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And if you were amongst the much reduced number of ‘accredited press’ then this year’s games industry showcase was probably about as close to heaven as is possible without aid of illegal substances.
Media were targeted with a dozen short press conferences from the big publishers over two days, with gifts just for attending and celebrities so close they could be poked.
Senior execs had no one to talk to other than journalists, because they were cut off from the usual networking. Global head of PlayStation Kaz Hirai cut a lonely figure at the SCEE drinks reception, with most press too bemused to approach him.
Less media meant less media coverage. It kinda works like that. There was nothing for the camera crews apart from the smooth format conferences from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft.
Sure, these were grand affairs as ever, but there was little excitement. But as LucasArts boss and ESA frontman Jim Ward said tentatatively as the event opened: This is an experiment. You guys have to tell us if it works or not.”
They will, for sure. But few high ranking execs from the big companies that have always funded E3 will be overly critical.
This may not have been exactly the show they wanted, but it was the only E3 they could afford, in that they were tied to Los Angeles yet could not sign off the budget for another old-style shindig.
LA could still work: maybe downsized compared to a traditional E3, with booth sizes up to 300 square metres and a cap of 20,000 invited guests – something big enough to gain worldwide appeal but small enough to avoid spiralling costs.
Whether LA can wrestle this back and not lose out to the Sands Expo Center in Vegas or Javits Convention Centre in New York remains to be seen.
And surely May or June is much more adapted to this industry’s planning for the busy Christmas period than mid-July, which many believe is too late.
Anyway, next stop Leipzig for Game Convention. It’s going to be a corker. See you there.


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SAP (NYSE:SAP), a market leader in enterprise application software and also one of the biggest analytics and business intelligence companies, has seen its stock rally by over 20% this year. While tech stocks in general have fared well this year amid cooling inflation and slower rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, SAP has seen a couple of other tailwinds as well. Firstly, the company divested its majority stake in a customer experience management company, Qualtrics, in a deal that brings in about $7.7 billion in cash. The deal and valuation are being viewed favorably by analysts and should make the company a net cash-positive company. Moreover, SAP’s financial performance has also been reasonably strong, with revenue growing by a stronger-than-expected 10% in Q1 2023. The company’s cloud business, which has been a key focus area for investors, saw sales rise by 24% year-over-year although this metric fell slightly short of estimates. Revenue visibility for the business is also improving, with its cloud backlog – which represents the contractually committed cloud revenue that the company expects to recognize over the upcoming 12 months – rising 25% compared to last year to 11.1 billion euros ($12.14 billion). That said, SAP did lower its sales forecasts for the cloud business, with sales now seen at between Euro 14.0 billion and Euro 14.4 billion, down Euro 1.3 billion versus its earlier guidance due to the divestment of Qualtrics.
We remain somewhat neutral on SAP stock at current levels, with a price estimate of $129 per share, which is roughly in line with the current market price. SAP is looking to cut costs, with plans to reduce about 3,000 jobs or roughly 2.5% of its total headcount. This could result in annual cost savings of Euro 300 million to Euro 350 million starting as early as 2024. SAP’s cloud transition should give the company a larger mix of recurring sales, with the company already classifying about 82% of its sales as very predictable, up from about 79% in the previous quarter. SAP also expected overall software and cloud revenue to rise by as much as 8% this year. That said, there are issues as well. There are clearly headwinds for the enterprise software market, with global economic growth set to cool and this could impact companies such as SAP. Moreover, SAP presently trades at about 22x consensus 2023 earnings. This is not exactly cheap compared to faster-growing cloud-only player Salesforce stock which trades at over 28x forward earnings. See our analysis of SAP Valuation: Is SAP Stock Expensive Or Cheap? for more details. For more information on SAP’s business model, key revenue streams, and how its revenues have been trending, check out our analysis on SAP Revenue: How Does SAP Make Money?
|S&P 500 Return||-1%||7%||84%|
|Trefis Multi-Strategy Portfolio||-2%||6%||234%|
- With Enterprise Spending Slowing, Is SAP Stock Still A Good Buy?
- Up 29% Over The Past Month, What’s Next For SAP Stock?
- Where Is SAP Stock Headed Following Q2 Results?
- Forecast Of The Day: SAP’s Cloud Subscriptions And Support Revenue
- SAP’s Q1 Results Were Mixed, But The Stock Still Looks Like A Buy
- Should You Buy The Decline In SAP Stock?
 Month-to-date and year-to-date as of 5/14/2023
 Cumulative total returns since the end of 2016

domain: news


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Subway Disputes DNA Study On Its ChickenA study by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's consumer affairs show said that tests on several fast food chicken sandwiches found that Subway's chicken breast contained only about half chicken.
Texas Company Recalls Mislabeled Chicken ProductFederal officials said that a Houston company is recalling more than 3,500 pounds of chicken breast product due to mislabeling and undeclared allergens. There have been no confirmed reports of anyone getting sick.
Knives Needed, Attorney Says After Choking On Popeyes ChickenA Mississippi attorney is suing Popeyes after he says he choked when he had to eat a piece of fried chicken with his hands because a knife wasn't included in his drive-thru order.
Tyson Recalls 65 Tons Of Chicken NuggetsHungry Tyson’s Chicken customers may have bitten off more than they could chew this summer since nearly 133,000 pounds of fully cooked chicken nuggets may have contained hard plastic.
Chipotle Adding Chorizo To Menu To Win Back CustomersChipotle is adding chorizo to its menu in yet another move intended to get people back in stores following an e. coli outbreak last year.
Texas Police Officer Chases Chicken, Fowl Manages To FleeYeah, yeah -- it's a chicken crossing the road story but different! A Texas police officer literally chased a chicken across a road but the fowl managed to flee.
Pilgrims Pride Recalls 4 Million Pounds Of Cooked Chicken ProductsPilgrim's Pride is recalling more than 4 million pounds of its cooked chicken products.
Irving Residents At Odds About Ordinance To Limit ChickensResidents in Irving are at odds over a new ordinance that would among other things limit the number of chickens a home owner can have on their property.
4,500 Chicken Nuggets Recalled For Possible Plastic ContaminationThe U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a food recall involving "approximately 4,530 pounds of chicken nuggets products" produced for Applegate Farms, by Perdue Foods LLC, according to a statement.
U.S. Customs Roasts Man For Smuggling Raw Chickens At DFW AirportU.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists working at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport fined a traveler for attempting to smuggle five uncooked chickens and three packages of pork meat this week.
Man Pleads Guilty To Stabbing Neighbor Over ChickenAuthorities say a man angry over the alleged theft of meat from his grill is going to jail for a year for stabbing a neighbor with a pitchfork.
Subway To Transition To Meat Raised Without AntibioticsSubway says it plans to switch to meat raised without antibiotics over the next several years.


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This article is based on an article from the Japanese edition of Engadget and was created using the translation tool Deepl.
On September 2, Yoshihide Suga announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which will decide who will succeed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
At a press conference, he said, "There are many things happening in the world that we don't take for granted, and we need reforms that will enrich people's lives and grow the country," he said. Along with adjusting the volume of water in dams to prevent flooding, one of the key issues discussed was lowering mobile phone rates.
"Mobile phone rates. Despite the fact that the public airwaves are provided to the public, which is the property of the people, the top three companies maintain an oligopoly of 90% of the market and make about 20% of the operating profit at globally high rates. It is also because of my awareness of the problem that I announced the year before last that there was room for a 40% reduction in rates. We want to create an environment of solid competition among operators," he said, reiterating his willingness to lower mobile phone rates.
The stock market reacted to Suga's comments on March 3.
As soon as the market opened, shares of NTT DOCOMO, KDDI, and Softbank fell sharply. On the other hand, shares of Rakuten, the fourth carrier to enter the market, and Japan Communications, an MVNO that has just launched an unlimited call plan as an MVNO, rose.
Suga has solidified his overwhelming support within the LDP and the birth of "Suga Prime Minister" is insight.
One carrier insider angrily commented, "I don't see how it is possible for a democracy to have the prime minister of a country meddling in a particular industry."
After Suga said in the summer of 2018 that "Japan's mobile phone rates are too high compared to the rest of the world; there is room for a 40% price cut," the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has been forcing mobile phone operators to change a range of regulations and rules.
The government amended the Telecommunications Business Law to set a limit of "up to 20,000 yen" on device discounts as part of the Complete Separation Plan. Ignoring discussions at a panel of experts, the government conducted an online survey and reduced the termination fee from close to 10,000 yen to around 1,000 yen.
The government is also trying to make it easier to unlock a SIM by revising the 2-year contract, and now they want to waive the MNP fee.
The reality is that the "40% price cut" statement is rather profitable for the carriers
However, we Japanese citizens rarely feel that our smartphone bills have become cheaper. Rather, the only negative impression we get is that we are less likely to buy a new phone because the discounts no longer apply to the devices.
Suga has criticized the mobile phone carriers are too profitable, but the only reason for the even more lucrative structure is the failure of the policies that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has implemented over the past two years.
For example, NTT DOCOMO's Q1 FY2020 results show that it sold 2.15 million handsets, a decrease of nearly 1.3 million units compared to 3.44 million units in the same period last year. This resulted in a 77.7 billion yen decline in revenue for NTT DOCOMO, but handset sales expenses were down 84.9 billion yen YoY, resulting in a 7.2 billion yen increase in revenue.
In other words, the spread of the coronavirus caused shops to shorten their opening hours and the revised Telecommunications Business Law regulated discounts, which resulted in a structure in which sales of smartphones were down, but sales promotion costs were down because they no longer had to be discounted, and as a result, the companies were profitable.
The only reason for this "too profitable" environment is the fault of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The 'churn rate' that the carriers put out in their earnings materials also shows that the MIC's policy is headed in the wrong direction.
If you look at NTT DOCOMO's handset churn rate, it was 0.34% in the first quarter of 2020. In the same period last year, it was 0.45%. KDDI's handset churn rate was 0.51% this quarter and 0.75% in the same period last year (includes non-smartphone). SoftBank's smartphone churn rate was 0.53% this quarter and 0.81% in the same period last year, with all carriers experiencing a decline in churn rates.
In other words, most people continue to use their contracted carrier without leaving it. The financial results of IIJ, a low-cost smartphone company, show that they have been struggling with a decline in the number of lines for its personal service, IIJmio, from the previous year.
The past two years have seen the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) do a lot of work, but the "environment of competition between businesses" that Suga talks about has not happened; in fact, the competition for customers has come to a halt because of the MIC.
If Suga, who will be prime minister in a few days, is serious about creating competition in the smartphone market, he will need to reset everything the MIC has done in the past two years and redesign the competitive environment policy from scratch.
Carriers are likely to be swayed by Suga's comments in the future, but one carrier source said coolly, "He's just showing that he wants to cut fees, he's not looking for results. He's not looking for results. If he can show that he's on the side of the people by repeating that, he'll be happy".
After all, if he can get popularity with the public by blaming the carriers and encouraging them to "lower their rates," that might be a good result for Suga.
This article is based on an article from the Japanese edition of Engadget and was created using the translation tool Deepl. The Japanese edition of Engadget does not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of this article.


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Alibaba’s Amazing Arithmetic
In Q4 2013, 15 year-old China e-merchant Alibaba’s buying and selling deals were worth $85 billion which is why the company’s NYSE IPO planned for September is going to value the company at anything from $100 billion to $250 billion.
One day last year Alibaba shipped 156 million packages. It accounts for over 70% of all China’s mobile e-commerce. Mobile represents 20% of Alibaba’s total business.
For the first nine months of Alibaba’s current FY it had revenues of $6.5 billion and profits of $2.85 billion. For it’s last full FY it had revenues of $5.5 billion and a profit of $1.39 billion, so it’s growing nicely.
Recent deals with governments in Brazil, France, Singapore, Australia and Italy are expected to accelerate growth.
It has $7.8 billion cash.
Yahoo has a 24% stake in Alibaba worth upwards of $40 billion.


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It’s been a rough ride for the crypto market until 2022. As of November, the market had dipped by 70% from its previous peak on November 20, 2021. And just when things were getting worse and down, the FTX crash turned them even more dire. What is the likelihood that the crypto market be able to recover by 2023?
Crypto Market Dips are Cyclical
The market for crypto, particularly Bitcoin has had its fair share of dips over the years. And every time, it’s rebounded by a massive increase.
For example, in 2013, Bitcoin reached a peak of $1,160. Then it fell for a full year before reaching a bottom of $150. However, in 2017, it broke the record, and hit a new high of $19,600. Fast forward to 2018, and it was trading at $3,100. In 2020, the price broke through the resistance and hit a new high of $68,000 in November 2021. And just like that, we’ve had another dip. But history shows us that after each dip there’s a bull-run.
Every Dip is Followed by a Long Bull Run
Similar to what we’ve witnessed in the past, dips are usually followed by a long bull run that finally surpasses the resistance created by the market’s previous highest price. This is evident in more than Bitcoin but also in other cryptocurrencies.
Growing Use of Crypto and Blockchain
Blockchain technology and cryptography have made significant progress in the last few years. With more and better companies and industries embracing it, its usage and acceptance is growing. From gaming to finance cryptocurrency is being utilized in a myriad of ways. This growing demand can lead to increasing participation in the market which could drive the prices up.
The rise in interest of institutions in crypto
In recent years we’ve noticed a growing curiosity from institutions investing in cryptocurrency. From hedge funds to banks, many large institutions are starting to explore the possibilities for crypto-based assets. This increased interest from institutions can bring stability to the crypto market and result in greater prices.
As the market for crypto is maturing and mature, governments across the globe are beginning to develop more favorable rules for crypto. This will help draw more investors and increase the mainstream adoption of crypto.
More use cases for blockchain
The underlying technology behind the majority of cryptocurrencies, blockchain offers a variety of potential use cases beyond the realm of financial transactions. In addition to supply chain management, voting and other systems industries are beginning to look at ways they can benefit from blockchain technology. This could drive more investment and interest in crypto.
Blockchain and cryptocurrency technology is at the very beginning of development. As progress is made in areas such as scalability and security, the potential of crypto assets will continue to expand. This could lead to greater acceptance and higher prices.
Rising global economic uncertainty
In the current economic uncertainty caused through the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other causes many investors are starting to look for safe haven investments like bitcoin and even gold. As the global economic situation is uncertain and uncertain, this could lead to more demand for crypto as well as more expensive prices.
Interest from retail investors
Institutional investors aren’t the only one who’s showing an interest in crypto. Retail investors, also known as individual investors are also beginning to invest in the crypto market. As more and more people are educated about cryptocurrency and investing in it, this could lead to more demand and higher prices.
The growing awareness and acceptance of crypto
As the crypto market continues to mature increasing numbers of people are beginning to learn about it and comprehend it. As awareness and acceptance of cryptocurrency grows, this could lead to more people buying as well as holding the crypto that can raise prices.
simple cool automatic money crypto
Financial decentralization (DeFi) is an emerging area of the crypto market that allows financial services to be created on top of blockchain technology. As DeFi expands and more platforms and projects come online, this could lead to increased adoption and more expensive prices for crypto.
Advances in crypto-based payment methods
As the market for crypto is growing, more and more companies are beginning to accept crypto as a form of payment. This could lead to increased usage of crypto in daily transactions and an increase in the cost of transactions.
The increased investment of sovereign wealth funds
These funds are government-owned instruments for investing, are now beginning to show interest in crypto as an asset class. As more of these funds devote a percentage of their portfolio to crypto, this could result in a rise in demand and more expensive prices.
Cryptocurrency is used for cross-border payments
One of the biggest benefits of cryptocurrency is its ability to facilitate quick and inexpensive cross-border payments. As more businesses and individuals are beginning to make use of cryptocurrency for international transactions, this can lead to a rise in demand and higher costs.
Increasing numbers of crypto ATM’s
With the amount of crypto ATM’s continue to grow it will be more convenient for individuals to purchase and store cryptocurrency, which can increase demand and price.
Security tokens are developed for development
Security tokens, which are digital assets that signify ownership of an asset, like stock or real estate, are a rapidly growing area of the crypto market. With the increasing number of security tokens being issued and traded, this can lead to a higher demand and consequently higher prices for crypto.
More adoption by merchants
As more and more businesses accept crypto as a form of payment, this makes it easier for customers to utilize and store crypto, which can increase demand and price.
So, is crypto likely to increase in 2023? It’s only time to find out. However, with these aspects to consider, it’s possible that the crypto market could have a rebound by 2023. If you’re committed to the long run, being patient and disciplined is essential.


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Poco M3 was first launched by the company a few weeks ago and since then we have heard a lot of rumours about the device coming to India. However, it now appears the phone could actually be set for an India launch in a matter of days with a new leak not only suggesting an imminent launch for the device but also showing off the phone in its yellow colour.
Information about this Snapdragon 662 SoC running smartphone has again been leaked by tipster Mukul Sharma who has tweeted a live image of the phone which clearly shows the device in its yellow avatar. This latest tweet about the Poco M3 comes on the back of the tipster sharing the model number of the Indian variant of the device and also hinting at a February launch for the phone in one of his other tweets.
While in his latest tweet he does not mention the launch date of the device, he does say that the launch of the Poco M3 in India is now imminent and confirms that the phone will indeed be launched in the country in a yellow avatar. This colour variant we believe will be launched alongside the other variants that the company had launched in global markets -- Cool Blue, and Power Black.
Talking about the phone, the Indian variant of the Poco M3 could come with similar specs and features as the global variant which features a 6.53-inch display with support for Full HD+ resolution. The panel also houses a front-facing camera within a waterdrop-style notch. Underneath the hood, we have the Poco M3 powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor, which is backed by 4GB RAM and up to 128GB internal storage. The budget phone is expected to ship with Android 11 out of the box.
The phone gets a triple camera set-up that heroes a 48-megapixel primary lens with f/1.79 aperture, a 2-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture, and a 2-megapixel macro camera lens with f/2.4 aperture. The device also gets an 8-megapixel selfie camera.
Keeping the lights on the Poco M3 is a 6,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging which should be good enough for most users. There's also support for reverse charging. Additionally, the phone also gets stereo speakers for music and other audio.


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Miles Scudamore (L) and Phil Kelsey (R) are the directors of the venture
Lincoln-based internet marketing firm Spiral Media has acquired rival website agency Swanholme Graphics to expand its business.
Around 40 new clients bring the number of customers for Spiral, based at the Terrace, to over 100.
“It’s been a busy three years and we are delighted with the way the company has grown,” said director Phil Kelsey.
“But this deal has been a great opportunity to make a big jump forward and we are determined to capitalise on it.”
Since it was established in 2009, Spiral has secured contracts with companies across the UK.
They specialise on web design, SEO, social media and website hosting and support.
“We are excited to be welcoming new clients and working with them to make sure we can use a range of on-line marketing strategies to help them grow their businesses,” said director Miles Scudamore.


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Lush in lemon: Model Bambi Northwood-Blyth looks incredibly chic in a soft yellow satin suit as she attends Australian Fashion Week
It is one of the hottest fashion trends of this season.
And model Bambi Northwood-Blyth was the last to rock a pajama-style satin suit at Australian Fashion Week on Thursday.
The ex-wife of fashion designer Dan Single looked stunning in Michael Lo Sordo’s bright lemon ensemble when she attended the Rumer The Label show.
Lush in lemon: Model Bambi Northwood-Blyth looked incredibly chic in a soft yellow satin suit as she attended the Rumer The Label show at Australian Fashion Week on Thursday
The brunette beauty wore a simple white camisole under the chic suit and added another pop of color with her pale pink Dior handbag.
Bambi, who has been modeling since her teens, showcased her natural beauty by wearing minimal makeup on her complexion and her brunette locks in natural waves.
Bambi was also one of the celebrities who attended Afterpay Australian Fashion Week on Monday at Carriageworks in Sydney.
Simple and sexy: the brunette beauty wore a simple white shirt under the chic suit
She arrived at the industrial chic venue in a camel-colored lace-up front mini dress, which she paired with knee-high boots.
She completed her look with a black clutch and styled her shoulder-length dark brown hair in a center part.
Out the door in style: Bambi wore a camel-colored mini dress with laces at the front on Monday
Bambi, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 12, has previously said she works out every day of the week.
She has walked the catwalk for Balenciaga and Chanel, among others.
Last July it was announced that Bambi had found love with Australian actor Thomas Cocquerel.
At the time, she would be living with Thomas in a beachfront apartment in Bondi.
While the couple has largely kept their relationship out of the public eye, they were spotted in love last August while strolling the Bondi boardwalk.
Thomas has appeared in a number of local and international productions, including One Mile To You, In Like Flynn, Otherlife, Celeste and Kidnapping Mr. Heineken.
Body Secrets: Bambi, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 12, has previously said she works out every day of the week
New romance: In July last year it was announced that Bambi had found love with Australian actor Thomas Cocquerel. Pictured on October 19, 2016 in Los Angeles
The 31-year-old has also appeared in several TV shows, including the Australian drama Love Child and the American series The 100.
Bambi split from Dan Single in 2017.
They broke up about a month after he fell “feet first” from his bedroom window at the Hotel Grand D’Amour in Paris.
Exes: Bambi split from fashion designer Dan Single (left, on May 11, 2016) about a month after he fell ‘feet first’ from his bedroom window at the Hotel Grand D’Amour in Paris in 2017


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With the Canadian government’s ban on locked cell phones going into place on December 1, Best Buy has already started selling all of its iPhones unlocked regardless of the carrier that a customer chooses to use, iPhone in Canada reports. Users are also reporting that Rogers and Telus locations are already unlocking iPhones for free, waiving the usual $50 fee. We reached out to Apple to ask whether on-contract iPhones sold in their Canadian stores are also now being sold unlocked, but haven’t yet received a response.
Dan Pye was a news editor at iLounge. He's been involved with technology his whole life, and started writing about it in 2009. He's written about everything from iPhone and iPad cases to Apple TV accessories.


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Prior to Apple’s Tuesday event revealing the iPhone 8, a rogue employee sent out information about the new phone to two websites. Considered an intentional sabotage act, the employee sent out classified information about the new product to 9to5Mac and MacRumors.
John Gruber, a known blogger who covers Apple, stated:
“More surprises were spoiled by this leak than any leak in Apple history”
The leak reinforced that the new iPhone 8 would be presented as the iPhone X. According to sources Apple has chosen to name the OLED version of the new model as iPhone X to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the iPhone. The two LCD models will be named iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The leak also confirms long talked rumors about face recognition. This will provide further security than the Touch ID and passcode. It will also allow for online purchases to be made within the phone.
The leak revealed information about iOS 11 which highlights “animoji“. Animoji will be 3D animated versions of current emojis:
It is leaked that iOS11 will include a revised version of AirPods. The new iPhone will supposedly remove the home button to enhance a full screen experience.
Here are some of the leaked pictures of the new iPhone X:


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Having worked with some of the biggest medical equipment and supplies distributors in East Africa, Alex Musyoka knew firsthand the challenges clinics and hospitals in rural areas go through when sourcing for the much-needed medical supplies.
“I worked in the medical industry for 15 years and one of the biggest problems is not having sufficient medical supplies when needed,” says Alex co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Viebeg Medical Supplies says.
Procurement and supply is often a long and tedious process for most organisations, and as such stock-outs are common.
However, health centres, which often handle life-and-death situations do not have the luxury of running out of stock.
Alex decided to tackle the problem with data analytics to ensure that his customers did not run out of crucial supplies.
When he and his co-founder mooted the idea of launching Viebeg Medical Supplies, people questioned if they would make it and whether the whole concept was feasible.
“This pushed me even harder to achieve what people thought was impossible,” he stresses.
Alex says he was lucky to meet his co-founder Tobias Reiter with whom they raised $50,000 for initial stock and other running costs but when they realised the business was not moving as planned, Tobias got a $250,000 loan to get the start-up off the ground.
“After incorporating technology, we started approaching impact investors because being a start-up and the impact we were creating, we wanted investors that would suit our business model,” recalls Alex.
However, this fundraising took a lot of time because, at times, investors felt Viebeg Medical Supplies didn’t fit their model.
“We made over 50 investment calls and only one came through. Raising funds was not an easy task but that is when things started going for us,” he adds.
Alex clarifies that as per their model, they classified capital into three aspects.
“There's the financial bit, customers/clients and suppliers.
“Capital is only mentioned in terms of money but we have some clients who supported us at the very beginning by giving us payments in advance because they lacked supplies and didn’t know where to get them. We had our margins and we were good to go,” Alex explains.
The medic says he also had a collection of suppliers he had built trust with who gave him the opportunity to take their products on credit, enabling them to sell upfront and pay after a period of time.
The business model
Viebeg Medical Supplies is a health data-driven procurement company that de-risks and optimises the procurement of medical equipment through supplies using a health demand simulation model.
“We collect demographic and geographical data, analyse to determine which equipment or drugs are needed at a certain location.”
Using the gathered data, the firm has built models that predict demand within a given period of time, giving them an edge over other suppliers who procure on gut feeling.
“We ensure that at whatever given time a customer requests for a certain product, we are able to deliver right before the previous shipment is out of stock,” explains Alex.
To endear them to their customers, Viebeg Medical Supplies offers financing arrangements by linking them to financiers such as impact investors.
“Many clinics would want to have certain equipment so we connect them to financial institutions, we supply and guarantee the equipment.”
Alex says that Viebeg grew exponentially from their first to the second year with a 200 percent increase in revenue.
“We have had an average growth of about 80 percent in revenue annually,” reveals Alex.
In terms of client acquisitions, Viebeg has grown at a rate of 60 percent every year and currently serves 650 hospitals, clinics and pharmacies in Rwanda, Kenya, and eastern DRC.
“We currently have 34 employees, 30 casuals, 600 plus on delivery on demand deliveries met and supplied over 620,000 products up to now.”
Coping with challenges
Apart from the Covid-19 disruptions, the biggest challenge Alex and his business partner had to contend with was building a team because according to him, the biggest part and chunk of building a successful business is having a good team.
“Funding was also a challenge and not to forget having clients to accept you and also growing the new markets because when spreading to new markets considering that this is Africa, what is theory is not what is practical.”
Alex decries that taxation is still too high leading to medical supplies being costly.
He explains that Viebeg sees potential partnerships with companies for drone delivery of drugs and optimises to see which routes best fit certain deliveries.
“We are getting to understand and figure out how to handle distribution of medical supplies but at the moment, we are managing it through third parties,” he adds.
Learnings and plans to conquer East Africa
Alex says that the first lesson he learned, even when he was employed, is the value of discipline and work.
“As an entrepreneur, at a certain time point in time, we tend to relax thinking all is well but for me, there's much more than that. I do not stick on playing small as there is no fun in playing small, push yourself to higher limits,” he advises.
Alex says when they recently fund-raised, they were already planning to strengthen their existing branches.
“In the next three years, we aim to take over the East African market. What we are doing is cash intensive, but with data analytics models we are building and partnerships with governments, we want to ensure we have the right statistics to help us predict demand,” he concludes.
For now, they are looking at Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi before even thinking of heading to the West Africa market.


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Expanded farm, ranch, automotive and pet products enabled True Value to grow second quarter same store sales 2.2% and report broad-based strength at its nationwide network of 4,500 stores.
Revenue was $429.5 million, an increase of 4.5% from $411.2 million for the same period a year ago. The cooperative posted a quarterly net margin of $23.2 million, down 2.5% compared to $23.8 million from a year ago.
"In the second quarter, we saw a continuation of first quarter sales increases. In fact, on a year-to-date basis, we had revenue increases in all regions of the country and in all 10 of our product departments," said president and CEO John Hartmann. "From a profit perspective, the incremental gross margin from the sales increase was offset by higher inbound freight expenses and our planned one-time expenses and retailer subsidies related to the roll out of our new 'Color by Design' paint colorant systems, equipment, displays and collateral."
During the first half of the year, True Value continued to grow its square footage and member base. In the six-month period, the company added 428,000 sq. ft. of relevant retail space continuing its commitment to grow Destination True Value and other relevant retail space in its network. Conversions continued at an elevated pace with 34 new members signed to-date in 2014, for an estimated $11.9 million in new annualized handled business.


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By John Hrabe | Cal Watchdog
If that wasn’t controversial enough, now word has surfaced that the bill also included a hidden perk for electric auto maker Tesla Motors Inc.
According to a report by Juliet Williams of the Associated Press, an overlooked section of the bill included language to provide tax breaks to companies that manufacture batteries:
“The word ‘battery’ never appears in the bill’s language, but is referenced in an analysis prepared by the Senate Appropriations Committee dated July 3, the last legislative business day before the summer break and the same day lawmakers voted on it. The analysis said tax relief would be available to companies that fall under federal NAICS manufacturing code 3359, which includes ‘battery manufacturing’.”
That perk, signed into law on the 157th birthday of the company’s namesake, Nikola Tesla, is designed to persuade the company to build a new $5 billion manufacturing plant in California.
at Cal Watchdog.


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Ashok Leyland’s UK arm, Optare, said it would focus more on exports, taking advantage of its parent's global network. Hinduja Group's flagship company Ashok Leyland holds 75 per cent stake in the bus & coach maker.
Presenting its half-yearly report, Optare said it had appointed a new export distributor in Australia via the parent’s network to take advantage of the increased market demand.
Recently, Optare won orders in Australia for the whole single-deck product range. Further sizeable orders are expected in 2014 through its dealers in Australia, said the company.
The company also received funding from a regional growth fund of £1.5 million linked to developing new products for exports. In November, Optare announced it had secured a £23-million refinancing from Barclays.
The new double-decker product is expected to be launched next year.
Optare’s order book as of September stood at £22.5 million. “The market continues to move from Optare's strong provincial customer base to larger operating groups. We are continuing to focus on both types of customer segments to increase volumes in our traditional single-deck UK market,” said Optare.
The company is now building its Euro-VI compliant vehicles for delivery in the fourth quarter of financial year 2014.
On the financials, Optare said its operating losses reduced 33 per cent to £800,000 compared with the first half of 2012 when it had a loss of £1.2 million. Gross margins increased to 10.3 per cent (from 5.4 per cent in the first half of 2012), primarily on a stronger product mix and continued focus on material cost savings.
The company was successful in restructuring debt with bank facilities of £23 million. Optare said administration costs reduced 10 per cent as overall headcount reduced from 443 to 396 at the end of September.
Further cost-reduction programmes are in place to deliver around £1 million of savings in fixed costs in 2013-14, said Optare.
John Fickling, Optare’s chairman, said: “We have made to improve efficiency and reduce fixed costs. We continue to invest in people, innovation and new product opportunities for the UK and export markets we look to the future of the Company with increased confidence.”
Optare’s board said it sees an increase in UK demand in 2014, particularly for single-deck buses, as the larger operating groups invest in new vehicles. Additionally, an increasing proportion of future sales are expected to come from exports that will help reduce the risk of the group’s dependency on a cyclical UK market.


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IDC says PC sales continue to slip in Q2 2015By Robin-Leigh Chetty 10 July 2015 | Categories: news
IDC has released its latest report on PC sales during Q2 2015, with an estimated 66.1 million units shipped during the four month period. As such, it represents a year-on-year decline of roughly 11.8% based on the shipment numbers posted last year. According to IDC's projections, it's roughly 1% lower than the figures they expected to be posted in Q2 2015.
As far as factors influencing this decline, IDC cited the end of support for Windows XP as one of the key factors. Another factor is the shrinking of shipments through distribution channels, as the ICT sector at large waits for the release of Windows 10 on 29 July this this. Furthermore, fluctuating exchange rates for foreign countries resulted in increased PC prices, thus negatively impacting their uptake in many markets.
"Although the second quarter decline in PC shipments was significant, and slightly more than expected, the overall trend fits with expectations," said Loren Loverde, vice president, Worldwide PC Trackers & Forecasting. "We continue to expect low to mid-single digit declines in volume during the second half of the year with volume stabilising in future years. We're expecting the Windows 10 launch to go relatively well, though many users will opt for a free OS upgrade rather than buying a new PC," concludes Loverde.
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Friday morning, Sherri Rogers stood outside her favorite bakery. It's not uncommon to see her at Melissa's Bakery at 15335 Dedeaux Road in Gulfport.
But it was far from a routine trip.
Two bakery employees, manager Faren Knowles and Lauren Parker were standing behind a folding table outside the shop. Much of their inventory -- cookies, cupcakes and other sweets -- was in dozens of see-through Tupperware containers.
Thursday's powerful thunderstorm dropped nearly 12 inches of rain in less then five hours. Water quickly collected and flooded low-lying places throughout Harrison County. Melissa's Bakery, Flowers Forever and Gifts and the other shops in the Dedeaux Road strip mall didn't have a chance. If the area around the strip mall is considered a soup bowl, the shops would be lined up along the bottom of the bowl. About 20 inches of water made its way into the stores Thursday.
Knowles arrived at the shop first thing in the morning.
"I was the first one to get here and discover the flooding," she said.
After the waters subsided, Knowles, Parker and their family members, friends and volunteers worked on clearing out the shop. They ripped out the carpeting and some of the drywall.
"Pretty much anything 20 inches or below is pretty much ruined," Knowles said.
Still, the flooding didn't prevent Knowles from serving her customers.
"We sold out of cupcakes that day," she said.
Cleanup work continued early Friday morning. Instead of shutting down for the day to concentrate on cleaning, Knowles turned on the OPEN sign when she got to work.
Along with Parker, she placed dozens of cupcakes, cookies and other baked goods onto the folding table. Several customers lined up to satisfy their sweets cravings.
Knowles said she wants the community to know Melissa's Bakery has no plans of shutting down.
"Cake orders will go off without a hitch whether it's delivery or pickup," she said.
After Parker swiped Sherri Roger's credit card, Rogers gave her thoughts on the bakery.
"I come here all the time. But I wanted to show my support after what happened yesterday."
Next door to Melissa's Bakery is Flowers Forever and Gifts.
Owner Michael Brunson has overseen the flower shop for 11 years.
"As long as I've been here, I've never seen it flood like this," he said.
Thursday morning, he saw the water rising when he returned from a delivery. There was little he could do.
He waited it out, taking pictures as the water rose.
As soon as the water began to subside a bit, he got to work. Friday, he was sweeping water into a back alley and using a shop vacuum to suck up more.
He, too, wants residents to know his shop is open. He came up with a promotion to get customers in his store: he's giving a single rose to every walk-in while supplies last.
Both Knowles and Brunson are uncertain if their insurance will pay for the flood damage. Both said they didn't even want to think about how much a full recovery will cost.
For now, their main concern is to get their shops presentable again. But they are hopeful news of their flood recovery will fill the hearts of their customers, and the community itself will flood their showrooms.


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It was last Friday when a poster bearing the logo of a popular local fast-food restaurant started to make rounds. Although the image appeared authentic, some commentators of social media questioned its validity since there was no official media announcement about the venture which was being publicised.
Ironically, on the same day, one of the key entities in partnership with the restaurant had a media briefing to highlight their Run Barbados event in December.
A day later, it was clear to most of us that the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.
(BTMI), Export Barbados, JetBlue and Chefette Restaurants Limited had come together to produce a two-day initiative.
We were told that the Bring Chefette to America campaign was intended to “give members of the diaspora and others in New York and Boston a taste of Barbados’ most popular fast-food chain”.
Social media blew up. Many were in favour of the move while others questioned why taxpayers’ money should be spent to heavily promote a private enterprise.
Not surprisingly, the news was met with great excitement and happiness by those Bajan Yankees who craved the taste of a roti or a portion of wing dings from their favorite fast-food restaurant back home.
One reported that her daughter was in the long line from 10 a.m. and hours after still had not gotten a taste of anything on the menu. She said it had been 10 years since her daughter had eaten what some may consider a “national dish” given the popularity and market share the restaurant enjoys in Barbados.
Others wrote congratulatory messages to Chefette and admitted they felt a sense of pride that a local chain was now making inroads on the global market after 50 years of existence.
It didn’t take long before locals were torn between elation watching the long lines of friends, family and American citizens queuing for their chance to taste the offering and a sense of jealousy not being able to get any of the free meals afforded to those in attendance.
Some, though, were simply opposed to the idea of Government footing any bill for a successful business.
“I hope taxpayers are not footing the bill for food given away in New York.
Why is BTMI involved in such an event? What kind of tourism strategy is this?” one asked.
One commentator was convinced that the fast food giant was more than financially equipped to fund its own venture.
“A perfect example of how local private sector depends on Government to pull them kicking and screaming outside the box. Chefette has been around for 50 years…. This is not about pulling down Chefette, but they have enough dollars to do their own outreach. Maybe BTMI can extend their resources to help Cuz. He is quite popular with the tourists.”
Another person was critical of the move, given Government’s recent stance on healthy eating.
“So wait a minute… the GOB wants to promote a healthy lifestyle and ban fast food and snacks in schools but assisting this promotion in NYC? Don’t get me wrong, I do indulge in Chefette once in a while, but if you really think about this… it doesn’t seem right.”
While the initiative was a proud moment, not only for the owners of Chefette and the partners involved but for all Barbadians, we hope that when the dust settles it was worth the while. We hope to see some benefit from the use of taxpayers’ money. The critics need to see the outcomes, in short order, if their rumblings are to cease.
Managing Director of Chefette Ryan Haloute, during an interview at the Grantley Adams International Airport, stated that the collaboration was an effort to sell Barbados as a culinary destination.
We are yet to be convinced that the presence of a food truck alone would be enough to persuade tourists to visit the island. Maybe Mr Haloute should have posited that the food truck is a great opportunity to test the waters outside of Barbados to see what opportunities lie ahead to earn much-needed foreign exchange for the country. That may have been more palatable for some.
A careful look at the operation via videos that went viral on social media suggests that there was not a robust campaign to market Barbados or flights to Barbados for the hundreds that queued patiently. Maybe this was a missed opportunity by tourism authorities.
BTMI and Export Barbados owe the people of Barbados a breakdown of exactly how much was spent and what gains were yielded from the exercise.
Bajans with valid concerns should not be ignored or brushed aside. A campaign of this magnitude should not be undertaken with the relevant metrics in place to clearly determine whether it is a failure or a success. Given our country’s current economic challenges, financial prudence demands it.


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Intex have launched three new Android smartphones - Aqua Star, Aqua Star HD and Aqua Star Power. The phones will be available for purchase from September 29. The phones are priced at INR 6990, 7490 and 8690 respectively.
All phones run on Android 4.4 KitKat and come with 1GB of RAM, dual-SIM support, 8GB of on-board storage and microSD card slot.
The Intex Aqua Star packs a 5-inch FWVGA display, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front shooter, 2000 mAh battery and 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582M processor.
Intex’s Aqua Star HD also features the same processor as Aqua Star but sports a 5-inch HD display and comes with 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, USB OTG support and 1800 mAh battery.
The Aqua Star Power includes the same specifications as well Aqua Star apart from the 4.5-inch FWVGA display, 3000 mAh battery, USB OTG support and 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor.
“Intex is known for innovation and we are proud to announce our latest offering, Intex Aqua Star. The smartphone boasts of superior sensor technology, 1.3GHz quad-core processor and an 8-megapixel camera amongst other features that makes it a device that truly stands for the youth of the nation. With Aqua Star HD, we bring an all new way to access apps and make calls. We hope our customers enjoy our latest offering and continue to trust us with our innovations. With Intex Aqua Star Power, we hope to address the concerns of mobile users who are active on social media platforms and enjoy gaming on their smartphones,” said Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, Mobile Business Head, Intex Technologies.
The Aqua Star will be released in Black and White colour options, the Star HD comes in Leather Black and Grey colours and Star Power in Black, Blue, and Grey colour options.


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Zeiss VR One Connect puts virtual reality PC games onto a smartphone headset
Zeiss, a company that made its name in optical and optoelectronic technology before moving into the realm of virtual reality, has announced its latest VR headset: the Zeiss VR One Connect at IFA 2017 in Berlin.
The Zeiss VR One Connect promises to bridge the gap between PC virtual reality, which offers impressive visuals and complex pc games, but comes with a high price tag for expensive headsets such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, and smartphone-powered VR, which costs a lot less (as long as you have a handset already), but doesn’t quite offer the immersive experience of PC VR.
Zeiss VR One Connect does this by running SteamVR games that are powered by a PC, which does …
TechRadar – Latest computing news


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Save A Child From Choking with LifeVac
DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) -
National Choking Awareness Day was on March 28th. PSL wanted to bring attention to the tragedy of choking. It is our country’s 4th leading cause of accidental death. With that in mind, we are proud to highlight a product that can offer peace of mind that comes from a proven, easy to use device designed for lifesaving protection. LifeVac is the patented choking first aid device for children and adults that has saved hundreds of lives (and counting). In the U.S. alone, one child dies every five days from choking, and this portable, reusable apparatus can make all the difference.
The PSL guest is LifeVac Founder & CEO, Arthur Lih. Watch the segment to learn more about the product, how it is used, and locations where a device like this could be useful. LifeVac is a non-invasive, single patient portable airway clearance device to be used in a choking emergency.
Lih reflected on how he came up with the idea for the device, “A few years ago, I encountered the tragic story of a mother losing her young son due to choking on a grape. As a father myself, I teamed up with my sister, who is a doctor, my dad--an engineer and a good friend. All of us were able to successfully develop a non-invasive upper airway clearing device intended to save as many lives as possible.” This is a lifesaving life-altering invention is something every household, daycare, school, and restaurants should have on hand at all times.
The product line contains the availability of a home kit, travel kit, and EMS kit.
Copyright 2021 KWQC. All rights reserved.


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Over the years we have seen many advertisers trying to hack, mock or leverage their competitors ads. In Brazil, Burger King with the help of ad agency David SP used augmented realtiy to burn their competitors ads via their consumers mobile phones while rewarding the participating consumer with a free Whopper.
Burger King is expecting to give away 500,000 Whoppers through this promotion, so that more and more people use their Burger King Express service which lets customers pre-order food for pickup.
Car companies today are relying more and more on augmented and virtual reality to help visualize their work. And for about six months now, Microsoft and Volvo have been working on a way to incorporate a “mixed reality” into the process of choosing a car. Now with the help of Microsoft’s HoloLens technology they have successfully put together a car showroom straight out of science fiction.
The below video shows how car buyers will be able to check out useful features that are often overlooked because they no longer read car manuals. This detailed mixed reality visualization will also help buyers understand how the respective features work in various scenarios.
Last week at Microsoft’s Windows 10 event, the company unveiled a new augmented reality experience for the platform, called HoloLens. Using a special holographic headseat, Windows 10 users will now be able to make holograms appear in real life. 😎
The device is said to use see-through lenses, spatial sound, advanced sensors and a holographic processing unit to provide a state of the art untethered augmented reality experience.
Here is a short demo video of the next step of computing…
Coca-Cola has recently launched 20 special edition mini bottles to get fans around the world excited about the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Brazil from June 12th to July 13th.
The bottles come wrapped in flags of countries that have hosted the World Cup previously i.e. Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, USA, England, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, Japan and South Korea, as well as the three upcoming host countries Brazil, Russia and Qatar – plus two special Coca-Cola editions.
Coca-Cola fans can also create and send special messages and avatars to other bottle owners through Facebook and iPhone or Android apps. In addition, special markers on the bottles activate augmented reality animations when held up to a smartphone camera.
In September I had written about how a father of two had decided to re-write the Tooth Fairy experience for the 21st century. Now in this latest example of interactive 21st century fairytales, Eindhoven University of Technology has created TexTales, a new kind of smart textile that when combined with augmented reality can enhance the experience of reading a fairytale to your children at bedtime.
TexTales consists of a set of bed sheets that have images woven into the fabric. The images are recognized by a custom made software that displays 3D characters from a fairytale through a tablet or smartphone onto the textile. This allows parents to create personal stories with their kids before going to sleep or during a play time.
With the support from the Kickstarter community they want to develop TexTales further by creating a storyline and characters that actually matter. For more information visit their Kickstarter page here.
Last year Ikea re-imagined their catalog via a special visual recognition app that brought its pages and offerings within to life in the form of inspirational videos, designer stories, ‘x-ray’ vision that peeked inside furniture, and more.
Now for their 2014 Ikea catalogue, they have given people the ability to place virtual furniture directly into their homes by simply placing the printed Ikea catalogue where they want the furniture to appear. 🙂
Oreo Cookies to commemorate the first video game created by Ralph H. Baer, has used modern day technology to create an augmented reality game called “Catch the Oreo”. The game is available on Android and iOS devices.
People living in Norway and Denmark are automatically entered into a sweepstake competition by just playing and uploading their high score. There are weekly prizes and the winners are decided by drawing lots. Competition lasts from 8th of April to 28th of July 2013 (both dates included). So start playing. 🙂
Augmented Reality (AR) toys and games that combine physical and digital interactions are a fantastic way to get kids away from TV and computer screens. And so this year at the Toy Fair in New York there were a whole bunch of such toys…
Barbie Digital Makeover Mirror
Lets kids try out make up while avoiding all the mess. The game uses the iPad camera to track faces.
Mattel Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle
The first mass market doll house to support augmented reality.
Popar 3D Books
A new line of children’s books that use AR technology to make books come alive with virtual 3D objects and animations, that pop right off the page.
Sphero Ball and Sharky the Beaver
The first app ever to let you take a virtual 3D character for a walk around your house.
Imaginext Apptivity Fortress
Combines playset and app play all in one, while giving children endless possibilities for adventures, activities and games around the fortress theme.
Brain waves control furry ears.
Lego Mindstorms EV3
User-created robots that can be controlled by various sensors and smartphones.
Cubelets are magnetic blocks that can be snapped together to make an endless variety of robots with no programming and no wires.
A magical new interactive game system built on the timeless play patterns of legos, building blocks, and domino tiles.
People in Tokyo who wear headphones or simply want to try new ones, were treated to a first of its kind Augmented Reality Music Festival. Using proprietary 3D augmented reality technology, Sony Japan created original augmented reality (AR) videos of four best-selling local rock groups. Then they enabled their band tour posters in key locations to play these AR videos. Special Sony branded headphone trial stations were also setup for anyone interested in joining the festival.
Connected devices such as smartphones and tablets have contributed to an explosion in digital media consumption. As these devices gain adoption, print newspapers around the world are seen suffering from declining readership and revenue. To combat this the Tokyo Shimbun along with Dentsu Tokyo came up with a new way to connect with readers. An Augmented Reality Reader app was created that brought to life the newspaper by overlaying educational versions of the articles for kids.


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This article is more than 1 year old
iPad-smuggling women pinched in China
How many iPhones can you stick up your jumper?
Chinese customs caught 14 women trying to smuggle iPhones and iPads into China from Hong Kong.
Authorities in Shenzhen caught the grey importers with $143,000 worth of kit.
The 14 women had 88 iPads and 340 phones between them – one woman had an impressive 65 phones strapped to her waist and another 20 in her handbag, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Customs said the women were paid $30 – or 200 yuan – each.
Apple sells Wi-Fi iPads in China, but not the 3G versions, which is fuelling the grey import market from Hong Kong, the paper claimed.
Chinese customs has reacted by putting a tax on all iPads brought into the country – even those for personal use. ®


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A new report by Oceana Canada shows almost half of all seafood samples it tested in Canada were found to be mislabelled.
Digital expert Jesse Hirsh tells us how to navigate what’s real and what isn’t.
The star of your Thanksgiving meal.
A rustic side that is perfect for fall.
A heartwarming drink to share with family and friends.
A classic Canadian dessert with a fall twist.
Because a pie from the store won’t cut it.


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Monday, February 28, 2005
When RealNetworks founder and chief executive, Rob Glaser, pitched his stock yesterday at the Goldman Sachs Technology Symposium, the room was half empty and only a handful of investors stayed around to ask questions.
Digital media is hot, but RealNetworks apparently is not, at least in comparison with Apple. Apple boss Steve Jobs didn't make it to Goldman's conference, but the company's chief financial officer came and drew a standing-room-only crowd of more than 100 institutional investors.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
The considerable and constant morphing of portable media players and mobile phones into swiss-army-knife devices is taking its toll on PDAs. Sony already had pulled back on the elegant but high-priced Clie in its overseas markets but now is halting development in Japan. Sony is trying to spin the move away from getting out of the PDA business; a spokesperson told IDG: It's a chance for us to recharge our batteries, to sit down and consider the business." But it's hard not to see it as a big step back. Will Sony put PDA operations in its portable media players? Its already moving into MP3 phones.
Meanwhile, Apple acknowledges the competition by expanding iPod options and lowering some prices. For instance, the 4GB $249 iPod mini that didn't compare so favorably price-wise to the 5GB $225-ish Creative Zen Micro is now a better deal at $199. Ditto for the new 6GB iPod for $249. The iPod Photo has better price points and more functionality. Apple isn't going to be able to own the market forever but moves like this should help it rule a lot longer.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Welcome to podcasting, the medium that promises a future where anyone can make radio, instead of just listen to it. The biggest podcast audiences now number in the mere tens of thousands. Yet real radio, the kind with bona fide mass audiences, is starting to use the technology to make its shows available for download.More.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
"Print is dead," Sports Illustrated President John Squires told a room full of newspaper and magazine circulation executives at a conference in Toronto in November. His advice? "Get over it," meaning publishers should stop trying to save their ink-on-paper product and focus on electronic delivery of their journalism.
Rare is the paper these days that is not embracing the Web. In addition to their own sites, papers such as the New York Times, the Miami Herald and the Houston Chronicle e-mail free headlines and news summaries to people who don't have time for the newspaper but carry BlackBerrys and other electronic gizmos.
More from the Washington Post.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Not anymore. The infusion factor is over-sold. A good stoli-doli is basically Stoli (infused or not) with Cointreau and Dole pineapple juice. In other words (hush hush) a Cosmopolitan with Dole instead of cranberry juice....
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Thursday, February 10, 2005
More from the Times story.


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NEW YORK — Google gave a male teenage hacker known as “Pinkie Pie” $60,000 for uncovering a flaw in its browser’s security at the second annual Pwnium competition, according to CNN Money.
Pinkie Pie was one of two hackers to win the grand prize at last year’s competition, according to Google.
Less than 10 hours after Pwnium 2, the company had updated users with a version of Chrome that resolved the issue, according to Google.
Before the first competition, Pinkie Pie sent a resume to Google last year, stating in his cover letter that he could hack their browser using a Mac, according to Wired.
In March, a member of Google’s security team told Wired they planned on following up with the teenager.
Facebook also started offering bounties to find bugs in its system, doling out a minimum of $500 to users who catch them, according to CNN Money.
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This week’s issue of Weekly Famitsu magazine will include the latest information on Persona 5 Royal in a 10-page feature.
As a reborn version of the highly popular RPG Persona 5, the latest game Persona 5 Royal (releasing on October 31, 2019 for the PS4) will be approached on a deeper level not discussed until now.
The feature will include a summary of the already released information, similar to the Persona Super Live 2019 bonus issue. It will also include the first developer interview for P5R, introducing the highlights of the game. Many new elements, such as new characters and the third semester are discussed.
Weekly Famitsu magazine #1588—or the May 23, 2019 issue—will be released on May 9, 2019. Atlus also previously teased follow-up information on Persona 5 Royal for May 9th.
The Famitsu article confirms some of the head developers responsible for Persona 5 Royal, who are also the interviewees.
Producer: Kazuhisa Wada
The producer of the game is Kazuhisa Wada. According to staff credits, Wada was not involved in any significant capacity with the original Persona 5.
Recently, he has worked as a producer and director on the Persona 4 Arena and Persona Dancing games. He has worked as a chief designer on older titles, such as Persona 4 Golden and Catherine.
Persona 5‘s original creative producer was Katsura Hashino.
Director: Daiki Ito
The director of the game is Daiki Ito. He was a lead confidant planner for Persona 5.
He has worked on previous Atlus games as a planner in the past. Notably, he was the director for Persona 4 Golden, assuming the role from Katsura Hashino who was the original director for Persona 4.
Persona 5‘s original director was Katsura Hashino.
Character Designer: Shigenori Soejima
The character designer of the game is Shigenori Soejima. He was also the character designer for Persona 5.
As Katsura Hashino confirmed in May 2017 after starting the new team Studio Zero—who was responsible for Catherine: Full Body and is developing Project Re Fantasy—he will be leaving the development of further Persona titles to his successors. He had been the director and producer for Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5.
Persona 5 Royal will be released on The PS4 in Japan on October 31, 2019. It will be released in the West and Asia in 2020.


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Aug 6, 2012 - UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's said Friday it had installed 16 MW of solar power capacity at 169 of its stores in the UK.
According to the company, the installations, featuring 69,500 photovoltaic (PV) panels, mean it now operates the largest solar array in Britain and Europe outside commercial solar farms. The systems are expected to reduce the retailer's annual carbon dioxide emissions by some 6,800 tonnes, as well as cut the energy use of each store and result in energy cost savings.
The solar project is part of the company's 20 by 20 sustainability plan that sets out 20 sustainability targets to be achieved by 2020. Chief executive Justin King said Sainsbury's was looking to install more panels to reduce its environmental impact. Supermarkets have large roofs, many of which underutilised, King noted. He also said that the cost of solar energy for commercial installations was expected reach grid parity in the next two to four years, which could signal a new boom for the solar industry.
As part of its sustainability initiatives, Sainsbury's has also installed more than 40 biomass boilers and recently unveiled plans for geo-thermal heat pumps to provide heating and hot water at as many as 100 stores.


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Apple to make a low-cost streaming dongle, much like Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV
Apple is reportedly planning to launch an reasonably priced dongle much like Google’s Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, according to a report by The Information, citing folks aware of the event.
Apparently, Apple who is anticipated to launch its TV streaming service someday in 2019 will straight tackle the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime.
The service could be out there free of charge to Apple machine homeowners, which incorporates the Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad. Also, the dongle could be unique to Apple TV, iPhones and iPads solely.
With the Apple TV prices $149 for the non-4K mannequin and $179 for the 4K mannequin, it does make sense for the corporate to give you its personal low-priced dongle and get folks to subscribe to their streaming service to be able to enhance its client base.
Apple may both bundle the service as a standalone app or throughout the present TV app, suggests rumors. It is anticipated to incorporate a great mixture of authentic programming content material, third-party video companies in addition to the choice to subscribe to TV channel packages.
Apple has already spent greater than $1 billion to supply its authentic content material for the TV streaming service.
The streaming service will launch within the U.S. first and can later be made out there in additional than 100 international locations after a couple of months.
The new TV service is anticipated to launch someday in 2019 and can embrace a TV sequence by the La La Land director Damien Chazelle, a drama starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, a youngsters’s present, and a science fiction present by Ron Moore amongst others.
What do you concentrate on Apple’s low-cost dongle? Do tell us your ideas within the feedback part beneath.


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Austrian group swoops for Lancashire plastic card manufacturer
A Lancashire plastic payment card manufacturer has been acquired by an Austrian group, for an undisclosed sum.
Nitecrest, based in Leyland, has been bought by Austriacard, which had merged with Tag Systems, located in Andorra, Spain.
Austriacard GmbH has acquired 100% of the shares of Nitecrest. The key shareholders and leadership team of Nitecrest hold equity positions in the new group structure and continue in their leading positions, ensuring continuity for Nitecrest’s partners, customers and employees, under the umbrella of Vienna-based Austriacard.
P. Spyropoulos, Austriacard group CEO, said: “Following the successful merger with Tag Systems in recent years, Austriacard’s decision to join forces with Nitecrest was straightforward, the latter being a leading provider for cards and services in the UK with sales globally, as well as the undisputed leader for Europe’s fintechs, through Tag_Nitecrest.
“The fit was perfectly complementary.”
Jon Neeraas, CEO of Tag Systems, said: “We have always been super impressed by Nitecrest’s group rounded service offering. Collectively, we have continued to dominate the fintech and retail space and are very pleased to have reached a deal at group level of Austriacard Holdings, with Nitecrest’s shareholders and management.
“We strongly believe that this move shall enhance our offering and add value for our customers, employees and shareholders.”
Ronnie Hart, chairman of Nitecrest and Tag_Nitecrest and CEO of Nitecrest, said: “We are excited to join forces with Austriacard, as this will allow us to expand further and capitalise on serving our valued customers on a worldwide level, thanks to the industrial robustness and cutting edge technologies of Austriacard.”
Leeroy Pye, CEO of Tag_Nitecrest, said: “At group level we are about to change the game.
“Our fintech and challenger bank customer adoption takes the entire group into a new era, as we shall be able, for the first time, to offer product-led core banking services. We are partnering with key companies around the globe, to flip card issuing on its head and take the helm to delivering the next generation of payment cards.”
Austriacard Holdings is an Austrian group of high-tech IT in Hardware Embedded Security founded in 1897 and has an international presence with three divisions, Austriacard/Tag, Inform and Nautilus, in the fields of digital security in payments and identity, digital transformation in the document lifecycle and security in the IoT, respectively.
Austriacard Holdings operates seven production facilities and seven personaliation centres in Europe, one in the USA and one in South America. In 2020, at a pro-forma level including Nitecrest and Tag_Nitecrest, Austriacard Holdings achieved a consolidated turnover of approximately £170m and employs currently around 1,600 staff.
Nitecrest was founded in 1996, produces and personalises gift and loyalty and telecom cards for the local and global market.
In addition, it holds a 50% stake in Tag_Nitecrest, founded in 2016, which handles sales and personalisation of payment cards for financial institutions in Great Britain.
In 2020, Nitecrest and Tag_Nitecrest achieved a consolidated turnover of £25.5m and currently employs around 160 people.


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WHERE: Lane Bryant
8188 Park Lane
Dallas, TX 75231
WHAT: Lane Bryant, the nation’s leader in fashion for women sizes 14 to 28, is excited to announce that famed designer Lela Rose will make a personal appearance at the brand’s location at The Shops at Park Lane in Dallas to celebrate the debut of Rose’s debut Spring Collection, available exclusively at Lane Bryant.
The event, which is open to the public, provides an excellent opportunity for Lela Rose fans, Lane Bryant customers and local media to meet the designer, while getting a peek at the gorgeous new collection. Lela Rose will be on hand for press interviews during the event as well.
Those who attend the event will also enjoy music, refreshments, and the chance to win a $250 Lane Bryant Gift Card.
For more information regarding the Lela Rose collaboration please visit www.lanebryant.com.


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- Vivo V20 series will most likely be the successor to Vivo V19
- The series may include three smartphones Vivo V20, V20 SE, and V20 Pro
- The handsets will feature a camera layout similar to that of Vivo X50
Vivo V20 series India launch details have been confirmed to 91mobiles by industry sources. The upcoming mid-range smartphones will break cover in the country in October, ahead of the Indian festival of Dusshera. We know the series will comprise at least two models — Vivo V20 SE and V20 Pro — as they were recently spotted on NBTC and Geekbench certification sites. There will likely be a vanilla Vivo V20 as well, which will be a direct upgrade to the Vivo V19 smartphone that was launched back in May. The source, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that the handsets will feature the same rectangular camera layout as the Vivo X50 series. It remains to be seen whether the Vivo V20 series will get the Gimbal Stabilization system or not.
Vivo V20 series specifications [expected]
The specifications of the Vivo V20 series phones remain vague at the moment, but the SE model is said to come with 33W fast charging solution. The handset is expected to be the entry-level V20-series smartphone with Snapdragon 665 SoC ticking at its core. The phone may run Android 10-based FunTouchOS out of the box and employ 8GB RAM. That’s all we know so far!
Vivo V19 that the Vivo V20 series will succeed, to recall, packs a 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED punch-hole display, Snapdragon 712 SoC, and up to 8GB of RAM. The camera system of the phone consists of 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP sensors at the back, while on the front, it gets 32MP + 8MP snappers for selfies and video calling. The handset packs a 4,500mAh battery with 33W fast charging solution. The Vivo V19 is currently selling at Rs 24,990 at major e-stores across the country.
~with inputs from Mukesh Kumar Singh


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InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) suffered a big loss in the first six months of 2020, but it wasn’t all bad news for the company.
IHG posted a US$275 million ($383.4 million) half-yearly loss, compared to a US$375 million ($522.9 million) profit during the same period in 2019.
Global RevPAR declined by 52 per cent in the first half and was down 75 per cent in the second quarter, when occupancy at comparable IHG hotels fell to 25 per cent.
However, the group still managed to open more than 90 hotels in the first six months of the year, and strengthened its pipeline with an average of one new signing a day, including almost 100 for its Holiday Inn brand.
IHG noted that “small but steady” improvements in occupancy and RevPAR through the second quarter continued into July, with an expected RevPAR decline of 58 per cent, and occupancy rising to around 45 per cent.
The company has also maintained roughly US$2 billion ($2.8 billion) in liquidity, and plans to make around half of the US$150 million ($209.1 million) of savings it will achieve this year sustainable into 2021.
“The impact of this crisis on our industry cannot be underestimated, but we are seeing some very early signs of improvement as restrictions ease and traveller confidence returns,” IHG chief executive Keith Barr said.
“Whilst the near-term outlook remains uncertain and the time period for market recovery is unknown, we are well-positioned with preferred brands in the largest markets and segments, a leading loyalty platform and one of the most resilient business models in the industry.
“This gives us confidence in our ability to meet the needs of our guests and owners, and to emerge strongly when markets recover.”
Featured image source: iStock/georgeclerk


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President Joe Biden has picked privacy expert Alvaro Bedoya to serve as a Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner, according to several media reports.
Bedoya, a founding director of the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown's law school, is known for skepticism of corporate data practices. If confirmed by the Senate, he would join Lina Khan, a tech company critic and advocate of revamped antitrust law whom Biden named as FTC chair in June.
Under Khan, the FTC, which has authority over both antitrust and consumer protection issues including consumer privacy, has been steadily broadening its look at online markets, widening its conception of harm and potentially readying more regulations.
On Wednesday, the commission is due to examine whether to weigh in on privacy breaches on health apps and connected devices, for instance, and potentially make it easier to issue rules to govern practices across whole industries.
Bedoya formerly served as chief counsel of a Senate subcommittee on privacy and technology, where he focused on issues such as mobile location, biometrics and government surveillance. He would replace progressive Commissioner Rohit Chopra, a mentor to Khan whom Biden has named to take over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. There are currently three Democrats on the five-person commission.
Republican Commissioner Noah Phillips tweeted that Bedoya "would bring a bright and thoughtful voice and a depth of experience working across the aisle on privacy to the FTC."


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April 07, 2006
Merck names outsider to new top global post as its Vioxx court battles continue
In a major shift at a beleaguered Merck, CEO Richard Clark has broken with the company tradition of hiring from within to name GE Healthcare Bio-Sciences CEO Peter Loescher to the newly created position of president, global human health. Beginning May 1, Loescher will oversee more than 35,000 Merck employees and have direct responsibility for the company’s four marketing and sales divisions—US Human Health, Human Health Asia Pacific, Human Health Intercontinental (Europe, Middle East, Africa, Canada and Latin America) and Merck Vaccines. Additionally, Loescher will be responsible for preparing, launching and marketing new products, the performance of existing Merck products and the company’s marketing and sales operations worldwide. “Merck was once at the pinnacle of the pharmaceutical industry, and it is clear to me that Dick Clark, the Merck Board and management team are committed to returning the company to that position,” Loescher said. Meanwhile, Merck suffered a setback Wednesday as a New Jersey jury found the company failed to warn consumers of safety issues surrounding its withdrawn pain medication Vioxx and held the drug maker liable for the heart attack of one of two plaintiffs, awarding him $4.5 million in damages. The jury found Merck committed consumer fraud in both cases by misrepresenting Vioxx’s cardiovascular risks to doctors and intentionally hiding or omitting information when marketing the drug. A second phase of the trial began Thursday, in which the jury will consider punitive damages Merck should pay to the plaintiff whose heart attack, it was found, was caused by Vioxx. To win punitive damages, plaintiff’s attorneys will have to prove that Merck intentionally misled the FDA. Meanwhile, a New Orleans man has dropped his federal lawsuit claiming Vioxx caused his heart attack, in part because a judge refused to delay the trial, scheduled June 12. According to the Associated Press, plaintiff Ellis Maximo Diaz’ attorney, Bonnie Zakotnik, said there is no way she can go through all the available documents from Merck by June 12. She asked the US District Judge, Eldon Fallon, to delay the trial until the fall, but he refused. Diaz, a retired medical photographer, had taken Vioxx for 19 months before his heart attack in May 2004. Merck faces more than 9,200 lawsuits over Vioxx. Three cases have gone to trial. In August 2005, a jury in Texas awarded $253 million to the widow of a man who died while taking Vioxx. In November 2005, Merck prevailed in a New Jersey State Court case. In December 2006, a federal judge declared a mistrial after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.


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[South Africa] Competition Commission prosecutes Chile car shipping company for cartel conduct
A Chilean car shipping company has been referred to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution for collusive tendering, price fixing and market division.
Compania Sud Americana De Vapores S.A (CSAV) is alleged to have breached the Competition Act in respect of tenders issued by Ford Motor Company. CSAV is accused of colluding with Mitsui OSK Lines
Limited (MOL) in the shipment of Ford motor vehicles from South Africa to Europe and Mediterranean inclusive of North Africa.
In 2015, CSAV paid R8.8 million penalty following a consent agreement with the Commission in respect of a similar tender issued by General Motors. CSAV denied involvement in the Ford tender.
To date, four companies have paid a total of more than R310 million in administrative penalties in this matter. Between 20015 and 2018, NYK, WWL and Eukor Car Carriers admitted collusion and settled with the Commission.
In 2017, the Commission referred Hoegh Autoliners Holdings AS to the Tribunal for prosecution on seven charges of cartel conduct on similar shipping tenders issued by several motor manufacturers.
MOL was granted leniency for its involvement in the cartel conduct in exchange for information and full cooperation in the matter.


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KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — The National Entrepreneur Group Economic Fund (TEKUN Nasional) has taken various steps to recover the outstanding payments for its financing schemes.
“We have set up a subsidiary company, TEKUN Corporation, to recover bad debts,” said TEKUN Nasional managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Baharom Embi to Bernama when asked about the agency’s non-performing financing (NPF) recently.
Entrepreneur Development Minister Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof recently told Dewan Rakyat that TEKUN Nasional’s NPF — classified as payment arrears of six months or more — made up 37.82 per cent of its total current financing portfolios for the financial year end of Dec 31, 2017.
Meanwhile, TEKUN Nasional’s bad debts — classified as arrears of more than 24 months — totalled RM437.6 million, or 6.4 per cent of the total amount of financing.
Baharom said that ‘TekunPay’, an app launched in July last year, is one of the methods of enabling easy loan payments for entrepreneurs.
The app, downloadable via Google Play Store or Apple Store, enables account holders to securely view their detailed loan account information.
Baharom added that new borrowers are encouraged to apply for the TEMAN TEKUN Payment Scheme and TemanNita Programme Payment Scheme, where entrepreneurs are grouped (5 to a group) and each of them are required to keep to a consistent payment schedule.
Baharom said this after a briefing session in conjunction with Mohd Redzuan’s official visit to TEKUN Nasional’s headquarters last Friday. Also present was Entrepreneur Development Deputy Minister, Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli.
The visit was aimed at gaining information and current status of financing programmes tailored to Bumiputera and Indian micro-entrepreneurs. — Bernama


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As if we weren’t already excited enough about the reopening of Cheshire’s wildest family day out, BeWILDerwood Cheshire have announced an amazing offer for February half term.
To celebrate the adventure park reopening, BeWILDerwood Cheshire are offering Buy One Get One Freeee (cheapest ticket freeee)* when visiting the magical woodland attraction between the 18th and 26th February.
Creator and author of the BeWILDerwood book series Tom Blofeld commented,
If you are looking for an evening out with a difference then get yourself down to Camelot Rises. It’s perfectly set in the former Camelot Theme Park near the village of Charnock Richard. The Zombie apocalypse-themed experience benefits from the 10 years of vandalism and neglect the site has experienced since it closed.
The chance to enjoy expertly cooked comfort food brought straight to your luxury glamping pod whilst enjoying a glorious view with your other half is sure to impress this winter.
The Yan, one of the best places to eat in the Lake District, has two luxury glamping pods on its pretty site at the foot of the fells near Grasmere.
Both benefit from ‘room service’ delivery of its renowned comfort food and costing from just £47 per person per night – perfect for an alternative, affordable and indulgent Valentine’s escape.
Conservation charity WWT has announced it is to re-open its Martin Mere Wetland Centre on Wednesday, June 10. Members of the public and WWT members will have to pre-book online for the day they want to visit as part of measures to keep everyone safe.
WWT’s priority is to ensure the public can access its beautiful waterscapes to help boost wellbeing and people’s connection with nature in the area.
The amazing volunteers who take part in beach cleans across the Fylde Coast have removed a whopping 9,000 bags of litter over the past year.
Over 380 beach cleans have been done over the last 12 months, with over 900 new volunteers joining the 200 regular beach cleaners in an effort to keep the beaches of the Fylde Coast clean and safe.


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Starfield CreatorCo, a Toronto-based science-fiction film and television production company, Oct. 13 announced it has signed a distribution deal with Shout! Factory for its popular Canadian sci-fi series “Starhunter ReduX,” now available on Amazon Prime in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The original “Starhunter” series aired for two seasons beginning in 2000. In May 2018 an updated and expanded version of the series, “Starhunter: ReduX,” was released on the El Rey Network with updated special effects, new footage and a 4K transfer in a 16:9 aspect ratio. The distribution deal provides Shout! Factory all media rights in North America.
“There couldn’t be a better distributor for us than Shout! Factory,” said Starfield CEO Philip Jackson. “Their identification with the markets that our audiences live in is a robust but particular kind of demographic. No one is better positioned to maximize the exploitation of this 44-episode sci-fi classic than Shout! Factory.”
The release of the series 21 years ago created a loyal cult following. Subscribers to Amazon Prime in the United States and the United Kingdom can now watch all 44 fully-restored episodes, many of which boast new footage. Missing or censored content was re-shot from scratch in half of the episodes. This involved writing an additional story arc that entailed having actors 20 years older meeting their former selves in green-screened interaction.
The current re-launch of the two-season series on Amazon Prime includes a daily social media campaign showcasing episode previews and never-before-seen production stills from the show as well as behind-the-scenes footage. The media roll-out began in August and continues today on Starhunter’s popular platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.


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As national Bike to Work Days are growing in the US, it seems like many other organizations are jumping on board as well. Japan is known for their sea of commuters on bikes that can be seen in Tokyo, well it looks like they finally have their own Bike to Work Week from May 30 to June 5th being put together by the good people at Ecology Japan Bicycle. “American style” food and drink stations, repair service stops and sponsors will be set up during the week to help promote the event. The event is called 「バイクツーワーク」 — pronounced “baiku tsu waku” which literally means “Bike to Work”. With a rich bicycle culture already in Japan it’s sure to be a big hit in Japan.
Baiku Tsu Waku, or Bike to Work, will be held May 30th to June 5th 2010 in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Akita, Fukuoka and Takamatsu.


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Belfast Restaurant Week is set to take over the city later this year.
As part of NI Year of Food and Drink, the city's culinary scene will take centre stage during Eat & Drink Belfast Restaurant Week.
It will be held over nine days from October 8 to 16, promoting Belfast's diverse and award-winning choice of restaurants, cafes and gastropubs.
Restaurant Week will also celebrate Northern Ireland’s impressive artisan producers, growers and brewers, by encouraging both residents and visitors to dine out and enjoy all that Belfast offers.
The initiative, which is funded by Belfast City Council with support from Tourism Northern Ireland and delivered by Visit Belfast and Food NI, culminates in the arrival of the BBC Good Food Show.
It takes place at the Belfast Waterfront from October 14 to 16 and sees famous names like James Martin and the Hairy Bikers visit the city.
Councillor Deirdre Hargey said: "Belfast Restaurant Week is an unmissable opportunity to show the passion that goes into making, cooking and serving up our first-class food and drink.
"Belfast’s hospitality industry makes a major contribution to the local economy, with nearly a thousand outlets supporting around 29,000 jobs, so the Council is pleased to support this initiative, which will give the city's many restaurants an opportunity to showcase their talented chefs and local ingredients.
"We are confident that Belfast Restaurant Week will encourage more people to get out and experience some of the great food available right across the city."
Eateries are now being encouraged to submit unique ‘food experiences’ – from bespoke menus to special events – for promotion during Restaurant Week.
The deadline for submission is Tuesday, August 23, with more information available from Food NI.
Jorge Lopes, Country Director of Diageo NI, said: " Food and drink is a key aspect of any thriving city, and Belfast can compete with the best.
"Food and drink is an important part of any city break – estimates show that about one third of a tourist's spend is on food and drink - so we want to encourage our industry customers to embrace Belfast Restaurant Week to shout about what makes Belfast and Northern Ireland such a fantastic destination for food and drink."
Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive of Visit Belfast, added: "Good food has always been core to the DNA of any intrepid traveller, and eating out is an increasingly important element of Belfast’s tourism offering.
"Food writers and critics have been raving about our restaurants and food scene for some time now and the city has been mentioned in many influential travel and food guides, notably being named as one of the top places to visit for food in 2016 by the National Geographic Traveller magazine, all of which helps in attracting more and more visitors to Belfast.
"Eat & Drink Belfast Restaurant Week is all about raising the profile of our eating out scene, encouraging everyone to enjoy great nights out, sampling new menus and perhaps trying something different whilst getting the true, great taste of Belfast."


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Toyota to recall 11,500 Lexus vehicles
Wednesday 19 May 2010
Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it would recall 11,500 Lexus vehicles worldwide due to a steering system defect, in the latest blow to the Japanese auto giant's reputation.
Toyota said it had received 12 reports of electrical problems causing the steering system to malfunction for a few seconds in four models - the LS460 and LS460L, and the LS600h and LS600hL hybrids, it said.
"We are planning to recall a total of about 11,500 Lexus models worldwide," Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco told AFP.
The Japanese government said the recall would include around 4,500 Lexus cars domestically.
Mamoru Kato, auto analyst at Tokai Tokyo Securities, said the latest development showed Toyota was working to speed up its recall and quality control process after facing earlier criticism for being too slow.
"After Toyota was criticised for its delays in announcing recalls, it has changed its procedure so that it can act more swiftly in dealing with customer complaints," he said.
Toyota has pulled around 10 million vehicles worldwide since late last year for safety issues and has paid a record 16.4 million dollar fine to settle claims it hid gas pedal defects blamed for more than 50 US deaths.
The beleaguered auto giant faces a host of lawsuits over "unintended acceleration" issues that prompted the majority of the recalls.
Toyota overtook General Motors in 2008 as the world's top automaker, but safety issues have raised questions over whether it sacrificed its reputation for reliability to become number one.
It still faces looming litigation that could potentially involve massive fines, while US regulators are questioning why a Japanese recall of Hilux trucks in 2004 was not extended to the United States until a year later.
Despite the massive recall crisis, the company recently reported a return to profit in the previous fiscal year and forecast it to rise in the current term.
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Apple sold 1 million iPhone 3Gs, I’m not debating that. The question is did they sell 1 million to customers or 1 million to operators (carriers as they’re known in the states) who then sold 450,000 to customers according to Piper Jaffray Analyst Gene Munster.
The world may never know, but in my eyes 1 million sold is 1 million sold. Profit = profit. Way to go Apple.
[Via: CNN Money]


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One of the most reliable supporters of Windows Phone has now called time on the OS, and has announced that it is withdrawing support for 3 of its biggest games.
Gameloft will no longer be supporting Windows Phones on Dungeon Hunter 5, and Sniper Fury for Windows Mobile and Modern Combat 5.
In a statement on their forum, a Community Manager firmly places the blame on Microsoft, saying:
For Windows Phone users: Microsoft announced recently that they are discontinuing development of this platform. For that reason, we will not be able to keep creating updates for DH5 for Windows Phones, and we are giving Windows Phones users the possibility to switch to an iOS/Android/PC device. This action is irreversible, so please be sure of your choice.
For Dungeon Hunter, Gameloft will help users transfer their account to Android, and for Sniper Fury and Modern Combat users will be able to transfer their progress to the PC versions of the game using their Microsoft Account.
Joe Belfiore’s announcement on Twitter that Windows 10 Mobile will not receive any further significant updates has given permission for many Windows Phone hold-outs to finally take action, including developers with apps in the store, and a number of developers have withdrawn their apps as a form of closure. It appears many Microsoft luminaries such as Belfiore, Nadella and Gates now use Android devices with Microsoft apps and utilities, suggesting the last Windows Mobile users should probably also follow suit.