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The PC market is being gutted as consumers lose interest and shift to tablets and games consoles, according to the research outfit Gartner. Big G said that worldwide PC shipments, which do not include sales of tablet computers, totalled 93.5 million units in the fourth quarter, up 3.1 per cent from a year ago but lower than the 4.8 per cent growth forecast previously.
Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa said that holiday PC sales were weak as punters rushed to spend their dosh on media tablets and other consumer electronic devices, such as game consoles. What is saving the PC market during the fourth quarter as a steady growth in the professional market driven by replacement purchases.
Last year the PC market recovered from the recession, as it returned to double-digit growth, compared to low single-digit growth in 2009, she said. Gartner said worldwide PC shipments totaled 350.9 million units in 2010, up 13.8 per cent over last year.
The maker of expensive printer ink HP held on to the top position in worldwide PC sales, HP has an 18.8 per cent share of the market followed by Acer with 12.7 per cent and Dell with 11.6 per cent. Lenovo holds 10.1-per cent market share followed by Toshiba with 5.7 per cent. It was a good year for Lenovo and Toshiba. Lenovo's worldwide market share grew by 21.4 per cent while Toshiba's was up 12.1 per cent.
What is being seen is that the days of a grey box in the corner of everyone's home might be numbered. She said that while the new gadgets to not replace primary PCs, but they are viewed as good enough devices for these who want to have a second and third connected device for content consumption usage. It was mini-notebook shipments were hit the most by the success of media tablets, Kitagawa said.


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Local customers are 'harder to please'
SINGAPORE residents do not consider customer-service levels here to be good enough, but the experiences of many tourists here are better than what they have had back home.
This is according to the findings of a recent survey conducted by market-research group Taylor Nelson Sofres to get a better insight into the service debate here.
In fact, 74 per cent of tourists interviewed rated service here as "above average". The 80 tourists surveyed were from countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, China, India, Australia, Britain and the United States.
Almost half - 49 per cent - went as far as to say that service in Singapore was better than in their home country.
Industry experts My Paper spoke to said the results stem from a difference in expectations between residents and tourists.
They stressed that the results were not because of retail staff discriminating against local customers when it comes to service, contrary to popular belief.
Dr Lee Tong Nge, joint director of Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Business Management, said expectations of Singaporeans have increased over the years.
However, service levels have not caught up with what local customers are looking for, he said.
"As Singaporeans become more affluent and travel more, their expectations are raised naturally," he said.
"Tourists, however, come into our country sometimes not knowing what to expect."
Mr Kevin Cheong, chairman of the Association of Tourist Attractions Singapore, said local customers "tend to 'stereotype' based on expected behaviours and past experiences, whereas, for tourists, every experience is new and fresh".
The survey was conducted in April, and had more than 460 participants, including customers, service staff and managers.
Out of 300 local customers, 64 per cent rated current service levels in Singapore as being merely acceptable.
Local customers proved to be the toughest on lacklustre service, with 56 per cent saying that they expect service staff to go "beyond the call of duty".
Only 15 per cent of local customers rated service levels as above average, and 2 per cent said service levels were excellent.
Home-grown hotelier and restaurateur Loh Lik Peng, who runs boutique-hotel-and-restaurant chain Unlisted Collection, said local customers can be "more demanding, expecting service staff to be more subservient".
He said: "There is a general lack of respect for the service profession among local customers."

domain: news


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L'Wren Scott's shocking suicide has left a lot of questions why a talented 49-year-old fashion designer would take her life. According to reports, L'Wren may have been embarrassed and mortified over her money troubles but refused to seek financial assistance from longtime partner Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.
L'Wren was forced to cancel her London Fashion Week show in January and blamed it on a fabrics mishap but it could actually be that she could no longer afford to push through with the show. Her company, LS Fashion LTD reportedly had a deficit of $5,899,48 and L'Wren herself owed $7.641 million to creditors. According to her business accounts in the UK in October last year, LS Fashion had an increasing debt every year, hitting $3,063,160.87 in 2010.
According to NY Daily News, L'Wren allegedly hanged herself on a doorknob using a scarf on Mar. 17. Mick Jagger's girlfriend texted her assistant at 8:00 a.m. asking her to come over but when she arrived, she found L'Wren dead and called 911. There is no suspicion of foul play but the Medical Examiner's Office would still determine the cause of her death. She was unresponsive and announced dead on arrival.
L'Wren had been in a relationship with Mick Jagger for over 10 years before her death. According to reports, Jagger is completely shocked and devastated by the news. Pictures of him emerged a few moments after he learned the death of his girlfriend, showing his face with grief and utter shock as he left Coco's restaurant in Perth, Australia. Rolling Stones is set to start its first tour in Australia in eight years on Mar. 19. See pictures here
Earlier, the 70-year-old rock star tweeted a photo of himself at the beach with the caption: "Great to be back in Australia! Looking forward to the first show in Perth." The band also posed in front of their private plane looking excited to be back in Australia. However, the fun was short-lived when the tragic news of his girlfriend's death broke while Jagger was at an upscale restaurant.
"You will forever be missed," American fashion designer Marc Jacobs said according to The Guardian. Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour has offered her tribute as well saying: "L'Wren was a total perfectionist, someone who absolutely embodied everything her marvellous clothes stood for: strength of character combined with a confident and powerful style."


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The company will use this to expand in the aforementioned regions, as well as drive technological innovation in the global logistics industry and its platforms, Entrepreneur India reported.
Founded in 2015, Shipsy, serves more than 160 customers across the globe. It established its regional headquarters in Dubai in 2021.
The round was co-led by venture capital firms, A91 Partners and Z3 Partners, along with existing investors Info Edge and Sequoia Capital India’s Surge.
Copyright: Arab News © 2022 All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).


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Google has announced that Bard is being rebranded to “Gemini,” and with it comes the launch of a new subscription plan for customers who want to test out what the company says is its most capable, state-of-the-art AI model yet (“Ultra 1.0”). The Google One AI Premium plan, as the new plan is called, costs $19.99/month and includes a couple of other benefits beyond Gemini Advanced, including 2 TB of cloud storage.
Google One AI Premium plan includes:
- Gemini Advanced
- With our most capable AI model, Ultra 1.0
- State-of-the-art performance
- Designed for highly complex tasks
- Additional features
- 2 TB of storage
- Available soon: Gemini in Gmail, Docs, and more
- Other Google One Premium benefits
- Two-month trial at no cost
Gemini Advanced offers:
- Gemini Advanced can be your personal tutor — creating step-by-step instructions, sample quizzes or back-and-forth discussions tailored to your learning style.
- It can help you with more advanced coding scenarios, serving as a sounding board for ideas and helping you evaluate different coding approaches.
- It can help digital creators go from idea to creation by generating fresh content, analyzing recent trends and brainstorming improved ways to grow their audiences.
New Gemini apps are also rolling out today for mobile users:
On Android, Gemini is a new kind of assistant that uses generative AI to collaborate with you and help you get things done. If you download the Gemini app or opt in through Google Assistant, you’ll be able to access it from the app or anywhere else you normally activate Google Assistant — hitting the power button or corner swiping on select phones, or saying “Hey Google.”
On iOS, we’ll roll out access to Gemini right from the Google app in the coming weeks. Just tap the Gemini toggle and chat with Gemini to supercharge your creativity, create custom images, get help writing social posts and even plan a date night right from the Google app. We can’t wait for you to try it.


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SINGAPORE—RedDoorz, a hotel management and booking platform in Southeast Asia, raised $70 million as first close of a larger Series-C funding.
Leading the round is Asia Partners, a Singapore-based growth equity firm founded by senior executives with an exceptional track record in scaling multibillion tech companies (Sea, Naspers, Bukalapak) globally and across the region. RedDoorz is the first portfolio company of Asia Partners, which focuses on growth-stage investments in technology and technology-enabled companies in Southeast Asia.
Two other leading funds, Rakuten Capital and Mirae Asset-Naver Asia Growth Fund, joined the round. Existing investors Qiming Venture Partners and International Finance Corporation (IFC) also reiterated their support by participating in the round.
The startup’s Series-C investment follows shortly after RedDoorz announced its Series-B funding of $45 million in April. The new funding brings the total amount of funds raised by the company to approximately $140 million since its launch in 2015.
Amit Saberwal, founder/CEO of RedDoorz said, “We are thrilled to welcome a new group of seasoned investors joining us in our mission to build the leading tech-enabled affordable travel brand in Southeast Asia. This new round is a testament to our strong business growth and market leadership position we were able to build during the last few years. RedDoorz operates in some of the most dynamic markets in the world and we see tremendous opportunities to continue growing our platform and expanding into new markets.
“We believe we are on the right track to create the next tech unicorn in Southeast Asia and with the backing of our new investors, who bring deep expertise building large successful tech and digital businesses in our region, we are well positioned to fully execute on our strategy and mission.”
RedDoorz will use the new funds to launch in new markets and scale technology, customer experience projects, people and marketing investments to further strengthen its leadership position in the region. A significant portion of the latest proceeds will be used to build a second engineering hub in Vietnam which will complement the current regional tech hub based out of India.
The company also plans to ramp up its hotel staff and quality training programs across all properties in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines as it helps employ approximately 10,000 people across the region through its hotel partners.
The lead investor for this round, Asia Partners, was launched in 2019 by a team of senior executives who were involved in two of emerging Asia’s most notable exits: the largest IPO (initial public offering) for a Southeast Asia startup (Sea Ltd.) and the largest tech cash exit in Asia’s history (Flipkart’s sale to Walmart).
Oliver M. Rippel and Nicholas A. Nash, co-founders and partners of Asia Partners said, “Our mission is to help build and mentor Southeast Asia’s next generation of tech unicorns. Our team has a unique combination of investing and operating skills to help companies such as RedDoorz become true market leaders. We have every confidence in the team’s ability to capture the enormous opportunity which exists in the affordable travel segment. This investment affirms our belief in RedDoorz’s vision and plan for the region.”
Rakuten Capital, the corporate venture arm of Japanese Internet services giant Rakuten Group, has invested in regional leading companies such as Gojek, Carousell and Shopback. The Mirae Asset-Naver Asia Growth Fund, a joint venture between Seoul, Korea-based Mirae Financial Group and Internet company Naver Corporation, counts HappyFresh and BigBasket as portfolio companies and also recently participated in Grab’s $1 billion dollar Series-H round.


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Bare your soles for a Day Without Shoes
It's a common stereotype in this country and others where the majority of the population has the means to spend money on fun little extras: "My wife has a different pair of shoes for every day of the year."
It's a silly, yet harmless extravagance but it's also a luxury we take for granted. In many places around the world, there are adults and children who don't even own one pair of shoes and it has a harsh impact on their health.
Tom's Shoes, a California-based shoe company recognized this problem years ago and founder Blake Mycoskie built his company to help solve it.
Tom's designs and sells lightweight canvas and cotton slip-ons and for each pair sold the company donates a pair of shoes to a child in need in a developing country.
In an effort to promote its mission even further, Tom's launched One Day Without Shoes. On Thursday, April 8, the company asks people to go the day, part of the day or even just a few minutes barefoot to experience a life without shoes first-hand. Mycoskie says it's meant to spread awareness about the impact a simple pair of shoes can have on a child's life.
The facts about a barefoot existence are saddening, especially in countries where children often walk miles for food, clean water and medical attention. The cuts and sores on their feet can lead to serious infection. In Ethiopia, for example, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil. Podoconiosis is 100 percent preventable by wearing shoes.
In some developing countries, children are not allowed to attend school unless they have shoes on their feet.
"The problem is large, but the solution is simple," says Mycoskie. "Wearing shoes and practicing basic hygiene can prevent both infection and disease due to unsafe roads and contaminated soil. By imagining a life barefoot, we can all contribute to the awareness of these conditions."
There are many creative ways to participate in One Day Without Shoes: Walk for an hour barefoot after work, plan a barefoot evening event or breakfast with friends, participate simply by sharing the message with friends who are able go with no shoes. Communities, campuses, organizations and individuals across the country are finding ways to help.
Here in Milwaukee, Marquette University student Matt Hetrick has organized an event for his campus.
"Students and some faculty will be going about their day, on campus, barefoot to raise awareness for this cause. There are currently 975 participants at Marquette and there have been about 250 shirts made for the participants."
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is also participating as a campus.
For all those men with foot fetishes, seeing all those women strutting around with barefeet is like a gift from god!
However, it's been proven time and again that barefoot running and walking is actually good for you. Don't believe me? http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/indexNA.cfm##
Diabetics also should NOT walk around barefoot due to increased injury and infection risk.
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People who get a lot of photos by mail will get a superb button on Gmail, through which one can save the photos directly on Google photos with this new button.
As the new android version is here, the changes for various Google products are helping the users in a better way, either it is the eco-friendly driving route on Google maps or this whole new button, users are getting engaged and feel more interconnection between the Google products as there are plenty of useful apps in the bouquet of Google.
The new feature of Gmail will be positioned beside the existing ‘Add to Drive’ button, where the photo of the e-mail is attached as a preview. Google, in its update, said that the new feature of Gmail would be available only for JPEG images.
A new feature rollout has been done by Google, which will significantly facilitate Gmail users. Users will be able to save the photo of the e-mail directly from their account to Google Photo. The new update of Google will be known as Save to Photo button. At present, the new Save to Photo feature of Gmail will be available only for JPEF format. The feature will be available for personal Gmail users, G Suite Basic, Google Workplace, G Suite Business Customer in the next few weeks. Users will surely be going to find it helpful as the procedure is simple and sorted.


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letter d cufflinks – Show off the musician in you with these Acoustic Guitar cufflinks. With only the body of the guitar, these cufflinks will accentuate your passion for music. Cufflinks are enamel on a silver plated backing. Approximately 1/2″W x 7/8″H, Bullet back closure, Enamel and Silver Plated,
“The 45 million monthly average users of our messaging app Kakao Talk is a huge plus for us when advertising our bank,” a spokesman for Kakao Bank said. He added the bank uses Kakao’s artificial intelligence technology for its automated customer support systems. The bank had 8.9 million users as of March letter d cufflinks. Other Asian countries set to approve online-only banks include Taiwan – where a group led by a unit of Japanese messaging app operator Line Corp has applied for a license – and Malaysia, which plans guidelines by the end of the year. Bank of Thailand Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob said the central bank was exploring the issue..
“Large technology companies are seeing this as a land-grab opportunity where they can build out new sets of financial services that can be cross-sold to their existing users,” said Jeff Galvin, a Hong Kong-based partner at McKinsey. Driving the shift in Asia is mobile technology’s deep penetration across all aspects of consumer life. Such trends were forged by Alibaba and Tencent in China where the two upended financial services and drove a revolution in the cashless economy with their digital payment applications letter d cufflinks.
In contrast, U.S. tech giants such as Amazon and Alphabet Inc’s Google have focused their financial industry efforts on providing tech and consulting services to incumbents. Asian consumers are far more willing to bank with tech firms than elsewhere in the world. More than 90 percent of consumers under 35 in China and India would bank with a technology firm, according to Bain research, compared to 75 percent in the United States and just 51 percent in France. The online-only banks in Hong Kong plan to start-off by offering services such as savings accounts, credit cards, personal loans and travel insurance letter d cufflinks.
“What we are seeing in Asia is technology companies moving sideways into finance, inspired by or even threatened by the examples of Alibaba and Tencent,” said James Lloyd, partner and APAC fintech leader at consultancy EY. In Asia, the emergence of tech gains in the banking sector comes at a difficult time for the region’s incumbents who have begun reassessing the vast branch networks that, until recently, were seen as their competitive advantage. The number of bank branches in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand has declined in the last couple of years, dropping by between 1 percent and 7 percent in 2017 from 2015, according to the International Monetary Fund letter d cufflinks. That compares with growth of as much as 8 percent a decade ago..
To be sure, legacy banks in Asia have their own plans to stay relevant in the changing space with some tying up with new rivals letter d cufflinks. Among the new Hong Kong digital banking licensees is a joint venture between StanChart, Chinese holiday booking giant Ctrip and local telco PCCW. “We think that the ecosystem we can build together will be a great integration of lifestyle into banking,” Mary Huen chief executive of StanChart Hong Kong, and chairman of the new virtual bank, said at a press conference..


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The Myanmar Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Entrepreneurs Association made the forecast at the recent "Myanmar Medi-Pharm Expo", signalling confidence in the future of the nascent market now estimated to be worth about US$100 million to $120 million (Bt3.2 billion to Bt3.85 billion).
During the past three years, the Myanmar government has tripled healthcare expenditures. Spending by consumers will also rise in line with the country's growing economy.
The pharma industry was starved during the country's long closure under a military regime, but newly liberalised economic policies have provided room for foreign investors as well as local companies to build their business.
The industry relies heavily on foreign medicine, with more than 90 per cent imported. Indian suppliers enjoy the largest share at 35.4 per cent, followed by Thailand, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Korea and Indonesia.
About 60 per cent of all products are sold in Yangon and Mandalay.
There are only 10 domestic manufacturers. The government allowed local companies to apply for production licences in January 2012.
Although the industry is still in its infancy, there are signs that international companies are keen to enter the market.
The seminar provided an overview of the industry and explained how to register medicines in Myanmar.
The exhibition was the second of its kind organised by Minh Vi Exhibition and Advertisement Services. Exhibitors came from 14 economies, including India, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand, to the event, which they saw as a platform to enter the emerging market. Local companies saw it as an opportunity to find partners.
"We are satisfied with the result of this year's exhibition as we recorded 927 visitors on the first day alone. Last year, we only had that many for the entire event," Nguyen Ba Vinh, director-general of the organiser, said yesterday.
Most exhibitors wanted to test the waters rather than to strike deals.
Natchakot Sukamongkol, product and export manager for Asia Chemie (Thailand) Co, said he joined the event for the first time just to observe the market.
Thai 3B Scientific Co, a distributor of scientific models and simulators from Germany, looked to explore opportunities to market products aimed at educational purposes in Myanmar.
"If we get customers here, the products may be sent directly from our parent firm," a representative said.
Wanasak Wingsuwan, sales engineer of Official Equipment Manufacturing Co, said: "At present, there is limited spending from private investors, so we mainly receive business from international organisations or investors that have already started projects here."
source: The Nation


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On June 12 Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s conference will take place. Last year apple introduced Siri enhancements, iOS 6, a new MacBook Pro, a new MacBook Air, a quiet refresh to the Airport Express router, its own Maps application, support for FaceTime over cellular networks and new Facebook integration inside of iOS 6.All that stuff was quite big.
What to expect from Apple WWDC – 2013
WWDC is already causing a big stir in the technology world. There were 5000 Tickets for the conference and all of them got sold in less than 2 minutes. That’s huge we don’t see that kind of anticipation in RIM or Microsoft events.
Last year at WWDC 2012 Apple introduced pretty good stuff and in WWDC 2011 it launched the IPhone 4S. So what possibly can we expect to get from Apple this year:
- iOS 7
- Update for Mac OSX Mountain Lion
- Much anticipated iWatch
- IPhone 5S
- Siri Update
- Retina 2.0
- Maps Update
Last year apple introduced the iOS 6 and the year before iOS 5. So we can be sure that Apple will introduce iOS 7 this year.
All of the eyes are on iOS 7 this year mainly because Scott Forstall (The father of IOS) was fired last year because of his unapologetic behavior after shipping buggy Maps Application and SIRI update. Jonathon Ive is looking into the User Interface of iOS now. So, we can expect a very beautiful and sleek User Interface just like the Hardware of Apple Devices.
The news about iOS 7 is floating all over the internet we have heard rumors that this massive update will support widgets now and a desktop like Home Screen (Android Inspired?). I am sure that we will get to see some beautiful widgets in the demo exclusively developed by Apple for the Retina Display.
iO7 will be given a performance boost, some exclusive application bundles. An update to iMessage and iCloud systems is also expected. Rumors have it that iOS 7 will also include toggle buttons’ in the notification bar.
Better Retina Display
Although Apple’s Retina display is one of the things I love about Apple but it’s not the best display anymore. The new HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 have already beaten Apple’s sweetheart Retina Display. So we are expecting Retina 2.0.
Apple CEO Tim Cook suggested that Apple won’t be launching any new products till 2014 but Apple has been staying quite for a while now. I think it’s some sort of marketing stunt to surprise the users.
Though Apple said that it won’t be launching any new products but I still think that IPhone 5s is quite possible this year. We heard rumors that Apple is currently working on two iPhones the iPhone 5s and a ‘Budget IPhone’
I’m happy about the IPhone 5s but I’m more excited about the Budget IPhone possibly because it would be affordable for everyone. Stay tuned to ‘The AppJuice’ for more updates on WWDC and Apple Products.
Written by: Talha Masood


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Arguably the world’s most influential motor show opens this week in Geneva, and promises super high-end limited-edition sports cars from Ferrari and McLaren and an avant garde – but production-ready – ground-breaking new hybrid design from Volkswagen. More than 900 vehicles will be on show, including 100 new models.
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Panasonic’s 2021 CES press conference, like many, addressed the unusual nature of this year’s show and the desire to return to a sense of normalcy. Despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Panasonic created products that addressed the changing needs of consumers and retailers alike while also making it a priority to give back to the community. The half hour press event covered several different topics ranging from the 2020 Olympics (scheduled for July 2021 in Tokyo), the connected car, contactless solutions for retail, and more.
Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020
2020 marked the first time since 1944 that the Olympics were cancelled ,which also meant the first time in over 30 years that Panasonic was not helping to power the games. But rest assured, they are making their return this summer in Tokyo and Panasonic will be playing a major part in their return with their audio and visual elements throughout The Olympic Stadium.
The four athletes that were introduced at CES 2020 as part of Team Panasonic have been working towards creating opportunities for the next generation of athletes and giving back to their communities. Swimmer, Katie Ledecky has been passionate advocate for students inspiring new generations to pursue STEAM and STEM careers. Rising karate star, Sakura Kokumai has offered free virtual karate lessons during the pandemic while many gyms and training facilities were closed. Team captain and swimmer, Michael Phelps was the co-executive producer for the film, The Weight of Gold, which touched on the mental health struggles that many Olympic athletes face. Blind Paralympic long-jumper, Lex Gillette, has worked closely with Panasonic to spread his inspiring message: “Adapting. Giving back. And continuously moving forward.”
Contactless Solutions for Retail
Panasonic’s ClearConnect Restaurant Technology minimizes contact with customers while maximizing speed and efficiency of service. ClearConnect offers point-of-sale devices, self-ordering kiosks and drive thru systems to help restaurants continue serving customers under new regulations. Panasonic’s smart lockers create a safe alternative to food pickup that also allows food to remain hot or cold in a locked encasing. Customers receive a QR code that they scan upon arrival, the locker opens, and they’re good to go.
Entertainment in the New Normal
Panasonic has spread its talents across a number of entertainment categories from gaming to cooking. Panasonic announced the SoundSlayer Gaming Speaker (SC-HTB01) that provides full audio immersion into a player’s favorite games. The product is also a contendor for the CES 2021 Innovation Awards in the Headphones & Personal Audio category. Panasonic’s Lumix camera offers versatility to capture a range of different moments like drone shots and gimbals as well as live streaming content. The Technics True Wireless headphones let users enjoy premium sound and best-in-class noise cancellation in the home and on the go. Panasonic is also putting its HOME CHEF 4-in-1 Countertop Multi-Oven in the hands of Keith Habersberger, Ned Fulmer and Eugene Lee Yang, otherwise known as The Try Guys, for the ultimate test.
The Connected Car
Our cars have become our second homes during COVID-19 and like the adaptions we’ve made to our homes for safety and entertainment, vehicles deserve the same attention. On the safety front, Panasonic has introduced Augmented Reality (AR) Head Up Display (HUD) that combines AI technology from the SPYDR cockpit domain controller to render near-field and far-field content for vehicle information including speed, object and pedestrian detection, and mapping / route guidance, for a more informed and aware driving experience. On the entertainment side, Panasonic has partnered with major audio brands, Klipsch and Dolby Atmos Music to bring an immersive technology-driven sound performance on the road.
Jessica is the Chief Digital Editor for CT Lab Global Media, the North American platform for IFA Berlin.


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KENMORE, N.Y. (WIVB) – A new bakery in Kenmore has something sweet for everyone.
Fig Tree Patisserie, 3602 Delaware Avenue, opened its doors on Monday.
The all-inclusive bakery offers something for everyone- vegan, gluten-free, allergen-free, even keto-friendly- as well as traditional pastries and cakes.
The shop is owned by Natalie Schultz, of Desserts by Natalie, who owned another bakery by the same name on Kenmore Avenue in Buffalo.
Vegan treats are provided by Courtney Justus, known on Instagram as @ThatVeganBakingBetch.
The pair met through Instagram and quickly became friends.
“We went to the same high school, but I’m older so we never crossed paths,” Justus said. “But on Instagram, I was like “your cakes are so good and cute”- we became best friends like instantly.”
The pair did a collaboration on the last weekend at the former location.
“It was a dream- we were like “we have to do this together”,” Schultz said.
Both women have been baking since they were kids.
“I’ve been baking since I was a little kid,’ Schultz said. “I went to the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute and I’ve been baking ever since.”
Justus said she loved baking with her mom when she was younger. When she went vegan four years ago, she started baking her own vegan sweets.
“I used to love sweets, and I needed to make myself vegan stuff,” Justus said. “I would find recipes online and tweak them, then about two years ago I started making my own recipes.”
While it’s not a completely nut-free bakery, they try to make it allergen-friendly.
“Buffalo is going great with vegan things, but the allergen-friendly part kind of gets lost in it all,” Justus said. “I want to help people and make it all inclusive.”
“We want everyone to have treats,” Schultz added.
On Monday, items sold out the first day they were open for business.
“It’s been literally crazy,” Schultz said.
For opening week, the bakery will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.
After that, it regular hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.
“We’re very on Cloud Nine right now- it’s such a blessing for us,” Schultz said.
“We’re tired, but we’re pumped,” Justus said. “I never imagined myself here, but now I’m here.”


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And could it capture the magic of the original concept car?
Author: GM Authority Staff
Conventional compact car buyers, start your research engines.
Johnny O’Connell just missed the podium.
Tudor United Sports Car Championship action at Belle Isle did not disappoint.
We give you four drives, and four opinions on the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V.
The vehicles compatible will be 2016 model year and above.
We learned that we’re extremely thirsty for more, to say the least.
You’re not going to read about how we’d like to see another Z/28 here. Because OF COURSE WE WOULD.
We don’t think that the renovation will include much flowers and curtains.
That’s because the CUE update to 2016 model year vehicles features hardware updates.
See all of the changes here.
The updates range from making the system faster to delivering new features, and more.
2016 Cadillac ELR Sees New Colors, OnStar 4G LTE, Higher Output Electric Motor, CUE Updates And More
The slowest-selling Cadillac gets a significant amount of updates.
GM Korea and its suppliers visited Shanghai GM in late April.


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Since we recently covered the Intel Earnings Q1 2022 Notes we figured would cover AMD’s briefly as well. There were a few interesting nuggets in the AMD Q1 2022 earnings release that seemed worth discussing.
AMD Q1 2022 Earnings Notes
AMD had a fairly great quarter. Big revenue growth and margin up year over year.
For the consumer segment, AMD is seeing some softness, but says it is focusing on higher end segments to make up the revenue. The one big one to us on this page is the quarterly drop in ASP for data center GPUs. NVIDIA Hopper is still a few months away. Intel has not formally launched Ponte Vecchio. At the same time, AMD is not able to keep the data center GPU mix high. That can just be more Radeon being sold, but it is one of the weak points in this release.
The Enterprise, Embedded, and Semi-custom segment had a big quarter. The challenge is that these are all very different segments, so reporting them together makes it harder to see. Still, it sounds like EPYC is growing briskly from the comments.
Xilinx is going to sell into all three of these areas for AMD, and Xilinx IP is not integrated yet. Still, it seems like AMD continues to grow its data center business at a healthy clip.
For a bit of perspective, here is Intel’s Datacenter and AI Group’s results:
Intel and AMD have different reporting segments. Still, both seem to see higher data center revenue. When we see Intel increase revenue while decreasing margin, it seems to point to competition in the market. That aligns with the storyline that EPYC is gaining share. EPYC gaining share likely leads to Intel discounting more heavily. We have also heard that is happening in the market.
AMD confirmed that we will see Genoa in the second half of this year. It is now saying that Bergamo, AMD’s cloud architecture, will target the first half of 2023. DDR5, PCIe Gen5 and the Zen4 core are coming, and it seems like we have less than 7 months for that transition.
We will likely see the current trends continue for at least another quarter. The big question will end up being how macro economic forces impact the market and demand for server CPUs as we progress through the year.


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This year’s the Advertising Research Foundation’s Audience Measurement (AM) 2014 focused on the Measurement Mandate and an immediate call-to-action for analysts to embrace the future of programmatic buying and cross platform measurement and lead their respective organizations through the considerable changes brought by today’s complex media environment.
Gayle Fuguitt, President and CEO of The ARF’s opening address set the tone for the event. In it, she explained there is a code red problem facing the industry. For example, the ARF’s research found that less than 10 percent of marketers say that mix models help them understand cross-platform advertising. Fuguitt emphasized that analysts must recognize this to be a transformative moment.
“This is not a measurement mandate, but rather a leadership mandate,” said Fuguitt. “We need to collaborate within our organizations, across organizations and across the world and we need to listen to each other and converge.”
In his address Bob Lord, Global CEO of AOL Platforms, delved into the power of convergence and how it can transform industries at the intersection of business and technology. Lord believes that measurement is key to truly understanding consumers and creating a brand strategy that meets consumers’ needs.
“Convergence of technology, media and creativity allows us to imagine and enable customer experiences like never before,” said Lord. “Technology, media, and creativity operating within the context of business strategy can transform a marketing problem.”
Lord also discussed his five principles when using data to better the consumer experience. He explained that brands need to put the consumer at the center and understand what motivates them and their journey to trying or using a product. Marketers must start thinking of their brand as a service and be aware of the fact that they are in the business of fulfilling consumer needs. It is also crucial to reject silos; consumers don’t care about inter-department issues and neither should businesses. Brands also need to act like a startup and employ agile methodology and prototyping. Finally, brands must embrace diversity in order to raise ROI’s on company performance.
AM 2014 wasn’t only a discussion of big data and ways to improve audience measurement across platforms. It was also a look at those who are solving measurement challenges and generating significant business results. In that spirit, the first annual Erwin Ephron Demystification Award was announced at the conference, an award that honors the legacy of media leader, Erwin Ephron.
Bill Harvey, Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor of TiVo Research and Analytics, was the first winner of this prestigious award. He has spent over 35 years in the media research industry and has pioneered thinking in New Media, industry data, and audience measurement standards.
“Bill challenges conventional thinking, and has a rare ability to translate ideas into action,” said Fuguitt. “The Erwin Ephron Demystification Award was part of the greater goal of AM 2014 to support, inspire, and promote the analytical minds that will lead organizations through this period of dynamic change.”
The overarching message of AM 2014 was the need for analysts to embrace new ways of thinking in order to keep their seat as the C-suite’s most trusted advisor, a mission that the ARF will continue in future events and research.


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Last updated on December 2nd, 2022 at 05:54 pm
Elon Musk criticized the founder of Tesla.
According to Business Insider, Elon Musk criticized Martin Eberhard, one of the founders of Tesla, saying that it was Musk, and not Eberhard, who risked his money when creating the company’s first car.
I was the head of the product department and led the design of the original Roadster. Eberhard was rich and could have risked his money, but he didn’t want to.
Musk was previously accused of simply “crowding out” Tesla founders Eberhard and Mark Tarpenning and “spent the next ten years telling everyone he founded Tesla.”
At the same time, Elon Musk himself said that he was directly involved in the creation of the Roadster, and also registered their Motors trademark with tesla.com address. Eberhard said Musk’s comments about Tesla’s history are “typical” of the billionaire.
Not a single sentence in his tweet is true. The fact that he continues to lie about me 15 years after I left Tesla fully shows his nature.
Eberhard and Tarpenning founded the company in 2003. Musk, who had the money after the PayPal sale. Funded the company with $6.5 million and joined board of directors as chairman. Prior to this, Eberhard had introduced to him via email as “a company with very high potential for growth.”
Introduced its first car in 2006, at the same time Eberhard was called “Mr. Tesla.” Musk was hurt by the lack of media coverage of his involvement in the development. Then Eberhard for the first time seriously argued with Musk, but not for the last timeMusk. Who formally became the company’s CEO in 2008, has repeatedly spoken disparagingly of Eberhard. Musk said last year that Eberhard was “by far the worst person Musk has ever worked with in his entire career,” adding that the co-founder was “close to killing Tesla.”


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DAVENPORT, Iowa, Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Von Maur Department Stores is pleased to announce that it will open its newest store, located just outside of Rochester, N.Y., at Eastview Mall in...
In a settlement agreement with the U.S. Labor Department, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to improve safety conditions for employees who use trash compactors and cleaning chemicals at 2,857 Walmart and Sam's Club stores in 28 states. The retailer will also pay a $190,000 fine to fix hazards uncovered during an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection at a store in Rochester, N.Y.
Wegmans Food Markets Inc. and Walgreens have settled a lawsuit filed by Walgreens in November 2010, in which the Deerfield, Ill.-based drug store operator alleged that some Wegmans logos infringed Walgreens trademarks. Under the terms of the settlement, which was reached early last month, Wegmans agreed to discontinue the use of the “circle W” symbol on store-brand product packaging by June 30, 2012, but retained the right to freely use the name “Wegmans” in script, as well as its other marks. The Rochester, N.Y.-based grocer didn’t admit liability as part of the settlement. “The cost of making relatively minor


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Calibra CEO David Marcus was speaking at the Money 20/20 conference held in Las Vegas on 29th October. Marcus has defended Facebook’s cryptocurrency project by describing it as “the most meaningful innovations that have changed the lives of millions across the world in a profound way have always been met with damning headlines.”
Ideally, David’s speech tried to provide insight on how Libra will improve traditional payment systems by providing; a secure and noble way of moving money across borders. Moreover, Marcus stated that the underlying Blockchain technology behind Libra digital currency; will enable regulators trace transactions and notice suspicious payments. He said:
“The open ledger – the blockchain – enables regulators to look at what is happening themselves and identify where the risk is without relying on reports. The onus is on us to do that work and now that we have the governance structure in place, we can now demonstrate this improvement.”
Moreover, the Calibra CEO said that any wallet could take part in the project as long as it is compliant; with Anti Money Laundry (AML) and Know-Your-Customer requirements. Calibra is Libra’s corresponding wallet. According to Marcus, “It was designed to be competitive, but we still need to earn people’s trust over time to use Calibra.”
Libra to Change the Direction of the World
Additionally, the project lead compared the invention of Libra to some great inventions that have changed our way of living. He resorted to examples such as internet, electricity, mobile phones, and smartphones noted that just like them; Libra also has the ability to “change the direction of the world.”
Notably, he stressed that there was data separation between Facebook and Libra. He tried to clarify that information will not be touted for ad targeting but would bring distribution channels. He said “Moving money around the world with WhatsApp and Messenger is what will bring real value on a day to day basis.”
In conclusion, Marcus comments have come at a time when intense regulatory scrutiny; that has forced a number of its key backers to abandon the project. Last week at a congress hearing; Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he is prepared to delay Libra’s launch until regulatory concerns are addressed.


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The International CTIA Wireless 2010 event later this month could see the launch of the Nexus One on Verizon Wireless as one Google Employee has apparently confirmed that a CDMA version of the device will be unveiled on the 23rd of march, when CTIA starts.
The FCC has apparently already given its green light to a Nexus One with a CDMA chipset last week and the phone is already available on T-Mobile on a two-year contract and an initial fee of $180.
A Verizon Wireless version would not only offer better connectivity and network coverage but also bring in some much needed competition in the US. The phone is already expected to come in the UK via Vodafone some time in April.
The phone will be in direct competition with its blood sibling, the Desire, which is also manufactured by HTC. Both will come with a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Android OS 2.1 and a 5-megapixel camera.
The Nexus One can already be ordered straight from Google for around £350 excluding VAT while the Desire will be available soon on T-Mobile for £30 per month on a 24-month contract. You can read our preview of the Nexus One complete with nice snapshots here.
The Nexus One is certainly one of the better phones out there but Apple has yet to release its next generation iPhone and HTC is already preparing quiet a few Android-based phones as well. Then there's Windows Phone 7 models coming soon. 2010 will be exciting.


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With that in mind, a few are probably certain. The next console will likely still be a hybrid home and portable console –Report from VGC suggests that’s the case, which is a natural progression given Nintendo’s recent trajectory. After the company has sold more than 132 million portable game consoles, it’s unlikely to return to a system that can’t live without a TV.
Other reports indicate that the next console may have a slightly larger screen, using an LCD panel (instead of OLED, appearing on the recently updated Switch), and may have a more powerful processor. But specs are specs. They can only tell you so much about how the console works or feels in person.
We don’t know if the new console will be backwards compatible with older games. Nintendo only occasionally supports previous-generation games on its newer consoles. Until we know for sure, it’s hard to say whether it’s worth waiting for a new console. If it can’t play most of the games on Switch, then the question isn’t whether to wait, but which games you want to play.Since the Switch already has the longest slice of the pie compared to previous Nintendo consoles, it’s a safe bet that The developer toolkit is already in the hands of developers Preparing games for new consoles.
2025 could be the year
The next generation of Nintendo consoles is unlikely to arrive in 2024. multiple stores, Including VGC, european playersand Bloomberg, there are reports that Nintendo has delayed the Switch successor to the first quarter of 2025. Supplementary report by Japanese media “Nikkei Shimbun” (Via VGC) further confirmed the news, saying the delay was to increase supply to reduce reselling and equipment shortages.
We’ll probably still find out more about the Switch successor in the coming months. Previous report recommendations Nintendo was originally targeting a holiday 2024 release. The original Switch was announced in October 2016 and released in March 2017, about five months apart. If Nintendo plans to launch its next-gen console in the first quarter of 2025, we might get an official announcement this fall.
Nintendo tends to use less powerful, more outdated hardware than its Xbox and PlayStation consoles—despite the fact that it’s accomplished some incredible feats with it—so when current models seem outdated , it’s natural to be eager for the next model. , the Switch will be Nintendo’s primary console for at least a year.Even after that it’s still a great console capable of playing some games Really excellent game for a long time.


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PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) Downgraded to Sell at Vetr Inc.
Vetr cut shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Monday, July 24th. They currently have $56.88 price target on the credit services provider’s stock.
A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Piper Jaffray Companies lowered their target price on PayPal Holdings from $32.00 to $29.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 17th. Zacks Investment Research cut PayPal Holdings from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on PayPal Holdings from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, April 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a buy rating and set a $53.00 target price (up from $48.00) on shares of PayPal Holdings in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, BidaskClub upgraded PayPal Holdings from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $59.49.
Shares of PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ PYPL) traded up 0.25% during midday trading on Monday, reaching $59.44. 4,653,341 shares of the company traded hands. PayPal Holdings has a 1-year low of $36.30 and a 1-year high of $61.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $57.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.47 billion, a PE ratio of 47.94 and a beta of 0.99. PayPal Holdings also was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 3,225 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 657% compared to the typical volume of 426 call options.
PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ:PYPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The credit services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.09 billion. PayPal Holdings had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 12.82%. The company’s revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.36 EPS. Analysts expect that PayPal Holdings will post $1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: “PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) Downgraded to Sell at Vetr Inc.” was posted by The Cerbat Gem and is the sole property of of The Cerbat Gem. If you are reading this piece of content on another site, it was stolen and reposted in violation of United States and international copyright & trademark law. The original version of this piece of content can be accessed at https://www.thecerbatgem.com/2017/08/19/paypal-holdings-inc-pypl-downgraded-to-sell-at-vetr-inc-updated-updated-updated.html.
PayPal Holdings announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the credit services provider to buy up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
In related news, EVP Gary J. Marino sold 1,351 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.03, for a total value of $72,994.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 37,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,025,638.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Gary J. Marino sold 1,350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.48, for a total value of $70,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,967,527.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 265,852 shares of company stock valued at $15,543,798 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.00% of the company’s stock.
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. increased its position in shares of PayPal Holdings by 36.7% in the first quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. now owns 2,415 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PayPal Holdings during the first quarter worth approximately $106,000. Carroll Financial Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of PayPal Holdings by 41.7% in the first quarter. Carroll Financial Associates Inc. now owns 2,516 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. Stelac Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in PayPal Holdings during the first quarter worth approximately $119,000. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in PayPal Holdings by 23.9% in the first quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 2,850 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. 81.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About PayPal Holdings
PayPal Holdings, Inc is a technology platform and digital payments company that enables digital and mobile payments on behalf of consumers and merchants. The Company’s combined payment solutions, including its PayPal, PayPal Credit, Braintree, Venmo, Xoom and Paydiant products, compose its Payments Platform.
To view Vetr’s full report, visit Vetr’s official website.
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Craft beer sales soar
Smaller brewers celebrate 9% growth; outdistancing large brewers, wine, spirits
Feb 16, 2006 - America's craft brewers sold 9% beer in 2005 than in 2004, making craft beer the fastest growing segment of the United States beverage alcohol industry for the second consecutive year, according to the Brewers Association in Colorado.
"Craft beer volume growth far exceeded that of large brewers, wine and spirits in 2005," said Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association. "And even though imported beer grew nicely in 2005, craft beer grew at a faster rate."
The Brewers Association estimates 2005 sales by craft brewers at 7,112,886 31-gallon barrels up from an adjusted total of 6,526,809 barrels in 2004, an increase of 586,077 barrels or 8.1 million case-equivalents.
Compared to craft beer volume growth of 9%, spirits volume increased at 3.3% in 2005 and wine volume was up 2.9%. The import segment of the beer industry rose 7.2% in 2005 while non-craft domestic beer volume declined slightly for the year.
"Consumer enjoyment of the flavor and diversity of craft beer continues to fuel healthy, steady growth in this segment," said Ray Daniels, Director of Craft Beer Marketing for the Brewers Association. "Small brewers lead the entire industry by offering flavorful, interesting beers."
The craft beer segment includes more than 1,300 small, traditional and independent breweries. It includes both brewpubs which sell beer primarily at their own pub or restaurant and packaging breweries that distribute beer in kegs, cans and bottles to a wide range of retail outlets. The Brewers Association has tabulated industry growth data for these breweries annually since 1985.
One year ago, the Brewers Association reported craft segment growth of 7.2 percent for 2004.
"The strong growth by craft beer in 2005 is especially impressive because it comes on top of strong performance in 2004," Gatza said, adding that 2005 is the third year craft beer growth rates were stronger than those for imports. "Craft beer clearly leads the beer industry in consumer appeal," he said.


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DHAKA: Infused with brand new innovative ideas, a barter ground is becoming increasingly popular among shoppers around the country. Here, anyone can sell their stuffs as a seller and also buy things as a buyer at the same time without any additional charge.
It’s called cellbazaar.com, a hassle free marketplace that keeps third parties and rip-offs at bay which largely caters a direct and instant buy-sell platform in Bangladesh.
Along with the latest buzz for 3G service and a recent craze for smartphones are now stirring up a hot topic for the people around the country. And combining these two forces creates a revolving trade wind in country’s economy, states cellbazaar.com CEO Mr. Arild Klokkerhaug, in a banglanews24.com’s interview recently.
Youth, smartphones and internet, a perfect blend of these three conveys a rapid change in country’s socio-economic culture as online market amid the slow internet speed in Bangladesh.
Online e-shopping is now trending with flying colors as traffic and road accidents are becoming a regular issue. People can check for electronic products, laptops, notebooks, cars and even houses in this e-shopping mart.
Cellbazaar.com started to get attention as the first classified ad market in Bangladesh from 2005. At first started with car and flat rent deals, it expanded its list of items gradually. As a result, both buyers and sellers leaned forward to this site.
Today, as the CEO of cellbazaar.com, Mr. Aril recreated the site out of an ordinary looking interface and service system. And now, buyers and sellers consider cellbazaar.com as one of the most trusted and convenient shopping site for used and brand new products.
Mr Arild expressed his optimism that this market will take a hold of all the customers and sellers by 2020. With high speed internet and reaching every phone, this service will mobilize the country’s economy as cellbazaar.com leaping forward with new innovative planning and ideas.
On a different note, Arild conveyed his best regards for banglanews24.com saying, this rapid emerging new media indicates a steady but rapid growth of internet culture in this country.
Now, 30 thousand cars and thousands of commodities each day are being sold here in cellbazaar. Each day it is adding new feats, enlisting new products which make shopping easier and more convenient.
Cellbazaar provides all features both in Bangla and English by using a simple tab selection from the menu. Mr Arild is confident that this new feature will enable countrywide trade for free.
This site recently intergraded facebook with their site allowing users to sell or buy more easily using their facebook profiles. Users no longer need to open up separate accounts in this site which assures safety for the interested buyers as well. However users can register with new accounts separately as well for sake of their own personal privacy.
Re-launching a brand new logo, cellbazaar brings significant change in its interface every single day. These modifications are result of various customer feedbacks. Users can select their locations and preferred products from an array of 6 different categories from the display out of many more.
In this Eid-Ul-Adha numerous domesticated animals were also sold as the part of the festival and this online market is rapidly increasing its reputation in this massive annual sales.
According to Arlid, Bangladesh has one of the fastest growing number of internet users which makes it more effort in developing their own platform and watchful quality control with 7 years of experience in this sector.
Cellbazaar.com is the pioneer in online and cell phone classified ad market which has won prestigious award for its SMS service. It was launched as a complete website in 2007.
This year, cellbazaar.com ended its contract with Grameenphone. This new genre of online market is revolutionized classified ad market as sellers can place an ad for free. All the ads are checked by its own quality control team.
Mr Arild is in no doubt that this site will facilitate every customer around the country and will continue to work for betterment of its compatibility with its users.
BDST: 1630 HRS, OCT 28, 2013


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Going green on the big blue
Luxury yachts sail toward an eco-friendly future
Nothing quite spoils a cruise on the ocean like the noise of diesel engines down below. It’s not just about the racket though – the marine industry is conscious of environmental issues such as emissions, and is looking at ways it can change through new technology.
A report by research group IDTechEx says every container ship emits the same amount of CO2 as 75,000 cars. But it’s not just commercial vessels – the luxury yachting industry is also having to transform itself.
Some builders are developing hybrid setups that use a combination of a petrol or diesel engine and an electric motor. They provide distance as well as the ability to cruise silently in the harbour in electric mode. Electric also means you can switch off the polluting side of the engine when you are in an environmentally sensitive area such as a coral reef...


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Netflix is testing a brand new low-cost pricing tier in India because the on-demand video streaming service appears to be like to court docket extra subscribers in Asia’s third-largest economic system.
The American big has unveiled a “Mobile+” plan for some new and present subscribers in India that delivers streaming in high-definition (HD) high quality and helps viewing throughout cellular, pill, and pc screens (however not TV). The month-to-month tier is priced at 349 Indian rupees ($4.7).
The testing of the brand new tier, first noticed by AndroidPure, comes months after Netflix launched a mobile-only plan in India that’s priced at 199 Indian rupees ($2.7). The mobile-only plan, because the title suggests, restricts customers from accessing the service from their pc display or TV, and lowers the streaming high quality to straightforward definition (480p.)
Netflix’s conventional month-to-month subscription providing begins at 499 Indian rupees ($6.69), which restricts streaming high quality to straightforward definition, and goes as excessive as 799 Indian rupees ($10.7) that helps 4 simultaneous viewing and streaming in extremely excessive definition (4K).
A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the brand new check to TechCrunch.
“We launched the Mobile Plan in India to make it simpler for anybody with a smartphone to get pleasure from Netflix. We need to see if members just like the added selection this provide brings. We’ll solely roll it out long-term in the event that they do,” the spokesperson stated.
The timing of the brand new check is not any coincidence. Earlier this month, Netflix debuted “Indian Matchmaking,” an eight-episode present that follows matchmaker Sima Taparia as she works with singles and their households in India and the U.S. to search out fascinating mates for marriage.
“Indian Matchmaking,” which has acquired combined evaluations, has nonetheless managed to generate extra buzz than some other India-focused present or film Netflix has produced thus far. Arif Janmohamed, a companion at Lightspeed, stated he believes the present has lastly enabled Netflix to “crack the Next Billion.”
The streaming big, which has amassed practically 193 million subscribers, has been exploring completely different methods to make inroads in growing markets because it appears to be like to take care of its rising momentum.
Netflix, which has raised its month-to-month tariff within the U.S. lately, competes with greater than three dozen on-demand streaming companies in India together with its international rivals Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Hotstar+ Disney, all of that are aggressively priced.
In an earnings name earlier this 12 months, an organization government stated Netflix was “working actually exhausting to attempt to make our providing in India extra aggressive, extra engaging to members and members-to-be, and there’s a bunch of various product options we’ve been doing.”
Last 12 months, Netflix stated it had earmarked $420 million for producing and licensing content material in India by the tip of 2020. Last week, the streaming service introduced 17 unique reveals and films that it plans to launch over the following few months.
The mobile-only plan that Netflix first launched in India final 12 months — after testing that for months — has since been expanded to almost a dozen markets together with Malaysia.


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September 26, 2023
Wholesale cannabis prices rise in key states, but downward pressure expected
By Kate Robertson, WriterSeptember 25, 2023 SHARE It’s the FINAL COUNTDOWN on MJBizCon savings. Get your tickets by Thursday Sept. 28 for the 12th annual cannabis business conference, Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Las...
September 20, 2023
Why Colorado Tokers Love Dolato
Also known as Dosilato, this leathery strain smells like something Ron Burgundy would appreciate. By Herbert Fuego Article Link: https://www.westword.com/marijuana/dolato-strain-review-17799686 September 20, 2023 Dolato’s dazzling looks may lure you in, but...
August 10, 2023
Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana
Original Link: https://www.nstlaw.com/guides/driving-under-the-influence-of-marijuana/ With more and more states legalizing recreational marijuana, it’s easy to overlook the dangers that still exist when consuming the substance. Driving under the influence of marijuana...


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Don’t tell the Americans, but the renminbi might be overvalued.
US politicians can’t resist taking China to task for supposedly holding down the value of the renminbi for years. While they undoubtedly care more about scoring political points than the underlying facts, lawmakers would likely be shocked by a theory that has arisen in the last two weeks that China’s currency is actually overvalued.
The root of that theory: China’s unexpected 3.1% export slump last month.
Some economists and analysts quickly jumped to the conclusion that the renminbi has appreciated too much. A stronger yuan means that Chinese exports are more expensive, which could lead other countries to buy less.
“In our view, one key policy take-away from this trade report is probably that the strength of the yuan can hardly be justified,” wrote Societe Generale China economist Yao Wei in a July 10 note. She did also note that capital inflows had been curtailed, part of a crackdown on illegal trade misstatements, so “the balance in the currency market should tilt towards yuan depreciation.”
This about-face by many in the finance industry is surprising, considering the rise of the renminbi previously seemed like one of the surest bets on China. There’s ample evidence that this new stance may be an overreaction as analysts scrambled to respond to an unexpected data release.
The crackdown on misstated trade statements, noted by Yao, likely had more to do with the downturn in exports than an overvalued renminbi.
In addition, exports have been falling across most emerging markets, wrote China economist Qinwei Wang of research firm Capital Economics on Friday. That would indicate weak global demand also weighed heavily on China’s exports.
While exports stole the headlines, it’s also important to note that imports fell, a trend that would counteract the effects of declining exports on the currency. Imports drive capital outflows and thus exert downward pressure on a currency’s value as demand for yuan falls. Exports do the opposite. Downward trends in both should therefore offset each other when it comes to the value of the renminbi.
Taking imports and exports together, the trade surplus in June was still a massive US$27 billion, widening from May. That measure should, in theory, narrow if the renminbi is approaching its par value.
But regardless of whether it is overvalued or undervalued, the debate may actually have little bearing on what the Chinese government does. Beijing could decide to suppress the value of the currency to pull out all the stops in support of exports, whether or not it runs counter to market forces.
Beijing’s likeliest course of action is the path of least resistance – neither allowing the currency to substantially appreciate or depreciate. That will ensure that the currency doesn’t put further pressure on domestic exporters and gives policymakers in other countries like the US no new reasons to complain about the yuan.


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SAN FRANCISCO — Media and other invited guests filed into the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts expecting to hear in-depth details about the Apple Watch on Monday, exactly six months after Apple gave the world its first peak at the smartwatch.
Employees wearing long-sleeved teal T-shirts with Apple logos served breakfast wraps and pastries to invited guests outside the theater ahead of Monday”s event, which was announced less than two weeks ago. An invitation sent Feb. 26 invited guests to “Spring Forward” — an allusion to Sunday”s move to Daylight Saving Time.
The reference to time and the event”s proximity to the planned April release of the smartwatch immediately led to speculation that the event would focus on Apple Watch. CEO Tim Cook did little to squash those reports since by giving interviews focused on the smartwatch and disclosing small details such as the battery”s ability to last a full day.
“This is the watch event,” IDC analyst John Jackson declared last week.
While Apple announced the gadget in September along with new iPhones, analysts say the company has yet to make a persuasive case for why consumers should pay hundreds of dollars for a tiny computer tailored for the wrist. So far its pitch has alternately touted the gadget”s health and fitness tracking, communication tricks and style, but pundits expect a great deal more information about the smartwatch”s capabilities and software Monday.
“Smartphones already offer a convenient way to check the time, access the web and apps, and increasingly pay for products,” Cathy Boyle, senior mobile analyst at eMarketer, said in an email Monday morning. “So, to succeed with a smartwatch, Apple needs to create a compelling use case for the device, a feature set that offers far more than simply saving consumers the few seconds it takes to pull a smartphone out of a pocket or purse.”
The range of prices for Apple Watch will also be key to the event. Apple shared in September that its smartwatches would start at $349, but the company has closely held the full range of prices, fueling speculation that the sky is the limit for the luxury models. The top-of-the-line gold model has been speculated to cost $10,000 or more.
The stakes are high as Apple prepares to bring to market its first brand-new product since the iPad. Consumers snapped up 74.5 million of the latest iPhones last quarter, propelling Apple to record profits, but analysts say the company must find another hit product soon to sustain the level of growth investors have come to expect.
Apple stock added about 1 percent Monday morning ahead of the event, with shares trading for $127.87 at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time.


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How COVID-19 Is Fast-Tracking Emerging Tech
The coronavirus outbreak has given automated delivery a new sense of urgency. In China, JD.com, Pudu Technology and others have mobilized drones and robots to transport medical supplies within hospitals and clinics as well as to bring food, supplies and medicines to people confined to their homes. Support for drones in ecommerce is also ticking up. In the US and elsewhere, a growing list of companies, including Amazon, UPS, Alphabet, Domino’s Pizza and Walmart, are already testing drones to help cut last-mile delivery costs for products like retail items, medicines and fast food. Gartner anticipates that 24.9 thousand enterprise drones designed for this purpose will ship worldwide this year, though those figures were released prior to the outbreak.


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Isabelle Daza and Anne Curtis spent the Halloween weekend in New York City, and they, as expected, wore amazing costumes.
Isabelle dressed up as Captain Planet, while her husband, Adrien Semblat was Indiana Jones.
Meanwhile, Anne and longtime beau Erwan Heussaff dressed up as Elle and Dustin from "Stranger Things"!
Anne shared in an Instagram post today, October 31, "Last time we (Isabelle and herself) were here together was 2008 for Halloween. A lot has changed since then. We are now officially #TitasOfHalloween"
Anne is in New York for the annual New York City Marathon.
The ultimate online fan experience gets even better here at starcinema.com.ph.
See other latest news here, visit our online store, and talk about your favorite stars, movies, and TV shows on Fans Speak!
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Barnes & Noble Inc. has been a sad story for investors lately. Its shares have shed more than a quarter of their value in the past six months, and the retailer warned last week that 2008 would be “especially challenging.”
Still, with the stock now selling at about the same price as a best-seller, the time is ripe for investors to get into Barnes & Noble. Volumes of bad news have already been priced into the stock the shares. At 15 times next year's projected earnings, the shares of the nation's largest book merchant are trading at a discount to rivals like Borders Group, which is also struggling.
“Downside risk at these levels is very limited,” says William Armstrong, a vice president at brokerage firm CL King & Associates. Unlike other analysts who follow Barnes & Noble, he rates the stock a “strong buy.”
Yes, this looks like a tough year for retailers of all stripes, but Barnes & Noble's balance sheet is in better shape than it was heading into the last economic slowdown. The company, which had $667 million of long-term debt on its books in 2001, is now debt-free. It also has $360 million of cash, which it plans to use for additional share buybacks and dividend payouts.
Meanwhile, there are signs that the company is reining in the discounting that ate into its margins last year. Mr. Armstrong predicts that margins, which reached 31% in 2006 but most likely fell last year, will stabilize this fiscal year, which ends Feb. 3, 2009.
Shareholders do have a bit more bad news to swallow, though. Barnes & Noble, which will report full-year results later this month, is expected to post earnings of about $123 million, or $1.87 a share, on revenue of $5.4 billion. That compares to per-share earnings of $2.18 on $5.3 billion of revenue in the previous year.
In addition, competition is intensifying as Amazon.com develops an electronic book service, Kindle, and Starbucks becomes a bigger seller of CDs. Additionally, consumers are expected to buy fewer books this year—as a result of the softening economy and more time spent on the Olympics and following the presidential election.
And this year, there will be no addition to the Harry Potter series to magically boost revenues, while sales of The Secret, the best-selling nonfiction title in the company's history, ebb.
Show of faith
Despite all problems, Barnes & Noble's executives have kept the faith. The company repurchased $248 million worth of its shares in 2007, and Chairman Leonard Riggio was especially active, buying about $22 million worth at an average price of $36.33 a share. He now owns about a quarter of the company.
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We put the iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Galaxy S23 Ultra to the test side by side to see which is the best phone overall.
Samsung is planning a whole stable of Galaxy Fan Edition products — and they could launch early next month.
Forget iPhone 15, iPhone 16 is coming next year with even more upgrades — and here are 9 I want to see.
Take advantage of iOS 17's ability to let you run multiple timers on your iPhone at once. Here's how.
We tested the battery life of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, comparing the results versus previous iPhones and other flagships.
An early teardown video provides an inside look into the iPhone 15 Pro's camera, battery and other internals.
iPhone 15 Pro's titanium doesn't mix well with fingerprints, but thankfully it's only a temporary issue.
Consider buying one of the best used smartphones if you're looking for a low-priced phone that still offers great performance.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the most advanced iPhone ever with a titanium design, A17 Bionic chip, action button and new periscope zoom camera. Here's everything you need to know.
With the iPhone 15 Pro now out, we'll tell you everything you need to know about what's changed with the latest Apple phone.
Here's what we know about the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models coming out this fall now that Apple's shown off its new phones.
The iPhone 15 Pro delivers awesome cameras and superior performance in a thinner and stronger titanium design, but it’s not perfect
A stronger and lighter titanium design, more powerful zoom, blazing A17 Pro chip and smart Action button add up to a near perfect iPhone. But the charging could be faster and digital zoom better.
The current waiting times for all iPhone 15 models, including the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
We've not met the Google Pixel 8 properly yet, but the Google Pixel 8a, expected to launch May 2024, seems to have already been captured on camera.
iPhone 15s have been getting stuck in upgrade loops during the setup process, but thankfully there is a way to fix the problem.
Now that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the most expensive phone Apple's ever made, you'll want to keep it safe from harm. The best iPhone 15 Pro Max cases can help.
iOS 17 makes cropping images on your iPhone even easier by giving you a shortcut to do it from zooming in in the Photos app. We show you what to do in this guide.
Yet again, Apple has decided to give the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus a 60Hz display refresh rate, which is a far cry when you look at other phones in the same price range.
Google Pixel 7a deals can be found across numerous retailers. Here's how you can score Google's epic phone for free.
Retailers are offering a wide range of Samsung Galaxy A54 deals. Here's are today's best sales at carriers and retailers.
Today's Galaxy S23 Ultra deals can take up to $1,000 off Samsung's premium phone. Here are the best sales right now.
Samsung Galaxy S23 deals are now live. Take up to $1,000 off your phone and get a free Galaxy Watch 5 or Galaxy Tab S7 FE.


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Arkansas Best Corp. shares rose 8.2% Monday after the company reported second-quarter net income rose 37.8% to $32.3 million, or $1.26 a share, as revenue grew 12% to $479.3 million. The company said its profit included a gain of 12 cents a share on the sale of its Clipper Exxpress unit. Revenue was boosted by a 6.4% increase in total weight carried per day in the second quarter. Arkansas Best said tonnage trends in July are at or slightly behind those in the second-quarter.
ATI Technologies shares jumped 19% after the company greed to be acquired by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. /zigman2/quotes/208144392/composite AMD +4.34% for $5.4 billion, a deal that would open a new front in AMD's rivalry with Intel Corp. /zigman2/quotes/203649727/composite INTC +4.66% . See full story.
Cardiome Pharmaceuticals Corp. shares leapt 36% after the company said it was pleased with the results from a Phase IIa pilot study of RSD1235, a potential therapy for preventing the recurrence of atrial fibrillation. The Vancouver-based company said the safety data for the 300mg dosing group suggests that RSD1235 is well-tolerated, and that the drug demonstrated a clear positive trend toward efficacy. Enrollment and dosing for the second stage of the study, evaluating a 600mg dose, is complete, the company said. Results from this dosing group, as well as the complete study, are expected later in the third quarter. Cardiome plans to initiate a larger Phase IIb clinical study after it analyzes the results.
CNH Global N.V. shares added 7.6% after the company said second-quarter net income climbed 29% to $147 million, or 62 cents a share, with revenue up 4% to $3.7 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call were looking for earnings of 63 cents a share on revenue of $3.61 billion. The majority-owned agricultural and construction equipment unit of Fiat SpA said gross margins at equipment operations improved 2.7 percentage points on positive price recovery and increased manufacturing efficiencies in agricultural equipment and positive price recovery, better volume and mix and manufacturing efficiencies in construction equipment. Earnings per share before restructuring should surge to $1.30 to $1.40 a share, from 95 cents last year, while equipment sales are seen rising 2% to 5%.
Exco Resources Inc. jumped 18% after the company set plans to acquire Winchester Energy, a unit of Progressive Energy , for $1.2 billion in cash. Exco plans to float an initial public offering of units representing limited partner interests of a master limited partnership subsidiary being formed to acquire Winchester Energy Company. The IPO will also include assets of Exco. The assets are located in East Texas and North Louisiana. Exco plans to sell an approximate 50% interest in the partnership and retain 50%. Net proceeds will be used to repay debt incurred in connection with the acquisitions.
Hasbro Inc. /zigman2/quotes/201249319/composite HAS +2.31% shares moved up 9.5% after the nation's No.2 toy maker said that second-quarter income declined from a year-ago period that was bolstered by strong sales of "Star Wars" toys, but total revenue easily topped Wall Street's view. See full story.
Landry's Restaurants Inc. shares gained 8.4% after the company said it will retain Wachovia Securities and Northpoint Advisors to help evaluate strategic alternatives for its Joe's Crab Shack chain. Landry's added that certain underperforming Joe's Crab restaurants have closed, and that it expects to record a charge of $6 million, or 27 cents a share. See full story.
PFF Bancorp Inc.'s shares rose 8.6% after the Pomona, Calif.-based provider of financial services reported first-quarter earnings of $15.4 million, or 62 cents a share, compared with $12.4 million, or 49 cents a share, last year. PFF's quarterly net interest income rose 14% to $46.9 million vs. $41 million.
Shares of Philips Electronics NV /zigman2/quotes/200778575/composite PHG +0.78% jumped 6.5% following a report in The Wall Street Journal that three groups of private-equity firms are in the final stage of bidding more than $10 billion for the company's semiconductor division.
Polo Ralph Lauren /zigman2/quotes/207257694/composite RL +2.27% shares surged 16% after the designer of apparel, accessories and home furnishings raised its earnings outlook for the fiscal first quarter amid robust customer demand for its products. See full story.
Pre-Paid Legal Services shares gained 6.1% after the company said its second-quarter income increased to $12.1 million, or 81 cents a share, from $6.9 million, or 44 cents, a year ago. Revenue for the three months ended June 30 advanced to $111.2 million from $105.6 million in last year's second quarter. Membership fees rose to $103.1 million from $97.1 million. The Ada, Okla., provider of legal services said results were helped by lower commissions.
Radcom Ltd. /zigman2/quotes/200481844/composite RDCM -2.28% shares added 9.7% after the company reported second-quarter net income doubled on 18% higher revenue. Net reached $208,000, or a penny a share, from $103,000, or a penny a share, in the year-earlier period. Shares outstanding rose 3.2% to 16.6 million. Revenue reached $5.7 million from $4.8 million. Adjusted earnings were 2 cents against 1 cent.
Schering-Plough Inc. shares gained 5.7% after thec company swung to a second-quarter net profit propelled by strong sales of its drugs Vytorin, Nasonex and Remicade that handily beat Wall Street expectations. See full story.
Silicon Laboratories /zigman2/quotes/202999406/composite SLAB +4.21% shares jumped 21% after the company reported second-quarter earnings of 18 cents a share, down from 28 cents in the year-earlier period. Adjusted profit was 37 cents in the latest quarter. Revenue rose to $123.5 million from $107.2 million. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call was profit of 33 cents on revenue of $118.7 million. For the third quarter, the Austin, Texas, chip company forecast revenue of $122 million to $127 million. Wall Street's current consensus estimate is $124.9 million. The company said the board approved the buyback of as much as $100 million of common stock over 12 months.
Taser International shares gained 8.2% after Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Eric Wold recommended buying the stock aggressively ahead of its second-quarter results, saying the stun-gun maker's results may exceed expectations. Wold said sales trends are accelerating, wrongful-death suits continue to be dismissed, law-enforcement officers have successfully used Taser products in the field, and significant orders could be announced during the third quarter.
Titanium Metals Corp. shares added 7.9% after the company said second-quarter net income for the three months ended June 30 rose 62% to $54.3 million, or 31 cents a share, from $33.6 million, or 20 cents a share in the year-ago period. Revenue at the Dallas company rose to $300.9 million from $183.7 million.
Astec Industries Inc. /zigman2/quotes/200615398/composite ASTE +1.44% shares fell 22% Monday after the company reported second-quarter net income of $12.4 million, or 56 cents a share, up from $10.2 million, or 49 cents, earned in the same period in 2005. The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based manufacturer of specialized infrastructure equipment also posted quarterly sales of $191.3 million, 12% higher than the prior year's $170.8 million, as international sales accounted for 28% of net sales for the latest period vs. 19.4% a year earlier. Analysts, on average, had been looking for Astec to chalk up earnings of 67 cents a share on revenue of $205 million, according to estimates compiled by Thomson First Call. Chairman and CEO Don Brock cited the impact of "certain negative events occurring at the end of the quarter that were beyond our control." The company's June 30 backlog stood at $121.7 million, up 38.2% from mid-2005.
Boston Communications Group shares plunged 30% after the company said Friday the Securities and Exchange Commission has notified the company of an informal inquiry into certain option grants the company made from 1998 through 2002. Also Friday, the company said it will pay $55.3 million to Freedom Wireless to settle patent litigation against Boston Communications and its carrier customers.
China BAK Battery shares fell 31% after the company issued a weak outlook for the third quarter, saying sales of its steel-case battery cells and aluminum-case battery cells were lower than expected. The company now sees revenue of about $32 million for the third quarter. The current average estimate of two analysts polled by Thomson First Call is for revenue of $42 million.
TGC Industries shares lost 7.1% after the company reported second-quarter net income rose 15% as revenue more than doubled. Net reached $2.1 million, or 13 cents a share, from $1.8 million, or 14 cents, in the year-earlier period. Shares outstanding rose 20% to 15.7 million. Revenue was $14.9 million against $7.2 million. The revenue jumped stemmed from a rise to seven field crews in operation in the latest period from three crews a year earlier, as well as productivity improvements, TGC said. The quarter was hurt by persistent rain in south Texas and Kansas in May and June, which hampered crews there, TGC said.


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Syrian refugees: Abuse & exploitation in Turkish garment factories
An estimated 650,000 Syrian refugees (numbers continue to rise) have fled their home country to escape bloodshed and have found a lifeline working in Turkey, with many working in the garment industry. Without these jobs, many families would face desperate times and would struggle to support themselves. However, the garment industry in Turkey is complex and exploitative conditions are too common. Since 2015, reports and investigations have exposed poor wages, discrimination, and child labour by Syrian refugees working in the Turkish garment industry.
Since February 2016 we have released three reports analysing brands' action to tackle this abuse based on their responses to survey questions we devised with the help of unions, refugee and worker organisations. In July and August 2017 we visited Turkey to assess recent developments and speak to people on the ground. Our reports can be accessed on the left.
Below is a collection of the latest news and resources on this important issue.
What’s changed for Syrian refugees in Turkish garment supply chains?
We approached 37 brands with a set of questions on their actions to protect Syrian refugees in their supply chains, and in July and August 2017 we visited Turkey to assess recent developments and speak to people on the ground.


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Japan household spending rebounds as wages rise
JAPAN'S household spending rebounded modestly in July as higher bonus payments pushed up real wages, offering policymakers some hope of a sustained economic recovery. A tight job market is also encouraging consumers to spend.
The data came as premier Shinzo Abe, who sought to reflate the economy with heavy monetary and fiscal stimulus measures, kicks off his campaign for another term as head of his ruling party in a leadership vote later this month.
A pick-up in consumption and wage growth could help the Bank of Japan make its case that inflation will gradually head toward its ambitious 2 per cent target.
But escalating trade frictions cloud the outlook for the export-reliant economy, with reports that US President Donald Trump could be contemplating taking on Japan over trade.
"Consumption isn't necessarily strong. Capital spending is underpinning growth but may cool if exports slump," said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.
"Japan's economy is doing fairly well but remains vulnerable to external shocks. Consumption won't have the strength to offset any future slowdown in external demand."
Household spending rose 0.1 per cent in July from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday, confounding a median market forecast for a 0.9 per cent drop and rebounding after five straight month of declines.
Separate data showed Japanese workers' inflation-adjusted real wages rose 0.4 per cent in July from a year earlier, marking a third consecutive month of gains.
The gain followed a revised 2.5 per cent annual increase in June, the biggest gain in more than 21 years, as companies boosted summer bonus payments, the data showed.
The government revised up its assessment on household spending for the first time in more than a year, saying it was on a solid footing. That compared with the previous month's view that spending was weak.
While bad weather kept some consumers at home, higher summer bonuses prompted households to buy more cars, personal computers and smart phones, the data showed.
Still, many analysts say the wage growth is too low to fire up inflation to the BOJ's 2 per cent target, with next year's scheduled domestic sales tax hike and uncertainty over global demand clouding the outlook.
"We expect the labour market to loosen once the tax has been raised, in particular if the US economy slows sharply. The upshot is that wage growth won't strengthen much further, denting the hopes of ever achieving the BOJ's 2 per cent inflation target," said Marcel Thieliant, senior Japan economist at Capital Economics.
Japan's economy rebounded in the second quarter from a contraction in the first three months of this year thanks to robust business spending.
But consumption has lacked momentum as firms remain wary of raising wages, despite reaping record profits.
BOJ board member Goushi Kataoka warned that risks to Japan's economy were skewed to the downside due to the expected hit from next year's sales tax hike and trade woes.
Manufacturing activity in major Asian economies took a hit from weak export orders in August, a sign firms are starting to feel the pinch from trade frictions between the United States and China that could derail global growth. REUTERS