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UK iPhone Sales Show 5S Preference by Three-to-One Over 5C
December 2, 2013 10:55 AM
comment(s) - last by
But the 5C is bringing in new customers from other operating systems
is far ahead of its cheaper sibling -- the 5C -- when it comes to sales in Britain.
According to a new report from
iPhone 5S is outselling the 5C
by a ratio of three-to-one. The 5S is Apple's latest high-end iPhone release that launched in September for an unsubsidized starting price of $650. The 5C starts at $550.
But this doesn't necessarily mean that the 5C was a bust for Apple. In fact, the report noted that the 5C has been acting like an iOS starter kit for those coming from other mobile operating systems like Android and Windows Phone.
The report quoted Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech., saying that nearly half of iPhone 5C owners switched from competitor brands (mainly Samsung and LG) while 80 percent of 5S owners upgraded from an older iPhone model.
The report also noted that the 5C is attractive to households with lower incomes (less than $49,000).
Apple is making some headway in the UK, but it still trails behind Android. Android's market share in the UK is 56 percent while Apple's iOS sits in second place with 29 percent. Windows Phone is in third place with 12 percent and BlackBerry is in last place with 3 percent.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
12/2/2013 4:31:04 PM
This is just Apple trolling the market...like they're trying to "prove" that their consumer base is too sophisticated to buy a "budget" phone - by making the "budget" phone costs $550.
They should get punched in the face just for that.
A budget phone is one that sells for about a hundred bucks at Walmart, full retail. $550 is a high-end price tag, regardless of what the actual phone is.
"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance." -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
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- by LuBu
Founded by Michael Arrington and later offered to AOL, TechCrunch has remained as one of the leaders overlaying tech business news. Founded and owned by Arnold Kim, MacRumors attracts a broad viewers of each consumers and professionals fascinated in the latest technologies and merchandise. While some thought NFTs and the metaverse had reached “peak hype” this summer season, Facebook, Inc., upped the ante in October when it rebranded to become metaverse company Meta. Fashion and beauty manufacturers had already entered the area, as customers are eager to spend money to personalise how avatars look and what they put on in digital areas.
Currently, owned by VOX media, Recode gives probably the most updated impartial technology news, analysis trends, and reviews from essentially the most respected and knowledgeable journalists as properly as bloggers in media and technology. The idea of transparent and explainable AI has been rising in reputation over recent …Read More

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Five Percent of Retail Price Supports Komen
COLUMBIA, Md., Sept. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, PANDORA has added four new pink-inspired pieces to its fall collection. This marks the fifth year of their partnership in an effort to save lives and find the cures for breast cancer.
The four new pieces all feature a pink ribbon enamel design including:
- Sterling silver charm with pink ribbon enamel design ($45, CA$50)
- Sterling silver pendant with pink ribbon enamel design and sterling silver chain ($175, CA$200)
- 14-karat gold charm with pink ribbon enamel design ($310, CA$355)
- 14-karat gold limited edition pendant with pink ribbon enamel design ($385, CA$445)
"Charmed giving is part of PANDORA's social commitment to supporting charitable purposes that inspire individuality and improve the lives of women around the world," said Angel Ilagan, vice president, marketing, PANDORA North America. "We are proud to partner with an organization like Susan G. Komen for the Cure and support its mission to save lives, find a cure for breast cancer and improve the lives of those suffering, through local programs and national research."
PANDORA believes in corporate social responsibility and signifying life's aspirational moments with genuine jewelry pieces that symbolize relationships and moments in time. The brand is dedicated to philanthropy and in 2010 raised more than $1.3 million to benefit Susan G. Komen. The four new pieces will accompany two existing Komen charms that pay tribute to those affected by breast cancer.
PANDORA will donate 5 percent of the retail price of these new jewelry pieces, with a minimum pledge of $1 million, to Komen by January 31, 2013. In connection with this program, 75 percent of contributions from collection sales in Canada will benefit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and support its research, education and awareness programs.
PANDORA has been making its mark in the international fine jewelry industry for almost 30 years, and is world-renowned for its high-quality, hand finished design. The collections inspire women to embrace their individuality with romantic and feminine pieces that capture the unforgettable moments of life. The strength of the PANDORA charm bracelet is the detailed design, the high quality and the unique threaded bracelet system (U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,507.) The affordable luxury collections include customizable charm bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces and watches made from sterling silver and 14K and 18K gold with handset gemstones. Perfect for any occasion, PANDORA jewelry is sold in 55 countries on six continents in more than 10,000 locations, including nearly 500 PANDORA branded concept stores. To view the PANDORA collection, build a bracelet online or locate a jeweler, please visit PANDORA.net.
Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, PANDORA employs over 5,000 people worldwide, of whom more than 3,600 are located in Gemopolis, Thailand, where the company manufactures its jewelry. PANDORA is publicly listed on the NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen stock exchange in Denmark. In 2010, PANDORA's total revenue was DKK 6.7 billion (approximately 1.2 billion USD). For investor information, please visit www.pandoragroup.com.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, the promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is now the world's largest breast cancer organization and the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer with more than $1.9 billion invested to date. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
About the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation was founded in 1986 by a group of volunteers and has become the leading national volunteer-led organization in Canada dedicated to creating a future without breast cancer. The Foundation has invested $230 million since its inception to collaboratively fund, support and advocate for relevant and innovative breast cancer research, meaningful education and awareness programs, early diagnosis and effective treatment, and a positive quality of life for those living with breast cancer. Based in Toronto, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation has regional offices in British Columbia/Yukon, Prairies/North West Territories, Ontario and the Atlantic Region. For more information about the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation please visit www.cbcf.org.


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Much uncertainty currently surrounds the economic environment but there is some light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel, with more timber sector companies increasing operational activity. How can companies adapt in the coming months and what will be the important focus points.
The Covid-19 crisis has greatly impacted production operations and sales across most sectors of the wood industries, bringing unique and unprecedented challenges.
As we move into a different phase of the pandemic, how can the industry and companies within it adapt to the challenges ahead. TTJ’s Coming out of Covid webinar will examine key questions from different perspectives of the timber supply chain: sawmilling/importing, merchanting and timber product manufacturing.
Our expert panel will discuss the supply and demand situation, how different sectors are adapting to challenges and what will be important for companies in the weeks and months ahead.
Join us for the debate. Knowledge and communication are absolutely fundamental for helping business at this time.


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List of digital currencies by market cap
CoinMarketCap: Cryptocurrency is one of the most trending chapters of the existing times, which is ruling the virtual finance market.Four reasons cryptocurrencies are up 810%, as a whole, year to date What on Earth has the investment world going so crazy for digital currencies.
Coin Market Cap | WeShareApps
Zcash Enters Top 10 Cryptocurrencies By Market Cap | 247The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.The following is a list of publicly traded companies having the greatest market capitalization.Home Financial Services Crypto-currencies Zcash Enters Top 10 Cryptocurrencies By Market Cap.While arbitrary, this writer has seen an overwhelming number of cryptocurrency advertisements both online and in print suggesting that people invest in bitcoin.Bitcoin is the currency of the Internet: a distributed, worldwide, decentralized digital money.
Unlike centralized banking, like the Federal Reserve System,. which creates a market cap on them.Ranking the 20 Most Valuable Cryptocurrencies Over Time. of market cap rankings as shown in the chart can be. other currencies have recently entered the.
Market Capitalization - Sharper Insight. Smarter Investing.Investing.com - The price of the digital currency bitcoin was trading near one-month lows on Thursday after falling around 11% so far this week amid a flurry of.Bitcoin touched a high of USD4,485 in early European turnover pushing the digital currencies market.
Since most financial institutions have been kept on the sidelines, this run higher in cryptocurrencies is almost entirely due to the expectations of retail investors.ABOUT US Join the forum and plan for your financial future, today.Investors looking to maintain or grow their wealth may opt to move their money out of dollars and into a safe-haven commodity.
Here is a look at the top five digital currencies by market cap.Digital division). It has. expats freight GDP holiday international currencies interview jobs kiwi kiwi summer.
Cryptocurrency news: Ethereum, Bitcoin, NEO, Fidelity
I would strongly encourage investors who are seeking safe-haven assets to consider buying gold or silver to protect against a further decline in the dollar.This statistic shows the worlds largest banks by market capitalization in 2017. Digital Media.
The largest digital cryptocurrency by market capitalization.This list includes both cryptographic digital currencies and non-cryptographic digital currencies.Cryptocurrency NEO cracked the top 10 digital currencies by market cap this week, rising 25.84% over the weekend.
As long as someone is willing to pay more, emotions and lofty expectations could drive bitcoin, ethereum, and its peers, higher.Omni is both digital currency and communications protocol built on top of the.This list is based on the Financial Times Global 500 rankings.POPULAR CATEGORY Financial Markets 1698 Islamic Finance 831 Crypto-currencies 827 Markets 706 Trade 706 Emerging Markets 507 FinTech 214 Infrastructure 160.Our experts have reviewed the best cryptocurrencies for 2017.An always up-to-date table of the largest companies by market cap available on any major US stock exchange.
Zcash Enters Top 10 Cryptocurrencies By Market Cap
New World Bank Support Emphasizes Savings, Inclusion, and Reform on Road to Sustainable Growth.A blue-chip stock typically has a market capitalization in the billions,.This is a list of cryptocurrencies. By market capitalization, Bitcoin is.New Digital Currency Zcash Promises Total Anonymity. digital currency by market cap and is also.The euro was officially adopted as the currency of 12 European nations as well as 10 new nations...
Just as maddening, First Bitcoin Capital Corp. (NASDAQOTH: BITCF), which recently had its stock temporarily halted by the Securities and Exchange Commission for two weeks, is up over 24,000% over the trailing-12-month period.
This article contains a list of 21 cryptocurrencies with the highest market capitalization. 22 Cryptocurrencies With the Highest Market. digital currency.
You have selected to change your default setting for the Quote Search.Digital currencies such as bitcoin and ethereum have blown traditional investments out of the. which is the largest cryptocurrency by market cap,.


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Malawian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Professor Richard Phoya said the continued existence of illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe is having a negative impact on the country’s development.
Prof Phoya, who was posted to Zimbabwe eight months ago, made the remarks after paying a courtesy call on Vice President Joice Mujuru at her Munhumutapa Offices in Harare.
Prof Phoya’s meeting with Cde Mujuru was the first since he assumed duty as Malawi’s top diplomat in Zimbabwe.
In an interview after meeting Cde Mujuru, Prof Phoya said the effects of illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe are so glaring considering that Zimbabwe was one of the countries in the Southern Africa region that had made great strides in developing its infrastructure after attaining independence. On the progress made by the inclusive government, Prof Phoya commended the three principals of the Global Political Agreement saying the accord has been a unifying force which has brought stability to the country.
Zimbabwe and Malawi share excellent relations which were further strengthened in 2007 when the two governments signed a revised bilateral trade agreement which is aimed at promoting two way trade.
Trade before 2007 was biased in favour of Zimbabwe.
The new agreement has resulted in growing volumes and enhanced flow of trade between the two countries.
Before the 2007 accord, trade between the two countries was governed by a Bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement that came into force in 1995.
Zimbabwe is Malawi’s largest export market after South Africa.
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You see the world of technology -: Sales of the Chinese "wolf" threatens Apple
Posted by: Paris News
Huawei founder, Chinese telecommunications company, who describes his group "The Werewolf", strives to overthrow his second American American Apple as he is facing a public challenge for Samsung.
According to a report published in the newspaper "La Liber" Belgium: Since 2010, Apple and Samsung competed for the ranking of the best smartphone sellers in the world.
But in the second quarter of this year the situation has changed. Huawei China has 54.2 million phones (15% of world markets), according to the NOK, compared with 41.3 million
The newspaper said that the company wants to reach the US market with smartphones in Europe, while in emerging markets adjust markets.
Taron Pathak Huawei's reputation has gradually improved, there is increasing recognition of its brand name. Its products are separate and suitable for different tastes and prices. "
The former Chinese army engineer Ren, 73, Huawei, was founded in 1987 with a few thousand dollars.
Huawei now controls 10% of smartphones in the European market (compared to 25% for Apple and 30% for Samsung.]
In March, Huawei introduced its new "P20" after launching in London and Barcelona. The benefits of its smartphones are its big screens, unmatched memory and & a camera of up to 40 megapixels developed by German Leica, all sold at an initial price of 650 to 900 euros.
But the company can not enter the US market due to the military past of his founder who resigned Suspect of espionage, denied Huawei, and early in 2018, American companies refused to display their phones under pressure from the universe. "The World of Technology": Sales of the "Chinese Wolf" threatened Apple "on the Paris Paris website, which makes you the most important local and international publishing news and economy and being in harmony with privacy. We must say that the article "The World of Technology: Sales of the Chinese Wolf Endangered Apple" has been removed from the "Arab Yemen website" and you can read the news from the original website here. "Arab Yemen" Thank you for following us. Good luck always.
Follow us on http://www.paresnews.com for the latest news


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Verizon 5G Home, will be available beginning Monday, October 1.
In Verizon's case, wireless 5G technology is replacing the typical wired home broadband internet service. Verizon is fighting with AT&T in the mobile space with AT&T claiming to begin service across 12 United States cities using mobile hotspot instead of actual devices.
Are you excited to try the Verizon 5G Home Broadband Internet service?
Djokovic crushes Del Potro in one-sided final
Leading 4-3, Djokovic caught Del Potro off guard with his exceptional patience and strong strokes to break Del Potro's serve. Juan Martin del Potro , of Argentina, returns a shot to Novak Djokovic , of Serbia, during the men's final of the U.S.
The package includes a free router, free installation, and free upgrades, similar to Verizon's existing home broadband service.
Verizon's 5G home broadband service, Verizon 5G Home, launches in select areas on October 1 at a cost of $50 for Verizon Wireless customers and $70 for customers who don't use Verizon Wireless.
Verizon has said that there's no data cap on this service, which is the best piece of news. The new service is called Verizon 5G Home and will be available to current Verizon Wireless customers in these four cities. If Verizon and other wireless providers can offer a viable alternative to cable, satellite, and their ilk, consumers could enjoy lower prices as well as more choices. AT&T is also working with Nokia, Ericsson and Qualcomm on its 5G activities. We also asked Verizon for the service's upload speeds and information about what equipment will be used in the home.
Verizon Chief Executive Officer Hans Vestberg is expected to give investors more details about the company's 5G plans during a presentation Thursday at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference in NY. Verizon's also including a free Apple TV 4K or Google Chromecast Ultra for 5G Home customers. You'll get three free months of the YouTube TV streaming service that normally costs $40 a month. The company plans to "rapidly expand" Verizon 5G Home coverage, but doing so will require it to install new equipment from vendors. Good question. Simply put, 5G networking is the next major evolution of mobile wireless technology.


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How much technology can you fit into a 0.8-millimeter-thick credit card?
Last November, Coin offered a first taste of what was possible. The device promised to digitally hold eight credit or debit cards and let you choose between them at will. You could swipe Coin in any conventional card reader, and it would notify you if it had been lost or stolen using Bluetooth. Coin would have a two-year battery life, and a companion app that could hold your coupons and ID cards. But Coin still hasn’t shipped.
Today, we’re getting a second take at the "card tech" category with Plastc, which manages to bundle twice as many features into the same svelte form factor. Like Coin, Plastc syncs with your phone using Bluetooth. It lets you swipe between 20 cards or barcodes using an E-ink touchscreen, and offers NFC (like the iPhone 6) for contactless transactions, an EMV "chip" for the latest card readers, and RFID so you can replace your office building’s ID card. Even if you don’t know all the acronyms by heart, Plastc already sounds impressive. But there’s more.
You can put your wallet on top of an included charging mat to charge up Plastc overnight. (But if you don’t, it lasts 30 days on a charge.) And like Coin, Plastc includes various security measures, like a PIN code you must enter on its E-ink screen, and a requirement that you can only add cards with your name on them, which makes it more difficult to use for card skimming. And then there’s Plastc’s "remote wipe" mode, which can wipe your card when it’s lost, and the ability to show live card balances on its E-ink screen so you can check before you pay. You can pre-order Plastc today for $155 and ships next summer, though it's worth noting that I haven't tested a prototype of the device. Like with any crowdfunding or pre-order campaign, there's no guarantee that Plastc will come through on its promises.
Apple Pay launches this month, beating Coin and Plastc to market
So, how much tech can you fit into a 0.8-millimeter-thick credit card? A lot, it turns out. But in the year since Coin was announced, the discourse in the mobile payments space has changed. Apple has announced Apple Pay, the first truly consumer-friendly NFC payments scheme that has both banks and carriers on board. According to some, Apple Pay is nothing short of a business miracle, and more "revolutionary" than either of the new iPhones. Pundits speculate that Apple Pay could even revive Google Wallet, which failed to convince both carriers and banks of its own plans years ago. Even Bill Gates sees it coming.
Unfortunately for Plastc and Coin, Apple Pay is launching later this month, beating both devices to market by a margin of several months or more. By the time Plastc launches next summer, Apple will be on the verge of launching its next iPhone, and then two generations of iPhone will support Apple Pay. Meanwhile, by October 2015, Coin will already be antiquated as American retailers are forced to buy new card readers to support EMV chips, which Coin does not work with. These new readers will also likely support NFC, which cements Apple Pay’s position. Plastc, notably, does work with NFC and EMV — which keeps the company safe for now, according to COO Ryan Marquis.
"Ultimately a cloud-based digital wallet will be the winner," says Marquis, "but with our technology, we can allow consumers to build a digital wallet using a form factor that they’re used to today." Marquis says there are still many use cases where we need physical cards like subway ticketing machines, ATMs, and gas pumps. "I will utilize Apple Pay because it’s simple and easy, but there are so many use cases in our world where I’m still going to need a physical card," he says. "There are so many things that point-of-sale machines just aren’t ready for yet."
"We can allow consumers to build a digital wallet using a form factor that they’re used to today."
If Apple Pay has caught on in a year, Plastc may already feel outdated. And that’s if Plastc can even deliver on everything it’s promised. Coin, after all, is months overdue after promising much less. But Marquis is right about one thing: after spending the last year testing a handful of new payments systems — everything from paying with a tiny magnetic fob to paying with your veins — I’ve come to realize that one means of payment won’t rule them all. You will always need a backup for when you lose your phone, or when your phone dies before last call at the bar. Plastc could be this backup, which might not be such a bad business after all. And if you haven’t charged Plastc for 30 days, it locks in your default credit card so you can still use it until you charge up again.
Ten years down the line, payments won’t live inside one app or one gadget. They’ll travel with us from context to context — they’ll have to, because you need your money no matter what technology you happen to be using that day. And Plastc’s betting you $155 that the old-fashioned credit card isn’t going anywhere — it’s just getting a lot smarter.


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Samsung is reportedly working on launching a new smartphone dubbed the Samsung Galaxy M31. The device has recently been spotted on the Wi-Fi Alliance certification website which reveals some of its key specifications. Furthermore, the certification suggests that the launch date is imminent. Let’s have a look at what all the Wi-Fi certification has revealed about Samsung’s upcoming mid-range offering.
Samsung Galaxy M31 Spotted on the Wi-Fi Alliance Certification Website
As seen in the certification image, the Samsung Galaxy M31 has been spotted running on Android 10 out of the box, which will certainly be baked with the company’s in-house One UI 2.0 skin atop. Furthermore, the Wi-Fi certification reveals that the device will operate on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz frequency bands, which is pretty much the usual case with the mid-range smartphones out there in the market. Other than these, the certification does not reveal anything about the Samsung Galaxy M31 smartphone. That said, some key specifications of the device have already been leaked in the past. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy M31 is tipped to feature a quad rear camera setup (a 48MP primary sensor, a wide-angle camera, and either a telephoto or a macro camera). To know more about the leaked specifications of the Samsung Galaxy M31, you can head to our previous coverage of the same.
As of now, this is all we know about the device, but we are likely going to receive more information on the same in the coming days.
What are your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy M31? Do let us know in the comments section below.


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NetSuite and Australian Retailers Association Joint Study Reveals Australian Retailers Are Unprepared for Rapid Growth in Mobile Commerce—Less Than 30 Percent Have Mobile-Enabled Websites
SYDNEY—July 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/—Research sponsored by NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), the industry's leading provider of cloud-based financials / ERP and omnichannel commerce software suites, and the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), has revealed that 52 percent of smartphone users are now using their devices to assist them at some stage of the shopping process, an increase from 38 percent in 2011. The study, conducted by Frost & Sullivan, indicates just how unprepared Australian retailers are to handle this shifting behaviour. Less than 30 percent of retailers currently offer a smartphone-accessible website and only 21 percent have developed a mobile app for customers, despite the fact that approximately 65 percent of the population owns a smartphone.
A more detailed analysis of the research can be found in the Frost and Sullivan whitepaper: "Mobility: The New Opportunity for Australia's Retailers."
The Frost & Sullivan study of 120 ARA members (focusing on smaller retailers with less than 50 outlets) was carried out in June 2014 to understand how retailers are adapting to the growing use of mobile devices as an integral part of the shopping process. The study revealed that while most retailers recognise the importance of developing a mobile strategy, many still face major barriers in doing so, particularly the cost and complexity of linking new systems designed to support mobility with existing in-store business systems.
"The rapid growth in ownership and usage of smartphones is revolutionising the way that Australian consumers shop," said Mark Dougan, Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand at Frost & Sullivan. "The ability to access the Internet whilst on the move has transformed many aspects of consumer behaviour. Consumers are increasingly using their smartphones for shopping to research, compare, share, purchase and pay for merchandise."
Leveraging smartphones throughout the shopping process
According to the study, smartphones are not being used purely as a device to make an online purchase, but are an essential element of an omnichannel shopping experience that still often involves the use of a physical store. Almost 40 percent of consumers that start researching a product on their smartphone actually end up buying it in-store. These shoppers are using smartphones throughout the shopping process for researching (29 percent) and evaluating products (19 percent), with only four percent actually making a purchase on their smartphone and three percent writing reviews afterwards.
To support this new generation of omnichannel shoppers, Frost & Sullivan recommends that Australian retailers provide features and services to meet their customers' mobile needs. The study revealed the features that consumers place value on, including free WiFi (68 percent), stock level information (58 percent), directions to relevant departments (57 percent), customer reviews (50 percent), product information (48 percent), and being able to purchase using their smartphone (43 percent).
Smartphones can also be used instead of contactless cards at the point-of-sale (POS) for in-store payments using near field communication (NFC) technology. Currently, only six percent of retailers in the study offer contactless terminals, although almost 20 percent plan to do so over the next 12 months. As the technology becomes more widely available, Frost & Sullivan anticipates the take-up of smartphone-based payments will continue to rise, as Australian consumers become increasingly confident in using their smartphones as mobile wallets. Currently, only four percent of smartphone users in the study have made a contactless POS payment using their phones, but 30 percent say they are likely to do so once the technology becomes available.
"Australia's consumers are demanding that retailers provide services and features to support them in their omnichannel shopping process," said Mr. Dougan. "Those retailers who fail to respond to the new era of mobility in shopping face being isolated and left behind as the behaviours of their customers change."
Australian retailers lagging with mobile strategies
The Frost & Sullivan study revealed that while Australian retailers are making good headway in building their online capabilities, with over 50 percent now having a website and more than 30 percent offering online purchasing capabilities, many are still behind when it comes to customising their online offering for mobile devices. Less than 30 percent of respondents currently offer a mobile-optimised website and only 21 percent have developed a mobile app for customers. Those stores that do provide mobile apps predominantly use them to provide information to customers on their nearest store, opening hours and similar information.
According to Frost & Sullivan, the retailers that do provide mobile apps are generally providing them as part of an omnichannel strategy (i.e. the apps enable purchasing), although a third of retailers still primarily regard the mobile app as a way to stimulate traffic into physical stores. Many small retailers, however, are still failing to provide the in-store facilities that encourage use of mobile devices by their consumers. Only nine percent offer free in-store Wi-Fi and only 22 percent currently have Quick Response (QR) codes in their stores.
The study also indicates that use of mobile devices is not only limited to consumers, with some retailers now equipping their store staff with tablets to allow improved in-store service, such as sharing product information with customers, assisting with local inventory availability and even facilitating online purchases from within the store. Only seven percent of respondents, however, currently provide their sales staff with tablets, and thus are missing out on a major opportunity to enhance in-store service levels and improve customer satisfaction.
Integrated Software Platform to Overcome Challenges
According to the research, whilst most retailers recognise the importance of developing a mobility strategy, many still face major barriers in doing so. Major challenges include hardware costs (e.g. investing in tablets for sales staff), a lack of internal resources to develop an app or mobile site, as well as the cost and complexity of linking new systems designed to support a mobility strategy with existing in-store business systems. Over 50 percent of respondents believe that the software systems that they are using could be improved to allow them to better manage their in-store operations.
"Retailers' range of existing business systems such as POS, order management, inventory and warehouse management, financials and customer relationship management are often not integrated, requiring multiple re-entering of data and maintaining separate databases for consumers using different channels," said Mr. Dougan. "Adding new front-end channels, such as an app or mobile site, only increases the complexity."
Frost & Sullivan believes that the latest generation of cloud-based retail software can support retailers in providing mobility solutions both to customers and staff, without the integration complexities and costs that are involved in integrating mobile services with existing business systems. This type of software allows retailers to quickly and easily roll out mobility solutions.
"For years, many merchants have skated by with stripped-down mobile sites and an unsatisfying 'View Full Site' escape hatch for advanced tasks," said Mark Troselj, managing director of APAC and Japan for NetSuite. "This must end in 2014. Mobile buyers won't tolerate a watered-down experience any longer. It's time to offer the mobile shopper the complete customer experience, from wish list management to returns."
NetSuite SuiteCommerce enables B2C and B2B merchants, manufacturers and distributors to seamlessly connect every step of a multi-channel, multi-location business—from ecommerce, POS and order management to merchandising, marketing, inventory, financials and customer support. Featuring an advanced web store that allows the creation of uniquely branded and personalised shopping experiences optimised for multiple devices, SuiteCommerce empowers businesses to run across multiple touch points—web, brick-and-mortar stores, mobile—all from a single, unified cloud-based commerce platform that provides unprecedented visibility into your business and customers. Please visit www.suitecommerce.com.au for more information.
Today, more than 20,000 companies and subsidiaries depend on NetSuite to run complex, mission-critical business processes globally in the cloud. Since its inception in 1998, NetSuite has established itself as the leading provider of enterprise-class cloud ERP suites for divisions of large enterprises and mid-sized organisations seeking to upgrade their antiquated client/server ERP systems. NetSuite excels at streamlining business operations, as demonstrated by a recent Gartner study naming NetSuite as the fastest growing top 10 financial management systems vendor in the world. NetSuite continues its success in delivering the best cloud ERP/financial suites to businesses around the world, enabling them to lower IT costs significantly while increasing productivity, as the global adoption of the cloud accelerates.
For more information about NetSuite, please visit www.netsuite.co.uk.
NOTE: NetSuite and the NetSuite logo are service marks of NetSuite Inc. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to expectations, plans, and prospects including expectations relating to the future growth of the online retail market. These forward-looking statements are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of NetSuite's management as of the date of this release, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, the risk of adverse and unpredictable macro-economic conditions. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and NetSuite disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.


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New single-family home sales fell for the second consecutive month according to the latest housing data released by the Census Bureau.
Monthly sales of new single-family homes declined 7.0 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted rate of 414,000, down from a revised sales rate of 445,000 transactions in November. On an unadjusted basis, new home sales were down 12.5 percent from the previous month.
The seasonally adjusted rate of sales in December was 4.5 percent higher than the estimated sales rate of 396,000 units in December of 2012. Sales were virtually unchanged from December of last year on an unadjusted basis.
The median sales price of the new homes sold in December was $270,200, which was up from a revised $268,500 in November. The average sales price for a new home in December was $311,400, down from a revised $334,600 in November.
Sixty-two percent of the new single-family homes sold in December were under $300,000, up from 59 percent in November.
In December of last year, the median sales price of a new home was 4.6 percent lower at $258,300, while the average sales price was 3.9 percent lower at $299,200.
Three of the four national regions posted a decline in seasonally adjusted monthly sales led by a 36.4 percent decline in the Midwest followed by an 8.8 percent loss in the West and a 7.3 percent decline in the South.
The Midwest reported the only increase in sales activity, a gain of 17.6 percent.
Compared to a year ago, three of the four regions showed an improvement in sales with the Midwest posting the largest increase of 26.0 percent followed by the West with a 5.1 percent sales gain and the South with an increase of 4.1 percent.
The Northeast was the only region to show a loss in activity with sales tumbling 27.6 percent.
Inventory declined for the third consecutive month with new single-family homes falling to a seasonally adjusted 171,000 properties available for sale, down from 176,000 the previous month, which translates into a 5.0 months supply of inventory.
Tags: Census Bureau, new home sales, single-family homes, median sales price, average sales price
Reported by Chris Moore


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Owlcat Games revealed that Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous’s fifth DLC will launch in November. The Lord of Nothing is a follow-up to the standalone campaign that began with its second DLC, Through the Ashes.
Tagged: META Publishing
The fourth DLC, and first part of the second season pass, is now available for Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. It adds the new character Ulbrig Olesk and his new shifter class.
META Publishing and 1M Bits Horde’s life sim RPG Spirit of the Island is out now on PC. Console and mobile versions are planned to follow.
The first story DLC for Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is releasing in February and sees players defending the space-time continuum. In other temporal matters, Owlcat Games and META Publishing revealed a delay for the game’s console versions.
Two pieces of free DLC are now available for Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Faces of War adds new character customisation options, while Love Beyond Death provides players with a new sidequest.
The console versions of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous will not be arriving this year. They have, however, been given a specific date, with a new trailer also released for the game.
Owlcat Games has given Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous a graphical upgrade ahead of its launch in September. In addition, a Season Pass and three planned DLC have been announced.
Life sim RPG Spirit of the Island sees players trying to revitalise a tropical island. The game is planned to launch for PC later this year.


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Each week, NRN editor-in-chief Sarah Lockyer gives you her take on the top restaurant industry news.
In 2008, I had a bankruptcy betting sheet on which restaurant companies would fall victim to lending covenants and the changed-in-an-instant economy. In 2013, I had an IPO betting sheet on who was next to cash in on rising valuations for restaurant company offerings. After reading this week’s top story from NRN senior finance editor Jonathan Maze on which companies may actually be targets to go private, I’m wondering if it’s time to start tallying a list of possibilities. (Full disclosure: By bets I really mean handshakes, and while Jonathan and I had yet to work together back in 2008 or 2013, we still exchanged some wagers at various meetings. I think I’m up, although Jonathan may disagree.)
Both Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group Inc. and Bravo Brio Restaurant Group Inc. are starting to get some buzz about potential going-private deals because of valuations and performance. Jonathan presents the possibilities and the analyst community’s views in his piece. Also review Del Frisco’s latest-quarter results, which includes weak sales at the company’s more casual Grille brand, a disappointment that led to an earnings miss.
Outside of finance, some great food trends caught the attention of our audience, including a look at the top five trends in ethnic cuisine. Ethnic fusion rose to the top of chef expectations for the year, as American consumers are still looking for a combination of comfort and accessibility, as well as new tastes and flavors. NRN senior food editor Bret Thorn breaks down this phenomenon and the other four top chef predictions for 2015.
Take a look at NRN’s top 10 most popular stories:


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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Qorvis has launched SentiMeter, a newly-developed analytic tool that evaluates recent online conversations around a brand or company to score current brand reputation.
SentiMeter provides a brand reputation score on a scale of 1 to 10 by classifying online opinions into categories such as positive, neutral or negative. Scores are given in real time and based on the last 90 days of online conversation. SentiMeter’s data covers more than 500,000 brands and provides hard data for organizations seeking to track their online reputations.
“Progressive marketers are looking to analyze online brand sentiment to determine new ways to drive their social media strategies and increase brand recall and trust,” says Jason Siegel, Qorvis partner and lead on the Qorvis interactive team. “Qorvis is now able to quantify brand conversations occurring throughout search, mobile, web and social media, to provide a current snapshot that informs marketing and online brand strategy.”
The results of the SentiMeter application are designed to provide a platform for strategic discussion on methods to improve a brand’s online reputation.


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Story | Nov 25, 2011 | 6:30 AM
A collection of news and information related to Intersections Incorporated published by this site and its partners.
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The number of identity fraud victims soared 12% last year, but they are striking back faster and more thoroughly, according to a report released Wednesday. The economic downturn may have sparked the increase, according to Javelin Strategy & Research,...


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Look back in ANGER!
Escalated fiscal troubles make 2013 a year best left behind
Mohan Guruswamy Delhi
When our economic history is written, 2013 might be called the year of the great chill. The GDP slowed again, but the rupee dropped by almost a fifth of its value—the biggest devaluation since 1967. In 1967, it had happened in one fell swoop, when the government realized the gross overvaluation of the rupee and slashed it down to a more realistic figure. But this year’s devaluation came like Chinese torture: drip by drip, day by day. The rupee had been in a freefall for over three months; an inert government sat and watched. The government lost control of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The RBI twiddled its thumbs, unsure what to do. Mercifully, the drama ended when the RBI Governor retired. Still, the macroeconomic situation, by and large, remains the same: a massive trade deficit ($203.6 billion); an impossible current account deficit (4.8 per cent of GDP); an unrequitable fiscal deficit (4.9 per cent of GDP)—all coupled with wholesale price index inflation (WPI) of 7.4 per cent, flagging savings and investments. India has been dealt a big double-whammy. Our sense of national well-being is now left to the capricious whims of foreign institutional capital swarming through the economy, and on Non-Resident Indian (NRI) deposits purchased at high interest.
Two years ago, India’s GDP grew at 9.3 per cent. This time last year, the GDP was expected to grow at 6.5 per cent. Instead, it is growing at 4.7 per cent. A shortfall of 1.8 per cent between hope and reality. Monetarily, that shortfall translates into approximately $70.20 billion in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. In Indian rupees, this means a PPP shortfall of around Rs 4.42 lakh crore. True, it’s lower than the previous year’s Rs 7 lakh crore, but it is still imposing. Coupled with the ‘presumptive loss’—Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) phrase—to the GDP last year, we are looking at a hole of about Rs 11.40 lakh crore for the last two years. If that’s what the people lost, the central government’s nominal loss in taxes foregone from falling growth is nearly Rs 30,000 crore. This year, the Government of India hoped to collect Rs 8.84 lakh crore in taxes. (The states would have collected a similar sum.) This means the presumptive loss of tax revenue is four per cent of budget estimates. However small the percentages may appear, these are not small sums of money, and India cannot do without them. Added to the drop due to the expected 2G spectrum sale, the failure of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) stock issue and much lower collections from Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) disinvestment, there’s a serious lacuna in central government collections.
Since interest, salaries and—to some extent—defence allocations are inviolable, the hit manifests as deep cuts in social spending and capital expenditures. Already our capital-expenditure-to-budget ratio is an abysmally low nine per cent. Social welfare spending (however little may trickle down) impacts the poor and needy. Despite what the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF)-trained gnomes in North Block, South Block and Yojana Bhavan say, the numbers of the poor are rising alarmingly. At Independence, India had about 320 million people; it now has that many poor alone. BPL estimates of 30 or 25 per cent matter little. In absolute terms, the number of poor people is on the rise, and governments have shown no inclination to stem the tide—a tide evident in massive economic migrations from Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, eastern UP and tribal regions. Over three-quarters of our tribal people still exist below the poverty line, giving them stark choices: either migrate to cities or revolt against the iniquitous system. They do both. Yet our middle and upper classes seem focused only on the migration of Bangladeshis into India: the establishment can take credit for successfully affixing us with blinders.
Growth in India is led by government spending and investments. When these drop, growth drops. Little wonder so much gloom and pessimism is enveloping the nation—this mood is universal now, from the biggest captains of industry (Ratan Tata, worth $100 billion) to the smallest of farmers (the average size of a farm holding has now fallen to 0.63 acres). The only one proclaiming messages of hope and improvement is the optimistic jack-in-the-box, Dr C Rangarajan, chairman of the PM’s council of economic advisers. Rangarajan’s optimism stems from the simple fact that he surveys numbers less than he does Chidambaram’s chair in North Block—particularly enticing with South Block just across the street. So close, yet so far!
BPL estimates of 30 or 25 per cent matter little. In absolute terms, the number of poor people is on the rise, and governments have shown no inclination to stem the tide
When PV Narasimha Rao jettisoned the Nehruvian model of economic development—with its emphasis on rigid central planning, state control over resources and bureaucratic control over allocations—one would expect a model that combines liberal economics, vigorous political debate and decentralized government. What we got was a programme shorn only of industrial licencing, craftily passed off as liberalization. The new policy imposed a crony capitalistic model, so ‘successful’ in the Asian tiger economies like South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia—and of course China. The state essentially patronized industries with public resources, benefiting few, and national accounting racked up GDP gains. While this model transformed other countries, including China, into industrial powerhouses, deriving large portions of GDP from industry, with some very spectacular transformations—as in China, where a hugely expanded manufacturing base accounts for almost 52 per cent of GDP—results in India were industry stagnation, agriculture contraction and extreme growth in services.
Today the GDP profile of India resembles that of a post-industrial society—ironic in that India never really began industrializing. But ‘industrialists’, who managed broad acquisition of state-owned natural resources, long-term concessions and huge lines of credit from state-owned banks, prospered. It’s not said, but income inequality is now estimated closer to 0.50 than the official 0.32. The ultimate irony is that, instead of India becoming the destination of foreign capital, foreign financial capitals became the destination of Indian capital. While the cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) from 2000 -12 was about $170 billion, rising as high as $34 billion in 2011, it almost halved month-to-month in 2012. Yet in the last five years, India has also seen an outflow of about $97 billion. So consider this: Mauritius alone accounted for 44 per cent of India’s FDI, and Singapore a further 9 per cent, suggesting that much of this FDI was actually not foreign, but just some money round-tripped back home.
Other round-tripping methods are even more ingenious. The Economic Times recently reported: ‘Despite a slowing world economy, India’s exports are booming. After growing 38 per cent in 2011, they are growing even faster this year—by 46.4 per cent in June, 81 per cent in July and 44 per cent in August. This beats even China hollow. Cynics say this is too good to be true. Earlier, crooked businessmen took black money abroad by under-invoicing exports. Could they be bringing back their black money as over-invoiced exports? Does this explain the export boom? Very possibly, according to a new report from three researchers at Kotak Securities. They looked at export data from company reports of the BSE 500 (the top 500 companies of the BSE) and compared these with official data for 2010–11. For engineering exports, official data showed a huge increase of $30 billion, but engineering companies of the BSE 500 showed an export increase of only $1.38 billion. Who accounted for the balance of over $28 billion? Minor companies? Ghost companies? Large private companies owned by big businessmen but not listed on the stock exchanges?’
The irony is instead of India becoming the destination of foreign capital, foreign financial capitals became the destination of Indian capital
Clearly, more money flows out than in, and sometimes it returns as tax-exempt imports and FDI routed from Mauritius. According to Global Financial Integrity (GFI), illicit capital exports from India amounted to $123 billion from 2001–2010: money earned through crime, corruption and tax evasion.
Add all this together—the illicit capital export, under-invoicing, fake purchases of overseas assets and companies, retention of export revenues and the purchase of gold ($69 billion last year)—and you get a pretty clear picture: India is now a major exporter of capital. The inability to attract a good part of this—or even some of it—back as FDI, as China does, hints the growing unattractiveness of the Indian economy to Indians themselves. It is a long-cherished myth that multinational corporations (MNCs) are the major sources of FDI. In fact, home supplies the bulk. Indian businessmen are voting with their feet, stashing their wealth overseas. People like Ratan Tata make no bones about disgust for “silly taxes”, which make investment so problematic in India. And do you think the PM, who favours the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CII/FICCI), has done anything about it? No. He dithers, like he does.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, nationalized banks are piling up non-performing assets (NPA). The top 10 corporate debtors owe Rs 63,1024.7 crore—that is, `6 lakh crore plus. Narendra Modi’s favourite business houses, Adani, Essar and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) owe the banks Rs 81,122 crore, Rs 98,412.8 crore and Rs 113,545.9 crore, respectively. No wonder they root so loudly for him. The business houses close to the Congress are no slouches either: GMR, GVK, JSW and Lanco owe Rs 40,824.9 crore, Rs 25,264.0 crore, Rs 415,750 crore and Rs 39,034.0 crore, respectively; London-based Vedanta owes Rs 99,610.8 crore; Formula I sponsor and Mayawati friend Jaypee owes Rs 63,654.1 crore. If the past is the norm, this will only increase. The connections between these people and the sheer size of their debts ensure that they will not go under, just roll over. In simple words, more money will be lent so that old loans can be adjusted. This is the stuff successful entrepreneurship is made of in this country: what you make is not relevant; how much you make off with is what counts.
It is a truism that growth cannot happen without investment, but it might still do to dwell on some simple economic ratios. First, the gross-savings-to-GDP ratio—gross savings is the sum of voluntary and involuntary savings or, if an economist has to describe it, gross national income less total consumption, plus net transfers—has fallen from 37 per cent to 34 per cent in the past three years, seriously impairing our national ability to invest. China’s gross savings/GDP ratio has remained a steady 53 per cent.
The next ratio to watch is the tax-to-GDP ratio. The government’s main business is to collect revenues, mostly as taxes, to spend on people’s well-being. India’s tax/GDP ratio of 16 per cent is among the lowest for a major economy. Despite 2010-–11’s robust tax collection increase, central collection accounts for just about 10 per cent of GDP. Together with state collections, government tax revenues account for only 16 per cent of GDP. That compares very poorly with tax/GDP ratios of developed nations. For instance, UK’s tax/GDP ratio is 34.3 per cent, Germany’s 37 per cent, and about 24 per cent for US. China collects just over 21 per cent. India needs to urgently pursue taxation regime reforms by widening the net, to bring in more people and businesses and reduce evasions. Last year, the finance ministry actually sent out circulars seeking suggestions to reduce the incidence of taxes. I replied that the government should seek suggestions for how to increase tax collections. I never heard back. Tax evasion is a trend in illicit exports of capital. The government doesn’t seem to mind.
Third, and probably most important, is the investment/GDP ratio. The finance ministry’s self-extolling web page quotes 37.6 per cent. It neglects to mention that this is a full 11 per cent behind China’s ratio, and even less than Vietnam’s. In fact, the investment/GDP ratio for all developing Asia is 42.14 per cent. This has risen by just about one per cent in the past half-decade.
The relationships between these ratios are self-evident: without savings you cannot make investments; without more taxes you cannot increase savings, beyond a point; without more investments you cannot create enough jobs. At last count the Indian workforce is growing by 12 million persons each year. In 2000 India had jobs for 396.76 million in the formal and informal sectors. This rose to 457.46 in 2006—not an inconsiderable achievement. The catch is that the formal sector’s growth was 54.12–62.57 million, while the informal sector’s was 342.64–394.9 million. In other words, for every formal job, more than six were added to the informal sector. This clearly suggests that the informal sector, as the much bigger employer—--at least in the short- to medium-term—needs to be supported and protected.
The recommended definition of ‘the informal sector’ is: All unincorporated private enterprises owned by individuals or households engaged in the sale and production of goods and services operated on a proprietary or partnership basis and with less than ten workers.
And ‘informal workers’:
[T]hose working in the informal sector or households, excluding regular workers with social security benefits provided by the employers and the workers in the formal sector without any employment and social security benefits provided by the employers.
In this informal sector, retail alone employs about 55 million. Most of these people would prefer jobs in the industrial sector, but are forced to work retail because India has refused to industrialize by preserving policy relics inimical to such development.
Now what does this government do? It touts FDI in retail as its major achievement. That neo-Luddites like Mayawati and Mulayam Singh could be co-opted to support a resolution favouring retail could be considered a major achievement, given that we are expected to believe the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) functions as an independent agency. But that is not the issue here. Manmohan Singh said ten years ago, when he was opposition leader in the Upper House, that he opposed FDI in retail, as it displaced more workers than it created jobs for. The BJP-led government was then for the entry of Walmart and others. Those of us who thought like Singh did and believed big box retail should only be allowed in gradually—as in China and other similarly-placed countries—applauded his sagacity and foresight. Typically, when the roles were reversed, the Congress and BJP exchanged positions.
Until midyear, India ran up a trade deficit of $104.65 billion. While much of this sum can be attributed to oil prices and US and EU slowdowns, along with general global frustration, the predicament with China is largely self-inflicted, with a huge imbalance in China’s favour. For every dollar’s worth of exports to China, India imports three, stacking a deficit of up to $38 billion as of March 2013, about two per cent of GDP. China now accounts for almost a quarter of India’s total trade deficit, and over half if oil is excluded. Another way to view the wound is to realize that this $38 billion trade imbalance is almost as large as a third of our fiscal deficit! Given this, the government’s big reform idea is to allow large monopsonic buyers and giant retailers like Walmart, Tesco and Carrefour in, without caveats to curb imports from China, when more than half their manufactured goods are sourced from Chinese sweatshops? Nick Robbins, referring to the East India Company, wrote: “By controlling both ends of the chain, the company could buy cheap and sell dear.” Here, it’s profits for Americans, jobs for Chinese.
The best thing we can say about 2013, from the nation’s point of view, is that it is ending.
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut India’s growth outlook for 2013-14 to 5.6 per cent from 5.8 per cent.
- Accommodative RBI policy is what is needed over time to help support the growth.
- Despite a deficit of 8 per cent in south-west rainfall during 2012-13 compared to its long period average (LPA), agriculture’s contribution to GDP growth is likely to be around 1.8 per cent.
- If the country would like to come back on track to earlier growth rates, the expenditure on infrastructure—both from the government and private parties— should substantially increase in the coming years.
- For the last 10 years India has emerged as one of the most attractive destinations for American and European retailers despite FDI restrictions. The momentum is expected to grow in 2014.


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Remember Plastic Logic? The company that made the interesting Que E-Reader that was previewed in 2008, debuted in 2009 and shown to the public at CES 2010? Yeah, the one that constantly delayed and ultimately canceled awhile back. Well, the company apparently isn’t dead yet. A Russian firm, Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies, just made a “major” investment in the company who is now said to be working on a second facility to manufacturer flexible E Ink screens as well as other plastic products. Whether said screens will be used for a self-branded e-reader or sold as OEM parts for other product lines is still not clear.
We’re just glad to see the company still kicking. The Que was one of the few standouts from last year’s CES and Devin was legitimately heartbroken when the Que project was axed. He’s an emotional man when it comes to reading devices. [Plastic Logic via E-Ink-Info]


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Self-destruct messaging service Snapchat has been valued at a whopping $10bn by venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byer, following their $20m investment in the firm.
According to the Wall Street Journal this sky high valuation elevates the fledgling service to the taxi hire service Uber and AirBnB, the rooms to let business, both of which have recently joined the $10bn plus club.
Snapchat has been fending off suitors of late, reportedly declining a $3bn offer from Facebook last year according to Reuters.
The valuation comes ahead to offer advertising via the platform and introduce a range of new services in a bid to monetise its ephemeral offer, competing more directly with the likes of Twitter and Facebook.
Investor interest has been piqued by the prospect of future advertising windfalls although the firm has struggled thus far to generate much cash.


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Diamond giant De Beers sues IT firm in £8.6million row
De Beers is heading for the courts
Diamond company De Beers has launched an £8.6m compensation claim in the High Court following a row with software group Atos Origin.
De Beers wanted to improve its IT systems after deciding to move some of its diamond blending processes, known as aggregation, from London to Botswana in 2006. It selected Atos as the supplier.
But Atos pulled out of the project last June after demanding an extra £4.6m in addition to the £2.5m contract already agreed, it is alleged in a High Court writ.
Now De Beers is suing Atos for damages of £8,689,754. This includes the cost of a replacement system, development costs, management costs, staff costs, and other expenses.
The diamond company won a contract with the government of African country Botswana in 2006, allowing it to mine and sort diamonds there until 2012.
De Beers decided it would move its diamond blending operation from its London offices to Botswana by the end of 2008.
De Beers wanted to upgrade its IT systems and after Atos won a tender, the group agreed to pay £377,000 plus VAT to Atos, the writ says.
The two companies agreed a price of £2,595,698 for the project, followed by an increase taking the price to £3,010,698 in February 2008.
But as work progressed, De Beers became concerned about progress and slippages in the timetable for delivery of software.
On June 6, Atos renounced the contract by suspending all work unless De Beers agreed to pay an extra £4.6m and waive all claims against the company, as well as agreeing to postpone final delivery until December 19, it is alleged.
In May, Atos's senior vice president Ursula Morgenstern contended that delays and cost overruns were not caused by any default by Atos, and claimed the project's scope had increased significantly, the writ states.
De Beers' Jeremy Newell replied saying Atos was not entitled to suspend the project, and that De Beers expected Atos to deliver in accordance with the contract.
The world's biggest diamond miner recently warned it is planning for turnover to halve this year, as diamond prices have tumbled 30pc in the last 12 months.
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Rumors say the Chevrolet C8 Corvette for the European market will be around 30 hp less powerful than the U.S.-spec models.
The news came several days ago from MidEngineCorvetteForum. Of course, the info is unofficial, but deserved attention and seems to be true.
The figures for the European version will be the following: 468 horsepower, 455 lb-ft of torque, a 0-60 mph acceleration within 3.5 seconds. For comparison: the U.S.-spec C8 Corvette delivers 495 HP, 470 lb-ft, speeds up in 3.0 sec.
To make the EU-spec C8 Corvette compliant with European emissions regulations, Chevrolet has to install a gasoline particulate filter that results in power reduction. So, European Corvettes will lose power, but not price, as they are more expensive in Europe than in the USA.
Let’s recall that when new emissions rules went into effect in the fall of 2019, General Motors halved the EU sales of the Corvettes and Camaros equipped with a 6.2-liter V8 engine. They should have been recertified under the new standards.
Instead, the company chose not to recertify the Chevy Camaro due to its low sales and soon replaces the C7 Corvette with the next-gen C8 Corvette.
European sales will begin in the 2nd half of this year. For this market, the C8 is coming standard with the 2LT trim level and Z51 Performance Package. In addition, the manufacturer will offer a new Launch Edition model including the 3LT trim, Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 suspension, new exterior details.
Besides, the right-hand-drive eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette for export to Japan already went into production. In early 2022, new Corvettes enter other right-hand-drive markets – Great Britain and Australia.


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Keyhole continues to grow as the number one hashtag analytics and account tracking tool, and we’re pleased to announce these new features for Follower Insights.
What are Following Insights?
So far, the focus of our Account Tracking product has been on content — specifically, the content shared from @accounts. But starting today, you can also get Masters-class insights about the people who follow these account you’re analyzing (yes, even your competitors’ followers).
Go deep on the who, what, and where of a brand’s Twitter followers with this new feature, available now to all users.
(By the way, Follower Insights for other platforms is coming soon.)
Demographic & Follower Content
Do you know the gender-makeup of your competitors’ followers, and which keywords appear most in their profiles?
Drive your next social campaign with data on engagement by gender, the keywords these followers use most, and the size of their audiences. Now that’s #winning.
Optimize your content and campaigns geographically. See where in the world your followers hail from; and for U.S.-based followers, which State they’re based out of.
Customer feedback is a major key to our success, so please feel free to submit feedback on this feature, which is still in beta.
Keyhole in the Media
Keyhole was featured in a piece on Business Insider over the new U.S. President and how he stands to potentially affect retailers over social media.
Between #InaugurationDay and #WomensMarch there was much to follow across Twitter over the weekend, and tech.co wrote about our findings tracking both hashtags.


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The organization once banked on the millions that Google paid for search traffic from the Firefox browser. Now it relies on Yahoo, Baidu and others, and it expects revenue to grow.
iPhone and iOS news
You don't need to wait for the Walmart stampede to save on gadgets this holiday. Here are the best electronics deals you can get ahead of Black Friday 2015.
Get a sneak peek at Amazon's Black Friday sales, which includes hundreds of items, daily deals and local 2-hour delivery.
The day after Turkey Day tends to be mostly hype, but for a select few stores and tech items, Friday should be buy-day.
Get an early look at Amazon's 2015 Cyber Monday sales, which will extend the Black Friday online shopping blitzkrieg through December 5.
Saving money on gadgets without braving the Black Friday crowds: that's what Cyber Monday is all about. We're tracking the deals right here.
A "telepresence robot" is currently holding a place for a woman in Sydney who will be one of the first in the world to own Apple's latest smartphone.
Technically Incorrect: In a TV appearance, Jimmy Iovine suggests that Apple's service helps women do that music thing that they're allegedly not so good at. Because "not everyone knows a DJ."
Wait! Before you fight the crowds to plunk down your hard-earned cash, make sure that a Black Friday deal is really a deal.
The mobile phone maker lays out the challenges involved in pushing out the latest version of Android to all Motorola smartphone owners.


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- The TV advertising industry is facing mounting changes from drops in ratings and new over-the-top streaming services.
- These 23 execs from networks, streaming companies, agencies, and brands are working to fix advertising issues like how ads are bought, sold, and measured.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The TV advertising business is changing as people shift from watching linear TV to over-the-top services like Roku and.
Networks, streaming services and adtech companies are racing for a piece of the $70 billion industry with new ad formats and ad-buying tools.
Business Insider identified 23 people from networks, streaming companies, advertising agencies, and brands who are solving problems in TV advertising.
The list includes names like Laura Molen, president of advertising sales and partnerships at NBCUniversal, who is working with advertisers to launch the upcoming streaming service Peacock and helping direct-to-consumer brands navigate TV.
We also highlighted Pluto TV's Harold Morgenstern, who is working to build out a direct sales team for the Viacom-owned streaming service after previously leaning on revenue from programmatic advertising.


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This week’s agency news, people on the move, tech and media must-reads.
The club's chief revenue officer on its partnership with JAY-Z's Roc Nation, the new stadium, and accelerating brand transformation amid global crises.
Teresa Herd goes from building Intel's creative agency to helping brands form in-house shops in new HUb gig
The former VP global creative director and head of Intel's Agency Inside has partnered with HUb.
"It was the most challenging shoot I've ever been on": 50 takes, medical scooter for dolly, and one very concerned teacher.
Five reasons why it's worth migrating marketing dollars this year to the digital sporting forum.
From new ways of working and revamped briefs to increased purpose-led work and more.
David&Goliath raises the issue for auto brand amid $1 million pledge to homeless-youth charities.
BBH Los Angeles, on board since 2018, gives the inside scoop on its campaign to explain what a Quibi is, followed by a quick pivot at crunch time.
"In this case, the meek shall not inherit the earth."
Chipotle, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, even Gucci and Prada come to these GenZ creators for a fresh take on their brands.
Women want brands to think beyond International Women's Day, not just look at it as a way to drive sales.
Tokyo 2020 will mark Snapchat's third Olympic collab with the channel.
VMLY&R is to lead the charge as Intel undergoes a transformation of its marketing model.
"Through our live experiences we're always looking for ways to educate and show what a 5G network built right can do."
Visa has found a common thread between the Super Bowl and New York Fashion Week in its fourth appearance at the high-profile event.
Where are all the "old" creatives?
But the searches for Chinese food drop during the big game, Yelp data shows.
Bud Light, PepsiCo, Verizon, Tide and TurboTax were a yard ahead of the competition
Automaker used the Super Bowl to tell story of NFL star Josh Jacobs, who lived in a car with his family.
New models drive more eyeballs to car-buying platform as viewers seek more info.
Heat used its proprietary diversity ad score test to analyze the big game commercials.
Find out what these adland leaders have to say about this year's big game spots.
Like making quality noise without spending all the ad dollars?
McCann, Droga5 and the lesser-known Highdive were creative agencies on top this year.
"Sound is not an add-on to the message - it is the message," says Michael Boumendil, founder of Sixième Son
Intricate Twitter campaign features Superb Owl team line-ups, a kiss cam and even a Most Valuable Owl award.
The online eyewear retailer only running its San Francisco 49ers-themed commercial in visionary places.
Dignity Health is running a regional spot during Animal Planet's rescue-dog match and the Super Bowl.
"We're still not seeing enough advertising that addresses women directly."
The company has more brands than ever being featured in Sunday's big game.
Order me: Chipotle, Pizza Hut and Applebee's promote their way onto Super Bowl party menus.


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Intel CEO: Upgrade cycle for PCs has extended to nearly 6 years
During the course of an address at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York on Wednesday, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said that there has been a drastic slow down in the upgrade cycle for PCs.
Krzanich said that "[The] replacement cycle for the PC has extended;" and added alongside: "Four years was the average, now it has moved to about five to six years."
The key reason for the extended PC replacement cycle is that current operating systems can run smoothly on older models of Intel-based PCs. Intel started shipping Sandy Bridge code-named Core processors five years back, and those processors can proficiently run Microsoft's latest Windows 10 OS.
Against the backdrop of the extended PC upgrade cycle, Krzanic asserted that, in the present times, it is much easier for consumers to replace their old smartphones with new ones rather than change their PC with a new PC. He also said that chip giant Intel needs to roll out innovations which would encourage consumers to upgrade their PCs quickly and easily.
Further adding that Intel needs to “fix” some of the things which have resulted in the extension of PC upgrade cycle to up to six years, Krzanich said that the slowdown in the PC upgrade cycle – as well as the emergence of big-screen smartphones or the so-called ‘phablets’ – has been one of the key contributors to a plunge in PC shipments in recent years.
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Baby Yoda is everywhere: in our hearts, in all kinds of merchandise, in internet memes, in video games, and now, even in Disney’s drone light shows.
You may call him “The Child” or Grogu, but there’s no denying that this little creature is a big deal. Baby Yoda is so ridiculously cute that scientists have actually felt the need to offer an explanation as to why a 50-year-old toddler is able to turn people’s brains into cotton-candy goo.
So, when Disney+ decided to host a drone light show in Los Angeles to commemorate National Streaming Day this week, it was obvious that the star of its hit show The Mandalorian would turn up to illuminate the night sky.
Alongside Baby Yoda, dotting the LA skyline were iconic characters and imagery from beloved movies, series, and sports across the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ ecosystem.
But honestly, when we heard Disney+ was going to host a drone light show, we hoped that Disney Enterprise would show off some of its recently patented…


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Sony posted the highest operating profit for a second quarter on the back of strong demand for image sensors for mobile phones. Profits were up 16%, for a total of 279 billion yen ($2.6 billion). That’s 19% higher than analysts had expected.
Profits from the sensor division shot up 59% to 76.4 billion yen ($711 million), an all-time record. This is driven by the rise of the multi-camera setups – a feature that permeates the market from the entry-level to the premium segment.


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Thursday, March 3, 2016 - 10:32pm
We are excited to announce that our friends at Paper + Plastick are launching "The Sound of the Skull"; a brand new pairing of music and toys where they pair bands, digital music and resin skulls!
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 - 2:27pm
To show his support of the Ello social network for creators, Huck Gee is giving away a custom worth over $1800. DAME #12 - The Ello Variant is a one-off unique piece based on the DAME #11 and it stands a whopping 15" tall.
Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 12:51pm
The latest custom from Laura LorÃ©n is an 8" BuneeQ called May. Laura really shows off her sense of fashion on May, maybe more so than she has on her prior customs.


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Date: September 01, 2015 14:16
Honda Press Release
Sep 1, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif.
- Honda CR-V breaks all-time record with 34,771 units sold, rising 2.0 percent
- Honda Accord, Civic and CR-V combine to exceed 100,000 sales in August
- Acura TLX gains more than 90 percent in August, with 4,353 vehicles sold
- Acura RDX continues strong run, up 9.5 percent on sales of 4,364
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today reported August 2015 sales of 155,491 Honda and Acura vehicles, a decrease of 6.9 percent over August 2014, when the industry had one additional selling day and an early Labor Day weekend. The Honda Division sold a total of 140,178 units, while Acura reported 15,313 vehicles sold in August.
New Honda cars and trucks sold briskly last month, despite the calendar differences from a particularly strong August 2014, with Accord, Civic and CR-V easily surpassing the 100,000 mark in combined sales to stay on pace to top 1 million units and CR-V having its best month in history. Odyssey also notched a sales gain for the third straight month.
- CR-V breaks all-time monthly sales record, rising 2.0 percent on sales of 34,771 units
- Total truck sales were up 6.9 percent on sales of 63,897 with the all new HR-V crossover passing 4,500.
- Accord, Civic and CR-V each posted more than 30,000 sales in August, with Accord topping 40,000 units and combining for a total of 107,733 vehicles sold
"The shorter sales month versus last year obscures the continued strong sales momentum of core Honda models," said Jeff Conrad, Honda Division senior vice president and general manager. "We're working hard to keep up with the strong demand for our trucks, while our sedans continue to set the bar for retail sales."
Acura sedans enjoyed healthy August sales, strongly buoyed by the TLX as well as the redesigned ILX. The new RDX continued a quick sales pace, while MDX sales were slowed by short inventory. Total Acura sales are up more than 10 percent year-to-date.
- Sales of the TLX – Acura's best-selling sedan— continued on a hot streak, increasing 90.4 percent on sales of 4,353 for the month
- Overall Acura sedan sales gained 24 percent for a total of 6,202 units sold in August
- RDX sales were up 9.5 percent in August, with 4,364 units sold in one of the industry's hottest segments
"Strong sales of both sedans and trucks is now a reality for the Acura brand," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "Our lineup has avoided the ups and downs of the market which is keeping Acura on pace for our best sales year since 2007."
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September 01, 2015 14:21


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Off-White founder and artistic director of Louis Vuitton,Virgil Abloh teamed up with Evian for limited-edition water bottles collection, debuted alongside the launch of Evian’s ‘Activate Movement Program‘ €50K grant contest.
Focused on sustainability, the ‘Activate Movement’ collection consists of two Evian SOMA refillable bottles designed by a creative team led by Abloh, who was appointed to the role of Evian creative advisor in 2018.
Featuring a looping droplet design, the bottles mark the second bottle drop from Abloh and Evian, who first released a line of sustainable bottles in 2019.
To support that goal, the Active Movement Program contest will give a €50,000 (over $54,000 USD) grant to the winner, to be used to create sustainable design solutions. The contest is open to applicants between 18 and 35 years of age, who will be judged by Evian, Abloh and a panel of experts.
“I am convinced that individual power and creativity can change the status quo,” said Virgil Abloh (picture above)
“It’s this philosophy that inspired the “Activate Movement” collection. A single drop can be the starting point for a positive change. Every idea starts somewhere, that’s what we’ve been trying to symbolize with this collection. An initiative to energize the new generation by giving them the boost they need to support their committed and sustainable projects.”


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Mana Interactive revealed that it had secured over $7 million in a seed funding round from several high-profile individual and institutional investors.
“Mana was developed by creatives who have been part of the gaming industry for decades and wanted to introduce a product that delivers the type of financial experience that reflects who its users are and what they care about,” said Joe Zhou, CEO of Mana Interactive. “The video game sector is currently untapped by financial applications companies and with its expansive market share and broad audience brings a major opportunity to offer an all-new service and rewards system that is currently unavailable.”
Formed in 2021, the Boston-based fintech firm provides mobile gamers with gift cards, coupons, and virtual currency by completing challenges while playing popular games such as Clash Royale and League of Legends.
The funding round was attended by One Way Ventures, Quasar Holding Co., Pillar, BlockDream Ventures, Sundance DiGiovanni, and Sandeep Nailwal.
The cash will help Mana achieve its objective of establishing a full rewards-based financial ecosystem that provides everything gamers want in one place. In addition, it will cover all current and future gaming platforms, giving a one-stop shop for everything gamers need.
Send your news to firstname.lastname@example.org


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If you’ve been wondering what’s going on with Broken Coast, the news may come as a shock that Aphria Inc. bought out Broken Coast. Most have noticed that Broken Coast has not been producing products, however, this would be the reason as to why.
This deal has acquired to at least $230 Million based on shares and cash. While Broken Coast had been looking to sell it was an initial shock for how much Aphria Inc. bought the Ladysmith cannabis grower.
Travis Lane of the B.C. Independent Cannabis Association had this to say, “They were actually relatively small, so for them to get such a huge windfall as private owners is indicative of where the cannabis market is at.”
Other growers are looking towards infusing into the industry, and this was the approval they had least expected. At least for that amount of profit.
Right now these large cannabis companies may be swallowing up smaller companies in the beginning. Since cannabis is becoming recreational on a legal level, many small time growers may be looking to cash out instead of staying in the game. Solely based on large companies offering a hefty sum.
Aphria Inc. is also merging DOJA Cannabis Company with Ontario-based Tokyo Smoke. So Aphria seems to be building a strong network and continues to collect smaller companies within their mergers.
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Colorado Passes Bill to Allow Public Companies to Invest into Cannabis BusinessesSam Rosenberg - May 23, 2018
Colorado has just passed a House Bill 18-1011 which will allow publicly trade companies in the U.S. to invest and hold medicinal or recreational cannabis cultivation, processing,…


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American electronic music producer, Marshmello along with the fellow music producer Ookay are both ready to bring back their music to our lives with the upcoming release of a brand new single called "Chasing Colors". For their new single, both the DJ's have collaborated with American actress-singer Noah Cyrus.
The song chasing colors was self-confirmed by the DJ Marshmello himself on 20th February, 2017 through the social networking website Twitter, Along with the Official Song Cover; He tweeted as:
Days before the release of the song, someone uploaded/leaked the audio track on Youtube, though the video was taken down after few hours due to violating the copyright laws. The full length audio track is scheduled to release this Friday i.e. on 24th February, 2017 on digital stores and online streaming sites.


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It is easy to find the best Android apps for any given month on the Google play store, which is thanks to
Some of our readers learned about the new Google Atari Breakout online game last week, and it has come to our attention
If you do not like a company and you choose to not buy products from them then the Boycott app allows you
We all know Google Talk aka GTalk and GChat oh so well, and this is a highly popular instant messaging platform that
We enjoy bringing readers news of popular apps and at the moment the WeChat app is seeing a surge in popularity.
From time to time we like to give you some news about great new apps and some of you with good memories
Pure announces that Sensia 200D Connect and One Flow can now seamlessly synchronise with members of the Jongo wireless speaker family and
Google Breakout, sounds good right? A little Easter egg planted in Google images will have you playing for a while, and since
The Google I/O 2013 keynote speech is done and dusted and one of the announcements regarded Google Play Music All Access.
There have always been certain games that capture the public’s imagination and gain a huge following from fans around the world, and


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Why Apple shouldn’t pay a dividend
Brett Arends — journalist and published author — is a real thinker, not a blogger.
I’ve seen bloggers at work. They sit at their desk and stare at a computer screen for 10 or more hours a day. Tap, tap, tap. Click, click. Tap, tap, tap. Tap. Tap. Double-click…
Is blogging journalism or a nervous tic? I couldn’t do it. I don’t know how anyone can.
I am equally baffled by the readers. Who says “Hmmm, it’s 11 o’clock. I wonder what Felix Salmon has written about Morgan Stanley since breakfast?”
At least writing books involves real research, real thinking and real writing.
Let’s examine, then, what happens when Arends does real thinking, on the subject of Apple’s capital structure and dividend policy. Maybe this blogger could learn a thing or two!
Arends first declares that Apple’s cash hoard is reducing shareholder returns:
Even by conservative estimates the surplus is probably nearing $30 per share.
This is not all money Apple needs to run its business. Most of it is sitting in low-yielding investments like short-term corporate bonds. It’s earning next to nothing.
Apple should therefore start declaring a dividend, says Arends. But that’s not all:
Apple should — gasp — start borrowing, and hand that money back, too. All told, it could probably hand out more than 60 cents or so per share without breaking a sweat…
It could surely borrow, say, $30 billion without any serious risk or problem.
In the current bond market it could get excellent terms, too. Top, AAA-rated companies are paying just 5.5% or so on long term bonds. As Apple earns more than that on its invested capital, borrowing (within reason) would add value.
On the one hand, then, Arends is saying that Apple’s earning nothing on its cash, and so should hand it back to shareholders. Then he adds that Apple should borrow $30 billion at 5.5%, and hand that back to shareholders too — because, and this is where he loses me — “Apple earns more than that on its invested capital”.
But Apple wouldn’t be investing that $30 billion, it would be handing it back to shareholders. What’s more, if Apple could invest $30 billion, it would surely do so with the cash it has on hand — with its opportunity cost of “next to nothing” — rather than borrowing it at 5.5% interest.
What Arends doesn’t mention here is that Apple stock is trading at an all-time high. He also neglects to mention that economically speaking, dividending $30 billion or $60 billion to shareholders is identical to taking that money and spending it on share buybacks. Except that shareholders generally prefer buybacks to dividends, because buybacks don’t end up saddling shareholders with taxable income.
Now if Arends ever read the tap-tap-tapping of bloggers, he’d understand why it’s an idiotic idea for Apple to buy back its own stock at north of $200 a share. I explained as much back in December 2007, and again in February 2008: buybacks mainly benefit short-term speculators. Meanwhile, companies which buy back their own stock at the top of the market are liable to regret it.
In any event, it’s far from obvious that long-term Apple shareholders — none of whom have ever expected a dividend — particularly want Apple to start paying them 60 cents a year in cash. With the stock at $210 per share, that kind of money would barely make a difference to the share price. And that cash still belongs to them: it’s quite literally money in the bank, and if they want to monetize their stock by selling 0.3% of their holdings, they’re more than welcome to do so.
Apple says that it likes having the cash on hand because it gives the company strategic flexibility when it comes to investments and acquisitions. That makes sense. But I think there’s another good reason for Apple to be cash-rich: it allows the company to continue to play the long game, rather than worrying overmuch about quarterly cashflow. To give just one example, Apple spent five years, from 2000 to 2005, writing and developing a version of its operating system, OS X, which would work on Intel chips. It didn’t do that because it wanted or expected to move to an Intel-based architecture, but it felt that the option value was worth it. And then, after five years of capital expenditure with no expectation of any return on that investment, it decided to exercise the option.
In Brett Arends’ ideal world, Apple would lose its cash hoard entirely, and would have to pay for all such projects out of operating earnings. What’s more, it would also have to pay $1.65 billion a year in bond coupons, plus another $540 million in dividends. That’s more than $2 billion a year going out the door, most of which would go to banks rather than shareholders, and none of which would make Apple a better, or more innovative, or more profitable company.
Apple is a fast-growing technology company; the iPhone makes it a major player in the high-capex world of telecommunications. I don’t know what kind of strategic possibilities Steve Jobs and his inner circle are thinking about, but it’s entirely reasonable to assume that at least some of them might involve spending large sums of cash — which doesn’t necessarily mean big acquisitions. So long as Apple’s shareholders evince no desire to start receiving a dividend, I see no reason why Jobs should start paying one.
As for borrowing money in order to return it to shareholders, that’s the kind of desperate move engaged in by companies on their last legs. It’s most decidedly not the kind of thing Apple would, or should, ever do. As Arends would probably realize, were he to engage in some real research and real thinking.


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Sony plans AIT-2
Not to be outdone by virtually every other midrange tape drive manufacturer, Sony Electronics last month unveiled plans for the second generation of its Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT) technology. The announcement came on the heels of a number of tape-related product introductions, licensing agreements, and road maps, including those from Quantum, Overland Data, Tandberg, and the HP-IBM-Seagate troika (see "Tape Options Expand; Midrange Getting Crowded, "InfoStor, May).
Doubling the specs of AIT-1, Sony`s AIT-2 promises 50GB of native capacity and a native transfer rate of 6MBps. Production is expected by year-end, and the new drive will have a suggested list price of $4,995, according to Stephen Baker, director of tape streamer products at Sony. AIT-2 will be backward compatible with AIT-1, which was introduced about two years ago.
The doubled capacity is primarily due to the use of Hyper Metal laminate heads and longer tape. Like AIT-1, AIT-2 features Sony`s Memory-In-Cassette, which includes a 64Kb memory chip, that contains the tape`s system log, search map, and other user-definable information. The result: sharply reduced data access times.
Sony also previewed its DDS-4 tape technology, which is scheduled for production in January 1999. DDS-4 has a native capacity of 20GB and a transfer rate of 2MBps. The drives are expected to compete with similar drives from Hewlett-Packard and Seagate.


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US: GM and OnStar to trial EV smart grid
General Motors and OnStar will trial smart grid systems for electric vehicles this year, paving the way, they said, for utilities to increase energy efficiency and offer lower charging costs to customers.
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When President Obama recently proposed raising the mileage for cars to an average of 54.5 miles per gallon, the automobile manufacturers-- much to the surprise of many -- said we can do it. An increase of this size is not a trivial task that can be accomplished overnight as it primarily involves numerous small improvements that together lead to significant change.
Improvements in transportation and other energy related technologies are being reported every day. Most of the developments, however, are down in the technological weeds and involve technical concepts nearly incomprehensible to laymen; however, some of the reports do give insights into the directions in which our civilization may be evolving.
Despite the reservations of many veteran auto industry observers, it is clear that plug-in electric cars are coming soon. Nearly every major automobile manufacturer in the world appears ready to market some flavor of plug-in vehicle with in the next few years. A recent study concluded that together these manufacturers have committed to producing some 840,000 electric vehicles by 2013. The demand for lithium-ion automobile batteries is projected to increase from 2.4 gigawatt hours (GWh) this year to 18 GWh by 2013 - a seven fold increase. The rapid increase in lithium-ion battery production -- 20 new plants are under construction -- is expected to drive the cost of these batteries down from $800-1000/kWh today to the vicinity of $350 by the end of the decade. More >>>
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