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Now Playing: Amazon’s Alexa speaker, Amazon Echo Dot, will start shipping this monthNow Playing: What is a smart home?
Now Playing, and More Now Playing (ABC News)Now Playing (AP)Now LoadingNow Playing(ABC News)– and moreNow Playing”We think this is a very good idea,” said John Blyth, managing director of the consulting firm DST Consulting.
“You can have these machines on-site for a long period of time, you can have them connected to the internet and you can do a lot of business from them.
You can also use them for monitoring the quality of the water.
You just need to understand the requirements.”
Blyth said this is an important technology for a variety of business needs, but added that it would be a good idea for consumers to make sure their homes are not exposed to the environment.
“It’s a lot more expensive than an IoT device.
But if you have an IoT, then it’s much more difficult to connect,” he said.
“It is not as easily accessible.”
Bridging the divideIn order to deploy these servers, the company will need to purchase a custom license from an industrial supply chain company, which will then contract with Amazon to install the servers.
Blyst said the company is working on a custom software and hardware platform for use in this process, which could also be used for other devices such as home security cameras.
The company plans to be ready to ship in 2020, with a first batch of machines set to go out by 2020.


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India-based comScore exec says more brands will build integrated campaigns that include mobile and online in 2013.
Marketers in India currently use analytics to identify marketing campaign efficiency and competition benchmarking, says Kedar Gavane, comScore director based in India.
Watch the video to find out how advertisers in the country use analytics for both performance and brand campaigns as well as the analytics trends Gavane says to look out for in India this year.
Twitter Canada MD Kirstine Stewart to Keynote Toronto
ClickZ Live Toronto (May 14-16) is a new event addressing the rapidly changing landscape that digital marketers face. The agenda focuses on customer engagement and attaining maximum ROI through online marketing efforts across paid, owned & earned media. Register now and save!*
*Early Bird Rates expire April 17.
Adaline Lau, ClickZ Asia editor, oversees day-to-day editorial operations covering digital marketing from search to social media, mobile to analytics in the region. Before ClickZ, she was senior reporter at Marketing Magazine and has worked as a journalist for The Singapore Marketer and Asia Pacific Broadcasting. Connect with her @adalinelau or Google+.
Marketing Apps for Landing Pages White Paper
Marketing apps can elevate a formulaic landing page into a highly interactive user experience. Learn how to turn your static content into exciting marketing apps.
Redefining 'Mobile-Only' Users: Millions Selectively Avoid the Desktop
A new breed of selective mobile-only consumers has emerged. What are the demos of these users and how and where can marketers reach them?
March 19, 2014

domain: news


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BWG Foods has reported significant demand for gardening products during the lockdown period, with sales surpassing €1 million over the past eight weeks.
With garden centres and DIY stores closed to the public up until Monday 18 May, BWG Foods began supplying flowering and bedding plants, compost and other key gardening products across its Spar, Eurospar, Mace, Londis and XL brand stores nationwide, resulting in a new stream of business for many retailers.
BWG Foods made the decision to supply gardening products so that customers could continue to maintain their gardens during the COVID-19 lockdown period, with gardening becoming an increasingly popular activity, driven primarily by recent travel and movement restrictions, the company said.
Plants Sales Surge
In total, over 200,000 plants have been sold across its store network since 23 March, 2020.
'The sale of gardening products through Ireland’s grocery retail sector has continued to provide a critical sales channel for Irish growers and nurseries during what would normally be their busiest trading period of the year in supplying seasonal summer produce,' the group said.
"While people have been confined to their homes during the lockdown period, many have embraced their gardens as a healthy means of passing time," Willie O’Byrne, managing director, BWG Foods said,
"We have a network of over 1,000 community-based stores across the country, meaning we had the ability to cater to a very significant proportion of the population’s gardening needs, while they respect the Covid-19 travel restrictions."
BWG Foods said that it has experienced a significant increase in sales across a number of product categories since the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown, with egg sales up 70% when compared with the same period last year, butter sales up 50% since the beginning of the lockdown, and milk also up 15% since the beginning of the lockdown.
Recent good weather has also contributed to a 77% increase in take-home ice-cream sales and a 38% increase in pre-pack meat, traditionally associated with the BBQ season.
© 2020 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.


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The global gaming market has achieved unprecedented growth over the last eight years. According to Newzoo, the market that was worth nearly $71 billion in 2012 will achieve revenues of more than $180 billion in 2021. As this sector has grown, regions across the globe have seen their own smaller gaming markets emerge. The Middle East is one such area that has seen an influx of gaming startups that have developed exciting titles, connected entire communities of gamers, and supported the work of other industry players.
Here’s a look at seven of the coolest gaming startups that the Middle East has to offer:
Since its inception in 2015, Cryptyd has developed more than half a dozen games for mobile users. The startup focuses on pairing high-quality graphics with thrilling gameplay in each of its titles. Headquartered in Alexandria, Egypt, Cryptyd has created several games that target users in the MENA region, but it has also catered to global audiences with some of its titles. Most recently, the startup’s team has been working on its latest intellectual property, a multiplayer title called Cyberpunk.
Outside of game development, Cryptyd provides gaming-related services to others in the industry. The team frequently works with companies to provide art services for 2D and 3D developments. Cryptyd also specializes in localization and can help other developers optimize their titles for release in the MENA region. Those seeking comprehensive game design or development services can also work with the Cryptyd team to meet their needs.
BeeLabs is a leading developer of fun, educational mobile games for kids of all ages. Located in Amman, Jordan, it has developed a wide range of multilingual titles that provide both edutainment and more traditional gaming experiences to its audience. BeeLabs’ Karim and Jana, an iOS and Android app, helps young kids learn numbers and shapes. Other titles, like ShibShib War, pit players against alien invaders. However, BeeLabs is perhaps best known for DomDom Tak, which won the Jordan Application of the Year Award in 2014.
Lebanese entrepreneur Ziad Talge leveraged his lifelong passion for art and pop culture to establish Yayy, a gaming studio that develops exciting titles for mobile users. The startup hopes to become a major source of gaming media in the Middle East, with local talent developing content for users both in the region and across the globe. Since 2016, Yayy has released more than seven mobile games, from fantasy titles like Conquerors of the Realm to simulation games like Unicorn Slayer. The studio has tested several of its games in the U.S. and achieved similar performance to many of the most popular titles on the market.
Launched in 2011, the Beirut, Lebanon-based GameCooks began as a developer of mobile games but has since expanded into a myriad of other platforms. One of the startup’s earliest releases, a memory game called Deja Vu, became the top iOS game among audiences in Europe and South America mere weeks after its debut. In the years since, GameCooks has published more than a dozen other titles for both mobile devices and PCs. These games have garnered the startup over 10 gaming awards. More recently, GameCooks moved into the realm of virtual reality, for which it quickly developed five games.
GameCooks has also moved beyond traditional gaming, expanding its portfolio to include lottery and betting titles. These solutions facilitate both live and digital betting experiences for lovers of sports, horse racing, and more.
Egypt’s premier e-sports startup, GBarena allows gamers to connect with one another online and participate in thrilling challenges. The company works with tournament organizers from across the globe, helping them to set up and manage game tournaments. Toward this end, GBarena assists them in choosing moderators, distributing sign-up forms, finding players, and more. The startup also helps organizers find sponsors to support their tournaments.
Gamers that are looking to participate in tournaments can search for upcoming events by game titles. Using this information, GBarena provides them with a list of available events both online and in person.
Jordanian startup Tamatem is a unique entity in the MENA gaming sector. Instead of developing its own games, it partners with game developers across the MENA region and beyond to help them publish their titles in the local market. To date, the startup has published over 50 games in every genre ranging from massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) to trivia.
Tamatem focuses primarily on localizing developers’ mobile games so they can provide Arab users with titles that cater to their language and culture. The startup can also help its clients optimize their app store listings so more users will find their games. To boost user engagement further, Tamatem handles all facets of social media and influencer marketing. Developers can then track their game’s data using Tamatem’s analytics software, which enables them to broaden their audience even further.
The founders of Falafel Games sought to create a revolutionary gaming company that focuses on Arab culture. Launched in 2008 in Abu Dhabi, the startup was the first of its kind to put this unique spin on gaming, employing a team of Arab developers that created titles for an Arab audience. In the past, Falafel Games has released MMORPGs like Under Siege and Quraish, which are optimized for play in Internet browsers.
In recent years, however, Falafel Games has shifted its focus to helping other game developers produce their own titles. The startup provides monetization, localization, and marketing services to those who want to bring their games to the Arab region.


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5.21.2018. Colleagues! We congratulate Winners of the VI International competition of a cartoones “Time is money of 2018. Cryptocurrency: bitcoin and others”. The exhibition presentation has been held in Poltava (a photo lower), however in September more large-scale exhibition in Poltava will be held.
The First place (bronze “Rudy Panko”) – Igor Lukyanchenko (Ukraine)
The second place (“Rudy Panko” from a tree) – Mojmir Mihatov (Croatia)
Third place (special prize) Raed Khalil (Syria)
Owners of diplomas of a competition:
Henryk Cebula (Poland);
Konstantyn Sunnerberg (Belgium);
Lijie Yang (China);
Ba Bilig (China);
Khaled Al Jabery (UAE);
Luis Eduardo Leon (Colombia).
05.05.2018 Dear colleagues cartoons. Because of a technical mistake. Oleg Loktyev wasn’t included in the list. Now I have corrected and Oleg’s cartoons will be included into the final catalog of the competition “Time Is Money”.
Results of a competition of a cartoon 2018 “Time – money of 2018. Cryptocurrency: bitcoin and others”.
May 2, 2018. The list of artists whose cartoons were included into the final catalog VI of the International competition of a cartoone “Time – money of 2018. Cryptocurrency: bitcoin and others”. We ask authors of the list to send urgently originals of the cartoons or qualitative copies (a format of 30 cm x 40 cm; A3. On the copy has to be the author’s, present personal signature) to the address: Kruhov Valerii; box 107; 04111, Kiev, Ukraine.
- Sunnerberg Constantin. Belgium.
- Jitet KustanaJl. Indonesia.
- Christopher Nyiti. Tanzania.
- Lijie Yang. China.
- Raed Khalil. Syria.
- .Luis Eduardo Leon, Colombia.
- Mikola Kapusta. Ukraine.
- Carlos Alberto da Costa Amorim. Brazil.
- Aleksandr Ваbanschikov Ukraine.
- Olexsander Dubovskii. Ukraine.
- Asifur Rahman. Bangladesh.
- Andrey Levchenko. Ukraine.
- Ba Bilig. China .
- Marco Ivich. Croatia.
- Jordan Pop Iliev. Macedonia.
- Oleksiy Kustovsky. Ukraine.
- Viktor Holub. Ukraine.
- Mojmir Mihatov . Croatia.
- Conrado da SIlveira Brazil.
- Khaled Al Jaberi. UAE.
- Pavel Matuška. Czech Republic.
- Vasiliy_Alexandrov. Russia.
- Lukyanchenko Igor. Ukraine.
- Valerii Tarasenko. Russia.
- Dariush Dabrovski. Poland
- Nikola Listeš. Сroatia.
- Klaus Pitter. Austria.
- .Oleg Loktyev. Ukraine.
The competition is dedicated to the creation in the world of a new virtual decentralized financial system.
Competitive cartoons shall show creation in the world of a new virtual financial system. In this system citizens self-organize in the computer world, buy the equipment for mining, the bitcoin clubs and the companies organize the. It occurs against the background of depreciation of traditional currencies. At the same time, billionaires invest the money in electronic currency (Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Mark Andrissen and regular citizens from 103 countries of the world). Economists speak about a victory of cryptocurrency and bitcoin as most expensive currency for all history world financial systems. Banks of some countries appear against cryptocurrency in print. Bankers abuse this new system, and buy up it to receive an excess profit. Bitcoin trade on NASDAQ and other largest world exchanges now.
Organizers: Valerii Kruhov The International festival of arts “Gogol – fantasy” (Kiev, Ukraine).
Vladimir Kazanevsky “Association of cartoonists of Ukraine” (Kiev, Ukraine).
Victor Dmitriyev and Svetlana Lobareva – Representatives of international financial company business.bitclubproject.com
Mikhail Shlafer International exhibition tender of cartoons of Carlyuk (Poltava, Ukraine).
Aleksandra Sidorenko Poltava department of the Ukrainian fund of culture.
Yury Palichev Chairman of Bulgarians of Kherson public organization. (Kherson, Ukraine).
JURY (the structure is created)
The chairman is Vladimir Kazanevsky, Kiev,Ukraine.
Valerii Kruhov, Kiev, Ukraine.
Yury Palichev, Kherson, Ukraine.
Mir-Teymur Mamedov, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Shlafer Mikhail, Poltava, Ukraine.
I. VI International competition of the cartoon “Time is money 2018. Crypto currency: bitcoin and others.”
The subject opens emergence of new currency as absolute, democratic instrument of forming of the new financial market.
First place: figurine prize Big bronze “Rudy Panko” + cash prize.
For the second place: “Rudy Panko”. An author’s figurine from a tree. + cash prize.
For the third place: “Rudy Panko” in the form of a traditional interior doll. + incentive prize
All figurines – handiworks of masters of Ukraine.
5 Diplomas of tender
Authors of cartoons of the final catalog will receive the courtesy copy. Prize fund is created.
1. To send new cartons which did not take prizes at other competitions to a competition. Cartoons which took prizes at other competitions are not considered and removed from participation in a competition.
2. Technology of execution free. Format of cartoons in electronic form: JPEG (3MB – 4MB), 300 dpi. to the address: firstname.lastname@example.org the Accompanying inscription to a cartoon: in Ukrainian, Russian or English: nomination, surname, name of the author, contacts, creative biography and photo (at will).
3. Carrying out terms:
From February 15 to April 20, 2018 – reception of works in electronic form on email@example.com. The final decision for selection of cartoons in the final catalog and definitions of prize-winners belongs to jury of a competition.
On April 1 – a preliminary exhibition in the Poltava art gallery in Day of humour.
On April 22 the publication on the website of the list of 50-100 caricatures which will be included into the catalog.
On May 19 – Saturday (on May 20 – Day of the bank worker) – holding a total exhibition of a caricature “Time – money of 2018. Cryptocurrency: bitcoin and others” in Day of the bank worker of Ukraine
Till May 15, 2018 authors of caricatures of the catalog of cartoons, send originals (or qualitative author’s copies, the A4 format – A3 (more preferable) and a personal photo (A6 format) to the address published on the website on March 10, 2018 for a quality printing and formation of a museum exposition.
On May 10, 2018 – the announcement of results of a competition on the competition website in the section “News”. Artists of cartoons which will be included into the catalog will receive courtesy copies.
Catalog presentation: May 20, 2018
Exhibitions: An exhibition of competitive works – on April 1, 2018, Poltava (preliminary).
Total exhibitions since May 20, 2018: Kiev, cities of Ukraine. (The list of the cities is coordinated)
Provision of a competition
1. Any author without restrictions can become the participant of a competition. Technology of execution is free.
2. Copyright violation is not admissible!
3. Cartoons have to satisfy to the moral standards accepted in democratic society. Should not contain a scene of cruelty, a pornography, humiliation.
4. In case of violation of Conditions and the Provision of a competition – cartoons are removed with a competition without explanation. With authors organizers correspond only on pages of the official site of Association of cartoonists and the International festival of arts “Gogol-fantasy” www.art – krug.com
5. Having sent the cartoons of a competition, the author of a cartoons accepts conditions of the International competition of a cartoon “Time – money. Cryptocurrency: bitcoin and others” without any exception and restrictions.
6. By the beginning of reception of works (on January 10, 2018) in Conditions and Provisions of a competition can be the made changes, additions; directed to improvement of a competition.
7. Cartoons of participants of a competition can be used by organizers of a competition for holding exhibitions, promoting of a competition, the website, a festival of arts, production of presentation production of Association of cartoonists of Ukraine and the International festival of arts, “Gogol-fantasy”. Cartoons of winners and students of a competition remain in the property of organizers of a competition.
8. Information to artists that participates in a competition: in case of obvious repetitions among the works sent to a competition and stated on the website in the section “Caricature” and “Cartoons” – acceptance of the final decision on a cartoons does jury.
9. Prior to reception of works of a condition of a competition can be finished.
The project presentation “Time is money ” has taken place on April 1 in the Poltava art gallery of N.A. Yaroshenko.


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Arecont Vision products
Arecont Vision news
Arecont Vision, an IP-based megapixel camera technology provider, has announced that the Badger Reps firm has joined the company’s Manufacturer’s Representative Partner program. Badger Reps will enhance the Arecont Vision sales team in the US West region in providing expert pre-sales assistance to end users, systems integrators, and distributors. “Cliff Hamilton’s team at Badger Reps are proven advisors to their many customers, providing superior customer service, best-i...
Arecont Vision, a manufacturer of IP-based megapixel cameras and technology, has unveiled the newest member of the MegaDome feature-rich camera series. The new MegaDome UltraHD camera is on display here at Intersec Dubai 2018, in stand A11. “The MegaDome family continues to lead the dome camera segment with the many features and capabilities built into this installer-friendly camera series that our customers have come to expect,” said Brad Donaldson, Vice President of Product Develo...
Arecont Vision, a provider of IP-based megapixel camera technology, has announced the availability of the AV NVR all-in-one network video recorder series. The new AV NVR is on display at Intersec Dubai 2018, and is the first network video recorder to be offered by Arecont Vision. “Customers have increasingly requested that Arecont Vision provide them with an NVR platform for their small to mid-sized project requirements,” said Brad Donaldson, Vice President of Product Development, A...
Arecont Vision case studies
Hospitals, medical centres, university training centres, clinics and other healthcare institutions are exposed to legal liability, ethical concerns and are subject to litigation and lawsuits, as well as changing regulation worldwide. Facilities have drugs and medical equipment onsite, making them a tempting target for crime. Healthcare industry challenges At the same time, aging populations in developed nations will drive increased demand for patient treatment. Rising populations and eco...
Public safety and the protection of property initiatives led the city of Mankato, Minnesota to deploy a city-wide IP-based video surveillance system. Founded in 1852, the city is the seat of Blue Earth County. It encompasses 18.26 square miles of land and water, and supports a population of about 41,000 (2015 US census estimate). Home to a variety of natural landmarks and higher educational institutes, Mankato provides a dynamic lifestyle for its citizens all year round. Surveillance for key co...
World-class service, sublime surroundings, and luxury within reach are all things you will find at Davenport Hotels in downtown Spokane, Washington. The four-hotel collection runs the gamut from classic to contemporary, full-size to boutique, and historic to modern. Guests can enjoy luxurious spa, wedding, and business facilities, as well as some of the best dining in the city. Davenport history Opened in June 2015, the new 716 room Davenport Grand Hotel offers a unique alternative for travell...
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Arecont Vision Headquarters
425 East Colorado Street
United States of America (USA)
+1 818 937 0700
Arecont Vision Europe GmbH
+49 (0)69 6953 4600
Arecont Moscow, CJSC office
121351, Russian Federation
+7 (0) 495.649.0577
Arecont Dubai, Arecont Vision LLC (Br.)
Office 349, Block E
Business Park, Dubai World Central
PO Box 712287
+971 (4) 887-9122


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There has been some confusion here and there about which iPhones will work with the Apple Watch when the Watch is doing Apple Pay. There is also confusion about how Apple Pay itself works on the Apple Watch. John Martellaro attempts to sort out the issues.
Jean-Claude Biver, the head of the luxury holding company that owns watch brand TAG Heuer, said Tuesday that TAG will not use the "Swiss Made" label for its in-development Apple Watch competitor. In an interview with Bloomberg, Mr. Biver said Switzerland simply doesn't have the technology needed to make a smartwatch.
The late Steve Jobs spoke often about the importance of being at the intersection of technology and the humanities, but the company increasingly finds itself at a new intersection: technology and politics. Bloomberg reported the Cupertino company has dramatically stepped up its lobbying efforts in Washington, DC, lobbying some 13 different departments and agencies in 2014.
Apple Pay may be the new comer to the digital wallet game, but its fast-growing popularity is ramping up competition in the mobile payment market in a big way. That has Google taking note, and it underscores the Internet search giant's failure to drive interest in Android-based smartphones for wireless transactions. Apple Pay's success is also good news for Google Wallet because now it's finally getting some notice.
President Barak Obama has officially come out in support of UK Prime Minister David Cameron's push for backdoor government access to private encrypted data, and even went so far as to suggest U.S. companies that offer ways to decrypt user data are patriots. The President's comments follow Mr. Cameron's push for government access to encrypted emails, and text messages, and it signals a serious threat to our personal privacy.
You may have heard of Xiaomi, a company many are calling the new Apple. They're also calling the Xiaomi Mi Note an iPhone killer. Well, I know Apple. And Xiaomi is no Apple.
Good Ol' Google Glass is "graduating" from an experimental project at Google[x] Labs, according to a blog post from the Glass team. Though that team didn't directly announce it, reports say that the product is being taken over by Tony Fadell, the CEO of Nest and the creator of Apple's iPod. Can he save it? Bryan Chaffin doesn't think so.
As more companies join the HealthKit platform, Fitbit's decision to stay out of Apple's fitness tracking ecosystem looks like a shot in the foot, especially considering how vocal former Fitbit loyals have been about switching to competitor's products. That wait-it-out decision may, however, be the smartest move Fitbit could make.
Representation of gay and lesbian users in Apple's emoji set on the iPhone and iPad is limited to just two same sex couples holding hands, but that's changing thanks to the Lesbian Emojis app from Kimberly Linn. The app's collection of lesbian-themed emoji adds more choices to the little icons we include in our text messages, but also underscores the surprising lack of diversity in Apple's emoji set.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against AT&T to stop the cell service provider from throttling download speeds for its customers who still have unlimited wireless data plans. AT&T argues the FTC doesn't have any jurisdiction over its wireless data services, and as such isn't in a position to stop it from throttling download speeds for customers it thinks are using too much of their unlimited data.
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In 2022, the average cost of new electric vehicles in Russia has almost halved. According to Auto.ru platform analysts, if earlier a new electric car cost the buyer an average of 9.8 million rubles, then by the end of 2022 an average electric car could be bought for 5 million rubles.
Analysts explain the decline in the average cost of electric vehicles in Russia with the appearance on the domestic market of affordable electric cars from China, while previously this segment was mainly represented by premium models from brands such as Tesla, Audi and Porsche. Now inexpensive Chinese electric cars from Skywell, Hongqi, Voyah and HiPhi are available to Russians. And thanks to parallel imports in Russia, supplies of European models like the Mercedes-Benz EQV and the Audi Q5 e-tron were launched.
“Over the year, the Russian market was replenished with Chinese electric vehicles, and also grew due to the appearance of the Russian Evolute and parallel imports,” said Alexei Mukhanov, head of the Auto.ru research and client analytics group.
If in the first half of 2022 about 95% of new cars on an electric platform cost more than 5 million rubles, then by the end of the year they accounted for only 30%. Almost half, namely 40-45%, of the electric cars presented in Russia now cost from 3 to 5 million rubles. There are also models cheaper than 3 million rubles – they occupy 25-30% of the market.
It is curious that while new electric cars lost in price last year, electric models with mileage, on the contrary, rose in price. At the end of 2022, their average cost increased to almost 2.6 million rubles, which is 14% more than in 2021.
If we talk about the most popular electric cars on the Russian market, then Nissan Leaf is the leader among used vehicles. The TOP also includes Tesla Model 3, Model S, Model X and Porsche Taycan, followed by BMW iX and Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.6 in popularity.
Source: Trash Box
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.


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Wondering when the sweet new versions of Android will land on your device? You’re in luck: each week, Gizmodo Australia will take you through all of the handset updates currently being tested on Australian networks like Vodafone, Telstra and Optus, and tell you when you can expect them on your device.
• Samsung Galaxy Note — Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich approved by Telstra, awaiting distribution by Samsung
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus — Android 4.0.4 now available over-the-air
• Nothing new from Optus this week.
• HTC One X — HTC preparing Android 4.0.4 for submission
• Sony Xperia Arc — Android 4.0.4 has been approved by Vodafone, now available on for update


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SPEEDAGE COMMERCIALS LTD Q2 RESULTS
NBFCs woes to persist in the second quarter results
A record number of rating downgrades in the quarter will also make it harder for these lenders to access capital from mutual funds.
Cognizant Q2 profit up 11.6% to $509 million
Cognizant CFO said the second quarter results were in-line with its guidance.
NBCC Q2 profit down 3% at Rs 76 crore; order book reaches nearly Rs 1 lakh crore
Total income rose 43 per cent to Rs 1,646.48 crore from Rs 1...
SBI reports first profit in four quarters: Key Q2 takeaways
Strategy on controlling credit cost has enabled the bank to deliver profit during Q2.
SBI Q2 profit slumps 40% YoY to Rs 945 crore, asset quality improves
Analysts in an ET NOW poll had estimated a loss of Rs 704 crore.
Bharat Forge Q2 profit up 11% at Rs 227 crore
Standalone total income during the period stood at Rs 1,713 crore.
Tata Motors reports Rs 1,049 crore loss in Q2
Analysts in an ET NOW poll had estimated the loss figure at Rs 640 crore.
HDFC Bank to report Q2 results today; here's what experts say
Profit growth is seen in the range of 17-20 per cent. Asset quality is expected to remain stable.
Bajaj Auto’s Ebitda hits all-time high in Q2; key takeaways
Bajaj Auto said KTM contributed Rs 105 crore to consolidated profit.
RIL Q2 takeaways: Strategic deals, big leap in Jio subscribers and retail store additions
Reliance Industries will buy majority stakes in Den Networks and Hathway Cable and Datacom.
Shares of Gravita India climb 5% post Q2 results
Consolidated total income of the company increased 36.83 per cent year-on-year to Rs 225.07 crore during the quarter under review.
Asset growth and falling NPAs boosted Q2 growth: VP Nandakumar, Manappuram Finance
The companies borrowing short and lending long can be an issue, says Mannapuram Fin CEO
Economy is entering virtuous cycle now: Sachin Shah, Emkay Investment Managers
The fact that interest rates are moving up suggests that the economy is doing well: Sachin Shah, Fund Manager, Emkay Investment Mangers.
HDFC Q3 results: High base may lead to profit de-growth
On a YoY basis, the company may report a 52.8 per cent drop in profit after tax.
ICRA cuts growth forecast for domestic PV sales to 7-8 per cent
ICRA, which had earlier projected a growth of 8-9 per cent, however, maintained stable outlook on domestic passenger vehicles (PVs) industry for the year.
Copyright © 2019 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service


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Star Wars Day is right around the corner and Epic Games is kicking things off in Fortnite with the return of a few limited-time Star Wars costumes.
Starting May 4, a selection of Star Wars outfits and lightsabers will be available in Fortnite's in-game shop. This will feature the return of Rey, Kylo Ren, and Sith Trooper outfits which were previously included in its store last year ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
"Fulfill your destiny. StarWarsDay is almost here and the Rey, Kylo Ren and Sith Trooper Outfits are back in the Shop!" reads a tweet from the official Fortnite Twitter account. "Feel like a Jedi as Lightsabers have returned for a limited time! Drop in game now and show off your skills."
Players will also have access to green, red, blue, or purple lightsabers for a limited time.
Epic has yet to announce the official date these items will disappear; however, data miner iFireMonkey has stated they will be available until May 6. Additionally, lightsaber challenges which were first introduced last year as a limited-time event appear to have now been re-enabled. We have reached out to the developer for confirmation.
The Season 11 achievements for the Star Wars lightsabers have been re-enabled and can be earned again. pic.twitter.com/isq6krUSB9— iFireMonkey (@iFireMonkey) May 3, 2020


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PET owners are this morning being urged to check what food they’re feeding their pooches after a number of Victoria Police Dogs fell ill, with one having to be euthanased.
Mars Petcare Australia has issued a voluntary recall of all 3kg, 8kg and 15kg bags of Advance Dermocare dry food following the revelation.
“We advise dog owners who have purchased this product to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund,” a spokesperson for the company said.
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“These bags will have been purchased from speciality retailers and veterinarians”
“No other Advance products or varieties are affected.”
It’s understood the dogs fell ill with megaoesophagus – a condition that is generally not associated with food.
“The health and wellbeing of Australian pets is our number one priority, so we were deeply concerned to learn that a number of dogs have been affected by megaesophagus,” the company said.
“We have now run hundreds of tests on Advance Dermocare and have not found a link between the condition and our product.
“Regardless, we are voluntarily recalling these products as a precaution while we work to get to the bottom of the issue as soon as we can.”
The spokesperson said the company will continue to provide information to University of Melbourne to enable further testing, and consult with the Australian Veterinary Association.
Concerned pet owners are being urged to contact their vet or call the company on 1800 640 111.


text: Luke Worrell of Jacksonville and Kim Connor of Springfield are the winners of Jacksonville Sunrise Rotary Club\u2019s Pork Bundle Blast raffle. Their names were drawn by Rotary District 6460 Gov. Ryan Byers during the club\u2019s Sept. 14 meeting. Worrell and Connor each received certificates worth $100 of pork products from DeOrnellas Premium Pork of Murrayville, including bacon, butterfly pork chops, bone-in pork chops, cheddar cheese bratwurst links, pork patties, bulk sausage, ham steaks, and a bone-in shoulder roast. Sunrise Rotary members sold 257 tickets at $10 each and also received donations from Westown Ford and Don Pigg, bringing the event\u2019s fundraising total to $2,880. \u201cWe wanted to have a fundraiser that didn\u2019t require a setting that involved crowds,\u201d club President Jane Becker said. \u201cWe also want to thank everyone who helped by purchasing tickets, supporting our club\u2019s mission of \u2018service above self\u2019.\u201d Jacksonville Sunrise Rotary Club will use the money to fund scholarships and to support local events and organizations.


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Review: Tesla Model 3 Performance in Singapore, $170,000 USD Later [VIDEO]
Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs) are still becoming mainstream, with many still just starting to get their very first EVs.
Singapore resident Ken, known as @PakPakChicken, purchased a Tesla Model 3 Performance and shared a short review of the electric sedan in a video shared on his channel Chicken Genius Performance on Wednesday.
In the video, he talks about the driving experience, the interior, maintenance, and a handful of other aspects of owning the Tesla in Singapore, which cost him the equivalent of $170,000 USD, due to fees from government controls on limiting vehicles.
my Tesla here. it's great. It's been a while since something excites me.
— Chicken Genius (@pakpakchicken) August 18, 2021
Tesla Model 3 deliveries in Singapore began less than a month ago, and cost roughly $231,370 ($170,000 USD) after registration fees, road taxes, and other import costs. The Performance variant offers an increased range of 567 kilometers (352 miles), compared to just 448 kilometers (278 miles) for the Standard Range variant.
The host explains in the video that after buying it, he’s decided to give the Model 3 to his mother, who is seen in the video saying she’s very excited.
Purchased on the island city-state of Singapore, the Tesla Model 3 is currently the only available Tesla model in the region, but Ken also says he plans to get a Model Y for his mother once they become available. Then, he’ll be able to take the Model 3 Performance.
The first Tesla V3 Supercharger recently launched in Singapore – and the first in Southeast Asia in general – at Singapore’s Orchard Central shopping mall.


text: Bollywood newcomer Varun Dhawan seems to have rocked the global market with his latest release Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says the romance saga will be his highest grosser at foreign box office. Adarsh tweeted about the film's performance at the international box office, saying that it has witnessed ample growth in key markets such as the US, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. He added that the business on Saturday was better than Friday. "#HumptySharmaKiDulhania is also ahead of #SOTY (Student Of The Year) Fri + Sat biz by almost $50,000 in USA-Canada. SUPERB!," he tweeted. "#HumptySharmaKiDulhania all set to emerge Varun Dhawan's HIGHEST grosser in USA-Canada. Crosses *lifetime biz* of #MainTeraHero in 2 days." Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, which sees Varun with Alia Bhatt, is way ahead of Main Tera Hero in the UAE too.


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There’s stiff competition in the wide field of chaos-inclined celebrities, whose sartorial decisions, romantic entanglements, and bodily fluids are all extensively examined under a social media microscope. Goblin-mode role model and part-time comic Pete Davidson, a tabloid regular due to his starlet-studded dating history and maximalist style choices, isn’t the messiest option around but does fall toward the... shall we say, unpredictable end of the scale.
Later this month, Chicago will host new all-day breakfast pop-up in Wrigleyville, a stunt in which Davidson plays a major role, with the Bell banking on the actor’s mayhem-driven reputation. The same fast-food giant that’s inspired a literary magazine has unveiled a new ad, “the Apology,” in which Davidson atones for the chain’s legacy of bizarre breakfast items (how can fans forget the waffle taco?). “Sometimes we go too far. I have!” Davidson says in the ad. “That’s why Taco Bell has hired me to make an apology for them.”
The spot launches Taco Bell’s new menu, one that runs away from Taco Bell’s breakfast history, one that features “tasty, simple” options like a Breakfast CrunchWrap with scrambled egg, cheese, sausage, and hash browns: “Well, they should open a restaurant that only serves us breakfast crunch things,” Davidson says.
The line neatly ties into a pop-up from October 20 to 23 at Wrigleyville’s Taco Bell Cantina at 1107 W. Addison Street. The restaurant will become “the Bell Breakfast,” where patrons can find breakfast items all day. The pop-up will also come to New York and Las Vegas, according to a news release.
Taco Bell has a history with Chicago where it debuted its first location that sold booze back in 2015 in Wicker Park. The Wrigelyville location is also in the same area where protesters saw crews raze a beloved Taco Bell that’s since been replaced by a sparkling three-story building with... another Taco Bell. The morning menu should at least pander to Cubs fans and tourists visiting for a day game. Maybe Taco Bell will get Davidson, a Yankees fan, to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at the Friendly Confines.


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As we’re approaching the end of 2019, it’s time to take stock of ad tech predictions and trends. Some of the predictions at the end of last year haven’t taken shape, and others have skyrocketed. Here are five trends we’re seeing right now.
1. Privacy as a focus
This trend is obvious. With GDPR in full-swing, it’s no surprise that companies are taking great care to make sure their ad tech strategy fits inside GDPR compliance. But it doesn’t end here. Starting January 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act takes effect. Companies can no longer ignore privacy in their digital marketing strategy. Privacy is still, and will continue to be, a top focus of ad tech. In fact, we recently covered the newly-release CCPA Industry Framework meant to provide standardization across the industry.
2. Homing in on data
The trend that won’t end: Big data. We still live in a time where many companies don’t know what to do with all the data they’re collecting. When it comes to ad tech, controlling and acting upon data is a key differentiator. The focus of data has shifted from collecting large amounts to actually being able to act on the data you’re collecting. SpotX helps make sense of first- and third-party audience data with the Audience Management Engine.
3. Keeping an eye on 5G
The growth of 5G has been slow, though the discussion around it makes the trend seem past-due. As the 5G rollout continues to take place, the ad tech industry can expect decreased latency, increased traffic, and more content consumption at a faster rate.
4. Growth of automated content recognition (ACR)
As more households ditch traditional cable, opting for smart TVs with streaming networks, the value of automatic content recognition is increasing. Companies will continue to focus on ACR to better engage with their customers and provide meaningful content and personalized advertisements. This targeted approach will increase the value of ad tech across the industry and make it possible to bridge linear and digital measurements.
5. Bring on augmented reality
Just recently released in alpha testing, YouTube has introduced an AR Beauty TryOn, demonstrating how ad tech simplifies a user’s experience while not seeming too invasive. The Beauty TryOn allows a user to see themselves trying on makeup while also viewing a makeup video tutorial in the same screen. This offering opens a wide range of potential ad space to users actively engaging with the screen.
As AR, ACR, 5G, data, and privacy take a front seat – we’re anxious to see what other trends enter the market. In an ever-changing ad tech world, it’s anyone’s guess what might be next.
This article was written by Amanda Boughey, product marketing manager at SpotX


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Sony has confirmed it has sold over 4.2 million PlayStation VR (PSVR) systems worldwide.
The developer/publisher announced the milestone yesterday during its new direct livestream video broadcast, State of Play. The news – which takes accounts of global sales up to and including March 3rd, 2019 – was accompanied by confirmation of a raft of new VR titles for Sony’s system, including VR games set in the No Man’s Sky, Five Night At Freddie’s, and Marvel’s Iron Man universes.
“Today’s State of Play broadcast revealed release dates for a bunch of soon-to-be-released PlayStation VR games,” wrote Sony’s director of social media, Sid Shuman, on the official PS blog. “We’re also very excited to reveal that we have officially sold-through more than 4.2 million PS VR systems worldwide as of March 3, 2019. We’d like to thank our fans for the amazing support for helping us achieve the milestone. Now without further ado, on to all the great games coming to PS VR.
“PS VR owners have a lot to get excited about.”
The 14 VR games announced by Sony are: Skyworld, Falcon Age, Ghost Giant, Table of Tales, Jupiter and Mars, Everybody’s Golf VR, Blood and Truth, Trover Saves the Universe, Mini-Mech Mayhem, Vacation Simulator, Five Nights at Freddie’s VR: Help Wanted, Golem, Luna, and No Man’s Sky Beyond.
Also announced was Marvel’s Iron Man VR, which is being developed by Camouflaj exclusively for PSVR.
In other VR news, MCV had a first look at Oculus Rift S at last week’s GDC show in San Francisco, which we believe “is a landmark moment for VR as a mature platform”. The new, much-improved headset will cost just $399 (no UK price yet but with taxes, it may well hit £399). That’s the same as the outgoing model, and $200 less than the original at launch. Plus the new headset also comes with Oculus Touch controllers at that price.


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Despite my repeated warnings of impending doom, share prices of many of the Footie’s commodity and retail giants have been carried higher again against a backcloth of giddy investor appetite.
Diversified commodities play Anglo American (LSE: AAL) has seen its share price explode 160% during the past three months, while oil giant Shell (LSE: RDSB) has enjoyed a 31% rise. Grocery house Tesco (LSE: TSCO) has seen its share value advance by a more modest 7% during the period.
But a recovery from January’s multi-year lows does not suggest that these stocks are on the cusp of a stunning turnaround. As legendary economist John Maynard Keynes’ famously pronounced: “the market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.”
With this in mind, I believe these recent share price rises provide fresh opportunity for canny stock pickers to head for the exits.
Time to check out
Tesco’s rebounding stock value has been underpinned by improved performances at the checkout. For instance, latest data from Kantar Worldpanel show Tesco’s sales decline just 0.8% in the 12 weeks to February 28th, a huge improvement from the 1.6% slide printed in January’s release.
But the retail giant is far from out of the woods. While Tesco announced yesterday that it had swung to a pre-tax profit of £162m in the year to February 2016 from a £6.3bn loss in fiscal 2015, chief executive Dave Lewis repeated that the grocer remains at the mercy of a “challenging, deflationary and uncertain market.”
Indeed, the need for constant price slashing will hamper the pace of profits improvement looking ahead and “particularly in the first half” of the current year, the company said.
While premium chains like Waitrose are courting customers with their high-quality items, the discounters like Aldi and Lidl are winning over the masses with their ultra-low prices. This leaves Tesco with a crisis of identity as it struggles to compete in either area.
With Tesco determined to win back share through earnings-crushing price cuts, and the competition expanding their operations at an alarming rate, I believe wise investors should continue to give the supermarket short shrift.
Like Tesco, both Anglo American and Shell also face a prolonged backdrop of revenues pressure in the years ahead.
Shell has seen its share price explode in tandem with resurgent crude values. The Brent benchmark smashed back through the $40 per barrel landmark last week and was recently dealing above $44, the most expensive since late last year.
Meanwhile, Anglo American has charged skywards on the back of a resurgent iron ore price, the steelmaking ingredient striding back towards $60 per tonne in recent sessions.
But I reckon the broad-based ascent in commodity values is built on sandy foundations. Question marks remain over the strength of underlying Chinese material demand, while hopes of supply cuts in both the metals and energy markets are yet to be backed up with tangible action.
Indeed, a deal to freeze output at OPEC’s latest meeting this week is by no means a foregone conclusion. And many major metal producers remain committed to expanding capacity despite the threat of prolonged price weakness.
Against this backdrop, I believe both Anglo American and Shell are — like Tesco — in danger of experiencing a severe share price correction.
Royston Wild has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Royal Dutch Shell B. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.


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Looks like customers contacting Apple’s technical support lines are being turned off by the automated response system with the result that satisfaction levels have fallen 15 percentage points in the last twelve months. When they get through, though, they are happy with the personal service. It’s just the getting through, which has blighted many companies in the past.
Personally I haven’t noticed this and, on balance, feel that Apple’s automated response system is at least as good as most. But according to Peter Leppick of Vocolabs, a Minneapolis-based research company, customers who were “very satisfied” with Apple’s technical support have dropped from 73 percent to 58 percent.
Only 24 percent of respondents said they were “very satisfied”with the automated section of their calls. It’s a new low for Apple and is a huge 28 percentage points below the 52 percent score gained eighteen months ago. Maybe this is one of the costs of success, but it seems to me that it should be relatively easy to fix the automated response system.


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Marks and Spencer has become the first major British retailer to launch a 'live shopping' channel in a bid to appeal to younger consumers.
The service will see weekly broadcasts that will be hosted by an M&S expert in a TikTok style format as the retailer hopes to stay more relevant with its consumers.
M&S has said the new service, that is facilitated with their partner Lisa, will live-stream from their stores giving shoppers from home the opportunity browse through their latest ranges without leaving the house.
It will also give shoppers the opportunity to ask questions, view product demonstrations and buy the products as they watch.
It comes as the US and China has been seeing a rise in the "buy the look" trend and M&S hopes that the live shopping experience will help them to embrace new opportunities with the younger, more technological savvy shoppers.
Stephen Langford, director of M&S.com, said: “Live Shopping puts our experts front and centre and gives them the ideal platform to share the M&S point of difference in terms of quality, design and innovation features.”
Interactive shopping is predicted to account for up to 20% of online sales by 2026 and is already worth £127billion in China and £18.7billion in the US, reports The Mirror.
M&S' new live shopping service launched today, January 28, with a focus on their leading activewear brand Goodmove after it was revealed consumers had an increased focus on health and wellness.
Shoppers can check out the new M&S live shopping experience here.
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RIVERDALE -- Alma Gomez looked at rows of shoes, working hard to pick out her favorite pair.
As she found the right size, a grin spread across her face.
That same grin appeared again when she found a bright pink shirt and held it up to check the size. The 6-year-old, along with several other Ogden-area kids, spent the morning back-to-school shopping with a Target gift card, thanks to the Salvation Army and Target.
Each of the shoppers received $81 on a gift card and shopped with a volunteer from the Salvation Army. They were dropped off at the Ogden Salvation Army by their parents or guardians.
"We want them to be able to pick what they want," said Sam LeMar, who helped direct the event for the Ogden Salvation Army.
Children from across America are participating in the national event, LeMar said. "The kids are loving it, and they really need it."
Renna Ayres Tankersley, a welcoming sergeant with the Salvation Army, said she loved helping the kids. This was her first year as a chaperone shopper.
"We are helping their families be able to afford other things. It's a great incentive for parents to then be able to afford the student fees and things like that," she said.
"Hopefully, their families will be able to afford a bit more," she said as she bent down to help one of the kids try on a shoe.
LeMar said the parents send a list with the kids that includes their sizes and needs, so the chaperones have a guide to follow, but for the most part, the kids can pick the things they need.
For 10-year-old Noah Parkinson, that was the best part.
"It's really cool. We get to pick our clothes that we want, not what my mom tells me to get," he said, with two thumbs up.
He talked with his chaperone, showing him the shoes and clothing he liked. He was careful to pick out the right things. He proudly showed off the shorts he had already chosen and thought long and hard about what else he would need.
Other shoppers grinned as they watched their new clothes cross the conveyer belt at the checkout stand.
Target store manager Britney Estey said she really enjoys being a part of events such as the Salvation Army's.
"It's wonderful," she said as she watched the children shop. "We try to make sure their experience is amazing."
The Salvation Army will do more back-to-school events, but this one kind of kicks things off, Tankersley said.
The candidates are carefully chosen by need, LeMar said. The chaperones are also carefully screened.
"They have to undergo a strenuous background check. We want people who are going to be good with these kids."


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“No fruit left behind” program launched by Visy’s Anthony Pratt
Anthony Pratt, Executive Chairman, Visy speaking at the Global Food Forum at Sydney's Westin Hotel sponsored by The Australian Newspaper. Picture: Adam Taylor
Visy Chairman Anthony Pratt has launched his “no fruit left behind” program that will use technological innovation to ensure all Australian fruit is successfully sold and not wasted.
Speaking at The Australian’s Global Food Forum in Sydney yesterday, Pratt said he wanted to start the program after hearing of a Tasmanian berry grower who had to leave tonnes of fruit to rot on the vine because they could not find enough pickers.
“Labour shortage is a problem and young people today don’t want the same backbreaking work that their parents had,” Pratt said.
As part of the program, berry producer, Driscoll’s, have developed a strawberry plant that grows taller so the picker does not have to bend down.
“This is an example of technology and with practical R&D fostering young entrepreneurs, we can transform food agriculture,” Pratt said.
More agriculture science graduates needed
Pratt said that more agriculture science graduates are required in Australia to help find smarter ways to farm, especially with Australian farmers battling a harsh climate.
“Our harsh climate means that we only produce food on less than 15 per cent of our land but in America they grow food on 50 per cent of their land,” Pratt said.
“Export food, not jobs”
Pratt also used his speech to say Australian food companies should be focusing on creating value-added products made in Australia but exported to the rest of the world, relying on Australia’s reputation for food safety.
“For when you sell wheat as wheat, you get $200 a tonne for it; if you turn it into flour, you get $500 a tonne for it; and if you turn it into bread, you get $5000 a tonne,” Pratt said.
“And this applies to things like snap freezing vegetables or table-ready meals.
“One of our biggest selling points is the safety of our food,
“There are very few countries with a food safety record of Australia, especially if you compare it to incidents like melamine in milk scandal that killed Chinese children.”
- App offers new way of stopping food waste
- Regional Australian farmers venture into teff
- New $7 million research centre focuses on subtropical dairy farming
The 2017 New Zealand Food Award winners have been announced with a sheep milk product taking out the...
Australia’s largest quick service restaurant Subway has announced that it will be eliminating the us...
Costa Group Holdings Limited (Costa; ASX: CGC), Australia’s leading grower, packer and marketer of ...
Australian families are spending a combined $13.6 billion extra each year on ‘healthy eating’ trend ...
Convenience store chain, 7-Eleven, has requested the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to sh...
Fonterra’s Chief Executive Officer Theo Spierings will be stepping down from the top position later ...
Coles CEO Steven Cain has declared that Coles delivered a solid performance in the face of a rapidl...
NEWS the diva of dumplings is gracing this year’s Taste of Tasmania confirms Hobart’s annual New Yea...


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Since we really only learned that a new Kid Icarus game, Uprising, is actually in development just a little over a month ago, and what we know is pretty much from one trailer, it’s really based solely on our imaginations just what to expect from this game. That, and when developer Masahiro Sakurai drops that an online versus mode is totally possible.
In a recent interview with GameMaster magazine, which will be published in whole in their September issue, Sakurai discussed the online components of the game and that they’re “currently being tested.”
“There could be some versus play but we can’t go into any detail,” he says. “There are a lot of capabilities that expand on what was in the DS that people are taking advantage of.”
Two things: Online Kid Icarus shooter gaming sounds like it can be nothing but good coming from the man who brought us Super Smash Bros., and it’s exciting to consider the ways Nintendo is going to expand online functionality on the 3DS. Expect Kid Icarus: Uprising to appear on or mighty close to the launch of the 3DS, which will be sometime on or before March of 2011.


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Why Instagram is the Social Media Platform of 2014
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Betsy Stanton
Instagram's success shines through above the other social media monoliths of the year by capitalizing on its own popularity. Instagram has been deemed the "supreme ruler" of social media by marketing giant SumAll. But how did the photo-sharing social media site that was started in 2010 and purchased by Facebook for over a billion dollars in 2012, win the favor of techies, investors and advertisers alike? Simplicity. "You have to explain everything you do, and people have to understand it, within seconds," said founder and CEO, Kevin Systrom, in an interview with Fast Company. Instagram took 551 days to go from zero users to over 30 million. Halfway through its second year of existence its valuation was higher than the New York Times. As of January 2014, the site has 150 million monthly users.
Turning Popularity Into Profit
Emily White, Instagram's new chief operating officer, joined in March 2013 with the goal of making the popular platform profitable. She decided to slowly in introducing ads, as her priority was to retain the loyalty of Instagram's users. White acknowledges the importance of maintaining the "cool" factor while integrating advertising. "We want to make money in the long term, but we don't have any short-term pressure," she said. Advertising was introduced to the platform in late 2013 and was integrated seamlessly into the site's visual style and content. "Instagram's current advertising strategy doesn't disrupt the pleasure of looking at its clean-cut stream of images," wrote Digital Trends' Kate Knibbs. While Instagram was introducing advertising, 65% of the world's major brands were active on Instagram and nearly all of them posted at least one photo weekly. Brands that already had an Instagram following gained an enormous head start in advertising on the platform. When Levi's began running ads in November 2013, they already had 155,000 followers.
The Young Demographic
Advertisers are particularly excited with Instagram's teen and 20-something demographic because this age group hasn't yet crystallized their buying habits. Seeking the trendy and edgy, the youth are the holy grail for many advertisers. "Using Instagram for your business is the best option to see real ROI, especially if you're selling a visual product," according to SumAll. SumAll's research shows that U.S. advertisers have seen a 1.5 to 3 percent increase in revenue from recent Instagram campaigns.
A Bright Future
Since Instagram's acquisition by Facebook, many see it as a supplement to Facebook's revenue, according to Gigaom's Om Malik. He notes that digital display ad spending is increasingly going toward mobile devices, and that by 2017, half of digital ad spending in North America will take place on mobile devices. The new heights of ad quality and the progression toward native advertising is filling the open space left by the decline of traditional banner advertising. Photo Credit: chankai via Flickr.
Betsy Stanton is a professional content writer who has worked through Scripted since 2012, researching and writing on a broad range of topics. Her employment background includes market consulting, real estate, non-profit organizing, healthcare-related social work and community college ESL teaching. She is also a literary writer (under a different name), and her short fiction, poetry and essays have appeared in respected journals.


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Leaders from Atimi, the NFL and ABC News discuss finding a balance between respecting privacy and personalizing messages to find the right level of relevancy that enhances users’ brand experiences.
“You only get one shot,” said Scott Michaels, Vice President at app development agency Atimi, as he opened up this panel discussion at Mobile Saturday. If a brand gets too personal and makes the user uncomfortable, the user will opt out of location or push notifications, or go so far as to delete the app all together. “There’s no use case where a user goes back into an app to turn on push notifications again.”
Read the full article and see what people attending the session had to say:


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Monroe police arrested the owner of Tobacco and Liquor on North 18th Street in Monroe last week after several months of receiving tips about the activity from a witness cooperating with the department's street crimes unit.
The witness told police that Jiteshbhai Soma Rathod, 43, of 1416 North 18th St., Monroe was selling the Delta 9 vape pens from inside the store.
An undercover police officer entered the store, posing as a patron, on April 17 and May 5 and bought a “Blue Dreams”-flavored THC vape pen.
“Each time the undercover officers entered the store they purchased the THC vape pen from Rathod,” stated the May 5 arrest report. “Rathod sold these THC pens to the undercover officers for $50.00 a piece.”
Police obtained a search warrant and found, inside the store, a bottle containing five Methadone pills, 20 morphine pills and two boxes containing four THC vape pens.
“Through training and experience (it is) common practice for a narcotic dealer to sell pills out of a pill bottle with a torn label to conceal the identity of the actual owner of the pills,” stated the arrest report. “During the first buy from Rathod he was observed to be in possession of over 50 THC pens.”
A crime lap report confirmed the THC vape pens contained “91 percent of Delta 9 THC (CDS 1),” according to the arrest report.
Rathod was booked at Ouachita Correctional Center on suspicion of three counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance-schedule I (three counts) and possession of a controlled dangerous substance-schedule II (two counts).


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Deciphering Intel's utterances about 64-bit support has become a sport amongst folks watching the scene, but this latest statement from Intel's COO is the strongest hint yet that Intel may bring 64-bit extensions to its Pentium line. Precise wording is important in deconstructing these things, so I'll just lay it out there for you. From the Reuters report:
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - News) President and Chief Operating Officer Paul Otellini on Wednesday said the world's largest chip maker would likely give its 32-bit microprocessors an upgrade to 64 bits once supporting software becomes available.Now, mix that in with the latest guesstimates about the timetable for Windows XP 64-bit Edition, stir in a grain of salt, and you have the Pentium 5 arriving this fall with AMD-compatible (most likely embraced and extended) 64-bit capabilities.
"You can be fairly confident that when there is software from an application and operating system standpoint that we'll be there," Otellini said, responding to a question about 64-bit technology, in an interview with a Wall Street analyst that was broadcast over the Web.
(Thanks to Perezoso for the tip.)
|In the lab: Gigabyte's GeForce GTX 1050 G1 Gaming graphics card||3|
|Google's Jamboard takes the whiteboard into the cloud||5|
|Transcend hops on the 3D NAND bandwagon with the SSD 230||1|
|Apple puts its AirPods in the oven a little longer||25|
|Microsoft helps hardware companies make VR more affordable||17|
|Intel P3100 M.2 SSD has datacenters in mind||8|
|A technology overview of the Aimpad R5 analog keyboard||14|
|Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard merges comfort and style||36|
|Surface Studio puts the iMac on notice||78|


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Extinction Rebellion protesters have blocked the entrance to a poultry firm in Hereford.
The environmental group gathered with banners from about 06:00 BST in front of an Avara Foods site in Allensmore where chickens are reared.
Avara Foods supplies poultry to UK supermarkets and restaurants.
Extinction Rebellion claims that by buying soya to create feed, the company contributes to “environmental disasters” at home and abroad.
Avara Foods said it was committed to reducing its environmental “impact on the world”.
Extinction Rebellion claims environmental damage is being done in the Wye Valley and Brazilian Amazon.
Sitting atop the bamboo structure, Addie May Swarbrick Schwarz, 31, a chef from Malvern, said: “We can see what the chicken manure is doing to the Wye river, but we can’t see the harm to the rainforest.”
Activists also began marching through Hereford at about 09:00 BST.
West Mercia Police said officers were in attendance to ensure the protest ran “smoothly and with minimal disruption to the public”.
No arrests had been made, the force added.
An Avara spokesperson said: “It’s clear that Extinction Rebellion object to what we do as a matter of principle but there are many more people across the UK that value what we do.
“Whether it’s the Wye, sourcing soy or any other aspect of our environmental footprint, we’re committed to reducing our impact on the world and are already taking action.


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Supermarket giant Tesco today underlined its dominance after posting record profits of £2.55 billion – equivalent to more than £4,800 a minute.
The retailer’s underlying pre-tax profits for the year to 24 February were more than 13 per cent ahead of the previous year.
Analysts say that £1 in every £3 spent in the UK on groceries is now spent in the supermarket and the group’s 31.2 per cent share of the grocery market is nearly the same as the combined share of its two nearest rivals, Asda and Sainsbury’s.
The supermarket’s latest profits figure sparked protests from Friends of the Earth, which said the time had come to ‘curb the power of the Tesco juggernaut’.
Campaigner Vicki Hird said: ‘The supermarket giant’s market dominance is bad news as it allows it to dictate conditions to suppliers and to drive High Street stores out of existence.’
The Competition Commission is also investigating the grocery sector amid claims that the larger stores are squeezing out smaller retailers.
Tesco’s gathering strength in areas such as DVDs, clothing and household items was shown with a growth of UK non-food business sales of 11.6 per cent, despite a tougher domestic consumer environment. The group’s non-food sales reached £7.6 billion – 25 per cent of UK sales in total.
The company saw strong growth of electronics, DIY, toys and sports goods from its larger Tesco Extra stores. The firm’s clothing range – which includes its £3 jeans – saw sales increase by 16 per cent.
Tesco.com, which now has 850,000 regular customers and more than 250,000 orders a week, saw sales increase 29.2 per cent to £1.23 billion.
The company has increased its Tesco Direct catalogue to 7,000 products and reported a ‘pleasing’ performance from its six Homeplus trial stores selling only non-food goods, although it has made no decisions on a further roll-out of the format.
Tesco’s personal finance business made net profits of £65 million, despite tougher conditions in its core motor insurance and credit card markets.
Chief Executive Sir Terry Leahy, who has been at the helm of the business for 10 years, said the company had made ‘good progress’ and coped well with challenging conditions in some markets.
Tesco had 2,700 stores at the end of the last financial year, of which 1,500 were in the UK.
It also had international stores in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey. It also has a joint venture in China.
The company makes 17 million sales in the UK every week and delivered more than 14 million items of grocery during Christmas week last year – its busiest Christmas ever.
Its Clubcard loyalty scheme has been running for 12 years and has more than 13 million members.
© The Press Association, All rights reserved.


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Read latest India business news headlines 25th May 2018 :
– Airtel Payments Bank appointed former ICICI Bank senior executive Anubrata Biswas as the new MD & CEO.His appointment comes five months after the exit of Shashi Arora. Anubrata is the first MD and CEO of Airtel Payments Bank.
– Fortis case: The Manipal-TPG combine has said it has extended the validity of its modified offer for Fortis Healthcare to 6 June for acceptance by FHL board and for recommendation to the shareholders of FHL.
– Jet Airways’ posted a huge Rs1,036 crore net loss for the fourth quarter due to rise in oil prices and the weaker rupee. Jet Airways’ auditors said the financial statement was prepared on a “going concern basis”.
– The share of Patanjali Dant Kanti in the toothpaste market has more than doubled to 6.7% from a year ago, dropping the share of the top three brands such as Colgate, Pepsodent and Dabur—to 86.8% from 92% in 2012
– PNB Bank updates: ED files charge sheet against Nirav Modi, to approach Interpol in PNB case. The charge sheet has named 24 as accused in the case, including 18 individuals and six companies.PNB’s total exposure to the objects involved in the fraud now stands at Rs14,356 crore.
– India’s largest renewable power company ReNew Power Ltd is in discussions to obtain around 700 megawatts (MW) of renewable assets. The company will raise Rs2,600 crore in fresh capital, while its private fairness investors will sell a collective of 94.37 million shares.
– NCLAT refuses to allow the second round of bidding for Bhushan Power and Steel
– According to BSNL chairman and MD Anupam Shrivastava, “market disruption” and fall in tariffs have dashed hopes of clocking profit in 2018-19
– Banks’ credit raised by 12.64% year-on-year to Rs8,551,099 crore in the fortnight ended 11 May 2018, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data.
– The government has allowed the merged entity of Vodafone India Ltd and Idea Cellular Ltd to clear dues related to range charges and licence fees. Telecom department’s earlier stand that the merger will be approved subject to the payment of all dues.
*News as published in Business Standard, Live Mint and Economic Times.


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Both the bikes feature similar sporty design language The Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 is priced at Rs 1,70,655 (ex-showroom Delhi). On the other hand, the 2019 Suzuki Gixxer SF costs Rs 1,09,870 (ex-showroom Delhi). Compared to the previous generation Gixxer SF, the 2019 model is Rs 7,964 more expensive. Suzuki India has launched its quarter-litre faired offering, the Gixxer SF 250, at...
- 8 hrs ago


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Hey Siri, turn on 'The Voice' for my Vizio TV
IRVINE, Calif. — Sure, Siri can open Netflix for you and search for a George Clooney movie, but only if you spring $179 to $199 for the Apple TV accessory streamer.
Now, Apple's personal assistant can turn on the TV, change the channel and find a specific TV show, on certain newer TVs from Vizio, Samsung, Sony and LG. It's part of a radical rethink on Apple's part to bring Apple outside of the ecosystem, and onto mainstream television sets.
Samsung pushed out Apple's AirPlay features on new smart TVs that began shipping May 13. AirPlay lets you mirror what's on your device. So you could, for instance, watch "The Handmade's Tale" on Hulu via the smartphone app of your iPhone without having to put the Hulu app on your Apple TV.
Vizio, which will release its new TV lineup this week, has Apple's AirPlay as well as HomeKit, which brings in Siri and lets you use the iPhone/iPad as a remote, and the buttons of the phone to turn up and down the volume.
Beyond Siri, you can also use your iPhone as a remote control, and stream programming from your phone – photos and videos, content from apps, direct to the TV.
'Apple Watch or it doesn't count':How tech addiction might be ruining your workout
TV watchers for years have been complaining about misplacing their remotes, but "everyone always has their phone in their pocket," says Matt Thompson, director of product development for Vizio.
His company, in fact, back in 2016, released a new line of TVs that used a Vizio tablet instead of a remote control, and a Vizio smartphone app to change channels for those who didn't want to use the tablet. They used Google Chromecast's system to beam programming from the hand-held devices to TVs.
Vizio eventually went back to traditional remote controls but didn't give up on the idea of running the TV via your device. And now it's playing on both sides of the fence, Google and Apple.
Google created the idea of "casting" from a phone to the TV to watch programs when it introduced the Chromecast streaming device in 2013.
Vizio's Apple features are available in beta, but you'll have to jump through some hoops to make them work, like registering first at the Vizio website, updating your Apple iOS software and downloading the Vizio app. When they go out of beta in the summer, no registration or app-based usage will be necessary.
Sony and LG will follow through on new 2019 sets later this year.
Vizio, which is known for selling low-priced TVs at big box stores like Walmart and Target, also are well stocked in the motel and hotel rooms. In a perfect world, consumers would be able to check in, go to the room, lie on the bed, pull out their iPhone, crank open the Netflix app and start streaming directly from the motel Vizio set.
But you might be waiting a while. The deals are for mostly newer TVs, of Vizio's "SmartCast" branded TVs, and these models would have to be in use at the motel or hotel. Most lodging units have older models.
How it all works: The meat of the AirPlay controls is built into the iOS operating system. From the Control Center section of your phone or iPad, you can play, pause, fast-forward, rewind and adjust the volume of the TV.
From outside of the Control Center, similar to when listening to music, a smaller control center is shown on the lock screen.
Vizio also has tools to connect to Amazon's Echo and the Google Home speakers, for "Alexa," and "Hey, Google," commands. They are currently available.
The new lineup of 2019 TVs from Vizio start at $259.99 for the 40-inch edition and go all the way up to $3,499 for the 75 inch Quantum X. Vizio says the new Apple tools will work on any Vizio smart TV going back to 2016.


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It is traditional to make predictions at this time of year.
But as all parents of young children know, it is almost impossible to do anything that involves serious thinking until they’re back at school.
So here are a few things that I learned in 2018, which I believe are worth holding in your media minds as we adopt the brace position in preparation for the madness of 2019.
YouTube and Netflix will define the next generation's relationships with video
The BBC defined my relationship with video as I grew up.
For Elodie, our 3-year-old daughter, through to my teenage godchildren, it is emphatically YouTube and Netflix that play this role.
When 12-15s are asked what they ‘often watch’, YouTube leaves the rest for dead.
The ‘What couldn’t you do without?’ question is harder and more brutal still.
48% say YouTube; 19% say Netflix. The BBC and Disney Channel are equal 3rd with just 6%.
Global IP delivery beats Satellite
When Murdoch sells, it is clear that there is a fundamental shift taking place.
Murdoch’s sale of Sky was a drawn-out acceptance that Internet Protocol television is beginning to elbow domestic, satellite services to one side.
IPTV is global and comes with global revenues and global power. It is beginning to eat into the soft under-belly of domestically focused satellite pay-TV services and will keep going. Sky and Virgin will fight hard but the chip-chip is beginning as packages are unbundled and the balance between subscription volumes and Average Revenue Per User becomes ever harder to sustain.
So why was Sky valued so highly? Corporate egos and late cycle pressures came together to inflate the price to bubble proportions. How big will the eventual write down of value be?
Facebook powers on
It has been a terrible year for Facebook.
A platform used for political manipulation on both sides of the Atlantic; gross misuse of personal data and bodged attempts to cover it up; Zuckerberg hauled in front of the Senate; a management team caught in the headlights and facing regulation.
Operating margins have fallen from around 50% to 42%.
But for the non-FAANG media world, what matters is how much more of the advertising pie Facebook will take. In this area Facebook’s progress remains relentless. The pain for traditional media owners does not abate.
Revenue per user is up 30% in the US and 29% in Europe. Total revenues are up 33%.
Daily active users are up 9% year on year globally even if they are static in the US and Europe.
These numbers are just for Facebook. Instagram now has around 1.2 billion users, is the fastest growing social platform and has far greater revenue growth potential as it becomes the central brand search engine for the younger generation. The Instagram cash hoover is still on a very low setting.
Regulation will happen. It will take ages
The mood has changed in the debate about regulation of social media.
In Select Committees, the Lords and even in government, there is a desire to regulate.
But nobody has any idea how.
Regulating television is easy. It has clear, defined boundaries. The volume is relatively small. It doesn’t move that quickly. Nobody dies.
Regulating social media is a monster of a task that is a million times more complex. Can AI do the job? Perhaps it can help but the subtleties of content regulation will require some remarkable minds to find a vaguely workable solution.
Regulation is on its way. It will take 5 or 10 years before an approach that is both technically possible and politically supportable emerges. Meanwhile, the tech giants can drive onwards regardless.
Don’t rely on advertising
As the co-founder of an advertising-funded media business, I write this with deep sadness.
The end of 2018 was also the end of ShortList magazine, an advertising funded brand, for which I was part of the launch team. Pints were downed. Tears were shed.
It is not just traditional media companies who are heavily reliant on advertising. So too are the big buying agency groups.
Unless your company is called Facebook, Google or Amazon, you can no longer be overly reliant upon advertising. The brutal structural trend towards personalised, immediate-feedback advertising is relentless. It will not stop.
Business model reinvention and lots of brutal cost cutting must now be a permanent state of being for the pressurised traditional media businesses and buying agency groups most exposed. Unfortunately most are focused on the cost cutting and not so good at the innovation.
It’s Brave Strategy Time
Platforms own the consumer more effectively than media companies can. The gap in consumer insight and targeting power between the platforms and media companies grows every day.
Global scale is critical in an increasing number of media sectors as domestic or regional advantages are increasingly undermined.
'Talent' becomes ever more powerful and independent with the potential to build its own routes to the consumer be that talent Taylor Swift, sports clubs or other 'content brands' with global followings.
So domestic UK media companies need to be braver in their strategies than ever before.
There was just one piece of big, brave UK strategy in 2018.
Global Radio, led by Stephen Miron, showed the way. Buying 3 outdoor advertising companies in less than a month to become, overnight, the second largest by market share after JC Decaux was a remarkable move. It gives Global significant power in two defensible, domestic advertising market segments - radio and outdoor. It came at a high price but it is a clear, brave strategy that we can all understand.
Surely there must be some fresh, radical, global ambition from a UK media company in 2019. Will the BBC stop feeling sorry for itself and please step up to the plate?
Other volunteers also welcomed.


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Independent hotels urge travelers to 'Choose France' to offset Covid-19 impact
Issued on: Modified:
Travelers who book directly with a hotel will soon be able to get money off their bill to encourage them to prioritise independent hotels over online travel agencies.
It's hoped the ''I choose France" scheme will provide a boost to the Covid-hit local tourism industry by encouraging travelers to choose France for their summer vacation.
"More people are increasingly buying local as a result of Covid-19," explains independent hotel owner Thomas Richard behind the new scheme. "We wanted to tap into this emerging trend."
The scheme, which brings together 300 independent hotels under one platform, tries to lure customers to book with hotels directly by offering special rate discounts.
Guests are notably awarded 4 euros off their next booking when they reserve a hotel room directly with the owner.
"We wanted to educate people about the importance of supporting independent hotels," continues Richard, who was forced to shut his Petit Vatel hotel in the Normandy town of Le Havre on 17 March.
"For two months, we had virtually no income," he tells RFI.
The difficult situation of independent hotels has been compounded by the high commission costs imposed by online travel agencies like Expedia and booking.com.
"I pay around 17 percent in commission fees," says Richard, although admits he would not be able to attract certain foreign visitors without the online service.
But after Covid-19, every penny counts.
"It's the difference between keeping a hotel worker on the job or paying commission fees. Many hotel owners cannot afford to do both."
Hoteliers in France are eager to bounce back after the pandemic, with many hoping to attract potential guests from this weekend's great summer getaway.
"We're not expecting a huge rush," comments Richard, whose hotel is situated off the the busy roads.
"Our biggest activity comes when tourists from Belgium and the Netherlands stop off in the Havre on their way to Brittany."
Since July, many tourists from Paris have also begun to return to his premises, which accommodates up to 50 people.
While getting them to respect social distancing measures has not been a problem, getting them to wear a mask has been more challenging.
"A lot of people don't respect the rules so we're obliged to keep repeating them," he says.
The current heatwave is unlikely to improve matters, with many travelers complaining that wearing a mask makes them hot.
Still, their custom is badly needed by independent hotels.
Competing against online travel agencies on price alone however is not easy.
No middle man
For Richard, who employs around 4 staff members, he's hoping to lure guests by offering them an authentic travel experience that cuts out the middle man.
"Independent hotels are the face of a family-run industry that is open and tailored to meet each customer's needs," he claims.
This industry is disappearing as big chains grow.
"Unfortunately, our margins are being squeezed and we have to make cuts. The first to go are employees, whose labour costs are the highest in the hospitality industry," he said.
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Covering a selected basket of consumer goods
Abu Dhabi, 20 April 2020: According to the latest issue of the ‘Weekly Price Index Report’ released by the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD), for a selected basket of food and non-food consumer goods, the index decreased by 0.7% to 103.0 points in the second week of April 2020, down from 103.7 points in the previous week. However, the index advanced by 3.0% in the second week of April 2020, compared with February 2020 as a reference month.
The food component of the index increased by 2.3% and the non-food by 6.3% in the second week of April 2020, compared with February 2020. The fish and seafood group contributed 45.3% to the overall increase, reflecting a 15.1% rise in the prices of this group, which represents 9.1% of the total index weight. The masks, gloves, cold and flu medicines and analgesics group added 30.9% to the overall increase due to a massive 25.0% surge in the prices of the group, which constitutes 3.7% of index weight.


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Goose Island Brewery's acquisition: the exit interview (podcast)
Everyone in Chicago may have been shocked by the news recently that Goose Island had been bought by Anheuser-Busch InBev for a cool $39 million, but the deal - according to the family who started the local craft brewer - makes a lot of sense. While local beer drinkers were writing the epitaph for yet another local brand, the company's current (and soon to be former) Brewmaster says if they wanted to continue to meet demand for their specialty brands like Matilda and Pere Jacques, they had to either take on a huge amount of debt, or let A-B help them do it. The Hall family will retain ownership of their two local brewpubs, and while the purchase means the end of an already successful career for Greg Hall, it just might lead to something exciting in the future as well. I spoke with Hall last week at length about what the purchase means for the company and for its legions of loyal beer drinkers.


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Xbox could introduce a new Fire TV-like streaming stick for its cloud gaming service, according to head of Xbox Phil Spencer.
In an interview with Stratechery, Spencer said that the team have discussed additional new Xbox Game Pass tiers, and that subscribers would get a free bundled TV stick as part of the deal which could play xCloud games.
Spencer said: “I think you’re going to see lower-priced hardware as part of our ecosystem when you think about streaming sticks and other things that somebody might want to just go plug into their TV and go play via xCloud.”
- PS5 vs Xbox Series X: the two consoles compared
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- Xbox Series X games list: all the games coming to Xbox
Spencer went on to add: “You could imagine us even having something that we just included in the Game Pass subscription that gave you an ability to stream xCloud games to your TV and buying the controller.”
Currently, Xbox users can subscribe to either Xbox Game Pass or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the latter of which includes access to cloud gaming on Android devices. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is also included in Xbox All Access, Microsoft's two-year finance plan that lets users pay monthly for a new console with no upfront cost.
Spencer also pondered if Xbox All Access should be pitched as ‘Xbox Game Pass Platinum’ instead.
“We did that a little bit with Xbox One last year,” he explained. “Where if you got into All Access, you were guaranteed to get front in line when the Series X came out. People didn’t know the name [of the new console] at the time, but yeah," said Spencer.
Microsoft has been talking about an Xbox TV stick for a while now. Back in 2016, the company was geared up to release 'Xbox TV', which went under the codename of Project Hobart. The idea was eventually scrapped, however.
What happened to Project Hobart?
According to a report by Windows Central, the device was all but finished and was going to be shown during E3 2016. This never happened, and as we now all know, and the company teased the fist look at Project Scorpio instead, which later became the Xbox One X.
The Xbox streaming stick would have been capable of streaming your Xbox One games over your home internet, but certainly would have been ahead of its time. With xCloud now a reality, though, and streaming devices more popular than ever, it's clear that Microsoft hasn't dismissed the idea just yet.
- Going digital next-gen? PS5 Digital Edition vs Xbox Series S
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Snack brand, Snaffling Pig, has launched a £750k crowdfunding campaign to drive the next phase of its growth. At launch, the team had secured over 60% of its target from pre-registered investors.
The business, which is looking to invest further into core marketing functions, taking its £5.2 million turnover to £50m+ in the next five years, is offering a 7% stake in the business. It said it will also develop a new van sales operation.
Founded by chief executive Nick Coleman and chief operating officer Udhi Silva in 2014, Snaffling Pig operates across three channels – grocery, on-trade and gifting – with a range that includes pork scratchings, sauces, beer, cider, peanuts and a ceramic BBQ.
The company reported that it sold a record 47,000 pork scratching advent calendars last year alone. In January 2019, the business launched a new gammon range in Sainsbury’s, entering the chilled meats markets.
The new phase of investment will be used to expand reach for the Snaffling Pig brand, with a focus on activating campaigns across key supermarket customers, including Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Mr Coleman said: “We’re genuinely overwhelmed by the incredible support we’ve had from our early investors and customers so far. You inevitably feel a little vulnerable launching a crowdfund campaign so to have this response from our community – and know they believe in our product as much as we do – makes us all the more excited about this next phase.
“Community has been at the core of Snaffling Pig’s so we can’t wait to invest more into it.”


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Holiday parade canceled, but other holiday events still on
MANSFIELD – This week’s frigid and icy weather has been trying to damper holiday spirit in more ways than one.
Freezing rain put a stop to Mansfield’s annual Downtown Holiday Parade, and it will not be rescheduled, Downtown Mansfield Inc. announced on its Facebook page Saturday.
“It will not be rescheduled due to the proximity to Thanksgiving and other events happening during the holidays,” the organization explained.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be other ways to celebrate the season.
There will be a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in front of Richland Carrousel at 6 p.m. Dec. 5.
That event features Christmas carols, hot cocoa, cookies, carriage rides, reindeer petting zoo and photos with Santa. Carriage rides will begin around 5:30 p.m. and will continue through 8:30 p.m. Rides are $2 per person.
The Tiny Tim Shoppe also is open for the season at 128 N. Main St.
The Tiny Tim Shoppe is a place where kids can go to shop for the people in their lives. This volunteer assisted Christmas shop is for children ages 12 and younger, with gifts priced at $6 or less.
Participating children fill out a shopping list with the help of their parents and then get to go through the shop making their selections.
Children also will gift wrap and tag each gift before they leave the shop.
The Tiny Tim dates for the season are: Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13, and Dec. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Dec. 5 from 5:30 to 8:p.m.
For information about holiday events happening in downtown Mansfield, visit Downtown Mansfield Inc.’s website at www.downtownmansfield.com.


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News - Volvo
Volvo Car Australia boss resigns
McCann departs top job at Volvo, with sales chief Connor standing in as acting MD
3 Nov 2017
By TERRY MARTIN
- Volvo Car Australia (VCA) managing director Kevin McCann resigned suddenly from his position this week.
- Mr McCann had overseen the Swedish brand in Australia for the past three years, replacing Matt Braid who stepped down in similarly unexpected circumstances in September 2014 but resurfaced a few months later as commercial director of Australia’s premier motorsport category, Supercars.
Click here for full story: Volvo Car Australia boss resigns
28th of July 2017
Ex-Volvo chief to leave key Supercars positionMatt Braid to step down as managing director of Supercars at end of this season
22nd of January 2015
Former Volvo chief moves to V8 SupercarsVolvo’s Aussie race tilt leads to Swedish car brand’s former MD joining V8 Supercars
4th of September 2014
McCann to return as head of Volvo in AustraliaTop auto industry exec Kevin McCann to lead Volvo into new era as Braid steps down
Click to share
Motor industry news


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The danger of online investment scams
The FCA recently issued a warning, urging the public to be careful when investing through adverts viewed on social media sites
The warning was issued after it was revealed that £87,410 ($123,549) per day was lost to binary option scams.
The FCA revealed under 25’s were much more at risk to falling for online scams than over 55s, who have historically been more likely to fall for phone scams.
However, the impact of online investment fraud could be much more detrimental than this figure alone.
The changing demographic of those falling for investment scams could have a damaging impact on the wealth management industry.
Those falling for these scams are potentially first-time investors and having a negative first experience of investing could make them reluctant to do so again in the future.
While these firms are fraudulent, the FCA reported that they are presenting themselves as legitimate businesses with well-designed websites, adverts which lure potential investors with the promise of high returns and images of luxury goods.
Firms that are creating websites which are imitating legitimate wealth management businesses could make it harder for wealth managers to gain the trust of potential clients.
However, it is not just the promise of high returns but the accessibility of being able to invest into cryptocurrencies and binary options that are making it easier for people to invest.
These adverts are certainly prevalent on social media; And it is the prevalence of the advertising that makes this kind of investment seem more accessible.
However, this could be an opportunity for legitimate investment managers. What if the established wealth mangers were to adopt some of the techniques that these fraudulent firms are using?
For example, if they were to have a wider presence on ‘younger’ platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, with appealing, yet realistic advertising, they could gain a whole new demographic of clients or future clients.
To do so effectively, they would have to be realistic on the possible returns. If these fraudulent firms or companies who are offering unregulated binary options continue to prey on young first time investors, which are dominating due to a lack of advertisements legitimate wealth managers, it could have a hugely detrimental effect on future clients.
At the time of writing this article, Facebook banned the advertising of ICOs, cryptocurrencies and binary options.
Rob Leathern, product management director of Facebook, said that these products and services are “frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices,” which “have no place on Facebook”.
Will this mean that other social media sites will also follow suit? For the interest of those who are could be tricked by these adverts and the legitimate investment managers, let’s hope so.