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Brand Innovators has compiled OEM insights heading into the new year related to anticipated artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicle (EV) and sustainability trends.
Automaker perspectives on what lies ahead for the industry could prove useful for repairers who are looking forward to determine how to prepare their facilities for upcoming needs.
Angela Zepeda, Hyundai’s chief marketing officer, told Brand Innovators that she expects to see a number of technological advancements next year.
“Electric vehicles, which cooled in 2023, will continue to increase in adoption in 2024,” Zepeda said. “Autonomous vehicles, while still in their infancy, will begin to exponentially increase over the next couple of years. Cars will continue to become more connected, communicating with other software systems and collecting data from its surroundings.”
Those who’ve been keeping tabs on Hyundai’s activities throughout the past year might not find her comments entirely surprising. After all, it announced in August that it and Kia would invest $50 million into a Canadian AI semiconductor company in order to integrate AI into future models.
Hyundai said the investment in Tenstorrent will allow its vehicles, as well as Kia and Genesis models, to incorporate robotics and advanced air mobility (AAAM) into auto designs.
In September, Hyundai said it was partnering with the Georgia Institute of Technology to develop a hydrogen economy and a $12.6 billion investment in EV and battery manufacturing facilities.
Brand Innovators also touched on how young drivers are seeking to lower their environmental impact, and that the public should expect more EVs and related infrastructure on the roads next year.
Melody Lee, chief marketing officer at Mercedes-Benz USA, likened the transition to a long run.
“The shift to zero-emission mobility is a marathon not a sprint, and we are excited to see the automotive industry evolve as the move toward electrification continues,” Lee told Brand Innovators. “Dedicated charging networks will play a pivotal role in accelerating the widespread adoption of electric vehicles as we embrace a new era of mobility.
“We can also expect to see a growing emphasis on sustainability, both in terms of vehicle manufacturing processes and the use of eco-friendly materials to align with a growing number of environmentally conscious consumers.”
Kimerly Ito, Mitsubishi’s vice president of marketing, said the “challenge to cut through the clutter is as strong as ever” heading into the new year.
“I predict 2024 will see a mix of the scatter approach where some brands will try to reach every possible consumer, and the laser approach where brands will work harder to speak only to the customers who they think will purchase their product,” Ito told Brand Innovators.
Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs recently shared its Cars 2025 report, detailing seven trends it expects to see within the next 10 years.
This includes the ways in which cars are powered, Goldman Sachs said, noting that by 2025, 25% of cars sold will have electric engines. Today, just 5% of new cars sold are electric.
“Most of [future EVs sold] will be hybrids, and 95% of cars will still rely on fossil fuels for at least part of their power,” Goldman Sachs said. “That means automakers will need to make internal combustion engines more efficient to comply with new standards.”
Goldman Sachs also said the industry is likely to see a trend of OEMs seeking to reduce overall vehicle weight, which could be challenging given that safety standards typically require the use of heavier body parts.
“That conflict is starting to ease as companies explore materials that are both light and strong–including aluminum, high-tensile steel and carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CRFP),” its report said. “However, these are more expensive materials.
“CFRP, in particular, is primarily used only in specialty sports cars today. Over time, the push for fuel efficiency will mean the use of more aluminum and high-tensile steel.”
Its other forecasted trends include:
- A rise in self-driving cars;
- An evolving supply chain, driven by the need for more fuel economic vehicles;
- New tech innovators entering the automotive space;
- A growing adoption of connected vehicles; and
- The shift to emerging markets.
“The global automobile industry is on the brink of a major transformation,” Goldman Sachs’ report said. “Technology is driving this shift, shaped by demographic, regulatory and environmental pressures.
“By 2025, the car and the world around it will look quite different.”
As auto repair facilities navigate the shifting automotive landscape, some industry professionals are offering advice on how to prepare for upcoming changes.
Frank Terlep, Opus IVS ADAS Services vice president, shared the “formula for success” for collision repair small businesses last month during the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series at this year’s SEMA Show.
Terlep said it’s important to have mission and vision statements that change over time with the ideals and goals of the business.
The mission statement should cover the present state of your business and steps to follow that will lead to the future including objectives for your internal organization, Terlep said. The vision statement deals with present and close objectives that serve internal purposes.
The five building blocks of a great company are culture, purpose, accountability and authority, scorekeeping, and skills with the most important being culture, Terlep added.
“If you don’t treat your employees excellently, they’re not going to treat your customers excellently,” he said. “Your customers only love companies that love its employees. You can tell what kind of an organization it is as soon as they [employees] start to talk on the phone… Employees who don’t feel significant rarely make significant contributions.
“If you don’t care about your business and what you’re doing, my recommendation — go do something else.”
Featured illustration courtesy of metamorworks/iStock


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Xiaomi unveiled MIUI 13 at the Xiaomi 12 series launch event in China at the end of December 2021. Almost a month later, the company hinted at an imminent announcement of a global version of its mobile operating system in international markets.
Xiaomi has scheduled a global presentation for January 26 at 20:00 (GMT+8). The company has even confirmed that it will be unveiling the Redmi Note 11 series at this conference. The same event is also expected to announce the global version of the MIUI 13 firmware, which was teased on the official MIUI Twitter account a few hours after Xiaomi announced the date and time. holding its next international conference.
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The Chinese tech giant has already updated many of its devices to MIUI 13 based on Android 12 in China. In addition, the company has prepared software builds for several international models. The company is expected to start rolling out beta versions for some Xiaomi and Redmi models in the global market either before or shortly after the event.
The firm previously reported that most smartphones released outside mainland China in 2021 will get access to MIUI 13 in the first quarter of 2022. Distribution of the firmware to the general public may begin as early as February.
Xiaomi will no longer develop MIUI for Redmi Note 11T Pro, Redmi Note 11T Pro+, Xiaomi 11, Xiaomi 11 Pro and Redmi K40S
Xiaomi announced changes in the work schedule on new versions of MIUI firmware for quite a large number of its smartphones.
Work on new beta versions of MIUI for Xiaomi 11, Xiaomi 11 Pro, Xiaomi 11 Ultra, Redmi K40S, Redmi Note 11T Pro and Redmi Note 11T Pro+ has completely stopped since September 22. This does not mean that the firmware of user smartphones will not be updated, but new functions will no longer be introduced into them. In about a year, software support for these models will end.
Also from today, Xiaomi has stopped working on beta versions of MIUI for the latest Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Xiaomi 13 Pro, Xiaomi 13, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, Xiaomi MIX Fold 2, Redmi K60 Pro and Redmi K60, but this is a temporary phenomenon: work will resume after transferring current beta versions to Android 14.
3 billion views per day, like all newspaper articles in the world. Elon Musk talks about the success of long posts on X (Twitter)
Billionaire Elon Musk said long-form posts on Platform X (Twitter) now have 3 billion views per day. In the next message, the richest man in the world said that this number corresponds to the number of views of all newspaper articles on Earth.
Twitter Blue subscribers already have the ability to post messages of 10,000 characters, far exceeding the 280 character limit for non-Blue subscribers.
According to an old tweet from Musk, with this feature users can publish “very long, complex articles” and even “publish a book if they want.”
This move could help deter other writers who want more exposure for articles that would otherwise be posted on their blogs or perhaps on competing X sites.
Elon Musk said this week that social network X/Twitter is “moving to a low monthly fee” to combat “huge armies of bots.”
Musk bought the platform for $44 billion last October and has made several changes since then.
Telegram launched “Stories” for channels, as well as many other improvements
The team of the popular Telegram messenger announced the launch of a major update for users. One of the main innovations was support for “Stories” for channels. However, not all channels will be able to publish “Stories”.
In order for a channel to receive the right to publish “Stories,” it is required to collect a certain number of votes from readers. Only users of a paid Telegram Premium subscription can vote. Moreover, the Telegram Premium subscription provides one vote, which the user can give to one channel. Users can transfer their voice to another channel once a day.
The more votes a channel has, the higher its level, and each new level allows you to publish 1 additional story per day for all subscribers. The voting system is called “Boosts”.
Channels can collect votes using special links like t.me/durov?boost. You can find a link to vote for your channel and see how many votes are left until the next level on the channel page > “More” > “Statistics” > “Votes”.
Other new additions include reaction stickers that users and channels can add to their stories, the ability to upload audio files for stories (you can add music or voice accompaniment), an updated interface for self-destructing media files and a one-time view feature, new account login notifications, and so on.
The flagship tablet Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 appeared on Geekbench. Hardware platform – same as Mate 60 Pro
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domain: news


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MED-a-Mints: Pot-infused mints at center of trademark dispute with Dixie Elixirs
The Colorado company that invented the formula for MED-a-Mints, a popular cannabis-infused mint candy, has announced that it will sue Denver-based edibles manufacturer Dixie Elixirs for trademark violations. Inventor Gary Gabrel claims that Dixie Elixirs violated the contract between them when it changed the MED-a-Mints packaging, making its own name more prominent and removing the words "cannabis infused."
The old MED-a-Mints packaging.
The new label is dangerous, he says: "The label says THC infused, 100 milligrams. So you've got to have at least some knowledge to recognize that as a cannabis product. A twelve-year-old or a ten-year-old might not know."
Gabrel claims his company, Bridge Marketing, entered into a licensing agreement with Dixie Elixirs in November 2012. The agreement, Gabrel says, worked like this: Bridge, which owns the MED-a-Mints recipe, provides Dixie Elixirs with a non-cannabis-infused powder that forms the base of the mints and then Dixie adds the cannabis oil and manufactures, packages and sells the finished product.
dixieelixirs.com A screen capture of the new MED-a-Mints packaging from the Dixie Elixirs website.
"We are imitating the business model of Coca-Cola," he says, "where Coke manages the brand and makes the magic syrup and then ships it to bottling companies around the country and around the world."
Gabrel, who's based in Longmont, describes himself as a serial entrepreneur. His past ventures, he says, include inventing a board game called Pente, which he sold to Parker Brothers, and developing a chain of pizza restaurants, called Hideaway Pizza, in Oklahoma.
Gabrel says he's "had a passion for cannabis my whole adult life" and decided to get into the marijuana-infused products business after speaking with a friend who has HIV. The friend used cannabis as medicine and made her own edibles -- which gave him the idea to come up with a formula for his own. He chose mints because they're small, discreet and because the dosage can be precise, he says.
"I think these will be the Bayer aspirin of the medical market and the Altoids of the recreational market," Gabrel says of MED-a-Mints.
Continue for more on MED-a-Mints' dispute with Dixie Elixirs.


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TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co 7267.T plans to end production at its Sayama plant in Japan by 2022, cutting domestic capacity by around 24 percent as it shifts focus to electric cars (EVs) and other new technologies.
The automaker has seen stagnant domestic sales and said on Wednesday it was streamlining its Japanese operations as it takes a more nimble approach to development and manufacturing in the face of fierce competition from carmakers and technology companies to make EVs and self-driving cars.
“As we focus more on adopting electrification and other new technologies, we want to hone our vehicle manufacturing expertise in Japan and expand it globally,” CEO Takahiro Hachigo told a press conference.
Hachigo has been trying to revive a culture of innovation at Japan’s No. 3 automaker, after a number of major product recalls in recent years as well as lackluster product offerings, partly because it focused so much on increasing volumes and profit.
Honda said it would end production at the ageing Sayama plant in Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo, consolidating output at its Yorii plant in the same prefecture by the end of the 2022 financial year. Most workers currently at Sayama would be transferred to the Yorii facility, it said.
The move would cut overall domestic annual production capacity to around 810,000 units, the same as Honda’s current output levels, which are around 76 percent of its current production capacity of 1.06 million vehicles.
“Domestic sales haven’t increased as much as we were expecting and it has become difficult to boost exports,” Hachigo said.
Following consolidation, Honda said the Yorii plant will produce EVs and serve as a major center for developing manufacturing technology for electric cars. It will also produce other vehicles including larger-sized global models.
While the automaker cuts capacity at home, it plans to open a new plant by 2019 in China, where it has seen explosive growth. Overall, global annual production would remain largely unchanged at around 5.06 million units, it said.
Honda has struggled to expand sales at home in the past few years, facing stiff competition from popular offerings including Toyota Motor Corp's 7203.T Prius gasoline hybrid and Nissan Motor Co.'s 7201.T, Note compact hatchback.
In the year ended March, it sold 668,000 units domestically, almost the same as in the previous year.
With an annual production capacity of 250,000 units, the Sayama plant opened in 1964 and is one of Honda’s oldest plants, producing the Accord sedan, the CR-V SUV crossover and other models.
The Yorii plant began production in 2013 and also has an annual production capacity of 250,000 units. Its output includes the Fit compact hatchback and the Civic sedan.
Hachigo also said he was confident Honda was following proper procedures for final vehicle inspection for the Japanese market.
He said the company was complying with a request from Japan’s transport ministry for inspection records after Nissan said on Monday it would recall 1.2 million vehicles due to procedural irregularities with its final inspection processes.
Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Susan Fenton
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Would you pay $28 million for this one-ton steel sculpture of Popeye?
If you're Steve Wynn, the answer appears to be, why not. The casino magnate was the lone bidder for the 2009 Jeff Koons piece in a Wednesday Sotheby's auction that saw mixed results, with a dozen works, including another Koons piece, a glass case of three basketballs floating in water — going unsold.
In fact, Sotheby's now trails rival auction house Christie's significantly — check out this chart from Art Tactic (via Art Market Monitor) showing evening sales levels.
The Wall Street Journal recently discussed what's behind the divergence: While Christie's has diversified its customer base in recent years, Sotheby's has doubled-down on the highest-end bidders. It's the old funds-versus-flows debate, and Christie's seems to be winning.
Wynn said he plans to display Popeye at one of his Las Vegas hotels.


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Entries in 'mcm' (6)
Tete joins MCM Central, VideoGamer lands junior content editor, Crossley joins Creative England and Konami’s Edwards moves to Sony.
The MCM London Comic Con returns this October to celebrate pop culture.
New video games expo GamerMania has been cancelled.
A new UK games event wants to be ‘the gateway to Europe’ for the global games market.
The company behind MCM London Comic Con is launching a completely new event dedicated to video games.
The UK's biggest pop culture event, Comic Con stars a massive variety of video game companies and titles on its show floor, including a number of indie outlets in the ...


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Part 2: Americans are growing less religious, but they’re staying spiritual Will Robbins 14 hours
Will Robbins Contributor
More posts by this contributor Jesus, SaaS and digital tithing Voodoo Games thrives by upending conventional product design
Americans are rapidly becoming less religious. Weekly church attendance is falling, congregations are getting smaller or even closing and the percentage of Americans identifying as “religiously unaffiliated” has spiked.
Despite all this, now might be the perfect time for church tech companies to thrive.
A combination of COVID-19-induced adoption, underrated demographic trends and pressure to innovate is setting the stage for new successes in the previously sleepy church tech space. Venture dollars are flowing in, and Silicon


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Chamber International director, Tim Bailey, (left) with British Business Centres (BCB) chief executive, Joe Hepworth, after ratifying the new working partnership.
A partnership which will provide better support for companies wishing to trade in the Middle East has been announced by Chamber International.
The partnership enables Chamber International to offer exporters seamless access to professional services company, The British Centres for Business (BCB) Dubai.
The BCB, which was founded in 2013, works alongside the British government to support UK companies, particularly SMEs, expand into the UAE and use the country as a gateway to The Middle East.
The partnership has been ratified with a visit to the UK by BCB chief executive, Joe Hepworth, who also visited several local companies wishing to trade in the Middle East.
Mr Hepworth said: “Our new partnership with Chamber International means that UK companies wishing to trade with the UAE and Middle East have a trusted partner at both ends of their journey.
“We have a wealth of knowledge across many commercial sectors to assist UK exporters in a region that newcomers can find hard to access and understand without help. Our support can de-risk and accelerate their export plans.”
Since it launched, the BCB has helped around 200 UK companies in sectors including food and drink, retail, technology, financial services and high-tech engineering to trade in the UAE and another 31 businesses with establishing a base in the UAE through its incubator service.
Joe Hepworth added: “These are young, fast moving countries with aspirations of being global centres and there is consistent demand for quality goods, services and support to get them there.
“With its excellent infrastructure, the UAE is an ideal base from which to develop the whole Middle East, Africa and South Asia region as well as having a sizable domestic market.
“We are very pleased to have established this partnership with Chamber International. We enjoy close links with British Chambers and Chamber International has always stood out for its energy, activity and focus on exporting to the Middle East.”
Chamber International director, Tim Bailey, said: “The UAE and Middle East is an exciting region, keen to trade with UK companies.
“We are delighted to promote this dynamic new partnership which mirrors UK government aspirations to make post-Brexit Britain a global trading nation and we believe this initiative will increase the number of UK companies doing business there.”
The BCB offers a range of services including helping UK businesses attain a Dubai or Abu Dhabi trade licence, which is hard to do from outside the region, and establishing UK companies ‘onshore’, allowing complete market access, rather than being part of a free zone.
It also advises on company structures for businesses opening subsidiaries there so they retain 100% UK parent company ownership.
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Autism Awareness #LIUB
World Autism Awareness Day and Light It Up Blue
In 2007, the United Nations named April 2nd World Autism Awareness Day. To raise awareness of autism across the globe, Autism Speaks founded the Light It Up Blue campaign. Individuals, families, buildings, companies, governments and local autism organizations can participate in this campaign.
At Uber we’re showing our support by ‘Lighting It Up Blue’ in Uber cities across the globe. Open your Uber app Thursday April 2nd, to see how Uber Dubai is contributing to the cause and lighting it up blue!
Local Events and Organizations:
April 18th | Start Workshop in Dubai
START is a non-profit organisation founded by Art Dubai and the Al Madad Foundation, running art workshops for refugees, orphans and children with special needs across the Middle East and India. Join the Uber Dubai team and volunteer at their workshop in Dubai for Autistic children. New Uber users heading to the event can get AED100 off their first trip there or back with promo code ‘StartDXB418’.
April 25th | Open Windows – NYU Abu Dhabi
Join START and NYU Abu Dhabi to celebrate the achievements and creativity of students from the Future Center for Special Needs and the Abu Dhabi Center for Autism. The exhibition will display the works created by special needs children in START workshops from October 2014, and be held at NYU Abu Dhabi at 4pm on April 25th. New Uber riders can get there for free (up to AED100) using promo code ‘OpenWindowsAD’.
Dubai Autism Center | Volunteer
The Dubai Autism Center, founded in 2001, always has lots of volunteer opportunities for those interested. New Uber users heading to the Dubai Autism Center can ride there for free (up to AED100) using promo code DAC15.
Thanks for your support,
Team Uber Dubai
We’re excited to expand the Uber for Business platform beyond business travel, to include a world-class customer transportation solution, Uber Central. With Uber Central, organizations of all shapes and sizes can now easily provide on-demand, door-to-door transportation for their customers, clients, and guests.
A little over a year ago, we set out to put a new spin on an old classic–make reliable food delivery available at the tap of a button. Back then, we started by offering food in the UberEATS app from 1,000 pioneering restaurant partners in four cities. And today, more than 40,000 restaurants globally–from poke shops to pasta spots–are sharing food with customers through UberEATS. With a growing restaurant community comes more choices and more complexity. So we’re cooking up features to continue to make UberEATS easy and reliable. Here is a taste–
This flu season, we’re delivering free flu-fighting care packages across the country. When you receive a pack, you’ll have the option to request a free flu shot from a registered nurse–for up to 5 people.


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Almost a year after its release, Splatoon is still going strong. Nintendo’s freshest game in quite some time has been a huge hit worldwide, but it’s especially popular in Japan. All sorts of merchandise has been produced for fans for snatch up, from plushes to keychains to artbooks, and soon Splatoon fans will have a few new items to acquire.
Nintendo has announced plans to release three Splatoon playing card decks, each dedicated to the game’s fashion, weapons, and general aesthetic respectively. Solid release dates haven’t been revealed, but it shouldn’t be too long before those of you in Japan start seeing them pop up in stores. Whether the cards will make their way west remains to be seen, but you never know.


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Heineken to buy Mexican beers, including Dos Equis
AMSTERDAM — Dutch brewer Heineken NV said Monday it will buy the beer-making operations of Mexico’s Femsa in an all-share deal that values the maker of Dos Equis, Tecate and Sol beers at $5.5 billion, excluding debt.
The buy increases Amsterdam, Netherlands-based Heineken’s presence in growth markets and cements its position as the world’s second-largest brewer by sales. It also continues a decade-long trend toward concentration among the biggest players in the global beer market.
Femsa Cerveza brands have a 43 percent market share in Mexico and a 9 percent share in Brazil — two of the world’s top four most-profitable beer markets, and both still fast-growing. Femsa’s Tecate and Dos Equis brands are also significant players in the U.S. imported beer market, where Heineken vies with Grupo Modelo’s Corona.
“This is a really good deal for Heineken, for our position in the Americas,” Heineken Chief Executive Officer Jean-Francois van Boxmeer said on a conference call. “As a worldwide brewer, this was a (region) where we perhaps were weaker.”
Femsa Cerveza had sales of $3.8 billion and operating profits of $897 million in 2008, Heineken said. Including debt that Heineken will assume, the deal is worth $7.6 billion.
Analysts welcomed the buy as a pleasant surprise, given that many had expected SABMiller PLC — now the world’s third-largest brewer by sales behind Anheuser-Busch InBev SA and Heineken — to win the race for Femsa.
Analyst Kris Kippers of Petercam Bank praised the deal as a “a great acquisition for Heineken” because Femsa was one of the few remaining large independent brewers in growth markets — and Heineken didn’t overpay. Heineken now has 40 percent of its operations in developing markets, up from 32 percent.
Monterrey, Mexico-based Femsa — formally Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. de CV — is one of Mexico’s largest conglomerates, bottling Coca Cola and operating the Oxxo convenience store chain throughout much of Latin America, among other activities.
The acquisition is Heineken’s second major buy in the past two years, as it bought Scottish & Newcastle operations worth $14.8 billion in May 2008 to become the largest brewer in Britain and Europe.
In the same year, Belgium’s InBev bought Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion, while South African Breweries bought Miller for $3.6 billion in 2002.
“In the context of the reconfiguration of the global brewing landscape, scale and geographic diversification are more important than ever,” Femsa CEO Jose Antonio Fernandez Carbajal said Monday. “This transaction responds to that imperative.”
Heineken said it expects the deal to close in the second quarter, pending approval from regulators and shareholders.
Heineken’s unusual holding structure allows descendants of the Heineken family to control Heineken NV, and the company said yesterday they have agreed to the deal. A trust holding 39 percent of Femsa shares has also agreed, Heineken said.


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Last year Nokia's newest CEO, Stephen Elop, pushed the company all-in with Windows Phone. While their Meego platform would hang around as a test bed, and Symbian would be managed into retirement over two or three years, the future was going to be with his former employer Microsoft.
At the time, you could hear the tech blogs and commentator wonder why they hadn't went with the dominant mobile operating system of Android. I still think the reasoning is clear - the move to Windows Phone gave Nokia a chance to be in the driving seat, the lead partner, and shape their own destiny.
The Android option would have seen them on a steep learning curve as they switched over all their operations, and then a struggle to differentiate themselves against the established handset manufacturers of Samsung, Motorola and HTC, as well as smaller handset companies like ZTE and Acer. Big fish in a growing pond or small fish trying to be big in a pond with fully grown sharks. What would you choose?
While we'll never know what Nokia's business trajectory with Android would have been like, Sony's move this weekend into the handset business will give us a strong indication. Following the purchase of Sony Ericsson, Sony have launched two more Xperia handsets at Mobile World Congress (the P and the U, joining the S which was announced at CES). The range now covers various price points and market segments, and they all run Android.
A large consumer electronics market, looking for a new launch, and having to choose a mobile Operating System. Yes, Sony will be watched over very carefully to see not only how they manage to make their handsets stand out (from what I can see "we have a white stripe of light on the bottom" is the primary change), how much equality they get from Google and the rest of the ecosystem, and how well the sales compare to their Sony Ericsson baseline.
Will choosing Android and being a new partner be a help or a hindrance? We're going to find out.


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Cannabis will get some time in the Vegas spotlight next month.
“Monetizing Cannabis” will be a featured panel discussion at the 2017 Nightclub & Bar Show, running March 27-29 in Las Vegas.
“There’s cannabis tourism, but not cannabis hospitality,” panelist Freddie Wyatt tells The Cannabist in an exclusive interview. “We’re at the brink of hospitality being integrated into the cannabis industry.
“Look at what Denver is trying to do.”
The Mile High City is developing a first-of-its-kind social use ordinance that would allow for some forms of cannabis consumption in certain businesses, with the exception of those with liquor licenses. Denver’s experiment in integrating cannabis and hospitality comes as a handful of states — Nevada among them — recently voted in recreational marijuana measures.
“(Cannabis) is going to keep growing into the hospitality business,” says Wyatt, who’s the founder of Munch & Co., which produces and manages events in the cannabis industry.
But just how bars, nightclubs and other entities accomplish that while being mindful of unique regulations and equally unique public safety concerns is the topic Wyatt and others hope to broach in the nation’s adult playground.
He says the panel is likely to address topics such as money-making opportunities, cannabis mixology, new concept venues and the regulatory landscape.
“I think it’s just figuring out where somebody can recreate that can’t do it in the restrictions (put in place). … If you’re for, or against, there’s got to be a thorough policy,” Wyatt says.
Other panelists include Tripp Keber, chief executive officer of Dixie Brands, a maker of cannabis-infused products; and Joe DiSalvo, sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado. Ricardo Baca, The Cannabist’s contributing editor, is slated to moderate the panel.
This article was first published at TheCannabist.co.


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The Indian smartwatch segment continues to defy global trends, displaying remarkable resilience and robust growth even amidst tighter macroeconomic conditions worldwide. While global smartwatch sales experienced a decline of 1.5% in the first quarter of 2023, India witnessed an impressive surge, with smartwatch shipments soaring by 121% year-on-year (YoY), as reported by Counterpoint Research.
Everything related to the Indian Smartwatch Market!
Counterpoint Research analyst Woojin Son noted that the global smartwatch market, which had been on a steady growth trajectory for several years, encountered a period of stagnation since the end of the previous year, marked by an 8% YoY decline in Q4 2022. This downturn was largely attributed to a seasonal dip in demand for products from major players like Apple and Samsung, coupled with dampened consumer sentiment influenced by global financial pressures.
In contrast, the Indian smartwatch industry continued its upward trajectory, showing impressive growth in Q1 2023. Following a doubling of domestic shipments in the last quarter of 2022, India replicated this feat by achieving a remarkable 121% YoY growth in smartwatch shipments in the first quarter of 2023. This growth can be attributed to various factors, including the availability of affordable smartwatches, rising consumer demand, and a wide range of options in the budget segment.
Counterpoint Research analyst Anshika Jain highlighted that India’s smartwatch market experienced a substantial 121% YoY growth in Q1 2023, driven by affordability, increasing customer demand, and a diverse range of options available in the budget segment. Notably, around 40% of smartwatches sold in India during this period were priced below ₹2,000, marking the first time that the share of smartwatches in this price range reached such levels.
Indian smartwatch manufacturers have captured the majority of the domestic market, with over 90% of smartwatches sold in Q1 2023 originating from Indian companies such as Fire Boltt, Noise, boAt, and others. Analyst Anshika Jain added that India-based players surpassed the 90% mark for the first time, attributing their success to their agility in upgrading product portfolios and adapting to customer needs at reasonable price points.
An Indian smartwatch maker, Fire Boltt, outperformed Samsung to secure the second position in global smartwatch shipments during Q1 2023. Fire Boltt’s affordable smartwatches enabled the company to achieve a threefold increase in shipments compared to the previous year. Apple maintained its market dominance, capturing a 26% share of global smartwatch shipments.
Furthermore, India emerged as the largest market for smartwatches in Q1 2023, accounting for 27% of global smartwatch sales. This indicates that over a quarter of smartwatches sold worldwide were purchased in India. North America closely followed with a 26% market share, while China secured the third position with an 18% market share.
The Indian smartwatch market’s impressive growth and its status as a global powerhouse highlight the country’s increasing influence in the consumer technology sector. With a continued focus on affordability, diverse options, and consumer-centric product offerings, India is poised to sustain its strong position in the smartwatch industry in the coming years.
Buy latest smartwatches: https://amzn.to/42aBwat


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Netflix started experimenting with a bottom navigation bar in its Android app, with several users recently taking online to reveal they’ve been encompassed by the test. The functionality appears to be close to finished as the popular on-demand video streaming service is now already said to have brought it to some users running the stable version of the Android app, with the first report on the matter coming from an owner of the Samsung Galaxy S6. While this state of affairs would usually signal that a global rollout has already started, the bottom navigation bar still appears to be unavailable to the vast majority of users in all parts of the world so while Netflix may be confident enough to bring it to select subscribers who didn’t opt into any kind of beta tests and specifically stated they want to receive experimental features, it appears the company is still in the process of testing the functionality.
The redesign itself appears to be aimed at improving the ease of use of the Netflix Android app, situating the main navigation bar closer to your fingertips and making the service more convenient to use while holding the phone in a single hand. The aesthetic appears to be largely similar to the Netflix iOS app, save for the portion of the interface where the hamburger menu icon used to be situated. The bottom navigation bar features Home, Search, Downloads, and My Profile shortcuts, in that order, thus providing essentially the same functionality that the original hamburger menu did.
Like many other similar redesigns introduced by a wide variety of popular apps in recent times, Netflix’s move is understood to be a response to the current smartphone market and the fact that majority of contemporary handsets are now close to the phablet category, i.e. they offer enough screen real estate for a comprehensive navigation bar, whereas placing many interactive elements near the top of the interface may actually be counterintuitive to users, especially as devices with taller aspect ratios are now becoming more popular. Netflix has yet to comment on the bottom navigation bar in any capacity but with the feature now being tested in the stable version of the app, it shouldn’t be too far away from a global debut.


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Fans can celebrate this year’s big football game between Los Angeles and New England with a special offer from Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort.
Santa, Mrs. Claus, and their elf, Kandy Kane, are all back for their annual holiday vacation to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort as part of its 2019 holiday celebration.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic will return for its ninth year Oct. 26 to 28. This three day events allows guests to enjoy more than 90 food and beverage stations, 10 seminars and five themed areas.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort has officially announced its musical lineup and seminar offerings for the ninth-annual Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic.
The Dolphin hotel at Walt Disney World recently unveiled their new lobby, with a new bar and grab-and-go store. It’s the finishing touch on a $140 million, three-year project at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. [Read more…]


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Flhip.com has released its latest restaurant openings report, providing restaurant vendors with a sampling of fresh sales and marketing leads that can be found on their website.
Chapel Hill, NC – NoDa Brewing Co.
NoDa Brewing Co. will open its fourth taproom next month. The Charlotte brewery’s latest venue, called NoDa Brewing Co. Tapas and located at 1118 Environ Way in Chapel Hill, will include a restaurant. That space is home to Old East Tavern, which will close over Labor Day weekend. NoDa has teamed up with Julie Paddison and Lew Hendricks — owners of the tavern as well as Bottle Rev Chapel Hill, The Poplar Café and RTP Uncorked — on that venture.
Mesa, AZ – Raices Restaurant & Coffee Bar
A new bar called Easy Tiger is coming soon to 4725 W. Olive Ave. by Arizona College’s Glendale campus. Easy Tiger is brought to us by Driftwood Coffee owners Lance Linderman and Luke Bentley, who just received the liquor license for this upcoming project.
Kalamazoo, MI – High Dive Kitchen & Bar
Raices Restaurant & Coffee Bar is coming soon to Mesa. The business is getting ready to open doors at 1916 W. Baseline Road, according to a liquor license application filed with the state of Arizona.
Northglenn, CO – Los Dos Potrillos Cocina y Cantina
The two incoming locations will be located in Northglenn and Castle Rock, with the latter location debuting at 6372 Promenade Parkway in the spring of 2023. The Northglenn location is expected to open in late October of this year at the former Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q — 100 E 120th Ave Northglenn, CO 80233.
Orland Park, IL – Chuck Lager America’s Tavern
Celebrity chef Fabio Viviani is expanding his restaurant concept Chuck Lager America’s Tavern to Chicagoland with two new locations. First, the company will make its area debut in Glenview by moving into the former home of John’s Garage Sports Bar at 1800 Tower Dr. Considering the restaurant’s Facebook has mentioned this location’s opening is coming soon since early June, it’s likely we’ll see this site open before the end of the year. Next, the company will open its seventh location in Orland Park at 14035 South La Grange Rd. Chuck Lager America’s Tavern is expanding into Florida with new sites coming to Oldsmar and Tampa.
Houston, TX – Pecking Order
Pecking Order: Chef Shannen Tune of Craft Burger is launching a new chicken concept in October. Pecking Order’s menu will include chicken plates, sandwiches and salads. Signature dishes will include buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, Nashville hot chicken, rotisserie chicken, and grilled jerk chicken. It will be open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information or to view the leads in your area, please visit Flhip.com


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New laws enacted in New Zealand this month give border agents the right to demand travellers entering the country hand over passwords for their digital devices. We outline what you should do if it happens to you.
Imagine returning home to Australia or New Zealand after a long-haul flight, exhausted and red-eyed. You’ve just reclaimed your baggage after getting through immigration when you’re stopped by a customs officer who demands you hand over your smartphone and the password. Do you know your rights?
Both Australian and New Zealand customs officers are legally allowed to search not only your personal baggage, but also the contents of your smartphone, tablet or laptop. It doesn’t matter whether you are a citizen or visitor, or whether you’re crossing a border by air, land or sea.
New laws that came into effect in New Zealand on October 1 give border agents:
…the power to make a full search of a stored value instrument (including power to require a user of the instrument to provide access information and other information or assistance that is reasonable and necessary to allow a person to access the instrument).
Those who don’t comply could face prosecution and NZ$5,000 in fines. Border agents have similar powers in Australia and elsewhere. In Canada, for example, hindering or obstructing a border guard could cost you up to C$50,000 or five years in prison.
A growing trend
Australia and New Zealand don’t currently publish data on these kinds of searches, but there is a growing trend of device search and seizure at US borders. There was a more than fivefold increase in the number of electronic device inspections between 2015 and 2016 – bringing the total number to 23,000 per year. In the first six months of 2017, the number of searches was already almost 15,000.
In some of these instances, people have been threatened with arrest if they didn’t hand over passwords. Others have been charged. In cases where they did comply, people have lost sight of their device for a short period, or devices were confiscated and returned days or weeks later.
On top of device searches, there is also canvassing of social media accounts. In 2016, the United States introduced an additional question on online visa application forms, asking people to divulge social media usernames. As this form is usually filled out after the flights have been booked, travellers might feel they have no choice but to part with this information rather than risk being denied a visa, despite the question being optional.
There is little oversight
Border agents may have a legitimate reason to search an incoming passenger – for instance, if a passenger is suspected of carrying illicit goods, banned items, or agricultural products from abroad.
But searching a smartphone is different from searching luggage. Our smartphones carry our innermost thoughts, intimate pictures, sensitive workplace documents, and private messages.
The practice of searching electronic devices at borders could be compared to police having the right to intercept private communications. But in such cases in Australia, police require a warrant to conduct the intercept. That means there is oversight, and a mechanism in place to guard against abuse. And the suspected crime must be proportionate to the action taken by law enforcement.
What to do if it happens to you
If you’re stopped at a border and asked to hand over your devices and passwords, make sure you have educated yourself in advance about your rights in the country you’re entering.
Find out whether what you are being asked is optional or not. Just because someone in a uniform asks you to do something, it does not necessarily mean you have to comply. If you’re not sure about your rights, ask to speak to a lawyer and don’t say anything that might incriminate you. Keep your cool and don’t argue with the customs officer.
You should also be smart about how you manage your data generally. You may wish to switch on two-factor authentication, which requires a password on top of your passcode. And store sensitive information in the cloud on a secure European server while you are travelling, accessing it only on a needs basis. Data protection is taken more seriously in the European Union as a result of the recently enacted General Data Protection Regulation.
Microsoft, Apple and Google all indicate that handing over a password to one of their apps or devices is in breach of their services agreement, privacy management, and safety practices. That doesn’t mean it’s wise to refuse to comply with border force officials, but it does raise questions about the position governments are putting travellers in when they ask for this kind of information.
TOP IMAGE: New laws enacted in New Zealand give customs agents the right to search your phone. (Shutterstock/The Conversation)


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The iPad has quickly transitioned from the ultimate tech toy to the preeminent tool of choice for the broad enterprise community.
According to the findings of a new survey put together by the folks at ChangeWave Research, the iPad has no serious competition in the tablet space among interested enterprise buyers.
Going forward, better than one-in-five companies (22%) say they’ll be purchasing tablets for their employees during 2nd Quarter 2012, and the percentage reporting they’ll buy Apple iPads has jumped to the highest level of corporate iPad demand ever seen in a ChangeWave survey.
In short, 84% of companies planning to buy tablets next quarter will purchase Apple’s hugely popular touchscreen iPads. Samsung only curries favor with 8% of prospective buyers, and HP, Asus, Dell, and RIM all failed to make any noticeable dent.
The impending release of the new iPad is also having an impact on business purchases of tablets made by other manufacturers. The ChangeWave survey shows an across-the-board decline in next quarter buying of tablets from other manufacturers.
To read more about the popularity of the iPad in the enterprise space, check out the complete findings of the ChangeWave survey here.


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BYRON -- It may have been lunch time at Byron High School, but students were the ones serving the food this time.
The school hosted a soft opening on Wednesday for the B-Town Bistro, a food truck operated by students. Starting next week, the food truck will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, giving students a taste of what it’s like to start and operate a real-life business.
During Wednesday’s opening, a few students decked out sporting gloves, masks and hairnets were in the truck serving pork and macaroni and cheese, or Cajun jambalaya to hungry customers.
Other students were overseeing plastic tubs of merchandise. A couple of the school’s teachers, Ryan Radke and Josh Bernards, were buzzing around, overseeing all the details.
“We’re having some great opportunities for real-life learning here,” said Malia Schroeder, principal of Byron High School. “It’s been really exciting to watch how far things have come for them.”
The food truck is a joint project between the school’s cooking class and its business class. There are about 60 students involved with the project. Overall, it incorporates a lot of local efforts. It uses produce from the school’s greenhouse.
"The pork that we're getting is coming from a farm in Goodhue," Radke said. "We're really doing that farm-to-table concept."
Radke said the idea started when he was talking with other teachers who were doing food truck simulations. Instead of implementing the same conceptual idea, Radke decided to apply for a grant to make it a more realistic experience.
In fact, the food truck is not just a class project. It’s a fully functional business. Radke became certified to handle food. For that matter, the students dealing with the cooking became certified as well, he said.
“We want the kids to enjoy it and find some relevance. Even if they don’t get into the food service industry, it’s the idea of starting your own business,” Radke said. “We always say, ‘it’s a lot of work, but it’s the right work.’ It’s something I think the kids will always remember.”
The food truck has a website, email and a social media presence. There’s a sales team. There’s a marketing team. The students made the recipes and cooked the food.
High school senior Aaron Yeigh is in both classes.
“It’s been pretty fun so far; it’s definitely unique from anything else I’ve ever done,” Yeigh said.
The school district initially approved the project in 2018. The school received a $40,000 grant that it used to purchase the truck in 2019. The B-Town Bistro was within days of opening last spring when the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to move to distance learning, putting a hold on the endeavor.
But even dealing with the pandemic’s impact on the business has been part of the learning opportunity.
“What do we need to do for sanitation and hygiene and spacing? (It's) all these things that sometimes the kids want to roll their eyes at, like ‘does it matter?’” Bernards said. “Yeah, it matters; this is how you have to run a business now.”


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It was the moment most of us were waiting for when Meghan Markle stepped out of the car on her wedding day on May 19, 2018 to reveal her wedding dress. At that moment the world learned that she had been dressed in a custom Givenchy gown and, while we all got a glimpse on our TV screens, we may have the opportunity to see it in person. In fact, that very same dress that may be on display soon.
Similarly to Kate Middleton’s Alexander McQueen gown which has been on display in Buckingham Palace since the summer after her nuptials to Prince William, the same could happen with Meghan Markle’s at Windsor Castle. According to People, in the first week that Kate’s dress was on view, a staggering 350,000 people came to see it, meaning over 8,000 people a day. With the number of people that tuned in to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding back in May, there is no doubt that visitors would flock to get a view of the gown.
Speaking of the dress, Clare Waight Kellar, the designer of the gown, said that creating the dress was a collaborative process. “It was a wonderful way to start the collaboration with her, finding out what she wanted for her day and just to find the absolute perfect style for her,” she said. “Part of it was really a conversation in the beginning and then through a series of sketches that I proposed to her. We exchanged conversations about what would be the ultimate lines and proportions and the scale of the dress.”
Furthermore, she told InStyle that she did not realize how much impact this dress had until after the wedding day came to an end. “I’m just thrilled that it would happen in my first year,” she said, “because for the house itself, to have had this kind of thing happen has completely changed people’s perception of Givenchy.”


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Initiative coordinated by the British Retail Consortium will see supermarkets, food chains, pharmacies and booksellers work together to develop decarbonisation strategy for retail industry ahead of the COP26 climate conference.
Twenty of the UK's largest retailers, including Boots, Aldi, Ikea, Amazon, and M&S, have pledged to collaborate on a roadmap that sets out how the industry can deliver net zero emissions by 2050.
The companies, which include supermarkets, booksellers, pharmacies, food chains, and online retailers, today set out their intent to jointly craft a "ground-breaking decarbonisation plan" for the retail industry, noting that they are "uniquely placed" to support the country's wider net zero transition.
The roadmap will cover emissions produced by shops, distribution centres, and logistics operations, the group said, as well as emissions from suppliers and those emissions incurred through the end use of products.
"By working collectively with our employees, customers, suppliers, government and other stakeholders, we are confident we can overcome the shared barriers we face to tackling climate change and help the UK lead the way towards a better society and a better planet," the signatories wrote in a joint climate statement.
They said they would work with environmental specialists to develop the plan in the run up to the postponed COP26 climate conference, which is set to be held in Glasgow in November 2021. The roadmap will be accompanied by a "wider industry commitment", they added.
Ocado, Lidl, Next, the Booksellers Association of the UK, and Greggs have also backed the initiative, which is being coordinated by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Peter Andrews, the trade association's head of sustainability policy, said retail could play a pioneering role in building a more sustainable world in the wake of the pandemic. "As we start to recover from the coronavirus pandemic there is no better opportunity to build a greener more sustainable world," he said. "The expectations of society are shifting rapidly. Greater action from businesses is expected. Retail will lead the way."
The roadmap, he added, would be "the first step towards a better, more sustainable future. It will then be up to the wider industry and government to implement the recommendations it sets out."


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BBC News has exclusive video to the BT/PSP calling functions.
Using a soon-to be-released camera and microphone, gamers will be able to call other PSP owners and some BT phones.
The software has been developed by BT and will eventually allow PSP users to call PCs, fixed lines and mobiles.
Initially the service will only be available in the UK and will only work on home or BT wireless hotspots.
Currently, there are around 2,000 of these situated in airports, railway stations, hotels and fast food restaurants.
Visit the source for the video


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Two more arrests made in China over tainted baby formula
BeijingÂ - Two more milk dealers were arrested in China, bringing the total to four, after two babies died and 1,253 were sickened by baby formula spiked with a toxic chemical, the official Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday.
Twenty-two other people had been detained for questioning, and more arrests were expected, a spokesman for the government of the northern province of Hebei told Xinhua.
The four arrested men are accused of adding melamine to their raw milk to boost its protein content. The milk was then sold to the Hebei-based San Lu Group to produce the baby formula.
Health officials said they expected the number of sick babies to rise as more infants are tested for kidney problems.
Fifty sick children are in critical condition, and reports of ailments linked to the contaminated milk were coming from 10 provinces, autonomous regions and direct-controlled cities.
Government officials said San Lu, which supplies nearly a fifth of China's market with an inexpensive baby formula, knew about the contamination since March but didn't order a national recall of the powder until this week.
The contamination once again threw a shadow over the safety of China's booming food industry, which has been rocked by corruption, scandals and a lack of oversight in the past several years.
In 2007, toxic pet food and melamine-contaminated meat or wheat protein was traced to Chinese producers, and a food scare in Japan in early 2008 involved frozen dumplings imported from China.
Melamine is used as a binding agent and coating for particle, fiber and laminated board. It is also used to make fertilizer.
China's Health Ministry on Tuesday offered free health care to all babies sickened by the formula and dispatched medical experts to local clinics to help with diagnoses and treatment in a bid to prevent further deaths.
San Lu has made a public apology, and Hebei's provincial government announced that more than 10,000 tons of baby formula recalled in the contamination scandal would be destroyed.
Andrew Ferrier - chief executive of the New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra, which owns 43 per cent of San Lu - said Monday that his company had urged San Lu at least one month ago to recall the contaminated baby formula.
Reports from Beijing said reasons for the delay were unclear, but speculation abounded that China's authorities might have wanted to cover up the scandal because of the Beijing Olympics. The Beijing authorities only acted after interventions by the New Zealand government last week as local authorities failed to act.
Fonterra said from its Auckland headquarters that its Chinese subsidiary had made a voluntary recall of one batch of prenatal milk sold in China under the Anmum Materna brand name.
"This particular batch had been manufactured and distributed under licence by San Lu using what we believe to be contaminated local raw milk," a spokesman said. He said the batch had been distributed only in mainland China and none had been exported. (dpa)


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Co Antrim family invests £200,000 in new convenience store
A NEW MACE convenience store has opened in Toomebridge following a £200,000 investment, creating 30 new jobs for the area.
The store owners, the Boyd family, invested in the new ‘store of the future' which has increased in size from 800 sq ft to 2,000.
The new Co Antrim store features the latest in energy-saving technology from environmentally friendly fridges to state-of-the-art kitchen equipment.
It is the second shop owned by the Boyd family to open in Toomebridge - the first was opened in 1964.
MACE is a local convenience brand owned by the Musgrave group, which also operates the SuperValu and Centra brands.
Maurice Cusack, MACE Marketing Manager, said: “The Boyd family have completely transformed the local convenience market for people in Toomebridge and the surrounding areas.
“Outside, customers will notice bold changes to the look and feel of the store with new branding using the contemporary MACE colour palate, creating a striking, fresh and modern store frontage.
“Inside, the store showcases the latest thinking in retail with concepts including premium Frank and Honest Coffee which is the largest coffee brand on the island of Ireland.”
In other job news, AXA Insurance has announced plans to recruit 60 full-time staff at its Derry call centre. The company is already one of the largest employers in the north west, with over 300 staff.
Head of DCC Operations for AXA, Sean Harnett said recruitment for the new customer service representatives will begin immediately.
“We have a very substantial operation in Derry and there is great potential for successful applicants to develop long-term careers with the company here," he said. For more information visit: www.axani.co.uk/careers/vacancies/customer-service-representative-derry/.
Meanwhile INSTIL Software, a provider of bespoke software solutions and training services, is investing over the next 12 months to recruit an additional 10 staff in Belfast to support its global growth plans.
The company recently moved to grade A offices in Belfast's Linen Loft and signed a licensing deal for its multi-video streaming product Surge. The investment will help to accelerate product growth in this specific market.


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Is Barbie a lesbian? Or possibly bisexual?
That's the trending topic on Twitter, where users are recirculating a 2017 photo shoot of the popular doll as evidence.
In the pictures, Barbie is wearing a "Love Wins" T-shirt alongside a doll version of the designer of the apparel, ally Aimee Song. The dolls are depicted sitting next to each other on a bed, going on a walk, and dining, which all point to a possible romance, users say.
Song, whose shirts benefited LGBTQ+ young people, added to the speculation when she declared "I am the girlfriend" in her own Twitter post. She included a photograph of herself holding the doll.
Barbie is not the only Mattel doll to be the subject of gay rumors. Her chiseled ex-boyfriend Ken has faced speculation since his 1961 debut, and the recent release of a merman version in a harness has not quelled it.


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It was deceptive then, and it’s deceptive now.
Over 70 years ago a major asbestos insulation manufacturer marketed their
products as “non-irritating and non-toxic.” They went further
and asserted their asbestos insulation actually contributed to “worker
well-being on the job.”
That same company, Owens Corning Fiberglas, eventually filed for bankruptcy
We’ve seen this before.
Asbestos is toxic, whether it comes from a chunk of pipe insulation or
a puff of Johnson & Johnson baby powder.
When will they learn?


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Mobile phone network Vodafone has started to roll out the latest Google mobile OS in the form of Android ‘Froyo' 2.2, to HTC Legend mobile phones running on their network.
HTC posted on Facebook last week their Legend handsets were due to receive an update to Android 2.2, where Vodafone customers today with that very mobile phone received an Over The Air notification message relating to the arrival of Froyo.
The Vodafone branded Legend devices can be upgraded to the latest version of Android OTA, although the update recommends downloading over WIFI as the file size is over 80MB and this can severely impact the accompanying tariff's data allowance.
Customers that have already updated their handsets have reported an overall increase in speed, the ability to install applications to the microSD card, Voice Search and the SMS sorting bug that plagued the shipping handset is now fixed.
Other noticeable changes have been along the lines of the photo section has now been renamed ‘Gallery', Video now has its own application, with app sharing and live wallpapers making a welcomed appearance.
All of these changes fall in line with Android ‘Froyo' 2.2 feature range, which have been seen on other handsets upgrading from Android ‘Éclair' 2.1.
HTC usually rolls out updates to the SIM free and unlocked versions of their phones first, with network branded handsets being the last to receive the update. On this occasion the reverse has happened - with HTC falling silent on when their unbranded Legends will have Froyo deployed.
Originally published at OneMobileRing.com


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So how does one sign up? Getting Apple to accept your applications means you run through a standard set of applications that include forms, a background check, basic financial solvency, an aptitude and preferably a displayed passion for electronics. One Apple official who understands how the process works, but declined to be named, said that in the last fifteen years the American tech giant has only signed on 160 franchisees as Apple Premium Resellers or sales partners who hawk their famous iPhones.
Says one watch dealer who declined to be named, "Landing an Apple dealership is pretty much like getting the authorisation for a Rolex dealership." The business guarantees the best products in its space, and comes with customer base that is hooked to new releases year after year and a headquarters that is proactively in touch with its entire distribution piece and methodically supports its sales outlets and partners with products, technology and the rest of it.
Is there a checklist that aspirants will need to sign off against before they get enrolled by Apple? There indeed is one and Apple India doesn't share those details publicly. But the key stipulation predictably does include having financial access and the means to afford the right real estate, followed by a deep understanding of Apple stands for.
That laundry list gets down to the details of how many strobe lights are to be positioned in a shop, to how many computers and products are to be displayed and exactly where. "Everything for the business is defined," says one retailer in the trade. That means that right from the three-inch-by-two=inch acrylic cardholders that tell you what products are on display to the furniture fixtures which come from Shenzhen and the planograms (visual representations of a store's products and services) that determine how and where products will be showcased, the lighting plans, and in what sequence -– there's a playbook somewhere that describes how it will be done down to the shade of paint used on the walls feels and looks and will be the same across the stores in the world.
So why does Apple just have a handful of dealerships after close to two decades in the country? For one, the tech giant sees its investments
and the use of its name as a long-term investment, and any digression from what it sees as core values are abandoned without hesitation. In the past, Apple India has pulled the plug on franchises in Kolkata, and a couple of other cities where the collaboration wasn't panning out as planned.
The other is it would take a fairly serious entrepreneur to put his or her money where their mouth is. Fancy phones and slick, trendy laptops aside, starting an Apple franchise isn't for the faint-hearted. The financials are front-loaded: the fixtures themselves can run anywhere between Rs 10 million and Rs 20 million, and ancillary costs like staff salaries, inventory, permissions and licenses anywhere from Rs 20 million to Rs 30 million.
The rental costs or real estate charges are additional and can easily set a store operator back by Rs one million to Rs 15 million a month on average. Expect to break even within two years or sooner, however, and while predetermined margins on equipment are slim, which means it's a volume game despite being premium, the revenue from service plans, warranties, repairs and other accessories are where the real money is made. Typically, an investor can make profit of 3-10 per cent on devices with volumes driving the business. In phones, the margins are higher.
Ample Technologies, a firm that has been running one of the earliest Apple stores called Imagine at the Forum mall in Benhaluru since 2004, now runs 13 stores across Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin and Hyderabad, and sees itself not just as a seller of Apple products but as "Apple experts." Rajesh Narang, director at Ample Technologies, didn't respond as of press time. There are others such as iPlanet, Nyasa and Maple, which also signed up early and run multiple stores across the country. So do those like Narang think about what some might see as Apple's austere commandments? No discounting, no blow out sales to clear stock, wafer-thin margins, and constant direction on product sales cycles regardless of how local markets may behave differently?
Devangshu Dutta, chief executive of consumer research firm Third Eyesight, says that India, of course, hasn't been the most important market for Apple, which is why the franchise model makes absolute sense. Even so, what really makes a franchise successful is the creation of value. "For anyone creating a viable Apple franchise, they have to be clear that you're not just selling boxes being shipped to you - a lot has to go into the service piece and the experience zone which frankly most Indian franchisees aren't oriented towards," he adds. "Therein lies the opportunity and the potential rewards of being different."
Must-haves for Apple Premium Reseller
Spotless track record
Affinity for technology
Own or access to great retail space
Be a successful business operator


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On April 23rd 2020 another virtual conference took place in our oneAVstudio, this time on the topic of the importance of using digital technologies in the retail sector. This event by our partner POPAI Central Europe was organized for the first time in virtual form.
Our colleagues broadcast the online conference from the multifunctional studio in Harfa. The topic covered presentation of the digital communication research at the point of sale, which answered the questions of the current need to use digital technologies. That was also followed by practical examples and case studies, which pointed out the processes and technologies that work within our market.
More information on what interesting topics were raised at the virtual conference can be found on the POPAI Central Europe website.


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Protix, the Dutch pioneer company breeding insects, receives boost from new investment capital and EU food watchdog’s safety decision to approve its mealworms for human consumption. Operating at full capacity, it is aiming for two to three new production facilities in next five years.
- Protix, a Dutch insect producer, raised €15.5 million to invest in technology, further professionalisation of its commercial department and prepare for international expansion.
- The company aims to have ‘two or three’ large production facilities up and running in the next four to five years
- It has to raise Protix between €200 million to €250 million from investors in coming years to fulfil its expansion plans
In February, its current shareholders Aqua-Spark, Rabo Corporate Investments and BOM Brabant Ventures took part in a €15.5 million investment round. This included a €7.5 million investment in the form of a convertible loan from Invest-NL.
This is the Dutch state-backed development bank aimed at accelerating the transition to a carbon-neutral society, which launched in January last year.
Protix opened their world’s biggest insect factory in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands, in 2019. It breeds larvae from the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) and processes them into ingredients for use in animal feed.
Pioneer in multi-billion industry
“Protix is a pioneer in making a multi-billion dollar industry more sustainable,” Leo Holwerda, director capital at Invest-NL, said in an email. “In the long run, our society will become less dependent on soy, fish meal and palm oil for our proteins,” said Holwerda.
Protix plans to use the extra funding to invest more in technology, a further professionalisation of our commercial department and prepare for international expansion, said co-founder Kees Aarts in a phone interview.
Since its foundation in 2009, Protix has attracted €100 million in invested capital.
“By helping to grow the company into a world player in this new market, Invest-NL expects to realise an excellent return, both financially and in terms of impact”, said Holwerda.
From hobby to a new industry
Since Protix was founded by Kees Aarts and Tarique Arsiwalla, both alumni of Delft University, it has created an entirely new sector.
Eleven years ago, the insect industry was very much in its infancy, with no legislation for use in animal feed, and with mealworms ‘being grown in a cardboard box’, Aarts said.
Now, Protix sells products in fifteen countries. Last year it posted revenue growth of 400% to around €7 million.
“On all fronts, we have been able to create a switch from a hobby industry to a serious ingredient and nutrition industry,” said Aarts, who came up with the idea for an insect company during a trip to Mozambique in 2009.
No fish whatsoever
During the first two days of a diving trip to the African country, Aarts, then a management consultant at McKinsey, had spotted eight whale sharks. But when he went to a different diving site the next day, he saw no fish whatsoever.
That night, Aarts had an epiphany that would change his life and create an entirely new industry: with overfishing linked to food and feed production, how about producing an alternative source of protein from insects?
A couple of months later, Aarts and his colleague at McKinsey, Arsiwalla, quit their well-paid consultant jobs to breed insects.
Initially run from Arsiwalla’s attic in Amsterdam, Protix envisaged using local food waste as feed for insects, which would, in turn, be used as sustainable proteins for animals such as fish or poultry, thus replacing non-sustainable protein like fishmeal or soy.
“We are always looking for companies who can make a difference”
In the decade that followed, Protix developed new technologies, established an intellectual property portfolio and was instrumental in creating new legislation.
In 2012, Aarts and Arsiwalla also co-founded the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) that succesfully represents the interests of the insect production sector towards EU policy makers.
The Dutch founders’ pioneering spirit attracted Rabo Corporate Investments (RCI) to Protix. “We are always looking for companies who can make a difference,” Arjan van der Hout, associate director at RCI, said in an interview via video call.
“And Protix is unique because it is such a pioneer in a really new industry.”
More productive than algae
Protix mainly produces larvae from the Black soldier fly, which is most suitable to grow on by-products and food waste.
Its products range from ingredients for pets, animals, fish and chicken feed to foods and snacks for humans, including consumer brands such as Oerei, Friendly Fish and Enough.
Its new factory has a production capacity of more than 5,000 tonnes of protein per hectare per year. That’s 1,000 times more productive than a soybean field and a 100 times more productive than an algae farm.
Addressing two very big problems
“The beauty of the concept of insects is that it addresses two very big problems,” said Van der Hout. “There is going to be a lot more demand for protein globally.”
“But the way protein is produced has some issues, especially if you look at animal protein from beef or pork. The impact in terms of water and land is very high. Insects are much more efficient.”
“Second, it also tackles food waste, it’s a very circular concept. The insects use waste streams from other industries. It tackles a combination of problems, and that’s what makes it interesting for us.”
And finally, the international expansion plans of Protix – Aarts said it aims to have “two or three” large production facilities up and running in the next four to five years – also appealed.
“For us as investors, it’s important that you can roll this out on a large scale,” said Van der Hout.
Overturning European ban
RCI works closely with the companies it invests in. “The relationship is all about where we can strengthen each other,” said Van der Hout, adding that one of its people will often join the supervisory board.
“We have a very large team of agrifood analysts who also monitor the insect market and the end markets, so we can help with that.”
The relationship with another early investor, BOM Brabant Ventures, is equally strong. When Protix needed help trying to overturn a European ban on the use of insect protein in fish feed in 2010, the southern Dutch province of Brabant and its development agency made its legal department and vast network in Brussels available to Aarts and Arsiwalla.
That support, when Protix was still a startup, made all the difference, Aarts said. The ban was lifted in 2017, enabling Protix to raise €45 million to build its new factory in Bergen op Zoom.
Search for new investors
In the next four to five years, Protix aims to raise between €200 million to €250 million from investors to fulfil its expansion plans, Aarts said.
“We have always approached investors ourselves. But since we reached the milestone of achieving 100% production capacity, we will intensify the search for investors. For example, we will add an investor relations department to our organisation,” he said.
“We now really want to focus entirely on the really serious financiers: the larger family office and ESG investors who can help handle our capital-intensive agenda and who can also help develop acceleration and decisiveness with their money, enabling more financial structuring.”
For Aarts, who has written a book called The Footprintarian about moving to a low footprint society, the world is at a tipping point.
“I am still an optimist but we don’t have much time left,” he said. “The difference between future or failure will be determined by the resource allocation in the next ten to twenty years.”


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Samsung has announced their collaboration with AMD a few months back and now they are bring AMD RDNA2 architecture for the GPU to be used on Exynos processor.
— Samsung Semiconductor (@SamsungDSGlobal) December 30, 2021
RDNA 2 architecture is designed by AMD which is mostly used on AMD graphics chipset such as the RX6000 series graphic card along with the GPU used in PS5. The equivalent of the GPU will be added to the Exynos 2200 SoCs.
The Exynos 2200 is the current update from the 2100 series which would be subsequently used on Galaxy S22 series. This means the Exynos GPU will have massive performance upgrade when its launched.


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Sony unveiled two pro-level devices yesterday, starting with a $2,500 smartphone (no, it doesn’t fold or roll up). Teased in early 2020, the Xperia Pro is for video professionals working in the field, especially those who might use its mmWave 5G connection to stream events.
Unlike the standard Xperia 1 ii, the Pro model packs a four-way beamforming antenna for improved network performance and has a handy network strength visualizer that shows users where the most stable signal is — a “5G radar” as Chris Velazco puts it. Apart from that, though, it’s an upgraded Xperia 1 II.
Then there’s the Sony A1, its top-end still and video camera for prosumers. With a next-gen full-frame 50-megapixel sensor and the company’s image-processing technology, it seems to have everything it needs to put the frighteners on Nikon and Canon. Again.
It can easily take on Canon’s R5, but it comes at a significantly higher price: $6,500. The stand-out feature could well be its speed. It can shoot 50.1-megapixel images at up to 30 fps, with both autofocus and auto-exposure enabled. At those speeds, you can capture up to 155 compressed RAW files before the buffer fills — perfect for capturing crucial action moments or speedy animals. Naturally, there are no shortage of video features — read all about those here — suggesting the A1 may well be Sony’s best still and video camera when it launches.
And yes, you can use it with your new $2,500 smartphone.
— Mat Smith
There’s also a new strap and a focus on Black voices across its services.
Apple is launching a limited-edition smartwatch for Black History Month, blending capitalism and activism with all the sensitivity you’d expect from a trillion-dollar corporation. The Apple Watch Black Unity Collection features the words "Black Unity" etched on to the back crystal, and it’ll be accompanied by a new Watch Sport Band and Watch face.
Apple didn’t say if it will donate a percentage of sales or a set amount, but the company is supporting six global equality and civil rights organizations, including the Black Lives Matter Support Fund via the Tides Foundation, European Network Against Racism and the International Institute on Race.
The Apple Watch Series 6 Black Unity ($399 for the GPS model and $499 for the cellular version) and the Black Unity Sport Band ($49) will be available from February 1st.
WarnerMedia's dual-release strategy for 2021 is settling in.
It appears Legendary Pictures got over its issues with WarnerMedia’s plan to release 2021 flicks on streaming and in theaters at the same time. Its kaiju battle movie now has a new trailer and a release date of March 31st. Viewers can choose between 2D or 3D theatrical showings or 4K HDR streaming via HBO Max.
There’s a watchOS update, too.
Apple has started rolling out iOS 14.4 to iPhone and iPad users. While not as meaty of an update as iOS 14.3, it has a handful of small enhancements. More importantly, it fixes three security issues that are already being exploited in the wild, so go update your device ASAP.
With the update, you’ll be able to designate the type of third-party audio devices you’ve connected to your iPhone through Bluetooth. That will help your iPhone properly measure your headphone audio levels, so it can send alerts if your Taylor Swift playlist is blasting too loud.
It also fixes artifact-laced HDR photos captured by the iPhone 12 Pro and keyboard lag that some iPhone users have noted since the launch of iOS 14. The accompanying watchOS update includes the company’s new Time to Walk feature on Fitness+ (although that was already live) and a new Unity watch face.
It uses a database of 500 million user credentials and a Telegram bot.
A cybercrime forum is selling access to a database reportedly containing 500 million users’ private information. It uses data pulled from Facebook more than two years ago, which contains people’s phone numbers. It added that would-be stalkers can use an automated bot for (messaging app) Telegram, which enables hackers to look up those numbers to tie them to an identity. Motherboard tested the bot for itself and found it could identify the number of a user who opted to keep their phone number private. Facebook is said to have confirmed the data breach is real and that it concerns a security issue resolved in August 2019.


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- Articles tagged "lifelog"
First announced at last month's Consumer Electronics Show 2014, Sony revealed at Mobile World Congress 2014 that it would be available worldwide from March 2014. We dropped by the Sony booth for a closer look. Here's our initial impressions of the SmartBand SWR10 and the Lifelog application.
- The new Synology RT1900ac router was probably designed with parents in mind (Updated!)
- Pebble Time smartwatch now available in Singapore
- The Star Wars universe now fits in your pocket with this app
- Need steady handheld 4K videos? The new DJI OSMO might be just the thing for you.
- This is how the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet keeps its cool
- GrabTaxi rolls out number masking for better booking privacy
- Facebook expands Like button with new Reactions emoji
- Facebook Messenger updated to support Apple Watch and multitasking on the iPad


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Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said the government, through MIDA, looks forward to leveraging the competitive incentives in Budget 2021 to scout and entice more investors, both local and foreign. KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recorded a total of RM109.8 billion worth of approved investments in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors for the first nine months of this year, said the International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI). The manufacturing sector contributed RM65.3 billion or 59.5 per cent, followed by services (RM42.8 billion or 39.0 per cent) and primary sector (RM1.7 billion or 1.5 per cent), it said. "These investments involved 2,935 projects and will create 64,701 job opportunities in Malaysia,,
buyappleacc.com provides US/CN/CA and japan Apple Developer account for sale, selling Apple Developer account for very long time, visit us for try.


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U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran will sure need a several month period in order to take effect. However, global shipping operators have already started their withdrawal from the big oil-exporter, The Wall Street Journal informed.
Denmark’s Maersk Line and Swiss-based Mediterranean Shipping Co., two of the world’s biggest shipping lines, issued statements in which they announce their reduction of general cargo shipments, while tanker owners said they are preparing to relocate their vessels to other oil-producing countries in the Middle East or West Africa.
“I don’t think any shipping line that operates globally will be able to do business in Iran if the sanctions arrive in full force, the way they are intended,” said Soren Skou, Maersk’s chief executive.
Maersk and MSC have been moving everything from electronics and household goods to food and heavy machinery to Iran. Skou said Maersk’s Iran operations are small, but with an Iranian population of 80 million, carriers heralded the lifting of earlier sanctions in 2016 as the opening of an important Middle East trade destination.
The Trump administration ordered the industry to curb operations in Iran until early November. Additionally, the sanctions will have a great impact on the ship-insurance premiums, lines of credit for moving cargo, and ship-fuel suppliers.
Removing Iran from the service map for crude carriers will immensely affect the world’s tanker operators. Shipowners in this area of work have suffered from a surplus of global capacity and now will see the world’s fifth-biggest oil producer left out from their market. Five percent of the global output comes from Iran and the majority of Iran’s oil finds its way to China, Japan, India and South Korea.
Shipowners in China, which account for purchasing around 650,000 barrels of Iranian crude a day, claimed that they expect Iran’s overall daily crude shipments to decrease by more than half.
“We won’t dare to risk any violations as we also have a bulk of our business involving shipping oil between the U.S. to the Far East,” said a senior executive of a China state-owned oil-shipping major who asked not to be named. “What concerns us is that our ships won’t be able to sail to the U.S.”


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News: Mobile Phones
Tuesday, 21 Apr 2015
Sony just unveiled the 5.2-inch Xperia Z4 hours ago. While it is a model exclusive to the Japanese market, rumor has it that Sony is planning to launch another flagship smartphone for the global market by the end of May. Read on to find out more.
Re/code reports that Nokia is planning to make a return to the phone market next year. It also has several ambitious tech projects, some of which are in the realm of virtual reality. Read on to find out more.
Monday, 20 Apr 2015
According to rumors, Apple will use its Apple Watch's hardened aluminum in its next iPhone to lay "bendgate" issues to rest once and for all.
Two drunken roommates were in a heated argument over two smartphone models and ended up stabbing each other. Can you guess which are the two smartphone models?
Xiaomi adds a new member to the Mi Note family - the Mi Note Black Edition. The limited edition model was announced by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun and Chinese singer Jason Zhang. Hit the link to find out more about this exclusive Mi Note model.
Thursday, 16 Apr 2015
Bloomberg reports that the next generation flagship smartphone from Chinese company OnePlus will be unveiled in Q3 while a cheaper model is scheduled for launch before the end of the year.
Wednesday, 15 Apr 2015
Quoting information provided by a Samsung official, Yonhap News reported that Samsung is on track to hit record sales numbers for its Galaxy S6 models in Korea. Read on to find out more.
Monday, 13 Apr 2015
Xiaomi has just announced that it has set a new Guinness World Record for most mobile phones sold on a mobile platform in 24 hours.
Wednesday, 8 Apr 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are now available for purchase online via Lazada.
Intel has announced plans to extend its Atom x3 processor roadmap to IoT devices at IDF 2015 in Shenzhen. And in order to mark its 30 years in China, the company has also unveiled the Intel Mass Makerspace Accelerator Program to find and fund China's next global entrepreneurs.


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Då kan vi summera årets upplaga av Cykelvasan 2017. Som vanligt ett hektiskt och härligt evenemang med massor av händelser. I år slogs ytterligare rekord med totalt 24 000 cyklister anmälda och över 21 000 som tog sig i mål (ännu inga officiella siffror)!
While out cruising some of the best trails in Europe, UK Singletrack magazine took the opportunity to come and visit our R&D department in Magstadt to get the latest scoop on our 2018 full suspension bikes (as well as other future projects) and to get a first ride on our all new ONE-FORTY.
With this, we would like to announce the complete recall of selected 2017 SCULTURA forks to ensure the safety of our customers. We deeply regret this recall but the safety of our customers is our main priority.
Our CX 600 has been tested by the editorial crew of New Zealand Road Cycling Magazine and has been given some very positive feedback on its outstanding versatility, specification, outstanding looks and riding characteristics.
Our award winning e-enduro bike – the eONE-SIXTY 900E has managed to secure a further test win, this time in the 08/2017 issue of German mountain bike magazine powerhouse MOUNTAINBIKE.
Our new mid travel bike – the ONE-FORTY – that fills the gap in our ‘Float Link’ suspension line-up between the ONE-TWENTY and ONE-SIXTY has broken cover.


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A SUPERMARKET giant has withdrawn its plans to build a store in north west Wales after problems over highways.
Tesco had had an application to build a branch in Machynlleth. It is the second time that Tesco has withdrawn its plans for a Machynlleth store, which opponents claim would hit trade in existing shops. The company withdrew an earlier application in 2010 over road safety issues.
A Tesco spokesman said yesterday: “We have decided to withdraw our planning application for a new Tesco superstore in Machynlleth as we were unable to reach agreement on a highways solution. We are always looking for new sites to invest in throughout Wales and our stores are popular with our customers. We are proud to be strong supporters of the Welsh economy. We realise local people will be disappointed with the news but know they will continue to have excellent stores in Porthmadog and


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Both concepts were showcased at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2017. Ignis Motocrosser Style, Swift Racer RS conceptsSuzuki Japanese carmaker Suzuki has... ...http://www.ibtimes.co.in/ignis-motocrosser-style-swift-racer-rs-concepts-pay-tributes-suzukis-motorsport-teams-712750
Toyota all electric vehicle FCV Plus concept car is displayed during 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show TOKYO: Toyota Motor Corp on Tuesday said it would... ...http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/passenger-vehicle/cars/toyota-motor-to-start-testing-fuel-cell-vehicles-in-uae/56621844?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=ETRSS
GlobeNewswire 2017-01-16 MALVERN, Pa., Jan. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE:VSH) today announced its product... ...http://www.bizwireexpress.com/showstoryGNW.php?storyid=151087
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Jan. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DENSO, a global automotive supplier with its North American headquarters in Southfield, Michigan,... ...http://www.itnewsonline.com/prnewswire/DENSO-continues-strong-commitment-in-2017-to-FIRST-Robotics-and-STEM-education/470643
It may sound surreal that Japanese carmaker, Honda's globally renowned Civic sedan, is going to be reintroduced in its home country after an... ...https://www.carwale.com/news//news/honda-civic-sedan-going-back-to-japan-after-seven-years-26620/?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=sponsorship&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=allaboutcars
The manufacturing version of the...
Mitsubishi Pajero is very popular SUV...


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A business-to-business gem and jade trading platform debuted on Thursday on the Guangzhou Commodity Exchange, aiming to establish standardized and trustworthy trading processes in an industry that lacks transparency.
Dealers have suffered financing issues, Yu Hongbin, president of trading center operator Beijing Jin Dian Pai Information Technology Co., Ltd. (JDP), told EJ Insight in Guangzhou after the launch ceremony.
Non-standard commodities such as jade products are usually traded over the counter but confusing pricing rules and counterfeiting issues have made such products unwelcome by risk control departments in major financial institutions, pushing up capital costs, he said.
Standards do exist among business insiders but the problem is there is no commonly recognized system, a jade product investor, surnamed Zhou, said.
Guangdong is an ideal place to push trading standardization of the industry.
The gem industry in Guangdong province was worth more than 300 billion yuan (US$48.32 billion) in 2013, accounting for more than two-thirds of the country’s market, according to the Jewelry Trade Association of China.
In that time, overall retail sales in the jewelry industry were 470 billion yuan.
The platform will provide a digital identity for every listed item and certified by third-party accreditation bodies such as the Guangdong Provincial Jewelry Testing Center. Professional buyers and major distributors will be invited to give evaluation references.
The members-only online trading platform mainly serves gem and jade manufacturers and processors among other mid-stream enterprises.
On Thursday, the Guangzhou branch of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank signed an agreement to extend a 2 billion yuan loan quota to member companies.
Yu said the Guangdong branches of Hua Xia Bank and Minsheng Banking Corp. may soon join the scheme. Another 30 financial institutions have expressed their intention to cooperate.
Yu expects to help members get 10 billion yuan in bank financing this year.
China Assurance Finance Group Ltd. (CAF, 08090.HK), a provider of corporate credit guarantee services and performance guarantee services to small businesses, injected 12 million yuan into JDP last year for a 60 percent stake.
Nixon Pang, CAF vice chairman, said a standardized trading process for non-standard commodities has great potential as it will benefit the overall development of the industry in the long run while creating demand for various financial services across the industrial chain.
The gem and jade trading center is the first step in that direction. Pang is confident the platform will break even no later than the first half of 2016.
CAF may launch similar trading platforms for agar wood and stamps later this year.
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