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AiFi, the company creating frictionless AI-powered autonomous shopping experiences, today announces the opening of the largest hybrid computer vision-only store with a cashier option, powered by AiFi Solutions. AiFi’s camera-only solution offers a cost effective and easy-to-deploy shopping experience while
Articles in category: Retail Technology
Retail technology news on innovation, integration, rollout and the people behind developing retail technology systems. Be it payments, supply chain or chiller cabinets we cover the bits & bytes of retail tech.
Top new product: adding protection and wellbeing in consumer environments – Ergonomic Solutions introduces an antimicrobial paint coating to its SpacePole® Technology Mounting Solutions
Ergonomic Solutions provides an added layer of protection across its product range designed to repel bacteria and offer an enhanced sense of wellbeing to customers at the POS, payment and service points, where their solutions are installed in future
ScS, the UK’s leading Sofa Carpet Specialists, has unveiled its brand-new website, designed to energise and amplify its online presence. The site, which was delivered, and project managed by Sherwen Studios using the Salesforce Commerce Cloud Platform, has transformed the
XPO Logistics increases productivity and safety in e-commerce warehouses with touchless machine vision scanners
XPO Logistics, a leading global provider of transport and logistics solutions, has deployed 370 state-of-the-art barcode scanners with machine vision in warehouses in the UK, Spain, France and the Netherlands. The fixed-mount, computerised scanners speed the reading of inventory data,
Central England Co-op today begins trialing a brand new service in one of its West Midlands stores that will allow customers to scan and go – all by using a specially created smartphone app.
Top new product: CleanAir Spaces and Biotech launch DuctFIT in UK to transform quality of indoor environments and help battle COVID-19
CleanAir Spaces has developed a state-of-the-art technology which helps make indoor spaces healthier and safer and can play an important role in the response to COVID-19, as well as creating healthier working and visiting environments in the longer term.
Local Spar and VIVO retailers are attracting new customers who have not shopped with them before thanks to the introduction of a new home delivery and click ‘n’ collect app.
The Spanish Iberian Ham sector has developed a revolutionary app - IBÉRICO, which allows consumers to determine the quality of their Iberian Ham by scanning the unique barcode on each packaging seal. The app is completely free and is available
Robots are set to roll-out on the streets of Northampton today (Wednesday, 25 November) as Co-op expands its use of autonomous home delivery in partnership with Starship Technologies, as well as revealing that it has ramped-up its same-day online and
LINK and PayPoint pilot enabling free cash withdrawals from retailers’ tills goes live with good demand
LINK, the UK’s main ATM cash machine network, and PayPoint, the in-store payment services and ATM provider, have successfully begun a trial to allow consumers to withdraw cash in smaller shops without paying a fee with positive early indicators.
Online book retailer World of Books has given its people real-time access to pay alongside a suite of financial resilience tools to help them through the current pandemic and promote longer term financial wellbeing support.
The online comparison platform, Cosmetify, is expanding its offering with the launch of a new app offering shoppers beauty savings at their fingertips.
Tata Consultancy Services, a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, has expanded its partnership with Kingfisher plc, a leading home improvement company in the UK and Europe, to provide consolidated application management and infrastructure support services, to
Amplience, a leading commerce experience platform for high scale, high growth brands and retailers, has announced that it is experiencing accelerating growth in its business during 2020. This rapid global growth in customers and revenue comes as the COVID-19
Pricer announces that the retail group Carrefour has chosen Pricer as preferred supplier for new ESL (Electronic Shelf Label) installations and upgrading of stores that are already equipped with Pricer’s ESL. Although the framework agreement contains no commitments with
URBN lifestyle brands Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie have today announced a partnership with shopping and payments provider Klarna, to offer customers across Europe a smooother online shopping experience. Through Klarna, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie will now be able to offer
International mattress brand Emma has selected Commerce Protection Platform provider Signifyd to help fuel its ongoing and dramatic growth as it continues on its mission to provide the world with a better night’s sleep.
Technology trends on the rise: aisle sat-nav, scan and go and facial recognition set to revolutionise the industry, says Ubamarket
Will Broome, CEO of retail fintech app Ubamarket, discusses how nimble technologies are essential for recovery post-COVID
Symatrix today announced that the Co-op Group has implemented Symatrix’ managed services to deliver a next generation HR model for its 60,000 employees. This has enabled Co-op to save time, reduce costs and respond effectively to HR issues which has
Revolut, the global financial superapp with over 13 million customers, has today announced the launch of Google Pay for customers in Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal and Romania. Revolut will be amoung the first financial services
Co-op ramps-up online home delivery in Wales and Welsh Border towns through partnership with Zoom Delivery
Co-op has partnered with home delivery specialists, Zoom 1Hr Delivery, to further expand the roll-out of its own online shop across Wales and Welsh/English border towns and, to increase the number of delivery slots available for shoppers.
Specialist e-commerce platform provider and digital marketing consultancy, Visualsoft, has secured a substantial investment from Livingbridge, one of the UK’s leading mid-market private equity investors.
Snappy Shopper is launching a new national TV, video on demand (VOD), radio and online advertising campaign in a move designed to encourage shoppers to shop locally via the home delivery app.
Nedap announced today that Spanish womenswear brand Encuentro Moda has selected Nedap’s !D Cloud software platform. The main objective is to achieve full supply chain visibility and merchandise visibility within their 125 stores across Spain. The RFID rollout began in
Leading online fast fashion retailer Missguided has today announced a UK ‘locker takeover’ in collaboration with locker delivery brand InPost. The collaboration will see 180 of InPost’s lockers around the UK fully branded with eye-catching Missguided visuals in the run


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Group tours come back on menu for overseas travelers
China's outbound tourism market, which had been near dormant for the past three years, saw a strong rebound during this year's Spring Festival holiday, as the country optimized its COVID-19 prevention and entry policies in early January.
The global tourism industry will get a strong boost as China, one of the world's largest outbound tourism markets before the pandemic, resumed outbound group tours starting from Feb 6, industry experts said.
Spring Festival is the first long holiday since China resumed quarantine-free cross-border travel on Jan 8 after nearly three years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Southeast Asian countries have gained traction among Chinese travelers.
During the seven-day break, the most popular overseas destinations for Chinese tourists were Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, according to the China branch of US-based short-term lodging rental provider Airbnb.
More and more Chinese travelers have booked long-distance trips, with tours to the United Kingdom and France, which have rich tourism sources, and deep historical and cultural foundations, gradually recovering. In addition, Norway and the United Arab Emirates are among the top 20 outbound travel destinations for Chinese tourists.
Kong Zhiqiu, head of Airbnb's China business, said Chinese travelers had shown great enthusiasm for traveling abroad during Spring Festival as the country relaxed the cross-border travel restrictions, adding that overseas travel saw a good start over the holiday, and he is bullish on the prospects of outbound tourism this year.
Alibaba Group's travel branch Fliggy said bookings for flight tickets to overseas destinations skyrocketed more than fourfold year-on-year during the week-long holiday on the platform, while visa applications jumped more than 3.4 times compared with the previous year.
Thailand, the Maldives and New Zealand have become the fastest-growing tourist destinations among Chinese travelers, said the travel portal.
On Jan 20, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced starting from Feb 6, travel agencies could resume organizing group tours to 20 countries, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Malaysia.
During this year's Spring Festival, more than 2.87 million people traveled abroad, an average of 410,000 per day, up 120.5 percent from the previous Spring Festival holiday, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said China's outbound tourism is expected to see a robust recovery this year, which will inject strong impetus into the prosperity of the country's tourism industry, adding the tourism boom during the Spring Festival holiday set a good start for the full recovery of the industry.
Data from Trip.com Group, China's largest online travel agency, showed that outbound travel bookings surged 640 percent year-on-year during the holiday, while orders for overseas hotels and international flight tickets booked by Chinese mainland tourists both increased more than four times over the last Spring Festival.
Air tickets to Bali in Indonesia and Singapore surged about 30 times and eight times year-on-year, respectively, while bookings for hotels in Bangkok, Thailand, soared more than 33 times during the period, said Trip.com.
China's resumption of outbound group tours will also bolster the global tourism industry and the economic recovery of countries that depend heavily on tourism, experts said.
The World Tourism Organization forecasts that international arrivals will likely reach 80 percent to 95 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, compared with 63 percent in 2022, despite lingering global headwinds.
Shen Jiani, a senior researcher at Trip.com, said with the increasing number of international flights and improvement in travel convenience, the outbound tourism industry is expected to see an evident boom during the May Day holiday.
With the gradual and orderly recovery of outbound tourism, people are showing an increasing demand for short-term home rentals and homestay services, which are now wide-ranging to satisfy the needs of various types of tourists, said Lai Zhen, an analyst at market research company iResearch.
However, compared with hotels, the recovery of the vacation rental market is slower due to its non-standardized management methods and community-based services, said Han Mengying, an analyst from market consultancy Analysys.

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GengMei taps AI to give customers a better look
Chinese cosmetic surgery platform GengMei launched on Wednesday a new AI system that helps users decide how to have a better look, a move aimed at further enhancing its service to both customers and facilities.
The company said it used technologies such as face recognition, 3D simulation and machine learning, and relied on professional aesthetic knowledge and the huge data of app users' photos and cosmetic surgery pictures the company had accumulated, to develop the new system.
The service enabled users to have AI-based intelligent analysis of their look, intelligence simulation of a new look, and intelligent skin status analysis.
The new service will help the company to push cosmetic surgery information to users more decisively, according to executives of the company.
Liu Di, the company founder and CEO, said AI and internet technologies are reshaping the landscape of cosmetic surgery industry in China, as they help to better meet demand from the young people, who are the majority of cosmetic surgery customers in China and want personalized cosmetic surgery advice.
As early as 2017, the company launched an AI simulation system for cosmetic surgeries, with which users can have simulation effects for some cosmetic surgeries such as double eyelid operation.
The size of the cosmetic surgery market in China exceeded 220 billion yuan in 2018, with huge potential to tap compared with developed countries, according to Zhu Meiru, deputy secretary-general of Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics
The industry is estimated to develop with compound yearly growth of 22.7 percent throughout the next three years in China, and in 2020, the market size will be more than 400 billion yuan, she said.
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Marketing agency Ogilvy surveyed 1,500 punters and found that more and more innovators and early adopters (excuse the marketing-speak) were using their phones to help them make decisions and get better bargains while they're out shopping in the real world. Which suggests the rest of us Luddites will be doing the same very soon.
The phone can of course be used for far more these days than simply ringing to locate an elusive copy of Fly Fishing by JR Hartley. 85% of innovators searched Google from a phone while in a store to get more information on a product; 60% asked a store to match a price by showing a web page from a phone; and 64% looked at a product in-store and then ordered it from a phone before they'd even left the shop. That latter infidelity may well have shop-owners cowering behind the counter: it's like inviting people round to your house to show off your cooking skills, only for everyone to sit there scoffing all the food one of your guests brought with them instead.
Obviously not everything that becomes a trend among innovators always reaches the rest of us (otherwise we'd all be turning up for work wearing Lady Gaga-style meat dresses). So it's interesting to see that what the marketers call the early majority (the bunch that first follows the innovators when a new thing starts taking off) has similarly been turning to their phones - 40% of the early majority who own smartphones are searching Google in stores for product information - and they tend to be far more indicative of what the majority will end up doing.
If any retailers remain sceptical that these habits will really go mainstream, they should look at online retail and see how the herd there followed a similar pattern. And they might also want to learn some lessons from the music industry in particular: the old-school labels tried doggedly to defend themselves against the onslaught of digital, but ultimately had to succumb or pay the price.
So the answer may well be to heed their example and embrace the mobile, not fight it, using it instead as another tool to back up your physical offering and build long-term relationships with shoppers - as the more successful retailers have been doing for years with well-considered websites. That is if they don't want to be stood there idly fiddling with their wares as their punters openly cheat on them...


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Amid overall decline, grocers have opportunities to highlight innovative products and private brands.
The alliance founded by the Food Marketing Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association and National Restaurant Association will work with the USDA, FDA and EPA to reduce food loss.
The federal regulatory framework is viewed as "a good first step" by grocery trade leaders who say more regulations are needed to protect consumers.
Measure in appropriations bill would require the agency to issue a temporary guidance on CBD while it develops a permanent rule.
Heinen’s Grocery Store Director of E-Commerce and Loyalty Amii Lang and Social Media Manager Paula Skladanowski dish on a variety of here and now topics in part two of WGB’s podcast series exploring FMI's 2019 Trends Report.
How many of the following factors are keeping stores from building an e-commerce experience they own?
The solution will help retailers better determine status after harsh weather or other natural disasters.
The theme of this year’s promotion, “From Our Family to Yours,” highlights family meal solution tips from store owners.
The U.S. wastes up to 40% of the food it produces every year, and reports say one of the major reasons for food waste is sell-by date labels.
Fall brings "activist" months to the forefront, with allied industry trade groups looking to school retailers on how to help consumers develop healthy habits, beginning with family meals.
The grocery industry leadership awards program recognizes 45 emerging and established leaders in the retail bakery, deli, foodservice and dairy sectors.
Listen in to WGB’s flagship podcast, 10 Items or Less, featuring insights from retailers and industry professionals.
Exclusive industry info and insights straight to your inbox
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Take a peek at the latest issue of the magazine


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Paris Olympics 2024 gets India distributor for Hospitality Program
DreamSetGo has been selected by the official Hospitality provider On Location as an Official Sub-Distributor for Olympic Games Paris 2024 Hospitality Program.
To support the delivery of its global sales and servicing strategy, DreamSetGo has been selected by the official Hospitality Provider On Location to service the Indian market to deliver best possible hospitality experience for stakeholders and guests of the Olympic Games.
DreamSetGo has agreed to a consistent set of rules regarding:
- The pricing and customization of their packages to promote.
- The marketing of fair and consistent Paris 2024 Olympic hospitality products worldwide.
- The restriction to offer stand-alone ticket sales as these are exclusively sold by Paris 2024 through its dedicated ticketing platform, https://tickets.paris2024.org/
The created hospitality packages for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 can be accessed on DreamSetGo website by clicking on the following link http://dreamsetgo.co/paris2024hospitality.
An overview of territories where Official Sub-Distributors have been appointed can be found on On Location website at the following link, https://olympics.onlocationexp.com/paris2024/.
Will Whiston, Executive Vice President, On Location - Olympic and Paralympic Games, commented: “The International Olympic Committee and Paris 2024 aim to set a new standard in Hospitality for the Olympic Games. It is the first time this new, historical, and innovative hospitality model will be in place.
As the sole Official Hospitality Provider for the next three Games, On Location is excited to work with our new network of exceptional partners to open up the most memorable hospitality experiences to stakeholders, partners, and sports enthusiasts worldwide.”


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North American esports organisation Complexity has introduced a partnership with restaurant chain Denny’s.
The deal will see the 2 events be part of forces to help females inside the gaming and esports trade via a brand new content material sequence.
- Complexity and Lenovo announce 2022 summer season camps within the USA
- Jordan Fisher joins Complexity as part-owner and content material creator
- Complexity Gaming expands U.S. Army partnership
Complexity and Denny’s will host the content material sequence on Twitch, highlighting the organisation’s various roster of content material creators along with recognising how they’ve tried to make esports and gaming an inclusive house.
During the streams, happening all through August and September, Denny’s will give viewers the prospect to win numerous prizes together with free supply and merchandise. In addition, the deal will mark the debut of newly-signed Complexity content material creators Beccatilts and Emily Wang.
The partnership marks the primary for the restaurant chain however it’s not the primary time the chain has utilised gaming to its benefit. In 2020, Denny’s created quite a few accounts throughout a spread of gaming platforms, providing reductions to make use of on its ordering platform.
2022 continues to show fruitful for Complexity. After enlisting Twitch to supply new partnership alternatives, the organisation has expanded its U.S. Army deal along with becoming a member of forces with Lenovo to host gaming summer season camps in Texas.
Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare Esports, spoke on the deal: “This partnership with Denny’s uniquely embodies Complexity’s core values and commitment to inclusivity.
“We want to continue to create opportunities to showcase Complexity’s talented roster of women and creators of colour, and this campaign will both recognize these creators and their viewers for their unwavering support.”


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Social networking giant Facebook on Tuesday announced its first interactive game show, titled “Confetti” in India.
Starting June 12, the interactive show will air from Wednesday to Sunday on Facebook’s dedicated video platform – Facebook Watch, the company said in a statement.
First launched in the US, the interactive game will challenge participants to answer pop culture trivia questions for a chance to win Rs 3 lakh as cash prize everyday.
“This is our first official show in India and we are excited to see how it will enable users to engage better and bring communities together around exceptional, interactive video experiences on Facebook,” said Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships, Facebook.
The announcement was made in Mumbai on the sidelines of Facebook’s Social Entertainment Summit.
Exclusive to Facebook Watch, the show is already available in other parts of the world including Canada, the UK, Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines.
In 2018, the social networking giant globally rolled out Facebook Watch as its video-on-demand service in an attempt to take on its rival YouTube.
The video service allows users to enjoy videos from different genres, including entertainment, sports and news in their personalised “Watch Feed” that carries a collection of recent videos from the pages they follow. (IANS)
Armed with a cutting-edge technology platform, a well-established partner organisation and an expansion of M12 venture fund, Microsoft is ready to help Indian startups across the spectrum embrace the next phase of growth, Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, said here on Monday.
India, which saw a tremendous growth in the startup space in the last couple of years, is now witnessing a growth in the business-to-business (B2B) tech startups coming up with innovative ideas to deal with local problems.
“With our intelligent tech expertise, deep focus on trust and unique global go to market partnering, we empower unicorns and startups to scale sustainably at a global level,” said Maheshwari.
“We remain excited about India’s entrepreneurial startup potential and will continue to accelerate it as a growth engine for the economy,” he added.
India witnessed a dramatic rise of eight unicorns in 2018 from among the start-ups across verticals as against a mere nine in six years from 2011 till 2017, according to IT industry apex body Nasscom.
The start-ups joining the select club for their valuation over $1 billion are Oyo Rooms (hospitality), Zomato and Swiggy (food delivery), Udaan (retailer marketplace), Byju’s, (edu-tech), Paytm Mall (e-tail), Freshworks (software programmer) and Policybazaar (digital insurance).
Maheshwari said Microsoft is uniquely positioned to support Indian startups to achieve scale and evolve from market ready to enterprise ready.
The introduction of M12, Microsoft’s venture fund, in India in February is creating new value for startups, VCs and the company itself to maintain the pace and direction of innovation.
“M12 is looking at investing in innovators who have aligned their focus on cutting-edge technologies that better enable digital transformation. The portfolio development team at M12 is specifically built to help support and scale companies by leveraging the expansive resources of Microsoft,” said the company.
According to reports, venture capital investments in Indian tech business-to-business (B2B) start-ups have been trending upwards, with over $3.09 billion raised in equity funding across 415 deals in 2018 — 28 per cent more than $2.41 billion in 2017.


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Trainers, Niantic and Pokemon Go shared details about the upcoming Pokemon Go Tour Hoenn event and it seems like the community is not very happy about it.
The Pokemon Go Tour Hoenn Las Vegas is a ticketed event and you must get the $25 per day ticket (the price will increase to $30 after December 31, 2022) to enjoy all features and bonuses. This is a two-day in-person event. It goes live on February 18, 2023, and February 19, 2023, from 10 AM to 6 PM PST. Players can also purchase special ticket add-ons for $15 each. These add-ons offer different bonuses and you can check them out here.
Now, let’s talk about the Pokemon Go Tour Hoenn Global event and see why players are not too impressed with the event and are confused with the latest blog post.
The Pokemon Go Tour Hoenn Global event will start on February 25, 2023, and will end the next day, on February 26, 2023. The start and end time for both days is 10 AM – 6 PM local time.
The Pokemon Go Tour Hoenn Global event is said to be a free event, but according to a recent report, there will be some kind of “ticketed component” besides the pay-to-play Masterwork Research: Wish Granted Special Research featuring shiny Jirachi.
This event also brings different Pokemon in Raids, in the wild, and from Eggs, and it seems like there will be no global shiny boosts this time. There are no bonuses announced on the official blog. There are no new shiny Pokemon in the wild, and regionals are in 10km Eggs.
This pretty much looks like a regular Hoenn event, plus Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. This is a Hoenn Region event, but there is no word about releasing Kecleon in Pokemon Go.
What we do know and it’s not confusing is that Trainers who attend either event will be able to choose between a Ruby ticket or a Sapphire ticket. It looks like they want more players to sign up and get tickets for the paid Tour Hoenn Las Vegas event before they announce more info about the Global event.
It definitely looks like a messy announcement, and it seems like they have to clear some things up.
What are your thoughts regarding their Pokemon Go Tour Hoenn announcement so far?
If you are a video game developer and you have a submission to make, you can mail us at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Katrina Kaif has shared a fresh series of beach look images with her followers, and they’ve already gone viral. The Merry Christmas diva has updated her Instagram account with new photographs of herself in a blue bikini, which has gone viral. Katrina is recognised for her fantastic fashion sense and ability to kill in every clothing she wears, but her swimwear looks have netizens drooling. Katrina kept up with the trend, sharing a new beach outfit that will undoubtedly serve as inspiration during this heatwave.
Katrina released new photographs on her Instagram account, in which she can be seen slaying in a blue high-waist floral bikini. The actress posed while displaying her toned abs. Katrina kept neutral makeup and her hair were kept wet open. The actress managed to turn heads and leave netizens in awe of her appearance.


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The Minister for Business and Tourism, Hon Vijay Daryanani, announced that Gibraltar has seen a record number of 20 inaugural cruise calls in 2022, beating the previous best of 19 in 2016.
“The cruising industry has suffered immensely but the Government has worked at full throttle to make sure that Gibraltar has not been forgotten and the statistics are proof of this,” said Daryanani.
“I have represented Gibraltar at the most important cruise conferences in the world. I have spoken about what we have to offer and people have approached me to talk about us.We have recovered quickly in 2022 after the pandemic and now we have a record amount of inaugural calls. This new year will be better as we already have more calls booked than last year.
“Whatever my detractors may say, I will continue marketing Gibraltar because that’s what our retail and hospitality industries want and expect from me. It is not easy in this very competitive industry but we will work hard to deliver on all fronts.”
Following a difficult time for the cruise industry during the pandemic, Gibraltar is now making a steady recovery.


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Naomi Scott new face of Chloé’s Nomade Parfum.
In Irish fashion news, actress Naomi Scott is the new face of Chloé’s Nomade Eau de Parfum Naturelle. The 28-year-old British actress and singer is the latest recruit from the French luxury fashion and beauty house to front their new Nomade Eau de Parfum Naturelle.
Scott rose to fame back in 2011 for her performances in the television film Lemonade Mouth. The London born beauty will front Chloé’s Nomade Eau de Parfum Naturelle next month and is excited about the prospect of working with the luxury French fashion and beauty house.
The Hounslow born star took to social media earlier this week to add her promotional photo and news about her work with Chloé to her 3.2 million Instagram followers.
In her post she said “I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be the face of the new @chloe Nomade fragrance launching on Feb 1st 2022. Chloé is such an iconic brand, and this extends to the fragrance itself. It really is a beautiful thing when you can work with a brand that you love aesthetically while also supporting their ethos. Can’t wait to share more.”
Chloé who were founded back 70 years ago in 1952 by Gaby Aghion and Jacques Lenoir are today owned by the Richemont Group. The new Nomade Eau de Parfum Naturelle is made under license by American multinational beauty company Coty.
Coty’s impressive portfolio of brands include Kylie Skin, Alexander McQueen, Burberry Bottega Veneta, ,Calvin Klein, Chloé, Hugo Boss, Miu Miu, Tiffany & Co and Marc Jacobs
Commenting on Scott’s new appointment chief brands officer, luxury, at Coty Constantin Sklavenitis said Scott was a “clear and perfect choice” for the campaign, noting that she was born “at the confluence of several cultures — to an English father and to a mother of Indian origin. She also embodies the values within Nomade’s universe: authenticity, spontaneity, solidarity, happiness and sisterhood.”
Naomi Scott stars alongside American actor Anthony Ramos in a new sci-fi film “Distant” She will also star in a new Netflix series “Anatomy of a Scandal,” which is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan.
Naomi Scott new face of Chloé’s Nomade Parfum. Irish fashion news


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The official website of Malaysia Airlines was hacked Monday by a group claiming to be from the “Lizard Squad,” which has previously taken credit for past denial-of-service attacks, including the takedown of the Xbox Live and Sony Playstation Network last month. The website’s main page was replaced with an image of the group’s logo, a tuxedo-wearing lizard in a top hat and monocle, along with the message “Hacked by LIZARD SQUAD - OFFICIAL CYBER CALIPHATE,” the Guardian reported.
The hacked website also displayed a message reading “404 - Plane Not Found,” in apparent reference to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared in March. The browser tab for the website was changed to read “ISIS will prevail,” a reference to the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq, NBC said. The company was able to bring down the website by mid-afternoon in Malaysia after it was down for at least seven hours as a result of the hack.
Despite the references to ISIS and Cyber Caliphate, the hacker group that claims to be associated with the militant organization, it is not clear whether Lizard Squad is actually linked to either group. Lizard Squad’s previous targets have included EA games, Destiny and other gaming-related targets.
After the December hack of Xbox Live, a hacker claiming to be a member of the group, calling himself “Member Two,” went public and said that the group’s motive was to demonstrate weaknesses in the Microsoft and Sony systems, according to the BBC. "It's just such a huge company Microsoft ... Do you not think they should be able to prevent such an attack?" the 22-year-old said. Following the high-profile hack, the group said they would no longer be focusing on the gaming networks, instead shifting their focus to the Tor Project, the anonymous communications service.
The group typically leaves their signature on the sites they have taken responsibility for hacking. The majority of their online activity outside of hacking comes from their Twitter account. Lizard Squad tweeted Monday that they had taken material from Malaysia Airlines’ servers and shared a screenshot of an inbox with passenger itineraries. The airline issued a statement saying that the hack was a “temporary glitch” and that user data “remains secured.”


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The land yachts of the ‘50s and ‘60s have evolved into something much more high-tech in today’s models, and the rate of advancement in terms of smart car technology and artificial intelligence has reached a tipping point and is quickly accelerating. Today’s automobile is more computer software than it is grease and oil, and in the very near future the balance of power in the auto industry will shift. Heavy manufacturing will always be a big part of the industry, but it will be driven more and more by Silicon Valley, software companies, and technology innovators.
The Future of Smart Cars
They may not be able to move through time when they reach 88 miles per hour, but they can do almost everything else. Torc Robotics CEO Michael Fleming, whose exciting self-driving technology gained attention as early as 2007 when they developed a self-driving software stack for Virginia tech as part of the DARPA Urban Challenge, sees two different paths for the future of this disruption: “One path will be a continued increase in driver assist functionality incorporated into consumer vehicles. We already see this today with adaptive cruise control, and I believe this will expand to autonomous highway driving that requires driver oversight. SAE International defines this as level 2/3. The second path is more of a car-sharing, self-driving taxi or bus that is limited to a certain area. This second path requires a higher level of self-driving technology and no driver oversight. SAE International defines this as level 4/5.”
Yinon Weiss, CEO of CarDash.com, believes the future of smart car technology is all about convenience. According to Weiss, “Technology will make it so that you never have to deal with the difficult parts of car ownership, such as scheduling maintenance or having to take in your car for service. Connected cars will know what they need before problems happen and will be able to schedule their own appointments for you, or even drive themselves to be maintained during non-peak hours.”
Futurists understand that the future of smart cars is already here. Steve Wells, COO of Fast Future, sees 3D printing playing a big role in the near future, representing a major factor in the disruptive shift. “3D printing represents a potential game changer for the automotive industry, not just in manufacturing, but also in service and maintenance,” said Wells. “Take the example of a 3D-printed car with 50 components compared to a current-day car with 5,000. Firstly, there are fewer components to go wrong. Not only that, we would see components manufactured at the service centers when replacements are required. The component specification could be downloaded from the manufacturer’s database and printed on the service center’s printer.”
How we, and how service personnel interact with cars will also change, with hands-on, under-the-hood tinkering taking second place to a software interface. Foresight researcher Maria Romero, also from Fast Future, says, “User interface will be the key for the future of smart cars. UI customer support could become the main issue with these vehicles. Repair shops would need to focus their services on UI to be able to respond to the rising demand.”
No More Grease Monkeys
As cars continue to evolve, the role of auto maintenance and repair will evolve along with them. While some traditional mechanical issues will still need to be addressed, the broader role of repair shops will change. Torc Robotics’ Michael Fleming notes, “The traditional mechanical and electronical maintenance issues will continue to play a role in repair shops. Repair shops do, and will continue to do, conduct software maintenance. As more wireless communication is integrated into consumer cars, software maintenance may shift towards remote maintenance where a centralized team can service cars throughout the world. While this may shift some software maintenance away from repair shops, I believe it will create opportunities for repair shops to provide consumers with better service and lower operating costs. Imagine a car automatically providing a diagnosis to the repair shop, and allowing it to determine the problem and order parts to fix the issue before the car even arrives at the shop.”
Fast Future’s Maria Romero predicts a major shift in the nature of auto repair, saying, “With less to maintain and AI monitoring the car’s performance constantly, less time and money would be necessary for maintenance. Physical repair shops would be rare and centralized. AI-to-AI online assisting would be the norm. A specialized self-driving repair fleet would attend major cases wherever the vehicle is at.”
Aaron Steinfeld, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science, notes that these sorts of advancements are already happening. “I think there will be increased attention to software maintenance as vehicles become more electric and have more advanced driver assistance and safety systems,” said professor Steinfeld. “The question is whether software maintenance will be done by local shops or through over-the-air updates. Tesla is an example of the latter.”
David Gauze, Advertising Manager of AutoBodyToolMart, which has been supplying equipment, paint booths and other items to auto shops for 30 years, has already seen the nature of repair shops change dramatically during that time. “Auto repair shops will become much more automated, and connected to the ‘internet of things,’” said Gauze. “There will always be a hands-on element to auto repair, but the age of just opening up the hood and taking a look around to see what’s wrong is over. Diagnostics are already done by computer, and as cars become more software-driven, repair shops will be able to get a more precise diagnosis of the issue immediately, and often remotely.”
The Automotive Tipping Point
The automotive tipping point may already be here. Fast Future’s Rohit Talwar sees automobiles becoming a bigger part of the internet of things, saying, “Smart vehicles could do traffic management between themselves in a dynamic network. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and eventually, vehicle-to-everything (V2E) communications could be built into the Internet of Things, which would mean data sensors everywhere.
Professor Steinfeld also sees that in many ways, the future is already here. “We are already seeing AI used in autonomous vehicle perception and decision making,” said Professor Steinfeld. “Many successful perception tasks utilize AI methods to generate semantic labels, like interpreting whether an object is a pedestrian or a bicyclist. Also, deciding when to deviate from the explicit rules of the road requires complex computation.”
This tipping point may mean dramatic and positive changes for the auto industry and the software industry alike, and of course, greater convenience for consumers. Future opportunities in the auto industry will lie in developing, delivering and operating the artificial intelligence, IoT-connected devices, remote diagnostics and even exciting possibilities like 3D-printed car parts. Innovators are already seeing a window of opportunity opening up to participate in this exciting shift.
Dan Blacharski is founder of Ugly Dog Media and author of “Born in the Cloud Marketing: Transformative Strategies for the Next Generation of Cloud-Based Businesses“


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It’s gotten to the point where Bud Light even said they’ll be spending a ton of money this summer to rethink their marketing and give out free beer because business is so bad.
Since the backlash began, the brewing company has made withdrawals, including furloughing the vice president of marketing in charge of the collaboration.
Budweiser’s lead as “the nation’s best-selling beer” is being challenged by rival beer makers, who have even stepped in with their own advertising that quietly pokes fun at the Bud Light debacle.
Anheuser-Busch met with distributors at its St. Louis headquarters, according to New York Post sources, to discuss a way forward and emerge from the shadow of Bud Light’s backlash.
A cooperation with Folds of Honor that would give temporary camouflage redesigns to Budweiser and Bud Light aluminum bottles is one of the new ideas to revive the brand in the eyes of consumers.
The New York Post quoted the unidentified source as saying: It’s an aluminum bottle. I think that’s the only package that will change, although I’m not sure.
They want to hand out bottles with camouflage prints and images from the “Folds of Honor” program, which offers scholarships to spouses and children of those who have lost their lives serving in the military. Additionally, he strives to help first responders and families whose members have become disabled after serving in the military.
Anheuser-Busch uses various marketing techniques, including this one, to rekindle consumer interest in Bud Light. In addition, there are plans to sharply reduce beer consumption in stores, to make significant investments in many sports areas and to try to include country music and the military in advertising.
However, when Bud Light aired a commercial incorporating the Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried”, their first attempt to appeal to country music fans was met with its own controversy. With rapidly declining sales, it looks like Bud Light can’t do much right now. They need to get back on their feet quickly.
According to data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting, the New York Post reported that national retail sales of Bud Light were down 23.6% in the week of May 6 compared to the same period last year. . This decline was slightly worse than the 23.3% decline seen in the last week of April from a year ago. As a result, it appears Bud Light still hasn’t been able to stop the bleeding, but they’re doing everything they can to try.
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You didn’t really think that Chevy would stop at the 650 horsepower that powers the current Z06, did you?
We didn’t think so.
The latest rumor about the upcoming eighth generation Corvette that will supposedly be the long-awaited Holy Grail of Corvettes,i.e., a mid-engine car, is that it will become the all-time American horsepower champion with a whopping 750 horses.
Torque News speculates that the mid-engine car will make its debut at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show with a new supercharged engine that indeed will produce in the area of 750 horsepower.
Torque News writer Patrick Rail says a friend of a friend who is a GM employee told him that the company is working on such a high-powered engine that would debut in the C8 – and then in a slightly less powerful version for its little brother, the Camaro.
Rail believes this new engine could be labeled an LT5 – a nod to the LT5 that was used in the C4 ZR-1 from 1990 to 1995.
He notes that all this information is “100% unofficial … But my friend assured me that this guy was very familiar with the project.”
So familiar, in fact, that this employee was telling friends not to buy the current horsepower champ, the 707hp Hellcat, “because GM will have an answer very soon.”
Rail believes that official confirmation is more than a year away since the rumored mid-engine Corvette isn’t expected until early 2018.
At least we can dream -and drool- until then!


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Amazon may finally be headed to Brazil. While the online retail giant may have a ubiquitous presence in the United States, that isn’t the case across the world — not yet, at least. That could soon change now that Amazon met with “an array of manufacturers” last week in Brazil to “discuss plans to stock and sell products from consumer electronics to perfume in the country,” Reuters reports. If these talks prove successful, Amazon would gain a foothold into what is the largest retail market in Latin America.
Currently, Amazon has a small footprint in the South American nation — in 2012, it began selling ebooks, and two years later, added physical books to its inventory. In October, Amazon began offering third-party sales of electronics. And over the course of the last five years, Amazon representatives claim that they have had “hundreds of meetings with potential vendors and suppliers about its business in Brazil and possible future plans.” Now, those meetings could be paying off.
In order to maintain as much control as possible over the entire sales channel, Amazon is said to be using its own transportation and call centers when it does move into Brazil. The company is increasingly looking to own every step of the shipment process — in the United States, Amazon is already testing its own delivery service, aptly titled “Shipping with Amazon,” which would compete directly with UPS and FedEx, which the retail giant currently uses to fulfill its orders.
As for how Amazon plans to attain inventory for its sales in Brazil, Reuter’s sources noted, “[Amazon representatives] said they were going to buy directly from the manufacturers and resell.” This could prove successful, as in the last four years alone, ecommerce sales have doubled in the nation. Experts project that this growth will continue at a double-digit pace year over year, which presents quite the opportunity for Amazon — today, online shopping accounts for about five percent of the country’s $300 billion retail market.
Brazil wouldn’t be the first country where Amazon is looking to establish a foothold. At the end of 2017, it expanded into Australia. Now, it’s looking to make its next move.
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Crystal Pacific Beats Labor Odds to More Than DoubleMarch 21st, 2019 by Drew Vass, Executive Editor
Despite the challenges of labor shortages, Crystal Pacific Window and Door Systems, also known as Crystal California, has managed to beat the odds—more than doubling its workforce over a four-year period. Now approaching the 100-employee mark, at the end of 2018 the company’s roster had increased by nearly 80 percent over just more than a one-year period and by 113 percent over a four-year stretch. As the West Coast division for New York-based Crystal Window and Door Systems, the company has only been around for seven years, serving as a vinyl and un-plasticized polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) window manufacturer. Crystal California operates a 116,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, including a full showroom and sales office.
When asked about expansions, Bob Nyman, a spokesperson for the company, highlights growth potentials and geographic advantages.
“When Crystal bought the property in Riverside, Calif., early in 2012, economically it was fairly depressed,” Nyman says. “Property prices were low and there was an available workforce that was interested in coming in and working. We may start to see the results of a greater employment, but right now everything has gone very well with the growth of the company.”
“We’re very flexible in terms of arranging shifts for people. We’ve been very accommodating,” he says. “For example, we operate a Saturday shift, giving people the option [for working then] if they lose a day during the week, for whatever reason; they’re able to pick up a full week.”
In terms of location, the West Coast (in particular) has allowed the company to expand its product lines, Nyman suggests, adding to its opportunities.
“The population and marketplace allow us to introduce new products different from the ones we sell back in the East,” he explains, adding, for instance, “We’ve seen there is a growing market for replacement windows.”
Those product additions lead to more employment opportunities, suggests Sergio Garcia, general manager for Crystal California.
“Our workforce growth is directly attributable to our enormous success introducing new products, increasing sales and expanding our presence in the marketplace,” Garcia says. “Crystal’s workforce growth exemplifies the resurgent national economy and the rebounding Riverside business community. Of course, credit also goes back to our parent company’s strategic vision seven years ago, during economically challenging times, to launch a West Coast operation here in Riverside.”


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Kingfisher has awarded outgoing boss Veronique Laury a 12pc pay rise after taking a "holistic" approach to her bonus targets despite sliding profits at the DIY retailer.
Ms Laury, one of just six female FTSE 100 chief executives, announced in March she would be leaving the business halfway through her transformation strategy. Despite a 53pc slump in pre-tax profits to £322m, her total pay for last year still increased from £1.6m to £1.8m.
Kingfisher slightly increased Ms Laury's basic pay to £795,8000 while she was awarded a £522,000 bonus, 2.3pc lower than year, and £333,7000 worth of shares.
Ms Laury's bonus was linked to unifying the DIY retailer's products and supply chain, bolstering its...
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Hamby Catering & Events, Charleston’s oldest locally-owned catering company, is celebrating its 40th year of business in 2019. The company is known for its innovative Southern-inspired cuisine and grab-and-go menu offerings at its retail store, The Market at Hamby, located at 925 St. Andrews Boulevard.
To commemorate this milestone and thank the community for 40 years of patronage, Hamby Catering is offering a month-long promotion at The Market at Hamby. A new special will be offered each week of September. For a full list of promotions, visit https://hambycatering.com/celebrating-our-40th-birthday-with-a-month-of-specials/.
“We are so grateful for the community’s support of Hamby Catering for the past 40 years,” said Candice Wigfield, President of Hamby Catering. “Our clients have made us a part of their family traditions, and we wanted this anniversary to be about celebrating and thanking them.”
Hamby Catering has had the privilege of catering Charlestonians’ biggest life moments, for everything from baby showers, engagement parties and weddings to anniversary celebrations, Thanksgiving dinners and funerals. The business has transcended family meal time and found a distinguished place in the world of event and corporate catering. The company has worked with corporate clients and events of all sizes, including Volvo Car Open, Boeing, Carolina One Real Estate, Spoleto Festival, Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, MUSC, Roper Saint Francis and Mercedes. Hamby Catering has also served a number of notable dinner guests, including Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart and six U.S. Presidents, from the Carter to the Obama administration.
South Carolina native Fran Hamby founded Hamby Catering in 1979 when she helped cater a family friend’s 400-person wedding reception. After the event, word quickly spread across the Lowcountry about Hamby’s cooking and the demand led Hamby and her husband to found Hamby Catering.
“I didn't originally set out to become a business owner, but we quickly began booking weddings and cocktail parties and eventually we had to move Hamby Catering into its own space in West Ashley to accommodate the growing business,” said Hamby. “Back then, we were known for my sandwiches, shrimp and tenderloin. It's amazing to see how far Hamby Catering has come in all of these years, from expanded menu offerings to huge catered events, and what is still yet to come!”
The team continues to build on Hamby’s roots and take the company into the future with new culinary ideas and opportunities. The company’s tried and true classics remain, but custom approaches, healthier options and a grab-and-go menu at The Market at Hamby have kept the company on the cutting edge of the industry. To share these unique approaches, the Hamby team has been invited to host a seminar at Catersource, the largest confluence of catering and event professionals in the U.S., for the past two years.
In 2017, after holding various roles within the company for seven years, Candice Wigfield stepped in to oversee all operations as the new President and Owner of Hamby Catering. Wigfield convinced her father, Wayne Culbertson, to come out of retirement to join her as Co-Owner and COO of the company. Prior to Hamby, Culbertson was with Michelin Tire Company for 42 years, most recently as Managing Director for Michelin UK and the Nordic countries.
The duo marks the second multi-generational ownership team for Hamby Catering and continues to uphold the company’s values of integrity, family, community, sustainability, quality and tradition. The family-oriented culture remains at the core of the company's success and time-treasured recipes.
Wigfield is especially proud that Hamby Catering is a female-founded, female-owned company. She has cultivated a company culture where women are empowered to fill leadership roles and pursue opportunities for professional development and personal growth.
“I’m incredibly honored to lead the talented team at Hamby Catering,” said Wigfield. “Mrs. Hamby was a trailblazer for her generation and her recipes are still beloved by the Charleston community. Every day, we strive to cultivate top talent, expand our offerings and build meaningful partnerships to continue the legacy that Mrs. Hamby built here in the Lowcountry.”
Wigfield’s vision for the future includes Hamby Catering continuing its reputation as the Southeast’s leading caterer. She also plans to expand offerings at the retail location and for the company to become the “caterer of record” for more large-scale events in the Southeast. Most importantly, she is committed to investing in the community that has invested in Hamby Catering for the past 40 years.
“I could never have imagined the future of Hamby Catering when it humbly began 40 years ago,” said Hamby. “Forty years later, I'm so proud of what has become of Hamby Catering and know that the company is in great hands.”


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Ever since Oreo tweeted that clever “You can still dunk in the dark” tweet during the Super Bowl power outage, brands have been looking at ways to capitalize on current news stories in social media. Most of them have failed, some miserably.
Real time marketing is apparently a tactic that includes a high level of risk.
Clever video from the 2014 World Cup by Stabilo
Sometimes though, organizations do manage link their brands to breaking stories in a positive way, like with this brilliant video from Schwan-STABILO, the German manufacturer of for example Stabilo Boss highlighter pens.
During the already classic 2014 FIFA World Cup game between reigning champions Spain and the Netherlands, Dutch forward Robin van Persie scored a wonderful diving header to level the score 1-1. The Netherlands turned the game around and beat Spain 5-1 in spectacular manner.
Stabilo immortalized the flying dutchman’s goal be recreating it in a flipbook video made with Stabilo pens. Very clever:
I blogged the other day about how a “viral agency” had been posting nice reviews in Swedish online forums on behalf of Samsung, but without disclosing their true identity. The scam was revealed and in a comment to the marketing blog Adland, Samsung said that the procedure was out of line and that they had put an end to it.
“The user who started the thread wanted to share a video showing the “12 Mega Pixel quality that creates a clear and fine video” of a Samsung camera – which is fair enough, perhaps. But then check his previous posts: here, here and here. It’s fair to say that he’s very interested in Samsung products and nothing else.”
The IP address to the user “Huey” comes from Seoul, South Korea. Tom Royal is pointing out that the IP addresses are not directly associated with Samsung. But we are starting to see a pattern here. I did some further investigation and found that the video that was linked to in the Computeractive forum has also been posted on a number of Korean forums, as well as this UK forum. The text in this post is the exact same as the text on Computeractive:
“This is a short sample video that is recorded by a new Samsung camcorder R10. Although the environment of aquarium was not proper enough to shoot by a camcorder, R10 did capture every single movement of beautiful sea animals in a dark aquarium. It has a 12 Mega Pixel quality that creates a clear and fine video.”
Other places with the same text and video are here, here and here.
I realize that it is possible that Samsung has nothing to do with the spreading of this video, it may just be enthusiastic fans or spam sites that scrape content online. But it is starting to look a bit suspiciuos don’t you think? Tom Royal has tried to get a comment from Samsung and promised to post if he gets a response. We will continue to follow this story as it unveils.
Samsung has been caught with their pants down in an attempt to create a buzz in Swedish online forums for their LED tv sets. A Swedish agency called the Viral Company has been posting comments and questions to numerous forums about the best LED tvs, pretending to be an ordinary consumer. With fake identities the Viral Company tried to get the word going in forums about gaming, movies, home electronics, outdoor life and so forth.
But they did a major mistake when they added a smiley to the posts with the purpose of tracking conversations, since the URL for the smiley icon went to a domain name owned by the Viral Company (http://power.moltoman.com). So the little scam was brutally revealed, and here is the fun part – someone else is following in the footsteps of the Viral Company, calling them out as cheaters. A user named “Felmeddelande” (Error message, in English) posts comments to the different forum threads explaining that these posts are done on behalf of Samsung, which in most cases are in breach of forum rules.
If you do a Google search for http://power.moltoman.com/tracker/PMfegnEb/smile.gif (the image has now been taken down) or http://power.moltoman.com/tracker/ you get a long list of forum posts, almost all about LED tvs. The question now is, how much of these tactics did Samsung Sweden know about. If the campaign has been approved by Samsung then they are in desperate need of some rethinking in terms of social media strategy, because this campaign was doomed to backfire from the very start. It will also be interesting to see how they will handle this online crisis situation. Will they stay silent or will they address the issue?
Volkswagen turns to social media when promoting new cars. In a recent Advertising Age article, Volkswagen of America says it is launching the next generation GTI exclusively on an iPhone app, because it is a cost-efficient marketing tool. Compare that with the $60 million Volkswagen spent on TV commercials on the 2006 launch of GTI.
And in Sweden, Volkswagen has produced three videos that have gone viral, to the extent that one of them has become the most viral video ever made (even more viral than Susan Boyle, thank God), at least according to the Viral Video Chart. “Pianotrappan” (the piano stairs) has been viewed almost 7 million times in less than a month, but what makes it the most viral video is the number of blog posts and tweets about the video (3,100 blog posts and 12,800 tweets). Well done Volkswagen and DDB.


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Eskom has confirmed a new load-shedding stage roster going into the weekend and let’s hope there are no surprises. The power utility issued a…
The mobile app lets you scan the barcode of a packaged-food item and provides nutritional information on the energy, total fat, saturated fat, sugar, fibre, sodium and calcium of the product.
An algorithm rates the nutrient composition using a star rating system. The user is also shown healthier alternatives within the same food category, allowing them to make a switch to a healthier product before they head to the check-out counter.
Discovery Insurance isn’t shying away from hooking onto the latest tech trends. A few months ago the South African insurance company partnered with forward-thinking taxi service Uber for on-demand flew shots. That was before it released an app last year to encourage better drivers and improve road safety across the country.
Head of Vitality Wellness Dr Craig Nossel explains that it’s important to empower people to make healthier nutrition choices:
Nutritional labelling information is often confusing to consumers, but FoodSwitch makes the whole thing easy because it allows people to interpret the information at a glance and make quick swaps while they’re shopping.
The app was developed from an existing food database of approximately 17 000 packaged foods and shortly after its release in Australia in 2012, FoodSwitch made its way to consumers in New Zealand and the UK.
Customers have been encouraged to take pictures of non-listed product labels and send it to HealthyFood Switch developers. Boasting a growth of 600 000 users within 18 months, it carries a database of over 75 000 products.
Within a short 18 months of initial launch some 600 000+ users had downloaded the app onto their phones. Consumers have been encouraged to contribute to the growth of the database by taking pictures of the relevant information on food items and sending this on to the developers, leading to a rapid expansion of the database to over 75 000 products.
Dr Elizabeth Dunford from the George Institute says that South Africa is the fourth country to have access to FoodSwitch. It plans to roll out to 30 other countries in the near future.


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SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — On Tuesday, the San Marcos City Council discussed making a new jobs incentive requirement that would raise the local family wage.
Three council members, John Thomaides, Lisa Prewitt, and Scott Gregson, requested that this new requirement be placed on Tuesday’s agenda.
To bring businesses to San Marcos, the council has allocated $200,000 a year of taxpayers’ money to provide incentives. City Council member John Thomaides says they review jobs, wages, locations and overall benefit to the city before offering a business an incentives package.
Within the packages there could be anything from a property tax abatement to sales tax rebates. Thomaides says in order for jobs to be considered in the incentives package businesses must offer at least $15 per hour plus benefits which include health insurance.
Without a business having a family wage of $15 an hour plus benefits, like health insurance, the category of jobs will not hold weight when the city council puts an incentive package together.
“Any job that is created that we [provide incentives for] that pays poverty level wages is just making the problem worse,” Thomaides says.
The city council has until Feb. 2, 2016 to decide on the new requirement.


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FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke Admits Governing Body Has An Image Problem
FIFA "is among protesters’ targets as Brazilians stage the country’s biggest street demonstrations in two decades," according to Tariq Panja of BLOOMBERG. FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke said that "being the focus of fury goes hand in hand with running the world’s most-popular sport." Valcke said, "I don’t think the goal of FIFA is to be loved by the world. As long as you have this responsibility to protect the game, to make decisions which are not always the nicest ones for some people, I’m not sure you can avoid criticism." The scale of the protests "has been a surprise to FIFA," where contingency planning before the tournament did not foresee such opposition. Valcke said, "We had no indication that would happen, and definitely no indication that it would reach such a level." He said that "he recognizes his organization has an image problem." In Brazil, protesters "are angered at FIFA’s demand for tax exemptions for corporate partners" such as Coca-Cola Co. and adidas AG, and hosting requirements that "needed the Brazilian parliament to pass special legislation." Romario, who played on Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning team and is now a member of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, said in a YouTube video last weekend FIFA is “a state within a state” that “is going to come, install a circus without paying anything and take everything with it" (BLOOMBERG, 6/26).


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A local business is trying to help victims affected by flooding. Generations Brewing Company in Freeport, Ill. will donate a dollar of every purchase from their beer selection in the taproom.
The donations will begin Wednesday, March 20 and will occur every Wednesday and Thursday until the end of March.
Generations Brewing Company will be partnering with Salvation Army, Freeport Dream Center and Freeport Area Church Co-op to help with flood relief. The business will be accepting food, clothing and bedding donations, as well.


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Apple's most recent quarter of iPad sales is not only the first time that iPad sales have grown year-over-year since 2013, but its best non-holiday quarter for sales of the tablet for two years.
In Tuesday's quarterly earnings report, Apple declared that it had sold 11.42 million iPads on the quarter, generating $4.97 billion in revenue. In the last quarter, Apple noted 8.92 million units sold, with a revenue of $3.89 billion.
In the year-ago quarter, Apple's sales volume was significantly less than this quarter, with 9.95 million units sold. Revenue was close to this last quarter's, with $4.88 billion gleaned from the device, mostly on the strength of the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
On March 21, Apple released the entry-level fifth generation iPad. The new iPad is the size of the original iPad Air, and features the A9 processor with M9 motion co-processor, and starts at $329 for 32GB of storage. The third fiscal quarter is the first full quarter of availability of the device.
The 10.5-inch iPad Pro was revealed during the 2017 WWDC keynote, with the new mid-size offering in the line receiving a larger 120Hz refresh 10.5-inch display with thinner bezels, the A10X Fusion processor, while still weighing just one pound.


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PENN Entertainment Inc., the company that has Barstool Sportsbook in Maryland and other gambling entities under its umbrella, has announced a new, “enhanced customer loyalty program,” and launched it across its compete portfolio of brands and companies.
This new customer loyalty program being instituted by Penn Entertainment is being dubbed PENN Play and it will replace mychoice, the previous customer loyalty program.
PENN Play replaces mychoice as Barstool Sportsbook rewards program
PENN Entertainment’s press release states that there are 26 million loyalty members using their system which is split between all of their different companies. Now, anyone using any of the companies under the PENN Entertainment umbrella can cash in on this new enhanced customer loyalty program.
That means customers of Barstool Sportsbook for online sports betting in Maryland; anyone who dines, shops or stays at any PENN destinations across the country, such as Hollywood Casino Perryville; or anyone using HollywoodCasino.com or PENNPlaycasino.com is eligible for PENN Play.
The goal for PENN Entertainment as they launch their new PENN Play customer loyalty program is to bring all of their brands and companies under one new loyalty program. Now, their loyalty program is much more in line with other loyalty programs tied to hospitality and gambling such as Caesars Rewards and MGM Rewards.
Now, patrons who gamble with one of the PENN Entertainment betting establishments or online platforms, or who dine and stay at a PENN Entertainment hotel and casino will earn rewards in the same system to be used as they see fit.
What are the customer benefits of PENN Play in Maryland?
So, what does this change from mychoice to PENN Play mean for all of the bettors who use Barstool Sportsbook to wager on their favorite teams and their highly anticipated games? A new loyalty program always sounds nice, but how will the specifics actually impact bettors using Penn Entertainment brands?
Here are the specifics as outlined on the press release provided by PENN Entertainment.
- Meaningful rewards are more accessible to everyone. Customers can begin earning just by signing up, including at the new Play tier level. Additional benefits and rewards are unlocked at each of five tier levels – Play, Advantage, Preferred, Elite and Owners Club.
- Access to a new marketplace featuring popular retailers where members can redeem gifts and earn tier points and PENN Cash on everyday items.
- Access to new, exciting perks and entertainment experiences with PENN partner brands, including Live Nation and Choice Hotels.
- A new rewards website and mobile app, which allow members to participate in exclusive promotions and track progress towards earning exciting rewards that can be redeemed anywhere they play.
- PENN Play is supported by the company’s industry leading cardless, cashless and contactless 3 C’s technology to better meet the preferences of customers.
- PENN Entertainment™ Mastercard® credit card sign-up incentives.
The points that are accumulated will be called PENN Cash and will be able to be used in many different ways across many different brands and business under the PENN Entertainment umbrella. To build up excitement for their new customer loyalty program, PENN Entertainment is also unveiling a promotional campaign where members can win $1.5 million in PENN Cash and prizes. Download the PENN Play app for more details.
“PENN’s business has transformed over the last few years as we’ve expanded our retail, online gaming and entertainment experiences. With the rebranding of our loyalty program to PENN Play, we are taking steps to better align all of our brands under the PENN umbrella and create a more seamless omni-channel experience for our customers, which we believe will have a meaningful impact on both our retail and online gaming performance.”


text: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), the premiere container Port in India, continues to scale up its growth trajectory with new business initiatives between friendly neighbouring countries. There is a new direct service, Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT) – JNPT – Kandla –SCT, for cargo shipment, added to the existing shipping service operating between UAE and India. Speaking on this new service, Sanjay Sethi, Chairman, JNPT said, “As India’s leading container Port, JNPT is constantly innovating and improving its operational efficiency and scaling up its business capacity. We are committed to provide seamless customer service and ease of doing business for the EXIM community and this allows us to be the preferred choice as a business partner in the maritime sector. UAE is developing its Ports and is becoming a key destination for global trade due to its strategic access to Asia, Africa and Europe. Thus strengthening the maritime ties between both countries will be helpful for developing the maritime sector in the Asian region and open new avenues for growth in the global market as well.” The Vessel M.V. Port Klang from Sunmarine Shipping Services made its maiden voyage from Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT) to JNPT and this maiden vessel called at JNPCT on 17/3/2019. This Vessel said to offer the fastest direct express service between Sharjah’s Port Khalid and JNPT and other Ports in the Western India region, with only three days transit time from the last port in India to Sharjah.


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The all-new 2018 Jeep Wrangler may still have boxy styling that flashes back to World War II, but its fuel economy will improve substantially.
Roadshow dug up the 2018 Wrangler's fuel economy figures, which were posted to the EPA's website. The figures released for the Wrangler with a 3.6-liter V-6 reveal 17 mpg city, 23 highway, 19 combined with the standard 6-speed manual transmission and 18/23/20 mpg with the optional 8-speed automatic.
Confusingly, Jeep will sell both the all-new Wrangler and a carryover model for the 2018 model year. If you're a numbers kind of person, here's what the EPA says:
- Carryover 2018 Wrangler 6-speed manual: 16/21/18 mpg
- Carryover 2018 Wrangler 5-speed automatic: 16/20/18 mpg
- All-new 2018 Wrangler 6-speed manual: 17/23/19 mpg
- All-new 2018 Wrangler 8-speed automatic: 18/23/20 mpg
At first glance, they share the same seven-slot Jeep grille and removable style, but improved aerodynamics and three extra gears add up to a 2 mpg higher combined rating with the optional automatic transmission. The outgoing Wrangler's optional 5-speed automatic has been far more popular with buyers than the stick-shift, but a limited number of gears blunts its performance and its fuel consumption.
The Wrangler's fuel economy could improve even more once Jeep releases a 2.0-liter turbo-4 version. A turbodiesel is also likely to follow.
We'll know more in a couple of weeks when Jeep formally unveils its off-roader at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show.


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VLADIMIR, February 15. /Corr. Anna Ustinova/. The largest Vladimirsky farmer John Kopiski began to master the production of cheeses with mold. Within three months he was going to conduct experiments to learn how to make cheeses, such as Roquefort and Camembert. About this Kopiski said in an interview with TASS.
Kopiski, the farmer decided to sell his farm for 3 billion rubles
“In the next few days I will have two dairies on 25 liters, I want to make Roquefort and Camembert. I need three months to conduct experiments before I find the taste that I like,” said Kopiski.
In addition, he reported about the successful completion of the experiment for the preparation of cheese, such as Parmesan, which was aged a year and a half. This cheese, according to the farmer, will not go on sale, but Vladimir cheese may soon be on the shelves.
Now selling our cheese has grown significantly. When we started three years ago, it was 40 kg per week, now 3-4 times more. Our people used to think that the food is not tasty. Now they understand that in imported products is also counterfeit and palm oil. Good food is cheaper there
Today, the farmer sells more than 10 varieties of homemade cheese, milk, yoghurt, cream, kefir and cheese, and also meat products.
The British-born John Kopiski live in Russia in the early 1990-ies, he received Russian citizenship and established a farm in the Vladimir region. The farm contains about 4 thousand head of cattle, daily produced 50 tons of milk. 16 April 2015 the farmer participated in a “straight line” with Russian President Vladimir Putin where he raised the issue of the plight of milk producers in Russia.


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CORONA, Calif. (PRNewswire) — AVT, Inc. (OTC Markets: AVTC) (www.autoretail.com), a leader in automated retailing systems and custom vending machines, commented on the many industries that are embracing the rapidly growing self-service industry.
"Self-service technology, kiosks especially, may be changing the way we access health care," Kiosk Marketplace reported.
In an August report on pharmacy automation, the industry was valued at $4.7 billion globally, and is expected to reach $7.8 billion by 2018, Pharmacy Times reported.
The largest share of that value comes from automated medicine dispensing systems — kiosks that track and supply medication and are designed to eliminate human error in the workplace.
"Among the latest systems in medicine dispensing are the marijuana dispensary kiosks gaining traction across the country as laws change in favor of medicinal or recreational cannabis," Kiosk Marketplace reported. "One such kiosk solution comes from Medbox, a provider of technology to marijuana dispensaries across the nation." AVT is the exclusive manufacturer of Medbox systems.
It is not just healthcare that is embracing self-service technology. Industries in virtually every sector are realizing the benefits of "Automated Retailing."
McDonald's is another example. The world's largest fast-food chain has installed self-service kiosks with touch-screen terminals in Europe to allow customers to order and pay electronically.
Mark Fabes, Director of IT at McDonald's Restaurants, said his main challenge is keeping up with consumer expectations. "Our customers have technology at their fingertips and expect to engage with our business using technology," he told Computer Weekly.
McDonald's says the kiosks will make its restaurants more convenient and efficient, and is expected to spread across the U.S. soon, according to MSN Money.
Fabes said the McDonald's board is incredibly supportive of investment in technology. This support comes from explaining in business terms what the technology will bring to the company. "It's more than enablement, it's business growth."
AVT is at the forefront of implementing new technologies into kiosks, to deliver an optimum customer experience. "Automated Retailing is an ideal solution for many situations," commented Shannon Illingworth, Founder and Chairman of AVT, Inc. "The customer prefers the automated experience, and businesses save time and money," he stated. "It's a win-win."


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The U.S. tech company announced this morning that it will repurchase 40 million shares of its common stock, all owned by Third Point, a New York hedge fund.
The price: $29.11 per share, the closing price of the company's common stock on July 19. In total, it's a purchase totaling more than a billion dollars.
The deal leaves Third Point with 20 million shares, less than two percent of the company's outstanding stock, and three fewer board members: Daniel Loeb, Harry Wilson, and Michael Wolf have submitted their resignations from Yahoo's board of directors, to be effective July 31, leaving just seven members.
When Mayer was named chief executive, Yahoo's stock was trading at about $15.60 per share. It is now trading at nearly $28 per share. As Nathan Vardi points out at Forbes, Loeb began purchasing Yahoo shares in August 2011 when they were just $13 each; today's sale more than doubles his original investment.
The company's stock was down 4.4 percent, to 27.83, after the announcement of the stock repurchase.


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Along the timeline of the ancient art of winemaking, the mechanization of vineyards is still in its infancy. If ever necessity was the mother of invention, the industrial vine and wine revolution defines it.
USDA workforce development expert Roger Slater, strategic adviser to the Human Capital Officer for the U.S Department of Agriculture, offers dealers insight into a changing workforce and succession planning at “Leading Change & Succession,” FWEDA’s 71st annual convention in Palm Springs, Calif.
Total U.S. sales of 2WD drive tractors for May gained 17% compared to May 2017, bolstered by gains of 20% in both the 100-plus horsepower and under-40 horsepower categories, according to the latest data from the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).
U.S. farm equipment maker Deere & Co (DE.N) on Friday sued Precision Planting LLC and AGCO Corp (AGCO.N), accusing them of infringing on 12 of its patents.
The Equipment Dealers Association is proud to announce the launch of a brand new resource for the equipment industry: EDA’s Student Resource Database. This database is a dynamic, comprehensive guide that is accessible via the EDA website and available to anyone interested in pursuing a career in the ag equipment industry.


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The online TV service operated by the Russian DTH platform NTV-Plus has been made available in the CIS countries.
Subscribers in the countries now have access to around 100 TV channels in four thematic packages, as well as the premium library of films and TV shows in Amediateka Home of HBO. They also have access to0 the full functionality of NTV-Plus TV, including an archive, the ‘Watch Now’ section, access to highlights and one-time purchases of films and sports events.
Commenting on the development, Konstantin Smirnov, director of NTV-Plus’s digital products department, said: “The appearance of the international package in September 2018 showed that there is a demand for Russian-language television content not only among Russians traveling abroad, but also among compatriots abroad.
“We created a unique product and tried to make it high-quality, convenient and attractive. I think we succeeded. The most difficult thing to deal with is clearing rights, but we are constantly working on it and will increase the number of channels. I can say the same thing about video libraries: the number of integrations with them will grow”.
The CIS countries in which NTV-Plus TV is now available are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The number of channels offered in each varies depending on the rights to internet broadcasting in a particular jurisdiction.


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America’s 3.5 Million Truck Drivers to Be Recognized With Salutes, Gifts
This story appears in the Sept. 12 print edition of Transport Topics.
Free barbecue, coffee, doughnuts and travel mugs are among the many ways that America’s 3.5 million truck drivers will be thanked for their hard work during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, Sept. 11-17
“Those who work in the trucking industry or personally know a truck driver understand the important work that these men and women do on the road each day,” American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said. “Truck drivers are safe, dedicated individuals who help provide our daily goods.”
DAY-BY-DAY COVERAGE: Share your salute on Twitter with #NTDAW
According to ATA, the trucking industry provides one out of every 16 American jobs, a total of 7.3 million, and moves more than 70% of the nation’s total freight tonnage. Also, more than 80% of U.S. communities rely exclusively on trucking to deliver their goods.
ATA First Vice Chairman Kevin Burch and America’s Road Team captains will appear on several morning shows this week to promote the industry as well as truck driving careers.
“Truck drivers are incredibly vital to our economy, but they’re also valuable members of their communities,” Burch said.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin proclaimed “Truck Driver Appreciation Week” in her state, noting that drivers, “travel more than 250 billion miles and deliver more than 100 billion tons of freight each year. … Our economic system rides on the wheels of trucks and on the shoulders of the people who safely drive those trucks.”
Choptank Transport representatives will give gift bags to drivers at the TravelAmerica Center/Petro Truck Stop in Elkton, Maryland, on Sept. 16.
“Being responsible for 40 tons on the road is not an easy job,” said Paul Wood, director of career services for Choptank Transport, which is partnering with the Maryland Motor Truck Association for the event. “It often means days away from home navigating through all kinds of weather and difficult traffic conditions, while being under pressure to deliver cargo on time. . . . It’s nice to celebrate this once a year, but we should be thankful for their hard work and dedication all year long.”
Love’s Travel Stops is giving away more than 20 million My Love Rewards points in September. One driver will win 500,000 My Love Rewards points, a $5,000 value.
Denny’s is offering special discounts and prizes such as gift cards or free Grand Slam breakfasts for drivers at more than 140 of its travel centers this month.
In addition, Boss Truck Shops are offering free barbecue to drivers this week at different times and days at each of its locations, and Universal Lumpers is celebrating drivers with free coffee, doughnuts and travel mugs at its distribution centers.


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Twin Falls, Idaho (KMVT-TV) Investing in the downtown area.
It’s what the Twin Falls Urban Renewal Agency is continuing to do.
The URA recently showed investors retail opportunities in the Magic Valley.
The Urban Renewal Agency and the City of Twin Falls are working together to revitalize the downtown area and create jobs.
"Downtown is the heart of Twin Falls and the heart of all of us we really want to continue to see the revitalization of downtown which the new Glanbia Headquarters and cheese innovation center is helping move that along a lot that's a really big game changer” said Melinda Anderson, Economic Development Director, Twin Falls.
There are many retail spaces for lease.
"I would say there are at least ten spaces along Main Avenue, but also along the seconds and some in old town as well” said Melinda Anderson, Economic Development Director, Twin Falls.
The city is ongoing marketing for new businesses to move in and always have people looking at possible locations.
Another project underway is improving the public appearance.
"The city and the Renewal Agency are talking about some improvements to sidewalks, landscaping, the light, also parking, and the streets” said Melinda Anderson, Economic Development Director, Twin Falls.
Five years from now the city would like to see an amazing downtown that is busy morning, noon, and night.


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It’s not always rainbows and butterflies in the unicorn-verse. The pretty-in-pink, mythical-creature drink trend has just gotten ugly, as a Montauk-inspired coffee shop in Brooklyn is suing Starbucks for stealing its unicorn name.
The End Brooklyn began churning out its Unicorn Latte—a non-caffeinated, algae-filled health juice for $9—back in December 2016, several months before Starbucks launched its viral, syrupy frap in April.
The Williamsburg cafe is claiming trademark infringement, as it's had a trademark pending on the name since January. Starbucks is countering that the suit is “without merit.”
Forget the drinks, folks, grab some popcorn.


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Tag Archives : Skoda MissionL
While the MissionL previewed Skoda’s future styling, none apart from the Citigo have received their styling updates so far. The only car that ‘sort of’.
This story is of high relevance to the Indian market as the European version of the Rapid could be brought to India in the future.
Skoda may have launched everything it had to launch in the year 2011 but the company still has a few tricks up its sleeves. 2011.
Czech company Skoda Auto has showcased the ‘almost production ready’ MissionL concept at the ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show. The MissionL is based on the Vision.
Many of you may have seen teaser images of the Skoda MissonL concept on the internet with the VisionD design vocabulary. In the press release.


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BCSO shares tips on staying safe while holiday shopping
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)— Shoppers were out and about Friday morning, getting the best deals Black Friday had to offer.
We spoke with several shoppers about what deals they got. Deo Oliver shopped for his grandchildren.
“I’m not going to tell what I’ve gotten them because Santa Claus will get in trouble but I’ve got them stuff at Walmart and I’ve gone to best buy and gotten some electronics,” said Oliver.
Dexter Howard was out shopping too, he said he got some good deals at Walmart.
“I got some movies, a pair of sneakers, okay and then I got some cornflakes,” said Howard.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office wants to make sure the items you buy are safe.
Tips on staying safe this holiday season:
- Lock your car doors
- Keep items out of clear view or lock them in the truck
- Shop in pairs
- Park in a well lit area
- Check around your car when you’re leaving a store
- Don’t carry too many items at once, leaving you defenseless to a criminal
- If you have a purse keep it on you at all times, don’t leave it unattended
- Follow your intuition, if something doesn’t seem right it’s probably not right
- Make your home have the appearance of someone always being there
- Lock your doors and windows when you’re home
- Have a neighbor or trusted friend keep an eye on your house if you’re not home
- If you won’t be home when a package is being delivered have a trusted person pick it up for you
Captain Brad Wolfe with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office shares tips to stay safe, and says anyone can become a victim of a crime.
“Be aware of the fact that the potential exists for some kind of criminal act to occur and you could become a victim so do everything in your power to reduce your chances of becoming a victim,” said Wolfe.
The Sheriff’s Office also reminds people we are still in a pandemic. When you’re out shopping, continue to social distance and wear a mask.


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Technology breakthrough paves the way for wide adoption across mobile, automotive and edge-of-network devices.
NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EyeLock LLC, a market leader of iris-based identity authentication solutions, today announced new technology that authenticates identities at distances of 60 cm, with glasses, contact lenses and daylight. The technology is architected for implementation across smartphones and mobile devices, as well as automotive, healthcare and other edge-of-network applications. EyeLock's technology represents a breakthrough in proprietary software, security, algorithms and optics, and delivers the most secure, reliable and user-friendly capabilities available in the market today – outperforming the iris recognition solutions available from Samsung, Fujitsu and Microsoft Lumia.
With the rapid proliferation of biometric modalities across IoT devices, EyeLock's new technology addresses the growing demand for increased security protocols for devices and the use case applications that power the world we live in. The technology benefits OEM licensees and the market-at-large, including financial services, healthcare, automotive, enterprise and government sectors, by delivering a solution to mitigate security threats while providing consumers a more convenient way to transact.
"EyeLock's new technology is a significant scientific breakthrough in iris recognition and will be leveraged as a utility across edge-of-network devices," said Jim Demitrieus, Chief Executive Officer of EyeLock. "Our new technology has now surpassed all other iris recognition solutions and solves the usability and security impediments that have long been an obstacle for mass-market adoption. EyeLock offers the only iris recognition technology today that works at a distance of 60 cm, with glasses, contacts and daylight, all without compromising security or ease of use," he said.
EyeLock is one of the only biometric companies in the world to own and control the entire software and algorithm stack, providing dual-eye authentication, an unmatched security architecture and anti-spoofing technology.
EyeLock LLC, a majority owned subsidiary of Voxx International Corporation (VOXX: NASDAQ), is an acknowledged leader in advanced iris authentication for the Internet of Things (IoT), providing the highest level of security with EyeLock ID™ technology. Iris authentication is highly secure because no two irises are alike and the iris is the most accurate human identifier other than DNA. The company's significant IP portfolio, including more than 75 patents and patents pending, and proprietary technology enables the convenient and secure authentication of individuals across physical and logical environments. EyeLock's solutions have been integrated and embedded across consumer and enterprise products and platforms, eliminating the need for PINs and passwords. Corporations across the Fortune 500 recognize the level of security EyeLock provides due in part to its extremely low false acceptance rate, ease of use, and scalability. As a sponsor member of the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a safer and more secure digital presence for consumers, EyeLock is dedicated to advancing digital privacy and next generation security.
EyeLock Media Contact:
Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer
SOURCE EyeLock LLC


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Apple Computer Inc. revolutionized music with the iPod. Is video next?
The computer-maker this week scheduled an announcement for next Wednesday (Oct. 12) that industry experts widely expect will be the debut of an iPod that plays video.
Although Chief Executive Steve Jobs revels in leading prognosticators astray, Apple's entry into the fledgling market for portable video could broaden the appeal of watching movies and television shows on the go -- and potentially open new revenue streams for studios and networks.
But, analysts cautioned, Apple may find breaking into video significantly tougher than the wildly successful ride it has enjoyed with iPod. Unlike music, which people have carried with them since the transistor radio, video is usually watched at home on the couch.
"The question I've always had is, I'm not sure what the level of demand for portable video really is," said Mike McGuire, a personal technology analyst with Gartner Inc. "It's questionable."
But the market is growing. Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable, for instance, plays movies on its relatively small screen. Sony and other studios were surprised by the demand for titles that work on the PSP. There are twice as many movies available for the PSP as games.
"It exceeded our expectations because it's a whole new business," said Ben Feingold, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. "I think it's important we migrate with lifestyle ... as people spend more time commuting in places where they have what I call variable spare time -- like at the car wash."
Analysts said they expected Apple to offer short clips through its iTunes Music Store.
"From our understanding, the first set of video content available from the iTunes store will be music videos and video podcasts," American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu wrote in a research report. "At this point, we do not anticipate full-length feature movies but would not be surprised to see some test movies in the future."
Key to the success of any player would be Apple's ability to secure material people want to watch from content producers and to safeguard it against widespread copying. Jobs is also Chief Executive of Pixar Animation Studios, and has strong ties in Hollywood.
Apple declined to comment.
One maker of portable media devices said Wednesday that it would welcome Apple's entry into the market.
"I think we'd be happy that there would be more visibility to this market sector," said Lisa O'Malley, a brand manager for Creative Labs, which makes Zen portable media players. "Anyone joining the market would encourage the content providers to make more content available -- TV and movie studios, music labels."
But it could well be a mixed blessing. Many of the small array of portable video players already on the market use technology from Microsoft Corp. Apple, on the other hand, has no built-in way for its Macintosh computers to capture television the way many PCs running Microsoft Windows do.
That could change.
"If Apple is true to form they'll have a tightly integrated hardware, software and services offering that will be a better experience than people have gotten to date on portable media players," said Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies.
Times staff writer Julie Tamaki contributed to this report.
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