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The owner of Astrid & Miyu has announced the first small companies to take part in her complimentary Business Accelerator Programme as her own business reports 100% online sales growth for 2020 so far.
Wanting to give something back and support small independent businesses during the pandemic, Astrid & Miyu (A&M) founder, Connie Nam, decided to launch a free mentorship programme.
Initially working with three companies for three months, alcohol brand Collagin, accessory and lifestyle brand, Sun & Day, and workbag business, AMZA, have been chosen for the Business Accelerator Programme.
A&M founder and CEO Connie Nam, ex-investment banker and entrepreneur, will help the three young business owners navigate the current COVID-19 crisis and beyond by focusing on her three core pillars for success.
The first month will focus on developing the vision of the businesses and long-term goals; the second month will be centred on brand positioning, go-to market strategies and financial planning; while the final third will look at refining financial reporting. Each founder will have a virtual one-to-one session with the jewellery business owner each month with a bespoke programme established to help each business reach its maximum potential.
Nam launched A&M alone from her kitchen table eight years ago and now runs a business with six retails stores, a turnover of £10m and 80 staff. The first store launched in 2015 with in-store piercing introduced in 2018 and tattooing last year, leading to 350% growth in physical retail.
She intends to expand nationally and internationally with target locations including Brighton, Manchester, Edinburgh and New York, where the business already has a loyal customer base following a series of store pop-ups last year. Meanwhile, online sales have increased 100% so far in 2020 following a focus on experiential shopping and online stylists.
Explaining the idea behind the programme, she said: “Launching Astrid and Miyu was a lonely journey – literally because I was working on my own and figuratively because nobody could really understand what I was going through.
“We are lucky that the business we are in a strong position and will survive the current crisis, but it struck me how much kindness and resilience we have seen for our customers, suppliers and network and as a result of the pandemic. I wanted to give back and that led me to launch the Astrid & Miyu Business Accelerator Programme so I can share my experience and help young business founders navigate this uncertain period.”
The three successful businesses were chosen for their personal drivers, go-to market strategy, soundness of financial planning and realistic longevity.
Collagin’s co-founder Liz Beswick, whose gin brand is modelled on fashion and lifestyle brands, says of the mentorship: “I jumped at the chance to be involved in this initiative. By generously offering up her time, contacts and skills, Connie is not only opening doors for us but also changing our mindset, approach and goals.”
Ariadna Pui, co-founder of AMZA agrees: “During this uncertain time, Connie’s inspiring story, experience and generosity is proving to be invaluable for us.”
Also on the programme, founder of Sun & Day Kim Reddish, adds: “Connie’s advice has been very insightful and challenged the way I think about my current business model, preparing for how to adapt to the crisis and strengthen our small business for the future.”
The Astrid & Miyu founder hopes to help other small businesses in the future as well.


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Samsung is looking to step up their game after repeated declines in sales, and a declining position in the smartphone market. That said, the overhaul that is being dubbed “Project Zero” is beginning to get a lot of attention, and most notably, the first round of rumors have hit the internet, and are taking the digital world by storm.
That said, the first and latest batch of rumors include a Quad HD display, like what is seen on the Galaxy Note 4. The storage choices are rumored to be 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB for this upcoming device expected potentially as soon as April 2015. Rumors also suggest that the device will be powered by an Octa-Core Exynos 7420 processor, which will include four Cortex A53 and Cortex A57 cores respectively, toting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor. The camera is expected to be upgraded to the 16-20MP range for the rear-facing camera and include a 5MP camera in the front of the device. In addition, the device is said to be focusing on efficiency, especially when it comes to battery life – where previous models – and smartphones in general have historically struggled. The rumor is that Samsung will achieve this through optimization of chipsets, and functionality within the phone to better appropriate energy throughout the device, and conserve energy where needed.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs. Apple iPhone 6 Plus: Specs and Features
From a design perspective, with the heavy changes and updates to the interior the device will also see changes on the devices exterior. According to rumors, customers will no longer have to contend with a plastic body, as the new S6 will boast a fully metal exterior.
Customers have spoken over the last several years, and both Samsung and Apple have begun seeing their numbers from a market share perspective be challenged by Chinese companies. The point is that moving forward, Samsung isn’t reaching back into the usual bag of tricks to coax new buyers and re-attract loyal customers. They’re reaching into uncharted territory, and are searching for the next thing that can rival any smartphone in the market – not just the iPhone of 2014 or 2015.
While the rumors will continue to move around, and likely evolve as time goes on, and the launch gets closer, and closer this spring – the internet will have the opportunity to slowly learn more and more about what Samsung is referring to as “Project Zero.”

domain: news


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Intuit Teams With CyberBills
Page 1 of 1
This agreement will enable consumers to receive and pay all of their bills at a single site on the Web at Quicken.com, Intuit said. By integrating the two services, Quicken.com will be able to offer online bills direct from the biller as well as the ability to manage paper bills online.
CyberBills' service allows consumers to view, pay, control and automate all of their bills over the Internet.
Portions of the "pay anyone" bill payment and presentment service will be integrated into the same interface Quicken.com users employ to manage their finances. Financial arrangements between the companies were not disclosed.
"As the pioneer of total bill presentment and payment over the Internet, CyberBills brings the consumer the same kind of enhanced and streamlined financial service that we are known for," said Intuit senior vice president and chief technology officer Eric Dunn.
"This partnership is a major step forward in Intuit's strategy to provide consumers with convenient and easy ways to manage their bills and finances on the Web."
CyberBills' Total Bill Management service allows consumers, via the Web, to see their bills as they would appear on paper and fully automate their payments.
Founded in 1998, CyberBills has developed and deployed methods and technology to support a single interface that allows consumers to view, pay, manage and automate all of their bills over the Internet.
CyberBills offers its service directly to consumers at StatusFactory.com.
Intuit markets the personal finance software Quicken; TurboTax, a tax preparation software; and QuickBooks, a small business accounting software.


text: August Wine Group has launched a new line of Italian wine spritzers. The Sprizzerí range ($15 a 4-pack of 250-ml. cans) comes in three flavors: Classico, flavored with orange and bitters; Lime and Elderflower; and Secco Rosé. Each is made from an Italian wine base with added flavors. The 5.5% abv spritzers are available nationwide. For more information, visit Enjoysmall.com.


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Brussels inquiry into price of CDs
Music companies are suspected by the European Commission of keeping prices deliberately high
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The European Commission is to launch an investigation into suspected price fixing of CDs in the European Union.
An EC spokeswoman confirmed on Friday that an inquiry would begin into the world's leading music companies suspected of fixing artificially high prices in the EU.
The British Consumers' Association welcomed the news and said it was a sign regulators were putting the interests of consumers ahead of those of major companies.
The Commission has sent letters to the five biggest companies, EMI Group, Bertelsmann, Time Warner, Sony, and Vivendi Universal in relation to the inquiry, spokeswoman Amelia Torres said.
| CNN.com Europe|
The investigation follows an agreement last year between the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the major music companies to end policies which the commission claimed had led to higher CD prices.
"We welcome the Commission's move as a clear signal that European regulators are finally putting the interests of Europe's consumers ahead of global companies," the Consumers' Association's Principal Policy Adviser Phil Evans said.
"The Consumers' Association, like many of its sister organisations in Europe, have complained about price discrimination in the CD market for years."
"Labels have divided up the world market and priced to whatever level each market bears. Unfortunately it appears they have also been able to discourage parallel trade in their goods which means that they effectively decide what the market bears," Evans said.
He added that the Consumers' Association expected that companies found guilty of a price fixing policy would be forced to pay heavy fines.
"If the Commission does find evidence of cartel behaviour we would expect severe fines to be levied."
Torres said the investigation, which still has no evidence against the companies, was triggered by the similar probe into the same companies last year by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC estimated during the inquiry that the policies had forced U.S. consumers to pay as much as $480 million more than they should have for CDs and other music.
The agreement placed a seven-year ban on permitting the recording companies from offering "minimum advertising price" (MAP) programmes to retail record stores.
Under the programmes, music producers pay some or all of the costs for retail music stores to advertise particular albums. In return, the record stores agree to advertise the albums for a set price and no lower.
U.S. States charge Big Music with price-fixing
Aug. 9, 2000
FTC forces music CD pricing reform
May 10, 2000
The European Commission
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Agri-Fusion’s four owners of Quebec largest organic farm never looked back at their choice to go organic. Whether it’s wheat, corn, soybeans, beans or peas, organic crops earn them twice as much per acre as conventional crops, and they cost much less to produce.
It’s a point I heard again from 67-year-old Gilles Audette, one of those four founders. Audette is a passionate man, and he showed it when we met in the cafeteria of the company’s grain centre, where he was moving into his office in the company’s brand new 14,000-sq. ft. headquarters, completed on budget at a cost of $3 million.
Located at St-Polycarpe, about one hour from Montreal, Agri-Fusion has 5,500 acres under cultivation.
Audette is still burning the organic flame, although the farm converted to organic in 2004 for a reason that may surprise many purists. It was all driven by the arithmetic that started with a challenge they gave themselves: How could they boost their profitability.
The four owners got out their pocket calculators and started running the scenarios.
Nor was this the first time. Agri-Fusion was born in 2000 because its members came together looking for a more affordable way to get access to a topnotch fleet of machinery.
When the four farmers looked at the new, high productivity machinery being developed by the major manufacturers, they all had the same thought, Audette says. “Quebec’s farm size does not justify the price and the size.”
But by forming a partnership, they were able, for instance, to run a new tractor 1,200 hours a year at a cost of $17 per hour, rather than the 250 hours at $75 per hour that Audette would have faced if he had tried to acquire it on his own.
To make it work, however, Agri-Fusion began running like a single big farm. All is shared, with the exception of the land, which stays in the hands of each of the four owners.
Income and expenses are shared each year according to land ownership.
Then, four years after the launch of Agri-Fusion, when the group was looking for a more dependable way to boost their net cropping returns, and when the organic discussion came up, their numbers showed that the economic gain from organic crops was hands-down superior to conventional crops.
Even if the organic crops yielded only half of conventional crops, the price given for organic grain would see them break even.
There was still some skepticism. Could the numbers on paper actually be reproduced in the field?
“We had now to convert these budgets from Excel tables to the fields,” Audette recalls. But from that first year in organic production, the results always beat expectations.
So, what are their yields like? Audette replies, “We don’t think in terms of tonnes per hectare but in dollars per hectare,” which has become a sort of motto for the company.
For instance, organic corn yields are 80 per cent of conventional corn. But that begs the question: Which is more profitable, to harvest 12 tonnes per hectare of conventional corn at $200 per tonne, or to harvest 9.1 tonnes of organic corn at $525?
“We get double income in organic… $4,800 per hectare versus $2,400 in conventional,” Audette says.
The spread of income is even larger for soybeans where there is little or no difference in yields between organic and conventional, says Audette. But organic soybeans are priced at $1,100 per tonne compared to $450 for conventional, which means a gross of $3,410 per hectare for organice versus $1,395 for conventional.
Moreover, says this producer, organic crops are less costly to produce. “We save near $1.5 million in seeds, fertilizers and pesticides,” he says.
“But is there no down side to organic?” I ask.
It turns out that there is, and it can be a serious one.
“In organic production,” Audette says, “there is no room for error.”
A gradual step
It takes three years to transition a field from conventional production to certified organic, and there must be a good paper trail along the way. Ecocert is the organization which certified Agri-Fusion’s organic practices.
Agri-Fusion owners embraced organic production gradually, slowly increasing the number of hectares under cultivation year after year. This transition has allowed for the learning of new practices as well as spreading the risks.
In order to put the odds in their favour, the group did extensive land drainage and surface levelling. (In 2015 alone, they invested $650,000 to install 350 km of farm drains in nine different locations, on land which is mostly clay.)
From 130 hectares certified organic in 2006, Agri-Fusion fields were all organic in 2016, 10 years later.
Once the land is in good condition, Audette says they had to learn how to win what he considers the No. 1 threat in organic… weeds! “The Americans have forgotten the use of mechanical weeding. They rely only on GMO and Roundup. We look to the Europeans to get the proper machinery,” says Audette.
That helps explain why Agri-Fusion’s machinery inventory has climbed $5 to $6 million, including a 12-metre Lemken seeder which allows narrow seeding, a favoured technique to overcome weeds.
Another star in the machinery shed is the Einböck cultivator tined weeder guided by GPS. Equipped with cameras, it films the corn plants at stages from two to six leaves and allows the removal of weeds with an incredible precision. This versatile cultivator can be used in any crops which are seeded at 30 inches, including corn and beans. “Beans love to be weeded,” says Audette. It’s part of the reason, he believes, why organic bean at 10 t/ha are outyielding conventional beans at 8.5 tonnes.
During our interview, Audette makes sure I know that it took three years and an investment of $250,000 to convince the French multinational and king of frozen vegetables, Bonduelle, to get involved in organic production, its first such contract in North America.
“The company was afraid that the yields would not be there. We proved the contrary,” says Audette. Baby foods made of organic vegetable puree are a huge hit on the market. And Agri-Fusion intends to grow 450 ha of vegetables for Bonduelle this year.
Crop rotation, nitrogen, soil compaction and tilling
Agri-Fusion grows eight crops in a four-year corn, soybean, vegetables and cereal rotation. But the farm has stopped wheat production even though yields reached four t/ha with a 13.5 per cent protein content following a bean crop the previous year. “We have two strikes against us. First, we have a humid climate which favours the development of fusarium. And second, it is difficult to supply the crop with sufficient nitrogen to obtain more than 12.5 per cent protein content,” Audette explains. However, he has replaced those acres with spelt, which is sold at a very good price to a mill in Utah before getting to California, the organic magnet that defines food tastes in North America.
To avoid the introduction of lethal fungus such as sclerotinia, Audette mentions that they will never seed more than 40 per cent of the farm land in legume plants such as soys, beans or peas.
Audette also finds that apart from the weeding, organic production faces two other big challenges. The first one being to ensure a proper nitrogen supply to the crops.
Agri-Fusion uses poultry manure and cover crops, but for the last two years they have also spread fresh chopped alfalfa and clover to fertilize the fields. “The quality of this silage must be as good as the one you would serve to a cow which produces 50 kg of milk per day,” Audette says.
The other crucial challenge is to avoid soil compaction from the high number of machinery passes. For example, in order to properly weed corn or other crops, you can count on an average of seven trips, and then, there is the mandatory tilling operation in organic production, which is done two out of three years. “This is not the best agricultural practice, but in organic production we do not have another alternative for the moment,” says Jofroi Desperrier, a young agronomist who has been hired by Agri-Fusion.
The future belongs to the young
Audette sees a bright future for Agri-Fusion. “We do not depend on seed and agrochemical companies. We harvest and select our own seed, and there is an increasing demand for our products,” he says. The only bad news was the death of one of the four founders killed in a motorcycle accident in 2006.
By keeping the ownership of their land, each musketeer or his descendant is guaranteed an income that no other investment in a stock exchange can offer.
“The land is the most precious asset that a man can possess,” Audette says.
To keep thriving, Agri-Fusion, has hired five young talented directors such as Desperrier as well as experts in machinery, agronomoy and human resources. The company now has 25 full-time employees.
“These young lads will bring our enterprise to another level,” says Audette. The company finished fourth place in the bronze medal category in the 2015 contest of the Ordre national du mérite agricole du Québec.
The next step, says Audette, is to hire a general manager. But Audette isn’t retiring, so the manager’s office, he tells me, will be next to his own.


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The search for Miss University Nigeria 2013 has begun with 60 Nigerian University Queens vying for the prestigious crown "MISS UNIVERSITY NIGERIA 2013.
Winner walks away with the cash prize of 1.5
Million Naira, a brand new Honda CRV Jeep 2012, becomes a UN ambassador
and represents Nigeria at the Miss University Africa Pageant in
Meet the contestants:


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Google has just released a line of new cases accessories for its latest Nexus smartphone. Available now from its online store, users will have five colors to choose from the line up of Snap Cases for the Nexus 5.
The Force is strong with Google. Or at least that's what it would like us to believe. And to prove that, it has put up a selection of items on Google Play Store for a rather tempting discount in order to lure people into the Droid side.
As part of its efforts to move more and more of non-critical functionality to Google's app market system, Sony has published its Background defocus camera mode on Google Play Store. This will make it easier for the manufacturer to iterate over and push changes to the app as fast as it can.
Spring is in the air and Google wants you to remember that fact by holding another one of its sales focusing on game content. In this round, quite a number of premium games have slashed their normal prices to a range starting from $1 to just $4.
Samsung might often be in headlines when it comes to gadgets and devices, but the rest of its mobile ecosystem isn't faring as well as it hopes. A study done by Strategy Analytics shows that while Samsung's Galaxy smartphones are faring quite well, its users do not necessarily prefer its own apps and services.
As we recently learned, not all virus scanning apps are created equal. In this case we're talking about the Virus Shield app, which wasn't actually scanning anything. The app had been selling for $3.99 and while it was removed from the Play Store on April 6th, reports from Appbrain show it had been downloaded more than 30,000 times.
We've already heard word of an Android 4.4.3 update already in the works, but now we're seeing hints that the release might be coming soon. An app maintained by Google under its Education endeavor was just updated to add, among other things, support for Android 4.4.3.
Google Play Store worldwide downloads are now exceeding iOS App Store downloads by roughly 45 percent. But while downloads are higher in the Play Store, it seems the iOS App Store is generating more revenue. These details, amongst others, are coming by way of the latest App Annie Market Index report.
Our home entertainment systems and mobile devices are all converging in more ways than one. While gadgets like the Google Chromecast aim to bring the mobile platform to TVs via an addon, Philips is taking Android and putting it right in the very heart of its 8000 series of smart TVs.
Just when we were feeling a bit sorry for HTC after leaks have almost taken away all possible surprises for its upcoming smartphone, the company itself "leaks" out on its own. Now available on Google Play Store are two crucial pieces of HTC's software ecosystem, the BlinkFeed launcher and a rather mysterious Service Pack.


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Being one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world is not enough for the city of Dubai. Becoming the world’s first blockchain-powered city is a priority for many organizations.
Ledger has finally revealed their plans to go mobile. Once the Nano X goes on sale, it will work perfectly with mobile devices. Users will enjoy a majority of improvements.
The Fortnite Store has recently allowed players to purchase goods with Monero. The most popular game in the world chose Monero over Bitcoin due to privacy concerns.
Crypto services are simply not offering users enough at the moment. The blockchain UX is in dire need of urgent improvements which we will begin seeing this year.
Waves Platform is a Blockchain network that managed to easily raise $120 million in a single funding round. The funds are enough and Waves are ready to release their private Blockchain – Vostok.
Blockchain games are still in a relatively experimental phase. When they go mainstream however, business models will inevitably have to change


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Tom’s Hardware is reporting that Microsoft registered a handful of domain names along with its intended Microsoft Vista domain. One of these domains is windowsruby.com! Seriously, that can’t happen. It’ll wash the one-click installer out of the ranks. (And confuse the entire Earth.) Also note: MS has used the name before.
Oh and they also registered windowssapphire.com. So it looks like Windows is going the Pokemon route. (Many coats to Andrew for sending this in!)


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Dalton woman arrested for identity fraud
DALTON, GA. (WRCB)-- The Dalton Police Department arrested Deloris Annette Barnett Tuesday and charged her with 1st degree forgery, financial transaction card fraud, identity fraud, and theft by conversion.
The charges are connected to an investigation into discrepancies with bank accounts and credit card accounts of her former employer, Dalton Family Practice.
Barnett was employed as the practice's office manager.
Barnett is currently free on bond.
The investigation began on August 30th when the owner of Dalton Family Practice contacted the Dalton Police Department after he began to look into money missing from the company's accounts.
He contacted police after finding a credit card had been issued to the company without his knowledge or authorization.
Investigators determined that the card was in Barnett's possession and was being used to make personal purchases.
Investigators also found evidence that Barnett had paid personal expenses with one of the company's checking accounts.


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The head of the International Monetary Fund called on China on Sunday to implement “a comprehensive package of free-market reforms” to boost a sluggish economy plagued by a housing crisis, low domestic demand and persistently high youth unemployment.
Policymakers in China have so far resisted calls to boost the economy through massive government stimulus, instead emphasizing the need to shift to “high-quality” growth.
Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, said on Sunday at the China Development Forum in Beijing that “the transition from high rates to high-quality growth is the right fork in the road and China is committed to it.”
The Bulgarian economist warned that “this transformation will not be easy” but argued that “with a comprehensive package of market reforms, China could grow significantly faster than a status quo scenario,” according to an official transcript of her speech.
Beijing should take “decisive steps” to reduce the number of unfinished housing and create more room for “market-based corrections” in the important but heavily indebted real estate sector, Georgieva said.
Authorities should also boost “the purchasing power of individuals and families” by strengthening China’s pension system and taking other steps to improve its vast social security apparatus, she added.
Georgieva also urged China to “strengthen the business environment.” [ensure] “a level playing field between private and state-owned companies,” a long-standing demand from foreign business groups operating in the Asian country.
China’s top politicians expressed outward optimism about the economy. Premier Li Qiang said at the forum on Sunday that Beijing will “take practical and effective measures to promote high-quality development and bring positive energy… to the recovery of the global economy.”
But GDP growth rates in China have been trending downward for years, and Beijing this month set an annual target of “around 5 percent” – significantly lower than the rapid expansion rates that have fueled the country’s meteoric rise to prosperity.
Sunday’s forum was attended by some of the world’s best-known business leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook, who said he enjoyed an “excellent” meeting with Li.
“I think China is really opening up and I’m so happy to be here,” the CEO of the U.S.’s biggest smartphone empire told a reporter from CGTN, according to a video posted to one of the state broadcaster’s social media accounts .
In separate comments published online by state broadcaster CCTV, Cook said Apple would continue to increase its investment in research and development in China.
He added that Apple’s flagship mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, will launch in China later this year, according to a social media post that contained his remarks only in Chinese translation.
Cook was in Shanghai this week to open a new Apple Store and discussed the company’s expansion plans in China with the country’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Friday.


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Starbucks plans to close six stores in Los Angeles and 10 other locations in other major cities due to what they say are security issues, including drug use and threatening behavior.
The Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal reported that in addition to closing stores in Los Angeles, six stores in the company’s hometown of Seattle are scheduled to close with two stores in Portland, Oregon, and one each in Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
“After careful consideration, we are closing some stores in locations that have experienced a large volume of challenging events that make it unsafe to continue operating, to open new locations with safer conditions,”[ads1]; Starbucks said in a statement to the Times.
The Los Angeles stores to be closed are located at:
- Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.
- Santa Monica Boulevard and Westmount Drive.
- 1st and Los Angeles streets (inside the DoubleTree hotel).
- Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue.
- Ocean Front Walk and Moss Avenue.
- 2nd and San Pedro streets.
An employee at the Hollywood location refused to speak to The Times.
Two of the Seattle stores have voted to organize, and one of the locations in Portland requested a union vote, the Associated Press reported.
Starbucks officials have said the closures were not related to union work.
“Opening and closing stores is part of our business operations. This is really rooted in safe and inviting stores, “a company official told the Associated Press.
Starbucks said employees will be able to relocate, the Associated Press reported.
The announcement of the closures comes as business leaders raised questions about employee safety in stores.
“You see firsthand the challenges our communities face – personal security, racism, lack of access to health care, a growing mental health crisis, increasing drug use and more,” said Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson, senior vice presidents of US operations. a letter to employees. “With stores in thousands of communities across the country, we know that these challenges can sometimes play out in our stores as well. We read every incident report you submit – it’s a lot.”
Stroud and Nelson said the company would implement a wide range of measures, including de-escalation training, active shooting situations, mental health and first aid, and closing toilets and even entire locations.


text: The Samsung Galaxy S3, despite its detractors, proved to be a pretty popular phone. Despite many complaining about some of its hardware, design, software, etc, there were just as many who flocked to the pre-order pages the minute they went live. Well as it turns out, the Galaxy S3 might be so popular to the point where AT&T could be facing some shipping delays when it comes to the device. According to the AT&T forums (source link below), it has been reported that those who placed their pre-orders are being sent emails notifying them that, “Due to manufacturer supply constraints, your new smartphone will now arrive no later than Monday, June 25th.” At the same time there have been reports that some orders have shipped, but based on the majority of the comments, many AT&T subscribers are facing delays. To our AT&T readers out there who pre-order the Galaxy S3, have you received the email stated above as well, or have you received your device already?


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Bharat Forge, the Pune-based automotive component maker, has been one of the top-performing companies in its segment.
The company’s stock price is up 39.3 per cent since the beginning of the 2023 calendar year, surpassing other leading automotive component makers such as Bosch and Samvardhana Motherson International.
The stock also outperformed the benchmark BSE Sensex, which is up 17.3 per cent year to date so far.
The rally has been driven by investors’ expectations of continued growth in Bharat Forge's bread-and-butter business of automotive forgings and a faster ramp-up of volumes in its relatively newer segments such as defence, mining, and aerospace.
Analysts believe Bharat Forge's diverse product portfolio and customer base provide it with better growth visibility compared to many of its automotive-focused peers.
“With its diverse presence, Bharat Forge is better placed than in its previous cycles to benefit from the ramp-up in domestic and export of passenger and commercial vehicles, and a healthy outlook for industrials with strong order wins in segments such as defence, aerospace, mining, and agriculture,” wrote analysts at Yes Securities post the company's results for the July-September 2023 quarter.
The brokerage expects a healthy ramp-up in its defence business during the rest of FY24.
While the company's standalone volumes were up at a healthy 15 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in Q2FY24, and consolidated net sales were up 22.7 per cent Y-o-Y in the quarter, brokerages say that the overall demand commentary was mixed.
The outlook for the India business remains positive while overseas business growth is anticipated to remain flattish.
This is significant as nearly two-thirds of Bharat Forge's revenues either come from exports from its Indian operations or its subsidiaries in the European Union, North America, and China.
This has led brokerages to trim their forward earnings.
“We cut our Bharat Forge earnings per share estimate for FY24 and FY25 by 8 per cent and 3 per cent respectively to factor in a slower-than-expected ramp-up in overseas subsidiaries,” wrote an analyst at Motilal Oswal Financial Services post the company's Q2FY24 results.
Analysts at Prabhudas Lilladher cut their FY24E earnings for Bharat Forge by 7 per cent due to a miss on revenue and margins at its overseas subsidiaries.
Bharat Forge's consolidated net profit was up 55.7 per cent to Rs 227.23 crore, driven by higher volumes and nearly a 150 basis points improvement in operating margins due to gains from lower metal prices.
The consolidated operating margins were up 150 basis points Y-o-Y to 17.8 per cent of revenues in the second quarter, benefitting from lower metal prices.
In comparison, the company's standalone net profit was up 29 per cent Y-o-Y to Rs 346 crore in Q2FY24, while net sales were up 20.7 per cent Y-o-Y to Rs 2,250 crore during the quarter.
The operating margins at its standalone business were up around 70 basis points Y-o-Y to 28.8 per cent in the second quarter.
Bharat Forge is currently trading at a trailing price-to-earnings multiple of 85.3X and a price-to-book value of 8X, making it one of the most expensive stocks in the automotive space, given its subpar returns on its equity of 9.5 per cent.
Disclaimer: This article is meant for information purposes only. This article and information do not constitute a distribution, an endorsement, an investment advice, an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities/schemes or any other financial products/investment products mentioned in this article to influence the opinion or behaviour of the investors/recipients.
Any use of the information/any investment and investment related decisions of the investors/recipients are at their sole discretion and risk. Any advice herein is made on a general basis and does not take into account the specific investment objectives of the specific person or group of persons. Opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.


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Boots and Neal's Yard are among five companies stocking items certified by Fairtrade Foundation.
The 57 products, which include lip balms, face masks and body butters, are also sold by Bubble and Balm, Essential Care and Lush.
Each item contains at least one Fairtrade-certified ingredient such as cocoa butter, shea nut butter or brazil nut oil.
They cost between £3.50 for a Boots lip balm and £25.10 for Neal's Yard body cream.
It is hoped this new market - which ensures traders are paid a minimum price - will help producers in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The 7.5 million farmers already involved in Fairtrade have spent the income from sales on schools, roads, water supplies and clinics.
The firms behind the products will have a partnership plan to help farmers develop their businesses.
More than 30 per cent of people in the UK say they want Fairtrade cosmetics and sales reached an estimated £700million last year, a 43 per cent rise on 2007.
TV presenter Fearne Cotton, who is backing the campaign, said: "The products make me feel good because I know the farmers are able to improve their lives."
While other products advertise ethical roots, it is the first range to receive official accreditation from Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International. More than 4,500 products carry the certification including flowers and homeware.Reuse content


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San Diego, CA (PRWEB) March 23, 2006
Harbor Credit (http://www.harborcredit.com), the premier resource on automotive and consumer lending, today announced the redesign of its consumer website HarborCredit.com. The site’s focus has been redirected in an effort to meet consumer demand, offering more services exclusive to the automotive industry, including new car, used car, car loan, and car refinance categories. However, customers will still have access to information regarding personal finance services including several loan and credit products; as well as a Resource Center featuring a Blog, how-to articles, and checklists.
Of the news, Harbor Credit President Rob Gaudio said, “This is a bold, but strategic, step for Harbor Credit. The redesign not only enhances the user-experience, but also supports our substantial investment in technology for the auto lead generation industry. We remain dedicated to finding more qualified partners that will help us reach more consumers.”
Harbor Credit is a technology provider for the Affiliate Publisher and Auto Lead Generation industry, offering nationwide dealer coverage for car leads, selling through more than 8,000 dealers. They allow partner sites to brand their own application pages, as well as feed generated leads into an intelligent marketplace that sorts and routes the leads in real-time to the highest paying buyer.
Forthcoming additions to the newly redesigned site also include expanding Harbor Credit’s already wide array of auto resources – more new car and used car reviews, pricing, and photos – all offered in a user-centric design. The ultimate goal is to provide users an intuitive transaction process, featuring a logical decision tool, when purchasing auto-related products.
“This is about simplicity,” Gaudio continued, “The redesigned Harbor Credit still stands on the pillars with which it was founded. We’ve merely expanded on them. And while we continue to grow, the ultimate goal remains the same: make purchasing auto products online simple.”
About Harbor Credit
Harbor Credit is a leading middleware developer that provides technology solutions for the automotive lead generation industry. Our technology offers consumers access to multiple lenders and dealer networks through partnerships with premier automotive and finance websites. It owns and operates HarborCredit.com, a consumer website that features simple, convenient access to nationwide car inventories, qualified dealer quotes, and up-to-date auto and lending information. The site is dedicated to helping consumers make the smartest decisions possible when it comes to buying and selling cars, shopping and applying for financing. For more information, visit http://www.harborcredit.com or call 800.399.4272.
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Europe’s richest man, Bernard Arnault, could be rebuffed in his bid to add US jeweller Tiffany to his luxury goods empire.
The billionaire Frenchman wants the company famed for its diamond engagement rings to become another addition to the host of upmarket brands owned by LVMH, including Bulgari jewellery, Hublot watches and Veuve Clicquot champagne.
The French luxury giant is understood to have approached Tiffany at the start of October with a $14.5bn offer - a premium of about 30pc at the time. Its board is thought to regard the offer as undervaluing the jeweller, the Financial Times reported. LVMH's interest was first reported by Bloomberg.
New York-listed Tiffany was worth $12bn (£9.2bn) at Friday's close following a sharp rise in its shares this year.
That would make the cost of a takeover even more than the $7bn that LVMH paid two years ago to take full control of Christian Dior as Mr Arnault - worth an estimated $102bn - simplified his business interests.
Both LVMH and Tiffany did not respond to requests for comment.
Analysts said a deal for Tiffany would help LVMH expand in the US, reduce the risks of potential tariffs and strengthen its hand in the jewellery category against its upmarket rivals like Richemont.
Bernstein’s Luca Solca said: “The implication for Richemont – if this deal was confirmed and went through - is that it would be facing stronger competitive pressure in its home category. The widely held impression is that Bulgari has gained market share against Cartier in the past few years.
“Combining Bulgari and Tiffany could make LVMH an even stronger contender in jewelry, even if Richemont holds the top brand with Cartier, and probably the best high-end brand with Van Cleef & Arpels.”
The bid interest from LVMH also comes at a time when Tiffany’s sales in Hong Kong have been hit by months of protests.
The jeweller has also been caught up in the trade war between the US and China and seen double-digit declines in sales to Chinese tourists in the US due to sales tax cuts at home.
Tiffany traces its history back to 1837 when Charles Lewis Tiffany opened his first store in New York, later immortalised in the classic 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Audrey Hepburn. It now has more than 300 outlets and 14,000 staff.


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Dick's Sporting Goods has suspended the sale of "modern sporting rifles" in its 511 stores across the country out of respect for the victims of the Newtown massacre, the company said Tuesday.
Dick's, one of the world's largest sporting goods chains, said it was pulling all guns from sale and display at its store closest to Newtown. That store is in Danbury, Conn., according to the company website.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE DAILY NEWS ONLINE PETITION TO BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS
"We are extremely saddened by the unspeakable tragedy that occurred last week in Newtown," the Pittsburgh-based company said in a statement.
"Out of respect for the victims and their families, during this time of national mourning we have removed all guns from sale and from display in our store nearest to Newtown and suspended the sale of modern sporting rifles in all of our stores chainwide."
Dick's would not say which rifles specifically were pulled from the shelves.
ADAM LANZA SMASHED HIS COMPUTER, POLICE SAY
The company is the first major retailer to make such a move following Friday's shooting rampage in Newtown, which left 20 children and 8 adults, including the shooter, dead.
Walmart, the country's largest firearm retailer, said in a statement to the Daily News the company had "made no change to the assortment of guns we sell in our stores" since Friday's shooting.
"We remain dedicated to the safe and responsible sale of firearms in areas of the country where they are sold," said Kory Lundberg, the director of media relations.


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We are excited to announce that EAST 2.0, a mighty successor of EAST stablecoin, starts its landing in Waves blockchain. The new version of the stablecoin can be already found in WX Network today; by the end of April, EAST will get a full-fledged release, with verification and liquidity pools at the exchange. Earlier we shared our big plans for the new EAST in its white paper and during the AMA session with Sasha Ivanov. The new stablecoin has a long road ahead, and the team is confident about reaching the heights claimed.
Today, the Waves ecosystem really needs a new driver, so to deliver it as soon as possible we decided to postpone EAST cross chain functionality for future releases. For the time being, EAST will exist in Waves blockchain only, WAVES and ETH will be available as collateral; DAO governance and Waves Enterprise part of the infrastructure will arrive later. Most core stablecoin functions claimed in the white paper will launch by the end of April — including trustworthy economic model and real-time withdrawals!
You can already find both versions of EAST in your WX app; keep your eyes on the one without the “old” icon. Bear in mind: the first-gen “EAST-old” stablecoins will be swapped for the new EAST. In a while, we’ll release this mechanism and provide instructions for the exchange.
Soon we’ll introduce a detailed roadmap of the new stablecoin. Stay tuned and go EAST!


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Brian Scudamore, 02E Brands’ CEO and founder, has been taking his Fridays off for the past five years and claims that it has dramatically helped both his personal life and business career.
While reporting that he enjoys life more, Scudamore also believes taking Fridays off has helped his business expand to 175 locations worldwide and racking over $250 million in sales.
The serial entrepreneur was once a typical hard-working businessman until he was on the brink of exhaustion more than a decade ago, realizing that everything in his life was starting to fall apart.
Coming to terms with a failed marriage and stagnant first startup, he knew something had to change.
“When I hit rock bottom, I realized I had to stop trying to keep up with everything and start focusing on the right things,” wrote Scudamore in a blog for Wall Street Journal.
He then decided to take a break to “re-prioritize” and connect with what is most important in his life.
“I realized that the 7-to-7 grind was obscuring breakthrough ideas and making difficult decisions even harder. I decided to take drastic action and throw out the traditional work week,” he said.
After trying several methods, he finally came up with his unique work week pattern. Structuring his days around his biggest priorities for the week, he was able to allot Mondays for thinking and just using Fridays to recharge. He then scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as his “Focus Days” where he spends his day “sweating out my A-game and acting on priorities.”
“It was on a Think Day that I decided to launch our fourth brand. For a year prior, a fellow entrepreneur kept pushing his hundred-million-dollar window and gutter-cleaning idea. I was overwhelmed with two other startups and felt forced to say ‘no’ When I took a step back, I realized we already had both the people and systems in place for a new brand that fit our family of home-services so perfectly. Taking a Think Day let me see the bigger picture.”
Of all the days in the week, he considers his “Friday Free Day” as the most important:
“They’re days where I do what I love – skiing with my children, cooking, learning languages and biking. When I’m away from the office, things have time to marinate. Connections bubble up and often turn into big, business-changing ideas,” wrote Scudamore. “Free Day gave me a vision I would never have found sitting in the office.”
“The future of knowledge work is leaders leading lifestyles that help them feel positive, relaxed, and creative so that they can set better priorities, set better examples for their people, and have more breakthrough ideas,” he concluded.
Scudamore has received several accolades over the years including, “Small Business’ Best Bosses Award” from Fortune Magazine, “Top 40 under 40, three ‘Best Company To Work For’ awards” from the Globe and Mail and British Columbia’s “2015 Entrepreneur of the Year award for Business to Consumer services”.


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Geek.com confirmed a report from earlier this week that Google has required all new phones running its mobile OS display “Powered by Android” when they’re turned on. The mandate recently became a part of the Google Mobile Services agreement, which manufacturers must adhere to in order to gain access to the Google Play store on their handsets. New smartphones from HTC and Samsung are already displaying the phrase during the “boot animation.”
The move appears to be Google’s latest attempt to reclaim its open source OS, which has been forked and co-opted by manufacturers (and, to a lesser extent, carriers) looking to present their own brands and offerings to consumers. That effort first came to light earlier this year when Re/code reported that Google had convinced Samsung to ease up on its own Android-based software and services in favor of Google’s offerings.
Ever-increasing forking of Android has created an environment in which manufacturing brands like Samsung’s Galaxy have become co-opetition for Google’s OS, vying for consumer mind share, as Benedict Evans alluded to more than a years ago. This week’s news hints that Google is becoming protective of its Android brand just as it is about its Android services.


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By Cecile Tizon, Regional Manager for Asia Pacific, Infobip The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a springboard for digital adoption across several global industries. The mobility restrictions imposed during the virus outbreak, up […]
Infobip’s Communications Platform-as-a-Service now available on Microsoft Azure
Global cloud communications company, Infobip’s full Communications Platform-as-a-Service offering is now available on Microsoft Azure, extending the enterprise customer base globally for Infobip, particularly in the finance, e-commerce and retail sectors, and […]
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The U.S. Trade Representative's office criticized China on Wednesday for failing to stop the growing theft of American trade secrets that are the lifeblood of U.S economic might, in the latest sign of Washington's frustration with the problem.
"Not only are repeated thefts occurring inside China, but also outside of China for the benefit of Chinese entities," USTR said in its annual report on countries with the worst records of protecting U.S. intellectual property rights.
"The United States strongly urges the Chinese Government take serious steps to put an end to these activities and to deter further activity by rigorously investigating and prosecuting thefts of trade secrets by both cyber and conventional means," the report said.
U.S. corporate victims of trade-secret theft have included General Motors, Ford, DuPont, Dow Chemical, Motorola, Boeing and Cargill as well as lesser-known companies.
A target company can see the payoff from research investment evaporate as a result of corporate espionage and lose market position, competitive advantage and efficiencies.
The White House in February rolled out a strategy to address the growing problems, which occur both through cyber-attacks and older methods such as a disloyal employee stealing trade secrets on the job and selling them to a rival company.


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Freshworks Stock (FRSH): Is It a Good Buy After Earnings?
In September 2021, the California-based company Freshworks — which offers management services and IT management products — priced its initial public offering at $36 per share. However, the expected price range for the Freshworks IPO was slightly lower at $34.
After the IPO, the company had 281.4 million shares remaining, amounting to $10 billion in valuation. But things changed for the company at the beginning of November. Take a look at Freshworks stock and where it is worth a buy.
Effect of Freshworks Quarterly Earning Report on the Stock Price
Freshworks released its quarterly results in the first week of November 2021. Since the report’s surfacing, the company’s stock price fell.
According to Refinitiv, the company suffered a loss of $0.04 per share instead of the loss of $0.10 forecast by analysts. Meanwhile, the company earned a revenue of $96.6 million as opposed to the $90.8 million expected by analysts.
In its statement, Freshworks said that its revenue had grown nearly 46% during the quarter. Moreover, Freshworks saw an adjusted loss of $0.22 to $0.20 a share for the whole year, which was less than what the analysts forecasted — $0.23.
Moreover, the company projected its annual revenue to be $364.5 million to $366.5 million. Meanwhile, Refinitiv held a consensus that predicted the revenue to be $356.6 million.
Why Freshworks Stock Dropped 16%
Freshworks’ stock price fell 15.9% at 10 a.m. on November 3rd, even after the company reported its “earnings beat” the previous night. According to the forecasts made by analysts, the company was expected to make $90.8 million in sales.
Analysts also forecasted that the company would lose $0.10 a share in its third quarter. But instead of these forecasts, Freshworks lost $0.04 per share and logged $96.6 million in sales.
Loss in Share Price
Despite this, the company still experienced a loss since its share price fell according to generally accepted accounting principles. In its third quarter, the company had a considerable loss. The quarter’s GAAP losses were $24.72 a share. The loss came even though the stock’s sales had been growing impressively.
However, the good news is that Freshworks is on the path towards growth and may outgrow the losses. After all, the reports showed that the company made sizable sales. Also, the number of Freshworks customers that pay over $5,000 a year has increased by 31% in the third quarter.
As for the future, the management predicts the revenue generation to be up to $100 million in the fourth quarter. Furthermore, they expect the adjusted losses to be about $0.05 per share to $0.07 a share.
For the whole year, Freshworks is looking at an adjusted loss of $0.22 to $0.20 a share and around $365 million in sales. However, as the results of the third quarter have indicated, doing so will not help much in terms of avoiding losses.
Good To Know
According to the internal data from Freshworks and the company’s inherent analyses, it has a potential opportunity in the market of up to $77 billion. Since the IT sector is bound to expand in the coming years, Freshworks may likely make a stable place for itself in the industry.
Is Freshworks Stock a Good Investment?
A lot has changed since the Freshworks IPO was introduced to the market. Now that people have seen the rise and fall of the company’s share, investors are intrigued to know if the stock holds any potential for the future. Is it a value stock?
Before you invest in the Freshworks stock, here are a few things you must know:
Minimal Voting Power
Freshworks is offering up to 28.5 million shares. Meanwhile, there are 2.9 million more shares that cover over-allotments. So, the company’s whole valuation sums up to $1.07 billion.
However, this constitutes the Class A shares that are an addition to the existing 252.9 million Class B shares. Class A shares have only one vote, whereas Class B shares have ten votes.
As a new shareholder, you will get around 1% of the voting power.
Designed in India
Although Freshworks is based in San Mateo, most of its employees work and reside in India. Of the company’s total workforce, 88% work from different Indian locations. These employees include:
- Product designers
- Customer support staff
- General administrators
When the pandemic hit, the company had to close its offices. However, there were no reports of any disruption in the company’s relationship with its employees. Freshworks reported that its work had not stopped due to the pandemic.
The company also played its role in combating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
For half of 2021, the company earned 58% of its revenue from its non-North American customers. In 2020, the company’s revenue for the first six months was $110.5 million while it lost $57.1 million.
Meanwhile, the earnings increased to $168.9 million in the first half of 2021, while the losses went down to $9.8 million. Investors must keep in mind that many of the company’s customers come from outside North America.
Therefore, an external influence may also determine the future price of the company’s stock.
Is It a Good Buy?
Freshworks management predicts the company to have sales of up to $101 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. The expected growth coupled with the high contract renewal rates and encouraging metrics implies that the company has a strong year-end coming up.
As an investor, you have to balance your optimism for the company’s gains against the chances of losses since Freshworks is investing in new initiatives. Since insiders are making more shares available for trading, you can also expect volatility in stock price.
With these things to consider, Freshworks is still a young software business, so you should invest wisely.
Our in-house research team and on-site financial experts work together to create content that’s accurate, impartial, and up to date. We fact-check every single statistic, quote and fact using trusted primary resources to make sure the information we provide is correct. You can learn more about GOBankingRates’ processes and standards in our editorial policy.
- MarketWatch. 2021. "Freshworks IPO: 5 Things To Know About the Customer Software-as-A-service Provider."
- CNBC. 2021. "Freshworks (FRSH) Earnings Q3 2021."
- The Motley Fool. 2021. "Why Freshworks Stock Dropped 18% This Week."


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Purchase order vital to claim for payments, businesses warned
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
BUSINESSES must insist on being issued with a purchase order (PO) for all government dealings before they can receive payments, a senior Ministry of Finance official said.
Maswadi Hj Mohsin, acting deputy accountant-general at the Ministry of Finance’s Trea-sury Department, said many businesses are not aware of the need to be issued a PO by the government agency involved in the business transaction.
At the Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) focus group session on late payments yesterday, several companies raised their concerns on late payments from the government even after submitting their letter of award.
Maswadi said even if the business has received a letter of award from the department or ministry, companies still need to insist on getting a PO. “Once businesses are awarded the tender, they need to insist on getting a purchase order from the department, because it is a way to show the department has committed the money.
“With a purchase order, it shows that money within the department or ministry’s budget is already allocated for that procurement,” he told The Brunei Times on the sidelines of the dialogue.
The acting deputy accountant-general said the Ministry of Finance strictly advises vendors not to merely accept letters of award only, but also a purchase order.
“If you do not ask for the purchase order, it is your risk of not being paid,” he said.
After businesses have received the PO and have delivered what is specified in the tender, they will also need to submit an invoice with all the details to the government agency.
Following the submission of the invoice, they will then again have to insist on getting an invoice tracking notification slip.
He said the purpose of invoice tracking is for companies to know the stage or status of their payment.
However, receiving the notification slip is not good enough to receive payment because the respective department will need to do the checking and certification by relevant authorities within the department.
“Only when all these are done, the finance unit under the department or ministry issue the payment voucher to the Treasury Department,” he explained.
“So companies need to provide all the proper documents when they submit their invoices. They need to attach the PO, letter of award and progress claim. Companies have the responsibility to attach the documents required. The department will then have to make sure all the documents are there too,” he continued.
Maswadi said businesses can always call the Treasury Department’s hotline at 2383444, where officers will answer the queries and check on the status of the payment in their system.
“Every part of the payment process - from the vendor receiving a purchase order, submitting an invoice and getting a notification slip, to getting the documents certified and checked by the department and having a payment voucher issued - is in Treasury Accounting Financial Information System (TAFIS),” he said.
“Any process of a payment will be tracked in TAFIS. The businesses will be able to find out if their payment process is currently in the preparation of payment voucher stage or certification by officers stage,” he added.
Maswadi said in the process of payment, the Treasury Department uses TAFIS for the payment to be made within 30 days.
However, he said there are some departments that require a lot of certification processes.
“I hope these departments will then inform the vendors on their required processes and how long it will take, so that at least businesses will know how long it will take to receive their payment,” he said.
Maswadi went on to say that mistakes in the submitted invoices submitted can also delay payments.
“If there are mistakes in the invoicing, payment may take longer because the company will have to amend it and resubmit the invoice to the respective department.
“The 30 days of payment are for invoices that have been submitted along with all the completed and accurate documents,” he continued.
Once the Treasury Department receives the payment voucher from the department and nothing is wrong with any of the documentation, payment will be done within one to three working days.
“When it comes to payment from the Treasury Department, what we require is the original voucher, the purchase order and supporting documents on approvals from the department’s authorities,” he said.
The acting deputy accountant-general said helping SMEs grow and flourish is a uniformed government interest.
“SMEs are the engine for growth and we will try as much as possible, to help SMEs get their payment as quickly as possible.”
The Brunei Times


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Trial allows AT&T iOS customers to respond to SMS via Pebble Time smartwatch
Pebble has added the ability to respond to text messages on an iPhone via the Pebble Time smartwatch range, but only to a limited number of users. US-based owners with a post-paid AT&T account are able to beta test iOS Text Reply, a feature that lets users either select a pre-defined text reply to incoming messages appearing within the iOS Messages app, or respond with a voice reply by speaking directly into the smartwatch.
Smartwatch from luxury watchmaker priced at $1,500
Tag Heuer has launched its own attempt at a smartwatch, one that is partly constructed by Intel in the United States. The Tag Heuer Connected, priced at $1,500, is a round-faced Android Wear smartwatch inspired heavily by the premium watch producer's popular Carrera watch, with a 1.5-inch 360x360-resolution touchscreen LTPS display housed in a premium grade 2 titanium casing with IP67 ingress protection and a sapphire crystal face.
Pebble Time Round shipping November 8, heads to retail the same day
Pebble is shipping the circular-faced version of its smartwatch on the 8th of November, starting with those who preordered the wearable device when it was first announced in September. On the same day as shipments begin, the Pebble Time Round will be available at retail in the United States, with the smartwatch appearing in Target and BestBuy stores from Sunday onwards, priced at $250.
Apple Watch goes on sale in India, majority of models available to buy
Apple has shipped the Apple Watch in India, as previously indicated, with the wearable devices offered in the country approximately seven months after its initial launch. There is also news that Apple may be getting closer to launching its own stores in India, instead of relying on a network of distributors, with it apparently in discussions with the government about relaxing certain restrictions that prevent Apple from proceeding.
Thin Chronos disc fits on rear of watch, provides fitness tracking, notifications
Owners of traditional watches are being given the opportunity to turn them into smartwatches, by adding an extra element to the back of the device. Chronos is a small disc that attaches between the watch back and the wrist, and is claimed to add a variety of fitness tracking and notification functions to a watch without altering the physical design of the host timepiece, aside from increasing the thickness by just 3mm.
Pebble CEO claims introduction of Apple Watch brought attention to smartwatches
The Apple Watch may be helping improve the sales of other wearable devices, according to the head of one smartwatch manufacturer. Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky suggests the introduction of Apple's own wearable has pushed consumers into considering using smartwatches and other wearable devices, increasing sales for competing devices instead of acquiring existing smartwatch users away from other platforms.
Luxury watch maker head suggests $2,000 smartwatches have potential issues
The luxury versions of the Apple Watch are not considered competition to high-priced products by Swiss watch makers, comments from the CEO of Tag Heuer suggest. Speaking at a time his company is teasing its own entry into the smartwatch market, Jean-Claude Biver claimed in an interview that smartwatches that cost more than $2,000, such as the $17,000 Apple Watch Edition, have an issue, namely that they will become obsolete and lose their value.
Third Pebble Time smartwatch opts for round face, smaller battery
Pebble has launched a new model its Pebble Time smartwatch collection, this time as a wearable device with a circular face. The Pebble Time Round switches out the square face of its stablemates for a round display and casing, this time using a thinner 7.5mm-thick metal body and a relatively thick bezel, though it retains the always-on 64-color e-paper display and core functionality as the earlier models in the Time range.
Timex takes cues from Withings for smartwatch with analog face
Timex is attempting to "re-enter" the wearable devices market, by teasing an analog smartwatch at the Qualcomm 3G/LTE Summit. Teased by chief technology officer Thomas Essery, the Metropolitan+ is a smartwatch that has the same appearance as other high-specification watches from the manufacturer, but it is also capable of tracking the wearer's activities and discretely report the user's progress back to them through a simple interface and a smartphone app.
Smartwatch includes option to silence notifications based on calendar appointments
Pebble has brought out its latest firmware update for the Pebble Time and the Pebble Time Steel, with version 3.4 adding multiple new features to the second-generation smartwatches on iOS and Android. Support for new languages have been added to the devices, along with a new Quiet Time mode and a beta release of a Standby mode, with it also bringing the usual collection of bug fixes and stability improvements to the smartwatch.
New colors of Apple Watch, bands available from today
Apple's first announcements at its Special Event revolved around the Apple Watch. Features and apps for the upcoming watchOS 2 update were teased, while the Apple Watch itself now has more options for casing colors and bands, including a Product Red model and premium leather bands from designer brand Hermes.
Wena watch launched on Sony-owned First Flight crowdfunding site
Sony has created a smartwatch that offers some advanced functionality while keeping the appearance of a traditional wristwatch, unlike its existing smartwatch efforts. The Wena, said to stand for "Wear Electronics Naturally," uses a normal dial-based face instead of a screen, though despite the appearance, it is able to provide notifications using a customizable LED light on the watch band and through vibration, with the watch also connecting to a companion app for iOS for more advanced functionality.
Sport watch has extra front-side lighting for better use outdoors
On Wednesday, Motorola announced a second-gen version of its Moto 360 smartwatch, and also introduced a new fitness-oriented model called the 360 Sport. The two devices are mostly identical in terms of features, but the Sport will use silicon materials to protect it from heat and sweat, include independent GPS that will work without a connection to a smartphone, and offers both traditional LED backlighting and limited front-side illumination for better outdoor reading.
Upcoming Android Wear smartwatches will work with iPhones
Google is expanding the reach of Android Wear from Android smartphones, by allowing some owners of its smartwatches to connect to iOS devices, confirming earlier rumors. Rolling out today, Android Wear for iOS will allow the LG Watch Urbane to pair with an iPhone 5 or newer running iOS 8.2 or later, though it appears the majority of Android Wear users won't be able to connect their older smartwatches to iOS at all.
Swiss watch producer chief dismisses Apple Watch, fears privacy loss
The Apple Watch has been dismissed as an "interesting toy" by the CEO of watch manufacturer Swatch, as it continues to fight against Apple. Outlining the future of the company's smartwatch plans, Nick Hayek Jr. spoke against the currently-available smartwatches on the market, claiming them to be power-hungry devices that erodes the user's privacy by uploading data to the cloud, and in the Apple Watch's case, calling it "not a revolution."
Pebble accepts reservations of Pebble Time Steel for non-Kickstarter customers
Pebble has started to accept reservations for the Pebble Time Steel from non-Kickstarter backers. Priced at $250 each, with a choice of three finishes and an Italian leather band, TechnoBuffalo reports that new customers will have to wait until Pebble Time Steel production catches up with existing backers, which could be before the end of next month. Shipments of the Steel version of the smartwatch to Kickstarter backers is starting this week, though the free matching steel band will be shipping later this year.
Outlook, Wunderlist, Yammer gain Apple Watch support
Yesterday, Microsoft unveiled a collection of new apps and upgraded versions it has developed for the Apple Watch. The new smartwatch apps are all productivity focused, featuring Outlook for Apple Watch as well as a new Microsoft Translator app that lets users communicate with other people in 50 different languages, though it also outlined updated apps for existing services already available on wearable devices.
Up to 300 Best Buy stores will sell Apple Watch by holidays
The Apple Watch is going to be easier to acquire in the United States, with major electronics chain Best Buy set to sell the smartwatches to customers from next month. An announcement from the retailer advises that it will be the first national retailer where the Apple Watch can be acquired, aside from Apple's own store network, with the first locations to put the wearable device on sale doing so from August 7.
Pebble Time firmware update includes new settings for vibration, brightness
A firmware update for the Pebble Time is available to install, with version 3.2 adding more settings and fixes to the device. Among the additions are intensity and time-out duration options for the backlight, adjustable font sizes for certain areas of the operating system, adjustable vibration strength for various alert-related functions, and a Dismiss All action for notifications. The smartwatch can be updated via the Pebble Time app's support menu.
Strategy Analytics estimates first-quarter shipments of four million units
One day after Apple CEO Tim Cook debunked reports that sales of the Apple Watch were slipping by saying in a conference call with analysts that in fact, June sales had outperformed both May and April -- including the original rush of pre-orders, new data from Strategy Analytics claims that not only has Apple handily stolen the crown of top smartwatch seller from Samsung in just its first full quarter, the company has outsold all rivals combined year-to-date.
Pebble Time smartwatch on sale at Best Buy, Target sales in August
The Pebble Time is now available to buy in-store by non-Kickstarter backers. The second-generation of smartwatch can now be acquired in Best Buy stores in red, white, and black color options, reports CNET, priced at $199. Target will also be selling the smartwatch through its retail and online stores, starting from August 17. A retail release date for the Pebble Time Steel has yet to be confirmed.
Probendi sues Apple to over alleged trademark infringement
Apple is being sued in Europe over the use of the term "iWatch" in advertising, despite its smartwatch being called simply the Watch. Irish developer Probendi has filed a complaint in a court in Milan, alleging that Apple is using the iWatch term in searches and advertisements on Google in order to direct potential customers to its device, infringing the trademark Probendi owns.
Pebble Time Steel production begins, shipments to backers starting this month
Pebble has revealed it is beginning production of the Pebble Time Steel smartwatch this week, with the first devices expected to start shipping to backers in the last week of this month, two months after the standard Pebble Time went through the same process. Steel version backers are supposed to receive a leather band and a matching metal version, but due to limited initial supply, Pebble will be including both bands where possible, with some backers getting their steel bands at a later time than the watch itself.
Huawei Honor 7 has 5.2-inch 1080p display, 20MP camera, metal body
Huawei has launched a pair of new devices in the last 24 hours, including a smartphone and a smartwatch that are both destined for sale in China in the near future. The Honor 7 is a smartphone equipped with a 20-megapixel camera with phase detection autofocus, held inside a metal alloy frame, while the Honor Band Zero has been teased as another round-faced smartwatch that the manufacturer is aiming to release this summer.
Six-sided batteries offer 25 percent capacity increase over rectangular counterparts
Smartwatches with higher-capacity batteries could soon be hitting the market, if manufacturers adopt a new battery from LG Chem. The battery, hexagonal in shape, is said to provide up to 25 percent more capacity compared to similar-sized rectangular batteries, which the company believes can provide up to four more hours of battery life, a significant addition to the amount of time current smartwatches are capable of lasting for between charges.
Pebble Time pre-orders commence through Best Buy, online store
The Pebble Time has become available for US-based non-backers to pre-order through Best Buy, with international orders able to be placed through the main Pebble store. The second version of the cross-platform smartwatch is listed on the retailer's website in a choice of red, black, and white colorings, priced at $200. While pre-orders for the Pebble Time have commenced, there is no sign of the Pebble Time Steel, the metal-clad version of the smartwatch launched during the same Kickstarter campaign.
BBM for Android gains Material Design, private chats
The latest beta for BBM for Android has been given a visual overhaul using Android Lollipop's Material Design. According to Crackberry, the same beta also brings with it private chats, where contact names are hidden, notifications are turned off, and the conversation is deleted upon ending the chat or after a short period of time. The option to edit a sent message, and the ability to publish status updates directly into the user's personal BBM feed have also been added. Since it is a beta, these features may change before reaching the main release, with no timescales for the additions advised by BlackBerry.
Second-generation ZenWatch still uses Android Wear, enhances Remote Camera function
Asus has launched its second smartwatch at Computex, following last year's ZenWatch. The ZenWatch 2 remains an Android Wear-powered device, but the design of the original has been altered to include a side crown, though more as a button than the Digital Crown of the Apple Watch, with it also replacing the previous dock with new magnetic charger to simplify the charging process, as well as improving the recharge time overall.
Switzerland and another major market will be first to get Swatch smartwatch
Designer watch manufacturer Swatch has reaffirmed its intention to produce a smartwatch, offering some more clues about its launch. Chief Executive Nick Hayek advised at an annual general meeting it will be going on sale in two countries sometime this summer, and while one of the countries will be Swatch's native Switzerland, the other was described only as a "big country," which some have taken to mean a possible launch in China or the United States is on the cards.
Magic View display on Lenovo smartwatch prototype projects second screen into user's eye
Lenovo used its TechWorld event to show two concept devices it has been working on. A smartphone with a built-in projector was revealed, complete with a mode that offered alternative ways to interact with the device, while a smartwatch was shown with a secondary "Magic View" display that provides an alternative and private viewpoint for personal data, along with other non-standard smartwatch functions.
Pebble Time backer shipments to begin from May 27
The Pebble Time smartwatch will start shipping to backers of its Kickstarter campaign from May 27, the company has revealed. In mass production since the start of this month, backers of the Pebble Time are being sent invitations to finalize their selections for backer rewards and their smartwatch, with tracking numbers expected to be provided to customers by mid-June. Shipments of the smartwatch will apparently continue on a "rolling basis" when the devices reach regional distribution centers. The company has also advised it is preparing to debut the new support apps called "Pebble Time Watch" for iOS and Android from next week
Developer kit provides some specifications, bezel-based functions for Samsung smartwatch
Samsung has revealed more details about its upcoming round-faced smartwatch, as part of its Gear software development kit. The SDK includes screenshots showing what to expect when using the smartwatch, as well as functionality being included in the device, and the fact that Samsung will be implementing a system similar to the Apple Watch's digital crown, by using a rotating bezel.
Optical heart rate monitoring system from Mio built into latest Garmin running watch
Garmin has unveiled another GPS-equipped sports watch in its Forerunner range, but this time it includes a heart rate monitor. While other fitness-monitoring devices the company produces can connect to a separate heart rate-measuring unit, the Forerunner 225 is the first from Garmin to have an optical heart rate sensor developed by Mio built in, lowering the amount of electronics the user needs to wear.
Tag Heuer smartwatch may have 40 hour battery life
Tag Heuer's high-end smartwatch will be shipping in October or November, according to a report. More details about the Swiss watchmaker's device received by Bloomberg points to a sale price of almost $1,400, and a battery life of around 40 hours from a single charge. Earlier reports point to it as using Android Wear and using Intel components, though it is believed it will be designed to appeal more tot typical buyers of premium smartwatches instead of technology enthusiasts.
Beyond the cool-gadget factor, can they really improve on the smartphone?
Anyone who's been listening to The MacNN Podcast knows there's been some discussion among the staff about wearing smartwatches, and if they think it would be beneficial to do so. Some of us are dubious it would be a useful addition to our workflow, some are skeptical but hopeful an application of value will arise, and some have already ordered theirs and are waiting patiently. Recently, a friend of ours scored several refurbished MetaWatch Frames from Meh.com for what we're going to call "a really good price." So we bought one, in an effort to see if there was any point to wearing a smartwatch.
GPS-equipped watch includes cellular communications option
Haier has revealed its own attempt at the smartwatch concept, but one which has a specific purpose in mind. Revealed earlier this week at the IFA Global Press Conference, the unnamed device will allow for the wearer to be tracked and communicated with by a smartphone user, with it aimed at helping keep children as well as older members of society safe.
Software development kit announcement includes round watch face imagery
The next smartwatch from Samsung is likely to have a round face, if a teaser image in a press release is to be believed. A release inviting developers to sign up for early access to a software development kit (SDK) for the manufacturer's "Next generation of the Gear device" has a supplementary image accompanying it, depicting a variety of round faces, strongly suggesting the watch will have one as well.
Upcoming Android Wear update lets smartwatches be used away from smartphones
The next update to Android Wear will extend the capabilities of wearable devices using the operating system, making them more useful as standalone devices. Just as previously rumored, the update will allow smartwatches with Wi-Fi connectivity to work over a local wireless network connection when outside of Bluetooth range, but it will require the user's smartphone to have some form of Internet connection in order to remotely access apps and notifications.
Android Wear companion app for iOS allegedly close to completion
Google may be preparing to fight the Apple Watch on its home turf, by working on getting Android Wear devices to work with iOS devices. A companion app for iOS is reportedly close to being completed by Google, which in theory would allow smartwatches running Android Wear to receive notifications and interact with other apps on Apple's mobile operating system.
Android developer uncovers mystery device with 320x320 display
Motorola may be working on another Android Wear device, according to a rumor. A device claimed to have the codename "Smelt" has allegedly been spotted by an app developer, located close to Motorola's main headquarters in Chicago, with initial suggestions being that it could be a follow-up to the manufacturer's Moto 360 smartwatch, released last year.
Second-generation Pebble smartwatch is most-funded Kickstarter project
Pebble has finished its second crowdfunding campaign for its second generation of smartwatch, with the Pebble Time bringing in more than $20.3 million in funding from over 78,000 backers on Kickstarter. The final total makes the Pebble Time the most-funded Kickstarter campaign ever, eclipsing the original device's $13.4 million haul from two years ago.
Standalone LTE smartwatch uses WebOS, has premium pricing
LG is going to be putting the LTE-equipped version of the Watch Urbane on sale in its native South Korea later this week. The stylish smartwatch, initially revealed by the manufacturer last month, is able to run as a standalone device thanks to its cellular connection, allowing it to make and receive calls and messages, and also receive app notifications, all without being connected to a smartphone.
Smartstrap efforts for enhancing Pebble Time functionality will gain extra backing
Projects to create a Pebble smartstrap, add-ons for the Pebble Time smartwatch introduced on Kickstarter late last month, will be getting a development boost from the company itself. Developers creating their own smartband for the wearable device will be eligible to apply for funds from Pebble to create their smartstrap, with the manufacturer pledging $1 million for the handouts.
Luxury market singled out by trio, first units expected end 2015
Tag Heuer, Google and Intel have announced a partnership to launch a Swiss smartwatch, powered by Intel technology and Android Wear. The trio of companies working on the new Android Wear device call the effort "a new era of collaboration between Swiss watchmakers and Silicon Valley, bringing together each company's respective expertise in luxury watchmaking, software and hardware."
Report claims scrolling via wrist flicks on the way for Android Wear devices
The next software update for Android Wear could introduce Wi-Fi support to supported smartwatches, according to a report. Smartwatches running the operating system may be able to work without relying on a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone in the future, along with gesture controls and some tweaks to the user interface to make navigation easier.
High-speed charging of rumored smartwatch undercuts current charging periods
Chinese smartphone producer Oppo may be joining the smartwatch market with its own device, with an interesting power system. The manufacturer is apparently going to counter the woeful day-long battery life that currently plagues smartwatches by making the recharging process as quick as possible, with claims that Oppo has managed to get this down to as short as five minutes.
Pebble Time Steel has metal body, similar specifications, larger battery
Pebble has given backers of its wildly-successful Pebble Time Kickstarter a difficult decision, by adding an alternative device to purchase. Similar to the Pebble Steel compared to the original, the Pebble Time Steel is a metal-clad version of the smartwatch, containing the majority of internal components as the updated wearable device, but with a few slight changes to match the more mature design.
The new Leap works with iOS, Android and Windows Phone
Acer has introduced an updated version of its fitness tracker, now known as the Liquid Leap+. The device offers all of the typical fitness features, in a water-resistant package that retails for less than $90. The company has upgraded the Leap Manager utility to work with all major smartphone platforms, including Android, iOS and Windows Phone. Like other fitness trackers, the Leap+ allows users to monitor their daily activity, exercise routines and sleep cycles, or access basic notifications from their paired phones.
The B2 brings an upscale design and new features
Huawei has introduced a new fitness tracker, the TalkBand B2, that made its debut alongside the company's new smartwatch at Mobile World Congress. Serving as a successor to the TalkBand B1, the B2 edition again doubles as a fitness wristband and a Bluetooth earpiece.
The timepiece looks like a traditional wristwatch
Huawei has introduced its flagship Android Wear device, simply known as the Watch. The company has called on traditional timepiece designers to help with industrial design. The result resembles a typical wristwatch, until the display flips from a clock face to an app interface.


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“I was able to see a large amount of data. Including where the Tesla has been, where it charged, current location, where it usually parks, when it drove, the speed of the trips, the navigation requests, the history of software updates, even a history of the weather. around the Tesla and just so much more, ”Colombo wrote in a medium post published in January detailing his exploits.
While the specific vulnerabilities Colombo exploited have been fixed, his hack demonstrates a huge flaw in the core of these smart vehicles: Data sharing is not a flaw; it is a function.
The amount of data that Tesla collects and uses is only the tip of the iceberg. We have not yet seen fully autonomous vehicles or the highly acclaimed “smart cities” that could see 5G-enabled roads and traffic lights.
In the near future, cars will not only collect information about their driver and passengers, but about the vehicles, pedestrians and the city around them. Some of this data will be necessary for the car to function properly – to reduce collisions, plan routes better and improve the vehicles themselves.
“The United States and Europe have been asleep at the wheel,” said Tu Le, CEO of Sino Auto Insights. The United States, Canada and Europe may continue to be world leaders in the production of traditional vehicles, but that lead will not last long. Whether it’s cobalt mining, lithium battery innovation, 5G-enabled technology or big data analytics, Le says China has been several steps ahead of its Western competitors.
“All the seemingly unrelated things converge in this smart EV,” says Le.
Of course, not all of Beijing’s success came honestly. Chinese nationals have been accused of theft intellectual property from US companies to strengthen China’s growing industry. Le says that kind of espionage certainly helps, but that is not the main reason for Beijing’s exploding growth in the automotive sector.
China’s ability to handle conspicuous amounts of data, for example, is well documented. Beijing’s face recognition programs rely on a ubiquitous network of surveillance cameras, its proprietary GPS system enables real-time tracking of the Muslim minority in Xinjiang, its expansive online surveillance system delivers into its dystopian social credit score. “A country is used to managing terabytes of data on a daily basis,” says Le – and at least when it comes to the automotive industry, it’s not the United States.
And these data are not just Chinese. Massive investment from Beijing brings its brand of “smart city” to BishkekKyrgyzstan; Venezuela; and countries across Africa. Chinese pilot projects for autonomous vehicles like Pony.ai are even on the way in California.
China has learned that diverse data that take into account a large difference in weather, people, and technology improve the algorithms. If China gets better at exploiting this data, it may need less of it. So even anonymized, general data passed on from a fleet of Chinese-made cars in North America could reveal individual patterns and habits, but also paint a complex picture of an entire neighborhood or city – be it the daily routine of an urban military base or schedule of a powerful minister. By banning Teslas from certain areas, China is apparently already controlling for this threat in the domestic market.


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Thursday, Twitter announced a new version of their profile pages, making it easier for users to interact and discover the latest follower news and information. These changes better position Twitter to compete with industry giants, Facebook and Google, who also launched major enhancements earlier this year.
The new design is more simplified, making it easier to follow and connect with others, and to explore and discover new things on Twitter. The addition of four new tabs makes it easier and faster for users to network and interact. You can see it immediately on the just-updated versions of mobile.twitter.com, Twitter for iPhone, and Twitter for Android – or view it on your computer by downloading and logging into Twitter via those apps. These new features will be rolled out elsewhere over the next few weeks.
As part of this new release, Twitter is also offering enhanced profile pages to help marketers better highlight their brand. The enhanced pages feature a larger header area for brands to more prominently display their logo, tagline, and other images. Users will also be able to control which messages their visitors are allowed to see when landing on their page.
With the new ability to promote a Tweet so that it lands at the top of the timeline, users will be able to highlight their most interesting and engaging posts. Promoted tweets will also appear expanded so any photos or videos included in the tweet can be seen.
These recent enhancements remain free of charge and accessible publicly worldwide. While these pages have initially been released exclusively to only 21 advertising partners and select charities and individuals, they will be eventually rolled out to a larger number of brands over the coming months.
To learn more about these changes or how you can get the new version of Twitter, visit fly.twitter.com.


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TickPick has replaced StubHub as Delaware’s Firefly Music Festival’s official third-party ticket outlet.
The New York-based firm is a secondary ticketing platform that will run a call booth at the festival for fans to buy face-value festival passes.
“Our selection by Firefly Music Festival is a big deal for us,” TickPick chief executive and co-founder Brett Goldberg said in a statement.
“The modern millennial-aged consumer wants transparency and simple mobile transactions. We provide both.”
Firefly 2018, which is set to take place from June 14-17, has a star-studded list of headliners including Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, The Killers and the Arctic Monkeys.
According to The News Journal, it is the first time the festival is showcasing two hip-hop headliners. Other sets include Lil Wayne, Odesza, Portugal. The Man, SZA, MGMT and Logic, among others.
Firefly, which is notching its seventh year in Delaware, is produced by Red Frog Presents, which is partnered with Coachella promoter Goldenvoice.


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Back in July this year, one of the world’s top wireless technology company Qualcomm Inc. bought 0.15 percent stake in Jio Platforms for Rs. 730 crore. Now, while earlier it was cloudy why Qualcomm and Jio Partnered with each other, some information is now starting to melt.
In a recent blog post, Qualcomm said, Reliance Jio along with its recently owned US based subsidiary Radisys Corporation in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies has conducted a trial to test Reliance Jio 5G equipment on Qualcomm’s Radio Access Network (RAN). Well, I am happy to say that the trials were successful and Jio has achieved over 1Gbps speed while testing it’s 5GNR solutions on Qualcomm’s Radio Access Network.
What is meant by 5GNR and RAN?
Well those of you who have no idea, the NR in 5G means New Radio which is the standard of 5G just like LTE is the standard of Fourth Generation Network (4G). RAN, on the other hand, just I wrote above is called the Radio Access Network whose work is to manage the radio communications in between the user’s mobile device and the base station.
The president of Reliance Jio Infocomm, Mr. Mathew Oomen said,
India still has not auctioned the 5G spectrum
India still has not auctioned the 5G spectrum but Telecom companies are preparing for the next, because as soon as they purchase the spectrum they want their 5G network to rollout. Tests like these are going to help them achieve the same.
More details about Jio’s 5G set of equipment, products, may be phones are yet to come, but for now, Jio has successfully tested its 5G product portfolio and achieved the speed of over 1Gbps. Now, India is among one of those few countries (like US, South Korea, Australia, Switzerland, and Germany) who have achieved the 1Gbps mark on 5G network. India expects the auction of 5G airwaves next year and Jio is all set to rollout its 5G services the same year.


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A few weeks ago, a Windows Phone 7 handset called HTC Eternity’s specs and an image have leaked online. Another WP7 handset HTC Omega’s details have also leaked online. No we’ve got another leak of an image, revealing the cases of both the HTC Eternity, and Omega handsets. In fact, the cases were pictured without and dummy handsets, and the design of the HTC Eternity case is matching with camera placement, that we’ve seen in the previous leak, and we can also see the similar camera / flash / speaker placement. We’ve also got a clear idea of how the HTC Omega handset’s rear side is going to shaped.
Coming to specs, the HTC Eternity is going to dominate the Omega handset with its huge 4.7-inch AMOLED display, where as the Omega is having SC-LCD touchscreen display, measuring at 3.7-inches only. Both handsets will be pre-installed with the new ‘Mango’ OS, which will be bring more than 1500 new exciting features for Windows Phone line. Both handsets are said to be equipped with 8 megapixel cameras, 1.5GHz single-core processors. It’s a bad sign that Microsoft is still using single-core processors, where as other operating system based handsets are powering up with dual-core processors. According to the previous leak, Eternity will be having a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, but there is no confirmation about Omega’s front camera details.
Price & Availability
There is still no word on the release date and the price info of HTC Eternity, and Omega handsets. we’ll just have to wait and see if more news about these handsets revealed out very soon.


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Last year new Apple CEO Tim Cook made a move that probably went unnoticed by the majority of Apple customers. It may not have been a new version of the iPad or iPhone, but Cook’s decision to establish a charitable donations program for Apple employees was a big deal.
His predecessor would never have supported such a proposal, which made it the marked first move away from the Jobs-era and into Cook’s tenure.
What’s interesting about the subject is Jobs’ own opinion on the charitable giving, which has been brought to light following the release of ‘Inside Apple’, a book by author Adam Lashinsky. As 9to5mac reports, the book details Jobs’ take:
Jobs was notoriously stingy when it came to giving away money. He argued privately that the most philanthropic action Apple could take was to increase the value of the company to share-holders could give away their wealth to causes of their choice, not Apple’s.
Cook’s move has borne fruit as the company has matched more than $1.3 million put up by its employees for charitable causes, as was revealed in November, just two months after the program was introduced.
The initiative, which matches employee donations up to $10,000 per year, was initially launched in the US and is likely to begin expanding to other locations this year.
[Image via Flickr user acaben]