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French Mobile Provider To Offer Free Phone Plans
Telecom company will sell identity and payment services as well, in order to be able to offer low-cost cell phone coverage..
Free Mobile, as the name suggests, is aimed at revolutionizing the mobile industry in France by offering customers free phone plans when paired with its ADSL services. If customers wish to select a phone plan on its own, they can choose to pay €2 a month for 60 minutes of voice calling and 60 SMS, or €20 a month which includes unlimited local and international calls, and unlimited data.
The French broadband communications company is able to set plans at such a low price thanks to Wi-Fi and femtocell technology. Free’s founder Xavier Niel also suggests that the telecom company can generate money through selling identity and payment services, rather than only focusing on communication services to turn a profit.


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Tesla has been winning the electric vehicle (EV) game… or at least the game of public attention around it, judging by Elon’s recent headline grandstanding. But, bright spotlight notwithstanding, Tesla isn’t immune to competition—and that competition is catching up faster than people realize.
Tesla’s main EV competition is Volkswagen (which also includes Audi and Porsche as premium brands). This surprisingly-readable CNN Business article summarizes their emerging rivalry thusly:
For both Volkswagen and Tesla, their ambition to dominate the electric car market depends on their ability to become more like the other.
Unpacked a bit:
Tesla’s main strength is software, especially self-driving stuff; UBS estimates that software accounts for roughly 2/3 of Tesla’s market value, and this is the area where VW is way behind.
But, on the flip side, VW is much larger (by count of cars produced) and their production capacities have been much larger for decades; Tesla is struggling to (reliably) produce enough cars because, well, they just recently started building a massive industrial operation from scratch.
The CNN piece does point out that, on paper, Tesla is about 5x as valuable as VW by market cap… but let’s not forget that valuation is not the same as value. It always comes down to profitability in the long run. Volkswagen has been profitable for a long time. Tesla is a different animal—the company doesn’t necessarily need to be profitable just yet, given its relative youth—but no combination of hype, good product, and growth potential (and leftover tax credits to sell) can guarantee profitability.
Long-haul Tesla investors just have to be okay with being nervous for (potentially) a very long time.

domain: news


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Industrial and Financial Systems (IFS) is aiming to launch its operations in Pakistan through a partnership with a local company for selling its products in the growing local market.
IFS is a globally recognized company which develops and delivers software for enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise asset management (EAM) and enterprise service management (ESM).
According to the stock filing, IFS has signed a partnership agreement with Millat Tractors Limited to sell and implement its products in Pakistan.
The agreement has been initially executed with Millat and is transferable to one of its subsidiaries in future, said a statement by the tractor manufacturer. The company had2014 implemented products of IFS in its operations back in 2014 and had improved performance in its finance department.
Its new local partner, Millat Tractors Limited, is a listed company at Pakistan Stock Exchange having four subsidiaries including Bolan Castings Ltd, Millat Equipments Ltd, Millat Industrial Products Ltd and TIPEG Intertrade DCC which is based in Dubai.
According to nine months performance of financial year 2016-17, the tractor manufacturer managed to achieve a sales volume of 13,482 tractors compared to 19,967 tractors in the corresponding period of last financial year registering a decrease of 33%. The drop in company sales was due to the declining demand of tractors in local market
This company in its endeavor to explore new synergies in its operations is now working to bring diversification of its portfolio through working with global software solution provider, IFS.
IFS serves more than 1 million users worldwide from its network of local offices and through a growing ecosystem of partners. The Swedish company is operating with offices in Sweden and Sri Lanka with consultancy business operating in six regions including Europe North, Europe West, Europe Central, Europe East, Americas and Africa & Asia and Pacific.
The software company also implemented various solutions for clients based in Pakistan.
IFS Applications business software provides increased ERP functionality, including CRM, SCM, PLM, EOI, enterprise asset management, and MRO capabilities.


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A 330-year-old Chinese brushpot, which was discovered in a charity shop, excelled at a Salisbury, UK auction on May 23.
The fine brushpot was spotted by a volunteer after being anonymously donated to the St Peter's Hospice shop in Bristol, UK. The keen-eyed volunteers at the shop receive regular training on how to identify valuable antiques.
The auctioneer soon confirmed that the item was indeed a rare carved landscape bitong, or brushpot, dating from the rule of China's Kangxi emperor (1662-1722). The pot was crafted by Gu Jue, one of the foremost artists carving bamboo at the time.
Despite the poor condition of the piece, a bidding war ensured that it sailed past its initial estimate of £15,000-25,000, selling for £360,000 ($557,811) to a Hong Kong collector. The sale represents a 1,340% increase on estimate for the pot.
Following the sale, Janet Loud, head of shops at the charity, commented: "It is a fantastic boost for St Peter's Hospice in these difficult economic times when fund-raising is tough."
Bristol appears to be the place to pick up a bargain, after another anonymous donor delivered a rare first-edition of the second Harry Potter book, worth over £750, to another of the city's charity shops.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has two Harry Potter books in stock, both signed by Daniel Radcliffe. Each one provides a rare opportunity to own a signed copy of the books at a great price.


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During a recent stakeholder meeting between President Biden, port leaders, union leaders, and logistics executives from companies such as FedEx, UPS, and Walmart, we learned that significant changes are coming to the supply chain, and they might be here to stay for the long run.
In the past year, almost everyone around the world, whether businesses or consumers, have felt the effects of supply chain shortages due to various bottlenecks. These bottlenecks can occur within the production or logistics phase of the supply chain, but ultimately, it all impacts our ability to get the goods we want when we need them. To address some of the bottlenecks, the White House has announced the logistics industry is coming together in a unified way with a significant commitment that will nearly double the hours that cargo can move out of docks, onto highways, and ultimately to the end-recipients.
Bottlenecks often happen at points of convergence, similar to a lane reduction on the freeway. For instance, ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California (which account for a staggering 40% of all shipping containers entering the U.S.) recently had 62 ships berthed at the two ports and 81 waiting to dock and unload, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California. Biden specifically announced that the Port of Los Angeles would be now running around the clock 24/7, with many of the largest retailers making a commitment to unload during off-peak hours.
“These are major commitments, but they’re most effective when every private company along the supply chain does the same thing, and now we’re looking to trucking and freight to expand hours as well to help with the bottlenecks,” an official from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union described in their statement.
This commitment to staff ports and warehouses 24/7, made by the labor union, will have a direct impact on the rest of the logistics and courier industry as they urge everyone to collectively pick up the pace. 24/7 operations may seem simple in theory, but it is a complex adjustment that requires enhanced administration and management to make happen. Here at CXT Software, we are proud to offer a highly customizable software suite that is well-tuned for 24/7 operations.
Even if a carrier is running their shipments 24/7, they may not staff customer service or clerical positions throughout the night, so having automated portals where clients can track and manage their parcels, is essential to maintaining a high level of customer service. Many of our customers take advantage of our Client Portal, where they can white-label a beautiful interface for their clients to stay well-informed about their shipments, even with reduced staff and overhead outside of normal business hours. Still, couriers will be encouraged to meet this new 24/7 demand as the industry tries everything in its power to alleviate some of the pains caused by supply chain shortages.
“Those disruptions in the supply chain don’t go away overnight, but opening up night capacity through that entire chain is the fastest way and the most effective long-term way to actually turn it around,” the ILWU Union Official said.
It’s not just about 24/7 operations. As we saw from the White House press release, UPS is committing to enhanced data sharing with the ports, which along with 24/7 operations could allow it to move up to 20 percent more containers from the ports. The operational benefit of data-sharing is one of the many reasons that we’ve built our robust API Integration here at CXT Software.
We are proud of our partners within the shipper and carrier space that work hard to move goods around the world 24/7, and agree with the White House press secretary Jen Psaki when she told reporters, “Solving this issue is going to require cooperation between the private sector, including rail and trucking, ports and labor unions”. Cooperation is something that the courier industry does best and we know that they will meet this demand that is being asked of them. On the technology side, we are continually advancing our software suite to better power carriers and shippers in the final mile.
24/7 Operations is just one of the many changes that will be coming to our industry in the next few years, so make sure to stay up to date by connecting with us on Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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Two bidders have submitted final offers for troubled Turin, Italy-based injection molding machine maker Sandretto Industrie srl. One bid was from an undisclosed Italian businessman, and the other was from Oyonnax, France-based injection press maker Billion SA.
Billion owner Korbinian Kiesl confirmed the bid in an Oct. 2 telephone interview. He declined to go into detail.
The two bids will be evaluated by the Italian government, which has had a special commissar running Sandretto since it went into special administration in 2006. It previously was owned by Taylor's Industrial Services LLC, the parent company of U.S. press manufacturer HPM.
If both offers are considered positively, an auction between the two bidders could determine the final outcome.
``Billion is a family-owned business; if there is a good possibility to get some additional added value to the company, I am open to look at it,'' Kiesl said.
He took control of Billion two years ago in a one-man management buyout from Mannesmann Plastics Machinery GmbH. He had taken over as managing director at Billion in early 2005, after stints at Krauss-Maffei GmbH and extruder maker Berstorff GmbH, both MPM companies.
Billion historically has depended strongly on the French market and ex-French colonies, but in the past two years it has been extending its horizons.
Within MPM, Billion had been restricted as to where it could operate. ``Since independence, we are free to sell where we want,'' Kiesl said.
Plus, the French market has declined significantly during the past three years.
``We have tried to compensate for this with exports,'' Kiesl said.
In 2006, in fact, half Billion's sales were outside France. It recently made its first sales in the United States and in Mexico.
In the financial year just closed, sales were around 33 million euros ($46.7 million).
``Our financial situation is strong,'' Kiesl said. ``We are cash-positive.''
Kiesl continues to emphasize the specialist nature of Billion, which has been a long-time pioneer of multicomponent molding.
Billion will have three coinjection molding machines running at K 2007, scheduled for Oct. 24-31 in Dusseldorf, Germany, plus a plug-and-play injection unit that can fit on all of its machines, allowing them to process an extra material.


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Samsung Galaxy S9 To Launch Next Month
17 January, 2018 | Technology
Although some suspected that the Samsung Galaxy S9 would be launched at this year’s CES, no one was holding their breath. The next expected date is at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona which starts on the 26th February…
Samsung tends to launch flagship smartphones at or around the Mobile World Congress with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge being unveiled at MWC 2016, and the Samsung Galaxy S8 launched just after MWC 2017.
However, there’s no need for speculation because Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh has pretty much confirmed at a press conference in Las Vegas that the Galaxy S9 will be unveiled at MWC 2018.
Samsung are likely to be releasing two smartphones, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus next month.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 range will come in a 5.8inch and 6.2inch screen, a vertically positioned dual camera (with a fingerprint scanner underneath), a Snapdragon 845 and 6GB of RAM.
DJ Koh also addressed the ongoing rumour that Samsung will be launching a foldable phone, yet he as per usual he said that the company will reveal such a device next year…


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Welcome to the latest edition of Heads-Up. Our weekly does of sweet, cool and sometimes, down right weird facts. This week the team learnt about growing baby names and the rise of the Islamic clothing market.
- Most wrist pieces advertised on TV have their hands set to 10 minutes past 10, to form a smiley face, making the watch more desirable to buy. But of course, Apple has to be different – they set the hands to 10.09. – Krish
- In 1956, 5 megabytes (5MB) of data weighed a ton. – Myriam
- In 2012, at least 17 newborn girls were named Siri. – Kirit
- The voices of Mickey and Minnie Mouse – Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor – married each other in real life. – Lynn
- According to the 2015-2016 State of the Global Islamic Economy Report, Muslim consumers spend an estimated $230bn on clothing, a number that is projected to grow to $327bn by 2019 – larger than the current combined clothing markets of the UK ($107bn), Germany ($99bn) and India ($96bn). – Laurent
- 2017 will mark the first time digital ad spending surpasses TV ad spending. According to eMarketer, TV ad spending will total $72.01 billion, while digital ad spending will climb to $77.37 billion. – Maïa
- LVMH (the company that owns everything from Louis Vuitton to Verve Cliquiot) are the most value company in France, they passed energy giant Total SA in May… Turns out fashion pays. – Bill


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KATHMANDU: Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) President Rajendra Malla has said illegal trade taking place through the open border with India should be controlled. According to Malla, illegal businesses taking place through the border between Nepal and India should be controlled since the government is losing revenue due to illegal cross-border trade.
At a programme organised by Kailali Chamber of Commerce in Dhangadhi, NCC President Malla stated that nearly 40% of the total cross-border trades were illegal. “For the country’s trade balance, it is necessary to manage import and export as the illegal trades have serious impact on the government revenue,” said Malla.
Malla also said NCC is ready to work hand in hand with the government to manage imports and promote exports. He suggested the government make the revenue system more flexible by widening the scope of taxes. The NCC President said revenue leakage at the border has not been controlled yet citing that some people pay taxes while others do not.
He stressed the need for making the tax administration effective at all three levels — local, provincial and federal. Further, he said the private sector is committed to disciplined and transparent transactions.
Stating that economic indicators are still negative, NCC President Malla underscored the need for reformation in the taxation system.


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GreenDust has again brought a deal with a flash sale on iPhone 5S which will be available for Rs. 26,999. The stock of iPhone 5S would be available in three colours i.e. Gold, Silver and Space Grey.These phones would be open-box/ unboxed phone or refurbished version and would be the 16 GB models. These phones will have a six month warranty from GreenDust.
GreenDust’s reverse logistics engine is used by most manufacturers and e-commerce companies in India today and its “GreenDust Certified” seal is becoming a seal of approval in the often questionable market of refurbished products.
Hitendra Chaturvedi, founder and CEO, GreenDust, commented, “We pride ourselves in delivering value-for-money deals for our existing and prospective customers. Our ‘flash sale’ model has received incredible response for numerous brands and we are affirmative that for iPhone 5S stock, we will receive even better turn out.”
The iphone sale was inspired by success of GreenDust’s refurbished mobile “Flash Sale”. There are innumerable online platforms selling mobiles, but there is none in the industry that can compete with GreenDust and its repair capability, reverse logistics network and after sales service network for refurbished phones.


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Judith Cochrane MLA said: “Having a healthy lifestyle is so important and making a change in what you do and what you eat can make so much of a difference.
“I am very pleased to be taking part in this scheme and if it helps raise awareness and helps get people thinking about their lifestyle it will have been a success. Having a hectic lifestyle doesn’t make it any easier but even taking small steps can have a big impact.
“I am taking the challenge and I would strongly encourage others to think about how they can improve their health.
“I know it’s difficult to make changes like this and I am going to face many tasty temptations in the coming weeks, but I am looking forward to this challenge.”


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A company that provides services for banking and credit union branches has acquired a local firm.
Post Browning, based in Symmes Township, said Wednesday it has purchased ATM Plus and ATM Exchange in Cincinnati. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
ATM Plus sells and services ATM equipment. The merger broadens the services of Post Browning, which sells and services banking equipment from companies like Hamilton Safe and NCR Corp., and also offers furnishings and design-build consulting.
The acquisition increases the company's market to include Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia, Post Browning said in a news release.


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(Reuters) – Chinese state-owned firms bought at least 1 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans on Friday, a day after high-level bilateral talks yielded progress toward a trade deal and a Chinese commitment to buy more U.S. soybeans.
Imported soybeans are transported at a port in Nantong, Jiangsu province, China August 6, 2018. Picture taken August 6, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
The purchases are slated for shipment between April and July, with a large share expected from U.S. Gulf Coast export terminals, three traders with knowledge of the deals said.
One trader with direct knowledge of the deals said total purchases were around 2.2 million tonnes. The other two traders said the sales were similar to three recent waves of buying in which state-owned firms booked 1 million to 1.5 million tonnes of soybeans.
U.S. soybean futures rallied to multi-month highs on Friday on news of renewed demand from the world’s top importer.
But the market’s gains were restrained by worries that Chinese purchases will hardly dent massive soybean stockpiles in the United States and around the world. The looming harvest of a large soy crop in Brazil, the world’s top supplier, further capped prices.
“It certainly is good to see some concessions and more buying interest from China, but this is a concession in terms of a larger trade agreement. Brazilian offers are cheaper than we are so it’s just part of the negotiation,” said Terry Linn, analyst with Chicago-based brokerage Linn & Associates.
Friday’s purchases by state-owned firms were believed to be destined for China’s state reserves, and thus immune from high import tariffs on U.S. beans. The 25 percent tariffs, imposed last summer in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, remain in place for U.S. soy imports by commercial crushers in China.
Exports to China have plummeted this season during a bitter trade dispute, with swelling supplies sending prices to near decade lows last autumn and U.S. farmers struggling to turn a profit.
China has been buying most of its soybeans from Brazil, which is in pace to harvest a bumper crop in the coming months.
Friday’s sales bring China’s total purchases of the 2018 U.S. soybean harvest to at least 6.5 million tonnes, a fraction of its traditional annual haul from the United States of more than 30 million tonnes.
Through January of 2017, more than 29.4 million tonnes of that season’s harvest had already been shipped to China, with another 4 million tonnes sold and awaiting shipment, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Benchmark Chicago Board of Trade March futures climbed to $9.31-1/4 a bushel on Friday, the highest point for a most actively traded soy contract since mid-June. Beijing slapped steep tariffs on U.S. soybeans on July 6, effectively halting all U.S. shipments to their top customer.
Before Friday’s sales, China had previously booked an estimated 5 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans in three waves of purchases since U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to a trade war detente on Dec. 1.
After high-level trade talks in Washington this week, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He announced on Thursday China would buy an additional 5 million tonnes.
Additional reporting by Michael Hirtzer in Chicago; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Richard Chang


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NAR released a summary of pending home sales data showing that January’s pending home sales are down modestly 2.5 percent from last month but slightly improved 1.4 percent from a year ago. January’s pending sales reveal a slow beginning to the year with the South being the only region to have gains in pending sales of 0.3 percent from last month.
Pending sales are homes that have a signed contract to purchase on them but have yet to close. They tend to lead existing-home Sales data by 1 to 2 months.
All regions showed increases from a year ago except the South, which had a decline of 1.3 percent. The Northeast saw the biggest gain from a year ago at 10.9 percent while the West had the smallest gain at 0.4 percent.
From last month, the Midwest had the largest decline at 4.9 percent while the West followed with a decline of 4.5. The Northeast had the smallest dip in pending sales at 3.2 percent.
The pending home sales index level was 106.0 for the US.
The 100 level is based on a 2001 benchmark and is consistent with a healthy market and existing-home sales above the 5 million mark.
Despite a steady start to the year for existing-home sales, a slow start for 2016 pending sales implies that there could be some weakness ahead in existing-home sales. An improvement in inventory levels would help combat price acceleration and provide potential home buyers more options, possibly reversing the slow start to the year.


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Disney's Streaming Price Could Hurt Netflix
Disney made the headlines yet again yesterday, after CEO Bob Iger spoke with investors during the [...]
Disney made the headlines yet again yesterday, after CEO Bob Iger spoke with investors during the quarterly earnings conference call, and revealed some exciting information about the company's planned streaming service.
In addition to revealing that the service will be producing original shows based on properties like Star Wars, Monsters Inc. and High School Musical, Iger also mentioned that Disney's streaming option will be extremely competitive with Netflix. In fact, it could pose a major threat to the streaming giant.
Iger mentioned that Disney's service will be priced "substantially below" the Netflix price, which is currently $10.99 for the most popular plan. The reason for Disney's low cost is that it will start with "substantially less volume."
While there certainly won't be as many titles on Disney's service as there are on Netflix, it will definitely boast some in-demand titles. The company is pulling all of its current titles from Netflix's lineup over the course of the next year, and many of those films will only be available on the Disney streaming service. When you combine the beloved classic films with new original series set in the worlds of giant properties like Star Wars and Marvel, this service will undoubtedly become a force to be reckoned with.
There is not an official launch date for Disney's streaming service at this time, but it will be arriving at some point in 2019.


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The shift to Electric Vehicles (EVs) is happening world-wide, more rapidly in India today. The purchasing power of India’s burgeoning middle class is increasing, and more people are investing in vehicles. With the increasing cost of fossil-fuels in India, the need for EVs is acute here. However, the scarcity of lithium reserves made the Indian market dependent on other countries to charge the EVs, especially China which has control over 80% of the world’s lithium reserves. The ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ resolve of the government is pushing research on alternate means of charging EVs. The world is moving away from China in the wake of the COVID pandemic and is looking at India as a global manufacturing hub for EVs, riding on the already existing ecosystem of vehicle manufacture here.
The major advantage of any EV is the ability to regenerate power, which is very useful in any urban environment which involves frequent braking and acceleration. With fewer moving parts EVs need less maintenance and lower operational costs. With no gears, combustion and mechanical drivetrains they are more convenient to operate. Home charging along with government incentives to EV owners such as Income Tax Deduction claim up to INR 150000 make purchasing an EV a wise decision. Besides, zero emission ensures minimal adverse impact on our health. Already, the number of EVs sold has witnessed quantum jumps, year-on-year since 2016.
The Charging Technology
Economic alternatives to the Li-ion charging have been developed and are ready for commercial use, such as Sodium-ion charging or Aluminium-air technology with abundant reserves available in India. With an impressive cost of manufacture in India, many multinational companies have either started or tied up with Indian companies to manufacture this alternative. Many automobile majors in India have already entered into agreements for use of these alternative charging mechanisms.
Incentivising the manufacture of EVs
In a healthy ecosystem, each state in India is wooing investment in the EV sector with various incentives. The world’s largest Electric Scooter manufacturing facility, OLA. is coming up in Tamil Nadu, and another Electric Scooter brand, Ather, has already started manufacturing here. Major heavy vehicle manufacturers (buses and lorries) are betting big with many state governments shifting their public transport to EVs already.
EV manufacturers, Tata Motors and Mahindra have tied up with an Aluminium-air charger manufacturer to power their EVs. The world’s largest manufacturer of Sodium-ion technology, Faradion, has set up base in India and should start production soon to offer an economic alternative to charge EVs. Major vehicle brands in India – Tata Motors, Hyundai, MG and Mahindra are already offering a line of EVs, and other brands will follow suit. With the expected entirety of vehicle manufacture in India shifting to EVs, the price of EVs will also be attractive as an alternative to fossil-fuelled vehicles. The abundant availability of chargers will make the charging process easy and smooth.
The Infrastructure to Support
The roadmap to EVs as a viable alternative depends on the charging infrastructure available.
“The government is pushing deployment of EV charging stations by providing capital subsidy through Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) India Scheme Phase II and state level initiatives. Further, the government has delicensed the activity of setting up EV charging stations to increase private sector investments and facilitate market adoption” – Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India, Ministry of Power (https://beeindia.gov.in/content/e-mobility).
Under Phase I of FAME India Scheme, 970 charging stations have been installed, and 2877 more EV charging stations across 25 States/UTs have been sanctioned under Phase II. In a big push for the EV sector, the government shared plans to set up at least one EV charging kiosk at each of the 69000 petrol pumps across the country.
No wonder that the Indian Electric Vehicle Market is poised for growth, and many EVs (cars, scooters, 3-wheeled autos, and heavy vehicles such as lorries and buses – many state bus fleets have already completely shifted to EVs) are already on the roads today. Although the sales figures till today leave much scope for growth, the traction the industry is observing today promises phenomenal growth in the coming years.
Some EV manufacturers who are or maybe making EVs in India:
MELSS provides many electric vehicle test solutions, and has been keeping pace with the fast technology changes in the EV charging space, and brings you an exhaustive range of testing machines from Chroma ATE to test the chargers of EVs. We offer solutions catering to various standards, from AC/DC/CHAdeMO to CCS.
For more, please visit: https://www.melss.com/latest/assembly-test/electric-vehicle-test-solution/


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A few dealerships have been in the news lately as they make waves in their operations. Richmond Harley-Davidson in Glen Allen, Va., is moving; Doug’s Harley-Davidson in Florence, S.C., is changing hands, and Mid-America Powersports in Wichita, Kan., is looking for a buyer.
Richmond Harley-Davidson is relocating to a new 52,000-square-foot building in Northlake Park, Virginia Business reported. The company, which also owns Steel Horse Harley-Davidson in Midlothian, Va., is investing $6.5 million into its new store. The move is expected to create an additional 10 jobs.
Meanwhile, Doug’s Harley-Davidson in Florence, S.C., will become Black Jack Harley-Davidson on Friday, as owners Doug Guynn and Sandy Broach have sold the dealership. The couple had owned the store, which closed July 20, since 1978, reported WBTW TV.
Mid-America Powersports was slated to close earlier this month, but since owner Ross Reed announced the closure, four parties interested in buying the business have come forward, according to The Wichita Eagle. The multi-line dealership opened in 1988, and it includes four buildings totalling 40,000 square feet. Reed said he and his wife grew tired of struggling for sales over the past four years.


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Taiwan has more semiconductor capacity than any other economy in the world, and that strength could prompt China to take it over amid growing tensions between Beijing and Washington, according to U.S.-based market information advisory firm IC Insights.
In a research paper, IC Insights said Taiwan commanded a 21.4 percent of global installed IC capacity, ahead of South Korea's 20.4 percent, Japan's 15.8 percent and China's 15.3 percent, North America's 12.6 percent, and Europe's 5.7 percent.
In addition, Taiwan held a 62.8 percent share of the world's capacity for producing advanced ICs using the 10 nanometer process or better, ahead of South Korea, which holds the remaining 37.2 percent.
China, on the other hand, continues to face difficulties in developing its semiconductor sector, made worse by American sanctions on some of its high-tech companies, leading Beijing to question how it will compete in the industry, IC Insights said.
That question is especially relevant because future growth will be increasingly dependent on the continued introduction of advanced electronic systems, the key components of which are ICs, according to the advisory firm, which believes Taiwan is part of the answer.
"It is increasingly apparent that China's answer to that question centers on its reunification with Taiwan," IC Insights argued.
"The bottom line is that, currently, there is no more important base of IC capacity and production than Taiwan," it said.
If China were to attempt to take over Taiwan militarily, both sides would see their economies suffer, it said, though it suggested that a cross-Taiwan Strait conflict might only have a short-term impact.
"The question is whether China is willing to accept relatively short-term economic pain for the long-term benefit of having the largest amount of the world's leading edge IC production capacity under its control for many years to come," IC Insights said.
Taiwan's IC strength stems largely from contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which boasts the largest share of cutting edge technologies, while South Korea depends on Samsung Electronics Co., according to IC Insights.
TSMC and smaller Taiwanese contract chipmakers such as United Microelectronics Corp., Powerchip Technology Corp. and Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp., are expected to make up almost 80 percent of the global pure-play foundry market in 2021, the report said.
Though that could be appealing to Beijing, many observers have described TSMC and Taiwan's semiconductor sector as a "silicon shield," a term first coined in a book by Craig Addison in 2001 called Silicon Shield: Taiwan's Protection against Chinese Attack.
TSMC Chairman Mark Liu (???) recently echoed the view in an earnings call in mid-July.
"As to [an] invasion [by] China, let me tell you ... everybody wants to have a peaceful Taiwan Strait ... because it is to every country's benefit, [and] also because of the semiconductor supply chain in Taiwan -- no one wants to disrupt it," he said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel


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Remember how over a year ago, everyone was all excited about the forthcoming Pinterest API? CEO Ben Silbermann even teased its release in a March 2012 email to Pinterest users detailing a Terms of Service change. And API documentation even once popped up on the site, only later to lead...
Twitter developers may not like some of the details, but they finally have more clarity about Twitter’s plans for its API and how it expects the overall developer ecosystem to look and operate in the future. About six weeks after it warned developers that “stricter guidelines”... Please visit Marketing Land...
RT @chrismessina: Yow. "Ultimately, every link on Twitter will be wrapped." http://bit.ly/bZmrXy API details: http://t.co/VbmGKY9 /by @sg via @episod
× Just a test of the new info bar. What do you think?


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The entire sale price will be donated to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts.
Flat 12 Gallery’s V06 tour comes to an end at the Barrett-Jackson charity auction.
As the winner of the Quaker State “Best in Class Challenge,” Jordan Vocational High School students travelled to West Palm Beach to auction off the car at Barrett-Jackson and take home the earnings to benefit their auto program. The car sold for $50,000, but would end up earning the school $135,000 as they went on to three more auctions.
The “Best in Class Challenge” was a 6-week automotive education competition featuring high school auto shop classes across the United States.


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Revenue Up 20 Percent and EPS Up 41 Percent to New September Quarter Records
Services Revenue of $10 Billion Reaches New All-Time High
CUPERTINO, California — November 1, 2018 — Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2018 fourth quarter ended September 29, 2018. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $62.9 billion, an increase of 20 percent from the year-ago quarter, and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $2.91, up 41 percent. International sales accounted for 61 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
Services revenue reached an all-time high of $10 billion. Excluding a one-time favorable adjustment of $640 million recognized in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, Services revenue grew from $7.9 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 to $10 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, an increase of 27 percent.
“We’re thrilled to report another record-breaking quarter that caps a tremendous fiscal 2018, the year in which we shipped our 2 billionth iOS device, celebrated the 10th anniversary of the App Store and achieved the strongest revenue and earnings in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Over the past two months, we’ve delivered huge advancements for our customers through new versions of iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac as well as our four operating systems, and we enter the holiday season with our strongest lineup of products and services ever.”
“We concluded a record year with our best September quarter ever, growing double digits in every geographic segment. We set September quarter revenue records for iPhone and Wearables and all-time quarterly records for Services and Mac,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. “We generated $19.5 billion in operating cash flow and returned over $23 billion to shareholders in dividends and share repurchases in the September quarter, bringing total capital returned in fiscal 2018 to almost $90 billion.”
Apple is providing the following guidance for its fiscal 2019 first quarter:
- revenue between $89 billion and $93 billion
- gross margin between 38 percent and 38.5 percent
- operating expenses between $8.7 billion and $8.8 billion
- other income/(expense) of $300 million
- tax rate of approximately 16.5 percent before discrete items
Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.73 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on November 15, 2018 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 12, 2018.
Apple will provide live streaming of its Q4 2018 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PDT on November 1, 2018 at www.apple.com/investor/earnings-call/. This webcast will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.
Apple periodically provides information for investors on its corporate website, apple.com, and its investors relations website, investor.apple.com. This includes press releases and other information about financial performance, reports filed or furnished with the SEC, information on corporate governance and details related to its annual meeting of shareholders.
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The Big Game arrives Sunday, and while hometown favorite the Eagles didn't come close to getting into Super Bowl XL, there is that other Pennsylvania team to root for.
Even when the Eagles are soaring, the Pittsburgh Steelers can claim a strong and loyal following in the Lehigh Valley. And now that the Birds are out of the game, many Eagles fans have a new favorite team.
Area bars and restaurants expect a good turnout for Super Bowl XL, and while there may be few Seattle Seahawks fans in evidence, black and gold will be everywhere and Terrible Towels will be waving.
Kickoff is at 6:25 p.m. The partying should be well under way by then.
So the question is not what to do, but where to go to see the Steelers whomp the Seattle Seahawks and get one for the thumb.
If you're headed to Detroit, lucky you! But if you're looking for a local watering hole with a giant-screen TV, cheap beer, free food, giveaways and like-minded fans, we've got a Top 10 list for you!
3731 Route 378, Lower Saucon Township
Normally a big Eagles hangout, Starter's is going black and gold Sunday with Iron City beer and the Roethlis-burger, a culinary concoction named after Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The sandwich, traditionally sold outside Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, includes steak meat, sausage, scrambled eggs, cheese and French fries, all on a roll. And for dessert -- a huge Super Bowl sheet cake is on the house.
The restaurant has more than 25 TVs, including four big projection screens so fans can see every play and re-play. The pub also will give away Terrible Towels and Steelers jerseys, as well as hats and T-shirts.
"For right now, there's not much for Eagles fans to cheer about so we've made our place the Steelers headquarters," says manager Mo Taylor.
5737 Route 378, Upper Saucon Township
The popular restaurant is looking for participants in its annual "Lord of the Wings" halftime contest. Competitors will have five minutes to down as many chicken wings as they can. Last year's winner gobbled 27. But beware.
"We use mild sauce, but occasionally we throw in a mystery venom wing," says manager Michael Dontas.
The Copperhead will be decked out in black and gold, with Paulette Elstner's large balloon sculptures of football players and helmets taking center stage. Patrons can watch the game on a 10-foot projection TV, one of four plasma screens or any of 11 other TVs. The Copperhead will be running specials on its popular menu items such as barbecue ribs, crab cakes and bread bowl salads.
At halftime, fans also can vie for giveaways such as a Labatt's cooler, a dartboard or an outdoor heater.
1094 Howertown Road, Catasauqua
Just six months old, the Blue Monkey has already established a reputation as a "Steeler's bar," says manager Brian Conrad. The place was packed for the playoffs, so not surprisingly, the restaurant has big plans for Sunday.
From 4-6 p.m. the Blue Monkey will serve up a sumptuous free buffet, piled with tasty treats such as sweet and sour chicken, chili, tortellini in cream sauce, sausage and hot dogs with kraut, while WZZO deejay Chris Line broadcasts live from the restaurant. The party will include giveaways and beer specials such as 95-cent Coors Light drafts.
With two levels, non-smoking fans can watch the game smoke-free on three projection screens or one of 10 other TVs upstairs while their friends can smoke away downstairs while viewing the action on one of four plasma screens or any of the 28 other TVs.
RIVERSIDE BARR AND GRILL
5801 N. Delaware Ave., Lower Mount Bethel Township
Partying will be nonstop starting at this large bar along the Delaware River. A Merge Party will feature games, prizes and Merge models starting at 4 p.m. Riverside will hold its third annual hot wing-eating contest during halftime, with competitors racing to eat 20 hot wings as fast as they can. A free buffet will feature goodies, including ziti, meatballs and assorted cold cuts.
Watch the game on any one of eight TVs, including a 65-inch high definition screen in the main dining room and a 96-inch projection TV in the bar.
1801 Liberty St., Allentown
Football is always a popular pastime at the oldest tavern in the West End of Allentown and the game will be playing on the bar's 10 screens. During the first half, a free buffet will feature hoagies, barbecue, wings and assorted other finger foods and munchies. Beer specials include $1.50 Coors drafts. At halftime, giveaways will include a Steeler's blanket and a Seattle Seahawk sweatshirt. And for the second half of the game, if anyone is still hungry, regular menu items will be on special.
1030 N. West End Blvd., Quakertown


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Baxi-Fresh raises Rs 2 crore from existing investors
The company recently partnered with Mother Dairy and Patanjali to use their fleet of part-time bikers for morning deliveries from partner stores.
Taxi company Baxi ties up with two FMCG brands, services to begin in January
Baxi, which had raised Rs 10 crore in 2015 from a host of well-k...
Most bike taxi ventures shut operations
The poorly funded local players have not been able to match the heavy subsidies to customers and driv...
Two apps to take on Ola and Uber
The apps will be available on Google Playstore and AppStore, and allow a customer to pay using digital wallets like Paytm and MobiKwik, or cash.
Faircent ties up with Baxi for easy loans for its taxi drivers
Faircent’s maiden venture into auto loans would enable Baxi drivers to fund their two wheelers by registering and seeking a loan through the platform.
Gurgaon-based Baxi to expand operations, eyes UP market
Baxi will start services in Noida and Ghaziabad in the next few weeks as it expands operations and tap into the booming on-demand motorbike taxi segment.
Bikxie, M-Taxi, YaYa and other bike taxi firms offering cheap and reliable transport
The main advantage of bike taxis is their capacity to offer last-mile connectivity, a big problem otherwise in accessing the Metro trains.
How bike taxi startups in Gurgaon, Baxi & M-Taxi, are positioning themselves as cheap options for commuters
Besides providing cost and time advantage, M-Taxi is looking at large-scale employment generation for young men.
Bike ride-hailing app Baxi raises Rs 10 crore in funding
Bike ride-hailing app Baxi has raised Rs 10 crore in funding from a number of high-profile investors, making this one of the largest seed rounds raised by an Indian startup.


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“Usually, if they sell a lot of something, you want to tell everybody.”
That’s what Steve Jobs had to say in 2009 about sales figures for the Kindle — which, it bears repeating, Amazon (AMZN) has still never revealed.
And it’s probably all you need to know for now about sales of the iPhone for Verizon (VZ), which arrived two weeks ago without the long lines of eager customers that many had anticipated.
If sales had exceeded the 1.7 million iPhone 4s Apple (AAPL) sold in three days last summer, you can be sure someone would have issued a press release.
Instead, what we have is a series of dissembling statements from Verizon — including interviews Friday with Reuters and the
Wall Street Journal
— designed to make it impossible to calculate a unit sales number.
Here’s what Verizon Wireless chief Daniel Mead had to say Friday to counter reports that iPhone sales were disappointing:
- He repeated previous statements that Verizon sold more iPhone 4s during its initial launch than any other product in the carrier’s history. This is a classic unanchored statistic. Without knowing what the previous record was, you can’t pin down the new one.
- Mead said lines were modest because sales were staggered and 60% of purchases were made online. Sixty percent of what? Verizon is still not saying. Nor do we have comparable stats to determine whether 60% is unusually high.
- In a few days, Mead says, the company will double the number of stores that sell the iPhone, going from 4,000 to 8,000. Again, this gets us no closer to an answer to the original question.
The easiest way to counter the impression that iPhone sales at Verizon were disappointing, of course, would be to release the actual number. That won’t happen, Mead says, until the company’s next earnings report.
By then it will be old news.
Also on Fortune.com:
- Why are the Verizon lines so short?
- Who’s buying the Verizon iPhone
- Survey: 44% of Verizon Android users likely to switch to iPhone on Day One
[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]


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Today we released the findings of a new survey that shows global consumers’ expectations for mobile and application performance are not being met, but their expectations for mobile website speed continue to increase.
In an earlier post we noted that we commissioned Equation Research to conduct a study in 2009 of mobile users’ expectations and how they characterized their mobile web experiences. The key take away from 2009: the mobile web was disappointing end users who had high expectations for mobile web performance and little patience for poor performing sites.
We commissioned a follow-on study to find out if end users’ mobile web expectations are being met and if their experiences have improved. The new survey of more than 4,000 global users across the globe titled “What Users Want from Mobile,” reveals that global mobile users’ expectations are not being met, with a majority of users experiencing slow or unreliable mobile and application performance.
As the survey findings illustrate, although mobile users expect quick, anytime transactions that work flawlessly every time, that’s not what they’re experiencing.
Today’s mobile users demand exceptional web experiences and highly satisfying, convenient, on-the-go mobile site speeds regardless of their mode of access. However, mobile sites are getting slower, not faster. The average m-commerce site loads in 5.47 seconds – a year ago that number was 4.73 seconds.
Despite the massive adoption by consumers of mobile phones, and more recently sophisticated phones that can access the Internet, only about one third of firms in a recent Forrester Research survey have had a mobile strategy in place for more than a year.
For the majority of respondents, mobile was mainly seen as a way to increase customer engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty with just 2% expected to generate more than $10 million in mobile revenues for 2010.
While companies are assigning clear objectives to the emerging mobile platform, 23% of respondents still consider their primary objective with mobile to be to “test and learn.”
With mobile commerce predicted to top $6 billion by the end of this year (2011) and expected to reach $31 billion by 2016 and worldwide mobile commerce expected to hit $119 billion in 2015, a ‘test and learn’ strategy may prevent companies from taking advantage of the opportunity provided by increased mobile access.
Businesses that embrace the mobile opportunity, offer the most usable features, and provide the fastest, most consistent performance will emerge as mobile leaders in their category.


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Strengthening the government’s efforts in digitizing its services, Social Security System (SSS) loans and benefits payouts transacted using Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation’s (RCBC) financial inclusion app DiskarTech rose to 110 percent by end of second quarter this year.
This growth shows that more and more SSS members are beginning to recognize the benefits of doing their SSS-related transactions using the DiskarTech app.
“The sustained growth of SSS disbursements for the second quarter of this year only reflects how Filipinos respond positively to initiatives that make financial and banking services more inclusive for everyone. We in RCBC remain committed in employing technological innovations to make sure that we continue to give the best customer experience to our fellow Filipinos, and in supporting the BSP’s goals of achieving a digital Philippines,” said Eugene S. Acevedo, RCBC’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Earlier in February, RCBC’s DiskarTech and SSS launched a partnership that encourages millions of SSS members nationwide to take advantage of the digital disbursement features offered by DiskarTech for those members who are currently enrolled in the Disbursement Account Enrollment Module (DAEM) of the SSS website.
“The SSS partnership with RCBC is a welcome initiative aimed at encouraging members to explore and utilize digital enhancements that will provide them with the highest level of service,” said SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio.
“Through this partnership with the SSS, DiskarTech has served as a bridge that connects millions of SSS members all over the country to fast, efficient and secured pay out of their loan proceeds and other benefits while enjoying additional perks such as a 3.25 percent interest on their DiskarTech savings and free fund transfers to other banks, bills payment transactions, e-load and other cash-in services,” RCBC Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation & Inclusion Officer Lito Villanueva added.
As of June 30 this year, RCBC through DiskarTech and the rest of its digital platforms has also helped the national government in disbursing more than Php16.13 billion peso worth of financial aid under its social amelioration program (SAP), benefitting at least 22.83 million Filipinos in 73 provinces as the country continues to surmount the economic hurdles brought by the pandemic.
Because of its groundbreaking innovations in the financial sector, RCBC’s DiskarTech was recognized as the 2020 breakout finance app in the country by App Annie, a global data analytics firm covering all mobile applications worldwide.
RCBC is one of the leading universal banks accelerating digital transformation in the Philippines. It was judged as the Philippines’ best retail bank in the 2021 Global Banking and Finance Review Awards. It is also the best digital bank for Business Tabloid in 2021, by the Asiamoney in 2020, and by the Alpha Southeast Asia for 2020 and 2021, among other global and regional recognitions. It is also the first local universal bank to have the most extensive reach with registered customers from across all 81 provinces nationwide through its two other digital products RCBC Mobile and DiskarTech.


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Behaviorally targeted ads are more likely to generate higher conversion rates in customized market segments, compared to automated pre-packaged rules-based targeting, according to new study findings released by BL Labs of San Jose, CA. The study concludes that online advertising networks need to focus on custom segmentation and data analysis to optimize the nuances of behavioral targeting. Although online ads placed with contextually relevant content are likely to generate higher click through rates, ads shown with unrelated content typically pulled higher conversion rates. For example, the study found that advertising targeting travelers achieved the highest click through and conversion rates when placed on food Web sites.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
This is why we test
In a synopsis of the DMA06 activity and other news, results of a new study on targeting was highlighted. The point is that until we try, we won't know.
Posted by anthony at 10/17/2006


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Tech Public Relations Puts Node In National Spotlight
One week after marrying Variable Technologies’ revolutionary NODE sensor device with W2M’s passion to tell his story as an industry leader in mobile sensor technology, inventor George Yu was sitting face-to-face with the world’s most influential tech media, including David Pogue of Yahoo Tech (formerly New York Times), Steven Levy of Wired, and reporters from Popular Mechanics and CBS News. The results were almost instantaneous – with NODE earning a spot in Pogue’s coveted Holiday Tech gift guide in Forbes.
Soon after, W2M took NODE to the world’s largest tech trade show, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas with a guerilla PR campaign. Variable Technologies didn’t have booth space at CES, but between pre-planning and hustling, W2M arranged over 40 media briefings, dozens of media placements, and high praise from NBC News, CNN, Forbes and GigaOm. Since engaging W2M, NODE has earned over one million tier-one and tech media impressions. W2M also created owned content for Variable’s website, describing innovative uses of NODE technology for applications like administering test to stroke patients and removing ambiguity from sports competition judging.
Key media placement W2M secured for NODE include:
- Mashable Video – NODE Adds Carbon Dioxide Sensing
Want a CES success story of your own?
Take a pro with you! Check out our CES 2017 Spotlight Package to see how you can take on CES with a Write2Marketeer by your side.
How did Node’s public relations story start?
To give you a sense of our tech PR practice, let me tell you a story.
Entrepreneur George Yu dropped by our office with a big dream on a Friday around lunch. He showed us the Bluetooth sensor platform he’d invented—and machined in his Chattanooga lab after an angel round from CRF.
Our team leaned in, learning the tech, twirling the accelerometer. Time stood still, but we got hungry and sent someone for burritos.
George painted his vision of being the world’s sensor platform. He shared that before that world could happen, he needed some customers for Christmas–which was three weeks away. We worked on a message and position right then about why George’s system mattered.
Burrito-stained fingers signed the contract to bring our team on his team. One of our people started dialing, trying to set up opportunities in the precious few days left before Christmas. Editors in New York were chillier than usual–it was blizzard season and hard to find anyone in the office.
One week later, winter ice squeaking under their sneakers, George and a Write2Marketeer braved their way to one of the top gadget/technology writers in the US, who was sitting out the storm in his home. It was another frigid stop on a Media Tour we organized in just a few days.
David Pogue’s kind commentary on NODE was instrumental in propelling it to the top of the FORBES Christmas gadget list, and George had his best December (and January) ever. A shot in the arm is one thing, but Variable Technology, just like your company, needs regular recurring revenue. Even while the product is in development, people have to get paid. So just a few weeks later, we crashed CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. (Our tech PR team is a regular at CES–here are some tips.) Two of George’s Write2Market tech PR team worked day and night alongside the Variable Tech team in Vegas, turning in over 30 global media interviews. Forbes called NODE among the “Best of CES,” and NBC, CNN Money and Engadget put George on TV. Sales? Oh yes, January was a record month too for revenue. And not bad for shaking a few venture types from the bushes, either. George’s story continues. As we help tell his story, we use all the timeless tools message and position crafting, real media connections, and storytelling.
Erase what you’ve been told about tech public relations
A lot of it is outdated anyway. (See our recent article in Marketing Profs on using public relations to connect tech companies to sales.) [tweet_dis]
Don’t believe in press releases too much.[/tweet_dis] Twitter’s great, but it can’t take care of your bottom line, no matter how well done. Content marketing?
Sure it matters–and we have a strategic approach that builds results. But basically, you can forget tricks–technology public relations has few tricks and it simply takes time, hard work, experience and understanding. If you want relentless energy, experience and commitment to bring your company more customers—the kind of passion that can take you from angel to acquisition—we’re the right firm for you. We don’t call it public relations. We call it creating recognizable industry leadership.


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The Second Circuit Court of Appeals rules that resale of digital content as conceived by the startup ReDigi is a copyright infringement.
For a second time in two years, the Association of American Publishers cites a rise in ebook revenues, as downloaded audio charges ahead as the main gainer.
The Association of American Publishers enumerates complaints about the European Research Council’s much derided open access plan.
Azadeh Parsapour, the Iranian publisher and champion of work censored by Tehran, talks about the dangers her company and its authors must navigate to bring suppressed writings to a Persian-language audience.
The Association of American Publishers’ PROSE Awards for scholarly and professional books will be named in February. The National Book Awards winners ceremony is on November 14.
Once again, digital audio sales show robust gains, with ebook sales largely holding steady in August. Adult sales in the US market show a rise of $22.7 million, with children’s and YA also moving upward.
The United States is ready for implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty, pending a presidential signature. Meanwhile, Bologna gets an award and Knights Of gets a new book series
Taking direction from its board members, the AAP has reset its focus on copyright and advocacy for the value of book publishing in modern society.
While audiobook sales grow, the AAP’s new report show children’s book sales struggling and declines in education and scholarly revenues.
In 2017, the US book publishing industry reported revenues of $26.2 billion, according to the Association of American Publishers report, StatShot


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Apple on Monday announced that Apple Maps vehicles will do deeper scouting and imaging in Canada this summer, laying the groundwork for first-party data and enhanced details.
Fleets will begin driving all 10 provinces between May and November, Apple said. This excludes the territories of Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, likely because of their low populations and the difficult terrain between cities and villages.
Apple’s notices in regional newspapers say that the company is “capturing road details, signage and landmarks,” and planning to publish the data “in a future product update.” It’s also reportedly “working closely with local regulators” to assuage privacy concerns.
The effort marks the continuation of a years-long campaign to build up first-party map coverage. When Apple abandoned Google Maps integration with 2012’s iOS 6, it turned to a hodgepodge of third-party sources that often resulted in missing or mislabeled landmarks. Since 2015 vehicles have been scanning the U.S. along with Croatia, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.
Only the U.S. has seen first-party maps go live. There the company is also deploying foot teams, presumably to help with pedestrian and cycling directions. That’s becoming especially important with the rise of personal electric vehicles like scooters and skateboards.
This article was originally posted here


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Democrats and Republicans 'existing in two different worlds' as inquiry into president's actions goes to next stage
Ahead of World AIDS Day, which takes place on December 1, Apple has begun turning the Apple Store logos of many of its retail locations red. Apple's red logos are an annual tradition and mark one of the few times a year that Apple changes its logo colors.
The Nintendo Switch will be released in China on December 10.
From Marvel movies to the K-Pop explosion, here's what the world tweeted about the most in 2019.
I once asked the award-winning novelist Richard Powers what it is that fiction can teach us today. At the time, I was an adjunct lecturer teaching uninterested journalism students long-form feature writing. I was, I thought, keeping them in the loop by exposing them to what I believed was a renaissance of non-fiction articles and books.


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"The annual Oxford Media Convention, organised by ippr in partnership with MediaGuardian will look ahead to identify the policy, governance and business challenges facing the wider media industry as digital switchover and convergence become consumer realities.
The Rt Hon James Purnell MP, secretary of state for culture, media and sport will announce government plans to set up an industry-government exchange to explore the challenges and opportunities of convergence. In particular, the secretary of state will spend two hours with delegates looking at the priorities for this government led convergence think tank."
Other keynote speakers include:
Sir Michael Lyons, chairman, BBC Trust
Dr Tanya Byron, chair, Byron Review
Official Website: http://media.guardian.co.uk/oxfordmediaconvention
Added by nico_macdonald on October 15, 2007


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Are Chains More Competitive?
By George Anderson
The recent grocery strike/lockout in Southern California can hardly be called a victory for either side. If there was a winner, most seem to agree it was the grocery chains.
The president of Ralphs, John Burgon, said in a released statement, “We are pleased to have a new contract in place that balances our associates’ need for competitive wages,
health-care benefits and pension with our company’s need to address the significant economic and competitive threats facing our business.”
A report on the World Socialist Web Site was less kind in its assessment of the negotiation’s outcome. “The United Food & Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) surrendered
to all of the major demands of the supermarket chains after a19-week strike/lockout of 59,000 workers in Southern California. This betrayal of the longest work stoppage in the
history of the US supermarket industry sets the stage for devastating rollbacks in the working conditions and living standards for hundreds of thousands of workers who already
face low wages and brutal exploitation.”
Merrill Lynch analyst, Mark Husson, told CBS MarketWatch the chains would still have higher employee costs than Wal-Mart but that “is not a concern. Their business model
rests on having employees capable of providing high levels of service, and you do not get those by paying minimal wages and benefits.”
Moderator’s Comment: Have the chains in Southern California made themselves more competitive
against non-union retailers such as Wal-Mart?
We know they’d like to think they have but we don’t see it. The one area where the supermarkets had an advantage to leverage in terms of improving performance
was in their people. You don’t get improved performance when you’re striving to reach the lowest common denominator. – George
Anderson – Moderator
- Grocers get what they want:
cost cuts – CBS MarketWatch
- Union surrenders benefits, wages in sellout of California grocery strike – World Socialist


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Jon Banner, PepsiCo’s EVP of Global Communications and President of the PepsiCo Foundation, has been named EVP and Global Chief Impact Officer for McDonald’s. Reporting to CEO Chris Kempczinski, Banner will oversee sustainability & ESG, government relations, public policy, communications, and internal corporate relations, according to the fast-food chain said.
President Joe Biden has named PepsiCo executive Kimberly Cheatle as director of the US Secret Service. She is currently a senior director overseeing facilities, personnel, and business continuity for PepsiCo North America. Prior to PepsiCo, Cheatle spent 25 years at the secret service and previously served on Biden’s security detail when he was vice president.
Starbucks has named former PepsiCo executive Laxman Narasimhan as CEO to succeed founder and interim CEO Howard Schultz next April, when Narasimhan also will join the board of directors. In October, Narasimhan will begin the transition into the company working with Schultz, who will remain on the board after the transition. Narasimhan comes from Reckitt, where he was CEO. At PepsiCo, Narasimhan’s roles included chief commercial officer, CEO of the Latin America, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa unit, and CFO of PepsiCo Americas Foods.
Whole Foods former COO Jason Buechel took over the CEO role from Co-founder John Mackey as planned on Sept. 1. Buechel has been with the natural foods store chain since 2013. Amazon acquired the business in 2017.
Eat the Change Co-founder Seth Goldman announced a number of hires for his new Just Ice Tea brand. They include former Honest Tea employees Melanie Knitzer, Becca Ray, Rick Tidrow, Kelly Cardamone, Stephanie Riederman, Meghan Horn, Kathy Bullman, and Courtney Richardson.
Coca-Cola SVP and Global Ventures President Jennifer Mann will take over on Jan. 1 as President of the North America Operating Unit. She succeeds Alfredo Rivera, who will step down at the end of the year and remain an advisor through March 2023, according to Coke. In her current role, Mann, 49, has overseen global work to scale Monster Energy and Costa Coffee, the U.K.-based coffee chain acquired by Coca-Cola in 2019. A successor to Mann for Global Ventures hasn’t yet been named. Mann, who joined Coke in 1997, has a close working relationship with Chairman and CEO James Quincey, having served as his chief of staff prior to the global ventures role. She also was chief people officer. Prior to that, she ran Coke’s Freestyle fountain program as general manager. Rivera, 61, has led Coke North America since August 2020. He has worked in the Coke system since 1984. In the statement, Quincey called him a “highly valued business partner for me and countless others across our system for nearly four decades.”
© 2023 Beverage Digest.
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing


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Association welcomes Wales and Scotland’s extended freeze on business rates, urging re-think for England.
Association welcomes aspects of yesterday’s Budget although sees ‘missed opportunity’ for business rates extension.
Disappointment that potential April 12 opening means non-essential retailers will miss Easter trading.
Bira calls for clear exit plan out of lockdown for independent retailers.
Scrap business rates until 2022, says Bira after report on pandemic’s impact on footfall.
Housewares demand expected to rise online as consumers stay home; plus calls for support
“We need to realise that shopping is safe,” states Bira as cookshops in England prep
Updated list states homeware is non-essential, while hardware remains essential for England’s lockdown.
Cookshops extend hours before Thursday and prepare for deliveries and Click and Collect.


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Today, making a transaction by simply swiping across the screen of a mobile device is becoming the new normal. As technology excels, both market behemoths and fintech startups must consider leveraging artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency payments, blockchains, and other achievements of the digital era to gain a competitive edge. One of such novelties is digital-only banks. Having been around for the last fifteen years, they are now gaining momentum as more and more clients take for gra nted the ability to make instant, fee-free, multicurrency, and highly secure transactions. What is their role in the financial landscape, what products do they offer, and is it worth founding one? Read on for our professionals’ opinion.
What is a neobank and how does it work?
The banks that most of us are


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If you've got a food allergy, you're familiar with the risk inherent of going out to eat—after all, is your server really listening when you ask if a particular dish has nuts?
Councilman David Greenfield introduced legislation this week that would require restaurants to post signs alerting diners to common allergies caused by foods served.
Under the so-called Food Allergy Awareness Act, restaurants would post signs warning patrons whether any food contains common culinary allergens like eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, soy or wheat ingredients.
“This is a simple, common-sense solution to a serious and growing public health issue," said Greenfield in a statement. "The more awareness we can create about food allergies, the more we can reduce the risk for those people who have to worry about this every time they go out to eat."
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been an 18 percent increase in food allergies between 1997 and 2007, with the prevalence of peanut allergies among children tripling from 1997 to 2008.


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Voi has seen demand increase by 44% at 8am on weekdays as the UK’s fuel crisis continues.
In cities including Bristol, Birmingham and Liverpool, people have been leaving their cars at home and relying on Voi’s e-scooters to travel around. There has been an overall increase of 33% in the number of rides from 6am to 9am on weekdays, with people using e-scooters to travel to and from work and university, as well as pick up groceries and run errands.
Jack Samler, general manager at Voi UK and Ireland, said: “The last few days have shown a significant spike in people wanting to try our e-scooters and have offered people a new alternative mode of transport, that means they are still able to work and travel when their car is off the road.
“In the long-term, we need to find alternative ways to get around that are better for the environment and e-scooters can play a part in reducing car usage in dense, inner-city areas.
“This week’s events have at least opened many more people’s eyes to the role that e-scooters could play in the transport mix in future.”
Since launching in the UK last September, UK riders have taken over five million rides on Voi’s e-scooters, replacing over two million car trips, and saving over 528,000 litres of gasoline from being burned. Voi is helping cities across the country to reach their net-zero targets and encourage people to make more sustainable choices in their daily routines.


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Omniplex Director Mark Anderson addresses audience members at the 2018 Longford Business Expo.
The owners of Longford's Riverside Shopping Centre have revealed they intend demolishing the town's existing cinema complex to create a plaza style entrance to the newly redesigned facility.
Omniplex Director Mark Anderson announced the news to onlookers at the launch of the two-day Longford Business Expo this morning.
Speaking in front of a packed crowd of local businesses and dignitaries, Mr Anderson said the firm plan to submit proposals which will see the existing cinema be replaced by a restaurant and retail plaza for patrons and consumers.
Mr Anderson was among a number of speakers to address those in attendance with Construction Industry Federation Director General Tom Parlon also being among the morning's keynote speakers.
Chamber of Commerce President Niamh Donlon and Longford Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Seamus Butler likewise took the stand, both of whom spoke glowingly of Longford's appeal as a leading business destination.
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The Unisys Corporation is being held up these days as an example -- but hardly in a flattering way.
In resisting the American Telephone and Telegraph Company's bid for the NCR Corporation, Charles E. Exley Jr., chairman of NCR, has frequently alluded to Unisys to prove the folly of combining computer companies. Unisys was created in 1986 from the merger of the Sperry Corporation and the Burroughs Corporation.
Mr. Exley's argument was bolstered last week when Unisys reported a $437 million loss for 1990. The company's stock closed Friday at $2.375 a share, compared with a high of $17.125 last year. That means Unisys, which had $10.11 billion in revenues last year, now has a market value of only about $380 million.
The investment community and some customers are growing increasingly concerned about the future of the besieged Unisys, the nation's third-largest computer maker, after the International Business Machines Corporation and the Digital Equipment Corporation.
If things don't turn around soon, some analysts say, Unisys could prove an irresistible target for a Japanese buyer eager to get a foothold in the mainframe business.
Unisys faces three basic problems. The company, which is based in Blue Bell, Pa., is struggling under a crushing debt load, a legacy of the merger. In addition, the poor state of the economy has many companies delaying purchases of big-ticket items like mainframes, Unisys's traditional bread and butter.Continue reading the main story
Finally, Unisys, along with other makers of expensive, powerful machines like the NCR Corporation, Digital Equipment and I.B.M., is in the midst of a difficult transition in the mainframe business. The market is moving away from proprietary hardware and software systems, which offer high profits for manufacturers but little flexibility for customers. Unisys and others are moving slowly to so-called open systems that can run standard software. But the competition in open systems is stiff and the margins are lower than the mainframe makers are accustomed to.
Such a transition is painful for a company in the best of times. Unisys, with nearly $3.7 billion in debt, is particularly vulnerable. Analysts have said bankruptcy is a possibility, although an unlikely one.
For his part, James A. Unruh, the company's chairman and chief executive, said in an interview last week that Unisys will return to profitability this year. But even Mr. Unruh, who took over Unisys from W. Michael Blumenthal last year, gave a bleak assessment of the company's short-term prospects. He said that Unisys, which also makes computer work stations and personal computers, was facing a weak outlook for orders and would post a loss for the first quarter. "We expect a very difficult first half," he said.
There are a few bright spots, including strong demand for some recently introduced machines in the company's image-processing line. The machines are sold to banks, insurers and others that handle large volumes of business documents.
Nonetheless, Mr. Unruh said Unisys would continue to pare expenses -- it eliminated 15,000 jobs in the past two years, reducing its work force to 75,000 -- and cut debt.
Helped by a painful decision to suspend dividends on its common stock, Unisys managed to pay down $600 million of its debt load last year. But interest payments still consume nearly $450 million a year and Mr. Unruh vows to cut at least another $600 million in debt in 1991.
Raising cash by selling assets is a critical part of the company's recovery plan. But as Mr. Unruh noted, "This is a terrible time to sell anything." There are few qualified buyers, he said, and they are having trouble obtaining financing. The result, he said, is that asset sales are turning into a "far slower process than I expected."
While much speculation has centered on the company's military business, Mr. Unruh declined to reveal which of the company's operations or real estate properties are for sale.
Analysts estimate that Unisys could sell its military arm for between $700 million and $1 billion. But the business faces big fines for its involvement in a military procurement scandal, a potential liability that could be offputting to buyers.
If a buyer does not emerge soon, Unisys could spin off its military operations to shareholders as a separate publicly held company, presumably ridding itself of a portion of its debt in the process.
In 1989, another electronics company, Honeywell Inc., put its military business on the block just as peace was breaking out around the world. When no buyer could be found at an acceptable price, Honeywell created a separate military entity, Alliant Techsystems Inc., and spun it off.
"That certainly is an option that is available," said Mr. Unruh, when asked about a Unisys spinoff.
The slow pace of the asset sales is a concern to the investment community. A quick sale is "imperative to their strategy," said Byron N. Walker, an analyst with Moody's Investor Services. "They cannot pay down debt through operating earnings."
Suspending the dividend on preferred stock is "high on the hit parade of alternatives if asset sales get delayed much longer," Mr. Walker said.
Unisys has hired two investment banking firms to help market its assets: James D. Wolfenson Inc. and Lazard Freres & Company. Mr. Blumenthal, who was the architect of the Unisys merger and who retired from the company last fall, is now an international investment banker with Lazard Freres. Mr. Blumenthal was out of the country last week and was not available for comment.
In the mid-80's, Mr. Blumenthal, then head of Burroughs, saw compelling reasons to merge his company with Sperry. The combined company, he argued, would be able to slash costs while doubling in size.
Although the initial savings were considerable, Unisys was weighed down by the need to support costly research and development on the separate Burroughs and Sperry computer systems.
"They are burdened with the baggage of the two-company infrastructure," said Martin G. Hyman, a partner at the consulting firm of Booz, Allen & Hamilton Inc.
While Unisys computers are well regarded and the company is making steady progress in moving to the open computer systems, its financial problems are making some customers skittish, particularly those who have invested heavily in the company's mainframes and software over the years.
"People do not want to bet the operations of their institutions on lame-duck companies," said Mr. Walker of Moody's.
There are signs that a wave of panic is spreading through the Unisys customer base, but there is no reason for customers to bail out now, said George E. Lindamood of the Gartner Group Inc., a consulting firm in Stamford, Conn., that advises companies on computer purchases. "Just because the stock is a lousy buy, it doesn't mean the equipment is," Mr. Lindamood said.
Indeed, analysts say that Unisys will try to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection at all costs. Even though the business world is getting used to the notion of companies continuing to operate in bankruptcy, "for a high-tech company, it does severe damage," said Mr. Walker.
Mr. Lindamood believes that Unisys will overcome its financial problems. But if it cannot survive as an independent company, Mr. Lindamood and others say, then a foreign company, probably a Japanese one, might step in and buy part or all of it. Its large base of customers and its extensive sales and service organization make it attractive to a foreign company looking to buy its way into North America and Europe, where Unisys is strong. The company's low stock price also makes it vulnerable.
Unisys took on a Japanese investor last summer when it sold $150 million of preferred stock to Mitsui & Company, a large trading company.
With pressure growing to raise cash quickly, this year will be a critical one for the company. Nervous longtime customers are already exploring other options.
One such customer, James Bradley, vice president of information systems and technology for the United Healthcare Corporation in Minneapolis, recently added a second computer supplier. His choice: I.B.M., known as Big Blue to the industry. Said Mr. Bradley, "Now I've got a blue-colored insurance policy." THE VIEW FROM A CUSTOMER
James Bradley, vice president of information systems and technology for the United Healthcare Corporation in Minneapolis, is a longtime Unisys customer. He said the company has effectively assured him that "they are not going out of business tomorrow."
Nonetheless, Mr. Bradley recently starting buying some equipment from the International Business Machines Corporation. "We want to make sure that we are not putting all our eggs in one basket."
For the most part, Mr. Bradley said, he is still pleased with Unisys products and services. But the "turbulence" at the company has caused some problems, he said. Most notably, there have been delays in fixing glitches in software. Mr. Bradley said the delays appeared to be a result of the "tremendous turnover" at the company. "They are cutting themselves pretty thin," he said.
James A. Unruh, chairman and chief executive of Unisys, acknowledges problems in the software area. "We slipped a little bit in responding to software issues," he said, adding that remedying the situation "is at the top of our list of things to get done."
While generally satisfied with Unisys's current products and performance, Mr. Bradley said, "In the long-term, we worry about whether the company can continue to invest in the hardware and the software, as well as services, to remain competitive."
Mr. Unruh said he has assured customers that the company is not skimping on research and development. "That is a suicide mission," he said.
But research and development expenditures have not been immune from the company's austerity program. In 1990, Unisys spent $746.5 million on research and development, $35 million less than the year before.Continue reading the main story


text: Gallery 1988 is gearing up to host an afternoon gathering with Greg “Craola” Simkins. The event will focus on the release of two new limited edition items. First up is his new print, “Here Stands Matt Riddle”, a GIANT 30″ x 36″ giclee with an edition of 50. Secondly, they will release “Lonely Knight”, a laser-engraved skateboard deck with a tiny edition of 25. This event goes down on Saturday, June 27th from 12pm-4pm. Gallery 1988 is located at 7020 Melrose Ave. in LA. Keep an eye on NineteenEightyEight.com.


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Chef Jason Stoneburner and the teams at Stoneburner and Bastille are excited to announce the opening of Blue Tractor Farm. The farm comprises of an acre of growing space in Redmond that is set to be mainained by Seattle Urban Farm Company, the organization that maintains the current rooftop garden at Bastille.
The plots at Blue Tractor were specifically tailored to provide produce that aligns with the flavors of each restaurant. Stoneburner’s section features varieties from the Mediterranean and Bastille’s plot comprises of traditional French plantings.
Seattle Urban Farm Company will be overseeing the farm and chefs from both Bastille and Stoneburner will be heavily involved with seed ideas and harvesting as the season progresses.
“Growing our own produce will grant us a unique kind of creative control in the kitchen,” says chef Stoneburner. “We’ll be able to get more of the obscure varieties that it can be hard to source but wonderful to cook with.”
Bastille, with management from Seattle Urban Farm Company, has been growing lettuce and herbs in their rooftop garden beds since 2009. The creation of the new farm space will add significant growing space to that already available in the rooftop garden.
After the crops are harvested from Blue Tractor, Chef Stoneburner is excited to report that a majority of the produce used at both restaurants will be locally sourced
The first seeds were planted early this month by Colin McCrate and the team at Seattle Urban Farm Company. The produce, which includes rose radishes, purple cauliflowers, golden beets and much more, will be hitting diners plates after the harvest next month.
Photo courtesy of Bastille.


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Google’s Niantic Labs releases location-based game Ingress
Google’s Niantic Labs has launched its latest application, a location-based/augmented-reality game called Ingress. Available as a beta-only game at this time, it is inspired by geocaching and looks to split the world into two factions. See, there’s this strange energy force that is found all over the world and, depending on your view, needs to be stopped or spread. Are you part of the Resistance or the Enlightened?
Video, details, and links after the break!
This world around you is not what it seems. Our future is at stake, and you must choose a side.
A mysterious energy has been unearthed by a team of scientists in Europe. The origin and purpose of this force is unknown, but some researchers believe it is influencing the way we think. We must control it or it will control us.
“The Enlightened” seek to embrace the power that this energy may bestow upon us.
“The Resistance” struggle to defend, and protect what’s left of our humanity.
If the game looks cool to you and sounds like something that would one of your next faves, it’s for good reason. Ingress is designed by the same internal team that created Field Trip.
Should you feel like taking up the cause, you can sign up for the invite-only beta at the Ingress website. The game itself is already available in the Google Play Store but will not work until you’re given the clearance.
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Broadcom Company, a global leader in wired and wireless communications,Â announced at the 2010 CES Wednesday that they have successfully ported Android to run on the company’s advanced navigation processor (the
Welcome to the new â€œBuilding â€˜Droidsâ€ section of AndroidGuys! This column looks at Android from the developerâ€™s perspective, poking around dusty corners of the Android SDK, and showing how you
Samsung today announced a coupon and ticketing service not unlike Apple’s Passbook or Google Wallet. Called Samsung Wallet, the app and service comes with an API (beta) for developers which


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Seaport Village, a small waterfront shopping complex that has been plagued in recent years by financial woes, could have a new owner on tap by late August, according to a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee.
The cluster of specialty shops and restaurants adjacent to the Long Beach Marina on the eastern edge of Alamitos Bay filed for protection from its creditors in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding in late May.
Joseph C. Karol, the bankruptcy trustee overseeing operation of Seaport Village, said a sale of the shopping complex is the best way to resolve the center's financial troubles. Karol said he will solicit offers as part of the bankruptcy proceedings.
"By the end of August, I'm hoping to have something in escrow," said Karol, president of a Torrance-based firm that specializes in bankruptcy reorganizations. "I think the way to resolve this case is by sale of the property."
The City of Long Beach, which owns the land, receives a flat rent and a percentage of profits in its lease with Seaport Village, the financially strapped limited partnership that owns the complex.
Karol already has one offer to consider for the shopping complex, which has about 39,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
Cal State Associates, a property management and tax firm also based in Torrance, has bid about $3.4 million for the center. That deal went into escrow May 1, but has been stalled since the bankruptcy proceedings began.
Although Karol has the power to accept Cal State's offer, the bankruptcy trustee has decided to have the property appraised and then consider bids from all interested buyers.
Built in the late 1960s, Seaport Village had been relatively successful until recent years. In 1978, the center grossed more than $1.2 million, but sales plummeted to about $200,000 in 1983.
That decline in revenue led to a series of foreclosure threats. Ronald Safren, managing partner of the company that operates Seaport Village, was able to avoid foreclosure but ultimately had to file in federal court under Chapter 11. (That provision of bankruptcy law protects a business from its creditors, giving the company time to reorganize its finances.) Although the three restaurants at the center have done well, the specialty shops have failed to attract a steady stream of customers and many have moved. Only half of the shops in the complex are now occupied.
The City of Long Beach, which leases the land to Safren, has a stake in the fortunes of the shopping center. Under a 60-year agreement, the city receives a base fee of $26,700 a year in rent and varying percentages of income from the shopping center's 3 restaurants and 15 shops. There are 44 years left on the lease.
Carolyn Sutter, general manager of the city's Tidelands Agency, said that besides Cal State, six other firms have expressed interest in Seaport Village. But, unlike Karol, Sutter said she does not expect swift resolution of Seaport Village's troubles.
"It's a mess, it really is," Sutter said. Besides the financial problems, maintenance at the center has fallen off in recent years, she said.
In addition, legal troubles have surfaced that could pose problems for a sale. Sutter said a recently opened nightclub has a lease that is technically invalid, while the center has yet to get the required permits for an 814-foot dock that was built in late 1983.
Karol said, however, that he feels those troubles can be ironed out.
"I think those are resolvable problems," he said. "I don't think any problem, either perceived or actual, will stand in the way of the sale."
Nonetheless, a Cal State Associates official expressed frustration over the maze of financial and technical problems that have stood in the way of the sale.
"It's progressing slower than I would like," said Paul Brewer, the firm's vice president. "I had planned on closing this a long time ago, but one problem after another creeps up."
If Cal State succeeds in purchasing the property, Brewer said the firm would probably invest more than $250,000 in improvements, primarily to expand parking by paving a strip of land adjacent to the center.
"It's going to take a good year, year and a half to straighten out the project," Brewer said. "It needs some money poured into it."
But he said the complex has potential.
"It's a unique property," Brewer said. "There's only so many marinas on all the California coast."


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Thursday, June 6, 2013
Vietnam dreams the software dream
VietNamNet Bridge – The initial success in the software industry gives an important reason to Vietnam to continue making heavy investment in developing software products.
Experts believe that Vietnam should learn the experiences of building up the software industry from India, where most of the information technology firms are software firms.
India has been gathering its strength on developing the software industry, while it has been outsourcing hardware projects to the partners from Vietnam and China. The result of the strategy is that the country’s software industry has been developing very strongly, now making up 17 percent of GDP of the country.
At present, software is not the big advantage of Vietnam, and it is not the sector that brings the highest turnover in the information technology. However, experts believe that software should be seen as the industry of the future.
Though Vietnam is not a big name in the world’s software firms’ map at all, made-in-Vietnam products, to some extend, have successfully conquered the world market. CMCSoft, FPT IS, Hanel, Misa or Tinh Van are the Vietnamese well known names in the international market, while BKAV, CMC InfoSec, FPT IS, Lạc Việt, VTC Mobile, AVSoft Corp. have been famous for utility software.
Developing the software industry is the way the government tries to drive information technology firms to.
Truong Gia Binh, President of FPT, the country’s biggest technology group, said FPT IS, a subsidiary of FPT, has been setting up most of the big information systems of the nation, including the personal income tax payment management system and the e-customs clearance system. The manufacturer is the author of more than 60 percent of the national software systems.
Also according to Binh, software export is not the sector which brings the biggest turnover to the group, but brings the second biggest profit, while having created 5,000 jobs.
CMC Soft, another big guy, has also marketed a series of application software products, including the ones for document management eocman Plus, the corporate information management C-Office and the one-stop-shop administration management eDocman One.
Experts, when affirming that the right way for Vietnam is to develop the software industry, said that Vietnamese are capable enough to make software products. VNG with its successful Zalo, showed that Vietnamese can create the software products competitive with the big guys in the world.
The success of BKAV, FPT IS showed that Vietnamese have sufficient grey matter to create high quality products.
Why software, and not hardware?
Hoang Manh Cuong, a well-known information expert, said that since Vietnam lacks capital for R&D, lacks supporting industries, it cannot make the products with the low prices like Chinese products.
The development of the Vietnamese hardware industry, like the automobile industry, would reduce to a nonplus. Vietnam has been trying to develop the automobile industry for the last many years, but until now, it has been just assembling cars instead of manufacturing cars.
Cuong believes that Vietnam should go the easier way – the software industry development – which is more suitable to its capability.
Chu Tien Dung, Chair of the HCM City Informatics Association, said the hardware enterprises should think of shifting to other types of business, though it is not an easy task. He thinks that it’d be better for them to make the supporting products to provide to foreign invested enterprises.
Tag: kng.vn, IT Outsourcing, Mobile application, Web application , Offshore, Vietnam, France, iphone ipad android developer application development, dedicated team


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OPINION: Korean mobile network operator SK Telecom’s new T Smart Pay service comes with more than one twist to the ‘standard’ NFC business model. Not only has SKT bought its way into a card issuer for the launch, but it is also signing distribution deals with leading retailers.
T Smart Pay lets customers store up to eight credit cards in their mobile phones, as well as up to 30 membership/points/mileage cards and 50 coupons, and is being offered first via discount retail chain Home Plus. The retailer will promote the new Hana SK Card payments card to customers and will also be responsible for delivering customers their new T Smart Pay SIM card. “Then the company plans to introduce the service to other large-scale discount stores, department stores as well as franchise stores,” the operator explains.
Could the model work in other countries too? Well, Home Plus is 95% owned by UK-based retail giant Tesco. And, the operator says, it plans to make “proactive efforts to enter the overseas markets to become the global leader in the field of smart payment.”
Sarah Clark, Editor
Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions
One comment on this article
something needs to be done in the UK to kickstart the contactless payment system. apart from subway, i have yet to find a retailer that will let me pay using contactless. they have all said i need to pay either 50p extra or spend over £5 to use the contactless payment terminal
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