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What happens on the internet stays on the internet, forever. It’s an exposed new world where the internet rules and millennials have killed every industry that couldn’t adapt or keep up. Imagine if IBM and Willy Wonka are in a partnership. A geeky technology company and a candy-maker join forces; it sounds ridiculous. But that’s what just happened to get an equal bite of money. And it does not sound that much crazy because the idea is making heaps of economy. The explosion of companies like Uber managed to destroy the once-invincible taxi industry almost overnight. Its success story comes from a few key advantages – it’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s cheap.
Today, internet access may be the no.1 infrastructure challenge but still, companies are benefiting around the buzzword—sharing economy, like Uber. The sharing economy is now a huge part of the way the world works. Generational priorities have shifted. Millennials aren’t just industry killers; they’re the builders of entirely new industries from the ground up. And when the company checks all the boxes: a fast, cheap, easy, novel, and eco-friendly, it can mean BIG money for investors.
So how does one browse the next big success story in this streaming new industry? Good news. It’s already been done some of the heavy liftings.
Here are 6 trends leading the sharing economy race:
Delivery on Demand
Quick google research on sharing economy stocks with investors will quickly reveal that GrubHub reigns supreme. In fact, Investors Alley calls it “the quintessential sharing economy stock,” for its huge stock with major exposure called as a food-delivery juggernaut.
The company is projected to grow earnings an average of 26% per year over the next 5 years. Right now it’s an excellent moment to buy stock in GrubHub when an investor factor considers it currently more affordable than it has been in other quarters. Brands, one of the world’s biggest food sector corporations–they own Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, just for starters.
Changing Rideshare for Good
OjO Electric Corp, an unsung hero in the race of the ultra-fast-growing sector. It has burst onto the scene of the sharing economy. It’s a disruptive new industry and made fans and enemies contributing equally in its takeover of city streets and legions of devoted consumers.
Small start-up companies are getting multi-billion dollar valuations. And where investors are riding out like bandits, that’s right, Scooters. They are set to transform part of the $7 trillion mobility industry. OjO Electric Corp has invested a better, faster, and more efficient scooter. The tech is better, their scooters are safer, cities prefer them to other companies that just drop off their scooters and walk away…and consumers absolutely love them.
While GrubHub is known for its reliable sharing economy stock, Lending Club is for a very different kind of investor. Fintech stocks are currently an ideal sector for savvy investors who believe in the future of fintech and see the direction the economy is taking.
Lending Club is a sector for investors who can stomach a fair amount of risk in exchange for high rewards. Its economy is obvious to move further and further into a sharing economy all the time. It’s been rated for months and Zacks.com upgraded the stock to a hold, saying that there is a “light at the end of the tunnel for this overlooked stock.”
Staying Ahead of the Sharing Economy
By conventional logic, the sharing economy should be a big issue for Booking Holdings. Instead, Bookings (which recently rebranded the Priceline Group) dominates the travel and accommodations sector with a massive market cap of $100 billion.
Booking Holidays has stayed well ahead of the game, diversifying its offerings and getting into the sharing economy before Airbnb and Uber were able to take away too much of its business. “It is the global leader in travel and accommodations and has taken steps to embrace the sharing economy and maintain its lead,” affirms the Motley Fool.
Online Job Board
Fiverr, a software that connects freelance workers to companies with projects that suit their skills. It was the unbelievable first day when Fiverr stock opened “at $26, 24% above its $21 initial-public-offering price, and kept rising to a close of $39.90, 90% higher than the IPO price.”
Alpha reports that “As of Q2 2019, revenue has grown by over 40% YoY, better than the expected full-year outlook of 36% YoY.” For those who are seeking immediate returns, OjO Electric Corp is a better bet, but for those willing to wait for a solid return on their investment they can go for Fiverr.
Shopify Inc is a Canadian e-commerce company enabled more than 500,000 companies to rely on Shopify’s real-time e-commerce, including Tesla, Budweiser and Red Bull, among many others.
Shopify makes purchasing goods and services easy for anyone – and in a time where convenience is king. In addition to its revolutionary approach to e-commerce, Shopify is also delving into blockchain technology, making it a promising pick for investors, especially given that the sector is red hot right now.


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Last week Google was forced to rebrand its Gmail service in the UK to Google Mail after London-based Independent International Investment Research claimed it registered the trademark in 2002.
Now another claimant, Norwegian software vendor Gallagher & Robertson, has entered the fray, stating that it first used the Gmail name in 1989 when it decided to rename an email program it first developed in 1984. Since then, the program has been sold as Gmail in the UK, Europe, and the US.
"We have never come across this product before, so on that test we don't seem to conflict or cause confusion to each other," said Shane Smith, IIIR's chairman and chief executive. "If someone else has superior rights to ours, we would concede that they own it. We wish that Google would have adopted this stance."
Michael Sandøy, Gallagher & Robertson's general manager, says that his users have reacted to Google's use of the Gmail name, believing that there is a connection. "Although Gallagher & Robertson never registered the Gmail trademark we have, through the use of the Gmail trademark over the last 15 years, undoubtedly obtained rights to the trademark Gmail in connection with services related to opening, processing and exchanging electronic mail.
"Being a small independent software vendor, it is impossible for us to sell and market a product under a name used by a giant company such as Google. On these grounds we are in dialogue with Google, and we will investigate our rights relative to IIIR in the UK, and other companies that rather recently have started to use the Gmail trademark," says Sandøy.
Despite capitulating over a name change to its new service in the UK, Google had previously described IIIR's claim as tenuous. It appears to dismiss the Norwegian software company's claim, too. "Norway is a country that requires registration in order to acquire trademark rights. Gallagher & Robertson does not own a registration for Gmail," said a company spokesperson.
Some critics have said that claimants such as IIIR are just out to make a quick profit, but Smith hit back at such accusations last week with an open letter in which he says that he has a duty to shareholders to protect the company's assets - and that Google ignored the company until the damage was done.
"We launched our service two years ahead of Google's own, and commercial exploitation of a trademark is absolutely central to gaining rights to that mark. Sure, we didn't register the trademark before we launched our product - but neither did Google before it launched its own. Our excuse is that we are small, and lack resources sometimes to do things the way we would like. The facts are that both our product launch and our trademark registrations precede those of Google. Google cannot substantiate its statement that our claim is tenuous."
Smith also says that Google made a very low offer of compensation. However, should Gallagher & Robertson discover any grounds, that could complicate matters further.
Common law rights
David Engel, a commercial litigation partner in the legal firm Addleshaw Goddard, says that Google has trademark applications pending for Gmail. The process can take 18 months to two years before registration is granted. "You can acquire rights in a name whether or not you have a trademark," adds Engel. "There are common law rights as opposed to statutory rights which are the protection enjoyed under the Trademarks Act 1994. IIIR would have acquired common law rights in the name by prior use. I don't know what the position is under Norwegian law."
Engel says that prior use, advertising and publicity all help acquire common law rights irrespective of the trademark. "The trademark application procedure is open to any other person who says that they have a prior right to the name to begin opposition proceedings."
An independent valuation published on IIIR's website puts the value of the Gmail trademark at £25-£34m, although Smith indicates that his company was prepared to accept a $500,000 annual licence payment and $500,000 in advertising credits to help rebrand its service.
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Over the past months there have been many cardholders who have seen their credit score drop due a poor credit history. Many cardholders have either practiced bad financial habits or have come upon a financially difficult time, used their credit card to stay afloat, but have missed payments or defaulted in some cases. For these reasons, among others, many cardholders are looking for ways to build a better credit history and repair their bad credit score.
Ideally, cardholders can use a credit card as a way to make financially savvy purchases that have been budgeted into their monthly financial expenditures and, after a set period of time of making charges on their credit card and paying them off, a cardholder will see their credit history and credit score improve. However, some cardholders who have seen their credit score drop due to a bad credit history may find that the interest rate on their unsecured credit cards is too much to handle.
It’s at this point that many cardholders turn to a secured credit card as a way to repair their bad credit score by building a better credit history. There are those who refer to secured credit cards as bad credit credit cards due to the fact that many cardholders use this type of card as a way to erase a bad credit score. However, secured credit cards have also been used by individuals who simply want to build a good credit history early in life.
Cardholders who are considering a secure credit card are often advised to shop around and make sure they find a card from a reputable lender that will not charge excessive fees and fines, which would obviously make building a better credit history more difficult. Over the past months, cardholders who have been successful at using secured credit cards to build a better credit history have also made sure that any debt associated with their bad credit score has been repaid seeing as how continually making credit card charges when other debt is present can be problematic.
While a secured credit card, or any credit card for that matter, is not a guarantee for a better credit score or a better credit history, they can be valuable assets in helping one repair their financial life. Yet, many advisers often point out that smart financial practices, budgeting, and discipline are vital before a bad credit borrower will be able to use their credit card to repair their bad credit history and increase their poor credit score.


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Starting this October you’ll be able to buy fresh produce, meats and other grocery items at Keizer Station for the first time.
When the redesign is complete Target will offer what spokesperson Jamie Bastian called “a curated assortment” of “the fresh foods that top weekly shopping lists” – things like fresh packaged meat, produce like bananas, berries, lettuce and the like along with pre-packaged baked goods.
“Target’s new expanded food layout was created in response to research and feedback from guests who requested more fresh food selection in the convenience of their local Target store,” Bastian added. “Understanding and giving guests what they want is a key part of what makes this new layout so successful.”
The expansion means more products from Target-owned brands like Market Pantry, Archer Farms and Sutton & Dodge.
Besides more food options, Bastian said the chain is renovating other areas of the store like beauty, home, baby and shoes.
And the numbers seem to illustrate a successful strategy: Traffic and sales have jumped about 6 percent at stores with the new food lineup. The number of stores with the expanded food lineup have more than doubled, from 323 in July 2010 to 736 in July 2011. Nine Target locations in Oregon currently offer it.
“Our expanded fresh food layout is delivering strong results and incredible guest feedback,” Bastian added.


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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Southeastern discount banner Fred's on Thursday morning reported that the consumer continues to be challenged by economic pressures. "In key markets we continue to see swings in sales [tied to] the payroll cycle," Bruce Efird, Fred's president and CEO, told analysts during a conference call this morning. Efird also reported an increase in government assistance utilization.
As many as 23% to 25% of consumers in those markets where Fred's operates are receiving some form of government assistance, Efird said. "I'ts really hard to separate the effect of gas prices, the inflation that we've seen on core products, in addition to the debt crisis."
Other tell-tale signs that today's customer is spend cautious — Efird reported significant declines across several segments considered as a discretionary cost by many consumers, including apparel, home furnishings and entertainment/electronics.
But not all necessarily is doom and gloom, Efird noted. A decent back-to-school period, currently in season, could serve as a good prognosticator that holiday sales, while not stellar, may be good as well. "I wouldn't say we're very bullish on the back half, [but] we've seen some easing on our customers," which should mean increased discretionary spending, Efird said.
"Back to school has done better than we anticipated, that is somewhat discretionary, [there has been] a lot of the growth in the basic and consumable products," reported Jerry Shore, Fred's EVP, chief administrative officer and CFO.
As a deep discounter, Fred's certainly has been successful communicating its value proposition to its core consumers. Fred's reported net income of $5.1 million, up 3%, representing 14 cents per diluted share, for the second quarter ended July 30. That performance beat out the Capital IQ Consensus by one penny.
Pharmacy also continues to be a key traffic driver for the Southeastern chain — prescriptions filled were up 2% over the quarter. "Pharmacy is a strong differential factor in drawing customers to our stores," Efird said. And while the strong number of new generics has been negatively impacting top-line sales and same-store sales comps, the profitability of pharmacy going forward will be a positive considering the upcoming generic introductions to the blockbuster Lipitor (atorvastatin).
Fred's total sales for second quarter of fiscal 2011 increased 1% to $452.7 million. Comparable-store sales for the quarter decreased 0.4% versus a 2.5% increase for the second quarter last year. Fred's total sales for the first half of fiscal 2011 increased 2% to $937.1 million from $921.1 million for the same period last year. Comparable-store sales for the first half of 2011 increased 0.4% on top of a 2.4% increase for the same period last year.
In third quarter 2011, Fred's expects total sales to increase 2% to 4%. Comparable-store sales are expected to increase 1% to 3% versus an increase of 1.5% in the third quarter last year.
"Looking ahead, with the federal debt crisis behind us for this year, our strategic initiatives well under way and the cost-reduction programs that are now in place, we are confident that we will regain the momentum experienced in the first quarter and expect income growth of 10% to 20% for the final two quarters of 2011," Efird stated.
During the second quarter, Fred's opened two new stores and one pharmacy as part of its 2011 operating plan. One franchise store closed during the quarter. The company also remodeled and refreshed 68 stores with its new Core 5 elements in the quarter, bringing the total stores upgraded to 332 during 2010 and 2011.
Currently, Fred's operates 674 discount general merchandise stores, including 22 franchised Fred's stores, in the southeastern United States.


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By 5pm today, bosses of the UK’s biggest companies will have earned more in 2020 than the average worker will take home in 12 months
- Stats according to the Chartered Institute Of Personnel And Development
- Paul Polman, of Unilever, earned 250 times more than the median employee
- Dave Lewis, of Tesco, earned 226 times as much as an average employee
By 5pm today, bosses of the UK’s biggest companies will have earned more in 2020 than the average worker will take home in 12 months.
Chief executives in the FTSE 100 are paid, on average, about £3.5 million – or 117 times the £29,559 salary of ordinary employees.
At about £900 per hour it will take them just 32 hours and 48 minutes behind their desk to reach that level – or 4.48pm today, the third working day of the year – according to the Chartered Institute Of Personnel And Development (CIPD), the professional body for human resources experts.
Chief executives in the FTSE 100 are paid, on average, 117 times the £29,559 salary ofworkers
For employees feeling downcast about paying off Christmas debts and the start of another year in the office, it will be little consolation that this so-called ‘High Pay Day’ falls a few hours later than usual.
This is thanks to a reduction in bonuses awarded last year that reduced the bosses’ pay ratio from 133 times the typical workers’ salary.
High pay will be a key issue in 2020 as this is the first year that publicly listed firms with more than 250 UK employees will be forced to disclose the ratio between the pay of the chief executive and an average worker.
The bosses will have to accompany this with an explanation of why they deserve their pay.
A small number of firms took the decision to disclose this ratio a year early.
Paul Polman, the boss of consumer giant Unilever, earned 250 times more than the median employee.
Dave Lewis, the chief executive of Tesco who will step down next year, earned 226 times as much as an average employee.
Jeff Fairburn, the former chief executive of housebuilder Persimmon, was the FTSE 100’s best-paid boss in the last reporting period, taking home £45.7 million – more than 1,000 times the average workers’ wage.
Critics have argued that excessive executive pay packets undermine trust in business and fuel concerns that workers are getting a raw deal.
Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, said: ‘Pay ratio reporting will rightly increase scrutiny on pay and reward practices. We need businesses to step up and justify the very high levels of pay for top executives.’
The High Pay Centre, a think-tank that monitors pay packets, has argued that the role chief executives play in a business’s success is over-stated.
Director Luke Hildyard said last night: ‘Hopefully new reporting requirements will lead to a more sensible balance between those at the top and everyone else.’
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The accessibility menu is where you’ll find features that Apple
added to iOS to help those with hearing and vision problems use an iPhone. From that menu, you can add hearing aid compatibility, toggle on the Sound Recognition feature that sends an alert when certain sounds like a fire or smoke alarm go off. Other sounds that will trigger a notification include the sound of glass breaking, the sound of a baby crying, and more.
Other features found in accessibility include Subtitles & Captioning and there is a listing for Siri. However, some of the things that Siri used to do to help those who have poor vision or are blind have been removed following the iOS 15 update. According to MacRumors
, Apple’s digital assistant will no longer send emails. It also won’t respond to the following commands:
- Do I have any voicemails?
- Play my voicemail messages
- Check my call history
- Check my recent calls
- Who called me?
- Send an email
- Send an email to [person]
, an online forum for iPhone users who are blind or have poor vision, recently posted a comment from a user named Brian Negus who wrote: “I tried on my iPhone SE
with iOS 15.0 and the response from Siri was “sorry, I can’t help with that”. Subsequently, I’ve had the same response on a phone running iOS 12. If this is a deliberate feature removal, it’s certainly a loss to some users with sight loss who find it a convenient way to send a brief email.”
Since the iOS 15 update, Siri will no longer read all new voicemails
Negus later revealed that he had heard from Apple Support and they told him that “we are aware of this issue and it is currently under review.” This could indicate that Apple will be sending a software update to exterminate the bug. That certainly makes more sense than Apple haphazardly deciding not to allow Siri to help those with vision problems.
Interestingly enough, while the first thought is that the issue started with the recent iOS 15 update, the same accessibility features no longer working with Siri in iOS 15 are also not working when using Siri in iOS 14. Siri will play the latest voicemail that a user has received or read a voicemail from a specific person. But again, the digital assistant will no longer read the list of all available voicemails.
Siri received something of an overhaul in iOS 15, with speech processing now done on-device instead of via an Apple server. That’s because the Neural Engine will process speech as well as the off-device server does. The digital assistant will handle some requests offline including setting alarms and timers, messaging, launching an app, controlling the playback of audio, and opening the Settings app.
Apple has a backlog of fixes it needs to send out
Siri will now share content on the screen including photos, web pages, content from Apple Music or Apple Podcasts, Maps locations, stories from Apple News, and more. All you have to say is “Send this to Giancarlo.” If the content on the screen can’t be shared, Siri will offer to send a screenshot instead. And while Google Assistant
already does this, Siri will now maintain context when you have a follow-up question to make the interaction with the digital helper more of a conversation.
Is it possible that somehow, in the midst of making these changes to Siri in iOS 15, some of the accessibility features were accidentally disabled? It doesn’t matter what caused this as the most important thing is for Apple to bring back Siri’s lost capabilities so that those less fortunate can still use their iPhone even if their vision is poor.
Apple already has a backlog of fixes it needs to send out so we could see all of these bundled together in iOS 15.01, or added to the iOS 15.1 update that Apple is currently testing with the release of its second developer beta.


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Second-hand, or pre-owned, fashion is a growing trend in France, with brands such as Kiabi, Gémo and Jacadi all launching pre-owned clothing projects. Shoe and apparel retailer Eram has decided to join in, and has recently been testing several schemes offering second-hand fashion items in stores, both for shoes and vintage ready-to-wear. It is also about to launch a website dedicated to second-hand shoes.
The company has opened a vintage section in its Boulevard Sébastopol shop in Paris, which includes second-hand clothing from brands such as Levi’s, Adidas and Ralph Lauren. To source items, Eram has partnered with the Eureka group, owner of vintage clothing specialists The Kilo Shop and Hippy Market.
Currently, the vintage section is only available in this Parisian boutique, but several test stores are planned in other parts of France. If successful, the initiative will lead to a wider roll-out, involving about thirty out of the 200 stores that the network has today.
As a separate project, Eram is also developing the sale of second-hand shoes. In three stores, customers can now drop off and put on sale a second-hand pair, or purchase one. The selling price is set by the seller and a shop assistant. The settlement can be made in cash or through a voucher representing a 30 percent premium over the price the shoes were sold.
In addition,the retailer offers a cobbler service where the reshaping of the pair is carried out in store. Eventually, 40 to 50 stores could offer the service, which accepts shoes of other brands. Eram plans to launch an e-commerce platform for pre-owned shoes by the end of the year.


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The COVID-19 pandemic has created opportunities for a fairer, more robust and more efficient tax revenue and spending system.
Paper-based trade is a drag on the efficiency of the global trading system. Digitization will make trade and supply chains more robust, and the world more secure.
Companies deploying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, and investing in reskilling and upskilling for digital occupations, are likely to recover faster from the impact of the pandemic.
Strong remittance inflows should be used as an opportunity to strengthen the systems that help overseas workers and their families back at home.
On many levels, women in Viet Nam fare better than women living in countries at a similar level of economic development. Still, women-owned businesses face disproportionate barriers.
To respond to the challenges of the pandemic and deliver services effectively, a professional civil service needs to build the values, culture and skills required to respond to complex demands and challenges.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership brings 15 nations and 2.2 billion people into a trade partnership. It also offers broad economic and societal benefits that go beyond imports and exports.
With the right policies, enough jobs can be created to employ returning workers and creating the opportunity for a new era in agricultural entrepreneurship in the region.
Reforms that drive the demand for credit ratings will support the development of the corporate bond market.
The more Viet Nam’s state-owned enterprises can access capital through the strength of their own balance sheets, the more they can help fund infrastructure, social development and COVID-19 response.


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2021 predictions on the future of branding
A global pandemic
But in the words of our co-CEOs, David Srere and Howard Belk, we viewed these obstacles as a clarion call for simplicity. Our collective responsibility was to find new ways to remove the complexity from the challenges before us—both for our clients and colleagues. As we look to the year ahead, what’s top of mind for branding experts? Our senior leadership team weighs in on how companies can differentiate themselves in 2021. Read our extended prediction article from our global team here.
Empathy—delivered—takes center stage
As the global economy begins to rebound from one of the most challenging years in modern history, brands that lead with empathy—and deliver it with action—will win the hearts and wallets of customers and colleagues. After a year of personal and professional hardship in almost every industry and region, the days of merely talking about doing good in the world are over. “For-profit” organizations need to integrate a “not-for-profit” mindset into the core of their brand-building strategies and experiences. Take Bombas, for example: for every pair of socks purchased, a pair is donated to someone in need. As we move into 2021, this type of demonstrable commitment to “doing well by doing good” will be one of the key factors distinguishing great brands and organizations.
—David Srere, Co-CEO + Chief Strategy Officer
Focus on sustainability to unlock value creation
2021 will be a transition year on many fronts, none more significant than the interconnection between brands and sustainability. The COVID-19 crisis has shone a spotlight on business actions, and all stakeholders have elevated expectations. Customers, employees, boards, investors, and regulators are all signaling that they will reward the brands that commit to sustainability actions—from racial equity to climate change. The implication is that companies have both intensified pressure and permission to play a meaningful role in addressing societal issues, in addition to their profit mandate.
Expect to see a more intentional connection between brand purpose and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments. Enlighted CMOs will revisit, reset, and rearticulate a clear brand purpose and anchor it in measurable ESG goals. They will become more interested in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and double down on mapping brand purpose to the best-fit goals, measuring and communicating progress according to this framework. (Listen to our recent CMO panel on sustainability to hear from brands on this journey.)
—Margaret Molloy, Global Chief Marketing Officer + Head of Business Development
Mirror, mirror: What happens inside gets done externally
The world’s most prosperous companies are led from the inside-out. Successful brands in 2021 will invest in a renewed internal emphasis on recognizing individuals as individuals. Treating all people justly, meeting them where they are and where they come from is imperative. Treating employees as individuals drives better customer experiences. Organizations need to be extremely focused on prioritizing and delivering hyper-personalized and customized experiences to build and strengthen their relationships with employees. Creating employee experiences with the same broad-brush stroke will fail because one size doesn’t fit all. A company can’t say externally to the world, “We’re a brand that recognizes this,” if they don’t walk the talk internally. This year taught us that customers see through inauthentic actions. They won’t trust the external promise of a brand that says, “We honor this,” if they aren’t living it internally.
—Gretchen Huestis, Director, Employee Engagement
Established brands lean into their legacy to overtake disrupters
In 2021, the battle on the disruption front will heat up between upstarts with fresh ideas but limited resources and established iconic brands recognizing the urgency of the moment. We will see a ten-fold increase in innovations launched by category leaders who recognize they can rethink how they exploit and evolve core competencies. By capitalizing on their size, networks, technologies, geographic footprints, and knowledge to bundle and deliver product and service innovations at scale, badged by known and respected brands—they will disrupt the disrupters.
—Howard Belk, Co-CEO + Chief Creative Officer
Swapping dynamism for family values
When COVID hit, besides the toilet paper rush, baking materials were one of the biggest sellers. Brands like B&Q saw profits shoot up as other industries were furloughing staff. It was a telling sign of how much value we put in the idea of home and the sense of security it provides. For the longest time, businesses have pushed to make their brands edgier; more dynamic. After nearly a year of turmoil, I question whether customers still seek dynamism. I believe it’s the brands that double down on their heritage and family values that will be the winner in 2021. The complexity and unpredictability that’s currently flowing through society is something that brands can calm by taking a trip back to simple, home-spun family values. As people strive for consistency in their lives, it’ll be a move away from the push for dynamism and be replaced by simplicity.
—Sophie Lutman, Executive Creative Director
A spike in virtual worldbuilding
Gaming was once seen as a subculture, but lockdowns and restricted movement during the pandemic saw non-gamers enter into virtual worlds seeking community, entertainment, and competition. The result is an industry boom, transforming gaming into a core culture for many. In the absence of live music events, artists have become digitized characters and performed in games like Fortnite. In this new era of gaming, virtual goods will become just as valuable as physical currency. Whether buying tickets to a show or outfits (“skins”) for avatars—there are endless opportunities for companies to leverage beyond media and traditional sponsorship. On a recent Siegel+Gale panel, Twitch CMO Doug Scott said, “people need community; they need a place where they can show up for one another, and that’s what we’re building.” In 2021, savvy brands will strategize on how to capitalize on a billion-dollar business.
—Jared Fink, Group Director, Experience
A return to shared sensemaking
2020 made clear that the Age of the Algorithm has broken our information ecosystem, disintegrated shared societal beliefs, and, in many cases, waged war against truth itself. As our nation heals from a devastating year, I expect a renewed interest in shared sensemaking. We’ll seek a deeper understanding of our information, factual and cultural divides, and (hopefully!) devise brilliant new ways to bridge them. We’ll give more people tools they can trust to understand the world and build a renewed sense of shared purpose. Of course, brands will have a significant role to play—supporting platforms that bring people together, not those that tear us apart.
—Matt Egan, Executive Director, Strategy
The return of the Roaring ’20s
It is apropos that as we begin 2021 and see a potential end to the pandemic, it marks a full century removed from the Roaring ’20s. Starting in mid-2021, America will again unleash itself from the constraints of a pandemic and once again enjoy travel, leisure and social activities, and trigger the boom for another decade of historic growth and cultural advancement. Once a vaccine becomes widely distributed, consumers will enjoy the excesses of society they were deprived of for 12-18 months: travel, celebrating in person, dining out, outdoor activities such as sports, parties and a return to our cultural institutions (theater, sports venues, etc.) in droves. Brands need to cater to and celebrate America’s newfound desire to be free, uninhibited and indulgent. Optimism, personalization and social sharing will be paramount for brands who seek to ride this new wave of growth.
—Jason Cieslak, President, Pacific Rim
Simplicity and data-driven decisions will be essentials in 2021
Every decade, there tends to be a major event that transforms our perspectives and behaviors; COVID-19 has made 2020 one of those transformative years. In business, tighter budgets and continued uncertainty have led to increasing demand for research, and a growing focus on simplicity. Reason being–the more clarity you can bring to your work, the quicker you will be able to adapt. And having a clear sense of what you stand for and how you prioritize adds stability to so much uncertainty. Early in the pandemic, brands like OpenTable moved quickly, implementing a grocery feature and adding bars to its system to help customers pivot to a new reality – all possible because they had both insight into their audiences, and extreme clarity about their brand. As we move into 2021, brands will continue to rely on insights that allow them to simplify, clarify and have the greatest impact.
—Lisa Kane, Group Director, Strategy
Not everything needs to say “connected”
As the pandemic begins to wane, there will be a surge of new product and service innovations. But there will likely be some COVID-19 era naming and branding trends that carry forward. Because we’ve all craved human connection and the warmth of a smile or hug in person, expect to see companies over-index and capitalize on names that communicate the themes of humanity, approachability, warmth and connection. While a new file sharing app or web conference service might benefit from a name with these themes, your sparkling water, yoga mat and fancy sweatpants probably don’t need to jump on the “human connection” bandwagon.
—Aaron Hall, Group Director, Naming
Hard-won lessons for 2021
No prizes for suggesting that 2021 might be the year that learns more from the preceding year than any other. But the brands that thrive or simply survive will be putting those lessons powerfully to good use. Like those that really know who they are and why they do what they do—and can express that with ease and originality—will compete harder, resist unwanted change and enjoy stronger, more progressive cultures. Said differently, having a purpose that connects customers, colleagues and communities, even when human interaction is limited, with a personality that is not only authentic but not beholden to the diet of word-salad that would make Orwell turn a particularly unpleasant shade. Those are the brands that will lead, adapt at will, innovate naturally and triumph whichever adversaries or adversity come their way.
—Philip Davies, President, EMEA


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Apple says the annual Macworld Expo is a waste of money and effort now that it has its retail stores doing demo on a daily basis. Now, some Apple watchers say the company is tired of feeling pressure to release products at the show, but perhaps push has come to shove over what the Expo does to kill sales during the biggest buying season of the year.
For example, Charlie Sorrel offers one explanation at Wired:
The trouble with a yearly show is that you face pressure to come up with new products at a set time. And we know that this isn't the Apple way. Apple works on something and then, when it is good and ready, launches it. ...
While many agree with Charlie, I don't know if there's such a pressure building down in Cupertino. Apple is always working on something. We remember the high notes of the keynote announcements, the amazing products and key technology demonstrations. We forget that there have been times that the product introductions featured in the Macworld Expo keynote were low down on the Richter magnitude scale.
The problem for Apple is that almost everyone in the Mac community knows that there's a chance of new products coming at Expo. Starting in the fall, there are almost daily sightings of potential new models or software revisions, the latest being the Mac mini rumor.
So, what happens? It becomes common wisdom for Mac customers to avoid a CPU purchase in the month before the show, just in case a new, better model is released. Or to skip a software upgrade. This effect will happen even if someone doesn't want a new model — they might be able to get a deal on the older generation of machine out in distribution.
The Mac market stops and waits for Expo.
This annual buzz kill must drive Apple's sales and marketing departments crazy. All the money spent on television ads for Macintosh, while loyal customers (some with money in their pockets) are waiting for the Macworld Expo keynote and the chance that new models will be announced.
In the current economic climate, it appears that no company — not even Apple — can afford to waste a single day of the Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza/Eid al-Adha shopping season.


text:
New LG robots help you with shopping and luggage
The Serving robot is aimed at fancy hotels and airport lounges, autonomously serving food and drink to customers.
Pakistan’s first robot waiter starts serving ... 12:53 PM | 2 Mar, 2017
MULTAN - A popular fast food restaurant in Multan has become Pakistan's first eatery to replace human waiters with ...
The Porter robot meanwhile will be responsible for delivering suitcases to guests' rooms in hotels. LG says the Porter can also "handle express check-in and check-out service and take care of payment."
The Shopping Cart robot will be found in premium supermarkets and will be able to scan barcodes on products, carry items and direct customers to products they wish to purchase.
The robots are strictly concepts now, meaning there's no word on whether they'll eventually be put into full production to be seen in hotels and airports around the world.
- PIA announces to operate 35 weekly flights to Saudi Arabia09:40 PM | 27 Nov, 2021
- Pakistan to take new census next year for 2023 general election09:18 PM | 27 Nov, 2021
- Two soldiers martyred during crossfire with terrorists in North ...08:26 PM | 27 Nov, 2021
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- Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza launch their customised fragrance07:00 PM | 27 Nov, 2021
- Malala Yousafzai’s family celebrates her Oxford graduation04:30 PM | 27 Nov, 2021


text:
Health insurance awareness low in country, says report
Mumbai: A majority of people have low
awareness about health insurance
products offered by various
companies in the country, says a report.
"A majority of Indian consumers are unable to distinguish
between the different insurance products offered by large
health insurers," Max Bupa said in its research report
conducted along with global market research firm, TNS.
The report studied consumers from three cities -- Mumbai,
Chennai and Meerut.
It also said that the consumers were unable to identify
various brands (health insurers) and also that very few
participants were familiar with smaller insurance brands.
Max Bupa is a joint venture between Max India and the
UK-based Bupa Group. It is the third stand-alone health
insurance company and has received R1 approval from IRDA and
is planning to start its operations by March this year.
The other two stand-alone health insurance companies are
Star Health & Allied Insurance and Apollo Munich Health
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text:
Consensus is that fixation of floor price for telecom services is not a workable idea.
New Delhi: Telecom regulator Trai today ruled out any immediate imposition of minimum floor price for voice and data services, saying that industry has reached a consensus that it is "not a workable idea".
The decision came after Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman R S Sharma along with senior regulatory officials met representatives of all telecom companies for a detailed discussion on the issue.
"Some operators, last month, had raised the issue of fixing floor price for telecom services. We had a detailed discussion today and there is a consensus that, for now, we do not need to pursue the idea of floor price," Sharma told reporters after the meeting.
Accordingly, there will no further discussion or consultation on the issue, he added.
"The consensus is that fixation of floor price for telecom services is not a workable idea," he added.
During the meeting, Idea Cellular is learnt to have batted for fixation of a minimum floor price through a detailed presentation, while newcomer Reliance Jio opposed the concept terming it regressive and anti-competitive.
If a minimum floor price had been set, it could have meant an end to freebies in the market, as operators would have to keep in mind the minimum threshold while fixing tariffs for voice and data.
The tariffs are currently under forbearance -- operators virtually have a free hand in fixing the rates and report plans to TRAI in 7 days of launch -- and, hence, a floor price setting would have also implied a shift from that regime.
"The conclusion was that prices which are under forbearance should continue under forbearance as of now," Sharma added.
All operators - large and small - were present at the meeting today. Sharma, however, declined to comment on the specifics of the meeting.
It may be recalled that Idea Cellular, in its presentation to the inter ministerial group last month, had said that the industry has been witnessing losses and negative returns driven by below cost tariffs that are "predatory".
"Only solution is to have floor prices for voice, SMS, and data services so mobile telecom businesses generate adequate profits to invest and then compete based on quality of services" it had said citing nations like Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh which have such floors.
Mukesh Ambani promoted Reliance Jio, which stormed into the telecom market last year, wooed customers with promotional free voice and data services in the first six months of its commercial launch.
Jio still offers aggressive data plans and has promised that voice calls will forever be free on its network. In fact, Jio's promotional freebies have been blamed by incumbent operators for the financial woes of the sector.


text:
Choum Reap Sor,
The City of Cape Town has introduced a municipal app that residents can use to view their load-shedding schedules, report a challenge, access online services, and stay informed about the City's news.
Available on App Store and Play Store, residents can participate in municipal decision-making on the platform.
Deputy Mayor, Eddie Andrews, said the decision to introduce a comprehensive app was due to the pilot success of Cape Town's load-shedding app in 2022.
Here's what I've got for you today:
- Ethiopia ends a 5-month social media ban
- Nigeria plans to develop electric vehicles
- Kenyans to send and receive money from South-East Asia
- Banks, telcos to register with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission by December 2023
Ethiopia ends a 5-month social media ban
Ethiopia has lifted Internet restrictions imposed in February 2023 due to anti-government protests brought on by conflicts within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC).
Here’s what happened: When three church leaders proclaimed themselves archbishops and established their governing body in January 2023, protests erupted in the Oromiya region. While some protesters criticised their action, others backed it.
The Ethiopian state has long had close ties with the Orthodox Church — more than 40% of its citizens are members.
As at February 10, the church reported that over 30 people had been killed, accusing the Ethiopian government of "meddling" in its internal affairs even after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asked his ministers to stay out of the dispute.
Following the ban, human rights organisations criticised the decision. In March 2023, Amnesty International said the restriction blatantly violated people's rights to freedom of expression and access to information.
A local Chief Security Officer (CSO), Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), claimed last week that Ethiopia suffered a staggering economic loss of more than $140 million due to the five-month Internet ban.
Sidebar Alert: In June 2023, Senegal censored access to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram in response to a widespread protest over the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
The Senegalese government hasn’t lifted the ban.
Nigeria plans to develop electric vehicles
The Nigerian government has announced plans to begin the development of Electric Vehicles (EVs) as part of its Automotive Policy.
This comes as the fuel pump price has risen to ₦617 ($0.78) per litre in the country following subsidy removal.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Evelyn Ngige, represented by the ministry's Director of Industry Development, Adewale Bakare, noted that the plan outlines the steps the government will take to develop, expand, and use EVs in Nigeria.
In other EV news, the Nigerian Government, via the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), has acquired Jet Motors’ locally assembled EVs and their charging infrastructure.
Chidi Ajaere, Chairman of the GIG Group, founded Jet Motors in 2018 to provide affordable and eco-friendly transportation options in Africa.
The company also manufactures a range of electric vehicles, including delivery vans, ambulances, and military and utility vehicles.
In April 2023, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwolu, announced the arrival of the first set of electric buses in the Lagos State Mass Transit Plan.
Kenyans to send and receive money from South-East Asia
Safaricom has collaborated with UK-based fintech company, TerraPay, to enable over 32 million M-PESA customers to send and receive money to over 200 million people in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Customers can send and receive funds to these countries via the M-PESA Global service available through the M-PESA Super app. They can also dial the USSD code, *334#, and select M-PESA Global from the "Send Money" menu.
The telco mentioned that M-PESA customers will soon send and receive money to people in India and Nepal in a few months.
With the addition of TerraPay, the M-PESA Global service now offers more than 35 partners, allowing customers in Kenya to send and receive money and send and receive payments to more than 170 different countries.
In Safaricom's most recent fiscal year, over 917,000 M-PESA Global service users used it to conduct more than 31.8 million transactions totalling over Ksh 418 billion.
Thus, M-PESA handled more than 90% of the country’s remittances.
Banks, telcos to register with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission by December 2023
All banks, telcos, schools, and other businesses that manage Nigerians' data must register with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) for data compliance monitoring by December 2023.
The National Commissioner of the NDPC, Vincent Olatunji, stated yesterday at a sensitisation forum on the Nigeria Data Protection Act that doing so follows the Act's provisions, which require all data controllers and data processors to register within six months of the law's enactment.
Nigeria has over 500,000 data processors and controllers, and Olatunji said the law specifies that the NDPC must give these organisations six months to become familiar with its provisions.
Why should you care? Olatunji stated that every Nigerian is a data subject because they all have data with either the government or private organisations.
Consequently, you have the choice to consent or not to the collection of your data and the right to correct inaccurate data. Additionally, you are entitled to transfer your data from one data controller to another.
On the other hand, data controllers and data processors owe you the duty of care and accountability to ensure that the data with them is well protected.What's more, between January and March 2024, all registered organisations must submit annual audit reports to the commission, informing the NDPC of their progress in protecting Nigerians’ data.
Let's take a walk down memory lane from a similar situation in 2020.
In case you missed it
- Why this Chinese investor is betting big on Africa's Web3 potential
- "AI in Nigeria has not even started crawling" - tech experts on the state of artificial intelligence in Nigeria
- Starlink launches in Kenya, chooses Karibu Connect as its authorised reseller
- Nigerian insurtech startup, MyCover.ai, has raised a $1.25 million pre-seed to invest in its proprietary technology
- Africans spent 2.7m+ hours learning online. What's next for education on the continent?
What I'm reading and watching
- Instagram’s Threads Adds Some New Features, Still Falls Short of Being a True Twitter Clone
- Liverpool agree to sell Jordan Henderson to Al-Ettifaq for initial £12m
- Your brain doesn’t detect reality. It creates it.
- Choices that can Change your Life
- African startups can apply for the SaaS Accelerator Program, which supports early-stage digital B2B SaaS startups. Apply here.
- Flapmax is looking for African startup leaders to apply for the second edition of its FAST Accelerator programme. Apply here.
- Moolu Venture Lab is organising another edition of the Emerald PitchFest Competition for startups in Nigeria. Apply here.
- Applications are open for the AWS Startup Loft Accelerator. It's an equity-free programme focused on supporting early stage startups in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa with technology, product development, and go-to-market advice; it also prepares them to receive funding. Apply here.
- If you are a software engineer, creative designer, product manager, design researcher, or a techie looking for an internship role, please, check out this website.
Have a beautiful Thursday!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa.


text:
THE latest TikTok trend has to do with the grinder sandwich.
Many users are sharing videos of their very own TikTok grinder sandwiches across the app.
What is the TikTok grinder sandwich?
TikTok users are combining a salad and a sandwich to create what is being called the TikTok grinder sandwich, Bustle reports.
The trending sandwich contains a coleslaw-like salad with the other ingredients being similar to a classic Italian deli sandwich.
According to the outlet, the "grinder" part of the sandwich is the "grinder salad."
TikTok's grinder sandwich also contains mayo, lettuce, onion, and a customizable mix of seasonings, with one's choice of deli meat.
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Why does my TikTok account keep going private?
Bustle also credits the TikTok user @ohheyimgray for starting the trend.
On March 28, 2022, the user shared the sandwich on her account that her boyfriend made her.
She captioned the post: "BF MAKES ME ANOTHER SANDO. One of my all time faves: Italian grinder. I say it’s a “grinder” bc that’s what it was on the menu at pops. But this is on focaccia he baked the day before. Put the grinder salad on ANY SANDO to make it amazing ok byeeee"
After her post went viral on the app, many have now attempted to create their own version of the sandwich.
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The tag #GrinderSandwich now has millions of views on TikTok.
What are people saying about the TikTok grinder sandwich?
Many have now taken to other social media apps like Twitter to share the TikTok grinder sandwich.
One Twitter user shared a photo of their sandwich with the caption: "Y’all know that viral TikTok grinder sandwich? Lawdamercy 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤"
Another wrote: "Y’all we made the tiktok grinder salad sandwich. It was so yummy. I wish I got a better pic lmao."
Many are making the famous sandwich and adding their own unique twist to it.
A third user wrote: "I made that grinder sandwich everyone on TikTok is talking about but tweaked it out a little bit and oh my gosh it’s heaven"
What goes in an Italian grinder?
TikTok's grinder sandwich is inspired by the traditional Italian grinder.
Typically an Italian grinder will contain a variety of deli meats from salami, pepperoni, and ham.
In addition to the deli meat the sandwich is then topped with lettuce, tomato, pepperoncini peppers, Italian dressing, and crushed red pepper.
For a traditional Italian grinder it should be made with a toasted hoagie bun.
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Some TikTok users are also adding a twist on the Italian grinder by changing the bread choice.
Users are opting for other choices like focaccia bread and more.
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Source: Read Full Article


text:
New Delhi, Aug 14:
The wholesale price-based inflation declined 0.58 per cent in July, even as food items turned costlier.
WPI inflation in June was at (-) 1.81 per cent, while for the month of May and April it was (-) 3.37 per cent and (-) 1.57 per cent respectively.
Inflation in food articles during July stood at 4.08 per cent, as against 2.04 per cent in June.
However, fuel and power basket inflation fell 9.84 per cent in July, compared to 13.60 per cent in the previous month. July retail inflation was at 6.93 per cent, as against 6.23 per cent in June.


text:
Scientists need to develop a method to stabilize sourdough fermentation. The science in developing sourdough baked goods with specific nutritional functionalities also needs to be perfected, Professor Marco Gobbetti (main picture) said at an event organized by Puratos Romania.
“The industry needs to consider sourdough as a cell factory. It is a complex of microbes that, if guided well, can help you modify cereals, food and eating in general,” Prof. Gobbetti said.
Marco Gobbetti is a microbiology professor at the University in Bozano, Italy. During the last decade, most of his articles dealt with the physiology and biochemistry of lactic acid bacteria during food fermentation, especially in sourdoughs. He collaborates with the Puratos Sourdough Library in the Center for Bread Flavor in Saint-Vith, Belgium, and has worked his entire career on sourdough studies; he revealed some of his findings during a conference in Bucharest, Romania.
As the industry and consumers are increasingly leaning towards dietary fibers and especially towards bread with high-fiber content, sourdough is an opportunity in the field, the professor explained. For example, without sourdough, wholemeal bread, rye or wheat-rye flour mixes are very difficult to process, especially because it offers an essential acid content to these types of dough. Sourdough fermentation brings improved the loaf volume and crumb softness, improves flours, texture and shelf-life of whole-grain rye breads. “For the producers of whole grains or rye breads, the only way to increase the volume of the bread is the sourdough fermentation,” professor Gobbetti said. On the other hand, this type of fermentation allows bakers to keep the most nutritional part of wheat – the germ, which is usually eliminating during the milling process.
Furthermore, sourdough fermentation also allows manufacturers to use non-conventional types of flours, such as legume- or hemp flours. By using legume fermentation, the process increases the content of amino acids, which helps achieve higher digestibility and reduce the content of non-digestible ingredients. When it comes to hemp flour addition, sourdough fermentation increases the phenols content in bread, leading to anti-oxidant activity and fighting against free radicals in the human body.
Another benefit underlined by the Italian professor is the increase of amino acid derivates, which compensates effects of the salt reduction. This is especially relevant considering that a low-sodium bread improves the adherence to a low-sodium diet in hypertensive patients.
Digestibility is one of the most important issues for humans, especially when it comes to celiac disease. During a study, the professor and his collaborator demonstrated that sourdough bread has an improved time of digestion and better absorption of nutrients compared to bread baked with regular baker’s yeast.
Sourdough bread has low-gluten content, which is especially beneficial for celiac disease sufferers but adopted by mainstream consumers as well, for presumed health benefits. The professor mentioned that, using extreme conditions, the sourdough’s fermentation can completely degrade the gluten in bread. At the end of a fermentation process that lasted 24 hours, the researchers succeeded to obtain wheat flour without gluten.
Another benefit underlined by Professor Gobbetti is a low-glycemic index. He explained that out of two types of bread baked with the same recipe, of which one is using sourdough fermentation, this will be the one with a lower glycemic index. The explanation for this phenomenon is a subject of future research, as scientists are now working o understanding it.
Puratos Sourdough Library
Karl de Smedt the coordinator of the Puratos Sourdough Library from Saint-Vith, Belgium, shared updates from the only sourdough library in the world. Set within the Center for Bread Flavor, the Sourdough Library aims to safeguard the sourdough biodiversity and preserve the sourdough heritage and baking knowledge. “I think the sourdough is more than a dough with an intense taste, more than flavor. These are the most obvious properties of the sourdough, but it is more about digestibility, about freshness, about the sourdough crafting and translating it to the next generations. The bread we have now is probably the best in the history of humankind. I believe that, in the future, bread will improve,” Karl de Smedt underlined.
At the time of this article’s publication, the online library contained 1,640 types of sourdoughs from all over the world.
Source: World Bakers


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Confirmed: Apple to open Shanghai R&D center this summer
When Apple CEO Tim Cook visited China earlier this month, it's possible that part of the trip was spent wrapping up a deal to open a new research and development center there. As China Business News reports (link in Chinese), the company is a lock to open an R&D operation in Pudong, Shanghai this summer. The announcement was made by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, although Apple has yet to issue an official statement regarding its plans.
Apple will reportedly pay a yearly 50 million yuan (US$8.03 million) to rent three buildings -- one of which will house the R&D center -- in what the company has called its second-largest market. Rumors have suggested that Apple is also looking to establish a data center in China to service the rapidly expanding territory, but there's no word if the Shanghai site is also being eyed for that purpose.
When Apple CEO Tim Cook visited China earlier this month, it's possible that part of the trip was spent wrapping up a deal to open a...
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This is the Vauxhall Monza Concept. It represents the next generation of Opel/Vauxhall's design language, and is set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September. But is it a hit, or a miss? »7/08/13 9:09am 7/08/13 9:09am
Kinja is in read-only mode. We are working to restore service.


text:
A market research firm has suggested that the launch of Apple's iPad could prove to be an opportunity for sales growth in the semiconductor sector.
In-Stat claimed the potential popularity of the tablet computer could mean that there is scope for $4.1 billion (£2.6 billion) of expansion for the industry.
Analyst at the company Jim McGregor suggested that a key feature of tablet PCs is that they are complementary to other portable gadgets, such as smartphones and netbooks.
The firm suggested that manufacturers of batteries and displays could stand to do well out of the emergence of this form of electronic device.
"Tablets have quickly become a high priority for competitors across the value chain, including mobile operators," he added.
In another report by the same company, it was pointed out that the tablet is entering a "crowded market".
Apple revealed that its iPad will be capable of offering users access to internet, video, iTunes, maps, iBooks and various other functions.


text:
News Corp Australia has appointed Kristin Carlos to head up its digital platform business including News Xtend which specialises in marketing solutions for small and medium enterprises.
As managing director, commercial platform, she will report to chief financial officer Michael Ford who said Ms Carlos would bring a solid track record of developing innovative client solutions to News Corp Australia.
“Kristin has a wealth of digital experience in a range of senior roles,” Mr Ford said.
“She brings to News Corp Australia a customer-centric focus to technology solutions and demonstrated success in developing high-performance teams. It’s great to have her join us and we all look forward to working closely with Kristin.”
Previously, Ms Carlos spent more than a decade in various senior executive roles including at Yahoo! as the director of connected entertainment, and Qantas, where she headed its Digital & Entertainment division.
“The role presents an exciting opportunity to grow the digital platform business and to lead a key function at Australia’s premier digital media company,” Ms Carlos said.
The Platform division, which Ms Carlos will lead, is charged with evolving News Corp Australia’s commercial model and leveraging the News Xtend and News Connect platforms to provide a seamless, end-to-end customer experience to a variety of clients.
News Xtend is a digital marketing business that provides expert advice and know-how to small and medium businesses to market themselves digitally. Its marketing specialists work one-on-one with business owners to understand their specific market needs and create targeted digital campaigns to increase customer numbers.
News Xtend has enjoyed robust growth since its establishment almost seven years ago.
News Connect, one of the strongest and richest commercial datasets in the market, collects two billion data points from News Corp Australia websites and apps, as well as from partnerships. With 15 key partners – including Near, flybuys, Qantas Red Planet, realestate.com.au, Fox Sports, productreview.com.au, smrtr, TEG and more – News Connect offers more than 2,700 segments where marketing partners are able to find any audience, particularly intenders.
News Connect finds the right customer by layering first party audience data with trusted partner data. It then targets those audiences in News Corp Australia’s premium publisher environments. This combination of targeted audiences with high levels of engagement delivers outcomes for marketers.


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Google plans to add a split-screen mode for multitasking to Android. There will also be displayport support for the USB-c port on the Pixel C tablet, the development team behind the tablet said during an ama interview on Reddit.
The Pixel C tablet was released earlier this week and was criticized by reviewers from The Next Web and The Verge, among others, for its lack of a split-screen mode. Such a mode has been in smartphones and tablets from Samsung with Android for years and LG has also built it in itself. In addition, competitors such as Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 have the ability to run two apps side by side.
Splitscreen was present in the preview version of Android Marshmallow, the operating system of the Pixel C. It is unknown why Google has removed it. It is obvious that other Android devices can also use the function.
Andrew Bowers, head of Google’s consumer hardware business, announced on Reddit that Google is working on this feature. He didn’t say exactly when Google will add the feature to the tablet, but Bowers talks about Android N. That is the likely successor to Android Marshmallow and, if Google follows the same pattern as previous years, will probably appear next fall.
Google also tackles the missing displayport support of the USB-C connection. The company has not yet announced a release date for this. In addition, the search company adds the option to also have the tablet respond to the voice command Ok Google with the screen off, something that is not the case now. Last year’s Nexus 9 tablet has had that feature from the start.
With the addition of the missing features to the Pixel C, development for the tablet doesn’t stop there. As Google has previously announced, the Pixel C will receive an update every six weeks.


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– Millions of cheap gamers throughout Britain are crying today, as Game have bought out high-street competitor Gamestation for £74 million. No cheap trade-ins, then, sobs.
– Apple are keeping schtum on hidden email addresses and passwords enclosed in DRM-free music files, refusing to answer any questions from angry iTunes-users.
– A new memory card standard has been approved, the Multiple Interface Card (miCard) will hold eight GB of memory, with the maximum standard being 2,048 whopping GB, which is a lot of badly-composed home photos.
– Ensuring a heck of a lot of hate-(e)mail, Dell employers reported massive first-quarter profits, then announced an international lay-off for 10% of their staff, within several hours. Ouch.
– US presidential campaigner John McCain has claimed when he’s in the White House, he’ll take Microsoft’s hot-headed Steve Ballmer with him – possibly to be the ambassador to China.


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Ottawa – December 17, 2013 – Former employees and UFCW Canada members from the shuttered Walmart store in Jonquière, Quebec, and their spokesperson Gaétan Plourde returned to the Supreme Court of Canada on December 6, in a new effort to win their case.
This is the second time that solicitor Claude Leblanc represented former employees of the Walmart store in Jonquière, members of UFCW Canada Local 503, in the country’s highest court. However, this time he based his appeal on the provisions of Section 59 of the Quebec labour code which provides a freeze of working conditions during the process of unionization. “When an employer shuts down its business, which it is free to do, it cannot simply start anew. For a certain period of time, the employer is required to provide justification for the closure. However, the result is the same for the employees whether they are laid off, dismissed, terminated, or told that their services are no longer required or that the business is closing. They lose their job and in this sense their working conditions are modified,” he explains.
After more than eight years of legal battles, 190 former employees of the Walmart store in Jonquière are keeping hope that justice will prevail. “The reasons that motivated us to fight back in 2005 still apply today”, says Gaétan Plourde, former unionized employee at the Jonquière Walmart store. “I feel that this company showed us a total lack of respect. One of our rights in Quebec is freedom of association and the law is supposed to protect us from anti-union tactics by employers. It is our wish and hope that our rights will be respected at last. We expect legal redress that will have a positive impact on other Walmart stores while at the same time making other businesses less inclined to imitate this company», he adds.
Louise Lefebvre, president of UFCW Canada Local 503, remains optimistic that the former Jonquière Walmart employees will win their case. “We have a team of experienced lawyers handling the landmark case of these men and women whose fundamental right to unionize was violated. We are hopeful that their patience and determination will finally be rewarded after this long legal saga. We will stand by them until the end and will deliver on our initial commitment to have their rights upheld”, concludes Sister Lefebvre.


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Friday, November 29, 2013
By John Andrew
Honda Amaze reaches the mark of 50,000
Honda Amaze the compact sedan from Japanese auto maker Honda Motors proved to be a beneficial fruit for company since its inception. Now this initiative of Honda Motors has achieved more milestone in its journey as soon the company will be achieving the mark of 50,000 units sold and on this achievement it is speculated that company will offer some interesting gifts to its new buyers. The achievement of this target becomes more important due to the reason of its launch, because car was launched this year in April and achieving this figure is itself remarkable.
It would be interested to know due to huge demand customers have to wait for long due to limited production space available at its production plant. However sources reveal that to cater the problem of increasing waiting period company has initiated third shift at its production plant located at Greater Noida. It is reported that Honda is speculating to offer the box of chocolates to buyers of Amaze followed by a letter of acknowledgement for buying this new product from company. Apart from this company has also initiated a contest for owners of Amaze where the participants will be offered a foreign trip.
Honda Amaze has proved to be a tough contender for Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire and recently unveiled new Honda City which is expected to be launched in January 2014.
To know more about Honda Amaze click here.


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Yesterday Chinese XDA website revealed the very first images display the HTC Bliss smartphone. A day after, the same source shows us the whole Sense 3.5 user interface of HTC.
The Sense UI 3.5 update could hit the whole 2011 line-u[ of smartphones released by HTC by the end of this year. HTC is also expected to launch five new handsets in September at the IFA expo, with the Bliss and Sensation limited edition, Vigor and more. The new Sense 3.5 will likely be showcased at conference, giving us more of an idea of what HTC has planned with its custom user interface.
source XDA China


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News Rise of Mana Smartphone/PS Vita Game Ends Service in March
posted on 2016-01-30 00:15 EST
Seiken Densetsu: Rise of Mana producer Masaru Oyamada announced on the game's official website on Friday that service will end on March 31. Oyamada said that discussions within the company concluded that continuing to offer game service that satisfies fans would become difficult.
The Seiken Densestsu game series will continue with Square Enix's upcoming remake of its Final Fantasy Adventure (Seiken Densetsu -Final Fantasy Gaiden-) role-playing game. The game's official Twitter account revealed on Friday that new information about the game will be announced on Saturday. The remake is slated to debut for the PlayStation Vita, iPhone, and Android devices this winter.
Seiken Densetsu: Rise of Mana is the latest game in the Seiken Densetsu (Legendary Sacred Sword) series of role-playing games. Square Enix originally released Rise of Mana as a free-to-play game for iOS devices on March 6, 2014. A version for Android devices followed on June 26, 2014. Square Enix released the game for PlayStation Vita on May 14, 2015.
In the game, players can transform their character into two different forms to gain access to a variety of combat moves. The game allows players to select the gender of their main character:
The angel Rein (male)
The angel Aria (female)
The demon Vahn (male)
The demon Irisu (female)
Square Enix originally slated the game for a winter 2014 release but performance adjustments forced the company to delay the game until that spring. The game is free-to-play, and items are available for an extra fee.


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每日跟讀#590: Can Taiwan benefit from the US-China trade war?
As the US-China trade negotiations enter their final stage, the noises are that China has already given ground on issues including enforced technology transfers, protecting intellectual property and relaxing restrictions on access to China’s market. It is rumored that an agreement could be reached as soon as next month. However, irrespective of the outcome of the negotiations, who wins and who loses is already a foregone conclusion. China has been forced to carry out structural reform to its economy, while foreign companies are one after the other pulling out of the country, and this continues to have a negative effect on its economy. The US’ counter-offensive against China’s economic challenge is already beginning to bear fruit.
Washington began placing import tariffs on Chinese goods on July 6, 2018, which means the US-China trade war has now been “hot” for nine months. Since then, tit-for-tat tariffs have produced economic losses on both sides. However, in contrast to the return of manufacturing to US shores, the “factory of the world” is facing a supply chain exodus and seems unable to stem the tide. This includes Taiwanese companies which, together with other foreign corporations, are one after another heading for the door, either choosing to relocate manufacturing back home or to alternative manufacturing hubs, such as in Southeast Asian countries.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance, during the first three months of this year, 30 manufacturers have already received approval from the government’s Welcome Overseas Taiwanese Companies to Invest in Taiwan Action Plan and pledged to invest a total of NT$120 billion, which is forecast to create more than 10,000 new job opportunities here. At present, a further 50 companies have also expressed an interest in returning to and investing in Taiwan. A comparable atypical wave of re-shoring to Taiwan hasn’t been seen for two decades.
In fact, if one takes a trip to any industrial area, it will immediately become obvious that a large number of manufacturers have already switched production back to these shores, while others are busy expanding existing facilities or constructing new ones. This shows that the return of Taiwanese companies is not based upon some abstruse analysis of cold statistics: the phenomenon is taking shape before our very eyes.
As the US-China trade standoff continues to rumble on, while Taiwan is not a main player, it is caught between the two major economies and, due to its over-reliance on China’s economy, contagion from the conflict has spread to Taiwan. Despite this, if the government is able to keep a steady hand on the tiller, capitalize on production orders and manufacturing operations returning to Taiwan, and guide the return of supply chains to these shores, Taiwan will be able to turn a crisis into an opportunity and become one of the trade war’s victor nations.
Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/04/23/2003713849/2


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Davide recently reported news that US-based WhiteClouds had become the largest provider of full-color 3D printing services in the world. And, today at CES, the company announced that it had just purchased 3DplusMe, which, if you’re a regular reader of 3DPI, might realize is a pretty big deal. This gives WhiteClouds a new software solution that allows them to implement 3D-scan-to-print services for customizable, full-color, 3D printed products.
Previously, 3DplusMe has worked with a number of huge names to allow customers to have their faces scanned and placed onto the bodies of famous characters and athletes for 3D printing through their 3D+Heroes™, 3D+Characters™, 3D+Toybox™, and 3D+Gamer™ platforms. For instance, at Sam’s Club stores, individuals were able to 3D print themselves as Iron Man and other Avengers characters, thanks to 3DplusMe’s partnership with Marvel. The firm, which raised $2.73M from investors like Subtraction Capital, 3D Systems, and Deer Valley Ventures, has also used assets from Hasbro, Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), Assassin’s Creed, DreamWorks, and Halo and has had channel partnerships with Target, Toys ‘R’ Us, Walmart. This gives WhiteClouds a powerful portfolio of IP and distribution partners with which to implement their massive color 3D printing factory.
Cydni Tetro, CEO of 3DplusMe, said of the deal, “We’re excited to partner with WhiteClouds and become a key part of their success in consumer. We have an aggressive model for growth and partnering with WhiteClouds helps us scale our technology and empower more brands to use 3D-printing to create innovate products and engage their customers.”
WhiteClouds is completely self-funded, though they have “seen significant external venture interest”, according to CEO Jerry Ropelato. This has allowed the company to grow to establish a 60,000-square-foot facility with 30 full-color printers, where they now handle, Ropelato says, “70% of ALL full-color 3D printing production in the world for consumer products.” He goes on to say, “Chances are, if you have ordered or printed a product through a printing provider, we have printed that product.” With a focus on end-products, rather than prototypes, WhiteClouds joined with 3DplusMe with the belief that, together, they could have a complete “end-to-end, scalable solution for mass markets.” With their new 3D-as-a-Service (3DaaS) platform, the company will work with brands and channels bring 3D scanning and printing solutions to a consumer audience.
The WhiteClouds full-color factory.
Ropelato said of the deal in a press release, “3DplusMe has helped the world’s biggest brands create new products that engage customers through their one-of-a-kind technology for 3D capture-to-print. Being able to combine both of our expertise furthers our position as the world’s leading provider for 3D services and technology. Through this combination, we bring the complete solution with our 3DaaS platform for brands and businesses, especially on the entertainment side, where demand is skyrocketing.”
This is big news for the growing Utah company, currently exhibiting at CES. With the powerful portfolio of 3DplusMe, and its 3D scan-to-print platform, WhiteClouds could drive the consumer adoption of 3D printing even farther. Mcor’s new affordable, full-color ARKe 3D printer and XYZprinting’s binder jetting technology will certainly help, too. I mentioned in one post from last year that 2016 will be the year of full-color 3D printing and, after this news, I know that it will be.


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The woman believed to have stolen more than $100,000 worth of merchandise from Victoria's Secret and Sephora stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail at her arraignment on Tuesday.
Police said previously that they believed the Northshore Mall thefts were linked to similar thefts at the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem. Salem Deputy Police Chief Shawn Patten said Monday that Salem Police do not have any charges as of yet, but detectives are working on putting a case together.
The Salem News in Salem, MA is reporting that in addition to the Mall at Rockingham Park and the Northshore Mall, Santos is suspected of shoplifting from the Fox Run Mall in Newington, the Steeplegate Mall in Concord, the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua and the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester. In Massachusetts, she is suspected of stealing from the Burlington Mall, the Chestnut Hill Mall, the Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough, the Holyoke Mall and Legacy Place in Foxborough. Police believe Santos is part of an organized shoplifting ring.
She is charged with nine counts of larceny over $250 and three counts of trespassing for allegedly stealing merchandise from Victoria's Secret and the Sephora stores at the Northshore Mall.
The Essex County (MA) District Attorney's office said Judge Sabita Singh ordered the high bail. Should Santos post bail, she will be confined to her home with a GPS bracelet and must stay away from all shopping malls. She is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 15 for a pre-trial hearing.
Peabody Patch Editor John Castelluccio contributed to this report.


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JUNE 2020 SURVEY RESULTS
Global Sporting Goods Industry shows positive uptick but remains severely impacted by Covid-19.
The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) is pleased to share with you the outcome of the June 2020 edition of its WFSGI Covid-19 Impact Survey. The WFSGI was now in position to compare this latest data collection with the results of the surveys of April and May. By pursuing this exercise the WFSGI will be able to assess the practical impact of COVID-19 for the sporting goods industry. With these key insights, the WFSGI wants to support industry leaders to manage the crisis and track the key trends of the Sporting Goods Industry to prepare the transition into the ‘new normal’.
The WFSGI President & CEO, Robbert de Kock commented on the last survey edition:
“The latest WFSGI pulse survey results show signs of minor improvement from the global industry. These signs have to be treated with cautious optimism and re-evaluated against next month’s results, however, as there are no significant key changes. For example, while this month we saw a slight increase in demand we also saw companies reporting more important material shortage.
A positive development is the lower labour shortage. However, this could be impacted by company’s plans to consolidate production capacities.
The industry is also still experiencing cash flow issues and the ongoing challenge of clearing existing inventories and consolidating supply chains are trends that suggest this pandemic will have a sustained negative impact on our industry. The WFSGI will continue in its efforts to provide you with relevant information about the impact of COVID-19 on the global industry. We thank you in advance for supporting our efforts by participating in the July edition of the WFSGI pulse survey.”
To provide you with the best possible information, we would encourage all interested sporting goods companies to participate in the July’s pulse survey, this survey is open to any sporting goods company no matter if you are a WFSGI member or not. No individual respondents information or company data is requested, the survey is completely anonymous and takes no longer than 3 minutes to be filled in
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE WFSGI COVID-19 IMPACT SURVEY JUNE EDITION
Manufacturing Companies Responses:
On the demand side orders seem to decrease less. Compared to the last two months in all regions a slight improvement has been reported except for Latin America where the situation has aggravated.
On the supply side double as many respondents as last month face material shortage in the sporting goods industry.
Supply chain disruption remains roughly unchanged. With regard to the geographical impact, disruption only continues to diminish for Far East and Europe whereas it slightly increased in all other regions.
Labor shortage remains a challenge for 40% of respondents. This is however a positive development as it is more than 10% less than last month. Travel restrictions and closed public transport are still impacting staff’s ability to pursue their tasks.
An unchanged percentage of over 75% of sporting goods manufacturing companies are still impacted by specifically implemented regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is a slight decrease of respondents facing issues due to low cash flow. But the number remains high with nearly 70% of manufacturing plants continues to be challenged by low cash flow.
Looking ahead, 84% of survey participants forecast that the Covid-19 pandemic will impact their business. Again, this is just a little improvement of 6% compared to last month. Compared to the last months, nobody expects a business drop of more than 90%.
While only 7% of the industry respondents do not expect any recovery, there are only half as many respondents as last month expecting a near-complete recovery between 70 and 90%. Most survey participants expect a recovery within 91 to 180 days, while 30% think it will take more than a year.
The regions mostly affected by the crisis remain Europe and Northern America according to over 60% of respondents.
Close to 50% rely on government loans and financial assistance.
While the pandemic lasts on, businesses seem to develop plans to counter the impact of this crisis. There are less than 10% of respondents having no measures planned, that’s half as many as when the survey was initiated at the beginning of the pandemic.
With a total of 60%, most of the participants want to consolidate production capacities followed by relying on government loans, which is an option for 50% of respondents. A downtrend is apparent for measures such as retrenching workers and adopting lean production.
Retail and Brand Companies Responses:
It seems that the measures to impact mitigation set down yet as the trend changes and response rates are again going into the same direction as in April and not pursuing the direction of May. Increasing online sales (77%) and clean out existing inventories (40%) remain the most chosen strategies.
With regard to the repercussion of the mitigation measures to suppliers, only 12% of brand companies consider deferring payments, that’s a significant change compared to the past months (60% in April, 47% in May). In return, 15% more respondents than in April are considering to consolidate their supply chains.
The order of priorities for companies remains unchanged compared to the last months. As of June a high percentage of nearly 60% of respondents have explained that employees’ health is priority now.
Respondents have selected nearly the same order of expectations towards suppliers as they did in April, with flexibility remaining key.
When transforming the supply chains, increasing importance is paid to being close to market, innovation and disruptive solutions. Lean and adaptive supply chain transformation is further loosing attractiveness amongst respondents with only half of them opting for this change. Being cost sensitive is as unattractive as never since the survey start.
Significantly more respondents intend to change their sourcing priorities. The trend goes on that there is a shift from global to local and regional market centric sourcing.
Environmental friendly solutions are the only future market trend that sees a slight increase this month. Price points centric trends and recycle economies seem to be less likely according to respondents.
Survey participants keep the same order of sports prevailing after the pandemic: outdoor followed by cycling and running.


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Jerome Jacobson, 59, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud for masterminding the theft of $24 million in winning game pieces, some worth up to $1 million each, from a McDonald's game promotion.
He agreed to repay $12.4 million and faces up to 15 years in prison.
Simon Marketing's parent, Simon Worlwide, last month revealed it expects to sell off its holdings, possibly through bankruptcy. Simon also has been informed by Nasdaq that its stock will be delisted on May 15.
Simon said it doubted its ability to continue operating and said it would cut its worldwide workforce to 46 by the end of the first quarter.
The company lost its two biggest clients, McDonld's and Philip Morris Cos., following Mr. Jacobson's arrest.


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OSRAM'S new 3-in-1 hybrid sensor Product News 9/3/2011 Post a comment The new 3-in-1 SFH 7773 digital sensor from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors makes it easy to install both proximity and ambient light sensing in smart phones and similar devices by combining the functions of a digital ambient light sensor and a digital proximity sensor in a single compact unit.
IHS projects record growth for consumer MEMS News & Analysis 9/2/2011 5 comments The market for microelectromechanical systems in consumer electronics and mobile communications devices is on pace for record growth in 2011, thanks to the red hot media tablet and smartphone markets, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli.
Synopsys buys Indian verification firm News & Analysis 9/2/2011 4 comments EDA and IP company Synopsys Inc. has acquired nSys Design Systems Private Ltd. (New Delhi, India), a supplier of verification intellectual property, for an undisclosed amount of money.
Japan up, RoW down in flat July chip sales News & Analysis 9/2/2011 3 comments It remains to be seen whether seasonal growth or economic uncertainty will characterize the global chip market in the second-half of 2011 as the July numbers favored neither side of the argument and came in flat and in-line with expectations.
Zarlink says it has other suitors News & Analysis 9/1/2011 3 comments Canadian mixed-signal chipmaker Zarlink Semiconductor said its board of directors is negotiating with 15 unidentified third parties interested in acquiring all or part of the company.
Researchers aim for energy-harvesting CPUs News & Analysis 9/1/2011 5 comments A team of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University was awarded two grants to create powerful, energy-efficient computer processors that can run an embedded system without requiring battery power.
Ti offers 'Qi' inductive power transfer IC News & Analysis 9/1/2011 6 comments Texas Instruments has introduced the bq500210, an IC that controls and transfers wireless power for contactless chargers compliant with the Qi standard from the Wireless Power Consortium.
Intel invests in device security firm Mocana News & Analysis 9/1/2011 2 comments Intel Capital, the venture capital arm of the world's biggest semiconductor maker, has made a strategic investment of undisclosed size in Mocana, a provider of mobile and smart device security.
UK plans for white-space radio by 2013 News & Analysis 9/1/2011 1 comment Ofcom, the U.K. government's communications regulator, has issued a statement that white-space radio could be used for a mix of rural broadband, Wi-Fi services and machine-to-machine communications and that the technology could be launched in 2013.
Analyst sees firm July, raises chip forecast News & Analysis 9/1/2011 2 comments The three-month average of global chip sales for July is going to be reported as $24.8 billion, up compared with a figure of $24.68 billion reported for June by World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization, according to Bruce Diesen, an analyst at Carnegie Group (Oslo, Norway).


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Whether you fancy trendy city cars or crazy customs ripped from a comic book, there are plenty to go
Always wanted a hoverboard like the one Marty McFly rode in "Back to the Future II"? All you need is $10,000. That's the cost of the Hendo hoverboard, which uses magnetic technology to create a frictionless, floating ride. But the technology could also be used during natural disasters. CNET's Stephen Beach and Kara Tsuboi show us how it works.
CNET editor Sharon Profis takes Apple Pay, Google Wallet and PayPal for a test drive and compares the options.
It's not the cheapest camera in its class, but the Nikon D750 delivers an excellent combination of quality, performance and features for its price.
Apple's tablet lineup has expanded from six configurations to more than 50 in four years. Has the product lineup become too complex?
iOS 8.1 comes in hot and fast with several new features and changes. Here's everything you need to know.
This week on Crave, we get a look at the Air Umbrella, which takes a highly unusual approach to keeping you dry. Find out what happens when animals attack technology, and get a GoPro eye's view from a BASE jumper atop a Malaysian building. Yikes! It's scary time on the Crave show!
An Australian man with previous child pornography charges is believed to have been the first convicted in an operation using a CGI child to lure predators.
Satirist Stephen Colbert complains that a Google search has his height wrong. So, try searching "How tall is Stephen Colbert" now.
Officially launching today, here are all the banks, apps and businesses that currently accept Apple Pay.
Even the strongest passwords can be hacked, which is why Google urges users to adopt two-step authentication. A new USB drive makes it easier for users to safeguard their data.