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Thursday, Nov 20, 2014, 02:40 pm PT (05:40 pm ET)
Billboard’s successful song draft is about to step into a 21st century as a association announced it will shortly embody metrics from on-demand Internet streaming services like Apple’s Beats Music to a Billboard 200 manuscript rankings.
Starting subsequent month, a Billboard 200 draft will incorporate on-demand streaming information and digital lane sales supposing by Nielsen Entertainment, a vital step toward validating a impact of renouned streaming platforms.
Billboard considers a updated complement to be a biggest change in methodology given it began drumming Nielsen’s SoundScan for comprehensive sales in 1991. With SoundScan, charts are formed on point-of-sale data, not simply manipulated surveys of record sales, reports The New York Times.
For a measurements, Nielsen will feed statistics from “all of a major” on-demand services, including Apple’s Beats Music, Spotify, Google Play and Xbox Music. Ad-powered platforms like iTunes Radio and Pandora will not be enclosed in a algorithm. Under a new regulation each 1,500 streaming plays count as one manuscript sale. SoundScan and Billboard will also embody “track homogeneous albums” in that one manuscript sale is equal to 10 particular lane downloads.
“With stream On-Demand audio play depends surpassing 100 billion so distant this year, this process of expenditure has redefined a approach success is totalled in a song industry,” pronounced David Bakula, SVP of Industry Insights during Nielsen Entertainment. “Nielsen’s new Music 360 news reveals that streaming has seen estimable gains in recognition with consumers, with scarcely 80 percent of song fans stating that they have streamed song in a final 6 months.”
Most recently, a news on Wednesday claims Apple is formulation to embody Beats Music in a iOS app gold starting in Mar 2015, definition a streaming height would come preinstalled on each iOS device sold.
The change will expected infer to be a bonus for artists whose streaming plays and digital lane downloads outperform normal manuscript sales. Billboard records Ariana Grande, Hozier and Maroon 5 as examples.
Billboard isn’t ditching pristine manuscript sales altogether in a pierce toward digital and will continue book those stats in a difficulty called Top Album Sales. Further, genre charts will also continue to use Nielsen’s SoundScan data, yet this might change in a future.
Numbers from a upgraded charting complement will entrance online during Billboard.com on Dec. 3 and in a Billboard imitation book on Dec. 13. The initial charts will lane manuscript opening for a week finale Nov. 30.


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The Japan National Football team's official kit (uniform) designer Adidas announced the partnership with Nintendo earlier this week. ...http://www.firstpost.com/sports/japan-name-pikachu-as-official-mascot-for-brazil-world-cup-1436675.html
By Jens Hack MUNICH (Reuters) - Uli Hoeness said on Friday he would accept a 3-1/2-year prison term for evading 27 million euros in taxes and... ...http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/03/14/germany-tax-hoeness-idINDEEA2D09G20140314
Fauja Singh is so light on his feet that he could be treading on air. He runs past mustard fields, a gentle breeze making the bright yellow flowers... ...http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/7mJE2cL6QqMZw0kYD9mqAO/Fauja-Singh--Run-on-you-crazy-diamond.html
MUNICH (Reuters) - Adidas (ADSGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) boss Herbert Hainer will become the new president and business chairman of German... ...http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/03/14/us-germany-tax-hoeness-board-idINBREA2D0R920140314
TBWA, the disruption agency, has decided to disrupt the status quo for its Indian operations and has announced the 36 year old Vineet Bajpai, till... ...http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-company/corporate-announcement/tbwa-india-announces-top-management-changes-shiv-sethuraman-moves-out/articleshow/32010055.cms
Right this moment, you need to use...
Mit Kleidung der Firma Adidas bin...

domain: news


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HIGH POINT – Heritage Home Group LLC and its affiliates are selling off the company's Broyhill, Thomasville & Co. and Luxury Group business units as the residential furniture giant files Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The company is ranked #4 on the latest FDMC 300 list of the largest North American residential furniture manufacturers, with estimated sales of more than $750 million in 2016.
HHG announced July 30 that parent company, HH Global II BV and its related U.S. affiliates have filed petitions in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to begin the restructuring process and allow for the completion of the sales. HHG said it has identified buyers for its brands.
Century Furniture parent company, RHF Investments Inc. has signed an agreement to a acquire HHG’s Luxury business, which includes the
Hickory Chair, Maitland-Smith and Pearson brands and related operations in Hickory, North Carolina, and throughout the United States. According to a statement from HHG, "this transaction provides an opportunity for the Luxury business to join a well-established and successful strategic player in the high-end furniture industry and will enable continued growth in its core interior design and retail selling channels."
RHF also owns Hancock & Moore and Highland House.
A look at Heritage Home Group's finances through its bankruptcy filings, plus information on the sale of HHG's Luxury business unit, which includes the Hickory Chair, Maitland-Smith and Pearson brands.
HHG said it has also signed a letter of intent and is in final negotiations with a buyer for its Thomasville & Co. and Broyhill business units. "We expect to be able to provide more information on this transaction over the next few days." The Thomasville group includes the Thomasville Furniture, Henredon and Drexel brands, which are sold through corporately owned Thomasville stores and independent retailers.
To maximize the value of its assets for shareholders, an auction is also expected to be held within the next 60 days. HHG said it "intends to secure the next chapter of its brands’ long histories by identifying owners that will demonstrate the highest-and-best value for the assets along with the ability to invest in and support their growth." The company added it will file a bid procedures motion to establish a process for soliciting competing bids, subject to court approval.
“Heritage Home Group has a number of iconic brands with strong reputations, solid manufacturing operations and longstanding relationships with best-in-class suppliers, renowned designers, and leading retailers around the world. We are excited to have identified buyers for all of HHG’s brands and secured fresh liquidity to run this sale process, which will deliver the highest-and-best value for our stakeholders," said Robert Albergotti, HHG’s interim chief financial officer and a managing director at AlixPartners, LLP. Albergotti has been named chief restructuring officer for overseeing the process.
HHG has also obtained a commitment from PNC, N.A. to provide a $98 million debtor-in-possession financing facility, including up to $18 million additional liquidity to support the company’s operations during the restructuring and sales process. HHG said it does not anticipate any changes in operations through the commencement of the sale process.
"During this time, we remain firmly committed to producing and selling the high-quality products that our customers expect. I want to thank the talented HHG employees, designers, representatives and distributors for their support and continued dedication,” Albergotti said.
HHG began divesting businesses last year. In December the company sold certain Lane Venture operating assets to Basset Furniture Industries. A month earlier, November 2017, HHG announced the sale of its Lane business to United Furniture Industries.
HHG emerged in the forefront of the residential furniture industry in November 2013 following the purchase by KPS of the bankrupt Furniture Brands International. In 2015 the home furnishings giant moved its headquarters from St. Louis, Missouri, to High Point, North Carolina.
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.


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The suspension of face-to-face classes in the country’s schools, a measure that these days is being replicated by several cities in the face of the increase in infections due to covid-19, is a cause for concern not only among those who work in the sector, but also in business associated with classroom education.
“We have 200 vehicles linked to school transportation. That means that 200 drivers and 200 monitors were left without work. This has almost led us to bankruptcy ”, commented Giovanny Osorio, director of the Cotraespeciales company.
Like this one, Liliana Leal, the executive director of the People union, in which 4,000 special transport vehicles are grouped nationwide, says that the impact has been generalized and it is estimated that at least 25,000 families would be negatively impacted.
(Read this article from Portfolio Magazine: The drama of education)
In addition, he adds that another aggravating factor is that These vehicles had as a second entry option tourist routes, which continue to intermittently due to the new restrictions.
Another of the sectors that traditionally at this time presents an increase in sales is the manufacturing through activities such as the manufacture of textiles and the manufacture of uniforms and footwear.
“The fact that children continue studying from home will have harmful effects on the manufacturing industry and on trade. It is important to note that according to the figures recorded by the Follow Up firm, we saw that the children’s fashion sector fell by 85% ”, highlighted Camilo Rodríguez, president of the Colombian Chamber of Clothing and Related Products.
On the footwear side, Gerardo Benavidez, a collegiate shoe dealer in San Victorino, argues that the season of calendar B, in September, was practically not felt and that of A, from this time, could not be exploited either.
“In January this sale corresponds to 45% of the month. In the absence of it, we will have great consequences. In December we had managed to reach 52% sales, but today we register July, 15%, ”he said.
(You may be interested: School closings would be expensive for the economy)
Without children attending schools, the drop in demand for items such as backpacks is also a reality. However, Mónica Bonilla, director of Corporate Affairs at Totto, says that they are aware of the situation in the country and that is why the strategy has focused on understanding consumers and expanding their portfolio with desk organizers, chairs and modular boards.
“For Comercial Papelera it has been difficult to cope with the pandemic. We specialize in more than 90% in educational elements and without a doubt the fact that there is no attendance to the classrooms prevents consumption. In the last year, more than 50% of sales have been affected, due to temporary closures. But without changing the identity of the business, we are starting an innovation ”, argued the company.
Lucía de la Pava, manager of the textile, home and seasonal business of Grupo Éxito explained, for her part, that some items such as notebooks, and categories such as school clothing, would have “less penetration. Before the covid, the segment represented 65% of sales for the year.
And to the previous ones, finally, the impact of school cafeterias and restaurants is added, who are paralyzed.
Maria Camila Perez Godoy


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Sendmode are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for the National Enterprise Awards 2011.
Our umbrella company JB interactive mobile marketing made it through the regional judging and are one of the 8 finalists at the national enterprise awards to be held in Dublin castle next month.
Sendmode are delighted to get to this stage in the awards and would like to thank our loyal customers who continue to support us.
Follow the award updates at http://www.facebook.com/DonegalEnterprise
Thanks so much


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The Jalan Masjid India bazaar is famous for its rows of stalls selling everything under the sun—from souvenirs and women’s accessories to toys and street food.
The Star recently reported that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has confirmed that the Deepavali season this year will be the last festive bazaar for hawkers at Jalan Masjid India.
Announcement for its closure was done in June after numerous complaints were received by DBKL, but they’ve decided to allow the festive bazaar along Jalan Masjid India to be held one last time.
Beginning from next year, all bazaars for festive seasons will be held at a new location, which is yet to be confirmed. Currently, the ministry is considering Bukit Jalil for its space and available facilities.
So, this Deepavali, be sure to head over to Jalan Masjid India and take lots of photos! The vibrant street market will certainly be missed!
The Deepavali bazaar at Jalan Masjid India will start on 1 October this year.


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Fifty attorneys general across the United States have formed a bipartisan nationwide anti-robocall litigation taskforce. The initiative’s primary focus will be to cut down on illegal robocalls.
Americans receive over 33 million scam robocalls every day, according to the National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center. They estimate that approximately $29.8 billion dollars were stolen through scam calls in 2021. Popular scams include Amazon scams against consumers and Social Security Administration fraud targeting seniors. The task force will investigate and pursue legal action against telecommunication companies that bring foreign robocalls into the country. To date, 20 civil investigative demands have been issued to 20 entities allegedly responsible for the majority of foreign robocall traffic.
“Robocall scammers are relentless,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “The best way for us to fight back against them is by working together to track their behavior across the country. I’m dedicated to doing all that I can do to ensure these calls stop plaguing Pennsylvanians.”
The Attorney General’s office recommends residents take the following precautions to help protect themselves from robocall scammers:
- Be wary of callers who specifically ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.
- Look out for prerecorded calls from imposters posing as government agencies.
- If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately hang up and do not provide any personal information.
Pennsylvanians are encouraged to report all suspicious robocalls to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection by visiting OAG’s website, emailing firstname.lastname@example.org, or calling 1-800-441-2555.


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United Hampshire US REIT Collects Over 80% Of Retail Tenant Base Rents In June
July 8, 2020 — United Hampshire US REIT Management Pte. Ltd. of United Hampshire US Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), announced that it has achieved over 80% of retail tenant base rent collection for the month of June 2020.
Retail tenants comprising 91% of the total base rental income were open for business7 in June 2020 as most retail tenants re-commenced operations following the easing of lockdown measures across the United States (“U.S.”). As at 30 June 2020, approximately 70% of the tenants that were previously closed in April 2020 have re-opened for business.
Under the loosened guidelines, businesses are allowed to operate with strict capacity limitations and social distancing restrictions which may vary, subject to any changes in the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Notably, COVID-19 transmissions are trending down in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Massachusetts5, where 19 of the REIT’s 22 properties are located, representing approximately 81% of the IPO Portfolio by Appraised Value.
The REIT’s three properties remain open in Florida and North Carolina where COVID-19 cases have recently been increasing. The Manager is monitoring the situation closely and its tenants remain open for business. The status of the virus and various regional guidelines regarding the loosening of restrictions on businesses are fluid and subject to change on an ongoing basis.
Read more here..


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The Dieselgate Scandal and its Adverse Implications for Volkswagen
/TMCnetWire/ – The Volkswagen (VW) car manufacturer stunned the world in 2015 with their admission that they had deliberately cheated on emissions tests in 11 million diesel vehicles. This event marked the dawn of the Dieselgate scandal, with VW facing international scrutiny and negative press as the extent of their diesel deception grew. The Dieselgate scandal forced VW to confront the devastating implications for its reputation, brand, and balance sheet.
Volkswagen’s falsification of diesel emissions was the largest corporate scandal in post-war Germany, and the VW boardroom was soon confronted with a litany of legal actions. The company was forced to pay out approximately $30 billion in fines and settlement costs, and over $25 billion was spent on reparations to car owners affected by the scandal. VW admitted to U.S. criminal charges that they had conspired to defraud the government and violated the Clean Air Act. Such actions had repercussions not only in the US, but across Europe and other jurisdictions where VW had sold cars with defeat device technology.
The ramifications of the Dieselgate scandal have been vast and long-lasting. An internal investigation within VW revealed a culture of deliberate disobedience and dishonesty, providing huge implications for corporate governance. In the light of such revelations, the VW boardroom has been working tirelessly in order to restore the public’s trust in the brand. However, this process is still deriving to this day and the battle for rebuilding public opinion is far from won.
In terms of the financial effects of Dieselgate, the scandal has been hugely costly for VW and resulted in a substantial rise in the company’s debt. Such issues have been compounded by the shift in the car industry towards electric vehicles, impacting VW’s core combustion engine-based automotive business. Inability to keep up with the EV market contributed to a 60 percent fall in the value of Volkswagen stocks, an exceptional blow to a one-time industry powerhouse.
The effects of the Dieselgate scandal on the VW brand continue to unwind even today. As VW and other manufacturers are pushed to move away from diesel-powered cars and towards electrification, the transition is one that the still-tainted VW brand have found difficult. This has been exacerbated by the over-emphasis on the EV market to the detriment of the market for traditional engines, which has been the core of VW’s business model since its earliest days was founded in 1937.
The implications of the Dieselgate scandal on the operations and reputation of Volkswagen may take years, if not decades, to repair. Five years on, the VW brand is still one thought to be synonymous with deceit, and it remains to be seen if the transition to electric vehicles is one that Volkswagen can successfully undertake in order to restore public trust.
-- With an expected total cost of around $44 billion, the effects of the Dieselgate scandal on Volkswagen have been far-reaching and, in some cases, irreversible. The consequences of the scandal have been grave, from criminal charges, legal action and brand degradation, to huge financial costs and the transition to electric vehicles. The scandal has been one of the most infamous in corporate history and, five years on, VW is still fighting for the redemption of its reputation.
Interview with Epygi
ITEXPO Florida 2016 Interview with Vitelity
Interview with Stonesoft


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J.Lo and Marc held a press conference at the London hotel today to announce their plans to launch a $3 billion dollar partnership with Kohl’s. Yes, billions!
“You know Marc and I when we thought about doing this it was kind of a daunting idea. I mean we have done together and stuff but this was a big deal, right?” she asked Marc, to which Marc replied, “It’s almost like getting re-married.” Getting re-married?? “It’s like getting married again,” J.Lo corrected him.
Sure, J.Lo and Marc have extravagant taste, but the great news is their line at Kohl’s is going to be super affordable.
“We’re so excited to be partners with a successful national retailer like Kohl’s,” J.Lo told reporters, “We realized what a huge opportunity this is, which is going to allow us to make contemporary style, which we love, accessible and affordable for women and men all over the nation.”
The collection is set to hit stores next fall and will feature women's dresses, sportswear, handbags and jewelry, while that of her husband Marc Anthony will have men's dress shirts, ties, sport coats and shoes. The his-and-hers line may expand into home accessories over time, Kohl's said.
If she can duplicate her Marchesa and Gucci dresses, I’ll be the first in line! How about you? You sold on the line yet?


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Information Week released a story earlier today revealing that Microsoft has banned around 1 million Xbox Live members the company believes are playing pirated games via modified hardware.
In a report posted this week, research company DFC Intelligence speculated on the potential that publisher Take Two has yet to unlock with its popular Grand Theft Auto franchise.
EA formally announced the acquisition of social games developer Playfish today for an estimated $300 million, with another $100 million incentive promised if the London-based startup meets certain expectations before 2012.
Continuing its efforts to adapt to the changing face of the online game world and recast itself as a thoroughly modern games publisher with initiatives in the mobile, web, and social network gaming domains, Electronic Arts today announced its first m...
Game developer Gil Megidish states that he has "some kind of obsession with this game." Another World, released as Out of This World in North America, was a beautifully animated sci-fi adventure game first released in 1991 for the Commodore Amiga. Ov...
In a blog post regarding the release and ongoing support of Doom Classic on the iPhone, Id Software technical director John Carmack shared his musings on possible future projects for the device. "We do read all the reviews in the App store," he state...
G4TV found an article on Critical Gamer teasing its upcoming interview with Media Molecule's Martin Lynagh by including some choice quotes about the possibility (or lack thereof) of a LittleBigPlanet 2. Most notably, Lynagh believes that a sequel wou...
If you want to be a CEO but not have any of the real responsibilities of one, you could try to play a new online game being offered by Cisco. The company this week posted myPlanNet, a computer game that lets anyone be a broadband executive making net...
As more Epic Mickey details surface, developer Warren Spector has openly discussed his plans for a sequel and his hopes that Disney will back development on the pair of titles Junction Point was working on before they were acquired in 2007.
With their work on two of Sony's most prized franchises--Ratchet & Clank and Resistance--Insomniac has made a name for developing well-received, good-looking games. The company has reached that end in two very different ways, creating bright environm...
In a decision that will surprise no-one, Nokia has announced the end of its beleaguered N-Gage gaming service, which will close its doors at the end of next year.
Nintendo is planning to launch a new version of its DSi handheld gaming device with a larger screen possibly before the end of this year, The Nikkei business daily reported on Tuesday.
The very first Need for Speed game was released in 1994 for the 3DO game console and completely changed gamers' expectations for racing games thanks to its impressive visuals and licensed cars. Since then, there have been a further 14 iterations of t...
Earlier this week, Infinity Ward and Activision incurred the wrath of tens of thousands of gamer.
The Rudd Government’s proposed internet filtering system could have a big effect on online gaming in Australia. During a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra yesterday, Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Ec...
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GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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Shopify have embraced VR and AR to enhance the experience of shopping online.
Unreal Engine 4
Release of Unreal Engine-powered Mars 2030 editor lets fans mod astronaut simulator.
Official release of Unreal Engine 4.19 puts updated features in hands of all developers.
Showcasing the power of Unreal Engine 4 for development of VR, AR and MR experiences.
All manner of videogames and experiences featured in the latest Unreal Engine 4 showcase trailer.
"We are offering the keys to unlock a virtual world..."
Interactive demo makes use of ARKit as a virtual camera.
Epic Games reveal support for the Magic Leap One within Unreal Engine 4.
A host of new features for AR and VR developers are being made available in latest Unreal Engine 4 update.
The latest event from the VR Diversity Initiative is coming up soon, with another chance to get involved.


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Lincoln Property Company Southeast has received two assignments for retail properties from The Situs Cos., which is serving as the special servicer of the sites.
Lincoln has been appointed receiver of Venture Pointe, a 335,420-square-foot retail power center in Duluth, Ga., just outside of Atlanta. Lincoln will oversee the leasing and management of the center, whose tenants include Kohl’s, Babies “R” Us and Golfsmith. The property also is shadow anchored by a SuperTarget and a Costco Wholesale.
Lincoln also has been appointed property manager of Sand Lake Commons, a 197,000-square-foot strip center in suburban Orlando, Fla. Its tenants include Staples and PetSmart.
“We are excited about the opportunity to work on these two properties, both of which have a lot to offer tenants,” said Tony Bartlett, senior vice president at Lincoln. “We are pleased that Situs chose LPC Southeast for these assignments and proud of our track record for delivering value as a receiver while also handling leasing and property management.”


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It’s quite another to acknowledge an organization that expands by acquiring a substantial number of new customers. Extracting additional money from your existing clients is an alternative and maybe more intelligent way of doing business.
That is the goal of the net revenue retention rate, or NRR, which is promoted by many cloud software companies. It is also referred to as the dollar-based net expansion rate or the net dollar retention rate — NER or NDR.
Definitions vary by company, but in general, executives calculate the percentage by taking the amount of revenue received in a recent period of time from customers they had one year ago and dividing it by the revenue received from those same customers in the previous period.
This figure is expressed as a percentage, and a value of 100 percent indicates that revenue from a company’s existing customers remained constant. The measurement takes into account instances of customers signing up for more products and expanding deployments, as well as the loss of existing customers, but does not take into account the impact of adding new customers.
The idea is not novel. Since at least 2010, businesses have discussed their ability to increase the amount of revenue they derive from a specific group of customers. Cornerstone OnDemand, a maker of learning management software, and Responsys, a maker of marketing software, both boasted about their retention rates in the paperwork for their initial public offerings that year.
However, the concept of measuring growth within a specific customer base has become more useful as a tool for analyzing companies that provide cloud-based services. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused companies to close their offices and limit access to data centers, cloud technologies became more popular.
Just as cloud companies such as Snowflake and Zoom continue to command high price-to-sales multiples based on revenue over the next 12 months, these companies also report higher revenue retention rates. Nonetheless, not all cloud service providers disclose retention rates. Salesforce, a pioneer in web-based software, is not in the habit of disclosing those numbers.
However, the concept is gaining traction, even in unexpected places for investors. Pure Storage, which manufactures flash storage hardware for corporate data centers, told analysts in 2019 that it had a 140% retention rate based on average contract value. Pure mentioned the metric because subscriptions for keeping hardware and software up to date are becoming increasingly important. “Now, subscription revenue accounts for 35% of our business, and it is growing faster than the rest of the company,” CEO Charlie Giancarlo said in a June interview.
Companies that are new to public markets have some of the highest retention rates. In its most recent earnings report, Snowflake warned investors that “we expect our net revenue retention rate to decrease over time as customers who have consumed our platform for an extended period of time become a larger portion of both our overall customer base and our product revenue that we use to calculate net revenue retention rate, and as their consumption growth primarily relates to existing customers.”
Certain venture capitalists now train their portfolio companies to focus on retention rates. Dharmesh Thakker, a general partner at Battery Ventures, stated that when he first gets involved with a start-up, the first board meeting is spent determining the retention rate and discussing ways to improve it. He claims that gaining new revenue from existing customers is more profitable than acquiring new customers because the acquisition costs are lower.
“There is no way you can achieve 50 percent growth once you reach $300 million in revenue unless [net dollar retention] is greater than 140 percent. “There is simply no way,” he stated. “Without NDR, you’ll be stuck in the $3 billion to $10 billion range.”
Marqeta, a financial-services company with fast-growing customers like DoorDash and Instacart, claimed a 200 percent retention rate when it filed to go public in May. “This is pretty insane,” one startup CEO tweeted. The Marqeta statistic puts many other companies to shame.
The following are the best and worst performers in terms of retention in Bessemer Venture Partners’ Nasdaq Emerging Cloud Index, which tracks public companies that provide cloud software and services:
168 percent for a snowflake. “We find that people are frequently perplexed, asking, ‘How does that work, where did that come from?’” CEO Frank Slootman stated this at a recent investor day for the data analytics software company. Customers broaden their consumption by running multiple clusters to maintain high performance as more people submit data queries, run workloads more frequently, and request larger workloads, according to Slootman. The company anticipates that retention will remain above 160 percent for the remainder of its fiscal year, which ends in January 2022.
Ncino has a score of 155 percent. This is up from 147 percent when the company filed for IPO last year. “The only way you’re going to get there is by cross-selling, okay?” On a March earnings call, CEO Pierre Naudé stated. The company, based in North Carolina, sells “Bank Operating System” software with a variety of features. The retention rate increased as the company assisted banks in processing hundreds of thousands of Paycheck Protection Program loans in the United States.
Zoom: greater than 130 percent. During the pandemic, Zoom became a household name as people used its video-calling software to stay in touch with classmates, colleagues, family members, and friends — but the company is also signing up customers for new products. Last month, Zoom announced that Kimberly-Clark, a diaper and toilet paper company that had previously used the Zoom Meetings and Video Webinar products, had added 25,000 licenses for the Zoom Phone cloud phone service, and that auto-parts company Denso had expanded their use of Zoom Meetings and Video Webinar to 47,000 employees.
Dropbox has a low-to-mid-90s percentage. In May, CEO Drew Houston stated that the cloud file syncing and sharing software company has been making investments that executives anticipate will increase retention rates. According to Houston, the company recently introduced a freemium version of its password-syncing tool for free users and made it easier for them to upgrade to higher file-transfer limits. Dropbox is also focusing on increasing retention rates by increasing the size of deployments within teams, according to finance chief Tim Regan in February.
Paylocity: greater than 92 percent. Human-resources and payroll software are sold to medium-sized businesses with 20 to 1,000 employees by the company. As a result, retention rates may be less flattering. Large enterprises, on average, have more money to spend than small and medium-sized businesses, and Covid increased the likelihood of certain clients going out of business. In May, Paylocity CEO Steve Beauchamp told analysts, “we’ve probably seen a little bit more momentum at the upper end of our target market and even beyond than maybe we had seen a year ago.”
90 percent of the time. According to Paul Auvil, the company’s chief financial officer, the retention rate in the fourth quarter increased from “just below 90 percent” in the previous quarter. However, the virus continued to have an impact on the company, with customers renewing with fewer users in industries where the pandemic caused layoffs and furloughs, according to Auvil. Thoma Bravo announced its intention to acquire Proofpoint for $12.3 billion in April.
“Google is the consensus long in Internet land right now,” Bernstein analyst Mark Shmulik wrote in a note published Friday.
Alphabet shares, according to Shmulik, are trading at a low price relative to earnings.
“Paying a market multiple for a high-teens growth business with a 30 percent operating margin and a moat stronger than Benin’s Walls? “Yes, please,” Shmulik replied.
The firm reiterated its outperform rating on the stock and maintained its $2,800 price target, implying a 31% increase from Thursday’s closing price.
According to Shmulik, Alphabet is poised to benefit as the return of travel boosts Google searches and ad revenues. Meanwhile, YouTube is bringing in ad dollars, and Android may gain market share as Facebook and Apple spar over privacy policies, he added.
Shmulik stated, “I still like Facebook, Amazon, and Snapchat.” “But right now, I just prefer Google a little more.


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EU-based companies increase research and development investments, yet non-EU competitors still take the lead.
R&D spending in the top 1,000 European Union-based companies grew 7.4 percent during the period. But that figure was 10 percent for the top 1,000 non-EU companies, according to the 2007 European Union Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard.
Still, the latest EU figures are an improvement over 2006 when R&D spending at the top 1,000 EU companies grew by 5.3 percent.
Janez Potocnik, EU commissioner for science and research, said the positive upward trend in R&D investment over the past two years is encouraging. The EU's innovation strategy is "on the right track," he said.
But Potocnik added that the only way for Europe to improve its R&D performance is for more companies to see the benefit of investing.
The European Commission attributes part of the gap in investment to the higher growth of R&D-intensive sectors outside the EU.
In general, the pharmaceutical and biotech industry overtook the technology hardware and equipment sector for R&D spending growth.
Globally, U.S. carmaker Ford lost its top spot to pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer, which spent $8.1 billion. Top in the EU was DaimlerChrysler of Germany with $7.3 billion.
In terms of tech companies, Microsoft was fourth of the non-EU companies. Intel was eighth, and IBM was ninth.
In Europe, Nokia was sixth, and Ericsson was ninth. Other tech companies in the European top 50 include Alcatel Lucent, BT, SAP and Siemens.
In total the 2,000 Scoreboard companies spent $524 billion on R&D during the 2006-2007 fiscal year.
The Investment Scoreboard is produced as part of the European Commission's Industrial Research Investment Monitoring activity.
Tim Ferguson of Silicon.com reported from London.


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Update 2: February 14, 2023: Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 44mm Bluetooth variant is now receiving the new camera controller and Self Diagnostic option feature update in India with the firmware version R870XXU1GWB1.
Update 1: February 09, 2023: Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 LTE Canadian variant is now getting a new camera controller feature update.
Samsung recently updated the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4 with a new camera controller feature in several countries. Now, the company has started sending this new feature update to the Galaxy Watch 4 LTE users in India. The latest firmware update is rolling out with the build number R895FXXU1GWA3. The Galaxy Watch 4 Bluetooth variant also grabbed this new update in Korea and the US.
The latest update for the latest smartwatches introduces some new features and improvements. The all-new January 2023 update for the Galaxy Watch 4 LTE includes camera zoom controls for the Camera Controller app, which Samsung first announced this month. In addition, the software update brings support for a new device diagnostics tool and the latest security patches.
As per the official changelog, the new Camera Controller feature allows you to use the familiar pinch-to-zoom gesture to adjust the camera zoom level on your Galaxy Watch 4.
Galaxy Watch 4 LTE Camera control update India #Samsung #GalaxyWatch4 pic.twitter.com/oqPoazFXHY
— Sam Latest Updates (One UI) (@latestsamupdate) January 31, 2023
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 R895FXXU1GWA3 update changelog – India
New Camera Controller feature added
- Change zoom on your phone camera remotely through pinching in or out on the screen, or through rotating the bezel. *This feature is only supported on flagship models released after Samsung Galaxy S20 or Z Flip running at least One UI 5.1.
- A new “Connected device diagnostics” option has been added to check the proper performance of the Galaxy Watch’s battery status, touch screen functions, etc. on the connected phone. *Please update Samsung Members and Galaxy Wearable app to the latest versions for using the ‘Connected device diagnostics’ feature.
Stability and reliability
- The stability has been improved.
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Shoppers in the Emirates snapped up US$741 million (Dh2.72 billion) worth of gold in the third quarter, 20 per cent more than in the same period last year, even though the price continued its climb to record highs, the World Gold Council said.
While the amount of gold that physically changed hands in the three-month period was down by 6 per cent to 18.8 tonnes, UAE consumers spent $121m more than in the third quarter last year, the latest data from the council show. The metal was bought as jewellery and in bars, coins and exchange-traded funds.
Yogaani Bhatia, the UAE country manager for the World Gold Council, said the steep cost deterred some potential buyers during Ramadan. But a strong wedding season and many Asian expatriates buying gold before heading to their home countries helped to keep sales buoyant, she said.
An additional boost to sales was consumers' expectation that the price would rise further, she said.
"You have a lot more consumers buying slightly fewer grams, but a lot more people are encouraged to buy gold," Ms Bhatia said. "The quantity is slightly reduced, but they do not stay away."
Gold jewellery is traditionally a big seller in the UAE, for adornment and investment. But the normal pattern of buying has been crimped by the rising cost of the metal over the past two years as investors flock to gold as a haven during uncertain economic times. The gold spot price yesterday was trading at nearly $1,340 per troy ounce, down from the record high of $1,419.40 on November 9. Yesterday's price was up about 27 per cent from this year's low of $1,054.95 in February.
Global gold demand in the third quarter of this year reached 921.8 tonnes, up 12 per cent from the same period last year. But the value of the gold bought around the world rose by 43 per cent from last year's third quarter, reaching $36.4bn.
The demand for jewellery, which makes up the bulk of the gold purchases in the Middle East, was up 8 per cent globally to 529.8 tonnes. This growth was mainly due to big sales in India, the world's largest market for gold, and Greater China. Third-quarter demand for goldrose 63 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively, in the two countries.
In the Middle East, while the increasing cost of gold is deterring some of the region's consumers, they are becoming accustomed to the high prices, Ms Bhatia said.
And big occasions such as weddings pushed UAE residents to buy, she said. "What we witnessed was that there were a lot of weddings that got postponed to this year," she said. "The wedding season was quite healthy this year alone."
But because most retailers hedge their stock, they have not benefited from the rising prices, said Chetan Karani, the deputy managing director of the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group. Retailers make their profits from charges for making jewellery and from the quantity of gold sold, and any drop in the weight of gold sold hits the bottom line, he said.
But given the high prices and consumers' budget-consciousness, sales in the third quarter were "reasonable", he said.
"I think people are getting used to the fact that they are going to pay $1,000 plus [per troy ounce] for gold," he said. "It's not going to get below $1,000 very soon."
In turn, more people are buying gold bars and coins, Ms Bhatia said. In the third quarter, retail investors in the UAE bought 1.6 tonnes of gold bars and coins, up 23 per cent from the same period last year. That amount represented a 57 per cent increase in value to $63m compared with the third quarter of last year.
The council is expecting a better result in the fourth quarter of this year, especially because of the Indian festival of lights earlier this month, which some consider an auspicious time to buy gold.
Initial figures from the top six gold and jewellery retailers in the GCC showed that consumers bought 32 per cent more gold this year than during last year's Diwali, Ms Bhatia said.


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AMD Launches Radeon HD 4830
This week AMD released its new Radeon HD 4830, which is a slightly crippled version of the Radeon HD 4850. However, the new 4830 sells for much cheaper than the 4850, giving gamers a more economical but excellent performing option.
Retailers are already selling cards for as low as $109 to $145 and in this price range, it’s certainly a very attractive option. AMD is putting more pressure on Nvidia as of late, which is good for the company and for consumers.
The new card comes with 512MB of GDDR3 memory, 575 MHz core and 1800 MHz memory speed, and 32 stream processors (the 4850 has 40). Check out the full story on AMD’s new cheaper Radeon HD 4830 here.
Comcast Offers 50 Mbps Service
Comcast this week launched it’s new 50mbit/sec. Internet service to a tune of $139 per month. Called the Extreme 50 tier, the package will offer 50mbit/sec. download stream and a nice 10mbit/sec. upload stream.
According to the company, that would allow someone to download 6 gigabytes of data in just 16 minutes — provided that the serving end of that pipe has the bandwidth to do so as well. Unfortunately, Comcast is infamous for putting caps on its customers. Currently, Comcast subscribers are limited to downloading a maximum of 250GB of data per month — which Comcast just recently announced as well.
Many ISPs today leave their cap limitations in the user agreements given to customers when they sign up. Small print that’s difficult to catch, the days of unlimited downloading is about to evaporate.
Thinnest LCD Screen at 7.9mm
Samsung this week announced that it holds the record for the world’s thinnest LCD screen. Running in at just 7.9 mm, the new Samsung display really looks impressive, especially from the side — the place you usually don’t look.
The new display comes in at 40 inches big but Samsung also demonstrated a 50 inch display that’s slightly thicker at 9.9 mm. The goal here obviously, is to stay under 10 mm.
LCD screens are becoming increasingly thinner, but prices for ultra thin displays are still quite high.
Windows 7 is Vista but Improved
Windows Vista hasn’t been having much of a good time being accepted in the industry. Since the operating system’s launch, it’s suffered many complained from both analysts and consumers alike. Although the system’s getting better, Microsoft has focused much of its recent efforts into Windows 7, the next major release of Windows.
According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Windows 7 will be an improved version of Windows Vista — what Vista should have been when launched. Initially, Windows Vista was suppose to contain many more cutting edge features than it did when it was finally released.
Hopefully Microsoft will get back to its game plan with the release of Windows 7.
Microsoft Sued Over RROD
This week, a lawsuit was filed against Microsoft, alleging that Microsoft failed to support consumers and admit it had problems with its Xbox 360 console. Many Xbox 360 owners know how famous the red ring of death (rrod) problem is, and many have experienced the problem first hand.
Microsoft has since released several new revisions of its popular console, and try to contain the situation. We have experienced the RROD in our own units here at the lab. Even when Microsoft attempted to replace or repair our unit, it still exhibited the problem.
"The real numbers were between 30 to 33 percent. We had 35 Xbox 360s at launch. I know more than half of them broke within the first six months (red lights or making circles under the game discs). Two of them were dead on arrival." said a former EB Games employee.
'Nehalem' Belongs to AMD?
By now everyone’s heard of Nehalem, or what Intel now calls Core i7. The new processor is highly anticipated, as it marks a significant architecture change for Intel. The issue here however, is that people have been saying that Intel is simply taking technology from AMD.
For example, moving the memory controller onto the CPU, was something introduced by AMD. Replacing the front-side bus with HyperTransport, is another technology pioneered by AMD. But does it mean that Intel has copied AMD and left innovation standing out the door ?
We have samples of Nehalem in house, and from what we can tell, Intel has a big winner on its hand, which will widen the performance gap between it and AMD even further. Check out our in-depth article on just what makes Nehalem so good.


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Müller will start the new year by adding a further 2.5ppl to the milk price it offers farmers, building on its 2ppl uplift which takes effect from 1 December.
The move means Müller’s farmers will have seen their headline milk price increase by an average of 7ppl in the four months since 1 October.
The actual price paid to Müller’s farmers on non-aligned contracts for January is expected to be 26.54ppl. This includes a standard price of 25.44ppl plus the separate retailer supplement estimated to be 1.1ppl in January.
“We are delivering on our commitment to offer a competitive and stable milk price throughout the market cycle,” said Lyndsay Chapman, Agriculture Director at Müller Milk & Ingredients.
“We know that farmers place a high value on the security of a contract with a dairy company who is investing for the long term and not so directly linked to volatile commodity returns which can change rapidly, exposing them to high levels of downside risk.”
By: The CattleSite News Desk
Source: The Dairy Site


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After months of speculations and rumor-mongering, we’re finally getting the release date and actual pricing for the PlayStation 5. Which is namely around $399.99 for the digital-only version and $499.99 for the full PlayStation 5 console, which practically has the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disk Drive.
The two models don’t really have that much difference in terms of the specs since according to Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) that both PS5 models use the same custom processor with integrated CPU and GPU for high-fidelity graphics up to 4K, as well as the same ultra-high-speed SSD with integrated I/O. Both PS5 models also offer a deepened sense of immersion through the DualSense wireless controller and 3D audio capabilities, so players will enjoy the same transformative gameplay experiences regardless of which PS5 they choose.
Since we first announced our next generation console last year, we have received astounding support from developers and gaming fans all around the world, and it’s truly humbling, now we are just a couple of months away from launching PS5, which will offer a new generation of experiences that go beyond players’ expectations of how games can look, feel, sound, and play. We can’t wait for our fans to experience for themselves the incredible speed, the heightened immersion and the breathtaking games on PS5 when we launch this November.
said Jim Ryan, president, and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
While the PlayStation 5 showcase announced that the console will be released on November 12, the locations for the 12th will be at US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. The rest of the world will be getting the PS5 on November 19.


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PNC just released the results of its Spring Economic Outlook Survey of small business owners in Michigan. This is the first Michigan survey in several years. Here are some of the key findings:
- A majority (51%) of Michigan business leaders feel highly optimistic about the prospects for their own company in the next six months, despite remaining cautious about the national economy (23% highly optimistic vs. 26% nationwide) and their local economy (27% highly optimistic vs. 30% nationwide).
- The gap between Michigan business leaders’ optimism for their company versus the broader U.S. economy is 28 percentage points, indicating a strong divide between the prospects for their own business and expectations for the broader economy.
- The survey also revealed that Michigan business leaders are expecting a better business environment with nearly two-thirds (63%) expressing the belief that business conditions in the U.S. will improve in the next six months, matching the portion nationwide.
- A majority of Michigan business leaders (55% vs. 58% nationwide) expect to see sales increases in the next six months. Amid these positive expectations, seven in 10 (69%) are very confident about the future success of their business.
- Among Michigan businesses actively hiring employees, four in 10 (39%) say it’s become harder to hire qualified candidates over the past six months, compared with 36% of businesses nationwide.
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.


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Casillero del Diablo has risen to #5 in the Top Wine Brands, with 52-week sales of £139.9 Million. The brand, for several years now Chile’s best-selling wine brand in the UK, has grabbed the #5 spot in the latest Nielsen sales data just released.*
Casillero now accounts for more than one in every four bottles of Chilean wine sold in the UK.** Unusually its sales are not concentrated on one SKU – while its Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon is the leading branded Cabernet in the UK, Casillero also sells large volumes of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and Malbec. Casillero del Diablo Reserva Especial Cabernet Sauvignon, launched in 2018, has already added £1.4 million of retail sales over the same period.
Concha y Toro UK Commercial Director Clare Griffiths says
“This is a landmark achievement for our leading brand. Thanks to continued strong investment in Casillero, with our partnership with Sky Cinema now in its fifth year, and an unstinting dedication to wine quality, more wine shoppers than ever are enjoying ‘the wine from the Devil’s cellar’. It’s especially pleasing to see our premium tiers adding value to the category.“
*Nielsen, Total Market, 52w 15.6.19


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259 FedEx Freight Drivers Honored for Outstanding Safe-Driving Performance
“FedEx Freight drivers are among the most highly skilled in the industry, and the fact that these 259 drivers have reached this milestone shows our team is committed to making the nation’s roads safer for everyone,” said Doug Duncan, president and CEO of FedEx Freight.
FedEx Freight provides new equipment with safety features for its drivers, who also are encouraged to compete in the annual National Truck Driving Championships. One year of driving without having a preventable accident is a requirement for entering the state Truck Driving Championships. Last year, a record 78 FedEx drivers qualified to compete at the NTDC.
About FedEx Freight
Within FedEx Corp., the FedEx Freight Segment had annual revenues of $4.6 billion in fiscal year 2007. With corporate offices in Memphis, Tenn., the Segment includes FedEx Freight, a leading U.S. provider of regional next-day and second-day and extended LTL freight services; FedEx National LTL, a leading U.S. provider of long-haul LTL services; FedEx Freight Canada, an LTL operating company serving most points in Canada; FedEx Custom Critical, North America’s largest time-specific, critical shipment carrier; and Caribbean Transportation Services, the leading provider of airfreight forwarding services between the United States and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit the FedEx web site, fedex.com.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $36 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 290,000 employees and contractors to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.


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Honda is announcing another expansion at its Talladega County factory, a little more than a year after its last one.
The automaker is pumping another $54.8 million into the plant, adding more than 50,000-square-feet to its Line 2 operations. The project is expected to be finished in early 2021.
The company said the project will "improve vehicle manufacturing flexibility, strengthen the efficiency for future models and prepare for future technologies."
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Last year, Honda announced an $85 million expansion at the south end of its Line 1 operations. It expects to open that addition next month. Together, the two projects will add more than 425,000 square feet to its production operations.
Honda Manufacturing of Alabama employs more than 4,500 people and has invested more than $2.6 billion in its plant, which annually produces more than 340,000 vehicles and engines.
The news also continues a series of major automotive announcements for Alabama. Since late March of 2017, Alabama has announced seven vehicle production projects, totaling more than 5,400 jobs and encompassing more than $3.3 billion in investments.
In one year's time, all of Alabama's major auto plants have announced expansions, as well as Mazda and Toyota announcing a $1.6 billion auto plant to be built in Huntsville.


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Friday, February 12, 2010
Grow Utah Deadline Approaches
Grow Utah Ventures, the group which is looking to spur entrepreneurship in the state of Utah, said this week that the deadline for the firm's latest "Concept to Company" contest is approaching. The group said that Wednesday, February 17th, is the last day to submit for its Digital Media competition, focused on mobile applications, computer animation, video streaming, computer gaming, and other digital media business ideas from Utah entrepreneurs. The group is awarding $65,000 in cash and consulting services in the competition. The competition is the sixth for Grow Utah.


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, Nine Dots Studio's upcoming Action RPG, has not been very outgoing when its come to media releases. In case you missed it, or simply don't remember, we covered the title in an E3 2015 Montage of ID@Xbox titles
, and then a month after as part of an ID@Xbox E3 Roundup
. Just over a year down the line, the team is preparing for a visit to this year's PAX West event and has a new trailer ready to roll.
The game is looking to be in pretty good shape judging from the new video. As you'll see, there's plenty to explore as different terrains wait to be checked out as dungeons with beasts inside await your arrival, and the weather takes its toll on the land:
A release date is yet to be announced for Outward


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Those of us who have been around the online lending space for a while will remember the “Lendscape” created by Orchard Platform (now part of Kabbage). It was a very useful infographic featuring all the major players in the online lending ecosystem. I used to refer to it on a regular basis whenever I wanted a complete picture of a segment of our ecosystem. It was last published in 2017 and I have missed having access to an up to date resource like this. We had even talked about internally at LendIt Fintech about recreating something like it. Now, we don’t have to.
Earlier this month Ocrolus released the 2020 Fintech Lending Market Map. While it is not an exact replica of the Orchard Lendscape it is a super useful resource. The big difference is that they ignore the investor side of the online lending space and bring in more of the technology and infrastructure companies. This makes sense given that Ocrolus is a technology company building the infrastructure to analyze documents and automate back office tasks and is used by many of the leading online lenders.
I caught up with David Snitkof, former co-founder at Orchard and now the Head of Analytics at Ocrolus, a position he has held since April. What was interesting to me is that this new market map of the fintech lending ecosystem was not actually his idea. He said there were many people at Ocrolus who were also big fans of the old Lendscape and were keen to resurrect it. Obviously, David would have been a great resource for Ocrolus and he did in fact have significant say in to how it was was produced.
When looking at the full infographic I am struck by how far our industry has come in the last decade. While we have certainly had our challenges, the innovations that were pioneered by a select group of companies a decade or more ago have led to loans now becoming a standard online offering. You will see several of the largest banks in the country on this infographic as they have integrated online lending into their business.
Now, not every company is listed and some companies maybe should not have made it in. But overall, Ocrolus has done the industry a great service by creating the most complete market map of fintech lending in several years.
Peter Renton is the chairman and co-founder of Fintech Nexus, the world’s largest digital media company focused on fintech. Peter has been writing about fintech since 2010 and he is the author and creator of the Fintech One-on-One Podcast, the first and longest-running fintech interview series.


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A new study reveals that off-site ATMs are driving growth in cash-dispensing ATMs in Europe, doubling in the past five years. Out of a total of 425,888 cash-dispensing ATMs in Europe, nearly 150,000 are now off-site ATMs. London-based Retail Banking Research also found that off-site units make up more than half the total ATM market in 8 of the 10 CEE markets surveyed, but only 3 of 17 western Europe countries. Russian banks were some of the largest deployers of off-site ATMs. They added nearly 7,000 new off-site cash-dispensing ATMs during the year, equating to domestic growth rate of 42%. Other countries showing strong growth in off-site ATMs were Bulgaria, Denmark, the Netherlands and the Ukraine, whose number of non-branch installations all grew by more than 20%. RBR also noted that ATM surcharging is practiced in only three European ATM markets. The report predicts that the installed base of off-site cash-dispensing ATMs in Europe will rise to more than 220,000 terminals by the end of 2011, 40% of the expected total. Over half of these will be found in Russia, the Ukraine and the UK.Details
Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG) research shows that the monetary
size of a transaction is fundamental to a consumers’ choice to use a credit
or debit card. Despite relatively equal monthly purchases on debit and
credit cards (GBP297 vs. GBP293 per month, respectively), on purchases totaling
between GBP 51 and GBP 100, consumers are 40% more likely to use a
credit card than a debit card. The study also finds that cardholders are 4
times as likely to use a credit card on purchases over GBP 100. Because
almost half of the 502 card users surveyed said “focused” credit card
would encourage increased card use, the research suggests that consumers
use credit cards for higher purchases to take advantage of finance
and rewards. ACG is a management consulting firm in the payments and
lending industry with offices in London and New York.
The ECB has released its 5th progress report regarding SEPA with
attention focused on areas needing greater effort for project
implementation by January 2008. The report issued reflects the need
for all stakeholders to put forth an effort to address “gaps” for the
delivery of the Single Euro Payment Area and questions what short-
term obstacles the banking industry may encounter in meeting the
January-deadline. Furthermore, the ECB addresses what long-term
issues the industry may encounter in the future, the necessity of
clarity and bank reachability.
On Track Innovations (OTI) will be providing Garanti Payment Systems
with contactless solutions. OTI will be providing its “Saturn 6000”
reader for security-enhanced EMV transactions for Garanti’s “Tap & Go”
program. The “Saturn 6000” also provides “ISO 14443 PayPass version 1.1,”
which Mastercard’s “Paypass” Technology began implementing this year.
The readers are accessible where PayPass Cards, Smart Stickers, Key Fobs
and watches are offered to “Bonus Trink” members. Garanti Bank has $36
billion in assets, has over 6.2 million corporate and private banking
487 domestic branches, and 1,455 ATMs.
Bank of America’s customers now have access to 2,500 ATMs that accept check and cash deposits without an envelope or deposit slip and are able to get immediate credit for cash deposits and same-day credit for deposits until 8 p.m. in the state the account is located. Some of the advantages of deposit image ATMs include receipts with an image of each check, verification of the amount of cash and the ATM adds up the deposit. In the past year, the number of deposits at the new ATMs increased up to 50 percent. Bank of America has more than 17,000 ATMs nationwide, and more than 12,000 of them accept deposits. The bank plans to convert all of its deposit-taking ATMs to the new envelope-free technology.Details
Western Union reported that second quarter revenue increased 8% to $1.2 billion. Total consumer-to-consumer revenue grew 7% to more than $1.0 billion in the second quarter on transaction growth of 14%. This was the first time in Western Union history that this segment exceeded $1.0 billion in quarterly revenue. The consumer-to-business segment grew revenue 13% to $175 million in the quarter. As a result of the immigration debate and broader market softness in the U.S., the domestic consumer-to-consumer business saw a 10% decrease in revenue and a 5% decrease in transactions for the quarter, showing modest sequential improvement over the first quarter. During the quarter Western Union signed Checksmart and Ahold in the U.S., Australia Post, Nepal Post, Israel Postal Company, Ecobank covering a potential 17 countries in Africa, and Cash Express Services in Bulgaria. For complete details on Western Union’s second quarter performance visit CardData. ([www.carddata.com]).
Concur has unveiled the next generation of travel and expense management featuring “Smart Expense” enabling business travelers to book their trip with automatic processing of their expense reports. Concur takes advantage of e-receipts; complete, live, electronic data that contains the entire record of a supplier transaction including folio data that looks exactly like the supplier’s traditional paper receipt. “Smart Expense” automatically gathers and reconciles itinerary data captured at the time of booking, corporate card charges incurred by the employee and e-receipts captured directly from the supplier to be reconciled within one travel and expense management process. Concur is a provider of on-demand Employee Spend Management services.Details
Houston-based Harris County FCU has moved its debit card processing to TNB Card Services. Harris County FCU is moving more than 3,000 Visa debit cards over to TNB’s single-source, full-service debit card processing solution, which enables the credit union to view and manage signature and PIN debit account information and transactions online, and in real time. The credit union serves Harris County government employees as well as several under-served areas in the county. It has 15,000 members and assets of $70 million. TNB Card Services provides electronic payments processing, as well as an agent issuing solution for credit unions nationwide.Details
TSYS reported that second quarter profits rose 14%, hitting $65.7 million. Revenues of $460 million represented a 14% rise over 2Q/06. The Company says internal revenue growth in its core processing business continues to be the strong driver of its domestic results and that its international growth is driven by acquisitions and strong demand. During the second quarter TSYS renewed merchant acquiring service agreements with Merchant Management Systems, as well as signed new agreements with mPay Gateway and The Bancorp Bank; completed the pilot program for the “Wal-Mart MoneyCard”; introduced “Chip and PIN Secure Payments” in Cyprus; launched the “Rewards” card pilot program in the United Kingdom with Norwich Union; and that CUP Data, TSYS’ joint venture with China UnionPay, has recently begun providing processing services for Huaxia Bank. Excluding the one time BofA contract termination fee last year of $68.9 million and the acceleration of amortization of BofA contract acquisition costs of approximately $6 million, net income is expected to increase between 20%–22% in 2007 compared to 2006. Based on GAAP, TSYS’ estimated 2007 net income is expected to increase between 0%–2% as compared to 2006. For complete details on TSYS second quarter performance, visit CardData ([www.carddata.com]).
TSYS REVENUE HISTORICAL
2Q/05: $410.2 million
3Q/05: $422.0 million
4Q/05: $420.7 million
1Q/06: $412.3 million
2Q/06: $429.2 million
3Q/06: $441.8 million
4Q/06: $503.9 million
1Q/07: $429.6 million
2Q/07: $460.2 million
Source: CardData (www.carddata.com)
GE leaders and environmental influencers launch the first credit card in the US with rewards dedicated to reducing cardholders’ carbon emissions. Tom Gentile, chief marketing officer, GE Money; Lorraine Bolsinger, vice president, GE ecomagination; Kevin Walsh, managing director, renewable energy GE Energy Financial Services; Jonathan Mintz, commissioner, New York City Department of Consumer Affairs; Elizabeth Rogers, author of “The Green Book” and Kathy Sheehan, SVP, GfK Roper Consulting, Roper Green Gauge will discuss the “greening” of consumer finances and the impact of the card on the environment at The New York Academy of Sciences.Details
American Express reported that its U.S. Card Services division posted second quarter net income of $580 million, down 2% year-over-year. U.S. gross dollar volume rose 13% and the AmEx cardbase expanded by 11% during the second quarter, compared to the year-ago quarter. Total net revenues for the first quarter increased 12% to $3.56 billion. Total U.S. card loans rose 39% to $38.3 billion. Delinquency on card loans (30+ days) declined to 2.7% versus 2.9% in the prior quarter and 2.5% for 2Q/06. Charge-offs on total card loans remained steady at 3.7% for the past two quarters, compared to 2.9% one-year ago. Card volume in the U.S. hit $94.6 billion, up 13% from the year-ago quarter. The total number of domestic cards-in-force grew to 42.1 million cards, compared to 39.1 million for 2Q/06. For complete details on American Express’ second quarter results, visit CardData ([www.carddata.com]).
American Express U.S. Card Portfolio Snapshot
2Q/07 1Q/07 4Q/06 3Q/06 2Q/06 Ann Chng
Volume $115.7 105.4 109.7 101.7 102.5 +12.9%
Cards 50.5mm 49.3 48.1 46.8 45.4 +11.2%
Source: CardData (www.carddata.com)
A new report has determined that if all U.S. households viewed and paid bills online it would save 2.3 million tons of wood; reduce fuel consumption by 26 million BTUs; decrease toxic air pollutants by 3.9 billion pounds; reduce toxic wastewater by 13 billion gallons; lower solid waste generated by 1.6 billion pounds; and remove 8.5 million particulates and 12.6 million nitrogen oxides from the air. The study released by Javelin Strategy & Research also reveals that 61 million households currently bank online (53% of the U.S. household population) which is projected to reach 82 million households by 2012, or 67% of U.S. households. Additionally, 39 million households pay bills at individual biller sites today, and this number is projected to reach 50 million by 2012.Details


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Seed Library empowers people to grow their food
Volunteers for the Coralville Ecumenical Food Pantry are working hard to give Coralville's food insecure families fresh fruits and vegetables.
This year's new Seed Library project — which began April 8 — already is seeing success.
"It's a great idea," said Jane Kent, one of the food pantry volunteers. "We've had some really good interest in it. We've even had parents bring their kids in to get seeds to start them planting gardens. And we've had to restock and order more (seeds). So there's a big interest in it."
The food pantry serves about 200 to 250 families per month. Last year, the organization served more than 2,000 unduplicated clients at least once.
"It's our mission to try to engage the entire community in the process of providing food for people who need it," said John Boller, the pantry's executive director. "So one way we have been trying to do that is through gardening."
Fresh fruits and vegetables are highly requested by the families served by the food pantry. The high costs make it difficult to provide these healthy foods for the families' regular diet. Cost led the food pantry to decide to turn to gardening in an effort to increase the amount of fresh foods available at the food pantry.
The Seed Library can be accessed by Coralville residents from 2 to 6 p.m. every Tuesday and 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday. The library contains more than 2,000 heirloom seed packets of 40 fruits, vegetables and herbs. Visitors may take as many seed packets — which hold 25 to 30 seeds per packet — as they will use.
"What we were hoping to accomplish with the Seed Library is to, first of all, empower our clients to begin growing their own food at home or at their apartment and also we are hoping to simply further engage the entire community," he said. "We're willing to encourage people who have gardens to, maybe, reserve a row or two to commit to growing produce that they would then donate to our food pantry or other food pantries and just encourage people who haven't tried gardening to just give it a shot."
Although intended to help those with limited resources, the Seed Library is available for all Coralville residents who want to grow their own gardens for food.
Last year, the city of Coralville partnered with the food pantry and provided garden plots at a community garden space. The food pantry rustled up a team of volunteers to gather and tend to the garden and grow close to 500 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. Volunteers hope to bring in even more food during this year's growing season.
Boller said last year's gardening opportunity was a great way to incorporate a lot of fresh produce to what the pantry already can offer their Coralville clients.
"Being able to provide enough fresh produce is a tall task for our organization," he said. "So anytime we are able to secure donations of fresh produce, it's more desirable."
Gardening equals more fresh produce security for less cost, he added.
Kent, who also will be growing her own garden on her condo deck, said fruits and vegetables are in such high demand hopefully because people are more conscious of eating healthier.
"With donations coming from Table to Table, we end up getting a lot of sweets and things," she said, a volunteer since last August. "When we do get fresh fruits and vegetables, it's just always such a treat. So they are first to go. And we also (are) always trying to some more fruits and vegetables, and people love that."
If you go
• What: Coralville Ecumenical Food Pantry Seed Library. The library contains more than 2,000 heirloom seed packets of 40 varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Visitors may take as many seed packets — which hold 25 to 30 seeds per packet — as they will use.
• When: 2 to 6 p.m. every Tuesday and 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday.
• Where: 203 First St. in Coralville.


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Hyundai's Kona Electric SUV boasts a 292-mile range
You might not have to compromise to get an eco-friendly crossover.
Hyundai's self-driving fuel cell cars complete a record highway trip
They're the first to drive at highway speeds for such a long distance.
Hyundai's new Veloster will make its debut in 'Forza Motorsport 7'
In real life, the 2019 model has Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and a sliding heads-up display.
Hyundai unveils its next generation fuel-cell vehicle
Now all it needs is an infrastructure.
Hyundai and Volkswagen team with Google's former self-driving lead
Chris Urmson's Aurora Innovation will license its autonomous driving systems.
Hyundai and Kia will offer AI assistants in 2019 cars
You'll see the first hints of it in early 2018.
Hyundai plans 38 EVs as it tries to catch up with rivals
For a company that's taken its time with electric vehicles, that's a lot.
Hyundai adds on-demand car washes to its Blue Link service
You'll be able to have gas and groceries delivered to your car as well.
Hyundai hopes it can make online car shopping simpler
The company's Shopper Assurance program helps you do more legwork in a browser.


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Yahoo! and Microsoft, who have been in talks regarding a search alliance for some time now, have recently received regulatory clearance for the same.
According to the official press release from Yahoo! and Microsoft, this alliance will enable their business users to connect with a larger audience of potential customers, thus saving them valuable time and money.
Users will now be able to search ad inventory from both the sites simultaneously, by using the Microsoft search engine, Bing, which presently has a combined audience of about 577 million users worldwide.
Advertisers will be able to use Microsoft adCenter to advertise to the combined client base of Yahoo! and Microsoft.
The alliance will obviously help both the companies concerned to improve monetisation for their partners, eventually helping the companies to generate more revenue for themselves.
Though both companies will continue to have different consumer search experiences, Microsoft will manage the technology for both of them through Bing. Yahoo! will support high volume advertisers, SEO and SEM agencies and resellers and their clients. Microsoft on the other hand will support self service advertisers. All ads will go through the Microsoft ad-Center.
This alliance will be implemented across the U.S. Canada, U.K. and France. Elsewhere in Europe, Latin America and Asia, Microsoft is already a partner of Yahoo!
At present, ads will continue to show up on Bing search results, just as before, and advertisers will be informed about the alliance once it actually begins. They aim to be able to implement the new setup before the 2010 holiday season, but may delay it to early 2011 if needed.


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After fashion chain New Look and Legoland owner Merlin Entertainment pulled out of planned IPOs last month, SuperGroup founder Julian Dunkerton today predicted that a flurry of other firms would follow his lead.
"As a result of our success I'm sure other people will now do the same thing, and opt for a float rather than going to venture capitalists," he said.
The oversubscribed IPO will raise £125 million, with £120 million coming from institutions and £5 million from retail investors. It values SuperGroup at £395 million, just below the expected £400 million price tag.
Dunkerton will pocket about £50 million of the £105 million proceeds being shared by management. The retail offer will open to the public on Monday.
Promethean World raised £186 million from its float, which priced shares at 200p, giving the company a £400 million market capitalisation.
Chief executive Jean-Yves Charlier said: "We've created a strong register of institutional, UK-centric, long-term investors who were attracted by the business and the fact we came to market with no debt."Reuse content


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Three out of four are down now that Gearbox has released the codes for Zero’s Hornet’s Nest skin as a part of their Halloween promotion. The skin can be seen above, and can be acquired by entering the respective Shift code for your platform, from the list below. Stay tuned as Salvador will be coming some time later today. These codes will be active until Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 11:55PM CT just like all of the other Halloween skin codes.
Xbox 360: 5J53B-J96HW-F9FBX-CFTT3-FTFXS
PlayStation 3: KBKB3-J3R5J-BKCKT-H3W33-9F56C


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As a result of a major shift towards remote working and increased reliance on online communication in the last few months, cyber security is more topical than ever. As mentioned in our last blog post, cyber crime is on the rise as businesses have been left vulnerable. At Cyber Science 2020, a variety of industry and research leaders from the areas of cyber security, risk, situational awareness and social media will gather to share their insights and knowledge from June 15th to 19th. In preparation for the conference, we decided to gather 10 interesting cyber crime and cyber security statistics that we’ve seen so far in 2020.
1. 46% of businesses have experienced a cyber threat since lockdown
Almost half of global businesses (46%) have encountered at least one cyber security scare since pivoting to a remote working model amidst the Covid-19 lockdown. According to a survey conducted by Barracuda.
2. Google reported 18 million daily malware and phishing mails in the space of a week
Google reported to have seen 18 million daily malware and phishing emails related to Covid-19 in the space of a week. The most common examples Google detected were emails impersonating authoritative government organisations such as the WHO or emails impersonating managers sending messages to employees related to working from home.
3. Cyber Crime surged by 86% in India since lockdown
Cybercrime surged by unprecedented levels in India by 86% between March and April 2020 amidst lockdown. One of the most scandalous incidents involve police in Mumbai launching an investigation to locate cyber criminals who tried to sell the world’s tallest statue, the statue of Unity, for $4 billion. The fraudsters claimed that the proceeds would go towards helping the government fight against Covid-19.
4. Cyber attacks to healthcare organisations has doubled
The current pandemic has provided the perfect opportunity for cyber criminals to attack the already vulnerable healthcare industry. Cyber-attacks to healthcare organisations doubled from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020.
5. Hackers attack every 39 seconds
In a study carried out by the University of Maryland, results showed that hackers attack on average every 39 seconds or 2,244 times a day. The study showed that the vast majority of cyber attacks came from relatively unsophisticated cyber criminals who used “dictionary scripts.” This is a type of software that runs through lists of common usernames and passwords attempting to break into computers.
7. Cyber Incident response teams reduce data breach costs by $360,000
9. Only 5% of organisations have protected folders
In a report by Varonis which analysed 785 organisations across over 30 industries, only 5% out of 4.3 billion of companies’ folders were protected. Addtionally, 53% of companies were found to have 1,000 sensitive files open to every employee.
10. 64% of Americans don't know how to handle a data breach
According to Varonis, 64% of Americans don’t know what to do after they experience a data breach. Additionally, most have never even checked to see if their data was compromised during any major data breaches that have occurred.
As lockdown measures and the spread of Covid-19 continues, we’re certain that some of these figures may significantly increase by the end of 2020. Some of the issues outlined here are just a snippet into what you can expect to hear at Cyber Science 2020, as we bring together cyber security experts from all around the globe. You can join us too from anywhere around the world as Cyber Science goes virtual for the first time ever. Be a part of a discussion of all things Cyber Security when it’s more important than ever. Registrations for attendees is now open, don’t miss out and register online today!


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Despite the good news in Twitter’s first quarterly earnings report as a publicly traded company — particularly stronger-than-expected revenue of $243 million and $0.02 earnings per share — the stock was down more than 20 percent in pre-market trading. Just before trading opened, the stock was at $51.40, more than 22 percent below its closing price of $65.97. The reason for the slide seems to be the company’s slow user growth in 2013: an increase of just 30 percent year-over-year. Pre-market shares tend to be more volatile than after the opening bell, but it’s still not looking very pretty.
In its first earnings report as a public company, Twitter reported revenue and profits higher than had been expected, but it’s user base continues to grow slower than company watchers had hoped. Read more »
Longtime Google employee Susan Wojcicki will take over as boss of YouTube, and her skills with ads could be what the platform needs to solve its money woes for creators. Read more »
Microsoft puts a stake in Foursquare’s future, offering the startup $15 million for access to location-award datasets and technology that could help Microsoft compete with Apple and Google in mobile. Read more »
If practically everything about Facebook as a user experience on both desktop and mobile bothers you, then Paper might answer your prayers. Read more »
Alma modernizes school administration software, with help from the cloud. Read more »
ZappRx, a mobile app that manages mobile prescriptions, closed a million-dollar seed round led by Atlas Venture and SR One, the venture arm of GlaxoSmithKline Read more »
Imgur is bringing data to its massive catalog of images, offering brands and pro users to take a peek into traffic for their “viral” content. Read more »
Akamai’s Q3 State of the Internet Report shows a surprising rebound in connectivity in the U.S., motivated by high broadband adoption. Meanwhile, IPv6 uptake remains slow. Read more »
It’s the 30th birthday of the Mac, and Apple has rolled out a website to celebrate. Read more »
Fertility app Glow is expanding to include women who don’t want to get pregnant, using data for prevention instead of conception. Read more »
Despite the hubbub over the revelation that well-known Youtube gaming channel Machinima takes “marketing partnerships” with game companies that essentially amount to paying vloggers to hype up followers about games, and the mounting gray area over whether such a thing is ethical, the FTC told Polygon that it can’t really do anything about it from a legal standpoint.
Apparently because the FTC guidelines are just guidelines, they are unenforceable in a court of law. There is a possibility that the FTC could go after a big player, like Machinima or the game companies it works with, for unsavory practices at some point, but until then, it’s best to stay smart about which media sources you trust.
AOL will acquire interest-based content personalization startup Gravity to help tailor its publication materials. Read more »
Investor Carl Icahn went on the phone with Bloomberg TV and called for eBay Read more »
This neat simulation, developed by the ESA, shows the spacecraft Rosetta’s entire journey to meet its comet — and where it will go after it does. Read more »
Months of tension around the use of San Francisco’s public bus stops by Silicon Valley companies to transport workers finally led to action on Tuesday night, as the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority (SFMTA) moved forward with its previously outlined plans to charge each bus $1 per stop, according to The Verge.
Reactions to the new rule are mixed at best: many opponents to the shuttles’ presence said that the $1 per stop charge is not enough to offset the delays private companies cause public busses, while Silicon Valley employees suggested that other conditions could push them to drive cars. Something tells me that this is far from over.
Chris Poole’s big post-4chan startup, DrawQuest, is shutting down, and his fair, graceful blog post should be required reading for all startup CEOs. Read more »
To say December wasn’t a pretty month for Yahoo would be quite the understatement. Between its protracted troubles with its Mail client and hiccups with services like Flickr, Yahoo was on PR clean-up to keep users happy. But, apparently its users just don’t know how to quit it, as ComScore revealed Tuesday that Yahoo remained the most trafficked website for December 2013 for desktop PCs in the U.S., barely edging out Google. While the desktop-only caveat is not to be ignored — it signals an older age bracket and doesn’t reveal Yahoo’s standing on mobile — Yahoo’s still entrenched in long-term user loyalty, for better or for worse.
Analysis of social media activity between Q2 and Q4 of 2013 show that Instagram and mobile are growing rapidly, but Facebook rules the roost — and teens aren’t really leaving it quite yet. Social media diversity, it seems, is key. Read more »
When your big console is a bust, where do you go? Nintendo is answering some hard questions after the Wii U flopped last year. Read more »
Ars Technica revealed a report that showed Microsoft had an “astroturfing” deal with Youtube gaming empire Machinima. What does it all mean for gaming journalism ethics? Read more »
On the eve of his 40th birthday, Mega creator Kim Dotcom gives a taste of his new music operation, Baboom. Read more »
ABC’s brutal restriction of next-day online episodes to cable customers and Hulu Plus subscribers only may have led cord-cutters to turn to pirated content sites. Read more »
Michael Sippey, Twitter’s VP of Products, announced on Friday that he would be stepping down to an advisory role at the company. “Over the past few weeks I’ve talked with Dick and Ali about what I want next in my career, and what Twitter needs at this stage of its life,” Sippey said. “And I’ve decided that it’s time for me to move on.”
Blueprint Health’s Winter 2014 class offers enhanced communication and efficiency for everyday tasks at hospitals, clinics and care facilities. Read more »
The Wii U is a flounder, forcing creator Nintendo to slash sales and take a loss on the console for the third year in a row. Read more »
A study of 9 million words and phrases within fundraisers on Kickstarter says that there are words that will get you ahead — and ones that lead to a dead end. Read more »
Education startup Curious released its first app today for iOS, focusing on its small, skill-focused courses. Read more »
Game video and live streaming service Twitch’s year in review shows staggering numbers for the platform, including the user base on Sony’s PlayStation console doubling in just one month. Read more »
Rumor has it that Windows 9 will be announced soon, but it’s got some big decisions to make if it wants to be any better than Windows 8. Read more »
Ed-tech marketplace Udemy is expanding its reach with a new Android app, available today. Read more »
Offering a library of books for $9.95 per month, Oyster will get an expansion thanks to a big influx of cash. Read more »
Users will now be able to hook up their Oculus Rift to their Steam Client to enjoy VR games. Read more »
After eight years on the job, Automattic CEO Toni Schneider will switch positions with founder Matt Mullenweg. Read more »
Apple’s sales of the iPhone continue to do very well domestically, with the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c boasting record numbers last year, but the Cupertino company struggles to bring its products to countries that are just now embracing smartphones. A feature in the New York Times on Sunday showed the intricacies of Apple’s iPhone sales in India, employing monthly plans and special discount deals to sell phones — key in an area where incomes can be just a few hundred a month. It’s a good glimpse into the brand’s attempt to crack developing markets and gain crucial users.
Target’s massive data breach, which occurred in mid-December of last year, has affected millions of customers, but the company has remained quiet about how personal and financial information was leaked. But CEO Gregg Steinhafel’s interview with CNBC yesterday finally shed some light on the attack, and it’s not pretty: the information was lifted via malware distributed directly through Target’s point-of-sale systems, and the company waited four days before disclosing the attack. That’s probably not very reassuring to the 110 million customers potentially affected by the attack.
In case you weren’t already convinced, Nintendo has a favorite console, and that would be its successful 3DS line of mobile handhelds. In a press release on Friday, the Japanese company boasted that more than 11.5 million units of the 3DS console line (including the 3DS XL and the 2DS) have sold in the U.S. alone since its release in 2011. In addition, the company sold roughly 16 million units of software — both physical and digital — for the year 2013. It’s definitely a positive note for Nintendo, if a bit glossy: Despite extolling the virtues of the 3DS, the still-struggling Wii U was not mentioned at all.
The university is launching a flagship course for a new professional-focused online program. Read more »
Target’s data breach will not quit — personal information like email addresses and phone numbers were also lifted in the December attack. Read more »
Apple is swelling with potential to heat up the gaming world, but it relies on products out of its hands. Read more »


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-- American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda Canada, Inc., and the National Hockey League (NHL) have entered into a 3-year agreement naming Honda as the official vehicle of the NHL, the companies announced today. Elements of the agreement include Honda sponsorship of NHL television and Internet coverage along with active participation at NHL events in both the United States and Canada, such as NHL Face-Off Rocks 2008, NHL Winter Classic and NHL All-Star Weekend.
"With more than 53 million fans in the United States and Canada, the NHL is a big part of the sports landscape in North America," said Steve Center, vice president of advertising and public relations for American Honda. "Honda has a long history of supporting sports at all levels worldwide, and working with the NHL will give Honda a great opportunity to become an even bigger part of the hockey experience."
"This partnership integrates the leading brand in the automotive industry with the strength, momentum and excitement of the NHL brand," said Keith Wachtel, the NHL's senior vice president of corporate sales and marketing. “We are excited to have Honda as part of every major NHL platform while strengthening partnerships with NHL member clubs."
The 3-year agreement with the NHL includes provisions for advertising on NHL.com and during game broadcasts, camera-visible signage during games and events, on-site displays of Honda vehicles at select events, and much more. Honda began its involvement with hockey when it became the presenting sponsor of the Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks
, in 2006.


text: So the software company that brought us the demon infested QuarkXpress, has launched a new CSS based website along with a new brand. You can check it all out here. Now, yipee for them for a CSS based website...but now enters the problem. It looks like Quark's new logo isn't exactly original. These two sites sport something very very similar (if not exact) to the new Quark brand. Thoughts?


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Amid the shortage of masks and sanitizers during the lockdown, the pharmacists in Hyderabad have alleged that the wholesalers have been selling these products at unreasonably high prices.
"There is a shortage of masks in the market. We don't have any stocks. There is a lot of demand but we are unable to get them at reasonable prices from the wholesalers. Genuine sanitisers with a certified brand are not available. We urge the government to take this issue seriously," Praveen Kumar, a pharmacist, told ANI.
While another pharmacist Ramesh said, "The wholesalers are selling masks and sanitisers at a higher cost than what is fixed by the government. How can we then purchase masks and sanitisers from them and sell these at a higher price to the customers? Therefore, we are not getting any stock."
A customer Joseph Vijay said, "I have come here from a far distant place to purchase a mask since it is not available near my house. The masks are not even available at the store in the Gandhi Hospital here."
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has asked Health Secretaries and Chief Secretaries of all States to ensure the availability and distribution of masks, gloves, and sanitisers in view of the situation arising out of coronavirus pandemic. It also urged to resolve the issues in the movement of stock and manpower on priority to ensure uninterrupted production and supply of medicines and medical devices in the country.
India has witnessed a swell in Coronavirus cases as the number of infected individuals crossed the 1000 figure mark. As on March 29, the number of Covid-19 positive cases stand at 1024, of which 27 have succumbed to the virus while 95 have been recovered and discharged according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.