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Tokyo’s fintech startup accelerator opens for new entrants
Tokyo has launched the 2019 iteration of its accelerator program for fintech startups: FinTech Business Camp Tokyo.
The campaign is run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and forms part of ‘Global Financial City: Tokyo Vision’.
The initiative, first launched in 2017, looks to encourage foreign companies to pioneer fintech solutions and business models not yet seen in Japan. Some of the advanced technologies the program cites as examples are AI, IoT, blockchain, VR/AR and robotics.
The accelerator program promises successful applicants the opportunity to meet with mentor companies which operate in Tokyo, networking opportunities, PR, free office space and practical support with setting up in Tokyo, such as translation services and meeting facilitation.
TMG commented: “The program is targeted at foreign startup companies operating in the fintech industry and aims to provide them with mentoring from leading companies in Japan’s finance sector, as well as business matching with companies in Tokyo.”
Fintech in Japan has not taken off with the same gusto as other regions of Asia. For examples, cashless payments have seen relatively slow uptake: in 2016, only 20% of payments were cashless.
Applications for this year are now open, with a deadline of 5 July 2019. Up until this year, a total of 19 companies have been selected for the program. Around 10 companies will be chosen for the 2019 edition.


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|By PR Newswire||
|November 11, 2012 05:00 AM EST||
NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A glamorous soiree in the iconic Cullman Hall of the Universe on Central Park West was the setting of a star-studded charity drive by luxury Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer and its Hollywood brand ambassadors Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/59044-tag-heuer-cameron-diaz-leonard-dicaprio-hurricane-sandy-relief-effort
The exclusive event, held below the dramatic glass-cubed planetarium sphere in the American Museum of Natural History, brought together NY and Hollywood celebrities, business, fashion and media leaders from around the world and key figures of the international jet-set for a double-pronged charity push: to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Sandy, and raise awareness for gender equality and the empowerment of women worldwide.
The 500 guests in attendance, many of whom flew in expressly for the high-profile event, were regaled by a special performance of the New York City Ballet, before dancing the night away to the music of New York's red-hot DJ Evalicious. For each guest, TAG Heuer pledged $100 to New York Cares' Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund, and a further $100 to Cameron Diaz's partner charity, UN Women (The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women).
The event marks the first time that TAG Heuer Ambassadors Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio combined forces for a TAG Heuer celebrity event. Welcomed on stage by thunderous applause, Cameron proudly displayed her new Link Lady Trilogy Limited Edition in steel, and was wearing a stunning Lanvin dress. On Leonardo's wrist, he wore the new Link Limited Edition with blue dial. On stage, TAG Heuer President and CEO Jean-Christophe Babin offered to Cameron a yellow gold version of the trilogy, an exclusive set of watch and jewelry.
"TAG Heuer uniquely brings together the elegance of generosity and the essence of luxury," said Cameron Diaz, a TAG Heuer Brand Ambassador since last March and a longtime supporter of UN Women. "I am very proud to be a part of their efforts to make the world a better and more beautiful place."
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of Hurricane Sandy," said TAG Heuer President and CEO Jean-Christophe Babin. "Their resiliency in the face of such adversity is a true inspiration, as is the outpouring of support from communities worldwide. We're proud to support New York Cares as it is the largest local volunteer organization dedicated to supporting those impacted by this devastating storm."
During the prestigious "place-to-be" event, TAG Heuer showcased its new collection of limited edition LINK timepieces and jewelry. A benchmark of avant-garde design and ultimate comfort since 1987, the LINK's newest incarnations are: the Ladies' Link Automatic Watch, the first automatic watch for women offered in the LINK Lady line; the LINK LADY TRILOGY, a limited edition watch, ring and bracelet set co-designed by Cameron Diaz; and the "LEONARDO DICAPRIO" LINK CALIBRE 16 CHRONOGRAPH, a limited edition chronograph signed on its smoked sapphire caseback by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Profits from the sale of the stunning Link Lady Trilogy will go to support UN Women, while proceeds from the blue-dial LDC Limited Edition Link's sales will go to Leonardo DiCaprio's environmental charity partners, Green Cross International and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Photos and press releases can be downloaded from http://presscorner.tagheuer.com/
Since its inception in Saint-Imier, Switzerland in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, TAG Heuer has revolutionized the luxury watch industry, introducing the most technologically advanced and utmost precise timepieces. Today, the leading Swiss watch brand draws upon its active engagement in the worlds of sports and fashion to create the most accurate timing instruments with unsurpassed design in the world. For 150 years, TAG Heuer has stood at the forefront of designing exceptional timing instruments used for competitive sports, from the Olympic Games in the 1920's to its role as the official timekeeper for Formula One in the 90's and today as the official watch of Oracle's sailing Team USA. TAG Heuer, in a constant quest for innovation, excellence, performance and prestige, continues to aim for greater heights capturing the tiniest fraction of a second which can determine the victor. More than ever, the brand epitomizes prestige and elegance through active partnerships with Hollywood icons Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, WTA Tennis champion, Maria Sharapova, F1 World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and LPGA star Suzann Pettersen. TAG Heuer is honored to be a member of the Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), the most exclusive club in the Swiss watchmaking industry and to be recognized for its accomplished watchmaking practices by the Responsible Jewelry Council, which awarded the brand with a full RJC Member Certification in 2011. In 2012, TAG Heuer commemorates their remarkable legacy introducing the new Carrera Calibre 1887, an exclusive Swiss manufactured, integrated column-wheel, chronograph movement that is completely constructed in-house. TAG Heuer continues to push the boundaries creating benchmarks in modern watchmaking with their Haute Horlorgerie masterpieces including: the MONACO V4, MONACO TWENTY-FOUR, MIKROGRAPH, MIKROTIMER, TAG HEUER FORMULA 1 LADY YIN YANG, MIKROGIRDER and the most recently unveiled, MIKROTOURBILLONS. TAG Heuer's Haute Horlorgerie luxury timepieces are created using a similar construction to that of a complex aerospace system drawn from an eclectic fusion of automobile and IT industries, applied mathematics, chemistry, climatology, computer engineering and micro-mechanical sciences. Each masterpiece is hand-architected by an experienced team of watchmakers in TAG Heuer's cutting-edge atelier. TAG Heuer timepieces are designed with the most avant-garde techniques of the present era from the most time-honored traditions of artisanal craftsmanship.
SOURCE TAG Heuer
According to Forrester Research, every business will become either a digital predator or digital prey by 2020. To avoid demise, organizations must rapidly create new sources of value in their end-to-end customer experiences. True digital predators also must break down information and process silos and extend digital transformation initiatives to empower employees with the digital resources needed to win, serve, and retain customers.
Dec. 10, 2016 04:15 AM EST Reads: 1,390
Amazon has gradually rolled out parts of its IoT offerings in the last year, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to optimizing their back-end AWS offerings, Amazon is laying the ground work to be a major force in IoT – especially in the connected home and office. Amazon is extending its reach by building on its dominant Cloud IoT platform, its Dash Button strategy, recently announced Replenishment Services, the Echo/Alexa voice recognition control platform, the 6-7 strategic...
Dec. 10, 2016 04:15 AM EST Reads: 571
We're entering the post-smartphone era, where wearable gadgets from watches and fitness bands to glasses and health aids will power the next technological revolution. With mass adoption of wearable devices comes a new data ecosystem that must be protected. Wearables open new pathways that facilitate the tracking, sharing and storing of consumers’ personal health, location and daily activity data. Consumers have some idea of the data these devices capture, but most don’t realize how revealing and...
Dec. 10, 2016 04:00 AM EST Reads: 5,318
IoT solutions exploit operational data generated by Internet-connected smart “things” for the purpose of gaining operational insight and producing “better outcomes” (for example, create new business models, eliminate unscheduled maintenance, etc.). The explosive proliferation of IoT solutions will result in an exponential growth in the volume of IoT data, precipitating significant Information Governance issues: who owns the IoT data, what are the rights/duties of IoT solutions adopters towards t...
Dec. 10, 2016 03:15 AM EST Reads: 500
Whether your IoT service is connecting cars, homes, appliances, wearable, cameras or other devices, one question hangs in the balance – how do you actually make money from this service? The ability to turn your IoT service into profit requires the ability to create a monetization strategy that is flexible, scalable and working for you in real-time. It must be a transparent, smoothly implemented strategy that all stakeholders – from customers to the board – will be able to understand and comprehe...
Dec. 10, 2016 02:15 AM EST Reads: 802
Complete Internet of Things (IoT) embedded device security is not just about the device but involves the entire product’s identity, data and control integrity, and services traversing the cloud. A device can no longer be looked at as an island; it is a part of a system. In fact, given the cross-domain interactions enabled by IoT it could be a part of many systems. Also, depending on where the device is deployed, for example, in the office building versus a factory floor or oil field, security ha...
Dec. 10, 2016 02:00 AM EST Reads: 643
An IoT product’s log files speak volumes about what’s happening with your products in the field, pinpointing current and potential issues, and enabling you to predict failures and save millions of dollars in inventory. But until recently, no one knew how to listen. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Dan Gettens, Chief Research Officer at OnProcess, discussed recent research by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and OnProcess Technology, where MIT created a new, breakthrough analytics model for s...
Dec. 10, 2016 01:30 AM EST Reads: 799
In his general session at 19th Cloud Expo, Manish Dixit, VP of Product and Engineering at Dice, discussed how Dice leverages data insights and tools to help both tech professionals and recruiters better understand how skills relate to each other and which skills are in high demand using interactive visualizations and salary indicator tools to maximize earning potential. Manish Dixit is VP of Product and Engineering at Dice. As the leader of the Product, Engineering and Data Sciences team at D...
Dec. 10, 2016 01:00 AM EST Reads: 1,277
"We're a cybersecurity firm that specializes in engineering security solutions both at the software and hardware level. Security cannot be an after-the-fact afterthought, which is what it's become," stated Richard Blech, Chief Executive Officer at Secure Channels, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 9, 2016 11:30 PM EST Reads: 1,163
In this strange new world where more and more power is drawn from business technology, companies are effectively straddling two paths on the road to innovation and transformation into digital enterprises. The first path is the heritage trail – with “legacy” technology forming the background. Here, extant technologies are transformed by core IT teams to provide more API-driven approaches. Legacy systems can restrict companies that are transitioning into digital enterprises. To truly become a lead...
Dec. 9, 2016 10:45 PM EST Reads: 582
Video experiences should be unique and exciting! But that doesn’t mean you need to patch all the pieces yourself. Users demand rich and engaging experiences and new ways to connect with you. But creating robust video applications at scale can be complicated, time-consuming and expensive. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Zohar Babin, Vice President of Platform, Ecosystem and Community at Kaltura, discussed how VPaaS enables you to move fast, creating scalable video experiences that reach your aud...
Dec. 9, 2016 10:00 PM EST Reads: 350
"Once customers get a year into their IoT deployments, they start to realize that they may have been shortsighted in the ways they built out their deployment and the key thing I see a lot of people looking at is - how can I take equipment data, pull it back in an IoT solution and show it in a dashboard," stated Dave McCarthy, Director of Products at Bsquare Corporation, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 9, 2016 09:30 PM EST Reads: 1,292
What happens when the different parts of a vehicle become smarter than the vehicle itself? As we move toward the era of smart everything, hundreds of entities in a vehicle that communicate with each other, the vehicle and external systems create a need for identity orchestration so that all entities work as a conglomerate. Much like an orchestra without a conductor, without the ability to secure, control, and connect the link between a vehicle’s head unit, devices, and systems and to manage the ...
Dec. 9, 2016 08:00 PM EST Reads: 1,049
IoT is rapidly changing the way enterprises are using data to improve business decision-making. In order to derive business value, organizations must unlock insights from the data gathered and then act on these. In their session at @ThingsExpo, Eric Hoffman, Vice President at EastBanc Technologies, and Peter Shashkin, Head of Development Department at EastBanc Technologies, discussed how one organization leveraged IoT, cloud technology and data analysis to improve customer experiences and effici...
Dec. 9, 2016 06:45 PM EST Reads: 5,152
Everyone knows that truly innovative companies learn as they go along, pushing boundaries in response to market changes and demands. What's more of a mystery is how to balance innovation on a fresh platform built from scratch with the legacy tech stack, product suite and customers that continue to serve as the business' foundation. In his General Session at 19th Cloud Expo, Michael Chambliss, Head of Engineering at ReadyTalk, discussed why and how ReadyTalk diverted from healthy revenue and mor...
Dec. 9, 2016 06:15 PM EST Reads: 1,773
The 20th International Cloud Expo has announced that its Call for Papers is open. Cloud Expo, to be held June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, brings together Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things, DevOps, Containers, Microservices and WebRTC to one location. With cloud computing driving a higher percentage of enterprise IT budgets every year, it becomes increasingly important to plant your flag in this fast-expanding business opportunity. Submit your speaking proposal ...
Dec. 9, 2016 05:30 PM EST Reads: 2,385
The Internet of Things (IoT) promises to simplify and streamline our lives by automating routine tasks that distract us from our goals. This promise is based on the ubiquitous deployment of smart, connected devices that link everything from industrial control systems to automobiles to refrigerators. Unfortunately, comparatively few of the devices currently deployed have been developed with an eye toward security, and as the DDoS attacks of late October 2016 have demonstrated, this oversight can ...
Dec. 9, 2016 05:15 PM EST Reads: 1,488
You have great SaaS business app ideas. You want to turn your idea quickly into a functional and engaging proof of concept. You need to be able to modify it to meet customers' needs, and you need to deliver a complete and secure SaaS application. How could you achieve all the above and yet avoid unforeseen IT requirements that add unnecessary cost and complexity? You also want your app to be responsive in any device at any time. In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Mark Allen, General Manager of...
Dec. 9, 2016 05:15 PM EST Reads: 1,906
Bert Loomis was a visionary. This general session will highlight how Bert Loomis and people like him inspire us to build great things with small inventions. In their general session at 19th Cloud Expo, Harold Hannon, Architect at IBM Bluemix, and Michael O'Neill, Strategic Business Development at Nvidia, discussed the accelerating pace of AI development and how IBM Cloud and NVIDIA are partnering to bring AI capabilities to "every day," on-demand. They also reviewed two "free infrastructure" pr...
Dec. 9, 2016 04:45 PM EST Reads: 1,330
As data explodes in quantity, importance and from new sources, the need for managing and protecting data residing across physical, virtual, and cloud environments grow with it. Managing data includes protecting it, indexing and classifying it for true, long-term management, compliance and E-Discovery. Commvault can ensure this with a single pane of glass solution – whether in a private cloud, a Service Provider delivered public cloud or a hybrid cloud environment – across the heterogeneous enter...
Dec. 9, 2016 04:45 PM EST Reads: 1,878

domain: news


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It wasn’t that long ago we told you all about Toshiba’s foray ointo the tablet PC market with the Folio 100. Sadly the Folio 100 didn’t live up to expectations whatsoever and was pulled from sale at top high street chain Currys/Pc World due to the fact nearly all of them were coming back as faulty. Well hopefully Toshiba have learned from their mistakes and have improved themselves with their next tablet PC, an unnamed affair that will be sporting Google’s latest version of it’s popular Android 3.0 or Honeycomb if you want to use it’s food based codenames.
At 10.1” it’s already bigger than your iPads and your Galaxy Tabs not to mention the capacitive touchscreen with a whopping 1280×800 resolution. With a rear-facing 5MP camera and a front-facing 2MP camera it’s got the skills to pay the bills when it comes to video capture or video calling etc. Connectivity isn’t an issue either. A USB port and a mini-USB port alongside that ever useful HDMI port and an SD card slot for memory expansion(details of what it’s starting memory are a little thin). It also will have an accelerometer and ambient light sensor.
Toshiba have gone on to say that it will get released in the early half of this year, and will be at a “competitive price” whether that’s competitive to the iPad or the Galaxy Tab we’re not entirely sure. Please let’s hope its better than the Folio 100.


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Want to blend in with the locals? It starts with knowing what hand gestures to avoid abroad.
Fifteen billionaires and 12.8 million other residents can now get primo homeowners insurance in Illinois (without spending a fortune).
Since we first launched our top-shelf motorcycle coverage in Wisconsin last year, we’ve been steadily rolling it out to new states. This month, we cruised into the Copper State.
Skully helmet, the first heads-up display motorcycle helmet, was designed to keep riders safer on the road. But will it do a good job?
Does everyone in your home need to be listed on your auto policy? Part 3 of our FAQs series explains the rules about excluded drivers.


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Best Benefit Ever: An App of Your Own
A chamber of commerce offers a local company the opportunity to share its "micro app" with the chamber's members to encourage area consumers to shop local.
What is it? The Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, which serves the community in and around Mansfield, Ohio, is offering members access to LocaLynx, a platform that allows users to develop “micro apps” that encourage consumers to buy from local vendors. “The LocaLynx app was built to help locals build our community. It’s more than just a statement asking people to ‘shop local,’ it’s a tool that helps us actually do it,” LocaLynx explains on its website.
Why it works: The strategy is twofold. It helps a member of the community—LocaLynx is based in Mansfield—get its foot in the door and offers all chambers members a new benefit. In comments to WFMD, LocaLynx Regional Director Shane Hostetler said the overarching missions were compatible. “This was a perfect partnership for us. The chamber has been gaining momentum locally, and our missions are very similar. Both LocaLynx and the Richland Area Chamber want to see local businesses grow and thrive,” Hostetler said.
Other perks: LocaLynx has Richland area businesses set for mobile, but the Richland Chamber has offerings that cover those businesses just about everywhere else, including free website listings and discounts on local advertising. The group also offers health plans, notary services, and a monthly newsletter, among other benefits.


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Restaurant Trends April 2023
US Quick-Service Sales & Traffic Performance
QSR US traffic (-0.7% YOY) is approaching Q1 2022 levels when traffic was relatively high due to Omicron recovery traffic.
Average price increases are slightly lower, at 13.8% YOY, compared to last quarter’s +16.5%. Revenue Management Solutions analysts observe that while pricing activity is cooling, year-over-year price remains elevated due to shifting customer behavior. Quantity per transaction is down significantly as customers forego less expensive add-on items (sides, desserts) to save money, which results in average price increases. Overall, we anticipate prices to stabilize after the bullish price increases of 2022.
Breakdown of Quarterly QSR Trends
The following is a snapshot of US Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) trends for Q1 2023.
When compared to Q1 2022:
- Net sales remain positive at 7.7% YOY.
- Traffic is down -0.7%. Sales continue to be fueled by average check increases (+8.5% YOY).
- Average price increased by 13.8% YOY, and the U.S. Bureau of Statistics stated in its March 2023 report that Food-Away-From-Home (FAFH) prices (+8.8% YOY) exceeded Food-At-Home (FAH) (+8.4% YOY) for the first time in 18 months.
- Quantity per transaction declined (-4.7% YOY), suggesting “trade down” activity. In addition, “trading out” remains a concern. In RMS’ latest quarterly consumer survey, 61% of respondents that reported spending less at restaurants are doing so by ordering less often.
- As we see behaviors change due to price sensitivity, it is more important than ever for restaurant brands to optimize their pricing strategy and the overall experience they offer their customers.
- Breakfast and lunch performance is down -2.3% YOY compared to the last quarter.
- Dinner continues to outperform other dayparts. Traffic is up + 1.8% YOY in Q1 2023.
- Dine-in (+33.0% YOY) is the top-performing QSR channel in Q1 2023, a slight increase compared to the previous quarter (+30.8 YOY).
- Takeout (+25.0% YOY) continues to perform positively.
- Delivery is up +16.8% YOY. Despite potential service and fee costs, customers continue to value its convenience.
- Drive-thru year-over-year traffic is down -9.0%.
Consumers May Be Losing Their Resilience
Will US consumers continue to cut back on their spending? In RMS’ latest consumer report, of those who reported spending less, 61% say they are ordering less often from restaurants, and 40% are opting for more affordable restaurants. Surprisingly, higher-income consumers are leading the trend. Get a rundown of the state of the industry in a recent Restaurant Business article featuring RMS insights.


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The Sony Ericsson Satio and the recently released Vivaz both lack a nice modern convenience - a music equalizer. A team of SE developers have come up with a fix today - and its a rather strange fix.
The equalizer controls have been released as a separate downloadable application from PlayNow.
The new Equalizer for Satio and Vivaz is a separate app - it does not integrate into the music player (you cant access it from the Options menu in the music player), so each time you want to change the equalizer setting you need to switch to the app.
Sony Ericsson Satio and Vivaz finally get an Equalizer
The Equalizer is simple enough, it just lets you pick from the following options Off, Classical, Jazz, Dance, Party, Pop, Rock, Spoken Word, Loudness, Mega Bass and Treble Boost. And thats all there is to it. Unfortunately, theres no option to create a custom equalizer setting.
The setting will persist after you exit the app, or even after you restart the phone and its a system wide thing - it works for all installed players, etc.
You can download the Equalizer from PlayNow (its free) - look for it in the applications section of the music category. It needs the latest firmware to work on the Sony Ericsson Satio, but it will work with the release firmware of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz.
Sony Ericsson, a global leader in communication and entertainment technology, today announced the launch of Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman™, an..
Xperia X10 goes on sale for just a dollar on contract, Gingerbread-flavored future makes it appealing By Vlad Savov posted Apr 3rd 2011..
Sony Ericsson has unveiled the Xperia neo and Xperia pro, the newest additions to the new generation of Xperia smartphones. Closely following the launch of the Xperia arc smartphone earlier this year, the two latest smartphones to be launched in the Middle East also feature cutting edge ..


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21. Juni 2019, 10:40 Uhr | Markus Haller
Now the German Sensor Market is also faltering.
Sales of the German sensor and measurement technology manufacturers declined for the first time. The AMA Association reports a minus of one percent. Currently, the two major growth drivers are missing.
In the first quarter of 2019, »the sector is weakening«, according to the AMA Association. After the record year 2018 with ten percent sales growth, the new year began with a minus of one percent compared to the previous quarter. According to the association, however, incoming orders were stable with a plus of one percent compared to the previous quarter.
AMA Managing Director Dr. Thomas Simmons explains the reason for this weakness in the weakening economy of the two major growth drivers mechanical engineering and automotive: »If the order situation in mechanical engineering deteriorates, sensor and measurement technology will be affected with a time lag«. Most AMA members supply the mechanical engineering sector and about one third the automotive industry.
The number of orders of these two main customers will hardly improve within the next few months, according to the forecast of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Nevertheless, the AMA members remain cautiously optimistic and expect sales growth of four percent for the second quarter. In addition to the core mechanical engineering and automotive markets, sensors are used in a large number of user industries.


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PHOTO COURTESY KAREN SIMMONS
Chloë Geller, age 14 (left) of Pointe-Claire and 19-year-old Morgan Weinmeister of Saint-Lazare who recently collaborated on a song titled “Dizzy” are very excited to have been voted the winners of the 2017 TOPS Next Song song-writing competition.
Following an online vote, the top three finalists performed live at the TOPS V.I.P. showcase last Sunday, March 26, where the winners were announced live on Facebook.
Their composition “Dizzy” was named the winner by a panel of industry professionals including a music producer, a composer, two singer-songwriters and an audio engineer.
The prize package includes a DVD of their performance as well as five hours of recording time in a professional recording studio and other prizes.


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The UK’s kids have now gone back to school. But there’s more in their bags this year than pencils and gym kits…
Back to school – the time when kids around the globe beg for expensive trainers, school supplies with far too many sparkles, and increasingly… the latest electronic gadget.
A recent study from uSwitch surveyed 1,000 parents with children under the age of 17 about their use of technical gadgets and their budget for the upcoming school year. The results of the study revealed that 26 percent of parents planned to purchase a tablet, mobile, or laptop for their kid; with the average family expecting to splash out about £329. This adds up to £659 million spent on new tech this September.
Further investigations by uSwitch showed 49 percent of students take at least one electronic item to school every day, with the average student carrying around £130’s worth of tech in the their school bag.
What’s more, children are now using technological devices not only for educational and recreational reasons, but for safety as well, with 82 percent of parents claiming that this was a major deciding factor in their electronic purchases.
Ernist Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com says, “Kids today are learning to use gadgets even before they can walk, and parents are investing heavily in the latest tech for school too- the new term has sparked a flurry of gadget purchases.”
The use of technology so young might seem shocking, but uSwitch’s study shows the average age that a child starts to use a mobile telephone for entertainment is 5 years and 8 months old. Most kids receive their own personal mobile at 9 years and 10 months old.
Some parents (22 percent) admit to allowing their children access to mobiles and tablets at two years old and under, as a form of distraction or just to keep the young ones quiet.
The rise in young children using technology isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 80 percent of parents surveyed felt that staying up to date on the latest gadgets gave their child an educational advantage. This is a widespread idea that most schools are agreeing with and, as a result, changing the way kids study all together. More than a quarter (27%) of lesson work is typed these days as well as a third (33%) of homework.
The majority (82%) of parents agree that technology is necessary and essential to their children’s lives. However, mums and dads are also worried that new practices will bring new problems, too. The reliance on typing and spellcheck is causing some parent’s concern. Between 60 and 70 percent of parents are worried about technology’s effect on handwriting, spelling skills, and mental arithmetic skills.
Bullying and theft have also become a concern when so many young children are toting expensive accessories. One in ten children have had gadgets stolen at school, and reportedly, more than half (58%) experienced taunting or teasing based on the brand or type of technology they use.
To make sure you have a degree of control over your child’s tech use, here are a few good practices to employ on your web connected devices…
Use the parental controls that are available, most are free and easy to use.
Keep an eye on what your kids are viewing by regularly checking browser history and keeping web connected devices centrally located in your home.
Block downloads with password protection to keep unwanted software and spyware off your devices.
Talk to your children often about the dangers on the web. Schools begin web awareness campaigns as early as five years old. Ask your kids what they are seeing and keep them educated about the potential risks.
To find more information on how to keep your children safe online visit nspcc.org.uk. Here you can get great tips, tools, and advice on the threats kids are facing in the digital world.


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Subscribe To Five Nights At Freddy's Developer Is Working On A New Game, Here's What We Know Updates
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Scott Cawthon, the maker of the Five Nights at Freddy's series, has made a brief announcement on his website that another game in the expansive horror brand is on the way. The new game doesn't have an official title but is speculated to include something to do with Sister Location.
Game Informer did a quick write-up about the announcement that was made on the official Scott Games website, where there's an image of an animatronic with the tagline “There was never just one.”
Even though Five Nights at Freddy's 4 was supposed to be the final game in the series, Cawthon followed it up with the 16-bit inspired RPG Five Nights at Freddy's World, and now it appears there's another game in the works. The image in the background of the site appears to showcase a smiling animatronic face with rosy cheeks and large eyes; beyond that I have no idea what the actual puppet is supposed to be.
While details on the site are practically nil, and there's no further information on this new entry in the Five Nights at Freddy's series, you can always count on die-hard fans and eager gamers to dig deep, real deep, into the little tidbits of information out there.
Over on the /r/Games/ Reddit thread for Scott's announcement of this new Five Nights at Freddy's game, user FNAFNovelSpoilers explains why this announcement was made in the way that it was. Stating...
It wasn't meant to be like this. An image was on Scott's website, slowly revealing a letter of the game's title every 2 weeks, which would've led to the game being announced towards the end of the year.
He links to a photo on imgur that highlights where in the code the users found out that a new Five Nights at Freddy's was in the works, through Notepad++. It's some impressive digging.
The post further states that the game was likely scheduled to be released this upcoming October, in between the time of the first and second game's release.
The entire franchise has become a financial phenomenon for Scott Cawthon, and has even led to the rights being sold to a Hollywood studio for a live-action motion picture based on the animatronic horror game.
The series itself has garnered quite the fan-following, a large part of that is due to the fact that the games are played religiously by some of the top YouTube content creators out there. But the crazy part about it is that it's not just a game people like watching other people play, it's turned into something people actually like to buy and play for themselves. In fact, according to Steam Spy the series has moved more than 1.6 million copies of Five Nights at Freddy's since debuting back in 2014. It's really impressive to have started as an indie project made by one guy on a shoestring budget.
As for the upcoming Sister Location, we'll likely have to wait a while before we learn more about the game or if the October release will be its official release window. For now, gamers can rest easy knowing that a new game in the series is on the way.


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Refunds for wrongly billed TalkTalk customers
Customers of TalkTalk and Tiscali
could be set for a refund after being billed
for services they never received.
were hounded by debt collectors even
after explaining they owed nothing.
The problems stemmed from TalkTalk’s
takeover of Tiscali in May 2009.
Money Mail sent a dossier of complaints to TalkTalk about both these problems earlier in the year. An investigation by Ofcom found that TalkTalk was continuing to bill for services not provided.
Enough! Ofcom received more than 1,000 complaints to date this year about TalkTalk and Tiscali UK
Ofcom has ordered the firm to refund
consumers who were billed for cancelled
services since January 1 2010; stop debt
col lect ion, withdraw f rom legal
proceedings and pay customers’ legal
costs; and repair credit ratings of
The firm must clean up its act by December 2 or face a hefty fine, which could be 10 per cent of the company’s turnover.
It comes after Ofcom received 1,000 complaints about TalkTalk and Tiscali this year alone. Thousands of TalkTalk customers found the company kept billing them for services even after they switched to another provider.
Robert Hammond, of watchdog Consumer Focus, says: ‘It is shocking that it has taken the intervention of the regulator for TalkTalk and Tiscali UK to play fair with their customers.’ A spokesman for TalkTalk apologised for the inconvenience caused.
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A brand new report suggests the Federal Commerce Fee is “prone to file an antitrust lawsuit” to dam Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Politico studies that three sources, who’ve been granted anonymity, say that the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) is trying prone to file a swimsuit to dam the merger throughout the subsequent month and that FTC employees reviewing the deal are “sceptical of the businesses’ arguments.”
FTC employees reviewing the deal are “sceptical of the businesses’ arguments,” report claims
Based on Politico, a lawsuit difficult the deal is not assured, and the FTC’s 4 commissioners have but to vote on the matter or meet with legal professionals for the businesses concerned. Each the FTC and Microsoft didn’t reply to Politico’s request for remark.
Very like the UK’s Competitors and Markets Authority (CMA) and the European Fee, the FTC is anxious that Microsoft might acquire an unfair benefit within the online game market if the deal have been to be accepted.
On Twitter, Lulu Cheng Meservey, Activision Blizzard’s govt vp of company affairs and chief communications officer, mentioned: “Seeing a number of hypothesis about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Any suggestion that the transaction might have anticompetitive results is absurd. This merger will profit avid gamers and the US gaming trade — particularly as we face stiffer competitors from overseas.
“We’re dedicated to persevering with to work cooperatively with regulators across the globe to permit the transaction to proceed, however will not hesitate to struggle to defend the transaction if that is wanted.”
Within the UK, filings printed by the CMA reveal that Sony has mentioned that Microsoft’s public statements “ought to be handled with excessive scepticism.” Microsoft additionally believes the following console era will start in 2028 “on the very earliest.”


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Fat Brands Inc. now owns Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill barbecue restaurants.
The barbecue chain, which has 62 locations in 16 states, is the 18th brand to join the Beverly Hills company and is its first barbecue concept. The acquisition, a $30 million deal, was announced on Sept. 26.
Fat Brands also owns Round Table Pizza, Johnny Rockets, Fatburger, Hot Dog on a Stick and Fazoli’s, among other restaurant chains.
Fat Brands counts Smokey Bones, based in Aventura, Florida, as its second “polished” casual dining chain. The first was sports bar Twin Peaks, which it purchased for $300 million in 2021.
The company bought the barbecue chain from Sun Capital Partners, a private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts in Boca Raton, Florida.
Fat Brands co-chief executive Rob Rosen said that the company continues to be selective and opportunistic in its acquisition strategy, targeting brands that are both scalable and synergistic with its existing platform.
“We are pleased to add another polished dining brand, which will provide more options for our sales team to offer our franchise partners to further their new unit development,” Rosen said in a statement.
Hal Lawlor, president of Smokey Bones, said the company employees are excited to become part of the Fat Brands family and benefit from its purchasing power and scale.
“Additionally, we see great opportunity in being a part of a leading global franchising company to further our growth with new franchised locations,” Lawlor said in a statement.
Lawlor became president of Smokey Bones in June after serving for about four years as chief operating officer.
Andy Wiederhorn, the founder and chair of Fat Brands, said that as the company has spent the last year focusing on digesting past acquisitions, it has also been amplifying the growth in its polished dining vertical.
“Having a strong player in the barbecue space provides another arrow in our quiver for the polished dining segment and opens the door for additional growth strategies for our sister brands,” Wiederhorn said in a statement.


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Surprisingly, it's new, not refurbished, making this one of the best deals I've seen on Microsoft's beloved game console.
In Satya Nadella's first full quarter as CEO, Microsoft posts an 18 percent revenue gain. But earnings per share get dinged by costs related to the acquisition of Nokia's handset business.
Company's fourth-quarter financials miss estimates, and the software giant is left holding the bag on Surface RT units.
This better, brighter bulb is the latest reason to switch to LED lighting.
If you're a photographer looking to connect with other shutterbugs, there's a new social- networking site just for you--though it's not free.
Pay a little for a few games or a little more for a whole boatload of them. Most are for Windows, but some cover all platforms -- including Android!
Company says offering bundles helped spur sales last week. No word yet on how sales of its hardware for the whole month will compare with last year's figures.
Nintendo will be offering orange and green DSi bundles to customers starting Friday. The bundles will retail for $149.99 while supplies last.
Game developer still sees value in the Wii, even as Nintendo's top competitors, Sony and Microsoft, have delivered motion-gaming peripherals of their own.
Nintendo's Wii might still be leading the gaming console market, but sales are slumping. Regardless, Nintendo has no plans to cut the price of the Wii to drive more demand for the console.


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The NATSO Show 2013 is set for Feb. 2-6 in Savannah, Ga.
NATSO, the trade association representing the truckstop and travel plaza industry, has announced its annual show in Savannah, Ga., Feb. 2-6 at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.
As the premier gathering place for the nation’s truckstop and travel plaza owners and operators, the NATSO Show is two-and-a-half days of smart ideas, great new products and good advice—all designed to meet the unique needs of the industry’s leaders. At the show, industry executives, buyers and managers converge to collaborate with and learn from top industry experts who share insights on today’s ahead-of-the-curve trends.
“We’ve created a comprehensive conference where industry experts, suppliers and truckstop and travel plaza operators come together to share knowledge and best practices, helping operators uncover cutting-edge solutions and bold strategies that will benefit their business throughout the year,” said NATSO President and CEO Lisa Mullings.
With practical education sessions, countless networking opportunities and engaging speakers, The NATSO Show promises to be a powerhouse event packed with the information truckstop and travel plaza operators, buyers and suppliers need to launch their businesses into tomorrow.
Keynote speakers include Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst with Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), Hank Suerth, CEO of Orion Foods Systems, and Bob Costello, chief economist at American Trucking Associations. Additional speakers will be announced soon.
Sometimes the best knowledge is gained outside of the classroom. With abundant networking opportunities, NATSO’s annual show will be the place to cement the personal contacts that make business successful all year long.
For the second year, The NATSO Show is providing education and networking specifically tailored for future leaders. Future Leader programming is created for those new to their location, the industry or leadership. In Savannah, the conference includes four training-focused sessions, an informal happy hour and a Super Bowl Party hosted by Future Leaders and sponsored by CAT Scale Co.
The NATSO Foundation Golf event will be held in conjunction with The NATSO Show. Held at The Club at Savannah Harbor, home of the PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf Championship since 2003, the event is a chance to be a part of a worthy cause while having a great time on the golf course. Bridgestone Commercial Solutions, KSG Distributing, Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores, Mobil Delvac, Pilot Flying J, and Shell Lubricants are sponsoring the event.
NATSO’s annual show is a catalyst for industry innovation, delivering vital information, networking and business opportunities targeting the diverse constituency of the truckstop industry. The NATSO Show also features a dynamic showcase of truckstop and travel plaza business services, with exhibitors displaying everything from equipment and supplies to fuel services and food products.
Registration is now open. Early-bird pricing is available until Dec. 14. NATSO members can register online or by contacting Kimberly Roberts. Suppliers interested in participating as an exhibitor or sponsor should contact Susan Taylor. Members of the press should contact Tiffany Wlazlowski, Senior Director of Public Affairs, or Mindy Long.


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Monday, Eurozone economic sentiment hit a fresh low in March, but confidence weakened more slowly than in the first two months of 2009 amid signs of stabilization in some sectors. Meanwhile, the Spanish central bank took over the management of a troubled regional savings bank, the first such rescue move in 16 years. Further, the Spanish EU harmonized consumer price index declined in March from the previous year, an official report showed. Thus, Spain became the first nation in the EU 16 to report a year-on-year slide in consumer prices.
Outside the Eurozone, the World Bank said the Russian economy would contract in 2009 as the worst global recession since the World War II took its toll on the country and the number of poor people will increase due to rising unemployment. Elsewhere, a survey showed that the UK financial services sector is expected to axe another 15,000 jobs in the next quarter.
A monthly survey carried out by the European Commission showed that the economic sentiment index unexpectedly dropped to 64.6 in March from 65.3 in February. Economists were looking for a reading of 65.8. The indicator stood at its lowest level since the series began in January 1985. The fall in the index was attributed to the deteriorating sentiment in the industry and services sectors.
The Bank of Spain replaced managers of the Caja Castilla La Mancha and took over its administration. The government also provided a guarantee of up to EUR 9 billion or US$12 billion of the liabilities.
A flash estimate from the Spanish statistical office INE revealed that the harmonized index of consumer prices, or HICP, fell 0.1% year-on-year in March, marking the first decline since 1961. In February, the indicator was up 0.7%.
Belgium's National Institute of Statistics said the consumer price index or CPI rose 0.62% year-over-year in March, slower than a 1.93% increase in the previous month. The March inflation was the lowest level Sine December 1998.
The Statistics Netherlands said the industrial producer prices decreased 10% year-over-year in February, after falling 9% in January.
The General Secretariat of the National Statistical Service of Greece revealed that the industrial production dropped 10.2% year-over-year in January, compared with a 0.6% fall in the previous year.
Rest of Europe
A survey conducted by the Confederation of British Industry and PricewaterhouseCoopers showed that a balance of 40% of UK's financial services firms reported a reduction in headcount, while the numbers employed in the sector fell at the heaviest rate since June 1993. A negative balance of 38% forecast employment to decrease over the next three months.
The average price for a home in England and Wales plummeted by a record 10.3% on-year in March, property industry group Hometrack said, following a 10% fall in February. The average selling price was 156,100 pounds in March, marking the largest decline since the group started tracking home prices in 2000.
UK M4 money supply increased 1.4% month-on-month in February, unrevised from the preliminary estimate, after rising 2.4% in January, a final report from the Bank of England showed.
The central bank also reported that mortgage approvals in the UK totaled 37,937 in February, up from 31,791 in the previous month. Economists expected mortgage approvals to come in at 34,000.
In other news, UK's Nationwide Building Society acquired core business of Dunfermline Building Society. The deal followed a sale process carried out by the central bank over the weekend under the Special Resolution Regime provisions of the Banking Act 2009. All of Scottish building society's staff have been transferred to Nationwide.
Elsewhere, UK Business Secretary Peter Mandelson urged the public must to end criticizing banks in order to allow the proper functioning of the financial system.
Hungary's jobless rate increased to 9.1% in the December to February period from 8.4% in the previous three-month period, the country's Central Statistical Office said.
Statistics Norway announced that the retail sales volume excluding motor vehicles dropped a seasonally adjusted 0.3% month-on-month in February, reversing a 0.6% rise in the previous month.
The Bank of Estonia said the current account deficit stood at EEK3.3 billion in the fourth quarter, narrowing from a EEK4.61 billion deficit in the third quarter. The central bank said the current account deficit was the lowest in three years.
Lithuania's consumer confidence indicator stood at minus 51 in March, at the same level seen in the previous month, a report by Statistics Lithuania revealed.
Latvia's retail trade turnover at constant prices decreased a working day adjusted 25.3% year-on-year in February, Statistics Latvia said.
For comments and feedback: contact firstname.lastname@example.org


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Keeping customers happy is key to loyalty, so offering an array of ordering options is an important strategy. Online ordering and delivery are spreading like wildfire, and if drive-thru is an option, you’d be foolish not to implement it.
Which is exactly what Chipotle is doing.
As reported by Fortune:
Executives, during a meeting with investors on Tuesday, announced that the food chain would be testing a “vehicular pickup window” at a restaurant in Ohio this fall, reports Business Insider.
“We need to evolve the Chipotle experience,” Chief Marketing Officer Mark Crumpacker said during a call to investors, according to the report.
Twitter users were longing for a drive thru just a few hours ago, and now it seems that their prayers may soon be answered.
The burrito restaurant has been struggling amid reports of food poisoning this week in Virginia, a flashback to the company’s 2015 nationwide incident that saw 120 Boston College students fall ill with Norovirus and 52 people in other states get sickened from E. Coli, according to the Huffington Post.
Sintel Systems is a leading direct and single-source for all POS needs. If you’re looking for mobile and online ordering, delivery, drive-thru, kitchen displays, or simply need to upgrade your hardware or software, contact us today or browse the website to learn more.


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Cards to help good causes
PUBLISHED: 15:55 22 October 2010
ARCHANT NORFOLK PHOTOGRAPHIC Â© 2010
Derek James helps launch Norwich's Charity Christmas Card Shop.
Houses cost less than £3,000, petrol was 25p a gallon, queues were forming outside the cinemas to see The Sound of Music and The Beatles took America by storm.
This was 1965, Britain was swinging and in Norwich a group of people were preparing to open a little shop.
While the 60s are now a distant memory, this shop opened again this week, reaching out to the people of Norwich and Norfolk as it has done every year for 45 years.
Our very own Charity Christmas Card Shop was one of the first in the country and it has become part of city life over the decades.
During that first season in business the shop took £2,310. Last year the amount raised was £53,547 and this year the target is £55,000.
Overheads are paid through donations and fund-raising so all profits go directly to the charities concerned. Unlike other charity card shops, no profits from sales are taken into the organisation.
For years I have been a customer so I was especially pleased to be asked to open the shop, which now has a permanent home at The Assembly House, this week.
Cards from almost 30 charities, local and national, including the civic charity Rotary House, are on sale at the shop which is run entirely by a team of about 100 volunteers.
The shop is open in the Noverre Gallery at The Assembly House seven days a week from now until December 18, Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm, and on Sundays from noon until 4pm.
Please take a look. These charities need and deserve your support and I want to thank all the people who give up their time to run the shop.


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Ramesh Srivats on what not to do on Social Media and how to build a brand
In this digital age, the rules of marketing and advertising have taken a huge leap forward; consumers now have low attention spans and also have the power to consume media according to their will, as and when they want to. This has posed some problems to brands as it has become more challenging for them to get their consumers attention. The traditional rules of yore do not apply anymore and many brands in their pursuit for eyeballs are resorting to measures that are distancing them from their consumer even more.
Ramesh Srivats, Founder of TenTenTen, with 15 years of experience in the advertising sector, has a cult following of about 239k and 56k followers on twitter and Facebook respectively. Because of his hilarious views and tweets on sports, politics and just about everything, he is surely an able authority to guide brands and consumers on ‘How to stand out in the age of digital clutter and noise.’
Ramesh Srivats took the stage at the TechSparks Grand finale on October 18, 2014, and delighted the audience with his witty insights and jabs on how brands should actually engage with their audiences on Social Media.
Key highlights of the talk
Ramesh Srivats started out his session by introducing himself as a startup guy, currently into his second startup, TenTenTen, after initially starting out with Hungry and Foolish, which he said, “Unfortunately lived up to its name.” He also stated that he was glad to be at TechSparks as these occasions are ideal for networking and making friends with people who are in the same sector with similar interests.
He then went on to outline how both brands and regular folks are spamming social media and forcing content and promotions down people’s throats without even considering who their target audience is and what they want to say.
In our pursuit for ‘Likes’, ‘retweets’ and getting hashtags to trend, brands and people are forgetting the big picture : making actual meaningful conversations with people.
Brands have not made the right transition from ‘old media’ to ‘new media.’ The rules have changed and brands have not got their strategy right. In the good old days, brands could buy an audience, and then push messages. Now, the scenario has completely changed. For effective brand building, brands have to listen to what their users say and respond accordingly. “People talk and brands listen.”
Ramesh concluded the talk with some tips on how to use Social Media in the right way:
“Be yourself. Be interesting. It is not necessary to be only funny; you can be informative, educational, nice, or kind. People tend to share these things, when they see genuine content.”
You can catch the full video of the talk here:


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In the UK, bookmaking giants Ladbrokes and Coral have finally managed to agree on a deal that will see the to companies merge, creating the biggest single bookmaker in the industry. The total cost is around £2.8 billion and will now be renamed The Ladbrokes Coral group, although interestingly they will both also operate individually at the same time. A merger of this size, and by two of the leading brands in gambling, was looked at very closely indeed by the competition and market regulator, a control board set up to try and maintain competition in any sector, and it came as a surprise to some that this deal was actually given the green light considering the sizable chunk of the market they are now able to control. While this is obviously going to be a huge deal that will benefit the employees and customers of both Ladbrokes and Coral, I’m sure that all the other bookmakers that are now going to have to try and compete with this giant aren’t going to be impressed, and they will no doubt now have to try and find new ways of competing.
Sports betting, in fact any form of gambling is a massive business in the UK with a number of well-known companies all having their finger in the considerably sized pie, but with a merger such as this, there’s no doubt that a lot of the lesser well-known bookmakers are going to struggle and while finding innovative ways of attracting customers through promotional and free bets may have worked in the past, I’m not sure that those methods are going to be as successful in the future and a lot of these smaller companies are going to end up closing so how can that be good for the market overall? Personally I would have thought that a commission set up to stop companies creating a monopoly would have seen that while this deal may well be good for Ladbrokes and Coral, what it does mean that other companies in the gambling industry are now at a massive disadvantage and it’s the customers more than anyone that’s going to feel that knock-on effect.
When it comes to online gambling, the market at the moment is saturated and it seems that nearly every month we are seeing more and more online casinos and sports betting companies opening up and the trend recently has been to close down the bricks and mortar stores. What this merger as done is maybe shift that trend a little and whereas in the past there has been a concern that the high street bookmakers are slowly disappearing and taking precious employment opportunities with them, this as now maybe re-affirmed Ladbrokes and Coral’s commitment to the retail side of the industry and while there are a lot of questions to be answered by this merger, that fact alone could be the reason why the competition and market regulator seemed only too happy to approve a deal of this size.


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If you're not looking closely, it's easy to mistake last year's Galaxy S8 for the brand new Galaxy S9.
Design, build materials, screen size, software — it's all virtually identical, save for a few exceptions. Apple's Animoji on the i Phone X might allow you to use your own facial movements to control your favorite emoji, but Samsung is looking to make you the focus of the interactive icon with the introduction of AR Emoji.
Those who preorder the device on March 2 or pick it up on March 16 can expect these changes out of the box, as the S9 will be running Samsung Experience 9.0 on day one.
The idea of translating in real-time has become quite popular recently, with Google's Pixel Buds integrating the feature. Until recently, you needed to download a frequently-unreliable third party app to translate text using your camera — but that all changes with the Galaxy S9 and Bixby Vision.
After Apple deployed the i Phone X in November, Samsung had three months to brood until Mobile World Congress, where they unveiled the Galaxy S9.
Now that both phones are out, it's time to put them head-to-head.
Like previous updates, Samsung has enhanced its software with a fresh look and brand new functionality.
The day has finally arrived — Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S9 and S9 .
But thanks to a feature that's required of all phones that ship with Android Oreo out of the box, your S9 may be the first Galaxy phone to finally receive timely software updates.
When the Nintendo 3DS XL came out, I traded in my regular sized Nintendo 3DS for one — but I ended up hating it.
That's actually a tougher call than you might think.
Samsung and Apple are the two titans of the mobile phone industry.


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NEW YORK (
) -- Back in the early days of computer research, it was a widely held belief of those pioneers at Bell Laboratories that it wouldn't be long before a computer was able to match (specifically resemble) the human brain.
All these decades later, that's not quite the direction in which computer science (and brute computer memory power) has gone. In fact, the more technology progresses, the more it exhibits fits and starts in trying to match that je ne sais quoi of human sensibility -- just ask the iPhone's Siri to understand what you are saying while walking down a crowded Manhattan sidewalk, compared with the hearing and comprehension of the person standing next to you.)
Now it's the automatic teller machine that wants to prove how human it really is, beginning with a few chatty ATMs in Pittsburgh.
Customers at two
locations in North Hills and Virginia Manor near Pittsburgh will now find a personal teller machine (PTM)
. The key difference between PTMs and ATMs is the addition of a live remote teller available through a video connection.
On the NCR web site, the company describes PTMs as follows:
"A Personal Teller Machine looks like an ATM, the difference is that you can interact real-time with a bank teller who can remotely control the machine and guide you through most branch transactions. Using video cameras, a customer's image is transmitted to the Personal Teller located at the Customer Service Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Cameras at the Customer Service Center transmit the Personal Teller's image back to the customer. Sound is carried through built in speakers and a handset is available when using the machine in the bank lobby."
For customers, there is a built-in benefit to PTMs: Banks can stay open longer, and financial consumers can get real-time help via PTMs before and after bank hours. Dollar Bank says its PTMs will be available from 8 AM to 10 PM, Monday through Saturday. Customers can still use the machine to deposit and withdraw funds on a 24/7 basis.
Dollar Bank is very excited about putting the person inside the machine. "The PTMs will improve our customer service by permitting Dollar Bank customers the convenience of extended hours of service six days a week, while providing personal teller services through a machine," said Robert Oeler, president and CEO of Dollar Bank in a release. "Customers will have the confidence of knowing they are speaking with a real Dollar Bank employee when they make a deposit or request a bank service through the PTM. That is an exciting new service for our industry."
The bank has already assigned a customer service representative to stand by the machine and offer help in using the PTM (the same sort of logic that applies to having a live grocery store checkout person stand next to the self-checkout machine and serve as your checkout person when you can't figure out why the self-checkout bot keeps telling you to place an item on the scanner or remove the bag.)
Nevertheless, the bank hopes the machine will reduce customer waiting time and provide consumers with more options using the real-time PTM teller option.
Consumers aren't exactly clamoring for changes to ATM machines. According to J.D. Power's 2012
Retail Banking Satisfaction study, banking consumers are pretty happy with current ATM technology. The study ranks consumer attitudes about banking services on a 1,000-point scale, and satisfaction with ATMs hit a level of 815 this year, compared to 795 in 2011.
"Satisfaction with ATMs is driven by the increased reliability, user friendliness and functionality found in the newer generation of ATMs in which many banks have invested the past few years," said Michael Beird, director of banking services at J.D. Power in the study release. "One of the most pertinent metrics is the percentage of customers who use ATMs to make deposits has more than doubled over the past four years, from 19 percent in 2008 to 40 percent in 2012."
Dollar Bank is taking the Steve Jobs approach, regardless of current ATM-contentment: don't ask consumers what they want because they don't know what they want. Or in other words, build it and they will come (and chat with the PTM.)
Any banking service that gets customers in out and out more quickly, with the high level of customer experience they expect, can only help with customer satisfaction, so expect your bank branch ATM to become more "human" sometime soon.
More on banking:
Does it make sense to use the closest ATM?
Should you opt for overdraft fee protection?
By Brian O'Connell
and become a fan on


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International travel hits new heightsSeptember 17th, 2014 | | news
International travel continues to grow at a phenomenal rate, with 517 million international tourists crossing borders in the first six months of 2014, according to data released this week by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
International tourist arrivals grew by 4.6 per cent in the first half of 2014. That means 22 million more travellers have visited a foreign country between January and June than in the same period last year.
Growth was fairly consistent across the board with the Americas, Europe and Asia all posting between five per cent and eight per cent arrival increases year-on-year.
The greatest growth for particular regions was reported in South Asia and Northern Europe, which each experienced an eight per cent spike in visitation.
Traditionally strong source markets including Australia, the United States, and Canada continue to show a rebound in travel spend abroad thanks to still improving economies. Growth in the Asia and Pacific region increased by five per cent overall on the previous year.
Australia received 6.6 million visitors for year ending June 2014, an increase of 7.9 per cent on the previous year. There were 3.2 million visitor arrivals into Australia during the six months to June 2014, an increase of 9.0 per cent relative to the same period last year.
However, demand growth in emerging markets such as China and Russia has decelerated over the past year. For example, Chinese outbound expenditure grew 16 per cent in the first half of the year compared to 26 per cent in the whole of 2013. Expenditure out of Russia grew 4 per cent compared to 25 per cent last year.
This is an important trend to track as many destinations and travel companies have started to alter their product offerings and communications to meet the needs of these emerging markets.
The only region to report a decrease in visitation is the Middle East, which, the UNWTO warns, could be because of a lack of data available in the region.
“Despite geopolitical and economic challenges, the number of international tourist arrivals has grown by five per cent per year on average since 2010,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.
For the full year 2014, international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by four per cent to 4.5 per cent worldwide, above UNWTO’s long-term forecast of 3.8 per cent per year for the period 2010 to 2020.
Written by Kris Madden


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Facebook kicked off its cryptocurrency project Libra last year as a blockchain-based payment system which would also include a private currency of its own. The Libra Association is now being rebranded as the Diem Association, which is a change to represent a “new day for the new project”.
The launch of Facebook’s Diem project is still facing uncertainty as it still lacks key approvals from several different American states including New York. The company said in a statement that it would not launch without the approval of FINMA, the Swiss finance regulator, which is still pending. Facebook was reportedly looking to launch Diem in January 2021.
The cryptocurrency project started off as an ambitious system, which was looking to build a single global currency but was reduced to acting as a payment processor after endless criticism and objection from regulators.
One of the hurdles that the Diem Association has been facing are claims saying that it could enable financial crime. The company has responded to it by getting new hires including a number of high-profile ex-politicians and government operatives to run the group.
As for a release, Facebook has said that its discussions with FINMA are “active and productive,” as it works to push out a platform to “conduct instantaneous, low-cost, highly secure transactions.”


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Until last week, it was easy to think of iPhone apps more as a distribution channel, less as a full-fledged business that deep-pocketed venture capitalists would attempt to bring to market. After all, for any Fortune 500 company, the current revenue stream from iPhone apps would most likely amount to little more than a rounding error. Is it possible that start-ups selling iPhone apps for as little as $0.99 -- or, more likely, giving them away for free -- can ever transform themselves into billion-dollar companies?
The answer could be "yes." Celebrated venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins – the same Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers that has invested in some of the biggest names of the Internet -- recently announced that it was investing an undisclosed amount of money in popular iPhone app Shazam through its new $100 million iFund. As a rule of thumb, big-time VC firms like Kleiner Perkins don’t invest in companies unless there’s an identifiable billion-dollar market opportunity, so methinks that KPCB has a future vision of greatness for Shazam. Claire Cain Miller of The New York Times has the details:
“[Shazam] will soon be able to do a lot more, propelled by new capital from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the elite venture capital firm that is investing its $100 million iFund in start-ups that develop applications for the iPhone. It has invested an undisclosed amount in Shazam, which had previously raised $12.3 million from Acacia Capital and DN Capital.
Shazam’s app has been downloaded 10 million times on the iPhone and has 50 million users across all platforms, including BlackBerry and Android phones. It already helps people discover new music and results in more purchases from the iTunes Store than any other company, said Matt Murphy, the Kleiner Perkins partner who manages the iFund.
Shazam will add other ways to find new music, like recommendations and sharing with friends, he said. It will also move into other types of media, like video, and partner with media companies and artists, he said. For example, Shazam will most likely start selling items like band tickets and merchandise from within the application, he said.”
In the case of Shazam, it’s easy to see that the iPhone app is highly scalable across other entertainment fields beyond music. What’s also interesting, of course, is the new business model that Shazam is bringing to the music industry. In the ongoing battle for supremacy between intermediation and dis-intermediation, this time it looks like Shazam is playing the role of the intermediary, matching seekers of music with the sellers of music. Shazam is developing a diversified business model and exploring new ways to monetize the “discovery” process:
“Shazam is a model for how businesses can be successful with iPhone applications, because it began with something simple and started expanding once it got popular. Shazam is already cash-flow positive, with a variety of revenue streams. It makes money from carriers that preload the application on phones or that charge for the application. It gets a cut when users buy a song on iTunes and download paid versions. (Shazam’s app is free on the iPhone, but there are paid versions for BlackBerry and Nokia phones.) It also makes money from mobile ads… Shazam will start offering subscriptions for premium versions of its application, which is a popular model these days. Users will get a certain number of song identifications and some features free, and pay for unlimited identifications and features.”
These are exciting times for the mobile space, and especially for iPhone app developers. Any
ideas on which other iPhone (or BlackBerry or Android) apps could also be ripe
targets for deep-pocketed venture capitalists?
[image: Shazam ad via iPhone Blog]


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The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Monday released the Committee of Taxation of E-commerce report, batting for the equalisation levy at a rate between 6% and 8% of the gross payment made for specified services.
The report titled The Proposal for Equalisation Levy on Specified Transaction provides clarity on the issue and “puts to rest” the long drawn debate on it.
The eight-member committee, comprising senior officials from the finance ministry and Income-Tax (I-T) department, industry representatives, ICAI representative and independent professionals suggests to restrict the rate of equalisation levy at 6% at the time of its introduction, and evaluate a rate hike in later years.
Its 124-page report recommends levy on specified digital services and facilities including online marketing and advertisements, cloud computing, website designing hosting and maintenance, digital space, digital platforms for sale of goods and services and online use or download of software and applications.
Interestingly, to limits its impact, the committee notes the only payments exceeding Rs 1 lakh made “by a person resident in India or a permanent establishment of a non-resident person to a non-resident enterprise” be covered under the levy.
“Such a threshold (Rs 1 lakh),” says the report, “will keep almost all B2C (business-to-consumer) transactions, as well as a very large number of B2B (business-to-business) transactions outside the scope of the equalisation levy, thereby limiting its impact,” observes the e-commerce taxation panel.
In its report, the committee says that it had considered two other options – a new nexus-based on significant economic presence and the withholding tax on digital transactions – but found the equalisation levy as most suited for India.


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Mercator Halves Last Year's Profit
Ljubljana, 25 February - The group around Slovenia's No. 1 retailer Mercator generated EUR 21.1m in net profit last year, down 48.2% on 2008. The company blamed the fall in profit on the economic turmoil and investment, as well as on lower extraordinary profits compared with 2008.
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Andersen counsels Yeeply on its sale to Quental
Andersen in Spain has advised Yeeply on its sale to Quental, boosting its growth and international expansion
Quental, a 100% Spanish capital company specialised in technology services and solutions, has acquired the entire capital of Valencian company Yeeply (Yeeply Mobile S.L.), an online platform that offers services for the recruitment of technology experts, with the mission of making it the benchmark company in digital transformation and boosting its international expansion, with special emphasis on Germany, Italy and France.
To this end, the technology company, with more than 500 employees, will keep the Valencian startup as an independent company led by Héctor Badal, maintaining its business model and identity.
The Valencian technology company´s clients have decided to rely on Yeeply and its network of partners for the contracting of their digital and technological projects.
The company’s strategy is to boost its positioning in technological services and solutions to help companies at a time when they are committed to digital transformation. And this strategy will be expanded in the European markets where Yeeply.com already has a presence.
Andersen in Spain’s Corporate and M&A practice advised Yeeply on this deal with a Valencia office team led by director Ricardo Pla Olmos (pictured left), along with lawyers Fran Rezusta Garcés (pictured top right) and Alicia Cervera Calatayud (pictured bottom right).


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“50% off was not drawing people into stores,” explains Jon Najarian on CNBC’s Closing Bell. It was more like 70%.
“It's still very clear from the results the most important thing is price," Richard Jaffe, retail analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, adds. The new fashion is frugal. The new black is 60 percent off."
That comes as no surprise. But what you might find surprising is that the weakness has prompted some investors to pour into the retail sector on hopes the dismal results signal a bottom for share values.
Got 99 Cents?
Although investors gobbled up shares Macy’s and Nordstrom on Thursday, they might have gone to the wrong stores.
If you're looking to maximize your investment buck Jon Najarian recommends focussing on stores that shoppers will find appealing in a weak economy.
“The play I really like is 99 Cent Stores ,”counsels Najarian. It’s almost unchanged on the year, he says, and frugal shopping will be a focus for almost everyone.
“Also check out Autozone . In this economy people will be staying in their cars longer," he adds.
“And if you want to take a long shot on a fallen angel," look at Footlocker for it’s balance sheet.
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CNBC.com with wires


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First external airbag
Volvo Car Korea said yesterday its new V40, which will be released next year in Korea, is the world’s first mass-produced passenger car with an external airbag to protect pedestrians. The company has positioned an airbag in front of the windshield, in the recess that hides the wipers. Seven forward-looking sensors mounted in the front bumper can detect objects the size and shape of a human leg. If such an object is detected, a set of charges raises the rear of the bonnet to deploy the airbag. Provided by the company
More in Industry
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Local fast fashion booms as Uniqlo tanks, pandemic hits


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Rumors have it that the Google smartwatch will most likely make an appearance at the I/O developer’s conference
It has been a while since the smartwatch trend has taken over the gadget market and many have been trying their luck with this and Google certainly wasn’t staying behind on this one. Rumors have been circulating around since quite some time now about the smartwatch by Google and now it seems like this new gadget is no longer a rumor anymore. This highly anticipated new accessory by Google is most likely going to make its debut at the I/O developer’s conference of the company which is going to kick off on 25th of June.
We are hearing about this upcoming wearable gadget from the well known evleaks and this piece of information is coming from them that the smartwatch is going to be manufactured by LG. This does not come as a surprise because we had the last two iterations of the Google Nexus smartphone from LG as well. Now we are certainly looking forward to the gear’s announcement at the I/O developer’s conference. Reports issued previously have suggested that the smartwatch has entered its mass production stage and hence we have every reason to believe that the gadget will soon make an official appearance. For now, we will only have to rely on the rumors because so far nothing official has been given away.
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As fashion brands continue to engage in sustainability efforts, scrutiny from environmentally-conscious consumers has also increased. When Burberry announced an unexpected commitment to environmental sustainability, the public was skeptical. People were quick to point out the company incinerated over $38 million in goods less than a year ago. It’s pretty difficult to get away with greenwashing these days. H&M was no exception. The media slammed the company for promoting its Conscious collection with little indication of how it was more sustainable.
H&M’s Conscious Collection
The only information in the public domain about H&M’s Conscious collection is this snippet from its website:
“Our Conscious products contain at least 50% recycled materials, organic materials or TENCEL TM Lyocell material – in fact many contain 100%. Due to technological limitations to ensure product quality and durability there is one exception – the maximum share of recycled cotton we can currently use in a garment is 20%. We are however, working with new innovations to increase this share as soon possible.”
Journalist Katherine Martinko called the description “a joke” and “a prime example of greenwashing.”
But it’s not just media and journalists that aren’t buying H&M sustainability efforts — it’s regulators too.
Regulators Slam H&M
In Norway, an independent governing body called the Consumer Authority (CA) enforces the Marketing Control Act, designed to prevent marketers from misleading customers. Reportedly, the CA is investigating H&M over its sustainability claims related to Conscious.
More explicitly, the deputy director general at the CA told Quartz:
“Since H&M are not giving the consumer precise information about why these clothes are labeled Conscious, we conclude that consumers are being given the impression that these products are more ‘sustainable’ than they actually are.”
But these are just suspicions — that’s not enough for the CA to impose fines or sanctions on the company. Apparently, H&M will speak to the CA and “see how [H&M] can be even better at communicating the extensive work” it does, according to company statements.
At the time of this writing, there has been no conclusive evidence that H&M broke any marketing laws. However, the PR snafu that came as a result of H&M’s lack of transparency should be a lesson learned. That is, consumers are more environmentally conscious than ever before and companies can rarely get away with greenwashing anymore.


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Kent A. Steinwert, chairman, president and CEO of Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California, recently announced the appointment of Ryan Misasi as executive vice president of retail banking.
Misasi brings with him over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently with Patelco Credit Union where he served as executive vice president, chief retail officer. Misasi was responsible for Patelco’s multiple retail delivery channels, call centers, marketing, operations support, corporate real estate and business development.
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November 2, 2022
Dion Dawson is the founder of Dion’s Chicago Dream, which seeks to end
food insecurity in the city of Chicago by providing fresh produce to residents through food delivery and Project Dream Fridge. PHOTO BY AMBER MARIE GREEN PHOTOGRAPHY.
Stories this photo appears in:
Dion Dawson, founder of Dion’s Chicago Dream, started the organization because he was not seeing any variety, change or evolution in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector.


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Written by: Bri Thomas
The devastation Hurricane Harvey caused in our home state was really hard to watch and the road to recovery will take years. While Austin received strong rain bands from the storm it wasn’t anything compared to the damage to our beautiful Texas coast in September. And nearly everyone knew someone who was affected by the historic storm.
It felt like the entire state came together and donated aid to our Texas friends and leave it to the thriving Austin fashion community to lend a helping hand to an evening of fashion to add to the JJ Watt Fund. Coordinating a benefit fashion show was something personal for Matt Swinney, founder of Austin Fashion Week and Fashion X. “I feel like as Austinites, we all vacation in Port Aransas and certainly have friends and family in Houston,” said Swinney. “I don’t know about you, but I just sat there feeling helpless, thinking, ‘How can we make an impact?’”
Therefore, he did what he does best: He mobilized people – in just a few days with the help of his assistant Kylie Bollwitt. – in order to make the Hurricane Harvey Benefit Fashion Show come together, on Friday, September 8, with no hesitation, he and his team made a few quick phone calls, posted to social media and sent out texts – and everyone was more than happy to help, with volunteers coming together and asking how else they could assist.
A fab lineup of 22 local designers and retailers. silent auction, location, music, lights, runway, in nine days. Every aspect of the show production was donated.
“That is when it really hit me, like, this will work,” Swinney said. “It wasn’t hard. I never once had a moment thinking that this community wouldn’t band together.”
Models walked for free, the J.W. Marriott donated space, Koh Gen Do did all the makeup free of charge, while Urban Betty and Red Stella were in charge of hairstyles. DJ Rich donated his music services, charge, My Event Is The Bomb set up a photo booth, Markey’s did all the AV, projection & lighting, Strong Events made it pretty, and Todd White, Webber Productions & Fashionably Austin offered up photography/videography services along with Jared Tenant. The Mrs. handled the few charges there were – so that Fashion X could make sure 100% of the money raised would go to the Texas Disaster Relief, via J.J. Watt, who will be/has been distributing millions of dollars to affected areas.
The Mrs. handled the few charges there were – so that Fashion X could make sure 100% of the money raised would go to the Texas Disaster Relief, via J.J. Watt, who has been distributing millions of dollars to affected areas.
The night featured many looks from Austin’s fashion community. Miles David featured flowy, silky and easy feminine pieces. Velvet and volume were played within dark and dramatic ways during The Garden Room‘s show.
Austin School Of Fashion Design showed children in sparkly dresses and jumpsuits, as well as a great pair of high-waisted, ‘70s-inspired pants.
Electric colors, sleek ponytails, peacoats and the perfect game day outfit for UT students came from Amberleaf.
Daniel Esquivel gave futuristic looks with silver, sparkle and sunglasses.
We were given stripes, sheerness and chunky gold jewelry with Midi Soliz.
Hardness and softness mixed in Redbird Boutique’s show, with lots of flared silhouettes and textures.
Whether brides like long trains, lots of tulle or plunging necklines paired with tiaras, Sally Daneshjou delivered.
Estilo’s outfits ranged from casual to dressy and were all complimented by slicked-back hair and chunky gold heels.
Masha Osoianu showed fitted dresses with a string-like textile.
Graphic makeup and words – printed on burlap-like material – were seen from Gail Chovan.
Bearded men who were clearly having a good time modeled Ross Bennett’s sleek suits and snazzy button-downs.
Hip-hop vibes were given off from the sporty male and female designs by Samantha Plasencia.
This Is Sloane delivered oversized red clothing items, with graphic prints, stripes, rose-colored sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats.
Full skirts, embellishments and a party vibe were the themes of Adrienne Yunger’s runway.
Saint Bernard had everyday looks ranging from dresses to jeans.
Signature fringe and smart layers were seen via Rare Trends.
Kelly Wynne & FOUND gave sporty and cute dresses for all ages, as well as a fun jersey for the finale look.
Tassels pops of colors and unique cutouts were seen in Kemi Alao’s outfits.
Big Bertha’s Paradise incorporated over-the-top head accessories, such as an astronaut’s helmet.
We loved seeing our community work together, fashionably, for a great cause, and we were thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful event! In all, it was reported to us that more than $30,000 was raised at the event.


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WHAT WILL PEARSON DO WITH $2 BILLION after selling The Financial Times and its stake in The Economist Group? In an op-ed, the company’s chief executive John Fallon outlined plans to invest in digital learning, increasing access to affordable education, and “edupreneurs” as part of the company’s “focus on what we see as our own biggest growth opportunity—the global demand for better skills.”
The company knows it has to overcome image issues, and has invested heavily to demonstrate proof that learning tools can deliver desired student outcomes. But despite these intentions, Pearson may still have a hard time improving its brand, opines NPR’s Anya Kamenetz. Not having viable competitors might can actually hurts trust, she writes, and “what might really improve perceptions of the company and conditions for learners is more good old-fashioned market competition. After all, how many other education companies are sitting on billions of dollars?


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“Smart lighting technology has emerged as a leading opportunity for companies in the energy-efficient warehouse lighting market,” the author of the study states. Smart lighting has the ability to reduce overall energy consumption, which is making it an attractive investment for warehouse owners. As end users become informed about the benefits of automated smart lighting systems, together with modern CFL, LED, and OLED lamps, their sales are expected to rise.
“The demand for energy-efficient warehouse lighting has received significant impetus from companies looking to reduce their energy consumption in warehouses,” a TMR analyst states. Compared to traditional incandescent lighting systems, advanced and smart lighting solutions such as LED and CFL help companies conserve energy and save on costs. The demand for energy-efficient warehouse lighting has risen with their growing usage in refrigeration, lighting, cooling and ventilation, material handling, and others applications in warehouses.
The energy-efficient warehouse lighting market has also been supported by favorable government regulations around the world. For instance, the U.S. government has banned the use of incandescent lighting in warehouse spaces. It has also provided vendors utility rebates, thereby boosting the use of energy-efficient lighting solutions. Several European countries have implemented Energy Performance Certificates, which require commercial spaces to adhere to energy-efficient processes and requirements.
Source : PR Newswire


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IT Market Scenario for Poland - Trends and Forecast upto 2015-2020
"Poland IT market is predicted to touch $13.31 billion by the end of 2020."
Poland's economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the Central Eastern Europe (CEE) region. The country's economy has boosted after it became a part of the European Union (EU) in 2004. The year 2015 is being considered as the golden period for the Poland's economy. According to Infoholic Research, the country's outsourcing market is competing with India and China, which are considered as the world's current outsourcing leaders.
"Poland IT market is expected to reach $13.31 billion by the end of 2020, mainly driven by industry verticals such as BFSI, telecom, manufacturing sector and IT outsourcing market. The IT service sector is currently leading the overall IT market of Poland, followed by the IT hardware market," said Komal Sharma, Analyst.
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The Poland outsourcing market is a growing market and is becoming the preferred outsourcing destination in the world. The companies are preferring Poland over the other destinations due to its talented low-cost workforce and similar time zone. Presently, the country's outsourcing sector has around 700 business service centers where the employee strength is around 1,50,000. Considering the progress and development in the sector, it is estimated that this sector will generate approximately 2,00,000 jobs by 2018.
"The government visualized the country to be fully digitalized by the end of 2020. The demand of secure cloud and big data solutions from the different industry verticals are supporting the growth of Poland IT market," opined Tariq Sheikh, Research Operations.
Purchase a copy of the report on IT Market Scenario for Poland - Trends & Forecast, 2015-2020 at
Upcoming technology trends in the country:
- Secure cloud based payment system in the BFSI sector
- Cloud based data management solution in aerospace and defense sector
- Smart factories in manufacturing sector
- Cashless payment in retail sector
- Agriculture Information Systems and smart climate control applications in agriculture sector
Few highlights of the study:
- Asseco SA, with its headquarters in Poland, is currently leading the Poland IT outsourcing market.
- Infosys is the largest Indian outsourcing company headquartered in Poland.
- Capgemini is the biggest employer in the Poland outsourcing market.
- The region gets maximum nearshore projects, mainly from UK, France, Germany and Nordic countries such as Denmark and Norway.
- The outsourcing companies are receiving maximum projects in BFSI, telecom and industrial sectors in the country.
- Maximum outsourcing companies support English, German and French languages.
- Cities such as Krakow and Warszawa have maximum number of outsourcing offices in the country. City Gdansk is now emerging as the new outsourcing destination in Poland.


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After a deal worth an estimated $50 billion between India's Bharti Airtel and South African MTN group hit the rocks over the weekend, reports are surfacing today that MTN and India's Reliance Communications are reportedly working on a deal that will result in MTN acquiring the Indian company's mobile-phone operations. According to the Wall Street Journal, the two companies have preliminarily agreed on a reverse takeover that would see Reliance make a bid for MTN, but MTN would end up with control of Reliance. MTN has a market value of about $40 billion. Reliance is valued at just below $30 billion.
The deal with Bharti Airtel reportedly fell apart when MTN decided it wanted to take over Bharti Airtel rather than be acquired by the Indian company. Bharti Airtel quickly called off negotiations, saying BA shareholders would have been hurt by the deal that "would not capture the synergies of a combined entity."
Bharti officials had planned to use the acquisition--its first major move outside India--to springboard the company from an Indian company into a multinational one.
If a deal with Reliance works for MTN, it will create a mobile operator with a market value similar to that of Japan's NTT DoCoMo and a customer base that would span Africa, the Middle East and south Asia, all major mobile growth engines. MTN has 68.2 million subscribers and Reliance has 48 million.
For more about a possible MTN-Reliance deal:
- check out this article from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ sub. req.)
$50 billion Bharti Airtel/MTN deal bites the dust. See this Bharti Airtel, MTN story
MTN left with single bidder, Vodafone goes own direction. See this MTN report
Rumor Mill: Who's bidding for South Africa's MTN? See this Bharti story