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In an effort to boost the number of apps in the Windows Store Microsoft and Unity are running a contest offering $100,000 as the grand prize to developers who bring their games to the UWP Windows Store.
The catch is that the prize is in advertising support, suggesting instead of giving developers money Microsoft will promote their game to the 400 million Windows 10 users (which presumably will still lead to improved earnings in some way).
As a consolation Microsoft will be giving the first 25 developers who take the challenge $5,000 in cash, but once again there is a catch. The contest is only open to developers who have an app with more than 10,000 downloads either on Google Play Store, Apple App Store or on Steam, and the same app needs to be ported. This proviso is probably a very good idea, and should prevent the worst crApps from taking advantage of the contest.
The prizes are as follows:
First 25 developers to submit to Step 2 will win $5,000 Cash Prize
Create immediate success for your game on the Windows Store!
1st prize $100,000 Ad spend APP INSTALL CAMPAIGN
2nd prize $50,000 Ad spend APP INSTALL CAMPAIGN
3rd Prize $25,000 Ad spend APP INSTALL CAMPAIGN
10 Honorable mentions with be awarded one year Unity Pro subscription Licenses.
The contest runs from Nov 1st to Feb 28th with winners announced on May 15th, 2017. Read the rules of the challenge at Unity here.


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A few days ago became known about the release of update KB5018418 for Windows 11 21H2 and KB5018427 for 22H2. However, this update also brought new problems. It turned out that the October patch causes failures when connecting to the network. This concerns the TLS/SSL protocol, which is why communication between clients and servers does not work.
The company noted that several users reported failures, and they arose precisely after installing update KB5018427.
A similar problem appeared on Windows 10 after installing update KB5018410. The company promptly released a patch numbered KB5020435, which solved this problem, since the failure affected all versions of Windows 10. As for Windows 11, an unscheduled update KB5020387 was released for version 21H2. However, the situation on Windows 11 22H2 remains unresolved.
The developers also advised reporting problems using the feedback form in Windows, but have not yet specified when the latest patch will be released.
Note that earlier reported about problems with printers in Windows 11.

domain: news


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Netflix may have just secured a foothold in the world's second-largest consumer market but that could be a non-event, for now.
The streaming giant announced it had clinched a licensing deal with iQiyi, a Chinese video platform, but this could be largely "immaterial," an analyst said. IQiyi counts Chinese search company Baidu as a parent.
"(T)his is probably going to be immaterial based on other similar deals in the region," Constellation Research Principal Analyst Ray Wang told CNBC's "The Rundown."
"The question is what kind of cut does Netflix get. We don't think it's going to be much," Wang added.
Netflix has attempted to break into the China market in the past, but has acknowledged the "regulatory environment" was "challenging" in a letter to shareholders last year. The company also said it would rely on licensing content to existing streaming platforms in China instead, adding it expected licensing revenues to be "modest."
Still, there could be some benefits in store for Netflix from the deal.
"This is the largest market in the world ... What they're hoping to do, I think, is to get the Netflix branding and programming into a market legally," Wang said, adding that entering the market before other Western competitors could be good for Netflix in the long term.
As for why shares of the company rose almost 6 percent after news of the licensing deal broke, Wang said it was possible that investors simply did not realize what the terms of the agreement were.
"They were probably reacting to the fact that (Netflix) was now in one of the largest consumer markets in the world," Wang said.
"Partnering is the only way for distribution to get into this market and it's still at best risky, which is why I can understand why (Netflix CEO) Reed Hastings has been very cautious (in) talking about things being immaterial in that market," Wang added.


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July 15, 2019 | SQUARED DIRECT – Chinese economic data for the second quarter of the year are showing minimal growth for the Chinese Economy with the GDP contracting to 6.2 percent, 0.2 percent lower than the 6.4 percent of the previous quarter and 0.4 percent lower than the 6.6 percent of 2018 full year. While still growing, there is an evident decline in the rate of growth making it the slowest growth rate of the Chinese Economy in 27 years.
Analysts are saying that weak exports, a decline in housing construction and other indicators of investor sentiment together with uncertainty from the aftermath of the trade war with the US are contributing to the decline of the growth rate. Additionally, the trade war has offset any attempt by the Chinese government to stimulate the economy domestically.
Analysts views on Chinese market
Indicators for domestic consumption and domestic industrial output rose to higher levels in June than they were the previous month despite a heavily ‘tariffed’ manufacturing sector however, it might not be enough to counter or prevent the economic growth decline. Some analysts are viewing the rise in domestic consumption and production as positive signs for stabilization of the economy in the long run but future economic data are required before that conclusion is reached.
Liquidity issues have also taken their toll, specifically the government takeover of Baoshang Bank has affected credit conditions for private businesses. Smaller-scale banks and lending institutions are struggling because of short-term borrowing costs falling to their lowest level since the global financial crisis.
Analysts are expecting that weaker economic data for q2 will see more attempts by the Chinese government to ease monetary policy and infrastructure spending even further but ultimately it all depends on what the stimulus package will be and how it will be implemented. Some analysts said that they would be monitoring Chinese employment figures closely for a more concise evaluation of the Chinese economy.
There are worries that a steeper decline of the economy, specifically a slowdown of exports and imports could raise serious risks of supply-chain effects that could negatively affect the rest of Asia and ultimately cause further slowdown of the Global Economy that could possibly lead to recessions and even another financial crisis. It falls on the Chinese Government to make the necessary moves that could ensure that the world’s second largest economy doesn’t slow down too quickly so they could potentially avoid severe economic repercussions domestically, continentally and globally.
Reaction of the Markets
- Global stocks rose higher after Chinese growth data met expectations
- CSI 300 Shanghai and Shenzen-listed stocks traded 0.3 percent higher
- Top gainers in the CSI300 were technology firms, consumer businesses and industrials
- Hong Kong Hang Seng benchmark gained 0.1 percent
- Offshore renminbi strengthened by 0.1 percent to Rmb 6.8744 per dollar
- Equity market was supported by domestic retail sales/consumption growth
Trading in Forex and Contracts for Difference (CFDs), which are leveraged products, is highly speculative and involves a high level of risk. Therefore, Forex and CFDs may not be suitable for all investors because it is possible to lose all invested capital. Only invest with money you can afford to lose. Before deciding to trade, you need to ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Please refer to our Risk Disclaimer.


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Although China’s online market is enormous, its search engines are distinctive. This information will help you get started.
The number of internet users in China will surpass one billion in 2021, making it the largest online market in the world. Global enterprises, however, confront a particular set of difficulties as they attempt to establish a presence in this quickly expanding digital economy, including the need to optimize their websites for the country with the largest population.
In contrast to the rest of the globe, where Google is without a doubt king of search engines, in June 2022 it only had 3.56 percent of the Chinese market. Its largest international rival, Bing, performed marginally better, with an 11.47 percent market share.
However, Chinese internet users still require a way to browse the internet for goods and information. What search engines do they use if not those that are widely used elsewhere in the world?
Domestic search engines are naturally created in China for usage.
This article will discuss the top five search engines in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and offer advice on how to use them to accomplish your objectives, whether you’re trying to break into the Chinese online market or draw in new clients from the east.
The Internet and Censorship in China
Google did not formally enter the Chinese mainland market until 2006, even though it had supported both traditional and simplified Chinese searches since 2000. Just 137 million people in the nation were using the internet at the time.
Four years later, the dominant search engine company left the nation and relocated to Hong Kong to escape Chinese censorship. In reaction, Google search websites in all languages were forbidden in China.
An online explosion in 2009 started it all off. The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the Circular on Computer Pre-Loaded Green Internet Filter Software because of concern about the effects of uncontrolled access to information.
To prevent access to particular websites, including news, streaming, and social media sites, among others, a web filter was needed for all gadgets produced or sold in China. Every year, more websites are added to this list. If you’re concerned that your domain is on the list, you can verify it here.
But inventive and technologically skilled Chinese residents have found a way around the restrictions by using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access blocked websites.
Surprisingly, even though there are many VPNs on the list of websites that are restricted, using one is not prohibited. Although this workaround does exist, it is just not a substantial way to direct traffic from the Asian nation to western websites.
Google to Return to China?
The world’s largest search engine is unlikely to entirely abandon the largest internet market, and there have been signals that it would eventually return.
Hundreds of Google employees signed a letter in 2018 that the New York Times received protesting to working on a covertly being developed censored Chinese version of the search engine.
But only a year later, Google’s vice president of government relations and public policy, Karan Bhatia, revealed in testimony before a Senate judiciary committee that the initiative had been abandoned.
Nevertheless, rumors that the business intends to reenter the Chinese market have not been put to rest. If it does, it will face fierce competition from well-established domestic search engines.
What Search Engines is China Using?
Even though there are cultural variations from nation to nation and occasionally area to region throughout the world, Western businesses frequently have little familiarity with Chinese customs. And it also applies to the used search engines.
Baidu – China’s Answer to Google
Similar to how the verb “to Google” has evolved to mean to look something up online, people in China “Baidu” things. It dominates the PRC search engine market by more than 75% and draws some users from other nations, such as the United States and Japan. In 2000, Baidu was founded with investment from Silicon Valley as a simple site that let businesses compete for advertising space. Since then, it has expanded into a variety of internet-related goods and services in addition to search, artificial intelligence, and other areas.
Sogou – Search-Dog
Sogou, which is roughly translated as “search dog,” was first introduced in 2004 and currently commands a 4.83 percent share of the domestic Chinese search market. It concluded a $3.5 billion deal to become a Tencent subsidiary in September 2021, a technology giant with interests in gaming, social media, and entertainment.
Haosuo – Secure Search
Haosuo, also known as Qihoo 360 Search and s.com is ranked third in the local Chinese search engine industry. It was introduced in 2012 and has since operated under the domain names so.360.cn, so.com, and haosou.com.
It became Haosuo in 2016 and was supported by one of China’s biggest internet service providers, Qihoo 360. An easier-to-use interface and a stronger emphasis on mobile experiences were part of this adjustment.
Shenma – The First Name in Mobile
Shenma, a joint venture between Alibaba, the world’s largest online retailer, and UC Web, claims 1.74% of the Chinese market. One of the most popular online browsers, UC, uses it as its default search engine.
Shenma stands out from the competitors and the majority of search engines because it is only available on mobile devices. Shenma, which bills itself as the “experts in mobile search,” combines a search engine and an app store.
Youdao – The Translation Search Engine
Youdao, a part of the Chinese internet technology corporation NetEase, functions more like a platform for online learning than a conventional search engine. Users can search for websites, photos, news, and possibly most significantly for non-Chinese user’s entries that translate from Chinese to English.


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Skype has announced to bring an architectural change to its service, which will soon also bring an important update to the chat message synchronization. So unlike now when the app lacks the ability to keep the chat messages status same across devices, the company will resolve this issue over the next few months. Now even if you log in from a different device after a few days of logging out, you will not receive pings for messages, which you had already accessed on some another device. So while you are using Skype across multiple devices, this syncing of app across the devices will help getting rid of this problem. The company has not given an exact time frame for this update but has mentioned it to be coming over the next few months. Also Read - Windows 11 could be a free upgrade for you provided you fall in this category
Besides this, Microsoft has also introduced a new backend architecture which will leave behind the peer-to-peer model to adopt new technologies which will eat up lesser battery and offer an improved connectivity for a better experience while making calls and even chatting. Apart from enhancing the quality and reliability of Skype-to-Skype calls, the company has also added some new features and worked on better user-data security and protection system. Also Read - Windows 11 leaked online: Centralised start menu, revamped UI, new widgets, here's what to expect
In addition to that the company has now also added web-based Skype support to Outlook.com. The update will also improve push notifications for Windows Phone 8 app which will work even in the offline mode.


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Asia's naphtha price was at a four-session low on Tuesday, dragged down by lower Brent crude,
while physical timespreads remained in the negative zone for the fifth-straight week as high supplies failed to ease, as per Reuters. More spot cargoes were seen out of the Gulf with private negotiations going on, while China's WEPEC also came forward with an additional spot offer. WEPEC had likely by late Tuesday sold the 28,000-30,000 tons for Aug. 17-21 to an undisclosed buyer at a single-digit discount to Japan spot quotes on a free-on-board
(FOB). WEPEC, a rare spot seller, had about two weeks ago sold to Glencore a cargo for Aug. 1-3 at steep discounts of US$11-13/ton.
No spot requirements have been seen from Japan so far. The price for front-month H2 August dipped to US$957/ton, its lowest since last Wednesday at US$944.50/ton.


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Finch, Pruyn & Co. sells assets to investor group
April 24, 2007 - Finch, Pruyn & Co., Inc., today announced that the company's shareholders have voted to accept an offer from Finch Paper Holdings LLC (formerly Atlas Paper Resources LLC) to purchase all of the company's assets, including its pulp and paper manufacturing facilities in Glens Falls and its Adirondack forestland.
Finch Paper Holdings LLC was formed by an investor group led by Atlas Holdings LLC and Blue Wolf Capital Management LLC.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The sale is expected to be finalized in June 2007.
Richard J. Carota, chairman, president and CEO of Finch, Pruyn will serve as chairman, president and CEO of the new company, which will be renamed Finch Paper Holdings LLC. The company's products will continue to be sold under the Finch Paper brand name.
"We are pleased with the results of the shareholder vote and we look forward to moving ahead with the investor group, which brings key expertise in paper mill ownership as well as a deep understanding of our business through experience investing constructively in companies with substantial relationships with government and labor," Mr. Carota said.
"Finch Paper is a highly respected brand in the premium paper market," said Andrew Bursky, chairman of Atlas Holdings, which owns four paper mills and nine packaging plants. "We look forward to building on our experience in owning and operating paper mills as we seek to expand the company's product line, grow its market share and continue its outstanding tradition of manufacturing and service innovation."
SOURCE: Finch, Pruyn & Co., Inc.


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June 08, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka's garments industry has increased sourcing of fabric from the region and making accessories at home under its backward integration plan to strengthen its base, an industry official said. In 2003 the industry imported 194 million dollars worth of accessories and trims but this fell to 181 million dollars in 2006 despite exports going up because of local production and value addition. More fabric mills are also being set up in the island and existing ones expanded to support the apparel exporters and shorten lead times, A. Sukumaran, chief executive of Star Garments Group said.
The industry is trying to increase its backward integration as well as manufacture of non-textile accessories and trims to ensure it can sustain itself in the quota free era, he told the Sri Lanka Economic Summit organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
"Exports in the first quarter of this year are up 14 percent compared with same quarter the year before, which is a very good sign," Sukumaran said.
Last year Sri Lanka’s exports to the United States fell, though the EU market was healthy.
Garments are a key source of foreign exchange and employment generation for the island.


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Funko has revealed a slate of new products to tie-in with the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie Salazar’s Revenge including Captain Jack Sparrow, the villainous Salazar and the Ghost of Will Turner.
Meanwhile, the firm has unveiled a new feature on its site that allows fans to recreate themselves in instantly recognisable Pop! form. Unfortunately, the creation cannot be made into a physical toy as of yet.
Finally, more additions to the Ducktales line of Pop! figures have been revealed including fan favourite Darkwing Duck.


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Walgreens and Express Scripts Mend Rift
The country's largest pharmacy chain and its largest pharmacy benefit manager have come to a new agreement, which will go into effect on September 15.
The country’s largest pharmacy chain and its largest pharmacy benefit manager have come to a new agreement, which will go into effect on September 15.
Walgreens and Express Scripts have settled a dispute dating back to June 2011, clearing the way for patients whose prescription drug benefits are managed by Express Scripts to fill their prescriptions at Walgreens pharmacies. The agreement between the country’s largest pharmacy chain and largest pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) was announced on July 19, 2012, and will go into effect on September 15, 2012.
The companies had stopped doing business with each other on January 1,2012, due to an inability to agree to a new contract. At the time, Walgreens claimed that Express Scripts offered to pay too little in drug dispensing fees, and Express Scripts claimed that Walgreens demanded to be paid more than the company was paying other pharmacies.
Express Scripts customers filled 88 million prescriptions at Walgreens pharmacies in 2011, more than 10% of the 819 million prescriptions dispensed by the chain that year. Since the companies’ former contract lapsed, Walgreens sales have steadily fallen as have its quarterly profits. Express Scripts, by contrast, reported in May that it had held onto 97% of its clients, despite the departure of Walgreens from its network.
“I am pleased that Walgreens and Express Scripts have been able to reach an agreement that works for both parties and is consistent with our company's principles,” said Greg Wasson, president and CEO of Walgreens, in a statement. “We look forward to once again filling prescriptions and offering our health and wellness services as part of the Express Scripts network.”
The companies did not announce the terms of their agreement, but experts surmised that Walgreens made greater concessions given that its business had been affected far more seriously by the contract lapse. Pressure on Walgreens to make a deal was intensified by Express Scripts’ merger with Medco earlier this year; the 2 PBMs combined to make up more than 200 million prescriptions filled at Walgreens in 2011, or more than a fourth of the chain’s total.
Walgreens will still face a challenge in winning back the customers it has lost to competing pharmacy chains such as CVS and Rite Aid. CVS, which picked up most of Walgreens' lost business, has stated that it expects to hold onto half the business it has picked up from Walgreens since late 2011.
Representatives of community pharmacists pointed to the dispute as evidence that PBMs such as Express Scripts have far too much market power. “[T]his long-running dispute is emblematic of the uneven PBM/pharmacy ‘relationship,’” said National Community Pharmacists Association CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA, in a statement. “The fact that a mega-chain like Walgreens with the negotiating leverage of 8,000-plus pharmacy locations had prolonged difficulty reaching what it considers equitable terms with a major PBM makes obvious that the take-it-or-leave-it contracts that PBMs make to small business community pharmacies are that much more one-sided. This reinforces the need for pro-patient, pro-pharmacist policies—such as the Pharmacy Competition and Consumer Choice Act (H.R. 1971/S. 1058)—that advance a more level playing field.”
Previous Pharmacy Times coverage of Walgreens and Express Scripts:
- Walgreens, Express Scripts Part Ways
- FTC Approves Express Scripts-Medco Merger


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One of the big announcements at WWDC this year was the introduction of Continuity for both iOS 8 and Yosemite, which allows Apple users to continue what they were doing on one device on another. Although Apple made no mention of extended compatibility in the keynote, it now looks as though the Cupertino company is extending that same functionality to Apple TV.
We've heard in the past that Apple plans to fit the upcoming iPhones with a wide range of sensors pertaining to health, but today 9to5Mac relayed news that suggests the new units will also support a barometer. Similar information popped up in vague rumors last March, but new evidence suggests there might be some truth to them.
Of all the companies that would make sense for Apple to acquire, Nuance — the company behind Siri — would seem high on the list. That's apparently not the case. A new report from the Wall Street Journal states that Apple's chief rival Samsung is moving in to acquire the influential creator of voice-recognition software, which could mean dire things for the folks in Cupertino if the deal goes through.
iOS-compatible household items have become so commonplace that they scarcely warrant attention in the news anymore, but Vessyl, a new smart cup conceived by Justin Lee and designed by Yves Béhar, is something of an exception. Dump virtually any kind of drink into the unit, and it can tell you exactly what you're drinking and yield some associated nutritional information.
Apple didn't mention anything about the fabled iWatch during this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, but a new report from Japan's Nikkei suggests that the device is still in the works. In fact, according to its sources, we'll see it in October. Nikkei has an unusually good track record regarding these things, so there might be some truth to these claims after all.
It's only been a couple of days since Apple announced that it's extending its Touch ID API to third-party developers, and already PayPal is considering the possibilities of the service, reports BusinessInsider. "It seems to be a fairly easy API to use, but we're still kicking the tires," a source from PayPal told the publication.
We've talked about all kinds of other changes coming to iOS 8, so why not talk about the weather? Specially, the Weather app. After so many years of relying on Yahoo for its weather forecasts, Apple is apparently cutting out of the middleman and relying exclusively on information from The Weather Channel.
For all of its popularity, Instagram has always been something of a joke when it comes to optimizing photos: you snap a pic, slap some faux vintage filter on it, and you're presumably happy. With today's update, however, it finally gains a lot of the features long enjoyed by its more robust cousins.
Craig Federighi detailed the changes to Photos, noting that Apple is now syncing all the photos you take across multiple devices through the cloud. Even better, the new cloud focus maintains the edits you've done regardless of which Apple machine you tweaked it on. This way, he said, "your device has access to more photos in the cloud than you can store locally."
Tim Cook kicked off his discussion of the changes to iOS 8 with some figures. Apple, he says, has now sold over 800 million iOS devices. The iPod touch has passed 100 million units, 200 million units of the iPad have been sold, and iPhone has passed half a billion units. "This is incredible," Cook said, "but what's even more impressive is how many new customers to Apple these devices have brought to us."


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Grok, which is designed to give snarky replies styled after the science-fiction novel “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” is a product from xAI, the company Mr. Musk founded last year. While xAI is an independent entity from X, its technology has been integrated into the social media platform and is trained on users’ posts. Users who subscribe to X’s premium features can ask Grok questions and receive responses.
By opening the code up for everyone to view and use — known as open sourcing — Mr. Musk waded further into a heated debate in the A.I. world over whether doing so could help make the technology safer, or simply open it up to misuse.
Mr. Musk, a self-proclaimed proponent of open sourcing, did the same with X’s recommendation algorithm last year, but he has not updated it since.
“Still work to do, but this platform is already by far the most transparent & truth-seeking (not a high bar tbh),” Mr. Musk posted on Sunday in response to a comment on open sourcing X’s recommendation algorithm.
The move to open-source chatbot code is the latest volley between Mr. Musk and ChatGPT’s creator, OpenAI, which the mercurial billionaire sued recently over breaking its promise to do the same. Mr. Musk, who was a founder and helped fund OpenAI before departing several years later, has argued such an important technology should not be controlled solely by tech giants like Google and Microsoft, which is a close partner of OpenAI.
OpenAI has said it will seek to dismiss the suit.
(The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft in December for copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems.)
The controversy over open sourcing generative A.I. — which can create realistic images and videos and recreate humanlike text responses — has roiled the tech world over the past year after the explosion in the popularity of the technology. Silicon Valley is deeply divided over whether the coding underlying A.I. should be publicly available, with some engineers arguing that the powerful technology must be guarded against interlopers while others insist that the benefits of transparency outweigh the harms.
By publishing his A.I. code, Mr. Musk planted himself firmly in the latter camp, a decision that could enable him to leapfrog competitors who have had a head start in developing the technology.
The publication of the code will allow other companies and independent software developers to modify and reuse it as they build their own chatbots and other A.I. systems. Meta, the parent company of both Facebook and Instagram, has also open sourced its A.I. technology, called LLaMA. Google and a prominent French start-up, Mistral, have also done some open sourcing.
Last year, Mr. Musk — who also owns X and SpaceX, and is chief executive officer of Tesla — formed xAI, stating its mission was to “understand reality.” In November, he said investors in his $44 billion take-private deal for X would own a 25 percent stake in xAI.
Mr. Musk has said that no topic should be off-limits for chatbots, criticizing companies that steer their technology to avoid controversy as “woke.”
“If an AI is programmed to push for diversity at all costs, as Google Gemini was, then it will do whatever it can to cause that outcome, potentially even killing people,” Mr. Musk said in a post on Friday.
But at least some of the posturing around open sourcing is closely tied to business interests. Because OpenAI is the market leader, offering the most powerful and arguably the most popular chatbot, it has little reason to open source its code.
Mr. Musk and xAI, on the other hand, are working to catch up and could help level the playing field by open sourcing their code and inviting others to improve the technology.
Subbarao Kambhampati, a professor of computer science at Arizona State University, has argued that open sourcing today’s A.I. technology is the safest approach. But he added that companies like xAI and Meta were not necessarily open-sourcing the technology for that reason.
“Elon Musk and Yann LeCun are not the best messengers for this argument,” he said, referencing Meta’s chief A.I. scientist.


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This year, Sharp’s is releasing five Adventure Series brews, through unique collaborations with local brewers and innovators across Cornwall. By combining the knowledge and experience from local start-ups and well-established brands, Sharp’s will produce exciting new and unique flavour profiles, while staying true to the brand’s accessible and drinkable mantra.
The first release in the 2020 series is Sublime Sundown, a full bodied, blood orange steam beer, developed alongside World Class chef Paul Ainsworth. The citrus flavours, combined with the light and fruity body of the beer produce a fantastically refreshing pint. Sublime Sundown will be available at selected on-trade locations nation-wide from 1st March through to the end of April.
Aaron McClure, Head Brewer at Sharp’s Brewery says: “We are delighted to have created this adventure brew in collaboration with Paul. His understanding of flavour combinations and experience as a chef really comes through in this fruity, balanced beer. It’s the perfect brew to kick-off our Adventure Series this year.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Paul Ainsworth says: “This process has been one of the most creative and rewarding projects and the final product is everything I wanted it to be. The dynamic team at Sharp’s is developing some really innovative brews and I’m honoured to have been involved in Sublime Sundown. Inspired by a signature dish from the Mariners, Hungers’ Snags, we wanted to make a really moreish flavoursome beer, which also looks great in the glass.”
About Sharp’s Brewery Ltd:
Sharp’s Brewery is a modern brewer, based in Rock, Cornwall, and owner of the UK’s number one cask beer brand, Doom Bar. Winner of The Grocer’s Drinks Brand of the Year 2019, Sharp’s has grown rapidly to become the largest brewer of cask beer in the South West, doubling staff numbers from 70 employees to 145 in the last seven years.
A testament to the quality of each drop of beer, the brewer has a tally of over 100 international brewing awards, which in 2019 included five medals at the Drinks Business Awards, five medals at the International Beer Challenge, two medals at the World Beer Challenge and five titles at the esteemed World Beer Awards 2019, all against some very stiff competition. In addition to these accolades, Sharp’s also won five medals at the 2018 International Beer Challenge, two at the World Beer Awards 2018, five at the 2017 International Beer Challenge, including GOLD for Wolf Rock, five medals at the World Beer Awards 2017, five medals at the 2017 Beer Awards, the ‘People’s Favourite Cask Ale’ at Inapub’s People Choice Awards 2017, and Best Drink for Doom Bar in the food Reader Awards 2017.
Sharp’s Brewery is a proud supporter of grassroots rugby in Cornwall and sponsors a number of local clubs. Passionate about its home and coastal surroundings in Cornwall, the company has contributed over £42k to support the work of the Blue Flag initiative in Cornwall since 2015, ensuring that the county has more Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches than any other part of the UK. In 2019, Sharp’s turned the tables on the music industry through ‘Keynvor’, a partnership with Mercury Music Prize nominee Nick Mulvey to produce the first playable vinyl made from recycled ocean plastic found on the Cornish coast. Proceeds from sales of the exclusive ‘Ocean Vinyl’ including digital streams will go to Surfers Against Sewage to help protect British coastlines from pollution, including plastic waste.
Facebook page: @sharpsbreweryuk
For further information contact firstname.lastname@example.org


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The manufacturer brand excites! This is something that more than 120,000 end consumers impressively confirmed this year – just as they have done in past years. HARO achieved something at the beginning of 2019 that no store brand or trade brand in the floor covering industry was capable of – just as it has done in past years as well.
Thousands of end consumers were asked to cast their vote in a wide-ranging online survey conducted by the magazine Focus Money, Deutschland Test and the analysis firm Service Value. With its HARO brand, Hamberger ranked highly, just as it did last year. Thanks to its HARO brand, Hamberger is very popular with customers. The surveyed customers unanimously respect the family-run company Hamberger and HARO products for their world-class quality, excellent services and innovative products for modern living. HARO retail partners should take advantage of this boost and should highlight their association with this brand in their showrooms.
Hamberger and HARO honoured for the fourth time
The annual survey of consumers conducted by Focus Money is considered to be one of the most important consumer polls of all. The evaluation included only those companies that have direct contact with customers and are run by the families who established them. Of the 1,000 companies that consumers could rate, 150 were honoured as the “Most Popular Family-Run Companies”. The question was: “How do you rate the company in question from your own experience?” The respondents could rank the companies on a scale of 1 (excellent) to 5 (poor). For Hamberger with its HARO brand, the selection ended with the company again joining the ranks of top finishers in 2019.
Family-run companies are considered to be exceptionally credible
German consumers rank family-run companies like Hamberger at the very top of the popularity scale because these companies represent continuity and far-sighted business decisions. They generally have a high equity ratio and do not pay such close attention to quarterly performance as many major companies do. These family companies also stand for authenticity and honesty, the highest levels of product quality and sustainable business practises.
HARO retail partners can actively employ all these strengths in their communications with customers. In the area of living and furnishing, customers are increasingly looking for products that are produced in a sustainable and healthy living manner in Germany and that offer quality that they can completely trust.


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Fronius USA in Portage is adding 300 jobs next year to its U.S. headquarters here as it starts building solar power inverters.
“The brain of the system is basically the inverter,” said Richard Baldinger, director of sales and marketing for Fronius’ solar energy business.
The residential solar market has doubled since 2020 with that growth rate expected to continue for at least the next five to 10 years, he said.
“It’s a really good time for us to expand in the U.S.,” Baldinger said.
Costs vary, but a $21,000 residential solar installation would carry a $7,000 federal tax refund, bringing the cost to $14,000 for the homeowner, he said.
Fronius’ existing 400,000-square-foot facility in the Ameriplex business park will include an advanced manufacturing operation, which is unlike traditional factories. “It’s a very clean environment,” he said. “It’s high-end manufacturing.”
The wide range of new jobs will include engineers, software developers and others, Baldinger said.
The inverters are very quiet, he said.
Fronius produces string inverters that connect to the entire solar array instead of having a micro inverter beneath each solar panel. Bob Wszolek, a marketing specialist for Fronius’ solar energy division, said faults with inverters typically happen where the connections are. String inverters minimize the number of connections, he said.
The string inverters are usually installed under a roof, such as inside a garage, so a technician doesn’t have to go on the roof to address issues with a faulty inverter, Wszolek said.
“Fronius, in general, is one of the most sustainable manufacturers of inverters,” he said. They’re currently made in Austria, where the company was founded in 1945.
“It’s exciting to see the expansion and Fronius’ commitment to Portage,” said Olga Velazquez, who was mayor when Fronius arrived in the city two decades ago. “All the new development is very exciting.”
She remembers meeting with Fronius officials from Austria in Chicago on an icy day to discuss the future U.S. headquarters being built in Portage. They were impressed that Portage was progressive enough to have a female mayor, she said.
Mayor Sue Lynch was similarly pleased to tour the Fronius plant on Thursday. “I’m as happy for them as I am for us,” she said. “They’re creating huge numbers of jobs in our city.”
Making the inverters in Portage is a good move for the company, she said. “They make it here, they don’t have the supply chain issues” that have faced manufacturers, retailers and consumers since the pandemic disrupted the just-in-time inventory system.
“Finally, solar is catching on in our country,” Lynch said, with federal subsidies for clean energy, electric vehicles and solar installations.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.


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Franchise owners of 7-Eleven chain stores charged workers up to $70,000 to help them secure a working visa, a Senate inquiry has heard.
A Senate Committee is holding a special public hearing in Melbourne today to examine the exploitation of workers at the chain store, as part of an inquiry into Australia’s temporary work visa program.
The convenience stores have come under scrutiny following an ABC Four Corners investigation, which revealed the company was systematically paying its workers about half the minimum wage.
Many of the staff were foreigners who were being forced to work in contravention of their visa conditions.
Mohammed Rashid Ullat Thodi lost his job as a result of speaking out about the pay scam.
He told the inquiry some store owners had charged workers $30,000 to $70,000 to sponsor them on a visa.
“While it could be either an arrangement of taking the money off their pay, like if you work this many hours you could get this many pay,” he said.
He said the money went straight to the franchise owners.
The inquiry will hear evidence from workers as well as unions, calling for an overhaul of visa arrangements.
The company’s senior management may also face a grilling.
Calls for workers to be given visa amnesty
Tens-of-thousands of workers have potentially been affected.
Most are on visas restricting their working time to 20 hours per week. Many have been forced to work 40 hours, but paid for only 20.
Complaints were met with threats that they would be reported for breaching their visas.
It has led to calls from lawyers that anyone who has breached their visa conditions while working for 7-Eleven be given an amnesty.
The Greens member for the seat of Melbourne, Adam Bandt, said it was crucial the workers were able to give evidence free of any threat of deportation.
7-Eleven has set up an independent panel to investigate the underpayments.
In a statement, the founder and chairman of 7-Eleven Australia, Russell Withers, said he accepted responsibility and assured the company was doing what it could to fix the situation.


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It was reported earlier this morning that Lenovo has the intention to flood the market with 60 smartphones this year. Now that is definitely a number that is pretty high regardless of which smartphone manufacturer you are, and even Nokia back in their heydays did not manage to deliver so many new handsets in a calendar year. Who knows, the recently announced Lenovo Golden Warrior A8 might be one of the fabled 60?
Expect the Golden Warrior A8 to arrive with an octa-core MT-6592 CPU from MediaTek, sporting Android 4.4.2 KitKat pre-installed on the smartphone to help you get started right out of the box. Apart from that, it will feature a “ho-hum” 5” display at 720 x 1,280 resolution, 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory. The back camera will capture photos at 13MP, while up front, you will be able to shoot some pretty decent selfies with a 5MP camera. Fret not about low light conditions in a room, since the dual LED flash located at the back of the handset ought to be able to chase away all darkness.
The Golden Warrior A8, strangely enough, will also arrive in shades of black, white, and pink if gold is not your cup of tea. So far, its availability worldwide remains unknown, but we do know that it will be priced from just $128 a pop.


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April 9, 2013
Is technology making us rude and sloppy? Is it ever OK to leave your cell phone on the dinner table? This hour of Tech Tuesday takes a close look at manners in the digital age. We’ll also hear about smart cars and distracted driving from a man who started an online kerfuffle. And we’ll talk about the latest in gadgetry with our gadget guru.
January 29, 2013
Robots on stage? On this hour, we’ll talk about a new production at the Wexner Center for the Arts that uses ‘android actors.’ Then, one local Columbus man worked with his partner to develop an app for smartphones… We’ll talk about the app and its production. And finally, we’ll talk about some tech news and give updates on hot gadgets.
December 18, 2012
Violent video games always come into conversation when shootings occur, but what effect do they really have on our psyche? Then, what are the top tablets for your holiday gifting? And finally, we’ll give you the top gift ideas for the adults in your life.


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Shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $61.50.
A number of research firms have commented on GIS. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of General Mills from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $57.00 to $51.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of General Mills from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of General Mills in a research report on Thursday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $64.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of General Mills from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $63.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 30th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group cut shares of General Mills from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $68.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Monday, September 13th.
In related news, insider Jonathon Nudi sold 9,725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.45, for a total transaction of $597,601.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Richard C. Allendorf sold 9,731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.54, for a total transaction of $589,114.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 52,964 shares of company stock worth $3,224,438 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.
NYSE:GIS traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.30. The stock had a trading volume of 1,484,458 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,905,660. General Mills has a 52 week low of $53.96 and a 52 week high of $64.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.
General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 21st. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.10. General Mills had a net margin of 12.72% and a return on equity of 24.61%. The company had revenue of $4.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. General Mills’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that General Mills will post 3.8 earnings per share for the current year.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 10th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 7th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. General Mills’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.11%.
General Mills Company Profile
General Mills, Inc engages in the manufacture and marketing of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. It operates through the following segments: North America Retail, Europe & Australia, Convenience Stores & Foodservice, Pet and Asia & Latin America. The North America Retail segment includes grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, drug, dollar and discount chains and e-commerce grocery providers.
Featured Story: Earnings Per Share
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In recent years we have seen a number of blue chip companies go from making billions in profits to making losses and eventually collapsing and shutting down completely. The success and failures of a company can be attributed to one man – the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
In this article, WoK takes a look at the CEOs who were in charge of companies that eventually collapsed in Kenya.
Daniel Githua – Tuskys Supermarket
Daniel Githua was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tuskys Supermarket. The supermarket chain founded by Joram Kamau who passed on in 2002, was at some point one of the largest and most visited supermarkets in the country. Before being promoted to become CEO, Githua was the Head of Audit at the company for more than four years. Before him was Stephen Mukuha who had to step down after a series of court cases filed by his other siblings who accused him of swindling more than Ksh 1.6 billion from the giant retailer through his subsidiary companies that are the dominant suppliers of Tuskys. After Githua took over, it seemed like a new dawn but it was not long before things began crumbling down. In the year 2020, it recorded a 35 percent drop in sales and was unable to meet the Ksh 200 million monthly wage bill. It started closing down a few branches and by early 2021, all the supermarket’s outlets were shut down countrywide.
Atul Shah – Nakumatt Supermarket
Atul Shah was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nakumatt supermarket which was one of the most famous shopping outlets in the country. During an interview with Business Daily, Shah revealed that Nakumatt’s downfall began when the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) closed down Imperial Bank and Chase Bank. He revealed that Nakumatt heavily relied on bank loans from the two banks to ensure its growth and balance.
“When the two banks collapsed, and the new law took effect, money dried up. Despite repaying our loans, nobody was willing to finance us. The cycle stopped abruptly; Nakumatt’s fuel was no longer available. It just did not happen,” the CEO explained during the exclusive interview.
Jonathan Ciano– Uchumi Supermarket
Uchumi Supermarket slow death was painful to many shoppers in Kenya who had come to identify with the giant retailer. The board showed Jonathan Jonathan Ciano the door in 2015 for alleged gross misconduct and negligence resulting in empty shelves at the Uchumi branches due to delayed payments to suppliers. His replacement was Dr Julius Kipng’etich who had been poached from Equity Bank. He quit after a rather dismissal perfomance with his place taken by Mohamed Mohamed. In the early 2000s, this supermarket was among the leading shopping outlets in the country. It is now facing a Ksh 7.6 billion debt that is more than its assets and closed down almost all its branches in the country. The supermarket last turned a profit over a decade ago and is among the worst performing stocks at the Nairobi Securities Exchange despite being the first supermarket to list in the region in 1992. At one point Uchumi had over 1,500 direct employees and gave jobs to over 250,000 people. Today, it can only employ less than 200 employees countrywide.
Peter Nduati – Resolution Insurance
Peter Nduati is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Resolution Insurance. The insurance company founded in 2002 went on to become one of the largest and best insurance companies not only in Kenya but the entire East African Region. On 30th March, 2022 auctioneers stormed Resolution Insurance offices and swept everything. It is now not a secret that the company previously making billions of profits is speedily going south. According to information available in the public domain, the company made a loss of Ksh 457 million in the 2021 financial year. Although the company hasn’t fully collapsed yet, based on the trends of other collapsed companies at least that’s what awaits Resolution Insurance.
Patrick Chebosi – Mumias Sugar
Patrick Chebosi was at some point the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mumias Sugar Company located in the Western province of Kenya. In its heyday, the company would crush up to 7,000 tons of cane in a day, producing at least 250,000 metric tons of sugar annually. The company began going south during Chebosi reign as CEO. It was forced to go under after defaulting loans from creditors, huge power bills and tax arrears. By 2019, Mumias Sugar owed Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Ksh 545 million, Ecobank Ksh 2 million, Proparco Ksh 1.90 billion and Commercial Bank of Africa Ksh 401 million. Chebosi was later sent on compulsory leave and suspended in 2019 before the appointment of Nashon Aseka as the new CEO.


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There is some good news for homeowners hidden in the latest report on home sales. It showed that the number of existing home sales fell 0.4% in August. That was better than the 2.9% drop economists expected.
Stronger sales numbers might be related to the small August dip in mortgage rates. Rates dropped to 5.2%, down from 5.5% in July. Buyers may have rushed to lock in low rates.
Price gains slowed in August, with the median sale price at $389,500. That’s a 7.7% jump from the same month a year ago but 5.9% below the all-time high reached in June.
Slow sales and falling prices are the bad news. The good news is that prices are unlikely to fall much further because supply is limited.
This post appeared first on Money & Markets, LLC.


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European governments will cast doubt on the EU’s climate leadership if they will not defend the bloc’s right to regulate airline emissions. At the time of publication, officials representing Europe have declined…
Month: September 2019
Buyers In China Don’t Want Used Electric Cars, Unless It’s A Tesla
Asia Times: “Nobody in China wants a used electric car — unless it’s a Tesla.”
VdL’s ‘one in, one out’ policy ‘incompatible’ with climate efforts
Europe’s leading environmental NGOs have warned that the incoming European Commission president’s ‘one in, one out’ proposal for EU legislation will lead to a weakening of efforts to tackle climate change and le…
€24bn in fossil fuel subsidies ‘a perverse incentive’ for shipping pollution
One of the most polluting forms of transport is benefiting from what is effectively a fossil fuel subsidy of €24 billion a year, according to a new report by T&E. Shipping, which still runs largely on dirty …
Steinbauer Has a Power Module For The Smart EVs
All the cars in the tuning house fleet deserved treatment for more power.
Setback in fight against greenwashing
Attempts to establish a clear set of science-based criteria for ‘green’ investments have hit a roadblock. EU governments last week agreed a weak text which delays the implementation of a new, stricter labelling …
Unions fear electrification will vaporize their jobs
As the legacy automakers finally begin to get serious about electrification, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the accelerating transition will result in a major restructuring of the industry, which seems likely to include substantial job losses. As a recent Bloomberg article reports, fear of the electric future is an underlying reason for the United Auto… Read more »
‘Clean’ gas trucks myth exploded by on-road tests
Claims by truckmakers and the gas industry that LNG-powered trucks are clean have been severely undermined by recently published results of on-road tests. Trucks powered by liquified natural gas (LNG) can pollut…
Renault City K-ZE Available In China For Less Than $9,000
An affordable electric car from Renault has arrived in China and we wonder how well it might sell.
Tesla Model 3 excluded from Edmunds list of best EVs under $40k
Edmunds released its list of the best electric vehicles under $40,000, highlighting the fact that you can purchase an eco-friendly vehicle without breaking the bank. Five cars were included on the list, however, one extremely popular car was missing: the Tesla Model 3. The online resource for car buying came out with a list of […]
The post Tesla Model 3 excluded from Edmunds list of best EVs under $40k appeared first on TESLARATI.


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The longest presidential campaign any of us can remember—with one of the most shocking outcomes, at least to the media—not only dominated our consciousness and conversation in 2016, it also […]
In an effort to promote its all-important September fashion issues, Hearst is taking its consumer marketing strategy to the streets—literally. This morning, the publisher is debuting the "MagMobile," a roving newsstand selling copies of Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Seventeen in and around New York City.
The Billboard Music Awards kicked off in Las Vegas with A-list celebs while magazines in New York hosted charities. Here's a look at advertising and entertainment's latest notable events.
There are few front row seats during fashion shows, but Elle—with the aid of virtual reality—wants to extend the opportunity to see the shows up close.
New York Fashion Week brought together media's biggest stars and their fashionable counterparts, while print magazines celebrated success.
Summer might not even be halfway over, but magazine publishers are already focused on fall—or, to be more precise, their big September issues. This year, Hearst is expecting a record-breaking kickoff to the season, having just closed its biggest September ever in terms of print paging and revenue.
Former Elle.com executive editor Amina Akhtar has landed at theFashionSpot, where she will be taking over as editorial director.
Elle didn’t have to look very far to find a replacement for longtime creative director Joe Zee, who is decamping for Yahoo later this month.


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Greystar is funding in a high-end rented residential development in London.
The residential investor, best known as a multifamily landlord in the US, has bought two plots of land in Nine Elms from UK postal delivery service, Royal Mail.
Greystar said Telford Homes will build the development, which will include 894 apartments.
Mark Allnutt, managing director multifamily, Greystar said: “This will be without question central London’s most exciting rental community.
“There’s nothing comparable in the UK in terms of scale and resident amenity.”
Allnutt said London is “finally ready for a five-star rental experience”.
Residents’ lounges, clubrooms and games rooms, as well as bars and restaurants, will form part of the scheme.


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"Each time you open the app or do a search, everything will load just a bit quicker," said Google VP Tamar Yehoshua in a blog post.
Not only should the app feel faster overall, says Yehoshua, news articles that show up in searches should load almost immediately, thanks to wider adoption of the company's open source Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project.
Introduced in February, the project aimed to make pages using AMP load four times as fast and use 10 times less data than traditional web pages. AMP-optimized stories are indicated by a lightning bolt icon and show up in the top stories section of search results.
In addition, the app now includes video highlights in select Google Now cards for NBA and NHL games.
Google for iOS is a free download on the App Store for iPad and iPhone. [Direct Link]
Discuss this article in our forums


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Search Results for " ces 2012"
Today is a monumental day for Android developers as Google announced a pretty tasty treat last night. Google has increased application size limits to 4GB each, up considerably from 50MB.
Qualcomm today announced that four new titles are joining their Snapdragon GamePack. Designed as a bundle of games optimized for the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, the collection has grown to more
It’s not the first time we’ve heard whispers about the supposed Google Nexus tablet. Recently, we heard that Google is cooking up a 7-Inch tablet that’ll run ICS and will be a proud
A long time ago, when Android was a newborn baby and was growing rapidly, HTC launched their very own user interface, Sense UI to run along with Android. First launched
Samsung today announced a successor to last year’s Galaxy Player 50 personal media player, unveiling the dual-core Galaxy Player 70 Plus. Arriving as the company’s first media player to boast
If you’re like me, you use your device heavily, which tends to drain the battery. Extended batteries are always an option, but they typically add noticeable thickness to a device.
After what started out as an exclusive relationship between HTC and T-Mobile USA, the myTouch series has evolved to include LG. Looking ahead a bit it appears that Huawei is
Developers have new tools to take advantage of Beats Audio, lockscreen intregration, and more.
Word on the street today is that Samsung’s much-anticipated Galaxy S III is slated for a March announcement followed by an April launch. The news of this comes from ZDNet Korea who
OnLive released a new Android application into the market today which should appeal to business users and students alike. Called OnLive Desktop, it’s premise that somewhat resembles their gaming app
Skitch, the recently acquired Evernote property, just keeps getting better with each incremental Android update. This week’s release sees the ability to mark up maps with notes, arrows, pins, and
Batter up! Baseball season is officially underway as our favorite sports app returns for 2012.
SugarSync just dropped an update to their application in the Android Market today which makes it even easier to manage and share files through the cloud. Chief among the features
A software update has been issued for the Google Wallet Android application this week and includes “core Wallet system fixes” among the notes. Unfortunately the reviews for this 1.1-R52v7 release indicate that prepaid
In the tech race, it’s generally numbers that the various manufacturers strive for. Whether it be more megapixels or a wider screen, the general rule is the bigger, the better.


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Savelli debuts luxury Android smartphone made especially for women
0. phoneArena 01 Jul 2013, 07:25 posted on
Most of the luxury smartphones that we bring you news about are just gold-plated and/or diamond-encrusted versions of handsets that already exist. Take this sparkly HTC One, for example, or this golden BlackBerry Q10. The smartphone you see pictured here, however, is a bit different for it is a new, totally unique model. And it looks fancy, doesn't it? Made by a Swiss company called Savelli, this new smartphone has been designed with women in mind. It comes in 11 different variants, bearing names such as...
This is a discussion for a news. To read the whole news, click here
4. buccob (Posts: 2564; Member since: 19 Jun 2012)
I wouldn't have this even if they pay me to keep it...
5. InspectorGadget80 (unregistered)
so WTF is this a half a million diamond CASE? that's a shyt load wast of money there.


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A colleague of mine recently invited a solar company to his house to give him a quote for solar.
The sales pitch referred my colleague to a Californian government website that stated that the average cost of installing solar panels in California is $5.25 per watt.
The salesperson then quoted a system at $4.70 per watt and used the government website to justify that it was a good deal that my colleague should take.
I found this interesting because I had seen discussion on solar panel forums about system prices in the range of $3.50 to $3.70 per watt.
This difference may not sound that much but for an average 6kw residential solar system this is an $8,750.00 difference in price.
The feedback from the forums seemed to be supported by the www.solar-estimate.org website. This is a website that houses the best solar panels payback calculator and allows a consumer, if they enter their details, to see market pricing for solar systems in their area.
This site suggested that market prices seemed to be in the range of $3.80-$4.20 per watt in California, nowhere near the $5.25 per watt quoted on the government website.
The solar-estimate.org data seems likely to be accurate because that site collects pricing data from estimates given by around 200 solar installation companies around America.
As such I took a closer look at the data on the Californian government website and I realized that this data is being skewed up by the reporting of solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPA's).
With a solar PPA the solar company retains ownership of the solar panels that are installed on your house. They pay to install the panels and just sell you power at a lower rate than what you are paying.
Vendors of these power purchase arrangements tend to over state the cash price of the system because they want to encourage people down the PPA path and also to maximize the value of the tax credit they can pass along to their investors. (There is a 30% solar tax credit on solar systems).
All this is fine except for the fact that this inflated price data is being used by salespeople to trick consumers into thinking their quote is better than market rates.
If you investigate the government website further it states in their notes that the statistics are skewed by the third party owned installations that are reported. However, most consumers don't dig that deep and can be misled by the headline data on this website.
Openpv.org website is run by the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL) has the average cost of installing solar panels in California in the last year at $4.53 per watt but with very little recent data in the database.
In response to this, and in the interests of better protecting consumers, SolarReviews.com has published the most comprehensive and readily searchable database of solar pricing ever made available in America. It has obtained this data from the www.solar-estimate.org and www.solarpaneltalk.com websites.
It is based on more than 250,000 estimates given by the solar-estimate.org website, the live pricing signals it gets on a daily basis form approximately 200 solar companies and quotes uploaded by consumers on the SolarPanelTalk.com forum.Tweet


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The Jacksonville Port Authority announced it's the solution to an unprecedented logjam at The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where weeks-long lines are slowing commerce before the year's busiest shopping season.
It's a sharp contrast from the scene in Jacksonville, which officials announced has maintained terminal fluidity – and fixed a new container volume record - despite market disorders.
Florida ports council president Michael Rubin stated they could expedite cargo ship movement by rerouting container ships through the Panama Canal, a seven-day journey from Southern California to Northern Florida.
"We have the opportunity to provide those shipping lines and beneficial cargo owners a more efficient route that can get their product not only to the third-largest domestic market in the country but also to other markets outside of Florida, within two days," Rubin told ABC Action News.
"We realize how important it is to get those goods to market, to not be the grinch that stole Christmas."
In May, the Jacksonville port set a new container volume record when it moved nearly 129,000 twenty-foot equivalent units through its terminals.
By volume, Florida's largest container port moved a record-breaking 1.4 million cargo containers throughout the last fiscal year, which ended in September.
While Jacksonville officials marked their shipping records, California's ports seem to be breaking all the wrong ones.
The 167 ships moored at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Wednesday broke a record set September 19, when 161 vessels were berthed there, according to The Marine Exchange of Southern California.
Both numbers are markedly higher than throughout pre-pandemic times when only 17 ships were anchored.
The 103 container vessels in port Wednesday broke September 19's 100-ship record.
Since all the anchorages are full, 50 steamships were waiting it out in holding areas Wednesday within 40 miles of the ports.
It's the highest number of ships in holding areas on record.
Florida Ron DeSantis on Tuesday invited the steamships to move to the golden state for faster processing times.
"Our ports operate 24/7. We're here. We have capacity," DeSantis explained to reporters.
"We want to be sure that Americans get the goods they need, particularly as we approach the Christmas season."
US Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) further extended the invitation.
"Florida's ports are open for biz to help get goods back on shelves & mitigate Biden's crippling supply chain crisis that's hurting FL families," he tweeted.
"I encourage all shipping companies to avoid California's backed up ports & come anchor in the Sunshine State!"


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When contemplating the perks to living in Murfreesboro, one’s first thought doesn’t go directly to the local shopping.
Sugaree’s, located at 122 S. Maple St., has helped transform the way locals and vacationers think of shopping in the Murfreesboro area, however, thanks to its selection of real vintage clothing and accessories, as well as the latest fashions, all of which can be found at reasonable prices.
Sugaree’s originated a little over three years ago at 113 Lytle St., on the backside of the local square. Staci Higdon, the owner, has been working hard to get the latest fashions as well as trendy vintage pieces to local college students at an affordable prices.
“I want my shoppers to get boutique clothing, but not at boutique prices,” said Higdon, whose always wanted to be a small-business owner.
She said that after researching different business ideas, she decided Murfreesboro had a “niche market” that was not being fulfilled. Subsequently, her passion for vintage clothing and accessories motivated her to go for the plunge and open her own boutique.
“I was really originally attracted to vintage in my youth because it was a way to inexpensively have my own style,” Higdon said.
Sugaree’s made the move to its new location about three months ago. Higdon said she had toyed with the thought of moving onto the square before, but never thought that rent would be reasonable enough. But when the now-new location came up for sale, she said she decided to have a look.
Although it was a small space, Higdon predicted that the downtown address could translate into extra exposure for her boutique. Impulse set in, she said, and Higdon made an offer on the space, which she and her staff were able to quickly renovate.
“I never dreamed I would be able to purchase a building on the square,” Higdon said, laughing. “It was a lot of work, but I felt as if the opportunity had presented itself to me.”
Confident the new locale has helped business, Higdon said Sugaree’s inventory features hip name-brand jeans such as Little Too Big and Silver for under $80, as well as jewelry made by local artists. Much of the jewelry has a crafty, bohemian feel at prices under $30. Also, rockin’ guitar pick earrings can be found for under $20.
Plus, gals and guys who are feeling eco-friendly are invited to stop in and check out the Alternative Apparel line that has T-shirts made of recycled material. Also, Tulle offers a dress made of recycled bamboo.
All the latest spring fashions are arriving at Sugaree’s this month, said Higdon, who advised fashion-conscious shoppers to be on the lookout for floral prints, flowing chiffon tops, geometric prints, loud colors and trouser pants.
Higdon and her staff are always there to assist shoppers with any questions they may have about keeping in style, and if time allows, the owner said she will be happy to give background information on vintage apparel that will remind shoppers of the history behind their purchases.
“A lot of people come to the square because of the one-on-one attention,” Higdon shared. “It doesn’t have a generic department store feel to it.”
Higdon also said she keeps from four to six pieces of each style of the new clothing to ensure that shoppers will get the full boutique experience.
“The perk of shopping at a boutique is that you get something original that not everyone else is going to have,” Higdon noted.
Jacinthe Jarrell, an employee at Sugaree’s for about two years, said she loves the fact that she gets first dibs on the inventory.
“My favorite thing about working here is that I get to shop here,” Jarrell confirmed, smiling.
Sugaree’s is open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. each Monday through Saturday. For more information, please call the boutique directly at 615-895-5996.


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The 16th Int’l Exhibition of Paint, Resin, Industrial Coatings & Composites was inaugurated with the participation of officials and authorities and also enthusiastic persons of this section, on the yesterday morning, Tuesday 6th December 2016.
According to reporting by the public relations and international affairs of I.R.IRAN International Exhibitions Company:
The Sixteenth International Exhibition of Paint, Resin, Industrial Coatings & Composites was launched with participation of the Deputy Minister - Chairman of the board and managing director of the I.R.IRAN International Exhibitions Company, Mr. Esfahbodi and the accompanying officials, on Tehran International Permanent Fairground.
This report points out that:
There are 229 local companies and 124 foreign companies from 22 countries including: Germany, U.S.A, Austria, Spain, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Italy, Thailand, Taiwan, Turkey, China, Sweden, Switzerland, France, South Korea, Lebanon, Poland, Malaysia, Netherlands & India which they have participated on the 16th International Exhibition of Paint, Resin, Industrial Coatings & Composites on over 23,000 square meters of exhibition space that they display their latest innovations and productions about various types of composite products, paint and resin ,raw materials & related machinery to the visitors.
It is notably that:
This exhibition will continue until Friday 9th December 2016, that respectable enthusiasts and specialists can visit it from 9 A.M to 5 P.M.


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When I covered the furniture market in High Point regularly, I’d often get asked, “How can I attend?” Alas, you can’t. The international market, which draws some 75,000 industry insiders twice a year, is closed to consumers.
All those stunning new designs are unveiled in April and October, and you can’t get a peek without credentials.
That’s still true – but social media are transforming the High Point Market and the furniture industry, just as they’re transforming the rest of the world. The fall market opens a week from today, on Oct. 13, and these days a digital peek is just a click away. If you love furniture, get ready.
Charlotte interior designer Wanda Horton has been part of the transformation.
A year ago, during the fall market, she was among the inaugural group of market Style Spotters who posted – or “pinned” – their favorite new accessories and furniture designs to Pinterest.
Horton said she realized a few years ago that the digital revolution would impact her profession, just as it has changed so many others. She knew the changes would be important; she just didn’t know exactly how.
Then, Cheminne Taylor-Smith, vice president of marketing for the High Point Market Authority, asked Horton to be a Style Spotter. The spotters would tour the market while the showrooms were buzzing and post their finds immediately. That would benefit market participants, who wouldn’t have to hike more than 11 million square feet of showroom to see the hot new introductions. (That’s not a typo, by the way: It’s 11 million.) And it would offer the rest of us new real-time access.
Of course, this also was new to lots of those showroom folks who guarded their doors zealously and prohibited pictures without permission. “I had to explain to showroom managers,” Horton said. “ ‘I’m going to take this picture ... Then it will be pinned to a virtual bulletin board.’ ”
I can only imagine the blank looks she must have received.
Visit www.highpointmarket.org, and you’ll meet this year’s nine Style Spotters, with the option to follow them through the coming market.
To get an idea of what to expect, check postings from Horton during her stint as a Style Spotter for the fall 2011 market.
You’ll also find links on the site to the manufacturers. Click on one, and you’re likely to find it employs Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or YouTube.
For instance, Horton will blog for Hooker, a Martinsville, Va., company during the coming market, and that company has links to all four on its home site.
Look and linger – and you won’t need that precious market badge.


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SPANISH FORT, Alabama -- A lawsuit filed by Bank of America against the developer of the Spanish Fort Town Center, Cypress Equities, in 2011 has been settled and clears the way for further retail development of the 230-acre mixed-use property.
Since opening in 2008, anchored by heavy-hitter Bass Pro Shops, the shopping center on Interstate 10 has not lived up to expectations due to the recession and other factors. That shortcoming subsequently left Cypress Equities unable to generate enough revenue to keep up with bond payments on the $30.5 million that the Spanish Fort Cooperative Improvement District borrowed in 2007 to help finance the project. Bank of America, the mortgage holder, sued Dallas-based Cypress Equities and its Chief Executive Officer Chris Maguire in U.S. District Court in Dallas over the lack of payments that the suit claims led to the loss of millions of dollars by the bank and other lenders.
The fallout from the lawsuit led to more lawsuits with the board of the cooperative improvement district, a special taxing authority that was formed specifically to help get the development off the ground, increasing an already-high sales tax of 10 percent to 10.95 percent and placing a special levy on hotel rooms and new fees for apartments in the development, which raised the ire of Bank of America since it had requested higher charges in order to sufficiently pay for the outstanding loan.
It was unclear Monday what the new settlement means for the additional levies that went into effect in November 2011.
Throughout the economic downturn and lawsuit, however, Bass Pro Shops continued to pack its parking lot and other anchor stores include Kohl’s and JC Penney. Of its nearly 450,000 square feet of space many of the development's smaller retail storefronts remained idled through the legal battle.
According to a news release from Cypress Equities, under the agreement, “all litigation and claims between Bank of America, on behalf of all lenders, and Cypress parties, including specifically claims against Cypress Equities CEO, Chris Maguire, under his personal guaranty, have been dismissed with prejudice.”
Due to the confidentially of the settlement no other details could be provided.
With the agreement on the table Cypress plans to begin orchestrating new plans for the property including site enhancements, such as additional signage and a 3.5-acre park for the community.
“We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the litigation,” Maguire said in the news release. “Now that this litigation has been settled, we can proceed with completion of Spanish Fort Town Center and deliver a stellar real estate project for the residents of Spanish Fort, Daphne and Baldwin County.”


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This article was written for FinLedger, HW Media’s new fintech-focused news brand designed specifically for financial services professionals in banking, insurance and real estate. Stay tuned for updates.
If you’ve refinanced or purchased a home digitally lately, you may or may not have noticed the company powering the software behind it.
There’s a good chance it’s Blend. Founded in 2012, the startup (which was one of HousingWire’s 2020 Tech 100 winners) has steadily grown to be a powerhouse in the mortgage tech industry. Blend’s white label technology is what powers mortgage applications on the site of banks such as Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank with the goal of making the process faster, simpler and more transparent.
The San Francisco-based startup’s SaaS (software-as-a-service) platform currently processes over $3 billion in mortgages and consumer loans per day in partnership with over 250 financial institutions, up from nearly $2 billion and over 150 lender customers last June. Blend’s customer base accounts for more than 25% of the $2.1 trillion U.S. mortgage market by origination volume, according to HMDA data. In 2019, Blend processed a total of $538 billion in loans, more than double the $211 billion worth it processed in 2018.
Just as many others in the mortgage industry, the startup has seen a big jump in business since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Refinance applications for the second week in March were up more than 1600% compared to the prior year. In both April and May, refi apps were up more than 600%, according to the company.
And let’s not forget that former Fannie Mae CEO Tim Mayopoulos joined Blend as president in January of 2019, running all the administrative and go-to-market functions for the company
With so much going on in the mortgage industry, we thought it would be a good time to talk to its CEO, Nima Ghamsari, to hear more about what’s been happening at Blend and to get his thoughts on the fintech space as a whole.
HW: This broader macroenvironment of low interest rates is no doubt fueling demand in the mortgage industry. Do you see this as being a temporary thing?
NG: I believe this is all going to last a bit longer than people initially thought. It is estimated that there is $4.5 trillion worth of loans that should be refinanced given the current rate environment. Lenders may only get through $1.5 trillion of those over the next 12 months. That is a lot of dollars that consumers are leaving on the table. That’s money that should be back in their pockets, and it’s not. So we plan to keep investing over the next 12 to 18 months at least as we don’t imagine that consumers are suddenly going to be dealing with a turnaround or amazing, perfect economy in the very short term.
HW: Last June, Blend raised $130 million at a near-unicorn ($1 billion) valuation. Any plans to raise more venture capital?
NG: We are investing in the product so much right now so that’s something we are always considering. As a company, we’ve grown a lot. But it’s important to keep investing if we want to continue on that path. As part of that, we plan to hire another 50 to 100 people by the end of the year on top of the 100 people we’ve onboarded since March 4.
HW: Can you share your thoughts on the overall fintech landscape (especially in light of Quicken’s recent S-1 filing and nCino’s plans to file for IPO)?
NG: The remote world that we’re moving toward is accelerating the pace of fintech adoption, which will naturally benefit companies like Quicken and nCino, who are digitally powering things.
HW: How has Blend been navigating doing business amid a global pandemic?
NG: We can help our customers take on more business than they otherwise would if doing everything manually. Blend was building out some things over the past three to nine months, and we’ve suddenly had a ton of accelerations, such as now offering digital closings. We rolled something out on that a couple of months ago, which was six to seven months ahead of schedule.
We have heard from loan teams and banks that they need better tools to qualify and quotes. So one of the things we’ve rolled out is the ability to pull soft credit pulls for loan teams. By starting out with a soft credit pull, they can get a sense of where they stand with a consumer. Plus, it won’t affect the consumer’s credit. It’s easier for the loan officer and cheaper for the lender since they won’t have to pay for a credit pull for someone who might not turn out to be a customer. They’re dealing with a ton of volume so anything that can help save time and money is welcome.
We’ve also worked to make sure our customers have access to an entire set of data metrics they can use to run their businesses. We can either transport their data to them or they can access it on our app. It helps them to quickly visualize things like changes from month to month, and where business may be dropping off.
HW: Where do you see Blend headed in the future?
NG: We see additional opportunities in creating a new kind of home-buying journey that’s oriented toward consumers and their goals. We want to streamline the home-buying process with a suite of services that will assist a consumer through the whole process.
Are you a financial services professional hungry for better fintech news and info? HW Media is proud to introduce FinLedger, a fintech media brand that will cover the critical news impacting financial services professionals — from SaaS to big data, and cybersecurity to regtech. Want to be notified when we launch? Enter your email here and follow us on Twitter.


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Milan is often regarded as the fashion capital of the world. However, every two years, professionals in the hospitality industry flock here to preview innovations in food and beverage. While attending the 2017 HOST show in Milan, Danny and I were able to check out the latest and greatest in restaurant technology and also traverse our way throughout Italy feasting our taste buds in delight.
Read more here.
Ever try going out to eat with a group of friends but can’t agree on a place? Mary wants Greek, but Tim’s craving Thai. Susan, however, has a hankering for New York style pizza. Well, the food hall is your answer, and they’re on the rise!
Read the entire article here: Food Halls are Replacing the Tired Old Food Courts
Many people open restaurants based on their big dreams for sharing their food or their concept with others as well as to turn out a large profit. But as many as 60% of new restaurants that open up fail within the first year and a whopping 80% tank in less than five years, according to Business Insider.
Read the entire article here.
By now, most chefs are hip to umami – you know, the magical sixth flavor commonly referred to as that savory taste we all crave. You can get that depth of flavor in your dishes with umami-rich ingredients like parmesan cheese, tomatoes, soy sauce, mushrooms and beef (you get the idea). In Japanese cuisine, furikake, is a popular condiment…
Read on here: Ingredient Spotlight: Furikake
There was a time when the restaurant industry could pretty much count on success by following Ray Kroc’s mantra: Provide QSCV (Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value) to the customer. But the world’s gotten a whole lot more complicated since McDonald’s was the defining restaurant brand.
Read more here: DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD IN THE WORLD
We’ve all heard of popular LTOs (Limited Time Offerings) like the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks or the McRib from McDonald’s, but what’s happening this holiday season? See more here: NOTABLE SEASONAL RESTAURANT LTOS
According to Pew Research Center, “People looking for information about local restaurants and other businesses say they rely on the internet, especially search engines, ahead of any other source.” It’s a no-brainer: your restaurant should have a web presence.
A web presence extends past a standard website (although if you don’t even have one yet… Read the full article here: SEO FOR RESTAURANTS: 5 THINGS TO DO


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The following release was published by Georgia Ports Authority:
The Georgia Ports Authority board has elected new officers for the coming fiscal year.
Starting July 1, Kent Fountain will serve as chairman, Alec Poitevint as vice chairman, and Chris Womack as secretary-treasurer.
“Kent’s four-year tenure on the GPA board, as well as his leadership across business and agriculture make him a solid choice to continue guiding the ports of Savannah and Brunswick through the current phase of infrastructure growth,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. “Along with his fellow officers, board members, and the GPA leadership team, Georgia’s deepwater ports remain in good hands.”
Fountain and Poitevint’s election represents an advancement from their previous positions of vice chairman and secretary-treasurer, respectively. Poitevint served as GPA board chairman from July 2010 to June 2012. Womack was serving as a board member prior to becoming the Authority’s next secretary-treasurer.
“At the Georgia Ports Authority, a central part of our mission is to strengthen industries and sustain our communities,” said Fountain. “While the global economy is rebalancing from the recent spike in demand, now is the perfect time to grow our terminal capacity, so that we can continue to serve as a gateway for prosperity.”
Fountain noted that outgoing Chairman Joel Wooten presided over the board during a period of historic capacity expansion. Since Wooten became chairman in July 2021, the board has approved nearly $1.5 billion in infrastructure projects. The improvements will add 3 million twenty-foot equivalent container units of annual capacity at the Port of Savannah, for a new total of more than 9 million TEUs by 2026.
“I am extremely proud of our board’s accomplishments, providing GPA employees with the tools they need to continue supporting Georgia and the nation’s economy for decades to come,” Wooten said. “The Georgia Ports Authority is well positioned to take on the new and expanding business that will mean jobs and opportunity for our fellow Georgians.”


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The American Bankers Association’s latest Credit Conditions Index was released on Tuesday:
- Headline Credit Index fell 2.8 points in Q4 to 4.5, reflecting a consensus among bank economists that credit market conditions will continue to weaken over the next two quarters
- Consumer Credit Index worsened 6.5 points to 1.8 in Q4
- Business Credit Index improved marginally, by 0.9 points in Q4 to 7.1
- “Top bank economists serving on our Economic Advisory Committee are forecasting weak growth in household spending and business investment over the next four quarters before a modest pickup in the second half of next year,” said ABA Chief Economist Sayee Srinivasan. “Accordingly, ABA’s latest Credit Conditions Index indicates that banks will continue to exercise greater caution in lending decisions until at least the end of the year.”
More from the report and why the results are of note:
- consumer spending has been the driving force behind the U.S. economy but is likely to slow later this year and next year as wage growth cools, pandemic-era savings dwindle and student loan repayments restart
- Households have increasingly turned to credit cards to support spending, and credit card delinquency rates are now similar to pre-pandemic levels (but well below levels from the 1990s and 2000s)
- Among businesses, commercial and industrial lending has fallen for most of 2023, reflecting a “risk-off” posture among many business owners. EAC forecasts reflect this sentiment, as business investment is expected to grow at just a 1% annualized rate over the next year. Still, financial stress remains relatively low, and resilient consumer demand has boosted business cash flow.
The ABA Credit Conditions Index is a suite of proprietary diffusion indices derived by the American Bankers Association from surveys of bank chief economists from major North American banking institutions.
- Since 2002, the bank economists have forecasted credit quality and availability for both businesses and consumers, indicating whether they expect conditions to improve, hold steady, or deteriorate over the ensuing six months.
- Readings above (below) 50 indicate that, on net, these expert business analysts expect credit market conditions to improve (deteriorate).
- Input from the bank economists is equally weighted in the indices.


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Chinese shoppers spent $139.1 billion throughout this year’s annual Singles’ Day searching entertainment, breaking last year’s record even if defrayment slowed throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Alibaba tallied CNY 540.3 billion ($84.5 billion) in defrayment over the competition that spanned Hallowmass to legal holiday, the corporate aforesaid weekday, a growth of fourteen p.c compared to a virtually ninety-three p.c increase last year.
Rival JD.com rumored CNY 349.1 billion ($54.6 billion) in transactions this year, from Gregorian calendar month thirty-one to legal holiday, a couple of twenty-eight p.c increase compared to thirty-two growth in 2020.
The delay in growth for the world’s largest online searching competition, which usually ends on a legal holiday, comes amid reduced promoting ballyhoo and crushing on the technology business.
Singles’ Day has been viewed because of the largest online promoting event of the year. In previous years, the competition was heavily publicized for weeks before time with brands and merchants providing deep discounts to draw in shoppers searching for bargains.
But shoppers say deep discounts of what’s additionally known as “Double Eleven” area unit currently a factor of the past and specialists area unit predicting lower sales because the economy slows.
This year, Alibaba, the e-commerce platform that pioneered the web searching competition over a decade past, set to not showcase a running tally of its period gross merchandise volume (GMV) — outlined because the number of transactions racked up across its platform — on its website for the searching competition, usurping a lot of muted tone compared to previous years of glitzy promoting campaigns.
Chinese regulators have cracked down on technology corporations, investigation giants like Alibaba, and food delivery firm Meituan over alleged anti-competitive practices.
Earlier this year, Alibaba was penalized a record $2.8 billion for violating fair rules. before Singles’ Day, Alibaba, rival JD.com, and Meituan were among corporations asked to curb excessive promoting text messages sent to shoppers throughout the competition.
Last week, sixteen e-commerce platform operators — a number of that area unit joined to Alibaba and Meituan — were additionally summoned by regulators within the southern province of Guangdong province and warned over “unfair competition.”
Platforms also are reining within the promoting ballyhoo to align themselves with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s entails “common prosperity,” which incorporates edge excess and advocating for a lot of just distribution of wealth and resources.
“The call to not publish a live GMV tally suggests China’s major e-commerce platforms believe this consumption show is incongruent with current ‘common prosperity’ themes,” aforesaid Michael writer, analysis strategy manager at the Shanghai-based practice AgencyChina.
“While not publication a live GMV tally might appease native sensibilities, while not careful management, it should spook foreign investors UN agency area unit already involved regarding Alibaba’s growth prospects,” he said.
Online distributor JD.com additionally didn’t publically stream a running tally of sales this year. however it did hold a media event weekday, however, a counter showed that as of 2 pm time shoppers had spent over $48 billion.
Although it had been common to check shoppers’ cash in of deep discounts in past Singles’ Day festivals to refill on daily wants, consumption habits have been modified.
Demand is weaker amid the uncertainties been brought on by the pandemic, and Singles Day is currently competitive with alternative e-commerce festivals throughout the year.
“2021 may be a year of troubled times. there’s the pandemic and numerous disasters, economic process is slow and therefore the securities market isn’t activity well,” aforesaid HUA Wei, a Beijing resident.
“These create folks a bit panicky. After all, you have got a stronger sense of security if you hold onto your cash,” she said. “I suppose folks also are a lot of rational currently once it involves consumption.”
Another shopper, Jiang Chen, aforesaid that he control back on impulse searching this year, shopping for solely what he required.
“I do not suppose it is necessary to waste time and energy to save lots of a bit cash, that the things I purchase area unit what want,” he said, like snacks and fruit.
Jiang appeared proud of a lower-key approach to the competition.
“I hope that there’ll be less exaggerated message and ballyhoo in future (Singles’ Day) sales, which the discounts are going to be larger,” he said.
Meng Xiaolu, a sales manager UN agency lives within the Japanese province of Zhejiang, aforesaid she spent most of her searching take into account this month on Singles Day sales of cosmetics and garments.
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