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Israel’s Redefine Meat Makes 3D Steaks
It just raised $29 million to join Israel’ growing alternative meat tech industry.
Redefine Meat is one of a number of Israeli startups moving forward in providing the technology necessary to give the world viable meat alternatives. It does so by way of 3D printing technology. The company just raised $29 million in a Series A round of funding.
Established in 2018, Redefine Meat applies its proprietary 3D printing technology, meat digital modeling, and advanced food formulations to produce animal-free meat with the “appearance, texture and flavor of whole muscle meat.”
The company boasts that its sustainable plant-based meat products have a taste and mouthfeel that is indistinguishable from traditional animal meat. It uses plant-based ingredients and technology as opposed to animals, allowing for a “dramatically more efficient, sustainable, and moral way to produce meat without compromising on the experience.” Redefine Meat states that its alt-meat is 95% more sustainable, significantly healthier and costs less than beef.
“We are thrilled to have concluded this round of funding with such a unique and diverse group of highly experienced, professional investors who share our vision,” says Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, CEO and Co-founder of Redefine Meat. “This funding, which was concluded faster and better than we could have imagined a year ago, is a major step towards becoming the world’s biggest alternative meat company by 2030.”
So Redefine Meat joins many Israeli firms developing meat alternatives. They provide vegan versions of chicken eggs, beef and dairy products. But this is not just something for vegans. The worldwide production of animal and dairy products has been condemned for years as contributing to global warming and increased pollution. And there are also issues of animal cruelty to be considered.
Countless documentaries and news reports have shown how the waste left behind by all those chickens and cows cause pollution. The animals also release greenhouse gasses. And most of the dairy eggs is not even consumed in its natural form. They are used for anything from yogurts to junk food additives. And the countless chickens and cows spend their lives in factories with some never seeing the light of day.
Quality alternatives which taste just as good will not only be healthier for people to eat, but also have a much smaller environmental impact in their production over the real thing. They will also require much less energy to produce.
Here are just a few other examples of Israeli firms using high tech to create such alternative types of food:
The Mediterranean Food Lab develops natural plant-based flavor bases for the alternative meat sector recently won the EIT Food Accelerator Network Program with an award of €100,000 ($119,000). It was founded by Yair Yosefi, Omer Ben Gal, and B.Z. (Ben) Goldberg, who joined forces to harness their individual research and development expertise in plant-based flavoring agents to establish the startup.
Israeli startup Zero Egg produces an egg alternative made from plants for foodservice and food manufacturers. The company asserts that its product tastes, looks, and functions like a real egg.
Israeli meat alternative company Aleph Farms has a new initiative to eventually produce its products on Mars. The program is called Aleph Zero and is intended to produce non-GMO cells anywhere and in any environment.
In this way the production of its meat alternative will not be affected by the environment nor in any way have an impact on Earth’s environment.
Another company called Meat-Tech recently successfully bio-printed a thin, uniform, slaughter-free meat tissue produced from stem cells. Meat-Tech has reached a substantial product milestone by printing a layer of meat combining both muscle and fat cells that successfully fused. The company’s next milestone is printing a 100-gram (quarter pound) steak, without harming animals. The company aims to develop commercial technologies to manufacture alternative foods with no need for animal butchery, based on rapid growth cycles.


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GST BILLS RECEIVED ASSENT OF THE PRESIDENT : 12-04-2017
The four bills (noted below) that were to be passed by the Central Government for the implementation of GST have received the ascent of the President Sh. Pranab Mukherjee on on 12th April, 2017. The State GST Bill have to be passed by the respective State Legislative Assmeblies of each state.
NOTE – As per Section 1(3) of the respective Bills, they will come into effect from the date to be notified by the Central Government.
The link for the official Gazatte notification is noted below for ready reference and information:-
1. The Central GST Act, 2017 : http://egazette.nic.in/
2. The Integrated GST Act, 2017 : http://egazette.nic.in/
3. The GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017 : http://egazette.nic.in/
4. The Union Territory GST Act, 2017 : http://egazette.nic.in/
This has paved the way for implementation of GST w.e.f. 01-07-2017.

domain: news


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Google Pixel Watch likely to feature 300mAh battery, cellular connectivity
Other rumours suggest that the wristwatch will use a Snapdragon 4100 or Snapdragon 4100+ chipset, as well as a version of Google's own Tensor engine designed just for wearable devices.
The design language of Google's next wearable device has already been disclosed by a user who claims to have discovered a test unit left behind at a restaurant in the United States. However, according to 9to5Google, the Pixel Watch might feature a reasonably big 300 mAh battery and certain variants may have cellular connection.
To put this in context, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has a 247mAh battery in the similarly sized 40mm edition, while the Apple Watch Series 7 has a 284mAh battery in the 41mm variant. In addition, the Skagen Falster Gen 6 has the same 300mAh battery size.
Reports suggest that discovered some code in a previous Google update. Google seems to imply that it may be powered by a Samsung Exynos processor rather than a Snapdragon chipset.
Other rumours suggest that the wristwatch will use a Snapdragon 4100 or Snapdragon 4100+ chipset, as well as a version of Google's own Tensor engine designed just for wearable devices. Users should be aware that the device's real-world battery life is greatly reliant on its internal specs, display power utilisation, and business optimizations.
Another feature that has yet to be confirmed is how the smartphone will be charged and whether it will allow rapid charging. There was no charger with the test device discovered at a restaurant, but the Pixel Watch could be charged from the rear of the watch, similar to the Apple Watch.
The photos received by Android Central earlier this week all corroborated the design language, which would most likely comprise a minimalist "pebble-shaped" design with a crown. The photos also suggest that the watch might make use of Google's own watch band attachments. The watch might be unveiled during Google's I/O conference, which is set to take place on May 11 and 12, this year.


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Cape Town — Game rangers, vets, casino staff, construction and transport industry workers, as well as customs and other government officials, have been identified as role-players in the ecosystem of illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products according to a report by the South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force (SAMLIT).
In a statement, SAMLIT said the various players, and the methods they used for illegal wildlife trade (IWT), have been captured in a report compiled by an expert working group. The SAMLIT working group focused on the money flows related to this trade.
"Valued at anywhere between U.S.$7- and U.S.$23 billion per year, illegal wildlife trade is quoted by the World Economic Forum as one of the most profitable criminal enterprises worldwide, alongside arms dealing, drugs, and human trafficking, yet it lacks prominence as a financial crime," the report read.
Some of the report's findings include that most of the illegal rhino horn entering the market, originates in South Africa and that the methods of smuggling rhino horn out of the country have, to date, not been sufficiently exposed, with most poaching incidents identified as having occurred in the Kruger National Park.
It also found that poachers are mostly paid in cash or "send-cash" options that create vouchers, redeemable at selected retail till-points or ATMs. "Cash is the preferred and most frequently used method of payment as it minimises the risk of detection and allows for easier flows between legal and illegal economies.


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Federal Court: Service Providers Can’t Be Sued Over User-Generated Content, No Matter How Creatively The Allegations Are Framed
from the even-without-Section-230,-this-would-have-been-a-losing-effort dept
Another Section 230 case has made its way into the federal court system. Of course, the plaintiffs really doesn’t want this to be a Section 230 case, since their lawsuit is predicated on content created by users of two chat apps.
The lawsuit alleged that the developers of YOLO (an anonymous chat app) and LMK (an add-on app for Snapchat that gives users more customization options) are somehow responsible for the acts of other app users. From the recent federal court decision [PDF]:
Plaintiffs allege they received harassing messages in response to their benign posts on Defendants’ applications and did not receive comparable messages on other platforms in which user identities were revealed. Plaintiffs allege that YOLO had pop-up notifications that stated individuals’ identities would be revealed if they harassed other users and LightSpace [the designer of the LMK app] similarly stated it would take reports of bullying it received seriously and potentially send those reports to law enforcement. Plaintiffs reference several specific explicit messages they received on these platforms and also aver more generally that they received harassing messages on both applications. Plaintiffs allege that YOLO in particular did not respond to reports of harassment and that a decedent of one of the Plaintiffs unsuccessfully attempted to search online for ways to “reveal” the identities of individuals who had previously sent him harassing messages on YOLO the night before his death.
As you can infer from the last sentence of this summary, there’s a tragedy at the center of this case, an apparent suicide the survivors believe was a response to online harassment via these apps. While it’s understandable the survivors are attempting to right a wrong via this litigation, this isn’t the sort of wrong that can be addressed by taking legal action against app developers who did not create the harassing content.
Section 230 immunizes the app developers from lawsuits brought over content created by users. That’s why this lawsuit was framed as alleged violations of consumer laws from all over the United States. It’s a cause of action grab bag.
As stated above, the FAC brings twelve causes of action under state law against Defendants; namely: (1) strict product liability based on a design defect; (2) strict product liability based on a failure to warn; (3) negligence; (4) fraudulent misrepresentation; (5) negligent misrepresentation; (6) unjust enrichment; (7) violation of the Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act; (7) violation of the New York General Business Law § 349; (8) violation of the New York General Business Law § 350; (9) violation of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act; (10) violation of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices Law; (11) violation of the Minnesota False Statement in Advertising Act; and (12) violation of California Business and Professions Code §§ 17200 & 17500.
None of that matters, though.
[T]he court finds that each of these causes of action is predicated on the theory that Defendants violated various state laws by failing to adequately regulate end-users’ abusive messaging, and is therefore barred by Section 230.
That’s the correct finding. And that addresses all of the causes of action, some of which are clearly stretched past the point of credibility… like the plaintiffs’ insistence that allowing users to create anonymous accounts is a “defective design feature.” This presumes two dumb and disingenuous things: that offering anonymity to users is irresponsible, and that knowing who these abusive users were would deter them from being abusive.
So, that’s it for now for this case. It will likely be appealed. If it is, it will be headed to the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court — a court that has said some rather strange things about Section 230 immunity in recent years. Or the plaintiffs may wait to see what the Supreme Court has to say about Section 230 in the Gonzalez v. Google case it recently granted cert to. Depending on what the justices decide, this case may still have plenty of life left in it, despite being dismissed with prejudice by this court.
Filed Under: content moderation, lmk, section 230, yolo


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Wearing sneakers to court? That's acceptable now thanks to Reebok and Canadian boutique Livestock, which whipped up this version of the NPC playing off the shoe's history on courts of the sporting sort.
The Livestock x Reebok NPC "Bad Day in Court" uses the strapped style as an allusion to laceless footwear issued in prisons and an orange/grey colorway matching garments worn there.
This collaboration from Reebok's "Year of Court" series will launch first at its home store, Livestock, on Saturday, Oct. 1. Following that, a wider release at Reebok Certified Network accounts is likely.


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Up to 200 new jobs are on their way to Derbyshire after a company which specialises in transporting perishable and chilled goods confirmed it will be opening a new base in the county.
Supply chain specialist Gist Limited, has said it will be taking space at the Markham Vale business park, which is just off 29A of the M1, near Chesterfield.
Work has already started on the firm’s new bespoke, high-specification chilled warehouse and storage facility. The building, which will be just under 91,000 sq ft, is due to be completed by September.
Gist manages the supply chains for a wide range of customers in the commercial and industrial sectors. It currently employs 5,000 people across more than 40 sites throughout the UK and Europe.
Markham Vale is a regeneration scheme which is being jointly led by Derbyshire County Council and Henry Boot Developments.
Alan Devine, managing director of network businesses at Gist, said: “We’re happy to be working with Derbyshire County Council and Henry Boot on the development of this important new extension to our national food logistics network, on time and on budget.
“Our new centre will significantly increase our ability to bring great service to our customers.”
Its warehouse is being built on the northern part of Markham Vale and once complete, Gist will join other companies at the site, which are Ferdinand Bilstein UK and Great Bear Distribution.
Councillor Tony King, the county council’s cabinet member for economic development and regeneration, said: “Gist will be another fantastic addition to Markham Vale.
“The firm’s decision to invest in Derbyshire shows its confidence in the county as a great place to base and grow a business and we’re delighted to hear that they’ll be creating 200 new jobs at the site too.
“Markham’s great location and transport links to the M1 make it a perfect fit for the supply chain specialists and it’s a real boost to Derbyshire’s business community.”
Building work is being carried out by Henry Boot Developments – the county council’s private sector property partner.
Vivienne Clements, director at Henry Boot, said: “We’re delighted to announce that a deal has been agreed on Markham Vale North, following swiftly on from completion of the Ferdinand Bilstein UK unit.
“Gist is a key player in the supply chain industry and with the excellent transport routes and access to the M1 from Markham Vale, the new facility will become a key logistics hub for the firm.
“We are confident there are more exciting announcements to come in 2017 at our flagship logistics park.”


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There’s no question that modern, processed diets are bad for the gut. Due to the vast majority of farming subsidies going to producers of corn, wheat, and soy, prices for the foods containing these crops (many of which are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates and low in meaningful vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and fiber) have dropped—making them cheap and readily accessible for consumers.
Fiber—found in vegetables, fruits, and a variety of whole grains—promotes gut microbial biodiversity and feeds beneficial bacteria in the GI tract. In fact, these “good” bugs use fiber food to produce gut-healthy, anti-inflammatory compounds called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). But the average American gets just 15 grams of fiber per day, when we should be getting at least 25 to 30 grams. “Part of the problem we’re seeing today could be due to three to four generations of progressively diminished fiber consumption,” says gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, M.D., author of Fiber Fueled, referencing a groundbreaking 2016 study in Nature by Stanford University microbiome researcher Justin Sonnenburg, Ph.D.
For the study, researchers fed mice a low-fiber diet over multiple generations. After one generation, there was a decline in microbial biodiversity in the gut, which was reversible when fiber-rich foods were returned to the diet. But with each subsequent generation, there was a progressive loss of biodiversity that was harder to reverse (and impossible to completely reverse).
“Compared to the Hadza of Tanzania, some of the last remaining communities of hunter-gatherers, people in the U.S. have about 40% less microbial diversity in the gut,” says Bulsiewicz. “This leads us to believe that we’ve essentially lost 40% of what we’re supposed to have as humans. To an extent it’s reversible, but this study shows that we might be in a place where we’re impaired from the get-go.”
Excessive consumption of animal products (particularly in the absence of fiber-rich foods) may also have a negative impact on the gut microbiome. This was illustrated in a 2014 study by Harvard researchers in which they put the same group of people on two drastically different diets—an animal-based diet of foods like bacon, eggs, salami, and pork rinds; and a vegan diet of foods like rice, tomatoes, lentils, squash, and fruit—and measured the effects of each. What they found: On the animal-based diet, there were significant increases in the bile-tolerant gut microbes, which are necessary for breaking down fat but also associated with inflammatory processes.
Additionally, excessive refined carbohydrate and sugar intake has been shown to reduce the microbial biodiversity and feed bad microbes. “Someone who’s eating way too much sugar is going to become a fertile ground for yeast to grow in their gut,” a form of gut imbalance, says Vincent Pedre, M.D., integrative physician and author of Happy Gut.


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Cathie Wood's Ark Invest sold 248,838 more shares of Coinbase on Monday as the stock continues to perform well off the back of a ruling in the Ripple case.
Ark's flagship fund, Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK), sold 127,266 shares of Coinbase, according to an update from the fund manager's trading desk on Monday. Its Ark Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) offloaded 44,784 shares, and Ark Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) sold 76,788 shares. Together, the sales were worth $26.3 million, based on the stock's closing price of $105.5 on Monday.
The latest sale marks Ark's third sale of Coinbase shares in recent days after nearly a year of building up its position. On the sales, Ark CEO and CIO Cathie Wood said the fund manager is "simply taking profits and reallocating the capital to some laggards" and that it is still "very positive about Coinbase, especially in light of the court ruling for Ripple against the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)."
Last week, Ripple pocketed a partial victory after a federal judge ruled that its XRP token is not a security when sold on the secondary market but is a security when sold to institutional investors. The ruling is favorable for Coinbase since it may affect the 13 tokens actively traded on Coinbase that the SEC alleged are securities in its lawsuit against the company last month, according to experts, including Wood and JPMorgan analysts.
The ruling has resulted in a significant surge in Coinbase's price, with it currently trading close to its highest level in the past year. The shares have also rallied because Coinbase was listed as a surveillance-sharing partner for several spot bitcoin ETF applicants, including giants BlackRock and Fidelity.
While Ark is selling some Coinbase shares, it is still the second-largest owner, with more than a 6% stake, according to CNN data.
© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.


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Subaru has announced the launch of its first fully electric vehicle, the Subaru Solterra, and the car will have a range of more than 280 miles.
The company worked with Toyota and they have developed a new BEV dedicated platform to develop their electric vehicles on.
In developing SOLTERRA, the brand’s first BEV to be launched globally, Subaru aimed to exceed the various customer expectations for BEVs and make it a practical vehicle so that customers can choose it comfortably and confidently, as the vehicle will be the cornerstone of Subaru’s future BEVs. At the same time, as a Subaru SUV, Subaru aimed to make it a vehicle that existing Subaru customers can feel that it truly is a Subaru.
By filling it with new values that a BEV can offer and the value of “enjoyment and peace of mind” that Subaru have cultivated over many years, SOLTERRA has been built as an authentic SUV in an environmentally friendly package that can be used with peace of mind like the existing Subaru SUV models.
You can find out more information about the new Subaru Solterra EV over at Subaru at the link below, as yet there are no details on how much this new EV will retail for.
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.


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Some men's wear brands to check out at the upcoming shows. ARGYLECULTURE
Russell Simmons is nothing if not committed to ArgyleCulture.
The hip-hop mogul first came up with the concept in 2007 and, over the course of the next seven years, it has gone through a number of iterations as its manufacturing partner shifted from Kellwood Co. to LF USA to HMX Group. Back-office and delivery issues haunted the brand as it was footballed around the industry, but through it all, Simmons’ concept for the line has remained crystal clear.
“It’s for the urban graduate, it’s always been for the urban graduate,” he said. “There’s a hole in the market big enough to drive a truck through and I have a natural inclination to design in this space.” Simmons was among the first to embrace the urban hip-hop craze with his Phat Farm label.
Glen Farraye, president of Simmons Design Group, said after HMX Group dissolved at the end of 2012, ArgyleCulture joined forces with Peerless Clothing, which is producing the tailored clothing, and the Toronto-based Caulfeild Apparel, which is doing the sportswear.
“Despite all the hiccups, we never lost sight of the customer,” Farraye said. “We knew there was a huge opportunity if we could get the back-end right.” Under its current licensees, production and distribution are no longer a problem. “They know what they’re doing,” he added. This frees up Simmons and his team to focus on design and selling, and Simmons himself will be at the MRket show in Las Vegas to introduce the line to retailers.
ArgyleCulture had a small test for this spring, and the fall collection is about to hit stores. For spring, Farraye said the collection is “tight, very defined” and will include a small navy argyle signature pattern on the inside of the garments “to pull it all together. It’s not a distraction, it’s only on the interior as a little accent trim,” he said.
Key pieces for the season include — no surprise — colorful argyle sweater-vests, as well as solid and patterned polos; khaki shorts; long- and short-sleeve button-down shirts, and fitted tailored blazers.
“We’re very close to street, but we don’t overdo it,” Simmons said. “Young guys are wearing bow ties, dress shirts, skinny jeans and MacAlister boots, and we speak squarely to them.”
The line is carried in Macy’s, a long-time proponent of the label, along with Belk and Bon-Ton. At these stores, it’s merchandised as a modern traditional line targeted to the Millennial customer, Farraye said. Prices are sharp, with most of the shirts, sweaters and shorts retailing for $68. Blazers are $150, long ties and bow ties are $59 to $69, and pocket squares are $25 to $35. Farraye noted that although ArgyleCulture is “item-intensive, it’s a collection. Every item can stand on its own. And the look of the line is a very defined city lifestyle.”
With Simmons’ distinctive touch.
“I’m not a celebrity brand,” Simmons said. “I’m a designer. My twist is subtle, but important and I feel compelled to fill the space. If I don’t do it, no one will.”
“These collections continue to build on that vision, empowering differently abled adults to express themselves through fashion,” said @tommyhilfiger of his line of adaptive apparel, which launches today. The line consists of 37 men’s and 34 women’s styles based upon the pieces from the spring Tommy Hilfiger sportswear collection. #wwdnews
“Stranger Things” is getting a new cast member for season 2. Meet @sadiesink_, the 15-year-old who will be joining the Netflix series for its new season. You may recognize her from “The Glass Castle” with Brie Larson and Woody Harrelson, but the Texas native’s next role goes in an entirely different direction. She describes her character, Max, as “a rough and tumble skater girl [who] becomes friends with the boys at school.” The second season debuts on October 27. (📷: @jgreenery) #wwdeye
Amid the Harvey Weinstein controversy, there’s another sector that’s being put under the spotlight for sexual abuse: the modeling industry. While rumors about abuse and sexual harassment of female and male models — and the photographers, agents and others who perpetrated it — have circulated within the fashion world for years, model @cameronrussell started posting stories from models on Instagram last week about abusive situations they’ve encountered — from sexual harassment and molestation to attempted rape. Over 75 have weighed in so far. Read more on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdnews
To celebrate its 16th anniversary, @dylanscandybar tapped designers and celebrities to create mosaics out of candy. The mosaics will be auctioned off to support the philanthropic cause of each participant’s choice. Pictured here is the mural created by @aliceandolivia's Stacey Bendet. For a first look at some of the other artwork being unveiled tonight, go to WWD.com. #wwdeye
The annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Pacific Palisades this weekend drew Kate Hudson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laura Dern and more. See pictures of the star-studded event on WWD.com. (📷: @chelsealaurenla) #wwdeye
In his new book “Hollywood Royale,” Andy Warhol’s Protégé Matthew Rolston celebrates the Eighties revival of Hollywood glamour. Featuring more than 100 portraits taken by Rolston from 1977 to 1993, the book contains photos of icons like Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and @drewbarrymore, pictured here in 1991. “Hollywood Royale,” out today, will be accompanied by an exhibition opening at Los Angeles’ Fahey/Klein Gallery on March 1. #wwdeye
"Nowadays when life is not so happy with everything going on in the world, I think people come to me for a little bit of whimsy and color and fun." - Designer Rebecca De Ravenel on her cult-favorite jewelry line. (📸 : @vsteves) #wwd40
“Everyone is talking about how the retail industry is struggling, but I think it’s an incredible time because brands who are doing something different and innovative are setting themselves up for the future,” said @adamgoldston, who founded the luxury athletic brand @apl with his brother @ryangoldsten. The Goldston’s are part of WWD’s 40 under 40: a group of industry notables. See the rest of the list on WWD.com. (📷: @vsteves) #wwd40
@eyeswoon blogger Athena Calderone debuted her first-ever cookbook, “Cook Beautiful,” which is heavily centered on the presentation and visual expression of food. Pictured here are her miso glazed carrots from the book. Get the recipe on WWD.com. (📷: @johnny_miller_) #wwdeye


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The mobile phone maker lays out the challenges involved in pushing out the latest version of Android to all Motorola smartphone owners.
Tips, news, how-tos, and troubleshooting help for the iPhone.
On March 9, Apple is widely expected to let us know exactly when its much-anticipated Watch line will ship and how much all the new models will cost. But what other new products might Apple unveil?
Living with the iPhone 6, part 4, in which Scott Stein admits he's just not comfortable letting this new iPhone go unsheathed.
iPhone fans, you can still take advantage of carriers' hot deals, but see the new devices in person to ensure you're getting the right one, says CNET's Marguerite Reardon in this edition of Ask Maggie.
An online tool has come up with up some rather interesting stats about the fans of popular tech brands.
In a 3-2 vote, the agency decides to apply the same rules that govern telephone service to broadband, with the hope that it ensures the fair and equal treatment of all traffic on the Internet.
As Google gets set to release its newest Android devices, CNET sat down with some of the division's head team members to chat about security software, screen sizes and getting users to update their gadgets.
Check out the top video highlights from Apple's October 16 event, without watching the entire show.
A new tool called Password Changer is designed to change multiple passwords for different websites all at once -- especially useful in light of Heartbleed and other security threats.
Commentary: The design of Apple's long-anticipated smartwatch is sharp, but the company has been known to switch gears after a product launches.


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Larger businesses are more likely to have sufficient purchasing power to influence producers, noted the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in its consultation aimed at bringing in a due diligence obligation for businesses involved in procuring forest-risk commodities.
The Defra proposals look to implement one of a number of recommendations made by the UK government's Global Resource Initiative Taskforce in March 2020.
The idea is to make it illegal for larger businesses to use forest risk commodities that have not been produced in accordance with relevant local laws; such businesses would need to take steps - undertake due diligence - to show that they have taken proportionate action to ensure this is the case.
“This would set a clear requirement on businesses, and those who do not comply would be subject to fines,” argued Defra.
Commodities likely to be covered include beef and leather, cocoa, palm oil, pulp and paper, timber, rubber and soy.
But while many firms will undertake careful and detailed due diligence in their supply chain to the best of their abilities, this of course does not provide a total guarantee of legality at source, argued UK agrisupply trade group, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), in its response to the Defra consultation, which is now closed.
Soy supply data, collated by the AIC, shows that 57% of imported soy into the UK comes from sources carrying no deforestation risk. 37% is considered low risk of any deforestation using the FEFAC methodology, leaving 6% that carries a risk of deforestation.
The UK authorities would need to consider how to approach a situation where a company has undertaken the best possible measures of due diligence, but local laws may have been broken at source, said the AIC. “Much greater detail needs to be provided as to how due diligence information would be collected by Government, for example would it have to fit a pro forma template, or would the requirements be outcome driven? Could individual companies provide existing due diligence reports to meet the criteria? There is a risk that if this is not thought out fully, it could simply duplicate existing measures taken by businesses,” it said.
Evidently, the AIC supports the objective of preventing the import of commodities into the UK that have been produced on land that has been deforested illegally; in its view, though, there is a role for the UK government in helping to prevent this.
It also underlined the importance of working with current responsible sourcing schemes and industry-wide roundtables, such as those established around soy and palm oil in the UK, saying the Defra consultation makes little mention of those. “Such challenges can only be met by a partnership between industry and government, and we stand ready to ensure this is carried out,” said the AIC.
A growing due diligence trend
If adopted as legislation, the UK would be replicating a growing number of supply chain due diligence frameworks developed in recent years, reported law firm, Clifford Chance, in a review of the proposals.
“For example, in 2017 France introduced its Vigilance Law, requiring companies to take adequate measures to identify both human rights and environmental risks within their supply chains and to prevent violations.
“More recently, in July 2020 the German government announced similar plans to pass its own Due Diligence Act. Two pieces of legislation which, no doubt, will have a significant influence on a proposed EU-wide scheme imposing mandatory due diligence requirements for businesses to respect human rights and prevent environmental harm across their global supply chains, a draft of which is expected by 2021.”


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PlayPhone, a mobile social gaming platform, has partnered with Verizon Wireless to build an Android-based gaming network called Games Portal. Through Games Portal, Verizon users will be able to connect with their friends, play social games and find new games regardless of the device they're using. With PlayPhone as the structural backbone, the casual games, such as Blackjack Live and Magic Marbles, will work across platforms.
Game developers will be able to connect to Verizon's Games Portal using the existing PlayPhone software development kit, adding their game to the global network and boosting social gameplay capabilities and global distribution. In-app purchases can also be billed directly through Verizon, increasing the ease of use and eliminating third-party billing platforms.
Verizon's Games Portal enters the market alongside services such as Apple's Game Center and GREE, which purchased the popular OpenFeint in 2011. Unlike Game Center, Games Portal will allow both Android and iOS users to play together, and premiere placement on Verizon devices may give this service an advantage over GREE.
Games Portal will start appearing on Verizon Android devices in the second quarter of this year. But the SDK is currently available for developers who want to get a head start and claim their own gaming real estate.


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Turkish and Greek Cypriot Chambers of Commerce participated in the event themed “the role of business world in the solution process” in Brussels
President of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce Fikri Toros and President of the Greek Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and Industry Phidias Pilides participated in the event themed “the reunification process of Cyprus: the role of business world in the solution process” hosted by members of the European Parliament Knut Fleckenstein, Artis Pabriks and Takis Hadjigeorgiou.
President of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce Fikri Toros expressed his opinions about the Green Line and the Direct Trade Regulations during his contacts and he pointed out the importance of preparing Turkish Cypriot economy for a solution.
In his speech during the panel, Toros stated that it is vital to reduce the economic differences between the sides and the EU has all the necessary sources in order to contribute.
Toros stated that the EU should take some steps such as boosting the efforts of preparing the Turkish Cypriot economy to the solution, to the EU integration and to enable direct trade.


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Garrett’s, a bar and grill in Shawnee, is planning to build a new outdoor seating area to accommodate social distancing requirements and improve customer experience.
“As we are navigating our business through this pandemic, it has become very apparent that we need additional seating available to help socially distance our customers allowing them to feel safe and comfortable,” the owners wrote in a letter to the Shawnee Planning Commission.
The outdoor seating is designed to offer customers additional seating that meets social distancing requirements while also serving as an improvement to the property, according to city documents. The proposed seating area is about 1,900 square feet and will have a composite deck base, a 6-foot tall screening wall, accessible entry from the north, planters and a trash enclosure, according to city documents.
Here is a design rendering of the plan:
The planning commission on Monday voted 10-0 to approve the restaurant’s plans. Commissioner Randy Braley was absent.
Located at 6505 Nieman Road, Garrett’s opened in April 2012.
“We are just down the road at 65th and Nieman and have been admiring the improvements the city has made from Shawnee Mission Parkway to Johnson Drive on Nieman,” the owners wrote. “Those improvements as well as being in the middle of a pandemic has inspired us to want better for our business and our community.”
The owners reported they shut down Garrett’s for five weeks due to the pandemic. The new outdoor seating would to allow them to serve more customers in a safe manner during COVID-19.
“We are left with the constant fear of anyone on our staff catching covid-19 and shutting down like many other bars have already had happen,” the owners wrote. “We are taking as many precautions as we possibly can, but we are afraid we will not be able to survive without additional outdoor seating to socially distance our customers.”
The restaurant has some outdoor seating on the west side of the building. The old seating area is often in the afternoon sunlight and doesn’t offer a place for customers seeking shade on hot days, so the restaurant owners would discontinue its use after the new seating is built.


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Ahead of yesterday’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing and today’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing — both on data privacy — ABA submitted statements for the record urging lawmakers to enact uniform national privacy standards that preempt the existing patchwork of state laws.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) today outlined the approach to data privacy and data security legislation he will continue to pursue during the 116th Congress.
As the National Institute of Standards and Technology works to develop a sector-wide privacy framework, ABA yesterday joined the Bank Policy Institute and SIFMA in a comment letter encouraging NIST to consider existing data privacy frameworks already in place for financial institutions and to work collaboratively with the private sector.
In a comment letter last week, the American Bankers Association urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to operate transparently in its collection and use of data and to adopt safeguards to ensure it does not order the production of data that is overly broad, voluminous or duplicative.
The American Bankers Association yesterday joined the Bank Policy Institute and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association in offering feedback on the National Telecommunications Information Administration’s plan to develop a federal consumer data privacy framework.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today released a new loan-level set collected through its National Survey of Mortgage Originations.
The American Bankers Association this morning unveiled new data showing that nearly 9 in 10 Americans (86 percent) say they are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their primary bank.
Ahead of a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on consumer data privacy today, ABA in a statement submitted for the record called on lawmakers to consider the existing set of privacy laws banks adhere to when drafting new federal privacy legislation.


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The grand prize of Volvo Trucks North America’s “Discover the Treasure” sweepstakes is a trip for two to the Bahamas and $10,000.
Walt Disney Pictures’ upcoming movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” in theaters July 7, inspired the sweepstakes. Volvo Trucks North America also is publicizing the new movie as a way to continue the excitement created by the launch of Volvo’s flagship, the Volvo VT 880.
In addition to the grand prize, Volvo Trucks North America is offering daily prizes of Volvo or movie-related merchandise, including Volvo driver’s jackets, “Pirates of the Caribbean”-themed prize chests with movie passes and DVDs, watches and more.
“Discover the Treasure” also builds upon the ongoing excitement created by the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race: Disney is sponsoring one of the sailboats, “The Black Pearl,” in the race, a six-month adventure on the oceans of the world involving high-tech racing yachts, extreme conditions and challenges for the crews involved.
“Discover the Treasure” is open to holders of commercial driver’s licenses, and no purchase is necessary. Truck drivers can register to win online at www.volvotruckpromotions.com or by calling 866-577-7493. Drivers also can register to win at the Volvo booth at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., March 23-25. The promotion ends April 16. Entrants must be legal U.S. residents.


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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will soon receive a flurry of phone calls from Organic Summit attendees requesting support for organic agriculture. Part of the programming this year is an interactive session that teaches organic advocates who to call on the Hill and what to say.
Experienced advocates may learn new tips as well, as we all pick up our cellphones in unison and call members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees.
Attendees will receive a short script, and those who are unable to attend the summit this year can still participate in the flash phone mob from anywhere by visiting TheOrganicSummit.com to obtain the phone script.
As a retailer, this is your opportunity to join members of the organic supply chain to make your voice heard and speak on behalf of your shoppers. Are your customers demanding more organic produce selection? Do they ask for genetically modified organism labeling? Do they want to know where their food comes from?
Visit TheOrganicSummit.com for more information.
Jody Mason is conference manager of The Organic Summit.


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In the dynamic realm of cannabis technology, Puffco has emerged as a trailblazer. With a legacy of revolutionizing cannabis consumption over the past ten years, this esteemed company is now embarking on its next chapter. Introducing the all-new Peak Pro, a meticulously redesigned and technologically advanced flagship product.
Since its establishment in 2013, Puffco has successfully distributed nearly two million devices, reaching 30 countries worldwide. This exceptional journey of innovation and disruption has propelled Puffco to the forefront of the cannabis industry.
At the core of Puffco’s success is CEO and founder, Roger Volodarsky, whose unwavering mission has driven the company since its inception. “Our vision has always been to make concentrates accessible to all by crafting safe, top-notch devices that deliver an unparalleled experience,” Volodarsky asserts. “It’s truly remarkable to witness this vision resonating with individuals worldwide.”
Puffco’s dedicated team, comprising over 100 talented professionals, consistently pushes the boundaries of product development. The result is an enticing lineup of devices that seamlessly blend aesthetics, functionality, and sophistication. From the Proxy vaporizer pipe to the portable concentrate pen, Plus, the discreet Cupsy bubbler, and the iconic Puffco Peak Pro, each product seeks to demystify and destigmatize concentrates while celebrating the diverse splendor of the cannabis plant.
The newly unveiled Peak Pro exemplifies Puffco’s relentless pursuit of innovation. Featuring Puffco’s patented 3D Chamber, users can anticipate richer vapor, faster heat-up times, and extended battery life. Notable enhancements include the Joystick Cap and improved perc slots in the glass, which work harmoniously to augment vapor production. Exciting updates to the Puffco Connect app, such as Advanced Metrics and Vapor Control features, enable users to customize their experience by regulating vapor volume.
User customization served as a driving force behind the development of the original Peak Pro. Volodarsky elaborates, “Our aim was to introduce a higher level of personalization, allowing users to fine-tune temperature settings and tailor their experience accordingly. Considering the advancements in hash, such as Piattella, and the evolving landscape of technology, we decided to elevate our flagship device, continuing to innovate and redefine hash consumption.”
As of June 6, the new Peak Pro, priced at $420, became available to Puffco SMS subscribers, with general availability commencing on June 8. Backed by a two-year warranty, the device comes in two timeless colors: Pearl and Onyx. Puffco’s journey transcends mere product revolution; it revolves around enabling accessible and enjoyable concentrate experiences. As the company celebrates a decade of groundbreaking innovation, it stands poised to shape the cannabis industry for another transformative decade.


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Volkswagen Group’s potential listing of Porsche would be a strategic watershed moment and show the unprecedented upheaval of the auto industry may only just be beginning.
The German industrial giant and other incumbents have navigated a global pandemic far better than initially feared, posting robust profits and ample amounts of cash flow. Even still, their valuations are stubbornly low compared to Tesla.
No automotive CEO has lamented this as openly and frequently as Herbert Diess, who routinely makes headlines by emphasizing the urgency with which VW must move to transform itself. Exploring a Porsche listing is a nod to that need and will be a litmus test of sorts for its future.
“There’s a loss of power due to the low valuation, which Diess has complained about in the past, and that’s a significant disadvantage,” said Bankhaus Metzler analyst Juergen Pieper. “An IPO of Porsche would be the silver bullet.”
Porsche’s appeal is obvious to investors. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Dean estimates the brand could stand up a 110 billion-euro ($133 billion) valuation in an initial public offering, roughly 20 billion euros more than investors value VW at now.
But getting such a deal done will not be simple because of the institutional hurdles that have stood in the way of other attempts Diess, 62, has made to shake up VW since he became CEO in 2018.
Major decisions must be approved by the company’s dominant and often at odds shareholders led by the Porsche and Piech family and German state of Lower Saxony, which tends to side with powerful labor unions.
What Tesla’s meteoric rise has done, however, is send a clear signal to Diess that extreme measures must be taken to get the capital markets to come around to “old-auto” companies. VW’s review of options for Porsche comes after Daimler decided to spin off its truck unit after years of management opposition to such a move. Its shares have advanced 13 percent since then and are hovering around a three-year high.
Even after the spinoff boost, Daimler is worth about $86 billion, almost matching the valuation of NIO, which brought in roughly one-tenth the revenue last year.
Investors have taken a dim view of automakers’ ability to keep up with new entrants unencumbered by sprawling production networks centered around combustion engines. Ford put this reality in stark relief this week when it announced plans to go from selling zero electric vehicles last year in Europe to only offering full-electric passenger cars by the end of the decade.
It’s clear VW will spare no expense in its efforts to catch up to Tesla, having budgeted a bigger slice of its 150 billion-euro spending budget for investment in electric cars and software in the next five years. As strong as earnings are now, they will be strained by all the costs associated with retiring some operations.
“VW’s balance sheet may not be fit to ensure both accelerated investments in electric and autonomous vehicles and finance an accelerated downsizing of legacy issues,” Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois said in a note.


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Tally Solutions Celebrates The True Spirit Of MSMEs In Recent Campaign
- June 29, 2022
- Zainab Kantawala
- Posted in CampaignsPartner
Every business owner has come across the term Tally, irrespective of the sector or the audience they serve. Tally has been supporting the small and medium business owners for over three decades and in order to salute the indomitable spirit of MSMEs across the world and celebrate their unrelenting contribution in the economic development of our country, the software pioneer company celebrated the International MSME Day by launching a new campaign ‘Always AweSME’.
The film that the campaign is centred around depicts how one business can impact the lives of consumers and other businesses giving an impetus to the overall ecosystem. It shows a chain reaction of growth that starts with one business taking the first step towards achieving their dreams.
Jayati Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Tally Solutions said, “MSMEs are crucial for any nation’s development and their ability to choose this path not just enables lives of its employees, it gives hope and opportunities to the larger community. ‘Aap Se Bane Hum’ is a true reflection of how MSMEs and the ecosystem at large are interdependent on each other. We have been enabling our country’s heroes for over three decades now and this film is a small effort in celebrating that spirit.”
As part of the overall campaign and to empower small businesses with the know-how, best practises and techniques associated with key challenges that they face, Tally conducted insightful masterclasses in association with ET Now& Business Coach and Author Rajiv Talreja.
Moreover, Tally launched the second edition of ‘MSME Honours’ to recognize and celebrate the diversity and the positive impact of micro, small and medium enterprises through their best practises at the hyperlocal level. In its second edition, Tally MSME Honours was launched globally across India, Middle East, Kenya, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Indonesia. Nominations from the MSMEs were received across five categories – WonderWoman, Business Maestro, NextGen Icon, Digital Transformer and Champion of Cause.
The initiative received a phenomenal response with over 2000 nominations across 350 towns and cities, globally. In India, 97 MSMEs were recognized in four grand events hosted across four zones (East, West, North and South) of the country.
It’s heartwarming to see that MSMEs, who truly run the nation, immensely contribute to the employment generation, GDP growth and exports, get the limelight they have always deserved. From businesses to consumers, MSMEs touch the lives of everyone and there’s no debate regarding that. Tally Solutions took it up to salute every MSME that transform the lives of millions and showed the way that it’s important to recognize the effort of these nation builders.


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Earlier today Sony Online Entertainment shut down service because of an intrusion into the system, and now we’ve learned thousands of users’ credit card numbers were stolen. The news was originally reported by Japanese news site Nikkei.com (via BGR), but SOE has since released a press release detailing even deeper attacks.
The report states that more than 12,700 customers’ credit card numbers may have been stolen. SOE believes hackers stole customer information on April 16 and April 17. Engineers and security consultants reviewing SOE systems discovered that personal information from approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts may have been stolen, as well as certain information from an outdated database from 2007. The outdated database had approximately 12,700 non-U.S. credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates, but no security cards. There may also have been 10,700 direct debit records stolen from customers in Austria, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain.
Given the attacks on the PlayStation Network, SOE had already undertaken an intensive investigation into its system. Upon discovering the additional information, SOE shut down all servers related to SOE services while it reviewed and upgraded all of its online security.
The press release went on to say, “Sony is making this disclosure as quickly as possible after the discovery of the theft, and the company has posted information on its website and will send e-mails to all consumers whose data may have been stolen.”
Personal information stolen from approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts includes names, addresses, email addresses, birthdates, gender, phone numbers, login names, and hashed passwords. The 10,700 direct debit records stolen include bank account numbers, customer names, account names, and customers’ addresses.
Customers will receive 30 days of additional time on their subscriptions, in addition to compensation of one day for each day the system is down. SOE is also working on a “make good” plan for customers of its PS3 MMOs DC Universe Online and Free Realms. Sony will also offer complimentary assistance in enrolling users in identity theft protection services.


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How COVID-19 Has Affected Hotel Service Workers
The onset of COVID-19 changed the world nearly instantaneously, and the hospitality sector felt those effects immediately and harshly. Travel all but vanished for months, and even now with economies reopening, studies project that the industry may not return to pre-pandemic strength until 2023. Hotel service workers in particular have had an unprecedentedly difficult year….
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How the Pandemic Changed Cash, and How Tech Can Save Tips
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Now More Than Ever, We Should Be Tipping Hospitality Workers
To tip hospitality workers or not to tip, that’s the question. There’s nothing stopping someone from leaving a gratuity beside their bed, yet research shows about 70% of hotel guests end up not leaving a tip. At almost every other establishment we regularly patron there’s a line at the bottom of the receipt for adding a…
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The Nielsen//NetRatings Holiday eShopping Index shows the number of U.S. shoppers online rose 11 percent year over year on the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest store-based shopping day of the year, also known as Black Friday.
But that jump does not impress Ken Cassar, director of strategic analysis at Nielsen//NetRatings, the New York market researcher that measures unique online traffic.
“I see the 11 percent increase as on the lower side of what I may have expected based upon the pre-season holiday [e-commerce] forecasts from other firms,” he said. “It's possible that people bought earlier this holiday season than last holiday season. It's also possible that people will buy later this holiday season.”
Visitor traffic numbers should not speak for actual e-commerce transactions over the Thanksgiving period. An estimate from comScore Networks, Chicago, claims online retail sales rose 35 percent for the Nov. 22-26 week to $1.23 billion compared with the year-ago period.
Thanksgiving Day alone accounted for $133 million in online sales, doubling the $67 million spent last year on that day, comScore said. Online sales this Black Friday totaled $250 million, up 41 percent from $178 million in 2003. Nov. 27-28 data will be released today.
ComScore monitors actual online buying behavior based on a panel of 1.5 million consumers in the United States and 2 million overseas.
“Bear in mind that sales during the Thanksgiving weekend [are] not generally thought of as particularly strong compared to other weekends, and especially weekdays,” said Graham Mudd, senior analyst at comScore. “I would not rely on traffic figures as a proxy for actual sales.”
Online sales last year on the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving were a combined $310 million. They totaled $460 million the next weekend.
Even Cassar agrees that expectations for Black Friday online to match offline are overestimated, especially for online traffic numbers.
“When I look at [online] traffic over the years, the Sunday following Thanksgiving has been a bigger day in traffic than Black Friday,” he said.
Evidence suggests strong e-commerce sales on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday may be driven by increased home broadband penetration. Such speedy Internet connections make online shopping faster and more convenient.
“Fifty percent of the online population has broadband connection at home, and we've seen that broadband users spend 50 percent more than their narrowband counterparts,” Mudd said.
A survey by Bigresearch for the National Retail Federation claims 133 million shoppers spent an estimated $22.8 billion Nov. 25-28. Sales were across all channels, including stores, e-commerce and catalog. NRF predicts holiday sales across all channels will grow 4.5 percent this year to $219.9 billion.
However, there is no way for NRF to know whether sales this Thanksgiving weekend were up or down compared with last year.
“There's no comparable data available for Thanksgiving weekend last year,” said Ellen Tolley, director of media relations at NRF, Washington. “The question was not asked last year in the [trade association's] survey.”
This lack of data does not mask that consumers did shop online in large numbers this Black Friday, if tracking by Nielsen//NetRatings holds true.
Auction platform eBay was the No. 1 online-shopping destination, with 5.4 million unique visitors Nov. 26 this year, followed by Amazon's 2.6 million and Walmart.com's 1.4 million. Target.com attracted 923,000 unique visitors, and BestBuy.com had 847,000.
The next five most-shopped destinations were Yahoo Shopping's 818,000 unique visitors, Shopping.com network's 702,000, Overstock.com's 675,000, Sears.com's 645,000 and toysrus.com's 642,000.
Nielsen//NetRatings said 26 percent more shoppers, or 13.3 million people, visited e-commerce sites Nov. 26 versus the previous Friday, Nov. 19.
Toys and video games were the fastest-growing categories on Black Friday, up 152 percent in visitors at home versus the previous Friday. Consumer electronics rose 94 percent. Comparison-shopping sites and portals saw a 75 percent jump in traffic. Hardware and software generated a 54 percent increase in unique visitors at home. Books, music and video were up 50 percent.
The fastest-growing categories online, the market researcher stated, were those related to traditional gifts that are easy to find and buy.
Nielsen//NetRatings' Holiday eShopping Index tracks shopping activity across 109 representative retailers in 10 retail categories.
Another report from online monitoring service Hitwise, New York, said shopping and classifieds sites drew 11.39 percent of all U.S. visits on Thanksgiving Day, up from 8.96 percent in the year-ago period.
U.S. visits to retail sites crossed 10 percent of total Internet traffic for the first time, Hitwise claims. The respective percentages for Black Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27, were 11.03 percent and 10.74 percent.
Hitwise collects online-use information from Internet service provider data partnerships and opt-in panels. This helps the company track how 25 million-plus online shoppers interact with 500,000 Web sites in 160 industry categories.
Data from Hitwise suggest Thanksgiving was the busiest shopping day of the year to date. U.S. visits to the overall shopping category on Thanksgiving Day rose 27 percent versus the year-ago period. Shopping visits on Black Friday grew 24 percent year over year.
“The dichotomy of visits to retail sites suggests that consumers are researching higher-ticket items such as computers and electronics on Thanksgiving before heading out to stores on Friday,” Hitwise vice president of research Bill Tancer said in a statement. “Conversely, non-tech items like home goods, books and beauty continue to dominate online shopping traffic on Black Friday.”
A recent JupiterResearch survey claims that online retail sales will exceed $21.5 billion for the holiday season, a 19 percent increase over 2003. The New York-based market researcher expects new online buyers and higher spending per person to drive holiday e-commerce this year.
An estimated 86.1 million online holiday shoppers will spend an average of $250 per person, JupiterResearch said. This is up from 73.3 million shoppers spending an average of $247 per person in 2003. The 2002 numbers included an average of $257 per person spent by 53.6 million people.
JupiterResearch's estimate for online retail spend per buyer exceeds one-third of the $702.03 that the average U.S. consumer plans to spend this holiday season across all channels, according to a forecast by Bigresearch for NRF.


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Dining magnate hits drive-thru for hefty helping of Taco Bells
No need to check the San Francisco real estate investor’s cholesterol, however, or contact Jenny Craig on his behalf — his appetite is strictly on the acquisitions side.
With 438 casual dining restaurants under his quickly expanding belt, he recently became the largest franchise holder within the Applebee’s system. Now he’s hungry for tacos.
Last month, Flynn gobbled up 76 Taco Bells — with a few KFCs and Pizza Huts thrown in — throughout Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky, taking them off the hands of Southern Bells Inc. for around $75 million.
The acquisition adds $97 million in revenue to Flynn’s booming $1.25 billion empire and is turning the direction of the company. Previously, Flynn had said he might want to go even larger on Applebee’s.
“We will now focus almost entirely on Taco Bell,” said Flynn.
Unlike other fast food restaurants in the industry, such as Burger King or Pizza Hut, Flynn said Taco Bell is virtually unrivaled. Chipotle, he said, is the biggest contender, “but even that concept is pretty different.”
There are currently about 5,800 Taco Bells in the United States, and Flynn plans on taking a big bite of that market.
To organize his fast-growing assets, Flynn has rebranded the company as Flynn Restaurant Group LLC, which will have two divisions — Apple American Group and Bell American Group.
The company will continue to build out new Applebee’s as opportunity permits and “develop aggressively in our current market,” Flynn said. “But we’re expanding and expanding.”
Jim Gardner oversees print and online news coverage of the vibrant Bay Area economy.
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The conference call will be hosted by MTG’s President and CEO Maria Redin and CFO Lasse Pilgaard. Guests can use the following links to register for the presentation and Q&A:
Please note that MTG is releasing its financial results for Q2 2022 at a new time.
The group’s results will be published at 7.30 CET, before trading commences on Nasdaq Nordic. MTG has chosen not to change the time for its quarterly conference call, to ensure that the event can be attended by stakeholders across a wide variety of time zones.
For more information:
Anton Gourman, VP Communications and IR Direct: +46 73 661 8488, email@example.com
MTG (Modern Times Group MTG AB (publ.)) (www.mtg.com) is an international mobile gaming group that owns and operates gaming studios with popular global IPs across a wide range of casual and mid-core genres. The group is focused on accelerating portfolio company growth and supporting founders and entrepreneurs. MTG is an active driver of gaming industry consolidation and a strategic acquirer of gaming companies around the world. We are born in Sweden but have an international culture and global footprint. Our shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘MTGA’ and ‘MTGB’).


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NextTv, a new media and entertainment platform, is set to challenge the monopoly enjoyed by South Africa’s Multichoice Digital Satellite TV’s (DStv) monopoly in Nigeria’s payTV market.
The platform, a joint venture partnership between Nigus International, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) and China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) pledged to make satellite television affordable with quality service delivery.
Under the new arrangement, Nigus International will be the lead partner holding a 75 percent equity stake, while NigComSat holds 15 percent equity and CGWIC holding 10 percent equity stake.
The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, while speaking at the launch of the satellite service provider to the NigComSat Direct-To-Home (DTH) platform in Abuja, urged Nigerians to patronise and invest in the company.
He said the partnership within the next few years would produce about 1.5 million set-up boxes and in doing that many more Nigerians will get jobs.
He assured management of the satellite television of government’s support to ensure that the new partnership makes huge entry into the market. Executive Chairman of NextTV, Mr. Malik Ado-Ibrahim, said, “We have flexibility from the market giving us tremendous opening to reach large number of people.
So we are very comfortable that Nigerians and Africa in general would be able to access our service and get quality entertainment contents. “NexTV is not just about entertainment but satellite communication, broadband connectivity and accessing digital content through different platform across Africa.
That is why we launched the OGT service and i think that is where we are going to be successful. There is mobility where you don’t need a TV but a smartphone to access contents,” Ado-Ibrahim said.


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In a fascinating case study of how the for-profit industry can sometimes make a greater social impact than the nonprofit world, Shopkick, a popular geo-location app, has paradoxically created a more charitable community since it decided to ditch its charity business model and focus on giving people free stuff. The app rewards users with virtual currency for completing various check-in tasks at selected retailers which can then be redeemed for products or used to give equivalently to a charity. But it began as CauseWorld, a similar check-in app where users could only give their points to nonprofits, rather than the gift cards and discounts they can now also redeem under Shopkick.
When CauseWorld users transitioned to the new for-profit version, Shopkick, the community grew almost four times, and a sizable chunk still decided to give their rewards to charities. Though a smaller percentage currently donate, the massive growth in users means that a greater number donate, making the aggregate contribution more charitable than under CauseWorld.
“You basically benefit from greed,” says Shopkick CEO Cyriac Roeding, “You build a larger user base with a for-profit app than with a nonprofit.” Given that CauseWorld raised roughly $1.5 million for charity in the few years it was around, both the community’s continued existence and bump in giving is a significant contribution to social good.
Shopkick awards virtual currency when users check in to a retailer; then
users decide to give a certain number of those virtual credits to
either a charity or to buy actual consumer goods. Here a few numbers on to compare CauseWorld to ShopKick:
A carbon offsetting project:
- CauseWorld: 2,133 donations per month
- Shopkick: 2,673 donations per month
A charity to prevent child abuse:
- CauseWorld: 667 donations per month
- Shopkick: 1,257 donations per month
A breast cancer charity:
- CauseWorld: 533 donations per month
- Shopkick: 964 donations per month
Shopkick is the latest in a long line of social entrepreneurs who have found that combining charity and profit is more beneficial to both, including Toms Shoes’s Blake Mycoskie. “If I had created a nonprofit, we would have been able to give shoes once, or maybe twice,” he told Fast Company. Thanks to his massive retail presence, though, the sustainable model has given more shoes to charity than a nonprofit could have alone. In Shopkick’s case, the change was quite dramatic. Some charities received double the number of monthly donations.
There is one caveat to the Shopkick story: Because Shopkick is forbidden from disclosing actual donation numbers, there’s no way to verify if the total dollar amount going to charity has increased–we only know that users are giving more often.
It’s possible (yet unlikely) that when Shopkick transitioned from CauseWorld, the amount of money per donation decreased.
Regardless, the lesson holds: More people were donating their credits to causes. And, as other nonprofits or aspiring social entrepreneurs mentally wrestle between for-profit or nonprofit models, the Shopkick lesson is a powerful argument in favor of market capitalism.
[Image: Flickr user Images_of_Money]


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PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) – The Pyeongchang Winter Games was supposed to be the coming-out party for 5G, the next generation of wireless technology – but few people noticed. And some of those who did were unimpressed.
“It was okay,” South Korean spectator Lim Seol-hwa said, after visiting a truck outfitted with the technology, one of several demonstrations of 5G’s applications at Games venues.
“It was quite real and interesting to try. It would have been better if we could have actually tried it with our own phone.”
South Korea’s largest telecom, KT Corp, had promoted Pyeongchang as the first “5G Olympic Games in the world”, arousing interest from investors, other telecoms firms and networking companies curious to see if the technology is viable and how exactly it would be applied.
KT’s marketing also led some Games spectators this month to believe their phones could use super-fast 5G – though that was never a possibility given 5G-compatible handsets have yet to be sold.
In KT’s 5G demonstrations, company representatives show videos demonstrating the speed and capability of 5G, using real-time, 360-degree video of athletes competing. It’s a feat that would be impossible on current 4G technology without buffering.
The 5G speeds reached in the trials were four times faster than 4G, according to chip maker Intel Corp, which partnered with KT. It allowed for crisp streaming of the Games’ action from all angles with no buffering.
KT also staged a “5G Zone” at venues allowing passers-by to also analyze video in short time slices. About 100 cameras installed around the Olympic ice arena gave 360-degree views for people watching on special tablets, Games organizers said.
While the 5G Zone at the Gangneung ice hockey area was promoted on Pyeongchang’s Olympics website, it was not available to attendees during hockey games and was based in an area reserved for Olympic families, making it hard to find.
American hockey fan Ben Dower was one spectator who had failed to spot the trial.
“I don’t really know what 5G is,” said Dower, who traveled from Washington to watch a game between the United States and neutral Russian athletes. “I’ve heard of the term but I just don’t know how it’s different from 4G.”
KT spokeswoman Jiyoung Lee said KT had limited marketing rights at the Games and that this in turn had limited its ability to promote 5G as much as the company would have liked.
A spokeswoman for the Pyeongchang Games organisers said in a statement that “KT has exercised their marketing and promotion rights to the fullest through various efforts within Korea”.
Still just hype?
Makers of network equipment, device makers like Samsung Electronics and Apple and chip designers such as Qualcomm are counting on 5G to usher in a new wave of hardware upgrades – and income.
Network operators in South Korea, Japan and the United States are preparing to launch 5G this year or in 2019, with China also likely to be an early adopter. The European Union wants European companies to start offering 5G in 2020.
“Unfortunately, 5G is being over-hyped everywhere. Carriers are desperate not to appear as though they are falling behind,” said Craig Moffett, a research analyst at MoffettNathanson. “The reality is that true 5G is still a ways off.”
KT spokeswoman Lee said it was “not right to say we’re making any hype on the 5G service now”.
KT, which wants to be among the first to roll out 5G, is also demonstrating at the Games how 5G can be used in future in smart cities, such as in autonomous vehicles.
One marketing expert, Rob Prazmark, chief executive of 21 Sports and Entertainment, who attended the Pyeongchang Games, said KT’s efforts reminded him of how Philips used the 1992 Games in Albertville to introduce high-definition TV broadcasting, but it took many more years for HD TV to catch on.
However, Jang Jae-hyeon, an analyst at LG Economic Research Institute, said KT had made a decent start.
“It’s still meaningful that KT really showed people what they have instead of a lab test,” Jang said.
(By Liana B. Baker and Jane Chung; Additional reporting by Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; Editing by Mark Bendeich)


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By Thomas Gryta
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (February 10, 2020).
The stock market is surging, but few chief executives are
The S&P 500 jumped 30% and set record highs in 2019, but
only 80 CEOs in the index reduced personal holdings in the
businesses they led during the year, according to a Wall Street
Journal analysis. Insiders generally want to avoid sending negative
signals about their companies by cashing out.
Of the corporate chieftains who pared their stakes, the majority
-- 67 of them -- did so while their companies were repurchasing
shares in the market.
A company's use of cash to buy back stock typically signals that
the board sees the shares as undervalued. But a sale of stock by
the boss during a buyback period tends to contradict the board's
message, since people generally don't sell shares that they expect
to rise in value.
"I think this a real governance problem," Rob Jackson, a
commissioner at the Securities and Exchange Commission, said in an
interview. Mr. Jackson has conducted research showing that
corporate insiders sell more of their stock immediately after a
buyback announcement as compared with an ordinary trading day.
Mr. Jackson said the SEC hasn't changed its rules on share
repurchases since 2003, and further transparency is needed for
shareholders to know what their executives and boards are
"Boards of directors who are allowing buybacks to occur without
being transparent about allowing CEOs to sell into them raise real
questions about the leadership of that board," said Mr. Jackson,
who plans to leave the SEC this month to return to teaching.
The WSJ's analysis of CEO stock sales included regulatory
disclosures of executive holdings at the start and end of 2019 as
compiled by FactSet, along with share repurchase data provided by
S&P Global Market Intelligence. The group of sellers includes
CEOs who gifted shares to charity or who transferred stock as part
of a divorce. Most sold their shares through 10b5-1 trading plans,
which permit executives to schedule trades for particular times or
The list of CEOs reducing their holdings last year is dominated
by a pair of famous tech company founders: Amazon.com Inc.'s Jeff
Bezos and Facebook Inc.'s Mark Zuckerberg. Mr. Bezos reduced his
holdings by more than $38 billion, including the transfer of more
than $35 billion in his divorce, along with charitable gifts and
sales to fund his space venture, Blue Origin. Mr. Zuckerberg sold
about $1.8 billion in shares.
Even after the sales, each CEO remains his company's biggest
individual shareholder. Facebook spent $4.1 billion on buybacks in
2019, while Amazon didn't repurchase shares. Facebook shares gained
56% last year; Amazon advanced 23%.
A Facebook spokesman pointed to previous filings detailing the
stock sales of Mr. Zuckerberg and his wife to fund their charity
work, including the majority of the 2019 stock sales. An Amazon
spokeswoman declined to comment.
Excluding founders, the biggest CEO seller was PNC Financial
Services Group Inc.'s William Demchak, who sold nearly $24 million
of company shares in 2019, according to the analysis. About $20
million of that came on a single day in early November, less than a
week after the bank's stock price crossed $150 for the first time
in 18 months.
In 2019, PNC repurchased about $3.5 billion of its own stock
with about $1 billion of that coming in the last three months of
the year. PNC shares had a total shareholder return of 41% in 2019,
according to FactSet.
A PNC spokeswoman said Mr. Demchak's stock sales were his first
since becoming CEO in 2013, aside from exercising options or making
"This past year's sales were simply in connection with efforts
to improve diversification and effectuate family planning, and are
in no way inconsistent with PNC's determination that its corporate
decision to buy back shares was a prudent use of capital," she
said. The company recently expanded its stock repurchase
Nell Minow, vice chair of ValueEdge Advisors, said CEOs and
other top executives shouldn't sell any company shares while in the
job and for three years after they leave the company. Her firm
advises institutional investors on corporate governance issues.
"The one thing that the buyback is supposed to communicate is
confidence in the stock and the future," she said. "That message is
completely undermined by executive sales of the stock."
The common argument that executives want to diversify
investments or need to pay taxes isn't a reason to sell, she said,
citing their annual compensation and leadership role. If needed,
they can borrow against the stockholdings, she said.
"We want CEOs to be thinking long-term up until the day that
they leave, " Ms. Minow said. "The more stock they have, the better
they do at looking long-term."
Some top executives don't ever sell shares, a message that sets
the tone for underlings, according to experts. Jeffrey Immelt, the
former CEO of General Electric Co., had such a policy.
TJX Cos. CEO Ernie Herrman sold about $14 million of the
retailer's stock last year, according to the Journal's analysis.
Half of those sales happened on a single day, Nov. 26 -- the
Tuesday before Black Friday, the biggest day of the holiday
The company repurchased about $1.2 billion in stock in the first
nine months of the year. TJX's total shareholder return in 2019 was
A TJX spokeswoman said the company has repurchased shares
regularly since 1997 and executives are permitted to trade in
company shares only during limited windows of time.
"Mr. Herrman has sold TJX stock over many years, continues to
hold very large stakes in the company, and exceeds our
stock-ownership requirements," she said, noting the stock's return.
In the past 10 years, the stock rose to above $60 a share from
Executives at public companies are restricted in how they can
sell shares without running afoul of insider-trading rules and are
usually careful about timing their sales to not send negative
messages, said Douglas Chia, a corporate governance expert at
Executives now are required to report sales within two days, but
those transactions could be made public almost instantly, he said.
Otherwise, he doesn't think more regulation is needed.
"I'm not a fan of the government putting restrictions on when
people can buy or sell," Mr. Chia said. "The companies should have
policies in place to restrict this kind of activity."
Write to Thomas Gryta at email@example.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 10, 2020 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2020 to Sep 2020
TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2019 to Sep 2020


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We've had a couple of tips from readers who were told by Best Buy that new stock of the Asus EEE PC is due to hit next week (November 11th.) Seems a little iffy for new stock to arrive on a Sunday but apparently the sales representatives showed the screen to one of our tipsters, and that date was on the screen. We're guessing that this is only referring to the 4GB model which Asus has released so far, too. If you're in the UK, you may have luck over at RM.co.uk, the official resellers of the miniBook over there: their online site says units are shipped within 3 days.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]


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TRENDING ON ONEINDIA
- "If 10 Parties Gang Up Against One, Imagine Who's Stronger?" — Rajinikanth
- OnePlus 7 Concept Render: Triple-Camera With In-display Selfie
- KTM 390 Adventure India-Launch Details Still Unclear — EICMA 2018 Disappoints Fans
- Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh Wedding: This Video From Lake Como Is Breathtaking
- This Is How You Should Financially Plan For A Vacation
- Morning Habits Of Highly Successful People
- All About Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary
- NZ Trip Is Good For Test Regulars, Says Rahul Dravid
It looks like HMD Global is geared up to launch a new flagship smartphone by the end of this year. The recent leaks have shown that this upcoming Nokia flagship could flaunt a penta-lens camera setup at its rear. The latest render to have emerged online gives us a glance at the complete design of this smartphone.
After the leaked back panel showing the penta-lens camera and a set of leaked hands-on images of the alleged Nokia 9, a new leak has emerged online. The popular tipster and designer Benjamin Geskin has taken to Twitter to share a fresh render of the device shedding light on its front and rear design.
Small notch at the front
As seen in the image above, there appears to be a relatively smaller notch on top of the display. It can be seen that the notch has space just to house the selfie camera and earpiece. The bezels at the sides appear to be narrow but the chin is thick enough to provide room for the Nokia branding.
Moving on to its rear, there appear to be five cameras and an LED flash module on the device. There is an additional cutout but that appears to be empty. The design also hints that the Nokia 9 will feature a glass back to support wireless charging. The Zeiss branding amidst the camera cutouts confirms that the penta-lens module has been developed along with Carl Zeiss.
In-display fingerprint sensor
Though there is no physical fingerprint sensor on this smartphone, we expect to see an in-display fingerprint sensor. And, this hints that there could be an OLED display on the upcoming Nokia smartphone.
Mid-2018 launch reportedly canceled
From the earlier reports, HMD Global reportedly called off the mid-2018 launch of the Nokia 9 due to the major issues related to the camera. And, this leaked image shows the kind of trouble that the company might have experienced. We even came across rumors regarding a smartphone called Nokia 10 alleged to feature a penta-lens camera. And, there were claims that the Nokia 9 could be launched with the moniker Nokia A1 Plus at the IFA 2018 though the same did not turn fruitful.


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Sponsored by Italian Trade Agency
Pushed by Pandemic, 2 Mall Owners File Chapter 11
CBL Properties and the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust both filed for bankruptcy Sunday.
New York—Mall operators CBL Properties and the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday, another sign of the toll COVID-19 is taking on already struggling sectors of physical retail.
Chattanooga, Tennessee-headquartered CBL operates 107 malls and outlet centers in 26 states, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast.
Jewelry giant Signet Jewelers Ltd. is the company’s second-largest retailer, with 138 stores accounting for 3 percent of its total revenues, according to court papers included in the bankruptcy filing. (Its largest tenant is L Brands Inc., owner of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works.)
CBL’s shopping centers have been grappling with myriad issues in recent years, with decreasing foot traffic to Class B and C malls pushing tenants to shed stores.
COVID-19 accelerated the decline, as it forced stores to close for an extended period and has made consumers hesitant to resume shopping in large, enclosed spaces.
Many retailers are unable to pay the rent, even if they wish to remain open, while others—like Signet—are further rethinking their physical footprint.
Still other CBL tenants, including J.C. Penney and Ann Taylor owner Ascena Retail Group, have also filed for bankruptcy.
CBL said in court papers that in 2020 alone, more than 30 of its retail tenants commenced their own Chapter 11 cases.
The mall operator entered into a restructuring support agreement with lenders back in August, with an eye on reducing debt and other obligations by $1.5 billion and increasing liquidity while keeping its shopping centers open.
It warned then a bankruptcy filing may be imminent.
In a statement released Monday, CEO Stephen D. Lebovitz said after months of discussion, the company came to the decision that a Chapter 11 filing was the best option.
“CBL’s management and the board of directors firmly believe that implementing the comprehensive restructuring as outlined in the RSA through a Chapter 11 voluntary bankruptcy filing will provide CBL with the best plan to emerge as a stronger and more stable company,” he said.
“Upon emergence, CBL will be in a better position to execute on our strategies and move forward as a stable and profitable business.”
CBL & Associates Properties Inc., along with CBL & Associates Limited Partnership and other related entities, filed Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston.
The company said its customers, tenants and partners can expect “business as usual” throughout the Chapter 11 proceedings.
The smaller Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, or PREIT, has 19 malls in eight states, according to its website.
Like CBL Properties, PREIT has already entered into a restructuring agreement with lenders and plans to keep its malls open and continue paying all employees, vendors and suppliers throughout the Chapter 11 process.
The mall operator said in a statement issued Sunday the banks have committed to providing an additional $150 million to recapitalize the business and extend loan repayment reschedules. It also said its restructuring plan has backing from 95 percent of its creditors.
“We are pleased to be moving forward with strengthening the company’s balance sheet and positioning it for long-term success through our prepackaged plan,” CEO Joseph F. Coradino said.
“Today’s announcement has no impact on our operations … and we remain committed to continuing to deliver top-tier experiences and improving our portfolio. With the overwhelming support of our lenders, we look forward to quickly emerging from this process as a financially stronger company with the resources and support to continue creating diverse, multi-use ecosystems throughout our portfolio.”
Jewelry and objects belonging to Bette Midler, heiress Hélène Irwin Crocker Fagan, and Lady Sylvia Ashley were among the highlights.
When it comes to knowing the identity and quality of your pearls, count on GIA as your independent pearl experts.
The company opted not to raise its fiscal guidance, citing a slowdown in the U.S. market as a key reason.
From “old-school” eBay to new kid on the block 1stDibs, we asked jewelers about their experiences selling jewelry in non-traditional places.
She has nearly 30 years’ experience in the gem and jewelry industry and a background in nonprofit management.
Advanced technology levels the playing field, helping jewelers give customers what they want.
Senior Editor Brecken Branstrator chooses the pieces she’d most want to see in person.
“Today’s Wedding Jewelry Consumer” shares data about engagement ring market size, lab-grown and natural diamonds, and more.
Several Couture brands have partnered with Platinum Guild International ahead of the jewelry trade show.
The jewelry company is moving into bridal just a month after branching out into the watch world.
The 2008 economic crisis, COVID-19, and sanctions on Russian goods have set the stage for an interesting decade for natural diamond supply.
The Generating Community Impact fundraiser on June 11 will feature Karine Bah Tahé of Blue Level Training.
Kaiser, whose illustrious career spanned decades, died suddenly on Friday.
He will step into the retailer’s newly created role of chief development officer.
GemIntro is meant to give a broad introduction to gems and gemology.
Three industry experts discuss “recycled” gold vs. mined, their challenges and benefits, and how jewelers can navigate the area.
Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Buccellati put on stellar performances.
The New York jeweler made this incredible, colorful Art Deco bracelet featuring tropical birds in 1927.
From a slowdown in sales growth to rising costs, Fruchtman Marketing outlines its expectations for the second half of the year.


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Through its various online platforms, including Instant Messaging QQ, web portal QQ.com, QQ Game platform under Tencent Games, multi-media social networking service Qzone and wireless portal
, Tencent serves the largest online community in China and fulfills users' needs for communication, information, entertainment and e-commerce on the Internet.
Mviva is a joint venture between Carphone Warehouse and AOL, and has already established itself as a leading UK wireless portal
Applications include wireless synchronization with corporate databases, real-time vehicle tracking, and wireless portal
ChangingWorlds, a provider of personalization and wireless portal
products to the telecomms industry, and mobile communications company O2 UK have designed and delivered a personalized and content centric mobile portal.
SK Telecom, for instance, offers a wireless portal
where subscribers can get not only the song itself, but also the musicvideo, ringtone, ringback tone, screensaver and mobile karaoke to go with it.
(6.) Goldman Sachs recently valued Vodafone's Multi-Access Portal at almost $29 billion, for example--a valuation based on Goldman's predictions of the potential revenue sources for a wireless portal
@Motion Inc has announced that it is developing an internet wireless portal
service to enable any wireless handset to access any web-based information or service, and that it has scored $10m in funding from backers such as Intel Corp and Deutsche Telekom.
UK-based wireless software solutions provider flyingSPARK has won a contract from gas company BG Group for the provision of its Wireless E-mail & PIM software and its Wireless Portal
Panama is a wireless portal
technology that enables people to use any type of information appliance - a handheld, smartphone or cell phone for example - to gain real- time access to web-based information.
Iobox has built its fast- growing service on the Ztango.com platform, delivering wireless portal
functionality to its rapidly growing base of registered users in Finland, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Under the agreement Aspiro will now offer Akumiitti`s Entertainment Service Center-Platform (ESC2) with its integrated wireless portal
offerings which includes news and information, financial services, travel assistant, shop-in-pocket and leisure & pleasure.
"We have been able to quickly and easily extend our existing platform to support emerging formats, such as WAP, to offer advanced wireless portal


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Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub.
You'd think it would be easy to spend cryptocurrency at a blockchain conference. But food truck vendors and merchandise sellers have only relatively recently transitioned from cash-only to debit and credit transactions. Crypto payments are a ways behind.
But event vendors at next week’s 2nd annual San Francisco Blockchain Week (SFBW)—a collection of events that includes the Crypto Economics Security Conference, Epicenter, a hackathon, and a career fair—now have a way of accepting cryptocurrency thanks to a partnership between Squarelink and Terra.
Squarelink’s signature application is Event Pass, a platform for cryptocurrency payments at conferences and festivals. Using Event Pass, SFBW organizers will be able to set up point-of-sale terminals for merchants and distribute wallets to conference-goers, who can then fund them via the Terra payment network. Terra is a blockchain payments network with its own cryptocurrency pegged to a handful of other stablecoins and stabilized by a secondary currency, LUNA.
The arrangement was sanctioned by San Francisco Blockchain Week organizers, who want attendees to be able to put their money where their mouth is.
“We’re excited to take steps to involve our vendors in the cryptocurrency experience and continue to drive mainstream adoption,” event organizer Ronen Kirsh said today in a statement.
The payment option builds off the momentum set by this year’s ETHDenver, which developer Austin Griffith called “the biggest pop-up economy powered by crypto in history.” Participants there used a burner wallet running on the xDAI network. Griffith reported that, during the event, 11 food trucks took in over $38,000 in DAI with total transaction costs at just $0.20.
San Francisco Blockchain Week is taking a more formal approach with the Event Pass solution, though adoption by vendors is still optional. So don’t be surprised if that taco truck on Mission Street prefers cash.
But with over 5,000 people expected to attend next week, chances are someone will happily take your stablecoin.


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YouTube has invested millions of dollars into creating premium, original channels and will be refocusing their efforts by cutting funding to the majority of channels they helped fund in the first place.
This news may come as a bit of a surprise, and new contracts will be sent out this week, but only 30 to 40 percent are expected to receive one.
Channels that won’t be receiving any more funding won’t necessarily disappear. With the changes, they simply won’t receive money to work on creating new videos. Depending on how well they’re doing, they’ll still generate money through ad revenue.
Part of the reason YouTube is doing this is pretty straightforward: For one, there are some premium channels that just aren’t panning out. Also, there are channels that are generating sufficient revenue and therefore don’t need any more funding.
YouTube’s Director of Content Strategy, Jamie Byrne, said that watch time and cost efficiency are the two biggest factors in deciding who will continue to get funding and who will not receive a new contract.
This is far from the end of original, premium content. Thousands of video creators outside of this program continue to roll out high quality, consistent content that millions engage with every single day. YouTube is simply looking to reassess where they are investing money in original channels and figure out how they can better allocate it, just as any successful business would do.


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Attention car collectors: The next hot classic import could be Toyota's failed — and fabled — Toyopet Crown from the late 1950s.
With fewer than 2,000 Toyopets sold in the United States from 1958-61 and only around a dozen thought to survive, the small sedan certainly is rare. As the first Japanese car sold in the United States, it has an interesting place in history. And with its suicide doors and instrument panel lights that change color based on vehicle speed, it has some unusual features.
Collectors are taking notice. A well-worn and partially disassembled Toyopet Crown sold recently on eBay for $6,000. The drivetrain was out of the car. There was rust on the fenders and floorboards, and some trim items were missing.
Spokesman Mike Michels said Toyota has noticed a growing cadre of collectors of vintage Japanese iron. A recent classic car show in California, he said, featured all sorts of obscure and rare Japanese cars. But he chuckled when he heard about the eBay Toyopet. "I suppose anything old gets intrinsically valuable," he said. The Toyopet Crown died in part because it was overweight, underpowered and overpriced.