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After zooming in on some FCC documents it looks like Samsung’s Android-powered Galaxy Camera has passed through the FCC with AT&T’s 3G and HSPA+ 4G (not LTE) speeds on board. We first got a glance at the Galaxy Camera back at IFA last month, but now this new filing is giving us a better idea of what Samsung has in mind for the smart camera.
In case you missed it, Samsung announced the Galaxy Camera as a 4.8-inch 1280 x 720p packing smart camera running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and having an impressive 16 megapixel shooter to boot. For a full breakdown of everything you need to know you’ll want to check out our Galaxy Camera hands-on.
When Samsung unveiled the Android snapper back at IFA we were told it would obviously come packing GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi for connectivity, and that they were still in talks with carriers regarding additional options. Now though, the Galaxy Camera has cleared the FCC complete with AT&T’s 3G and 4G HSPA+ radios under the hood. Could we see this device be offered up by AT&T on contract?
We have a feeling AT&T and Samsung might be looking to strike a deal similar to the Kindle tablets, where users will get worldwide AT&T service with the device, but the fact that it runs a pretty standard version of Jelly Bean might pose problems. Users could really suck down the data faster than on a Kindle — so some sort of monthly payments are expected.
While the report doesn’t mention 4G LTE specifically, we could still see LTE in a future filing or press release. After all you’ll be needing the fastest data connection as possible once you start taking full size 16 megapixel photos with the device if you want to upload them to share with the world while on the go. Whether this device sells, or just ends up being a niche product remains to be seen. Would you get the Galaxy Camera on AT&T if you could add it to that family plan for an extra $10 a month?


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KARACHI: Shell Pakistan Limited on Tuesday declared 81 percent decline in its profit after tax.
The board of directors of the company in its meeting held on Tuesday approved financial results for the quarter ended March 2019.
The company posted net profit of Rs256.89 million for the period under review as compared with Rs1,355.96 million in the same quarter last year, showing 81 percent decline.
The sales of the company increased t Rs53.28 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 as compared with Rs49.288 billion in the same quarter last year.
The net revenue after payment of sales tax came at Rs45.58 billion as compared with last year’s Rs41.61 billion.
The cost of production increased to Rs42.46 billion for the period as compared with Rs37.159 billion in the same period of the last year.
The operating profit of the company after administrative and distribution expenses fell to Rs629.57 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 as compared with Rs1,666 million in the same quarter of the last year.
The profit before taxation of the company stood at Rs514.56 million as compared with Rs1,893.41 million.

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Once only whispered about in hushed tones, stock clearance is now a valuable route to extra sales, with a growing number of options for labels that need to shift ageing product
Stock clearance has never been more crucial for brands. Independent consultant Malcolm Newbery says the supply chain has been radically affected by the credit crunch. Stock clearance is nothing new but the scale of its effect definitely is. “From high-end luxury to budget own brand, there are companies that have had to deal with 2%, 5% or 10% of overstocks that will now be looking at 10% or 20%, maybe even 30%,” he says. And unless they want this stock clogging up warehouse or shop floor space, or snarling up the supply chain, it is imperative that brands shift it.
Fortunately, the avenues through which retailers can clear stock are expanding. One route is through the dedicated websites that sell designer clothing at up to 80% off, but do so in an environment conducive to premium positioning.
Cocosa, which launched in October, operates on a membership-only basis, giving the site a sense of exclusivity. It runs five 48-hour Sales a week, each exclusively of one label; at the time of writing, Pauric Sweeney, Matthew Williamson and Kors Michael Kors were the labels on offer. The website has a glamorous feel and is underpinned by sharp editorial. Business is burgeoning. “We are thrilled with the way it is going,” says a spokesperson at Cocosa. “We have seen double-digit growth since Christmas and brands are approaching us that were completely uninterested when we started.”
Brand Alley is a similar site, offering the likes of Karen Millen and Chloé. “Being members-only helps our brands understand that we are not a bargain-basement website,” says marketing director Melissa Littler. Brands are also turning to designer outlets, which continue to defy the struggling retail market. Sales at the seven UK McArthurGlen Designer Outlets are up by more than 5% compared with the same period last year. Designer brands in particular continue to be popular, with an average sales increase of more than 17% across the UK centres.
Julia Calabrese, chief executive of McArthurGlen, says: “Although UK shoppers are tightening their purse strings they still want to buy quality items with a good ‘cost per wear’.” In these outlets, the brand controls the look of the shop, the staff and the way the products are marketed, as well as deciding prices. A spokesman for Value Retail, which runs similar outlets, says: “We encourage our brands to mimic the look of their high street shops as much as possible.” He adds that a record number of retailers are approaching Value Retail to open stores. TK Maxx also reports sales to January 09 are up 4% year on year.
Product on the move
Newbery says the outlet is the most common method of clearance. “This can be a store in an outlet village or mall, or maybe even a designated store already in the chain that is used for this purpose,” he says. Other brands with a global footprint, he explains, can move their collections on to another territory. “I know of European retailers that simply sell the same collection six months later in South America,” he adds.
Brands can offload job lots but have to be aware of the pitfalls. Newbery says that one retailer sold a swathe of product to a third party under the agreement that it only be sold in certain Far Eastern territories. “But it ended up in Japan, undercutting its customers,” he says.
Some stores plan events, such as Debenhams. “For its Blue Cross Sales it can wait until four weeks before the Sale to allocate the products and up to two weeks before until it decides the depth of the reduction,” Newbery says. “Other companies use pop-up stores to create a buzz about a limited availability - and this is particularly viable now as so many landlords have empty locations.”
eBay inspires Schuh to branch out
When footwear chain Schuh noticed that people were buying footwear in its Sales and selling it for higher prices on auction website eBay, it decided to get involved. Selling directly through eBay proved so successful that Schuh created its own online discount store, Branch 309. “You have to be aware of where your potential customers shop, and in this market that is places where there are discounts,” says Schuh’s head of ecommerce, Dan Lumb. “We started approaching our brands and getting rid of their old stock on eBay. Our record is 8,000 pairs of shoes in one week.”


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The e-commerce industry is evolving at an overwhelming pace. Entrepreneurs must be focused, strategic and leverage strategies and solutions to simplify and streamline even the most complex of operations. No matter what type of product you sell, every e-commerce entrepreneur has one key goal: sell more of it.
Join Startup Canada (@Startup_Canada) and Canada Post (@canadapostcorp) on July 17 for a live #StartupChats on Twitter from 12pm–1pm ET to learn how to earn a more substantial profit at the end of every month, and expand your audience of customers. It’s hosted by Lyndon Johnson (@THINK_Lyndon), Founder of Toronto based COMMS.BAR.


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Earlier this week, Visa took a more ambitious stance on cybersecurity, blogging about the company’s commitment to IT security in the face of heightened digital security concerns.
The leading credit card brand pointed out that internet fraud jumped 69% in 2020 alone, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report. Yet despite this increase in cybercrime, Visa has recorded cyber fraud records, with the company investing more than $9 billion over the past five years in security innovation and analytics.
On April 19, Visa’s chief risk officer, Paul Fabara, commented on the security of the payments industry, noting that “the common denominator to almost all post-pandemic behavioral changes is the growing importance of digital payments.” This relates to payments from $0.40 downloads to multi-million dollar enterprise exchanges, according to Fabara.
“To say that the task of securing the global movement of money is complex would be an understatement, especially now,” Fabara said in his blog post. “Unfortunately, criminal enterprises have seen the pandemic as a golden opportunity to exploit human and technical vulnerabilities.”
Fabara said more than three-quarters (78%) of people who received an unsolicited link clicked on it, while more than half (51%) of people said they used the same password for most of their passwords. their online activities. And, more than 4 in 5 global businesses (81%) experienced an increase in cyber threats (during the pandemic) or experienced downtime during a cyber incident (79%), according to the FBI report.
“A lot of attention is paid to innovations at the cutting edge of finance and payments – tap to pay, crypto, buy now-pay later, for example,” Fabara’s blog post said. “What gets less attention are the products, platforms and services that ensure any new form of money movement is safe, secure and private.”
Visa has more than 1,000 cybersecurity experts focused on offensive and defensive protection.
Rob Rendell, vice president of payment solutions at Feedzai, noted that while it’s “absolutely true that digital payments are on the rise, fraud is the real driver.”
Feedzai research shows that while online transactions have increased by 65%, fraudulent attacks have increased by 233%.
“How does a financial institution stand a chance of fighting large-scale fraud? They have to solve two fundamental problems: are you who you say you are and are you authorized to make the transaction you want to make? said Rendel.
“It’s a combination of identity and financial transaction,” Rendell said. “It’s difficult because you have to overlay these two sets of real-time data across your organization. So today’s fraud requires a whole new approach – one where data is connected through a common sandbox, orchestration will be essential across multiple silos. This change will be the biggest challenge facing risk management teams. »
COVID-19 has upended many assumptions about how, where and when we work, shop and play.
According to Digital Commerce 360, since the pandemic emerged in late 2019, e-commerce volume has increased by more than 50.5%, while peer-to-peer payments have more than doubled and subscriptions to services digital streaming hit the billion mark.
“IFs are getting ready to [this] new approach to infrastructure and execution with existing teams,” Rendell said. “We dubbed it ‘The RiskOps Age.'”
Visa has engaged in ethical hacking attempts with its in-house engineers, reviewing fraud attempts, IP addresses and GPS data to catch criminals. Vulnerability testing alone saved customers $31 million in fraud prevention in FY21, according to the card company. Other jobs, like handling incoming incidents with customers, are less dramatic, but no less important. In one case, Visa helped prevent approximately $2.2 billion in customer fraud attempts using the Visa Account Intelligence tool.


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- Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi.
- Celebrations include permanent rewards, new missions, and a special white elephant print t-shirt.
- The rewards are available until September 21st.
Battlegrounds Mobile India aka BGMI is getting a plethora of Ganesh Chaturthi-specific bonuses and rewards. Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival that is celebrated extravagantly across India and other parts of the world. Krafton has announced that Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) will get new missions and rewards for players to enjoy and grab until September 21st, 2021. The most prominent reward of them all being a white t-shirt with a monochrome print of an elephant, in acknowledgment of the Indian festival. This comes as less of a surprise given the similarly fashioned Independence day celebrations last month.
Battlegrounds Mobile India aka BGMI celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi
Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is one of the most popular online battle royale games and arguably the most well recognised in India at the moment. The game has been developed and published by Krafton specifically with the Indian mobile gaming community in mind after PUBG was banned in India last year. BGMI has been trying to tickle Indian sentiments by keeping in touch with the country’s culture and diversity by organising India-centric events. Krafton has plans to continue this in the future as well.
“Ganesh Chaturthi New Beginnings Missions are here! Celebrate by completing missions every day and winning great rewards! Get the Wild elephant shirt and flaunt it to your friends on the Battlegrounds!” a post on Battlegrounds Mobile India’s Instagram account read.
Coming to the Ganesh Chaturthi special rewards, three main missions will be conducted between the period up to September 21st. Those will be:
- Play any mode with five friends five times – between September 15 and 21.
- Play Classic mode 60 times – between September 8 and 21.
- Swim 10 metres in Classic mode daily – between September 8 and 14.
Upon completion of these missions, players will be rewarded with permanent rewards in the likes of classic crate coupons, AG in-game currency, and the Wild elephant shirt.
Krafton has also gone ahead and announced the pre-registration for PUBG: New State, a new battle royale game based on the strengths of current Krafton games but with newer age weaponry and artifacts. China, India, and Vietnam are amongst the last countries to be opened up for pre-registration.


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|52 Wk Low/High||63.21 / 86.22|
Nike's not liking the attention on Thursday,
If investors were really concerned about a U.S.-China trade deal, would Starbucks be trading at an all-time high?
SHOP is an $18 billion company that has become THE way that anyone who wants to sell anything can own themselves and do so.
What stocks to buy and what to avoid on the continual leaks coming out of the Kudlow-Mnuchin camp and the Lighthizer-Navarro camp.
Next week we'll be at the tail end of earnings season. It's been a blast, at least until this past week when we got some iffy news about trade.
While consolidation may be key to the cannabis market in 2019, this IPO is worthy of a deeper dive.
These themes are working despite the turmoil in Washington and slowing global growth.
I am not changing my stance that if you want to see real movement out of China you need to focus on aerospace, American Express and Apple.
Let's check the charts to see which of these stocks should be in your portfolio.
A trade deal with China could certainly help as well.
Nike defied logic with its latest results. Perhaps shoes and athletic apparel are the anti-tariff trade.
The trend is your friend. This adage has worked very well over time.
Analysts expect the moon and stars from LULU and need to be brought back to earth.
For the month of November RMPIA climbed 1.2% month over month.
If NKE can clear this level it will be a strong statement that prices can move higher into year-end.
What to buy and what to trim on the 90-day extension on trade talks.
From boots to sneakers and jackets to jeans, leading investment pros offer their retail choices for your portfolio.
The longest line we witnessed was outside the Nike store; now that was a line.
Foot Locker is finding its footing amid a tough retail investing environment.
Foot Locker is finding growth online and abroad.
Nike is pacing Foot Locker's run ahead of its retail peers.
Unlike a number of other retailers, the shoe and apparel merchant is seeing its shares sprint higher on better-than-expected results and a solid outlook.
I do not feel that anything resembling a bottom has been put in, nor do I see overt signs of public capitulation.


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The days of the Nokia phone appear to be numbered, with reports emerging Microsoft plans to remove the brand from all its future devices.
After dropping hints about plans to kill off the Nokia branding from its future phones last month, the software giant plans to soon make it official, The Verge reports
Microsoft Lumia is said to be the new brand name, and follows a slow transition from Nokia.com to Microsoft's new mobile site.
The decision to erase Nokia from its phone branding does not spell the end for the company.
The Finnish firm, at one point the world's biggest supplier of mobile phones, will instead focus on mapping and network infrastructure.
Microsoft acquired Nokia's phone arm in September 2013 for $8.1 billion.
Source: The Verge


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End of an era: Maruti Suzuki drives out of Gurgaon9 min read 25 Dec 2018, 07:58 AM IST
Change is in the air for Maruti Suzuki's first car plant in Gurgaon that gave birth to the people's carand millennium city
New Delhi: In the second half of 2018, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd began thinking of life beyond Gurugram. It had become far too cumbersome to continue manufacturing cars in the middle of a city which had turned into a bustling megapolis in the blink of an eye. This marks the end of an era—Maruti’s spell in Gurgaon, which dates back to the early 1980s, is an ode to India’s economic transformation.


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The rules have changed and suddenly, not everything is organic or natural when it comes to search engine page ranking.
There are rumors floating that Google is punishing websites that do not subscribe to Adwords or any type of Google ads which are paid advertising tools from this number one search engine.
Of course, the rumors were disputed as not true as Google’s integrity is at stake if this is the case. However, those who are serious with their business and its ability to rank high in this search engine, Adwords is a great concern and are thinking if this will affect their organic search engine optimization activities.
Apparently, this grave concern is not serious at all as both Adwords and organic search have its own merits and demerits and experts have contributed to this on-going discussion on how Adwords impact organic search.
For example, Mark Ginsberg, founder and CEO of Drive Hill Media said that Adwords like running Pay-per-Click (PPC) enhances search and display leads to direct traffic to your site and has greater chances of conversion.
In addition, it helps create impression to Google that you have a brand; thus, there are continuous benefits when you pay for Adwords or PPC specifically.
On the other hand, Francesco Meza of Planet Marketing said that Adwords has no significant effect on ranking. One can use Adwords to find keywords that are effective for search engine optimization. But head researcher for Google found out in his study that doing away with paid ads resulted to 89 percent drop in clicks.
It appears that paid ads will likely to appear 81 percent of the time even if there is no organic search involved. On the other hand, only 9 percent of the time did a search ad show in an organic result in the top tier rank.
Going back to the issue of preferential treatment by Google vis-a-vis natural search and paid advertisement, apparently, there are no issues involved. In an article posted by PMDigital, they enumerated several studies showing how Adwords impact organic search and vice versa. For example, per Google study, there is a drop in clicks when either paid ads or organic search is disregarded.
This was confirmed by a New York University study which discovered that when Adwords and high ranking keyword are placed and both implemented, conversion rate in both methods rise. The list also highlight a 2007 study which showed brand recall is higher if company will use paid ads and high ranking organic keywords are used at the same time.
There is that chance that Adwords can impact organic ranking but not in the way that marketers thought about.
Apparently, there is a symbiotic relationship existing for both and it appears that one cannot do without the other. This is the reason why Google has separate metrics for Adwords and organic search. With that, it is still not time to do away with organic search and ignore Adwords. It is time to use both as a tool to check if your online marketing efforts are effective.
Choosing your domain name. What’s good for your...
Search engine optimization, also known as SEO is...
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A good copywriter is like the heart in our body. It...


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Last summer, after four years of teasing, EA revealed that a fourth Skate game is in the works. When the news was announced (during the EA Play conference) it may have seemed a little anti-climactic: We went from having NO skateboarding games to look forward to in the near future to having a handful of viable options, like Session, Skater XL, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Remastered. (And Skapp.) Plus, how were we to know that EA wasn’t just trolling? In 2016, as a response to our ‘Make EA Skate Again’ campaign, the company engaged Gaming Twitter with some mysterious tweets which caused conspiracy theorists to lose their minds; in 2017, EA said the game is “not in development”; in 2018, the EA Skate servers came back online (there was a good explanation for that); then, in 2019, news leaked that EA wasn’t renewing the Skate trademark (there was a good explanation for that, too—sometimes online sleuths can be a little overzealous).
But this time it’s different. EA announced today that it has formed a new studio in Vancouver, Canada, which will handle development of the next Skate (the previous game was released in 2010). The studio, called Full Circle, will also enlist Skate’s creative leadership, Deran Chung and Cuz Parry, both having been “integral to the creation of the franchise and the development of all three original games.” The day that we’ve all been waiting for is coming… soon?
Revisit our 2016 ‘Make EA Skate Again’ campaign video, below!


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Google has lit the news canon at its annual India event which takes place in New Delhi today. The search giant announced changes to its Tez payment service, and it has also introduced a subtle AI-powered feature for its Google Go search app: website reading. You can bet these are the first of many product announcements to come today.
The U.S. firm introduced Google Go — which is essentially a data-light search app for emerging markets — last year, and this new feature is designed to increase its appeal across India, particularly for non-English audiences.
A quick refresher: Hindi and English are the official national languages of India, but its billion-plus population is hugely diverse with more than 20 other languages recognized. The majority of those living in urban India are comfortable with English, but companies are increasingly aware that they need to cater to other tongues in order to offer even basic online services to the rest (majority) of the country.
Google isn’t alone in adopting this approach — it is actually a relative laggard — but now it is trying to help translate the web with this new Google Go feature.
Google said the addition can make website reading just like watching TV or listening to the radio. The feature reads out text in one of 28 supported languages whilst highlighting each word on the page as it goes. The firm said it uses AI to seek out the most important information on a web page, and also to play it back in each language.
There are obvious use cases for activities that pull attention away from reading, such as cooking, but more widely the feature is seen as part of Google Go’s general approach to making information more accessible to those who are relatively inexperienced when it comes to using the internet.
“The new feature is inspired by user research in India, where we heard from people how important it is to understand information effortlessly. Especially for people coming online for the first time, consuming long-form text on a small device can be difficult and time-consuming. With this new feature, you can just press play and follow along,” the company wrote in a statement.
It added that it is looking into ways to add the feature to other Google apps in the future, so stayed tuned.


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Blair Atholl, Glenalmond and Tummel Bridge are next in line for a high-speed broadband boost from the £410m Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband roll-out.
The first fibre connections are due to go live this winter connecting hundreds of homes and businesses in the small Perth and Kinross communities.
More than 600,000 premises across the country can already connect to their fastest-ever broadband speeds through the Digital Scotland roll-out, including almost 50,000 premises reached in the last three months, many of which are in rural locations.
In Perth and Kinross, premises in Abernethy and Birnam are among the latest to benefit.
In total, around 2,800 new fibre street cabinets are now live across 620 Scottish exchange areas. More than 7,500km of cable has been laid – enough to stretch all the way from Perth to Kathmandu.
Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the rural economy and connectivity, said: “We are now more than half way through the roll-out of the programme and as we progress we are starting to reach very small and more remote communities, like Tummel Bridge in Perth and Kinross. Deploying fibre to areas like this is part of the plan to help ensure Scotland becomes a world class digital nation by 2020.”
Fibre broadband offers fast and reliable broadband connections at speeds of up to 80Mbps and there are many suppliers in the marketplace to choose from. It enables multiple users to go online at the same time and speeds up internet services, uploads and downloads.


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CiR Launch 2015 Nationality Research Programme
17th December 2014
CiR has today launched the first of a planned 12 easy-access nationality studies, to be made available to industry executives throughout 2015.
Utilising its on-line ShopperREACH panel, consisting of international travellers from more than 200 countries, the commercial development agency states it will be researching and reporting on one key nationality every month during the year ahead.
Commencing with research on Chinese travellers from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the first report, available end January 2015, will contain key findings and insight into the needs and perceptions of airport shopping for this important travelling group.
[Key insights from this report will also be published in the official magazine of the TFWA China Century conference published by TRB in March].
CiR Research Director, Alison Hughes states,’ We’re bringing to market vital research on key nationalities in an accessible and cost effective manner, providing brand and retail executives access to in-depth information with ease. The report will cover seven core categories, including Fashion & Accessories and Watches & Jewellery, and will provide insight into the shopper profile, purchase behaviour and motivations for product selection, as well as changing attitudes towards travel’.
Hughes continues, ‘Using our on-line panel, we’ll be researching a mix of key nationalities such as Russians, Brazilians and Japanese, the emerging nations such as Columbians and Indonesians, and nations with potentially high value, that were revealed in our recent Global 2014 Traveller Study, such as Korean, Indonesian, Thai and Malaysian travellers. We’ll be making our reports available via our website or direct to our clients on a regular basis’.
CiR Managing Director Garry Stasiulevicuis adds, ‘Having just completed an in-airport study with more than 40,000 shoppers and now with our plans to publish regular, low cost and easy access reports, we’re standing by our commitment to provide the industry with a gateway to research, insight and intelligence for budgets of all sizes’.
For more information on the agency’s reports for 2015, contact Alison Hughes on email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Siemens and NVIDIA plan to pair digital twin models with real-time AI to create what the two companies are calling an industrial metaverse.
“The digital twin is the virtual representation of the real product and the value of that digital twin is how closely we can bring the virtual world and the real world together,” Tony Hemmelgarn, president and CEO of Siemens explained in a press briefing.
The merger of the two companies’ technologies means “we can now fuse data from the point of design, all the way through product life cycle management, all the way through the automation of plants to the optimization of the plant after deployment — that entire life cycle can now be in one world,” NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang said in a statement.
The two companies promise that the industrial metaverse will allow manufacturing customers of any size to be able to immediately analyze issues, identify root causes, and simulate and optimize solutions, thanks to the AI-infused, real-time photorealistic virtual environments. So, for example, if something goes wrong on the factory floor, teams of users from around the world will be able to meet, virtually, to collaborate and use the connected digital twin to quickly identify, troubleshoot and solve the problem.
The partnership also promises to make factories more efficient and sustainable. Users will more easily be able to turn data streaming from the factory floor PLCs and sensors into AI models, say the companies. These models can be used to continuously optimize performance, predict problems, reduce energy consumption, and streamline the flow of parts and materials across the factory floor, the companies said.
Ultimately every component inside a factory can be inspected and optimized — and eventually, automated by AI, according to a NVIDIA blog post. A robotic conveyer belt could, for example, be trained to alert an operator when the conveyor motor is undergoing excessive energy draw due to improperly greased rollers, saving time and maintenance costs.
During a June 29th launch event in Munich Siemens and Nvidia’s CEOs conducted a fireside chat with Milan Nedeljković, a member of BMW AG’s Board of Management.
Nedeljković explained how BMW Group is working with both Siemens and NVIDIA to move forward its iFACTORY initiative. By the end of next year BMW will offer 13 fully electrified cars so it needs to change factory equipment,the production environment, and its processes.
The digital twin itself is not the challenge,” Nedeljkovic said, outlining BMW’s plans to create sophisticated digital models of its manufacturing process that are linked, in real time to real-world factories. “The challenge is to link into this digital twin the existing systems one by one, and to have any change in the digital twin being reverted in the original planning tools,” he said, according to a summary of the fireside chat published on NVIDIA’s blog.
In manufacturing, digital twins can be used to compare the design of a product to the physical version produced – looking for product flaws, for example, or virtual environments can be set up for the purpose of simulation. For example, BMW utilized simulation for six months at a new factory, building virtual cars on a one-to-one scale within the metaverse, before deploying the final layout for the factory. In the process of those six months, the company changed about 30% of the design from the original based on the results of the simulation. “They’ve not said publicly how much more efficient it was, but they did say that about 30% of what they thought was the world’s best factory on day one of the simulation had to change in the process,” Richard Ward, a senior expert on VR at McKinsey said in an interview on automate.org, a site run by the Association for Advancing Automation, a global trade association that represent the robotics, machine vision, motion control, and industrial AI industries.“These are people who build new factories on a daily basis, and they still found that level of learning from the simulation.”
Manufacturing companies that aren’t “at the very least experimenting with [AR and VR] today are at risk of falling behind in the near future,” global market intelligence firm IDC’s Tom Mainelli told automate.org. “AR/VR will not only help manufacturers digitally transform their businesses, but they will be key to recruiting, onboarding, and upskilling their workforce in the future.”
In a June report McKinsey predicted the metaverse will generate $5 trillion in revenues by 2030 and impact every industry.
To read more of The Innovator’s News In Context stories click here.


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Quirky lifestyle property Pucca has a new licensee in the form of Scottish firm PBF International.
The company - which also has offices in South America, Vietnam, Thailand, China and Hong Kong - will produce a line of indoor and outdoor footwear for the UK and Italian markets. It will concentrate on the likes of trainers, rain boots, slippers and flip flops, with the first products rolling out early next year.
"We are really happy to have secured PBF International as the latest licensee for Pucca," said Richard Woolf, director of international licensing at JCP. "They have been working with many high profile brands and we believe their expertise will help to develop another successful product range for this funky lifestyle brand."
Lee Mackie, brand manager at PBF, added: "We have a passion for high quality, design-led footwear and surround ourselves with people who are passionate about our brands. We believe that with Pucca's unique and quirky personality we will maximise the potential of this already well-loved character."


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April 28, 2010
The owners of Monroe County convenience store businesses have been arrested on charges that they stole sales tax they collected from customers but failed to send in to the state, the Florida Department of Revenue announced.
Ariful Haque, 47, of Parkland, Mohammed Abdul Mannan, 42, of Key West, Mohammed Aminur Rahman, 30, of Key West surrendered to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department between April 23 and April 27 on felony charges relating to white collar crime, money laundering, failure to file tax returns and pay tax. Mohammed Maksudur Rahman, 53, of Naples surrendered to Collier County authorities. Abdul Q. Miah, 66, of Key West has arranged to surrender himself on April 28 to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. A sixth defendant, Khadija Arif, 38, is currently out of the country. If convicted, all face up to 30 years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines for the aggravated white collar crime, which is the commission of any fraudulent act or conspiracy to commit any fraudulent act that victimizes in the amount of $50,000 or more. Haque, Mannan, and the Rahmans face up to 5 years in prison and $5,000 for each of 18 felony counts, as well as possible repayment of stolen tax, interest, penalty and investigative costs in the operation of Joined Islands, Inc. doing business as Kickin Back Food Mart, 21362 Overseas Highway, Cudjoe Key, Florida. In addition, Haque, Mannan, Miah and Arif face felony charges relating to sales tax violations in the operation of Treasure Coast West, Inc. doing business as Sunbeam Market, 500 White Street, and Arif USA, Inc. doing business as Caroline Street Market, 712 Caroline Street, both in Key West.
According to Revenue Department investigators, the owners routinely collected tax from customers at Kickin Back Food Mart. However, during various periods between August 2006 and December 2007, they failed to send in to the state all of the sales taxes that they had collected. Investigators found that they had illegally kept $11,890.17 in tax money. Investigators also found that in the operation of the Sunbeam and Caroline Street Markets, taxable merchandise was regularly sold and the sales tax was not sent in to the state as required. Under state law, sales tax is the property of the state at the moment of collection.
"Most Florida businesses do an excellent job of meeting the state's requirements for collecting and submitting sales tax, which pays for services Floridians need," said Lisa Echeverri, Executive Director, Florida Department of Revenue. "Individuals who collect tax but don't send it in are stealing taxpayer dollars and gaining an unfair financial advantage over honest businesses. It's our job to ensure that Florida's tax laws are administered fairly."
If you have information about tax crimes, please call the Florida Department of Revenue investigations office in Key West at 305-293-1589.


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BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA– AD STARS 2020 is bringing together a diverse mix of the world’s most inspiring creative, production and technology experts for a free online festival on October 22 to 23.
“It’s a great shame that we cannot welcome speakers or delegates in person to Korea this year due to coronavirus travel restrictions, but we still hope to continue supporting our industry with ideas and inspiration,” explains Chloe Moon, Head of Awards at AD STARS, a global festival that combines creativity with cutting-edge technology.
This year’s program includes:
Welcome Session – Nack Hoi Kim, Chairman, Korea Federation of Advertising Associations (South Korea)
Former CEO of Cheil Worldwide Nack Hoi Kim is presenting a timely session called, ‘The power of rethinking advertising’. He’ll argue that even in a technology-driven era, creative solutions must be at the heart of the problem-solving process. He will also discuss the latest initiatives he is exploring at the Korea Federation of Advertising Associations.
Welcome Session – Hwan Jin Choi, Chairperson, AD STARS (South Korea)
Hwan Jin Choi will explain the theme of AD STARS 20202: ‘Re:AD’, which means to ‘rethink, redefine and redesign ads’. He will also touch on ‘Untact’, a marketing term coined in South Korea to describe a contactless world where brands utilise technology to reduce person-to-person contact – all the more relevant in 2020.
John Ford, Founder & CEO, The One Centre (Australia)
JFK once said, “In times of crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognize the opportunity”. This special ONEtalks presentation for AD STARS 2020, ‘The Brands Saving the World’, will showcase brands across categories, countries and cultures who have pivoted, mobilized, publicised and suddenly risen in the war against COVID-19 and its attack on our health, economy and way of life. Be inspired and entertained by short, rich case studies on a dozen brands who have been taking tangible action during COVID-19 – and saving the world in the process. As Founder and CEO at The One Centre, John Ford creates and launches new ventures to the world working with clients and venture capitalists. ONEtalks is The One Centre’s innovation talk series about the brands disrupting the world.
Sungkwon Ha, Associate Creative Director, Publicis New York (USA)
In a provocative talk called, ‘The Betrayal of A Promising Job,’ Ha will encourage creatives to rethink their preconceived notion of a “great job” using insights and data from advertising agencies and businesses. In life before Publicis New York, Ha won the very first Future Lions Award, and in 2015, he won Gold at the AD STARS New Stars competition. In addition to his role at Publicis New York, Ha is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Visual Arts.
Jihye Lee, Senior Designer, Art Director, Google (Japan)
For the past few years Google’s in-house creative team, Brand Studio APAC, have put their heart and soul into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with Google joining as an Official Supporter of the Tokyo Games. Then along came COVID-19 with lockdowns implemented all over the world. Google’s Olympic campaign was cancelled and 10 huge billboards secured in Shibuya lost their significance. In a session called, ‘Building Brand Love in Times of COVID’, Lee will explain how Google quickly pivoted to rethink its Shibuya billboards and launch creative campaigns in Japan, Korea, Thailand and Australia. In 2019, Lee was awarded the title of Creative Captain for the Women Leading Change Awards by Campaign Asia.
KJ Lee, Executive Director, Serviceplan (South Korea)
KJ Lee will explain the importance of e-commerce strategy through Serviceplan Korea’s SK hynix case study. SK hynix ranks #1 in Amazon’s Best Seller ranking – up from #217 – thanks to a strategy devised by Serviceplan. KJ has worked on both sides of the client/agency fence in his 18 years of industry experience.
Hira Mohibullah, Executive Creative Director, BBDO (Pakistan)
In this exclusive talk for AD STARS, ‘Broke as hell? Get creative AF’, you’ll learn why the measure of your creativity and effectiveness is how you tell your story, not how deep your wallet is. Hira Mohibullah believes that having a tiny budget can be an advantage. It can send you off the beaten path, using media in unconventional ways to tell a powerful story. From designing a show-stopper at a fashion show to advocating against child marriages, or using intricate henna patterns to fight the custom of dowry, Mohibullah will explain how she uses the power of advertising – with little or no media spend – to impact positive social change in Pakistan. Mohibullah is an Executive Creative Director, a mother of two, an advocate for gender balance in the workplace and a former TEDxLahore speaker.
Cesar Noda, CEO, VRGlass (Brazil / Korea)
This session, ‘VR/AR/MR is still the next new thing?’ will provide a fascinating overview of the Extended Reality (XR) market, showing a little of the past, present and the future of this “new thing” that is not so new at all. Cesar Noda began his career in Brazil as a copywriter and creative director and joined VRGlass Korea in 2017.
Christine Park, Head of Edelman Brand & Digital and Brand Development & Operation Lead, Edelman APAC (Korea)
Christine Hayoung Park is one of Asia’s most respected branding experts with almost 20 years of experience in integrated brand marketing strategy and activation. Her latest recognitions include Campaign Asia’s Women Leading Change Awards 2018: Innovation of the Year and Women to Watch Award 2017. In a session called, ‘Brands Reimagined in an Uncertain Era’, she will discuss the choices and opportunities facing brands in uncertain times. At Edelman Korea, Park has significantly grown the company’s client base and established an in-house digital trend research function, EDK Lab.
Luke Ritchie, Nexus Studio, Head of Interactive Arts (United Kingdom)
Take a behind the scenes look at recent award-winning work from Nexus Studios, which demonstrates the mind-blowing possibilities of storytelling through hyper-realistic AR content seamlessly integrated into real world environments. In a session called ‘Enhancing Locations with AR’, Luke Ritchie will show how next generation Augmented Reality is influencing how we experience the world around us. He leads XR & Interactive Arts at Nexus Studios, the BAFTA- winning, Emmy-nominated production studio based in Los Angeles, London, and Sydney.
Pascal Robin, General Manager, Sanofi Pasteur (South Korea)
Vaccine companies are in the spotlight in 2020, so AD STARS invited Sanofi Pasteur’s Pascal Robin to present a session on ‘Helping Hands’, the company’s signature social responsibility program. Since 2011, Sanofi Pasteur has conducted annual flu vaccinations for homeless and housing vulnerable people, vaccinating a total of 42,100 people in Seoul. He’ll share the results of an impact study to understand the effectiveness and social contribution of the long-term program. With 20+ years in the pharmaceutical industry, Robin joined Sanofi Pasteur in 2002.
Hua Shao, Host and Producer at Zhejiang Leisure Entertainment Co. Ltd (China)
Award-winning host and producer Hua Shao will shed light on China’s huge shoppertainment industry and his approach to achieving the highest conversion rates while gaining popularity among his followers. Hua is well known in China having won accolades including Best Host in China at The Tripod Awards and Best Host at the Asia Rainbow TV Awards. His first live telecast selling on the Kuai Shou app took place in June 2020 and resulted in sales worth a phenomenal 170 million RMB (USD$25m) with a total of 15.8 million viewers. Throughout the month of June, he was rated as the ‘Top Commercial Livestreamer’ in his first month.
Insup Shin, Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Communication, Chung-Ang University (South Korea)
At 91 years old, Insup Shin is a living legend in Korea’s adverting industry. In this special presentation for AD STARS, he will reflect on a strange event at the Dong-A Daily in 1974: an attempt to stifle Dong-A by forcing it to stop placing ads in the paper. It made international news overnight. Shin will tell the story of ‘The Power of a Two-line, Two-dollar Ad’ – a concept devised by Dong-A Daily’s Advertising Director to keep Dong-A alive. Forty-six years on, the regime that waged war on the Dong-A Daily is gone. But how much influence have ‘Two-line, Two dollar Ads’ had in the development of the Freedom of Press in Korea? “Good Question. History will tell you,” says Shin.
Guohua Zhang, President, China Advertising Association (China)
Guohua Zhang will explain some of the measures the China Advertising Association is taking to help our industry not only survive in China but contribute to reigniting the economy. Zhang will also ask whether industry organizations need to transform themselves to adapt to the post-pandemic era. “Where there is a crisis, there is a turning point. The pandemic brings us an opportunity to examine ourselves and our industry. We should face up to the difficulties, take the initiative and take active actions,” he says.
AD STARS Job Mentoring Session
This session is targeted at students who dream of working abroad and is especially targeted at Korean students, although all students are welcome. Led by Harim Oh, Senior Copywriter at TBWA KOREA and Sungkwon Ha, Associate Creative Director at Publicis New York, it will be live-streamed and includes a Q&A session.
Special Session – Dotty (aka Hee Sun Na), Chief Creative Officer of Sandbox Network (South Korea)
With 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube, Dotty will present ‘Advertising is Content’, sharing the secrets to his success as a popular game creator and Chief Creative Officer of Sandbox Network. He achieved a YouTube Creator Award in 2016, which recognize YouTube’s most popular channels. All sessions are free to watch via the AD STARS website. To be inspired by leaders who are impacting society in positive ways through advertising and creativity, tune in on October 22 – 23 via www.adstars.org.


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Amazon.com and other online-only stores are not required to pay sales tax in most states. That’s thanks to a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that says stores must only collect the taxes in states where they have a physical presence. So in Amazon’s case, Washington residents pay up because Amazon is based there, Kansas residents pay because Amazon has a distribution center in that state, but if you’re in, say, Wyoming, you pay nothing.
Works out pretty well for Amazon, which gains a pricing advantage over rivals like Barnes & Noble or Wal-Mart or Best Buy, who have stores all over. Doesn’t work out so great for many states who are strapped for cash and would like to recoup some of the billions of dollars in would-be tax dollars.
We talk to David Gamage, a professor of law at UC Berkeley’s law school. He says Amazon’s brick-and-mortar rivals are pushing hard to take away Amazon’s advantage and “sponsoring and trying to campaign for legislation to make sure Amazon and other online retailers will be taxed.”
Gamage says Amazon is also claiming that if it has to live up to every tax code across the nation, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to navigate it all. Thousands of jurisdictions are out there, each with its own version of tax law to obey.
Michelle Quinn joins us from the online political magazine Politico. She says many states have tried to establish a streamline sales tax initiative, and just use the same policy from state to state. But getting all the states on the same page can be tricky. Twenty-four states have agreed to it, but 26 have not.
The other option is a federal law governing the establishment of a uniform online sales tax. Amazon has gone on the record as not opposing such a measure since it would at least be only one uniform law to follow. States would get their revenues so they support it, as do the stores with physical locations. This is the kind of initiative that Sen. Durbin is said to be introducing soon. It’s also the kind of bill that’s been floating around for years and never passed, due in part to the heavy weight that goes with any possibility of being seen as increasing taxes, especially heading into an election year.
Also in this program, Microsoft will soon prevent you from creating a Hotmail account with an easily guessed password like “password” or “123456” or the always clever “qwerty.”
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
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Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.


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Shipments of DVDs surged past the 2 billion mark during the third quarter as DVD players are expected to be in more than half of U.S. homes by the end of the year, according to figures released Tuesday by the Digital Entertainment Group.
With third-quarter shipments to retailers at a blistering pace of nearly 215 million units -- a 40 percent increase from the same period last year -- shipments have surpassed 2 billion since the format was first introduced to consumers in the third quarter of 1997.
"What keeps catching us all by surprise is that you still see people purchasing 20-22 DVD titles per year," said DEG Executive Director Amy Jo Donner. "Those are big numbers at this point. The format has really changed the way people are viewing movies in the home."
There are now more than 26,000 titles currently available to consumers and among the most popular third-quarter releases were recent box office hits "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," "Chicago" and a special edition of "Scarface."
The continued climb in software sales is connected to the increase in sales of DVD players -- up 36.4 percent during the quarter compared with 2002. More than 6.4 million players were sold in the United States during the months of July, August and September.
In all, more than 73 million DVD players have been sold since the launch six years ago, bringing the number of U.S. households with DVD players to more than 48 million. Many homes now have more than one player.
"As DVD-recordable products continue to gain momentum, we're also seeing a marked rise in the purchase of second-room units, many of which are either combination or multidisc/carousel models," said DEG Vice President Joe Stinziano, general manager of home audio/video for Sony Electronics.
With such solid third-quarter results, the industry expects even more phenomenal sales in the fourth quarter, which includes the holiday season. DVDs have become a popular gift item and such summer blockbusters as "Finding Nemo," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "X2: X-Men United," "Bruce Almighty," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "Bad Boys 2" will be on sale in the coming weeks and months.
DVD sets of television shows have been one of the fastest-growing genres and November/December releases include "Friends: Complete Fifth Season," "The X Files: Complete 8th Season," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Complete Fourth Season" and "The Honeymooners: Classic 39 Episodes."
"Not only has the hardware penetration grown beyond our expectations, the lineup and diversity of the software titles being offered will prove to make this year end (with) phenomenal success," said DEG President Bob Chapek, who is president of Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment.


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FRESNO, Calif. -- Looking for a job? Home Depot is hiring 280 freight workers across California this week.
Freight workers move product and materials throughout stores to make sure shelves are stocked for customers.
The home improvement store said they are holding hiring events at all California locations on Wednesday from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Applicants can apply online prior to arrival.
Click here for more information.
Home Depot holding hiring events at all California locations
More TOP STORIES News


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My most recent article, titled "Haren Here, Marmol There" talked about the trade made between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels. The Trade was a swap; Dan Haren for Carlos Marmol. I examined the deal, but later, following the posting of the article, the trade was confirmed as dead. Apparently, Carlos Marmol leaked it to a dominican reporter that he had been traded to the Angels, the reporter inferred that the player going to the Cubs was Haren, and the news spread like a wildfire.
The Cubs reported no trade, and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirmed it. So, take the previous article as an interesting hypothetical. I'm not completely surprised by this. This trade felt fishy from the beginning, as the Cubs seemed to be getting too good a deal. On the other hand, I bought into it just like everyone else. Nonetheless, there was no trade today between the Cubs and the Angels, instead the Angels will have to pay Haren's $3.5 million buyout as no one is reporting they picked up his option before 11pm eastern standard time.
Overall this will save the Angels more money that if this trade had actually happened, but then again, they didn't get Carlos Marmol.


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Nykaa has begun discussions to raise $50-150 million, in a financing round that will value the fashion and beauty retailer at $2 billion.
Nykaa is seeking a valuation of $3.5 billion (Rs 25,000 crore) during its initial public offering (IPO) in 2022, The Economic Times reported.
Also read: The coming Indian internet IPO rush—what’s at stake, decoded
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the valuation.
Falguni Nayar, the founder of Nykaa, had not yet responded when contacted by The Economic Times.
Nykaa has been recording an annual revenue run rate of around $600 million, the report said. In March 2020, Nykaa had raised $1.2 billion in a funding round led by Steadview Capital, which valued the company at $1.2 billion (Rs 9,100 crore).
"The company wants to realign its cap-table before the IPO, hence some of the early backers may exit making way for newer investors," a source told the paper.
Nykaa is likely to pick Kotak Mahindra Capital, JP Morgan, Citi, and IIFL as investment bankers to assist with the proposed listing.
Zomato, Delhivery, and Policybazaar are some other internet startups that are planning on listing on exchanges.


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Yahoo committed to openness but will follow laws
Yahoo on Monday made broadly worded commitments to work for greater openness in countries where it operates, while also saying it needs to comply with local laws, in a statement released just days before government hearings in Washington on U.S. Internet companies’ China operations.
Yahoo has come under fire for giving information to China’s government that helped prosecute Chinese journalist Shi Tao last year, and the company has also been accused of handing over information about political activist Li Zhi. Yahoo has since transferred day-to-day control of its China operations to Chinese Internet company Alibaba.com Corp.
The criticism has come at the same time as attacks on Google Inc. for its launch of a search site in China that blocks results that the government has deemed sensitive. The U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Global Human Rights, Africa and International Operations is set to hold hearings Wednesday to investigate how U.S. Internet companies operate in China. Representatives of Yahoo and Google, as well as Microsoft Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., and advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, are expected to attend.
“We recognize each country enacts its own laws in accordance with its own local norms and mores, and we must comply with applicable laws. We also believe our presence significantly benefits a country’s citizens through access to services and information,” Yahoo said.
The Sunnyvale, California, company offers localized content in 12 languages in more than 20 countries, it said. Like other Internet portal companies, it is expanding its products from search, news and e-mail to other areas including shopping and entertainment content.
Yahoo said it is committed to open availability of the Internet and would take four steps as a result:


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Ash InSource LLC, Indianapolis, announces Keith Roddy has been named national sales director, where he is responsible for directing and growing sales of annuities in distribution platforms including banks, national and regional firms as well as independent financial services professionals.
“Keith brings a wealth of expertise and sales experience in developing annuity distribution on a national level,” says Deck McCormick, Ash InSource CEO. “Our appetite for developing consistent sales activity for institutional business will be a major focus for Keith in this role.”
Roddy, who has spent 25 years in the industry, previously spent 15 years with Guardian Life as the senior vice president and national sales director for investor services. While at Guardian Life, he raised more than $8 billion in annuity and mutual fund assets.


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Barnes and Noble Archive
There have been recent rumors that Microsoft is currently developing its own reading app for Windows, one that would allow interactive reading of books, magazines and comics. A Microsoft job listing a few weeks back even confirmed
As rumors go, this is one the juiciest ones to come around this year. Barnes and Noble is the biggest in the books business, as far as retail presence goes. But the company has seen better days.
The plot thickens. The website TheVerge is reporting that Barnes and Noble have ruled out any involvement in Microsoft’s mystery announcement today. Update: A Barnes & Noble spokesperson has confirmed to The Verge that the company is not part of
Yesterday (Monday), Microsoft teamed up bookselling giant Barnes & Noble in a joint venture. This is squarely aimed at grabbing a bigger share of the rapidly growing market for electronic books. Microsoft will make a $300 million
Barnes & Noble is throwing their hat into theb tablet ring with the Nook Tablet. This is a $249 lightweight tablet optimzed for reading e-books, streaming movies and browsing the Web. This Nook is the next-generation of


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Update: leather-back phones are a thing of the past, you say? Check out how cool these black and brown P20 Pro models look. For €999, they can be yours, and they pack 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Scroll down for image.
As a report previously suggested two weeks ago, new Huawei P20 colors are being added to the line-up. The company made the announcement at its IFA 2018 keynote, when it introduced the new Kirin 980 SoC, as well as its first Alexa-powered smart speaker, the AI Cube.
Morpho Aurora and Pearl White are their official designations. With the addition of these new Huawei P20 colors, the number of gradient shades available has doubled to four. Nature is what inspired Huawei in creating these gradient shades, as the company admits. “The Morpho Aurora was inspired by the Morpho butterfly, while the Pearl White exudes the same elegance as the iridescent mother-of-pearl“, says the official wording.
Previously, the Huawei P20 was available in Pink Gold and Midnight Blue, and the Huawei P20 Pro in Twilight and Midnight Blue gradients. In addition to the non-gradient Black, there will now be four Huawei P20 colors to choose from.


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Under the EU's new Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple has introduced a number of changes to the App Store that continue to face criticism.
Microsoft is working on its own Xbox mobile store, which would become an alternative to the app and game stores from Apple and Google. Apple's willingness to charge developers even when their apps are downloaded to iPhones and iPads outside of the App Store has been called a «step in the wrong direction» by the company.
“We believe that constructive conversations drive change and progress towards open platforms and greater competition. Apple's new policy is a step in the wrong direction. We hope they will listen to feedback on the proposed plan and work towards a more inclusive future for everyone,» said Xbox president Sarah Bond in a note on X (Twitter).
As a reminder, the new EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) will enter into force on March 7, according to which Apple must allow iPhone and iPad users in the European Union access to third-party application stores, not just its own App Store, as well as alternative payment methods for products and services in applications. At the same time, the company decided to keep fees for developers for installing applications and payments outside the App Store. Such developers will be paid €0.50 for each annual app install after 1 million downloads, as well as a 17 percent commission on purchases.
Apple's new plan has already drawn criticism from Epic Games and Spotify. Spotify accused Apple of extortion and called on EU regulators to take action. The European Commission says it will respond to changes proposed by Apple in March.


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ERJ staff report (DS)
Tokyo -- Bridgestone Corp. said it has shipped its 10 millionth runflat tyre in April. The company said it shipped 5 million of the tyres in August 2006.
Bridgestone Group produces runflat tyres at six plants in four countries worldwide - Japan, the United States, Poland and South Africa (from 30 April, 2008).
This is an external link and should open in a new window. If the window does not appear, please check your pop-up blocking software. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Press release from Bridgestone


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Realme recently rolled out a new ColorOS update to its Realme X smartphone. The company has now postponed the rollout of the update after a critical bug was found by the developers.
The announcement comes on Realme forum where Realme has now put a ‘postponed’ label on it. The page now states that “The developers have found a critical bug before the update reached more devices. As a consequence the update has been put off temporarily. We will update this thread and provide the manual link to download the A.09 firmware as soon as the bug has been fixed and the rollout has started again.” The post will be updated as soon as the rollout is restarted.
The update was rolled out with version number RMX1901EX_11_A.09 and it brought October 2019 security patch as well. The official changelog revealed that the update brought Updated charging animation, Added font feature to Theme Store, Added realme Laboratory, Added Dark Mode, Added option for notification dots for updates and Quickly enter hidden applications list with fingerprints.
The new update also added option to swipe down on home screen for global search or notification center, added fast switch toggle between SIMs in notification center, removed the reminder after the hotspot is enabled and the prompt when phone is rooted. It also improved touch experience when gaming and fixes some applications’ behavior.
Earlier,Realme X received an updatebringingSeptember security patch, redesigned notification panel and more.


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Pernod Ricard’s full-year earnings get boost from China’s New Year
By Thomas Buckley - Apr 19th 2018, 15:34
Growth in profit from recurring operations will be about 6%; the Chivas Regal maker’s shares rose as much as 1.8% in early trading in Paris.
China’s New Year celebrations drove a surge in demand for Pernod Ricard’s spirits, helping the world’s second-largest distiller boost its full-year earnings forecast and pledge bigger rewards for shareholders by overhauling its dividend policy.
Growth in profit from recurring operations will be about 6%, the top end of a previous target of between 4% and 6%, Paris-based Pernod Ricard said in a statement.. Its shares rose as much as 1.8% in early trading in Paris.
The maker of Chivas Regal whisky also plans to pay a bigger share of its earnings in the form of dividends to shareholders, reflecting the company’s accelerating profit growth and reduced debt load. Pernod Ricard will decide on a payout between 37% and 50% of profit at the AGM in November, CEO Alexandre Ricard said by phone, as part of a new programme that will see annual payouts progressively lifted to about 50% of earnings over the next three years from a previous rate of about one third.
"The rationale behind this is an acceleration of our performance and significant de-leveraging over the past two to three years, and that our payouts have tended to be below our peers," Ricard said.
China’s lunar New Year festivities in February fell later than usual this year, making for favourable annual comparisons. Pernod Ricard joins Rémy Martin owner Rémy Cointreau and Hennessy maker LVMH in reporting strong sales of cognac in the country, where demand for its Martell brand lifted the group’s revenue by 9.3% on an organic basis in the three months until the end of March. Analysts expected 6.5% growth
Pernod Ricard’s sales in the Americas rose 6%, helped by Jameson Irish Whiskey in the US. The company is seeking to further expand in that market by targeting acquisitions of American whiskeys, Pernod Ricard has said.
The spirits maker sees a full-year negative currency impact of about €200m on profit, Ricard said.©2018 Bloomberg
Woolworths carves out market share in SA
27/11/2019 - 10:11
In Australia, David Jones's sales declined 2.1%, with the company saying a store refurbishment contributed to the decline.
Gearing FMCG manufacturing for the red season spike and maximising profits all year round
25/11/2019 - 11:03
As we enter the festive season, demand for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) increases rapidly, often leaving manufacturers scrambling to fulfill orders from their distribution channel. If demand cannot be met, then loss of revenue is inevitable. However, over-production is not an ideal solution either, as it can leave manufacturers sitting with unsold stock that costs money to store.
Macy's cuts forecast again after gloomy quarter
22/11/2019 - 14:04
Macy’s cut its annual profit forecast for the second time in 2019, as the department store operator blamed weak international tourism and sluggish mall traffic for the first drop in same-store sales in two years.
Sales at Truworths Africa outperform its UK business
12/11/2019 - 13:24
Truworths, which was forced to write down its UK business by a third recently, said that retail sales in that country were flat in the 18 weeks to November 4, although its African operations performed better.
Black Friday could cost careless shoppers dearly
12/11/2019 - 09:38
SA consumers risk paying a lot more than they bargained for if they are careless when shopping online this Black Friday, warns Fortinet.


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A new patent granted to Apple could eliminate issues with incompatible cables and adapters should the technology ever appear in the real world.
The U.S. patent awarded today -- No. 8,280,465 -- describes the ways in which a wireless adapter could interface between a device and an accessory.
Such an adapter could include one wireless interface to talk to the device and a second wireless interface to talk to the accessory. The adapter would be able to handle different wireless protocols, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
"A user may encounter a situation where she has multiple portable media players but one or more of these portable media players are incompatible with one of her accessories," Apple stated in the patent filing. "It may be undesirable to acquire more than one such accessory, not only due to cost reasons, but also because of other concerns, such as limited space...Thus, what is needed are circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide compatibility among incompatible accessories and portable media players.
Apple has run into criticism over its own incompatibilities with its new Lighting interface.
More compact than the traditional 30-pin adapter, Lighting requiresto connect the new iPhone to existing accessories. Users who want to plug their iPhones into their TVs or computer monitors also would reportedly .
The technology described in the patent would let devices with different interfaces communicate with one other, thus reducing the need to buy a host of physical cables.


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Google has removed popular battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India, better known as BGMI, from its Play Store in India following a government order, a year after developer Krafton launched the app following a ban on its other similar title PUBG in the South Asian market. The BGMI game was also removed from Apple’s app store in the country.
The Android manufacturer confirmed the development shortly after the story was published. “Upon receipt of the order, following the established procedure, we have notified the affected developer and blocked access to the app, which remains available on the Play Store in India,” a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch.
The app was pulled from the Play Store by Google Thursday night, and Krafton itself pulled the app from the Apple App Store shortly after, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told TechCrunch. The iPhone maker did not respond to a request for comment.
A Krafton spokesman confirmed the delisting and said the company was seeking clarification. Shares of Krafton plummeted over 9% on Friday before partially recovering.
The development follows growing tension between India and China, two nuclear-armed neighbors that have been particularly at odds since deadly skirmishes along the Himalayan border in 2020. India has since responded to the move by banning over 300 China-linked apps, including PUBG and TikTok, both of which counted India as their largest overseas market by user.
Of the hundreds of apps New Delhi has banned in the country, Krafton’s PUBG was the only title to come back – albeit with a completely revamped avatar.
Krafton said it had severed ties with its publishing partner Tencent, also a key investor in the firm, and pledged to invest $100 million in India’s gaming ecosystem. Krafton — which has backed a number of Indian startups over the past year and a half, including Nodwin Gaming, Loco, Pratilipi and Kuku FM — told TechCrunch earlier this week that it estimates its investment in India will reach about $140 million by next month will reach .
The South Korean-headquartered company announced earlier this week that over 100 million users have signed up for the game in India over the last year since launch. According to Sensor Tower, Battlegrounds Mobile India had amassed over 16.5 million monthly active users in the country.
It was unclear why the Indian government ordered Battlegrounds Mobile India to be blocked. New Delhi has cited national security concerns in banning other apps. (Reuters reported on Friday that India has banned BGMI under Section 69A of the local IT law.)
Last month, a local media report – the authenticity of which has been questioned by many – claimed that a child killed his mother while under the influence of the game. The report gained widespread popularity on social media and reached the nation’s Parliament this month. India’s junior IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said last week law enforcement agencies are investigating the issue.
Indian authorities have raided the local offices of Chinese phone makers Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo over the past few months and have filed tax fraud charges against them. China’s embassy in India earlier this month criticized Indian authorities for “frequent investigations” into phone makers’ local units, warning that such moves are “hindering the improvement of phone providers.” [the] Business Environment” in India and “suppresses the confidence and willingness” of companies of other foreign nations to invest and operate in the South Asian nation.
Krafton has repeatedly stated that BGMI and PUBG are different games and said the company has safeguards in place – like enforcing a time limit on usage of its games, login authentication – to combat any misuse of its titles.
“The game is extremely popular and these problems come with territory. We don’t know the details of the fraud and how it was committed, but these are extreme cases. We are constantly working to provide users with a safe gaming experience,” Krafton India CEO Sean Hyunil Sohn told TechCrunch earlier this week.
He added: “The government doesn’t intervene as to which apps can work and which can’t. They intervene in digital security and privacy concerns, and BGMI adheres to all policies. MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) also noted that PUBG and BGMI are different games,” he added.
Hyunil Sohn said the company is poised to invest another $100 million or more into the Indian gaming ecosystem this year.


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Srinagar May 12: Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone, Srinagar Thursday claimed to have recovered Rs 58 lakh money of three men hailing from north Kashmir’s Bandipora District, south Kashmir’s Awantipora and Srinagar defrauded by online fraudsters.
As per a Cyber Police spokesman, the complainants from Bandipora and Awantipora alleged in their complaints that they have been defrauded by online scammers of an amount of Rs 44 lakhs in online investment/trading scam.
Both complainants received links of fake investment websites on their cell numbers wherein they were promised to get double monetary benefits. The victims fell prey and accessed the website where they got themselves registered on said websites by opening of e-wallets.
After registration, duo victims were made to transfer the hefty amount of Rs 44 Lakhs in the said wallets through various UPI/IMPS transactions. The victims after depositing the said amounts were unable to get benefits and also were not able to withdraw even their own amounts from the said wallets. The complainants then tried hard to reach out on available contact details of said company but all in vain.
Accordingly, both complainants approached Cyber Police Kashmir Zone, Srinagar for redressal of their grievance. Subsequently, the matter was taken up with bank authorities to ascertain the details of UPI/IMPS transactions. During analysis of transactions, it came to fore that the said amount had been settled through online payment gateways. The timely intervention by the team of Cyber Police Kashmir Zone, Srinagar led to holding of the payment of Rs 44 Lakhs in two different payment gateways and later on, the whole amount also got refunded into both these victim’s bank accounts, the Cyber Police spokesman said.
Another compliant was received from one businessman hailing from Srinagar vicinity wherein the victim was cheated by online fraudsters on the pretext of transportation of goods, services through an e-Commerce company web portal.
The complainant was looking for goods-carrier services to transport the goods of his firm. He searched through Google search engine in which an e-Commerce company’s web portal surfaced which was operated by Cyber Scammers.
The complainant contacted on the cell numbers provided for the fake company wherein the fraudsters who picked up the call on the other end and offered him to provide goods/services at low costs. Enticed by the offer, the complainant made online payment of Rs 16 Lakhs. However, on receipt of the money, the complainant was not able to contact the company again. Upon realizing that he was cheated by fraudsters through the above fake web portal, the complainant approached Cyber Police Kashmir Zone, Srinagar for redressal of his grievance.
The matter was taken up with bank authorities to ascertain the details of transactions. During analysis of transactions, it came to fore that the said hefty amount has been transferred through RTGS payment. Likewise, the banking authorities were made to refund the whole amount into the complainant’s bank account.
As per the Cyber Police spokesman, Cyber Police Station, Kashmir has redressed large number of social media and financial fraud-related complaints and in the current year and an amount of approximately Rs 1.50 crore was prevented from being swindled.


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Huawei, Honor, and Vivo smartphones and tablets are displaying strange ‘Security threat’ alerts urging the deletion of the Google app, warning that it is detected as the ‘TrojanSMS-PA’ malware.
In what appears to be a false positive, these security alerts warn that “immediate uninstallation is advised,” as the app is now considered high risk, as shown by the alert below from one of BleepingComputer’s devices.
When users click on the ‘View Details’ option, the alert warns that the app was detected secretly sending SMS messages.
“This app was detected sending SMS privately, enticing users to pay with adult content, downloading/installing apps privately, or stealing private information, which may cause property damage and privacy leakage,” reads the security alert details.
“We recommend uninstalling it immediately.”
BleepingComputer contacted Google to determine if a recent app update might have caused the sudden uptick in malware warnings, but a spokesperson said Google Play Protect is not triggering the alert.
“This security notification was not triggered by Google Play Protect and appears to be from a device that is not Play Protect certified and does not have access to officially download Google’s core apps from Play. We recommend contacting the device manufacturer for further information. Google Play is the only app store where you can officially download Google’s core apps for Android. All Google apps go through the same rigorous testing as all other apps on Google Play. These tests are designed to ensure that apps are safe, secure, and meet Google’s quality standards.” – Google spokesperson.
BleepingComputer has independently verified that these alerts were shown on a Huawei device with Google’s core apps pre-installed (released before the ban) and no side-loaded apps.
Hence, Google’s explanation does not accurately reflect the types of Android devices impacted by these alerts.
BleepingComputer confirmed that these alerts are being shown by the ‘Huawei Optimizer’ app on Huawei devices. However, it is unclear what apps are displaying the alerts for Vivo or Honor phones.
If you have not side-loaded the Google app on your Huawei, Vivo, or Honor phone, it should be safe to ignore the warning and keep it running.
Furthermore, while it is most likely these alerts are false positives, there has been no official comment from the device makers confirming this.
A proposed solution for disabling the “false alarm” is to go to Settings > Apps > Optimizer > App Info > Storage > Clear Cache / Clear Data and then reboot your device.
If that doesn’t work, try to uninstall and reinstall the Huawei Optimizer app.
This action should refresh its outdated signature database, eliminating the incorrect false positive warnings.
BleepingComputer also contacted Huawei and Vivo for a comment, but we have yet to receive a response from the Chinese smartphone makers.
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After a presentation about the growing presence of Airbnb and other home-share companies in the city and a robust discussion among its members, the College Station City Council has directed city staff to gather feedback from home-share, hotel and other tourism stakeholders.
The city is likely missing out on hotel tax revenue because — unlike the state of Texas — the city does not have an agreement with Airbnb or other home-share entities about sharing tax revenue.
Brian Piscacek, assistant to the College Station city manager, delivered a presentation on home sharing to the council Thursday evening. He defined home sharing as “lodging in people’s homes where the owners or long-term-lessees reside.” He said it often caters to those less likely to afford hotels, and to those who prefer neighborhoods.
“The purpose of the presentation was to give an overview of the home-sharing rental model, how cities are addressing it and how it affects us here locally in terms of regulation and enforcement,” Piscacek said in a Friday phone interview.
Airbnb estimates that Brazos County bookings during the 2018 football season resulted in $963,000 in host income through about 8,500 guest arrivals.
The Eagle reported in January that in 2018, more than 600 hosts welcomed guests about 28,000 times in Brazos County through Airbnb, earning about $2.9 million in host income. About 30,000 Texans shared their homes as Airbnb hosts last year.
Piscacek explained that traditional hotels within the city’s limits pay 6% in hotel occupancy taxes (HOT) to the state, 7% in city taxes and another 2.75% to Brazos County.
He added that Airbnb has an agreement with the state of Texas to collect and remit the 6% in state taxes short-term rentals booked through the Airbnb website, but that in many cities and counties, it is incumbent on rental owners themselves to send tax revenues to the appropriate jurisdictions, which most operators do not do.
“The issue is that if there is not an agreement in place for any other level of government, be it county or local, [Airbnb does] not,” Piscacek said. “The host is responsible for collecting and remitting to their local government entities.”
Piscacek said that concerns about affordable housing also play a role in the home sharing discussion, particularly if someone purchases a home primarily to rent that might otherwise be occupied by someone intending to live there.
Piscacek said that in New Orleans, a major tourist destination, 11% of property operators — many of whom live outside Louisiana — control about 42% of the city’s short-term rentals.
The council’s members engaged in a lively discussion following Piscacek’s presentation, with most members expressing a desire to have the city staff gather feedback from the issue’s stakeholders, from hotel owners to home-share operators and others.
Mayor pro tem Linda Harvell said that she requested the conversation.
“I want to continue to see this on the agenda until we can get something created where we can have some of this revenue coming back to the city,” Harvell said.
She said that she would like to see Airbnb and other home-sharing options required to meet the regulatory standards that area hotels must meet, particularly for safety regulations.
Carla Robinson, College Station’s attorney, said during the meeting that the city’s current ordinances, which are geared more toward traditional bed and breakfasts, make it unclear how to proceed if the city wants to bolster regulations on short-term rental policies.
“If the council is considering enforcing short-term rentals in some way, I would suggest that you consider an ordinance that would be specifically addressing sort-term rentals,” Robinson said.
Last month, Airbnb and the Houston First Corporation announced an agreement allowing Airbnb to collect and remit the city of Houston’s hotel tax, which an Airbnb release said would bring millions of dollars in revenue to the city. Airbnb has similar agreements with more than 400 local government entities.
The Houston Chronicle reported that before the agreement, only 174 people had identified with the city as a short-term rental host, despite the presence of more than 6,000 Houston Airbnb listings.
“The overarching issue here is that we recognize that it is a growing market, and that just as you couldn’t have projected what Uber has done over the last 10 years, Airbnb is the same way,” Piscacek said. “It’s been around for about a decade, and its growth has just exploded. Local and regional officials are responding to this new platform that creates this opportunity.”


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According to the ICCO, contrary to market expectations for a balanced supply situation, “adverse weather conditions in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana have led to a change in these expectations.”
Early on in May, the world cocoa industry body foretold with certainty the occurrence of a supply deficit, although compared to the 2021/22 season, the 2022/23 global production is projected to increase by 3.4% to 4.980 million tonnes.
“A deficit of around 100,000 tonnes is currently estimated for the 2022/23 season which just ended,” the ICCO indicated in its Cocoa Market Report for September 2023.
As cumulative port arrivals indicated that the market was heading towards a supply deficit, cocoa prices in real terms surpassed the levels recorded during the 2021/22 season.
The International Cocoa Organisation also said that the news of an expected El Nino weather phenomenon during the period also supported the rally of cocoa prices.
The report described the price situation as “good for some farmers and exporters, but not most of them.”
Cocoa prices in September 2022 averaged US$2,083 per tonne and ranged between US$2,027 per tonne and US$2,160 per tonne in London, while in New York, they averaged US$2,339 per tonne and ranged between US$2,240 per tonne and US$2,438 per tonne.
Overall, cocoa prices remained significantly high for the last month of the 2022/23 season compared to the same period a year ago.
For September 2023, cocoa prices averaged US$3,739 per tonne and ranged between US$3,580 per tonne and US$3,848 per tonne in London. In New York, they averaged US$3,669 per tonne and ranged between US$3,575 per tonne and US$3,874 per tonne
The report also acknowledged the incidence of cross-border flows or smuggling of cocoa beans in some producing countries which it attributed to price disparities.
Meanwhile, cocoa grindings for the year under review are expected to rise by 1.5% to 5.072 million tonnes.


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The Nintendo Wii finally gets a better memory.
Of all the current generations consoles, the Nintendo Wii launched without any planned mass storage solution. The internal 512 MB of memory may be fine for storing game saves, but spending any time at all shopping in the Wii Shop Channel will quickly fill up with Virtual Console games.
Today at the Games Developer Conference, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata revealed during his keynote speech the storage solution for the Wii--the integrated SDHC slot.
Available now for download is the new SD Card Channel that essentially adds the ability for the Wii to run Channels that are stored on an SD card. As the new channel greets users, "Welcome to the SD Card Menu! Here, you can launch channels saved on SD Cards by temporarily utilizing the Wii System Memory."
With this new functionality, gamers can now store as many downloaded Wii Channels as they please thanks to the expanded storage. What’s more, the console now will recognize SDHC cards up to 32 GB--up from the previous maximum of 2 GB.
The downloadable content side of the games business is growing constantly on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network -- but the Wii has always been left out due to storage constraints. With the new SD Card Channel, Wii owners could finally be get be getting all the DLC they’ve been yearning for.


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The Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers’ Market opens its ninth season with a new Market Manager who’s a familiar face to shoppers. In fact, his face is usually the first one customers see.
“People will recognize me and say, ‘Oh yea, you’re the guy who directs traffic’,” said Robert Reid, who has volunteered at the Farmers’ Market since it first opened in 2007.
“I rarely miss a Sunday,” said Reid, who is a former HLT Board of Trustees member and a current member of the Dvoor Farm Committee. “The market is pretty special. It’s such a unique situation for a land preservation organization – an entity that preserves farm land – to sponsor a Farmers’ Market. HLT can help farmers find a farm, and after the farmers grow the produce, we can help them make a living. I don’t know anywhere else in this area where there’s such an obvious link.”
The market begins its ninth season Sunday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dvoor Farm, 111 Mine St. off the route 12 circle in Raritan Township. Every Sunday through Nov. 22 shoppers can find a bounty of locally grown, organic vegetables, grass-fed beef, artisan breads, cheeses, honey, pies, plants and much more. The market also frequently features live music and family-friendly events.
“With the delicious local food and the festive atmosphere fueled by the live music and weekly special events, our Farmers’ Market supports the agricultural legacy of our county and the Dvoor Farm, while serving as a gathering place where new and old friends meet,” said Patricia Ruby, Executive Director of the Hunterdon Land Trust.
Farmers’ Market sponsors this year are Basil Bandwagon Natural Market, Matt’s Red Rooster Grill, Tom McMillan with Weidel Realtors, Provident Bank, Amy Green Environmental Consultants, NJ Environmental News and ShopRite of Flemington.
During the year, shoppers will find these local farmers and vendors at the HLT market:
- Apple Ridge Farm – artisan breads and hearty pastries.
- Blue Mist Hollow Farm – perennial and annual plants.
- Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse — breads, a variety of cheeses – including cave-ripened cheddar, baudolino and drum – and pasta made with emmer wheat.
- Comeback Farm – organic vegetables.
- Fired Up Flatbread Co. food truck – pizza, pastries and The Coffee Scoop’s fresh-brewed coffee.
- Fulper Farms – cheese and yogurt.
- Griggstown Farm – eggs, poultry and poultry products.
- Headquarters Farm – lamb and lamb products.
- Hollandview Farm – microgreens and wheatgrass.
- Locktown Farm — sour pickles, dill pickles, dilly beans, pickled jalapenos and salsa.
- Milford Farms – eggs, beef and pork.
- Phillips Farms — a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, fruit spreads and preserves, flowers, apple cider and more.
- Purely Farm – eggs, pastured pork and turkey.
- Rolling Hills Farm – oyster mushroom kits, organic oyster mushrooms and microgreens.
- Sandbrook Meadow Farm – organic vegetables.
- Sweet Valley Farm (Starting in June) – seasonal fruits and vegetables including corn, eggplants and tomatoes.
- Toadshade Wildflower Farm – native plant seeds, teas and nuts.
- WoodsEdge Wools Farm – llama and alpaca products, honey.
The Farmers’ Market also provides a boost to the local economy, according to a survey conducted by the nonprofit group Market Umbrella. In 2014, the market had a combined economic impact of $2.7 million on its vendors, host neighborhood and surrounding region.
Most farmers accept credit cards and several other honor WIC and the Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. Parking is free and easily accessible.
Image: Robert Reid at the Hunterdon Land Trust Dvoor Farm headquarters.


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Muncie Police are seeking the public's help in identifying two suspects who robbed a Muncie Walmart early Monday morning. Anyone with information is asked to call Muncie Crime Stoppers. Photo provided, Muncie Police Department
Muncie police looking for suspects in Walmart robbery
Muncie Police are looking for information on two suspects after they stole cell phones from Walmart North on Monday morning before 3 a.m.
Muncie police Capt. Joe Todd said the two young black male suspects both entered the store separately, then got together in the store and went back to the electronics department.
The two asked about a cell phone, and when the store clerk went to open the display case, one of the suspects went behind the counter, pinned the clerk up against the wall while the other suspect reached in and grabbed the cell phones, according to Todd.
After they stole the cell phones, Todd said the two left the store.
Anyone with information is asked to call Muncie Police Detectives at 765-747-4867 or Crime Stoppers at 765-286-4050.


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“It’s important to not get ahead of where our customers are.” That counsel is shared by Jen Lowney, head of business and corporate communications at Citi, who knows evolution is crucial to future success, but it must be done thoughtfully.
“The perfect hybrid solution depends on the customer you’re talking about,” she adds.
As Anne Green, principal and managing partner at G&S Business Communications, explains, “Hybrid is not an either-or situation. Consumers are not necessarily a digital monolith, even younger ones. They are very nuanced in what they use and when. There are in-person touchpoints they still value.”
Over the course of this enlightening conversation, Lowney and Green discuss the key role the physical branch still plays, even in a world where digital convenience is paramount and the promise of contactless payments is finally coming true. (About 40% of people still want to deposit checks in person, according to proprietary G&S research.)
Deep dives are also taken into how lessons learned from the 2008 financial crisis are helping the sector be a key part of the solution for consumers today, as well as creative offerings that are helping bridge gaps for underserved communities.
We welcome you to watch the entire conversation with Lowney and Green below.


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Rising costs drive down profit margins in UK Fire Protection
One in three companies in the UK Fire Protection industry are making a loss according to new research from market analysts Plimsoll. Many in the market are finding it difficult to pass on the pain of cost inflation to their customers as competitive pressure is restricting their pricing power.
Lead analyst and author of the new Plimsoll Analysis explains the growing problem in the market: "Whether it's fuel, materials or wage demands every company in the UK Fire Protection industry is being squeezed by ever increasing costs. Sixty-one per cent of companies have seen their gross margin fall in the latest year. Unfortunately, many are reluctant to pass on price rises for fear of losing customers to cost savvy competitors. However, falling profit margins across the industry is the first warning sign that this strategy has become unsustainable.
"Over the past 2 years the average profit margin in the UK Fire Protection industry has fallen to 4 per cent. More worryingly, 352 companies are losing money with 133 of these doing so for the second year running. These companies face a tough decision - protect their market share and continue to lose money or adjust their prices to reflect their increased costs. Without refocusing on the bottom line, many of these companies will simply run out of cash".
"294 companies have managed to actually increase their profit margins over the same period. In all 598 companies have managed to stay in the black despite rising costs. Clearly, operating profitably in the UK Fire Protection industry is difficult but not, as yet, impossible".
The new Plimsoll Analysis - Fire Protection will tell you instantly which companies are prospering in the post-recession market place, those set to be bought out and those heading for trouble - across the whole of the market and in the individual regions. It gives an instant performance rating on 950 companies and highlights those ripe for acquisition. Each company is assessed using the Plimsoll Model - a graphical and written analysis that lays bare the facts and gives you instant opinion.
Readers of FIRE are entitled to a £50 discount of this new special edition of the Plimsoll Industry Analysis - Fire Protection. Call 01642 626400 for further details and quote reference PR/CS39.
Posted: 11.12am, 28.03.11
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