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Behavioral Signals is starting the year off with exciting speaking opportunities! First, you can find our team at CES 2019 on January 8th in Las Vegas, NV. CES is the world’s gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies.
Next up is the DeepTech Summit in San Francisco, CA on January 11th where our CEO, Rana Gujral, is a featured speaker. DTS is organized by F50, a venture platform that search for the most innovative companies and products. F50 connects them with corporate partners and investors. DTS also brings together over 50 tech communities and media partners from all over the world. Furthermore, it reaches over 100,000 companies and investors, and 200,000 startups worldwide.
Then, on January 12th, Rana is giving the opening keynote speech at the Imagine Talks 2019 in Oakland, CA. Come by and hear him discuss about the Entrepreneurial Mindset. The theme of the event is specifically focused on innovation, women empowerment and social impact. Other talks will be delivered by Emmy award-winning movie star and choreographer, James Lew, (Marvel’s Luke Cage series), venture capitalist, Ernestine Fu (Forbes cover August 2011) and Rana’s pal Jack McCauley, creator of Guitar Hero and Co-founder of Oculus.
Finally, January wraps up with a talk by our CEO at the 3rd Annual Global Artificial Intelligence Conference in Santa Clara, CA from January 23-25. This conference features many of the AI thought leaders from the industry and allows practitioners to discuss AI through effective use of various techniques. The title of Rana’s speech is “How AI is becoming Emotional.”
Are you attending these events? Let’s meet up and discuss exciting partnership opportunities! Email us at firstname.lastname@example.org to arrange a quick meeting!
We look forward to more speaking opportunities for the Behavioral Signals’ team in 2019. Happy New Year!!!


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MAK award postponed until 2021
The annual World Automotive Components (MAK) Awards will not take place this year. Due to the growing incidence of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection, the Moscow government has imposed a ban on mass events. In this regard, and primarily concerned about the lives and health of participants and visitors to the event, the organizers of the award are forced to decide to cancel the IAC 2020 ceremony and postpone it to 2021.
Recall that the event has been held since 2012. Each year, the winners of IAC award, established by Max Media Group publishing house (magazine "Autocomponents"), are chosen by professionals and end users of spare parts.
During the event more than 500 manufacturers from 25 countries participated in it, and more than 150,000 people voted in the consumer categories. During this time 189 laureates have been awarded and more than 140 industry experts have been involved.
Information support for the award is provided by more than 50 major media outlets, including TV and radio. Materials about the IAC are posted by brand representatives, distributors, spare parts stores, service stations, professional associations, analytical and marketing agencies. Information coverage before and after the award exceeds 600,000 people.
Today, the award includes 16 nominations, objectively reflecting the Russian market of automotive components industry.
The organizers of the award hope for the soonest resolution of the situation with the coronavirus pandemic and wish you first of all health and thank you for your support and loyalty in this difficult time.

domain: news


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Hear that mouse click? Some say it's the mall's death knell.
WHERE BRICKS, MORTAR FIT INTO E-COMMERCE GROWTH
Because the Internet provides 24-hour shopping, there soon will be no incentive for a customer to drive to a retailer, find a parking spot and stand in line to buy things, say some e-commerce proponents. They predict that bricks-and-mortar retail space will be about as prevalent as an Automat come the millennium.
Few real estate experts subscribe to that extremist view. Most retailers, they say, will maintain some kind of physical space, no matter how successful their Internet sales.
But that doesn't mean property managers can become complacent. To be successful in an increasingly computer-oriented economy, they need to think about retail space in radically new ways -- reallocating existing space, scouting locations for new types of developments and restructuring leases.
"It's not that real estate developers will have a glut of dark, shuttered spaces. But we do need to think about -- in fact, we already are thinking about -- changes to space utilization," says Michael Hirschfeld, principal and head of the national urban specialty retail group for New York-based property manager Trammell Crow Co.
Fewer changes in cities
Not all property managers will be affected equally.
Mr. Hirschfeld predicts that commercial landlords in urban areas will see fewer changes than those in rural and suburban areas. Others see the line drawn by retailer category, with developers of space for discount merchants feeling the pinch before those who lease to high-end apparel shops.
Mary Tolan, global managing partner of retail for Chicago-based Andersen Consulting, says the type of space dictates whether a development will survive. Malls have the benefit of being a destination for entertainment as well as shopping. But "power centers" -- those strip-mall like clusters of boxy chain stores -- may become obsolete, some real estate experts say.
The fundamental question is what role the physical store plays for the retailer. Even if it isn't the primary generator of sales, a bricks-and-mortar storefront has a place in an e-commerce world, and developers should start creating ways for the space to adapt to those roles.
"I think you will see the store become a place where you have a relationship with the vendor, not necessarily where you pick up the item," says Noah Shlaes, senior manager of real estate advisory services for Chicago-based Arthur Andersen LLP. "Like in a modern car dealership, you go, look at a few examples, then have the car made for you."
Many observers see the showroom as a fundamental part of the new real estate landscape. Mr. Hirschfeld says high-profile urban stores, such as the Sony and Pottery Barn stores on North Michigan Avenue, serve as image-builders for the brand.
Showrooms, where customers can touch the products and view options, are in the cards for retailers that currently have bricks-and-mortar stores, agrees Neil Stern, a partner with retail consulting firm McMillan/Doolittle LLP in Chicago. In addition, he expects to see more Internet-only retailers open showrooms for the same reasons.
Last month, Virginia-based Circuit City Stores Inc. introduced an integrated approach. When the chain's e-commerce site launches this month, its 592 stores will become pickup centers for Internet orders, allowing customers to purchase online, while getting the immediate satisfaction of getting their goods the same day and saving on shipping charges. Internet purchases also will be returnable in the stores.
Space designed to support e-commerce will be a significant growth area, according to industry experts. Some point to a growing emphasis on same-day delivery by Internet retailers. To have products in consumers' hands by the end of the day, merchants need local warehouse space.
Mr. Hirschfeld says redefining space in typical 25,000-square-foot stores that now house electronics or office supply retailers is one of the easiest changes property managers can make. "Those boxes can easily be reprogrammed from 22,000 square feet of selling space into 15,000 square feet of selling space and 10,000 square feet of support space for e-business," he says.
Vernon Hills-based CDW Computer Centers Inc., which sold through a catalog (and still does) before it established an e-commerce arm, has a different use for its retail spaces, says President Greg Zeman. The firm's stores in downtown Chicago and Vernon Hills serve as showrooms/demo centers.
But, more important, he says, they are training centers for employees. All new account managers work in the retail showrooms for 12 weeks before they are promoted to handle online sales support for CDW's business customers. The retail space gives employees hands-on experience that translates to the virtual sales environment, Mr. Zeman says.
"The Internet, for us, has a positive effect on bricks and mortar. We will add more physical space to house telemarketers," he says.
Finding new models
As firms like Circuit City and CDW further integrate their street sales with their Internet sales, property managers need to reconsider leases that grant owners a percentage of gross sales. It would be nearly impossible for a real estate firm to track a tenant's Internet sales in order to include that in its cut of the gross, says Mr. Hirschfeld, so those clauses may have to be replaced by other models.
Ms. Tolan says developers should try to predict what kinds of spaces will be needed -- more centrally located warehouses and fulfillment centers, and fewer power centers, for example -- and reconfigure existing space to accommodate e-business, as opposed to building new physical space.
"Some types of retail space will be more vulnerable than others," she says. "Any power center can afford to have a vacancy. It's when you have a couple of them that you have a problem."


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Intel has agreed to pay Advanced Micro Devices $1.25 billion is a settlement of three antitrust and patent disputes, although other cases continue.
Chip-making giant Intel has agreed to pay Advanced Micro Devices $1.25 billion is a settlement of three antitrust and patent disputes, the New York Times and other news outlets reported. One case was filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware; the other two in Japan.
Despite the settlement, Intel still faces several other court fights. The company is appealing a $1.45 billion fine levied by the European Union in May in connection with antitrust charges. Although AMD said it will drop all antitrust complaints as a result of the settlement, an EU official said the settlement won’t affect its own case.
Also, New York state last week filed an antitrust suit against Intel, the Federal Trade Commission is considering opening a case, and the company also is facing a comparatively small $18.6 million fine in Korea.
AMD had accused Intel of bullying computer manufacturers and distributors into using Intel processors in their computers, making what AMD claimed were discriminatory rebate payments and threatening retaliation if other companies did business with AMD.
In the settlement agreement, Intel agreed to follow a set of business practices that have not yet been disclosed, and to cross-license patents with AMD for five years.
Intel and AMD have long battled for market share, although Intel has been the clear leader. AMD made some gains earlier this year, but Intel expanded its lead in the third quarter this year, when it shipped 81.5 percent of the world’s processors, compared with 17.8 percent for AMD.
NEXT STORY: HHS names Nitor Group for NHIN bridge contract


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Google and Walmart have announced a partnership to bring Walmart voice shopping to the Google Assistant and Google Home. Free delivery will also be available through Google Express, which is changing its pricing structure.
Even though it wasn’t discussed in either of the company blog posts, the move is possibly a response to Amazon voice shopping via Alexa devices. This move is also a part of Walmart’s efforts to increase its e-commerce business and reach new audience.
Initially, the use case will be product reordering. But anything past that, Wall mart intends to use its data to make personalized shopping recommendations based on purchase history. There are some pretty ambitious plans that the company has for voice shopping and offline fulfillment:
One of the primary use cases for voice shopping will be the ability to build a basket of previously purchased everyday essentials. That’s why we decided to deeply integrate our Easy Reorder feature into Google Express. This will enable us to deliver highly personalized shopping recommendations based on customers’ previous purchases, including those made in Walmart stores and on Walmart.com. To take advantage of this personalization, customers only need to link their Walmart account to Google Express.
And, this is just the beginning. Next year, we will also leverage our 4,700 U.S. stores and our fulfillment network to create customer experiences that don’t currently exist within voice shopping anywhere else, including choosing to pick up an order in store (often for a discount) or using voice shopping to purchase fresh groceries across the country.
Another important part of the announcement is that Google Express will now be free if the order value goes above a defined purchase minimum. Before, Google Express cost either $10 a month or $95 a month with additional per-order deliver fees.
This partnership is meant to go to battle with Amazon, which has a significant lead in the installed base of voice assistants. In a recent NPR survey, Amazon has a 76 percent market share among smart speaker owners. Google Home is holding only 16 percent share.


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Half of US adults now use mobile banking, with the number of users increasing by 29m since last year, research released by Javelin reveals. “This dramatic shift in consumers’ channel preferences puts pressure on financial institutions to innovate in the space to meet increased demand for mobile functionality,” the firm says.
- ST explains how NFC tags with digital signatures can provide end-to-end protection against counterfeiting throughout the supply chain
- Atac brings contactless transit ticketing to Rome
- Starbucks launches NFC payment pens in Japan
- NXP unveils NFC, UWB and secure element chipset
- Revolut lets customers pre-authenticate their contactless card as they approach the SCA transaction limit


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An extra-special alpine shopping experience
Kitzbühel combines urban flair with typical Tyrolean hospitality and offers a diverse range of culinary highlights alongside a selection of unique shops. The town centre brings together an impressive mix of sport and lifestyle to create a shopping and dining paradise that defines the town of Kitzbühel just like the Streif ski race course characterises the Hahnenkamm mountain. The historic town centre is home to a stunning combination of exclusive fashion, jewellery, art and design as well as traditional crafts business.
With the announcement of the state of Tirol on March 12, 2020, additional precautionary measures to curb and combat the spread of the corona virus have been implemented for all of Tirol.
All cable cars throughout the country will have their last day of operation on Sunday March 15, 2020.
Accommodations (hotels, apartments, private rooms etc.) will be closed on Monday, March 16, 2020.
Not affected: grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, animal feed, drugstores, post offices and other areas that are needed for supply.
This measures will be upheld until 13 April.
These comprehensive measures are carried out in close coordination between the authorities and Tirolean tourism. The health and safety of the Tirolean population, the employees of the country’s tourist businesses and guests from all over the world has top priority.
Last updated, 14.03.2020 – 1:00 p.m.
You can find further information here.


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Rick looks back at a 20th Century classic.
MSI's new premium £400 Z490 board certainly looks and feels ace but can it handle Intel's Core i9-10900K?
Rick examines Epic's latest tech-demo.
Which was Joe's favourite game from the show this year? Find out within!
Joe reports from GamesCom on (both) Paradox's retort's to Dungeon Keeper.
Valve is to launch a beta of Big Picture Mode in September.
Joe reports back his first impressions of Arma 3 from GamesCom 2012.
IO Interactive has changed the new Hitman following community backlash.
Ubisoft has entered the digital distribution market.
Frozenbyte has announced new Goblin Menace DLC for Trine 2.
Joe brings us a preview of Kalypso's new stealth game from GamesCom 2012.
Bioware turns it into larger online game.
Larian Studios is offering a $5000 reward for PCs stolen from GamesCom.
Twice the cities! Twice the motion!
Bethesda has announced what your PC will need to play Dishonored.
Capcom has announced a Remember Me, formerly known as Adrift.
We reckon not.
May 15 2020 | 11:00
Copyright © 2000 - 2020, bit-tech.net. All rights reserved.


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Motorists who bought cars from the company over the summer say they were not told about a fault where a seat belt could unbuckle.
Volkswagen’s handling of a “potentially lethal safety issue” involving seat belts has been “completely unsatisfactory”, Which? has said.
The consumer group claims that the company has sold an estimated 55,000 vehicles since it was made aware of the fault six months ago – with VW Polos, Seat Ibizas and Seat Aronas affected.
When all three rear seat belts are in use in affected cars driven at high speed, the rear left passenger side can become unbuckled.
The issue was discovered by a Finnish motoring magazine back in May, but Which? says many motorists were not told about the issue when they purchased their cars – and some of them have been using all of their rear seats.
Which? also believes that an interim fix, which involves the faulty seat belt block being temporarily secured with a plastic cable tie, does not fully stop the chance of the seat belt coming undone.
A permanent fix is being introduced on Monday, and Volkswagen Group says drivers will need to take their cars to a garage for the free-of-charge repair.
But Alex Neill, the managing director of home products and services at Which?, said: “VW’s handling of this potentially lethal safety issue has been completely unsatisfactory.
“It’s shocking that they proposed a permanent fix that doesn’t even properly solve the problem, and we’re concerned that customers might not always be getting the right information at the point of sale.
“The decision not to suspend sales when the problem was discovered has now put substantially more drivers, as well as their passengers, at risk. The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) must investigate VW’s handling of the whole situation.”


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Heather Howell, the chief tea officer of Rooibee Red Tea, has two kids — one aged eight, the other 10. Before a product launch, she throws feelers their way. Her daughter walks around with a Rooibee Red file folder. Does market research get better than that?
“I’ve got my own little focus group at home,” Howell said.
In her previous job as an executive at Humana, a health insurance company, Howell dove into the stats and demographics of childhood obesity. This led her to the beverage industry, a platform where she hopes to encourage young people to drink healthier beverages. It’s also why she knew, from her initial interview with Rooibee Red Tea, that a kids line was on the way.
Rooibee Roo, a caffeine-free tea marketed toward children, will make its debut at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West show in Anaheim, Calif. According to the company, the tea is USDA organic, rich in antioxidants, gluten-free and has 100 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C. Per 8 oz. bottle, the product contains 49 calories and 12 or fewer grams of sugar (the exact figures will be decided).
Available in multipacks of six bottles, the tea has a mass suggested retail price of $5.98 and, in smaller chains, $6.99. It will be available in three flavors — Dragon Fruit, Cherry and Mango — with Raspberry and Orange in the works.
After surveying a number of moms, the company decided on a screw top for the BPA-free bottles. This allows for greater portability and compatibility in, for example, parks and recreational facilities, Howell said.


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Are you an iPhone person or an Android person?
According to psychologists at Lancaster University, your choice of handset is telling of other factors of your personality.
iPhone users are more likely to be young, extroverted and female, while Android users are generally more honest, agreeable and less interested in status and wealth.
“In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that an individual’s choice of smartphone operating system can provide useful clues when it comes to predicting their personality and other individual characteristics,” said Dr David Ellis from Lancaster University.
The researchers found that iPhone users were more likely to be younger, twice as likely to be female, more likely to see their phone as a status object and more extroverted.
Android users were more likely to male, older, more honest, more agreeable, less likely to break rules for personal gain and less interested in status and wealth.
Lancaster researchers were able to craft an innovative computer program that was able to predict the type of phone somebody would have, based on these differences.
“It is becoming more and more apparent that smartphones are becoming a mini digital version of the user, and many of us don’t like it when other people attempt to use our phones because it can reveal so much about us,” Heather Shaw, the co-lead on the study from the University of Lincoln told ScienceDaily.


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The average unit volume of the full-service chains in this year’s Top 10 list ranged from $8 million to nearly $15 million—impressive by any standard, but particularly noteworthy when viewed alongside other high performers in the industry. Even Applebee’s, the full-service chain that outperforms all others based on its total annual revenues, has an AUV of about $2.5 million. In fact—of the chains that Technomic ranks in its top 50 list based on systemwide sales in 2014—the majority have an AUV that ranges from $2–$4 million. For our Top 10 list by AUV, FSR examined all full-service chains with 10 or more units, but excluded chains with resort and retail components.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House
AUV: $14.9 million
In 2014, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House had total revenues that topped $150 million with each unit reaching nearly $15 million in sales, which is partly explained by an average check of $110. The brand credits its chef-driven cuisine and unparalleled hospitality for setting it apart from the competition. Home of USDA Prime-grade, wet-aged steaks that are hand cut at the time of ordering, the Double Eagle Steak House features a swarming-service model, meaning diners are served by multiple waitstaff simultaneously. In 2014, systemwide sales increased by 4.5 percent, and two of the Double Eagle Steak House locations were included in OpenTable’s 2014 Diner’s Choice Awards. With 11 steak houses now open, the brand plans to add one more store to its lineup this year.
AUV: $14.5 million
Mastro’s Restaurants operates a chain of sophisticated fine-dining steakhouses and seafood concepts in affluent areas within major markets. The company added one new unit in 2014, bringing the chain to 13 stores. This year, Mastro’s Steakhouse opened in Washington, D.C., following the model established at its operations in Chicago, New York City, Las Vegas, and multiple locations in Arizona and California. Each follows the format defined by the original Mastro’s, which opened in 1999 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mastro’s 2014 sales of nearly $167 million were an 8.3 percent increase over the previous year. In 2013, Mastro’s was acquired by Landry’s hospitality group, which owns more than 450 restaurant, hotel, and casino properties in the U.S. The brand’s next location is slated to open in 2017 in Houston.
The Cheesecake Factory
AUV: $10.5 million
The Cheesecake Factory opened 10 stores in 2014, keeping the 177-unit chain on track to ultimately reach its goal of 300 company-owned stores. In addition to growing its footprint, the chain continues to accelerate its average unit sales, which have increased by $400,000 since 2012 and rose to $10.5 million per unit last year. Equally noteworthy is the performance of recently opened units: Restaurants that opened within the past three years are posting sales-per-square-foot that are 10 percent higher than the company average. This year, the company began testing mobile payments, is continuing international expansion with license agreements in Mexico and the Middle East, and expects to open as many as 11 stores in the U.S.
Grand Lux Cafe
AUV: $10.5 million
Despite closing three underperforming stores in 2013, Grand Lux Cafe reached 2014 sales of $120 million, only a slight 2.7 percent drop from 2013. The 11-unit company raised prices slightly twice in 2014 and expects to continue increasing prices by 1 to 2 percent annually. Alcohol sales represented about 17 percent of the brand’s 2014 sales. The menu strives for a global presentation and was inspired by Italian trattorias, French bistros, and the grand cafes and pastry shops of Vienna. The company plans to add at least one new Grand Lux Cafe in 2015.
Smith & Wollensky
AUV: $10.4 million
Last year, Smith & Wollensky increased sales by 7.6 percent, bringing total sales to nearly $110 million for the company, which is owned by private equity firm Bunker Hill Capital. The boutique American steakhouse recently closed its Philadelphia location in May, leaving it with nine units in operation, including a casual Wollensky Grill concept in Chicago. However, the company is growing, having expanded overseas with the opening of a new London location in June and is continuing to explore domestic locations, currently focused on the Philadelphia market.
Maggiano’s Little Italy
AUV: $8.8 million
In 2014, Maggiano’s Little Italy turned a corner and began adding units for the first time in five years. The brand opened two new locations—one in Columbia, Maryland, and another in Vernon Hills, Illinois— to round out the year with 49 stores. The new prototypes have smaller footprints, having reduced the size of the kitchen and eliminated banquet space, but the new design includes classic architectural features like high ceilings. The company plans to open four of these new prototypes this year.
In its third quarter SEC filing of its current fiscal year, Maggiano’s posted its 21st consecutive quarter of growth in comparable restaurant sales. In its 2014 fiscal year, total sales topped $391 million. Food and non-alcoholic beverage represented 83 percent of sales; alcoholic beverage sales accounted for 17 percent of revenues.
This year, the Brinker-owned concept has also expanded its menu with lighter, health-conscious options that promise the same taste and portion sizes of traditional Italian dishes like Chicken Parmesan but with a third of the calories.


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Samsung has announced the launch of its new televisions on Flipkart, Amazon and Samsung’s official online store Samsung Shop. The smart TVs will go live at midnight, June 19, 2020. Of these, the Frame 2020 will be sold exclusively via Flipkart while the new online Smart TV range 4K UHD, FHD and HD Ready TVs will be launched under the ‘Get More from TV’ campaign on Flipkart and the ‘Wondertainment’ campaign on Amazon.
Samsung has announced that those purchasing the TVs using pre-paid transactions in the first 48 hours of the sale on Flipkart for The Frame and online Smart TVs, using their credit cards and debit cards will get an additional instant cashback of up to Rs 1,500. Apart from this, Amazon consumers are being promised an instant cashback up to Rs 1,000 on pre-paid transactions through their SBI credit cards.
Consumers can also avail exciting no-cost EMI options, with EMIs starting at Rs 3,125 for 24 months for The Frame 2020, and Rs 805 for 18 months for the new range of online Smart TVs.
Samsung claims the new edition of Frame as well as the Smart TVs are designed for "young millennials and consumers of online content." They come with Auto Hotspot technology, USB 3.0 and support voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa in addition to Samsung’s native Bixby. That’s not all, these Smart TVs are loaded with features such as Game Enhancer for "smooth lag free gaming, Content Guide for curated content, Personal Computer Mode, Home Cloud and Music Player, among others."
These TVs also come with a Personal Computer mode allowing users to transform their TV into a full-fledged PC. With this, users can choose to work from the cloud, mirror their laptop wirelessly without internet for big screen convenience or remotely access their office computer. The TVs are secured by multi-layered Knox for security and access to Office 365 services over the cloud.
“Online consumers, today, want their televisions to not just deliver great performance but also provide personalized experiences. Samsung 2020 range of online TVs come loaded with powerful new features that will not only enhance viewing experience but will also treat our consumers to a new standard of indulgence. These beautifully designed TVs are equipped to surpass the changing content consumption needs of our consumers, in sync with their lifestyle demands. We are partnering with Flipkart and Amazon to bring to our consumers this exciting product portfolio with attractive content, productivity and cashback offers, said Piyush Kunnapallil, Director Online Business, Consumer Electronics, Samsung India.
Samsung has announced the Frame 2020 will be available on Flipkart and Samsung’s official online store Samsung Shop. The TV will be available in three sizes 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch, for Rs 74,990, Rs 84,990, Rs 139,990, respectively. The Frame 2020 will come with 10-year no screen burn-in warranty, and one-year comprehensive warranty and one-year additional warranty on the panel.
The online Smart TV models will come in sizes starting from 32 inch and going up till 65-inches. The 4K UHD TVs come in four sizes 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch. The new FHD and HD Ready Smart TV range will be available in 43-inch and 32-inch respectively.
Among the new range of online Smart TVs, Samsung’s 4K UHD Smart TV models will range from Rs 36,990 for the 43-inch version to Rs 89,990 for the 65-inch version, while FHD and HD Ready Smart TV models will start from Rs 14,490 for the 32-inch model and go up to Rs 31,990 for the 43-inch model. The new range of TVs will come with one-year comprehensive warranty and a one-year additional warranty on the panel.


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Urban Outfitters, American Eagle Outfitters and other retailers are filling stores with styles from the 1990s in a bet that fanny packs, chunky-soled sneakers and high-waisted “mom jeans” will lift back-to-school sales.
H&M remains the most popular fashion brand globally with Zara, Adidas, Asos and Nike also in the top five of brands consumers are searching for, while French luxury labels are performing strongly, new figures show.
Shares of Urban Outfitters Inc rose nearly 4 percent on Tuesday after at least four brokerages raised their price targets following the company’s upbeat quarterly same-store sales forecast at its retail business.
Apparel retailer Urban Outfitters Inc reported first-quarter profit and sales on Tuesday that handily beat analysts’ estimates, driven by strong spending at its stores despite a longer-than-usual winter season.
Investment bank Piper Jaffray released the results of its 35th semi-annual “Taking Stock With Teens” survey on Tuesday, revealing strong gains for the beauty sector and promising progress for streetwear and 90s fashion.


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A couple days ago, news broke that the parent company of famous California soul-food chain Roscoe's Chicken N' Waffles would be declaring bankcruptcy.
For all of my Vinglers in Cali, this had to be terrible news. I know a lot of famous people who love to eat there. Rather then sit on the sidelines and watch the franchise die, Snoop Dogg has stepped up to the plate and said he wants to invest in the company.
TMZ reporter caught up with him last night and informed him of the bankruptcy. Initially, it was clear he was struck by the news—but then offered up a solution, saying that he'll buy it: "I guess I'm gonna have to name it Snoop Dogg's Chicken N' Waffles."


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Beyond a partnership that allows beauty consumers to shop with flexible payment methods, Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs and Klarna share a set of core values that are deep and impactful. Kelly Coller, Marketing Director of Haus Labs, and Natalia Brzezinski, Head of Strategy at Klarna, USA, shared with the audience at the WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit that it was no coincidence that the two shared the scene, but rather the strategic culmination of two companies driven by investment for the economy of creators.
“Klarna is absolutely not just a supplier, in fact, quite the opposite,” Coller said. “We have a number of programs together that go deep and deep, including the creation of our Klarna content studio, which is on-site at our purpose-built headquarters to grow this creator economy. We use it all the time for our photo shoots, video shoots and product shots. »
Lady Gaga uses it too, she said, and it served as an element to invite the world to be part of a larger conversation. “Together, we are very invested in the economy of creators. We think it’s mission critical and we believe in community.
When Coller joined the Haus Labs team, it was to reinvent the business, to revolutionize clean beauty. As a futurist, Lady Gaga’s original vision for the brand was to create the “next generation of beauty, a supercharged artistic brand fueled by innovation.”
“It was our crystal white space that we developed together, supercharged because it was packed with proprietary patented skincare ingredients and supercharged because it was the first time a beauty brand could be art. clean,” Coller said. “Dirty art is delicious, and we love it, but to be clean art, something free of toxins and pollutants and, of course, vegan and cruelty-free, is next level and requires immense agility and agility. deep passion as well as diligence and focus.
Coller and Brzezinski agreed that although Haus Labs and Klarna are different sized organizations, both companies see digital capabilities, agility and innovation as integral to their brand. For Haus Labs, this means being open to any new idea, allowing everything to be open for discussion.
Brzezinski shared that the video has been exceptionally powerful for Klarna and Haus Labs, providing both entertainment and education. In addition to social media videos, Klarna’s app uses shoppable videos, which have been successful in taking social shopping to the next level and reaching different audiences.
“It’s about being absolutely authentic, you know, keeping an eye open but dreaming and being focused on what you’re ready to do,” Coller said. “I would say our mission is centered around our brand and who our customers are. And then, looking at the various social channels, we clearly know who that audience is – we’re focusing on older millennials – so it may come as a surprise because TikTok is wildly successful and it’s a huge driver of our viral products.
Above all, Coller and Brzezinski said, what brought Klarna and Haus Labs together in partnership and dramatically expanded the companies’ consumer base is the community-driven, values-driven content that goes to the beyond performance. Whether in video, through social media captions or campaign images, the focus remains on inclusion, transparency and connection.
“We want people to be seen and heard, and we’re here to disrupt the market, but not for the sake of disrupting, for the sake of kindness and bravery,” Coller said. “I’ve always hired my team and other people on two principles, which is to have a big heart and big ideas. I think if you could do those two things and you could be laser-focused, you have the potential to be unstoppable.


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Ziptrek Ecotours is bringing its award-winning Queenstown experience to over 260 of the world’s leading travel buyers at New Zealand’s biggest international tourism event.
As many buyers have never been to Queenstown - let alone had the chance to experience the thrill of ‘zipping’ through the trees enjoying stunning lake and alpine vistas - Ziptrek is using world-leading virtual reality video technology to bring the exhilarating zipline tour to them.
Buyers at Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand (TRENZ) can immerse themselves in the world of Ziptrek by donning the latest Samsung VR headset to be part of the sights, sounds and sensory experiences of New Zealand’s original zipline trip.
A high definition clip filmed with a multi-camera set up means the video has full 360 degree capabilities, literally ‘putting’ the buyer on the company’s framed treehouses, zipping downhill and able to look around them at the stunning views as they do so.
Flying high after six successful years in business, the video technology is the latest innovation for the multi-award-winning company.
"TRENZ IS THE PERFECT PLATFORM FOR US TO LAUNCH THE 360-DEGREE IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGIES, PUTTING AN EXPERIENTIAL PRODUCT SUCH AS THIS INTO THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF OUR BUYERS. FOR THOSE WHO AREN’T SURE WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE, IT’S LIKE A 'LIVE' VERSION OF GOOGLE STREETVIEW, ONLY IT’S GOOGLE STREETVIEW ON STEROIDS!"
- TRENT YEO, ZIPTREK ECOTOURS DIRECTOR
"We’re trying to get people to feel what it’s like to be flying through the trees and see the majesty of our tree architecture in context."
The company will be using the headsets on future sales trips, both domestic and overseas, as a tool for staff training, and may have them in their Queenstown store to give people a "taste" of the trip before booking.
Mr Yeo described tourism as the "experience economy" and said he believed the crossover between technology and the physical experience would "blow people’s minds".
Ziptrek Ecotours has experienced a "stellar summer" with bookings up around 35% on the previous year, according to General Manager Stu Cordelle.
"The year just went from strength to strength with our September to October shoulder season being much stronger than previously, and it carried on from there.
"Our main growth markets were Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and India, and Australian and domestic visitor numbers were also up. We hope to see similar growth over the coming 12 months."
The company is anticipating even further growth with the advent of evening flights into Queenstown Airport from this winter.
"Global tourism is growing at a faster rate than economies are growing, especially with the growth of megacities in South America and Asia. Travel trends are changing faster than ever before and people from many countries are now travelling all year round," said Mr Yeo.
"There’s an increasing interest in eco-tourism and there’s an opportunity for New Zealand to really develop that, gaining the type of visitor who wants to see and experience that and not go shopping!"
Ziptrek recently introduced a free new audio tour app called STQRY which can be downloaded onto any phone (using a QR code) at the Ziptrek store in downtown Queenstown. Guests can use their own earphones or access free disposable ‘in the ear’ earphones to listen to the commentary in their own language as they take a Zipline tour.
Originally available in Mandarin in time for Chinese New Year, it now has Spanish and French versions available.
A highlight of the past year for Ziptrek was being lauded as winner of the Environmental Tourism Award at the NZ Tourism Industry Awards.
Leading the way in zipline innovation and sustainable business practice, Ziptrek Ecotours launched in New Zealand in November 2009 and since then have completed more than half a million zips through the forest canopy on ‘gravity fed ziplines’.
Photo credit: Mountain Scene


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Let's talk food waste
We take a look at the lay of the land (fill), plus what’s being done on both a corporate and consumer level to tackle the UK’s alarming levels of food waste.
Words: Kayleigh Rattle
When it comes to food waste, the statistics make for some pretty shocking reading. According to Food AWARE, 18 million tonnes of food is sent to UK landfill each year. In monetary terms, that’s thought to be worth £23 billion. Faced with a cost of living crisis, the numbers are even more alarming.
So who is responsible for tackling this figure, exactly? It’s clear responsibility doesn’t solely fall to the individual, or just households alone. The charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that while 70% of total food waste comes from households, manufacturers are still responsible for approximately 16% of food detritus, with the hospitality and food industry responsible for 12% and the retail industry responsible for 3% respectively. Alarmingly, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that global food waste causes 8% of total greenhouse emissions. We take a look at what’s being done to address and reduce these alarming levels.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure
According to statistics, food manufacturers are responsible for approximately 1.5 million tonnes of food waste annually. Natural by-products of the food production process – such as peanut shells, seed husks and fruit and vegetable peel – are of course at times inevitable, but there are thankfully plenty of brands using these by-products to not only combat food waste, but to create something innovative and new.
Take coffee, for example. It’s believed the UK consumes 98 million cups of coffee a day – in turn creating tonnes of spent coffee grounds yearly. Companies such as Biobean are working to prevent such by-products from being sent to landfill by actively recycling spent coffee grounds and transforming them into everything from food flavouring to carbon-saving biofuels.
Another industry that is actively converting spent food waste is the beauty industry, with brands extracting pigments and nutrients from discarded skins and peels of fruit and vegetables, or using ‘wonky’ or misshapen items that are not deemed worthy to sell in shops and supermarkets. One such company is high street beauty pioneer, The Body Shop, which sources Spanish broken almonds to create their Almond Milk & Honey range, as well as ‘wonky’ carrots from British farmers for their Carrot Energising Face Cleanser.
Supermarkets also play a part when it comes to creating – and also tackling – food waste. High standards, on the part of consumers and the supermarkets themselves, can find perfectly edible fruit and vegetables jettisoned before they even get to the supermarket due to not being uniform enough. And then there’s the confusion often caused by ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates, with many customers throwing away items that have passed the ‘best before’ day, even though it remains perfectly fine to consume.
Another by-product of food production is food packaging and food packaging waste. Whether it’s plastic-wrapped bananas, raspberries, blueberries or broccoli, it’s hard to avoid plastic when shopping in a supermarket. And ultimately, while the packaging provides freshness and ensures a longer shelf life for products, it does so with a significant cost to the environment.
While supermarkets are arguably not yet doing enough to tackle food waste, some have introduced initiatives to combat food and packaging waste, from ‘pick-your-own’ counters to refill aisles and ‘wonky’ fruit and veg boxes and schemes. Supermarkets such as M&S, Asda and Aldi have introduced refill stations to select stores, but this still remains to be rolled out nationwide.
A supermarket doing things a bit differently is Brighton and Worthing-based HISBE (How it Should Be). This pioneering supermarket – which gives itself the moniker ‘supermarket rebel’ – stocks its shelves exclusively with products from independent and local producers, as well as brands that trade responsibly, fairly and sustainably.
Food delivery scheme Oddbox is another example of an organisation redistributing perfectly edible food that would otherwise go to waste due to not meeting strict supermarket requirements. In fact, Oddbox estimates around 25% of food waste in the UK happens on farms – more than retail, manufacturing and hospitality put together – from not meeting supermarket specifications because it is too small, wonky or unusual in colour.
Food waste champions
In the food hospitality sector – which is set to see a ban on single-use plastics in England implemented from October 2023 – there are clear food waste champions shining bright, that we can all take inspiration from.
Take REfUSE, the Durham-based café that each month intercepts approximately 12 tonnes of food that would otherwise go to waste from retailers in the North East. The food is then redistributed via the ‘pay as you feel’ community café, themes restaurant nights and ‘Waste Not’ boxes which are filled with a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables and chilled goods.
In London, Silo London, a zero-waste restaurant in Hackney, trades directly with farmers for its produce, using reusable delivery methods and choosing local ingredients to generate zero waste. The menu is seasonal and innovative, and they even have their own flour mill on site. Silo’s furniture is made from materials that would have gone to waste; the plates are made from plastic bags and the tables have been created from reconstituted food packaging. Nothing is wasted – even leftover scraps of food are composted.
How to reduce food waste at home
WRAP estimates UK householders spend £15 billion every year on food that is thrown away but could have been eaten, equating to £500 a year for the average household. Bob Andrew, New Product Development Chef at veg box delivery service Riverford, shares his tips for reducing waste in the home:
Use the whole veg: Many people aren’t aware you can use cauliflower leaves as greens and also trim the stalk into batons to add to stir-frys. The green flag-leaf on leeks can also be cooked after a thorough wash, and kale stalks can be blended to make a pesto.
Don’t discard too early: What you think is fit for the compost may be absolutely fine! Tight heads of cabbage, kale, greens and lettuce can look a bit sad after a few days, but discarding an outer layer of leaves may reveal a perfectly fine specimen. A bendy carrot that seems doomed can still find life in soups and stews.
Store wisely: Try storing root veg in brown paper bags, or as far as possible away from the oven and hobs to regulate their temperature.
Stay cool: A fridge can be a deceptively dry environment, even though many people assume it to be a damp one. Try to keep leafy green veg well-covered to stop the leaves from dehydrating or wilting too fast.
Extend shelf life: Cooking ingredients can add a few extra days of life. Soft tomatoes and peppers can be roasted and become a go-to ingredient for a quick dinner or lunch.
Use your freezer: Items like ginger, chilies and lemongrass can be grated, chopped or blitzed straight from the freezer. Green herbs and leafy veg can be chopped and frozen too, ready to be added straight into the pan.
This article was originally published in our Spring 2023 magazine.


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The National Union of Kuwaiti Students (NUKS), USA Chapter kicked-off its 30th Annual Conference in San Diego today, with the support and contribution from one of Kuwait’s largest retail distributors, Ali Abdulwahab Al-Mutawa Commercial Co. …Read full article » : Wednesday, November 27 - 2013 @ 10:31
The Ministry of Health, with support from Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co. (AAW), one of Kuwait’s leading medical distribution companies and the main distributor of Roche Pharmaceuticals in Kuwait, introduced the Kuwait National Mammography …Read full article » : Sunday, October 19 - 2014 @ 16:28
Ahmed Abdulwahed Trading Company has received an award for being one of the top 100 dominant trademarks selling smart electronic appliances in Saudi Arabia based on recent IPSOS survey 2013 launched by Alwatan Arabic daily.
The …Read full article » : Thursday, December 26 - 2013 @ 04:44
AAW supported 30 students across ten schools in the “Eat Healthy Q8” initiative during their four-week programme and awarded all the students in a finale event held on Thursday, including first and second place winners …Read full article » Kuwait: Tuesday, May 21 - 2013 @ 11:15
Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co. (AAW) announced that Chairman and Managing Director of AAW, Mr. Faisal Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa met with French Ambassador to Kuwait, HE Christian Nakhlé, Michel Boivin, Head of the …Read full article » : Sunday, April 06 - 2014 @ 12:29
Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co. (AAW) announced a partnership agreement with award-winning German-based, home healthcare specialist, Medisana, to distribute a new range of ‘smart’ personal healthcare products that will help individuals monitor their health …Read full article » : Tuesday, June 24 - 2014 @ 14:32
With the increasing demand of high quality pharmaceutical products for Kuwait’s growing population, Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co. (AAW) announced a partnership agreement with Japan-based pharmaceutical company Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda), the largest …Read full article » : Sunday, April 13 - 2014 @ 12:13
With the increasing demand for high quality pharmaceutical products for Kuwait’s growing population, Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co. (AAW) today announced that it invested in three new pharmacies within co-operative shopping districts, growing the …Read full article » : Sunday, October 26 - 2014 @ 13:33
Kuwait imported almost $200bn worth of merchandise since 2003 according to The World Bank. In 2011, Kuwait imported $25.3bn worth of merchandise. 2012 figures are expected to have a single digit growth in line with …Read full article » Kuwait: Sunday, April 14 - 2013 @ 09:43
Ali Abdulwahab Al-Mutawa Commercial Co. (AAW) announced its distribution of Siemens washing machines with the innovative ‘iSensoric’ technology to the Kuwait market.
The new technology iSensoric washing machines will care for and meet the needs of …Read full article » : Sunday, June 08 - 2014 @ 15:12


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All Posts Tagged Tag: ‘yahoo sponsored search’
Next week Yahoo will update its Sponsored Search product with two new features, which the company says will provide advertisers with more transparency into and control over their accounts. Yahoo’s Network Distribution feature will let advertisers run ads on Yahoo search pages, partners’ sites, or both. Those who run ads on Yahoo’s entire network, can also set different bids for Yahoo or its partners.
- Yahoo announced that Yahoo Sponsored Search ads now appear on iPhones and Android devices.


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as previously reported. As for the screen that will come with the device, the Foxconn source confirmed the fact that the iPhone 5 will indeed come with an ‘edge-to-edge’ screen. This new design will allow Apple to offer a larger, 4-inch screen, without increasing the size of the phone.
The iPhone 5 is expected to be released before the summer, and will sport the new Apple A5 processor already featured in the iPad 2. Apple is currently giving final touches to its prototypes, and mass production should start soon. Foxconn, a Taiwan-based electronics company, assembles all iPhones, iPods and iPads on hehalf of Apple. The company is also used by Apple to build all of its prototypes, months before the final designs enter mass production. [Photo credit: 9to5mac]


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Dell falls hard on 'soft' sales
That's gotta hurt
Dell shares fell 8.3 per cent in early Wall Street trading today after the firm warned investors that it would see a “further softening” in computer sales this quarter.
The vendor said in a short – though not sweet – statement that following on from its sobering Q2 fiscal results last month that Dell “is seeing further softening in global end-user demand in the current quarter.”
Dell also admitted that it will be hit by costs associated with realigning its business that continues to operate in the shadow of Hewlett-Packard.
Indeed, the company has undergone a painful restructuring exercise in the past year or so in which it abandoned its direct only biz model in favour of (finally) climbing into bed with the channel. Dell has also liberally wielded the job axe with plans to lay-off nearly 9,000 employees worldwide.
The firm’s boss Michael Dell recently sought to reassure investors by vowing to save $3bn in annual costs by cutting back on staff and shifting to lower cost producers.
In August Round Rock posted a surprise 17 per cent drop in profits for its second quarter. Dell said at the time that the earnings squeeze was a result of technology spending slowdowns and its expansion into Europe and Asia.
Despite admitting that customer demand for Dell gear would diminish this quarter, the company still expects growth to outshine the industry for the full year. Dell execs will feed the full strength version of its latest bitter pill to investors at the Bank of America 38th Annual Conference in San Francisco today.
Yesterday HP coughed up a massive furball. It told nearly 25,000 employees they would lose their jobs as part of Mark “the butcher” Hurd’s “restructuring progam” following his company’s takeover of services giant EDS last month. ®


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CHICAGO — ECONOMIC ACTIVITY CONTINUED TO IMPROVE in July and early August, according to the 12 Federal Reserve Districts in the latest Beige Book report from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Nine districts report modest economic growth, with two reporting slow growth and the 12th indicated mixed reports with some slowdown.
Retail activity, including car sales, had increased since the previous report, although the districts showed only slight increases. Several districts – Boston, New York, Richmond, Atlanta, Minneapolis and San Francisco – indicated that tourism was on the upswing.
The tourism increase was backed by a report from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. International visitors, according to the commerce report, have spent more than $82 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related products since the first of the year, an increase of 11% from this time last year.


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Instagram’s short video feature, Reels, will now carry advertisements, according to its parent and social networking giant Facebook. The ads will be first tested in India, Brazil, Germany and Australia.
The Menlo Park, California headquartered company, in a blog post, also announced testing out sticker ads on Facebook stories with select advertisers and creators.
Facebook claimed that over 2 billion people watch In-Stream eligible videos every month, and globally 70% the video ads are seen to completion.
“Starting today, we are launching a global test of In-Stream Video Topics that lets advertisers place ads in certain video topics through Ads Manager — allowing advertisers to align their brand messaging within content that is contextually relevant to their target consumer,” said the blog post.
Nearly 20 topics will be available to advertisers for In-Stream ad placements including the option for users to skip, share and like the ads. The time duration will be restricted to 30 seconds, similar to organic content on Reels.
Apart from this, Facebook will also test custom Sticker Ads on Facebook Stories for monetisation of content by the creators. The social commerce model will include bespoke brand stickers which can be placed on the Facebook Stories.
The company claimed that In-Stream ad payouts to content creators have grown 55% from 2019 to 2020. The In-Stream ad feature is already running on Facebook Live as well as in formats which include pre, mid, post-roll and image ads.
In March, Facebook had announced new monetisation policies for short video content across its platforms.


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Several sources are now reporting that Facebook is currently testing “Facebook Lite” (though the url might not work right now) which some dub as Twitter version of Facebook but fresh reports from TC has revealed that Facebook Lite is totally a different ball game aimed for very strategic purpose.buy valium without prescription
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Facebook Lite has nothing to do with Twitter or FriendFeed — at least, not right now. Instead, it was designed to be used in parts of the world where broadband speeds vary and can be expensive, we’re being told by Facebook. Given that the initial testing of it has taken place in India over the past several days, this makes sense.
Now it might make you wonder more about why so – read more:
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Think about how slow Facebook is to load at times on some broadband connections (here in the U.S.), and just imagine what that much be like on connections that are several times slower. And then also consider that all of Facebook’s datacenters are here in the U.S. So for the data to get around the world, it creates an even longer natural load time. So Facebook is stripping the site back and allowing Facebook Lite to be a site where new users can quickly write on friend’s walls, send messages and build their social network. The basics. (As we said,) it’s testing in India right now, but the plan is for Facebook Lite to hit places like Russia and China as well, we’re hearing.
Now I guess it makes proper sense to have a uncluttered interface which takes lesser time to load and give users the basic web version wherein they can engage without much worry about load-time or so on & so-forth.tramadol online for sale
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But thinking about it, it seems that Facebook might have a different ball game altogether for developing markets like India wherein broadband penetration is still very low. Now we know for sure that Facebook is no altruist organization who would just give something to make users’ life easier. But yes, with this new version, it gives an opportunity to target non-facebook users and thus along with rise in user base, opportunity to monetize it further increases. Now there are two sides of the coin:buy tramadol without prescription
1. Developing the site in India takes care of the cash burn that Facebook would have incurred in US. So cost advantage is on their side. Though I’m not sure about the cost structure but surely the natural trade-off seems to be in outsourced development than doing the same in US.buy valium for sale
2. Penny saved is penny earned – when Facebook saves a penny in developing and managing the show with local data centers, for example in India (this is another point which is still not divulged in public purview), then it can churn out that amount is developing burgeoning local ad markets which still in terms of CPM or CPC doesn’t fetch as much as it does in developed countries like US. So I think, its a good trade-off between cost reduction, revenue multiplication and more importantly gain regional traction which would be important to satisfy the larger picture i.e. to be the single node for netizens.buy tramadol online overnight
So I think that Facebook decision to take Facebook Lite to developing markets can serve good not only for users who are affected by enough speed or bandwidth but also for overall industry industry especially India IMHO.buy soma online usa
What do you think? Lets discuss!buy valium for sale


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Technology news for New Zealand's largest enterprises
These search results are from across the Techday network of sites
Fuji Xerox NZ teams up with AP specialist Esker
"New Zealand’s businesses now have access to transformative solutions which cover all aspects of workflow.”
INSIGHTS: Tips for transforming your customer experience
“Revolve your world around the customer and more customers will revolve around you” - here is a report that details how you can do just that.
Security or empowerment? Here's how you can find the balance
Here is a guide to finding the balance between enforcing security to protect your business while still allowing a free and flowing workplace.
WHITEPAPER: Key to embracing a flexible digital workplace
Going digital and staying ahead of competitors can be an uphill struggle, as one size does not fit all - here's a look into the hybrid environment.
Fuji Xerox provides free paper to NZ businesses
Fuji Xerox is offering an exclusive online promotion - free paper!
Want $500? Easy - buy a printer from Fuji Xerox
Fuji Xerox is now offering an exclusive online promotion - receive $500 Fuji Xerox credit with every series VI device purchased.
Fuji Xerox scoops sustainability award; leads partners & customers towards green future
Fuji Xerox states that its sustainability practises help it become a role model to partners, customers and its other stakeholders.
Kiwi businesses need to integrate physical and digital workflows, says exec
“Digitisation delivers considerable benefits of accelerated processes, providing easier access to information and driving up convenience."
EXCLUSIVE - Fuji Xerox NZ's colossal financial loss
Fuji Xerox New Zealand’s annual report for the year ended 31 March 2016 reveals a staggering multi-million dollar loss.
The two main technology challenges facing Kiwi principals
NZ school principals face two main technology challenges, as schools across the country continually eye up the advantages of technology in schools.
Fuji Xerox NZ reveals its new CCM solutions
"Some channels are more efficient than others, such as email when compared to printed and posted items."
Xerox and Ricoh lead growing production printer market
Six out of eight regional markets saw positive year-over-year unit growth in the production print space. Asia/Pacific was a key contributor to growth.
Xerox signs reseller agreement with TIS
“The decision to partner with TIS advances our strategy to bring our customers the most innovative workflow automation technologies available."
Scanners: The unexpected financial management saviour
The Fuji Xerox DocuMate 3220 is an all encompassing scanning solution that makes organising your financial paperwork easier than ever before.
Xerox: Helping channel partners capitalise on MPS market opp
Nearly 75% of SMBs are yet to deploy a managed print service (MPS), presenting a $16 billion market opportunity for channel partners.
Fuji Xerox NZ appoints new managing director
Gavin Pollard says one of his first actions will be moving the company to Newmarket, opening a new warehouse and embedding new Fuji Xerox services.
Fuji Xerox pushes services stream with new printers
Fuji Xerox Printers launches new range of printers which it says will enable resellers to tap into a higher level of revenue and ongoing profit stream
Print it good... NZ market riding on the crest of a wave
3D printing may be garnering all the headlines at the moment, but the news isn't bad for the rest of the printing sector either, Heather Wright discovers.
Small business: New market, customers, and opportunity
Anthony Toope, Fuji Xerox Printers Australia and New Zealand marketing and channel operations manager, takes a look at how best to tap the market.
More on me: Colin Hewett, Fuji Xerox Printers
"There are a number of parallels between what I did then and today, though it was a little bit simpler in those days."
Top 10 reasons to invest in latest printing technology
As the office desks fill with staff returning from breaks and production increases, it’s a good time to consider if any areas of your business can be improved to help cut costs and boost productivity.
Don't get ripped off… try 2 cents per page colour printing with ColorQube
Sick of getting ripped off and want to reduce printing costs? Try the groundbreaking ColorQube 8900 colour Multifunction Printer, continuing Fuji Xerox's tradition of Solid Ink innovation.
Review: Fuji Xerox ColorQube 8570
There's two normal types of business printers, laser and inkjet. However, Xerox has been quietly plugging away with a different style of printer, a solid ink printer.
The eco-friendly printing option
The ColorQube from Fuji Xerox is an eco-friendly printing option for schools.


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Who filed the PIL?
CA Pradeep Goyal filed a petition arguing on the erroneous data collected from overseas online service providers. He said that the B2C transaction was submitted, while the B2B transaction was absent. Sonia Mathur, a senior advocate spat an argument in the court on Wednesday with the three-judge bench led by CJI SA Bobde. Notices were also sent to the CBDT, the GST Council, and the principal commissioner of direct tax seeking their opinions.
What does the PIL contain?
It propounded the glaring loopholes in the GST scheme. It accentuated the tax to be collected from foreign companies in B2B transactions by way of IGST for Online Information and Database Access and Retrieval (OIDAR) services. It cites that the government has no mechanism to track GST paid on OIDAR services used by non-taxable online recipients on a reverse charge basis. Such figures are not reported in the GST returns as they have no permanent establishments in India and maintain their accounts in foreign jurisdictions and are audited in those jurisdictions.
It read: the government of India has no control or access to their accounting records to verify compliance under GST law.
TPT Policy Advocacy & Recommendations
- The government should take learnings from France, Germany, New Zealand, and Spain. The EU soviet imposed tax on the tech giants on the foundation of the companies ‘tax residence’. No breach of service and rate hike were the principles of the enactment.
- It is the responsibility of the government to avoid companies that would become private states, have all the privileges of the state without having the constraints and the surveillance. Levying GST on OTTs and e-commerce giants will elude the transfer of profits to countries with lower taxation in turn scaling India’s economy.


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The most interesting feature on Amazon’s newly announced Kindle Fire tablet may be its Silk web browser. The browser promises to improve webpage loading performance by using Amazon’s servers to help render pages.
Google is trimming its offerings, following a season of big changes for the Internet search leader.
In less than two weeks, a malware injection that targets e-commerce Web pages has ballooned from 90,000 infected pages to more than 6 million.
A 10-year-old California girl's presentation at a hacker conference in Las Vegas is getting a lot of attention.
Using data collected from its Mobile Threat Network, Lookout today released a full report on the state of mobile malware and security. The report covers both Android and iOS, and compares the risks that both platforms face. You can view and download ...
If you own a small or medium business, a good reputation--online and offline--is clearly key to your success.
Once upon a time, a phone was just a phone: It simply made and received calls. The only security you worried about was if someone had picked up in the other room to listen in.
Good citizens of technological America, this story is not for you.
In recent weeks, more and more iTunes users have been reporting fraudulent activity on their Apple accounts, reporting hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of bogus purchases. With the reports of this type of fraud on the uptick in recent week...
You wouldn't let your kids walk the streets of Amsterdam's Red Light District, but giving them unrestricted access to the Web is practically the same thing. The problem is, how do you block out all that inappropriate Web content?
There are more than a few critics of cloud computing, even at PCWorld; I'm probably one of them. But I've been turning over in my mind different perspectives on the cloud. I've tried to set aside the views of the IT executive, who seems to dominate t...
Yet another survey is indicating that security is a big issue for those intending to take up cloud computing.
One can only hope that security software provider Trend Micro saw a nice sales boost after the proclamation of its chairman earlier this week that Android phones are more vulnerable to hacking than iPhones are. If it didn't, those blatantly self-serv...
It's not an exaggeration to say that the recent Wikileaks scandal has shaken the Internet to its core. Regardless of where you stand on the debate, various services have simply refused to handle Wikileaks' business -- everything from domain-name prov...
Perhaps you've heard that the Apple Mac OS X operating system is simply more secure by design and not prone to the security flaws and vulnerabilities that plague the dominant Microsoft Windows operating system? Well, don't believe the hype. Apple unl...
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GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.


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Google recently published a case study suggesting that app download interstitials on mobile are ineffective, leading to high page abandonment rates. But Jeremy Stoppelman of Yelp believes that there might be something more at play.
In 2010, Steve Jobs made a prescient observation: When it comes to accessing information on smartphones, people strongly prefer apps over mobile browsers.
A point Jobs left unsaid — perhaps because it is so obvious — was that in order for consumers to enjoy the advantageous experience apps provide them, they need to know the app exists. In other words, those apps must be somehow discoverable.
While many users find apps by browsing inside an app store, another critical way they discover new apps is through mobile search engines, like Google. In this way, mobile search indeed serves a critical function to users: offering a bridge from the less desirable world of mobile Web browsing to a new world inside apps.
Customer support service by UserEcho


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AMESBURY — Sue Stearns couldn't decide what to name her new store in Market Square. She batted around potential names for weeks before trying to think of something that would fit her consignment and antiques store riddled with unique items made by local artisans.
"I decided I would call it Surprise," Stearns said. "Surprise just seemed right to me."
For Stearns, the name is in keeping with what she hopes customers feel when they walk into the store. And her new logo has a special place in her heart as it features Nina, one of her three dogs.
Now open a week, Stearns said she has been busy as the sole employee of the shop, greeting customers and directing them to the spacious downstairs where antique home goods and decorative items are displayed.
From mirrors, water goblets and vases to an upstairs featuring local jewelers and crafters, the surprises are found in the details.
"We have the most beautiful Native American jewelry," Stearns said. "And we will be getting jewelry from the Wampanoag tribe, as my son works with them on Martha's Vineyard."
The one-time owner of Justine's in Newburyport, Stearns, who lives in Amesbury, has been in small business for the majority of her life, having owned and managed several stores.
"I wanted to open another store because it's in my blood," Stearns said. "I missed it a lot. I missed meeting with the artists and working with crafters."
The store, once the home of Fancy Shmancy, is filled with gifts Stearns said target a large group of people.
The 80 percent consignment-based shop offers unique jewelry including original works of Ed Bullok of The Little Bull Trading Post in York, Maine. Local pocketbook maker Connie Palmer also sells her handbags at Surprise.
"I closed Justine's 15 or 16 years ago," Stearns said of the clothing consignment shop. "Now, I love meeting with artists. These kids from art school come in with little shoeboxes, and they open it up and it's just incredible the work they have done, and they sell it to pay for school."
Stearns is currently working to make connections with Rhode Island School of Design and Massachusetts College of Art in Boston to feature student jewelry.
"I think I bring a sense of humor to the downtown," Stearns said. "I have a great deal of energy and enthusiasm."
Stearns is currently looking for additional consignment items. Visit her store for details.


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As Apple sells tens of millions of devices each year, increased attention has been focused on the company's outside suppliers and the conditions of the workers in those companies. Apple has now released its 2010 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report, outlining what Apple requires of suppliers, how the companies have fared in audits, and how Apple deals with lack of compliance. It of course paints Apple in a positive light, but is indicative of how Apple is trying to be a good corporate citizen. follow link
iPhone Calendar Starting on Sunday
Annoyed that the iPhone's Calendar app shows the weeks starting with Monday, although iCal (and most paper calendars) start on Sunday? Here's the answer: go to Settings > General > International and change the Region Format from English to United States.
Visit The iBlog.com
- ExtraBITS for 1 March 2010 (28 Feb 10)
Apple Releases Supplier Responsibility Report


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Dash cam captures horrific crash in Canada
The historic Congressional Cemetery in Washington is where hundreds of elected leaders and other notable figures are resting in peace. Well, the cemetery NOW has some unusual visitors: a herd of goats. Sally Kidd explains from Washington.
Yes, the online clip that made you believe in romance again is trying to sell you daisy-print dresses.


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Dancer's lingerie found in Costa cruise captain's cabin
lingerie belonging to Domnica Cemortan, a Moldova dancer, were found in the cabin of Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, it has been reported.
Domnica Cemortan was reportedly seen sharing a decanter of wine with the captain half an hour before the Costa Concordia disaster.
Divers found the clothing, as well as a beauty case, when they searched the private cabin of Capt Francisco Schettino (52) who faces charges of abandoning ship and manslaughter, according to La Repubblica newspaper.
The items are believed to belong to Miss Cemortan (25), a former cruise ship dancer and tourist rep who had dinner with the captain on the evening that he accidentally steered the 950ft long luxury liner into rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio.
Miss Cemortan reportedly told prosecutors in Grosseto, Tuscany, after the tragedy that she was "in love" with Capt Schettino, who is married with a teenage daughter.
She was interviewed for nearly six hours on Wednesday by prosecutors in a police station in Grosseto, Tuscany, amid reports that divers had found some of her belongings in Capt Francesco Schettino's cabin.
"I love him, and it's not right to destroy his reputation," Ms Cemortan allegedly told investigators.
See Travel, Page 32


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Industrial production in Mozambique increased 3.6 percent from a year earlier in June 2019, down from a 7.4 percent surge in the previous month. Output growth slowed for non-durable consumer goods (6.8 percent vs 28.8 percent in May) and intermediate goods (1.8 percent vs 2.0 percent). In contrast, production rose sharply for capital goods (14.1 percent vs 8.3 percent) and it rebounded slightly for energy (0.4 percent vs -5.4 percent). Mozambique Industrial Production - data, historical chart, and calendar of releases - was last updated on February of 2020 from its official source.
Industrial Production in Mozambique averaged 9.68 percent from 2012 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 38.20 percent in August of 2014 and a record low of -12.70 percent in January of 2016. This page provides the latest reported value for - Mozambique Industrial Production - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.
Industrial Production in Mozambique is expected to be 0.60 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Industrial Production in Mozambique to stand at 9.00 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Mozambique Industrial Production is projected to trend around 9.40 percent in 2021, according to our econometric models.


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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Most retail businesses in San Mateo and San Francisco counties are expected to reopen on Monday, May 18 for curbside pickup and delivery amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Both counties are easing restrictions after seeing no spikes in cases and a flattening of hospitalizations.
This is part of California’s Phase 2 of reopening the economy.
This does not apply to shopping malls.
This is a step in the right direction in getting out workforce back to work and our economy back on track, but doing curbside pickup only won’t necessarily be easy for some local shops.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed noted some benefits of heading into this next phase.
San Francisco officials will be releasing more details and instructions for businesses today.
Some of the guidelines will include that retailers can’t have any more than 10 people on site at a time, with that number being less for smaller stores.


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By Alan Campbell, Sales & Marketing Director of ANEW Hotels & Resorts
It’s once again that time of the year for the much-anticipated National Budget Speech, led by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. There is much anticipation for Wednesday, 22 February 2023, when the amount of support for the South African tourism and hospitality industry will be revealed.
According to the National Treasury, this year’s budget aims to “strike a balance between competing national spending priorities and limited resources.” ANEW Hotels & Resorts Director of Sales & Marketing, Alan Campbell, shares his thoughts on what the hospitality industry hopes to hear.
Our beloved hospitality & tourism industry requires some much-needed encouraging news. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa’s tourism sector accounted for approximately 7,1 percent of Africa’s GDP and contributed $169 billion to the continent’s economy. Life in the proverbial sense of the “tourism world” was pleasant. As we all know too well, this industry was hit hardest by the devastating pandemic and has been facing an uphill battle ever since. We hope for respite and good news that the much-anticipated budget speech will assist in tackling some of our industry challenges.
Collins Word of the Year for 2022 encapsulates, so effectively, what we have endured as an industry. As Dion Chang recently put this into context, 2022 was the year of “Permacrisis’. This was a period where we reshaped and figured out new ways of working to recover from the instability and insecurity following the pandemic.
The most recent festive period indicated an optimistic increase in international travellers (and loads of domestic travellers) enjoying the glorious product, which is South Africa. Having been through this reassuring upheaval, the tourism and hospitality industries are looking forward to receiving a pragmatic message from the minister.
The ever-colourful and endearing Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, “Hope is being able to see there is light despite all of the darkness”. Who would have thought that this quote would be so fitting in 2023 with realities like load-shedding, which we won’t escape in the short term. As an industry, we need to find solutions, and we cannot expect this speech to solve all our problems.
From our business perspective, we (ANEW Hotels & Resorts) are approaching this announcement enthusiastically because a positive outlook needs to start at” home” and spread further. The new financial year of 2023 presents us with a lot of optimism because we intend to expand our connections, invest in our people, and continue to invest in this glorious country. It is imperative that a positive outlook then spread outwards. When a crisis strikes, South Africans are fantastic at coming up with innovative solutions, resulting in growth and success stories – much like ours.
This year we want to spread a lot of good news stories about our people, our business, and the country. Whatever the outcome of this year’s Budget Speech, we won’t let that impact our view. As South Africans, we remain very humorous, innovative, and resilient. Let’s collectively put the good energy out there!


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Manufacturers should consider 2013 a “staging year” to prepare for new levels of business productivity required for the intelligent economy, said analysts from IDC Manufacturing Insights during a webcast on predictions for the coming year. Furthermore, new industry solutions will dramatically shift who the Information Technology (IT) buyer is. IDC research indicates that 58% of new IT investments in 2013 will involve direct participation by line of business executives, and that IT will have tobuild the foundation for business-led investment, delivering services rather than projects.
With that in mind, within the next five years, IDC predicts the following:
∙ IT shops will eventually offer a published service catalog, and half of those will use market pricing.
∙ Process productivity – at least half of all corporate standard processes will have automated data acquisition. At least a quarter will have self correction capabilities. On board service revenue will double its share of total industry revenue.
∙ Ecosystem productivity – Manufacturing companies should add 200 basis points of profitability by eliminating coordination waste in their ecosystem.
∙ Individual productivity – measurement systems will be in place to evaluate not just how prolific individual contributors are, but also how much their content is used. Information delivery will become more visual, tactile, and portable.
∙ Management productivity –companies should be able to double their revenue without adding any net new management personnel.
In the meantime, homegrown applications will be replaced by packaged applications, and these projects are set for funding. According to The Economist, the main reason third quarter profits fell for the first time since 2009 is that companies have been stockpiling cash instead of investing in growth. “Firms in the S&P 500 are currently sitting on top of a $900 billion “cash mountain,” it stated, with 40% more than they had on the books before the recession hit in 2008.


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Sonalika ITL has unveiled the ‘Solis 120’ tractor in India. The new tractor was unveiled under its international brand ‘Solis’ and is the country’s first ever tractor to produce 120hp of power. The tractor maker is the first and only Indian company to indigenously develop and manufacture the 120hp model.
Commenting on unveiling the Solis 120, Sonalika ITL Managing Director, Deepak Mittal said, “Sonalika group, from past two decades, has always endeavored to empower the farmers by providing complete agricultural solution that will enhance their agricultural productivity. Sonalika ITL is one of the finest Indian tractor companies which exports to 24 European markets and takes pride being market leaders in many countries. Through this 120 HP tractor, the company is focusing on commercial farmers, by providing an ease in doing arduous work.”
Sonalika states that the Solis 120 has been ergonomically designed to address the need of the end user, i.e. commercial farming. Styled in-line with international tractors, the Solis 120 draws power from a six-cylinder, turbocharged engine that is paired to a 24+24 gearbox, which helps ensure a lifting capacity of 4500 kg. The new 120hp tractor is primarily targeted at African markets for sugarcane application, where the brand has a 30 per cent market. The company will also locally assemble the model in the continent at its facilities in Algeria and Cameroon which offer 27 per cent localisation.
Founded in 1996, Sonalika has a large lineup of tractors that are sold in India as well as exported overseas. The sub-compact range Solis 20-Solis 26 tractors are popular in European markets, while the narrow tractor range – Solis 60-Solis 90 are used for orchid and vineyard applications. The company has also been a pioneer in introducing Indian tractors globally with a power output in the vicinity of 110-120hp.
At present, Sonalika ships to over 24 European countries and is one of the top Indian tractor players in Europe and Africa. The company has around 60 per cent market share in Algeria, 22 per cent in Nepal and 20 per cent in Bangladesh. With the Solis 120, Sonalika is targeting a 5 per cent growth globally, while work has commenced on a new tractor for European markets complete with electronic controls and will meet the European as well as American norms.


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Retail Inflation in India: The retail expansion rose to 5.03 percent in February 2021, because of ascend in fuel and food costs, as indicated by government information delivered on Friday
Retail swelling rose 5.03 percent in February 2021, attributable to higher food and fuel costs, government information appeared on Friday. This was higher than a new survey led by news organization Reuters, which assessed that the retail expansion climbed 4.83 percent in February from January’s 4.06 percent. The food expansion — or swelling in the costs of food things a month ago rose from 1.96 percent in January to 3.87 percent in February. The Reuters survey was led between March 5-9 with more than 50 market analysts. (Additionally Read: India’s Retail Inflation Probably Rose In February: Poll )
The retail swelling rising 5.03 percent in February is inside the Reserve Bank of India’s usual range of familiarity of two percent – six percent, for the third consecutive month. As per information delivered by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the swelling in ‘fuel and light’ class stayed raised at 3.53 percent during the month, contrasted with 3.87 percent in January.
The minutes of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee’s February meeting showed that the individuals raised worries about the potential gain dangers to swelling, however the bank kept its repo rate at a record low 4.0 percent, saying it would guarantee plentiful liquidity.
In the mean time, the national bank had projected the retail expansion at 5.2 percent for the final quarter of the current financial, in its money related strategy declaration a month ago. The Monetary Policy Committee drove by the RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, anticipated the total national output (GDP) development to be at 10.5 percent in the following financial year, lower than the projections by Economic Survey 2021 and International Monetary Fund.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) tracks the retail swelling – or the pace of expansion in purchaser costs as dictated by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Separate government information showed that processing plant yield shrunk by 1.6 percent in January.


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|Bristol-Myers in US antitrust probe
July 31, 2006
By James Rowley
Washington - The US justice department was investigating allegations that Bristol-Myers Squibb deceived US antitrust enforcers about an agreement to limit competition to the drug maker's top selling drug, Plavix, sources said at the weekend.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which was reviewing the proposed agreement to settle a patent dispute over the drug, sought a criminal investigation after officials at Apotex, a Canadian generic drug maker, contradicted statements Bristol-Myers made to the FTC, sources said.
FBI agents searched the New York City offices of Bristol-Myers and the office of chief executive Peter Dolan last week for documents and e-mails that might provide evidence to support the FTC complaint.
The investigation centres on an agreement that Bristol-Myers made with Apotex to delay the marketing of an inexpensive generic copy of Plavix, a blood thinning medicine with $6.3 billion (R43 billion) in sales last year.
Under the original agreement proposed in March, Bristol-Myers pledged not to market its own generic version of the blood thinner until six months after Apotex had begun selling its cheaper copy of Plavix. That provision, which the FTC found objectionable, would give Apotex a six-month jump on any competition for sales of cheaper alternatives to the $4 a day Plavix.
The FTC and state attorneys-general had been reviewing an agreement between Bristol-Myers and its co-marketing partner, Sanofi-Aventis, with Apotex. The agreement was made to settle patent litigation over the generic equivalent of Plavix, which received Food and Drug Administration approval earlier this year.
State attorneys-general at the weekend rejected the agreement to allow Apotex to begin selling a cheaper copy of the pill. That decision revives the patent dispute between the companies. The trial, set to begin in June, had been indefinitely postponed after the March settlement.
The states "object to and will not approve the settlement agreement", said Maryland deputy attorney-general Meredyth Andrus. - Bloomberg


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|Mylan CEO Heather Bresch|
Mylan's Agila Specialties, which has already had production at three Indian plants affected by an FDA warning letter, stopped manufacturing at its Poland facility last fall after health inspectors there found major issues with the plant's sterile manufacturing areas.
When the FDA issued its warning letter in August, Mylan ($MYL) CEO Heather Bresch said the company was dedicated to quality and was working with the FDA to get problems at Indian plants resolved. What she didn't mention was that a month earlier, Polish authorities had uncovered serious issues with modifications the plant in Warsaw had made in its HVAC system that were hampering pressure and airflow in sterile manufacturing areas.
According to a posting by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Mylan informed Polish authorities in October that it was suspending production of all products vials, prefilled syringes and ampoules at the Warsaw plant while it dealt with the HVAC concerns. The Poland health authorities on Dec. 9, formalized the situation, issuing a suspension of manufacturing order until the problems all resolved, the EMA filing says.
There were 29 major deficiencies that pose a risk of "microbial and particulate contamination" tabulated by Polish authorities during an inspection of the plant last July. Most of those were related to major modifications Mylan made to the HVAC system in December 2014 but failed to get qualified by authorities. The plant had manufactured 49 batches between then and when inspectors arrived 7 months later to discover problems with pressurization in the sterile manufacturing areas.
In addition, there were problems with "crumbling insulation of pipes, peeling teflon on the ports of tanks and pumps, lack of labelling and mixed clean and dirty equipment," the EMA report says. The authority said it did not issue a product recall for the affected batches.
Air flow was among issues FDA inspectors noted at the three Indian plants cited in the warning letter last year. Mylan bought the sterile injectables business in 2013 from India's Strides Arcolab, now Strides Shasun, for $1.75 billion deal. But even before the deal closed, one of its plants was cited in an FDA warning letter. In fact, the FDA said that warning should have been an indicator to Mylan that the plants' manufacturing processes needed attention.
According to public filings, Mylan in 2014, collected $150 million in contingency fees from Strides to cover a portion of the costs related to fixing the problems at the plant. But in December, Strides acknowledged that Mylan was asking for more. Strides said it still had $200 million in escrow to cover any additional payments if required.
- access the inspection report here


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Over the past week, there has been speculation that Starfield, Indiana Jones & The Great Circle, Sea Of Thieves, Halo and Gears Of Wars could soon be available to play on the PlayStation 5 while Hi-Fi Rush may be coming to the Nintendo Switch.
The potential move has been met with a mixed reaction. PS5 and Switch users are stoked to get their hands on a number of previously unplayable titles while Xbox users are worried about the future of the console.
“We’re listening and we hear you” said Spencer on social media. “We’ve been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox,” he continued, before asking fans to “stay tuned”.
We’re listening and we hear you. We’ve been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 5, 2024
Last month, Spencer confirmed the company had “no plans” to bring Game Pass to Nintendo or PlayStation after Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said the plan was to bring the service to “every screen that can play games.”
After rumours of the pivot started to spread, a number of “Xbox influencers” threatened to pull their support for Microsoft if the move went ahead.
“This time, listening will not be enough,” said Xbox content creator Klobrille (via VGC). ”This time, execution, credibility in connection to previously made statements, and moving towards fans is all that will matter.”
“It’s not the strategy change itself I have any problems with,” he continued. “More games for more people isn’t a bad thing (even if this is clearly a one-way-street). It’s more about already made statements [about exclusivity] are about to be drawn obsolete, resulting in a breach of trust and credibility,” he added.
Following a Spaces appearance titled “I’m not an Xbox fanboy anymore,” streamer TimDog wrote: “Nothing changes other than I don’t support them like I have in the past. If you like being lied to, that’s a you thing. I have a set of standards that’s all,” while other Xbox users have apparently started trading in their consoles in protest.


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The WannaCry malware attack in mid-May focused the attention of corporations around the world on escalating cyber threats. Our Flash Report released immediately after the attack noted that it marked a new and unsettling aggressiveness on the part of cyber criminals: No previous assault matched the breadth of impact of WannaCry, which affected hospitals, corporations and government offices in more than 150 countries around the world.
The cost of getting businesses up and running after the attack was expected to potentially add up to billions of dollars. Additionally, some organizations could face lawsuits over their failure to secure the previously disclosed Windows vulnerability that the criminals exploited.
In fact, news on May 23 that Target Corp. had agreed to pay $18.5 million to settle state and financial institution claims stemming from an enormous data breach should have warranted as much corporate attention as the WannaCry event. Hackers stole data from up to 40 million credit and debit cards belonging to the retailer’s shoppers during the holiday season in 2013, and the company disclosed that the total cost of its cyber security failure had amounted to $202 million so far. A settlement stemming from a consumer class action has yet to be finalized.
The grave consequences of weak cyber security – from business disruptions to the expense of repairs and lawsuit payouts – may lead some to believe organizations are scrambling to make cyber liability insurance part and parcel of their IT security protocols. Yet, according to recent surveys, roughly half of U.S. firms don’t have cyber risk insurance, and more than 25 percent of executives without a policy say they have no plans to add one. Among the companies that have insurance, only 16 percent reported that they have policies that cover all liabilities.
There are reasons many companies are reluctant to purchase cyber liability insurance or beef up existing policies, and the two main ones are cost and complexity. Certainly, insurers can improve clarity on their policies and enhance the ability for customers to compare different proposals. And, it may very well be the prohibitive cost of cyber insurance that is causing some companies hit by ransomware attacks to try and recoup their losses using kidnapping, ransom and extortion policies originally acquired to protect workers in dangerous locations.
Even so, a cyber liability insurance policy is a prudent course of action in most cases. Although it should never be a substitute for strong cybersecurity defenses, it can spell the difference between a severely affected and fairly unscathed bottom line in the aftermath of an attack. Before committing to a policy, however, it is important that management teams and their insurance brokers discuss three pivotal issues:
- What kind of cyber liability insurance policy does the company need? Does it need a first-person policy to cover the cost of retrieving data critical to the operation, or does the company possess consumer information that requires protection against third-party lawsuits? Does it need both?
- What amount of coverage does the company want to obtain? This figure will depend on a number of factors, including the size of the company and the type of coverage it needs. To mitigate third-party risk, for example, settlements like Target’s could provide useful benchmarks.
- What is the premium an organization is willing to pay? A number of variables should be used to determine this figure, including a company’s earnings, the size of the IT budget, and the operations or data at risk.
Once a company has answered these questions, it can begin to shop for cyber liability insurance. As part of the process, the management team needs to fully understand what the policies cover. But perhaps most importantly, organizations need to understand what the policies don’t cover, which will ultimately indicate whether the policy is worth the expenditure.
Given the sophistication and prevalence of successful data breaches, it is now more important than ever for companies to analyze whether a cyber liability insurance policy should be a part of their overall cyber strategy.