantly bigger battery in. You’ll also get a very respectable 30 hours of GPS tracking in the larger model, and 15 hours for the smaller watch.
The original Huawei Watch GT offered up to two weeks with normal use, a complete day of GPS tracking and up to a month with features like always-on display and GPS turned off. Getting a bigger battery life performance seemed to be part of the reason Huawei decided to not use Google’s Wear OS for the Watch GT.
Better sports tracking and Bluetooth calling
Huawei has also shone a spotlight on the attention it’s paid to sports tracking for the GT 2. The watch can store 500 mp3 files on its 2GB of storage, apparently, to let you untether from your phone, and will be able to take Bluetooth calls up to 150 meters from your handset, according to its makers.
That’s because of a speaker and microphone combo that the Huawei has added to the watch – which we’ll be very curious to test out for call quality.
It doesn’t sound like the GT 2 is coming in an LTE or cellular version at first, so you won’t be streaming audio from your wrist, though.
There’s 15 sports tracking modes covering running, various walking and hiking options, swimming in pools or open water, and more. The GT 2 will apparently be able to supply you with advice based on your performance, muscling in on any companion apps you may be using for guidance.
The watch is waterproofed up to 50 meters, like its predecessor, and also packs in a heart rate monitor with a familiar sensor array that will now have serious health tracking abilities to help monitor bradycardia and heart failure. That HR sensor will apparently dish out metrics when you’re swimming too. Though how accurate that will be is clearly going to be up for debate.
You’ll also get 24/7 activity tracking including sleep monitoring and stress tracking features also in tow.
There were of course, big question marks over what software Huawei’s new smartwatch would run on having recently unveiled its new HarmonyOS would run on smartwatches. The first watch used the company’s own Lite OS and it looks like the same here again.
The Watch GT is set to cost around $275 for the 46mm model and around $250, so still reasonably priced like its predecessor. It will be available from October and we’ll be getting our hands on the Watch GT 2 very soon to see what Huawei has come up with its latest smartwatch.
⬆ The Upside: We believe that the Huawei Watch GT is a great addition to Huawei’s smartwatch portfolio. We also believe the GT offers great improvements (improved battery life, sports tracking and bluetooth calling and design) compared to its previous lineup. Now will it be enough for Huawei to take share away from Apple? This remains to be seen.
? eSports & Crypto-Currency News
? NBA Goes Global With New 2K Tournament | Via: Front Office Sports
The new NBA2K video game was only released earlier this month, but players are now getting a chance to take their game international thanks to a newly launched competition.
Called the NBA 2K20 Global Championship, players will compete for more than $100,000 in prize money.
Created in conjunction with the NBA, the NBPA, game developer Take-Two Interactive and esports competition company ESL, the new circuit will be a series of both online and offline events running from October to February.
Players will also compete in live regional events in Los Angeles, Paris, and Sydney, concluding in a championship event at the ESL Studio in Los Angeles with the winner taking home $100,000.
The new tournament is an extension of the NBA 2K League, which finished its second season last month. The Global Championship, which will be played head-to-head, will take place during the offseason of the NBA 2K League, which is played by five players on each team controlling their character.
Last season, 21 teams owned and operated by their respective NBA counterparts competed in the NBA 2K League. The Charlotte Hornets are launching their team in the league next season, which will be called Hornets Venom GT.
It’s also an extension of the overall NBA ownership group’s investment into esports – currently, 17 NBA teams or their owners have invested in esports teams or consumer products.
⬆ The Upside: We think this move by the NBA makes a lot of sense and is not surprising. The NBA’s 2K League, according to our recent conversations with the head of their division, has high hopes to expand the 2K league globally, hire local talents and more.
? Sports Investment Trends — September, 2019
- Esports Tournament Platform XY Gaming secures $2.5M seed investment. Read on here.
- eSports company PlayVS closes $50M Series C investment led by New Enterprise Associates, Expands to 50 U.S. States. Read on here.
- eSports Streaming Network VENN Raises $17M in funding round led by BITKRAFT. Read on here.
? Key Tech Sports Stats of The Week
1.09B: According to UEFA, there were 1.09B social media interactions and video views around last season’s final, which saw Liverpool defeat Tottenham Hotspur on June 1. That figure represents a 110% growth year-over-year.
$700M: BodyArmor has signed a four-year, multi-million dollar partnership with MLS and will make it the league’s official sports drink partner in the U.S starting in 2020. The beverage company is now expected to eclipse $700M in retail sales by the end of 2019. Coca-Cola Company purchased a minatory stake in BodyArmor in August 2018.
$300M: The amount of money music publishers are seeking in damages from Peloton for using unlicensed music and lacking the correct synchronization licenses.
149.5M: There were 149.5 million interactions generated by content on UEFA’s owned platforms around the draw for the competition last month, which was more than four times the amount compared to the previous year.
$96M: The amount of money that advertisers shelled out on U.S. TV commercials in and around the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, according to The Wall Street Journal.
$100k: At the NBA 2K20 Global Championship, the NBA’s new global eSports competition, eSports players will compete for more than $100,000 in prize money.
? The Upside: Snapshots of The Week
Warriors’ new performance center. The Golden State Warriors cut the ribbon on the Biofreeze Performance Center yesterday, which will be the new home of the team’s practice facility and its player campus, as well as its basketball operations facilities.
Peloton was not the first. It turns out that Peloton was not the first startup of its kind. For those who remember years ago, there was Perceptronics which built a Peloton type fitness equipment. Back then the faster users pedalled, the faster the scenery went by.


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LOS ANGELES — WankzVR has announced its release of “Achievement Unlocked,” featuring Emma Hix, Kenzie Greene and Johnny Nitro.
This scene puts VR users in the shoes of Hix’s boyfriend, who’s obsessed with playing video games to the point where he can’t be bothered by Emma’s attempts at getting his attention.
“This particularly cheeky scenario is all too familiar to frustrated girlfriends everywhere, as boyfriends commonly choose video games over sex,” says Jack from WankzVR. “This carries over into ‘Achievement Unlocked,’ which sees an exasperated Hix finally enlisting the help of her sexy friend, Greene to seduce the VR user with a teen threesome.”
“If my boyfriend ever picked his Xbox over MY box, he can learn how to play with his joystick all by himself,” Hix says. “Like, I play Black Ops every day, but it’s still just video games. If it was VR porn, I would maybe understand. Maybe.”
“I’ve actually watched a few VR porn clips of August Ames and it looked so incredible! That’s why I was super excited to do my first VR scene,” Hix adds. “I feel [that] VR porn will really appeal to people who watch POV porn because VR is the best way to actually have someone feel like they are really there.”
“Achievement Unlocked” is available now.
For more information, fans can follow @WankzVR on Twitter.


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Local industries in Mexico have yet to enjoy the benefits of digital disruption, according to Andy Kieffer, Founder and CEO of Agave Lab Ventures, a Mexican tech start-up incubator based in Guadalajara. Kieffer says that tech start-ups should capitalize on the potential opportunities to transform sectors such as banking, the postal service and others that are “stuck in the past”.
In the latest episode of our podcast series, Nearshore Cafe, Kieffer talks to Managing Editor Bianca Wright about Mexico’s start-up economy, the challenges and successes of the industry, and where IT in Mexico could be in the next five years.
Before moving to Mexico, Kieffer spent over 15 years working with Silicon Valley startups. His career spanned all phases of the venture-capital backed startup world including an IPO followed by a secondary offering that raised several hundred million dollars (USD), several successful acquisitions, and more than a dozen investment rounds.


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EA Sports announces a release date for Madden NFL 15
EA Sports has announced a release date for Madden NFL 15.
As well as announcing the release date they revealed that voting will begin to find this year's cover athlete will begin on May 8th with a full announcement coming during the NFL Draft which takes place live on ESPN on the same day.
Madden NFL 15 is due to be released on the PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 in North America on August 26th and on August the 29th in Europe and the UK.
- Underworld Ascendant makes its Kickstarter goal with room to spare
- Rare is 30, has something special coming in recognition of the anniversary
- Destiny will get one more update before House Of Wolves arrives
- Warner Bros to bring DC MOBA Infinite Crisis to Steam
- Gabe Newell: No-one gets motion-sick with the Vive VR headset
- NPCs can now be mugged in The Elder Scrolls Online
- Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander passes Square Enix Collective and heads to Kickstarter
- Zombie Army Trilogy shambles onto PC and next-gen consoles
- Sony aiming to release Project Morpheus in 2016


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Salesforce has acquired marketing data software company Krux for $700 million ( the Wall Street Journal, paying $340 million in cash for the company.
Founded in 2010 Krux is a marketing software company specialising in data analysis and intelligence. Marketers use Krux’s software to better target customers.
Krux co-founded by Tom Chavez and Vivek S. Vaidya, raised only $50 million in its time as a startup: investors included Accel, Sapphire Ventures and IDG. It currently works with some 200 customers, and has been working closely with Salesforce.
Salesforce has spent nearly $4 billion on acquiring companies like Demandware, Quip, and BeyondCore over the past 12 months, as well as making a failed bid to buy LinkedIn for over $26 billion.
Is twitter next ?
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff hinted that he is on a roll and the acquisitions will keep on coming!


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TWO former e-business advisers who followed their own counsel and set up an online company have now staged a six-figure takeover of a thriving multimedia firm.
Kate Little and John Cavanagh helped hundreds of fledgling firms to develop business websites and e-retailing enterprises, while working as specialist advisers with Business Gateway.
Now they have realised their own business ambitions by masterminding a deal to buy Edinburgh-based Channel 6 Multimedia, with plans to grow its impressive client list.
Kate said: “We both loved our jobs advising other people how to run successful web-based businesses. However, it soon became clear that we both wanted to take it a step further and make a go of it ourselves.
“We set up our own internet marketing company, Com.Motion, almost three years ago and from there we developed strong links with Channel 6.
“When the chance came up to takeover such a healthy and respected business it was far too good an opportunity to pass up. We now have a team in place to really make huge strides forward.”
Two existing staff with Channel 6 have also taken equal financial stakes as part of the takeover.
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To address the new normal of cord cutting, Nielsen is going to start tracking subscription-based streaming numbers in a big way. The idea is to measure streaming services in the same way that the outfit has tracked broadcast TV for decades: with demographic info and the number of people streaming a program. As TechCrunch notes, Nielsen is only tracking Netflix for now, but expects to start getting data from Amazon and Hulu streaming services by next year.
A&E, Disney-ABC, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros, specifically, will be watching those numbers from Netflix. What's odd is that this won't be a comprehensive reporting, as mobile devices won't be counted. Given the number of people who stream on their commutes or on a tablet that might double as their bedroom TV, that could adversely affect the ratings' accuracy.
Netflix is not an active participant in Nielsen's tracking and thinks that it's getting the numbers completely wrong. "The data that Nielsen is reporting is not accurate, not even close, and does not reflect the viewing of these shows on Netflix," the company said in a statement to Variety. Netflix famously doesn't release its own ratings or viewing trends, even on successful shows, which would of course clear that whole thing up in a hurry.
Nielsen began tracking TV ratings for Hulu's live TV service and YouTube TV in July, and a month later announced it would begin tracking videos on Facebook, Hulu and YouTube viewing habits back in August. As more and more people shift away from traditional TV broadcasts, advertisers and media executives still need a way to measure a show's popularity. This new Subscription Video On Demand Content Ratings program should help with exactly that.
Update: The post previously said that "only Netflix has signed on for the tracking service," but in fact, Netflix has not signed up with Nielsen and is hostile to the idea, so Nielsen is tracking them independently. The post has been updated to reflect that information.
Steve Dent contributed to this report.


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Bitcoin buying and selling platform LedgerX has seen a sevenfold improve in quantity within the six months following its launch of cryptocurrency derivatives.
Chief working officer Juthica Chou advised CoinDesk that the startup has seen roughly $7.5 million traded weekly by 700 swaps and choices contracts. Because the platform launched its derivatives merchandise, it has cleared $130 million notional – that means the entire variety of belongings traded at their spot value throughout the time of the transaction.
LedgerX kicked off buying and selling of its regulated swaps and choices contracts final October, after receiving approval from the U.S. Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee in July of 2017. Inside its first week, the startup noticed 176 contracts traded with a notional worth round $1 million, as previously reported.
Since then, common commerce quantity has grown a mean of 40 p.c month-over-month, Chou mentioned. At present, 2,000 contracts are of open curiosity, with the longest-dated lively choices being $15,000 and $25,000 strike calls slated to run out in December 2019. In other words, the traders holding these contracts should buy the belongings if bitcoin reaches these ranges earlier than subsequent December. Nevertheless, merchants will solely earn a living if bitcoin does truly exceed that stage, as previously reported.
Chou mentioned the cryptocurrency market’s latest dip didn’t have a major affect on swap and choices buying and selling, explaining:
“Vital corrections remind people who there are methods to monetize anticipated volatility even when value goes down and we have seen that mirrored in our buying and selling exercise. Our subtle contributors should not simply buy-and-hold individuals, let me put it that means.”
LedgerX has 90 particular person and institutional merchants making up its participant base, she mentioned. Each youthful, comparatively newer merchants and extra conventional ones commerce on the startup’s platform.
Whereas LedgerX solely trades bitcoin swaps and choices, the corporate is planning to develop, Chou mentioned. Particularly, the startup “plans so as to add ethereum help within the close to future.”
Bitcoin tokens picture through Shutterstock
The chief in blockchain information, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the best journalistic requirements and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an unbiased working subsidiary of Digital Forex Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.