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Reorganisation to take place
The auction which aimed to sell off assets for toys and games retailer Toys 'R' Us has been cancelled as part of a potential move to revamp the brand and revive the business. According to court papers which were filed earlier this week, and reported on by the Wall Street Journal, the lenders currently in control of the...
So long, and thanks for all the toys
It's been coming for a long time, but we now have confirmation that beleaguered retailer Toys R Us is shutting all of its US and UK stores. Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States last year, but was hopeful that a buyer could be found or that its current debts could be restructured in a...
The curtain falls
Beleaguered toy retailer Toys R Us is preparing to liquidate its bankrupt U.S. operations, it has been claimed. Bloomberg is reporting that the move comes after the company - which was declared bankrupt last September - failed to find a buyer or come to any deal regarding restructuring its massive amounts of debt. The report comes...
As the toy chain circles the drain, we remember its contribution to gaming
Retailer Toys R Us has been in dire straits for some time now, with the US side of the operation filing for bankruptcy in 2017. This week has brought us the news that the UK arm of the business is going into administration, putting 3,000 jobs at risk. You may view this news...
Joins Mii Fighter 3-pack and Animal Crossing Villager restock
Toys "R" Us has confirmed the well-known secret that the new Mega Yarn Yoshi amiibo will be exclusive to its stores. The soft toy - which is a larger variant of the existing Yarn Yoshi - does now have a release date; it launches on November 15th and will only be available in store. Mega...
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In an effort to maintain the momentum of the India Against Corruption (IAC) campaign, the social activist group has launch a mobile application called "India Against Corruption."
IAC has tied up with Juvenis Tech, a start-up mobile solutions company, to launch Android and Symbian apps.
"In April 2011, we created an app on Anna. This time we approached Arvind Kejriwal of the IAC, who told us to go ahead with an app that concentrates on the movement rather than a single person," said Director of Juvenis Tech Deepansh Jain.
The app allows people to connect with the group, get queries on the Lokpal Bill answered, find out about and volunteer for upcoming events around the country related to the movement, read about developments on the bill and see videos, including streaming live action.
There is also a missed call option available, where people can call and register to show support, and a "write to us" option, where people can text their queries related to the bill. "Those questions are forwarded to the IAC members, who answer them," added Jain.
An elaborate FAQ section allows people to know more about the Jan Lokpal Bill and there is even a link provided for those interested in knowing the difference between the bill tabled by the government and Hazare's bill.
The free application is runs on both the Android and Symbian operating system of 1.6. It can be directly download onto mobile phones. The app has seen 1,670 downloads till date.
Push to SD Card support
Real Streaming Videos
Latest About Lokpal
Info About Lokpal
Nokia users can download the app from- http://store.ovi.com/content/143338
Android users can be download from android store.- https://market.android.com/details?id=com.kuiperapps.ati.officialapp&feature=search_result

domain: news


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Xiaolang Zhang, the ex-Apple employee who worked as an engineer on the company's heavily-guarded car project, has pleaded guilty to trade secret theft. Zhang was arrested back in July 2018 at San Jose airport while trying to fly to China.
Zhang is facing up to a decade in prison, with a $250,000 fine. The theft specifically has to do with a 25-page document that contains schematics of a circuit board for Apple's fabled autonomous vehicle, reports CNBC.
Zhang had been an Apple employee since 2015. He was first suspected of being in breach of trust when he took paternity leave and traveled to China. Upon return, he resigned from Apple to move back to China, stating he needed to take care of his mother.
He planned to go work for Xpeng Motors, a Chinese EV maker. Apple found CCTV footage of Zhang procuring hardware — circuit boards and a Linux server — from the labs and records of him downloading sensitive documents from the company's internal database.
Xpeng has reportedly released a statement on the Chinese social media Sina Weibo stating that it was not involved in the case.
The Apple car rumors have been in plenty, with the vehicle becoming an urban legend with very little actual information out there. However, occurrences like these have let us get some insight into the company's automotive plans, which may see the light of the day in the not-so-distant future.
Another accused yet to plead guilty
Zhang wasn't the only one accused of stealing trade secrets. In fact, another ex-Apple engineer faces similar accusations and hasn't pleaded guilty yet.
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Jizhong Chen was also accused of the same in 2019. Chen was also China-bound and has been accused of theft of intellectual property surrounding Apple's electric car. Chen also shares his lawyer with Zhang.
No trial dates have been set, but we can expect movement on this case soon.
Palash has been a technology and entertainment journalist since 2013. Starting with Android news and features, he has also worked as the news head for Wiki of Thrones, and a freelance writer for Windows Central, Observer, MakeUseOf, MySmartPrice, ThinkComputers, and others. He also worked as a writer and journalist for Android Authority, covering computing, before returning to freelancing all over town.


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We miss our restaurants and they miss us. Before COVID-19, off-premises dining was a cutting-edge concept being investigated as a supplemental-income stream. Now curbside and delivery, as well are architectural changes are a necessity and a matter of survival. Let’s see how this is playing out now, and will in the future.
The Winter of Despair
Even before COVID-19, many restaurants were financially challenged. Older chains were under pressure from changing demographics, increased competition and rising costs for years. Even those restaurants that began reconfiguration in 2019 found their progress stymied by the impact of COVID-19, resulting in accelerated closure of both franchised and company-operated locations. COVID-19 broke the back of iconic chains such as Chuck E Cheese, California Pizza Kitchens, Cosi, and Friendly’s Restaurants and forced these companies to close their underperforming locations. Experts predict somewhere between 40% to 60% of restaurants nationally will close permanently. For these restaurants, this is the season of despair.
Huge franchisees of many of these chains also had to reorganize in Chapter 11. The largest franchisee of Golden Coral, 1069 Restaurant Group, almost took the chain down by itself. NPC International Inc., the nation’s largest franchisee of Pizza Hut and Wendy’s restaurants, filed bankruptcy and wants to sell its entire company to the Flynn Restaurant Group.
The Season of Hope
The bankruptcy of NPC International also shows that the death of restaurants has been somewhat overstated. With reduced competition, bidding wars and increased merger-and-acquisition activity of restaurant chains have developed. As of Dec. 1, 2020, Wendy’s has opposed NPC’s sale to Flynn, the largest restaurant franchisee in the United States. Wendy’s instead has made its own offer with a consortium of regional franchisees. Wendy’s is in talks with NPC to drop its opposition in return for an agreement by Flynn to invest tens of millions of dollars in NPC’s Wendy’s restaurants. Another example is Dunkin’ Brands, which was acquired by Inspire Brands – the owner of Arby’s and Corner Bakery – for $11 billion.
Overheard at the Restaurant Finance and Development Conference in November 2020 was the report that franchise and restaurant investment capital is plentiful, but not at traditional banks. Some banks are open to it, but most of the bankers interested are in those nontraditional banks, who have little competition, and charge accordingly. Private equity and private placement money are available as well at reasonable costs.
Additionally, companies positioned for increased delivery, drive-thru efficiencies and home delivery have prospered. Pizza restaurants have reported steady 20% increases, and some brands have even quadrupled their sales. Yum Brands, a publicly held owner of various brands reports same store sales increases for its U.S. operations, including KFC, which is up 9%, Pizza Hut up 6% and Taco Bell up 3%.
More restaurant shakeouts and consolidation will likely occur this year. Independent chefs will move into the former space of aged-out restaurants, and continue the cycle of rejuvenation. All the more reason to visit your favorite eateries now, and to look forward to the innovations that will adopt to changing customer needs and values.
The full article (first appeared in The Legal Intelligencer) in its original form can be found here.
Craig R. Tractenberg is a partner at Fox Rothschild (Philadelphia and New York offices). He has a broad business practice, with strong focuses on franchise, insolvency and infrastructure transactions.


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Good morning! Mobile Insider is delivered first thing every morning exclusively to BI Intelligence members.
Have feedback? We'd like to hear from you. Write me at: firstname.lastname@example.org.
ONE-IN-FIVE IPHONE OWNERS 'DEFINITELY' WANT APPLE WATCH: About 20% of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners said they will definitely be purchasing the Apple Watch, according to recent survey results from Credit Suisse (see chart, below). Apple will ship about 20 million Apple Watches in 2015, the report predicts. The survey was taken within the last two weeks. While 18% seems somewhat low, there's an additional 11% of owners who say they are "likely" to buy the watch, and 27% who are on the fence. The demand for the Apple Watch could outstrip the expected supply. The survey did not specify the timeframe in which respondents were expecting to purchase the watch. We estimated that there were about 13 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus after two weeks on the market.
APPLE WATCH COMPANION APP GIVES FIRST GLIMPSE AT WATCH FUNCTIONS: The latest iOS 8.2 beta revealed the existence of an Apple Watch companion app for iPhone — through which iPhone users will control some of the watch's most important settings and features, according to 9to5mac. The app settings allow a sneak peak into some of the Apple Watch's key functions and limitations.
- Fitness: Apple Watch will monitor biometric data such as heart rate, steps, and calories burned. The watch can also be programmed to serve “stand reminders,” which a user can set to be reminded when she’s been sitting too long, and “progress updates” (e.g. for steps taken) in pre-established time intervals of every 4, 6, or 8 hours.
- Messaging: Due to small screen-size, most communication on the Apple Watch will rely on voice input. Users can pre-record audio messages with which to reply to messages received on the Apple Watch, or can dictate responses to the watch to be transcribed into replies on a case-by-case basis. For those less fond of audio messages, users can also program default text replies for incoming messages received on the watch.
- Security: Users can set a passcode for the Apple Watch, which is required for those who will use it to make Apple Pay payments. Unlocking the paired iPhone will simultaneously unlock the watch if the watch is attached to the user’s body.
- User Content: Apple Watch users can move photos, songs, and up to 12 contacts directly to the watch using the companion app. The 12 selected contacts will appear in a “Friends” screen that can be called by pressing one of the Apple Watch buttons. Users can call, and send messages or Digital Touch stats (including heartbeats) to contacts added in the friends list.
These functionalities (with the exception of fitness tracking) overlap with those the iPhone itself offers. In other words, the Apple Watch will be not much more than an extension of an iPhone at first, until new use cases specific to the watch are proven and developed for.SAMSUNG UNVEILS LONG-RUMORED TIZEN SMARTPHONE: Samsung’s Tizen operating system already used in the company’s wearables and cameras has finally made its way into one of the company's smartphones, Samsung announced Wednesday. The device is the entry-level, 4-inch Samsung Z1 that costs about $91 unsubsidized and is available in India as of yesterday.
The notable thing about this release isn’t the device itself, but rather that it exists at all. Samsung has been hinting at a Tizen-powered smartphone for 3 years, but observers were skeptical that it would ever launch. This move may signal that Samsung is still interested in Tizen as a cross-device platform as Internet of Things devices become more important. CEO BK Yoon recently stated that all Samsung devices will be IoT-ready within 5 years. Samsung’s smart appliances and smart TVs will be powered by Tizen. Most Samsung smartphones have traditionally run the world’s most popular mobile OS, Google's Android.
What’s different about Tizen: Samsung claims that Tizen requires less processing power and memory than other operating systems, which will result in faster device speeds and lower energy consumption. That means this underdog OS will result in a better user experience on smartphones and more efficient usage of connected devices.
ERICSSON AGAIN BEING SUED FOR DEMANDING EXCESSIVE ROYALTIES: Swedish tech-company Ericsson is being sued by Apple for allegedly demanding excessive royalties for use of its LTE wireless-technology patents, according to Reuters. This is the second time in as many months that Ericsson has been accused of demanding unfair royalties. Despite the resolution of many of Samsung-Apple disputes, patent wars continue to have a disruptive effect on the mobile industry. Behind the scenes, tech companies compete fiercely to file new patents and stake out intellectual property-turf.
On US soil, IBM won 2014’s patent crown with 7,543 new patents, marking its 22nd consecutive year as the tech player with most patents filed. Samsung Electronics, Canon, Sony, and Microsoft rounded out the top five. Tech companies are filing patents for everything but the kitchen sink —2014 was the first year that more than 300,000 patents were granted, an 8% jump over 2013. Just under half of those patents went to foreign companies. Tech titans Apple and Google lagged far behind.
ACQUIRING AND RETAINING APP USERS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN EVER IN 2014: The cost of marketing apps to acquire and retain new users was higher than ever in 2014, one item discussed in BI Intelligence’s new in-depth App Store Marketing Report. As the number of apps offered continues to rise and users spend more time in a smaller cluster of apps (see chart) it has become more difficult for lesser-known apps to gain attention.
Here are some other key points from the report:
- Developers should focus on marketing their apps just ahead of major new phone or operating-system launches. App-marketing costs go up after a new device launches, because lots of apps are competing for the attention of consumers downloading apps to new phones. Apps that are top of mind among users already when they first get their phone are likely to have an advantage without paying the post-launch premium.
- Games have the hardest time holding on to users. Half of gaming apps lose 50% of their peak monthly active users (MAUs) after just two months.
- iOS apps have better user-retention rates than those on Android. Apps downloaded on the iOS platform have a median half-life of four months, compared to three months for the median half-life of Android apps.
Here's what else BI Intelligence members are reading...


text: Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. As a result of the transitions from the centralized economy to market economy, many of the industrial sectors and other sectors have been privatized. The country has a number of natural resources comprises of lignite, brown coal, copper, iron ore, salt and manganese ore. The industrial sector in the country is huge and includes textiles, metal processing, ceramics, metal products, paper, food processing and packaging, machinery, beverage brewing, transport vehicles, chemicals, nuclear fuel, coke, optical apparatus and rubber products. Most of these are exported from the country and bring in a lot of revenue for the country. Foreign investment in the automotive and electronic sectors has been strong.


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Weichai has reached a new milestone.
The 1 millionth engine of year 2020 was delivered to Shacman on December 28th.
Comparing with 2019, the sales of 2020 has increased 33%.
This is the first time Weichai has the number 1 sales of engines on this planet.
It symbolizes that Weichai has become the biggest industrial cluster of diesel engine.


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Mobile games giant Rovio continues its descent toward the Dark Side.
The company announced it will launch Angry Birds Star Wars II, the follow-up to the popular Angry Birds Star Wars title. It will be available September 19 through multiple app stores.
The collaboration with Star Wars has been a huge success for Rovio. The first Angry Birds Star Wars game notched over 100 million downloads since launching last year.
Characters from the second trilogy of Star Wars films will appear in Angry Birds Star Wars II, including Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu and Darth Maul.
The game also introduces Telepods, physical toys players place near the smartphone or tablet to teleport them into a game, a function similar to games such as Activision's Skylanders franchise and the upcoming Disney Infinity. Over 30 toys will be available when the game launches.
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @bam923.


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Foodstuffs: It's all about the booze
Let's start with wine. The annual Winefest Des Moines has added a cool new event, Iron Sommelier, happening Feb. 21 in the Temple for the Performing Arts ballroom at 6:30 p.m.
The sommelier challenge will feature two of Des Moines' best-known certified sommeliers, Ben Nelsen of Splash and Abbe Hendricks of Gateway Market, facing off over five courses prepared by five local chefs: Mike Holman, Catering DSM; George Formaro and Derek Eidson, Centro; Dominic Iannarelli, Splash; Enosh Kelly, Bistro Montage. They will each select a wine to go with each course (and dessert comes with bubbly stuff!).
Ticket holders will vote for their favorite pairings, choosing Des Moines' first Iron Somm. The cost for the dinner is $150. To reserve your seat call 515-244-0039 or email firstname.lastname@example.org
Moving on to aquavit. Here's a museum show that might have more cross appeal than many. The Museum of Danish America in Elkhorn will be hosting a national traveling exhibition called "Skål! Scandinavian Spirits." Yup, a museum show about drinking. Genius. The museum is hoping to publish a book of recipes, photos and essays relating to Scandinavian drinking traditions and heritage, specifically focusing on beer and aquavit. The book would serve as the catalog for the upcoming show.
To raise funds for an heirloom quality catalog, the museum is doing a Kickstarter fundraising campaign for about a third of the total funds needed. You can see what the project is all about and pledge at www.kickstarter.com (search "Scandinavian"). The museum has raised more than $5,000 toward its $8,000 goal. Pledging is open until midnight on Feb. 28.
Roll out the barrel
Don't forget beer. Madhouse Brewery is starting a series of "Wood-Aged Weekends" – small-batch ale release parties, featuring a barrel-aged ale from a different country each week. The first event is Friday, Feb. 20, from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Madhouse taproom. HoQ restaurant will be creating special signature dishes to pair with the beers. Countries represented include England, Scotland, Belgium and Mexico. There will be free samples of both the beer and the food. A limited number of both bottles and draughts of the beers will be available to purchase.
Eastern Iowa kicks pork butt
In non-booze related news, a Cedar Rapids chef bested the competition and took first place at the Iowa Pork Producers Association's 2015 Iowa Pork Taste of Elegance competition Jan. 26 in Des Moines.
Chef Tim Oathout of Zeppelins Bar & Grill was named Chef Par Excellence in IPPA's 29th annual culinary contest at the Des Moines Marriott with a sorghum whiskey-glazed pork belly. Oathout came out of the deal with $1,000 and the opportunity to attend the National Pork Summit in St. Helena, Calif., this spring. (Maybe he'd like to have his own personal reporter along?)
Another Cedar Rapids chef, Daniel Dennis of the Class Act, took home the title of Superior Chef with his pork belly confit and won 500 smackers.
Chef Wesley Roe of the Dubuque Golf and Country Club captured third place and $250.
IPPA also presented a People's Choice Award to Chef Lisa Smith of the Hotel Julien in Dubuque her roasted pork tenderloin with mango cherry chutney.
• A good thing: Iowa's restaurant industry outpaced predictions for job growth in 2014 even though the state ranked 42nd in the nation in revenue growth. Though it posted only a 2.8 percent increase in gross revenues, the food service sector still added more than 2,600 jobs last year, more than twice the 1,000 new jobs that had been expected. On top of that, Iowa should see an additional 12,300 new food service jobs in the coming decade - a mix of entry level and management positions according to a just released National Restaurant Association Forecast.
• Here's a good thing, too: Breyers ice cream will move to using milk and cream from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones across all of its product offerings. Breyers will be the largest U.S. packaged ice cream brand to make this change to its dairy sourcing. All other Unilever ice cream brands will follow suit, making Unilever the largest ice-cream manufacturer to make this change. Additionally, Breyers announced that the brand will begin using vanilla from sustainably sourced and Rainforest Alliance Certified vanilla beans from Madagascar across all of its varieties.
• And another good thing I heard about: A product called Yumbutter, a line of organic nut and seed butters, is doing a Tom's shoes sort of thing called "BuyOne:FeedOne." For each jar of product sold, proceeds will go to Primeros Pasos, an organization that offers health and nutrition services to malnourished women and children in Guatemala. According to its materials, Yumbutter also "has a neutral carbon footprint through its partnership with Carbon Fund and as a certified B Corporation has met standards for social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency." Yumbutter is sold at Whole Foods and if you're going to buy nut butter, maybe you could buy this one. You're probably not going to set the world-peace wheels in motion with nut butter, but every little bit helps.
Don't forget to follow me on Facebook at Jennifer Mitchell Miller and Twitter @JenniFoodM. I'll give you a million dollars if you. (No I won't.)


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December 23, 2016 By Administrator
Net Irrigate recently launched the xProxy Vibe. It is the first completely wireless monitoring device that saves users time and money by alerting them to system failures, the company said in a press release.
The xProxy Vibe allows equipment operators to affordably connect existing pump motors to the cloud without any wiring to connect, for the first time.
Because it is completely wireless, it is highly portable, which allows users to easily move it and use it on different pieces of equipment without hiring an electrician or service professional.
“Many equipment operators do not utilize the cloud for remote monitoring simply because device setup requires skilled tradesman, many of whom are extremely busy and expensive,” said Edward DeSalle, chief executive officer and founder of Net Irrigate, in the release. “The xProxy Vibe offers not just the peace of mind that comes with being immediately alerted when system failures occur, but for the first time, convenience, thanks to the slap and go design.”
The palm-sized, portable xProxy Vibe can be magnetically mounted to electric motors and diesel engines commonly used in pumping applications. It triggers a text message, voice call or email to multiple recipients when it senses an absence of vibration, meaning function has stopped. Data is transmitted via an embedded cellular module, and devices do not require battery recharging.
The xProxy Vibe joins Net Irrigate’s existing xProxy brand of products that offer turn-key notification services within industrial equipment, instrumentation and controls.
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The high street bakers Greggs is beating the trend and in recent months has twice increased its profit forecasts following strong sales.
The reason for its success has partly been due to its cleverly implemented launch of the vegan sausage roll, which has helped value the company at a record high, bringing many new customers into their stores.
Jumping on the bandwagon of healthy eating and choice, Greggs bowed to pressure from its customers to produce a vegan version of its best-selling sausage roll. After months in development, it launched in January to coincide with the national ‘Veganuary’ campaign, which aims to encourage people to give up meat and all animal products for the month. Greggs’ newest product was greeted with widespread approval and saw stores selling out and struggling to keep up with demand.
Veganuary proved a great success with a record number of participants changing their diet in order to have a healthy kickstart to the new year.
Greggs is a high street retailer which has mass appeal and appears to have got it right. Its simple store décor and low-cost pricing make it popular with students, workers, families and shoppers looking to grab a bite to eat either at their desks or on the run.
Since January, social media has been flooded with members of the public commenting on Greggs’ new healthy offering, and the vegan sausage roll even got a mention on live TV by comedian Jack Whitehall when hosting this year’s 2019 Brit Awards at the 02 in London!
Retailers keen to appeal to shoppers are looking at innovative new ways to create positive shopping experiences. By turning to in store music, they are aiming to build up brand loyalty and appeal. Mood Media supply in store music.
As well as the vegan sausage roll, Greggs also enjoyed bumper sales of its festive produce over the Christmas period and saw an increase in sales of its hot drinks and breakfasts. By offering seasonal products at competitive prices, Greggs appear to have got it right and successfully managed to offer what their customers want. Judging by the queues outside stores at peak times, shoppers are also happy to wait for their bakes!
Other high street outlets are now expected to follow Greggs’ lead.


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The president of the Corn Refiners Association sent an e-mail to JFP contributing writer Brandi Herrera Phrem about her story "Healthy Holiday Eating," stating that "the suggestion that high fructose corn syrup is an unhealthy ingredient is misleading."
The e-mail goes on to cite numerous studies--from the American Medical Association, the American Dietetic Association and others--saying that high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, does not contribute more toward obesity and diabetes than other sugars, and that the body doesn't metabolize it differently.
Apparently, the e-mail is part of a concerted campaign to make the public believe HFCS is just fine, which CBS News wrote about in October. Here's what they found out about those studies:
Of the six studies CBS News looked at on the association's Web site that "Confirm High Fructose Corn Syrup [is] No Different From Sugar," three were sponsored by groups that stand to profit from research that promotes HFCS. Two were never published so their funding sources are unclear. And one was sponsored by a Dutch foundation that represents the interests of the sugar industry.
Pepsi funded one study, so did a D.C. based lobbying group that gets their money from food, chemical and drug companies. And the American Beverage Association gave a grant for another.
One researcher who was involved in three of the studies, Dr. James M. Rippe, a cardiologist and founder of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute says there is no link between HFCS and obesity and calls contrary evidence "accusations" and "speculation."
Rippe's ties with industry are no secret. Pepsico, Tropicana and Quaker among others are all listed as Rippe Health Partners on his Web site along with this quote: "The RLI research team conducts multiple studies of mutual interest to RLI and PepsiCo North America in topics such as short-term energy regulation response to high fructose corn syrupŔ
Plenty of scientists disagree with the industry claims. Here's more from the story:
"I think the honest tag line should be 'It's just as bad as regular sugar,Ҕ said Margot G. Wootan, director of Nutritional Policy at Center for Science in the Public Interest. Wootan says that people shouldn't be afraid of trace amounts of HFCS in their food but that they should be concerned about limiting huge amounts of sugar in their diet.
The average American consumed 56 pounds of HFCS in 2007. Soda is the single biggest source of HFCS in the American diet - 17 teaspoons for a 20-ounce bottle, according to a four-year study on soft drink consumption by CSPI.
That same study published findings that soft drinks directly contribute to obesity because of its high amount of non-nutritious calories. No other single product has been shown to promote weight gain in the same way, according to its researchers. ...
Similar studies have also found that appetite, which normally decreases after eating, decreased less after drinking fructose-sweetened beverages. And that it caused triglycerides to increase, an indicator of risk for cardiovascular disease. ...
[T]he researchers who CBS News spoke to said studies showing a link between fructose and obesity suggest a "total effect on the body" when too many sweets are consumed regardless of what form of sugar is used. ...
[R]eports estimate that the cost (of the campaign) is between $20 to $30 million.
Folks, HFCS is the No. 1 sweetener used by U.S. refined-food manufacturers. Read just about any refined-food nutritional label and you'll find it listed, usually along with with transfats (as Phrem correctly states in her story) and an indecipherable list of other artificial preservatives and chemicals that your body does not need.
If you read Phrem's statement, she writes that we should "avoid overly processed junk foods that are laden with transfats and high-fructose corn syrup." There's simply nothing to argue with here: Overly processed junk foods are not as healthy as whole foods, and they are laden with transfats and HFCS.
The Corn Refiners argument is marketing spin at best; disingenous and misleading at worst. Is saturated fat from beef "healthy" because it's no less dangerous than saturated fat from lamb? Is rattlesnake venom "healthy" because it's no worse than cottonmouth venom? Remember that "nine out of 10 doctors" once recommended smoking, too.
I defy the corn refiners to give us even one example of a refined food "product" that is healthier than its natural or organic equivalent. Refined foods have ingredients that nature never intended and are loaded with empty calories. There's no question that the American public's appetite for junk food contributes to the country's obesity epidemic and all the fun stuff that comes with it--diabetes, heart disease, stroke, etc.
So, even if it's not any more dangerous than other refined sugars, a statement that remains challenged in the medical community, I'll argue all day long that HFCS is far from healthy.
I also agree with Brandi H-P's statement. Her article was about the benefits of eating whole foods. If you want an marker for highly processed foods, there may be no better indicator than having HCFS and/or partially hydrogenated oil as ingredients.
That said, partially hydrogenated oils are clearly bad for your health (no amount is the best amount), while HFCS is simply empty calories and a cheap substitute for sugar (albeit, made with subsidized corn grown with heavy applications of fertilizers and pesticides, and terrible for people with diabetes).


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Local co-working space CO+HOOTS is partnering with Beneficial Beans, a Phoenix café created by the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center that provides training opportunities for adults with autism spectrum disorder, to open a five-month pop-up boutique dedicated to social enterprises.
The boutique opened for business on Oct. 16 at 1027 E Washington Street in Phoenix. There are products available from at least 20 social enterprises, including some local businesses. Beneficial Beans will operate its café at the boutique as well, and all proceeds from café purchases benefit adults with autism.
This café will be Beneficial Beans’ third location. According to a press release, this new site “comes at a critical time” because the second café was located inside of Burton Barr Central Library. The library was severely damaged by storms in June, which forced that café to close until next summer.
“CO+HOOTS and Beneficial Beans share a strong dedication to creating a better world by helping the diverse people within it,” said Jenny Poon, CO+HOOTS founder, in a press release. “When we heard that Beneficial Beans was displaced from the storm damage at Burton Barr Library, we wanted to see how we can help them continue to operate and do the good work they’re doing. Through this partnership, not only are we helping Beneficial Beans but we hope to empower other companies to create social impact without sacrificing profit.”
Each business participating in the pop-up boutique pays $500 for the season, and in turn, receives marketing, space, and staff to sell the products. CO+HOOTS doesn’t take any cut of the businesses’ profits, and it guarantees participants their products will sell, or it will waive the $500 fee.
CO+HOOTS and Beneficial Beans hope to appeal to residents’ desire to buy holiday gifts that positively impact the community.
“We are proud of our community partners who support our social enterprise program, which, with the talent and support of our clinical team, provide vital training platforms for our adult clients as they prepare for competitive, community-based employment,” said Kate Thoene, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center’s social enterprise director.
Learn more about the boutique here.


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Vivo is considered as one of the most celebrated mobile phone brands in Malaysia. The good thing about this mobile phone is that it offers a fresh and a unique choice for people who would want to experience something new when it comes to their mobile devices.
Fans of the mobile brand are already looking forward to the release of its latest flagship phone, the Vivo Xplay 5S. One of the rumoured features of this flagship phone is the fingerprint scanner that is embedded underneath the display of the phone itself. In most smartphones, the fingerprint scanner feature is usually found at the home button of the phone or on the back of the mobile device. This is the only time that the fingerprint scanner will be incorporated in the display screen of the phone itself. An external scanner like this can make the phone slimmer and stylish.
It still remains unclear on who shall provide Vivo in Malaysia with the technology for such feature. Both CrucialTech and Qualcomm possess the capabilities to do such after unveiling similar technologies a few years back. As for Qualcomm, they have already achieved an ultrasonic technology that allows fingerprints to be captured and scanned in the display screen of the mobile device.
If this would push through, the latest mobile phone products of Vivo in Malaysia with the onscreen fingerprint scanner will be the very first in history. The earlier released mobile flagship phone of the brand, the Vivo Xplay 3S, features QHD Display. This could possibly be the same feature for the Vivo Xplay 5S. It will have a 6-inch screen and run with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 clocked at 2.5GHz with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage. It will have a rear camera of 13-megapixel and front camera of 8-megapixel. No word on when the phone will be released has been announced but a lot of Vivo fans are already looking forward for it.
Another unique thing about the phone is that will feature a 2.5D curved glass that has 2560×1440, 590ppi resolution. It will also offer expandable storage of up to 128GB. As for the battery life, it will come with a 3,500 mAh battery and has a pre-installed Android 4.4.4 Kitkat together with Vivo’s Funtouch 2.0 UI on top of the Google’s operating system. It will be 5.68mm thick, an interesting feature for a mobile phone with a 3,500mAh battery.
More specification and feature leaks are expected to surface for the Vivo XPlay 5S as Vivo continues to keep its release confidential to the public.
More on Vivo mobile updates:
Vivo X5Max with Larger 2300mAh Battery Launched at MWC 2015 (gadgets.ndtv.com)
Vivo XPlay 5S with 2.5D Curved Glass Spotted in Pictures (gizmochina.com)


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The retail sector weighed on London’s top stock index on Tuesday, pulling it down from recent highs as some traders locked in the profits they had made in recent weeks.
The FTSE 100 closed the day down, breaking back below the 7,700 mark following a strong week from the index.
Finishing at 7,694.49, a drop of 30.45 points, it was the first day that the index has closed down so far this year.
The move downwards was driven in part by the retail sector as Next, Ocado, Frasers and B&Q-owner Kingfisher rubbed shoulders down at the bottom of the table.
It came after AO World reported on Tuesday. Despite what initially looked like a positive update, the company’s shares ended the day down 5.4%.
“Online electrical retailer AO World initially saw its shares rise sharply to a 6-month high, after upgrading its full year Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) guidance to between £30 million and £40 million, however the pop didn’t last long, with the shares slipping back,” said CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson.
“Management cited progress on reducing costs during Q3 with revenues still set to show a fall of 17.2% from last year, in line with previous guidance.
“This inability to hang onto those gains appears to have permeated into the rest of the retail sector, with Next and Frasers Group giving up some of their early year gains.”
In Europe, the Dax index closed down 0.1% while Paris’s Cac 40 dropped 0.6%. In New York, both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones were trading up around 0.1% shortly after markets closed in Europe.
On currency markets, the pound dropped 0.2% to 1.215 dollars, and 1.132 euros.
In company news, recruitment firm Robert Walters has said that a difficult global jobs market is likely to have muted its earnings growth over the year.
It revealed that its profits are still on track to hit a record, but that it is likely to come in below market expectations after tougher economic conditions “softened recruitment activity” across its global markets.
Shares in the firm were down by 3.3%.
On the other hand, it was a cheerful Christmas for retailer Card Factory which lifted its full-year earnings outlook as shoppers returned to the high street over the festive season.
While store sales jumped, online sales slumped by more than a quarter year-on-year, after experiencing a boom in online shopping during the pandemic.
But the positive update was enough to tempt investors and its share price was up by 5%.
The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Admiral, up 64p to 2,272p, Convatec Group, up 5p to 246.2p, Antofagasta, up 28p to 1,754.5p, Rightmove, up 8p to 553.2p, and Abrdn, up 2.7p to 196.6p.
The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were RS Group, down 46p to 906.5p, British American Tobacco, down 131p to 3,153.5p, Airtel Africa, down 4p to 110.5p, Ocado Group, down 22.8p to 720.4p, and Next, down 188p to 6,266p.


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Silverado, Sierra, Sonic, Cruze Help Boost General Motors April 2013 Sales.
GM April 2013 Sales Rise 11 PercentMay 1, 2013
Shanghai 2013: A Volkswagen iBeetle For Your iPhoneApr 19, 2013
Volkswagen views the iBeetle is an iPhone docking station that doubles as a car.
Shanghai 2013: New Buick Riviera Concept RevealedApr 19, 2013
Buick unveiled a new Riviera concept coupe at the 2013 Shanghai auto show.
GM Suggests Shorter Oil Change Schedules for 779,000 CarsApr 12, 2013
Almost 800,000 General Motors vehicles have received revised oil change schedules.
Recall Central: 2013 Buick Encore Steering Wheel May DetachApr 2, 2013
2013 Buick Encore Heated Steering Wheels Could Fall Off Unexpectedly.
GM March Sales Up 6.4 Percent Despite Model ChangeoversApr 2, 2013
GM sales were hampered by a series of big model changeovers that are happening this year.
Cocktail Chatter: March 29, 2013Mar 29, 2013
We're talking about classic designs, high horsepower numbers, and vacuums this week.
Rumors Video Roundup: Audi A3 Tease, Cherokee Hits the Rocks, Viper Sets RecordMar 24, 2013
This week's video roundup looks at Corvette design through the years, a McLaren racing a pro snowboarder, and a peek at the new A3 sedan.
Feature Flick: 2013 Buick Encore More Nimble Than DinosaursMar 22, 2013
Is the compact 2013 Buick Encore crossover more nimble than dinosaurs? Check out the TV ad on Automobile Magazine's Rumors here!
Recall Central: Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac SRX Transmission ProblemsMar 20, 2013
2013 Buick LaCrosse, 2013 Cadillac SRX Recalled For Transmission Programming Problems.
Report: U.S. Treasury Sold 3.5 Percent Of GM Shares Last MonthMar 12, 2013
U.S. Department Of The Treasury Sells More General Motors Stock.
GM Sales Jump 7.2 Percent on Strong Pickup SalesMar 1, 2013
Sales of General Motors cars and trucks climbed 7.2 percent in February 2013 to 224,314 units.
Cocktail Chatter: February 22, 2013Feb 22, 2013
What cocktails go best with all this car chatter? Automobilemag.com is here to help with weekly recipes. Remember, this is for talking about cars, not driving...
Spied: Opel Insignia Sport Tourer Hints at Potential Buick Regal WagonFeb 18, 2013
Check out spyshots of the Opel Insignia Sport Tourer, which is what a Buick Regal station wagon would look like, on Automobile Magazine.
GM Rakes In $4.9 Billion In 2012Feb 14, 2013
General Motors has reported healthy earnings for 2012.


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Printer market in the country is facing a lot of headwinds due to the digital drive in organizations. The government’s move to revise GST rates has brought down the prices of single-function printers but increased the prices of multifunction printers in the country. Earlier the GST Council had set the GST at 28 % on all kinds of printers. But it revised the rates for single function printers lowering the GST to 18%.
It is believed that the sale of single function printers might go up after this comes in effect. However, it is not so easy to estimate right now, given the fact that the sale of single function printers have been constantly going down for over many years now. However, the new GST regime might further give a blow to multifunction printers. MFPs are the only segment that has gone up. Players such as HP, Canon, Epson, Samsung, Ricoh, Xerox and Panasonic, among others might face headwinds if the prices remain beyond the consumer expectations.
The 16th meeting of Council led by Finance Minister Arun Jiatley concluded on 11th June where rates of 66 items were revised. The Goods and Services Tax will come into effect by 1st July 2017. Most of the items have been listed under four broad tax slab- 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%.
Items like camera, printed circuits, speakers and monitors, printers (other than multi function printers), electrical transformer, CCTV, optical fiber are priced at 18% tax under GST. This might increase the sales of single functional printers in the country. Although the multi-functional printers will continue to remain expensive. The printer market in India has grown tremendously in the last few years.


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Paris Hilton excited to visit India again
Socialite Paris Hilton is all set to enthrall Indian audience with her new found talent of disc jockeying at the India Resort Fashion Week (IRFW) in Goa.
The 31-year-old fashion designer took to her Twitter account to express her excitement and called the land of beaches as the Ibiza of India.
"Packing for my trip to India. So excited to go to Goa for my first time, heard it's the Ibiza of India. Can't wait to have the best time!," she posted.
This is not the first time that the hotel heiress is visiting the country. Last year, she had launched the Fall-Winter designs of her handbags in Mumbai.
She made her debut as a DJ this summer during a music festival in Brazil.


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BRAZIL: World Bank to fund drinks bottle recycling plant
World Bank to aid drinks recycling in Brazil
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank plans to help fund a US$23m bottle-to-bottle plastic recycling facility in São Paulo, Brazil.
The IFC intends to provide US$13m equity financing for the project, which would be undertaken by Unnafabris Textil.
The firm recycles more than one billion bottles annually, but the quality of the resin is not good enough for resale to soft drinks bottlers, said the IFC.
The company produces 3,600 tons of PET flakes and 3,000 tons of PET-based fibres each month from its factories, an IFC official told just-drinks yesterday (21 July). He refused to reveal the new plant’s exact capacity.
ABIPET, the Brazilian PET industry association, says 55% of all used PET bottles in the country are currently recycled.
- Diageo's Q4/FY 2016 results - Preview
- Diageo's FY performance by region - Focus
- Wine consumption and its health effects
- Can craft breweries compete in lager arena?
- Time to take stock of Constellation's Corona
- SABMiller puts brakes on A-B InBev integration
- Diageo sets sights on alcohol-alternative trends
- Diageo names new TR head as Doug Bagley exits
- AB InBev seeks single buyer for European beers
- Gruppo Campari trials Negroni pre-mix
- Global RTD insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Adultifying Soft Drinks; Capitalizing on rising adult demand for non-alcoholic beverages
- Global non-Scotch whiskies insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global Scotch whisky insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global travel retail insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends


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It’s not easy being a new fan of PlayStation right now. The PS5 console is hotter than the morning after dump of Durban curry on the porcelain throne, and has become a prime example of supply being unable to keep up with demand/bastard scalping. That doesn’t mean that the previous generation of consoles don’t have anything to offer, and if you’re picking up a PS4 right at the twilight of its career then you’ll still have access to a brilliant range of games.
The days of that console though, are definitely numbered. Over in Japan, fans spotted notices (Cheers Gematsu) that informed them of Sony’s decision to stop production of the the Glacier White PS4, the 1TB PS4 model, the Glacier White 1TB PS4 model, the 2TB PS4 model, and the Glacier White PS4 Pro. Going forward, Sony will only offer the PS4 500GB slim model in its jet black colour scheme, moving efforts towards production of the PS5 consoles which are currently rarer than living parents in a Batman comic book.
How will this affect stock of last-gen consoles outside of Japan? Back in December the official PlayStation Direct Store also put up a notice indicating that the PS4 Pro would no longer be available once current stock had run out, which shouldn’t be too surprising. The PS5 is a bigger jump forward for the company, is backwards compatible with most of the games from the PS4 era and it makes no sense to sell a last-gen console at the same price-point of the PS5 Digital Edition.
If you can even get your hands on one that is.
It’ll likely end up creating a better strategy for Sony: A bigger focus on the PS5 that will allow fans to finally get one of the machines without having to worry about bots buying up any available stock so that scalpers can make a mint, while offering an alternative entrypoint console from the last generation at a more economical price-point for families that can’t afford to drop that much coin on a device.
Plus that means that my hideous Call of Duty WW2 camouflage console is going to be worth big bucks in the near future, if I can find the damn thing.
Last Updated: January 6, 2021


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We are approaching the end of an exciting year for social media that has brought significant changes to the world of online marketing. Social networks like Facebook or Twitter have reached the highest number of users in their history, while a number of cutting-edge technologies have become more accessible than ever.
Filmora‘s team of experienced professionals has compiled information about booming social media trends that will continue its growth in 2018. They’ve used this data to create an infographic that may help business owners to expand their businesses and increase their profits in the next year. Scroll down to find out which social media trends will shape our future, and feel free to share the infographic with your colleagues. Also, we would love to hear your opinion so don’t hesitate to leave a comment and let us know what you think.
Mobile-Ready Content Has Become More Important Than Ever
The content you put online represents your brand, and if that content can’t be accessed from literally any web browsing device, your company’s profits might suffer. According to the data Filmora’s team has gathered currently 2292,5 million people are using Smartphones and it is expected that this number will rise to 2480,4 million in 2018. Failing to optimize your content for mobile devices may prove to be a crucial mistake, considering the size of the market that uses Smartphones to browse the Internet.
In 2017, LinkedIn was the only social network that was accessed more from a computer than from a Smartphone since 74% of users utilized a computer to browse this platform, while only 26% has done so with a mobile device. The percentages are significantly different for Facebook and Twitter since a large majority of users chose to browse these social networks with a mobile device.
YouTube is currently the second largest social network on the Internet, and in 2017 60% of its users accessed the platform from a computer. It is reasonable to assume that this number will decrease in the next year because the mobile-ready content is rapidly becoming more attractive to Internet users around the globe.
Ephemeral Content Could Be The Future of Digital Marketing
Another social media trend that is directly related to the popularity of the mobile content is on the rise. The ephemeral content wasn’t really a factor in online marketing until recently, but social networks such as Instagram or SnapChat have popularized the kind of content that is available for only 24 hours.
Digital marketers will depend more on ephemeral content in 2018 because it is mobile oriented and it increases user engagement. If the content is only available for a limited period of time more users will want to see it out fear that they might miss it, which is the reason why ephemeral content may become a powerful digital marketing tool that guarantees to increase conversion rates.
The media that is accessible for a short period of time carries an aura of authenticity which is the reason why brands that want to continue growing in 2018, should monitor closely how this digital media trend develops in the next twelve months.
Is Live Streaming the Future of Digital Marketing?
Video content is undoubtedly the most popular type of content on the Internet today, and there is no question that its popularity will only increase in the next year. However, live streaming is a relatively young feature, since the first live streaming app has been launched in September 2011. Six short years later, all of the major social media networks provide the live streaming option, and at the moment Facebook live videos are being watched three times longer than the regular videos.
Furthermore, 80% of people have declared that they would rather watch live videos that advertises a brand than read a post that promotes the services of that same brand. This fact clearly shows that live streaming establishes a better connection with potential clients and that its popularity can only increase in 2018.
The worth of video streaming market will surpass a $70 billion mark by 2021, and for that reason, marketing teams will have to find ways to incorporate live streaming into their strategies in the next year.


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Each month, our team of social experts dig through the trenches of the internet to find the biggest, best and most important news coming out of the social platforms we and our clients use daily.
‘Tis the season to be shopping, and Instagram is making it easier than ever. Shopping is now available in every format on the app—In-Feed, Stories, Live, IGTV and in the newest update, Instagram Reels. This update comes as no big surprise given Instagram’s redesign last month that features shopping more prominently as a tab on the home screen.
What it means for brands: Instagram has long been used as inspiration for consumers’ future shopping carts, so these updates allow for a more seamless and streamlined shopping experience, shortening the path to purchase.
Earlier this month, Twitter announced new integration capabilities with Snapchat and Instagram, allowing users to share tweets to Instagram Stories or Snapchat. Users and brands alike have been “hacking” this capability, sharing tweets cross-platform. This update creates a smoother experience for users to share and link back to Twitter for interested users to view the entire conversation.
What it means for brands: Historically, social platforms haven’t played nicely, but we know consumers toggle between their social platforms in a fluid manner. This type of integration allows brands to behave similarly, paving the way for easier and more meaningful connections between brands and consumers.
Back in May, Facebook launched (via invite-only) its music collaboration app called Collab. This month, the social conglomerate made this new application available to all US users. It’s essentially TikTok for musicians, where music enthusiasts can make music together while being physically apart.
What it means for brands: While the app feels niche (and it certainly is), Facebook has put increased focus on features that create unique communities for users. If Collab is successful, we could see more nuanced social apps specific to consumer interests.
Following the rollout of Stories in September, LinkedIn announced it is testing ads in the same format. The initial launch will include 600 advertisers, with plans to launch the feature more broadly in the new year.
What it means for brands: LinkedIn was late, relative to other social platforms, in their launch of Stories—and while the new format is certainly interesting, LinkedIn has not yet released Stories usage data, leaving marketers in the dark for performance expectations.
Looking for previous issues of Social in Short?


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RSVP Columbia Earns Repeat Honors as Leading National FranchiseMarch 4, 2008
COLUMBIA, SC – RSVP Columbia, one of 125 national RSVPÒ franchises delivering upscale, direct marketing publications, received three top franchise honors at the RSVP national conference recently.
RSVP Columbia “The Post Card People” was presented the President’s Club Award, The 500,000 Club Award and the All Stars Award by franchise President Dave Tropf at the St. Petersburg Beach function. Criteria for the awards included sales growth, number of repeat clients, and number of new clients. The President’s Club Award, given to only the top five markets nationwide identified RSVP Columbia as one of the top five percent of all RSVPÒ franchises in the country. Accepting the awards for RSVP Columbia was owner and publisher Greg Kilgore. Kilgore is also the owner of RSVP Greenville/Spartanburg and RSVP Asheville.
This year marks the fourth consecutive year that RSVPÒ Columbia has qualified for these awards.
“We are very pleased at the award results,” said Kilgore. “Our selection is a testament to the effectiveness of the product and the loyalty of our customers. I appreciate all of the support we have received from the greater Columbia market,” he added.
RSVP Publications, Inc., is a twenty-three year old franchise with corporate headquarters in Tampa, Florida. They are one of the nation’s largest direct-mail marketing companies and the industry leader in direct mail postcard publications.


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The increase in output value indicates that while the two policy dividends of â€œHome Appliances to the Countrysideâ€ and â€œOld-for-newâ€ will expire at the end of the year, the long-term development prospects of the industry are still good. In the field of white goods, Haier, Midea, Gree, Hisense Kelon, Galanz and other five groups have achieved more than one-third of the market share and will continue to benefit from the increase in industry scale.
Policy dividend is about to expire
With the implementation of the "air-conditioning energy-saving subsidies for the benefit of the people" that was implemented by the state for two years, the cancellation of the dividends of the home appliance industry policy is expected to gradually increase. The reporter recently learned from authoritative sources that the two stimulus policies of â€œHome Appliances to the Countrysideâ€ and â€œOld-for-newâ€ will expire at the end of the year and are unlikely to be postponed again. According to the source, whether the â€œhome appliances going to the countrysideâ€ or â€œreplacement of old onesâ€ is a special period of the economic crisis, the stateâ€™s phased policy to promote domestic demand will end in line with expectations as the situation changes.
In fact, the deadline for the air-conditioning energy-saving benefits subsidy policy that was launched in June 2009 was originally set to expire in June 2010. After the expiry of the air-conditioning energy-saving subsidies, it was extended by another year. The "home appliances to the countryside" and "trade for the old" also experienced the process from pilot to promotion.
Taking "replacement of old for trade" as an example, since June 1, 2009, China has started trials of home appliances replacement in nine provinces and cities, including Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. On June 3 of the following year, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection jointly convened a national â€œreplacement for oldâ€ work conference on home appliances. The meeting announced that since June 1, 2010, the â€œnew-for-newâ€ policy on home appliances was gradually extended to the entire country. The time is tentatively scheduled for December 31, 2011.
According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Commerce, as of July 28, 2011, sales of home appliances for trade-in replacement exceeded 60 million units, reaching 60.116 million units, sales of 222.96 billion yuan, and recycling of 91.213 million old appliances. Among the five major categories of home appliances â€œreplacement for new productsâ€, TV sales were 19.918 million units, accounting for 32.8% of total sales; air-conditioning sales were 15.842 million units, accounting for 26.4% of total sales; computer sales were 9.05 million units, accounting for 15 of the total sales. %; Refrigerator sales 8.204 million units, accounting for 13.6% of total sales; washing machine sales 7.322 million units, accounting for 12.2% of total sales. Air-conditioning, ice-washing and other mainstream white goods accounted for half of the total sales.
At the same time, the sales growth of "Home Appliances to the Countryside" in July hit a record high since April this year. According to statistics, in July, a total of 7.51 million units of â€œhome appliances to the countrysideâ€ were sold, and sales amounted to 19.97 billion yuan, an increase of 11.8% and 25.3% year-on-year respectively. In terms of product categories, sales of refrigerators and air conditioners reached 6.9 billion yuan and 4.2 billion yuan. From the perspective of enterprises, Haier Group, Midea Group and Hisense Group are still among the top three sales.
Leading companies have stable performance
As Jiang Feng, chairman of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, said, the "Home Appliances to the Countryside" policy has played a positive role in the Chinese home appliance industry in responding to the financial crisis and stimulating demand in the rural market. â€œHome Appliances Going to the Countrysideâ€ has promoted the construction of the rural circulation system, initially shaped the rural sales channel and after-sales service system, and improved the consumer awareness of rural consumers. The spontaneous growth of the market has been formed. Through the â€œHome Appliances Going to the Countrysideâ€ policy, the scale of home appliance consumption in the rural market has expanded rapidly. For a long time, the rural market has been weak and the proportion has been low. The rural market has really risen to an important market alongside the urban market and export market.
According to the â€œHome Appliances to the Countrysideâ€ implementation plan, the â€œHome Appliances Going to the Countrysideâ€ policy of the first batch of pilot regions in Shandong, Henan, Sichuan, and Qingdao will expire in November this year. In addition, the deadline set by the Ministry of Commerce for the "replacement of old appliances" policy is tentatively scheduled for December 31, 2011.
Today, many companies have prepared for the termination of the policy dividend. According to Huang Tonghua, a spokesman for Chigo Air-Conditioning, the policy is only icing on the cake and it will not be possible to support the development of the company in the long term. "Home Appliances to the Countryside" has played a great role in fostering rural consumption habits. Enterprises should seize the demand for upgrading their home appliances to expand market space.
Wang Jinliang, Vice President of the China Refrigeration Appliance Group's China Business Division, revealed that in the first seven months of this year, sales of American air conditioners in the rural market have increased by nearly 70%, among which rural residents' acceptance of inverter air conditioners exceeds imagination. He believes that after the suspension of fixed-speed air-conditioning subsidies, the difference with the inverter air-conditioning has been small, which will help further expand the share of inverter air-conditioning in the rural market.
Xu Dongsheng, deputy secretary-general of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, told reporters that even if the expected end of the policy is fulfilled, it may only cause short-term effects for the company for three to six months, and the long-term trend of household electrical appliance industry growth will not change. In the crucial period of policy change, the industry leaders will be affected earlier because of their relatively early preparations, and they may have some impact on SMEs.
Huang Tonghua also said that in fact, Chigo air conditioning has been prepared a year ago, the product layout is more inclined to structural adjustment and technology upgrade of the high-end market. â€œTechnical innovation has become the first factor in determining the survival of an enterprise whether it is export or domestic sales,â€ he pointed out.
The "12th Five-Year" output target has been raised by nearly 40%
Authoritative sources revealed that the â€œ12th Five-Year Plan for Development of the Chinese Household Appliance Industryâ€ will be expected to be announced in the near future. Compared with the draft, â€œPlanningâ€ has recently raised the output value target of home appliances (mainly white goods and small household appliances) at the end of the â€œTwelfth Five-Year Planâ€ period, from the original set of 1.1 trillion yuan to 1.5 trillion yuan, up nearly 40%. The average annual growth rate is 9.2%.
Jiang Feng, chairman of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, pointed out that China is the world's largest home appliance manufacturing base. Last year, the total output value of the white electricity industry was 960 billion yuan, which was even greater than that of black power. According to informed sources, as of the end of 2009, the total output value of China's white electricity industry has reached about 7,000 yuan. According to this industry growth rate, the initial draft of the original target of 1.1 trillion will be completed within the fastest time this year, and is obviously more conservative. This is also the original intention of the "planning" for the adjustment of the output value target.
In addition, this revision has also made adjustments to the export target. The export target has been increased from the original 50 billion U.S. dollars to 60 billion U.S. dollars, and the share of the global export market will reach 35%.
According to statistics, in 2009, there were five home appliance enterprise groups with sales revenue of over 10 billion yuan, of which one had over one hundred billion yuan. The sales revenue of Haier, Midea, Gree, Hisense Kelon and Galanz totaled more than 240 billion yuan, accounting for more than one-third of the entire industry's operating revenue, and will continue to benefit from the increase in industry scale.
"But it is worth noting that the overall goal of shifting the focus from the 'big home appliance country' to 'powerful home appliance country' in the next decade has not changed, so emphasizing that core technologies such as energy saving are more important to companies," the source said. According to reports, "planning" also has specific requirements for energy-saving emission reduction, core technologies, key components and other mission indicators. For example, given that the maturity of technology and the market will help to increase the market share of industrial products such as inverter air conditioners, the â€œplanningâ€ has increased the proportion of inverter air conditioners from the original 30% to 50%.
Nowadays, Chigo Air Conditioning has laid out a complete range of frequency conversion products; Gree is also actively developing new business growth points such as central air conditioning, special air conditioning, medical temperature control, and refrigeration. Han Jianhua, secretary-general of the Shanghai Jiaotong Household Electrical Appliance Trade Association, told reporters that pursuing the development of technology-led industries based on the theme of energy conservation is of great significance to both domestic demand and exports.
According to Jiang Feng, China Household Electrical Appliances Association has listed the development of home appliance industry technology roadmap as this year's work plan, initially considering the development of an overall industrial technology roadmap for the household appliance industry, and subdividing refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines into three sub-product technical routes. Illustration.
The reporter recently learned from authoritative sources that the â€œ12th Five-Year Plan for Development of China's Household Appliance Industryâ€ (hereinafter referred to as â€œPlanningâ€) has been finalized and submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Information, which is planned to be announced in the near future. After the revision, by the end of the â€œTwelfth Five-Year Planâ€, the total output value of Chinaâ€™s household electrical appliances industry has been increased from the original RMB 1.1 trillion to RMB 1.5 trillion, which has been raised by nearly 40%, with an average annual growth rate of 9.2%; From the original 50 billion US dollars to 60 billion US dollars, the proportion of the global export market will reach 35%.


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Famous wallet company Ledger has become the latest victim to the hacking attack, which results in breaching of physical addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of users.
As per the information given, the hackers have taken control of 270,000 physical addresses and phone numbers, and 1million email addresses. The hacked personal data of Ledger’s users was unveiled for the public at hacker site Raidforms. It is reported that the hack occurred in June in which customers’ personal information of e-commerce giant Ledger was leaked.
Ledger Tells Less Numbers
The hardware wallet firm has admitted recently that its database was breached in which 9,500 phone numbers and other sensitive information leaked. After posting the company’s database over Raidforms, it becomes evident that amount of breached data is bigger than Ledger’s claim.
“It is a massive understatement to say we sincerely regret this situation. We take privacy extremely seriously.”
As per the reports so far, the wallet giant is probing the case with the assistance of concerned law enforcement agencies. Since June, they have successfully terminated a total of 170 websites that are used for phishing attacks.
Only the personal information of the customers was hacked and financial data remained safe during the phishing attack. Over breaching of the customers’ database, the users have expressed their anger over the company for not providing security and privacy to their sensitive information. A victim of the breach stated:
“Individuals who purchased a Ledger tend to have a high net worth in cryptocurrencies and will now be subject to both cyber harassments as well as physical harassments on a larger scale than experienced before.”
Another aggressive customer also criticized Ledger and advised others to stop doing business with the firm because it is the only way to teach them a lesson on how to take the security of users’ information seriously. Some users have claimed to initiate a legal prosecution against them in case of data reveal to the public.
The increased requirements for compliance policies, such as know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML), have also pushed phishing attacks high because hackers take benefit of this.
In order to take down scammers and hackers in the crypto space, the regulators will have to take serious steps along with the publishing of a compressive sandbox containing rules and regulations. Recently, the US FinCEN has posted hiring jobs to fight challenges and risks attached to cryptocurrency.


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With the coronavirus spread causing shutdowns on several factories in China, the National Retail Federation (NFR) and the Hackett Associates issued their “Global Port Tracker” report, informing that imports at U.S. retail container ports are expected to experience a drop during February.
In fact, February has been reported as a slow month for imports during the years, since is the Lunar New Year period for China, but due to the coronavirus and its spread, shipping market experiences an unusual situation.
Many Chinese factories have already stayed closed longer than usual, and we don’t know how soon they will reopen. U.S. retailers were already beginning to shift some sourcing to other countries because of the trade war, but if shutdowns continue, we could see an impact on supply chains.
…noted the NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold.
Specifically, NFR forecasts that February will be down to 12.9% year-over-year at 1.41 million TEU, while March is expected to mark a decrease of 9.5% year-over-year at 1.46 million TEU.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, NFR had estimated February at 1.54 million TEU and March at 1.7 million TEU.
Projecting container volume for the next year has become even more challenging with the outbreak of the coronavirus in China and its spread. It’s questionable how soon manufacturing will return to normal, and following the extension of the Lunar New Year break all eyes are on what further decisions China will make to control the outbreak.
… Hackett Associates Founder, Ben Hackett said.
With the coronavirus duration impact still remain uknown, April is expected to see an increase at t 1.82 million TEU, up to 4.5% year-over-year.
For the records, the reports showed that U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker, managed to handle around 1.72 million TEUs during December 2019, an 1.8% increase in comparison to November the same year, but down at 12.4% from the same period last year.
Concluding, in light of the coronavirus situation, BIMCO recently highlighted that the extended shutdown of China will temporarily impact the shipping markets and negatively affect freight rates.


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Bucs Slash Prices On Soft Drinks, Food For OpenerAugust 20th, 2011
The massive Fred Flintstone-like turkey drumstick for sale on the 300 level of the C.I.T.S. that Joe loves so much will be half price on opening day, along with soft drinks and all the Bucs’ gameday grub, so reports the Facebook page of WDAE-AM 620, the Buccaneers’ flagship station.
In a nod to fans, or perhaps an attempt to bust the Bucs’ heinous blackout streak, Team Glazer is shaving profits from the Bucs-Lions game on Sept. 11.
Joe thinks this is pretty cool.
While gameday drunks will still be soaked for overpriced warm beer, the move will represent a significant savings for a lot of folks. Joe’s still pegging opening day attendance about 12,000 shy of a sellout, but perhaps this could help move the needle a bit.
Update: 11:19 a.m. – It seems the Bucs’ half-off gesture is in response to screwups on Thursday night. From a Buccaneers letter to season ticket holders: “We would like to apologize to all fans who attended Thursday’s game for the concession service issues throughout the stadium. It is our commitment to ensure that our fans receive a first class experience at all Buccaneers games. Because of this, we will be offering 50% off all food and non-alcoholic beverages at our home opener on September 11.”
Clarification: Just so everyone is clear, this SNAFU Thursday night at the concession stands was due to issues with the vendor, Levy Restaurants, NOT the Buccaneers. But Team Glazer is making sure things are right with the fans. Joe doffs his cap.
As Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski just said on WDAE-AM 620, how cool is it that on a broiling 1 p.m. kickoff, you can get fluids at half-price?


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BRIEF-Magna says will build new BMW 5 series
Sept 15 (Reuters) - Magna International Inc :
* Magna to build new BMW 5 Series
* Says will manufacture new 5 Series sedan for BMW Group at its contract vehicle assembly facility in Graz, Austria
* Production, which is expected to begin in 2017, will be split with BMW Group's manufacturing plant in Dingolfing, Germany Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
© Thomson Reuters 2017 All rights reserved.


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Government to sell off part of CEZ, newspaper reports
Czech daily Mlada fronta Dnes reported on Friday that the government is thinking of selling a 15 percent share in the energy giant CEZ. The state holds over two thirds of the shares in the company, which enjoyed record profits last year of over a billion US dollars. Proceeds from the sale of a 15 percent stake in the firm would amount to 80 billion crowns or 3.8 billion dollars, which the government would use to improve the country's roads and motorways. The sell-off would still leave the state as a majority shareholder in the company.
Czech Republic sees big increase in imports to Iraq
Czech imports to Iraq have been growing steadily since the US-led occupation of the country began in 2003. In particular, firms from this country have been winning orders for technical equipment required by Iraqi business. Despite the poor security situation in the country, Czech exports to Iraq grew from 17 million dollars in 2005 to 20 million dollars last year, which is a fourfold increase on exports to the country in 2003. The Prague-based Inekon Group is one of the Czech Republic's biggest investors in Iraq. It is currently building a 437-million-dollar cement works in the north of the country.
Pilsner to sell beer in special vending machines
The Pilsner Urquell brewery is to sell beer in special vending machines in a number of places throughout the Czech Republic. Previously such machines were not permitted because of the risk that underage drinkers would use them, but a Czech firm has now come up with a way of reading the buyer's identity card to ascertain if they are over eighteen years of age. The machine is thought to be the only one of its kind in the world at the moment. One hundred vending machines will begin selling beer in Prague and central Bohemia by the end of March.
European Commission must approve Billa-Delvita merger
The Czech Office for the Protection of Economic Competition has announced that the planned merger of Billa and Delvita supermarkets must be approved by the European Union before it can go ahead. The turnover of both supermarkets together is so big that it has to be reviewed by the EU's anti-monopoly office. The REWE group, which runs the Billa retail chain, wants to acquire 96 supermarkets owned by Belgian retailer Delvita. Last year both firms made a combined turnover of 34.5 billion crowns or 1.6 billion US dollars in the Czech Republic.
Finance Ministry wants to raise lower VAT rate
The Czech Finance Ministry wants to raise the country's lower VAT rate from 5 to 9 percent, according to the Euro Online news server. The ministry hopes that new higher rate will raise 25 billion Czech crowns in extra revenue, which will offset an income tax shortfall and help the country reduce its public spending deficit to below three percent. This is the level set by the EU for the adoption of the euro. The lower VAT rate in this country is applied to goods like food, books and newspapers. Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek and the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Petr Necas are to discuss the changes in the coming weeks.


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There is money to be made from the Internet, according to Intel's Net chief Frank Gill, but serious profits for suppliers are a long term prospect.
Gill, executive vice president for Intel?s Internet division, said working out how to make these profits is proving more difficult than expected. In an address to Internet World in Los Angeles, Gill argued that, while there are innovative technologies enabled by the Internet, in the short term they are unlikely to provide end users with cost savings or suppliers with serious profits.
"Finding the pot of gold has been elusive," he admitted. "The advent of the Web set off an explosion of new people logging on to the Net, but capturing that pot of gold is all about business."
To illustrate his point, Gill demonstrated a home banking system from Wells Fargo Online, but later said that he had used ISDN lines and other specialised networking technology out of reach of the average user.
But he was predictably enthusiastic about the potential of business multimeda applications. The previous day Intel had unveiled an alliance with Cisco and Microsoft - called Networked Multimedia Connection - to deliver multimedia applications over the Net (see separate story).
The alliance is targeting business users building corporate Intranets rather than the consumer market, into which Intel has focused most of its previous multimedia investment.
Research opens up new possibilities for structural batteries, where the carbon fibre forms part of the energy system
PUBG news and updates: PUBG says 'Sorry for the server issues' with free item and 20,000 battle points
But only if you power up the game before close-of-play on Tuesday
Another shape could have indicated hard-to-detect particles
Latest SOFIA data indicates that magnetic fields may be responsible


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What’s something worth? Whatever someone will pay.
Last week, a bag of Kanye West’s oxygen appeared on eBay, generating 90 bids over a frantic few days that put the price tag at just over $60,000. “Kanye West Yeezus Tour Air For Sale” has since been removed, but not before creating a new, unexpected market demand for Yeezy’s possibly-breathed-in-or-out air. The original seller, stangeedon1, had a simple yet effective description of his five-figure item: “Held bag open and sealed air in”.
Of course where there’s a dollar to be made, in come the copycats. Mashable notes that there were roughly a dozen, as of last week, posts where eBay sellers were trying to pass off air allegedly breathed in and out by ‘Ye. “For example, crystal245 claims that their 20-gallon bag of front-row concert air could ‘possibly contain Kanye’s breath,'” the site writes. “With six days remaining, it has received 14 bids and the price currently stands at $305.”
“This is real air from Kanye West,” writes basco_za. “Not much out there. I have my ticket to prove me at the concert. This is from Kanye West on his Yeezus Tour. Comes with Kanye AIRBAG. Tickets not included because of personalization on ticket. Thanks, please contact me if you have any questions!”
While West didn’t breathe directly into the bag, the air around ‘Ye has to be worth… something.


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The team at Pioneer Europe has developed a new virtual version of the iconic course for balloon professionals.
Offering the perfect introduction to the world of balloons, Qualatex Fundamentals training has been a go-to introductory course for balloon professionals for many years. With face-to-face training limited by the pandemic, but new entrants to the industry still increasing, it became clear that a new approach was needed to meet customer demand.
The new virtual version of the course is delivered over two half day sessions via Zoom, and leading instructor Luc Bertrand CBA, supported by members of the Qualatex team, has already taken the first two groups through all the basics, to great acclaim.
“We are so pleased to be able to successfully deliver this course online. We have already seen that it offers delegates the opportunity to join wherever they are based, whatever their current circumstances,” said marketing project manager, Rozane Barnard. “Customer reaction has been really positive, with attendees commenting both on how much they’d learnt and how much they enjoyed the experience.
“Places for the next virtual course in July sold out in record time, but we are adding lots more virtual and face-to-face Fundamentals course dates for the rest of the year, so anyone interested in taking the class should visit the education tab on www.qualatexeurope.com to see latest availability.”


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Application-based ride-hailing companies in Southeast Asia face fluid and uncertain regulatory conditions that eventually could constrain their operations, suggesting companies most able to leverage their technology and customer and driver base to establish complementary revenue streams will be best positioned in the face of any regulatory setbacks. Singapore’s Grab and Indonesia’s Go-Jek, along with US-based Uber—all private companies—are the leading internet ride-hailing companies in the region, but there are many others.
- In late October, the Indonesian government announced that all internet ride-hailing operators provide life insurance for the driver and passenger(s), limit the size of their fleets, and follow minimum and maximum fares, according to The Jakarta Post. In early October, the province of West Java—home to approximately 47 million people—suspended all internet ride-hailing operators until Jakarta provided greater regulatory detail, according to The Jakarta Globe.
- In late October, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, planned to instruct internet ride-hailing services to suspend new additions of automobiles of nine seats or less, according to The Edge Markets. In June, Vietnam’s transportation ministry banned ride-hailing applications from offering a carpool service—where passengers can share a car to save money—because it violated local contract law, according to Toui Tre News.
- In late July, the Philippine government banned approximately 40,000 Uber and Grab taxis because they lacked proper paperwork, according to The Manila Standard. In March, Thailand’s transport authorities stated their opposition to ride-hailing services and requested the government ban them, according to Reuters.
*In early October, Go-Jek’s founder and CEO indicated the company would expand to four additional, but unspecified, countries in Southeast Asia, according to The Jakarta Post.
Southeast Asian governments—similar to governments throughout the world—must balance multiple and sometimes competing priorities when formulating legislation covering internet ride-hailing firms, suggesting regulation in this industry will continue to evolve. Safety, wages, and traffic congestion, along with the impact internet ride-hailing firms have on traditional transportation providers, are some of the concerns most frequently brought before policymakers.
- Governments throughout the region are devising requirements that foster responsible driving and use of road-worthy vehicles, and they are implementing policies that reduce the chances of physical harm to passengers and drivers, according to The Jakarta Globe, Channel News Asia, and The New Straits Times.
- In Indonesia, a ride-hailing driver told the transportation minister in late October that regulation was needed because his wages were decreasing, according to The Jakarta Post. In August, Grab drivers in Vietnam staged a strike to protest the increase in drivers and shift in company policies that have led to a significant reduction in wages, according to Tuoi Tre News.
- In Ho Chi Minh City, internet ride-hailing operators accounted for 25,000 “under nine-seat cars” as of late September, compared to 11,000 traditional taxis, according to Vietnam Investment Review (VIR). The total of 36,000 vehicles is far more than the 14,500 taxis expected in the city’s 2020 plan, leading officials to believe ride-hailing cars are exacerbating traffic congestion, according to the same VIR article.
- Traditional transportation operators, from taxi drivers in Indonesia to Tuk-Tuk drivers in Cambodia, are earning reduced wages and facing financial uncertainty because of the changes confronting the industry, according to The Jakarta Post and The Cambodia Daily.
Iterative Regulation of Internet Ride-hailing Businesses Portends Similar Response to Other Digitally-disrupted Industries
Southeast Asian countries’ fluid regulatory approach toward internet ride-hailing companies portends a similar stance toward other digitally-disruptive businesses that upend existing industries, such as the retail sector. Global e-commerce firms, including Alibaba, Amazon, JD.com, and Tencent, as well as regional companies, such as Singapore-based Lazada and Indonesia-based Tokopedia, are expanding their presence throughout Southeast Asia.
- In late October, Indonesia’s finance minister stated the government was monitoring the retail industry following the recent closure of several stores and would look at other sectors facing digital disruption to formulate regulation, according to The Jakarta Post.
Greater regulation of internet ride-hailing firms probably will increase costs in the passenger-transportation segment of these companies, which could reduce earnings and dampen investor sentiment. Companies that best leverage their technology and customer and driver base to expand into complementary businesses, particularly ones that are underserved or less developed, probably will have the greatest growth opportunities.
- With a large and concentrated driver network, these companies could play a key role in “last mile delivery,” which traditionally is the most expensive and least efficient segment of the logistics sector, according to Logistics Viewpoints. Grab offers a parcel delivery service in most countries it operates, according to its website, and in Indonesia, Go-Jek has become a key node in transporting goods throughout Jakarta, according to CNBC.
- Go-Jek offers more than a dozen services, including house cleaning and automobile repair, but the company’s greatest focus is building its digital wallet, called Go-Pay, according to its chief technology officer, as reported in Inc42. Grab is positioning its mobile payment platform, GrabPay, to become the primary cashless service in Southeast Asia, according to The Jakarta Globe.
Disclaimer: The preceding information and analysis is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be used as the basis for an investment decision. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information or analysis, to include the accuracy of underlying assumptions, valuation approaches, or the achievement of any particular results. The inclusion of links to other websites does not indicate a recommendation of any particular company or service, and we are not responsible for the content of those websites. As of 28 October 2017, we do not hold any positions in companies identified in this analysis.


text: HomeBitcoinBitcoin supply squeeze heats up as Grayscale buys nearly 3x the BTC mined in DecemberBitcoin supply squeeze heats up as Grayscale buys nearly 3x the BTC mined in December By Crypto News Pipe January 1, 2021 Bitcoin 0 Comments Grayscale brings its total assets under management above $20 billion in time for the start of 2021 as BTC demand intensifies. Source: Bitcoin supply squeeze heats up as Grayscale buys nearly 3x the BTC mined in December Tags:BitcoinRelated Posts An Israeli Blockchain Startup Claims They’ve Invented an ‘Undo’ Button for Bitcoin Transactions What Bitcoin price levels will invalidate the short-term bearish scenario? Good correction? Bitcoin price regains $57K as institutions buy the dip About Author Crypto News PipeCrypto News Pipe is a cryptocurrency news aggregator service. It presents a continuous flow of articles organized from thousands of publishers and magazines.Add a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment:*Name:*Email Address:*Website:Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.


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No, you're not hearing things. Apple is using a bit of a hybrid name for the new device it just unveiled: the iPad Air.
Borrowing the term from its line of MacBook Air laptops, the tech giant is now using "Air" to hammer home just how much thinner and lighter the new iPad is than the previous version.
"The bezel is 43 percent thinner than the previous version, making it more comfortable to hold in your hand," said Phil Schiller of Apple. "When you look at it from the side, you see how amazingly thin it is."
At just one pound, developers say the iPad Air uses the same processor as the new iPhone 5s, making it more powerful than its predecessors. The new device starts at $499 and will hit shelves Nov. 1.
Apple also released the details of a new, more powerful iPad mini that has a sharper retina display screen. Arriving in late November, the device will start at $399.
Apple also unveiled its new, more powerful MacBook Pros, which start at $1,300, and offered up more details on its upcoming, cylindrical Mac Pro desktop which is due out in December and will start at around $3,000.
But some will argue the biggest news of the day had nothing to do with the hardware announcements, but rather the software announcements. Apple announced OS X Mavericks, the 10th version of OS X, which developers say will help enhance computer performance without the need for new hardware.
Updates to iLife were also announced, including GarageBand, iMovie and iPhoto, as well as new apps for the Mac like iBooks and and iMaps.
Additionally, there are updates for iWork's Pages, Numbers and Keynote.
All of the announced software updates are available immediately and for free to anyone who buys the newest generation or Macs of iOS devices.


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On October 16 in London Huawei officially released its latest flagship Smartphone Mate 20 series, which for Huawei Mate 20 Pro equipped with Huawei’s 40W supercharge. Let’s take a look at the official description of the 40W supercharge.
Huawei’s official website shows that the new generation of 40W supercharge can quickly charge up to 70% in 30 minutes. For Huawei’s official 40W supercharge, the foreign media is also very interested and tested. Let’s take a look.
According to foreign media reports, the testers used up the phone power of Huawei Mate 20 Pro to 0% and then began charging. The tester charged the Mate 20 Pro from 9:13, and filled it to 100% at 10:21, which took 68 minutes. At the beginning of charging for 15 minutes, the power reached 36%. After 50 minutes, the power was directly 95%, and then the speed began to drop.
As a comparison test, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, equipped with 18W fast charge and 4000mAh battery, in the test, it takes 109 minutes to fill, almost twice the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Huawei officially said that the 40W supercharge has the TÜV Rheinland certification, 15 layers of protection, fast charge and safer. From the test point of view, users can use it with confidence.
Do not forget to follow us on our Facebook Group and Page to keep you always aware of the latest advances, News, Updates, review, and giveaway on smartphones, tablets, gadgets and more from the technology world of the future.


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Adobe Systems Inc on December 13th announced its Q4 revenue earnings for this year at the company’s conference call. The Q4 income rose by 22.8 percent.
With the favorable earnings, the San Jose, California-based company’s total revenue for the fiscal year 2018 is $2.46 billion. Its 2017 earnings is $2.01 billion.
The boost in the revenue is due to the increase in the subscription of Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite which includes the popular Photoshop software.
Adobe’s quarterly income grew to $678.2 million. That translated to $1.37 per share. The company’s Q4 revenue last year was $501.5 million which was $1 per share.