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Verizon to Offer iPhone in January
How long have we been waiting for Verizon to start offering the iPhone? The buzz has been dancing around the idea since the iPhone 3G days, sadly with little real success or signs of progress. This changes today as finally, we have a real time frame for the release of the iPhone to Verizon wireless.
According to Bloomberg, iPhone fans can expect to see the famed Apple iPhone arriving at Verizon in January of 2011. While this may seem like a ways off, it’s also going to spell salvation for frustrated AT&T users and a brand new day for those on the Verizon network looking to jump onto the Apple iPhone bandwagon.


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A threat actor claims they have obtained data of 400,000,000 Twitter users and is attempting to sell it.
The seller claims the database is private, he provided a sample of 1,000 accounts as proof of claims which included the private information of prominent users such as Donald Trump JR, Brian Krebs, and many more.
The seller, a member of data breach forums named Ryushi, claims the data was scraped via a vulnerability, it includes emails and phone numbers of celebrities, politicians, companies, normal users, and a lot of OG and special usernames.
The seller is also inviting Twitter and Elon Musk to buy the data to avoid GDPR lawsuits.
“Twitter or Elon Musk if you are reading this you are already risking a GDPR fine over 5.4m breach imaging the fine of 400m users breach source. Your best option to avoid paying $276 million USD in GDPR breach fines like facebook did (due to 533m users being scraped) is to buy this data exclusively.” reads the advertising.
The seller also announced that the sale is covered by the escrow service offered by the Breached forum administrators (pompompurin).
At this time is it not possible to verify the claims of the seller.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission on Friday opened a probe into Twitter over an August data breach that has reportedly impacted 5.4 million Twitter users.
“The data is increasingly more likely to be valid and was probably obtained from an API vulnerability enabling the threat actor to query any email / phone and retrieve a Twitter profile (https://lnkd.in/dMsWwiJa), this is extremely similar to the Facebook 533m database that I originally reported about in 2021 and resulted in a $275,000,000 fine to Meta.” explained Alon Gal, co-Founder of threat intelligence firm Hudson Rock.
The Irish Data Protection Commission on Friday announced an investigation into a August incident that saw the contact records of 5.4 million Twitter users dumped on the same forum favored by Ryushi
(SecurityAffairs – hacking, data breach)

domain: news


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The Suburban continues to be one of the better selling full-size SUVs thanks to its ample size and great interior. However, it now looks like an update might be on its way. Even though this has yet to be confirmed, the new model is more than likely going to be released in the future 2019 Chevrolet Suburban. Despite what most rumors were saying, this is not going to be an all-new vehicle. Even though the Silverado will likely be replaced with a new version, this won’t really happen to the Suburban mostly because GM would need quite a bit of time before being able to release it on the market. This means the 2019 version of the SUV will be its mid-life update so expect only mild changes.
This article is just a rumor!!!
A lot of standard equipment
Passengers have plenty of space
There is very little information at the moment
- Improved equipment
- New exterior and interior colors
- Stronger engines
- 10-speed automatic transmission
- New MyLink infotainment system
2019 Chevrolet Suburban Review
Because the update won’t bring all that many changes, expect the new Suburban to still use the same platform, and likely the same running gear as before. This will allow the SUV to retain the great characteristics that allowed it to remain at the top of its class.
How will it look?
The ongoing version has its own styling which is quite different from that of the truck despite the two sharing a lot of parts. This is also going to be the case with the future 2019 Chevrolet Suburban.
In the front, the new model is expected to receive a brand new grille, likely more similar to Chevrolet’s latest vehicles
This would imply the car will get a split grille design which would definitely give the car a more aggressive character.
|2017 Suburban||Exterior Dimensions|
|Ground Clearance||7.91 in|
|Ground to Top of Load Floor||35.43 in|
|Front Tire Size||P265/65R18|
The headlights are also likely to get smaller while the bumper will receive a few more design cues, especially since the bumper of the current model is quite plain.
When looked from the side, not much will change for the new Suburban. Some suggested the SUV will receive new wheels but this has yet to be confirmed.
In the rear, the only real change is going to be the tail lights which are definitely going to receive new LED clusters.
Chevy Suburban 4WD Snow Day Review
It looks like there will be quite a few changes here as well.
The 2019 Chevrolet Suburban is expected to receive different equipment groups in order to give the buyer a better deal than before
Some also suggested the infotainment system will be replaced with an all-new unit. We do hope that if this will happen, GM will also offer a larger and more responsive screen in order to make their infotainment unit easier to use.
It looks like there have been some rumors about a more luxury-oriented version as well. However, considering the Suburban shares pretty much everything with its GMC sibling, this is highly unlikely.
Engine and Specs of 2019 Chevrolet Suburban
The base model of the 2019 Chevrolet Suburban will continue to use the same 5.3-liter naturally aspirated V8. This engine has been around for ages but it still manages to impress to this day.
Thanks to the fact it was continuously updated, it will easily provide around 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque.
The big change here is likely going to be the transmission
While the current model gets a 6 speed automatic, the 2019 version of the Suburban is more than likely going to receive GM’s brand new 10 speed automatic. This is not only faster but also considerably smoother than the transmission it would be replacing.
With that, the performance should get slightly better while the fuel economy might be improved by up to 5% on the highway. Which would be well worth the upgrade. Some also suggested the SUV will get a 2nd engine option.
While this would be great for any of its potential buyers, this is highly unlikely. Especially since an entirely new version of the Suburban is going to be released by 2020 or 2021, meaning the updated version will have a lifespan of just a couple of years.
Release and Price
The release date has yet to be revealed but it seems the car may be released by the end of the year and go on sale closer to the mid of 2018. Its price is expected to stay the same as well.
|2017 Model||MSRP From|
If the rumors are anything to go by then it is safe to assume the base model will continue to start at around $51,000. With the range-topping versions going for not much more than $75,000.
- 2018 Model:
- Havana Metallic
- Pepperdust Metallic
- Satin Steel Metallic
- Siren Red Tintcoat
- Tungsten Metallic
- Blue Velvet Metallic
- Tungsten Metallic
- Wheatland Yellow
. . . . write us below in the comments what you think about this car


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From the generation of the Baby Boomers to Gen X, Gen Y to Gen Z, and the latest cohort, Gen Alpha – just who are these different groups, and what can we tell about people from when they were born? Well, more than you might think. And although these definitions are painted with a broad brush, they can spot trends among wider populations, and opportunities for e-commerce retailers to tap into new markets with new products, marketing methods, and ways to pay. Here’s how Pew Research1 defines them:
Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1964
Gen X – born between 1966 and 1980
Gen Y/Millennials – born between 1981 and 1996
Gen Z – born between 1997 and 2012
Gen Alpha – born from 2013 onwards
“Gen Alpha is the next step beyond digital native. Their understanding of what it means to be connected to other people, what it means to own something and use pieces of your own experience to create something entirely new will result in a group of young people unlike any we’ve seen before – they will be completely untethered to time, space, location or people.”
Dr. Thalia R. Goldstein, George Mason University
According to Mark McCrindle, the Australian demographer who coined the term ‘Gen Alpha’, more than 2.5 million members of this cohort are born each week2. That means there could be two billion of them by 2025, and they are predicted to be the most innovative, creative, and digitally-savvy group of youngsters yet. No pressure then, kids.
Well, a characteristic of Gen Alpha is that 24% of them spend more time with friends online than in person3. They have learned to build relationships with people from around the world from a young age, and are routinely exposed to diversity in the media and in real life, helping them shed race and gender stereotypes. They are often the children of Millennials, 76% of which use smart devices to keep their children safe and well behaved4.
In a survey of 8,000 Gen Y parents around the world with children aged four to nine, 65% said the habits of their children influenced their last purchase, rising to 81% among parents in the USA5. Tech, it seems, is at the heart of many Gen Alphas’ existences. Let’s explore this more.
In 2018, a seven-year-old named Ryan earned US$22 million for simply playing with toys. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, thanks to his YouTube channel6, where he’s gained more than 21 million subscribers, the Texas native has become a bona fide icon for the youngest generation. Not bad for someone whose age, even now, isn’t into double digits. And while Pew Research might place him in the bottom bracket of Gen Z, he’s exactly the type of influencer that Gen Alpha are already following.
Due to all the digital exposure they’re getting, the majority of Alphas will learn to use a touch screen as toddlers – and, more likely, will surpass their parents’ knowledge of tech by the time they’re eight7. Unafraid of learning by discovery or interacting with AI (although there are issues around how well voice assistants understand kids), these habits are being recognised (and used) by brands to connect with this young generation. P&G, for example, has sponsored Chompers – a two-minute podcast that encourages kids to brush their teeth8. Smart? Absolutely. Cynical? Maybe.
Although Alphas are exposed to digital media constantly, their desires are not solely driven by what they see on screens. In fact, they show some traits that might seem a little more traditional. 36% of Gen Y parents say their kids are influenced by their friends’ possessions and behaviors – no shocks there – while 22% say ads have an impact, and just 14% cite online personalities as having an influential role9.
Just under three-quarters (73%) of Alphas think it’s important to question what’s presented to them online, while 31% believe they know how to spot fake news – a concern Google has addressed by making ‘Don’t Fall for Fake’ a key topic in its Be Internet Awesome curriculum10, which aims to teach kids the skills they need to be safe online. Basically, they know what they like, and and can see through inauthenticity online. Not bad, Gen Alpha. Not bad.
An interesting study from Beano Studios found that 58% of under-10s believe gender to be irrelevant, whilst an astonishing one in five kids aged 5-9 have been on a march or protest concerning causes they care about11. Being predominantly the children of Millennials, this could be their parents’ opinions being projected, or evidence that attitudes around the world truly are changing.
Brands have started to respond to Gen Alpha’s views on identity, creating gender-neutral clothing and toys to appeal to the changing clientele. Abercrombie & Fitch, John Lewis, and Target12 all have neutral ranges, with the latter having disposed of its pink and blue toy aisles in 201513. Toys ‘R’ Us, Walmart, and Kmart have since followed suit, and in 2016, the Toy Industry Association abolished its ‘girl toy of the year’ and ‘boy toy of the year’ awards – moving towards a more inclusive, welcoming space14.
“We look at our brands more inclusively than ever. We don’t care who [the buyers] are, we just care they love the brand.”
Brian Goldner, Chief Executive of Hasbro
Though it’s impossible to accurately predict what Alphas will be like as adults, their impact on consumer behavior is currently being felt through their parents, who of course, respond to the preferences and needs of their children in purchase decisions. Like their mothers and fathers before them, it seems that they are likely to want personalized products that use technology, adapt to their changing needs, and are available on demand15.
“The business world is going to be confronted with the most demanding customers and employees in history, expecting speed, responsiveness and customization as a standard. It will be a tougher job to win the attention and loyalty of consumers, and much more likely that established brands will be ditched.” - Joe Nellis, Professor of Global Economy, Cranfield University
As many Alphas are too young to read and write, screen interfaces and voice-activated tools are essential to connecting with them16 – well, the ones that have been born already. Augmented reality (AR) is also being used to bring traditional entertainment channels into the 2020s. Lego, for example, now has an app with AR capabilities, and there are similar offerings for much-loved literary characters such as the Gruffalo and the Very Hungry Caterpillar17.
Beyond the screens, this group already seems better placed than their Gen Z peers to prioritize physical play and use technology in moderation. In a bid to boost real-life activity (and sales), Nike has launched its Adventure Club18 – a subscription shoe service for children aged 2-10 that delivers Nike gear to their door, alongside adventure guides, outdoor games, and activities for families to try out together. Meanwhile, Amazon STEM Club19 encourages exploration among three- and four-year-olds with toys hand-picked by experts to introduce concepts such as counting, building, and cause and effect.
1.25 billion children are at home as a result of the COVID-19 school closures20. As we’ve already mentioned, Alphas are pretty handy when it comes to getting hands-on with tech. And, where screen-time was once seen as problematic, experts say interacting with digital tools can enhance children’s creative thinking. With parks, restaurants, places of worship, daycare, shops, leisure centers, playgrounds, and pretty much everywhere else closed to the public, Gen Alphas are spending more time indoors than perhaps they’ve ever done before.
“One aspect of playful learning – guided play, which is when adults have a learning goal that keeps in mind their child’s skills and subsequently fosters their child’s curiosity to help them learn something new – has been shown by my colleagues at the University of Delaware21 and Temple University22 to have many benefits for early learning.”
Dr. Laura Zimmermann
While parents attempt to juggle their work and life balance, Gen Alpha are benefitting from spending even more time than usual bonding with their parents and caregivers. For parents, it’s been an opportunity to lead to more playful learning experiences at home. Plus, with family members from afar checking in more often, via Zoom, Skype, Houseparty, Messenger, and the rest, relationships can be built even without physical contact.
In Germany, COVID-19 is being treated as an extended home-learning opportunity, according to Dr. Maya Goetz of the International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television at the Bavarian Broadcasting Federation. “Children haven’t had any tests but as soon as they get grades, everything will change. At the moment, it’s split between those who can learn this way and those who can’t. It always depends on the home environment.”
What’s striking is the difference between the haves and have nots. Educational screen time is likely to be most prevalent amongst those who have access not only to the devices needed to access it, but even the internet, or parents who understand and are willing for their children to engage with the subject matter. In the developed world, there’s almost an assumption that people have internet access. When, in fact, a large number of Alphas lack it – and what the knock-on effect will be, in the long term, remains to be seen.
And, as Dr Goetz continues, “We forget the high percentage of children who are suffering because they’re living in very difficult circumstances and can’t learn because the emotional atmosphere at home is so tense. If children are stressed and aren’t psychologically healthy, they can’t learn.”
Generation Alpha are still finding their way in the world, or even their way into it, but how they see it, react to it, and shape it will surely be unlike any generation before them. Tech is second nature, boundaries are more blurred than ever, and collaboration is at the forefront of everything. If you’re building for the long term, you can’t afford to forget about them – they may be your best customers yet.
12 Fast Company


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- The convergence of IT security and physical access control
- Cutting through the noise of false positives: Time to take back control
- Utilities ignorant of IT security despite pounding by hackers: Ponemon
- Next-gen firewalls protect crews in concert at Melbourne and Olympic Parks
- iPhone gets first free app for encrypting voice calls
mobile device management (MDM) - News, Features, and Slideshows
The enterprise’s need for control must be balanced against what users want when deciding on which smartphones to support in a choose-your-own-device (CYOD) scheme, say analysts.
It's not just Android and iOS devices that are likely to be making their way into Australian workplaces, with alternative mobile operating systems projected to gain in marketshare over the next four years.
Concerns about protecting corporate data on personal devices lead Slater & Gordon Lawyers to introduce a mobile device management (MDM) suite two years ago.
A new wave of hybrids running both Windows 8 and Android operating systems creates opportunities and challenges for the enterprise, according to Telsyte analyst Rodney Gedda.
Responding to the growing workplace trend of bring your own device (BYOD), Telstra announced it will sell white-labelled mobile device management (MDM) software by AirWatch under its name.


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Robinhood App Valued at $5.6 Billion - Now Available in 10 US States
Trading app Robinhood which started offering bitcoin and ether trading in February has attained a valuation of $5.6 billion after raising $363 million, the company has confirmed. The app is now available in 10 U.S. states.
Also read: Yahoo! Japan Confirms Entrance Into the Crypto Space
$5.6 Billion Valuation
Robinhood started out about three years ago as a simple stock trading smartphone app with no transaction fees. The company is now valued at $5.6 billion following a new financing round announced on Thursday. Robinhood confirmed that it has raised “$363 million to expand [its] product lineup.”
“Our platform has also grown significantly, reaching over four million users, cementing Robinhood Financial as the fastest-growing brokerage ever,” the company wrote, adding:
On the heels of this growth, we recently raised $363 million in capital, valuing Robinhood at $5.6 billion. The series D round of funding was led by DST Global, with participation from new investors Iconiq, Capital G, Sequoia Capital, and KPCB. Existing investors included NEA and Thrive Capital.
Robinhood announced the integration of bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) in January, with actual trading beginning on February 22. A few days after the initial announcement, over a million people had already signed up to get access to trade cryptocurrencies.
Crypto Helps Growth
According to its website, “Bitcoin and ethereum trading is now available in California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, and Wisconsin” through Robinhood Crypto.
The app caters to “the ‘millennial’ population, roughly ages 18 to 35. The demographic is often considered a challenge for traditional financial institutions to reach, and Robinhood is trying to attract the group by offering commission-free trading through an app,” CNBC described. “The company generates revenue by taking a tiny fraction of a cent per dollar from each trade order as well as collecting interest on customer deposits.”
Most of the cryptocurrencies held by Robinhood are kept in cold storage, the publication conveyed, adding that
For cryptocurrency trading, Robinhood has no investment minimums or maximums and no withdrawal limits.
Besides crypto trading and market data services for BTC and ETH, Robinhood Crypto also supports real-time market data for “bitcoin cash (BCH), bitcoin gold (BTG), dash (DASH), dogecoin (DOGE), ethereum classic (ETC), lisk (LSK), litecoin (LTC), monero (XMR), NEO (NEO), omisego (OMG), qtum (QTUM), ripple (XRP), stellar (XLM), [and] zcash (ZEC).”
“We also plan to support the ability to buy and sell other cryptocurrencies through Robinhood Crypto,” the company emphasized, clarifying that “supporting market data for individual cryptocurrencies does not necessarily mean we plan to add buying and selling.”
What do you think of the Robinhood app and its valuation? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Robinhood.
Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.


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York-based Revolution Waves Ltd has received funding from NPIF –BEF & FFE Microfinance, part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
The £25k loan will help create nine jobs, from lenders, The Business Enterprise Fund (BEF).
The soft drinks business, which is in its first year of trading, offers its health-conscious customers hydration with a zero sugar, low calorie drink. Revolution Waves Ltd approached BEF to support its continued growth after initial start-up success.
Spearheaded by a trio of sports enthusiasts and childhood friends, Phil Raikes, Charlie Simpson-Daniel, and Dan Norton (the latter two met while playing for the England Sevens), the business donates 5p from every bottle sold to NHS charities including Glasgow Children’s Hospital, Velindre Cancer Trust and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
Charlie Simpson-Daniel, managing director at Revolution Waves Ltd, said: “It’s been an incredible journey since we began trading in January, launching in Tesco, Co-Op, Turner & Price, Holroyd Howe as well as in over 40 schools around the UK. We’re thrilled consumers are responding to the message that it is possible, through our drinks range, to create a healthier you and a healthier society through our donations to NHS charities.
“Our success to date wouldn’t have been possible without BEF which has invested in making our vision of a drinks sector Revolution a reality. We have achieved excellent sales in Co-Op and have just tripled our distribution in Tesco. The funding boost will support our growth as we continue to secure contracts with major retailers across the UK.”
BEF, a social enterprise offering funding and business advice to businesses across Yorkshire and the North East, was awarded joint fund manager status for NPIF – BEF & FFE Microfinance earlier this year.
Andy Clough, investment manager at BEF, said: “This is another exciting project for BEF and it’s brilliant to be working with such a passionate team at Revolution Waves Ltd. The health-conscious market is growing rapidly as more and more people opt for healthier alternatives, so it’s a great time for the business to be capitalising on this fast-paced, expanding industry. We’re looking forward to watching their continued success in this incredibly competitive market place.”
Grant Peggie, Director at British Business Bank, said: “Revolution Waves is a great example of the type of business that the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund is designed to support.
It is the sheer hard work put in by our fund managers seeking out high-growth potential businesses, that deals like this can become a reality and we’re looking forward to seeing the further impact NPIF can bring to other smaller across the Northern Powerhouse.
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.
Photo Caption: Left to right Andy Clough, Invesment Manager at BEF with Charlie Simpson-Daniel, managing director at Revolution Waves Ltd


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UK Online Ad Spending Reaches $5.3 Billion
By: Mike Sachoff
The UK Internet advertising sector increased revenues by 4.2 percent to $5.3 billion in 2009, up from $5 billion in 2008, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Records show that since the dot com crash of 2001, Internet advertising spending registered growth every year during the decade. From $232 million in 2000 to $5.3 billion, UK online advertising has climbed 2,200 percent.
In 2009 one of the biggest gains was in paid search, which grew by 9.5 percent to reach $3.1 billion, representing 60.7 percent of all online ad spend (59.3% in 2008).
While online display saw 4.4 percent decline between 2008 and 2009, the market improved as the years went on. Between January and June 2009, display was worth $508 million, which increased to $569 million between July, and December, taking total 2009 spend to $1.07 billion, or 20 percent of the online market.
Within display, online video performed well with spending increasing 140 percent year-over-year, with pre-and post-roll advertising generating $42 million.
"In 2009 the advertising industry was hit hard but online has proved itself a winning medium, capturing a greater share of marketing budgets," said Guy Phillipson, chief executive officer of the IAB.
"In the past year we've seen some real success stories as search passed the $3 billion mark, and online video advertising experienced spectacular growth. And with sectors such as Retail and Consumer Goods increasing their spending on the Internet we can look forward to a healthier 2010."
About the Author:
Mike is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.
is an iEntry, Inc. ® publication
© All Rights Reserved.


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Cell phones used to pay for parking in Latrobe
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Latrobe city officials unveiled plans Tuesday to allow residents to pay for parking using mobile phones.
Along with representatives from the "Pay by Phone" parking service Pango Shyyny USA LLC, Latrobe officials hosted a launch ceremony Tuesday to demonstrate the use of the new parking service.
The initiative -- Pango's first in the United States -- allows smartphone users to use a mobile parking application to record and pay for parking, while regular cell phone users may access the same service by texting or calling the company.
Latrobe City Manager Alex Graziani and Pango CEO Dani Shavit said the new parking system will make parking easier for both the city and its residents.
"We're giving customers another option to pay for parking," Mr. Graziani said.
"Just like you can pay with credit card or cash at most restaurants, now you can pay for parking with either coins or through Pango. Our hope is that this technology will create another convenient way to park in Latrobe ... Five or ten years down the line, mobile parking services will likely replace metered parking."
After registering with Pango, motorists will record parking through demarcated zones, Mr. Graziani said, which will indicate where in the city they are parking and for how long they are allowed to stop.
Upon returning, motorists can stop the application or text Pango to end payment.
Aside from the 17 percent that will go to Pango, the city will receive the rest of the revenue from mobile parking payments.
To help residents adjust to the new system, Mr. Shavit said Latrobe has installed 72 street signs throughout the city notifying drivers of parking zones, pricing rates and Pango registration requirements.
In addition to benefiting drivers, Mr. Graziani and Mr. Shavit said Pango also will allow city officials to amass data on where and how people park, adding that local businesses will be able to partner with Pango to sync coupon offerings with parking locations.
As well, Mr. Shavit said that the new technology makes it easier for cities to expand parking offerings by eliminating the cost of meters.
After two years of using Pango, the city of Raanana, Israel, added 5,500 parking spaces, Mr. Shavit said, and increased its revenue fourfold.
"Pango is representative of where our town is heading, a community that embraces the best of technology," Mr. Graziani said.
"A few years ago I never thought I'd even be using a smartphone, let alone doing so much more with it."
Pango, which began five years ago in Israel and has amassed roughly 700,000 customers in Europe, now hopes to expand further in the U.S., Mr. Shavit said.
The company is currently in talks with other cities, but the company began with Latrobe because there were fewer bureaucratic hurdles in the smaller city, he said.
First Published June 7, 2012 5:02 am


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I thought yesterday was going to be all fun and games as I had the opportunity to help Nintendo of Canada conduct its Splatoon Summer tour event here in BC. I always enjoy being able to promote video games ..
I definitely wasn’t expecting to see something like this as a result of resentment towards a game announcement. It’s ..
Everyone knows I am a big Nintendo fan. As a result, I was anticipating its E3 conference the most in hopes to hear some ..
This was kind of surprising to hear where there was an announcement during the Sony Playstation E3 conference that the game ..
I had so much fun watching the Nintendo World Championship online today. It definitely got me in the mood for E3 this week. ..
Interesting piece of news I saw just now as I opened my twitter feed. Apparently Google is going to launch a new service ..
It seems like every other entertainment medium has a hall of fame of some sorts. Now, it looks like video games will be getting ..
When I heard the news that Amazon was purchasing Twitch.tv it really made me wonder what they were up to. Just recently, ..
As a gamer it is kind of hard to ignore all the stories that has popped up in recent times about the video game industry. ..
I saw this video of a Jeopardy episode the other day where it seemed like the contestants have left the category “Canadian ..
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Android Auto has been with us for years and is present in millions of cars throughout the world, with several compatible models in Spain. Google continues to improve this system for cars while working together in Android Automotive, a new system that brings the Android TV experience to the car without having to connect the mobile.
If yesterday we knew about some of the improvements that will come to Android TV, today we review some of the improvements that Google has been working on for its systems for automobiles.
Android Auto will have new settings and calendar synchronization
Google has announced small news for Android Auto, the system that is currently found in cars and that requires a connection with a smartphone. From now on it will be more capable, and Google has announced important changes.
The first of these are agreements and collaborations with various app developers and the creation of new categories, such as navigation, parking or charging of electric vehicles. These applications will use a new API that Google will open soon to more developers.
In addition to the applications, Android Auto will have a calendar and a settings application, from which we can fully customize our user experience.
Now it will be easier to create applications for Android Automotive
In addition to the changes to Android Auto, Google wants to make it easier for developers to create applications for Android Automotive, the operating system for cars that works independently.
Following the release of the Polestar 2, the first car with Android Automotive, Google has created a factory image for the Android Studio emulator, as not all developers can afford to buy a $ 60,000 car for testing on a real device.
In addition to the emulator, Google offers development guides so that anyone can adapt their applications to this new system that, although it does not yet have a large audience, is increasingly supported by more car manufacturers.


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Developers receive Windows 8 tablets; Windows 8 DP build coming
As the Intel Developer Forum chugs along in San Francisco, Microsoft is hosting the Build developer conference in Anaheim, a few hundred miles south. The...
Saturday science subject: Pluto's surface
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8/13/2002 - Agilent Technologies is shipping more than 1 million of its FBAR (film bulk acoustic resonator) duplexers per month. Agilent shipped 1.4 million of the devices in July 2002, and has orders for more than a million per month going forward. The breakthrough communications component, which is 50 to 80 percent smaller than traditional ceramic duplexers, allows for simultaneous two-way voice and data transmission in wireless products, and enables wireless phone manufacturers to design smaller, trimmer handsets, or add new features without impacting the size of the handset.
Six top CDMA (code division multiple access) handset manufacturers have all designed Agilent FBAR products into their next-generation PCS (personal communications service) band phones, with three added in the past two months. The FBAR duplexers have been designed into more than 35 mobile terminal platforms. Agilent has increased capacity each of the past nine months, exceeding customer demand during that period. Agilent continues to increase manufacturing and is now putting in place capacity to serve 75 percent of U.S. demand for CDMA duplexers by year end.
Based on recent data from IMS, a U.K. market research firm, Agilent's current shipping rate of 1 million PCS-band FBAR duplexers per month corresponds to more than 25 percent of the CDMA cellular phone market in the U.S. this year.
"We are very pleased at passing the 1 million per month shipping milestone. FBAR now has more than 25 percent of the US PCS-band market share in its first year of introduction, a clear indication of the strong acceptance of our breakthrough FBAR duplexer product," said Bryan Ingram, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Wireless Semiconductor Division. "Our size advantage coupled with superior technical specifications has been favorably received by industry leaders. We continue to increase production in order to satisfy 100 percent of worldwide demand for these duplexers."
Agilent's miniature HPMD-7904 FBAR duplexers measure only 5.6 mm by 11.9 mm by 2 mm and have a 50 to 80 percent smaller footprint than conventional ceramic duplexers. Their breakthrough size has enabled the design of ultra-slim cell phones and the rollout of 1xRTT data card products for 3G networks in the United States. FBAR duplexers also provide better power handling, insertion loss, and selectivity characteristics than today's competing technologies.
About Agilent Technologies (www.agilent.com)
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics and life sciences. The company's 37,000 employees serve customers in more than 120 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $8.4 billion in fiscal year 2001.
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December 28, 2021 – Ready Player Me, an avatar platform for the metaverse that allows users to explore virtual worlds with one consistent identity, has today announced a Series A funding round of USD $13 million to expand its team across the globe. The round was supported by investors including Taavet+Sten, a firm led by Taavet Hinrikus, the co-founder of fintech company Wise (formerly TransferWise), and Sten Tamkivi, Teleport co-founder.
Ready Player Me describes its platform as “a connective passport for the metaverse”, offering technology that bridges a network of thousands of worlds by giving consumers an avatar they can use not only in one world, but to travel across many virtual platforms.
The company sated that the funding will be used to continue global growth and establish Ready Player Me’s presence as the default avatar system for the metaverse. In the months to come, avatars will also be usable in even more virtual worlds than the 900 supported today, according to the company. Ready Player Me is also investing into building out monetization tools to help game developers make money by selling NFT’s and in-game avatar customization assets, which is a proven monetization model in the gaming industry.
The inter-world capabilities of the Ready Player Me technology is of notable significance for both NFT’s and virtual fashion. The company believes that the ability for NFT wearables to be usable across the metaverse will in-turn have a direct impact on value, which will ultimately present an opportunity for NFT creators and fashion companies. With this new funding, Ready Player Me stated that it recognizes the growth of its business could open doors for many, and could contribute to the creation of a metaverse economy.
“2021 has been a breakout year for Ready Player Me – our avatar platform adoption has grown from 25 to 900 companies. By giving people avatars that travel across virtual worlds, we can make the metaverse more connected. The metaverse is not one place or platform, it’s a network of thousands of experiences,” said Ready Player Me, CEO Timmu Tõke. “With the funding, we will scale our partner network further and will build out monetization tools for developers to help them make money with avatar customization assets and NFT’s. Our goal is to become the default system for the metaverse.”
To date, Ready Player Me’s avatar system is used by 900+ companies including VRChat, Somnium Space, Verizon, and Hiberworld. The avatar platform has also partnered with popular brands such as Warner Brothers, Dior, and New Balance. Most recently, Ready Player Me partnered with electronic music producer Deadmau5, music metaverse platform Pixelynx, and artist Smearballs to bring the Head5 NFT collection to the platform.
Other investors in the round included Tom Preston-Werner, the co-founder of GitHub, VC firms, Konvoy Ventures, Nordic Ninja, and Samsung Next Ventures, Tiny VC, Kamerra, Stefano Corazza, the head of augmented reality at Adobe and founder of Mixamo, SomniumSpace and many more.
For more information on Ready Player Me and its avatar platform for virtual reality and the metaverse, please visit the company’s website.
Image credit: Ready Player Me
About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.


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Dark spells doom for girls hoping to meet soulmates on match-making sites.
In a society obsessed with 'white skin', especially in the Sub-continent, of which UAE expatriates from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, form the majority, fairness is still the benchmark for beauty.
This dark obsession with a fair complexion has given rise to the 'Dark is Beautiful' campaign in India, of which actress Nandita Das, is the face.
'Dark is Beautiful' campaign seeks to draw attention to the unjust effects of skin colour bias and also celebrates the beauty and diversity of all skin tones.
Now the campaign has called out Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone to embrace her skin colour.
In a Facebook post, the campaign questioned the industry-need for fair skin through two different skin tones used on the actress’ picture.
The post read, "We could not help but notice this glaring change over the years in Deepika Padukone's skin tone. While we applaud Deepika Padukone for lending her support to 'More than sad' a mental health awareness initiative, we would love her to be comfortable in her own skin!"
Deepika's foundation 'Live Love Laugh Foundation' recently started a campaign called 'You Are Not Alone' to help high school students and teachers to deal with stress, anxiety and depression.
The Dark is Beautiful campaign pointed this out while saying, "At a recent DISB college campaign, a well-renowned film actor/director said 'It’s the viewers who want fair skinned women on the silver screen. We are just giving them what they want.'
Padukone, along with being a successful Bollywood actress, is also brand ambassador of products including fairness cream Neutrogena.
Nandita earlier spoke to AFP and said, "Magazines, TV, cinema -- everywhere being fair is synonymous with being beautiful."
Described as having 'dusky' skin as opposed to a fair complexion, the actress is well used to Indian preoccupations with colour, and not just in the film industry, where she has refused requests to lighten her skin for roles.
"How can you be so confident despite being so dark?" is a question regularly asked of Das, who has preferred to star in unconventional, issue-based films but says she would struggle to get ahead in mainstream Bollywood movies.
Das found her own photograph had been lightened by a newspaper even for a feature on the campaign. When looking for a nanny, she was told one candidate was 'good, but quite dark'.
Amid such pressures to be pale, India's whitening cream market swelled from $397 million in 2008 to $638 million over four years, according to market researchers at Euromonitor International.
Skin-lightening products accounted for 84 percent of the country's facial moisturiser market last year, their report shows.
A commercial for an 'intimate wash' to whiten vaginas emerged, showing a young Indian woman who uses the product to successfully regain her boyfriend's attention.
The advert was widely panned, but a glance through matrimonial websites and newspaper columns suggests that fair skin, at least on a woman's face, remains key to attaining an Indian husband.
Aspiring grooms often state in their adverts their preference for a fair bride, while nearly all women's profiles describe their complexion as fair or so-called 'wheatish'.
Ekta Ghosh, a fashion designer in Mumbai who specialises in wedding wear, said the message that only fair is beautiful had been passed down to Indian girls for generations.
India's mass market whitening pioneer was ‘Fair & Lovely’, launched in 1975 by Hindustan Unilever and now selling in a range of other countries where pale skin is desirable, across Africa and the Middle East as well as Asia.
Indian consumer group Emami later came up with ‘Fair and Teen’ for girls and ‘Fair and Handsome’ for men.
Promoted by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the latest advert shows him tossing a tube of the cream from the red carpet to a young male fan.
While men's fairness products are gaining ground, the actress says women and girls still face far more pressure over their skin tone, which she puts down to a general lack of respect and inequality.
Das says, "Until we let women have the same space as men and treat them as human beings, all this will carry on."


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22. oktober 2018
MobilePay to enter 1,200 K Group stores making 2019 a breakthrough year for mobile payments
K Group and MobilePay have agreed on a partnership that will enable the mobile payment application MobilePay to enter the 1,200 K Group's stores during 2019. According to a study among K Group customers, customers are clearly interested in mobile payment, although few have tried it yet at the checkout store.
2019 will be a breakthrough year for mobile payments
"We believe that 2019 will be a breakthrough year for mobile payments in physical stores , as K Group will begin to offer the opportunity in our food stores. According to our research, nearly every second customer of K Group will try to pay by mobile at a checkout store in the coming year if they get the opportunity, "says K Group’s Chief Digital Officer Anni Ronkainen.
MobilePay will in the first phase be introduced during 2019 in around 1,200 K-food stores. Later it is planned to become a payment option for other K Group stores as well. Online MobilePay is already in use at Hehku's online store and during this autumn it can also be used for online shopping in Intersport and Budgetsport.
"We are constantly looking for new ways to make the life of our customers easier. Here, digital services have a key role to play. We are building a future where digital and physical trade complement each other seamlessly. MobilePay in K-food stores is a good example, because it is fast and safe to use. Purchases can be paid by swiping the phone screen, even when packaging the goods. And Plussa benefits are automatically registered," Ronkainen says.
Every third customer is highly or fairly interested in mobile payment
Mobile payment has increased its popularity in Finland within the last year. For example, MobilePay made almost 6.3 million transactions during the first nine months of this year, compared with 3.8 million the last full year.
"We believe the growth will continue to be strong this year and next year. Being the largest trade network in Finland, K Group plays an important role here. The cooperation with K Group is a great match since customer-driven digital thinking is the basis for all activities in both companies, "says Anniina Heinonen, Managing Director of MobilePay Finland.
The research conducted among K Group customers confirms that Finns have an interest in mobile payment.
"At the moment, only 10% of the respondents have experimented with mobile payment at the cashier's in stores, but more than every third respondent, 35%, is either very or fairly interested in using mobile payment in the future. That is why we are delighted to offer this new opportunity in our thousands of grocery stores by next fall," Ronkainen sums up.


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Comcast is slated to acquire Time Warner Cable in what would be a merger of the two largest cable operators in the United States, according to sources that spoke with The Wall Street Journal. The acquisition is said to be taking place for $45 billion, all in stock, and would ensure Comcast's continued dominance in the industry.
Lenovo's Q3 (October to December) financial report is in, and with it comes a slew of milestones for the company, as well as increases in quarterly revenue and record shipment numbers. Among it all came a warning, however, that the company's recent acquisitions -- most notably the Motorola acquisition -- will cause a short term hit to the company's future performance.
Google announced the Nest Labs acquisition back in mid-January. The purchase price was set at $3.2 billion in cash, and as we learned, the Nest team would be welcomed into the Google family. But while the acquisition was announced, and some plans were specified, there was also the standard line about the "customary closing conditions."
It may come as a sad news to many fans of the brand but rumors of Sony selling its PC has just been confirmed. It has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) to sell the company's PC-related assets, which both companies hope to complete by July this year.
Late last year, Twitter was on the receiving end of a letter from IBM claiming the microblogging website was infringing on three of its vast trove of patents. IBM proposed an amicable "business resolution" to the budding legal dispute -- teaspoon of honey and all that -- and it seems such a resolution has been struck, with Twitter acquiring more than 900 of the company's patents.
In the quarter of the year that ended on the 29th of December, 2013 - the financial quarter, that is - Qualcomm reported this week that they'd pulled in record numbers. Record quarterly revenues, MSM chip shipments, and device sales reported by licensees, each of them higher than Qualcomm had ever seen for this particular quarter any year previous. This stacks up well with a quarterly revenue of $6.62 billion USD - that's up 2% compared to the quarter before this one and up 10% year-over-year.
Today it would appear that a rather unforeseen set of events has led Lenovo to be appearing to purchase Motorola Mobility from Google. This sort of buy would be a major one - larger perhaps, even, than the news in 2011 that Google was purchasing Motorola in the first place. The deal is said to be worth between $2- and $3-billion USD and is being tipped now by multiple independent sources.
UPDATE: It's official.
Today Microsoft announced that they'd be buying the Gears of War franchise, moving it to their own developer studios for further work on their own platforms from here on out. Lead designer Cliff Bleszinski, of the first three titles in the franchise, spoke up this afternoon on his experience with this purchase, made all the more interesting due to the fact that he hasn't worked with the games since the release of Gears of War 3.


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Tax experts have issued a warning to those using their homes for income, saying the Australian Tax Office has them in its sights. They are warning users of share services to be diligent in claiming rental income and not to claim false expenses.
Accounting firms have flagged property as the next target for the Australian Tax Office, following an education campaign by the ATO educating taxpayers about the implications of renting out a property.
The series of videos released last May highlighted informal accommodation website Airbnb specifically as an income revenue, targeting a growing number of the site's users across the country.
H & R Block Tax Communications Director Mark Chapman told SBS the educational campaign would soon be followed by more stringent audits on property income.
"What usually happens when the ATO puts out that kind of announcement, telling people how to treat certain things, they will normally follow that up with a compliance campaign," he said.
Next month, a report will be released from the Senate Inquiry into major players of the share economy such as Airbnb and Uber.
"It's not just a few people not declaring five thousand, it's thousands of people not declaring more than 10 thousand dollars."
University of Technology, Sydney tax avoidance expert Professor Roman Lanis told SBS there are thousands of people dodging tax - whether they were aware they were doing so or not.
"It's not just a few people not declaring five thousand, it's thousands of people not declaring more than 10 thousand dollars," he said.
However, accountants stress those who think can claim ignorance may receive an unpleasant surprise.
In January 2016, 1.8 million Australians owned an investment property according to the Australian Government.
As well as users of guest sharing sites, landlords lodging false expense claims is also on auditors' radar.
Among the items property owners can claim is damage to furniture used in a rented room, commercial cleaning of a rented area, food made available to a guest, professional photography for a listing, service fees and commissions charged by a share service.
“We encourage our hosts to comply with all Australian tax laws and pay all required taxes," Airbnb Australia spokesperson Dylan Smith said.
"Airbnb hosts earn an average income of just $7,100 renting out their homes occasionally to get extra income to pay down bills and pay off home loans. And while that doesn't sound like a lot of money to some, we know that supplemental income can often be life changing to many,”


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Google's founders were ready to sell to Excite for under $1 million in 1999. Excite turned them down.
This week's new comics include a comic about a meme that causes the end of the world. Plus, Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Has this ever actually happened?
Walt Disney has got mommy issues


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Your gut health is intrinsically linked to your overall physical and mental well-being, doctors say. The American Gastroenterological Association reckons that 60-70 million Americans have gastrointestinal diseases and these have the potential to disrupt their daily lives.
But solutions are available in Ayurveda and traditional Indian practices given the ready availability of inexpensive superfoods here—from Ashwagandha (Indian ginseng) and Moringa to Tulsi (Holy basil) and Lion’s Mane Mushroom.
Akash Shah (27) and Akash Dhoot (26), co-founders of Better Alt, are on a mission to take these desi superfoods global by combining them into blends and supplements that aid digestion, help increase immunity, and serve as brain boosters.
“Better Alt’s mission is to help people improve the performance of their minds and bodies through ancient Indian alternatives. We believe that sustainable wellness and nutrition have become very complicated; we need to go back to being simple and clean,” Shah tells About Amazon.
In just two years of operations, the Mumbai-based startup has made inroads into the United States market. During the 2022 edition of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale (BFCM) on Amazon’s global websites between November 24 and 28, Better Alt’s parent company Azuretale recorded a 3.5x rise in sales.
Deeply personal missions
Better Alt’s journey officially started in 2021, but the seeds were planted when the co-founders became friends five years ago. “The first time we met, we both introduced ourselves saying, ‘Hi, I’m Akash’,” quips Shah. The founders’ personal journeys shaped their quest for alternative foods. Dhoot is an Ironman triathlon athlete but has an aversion to eggs for protein intake. Shah comes from a family of vegetarians who have relied on locally-sourced food for improving health over generations.
When customer feedback is priceless
Customer feedback is a gift for young brands such as Better Alt. “We've read multiple reviews of people seeing improvement in their blood pressure levels after consuming our beetroot powder,” says Shah. He also talks about specific feedback in the early days that helped improve packaging for their bestselling Super Green Blend, a mix of 15 superfoods. The anti-bloating supplement didn’t initially come with a scoop but that changed after a customer’s feedback. Initially, the scoop was buried inside the blend, making it difficult for customers to discover, but the placement was modified following a customer’s review. These were instances of great learning and helped the startup’s 10-member team appreciate the detailing needed to shape every product, besides the importance of constantly listening to customer pain points. “Amazon has really played a big role in opening up communication between brands and customers. You can work quickly on what the customer demands,” Shah says.
Selling to the world with Amazon
Better Alt and hundreds of other startups have benefited from Amazon Global Selling, a flagship program that helps lower the entry barrier for Indian small businesses to start or expand their exports business using e-commerce. The program was launched in 2015. to support Indian exporters to reach customers worldwide through Amazon’s international websites and marketplaces. Today there are over 1 lakh exporters across India on the program, showcasing millions of Made in India products to customers in over 200 countries and territories across the world. “Amazon’s Global Selling program has made things simple with respect to regulation and taxation, as the marketplace facilitator model takes care of everything,” Shah says.
Buoyed by the BFCM sale in the last year, Better Alt has plans to work with distributors and retailers to expand its presence in the US. Its Coffee Gift Box was popular with American customers during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“It felt really nice that people were gifting our products on such happy occasions,” Dhoot said. Going forward, the company also plans to start exporting to Australia and Canada.
On the product side, team Better Alt is researching on blends that solve for sleep-related issues and help reduce stress and anxiety. “Our blend will have ingredients such as Ashwagandha and parts of the Arjuna plant, which a lot of people in the US do not know about. You can consume it before bed time and get a sound night’s sleep,” said Dhoot. The US National Institutes of Health estimates that 7% to 19% of adults reportedly do not get enough sleep, 40% reportedly fall asleep during the day at least once a month, and 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic sleep disorders.


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New Enterprise Associates, others invest $30M in Groupon
- Tierney Plumb
- Staff Reporter
Groupon, a year-old social commerce service, has raised a $30 million round of venture capital led by Accel Partners with participation from New Enterprise Associates.
New Enterprise Associates, which has offices in Chevy Chase and Baltimore, was the Chicago-based company’s initial investor.
The money will be used to speed up Groupon’s customer acquisition, expand into new geographies and continue to develop its technology. Groupon gives customers discounts on local businesses -- from restaurants to spas -- in 26 major cities across the U.S., including D.C., and has plans to be in 30 cities by the end of the year. To date, customers have bought more than 800,000 “Groupons.”
New Enterprise Associates, an active investor in early-stage companies, recently led a $16 million investment in Baltimore-based Millennial Media and invested $5 million in Clifton Park, N.Y.-based Apprenda Inc.
Florida Opportunity Fund, a state-backed economic development partnership, recently invested $4 million in the Maryland venture capital firm.
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Awhile back there was a little rumor going around that Sony was developing an Android tablet codenamed the 'S1'. After that initial rumor hit the internet, all went quiet, until now. Sony has confirmed they are working on an Android Tablet that will be available by the end Summer. Granted, as of late, lot of people miss the initial release dates.
It has been awhile since we had a really good rumor going around and why not on April Fools day, of all days, to have one come to light. Kyocera, the people who manufactured the slightly odd dual-screen Android phone called the Echo, are apparently developing a 'gaming tablet' for Android now. Mr. Blurry Cam got involved.
Samsung just got finished with their Unpacked event over at CTIA and have announced two new tablets coming our way very soon, summer in fact. The Galaxy Tablet 8.9 and the Galaxy Tablet 10.1 will be heading into our hands this summer with some seriously good pricing to top it all off. Oh, did we mention they are dual-core?
Earlier this year during CES 2011 we got to get a little up close and personal with the upcoming Toshiba dual-core Android tablet. This was also one of our top choices back then for Tegra 2 Android tablets and it still is to this day. Between the look, the nice back grip and just overall hardware, it is definitely a solid tablet.
Well as you may or may not have realized by now, the Motorola XOOM is now available for purchase. While you have to drop some heavy cash to get one, especially off contract for $799 and even on contract at $599, the fine folks over at XDA have discovered a way to save yourself $200 off the no contract pricing!
With all the companies getting into the Android tablet game these days, we are definitely not surprised to find out that information has been leaked out regarding an Android tablet that Sony (not Sony Ericsson) is developing. So far the specs are pretty impressive and as with all things Sony, the design is rather unique.
HTC announced their upcoming Android tablet, the HTC Flyer, at MWC today and it was sporting some pretty decent specs while others left you wondering "why?". The HTC Flyer is also their first Android device sporting the OnLive cloud gaming service which is no surprise after their $40 million invest into the company.
Honestly, we like the way things are going when it comes to promo videos these days, especially when it comes to tablets or unique Android devices like the Xperia Play which just recently featured it's rather twisted sweatshop-style surgery commercial showing the poor Android robot getting some thumbs.
One of the Android tablets that really stood out in the swarm that happen to be there at CES 2011 was the 10.1" Toshiba Android tablet. This particular tablet featured a Tegra 2 chip by nVidia, a nice big screen, 2 cameras, 3 ports and some really nice grip on the back which you can choose in 5 colors.
Not a lot of people have heard of ASRock or Pegatron, unless you are deep into the PC gaming scene, so hearing about two Android tablets coming from a motherboard manufacturer might not just tickle your fancy all that much. However, Pegatron is an OEM division of Asus and ASRock motherboards have been sponsored by Fatal1ty.
Tablets are apparently the next big thing and so far have demonstrated themselves to be fantastic mobile gaming platforms. Manufacturers are racing to compete with Apple's iPad making use of Google's mobile OS to bring dozens of quality products, and hundreds of not-so-great products to market. Here are just a few tablets we expect this week and next at CES.
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Data & Data Analytics
Former Uber, Facebook security chief joins Cloudflare
Joe Sullivan, the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) at both Facebook and Uber has been appointed as the new CSO at San Francisco-based internet securi...
Cloud & Cybersecurity
Study: 98% of firms think a CSO would improve cybersecurity
Kaspersky research finds overwhelming support for the role of chief sustainability officer, but little real-world implementation of the position...
David Fairman, CSO APAC for Netskope, discusses the company’s powerful, cloud-native cybersecurity solutions...
Web Summit 2019: Google accelerates sustainability startups
At Web Summit 2019, Google CSO Kate Brandt unveiled the company’s latest initiative aimed at driving the realisation of the UN Su...
Equifax CEO leaves after massive data breach affects 143 million people
Credit reporting company Equifax has seen three top executives leave the company in the past two weeks, with CSO Susan Mauldin and CIO David Webb both r...


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TwoNav announces that its operating software TwoNav Symbian has been discontinued.
Several reasons led to withdraw of this product:
- Finnish phone company Nokia announced the end of this operating system for their own devices.
- TwoNav Symbian represents a high inconsistency in their development environment.
- Programming difficulties to allow different performances for each and every device model.
TwoNav has decided to focus all its efforts on Apple, Android and Windows Mobile applications. Having in mind the users who may be affected by this decision, licenses being used for TwoNav Symbian may be used on current platforms.
Sooner, TwoNav will be giving further details.
Thank you very much for your comprehension,


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The pandemic changed the way business was done for everyone. Even eCommerce stores found themselves having to adapt, both to supply chain differences and a different way of doing business, along with a much higher consumer demand. The result was a bit rocky to begin with but resulted in stunning numbers that today are shocking even the most studied market pros.
Even despite the job loss, the layoffs, mass closures, and other financial devastation, eCommerce sales hit $26.7 trillion and are still on the rise. So, how have companies managed to stay on top amid the rapidly sinking ship of an unstable and unreliable economy? There are several strategies at play here, and every company will tell you their own tale of how they got through the toughest times, but the main focus is on two key elements:
Moreover, the pandemic taught us that business is not about who has the best idea; or who even has the most money for marketing. Instead, this pandemic showed that business is about who can deliver in the face of adversity! Who can stand up and roll with the punches? Or who can sit down and take a hit and even make a swinging come-back?
Brands that can adapt to any unfortunate event while taking an agile approach to improvement are going to be successful; even outside of the pandemic. Moreover, flexibility is often what separates the success of the brands that had to close their doors.
Pandemic Interruptions to Supply Chain and Other Factors
Bear in mind that, in this article, we are referring to the businesses that did not have favorable odds; or that had to experience any extreme effects of the COVID-19 shutdown.
There were many businesses and online stores that were forced out by many conflicts. From supply chain issues to the inability to ship orders. In addition, receiving stock, or a lack of income due to slow business also made an impact.
Almost every business saw a downturn during the pandemic. Profits fell at first as the world became very uncertain. Nonetheless, as more time went on, the more brands learned to adapt and started to recover those profits. Also, the help of government stimulus funds and loan programs helped many businesses. However, there were a ton of factors at play; which is what makes it such a tricky road to navigate for some.
Small businesses especially suffered as a result of the pandemic. Businesses that were already working with limited resources were pushed further to the edge as people dialed back their niche shopping; while shoppers shifted their focus to buying essentials. In this vein, some brands thrived because they did have the essentials that people sought—paper products, cleaning supplies, masks—all of the items that were in high demand saw good business throughout the pandemic.
Adapt to Your Audience
The most successful online retailers in the pandemic were the ones that were able to see the changing needs of their shoppers; as well as and respond in a timely manner.
If your store were able to adapt to the new way of online shopping, your chances were better. Nonetheless, analytics aren’t showing a lot of results just yet, but you can nearly guarantee that when you adapt to your audience and their behavior, you’ll be able to continue to thrive as many brands did throughout the pandemics.
Take Advantage of the Market Craze
Even though people are short on cash these days, in general, some people are in a better place than before. They’re spending less on commuting and going out, so they’ve got more disposable income and they are looking to spend, spend, spend. Take advantage of this and make sure that you embrace it for all that it’s worth.
This could be a great time to test new products, test new ad markets, and even engage with your existing customer base to see what they want and what they perceive as the future of eCommerce. The best way to do this is through the use of social media, which can help you connect with people in a forum that works for them.
Brands will tell you that even in the worst of times if you’re agile enough to deliver something that people want, you’ll find the buyers coming in droves.
Use the Downtime Wisely
Taking the time during the pandemic to improve the business was on a lot of agendas. Several companies went out of their way to plan renovations at the last minute or move up projects so that they could handle things while business was slow, creating a win-win. This allows them to use organically low-traffic times to do things throughout the business and then be on point when there are a lot of customers who need their assistance.
In the vein of being adaptable and agile, now is a great time to update your website, improve your SEO, revamp your landing pages, and come up with changes that will design a better user experience and help you deliver the next level of online solutions as we go into the future uncertain about where it will take us, but certain that online shopping has become the norm.
Use Resources Wisely, Too
In being adaptable, many brands have started looking for a better way to deliver their service to their audience. In this, people are finding that they can connect with 3PL providers to handle all of the logistics and shipping for their ecommerce store. This helps cut down on overhead and operating costs, avoids the hassles of dealing with shippers directly, and allows everyone to have a better experience.
A third-party logistics provider will be able to walk you through the entire process from start to finish and take care of everything from picking, packing, and inventory management to shipping, returns, and more. It’ll cut your logistics costs significantly, and save you a lot of time and hassle. While 3PL might not guarantee that your business stays afloat, it will definitely improve your odds by slashing your budget and your to-do list.


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JSE-listed Hulamin expects to report a 55% decrease in earnings a share and headline earnings a share to 25c for the six months ended June 30.
The company said in a statement on Friday that its profits had been impacted on by the performance of the rand against the dollar and the euro, as conversion prices of Hulamin’s rolled products were principally foreign-denominated.
“Metal price lag has also had an impact. Hulamin reduced the impact of this lag on profit and loss by 50%, by way of its hedging programme,” the statement said.
The stronger average level of the rand in the four months to April 30, relative to the comparative period of the prior year, has had a negative effect on Hulamin's profit before metal price lag, amounting to about R87-million.
In addition, the fall in the rand aluminium price, driven by the appreciable strengthening of the rand, has resulted in an adverse metal price lag of R100-million over the four months to date.
Conversely, a positive metal price lag of R78-million was recorded in the six months ended June 30, 2017.
The rand aluminium price has risen since April 2018, but remains volatile.
Hulamin’s interim results are expected to be released on or about July 30.


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MultiChoice Africa Accelerator
Johannesburg, Nov. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — November 2022 — Following the success of the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Program, which last year secured $16 million (USD) in funding for six emerging businesses, the program has expanded to eight more. Countries across Africa.
Many more small businesses in Africa’s technology sector now have the opportunity to benefit from the 2023 programme, which provides the skills and opportunities needed to attract transformative business finance.
“We are really excited to expand the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Program to more African countries,” said Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO, announcing the launch. “It is part of our long-term commitment to grow and multiply Africa’s technology potential, which is critical to our future growth.”
The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Program, which was launched during Global Entrepreneurship Week, targets start-ups and small businesses established in specific technology sectors: health tech, agritech, fintech, edutech, circular economy and creative industries.
“There is tremendous business talent across Africa,” said Mawela. “MultiChoice Africa Accelerator is an opportunity for investors and small businesses to multiply the impact of this talent and scale in Africa.”
Starting in South Africa in 2021, the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator is expanding to Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Angola and Ethiopia. The initiative equips budding entrepreneurs to secure funding and scale up their businesses, and also offers opportunities to pitch to international investors.
The President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has previously stated that “the private sector is Africa’s growth accelerator,” and many African nations have supported small business development as part of their economic strategy. The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator aligns with these development goals.
The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Program is an initiative of the MultiChoice Innovation Fund, in partnership with Dubai-based business incubator Companies Creating Change (C3), which gives entrepreneurs access to tools, skills and financial support to grow their business. MultiChoice has also partnered with EOH, a technology services company, and will bring their expertise to the table, particularly in terms of technology consulting, development sprints and technical support.
In the first phase of the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Program, each country’s public and private sector partners nominate businesses or entrepreneurs for the program. From there, 29 startups embark on an intensive virtual training course. The initiative is aimed at established businesses that are already operating and want to expand by attracting more investment.
“Start-up founders learn everything from properly researching your business sector and your market, to how to create a niche for your business,” says Boitumelo Monageng, one of last year’s Swypa finalists. “We were encouraged to go deeper in the workshops and I realized that we have the potential to compete on a much larger scale”.
The virtual training course takes place over several weeks, teaching start-up owners media skills, how to best market their businesses to investors, how to create compelling business plans and what investors are looking for.
Later, the entrepreneurs will meet in a final event where 11 startups will be selected for the final pitch stage. They will attend a dedicated C3 boot camp to learn how to pitch their story to international investors and be “pitch ready” before big presentations.
“We believe that SMEs in the technology, sustainability and creative sectors will be fundamental to the next phase of Africa’s growth,” says Mawela. “The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator is dedicated to finding the most promising start-ups and empowering them to play this critical role.”
CONTACT: Elizabeth Ferreira MultiChoice Group Ltd 0834825241 [email protected]


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States like Nevada and Florida that depend heavily on tourism will be hit hardest by coronavirus-related job losses this year while rural states will be most insulated, according to an analysis by IHS Markit.
“All 50 states will experience declines” in employment, says IHS regional economist Karl Kuykendall. But, he added, “States that rely a lot on travel are going to be hit particularly hard.”
Midwest manufacturing strongholds will also be hammered as consumer demand for cars and other products wilts and some factories remain closed to contain the spread of the pandemic, he says. States that experience higher infection rates could lag as more residents continue to hunker down at home.
IHS projected the percentage drop in employment for each state in 2020 rather than total job losses, which are likely to be higher in more populous states. The forecast accounts for a plunge as the outbreak keeps restaurants, stores and other businesses shuttered until late spring or early summer and a then gradual rebound the rest of the year as most merchants reopen. Yet IHS’s forecast still leaves payrolls at the end of the 2020 below their levels a year earlier in every state.
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More layoffs:Unemployment claims for last week could shatter record amid millions of new layoffs
The Labor Department on Thursday is expected to report 3.5 million initial applications for unemployment benefits last week after tallying a record 3.3 million the prior week. Such claims represent the most accurate barometer of layoffs across the country and include breakdowns for each state.
The drops in employment that IHS is forecasting, however, include layoffs as well as reduced hiring and reflect the reality that job cuts may pick up steam in some states over the next couple of months and slow in others.
Sharpest projected COVID-19 job loss
Here are the five states with the sharpest projected declines in employment this year, according to IHS:
Estimated employment decline: 9.8%.
Payrolls in leisure and hospitality make up a quarter of all jobs, more than twice the U.S. average, IHS says. Nevada casino-hotels, including those in Las Vegas, are closed. Many Americans, fearful of being infected on airplanes, have shunned flying and could do so for some time even after they resume other activities.
Estimated employment decline: 7.9%.
The Sunshine State similarly depends on worldwide tourist attractions such as its beaches and Disney World. The state also could be hit by an outsize share of coronavirus cases because of its large population of older residents, holding down consumer spending longer and slowing the rehiring of restaurant, retail and other workers, Kuykendall says.
Estimated employment decline: 7.5%.
Despite the steel industry’s decline, manufacturing still makes up 9.3% of payrolls, 10% more than the U.S. average. Also, close ties with New York City leave Philadelphia vulnerable to contagion effects from that epicenter of the outbreak, Kuykendall says.
Estimated employment decline: 7.3%.
Manufacturing, highlighted by BMW’s plant in Spartanburg and Boeing’s assembly plant in North Charleston, accounts for 11.7% of employment, nearly 40% more than the U.S. average. The state also depends on the tourism in popular destinations such as Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.
Estimated employment decline: 7.2%.
The big automakers have mostly shut down their U.S. plants to avoid virus contagion. Manufacturing accounts for 14.3% of employment, nearly 70% more than the U.S.average.
Lowest projected COVID-19 job drops
Here are the five states with the projected lowest drops in employment in 2020:
Estimated decline in employment: 3.5%.
Like other rural states, its sparse population reduces residents’ risks of contracting the virus, allowing for more consumer spending during the outbreak and a faster recovery, Kuykendall says. And its share of leisure and hospitality jobs is 3% lower than the U.S. average.
Estimated employment decline: 3.8%.
Another rural state with lower health risks, its share of tourism jobs is 18% below the national average. And its portion of finance and insurance jobs, which can be done remotely and are generally less affected by the outbreak, is 28% higher than average. Farms are largely shielded from the effects of the virus, Kuykendall says, and demand for food and groceries has increased during the outbreak
Estimated employment decline: 4.4%.
Another rural state with a heavy reliance on the still-robust agricultural sector and relatively few leisure and hospitality workers. The state has a surprisingly high share of manufacturers but General Mills, Tysons Foods, Deere & Co., and other factories have remained open.
Estimated employment decline: 4.7%.
The largely rural state’s share of federal government workers is more than double the U.S. average, helping protect the state from layoffs as the government ramps up spending to combat the economic effects of the virus.
Renters squeezed:What happens if you can’t pay rent on April 1 because coronavirus forced you out of work?
Estimated employment decline: 4.8%.
Like Alaska, the rural state has an unusually high share of federal workers, including FBI employees, who aren’t affected by the virus.


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It May Be Prilosec Time For Andrxby
For a little-known pharmaceutical house, Andrx (ADRX) has attracted a lot of big-name investors, including Janus Capital, with an 8% stake; TCW Group, with 5%; and Fidelity Management, with 3.4%. "Andrx has exciting products that target huge markets," says Merrill Lynch analyst Gregory Gilbert. Andrx formulates controlled-release oral medicines, including generic versions of brand-name products such as Prilosec, the largest-selling drug, with sales topping $4 billion in 2000. Prilosec treats stomach ulcers and heartburn.
"Andrx' generic Prilosec is what will drive its stock," argues Gilbert, who says Andrx' revenues could triple or even quadruple in just a year after launching its generic Prilosec. The stock has been volatile, swinging from 70 in August to 95 in September. It's currently at 68. One reason for the zigzagging: AstraZeneca, which owns Prilosec, has filed a patent-infringement suit against Andrx, which is now pending in court. "The lawsuit gives the stock a high-risk, high-reward aspect, but the Street is betting that Andrx will win," says Gilbert. If all goes well at Andrx, he says, generic Prilosec will be launched in April, 2002, "and we could see the stock hitting 100." He figures generic Prilosec alone will produce sales of $362 million in 2002.
Analyst Andrew Forman at UBS Warburg sees Andrx earning $1.26 a share on sales of $678 million in 2001, and $4 on sales of $1.2 billion in 2002, including generic Prilosec sales. His target for the stock: 120 in 12 months.


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Verasity announces that its native ecosystem token, $VRA, is now listed on one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges, Crypto.com. With this listing, $VRA is now traded on five of the top 10 cryptocurrency exchanges worldwide according to CoinGecko; including Crypto.com, Huobi, OKX, KuCoin, and Gate.io—representing a combined daily trading volume of some $13 billion.
One of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges by both trading volume and users, Crypto.com have developed a hugely popular cryptocurrency exchange app based in Singapore. Founded in 2016, the Crypto.com app has over 10 million users at the time of writing.
Crypto.com provides direct fiat off-ramps for users worldwide, through their exclusive crypto-enabled Visa debit cards, providing an avenue for $VRA holders to use their funds for real-world purchases. This represents one of the first times that $VRA can be used in real-world transactions through a crypto-enabled debit card.
R J Mark, CEO of Verasity, says:
“Once again, we prove that we are relentlessly pursuing real-world adoption for $VRA and integration with the leading exchanges and service providers in the blockchain industry. We are pleased to have passed Crypto.com’s exacting due diligence standards, and we are looking forward to welcoming a new wave of $VRA supporters who join us from the Crypto.com community”
The listing comes just weeks after Verasity announced that it had secured exclusive broadcast rights to the Axie Infinity GalAxie Cup 2022, hosting the tournament for the second year in a row.
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Amazon has launched a new data archiving service for small businesses and enterprises, known as the Glacier. This new technology will encourage organizations to get rid of their tape systems (which are presently the leader for enterprise storage) and shift to the cloud in a hassle-free manner.
Amazon claims that the files stored through this new cloud-based technology come with 99.999999999% annual durability. This implies that if an organization makes use of it for storing 10 billion objects, then it can look forward to losing out just one of them every year. There are no restrictions on the amount of data that businesses can keep on the Glacier.
The Chief Technological Officer of the company, Werner Vogels, explained in a blog post stating that by using Glacier, AWS customers can get unlimited archival storage with the well-known pay-as-you-go scheme.
This service is known to redundantly store data in several facilities and on several devices in each facility.
The main aim of this service is to rival with the on-premise storage devices on price and data redundancy. Glacier’s starting price is $0.01 for every gigabyte per month. Amazon states that the ideal uses of Glacier are archiving of scientific and research data, media assets, and enterprise info in addition to magnetic tape substitution.
When asked about the IT equipment used by Glacier, Amazon said that it does not work on tape, but instead, it is designed to work as a substitute for tape. A spokesperson said that it works on some inexpensive product hardware parts, indicating that the service is devised to be hardware-agnostic, which shows that the system will be oriented on huge storage array with a multitude of low cost and high capacity discs.
The chief executive of enterprise data storage and collaboration service box, Aaron Levie, responded positively to the announcement.
He said that Glacier seemed to be a great benefit for the cloud industry, and all the businesses enterprises. Amazon is persisting to exhibit that it will be the most prominent contender in the cloud infrastructure.
In the meantime, there have been several comments online praising the latest cloud technology. Several users and experts are happy about the fact that Glacier is fairly cheaper than the mainstay storage service of Amazon, S3, and most of the m have commended its redundancy.
The biggest attraction is its awesome pricing of $0.01/GB/month, which makes it an affordable backup and archiving solution, which can be used as direct replacement to tape drives, by businesses of all sizes.
In the near future, the company is hoping that Glacier will benefit from its integration with S3 to allow consumers to move data seamlessly between S3 and Glacier depending upon data lifecycle policies. Glacier is now offered from data center clusters situated in US (Oregon, North California, North Virginia), Asia (Tokyo), and Europe (Ireland).
It would be quite interesting to see the impact on Amazon’s Glacier on Google’s Drive, and other cloud storage offerings in the market; even more interesting would be the outcome of its integration with Amazon’s flagship S3 storage solution. Just the way Google has been trying to transform things by integrating the Drive with Google Docs, Gmail, and its other products, Amazon seems to be following a similar path too. It’s of course too early to comment on Glacier’s chances of success, and to assess its impact on the other similar cloud storage solutions, but one thing is for sure – it’s only going to spice up the competition in the cloud markets more than ever before!
Update: Quantum has decided to take on Amazon’s onslaught by launching the cloudy Q-Cloud, which is a very impressive cloud-based backup, restoration, and disaster recovery service at a comparable price of 1 cent per GB per month. It also supports 3rd party backup products such as CommVault, vRanger, Backup Exec, NetBackup, Tivoli Storage Manager, Data Protector, Veeam, and the likes of them.
And, that’s not all – a single site can set-up Q-Cloud as its data recovery unit, and even multiple sites can transmit data to it. What’s more, Quantum claims their service offers much quicker data recovery than Amazon’s 4-5 hours lousy response, which may be too much in case of emergencies.
By matching Amazon Glacier’s pricing levels, and also offering a lightening fast restoration service, which will run as a seamless extension of its existing vmPro and DXi capabilities, the company is quite positive that majority of the customers will look at their services than that of Nirvanix and Amazon.
Now, it’d be interesting to see Amazon’s reply to Quantam, and how they plan to take on this battle, and play their trump card to surpass the capabilities of Q-Cloud.


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On the first day of its listing, Nayuki’s Tea dropped by over 10%, dropping to the lowest price of HK $17.3 per share and an issue price of HK $19.8 per share.
On June 30, Nayuki’s Tea officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, becoming the “first stock of new-style tea-based beverages”.
On February 11 this year, Nayuki’s Tea submitted its prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. On June 29, the firm announced that the IPO price would be set at HK $19.80 per share, standing at the upper end of the guiding price range of HK $17.2-$19.8. In this IPO, Nayuki’s Tea will raise a net total of HK $4.84 billion, with JP Morgan Chase, CMB International and Huatai International acting as co-sponsors.
The firm’s prospectus reveals that from 2018 to 2020, Nayuki’s Tea achieved annual income of RMB 1.087 billion, RMB 2.502 billion and RMB 3.057 billion, respectively, with annual net losses of RMB 69.729 million, RMB 39.68 million and RMB 203 million, respectively. However, in 2020, Nayuki’s Tea recorded an adjusted net profit of RMB 16.643 million, turning losses into profits.
Currently, owing to the scarcity of the market, institutions are bullish about the short-term valuation of Nayuki’s Tea.
CITIC Securities stated that, given the fact that Nayuki’s Tea manages to open new stores very quickly and that it is now the first and only publicly-listed player in the tea beverage sector, it is estimated that the company’s market value will reach HK $37.7 billion in 2023.
However, surrounded by competitors such as HeyTea, Modern China Tea Shop and MXBC – as they speed up the pace of their own financing and listing objectives – it is still unknown whether Nayuki’s Tea, after being established for only six years, can take the lead on the new tea track in the future.


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Blog: Vietnam continuing to gain US market share
Michelle Russell | 7 March 2016
Central America's textile exports are forecast to slow this year as Vietnam continues to gain US market share. And, with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) gaining new support, it is expected more sourcing and investment will move to Vietnam. In response, Central America is scrambling to hammer out a new regional textiles growth strategy.
Thanks to globalisation, challenges face apparel and textile manufacturers around the world as never before. Robert Antoshak, managing director at Olah Inc, argues the sector is now moving into a new stage of development where cost remains a prerequisite for some types of production while quality, low unit production increasingly carves out space elsewhere.
Transparency is a challenge often talked about in the global apparel industry, and one US start-up - Project JUST - is hoping to address that with the addition of an extra dimension: distilling information for the consumer, providing a quick and easy-to-use tool to check a brand's manufacturing practices and ethics.
And, February proved to be a mixed month for US apparel retailers as market volatility spooked investors and consumers, while low gas prices, positive housing data and upbeat labour market indicators suggested consumers had the means to spend.
Looking at the wider fourth quarter, filings from US apparel brands and retailers continued to roll in. Our round-up of the results includes updates from Burlington Stores, Stage Stores, American Eagle Outfitters, and Weyco Group.
Unseasonably mild winters are cooling off sales of traditional warm-weather clothing - prompting insulation innovators to adapt accordingly, with variations that adapt to changing outdoor conditions and activity levels, and the use of "smart" thermal technologies.
And in other news, we look at the ten trends set to impact retail in 2016; world ending cotton stocks are projected to fall by 8% to 20.4m tons this fiscal; Under Armour reaffirms its outlook, despite one of its longest standing customers entering Chapter 11 Bankruptcy; and Gap posts another decline in monthly comparable store sales.
Fresh from their disappointment at seeing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal abandoned last month with an executive order by President Donald Trump, the US apparel and footwear sector...
The Bangladesh government has responded to pressure over its crackdown on labour activists after a number of global brands and retailers pulled out of this week's Dhaka Apparel Summit in protest....
With the ultimate aim of ensuring all the cotton in its products is sourced sustainably, value clothing retailer Primark is adamant that having a business model focused on offering the lowest prices o...
Last week we marked the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States by taking a closer look at what's at stake for the textile and apparel trade – especially his promises t...
Apparel maker Gildan Activewear has booked a rise in both earnings and revenue in its fourth-quarter, thanks to growing sales in its printwear and branded apparel businesses....
Continuing our look at what lies ahead for the apparel industry and its supply chain in 2017, the panel of industry experts consulted by just-style last week tackled likely shifts in the sourcing land...
- "Power of the many" drives change at Otto Group
- Hard hit Turkish industry is not knocked out
- China leads US apparel sources with falling prices
- US apparel sector braces for potential cost hikes
- Vietnam grows share of US apparel imports in 2016
- US Q4 in brief – Foot Locker, Nordstrom, Carter's
- Inditex and H&M boycott Dhaka Apparel Summit
- JC Penney to close 140 stores amid lower sales
- Macy's will "do the right thing", says Lundgren
- Bangladesh government steps in on labour crackdown
- When Things Go Wrong - A Practical Guide to Managing Common Problems in Apparel Sourcing
- Outdoor performance apparel 2016: A broader perspective
- Technical textile markets: product developments and innovations, December 2016
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
- Global market review of lingerie – forecasts to 2022


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With an eye on Chinese Valentine’s Day (Qixi) on August 9, it offered its limited-edition Lady Dior bag on the platform this week. It was to be available until today, but sold out on Tuesday.
As a special extra, consumers were able to drag online pictures of decorations on to the bag, so it could be tailored for their preferences.
Buyers could pay through WeChat for the bag, priced at 28,000 yuan (US$4210).
Other luxury brands, including Cartier, Longchamp and Montblanc have already launched online sales platforms on WeChat, providing special services and discounts.
For the first half of this year, Dior’s net profits fell 30.2 per cent to €74 million ($82.8 million).
This story first appeared on our sister site, Inside Retail Asia.
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