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The Indian generic-drug company, Ranbaxy has pleaded guilty to seven criminal charges after it fraudulently manufactured and sold adultered generic drugs in the United States and throughout the global pharmaceutical market. The company was also charged with making false statements to government officials, inventing drug test data, as well as intentionally producing and distributing drugs without accurately testing them. After a long and arduous investigation by the FDA, Ranbaxy was ordered to pay $500 million in criminal and civil penalties to resolve both a criminal and whistleblower case.
Ranbaxy, which is based in India, was the first foreign generic-drug manufacturer to sell drugs in the United States. Currently it is the number six largest generic-drug maker in the country, selling over $1 billion in drugs to the United States just last year. Though the company has been condemned for its unethical practices, the company has still been allowed to manufacture and distribute its prescription medications. It currently has over 150 generic and brand-name drugs on the market today and manufactures a host of different types of medications including antivirals, AIDS medications, narcotics, and heart and cholesterol medications. Most recently its cholesterol-lowering medication, Lipitor, was recalled after tiny glass particles were found in dozens of batches of the drug.
The case against Ranbaxy began after the former director of project information and management, Dinesh Thakur, was made aware that the company was operating unethically, by fraudulently producing and selling adultered drugs, inventing false test results to put on drug applications (that were subsequently passed by the FDA), and blatantly lying to FDA regulators about its practices as a generic-drug company. Though Thakur filed a complex complaint with the FDA in 2004, the investigation took eight years to complete. In 2008, a court filing by the Justice Department outlined the initial evidence of Ranbaxy’s fraud. The evidence included a compilation of more than 1,000 documents in the form of internal reports, memos, emails, and hundreds of pages of FDA documents as well as testing data.
The evidence uncovered by investigators was overwhelming and showed not only a lack of regulation on behalf of the company, but also the stark reality of the pharmaceutical industry; in that many drug companies often cheat the system and intentionally distribute unsafe or futile medications. In his initial contact with the FDA, Thakur stated that Ranbaxy knowingly sold “untested, spurious, and ineffective medication.” Not only was the company inventing and manipulating data to pass drugs onto the global market, the company was also playing the system by acting in any way the deemed fitting to achieve the results they wanted. They knowingly carried out unsafe practices that put in danger the lives of millions of patients.
While the case has cost the company $500 million in settlements, the company’s sales have continued to grow. In many ways it seems that this incident, though daunting to patients who have been prescribed Ranbaxy medications, will remain isolated and will not affect the big picture for the company. On the smaller scale, this incident outlined the benefits for those who come forward in whistleblowing cases. For Dinesh Thakur, his role as an informant to the FDA earned him nearly 30% of the Federal Government’s total earnings ($48.6 million).
Whistleblower lawsuits are very complex. If you suspect corporate fraud and wish to reveal these cases, call one of our experienced Boston Whistle-Blower Attorneys at Altman & Altman for a free consultation. We have nearly 50 years of experience with whistleblower cases and resources necessary to bring a whistleblower lawsuit against an entity committing fraud against the federal and/or state government.
There are numerous steps which a private citizen must take in order to recover a percentage of the recovery on behalf of the federal or state government. Our Boston Whistle-blower Lawyers will take care of your lawsuit from start to finish and will make certain that all of the necessary steps have been taken. Our attorneys are available around the clock to answer assist you with any matter pertaining to your case. All calls are kept confidential and we promise to provide you with legal protection from retaliation.


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Sony, Ericsson In Talks To Dissolve Joint Mobile Phone Venture: Source
HELSINKI/TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp is in talks to buy out Ericsson's stake in their mobile phone joint venture, a source said, in a bid to catch up with rivals.
The move could help Sony recoup ground in the battle against Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics, where it has been hampered by its disparate offerings of mobile gadgets and online content.
Tablets, games devices and other consumer electronics are offered under the Sony brand, while smartphones come under Sony Ericsson.
Sony and Telefon AB LM Ericsson have been talking for weeks about the future of the 50:50 joint venture because the companies must decide this month whether to renew their 10-year-old pact, two industry sources told Reuters.
A source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday Sony was discussing a buyout. The source did not want to identified because the talks were not public.
Yoshiharu Izumi, an analyst at J.P. Morgan in Tokyo, said the deal could be worth upwards of $1.3 billion, depending on what agreement the two reach about the continuing use of Ericsson's telecoms patents.
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

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As the head of Apple’s design team, Jony Ive has been one of the most influential figures in tech over the last two decades. He helped create the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and slew of other Apple products that have hit shelves over the last few years.
Now Jony’s putting his mark on Apple’s software too, which makes you wonder if there’s any area of design Jony can’t master. Time just released its list of the 100 most influential People in the world, and Ive is the only Apple employee that made the list.
It reads like some kind of fanboy fantasy: Jony Ive To Design Leica Camera. Only this fantasy is totally non-fantastic. Ive is set to design an ultra-limited edition of one single Leica, and it will be auctioned off by Bono (who else?) for charity.
Stanford Memorial Church courtesy of Jill Clardy on Flickr
A Steve Jobs memorial held at Stanford Memorial Church on Sunday attracted a huge number of people who came to pay their respects to Apple’s former CEO and co-founder. Among them were a long list of celebrities, musicians, CEOs, and even a former president.


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Nestlé, the largest packaged-food company in the world, has announced that it will sell its U.S. candy business to Italian firm Ferrero, in a $2.8 billion deal.
This is the food group's first big sale under CEO Mark Schneider, and it's a major milestone toward turning Nestlé into a company that makes and sells healthier food.
Nestlé Selling U.S. Candy Business
The United States is the company's biggest market, but some units fare better than others. On Tuesday, Jan. 16, Nestlé announced the sale agreement with Ferrero and explained that the confectionary business in the United States does not have a strong position, as it's behind Hershey, Mars, and Lindt.
Consequently, it is selling the U.S. confectionery business for $2.8 billion in cash and expects the deal to complete sometime within the next couple of months, toward the end of the first quarter. For now, the deal is still pending closing conditions and customary approvals but should clear all hurdles by the end of March.
"With Ferrero we have found an exceptional home for our U.S. confectionery business where it will thrive," says Schneider. "At the same time, this move allows Nestlé to invest and innovate across a range of categories where we see strong future growth and hold leadership positions, such as pet care, bottled water, coffee, frozen meals and infant nutrition."
The company adds that its U.S. confectionery business makes up roughly 3 percent of all sales from the U.S. Nestle Group. The candy business includes a number of popular brands such as Crunch, Butterfinger, Raisinets, and more.
KitKat Is Safe
The deal with Ferrero only covers U.S. confectionary brands but does not affect global brands such as KitKat. At the same time, the company's Toll House baking products will also remain unaffected by the sale. It adds that it will keep expanding its top confectionary activities worldwide, particularly the popular KitKat chocolate bar brand.
With its U.S. confectionery business under its belt, Italian firm Ferrero will become the third largest confectionery maker in the United States. The company already makes the popular Ferrero Rocher, Tic Tac, and Nutella spread, and Nestle's U.S. candy business will further consolidate its position in the U.S. market.
According to Ferrero, Nestlé's confectionery brands will allow for a greater scale, as well as a larger selection of high-quality products for customers in the United States. The U.S. confectionery market is the world's largest, worth roughly $8 billion per year.
Nestlé, meanwhile, plans to focus on other areas where it's already on top, or it has a greater chance of future growth. Such areas include infant nutrition, pet care, frozen meals, coffee, bottled water, and more.


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Correction: An earlier version of this story inaccurately concluded Tesla was the number one premium auto brand in the U.S. Tesla's 90,700 reported deliveries were global, while sales for BMW and Mercedes-Benz were for the U.S. alone. The post and headline have been corrected.
Despite legal and financial struggles, Tesla managed to cross the 2018 finishing line ahead of most of its competitors in the U.S. premium automotive market, including prestigious carmaker brands such as Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura. Mercedes-Benz and BMW are still estimated to be a few thousands of vehicles ahead of the American automaker.
Today, the Silicon Valley automaker disclosed that it delivered more than 90,000 vehicles for the last quarter of 2018—8% more than in the third quarter, which was already an all-time-high for the company—including 63,150 Model 3 (+13% from Q3), 13,500 Model S, and 14,050 Model X vehicles.
Tesla is currently neck and neck with Mercedes-Benz, the premium car division of German auto conglomerate Daimler, and BMW, based out of Munich, Germany.
Based on estimates compiled by my firm, Atherton Research, the Bavarian luxury car maker sold about 80,000 to 85,000 BMW-branded vehicles (cars and SUVs) in the final quarter of the year in the U.S.
Although Tesla doesn't publish sales figures for the U.S. or international markets alone, it's estimated that the California-based company sells between 11,000 and 13,000 vehicles outside the U.S., including Canada, Europe, and China.
And the gap between the electric car maker—which by the way also sells solar panels and clean energy storage—and its competitors is closing at lightning speed as Tesla continues to increase its production rate, expands to international markets (deliveries to Europe and China will start next month), offers a leasing option for the Model 3 and reduces the price of its vehicles (read more about it below).
In 2018, Tesla delivered more than 245,000 vehicles (145,846 Model 3 and 99,394 Model S and X), almost as many vehicles as it did in all its prior years combined.
In a statement, the Palo Alto-based carmaker confirmed that last year was also the first time in decades that an American car – the Model 3 – was the best-selling premium vehicle in the U.S. for the full year, "with U.S. sales of Model 3 roughly double those of the runner-up."
Tesla also announced that starting today, it will reduce the price of its Model S, Model X and Model 3 vehicles in the U.S. by $2,000 to partially absorb the reduction of the federal electric-vehicle (EV) tax credit, which, as of January 1st, dropped from $7,500 to $3,750.
Atherton Research's Take
Despite increasing production and sales at a breathtaking pace, Tesla has not decisively managed to beat last quarter its two most direct competitors in the U.S. market, namely BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
However, we predict that it will do so in the next coming quarters as it accelerates production and makes design updates to lower the cost of its current vehicle lineup—a remarkable milestone, for a 15-year-old company with just 3 models and no dealer network.
As Tesla ramps up production and deliveries in Europe for the Model 3, German automakers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche, are starting to feel intense competitive pressure in their home market as they struggle to transition their lineup to full-electric vehicles.
Indeed, despite announcing billions of dollars of investments in electric technologies over the next few years, German automakers are not expected to deliver anything that will seriously compete with Tesla's current all-electric and semi-autonomous vehicle lineup before 2020 at the earliest.
And that's before any additional price reductions and innovations Tesla could announce in the meantime.
Finally, although we believe that the $2,000 price cut that Tesla announced today will affect the bottom line of the American automaker in the current first quarter of 2019, it will also help keep demand strong.
The federal EV tax credit will drop again on July 1st, from $3,750 to $1,875. By then, we expect Tesla to release the long-promised $35,000 Model 3 base version alongside more details about its all-electric pick-up truck and the Model Y crossover, which the final prototype was approved for production last October.


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Apple and Carl Zeiss are teaming up to work on Augmented Reality (AR) glasses, according to AR/VR evangelist Robert Scoble who cited an unnamed employee at Zeiss. He further added that the pair of AR glasses could debut next year. Continue reading “Apple, Carl Zeiss tipped to be working on AR glasses”
Carl Zeiss is venturing into virtual reality market with its own VR One headset. Priced at $99, the VR One headset falls in the same line of the Samsung Gear VR and Google’s Cardboard.
Continue reading “Carl Zeiss debuts $99 VR One headset, coming in December”
The Nokia 6700 Slide which was just recently launched in India has landed in our house too and before we put our grubby mitts on it, we decided to share with you the first pictures of us taking it out of its box and discovering it for the first time.
Continue reading “Nokia 6700 Slide Unboxing Gallery”
After giving you a very quick video fondle of the Nokia N86 8MP, here we give you a lengthy, almost 8 minute long, presentation of the device. The Nokia N86 8MP is the latest imaging flagship from Nokia, packing up a great wide-angle 8MP camera with a Carl Zeiss lens. It features Nokia’s iconic dual-slider design that was brought by the N95, with dedicated multimedia (gaming, music, video, browsing) keys. The N86 8MP also packs GPS, 3G, Wifi, the latest Ovi services on board, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, 8GB of built-in memory, microUSB charging, TV Out, an FM transmitter and a lot more. It also has the famous kickstand design on the back, that pops around the camera and lets you rest it comfortably at an angle on any surface. Continue reading “Video Review: Nokia N86 8MP Walkthrough”


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People around the world have been told to turn their Wi-Fi routers off and back on again by the FBI to halt a botnet attack.
A dangerous piece of Russian malware labelled as VPNfilter has infiltrated hundreds of thousands of devices in more than 50 countries. Hackers can then control those devices, collect information about their internet activity or shut them down altogether.
The FBI said turning the routers off and on would fix the problem but also allow authorities to see where the problem has spread to.
Ukrainian state security claimed late last week that the Russian government was preparing an enormous cyber-attack around the Champions League final, which was hosted in its capital Kiev on Saturday.
Broadcasts from the match did not seem to be interrupted, although Liverpool keeper Loris Karius may have wished they were after his two huge blunders saw the Reds go down 3-1 to Real Madrid.
Are you using a rubbish password?
We’re all guilty of reusing passwords across accounts to a greater or lesser extent – but many of us are also picking inexplicably bad passwords to begin with.
A study by Virginia Tech University and Dashlane analysed 61 million leaked credentials which showed that ‘12345678’ and ‘password’ lead the way in an age of two-factor authentication and password managers.
‘1q2w3e4r’, formed by ‘password walking’ along the top of the keyboard, was a surprise inclusion in the top 10, which you can see below.
In more uplifting news, ‘Iloveyou’ made the top three.
Keeping porn private
Now cast aside that feeling of worldwide romance with the news that Pornhub has launched a free VPN (virtual private network).
The pornographic video site said its VPNhub will provide users with privacy and security while browsing for and watching naughty videos through an encrypted connection.
The firm’s VP Corey Price said: “While browsing in incognito may keep users’ browsing history secret, the truth is they’re still susceptible to prying eyes, especially when browsing on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks… now they can do so without worry.”
Stir of Echoes
I was having a conversation with my wife over dinner last night when the Alexa living inside our Echo Show woke up and informed us that she couldn’t carry out our request. We swapped a glance and carried on chatting.
This seems to be happening more and more. A family in America revealed an extreme example last week: their Amazon device recorded and sent the audio recording of a conversation they had about hardwood floors to one of their contacts on a seemingly random basis.
Amazon said it was due to an “unlikely string of events”, begun when the device interpreted a word in the conversation as wake-word ‘Alexa’.
“Subsequent conversation was heard as a ‘send message’ request,” the company said in a statement. “At which point, Alexa said out loud ‘To whom?’ At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customer’s contact list.”
It hasn’t stopped the family from unplugging the device after they felt their privacy was “invaded”.
‘Make cyber security fun or get hacked’
A cyber resilience expert believes that engaged employees transform a company’s greatest weakness into its best defence.
Nick Wilding, general manager of cyber resilience at AXELOS, says dull, annual ‘tick-box’ cyber security training is ineffective in changing behaviours.
He suggests that putting employees into the mind of a cyber attacker is the most effective way of reducing the risk of falling victim.
Insane in the AimBrain
A free platform is allowing SMEs to ditch passwords for biometrics.
AimBrain On Demand lets entrepreneurs, app developers and technical audiences swap PINS and passwords for more secure facial and voice technology.
AimBrain On Demand is free for life for small users or enterprise users wishing to try-before-they-buy, and as such is capped at 1,000 API calls a month.
German car maker BMW is known for the reliability and quality of its vehicles.
However its car computer systems were found to contain 14 separate flaws, according to Keen Lab, a cyber security division of Chinese tech giant Tencent.
Researchers said they compromised the cars by plugging in infected USB sticks as well as via through-the-air methods such as Bluetooth and the vehicles’ own 3G/4G data links.
These could in theory allow hackers to take partial control of affected vehicles. BMW is working on fixes.


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It has been Ten Years since Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs as Apple Boss. This is our chance to recollect the Important changes Tim has made so far within the Cupertino firm.
On August 24, 2011, Steve Jobs declared his resignation as CEO of Apple following his medical issues. He stated while Tim Cook, his reliable right-hand man responsible for activities, assumed control over Apple.
If the news was not unique, many stressed over the new supervisor’s very smooth profile, rather than that of his Mentor Steve Jobs, and anticipated the end of the brilliant age of the Firm.
A circumstance of Power Grabbing
The first two years when Tim Cook was in charge of Apple were, without a doubt, troublesome. If the deals of the different Smartphones delivered in 2012 and 2013 were exceptionally agreeable, Tim Cook attempted to escape the shadow of Steve Jobs during his First Months as Apple Chair.
His Presentation in front of an audience was not even close as striking as the limited demonstration of the Apple Founder. Nobody today recollects the gentle introductions of the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 5C.
However, in the background, the man rolled out some extreme improvements. In any case, Tim Cook has left Scott Forstall, the VP, accountable for the software currently and ” father ” of iOS following the catastrophic dispatch of the Apple Plans app.iOS 7 out of 2013 was likewise a defining moment for Apple, with the stamped reception of “material design”, entirely it was hotcake during that period and the complete abandonment of skeuomorphism, a design that reliably recreates regular Objects and of which Steve Jobs was very affectionate.
Some striking new items
Much has been said to describe Tim Cook that he isn’t an ordinary man. In the biography committed to him, Steve Jobs had not been asked to convey a similar investigation. Tim Cook himself concedes this and settled on a collegial administration of the Firm to zero in on his number one area: Apple’s functional and financial administration.
To say that Apple no longer delivers anything under the Cook time is anyway unjustifiable because Apple has given many Products that have been accepted in the world, and Steve Job didn’t command it but the Man Himself Tim Cook
The first is the AirPods, delivered toward the finish of 2016. Wireless earphones were rejected during their launch and contrasted with straightforward overrated Cotton swabs, yet there is no such noise after five years. The AirPods and AirPods Pro are perhaps the most striking achievements of Tim Cook’s Apple, with deals that would be near 120 million Sells for the year 2020 alone.
The Apple Watch is additionally Tim Cook’s other hardware example of overcoming Failure. The smartwatch got off to a rough beginning, accusing a disastrous launch and marketing that was not appealing to the brand’s die-hard fans. The brand quickly went back to its toes and came back with new watch designs intended for well-being and sports that was accepted by the majority. Today Apple would have sold 100 million Apple Watch worldwide, and with more than 1 billion iPhones available for use, the space for development stays vital for the Manufacturer.
Not all things are excellent during the Tim Cook period, as he has experienced a few misfortunes.
We can refer to the instance of HomePod. This excellent quality associated with the audience at large has accepted speaker. Expected to revolutionize sound in our homes, in march 2021, the product was silently deserted and replaced by a less expensive HomePod mini.
The upgrade of the Apple Store is likewise a thorn in Tim Cook’s foot. By recruiting Angela Ahrendts, the CEO of Burberry, the new manager wanted to change the stores into spaces of living and revelation and merge the online store with the site.
If the most recent outlets, for example, the one situated in Paris on the Champs-Elysées, are incredibly effective according to architectural perspective, dealers have lost contact with the potential consumers. Apple stores are currently more entry places to follow a product’s preparation than a primary store where you can rapidly purchase items flanked by an apple.
Angela Ahrendts has since left Apple, and the “Store” tab has returned on the brand’s site as an affirmation of disappointment.
Zero in on services!
iCloud and the App Store remain Apple’s treasure troves as far as usefulness is concerned; however, Tim Cook has been continually increasing content contributions and memberships to merge his ecosystem.
We can specify Apple Music, presently the second music real-time service behind Spotify, yet additionally the dispatches of Apple Arcade and its proposal of versatile computer games or Apple TV+ for video web-based. Apple Fitness+, the most recent, permits Apple Watch users to profit from sports classes at home.
Apple is no longer hesitant to go beyond its preferred areas and is also distinguished on the mobile payment side with Apple Pay and Apple Card, a credit card reserved for US customers.
This service-oriented procedure is working impeccably, and in the quarter of 2021, this business alone represented $ 17.5 billion and 21% of the brand all out income.
The saint of Wall Street
Tim Cook is a numbers man and has splendidly exhibited this in 10 years with a valuation of Apple increased sevenfold to almost $ 2,500 billion at the hour of Publishing this article. Income for monetary 2021 will likely be the best outcome at any point recorded in Apple’s set of experiences, with the last quarter of 2021 over the $ 100 billion imprints in income, a notable first for the gathering.
We could say at the time that Steve Jobs oversaw Apple like a colossal beginning up. Tim Cook has transformed it into a worldwide, more work of art, more exhausting may be as well, yet with a relentless business technique and whose development today appears to be determined.
An increasingly expected public picture
Tim Cook is the absolute opposite of Steve Jobs, with a more blunt or, in any event, “exhausting” profile as per previous employees.
However the man is championing himself increasingly more as the voice of Apple. He no longer wonders whether or not to ascend to the cutting edge to guard the primary standards of the brand, like regard for the right to privacy. For example, he rejected the FBI request to access the data of an individual suspected of being a terrorist.
Tim Cook is also one of the few gay captains of industry to have made a public coming-out: “If discovering that the Apple CEO is gay can help someone accept themselves as he or she is, make someone feel less alone, or make people want to fight for equality, then it’s well worth sacrificing my privacy,” he wrote in an op-ed published by Bloomberg. A personal choice that goes hand in hand with his company’s intentions whose communication is always inclusive from advertising to keynotes.
Under his chairmanship, Apple has put more women and minority team members in the spotlight at the brand’s mass events. 2021 marks the start of a new decade for Tim Cook’s Apple, which will also be the last. A few months ago, the leader confided that he would no longer be at the head of the group in 10 years. It is now up to him to launch the following strategic projects of the Manufacturer, possibly in the healthcare or automotive sectors as rumoured for many months, and organize his succession.
Jeff Williams, currently a chief operating officer and with a profile modelled on that of Tim Cook, would be the most tipped for the job, but we are not there yet, and there are still a few years for the current CEO to prepare for the future of Apple.


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City Furniture unveils new store, expansion plans - slideshow
City Furniture has unveiled its new, expanded Pinecrest location and plans for further expansion in South Florida.
The Tamarac-based furniture retailer transformed its showroom at 9255 S. Dixie Highway, adding a second floor and green-design upgrades, and created 25 jobs.
The new showroom is part of City Furniture’s $17 million South Florida expansion, which includes five new stores built to meet green-building standards, as the company seeks Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
“We admire and value environmental sustainability so the whole green building movement is very much consistent with what we were doing even before there was a green building movement or an LEED certification,” President Keith Koenig said.
In addition, today’s consumer values companies that do the right thing, both socially and environmentally, he said.
A City Furniture location is currently under construction next to an existing store at 18780 S. Dixie Highway in Cutler Bay. Upon completion, City Furniture will open in the new location, and the existing store will be transformed into an Ashley Furniture HomeStore. City Furniture is the Ashley Furniture HomeStore licensee for southeast and southwest Florida.
An Ashley Furniture HomeStore is also under construction at Federal Highway and Northeast 38th Street in Oakland Park, and construction of an Ashley Furniture adjacent to an existing City Furniture showroom in West Palm Beach is to begin in August.
With the new stores, City Furniture plans to create about 60 additional jobs by 2013.
The company has strategically placed City Furniture locations next to Ashley Furniture HomeStores because consumers can then “drive once, shop twice,” Koenig said.
Ashley D. Torres is web producer for the South Florida Business Journal.
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Research shows those over 65 years eat the healthiest. Worryingly, young adults consume the least amount of fruit & veg.
Centra has revealed that those over 65 years of age eat the most amount of fruit & veg on a daily basis. Rather worryingly, the RedC research which was undertaken on behalf of Centra, also reveals that the young adults of our nation (aged 18-24 years) eat the least amount of their 5 a day.
Centra’s findings show that the average fruit and vegetable in-take of an Irish adult is now 3.3 portions a day. Previous research conducted by Safe Food showed that the national average was 2.5 portions.
The research comes as positive news as Centra launched its 5 a Day campaign in January, encouraging the nation to increase their daily intake. To keep up the momentum, Centra have today launched its ‘Get Summer Ready’ campaign with new tips and recipes to get on track for the sunny season on www.centra.ie. While the Irish nation is making positive steps towards getting the recommended nutritional guidelines, there is more to do.
As part of Centra’s ‘Get Summer Ready’ campaign consultant dietician Sarah Keogh is offering simple recipe ideas as well as hints and tips on ways to increase your daily intake of fruit and veg. To help you feel energised when the summer arrives, check out www.centra.ie for simple recipe ideas to help you get more of your 5 a day.
The research also highlighted the strain parents go through to get their children to eat healthy food; 42% of parents say they really struggle to get their children to eat vegetables. 35% of parents admitted they would tell a ‘fib’ to encourage intake, while 28% confessed to using bribes by offering their children additional treats. Nearly a third (31%) say they regularly hide fruit and vegetables in their children’s food.
Speaking about today’s findings Sarah Keogh, Consultant Dietician with Eatwell.ie and a member of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute said: “It is worrying that 77% of the Irish nation consume less than the recommended 5 a day, with young adults eating the least amounts of fruit and veg. I have drawn up tips and recipes that are easy to follow, which will help people to get more of their 5 a day – especially those who are time strapped and lead busy lives or trying to get their children to ‘eat their greens’!”
Check out www.centra.ie for Sarah Keogh’s blog on getting your 5-a-Day along with information and great offers across fruit and veg in your local Centra store.


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Businesses Prepare For End Of COVID Restrictions, New Mask Guidelines
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – California is on the cusp of a full reopening.
COVID rules officially disappear on June 15. No more tier system, no more capacity limits.
Businesses are gearing up for the big change, but how close to normal can we expect things to get? For many, the first item on the agenda is mask off.
"I'm noticing most people not wearing them anymore. A lot of people are feeling more comfortable not wearing them," said Alyssa Jovidan.
State officials are dropping the mask mandate on June 15. Governor Newsom said vaccinated workers also won't have to wear masks starting June 17.
"For those that are fully vaccinated, they won't be wearing masks. For those who aren't vaccinated they'll still be wearing masks," said Troy Paski, the owner of Railyard restaurant in Old Sacramento.
That'll be the same setup at Adam Attia's gym Fitness Rangers.
"It's really [an] honor code," Attia said.
Attia said on the big reopening day he'll still only be operating at about 50 percent capacity.
"We're still kind of ramping up. I don't think it's a black and white all-or-nothing kind of thing," he said.
Some of the survival tools learned when the pandemic first started are here to stay.
"We'll continue to build that online presence and offer more programs to people that can't necessarily get into the gym," Attia said.
Like many restaurant owners, Paski said he's still seeing a staff shortage but he'll welcome as many people into his restaurant that he can fit.
"Governor says no COVID restrictions, so no social distancing; you can do whatever you want," Paski said.
Pretty much the only thing that is still regulated is indoor mega-events, things that draw crowds of thousands of people. That's something people might end up needing to show proof of vaccine for.
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A 50 year old ex-real estate salesman called Juan Torralbo has managed to scrape up 4,5 million euros worth of investment to launch Almería’s first beer brewary since the Romans.
It will be called Bayyana and will be brewed in a 2,000 square meter warehouse in Viator. The firm hopes to launch it’s new beer next summer, at the Almería feria.
It will be a rubia , a blonde lager. “The malt will be from Castilla; the hops from Madrid; the water, from the Enix river; the yeast, from whoever sells it the cheapest” joked Juan in an interview.
25 people will be employed by the firm, which will join other regional brews such as Alhambra from Granada, Victoria from Malaga, Alcazar from Jaen or Sureña from Cordoba.
Juan managed to get the funding from private investors through the Idea innovation agency, a government agency which helps people get funding for business ideas. I just hope it’s better than Almerían wine….
Don’t you mean brewery?
Must have had one before I wrote it!


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It’s not just any storm in a cup of tea! M&S risks controversy by ditching saucers for cups in its cafes
- M&S says it’s replacing two pieces of crockery with one to save water and energy
- He will replace traditional porcelain services with cups, but still plans to use teapots
- Regular visitor Ron Moore, 86, said the move could ‘cost them a lot of customers’
- But a company spokesperson said feedback was positive at all ten test cafes.
It is the British brand par excellence.
But Marks & Spencer is breaking with national tradition – ditching teacups and saucers in its cafes in favor of mugs.
The retail giant is making the switch to saving water and energy because it’s faster to clean a single cup rather than two pieces of tableware. He still uses teapots.
The move reflects a trend in homes where china cups and saucers — as well as teapots — are being pushed out of kitchen cupboards.
Most households barely use a porcelain tea set and simply place a tea bag in a cup.
But fans of traditional china, Ron and Jennifer Moore, who regularly visit M&S in Longbridge, Birmingham, are disappointed. Mr Moore, 86, said: ‘We go to M&S once a week for our tea and toasted tea cakes for breakfast, before doing our weekly shopping. We are very friendly with the staff and they informed us that the cups and saucers were being removed.
M&S are ditching tea cups and saucers in their cafes in favor of cups to save water and energy (Pictured: an M&S cafe in Newcastle)
“They are going to be replaced by cups and tea bags. It could cost them a lot of customers, especially since we pensioners love our tea pots. They told us that they had received many complaints from retirees.
“Staff think it’s the cost of electricity to run the dishwashers, so it would appear to be purely financial.”
Tea sets were first imported from China during the reign of George IV, 1762-1830. Initially, a small amount of tea was poured into the saucer to promote rapid cooling. Over time, the size of the saucer evolved to accommodate the cup.
The move reflects a trend in homes where porcelain cups and saucers – as well as teapots – are being pushed out of kitchen cupboards (stock image)
Handles were not added in Britain until around 1750, largely thanks to designer Robert Adams. Adams made cups taller than their base and accompanied by a saucer, which soon became the standard of what is known as English tea service.
An M&S spokesperson said: ‘We have started providing customers with porcelain cups rather than cups and saucers to reduce water and energy consumption.
“It reduces water because fewer items need to be washed in the dishwasher.” We’ve tested it in ten cafes and it’s now rolled out to another 50 cafes. Customer feedback has been positive.


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One of the most interesting things about watching the German transition to medical cannabis reform was the speed at which the internal controls were launched once the political decision to proceed was made. This included the creation of a cannabis agency—even if it was a subdivision of BfArM—the German federal agency in charge of medicines and medical devices. This was set up almost simultaneously as the final vote authorizing legalization happened in the Bundestag in March 2017. Morocco is clearly following a similar path.
Last May, the Parliament voted to make at least medical cannabis legal and try to capitalize on the foreign income that could be earned in Europe from exports. This March the government formalized that decision.
Now the government has formally launched the agency rather than just approving its existence on paper. The group met for an inaugural kick-off last week. The topics on the agenda were approvals of the organization chart and this year’s budget.
The agency will control all stages of the production chain—from cultivation and certification to marketing. It will also have to set up processing and manufacturing cooperatives—exclusively comprised of local growers.
The Impact of Cannabis in Morocco
Morocco will be entering a global legal industry that is estimated by multiple sources to grow over 20% this year. Yet while the formal guidelines and controls are new, cannabis cultivation is nothing new to this part of the world.
What will be interesting to watch is the impact of Moroccan sourced medical grade in Europe. Not to mention where it ends up.
Here is why.
Formal, E.U. GMP certified cannabis has to meet specific pharmaceutical spec before it can be classified as a “medicine.” This starts with indoor cultivation. Yet it is precisely this standard which will be so hard for most cultivators in Morocco to actually meet.
Does this mean that the Moroccan experiment is doomed before it starts? Not necessarily.
The idea behind the legislation is to deter illegal cultivation in the Rif Mountains and set up legal channels to create not only jobs but valuable foreign income from exports. Yet few farmers can afford to build the infrastructure needed for the same—and foreign investors are hard to come by. This is a similar problem that faces the rest of the developing world as countries examine whether the industry will be a boon or a curse.
This also means, by definition, that as a result, most of the crop coming out of Morocco, even “legally” is highly likely not to make the strict European medical grade.
What gives? Is this an economic development project doomed to fail?
There are several answers to this question, most of which are very positive.
The first is that while Moroccan medical cannabis flower may not be authorized to enter the German market directly as a pharmaceutical, the path to this as well as other E.U. markets (including Eastern Europe) may look similar to medical cannabis already being sourced from other parts of the world, starting with Latin America. This includes being recertified in a third European country, like Portugal (and for a price) before it is allowed to cross any more E.U. borders, including Germany’s.
While this is a highly controversial practice, don’t expect it to disappear any time soon, particularly given the transition to recreational now in the offing aus Deutschland.
Beyond this, there are also countries in Eastern Europe, starting with the Czech Republic, which are not so rigorous in their import requirements for “medical” cannabis.
Then there is the extract market. It is going to be challenging for the entire industry to certify that the biomass used to create medical extracts is GMP. It is hard enough for flower now.
And don’t forget, there is the pending discussion about Germany’s recreational market.
A New Recreational Grade of Cannabis?
While it is likely that German legislators—if not the three established companies which obtained authorization to cultivate as of the formal cultivation tender—would want Deutschland’s new recreational cannabis to be sourced domestically, it is unlikely that they will be able to meet that demand. They cannot even meet the needs of the medical market.
What is likely, however, is that foreign “GMP” product, including that grown outside and then submitted to a GMP process downstream (starting with drying and curing) may cross the German border only to then be channeled into the recreational market.
Given all the twists and turns so far, this would be far from a surprise.
However, this also means, in effect, that Morocco, along with other African countries on the brink of “medical” cannabis reform or implementation of such policy, is actually taking a bold, brave step into the unknown. And further doing so at a time when the medical cannabis certification process is taking an interesting path.
The winners, in the end, are likely to be consumers.
One thing is for sure: The quality of the formal global market, including what is likely to emanate from Morocco—no matter what its actual certification—is going to be a lot higher than it is now.
Morocco is ticking the boxes in setting up a medical industry—starting with establishing a control agency—but where will this cannabis actually end up?
The post Morocco’s Cannabis Agency Meets for First Time appeared first on High Times.News, World, Africa, cannabis agency, Cultivation, Medical Cannabis, Morocco


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Seen here in the above image could be the production spec Ford Ka! This image was found on Ford Brazil’s official Facebook page and basically, is an air-brushed sketch of the Ford Ka. Comparing the car you see in the image with the concept Ka reveals a few differences though.
The car here no longer sports chrome slats on the front grille. The foglamps have been given chrome surrounds, the headlights are now conventional clear lens multi-reflector units with halogen bulbs, and the front fenders can be seen sporting the trafficators. The wheels too look more production spec.
Overall, the Ka benefits from Ford’s new Kinetic design language. The headlights seem to have been inspired from the ones on the Escort. The grille, on other hand, has more than a hint of Aston Martin in it. The car has some more design cues that remind us of other Ford cars, such as the Fiesta, Mondeo, et al.
It is being said that the production of the new Ka would commence in Brazil in March/April 2014 and the launch could happen sometime in May next year. For the Brazil car market, the new Ka will go on sale with two petrol engine options. One of these will be the 1.5-litre four cylinder unit that currently powers the Fiesta. For the new Ka though, the motor would be re-tuned to have a max power output of 111 bhp. The second engine on offer would be the highly acclaimed 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine that powers the EcoSport. The state-of-tune for this motor is yet to be announced. In India though, the car will come with a 1.5-liter Duratorq diesel engine along with the petrol variant.
In Brazil, the new Ka will rival the Toyota Etios, Hyundai HB20 and Chevrolet Onix. Prices are expected to start at 30,000 Brazilian Reals (approx INR 8.2 lakhs).
Stay tuned to Motoroids for more details of the new Ford Ka aka Ford Figo


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Meet the wavers
Remember Google Wave? It was launched a couple of weeks ago amongst a couple of hundred thousands lucky ones. And within those 'lucky ones' there has been a lot of discussion about the use of it. Some are excited, others have to wait and see. The potential is there.
The Wave team already traveled the US, Asia and South America and now heads over to Europe at the end of October to stay for a couple of weeks. They are visiting London, Vienna, Amsterdam, Zurich, Prague, Moscow and Munich. And they want to talk to "the European developers that are hacking on the Google Wave APIs."
Tagcloudwebsite baidu interview seo maps images ses ads research sea spain privacy europe marketing facebook iphone analytics mobile yahoo sem search search engines app browser matt cutts twitter google wave streetview business apple viral advertising street view london yandex blog android ppc video russia


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The market for public displays appears to be on the verge of breaking out of the holding pattern it has been in for the last two years....
Santa Clara, Calif. (PRWEB) November 14, 2013
After a year of flat growth in 2013, the global public display market is expected to rebound next year and grow 19 percent year-over-year, as global economic conditions improve, emerging markets increase public display investments, and prices continue to fall. Also helping to foster growth, according to the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Public Display Shipment and Forecast Report, several major global events and large projects will rely heavily on public displays.
The public display market in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) is projected to grow 22 percent in 2014, due in large part by the Winter Olympics in Russia and the Fatih Project of interactive classroom whiteboards in Turkey. The World Cup in Brazil this summer will spark 41 percent growth in Latin America. Global average selling prices (ASPs) will fall 8 percent in 2014, with ASPs for certain display sizes declining as much as 15 percent.
“The market appears to be on the verge of breaking out of the holding pattern it has been in for the last two years,” said Todd Fender, senior analyst of professional and commercial displays at NPD DisplaySearch. “Recent positive regional trends and brand growth in 2013 is expected to continue over the next several years.”
China continued to see impressive year-over-year growth of 40 percent in public display shipments, though the EMEA region is still the largest market. Samsung is the market share leader, shipping more than a quarter of all LCD public displays globally. Over the last several quarters Samsung has steadily pulled farther ahead of their competitors.
Additionally, display prices have continued to fall due to panel manufacturers optimizing their fabrication plants by adopting a variety of new LCD sizes. TV panel manufacturers have also driven prices down in order to grow consumer volumes, resulting in lower average selling prices.
“Larger displays are becoming more readily available and more affordable,” Fender added. “Together, these factors may put pressure on unit growth, as sales of some of these larger displays will cannibalize shipments of smaller screens used in video wall installations; however, at current price points, any loss in volume will be made up by higher overall revenues and profits.”
The NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Public Display Shipment and Forecast Report analyzes historical shipments, revenues, and forecast projections to provide an accurate, detailed view of the public display market. For more information, contact Charles Camaroto at 1.888.436.7673 or 1.516.625.2452, e-mail contact(at)displaysearch(dot)com, or contact your regional NPD DisplaySearch office in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan for more information.
About NPD DisplaySearch
NPD DisplaySearch, part of The NPD Group, provides global market research and consulting specializing in the display supply chain, including trend information, forecasts and analyses developed by a global team of experienced analysts with extensive industry knowledge. NPD DisplaySearch supply chain expertise complements sell-through information from The NPD Group, thereby providing a true end-to-end view of the display supply chain from materials and components to shipments of electronic devices with displays to sales of major consumer and commercial channels. For more information, visit us at http://www.displaysearch.com. Read our blog at http://www.displaysearchblog.com and follow us on Twitter at @DisplaySearch.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, luxury, mobile, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, and video games. For more information, visit http://www.npd.com and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdgroup.


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Last week was filled with celebration and some prestigious award wins that we are extremely proud of.
We are delighted to announce that two of our projects became winners in the category of Best Interiors and Retail Environment at this year’s FAB awards.
Gaucho Charlotte St picked up a Silver award and Sam’s Riverside bagged a Gold accolade in recognition of their high level of design work. We couldn’t be more proud of our designers hard work on both schemes and can’t wait to celebrate properly with them and our clients soon.
The FAB Awards is an annual awards programme that celebrates the International Creative & Effectiveness Excellence within Food and Beverage.


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The antitrust regulators of South Africa had approved Anheuser-Busch InBev NV’s 77 billion-pound of taking over SABMiller Plc, suggesting a one step closer to the completion of the deal.
According to Pretoria-based Competition Tribunal, a change in the timing of the sale of SABMiller’s 9.4 billion-rand shares in South African drinks producer Distell Group Ltd is among the conditions. AB InBev stocks added 2.3 percent and settled at 116.90 euros.
The deal is expected to be accomplished in the second half of the year, the Leuven, Belgium-based firm stated. AB InBev currently has been endorsed in 16 jurisdictions, and will “continue to engage proactively with the relevant authorities” where Budweiser and Stella Artois’ producers need to comply with clearances.
The largest brewer in the world is in search of regulatory approval for the takeover as investors are eyeing on Aug. 12, where London-based SABMiller is planned to pay its dividend. Upon the completion of the deal, AB InBev will receive a payout. The deal is hovered to get further signal from the U.S. Justice Department, including China’s Ministry of Commerce, the sources said.
The European Commission mentioned that AB InBev battles with a European Union antitrust investigation that could avoid cheaper Dutch and French beer being sold in Belgium market.
An analyst at Societe Generale Andrew Holland said, “It’s another tick in the box as they progress to completion,”
“There’s certainly no antitrust or competition reason for any hold-up in China or the U.S.,” he added.
Apparently, analysts have mixed opinions on whether the completion of the deal will prolong before SABMiller pays its dividend.
A founder of Kigoda Consulting company Mike Davies said, “From a South African perspective, the merger decision should allow just enough time to meet the Aug. 12 deadline although the timetable is extremely tight,”
According to Holland, the deal will proceed about three months to accomplish after the acquisition is approved by the last regulator, suggesting that there’s “absolutely no chance” of beating the date.
Shares of SABMiller declined 0.2 percent and settled at 4,332 pence during the session.
In other news, Anheuser-Busch InBev will undergo investigations with the EU antitrust regulators, citing if the company is illegally blocking cheaper imports of its own beer mainly in the Belgium market.
The Commission said in a statement, "AB InBev may be pursuing a deliberate strategy to restrict so-called 'parallel trade' of its beer from less expensive countries, such as the Netherlands and France, to the more expensive Belgian market."
Subscribe to FSM News daily newsletter to receive reliable updates every day and stay updated with the latest news.


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This is Beloudest's first VR title.
A brand new map is coming to EVE Valkyrie, bringing a completely new perspective to space-based combat.
CCP Games’ Sparc is only as good as your opponent.
The title is currently in Steam Early Access.
From Tekken to teasing, Katsuhiro Harada’s PlayStation VR exclusive is decidedly creepy.
It's nice but it needs work...
It could be a hit - if you like karaoke.
Force Field VR goes stealthy for its first mobile VR title.
Nordic Trolls aim to redefine a well established genre in a brand new medium.
XCOM meets VR in another possible win for the developer.


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Are you Canada’s greatest food lover?
As the digital travel magazine prepares its 2015 edition of the Top Restaurants in Canada, it has teamed with Vancouver-based Food.ee to launch the Food.ee of the Year Contest. The contest will be run from the new website www.TopRestaurantsInCanada.com.
Members of the public will vote for their favourite restaurant and submit a photo, video or story demonstrating why they are Canada’s greatest foodie. The winning entry receives round-trip airfare to St. John’s, a luxury hotel stay at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland and dinner for two at Raymonds.
[box_light]Enter the Food.ee of the Year Contest Here[/box_light]
“Food.ee is dedicated to improving the quality of meals Canadian office workers enjoy. We’ve teamed with leading restaurants in Vancouver and Toronto, and are delighted to partner with Vacay.ca on its efforts to celebrate leaders in Canada’s food industry,” says Food.ee spokesperson Moez Kassam.
Canada’s Best Restaurants List Coming in June
Vacay.ca, which produces award-winning content about the nation’s destinations and cultures, founded the Top 50 Restaurants in Canada in 2012 to spotlight the best dining experiences in the country for travellers. In 2015, it adds a digital experience dedicated entirely to Canada’s exciting restaurant scene.
“The Vacay.ca restaurants guide is seen as an authority by the nation’s food lovers, chefs and restaurateurs, so we’re thrilled to launch the TopRestaurantsInCanada.com website to provide even more great content about the fantastic food scene in the country,” says Renee Suen, the new chairperson of the Top Restaurants in Canada Guide.
Canadians make more than 17 million visits to restaurants each day. According to Restaurants Canada, 55% of Canadians name eating out as their favourite activity to enjoy with friends. With such passion for restaurants, it’s no surprise that entries for the Food.ee of the Year Contest have already started to pour in.
To enter, Canadians are asked to write about why they are worthy of the grand prize and to vote for their favourite restaurant in the country. The restaurant that receives the most votes will receive the People’s Choice Award from the Top Restaurants in Canada Guide, though the judges’ votes will determine the 2015 rankings.
The contest closes on May 20, 2015, and winners will be announced in early June, when the 2015 Top Restaurants in Canada Guide is revealed.
[box_light]Read About the Previous Foodie of the Year Winner and Her Trip to Vancouver![/box_light]


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UPDATE: Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus have finished a more simple version of their combination filter and face shield. The company released a video showing how it can be put together. It is important to note that it hasn't been approved by the FDA, so use should be carefully considered, perhaps after approved options have been exhausted. The company has also made it known that it is willing and able to start assembling the masks for hospitals that would like them. The video on how to put one together is below.
March 27, 2020
The necessity brought on the by novel coronavirus is resulting in many inventions. In Italy, a shortage of C-PAP masks and other respirators available to those afflicted with Covid-19 led a team to create a 3D-printed set of valves that connect to an off-the-shelf full-face snorkeling mask. Working with the plentiful masks sold by European sporting goods store Decathlon, the "Charlotte" and "Dave" valves permit numerous oxygen delivery setups to serve patient needs. Best of all, the inventors have made the design plans downloadable and free. In the U.S., where automakers are switching to the production of medical gear, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus — having already donated its Connecticut factory space to serve as a hospital — is working on something similar to the Italian invention, but for medical personnel.
A Facebook post explains company designers have teamed up with a mechanical engineer who's already designed medical equipment. Together, they're drawing up an injection-molded universal adapter for full-face snorkel masks that can fit a C-PAP in-line bacteria filter for healthcare workers to wear while they attend to patients. The automaker wrote that the "basic idea is to create a tapered, medical-grade, allergenic stretchable fitting" between the mask and an HME filter common in hospitals. One design allows for two filters and increased airflow. Such a device would essentially combine an N95 mask with a full-face shield, eliminating the need for a nurse to wear a mask under a shield.
SCG said it was obligated to act after reading stories of nurses reusing N95 masks in neonatal units, of healthcare professionals forced to use bandannas for lack of anything better, and hearing from a doctor about driving around the state looking for additional supplies. The goal is to produce 4 million adapters that fit a wide range of masks sitting on the shelves of sporting-goods stores. SCG wrote in its Facebook posts that if it charges anything for the adapter, the price would only cover the cost of manufacture. A 3D printing company has already been in touch with SCG. If anyone has expertise that can assist with the effort, you can leave a note for the company on the Facebook post.


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Past several weeks has been a depressed experience for some of the Android users who suffered the tarnished memory leak bug in the Android Lollipop. But now the Android Lollipop users can breathe easy as Google has finally came to their rescue and resolved the problem which they were facing for quite sometime. The famous smartphones operating system fixed the memory leak issue which was plaguing users.
Nexus users were complaining of a memory leak bug after a recently update with the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop. Nexus was the first to get the software upgrade. This bug was killing open apps and causing the home screen of their devices to reload constantly.
Thanks to Google which came to the rescue and addressed the issue. Google found a way of fixing the problem and has resolved the issue. It will be part of the future Android Lollipop Release but Google has not yet revealed when it will be rolled out to public. It means that Google would likely push out an update soon that might bring bug fixes affected users’ way.
The bug caused alot of memory leak problems to several Nexus devices ranging from the Nexus 7 (2013 model).The Nexus 4 and the Nexus 5 were among the affected devices as well. Nexus devices were eating up more than 1.2GB of RAM even though the normal usage is 500MB.
After the bug caused the apps and causing it to crash and leak RAM, users were in a serious difficulty. Users were looking towards the Google to resolve their issue. The users were in serious frustration and wanted the Google to look upon this matter.
But now the Good news is that the memory leak bug in Android lollipop, will officially be fixed in a future Android update. “In a future” means we can expect it in upcoming time in Android 5.0.2 3. We cannot give any timeline of this update so the users just have to wait and watch and pray for new Android lollipop to come soon.


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Staccato Proclaims That UWB Isn't Dead
In a long-winded note (posted in full below) from the desk of Marty Colombatto, he frankly states that "to conclude that 'UWB is dead' is a gross misinterpretation of recent events and ignores the lessons of relevant history." You see, UWB is a wireless format that was destined for products such as wireless input peripherals and possibly even wireless high definition gear, but after TZero and WiQuest -- two of its most notable supporters -- shuttered, many feared the format would simply fade into the night without putting up much of a fight.
Mr. Colombatto asserts that the slow adoption of UWB is not a demand issue; rather, it's a supply issue. He concludes that "early solutions introduced to the market suffered from performance issues, high-cost, and lack of worldwide compatibility." Furthermore, he states that like with any up and coming technology, it's not unusual to see a few early supporters bow out while the strong ones forge ahead. If you haven't figured it out already, Marty is suggesting that his company is one of those "strong ones."
He also goes on to set the story straight about Intel. Many media outlets have reported that Intel dropped its backing of UWB months ago, and considering that the news broke around the same time as the aforementioned WiQuest news, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. He states that Intel's decision to simply buy UWB technology rather than have a vested interest in it was made months before the WiQuest closing, and he points out that Intel has actually participated in a round of funding to Staccato this past November.
Potentially most interesting is that UWB is supposedly getting a "makeover" this year. Marty even goes so far as to say that new developments in 2009 are "sure to breathe new life in the technology." If you're curious as to what he's referring to, have a look at his own words: "First and foremost, companies like Staccato are now providing Gen2 solutions that deliver on the promise of UWB as a high-speed, low-power and low-cost wireless technology for personal area networks. The US, Japan, Korea, EU and most recently China have all approved UWB operation. Wireless USB, the more recognizable “brand” of UWB technology, will also get a makeover this year. The Wireless USB specification will move from 1.0 to 1.1, which among several incremental improvements will include worldwide operation and emphasis on these higher performance solutions. A few additional changes pertaining to UWB will be announced later this year that I am not at liberty to divulge at the moment, but all will be positive developments for the technology."
Even though Staccato's CEO seems pretty confident that we haven't seen the last of UWB, we're still not entirely sure if we believe him. Is there really room for yet another wireless format with low adoption and low industry support? Can one company really revive a protocol that probably needs numerous industry players backing it? One thing is for sure: Staccato has a lot of hard work ahead of it if it plans on bringing UWB to prominence.
The State of
February 18, 2009 – From the desk of Marty Colombatto, Staccato Communications CEO
A lot has been written over the past several months regarding the state of UWB. The flurry really started in October of last year with the news of WiQuest shutting its doors, and leading up to the recent news of TZero, another UWB start-up, running out of funding. If you do a Google news search on “UWB” the vast majority of the hits are on articles declaring “UWB is dead” or at least having one foot in the grave. Although it’s true that UWB has had its share of negative publicity recently, to conclude that “UWB is dead” is a gross misinterpretation of recent events and ignores the lessons of relevant history. I wanted to take a few moments to set the record straight on a few items pertaining to UWB that many have either been avoiding, ignoring or are just completely unaware. I have also sprinkled in a few predictions for 2009.
1. UWB is not dead
Far from it. The slow adoption of UWB has not been a demand issue, it has been a supply issue of available solutions. Early solutions introduced to the market suffered from performance issues, high-cost, and lack of worldwide compatibility. Not to mention the standards battles that had been raging for the first few years. These are all common growing pains for any nascent technology standard. Is it really any surprise that companies who were unable to “cross the chasm” with a product that meets the strict market demands went out of business? We are now seeing products, however, being introduced to the market that hit all of the marks in terms of performance, cost, size, power and worldwide operation. All of the barriers to entry have been removed. The game is just starting.
2. History will repeat itself
“Survival of the fittest” applies to the semiconductor industry in spades, and the recent news of WiQuest and TZero are just proof sources of this. The current economic environment may have accelerated some of this attrition, but it should not be surprising. If you look at any relevant technology, say Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for example, you will find common stories of failed start-ups, stalled technology, interop issues, etc… Few remember that it also took several years before these technologies took off. There tends to be a certain pattern recognition however, where the winner, although not necessarily first to market overall, was first to provide a solution that meets the requirements of the market (cost, size, power, performance, worldwide operation, etc.). Before all is said and done, there are likely to be additional casualties and further consolidation in the UWB space; not because UWB is dead or dying, but because this is a natural part of the evolution of any new technology.
3. Intel did not abandon UWB
Another well-publicized story related to UWB was the news of Intel closing its Ultrawideband Networking Operations (UNO). Even though the news broke around the time of WiQuest shutting down, Intel had actually shuttered its UNO operations several months earlier. It’s important to note that the UNO group was a start-up of sorts that was funded by Intel’s New Business Initiatives arm, not by a product group within Intel. When a business review was recently held, Intel decided that UWB (similar to their view on Bluetooth) is not considered a piece of their core business, and would prefer to “buy” the technology if they needed it in the future. Few remember that Intel also started and pre-maturely exited USB and Bluetooth businesses in similar fashion, two of the most prevalent connectivity technologies on the PC platform today. In the UWB space, Intel has also invested in Staccato and Wisair, having participated in a round of funding just this November for Staccato.
4. UWB will get a makeover this year
New developments in 2009 for UWB are sure to breathe new
life in the technology. First and foremost, companies like Staccato are now
providing Gen2 solutions that deliver on the promise of UWB as a high-speed,
low-power and low-cost wireless technology for personal area networks. The US,
5. 60GHz is not the savior
60GHz is arguably the darling of the industry press these days. Some have even touted it as a “UWB-killer”. To those who see it as the savior for wireless connectivity, I would urge caution and reflect on history. Complex wireless communication technologies always take longer than we expect to incubate, and even longer to mature. And although I must admit that the technology demonstrations are impressive in transmitting uncompressed high definition video content, they are just that, “demonstrations.” It is a viable and compelling technology, but still is a few years away. It’s basically at the point where UWB was three to four years ago when the standardization effort was still a bit ad hoc and in its infancy. To believe that 60GHz is ready today and will deploy in any meaningful volume this year or even next is a real stretch of the imagination. To believe that it will find its way into mobile devices is a true leap of faith.
6. Wi-Fi Wireless PAN will not work
Wi-Fi as a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technology is completely fraught with issues, including interference and usage model limitations. These are issues that are not associated with UWB. Now if we take a head-to-head technology comparison, UWB is five times faster than Wi-Fi, 10 times more power efficient and has superior user density (critical for WPAN). UWB was architected for Wireless PAN from the ground up, while Wi-Fi was not. It has been reported that the Bluetooth SIG will prioritize Wi-Fi for the initial release of the high-speed specification. This is not surprising, given that the majority of vendors in Bluetooth also have Wi-Fi and only a couple have UWB. I believe that when UWB is “viewed” as more mature by the Bluetooth SIG however, it will be a no-brainer to adopt it. There’s certainly more to come this year, stay tuned.
7. The world needs UWB
If you read between the lines, most of the articles declaring UWB dead still admit that the “promise of UWB was to provide an inexpensive, low-power, and non-interfering method of building small ecosystems of peripherals and mobile devices”. We believe that the promise is met, today. Several trends in consumer electronics point to a need for UWB technology. Smaller form factors with ever increasing computing power are changing the landscape of consumer electronics. Netbooks, MIDs, iPhones, etc… are all now a part of our standard vocabulary. As form factors shrink, the available real-estate for connectors becomes scarce. Being able to get content on and off these platforms wirelessly allows product designers to truly unleash the capabilities of these devices. UWB also provides the most power efficient means to stream and transfer high-definition media content, significantly saving battery life.
8. Staccato will emerge as the winner
Staccato today is delivering on the promise of UWB. Our 65nm Ripcord2 single-chip solution has the cost, power, size and performance attributes that the market has been waiting for. In addition, Ripcord2 supports worldwide operation, having been certified in Band Groups 1 (3.1-4.8GHz), 3 (6.3-7.9GHz) and 6 (7.4-9.0GHz). For our part, Staccato is taking advantage of the current environment by bolstering our team, our product offering, and our investor syndicate by merging with the likes of Artimi, and acquiring available assets and expertise such as the WiQuest Bangalore design center. We will continue to look to improve our company through similar means while focusing to deliver a best-in-class portfolio of UWB solutions. No one is better positioned to emerge as the winner in this space than Staccato.
CEO, Staccato Communications


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International cleantech raises $3.3m for UK offices in London funding round
An international cleantech business has announced that it has raised $3.3m in a London-led funding round.
Airly Inc has raised the funds in an investment round led by firstminute capital, an early-stage venture fund based in London.
The funding will be used to scale its AI-powered air quality platform, opening new Western offices and hiring new staff.
The company has said that it will be doubling its headcount will the creation of its new UK and US offices.
Wiktor Warchałowski, Airly CEO and co-founder, commented: “Polluted air is a plague on our health - it’s like a pandemic in slow motion.
“Improving air quality needs to be at the core of the world’s post-pandemic rebuild and Airly is the first step to pollution-free cities.
“With this funding, we can expand our global footprint to support even more cities, enterprises and communities to repair the air and empower them with data and actionable insights.”
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WASHINGTON — The average price paid for white pan bread rose 2.3c per lb in February, a month after falling 3.4c, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The price of whole wheat bread, meanwhile, fell 0.4c per lb in February after rising 2.6c per lb in January.
The national average retail price of white pan bread was 140.4c, according to the B.L.S. The February price for white pan bread increased 8.3c compared with February 2008. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread rose in three regions – up 5.8c in the South, up 0.8c in the Northeast and up 0.1c in the Midwest – and fell in one, easing 0.1c in the West.
At 197c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was up 8.6c per lb from February 2008.
The national average price of family flour in February was 50.9c per lb, down 0.8c from January but up 5.4c from February 2008.
The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in February was 113.3c per lb, up 0.2c from January and up 2.9c from February 2008. Chocolate chip cookies were 303.5c per lb, down 7.9c from January but up 35.3c from February 2008.


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Public Advocate Jumaane Williams honored Jamaican meat patty pioneer company Tower Isles with a city proclamation as it celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Oct. 12.
Williams presented the award at an anniversary banquet for the Brooklyn-based company, at the Hilton New York at JFK, attended by long time and current employees and supporters of the company.
In the proclamation, Williams highlighted the organization’s humble beginnings as a small Brooklyn bakery, opened by Beryl and Earl Levi “to meet the desires of Caribbean expats seeking traditional Jamaican baked goods with a flavor of home.”
“Today, Tower Isles is a multi-million-dollar family-run company, with a 41,000 square foot facility in Brooklyn,” Williams told Caribbean Life.
He underscored Tower Isles’ generosity in “supporting the Brooklyn community it calls home, empowering other local businesses to succeed.”
“Tower Isles continues to put family and community first after five decades of growth and success,” the public advocate said.
Tower Isles said on its website that it was founded by the Levi’s in 1968 as a small family bakery in Crown Heights, and is now “one of the largest patty-making companies in the world.”
“In order to avoid confusion with the traditional American Patties, we coined the term ‘Jamaican Style Patties’ in 1969,” the company said, adding that a Jamaican style patty is made with beef or chicken filling and a flaky pastry crust.
“Our original Jamaican-style patties are made with only the finest Grade A USDA beef, chunky white chicken breast and freshly picked island spices,” the company continued. “Tower Isles’ commitment to producing the absolute best quality of Jamaican style patties is what sets us apart from the rest.”


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Facebook's latest multibillion dollar acquisition of virtual reality headset maker Oculus is prompting some people to wonder if CEO Mark Zuckerberg is already living in an alternate reality.
NEW YORK | Facebook's latest multibillion dollar acquisition of virtual reality headset maker Oculus is prompting some people to wonder if CEO Mark Zuckerberg is already living in an alternate reality.
Longtime technology analyst Roger Kay wonders whether Zuckerberg "is nuts" for agreeing to pay $2 billion for Oculus less than five weeks after inking a deal to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion.
Oculus, which got its start on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter, doesn't have a consumer product on the market, just the promise of bulky virtual reality goggles that have generated huge buzz in the video gaming community.
Zuckerberg, for his part, sees long-term implications in the technology, for communication, entertainment and beyond. He was right about mobile, and he's created the world's biggest online social network.
So — looney or visionary?
"Mobile is the platform of today and now we're starting to also get ready for the platforms of tomorrow. To me, by far the most exciting future platform is around vision or modifying what you see to create augmented and immersive experiences," Zuckerberg said on a conference call Tuesday discussing the deal.
"Today's acquisition is a long-term bet on the future of computing. I believe Oculus can be one of the platforms of this future."
Facebook's investors seem to think Oculus's promise is too far off. The Menlo Park, Calif.-based social networking company's stock fell 7 percent on Wednesday to close at $60.38.
Beyond sticker shock, the WhatsApp and Oculus deals — along with the Facebook's spurned offer to buy SnapChat for $3 billion — have raised questions about Facebook's ability to innovate on its own.
"Facebook, I don't think, has the best innovation strategy," Gartner analyst Brian Blau said. "We have always thought about experience as a focus of virtual reality. Certainly it can be social, but we have not thought about it as a core social experience."
That's not to say it can't work. There were questions about Facebook's acquisition of Instagram back when it offered $1 billion for the photo-sharing app (the final purchase price was $715 million) in April 2012 — and Instagram "turned out fine," Blau points out. Facebook said Tuesday that Instagram has 200 million users, up from 30 million at the time it agreed to buy the company.


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German media company ProSiebenSat.1 has announced plans to start broadcasts in the Ultra HD format in late summer 2018.
Sky News is to use machine learning to identify guests at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The BBC has streamed its first live content in the Ultra-High Definition (UHD) format.
German pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland will transmit a handball match in Ultra HD resolution for the first time in Germany.
The Ultra HD service offered by Sky Deutschland will become available on the cable network of Vodafone Deutschland (formerly Kabel Deutschland) from January 30, 2018.
Marlin DRM, the open standard Digital Rights Management, has announced a compliance and robustness (C&R) framework for enhanced content protection (ECP) for ultra-high-definition (UHD) content.
The BBC is to screen the complete series of nature documentary the Blue Planet II in the Ultra HD and HDR formats.
The availability of 4K content is on the increase, but a new report says that despite growing sales of media streamers, set-top boxes, games consoles and UHD TVs, it is still not reaching consumers.
HD+, the German HDTV platform operated by Astra satellite operator SES, will screen MTV’s Europe Music Awards (EMA) 2017 in Ultra HD on Astra (19.2 degrees East) for the first time.
German cable operator Unitymedia will deploy the 4K version of Horizon in Germany as part of the rollout of the new box throughout the European footprint of parent company Liberty Global, Unitymedia CEO Lutz Schüler told Broadband TV News.


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More than 100 members of a county group which aims to celebrate the best of Northamptonshire’s cuisines gathered to mark the organisation’s fifth birthday.
The celebration of Made In Northamptonshire took place at Beckworth Emporium – the same venue where the group was first launched – and saw producers, food retailers and eateries meet to share and celebrate their achievements, many of which they attribute to the support that MIN’s networking platform has offered.
MIN was set up by Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company who, through her role as Director of the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, said she recognised that linking producers could be a big boost for the county, not just for the businesses involved but also for those wanting to ‘buy local’.
The celebration concluded with a chance for guests to network and a presentation to Rachel in recognition of her hard work and dedication to the group by Beckworth’s co-owner David Brown.
For more details about MIN or for a free copy of their directory of county food and drink producers, contact Rachel at The Mallows Company on 01933 664437 or email firstname.lastname@example.org or find MIN on facebook.


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Honor today used Mobile World Congress to announce Gaming+, to bring faster speed, image quality and frame rates to mobile gaming on the recently launched View 20.
The View 20, which I reviewed last month will get an update that takes things beyond the current GPU Turbo offering, and promises an energy efficiency boost of 20.34%.
To quote Honor:
The Mali-G76 GPU chipset upgrade on Kirin 980 includes transform optimization, which enhances job scheduling and parallel computing. This reduces duplicate instructions and GPU overdraws, as well as increases the data transfer speed between CPU, GPU and memory.
In addition, the Kirin 980 GPU works seamlessly with the innovative AI frequency modulation scheduling technology to predict task loads by monitoring frame rate per second (fps), image quality and touchscreen inputs in real time, and intelligently identifies performance bottlenecks.
For gaming, the new AI technology improves the load prediction accuracy of each frame by more than 30% compared to traditional methods. Another key feature, GPU optimization, enhances image quality and reduces power consumption. The upgrade also brings high definition capability to gaming, achieving better contrast, higher brightness levels and a wider color palette.
As a result of the Gaming+ upgrade, Fortnite Vulkan version can also be supported on the Honor View20, bringing gamers a faster and smoother experience. In addition, popular mobile games such as QQ Speed and Arena of Valor have been optimized to support the high definition feature. Gamers can now experience greater clarity and capture more details.Honor Press Release, 26th February 2019
Honor is also collaborating with Epic Games to enhance the gaming experience of Fortnite, and View 20 owners will have exclusive access to the Fortnight Honor Guard outfit, from 25th February 2019 on the HiHonor website.
Honor also announced a Phantom Blue edition of the Honor 8X, while humble bragging that the extremely affordable phone has currently sold over 10 million units since it went on sale in late 2018.
More info: Honor


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Netflix Inc said on Wednesday it was totally pulling out of the Cannes Film Festival next month after organizers banned the streaming platform's films from competition for its refusal to release them in cinemas.
Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told Hollywood trade publication Variety in an interview it was pointless to show at Cannes after the festival rule change.
Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux said last month that Netflix had refused to give its movies theatrical distribution in France and would therefore be banned from competition at the 12-day festival. However, Thierry said Netflix could show movies outside competition.
Netflix will not participate as a non-competitor, Sarandos told Variety. "I don't think there would be any reason to go out of competition. The rule was implicitly about Netflix, and Thierry made it explicitly about Netflix when he announced the rule."
"We want our films to be on fair ground with every other filmmaker," Sarandos added. "There's a risk in us going in this way and having our films and filmmakers treated disrespectfully at the festival. They've set the tone. I don't think it would be good for us to be there."
Netflix plans to release 80 original films in 2018 to its 109 million streaming customers around the world.
The company has released a few films, like fantasy thriller "Bright," starring Will Smith, in a small number of theaters. But most major chains have refused to show Netflix movies because it releases them at the same time online. Movies from traditional studios typically run exclusively in cinemas for about three months.
Sarandos said he personally would not attend the May 8-19 festival in the French Riviera, but said Netflix executives would be there looking at films to acquire.
Netflix said it had nothing to add to Sarandos' comments to Variety.
The annual festival, which began as an art house showcase more than 70 years ago, has increasingly attracted more commercial movies and top celebrities to its red carpets.
Cannes organizers announced last week that the latest "Star Wars" movie "Solo: A Star Wars Story" would get its world premiere at the festival on May 15 ahead of its worldwide rollout on May 23.
"Film festivals are to help films get discovered so they can get distribution," Sarandos told Variety. "Under those rules, we could not release our films day-and-date to the world like we've released nearly 100 films over the last couple of years."
Netflix won five Oscar nominations earlier this year for its period racial drama "Mudbound," while its film "Icarus" about Russian sports doping won best documentary.


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TORONTO - Shares of BlackBerry (TSX:BB) took a beating Wednesday after details emerged on partnership between two of the world's biggest technology companies — Apple and IBM — that will cater to business customers.
Netflix and Walt Disney have signed a new groundbreaking multi-year licensing agreement that makes Netflix the exclusive streaming platform for the first-run of all Disney’s live-action and animated films.
Malcolm Ritter It can store the information from a million CDs in a space no bigger than your little finger and could keep it safe for centuries. Is this some new electronic gadget? Nope. It’s DNA. The genetic material has [...]
According to new observations from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft, the moon’s steep-walled pits, that could in some cases lead to deep caves, could be used as shelter for astronauts.


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Toyota wants to know what people think about higher gas taxes
During the debate over CAFE standards most of the automaker representatives have repeatedly said the gas taxes should go up along with the efficiency mandates. If that happens they will have no problem selling more efficient vehicles. However, you rarely - if ever - heard that reported in the media, although we have written about it here numerous times. Now, Toyota is openly asking the question at the Open Road Blog. They want to know what people really think about gas taxes. What do you think?
- Biggest automotive sales disappointments
- Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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If you live in Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Spain, then you can now quench your thirst with a can of Angry Birds soda.
The beverage, already a smash hit in Rovio’s native Finland, is also set to launch in the UK over the next few months.
“Right now, we are looking at the UK, so that should happen over the next few months. We want to find the right partners on the distribution side in various markets, so we will look to launch market by market,” said Vesterbacka, adding: “Sales in Russia are off to a really really good start, which highlights how well the Angry Birds brand works with different products.”
Sales of the soft drink, currently available in four flavours, have been good to say the least. In Finland, it’s outselling Coke and Pepsi, the two companies that have been ruled the soft drink roost for decades now.
The company is reportedly set to expand its range, with a new selection of new bottled flavours set to launch in the near future.
Image: Londonlooks / Flickr.


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Speculation about Apple VR and mixed-reality headphones continues to grow. The latest discovery provides more evidence that headphones will skip controllers in favor of tracking the body (and fingers).
This is detailed in a new patent discovered by Apple Patently. In it, we see how Apple VR headsets use external cameras and sensors to generate 3D models of the user’s fingertips to feel when they interact with real objects.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve already heard rumors about Apple VR headsets using this system. Extensively Bloomberg report published news of that particular function, while a separate report from Information he claimed that the headphones would contain twelve different surveillance cameras.
So it’s certainly not surprising that Apple has patents for things like this. Especially since that means the company can direct control of the headphones by skipping external remote controls and controllers.
The patent itself mentions that the system will be able to use a combination of cameras, depth sensors and alignment algorithms to enable hand and finger tracking. Crucially, finger tracking seems to involve tracking each individual finger, so it can be registered if you touch anything or make certain gestures in the air.
An example used in the patent includes a user swinging his finger “in front of the camera to communicate with the physical environment or log in to an account.”
We can’t guarantee that this exact system will really reach the final Apple VR headphones. Finally, patents are often filed for various reasons and left to collect dust. But given what we’ve already heard about the headphones supposedly working, it would be surprising if Apple didn’t include something very similar.
What else to expect from an Apple VR headset?
Although the term “VR headset” is often thrown away, it sounds like Apple headphones are set to offer an awful lot more. It is said that the headphones are the forerunners of Apple glasses, which will completely offer augmented reality in otherwise ordinary glasses.
VR headsets are reportedly used to prepare developers (and the public) for their current AR ambitions. It will continue to offer virtual and mixed reality experiences, but it is also reported to allow full AR passageway that will allow you to see virtual objects in the real world. This is partly why there should be so many outdoor cameras and sensors.
We’ve heard rumors of the inclusion of LiDAR, dual 8K screens, eye tracking, and even external controllers. True, despite setting up a robust body tracking system, the patent revealed that Apple at least considered using ‘smart rings’ to offer more precisely tuned hand and finger tracking.
But it all costs money. It is rumored that the headphones could cost up to $ 3,000. So this is a much bigger purchase than, say, Oculus Quest 2 for $ 299. Hell, that’s the cost of three iPhone 12 Pros.
Apple of course hasn’t confirmed anything, and we’ll have to wait a while before Cupertino blesses us with some of the specifics. By mid-2022, if current rumors are to be believed.
- Read more: iPhone 13: 7 biggest upgrades to be expected


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Kendall Jenner is renown for her long, lean frame, the envy of many of us.
She of course hits the gym regularly and eats well, but the model last month revealed another little trick she has up her sleeve.
Today's top videos
Over Christmas Kendall put up a pic of her frosted white tree set against a candy-pink wall. The wall, rather than the tree, drew more attention from her followers.
The shade, known as Baker-Miller pink, was not selected by Kendall on a whim.
'Baker-Miller pink is the only color scientifically proven to calm you and suppress your appetite,' Kendall wrote in a story on her app.
'I was like, ‘I need this color in my house!’'
Indeed, studies have found that Baker-Miller pink made participants feel more Zen and less hungry.
The study cites an experiment in a Seattle prison which had the walls painted in the hue. The number of outbursts from inmates decreased afterwards.
The only problem with these findings is that they have been impossible to replicate and some argue the study is flawed.
But regardless, it seems to be working for Kendall!


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Barclaycard unveils mobile paytag
Thursday 19 April 2012
Millions of Barclaycard Visa credit card customers will be able
to make "contactless" payments using a sticker attached to the back of
their mobile phone which can be held against a reader.
The free Barclaycard PayTag can be fixed to the back of any mobile phone and is around a third of the size of a normal card.
The phone can then be used to make payments of £15 and under, rising to £20 in June, by being held over a payment terminal, without the need to sign or enter a PIN.
Concerns have been raised about the security of contactless bank cards, after a recent investigation suggested that people could have their details taken from a card in their pocket or wallet without their knowledge.
Channel 4 News found last month that new mobile phones could be adapted to take information from Barclays-issued Visa cards with one swipe.
Barclays told the programme that the issue is not with contactless cards, but with checks undertaken by some retailers, saying the details obtained should not be sufficient to undertake fraudulent activity.
Those behind the new Barclaycard scheme insisted it is "safe and secure" and emphasised that it comes with "the same 100% fraud protection as any Barclaycard".
There are more than 14 million contactless-enabled Barclaycards and Barclays debit cards and Visa predicts that the number of contactless point-of-sale terminals in the UK will rise by 50% to 150,000 this year.
Major retailers which offer, or are introducing, contactless payments include Waitrose, McDonald's, Boots, WH Smith and Tesco.
Barclaycard plans to roll out the scheme to customers later this year, saying that it will reach "millions" of customers. It did not give an exact figure for how many people it expects to take up the scheme but said hundreds of thousands of customers will be offered the chance to take part in the coming weeks.
Louise Holmes, spokeswoman for comparison website Moneyfacts, described the scheme as "an exciting, innovative way for cardholders to conduct transactions".
She said: "Millions of us carry mobile phones nowadays, so using our phones as a method of payment should prove popular with many consumers."
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- 2 Thailand deaths: Pair's bloodied bodies found naked on Koh Tao beach
- 3 Vogue under fire for 'Big Booty' article
- 4 Daniele Watts: Django Unchained actress detained by Los Angeles police after being mistaken for a prostitute
- 5 Kanye West stops concert after two fans don't stand up - doesn't realise one is in wheelchair and the other disabled
Thailand deaths: Pair's bloodied bodies found naked on Koh Tao beach
Jihadi John': MI5 may have identified Isis militant who killed David Haines but options limited
Russia freezes Ukraine into submission: Kiev admits country doesn't have enough fuel for winter
Scottish independence: Police will be on high alert on Friday whatever the result
The wedding photo from Ground Zero: A shot in the dark
Daniele Watts: Django Unchained actress detained by Los Angeles police after being mistaken for a prostitute
The political class is doing what Hitler couldn’t – destroying Britain
Scottish independence: Nationalist leader Jim Sillars threatens pro-union companies with 'day of reckoning' after independence
Scottish independence: Yes campaign feels the heat as Alex Salmond's NHS claims come under furious attack
£23m Birmingham cycle scheme is attacked by Tory councillor for not catering to the elderly
Portuguese academic says British are 'filthy, violent and drunk'
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December 01, 2009 - Comments Off on Digital Economy Bill Total Fail
Digital Economy Bill Total Fail
There’s a lot of talk about the Digital Economy Bill – and none of it good.
It seems that rather than improve our broadband network and nurture the digital business springing up across the UK, the Government would rather concentrate on brown nosing the entertainment industry in yet another ill conceived attempt to control content.
You can read the bill and see for yourself; the draconian extremes it goes to will only achieve two things:
1. Further alienation of customers from the industries pushing this crap forward (and probably more file sharing)
2. Reductions in the number of people online if it is enforced.
The battle to control content has been going on since the advent of records, there is a great book which sums up the 40 plus years of failure on the part of the record industry to do anything about sharing music which sums up the problems of their approach very nicely:
Maybe these industries should try actually moving with the times instead of wandering around railing against them like a pack of lumbering, luddite dinosaurs.