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03/28/2013, 04:03 am
In a patent filing published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, Apple describes a futuristic portable device complete with wrap-around AMOLED display, all-glass construction and face tracking.
03/27/2013, 01:03 am
In a court filing on Tuesday, Apple claims Judge Lucy Koh made an error in vacating part of the $1.02 billion in damages awarded by the Apple v. Samsung trial jury, noting that two of Samsung's products look to be subject to the verdict.
03/26/2013, 04:03 am
Apple on Tuesday was granted a patent for a device control mode in which a user can interact with a multitouch display even when no content is being shown on screen, thereby saving battery life when a GUI is not needed.
03/26/2013, 04:03 am
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday reissued Apple a patent for a mobile computer encased in a pen, adding cellular and GPS capabilities to the invention first filed for internationally in 1998.
03/21/2013, 09:03 am
With 40 percent of the billion-dollar patent infringement verdict against it put on hold, Samsung is now asking for the court to appoint a new jury to determine whether 14 of its products infringed Apple's products at all — a move that could lead to a lower overall monetary judgment.
03/21/2013, 05:03 am
An Apple invention discovered on Thursday describes a system that could potentially save the most fragile components of an iPhone, such as the glass screen, by detecting when a device is falling and shifting the handset's center of mass to control its landing.
03/20/2013, 03:03 pm
Intertrust Technologies, a company owned almost entirely by Sony and Philips, has filed suit against Apple, claiming that the iPhone maker has violated 15 Intertrust patents with the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple's Mac line of computers.
03/20/2013, 09:03 am
So-called "patent trolls" can earn millions of dollars by being a costly thorn in the side of companies like Apple. Now, the governments of countries including South Korea and France have shown interest in getting into that business to protect domestic firms, and also potentially make money.
03/19/2013, 05:03 am
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple a patent that improves on large displays, like Microsoft's original Surface project, by adding digital pens and the internet, to give users a powerful, cost-effective collaboration tool that can be used to hold interactive meetings almost anywhere.
03/19/2013, 05:03 am
Apple on Tuesday won a patent for an augmented reality (AR) system that can identify objects in a live video stream and present information corresponding to said objects through a computer generated information layer overlaid on top of the real-world image.
03/16/2013, 12:03 am
THX, the sound innovation company founded by George Lucas, filed suit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Thursday, claiming that various models of the iPhone, iPad and iMac product lineups infringe on a single speaker patent for a "narrow profile speaker."
03/15/2013, 07:03 pm
Google and Motorola on Thursday entered an initial filing with the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals over the dismissal of a patent suit against Apple, which saw a circuit court judge toss arguments from both parties in 2011.
03/15/2013, 05:03 pm
In its attempts to garner an iPhone import ban from the U.S. ITC, Google continues to assert the viability of a Motorola utility patent regarding proximity sensors despite having the argument denied twice by an administrative law judge.
03/14/2013, 05:03 am
An Apple patent application discovered on Thursday reveals that the company is actively investigating wireless charging for its line of portable devices, but proposes to use the technology in a slightly different way than existing solutions.
03/13/2013, 06:03 pm
The U.S. International Trade Commission on Wednesday announced that it will delay final judgment of assertions that Apple infringed on certain FRAND patents owned by Samsung when it made the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
03/12/2013, 05:03 am
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple a patent for a social networking system that institutes a number of database-level features to ensure reliable "friend states," or how users interact with each other.
03/08/2013, 10:03 pm
U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh on Friday ruled that an Apple lawsuit against Samsung over Siri patents can continue, despite questioning whether or not the proceedings should be suspended until an appeal related to the Apple v. Samsung trial is completed.
03/07/2013, 10:03 am
Samsung, following its landmark patent infringement loss to chief rival Apple, has more than redoubled its efforts to influence the federal government on a range of issues, including intellectual property laws.
03/07/2013, 08:03 am
Apple this week secured another patent win over rival Samsung, this time in a U.K. court over a standard-essential patent related to 3G connectivity.
03/07/2013, 05:03 am
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published details of an exhaustive Apple invention covering the resale and loan of owned digital content like e-books, music and movies, possibly portending an upcoming addition to iTunes.


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To have an understanding of what is important about the new work figures released Friday, visualize two various versions of economic downturn.
In a single, a handful of industries expertise a around-shutdown for motives over and above anyone’s management, driving millions of folks out of their positions. But most other industries have on unfazed.
In one more, a broad contraction in paying out results in position losses across the economic climate. The story is not so significantly about a person or two industries becoming devastated, but tons of them enduring reasonable pain.
Both equally would include a great deal of human struggling, and both would justify governing administration help to the people today afflicted. But they would have strikingly distinctive implications for distinct federal government action.
In the 1st situation, you would want quite very carefully focused aid to help the individuals afflicted to stay on their ft until their business can reopen. In the next, you would just want to pump income into the economic climate, to encourage total need for products and providers.
In the early stage of the coronavirus pandemic, we observed the two sorts of downturns. Travel-similar industries have been most affected and professional the worst career losses, and the discomfort was sufficiently common that there was a generalized crisis of inadequate demand.
But as the year progressed, that modified. The federal federal government injected trillions of bucks into the economic climate, and the Federal Reserve’s actions to support the monetary technique created a rally in marketplaces. Industries that were being fewer immediately influenced by the pandemic figured out how to get up and running safely. And there was a veritable growth in persons who acquired stuff — resilient products, to be exact, like household furniture and physical exercise gear — paying out some of the revenue they could not spend on products and services like cafe meals.
By the close of 2020, you could notify a story in which workers at hotels, airways, dining establishments and general performance arenas desperately necessary a hand, but most of the relaxation of the financial state appeared easily on a route back to full health.
The January employment numbers, nevertheless, undermine that story. They propose a stalling, and in some locations a reversal, of development towards a full restoration even in the segments of the financial state not right influenced.
There’s loads of ache to be found in the leisure and hospitality sector, of system — it dropped 61,000 more employment on major of a revised 536,000 misplaced in December. This is a brutal winter season for the personnel in restaurants, inns and stay enjoyment venues. But if that were being the extent of the agony, generous unemployment checks to the folks afflicted could be enough to solve the issue. Just after all, we know what it will consider to get these industries back to wellbeing: popular vaccination and an easing of public wellbeing fears.
But why did durable items companies lower 17,000 jobs in January? Recall that investing on these items was the dazzling spot in the economic climate in 2020 — yet the sector is still employing 421,000 less people today than a yr in the past.
Or contemplate warehousing and storage. During the pandemic, there has been a surge in financial investment in new capability to distribute items devoid of working with retail outlets, most famously by Amazon. Yet the sector lose 17,400 work in January. If you seem at a three-thirty day period average to reduce the impact of seasonal quirks, the sector added only 6,000 positions a month considering that November, in contrast with 31,000 work per month from August as a result of October.
Other sectors really do not demonstrate quite so vivid a switch for the adverse in January, but do aid the idea of a stalling out. Work opportunities as couriers and messengers fell by 13,700 the building marketplace lose 3,000 careers the insurance policy business dropped 9,300 advertising and marketing and linked services missing 5,700 residence wellness treatment services have been down by 13,100.
It is accurate that 1 could just as very easily list industries with modest gains. But the gains from the 2nd 50 percent of 2020 appear to be to be stalling out with the overall economy nevertheless far under its pre-pandemic concentrations.
Around all, the economy in January experienced 9.1 million fewer work opportunities than a calendar year before, a 6.1 % shortfall. That is steady with a significant economic downturn. But leisure and hospitality accounts for only 3.6 million of the missing positions. Even excluding these industries, employment is down 3.7 %, dependable with a reasonable economic downturn.
And while in previous months, those sectors appeared to be quickly returning to wellness, that progress largely reversed in January, and a lot of of them are now recovering at a glacial tempo.
This slowdown implies that wider initiatives to pump up the economic system, like broadly obtainable assistance for homes and firms, could be beneficial for addressing the crisis the economy is truly in, not one particular that just demands aid for the sectors in lockdown.
A key to shaping economic plan is to diagnose the challenges the financial state faces. While you ought to by no means set way too significantly excess weight on any a person economic report, the hottest evidence on payrolls is that this work opportunities crisis isn’t slim, and has not long gone away by a extensive shot.

domain: news


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UnionPay makes mark in Turkey
The largest domestic bank card company, China UnionPay Co Ltd, has begun
issuing cards inTurkey jointly with Garanti Bank, riding on the "One Belt, One Road" initiatives.
UnionPay has been expanding fast in overseas markets, especially Central Asian countries, tosupport the national strategy to build the Silk Road Economic
Belt and the 21st Century MaritimeSilk Road.
The belt stretches northwest from China through Central Asia, the Middle East
and onward toEurope, while the maritime road runs to Southeast Asia. About 30 percent of UnionPay's latest list of 80 international airport merchants
that offer prestigepackages to cardholders are located in countries on the "One Belt, One Road" pathways. Theyinclude Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Qatar, according to UnionPay's website.
Economic ties with Turkey are growing fast, and UnionPay sees more opportunities in thatcountry, said Shi Wenchao, China UnionPay president. Simpler visa policies are helping as well.
Ergun Ozen, president of Garanti Bank, which is Turkey's largest bankcard issuer, said deepercooperation with UnionPay will help local merchants and enterprises get more business.
About 30 percent of retailers in Turkey accept UnionPay cards. Many of them are in cities thatare popular with Chinese travelers, including Istanbul and Ankara.
UnionPay International, the bankcard issuer's overseas arm, has been developing its networksalong the "One Belt, One Road" in several countries, including Kazakhstan and the United ArabEmirates.
"The bankcard association is deepening and expanding cooperation with its partners in thesecountries and regions," said Cai Jianbo, chief executive officer
of UnionPay International.
UnionPay's overseas business is being driven by China's outbound travel boom.
The card "is increasingly known these days overseas and its logo is at almost every cashier andATM wherever I travel," said Sun Junyi, a tour guide with Shanghai Xinxin Travel Agency.
About 260 million merchants in 150 countries and regions accept UnionPay cards, which has theworld's largest number of cardholders and the second-largest bankcard transaction volume, justafter that of United States-based Visa Inc.
In 2014, interbank transactions using UnionPay cards totaled 41.1 trillion yuan
($6.62 trillion), up27.3 percent year-on-year.


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Real PR has been appointed by Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland and Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd to carry out a Scottish-specific programme.
The agency, which won the pitch against Shandwick and CitigateSMARTS, was set up a year ago by former Barkers Associate Director, Ilya Scott.
The programme is designed to make a closer connection between 'Coca-Cola' and the everyday lives of Scottish people. It will also support both trade and consumer campaigns across the Coca-Cola, Lilt, Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper brands.
Scott said: "The fact that what is arguably the world's biggest brand has bought into our services is a great endorsement of what we do."


text: Warning the following statement may make you feel old. At least if you qualify as a millennial that is. The year is 2008 and Nissan just announced the launch of the new and now legendary R35 GT-R platform. Porsche had also released the same year… Read More »Hydrogen Sports cars. Can they exist?


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WhatsApp Payments has reportedly started rolling out. The UPI-based feature was spotted by Beta testers of WhatsApp on Android and iOS. As per a tweet by WABetaInfo, the new payment option is showing up for beta testers on version 2.18.21 for iOS and 2.18.44 on Android. The feature is said to be rolling out only for Indian users and can be accessed via the app’s settings.
Some users on Twitter also posted screenshots of the new WhatsApp payments feature. As per the images, the new ‘Payment’ option is listed in the app settings and tapping on it opens a new window where users needs to accept terms and conditions, before enabling the feature. Then, similar to the other UPI based payments apps like Tez and PhonePe, users need to verify their mobile number and add their bank account details to use the payments system.
Image credits: WABetaInfo
WABetaInfo notes that the new feature is not available for all beta users immediately after downloading the beta update and some other users have also confirmed the same on Twitter. As per the report, the new feature rollout is “very slow” and it could be remotely enabled by WhatsApp for users in about 12 hours after updating to the aforementioned beta versions.
Reports of WhatsApp testing the new feature surfaced last year in October. The feature was reported to be “intuitive, simple and similar to sending an image, location or a video”. The new feature integrated within the online chat app will surely make payments easier for over 200 million monthly active users in India. It will allow users to transfer funds without exiting the app.
WhatsApp payments for Android and iOS.
A previous report said that an icon with the Rupee symbol will be added to the attachments window, alongside the location and contact option using which one will be able to send or request money. However, it seems that this is not the case as the company has decided to place the new option in settings.


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Elon Musk loves fifth-grade students idea for homemade Tesla ads
As we all know, Tesla found Elon Musk is an active Twitter user. He is the face of the company, telling the public about the electric car maker's future plans and new products and updates on its progress. Knowing this, Twitter is the easiest way in getting touch with the man at the helm of a global car behemoth.
On Wednesday, Musk responded to a letter by a fifth-grade student Bria, with an announcement. The company will now be holding a contest for homemade Tesla advertisements.
"I have noticed that you do not advertise, but many people make homemade commercials for Tesla and some of them are very good, they look professional and they are entertaining. So, I think that you should run a competition on who can make the best homemade Tesla commercial and the winners will get their commercial aired. The cool part is that you still won't be taking the time and money to advertise for yourself," read a part of the letter Tweeted out to Musk by Bria's dad Steven.
Thank you for the lovely letter. That sounds like a great idea. We'll do it! https://t.co/ss2WmkOGyk— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2017
The letter was written by Bria for a school project and in the letter, she said that her dad would be tweeting it out to the founder of Tesla. Little did she know that he would agree and the letter would go viral. Bria aspires to be a politician and fight for the environment. Lastly, she told Musk about her disappointment about not being able to buy a Tesla in Michigan because of state laws.
The winners might just get a "year of free Supercharging" or a "Model 3 Easter egg" as suggested by Bria. Bria's idea will save Tesla some cash.
Tesla is known to be averse to commercials. An article on Teslarati from July of 2016 reported that Tesla spends just $6 per car on advertising. The article cited a report from Global Equities Research that analysed how much each company spent on selling its cars. For example, Tata Motors spends $3,325 for every Jaguar that it sells.
Here is just one fan-made video from 2014. Elon Musk did say that he loved Everdream Pictures' spot. "We have no real connection to the vehicle but are passionate about what the brand and Elon Musk stand for. We also just feel like it's one of the greatest cars of our generation," Everdream co-CEO James Khabushani tells Adweek.
Only time will tell as to whether or not Elon Musk actually holds a competition and what the prizes will be, but going by the track record of the company's founder, it seems more than likely that it will happen in the near future.


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A recent bout of job postings on the Rocksteady Games website is leading fans to speculate about a new Superman game.
In 2009 game developer Rocksteady Games set a new bar for superhero video games with the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum. A third person sandbox RPG that put you in the boots of Batman, fighting to bring justice back to Arkham Asylum. The game was met with praise and positive reviews across the board. The following two installments were met with the same reception.
Now Rocksteady is making fans heads spin with speculation after recent job postings were added to the companies website. Out of the 17 job postings, one stated that they were working on “a highly-anticipated AAA title for next-generation platforms.” While this could mean a plethora of possible titles, they do go on to specify that once this game is announced fans will “lose their minds.” Leading some to speculate that we could be seeing them get back to their superhero plans and make an open world Superman game.
Artwork, which has turned out to be faked, as well as secret game plans, were leaked to 4chan, back in May, and started the speculation that we could be seeing a Superman game come from the studio. With the recent success of Marvel’s Spider-Man, on PlayStation 4, it’s reasonable to assume that DC wants to get in on the gaming hype as well. Considering combat from Marvel’s Spider-Man draws heavily from the Arkham franchise, it’s not crazy to think that Rocksteady could be working on the next big game to drive fandom crazy.
Keep checking Heroic Hollywood for updates as we learn them. Would you want to see a Superman game from Rocksteady? Let us know in the comments!


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PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) Shares Sold by Chilton Capital Management LLC
Chilton Capital Management LLC cut its stake in PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,219 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,008 shares during the period. Chilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $3,894,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter worth $101,000. Piershale Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 0.4% in the third quarter. Piershale Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the period. Edmond DE Rothschild Monaco bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter worth $131,000. Genovese Burford & Brothers Wealth & Retirement Plan Management LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 11,898.4% in the fourth quarter. Genovese Burford & Brothers Wealth & Retirement Plan Management LLC now owns 146,861 shares of the company’s stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 145,637 shares during the period. Finally, Peddock Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of PepsiCo during the third quarter worth $152,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.43% of the company’s stock.
Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) opened at 113.59 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $162.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.06 and a beta of 0.53. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.50 and a 12-month high of $114.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $111.53 and a 200 day moving average of $106.61.
PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 15th. The company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.04. The firm earned $19.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.51 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 56.16% and a net margin of 10.74%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.06 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post $5.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.7525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 1st. This represents a $3.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. PepsiCo’s payout ratio is currently 66.01%.
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: “PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) Shares Sold by Chilton Capital Management LLC” was originally posted by The Cerbat Gem and is owned by of The Cerbat Gem. If you are accessing this story on another domain, it was stolen and republished in violation of international copyright and trademark legislation. The legal version of this story can be viewed at https://www.thecerbatgem.com/2017/04/21/pepsico-inc-pep-position-lowered-by-chilton-capital-management-llc-updated.html.
A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Credit Suisse Group AG upped their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 23rd. Vetr cut shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $106.67 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, March 21st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Barclays PLC assumed coverage on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Monday, January 9th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Investment Research cut shares of PepsiCo from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.12.
In other PepsiCo news, CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 23,585 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.05, for a total transaction of $2,571,944.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 135,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,815,423.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Vivek Sankaran sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.22, for a total value of $220,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 73,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,111,640.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 44,343 shares of company stock valued at $4,850,480. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
PepsiCo, Inc is a global food and beverage company. The Company’s portfolio of brands includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. The Company operates through six segments: Frito-Lay North America (FLNA), Quaker Foods North America (QFNA), North America Beverages (NAB), Latin America, Europe Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), and Asia, Middle East and North Africa (AMENA).
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WhatsApp is undoubtedly the most popular instant messaging and voice/video calling platform that has billions of active users worldwide. With the latest developments in smartphones operating systems, the Facebook owned messaging app has decided to bid farewell the older versions of mobile phones on the eve of New Year 2018.
As we know, WhatsApp keeps on introducing new features that require the latest operating systems to provide the best customer experience remaining intact with the users. The company has therefore decided to focus its efforts on the mobile platforms that are used by maximum number of people that is Android and iOS.
According to details, the announcement made through WhatsApp Support Page claims that the user having BlackBerry OS & 10, Window Phone 8.0 & older and Nokia s40 will not be able to “create new accounts, nor re-verify existing accounts”. However, users might still be able to continue using WhatsApp on these devices but some features of the device might not work properly.
WhatsApp said that it is forced to take steps like these since older devices are not compatible with the new updates being rolled out. These updates include new features like voice calling, video calling, usage of GIFs and viewing of YouTube videos within the app etc.
WhatsApp further clarifies its decision by saying:
These platforms don’t offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future. If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we recommend upgrading to a newer OS version.
WhatsApp has recommended that users having these devices should upgrade to newer models to keep on availing its services.


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Pires set to join Vieira at Easter Road
Murray has been an Arsenal fan since his youth. Pires, capped 79 times by France, and as well as winning the World Cup and European Championships, picked up three FA Cup winners’ medals, two Premiership titles and a 2006 Champions League runners-up medal. Graeme Cadger, chairman of Murray’s testimonial committee, said: “We are delighted Robert has accepted our invitation and we look forward to welcoming him to Easter Road.”
All sponsorship and hospitality packages for Sunday are sold out. However a limited number of VIP Tickets are available for the Edinburgh Suite.
A free prize draw for all VIP ticket holders will be made on the day with the winner receiving a Hibs strip signed by Vieira, Pires and Murray.
VIP tickets, priced £30, are available from Hibs’ ticket office and club store or by phoning 0844 844 1875 (option 2).


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Southeast Asian payments platform 2C2P is setting aside about $15 million or 30 per cent of its last $52 million fundraise to make strategic investments in the fintech space, said its group CEO and founder Aung Kyaw Moe.
The capital will go into a separate investment arm called 2C2P.VC, which will be a fully-owned entity headquartered in Singapore, and led by Eva Weber who recently joined the company as investment director.
Aung explained that 2C2P.VC was created as an independent vehicle to facilitate speedier and more efficient investment decisions. It also gives the management team greater autonomy to execute. He clarified that 2C2P.VC is a subsidiary and not a licensed fund.
2C2P.VC is looking to take minority stakes in fintech startups in the Series A to B stage, preferably with some record of generated revenue. These firms may be in sub-sectors including new payment options or system integrators with links to banks or large enterprises. It is also eyeing fintech startups that offer 2C2P an entry into new markets such as the Middle East.
2C2P group CEO and founder Aung Kyaw Moe said: “There are a number of companies where we see a strong strategic fit – either due to exciting new technologies, complementary products or geographic presence in markets where we want to be in the future.”
“Above all, we look for teams who want to join our growth journey. With our latest funding round in 2019, we are now in a position to invest in such companies and partner with them even more closely going forward,” he added in a statement.
2C2P’s ability to set aside such a hefty amount of cash makes it an anomaly when compared to many venture-backed startups in COVID-hit Southeast Asia.
Aung told DealStreetAsia that 2C2P has been EBITDA positive since 2018, suggesting that it didn’t really need the venture capital it’s raised since then to keep its day-to-day operations chugging. Since its 2003 inception, 2C2P has raised $70 million across a total of 5 rounds, with its most recent one comprising a $53 million round backed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Cento Ventures and Arbor Ventures.
2C2P declined to share its revenue or profit figures but noted that its overall Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) numbers have dipped by 10-20 per cent as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. While its exposure to airlines, travel and retail will drag its performance, the firm is hopeful that rising demand in other areas such as insurance, online gaming and mobile top-ups will offset the impact to an extent.
2C2P aims to be the preferred payments platform for ASEAN, helping businesses accept payments from customers across across online, mobile and in-store channels. It competes with global players such as WorldPay and Stripe, as well as several other regional and local payment providers. The company operates globally across Southeast Asia, North Asia, Europe and the US.


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Vancouver-based AvenueHQ, formerly known as Realty Butler, has raised $4.5 million in a second seed round.
The round was led by VFF, with participation from the BDC Women in Tech Fund and Pallasite Ventures. AvenueHQ raised its first $2.35 million seed fund in November 2017.
AvenueHQ’s platform targets realtors, and provides a team of web designers and digital marketers to manage a realtor’s websites, social media, advertising, and newsletters.
“We’ve been seeing amazing sales results in the US so far, and this new round of funding is going to help us push that momentum even further.”
– Chris Troelstra, CEO of AvenueHQ
AvenueHQ said it plans to use the funding to expand into the US, hiring, and investing in product development. The company currently operates in Canada and recently started offering its platform in Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles. With the new funding, Avenue is hoping to expand into at least two new US markets per quarter over the next year.
“We’ve been seeing amazing sales results in the US so far, and this new round of funding is going to help us push that momentum even further,” said CEO Chris Troelstra. “We’re building an exceptional team and I’m really excited about what we can accomplish together.”
Rebecca Troelstra, the co-founder and COO of AvenueHQ, said the support of the BDC Women in Tech Fund is an important milestone for the company.
“Being a female founder has never been something I’ve focused on, but I do recognize that there’s a lack of gender diversity in the tech industry and we need to change that,” said Troelstra. “I’m proud to be leading a company that’s working to reverse that trend, and I’m thankful for the support of the Women in Technology Fund.”
AvenueHQ said its Vancouver office has grown from 15 to 60 employees since the company closed its seed round, and the company plans to grow at a similar rate over the next year.


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Minecraft developer Mojang wants to celebrate this year by taking a look at what builders create. Another thing the studio probably wants to celebrate is the release of version 1.9, which is the second of the Village and Pillage updates. The latest update saw the introduction of pandas, bamboo, new cats and scaffolding.
What are Mojang’s plans?
It seems that the company is planning to feature its favorite creations on its website, at Minecraft.net. The website is definitely in need of a new change, especially since a new year has begun and we can still see screenshots from last year being used. So if you are a dedicated Minecraft player and you would like to prove to the world what kind of skills you have and how well you can build something, then this is your chance.
Here’s what you need to know about how to use the new items effectively
It looks like the developers are giving a few tips for fans who want to get involved in this and would like to get accustomed to the new items. So here’s what you have to know.
The new scaffolding blocks are somehow like elevators, except for the fact that they are natural and better for the environment, which is a great thing. The blocks allow players to move up and down high structures without having the risk of falling. What’s also good about them is that if you don’t need them anymore, you can just break them at the bottom and the ones at the top will then fall down.
When it comes to bamboo, which is the favorite food and hiding place of pandas, it can clearly be a wonderful plant for players’ gardens, as long as they know how to handle it, since it’s growing extremely fast. Bamboo is certainly useful when preparing food and it can also look nice when combined with flowers.
Also, it appears that the developers are encouraging players to use block from the previous version, such as coral block and dried kelp.
Frances might be just at the beginning of her career, but after attending a technical school, she has a fresh perspective on today’s technology. She contributes to the site with tech news.


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HatsanUSA announced Manufacturers Representative of the Year Winner
at SHOT Show 2015.
Althougfh they are not normally a visible part of the distribution chain to most customers, Manufacturer’s Representative companies play an important part in making products available through a wide range of outlets – both online and in traditional “bricks and mortar” stores.
For 2014 sales activities, HatsanUSA announced Manufacturers Representative of the Year Winner at SHOT SHOW 2015. The winner was Thomas F. Gowen and Sons.
“My industry relationship with Thomas F. Gowen and Sons goes back to 1997. And since 2013, they have been an integral part of our continued growth – especially over the past year,” said HatsanUSA Inc. President and CEO Blaine Manifold – pictured center in the photograph.
Thomas F. Gowen and Sons received their award during the 2015 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The agency’s own Ryan Wimer also received special recognition at the trade show when he was awarded Sales Representative of the Year from HatsanUSA.
“This year Ryan Wimer showed a sense of professionalism, work ethic, and strong industry relations which really deserved special attention,” said Manifold. “I’m excited to see what Ryan and the rest of his team at Gowen and Sons will bring to the table in 2015. This is an exciting time for all of us.”
Thomas F. Gowen and Sons is currently HatsanUSA’s Northeast manufacturer’s sales representative agency with presence in West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island and Delaware.


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Cyber Threats to the Fintech Industry a Growing Concern
By 2025, the total global cost of cybercrime is expected to reach US$15tr, the approximate GDP of China and the United Kingdom combined. The hours spent navigating ransomware, hefty asset recovery costs, and operational stagnation can mean financial and reputational ruin for organisations across industries. For some, high-impact digital breaches have eroded consumer trust in the business, leading to an exodus of customers toward industry competitors.
These rising costs track with the failure of legacy identity authentication solutions to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals. By 2023, Gartner predicts that 80% of organisations will fail to meet security, privacy, usability and scale requirements – unless senior leaders properly tend to their business’s identity and access management needs. In short, as legacy IT security tools lag, and as enterprises fail to deploy newer alternatives, fraud is becoming substantially more sophisticated and expensive. And in the realm of corporate reputation, regaining customer and employee trust after exposure is virtually impossible.
Here’s the hard truth: Often, hackers succeed due to individual and enterprise behaviours that leave users vulnerable to exposure. Despite the prevalence of phishing, smishing, password spraying, and other common cyber infiltration techniques, consumers and organisations continue to engage in risky password behaviour. Using “password” or “12345” as your password will unfortunately no longer suffice. Likewise, many organisations have jeopardised employee and customer data – and their own digital assets – by relying on outdated identity authentication solutions to keep them safe. Two identity authentication mainstays, one-time SMS pin codes (OTPs) and knowledge-based authentication (KBA), can no longer outsmart digital bad actors. The former can be rerouted, and even the most novice hacker can easily surface the answer to “What’s your mother’s maiden name?”
Out with the old, in with the new
Next-generation identity authentication technology likely would have prevented these breaches, but hope is not lost for those who have not changed their security strategy. There is growing interest among fintech and banking decision-makers in revisiting their digital security infrastructure, and these leaders have recognised that modernising their IT security is now a business imperative. They are voicing their concerns about legacy solutions and their critical need for alternatives. authID.ai’s 2021 Fintech Security Report, which polled fintech and banking leaders, found that 84% of respondents expect to increase investment in IT security, including identity authentication, in the next year. Of course, that growing investment bodes well for consumer privacy and organisational data security, but legacy solutions like passwords and one-time pin codes have proven themselves ineffective guardians against cybercrime.
Fortunately, decision-makers recognise that those legacy tools are overdue for replacement: 75% of executives surveyed harbour concern about the risks associated with legacy identity protection options like OTPs and KBA. While respondents’ familiarity with facial biometric identity authentication is high (88%), only 22% currently use this technology. So, despite misgivings about the older solutions they have had to rely on, many have not yet made the leap to the new and the next in IT security. Perhaps most crucially, though, 70% are also somewhat or highly likely to consider facial biometric identity authentication, the cloud-based mapping of one’s facial topography, as an alternative during the next year. Eliminating the need for passwords, facial biometrics is poised to shake up the enterprise security industry and meet the needs of organisations searching for more secure digital infrastructure.
Change starts now
Looking into 2022, cyber threats are a growing cause for concern for leaders, and they are listening to calls for change. They recognise that identity security has grown from a nice-to-have to a critical business need, and they are curious about alternatives. Fortunately, a range of new identity solutions have been put to market to obviate the need for additional authentication hardware or applications, and global interest in cloud-native identity management products has nurtured a more digital-first IT security industry overall.
As tech companies strive to meet critical security needs in the new year, the message is loud and clear: Cyber threats, and the investments in security required to overcome them, are top of mind, yet solutions cannot compromise ease-of-use and efficiency. Facial biometrics has already proven to be the worthy rival that can prevent hackers from wreaking havoc, and the market is making its excitement known. The future of cybersecurity is already here, and it’s password-less.
About the Author: Tom Thimot is the CEO of authID.ai, a provider of secure, mobile, biometric identity verification software products through an easy-to-integrate Identity as a Service (IDaaS) platform. authID.ai’s suite of self-service biometric identity proofing and authentication solutions aims to frictionlessly eliminate all usernames and passwords through a consent-based facial matching system. Powered by sophisticated biometric and artificial intelligence technologies, authID.ai aims to strengthen security and trust between businesses and their customers by helping to protect sensitive personal data.
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DETROIT, MI- The LA Auto Show is known for setting the bar for the "auto show season" and upcoming year.
This year's show is no different, and judging by its debuts, 2013 is going to be a diverse year for the re-emerging U.S. automotive industry – full of electrification, diesel and even some high-performance pleasures.
"It's a good mixture," said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends and insights for California-based TrueCar.com. "I think maybe the last several years because we were emerging from recession, the higher-end luxury automakers maybe didn't feel right to brag or make a lot of noise for $200,000 cars."
The 2012 LA Auto Show, unlike in the past, is a full mix of not just green vehicles, but the entire diversification of the alternative powertrain industry, officials said.
Overall, about 50 vehicles will be unveiled at this year's show. The LA Auto Show is open to the public from Nov. 30 through Dec. 9. About 50 vehicles, including at least 17 worldwide unveilings, are expected to debut during the show's press preview days from Nov. 28-29.
There will be at least a dozen clean-diesel vehicles and nearly 20 vehicles achieving 40-plus mpg with highly advanced four-cylinder gasoline engines, and two dozen all-electric or plug-in electric models at the show.
"It's been interesting to watch the industry as a whole move in this direction that LA was really way ahead of, 10 years ago, in terms of everything that was debuted had this green slant," said Karl Brauer, editor in chief and CEO of Total Car Score. "It's more green than ever and there's still some really cool performance peppered in there."
Some of the highly-anticipated performance vehicles include the 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series and 2014 Nissan GT-R.
Larry Dominique, president of ALG and TrueCar executive vice president of industry, said this year’s show is another step in showing how important California has become for automakers.
"What I see is a continuing evolution that LA is just growing in importance from a motor show point of view," he told MLive Autos. "The big thing for me is the growing stature of the LA show itself – the number of debuts seems to be increasing, the importance of those debuts seems to be increasing."
This year’s show is particularly important to Fiat SpA and Chrysler Group LLC. The two automakers combined are expected to unveil at least seven world or North American debuts, including three Fiat models.
California is the Fiat brand’s number one market in the country. The state represented 21.9 percent of Fiat brand sales in 2011 (March-December), and represents 23.2 percent this year through the end of October.
Fiat is expected to unveil its all-electric Fiat 500e at the show, as well as its larger 500L and other unannounced vehicles.
Each automaker, such as Fiat/Chrysler, appear to have some sort of green vehicle, as well as a secondary, more traditional powertrain being featured at the show.
Other vehicle unveilings include reveals from Ford and General Motors, as well as European automakers such as BMW, Fiat, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen. The show will also include global unveilings of new designs from Asian brands, including models from Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota.
"I think this year for the first time we have a good mixture of everything," Toprak said.
Continue to check back to MLive Autos for continuing coverage of the LA Auto Show, including all the best unveilings from Los Angeles during press preview days and the 2013 "Green Car of the Year." Follow all of the news here.


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Warner Bros and Turner have revealed plans for an global SVOD platform that will roll out in 2018.
The platform, called FilmStruck, will first launch in the UK. A Turner spokesperson tells AdNews international role outs will follow, but couldn't give guidance on when it would hit Australian shores.
It will be dedicated to movies, rather than TV series, which is where it sees a gap in streaming platforms.
The film streaming network will draw on the Warner Bros library, which boasts 75,000 hours of programming and nearly 7,000 feature films (including Wonder Woman), as well as the Criterion Collection. It will also do deals with other movie creators to offer a vast range of mainstream, cult, independent, classic, art house, foreign and documentary films.
In the UK it's launching in partnership with cinema chain Curzon. Turner already operates two SVOD brands internationally, the El PLus brand in Brazil and Toonix in the Nordics. Turner says it is part of its business strategy to do more in the over-the-top TV space to engage new audiences.
“We’re thrilled to take this significant step together as a joint venture with Warner Bros Digital Networks, after many years of growing collaboration across various other projects with Warner Bros as a whole,” says Aksel van der Wal, executive vice president at Turner Digital Ventures and Innovation.
“FilmStruck helps us realise a shared vision for what we see as a clear gap in the market for film lovers around the world. We’re also delighted to be working with a partner of Curzon’s heritage and prestige.”
Turner International owns broadcast brands including CNN, Cartoon Network, Boomerang.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop me a line at firstname.lastname@example.org


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In the forthcoming national budget, the government intends to provide duty rebates on the importation of additional raw materials for the production of medicines and medical equipment. This initiative has been hailed by experts as a means to fortify the domestic industry and yield advantages for the healthcare sector.
Furthermore, it is anticipated that the exemption from value-added tax (VAT) will persist in the following year for the importation of raw materials used in the manufacturing of sanitary napkins, diapers, and toiletries. These items are deemed essential for public health and hygiene.
Initiatives in expanding access to Cancer and Diabetes treatments
Finance ministry officials have announced that the government intends to expand the list of duty-free raw materials for cancer and diabetes drugs by including additional 10-12 items in the upcoming budget. This measure aims to make these treatments more affordable for the general public.
Furthermore, the next budget is expected to introduce a 150% supplementary duty on liquid nicotine and transdermal nicotine patches, as well as a 212.20% duty on e-cigarettes, vapes, and their components, with the intention of discouraging their use.
Industry leaders and health economists have praised these budgetary initiatives, emphasising their positive impact on public healthcare. Professor Syed Abdul Hamid, from the Dhaka University Institute of Health Economics, expressed his support for the duty waiver on raw materials used in the production of anti-cancer and anti-diabetes drugs. He suggested that all medical raw materials should be imported duty-free, with strict monitoring to regulate their pricing.
Prof. Hamid also highlighted the high cost of cancer treatment, which often involves expensive medications. The annual expenses for cancer treatment can range from Tk3 lakh to Tk20 lakh, depending on the patient’s financial capacity. According to data from the Bangladesh Cancer Society, the country has an estimated 13 to 15 lakh cancer patients, with approximately 1.56 lakh new cases diagnosed annually. The Globocan 2020 data reveals that cancer-related deaths amount to 1.08 lakh each year. In 2021, the Bangladesh Diabetes Society reported a total of 13.1 million diabetes patients.
A study conducted by BMC Health Services Research in 2019 revealed that the average annual treatment cost for type-2 diabetic patients was Tk93, 819.95. Medicine costs accounted for 60.7% of the direct cost, followed by hospitalization expenses at 27.7%.
Raw material duty exemption vital for price reduction
Industry insiders have suggested that if raw materials for key cancer and diabetes medicines can be imported duty-free, it would significantly reduce the prices of these drugs, especially considering the current inflationary pressures. At present, Bangladesh imports more than 100 varieties of raw materials for cancer and diabetes medicines, with around 76 of them specifically utilized in the production of cancer drugs. Regrettably, the government provides import duty exemptions for only 30% of the raw materials required for cancer medication.
Monjurul Alam, the Director of Global Business Development at Beacon Pharmaceuticals, emphasized that their company produces over 100 types of cancer medicines. He noted that if all raw materials were granted duty-free benefits, the industry could offer medicines at more affordable prices. Currently, the industry sells cancer drugs at approximately 50% to 60% lower prices than imported counterparts. Alam further urged the government to enable duty-free importation of raw materials essential for the manufacturing of kidney and cardiac medicines.
SM Safiuzzaman, the Secretary General of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI), echoed these sentiments, highlighting that several companies in Bangladesh produce oncological drugs, enabling the provision of medicine at lower prices.
During recent discussions, an industry representative emphasized that local pharmaceutical companies are now selling a type of medicine that was previously imported at a cost of $1,000 for only Tk500. To further support the production of cancer and diabetes medicines, the representative called for VAT-tax waivers.
Over the past 12 years, several pharmaceutical companies, including Beacon, Eskayef, Renata, Incepta, Healthcare, and Techno Pharma, have begun manufacturing over 100 different types of oncological drugs, contributing to the availability and affordability of these crucial medications.
Government’s move to support Sanitary Pad and Diaper industry
In a further development, the government is considering extending the VAT exemption on raw materials for sanitary pads and diapers until 30 June 2024. This measure aims to stimulate local production and promote the growth of the industry.
Based on the findings of the National Hygiene Survey 2018 conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the usage of sanitary pads among menstruating women in the country has risen from 14% in 2014 to 29%. The domestic market for sanitary napkins is presently valued at around Tk700 crore and has been experiencing an annual growth rate of approximately 20%. Local companies have been meeting the majority of the demand. Likewise, the diaper market size is estimated to be Tk800 crore, with 90% of the supply being provided by local companies.
Industry insiders have highlighted that the VAT waiver on raw materials for sanitary napkins has played a vital role in protecting and supporting the local industry. Quamrul Hassan, the business director at ACI Limited, stated that continuing this exemption is logical and necessary to sustain the growth of the industry.
An official from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) acknowledged that some facilities cannot be abruptly withdrawn, as investments have been made based on them. Therefore, it is important to consider the long-term impact and gradually adjust policies.
Furthermore, the government intends to permit the import of LABSA (Linear Alkyl Benzene Sulphonic Acid) and SLES (Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate), essential raw materials utilised in the production of soaps and shampoos, at a reduced VAT rate of 5% for an additional year. Stakeholders in the toiletries and skincare industry, which has a market size of approximately US$3 billion and a compound annual growth rate of 12.5%, have expressed their support for the continuation of this reduced VAT rate.
Delwar Hossain, the managing director at United Sulpho-Chemicals Limited, emphasised that the extension of the reduced VAT rate would protect the local industry and ensure the availability of raw materials at competitive prices. Zaved Akhtar, the CEO and managing director of Unilever Bangladesh, added that cancelling this facility would result in higher prices for these products, and therefore, the continuation of the reduced VAT rate would have no adverse impact on the market.


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YouTube — owned by Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) — is out on the prowl for ways to make more money in ad bucks. To do that, it needs to find either more viewers or content that interests advertisers more, or both. While YouTube naturally is seeking out ways to do these on its own, it may also be looking at a high profile acquisition to boost it further in the right direction. That acquisition could be Twitch.
Twitch.TV is a major player in video game media. Its platform allows gamers to record their gameplay and broadcast it live to the website, where watchers can see the gamer’s exploits and adventures, wins and losses, all in real time. Just how major is it? The most major. According to broadband network solutions company Sandvine, Twitch.TV “has established itself among the top-15 applications on many fixed networks across the globe, and now generates more traffic than HBO GO on U.S. networks.”
Qwilt, a provider of media analytics, reported that Twitch is the “No. 1 top live streaming video site in the world.” With 45 million monthly users streaming 12 billion minutes each month, it’s no surprise Twitch was able to take that rank. It accounts for close to a half of all live streaming in the U.S., followed at some distance by WWE, MLB.COM, ESPN, and even Justin.TV — the website from which Twitch spun off. Though Google does have a live streaming service within YouTube, it is not nearly as popular as Twitch’s service. This may be part of why YouTube is attempting to buy Twitch, as The Wall Street Journal reports the media giant is in early stages of doing.


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Nokia continued to outperform its rivals in the smartphone market, shipping half of all smartphone handsets sold in the final quarter of 2006.
BlackBerry maker RIM ousted Motorola to return to second place, thanks to a 54 percent year-on-year rise in the uptake of RIM's devices.
The other big gainer was Sony Ericsson, which clawed its way back into the top five for the first time since early 2004, thanks largely to shipments of FOMA devices in Japan.
"Sony Ericsson's increased shipments were not solely down to Japan though, as it has extended its smartphone range again with the W950," said Rachel Lashford, a senior analyst at Canalys.
Having both Walkman-branded and keyboard-based devices allowed Sony Ericsson to target a variety of end-user types, she added.
"But Sony Ericsson will need to continue renewing and expanding its portfolio and ensure that the propositions of each model remain clear if it wants to stay in the top five during 2007," said Lashford.
Nearly 64 million smartphones were shipped worldwide in 2006, 22 million of which shipped in the final quarter alone.
The total number of smart mobile devices shipped in 2006, including wireless handhelds, reached 77 million.
However, a year-on-year rise of 42 percent for converged devices was matched by a 41 percent drop in sales for the regular handset market.
Some companies also performed more strongly in certain regional markets, with almost three-quarters of RIM's and fourth-placed Palm's sales talking place in North America.
"The regional delineation of the top market players remains quite striking," said Lashford.
"Shipment volumes of Motorola's Linux smartphones in Asia, particularly China, still significantly overshadow those of its Windows Mobile 'Q' in North America."
Canalys estimates that Linux devices represented more than 90 percent of the 1.5 million smart phones shipped by Motorola in Q4 2006.
Nokia hangs on to smartphone crown
By Matt Chapman on Feb 13, 2007 9:41AM


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Generally praised for its low-light performance and selfie-friendly 5MP front camera, the Nokia Lumia 735 is currently available for £149.99 at Three, with a £10 top-up taking you to £159.99. The off-contract price at Amazon, for comparison, is £196.70.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge isn’t quite available to pre-order in the UK just yet, but evidence suggests (most recently a leaked internal Carphone Warehouse communication) that it’ll go on sale on November 28. Yep, that’s Friday next week.
It’s a strange beast, no doubt, but Samsung is looking to allay fears that this is strictly a niche device for freaky-phone lovers with more money than sense. Here we present four things you probably didn’t know about the Galaxy Note Edge.
Over on Virgin Media, you can grab the wallet-friendly LG L90 for £109.99 – that’s including £10 of Virgin Mobile PAYG credit.
Cast your minds back to last week, and you might recall Jolla was promising “something BIG” for this morning, something that – quite logically, with hindsight – has emerged as a tablet.
More specifically, it’s an IndieGoGo campaign for the world’s first crowdsourced tablet, and the first running Sailfish 2.0. Impressively, at the time of writing, they’ve just about reached the $380,000 target. EDIT: Target hit!
Samsung recently endured its worst quarter in years, and as such the South Koreans are desperately trying to plug the various holes threatening to sink the smartphone Titanic.
In what definitely sounds like a sensible plan to us, Samsung reveals it’ll cut back on the number of Galaxy smartphone models by up to 30% next year.
It may have been succeeded by the Sony Xperia Z3, but the Xperia Z2 is a mere seven months old, and still features face-slapping specs. Here, mobilephonesdirect.co.uk will hook you up with an Xperia Z2, SIM free, for £299.99.
Smartphones aren’t just great for lying on the couch playing Angry Birds while eating cake and Toblerone (guilty); they’re also great fitness trackers and motivational tools.
Here we’re looking at five of the best fitness apps for your iPhone and/or iPad and/or Android device, covering everything from walking to running to pumping iron to having a baby.
The sub-£150 smartphone market is really heating up, and here the LG G2 mini – effectively LG’s alternative to the Moto G – is going for £139.98 SIM free at Ebuyer.
We’re partly relaying this news since it’s genuinely quite interesting, but partly on account of the ridiculousness of discussing a phone that’s in all likelihood some 10 months away from release. Yep, it’s the iPhone 7! Or perhaps that should be iPhone 6S, hmm.
In any case, the story goes that the next iPhone will mark a massive leap in Apple smartphone camera tech – the biggest leap ever.
Back in stock, this is the second-gen Motorola Moto G, aka The One With the Five-inch Display, and it’s yours for £139.95 from Amazon, SIM free.
It's as if the past 12 months never happened. Nokia is back – and we mean the “old” Nokia, the real Nokia – with the N1 tablet, a brand new piece of mobile hardware running Android 5.0 Lollipop.
It bears more than a passing resemblance to the iPad mini 3, but also boasts a decent spec that matches and in some cases even beats Apple's benchmark slab.
The Sony Xperia Z3 has only just been released, but in typical Sony Mobile fashion (for now, anyway), we’re expecting a successor within the next six months
Here, a press release from Sony Global appears to the indicate that the Sony Xperia Z4 might be released in April 2015.
Using code ANDTAB20, you can knock £20 off the price of the Google Nexus 9 at Currys, so that’s £289.99 for the 16GB model in black or white. The price on Google Play, for reference, remains £309.
I’ve been meaning to catch up with Season 18 of South Park for several weeks, and the legitimate way to do that – for those in the US, at least – is to hit up South Park Studios.
Here we’re relaying some outrageously simple instructions (seriously, it’s essentially a one-line answer) for accessing the US branch of South Park Studios on your UK Android smartphone or tablet.
If you’d rather not commit to a contract or SIM only option, check out this Three PAYG SIM. The All in One £15 deal gets you 3,000 texts, 300 minutes, and all-you-can-eat data.


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Concern about the coronavirus had a major impact on holiday travel volume last year, with many people choosing to stay close to home and get together with their family on Zoom. But even though the surge in COVID-19 cases reduced travel, more than 3.5 million people went through TSA checkpoints in late December 2020. And that’s just air travel. Nearly 85 million total travelers were projected to be on the move during the holiday season last year across all modes of transportation.
Though that still represented a drop from “normal” volumes, it’s a testament to the strong demand for travel services during the holidays. This year, some experts expect a spike in demand that will resemble pre-pandemic travel levels. TSA passenger data indicates that almost twice as many people have been traveling this fall when compared to last year, so strong travel demand during the holidays will likely push those numbers even higher.
As a travel insurance executive put it in The Washington Post, “People aren’t going to forgo being home for the holidays for a second year in a row.” That’s why hospitality businesses need to get ready for an uptick in travelers now. Digital forms are helpful as they can improve guests’ holiday travel experience, especially in a second year of disrupted travel.
Digital Processes Are Now the Default
One thing to keep in mind is that digital processes and forms have become the default option during the pandemic. Customer habits have changed for all groups and scrambled the old rules. For example, prior to 2020, many hospitality business marketers tailored outreach by demographics, appealing to older customers with high-touch concierge services and enticing younger guests with digital options for processes like ordering, booking, registration, etc.
There has been a seismic shift in the way people shop and get the goods and services they need. Even people who were previously reluctant to use apps, e-commerce platforms, QR codes, etc., have gained a comfort level with these tools over the past year and a half. To cite one statistic, a Mobiquity survey found that curbside pickup orders from Boomers rose 300% during the pandemic [PDF].
So, for hospitality businesses gearing up for what could be the busiest travel season in a couple of years, now is a good time to think about what processes they can streamline by going digital. The good news is that free and low-cost digital forms are available online. Hospitality businesses like hotels, restaurants, etc., can deploy digital forms quickly and easily — no coding skills required.
Digital Forms Can Upgrade the Guest Experience
Whether it’s a hotel stay, an airline flight, a car rental or a local adventure like a holiday baking class or a birdwatching hike, when travelers interact with the hospitality sector at any point, it becomes a part of their overall travel experience. That’s why it’s so important to make every process as convenient and frictionless as possible, which guests will appreciate even more during the hectic holiday season.
A chain hotel collecting acknowledgement documentation, a mom-and-pop bed-and-breakfast giving guests the option to check in anytime from anywhere, a restaurant taking reservations or take-out food orders — in all cases, digital forms can make things simpler and easier for both the business and the customer.
Digital forms can also automate processes to improve hospitality business revenues and guest experiences. For example, if a guest registers for a holiday baking class online using a digital form, they can opt in to receive a reminder message via text or email. This ensures that the guest doesn’t miss the class and the restaurant doesn’t lose out on the revenue.
Digital Forms Generate Valuable Data
In addition to streamlining guest interactions, digital forms allow hospitality businesses get to know their guests and personalize services more efficiently. This provides these organizations with a huge edge over the competition now that the pandemic has changed consumer behavior.
Digital surveys are simple to create and deploy, and they can provide information that helps businesses evolve to meet changing expectations — and find out what’s top-of-mind for holiday travel. For example, even without technical skills, it’s simple to build a branded survey that asks guests about their upcoming travel plans, which can give businesses insight into what informs their travel decisions.
When reaching out to guests who have interacted with the business before, it’s a good idea to streamline the process further by using prefilled forms. People are more likely to complete surveys, sign up for membership renewals, or convert from a lead to a buyer when their data is pre-populated. With the right online forms platform, it’s possible to prefill data via integrations with popular CRM systems like HubSpot or Salesforce to significantly improve completion rates.
The use of digital forms was on the rise before the pandemic, and it’s easy to see why. Digital forms reduce the time, hassle and money associated with traditional paperwork, and they can yield incredibly valuable data. In 2020, the use of digital forms skyrocketed, including in the hospitality sector, and new habits are becoming ingrained as more people discover the convenience of online forms.
As travelers go home for the holidays in greater numbers this year, hospitality businesses will need to be ready to serve them. Digital forms — and the data they generate — can help. Now is the time to set up digital forms to remove friction, generate valuable information and streamline processes for travelers, giving the guest and the business more reason for holiday cheer.


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Katie Micik DTN Markets Editor
OMAHA (DTN) — Sales in the U.S. and Canada of feed additive Zilmax will be temporarily suspended, Merck & Company’s animal health division announced Friday.
The announcement followed Tyson Foods Inc.’s move to suspend purchases of cattle fed Zilmax as of Sept. 6. The Tyson decision caused futures markets to spike Thursday, Aug. 8, but the long-term impact on prices depends on a number of variables, experts say.
“As far as real market impact, it’s going to depend upon whether anybody follows suit,” DTN Livestock Analyst John Harrington said. “If Tyson’s all alone out there, it’s probably not going to have a huge market impact. On the other hand, if JBS, National and Cargill all get on the same page, well, then that will have ripples.”
A widespread ban on the drug, which helps cattle gain 24 to 33 pounds in their final month, could reduce carcass weights and “if carcass weights come down, that could be bullish in terms of less production,” Harrington said.
However, National Beef Packing Co. and JBS SA announced Monday, Aug. 12, they wouldn’t change their cattle buying practices but will monitor the situation closely. On Aug. 8, Cargill announced it will still buy cattle fed Zilmax. That suggests the market impact will be limited, for now.
Senior Vice President of Research and Development in Merck’s animal health unit KJ Varma said Friday the company remains confident in the safety of Zilmax, Dow Jones reported.
Zilmax is one of two common, FDA-approved beta-agonists fed to cattle in the month before they’re sent to meat packers. Optaflexx, the other popular product, causes about a 10- to 12-pound weight gain, said Steve Kay, editor of Cattle Buyers Weekly.
Concerns about Zilmax aren’t new. Kay said he knew Tyson had been concerned for a year or more about its impact on animals’ ability to walk. Tyson stated the issue is an animal welfare concern, not a food safety concern.
Merck, the maker of Zilmax, has said the drug is safe and the company is working with Tyson to understand the issues at hand. On Tuesday, Merck released a five-step plan to train and certify feedlot workers on proper use of Zilmax.
Kay said most evidence suggests 60% to 80% of the nation’s cattle herd is fed a beta-agonist, and the split between the two is roughly 50-50.
“Some cattle feeders will decide not to use either. Others will decide to switch,” Kay said. That’s one way to curb a carcass weight decline.
Cattle feeders could decide to feed to heavier weights as new-crop corn price fall, Kay said. That would also negate a possible drop in carcass weights.
“As we get closer to harvesting new-crop corn, cattle feeders will look at feeding to heavier weights as long as cost of gain is cheaper than selling price,” Kay said.
Beef production is expected to decline 2% to 3% in 2014 as cow numbers haven’t bounced back from drought-induced declines, Harrington said. Assuming the ban spreads beyond Tyson and 10 to 15 pounds are trimmed from each carcass, that could pull production down by half a billion pounds, or 1% to 1.5%.
“That sounds like a lot, but it’s really not that much. That’s probably, if you assume demand will stay the same and cut production by 400 million pounds, a $3-$4 rise in live cattle prices,” Harrington said.
The market is already looking at lower beef tonnage, and taking away feed additives could reduce supply even more. Packers would then have to pay more for the reduced supply of cattle, and that makes Harrington wonder if the ban is about more than animal welfare.
“I wonder if they are really thinking they can sell more beef internationally by doing that because they’re really sacrificing some efficiency in lower carcass weights,” he said. Becoming more competitive internationally, perhaps reopening the Russian market and gaining access to China, would be good for the beef market, he added.
But Kay added the active ingredient in Zilmax is zilpaterol, while Optaflexx’s is ractopamine, which has been at the center of the global debate on feed additives. In February, Russia banned U.S meat imports over the use of ractopamine.
The Betrayed: On Warriors, Cowboys and Other Misfits. by Dr Jimmy T (Gunny) LaBaume. Click here to buy the paperback version from Land & Livestock International’s aStore.


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Like much of the economy, the fashion retail industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stores have closed, events have been canceled, and Americans who are rapidly losing their jobs and staying indoors probably won’t be shopping for cute outfits. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue’s Fashion Fund is hoping to provide a spot of relief with its announcement on Tuesday that they are jointly launching a new initiative called A Common Thread to help distribute funds to people in the American fashion community who have been affected by COVID-19.
The CFDA and Vogue’s Fashion Fund was created in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks as a way to support emerging talent in the fashion industry with substantial cash prizes. Though the press release doesn’t get into the particulars of funding sources, the New York Times reports that approximately $700,000 in grant money typically reserved for the Fashion Fund’s winner and runner-up will now “presumably” be redirected toward A Common Thread.
The fundraising effort will be accompanied by a video series, set to launch on March 25, which will highlight “the stories of those in the fashion industry whose businesses and livelihoods have been affected by the pandemic and its economic impact … not only designers, but those who work tirelessly behind the scenes in the country’s incredibly strong and vibrant fashion industry.”
The size of A Common Thread’s grants and the criteria for receiving them are not yet known. Sources told the Times that the initiative’s two leaders, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and CFDA chairman Tom Ford, “felt it was imperative that they act as soon as possible to support their community” and “figure out the specifics later.”
Click here to apply on CFDA.com.


text: The third film based on Marvel Comics has hit theaters — X-Men: Days of Future Past. While toy tie-ins have been few, the movie itself has been a huge success becoming the top grossing X-Men film worldwide! On this issue of Marvelicious Toys Justin, Marjorie, and Arnie give their brief review of this film. So join them and then come to our forums to share your thoughts!But from the newest Marvel film to the oldest–Howard the Duck, the first Marvel Comics character to be featured in a live action feature. Recently some rare items from this film showed up on eBay, and Arnie went ducking nuts over them. Listen to find out about these one-of-a-kind collectibles!With new Infinite Series figures in stores and online, Guardians of the Galaxy Legends, a new wave of X-Men Marvel Legends figures and much, much more, it’s all in the new issue of the Marvelicious Toys podcast!And join us next week for a bonus issue of Marvelicious Toys where we review the Hot Toys Iron Patriot MMS figure and three Black Widow statues!


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In the wearable devices market, smart watches and fitness bands are some key products. Worldwide, by 2021, the wearables market is predicted to double in size. As per a report, India saw wearable sales reach 2.7 million last year.
As reported by a market research firm, Xiaomi held 41% share of the wearables market in India in the third quarter of 2018. GOQii followed Xiaomi at 19%. Titan, Samsung, and Fossil were next in line vis-à-vis market share.
Along with Technology Design integral to Wearable Devices, says leading brand
Meanwhile, in November 2018, watch maker ‘Titan held Titan Design Day’ as part of the ‘Bengaluru by Design’ festival. The event witnessed participation from industry leaders to discuss prospects of the Indian wearable tech market. The discussion also included key design philosophies that go in the making of a successful wearable tech product.
The wearable device market can be divided into basic wearables and smart wearables. The former do not work on apps or an operating system, and the latter run on apps and have a built-in operating system. A smart watch is an example of a smart wearable.
In particular, in India, the market for basic wearables is rife to serve the price conscious buyers. Basic wearables simply track the body vitals and register it on a mobile app. At present, majority of the wearable devices are an extension of a watch or wrist band, keeping with the tradition of wrist watches. As such, a number of brands, which includes Titan, contends in this space.
As stated by the chief design officer at Titan, design is integral to each product.


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By Lisa Carolin
Two Chelsea High School graduates have just opened a restaurant together on Jackson Road west of Ann Arbor. It’s called Fresh Forage, and offers locally sourced ingredients and ethically raised meats.
“Many restaurants throw around ‘farm to table’ these days, but we live it,” said Andrew Sereno, who co-owns Fresh Forage with Samuel Boyce. “It’s not just a phrase for us. Our menu is dynamic and changes with the seasons so we are always offering what is available locally.”
Sereno is the general manager and Boyce is the executive chef.
“We act in concert on everything,” said Sereno. “Fresh Forage is faster than fast food with the highest quality locally-sourced ingredients that can be obtained. We work with local farms, including our own, to offer as many local ingredients as can be sourced.”
Boyce and Sereno say the restaurant offers good food for people who want to be eating fresh, healthy food but don’t have the time to make it themselves. They want customers who appreciate good, locally sourced foods at fast speeds.
The restaurant’s slogan is “Farm to Table, Fast!”
“There’s something for everybody at Fresh Forage,” said Sereno. “The craft your own bowl concept allows for a million different combinations. Our menu is allergen-friendly, and there are plenty of meat options, plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. It’s whatever you want it to be. Plus, the sauces are amazing!”
They also boast that their restaurant is filled with art by Chelsea artists.
The co-owners graduated from Chelsea High School together in 2006. Boyce attended Michigan State University and Sereno attended the University of Michigan. When they reconvened at a friend’s wedding, they both had families and the desire to start a restaurant.
Boyce has worked in many roles in the food industry over the past 12 years. His family owns Boyce Farm, which is located just north of Chelsea on North Territorial Road, and supplies a lot of the restaurant’s produce.
Boyce and Sereno appreciate their upbringings in Chelsea and say that growing up surrounded by nature inspired the restaurant’s menu.
They are proud to say that they’ve already achieved zero post-consumer waste, meaning that everything they serve is compostable. It’s composted at Tuthill Farms, but in the future, they will be using their own facility for composting.
They grow their own micro greens at the restaurant as well as 70 different crops at their farm.
“Next steps are setting up high-tech greenhouses and mushroom houses to achieve more year-round crop production,” said Sereno. “Our overarching goal is to change the relationship between farms, restaurants, and consumers to respect how food is grown and what is actually available here in Michigan, thus reducing our overall carbon footprint and achieving full-circle sustainability.”
They hope to encourage farmers to grow “real food crops” by providing a guaranteed outlet.
Fresh Forage is located at 5060 Jackson Road, Suite A. For more information, go to https://www.freshforage.com/.


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Ford Technicians in the US Now Using Remote Assistance Technology
Ford dealerships across the US now have access to a very nifty, state-of-the-art remote viewing technology allowing their technicians to receive real-time assistance from team members at the company’s Ford Technical Assistance Center (TAC).
The two-way, hands-free headset, known as See What I See (SWIS), allows for both visual and audio communication between dealership techs and the TAC team, and the system’s augmented reality capability allows TAC team members to display modified or enhanced images on the headset for the dealer technicians to view.
“The remote technology is designed to assist the technicians as they’re working on vehicles – with the goal of increasing efficiency and decreasing down time for customers,” said David Green, Ford General Service Equipment Program Specialist. “This technology modernises and simplifies our operations, benefiting everyone involved.
“We had one case where a technician reported the vehicle would not recognize the low tyre pressure sensors. When the tech contacted the Hotline using SWIS, they quickly found out they were using the wrong tool when they tech held it up in front of the camera. Once the right tool was used, everything was programmed just the way it should.”
According to Ford, TAC has a team of 150 technicians that receives some 5,000 calls from dealership technicians across the US each week looking for support or answers regarding a variety of issues. Of those, about 200 cannot be diagnosed by phone and field agents must be sent out to check out the issue in person.
Ford has activated 1200 of the headsets so far with more than 350 SWIS calls to TAC in the 90 days leading up to the end of June. All US-based dealers should have SWIS by November of this year.
Currently, SWIS is for diagnostic assistance, but Ford says its designers are working to enhance the headsets to add more specific use cases.
Those cases include mobile service teams who could use SWIS to remote in from someone’s driveway where they are performing a service.
20 July 2022


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A St. Louis company recently made an entrée into the Twin Cities market with a large purchase—in cash.
Bianco Properties recently closed a $12.83 million acquisition deal, purchasing the Kohl's-leased retail building at 13900 Aldrich Ave. S in Burnsville. Bianco bought the property from Cole Credit Property Trust III, Inc., an affiliate of Cole Real Estate Investments, in the all-cash sale.
According to Dakota County property records, the 102,798 square foot building was built in 1991. As of 2012, the site had a total estimated value $7,235,400, including both the land and the $4,124,200 building. It was last sold in 2008.
The Kohl's building is apparently Bianco's first acquisition in Minnesota.
“We are excited to be entering the Burnsville/Minneapolis market and are looking forward to growing our real estate holdings throughout the region,” Dan Wolk, Bianco's senior vice president, said in a press release. “This property is a great entry for us. It is located in a prime retail trade area near Burnsville Center Mall, Target and Costco, with access to Interstate 35."
Wolk added that Bianco hoped to continue its expansion into the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The company has acquired at least seven other retail properties over the last two years, including prime real estate in Chicago's West Loop, right across from Union Station. Bianco's portfolio now includes over 30 properties (3 million square feet in all), spread across the Midwest, southern states and the northwest coast.


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For the past couple of years, Samsung has been pushing its Bespoke home appliances and refrigerators more to the forefront of its product lineup than ever. The company has gradually brought the Bespoke series to more countries and devised solutions for customers to personalize their fridges through pre-made custom door panels, some of which were designed by full-fledged artists. Now, Samsung is putting Bespoke back into the spotlight in the USA with a few incredible discounts.
Starting with the Bespoke 4-Door French Door Refrigerator, Samsung USA has dropped a whopping $1,200 off the price of the variant equipped with the Family Hub, from $4,399 (full depth model) to $3,199.
Furthermore, the variant equipped with the Beverage Center now costs $2,499 instead of $3,699, and the model featuring an Auto Fill Water Pitcher costs $2,399 instead of $3,299.
- Buy the Bespoke 4-Door French Door Refrigerator at Samsung USA
Next up is the much more compact Bespoke Flex Column Refrigerator with Flexible Design. It now costs $999 instead of $1,399.
The Bespoke Flex Column has a modular design and can be used standalone or combined with another Flex Column or Bottom Freezer element. It’s available in three colors: White Glass, Grey Glass, and Navy Glass.
- Buy the Bespoke Flex Column at Samsung USA
Lastly, Samsung has also lowered the price of its (non-Bespoke) Smart 4-Door Flex Refrigerator equipped with Family Hub and Beverage Center.
The Full Depth model is now available for $3,499, down from $4,599. And customers can buy the Counter Depth variant for $3,599 instead of $4,699.
The Smart 4-Door Flex is available in two fingerprint-resistant finishes: stainless steel and black stainless steel.
- Buy the Smart 4-Door Flex refrigerator at Samsung USA


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The iPhone 8 launches Friday, September 22, but if you are in Seattle, you could get your hands on one as early as Tuesday.
Starting Tuesday, Verizon will give away eight iPhone 8 devices each day for four days. The company will hide virtual iPhone 8s across Seattle that can only be seen using a special Snapchat lens.
People can join the competition by using this mobile website or by accessing promos across social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. Participants will get a series of location-based clues and each hint will guide people to a specific spot. It will eventually lead to the final location where people can unlock a hiding Snapchat lense and reveal a virtual 8. From there, those who take the most creative Snap will win an iPhone 8 from Verizon.
People who want to "Find the 8" will get instructions on how to play the game as well as three location clues.
Eight people in Seattle will take home a new iPhone until Friday and hundreds more will win gift cards. The scavenger hunt will run in eight cities--Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
The water-resistant iPhone 8 starts at $699 and has 64 GB of storage. It also includes a 4.7-inch Retina display and can be upgraded to 256 GB for $849, depending on the carrier.


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To this day, 36 years after she walked down the aisle, Princess Diana’s wedding dress is still one of the most iconic gowns of all time.
When she stepped out the carriage and walked up St Paul's Cathedral's stairs with the huge train behind her, the world was in awe of its beauty.
But there was one person who wasn’t happy when she first saw the dress - the woman who designed and made it.
Elizabeth Emanuel and her husband spent months creating the stunning ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown.
The dress reportedly cost £9,000 at the time, and featured puffed sleeves and more then 10,000 pearls.
Speaking during ITV's Invitation to the Royal Wedding, Elizabeth admitted being horrified when she saw how creased Diana's dress had become.
She said: "We did know it would crease a bit but when I saw her arrive at St Paul's and we saw the creasing I actually felt faint.
"I was horrified, really, because it was quite a lot of creasing.
"It was a lot more than we thought."
They had done a dress rehearsal but using a different material, and it wasn't anywhere near as bad.
But she now says that looking back, that moment was actually her favourite shot of the Princess in the dress, comparing it to a caterpillar coming out of a cocoon and becoming a butterfly.
There has been a lot of speculation about what dress Meghan Markle will wear when she marries Prince Harry on Saturday.
As with Diana and Kate Middleton, the dress will be a kept a secret until the moment she steps out of the car outside St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.


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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond will soon enforce a two-hour time limit for parking spaces in the city’s central business district on Saturdays.
The city announced the changes on Wednesday, citing a benefit for business owners and for people trying to find a parking spot.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) told 8News Thursday the goal is to “increase activity in that area on weekends for businesses.”
The owner of Janet Interiors on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Janet Brown, said the ongoing construction and traffic have created more problems.
“This is a retail area and we need the parking for our clients,” she said.
The new parking regulations will soon come to Arthur Ashe Boulevard from Broad Street to Moore Street, Belvidere Street to Interstate 95 and Leigh Street to Franklin Street.
Betty Cochrane, who travels to Scott’s Addition often, said two hours isn’t enough time.
“It could take two hours at least just to get to a restaurant and eat. Maybe they’re slow and there’s no way you’re going to be done in two hours. Or if you want to shop or do other things, it just isn’t long enough,” she said.
Brown said she wants the city to enforce the time limit because it impacts her business on the weekend.
“If you want to run in and do some shopping, if there’s no parking, you may just drive on and go to another area,” she said.
The DPW said the time-restricted parking spaces will be enforced with a $25 fine. But Cochrane said the city should focus its attention on other things.
“I think it might be a money maker for the city and surely they could come up with something better,” she said.
The changes take effect next Saturday, October 15th. There’s a two-week grace period, but after that drivers who exceed the time limit could end up facing a violation.


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The last official week of summer brought a slew of Northwest deals, to go along with today’s heat wave. Two of the year’s biggest financings happened in tech and life sciences, along with a big acquisition in healthcare, while a host of smaller deals went down in software, digital media, and advertising—and one company inched closer to an IPO.
—Seattle-based Integrative Diagnostics, Leroy Hood’s early cancer detection company, has raised $7.5 million out of a $30 million equity round, as Luke reported. The investors were not disclosed, but we’ll have more on this story soon.
—Seattle-based Free & Clear, which offers phone-based coaching for company employees battling tobacco addiction, obesity, and stress, was acquired by Inverness Medical Innovations (NYSE: IMA) of Waltham, MA, for $100 million in cash plus up to $30 million in follow-on payments, as Wade reported. Free & Clear was backed by Polaris Venture Partners, Three Arch Partners, and Kaiser Permanente Ventures. Inverness offers medical diagnostic tests and other disease management services for consumers.
—Portland, OR-based Ensequence raised $20 million, led by Clay Mathile, the CEO of CYMI Technologies (and former owner of Iams, the pet food company sold to Proctor & Gamble for $2.3 billion in 1999). It’s one of the Northwest’s largest tech financings of the year. Ensequence was founded in 2000 and is a leader in the interactive TV business, which lets viewers do things like call up additional information on the screen. There is some question as to whether the firm is moving its headquarters to New York, where its new CEO, Peter Low, is based.
—In the biggest life sciences venture financing of the year, Seattle-based Calypso Medical raised $50 million led by Skyline Ventures and Frazier Healthcare Ventures, with Bay City Capital and InterWest Partners also participating, as Luke reported. The funds will be used to expand Calypso’s worldwide rollout of its radiation pinpointing product, which helps radiation oncologists and technicians better treat prostate cancer. Luke also reported on the story behind the deal here.
—Seattle-based Getty Images, the creator and distributor of photos and other digital media, has made a $4 million strategic investment in Daylife, a New York media and content services company, according to the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital blog. The two companies have also formed a partnership to create products that let customers more easily incorporate photos and videos on their websites. Financial terms weren’t given.
—Companies in Washington state attracted nearly $1 billion in venture funding in 2008, and these companies grew their staff and revenue faster than any other state, including California, as Bob reported. The stats were in a report from the National Venture Capital Association, which also included a very informative map of venture investments around the U.S. since 1970. That map shows how far and wide the venture industry has spread, comparing Silicon Valley with regions like the Northwest, Southern California, and New England.
—Seattle-based Omeros moved closer to an initial public offering, stating that it hopes to go public at $10 to $12 per share, as Luke reported. Omeros, a biotech drug company, wants to find investors willing to buy 6.8 million shares of its common stock, which could generate up to $81.8 million in proceeds. The company also plans to grant its underwriters the right to buy another 1 million shares. It would be the first IPO from a Washington company in more than two years, since Kirkland, WA-based Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR) went public in March 2007.
—Lucid Commerce, the Seattle-based startup focused on business intelligence for direct marketers, has raised $3 million from Kirkland, WA-based OVP Venture Partners and the European venture firm Adinvest. The news was first reported by TechFlash. OVP previously led Lucid Commerce’s $2.5 million Series A financing, which was announced in June 2008.
—Seattle-based Others Online, a Web advertising and optimization startup, was bought by the Los Angeles-based Rubicon Project. Financial terms of the deal, which closed a few months ago, were not announced. Others Online began in 2006 and provides Web publishers with behavioral analytics, ad services, and other software to help them target and generate revenues from their audiences. Four employees, including founder Jordan Mitchell, have joined the Rubicon Project and will remain in Seattle for now.


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Facebook removed posts from users last week who shared updates about abortion pills being mailed and temporarily banned some users amid a move by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Vice reported that the social media giant began removing the posts on Friday, the same day the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion was undone.
"I will mail abortion pills to any one of you. Just message me," a message written by one person who was later banned read.
The unidentified user told Vice that the posting was removed from the site immediately.
"I posted it at 11:00 am and was notified within a minute that it was removed. I was not notified until I tried to post later that I was banned for it," the user said.
To corroborate the tale, a Vice reporter posted the phrase "abortion pills can be mailed" on Facebook and it was flagged within seconds for violating the company's community standards.
When the poster "disagreed" with the decision, the post was removed, the report said. It was reinstated Monday.
The reporter was able to post "painkiller pills can be mailed," "pills," and "abortion" without issue. Another post saying "abortion pills can be mailed" was flagged for removal but it was not removed once the reported "agreed" with the decision.
Another post saying "abortion pills can be mailed" was flagged but the reporter again "agreed" with the decision. The reporter's Facebook account was suspended for 24 hours.
Facebook referred Fox Business to a tweet from Andy Stone, the communications director for Facebook parent Meta.
"Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, gift, request or donate pharmaceuticals is not allowed. Content that discusses the affordability and accessibility of prescription medication is allowed," he wrote. "We've discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these."
Facebook's policy states that it prohibits "attempts by individuals, manufacturers and retailers to purchase, sell or trade nonmedical drugs, pharmaceutical drugs and marijuana."
In December, the FDA lifted restrictions on access to abortion pills – allowing patients to receive them by mail.


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Received an email this morning from Hive saying they are no longer selling Hive View cameras, Hive HomeShield or Hive Leak. If you already have these products then support will continue until 01/08/2025 (3 years) after which these products will no longer work (they are still determining whether they can keep some very limited functionality). So be aware if any deals for these products now come up on HUKD or you see them still for sale elsewhere e.g. Amazon are still selling Hive cameras for £100 plus.
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At Hive, we’ve got big plans to make Britain’s homes greener. So we’ve made the tough decision to discontinue our smart security and leak detection products – and develop more smart home tech that’ll get us closer to Net Zero.
Getting closer to Net Zero by forcing people to throw away tens of thousands of otherwise functional devices.
Looks like they announced they were discontinuing the service in the US 9 months ago:- reddit.com/r/h…th/ (edited)
My 360 hub fell to bits (USB socket) last week so had to buy a new nano.