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Organizers claimed that nearly 2 million Hong Kong protesters took to the streets Sunday in a rally to demand the city's top official resign a day after she suspended — but...China Politicsread more
Software engineers straight out of college often make six-figure salaries, not counting equity compensation.Technologyread more
Representatives from the Chinese side say they think it likely that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the G-20 meeting later this month. But in order to reach a trade...China Economyread more
Wall Street, though, is clamoring for a rate cut, with an 85% chance of a move in July and a 61% probability of three reductions by year's end.The Fedread more
A company spokesperson said the outage was the result of a "an internal technology issue" and was not security related.Retailread more
Using MIT's living wage calculator, CNBC Make It mapped out the minimum amount a single parent must earn to meet their basic needs without relying on outside help in every...Earnread more
Mired in a crisis over its best-selling 737 Max plane, Boeing could hand the spotlight over to its rival Airbus at the Paris Air Show.Airlinesread more
In the survey, 66% of Democratic primary voters say they'd be enthusiastic or comfortable about Biden as their nominee to take on President Trump in the 2020 election. Just...Politicsread more
You can save money by doing a quick check and unsubscribing from apps you no longer use.Technologyread more
The flattening of the yield curve is exuding a bad omen for the stock market if history is any guide.Marketsread more
Stratolaunch, the world's largest airplane, which flew once, is up for sale, sources familiar told CNBC.Investing in Spaceread more
Microsoft on Friday launched a new tool inside the Excel app for Android — it's coming to iPhones soon — that lets you take a picture of a spreadsheet and import it right into Excel. When it works, it means you don't need to manually re-enter data into Excel, which is huge if you have a lot of printed data and can't copy and paste the spreadsheet you're looking at.
We tested it out and found it could be hit or miss. When we took pictures of really big spreadsheets, the kind that you'd probably most likely want to use this tool for, instead of having to re-enter all of that data, it didn't work. There were sometimes hundreds of errors that had to be cleaned up.
But, when we took a picture of a smaller spreadsheet, like one with a few columns for a grocery list, it worked just fine. Our guess is this will improve over time, but it's worth trying since it's a free add-on feature for Excel anyway. Even if it's not perfect, you can get some of the data imported with just a picture.
Here's how to take a picture of a spreadsheet and import it into Excel.
Now the app will open a camera viewfinder, which you should use to snap a picture of the spreadsheet you want to import into Excel. If you already have a photo, there's an option to select a picture from your gallery, too.
It's OK if the spreadsheet you're taking a picture of is on an angle -- the app will pick up on the borders of a table, or the entire piece of paper, by drawing a red box around it. Feel free to tap on the text printed on the paper in order to focus the camera.
Next, tap the circular shutter button to snap your picture.
On the top half of the next screen, you'll see a bunch of cells that are essentially a preview of the digital version of your data, and below that, you'll see your photo. The performance can be hit or miss. Sometimes spreadsheets are imported without an issue, while other times they were jumbled messes of data.
Excel will let you know if it suspects there are errors, which you can move through and edit accordingly. Expect to have to make a few edits. While it's not perfect, this will still save you a ton of time compared to having to enter in all of the data manually.


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RALEIGH, N.C. – Tara Onthank, Michael Vassallo and Gina daRoza, co-owners of Rising Sun Pools & Spas (https://www.risingsunpools.com), a family-owned business providing customers with high-quality pools, spas and aquatic accessories for more than 40 years, have announced their participation in this year’s American Consumer Show: Raleigh Spring Home, Hot Tub & Landscape Show, an event intended to inspire homeowners planning on remodeling, landscaping or decorating their houses. The show is free and open to the public and will take place at the Raleigh Convention Center at 500 S. Salisbury St. on Friday, Feb. 15 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 17 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“The American Consumer Show travels all across the United States annually to present homeowners with the latest trends and best options to update their indoor and outdoor living areas,” said Onthank. “Rising Sun Pools & Spas is proud to be a part of this year’s event so we can display our wide selection of services and gorgeous, high-quality pools and spas.”
Rising Sun Pools & Spas is a family-owned business that has been serving customers in the Triangle area of North Carolina for more than 40 years. Founded in 1972 by Charlie Vassallo, the company offers custom pool design, construction and spa installation services, as well as a variety of outdoor furniture, to customers. With offices in Raleigh and Garner, N.C., Rising Sun Pools & Spas has a staff of talented and knowledgeable aquatics professionals available to help make your backyard dreams a reality. For more information on all products and services available, visit https://www.risingsunpools.com.

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These are the rules for grocery shopping in Toronto right now
Grocery shopping during the pandemic can certainly be a source of anxiety for residents doing their best to social distance and prevent further spread of the virus, so it's important to know the rules and recommendations for shopping in Toronto in order to stay as safe as possible.
While the city has yet to implement any social distancing bylaws in supermarkets like the one currently in place in parks and public squares, public health officials have offered several helpful recommendations for grocery shoppers in Toronto.
Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's chief medical officer of health, has repeatedly advised residents to limit shopping trips to one person per household, once a week.
She has acknowledged that this is not always possible, but encourages residents to aim for this limited amount of shopping.
Some experts have argued that provincial governments across the country should implement regulations that only allow one grocery trip per household each week, but that has yet to happen in Ontario.
And for those who are elderly or disabled in some way, grocery delivery options are undoubtedly the safest way to stock up on essentials without putting yourself and others at risk.
The majority of the city's supermarkets currently have social distancing measures in place that only allow a certain number of shoppers in at a time and require customers to stand two metres apart in line, but these restrictions vary by store.
Several stores across the city are also requiring shoppers to wear a mask when entering, but this too varies by location.
Some essential stores in Toronto have stopped accepting reusable bags as a precaution, such as Shoppers Drug Mart, while others aren't accepting cash to limit the spread of germs.
To assist in reducing the risk to our colleagues, effective immediately, colleagues will refrain from bagging groceries where a reusable bag or container is presented. We will also be waiving the fee of plastic bags should customers choose to leave their reusable bags at home.— Shoppers Drug Mart (@ShopprsDrugMart) April 18, 2020
Recommendations for mask usage in Canada have also changed in recent weeks, with health officials now encouraging residents to wear non-medical grade masks when visiting busy areas such as grocery stores.
But at the end of the day, health officials continue to emphasize that the best way to protect yourself and others from contracting and spreading the virus is by staying home as much as possible, washing hands thoroughly and carefully, and staying two metres from others when visiting public places.
Join the conversation Load comments


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The Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH), which is funded by the country’s government, is taking a multi-pronged approach to develop the country’s tech startup ecosystem.
The hub was a product of the Botswana Excellence Strategy of 2008, which set economic diversification, job creation, and moving the country towards a knowledge-based economy as key goals.
BIH was established to play a key part in creating a prosperous, productive and innovative Botswana, developing and operating Botswana’s first Science and Technology Park. It is mandated with supporting new ventures and existing companies in key focus sectors such as ICT, Biotechnology and mining and clean technologies.
Disrupt Africa reported last week BIH is in the process of implementing an Innovation Fund to provide seed and early-stage growth funding to qualifying businesses, ideas and concepts, but this is only the latest strategy undertaken by the hub to support entrepreneurs in the country.
The hub also runs the First Steps Venture Centre (FSVC), a technology entrepreneurship development scheme developed as a hybrid business incubation and acceleration venture programme. It currently has 15 startups under incubation.
“FSVC seeks to support technology-oriented startups within the Botswana Innovation Hub priority areas, that have the potential to grow into both the local and international markets as well as a knowledge sharing platform in which contribution to the broader development of technology entrepreneurship in Botswana can be made,” FSVC programme manager Tshepo Tsheko told Disrupt Africa.
BIH also runs the Cyber City Kgotla Developer Community, an open community workspace “where innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and investment meet”.
The community aims to facilitate the development and growth of innovative technology ideas to benefit Botswana economically and socially.
“We are building a platform for all those in the technology space in Botswana to actively engage, from the researcher, developer, tech entrepreneur, ICT corporate to investor,” said Tsheko.
Not content with these two interventions, BIH has also partnered Microsoft, with the tech giant underpinning the hub’s entrepreneurship development initiative with state-of-the-art technology facilities, while the Southern African Innovation Support (SIAS) programme seeks to promote collaboration within the innovation systems of nearby African countries in order to provide greater impact on economic and social development.
“To unlock innovative potential, it is important to establish and sustain a holistic and interconnected environment, which has a foundation, built on both knowledge and practice. SAIS contributes to developing this environment by bringing together the elements of the systems of innovation in each country, and strengthening the capacity of platforms that enable product, service and social innovations,” said Tsheko.
He said the various schemes – designed to mentor and coach entrepreneurs – would serve to boost the Botswana technology space, which he said had started to bloom in the last 5 five years.
“Botswanan entrepreneurs have seen the potential in the innovation space here for many years. With not only Botswanans taking note, international corporates as well as expats have noticed the growing space,” Tsheko said.
“Today Botswana has very diverse culture in different spaces of technology, whether it is ICT or clean technology. With the youth being the biggest demographic of baby boomers in the tech space, the market anxiously welcomes innovation product development.”
However, he said like every good technology, until its relevance is explained the market will not welcome it.
“Thus initiatives like ours assist in building awareness of the need for entrepreneurship and technology development,” Tsheko said.
Hub sustainability has been the subject of ongoing debate and interest in recent months, with Tsheko saying BIH’s sustainability strategy was premised on strategic commercial projects with both government and private sector partners.
These range from the leasing of land for development, turnkey development for companies locating in the park, and development of turnkey data centres.
“This will enable BIH to continue to invest in supporting and nurturing technology innovation and entrepreneurship in Botswana,” he said, adding BIH’s programmes were initiated to to boost different sectors of entrepreneurship and development.
“These result in new businesses, new markets and job creation, with those factors being some of the key focuses of our country’s development Sustainability comes from empowerment, relevance, being beneficial, these come from the seed of result.”


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Within the changing tech environment, companies must reconstruct themselves on an ongoing basis, and Microsoft is no different.
In Mid-July, incoming Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella released an internal memo presenting his new vision for the company, which was a call to action for employees to accelerate Microsoft's innovation and rediscover its core.
The industry doesn't respect tradition, only innovation, Nadella wrote in the memo. And so Microsoft's core is evolving from a devices and services company to a productivity and platform company in a mobile-first and cloud-first world, he said.
Looking past the buzz words, Microsoft's redefined core means something specific, according Merv Adrian, research vice president for Gartner.
We're all inside the cloud and moving through it, he said, and the cloud and our mobility interact seamlessly creating new opportunities for Microsoft to move away from PCs and be present in its customer's lives through productivity-enhancing products and across platforms -- from a desktop computer at the office, tablet while traveling, and phone and Xbox at home.
Cuts to the Microsoft Workforce
Along with other recent internal changes, Microsoft has made a drastic change in its workforce.
Microsoft recently cut 18,000 jobs, totaling 14 percent of its workforce, and thousands of contract workers, too, according to Forbes.com. Although this is the largest layoff in company history, taken within context, these cuts are not cause for alarm, according to Merv Adrian, research vice president for Gartner.
"Most of this stuff is quite rational -- it doesn't make it any happier," he said. "But it doesn't make it any less rational."
The majority of the cuts, 12,500 of them, were made from the Microsoft acquisition of the mobile phone company Nokia due to thousands of staff redundancies with such an acquisition, Adrian said.
Another reason for the cuts now is that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella got them out of the way at the beginning of his tenure and the new fiscal year. He was being bold and decisive, Adrian said, which is in step with his other actions at Microsoft's helm.
Also, even as the company is cutting, it's making investments in other areas, including bringing new products to market quicker.
"It's important to understand that Microsoft is not only cutting," Adrian said. "Microsoft is also hiring and creating new jobs and creating new things."
"In all of those places, Microsoft has a way to reach you and you to reach them, and that makes things easier and more productive for you in both your professional capacity and your personal life," said Adrian, who is also Gartner's vendor lead for Microsoft.
Some of the first changes fueled by Microsoft's new vision can be noted in product decisions, like Microsoft's decision to release Office on the iPad now instead of waiting to release it on a Microsoft platform first, as was planned by former CEO Steve Ballmer. A small but meaningful move.
Changes can also be noted in new products. Microsoft's Enterprise Mobility Suite helps people to be productive across all devices, Microsoft and nonMicrosoft, and across on-premises and cloud environments, while giving organizations control of privacy and security.
A new way of thinking was also evident at the start of Nadella's tenure when the company announced that Windows would be free for devices under nine inches. "That's a big deal. That's about proliferating their footprint," Adrian said. This model, he added, is similar to the iTunes one where Apple has never charged for its software on a client product. The goal, then, is to get the product in front of you and the relationship can be monetized later.
"All of these changes were made in the direction of opening up Microsoft, because you have to participate in the heterogeneous market if you're going to lead there," Adrian said.
A mobile-first strategy extends to the public sector too -- Pennsylvania CIO Tony Encinias, who wouldn't comment directly on Microsoft's new vision, said the trend is that the majority of the commonwealth's population wants to interact with government easily and efficiently, and one way to do that is through e-government mobile applications.
"We are adopting a mobile-first strategy in everything we do from an IT perspective," Encinias said, adding that the strategy is a business one as well.
Bill Kehoe, CIO of King County, Wash., said he supports and is encouraged by Microsoft's new vision. The county has used Microsoft cloud environments for several years, and is rolling out Microsoft's government cloud, Windows Azure. Kehoe said he has seen a new focus and investment in cloud computing environments, specifically for governments, and that the Microsoft's vision is beneficial for the county.
"The more that Microsoft matures and improves and is focused on the cloud environments like Office 365, the better it's going to be for our customers in terms of the customer satisfaction, the usability and the feature set that we're going to have," Kehoe said.
Adrian said Microsoft's SharePoint and Office Suit products have evolved in the cloud era with a focus on joint ownership and work flows among people, but also on managing and protecting boundaries. Privacy is something that Microsoft is especially serious about, ensuring that customers opt in and make choices about what they want, he said.
"Cloud is the future for everybody," Adrian said, adding that generally government is moving more slowly in adopting cloud technology -- but that's changing.
Microsoft has made a substantial investment in cloud technology, and is already a top competitor. The company is educating and setting a vision for customers through direct sales and through Microsoft-trained and -certified partners, Adrian said.
According to a Microsoft spokesperson, the company is "investing in our vision to deliver the best cloud-connected platform and experience by offering the most comprehensive, end-to-end cloud solution for government customers and partners."
Before Nadella's tenure and his shake-up of the company's core, Microsoft has been stagnant for years, with an industry perception that significant changes were needed, Adrian said. The changes that have come with Nadella are a substantial break from the past -- and were not done by accident.
"The kind of vision [Nadella has] already talked about and the kinds of decisions he has already made in his first five months have very much been in keeping with his prior assignments within the company, where he was routinely challenging and breaking down barriers that existed in the Microsoft culture," Adrian said.
All of this change, too, has been in response to the changing marketplace. As was Bill Gates' original vision, Microsoft has nearly put a computer on every desktop. And for awhile, Microsoft continued down that path of building better, faster and cheaper products, Adrian said.
And now, Microsoft has the unique ability to harmonize the world's devices, apps, docs, data and social networks, according to Nadella's memo.
"We've become accustomed to this ability to be connected and to be able to act whenever we need to, and that's a fundamental change," Adrian said. "It changes our ability to build software, it changes the software we build, it changes the way we interact."
Within this changing environment, companies have to reconstruct themselves on an ongoing basis, he said. And Microsoft is no different.


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Judo Bank Economic Advisor Warren Hogan says inflation figures released on Tuesday probably did not come as a surprise to any Australians, given the costs of living.
Data released by the ABS revealed headline inflation has risen 3.5 per cent year on year.
“It was a big number, and it’s taken a few people by surprise in the financial markets,” Mr Hogan told Sky News Australia.
“It’s at odds with the RBA’s view that they’ve been telling us about inflation for the last year or so – but I don’t think it’s a surprise to any Australians – they can see the cost of living’s going’s up.
“And really, it’s been happening now for quite some time for the last six months at least.”


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Gemalto’s latest Device Management release boosts LTE adoption and usage
The proven Gemalto platform already manages over one billion devices worldwide, amongst which over 470 million devices in the Middle East and Africa
Our Device Management platform already has an extensive presence in Middle East and Africa where we have 38% of our customer references for this field-proven solution
Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) (www.Gemalto.com), the world leader in digital security, announces the latest version of its LinqUs Device Management (www.Gemalto.com/mobile/networks/device-management) solution, designed to help mobile operators provide subscribers with a seamless journey to LTE. It now offers operators real-time identification and automatic over-the-air configuration of their subscribers’ 4G devices and instant promotion of targeted tariff plans and offers. Key benefits include increased 4G adoption and usage by customers, faster return on investment in LTE networks, and improved subscriber retention. The proven Gemalto platform already manages over one billion devices worldwide, amongst which over 470 million devices in the Middle East and Africa.
This latest Device Management version reflects the increasing popularity of LTE-capable devices, which are expected to account for 72% of global smartphone shipments by 2020 (1). It meets the operators growing need to focus on customer migration to higher value LTE plans. The solution provides real-time insight and analysis of subscriber devices and data usage, and ensures an effective LTE adoption through improved personalized offers, loyalty programs and quality of experience (QoE). The capability to detect the LTE frequency bands supported by devices helps operators address the complexity of the LTE band fragmentation, thus ensuring usage uptake via promotion to the right device and user. This new release also addresses the multi-SIM devices phenomenon: it can identify such devices and build loyalty campaigns to incentivize subscribers to stay on the operator network.
Fierce competition and decreasing ARPU in Africa have created the need for solutions that assist mobile operators to stay relevant. Gemalto effectively answers this need. “Our Device Management platform already has an extensive presence in Middle East and Africa where we have 38% of our customer references for this field-proven solution. The launch of the advanced version will further support our mobile operator customers in the region in their LTE migration and data boosting strategy,” says Sherry Zameer, Senior Vice President for Africa at Gemalto.
Because the mobile phone handset market in the Middle East and Africa is extremely fragmented, the enhanced solution is ideal – given that it is built around a unique database of over 170,000 device references from over 1,500 device manufacturers with full GSMA specification.
“The latest version of Gemalto’s Device Management will foster an even better instant customer intimacy. It delivers the user intelligence and analytics needed to enhance subscriber 4G experience, build revenue, address device fragmentation and strengthen loyalty,” said David Buhan, Senior Vice President for Mobile Subscriber Services at Gemalto. “As operators continue their quest for ever greater speed and capacity, Gemalto is equally committed to a roadmap that embraces 4.5G and beyond.”
(1) CCS Insight – Market Forecast, Mobile Phones, Worldwide, 2016-2020
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Gemalto.
+1 512 257 3869
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Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) (www.Gemalto.com) is the global leader in digital security, with 2015 annual revenues of €3.1 billion and customers in over 180 countries. We bring trust to an increasingly connected world.
Our technologies and services enable businesses and governments to authenticate identities and protect data so they stay safe and enable services in personal devices, connected objects, the cloud and in between.
Gemalto’s solutions are at the heart of modern life, from payment to enterprise security and the internet of things. We authenticate people, transactions and objects, encrypt data and create value for software – enabling our clients to deliver secure digital services for billions of individuals and things.
Our 14,000+ employees operate out of 118 offices, 45 personalization and data centers, and 27 research and software development centers located in 49 countries.
For more information visit www.Gemalto.com or follow @Gemalto on Twitter.


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In the console-war world, fanboys/girls of all stripes still rage over hardware sales and figures, pouring over who "won" the NPD Group sales race in the U.S. When in reality, a major upheaval could be on the way for console gaming, as tech heavyweights Google and Amazon are gearing up for their grand entrances. The landscape, and what determines "success," is going to look very different as a result. These cloud-oriented giants are not beholden to any platform or plastic box, and that could give them a major advantage over platforms that still confine themselves to a specific hardware ecosystem.
There are rumors Microsoft will soon put more of its exclusive titles onto other systems, as the company already does with Minecraft. By far the company's most successful game, Minecraft has been described to me by Microsoft sources as a "business unto itself," owing to the licensing empire and its completely platform-agnostic nature. This is ultimately the future of gaming, with access to software and services completely circumventing (but not replacing) the need to sell console hardware.
Here's why Xbox Game Pass hitting other systems would be smart.
Xbox Game Pass on Switch?
I've been hearing for almost a year that Microsoft was aiming to put Xbox Game Pass on Nintendo Switch, and even PlayStation 4, though at first, I didn't believe what I was hearing. At a surface-level, why would Microsoft want to reduce its own console business by removing the need to buy Xbox hardware to play Xbox games? Well, Microsoft has already committed to putting Xbox exclusives on PC, and despite that, Xbox hardware sales have continued to trend upwards, because Xbox One X is truly the best place to play many of those big-name multiplatform titles in 4K.
The thing is, this rumor wouldn't exactly be news, if it panned out. Xbox head Phil Spencer said last year in (via GameSpot) that this has always been the plan:
I've also heard games like Ori and the Blind Forest and Cuphead may be test-cases for the new Xbox Live SDK for third-party developers, which will facilitate Xbox Live-services on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, features which were previously restricted to Microsoft internal titles like Minecraft.
The source of this recent rumor is a relatively small YouTube Channel with a few thousand subscribers, but it caught fire because if you've been following what Microsoft has been doing in this space recently, it could be a no-brainer.
Wait. But WHY?
Microsoft's ambitions have shifted away from the small slice of the gaming industry that represents home consoles. The big players, namely TenCent, prioritize mobile as their platform du jour and reach insanely huge audiences as a result. When you think of Xbox competing with Sony's PlayStation, Microsoft as a company is really competing with large tech corporations like Google and Amazon, which are gearing up their own sizable cloud platforms for game-streaming services of their own. If Microsoft's sits around doing nothing, competing with PlayStation on the small scale, Google and Amazon could muscle in and eat their lunch. This is about long-term thinking.
In 2019, 5G wireless connections are going to begin rolling out across Microsoft's traditional market territories, and while it could take years for the super-charged wireless speeds to truly proliferate, they ultimately will. Microsoft, with its own Project xCloud game streaming service, will be ready and poised to take advantage of this wireless revolution, which should make streaming 1080p gaming to any device, anywhere, a reality.
It would be irresponsible of Microsoft to not explore putting its services on other platforms given the threat from Google and Amazon. Why spend hundreds of millions, maybe billions, trying to build a home console service when they can just put their services on existing platforms? And sure, maybe this whole streaming thing doesn't take off. Blockbuster video (RIP) said the same thing about Netflix.
The point? It most likely will take off.
But OMG what about Xbox hardware?
Xbox hardware isn't going away. There are more engineers, more developers, and more investments going into making Xbox hardware and accessories than ever before, and simply having a home console experience and install base in addition to a large external service audience is going to give Microsoft an advantage.
Every single damn time Microsoft mentions Project xCloud, they always bring up "future Xbox hardware" which should serve as a large billboard to anyone worried or concerned about Xbox hardware falling by the wayside. Much like how Microsoft built up and enjoys having a high-quality line of Surface products to showcase the best of Windows, they will continue to build up an industry-leading line of home consoles to showcase the best of Xbox gaming.
Microsoft is working on multiple next-gen Xbox consoles, according to our sources. Under the codename "Scarlett," its double SKU strategy will come with the codename "Lockhart," aiming to be the lowest-price entry to next-gen consoles, and codename "Anaconda," which Microsoft hopes will become the obvious choice for gamers wanting the most powerful home console, outside of highly-expensive custom Windows PC rigs.
Flagship products, including high-quality Surface hardware and Xbox hardware, drive what the industry calls a "halo effect" across their product ecosystem, which solidifies consumer loyalty. Microsoft isn't about to sacrifice the goodwill it has built up over the years as a leader in the console space simply because it is exploring 1080p streaming to mobile devices, nor is it going to abandon its customers who simply want that experience.
The console-faithful are already crying doom and gloom over this whole scenario because they can't see the bigger picture. Microsoft would be missing out on a huge opportunity if it didn't chase at least some degree of platform agnosticism.
When Microsoft presented Office for iPad, it was a huge deal, because for years Microsoft had tried to use Office to force its customers to choose Windows above all other platforms. By opening up Office to every platform, Microsoft has effectively destroyed competition from Google Docs and similar competitors. Office now remains a mammoth part of Microsoft's diverse business, because of that forward-facing decision.
That said, Microsoft also failed to bring decent mobile hardware and OSes of its own to market fast enough, pushing it into a corner with Office. They're also facing stiff competition from Google's Chromebook platform in the education space because Microsoft didn't bring out cheaper alternatives fast enough.
Microsoft doesn't have to make the same mistakes with Xbox, which is why they'll continue to invest in both hardware and services. That's why Lockhart will compete on the affordable end, Anaconda will compete on the high-end, and xCloud will compete with Google and Amazon for customers who probably weren't going to buy Xbox hardware anyway. Microsoft needs to bring its services to other platforms, because anywhere they aren't present, is a foothold for its competitors to gain, and potentially win.
At the end of the day, all of the cash Microsoft would make with this agnostic push will be reinvested in gaming, its customers, and the growth of the platform. There would be absolutely no downsides.
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Jez Corden a Managing Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by caffeine. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and listen to his Xbox Two podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!


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With the rise of mobile payment systems such as Google Pay and Apply Pay integrated with the public transport system in Singapore, it’s hard to find a reason to use contactless smartcard systems like EZ-Link.
Or is that really the case?
One thing that the big tech players lack right now, is the ability for users to show off their individuality and that’s where EZ-Link comes in.
After a good string of releases, it seems that licensed tie-ups seem to be what the company has going for them.
Welcoming a new member to their family, the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is the latest property to get an EZ-Link Charm makeover.
Commuting with one of our favourite superheroes will never be the same again!
Priced at S$29.90 without any stored value, the Spider-Man LED EZ-Link Charm will be launching exclusively on EZ-Link’s LazMall store from 18 February 2021 onwards.


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In a controversial move this Wednesday, China slightly increased this year’s quota for rare earths exports under controversial controls on the exotic minerals needed by manufacturers of mobile phones and other high-tech products.
According to China’s Commerce Ministry, the export quota for the second half of the year has been set at 9,770 tons. The quota for the first half of the year was 21,226. 2012’s total quota will be 30,996 tons, 3 percent bigger than that of 2011.
China controls thirty percent of the world’s rare earths deposits. It also produces more than 90 percent of the world’s supply of rare earths, which are transformed into mobile phone batteries, camera lenses, and other high-tech products.
In 2009, China attempted to build up a domestic processing industry to capture more of the profits that go to American, Japanese, and European companies by imposing export curbs on rare earths. Chinese officials were hoping that the move would persuade foreign manufacturers to shift production to China, which would allow local partners to share technologies with them.
However, China’s move accomplished the opposite. In March of the same year, the United States, the European Union, and Japan filed a complaint with World Trade Organization complain. The three plaintiffs accused China of violating its free-trade commitment. China countered that its controls were in line with WTO rules and cited a necessity to protect the environment.
China announced its quota on rare earths at one of the least opportune of times. Foreign governments are attempting to increase exports to reduce high unemployment caused by the recent recession. In particular, the United States and Europe are trying to sell more high-tech goods, which require a large supply of rare earths.
Before it made its announcement on Wednesday, the Chinese government also tightened controls on mining and smelting. According to state media, minimum production levels have already been set and 20 percent of China’s production capacity will be shut down.
China has also has restricted the number of companies that can export rare earths to other countries. Chinese producers are apparently being forced to consolidate into a several large companies that the government can more easily monitor and control.
According to trading partners, China’s export quotas and taxes are causing the prices of rare earths to skyrocket outside the country. This reportedly gives an unfair advantage to buyers in China itself, where prices remain fairly low.
Beijing is playing a risky game as it tries to balance its free-trade pledges with its ambitions to transform China from a low-tech producer into a high-tech creator.
Rare earths are minerals used to make high-tech goods. Camera lenses, hybrid cars, flat-screen TVs, mercury-vapor lights, mobile phones, and weaponry are just some of the many products that need exotic minerals for their advanced, compact technologies.
Other countries have their own deposits of rare earths. They closed down most of their mines, though, after lower-cost Chinese ores became available.
That may be about to change. Foreign producers have announced plans to start or reactivate mines in California, Canada, India, Russia, and other countries. After all, someone has to take up production slack caused by China’s recent rare earths quotas.
If you liked this article, then you may like: NBN Market target of Macquarie Telecom.


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The new warranty now matches that of Holden's competitors Honda, Hyundai and Skoda.
Embattled wealth management giant AMP has been hit with a shareholder class action by leading firm Maurice Blackburn lawyers.
Queensland and the Northern Territory will get less money from the GST next year, despite the size of the pie growing by $3.4 billion.
A big jump in demand for commercial aircraft has propelled orders to US factories to increase in July by the largest amount in nine months.
At its lowest, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunged 1,175 points or 4.6 percent.


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EA’s said the formal announcement yesterday by Tiger Woods that he’s to return to golf next month is very much good news.
Speaking on his personal blog, EA Sports president Peter Moore said: “We’re looking forward to seeing Tiger back on the golf course. All eyes will be on Augusta in a few weeks.”
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.


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Elisha Pulivarti/Washington DC
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden celebrated Diwali or Deepavali festival in White House on October 24, Monday. US Vice President Kamala Harris too joined the celebrations besides participating in the festivities at her home earlier. This could’t have come at a better time this year as Indian Origin Rishi Sunak became the youngest Prime Minister of the UK on October 25, Tuesday.
Bidens were joined by many Indian Americans from the administration. Responding to Sunak’s elevation to the UK PM post, Biden said: “Pretty astounding, ..It matters”. The POTUS (President of the US) hasn’t missed the significance of Diwali this year, as it coincided with a Person of Indian Origin becoming the first non-White PM of imperial Britain.
Not just that, this year Diwali is celebrated with enthusiasm and style all over the US. “Diwali seems to be everywhere this year. More and more major brands in the US are recognizing the festival of lights, running ad campaigns and stocking products related to the holiday here. South Asian Americans who celebrate Diwali can now pick up fireworks from Costco, greeting cads from Hallmark and party decoration from Target.
This festival of lights is one of the most important occasion for Hindus, Skhs, Buddhists and Jains. This festival is celebrated not just in India,but also Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and several other South Asian countries. Diaspora from these countries are celebrating this festival in the US. A few years ago, these festivities were obscure, but now they are visible everywhere.
Growing visibility in the US
Soni Satpathy- Singh who runs the meal delivery review website, Meal Matchmaker, says: “The growing acknowledgement of the holiday on the occasion of Diwali in the US is a marked shift for many first and second generation South Asian Americans. Earlier they used to celebrate the festival at homes, now they are even outside communities. This is interesting change to see,” she told CNN.
Eight years ago, Satpathy-Singh wrote a pieces for Brown Girl magazine lamenting that Diwali hadn’t caught the attention of mass market retailers, despite the Indian American population’s growing numbers and high incomes. Today, the landscape looks much different. New York City mayor Eric Adams had declared Diwali a public holiday from 2023 in the city.
All this is a good for Indian Americans in the US and Indians back home in the country. But at the same time, this growing presence and acknowledgement of their services enhances responsibility too on them. Experts are writing that Indian Americans are hardworking and talented. They contribute a lot to the US economy and society. Diwali celebrations and the elevation of Sunak remind us of these greater responsibilities.


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Elevator and AVC Immedia worked together to hold an event promoting the Elevator centre for entrepreneurship and the Elevator Programme, a business growth accelerator as well the opportunity to showcase various technology platforms available from AVC Immedia.
An open doors event was held to showcase both Elevator and AVC Immedia. AVC Immedia existing clients and Elevator’s extensive range of start-up contacts, and the business community at large were all invited to peruse the technology.
Our team set up a range of stands and equipment for visitors to test and trial. Talks were also scheduled to cover a range of topics from the offline office, gaining press attention and elevators accelerator programme.
Technologies such as Smart Boards, C-Touch screens, Star Leaf, AVC 360, 3D Animation, Bright Sign, Augmented Reality and filming were demonstrated during the event. The event attracted many interested parties and we are hoping to repeat this again later in the year.


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After approvals are given by the government regulators, Google will officially be in the hardware manufacturing business. Albiet, it will be a reluctant player in the field. Why did Google make the bid to buy Motorala?
The Patent Wars. Apple and Microsoft have been suing manufacturers of Android devices. Google acquisition of Motorola gives it 24,500 patents (Source: PCWorld), approved and pending to fend off attacks on Android.
And the Patent Wars. Motorola wanted to be bought. Despite the reprieve brought on by the Android Operating system, Motorola handset division was in trouble. Formerly the second largest handset maker in the world, next to Nokia, by 2010, Motorola's global market share had dropped to seventh place.
Just a few days ago Phone Arena reported, CEO Sanjay Jha hinted at a conference presentation that Motorola might start asking for royalties from other Android manufacturers:
"I would bring up IP as a very important for differentiation (among Android vendors). We have a very large IP portfolio, and I think in the long term, as things settle down, you will see a meaningful difference in positions of many different Android players. Both, in terms of avoidance of royalties, as well as potentially being able to collect royalties. And that will make a big difference to people who have very strong IP positions.”
Motorola wanted to be bought, and let Google know that it was in a position to hurt Android. If Microsoft had been the buyer, it would probably have been the end of Android.
The interesting thing to see now, is what Google does with Motorola.
Where the Android community stand. From the standpoint of Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson and LG, Google's pending acquisition of Motorola will allow Google to better defend Android and prevent Motorola from claiming royalties from other Android manufacturers (I do not think a Google owned Motorola would do this at least), but it does reinvigorate a competitor that was loosing the battle.
Should Google's run Motorola well, Motorola phones will increase their market share, which will eat into the market share of other Android manufacturers. Google which has also been trying to push Android manufacturers to update their products and recently obtained a commitments from major Android manufacturers to support their products for a period of 18 months after release (hardware willing of course) will now have a stick, and not just a carrot to offer. Google can use Motorola to set the standard for support. Android manufacturers won't jump ship, but will be keeping a keen eye on Google and Motorola. They really have no reason to panic, except for Motorola and Sony Ericcson, the major Android Manufacturers all already produce Windows Phone 7 handsets. Samsung also has its Bada OS. In a way, they have been smartly hedging their bets from the start.
As for Google, it is fighting for its future, placing a 12.5 billion US dollars bet on Android, over and above what they have already spent and now has to figure out what to do with its new baby.
If you are among the Android faithful, Google just spent 12.5 billion US dollars to back up and defend what you already bought. Google has your back.


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Mondelēz International is planning to invest $122.5 million in its Henrico County supply chain operations over the next three years.
The snack giant’s planned investment includes a 68,000-square-foot expansion of its Richmond Biscuit Bakery.
The facility will support its Richmond manufacturing operations and the expanded site will house a high-speed Oreo production line.
The company will also be establishing a new sales fulfilment centre. The fulfilment centre will support Mondelēz’s sales and distribution in the US and is scheduled to open in 2022, creating approximately 80 new jobs in Henrico County.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam commented: “Mondelēz International’s long-term investment in central Virginia is a testament to the region’s top-notch talent and strong business climate. We thank Mondelēz for its long-term partnership and we look forward to its continued success here in the Commonwealth.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Henrico Economic Development Authority to secure this investment for Virginia.
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Busy brand Max Protein recently released another convenient functional food product by the name of Yummy Flavors, with the idea that you sprinkle it on your food for, as per the title, yummy flavor. The product debuted in three flavors, all approved by baking influencer Sara Conde, better known as Burpee Vet, with Mowlgy White Chocolate, straightforward Vanilla, and the neutral sweetener Edulcorante.
Max Protein has expanded the menu of Yummy Flavors this week, despite the product only coming to market about two and a half months ago, adding a fourth option. Going alongside those three tastes mentioned above is Nata, which is Spanish for cream, as this is intended to be a whipped cream flavoring powder. It’s a nice addition to the family and still keeps the macros low at only one calorie in 100g.
Max Protein’s Nata or Whipped Cream Yummy Flavors is available now in its home country of Spain in a large 120g bottle, and directly through the brand’s online store, you’ll pay a reasonable €9.95 (10.79 USD).


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Island Def Jam has confirmed that albums from rappers Kanye West and Ludacris have been shuffled again – but this time the highly anticipated releases will land in stores a day earlier than expected.
In breaking with the traditional record release day of Tuesday, Kanyes 808s & Heartbreak and Ludacris Theater of the Mind will land in stores on Monday, November 24.
Both albums were slated to land in stores the following day, but IDJ has adjusted the dates to take advantage of Thanksgiving holiday, which is one of the biggest weeks for shopping in the United States all year.
For fans of rock, IDJ has also adjusted the release date for The Killers third studio album, titled Day & Age to November 24 as well.
Kanye West and Ludacris are expected to post big numbers for IDJ.
Wests 808s & Heartbreak is the follow up to his hit 2007 album Graduation, which debuted at #1, moving over 956,000 units its first week in stores.
Ludacris Theater of the Mind is the follow up to his platinum album Release Therapy, which debuted at #1 as well and moved over 300,000 copies the first week out.


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Dearborn-based automaker, Ford Motor Co., recently announced the election of Lynn Vojvodich to the company’s board of directors. She will serve on the board of directors’ nominating and governance, sustainability and innovation, and audit committees. Her appointment is effective April 1.
Vojvodich is a global technology executive who has built, grown, and transformed businesses for more than 20 years. She works with venture capital firms as an advisor to pre-IPO and start-up companies. From 2013 to February 2017, Vojvodich was executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Salesforce, the world’s fourth largest enterprise software company.
“Lynn is a proven marketing leader and entrepreneur with a wealth of experience in transforming customer relationships,” says Bill Ford, executive chairman. “With deep experience, particularly in the software industry, she brings a unique perspective to the board that will help guide our strategy and evolving customer experience.”
Vojvodich has held leadership roles at Microsoft and BEA Systems and was a partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. She began her career as a mechanical engineer working on the design and construction of gulfstream jets and offshore oil structures.
Vojvodich has also been recognized as one of Time’s “Top 50 Women in Brand Marketing,” Harvard Business School’s “Most Inspiring Women in Silicon Valley,” and Ad Age’s “Women to Watch.” She received a bachelor’s degree in engineering and product design from Stanford University and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.


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CES News: Auto Industry Takes the Wheel at Vegas Event
Americans love their cars. They’re pretty keen on their consumer electronics too. So marrying the two just seems to be a natural thing to do. (Just make sure you don’t veer off a cliff in the process.)
The automotive industry has a strong presence at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with companies like Audi and Hyundai operating huge booths on the show floor, and top management from some of these companies giving two of the six keynote addresses at the event.
Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of management at AUDI AG spoke to the CES (News - Alert) crowd this morning. And Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford Motor Co., is Friday morning’s keynoter.
As discussed in the November issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine, a TMC (News - Alert) publication, Ford is among the automotive leaders providing voice-enabled and driver’s dash-based interfaces for drivers and passengers so distraction from using communications in the car is minimized.
“We’re trying to use technology to do things in safer ways,” says Jim Buczkowski, fellow and director of electrical and electronic systems research and advanced engineering for Ford, recently told TMCnet.
Ford introduced a feature called SYNC starting with some of its late 2007/2008 model year vehicles. SYNC enables Ford vehicle owners to sync their Bluetooth mobile phones and media players to their cars so they can use voice commands to call people in their phonebooks and select songs by artist, genre, album name or other parameters.
Then, in late 2009/early 2010, Ford upgraded SYNC with the 911 assist feature, which allows motorists to easily reach a public safety access point, or PSAP. The company also now offers a vehicle health report as part of SYNC. Vehicle health report alerts the driver if the vehicle needs an oil change or other service.
Ford has continued to enhance SYNC, which is standard on Lincoln vehicles and available as a $395 option for most Ford-branded vehicles, by adding a widget-type service and a traffic corrections and information feature. The former allows users to access SYNC via voice command to tap into news, sports, downloadable and voice-guided directions. The latter leverages SYNC and user phones to deliver directions.
There are more than 2 million vehicles with SYNC on the road today, the take rate on the SYNC option is well over 70 percent, and cars with SYNC turn twice as fast on the lot as those without SYNC.
Ford research shows that keeping people’s eyes on the road and hands on the wheel is the best way to keep them safe, Buczkowski says.
“We want to create the experiences so you can do things with the short glances” and voice commands, he says.
Beyond just helping motorists and their passengers connect, more safely connect and enjoy music, and get directions and other content, Ford also aims to leverage technology to help save fuel by providing tips and eco-friendly routes, and to prevent accidents. The company is working on an accident avoidance solution called ABICAS that warns motorists if they have inadequate space between them and their vehicle in front of them, will pre-charge the vehicle’s brakes if the system senses they might be needed, does blind spot detection and helps drivers avoid fender benders when they’re backing out.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi


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No matter how many vibrators, lubes and other miscellaneous pleasure-enhancing sexcessories make their way into the marketplace, adult retailers and consumers alike are always eagerly awaiting the latest innovations. The ever-growing sexual wellness landscape is constantly evolving with modern tools that speak to today’s consumers with a fresh approach to addressing their many sexual needs and desires.
Motivated by the mainstreaming of pleasure products, new startups are aiming to further normalize the use of pleasure products with discreet, artistic new designs that their owners can proudly display, and items that are boldly tackling intimate needs that have previously gone unsatisfied. These up-and-coming brands are also taking a modern approach to marketing with campaigns that reflect and celebrate the diversity of today’s consumers. While startups in other industries are able to take advantage of mass marketing tools and advertising options, such as social media, new sex toy companies are quickly learning how to be resourceful in order to bypass the ban on the promotion of their products that exists on just about every platform. From joining forces with social media influencers to spread the word on new toys to more traditional efforts such as trade shows and consumer expos, blossoming sex toy companies are successfully getting their branding across to consumers nationwide — and that’s just the beginning.
The hardest thing to do is to really tell your own narrative in a sea of competing voices.
With the introduction of several new, exciting releases, 2020 is already shaping up to be another year of innovation and evolution for the adult retail industry. Armed with a progressive vision of what pleasure products should look like, these emerging companies are quickly rallying support from the sexual wellness community and consumers alike to give them a jumpstart in the competitive world of sex toys. In this month’s special report, we’re introducing you to the up-and-coming brands that are ready to make 2020 their year.
The New Kids on the Block
The adult retail industry is constantly growing as new sexual wellness and pleasure innovators conjure up new products to meet the consumer needs that have yet to be addressed.
For Holland-based Ylva & Dite, the modern pleasure products brand is targeting today’s shoppers with a contemporary color palette.
“Our main innovation is in coloring,” said Roy Jacobs, who handles research and development for Ylva & Dite. “We are able to provide you with any color dildo you’d like. We think that standard colors are a thing of the past; we believe in a colorful and bright future with different customer needs and wants. Every customer has a different taste and a different color preference. We are able to serve them all.”
Ylva & Dite’s product line spent a couple years in development before the company began to actively sell them at the beginning of 2019.
“So far all our customers are not just happy with our products but mainly amazed,” Jacobs said. “They can’t believe that all of a sudden there is a Dutch company providing the world with the most beautiful dildos, most beautiful colors and most beautiful designs. Customers are very happy with our products and we hope we are able to keep this standard.”
Le Stelle hit the pleasure products scene in 2019 as a “human-centric design company” with a mission to “introduce ‘thoughtful technologies’ into the industry without compromising on aesthetics,” said Alvin Huang, Le Stelle’s chief strategy officer.
“Internally we’ve adopted a three-pronged approach that can be summarized as: looks, function and feel,” he said. “From a design perspective, we want to experiment with bold and unique colors that stray away from the traditional purple and pink. We also want our customers to really experience the product from the moment they first hold it in their hands. So the feel and texture of our products is very important to us. We’ll consider everything from the smoothness of the silicone to the performance and ergonomics of the product while it’s in use. Functionally, we try to design products that offer features beyond the traditional catalog of power and speed settings.”
Huang uses Le Stelle’s new Opus line of bullet vibes as an example.
“We’ve taken this classic toy and added a twist to it by pairing it with a high-grade silicone sleeve (with wrist strap),” he said. “The impetus behind this is to make the bullet suitable for both internal and external use while keeping it easy to use, clean and maintain.”
Since arriving on retail shelves, Le Stelle reports a positive response from retailers through re-orders and consumers through social media engagement.
“To cap off an exciting year, we’ve also just been nominated for two XBIZ awards (Toy of the Year and New Pleasure Products Company of the Year),” he said. “I can’t express just how much it means to all of us at the company to receive this kind of recognition from our peers in the industry — it’s truly the icing on the cake!”
plusOne is a pleasure products industry newcomer that launched with a bang, bringing is line of affordable, premium quality sexual wellness devices to the mass market via major retailers such as Walmart and Target.
“We are meeting the underserved needs of the consumer that may be intimidated by shopping at adult stores, or hesitant to spend $50 to $100-plus online to try something new,” plusOne's director of marketing Stephanie Trachtenberg said. “At the same time, by being at the mass market, we are helping to break down the taboos and change the conversation, and ultimately driving total industry acceptance and growth. We are the perfect ‘first entry point’ into the category and our presence at mass is helping to open the doors to adult stores, as our consumer continues to explore and discover their needs.”
The anal play category has increasingly expanded in recent years with the development of body-friendly designs that cater to the diverse needs of curious consumers. As mainstream women’s magazines continue to explore this once-taboo sex act, the need for more beginner-friendly options increases.
Odile Toys founder Benjamin Jay says its new flagship product Odile — “the gentle butt plug dilator” — was created to fulfill the need for a truly beginners-friendly anal toy.
“Good anal sex requires good anal dilation first, and I believe that the sex toys on the market for anal dilation are not doing the job properly,” Jay said. “Anal dilation mostly refers to slowly and gradually widening the anus. In the market you mainly find two types of anal dilation sex toys: set of plugs and inflatable devices.”
According to Jay, a set of plugs may not be an ideal option for experimenting with gradual anal dilation.
“First, the product sizes — small, medium and big — have a 25 percent girth increase between each size which is not gradual enough and increases the risk of causing micro-fissures in your anus,” he said. “Second, having to deal with three toys to do one job is not user-friendly and can easily become messy. And third, the standard set of plugs design has a ‘neck’ that reduces the dilation at the sphincter, which is where dilation is most needed, and prevents the user from doing penetration movements for play.”
With inflatable devices, users may encounter some issues associated with over-inflation. Jay adds, “Even visually, it’s not a sexy product. Based on this, I thought that the perfect anal dilation had to be done by one single product that was easy and comfortable to use, and once inserted inside the anus allowed the user to control precisely and gradually its girth while dilating the whole anus equally. I wanted a ‘sexy’ sex toy that allows the user to focus only on pleasure, and was something that all genders would want to use.”
Odile is an orifice dilator that allows the user to control the girth of the shaft slowly, precisely and safely from 1 inch in diameter to 1.5 inches while it is inserted inside the anus. Featuring a key at the base of the toy, Odile expands when it is turned.
According to Jay, consumers and retailers alike are already in high anticipation of the release of Odile, which has been available for pre-order since early November.
“It sounds cliché easy, but truly, and without doubt, our product is our best accomplishment so far,” Jay said. “I really wanted to create an amazing product that is easy and comfortable to use, offering a smooth and reliable mechanism for enjoying anal dilation, but also with a seductive and characteristic design.”
Today’s pleasure product innovators are focusing on improving sexual experiences for adults by making them more comfortable and safe to explore. Ohnut was established as a “bumper” that’s used to make penetration more comfortable for those that experience pain.
“Nothing like Ohnut has ever really existed before,” said Emily Sauer, founder and CEO of Ohnut. “While a miniscule amount of other ‘bumpers’ exist on the market, no one was talking directly to people who experience pain during sex. This is such an underserved community (not to mention a very large one — 75 percent of women will experience painful sex at some point in their lives) and we have to realize that for these folks, we can’t even start to talk about pleasure before we address their pain. It’s a simple design and concept that’s making a huge difference in the quality of couples’ lives.”
According to Sauer, her brand is finding the most success in progressive-minded stores that are keeping up with millennial trends and messaging.
“Ohnut lives best in the sexual health or cock ring section (sometimes the anal section too!), and it’s our goal to make sure that customers don’t feel like something is ‘wrong’ with them,” she said. “For example, we don’t to lead with Ohnut as an ‘aid for painful sex’ (yikes!), but instead a ‘wearable to customize penetration depth.’”
Sauer says that since the introduction of Ohnut, the company has received a positive response from consumers — including some “heart-wrenching” messages for users.
“People have even claimed that Ohnut has saved their marriage,” she said. “It seems like people are just so relieved that someone is talking to them, advocating for them, and just wants their lives to be a little bit better.”
Women continue to be the target demographic for pleasure products companies, including those that are up-and-coming. Lara Pack founded Elixir Play after many years of personal issues with pelvic pain and turning to pelvic physiotherapy for assistance. It was through this experience that she realized the importance of external stimulation and thus the benefit of sex toys.
“Our products are designed with a woman’s body in mind and particularly women who are new to sex toys,” she said. “They are soft, flexible and easy to use, which can help bridge the barrier for many women who are hesitant to use toys. We have also worked with healthcare professionals to truly understand some of the issues women face and how our toys can help women who may have experienced pain or discomfort during sex.
“Our new range is officially launching at XBIZ in January but early signs have been extremely positive,” Pack added. “We have a waitlist from direct-to-consumer and a number of distributors who are keen to stock the products.”
Melanie Cristol created Lorals latex panties, which are patent-pending, to solve a problem that’s faced by 80 percent of women.
“While research says that oral sex is the most pleasurable sexual activity for people with vulvas, 80 percent have turned down oral when they want to say yes because of things like a partner’s scratchy beard, being on their period, not having showered, or due to medical concerns,” Cristol said. “Meanwhile, 93 percent of their partners enjoy performing oral sex, and most of them want to be doing it more often. Lorals makes it easy for people to say yes to this kind of pleasure, with our single-use panties worn during oral sex and rimming. They’re so thin that you can feel all of the sensations, and the nonporous condom-grade material blocks whatever is holding you back from enjoyment. With Lorals, everyone can ‘Love Oral Always.’”
Lorals can be used to overcome a myriad of concerns leading up to oral play.
“Our customers love using Lorals when they’re with a brand new partner and don’t want skin-to-skin contact yet, or in situations (like after the gym) where they feel sweaty and would otherwise say ‘no,’” Cristol said. “Many use Lorals when they’re on their period to have mess-free and worry-free period oral. Lots of our customers use Lorals regularly for rimming, or to try rimming (or, for that matter, cunnilingus) for the very first time. We have polyamorous customers who use Lorals with secondary partners and have skin-to-skin oral with primary partners. We have transmasculine, transfeminine, and non-binary customers who love our product because Lorals allow them to separate thoughts of their genitals from the actual sensations of oral sex.”
Menstruation products also have seen a revamp in recent years; and with more mainstream talk about period sex, companies like FemTech Inc. are bringing even more innovation to the category.
“Tampons were created in 1930 and have had very little innovation since,” FemTech, Inc. founder and CEO Farrah Dahl said. “These products are messy, can cause infections, are uncomfortable, and can prevent physical activity, including sex. Often women avoid any activity that lacks quick and easy bathroom access. To circumvent these issues, we created FemTech, Inc. to provide progressive solutions for women’s health. Out first product My V. puff provides quick and easy period protection that is undetectable during sex.”
My V. puff can be inserted a few inches for everyday wear or closer to the cervix for use during sexual activity. The material was designed to mimic vaginal tissue and during testing, it was undetectable by male sex partners, Dahl says.
“In our pre-launch focus groups, 100 adult industry performers used My V. puff while filming sex scenes,” she said. “During post-production interviews, 100 percent of their male partners confessed to being unaware the women were using period protection.”
FemTech launched My V. puff during the summer and sold out of its first two runs. According to Dahl, the company is now negotiating a B2B partnership with a major health club franchise, several large-scale music festivals and big-box retailers.
As an essential for pleasurable sex, the demand for lubricants is never waning, and new brands are making their way into the marketplace to bring consumers even more options.
Making their way from Brazil, Orgie Company established its international business in Portugal to bring its brand to regions outside of Brazil.
“Among our product lineup, no doubt that our Sexy Vibe! product — the liquid vibrator — is proven to be unique and very surprising to wholesalers, retails and end consumers, said Raquel Shaw, international relations manager for Orgie Company. “We did our homework and knew that this sort of product was quite unfamiliar in foreign markets.”
Fellow newcomer lubricants brand Amor Oral is focused on bringing creative new flavors to the marketplace.
“We want consumers to love their intimate moments and find ways to turn good sex into great sex,” Amor Oral founder Sean Johnson said. “So we offer a quality water-based personal lubricant with great flavors. Our goal for 2020 is to continue our expanse in flavor to make sure that we offer the right flavor for our consumers and their partners at a price point that is good for Amor Oral, our retailers and the consumer.”
Johnson says he’s observed two different types of Amor Oral fans, as well as among retailers that are embracing the brand’s potential to drive impulse purchases.
“First, repeat purchasers are finding the flavor that they love and buying it over, and over, and over again,” he said. “Second trend is the flavor testers. With our variety of flavors, consumers are finding new and fun ways to experience great sex with Amor Oral. On the retailer side, we are growing a strong group of retailers that we have been able to partner with to drive their fun and exciting impulse purchase programs, utilizing our flavored lubes as cross sales with their higher-priced dildos and toys.”
2019 saw the meteoric rise of CBD products in various forms from skincare to bath and body and edibles. The cannabis-derived ingredient — which is known to enhance stimulation, reduce pain and increase blood flow — obviously made its way to the adult products marketplace. This year, Angela Mustone, a Montreal-based entrepreneur and pleasure products industry vet, introduced her new line of HighOnLove cannabis-oil infused sensual cosmetics that are elegantly packaged in trendy rose-gold tinted glass bottles.
According to Mustone, it’s the widespread media attention that CBD has received that has gained her brand such a warm reception from adult retailers.
“With the reception from media and consumers, mainstream retailers have taken notice,” Mustone said. “[In 2019], we have partnered with popular online skincare retailer AskDerm to showcase our entire collection of wellness products. This collaboration allows HighOnLove to significantly increase distribution. We have also opened our Amazon store to reach even more consumers.”
Retailers themselves can get in on product manufacturing through private labeling, which enables them to further promote their own brand. Global Novelties is a new U.S.-based private-label solution that’s headed up by industry vet O’Bryan.
“By making private label a priority, retailers can increase margins, reduce competition, build brand visibility, drive customer loyalty, establish new sales channels, and eliminate comparison shopping,” she said. “By taking advantage of our full-service solution, our clients have access to our dedicated industry experts in graphic design, copywriting, videography and marketing at a fraction of the cost of employing their own in-house team. It's as easy as one, two, three — pick the product, pick the packaging and we'll design the artwork. This is a great time for retailers to consider what private labeling can do for their business.”
Overseas in France, Gangbangster is making a name for itself as a new company by engaging buyers worldwide with its range of extreme toys. According to Vincent Renou, Gangbangster’s sales manager, it’s the brand’s affordable prices that are appealing to buyers.
“Large-size dildos are more expensive because of the material and the cost of the production,” says. “We wanted to demonstrate that with high-quality vinyl that’s certified safe, the XXL dildos could be sold for even less than $50 in retail stores. The users of this dildo want different sensation and we can propose today more than 400 different quality item to discover different types of pleasure. Moreover, they are all made in Europe (France, to be exact) with all of the safety certification that’s demanded for manufacturers, and this point needs to be underlined.”
Unlike startup companies in other industries, launching a new pleasure products brand presents several unique challenges — including having trouble securing investors and other services that are essential for any company’s success — simply because of their adult nature.
“We had some trouble getting the company started, as there is some resistance from usual business partners when you mention you will start a company in sex toys,” Jacobs said. “An example is a packaging company, which didn’t want to work with us when they heard we developed sex toys.”
Dahl breaks down some of the obstacles that pleasure product industry startups face leading up to a product launch: “To secure investments and loans, we needed to provide evidence of demand and market validation, customer acquisition cost, product manufacturing/marketing budgets, etc.,” she said. “These are difficult tasks pre-revenue. It's a catch-22 because you need proof of sales for investors but are unable to manufacture and sell without their investments.”
Female-owned companies are faced yet another obstacle — discrimination against their gender.
“In an average year, venture capitalists invest $85 billion in mainstream startups but only 2.2 percent have female founders,” Dahl said. “So, a sexual wellness brand owned by a female who works in the adult industry is pretty much SOL. So I decided to bootstrap My V. puff, taking it one day at a time.”
All of the stigma and stereotypes surrounding pleasure products that create challenges to obtaining the same support as mainstream startups ultimately negatively impacts the consumer.
“It is so sad because these barriers mean it is harder to access the consumers who could truly benefit from our products,” Pack said. “Within the industry my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Most people have been so kind in sharing experience, expertise and support. Yet outside the industry it really is a challenge.”
Nothing has created more of an obstacle for pleasure product brands than social media platforms that prohibit the promotion of adult products in any form — including but not limited to utilizing the platforms’ advertising tools and simply using any type of sexual language. Even women’s health products are often viewed as too obscene to be on social networking sites.
“Social media advertising (on Instagram, Facebook) has been a challenge — one out of every three ads are returned to us for violating their policies for using words like ‘vagina,’ ‘tampon,’ ‘menstruation,’” Dahl said. “Corporate giants with biased and antiquated policies are dangerous for everyone who uses the internet. In 2020, we'll focus on user-generated content, video, experiential marketing and live-stream sexual health Q&As. We want to touch the market on a more personal level than traditional advertising allows.”
Other alternatives that Dahl says she’s exploring include a tour bus that will take FemTech’s brand ambassadors coast to coast to promote the brand at festivals and college campuses.
Ohnut is trying to circumvent Instagram and Facebook’s limitations by focusing on press coverage and partnerships with influencers to promote the brand.
“We’re always working on strategic partnerships — whether those are with hospitals and practitioners or heavy hitters in the sex and wellness space,” Sauer said. “We also launched a patient advocacy initiative in collaboration with Duvet Days called the Pain Perception Project (PPP), and we’re hoping to expand that initiative next year.”
After experiencing the discrimination that pleasure products are faced with, Amor Oral also reached out to its connections for promotional support.
“The majority of the traditional push marketing activities are not allowed currently for this industry, so instead of PPC ads on social media sites, Amor Oral had to find fun and creative ways to introduce our flavored lubes to new consumers and retailers,” Johnson said. “This is why we make sure to offer only the very best products for consumers to experience and love. Then we work with the retailers that we partner with to pull in new consumers.”
Even plusOne — which can be found on family-friendly Target and Walmart store shelves — won’t be seen in online ads on social networking sites.
“We don’t have the opportunity to run media on the top social networks, which for us — being the brand for the mass market, but not having access to mass messaging — makes it particularly challenging,” Trachtenberg said. “However, we’re making headway; and in fact, we were the first sexual wellness brand to run print campaigns in InStyle, Women’s Health, Star, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style, OK! and Soap Opera Digest.”
The lack of acceptance of pleasure products only serves to further the stigma against sexual wellness. Cristol says that she is constantly encountering potential business partners, and even some customers, that aren’t comfortable talking about oral sex.
“Our non-adult-industry contacts feel awkward about introducing an oral sex company to potential stakeholders; our customers feel uncomfortable leaving their name on product reviews,” Cristol said. “There’s a lot of stigma associated with sex, and particularly oral sex, and particularly oral sex for the benefit of women, transgender, and non-binary people. One of our major goals is to make these discussions commonplace! Sex (including oral sex) is a fun and healthy part of life, and it doesn’t deserve the stigma it receives.”
Huang says that he believes that the restrictions around mainstream advertising may ease up over time.
“In the interim, there are a couple ways we can work around this,” he said. “Collaborations with independently curated sites is a great way to get your product noticed, and to tell your brand narrative. Moreover, creating products that are not purely pleasure-focused (take the Hitachi Magic Wand, for example) can not only diversify your product line, but also introduce your brand to mainstream platforms that bring you greater exposure.”
Being a new company in any industry is a challenge in and of itself. Standing out amongst a multitude of brands and competing against industry giants is a challenge that pleasure products companies are faced with.
“The hardest thing to do is to really tell your own narrative in a sea of competing voices,” Huang said. “We have some great, well-established brands in the industry who have really carved out their own space in terms of product niches and brand identity. It’s your job as a newcomer to convince the marketplace that your product warrants a look, that your B2B partners (and consumers at large) should take a risk with your product. And so, new companies often have the very unenviable responsibility of straddling the line between investing in innovation versus investing in multi-platform marketing.”
Eyes on the Prize
While these up-and-coming brands may be viewed as industry newbies, the new generation of pleasure product startups is savvier than ever when it comes to appealing to today’s modern consumers. They’ve watched the marketplace evolve and now they’re ready to usher in the new decade by sparking all-new trends with innovative new products.
The rapid evolution towards pleasure products that are designed as discreet, creative shapes in refreshing new colors is not even close to slowing down. Today’s up-and-comers are taking this trend even further with new products that not just look like works of art, but are also exceptionally functional for pleasure and sexual wellness.
“I think the trend towards more beautiful design will continue,” Pack said. “As Gwyneth Paltrow said ‘beautiful works of art.’ The shape, curves and look of a product are becoming increasingly important and we are thrilled to be able to bring products to the market that align with this.”
With more attention being paid to sexual wellness in mainstream, we’ve seen a lot of products cross over with the help of celebrities such as Paltrow, as well as other high-profile reality TV stars and social media influencers.
“Sexual health is all the rage these days,” Sauer said. “It’s been exciting to watch so many stores carve out such a prominent space for sex education as well. Hopefully, sexual wellness will continue to become more talked about and mainstream, which will ultimately de-stigmatize sex shops. The more human and honest we can make sex, the less taboo it becomes, therefore creating a massive market for new audiences to buy healthy sex products.”
According to Jay, Odile is debuting its gentle butt plug dilator just in time, as interest in anal play is at an all-time high.
“I do think that interest in anal sex toys is growing and therefore this category will probably be one of the most popular in 2020,” he said. “A lot of players in the sex toy industry work hard to bring good education to people regarding anal sex and I am always happily surprised to see how many popular anal sex education videos, podcasts and articles there are.”
Huang also says that he’s witnessed social attitudes towards anal play shift and now the market must catch up with more user-friendly products and education.
“As consumers become more comfortable, and this ‘taboo’ slowly breaks down, we should see a significant rise in interest in this market,” Huang says. “I fundamentally believe that this is one area where the industry can do a better job of ‘educating’ the consumer base in terms of sexual wellness, usage/play tips, and general knowledge. Look for Le Stelle to pivot more into this market as we advance through 2020.”
Toys that mimic oral pleasure for women through suction have taken over the market in a very short time thanks to their unique ability to induce orgasms, as well as the aggressive marketing efforts of brands such as Satisfyer. While a number of new suction toys have hit the market, Trachtenberg predicts that their popularity will continue.
“I’m expecting to see more spin-offs and variations of the ‘oral sex simulator’ devices as brands are eager to capitalize on the success of these types of items and offer a new way to deliver a similar experience,” she said. “The trend we are most focused on, of course, is the growing opportunity to meet the underserved needs of the female consumer. Her buying power is stronger than ever. We will continue to make sure we are covering her needs, and at her convenience.”
Couples-focused products also tend to never go out of style. The latest generation of couples-friendly intimacy items is embracing innovation in technology, design and formulation.
“Amor Oral will continue to grow in flavored lube, driving the trend in ‘partnered’ pleasure products,” Johnson said. “Partnered products will continue to grow in 2020 and over the next five years with new technologies and health-focused consumers. For other product categories, technology and IoT (Internet of Things) will continue to grow with products like app-controlled vibrators and his/her integrated toys. We are keeping our eyes open to opportunities for partnerships in this area as well.
“In 2019, consumers were seeking new ways to spice up their sexual adventures via technology and finding new ways to experience things that they already enjoyed. Amor Oral is staying true to our name and researching new and fun ways to enhance the oral experience. We are going to continue to increase our library of flavors and find new ways to entice and enhance the act of oral sex.”
As these up-and-coming brands gear up for 2020, they also are keeping a close watch on burgeoning adult retail trends. Among their predictions is that online shopping will continue to thrive as more sophisticated online adult shops continue to sprout up.
“One of the more interesting shopping trends this year — at least to me — is the rise of curated shopping sites for luxury brands,” Huang said. “Increasing numbers of consumers are opting for a more ‘streamlined’ shopping experience. In the age of information (and choice) overload, we’re seeing the rise of dedicated ecommerce sites that offer consumers confidence, style and ease of experience by narrowing down choices and selling narrative over product. Sites like Touch of Modern (for tech accessories) and Mr. Porter, 24s or Matches Fashion (for luxury apparel) are gaining in popularity and we have to take notice.”
While private labeling has long been in existence, O’Bryan says that retailers can benefit from it the most now, to stay competitive against mainstream retailers.
“If you’ve browsed online shops, social media or have been to a brick-and-mortar store, one thing you’ll notice is private label brands,” she said. “Then there’s Amazon, which is littered with private label brands and now has its own exclusive and private-label adult product lines. Adult products are breaking out of their niche and claiming a growing share of the mainstream market. With increased visibility, acceptance of the products and the volume of data that retailers have on customer purchases, they know enough about consumers to give them what they want. As a result, we’ll see the growth of private label brands and retailers increasingly using their own brands to stand out from the competition.”
Although online may be the most popular (and private) avenue for shopping for sex toys, the value of a real-life person’s customer support is hard to top. Retailers often make themselves stand out even more with special in-store, hosted events.
“I think that the retail shops that will grow in 2020 are the ones that propose more than just only showing sex toys on shelves,” Jay said. “Retailers that bring special ambiances, propose sex education classes, organize erotic and burlesque shows, etc., will grow; and the other ones … I am not sure.”
Trachtenberg agrees that stores that aren’t modernizing will likely get left in the dust in 2020.
“I expect that adult retail stores may see that it’s time for a bit of a make-over, in an effort to make the shopping experience more approachable and perhaps expand to even a more mainstream lifestyle destination,” she said.
New Year, New Ambitions
As we usher in a new decade, the new school of pleasure products brands are making big plans for their future. From unveiling new creations to fine-tuning their business strategies, 2020 is gearing up to be another year of exciting new developments for the adult retail marketplace.
“The upcoming year will be a year that we will fully focus on the retailers and the distributors,” Jacobs said. “We will make sure that they will receive everything necessary to sell Ylva & Dite. We want to see our products on all shelves.
“As stated before, we are working on products that are easy to sell for retailers and distributors,” he continued. “This means that we will create products that look great, have unique packaging and the right appearance online and offline. Next to this, we will extend our product range with dragon dildos, vibrating dildos and butt plugs.”
Orgie Company also is focusing on expanding its adult retail clientele by attending numerous international trade shows, offering promos and sales rep tours.
“We currently have a mailing list of about 150 new potential customers to whom we are about to send an Orgie presentation set with an intro letter and samples sachets, new customers that reach us through our website and advertisements in B2B magazines,” Shaw said.
To reach new consumers, Shaw says Orgie has partnered with Alexander Institute to give new customers a gift card for the unlimited viewing of a “Loving Sex” series episode.
“We are enthusiastic and it will all start right in January with the launch of new Orgie and Orgie Bio products,” Shaw said. “Our main goal in 2020 is to reach the U.S. market and we are pleased to break the news here that we have just signed a contract with a U.S. distributor who will officially launch Orgie and Orgie Bio during the XBIZ Retreat.”
On top of partnering with more retailers in 2020, FemTech also is ramping up on its charitable efforts.
“We're excited to implement our 'Buy one; Give one' program,” Dahl said. “Every purchase of My V. puff will provide menstrual products for indigent women and girls living in the U.S. We are also in the process of creating a non-profit foundation for survivors of sexual assault. Our goal is to develop training programs and a standard protocol for police, first responders, hospital staff and press.”
In the New Year, Ohnut is setting out to inspire more conversations about overcoming painful sex.
“Without any ability to advertise, we’re sold in 40 countries,” Sauer said. “Ohnut has been smuggled (so we’ve been told) into countries that don’t allow sex products, and we constantly receive orders where people pay as much for ‘overnight shipping’ as they do for the product. People even bring Ohnut into their doctor’s office to spark conversation about painful sex. From day one, we’ve put a tremendous amount of energy into building a brand that feels like a friend who you can trust.
Our goal is to bring conversations about sexual wellness into spaces where people want to talk about sex, but might be too ashamed to do so.”
Regarding new products, Sauer noted, “Ohnut was designed to be modular for a reason. Keep an eye out for add-ons.”
Much like in 2019, pleasure product companies are devising plans to overcome the challenges of social media.
“Our plan is to promote our company through specialized magazines, podcasts, blogs and via influencers — basically, everywhere we can,” Jay said. “2020 is, for us, ‘the’ year! Our main goal is to have a successful crowd-funding campaign, which starts in February on Indiegogo.com.”
After a year of listening to customers’ and retailers’ feedback, Elixir Play has created a line that takes it all into consideration.
“We learned a lot from our first product and are super excited about launching this range,” Pack said. “Our goals are to reach 20,000 women around the world and to cement our relationships with our distributors and retailers. XBIZ Retreat will give us the opportunity to meet with customers that we haven’t engaged with and we are so excited about this new opportunity to partner.
“We are going to work closely with our distributors and retailers to ensure they are equipped with materials and information to sell direct to consumers,” Pack added. “We are re-launching our social campaign and looking at new influencers outside the industry to help reach new customers. Our ability to work with healthcare professionals also provides another channel, which we are going to continue to develop.”
To sidestep the obstacles of social media advertising, Amor Oral says it is hitting the pavement and making appearances to meet with customers face-to-face. In the New Year, Amor Oral also is setting its sights on the global market.
“There are a few smart plans that we have laid out to meet our goals in 2020, both in the U.S. and abroad,” Johnson said. “Since we are still a young brand, we did not have distribution internationally last year, and so we had to decline business from retailers abroad. This is something that we are correcting for 2020. So we are actively seeking brokers and distributors in Europe and Australia for our large portfolio of flavored lubes — 66 flavors and counting.”
In 2019, plusOne established itself with rapidly expanding distribution, and in the New Year, Trachtenberg says that the company will continue to invest heavily in digital marketing through brand and media partnerships, as well as influencers.
“This first year we laid the foundation, and the base of this foundation grows stronger as we expand our distribution,” she said. “In 2020, we expect to see strong sales growth.”
HighOnLove aims to continue to redefine the intimate cosmetics category with luxurious products that empower women to embrace their sensual side. According to Mustone, the company will be expanding its offerings in 2020.
“We would like to see the growth of our brand with more collaboration and product launches to offer to consumers, which would help increase our brand identity in the CBD sexual wellness industry,” she said, while also noting a personal goal of hers: “I would also like to be positioned as a notable leader, empowering women to explore their sensuality and break barriers tied to love and troubles in the bedroom.”
O’Bryan stepped out as the founder of her new private labeling company last year and focused on establishing and defining the company.
“In 2020, my goal is visibility and growth,” O’Bryan said. “I want to be the individual/company that businesses contact when they are considering private label, and for those who have been burnt in the past but realize that having their own brand is the future. The goal is to build long-term and meaningful partnerships by focusing on the customer experience, streamlining and educating businesses on the private-label process and achieving joint success.”
Although we’re just learning about these up-and-coming pleasure products brands, the fact that they made it onto the radars of retailers and consumers is a major accomplishment in and of itself.
“I think taking a concept from start to finish — from drawings, design, manufacturing, retail etc. — has been so incredibly rewarding,”
Pack said. “I really believe in what my company stands for and am excited to share this with more women around the world.”
As with many industry newcomers, Johnson says that the welcoming and open community within the pleasure products industry blew him away. The immediately warm reception was made official with industry recognition.
“The fact that [Amor Oral] has been nominated for two awards from XBIZ is amazing,” Johnson said. “Beyond that, as a disabled veteran-owned start-up, we won the 2019 Veteran Business Battle in April, proving that people are open to accepting businesses, products and industries that were once too taboo for mainstream. But, I think the greatest accomplishment for us has been the amount of repeat consumers that have come back to buy from Amor Oral so often!”
Although the ultimate goal of any new pleasure company startup is retail success, there’s no denying the satisfaction of seeing one’s own unique concepts come to life.
“There’s a lot we can be proud of in the short time that we’ve been around, but if I had to pick one thing, I would say that our greatest accomplishment is getting to do things our way,” Huang said. “Each and every product we’ve put out in the market is the result of our collective dedication and effort. And I can honestly say that I’m very satisfied with our design, our quality, and our innovation.”


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