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The Braintree, Mass. Board of Health voted 2-0 on June 19 to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in the town from 18 to 21, a change that will go into effect on October 1.
Like several other bills around the country that have been raised the minimum purchase age, Braintree’s new law goes after sellers, with a five-day suspension of a retailer’s tobacco sales permit for a first violation, a $100 fine and a mandatory training program for all employees that sell tobacco that must be completed within 30 days. Second violations carry a 10-day suspension of the permit and a $300 fine, while third offenses will cost a retailer $500 as well as a 30-day suspension of the sales permit. Should a business be found in violation of the new age requirement a fourth time, its license can be suspended for a year.
The new age requirement also applies to e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery devices.
Braintree is a suburb south of Boston with approximately 35,000 residents.


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The United States Patent Office published an Apple filing today for a patent on real-time user ratings and alerts on routes, traffic, and locations. Yes, it sounds pretty much like Waze, which Apple rival Google just bought for over a billion dollars.
But the patent goes far beyond traffic conditions.
Originally filed on December 28, 2011, patent application 20130173155 does describe mapping technology that allows users to rate and review routes. However, it also describes a mobile app that allows users to share information about events occurring at various locations. And other aspects of the patent application hint at integration with in-car navigation systems — something that is very reminiscent of recent Apple announcements on “iOS in the Car” at its recent developer conference, WWDC.
“What if you could get iOS on the screen that is built into your car,” Apple VP Eddie Cue asked at that conference. “So that you could make phone calls, play music, go to maps, get your iMessages, right on the screen in your car?”
With that level of integration, route alerts via Apple’s Maps app could appear right on your in-car navigation system. Alternatively, when you’re near an event that seems popular, Apple’s in-car iOS integration could pop up a notification asking if you’re interested in checking it out. Participating manufacturers, according to a screen Apple flashed up at WWDC, include Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Ferrari, Chevrolet, Infiniti, Kia, Hyundai, Volvo, Acura, and Jaguar.
But there’s no doubt that the technology Apple’s seeking to patent is very similar to what Waze already offers, as Apple’s detailed description shows:
The alert information … can be transmitted to navigation service …
In some implementations, route engine can determine routes based on the alert information stored in alert database …
Alerts can be broadcast to mobile devices based on the locations of the mobile devices.
Interestingly, doubtless via deep integration into Apple Maps, the patent allows users to select the kind of driving conditions they want: scenic route, light traffic, no construction, smooth roads, or more. Alerts seem very simple, and, according to the patent drawings, consist of simple buttons with titles such as Accident, Heavy Traffic, Power Outage, and the always-popular Protesters.
Waze was founded in 2008, and by 2011, when this patent was originally filed, it already had 80 people on staff. According to Wikipedia, the company has just two issued patents, one for “parking time estimates” and another for “condition-based activation, shut-down, and management of applications on mobile devices.”
You can bet, however, that the company has more patent applications in progress. And you can also bet that Google’s intellectual property lawyers will be inspecting this Apple patent for flaws and loopholes.
Hat tip: AppleInsider

domain: news


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Salt may challenge Liberty buy of Sunrise
August 28, 2020
Xavier Niel, the French billionaire behind Saltand the Free brands in France and Italy, claims the deal breaches an exclusivity agreement.
Niel announced he was considering a law suit on the day UPC Switzerland, the local Liberty Global cable unit, issued its prospectus laying out the terms for its €6.2 billion acquisition of Swiss MNO Sunrise Communications.
Salt, an alternative Swiss mobile company, says it has an exclusive, bi-lateral agreement with Sunrise to jointly invest in a fibre network to better challenge the country’s incumbents Swisscom and UPC Switzerland. The two pledged to invest €2.79 billion over the next five to seven years in fibre infrastructure.
Salt said that the deal with UPC “infringes on contractual rights”. Sunrise’s CEO, André Krause countered that the contract with Salt excluded a public tender offer and pointed out that UPC’s offer was not sought by Sunrise.
Salt was formerly Orange’s Swiss mobile operator, which Niel’s organisation bought in 2014.


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CZ Tire completes purchase of Hangzhou Zhongce share
The sale of China Enterprises Limited’s share in Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company to CZ Tire Holdings Limited for RMB600,000,000 or approximately US$94.41 million has been closed, China Enterprises reports.
The purchase consists of the 26 per cent share that China Enterprises held in Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. through its wholly-owned subsidiary, China Tire Enterprises Ltd. Following the sale, China Enterprises’ assets “now primarily consist of the cash that it received in connection with the sale described above and certain investments in financial assets,” the company said in a statement. “The board of directors and management of the company are actively considering all alternatives available for the use of the cash received.”


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In Vietnam, brands play a major role in the buying process, with 60 percent of consumers saying they are keen on big-name items due to quality considerations, a study by retail-research firm Gfk has found.
The Germany-based agency polled over 40,000 people in 28 countries and territories, 11 of them in the Asia-Pacific region.
The study found that 55 percent of Vietnamese shoppers spend a long time evaluating product brands, 12 percentage points higher than the average level.
Over 60 percent of respondents are in the habit of carefully reading labels before buying goods compared to a global average of 41 percent.
Nearly 70 percent said the origin was an important factor in buying, nearly two times the average level.
Tran Khoa Van, GfK Vietnam's general director, said consumers tend to be more careful, especially about food, since there have been numerous cases related to food poisoning this year.
Seventy-six percent said they were concerned about food safety, two times the average rate.
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A court in Dublin, Ireland, has sentenced two cyber criminals, Daniel Almajanu, 35, and his aid Albert Gimy Linul, 29, to four and three years in prison, respectively. The two were a part of a gang that ran a carding operation, stealing credit card details and manufacturing counterfeit cards. Using a skimmer, they collected card details from more than 1000 people at several UK bank outlets as well as the London Underground. Then they embedded these on empty plastic cards using a card writer.
Once ready, they set out to test the cards at various shops around Dublin, buying goods such as cigarettes and liquor, which they then sold on. They were caught in a Dublin pub after raising the suspicions of local police officers. They were found to be carrying 65 counterfeit cards between them, which led to the police searching their homes and seizing a laptop containing stolen data that had the potential to yield up to €5m.
After the arrest, it was discovered that the two were a part of a larger Romanian cyber criminal gang and are wanted by the Belgian, UK and Romanian police forces as well as Europol. Authorities are investigating the gang not only for credit card fraud but also to links with human trafficking, money laundering and prostitution.
The SolarWinds hack continues to unfold in several different directions. First, Reuters disclosed this week that it was not only Russian APTs that piggy-backed on the software products made by the company but also Chinese hackers. It now seems that Chinese cyberspies exploited a flaw in the software made by SolarWinds to help themselves compromise U.S. government computers last year.
The vulnerability exploited was different from the one used by Russian hackers to break into numerous organizations throughout the majority of 2020. The flaw was used to breach the National Finance Center, a federal payroll agency, potentially exposing data belonging to thousands of government employees, including staff at the Department of Homeland Security.
Meanwhile, as for SolarWinds Orion, the software originally used as an entry point by Russian hackers, it was announced this week that three new vulnerabilities had been identified and patched. Discovered by researchers at Trustwave’s SpiderLabs unit, the bugs have been assigned CVEs 2021-25274, 2021-25275 and CVE-2021-25276. The most critical, CVE-2021-25276 in SolarWinds Serv-U FTP for Windows, allows remote code execution with high privileges. There is no evidence at present that any of the vulnerabilities have been actively exploited in the wild, but admins and users are advised to update at the earliest opportunity.
SolarWinds have also said that they have managed to identify the original source of the breach. CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna announced this week that “suspicious activity” in SolarWinds’ Office 365 environment allowed hackers to gain access to and exploit the Orion development environment. It is unclear weather the attackers penetrated the company’s environment through compromised credentials or through a third-party application that capitalized on a zero-day vulnerability. In the latter case, that would make it one of the most sophisticated supply chain attacks in history: hacking a 3rd party vendor to hack SolarWinds to hack other U.S. companies and government agencies.
Over three million customers of a U.S. car company have had their details stolen after a cyber criminal posted them to a dark web forum, reports Infosecurity magazine. The data was stolen from DriveSure, a car dealership service provider focused on employee training programs and customer retention (also known as Krex, Inc) back in December. The data included names, home and email addresses, phone numbers, car and damage details, text and email messages with dealerships.
Security reserachers from Risk Based Security said that nearly 30GB of data had been stolen, including the company’s MySQL databases, logs and backups of their databases, and some 3.3 million email addresses. The leak contains many
.gov email addresses, and more than 5000 addresses from more than a hundred leading corporations, which makes it a very lucrative haul for threat actors.
The data can be used for anything from nation-state spearphishing operations, malware and ransomware campaigns and even simpler insurance fraud schemes. The PIIs leaked in this breach could be exploited to break into bank and email accounts, resulting in additional collateral damage to DriveSure clients. For their part, DriveSure responded promptly to Risk Based Security and are said to be investigating the incident.


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A separate analysis from J.P. Morgan, which looked at online prices for a shopping list of 117 items, said prices in March broke a three-month streak of month-over-month declines, with the average price change up 1.8%. That makes it the highest price increase since the survey began, according to the report.
However, two large retailers reported decreasing prices: Walmart and Whole Foods. More decreases could be ahead in April’s report given Whole Foods’ price cuts.
In March, Whole Foods’ pricing was down 1% month over month, according to the report. It follows February’s 4% price increase.
Walmart showed the most consistent decline in online pricing. Online costs were down 1% this past month, and J.P. Morgan said it has been steadily declining over the past year.
“No other grocer in our survey has invested so consistently in pricing,” according to the report.
Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prices for Target were reportedly down slightly, but no specific percentage was reported.
Kroger saw its pricing rise 2%, which “wiped out the past 4 months’ price investments,” the report said. Retailer Sprouts also hiked prices by 3%, and analysts said that was as its price increases normally follow declines.
Spokespeople for Kroger and Sprouts did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


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LA TECHNOLOGYRecent and archived news stories on: Alternative Energy, Automotive, Computing, Engineering, Internet, Nanotech, Software, Telecom, Wireless...
Virtual Piggy, a payments provider for teens, has added another partner to its playpen.
Digital music distributor DashGo has been acquired by AdRev, a division of digital licensing firm AudioMicro Inc., which helps artists collect revenue from music used in YouTube videos.
INTERNET: Industry steps up to track, counter fraudulent views.
Fraudulent ad views spur online publishers and their clients to take another look at how audiences are measured.
On this week's Launch List: A children-friendly streaming service, an ad tech firm and a celebrity's mobile game.
Lindsay Lohan is trying to keep up with at least one Kardashian. The actress has unveiled “The Price of Fame,” a mobile game designed to be a parody of celebrity culture and paparazzi.
A consortium that includes Pasadena engineering giant Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has won the bid to design and construct the second phase of the state’s high-speed rail project, the California High-Speed Rail Authority in Sacramento announced Thursday.
Ad tech startup VideoAmp loves that it’s starting from scratch.
AwesomenessTV is living up to its name, according to one media giant. Hearst Corp. has acquired a 25 percent stake in DreamWorks Animation’s subsidiary for $81 million.
Multichannel network Collective Digital Studio last year spun out of music management firm The Collective, and now it’s leaving its parent behind.
Pop culture publisher Woven Digital, the company behind entertainment sites Uproxx and BroBible, has raised $18 million in Series A financing.
Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition, which distributes digital content to partnered movie theaters via satellite and ground technology, has added Carmike Cinemas Inc., Marcus Theatres and Wehrenberg Theatres to its network.
Fullscreen has entered an exclusive partnership with Qyuki, a multichannel network in India, to tap into the South Asian country’s growing video market.
Los Angeles and San Francisco District Attorneys have flashed a glaring red light to Uber’s ridesharing operations in California, filing a lawsuit Tuesday that claims the company committed multiple business practice violations including misleading passengers on the safety of their rides.
TigerText, the company that powers text messaging systems for businesses, has added features to its messaging app to broaden its enterprise appeal.
Snapchat has hired veteran banker Imran Khan to become its first chief strategy officer, a spokeswoman for the Venice startup said.


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The Denver-based start-up is going to build PCs that are roughly the same size and shape as handhelds from Palm and Compaq Computer. The design of the Mobile Computer Core (MCC), the name of Antelope's basic computer, is derived from the Meta Pad, a hand-size computer prototype shown off earlier this year by IBM.
Antelope is licensing the Meta Pad design from IBM but will configure and adapt it to fit business markets and specific applications, said an Antelope representative.
Although it is still unclear whether businesses or other customers willthese machines, small computing is growing, advocates say. Earlier this year, another start-up, , unfurled a PDA-size PC that it will market toward the end of the year for less than $1,000.
Established PC and consumer-electronics giants will later this year release two new types of Microsoft-centric devices: the tablet PC, a full-fledged computer that resembles a portable screen and runs a specialized version of Windows; and, a portable screen that connects to the Internet via a home PC. Toshiba and others are expected to show off tablet PCs at TechX NY (formerly PC Expo) in June.
Small, portable machines like the MCC or Mira are possible in part because they use energy-efficient components that maximize battery life and reduce the need for internal cooling devices. The MCC, for instance, uses a Crusoe processor from Transmeta, yet does not require a fan. The MCC also comes with a 10GB hard drive and 256MB of memory.
Software improvements help as well. Keyboards are largely impractical as an input device and do not come on most of these computers. The specialized version of Windows XP for tablets--called Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition--comes with pen input and handwriting recognition. The growth of wireless has also created much stronger demand for fully portable computing.
Despite some of the benefits,computers won't threaten notebooks for some time. For one thing, they cost more than regular computers. The Antelope representative did not specify an exact price but said one of its computers could cost $6,000, depending on the configuration. Tablet PCs are expected to start in the $2,000 range.
Market research firm IDC said nontraditional notebooks so farfor just 3 percent of the overall notebook market.
Consumers also haven't shown much inclination toward writing on PC screens. IBM recently phased out its ThinkPad, a machine that captures handwriting jotted with a special pen. Sony also phased out its high-end .
Trying to capitalize on this ambivalence, Taiwan's Acer showed off a notebook last November loaded with the tablet PC version of Windows XP. By popping a button, consumers can make the screen pivot, and then snap it onto the notebook keyboard to turn it into a tablet.


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With the migration from print media to digital media, Rockstand has announced a massive surge in the downloads of eBooks in India.
According to the stats revealed by Rockstand, which is one of the eBook and eMagazine application in India, the app has recently crossed the data usage of 1 TB per day, which is now increasing on a daily basis. The stats reveal that the average user content consumption per day is 5 -8 books/magazines whereas the average content downloaded per user is 40 to 60 MB of which regional content has been downloaded the most.
Interestingly, Rockstand claims that majority of the traffic is mobile driven. Approximately 70 percent of the app users use their mobile data for reading using the app. The books which have been downloaded more frequently include eMagazines & eComics like Tehelka, India today Malyalam, Grihshobha, Bike India, Grazia, Champak (Gujarati, Marathi), Saras Salil, Chitralekha (Gujarat, Marathi), Money Mantra (Hindi).
Speaking about the development, Mr. Rishi Mohan Jha, Head, Rockstand Digital Pvt. Limited said, “We are amazed to see this kind of data usage, as we were expecting excellent response, but this figure is overwhelming & motivating. On that particular day, we crossed 15000 downloads due to regional content promotion and great offers, discounts provided. From the time since India got into era of digitization, Games and Songs have dominated digital space and enjoyed uninterrupted reign of data usage in country. Now it’s time for eBooks and eMagazines to rule digital space in India.”


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Tajik authorities officially launched on June 21 the country’s largest shopping mall, Dushanbe Mol (Dushanbe Mall), in which TJS110mn (€12.3mn) were invested, the president’s office said in a statement. The mall will also be home to the country's first ever hypermarket to be part of the French Auchan chain.
The opening of the hypermarket will bring competition to the market resulting in lower prices for Tajik customers, who have seen their purchasing power over the past two years weakened amid a decline in remittances. Remittances were equivalent to 46.6% of the country's GDP in 2014.
Tajik shoppers have so far relied on expensive small shops and open-air markets for their groceries. The discount hypermarket will be operated by Schiever Tajikistan, a unit of French Schiever Group, which holds the Auchan franchise in the Central Asian country. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has invested €5mn in the project, which will create 400 jobs. http://cbonds.com/news/item/833657
Schiever Group owns over 3000 hypermarkets and shopping centres. The company partners with Auchan group in France and Poland where it operates Auchan hypermarkets.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon was also present at the opening ceremony, echoing another Central Asian dictator Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s visit to the opening of the Carrefour hypermarket in Almaty. The Tajik leader’s attendance is likely, in a similar fashion, meant to portray a message to Tajik citizens that the country is developing despite its ongoing economic crisis.
Tajikistan has set up a commission to promote “appropriate” clothing to combat “alien” cultures, RFE/RL reported on July 21. The move is aimed at ... more
China is to provide $250mn for the construction of a new and expensive parliamentary building in Tajikistan, CA-News reported on July 20. Tajikistan is ... more
Evolution Equity Partners announced on 17 July the final closing of a new fund with total capital commitments of $125mn to make investments in cybersecurity and next generation enterprise software ... more


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Kurveys New Model
LAST UPDATED : Nov 25, 2020, 05:52 AM IST
- Oppo launches 2GB RAM variant of Oppo A15 at Rs 9,490
Smartphone brand Oppo has launched a new variant of its affordable Oppo A15 phone. The company has announced a 2GB RAM model of the handset. The new variant packs 32GB internal storage and is priced at Rs 9,490. It will be available on e-commerce site Amazon along with offline retail stores across the country.
- Wipro restructures to reduce dependence on US
Wipro's new CEO Thierry Delaporte is overhauling the organisational structure -- reducing the number of business units, putting the focus on geographies instead of industry verticals, giving more powers to P&L owners, and defining the ownership of performance metrics.
- Wipro to adopt new operating model from January 1 to drive growth in non-US markets, simplify operations
Wipro is bringing in a new operating model from next year under which its business will be restructured into four strategic market units (SMUs) and delivery model will be simplified as the IT giant looks to drive growth in the non-US markets.
- Vivo V20 gets Moonlight Sonata colour variant
The new Moonlight Sonata colour variant of Vivo V20 is up for sale via offline retail stores across the country along with Vivo India online store and e-commerce site Flipkart. Vivo V20 comes with a starting price of Rs 24,990. The phone’s base model packs 8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage.
- Regeneron's antibody cocktail may offer protection against Covid-19: Study
While earlier studies had shown that the cocktail of two antibodies targeting the coronavirus spike protein could be used to neutralise the pathogen, scientists from the American biotechnology company Regeneron noted that further research in multiple animal models is needed to test the effectiveness of the formulation.
- Mumbai airport? Nope, that’s new lounge at CSMT
Passengers who need to wait for their longdistance trains at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) no longer have to mill around on the platforms. Central Railway (CR) has started a new state-of-the-art airconditioned waiting lounge at CSMT for a nominal fee of Rs 10 per hour.


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Spotify’s chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez has accused Apple of being “a ruthless bully.” Writing in the Wall Street Journal, he said that Apple “uses its dominance to hobble competitors.”
Spotify Exec Criticizes ‘Apple’s Antisteering Provisions’
In the piece, Mr. Gutierrez hit out at the so-called Apple Tax, whereby Apple takes a 30 percent or 15 percent revenue cut from developers who sell products via the App Store. He also decried “Apple’s antisteering provisions” which stop Spotify and others from guiding users away from the iOS when they want to subscribe or buy. If they did, developers could avoid the “Apple tax.”
The Spotify exec did say that he felt the mood music is changing in his company’s favor.
I am heartened by the growing global consensus, but time is on Apple’s side. While Spotify has been successful despite Apple’s behavior, for many app developers the threat of irreparable harm is immediate. The process for putting together regulatory changes is long and laborious.
Mr. Gutierrez added that Apple can “wait it out and continue stifling innovators, many of whom will fail before they even have a chance to compete.” He also rejected Apple’s claim that Spotify pays a 15 percent cut (the amount Apple takes on subscriptions after their first year,) of its revenue on only 0.5 percent of its subscriptions. He explained that the decision was made to remove iOS in-app purchases “because Apple’s exorbitant 30 percent tax on new subscriptions forced us to turn off in-app purchases in 2016. It made more business sense to cut iPhone and iPad users off from a path to subscriptions than to absorb the 30% cut for new ones.”


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A worker at a Samsung facility in Korea has died after an incident at one of its semiconductor facilities.
According to Korean news service Yonhap, the incident began around 11 p.m. local time last night when a 132-gallon tank of hydrofluoric acid started leaking at the company's facility. At 5 a.m. this morning, 2.6 gallons leaked in gas form. Samsung contacted STI Service, a maintenance company, to fix the leak. One person died from exposure to the acid, while four others were hospitalized.
Yonhap today claims to have spoken to a Samsung spokesperson, who said that … Read more


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Chipotle releases real-life cilantro soap after joking about it earlier this year
The 4-ounce bar of Cilantro Soap costs $8
Cilantro may taste like soap to some people, but now there’s a soap that’s made from the actual herb.
On Thursday, Chipotle released Cilantro Soap, which fans can buy on the Chipotle Goods merchandise website.
Chipotle decided to create the real-life soap after the restaurant chain posted a picture of a fake Cilantro Soap package on Instagram in August this year.
DAIRY QUEEN WORKER REVEALS WHY YOU SHOULDN’T ORDER BLIZZARDS WITH ‘A BILLION TOPPINGS’
The picture was one of several social media posts the restaurant chain has posted in recent years referencing the controversial herb, which is an ingredient in Chipotle’s brown and white rice options as well as other menu items.
According to Britannica, cilantro tastes like soap for a small percentage of the population, which is caused by genetics.
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"Our Cilantro Soap plays into a larger trend of turning digital moments into real life experiences," Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. "Every Chipotle fan, regardless of which side of the great cilantro debate they're on, can appreciate this fan-inspired gift."
According to the Chipotle Goods website, the company’s new Cilantro Soap – which comes in a 4-ounce bar – costs only $8 and is made with saponified organic oils, including olive, coconut, flaxseed and shea, as well as coriander essential oil and chlorella powder.
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Aside from the Cilantro Soap, Chipotle also launched other new merch on Thursday, including new apparel in its Avocado Dye Line as well as new "Dad Hats" and beanies.


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Cardi B’s ‘Invasion Of Privacy’ Sets New Record On Apple Music Chart
Cardi B has just set a new record with Apple Music Record. Apple has just announced that her debut album Invasion Of Privacy is the most streamed album by a female artist in a week with a record-shattering 100 million streams.
This new record also makes it number five on Apple’s streamed album worldwide Music Chart. Meanwhile, her track I Like It with Bad Bunny and J. Balvin is number one off the album on the streamed chart.
She took to Instagram to thank everyone who bought her album
Woke up to take a shit and Boom!!!Thank you everybody sooo much ,FANS,Djs,Artist,BardiGang and doubters for supporting me .Thank you for buying and streaming Invasion of privacy !GOD put me here and GOD is the only one that can take me out !!! Back to sleep i go 😴😴😴
A post shared by Cardi B Official IG (@iamcardib) on


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Where Advertising Budgets Are Going In 2015
With the new year upon us it means brand new advertising budgets as well. Nielsen released their annual report where they survey marketers to find out how and where they are spending their advertising dollars, and what is planned for the upcoming year.
Overall, 70% of marketers increased the amount of budget allocated to digital brand advertising in 2014, a 15% rise from last year. They also found that 2014 brought a significant increase (33%) in companies using digital advertising for brand building campaigns versus direct response. This stat shows that as digital advertising matures, advertisers realize it can be a powerful brand building medium.
What’s in store for 2015? The study found that a majority of marketers reported that they planned to use online and mobile platforms more, while their planned use of offline mediums either stayed the same or decreased. Here is the break down for each advertising medium. (Note: ”OOH” = Out Of Home, i.e, billboards, transit, etc.)
Click to read the full article from Nielsen.


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The Wisconsin Woodchucks have even more fun planned for the upcoming homestand!
Northwoods League Home Run Derby and All-Star Game Presented By Ascension
Tuesday, July 18th 5:05pm and 7:05pm
Come see the biggest stars of Northwoods League baseball at our biggest event of the summer – the Northwoods League Home Run Derby and All-Star Game presented by Ascension! It’s also Car Wash Tuesday, so be sure to check your program for a free car wash courtesy of R-Stores!
Christmas in July Night
Thursday, July 20th 6:35pm
Break out your ugliest christmas sweater and your reindeer antlers, because it’s Christmas in July at Athletic Park! Bring toys for a toy drive for the Ministry St. Joseph’s Children's Hospital and watch the ‘Chucks take on the Kenosha Kingfish, while sporting ugly Christmas sweater jerseys of course! It’s also Thickburger Thursday, so the first 500 fans will receive coupons for a free little Thickburger from Hardee’s!
Chevy Night and Fireworks Night
Friday, July 21st 7:05pm
It’s Chevy Night at Athletic Park, so come tailgate and get a look at the new line of Chevy vehicles! The Klement’s Racing Sausages will be here and it’s Brew Pub Pizza Night. Join us for a Fish Fry and a post-game fireworks show presented by Wisconsin Chevy Dealers!
Marshfield Clinic Cancer Awareness Night
Saturday, July 22nd 6:35pm
The Woodchucks will take on the Madison Mallards in their special edition uniforms, which will be auctioned off to raise money for cancer awareness and screenings, presented by Marshfield Clinic! Seniors and Military members get a $2 discount on tickets today also!
Tickets for all of the games can be purchased online at woodchucks.com, by calling the Front Office at 715.845.5055, or by stopping by the Front Office (2401 N. 3rd. St., Wausau, WI 54403) anytime between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday. The Woodchucks have had a fun-filled season so far and we hope you can join us!


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13 November 2000
Iceland founder set for dual role
By FWi staff
MALCOLM WALKER is set to return as chief executive of food retailer Iceland, reports The Times.
This follows the shock resignation of Stuart Rose, the companys chief executive of only four months.
Mr Rose, who heads for the Arcadia fashion group, was previously chief executive of Bookers cash and carry, which has been merged with Iceland.
Iceland founder Mr Walker is expected to take the role of chairman and chief executive of Iceland in the medium term.
He had been planning to reduce his involvement in the chain, winding down his role as chairman, reports The Guardian.
Iceland has put itself to the fore of the food-safety debate, banning GM material in own-brand items and making a massive switch to organic produce this year.
This month, it told shoppers that it plans to remove UK-produced meat from its shelves to make way for organic imports.
Meanwhile, Waitrose is to step up efforts to lure home shoppers with a five-tier delivery and collection service, reports the Financial Times.


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Department store and retail brand Selfridges is strengthening its multi-channel offering with the launch of a social media-friendly shoppable app that aims to redefine the conventional mobile shopping journey.
In an era where technology is becoming progressively more integrated with luxury retail, Selfridges is hoping to future-proof its retail channels with a new app, part of the second phase of its commitment to delivering an extraordinary customer experience online.
The app was created in partnership with mobile app commerce provider NN4M, and boasts a rich feature set that provides customers with a personalised shopping experience across the Selfridges range.
With social media increasingly integrated into the experience of luxury shopping, the app also enables customers to browse products via an embedded Instagram feed, blending the line between social and retail.
“We are delighted to be working with Selfridges,” said Jonathan Heap, chief technical officer at NN4M. “They have approached their mobile strategy with an inspired and imaginative vigour and the future roadmap is exciting and will push boundaries both online and offline.”
The app is being heavily promoted both in-store and online, and follows on from a full redesign and relaunch of Selfridges’ retail website 18 months ago, which transformed the brand’s online presence with a touch-first and highly responsive site. Selfridges’ ongoing omnichannel project is part of a wider £300m investment into the company’s flagship Oxford Street store, which is due to be complete by 2020.
Source: Mobile Marketing Magazine


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Tesla joins Aston Martin, Maserati and Nissan R35 GTR in awarding New Zealand approved repairer status to Precision AutoWerk.
Tesla demands the highest standard from their approved body shop repairers. This includes rigorous, training in Tesla specific repair techniques and specialist equipment to ensure that all structural work and welding carried out on Tesla’s unique aluminium body is completed to the proper standard.
Precision AutoWerk has recently invested in upgrading their Glenfield facility to ensure that they maintain the high standards set by these industry leading brands in which they service.
“Working with the kind of brands we do, we need to ensure that our business remains as innovative and as focused on technological improvement as these companies are”, comments Precision AutoWerks Director, Paul Gibson.
“In the ever-evolving world of auto-repair technology it is important that we remain at the cutting edge of industry advancements”.
“We have put a lot of work into our facility recently and being awarded approved repairer status by Tesla, a company renowned for its ambitious design and auto technology is a real testament to our commitment to the highest quality auto repairs”.
All Tesla approved body shops have been factory trained and fully equipped to repair Tesla vehicles to the original vehicle specifications for structural integrity and quality of finish.
Precision AutoWerk are equipped to service all Tesla models, including model S, model X and model 3.
Precision AutoWerk’s upgraded facility can be found at 224 Archers Road, Glenfield, Auckland.
Media Release on 29 June 2018
Phone: 09 443 2431


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Splatoon is now complete.
The August Splatoon update, which released in North America on August 4 and brought Splatoon players ranked battles, a higher level cap, in game parties, new gear and weapons, new music, and a whole host of other changes and improvements to the game, will be available for UK players to download this weekend.
The update, which was promised to us before Splatoon even launched, finishes the free game as a service model that the title was launched predicated on; that said, Nintendo has promised that additional content will continue to come to the game, for free.
Splatoon originally launched on May 29, with just five maps, no ranked battle mode, and limited weapons and gear- over the next few weeks, Nintendo made good on its promise, and expanded on the game. This update completes Splatoon, as far as launch standard and promised content and features go.
Splatoon is available right now, exclusively for the Wii U.


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A VICIOUS CIRCLE MAKES MEDICINES EXPENSIVE
Public comments have been circulating lately that the prices of drugs in Bulgaria are much higher than they are in the rest of the European countries. The Minister of Healthcare Radoslav Gaydarski even complained that medicines are imported in the country without being registered in the positive drugs list. Moreover, a great part of the drugs are forbidden for use in some countries in Europe because of their high price.
In Bulgaria, the list of drugs assortment offered as well as their prices are regulated by distributors and producers, even though the state is one of their biggest buyers. A vicious circle is thus created because of the resale carried out at several levels which, well informed sources claim, adds some 20% to the products' prices. The mechanism is as follows: the Ministry of Healthcare periodically announces tenders for the sale of expensive life-saving drugs in which wholesale traders do not take part but which involve representatives of the foreign producers. They register extremely high prices. Those who win the public procurement order authorize wholesale traders in the country and sell drugs. In turn, they trade with the pharmacies. There are people who claim that there is no such practice anywhere in the world. Wholesale traders say that sales representatives of the producers are in the basis of the price chaos. They are the ones to declare in the ministry the price at which they intend to sell their medicines in the country. According to unofficial sources, their prices are often unrealistically high. If deliveries reach the final distributor, the pharmacies, the medicines may become cheaper if it turns out that they do not realize satisfactory sales. Asked by a BANKER weekly reporter, producers denied that prices go up because they are enlisted as free by the National Healthcare Insurance Fund (NHIF).
In order to dispel the doubts and avoid speculations with the transparency when making the drugs' prices, discussions about fixing them started a few years ago. The idea was proposed by the wholesale traders chamber with the intent to terminate the price chaos. The chamber chairman Vladimir Naidenov said that such regulation would prevent the manipulation of which the customers are victims. Some producers do not share this opinion because they say the interests of consumers are protected by the fixing of marginal drugs prices. They see no logic in introducing fixed values in the terms of a market economy even when it comes to medicines.
Radoslav Gaydarski's idea to reduce the number of drugs included in the positive list does not seem attractive to the wholesale traders chamber, either. According to the minister, since there are tested drugs that can be found at much lower prices, including new and much more expensive ones seems really ridiculous. However, the chamber opposed that the wide list of medicines will enable doctors to choose among different methods of treatment. The problem, Vladimir Naidenov said, is not in the scope of the drugs sold but in the practice to prescribe the most expensive drugs for which the healthcare fund pays. And this is one of the reasons why the fund's resources are never sufficient.
There are also other facts in the vicious circle because of which drugs are not sufficient for the people in need. One of them is the absence of an information system for which there is never enough money in the budget of the fund. The electronic reporting would help for making accurate statistics of the number of sick people and for determining the sufficient amount of drugs needed for their treatment. Misuses of drugs prescribed will become more rare, too. The new technology will replace the subjective factor in the drugs prescription and will reduce the cases of using other people's health books for examinations and receiving of drugs. The insufficiency of life-saving drugs is also explained with the lack of communication between the hospitals about the drugs available. There are cases in which drugs must be delivered urgently and that will be achieved if there is a well functioning communication system between the hospitals in the country.
There are no generic products (substitutes) on the market which are much cheaper than the original ones and that is considered another reason for the expensive drugs. According to wholesale traders, 70% of the import in Bulgaria currently relies on such medicines. Using them is absolutely admissible, since many of the generic drugs keep the biological activity of the original product and are identical while others only resemble the originals. In cases of specific diseases from which few people suffer, it is not worth producing generic products by competitive companies. Then the state is obliged to buy the original medicines, no matter how expensive they are. Instead of registering these drugs in the positive drugs list, the healthcare fund puts them in a list for import of products not allowed for use.
Deals resulting from drugs tenders organized by the state are among the most attractive to the companies. According to well informed sources, there are no more than 40 large distributors of drugs on the market now, including Sopharma AD, Libra AD, Higia AD, Actavis AD, etc. The monopolisation affects the competitive power of the companies and creates market discomfort. A few companies reach an agreement about the prices of drugs, while there are misuses on many different levels. According to Vladimir Naidenov, most frequently they happen at public tenders - through false bank guarantees for implementation of the orders and political umbrellas. Still, no evidence can be found, so all these remain just hypotheses.


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Bandai Namco and Dimps have announced that a closed beta of Dragon Ball: The Breakers will take place on PC next December 2021. Registration for the event, which will take place December 4-5, are already open in North America, Europe and Japan.
During the two days, Bandai Namco will make available to the players a total of four sessions for the beta, most of which will take place on December 4. Next, We leave you with a complete list of schedules for all these sessions:
- Session 1: December 4 (Saturday) 3:00 AM – 7:00 AM (Spanish peninsular time)
- Session 2: December 4 (Saturday) 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Spanish peninsular time)
- Session 3: December 4 (Saturday) 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (Spanish peninsular time)
- Session 4: December 5 (Sunday) 3:00 AM – 7:00 AM (Spanish peninsular time)
Bandai Namco released the announcement trailer for Dragon Ball: The Breakers last week. And at the moment we could see that, unlike previous Dragon Ball games, which pit different warriors against each other in hand-to-hand combat, the latest game from the editor will take a very different approach.
Basically The Breakers es an asymmetric multiplayer online game in which players are assigned as raiders (Cell, Buu or Freeza), or as one of the seven completely ordinary characters trying to run, hide and overcome your opponent. In addition to possessing the ability to run and flee like headless chickens, the game’s seven survivors will be able to work on different customizable skill trees, weapons and more resources to escape cooperatively from the clutches of the assailant. Either that or die.
On the other hand, in addition to announcing the dates of the closed beta, Bandai Namco has also launched an eleven-minute video for the game (above in the news) that delves into more on the premise of the game. Dragon Ball: The Breakers is currently planned for its release on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC sometime in 2022. Of course, the game will also be available to play via backward compatibility. on Xbox Series X / S and PS5.


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Have you ever thought about what would happen if your Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr or any other social media account got hacked? Or maybe the cyber criminals are already illegally accessing it, but you just don’t know it yet? Unfortunately, according to Arstechnica.com, there are around 642 million accounts that were hacked through the years of 2011 and 2013. Even more concerning is the fact that this vast security breach was noticed only quite recently, and more similar instances surface every day. The numbers of leaked data are astonishing. MySpace alone was confirmed to have more than 427 million, while LinkedIn has estimated 167 million stolen accounts currently circulating the black market. The leaked accounts are usually used either for advertising or exploited in some other ways that the cyber criminals may find fit. Therefore, it is crucial to keep your account safe.
On the most part, the security of your account depends highly on your service provider. But you should not forget that it is necessary to protect your account with a strong password as well. As security experts from Microsoft suggest, the password should be no shorter than 8 characters, do not contain full words, company names, user names, differ from passwords on other accounts and, preferably, contain a variety of symbols. However, even the strongest password protection may not save you from having your account hacked. There are numerous viruses that are created specifically for collecting the users’ login credentials, by installing cookies or generating fake login forms. 2-spyware.com has a large database of viruses that take up such practices. That is why it is necessary to take care of the overall computer’s security, by keeping it equipped with a sophisticated antivirus software. Besides, you need to keep it up-to-date to prevent security vulnerabilities that have been actively used by viruses while trying to infiltrate systems undetected.
If you are concerned about the safety of your accounts, you can always check their status on haveibeenpwned.com. It is a database of accounts that were hacked, developed by a well-known cyber security researcher Troy Hunt. This site also allows monitoring your accounts by enabling notification function which will immediately warn you if they get hacked into.


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Mango launches men's, accessory stores in PH
MANILA, Philippines – Spanish fast-fashion brand Mango formally launched two new concept stores in the Philippines on Tuesday as it aims to win over both male and female shoppers.
A new boutique called “H.E. by MANGO,” located at the posh Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati, offers clothing items dedicated to men’s fashion. Its latest collection is described as “inspired by '70s Italy, elegant and sober,” with its suit jackets and hand-knitted items.
|Inside the Philippines' first H.E. by MANGO store. Photo: Handout|
Right beside H.E. by MANGO is a store called “MANGO Touch,” which features the brand’s accessories and footwear. Aside from the Power Plant mall, MANGO Touch also has a branch at the newly opened Robinsons Magnolia mall in Quezon City.
|Bags and shoes are displayed at the newly opened MANGO Touch store at the Power Plant mall. Photo: Handout|
“Our fashion-forward country can now experience the exciting, exclusive and trendy collections of these two brands,” said Mango country supervisor Kelly Santos during the launch.
“Later this year, we’re opening three more brands for H.E. and two more brands for Touch,” she added.
Mango currently has 91 H.E. by MANGO stores worldwide. Aside from the Philippines and Spain, the brand has branches of its men’s boutique in France, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Thailand and Russia.
Forty-seven MANGO Touch accessory stores, meanwhile, are scattered in Spain, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
In the Philippines, Mango currently faces strong competition from other European fashion brands such as Zara and Topshop, and American chain Forever 21.


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2:45PM Monday 16 July
Huawei has announced the list of devices that will be getting its GPU Turbo feature. Along with device names, the company also revealed approximately when these devices will be getting the feature in a future update. Read More »
312 Days Ago Specific Huawei devices are getting a free update that boosts performance significantly. Dubbed GPU Turbo, the new feature increases graphics processing efficiency. According to GizmoChina the tech boosts efficiency by 60 percent while reducing power consumption by 30 percent.
311 Days Ago Huawei’s range of Android devices are, for the most part, already pretty damned quick, but with a coming update, the company is promising significantly improved performance across many of its smartphones.
312 Days Ago Huawei will be upgrading its smartphones with a technology called GPU Turbo, which should significantly increase graphics performance while consuming far less energy, the company announced on Monday.
312 Days Ago Honor has been talking about its GPU Turbo boost upgrade for a while, but now parent company Huawei has confirmed that its latest phones will also be getting
311 Days Ago Mobile gaming is starting to mirror the larger gaming market more and more. Not only is it an increasingly profitable business, the hardware, accessories, and designs are starting to creep into smartphones.
310 Days Ago Honor has announced two updates coming to the Honor 10 from 3 August. The first is GPU Turbo which boosts the graphical prowess of the device, making it
309 Days Ago Huawei sub-brand Honor is announcing that two exciting new features are headed to its current flagship offering, the Honor 10, next month. One of those is the already widely publicized GPU Turbo, while the other is Automatic Image Stabilization (AIS) for the camera.


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Davos 2023: Our approach to drive systemic change
This week we join business, government and civil society leaders at the Davos Annual Meeting 2023 (Davos) themed co-operation in a fragmented world. Here, leaders look to genuinely change global systems to build greater resilience to global crises.
Consumers International has long recognised the need to work with multiple stakeholders, and our work routinely connects unlikely actors to address systemic issues. As leaders convene, we share new tools, impact and future roadmaps across our work in sustainable consumption, energy, finance and more to build a better marketplace for consumers and meet global challenges.
ADVANCING CLIMATE ACTION
To realise net-zero emissions by 2050, now is the time for immediate action to turn pledges into action. This means all leaders from different sectors driving forward change. At Davos we will explore what climate leadership needs to look like in 2023 to advance meaningful collaboration.
One way leaders can drive greater leadership is by far greater support to consumers to make sustainable choices. Today we release our latest research and route map which explains the ways business, government and others can provide better information to help consumers shift their behaviour.
Our report, The State of Sustainability Information maps key trends and critical trade-offs, to provide decision-makers with a joint framework for action. It finds:
- The way sustainability information is provided to consumers is changing rapidly. We are seeing an increasing profusion of labelling schemes, an emergence of new types of quantitative disclosure, and a growing phenomenon of misleading self-declared claims.
- Strategic multi-stakeholder action is being prevented by overlapping schemes, innovations and initiatives.
Accompanying this research, our Action Agenda establishes the key steps to avoid risks and build on the opportunities in the online information environment to accelerate sustainable consumption. These include to:
- Collaborate to create data commons for product sustainability
- Work with third-party sellers and manufacturers to standardise and verify sustainability information
- Plan interventions to shift consumer behaviours online
The growth of the online marketplace is a crucial opportunity to grasp. The online information environment, with its scale, avenues for co-creation and personalisation, and commercialisation, could push consumers towards more unnecessary and unsustainable purchases. But with the right interventions, e-commerce players can leverage unique online aspects to empower better informed, more sustainable consumers at scale.
The research forms part of our GreEnCommerce project, supported by Amazon and implemented in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). It has been based on a robust consultation with global multi-stakeholder group of experts and practitioners. It has involved insights from our Members including Consumers Council Canada, AMBIO (Costa Rica), and Which? (UK) and leading contributors at Stockholm+50 and COP27.
DIGITAL FINANCIAL SERVICES
Digital services have transformed how we access our finance in many positive ways. Fifty-seven per cent of adults in developing economies now make or receive digital payments and two-thirds of adults worldwide use digital payments. These are important benefits amidst rising inflation, having a marked impact on low-income nations. Yet in a relatively novel sector system glitches, inappropriate design, fraud and other major risks are casting a shadow over the benefits offered by the sector.
This week we will release our latest report, 'Digital Finance: The Consumer Experience, 2023', covering low- and middle-income countries with insight generated from our Members such as Yogyakarta Consumers Institute (Indonesia), Consumer VOICE (India) and Consumer Council of Fiji (Fiji). This shows exactly how far the sector has to go to be inclusive, safe, data protected and private, and sustainable. The report assesses the sector across four core pillars in these contexts and finds an overall score of just 40%. Other alarming results are shown across the four areas, for example, a high perception of risk is exacerbated by factors such as how consumers are able to protect themselves which scored just 37%. Other scores demonstrate the vitality of advancing collaboration across actors – when looking at the extent of engagement between consumers, service providers and regulators – we found a low score 43%.
We will be sharing these and other findings from our work on Tuesday 17 January, 14.00-14.45 UTC as we join leaders from Mastercard, the New York Times and Edelman in a session entitled, Disrupting Distrust. You can tune into the session on Tuesday here and keep an eye on our website this Thursday as we release our metric.
In our global consumer insights survey 2022, 81% of our Members reported that consumers are adjusting their budgets so they can pay their energy bills. The cost of energy is expected to stay high in 2023, and some predict a deepening crisis - addressing the systemic roots of the crisis and its interlinkage with the climate crisis has therefore been placed high on the Davos agenda.
As the energy world is shifting to meet these crises and accelerate a clean energy transition together with our Members we have been calling for people to be at its centre. This means consumers being supported to deliver change at the pace and scale required to avert the crises, with decision-makers adopting measures which make it easy for people to take the low-carbon option.
At Davos we will be sharing insights from our research on the role of consumers in clean energy transitions. With increased consumer engagement in the energy transition, what benefits will we see to both people and the energy system? What are the barriers and risks faced by consumers who want to adopt new practices? What interventions are needed to empower them?
Our discussions will further shape a white paper on consumer protection and empowerment in clean energy transitions, produced in knowledge partnership with Enel Foundation and with the support of a global, multi-stakeholder group of experts and practitioners. The white paper will be launched in March as part of our celebrations for World Consumer Rights Day 2023, as we unite with our 200 Members to call for ambitious action to create clean energy systems that put consumers at the centre.
Influencing dialogue at Davos:
- Disrupting Distrust (livestreamed here), Tuesday 17 January, 14.00-14.45 UTC.
- Follow us on Twitter here and here as we share insights from other sessions and discussions.
- Check out our call to decision-makers through our blog here.
Insights and tools:
- The State of Sustainability Information and our Action Agenda
- Consumer Empower in Clean Energy Transitions Snapshot
- Finance Metric Report – stay tuned for its release this Thursday.


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Subaru's WRX STI SRT USA team of David Higgins and Craig Drew is the duo we hear about the most when it comes to rally racing, but Subaru is the car of choice for top privateers.
TorqueNews Hot Topics
The new BMW M4 Convertible hits the drag strip at Palm Beach International Raceway and in stock form using launch control, runs a fast quarter mile in 12.2 seconds at 117.3 mph.
Toyota’s motorsport division was seen testing a new 2015 GT86 Limited Edition GRMN 86 street/track sports coupe in Japan that will hit the market next year.
Subaru may be designing a new seven-seat SUV that will replace the outgoing Tribeca and it could arrive as a 2017 model.
Back in 2012, the Indian automaker Tata was touting its air-powered car, called the Tata Air Car, to the world and claiming that it would go to production as one of the cheapest and simplest cars o
As the 2015 Lancer Evolution begins arriving at Mitsubishi showrooms, performance fans are wondering why this will be the last rally-bred performance sedan.
We ran across some spy shots proporting to be the new 2016 Nissan Titan Diesel with the Cummins 550 lb-ft engine under the hood.
What if there weren’t any Guinness World Records to break? It would be a boring world and maybe stunt drivers would be climbing tall sky scrapers and washing windows as their day jobs instead.
The current-generation 370Z is on the way out. Nissan has made it clear that the Z-car as it is now is no longer the hot ticket it once was and that they are in need of a new Fairlady offering.
The "Subaru VIZIV GT Vision Gran Turismo" is the most aggressive sports car in Subaru history and it’s design was inspired by a dried fish.
Nissan has owned the Z.com domain ever since Verisign began auctioning dot com domains, which it controls, with only one letter in them.
When Fuji Heavy Industries and Subaru Tecnica International developed the new-generation 2015 WRX STI, they had the 25-45 year old male in mind.
Nissan has partnered with Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5 and a coach on NBC's Emmy-award Winning The Voice.


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By most measures, 2008 is not presenting a pretty economic picture. The downside risks are profuse--from the collapse in home prices, to the potential for additional trauma from the subprime market, to the supply and price issues in energy and raw materials. For the first time in years, the U.S. is the principal global slacker in terms of economic growth. While the weakness in the dollar can ultimately help our export imbalance and deter some of the movement of jobs overseas, it also significantly reduces our buying power as a nation and diminishes our leverage in global markets. Although a measured response from the Federal Reserve may avert recession, the nation could still face a politically uncomfortable economy--feeble growth in consumer income and assets as home values contract, salaries grow minimally and the markets gyrate, while simultaneously prices on such essentials as energy, medical care and now even food are trending upward. Treasury & Risk has asked economists M. Cary Leahey of Decision Economics, Milton Ezrati of Lord Abbett and John Lonski of Moody's Investors Service to suggest strategies for weathering the unfavorable economic clime.
Watching Overseas Grow
M. Cary Leahey
Senior Managing Director,
Decision Economics Inc.
Worries about recession risks abound when talking about the economic outlook for 2008. Real energy prices are high, the two-year-old housing recession shows few signs of quitting, and the financial markets are in
turmoil. Is there a ray of sunshine in what otherwise portends to be a disappointing, if not dismal, 2008? Surprisingly, yes--but one that companies need to prepare for if they are to benefit.
The overseas economic backdrop is the strongest in 35 years. (See chart) Since 2006, the U.S. has gone from the G-7 economic growth leader to growth laggard. GDP growth dropped to 2.1% in 2007 from 2.9% in 2006, while overseas GDP growth is expected to remain unchanged at 6%. Next year, U.S. GDP growth should fade a bit more to 1.9%, while overseas GDP growth fades to only 5.7%. At the same time, the dollar has been in decline for five years and has now more than reversed the previous seven years of appreciation to confine it to its lowest level since 1995.
This "decoupling" of U.S. and overseas growth is an important development, with serious implications for U.S. companies. Thanks to the dollar's feebleness and the economic strength overseas, one would expect U.S. exports to rally, and indeed they did rise almost 10% in the past year--the most significant surge since the late 1980s. Manufacturers with strong international presence--particularly in rapidly growing regions--might hope to weather the expected slowdown in domestic demand for their products and services by shifting their attention and sales abroad.
But there are no guarantees. Take, for instance, the export history with Asia. The share of U.S. exports more than doubled to India and China in 2006, to 6.3% from 2.6%, but was offset by a sizable drop in the rest of Asia's share from 23% to 18%. About half of that dip in export share came from the reduced importance of Japan and about a quarter came from Asian tigers like South Korea.
Mexico remains a wild card, despite its NAFTA status and proximity. In 2006, The Mexican share of U.S. exports fell marginally to 13% from 14% the year before. The reason is simple: Mexico's economy has been losing out to the rising tide of exports to the U.S. from the burgeoning Chinese and Indian economies. Even with the weak dollar, it leaves Mexico with less money to buy more from the U.S.
OPEC nations provide another somewhat ironic bright spot. The massive jump in petrodollars from higher oil prices is being partially recycled back to the U.S., with the share of U.S. exports to OPEC rising to 3.9% in 2006 from 2.4% in 2000. Experiencing an infrastructure boom similar to China, OPEC is buying capital goods--although some U.S. companies have hopes that the consumer side will also take off as living standards rise in China, India and OPEC.
Of course, stronger U.S. export numbers are the bright side of globalization--increasingly a dirty word among the many, even highly educated, Americans who have lost jobs to overseas competition. The entry of India and China amounts to a 70% increase in the global labor force--roughly three times the impact of the entry of Japan, South Korea and the other Asian tigers in the 1970s and 1980s. While companies can comfort themselves that expansion of the Chinese and Indian economies will continue to open up new marketplaces for U.S. goods and services, there are no assurances--as we are seeing this year--that their strength will translate into a robust U.S. economy.
Diving for Dollars
Partner, Senior Economist and Strategist, Lord Abbett & Co.
The dollar certainly has confronted investors with some scary viewing of late, falling against just about every currency and prompting many to reconsider the greenback's position as the world's reserve currency. For all the excitement and the attendant doubts, however, there is reason to con-
clude that the worst for the dollar is probably over and 2008, if it does not see an upward correction, will at least see relative stability and little further dollar depreciation.
Though the currency agita is of relatively recent vintage, the dollar has actually been losing ground for quite some time. It hit its highs against most major currencies near the end of 2001, and by the end of 2006, it had lost 50% against the euro, 35% against sterling and 15% against the yen. What has exercized market participants is that after this ongoing dollar erosion, the pace of depreciation accelerated this year, with the dollar down in the last 11 months alone by another 10% against the euro, 9% against sterling and 7% against the yen.
But for all this relentless dollar depreciation, the Eurozone's still heavy reliance on exports gives one reason to look for stability at the very least going forward. Past euro appreciation has already hurt the competitive position of European exports. Order books in Italy, France, and even Germany have shown the strain. With the latest euro surge this export pressure should intensify. And though recent quarters have seen something of a recovery in the domestic Eurozone economies, the strain on exports from a strong euro ultimately could so threaten European growth prospects that investors would have to reappraise currency values, a step that could itself stop and likely reverse the trend in dollar depreciation.
China's currency policy simply raises the chances of dollar appreciation and stability going forward.
Contrary to popular talk these days that Beijing will abandon the dollar as a currency guide, China's need for job creation and Beijing's keen recognition of the contribution to growth from exports to America argue forcefully for a dollar link. Beijing then will likely continue to manage the dollar-yuan rate, as it has for some time, to keep the yuan cheap to the dollar and thereby make Chinese goods exceptionally price competitive. To be sure, this year Beijing has allowed more yuan appreciation than in the past. The move is not because China is shifting from the dollar, but rather because euro appreciation and the inroads it offers Chinese sales into Europe have simply allowed China room to accept less of an export advantage in the U.S. market. But while welcoming this European edge, Beijing knows that a switch away from the dollar to a yuan-euro link would lose much of the U.S. consumer market to Chinese products, hardly an attractive tradeoff given sluggish trends in European consumer markets.
All that said, currency markets are known for developing a momentum that frequently defies the underlying fundamentals, at least for a while. In the absence of such irrationality, however, the interaction of Chinese policy and European export dependency should slow and likely reverse the dollar's depreciating trend.
Will the Fed Cut Enough?
Moody's Investors Service
Few imbalances argue more persuasively for additional reductions in the federal funds rate as the recent deep discounts in the rates of the three-month Treasury bill and two-year Treasury yield relative to the 4.25% fed funds rate target. In order to assure an adequate supply of private-sector credit, the fed funds rate probably needs to be no greater than 3.5% by the end of 2008's first quarter. But whether it sinks that low--and for how long--may depend upon what the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) focuses over the next months.
On Dec. 11, the FOMC moved to close the spread by cutting the rate by 25 basis points, indicating that the U.S. central bank is definitely more concerned about elevated macroeconomic risks from home price deflation, slower consumer spending and subpar corporate profits than on the potential for inflation--and rightly so.
As long as downside risks loom large, businesses will proceed cautiously with capital spending and hiring. Provided that a contraction of employment is avoided, consumer spending ought to grow by enough to keep the U.S. out of recession. However, if employment shrinks as home prices fall, the retrenchment of consumer spending could be severe.
Despite recent spikes in energy and raw material prices, the Fed seems to be concluding that the inflation in the consumer price index (CPI) will be held to 2.2% in 2008 by subpar growth in consumer spending and a massive overhang of unsold homes, which should rein in the 38% of the core CPI consisting of shelter costs, excluding energy, maintenance and taxes. In fact, recent Treasury yields would suggest CPI inflation should average near that tolerable 2.2% over the next 5 years.
While the Fed's top priority has most often been combating inflation, only an aggressive easing of U.S. monetary policy will boost the supply of credit to the private sector by both improving the economic outlook and by widening the net interest margins of financial service companies. All else the same, wider net interest margins would also boost the earnings capabilities of banks, which will at least partly offset recent and forthcoming write-offs owing to exposure to troubled subprime mortgages and CDOs.
If the fed funds rate drops as low as 3.5% during 2008's first half, three-month LIBOR may sink to 4.25% provided that debt repayment problems do not mount throughout the U.S. business sector. The housing market outlook is apt to improve by mid-year, thanks to what would be the lowest 30-year mortgage yield since September 2005, substantially discounted home prices in much of the country, government efforts to freeze interest rates on sub-prime adjustable rate mortgages and the economy's successful sidestepping of a recession.
But the Fed's work will not be done. Once the economy has gained some momentum, there is a risk that the labor market, which has not seen a marked softening, could quickly tighten by enough to boost inflation risks. Coupled with the supply pressures in the commodities markets, investors should not be surprised by a relative quick turnabout by the Fed on rates. Thus, the first six months of 2008 may offer a unique opportunity to lock in attractive fixed-rate borrowing costs.
As shown by November's surprisingly strong showing by retail sales, U.S. economic growth just might surprise on the upside. However, it's difficult to envision a decisive firming of economic activity without a definitive stabilization of housing, which probably will require a longer stay by comparatively low interest rates. Similar to what occurred last summer, market forces will ultimately reverse any rise by borrowing costs that makes matters worse for an already badly weakened housing industry.


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When you’re looking at the new car market and aren’t sure where to start, it only makes sense to check out the top dogs. With that in mind, we’ve gone ahead and prepared this list of the top 10 bestselling cars in the UK for 2018.
- Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta doesn’t just come out ahead – it comes out way ahead. With 40,619 registrations, it’s a phenomenally popular model. In fact, it was the most popular last year, too. In April alone, 7,811 new Fiestas hit the road.
- Volkswagen Golf
Coming in with 26,685 registrations, the Volkswagen Golf takes second place for the second year in a row. It secured 5,482 registrations during April 2018.
- Nissan Qashqai
It might not have the same name recognition as the Golf or Fiesta, but the Nissan Qashqai managed to climb to third with over 21,171 registrations.
- Ford Focus
Another spot on the top 10 for Ford (and not the last), the Focus came in behind the Fiesta while still taking 19,344 registrations, including 3,784 in April.
- Vauxhall Corsa
Vauxhall has really been relying on the Corsa of late. Luckily, it still seems up to the challenge thanks to a more than respectable 17,995 registrations.
- Ford Kuga
With 15,865 registrations, the Ford Kuga has managed to secure Ford’s third spot in the top 10. We’ve found passengers love the amount of space they have to stretch out and relax during longer journeys.
- Mercedes A-Class
The A-Class only just scraped into the top ten last year, but it really hit the ground running in 2018. Climbing to spot seven, this fetching hatchback took 14,849 registrations, including 2,636 registrations in April.
The MINI only broke into the top 10 bestsellers in March, and it’s already eighth overall for the year. Drivers continue to praise the cool styling and zesty performance. It took 14,297 registrations.
- Vauxhall Mokka X
We’re not sure how long the new Mokka X will be able to hold its place in the top 10, but we do know it’s doing well so far. To the tune of 13,579 registrations, in fact.
- Mercedes C-Class
Coming in just shy of the Mokka X with 13,495 registrations, the Mercedes C-Class creeps into the top 10 once again. We expect it to climb higher when the new model is released later this year.


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This week we’re following up with content you might have missed in maker culture, global trends, tech, and the workplace with a Millennial focused eye.
1. Mommy on the Job? Maybe Not
In our Essentials this week, we let you know about brands like PepsiCo and LinkedIn that are incorporating Millennials’ parents into the hiring process, but warned that “bring-your-parents-to-work-day” may not be fun for everyone. Don’t miss the reactions to the original article that serve to either explain or mock this new trend. Millennials are indeed closer to their parents than generations before them, and while sociological changes are underway as they fill the workforce, older generations can’t help but scoff at the implications of helicopter parenting in the workplace.
2. A Different Side of Global Millennials
This week’s guest post from JWT MENA introduced you to the Mipsterz—a sub-culture of Millennial Muslims who are challenging long-held Muslim perceptions through their adoption of hipster styles and pastimes. Exploring the Mipster trend globally, we don’t want you to miss this recreation of Pharrell’s “Happy” video, specifically showcasing modern-day Muslims in Britain. The Honest Policy, a group for global empowerment and change, captured the footage through contributions from a variety of people across the country.
3. Memories in a Digital Time Capsule
Hyper-nostalgia mobile apps are flooding the market, targeting Millennial audiences who want to put the past in the present and easily store newly made memories. Don’t miss out on Saga, a Seattle startup app that lets users share multiple streams of data at once. For example, after a vacation users can “bundle” their location tags and share the bundle with friends as a map of their experience. Data can be shared selectively to avoid overwhelming others with what seem like geo-tag brags.
4. Teen Makers Making it Happen
Yesterday’s interview with Payton Bartos, a 15-year-old jewelry design entrepreneur, let you know what is so appealing about DIY for younger Millennials. Niche-interests are educating this generation in ways that traditional school days don’t provide, so don’t miss fashion industry insights from another teen entrepreneur. Will Berman, the founder of Unwashed Denim, began making raw denim accessories at age 15 and feels that “we need pitch nights for kids, trade shows for teenagers to present their projects and ideas, and innovation competitions to motivate teens to do something that is meaningful to them outside the classroom.”
5. The Honest Wikipedia
Wikipedia, once judged for its unreliable crowdsourcing of information, has become an essential source of quick facts for Millennials. Or as Tumblr “TL;DR Wikipedia” puts it: “a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet bet settler.” This Tumblr, and accompanying Twitter, has been circulating around the web for its snarky, honest, and face-value definitions of anything and everything. The Sphinx, for example, is defined as ”a mythical creature with a head of limestone, a body of limestone, and wings of limestone.”


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Amazon.com has required an undisclosed number of customers to reset passwords to their online accounts after the company said some passwords "may have been improperly stored" on devices.
Your phone is getting better and better at protecting your privacy. But Uncle Sam isn't totally comfortable with that, because it's also complicating the work of tracking criminals and potential national-security threats.
US hotel chain Hilton revealed Tuesday that hackers infected some of its point-of-sale computer systems with malware crafted to steal credit card information.
It could be a merry holiday season for hackers, with millions of new and potentially vulnerable Internet-connected gadgets hitting the market.
Encryption can be a terrorist's tool. But it's also a key for those hunting attackers, and for many others.
Starwood Hotels, which operates the Sheraton and Westin chains, said Friday that hackers had infected payment systems in some of its establishments, potentially leaking customer credit card data.
Before the dust has even settled from the attacks on Paris, familiar calls for greater surveillance powers are surfacing. The desire for greater security is understandable, but that doesn't mean we should suspend our judgement ...
Following tragic terrorist attacks committed by ISIS agents in Paris last week, the online hacker group Anonymous declared in a video that it would launch a cyber-attack on ISIS.
NATO nations and allies are battling malware in tablets and infected devices this week in the alliance's largest cyber drill to date aimed at improving members' data privacy in crisis situations.
The encrypted communications firm Silent Circle said Thursday it was tightening access to its mobile apps and secure smartphone to make them harder for terrorists and criminals to use.


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Hilton has launched its latest lifestyle brand Tempo by Hilton with an eye on “modern achievers”.
Tempo by Hilton currently has 30 hotels under development and 30 more deals pending.
“Tempo by Hilton is the latest example of our unique ability to anticipate what our guests are looking for and deliver unmatched value for customers and owners alike,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton. “We’re thrilled to welcome this new brand to our Hilton family and look forward to building on our legacy of innovation with Tempo by Hilton.”
For the new brand Hilton has partnered with leading experts across the well-being, food and beverage and other lifestyle spheres including Arianna Huffington’s behaviour change platform Thrive Global and established culinary firm, Blau + Associates.
“Utilising a data-driven blueprint, we identified lifestyle offerings inside the guest rooms and throughout the property that push the entire sector to new heights,” said Phil Cordell, SVP and global head of new brand development at Hilton.
“The end result is a compelling, yet approachable brand that enables owners to expand their portfolios in sought-after locations across the country as well as capture a new demographic of travellers.”
The brand’s signature elements include an emphasis on restful guest room spaces, oversized bath suites and inspiring shared and public spaces.
“Through our research, we found that while our current upscale offerings have been incredibly successful at earning loyalty among specific guest segments, there was a rising demographic of ambitious and highly discerning travellers that weren’t engaging with the category,” said Jon Witter, chief customer officer, Hilton.
“With Tempo by Hilton, we are able to reach these influential consumers through a new, elevated yet approachable class of hotels designed to surpass expectations of both customers and owners in truly meaningful ways.”


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Plastics contain phthalates. These are substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility, durability and transparency. Many plastic household items such as food containers as well as toys, cleaning agents and personal care products contain elements of phthalates.
Studies now show an association between exposure to phthalates and development of many chronic conditions like asthma, breast cancer, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Type 2 diabetes, neuro-developmental disorders, low IQ, altered reproductive development and autism spectrum disorder.
Eating out increases levels
A new study published in the Journal of Environmental International investigating levels of phthalates in the human body found people who eat out had up to 40 per cent higher levels of contamination from phthalates compared to those who eat home-cooked meals.
Common fast foods like burgers and meaty sandwiches were linked to higher phthalates but only if purchased out, not home-made, suggesting that animal protein might be a stronger vehicle for phthalates.
The association between fast food consumption and high levels of phthalates was stronger in teenagers, with those who ate out having up to 55 per cent more phthalate metabolites compared to those who ate at home.
The study went further to suggest food prepared at home contains lower levels of this chemical compared to takeout.
Food is also likely contaminated with phthalates during processing. They can leach out of materials used to manufacture food processing equipment and into the food. Food preparation gloves are another common source.
Aim at consuming whole fresh foods at home as much as possible
Limit packed and processed foods
Use glass or stainless steel for food preparation
Avoid micro waving food using plastic containers since heat can cause phthalates to seep out into the food.
Fatty foods contaminate easily, so it is prudent to reduce their intake.
A consumer can only do so much to reduce intake of phthalates. Regulatory bodies concerned with food manufacturing processes and packaging have a higher role to play in protecting the wider population.


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Rise of Robot Laborers in China Could Change Global Trade GamePosted: February 22, 2014 Filed under: Asia, China, Robotics | Tags: Canada, China, Industry of the People's Republic of China, Manufacturing, Robotics, Senkaku Islands, Television program, The Globe and Mail 2 Comments
Frances Martel reports: 2013 was a banner year for uncalled for expansion of China’s borders, from the Senkaku Islands Air Identification Defense Zone to a state TV show claiming the entirety of the Philippines for China. But on the economic front, China plans an expansion of a completely different kind: the use of robots to make manufacturing even cheaper.
Canada’s Globe and Mail has a feature out this week on China’s increased push to replace human labor with automated work. While China boasts some of the cheapest labor in the world–hence their domination of the manufacture of many simple to make items–salaries are, by necessity, increasing. This, argues author Scott Barlow, is pressuring the Chinese government to stay competitive economically with other nations by suppressing the growing wages. And to do that, he continues, businesses need to hire fewer people.
The Globe and Mail’s business team has been on the forefront of covering the shift from human laborers to robotics in the global economy, first reporting last December on the increase in their presence in our lives. Within the next 15 years, predicts that article, “robots will increasingly being to populate a new domain– the physical realm.” An example: a restaurant in China that fully gave up on using waiters and waitresses and employs “20 life-size robots” to cook and serve meals.
One of the easiest ways to use machines to manufacture what was previously the purview of humans is 3D printing, a developing phenomenon that The Week reported this week is very much in the aim of Chinese industry. The reason for such a passion for automated manufacturing is the same as for the increased use of robots: China is simply not the cheapest place for corporations to send their unskilled labor anymore, and the Chinese government is panicking…
- What will China do with a billion people when robots take over manufacturing? (sgtreport.com)
- Robots Become China’s Growing Labor Force (voanews.com)
- Why China wants to lead the world in 3D printing (theweek.com)
- Robots may revolutionize China’s electronics manufacturing (seeker401.wordpress.com)
- Google And Foxconn Working On Robots (geeky-gadgets.com)
- Google and Foxconn tipped in tie up for robotics project (slashgear.com)
- Foxconn to speed up ‘robot army’ deployment; 20,000 robots already in its factories (itworld.com)
- Mike Adams ~ Robotics Revolution To Replace Most Human Workers In Three Generations; Labor Class To Be Systematically Eliminate (shiftfrequency.com)
[…] Pundit from another Planet Frances Martel reports: 2013 was a banner year for uncalled for expansion of China’s borders, […]
[…] Rise of Robot Laborers in China Could Change Global Trade Game […]


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If you're young enough for Pokemon to have a stranglehold on your childhood, you no doubt dreamed of a world where the rules of Nintendo's RPG also applied to real life—it's the only possible scenario where the existence of 10-year-old dropout drifters is considered part of the status quo.
Nearly 20 years after the hugely successful RPG launched in Japan, The Pokemon Company is finally making these fantasies a reality with Pokemon Go, an augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic. While not much is known about Go outside of its basic premise, the trailer implies this new creation will likely give you a reason to live and maybe, just maybe, save your troubled family.
Pokemon Go has been in development for a few years, and designed with the intent to encourage kids to get out and explore their surroundings, along with their parents, friends, and siblings. Today's announcement also brought news of a watch peripheral to be used alongside the game, which will rumble and flash when Pokemon draw near—a nice solution to the dangers of wandering around outside with your eyes affixed to a tiny screen. And, at the event, Pokemon designer Junichi Masuda implied Go won't just be a stand-alone product; future installments may very well interact with this spin-off.
Pokemon has taken baby steps towards AR, what with the pedometer packed into 2010s HeartGold and SoulSilver, along with adding the monsters to Google Maps as part of an April Fools' prank, but Go represents a major leap into a formerly unexplored format for the franchise. While the trailer certainly looks impressive—even if it's all faked—you still have to wonder how well this will work in the wide-open spaces of America compared to the fairly dense cities of Japan, where Go was conceived. There's also safety issues to worry about, like the possibility of kids wandering into traffic, or getting their expensive smartphones stolen while distracted by fictional monsters. It's one of those cases where great ideas and impressive technology have to overcome practical and boring problems, so let's hope they do.
Whatever the case, the existence of Pokemon Go finally gives me a legitimate excuse to post this image, and for that, we should all be thankful.


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Here at the CTIA Wireless show in Orlando, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse says that with the planned summer launch of HTC's 3D EVO and 4G EVO tablet, Sprint will have 22 4G devices, more than any of its rivals. Verizon says it will bring its 4G LTE network to 147 markets by year's end, while AT&T is simultaneously building out its HSPA network while preparing to launch its LTE network later this year.
No question, 4G is the next mobile battleground for what shapes up to be a smaller field of national carriers. But at a day of sessions on the subject (sponsored by Fierce Wireless, which among other things publishes a first-rate daily newsletter on the wireless industry), the dominant theme seemed to be that the carriers may not be ready to deal with the enormous bandwidth demands their fast devices and networks will inevitably produce.
AT&T said as much in its press release about its decision to acquire T-Mobile. The company basically said it needed T-Mobile's spectrum to cope with ongoing increases in mobile data use, which increased 8000 percent between 2007 and 2010, and which it expects to be 8 to 10 times as great in 2015 as it was in 2010. "In the long term, the entire industry will need additional spectrum to address the explosive growth in demand for mobile broadband," the company warned in its news release.
At the Fierce Wireless sessions, AT&T Senior Vice President Kris Renne said even the faster and more efficient LTE technology would not be enough to address the coming onslaught of bandwidth demand. The company is exploring various so-called small-cell technologies which can make a network more flexible in meeting demand as it occurs.
She mentioned as one example the AT&T Microcell, which essentially functions as a cell site that hands off traffic to the customer's wired broadband network, thereby reducing demand on AT&T's own cell sites. What she didn't mention was that it cost me $150 to buy a Microcell and help AT&T with its bandwidth and reception problems.
But that brings me to the other issue (besides looming network capacity problems) that the carriers haven't fully explained as they promote their 4G networks and devices: What is 4G going to cost me? Or, from the carrier perspective, how are they going to finance the huge costs of these new, fast networks?
No carrier has explicitly outlined all its plans to make money from 4G, and a Fierce Wireless panel on the subject was populated by consultants and third-party service providers (no major carrier would participate). They suggested several pricing scenarios, including targeted marketing opportunities.
Grant Lenahan of Telcordia, which provides software to address carrier and business communications problems, explained that the on-demand nature of mobile video has the potential to tell marketers a lot about your personal tastes that they might not be able to learn based solely on impersonal demographic information. This information could be used to deliver some unexpectedly personalized ads.
Randy Fuller of Tekelec, another provider of services to operators, said carriers might end up charging content providers for transit costs to mobile devices. In other words, Netflix might have to pay the carriers for the bandwidth involved in streaming movies to smartphones-a cost it would almost surely pass on in higher fees to consumers.
Panelists noted that video is the chief consumer of mobile bandwidth, accounting by some estimates for 50 percent now and expected to comprise 60 or 70 percent going forward. But if consumers were forced to pay more to stream video, many might prefer to reduce video consumption. Fuller cited a Tekelec study (performed in Europe, but still...) that found consumers ranked video 4th on the list of important mobile data services, behind web browsing, e-mail and navigation.
The study found that many people would pay a higher base cost for a plan that would allow unlimited use of non-video services (as opposed to one that would cap bandwidth usage for all services).
Right now, however, carriers are caught between a rock and a hard place: Do they want to charge more for 4G services in order to realize a good return on their investment, or are they willing to charge less in order to lure more subscribers? Dan Hesse and Sprint appear to be going down the latter route but it remains to be seen whether Verizon and AT&T will respond.
But in the long run, network capacity looms as the bigger problem. Regardless of pricing, consumption is only going to increase -- and the wireless spectrum can only support so much traffic. As they trot out shiny new high-speed smartphones and tablets, the carriers have to be wondering: What if we all actually buy and use them?
This story, "4G: Why Wireless Carriers Promote and Dread It" was originally published by Technologizer.


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Mobile advertising spend grew 29% year-on-year in Q1 2019, highlighting a faster growth rate than between 2017 and 2018 (20%) for the first time, according to the lasted Quarterly Index by PubMatic. Mobile eCPMs declined across the digital ad company’s platform as a result.
Almost half (48%) of all video impressions served via PubMatic were mobile compared to 63% on desktop. The company expects that mobile video will be a preferred format until the end of 2019.
“Mobile advertising continues to see monumental increases in spending, while still making strides towards greater transparency and returns, which is hugely important for publishers and advertisers. That said, the industry is only now learning how to properly take advantage of in-app header bidding, which has led to more obstacles,” explained Paulina Klimenko, SVP, Corporate Development and GM, Mobile at PubMatic. “In order to find success, app publishers should consider the differences in header bidding between desktop and in-app and how the implementation efforts will impact their dev teams.”
Furthermore, the company’s mobile header bidding volume doubled over the last two years with mobile accounting for a third of all header bidding impressions in Q1 2019.
More than one third of publishers are already using in-app header bidding in 2018 and a third plan to adopt it this year.
Over the last year, mobile web header bidding jumped 80% in volume as more publishers are driving the format.
The report also noted that spending for Android apps was down 17% year-on-year, whilst iOS had increased 68%, possibly reflecting fraud schemes that have previously plagued Google.
Whilst open marketplace spend for Android was down (-16%), it had increased 58% on private marketplaces. Marketers are overall less concerned with iOS on openRTBs.
Although considered safe, video invalid traffic rates were found to be higher on iOS than Android (2-3x than display ads).
When it comes to regional opportunities, the APAC programmatic ad market is still behind the rest of the world at 7% of its current digital ad dollars compared to 10% worldwide.
However, mobile in-app impressions are now 2.5x of the global average.


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June 27, 2023
BEIJING – In the era of intelligent electric vehicles, a trend has emerged where car manufacturers venture into the smartphone market, blurring the lines between industries as technology advances.
A notice released last week showed that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued an approval certificate for a smartphone developed by Chinese EV startup Nio.
It suggests that the launch and availability of Nio Phone are drawing closer.
The smartphone can serve as the key for Nio vehicles, with improved data transmission speed and distance measurement accuracy compared to traditional Bluetooth keys, according to the notice.
Nio Phone made its debut at Nio Day in December 2022, when CEO William Li announced that Nio would release a new smartphone model annually. In April, he said the phone will be delivered in the third quarter of this year.
Li said that Nio’s entry into the phone industry was not aimed at competing with established smartphone companies like Huawei or Xiaomi. Instead, their focus was on meeting the demands of their users.
He highlighted the synergy between smartphones and cars, stating that if Nio could sell several hundred thousand units of smartphones and satisfy at least half of their users, it would be considered a significant achievement.
The decision to enter the phone market was also driven by concerns over Apple’s entry into the auto industry. Nio created the smartphone as a defensive measure from the competition posed by Apple’s vast user base, according to Li.
An auto expert commented that Nio’s foray into the smartphone market is driven by a larger goal of establishing a comprehensive mobile intelligent ecosystem that integrates people, vehicles and devices.
This move aligns with the trend in intelligent driving and the growing importance of human-vehicle interaction, the expert said.
In a similar vein, Swedish EV maker Polestar said last week it had formed a joint venture with Chinese smartphone maker Xingji Meizu.
Polestar holds 49 percent of the joint venture and Meizu 51 percent, providing $98 million and $102 million in funding respectively.
The collaboration aims to develop an operating system specifically for Polestar cars sold in China, integrating the latest smart technologies into Polestar vehicles.
The new OS will be based on Meizu’s Flyme Auto system, which was launched earlier this year, and enable seamless connectivity between in-car apps and customers’ mobile phones.
Meizu, owned by Geely Group, which is also one of Polestar’s major investors and controls Volvo Cars, holds a significant position in the collaboration.
Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Group, said that the race in the intelligent vehicle and smartphone sectors will no longer be separate. Instead, he predicted a fusion aimed at providing users with a multi-terminal, full-scenario and immersive experience.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said that China is one of the fastest-growing EV markets in the world with distinct consumer trends, notably the integration of consumer electronics and vehicles.
Through this partnership, the two sides will provide Chinese customers with an experience that exceeds expectations, he said.
Xu Haidong, vice-chief engineer of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said that by integrating smartphones, carmakers can enhance the interaction between humans and machines while driving digital transformation in the industry.
But some are not optimistic about carmakers’ entry into smartphone industry.
Chen Yudong, president of Bosch China, said that it is challenging for auto companies to profit from the smartphone business.
Chen said that carmakers have lower sales volumes compared to established smartphone manufacturers. Converting vehicle owners into smartphone users may not result in a substantial user base that can support a profitable smartphone business, he said.