text:
Facebook's TikTok clone, Instagram Reels, launches today in the US as TikTok's future hangs in the balance
Instagram Reels, Facebook's TikTokrival, is launching in the US Wednesday. It provides users with another way to share content with their followers — in the form of super-short, spliced-together, soundtrack-based videos.
- The launch comes as TikTok's 100 million American users worry about the app's ban in the US. President Donald Trump has stepped up threats to ban TikTok due to its ties to China.
Instagram Reels is launching Wednesday in the US to provide users with another way to share content with their followers — in the shape of super-short, spliced-together, soundtrack-based videos. The launch comes just as TikTok's loyal fanbase is engulfed in a panic about a potential nationwide ban.
Like TikTok, Reels allows users to record short-form videos and edit them with a plethora of effects, as well as add in audio and music soundtracks. Reels' launch Wednesday also includes a rollout to users in the United Kingdom, Australia, and more that 50 other countries.
Facebook first started testing Reels with users in Brazil in November, and has since rolled in in recent months to France, Germany, and India.
The similarities between Reels and TikTok are stark, and it's no secret Facebook is looking to target TikTok fans with the new feature. But Instagram's head of product, Vishal Shah, told reporters in a recent call that the timing of Reels' release is "coincidental," and that the company has been working on the new feature for a long time.
"[TikTok] certainly didn't invent short form video, but they innovated it," Shah told reporters. "We've been clear that formats in the past were inspired by other companies...I believe that consumers having choice results in better products."
Shah says that Reels will differ from TikTok in giving users a more built-out augmented reality platform, as well as offering them a way to make short-form videos inside Instagram, a place they already love and know how to use.
Both Instagram and TikTok have been relatively mum about breaking down their user numbers, but both have massive followings. TikTok has more than 2.3 billion global downloads, and recently said its US userbase surpasses 100 million users. Meanwhile, Instagram has more than 1 billion global users, and estimates put the platform's US userbase at between 100 million and 150 million.
Facebook may also hope it has an upper hand over TikTok due to its American roots. When CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared in front of Congress last week over antitrust concerns, he painted Facebook as a story of homegrown American success, whose future is threatened by authoritarian China — where TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is located.
The debut of Instagram's Reels in the US comes as fears spike over TikTok's future in US, as President Donald Trump and his administration are threatening to ban TikTok nationwide. Although the path to a ban is not clear, TikTok's US users are already panicking and looking for alternatives to the platform in preparation. ByteDance has been looking to sell TikTok's US operations to an American company in an attempt to salvage its presence, and Microsoft has emerged as a potential buyer.
With the threat of a ban, Facebook isn't the only platform to try to offer a TikTok alternative. Several tech companies have apps similar to TikTok — including Triller, Byte, and Dubsmash — but no platform has yet to successfully rival TikTok's viral reach.
Since coming to the US in 2018, TikTok has grown into a
- Elizabeth Holmes ordered dinners for Theranos staff but made sure they weren't delivered until after 8 p.m. so they worked late: book
- My twin and I were in separate classrooms in school. Our joint math lesson made me realize how silly that was.
- 2,000 years before 'manscaping' and smooth armpits, the Romans were seriously into hair removal, archaeological findings show
- Major train accidents that India witnessed in last 15 years
- Odisha rail crash: Rescuers try to raise buried coach, death toll at 238
- Largest road networks in the world – India beats China to take the second spot
- Manoj Bajpayee joins the league of on-screen lawyers like Pankaj Tripathi, Shriya Pilgaonkar & more
- List of famous things to buy in Lonavala


text:
Sound & Light News
1More Stylish Dual Dynamic Driver Bluetooth Earphones Review NDTV
It's hard to count the number of brands selling affordable headphones and earphones these days, but...
California freeway crossing to give wildlife room to roam Associated Press via Yahoo News
Famous for traveling across two freeways and making a huge Los Angeles park his home, the lonesome...

domain: news


text:
Sales of a different kind
Date: Monday , May 01, 2006
A little more than a year ago, David Achim, the Executive Vice President of operations at Austin, TX based Rome Corporation, was complaining about the spreadsheet based sales compensation management software the company was using. “Spreadsheets are suitable for simple plans but are disappointing to the task of effective sales compensation management,” says Achim. “They’re manually intensive and potentially error prone especially when linking multiple spreadsheets. In addition, spreadsheets aren’t able to provide us with a ‘what-if’ scenarios, web reporting or any auditing capabilities.”
Rome Corporation, an enterprise software company that delivers integrated risk and opportunity management solutions to Global 2000 companies was in search for a product that would help them to do away with the cumbersome spreadsheets. They finally zeroed in on Xactly Incent; an on demand sales application made by Xactly Corp., a San Jose, CA based startup. “We’re excited to finally be able to automate our sales compensation and enjoy the benefits of real-time, web-based visibility with an on-demand approach,” Achim says. “I especially like that with Xactly Incent I can dynamically make changes to our compensation plan and quantify the future expense impact.”
Founded a little over thirteen months ago by Satish K. Palvai and Christopher W. Cabrera, Xactly has raised $12 million in two rounds of funding. In the first round the company raised $4 million from Rembrandt Ventures and Bay Partners. “They (VCs) blessed us on the very first day of meeting them,” says Palvai. Recently Outlook Ventures and Spinner Asset Management invested $8 million in the company.
Palvai, also the Vice President of engineering started the company in March 2005 with his friend Cabrera. They both worked at Callidus Software (NASDAQ:CALD). Palvai was one of the highest paid engineers at Callidus yet after a few years he found his vesting elsewhere. “I was passionate about building products,” Palvai reveals. “It was this passion and also the fact that I was not given any new challenges made me move out of Callidus.” The need to “help medium and small companies with on demand, real-time sales compensation package brought both of us together,” Palvai explains.
Due to high cost of automating sales compensation, only a few sales organizations have been able to realize the business benefits. However for a majority of the companies, the cost to acquire compensation packages has been impractical due to large upfront software license and maintenance fees. Executives and analysts spend hours tweaking the numbers, deciding who gets what bonus, incentive, percent increase, or special parking slot for things above and beyond sales performance and it can get pretty complicated fast.
Then it’s up to many layers of manpower to manage the plan and make sure it works. If one relies on a spreadsheet or in-house system to track compensation data, tracking the numbers becomes a logistical nightmare. This is what led the duo to make a similar product for the small and medium companies. “Managing sales compensation has always been a complicated task,” says Denis Pombriant, managing principal of Beagle Research Group. “As products and product configurations get more complex, companies try to incentivize specific behaviors, compensation challenges mount to the point where traditional solutions like spreadsheets no longer provide an adequate remedy.”
Sales compensation management applications like Xactly Incent address many of the traditional spreadsheet headaches. “Our on-demand sales compensation solutions allow companies to improve their business performance,” says Palvai. “It enables companies to easily and affordably design, implement, manage, audit, and communicate sales compensation programs.”
“Xactly Incent is enabling us to fully automate our sales compensation,” Nick Labao, LoanCity executive Vice President of finance says. “Prior to deploying Incent, our sales professionals had less visibility into their compensation plans and performance. But Incent’s real-time, web-based visibility will help get management and the sales team on the same page fostering a more positive and goal-based culture.”
Xactly has been extremely fast in its product roll out. In January 2005, the founders came out of Callidus and the VCs funded the company in August of the same year. Their first product Xactly Incent debuted in October 2005. Since then the product has seen deployment in a range of companies. “We have a wide variety of users,” Palvai adds. Their customers include EqualLogic, Convoq, LoanCity, Vormetric, Redback Networks among others. Palvai attributes the success of the product launch to his team of engineers. “Most engineers that I have are from startups. They have an idea how to build a product.”
To make the product more visible in the marketplace, the company tied up with salesforce.com. “While Salesforce.com has driven the on-demand CRM category with over 18,700 customers and 351,000 subscribers it has also opened the door for other on-demand application categories such as sales compensation management,” said Peter Goldmacher, financial analyst with SG Cowen & Co. “The companies will naturally look to leverage their Salesforce investment and look for synergies with other complementary on-demand applications such as Xactly Incent, especially if they can integrate with Salesforce.”
The deal with salesforce.com has helped Xactly greatly. “We got more visibility in terms of customers and what else do we need,” says Palvai who got a computer science engineering degree from Karnataka University in Dharwad, India and masters from Kansas State University. To make sales more effective and learn to be a good marketer himself, Palvai sat with his business people daily and learnt more about customer expectations. This way a pure engineer that he is, he learnt the nuances of business that ultimately this led to their first product having multi tenant architecture. “The biggest advantage is this has helped me win customers in two days.”
Customer wins or not, the competition always looms large. Xactly face competition from Centine, Synygy and Callidus Software. “But we are in a niche business,” defends Palvai. By the look of things, Xactly looks like it will make an even bigger mark at the sales compensation space in another year. Palvai says, “we are looking at building a suite of products based on our first launch by this year end or early next year.” With a decade’s of engineering background and senior level engineering positions at companies like Rockwell Automation and Looksmart and one year of being his own master, Palvai says it is easy to become an entrepreneur in five easy steps. They are-Teaming up with people with complementary skills, building a network that goes beyond engineers, learning always, thinking like an entrepreneur and getting the buy in from family.
Palvai says he wants to see his company go public. “We will try to do that. We are definitely interested in acquisitions as well.” Quite possibly. Whether they make it or not, Xactly for now looks like a company with sales of a different kind.


text:
Samsung announced that the Galaxy S10 phones will be Unpacked on February 20. Now the company officially confirms that the foldable Galaxy F phone will be on stage as well.
This info comes from a couple of Samsung billboards in Place de la Concorde, Paris. The first reads (in Korean) “The future unfolds”, the second “February 20”. This isn’t a Google Translate reading either, the Samsung press release offers this translation.
The phone was announced late last year, but few details were given. It was also demoed at CES for a select audience. However, little has been made public about it - even the name hasn't been confirmed ("Galaxy F" is more of a placeholder).
foldable phones would actually be cool if only they can follow the footsteps of dual screen the likes of the nintendo ds, instead of making the entire display fold onto itself. why do they keep making such technofetishist stuff, how can a foldable di...
Why not the 19th of February, I have work on that day :(


text:
First of all, thanks to Phil Seddon. He's the gent who designed our new website and he's just added some excellent letters to our crowdsourced logo. And on that note, we just picked a few letter combinations from the loop and turned them into those great Moo business cards. Aren't they lovely? If you want one, call us for a meeting.
You better rethink your Facebook strategy
OK so first off – some bad news. A while ago we told you that what really matters when marketing on Facebook is a user's newsfeed. That's where 95% of all commenting and liking takes place; not on the Facebook page.
Well, here are more insights to back up that argument. Most marketing activity on Facebook itself is a waste of time. Deep integration on Facebook does not work, even storefronts on Facebook have issues. So what should you do? RWW has an excellent article from seasoned Facebook expert Peter Yared. He advises that a brand must do consistent lightweight interaction:
A brand on Facebook should be like a casual friend or neighbor and not try to suck people into heavy levels of interaction.
Our advice? Remember two weeks ago we told you about Spotify's success with Facebook Connect? So take Facebook to your website or app and not the other way around. The control of the UX and functionality will allow you to get into the newsfeed.
Making Foursquare useful
Many are talking up FourSquare's growth, but anecdotal evidence suggests they are struggling to keep people engaged. So we built a little tool that tries to make it more useful. It's still a proof of concept, but go have a look.
HTML5 invading mobile land
This week we were struck by two related in-depth posts, one about HTML5 as an alternative to native apps for mobile development, and another about Facebook and Apple bearing down on each other with their competing payment systems.
Basecamp – the popular web site for managing project teams – has declined to develop native application versions for the iPhone, Android or Blackberry. Instead they opted for one mobile HTML5 version, which you can see in action here.
So what does this have to do with Facebook and Apple's payment systems? There is a small revolt brewing amongst publishers and developers about Apple's new plan to take 30% of all subscription and payment revenues earned via all applications on its platform. Many are threatening to go the HTML5 route instead, serving their content through your mobile browser. And that apparently is the reason why Facebook is throwing its weight behind HTML5.
The interesting question is not whether developers are turning to native apps over HTML5, but why. Is it because of performance, discovery or monetization? If Facebook could solve two of those three problems with the social graph and Credits, would mobile developers come?
What media is for
This week a well-known agency made many – including us – uncomfortable with a promotional video. It made use of sophisticated tilt shift shots, it was well lit, it looked good – but something was very wrong. As one of 800 comments – at current count – said:
Working in marketing and having a large responsibility for social media, this advert makes me feel woozy with a slightly sick feeling in my stomach. Yes it provokes a reaction but it's overwhelmingly negative. It's like a load of out of touch marketing execs have got around a table and tried to work out how to "get down with the kids" (literally) by using a lorry load of buzz words. Good job on creating a buzz. Wrong buzz though.
Why did it provoke such a negative reaction? We think it is the profoundly depressing mix of inauthenticity and amorality at its core. If all kids wanted, no, demanded – in such an aggressive way – to have "augmented reality as their reality" when they grow up, how sad would the world be?
We have an alternative uplifting vision of how and why people use media, for instance from places like Egypt. People are moral beings. We are only beginning to understand what is acceptable media practise in a world where people are the media channel. We concur with Chris Arnold who said this week in Brand Republic in an article called Social Media and Ethics:
Today you can forget the term ‘brand’ that’s a manufactured thing, instead think ‘reputation’ (a word PR agencies have used for years) because now what really matters is what consumers say about you, not what YOU say about yourself, no matter how big the ad budget. And HOW and WHAT you do says more than ads.
Facebook Breakup Notifier
One to make you smile. Developer Dan Loewenherz has created a cheeky app based on the relationship status of your Facebook friends. As he describes it:
You like someone. They're in a relationship. Be the first to know when they're out of it.
Shame to see that Facebook has blocked it.
The reputation and influence graphs
Everyone is talking about influence and how to identify the people that have it. But what is the relationship between reputation and influence? The founder of PeerIndex pointed us to this in-depth blog post, which takes a look at services like Klout and its relationship to reputation:
So how does PeopleRank interact with the reputation graph? In my version, the reputation graph consists of all of the things we know about the people who we know. Who’s smart? Who works hard? Who is a slacker or dishonest?
Klout getting more influential
On the subject of influence, Jeremiah Owyang, co-author of Groundswell, argues this week that:
Businesses are Relying on Easy-to-Understand Klout for Finding and Prioritizing the ‘Elite’ Klout, starting to integrate into many digital touchpoints. From hotels in Vegas offering special services to those with high scores, to a growing range of services that Klout is integrating with, and even politicians, the service is starting to grow.
But Owyang also points out that relying on a single metric is dangerous and refers to Kenneth Cole's Egypt comment debacle. Even though the brand got panned online, its Klout score sky rocketed.
Still, there's no denying Klout is going from strength to strength. It claims there are now 1,500 companies paying for their data. How the public at large will react to companies giving preferential treatment based on something like Klout, remains to be seen.
Kickstarter ups its run rate
Another company that's doing well is the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. It has just announced that it has passed the $1 million per week mark in pledges:
So far, Kickstarter has helped 5,000 projects get funded with about 2,500 actively fundraising at the moment. About 250 to 300 new proposals come in a day, hoping to appeal to a pool of supporters of more than 600,000 people.
But LinkedIn only sees virtual tumbleweed
One company that does not seem to be getting it quite right yet is LinkedIn. They admitted this week that a 'substantial amount' of its users don't visit their website, not even on a monthly basis.
Creative of the week – Chris O'Shea
Chris O'Shea is an artist/designer who uses technology to make the unimaginable come to life. And he's just created an interactive installation that uses holographic projections to get kids excited about storytelling. Read More >>
Posted by Gerrie Smits


text:
Chinese steel reinforcement specialist Xingda has opened its first overseas manufacturing plant in Chonburi, Thailand. With an annual capacity of 100,000 tons, the facility will enable fast and flexible delivery of high-quality steel cord products to tire makers in Thailand, as well as globally.
Said Liu Xiang, general manager of Xingda, “This is a new start for Xingda. Xingda Steel Cord Thailand is integral to our strategy of globalization and proves our commitment to better serving our valued customers in the global steel cord market.
“Our overseas business has grown strongly in recent years, and now the Xingda Thailand plant will enable us to be even more competitive and bring us enormous growth opportunities in the global market.”
With the latest-generation manufacturing facilities and state-of-art process technologies, the Xingda Thailand plant will serve as a benchmark for Xingda’s steel cord manufacturing. As the first overseas steel cord manufacturing plant owned and operated by the company, automation and intelligence are said to be the two most important features of the plant.
“The Thailand plant is our first outside of China, but definitely not the last. It will enable us to gain a tremendous amount of experience of running a factory in another country, and this will pave the way for our further global expansion,” said Liu Jinlan, chairman of Xingda.


text:
Which Kylie Jenner Lip Kit Has Raised Nearly Half a Million Dollars For Charity?
It’s no accident that the KarJenner family is full of multi-millionaires. Whether it’s finding bold new ways to monetize their own image or pioneering their own companies to international success, it seems these ladies are a one-family money-making machine.
But they aren’t just about accumulating wealth, they’re also about sharing it with the charities they believe in, as Kylie Jenner demonstrated by launching a special-edition lip kit in collaboration with Smile Train, which, in its two limited runs, has amassed nearly $500,000 for the charity.
Given the success of her eponymous cosmetics line, it seems only natural the teen CEO would utilize it to also give back to charities she cares about. She donated 100 percent of the proceeds from the pale pink matte lipstick, fittingly named “Smile,” to Smile Train, which supports free cleft palate surgery for millions of children around the world.
Launched on World Smile Day, celebrated annually on the first Friday in October, the special edition kit sold out almost instantly, and the 19-year-old personally presented Smile Train with a check for $159,500, which will go towards funding cleft lip and palate surgeries for 638 children.
With the recent January relaunch of he shade, Jenner has raised an additional $300,000 for Smile Train. Overall, Jenner’s nearly half-million dollar donation will fund 1,800 surgeries for children born with cleft palates.
“Smile Train has been aware of Kylie’s generous heart and her commitment to helping children through her #IAmMoreThan social media campaign and her many visits to children’s hospitals,” Susannah Schaefer, CEO of Smile Train, tells PEOPLE of her relationship to the star, which started several months before the shade was born.
Says Schaefer, “It’s the perfect synergy because Smile Train’s core vision is to help children with clefts not only receive new smiles, but also build confidence. There’s nothing more powerful than a smile.”
The “very special partnership” has obviously been an overwhelming success – especially with an ambassador as young as Jenner.
“Kylie has a beautiful smile herself, yet we were most impressed with her selflessness, huge heart and extremely generous giving spirit,” Schaefer tells PEOPLE. “Everyone here at Smile Train, and all of the cleft children around the world that she has helped, couldn’t be more grateful.”
Did you know Kylie was donating so much money to charity? Sound off below!


text: T-Mobile removed the Galaxy Note from the available device lineup last week and taking that and the fact that Costco had placed the device on the closeout list — it looked like the Galaxy Note was going away. But in fact, it seems this all may have been due to a lack of inventory. The Galaxy Note has since been added back to the T-Mobile website, though, while listed you still cannot make a purchase as the handset is noted as being out of stock. Nonetheless, we suspect now that the phone is listed, the availability will change sooner rather than later. Finally, the Galaxy Note remains priced at $249.99 which comes after a $50 mail-in rebate and along with a two-year agreement.


text:
The Riverside Co. has sold its stake in French pharmaceutical company HRA Pharma, alongside the company’s founders, to European private equity firm Astorg and investment bank Goldman Sachs.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Astorg and Goldman Sachs now are majority shareholders of HRA. Riverside and HRA’s founders reinvested in a smaller, minority stake in the company. HRA, based in Paris, specializes in pharmaceuticals in the areas of women’s health and endocrinology. Since Riverside invested in HRA in 2011, it said the company has doubled revenues, launched four new products, grown its direct commercial presence in Europe from five to 11 countries and expanded its global footprint to more than 80 countries. Revenues grew 95% in total, with 26% growth in 2015 alone, according to Riverside. Riverside is a global private equity firm co-headquartered in Cleveland. It invests in middle market companies valued at up to $400 million.


text:
Join top executives in San Francisco on July 11-12, to hear how leaders are integrating and optimizing AI investments for success. Learn More
Four months after showing off a $21 million funding round, predictive analytics startup Context Relevant today announced $13.5 million in additional funding, with some big banks jumping in.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Bloomberg Beta, Goldman Sachs, Formation 8, and New York Life participated in this round. And in the case of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs, the participation has strategic meaning: The banks are using the startup’s technology.
Context Relevant’s predictive analytics software can come in handy to determine who should receive certain marketing materials and thereby increase sales. The service could help companies understand what customers will do and then take action before businesses take their business somewhere else.
VentureBeat is studying marketing tech.
Fill out our State of Marketing Technology survey, and we’ll share the data with you.
Join us in San Francisco on July 11-12, where top executives will share how they have integrated and optimized AI investments for success and avoided common pitfalls.
Companies have been taking up data-driven marketing and sales tools from startups like Context Relevant, Infer, Radius, and 6sense, and as that happens, these newer approaches could become more of a standard. Which is why investors have been keen to invest in the market.
Context Relevant believes its product could contribute to companies’ efforts to perform risk analysis, fraud detection, and equities hedging. Small wonder the banks are participating in the funding now.
Established in 2012, Seattle-based Context Relevant has now raised $42 million.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


text:
LONDONDERRY — The owners of a Londonderry business have expanded their definition of brewing.
Pipe Dream Brewing will begin serving espresso, lattes, brunch cocktails and breakfast sandwiches Saturday when it launches Pipe Dream Coffee House.
Pipe Dream co-owner Jon Young said the 100-seat coffee shop will be open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and weekends from 7 a.m. to noon. They’ll locate it inside the events room that they built out about a year ago.
The brewery side will still open at noon every day except Monday and Tuesday.
Young said the idea was to bring in more revenue during the daytime hours and to keep things fresh.
“I just always want to do something different and keep it going,” Young said.
The cafe will serve a full menu of regular coffee and iced coffee, espresso-based lattes, cold brew and nitro cold brew. Food will include two-egg breakfast sandwiches, bagels and other baked goods. And kid-friendly menu items like hot cocoa, juice and soft drinks will be available.
One of the ways it aims to differentiate itself from other cafes is with its liquor license. Young said the cafe will serve mimosas and Bloody Marys, as well as Irish coffees and a spiked hot cocoa with a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream.
“There’s no other artisan coffee houses where you can sit down and hang out,” Young said.
Young purchased espresso machines and partnered with Mike Brown of Hometown Coffee Roasters in Manchester to source the coffee and train employees on the machines.
“He started in his kitchen just like I did as well,” Young said of Brown.
Brown said he started his business in 2017 using roasting equipment in his home basement, and moved to a commercial space at 80 Old Granite St. in October 2018.
He said the business specializes in small batch, freshly roasted, specialty coffee that is delivered within 24 to 48 hours of being roasted. It also create kegs of nitro cold brew for cafes.
He said they started with about two or three big clients for the wholesale coffee, which is sourced from Guatemala, Columbia and Ethiopia, and sold about a couple kegs a week. Now, they’re up to about 20 wholesale accounts, and they move about 50 to 80 kegs a week. He estimates he grew the business about 300 to 400 percent since he started.
“It’s pretty significant,” Brown said.
Young first approached Brown to collaborate on a Mocha Blonde beer using Brown’s coffee about a year ago. And about six months later, Brown said Young approached him about the cafe idea.
The Pipe Dream Coffee House will also retail bags of Hometown coffee beans.
Young said the brewery side of the business has been booming and that they recently invested in the 5,000-square-foot expansion and renovation (now totaling 10,000 square feet), a 20-by-17-by-19 foot walk-in cooler, and a new canning line.
To top it off, he said he just purchased the building at 49 Harvey Road and finalized the paperwork on Tuesday. They will continue to lease space to a pallet company they share the building with.
The sale price was $1.4 million from previous owner Charles Zoulias, according to the Rockingham County Registry of Deeds. Young declined to comment on how much they are spending on the equipment or the renovation.
He said they’ve increased their production from 65 gallons per batch to 550 gallons, since about four years ago when they opened. They can brew two batches per day, Young said. They distribute kegs and cans to 150 locations.
They started with four employees, which included his business partner, his wife and daughter. Now they’re up to 25 employees, he said.
While he has no plans to expand further in his current space (limited parking is an ongoing challenge, he said), Young said he wants to nail down a second location that would be a taproom and cafe combination, and keep the production at the current site.
The idea is to find a place in New Hampshire, preferably along a body of water, sometime in the next year and a half.
“I don’t like to stay stagnant,” Young said.
Meanwhile, Brown said he is planning on opening a coffee bar at the front end of his roastery sometime in March or April. He intends to serve coffee, have nitro cold brew on tap and host educational events that showcase how the coffee gets made.
“The whole bean-to-cup process is really what we’re trying to emphasize and show people,” Brown said.
Next Saturday, Feb. 8, Pipe Dream will be hosting its annual “All Summer Long Party,” where they truck in a load of sand to cover the floors and people come in sandals and swimwear.
Four reggae bands will be playing, a space will be set up for beach volleyball, and the brewery will be serving white and red sangrias in addition to their regular beer offerings.


text:
What you need to know
- A new leak claims to reveal the Google Pixel Watch's price and availability details.
- Google's first smartwatch could see a limited release, though.
- It's also one step closer to launch now that it's been approved by Bluetooth SIG.
There's no doubt that the Google Pixel Watch is almost upon us in light of a recent trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A new leak, however, suggests that Google's first smartwatch may have limited availability.
Tipster Yogesh Brar has shared a few details about the Pixel Watch that have not surfaced before. According to the leak, the wearable device will cost between $300 and $400, which is notably the same price range as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.
Unfortunately, the leak also claims that the smartwatch will be limited in quantity. This appears to imply that it will only be available in a few markets.
Android Central has reached out to Google for comment and will update this article once we hear back.
Brar offered some sort of disclaimer for these pieces of information, noting that the source is "relatively new," so you'd be wise to take this leak with a pinch of salt.
While the leak gives us disappointing information about the smartwatch's availability, it does contain a few other interesting tidbits. The leaker has highlighted Google and Samsung's collaboration on the Pixel Watch. As a result, the wearable could be powered by an Exynos chipset instead of a Snapdragon 4100 series processor.
The Pixel Watch could also be equipped with the same sensors as the Galaxy Watch 4, including an ECG sensor.
Like Samsung's best Android smartwatch, the first Google-branded smartwatch will supposedly ship in two sizes. It could also include four band colorways, some of which we've already seen in all their glory a few days ago thanks to a Googler who presumably left a Pixel Watch prototype at a restaurant in the U.S.
Nothing is set in stone yet, as Google remains mum on the long-rumored device.
That said, it's most probably nearing a formal announcement after the Pixel Watch made a pit stop at Bluetooth SIG's website, per 9to5Google. This means that the wearable has now received Bluetooth certification, bringing it one step closer to launch.
Get the Android Central Newsletter
Instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.


text:
A multi-million pound rebuild of Wokingham town centre may be stalled until next year, it has emerged.
Wokingham’s town centre manager Brian Newman says he believes work will not begin on the £80 million Peach Place development before the end of this year, despite planning permission being in place.
And silence about the progress of the development is becoming deafening for traders, with some warning that delays could cause businesses to close.
The plans for Peach Street, Market Place and Rose Street were approved in November last year to the joy of many people in the town desperate to see Wokingham revitalised.
For the full story see this week's Wokingham Times.


text:
Spring is in the air in Chelsea as the former Boston Flower Exchange officially opened in its new location on 2nd Street, ending a 45-year run at its old warehouse in the South End. The wholesale flower cooperative has renamed itself the New England Flower Exchange, with 10 vendors moving to the 65,000-square-foot facility.
Natural light pouring from skylights and new LED lighting makes the warehouse look “clean and cheery,” said Meg Taylor, who stocked up on delphiniums, tulips and orchids for Anderson’s Florist in Arlington.
“It was great to see everybody still together,” Taylor said. “They had all of those beautiful flowers there, and everybody was so upbeat and happy that it finally happened.”


text:
Algeria continues economic restrictions on Spain after its support for autonomy in the Sahara
Algeria continues to impose economic restrictions on Spain due to Madrid’s support for autonomy proposed by Morocco as a final solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue.
According to the latest statistics from the Spanish Ministry of Commerce, Madrid’s daily losses are over 4 million euros.
According to the Spanish newspaper, the losses affected many sectors, including the food industry and the production of livestock meat, which make up a significant part of the turnover of Spanish companies in the Algerian market.
The newspaper adds that, with the exception of gas supplies linked to long-term contracts, Algeria stopped all economic exchanges with Spain, whose goods were exported to Algeria worth 3 billion euros, before the acute crisis between the two countries.
The report of the Spanish Ministry of Commerce for June and July estimated sales losses at 4,400,000 euros per day.
After Spain’s declaration of support for autonomy, Algeria seeks to impose economic restrictions on it; Madrid accused Algeria of “violating its obligations” contained in the Association Agreement concluded with the European Union in 2002, which relate to the movement of trade with member countries of the Union.
More recently, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez avoided mentioning his support during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly; Which aroused the interest of Algeria, as it considered it a sign of a change in the Spanish position in relation to the Moroccan Sahara.


text:
The 2015 business year has started well for the German container glass industry. Deliveries grew by 1.3% (tonnage) over the first three months. But developments varied markedly at home and abroad. While deliveries abroad soared by 13.9%, they declined by 3.4% domestically, according to “Aktionsforum Glasverpackung,” an initiative of the German container glass industry that is based in Duesseldorf. But no matter whether deliveries are sold at home or abroad, the bottles are produced in
glass furnaces in Germany. Assessing the market retrospectively for the past ten to twelve years, there are significant changes.


text:
Councillor Ann Smith has welcomed the Council decision that means businesses in Stockport are set to benefit from changes to the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme.
As of this month businesses with a rateable value below £6,000 will pay no Business Rates for the 2012/2013 financial year.
“The Council knows that every little helps in the current climate,” said Ann, who praised local residents Vicky and Angela from Davenport who opened their new business in Shaw Heath recently.
Their family pottery painting café ‘Brooklyn Pottery’ is just across from Harry Bates. Residents can enjoy a cup of tea while a little one creates something unique!
Information regarding criteria for the changes to the new Small Business Rate Relief Scheme can be found at the Council’s website at www.stockport.gov.uk/businessrates.
Twitter users can use and follow the hashtag #SKbusiness for the latest business news in Stockport.


text:
BURNABY, Canada, March 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Declining Product Prices Coupled with Increasing Per Capita Income to Boost LED TV Sales in Saudi Arabia Over the Next Five Years
According to TechSci Research report, "Saudi Arabia LED TVs Market By Type, By Technology, By Screen Size, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021", LED TVs market in Saudi Arabia is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 10% during 2016 - 2021. Increasing population, rising urbanisation, coupled with growing number of residential, commercial and social infrastructure projects in the country are few of the major factors expected to fuel growth in Saudi Arabia's LED TVs during 2016 - 2021. Back Lit Full Array LED TVs accounted for more than 80% of the LED TV sales in 2015, and the segment's dominance is expected to continue during 2016 - 2021. UHD LED TVs segment is forecast to witness fastest growth over the next five years, on account of increasing awareness among consumers regarding enhanced picture and video quality that they offer compared to other LED TVs.
In 2015, northern & central region accounted for the largest share in the country's LED TVs market, followed by the western region. Increasing population in these regions, on account of better jobs opportunities and growing religious tourism due to the presence of holy cities of Makkah and Medina, along with increase in construction of residential and commercial establishment such as housing units, hotels, villas, etc., is expected to fuel demand for LED TVs in Saudi Arabia through 2021. Growing urban population share in the Kingdom, which according to World Bank data, stood at 82.30% of the total Saudi Arabia population in 2011 grew to 82.93% in 2014, is expected to positively influence the demand for LED TVs in Saudi Arabia through the forecast period.
"Over the last couple of years, Saudi Arabia's economy has been largely affected due to ongoing political instability and slowdown in crude oil prices. However, over the next five years, the country's economy is expected to stabilize and purchasing power of people is anticipated to further increase. This, in addition to rising consumer awareness about LED TVs is expected to boost sales of LED TVs in the country through 2021.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.
"Saudi Arabia LED TVs Market By Type, By Technology, By Screen Size, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of Saudi Arabia LED TVs market and provides statistics and information on market structure, consumer behavior and trends. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers to take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also analyzes emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities available in Saudi Arabia LED TVs market.
About TechSci Research:
TechSci Research is a global market research and consulting company with offices in Canada, UK and India. TechSci Research provides market research consulting services in six verticals - Information Technology, Chemicals, Water & Water Recycling, Consumer Goods & Retail, Automotive and Energy & Power. The company uses proprietary innovative business model that focuses on improved productivity that also ensure the creation of high-quality reports. With more than 100 client engagements with fortune 500 clients, TechSci Research enjoys the status of a premium market research services provider in the industry.
Sales & Marketing Consultant
Contact Phone- +1 646 360 1656
SOURCE TechSci Research


text:
“Approximately 30% of our customer interactions with Herb involve effective upselling strategies,” said Chrissy Bellman, Lēvo founder and CEO. The company wouldn’t share specifics.
Brands are increasingly adopting gen AI chatbots to reduce the work of their human-powered customer-service counterparts.
Built on OpenAI’s GPT-4, Herb is trained on Lēvo’s product manuals, help articles, recipes and educational content from the brand’s site, and trained to embody a voice and personality that is playful, upbeat and informative.
People interacting with Herb can ask questions on topics ranging from infusion expertise, recipe assistance, time and temperature for machine use, troubleshooting, facilitating product orders and managing loyalty points.
As a result, Lēvo’s customers get a quicker response compared to interacting with a human, said Bellman.
“We are reducing the burden of our customer service because any conversation that can be handled there is done by AI,” she said.
By 2025, 80% of customer-service and support organizations are expected to apply gen AI in some form to improve agent productivity and customer experience, per Gartner. For Lēvo, having people spend more time on the chatbot has also boosted its search-engine-optimization efforts.
However, concerns such as bias and hallucinations limit how much companies want to experiment with these chatbots, with many trying to keep things limited to the products they sell.
“Most companies are holding back on the power of their chatbots,” said PJ Pereira, chief creative officer and co-founder of Pereira & O’Dell. “There’s a gray area of what is a brand’s responsibility and what is the responsibility of the person trying to influence the bot to say it.”
Content discoverability and ramping sales
Lēvo began working on Herb last summer, making it available to customers at the beginning of December via email marketing that led to a 75% open rate. “For us [that’s] a very high open rate on email,” said Bellman.
Since its launch, Herb has facilitated over 1,000 conversations, guiding people via relevant links, she added.
Approximately 20% of the traffic directed by Herb is redirected to Lēvo’s homepage. Its impact enhances website navigation for people, simplifying content discovery and incorporating self-service elements like tracking loyalty points.
The chatbot needs some human maintenance, and Lēvo’s customer-service managers spend several hours per week talking and training the bot.
The company plans to incorporate sales and promotional offers, especially in instances where Herb may have missed suggesting an offer. The ultimate goal is to link these efforts back to boosting sales.
This, however, is the first phase of what brands can do with conversational AI bots, according to Uma Challa, senior director analyst at Gartner. The second phase could include facilitating transactions via chatbots, which isn’t new to business, but gen AI creates more human-like interactions with people, while keeping information based on past interactions
“If a customer has purchased something similar in the past, what gen AI can do is bring in all this information and personalize the experience for you when searching for something new,” said Challa.
Site traffic boosting SEO efforts
Gen AI, particularly within Google’s Search Generative Experience, has prompted SEO experts to adapt their strategies for search indexing and discoverability.
To leverage the SEO capabilities, Lēvo has implemented meta tagging on the backend of Herb’s landing page. This includes keywords such as “herbal infusion bot” and “herbal infusion advice,” optimizing the page for higher rankings in relevant searches.
Google’s algorithm is now favoring websites where people spend real amounts of time contributing to site traffic, such as interacting with Herb, said Bellman.
“You get a lot of points with Google for your website if peoples’ session time is longer and Google believes it’s authentic content,” she added.
However, Herb possesses the capability to access data across the internet, excluding competitors of Lēvo—a deliberate instruction given to the chatbot. In instances where Herb provides information beyond Lēvo’s products, it includes the source link, a capability enhanced by GPT-4.
“We have to be very careful because this comes back to SEO and we don’t want someone leaving our site,” said Bellman.
In response, the brand conducts a review of all conversations between consumers and Herb, identifying instances where the chatbot has suggested third-party websites.
“The learning from watching consumers interact [with chatbots] will be 10x bigger in value than the results of these particular chatbots,” noted Pereira.


text:
The cybersecurity landscape isn’t necessarily getting worse, but it is definitely changing. Ten years ago, insurers highlighted hypothetical scenarios to generate coverage options for policyholders, explains Graeme Newman, chief innovation officer at London-based CFC Underwriting. Five years ago, there were significant retail breaches and credit card security improved with point-to-point and end-to-end encryption. Now there are more data breaches and cyber hacks.
“The propensity for claims has more than doubled in the last two years,” says Newman. “Are they becoming more prevalent or are clients more aware that it’s an issue? It’s a combination of both. We’re seeing more incidents and they are easier to commit than ever before.”
Two years ago, ransomware was a huge problem. There were numerous low-level attacks and ransom demands. “Now we’re seeing more targeted attacks with criminals running automated tools to identify and exploit networks. Once they’re in they are using ransomware in a targeted way, and ransomware demands are going up. They used to run $500-$1000. Now we’ve seen several million-dollar ransom demands in the last six months,” adds Newman. “People are more aware of the danger of clicking on links and software is better at identifying ransomware, so that threat has changed. Criminals are using higher bounties from businesses and not smaller demands from more people.”
Making it personal
This still plays out on a personal level as well. Even though the IRS has gotten better about identifying fraudulent tax returns, it continues to be an issue around tax time. If a fraudulent return is filed in your name, be prepared to file paper returns for the next several years.
In England, parents were victims of school fee fraud when enterprising hackers emailed them and said they could get a discount on tuition if they paid in advance. “Hackers can extort a lot of money if they time it right,” finds Newman.
Escrow agents in real estate transactions have been targets as well. They are frequently dealing with unsophisticated buyers who aren’t used to online processes and procedures, and make easy targets for hackers when it comes to wiring down payments for homes or rental deposits.
Small and medium-sized business are still woefully unprotected and unaware of the impact a breach or theft of data could have on their enterprise. From protecting websites on web hosting sites to encrypting customer data, most have very little awareness of the dangers or consequences of a breach.
Newman finds that credit monitoring is almost pointless and a limited tool at best. “It’s offered after the breach has already taken place. Criminals want to be satiated pretty quickly and aren’t going to hang onto information — they want to use it right away,” he adds.
A new danger is credential stuffing — where hackers take a user name and password and then run it through different sites to see if they can access information anywhere else. “If I can get your details from one site and use them on another like your Uber account, PayPal or an airline, I can start using your accounts for financial gain,” says Newman.
While the value of a user name or password is limited, it’s how it can be monetized that makes it valuable. Makes you think twice about using the same password and login for different accounts.


text:
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) continues to advocate for improved data exchange, with the interoperability and information blocking rules being the latest federal push.
One of the ONC’s goals with its latest guidance is to establish an ecosystem of innovation, with electronic health records (EHRs) serving as the foundation — i.e., the platform enabling application development and user access.
But when it comes developing an EHR-based marketplace for innovation and mandating open APIs, there are many challenges for all players involved — including EHR vendors, tasked with standing up these sustainable marketplaces for innovation, and third-party developers, forced to bet big on which EHR platform(s) to innovate for and hope they chose right.
4 Key Considerations for Successful EHR Marketplace Development
How could the latest interoperability and information blocking guidelines impact the likelihood EHRs will be successful in developing sustainable innovation marketplaces?
There are four key factors that stand to impact the success of EHR-based marketplace development, including:
1. The case of too many EHRs
Though originally built for billing purposes, the role of EHRs has dramatically shifted in the past 15 years. In addition to enabling information exchange through Fast Health Information Resources adoption, EHRs have helped pave the way to digitized healthcare infrastructure. Ninety percent of U.S. health systems today utilize an EHR.
That said, when it comes to standing up a marketplace for tech innovation in healthcare, we actually have a case of too many EHR vendors — and this is problematic, given that one or two platforms tend “to rule them all,” as we have seen over and over again in other industries (e.g., Microsoft and iOS, Apple and Google, Uber and Lyft, Amazon, etc.).
When there are too many platforms to consider designing applications for, third party developers must place big bets on their vendor(s) of choice; either choosing right, choosing wrong, or placing too many bets and left unable to support multiple versions of a solution.
While Epic, Cerner, and Meditech cover a vast majority of both the acute and ambulatory care environments, no vendor has more than 28 and 33 percent market share, respectively (Epic). Translation? The race to platform domination is still very much in play.
EHR market share of the acute care/hospital setting in 2018:
KLAS 2018 Report on U.S. EMR Vendor Market Share
EHR market share of ambulatory care setting in 2018:
|Evident, a CPSI Company: 7.9% |
|Netsmart Technologies .9%|
Definitive Healthcare data as of May 2019
2. When push comes to shove, EHRs will likely shove competitive applications out the door
As opposed to firms that started out as multi-sided platforms (e.g., eBay), the goal of most software businesses (including EHRs) is to optimize its current book of business and continue to develop and sell its own functionalities into its existing user base. With that in mind, any third-party application developer utilizing an EHR’s API represents potential competition to the EHRs themselves.
In terms of innovation and organizational culture, the two elements are also often at odds when it comes to the types of organizations EHR vendors are used to working with (e.g., large, mature customers with rigid procurement processes), and smaller, third-party developers that require the flexibility and ability to iterate quickly.
3. Platform businesses need time (among other things) to grow
There are many challenges with asking EHR vendors to take a “quick and dirty” approach to stand up a marketplace for innovation. One reason is that establishing and growing a marketplace is an unrealistic task for EHRs to take on solo. And, perhaps most importantly, platform businesses take time to mature.
For example, although Surescripts is a widely-known industry name today (and multisided platform) and more than 85 percent of all prescriptions in the U.S. are now e-prescribed, it took nearly two decades — and billions of dollars in federal incentives — to reach that point.
4. EHRs are behind a rock (struggling for growth) and a hard place
After a half-decade of double-digit expansion and revenue growth, EHR vendors now find themselves in a saturated market.
Beyond this, the ONC’s latest rules ask EHRs to open up their APIs — which invites potentially competitive applications to sell into the EHR vendor’s client base — and also manage those third-party relationships to avoid the appearance of “data blocking.” And this is all happening at a time when EHRs are under increasing pressure to deliver short-term revenue growth (which, per #3 above, is unlikely to happen).
Healthcare is unlike any other industry. It is a highly regulated environment, with many constraints and ultimately patient lives at stake — not ideal conditions for marketplace platform development. Even less ideal is that the ONC’s latest guidance forces EHR vendors to make dramatic shifts in their business — in a very, very short period of time — making marketplace development extremely challenging, and sustainability are all but impossible.
For the ONC, mandating EHRs to open their APIs is a good first step on the road to holistic interoperability and health information exchange, but not without accounting for the conditions required for successful platform development, and level of support and expertise required to manage the process.
About Seth Joseph
Seth Joseph is the Managing Director of Summit Health, a strategy consultancy focused on helping healthcare firms navigate the shift to value-based care, with a specialty in helping early-stage tech firms build and grow multi-sided networks (MSN) and multi-sided platforms (MSP).
Prior to founding Summit Health, Seth led Corporate Strategy at Surescripts. Surescripts is the nation’s largest, most trusted and successful health information network, delivering more than 17 billion clinical messages to physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers and payers each year. Prior to Surescripts, Seth led eHealth strategy for Caremark, part of CVS Health.


text:
Warren, Racine Target Amazon's ‘Inflated’ Prices
Amazon artificially inflates consumer prices by charging third-party sellers exorbitant and unavoidable fees, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine (D) said Tuesday during a Senate hearing.
Amazon’s revenue from third-party seller fees grew from about $11.7 billion in 2014 to more than $80 billion in 2020, and the company expects to collect $120 billion in third-party seller fees this year, Racine told the Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth Subcommittee, which Warren chairs. Racine sued the company earlier this year (see 2109130028). Amazon is entirely focused on using its market power, controlling 50%-70% of the online retail market, to extract every cent of profit from the market, said Warren.
Amazon charges as much as 40% of the product price, said Racine. So a product that’s selling for $100 on a company website might be inflated to $140 on Amazon, said Racine: Due to agreements with Amazon, a company would have to raise the price of its product on its own website. Amazon didn’t comment.
Warren told us she’s particularly interested in two potential antitrust proposals. She would like Congress to make it easier for antitrust agencies to define market dominance by giving them better guidance and tools. The FTC’s monopoly case against Facebook was initially dismissed because of market definition issues (see 2108240059). Warren wants to remove the consumer welfare standard from antitrust statutes. On the potential for Republican support, she said, “There are Republicans who don’t like seeing this kind of market control. There’s at least the possibility that we could move in a bipartisan direction.”
Racine alleged in his lawsuit Amazon practices “anticompetitive restraint” by barring third-party sellers through a “price parity provision” in its contracts from offering products at lower prices on competing platforms. State enforcers have options, he said, but Congress could help through legislation.
Warren said she plans to reintroduce the Pandemic Anti-Monopoly Act, which would impose a “moratorium on risky mergers and acquisitions.” Fewer and fewer markets in the U.S. are “truly competitive,” she said during the hearing: Regulators and courts look the other way while every market is dominated by one or two competitors.
Ranking member Bill Cassidy, R-La., focused on privacy concerns for data brokers. Congress should have a conversation about what data is appropriate to collect, limits on groups collecting and restrictions on selling or sharing the data. He asked why it’s so easy for data brokers to acquire mass amounts of information on consumers. It's very easy to find information online and purchase it because data brokers aren’t regulated, said Duke University data broker researcher Justin Sherman. Data brokers know everything about every American because they can “dance around” the few U.S. privacy laws, said Sherman. It’s a “major problem that needs to be addressed” through non-sectoral, comprehensive privacy regulation, said Future of Privacy Forum Senior Counsel Stacey Gray.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he’s working on legislation, to be introduced “shortly,” that would address the “sleazy, unregulated world of data brokers.” He suggested Congress enact legislation to limit the export of U.S. data to high-risk nations and companies. He referenced his Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act (see 2104210053) and the Mind Your Own Business Act (S.1444).
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., targeted Facebook and Google for profiting from fringe websites pushing disinformation on climate change. Open Markets Institute Executive Director Barry Lynn called platforms like Facebook and Google the communications corporations of this century, comparing them to AT&T and Western Union in the 20th century. The difference is that AT&T and Western Union weren’t able to “manipulate how people communicate,” said Lynn. Social media platforms are designed to set people against each other with false information and determine how people vote, he said.


text:
Piyush Goyal, minister for commerce and consumer affairs, Government of India, stated how commerce can meet creativity on day two of FICCI Frames 2023.
Goyal labelled the media and entertainment industry as vibrant and a key pillar of India’s cultural identity.
He said, “Creativity can indeed enhance commerce and showcases to the world what India truly represents. Over the years the industry has given a unique identity to India. You talk to a Russian delegation in commerce and they will certainly know Mera Naam Joker. Similarly, when you talk to Chinese delegates, they have to discuss Dangal. I was in France recently at an event, Namaste France, where India’s cultural heritage was reflected by artists in the form of dance and songs. So, the entertainment industry has a huge potential to connect businesses and nations and build up a future. Through entertainment, fun and glamour, we can showcase what the new India of today reflects. This helps boost the economy significantly and helps us reach newer countries and audiences and influence public opinion. The future looks brighter because of the positivity in the entertainment industry particularly.”
Goyal then asked the media industry to take on the entertainment industry’s positivity. “I hope this rubs off on the media sector too. This positivity encourages India to be more aspirational and demand better lifestyles, and business opportunities. ‘Dil Maange More’ defines the expectations from the media and entertainment industry.”
Talking about technology, Goyal complimented the industry on its use of the same.
“The smartphone itself has become a camera with no reel. I believe filmmaking is also largely digitalised now. So we are looking at a proliferation of digital in the field. We are seeing digital platforms evolving hugely. I do believe that we are going to see the media and entertainment industry grow by leaps and bounds,” he said.
Goyal also spoke about how these digital platforms helped him relax during the long working days during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I was a beneficiary of a habit I started during Covid. We used to end our day around 2:30 am because of the difficult challenges we confronted every day. Every night before I went to sleep, my wife and I would watch an episode of any good OTT show or a movie on the platform for about half an hour. It helped relax the mind and helped us sleep well after that. It’s been a useful and effective way to keep the enthusiasm alive,” said Goyal.
Goyal then went on to congratulate the Oscar winners from the country – ‘Naatu Naatu’ from RRR and The Elephant Whisperers.
He said, “We must also recognise that the world is appreciating Indian art and culture. Naatu Naatu and The Elephant Whisperers gave us recognition of India’s emerging contribution to the field of entertainment. It also had social messaging. We could demonstrate that sustainability is the core of what we do in India and comes naturally to every Indian. I’d like to congratulate the Oscar winners.”
India has truly arrived
Goyal stated that the new generation of film-makers, particularly the women are pursuing their dreams and showing the stories of new India with a great deal of passion.
“This is boosting the morale of a billion people. As we enter the next 25 years, which we believe will be the defining moments for India, I’m sure through the artistic brilliance that the industry has demonstrated over the years, to commercial success that today’s films and theatre, and other art has demonstrated, India can succeed,” he said.
“We can reach remoter parts of the world with the message of a country well on the pathway to becoming a developed nation by 2047. We are a country that delivers countless talent and skill at competitive prices and is the fastest growing large economy in the world that offers unmatched opportunities for economic growth,” added Goyal.
He ended his talk by stating that the scale and the skill this industry can offer to the world can help India create an ecosystem that can nurture talent and reward hard work.
“Every artist can dream and every dreamer can succeed and that is the new India. Let us together build an industry which not only entertains but also inspires, empowers and enlightens the whole nation in this journey of progress and prosperity,” he said.


text:
SAN FRANCISCO — The shingles that help to protect you from the elements could soon help to keep your lights on. Solar companies have developed light-absorbing roof tiles as a more aesthetically pleasing alternative to solar panels.
Making solar materials better looking is the key to millions of American actually installing them on their rooftops, according to one executive. Those roofs are a “Persian Gulf of energy potential,” said Dan Shugar, president of PowerLight.
At the Solar Power 2004 conference in San Francisco, solar vendors, including PowerLight, showed off integrated building materials that convert the sun’s rays to electricity.
The market for solar energy, which has relied on rigid photovoltaic panels, has grown 30 percent a year, according to Solar Energy Industries Association, the trade group that organized the show.
Photovoltaic solar panels, which were invented in 1954, consist of grids of raised black cells that have been criticized as aesthetically unappealing. Some homeowners have also been reluctant to embrace the technology because installing solar panels may require puncturing an existing roof and bolting on metal supports, which can void the roof’s warranty, according to Shugar.
PowerLight’s PowerGuard rooftop system molds photovoltaic panels into roof tiles that can be snapped onto an existing roof without puncturing its surface, according to Shugar. This extra layer is more visually appealing than standard photovoltaics, and adds two layers of insulation that can extend the life of the roof to 30 years, he said.
Solar panel manufacturers Sharp Electronics, Konarka Technologies and United Solar Ovonic also presented solar roofing materials at the conference.
The fact that Sharp, which manufactures three times more solar panels than any other company, is interested in solar roofs indicates the technology will likely take hold, according to Ron Pernick, founder of clean-energy consulting company Clean Edge.
“I have no doubt that deriving solar power from the roof itself is the wave of the future,” Pernick said. Solar roofing materials are likely to be most popular with new construction because minimal additional labor cost would be involved, he said, although retrofitting houses with solar roofs is also viable.
Pernick said solar roofs would probably be adopted most quickly in states such as Hawaii and California where the cost differential between electricity derived from solar and fossil fuels is not as great.
Government officials in California have encouraged the use of solar energy in the state. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom told event attendees that the city is constructing 1,600 homes with solar panels in its Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Newsom said now is the time to start addressing global warming by installing solar panels on roofs. “We can sit here and just talk about it while we continue to get clobbered, or actually do something about it,” he said.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed that 1 million homes in the state install solar power systems by 2010, but the state assembly failed to pass the necessary legislation, according to Newsom. Newsom expects the state will pass the measure during its next legislative session.
One company is aiming its product at the consumer who lives in “low light” conditions. Konarka’s integrated roofing material uses plastic sheets of polymer materials instead of silicon-based panels. The flexible plastic “is more efficient at low light, such as when the sun is rising or setting, on cloudy days,” so it may be better for certain areas, according to Dan McGahn, executive vice president. It converts 5 percent of the solar energy into electricity, compared to silicon-based systems that are 15 percent to 20 percent efficient, and costs about twice as much as a standard roof.
McGahn said his company’s technology can also be integrated into a variety of materials for products such as laptops, cell phones and even clothes.
Konarka is still developing its roofing material technology, and has not announced when it will be commercially available. Sharp said it would have product available in 2005, and United Solar Ovonic is currently accepting orders. Representatives from solar panel manufacturers BP Solar, Shell Solar and RWE Schott Solar said their companies are not currently developing integrated roofing materials for the U.S. market.
Konarka’s McGahn said it’s not likely solar will capture a large share of the electricity market anytime soon. Global solar panel manufacturing capacity won’t catch up to demand for at least a year, he said, and grabbing just 10 percent of the electricity market would require $270 billion of investment in production facilities.


text:
India, Mar 15, 2022 - controlZ is an online store for customers purchasing refurbished phones similar to the new handsets. The company provides different brands of refurbished mobile phones to their customers and inspires others to purchase them. iPhones are the most popular brand in which the company deals. They are offering iPhone XR introduced with several features and specifications which the brand new handset can't provide you.
The Head of the company states," The company's primary goal in purchasing the refurbished phone is to increase the life cycle of mobile devices before it gets obsolete. We inspire the consumers to make use of old mobile phones, which is designed to fulfil the daily basis requirements of the modern customer. Moreover, an iPhone XR comes up with a true tone option that is genuinely safe for the environment. This mobile device is 40% cheaper than the normal RRP. Also, it will look and work like a new mobile phone.
The human resource team states," We are making every possible effort to expand the life of old mobile phones. The purpose of a renewed phone is safer, more innovative, and sustainable. According to some research, refurbished devices create 80% less waste than new devices. iPhone XR has a true tone feature that helps balance the brightness and lighting condition of the device. Most consumers think the iPhone XR display looks better than higher-resolution displays found in some Android phones.
controlZ is one of the top-most leading online platforms for purchasing refurbished and renewed phones. The company's mission is to save the environment, and wastage happens from the new device. To achieve this mission, we are developing a unique industry in India to increase refurbished phones and make them new as much as possible. The companies also have the availability to deliver the mobile phone at your doorsteps. Last but not least, the online store provides you with a warranty, fast charging, good battery health and many other valuable features.
Product Link: https://store.controlz.world/apple-iphone-xr/
Contact No: +91 9876543210
Email Id: [email protected]


text:
Renewed success for the design of the Audi A6
Ingolstadt/Washington D.C. –
The A6 Sedan managed to beat off international competition to receive the Silver Award in the ‘Transportation’ category of the International Design Excellence Award 2012. Audi Head of Design Wolfgang Egger is delighted that the model not only appeals to customers in Europe: “The award demonstrates that our design idiom is also understood and goes down well in the United States.” Apart from the model’s dynamic looks, the jury from the Industrial Designers Society of America also singled out the successful interplay of design idiom and innovative technology in the A6 Sedan. Egger explained: “To us, our brand claim ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ means that it is extremely important to perfectly match technology and design.”This year marked the 32nd anniversary of the IDEA awards in the United States. The jury is made up of 19 high-ranking experts from business, universities and design circles.
In addition to the IDEA award, the Audi A6 family also won the red dot award. The A6 Sedan, the A6 Avant and the A6 allroad quattro impressed the international jury with their outstanding design quality. The Audi Design Team collected the coveted benchmark of quality during the red dot presentation ceremony in Essen on July 2.


text:
Confirmed: Microsoft Will Announce Acquisition of Skype Tomorrow Morning
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier tonight that Microsoft–in what would be its most aggressive acquisition in the digital space–was zeroing in on buying Skype for $8.5 billion all in with an assumption of the Luxembourg-based company’s debt.
Sources told BoomTown tonight that the deal for the online telephony and video communications giant is actually done and will be announced early tomorrow morning.
The purchase–which has been spearheaded in closely held negotiations by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, with an assist from Business Division CFO Amy Hood and top dealmaker Charles Songhurst–is a bold move for the software giant and its biggest acquisition in more than three decades.
The big price will give Microsoft–which has struggled in its online efforts and has lost billions of dollars for its work–a big brand name on the Web.
With Skype, which has been aggressively expanding, Microsoft will continue to lose money in its Internet efforts. Skype lost $7 million on revenue of $860 million. Operating profits, which Skype preferred to highlight, were $264 million.
And–let us not forget–Skype’s debt is $686 million. Silver lining: That’s slightly less than Microsoft’s Online Services division losses in its most recent quarter!
But, sources said, the concept is bigger than just money, including getting access to Skype’s 663 million registered users.
Skype, which had been headed bumpily toward an IPO until now, will apparently be integrated into Microsoft’s Windows Live and other online communications efforts in both the consumer and enterprise arenas, sources said.
Think Kinect connecting.
Skype has had a big-company owner before–eBay Inc. paid $2.6 billion in cash and stock for it in 2005, as a way for the auction site’s buyers and sellers to communicate.
A 70 percent stake in Skype was sold in 2009 to investors such as Silver Lake Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. It then valued Skype at $2.75 billion.
So, obviously, the deal is a big win for them. In addition, at the time they made their investments, Skype was a huge legal mess with lawsuits flying.
Skype has since gotten cleaned up enough to attract Microsoft.
Other suitors have looked at Skype, including Google, although acquisition interest by Facebook was very much overblown, said several sources.
Interestingly, Microsoft’s new smartphone partner Nokia also held meetings with Skype’s CEO Tony Bates, a former Cisco exec who arrived at the company last fall.
Interest in Skype by Microsoft was first reported by GigaOm’s Om Malik on Sunday.
Tune in at 5 am PT for the official press release, apparently, and lots and lots and lots of analysis of whether Microsoft paid too much for Skype.


text:
One of Madonna's eye-popping conical bras sold for $21,150 today (April 26) to a Chilean fashion museum at a pop memorabilia auction in London.
One of Madonna's eye-popping conical bras sold for $21,150 today (April 26) to a Chilean fashion museum at a pop memorabilia auction in London. The memorable fashion statement, a fixture of the pop diva's 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, rivaled a page of handwritten lyrics by Beatles legend Paul McCartney, which was bought by an unidentified private collector for $29,960, Christie's auction house said.
The auction featured more than 200 pieces of memorabilia, including an autographed letter sent by John Lennon to a fan and a suit worn on stage by Eric Clapton.
The Museum of Fashion and Textiles in Santiago, Chile, emerged the winner of unexpectedly high bidding for Madonna's black and fuchsia Jean-Paul Gaultier bra. A Christie's spokesperson said the bra was expected to fetch only $4,500. The seller, who was not identified, won the bra in a British radio contest, the spokesperson said.
Clothing wasn't the only Madonna commodity fetching top dollar in the U.K. today, as tickets to her July 4 concert in London, priced from $58-$123, sold out quickly. Promoters rushed to add five more London dates -- July 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12 -- to the artist's Drowned world tour, which kicks off June 5 in Cologne, Germany.
Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
The recent feud between the Indian government and Twitter highlights the growing influence of social media platforms in this globalized world. The power of social media to influence public policy was unthinkable ten years ago. But the world has to live with this new reality now. In business or in society in general, monopoly domination is never desirable. Too much power in too few hands is always considered evil. Given the ability of social media to influence public opinion, it is therefore in the general interest to create more options for users. This will create effective control and balance within the ecosystem.
In this perspective, the creation of more applications made in India should be actively encouraged. Due to the Indo-Chinese border dispute last year, the central government banned around 250 Chinese apps, including the short video sharing app owned by Byte-Dance, TikTok, and the popular video game app PUBG, among others. This acted as an immediate trigger for the development of local applications in the country. Desi apps such as Chingari, Dubsmash, Roposo and many more have come to the market and have been encouragingly adopted so far. While these apps aren’t as popular as TikTok, consumers now have more choices.
In addition, changes in geospatial regulations announced by the Indian government are also expected to reduce the country’s dependence on GoogleMaps soon. âMakeMyMapâ has partnered with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to develop geospatial maps that can be widely used by businesses. This step will make India self-sufficient in space mapping.
These local alternatives indicate that the country can develop its own applications for users thanks to its technological prowess. The creation of such apps not only provides more choices for consumers, but also favors Indian startups, thus creating wealth and jobs.
Meanwhile, the central government has developed standards to regulate the operation of social media applications. The regulations aim to control the spread of fake news and hate speech, among other things. While the pros and cons of such regulations are debatable, there is no doubt that more applications made in India will provide more choices for consumers and reduce the need for regulations. For a democratic country like India, regulations have their own limits. If consumers have more choices, it will automatically democratize the social media ecosystem and remove any possible perverse influence from a platform.


text:
Bulk and own-label wines are facing a squeeze after drought left Australia's 2007 vintage a quarter down on last year - but top brands from Down Under say meeting demand won't be a problem.
Australia's total crush for 2007 was 1.42 million tonnes - 25 per cent lower than the year before, according to the Winemakers' Federation of Australia. Red grapes - 48 per cent of the crush - were down 35 per cent, while whites were down 14 per cent. And state agencies expect water allocations for next year
to remain low, which could mean another short harvest in 2008.
Peter Spencer, senior vice president of UK sales at Constellation Europe, which owns the UK off-trade's biggest wine brand Hardys, says that, while volumes are down, the overall quality of the harvest is "fantastic".
"We will have enough volumes for our brands, but without doubt there will be a tightening of the market, probably at the entry-point level," he says. "Across the whole market I strongly suspect there will be some movement up in the price the consumer pays for Australian wine, probably because of less promotion ."
Pernod Ricard UK's wine development director, Adrian Atkinson, says: "There is evidence that the drying up of the bulk market has driven up spot prices and the industry predictions point to 2008 being just as small. This is when the real impact of the 07 vintage will take effect. We
will have a better idea of the situation later in the year. But for Jacob's Creek, our strategy is about premiumisation and adding value. Irrespective of the vintage situation we are focusing on higher price points."
"Our crush was 33 per cent down - we crushed 158,000 tonnes - and that is quite a large decline for us," says Paul Schaafsma, UK & Europe regional director for McGuigan Simeon. " Reds were well over 40 per cent down on last year, while whites were little higher."
McGuigan will be concentrating on its brands and the own-label wines it makes for some of the UK's biggest supermarkets. This year brands such as Calloway Crossing and Rawnsley Estate make up a third of McGuigan's business, but in 2008 Schaafsma expects that to be more like half. He promises the company "will make sure our strategic partners are looked after".
Schaafsma adds: "We are not going to have a knee-jerk reaction to this situation. I think
a lot of smaller and medium-sized producers
are going to panic, but you can't just ramp up prices straight away - you need to look at what the market expects, and you need to look at prices for 05 and 06 for buyers, supermarkets and independent customers .
"It probably will rain again and we want to make sure we hold our position with the people we have worked with for a long time."
Martin Strachan, former managing director of Negociants in the UK, moved to Australia six weeks ago to be general manager of Oxford Landing, owned by family-run Yalumba Wines. "Costs have risen overall, as we knew they would from the shortage of supply and demand for equipment, but overall our supply base will be fine this year," he says. "There is pressure on prices, but there has been pressure on prices for a number of years.
"We moved the recommended retail price on some of the Oxford Landing range about a year ago. We have yet to make a decision, but certainly the pressure is on and we would expect a duty increase as well. With the grape price increase and other increased costs there is pressure and we are looking at it."
Supply shortages are most likely to hit speculative bulk, which could send prices up throughout the market. Strachan says: "The spot price for bulk wine has increased dramatically. This year one would expect a shortage of own-label material, and people buying for own-label will see price increases. One would expect that to follow right through the whole market."
"Clearly there is going to be some impact," says Graham Threader, sales director of own-label supplier Darlington Wines. "Talking to the growers, their view is that the impact could be over two years - it might not just be this vintage, it might be 08 as well. At that level it is a question of pricing - if there is an impact on supply there is often an impact with pricing."
He says off-trade consumers, who are
price-point oriented, may turn to Chile and South Africa for cheaper wines if Australian prices are pushed up.
But he is not worried about his own business. "We are still able to supply Australian wine competitively, but there have been some price moves," he says. "We are in line with the marketplace. Unless there is major switch out of Australia as a category, I think it is business as usual. Australian growers have been looking forward to seeing prices go up for some time."
But supermarket buyers are confident they will be able to get the Australian wine they need, and don't envisage major changes on shelves. Morrisons trading manager Stuart Purdie contacted OLN from Australia. "Being here first hand I see no indication that their 2007 harvest will affect our own-label supply of Australian wine," he says.
"Just because those surplus stocks are gone it doesn't mean there isn't going to be any more wine," says a spokeswoman for Wine Australia UK. "Ultimately the consumers are going to benefit, because wines which are characteristic of particular regions, which may not have had as much of a look-in, will start to come to the forefront of people's portfolios because the huge amounts of surplus stock aren't around anymore."


text:
Thieves Steal A Truck To Steal A Car
Some crooks in Bellmead, Texas really wanted to steal a Corvette, but couldn't drive it at the time for whatever reason. So, they decided to steal a pickup truck to haul it to Dallas, which is just under two hours away.
KWTX reports that on July 9th, witnesses reported seeing the thieves using a 1985 Chevrolet Silverado to push a 1979 Chevrolet Corvette at Road Ranger truck stop (seems like that would scratch up the Vette). Then surveillance footage showed them hook up the sports car to be towed away.
The pickup was found the next day up in Dallas, but the Corvette is nowhere to be found.
Keep an eye out for a red Corvette (possibly a scratch or two) with a Texas license plate that reads DP9-T172. Who knows - it may be getting towed around by another truck. Maybe they couldn't get into it. Maybe it's like a luxury trailer.


text:
WACO, Texas – From traditional livestock auctions to online sources, cattle producers have a variety of options to choose from when marketing cattle, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist.
Dr. Jason Banta, beef cattle specialist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton, gave a broad overview of marketing options at the recent Blackland Income Growth Conference in Waco.
Banta said the biggest impact on income in a cattle operation is percentage of calves weaned. Other pieces of the equation include how many pounds the calves weigh and price received per pound.
“Condition of cows at calving time has the biggest impact on pregnancy rates,” Banta said. “You want those cows to be at a body condition score of five or better.”
Genetics also play an important role as well as input costs. Cull cows and cull bulls account for 10 to 15 percent of producers’ income.
“There’s value in these animals, and we need to market these animals to maximize the value,” Banta said.
There are several marketing channels, such as traditional livestock auction markets and online sources where a producer can post a classified ad.
For feeder calves and stocker cattle, Banta said producers can use livestock auction markets or sell through special preconditioning sale venues.
“You’d be surprised how far you can haul some cattle and get them into a preconditioning sale. The key is to go with one that has a good reputation to capture that premium.”
There are also video auction services as well as having someone come to your ranch and buy direct.
“Out of all of these options, it has to fit your operation and knowledge base,” he said.
When using auction markets, producers who have 15 to 30 better quality calves can call the barn ahead of time so the barn can advertise and help better market the calves.
“Some will let you pull tags early,” Banta said. “This is a good way to get a group of calves you have and sell them together before buyers who might be looking for a good group. They like this instead of having to pick them out one by one throughout a sale day or at multiple sales.”
Factors affecting the selling price of calves include color. Banta advised against producing calves with spots or paint colors. However, replacement females with stripes, such as a Braford cross, will bring a premium.
“We sell cattle on perceived breed type,” he said. “There are significant discounts if you have more influence of a breed that is not wanted by order buyers.”
Recommendations include no more than one-quarter Bos Indicus, at least one-quarter British and no more than one-half Continental.
“The industry wants medium to large frame cattle,” he said.
Banta said time of year can also affect prices paid. Spring typically brings some of the higher prices for weaned calves and cull cows, while fall will bring the lowest since many cattle operations are selling at this time.


text:
Newborn babies have reached a new low, some areas have "more houses than people", and villages and towns are gradually disappearing...Despite extreme aging, Japan has also discovered a new business opportunity in this social form adult pull up business.
The Tokyo Shimbun reported that, taking into account the needs of the “silver-haired society, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan has formulated a road map for the disposal of adult diapers, and plans to implement this method of adult pull-ups this year to reduce the work of nursing staff such as nursing staff. the amount.
Japan's entry into the silver-haired society has an increasing demand for adult diapers.
Japan is accelerating its entry into a super-aging society, with more than 20% of the population exceeding 65%.
The demographic report released by the Japanese government at the end of last year showed that Japan’s population problem is characterized by "low birth rate and high death rate." In 2018, the number of newborns in Japan hit a new low, less than 1 million for the third consecutive year. The number of natural deaths hit a record high.
With age, the need for elderly care has increased. According to statistics from the Japan Hygiene Materials Industry Association (JHPIA), the output of adult diapers in 2017 reached 7.8 billion pieces, 1.4 times that of 2010.
As the aging society of our country is accelerating, the sales market of protective underwear for bowel incontinence will undergo rapid changes in indoor space, market competition layout, sales channels, product shapes, and customer requirements.
In fact, following the rapid development trend of the aging of the world's population, the adult diaper market is getting larger and larger, and the trend of declining birthrates has caused the baby diaper sales market to enter a downward safe channel;
The following three core views:
Core point 1: The indoor space of the adult diaper sales market is rapidly opening up. The compound growth rate in the past 6 years has far exceeded that of women's and baby products. In the next 3-5 years, the adult diaper market will be 2.9-6.5 times that of 2017. Listed companies are already inseparable. Reasonable layout;
Core point two: E-commerce has been rapidly developed, and it has become a well-known brand with the largest total online sales, and customer requirements and spending power have increased significantly. Not only is it cheap, but it wants to pay for products with higher quality and moderate prices. ；
Core point three: Unlike general understanding, the adult diaper industry is actually a high-tech industry. The essential driving force of Japan's diaper industry is the continuous use of new technology applications to produce product shapes and continuous improvement of customer experience. Analysis of the patent rights of key Chinese brands of diapers, Hangzhou Kaopu is the leader in its name.
Learn more about Diapers!
The Satisfaction Of Our Customers Is Our Motivation!
Please Fill In The Correct Contact Information,
We'll Contact You As Soon As Possible!


text:
Many speculate that the 2014 holiday shopping season will bring a record year of revenue for retailers, but it is still far too early to tell.
That being said, the numbers are already in for 2014 Thanksgiving Day sales. While many retailers stay closed on Thanksgiving Day, most launched their sales online one day prior to Black Friday this year.
As a whole, online sales for Thanksgiving 2014 grew 12.2%, with mobile sales accounting for 74% of that traffic. This means that mobile Thanksgiving Day shopping grew an impressive 26.1% percent over 2013.
iOS owners spent the most while shopping on their mobile devices, averaging $121 per sale. Android users on the other hand averaged around $97 per sale.
Retailers are finally grasping the fact that mobile makes shopping more convenient because individuals can quickly and easily cash in on the holiday sales while commuting to and from family members, not to and from brick-and-mortar stores.
So, did you engage in Thanksgiving Day online shopping this year from a mobile device?


text:
One of every five beauty purchases online is made via the Amazon marketplace, according to a new report.
The retailer says it will shutter its Canadian operations as of April 1.
Shoe and accessory e-retailer Zappos.com announced today that it will close its Canada.Zappos.com storefront and no longer ship to customers in Canada as of April 1.
Zappos.com Inc.’s Canadian e-retail business encountered multiple obstacles that prevented it from delivering service that was up tothe e-retailer’sstandards, wrote Chris Nielsen, the retailer’s chief operating and financial officer, in a blog post.
“One of our core values is to ‘deliver wow through service,’” he says. “Our Canadian customers know that we have not lived up to these service levels.” The same message appears on the home page of Canada.Zappos.com.
Nielsen says distribution agreements limited the products and brands it could sell on Canada.Zappos.com. He says clearing Canadian customs and delivery also posed problems.
“We have struggled with general uncertainty and unpredictability of delivering orders to our Canadian customers, given customs and other logistical constraints,” he says.
Orders made at Zappos.com cannot be shipped to Canada. Canadian consumers can place orders at Zappos.com but must provide a U.S. shipping address.
Zappos.com is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, the No. 1 e-retailer in Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Guide. Amazon bought Zappos.com in 2009 for approximately $850 million.


text:
We’ve all experienced the pang of dread at news of another data breach or the hacking of sensitive personal information. Was my personal information leaked? Was my private data hacked? The only thing more nerve-wracking than being the one whose personal data was leaked is being the business that was hacked, and having to publicly break the bad news to thousands of customers.
As president of the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association, I work with our members to do everything we can to avoid that pang of dread. Unfortunately, there is no national policy framework governing data privacy. It’s clear that America is overdue for new regulations that protect our personal data, as technology continues to change the way we connect and do business.
Negligent management of consumer data has led to a disturbing pattern of data leaks and mishandling of sensitive information. Our names, ages, email addresses, credit card numbers, photographs, and even home addresses have been left unprotected. Often they are easily accessible online to identity thieves and criminals. It is time for comprehensive reform to end these criminal activities, without leaving small businesses stuck with costly compliance procedures.
Democrats and Republicans in Congress agree that we need ground rules when it comes to handling sensitive personal information online – but the path to getting there is not yet clear. Some want to punt on the issue by leaving data privacy decisions to the various states. Others believe we need a concrete framework on the federal level. Only one of these options is viable: To meaningfully address this issue we need one set of rules across the nation. We need Congress to pass legislation.
A federal approach to this issue would universally and fairly protect consumers while preserving technological innovation. Furthermore, it is the only way to ensure regulatory consistency and ethical practices across the board. A state-based approach risks creating a complicated patchwork of solutions with inconsistent guidelines. Dozens of different state approaches would mean dozens of different sets of rules for companies and consumers to navigate.
Imagine if companies could sell your information to anonymous third parties in the state where they are headquartered, even if they are not allowed to sell such data in the state where you live. What if only some states required encryption of sensitive user data, like credit card information? Would companies migrate to the states that have unrestrained privacy policies letting them collect and sell our data more freely and for a greater profit? These are just a few reasons that a patchwork of different state privacy rules would be unruly, and would not sufficiently protect American consumers.
In a time when people, devices and businesses are more connected online than ever, we need laws that apply fairly and consistently – not rules arbitrarily based on state borders. Only strong legislative action from our elected officials in Washington can accomplish that.
Tim Phelan is President of the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association.