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Intel, which has been pushing a theme of lower power chips and energy
conservation of late, had a bit of fun helping to kick off the Oracle Open
World conference in San Francisco today.
Toward the end of his keynote remarks, Intel CEO Paul Otellini showed off what’s considered to be the
first all-electric sports car. The car, which uses Intel chips in computers both in back and front of the car, one running an Oracle 10G lite database, is made by French automaker Venturi.
On stage the car looked slick, and even better in a fast-paced video.
Hold onto your wallet though, the sticker price is $500,000, plus tax. “But
with that,” quipped, an Intel Monaco official, “we’ll give you an iPod with it for free.”
The Venturi car can go up to 170 miles per hour and zero to 100
kilometers speed in a mere 4.5 seconds.
“It’s sexy, powerful, and environmentally friendly,” said the Intel official. It also takes three and a half hours to recharge, though it can travel some 400 kilometers on a full charge.
There are several tech angles to the futuristic auto.
With its built-in WiMax connection, the Venturi sports car can communicate wirelessly with an Oracle database. Intel said it has developed an end to end fleet management solution which can retrieve real time information from a Web portal about such status readings as the car’s electric current and voltage usage.
Venturi’s data center uses servers based on Intel’s Itanium processor. Intel is actively pushing for wider adoption of WiMax, also known as 802.16, an emerging standard for
wireless broadband over metropolitan areas.
Earlier, Otellini played up his company’s strong support for Oracle whose
software is used extensively by Intel, as well as at numerous customers
sites. Otellini said more than half the Global 100 list of the biggest
companies use servers or computers based on Intel’s high-end Itanium processor and that many of them are running Oracle software.
In a video presentation, the Chinese interactive gaming company Shanda
was highlighted for its very demanding use of both Itanium and Oracle’s
database software. A Shanda official in the video said the company can have
as many as 20 million users playing concurrently online for its more popular
“When you have tens of thousands of players attack the same city at the
same time, that requires extensive load balancing and reliability,” he said.


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Legacy International is inviting 5 teens from Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina for an ag leadership program at the Global Youth Village in Va.
See people are dishing out $200 or more for a ‘designer turkey’ with a host of meaningless labels on it.
U.S. consumers are spending less on “the feast of the year” this year. The average cost of the 2017 Thanksgiving Day dinner for 10 is $49.12, a 75-cent decrease from last year’s average of $49.87, according to The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 32nd annual price survey. The big ticket item – a 16-pound turkey – […]

domain: news


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Singapore’s Neptune Orient Lines completed the sale of its logistics business, APL Logistics, to Japan’s Kintetsu World Express on 29 May.
NOL, the parent of liner operator APL, sold the logistics unit for USD1.2 billion.
The sale will enable NOL to raise funds as it works towards restoring profitability for APL, which has been incurring annual losses since 2011.
The company said in a conference call early this year that it did not have the resources to simultaneously grow the businesses of APL and APL Logistics.
Related news:NOL slashes 1Q15 loss to $11m
A company official told IHS Maritime, “While APL Logistics has been our only profitable business in the last few years, it accounts for a minor part of the total revenue. We also got a fair price from Kintetsu so given the situation we think the sale is justified.”
Kintetsu had pipped other interested buyers, including CJ Korea Express, to the sale.


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Various new adverts appear that suggest that the development for The Sims 5 (or however it will be named) is going strong.
Many people talked about the future of The Sims 4 and its successor, especially when it will be released.
Some sources suggest that the game will be playable online, as it will pack a significant multiplayer component.
Though the release date isn’t specific yet, one thing is exact – The Sims 4 has a lot more to give before it makes room for the next game.
The curious thing is, various new career opportunities popped up from Maxis, the franchise’s developer.
The Sims Community website first noticed the job offers, and they are tangible proof that a new Sims game is on its way!
One of the job listings speaks of an XD Designer – UI / Visual Designer:
“We are looking for an XD Designer who will focus exclusively on UI for a minimum of 2 years of the project development. After this period, this role could become a hybrid UI/UX role.”
The “two-year” mention is odd, especially when you look at the other adverts recently posted. Games typically take a long while to be developed, and we are sure that the next Sims game was in development for quite a while, and that is the first sign of what sort of release date window we should expect.
Unfortunately, two years sounds like a lot, especially as many franchise fans aren’t that pleased to play The Sims 4, even though it received multiple updates.
Stay tuned for more news on the subject!


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This past summer I posted a piece entitled, After the Garden: Mobile Carriers Opening to Off-Deck Content, in which I wrote,
“In the last few months, many have begun to predict that the U.S. industry will eventually emulate Europe’s model in which the carriers’ remove their walled-garden in favor of an off-deck distribution… [T]he potential end of the walled garden creates opportunity for innovative content and applications from startups that have only begun to proliferate under the current industry structure.”
It looks like this scenario is starting to come to fruition. Yesterday Cingular announced its “Media Net” service which, according to Wireless Week,
“…not only reduces the number of clicks, it lets subscribers personalize their phone by allowing them to put their most important information on the phone’s home page… [T]he new Media Net service will allow consumers to develop their own deck. “We are handling over control to the user,” [Vice President of Consumer Data Products at Cingular, Jim] Ryan says. “It’s not our decision to limit who is on the top deck. The individual can construct the services as they like.””
In other words, Cingular customers will be able to put links to any WAP site on their mobile home page, not just carrier-promoted ones. And as Wireless Week editorialized, “This revamped strategy is great news for content providers.” Indeed. Rather than being limited to vying for on-deck carrier placement or buried in a WAP browsing experience, content providers should now find that the ease in which they can directly reach the end-user significantly increases. This move places more choice in the hands of consumers, and is bold strategic move for the company.
This change also opens the door for unique and innovative WAP sites to reach consumers in a way with much less friction that just wasn’t possible previously. It is my thesis that as new content emerges, so will an advertising infrastructure to support this content which isn’t being sustain by carrier agreements. As I argued in Opportunity on the Third Screen, mobile advertising is coming to your mobile phone. Many have worried (with legitimate concern) that mobile ads will be unduly intrusive and annoying. But if people are choosing free content in a WAP browser on their mobile, just like they are choosing free content in a PC-based Internet browser, then the ads aren’t completely unsolicited or unwarranted. Just like all other media channels and types (television, print, web), models have evolved so that content can be “paid for” with subscriptions, pay-per-use, or ads. I don’t see strong reasons why the last option shouldn’t be one for mobile as well.


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Posted Wed Oct 19, 2016 at 08:15 AM PDT by Steven Cohen
A full trailer for the show's upcoming second season has been released.
Amazon has debuted an official trailer for the second season of its original series, 'The Man in the High Castle.' The new season is set to premiere on December 16 exclusively for Amazon Prime Instant Video members.
Based on Philip K. Dick's award winning novel, and executive produced by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner), and Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files), 'The Man in the High Castle' explores what it would be like if the Allied Powers had lost WWII, and Japan and Germany ruled the United States. Starring Rufus Sewell (John Adams), Luke Kleintank (Pretty Little Liars), and Alexa Davalos (Mob City). The show has been nominated for four Emmy awards, including Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More), Outstanding Cinematography for a Single Camera Series, and Outstanding Special Visual Effects.
Check out the official season two trailer below!
All ten episodes of 'The Man in the High Castle' season one are now available to stream exclusively though Amazon Prime Instant Video.
In addition to 'The Man in the High Castle' season two, Amazon also recently renewed 'Bosch' for a fourth season, greenlit full season orders for its 2016 Comedy Pilot Lineup, announced a new series titled 'Britannia' for 2017, started development on 'Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,' ordered a 13 episode documentary series called 'American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story,' announced an additional docuseries titled 'Novak' about tennis player Novak Djokovic, revealed plans to develop a series inspired by 'The Departed,' and renewed 'Catastrophe' for a third and fourth season scheduled for 2017 and 2018 respectively.
A current Amazon Prime subscription costs $99 per year or $11 per month. Likewise, Prime Instant Video is available as a standalone service for $8 per month.
Source: Amazon (YouTube)
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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A newly expanded and renovated industrial space has allowed a Cutchogue farm to produce a lot more produce.
Shake Shack, the New York-based burger chain created by famous restaurateur Danny Meyer, is set to go public in 2015, after filing for an IPO last month.
The Roscoe NY Beer Co., creators of the Trout Town™ Hand Crafted Beer brand, team up with local, family owned and operated Dutchess Beer Distributors and Dana Distributors to the joy of beer lovers in the Hudson Valley.
What do the military and foodservice have to do with each other?
BCAGlobal celebrated its mission to create exposure and provide educational opportunities for culinary and hospitality professionals of color on Friday, November 21, 2014 at the Crown Plaza Times Square.
What would you do if you could take all the data from every point-of-sale (POS) unit you have, no matter what provider, and automatically integrate it all right into your payroll system?
Shelly Fireman has created and operated some of New York’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Trattoria Dell’Arte, two Brooklyn Diners USA, Café Fiorello, Redeye Grill, Shelly’s New York and Bond 45 in Times Square.
Opportunities are Still Available to Exhibit, Present a Culinary Showcase, Be a Part of Special Feature Areas and More


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Taiwanese computer company Acer has announced it has updated its Liquidmini handset range to bring in a new Android operating system, user interface and colour range.
The Acer Liquidmini was officially launched back in January, as an abridged version of their flagship Android Liquid Metal phone.
Acer’s Liquidmini arrives with a 3.2-inch display, with a HVGA resolution and a capacitive touch screen, a 600Mhz processor, a 5 megapixel camera capable of 480p video recording, whilst shipping with the Android ‘Froyo’ 2.2 OS.
The update to the Liquidmini brings with it Android ‘Gingerbread’ 2.3, with the Acer 4.2 user interface and a new series of colours to the phones.
The new Acer UI has widgets that now can be placed on the home screen, with more space for wallpapers and applications where it’s possible to quickly switch between those apps by simply long-pressing on the home key.
Acer’s SocialJogger 2.0 application now integrates Flickr and Plurk, on top of the already incorporated Facebook and Twitter in a single feed with a 3D navigation effect.
The new colours are the summer range, with a vibrant scheme that encompasses that season with the cherry, lagoon, pearl and steel different colours.
Originally published at OneMobileRing.com


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The following content is sourced from external partners. We cannot guarantee that it is suitable for the visually or hearing impaired.
(Bloomberg) -- Cadillac has finally built a six-second vehicle.
That’s how long a driver can spend checking Instagram while the opulent 2018 version of its CT6 sedan drives itself. Then the first of three escalating warnings are triggered. Still, providing a somewhat-safe moment to scan an e-mail is a heroic feat of coding, one that allows the iconic luxury brand to claim parity with similar systems built by Mercedes, Volvo, and most of all, Tesla.
General Motors isn’t squandering this fleeting moment of glory. On Monday, it kicked off a coast-to-coast semi-autonomous trip from its New York headquarters—with a state police escort out of town no less—and gave us a seat for the first leg, all the way to the nation’s capital. (For speed freaks, the new CT6 is actually a five-second vehicle, as far as getting to 60 mph is concerned.)
Cadillac is marketing the gear—dubbed “Super Cruise”—as the “first, true hands-free” driving application on the road. It’s a bold claim for a brand so late to the robo-pilot party, but it’s not inaccurate. To date, similar systems have required a little steering feedback to ensure the driver is paying attention—a little hand, if you will. Cadillac engineers went in a different direction, planting a face-detection camera in the top arc of the steering wheel that constantly stares at its commander.
The downside: One gets a creepy feeling of being watched. The upside: One can safely crush a hefty cheeseburger at speeds up to 85 mph.
The Cadillac system will accelerate, brake, and keep a safe following distance per the pre-set cruise speed while carving gracefully through the corners. It wasn’t even phased by dark sunglasses, the purported bugaboo of face-scanning tech.
But Super Cruise is far less fun or spontaneous than the name suggests. The hardware—a web of radar-blasting pods and seven cameras, including an infrared unit—only works on freeways with exits and on-ramps, and only when cruise-control is activated and the vehicle is traveling dead-center in a lane. When the stately sled is compliant with those three prerequisites, an instrument panel token prompts that the system is ready and it takes control with a push of a button.
Cadillac says it doesn’t want to replace the driver, but rather provide “the flexibility of choice”
When in doubt, however, the CT6 defers to analog driving. For long stretches between New York’s Cadillac House and Washington, on pristine sections of the New Jersey Turnpike, the system stubbornly declined to launch. Meanwhile, changing lanes has to be done the old-fashioned way, and Cadillac warns drivers not to use the system in a tunnel, construction zone, or rainstorm. (Good luck Seattleites!)
While Tesla has swaggered about its self-driving aspirations, going so far as to call its system “autopilot,” GM is being far more conservative—playing the sober step-dad to Elon Musk’s cool uncle. “We do not seek to replace the driver,” said Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen. “True luxury means the flexibility of choice.”
For a road warrior stuck with a brutal daily commute, Super Cruise will be a balm—smoothing jangled nerves just a tad. But it won’t make a driver any more productive or well-rested.
As I zipped out of Manhattan and into New Jersey, jets from Newark Liberty hurtled overhead, filled with passengers binging on Broad City and scrolling through Trump tweetstorms. Down below, I sat behind the wheel with my arms folded, focused on the road ahead. Super Cruise felt like a box of Blue Apron groceries: The meal is meticulously planned and the ingredients prepped, but I still had to cook it.
Cadillac is well aware that Super Cruise is a small step even for an incremental one. The CT6 will be its only vehicle equipped with the self-driving system next year. And unless a customer opts for the most luxurious trim, Super Cruise will cost $5,000 extra.
In short, the burgeoning brand is not banking on Super Cruise to win customers away from BMW, Mercedes, or even Tesla. Few will buy a CT6 because it has a self-driving widget. But the system may keep quite a few potential buyers from ruling out the sedan entirely.
Cadillac chief de Nysschen called self-driving systems a critical step in the brand’s “long journey back to the pinnacle of premium.” In last year’s luxury car market, it was a neat trick. Next year, it’s table stakes. Cadillac just anted up.
To contact the author of this story: Kyle Stock in New York at firstname.lastname@example.org.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Rovella at email@example.com.
©2017 Bloomberg L.P.


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Dr. Angela Belcher, a materials chemist and one of the world’s leading scientists in nanotechnology was announced today as the recipient of the 2013 $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize.
Belcher has drawn inspiration from nature and its ability to create materials.
-She believes that if organic and inorganic materials can combine in nature to produce exquisite structures, similar processes can be used in the lab to create things of which nature hasn’t yet dreamed. She has used these lessons in biology to design novel, hybrid organic-inorganic materials that have been used to create environmentally-friendly batteries and clean transportation fuel, among other inventions with both commercial and social value. The Lemelson-MIT Prize, which honors an outstanding mid-career inventor dedicated to improving our world through technological invention, has been awarded annually since 1995.
See on www.azonano.com


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A six-day countdown to the reveal of mysterious new title MechWarrior Tactics has appeared.
MechWarrior Online will be built on Crytek’s award-winning CryEngine 3. According to a post on the game’s website, Piranha Bytes president Russ Bullock believes the tech will allow for “a truly unique AAA experience”. The long-awaited return to a beloved PC gaming franchise was announced at the end of October as a free-to-play MMO mech […]
Former Disney chief Michael Eisner has formed his own production studio, The Tornante Company, and since he owns the rights to the MechWarrior franchise, this new company is in the process of getting a film made of the series. According to a source of Joystiq’s, the movie is expected to help capitalize on the upcoming […]
Pirahna president Russ Bullock has confirmed to IGN that the newly-revealed MechWarrior reboot is to have four-way co-op, with each player taking on a separate mech in a “lance,” a robot team built of light, medium, heavy, and assault class mechs. “We’re really aiming for four player co-op,” said the dev. “I really want to […]
IGN’s gone live with full details, screens, a proper movie and an interview on what has now been confirmed as a full MechWarrior reboot, and it looks very fucking cool. The PC and 360 game is set on the planet Deshler in the year 3015, and places players in the role of Adrian Khol, a […]
Voodoo Extreme’s dropped some fairly obvious hints that a new MechWarrior game’s in the works. FASA that. Ahem. Pirahna‘s doing it, apparently. There’s a very short teaser trailer through there and a promise of a fuller movie later this week. Looks as though it’s a contemporary setting from what’s shown there. Could be cool. Thanks, […]


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- Atari partners with Enjin to bring its IP and Licenses to Multiverse blockchain games.
- The first integration will come for the updated version of the Kick Off!™ series in 2021.
- Players can purchase Atari-themed NFTs to customize their avatars in mid-December 2020.
In December, Enjin brought Skymarch Entertainment on board with three quality games. Now it’s time to further expand the Enjin Multiverse ecosystem with Atari and eBallR Games, an established studio led by Mark Greenshields along with a team of veteran developers.
eBallR Games will launch an updated version of the Kick Off! series football game named ‘Kick Off Evolution’ in Q2 2021. The company also plans to develop a series of sports games that will support Enjins Multiverse with interoperable digital goods (NFTs).
Atari and Blockchain Gaming.
Atari is an iconic brand in the gaming industry with dozens of popular titles and consoles. The company has made a lot of headlines this year with its gaming/gambling Atari Token ecosystem, as well as the partnership with The Sandbox, Ultra, Arkane Network, and now Enjin.
Atari recently launched the “Atari VCS” console, a system that supports blockchain games with Animoca Brands to have the global development and distribution rights along with ULTRA integration.
Enjin Efinity Sidechain is close.
Efinity is an Ethereum sidechain and not a blockchain. The fact that it operates on Ethereum provides a security and confidence level. It’s proven as the most popular, secured, and stable protocol to build on top. In plain English, Enjin has to worry only about Efinity and not about the blockchain itself.
Efinity is a long-awaited platform that will skyrocket the gaming experience of Multiverse games and allow cheap transactions between players.
The main goals of Efinity are:
- Transactions and trades of ERC-20 and ERC-1155 assets without any transaction fees.
- Transaction speeds in the hundreds of milliseconds or less.
- Throughput scales horizontally to meet any demand without increasing costs.
- Truly decentralized, no hostile takeovers or security compromises possible.
The news that Atari partners with Enjin will definitely bring more value to the Multiverse ecosystem, we predict more Enjin-based games will follow and integrate Atari-themed non-fungible tokens.


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As the UK prepares to enter lockdown for the second time, you might be mourning the taste of your favourite lunch spot when you’re in the office or restaurant already. Thankfully Mindful Chef is offering customers the chance to enjoy the restaurant experience at home.
From 8th to 21st November, fans of LEON will be able to get their hands on its Naturally Fast Food from the comfort of their kitchen, as the restaurant partners with the UK’s top-rated recipe box brand Mindful Chef on the launch of its limited-edition boxes.
The LEON x Mindful Chef recipe boxes will be available for nationwide delivery from 8th - 21st November, from £4.50 per person, with the last order date being Tuesday 17th of November.
Additionally, anyone new to Mindful Chef who orders online, will receive £10 off their first two boxes with the code: AFF10X2 . How good is that?
Delivered straight to customers' doors nationwide, the limited-edition LEON x Mindful Chef recipe box will contain everything needed to make LEON’s famous lunch; Moroccan Meatballs and Sicilian-Style Meatless Meatballs. Each box includes pre-portioned ingredients, step-by-step instructions, plus a free jar of LEON’s iconic vegan Garlic Aioli to dollop on the side.
United on the mission to make healthy eating easy, the LEON x Mindful Chef recipes boxes follow the recipe box brand’s successful partnership with Nando’s that took place this summer.
Giles Humphries, co-founder of Mindful Chef, comments: “With so many people in the UK working from home due to Covid-19, we wanted to bring dishes that we know the nation will be missing treating themselves to when at the office, into their homes. We are big fans of LEON and think their concept of Naturally Fast Food aligns perfectly with our mission to make healthy eating not only easy, but tasty and enjoyable at the same time.”
Charlotte di Cello, LEON CCO and MD LEON Grocery, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Mindful Chef and sharing some of our most loved LEON classics with people to enjoy at home. Like us, they care about natural, well-sourced, food that tastes good and does you good. We’re excited to include a free jar of our best-selling Aioli, which just happens to be vegan.”
And this isn’t the only food box we’re excited by this week as Tesco are launching a vegan Christmas dinner box for two and it’s only £17.50 per person. Available online from the 13th November, Tesco is taking the hassle out of Christmas dinner with a box for two and, the supermarket is doing a turkey version too.
Morrisons are also launching their own Christmas dinner box for four and it's available to buy online. The 16-piece box is designed to take the stress out of Christmas food shopping and minimise waste too.


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June Tailor, a maker of sewing and quilting tools based in Richfield, used an overhead webcam to demonstrate products during WEDC’s virtual trade venture to Germany, while a separate camera focused on the face of the meeting participant. Innovations like this were key to making the online trade venture successful.
WEDC’s first-ever virtual Global Trade Venture was a success, with 13 companies participating and dozens of meetings taking place over a two-week period.
“We know that visiting in person is crucial to build trust when starting to export into a new market,” says WEDC Vice President of Global Trade and Investment Katy Sinnott. “But right now, with international travel out of the question, we had to find an alternative. By organizing a virtual trade venture and setting up remote meetings with potential partners overseas, we are ensuring that Wisconsin companies can continue to grow their exports even during this global pandemic.”
The inaugural virtual trade venture connected companies in Wisconsin with buyers, distributors and other potential partners in Germany. Initially scheduled to take place last June, the trade venture was postponed when the pandemic began, and then was converted to an online offering that took place in late September and early October.
Although virtual meetings pose some difficulties, the participating companies rose to the challenge with innovative strategies. For example, representatives of Madison-based Graftobian Professional Makeup added a second camera to allow them to conduct product demos during the meeting, along with the main camera to show the person who was speaking. June Tailor, a Richfield-based maker of sewing and quilting tools, devised a way to demonstrate their products using an overhead webcam to capture a different perspective and zoom in on details.
“With WEDC’s support, we were able to come up with an effective way to demonstrate our products,” says Jill Repp, vice president of sales and marketing for June Tailor. “This will help us with other meetings going forward, as well as product demonstrations for other platforms.”
“Although our European competitors have a strong foothold in the German market, the quality of our products is actually superior, and we are able to easily demonstrate this using the dual camera set-up,” says Graftobian President Eric G. Coffman. “With the assistance of the translator provided by WEDC, we were able to keep the discussion going and do demonstrations seamlessly. This was an excellent way to meet and greet and to determine compatibility so we can continue conversations about moving forward and get product samples into their hands as soon as possible.”
In addition to the cultural briefing that is part of all WEDC Global Trade Ventures, participating companies received specific orientation on best practices for virtual meetings to put their best foot forward and communicate effectively in an online setting. The in-market trade office also coordinated workshops on pricing for the German market, customs regulations and the importing process, trade fairs in Germany, and taking advantage of the services offered by VDMA, Germany’s mechanical engineering industry association.
“Interestingly, the virtual setting seemed to help bridge the cultural differences and level the playing field a bit,” says Stanley Pfrang, WEDC market development director for Europe. “As usual when dealing with German companies, we had instructed the Wisconsin companies to be very punctual and focus on product efficiency and quality. But in the virtual setting, we noticed that some of the German participants were less formal and more relaxed and sociable, counter to the stereotype. There were also some participants on the German side who declined videoconference calls and requested to connect by email or phone instead, which we didn’t expect.”
In some respects, the virtual trade venture offered advantages over traveling to the market in person. The trade venture was initially planned to visit a few specific German cities, but once it was taken online, the scope was broadened to allow for meeting with potential partners located anywhere in Germany, since transportation time between cities was no longer a factor.
The time difference between the two markets limited when meetings could be held—they were scheduled at 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m. or 10 a.m. Wisconsin time, which put the meetings during the afternoon according to local time in Germany. But the trade venture was spread out over a longer duration to accommodate a similar number of meetings. Instead of being out of the office and fully occupied for the entire duration of the trade venture, participants could have trade venture meetings in the morning and attend to other duties in the afternoon.
With transportation, lodging and meals removed from the equation, the virtual trade venture was offered at a drastically lower cost than traveling to the market in person. And participants still received the benefit of working with knowledgeable and well-connected staff at WEDC’s trade office in Germany, who conducted market research and identified qualified German companies for each Wisconsin company to meet with.
“Because of the recent travel challenges due to COVID-19, we thought that our search for a distributor in Germany would have to wait, but thanks to WEDC that wasn’t the case,” adds Repp. “WEDC was completely organized and walked us through every step of the process. We achieved a successful outcome with minimal investment. We would highly recommend a virtual trade venture to anyone looking to grow their business overseas, and we look forward to our next one.”
Participating companies noted that virtual meetings might be helpful even when in-person trade ventures begin again. For example, sometimes it becomes apparent early in a meeting that it’s a mismatch and that no potential exists for an ongoing business relationship. Virtual meetings in advance of traveling to the market might help weed out such mismatches to save valuable time in-market for meetings that are more likely to lead to doing business together.
One aspect of the Global Trade Venture—delivering product samples—cannot take place online, but Sinnott noted that samples can be sent as a follow-up to the online meetings, and that an International Market Access Grant from WEDC can be used to help cover the cost.
The next virtual trade venture, taking place in November, will connect Wisconsin exporters with potential partners in South Korea.
Registration will open soon for additional upcoming virtual trade ventures, which will connect Wisconsin companies with potential partners in Mexico in February 2021, in Canada in March 2021, and in China in April 2021. WEDC’s Global Trade and Investment Division is hopeful that a Global Trade Venture to Poland and Germany planned for June 2021 will be able to take place in person, but will monitor worldwide public health conditions and recommendations for international travel to inform its plans.
Subscribe to Inside Exporting updates from WEDC to receive notices about upcoming Global Trade Ventures.


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The country’s diesel authority recently celebrated its 20th year in the domestic market with a bang. Isuzu Philippines Corporation President Hajime Koso led the festivities and welcomed esteemed guests from Isuzu Motors Limited Japan headed by its President and CEO Masanori Katayama and Mitsibishi Corporation Japan EVP and Group CEO for Machinery Kazushi Okawa. “This country has become our second home and gave us the wings to soar higher than what we were 20 years back. We are looking forward to 20 years and more. To our loyal partners, may you continue to put your trust on us and we promise that we will be finding more ways to meet your expectations,” Koso said.
Fernando Zobel de Ayala led the local contigent with Deputy CEO of Ayala Automotive Holdings Manny Aligada and government officials Thomas Orbos, the MMDA GM and concurrent Undersecretary of the DOTC as Isuzu unveiled its latest innovation dubbed as the Blue Power Technology. Blue Power is an eco-friendly diesel engine designed and engineered to promote green technology.
Koso also revealed that the Blue Technology will be present on all vehicles in the Isuzu lineup sold in the domestic market. Their benefits include maximum engine output, cleaner emissions, superb fuel economy, as well as engine durability.The 4JJ1-TCX engine found on the D-MAX and mu-X is said to provide 177 PS and a maximum torque of 380 Nm. The engine is also designed to comply with EURO 4 standards.
Dealer principals and the motoring media also witnessed the presentation of the facelifted MU-X model which is now equipped with a six-speed transmission, for both manual and automatic variants. Other features of the MU-X includes Auto-Headlight Leveling, Hill Descent Control and 8-inch screen entertainment system with USB link and tex-to-speech navigation. The latest D-MAX offering now comes with Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control. It is also fitted with multiple USB ports to suffice the passengers’ need on the continuous use of their mobile gadgets.
As an added surprise to the night’s festivities, Isuzu also presented 20 vehicles to celebrate 20 years of local operations. Taking center stage of the night’s festivities were the N-Series light-duty trucks which not only received a fresh face but the also Blue Power EURO 4 engines, namely: the 4JH1-TC (NLR77 model), 4JJ1-TC (NLR85, NMR85 & NPR85 models) and 4HK1-TCN (NQR75 model). Further, their medium-duty truck lineup, F-Series, also sports the new Blue Power Technology. The 4HK1-TC (FRR); 6HK1-TCN (FSR and FVR) and the 6HK1-TCS (FVM) engines give these trucks more power and efficiencywhile complying with stringent EURO IV standards making these trucks more effective workhorses.
Their C & E Series line-up has made the monumental leap towards cleaner emissions: the 6WG1-TGR is now EURO compliant, meaning the engine has higher torque at low speed area due to the modified turbocharger and increasing engine displacement.
Koso said that they are confident that the new modifications to their full lineup will further affect sales positively across the board. “We are hoping yet we are confident that the Philippines will continue to patronize the brand with these substantial changes that we have introduced,” Koso noted.“We believe that these game changers are surely to hit it big in the local automotive industry,” he added.
The past 20 years have seen the company grow phenomonally with more than 30 thousand units sales, three times the company’s volume five years ago.” Our mu-X model sold the highest number of units here in the Philippines compared to any other country in the world. ‘‘Our trucks hold the No. 1 position in total truck sales for 17 consecutive years; and in 2016, our total truck sales reached more than 6,000 units, more than triple our sales in the past years,” adds Koso.


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It isn’t yet clear exactly where Amazon.com Inc. would fit its Long Island City (LIC) offices, should the e-commerce giant pick Queens for its second headquarters.
Politico recently reported that a sprawling, family-owned waterfront site surrounding the Anable Basin is a likely spot. However, another option could be further away from the river and closer to LaGuardia Community College.
Jessica Millett, co-chair of the tax department at Duval & Stachenfeld LLP, predicts that the Seattle-based company will pick a large industrial area on the fringe of the CUNY campus.
"That area is ripe for development," she told me.
LaGuardia president Gail Mellow also noted the "unique density of activity" centered around LaGuardia’s campus, to attract and link residents, students, employees and tech companies.
"We have championed and created opportunities for our diverse constituencies, including the City’s low-income residents as well as our homegrown workforce, to plug into the many opportunities that the area offers to connect with tech businesses. LaGuardia enthusiastically supports Amazon’s potential move to Long Island City for a very specific reason – to create new economic development opportunities for the underrepresented populations we serve, including our talented, first-generation college students, as well as our qualified job-ready workers. Amazon has a unique opportunity to think strategically about building stronger partnerships with institutions like LaGuardia so that we can develop a shared understanding of the talent and workforce needs, and expand opportunities for practical training."
LaGuardia Community College isn't the only New York school excited for an Amazon arrival. Cornell Tech, where Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) recently signed a 10,900 square-foot lease on the school's new Roosevelt Island campus, praised the pending move for what it could do for its graduates.
Cornell Tech’s chief practice officer Josh Hartmann said:
New York City’s tech industry continues to expand rapidly, and Cornell Tech is at the heart of it. The campus is spinning out hundreds of graduates each year – among the top tech talent in the country – as well as groundbreaking, impactful research that is solidifying New York’s ranking as the nation’s most diverse tech hub. If Amazon chooses to come to New York, they’ll join a dynamic and growing community in close proximity to an exceptional pool of talent at Cornell Tech, and everything else that makes New York City a great place for innovation.
New York University also believes Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) would influence its student base. NYU spokesperson John Beckman confirmed :
NYU, like other universities in the city, worked with the City on its submission to Amazon, and is supportive of the efforts to bring Amazon to NY. We’re excited by the prospect of Amazon's presence, which will enable our talented students to connect with good jobs in New York City.
Amazon announced in September last year that it was seeking a site for a second corporate headquarters that would eventually employ up to 50,000 people. But it now plans to split its new headquarters between two sites, including Long Island City, according to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Not everyone is looking forward to an Amazon construction boom. That's because many residents appreciate LIC the way it is.
Back in 1990, Citigroup drew the ire of many locals when it transformed LIC with One Court Square — a 50-story office tower (the tallest building in New York outside of Manhattan).
Amazon would likely transform the quiet Queens enclave in ways the New York banking giant never could. From housing prices and retail development to public transportation and traffic congestion, Amazon "HQ2" will have a ripple effect throughout the neighborhood.
“I don’t know if it’s an upgrade or a downgrade,” says 88-year-old LIC resident Vincenzo Cerbone.


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India bound production spec model of Chevrolet Trailblazer facelift has been unveiled In Brazil, which will hit the Brazilian market in a few days. The car will get a starting price at R$ 159990 (Rs. 30.41 lakh) for the petrol and R$ 189990 (Rs. 36.2 lakh) in Brazilian market. Compare to the outgoing model of Chevrolet Trailblazer, which was launched in India last year, the new facelift model looks upmarket, aggressive and stylish.
Earlier this year, in March, Chevrolet showcased the near production concept of the model which was christened as Trailblazer Premiere. The Chevrolet Trailblazer Facelift gets design cues from Chevrolet Colorado at the front fascia. Incidentally, Chevrolet Colorado was showcased at the 2016 New Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year in February. The redesigned front fascia sports sharply stylish and sleek headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights. The front grille looks wider with chrome embellished horizontal slats and the front bumper looks beefy with larger round shaped fog lamps. Apart from that, the facelift version of the model looks similar to the outgoing model.
The muscular Chevrolet Trailblazer Facelift gets several updates inside the cabin. The dashboard looks a fresh new design, which now houses several upmarket features and the layout is also stylish. In Brazilian market, the car will be sold only on the top end LTZ trim which gets a multifunction steering wheel, a redesigned stylish instrument cluster with analog dials and TFT display, an 8 inch MyLink touchscreen infotainment system which gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The central AV vents flanking the touchscreen infotainment system sports silver accents. The car sports several safety features, which include parking sensors, reverse camera, collision warning system, lane change assist, blind spot warning, tire pressure monitoring etc.
On the powertrain front the facelift Trailblazer gets dual engine options. The diesel variant gets a 2.8 litre Duramax diesel engine mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission, which churns out 200 hp of peak power and 500 Nm of peak torque. On the petrol front the car gets a 3.6 litre V6 engine which gets paired with a 6 speed automatic gearbox and generates 279 hp of peak power and 357 Nm of peak torq ue. The petrol engine has been re-tuned to produce 2 hp more power than the outgoing model.


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|By PR Newswire||
|January 8, 2013 05:30 PM EST||
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Walmart and Straight Talk Wireless, America's largest and top rated no-contract cell phone provider, today put the power back in the hands of customers with an industry game changing offer. Starting on January 11, 2013 in more than 2,000 Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com, customers now have access to the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4 on Straight Talk's $45 no contract unlimited talk, text and data plan. To make this offer even more affordable, Walmart will be offering customers who purchase the phone in the store, a no interest fixed-monthly payments special financing offer for only $25 a month with a Walmart Credit Card.
The Straight Talk wireless no contract plan, exclusive to Walmart, saves consumers on average $950 a year when they switch from conventional contract plans with similar unlimited plans. To learn more about how Straight Talk Wireless saves consumers $950 a year, please visit: www.straighttalk.com.
"We are thrilled to be bringing the remarkable iPhone 5 to customers looking for one of the most advanced smartphones with one of the most affordable No Contract plans ever," said F.J. Pollak, CEO and President, TracFone Wireless. "The advanced iPhone 5 with our unlimited $45 monthly plan and Walmart's $25 special financing offer is a marriage made in heaven – making it the most affordable premium smartphone offer in America. With this exclusive offer the last reason for not purchasing the No Contract Straight Talk plan is gone."
"We believe customers shouldn't have to choose between saving money and having the latest technology," said Seong Ohm, senior vice president of Entertainment for Walmart U.S. "Now customers can have the coveted iPhone with unlimited talk, text and data without a contract for $70 a month thanks to our exclusive Straight Talk plan and industry first financing offer."
Pricing and Details for iPhone
The Apple iPhones for Straight Talk will be available for purchase at the following prices:
- iPhone 5 will be available in black and white for $649 for the 16GB model only
- iPhone 4 will be available in black and white for $449 for the 8GB model only
Walmart will offer a special financing on the purchase of the phone for $25 a month with a Walmart Credit Card on these select models. GE Capital Retail Bank is the issuer of the Walmart Credit Cards.
Pricing for the Straight Talk no-contract plans include:
- $45 – No Contract Monthly Plan with Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text, and Data.
- $60 – No Contract Monthly Plan with Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text, and Data PLUS Unlimited International Calling to more than 1,000 destinations in Mexico, Canada, India, and in other countries.
iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless technology—all while delivering even better battery life. iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world's most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features including: the all new Maps app; Facebook integration; Passbook organization and even more Siri features and languages. For more information on iPhone 5, please visit: www.apple.com/iphone.
About Straight Talk Wireless
Straight Talk Wireless® is a brand of TracFone Wireless, Inc., America's largest no-contract cellular service provider with over 21.6 million subscribers, and a subsidiary of America Movil S.A.B. de C.V. ("AMX") (BMV: AMX; NYSE: AMX; Nasdaq: AMOV; LATIBEX: XAMXL). AMX is the leading provider of wireless services in Latin America. As of September 30, 2012, it had 255.9 million wireless subscribers -- more wireless customers than AT&T and Verizon combined -- and 62.8 million fixed revenue generating units in the Americas.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 200 million customers and members visit our 10,400 stores under 69 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmartnewsroom. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
SOURCE Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Organizations already struggle with the simple collection of data resulting from the proliferation of IoT, lacking the right infrastructure to manage it. They can't only rely on the cloud to collect and utilize this data because many applications still require dedicated infrastructure for security, redundancy, performance, etc. In his session at 17th Cloud Expo, Emil Sayegh, CEO of Codero Hosting, will discuss how in order to resolve the inherent issues, companies need to combine dedicated a...
Oct. 4, 2015 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 362
The modern software development landscape consists of best practices and tools that allow teams to deliver software in a near-continuous manner. By adopting a culture of automation, measurement and sharing, the time to ship code has been greatly reduced, allowing for shorter release cycles and quicker feedback from customers and users. Still, with all of these tools and methods, how can teams stay on top of what is taking place across their infrastructure and codebase? Hopping between services a...
Oct. 4, 2015 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 224
For almost two decades, businesses have discovered great opportunities to engage with customers and even expand revenue through digital systems, including web and mobile applications. Yet, even now, the conversation between the business and the technologists that deliver these systems is strained, in large part due to misaligned objectives. In his session at DevOps Summit, James Urquhart, Senior Vice President of Performance Analytics at SOASTA, Inc., will discuss how measuring user outcomes –...
Oct. 3, 2015 11:00 PM EDT Reads: 265
Clearly the way forward is to move to cloud be it bare metal, VMs or containers. One aspect of the current public clouds that is slowing this cloud migration is cloud lock-in. Every cloud vendor is trying to make it very difficult to move out once a customer has chosen their cloud. In his session at 17th Cloud Expo, Naveen Nimmu, CEO of Clouber, Inc., will advocate that making the inter-cloud migration as simple as changing airlines would help the entire industry to quickly adopt the cloud wit...
Oct. 3, 2015 09:00 PM EDT Reads: 339
While testing is often ignored when it comes to DevOps - it could be the most important aspect of achieving true DevOps success. Without rethinking automated testing from the ground-up, the entire DevOps productivity gain cannot be realized. Large tech companies build their own rapid test automation that runs in minutes across functional, performance, security and other tests. In his session at DevOps Summit, Kevin Surace, CEO of Appvance, will discuss how we learn from these real-world succe...
Oct. 3, 2015 06:00 PM EDT Reads: 287
SYS-CON Events announced today that VividCortex, the monitoring solution for the modern data system, will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. The database is the heart of most applications, but it’s also the part that’s hardest to scale, monitor, and optimize even as it’s growing 50% year over year. VividCortex is the first unified suite of database monitoring tools specifically desi...
Oct. 3, 2015 05:00 PM EDT Reads: 305
Apps and devices shouldn't stop working when there's limited or no network connectivity. Learn how to bring data stored in a cloud database to the edge of the network (and back again) whenever an Internet connection is available. In his session at 17th Cloud Expo, Bradley Holt, Developer Advocate at IBM Cloud Data Services, will demonstrate techniques for replicating cloud databases with devices in order to build offline-first mobile or Internet of Things (IoT) apps that can provide a better, ...
Oct. 3, 2015 05:00 PM EDT Reads: 312
“All our customers are looking at the cloud ecosystem as an important part of their overall product strategy. Some see it evolve as a multi-cloud / hybrid cloud strategy, while others are embracing all forms of cloud offerings like PaaS, IaaS and SaaS in their solutions,” noted Suhas Joshi, Vice President – Technology, at Harbinger Group, in this exclusive Q&A with Cloud Expo Conference Chair Roger Strukhoff.
Oct. 3, 2015 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 265
Interested in leveraging automation technologies and a cloud architecture to make developers more productive? Learn how PaaS can benefit your organization to help you streamline your application development, allow you to use existing infrastructure and improve operational efficiencies. Begin charting your path to PaaS with OpenShift Enterprise.
Oct. 3, 2015 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 260
SYS-CON Events announced today that Agema Systems will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3-5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Agema Systems is the leading provider of critical white-box rack solutions to data centers through the major integrators and value added distribution channels.
Oct. 3, 2015 02:15 PM EDT Reads: 545
SYS-CON Events announced today that Cloud Raxak has been named “Media & Session Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 17th Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Raxak Protect automates security compliance across private and public clouds. Using the SaaS tool or managed service, developers can deploy cloud apps quickly, cost-effectively, and without error.
Oct. 3, 2015 01:15 PM EDT Reads: 558
DevOps is gaining traction in the federal government – and for good reasons. Heightened user expectations are pushing IT organizations to accelerate application development and support more innovation. At the same time, budgetary constraints require that agencies find ways to decrease the cost of developing, maintaining, and running applications. IT now faces a daunting task: do more and react faster than ever before – all with fewer resources.
Oct. 3, 2015 01:00 PM EDT Reads: 243
SYS-CON Events announced today that ProfitBricks, the provider of painless cloud infrastructure, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. ProfitBricks is the IaaS provider that offers a painless cloud experience for all IT users, with no learning curve. ProfitBricks boasts flexible cloud servers and networking, an integrated Data Center Designer tool for visual control over the...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Key Information Systems, Inc. (KeyInfo), a leading cloud and infrastructure provider offering integrated solutions to enterprises, will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Key Information Systems is a leading regional systems integrator with world-class compute, storage and networking solutions and professional services for the most advanced softwa...
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Mobile messaging has been a popular communication channel for more than 20 years. Finnish engineer Matti Makkonen invented the idea for SMS (Short Message Service) in 1984, making his vision a reality on December 3, 1992 by sending the first message ("Happy Christmas") from a PC to a cell phone. Since then, the technology has evolved immensely, from both a technology standpoint, and in our everyday uses for it. Originally used for person-to-person (P2P) communication, i.e., Sally sends a text...
Oct. 3, 2015 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 132


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Lithium prices are on the rebound.
After a brief pullback, the supply-demand issue is forcing lithium prices higher again. Even analysts at Citigroup just said the collapse in lithium price is likely to be over, and prices could rebound by as much as 40% by the end of the year.
The firm added: “Chinese lithium carbonate prices plunged around 70 per cent in just five months to a low of $US22,000 a tonne, but have since recovered to $US28,000 a tonne in the last few weeks. Citi attributed the rebound to improved market sentiment, demand from physical traders, recovering EV sales and lower inventories in the supply chain,” as noted by Financial Review.
Even better for the lithium miners, Baird just upgraded Albemarle to Buy from Hold, with a price target of $288 from $222 a share. “Demand for lithium, which is critical to making the batteries that power electric vehicles, isn’t slowing down,” added the firm.
One way to trade the recovery in lithium is with the industry’s 800 lb., oversold gorilla Albemarle (ALB), which is just starting to pivot higher. Or, look at Lithium Americas (LAC), which is working with General Motors on its Thacker Pass mine, and which just received federal clearance with the mine.
Or, look at ETFs for diversification at lower cost, such as:
Global X Lithium & Battery Tech (LIT)
With an expense ratio of 0.75%, the LIT ETF invests in the full lithium cycle, from mining and refining the metal, through battery production. Some of its top holdings include Albemarle TDK Corp. Panasonic, BYD Co., Tesla, Livent Corp, Piedmont Lithium, and Standard Lithium.
Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF (BATT)
With an expense ratio of 0.59%, the BATT ETF provides exposure to global companies deriving material revenue associated with the development, production and use of lithium battery technology. Some of its top holdings include Tesla, LG Chemical, Albemarle, Sociedad Quimica y MInera, Panasonic, BHP Group, and BYD Company to name a few.
KraneShares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility ETF (KARS)
The Krane Shares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility ETF (KARS) is starting to accelerate, too.
With an expense ratio of 0.70%, this ETF provides exposure to companies involved in the production of EVs and their components.


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Proper-to-Restore Advocates Query John Deere’s New Guarantees
In 2022, three lawsuits alleged that Deere has been monopolizing the restore market, and a bunch of farming organizations filed an analogous criticism with the US Federal Commerce Fee. And in 2021, the FTC stated it deliberate to ramp up enforcement in opposition to firms that used restrictive measures to stop customers from repairing their very own electronics.
Deere’s new settlement states that it’ll be certain that farmers and impartial restore outlets can subscribe to or purchase instruments, software program, and documentation from the corporate or its licensed restore services “on fair and reasonable terms.” The tractor large additionally says it’ll be certain that any farmer, impartial technician, or impartial restore facility could have digital entry to Deere’s Buyer Service Advisor, a digital database of operator and technical manuals that’s obtainable for a price.
The memorandum additionally guarantees to offer farmers the choice to “reset equipment that has been immobilized”—one thing that may occur when a safety function is inadvertently triggered. Farmers may beforehand solely reset their gear by going to a John Deere vendor or having a John Deere-authorized technician come to them. “That’s been a huge complaint,” says Nathan Proctor, who leads US PIRG’s right-to-repair marketing campaign. “Farmers will be relieved to know there might be a non-dealer option for that.”
Different elements of the brand new settlement, nevertheless, are too imprecise to supply important assist to farmers, proponents of the precise to restore say. Though the memorandum has a lot to say about entry to diagnostic instruments, farmers want to repair in addition to determine issues, says Schweitzer, who raises cattle on his 3,000-acre farm, Tiber Angus, in central Montana. “Being able to diagnose a problem is great, but when you find out that it’s a sensor or electronic switch that needs to be replaced, typically that new part has to be reprogrammed with the electronic control unit on board,” he stated. “And it’s unclear whether farmers will have access to those tools.”
Deere’s Hartmann says that “as equipment continues to evolve and technology advances on the farm, Deere continues to be committed to meeting those innovations with enhanced tools and resources.” The company this year will launch the ability to download software updates directly into some equipment with a 4G wireless connection, she said. But Hartmann declined to say whether farmers would be able to reprogram equipment parts without the involvement of the company or an authorized dealer.
The new agreement isn’t legally binding. It states that should either party determine that the MOU is no longer viable, all they have to do is provide written notice to the other party of their intent to withdraw. And both US PIRG and Schweitzer note that other influential farmers groups are not party to the agreement, such as the National Farmers Union, where Schweitzer is a board member and runs the Montana chapter.
Schweitzer is also concerned by the way the agreement is sprinkled with promises to offer farmers or independent repair shops “fair and reasonable terms” on entry to instruments or data. “‘Fair and reasonable’ to a multibillion-dollar company can be a lot different for a farmer who is in debt, trying to make payments on a $200,000 tractor and then has to pay $8,000 to $10,000 to purchase hardware for repairs,” he says.
The agreement signed by Deere this week comes on the heels of New York governor Kathy Hochul signing into law the Digital Fair Repair Act, which requires companies to provide the same tools and information to the public that are given to their own repair technicians.
However, while right-to-repair advocates mostly cheered the law as precedent-setting, it was weakened by last-minute compromises to the bill, such as making it applicable only to devices manufactured and sold in New York on or after July 1, 2023, and by excluding medical devices, automobiles, and home appliances.
Up to date 1-12-2023, 5:05 pm EST: This story has been up to date to make clear that statements from John Deere have been offered by Jen Hartmann, the corporate’s international director of strategic public relations.


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The aftermath of the Batterygate scandal, with the deliberate slowdown of older iPhone models that erupted in late 2017, has been plaguing Apple to this day. The other day, Apple reached a preliminary agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit due to an iOS with iPhone's battery slowdown feature in the United States.
According to the relevant document of the settlement, an agreement was sent to the California court last Friday. Currently, we are waiting for final approval from the judge.
Under the terms of the agreement, Apple will need to pay between $310 and $500 million to compensate dissatisfied users. Payments will be made to former and current owners of iPhones 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and SE running iOS versions 10.2.1 or 11.2 until December 21, 2017. For each such iPhone, $25 is provided. This amount can be increased or decreased depending on how many devices fall under regulation. Separately, it is stipulated that individual participants in a class-action lawsuit will receive $1,500 or $3,500, and lawyers representing the interests of buyers in the proceedings will share another $90 million.
Interestingly, Apple pleaded not guilty. In the text of the agreement, the company emphasizes that it agreed to pay compensation to avoid further legal costs.
After the scandalous confession and Apple's apology, to ease tensions, the company reduced the cost of replacing batteries (from $79 to $29) and added the ability to turn off the iPhone's auto-slowdown function when the battery is worn out in the new version of iOS 11.3. But in the end, dozens of lawsuits hit Apple anyway. Earlier, the antitrust authorities of Italy and France fined Apple 10 and 25 million euros.


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Japan's Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal said on Friday, 28 April, it would not give a profit target for the current fiscal year owing to uncertainty over prices for raw materials and finished products.
The news came as the company, a major global steelmaker, said its net profit for the just-ended year to March fell 10% from a year ago to ¥130.9bn ($1.17bn), citing unsteady demand and a stronger yen.
Revenue ticked down 5.6% to ¥4.63tn, while operating profit dropped by nearly one-third from a year earlier.
"Results were affected by a less favourable sales mix, which stemmed from sluggish demand for steel products for the energy sector," it said.
A spike in the price of coking coal - a key ingredient in steel - and drop in Chinese steel prices, has hit Japan's major steelmakers.
Nippon Steel said it would not release full-year estimates on Friday due to "the uncertainty of price trends for primary raw materials and steel products".Source: AFP


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SD BUSINESS JOURNAL DAILY ENEWS
La Jolla-based Synthetic Genomics Inc. has entered a new research agreement with ExxonMobil Corp., using genomics to develop strains of algae that can be used for biofuel.
Port district and city officials are marking what is deemed a significant milestone for the $28 million first phase of renovations to the North Embarcadero area in downtown San Diego.
Ambit Biosciences Corp. began trading yesterday on the Nasdaq, announcing the pricing of its initial public offering at $8 per share. At market close, it traded at $7.30 per share.
The two heirs of the fortune of the late Walter J. Zable, the founder and chief executive of Cubic Corp., are selling about 2.3 million shares of the stock they own, according to a recent securities filing.
Osage Exploration and Development Inc., a San Diego-based independent energy exploration and production company, reported a first quarter net loss of $73,425 compared with a net profit of $456,026 for the like quarter of 2012.
Orange County-based Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar is hiring for 200 positions at its first San Diego location, set to open in June in Mission Valley.
The government of Australia wants more information on Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk spy drone, according to the U.S. Department of Defense and its Australian counterpart.
San Diego-based drugmaker Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced a public offering of its common stock, and said it expects gross proceeds to be $100 million.
Carlsbad-based ViaSat Inc. and a division of New York-based defense contractor L-3 said they plan to team up to provide high-speed Internet service to business jets.
Envision Solar International Inc., a San Diego maker and designer of solar arrays, reported a first quarter net loss of about $1 million compared with a net loss of $984,000 for the like quarter of 2012.
San Diego City Council has approved changes to city code aimed at streamlining approval and reducing fees to establish sidewalk dining spaces at local eateries.
Fewer venture capital dollars have been invested into life sciences companies in the first quarter of 2013, according to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers report.
San Diego should be doing much better in exporting goods and services, according to a recently released assessment of the region by the Brookings Institution.
The San Diego Community College District has selected Lowe Enterprises and locally based I.D.E.A. Partners to develop a proposed $90 million mixed-used project in East Village, which would include office space, apartments, retail shops and restaurants.
The U.S. Air Force recently awarded Northrop Grumman a deal that might exceed half a billion dollars, to modernize its Global Hawk fleet.
San Diego-based skincare product maker Senté Inc. has raised $2.1 million in Series B financing from a pool of existing and new investors.
The U.S. Navy recently announced that it had accepted delivery of its first Mobile Landing Platform ship from San Diego shipbuilder General Dynamics Nassco.
InfoSonics Corp., the San Diego distributor of cellphones in Latin America, reported first quarter sales of $7.8 million, down 37 percent from the like quarter of 2012.
The U.S. Navy announced the first launch of an unmanned aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier.
San Diego’s median housing price based on April sales rose 21 percent to $400,000, and local sales numbered 3,792, up 6.5 percent from the same month a year earlier, according to Dataquick, the local real estate research firm.


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Macy's announced Paula Price as its new Chief Financial Officer on Wednesday. Price will lead all finance, accounting, investor relations and internal audit functions and will report to chairman and CEO Jeff Gennette.
Macy’s raised its full-year profit forecast on Wednesday and reported better-than-expected quarterly and same-store sales, helped by strong international tourism, a new loyalty program and a greater product assortment.
Vendors who work with the retailers and consultants who advise big department stores say this year chains are much slower in placing new orders for the holidays, as they deal with declining foot traffic.
Macy's Inc margins could end the year as much as 80 basis points lower than in 2016, CFO Karen Hoguet warned on Tuesday in comments that sent shares of the department store chain sliding to five-year lows.
Macy's said strategy of opening its Backstage off-price chain within its department stores drives traffic into the main store, but experts say the move confuses customers and could hurt Macy's longer-term results.


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Shareholders' meetings can be unpredictable affairs, veering from dollars-and-cents topics such as executive compensation to stickier questions of corporate culture and values.
On Wednesday, a conservative group used big-box retailer Target's annual gathering to press the chain about its stance in the recent debate about which public bathrooms transgender people should use.
In April, Target published a statement saying that as part of a commitment to inclusion and equality, it invited customers and employees to use the dressing rooms and bathrooms in its stores that correspond to their gender identities. That announcement came as public debate was at a fever pitch over a new law in North Carolina requiring transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond to their birth gender.
Backlash to Target's position bubbled up on the Internet, with calls on social media and via online petition to boycott Target.
Against that backdrop, Justin Danhof, a director at the National Center for Public Policy Research, raised the topic at Target's shareholders' meeting Wednesday in Costa Mesa, Calif. Danhof asked Target CEO Brian Cornell whether he believed that customers and investors who disagree with Target's policy are bigots, as well as whether Cornell regretted implementing the policy. Danhof said Cornell responded to his questions by speaking generally about the retailer's focus on diversity. A Target spokeswoman said Cornell "very much did reiterate that we want to be a place that is welcoming, comfortable and safe" for all shoppers.
Danhof was disappointed in Cornell's answers, saying, "I've never left a meeting feeling that empty."
Target's CEO told reporters in May that the company has yet to detect any change in sales or customer behavior in the wake of the bathroom policy announcement. A Target executive reiterated that finding at the shareholders' meeting Wednesday.
Target is hardly alone in its stance. American Airlines, Facebook and other corporate titans expressed opposition to North Carolina's law.
NCPPR, the conservative think tank where Danhof works, notes that Target's stock has sunk recently and suggests that this is evidence of negative fallout from the bathroom policy. But last month, Target delivered a lackluster first-quarter earnings report and gave a gloomy forecast for the second quarter. The retail industry in general has been in a rough patch, souring investors.
It is not the first time Target has faced criticism from conservatives for its views on a social issue. Last year, Target appeared to convey opposition to "religious freedom" laws when, amid national conversation around the topic, the company released a statement saying, "Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you'll always be accepted, respected and welcomed here."


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Beats Music, the latest online venture to enter the highly competitive music subscription business, announced on Wednesday that it plans to debut it’s service in January 2014. Following the remarkable success of his Beats By Dre headphone line, Dr. Dre, along with Jimmy Iovine and new Beats Music CEO Ian Rodgers have created a service tailored toward artist-recommended playlists and suggestions, unlike Spotify which recommends music based on algorithmic formulas. Former Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor, appointed Chief Creative Officer on the project, describes it as “…having your own guy when you go into the record store, who knows what you like but can also point you down some paths you wouldn’t necessarily have encountered.”
With its 2014 launch, Beats Music joins a continually expanding and crowded marketplace that features a number of established players. Along with Beats, French-based Deezer, which has proved successful in several countries worldwide, plans to enter the US in 2014 and compete with the likes of Spotify, Rhapsody, Rdio, Slacker and Muve Music. In addition, YouTube is gearing up to release its “Music Pass” subscription service in the next year.
Aside from Reznor’s pledge to center playlists around artist recommendations, few details have emerged publicly about the service. Based on early marketing efforts however, Beats Music is showing it has the budget to go toe to toe with Spotify as the leader in subscription based streaming. In late November the company ran a full page advertisement in the New York Times to announce the soon-approaching launch, and consumers can also expect a television campaign in the coming weeks.
Furthermore, in an attempt to spark interest pre-launch, Beats’ is urging customers to reserve their domain name with the slogan “Beats Music Is Coming. Claim Your Name.” According to Rodgers, some influencers currently have access to the site to test and offer feedback, and Beats is making adjustments based on that feedback.


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We have arrived! Anastasia Karanikolaou, otherwise known to millions as simply “Stassie”, made quite the entrance when she showed up to a Pride celebration at 40 Love in West Hollywood on Saturday, June 26. The 23-year-old made sure it was an all eyes on her kind of situation in her super short multi-colored dress that she paired with a fiery red wig. She and her sexy friends also put their safety in check by wearing protective face gear amid the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic.
Kylie unfortunately was not with her during Stassie’s latest outing. Instead she stayed indoors for her older sister Khloe Kardashian‘s wild 36th birthday party that was attended by many of her other family members. The bday gal’s daughter True, 2, also made a memorable appearance when her doting mother posted a clip of her bopping around on an inflatable bouncy house!
Stassie has emerged as a major fashionista over the past couple of years. The model left little to the imagination while looking absolutely stunning in a pair of Daisy Dukes and tank top with her midsection exposed in a funny yet sexy Instagram pic of her chowing down on a hot dog late last month.
She also played her part in helping promote Kim Kardashian‘s ever growing SKIMS line on May 3. Stassie once again took to her social media and modeled a new, comfortable tan outfit from the loungewear portion of Kim’s business that expertly showed off her amazing figure.
What a helpful friend! Stassie also made sure to make millions of people green with envy when she gave a tour of Kylie’s whopping $36.5 million dollar mansion. She also showed her 938K TikTok followers a detailed look at the beauty mogul’s lavish car collection that included an ultra-exclusive white Bugatti Chiron which sells for nearly $3 million dollars!Click to Subscribe to Get Our Free HollywoodLife Daily Newsletter to get the hottest celeb news.


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Myer's second largest shareholder has reiterated its support for the retailer's chairman and strategy, raising doubts about Solomon Lew's ability to rally sufficient shareholder support for another attempt to overthrow the board.
Investors Mutual founder Anton Tagliaferro, who was instrumental in thwarting Mr Lew's first attempt to block the appointment of new chairman Garry Hounsell and two other directors, has again voiced concern about conflicts of interest from allowing Myer's major competitor to gain three seats on the board.
Mr Tagliaferro also raised doubts about Mr Lew's ability to restore Myer's fortunes, saying there was no "magic wand".
"It [Myer] is a long-term turnaround story and I don't think there is a magic wand, I don't think two or three new directors would change it that quickly," Mr Tagliaferro told Sky Business on Thursday.
Mr Tagliaferro's comments came one day after Mr Lew's listed investment company, Premier Investments, renewed its campaign, asking for a current copy of Myer's shareholder register so it can lobby investors before calling an extraordinary general meeting to spill the board.
Mr Tagliaferro continues to back the board and management's strategy despite further deterioration in Myer's sales and earnings over the crucial Christmas and New Year trading period.
Conflicts of interest
"In terms of Myer they have changed many of the senior management, they are changing tack, they are trying to cut down the number of stores … the new chairman we can see is doing a good job and he has come into the position energised and recently the company announced cost savings, they are looking to continue along with their strategy," Mr Tagliaferro told Sky Business.
"I don't think there is a magic wand where Mr Lew or anybody else can come in and sort of 'abracadabra' and fix it ... it is a longer term turnaround story and that is what the situation of Myer is."
Mr Tagliaferro reiterated his concern about conflicts of interest from giving Premier, which is one of Myer's biggest competitors through brands such as Portmans, Dotti, Jacqui E and Just Jeans, and Mr Lew, a major supplier, board representation.
"In terms of Solomon Lew's proposals again we do have a bit of problem with the fact he is in competition with Myer, that is a major issue and I think he [Mr Lew] understands that and appreciates that," Mr Tagliaferro said.
Mr Tagliaferro told The Australian Financial Review he was awaiting further details of Mr Lew's next plan.
"I don't think there is much to say as Premier hasn't given much detail on its plans," he said. "As [Wednesday's] ASX release from Premier said, Premier will caucus with other Myer shareholders and thus we await further details."
Mr Lew has claimed that Investors Mutual tried twice to sell its 9.8 per cent stake to Premier, which would have lifted its holding to the takeover threshold of 20 per cent.
Mr Tagliaferro has denied the claim but is hoping the two retailers will eventually merge, a move that could benefit shareholders of both companies by reducing costs.
- Akanksha Rana and Jeffrey Dastin
- Sue Mitchell
- 1 hr ago
- Jill Dupleix
- Louise McElvogue
- Lauren Sams


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A London-based linear and digital TV attribution company with a New York office to service U.S. clients has released its latest analysis on television ad performance insights for automotive brands. It analyzed more than $10 billion in TV ad spend during the first half of 2019. What did TVSquared find?
The radio syndication company behind "The O'Reilly Update with Bill O'Reilly" has expanded its offerings to include network audio advertising sales to producers and service/program providers. As such, it has a new President/COO and an incoming EVP/Advertising Sales -- and both were previously with USRN.
"We are in the midst of one of the strongest advertising markets in a while, yet advertising agency revenues are decidedly weak." That's an assessment of the advertising industry from Wall Street investment analyst Michael Nathanson, who has five key takeaways from NY Advertising Day to share.
With the move, Cumulus Media-owned Westwood One becomes the first national audio platform to use LeadsRx attribution software "to provide a comprehensive, quantitative analysis of how audio advertising drives advertiser search and site traffic."
Some 69% of advertisers have updated their media agency contracts within the past three years, and one third have made updates in the past year alone in response to concerns about transparency and alleged rebates in the media buying ecosystem, a new ANA report finds.
The ad sales division of Comcast Cable has launched a self-service buying option, pitched as an alternative to traditional TV ad buying that allows small business owners and local advertisers "the independence to plan, design and manage advertising campaigns."
With the Association of National Advertisers (ANA)'s "Masters of Marketing" conference scheduled for the first days of October in Orlando, now is the time for broadcast media's leaders to make themselves known. Who knew inspiration could come from Down Under?
Want to take your coaching game to the next level? This freshly penned column from expert sales trainer Barrett Riddleberger is worth six minutes of your time. Here, he provides a list of "proven" techniques that effective sales managers use to improve sales performance.
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has created a new division dedicated to ensuring that the industry’s measurement systems are aligned to the business and measurement agenda of marketers.
One of the nation's largest national radio ad sales organizations has flipped the switch on a new programmatic sales division specifically focused on digital audio.
Discovery Inc. has confirmed that it is partnering with next-generation television measurement firm 605 "to take full-funnel attribution to census scale for the very first time." The companies plan to leverage data aggregated from multiple MVPD and ACR viewership sources, which they say is the largest ever used for a TV attribution study.
Of the advertisers that believe Spot Radio is a strong way to build sales and retain customers, parts and accessories retailer AutoZone has demonstrated prowess as a believer in AM and FM. As such, it gains a strong position in the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report.
Do you struggle asking good questions when interviewing sales reps? That's a question expert sales trainer Barrett Riddleberger wants you to think about, and answer as best as possible. How so? He presents 10 "powerful questions to transform your hiring process."
The Clio Awards, an international awards competition for the creative business, has announced the winners of the 2019 Gold, Silver, Bronze and Shortlist Clio Awards. This cycle, the 14 Clio juries reviewed thousands of submissions in film, design, print, out of home and ultimately awarded just over 500 trophies.
GroupM Global President of Business Intelligence Brian Wieser took a gander at the global economy compared to personal consumption expenditures. His report suggests year-over-year growth trends for some key economic variables are declining. What could this mean for media ad dollars?


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The news that the NIKE AIR RIFT is scheduled to return this year allows us to shine the spotlight on one of the most impacting and innovative releases from the Nike running archives.
The Nike Air Rift first dropped in 1996, having been inspired by the efficient barefoot style of Kenyan distance runners. In recognition of these superior athletes, the shoe debuted in the colours of the country’s flag and took its name from Kenya’s Rift Valley province. As well as these factors, Kenya’s topography provided a second source of inspiration for the shoe’s defining characteristic: a decoupled toe that created articulation between the wearer’s first and second toes. Nike Air cushioning was also present within the pared-down sole unit, with an extra emphasis on providing strong traction underfoot, which made the Rift well-suited to all terrains.
The Rift became a hit amongst collectors across the world, especially in Japan, where it enjoyed a longstanding run as one of the most popular shoes on the market. Following a brief return a few years ago, this summer should see the Rift hitting the streets once again, with this black and white edition slated to be one of the first colourways to drop. This clean, easy-to-wear colour scheme is offset with a new dark-gum coloured outsole, which adds an extra point of interest to those who know the shoe well. We look forward to seeing one of the most interesting Nike designs return for a new, younger generation of footwear fans.
The NIKE AIR RIFT is rumoured to be arriving soon: keep checking back with us for the full release details. In the meantime, check out the latest releases at NIKE by clicking the banner below.
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — More than 200 medical marijuana businesses in Michigan have been ordered to cease operations by the state.
While most are in Detroit, the list of shops effected includes those in Muskegon, Battle Creek and Allegan County – and one in Grand Rapids.
For a decade now, since voters approved medical marijuana in Michigan, it has been a state of confusion.
A set of laws passed by the state legislature was supposed to make things clearer, but now more than 200 shops are told they are not in compliance.
The owner of the Grassy Knoll in Eastown was not available, but the shop was one of 210 that the state department of Licensing and Regulatory sent to shops around the state.
This comes as the state is implementing a new method for allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to replace the rules – or lack of rules – under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act.
“That’s not surprising to me at all, what is surprising to me, I guess, is the scope,” said Brandon Gardner, an attorney with Grand Rapids Cannabis Attorneys and he specializes in the business of medical marijuana. “I would imagine that there’s gonna be a lot of appeal over those, but everybody’s gotta play by the rules, like them or not.”
The closure orders have hit all kinds of businesses including those operating under Rule 19 – the emergency provision that allowed business to continue and provide marijuana to patients during the licensing period.
All of the different parts of the businesses have to be separate – sales, testing, transporting.
“The whole intent of the Facilities Act was to make the consumer have some confidence in what they’re buying,” Gardner said.


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Update 2: New box art for Call of Duty: WWII appeared online and it confirms the release date of November 3 along with a private beta. The Xbox One packaging also reveals that the game takes place all across Europe as you land on D-Day and have to battle across iconic locations to defeat the Nazis.
Following a series of leaks which included everything from posters, trailers, gameplay and flyers, Activision has finally confirmed Call of Duty: WWII. The worldwide reveal will take place on April 26 at 10 AM PDT. In a recent earnings call, the company said that the next Call of Duty game would take the franchise “back to its roots” and put players’ “boots on the ground”. Well, there’s nothing more grounded than World War II. The setting is the perfect environment to not only make shooting the highlight of a game, but also tell deeply moving stories during the campaign.
Gamers have been asking for a historical Call of Duty game for years now. It seems like Activision was content on making modern shooters instead of giving customers what they wanted up until now. The fact that the franchise is focusing on World War II again will win back many gamers who have left over the years. Analysts expect Call of Duty: WWII to be one of the biggest Call of Duty releases ever because it’s exactly what fans wanted. As with the past few Call of Duty titles, PlayStation 4 is expected to receive expansions a month before Xbox One and PC players. For other details we’ll just have to wait until April 26! This is the first time in years that people have been this excited for a Call of Duty game.
Update 1: Some Call of Duty: WWII screenshots appeared on the Call of Duty website as part of a small promotional banner. They feature gorgeous visuals and open settings. More screenshots and gameplay are expected next week alongside the reveal.


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Concerned Whirlpool and Indesit washing machine owners are struggling to access a recall website to check if their machines pose a fire risk.
Around 500,000 appliances need fixing or replacing as their door locking system could potentially overheat and cause a fire.
The manufactuer, Whirlpool, has had technical issues with its model checker website.
The company has apologised for the safety issue and has now issued a further apology after the IT fault.
"The issue is due to a third-party system provider," it said. "We understand that this is not related to traffic to the website."
The system provider is working to fix the issue as quickly as possible.
An alternative phone line has been set up - on 0800 316 1442 - for customers who are unable to access the site.
The company tweeted on Wednesday morning to apologise for the technical issues affecting its registration website.
Approximately one in five Hotpoint and Indesit washing machines sold in the last five years are affected by the fault.
They are pinpointed in 79 fires, according to Whirlpool.
The company has previously been caught up in a scandal over tumble dryer safety.
Faulty and hazardous appliances under the Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan and Proline brands were sold in the UK for more than a decade from 2004 to 2015.
Get breaking news first on the free Manchester Evening News app - download it here for your Apple or Android device. You can also get a round-up of the biggest stories sent direct to your inbox every day with the MEN email newsletter - subscribe here . And you can follow us on Facebook here.


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If you've been paying attention to the great see-through pants debacle currently engulfing yogawear titan Lululemon — and you should be, as it has yielded the hilariously misguided corporate directive that women start ordering women they don't even know to bend over — you're already aware that the company has recalled 17 percent of its pants on account of unnecessary sheerness. What's more, the recall stands to reduce the company's revenue by $57 to $67 million over the course of the next year. Worse yet, Lululemon devotees, who come in various shades of constantly-wearing-yoga-pants, may be facing a future shortage (i.e. they may have to run to the grocery store in jeans).
What has gone unremarked upon, however, is the question of what will happen to these recalled pants.
The official line from Lululemon is that the offending leggings will be "recycled and managed accordingly," thus dashing the hopes of those who had hoped the company might see it in their hearts to gift the entire supply to Mila Kunis, that she may wear them 365 days a year while washing her car in bright sunlight.
According to Lululemon's stated waste plan, "recycled and managed accordingly" often means sending the countermanded batch to deBrand, a Canadian company specializing in dealing with corporate waste stock by removing logos and any identifying information, and then shredding, reselling, or repurposing the items.
In past dealings with Lululemon, deBrand has crafted chair cushions out of yoga mats and woven hammocks out of duffle bag straps. A company official at deBrand says they're still waiting to learn the scope and details from Lululemon, and don't currently have plans for any shipment.
Lululemon CEO Christine Day admitted on a conference call that the company had still not discovered the cause of the sheerness of the pants, and did not indicate any specific plans in the direction of extra-stretchy see-through tablecloths or grayish see-through curtains.
So, as the corporate inquiry delves deeper into the crack (sorry!) in Lululemon's manufacturing chain, those who have long awaited the advent of sheer yoga pants can only hope Day will have the foresight to see this as the perfect opportunity for Lululemon to build a lucrative partnership with Forever 21, which has been selling intentionally see-through pants for years.
I have a pair. They're awesome.


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When it comes to ushering the Android smartwatch movement, Samsung plays trailblazer. But its lack of designs and products have yet to catch on with consumers, as we’ve all focused on our attention on more cutting-edge products such as the LG G Watch R and Moto X—primarily for their circular form factors. In an attempt to bank on the trend, a report from SamMobile indicates the mobile manufacturer will introduce a round smartwatch at MWC 2015.
The upcoming device carries the model number SM-R720 and is codenamed Orbis. Word is it will operate on the Tizen OS and not Android Wear. Not exactly what Galaxy smartphone owners want to hear. However, the company has ensured in the past that its Tizen-powered smartwatches would be compatible with Android devices. More details to come as they leak.


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By Lisa Johnston
New products on display at the American International Toy Fair, held in N
Nothing is more influential to a purchaser of home audio equipment than an in-store demonstration, according to a consumer survey conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
CEA's 2007 Audio Purchasing study breaks down the purchase decisions of more than 4,000 consumers that purchased a home audio system, including home theater in a box (HTiB) systems, component A/V receivers and speakers, in the previous two years.
Across all buyer types, consumers were most likely to buy from a store that provided a product demonstration. And the demo can also compel consumers to spend more money than they originally planned. For instance, about a third of HTiB buyers said the demo encouraged them to spend more on their purchase.
The full study is available at www.ce.org. Below is a glimpse at HTiB purchase influences.
This TWICE webinar, hosted by senior editor Alan Wolf, will take a look at what may be the hottest CE products at retail that will be sold during the all-important fourth quarter. Top technologies, market strategies and industry trends will be discussed with industry analysts and executives.


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- NATO security certification opens new markets for Australia's Senetas
- Senator wants Whisper to explain how it tracks users, shares their data
- The 'Backoff' malware linked to data breaches is spreading
- Cyberespionage group launches sophisticated phishing attacks against Outlook Web App users
- Disaster as CryptoWall encrypts US firm's entire server installation
Wheels - News, Features, and Slideshows
The Federal Communications Commission announced plans Friday to help streamline wireless broadband buildout in the U.S., including clarification of a provision requiring local review of modifications to cell towers.
Seattle Children's Hospital has installed 2,600 zero client devices in four locations, many connected with a wireless LAN that helps doctors and nurses access patient data at the bedside within seconds.
- 5 great examples of augmented reality in marketing
- Catch of the Day retailer hooks fresh customer insight with NPS
- Tourism Australia's Nick Baker wins AMI Marketer of the Year
- Content marketing can't be measured on the last-click: Outbrain CEO
- Latest crowdsourced guide rates top A/B testing vendors for marketers


text: Apple has chosen Marbella for a new store which Diario Sur reports will be the company’s largest in Spain. The paper says it will open in La Cañada in November and will cover an area of 1,700 square metres. It’s understood that work is already underway on preparing the premises. There has been no official confirmation from the company as yet, but Diario Sur notes that Apple includes the Marbella store on its web page under its job offers in Spain. The paper however reports that the selection process for Apple’s 65 Marbella staff began in June and is close to conclusion.


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Counterpoint: HMD shipped 2 million Nokia smartphones in Q1, up from 1.7 million a year ago
HMD Global shipped 2 million Nokia smartphones in the January-March period. That is up year on year (was 1.7 million in Q1 2020), but down from the previous quarter when the number of shipments reached 2.8 million, reports NokiaMob quoting data by Counterpoint Research.
What went wrong and what went right? Nokia smartphones lost ground in India, they were down 38.5% from Q4 last year and down 17% from Q1 last year. Nokias are doing well in Africa and parts of Europe, which helped boost shipments compared to the October-December quarter.
Smartphones aside, HMD shipped 11 million feature phones in Q1. The numbers here follow a similar pattern – up from the year-ago quarter, down from the previous quarter. HMD remains the third largest feature phone maker in the world.
On the global scale, the Nokia brand fell out of the Top 10 and is now 11th. This is counting both kinds of phones, looking at just smartphones the brand fell one place to 18th.
Samsung, Apple, Oppo, vivo and Xiaomi are the largest smartphone makers and they bring home the most revenue too.
- 19 Jun 2021
I have the x20 and the camera is ok! The sd480 does the job just perfectly and the screen is also better than in past models like 5.3, 5.4, 3.4. Stop making them bad, they improved a lot. I can't understand why people like Samsung A52 5G but...
- 19 Jun 2021
They fell out of favor in India because they don't manage to release their new phones there! No 8.3, no x20, no x10!
- 04 Jun 2021
I love Nokia as a brand. HMD ruined Nokia's legacy. Please stop making Nokia phones, you ruined everything. I love Nokia. I hate HMD.


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According to the PAMA statistics, the Pakistani auto industry sold 17,144 vehicles in April 2021. Month-on-month auto sales fell by 17% in March 2021 compared to March 2021.
Pak Suzuki Motors reported a 15% drop in sales in April 2021, from 10,161 units in March 2021, to 8,606 units in April 2021.
In April 2021, Toyota Indus Motors sold 5,355 units compared to 6,695 units sold in March 2021, which is a 20% decrease.
On a month-to-month basis, Kia Motors (a non-member of PAMA) had a 16 percent reduction in automobile sales.
The Honda Atlas saw the worst drop of 27 percent, with only 2,287 units sold in April 2021. The sales figure for last month was 3,153.
In a surprise turn of events, Hyundai Nishat sales grew by 24% to 896 units in April, but how did this happen? Elantra, in a nutshell.


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ONE of Scotland’s biggest shopping centres has unveiled a string of lettings after a strong start to the summer.
The Centre, the retail heart of new town Livingston, said five businesses would be opening there over the coming months.
Fast-food giant Burger King, toy specialist The Entertainer, discount fashion chain Officers Club, household goods retailer PerfectHome, and smoothie and juice operator Fuel have all signed up for space at the West Lothian complex, which is owned by Land Securities.
It will mark the first store in the east for The Entertainer following its recent opening of a branch in Glasgow’s Buchanan Galleries. Rich Hutchinson, Land Securities’ portfolio manager for Scotland, said: “These are exciting additions to an impressive portfolio. Each will offer something different to shoppers.”


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For a third consecutive year, Samsung Electronics has been voted the best and most trusted brand in Asia. This is according to results from ‘Asia’s Top 1000 Brands’, an annual online survey conducted by Campaign Asia in collaboration with Nielsen.
“We are honoured to be voted as the No. 1 brand in Asia for the third consecutive year,” said Irene Ng, Vice President of Marketing at Samsung Electronics South-East Asia. “As Samsung continues to grow, we remain committed to driving product innovation and directly engaging consumers on a deeper level.”
The ranking – which aggregates views across 14 major product categories including automotive, retail, F&B and consumer electronics – is based on consumer insights, and offers a clear measure of the most highly regarded brands today. Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam were among the countries sruveyed in the study.
Samsung’s journey in becoming Asia’s most trusted brand is the result of its concerted effort to meet the needs of consumers in the region.