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Been waiting to buy home to get better value? We have good news for you. According to a recent report, It has been 10 consecutive months now that the Home price appreciation has been going down.
It is being said by expert analysts that, home prices at the national level have fallen by 0.3% from last month. This has led to a drop of price by over $2400 for an average home since last summer.
It has also been analysed, that while on an annual basis, home prices are still up, the slowdown continues throughout the states and which significantly is not being driven by seasonal effects. Falling from a high of 6.8% of annual increase in February last year to 4.6% at the end of year, December was 10th straight month of slowing annual home appreciation.
Home sales are expected to rise due to this slow down as per the report.
For potential home buyers, there is good news in these numbers. With the average interest rates of 30-year fixed rate mortgages, declining by more than half a point over the last 3 months, since early 2018 home buying season housing has become most affordable now. This decline in appreciation and in the interest rates, have increased the purchasing power of an average home buyer by at least 6% while keeping the monthly payment same – or for an average home bought with a 20% down payment, a decrease in $62 a month in monthly payment of principal and interest.


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Due to the recent high unemployment figures and the negative impact stemming from the economic downturn, more Americans are qualifying for special tax credits this year.
One of these tax breaks is the Earned Income Tax Credit, which refunds between $2 and $5,600 to consumers based on their earnings, marital status and the number of dependents they claim on their returns.
Likewise, many of these consumers are using their credit cards more frequently to meet their monthly bill payments. Some may have even opened up another credit line, hoping to take advantage of cash back and other incentives from lenders.
Because of these bad spending habits, this demographic faces a higher risk for credit score damage. This can be caused by late payments to lenders, maxing-out an existing account or simply a reporting error appearing within consumer files maintained by one of the three major credit bureaus.
However, contacting a credit report company can help clear up these discrepancies. By enlisting an experienced team of professionals to sort out errors, consumers could ensure they clear up their reports and start saving money on new card offers, loans and insurance policies.

domain: news


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* Domestic automobile orders have halved given liaison broke
* Does not devise to ask financial assistance yet
* May proceed financial backers in a future
(Recasts with association comments on orders)
By Naomi Tajitsu
TOKYO, Apr 27 Mitsubishi Motors Corp
said that domestic orders have halved given it suggested it
cheated on mileage tests, heightening concerns over either it
can tarry deliberation a already checkered story of
Japan’s sixth-largest automaker certified this week that it
used fuel economy contrast methods that did not approve with
Japanese regulations for 25 years, most longer than previously
It pronounced it might proceed a financial backers, that include
other companies in a Mitsubishi group, for assistance if
necessary, though that a financial position was now strong
and it saw no such need during a moment.
The liaison pennyless final week when it pronounced it had manipulated
test information for 4 domestic mini-vehicle models, including two
it constructed for Nissan Motor Co. It has also pronounced that
more models might have used tests non-compliant with Japanese
“Since we done a proclamation on Apr 20, a daily
domestic automobile orders have halved,” Chief Operating Officer
Tetsuro Aikawa told reporters on Wednesday, referring both to
minivehicles and unchanging vehicles.
The bungle has regenerated memories of a liaison some-more than
15 years ago in that Mitsubishi Motors certified systematically
covering adult patron complaints for some-more than dual decades.
Several years later, it suffered another reversal when its
truck associate certified to concealing information about
potentially dangerous defects nonetheless it managed to secure a
bailout that was partially saved by other Mitsubishi Group
Senior officials during firms in a Mitsubishi organisation contend it
would be formidable for them to assistance a automobile builder this time, if
needed, as they face their possess financial squeeze, as good as
calls to put shareholder gain above ties with a former
Mitsubishi business empire.
The automaker progressing pronounced handling distinction for the
financial year only finished inched adult 1.8 percent to 138.4 billion
yen ($1.2 billion) while income climbed 4 percent.
It released no gain superintendence for this financial year as it
typically does when stating annual results, given uncertainty
over a fallout from a ballooning mileage intrigue scandal.
($1 = 111.1800 yen)
(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu and Maki Shiraki; Editing by Edwina


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As well as already selling over over 3.3 million copies, the expansion has helped WoW reach over 10 million player subscriptions. Not bad for a game released back in 2004.
Those figures come from a press release sent out by Blizzard today, which also admits that the game's launch could have gone a sight smoother. The developer and publisher claims it's working round the clock to fix the issues, and executive producer J. Allen Brackthat players would be refunded five days of their subscription time to make up for the troubles.
“We’re thrilled that so many players jumped in to play Warlords of Draenor on day one and are having a great time with the new content,” Said Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime. “We poured a lot of hard work and passion into this expansion, and we appreciate all the kind words from players and the overwhelming support they continue to show for World of Warcraft.”
Not a terrible way to mark World of Warcraft's tenth year since launch.


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Meating the market
08 August 2018
Producers have been informed that the concept of ‘bigger is better’ may risk under-supply to some of Australia’s most valuable lamb markets in the future.
MLA’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lisa Sharp, speaking at LambEx this week, said producers need to be highly aware of consumer demand for lighter, leaner lambs. She said the current trend of supplying larger lambs meant the industry was potentially missing out on tens of millions of dollars annual profit.
Smaller households and changing eating habits are driving domestic demand for smaller lambs, a move also seen in the valuable European Union market.
Lisa told the almost 1,000 attendees at the MLA-sponsored event held at Perth this week that lamb carcase weights had increased by an average of 190 grams/year over the past 10 years resulting in large carcases with reduced average lean meat yield. This has led to challenges for processors, butchers and retailers supplying markets demanding smaller cuts.
In 2017-18, 14% of Australian processed lambs had 26kg (or above) carcases – in 2000 that percentage was non-existent.
With 70% of all sheepmeat now exported (or 60% of lamb) Lisa explained that understanding consumer demand of such a multitude of markets has never been more important.
Delegates were told Australia remains the single largest and highest value market for lamb with steady growth forecast. While larger lambs are sought by certain markets such as the United States, where lamb remains a niche but growing product, regions such as the Middle East and Europe demand a lamb similar to the Australian domestic market. If greater access is gained in Europe, demand will far outstrip Australia’s lighter carcase supply.
“To see sustainable returns, it is important to understand what makes the industry the most profit with lighter, leaner lambs sought by many high value markets,” Lisa said.
“The cost of overfat lambs is currently borne by processors but ultimately it is lost value for the industry.
“There is significant potential to reclaim some of that lost profit if the Australian sheepmeat industry moves in the direction of producing the right balance of lighter and leaner lambs.”
Lisa admitted that current pricing regimes offered no incentive, but there could be room for processors to offer a premium for lighter lambs.
Speaking about the Middle East market, where many WA-produced sheep are directed, Lisa said consumer insights showed these consumers valued freshness over all other attributes, underpinning the desire for live animals which can be locally slaughtered. Lisa also stated the certain markets, such as the UAE were seeing significant growth in chilled lamb. As the retail trade modernised, this was a trend expected to continue.
Find out more about Australia’s red meat markets at www.mla.com.au/market-snapshots
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Pan-African eCommerce giant Jumia is aggressively pursuing profitability by narrowing losses and growing monetization.
In a report detailing its fourth quarter and full year 2022 results released Thursday (Feb. 16), the firm said its strategy to reduce losses and accelerate progress towards profitability is paying off, with Q4 operation losses down 41% year over year (YoY) while gross profit increased 22% during the same period.
Commenting on the results, Jumia CEO Francis Dufay expressed optimism about “the early signs of success” recorded in the quarter, which he said “only reflect a fraction of the actions” taken by the firm as it remains focused on executing cost efficiency projects.
Among the cost-cutting measures undertaken during the period include the discontinuation of the Jumia Prime subscription service, which “in terms of consumer traction and stickiness fell short of our targets,” the company noted.
Jumia has also axed its food delivery operations in Egypt, Ghana and Senegal, where the activity was subscale and together accounted for less than 1% of group gross merchandise volume (GMV) in the first nine months of 2022.
Due to a similar subpar performance which resulted in a less than 1% contribution to its total group revenue between Q1 and Q3 2022, its logistics-as-a-service activity was also suspended in several geographies, excluding in Nigeria, Morocco and Ivory Coast, where logistics infrastructure is more developed.
Another low-value project which the firm has scaled back in Algeria, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia is its first party grocery offering, as part of efforts to improve unit economics and simplify its business operations in those markets.
JumiaPay transactions as a percentage of total orders on the platform have steadily declined since last year, dropping 26% YoY to reach 2.9 million in the Q4 2022. The total orders placed on the Jumia platform using the JumiaPay app also decreased to 29% compared to 35% in Q4 2021.
According to the firm, this decline was the result of deliberate efforts made to improve unit economics, including scale back on marketing investments and promotions on the platform.
Nonetheless, the Q4 report noted that JumiaPay remains a core priority for the Africa-focused eCommerce firm, “and we will work on making it an even more effective enabler of our eCommerce business, focusing on a more targeted number of critical products and ventures.”
Overall, annual active consumers rose 4% YoY, while quarterly active consumers in Q4 2022 dropped 15% YoY. Jumia partly attributed this to the challenging macro environment and supply chain issues across markets that are piling pressure on consumer spend and impacting sellers’ ability to secure products.
“It is also a result of deliberate action on our side to reduce promotional intensity behind categories with more challenging unit economics, including a number of digital services on the JumiaPay app,” the firm said, adding that “we remain disciplined around customer acquisition with [a] focus on profitability.”
For all PYMNTS EMEA coverage, subscribe to the daily EMEA Newsletter.


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5 December 1952 The Land
Gocup, a Tumut district property, has been sold at public auction for £28,000.
The buyer was Mr. Harry Whittle, and the price for the 548 acres freehold was about £51 an acre.
Gocup was owned by the late Mr. J. Fairfax.
About 450 acres are alluvial flats, with a mile I and a half frontage to the Tumut River.
Mr. Whittle also has an option to buy 6,816 acres of perpetual lease hold country.
Mr. Whittle and his brother-in-law, Mr. Alan Wilkinson, own Wee Jasper Station.
The selling agents were Winchcombe Carson and Co. Ltd. and M. R. Archer and Sons, in conjunction.


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Fri, 26/04/2013 - 10:02
Illustrated book publisher Quarto has announced its first quarter results, with group revenue down 6%.
The company’s unaudited revenues and profits statement for the three months to 31st March 2013 show the decline, despite revenue for the Quayside Publishing Group in the US rising by 6%, and the Aurum Publishing Group in the UK...
Tue, 12/03/2013 - 10:05
Quarto has revealed plans to cut debt by divesting of businesses "detracting from shareholder value", as it reported 2012 results showing falls in revenue and profit.
The illustrated book publisher's revenue for the year...
Thu, 08/11/2012 - 10:00
Laurence Orbach has been ousted as director of the Quarto Group and has left the company. Tim Chadwick has been appointed as a director in his place. The positions of c.e.o. and chairman, previously held by Orbach, now lie vacant, although the Financial Times quotes Chadwick as stating that president and c.o.o. Marcus Leaver will...
Thu, 01/11/2012 - 09:30
Quarto has reported a drop in revenue but stable operating profit over the last nine months, with digital sales now accounting for 1.7% of total revenues at $2.225m (£1.39m). The company said its performance is “in line with expectations”.
The results come ahead of a shareholder vote next week (7th November) on the...
Mon, 01/10/2012 - 08:05
Quarto shareholders are to vote on 7th November on the potential removal of chairman and c.e.o. Laurence Orbach as a director of the company.
A special meeting to vote on the issue has been forced by two shareholders, holding 19.2% of the company's shares. The shareholders have made a formal request to remove Orbach and replace...
Thu, 16/08/2012 - 10:15
Quarto has reported results which "exceeded expectations" for the first half of 2012, with operating profit up 6% to $3.9m (£2.5m) and revenue up 1% to $73.2m (£46.6m) for the six-month period to 30th June 2012.
However, while its book publishing revenues increased to $53.4m (£34m), from $51.6m (£32....
Tue, 17/07/2012 - 06:00
Quarto shareholders are to vote on the potential removal of chairman and c.e.o. Laurence Orbach as a director of the company, following a formal request from two shareholders holding a 19% stake for a special meeting to decide the issue. Orbach, a co-founder of the publisher, is also the majority shareholder.
Tue, 08/05/2012 - 15:51
How new is Marcus Leaver to his job? When I meet him in the office block that contains the Quarto offices in London, the security guard at general reception desk cannot find him on the computer. “Are you sure he’s at Quarto?” I’m eventually asked.
Yet though he has been at his new role as chief operating...
Thu, 26/04/2012 - 08:58
Quarto has announced "solid" first quarter results for 2012, with revenue up 4% year on year to $33.9m (£22.9m) from $32.6m (£20.1m) and operating profit up 35% from $494k (£305k) to $666k (£411k).
The company said its book publishing segment increased operating profit by 9%, helped by "...
Thu, 15/03/2012 - 14:25
Quarto has appointed Marcus Leaver, previously president of Sterling Publishing in the US, to the newly created role of chief operating officer. He will succeed chairman and c.e.o. Laurence Orbach on his retirement in 2013.
Leaver, 41, became president of Barnes & Noble subsidiary Sterling Publishing in January 2008, having...


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The legal cannabis industry in the United States is crippled by issues with traditional finance and supply chain transparency. Can crypto come to the rescue?
Cannabis, meet crypto
The U.S. cannabis industry, which is expected to be worth some $40 billion by 2030, faces legal and regulatory challenges, including lack of access to traditional banks and supply chain transparency. Can crypto help?
The utility of blockchain technology to address data mutability, trust, authenticity, and asset traceability could be the ideal solution for these challenges facing the cannabis industry.
Under US federal law, marijuana is still a Schedule 1 controlled substance, creating financial and operational hurdles for state law-abiding operators in the expanding cannabis landscape.
Traditional Federal Reserve-backed banks continue to close their doors to state-licensed cannabis companies, refusing to touch funds that have moved through operations that are still technically illegal under federal law. Cannabis startups face higher risks associated with all-cash operations. Moreover, they do not have access to traditional bank loans to develop their business. Smaller credit unions have sprung up — followed by long waiting lists — but now that the SAFE Banking Act has been dropped from Congress’s annual defense spending bill, any hope for immediate progress in the national horizon has been annihilated.
On the transparency front, legal cannabis consumers still don’t know where the products come from, how they are produced, and who grows them.
Here are some real-world blockchain and crypto use cases for the cannabis industry, with the exception of marijuana-based cryptocurrencies that have been around since 2014, like PotCoin, CannabisCoin, DopeCoin, HempCoin, and CannaCoin.
Global Cannabis Capital for Investment
The Luxembourg company Global Cannabis Capital (GCC), which operates in Latin America, is the first tokenized cannabis ecosystem issuing security tokens to increase investments.
The token offerings could expand the funding sources available to the pot industry, which cannot borrow money from banks due to the US federal marijuana ban. Funding so far has come mainly from venture capital, wealthy individuals and individual shareholders rather than institutional investors.
Last year, GCC’s incubator unit, Cannabis Company Builder, raised $500,000 in seed capital from investors including pharmaceutical company and delivery apps entrepreneur Ruben Sosenke.
CEND for transparency
Another illustration is a Polygon blockchain company called Cannabis Without Borders (CEND) that creates a seamless, end-to-end solution for buyers and sellers of medical and adult cannabis. The crypto company currently works with more than 30 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
CEND sources, certifies and safely delivers cannabis products to connect growers, manufacturers and consumers to the global legal cannabis market. The service also facilitates in-country production and regulatory support and utilizes government and industry relations, optimized systems, and custom blockchain technology.
“We wanted to create a streamlined way to move the cannabis product as a commodity, like you see with all other merchandise, where everyone knows exactly what’s going on,” said CEND’s CEO. Erik Holling says Cannabis Wealth.
These blockchain services can be used to track and trace cannabis products throughout their life cycle and will be able to detect fraudulent items. Additional data available to consumers could include lighting used, plant growth, facility cleanliness, etc.
Speaking on regulatory issues, Holling said: “At the end of the day, transparency is what makes politicians feel safer to promote the industry in their country. It allows banks and insurance companies to feel more confident.”


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National chamber offers green support
Green companies seeking support, standards and a voice on Capitol Hill now have a group to depend on: The Green Chamber. The newly launched chamber of commerce is a group of regionally based organizations working to incorporate green principles into their goods, services and communities. With 16 regional directors, local chapters have access to networking, educational and lobbying opportunities. "Like the Rotary Club and other organizations, green businesses need to crank up the request-for-proposals and referral machines and support each for the sustainable-business movement to succeed," says Willi Paul, TGC's national program development director.
Regular gatherings will be scheduled for members, who can also share their business profiles and partnerships online. For more information, or to apply for member?ship, visit www.thegreenchamber.org.
Gift givers show taste
Frustrated in their search for a unique gift for that special someone, more shoppers are choosing to give food as a present, according to new research from Packaged Facts, a Rockville, Md.-based market research company. Sales of food gifts went up 56 percent between 2004 and 2006, and that's not just more Valentine's Day chocolate. One out of three consumers surveyed said they purchased a specialty-food gift during the holiday season, with assortments, nuts and salty snacks topping the list.
Researchers say the food-gifting trend is boosted by the fact that Americans are tightening their gift-giving belts in general, with the consumer gift market shrinking 8 percent between 2004 and 2006. Though online sales are growing, researchers say they expect purchases in grocery stores to continue to be strong because they are convenient places to pick up last-minute gifts.
Farmers' markets struggle to put down deep roots
Though the number of U.S. farmers' markets has been rising—more than 2,000 markets opened within the last 12 years—a high number of markets fail, according to a new study from Oregon State University. Of the failed markets that were studied, almost 50 percent closed after only one season. For the remainders, market-manager turnover rates were high. Researchers identified five interconnected characteristics that failed farmers' markets had in common: small size, high need for products, low administrative revenue, a volunteer or low-paid manager and high manager turnover.
Interviews and focus groups revealed that lack of parking for customers, tension with local businesses, and market day and time also contributed to market failure.
Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXVIII/number 9/p. 58


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BTMG USA Signs Joint Venture
- March 29, 2016
- Posted by: Sarah Green
- Category: Uncategorized
BTMG USA is proud to announce the new appointment of the representative Clear Business Ltd – A business strategy,brand management and consulting firm located in London U.K to offer software development, agile project management and cloud consulting services to the European market.
The contract was successfully signed by both the parties on 1st Jan 2015 ensuring both the companies will compliment each other’s services portfolio while serving the European clients with utmost high quality US standard services.
BTMG USA Founder Farooq Zahid and Clear Business’s founder Sidra Khan expressed their vision of capturing worldwide business opportunities and serving potential customers with no border restrictions.
- Clear Business role:
will be the sales office for the I.T Development,Products & Solutions
- BTMG USA role:
will be offering complete end to end back-end development and change management support
- Higher business values:
The link between profits and business value means that the moment a corporation creates a new sustainable level of profit, the business value is adjusted accordingly.
- Lower cost of ownership:
This, combined with the culture that must exist for innovation and creativity to flourish, means that new initiatives will have more budget to create cutting edge viable market solutions.


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SEIA launches tool to increase transparency of solar supply chain – PV Magazine USA
The document is written to have “universal application” across all product lines destined for export to the US market and is expected to be adopted by US equipment manufacturers and importers.
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a tool that it says will increase supply chain transparency and help ensure solar components are “ethically manufactured throughout. solar value chain â.
The Solar Supply Chain Traceability Protocol is a set of guidelines designed to help solar companies meet their compliance obligations and “provide customers with assurance that their solar products are free from contrary working practices. ‘ethics”. (Read the protocol here.)
âSolar energy customers expect their products to be produced ethically, and this protocol helps ensure that solar products entering the United States are not manufactured by forced labor,â John said. Smirnow, Vice President of Market Strategy at SEIA.
In early February, some 175 solar companies, including some of the world’s largest solar manufacturers, signed an EISE-led pledge against forced labor in the solar supply chain. In an interview with pv magazine, Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of SEIA, said the industry trade group realized the problem of forced labor at the end of 2020 and communicated with our companies that they âHad to change their supply chainsâ. She set a goal at the end of June for companies to adjust their supply chains to avoid conflict regions.
The EISE supply chain traceability document states that it is intended to have “universal application” in all product lines destined for export to the US market. He expected major users to include US equipment manufacturers and importers. He said that while his aim is to focus on “where the material inputs come from,” he also recognizes the importance of independent third-party audits and a “strong platform for corporate social responsibility and of import compliance â.
SEIA said the US government has “identified forced labor as a concern for the solar supply chain.” He said that American solar customers are also increasingly looking for assurance that the products they buy are truly sustainable and, in particular, free from forced labor.
SEIA said the new tool “alone will not eradicate forced labor, companies must follow the steps set by the protocol.”
In a statement released by SEIA, George Hershman, Chairman of Swinerton Renewable Energy and Chairman of the Board of Directors of SEIA, said: âThis important tool provides a cohesive set of guidelines based on fairness, safety and sustainability to thousands of solar companies across the country.
The protocol is a set of recommended good practices that SEIA says are designed to prevent forced labor in the solar supply chain; help businesses meet their US import compliance obligations; and ensure transparency of the value chain to customers. SEIA said the tool has been structured as an industry specification or a de facto standard, in the hope that it will be further developed into a formal industry standard.
The protocol includes an audit mechanism to measure a company’s implementation and compliance. SEIA said that when assessing conformity, “no single factor will be decisive.” He said auditors would assess compliance on the basis of a âholistic approachâ.
SEIA has also updated its Solar Commitment, which sets common labor, health and safety, environmental and ethical standards and expectations for solar companies. The update includes advice on workplace safety and ethical work practices.
In addition, the standard includes best recycling and retrofit practices, information on tracking energy consumption, procedures to avoid the use of conflict minerals in solar products, and additional advice that companies can. monitor to compel suppliers to meet standards.
SEIA has also released a Solar Buyers Guide to Traceability, which summarizes the protocol and offers a set of questions that customers, developers, financiers and other stakeholders should ask suppliers on value chain products. solar + storage.
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Ten years of NürnbergMesse China
NürnbergMesse China has successfully established itself in the last ten years, according to the trade fair organiser. Since 2007, NürnbergMesse China has been planning and organizing trade fairs, exhibitions and congresses, and in the process has aligned itself strongly to the content of the trade fairs and exhibitions in Nuremberg.
Therefore, events such as Biofach China (25-27 May 2017), China Diecasting (19-21 July 2017), IPB (16-18 October 2017) or China Foundry Congress & Exhibition (16-18 November 2017) mirror the corresponding leading fairs such as Biofach, Euroguss or Powtech. They are adapted to the country-specific markets and requirements. As a result, within the framework of “Geo-Adapting”, new tailor-made trade fair and exhibition concepts are repeatedly being created for the respective geographic regions and markets: in this connection, in 2017, Craft Beer China (17-19 May 2017) will be held for the second time and this year, Greenery & Landscaping China (07-09 June 2017) will be celebrating its premiere.
For Dr Roland Fleck, CEO of the NürnbergMesse Group and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Chinese subsidiary, is exemplary: “After ten years, now in 2017, we will be welcoming more than 1,200 exhibitors and up to 60,000 trade visitors to our events in China. In the process, more than 26,000 square metres of net space will have been booked – three really impressive trade fair core figures, which graphically illustrate our successful China strategy.” At the same time however, the international trade fairs in Nuremberg are also benefiting from this development, as Peter Ottmann emphasizes: “At the exhibition centre at home, our Chinese customers occupy 2nd place in the exhibitor rankings, and in terms of visitors, last year we welcomed almost 6,000 Chinese guests as exhibitors and visitors here in Nuremberg – a new record figure!” In particular, Interzoo (350 exhibitors), the European Coatings Show (200) and Chillventa (100) are right at the top of the list of the Chinese exhibitors’ favourite events.


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Chinese consumers swiftly changing Vancouver, Toronto
January 10, 2021
Ethnic Chinese consumers in Canada are more wealthy than the general population and more likely to buy prestige luxury products, according to a giant survey that urges companies to respond.
The marketplaces of Greater Vancouver and Toronto are rapidly changing to adapt to what the survey calls “the mindset and behaviours” of the 1.8 million ethnic Chinese in Canada, who tend to prefer big-name brands that give them social status, advertising in their ethnic language and shopping online.
They live almost entirely in the metropolises of Vancouver and Toronto. More than eight of 10 ethnic Chinese consumers in Canada were not born here — and often have shopping preferences distinct from the 17 per cent who were, according to the large survey by Vivintel, a marketing research organization serving media outlets and advertisers.
Instead of relying on anecdotes and clichés about the preferences of ethnic Chinese shoppers, the Vivintel survey of Chinese adults in Metro Vancouver and Toronto provides detailed data on why and how ethnic Chinese spend about $61 billion a year. Along the way it asks about their views in such areas such things as risk-taking, sports, family and religion.


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Google announces Stadia streaming platform
Stream games to a variety of devices, using your own hardware or a new controller
Google has announced their entry into the video game market with the reveal of Stadia at GDC 2019 today.
Stadia is a new game streaming platform, promising access to major games on any type of screen - a TV, laptop, desktop, tablet or mobile phone. The project goal is to make those games available in resolutions up to 4K and 60 frames per second with HDR and surround sound.
When players use Stadia, they'll be able to access their games at all times, and on virtually any screen. And developers will have access to a hardware stack combining server class GPU, CPU, memory and storage, beyond what the current traditional consoles offer.
What sets the system apart is how it will work with other Google services. For example, if you watch a creator playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey on YouTube, users will be able to simply click the “play now” button. Seconds later, Google says you'll be running around ancient Greece in your own game with no downloads, no updates, no patches and no installs.
Google will also offer the Stadia controller. The controller will connect to Google's data center through Wi-Fi for the best possible gaming performance. The controller also includes a button for instant capture, saving and sharing gameplay in up to 4k resolution. And it comes equipped with a Google Assistant button and built-in microphone.
Stadia will be launching later this year in select countries including the U.S., Canada, U.K. and much of Europe.


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Mobile users of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds now have a new location to play in thanks to the arrival of the Miramar map. The update brings new weapons and vehicles, social features and better optimization. To celebrate the release of Miramar, PUBG Corp. has sent out a brand new video developer diary to show off the location and features.
With today’s update, PUBG MOBILE delivers the harrowing, varied terrain of the Miramar battleground to players. Set in a rugged desert with expansive cities perfect for epic battles, Miramar offers players fast-paced combat in the palm of their hands.


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The fortunes of a particular corner of the U.S. trucking industry in the next year are as tied to whether one company, YRC Worldwide Inc, survives as they are to a recovery in the recession-bound U.S. economy.
If YRC fails it could provide competitors with just the reduction in industry capacity they need to jack up pricing for the first time since late 2006.
While that would be good news for the less-than-truckload (LTL) market -- which refers to truckers who consolidate smaller loads into a single truck -- it will hurt customers already facing the pinch in a down economy.
YRC, based in Overland Park, Kansas, nearly quadrupled its revenue from $2.6 billion in 2002 to a peak of $9.9 billion in 2006 thanks largely to two major acquisitions, and is important because it controls some 20 percent of the LTL market.
"One of two things has to happen: either we have to lose capacity or demand has to come back," said Morgan Keegan analyst Art Hatfield. "The rate at which YRC's business is deteriorating makes it more likely that it will be them to go out of business rather than someone else."
He said a YRC failure "would have a positive effect on the market, as it would help restore the balance between supply and demand. It would also help stop the bleeding on pricing."
LTL shippers account for around 13.6 percent of America's trucking sector, with the rest dominated by the highly fragmented truckload -- or long-haul -- market. Full Story.......


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We may not even be in September yet, but it turns out a lot of people already have their mind on holiday shopping. Specifically, they are already concerned about how inflation is going to impact their holiday season.
A new “U.S. News & World Report” survey finds:
- 84% of Americans are concerned about how inflation will impact their holiday shopping.
- 43% of these people say they worry about it “a lot.”
- 81% are already doing something about it, adjusting their everyday spending.
- Overall, the average American planned to spend $648 on holiday gifts last year.
- 52% say they plan to spend even less than that this year.
- 51% hope to save money by using things like online coupons, apps and more.
And it’s not just the holidays where folks are looking to save money.
- 58% of Americans say they seek out coupons to save money at least once a week.
- 25% do so once a month.
- Many are also looking to save money using discounts like:
- Promotional codes from online retailers (67%)
- Buy one, get one deals (58%)
- Free shipping coupons (54%)
- Rebate offers (40%)
Source: U.S. News & World Report


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Tuesday, January 21, 2014
GoDaddy Ramps Efforts In Latin America
Scottsdale, Arizona-based GoDaddy is ramping up its efforts in Latin America, saying that it has started offering support in both Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. The company said the customer support in Latin America comes from native language speakers, and is part of a localization of its products in Latin America. GoDaddy's expansion in Latin America comes as the company has increasingly focused its business on small businesses and international expansion.


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adimas - Fotolia
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will enforce the California Consumer Privacy Act regulation come hell, high water or coronavirus.
That was made immediately clear on July 1 when Becerra announced CCPA enforcement of the law would begin as scheduled, despite its final regulatory language being subject to a 90-day review by the California Office of Administrative Law. The review process began on June 1 and will likely be finalized by the end of August. More than 30 trade associations and businesses sent a letter seeking an extension on CCPA regulation enforcement due to pandemic-related business disruptions. The law took effect on Jan. 1.
Anecdotal reports passed on through trade associations claim that some companies have already received CCPA violation notices from Becerra's office, which they have 30 days to address or face fines of $2,500-$7,500 per violation. On the civil lawsuit side, 34 complaints cited the CCPA regulation through July 2, according to law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, that tracks them.
The law gives California residents the legal right to know what specific personal information about them a company keeps, shares or sells; mandates a company deletes it upon request of the resident and allows customers to opt out of data sales; and it prohibits companies from discriminating against consumers who exercise their rights.
There are some exceptions: Companies with gross annual revenue under $25 million that buy, receive or sell information for fewer than 50,000 customers and derive less than 50% of annual revenue from selling consumers' information are exempt from CCPA. Nonprofits and government offices are also exempt.
But for most people working in sales, marketing, customer service and e-commerce -- if they're located in California or have customers in the state -- CCPA enforcement is in effect, Constellation Research analyst Liz Miller said.
"If we're thinking about security as an operational checklist, we're doing it wrong," Miller said. "The reality is that our customers expect that when they finish a transaction online with a brand they trust, give a credit card number and give a home address, that we are going to do the most we possibly can to make sure that that information is used for good and does not fall into nefarious hands."
Salesforce an early CCPA defendant
For now, Becerra's office handles CCPA enforcement. A ballot initiative Californians will vote on in November, the California Privacy Rights and Enforcement Act of 2020, would establish the California Privacy Protection Agency to handle enforcement. This law would strengthen the CCPA and add layers that affect adtech platforms, among other technologies.
One of the first CCPA lawsuits is a class-action complaint filed against Salesforce e-commerce customer and children's clothier Hanna Andersson, stemming from a 2019 data breach. Salesforce, which is also named as a defendant in the suit, declined comment on the case for this article; attorneys for the plaintiffs did not respond to inquiries.
Cloud software vendors such as Alyce, which manages promotional gift and video lead-generation campaigns, are watching both the California Attorney General's Office to determine enforcement patterns and the civil suits to see who is awarded damages. It could take more than a year to understand what CCPA violations draw fines, said Andy Dale, Alyce general counsel.
While Alyce was already CCPA-compliant, Dale said, the company is tweaking features on its platform to make CCPA compliance more straightforward in the user interface. One example is making data deletion easier so an Alyce user can quickly honor customer requests to do so.
Alyce integrates with Adobe Marketo and Salesforce, among other popular platforms. Dale said that the company is paying close attention to the Hanna Andersson and Salesforce suit.
Liz MillerAnalyst, Constellation Research
"It definitely hits our radar," Dale said. "All I can do is watch and see what happens and see how they respond."
Marketers and other CX professionals need to be vigilant when selecting cloud companies for their campaigns and enlist help before entering into contracts with vendors to make sure those service providers align with their company's data-use and security policies. While marketing automation tools have proliferated over the last decade, and marketing teams built their own tech stacks, these new privacy compliance mandates spell the end of trial-and-error lead generation campaigns.
"You have to have your CIO and CISO involved in the conversation if something's going to hook into your system or touch your customer in any way," Constellation's Miller said. "The days of 'random acts of marketing technology purchases' have to be over."
That said, Miller added, the CCPA regulation is creating "Christmas for lawyers," and she expects a large number of initial lawsuits connected to data breaches that won't necessarily be successful, because it puts too much onus on the plaintiffs to prove companies knowingly flouted the law.
National privacy law may be next
The CCPA regulation is the first state consumer privacy law of its kind; New York, Oregon, Washington and Nevada followed with their own.
More could come as legislators consider bills in Massachusetts, Hawaii, Virginia and Maryland -- Illinois already has a law protecting biometrics information, and a proposed consumer privacy bill in the works that would reinforce it. These different state laws prompted Microsoft to make the stringent CCPA its national standard to streamline compliance efforts.
Several privacy bills have been introduced at the federal level. Should one pass, privacy compliance will be less of a state-by-state patchwork for cloud software vendors and their users.
"I think both sides see the merit in having something, so someday we may get there," Alyce's Dale said.


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- Bloomberg•last month
Fingerprint Cards AB’s new chief executive officer says he may make acquisitions to accelerate expansion into new market segments for the Swedish maker of biometric sensors.
- Reuters•last month
Swedish fingerprint sensor maker Fingerprint Cards says on Monday on its website its touch sensor FPC1035 is featured in recently launched Lenovo K6, K6 Note and K6 Power.
- Reuters•2 months ago
European shares fell on Monday as top Federal Reserve officials bolstered expectations for a U.S. rate hike this year, while Alstom bucked the weaker trend after a contract win. At the Fed's annual gathering for global central bankers on Friday, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said the case for a rate hike had strengthened, but while she gave no hints about timing, Fed Vice Chair Stanley Fischer said later her speech was consistent with expectations for possible rate increases this year.
Fingerprint Cards AB (publ) (FING-B.ST)
Stockholm - Stockholm Delayed Price. Currency in SEK
|Day's Range||0.00 - 0.00|
|1y Target Est||N/A|
|P/E Ratio (ttm)||16.84|
|Avg Vol (3m)||8,981,015|
|Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|


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During Dental Expo exhibition, which took place in Moscow from 16 to 19 of September, SGS implant system was presented at the stand of UNIDENT Company. UNIDENT Company is an exclusive dealer of SGS in Russia. Nowadays UNIDENT is a manufacturing leader of dental equipment and materials at the Russian market.
For many years of developing Dental Expo has firmly established itself as the largest exhibition in East Europe exceeding similar events in Milan, Madrid, Gothenburg and etc. Traditionally, in September, all the stars of the world dental industry and former CIS countries representatives gather in Moscow.
This year it has been presented an impressive highly topical program and a great choice of products from all over the world on the exhibition. For visitors comfort many foreign manufacturers were gathered in national pavilions and some of the exhibitors were supported by their national governments and ministries.
A program schedule of the 34th International Moscow Dental Forum was extremely rich and various. Probably, for the first time such an important program for dentists including hundreds of business and educational projects was presented on the Forum’s platform.


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APAC enterprises getting more social
By Digital News Asia November 22, 2012
- 52% of organizations already have an enterprise social network in place, 23% plan to adopt one in the next 18 months
- Security, compliance, governance and lack of control are cited as the most important inhibitors to deployment
USAGE of enterprise social tools by Asia Pacific organizations is expected to hit 75% within the next 18 months according to a new IDC Enterprise Social Survey sponsored by Microsoft.
The survey found that 52% of organizations already have an enterprise social network in place, and an additional 23% plan to adopt one in the next 18 months.
Globalization is making Asian organizations not only more connected but also more integrated. Asia’s economy has grown tremendously since the introduction of the Internet in the late 90s. From 2007 to 2012, the growth in the number of Asia Pacific Internet users has been unprecedented, rising from 418 million to over one billion.
The rise in the use of social networks is equally remarkable with 204.9 million Facebook users in Asia, roughly 27% of Facebook’s non-US/ Canada user base. Facebook is not alone; services such as Skype and Live Messenger have also grown, reporting more than a quarter of a billion registered users worldwide.
According to Microsoft, organizations are looking to enterprise social technologies to gain competitive advantage, placing them well above investments in core networks, cloud computing and business intelligence.
Driving this trend in Asia Pacific are several factors including a young workforce, early adoption of gadgets and social media, as well as cultural trends such as relationship-focused business dealings.
Todd Cione, Microsoft’s chief marketing and operations officer for Asia, said that social isn’t just a new set of tools – it’s a new way of thinking about an organization. “It’s about putting people at the center of the organization and ensuring that customers, employees and partners can connect with the people and information they need to actually get their work done,” he said.
Cione added that to truly enable a connected user experience you have to create a single set of tools that integrate both productivity (the ‘where’ you work) and social tools (the ‘how’ you talk) into the same place.
“In addition to this, the rise of social media and networking is profoundly affecting the way organizations conduct their business and it’s poised to be particularly impactful in Asia as enterprises encourage the sharing of ideas, rich conversations and deep collaboration, while empowering employees,” he added.
Although the IDC Survey highlighted broad acceptance of the benefits of enterprise social in the workplace, challenges remain.
“Security, compliance, governance and lack of control are cited as the most important inhibitors to implement enterprise social but it is not viable for companies to resist adoption as end-users may turn to Internet-based, consumer grade, and potentially less secure options,” said Claus Mortensen, director of Emerging Technology Research at IDC Asia Pacific.
He added that organizations will need to educate themselves on the availability of solutions that also fulfill their IT requirements.
The IDC survey interviewed 352 decision makers and influencers from medium and large enterprises from across three sub-regions in Asia Pacific: Asean (Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand), ANZ (Australia and New Zealand) and Korea.


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It's an online marketplace wherein lenders can compete to fund each individual's loan.
Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) March 14, 2013
Maryland Auto Finance, based out of Baltimore but serving consumers statewide, has unveiled a sophisticated new approval platform designed to take the credit approval process online. Previously, consumers in need of a car loan in Maryland would often have to submit applications to a multitude of lending institutions - banks, credit unions, and dealers - in order to find a company willing to fund their loan at an affordable rate. This was a particularly frustrating process for those consumers with credit scores of 650 and lower, as many lender simply do not accept people with subprime or "bad" credit.
The new platform from Maryland Auto Finance, however, streamlines this process by shopping one user-submitted credit application among a multitude of lenders. "It's like an online marketplace," said company spokesperson, "wherein lenders can compete to fund each individual's auto loan." However, this senior official was quick to distinguish this process from traditional rate-shopping, in which users are often bombarded with telephone calls and emails from multitude providers. "Credit applications are placed exclusively with only one dealer or lender," he said. "This ensures that our clients have the most optimal financing experience."
The company is taking significant precautions when it comes to data protection. All personal private information is transmitted and stored with SSL encryption, and access to this data is severely restricted. Certain fields are programmatically deleted after a period of seven days.
Interested parties can learn more at the company's website.
About the company: Maryland Auto Finance was founded by a team of automotive experts with many years of experience in the automotive and finance industries. They have been working hard to secure financing approvals through their network of dealers and lenders, and they are quickly becoming the "go to" resource for Maryland residents in need of automotive financing.


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Graphic Packaging International will sell non-core assets including nine US multi-wall bag converting plants to international packaging and paper group Mondi Group for $105m.
The deal will also see the sale of Graphic Packaging International’s Pine Buff, Arkansas kraft paper mill which has a production capacity of 135,000t a year.
The assets generated unaudited pro forma sales of approximately $437m in the 12 months ending 31 March.
Mondi Group chief executive David Hathorn said that the combination of the business with the company’s existing network will create a bags player in North America, while expanding the group’s growing footprint in the market globally.
"I am confident that the synergies expected from the acquisition, coupled with Mondi’s proven expertise as a leading global kraft paper and industrial bags producer, will ensure that the combined business delivers strongly," Hathorn added.
Graphic Packaging chairman, president and chief executive officer David Scheible said that following the sale, the company will transform into a vertically integrated paperboard packaging company.
"The divestiture will free up valuable resources which we can redirect to further accelerate global growth in our core paperboard packaging business," Scheible added.
Mondi plans to fund the acquisition from existing available resources. The transaction is expected to close in the late second quarter or early third quarter of the year.
Image: Mondi kraft paper production in Sweden. Photo: courtesy of Mondi.


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The LBC for Barking and Dagenham began moving its employees over to Chrome OS devices in mid-2013, with the aim of total migration ahead of the Windows XP expiry date on April 8, 2014.
In addition to modernising their equipment, Rupert Hay-Campbell, of ICT at the borough, estimates that as much as £200,000 has been saved in licensing costs by forgoing Windows PCs in favour of Google’s free alternative. A further £200,000 saving is expected from reduced electricity costs owing to the energy efficiency of Chrome OS.
Google provide Chrome OS for free to PC makers, who pass on the saving to customers through lower retail pricing.
Some 3,500 desktop computers and 800 laptops running Windows are used by the council’s 3,500-strong workforce. 2,000 of these are being replaced with Chromebooks — specifically the Samsung Series 3 owning to its ‘impressive battery life and portability’ — while 500 desktop PCs in reception and shared working areas will be traded for low-cost Chromeboxes.
Not An Ideological Switch
While the council is dropping an overall dependence on Windows hardware, it’s not dropping its use of the OS.
Preexisting licensing agreements with Microsoft have allowed them to maintain around 600 desktop PCs running Windows 7 under perpetual license – something they argue will allow them to support obscure applications and workers with accessibility needs not met by Chrome OS.
The majority of the Chromebooks will act as thin clients connection via Citrix to a Windows environment. This will help ensure that legacy applications remain accessible to workers, such as Microsoft Office, but with reduced overhead in local administration.
The ultimate aim, Rupert says, is to move off of Citrix entirely, and into the browser on Chrome OS. For now workers will remain looking at the familiar Windows environment, just through a different window.
- Source: Computing


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You have searched for "Ismail Sabri Yaakob"
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It’s business unusual as people go about their lives in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Stores can now start registering with the MySejahtera Check-In feature’s mobile site, so customers can utilise the QR code generated to check in rather than filling out a log book.
The police are now fully utilising the drone technology to monitor and ensure that the standard operating procedures (SOP) set for the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) are being adhered to by the public.
The Women's Aid Organisation has appealed to users on social media to stop doing the viral mugshot challenge.
b>KUALA LUMPUR: /b>The Government will amend the Copyright Act 1987 to make it an offence to have pirated goods, just like it is an offence to possess stolen goods, said the Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.


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Allergan's Wang sees bright future for medical aesthetics in China
Medical aesthetics and eye care giant Allergan this month launched the US$14.7 million Allergan Innovation Center in Chengdu, the first of its kind in the world.
White Wang became vice president of Allergan and president of Allergan China last year after working at a number of multinational medical technology companies. He holds an EMBA from China Europe International School and a bachelor’s degree in bio-engineering pharmacy from Nanjing University.
Shanghai Daily talked to Wang about the Chinese business prospects of the pharmaceutical company with a specialized focus on medical aesthetics and how the industry will involve in the coming years.
Q: What is the role of the Allergan Innovation Center and why did you set up the training center in Chengdu?
A: We've seen a major shortfall in the supply of highly trained and well-qualified medical aesthetics professionals, and the gap is growing.
We're committed to improving the diagnostic and therapeutic skills of medical aesthetics professionals through the Allergan Medical Institute and will continue to offer high quality talent to the industry.
As the country's first professional training base for medical aesthetics professionals, the Allergan Innovation Center will offer more than 110 training courses in 2019 in plastic surgery and customized diagnosis and treatment technology for about 3,400 doctors nationwide.
The Chengdu municipal government is fully committed to building an international gateway city and international capital of the medical aesthetics industry by strengthening all aspects of the supply chain, including logistics infrastructure, talent cultivation and consumer education.
It also has a geographical advantage as a hub city on, and a key link in, the supply chain of biological medicines. In the future, Allergan will send more shipments from Europe to China through Chengdu and actively promote the city as a hub in the global biomedical supply chain.
Q: How do you see the medical aesthetics industry in developing over the next few years?
A: Currently, the supply of high quality medical aesthetics professionals is lagging behind the booming demand in the country. But many unqualified practitioners and institutions will be gradually eliminated with rising consumer awareness in the coming years. It will ultimately be a booming market after the transformation.
It’s a sector expected to enjoy an estimated growth of more than 20 percent annually in the coming years, which is very exciting. We want to work with product manufacturers, service providers, distributors and industry associations as well as government agencies to strive towards a bright future.
We believe the setting up of the training center and customer education will eventually benefit the industry as a whole, although it may not bring immediate benefits in the short term.
Q: How do you choose partnership in China?
A: We're working with Alibaba’s healthcare service affiliate AliHealth to provide medical aesthetics education for consumers to help them choose the right hospitals, physicians and approved products, as well as the consultation platform, and we're also seeking other partners in the digital field as the fast-changing market requires the company to formulate a responsive strategy to better connect with younger consumer groups through online channels.
We are very cautious when we work with partners because we put the consumer at the center. We have a vigorous standard for choosing legitimate and qualified partners and will not sacrifice our quality in the face of fast growth.
In China as many as 90 percent of consumers of medical aesthetics services or products are aged below 36, while the majority of consumers in overseas markets are over 40, and there's also a lack of trustworthy information through online channels. We want to bridge the information gap between consumers and service providers and will be embracing new digital trends.
Q: What's your talent strategy and how do you manage challenges?
A: We want our employees to have rich medical knowledge and a deep understanding of the regulatory environment. We also want them to embrace the fast-changing market and understand consumer mindset and digital trends.
Because the medical aesthetics industry is evolving fast, we need a deep understanding of the market and to formulate strategies at a fast pace. And different talent needs to work together and deliver synergies.
We also need to make sure medical practitioners have a deep understanding of the latest products and technology so they can bring the most suitable products to consumers.


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TIN BOX FLOGGER Dell has inadvertantly shown off a slew of mobile devices, surprising everyone by showing that it too can produce good looking designs.
The devices, which include mobile phones running the Windows Phone 7 OS and three devices that run the Android OS, all look like items that Steve Jobs would be happy to put his name behind. Finally Dell rounded off its leaked specifications with a seven-inch "glass" tablet, a bigger brother to the five-inch model it showed off at CES this year.
Although Dell has announced phones previously, such as the Mini 3i we looked at back in January, these devices are in a different league, with the "Lightning" singlehandedly doing what Steve Ballmer failed to do in Barcelona, make Windows Phone 7 interesting. The device has a slide-out keyboard, a 4.1-inch OLED screen and is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Engadget also reports that the device will receive a 4G upgrade at the end of 2011.
However it seems that while Dell might have an impressive Windows Phone 7 handset, it has put more weight behind Android, showing three devices with the "Thunder" being an almost identical copy to the Lightning except running Android 2.1. Dell claims that the device runs Flash 10.1 and is being used to push mobile Hulu, a sort of Iplayer for the US.
Two other devices, called Smoke and Flash, go for the mainstream market and while lacking in innovative features still look very good. Both run the Android OS but neither will be available until late this year, at the earliest.
The firm's Mini 5, which has since been renamed as the Streak 5, will get a larger brother, the Looking Glass. That handset will have a seven-inch screen, be based on Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor and run Android 2.1. Engadget also reports that the device will have an optional TV tuner module supporting DVB-T transmissions. The only downside is that the seven-inch display will have a somewhat uninspiring screen resolution at 800x480, the same as the Streak.
The publication of these leaked Dell documents is sure to please Engadget, which was beaten to the Iphone story by its rival Gizmodo. However it's unlikely that anything Dell produces, no matter how impressive or surprising, will be able to mobilise a hoard of fanbois like Steve Jobs' creations.
These latest devices show that Dell is indeed capable of conjuring up good industrial designs, however given that none of these devices are slated to tip up for a good few months yet, it'll be interesting to see whether Dell will miss the boat with these impressive smartphones. µ
Next-gen devices enabled by integrating novel materials on silicon
Plus there's a new way to read comics in town
Find out which six games have most impressed us so far this year
Video shows off upcoming handset in Rose Gold compared to iPhone 6S predecessor


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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE memory configurations and European pricing leaks
Roland Quandt and WinFuture have published details about the Galaxy S21 FE, adding to the plethora of leaks that have appeared online throughout this year. Last month, CoinBRS published a near-complete set of marketing images, while @Abhisheksoni130 shared hands-on photos of the device's Snapdragon 888 variant. For reference, Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S21 FE with an Exynos 2100 SoC in some markets instead of the Snapdragon 888.
According to Quandt, Samsung will offer the Galaxy S21 FE in Europe with an Exynos 2100, in line with the rest of the Galaxy S21 series. The device, which has the model number SM-G990E in Europe, will be available in four colours and at least two memory configurations. Previous leaks have shown prototypes with 6 GB and 8 GB of RAM, but Quandt only mentions the latter in the context of 128 GB or 256 GB of storage.
Regardless, Quandt adds that the Galaxy S21 FE will start at €660 in Europe with 128 GB of storage. Potentially, the entry-level model could feature 6 GB of RAM, rather than 8 GB, and 128 GB of storage. Last year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 FE in Europe for €633, with its price rising to €719 for 256 GB of storage or 8 GB of RAM. Incidentally, the Snapdragon 865 and 5G-backed variant retailed for €730. By contrast, the 256 GB version of the Galaxy S21 FE will cost €705.
In short, the Galaxy S21 FE will be slightly more expensive than the 4G version of the Galaxy S20 FE. However, it should retail for less than its 5G predecessor at launch, which Samsung is expected to have scheduled for early January 2022.


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Microsoft has announced it has made an investment, its first, in General Motors’ driverless car unit Cruise.
Microsoft will join General Motors, Honda and institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more than US$2 billion in Cruise, bringing the post-money valuation of Cruise to US$30 billion.
The investment puts it head-to-head with Waymo, the Google sister company, as the world’s most valuable autonomous driving start-up. Waymo raised US$3.2 billion last year at an undisclosed valuation that was “more than $30 billion”, the Financial Times reported.
Cruise had originally hoped to launch a driverless ride-hailing service in San Francisco in 2019, but the plans were indefinitely postponed. It signed a deal in November to provide Walmart customers with contact-free delivery in the area of Scottsdale, Arizona, although a back-up driver will still be at the wheel.
The companies will bring together their software and hardware engineering excellence, cloud computing capabilities, manufacturing know-how and partner ecosystem to try to turn Cruise into a commercial success.
“Our mission to bring safer, better, and more affordable transportation to everyone isn’t just a tech race – it’s also a trust race,” said Cruise CEO Dan Ammann. “Microsoft, as the gold standard in the trustworthy democratisation of technology, will be a force multiplier for us as we commercialise our fleet of self-driving, all-electric, shared vehicles.”
Cruise will leverage Azure, Microsoft’s cloud and edge computing platform,to commercialise its autonomous vehicle solutions at scale. Microsoft, as Cruise’s preferred cloud provider, will also tap into Cruise’s industry expertise to enhance its customer-driven product innovation and serve transportation companies across the globe through continued investment in Azure, Microsoft said in a statement.
“Advances in digital technology are redefining every aspect of our work and life, including how we move people and goods,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “As Cruise and GM’s preferred cloud, we will apply the power of Azure to help them scale and make autonomous transportation mainstream.”
When General Motors bought Cruise for “more than US$1 billion” in 2016 it employed 40 people. It now has almost 2000 employees and accounts for more than 40 per cent of General Motors’ US$71.5 billion market capitalisation.
General Motors’ Chairman and CEO Mary Barra was delighted with Microsoft’s investment in Cruise.
“Microsoft is a great addition to the team as we drive toward a future world of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion,” she said. “Microsoft will help us accelerate the commercialisation of Cruise’s all-electric, self-driving vehicles and help GM realise even more benefits from cloud computing as we launch 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2025 and create new businesses and services to drive growth.”


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Join the top food and beverage leaders at THE International Concessions and Hospitality Marketplace. The 2016 Concession & Hospitality Expo will take place on July 19-22 at the Depot Renaissance in Minneapolis. The information below is an example of the business, education and networking activities that have become a trademark of our annual event. The […]
Join Now and become a member of the top food and beverage concession leaders in the recreation and leisure time industry!
- The 2016 Concession & Hospitality Expo May 26, 2016
- Government Relations Update: FDA Modernizes Nutrition Facts Label for Packaged Foods May 23, 2016
- Ben’s Soft Pretzels Raises $30,000 for Military Families May 18, 2016
- 2016 Expo Program Ads on Sale Now May 16, 2016
- NAC and IAVM to be Alliance Partners May 13, 2016


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TripAdvisor claims to be responsible for travel bookings worth £1.7 billion in the UK last year.
This represented 2.2% of tourism spend in 2011, according to a new study on the impact of online user review sites on consumer behaviour and the UK tourist and hospitality industry.
The findings show that consumers using user-generated content are more likely to increase both their time and spending on tourist accommodation and locations in the UK.
Commissioned by TripAdvisor and conducted by Tourism Economics, the report estimates that the £1.7 billion spend helped created 7,000 jobs and supported 20,000 in the tourism industry.
The survey shows that more than 25% of people either stayed longer, spent more or undertook more activities as a result of using the site.
The average domestic spending per trip by an UK TripAdvisor user is estimated to be more than 20% higher than the average online booking.
More than half of survey respondents reported finding hotels not part of a chain.
Sites such as TripAdvisor tend to provide reassurance, build trust and provide more information which leads to an increase in bookings and spending by consumers.
People using user-generated sites are also more likely to have a better travel experience as a result of having greater insight and expectation management of locations visited, according to the research.
Tourism Economics director David Goodger said: “Sites such as TripAdvisor have fundamentally changed the way consumers both research and shop for their holiday and leisure activities, to their benefit.
“Travel consumers can now afford to be more selective in their purchasing decisions which has really seen those providing a quality product or service in this industry rise to the top.
“The great thing about user-generated content sites is that in addition to building consumer confidence and increasing spending prior to travel, they have levelled the playing field for businesses big and small.”
He added: “This democratisation of reviews and travel information has also shown to generate real commercial value with TripAdvisor alone, as the leading travel site, supporting £1.7 billion in tourism spending in the UK. We estimate that over 7,000 new jobs have been generated in the economy as a result.”
TripAdvisor for Business president Christine Petersen said: “The travel industry has long been ahead of the curve in adopting user-generated content and really tapping into this to benefit both consumers and businesses alike.
“Property and site owners that have been truly embracing and engaging with this content not only benefit through the consumer feedback they receive but they have also raised the quality standards of the industry as a whole in the UK.
“We knew that our community of over 56 million unique users contribute great consumer insight to each other and the industry but now we see that sites like ours can also drive real economic value.”


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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 2014-03-14 — /Travel PR News/ — TravelPRNews.com, a leading travel press release distribution and news-wire service, runs an initiative aimed at discovering and giving greater exposure to travel industry leaders that stay behind any great achievement and success within the travel and leisure industry.
Travel intelligence company Skift revealed the names of the airlines with best social media customer service based on how prompt they were reacting on their clients’ requests on Twitter. You can find out more about their report over here.
Based on their credible market insight, TravelPRNews.com’s analysts team was able to recognize the leadership of the social media heads and customer relations managers behind the success achieved by those airlines in handling customer service inquiries on social media platforms.
Below is the list of the leading airlines’ customer care managers to be honored as compiled by and according to TravelPRNews.com’s analysts team. Ranking is based solely on the response time indicated in twitter’s replies to the customer’s questions.
[ultimatetables 1 /]
Having one of the industry’s most concentrated readership of high-profile travel execs, managers, influencers and leaders, TravelPRNews.com is now encouraging you to cast your own votes below to name who do you think is the best among them all. Voting closes at the end of June, 2014. A separate press release will then be issued by TravelPRNews.com to announce the ranking according our readership.
If you have questions, objections, comments or you think someone has been omitted, please let us know at email@example.com or leave a note in the comments below.
About this press release
The current press release has been compiled by TravelPRNews PR editors with the belief greater exposure and wider endorsement must be given to every success and achievement, big or small, within the travel and leisure industry.
TravelPRNews.com is a leading press release distribution & newswire service for the travel and leisure industry. To learn more about us please visit travelprnews.com or get in touch with our editorial desk at firstname.lastname@example.org.
The information in this press release was factually accurate on the date of publication. These press releases remain on TravelPRNews.com website for historical purposes only. TravelPRNews.com assumes no duty to update the information to reflect subsequent developments. Readers should not rely upon the information in this press release as current or accurate after their publication dates.


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The battle over SM Entertainment is finally over.
The battle deemed a “war of money” concluded on the 10th when KAKAO compromised with HYBE. Though details are yet to be disclosed, it’s been rumored that both companies agreed to a structure that will not monopolize SM Entertainment.
HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk suspended the acquisition process of SM Entertainment. Today, HYBE released a press release and shared that the decision to suspend the acquisition was made considering how the situation could negatively affect HYBE’s shareholder value. They acknowledged that the market was overheating due to the intense competition with KAKAO and SM Entertainment.
HYBE acquired the shares from SM Entertainment’s founder and former producer, Lee Soo-Man, conducting a public purchase by setting an appropriate acquisition price range. However, the chairman judged, “In the current situation where the competition is intensifying due to the additional public purchase of Kakao and Kakao Entertainment, and the stock market is overheating, the price that should be presented for the acquisition of SM has exceeded the appropriate range. We decided to suspend the acquisition process, considering that pushing for the acquisition of SM even while conducting an open purchase against them could negatively affect HYBE’s shareholder value and further encourage overheating in the market.”
Chairman Bang explained that he had discussed the matter with KAKAO on SM Management rights since the 10th, and the two companies have made a grand agreement. HYBE will suspend the process of acquiring SM management rights and agree on ways the two companies will collaborate on platforms.
HYBE’s press release stated, “We decided to suspend the SM acquisition process in consideration of internal and external factors. We are grateful to all those who supported and supported us in the acquisition of SM.”
KAKAO and HYBE’s war for money rose to 1 trillion KRW. When KAKAO challenged HYBE’s attempt to buy a 25% stake in SM Entertainment, KAKAO countered and announced they would buy 35% of SM shares. SM Entertainment’s stocks soared to nearly 160,000 KRW after KAKAO announced its plan to acquire public shares. However, SM Entertainment’s stocks fell 4.58% on the 10th.
As a result of the grand compromise, HYBE, and KAKAO will not vote at the “28th SM regular shareholders’ meeting” scheduled for the 31st.


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Jamaica’s success in attracting UK visitors has been highlighted at a time when UK outbound travel has fallen at its sharpest rate since the 1970s.In the new annual Travel Trends report by the Office for National Statistics, Jamaica was one of only three countries praised for rising UK visitor numbers between 2008 and 2009.
The other two countries named were Egypt and Lithuania. The report shows that overall, the number of overseas visits made by UK residents in 2009 was 10.4million less than in 2008 – a dip of 15%.
Many destinations suffered huge losses from the UK market, including Mexico, which was down 41%.
John Lynch, director of tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board, said: “This is no mean feat for Jamaica. In 2009, Brits were abandoning overseas holidays at the fastest rate in decades, and yet they flocked to Jamaica’s shores in increased numbers.
"Even with the whole of Europe on their doorstep, UK holidaymakers recognised the great value, huge variety and quality of tourism product offered in Jamaica. We should all be very proud of this achievement.”
The decline in overseas visits by UK residents follows a long period of overall growth, with visits growing at an average of 4% per year over the preceding 25 years. The report also shows that UK residents’ visits abroad have got longer in recent years, from an average stay of 9.9 nights in 2007, to 10.2 nights in 2008 and 10.5 nights in 2009.
For the full report see www.statistics.gov.uk


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That the latest from big online ticket seller Fandango which also reports that Star Trek has sold out hundreds of opening weekend showtimes across the country, including showtimes in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Charlotte, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Fresno, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Colorado Springs, Indianapolis, Nashville, and Portland, Oregon. Fandango says its Star Trek ticket sales are far outpacing the site’s sales for X-Men Origins: Wolverine at the same point in that film’s sales cycle. Theater managers are adding multiple Thursday night showtimes to meet the fan demand. Also, according to a Fandango survey of more than 4,000 moviegoers planning to see Star Trek, 64% say they are not upset that William Shatner isn’t in the movie.
91% Of Online Ticket Sales For 'Star Trek'
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BREAKING CAMP: Local retail pioneer MEC's new Olympic Village location is its seventh permanent home in the city
Selling recreational clothing and gear used to be about clustering, but the economics may no longer hold
Walk into the new MEC flagship store in Vancouver’s Olympic Village and you’ll spot a restored baby-blue Volkswagen microbus, an homage to the retailer’s first venue. Back in 1971, the original van would haul camping and climbing gear acquired at Recreational Equipment Inc. in Seattle and resell it to a handful of members in Vancouver for a 20-percent markup.
MEC has occupied six more permanent storefronts in its hometown over the years, each one larger than the last. And with each successive move, a bigger entourage of outdoor recreation shops has clustered around this traffic generator, to the point that up to 20 like-minded hiking, biking, watersport and adventure travel stores made their home along Broadway’s outdoor retail row, between Alberta and Quebec streets, after MEC relocated there in 1995.
So what happens now that MEC has moved again, to East Second Avenue, where it has 33,000 square feet of space and a 20-year lease with developer Beedie Group? History would dictate that the small fry will decamp to Olympic Village. But several factors suggest the pattern may be broken this time.
First, there’s less retail space in the immediate vicinity of the new MEC store and wide-ranging demand for it, given the ongoing residential development and population growth in the area. Then there’s the question of whether the economics of clustering still stand.
“When MEC moved to Cambie Street [at West 8th Avenue in the 1980s], it was for sure a destination,” retail analyst David Ian Gray of Vancouver-based DIG360 Consulting notes. “People would really journey to get to it.” Now technical sports clothing and gear is more widely available: online, in the manufacturers’ outlet stores, at MEC’s own satellite outlets in North Vancouver and Langley and at flashy newcomers like Toronto-based Sporting Life in Burnaby.
That’s part of the problem that saw the cooperative’s board accept a rescue package from Los Angeles–based Kingswood Capital Management in September—a regime change confirmed over the objections of many co-op members in B.C. Supreme Court on October 2.
“MEC itself has some tough work ahead to rebuild the brand and get back to profitability, or a surplus,” Gray adds, referring to the co-op’s $11.5-million loss on sales of $462 million in its most recent fiscal year. In a summer when, stuck for other vacation options, seemingly everyone went camping, the new Vancouver store sold out of fuel and dehydrated dinner packs in advance of the B.C. Day weekend, leaving members hungry and muttering the disparaging old nickname, “Out-of-equipment Co-op.” (In an email, MEC attributed its supply disruption issues to “the unusually high demand for outdoor apparel and gear earlier in the season.”)
Which brings us to the wild card: COVID-19. Independent retailers of all kinds are scrambling to stay afloat during the pandemic. Gray expects most of those left on outdoor alley to wait and see before they break camp on Broadway and commit to pricier space near False Creek.
“There are bigger things at play than where MEC is located,” agrees Mike Hodge, principal, retail, with commercial real estate agency Avison Young. In addition to the pandemic, longer-term, the SkyTrain extension along Broadway will almost certainly come with a new community plan and higher-density redevelopment. That would likely have made Broadway less hospitable for small, destination retailers even if MEC was still there, he says.
Hodge uses the example of the onetime furniture store cluster on South Granville that has largely been dispersed by urban renewal, giving rise to smaller clusters in Gastown and the Armory district. “Retailers are still lemmings; they still like to be in a cluster with their user group,” he concedes. “But market conditions dictate where those clusters have to go.” Hodge could foresee some outdoor stores along Broadway holding on until redevelopment comes, while others shutter. Still others might opt for combined retail/production space in nearby Mount Pleasant.
Taiga Works, for one, has closed its store and operated out of its East Vancouver production space since COVID-19 hit. Eco Outdoor Sports, which has other locations plus an e-commerce channel, shut its Broadway store when its lease expired, around the time the pandemic was declared. Valhalla Pure Outfitters closed down for two months, then reopened to roaring business this summer, says owner Richard Harley. “We’re doing fine, thank you very much,” he quips, noting that Valhalla operates 12 stores in B.C. and Alberta, most of them nowhere near a MEC outlet.
In some respects, small stores are better able to cope with change than big ones like MEC, Harley adds. “We respond as we know how, which is to fill our stores with things people want to buy,” he says. In fact, Valhalla benefited from MEC’s summer stocking problems as some customers made the hike back up the hill to Broadway to find food and fuel, Harley explains. “We are destination stores. People will search us out.”
$166.6 million – June retail sales of sporting goods, hobby, books and music in B.C.
+47% – Change in sales from May 2020
+3.3% – Change in sales compared to June 2019
–8.9% – Forecast decline in Canadian sporting goods sales in 2020
–2.7% – Average annual growth in Canada’s sporting goods industry, 2015-20
3 – B.C. provincial parks’ rank among park systems in North America, surpassed only by the U.S. and Canadian national park systems
6/10 – Share of British Columbians who visit a provincial park in an average year
26.2 million – Number of visitor days at B.C. provincial parks in 2018-19
Sources: Retail Council of Canada, IBISWorld, B.C. Parks


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SOURCE Jaguar Land Rover
LONDON, February 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
The all-new Range Rover, the world's most refined and capable SUV, has notched up 10 international awards in just three months since production began.
The world's first SUV with a lightweight all-aluminium body, the new Range Rover takes luxury and capability to a new level, with even greater refinement and enhanced performance and handling on all terrains. The new Range Rover also heralds significant advances in sustainability.
The most recent honour came from the AUTOBEST group of motoring writers, naming the all-new Range Rover 'TECHNOBEST 2012'. Recent awards also include 'Dream Machine' from Autoweek, 'Luxury Car of the Year' from both What Car? and Top Gear magazines and 'Best Cars - Import Category' from Auto Motor und Sport. The model was also crowned '4x4 Category Winner' in The Sunday Times' Top 100 Cars 2012, among others.
Land Rover Global Brand Director, John Edwards, said: "We are proud of the recognition the Range Rover is receiving from international motoring organisations and publications. It is a fantastic achievement and a great endorsement for the model, which has only been in production for three months.
"Its revolutionary lightweight construction is the result of unprecedented investment in technology and engineering which makes it the most refined, most capable Range Rover ever. It is enormously satisfying to see that international judges, as well as customers, are recognising this too."
The all-new Range Rover was launched last October to critical acclaim and is the world's first aluminium monocoque SUV, which is around 420kg lighter than the outgoing model. The Range Rover is built at Land Rover's new low-energy Solihull facility and there is already strong demand across global markets.
Tuesday, April 30 2013 10:26 AM EDT2013-04-30 14:26:26 GMT
Everyone winterized their car. However, when spring comes around, many people do not know how to prep their car for warmer weather. Brian Barth from Smyth Auto stopped by FOX19 on Tuesday morning withMore >>
Smyth Autho gives six helpful tips to prep your car for spring.More >>
Thursday, March 1 2012 11:40 AM EST2012-03-01 16:40:47 GMT
According to Chrysler Group LLC, the Jeep brand has posted its best February sales since 2008, with an increase of 40 percent compared to February 2011. All of the models have increased more than 20 percent.More >>
With millions of cars sold around the world each year, 24/7 Wall St., a financial news and opinion group, compiled a list of the 10 best selling cars of all time. Included are cars new and old from across the globe. More >>
With millions of cars sold around the world each year, 24/7 Wall St., a financial news and opinion group, compiled a list of the 10 best selling cars of all time. Included are cars new and old from across the globe.More >>
Tuesday, May 24 2011 2:52 PM EDT2011-05-24 19:52:01 GMT
With a few computer keystrokes in an office at its headquarters, Chrysler Group LLC sent $7.6 billion to the U.S. and Canadian governments on Tuesday, paying off most of the bailout money that saved the company from financial disaster just two years ago.More >>
Friday, February 25 2011 11:46 AM EST2011-02-25 16:46:46 GMT
Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. said Friday its fourth-quarter profit rose 2.6 percent as stronger demand for its products helped offset rapidly rising raw materials costs. The company is also raising tire prices next month for the second time this year and plans to boost production.More >>


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Elk Grove -- Lance and Linda Skonberg from Winchester, Oregon, enjoy an afternoon " tasting" at Frasinetti's Winery and Restaurant with manager Deborah Lynn in the Old Florin Town neighborhood establishment.
"We always stop and buy wine at Frasinetti's," Lance says, "even though we live in a great wine-growing area of Oregon!"
Deborah Lynn, Frasinetti's tasting room manager, affirms that Frasinetti's has been around for decades and is well known with wine lovers -- even those who don't live in the Sacramento area.
"Frasinetti's is unique because our tasting room hours are arranged to entice people to come in at their convenience! We're open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 8 p.m.
"Our tasting room is a full-time operation," Deborah points out.


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The Grissom family spent their Friday morning at the Victoria Mall.
By 11 a.m., Ellie Grissom, 7, and Aiden, 11, each had new shoes and a few new pieces of clothing for the start of the school year. The Point Comfort family was one of many out shopping Friday in advance of the new school year and to take advantage of Texas’ annual sales tax holiday.
The family planned to be out shopping this weekend regardless of the tax-free weekend, their mother Jacquie Grissom said, but the tax-free bonus made the spending easier and the shopping more fun.
Are you making tax-free purchases this weekend?
“Tax-free sure isn’t bad!” she said.
Tax-free holidays have been an annual pre-fall tradition since 1999, with Texas being the first of the now 16 states and Puerto Rico that have sales tax holidays.
After this year’s tax-free weekend, the Texas Comptroller’s office estimates, Texans will have saved $1.3 billion since the holiday began.
Local stores were expecting this tax-free weekend to be busier than ever, as this year, the holiday falls on the same weekend as the weekend before school starts for most Crossroads-area schools.
Shoppers slowly trickled into the Victoria Mall when it opened Friday morning, the start of the three-day holiday. Within the first hour, the parking lot was filling up.
The Grissom family made their first purchases at Shoe Dept. Encore, where Aiden and Ellie both got new shoes. Their father Joshua Grissom said that Aiden found the shoes he wanted right away and didn’t even need to look for anything else.
“They both know what they like,” he said.
As their father sorted through the boys’ shirts, Aiden picked out what he liked while having fun going under the racks of clothes from one aisle to another.
“Shopping is always fun, because who doesn’t like shopping – though it clearly can be a little crazy with the kids,” Joshua Grissom laughed.
At the end of the shopping trip, Ellie’s picks included a rainbow cat-ear headband, a rainbow rain jacket and a first-day-of-school blue romper. Aiden left with a few new shirts, including one that changes color in the sun.
Aside from the mall, l ocally-owned stores saw great customer turnout on the first day, too. Kelly High, owner of High-Brehm Hats and Western Wear, said late Friday morning that the store had been busy since it opened.
“People are really taking advantage of all of our great deals,” he said. He said some customers were coming in and stocking up on blue jeans, and others were heading for the store’s $99.99 boots, gladly taking advantage of the tax-free perk. Items sold for $100 or more do not qualify for the tax-free weekend.
High said he was expecting the store to get busier as the weekend went on. The comptroller’s office estimates that shoppers will save an estimated $102.2 million in state and local sales taxes during the sales tax holiday.
Finishing their shopping didn’t mark the end of activities for the day for the Grissom family on Friday.
“We’re going to go out to eat with all the money we saved!” Jacquie Grissom said.


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Apple surpassed Samsung’s record in manufacturing and supplying smartphones to the global market. According to International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Apple shipped 23.46 million units of smartphones worldwide in 2023. This is 20.1 percent of the global technology market. At the same time, Samsung shipped 22.66 million units of smartphones, which is 19.4 percent of the market.
Global technology market analyst company Canalys also released similar data, along with tech website IDC.
Samsung has held this position since 2010 i.e. for the last 13 years. The rest of the smartphone manufacturers that made it to the top five last year are – Xiaomi, Oppo and Transition. The global smartphone shipments of these companies are 14 crore 59 lakh, 10 crore 31 lakh and 9 crore 49 lakh respectively.
But diversity is increasing in the overall smartphone sector. Huawei has quickly established itself in the Chinese smartphone market. Apart from this, OnePlus, Honor, Google and other brands are bringing various devices in the market at low prices. Apart from foldable features, the addition of AI capabilities is also being talked about.
According to the IDC report, the overall smartphone shipment market in 2023 will decrease by 3.2 percent compared to 2022. However, it increased by 8.5 percent in the fourth quarter.
According to many tech analysts, Apple’s recent success is very significant for their business. The company has been successful despite various hurdles due to proper business planning.


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It wasn’t that long ago that Overwatch’s front facing creative director, Jeff Kaplan, explained how the game’s growing toxic community was inadvertently preventing them from addressing the issues they so feverishly sought. Toxic players are no new front to massively popular online games, but Kaplan explained that the undirected feedback and need to prevent such players from interacting with their game was preventing them from getting to the really important improvements. And today, Kaplan is expressing his sadness with how much its affecting his team.
Forum post accusing developers of being lazy, incompetent and just wrong are nothing new either, but Kaplan chose to address one such thread directly in a new post on Overwatch’s own forums page. The thread in question lamented the lack of solid updates for Overwatch (which just announced a brand new Halloween event for the second year), accusing Blizzard of short-staffing the team and pure laziness from Kaplan and his crew.
This sort of criticism is often more destructive than useful, and Kaplan used it as an example as to why many Overwatch developers choose not be be as front-facing as he is with the product.
“Overall, the community is awesome to us. But there are some pretty mean people out there. All of our developers are free to post on these forums. Very few of us actually do because it’s extremely intimidating and/or time consuming.”
“Because we are open with you and do not hide behind an anonymous handle (like all of you have the luxury of doing), we often times get personally attacked and threatened.”
Kaplan used examples of the past where forum posts from Overwatch team members would immediately trigger an influx of emails to their superiors requesting that they be fired, which only served to put up more barriers of entry for Overwatch developers to their own forums. And it’s part of the systemic problem Overwatch is having now. As more and more toxic users flood forums with their threats, legitimate questions and discussions over the game and its future get drowned out. It’s a destructive circle that even Kaplan is sounding a little hopeless over.
Overwatch is still one of the fastest rising shooters out there right now, but its online communities like this that have the ability to cripple it for new and existing players alike. And Blizzard doesn’t seem to know what to do.
Check out esports central
Last Updated: October 3, 2017


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Want to spend time in Montauk this summer but without the stress of a summer rental in the Hamptons?
Marram, an oceanfront luxury hotel at 21 Surfside Terrace in Montauk that sold in a $77.5 million deal last year, has announced the launch of its inaugural membership program, which offers an “opportunity for guests to turn the property into their summer Hamptons house.”
Those who plan to head to the Hamptons for at least three times from June to August can take advantage of the new program at Marram, in which members and one guest are guaranteed a three-night stay in a luxury room each month during the summer season.
Memberships start at $18,000, but are valued at $25,000.
“We wanted to create an experience that brings a new level of service to our loyal guests at Marram, as well as offer an alternative to those that frequent Montauk often that do not want to deal with the stresses of a rental home or may not have been able to secure one in time,” said Philip Cham, Director of Hospitality at Bridgeton, which owns Marram.
“The program is designed for those that will visit at least three times throughout the season and are looking for a full-service experience of an award-winning resort.
Stays through the membership program even include peak holiday weekends when available.
There are 96, screen-free rooms at the resort. Tuft & Needle beds are outfitted with Beneath fine Frette percale cotton linens, while bathrooms feature custom walk-in showers, Waterworks fixtures and Imperial Danby marble.
Marram is also partnering with with Blade, a leading helicopter charter service to offer preferred rates for members who want to travel by air to and from Montauk. Guests will be able to book flights through Marram’s member concierge service.
Members will receive priority room upgrades, based on availability, as well as early check-in and late check-out.
The program also includes $600 in food and beverage credits per stay at chef Fernando Trocca’s Argentinian cafe, Mostrador Marram, and a reserved poolside cabana for half-day use.
Guests will receive a welcome gift from Marram’s partners at Le Labo. At the final stay, a departure gift will also be given.
There will also be a dedicated concierge service exclusively for members.