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If ever there was a sure bet, it's the health and fitness boom in China. The middle classes are growing and they have plenty of disposable money to spend. The government predicts fitness and sports business will be worth $800 billion by 2025. The revenue from Chinese gyms and health clubs has already doubled in the past five years to $5 billion. Investors are throwing money at Chinese fitness apps like Codoon, with its millennial fans and Keep, with its 30 million users.
And China loves wearables. When just 100 million wearable devices are expected to ship in 2016 and 9.54 million sell in China in just three months, that's big news. For wearable tech makers in the US and Europe who have had the lights turned on as to China's potential, then, the following may come as a bit of a blow: Xiaomi got there first.
Not just Xiaomi but its partner Huami and companies like Lifesense, which is also already selling millions of cheap activity trackers a year. In short, the time to hesitate is through.
Enter Apple, Fitbit
Even those of us with an anti-business brain can do the maths. The success, or even survival, of global, fitness wearables and companies could be decided by the Chinese middle classes. More specifically, the fashion obsessed, tech inclined and health conscious cohort of the 385 million+ 18 to 35 year-olds in the country.
So which Western names (to be more precise, American names) are already selling fitness focused wearables in China? Well, Apple is charging ahead, selling 382,000 Apple Watches in April to June of this year in China. With its new waterproof Series 2 with built-in GPS, breathing exercises and swimming apps, plus designer straps, that should increase, maybe even double. One of the reasons those sales aren't higher is that the Watch was more expensive in China than elsewhere for a while. Now a Series 2 starts at 2,888Yuan for a 38mm model which is more comparable.
It's not even too far a push to consider that the trends and investment signals coming from China may have emboldened Tim Cook and co to really push the fitness angle of Apple's second smartwatch. At that 300k a quarter rate, it could account for a tenth of total Watch sales if not more and it's no surprise to see communication features like Scribble work in English and Chinese only.
We don't have the figures but we'd wager that next in sales is Fitbit, the bestselling wearable brand globally but not yet in the top five for China according to IDC since its launch in summer 2014.
"We're the first Western brand to launch in China, there's obviously domestic brands there as well," James Park told us when we spoke to the Fitbit CEO at IFA 2016 recently. "For us, China is a pretty important market."
Let's massively generalise again. While the simple fact that you have to wear a fitness wearable has been a problem to solve in private, buttoned-up countries like the UK, in China - as with the go-get-'em US - it's a selling point that everyone can see what's on your wrist.
"We see the market there really bifurcated between really low cost devices and higher end devices like the Fitbit," says Park. "That's because there's a lot of social signalling in China. How much you spend on your health and fitness is reflected in the device that you wear so that's where we see a lot of promise."
Then there's Misfit - now Fossil owned - which at one point boasted that it was outselling Fitbit (which launched later) in China with 660,000 wearables sold in the 18 months to summer 2015. "We've never seen anything like it, there is a lot of momentum in China," Sonny Vu, now president and CTO of connected devices at Fossil Group, told us after the Misfit Shine 2 launch last autumn. It sold 250,000 trackers in 24 hours following a big W Hotel Beijing launch event.
Nike is another popular, imported sports brand in China with Nike+ Run Club hooking up with social network WeChat there. The Apple Watch Series 2 Nike+ seems to signal, though, that it's bowing out of fitness hardware itself and focusing on its platforms.
The homegrown talent
Those "really low cost devices" we mentioned? They're essentially all Xiaomi smart bands. At least for now. Xiaomi, which you might recognise from Mi smartphones but actually makes any gadget or appliance you could think of in China, shifted 2.8 million Mi Band, Mi Band Pulse and Mi Band 2s in China in three months this summer, wiping out any competition.
Why? Because they're so goddamn cheap and cheaper in China than you can get them elsewhere to boot. A Mi Band 2 - the one with the OLED screen and the optical heart rate monitor is 149Yuan.
That's the equivalent of and is the top of the range with the Pulse going for 99Yuan and the original Mi Band for around the same price. All are of limited use as activity, HR and sleep trackers but at that price, we're not surprised at the huge sales figures.
Xiaomi's continued success is a given for the time being. What's more interesting is what Huami, its manufacturing and design partner is up to. Huami is the company behind the Amazfit smart jewellery and smartwatch devices, which it is bringing to the US and it's now valued at $1 billion - aka a new tech unicorn - and coincidentally the company who designed Xiaomi's bands inside and out.
(Xiaomi is also expanding its efforts in the US proving that these two countries - are as with many trends from the movie box office to CO2 emissions - the only two countries that really matter anymore.)
Fitness tracking wearables like the ceramic, waterproof Amazfit Moon Beam smart bracelet are affordable at $79.99 but nowhere near as cheap as a Xiaomi Mi Band. It's also worth noting that the algorithm for Amazfit's activity and sleep tracking is based on Xiaomi's technology since Huami helped design it in the first place, so there doesn't appear to be too much innovation on the actual tracking front.
Huami's head of US marketing told us that Xiaomi is a big name in China and the Amazfit brand was Huami's chance to do something a bit different for the rest of the world. The design, though, will no doubt be a hit at home. "We found our inspiration from traditional Chinese jade pendants that also symbolise healthy lives in Chinese culture," industrial designer Pengtao Yu told us. "We also wanted the jade feel with our kind of material so we chose ceramic."
Aside from the unstoppable forces of Xiaomi and Huami, in China itself the second biggest wearable tech company is Lifesense, which has sold over a million of its fitness trackers in Q2 of 2016. Its smart bands are - you guessed it - cheap and cheerful, handling steps, sleep and heart rate with an OLED screen and 30 day battery life. You can pick one up internationally for around $40 but the average score for the Android app is 1.9 stars with a lot of grumpy commenters.
That's also not forgetting the 99Yuan Bong 2s which was crowdfunded on JD.com and offers much the same features. It's around $30 if you're buying outside China.
The quantified self in China
This is a huge, billion user+ opportunity and it will be fascinating to see if the likes of Apple, Nike and Fitbit can convince the growing middle class of China that it's worth parting with more money for their health and fitness wearables. By next year, the top five wearable tech brands in China could look very different if US brands can top that other popular category - kids trackers.
Right now, one thing is clear - the ludicrously cheap but below par activity tracking of Xiaomi (and its extremely similar rivals) are enough to satisfy the thirst for the health, wellbeing and fitness craze.
And there's another thought. Say Chinese or American startups and tech giants pin all their wearable tech profits on millennials in China. By all accounts this is a group keen to jump on international trends like yoga or social workouts. The real test is making the Chinese quantified self a lifestyle, not just another craze.
How we test


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Contract Deed aims to change stereotypes by encouraging people to talk more about their shared interests and life values, he said. The streets are fairly quiet but car parking is at when he created the website Danlan premium. With he ran it out of interest support of a new team, Blued quickly became a well-known gay Web portal in China.
I believe prayer drove away many evil spirits that often seemed to hover around me, especially in those first weeks.
He himself is no stranger to living a closeted life, having worked as a policeman before coming out of the closet in And the launch of the new version of iDrive and ConnectedDrive is the perfect demonstration of the alternative vision to Apple iOS in-car. A survey by Simmons Market Research Bureau showed that gay consumers are much more inclined to own vacation homes, home theater systems and a laptop computer than heterosexual consumers.
BMW has been luke warm about the idea of handing over in-car functionality to Apple.

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The NZ Entrepreneur Magazine posts articles sharing stories of innovation and entrepreneurship from businesses around New Zealand. As part of their “Innovation Nation 2021” series, MyIQ was very fortunate to be featured. The Article outlines the key features of MyIQ and how it can help businesses, as well as our plans to expand into Australia and other countries around the world. We really appreciate being given this opportunity to increase myIQ’s exposure as we aim to expand overseas.
You can read the full article through this link on NZ Entrepreneur website or continue reading here:
Christchurch software company MyIQ is set to expand into Australia, having polished its digital reporting solution which is turning heads in the franchise retail industry.
MyIQ is designed to make a range of connected businesses – especially franchises – collect and report the same retail data.
MyIQ’s parent company 2IQ was founded by Christchurch business software specialists Andrae Gaeth and Craig O’Loughlin in 2016.
After 2IQ’s inception, the pair spent the first few years bootstrapping and creating bespoke software solutions services for businesses who needed better reporting.
Each software solution, whether it was created for a tyre retailer, a franchisor of Stihl products, Storage Box, Savor Group or chains of restaurants - taught the 2IQ founders about the needs of various industries. These learnings would eventually lead to the creation of a business reporting toolbox they would call MyIQ from 2020 on.
Take the national chain Super Liquor, for example. The franchisor has 165 stores and the franchisee store in Invercargill may need to report on how Dewar’s Whiskey is selling each month. Meanwhile, another franchisee in Hastings may need to understand benchmarks of monthly whiskey sales compared to other stores. Between the stores is Super Liquor’s head office, which needs all reports to be collecting the same data and packaging it in a consistent way.
As Gaeth explains it, “In the last twenty years software has moved so fast sometimes it has left SMEs behind, so what Xero has done for accounting is what we want to do for cloud-based business intelligence.”
Key stakeholders have supported 2IQ on its journey. Callaghan Innovation and ThincLab put 2IQ through an accelerator programme, there has been RBP (Regional Business Partner) help to access HR and legal resources, and NZTE has helped with the push into Australia. Also, in 2020 Xero encouraged MyIQ to enter the Emerging App Partner Awards – for which they became finalists.
As of October 2021, MyIQ are poised to enter the very large markets of Australia, the UK and Canada, where franchise membership by SMEs is some of the highest in the world.
While 2IQ’s team of eight will remain Christchurch-based for now, Australia’s lockdowns are lifting and the entrepreneurs are hoping SMEs worldwide will relish any digital business tool which makes their job easier.


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Read on Cointelegraph the top latest news and predictoins of cryptocurrency Bitcoin (BTC) and price analysis from around the world
31 Jan 2020.
Nevertheless, recent events might indicate that the situation is about to change.
YouTube removes crypto content from popular channels.
Dunn's story has reached many popular crypto-related news outlets which reported.
The cryptocurrency had been widely expected to break higher in anticipation of a halving, but instead it sold off. A typical.
Telegram Facebook Twitter YouTube. Follow us on Twitter or join our Telegram. Latest News Recent Popular this week Popular this month. Sponsored 5 h 44 mins ago Masternodes For Everyone. Altcoin News 12 h 44 mins ago Proposed Digital Dollar and Digital Y.
Looking To Exchange Dash Grown Rogue Achieves Indoor Flower Cash Cost Below US$1 Per Gram and Reports 7-Day Inventory Turns; Announces Sale of its California Subsidiary. Is Bitcoin A
30 Dec 2019.
Google removed hundreds of videos from YouTube and rapidly kept.
Dunn has been creating videos form the last 10 years and have decent.
News CEO, whose YouTube channel is based on cryptocurrency videos with.
YouTube shut down a fake SpaceX live stream showing NASA footage leading to the SpaceX launch, but not before it had scammed.
Is Bitcoin A Ponzi Scheme How Does Bitcoin Exchange Works Square Crypto supports Bitcoin’s lightning network development, crypto mining pool Poolin expands lending and ICE is going. First of all,
Bitcoin Hashing Bitcoin has just got easier to mine while major manufacturers have started shipping their latest machines ahead of China’s. 01/06/2020 · Hashing is generating a
29 Dec 2019.
As Youtube removes a slew of cryptocurrency videos, Russia hits panic.
Removes Crypto Videos; Russia Bomb Threats Over A Bitcoin Fraud. News.
Last week, Ripple raised Series C funding worth $200 Mn. While the.
Cryptocurrencies are under pressure today, against the background of hostility towards Facebook's Libra. Bitcoin fell around 8% to $7,462, its lowest level since June.
9 Jan 2020.
It seems that this isn't a news event that should or will be priced in by the cryptocurrency market and its traders. Not First Crypto Foray. This is not.
Bitcoin News is the world's premier 24/7 news feed covering everything bitcoin-related, including world economy, exchange rates and money politics.
"These results confirm a trend we are seeing in the market towards greater interest in and acceptance of digital assets,".
Trijo News ger dig alla viktiga och relevanta nyheter om bitcoin, kryptovalutor och.
has gotten hit for a third time in Youtube's ongoing removal of crypto content.


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Shake Shack plans to spend more than $10 million this year on wage increases, hiring bonuses and more as it battles through a historically challenging labor market, the fast casual announced Wednesday.
More than $9 million of that money will go toward increasing hourly wages in more than two-thirds of all Shake Shack locations this year.
Shack Shack did not respond to a Restaurant Business request about the chain’s current hourly pay.
The chain is also offering nearly $1 million in hiring bonuses. Until the end of August, newly hired managers will get a $1,000 bonus and hourly workers will get a $500 boost at “many” locations, the company said.
Managers are also receiving a monthly subscription allowance for up to a year to use toward phone bills, subscription entertainment services and other things that “enrich their mental, physical or emotional well-being,” according to a statement.
“We are making one of the biggest team member commitments we’ve made in our history this year,” Shake Shack said in a statement. “This investment is a commitment to attracting and retaining the best restaurant talent, ensuring current and future employees are well-paid, cared for and have a path to promotion and opportunity for sustainable career growth within Shake Shack and the industry at large.”
The New York City-based burger-and-shake chain, which has 192 company locations and 22 licensed ones, said it is continuing to offer “equity-based compensation” for top-performing general managers, allowing them to make more than $115,000 in total pay.
Shake Shack also invested in an internal leadership development program called the “Shacksperience Steppin Up Model.” It is adding two additional sessions of the program this year to help entry-level managers learn the communication and business skills necessary to advance their careers.
The chain, which struggled during the pandemic because of its highly urban real estate portfolio, said it spent nearly $6 million in 2020 on holiday bonuses, raises and premium pay.
Shake Shack joins a large number of chains in adding hiring bonuses, wage increases and other enticements to attract workers in the difficult labor market.
In May, for example, Chipotle Mexican Grill announced it was raising its average hourly wage to $15 an hour as it looked to hire 20,000 new workers this year.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.


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Listed retail bank FNB and global e-commerce group PayPal have entered into an agreement, the parties said on Thursday.
The agreement would enable FNB customers in SA to sell to PayPal’s global customer base of more than 81 million active accounts in 190 markets around the world — and move the proceeds to their FNB accounts, they added in a joint statement.
"This new service allows customers to top up and withdraw funds to their qualifying FNB accounts from their PayPal accounts," the statement said.
"We are especially pleased to make this announcement on the eve of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as South Africans will be able to join the global eCommerce marketplace."
The agreement with PayPal also enabled international businesses and individuals to transact with South African service providers via a secure and convenient payment service, Michael Jordaan, FNB’s Chief Executive Officer said.
"The exclusive top up and withdraw service with PayPal allows South Africans to make payments and receive money internationally without sharing their financial or personal information," he added.
He said FNB customers could simply open a PayPal account and link it to a qualified FNB account and receive PayPal payments in 21 different currencies.
"FNB will convert the currency to South African rand when the money is transferred into their accounts.
"This solution enables customers to top up their PayPal accounts anytime they want to send money or shop online with PayPal’s global base of merchants."
Oded Zehavi, head of PayPal’s business in Israel and South Africa said SA’s solid financial infrastructure and its status as the continent’s largest economy, lead to optimism about the future of eCommerce in this market.
The PayPal service has received approval from the Exchange Control Department of the South African Reserve Bank. Sapa
Read Business "pleased" with Zuma’s policies and Rand review: foreign investors fall in love with SA for more SA business news


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Target Corp. launched a home furnishings catalog this spring as part of a broader strategy to make its stores and Web site a shopping destination for furniture, rugs and other items for the home.
The Minneapolis-based multichannel big-box retailer distributed more than 13 million copies of the 52-page catalog. Along with mailing to homes nationwide, the book was handed out last week at an event held by Target in New York City that coincided with the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.
The Open House, as it was billed, took place inside a tent Target erected and that was divided into five prefabricated mini-houses decorated with Target merchandise. Each mini-house represented one of five assortments available in stores: modern, casual, classic, contemporary and global. The catalog is similarly divided into sections for each of these assortments.
The event resembled other recent “pop-up” stores opened by Target for limited periods of time around Manhattan to promote a particular brand or event. The closest Target store is in Brooklyn.
An online version of the catalog is available at www.Target.com. The catalog is intended “to reinforce our new positioning” as a home decor destination, Target Stores president Gregg Steinhafel said during the company's first-quarter earnings conference call May 12. The site averages 50,000 hits weekly.
Nearly every spread in the catalog informs shoppers to “Shop in-store or online at Target.com.” The catalog does not provide a mail-order form or a toll-free number.
Through May 28, shoppers at Target's Web site are being offered an incentive to make home decor purchases with the retailer. Target is giving free shipping on select furniture, home and home decor items. Along with being flagged on the Target.com home page, the offer is being promoted via e-mail blasts.
Items in the catalog are priced from $1.99 to $299.99. The selection includes designer lines such as Isaac Mizrahi Home, Michael Graves Design and Swell by Cynthia Rowley & Ilene Rosenzweig as well as brand names Fieldcrest, Woolrich and California Closets.
With this catalog, Target becomes the second big-box retailer to test the direct mail waters in the past six months. Late last year, Wal-Mart mailed fliers in several large markets that have no Wal-Mart store, including New York, Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco and Boston. The fliers promoted specials available only online or by calling a toll-free number.
Because last year was the first time Wal-Mart offered online specials for the Thanksgiving weekend, the fliers' goal was “to inform customers who don't have easy accessibility to a Wal-Mart store that they can easily shop Wal-Mart through Walmart.com,” spokeswoman Amy Colella said at the time.
In contrast with the stores, which experienced slower foot traffic and sales compared with Thanksgiving weeks in previous years, Walmart.com had “a very successful Thanksgiving Day and week online,” she said. The company plans to evaluate the direct mailer's performance and consider repeating the program.
Unlike Wal-Mart, which has limited direct mail experience, Target Corp. has been here before. Until last spring, the company mailed five catalogs: Signals, I Love A Deal and three Marshall Field's books. It discontinued four of the five and sold Signals, as well as a dormant title, Wireless, to Universal Screen Arts Inc. in April 2004. At that time, a source familiar with the deal said Target wanted to focus on its Internet operations.


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Windstar Cruises has announced the launch of its Starlink Maritime high-speed, advanced broadband satellite internet capabilities.
Already connecting the world by sea, Windstar Cruises will provide guests one of the most developed high-speed connections in the world both while sailing and when in port.
Windstar launched the new Wi-Fi technology on Star Pride during a recent Caribbean voyage and plans to implement Starlink across most of its global fleet by mid-2023. Star Legend will offer the service this spring, followed by Wind Surf, Wind Star, and Star Breeze. Wind Spirit will activate the new technology as soon as it’s available in French Polynesia.
Currently, all Windstar Cruises use geostationary satellite service, Anuvu, for internet services. The addition of Starlink technology will amplify Anuvu, delivering more reliable and faster internet to Windstar’s guests. Starlink is the world’s first and largest satellite constellation with a low Earth orbit using lasers so communication can happen further away from ground based stations.
“I am thrilled to be working with Anuvu and Starlink to offer our guests the latest in satellite technology,” said Gregg Wagner, technology director, Windstar Cruises.
“When the ships are inside the service area, faster speeds will alleviate much of the frustration felt at peak use times.”
“Starlink is yet to be available worldwide, but Windstar Cruises is excited to be among the first in the cruise industry to offer this cutting-edge technology. The addition of high-speed internet service with our current geostationary satellite service will enable guests to stay connected to family and friends.”
Starlink will be available on select Windstar voyages where the service is active; not all global destinations are available.


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Spotify announced today that it is launching a new form of ad targeting for brands which will allow them to use the context of what you’re doing while listening to music in order to target you with tailored ads.
Ahead of this year’s Great Escape, CMU Business Editor Chris Cooke is chatting to some of the people set to share insights and expertise within the CMU Insights conference that sits at the heart of the TGE convention this year.
The second annual SXSW Music Hackathon Championship was a huge success, and we want to thank everyone involved in making it happen. Congratulations to the winner of the $10k grand prize, Dan Noskin a.k.a. Dandelion, who used Rdio and last.fm to create a QR code that aggregates listening data on an Apple Watch. This innovation allows the user to scan the code from another watch, which causes the currently playing song from that watch to appear on the user’s device.
MIDiA has just published its latest report on the global radio market: Radio’s Streaming Disruption: How Streaming And Smartphones Disrupt Radio Audiences. Here are some highlights from the report. MIDiA clients can get the full report and data sets here. Along with TV, radio is one of the most pervasive media platforms on the planet. It is also still one of the key drivers of music discovery. But things are changing. Historically Radio broadcasters had their audiences protected in the safe confines of dedicated devices and direct competition was thin on the ground. But audiences now have choice and spend progressively more of their entertainment time on multifunction devices.
After its initial announcement back in January, Sony is right on target with its intended “spring 2015″ launch of PlayStation Music – its Spotify integration with PS3 and PS4 consoles. The update is now live for users across 41 major markets.
Manfred (@ManfredBo) is API Market Development Director at 3scale – delivering API Management solutions (@3scale on Twitter). Vanessa (@deepbane) is a Product Manager at APItools by 3scale – a tool for developers to easily integrate with internal...
Shortform videos service Vessel launched in invite-only mode this January, with iOS apps for people to watch videos from a range of creators, the promise of a $2.99-a-month subscription model, and a pitch to partners that if they guaranteed 72-hour...
Internet radio has the potential to be the most ubiquitous form of media ever. More commanding of your attention than film, television, or books. This is because listening to music can be enjoyed while doing other activities. Before I go further, let me make an important distinction: there are two types of listeners, lean back and lean forward. Lean back listeners hear music programming via a playlist or radio station (think “set it and forget it”), whereas lean forward listeners actively select individual songs. The majority of people prefer a lean back experience.
In 2014, one third of Americans used their phones to stream music. Young adults (18-24) listened to internet radio more than terrestrial. Two of the top five most popular apps in America (Pandora and Youtube) are used for streaming music. With Americans now spending more time on their phones than watching television, there has never been a more opportune time to maximize internet radio experiences.
Jay Z's ambitious entrance into the streaming music business, which came as a surprise to industry observers, debuted Monday (March 30) at an event at New York's James A. Farley Post Office in Herald Square with more than a few aces up its sleeves.
It seemed there were two things on the lips of everybody in attendance at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival and conference in Austin last week: that the perennially blue Texan skies had been replaced by a dreary drizzle more associated...
Facebook videos get 3 billion views every day, but up until now there wasn’t an easy way to embed videos on other platforms. YouTube says they have “billions of views” per day, but don’t specify an exact number.
Most brands are running simple audio ads on Spotify that are no different from the radio commercials of yore. But some are getting a bit more creative.
With Spotify locked in a cage fight of its own against streaming audio rival Pandora, it’s knockout creative campaigns like these that will be crucial in helping it land advertising dollars from major brands. If nothing else, they serve as examples of the power music has to help brands create meaningful experiences for their audiences.
Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.
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Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.
Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.


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The Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB) has officially launched on September 16th, 2015 its Tanzania Tourism App, which is meant to complement the country’s new Tourism Destination Portal, launched by Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete during the 8th Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC) Meeting.
The App which contains detailed information on different destinations in Tanzania, accommodation, trip planner, and other tools and services that will be improved over time, has been developed is currently available on Google Play and AppStore.
The Tourism Destination Portal is an online tourism promotional tool aiming at connecting the Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SME’s) in Tanzania with the international tourism markets, has been developed with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
A third component to rebrand Tanzania tourism abroad consists in a new 30 seconds TV advert that will be aired in CNN America and BBC International for six months starting in October, 2015.
These three elements conform the Tanzania’s new brand marketing campaign called “Tanzania, The Soul of Africa” which is meant to raise the international tourism arrivals from 1,140,156 recorded in 2014, to ten million by the year 2025 according to the TTB.
In an exclusive conversation with TanzaniaInvest.com, Devota Mdachi, TTB Act. Director General explained that “We decided to have a new brand in order to show the word that Tanzania is not only about national parks and Zanzibar; it has other tourism assets to offer: culture, history, people.”
President Kikwete commended TTB and tourism stakeholders for the major campaign initiative and urged tour operators to use the App and portal to support the application of the new approaches and boost the tourism sector, which accounts for about 17.2% of Tanzania’s GDP and 25% of total export earnings.
The tourism sector in Tanzania represents an enormous importance as an engine of employment, since it directly employs 250,000 people, added the Tanzania’s President.
According to Tanzania’s Ministry Of Natural Resources and Tourism latest statistics, receipts from tourism arrivals have reached USD 2 billion in 2014.


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By Collin Breaux | Email: firstname.lastname@example.org | Twitter: @collin_breaux
A new restaurant and market to be called Mayfield is planning to open this summer, next door to Five Vines Wine Bar and opposite the downtown movie theater. The address is 31761 Camino Capistrano, Suite 5 & 6.
Owner and operator George Barker said he plans to open Mayfield near the end of June or early July. He said he is “just going to monitor what the government’s guidelines are and see how we can open a new restaurant in the new environment we find ourselves in,” referring to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent conditions for the service industry.
“Our food focuses on sourcing great local Californian produce but drawing on the flavors from the regions of the Levant and southern Europe,” Barker said. “We use the flavors that we love from these regions but apply it to a modern Californian restaurant setting.”
Prior to the health crisis, their plan was to be open from breakfast through dinner. The restaurant is a family-run business.
“We wanted to create a space where people can come and use it as their second home, whether that was for a quick breakfast and a coffee after dropping the kids off at school or a night out with cocktails and wine,” Barker said. “We hope to get back to that business model soon, but we are working out what is the best way we can open whilst keeping our customers and our staff safe in the immediate future.”
They also plan to have a market in the restaurant that sells some of the ingredients they use.
“If you come in and try, for example, our apricot harissa or chermoula for the first time, and you loved it, we want you to be able to take some home and use it in your own cooking,” Barker said. “We will be making a lot in-house but also supporting other great artisanal businesses that make great products.”
They will also sell natural wines, homeware, kitchenware, cookbooks and “anything really that relates to eating and drinking well.”
Barker is originally from London and moved to Orange County three years ago to open a restaurant.
“I grew up in a family that owned and ran restaurants, so from the age of 5, I have been in the restaurant environment,” Barker said. “I moved to California and opened up a food truck called The Hungry Royal as it was a great way to get to know Orange County, but the goal was always to open a restaurant once I had found the perfect location.”


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Xiaomi is yet to reveal a list of devices that will be able to receive the MIUI 13.5 upgrade. The bad news for phone owners whose handsets run Android 11 is that the MIUI 13.5 update will not be available. The Chinese tech giant has chosen to discontinue software support for Android 11 handsets and will instead focus on newer phones. We are giving an unofficial list of Xiaomi devices that are eligible for the MIUI 13.5 upgrade in this post.
The list below is based on handsets that have already received the Android 12 update as well as phones that are eligible to get the Android 12.


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Massive Iceberg Can Be Seen From CoastA large iceberg is visible from a small Canadian town that has become a tourist attraction.
Procrastination A Misplaced Coping Mechanism, Says PsychologistsProcrastination is already sub-optimal as is, but now it's being graded as a 'misplaced coping mechanism.'
Pastor: 'God Had Different Plan' For Iconic Denver ChurchThe iconic Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception has been wrapped in scaffolding for months. What is typically an eye-catching landmark has become a large eyesore in downtown Denver.
Police To Subject Drunk Drivers To NickelbackPolice in one Canadian town are getting creative when it comes to punishing those who decide to drink and drive this holiday season.
Growing Trend: Americans Looking To Canada For Prescription DrugsCBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger looked into the trend of people going north of the border for life-saving medicine as a way around the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs.
Thinking About Moving To Canada?Some threatened to move to Canada should Donald Trump win the presidency.
Weekend Guide To VancouverIf you only have two days for a getaway, make plans to explore everything Vancouver has to offer. You will find a variety of exciting things to do, including experiencing the many restaurants this culinary capital of Canada is best known for.
Molson Coors Profit Nearly Doubles On Vancouver Brewery SaleBeer maker Molson Coors Brewing said Tuesday that its first-quarter profit nearly doubled as it sold a brewery in Canada.
Ski Resorts Seeing Less International Visitors Despite The Great ConditionsSkiers and boarders were enjoying some fresh powder on Tuesday, but some resorts are reportedly having a tough time attracting international visitors despite the great conditions.
Rare Photos Of Colorado Lynx Captured By Automated CamerasScores of fierce-looking lynx roam the remote Colorado high country, 16 years after they were reintroduced to the state. But the elusive animals are rarely seen or photographed.
Would You Trust A Sleepy Surgeon?If you’re having surgery, you want everything to be perfect. Great surgeon. Great staff. Spotless OR. Perfectly organized and well functioning equipment. Essentially, nothing but the best. But what about rest? As in, did your surgeon have a full, restful sleep before picking up the scalpel? A new study says sleep deprivation is not a worry when it comes to surgeon. But CBS4’s Dr. Dave Hnida disagrees.
A Long Weekend Travel Guide To TorontoA practical travel guide for a long weekend trip to Canada's largest city.


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Blockchain-based voting on the rise, driven by COVID-19 lockdowns
“We have seen interest and trust in voting via blockchain rising. Over the past year, people didn’t only return to our platform, but also advised their friends and colleagues to test it too."
EPOS crafts quality audio solutions for all working environments
Employee experience high priority for IT leaders
Why business continuity must adapt to secure the new way of working
Virtual shopping, augmented reality could soon replace tactile shopping - study
Employees say Slack should stay after the pandemic
90% of workers require more IT support when remote working
Remote work continues, and endpoint security cited as a must
Nearly half of workers will stay remote after the pandemic ends, and two out of three IT professionals are concerned with endpoint misuse, according to Prey Software's new study.
MSPs see Microsoft Office 365 business growth during COVID pandemic
Two thirds of the managed service providers surveyed felt that Microsoft 365 helped them and their clients transition smoothly from office-based working to remote working.
2020 sees a global shift in financial malware threats
The financial threat landscape experienced a game-changing pandemic year, according to a new report from Kaspersky.
Over a third of New Zealanders fell victim to cybercrime in the last year
"As we connected to the internet for everything from work and school to entertainment, social connection and even groceries, cybercriminals took advantage and launched coordinated attacks and convincing scams."
Cybersecurity training may be broken - report
Cybersecurity training during the pandemic have proven to be insufficient.
Samsung launches Galaxy XCover 5, a new rugged smartphone
The Galaxy XCover 5 fits within Samsung’s popular Galaxy smartphone line, bearing a much chunkier resemblance to its counterparts.
Fortinet: Hyperscaling networks? Hyperscale your security!
Jon McGettigan, Fortinet A/NZ Regional Director, explains why a broad, integrated and automated security fabric is the most effective strategy to protect users, apps and data in a hyperscaling environment.
COVID-19 continues to influence digital workspace deployments
"This survey sheds light on how organisations have adapted to the changing requirements and highlights process and technology improvements that organisations can make to get better return on investment in digital workspaces.”
NVIDIA launches Jarvis conversational AI framework
The models can produce accurate speech recognition and language understanding, as well as language translation and text-to-speech capabilities.
Skill Finder wins $2.7m grant from Australian Government
This grant will help to further develop the platform to enable Australian workers and businesses impacted by COVID-19 to acquire applicable digital micro-skills for free.
VERSA turns website design on its head with an AI twist
The company's website is entirely bot-activated and navigation-less, which means those who visit the website just write or speak what they want to search for.
Users becoming more savvy with COVID phishing scams
“With COVID-19 being around for over a year now and employees becoming more aware of the types of scams that have come out related to the pandemic, cyber criminals are having less success with related phishing attacks."
ActiveCampaign adds CX integrations for Facebook, Microsoft, Twilio, and Zendesk
The new integrations are designed to assist organisations with customer data syncing and strategic decision-making.
Hands-on review: D-Link Full HD Wi-Fi Camera
D-Link’s cameras continue to get smaller, smarter, and easier to use.
Considering Microsoft Teams for calling? What you need to know
Software-based systems such as Microsoft Teams are a popular choice for businesses needing to replace their business telephony.
Remote working is here to stay, but do business leaders trust employees?
Remote work is at a crossroads. While necessitated by the pandemic, workers have reaped the benefits of greater flexibility that they are now not willing to go without.
Resellers must prepare customers as hybrid working sticks around
"Video conferencing will continue to drive meeting communications across a mix of remote working and phased office life."
EPOS launches collaborative speakerphone with automatic transcribing
Expand Capture 5 levels the playing field and empowers professionals whether they’re working remotely or from the office.
Employer micromanagement during pandemic harming relationships - study
The pandemic had adverse effects on managerial relationships, micromanaging, and communication, according to new research from Blind.
New digital conference details best practices for Microsoft 365 optimisation
In this virtual conference, leading practitioners come together to share their real-world success (and failure) stories and share their tips and tricks on optimising their Microsoft 365 and SharePoint investments.
COVID-19-themed threats, Powershell malware continue surge
“The world—and enterprises—adjusted amidst pandemic restrictions and sustained remote work challenges, while security threats continued to evolve in complexity and increase in volume."
Three quarters of employees feel worse a year into remote working - study
Remote workers are still struggling with distracting working environments, stress and an always-on culture after a year of working from home, according to new research by Egress.
Mobile devices biggest enterprise security threat - report
Businesses have left themselves vulnerable and open to cyber criminals in the rush to ensure their workforce could operate remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gartner forecasts market boom for social and collaboration tools
The sharp uptake of social and collaboration tools in 2020 was far from a short term fad while people worked from home.
Logicalis collaborates with Citrix and Microsoft in new programme launch
The new programme allows IT teams deploy secure access to legacy Windows applications so remote workers can access them as virtual apps on their desktop.
SD-WAN grows in popularity during time of COVID-19
"The pandemic caused enterprises across the globe to really re-evaluate their operations and seek new ways to improve performance and efficiency."
Developing digital skills in the hybrid workplace
47% of Australians miss feeling empathy from and for others because of the increase in digital interactions, with a similar proportion longing for small talk, humour, physical interactions and the ability to be honest.
The world generated 64.2 zettabytes of data last year - but where did it all go?
That means that most data was essentially created to be consumed, or cached and overwritten with new data, says IDC.
Hewlett-Packard NZ posts $4.66m net profit loss
It is a sharp drop from the $3.57 million net profit the company recorded in 2019.
COVID, complexity and competition driving upswing in SME digitalisation
The experience of COVID-19, the ease of doing business, and the risk of falling behind others in their industry has driven an increased uptake of digital tools by New Zealand SMEs.
Hands-on review: The JBL Club Pro+ TWS wireless earbuds
These earbuds hit the right notes in terms of design and reasonable ANC.
Australians confident in their finances following COVID-19, but we're not in the clear
“The various Government support programs have enabled Australians to avoid overdue debt throughout 2020, however our bureau shows some possible concerning trends as these begin to come to an end."
COVID sees $900 billion spent in retail online
For retailers, restaurants and other businesses large and small, being able to sell online provided a much-needed lifeline as in-person consumer spending was disrupted.
Organisations struggle to manage databases following COVID-19 digitisation
"Now that the dust has settled, many companies are left grappling with data platforms that can't easily handle all of their diverse data types and workloads."
Enterprises not achieving ROI from digital transformation initiatives
“We’ve found that in large enterprises that succeed at true digital transformation, business and technology teams work collaboratively to define value and drive outcomes."
'Connectivity' to play greater role in future resilience of companies — IDC
As the wave of remote working continues to become more of a permanent fixture, and reliance on cloud platforms and video collaboration tools increases, connectivity as a concept will be embraced more than ever.
Empowering the hybrid workforce with the right technologies
Headsets need to be able to block loud background sounds that can often get in the way of working or videoconferences. Nobody wants to hear a lawnmower.
Weak 2020 buoys strong first quarter growth for PC shipments
Backlogs on orders from 2020, particularly for notebooks, were a key driver, though new demand is also a factor as smaller businesses begin their recoveries.
Will a vaccine passport help international flights take off?
Immunity credentials could mean that both international and domestic carriers could start flying with greater confidence — and the world could get moving again.
No more 'pawswords': Why pet names shouldn't unlock your online accounts
Jingles. Bubbles. Arlo. Frankie. Buttercup. They're all terrible password choices.
Cybersecurity budgets still not keeping up with threats — report
Executive teams are failing to recognise the level of damage cyber-threats pose to organisations, according to Sophos — many of them taking a ‘conservative approach’ to cybersecurity expenditure.


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For the first time in its history, Apple was the top mobile phone maker in the United States in the fourth quarter, according to a CNET report.
Citing statistics from Strategy Analytics, CNET reported that following the release of the iPhone 5 in September, that Apple shipped an estimated 17.7 million phones in the United States during the fourth quarter. That gave Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) a 34 percent market share, CNET said.
Samsung came in second during the quarter with 16.8 million mobile phones, or a 32-percent share. Strategy Analytics statistics look at all mobile phones, not just smartphones, CNET said.
Samsung remained the top maker of phones in the U.S. for the year, however, with 53 million phones shipped during the year, followed by Apple with 43.7 million.
Samsung's U.S. arm, Samsung Telecommunications America, is based in Richardson.


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Apple stock has needed a fresh catalyst for quite some time, and it's about to get one.
In the first of two related developments, Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) has scheduled an event on Tuesday to unveil its new flagship iPhone 5S as well as a lower-cost version, expected to be called the iPhone 5C.
Just 10 hours later, Apple will host an event in China - an extraordinary measure for the Cupertino, CA-based tech giant.
At that event, Apple is widely expected to announce, after years of negotiations, a partnership with China's dominant carrier, China Mobile.
The combination of that deal with the iPhone 5C - a phone many believe is targeted at customers of more modest means in emerging markets like China and India - would indeed put some new sizzle into AAPL stock.
After slumping as much as 45% from its high of $705.07 last year, AAPL stock has recovered to about $497, but is still down 29.5% from that high.
Apple stock has suffered as the iPhone has lost market share to phones powered by Google Inc.'s (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android operating system and built by aggressive companies such as Samsung Electronics (OTC: SSNLF).
With the smartphone market in places like the United States and Europe reaching maturation, the iPhone 5C is the only way the company can arrest the slide in the iPhone's global market share, capture any meaningful growth, and rejuvenate the Apple stock price.
Apple already sells its older models, the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, at steep discounts in many countries, but the thinking is that a brand new model tailored to this critical portion of the market will prove far more popular.
"There are different needs in different markets," Wayne Lam, smartphone analyst at IHS Inc. told the Financial Times. "Apple has to have the right product lines to address that."
A Big Opportunity for Apple Stock
To understand how the iPhone 5C and a relationship with China Mobile could drive Apple stock, you need to look at the numbers.
Apple already sells through two Chinese carriers, China Unicom and China Telecom, with a combined subscriber base of about 405 million.
But China Mobile is the largest carrier in the world. Its 740 million subscribers dwarf its competitors, as well as the 100 million of the largest carrier in the United States, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ). China Mobile's customer base is actually more than twice the entire U.S population - every single man, woman, and child.
And the market is still growing rapidly; research firm IDC says unit shipments in China will rise 52% in 2014 to 458 million to account for one out of every three smartphones sold in the world.
But without a device for the middle and low end of the market, and without access to China Mobile's vast number of subscribers, iPhone sales in China declined 14% year over year.
Here's why the iPhone 5C will change all that...
About the Author
David Zeiler, Associate Editor for Money Morning at Money Map Press, has been a journalist for more than 35 years, including 18 spent at The Baltimore Sun. He has worked as a writer, editor, and page designer at different times in his career. He's interviewed a number of well-known personalities - ranging from punk rock icon Joey Ramone to Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Over the course of his journalistic career, Dave has covered many diverse subjects. Since arriving at Money Morning in 2011, he has focused primarily on technology. He's an expert on both Apple and cryptocurrencies. He started writing about Apple for The Sun in the mid-1990s, and had an Apple blog on The Sun's web site from 2007-2009. Dave's been writing about Bitcoin since 2011 - long before most people had even heard of it. He even mined it for a short time.
Dave has a BA in English and Mass Communications from Loyola University Maryland.


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RIL Retail completes Rs 47,265 cr fundraise from 10.09% stake sale
New Delhi: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries retail arm on Thursday said it has completed the sale of about 10 per cent stake in its retail unit to a clutch of foreign investors for Rs 47,265 crore.
Since September 25, the company has sold 10.09 per cent stake in Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) to private equity firms Silver Lake Partners, KKR, GIC, TPG and General Atlantic, as well as sovereign wealth funds Mubadala, ADIA and PIF. "RRVL has received cumulative subscription amount of Rs 47,265 crore from the following financial partners and allotted 69.27 crore equity shares to them," the company said in a statement.
Silver Lake Partners bought 2 per cent stake in two tranches for Rs 9,375 crore while KKR invested Rs 5,550 crore for 1.19 per cent interest.
GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (AIDA) each bought 1.18 per cent for Rs 5,512.50 crore. The UAE's Mubadala bought 1.33 per cent stake for Rs 6,247.50 crore. Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, bought 2.04 per cent stake for Rs 9,555 crore.
Besides, General Atlantic invested Rs 3,675 crore for 0.78 per cent stake and TPG put in Rs 1,837.50 crore for 0.39 per cent interest.
The investments equip Reliance Retail with funds to compete in both offline and online formats as well as giving ammunition for battle against rivals such as Walmart-owned e-commerce company Flipkart and Amazon.


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Options traders appear to be betting on a big spike for Nike once the company reports its quarterly earnings.
According to Dan Nathan of RiskReversal.com, the options market is pricing in a 5 percent move off earnings, which are scheduled for release Tuesday after the bell. On Monday and Tuesday, more call options than put options were traded on Nike, potentially signifying a greater propensity among traders to make bullish bets on the sportswear company.
In a large Monday trade, one trader used a strategy called a 1x2 call spread, which is a leveraged way to make a bullish bet on Nike's stock — in this case, for only 27 cents per share. The bet involves buying the March 24 weekly 65-strike call and simultaneously selling twice the number of 67.50-strike calls.
The trade is profitable if Nike shares rise above $65.27 by Thursday. The downside to the structure is if that the stock rises far above the higher strike call of $67.50, the trader will see losses (unlike in a traditional call spread, which would simply cap the profits.)
Nike shares have risen more than 3 percent this week, and traded just under $65.27 on Tuesday.
Nathan said even if the stock pops after earnings, it may not be long before it tumbles again, pointing to a previous reversal after a quarterly earnings report.
"The stock [has] massively reversed after earnings, so you could see a move up to the high 60s and then consolidate a little bit," he said Monday on CNBC's "Fast Money."


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CEO of Wikimedia on making a site useful for billions
Share Now on:
So you’re at your computer. Try Googling something. How about…”Ben Bernanke.” Almost certainly, the first thing that you type for almost anything is a Wikipedia entry. Information written mostly by about 15,000 active users — not a huge group, when you think about it.
Sue Gardner is the executive director of the WikiMedia Foundation, of which Wikipedia is a part.
Turns out, there’s not much different between the business models of WikiMedia and public radio. Both have to ask for money to help support their content. And that model’s working really well for WikiMedia — Gardner says in their latest campaign, they made $2.7 million a day. That’s up from $430,000 a day the year before.
But financing aside, Gardner says Wikipedia has a lot of room for growth. Though the website has entries in 286 languages, the entries that get the most edits are in English by people in developed countries.
She also says the huge disparity between the number of male editors and female editors — nine out of 10 editors are men — is also troubling.
“It stems from the origins of the project,” Gardner says. “So when people were first interacting online in 2001, the folks who were interacting online tended to skew heavily heavily male.” She says WikiMedia works actively now to recruit female editors.
When will you see an ad on Wikipedia? Never, says Gardner. She then hedges a bit — “if it were a choice between putting ads on Wikipedia or shutting down Wikipedia, we would then very reluctantly consider putting ads on Wikipedia.”
And of course, you’re probably wondering what Gardner thinks about criticism of the site’s accuracy. “Everybody’s saying, be skeptical of Wikipedia. That is true. They should also be skeptical of everything. We should all be critical consumers of the media.”
As a nonprofit news organization, our future depends on listeners like you who believe in the power of public service journalism.
Your investment in Marketplace helps us remain paywall-free and ensures everyone has access to trustworthy, unbiased news and information, regardless of their ability to pay.
Donate today — in any amount — to become a Marketplace Investor. Now more than ever, your commitment makes a difference.


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The tech-savvy group of engineers and entrepreneurs at Bollente Companies, Inc. (publicly traded as OTC:QB "BOLC"), based in the Phoenix metro area, will unveil a quantum leap in water heating technology at the NAHB International Builders Show February 4 through 6, 2014 in Las Vegas (booth #S2036).
Packed with patent-pending proprietary technology, trutankless™ is a new line of electric tankless water heaters masterfully engineered to outperform and outlast its predecessors. In fact, it comes complete with its own mobile app (iOS and AOS) that allows homeowners to monitor water usage and control temperature and operation from their smart phone or mobile device.
There's no doubt that tankless water heaters represent the number one growth driver in the water heating industry. Tankless sales have grown from $100 million in 2003 to over $700 million in 2013.
In fact, the segment has gained this significant momentum despite some meaningful challenges. For instance, the steep price point and installation costs of gas-powered tankless units have made this option cost-prohibitive for many homeowners; not to mention that natural gas is not readily available to almost 50% of homes in the U.S. Thus, the segment of the tankless market poised for the fastest, most substantial growth is: the electric unit that can serve an entire household. Enter Bollente with trutankless™.
"Each year up to 7.8 million water heaters are replaced, and it's estimated that 27 million households have water heaters that are more than 10-years-old, nearing the end of useful life," said Derrick Mains, COO of trutankless, a division of Bollente Companies. "Frankly, until trutankless™, there has been no viable upgrade on the market to displace electric tanks as the source of hot water in U.S. homes."
While the product's debut to the market is imminent, several units have already been installed and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
"There's no doubt that trutankless™ is a game changer for the water heating world," said Steve Ettlinger, a Roto Rooter franchise owner in St. Augustine, Florida. "For the first time in decades, this product brings something new, something exciting to the market—a market that's hungry for it. The timing of this product couldn't be better and I am confident sales will be strong from the start."
But homeowners are not the only ones who are bound to be pleased. A trutankless™ commercial model has been installed at a high-volume SUBWAY franchise in West Virginia.
"I wish we could have done this sooner," said franchise owner Bill Riggall. "The performance is flawless—and we're a super busy shop. Installing the trutankless™ unit has not only had the obvious benefit of saving energy and money, but that spot where an 80-gallon tank used to stand is now added storage space. Talk about a win-win-win."
The trutankless™ product line is set to debut at the upcoming NAHB International Builders Show (IBS) February 4 through 6, 2014 in Las Vegas. IBS is the largest annual light construction show in the world, and this year, for the first time ever, the show is co-located with Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). Among the 75,000 attendees expected are high level decision makers from some of the largest home builders in the nation as well as plumbing and HVAC professionals from top outfits in major markets.
Notably, trutankless™ COO Derrick Mains has been selected from among hundreds of exhibitors to give one of three presentations being offered to industry professionals for Continuing Education Credits. His presentation, entitled "If These Walls Could Talk", will cover the emergence of smart home appliances and their capacity to maximize efficiency, reduce cost and increase customer retention and satisfaction.


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FutureMark announces PCMark 7 for Windows 7
While Futuremark launched 3DMark11 earlier this year, the update for PCMark Vantage is expected to follow too. However, the upcoming computer benchmark software will instead be named PCMark 7, and is expected to come in these few months.
To many, benchmark software always seems to be very problematic. The new version looks to provide some much needed performance update for modern computers running Windows 7, which means that Futuremark might not support Vista anymore.
The PCMark 7 press release states, “Hardware innovations like solid state drives (SSDs), and new form factors such as netbooks and tablets are greatly increasing the range of PC performance available to businesses and home users,” so we should see some new metrics addressing performance of SSDs, and other machines besides beastly fast gaming and enthusiast rigs.
System requirements list a DX9 video card as the minimum, but DX10 and DX11 are necessary for some additional tests (i.e. tests that aren’t part of the main PCMark score). There are seven test suites with 20 different workloads designed to give various views of system performance. The seven test suites are PCMark, Lightweight, Entertainment, Creativity, Productivity, Computation, and Storage. The Lightweight suite is the one truly new entrant, and Computation could be interesting if there’s any support for GPGPU type workloads; the other suites tend to correlate with one or more of the suites in Vantage (Memories, TV and Movies, Music, Communications, Productivity, and HDD—thankfully, the Gaming Suite that tended to be more of a storage benchmark is now MIA).
SOURCE via FutureMark


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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Budget-focused Americans still grappling with a sluggish economy say they don’t want a substantial new Value Added Tax that some policymakers are proposing as a way to reduce the federal deficit, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch.
Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed – 64 percent – said a federal VAT of any amount would impact their spending on everything from cars to homes, groceries and medicines. If the government imposed a VAT of 15 percent and applied it to all purchases, 92 percent said their spending would be affected.
“These numbers are clear evidence of what common sense would tell even the most casual observer: if you tax spending at a time when the economy is still struggling to recover, consumers are going to spend less,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “With consumer spending representing two-thirds of the economy, a consumption tax – by VAT or any other name – is not the path to recovery or a prudent way to address the federal deficit. The deficit needs to be reduced, but a VAT is not the answer.”
According to the survey, areas where consumers would cut back the most if a “federal sales tax” or VAT were created would include eating out (83 percent), clothing or accessories (80 percent), food/groceries (74 percent), entertainment (72 percent) and vacation travel (72 percent). Additionally, half said a VAT would influence their spending on a home (50 percent) while two-thirds said it would impact automobile purchases (63 percent). Big-ticket items wouldn’t be the only casualties as 59 percent of consumers said they would even cut back on prescription and over-the-counter medicine.
Instead of creating a new tax, 82 percent believe Congress should reduce the federal deficit by spending less. Only 10 percent of respondents favored creation of a VAT or other form of federal sales tax to reduce the deficit, and only 8 percent favored an income tax increase.
A number of prominent members of Congress and policymakers have said in recent months that a VAT should at least be considered as a way to reduce the federal deficit, which is currently at its highest share of GDP since World War II. President Obama told his deficit reduction commission in April that nothing – including a VAT – should be considered off the table.
While there are many kinds of VATs around the world, the most common is similar to a national sales tax and is paid by the consumer at the cash register. U.S. proponents have not offered specifics, but if a VAT were offered for deficit reduction, it is expected that it would be imposed in addition to existing state sales taxes and in addition to the federal income tax.
While the NRF/BIGresearch survey is intended as an early indicator of how consumers would react to a VAT, NRF has also commissioned Ernst and Young and the economics firm Tax Policy Advisors to work together on a comprehensive study of the impact a VAT would have on consumer spending, employment and gross domestic product. NRF plans to present the results of that study to the deficit reduction commission and ask that they be taken into consideration before the panel makes its recommendations to Congress in December.
NRF today also unveiled a new VAT Web page at www.nrf.com/VAT intended as a resource for retailers, lawmakers, reporters and others. The page includes links to legislative action, news coverage and other resources, and will be expanded as needed.
About the Survey
The survey, which evaluated Americans’ reaction to a Value Added Tax, was conducted for NRF by BIGresearch April 12-15. The poll of 5,079 consumers has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent.
BIGresearch® consumer intelligence provides analysis of behavior in areas of products and services, retail, financial services, automotive and media. The BIGresearch Consumer Intentions and Actions® Survey of 8,000+ respondents is conducted monthly and the Simultaneous Media Usage® Survey of 15,000+ respondents is conducted semi-annually.
As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF’s global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. In the United States, NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2009 sales of $2.3 trillion.


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Huge barre fitness chain opens studio in Toronto
Based in South Carolina, this chain of barre fitness studios boasts over 300 locations across the United States. The recently opened Toronto gym is its first on Canadian soil, and a popular spot for those looking to get a ballet-inspired workout.
Read my review of Pure Barre in the fitness section.
Join the conversation Load comments


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Brod: Highlights of Phase 1 of the new U.S. China Trade Deal
SIGNING A LANDMARK PHASE ONE TRADE AGREEMENT: Today (Wednesday) , President Trump is signing a new, fully-enforceable Phase One Trade Agreement with China.
President Trump is making good on his promise to fix the failed policies of the past and deliver fairer trade for the United States.
This historic agreement will begin to rebalance our vital trade partnership with China and benefit both of our countries.
The signing of this agreement will be an incredible boost for American businesses, farmers, manufacturers, and innovators.
ENACTING CRITICAL REFORMS: China has agreed to make significant structural reforms in a wide range of critical areas.
This agreement will help level the playing field for America’s innovators to compete and win.
Importantly, the reforms included in the agreement are fully enforceable and include a strong dispute resolution system to ensure effective implementation and enforcement.
For the first time in any trade agreement, China agreed to end its practice of forcing foreign companies to transfer their technology to Chinese companies in order to gain market access.
China will address numerous longstanding intellectual property concerns in the areas of trade secrets, trademarks, enforcement against pirated and counterfeit goods, and more.
China agreed to strong commitments on currency practices regarding currency devaluations and exchange rates.
The agreement addresses a wide range of trade and investment barriers that have prevented American financial services companies from being able to compete in China.
The agreement addresses structural barriers that have unfairly limited United States food and agricultural exports.
The agreement includes significant commitments by China on accepting United States agricultural biotechnology products.
REBALANCING TRADE: This agreement will begin rebalancing our trade relationship with China and provide new opportunity for American businesses and farmers.
As a part of the new agreement, China has pledged to increase imports of American goods and services by at least $200 billion.
China’s increase in United States imports will take place over the next 2 years, and the trajectory is expected to continue even after 2021.
This increase will make important progress in rebalancing the United States-China trade relationship.
China will be making purchases of United States manufactured goods, agriculture, energy, and services under this deal.
China has agreed to purchase between $40 and $50 billion in American agricultural goods each year for two years – providing a massive boost to America’s hardworking farmers.
Tishwash: Zimbabwe, Chinese Businesses In Currency Swap Deal
Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube said that Zimbabwe has entered into a currency swap arrangement with China.
This will allow potential investors coming from China to swap or exchange their foreign currency with Chinese investors already in Zimbabwe who wish to send their money to China.
The Chinese investor in Zimbabwe would then release the Zimbabwe dollar equivalent of the US dollar to the local bank account of the payer in China. Said Ncube:
We have entered into a currency swap arrangement, what this means is that some would be investing in Zimbabwe from China and those who require their proceeds to be remitted back to China which is normal.
So, the idea is those individuals will then swap (currency) so that those who are investing in Zimbabwe are able to give them a domestic currency and they use the foreign currency which they are bringing in for investment to pay those who are exiting.
The currency swap of US dollars for Zimbabwe dollars will be done with the approval of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Finance.
The move is meant to increase trade and investment between China and Zimbabwe. link


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People in America and around the world became accustomed to entertainment supported by ads with TV. When the internet came along, people rapidly became accustomed to internet browsing not supported by ads and often reacted harshly when ads were introduced to the medium.
Yahoo and Intel are trying to bring a new way to provide information and ads to TV. The Yahoo Widget Channel will be the first piece of software to take advantage of a new processor that Intel hopes to see integrated into the vast majority of TV sets being sold called the Intel Media Processor CE 3100.
Both of the companies are keen for consumers to understand that this is not another attempt to turn their TVs into computers. Intel tried that approach already with its failed Viiv brand. What the Yahoo Widget Channel will do is cater to the TV viewer by allowing them to connect with other people, find more information about actors or shows they are watching and more.
The technology will be integrated into a number of TVs that will be seen at CES 2009 next month. Major electronics makers including Samsung, Toshiba, and others will be showing TVs at CES 2009 that integrate Intel's new technology.
Yahoo and Intel both say that they are confident in the new technology and fully expect it to catch on, mostly due to the very low licensing requirements they demand for the technology.
Patrick Berry, VP of Yahoo's Connected TV Initiative told CNET, "We do not see it [Yahoo Widget Channel] as a niche offering in a few high-end models. We see this as moving into the mainstream. In 2009, we're going to see good penetration into the product lineups of the consumer electronics companies. Beginning in 2010, I think, you're going to see Internet-connected consumer electronics devices dominating the lineup."
Intel has put much research into bringing the technology to our living rooms after Viiv was far from well received by consumers. Intel even hired an anthropologist to study how people watch TV. With this research, they learned that viewers much preferred the Widget Channel to be at the bottom of the screen where we are used to seeing data scroll already, rather than on the left side of the screen.
Intel says it also learned that consumers didn't want another remote, keyboard, or a complex navigation system. The Widget Channel opens and closes with one button. Ads are coming, but according to Yahoo, they will be very consumer focused.
Barry said, "We have a lot of support from the advertising community, but we're focused on the consumer now. What you'll see initially is us trying to fall all over ourselves trying to make the consumer happy. The advertisers understand that."
Barry also says that Yahoo won’t have a lock on the ads shown on its Widget Channel. Yahoo is certainly hoping to lure other advertisers to the service like Google. Yahoo received the technology behind its Widget Channel from the purchase of Konfabulator in 2005.


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World Business NewsA round up of the latest news for those doing business internationally
Websites streamline car-buying process
Zone(s): USA ¦ Sector(s): Autos, Internet
[28 June 2014, Boston Globe – Associated Press] By Dee-Ann Durbin, from the USA: Auto websites — once filled mostly with reviews and advice — are getting more sophisticated, connecting potential buyers with dealers and offering instant price guarantees. Some let buyers estimate their trade-in values and turn in credit applications online. One company even lets buyers complete the entire sale online and get cars delivered to their door.
The Internet lets shoppers enter a showroom armed with the same information as a dealer, said Chantel Lenard, Ford Motor Co.’s US marketing director. Sites let buyers configure their vehicles, see what others paid, and estimate the trade-in value of their car or truck. They could even walk into a dealership with a price locked in. ‘It’s truly become an equalizer in the shopping and negotiating process,’’ Lenard said at a recent Ford event.


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The Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) recently released the 2019 MegaBrands report – a comprehensive review of the largest national advertisers. Of the top 100 out-of-home (OOH) advertisers, many are technology brands, including Amazon (#1), Apple (#3), Google (#6), Facebook (#15), YouTube (#43), Zoom (#44), Microsoft (#55), Dell (#25), and Samsung (#85). It comes as no surprise that these brands are uber successful in their respective industries and that their superb advertising efforts only bolster their success. The question becomes, why are these tech giants spending more than the average 3.8% ad spend on OOH? And, more importantly, why should we be paying attention?
This article will outline some of the major advantages of OOH when integrated into an omni-channel marketing mix and get to know a few of the most successful OOH campaigns these digital megabrands have had thus far.
The unparalleled benefits of OOH:
1) OOH delivers where digital advertising falls short
Let’s face it – we all skip ads. Most of us use ad-blockers, and hardly any of us deliberately click on pop-up or website ads. Getting the attention of online web surfers or social media users is becoming one of the biggest dilemmas for the advertising industry. The only way to get the attention of young audiences is to reach them when they’re off their devices and not distracted! And OOH does just that.
When people are on their way to work or school and commuting via public transit, walking, or driving, they’re more alert to their surroundings and less distracted by their mobile devices. For advertisers, capturing the undivided attention of wandering eyes is like hitting the jackpot!
Additionally, research by Nielsen suggests that online advertisements are amongst one of the least trusted formats, whereas OOH is one of the most trusted.
2) OOH amplifies and optimizes omni-channel messaging
For top digital brands, increasing their consumer base and audience engagement doesn’t solely entail investments in the digital and online market space. As marketing experts from these companies have figured out, consumers still want and need a substantial sense of connection, familiarity, and trust in brands they’re patrons of – a connection that is best fostered through physical media like OOH.
Therefore, it’s unsurprising that OOH is one of the best ad mediums when it comes to increasing the overall reach of an omni-channel marketing campaign and improving return on investment (ROI). According to the OAAA and Nielsen’s latest advertising study, OOH disproportionately increases the reach of other media, including online search by 42%, TV by 26%, radio by 14%, and social media by 15%.
3) OOH simply works!
OOH is one of the most cost-effective mediums when compared to TV, radio, online, or print. With recent tech advancements, brands also have the ability to view real-time impression analytics and programmatically purchase ad placements. OOH is the only medium that provides incremental linear returns as spending increases, while other media like TV and print show diminishing returns at higher adspends.
How Digital Megabrands leverage OOH
As much as the advertising world is becoming increasingly digital, traditional media continues to provide unmatched value to brands as far as driving brand awareness and consumer confidence. For this reason, digital brands are spending more on traditional media like OOH, in hopes of engaging with their current and prospective consumer base in a way that is more authentic and genuine than pixels on a screen.
Facebook gets friendly
In 2018 – just weeks after CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in front of congressional lawmakers on multiple data privacy scandals, Facebook launched its then largest brand marketing campaign. The campaign, titled “Here Together”, delivered reassuring messages that addressed its users’ concerns head-on – from topics such as clickbait to data misuse, and fake news to fake accounts. The campaign also spanned across TV, cinema ads, and on Facebook (of course).
Apple’s personalized creative
Apple is known for their sleek, sophisticated, and user-friendly tech designs. Their advertising efforts don’t deviate far from their core values. As you’re probably familiar with, Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign – which has been running since 2015 – features images by amateur photographers worldwide using their iPhones. The images humanize our connection to the devices and emphasize the importance of owning them to capture personal and memorable moments – all without saying more than 4 words!
Spotify shares its stats
In their buzzworthy 2018 campaign, Spotify wasn’t afraid to share user data. The music streaming company is known for their witty and creative ads that make you want to stop and snap a picture. On a regular basis, you’re sure to find the platform’s latest music releases advertised on big digital screens in urban centres.
Upon looking at how top digital brands are using OOH to reach their audience, it becomes clear that OOH continues to be an effective advertising medium – even in the increasingly digital world. While you may think your company doesn’t have the advertising budget some of the aforementioned tech giants do, it’s never too late to start small in OOH. Instead of billboards in downtown cores, why not bus shelter ads, truck-side ads, mall signage, posters, or public transit ads? Any company that decides to invest in OOH today will reap the benefits for years to come.


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For the first time ever, the PRI Trade Show will feature exhibits and products directly on the Lucas Oil Stadium field. Connected to the Indiana Convention Center and easily accessible from the parking lot, this new-for-2019 area allows for an expanded trailer display alongside the Show’s popular Featured Products Showcase.
The allocation of additional space comes after PRI management moved all trailer displays indoors for the 2018 Show—a decision praised by exhibitors and attendees alike.
“Because Lucas Oil Stadium is connected and easy to get to from the Convention Center, it’s the ideal place for our trailer exhibits,” said PRI Trade Show Director Karin Davidson. “We saw great success from moving the trailers indoors and moving to the field this year will give companies in this essential market segment a larger area to display their products and conduct business.
The new exhibit area will continue to allow trailer exhibitors to showcase their product lineups alongside their booths and give attendees some of the best side-by-side shopping of race trailers, motorcoaches, haulers, and toterhomes.
“Attendees will now get an up-close look at a greater number and variety of transportation options,” said Davidson. “They can easily compare available features and meet with more company representatives in one location.
This year’s PRI Trade Show, held December 12-14 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, will feature over 1,100 companies exhibiting in more than 3,300 booths and showcasing the latest products, services, machinery, simulation and testing technologies, and trailers for the racing industry in a single location.
Now in its 32nd year, PRI encompasses all forms of racing and attracts attendees from all 50 states and over 70 countries, including professional race teams, retail shops, warehouse distributors, engine builders, fabricators, dealers, installers, jobbers and media.
Numerous conferences and seminars, among them the Race Track Business Conference and International Council of Motorsport Sciences’ Annual Congress, offer unlimited business opportunities and provide invaluable insight on the latest technologies and how to apply them throughout the racing world.
Known as Race Industry Week, the days leading up to and including the Show will offer a range of motorsports-related activities in and around the Indiana Convention Center beginning on Monday, December 9
To register for the 2019 PRI Trade Show, secure hotel reservations, and sign up for free business seminars, log on to prishow.com.


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CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - The Gazette provided a detailed feature on the convenience store industry€™s burgeoning foodservice programs.
Citing NACS figures that show foodservice sales comprised 16.9% of $195 billion of in-store sales at convenience stores in 2011, the Gazette said, "[D]on€™t think of them as gas stations. Instead, think of them as the place for pizza, doughnuts and maybe even some banana bread."
"Food is the future of our industry," said Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of industry advocacy. "Our stores will become food stores that happen to sell gas rather than gas stations that happen to sell food, as they are perceived today. It will be a slow evolution, but it is happening for two important reasons.
"From the retail perspective, the product is there, the distribution is there, the competency is there, the revenue is there and, from the consumer side, the demand is there. People want fresh food on the go and they want food that has value," he said.
According to market research firm Technomic in its 2011 "Consumer C-Store Brand Metrics Shopper Insights Report," a significant number of QSR customers view convenience stores in the same category as fast-food eateries, with 82% saying they purchase prepared foods or beverages from convenience stores once a month.
West Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum and Go emphasize fresh food prepared onsite, a major component of its drive to increase sales and market share.
"We€™re proud of the quality of our food service, but we are always looking at it from the standpoint of 'How can we get better,€™" said Roman Stone, Kum and Go vice president of foodservice. "We have some competitive advantages over the QSRs. You get the breadth of food at QSRs, but you don€™t get the breadth of beverages.
"When you go into a QSR, you might get a soft drink fountain and bottles of juice or water, but with us you have the whole of our vault. We offer a variety of everything from energy drinks to flavored tea and water that you can€™t get in a QSR."
Casey€™s General Stores is one of the nation€™s top five pizza retailers, and the chain reported a 16.8% increase in same-store sales during the fourth quarter and 14.3% increase in the fiscal year for its prepared food and fountain drinks. Bill Walljasper, senior vice president and CFO, said prepared foods represent roughly 30% of the company€™s gross profit.
"Convenience is a very big factor in peoples€™ everyday lives," Walljasper told the newspaper. "If you can provide a quality product at a reasonable price, people will purchase those products." He noted that Casey€™s has a goal of increasing same-store prepared food and fountain sales by 11% in fiscal 2013 with an average margin of 61%.
The Gazette also cited Kwik Trip (rebranded as Kwik Star in its Iowa locations to reduce confusion with QuikTrip) as offering a sophisticated foodservice program. Dave Ring, Kwik Trip community relations coordinator, said the company maintains total control over a number of products by operating its own bakery, food commissary, dairy, food safety laboratory, ice plant, LP gas facility and distribution center.
"By not relying on third-party suppliers, we can squeeze out costs and pass the savings along to our customers," Ring said. "We also can maintain the quality that our guests expect when they visit our stores."€™


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Geeks will dump a browser and adopt another if it proves to be faster and have more bells and whistles. Techcrunch is reporting today that Google Chrome is used by more of its visitors than any other, ripping the title away from FireFox after four years. Google Chrome is currently my favorite browser and I can certainly understand the sentiment, but consumers aren’t so quick to change browsers…or even know that it’s possible to do so.
Techcrunch’s user base is relatively geeky and there are a ton of Mac fans. Less than 16% of TechCrunch’s readers visit via Internet Explorer on a PC. TechCrunch did not provide a breakdown of how many Mac users visited the site vs. PC users. A very high percentage of Mac users (and iOS users) could explain why the Safari, Chrome and Firefox numbers are so high.
- Chrome: 27.80%
- Firefox: 27.67%
- Safari: 20.42%
- Internet Explorer: 15.74%
Here at GottaBeMobile, the browser share is a little different. Firefox is still the leader of the pack, with a 31.2.% share, about even with Internet Explorer (30.4%). Google Chrome (21.1%) is third in line, with Safari ringing in 14.6% (including iOS devices). In a distant fifth is Opera, with about a 1.5% share.
I’m pretty certain that GottaBeMobile has far less Mac visitors than TechCrunch, which in part explains the discrepancy. Just over 76% of GBM visitors are PC users, running some flavor of Windows. Almost half of the Windows users are running Windows 7, which is almost tripple the number of Vista users and a few percentage points ahead of Windows XP, the OS that won’t die. Just 15% of GottaBeMobile visitors are using Macs.
Notebooks.com, GBM’s sister site, has far more non-geeks visiting on a daily basis. Rather than debating the merits of various mobile browsers, Notebooks.com users are more likely looking to find a deal on a gadget or solve a relatively basic computer problem.
Almost three-quarters of Notebooks.com readers are using PCs (73.6%), while one eighth (12.3%) are on Macs. Surprisingly, nearly 10% of Notebooks.com readers visit on an iOS device, with the remainder on other mobile OS’s.
Notebooks.com readers are less likely to have an alternate browser installed, with 38.2% using Internet Explorer and over half of Mac users (8.6%) sticking to Safari. About a quarter (25.6%) run Firefox and only 13.9% use Google Chrome.
That last number is the most interesting to me and the one that’s far removed from TechCrunch vistior stats. Despite the near constant bombardment of Chrome ads and promos scattered about Gmail and other Google services, Google can only muster up a 13.9% share amongst Notebooks.com visitors. That’s not terribly impressive. While the geeks, including several GBM and Notebooks.com contributors, are choosing Google Chrome more and more, the average consumer’s more likely to think of Chrome as something you pay extra for when ordering auto parts than a computer application.
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After the recent game in China, the head of Nubia Ni Fei told reporters that the company is going to introduce a gaming smartphone.
What is known
The CEO of the company did not disclose any details about the upcoming novelty. Most likely, the smartphone will be called Nubia Z18. According to rumors, this will be a frameless smartphone with a top processor Snapdragon 845. Since smartphones Nubia Z17 and Nubia Z17S have 8 GB of RAM, it is likely that the novelty will also be equipped with 8 GB of RAM.
Also, in the social network Weibo Ni Fei (Ni Fei) published photos from the event, which shows an unknown smartphone Nubia. There is no confirmation that this is a new Z18. Perhaps this is the last year's smartphone Z17S.
When to expect
Unfortunately, there is no information on the date of the announcement of the device.


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By Doaa Farid
Egyptian and Turkish businessmen confirmed the importance of economic relations between the two countries, and promoted the 2007 free trade agreement between Cairo and Ankara in a press conference on Friday.
Turkish businessmen said they want to increase investments in Egypt, and aim to reach $5bn by 2017, in the conference organised by Egyptian Businessmen’s Association in collaboration with Egyptian Turkish Business Council and Egyptian Turkish businessmen association.
Adel Lamie, the chairman of the Egyptian Turkish Business Council, said the goal of the press conference was to strengthen the economic ties between Egypt and Turkey, and to reject calls, especially from the Industry Federation, to cancel the trade agreement and boycott Turkish products, over Ankara’s criticism of the 3 July ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.
Lamie said that Turkish investments in Egypt include about 300 factories and companies, mostly associated with the garment industry, employing 54,000 Egyptian workers.
“The total trade between Egypt and Turkey amounted to $5bn in 2012, of which Egyptian exports amounted to $2bn, and imports from Turkey amounted to $3bn,” he added.
Lamie also said that since the January 25th revolution, only three Turkish companies suspended their work in Egypt. “There’s always a great understanding of Egypt’s situation from the Turkish side,” he added.
Zeki Ekinci, the honorary chairman of the Egyptian Turkish Businessmen Association, said the last decade has seen significant growth in the ties and investments between both countries, according to state-run newspaper Al-Ahram. He pointed out that the goal is to expand and create real investment opportunities away from the internal affairs.
Abu El-Ela Abu El-Naga, the secretary general of the Egyptian Federation of Investors, said that Egypt is welcoming all forms of investments regardless of the political affiliations.
Ankara has described the ouster of Morsi as a “military coup,” with Erdogan insisting Morsi is still Egypt‘s legitimate president.
The Free Trade Agreement signed between Turkey and Egypt in 2005 took effect in 2007, and promoted bilateral trade and cooperation with developing countries in Middle East and Africa.
A report recently issued by the Egyptian Commercial Service stated that the Turkish market is the fifth largest for Egyptian exports by the end of 2012, after the Italian, Indian, American and Saudi markets.


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Sony Group Corp. elevated its fiscal-12 months revenue forecast, betting that strengthening potential clients for its tunes, videos and electronics divisions will offset slowing gaming desire as the world wide financial state begins to arise from COVID-19.
The Tokyo-based mostly amusement huge amplified its full-year working income outlook to 980 billion yen (US$8.99 billion) from 930 billion yen beforehand. Functioning income for the quarter ended June was 280 billion yen, bigger than the typical analyst expectations of 226.1 billion yen. Sony switched its accounting strategy from U.S. specifications to IFRS starting off with the June quarter.
Sony Main Monetary Officer Hiroki Totoki mentioned that the company’s key product, the US$499 PlayStation 5, was no for a longer period selling at a reduction. The US$399 PS5 Electronic Version is on observe to have its decline offset by other components product sales together with peripherals and the PlayStation 4, the CFO added.
Vaccine rollouts have aided some countries get started returning to pre-COVID get the job done and life style behavior, even though uncertainty about coronavirus variants continues to be. Sony stated it expects increased earnings from movie and Tv set display productions as effectively as an enhance in licensing payment revenues. The business also sees audio streaming income improving and bigger sales of its digital cameras providing a enhance to its electronics and picture-sensor models.
Sony’s shares have obtained 7.7 per cent this yr immediately after soaring 39 per cent last year.
“Better camera income are supporting offset section of the problem for impression sensors staying hit by the decline of revenue from smartphone handset purchasers,” SBI Securities analyst Yoshiharu Izumi reported soon after the results. “The aim so considerably has been on the group’s amusement property this sort of as games and anime, but the 1st-quarter consequence confirmed its standard electronics hardware company stays solid.”
The movie activity field was between the big beneficiaries of very last year’s surge in continue to be-at-home enjoyment triggered by the pandemic, furnishing a tailwind for Sony’s PlayStation division. That outcome appears to be waning as Sony noted weaker software profits for the period as effectively as slowing subscriber additions for its PlayStation Additionally services and reduced income from third-bash game titles. PlayStation 5 components income aided press up earnings in the most latest quarter, but the significant value of making the console weighed on gains.
PlayStation In addition subscribers declined to 46.3 million from 47.6 million in the previous quarter and regular monthly active users fell to 104 million from 109 million. The corporation is keeping its goal of advertising around 14.8 million PlayStation 5 units this fiscal year.
“Going ahead, Sony will be advertising each one PS5 it puts into marketplaces in a matter of seconds. Thus, a obstacle is not making desire, but supply,” reported industry analyst Serkan Toto. “On software, COVID-19 is affecting output and so a lot of large titles that would push components product sales and PlayStation community subscribers acquired delayed to next 12 months.”
Sony’s Fate/Grand Get smartphone franchise, a person of the best-grossing mobile online games due to the fact its launch in 2015, started out to shed gamers to regional competitor Uma Musume Quite Derby made by Cygames, a CyberAgent Inc. unit. The 6-12 months-old FGO is the marquee title in Sony’s smartphone online games small business, which is centered on the domestic Japanese current market.


text: \nLittle information is publicly available about Mshengu, but he appears to be from Mpumalanga with a number of his cars licensed in the province. \n\n\nHis Instagram profile shows he has a love for Cuban cigars, big expensive cars, designer labels, the nightlife and travel. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u201cWe are here tonight at Taboo, everyone is ready for next week Friday,\u201d he said last Friday. \n\n\nHis Instagram profile also showed he had a penchant for spinning his expensive supercars on public roads. In one post, with a KwaThema tag on it, he was seen allegedly spinning a black Mercedes Benz AMG on a public road. \n\n\nOn social media, he said he made his money in the logistics and mining business and warned the public about apparent Forex scammers who used his named to induce people.


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Tesla still has no plans to use LiDAR in consumer vehicles, but does use the tech for ‘ground truthing’
As we reported last month, Tesla’s plans to bring self-driving cars to market without using LiDAR sensors are raising a few eyebrows. That’s because we have been told for years now by most people in the industry that it wasn’t achievable, but the company moved forward with its plans in a big way last month when it started producing all cars with a self-driving-ready hardware suite without LiDAR.
The Drive is now confusing quite a few people about Tesla’s strategy by claiming that the automaker is actually planning to use LiDAR in a new article titled: “Despite Public Stance, Musk Secretly Plans to Use LiDAR in Future Tesla Models: Ignore Musk’s tweets and what he’s said in earnings calls, a Tesla equipped with LiDAR is in the works.” (Update: the Drive has since changed its headline to nuance the claim)
But it’s actually not the case. Here’s why: Expand