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Huawei is struggling to keep its smartphone business rocking after the ban imposed by the US Government. The company suffered attacks on its hardware and software fronts. The last casualty was the company’s Kirin chipset division. The company now needs to reinvent itself to keep competing in the high-end segment. In order to protect the work done, and also, reduce worries, Huawei decided to sell its Honor smartphone brand to a Chinese group in November last year. Honor as a separate brand already unveiled the Honor V40, but it was still developed under Huawei’s arms. The future phones will have Honor’s own identity, and as a new brand, the company is free to deal with US-related companies.
A couple of days ago, rumors have been suggesting that future Honor phones will come with Google Play Services. Since the ban, Huawei had to develop its own Huawei Mobile Services and AppGallery to give users a way to access Android apps. Now, the company can’t even update its phones to Android 11 and will need to migrate to HarmonyOS soon. When it comes to Honor handsets, the brand’s future smartphones will probably have Android 11 straight out of the box. The whole set of Google apps will be present in the package.
Gizchina News of the week
Honor and Google are already in talks and the Global Honor V40 variant can be the first device to benefit
According to Honor CEO, George Zhao, there is no reason for the company not to partner up with Google again. Since it is free to deal with US companies or companies that use US-related technology, Honor is already making deals with several companies. The brand already confirmed that it is partnering with Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and MediaTek for future devices. So far, Google’s name has been missing in this list. However, in an interview for South China Morning Post, the company’s CEO said that the two companies are already in talks.
We are curious to see if the new deal will benefit the Honor V40. The device was released in China without Google services. However, a deal with Google could mean that the Global variant will be able to get Google Apps. This can change the brand’s story in global markets that have a big reliance on Google services. In fact, Honor will probably absorb the demand for Huawei smartphones with Google apps.


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The recent surge in U.S. auto production is hurting vehicle quality because automotive parts suppliers have less time to fix problems that emerge on the line, Ford Motor Co.’s new global purchasing chief told reporters for Automotive News.
Hau Thai-Tang, who led the overhaul of Ford’s Mustang sports car in 2005, also said the No. 2 U.S. automaker is exploring a cost-cutting strategy that requires Ford to tweak the design of its global models for specific regions.
Auto parts suppliers, which closed scores of factories during the financial crisis, are operating around-the-clock to meet consumer demand for cars and trucks that is marching toward pre-recession levels.
“Everyone is running flat out and it’s contributing to some of the quality challenges that we’ve seen,” said Thai-Tang, who oversees Ford’s $100 billion global budget for everything from raw materials to marketing to paper towels.
U.S. auto sales are on pace to reach 15.6 million units this year, according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Many analysts expect auto sales to exceed 16 million vehicles in 2014, possibly topping the 16.1 million vehicles sold in 2007.
J.D. Power and LMC forecast that U.S. auto production will rise 3 percent to 16.5 million next year.
To meet increased demand, suppliers have less time to do preventative maintenance on their equipment because the are working to meet rising U.S. vehicle demand, Thai-Tang said.
One of Ford’s vehicle programs has a “yellow” rating, meaning that too many suppliers are operating at full tilt, Thai-Tang said, without naming the vehicle. In the past, Ford executives have said supply problems hampered the launch of the Lincoln MKZ sedan.

domain: news


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In a shift towards increased focus on delivery and carryout, Pizza Hut said it plans to close as many as 500 dine-in locations.
“We are leaning in to accelerate the transition of our Pizza Hut U.S. asset base to truly modern delivery/carryout assets,” said David W. Gibbs, president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Yum! Brands, in an Aug. 1 earnings call. “This will ultimately strengthen the Pizza Hut business in the U.S. and set it up for a faster long-term growth.
The comments were first reported by FoodBusinessNews.net.
There are about 6,100 traditional restaurant-style Pizza Huts in the U.S. and 1,350 express units.
Gibbs said the closures could bring the U.S. store count to about 7,000.
The company has not announced which locations will close but said the changes will involve “lower volume” restaurants.
Pizza Hut is owned by Yum! Brands, which also operates Taco Bell and KFC.


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Hermès victorious in battle with NFT digital artist
French luxury house, represented by BakerHostetler, wins pivotal case that tests the scope of trademark protection in the digital age
In a closely watched case, Luxury fashion giant Hermès has prevailed over digital artist Mason Rothschild, with a Manhattan federal jury finding him guilty of trademark infringement.
The nine-person jury at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York found in favour of Hermès on 8 February, deciding that Rothschild had infringed Hermes’ trademarks and awarded the fashion behemoth $133,000 in damages.
Hermès was represented by a team from national US firm BakerHostetler while two specialist New York boutiques lined up for Rothschild: Lex Lumina, which was founded in 2021 with the goal of tapping academic talent, and Harris St Laurent & Wechsler.
At issue was a collection of 100 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of furry digital handbags called MetaBirkins, a nod to the famous Hermès bag, released by Rothschild in December 2021.
Hermès sued Rothschild for trademark infringement and dilution, misappropriation of its BIRKIN trademark, cybersquatting, false designation of origin and description, and injury to business reputation.
The jury this week, along with finding Rothschild guilty of trademark infringement, also determined that the NFTs were not protected by the First Amendment. Rothschild had claimed they were artistic works and thus protected by the First Amendment, which gives “the right to make and sell art that depicts Birkin bags, just as it gave Andy Warhol the right to make and sell art depicting Campbell’s soup cans”.
Commenting on the dispute, Gowling WLG’s legal director Seiko Hidaka said: “This was a strategically smart case for the luxury brand owner to pick on. The facts of the case paints the defendant as an opportunistic money maker, leading the judge to characterise him as a potential "swindler" (outside the jury's earshot).
“Yet, the jury took three days to deliberate the question whether MetaBirkins NFTs constituted art or trademark infringement. These nuanced aspects will no doubt be lost in time. The verdict will have handed what Hermès – and all other brand owners - a valuable shot across the bow to all creators out there intending to utilise trademark rights to gain traction.”
RPC sports, entertainment and IP lawyer Josh Charalambous and retail and consumer group partner Ciara Cullen pointed out: "Hermès' victory over NFT maker does not set a legal precedent that can be enforced around the world."
They added that: “The decision should not be seen as an impingement on artists or creators, but rather a reminder that intellectual property laws apply even to NFTs and digital assets in the metaverse.”
In total, Rothschild and his associates produced 100 MetaBirkins, which have, through June 2022, sold for more than $1.1m.
Hermès International et al v Mason Rothschild moved to trial to be heard in front of a jury at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on 30 January, it finished last Monday 6 February.
Deborah A Wilcox, head of trademark and copyright, led the Baker Hostetler team which also comprised Oren J Warshavsky, co-leader of the global fraud and international asset tracing and recovery team, partner Gerald Joseph Ferguson and associates Kevin M Wallace, Francesca Rogo, Lisa Bollinger Gehman and Jessica Fernandez.
The Lex Lumina team representing Rothschild comprised founder and managing partner Rhett Millsaps, co-founder Christopher Sprigman, of counsel Mark McKenna and consultant Rebecca Tushnet, Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at Harvard Law School.
Jonathan Harris, founder and managing partner of Harris St Laurent & Wechsler, was joined by partner Adam Oppenheim and associate Ashley Robinson. The boutique represents a full range of clients in complex disputes, employment and business advisory matters. Both boutiques are based in New York.
This year's Luxury Law Summit London will take place on 13 June at the British Museum. Click here for more details
Rothschild filed to dismiss the case in May 2022, but a New York federal judge denied the motion. Both parties had pushed for summary judgment late last year but it was denied by district Judge Jed S Rakoff.
He released an opinion on why the case needed to go to trial on 2 February. In it, he said that the court was asked to determine two questions: whether the digital images underlying the NFTs should be evaluated under the Rogers v Grimaldi test for artistic works or the Gruner and Jahr test for general trademark infringement. Secondly, whether, under whichever test is applied, the MetaBirkins NFT images or related products infringe and/or dilute Hermès' trademarks pertaining to its Birkin handbag.
He said the case needed to be evaluated under the Rogers v Grimaldi test for artistic works. “As to the second question, the Court finds that there remain genuine issues of material fact that preclude summary judgment.”


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7 Black Women Who Made Forbes’ List of America’s Richest Self-Made Women
Forbes has released its list of 100 of America’s richest self-made women and it’s only right that we highlight the seven Black women whose business endeavors garnered them a spot.
Oprah Winfrey and Rihanna are the only Black women to make the top 20 with the media mogul coming at number 13 with $2.5 billion and Rih Rih claiming the 20th spot with her $1.4 billion net worth. Winfrey’s billions were acquired in the form of a dominating media empire that includes the Oprah Winfrey Network, production on major films and television shows, five best-sellers, two magazines, and profitable investments like her 10% stake in weight loss company Weight Watchers.
Rihanna joined the billionaires club thanks in huge part to her Fenty Beauty cosmetics company she co-owns with French luxury retailer LVMH. She became the youngest self-made billionaire in 2022, making her the wealthiest female music artist in the world.
Sheila E. Johnson, the CEO of Salamander Hotel And Resorts, took the 28th spot with her $840 million net worth that kicked off when she co-founded Black Entertainment Television with her ex-husband Robert in 1979. After their 2002 divorce, Johnson sold her shares of BET and went on to invest in hotels throughout Florida and Virginia, as well airplanes, real estate, and horses.
Janice Bryant Howroyd, the founder and CEO of the staffing giant ActOne came in a number 42 with a $600 million net worth. After starting the company in 1978 with $1,500 and a $900 loan from her mother, Howroyd and her family went on to grow the company to more than 17,000 clients and 2,600 employees in 33 countries.
Beyoncé earned the 48th spot with a $540 million net worth made in the form of her dominating career in entertainment. Her current Renaissance world tour is on track to outperform Taylor Swift’s world tour and rake in $2 billion, via Forbes.
Sports icon Serena Williams took the 89th spot with her $290 million net worth made in the form of a booming tennis career, her investment firm, and various endorsements that continue to come in the wake of her 2022 retirement.
Renowned showrunner Shonda Rhimes made the list for the first time coming in at number 96 with a $250 million net worth. The Shondaland founder has created beloved shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and “How to Get Away with Murder” along with inking a five-year deal with Netflix worth $100 million that resulted in the streaming giant’s high-performing series “Bridgerton” and the “Queen Charlotte” prequel.
The variety in which these powerful Black women earned a spot on the coveted list serves as inspiration to the next generation of bold Black female leaders.


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Audi India bets on digital medium to tap customers
German luxury car maker Audi is seeking to tap more customers through the digital medium in India as it lines up new product launches during the yea
Trump Towers clocks Rs 150 crore in sales on 1st day of launch
Global realty brand 'Trump Towers' made its debut in North India through real ...
Fire on top floor of Trump Tower in New York
Aerial views showed firefighters on the roof, with smoke billowing from one corner of the high-r...
With Gurugram project, India a key part of Trump’s realty play
This project marks the entry of the iconic Trump Tower brand into the Delhi-NCR region, and this will be the fourth Trump Tower to be launched in India.
Trump Towers enters North India; M3M, Tribeca to invest Rs 1,200 cr
This is the fourth Trump Tower project in India after Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata.
Winter escape: Indians searched for luxury, honeymoon, Bali on Google
Seychelles, Maldives and Bali were some of the keywords that newlyweds looked up.
Super sports car sales to grow by double digits: Lamborghini India
The Italian super sports luxury carmaker said last year was a challenging year for the industry due to lingering after effects of demonetisation coupled with impact of GST.
Audi 2017 sales in India up 2 pc at 7,876 units
The company, which completed ten years of operations in India in 2017, had sold 7,720 units in the previous year.
Plan for Republic Day weekend: Head to Ethiopia's Timkat Festival or the Carnival Of Venice
Indulge in luxury, entertainment, food, sports, music and nightlife.
Sobha, Purvankara rise 2% each as firms mull developing luxury residential project
The project, Marina One, is planned in an area of 16.7 acres at the Marine Drive, Kochi, ET reported.
Global luxury carmakers plan to hike India outlays
Rupert Stradler, chairman of the board at Audi AG told ETIndia is a strategic growth market for future and the company is always looking for opportunities to invest and grow.
Shatabdi Express with revamped coaches makes its maiden journey
The rake with the refurbished coaches made its maiden journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on Monday.
Home is where the heart is! Single apartment goes on sale for record price of more than $71 M
A well-heeled buyer snapped up two adjacent mountain-top pads in Hong Kong.
Luxe-on-wheels: Mercedes-Benz to launch new Maybach S 650 at Auto Expo 2018
The German luxury carmaker will also showcase Concept EQ, a forerunner of the company's new product brand for electric mobility.
SOBHA Limited to launch project in Kochi in co-ownership with Puravankara
The property will offer a 497-metre waterfront and a 5-acre urban park. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by 2021. Every apartment will have waterfront view.


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Lonelybrand.com, a brand marketing blog, recently did a trend piece about online quizzes as content marketing tools. It is a great article with lots of good information for brand marketers.
Something you might have noticed is that one of the experts quoted in the piece is FletcherPR’s Abby Christensen. Abby has been doing work in content marketing, including conceptualizing, building and executing online quizzes for clients. As an expert in this realm, she provided excellent insight for this article.
Online quizzes are very popular, and they can be great for engaging customers. As Abby points out, they can be useful for connecting with consumers by emphasizing experiences over products. Internet users are savvy enough to know when they’re being sold something, so marketers must be creative to get their message across. Selling the experience of a product, rather than just the product itself, is going to resonate more with consumers than thrusting something in their face with a rundown of its features.
An online quiz can appeal to people by gathering the user’s input before presenting them with a product tailored to their preferences. This way, the product chosen feels more personal because it wasn’t just randomly picked from an inventory, but it is more of a suggestion that says “based on what you told us, we think this is what you’re looking for.”
Not to mention, online quizzes are fun, too.


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Record Store Day
April 16, 2016, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Warner Bros. Records is proud to reveal exclusive titles that will be available April 16th, universally recognized as Record Store Day. WBR will release a cornucopia of aural treasures pressed in 7” and 12” vinyl and available exclusively at over 1,000 independently owned record stores in the U.S. and around the globe.
For more information visit Weird Harold's Facebook page.


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Beer sales slump to lowest levels since 1930s
Last updated at 00:09 20 November 2007
The high price of a pub pint - compared to the loss-leader prices charged by the supermarkets - has punched a hole in sales.
They have also been hit by a shift among young drinkers to branded alcopops and wine.
Brewers have written an open letter to all MPs calling for urgent action to rescue Britain's national drink.
Scroll down for more ...
The British Beer & Pub Association says that a difficult market is being made worse by the Government's tax policy.
It wants a freeze on beer duty in an effort to cap prices and boost sales.
However, health campaigners say this would encourage under-age drinking. The Government is under great pressure to reduce alcohol consumption, particularly among the young.
Pub beer sales are running at just over 5.4 billion pints a year, which is down by 49 per cent on the 10.67 billion in 1979.
In terms of the number of pints pulled each day, the fall has been from 29.23million to 14.8million.
Despite the increasing quantities of cheap beer sold in supermarkets, total sales are also down by 22 per cent on the peak of 1979.
In terms of daily consumption, this is a fall from 33.22million pints to 26million.
According to the British Beer & Pub Association these figures are the lowest since the 1930s.
It warns that income from beer is falling at the same time as industry prices are rising, including costs such as barley, malt, glass and aluminium, along with energy and transport.
As a result, the association claims the profits of the major brewers have fallen by 78 per cent between 2004 and 2006.
They also point out that brewers earn a profit of 0.7p per pint, compared with the average of 33p per pint paid in duty.
Association chief executive Rob Hayward said: "The time to support our national drink is long overdue."
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The new Ola S1 Air electric scooter looks similar to other S1 series models. However, there are some subtle differences.
The Ola S1 Air gets a Hyperdrive, hub electric motor which delivers a peak power output of 4.5 kW (6 bhp).
The company says the Ola S1 Air electric scooter can be fully charged in 4.5 hours using a regular charger.
The new Ola S1 Air has been launched in India at Rs 84,999, ex-showroom, making it the most affordable offering from Ola.


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Japan’s devastating earthquake wreaked havoc on global supply chains. Companies need to get used to such disruptions, however. According to a recent study, the number of weather-related natural disasters has steadily increased over the last 30 years—from fewer than 400 events in 1980 to more than 1,000 by 2008. Moreover, growing protectionism—for example, stringent export tariffs—has added to the uncertainty. And after years of falling trade barriers, mature and emerging economies alike are retrenching as they struggle to recover from the Great Recession. Therefore, as global business expands, the odds of supply chains being affected—either directly or indirectly—by a major or minor disruption grow exponentially.
To protect themselves, companies must reevaluate the way they source their raw materials and products. In this article—the latest in a series about the impact of the Higashi-Nihon earthquake on Japan and the global community—we look at how companies can do so by managing for uncertainty and making their supply chains more flexible and dynamic.
Disrupting Supply Chains
Much has been written about the ripple effects of Japan’s earthquake on global supply chains, particularly in the consumer electronics and auto industries. But other sectors have been affected as well. For instance, seafood supplies from the country’s fishing industry could be interrupted for a year or more, and mothers in South Korea set off a buying frenzy over Japanese diapers, fearing that their favorite brands may soon be unavailable. And while many medical-device plants were temporarily closed, those that remained open had some customers requesting evidence that products were free of radiation. Some analysts predict that as much as 5 to 10 percent of global output in 2011 will be affected in some way by Japan’s disaster.
Companies in Japan are showing remarkable resilience in the face of such disruptions, in part because of their well-developed disaster-management skills. According to a press release from the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, more than 60 percent of manufacturers in the affected areas have largely recovered from the damage they suffered, with the rest expected to have production fully restored by the end of September this year. Even so, their supply chains have been damaged. Most companies report having a hard time getting components, parts, and raw materials, mainly because their suppliers and their suppliers’ suppliers were also affected.
The particular challenge for Japanese companies is this: since they typically source most of their raw materials and components—or inputs—domestically, they must now start extending their supply chains beyond Japan’s borders and seek alternative supply sources, mainly in China and other parts of Asia. This challenge is very different from that faced by U.S. and European companies, which rely more on local suppliers. But the solution for all companies is the same: creating a flexible and dynamic supply chain.


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Loyal older drivers face insurance price hike
Older drivers lose out by being less likely to shop around.
Drivers who are in their 50s and 60s are more likely to lose money on their car insurance, as they are less likely to shop around and find the best deal on the market.
People in this age bracket in fact face price hikes of 8% compared to the average 2% that younger age groups have experienced in the last three months.
Motorists aged 68 are thought to be the worst hit, with an average rise in their premium of £41 during the three months to December 2018. This is according to a study done by Confused.com.
More than half the drivers surveyed had renewed their car insurance with the same company, rather than switching to a provider that offered a better price.
Prices of car insurance are beginning to increase again after a period of decline, with average costs rising to an average of £774 per year in the last three months.
The Alliance of British Drivers said that motorists were ‘regarded as having a bottomless pot of money.’
A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers said that it was a ‘good idea to shop around’ in a ‘very competitive market’.
The group’s website advises that drivers should ‘shop around for the best deal, but never buy a policy based on price alone — the cheapest policy may not cover all of your needs.’
A consumer watchdog also warned recently of ‘loyalty penalties’ that are costing drivers almost £700 in the TV and broadband market, indicating that many loyal customers across different industry areas are being ripped off.
The Competition and Markets Authority announced new plans to stop this happening, as it is unfair that loyal consumers are being penalised.
They found that there was a total loyalty penalty in the UK of around £4 billion each year, across mortgages, household insurance, cash savings and broadband contracts.
Among the ideas for stopping this was the proposal to bring in price caps for these industries.
Now, it seems that many older drivers are having to pay loyalty penalties for car insurance, as they are less likely to use price comparison tools and read up on what other deals they might be able to get, instead sticking with the same insurance firm.
With this in mind, it is advisable that all motorists — but particularly older drivers — find the best deals for their car insurance and use price comparison sites like A Spokesman Said. This way, many customers could save themselves big money and avoid getting hit by price hikes because they stick with the same insurer.
Here at A Spokesman Said we love fighting for your rights and believe passionately in natural justice.
But these battles cost us money. You could help us fund these fights by using our price comparison site, A Spokesman Said for your energy, car insurance and household bills.
We’re just the same as Go Compare or any other price comparison site, so you won’t be losing out in any way - by helping us, you will be helping yourself.
Thank you for your support.
When did you last switch your car insurance provider?
Last year 65% of customers didn't switch their car insurance to try and get a better deal.


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A new Vietnamese restaurant seems to be coming to the former Bistro 360 space in Rosslyn.
Signs posted at the storefront, located at 1800 Wilson Blvd, promise that “Saigon Noodles and Grill” is “coming soon” to the space.
The restaurant doesn’t seem to have a web presence as of yet, but county permit records show that Hien Nguyen applied for a permit for a new 80-seat restaurant in the space on Nov. 5. County officials have yet to sign off on that request.
Bistro 360 closed back in late May, after owner Art Hauptman decided to shutter the restaurant after four years in business.
Hauptman subsequently struck a deal with the D.C.-based Parlay Sports Bar and Lounge to open a “pop-up” bar in the space. He’d originally hoped to make the arrangement more permanent, but it ended up lasting only a few weeks.
Photo via @IAmAru
Starting today (Thursday), Chick-fil-A is back open in Ballston.
The fast food restaurant is welcoming hungry diners once more as part of the new Ballston Quarter development. The new outpost of the chain is located at 671 N. Glebe Road, on the development’s ground level and accessible via both its Glebe and Wilson Blvd entrances.
Chick-fil-A was long one of the most popular spots in the former Ballston Common mall, opening there more than 27 years ago, according to a press release.
Unlike the old location, however, the new space has a 50-seat dining area as well. The restaurant also includes a designated pickup counter for mobile orders.
Anyone swinging by the chain today can expect “a day of Chick–fil-A surprises,” the release said, including giveaways.
The restaurant will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day, except Sundays, and serve breakfast until 10 p.m.
Chick-fil-A joins Punch Bowl Social among the first eateries to open in the new development, with businesses slowly starting to open to customers over the course of the last month. Ballston Quarter’s full “food hall,” an upscale food court, isn’t set to open until February.
A new bar and restaurant could be on the way for Ballston Quarter, as businesses in the development slowly start to open to customers.
An establishment dubbing itself the “Ballston Service Station” is planning to move into the newly converted Ballston Common mall, according to a permit application.
The restaurant is seeking to serve both wine and beer “on and off premises,” records show, but there aren’t many other details available about the company. However, it does seem to have ties to Andrew Dana, the co-owner of D.C.’s Timber Pizza Company and Call Your Mother Deli — Dana’s phone number is listed as the contact on the Ballston Service Station permit application.
Dana is already planning on bringing a Timber Pizza location to Ballston Quarter, which will be located in the development’s “Quarter Market,” an upscale food court.
It’s unclear if the two restaurants will be connected, however — neither Dana nor a spokeswoman for Forest City, the company backing Ballston Quarter, responded to requests for comment.
Some stores and restaurants in Ballston Quarter have started welcoming their first customers in recent weeks, though the exact timeframe for the rest of the development to open for business remains murky.
The Quarter Market is currently slated to open in February, and Forest City hopes to have everything open by this coming spring.
A new Irish pub is on the way for Crystal City, aiming to set up shop in the neighborhood’s long-time row of local restaurants on 23rd Street S.
The space once occupied by the Tortoise and Hare Bar and Grill at 567 23rd Street S. will soon become home to the second location of Fiona’s Irish Pub, a restaurant and bar currently based in Alexandria.
Owner Martin White, a native of Ireland, told ARLnow that he’s hoping to get the new pub up and running somewhere in “early to mid-January,” and he’s eager to move in to what he termed “the best block in Crystal City.”
“You probably have every chain in the world on Crystal Drive, and that’s fine, you need chains,” White said. “But that 23rd Street block with all those independent restaurants, it’s got a great vibe to it. It could almost be an old part of New York or D.C.”
White is no stranger to the neighborhood’s dining scene — he says he helped open Crystal City’s Hamburger Hamlet back in 1991 and ran King Street Blues over on Crystal Drive for years. But the impending redevelopment of the area forced that restaurant out of its space this summer, and White found himself looking for other options.
Considering that his original location of Fiona’s was “going gangbusters” over in the Kingstowne Shopping Center in Fairfax County, White says he decided to expand the concept elsewhere.
“There’s this vision for it being the local village within the city, and that grabbed my attention, big time,” White said. “The more independents there, the better.”
He was able to secure the lease at the 23rd Street space months ago, and has been hard at work rehabbing the location ever since. White says the announcement that Amazon would indeed be moving in nearby didn’t hurt his prospects, either.
“Everybody knew what was going on with Amazon, but it was a hope,” White said. “We’d already signed the lease and the contract before it was announced. That was just a happy coincidence.”
As for the restaurant itself, White says the new location will be virtually the same as first Fiona’s. That means he’s aiming for a “traditional Dublin Irish pub” to honor his hometown, complete with a stage for live music, plenty of beer on tap and a “significant Irish whiskey collection.”
“Everything, all our food will be all fresh made,” White said. “Everything will be made in-house daily.”
While Crystal City may well have other bars and restaurants, White expects that commitment to freshness will help Fiona stand out.
“When you think about it, farm to table has been going on for hundreds of years in Ireland,” White said. “That’s how we grew up, and that’s how we’ll be.”
I-CE-NY is set to start dishing out ice cream today in Shirlington.
The unique ice cream chain, which serves “smashed and rolled ice cream” with mix-ins like fruit, cookies and candy, started in Thailand before expanding to New York City in 2015 and then other U.S. cities.
Debuting on the same day as Shirlington’s Light Up the Village event, the shop plans to offer a “Buy One, Get One Free” rolled ice cream promotion today (Nov. 29), a spokeswoman for Federal Realty told ARLnow.
With more than 250 locations across Asia and more than 20 locations in the U.S., this is I-CE-NY’s first D.C.-area location.
In October, signs in the windows of a storefront at 4150 Campbell Ave for I-CE-NY indicated that it would take the former Knits Etc. space. The shop neighbors Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub and Diana Nails.
I-CE-NY offers a number of signature pre-set ice cream and mix-in combos, including “Mango Sticky RI-CE” and “Strawberry Cheese-CE Cake,” per its website.
The ice cream gets made by pouring the ice cream base — including flavors such as “Thai I-CE Tea,” “Biscoff Cookie Butter,” “Cookie Spree,” “Want S’mores” and more — with a choice of mix-in ingredients on a custom-designed metal plate that can get as cold as -15 degrees Fahrenheit, the spokeswoman said. It is then chopped, smashed, flattened and served in chubby rolls.
Shatner: Arlington E-Bike Rules ‘Barbaric’ — E-bike enthusiast and Priceline pitchman William Shatner, better known as Star Trek’s Captain James T. Kirk, said via Twitter yesterday — in response to a tweet from the sassy Arlington Dept. Environmental Services Twitter account — that Arlington’s prohibition on e-bikes on local trails is “barbaric.” [Twitter]
Kojo Coming to Crystal City — WAMU 88.5 is bringing the Kojo Nnamdi Show to Crystal City for “a town hall-style discussion about how local officials, businesses, and community members in Northern Virginia and the region are reacting to Amazon’s decision.” Those wishing to attend the taping can register online. [Kojo Nnamdi Show]
Upgrades for Ballston Senior Housing — “The Arlington County Board [Tuesday] approved a low-interest loan of $3.025 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to help renovate The Carlin, a 162-unit, 10-story building located at 4300 N. Carlin Springs Road. The Carlin serves low income elderly residents who are 55 years and older.” [Arlington County]
‘Arts District’ Near Crystal City? — “Even before the specter of Amazon’s second headquarters put stars in everyone’s eyes in Crystal City, Stratis Voutsas and Georgia Papadopoulos, managers of a trust that owns many buildings on the neighborhood’s ‘restaurant row,’ were dreaming up a plan to bring more people across U.S. Route 1 to the neighborhood… The trust wants to build an open-air park and plaza on a parking lot and site of a Greek restaurant the trust owns behind some of the 23rd Street restaurants. It would have artist spaces tucked below, facing onto 22nd Street.” [Washington Business Journal]
Amazon News Roundup — Amazon’s HQ2 search was about “selecting locations with specialized kinds of talent that meet certain needs,” and “Crystal City… puts Amazon closer to tech talent, but also to government leaders, cloud customers, and the U.S. Department of Defense.” Crystal City is built upon the former Abingdon Plantation and the new Amazon presence “affords us the opportunity to recognize and memorialize the lives of those enslaved there.” Meanwhile, a former JBG executive who left to help build a $3 billion development in Tampa is returning as the company prepares for Amazon’s arrival.
Nearby: New Wawa and New Restaurant — A new Wawa is coming to Vienna, making it the closest Northern Virginia location to Arlington for the beloved convenience store chain. And an acclaimed chef is planning to open a new Italian restaurant on N. Washington Street in the City of Falls Church.
Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf
McChrystal Speaks Out Against Lee — Amid the furor over changing the name of Washington-Lee High School, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who attended W-L, says it’s time to set aside icons like Robert E. Lee and “combat our desire to mythologize our history and our leaders.” [Washington Post]
Fill the Cruiser Tonight — The Arlington County Police Department is holding one of its three planned “Fill the Cruiser” holiday toy drive events today from 2-6 p.m. at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall. “A cruiser will be located in the food court next to the Christmas tree,” ACPD notes. [Arlington County]
E-CARE Stats — This month’s Arlington E-CARE disposal and recycling event collected more than 100,000 pounds of hazardous household materials and used electronics products. [Twitter]
AFAC Helps Less Fortunate Celebrate Thanksgiving — The Arlington Food Assistance Center gave away 2,500 turkeys, along with other Thanksgiving staples, over the past week. Hunger remains an unresolved issue at a time when Amazon’s future arrival will likely exacerbate inequality and housing unaffordability in Arlington. [Washington Post]
Nearby: Big New Development in Falls Church — “The development team of EYA, PN Hoffman and Regency Centers was chosen by the Falls Church City Council Monday night to orchestrate a dense and diverse $500 million development of 10.3 acres of City-owned land where its George Mason High School currently sits,” near the West Falls Church Metro station. [Falls Church News-Press]
New Elementary School at Reed Site Approved — “The Arlington County Board today approved a new elementary school for up to 732 students at the Reed site, 1644 N. McKinley Road, in the Westover neighborhood. The Board voted unanimously to approve a use permit amendment for Arlington Public Schools to renovate and expand the existing Reed School/Westover Library to create a neighborhood elementary school.” [Arlington County]
Here’s Where Amazon is Coming, Exactly — Amazon will be leasing office space at three JBG Smith buildings in Crystal City: 241 18th Street S., 1800 S. Bell Street and 1770 Crystal Drive. Amazon also agreed to buy two JBG-owned land parcels in Pentagon City that are approved for development: PenPlace and the remaining portion of Metropolitan Park. [Washington Business Journal]
County Board Discusses Legislative Priorities — “A highlight of the County’s package is a call for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution that was proposed by Congress in 1972. Both the Arlington League of Women Voters, and the Arlington Civic Federation have called on the General Assembly to ratify the ERA.” [Arlington County]
Arlington Projects Win at NAIOP Awards — Nine of the 29 real estate development projects lauded at the Best of NAIOP Northern Virginia Awards on Nov. 15 were Arlington projects. [NAIOP]
Neighborhood Conservation Projects Funded — “The Arlington County Board today approved $2.9 million in Neighborhood Conservation bond funds for projects in Cherrydale and Arlington Forest… The $1.84 million Cherrydale project will improve N. Monroe Street, between 17th Street North and 19th Street North… The $1.08 million Arlington Forest project will make improvements to Edison Park.” [Arlington County]
How DIRT Chose Ballston — “DIRT co-founders @jlatulip and @jamcdaniel visited many parts of D.C. and the greater DMV area before deciding to open in Ballston. ‘We noticed very quickly that this was a special community, one that we could call home and grow with. We love the energy of the neighborhood — Ballston is a young, active community, which fits DIRT perfectly.'” [Instagram]
Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler
Hungry diners in Rosslyn will need to wait a bit longer for a new food hall slated to open in one of the neighborhood’s new skyscrapers.
Social Restaurant Group, the same company behind Clarendon night-life spots Bar Bao and Pamplona, plans to someday open the “Common Ground” food hall in the Central Place building at 1800 N. Lynn Street. However, SRG co-founder Mike Bramson told ARLnow that the company is currently targeting the “end of spring 2019” to open its doors, despite previously hoping to do so before the end of this year.
The main hold-up in moving forward on the project is the permitting process, Bramson said, a common complaint among Arlington restaurateurs.
“We are at the mercy of the permitting office,” Bramson said. “We will move quickly once we receive those.”
Bramson hasn’t revealed many details about the new eatery, but he says it will be located on the second floor of the massive skyscraper across from the Rosslyn Metro station, “above the McDonald’s overlooking the plaza.” The building sits directly across from the CEB Tower, a 31-story structure rapidly attracting businesses and retailers of all kinds, and is already home to ground-floor restaurants The Little Beet and Sweetgreen.
SRG is also working to open the new “The Lot” beer garden in Clarendon, another project it’s hoping to wrap up this spring.
Photo 2 via Google Maps
Mediterranean-themed restaurant Caspi is replacing the Moroccan eatery and hookah bar, Mazagan Restaurant, next to the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse.
Located at 2901 Columbia Pike location, Mazagan Restaurant was purchased last week and will be replaced with a restaurant featuring a menu of Mediterranean and European cuisine, one of the owners told ARLnow. He added that the restaurant is aiming for a soft opening this coming weekend, followed by a grand opening in late November.
A peek inside the windows reveals a torn apart inside with construction tools and signs of major renovation. A Virginia liquor license application from Huseynov and Sam LLC is posted in the window facing Columbia Pike.
A new bar and restaurant bound for the ground floor of the CEB Tower in Rosslyn is pushing back its opening date slightly, now aiming to start serving patrons next year.
The Metropolitan Hospitality Group, which also operates Circa Bistro in Clarendon, announced plans to bring a second “Open Road” restaurant to the area last summer. The firm had hoped to open it up sometime this fall, but MHG President Matt Carlin told ARLnow that “the permit process has definitely taken longer than we thought.”
But he says the project is still moving forward, and the company is “expecting our permit at the end of the month.”
“Then it will be approximately [a] six-month buildout,” Carlin wrote in an email. “And [we’re] hoping to open in May/June 2019.”
The company first brought the concept, which features a vast beer selection and Southern-style menu options, to Merrifield several years ago. However, Carlin says the Rosslyn location will be a bit different than the original.
The restaurant itself will be located in the plaza area directly in front of the building, with awnings and outdoor seating accompanying it. Then, below the plaza, MHG is also planning a separate bar attached to the restaurant dubbed “Salt,” which will be accessible via N. Lynn Street.
The tower itself is the largest building in Rosslyn, and only just opened last year. It’s currently in the process of adding new office tenants, and has already signed other retailers including Compass Coffee and Cava.
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 2018, the new Ballston Shake Shack will open its doors.
The company says it’s planning to open its new location at Ballston Exchange (4201 Wilson Blvd) at 11 a.m. on Sunday, which only coincidentally coincides with the 100th anniversary of the World War I armistice.
Shake Shack is donating proceeds from its soft opening and a portion of sales of one of its desserts to Arlington’s Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, the company said in a press release. A t-shirt giveaway will also be held on opening day.
More from the press release:
Spreading the Shack love! Shake Shack® is thrilled to announce it will open the doors to a new location in the heart of Ballston on Sunday, November 11th at 11 a.m. The Shack will be located at 4201 Wilson Blvd Suite 0180, Arlington, Virginia 22203 in the prominent Ballston Exchange development.
Shake Shack is a critically acclaimed, modern day “roadside” burger stand known for its 100% all-natural Angus beef burgers, chicken sandwiches and griddled flat-top dogs (no hormones or antibiotics – ever), fresh-made frozen custard, crispy crinkle cut fries and more. A fun and lively community gathering place with widespread appeal, Shake Shack has earned a cult-like following around the world.
In addition to the classics, the Ballston Shack will be spinning up a unique selection of frozen custard concretes:
- Pie Oh My: Vanillas custard with a slice of Livin’ the Pie Life seasonal pie
- Short & Sweet: Vanilla custard, salted caramel sauce, banana and shortbread cookie
- Shack Attack: Chocolate custard, fudge sauce, chocolate truffle cookie dough, Mast Brothers Shake Shack dark chocolate chunks, topped with chocolate sprinkles
Guests can wash their burgers down with local brews from Port City Brewing Company and DC Brau, plus Shake Shack’s exclusive Brooklyn Brewery ShackMeister® Ale. Wine lovers can enjoy a glass of Shack RedTM and Shack WhiteTM wine from the Gotham Project.
As part of Shake Shack’s mission to Stand For Something Good®, The Ballston Shack will donate all proceeds from soft opening, as well 5% of sales from the Pie Oh My concrete throughout the life of the shack to Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, a volunteer-powered nonprofit dedicated to rescuing homeless, neglected, and abandoned animals from certain euthanasia and finding them loving forever homes.
The 2,803 square-foot Shack will feature an outdoor covered patio and ample seating for guests. In keeping with Shake Shack’s commitment to green architecture and eco-friendly construction, the Ballston Shack’s tabletops will be made by CounterEvolution using reclaimed bowling alley lanes; chairs will be designed by Uhuru using sustainable materials; and booths will be crafted by Staach using lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Snag some swag! The first 100 people in line when doors open at 11AM will receive a custom T-shirt — on us!
Shake Shack is now hiring full-time and part-time team members – no previous experience required! Apply online at ShackCareers.com
A new eatery coming to Ballston is inviting diners to eat “Dirt” — not quite literally, though.
The Miami-based restaurant plans to open its first location outside Florida in the Ballston Exchange development, located at 4121 Wilson Blvd, according to a press release.
Dirt will move into an 1,800-square-foot space in the office building, and expects to be ready for customers by spring 2019. The newly redeveloped building, once home to the National Science Foundation, will welcome a spate of new retailers in the coming months, including a Shake Shack, Philz Coffee and We the Pizza.
The chain’s backers were inspired to move to Ballston by “the energy of the neighborhood,” and the sudden proliferation of new businesses at both the Ballston Exchange and Ballston Quarter developments, the release said.
The restaurant is health-food focused, with offerings including breakfast dishes and toasts (both served all day), salads, bowls, smoothies, juices and even vegan “mylkshakes,” made with almond milk ice cream. Dirt will also offer a “full espresso bar and tea program,” the release said.
The eatery’s founders dub Dirt a “counter casual” restaurant, presenting it as a blend of a sit-down restaurant and up-scale fast food restaurants like Chipotle.
“We have a different service model than the omnipresent Chipotle-style assembly line that people have become inundated with,” JJ McDaniel, the chain’s director of operations, wrote in a statement. “You order at the counter, and although we don’t have formal servers, from there it’s very much a full-service experience. We bring your order to you, with real plates and silverware and linen napkins, check on you during your meal and clean your table after you leave. Trays and bus tubs are purposely absent from the Dirt dining experience.”
The Ballston location will be the chain’s third overall, after opening two restaurants in the Miami area starting in 2015.
A new Bethesda Bagels location opened its doors yesterday (Nov. 6) across from the Rosslyn Metro station.
Located at 1851 N. Moore Street, this is the first location in Arlington for Bethesda Bagels, which has two shops in D.C. to go along with the original in Bethesda, Md., founded in 1982.
About 15 customers showed up for the store’s 6:30 a.m. opening, and “long lines” formed throughout the rainy morning, Danny Fleishman, president of Bethesda Bagels, told ARLnow.
Sandwiched between Nando’s and McDonald’s, Bethesda Bagels offers passersby a glimpse into the bagel-making process with a storefront window near the kitchen. Fleishman said he plans to put a counter by the window for seating.
The menu centers around its two dozen varieties of handmade, New York-style bagels. The shop offers an all-day breakfast menu of egg sandwiches and smoked fish sandwiches and “lunch goodies” including pizza bagels and “bagel dogs.”
For first-time customers, Fleishman recommends the egg sandwiches or the smoked salmon sandwich, which uses smoked fish from Ivy City Smokehouse in D.C.
“Everything we do is homemade and true New York-deli style and is delicious,” he said.
A new restaurant has opened at the Pentagon Row shopping center in Pentagon City.
More from a press release:
Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE: FRT), recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail based properties, announces today the opening of Aabee Express at Pentagon Row, a 300,000-square foot open-air shopping destination with a unique combination of specialty retailers, modern fitness concepts, best-in class spas and exciting restaurants. The new Mediterranean fusion style dining (Grab n’ Go) option will be open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. starting on November 1, 2018 and is located on 1101 S. Joyce Street.
Aabee Express is a chef driven restaurant with over 27 years’ experiences in gourmet food. The menu is produced homemade to order or pre-packaged prepared from whole food and unprocessed ingredients. Aabee Express accommodates vegetarian, vegan and gluten free customers with zero added preservatives, additives or MSG. The menu includes fresh soups, salads, kabobs, fresh baked flatbread, family portion platters, desserts and more. The restaurant will accommodate pick up (carry out), curbside pickup, catering, and delivery.
“Pentagon Row is truly a gathering place for locals and tourists alike. We largely credit that to our amazing dining and shopping tenants that provide an array of services to the community. We are thrilled to continue to build upon those options with the opening of Aabee Express,” said Kari Glinski, Director of Asset Management for Federal Realty Investment Trust.


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Xiaomi officially announced that Xiaomi 13 series & MIUI 14 new product launch will be held on December 11 at 19:00. At that time, the new Xiaomi 13 series phones will be officially unveiled, and will also bring a new generation of MIUI 14 system.
Today Xiaomi’s official preview, MIUI14 equipped with a photon engine, from the source to improve, deep Linux kernel optimization, and mainstream third-party App one by one joint tuning. “From system to App, smooth experience, unparalleled.” According to the poster, MIUI 14 Photon Engine allows third-party apps to enter the era of super speed comprehensively, with 88% improvement in fluency and 16% saving in-app power consumption.
Xiaomi also said MIUI 14 system will be launched a “razor plan” to create “the smallest firmware, the smallest memory consumption, the least uninstallable applications” ultra-pure system.
The “first knife” is to the bloated system firmware down. In the past 12 years MIUI with Android upgrades, firmware continues to get bigger, this time re-examination, breaking the law of natural expansion of the system, the system firmware compared to the previous generation streamlined by 23%.
The “second cut” is to the system memory consumption. The second cut is to check the non-essential self-starting processes one by one, strictly control the memory consumption of system applications and services, and release the boot memory as much as possible to use it properly.
The “third knife” is to the uninstallable application down. Lei Jun said this time Xiaomi to the system features the right to choose the user, the number of uninstallable applications to a minimum, and the rest can be deleted.
MIUI 14 will also support multi-variable large icons. The desktop icons you are most familiar with, this time “big” is different. The new size makes the desktop layout more colorful. The news is that MIUI 14 supports customizable new icons and widgets, and will also bring large folders.


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California to relax driverless car testing laws
California is to remove restrictions on companies that want to test self-driving cars on public roads in the state under newly revised draft regulations.
One of the most significant regulatory changes is allowing for the absence of a driver in some circumstances, provided there is two-way communication with the vehicle.
The state introduced a ruling at the end of last year which allowed for driverless vehicles to operate on its road under the proviso that the vehicles came equipped with a steering wheel should anything go wrong.
Google expressed disappointment at the time saying that the ruling was restrictive and would slow deployment of the technology. Moreover, disabled groups complained that the requirement of a driver in the car hurt the very people that autonomous vehicles would most benefit.
Nevertheless, California has been at the forefront of the fast-growing autonomous vehicle industry, fueled by technology companies in Silicon Valley, and is one of a handful of states to have passed regulations enabling self-driving car testing on public roads.
Currently, 15 companies have permits to drive autonomous vehicles on public roads in the state, provided there is a licensed driver in the car.
Now, carmakers will have to certify that they have met a 15-step safety assessment issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That safety assurance means self-driving cars will no longer be required to be tested by a third-party, as in the original proposal.
The changes also prohibit advertising semi-autonomous systems like enhanced cruise control and lane-assist systems using terms like "autonomous" or "self-driving." The systems help steer and keep vehicles in lanes, but still require a human to remain engaged.
Such partially autonomous systems, which transfer control of the vehicle between the driver and the car and vice versa, have come under scrutiny since a fatality in May involving a Tesla driver using the company's Autopilot semi-autonomous system.
Some consumer groups and others have criticised the Silicon Valley electric car maker for the choice of the name Autopilot, which could suggest that the technology does not require a driver's intervention. Mobileye, which develops collision avoidance systems, split with the company in July citing its lax attitude to passenger safety.
The draft regulations face a new period of public comment before being finalised.
John Zimmer, the co-founder of the smartphone-based ride-sharing company Lyft, recently claimed that driverless taxi services will be made available to consumers in as little as five years.


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Don't miss the latest stories
Funny Posters Feature Cheeky Mashups Of Celebrities’ Faces And Names
By Wan Munirah, 04 Dec 2014
Artist Kalle Mattsson has been creating mashups of celebrities’ faces, producing creative hybrids “christened” with new names.
As seen on his ‘Buffalo Bill Gates’ Tumblr blog, Mattsson has so far created cheeky mashups of pop culture icons like Bono, Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol, all creatively presented in posters that feature bold captions of their new names.
Scroll down to view a selection of Mattsson’s work—can you make out the original celebrities featured in his mashups?
[via Distractify, images via Buffalo Bill Gates]
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Aston Martin is back and better than ever with the DB11 The post Aston Martin: More Than a Feeling appeared first on LUXUO.
AS WE SAY IN RADIO, WOW, WHAT A DEAL! Aston Martin’s DB11 looks like a million bucks, only costs a quarter of that.
Next year will see a brave new direction for Aston Martin's dedicated sportscar, as it leaves the bow tie in the DB11 and goes for a much more youthful and aggressive look. The 2018 Vantage will also boast considerable upgrades to performance,...Show More Summary
Luxury sports car maker Aston Martin took the wraps off the all-new Aston Martin Vantage 2018, and I’m really liking what I’m seeing. Built around the same bonded aluminium platform as the new DB11, the new Vantage 2018 has a sportier and sharper exterior design, and comes with some “Vulcan” styling in the front. Show More Summary
I highly recommend picking one up, if you have the means.
Aston Martin trimmed the back of the DB11’s chassis then combined it with the DB10’s nose to create the new Vantage. A divisive but definitely aggressive look. It’s powered by an AMG-sourced 4L twin-turbo V8 engine that produces up to 503 hp and 513 lb-ft. of torque.
Aston Martin vice president and chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, says the significant styling contrast between the new Vantage and DB11 are thanks to extensive customer research, showing genuine buyers wanted greater differentiation in the brand’s styling. In an exclusive interview with CarAdvice at the Tokyo motor show last month, Reichman said he was tired of […]
Aston Martin says the DBX SUV will not be constrained by a platform-sharing agreement, unlike four-wheel drives from the likes of Porsche and Bentley. Aston Martin vice president and chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, told CarAdvice the...Show More Summary
It’s the first new-generation Aston Martin Vantage since its predecessor was released in 2005, and uses an evolution of the latest bonded-aluminium architecture from the DB11. That said, 70 per cent of the car’s components are bespoke to the Vantage, which has a dry weight of 1530kg. The design blends elements of both the DB10 […]
Mercedes-Benz is about to expand its compact car family with an A-Class sedan. A prototype has been spotted and reveals designers will be adhering closely to the sleek lines of the A Sedan concept unveiled earlier this year. Ferrari’s FXX K track-only supercar has been made even more extreme with a new Evolution package. The new package...
Aston Martins are known for two signature traits: drop-dead gorgeous looks and bad-ass soundtracks. But how do you maintain the band’s identity when you have to play a cover tune? If he were still alive, I’d tell you to ask Joe Cocker. Sometimes you get by with a little help from your friends and make someone else's song your own. In...
This week we saw the first prototypes for Aston Martin’s next-generation Vanquish. So far the car resembles the DB11 grand tourer, albeit with loads of extra aggression. Hopefully there will be a rekindling of the brutal look of the original Vanquish, which is lacking in the current generation. Another vehicle we spied is Ram’s...
Aston Martin has treated its DB11 V8 coupe to a ?roofectomy? and created the DB11 Volante convertible - just in time for Summer. Unveiled overseas, the DB11 Volante joins the regular DB11 coupe, with an AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 e Read more
The first prototypes for Aston Martin’s next-generation Vanquish have been spotted. So far the car resembles the DB11 grand tourer, albeit with loads of extra aggression. Nissan will present a concept at next week’s 2017 Tokyo Motor Show that likely previews a new electric SUV. Judging by a teaser, it appears the SUV will be related to...
Oh you pretty thing... British design can be so frustrating. On the one hand, you have things like the Supermarine Spitfire and the Jaguar E Type and anything Sir Christopher Wren designed. On the other, you have stuff like the Ford Anglia and that MI6 Building. The brand new Aston Martin DB11 Volante […]
A snorting grand tourer builds off the success of the DB11. Continue reading 2019 Aston Martin Vanquish: Like a handsomer DB11 with more grunt 2019 Aston Martin Vanquish: Like a handsomer DB11 with more grunt originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Oct 2017 15:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
After letting the DB11 coupe build some momentum and launch in AMG-V8 spec, Aston Martin has pulled the curtains back on the DB11 Volante. The Volante lives at that same special juncture of muscular aggression and sensual curvaceousness, only lets a bit more air flow through the driver's hair. Show More Summary
Aston Martin to reveal the all-new DB11 Drop Top for Outdoor Car Enthusiast in 2018
The 2018 Aston Martin DB11 Volante has been revealed this week, dropping the top off the British GT . Unlike the DB11 coupe, which is offered with a choice of V8 or V12 engines, the Volante will only be available with the AMG-derived twin-turbo V8 under the bonnet in an attempt to keep weight down. The 4.0-litre […]
Aston Martin’s DB11 Volante is set to raise the bar for what the ultimate driving experience can, and should, be. The brand’s new convertible joins a coupé model that, between them, are some of the most eye-watering feats of design from Aston to date. It’s powered by a 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 powerplant, courtesy of Mercedes-AMG, that […]


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Research released by SME travel management provider Corporate Traveller reveals that while 78 per cent of Australian SMEs were negatively impacted by the global pandemic, 76 per cent of them expect to recover by the end of 2023 or have already recovered.
Among the businesses that have been impacted by COVID, 32 per cent said they expected to recover by the end of 2022; 33 per cent said that they’ll regain their lost ground in 2023; 23 per cent revealed that their recovery would likely occur after 2023; and 11 per cent of businesses said they had already recovered. Just two per cent revealed they will never recover or had closed their business in the last two years.
“It’s promising to see that a high proportion of SMEs are hopeful for their recovery and are likely to bounce back over the next 18 months,” Tom Walley, Global Managing Director for Corporate Traveller, said. “Many SMEs experienced financial hardship or were forced to hibernate, and even close, during the pandemic. This also impacted our economy. However, with business success on the horizon, Australia’s economy can also enjoy a much-needed boost.”
The report notes that 57 per cent of respondents say that Australia’s economic recovery would have the biggest positive impact on their own business. Over a third, 38 per cent, of business owners said a return to travel would help their businesses recover, while 36 per cent said returning to the workplace to boost employee engagement and productivity would greatly aid their recovery. Recruiting better and additional talent will help 31 per cent of SMEs, higher consumer confidence in the economy would help 30 per cent, and reduced inflation would assist 27 per cent, while better technology and Government stimulus would help 23 and 21 per cent of businesses, respectively.
“Thanks to the recently announced Federal Budget, more SMEs will be able to tap into the very resources and assistance they said they needed to hasten their recovery,” Walley said. “For instance, the Government will invest $21 billion in tax cuts to reduce the tax rate to the lowest level in five decades. Businesses will also be able to access new technologies and tax relief for training to upskill their employees.
“I also believe that a return to face-to-face communication will play an important role in the recovery, as do the 38 per cent of businesses who said they need to get back to travel to recover,” Walley added. “Reinvigorating travel programs that were paused or investing more in travel this year will help drive sales and growth opportunities. As more countries open, businesses will also be able to recruit overseas talent and expand into new markets. Travel will be an important strategy for SMEs to consider in their recovery, whether they DIY their own travel or use a travel management provider to help navigate the new, complex environment.”


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On September 25th the Czech National Bank (CNB, the central bank) kept its two-week repurchase (repo) rate on hold, at 2%.
The Czech National Bank's governor, Jiri Rusnok, indicated that raising interest rates was debated at the monetary policy meeting. It is likely that that the CNB will revisit this possibility in November after reviewing its latest macroeconomic forecasts. The CNB remains concerned about the less supportive external environment this year and its impact on the export-oriented Czech economy. However, increasing inflationary pressures prompted a discussion regarding the possibility of lifting interest rates. In July and August inflation remained at 2.9%, towards the upper end of the CNB's tolerance band (1‑3%). Drought across roughly three-quarters of the country has pushed up food prices, which grew by 4.4% and 4.6% in July and August respectively. A tight labour market and public-sector-led wage increases have fuelled overall wage growth and pushed up consumer prices more broadly.
The primary objective of the CNB is to ensure price stability and therefore, higher inflation presents a risk to our outlook for interest-rate stability until mid-2020. If inflation goes beyond the upper end of the CNB's tolerance band, it could force the bank to act, despite the weaker external environment. We expect inflation to ease next year owing to the lagged effect of monetary tightening and reduced pressure from administered prices. The pressure from food prices should also ease as the drought ends. We also expect lower global oil prices, on average, in 2020 compared with this year, which will dampen imported price pressures. Moreover, we expect nominal wage growth to ease slightly as economic growth moderates further next year, which will reduce the upward pressure on consumer prices.
Germany, which accounts for about 33% of Czech exports, underwent an economic contraction in the second quarter of 2019 and we expect the German economy to enter a technical recession in the third quarter. The CNB remains concerned about the less supportive external environment and will be hesitant to raise rates, especially as investment activity and export growth in the Czech Republic has weakened this year.
Impact on the forecast
We continue to expect interest-rate stability until mid-2020, but higher inflation so far in the third quarter has increased risks to our outlook.


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Bolton-based online electricity retailer AO World reports record income.
The transition to online retail as a result of the COVID-19 pandemicAnnual income Reach £ 1.66bn, 62% increase, This is due to the addition of 2 million new customers.
Fiscal Year Adjusted EBITDA 2021 (until 31st)st March) £ 63-72 metersSignificant increase from £ 19.6m 2020.
The· G listedloop Said it had “Capitalization About the challenges and opportunities presented by COVID Pandemic“..
It also said The German business is expected to achieve occupancy profitability in the third quarter and generate profits this fiscal year...
“”During the period, gGovernment support was repaid or unclaimed and had no impact on profitability“The company said.
John Roberts, AO fOwner and CEO, Said: “We are pleased to report on the remarkable progress in our finances, operations and strategies over the year.
“”The last 12 months have been unparalleled and we are very proud to meet our customers’ challenges. – – maintain Their lives are powered up with essential electrical and technical products.
“We were brave and bold in investing in capacity and infrastructure at the beginning of the year, and now we look forward to building on that scale advantage.
“I think the dynamics of these markets will continue. Uncertainty is inevitable, but there is a solid direction for AO and the business model we have built over the last 20 years.
“”We have opened a physical store and have made strict comparisons compared to last year, but we hope that it will continue to be a double-digit growth business in the future.“
Record $ 1.7 Billion Revenue in AO World
Source link Record $ 1.7 Billion Revenue in AO World


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In preparation for Hurricane Irene, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered a mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas (Zone A) in the five boroughs of New York City Friday afternoon. The official evacuation deadline has been set for 5 p.m. ET Saturday, but residents are being asked to move before New York City transit shuts down at noon Saturday. Want to know if you're in an evacuation zone? Type your address in the "Zoom to" box at the top, courtesy of WYNC.
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The mantra of a lot of web software is the same: Use technology to take the human agents and costly middlemen out of the equation. Connect consumers to sellers, thus creating a more efficient marketplaces. There are many examples of this working well and generating fantastic new business opportunities. Along the way, the web aggregated everything: airfares, hotel rooms, auctions, stock market data, weather information -- you name it.
The stakes are high for maintaining a city's positive image. Bad perceptions can lead to lost economic development potential, and can be hard to reverse once they take hold. But if your town's image is in question, you no longer have to write an op-ed in the local paper. Instead, try what the city of Grand Rapids, MI did -- pick up a video camera.
After finding success revolutionizing restaurant reservations, OpenTable founder Chuck Templeton has taken up a new challenge: to bring neighbors closer together through hyperlocal sharing. Templeton's new startup, OhSoWe, quietly launched earlier this month. At its core, it's an online community platform for neighborhoods to network and communicate online. Instead of providing local news (like AOL's Patch), OhSoWe provides a website for posting items to share or starting a local discussion.
Google VP Marissa Mayer laid out the company's vision and strategy for winning in local and social in a keynote Thursday at the Social-Loco conference in San Francisco. Google's location strategy is focused on three areas: exploration and discovery, interactivity, and new perspectives. By making it easier to discover new places, interact with them and glean new information from that interactivity, Mayer says she hopes to take location services to the next level.
Microsoft is hopping gingerly aboard the local deals bandwagon; its first test market is Sweden, where it is launching Lokaldealen, a service that is exactly what it sounds like. The service is a result of the software giant's partnership with Lokaldelen (see what they did there?), a Swedish business directory. Lokaldealen's offers are exactly what you'd expect to find on any Groupon clone's site: Users purchase limited-time-offer vouchers for discounts of popular goods and services.
Meetup Everywhere, a platform for brands and organizations to mobilize fans in various locations, launched a massive redesign today. The site overhauled not only its look but also its functionality. The most important change is account owners' ability to create "Worldwide Meetup Days" for their communities. This allows organizations to initiate a Meetup theme and date on their Meetup Everywhere page, making it easier for them to mobilize fans around a particular activity or topic.
Forget the rumor that Google acquired Groupon for $2.5 billion; the search giant is about to close a deal for the group-buying service for a whopping $5.3 billion to $6 billion, according to multiple reports. It would be worth every penny. The deal is worth $5.3 billion with an additional $700 million earnout based on performance, according to All Things D. The New York Times reports that a deal could be completed as soon as this week.
Twitter's locally focused Trends, the list of hot topics that allows Twitter users to keep their twitchy little fingers on the pulse of their communities, is now available in a total of 18 countries and 24 cities around the world. In an announcement today, a Twitter product manager stated that Twitter's trending topics, a what's what of popular and talked-about keywords, will be gaining a more local flavor for 13 new countries and 6 new cities starting today.
What do you get when you take one 420-square-foot New York apartment, one green living advocate, $70,000 in prizes and a crowdsourced audience of forward-thinking designers? Hopefully an apartment design competition that can help reduce a country's environmental footprint. The concept, called LifeEdited, aims to design an actual apartment that brainchild and guinea pig Graham Hill will inhabit.
Join Mashable, the Verizon Wireless New York Metro team and the Samsung Galaxy Tablet team at the new Gansevoort Park Hotel on Monday, November 1, for an exclusive evening of demos, networking and prizes. Verizon Wireless will be showcasing its latest lineup, including the Samsung Galaxy Tablet and the DROID Pro. We'll be raffling off a DROID 2, a DROID R2-D2, a DROID X and a Samsung Fascinate. Space is limited to just 50 single tickets, which are being released via Eventbrite.
Nowadays you can get pretty much anything you want online, but what if you really want a burrito at three in the morning, or some hand-picked beets at three in the afternoon? There are a lot of ways to get good food out there, and the Internet is becoming an increasingly useful, and effective, way to find exactly what you want. This list can help you find new vendors and new meals that you might have otherwise missed.
The new iteration of Yelp's iPhone app isn't live just yet, but a company blog post gives a window into what's coming very soon: badges, and a hierarchy of "royalty" that lets you "rule" venues, neighborhoods, and even cities. The royalty feature is much akin to Foursquare's mayorship feature, and lets Yelp users with the most checkins become the "Duke" or "Duchess" of a particular venue.
This series is supported by The Poynter Institute’s Mobile Media blog – your guide to the intersection of mobile and media. Sign up to receive the blog in newsletter format and be entered into a drawing to win an iPad at Poynter.org/ipadgiveaway. Few industries are experiencing greater upheaval at the hands of technological progress than the news media. New ideas are popping up every day, so we've collected five of the most interesting ones for your consideration.
This post is part of Mashable's Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Name: WinkVid Quick Pitch: WinkVid is a new way to meet singles in your area using live, one-to-one video chat. Join online events, called WinkUps, and meet 10-20 local singles in 1 night.
Mashable and Bing are releasing a new feature today -- the Local Twitter Trends Map. The map displays the top 10 Twitter trending topics in major U.S. cities. Once clicked, each local trend displays a listing of the latest tweets about that topic in the surrounding area. You can also find Mashable articles about the top topics in your locale.
Apple has posted a note to iPhone developers that sounds suspiciously like a warning against including location-based advertising in a mobile app. The specific text reads: "If you build your application with features based on a user's location, make sure these features provide beneficial information.
Twitter began a rollout of a new Local Trends feature last week, and now the company reports Local Trends is live to all. Once you set your location, Local Trends allows you to see what conversational trends are popular nearby. The cities list is still limited for now, but the selection area indicates Twitter is "working on it" to expand the number of supported localities. Changing your location immediately updates the list of trending topics in the right-hand sidebar of your Twitter.com home display.
Ever since the introduction of the location-aware tweet, we've been curious as to why Twitter wants to know where we are. The release of Local Trends holds the key to unlock that answer. Now more than ever, where you are is more important than what you're doing. So as location-sharing is poised to be the breakout technology trend of 2010, the Local Trends feature points us to look towards the future of local services brought to you by Twitter, made possible by the location-aware tweet.
So that whole mobile local, "check in when you go out" space? It's so on. This week we pit three of the top local checkin services against each other for the title of Checkin Champion: Foursquare, Gowalla and Yelp. As you may know, we've been doing a long-running Faceoff Series here at Mashable where we pit similar services and products against each other to see who can win the hearts and minds of Mashable readers.
Just last week , Google added location-aware results to mobile searches on both the iPhone and Android platforms. Now that geographical awareness comes to Google Suggest, the feature that tries to anticipate your search query based on its relative popularity with other users (which can often lead to some humorous results). Ostensibly to save you time typing in your search query on mobile devices, the search suggestions are now based on your phone's current or last known location.
Go to Google.com in your iPhone or Android browser and you'll see a small new addition to the homepage: a tiny Near Me Now option below the search box. The new functionality turns your location into an automated search query and makes finding or learning about places in your immediate vicinity a no-brainer.
Update: Our winner is Kelly, aka Flyers Girl. Check out her winning video here. - Mashable is proud to be offering one lucky reader and a friend the chance to attend the third annual NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic in Boston, MA, between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins! The NHL has been one of the most active sports leagues in the social media realm. They've been organizing fan tweetups, creating social networks through Twitter Lists, and, of course, holding Twitter contests.
The mobile augmented reality space continues to heat up, with Wikitude and Layar on Android and the Yelp Monocle debuting AR on the iPhone. Today another iPhone app gets the augmented reality treatment, this time with restaurant-finding Urbanspoon's new "Scope" feature. The AR adds to Urbanspoon's existing featureset, where you can browse or search for a good restaurant nearby or, with a surprisingly fun gesture, shake the phone to get a random local result.
One of the sessions at today's 140TC Twitter Conference was a developer launchpad where a handful of third-party Twitter services each had 5 minutes to demo their app to the audience and a panel of judges. One of the interesting sites we hadn't seen before was Twaller, a service designed to connect travellers with relevant local information on Twitter.
Location and location-based tweeting is one of the most interesting subjects that Twitter users and developers have been exploring. Apps such as Ubertwitter and Tweetmondo help you locate Twitter users, but their use and effectiveness is limited. In the past, we've even asked Twitter and Facebook to build more geolocation features themselves. Well, Twitter seems to think that Geolocation is very important to the future of their service as well.
We've covered the online music community Bandsintown a few times before, and today sees the launch of a major new feature set for the site. Now featuring Twitter, last.fm and Pandora integration, Bandsintown offers a powerful yet easy-to-use suite of tools for discovering local live music you might want to check out.
The Twittering Towns series is supported by the Comcast Town Design Showdown. Thousands of people created and submitted their apartments, and the judges have narrowed it down to four finalists. They're all vying for the opportunity to win a prize worth up to $30,000, including a room remodel, 40-inch Sony Bravia® HDTV, a Sony VAIO® AW laptop and a Philips digital phone.
Following trending topics on Twitter (which you can do from the Twitter home page when you're logged in, or from the search page) is a great way to find out what people are talking about around the world. Often, when a topic is trending on Twitter, it means that some major bit of news is unfolding about the trending term. But news that has global appeal might not be relevant to you when viewed through a local lens.
Problem: iPhone application developers have difficulty getting traction and downloads for their applications. Just getting a place in the app store isn't always enough. Having a starting base of installs, feedback, and word-of-mouth could help spark application growth. Solution: AdMob's new iPhone Download Exchange program, which helps applications gain downloads by advertising within other iPhone applications.
Google has announced Google Ventures, a venture capital fund that "seeks to discover and grow great companies" in a "broad range of industries, including consumer Internet, software, hardware, clean-tech, bio-tech and health care." The fund has two managing partners: Bill Maris, perhaps best known in tech circles for founding Web hosting company Burlee.com, and Rich Miner, co-founder of mobile platform Android.
Right on time; as promised yesterday, Skype client for the iPhone is now live in the US App Store. We've gone through the features yesterday, but the folks at Engadget mention a very interesting glitch (or feature) that was previously unreported. It seems that you can make Skype calls over 3G network if you have the beta 3.0 OS installed on your iPhone; unfortunately, in that case the application is also quite unstable.
Twitter has tweaked their sidebar to now refer to Replies as “Mentions,” and adjusted the functionality so that rather than showing only those tweets that begin with your username, they’ll show all tweets that mention it. While this could already easily be accomplished using Twitter search, or through a client like TweetDeck, it now allows all users of the Web interface – still the most popular method for updating and tracking Twitter – to see everyone who mentions their username.
The king of Web video is finally set to join the live video realm today. In 30 minutes, YouTube Live will introduce a mix of real-time concert footage with that of “YouTuberati” such as LisaNova, Tay Zonday (Mr. “Chocolate Rain”), “Fred,” Chad Vader, and the “Will it Blend” guys. And while some of us are still wondering why YouTube is taking the show on the road at all, I'm ready to call this for what it is: a wasted effort.


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On Tuesday, Stockland said it expected underlying earnings per share (EPS) for fiscal 2013 to be at the lower end of a previous guidance range. This means a fall of between 10 to 15 per cent on the previous year.
At a first-quarter investor briefing, the property investor and developer attributed the downgrade to ongoing challenges in the Victorian residential market.
It also said an improvement in this market was unlikely any time soon.
Stockland said the fall in EPS will be even greater in the first half, primarily due to a large skew to the second half in the company's Residential business.
Group Executive and CEO of the Residential business, Mark Hunter, said market uncertainty and a lack of consumer confidence were continuing to present challenging market conditions, which were particularly apparent in the Victorian residential market.
Chief Financial Officer Tim Foster reiterated that Stockland is confident earnings will improve from fiscal 2014, buoyed by the contribution of new retail developments and a strong residential pipeline.
They expect that fiscal year 2013 will be the low point in its earnings; it was decided to hold its fiscal 2013 distribution at 24 cents a share, even though this will be above its target payout ratio.
Fiscal 2013 is a key year in the delivery of the first stage the substantial redevelopment pipeline that will provide an innovative, robust approach to defining retail mix so to deliver resilience and growth.
For more information on Stockland (SGP) please contact us on 07 4771 4577.


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Online money transfer company Remitly is to open an office in Ireland taking up space in the new Penrose Dock development in Cork.
Headquartered in Seattle, the company helps migrants around the world transfer money to their home countries and handles more than €5.35bn each year in transactions.
The office in Cork will oversee money laundering and anti-fraud operations along with financial regulatory compliance. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Remitly’s General Manager for Ireland Dermot Kennedy said they expected to move into their new office next month and to grow their small team over the coming months taking on new staff.
“We have more than 1,000 employees globally and are expanding further,” he said, adding that the IDA assisted the company in coming to Ireland.
“Cork’s long history with multinational tech companies like Apple and Amazon and the alignment with UCC and CIT was a big factor in locating here.”
With Covid-19 bringing the global economy to a shuddering halt, the World Bank predicts that global remittances by migrant workers to their families are set to fall by a record 20% this year to less than €400bn. This is largely due to a fall in the wages and employment of migrant workers, who tend to be more vulnerable to loss of employment during an economic crisis.
Despite this, Mr Kennedy said there was no change to the company’s plans to set up a new office in Cork.
“Definitely there was an attitude of ‘let’s keep going’ and while currently, we have just a small team we plan to increase our headcount to 12 by the end of the year,” he said.
Remitly said they saw a 40% increase in money transfers between February and March. “We have seen a 350% increase year-on-year in transactions in Europe and we have seen even bigger demand due to Covid-19,” Mr Kennedy said.
“The big challenge for traditional brick and mortar operations was that customers couldn’t leave their homes or their offices were closed. As a result, there has been a very sharp uptake in people moving to digital.” Up until the pandemic up to 70% of remittances worldwide were carried out by individuals using cash at physical locations but the switch to apps and digital services has been rapid.
Remitly was co-founded by Matthew Oppenheimer who was working for Barclays in Kenya and saw how difficult it was to send and receive money overseas.
While 2020 will see a 20% fall, the World Bank estimates that remittances will recover and rise by 5.6 per cent to almost €420bn next year.
By taking space in Penrose Dock, Remitly joins a growing list of companies locating in the new Cork Docklands office development from JCD.
Financial services firm Grant Thornton is moving from South Mall to take up the penthouse floor in one of the three buildings that make up Penrose Dock. Law firm Matheson has also pre-let office space and will be joined by tech firms Qualcomm, Sophos and Varonis.


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Google appears to be testing a new service called Google Keep, which could allow users to compile written notes, task lists, web links and images in one place.
Although Google hasn’t announced the service yet, it briefly went live over the weekend, long enough for Android Police to play around and take some screenshots. Google Keep looks pretty slick, with notes that appear as color-coded cards spread across the screen. That card aesthetic is something we’ve seen a lot from Google lately, in products like Google Now and Google+.
Of course, Google wouldn’t be the first company to offer online, multimedia notes. Keep would compete with services such as Evernote, Catch and Microsoft’s OneNote, which all allow you to store notes online and access them from any device. The advantage for Google would be its integration with Android and with other Google services.
Just to speculate a bit, an “Add to Google Keep” button could appear when looking up websites through Google Search, or it could be built into Google’s Chrome browser. On Android, we could see the ability to dictate a note through voice commands. It’s also easy to imagine the notes with groups of people through Google+, just like you can do with Google Drive documents.
You may recall that Google tried its hand at a note-taking service before with Google Notebook. But that service was more text-driven, and was never adapted for phones and tablets. Google stopped development on Notebook in 2009 and shut the service down completely in 2012, moving all data over to Google Docs. From what we’ve seen of Keep, it would have a better chance to compete with services that have been designed around mobile use.
My guess is that Google will lift the curtains on Keep before long. But as Brad Linder at Liliputing points out, given the fate of Google Notebook and the impending termination of Google Reader, you have to wonder how much you can trust Keep to stick around for more than a few years.


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Feds file suit against T-Mobile
WASHINGTON (AP) -- T-Mobile US knowingly made hundreds of millions of dollars off its customers in potentially bogus charges, federal regulators alleged Tuesday in the first lawsuit of its kind against a wireless provider.
The lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission, which fueled a separate federal investigation, demands that T-Mobile refund the money to consumers for subscriptions to premium text services such as $10-per-month horoscopes that were never authorized by the account holder. The FTC alleges that T-Mobile collected as much as 40 percent of the charges, even after being alerted by other customers that the subscriptions were scams.
The announcement was a blow to the popular mobile phone provider, which had been making gains in the market by offering consumers flexible phone plans.
“It’s wrong for a company like T-Mobile to profit from scams against its customers when there were clear warning signs the charges it was imposing were fraudulent,” said FTC Chair Edith Ramirez in a statement. “The FTC’s goal is to ensure that T-Mobile repays all its customers for these crammed charges.”
In a statement, T-Mobile called the allegations “unfounded and without merit.”


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Editor in Chief
- Dec 30, 2010
- Reaction score
- Austin, TX
We somehow missed this second hot Asus news story from yesterday. The company not only announced their new ZenFone Zoom smartphone (as we reported here), they also announced their latest flagship the ZenFone 2. These beast of a device is sporting a hot new 64-bit Intel Atom processor and a 4GB RAM option!
Here's the full breakdown:
- 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display
- 64-bit 2.3GHz Super quad-core Intel Atom Processor
- 13-megapixel camera
- 5-megapixel front-facing camera
- Dual SIM support
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 4G LTE speeds of up to 150Mbit/s
- 3,000mAh battery with fast-charging technology (60% charge in just 39 minutes)
- Android 5.0 Lollipop with Asus ZenUI user interface
You can see the full press release as well as another image of the device in the thread below.
For further discussion on the new Asus ZenFone 2 please hit up our dedicated section here: ASUS Zenfone 2 Android Forum at DroidForums.net


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Timberland Co. reported on Thursday fourth-quarter net earnings that beat Wall Street estimates, helped, in part, by strength in its European business.
The firm posted quarterly net income of $22.3 million, or 40 cents a share, up from $13.1 million, or 23 cents, the prior year. Analysts expected 37 cents.
Revenues slipped marginally to $387.8 million from $390.6 million. Wall Street, however, expected revenues of $396.7 million.
Footwear sales fell about 3 percent to $273.4 million, while in North America, total sales were down 7 percent at $215.8 million. The firm cited, in part, soft boot sales. However, sales in Europe popped 17 percent to $128.4 million.
For the year, the firm earned $56.6 million, or $1.01, compared with $42.9 million, or 73 cents. Revenues totaled $1.29 billion, down from $1.36 million a year ago. Wall Street expected earnings per share of 96 cents.
“In 2009 we saw solid results in our classic boot business in Europe, substantial growth in our SmartWool brand and significant improvement during the fourth quarter in the performance footwear category, all indicative of Timberland’s strength as an authentic outdoor brand,” Jeffrey Swartz, president and CEO, said in a written statement. “During these difficult economic times we have worked hard to continue making great product, build our relationship with consumers around the world and maintain a strong balance sheet, all of which we believe leave us well-positioned to capture the long-term potential of the Timberland brand.”


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SANFL extends longstanding partnership with Burley Sekem
The South Australian National Football League (SANFL) has announced the continuation of its enduring partnership with the renowned Australian sports apparel manufacturer, Burley Sekem.
This multi-year extension of the partnership reaffirms Burley Sekem’s commitment to providing on-field and off-field apparel under the Sekem brand for all SANFL state teams, umpiring, talent development, multicultural initiatives and First Nations programs. It includes the production of all staff apparel for the SANFL, including workwear for the SANFL-owned Mosaic Hotel at West Lakes.
The Sekem brand will make its debut appearance this year with the SA Wheelchair Football team, who will wear the brand during the 2023 Wheelchair AFL National Championships in Melbourne, commencing from November 1. This year also marked the first occasion when the APM State Inclusive team sported Sekem matchday kits at the recent AFL National Inclusion Carnival in Queensland.
SANFL Chief Executive Officer, Darren Chandler, expressed his satisfaction with the new partnership agreement, which solidifies an enduring connection between SANFL and Burley Sekem.
“SANFL has enjoyed a long and successful association with Burley Sekem and we look forward to our partnership entering a new era,” Chandler said.
“With now close to 1,000 umpires across our State League and in junior ranks and over 100 SANFL staff delivering footy competitions and programs in every corner of the state, the Sekem brand will certainly continue to grow its presence in South Australia.”
Ed Cunningham, Managing Director of Burley Sekem, shared his delight in continuing the 30-plus year partnership with SANFL and further supporting South Australian football at all levels.
“Australian Rules Football is in our DNA and we are proud to be able to celebrate 100 years of producing Sekem football apparel in 2023,” Cunningham enthused.
Burley Sekem is a division of the esteemed Kookaburra Sports Group, an icon in the Australian sports industry, boasting three brands that have thrived for over a century.