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German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz on Monday launched the BS-VI compliant Long Wheelbase E-Class sedan in India priced between Rs 57.5 lakh and Rs 62.5 lakh. The New Long Wheelbase E-Class features two BS-VI compliant petrol and diesel engines along with a host of new interior features, Mercedes-Benz India said.
The petrol version is powered by a 1,991-cc engine delivering 197 horsepower (HP) and comes in two variants priced at Rs 57.5 lakh and Rs 61.5 lakh, respectively. On the other hand, the diesel version has a 1,950-cc engine delivering 194HP and comes in two options priced at Rs 58.5 lakh and Rs 62.5 lakh, respectively (all prices ex-showroom).
Mercedes-Benz India MD and CEO Martin Schwenk said the company had rolled out India’s first ‘Made in India, for India’ BS-VI vehicle in January 2018. “Since then, we have been steadily transitioning our portfolio into BS-VI and the introduction of the BS-VI long-wheelbase E-Class reiterates our commitment towards the new emission norms from April 2020,” he added.
The new car has safety features including seven airbags, parking pilot with active parking assist and adaptive brake lights. It also has wireless charging for mobile phones in the rear, and the rear passengers will have touchscreen to control media, climate and vehicle functionalities. Schwenk said the E-Class has sold over 41,000 units in India in over two decades and the Long Wheelbase E-Class has carved a niche of its own in the segment.
German giant Mercedes-Benz recently decided to stop selling traditional combustion engine cars by 2039 and plans for its new vehicles sold worldwide by that time to be carbon neutral. "We aim to have a carbon-neutral new passenger car fleet in 20 years," said Ola Kallenius, current head of Mercedes research, who is to succeed Dieter Zetsche as chairman of the Daimler group next week.
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has witnessed a dip in the number of units sold between January and March - the first quarter of the year. The sale is down 14.72 per cent in comparison to the same period last year. The company, which had retailed 4,556 units in the January-March period of 2018, has sold 3,885 units in the same period this year.
Speaking to media, Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Martin Schwenk said, "We are satisfied with our sustained sales performance despite facing strong macro-economic headwinds". As a fundamentally strong brand, the company remains bullish on the mid to long term prospect of the dynamic Indian market, which it believes has immense potential to grow, Schwenk added.
Despite the current tough market conditions, Mercedes-Benz India, which sold 15,538 units in 2018, is hopeful that it would be able to sell more this year. The company claimed sales in India are currently muted but is expected to grow in the second half of 2019 after the General Elections in the country.
(With inputs from PTI)


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Changsha experiences easier outbound tourism
The capital Hunan province, Changsha has promised to carry out wider cooperation in commerce, education and tourism in the global context.
Exports grow in Changsha county
Changsha county agricultural exports have experienced three years of steady growth.
ZTE automated production improves efficiency
ZTE's Changsha production base has rolled out its first fully-automated production line, employing 18 robots capable of producing 20,000 television set top boxes (STBs) daily.
Changsha, hotbed for startups
A dozen Changsha startup sites for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) entrepreneurship and innovation enroll in the list of entrepreneurship and innovation bases released by Hunan Economic and Information Technology Commission on Aug 14.
Changsha program producer listed on Shanghai exchange
Tvzone, a wholly-owned company of Changsha Broadcast and Television Group, struck the gong to announce it being listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, on Aug 11.
Changsha sees 59.6% increase in foreign trade in H1
Changsha's foreign trade rose 59.6 percent year-on-year in the first six months of 2017, rising to 39.95 billion yuan ($5.96 billion).

domain: news


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Brenda Beattie delivers mail last May in Springfield. The president of local 888 of the American Postal Workers Union called the Postal Service's decision to cut Saturday mail delivery a power play.
Retiree Doris Woodard remembers when the U.S. Postal Service would deliver mail twice a day.
Those days, in the 1950s, are long gone. The proliferation of email and paying bills online helped contribute to a $15.9 billion loss for the agency in the last fiscal year.
The Postal Service announced Wednesday that mail delivery on Saturdays will stop, effective the week of Aug. 5. Packages will still be delivered on Saturdays. ...


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Today, India’s global position is very similar to that mid-cap company which is trading at rich valuations however undergoing some structural changes having potential to change its very orbit.
Market corrections offer you opportunities to buy stocks at attractive prices. Make the most of them by keeping your shopping list ready.
Entrepreneurship in India is poised for a "virtual explosion" even as there may be talks that the startup world may be in for tough times in the near term, says industry titan Anand Mahindra.
The boom in online food ecommerce start-ups seems to be cooling off with some going out business while others are scouting for funds.
The brutal selloff that the market has witnessed since June has not been without the Chinese government's efforts to prop it back up
The Chinese economy faces a 90s Japan-style deflation but one factor will help it.
One China bull, Shaun Rein, MD of China Market Research, is not buying all the scary headlines that are emerging out of the country.
CNBC-TV18 spoke to S Krishna Kumar, CIO - Equity at Chennai-based asset manager Sundaram to get his views on the equity market, and specific stocks and sectors.
Ratnesh Kumar, independent market expert, is bullish on capital goods, construction and state-owned banks as he feels these sectors are the best play on an impending recovery.
Ruchir Sharma of Morgan Stanley is of the view that China is neither in control of its equity market, nor its overall economy and that poses a significant global economic risk.
Rural China, especially farmers are the worst affected due to the fall in the stock markets. Many have seen their entire wealth wiped out. CNBC's Eunice Yoon reports from Beijing that people are starting to lose faith in the government.
The violent pullback in Chinese equities has nearly run its course, according to emerging markets investment guru Mark Mobius, who is on the lookout for value in the market.
Stating that the market collapse may take a toll on Chinese consumption, which was the last "leg of the stool", Geosphere Capital's Arvind Sanger told CNBC-TV18 a China slowdown could have spillover effect on global growth.
It is the most extreme bubble the market has seen in the last 20-30 years since there was no fundamental basis for this massive rally given the weak state of the Chinese economy, says Ruchir Sharma, head of emerging markets and global macro, Morgan Stanley Investment Management
Chinese stocks fell on Tuesday, taking little comfort from a slew of support measures unleashed by Beijing in recent days, and unnerved by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's failure to mention the market chaos in a statement on the economy.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18's Reema Tendulkar and Ekta Batra, Ben Cavender of China Market Research Group discussed what was driving the recent Chinese stock market decline and whether this was the top of the past year's sterling run.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18‘s Shereen Bhan, Kotak Mahindra Bank vice chairman and MD Uday Kotak explained his oft-quoted take on the Modi electoral campaign‘s political catchphrase, acche din aane waale hain (good days will arrive), and what it will take to turn corporate earnings around.
Micheal Every of Rabobank tells CNBC-TV18 the Federal Reserve is unlikely to raise interest rates soon and that he prefers India over other markets, including China.
The timing of the World Economic Forum summit this year at Davos was extraordinary. The European Central Bank stepped up with a quantitative easing (QE) programme that the markets appeared to like but one vocal critic continued to remain worried.
Just as predicting earnings growth is difficult, predicting valuations is fraught with danger.
Carl Icahn, Jeremy Grantham, John Hussman. This is not a list of one of the top money managers of the world. These are investors who have recently warned of an impending stock collapse, predicated upon their expectations of a major economic downturn.
Investors not just plowed in most of their investments not just at peak valuations, they sold the most around the bottom and also about every step of the way to the rebound.
Diversification is the optimal solution for long term asset management, says Jisang Yoo, CEO, Mirae Asset Global; Investments India.
In London, the average home price came in at 393,462 pounds in September, according to data from the Land Registry, up 1.9 percent from August and 9.3 percent from September 2012. The average property value in England and Wales was 167,063 in September, according to the data.
Viswa Prathap Desu, vice president- sales and marketing, Brigade Enterprises says the company will have a 30-40 percent hike in its FY14 collections too.


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UK-based supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has reported statutory revenue of £16.4bn ($18.5bn) in the first half of fiscal 2022/23 (FY22/23), up by 4.4% from £15.72bn ($17.77bn) in the same period of the prior fiscal year.
In the 28 weeks to 17 September, the company’s grocery sales grew by 0.2%, driven by a 3.8% growth in the second quarter (Q2), while its general merchandise sales declined by 6.1%.
Affected by reduced grocery and general merchandise volumes post-pandemic and higher operating costs, Sainsbury’s retail operating profit dropped by 9% in H1 2022/23.
The company’s underlying profit before tax decreased by 8% to £340m in the period, against £371m a year earlier.
Its statutory profit before tax also declined by 29% to £376m in this period, while its profit after tax for H1 was £285m, down by 25% from £378m a year earlier.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts said: “We have grown market share in both grocery and general merchandise and investment in our stores and colleagues is supporting leading supermarket customer satisfaction and availability.
“Profits are significantly higher than pre-Covid levels and we are generating strong cash flow, supporting debt reduction and dividend payments.”
For the full year, Sainsbury’s expects underlying profit before tax of between £630m and £690m.
In September this year, the retailer invested £25m as part of a cost-of-living support package for its hourly paid colleagues.
Roberts added: “We were the first supermarket to give our colleagues a second pay rise this year and have invested £150m to support them and drive outstanding service.
“I want to thank all my colleagues for their hard work and dedication and for everything they are doing to deliver for our customers.
“Our strong results are testament to the outstanding commitment and contribution from every member of our team.”


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OnePlus is to roll out an emergency update to fix a flaw that caused OnePlus 5 handsets to reboot when users dialed the emergency services.
Earlier this week, users of the flagship handset took to Reddit to moan about the issue, and one concerned OnePlus 5 owner, Nick Morrelli, posted a video of the bug in action on Facebook (below).
The issue is affecting users in both the UK and the US, with the phone shutting down whenever 999 or 911 is dialled. o far, at least three users have claimed that they able to reproduce the malfunction.
"I had to dial 911 on my OP5 yesterday (saw a building on fire a few blocks away) and both times I tried my phone rebooted on me," said one Reddit user, prompting other users to replicate the issue.
"Confirmed!!! I had to call 911 after a car in front of me flipped over. Phone rebooted after dialling," another OnePlus 5 user said.
It's unclear what is causing the issue, but Redditors are speculating that it might have something to do with the phone's GPS feature, which could mean that the bug isn't limited to 999 calls.
OnePlus on Thursday got in touch with INQ to tell us that it has begun rolling out a software update to fix the issue.
"We have been in touch with the customer and have tested a software update that has resolved the issue. We will be rolling out the software update shortly," the firm said in a statement.
This, while the most serious issue OnePlus 5 users have encountered, isn't the only problem that users of the smartphone have reported. Last month, users complained of a 'jelly scrolling' issue plaguing the handset's display.
Dubbed Antlia 2, the ghost galaxy sits just 130,000 light-years away from the Milky Way
Delays to the roll-out of age verification for adult websites hasn't stopped government from considering extending them to more websites
Bluehole confirms rumours that Playstation 4 port is coming on 7 December
Atmospheric iodine works as a significant sink of tropospheric ozone, nullifying the harmful pollutant


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CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Auto Show returns to McCormick Place this summer.
The summer Auto Show will run from July 15 to the 19, and you'll have to get timed entry tickets online ahead of time. It will be worth it, because after this year, they're most likely to return to a February show.
This year, the show will have a festival atmosphere. The Chicago Auto Show Street Fest will feature food trucks, breweries and music.
"This is going to be great. We're so excited, you know, take advantage of the fact that we're in July, and so, we decided to do a street festival for the first four nights of the show," said Dave Sloan, general manager at Chicago Auto Show.
The special edition auto show will be indoors and outdoors. During the day, test drives will take place outdoors, according to Sloan.
"We're still signing them up, I can't tell you exactly how many, but it's gonna be quite a few more, maybe double the outdoor test drives we had in the past in February," he said.
In the evening, those cars will be put on display, and Indiana Avenue will be turned into a festival. There will also be plenty of test tracks; Camp Jeep, a fan favorite, will back with its indoor test track, but Ford will also build two new outdoor test tracks.
"First we're going to have our Built to Electrify, featuring all our electric vehicles," said Tiffany Florczak, business development specialist for Ford. "Second, we're going to have our Bronco Built West experience featuring our whole Bronco family."


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Brands in the Fast-food business know how to act fast when their reputation is at stake. Now they are all set to win back patronage and build brand credibility by doing something solid about all the fat in their foods.
Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy's, McDonald's and Burger King are all sticking with each other and taking this goal forward of adopting healthier means and ways of cooking the food which includes reducing the fat content.
Jeff O'Neill, president and chief operating officer of Priszm Canadian Income Fund, the company in charge of KFC outlets in Canada said "We clearly recognize that this is an issue of importance for our customers. We've been aggressively working toward a solution that we'll be announcing soon."


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Yesterday, the mysterious OPPO PEAT00 / PEAM00 smartphone was spotted at TENAA with minimum specs.
The device had also appeared in the database of China’s 3C certification in the recent past with a 65W fast charger. Today, the TENAA listing of the phone got updated with its entire specifications and images.
Also Read: OPPO PEAM00, PEAT00 with 6.43-inch Display and 65W Charging Certified by TENAA and 3C
The OPPO PEAT00 / PEAM00 smartphone measures 160.5 x 73.9 x 7.85mm and it weighs 169 grams. The phone may arrive in colors like white, purple, and black. The appearance of the phone suggests that it may neither be the OPPO Ace3 nor a Reno series phone. Rather, it appears that it could be the first A-series phone from the brand to come with 65W fast charging capabilities.
The OPPO PEAT00 / PEAM00 phone has a 6.43-inch AMOLED display that offers 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution and a tall aspect ratio of 20:9. The device has a dual-cell battery. The size of one of its batteries is mentioned as 2,100mAh.
The smartphone draws power from a 2GHz octa-core processor and 8 GB of RAM. The phone offers users massive storage of 256 GB. The device lacks support for external storage. The smartphone is loaded with Android 10 OS.
Also Read: Vivo Y20 (Vivo V2027) Spotted at Indonesian Certification Site
The unidentified OPPO phone has a 32-megapixel front-facing camera. The backside of the phone has a square-shaped camera module placed at the top-left corner. It comprises three cameras such as a 48-megapixel main lens, an 8-megapixel secondary shooter, and the third camera of 2-megapixel. The device is equipped with an in-screen fingerprint reader.
The OPPO A92s that debuted in April was one of the most advanced A-series phones that camera with 120Hz display and 5G capabilities. Hence, it appears that the OPPO PEAT00 / PEAM00 could end up as the first A-series with support for 65W rapid charging technology.


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Looks like Meta is NGMI, as some might put it.
Meta's head of commerce and financial technologies Stephane Kasriel posted on Twitter that the company will sunset its NFT and digital collectibles features on Instagram and Facebook.
This short-lived product only began testing with select Instagram creators last May, plus some Facebook users in June. By July, Meta expanded NFT support on Instagram for creators in 100 countries. Less than a year later, Meta is moving on from NFTs.
Some product news: across the company, we're looking closely at what we prioritize to increase our focus. We’re winding down digital collectibles (NFTs) for now to focus on other ways to support creators, people, and businesses. 🧵[1/5]
— Stephane Kasriel (@skasriel) March 13, 2023
"We're winding down digital collectibles (NFTs) for now to focus on other ways to support creators, people, and businesses," Kasriel wrote in a Twitter thread.
A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch that it is shifting its investments away from NFTs toward products like Meta Pay, as well as features that enable creators to earn money directly on Meta platforms, like its tipping feature called gifts. The company also said it is testing ways for creators to earn ad revenue on Reels.
"Let me be clear: creating opportunities for creators and businesses to connect with their fans and monetize remains a priority, and we're going to focus on areas where we can make impact at scale, such as messaging and monetization opps for Reels," Kasriel wrote.
Meta has been cutting costs across the company as it scrambles to make its metaverse dreams a (virtual) reality. Reality Labs, the division of Meta that works on AR and VR products, lost $13.7 billion last year. In November, Meta laid off 11,000 employees, or about 13% of its global workforce, marking the largest cuts in company history. And as Meta weathers this storm, the hype around NFTs has died down significantly. At the time, Meta's interest in NFTs seemed like it could intersect with its plans for a virtual reality metaverse -- CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that he hoped users would one day be able to mint virtual clothing as NFTs, for example.
Meta told TechCrunch that the company will continue keeping an eye on crypto for the long term.


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We’ll grow up, but right now we’re three months old, and babies make a lot of noise, they look at the world all wide-eyed and they shit everywhere. That’s kind of what Beats 1 is, it’s very, very new, 13 weeks man, it’s crazy. It’s all new and weird – and no rules man, no rules.
BBC ▪ September 30
BBC ▪ September 17
BBC ▪ July 14
BBC ▪ June 1
Apple is ready to show the first fruits of its Beats acquisition next week. As we first reported in early March, Apple is planning to introduce its long-awaited Beats-based streaming music service at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, June 8th. Blending Apple interface design and features from the Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine-created Beats Music app, Apple’s service, known internally as “Apple Music,” is built to take on Spotify and Pandora with several new features and a subscription model. Additionally, Apple is working on overhauling its widely panned iTunes Radio service by striking deals with popular artists and DJs. Below, we detail Apple’s plans for both Apple Music and the new iTunes Radio in an extensive roundup.
BBC ▪ May 20
BBC ▪ April 29
A new report from Music Business Worldwide claims that Apple has recently hired four producers from BBC Radio 1. This report comes two months after it was announced that Zane Lowe was leaving the British radio station to take a new position at Apple. According to today’s report, the recent Apple hires include James Bursey, Natasha Lynch and Kieran Yeates, as well as one other.


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Australian food and beverage giant Retail Food Group is leaving little doubt in the minds of investors that its long-term future will be truly globalised, after recently pulling the trigger on a “breakthrough” partnership that it says will catalyse growth in the Middle East.
The business has inked a deal on joint ventures with United Arab Emirates (UAE) based businesses Al Hathboor Group and HKO Group to realise what it sees as a “significant untapped” opportunity in the ME and North Africa.
RFG will look to expand its Brumby’s Bakery, Donut King and Crust brands into United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia in conjunction with the new partnership, alongside a number of new brands it plans to create specifically for the region.
RFG’s head of international Mike Gilbert says that extensive market research had revealed an opportunity to bring high quality food and beverage offers to the Middle East.
“We’re presenting a quality of product that’s not really easily accessible in the Middle East. Those populations are going through a transformation where they’re [increasingly] seeking high quality products,” Gilbert explains.
RFG, which maintains a 50 per cent stake in the ventures, already operates coffee chain Gloria Jeans in the UAE, but the latest partnership will establish a coffee roasting and brand licensing hub that will enable RFG to build a training and compliance model in the region – enabling its focus on quality.
Managing director Andre Neil described the joint venture as a “breakthrough” in a note to shareholders, sharing his confidence in the capability of the local partners, both of which have withstanding experience operating food and beverage businesses.
There are no specific timelines yet for RFG’s Middle Eastern plans, but the company, which IRW revealed last month is embarking on a Europe wide expansion with Donut King, believes the UAE and Saudi Arabia are just the beginning.
“Starting there [UAE and SA] and being visible will bring attention to the rest of the region,” Gilbert says. “The population has a real appreciation for food and beverage … it’s the biggest form of entertainment in Saudi Arabia.”
Weighing up the opportunity
Retail Food Group isn’t the only Australian food and beverage brand which is looking to the Middle East for expansion. Local desert brand Gelatissimo has been expanding in the region for several years and despite taking things slow and steady, the business has notched up a sustainable operation with local franchise partners.
According to CEO Filipe Barbosa, the brand’s presence in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait has showcased the significant opportunity for food and beverage brands that exists in the region.
“You’ve got some very critical key indicators that suggest [food and beverage] businesses should do quite well in that part of the world,” Barbosa says, singling out favourable weather patterns, the economic status of consumers and a disposition towards food retail in key markets.
“The retail price that we can charge in order to be able to make a profit is in line with what the consumers will pay.”
While the Middle East remains one of the most politically unstable regions in the world, former Myer supply chain executive turned retail educator, Prakash Menon, who is based in the UAE, said key markets are well and truly open for business.
“Every brand known to mankind is in Dubai,” he says. “Because of the nature of the geography and the climate, there are massive malls that have just come up…where we might think of going to a restaurant, they’d [dine] within the mall.
“If you want to go skiing, you go inside the mall. If you want to go ice skating, it’s inside the mall. Everything is indoors, so it’s really an attractive proposition.”
Unlike many western states with ageing populations, the Middle East maintains a younger demographic with growth in disposable income driving spend opportunities.
More than 450 million people live in the 8.8 million square metres of land that makes up the Middle East. In comparison, 24 million people live across 7.6 million square kilometres in Australia.
Menon notes that the centrality of the region means that a five to seven hour plane ride exposes the region to billions of travellers, with Dubai serving as a key stopover point for international flights.
Distinct markets require distinct offers
There are, however, intricacies and cultural norms that need to be adhered to, some of which change drastically, depending on which part of the region one trades in.
RFG is currently embarking on an extensive product localisation program for its expansion into the region, having already signed off on a fully halal pizza range for Crust and the planned addition of local fruits into its baked products to be sold at Brumby’s.
Barbosa says he’s found that key flavours such as mango, chocolate and vanilla seem to be universally popular, but that distinct flavours such as Turkish delight and pomegranate have been released to appeal to the locale palate.
Flavours aside, Gelatissimo has considered everything from the staff they employ to the layout of stores to keep with local customs.
“The segregation of men and women in the Middle East is different to what it is in western culture…we have to consider that in terms of the store fit-out, as well as who works behind the counter. Typically we tend to employ a primarily male driven service staff,” Barbosa says.
Menon says the Middle East also has distinct trading periods that differ wildly to other parts of the world, noting that people are much less likely to eat out during Ramadan through mid-May to mid-June, including the weeks leading up to it.
“You have to be mindful of the two to three months that lead up to Ramadan when nothing really happens in that part of the world,” he says. “It’s going to be a lean period, no-one dines out during the day – it’s so bloody hot.”
“[Local retailers] make up during the evening after 7pm, but there’s things you can’t offer on the menu during that time.”


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Spectrotel Celebrates Its 20th Year Anniversary
NEPTUNE, NJ (January 19, 2017) – Spectrotel, Inc. a leading telecommunications company providing sophisticated integrated solutions to enterprise customers throughout the United States, is proud to announce its 20th anniversary.
Following the Telecommunication Act of 1996, Jack Dayan founded Spectrotel as a regional Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (“CLEC”). In starting the company, Mr. Dayan took advantage of the opportunities the Act brought to bear for the industry and combined this with a new service model called “Simply Better Service.” “When we founded the company the goal was to create a model that minimized the complexities of customers managing their telecom infrastructure while delivering a friendly, affordable, consistent, personal experience. It is this unwavering commitment to our customers, partners, vendors and associates, that has allowed us to have unprecedented organic growth in the face of major consolidation and competition in the industry.” said Mr. Dayan.
Today, Spectrotel is a nationwide powerhouse offering a full suite of voice, data, cloud and managed services and has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Managed Services Providers by Enterprise Services Outlook Magazine. Their ability to evolve the company and invest in products that ensure they are providing the best solutions to their customers in a simple and personal way has remained consistent over the last two decades and will continue to be the key for their future.
Ross Artale, President & COO states “Jack’s passion and customer-centric vision is what drew me to Spectrotel over 9 years ago. Hitting this 20 year milestone and helping to lead such a committed and dedicated team of associates is truly unique and a great honor. As we continue to grow and look to the future we will never lose sight of how we got here.”
As they look ahead Spectrotel is in the process of developing, for roll out in the first quarter 2017, a Software Defined – Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) service that builds upon their managed services experience. “We will continue to evolve and grow as technology and demands dictate all while providing the same level of personalized service that is synonymous with Spectrotel. We look forward to the next 20 years and thank our customers, partners, vendors and associates for their commitment,” states Mr. Artale.
For 20 years Spectrotel has been providing quality, affordable and personalized services to clients who seek simplicity and outstanding service. We are a full-service telecommunications provider in the SMB and enterprise customer space, specializing in the aggregation of Voice, Internet and Managed Services by combining best in class personalized service, leading edge technology, and competitive pricing that is unparalleled in the industry. For more information, visit http://www.spectrotel.com.


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The race for foldable phones is getting more intense as everyone from Samsung to Huawei is getting ready to unveil their goods in the near future. However, it looks like the two tech giants have to give up the crown of being first on the market since a Chinese upstart named Royole Corporation has beaten them to it.
Royole showed off its foldable phone, dubbed the FlexPai, at an event in China recently. While it is technically the first of its kind, it’s also very unpolished. Weibo images and hands-on YouTube videos reveal a very plasticky smartphone which looks and feels half-baked.
The FlexPai is basically a tablet-phone hybrid of sorts. As per GSMArena, it measures 7.8 inches when unfolded and features a 4:3 aspect ratio. Fold it inwards and the panel stretches across 4 inches. Unfortunately, the device is quite bulky in both modes. It doesn’t look that comfortable to hold and the big fold on the side looks ugly.
Royole FlexPai Problems
As the video above demonstrates, the Royole device glitches a bit when it’s bent. Apps take a few seconds to load. Games and the camera app work, but they look awkward to navigate. Tipster Ice Universe claims the handset runs on the 7nm Snapdragon 8150 processor.
This would be another first for the FlexPai since no other handset has had the honor of running the Snapdragon 8150 yet. As he points out though, the design is very rough and the smartphone was released just to grab the ‘first’ title.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S10, foldable phone secrets revealed by insiders
First doesn’t mean much if you don’t have an attractive product though. Hopefully, Samsung, Huawei, and maybe even Apple will come out with better foldable phones soon. Till then, the FlexPai is available for pre-orders priced at CNY 8999 (approx $1290 or Rs 95255) and will ship in December.


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Frontier Smart Technologies becomes first technology provider to pass new Digital Radio Tick Mark testing programme
21 September 2020: Frontier Smart Technologies, a subsidiary of Science Group plc, has become the first company to pass Digital Radio UK’s recently upgraded technology provider testing programme overseen by DTG Testing (part of the Digital TV Group) for the Digital Radio Tick Mark Scheme.
The Digital Radio Tick Mark indicates to consumers that devices are tested and approved to meet the UK Government agreed specification for digital radios and are able to receive FM, DAB and DAB+ stations and is supported by the majority of digital radio manufacturers and retailers as well as the leading technology providers
The scheme was first introduced in 2014 – with technology providers self-certifying that their technology met the Digital Radio Tick Mark standards. The new, updated testing regime requires that DAB+ receiver core technology be certified by an independent third-party testing house, using a single set of independently created test files – and bringing a new level of robustness to the Tick Mark approval process.
The new testing programme was launched in July 2020 with third-party testing lab DTG Testing appointed to handle all aspects of the programme, from the purchase of ETI files and booking technology testing to issuing the license and artwork once the technology has been approved.
Market-leading DAB+ solution provider, Frontier Smart Technologies, has become the first company to pass the updated tests with its Siena DAB+ module, which powers over 3.5 million radios in the market, demonstrating the high quality of the Frontier solution. This means that brands that use Siena to build their digital radios remain assured that their products will be ready to pass the end product Digital Tick Mark certification.
Ford Ennals, CEO Digital Radio UK, said: “Our congratulations to Frontier on being the first DAB/DAB+ core technology provider to have their technology tested and approved to use the Digital Tick Mark under DTG’s new rigorous testing programme. The new Digital Tick technology testing regime is good news for digital radio manufacturers and listeners who can select their technology and radios with confidence when they see the Digital Tick Mark.”
Bob Heads, Managing Director at Frontier Smart Technologies, said: “Frontier is delighted to be the first vendor to pass the new core technology Digital Tick Mark tests. This is testament to our leadership in quality and compliance to the DAB specification. We look forward to manufacturers and consumers benefiting from the updated test spec.”
Alex Buchan, Head of Wireless Technologies, DTG, said: “Congratulations to Frontier Smart Technologies on their Tick Mark award. We’re very happy at DTG Testing to have been part of the process to help achieve this. Our collaboration with DRUK now offers a streamlined process for manufacturers to obtain the Digital Tick Mark while reinforcing the recognition of quality it represents. This ensures the Digital Tick remains a valuable scheme providing listeners an informed choice when buying a digital radio.”
DTG Testing have licensed and made Fraunhofer DAB ETI files available for brands and manufacturers that are developing radios. These are a complete set of files with an accompanying test procedure that enables DAB radios to be tested against ETSI TS 103 461, which are the requirements necessary to obtain the Digital Radio Tick Mark.
More information can be found here: https://www.dtgtesting.com/services/buy-dab-eti-files/
About Digital Radio UK
Digital Radio UK works with Government, broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers, and a wide range of stakeholders to grow digital listening across all platforms, and to help secure UK radio’s digital future. Digital Radio UK’s Board comprises representatives from the BBC, Arqiva, Global, Bauer Media, Radiocentre and techUK.
About DTG Testing (part of the Digital Television Group)
DTG Testing is a not-for-profit and vital test laboratory resource for the TV and radio industries. Based in London, it is the only test lab in Europe to be ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited by UKAS to carry out testing against the DAB Tick Mark requirements and has been carrying out DAB Tick Mark testing since the scheme’s launch in 2014. DTG Testing also provides expert input on international standards development and provides Notified Body and test services for a range of technologies including broadcast FM and AM radio, digital terrestrial television and satellite.
About Frontier Smart Technologies
Frontier Smart Technologies is a pioneer in technologies for digital audio and the market leader in DAB/DAB+ radios and SmartRadio solutions. Powering over 50 million devices worldwide, Frontier provides a range of radio chips and modules, from turnkey entry-level solutions to sophisticated, highly configurable options, to leading consumer electronics brands. With its R&D centre in Cambridge (UK) and manufacturing and sales offices in Shenzhen (China) and Hong Kong, Frontier supports clients and consumers across Europe and Asia. Frontier is a Science Group (AIM:SAG) company.
For further information
Senior Product Manager
Frontier Smart Technologies


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Ulta Beauty to open in early August at The Mall at Green Hills
Cosmetics company Ulta Beauty will open in August on the lower level of The Mall at Green Hills. (Courtesy Fotolia)
Ulta Beauty, a cosmetics company with locations across the U.S., will open Aug. 7 inside The Mall at Green Hills, 2126 Abbott Martin Road, Ste. 174, Nashville, according to a social media post from the company. The store offers makeup, skin care products, hair care products, fragrances and salon services. www.ulta.com


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Fashion giant and LED lighting specialist Cree become latest firms to join EP100 energy productivity initiative
Fashion retail giant H&M and US-based LED lighting manufacturer Cree have become the latest two high profile firms to pledge to double their energy productivity under the EP100 initiative. The EP100...
Prime Minister announces new target to cut emissions 68 per cent against 1990 levels by 2030, confirming a major tightening of carbon goals as part of UK's pre-COP26 submission to the Paris Agreement
Green business groups and campaigners welcome higher 2030 emissions reduction goal, but call for ambitious policy and funding to put the UK on a net zero pathway as soon as possible
Aston Martin boss promises to investigate circumstances surrounding report on the carbon footprint of electric vehicles and internal combustion engine cars at the heart of 'astongate' accusations
Climate Change Committee recommends UK set target to cut emissions by 'at least' 68 per cent from 1990 levels over next decade


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BYD, Volvo, Infiniti, Mahindra, Toyota.
One more from BYD: The Chinese manufacturer will debut the Tang PHEV at its home fair. The Tang features the same 110 kW motor that works inside the Qin. A 205-hp petrol engine completes the hybrid mix. The price of the plug-in SUV is said to convert to 48,000 dollars.
Volvo Plug-in hybrid S60: Volvo will show the S60 PPHEV (Petrol Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) concept at the Auto China in Beijing. Like on the V60 PHEV, the electric motor has 50 kW but is coupled with a petrol instead of the diesel engine. The S60L will be produced at the Chengdu plant and is set to launch in China beginning of next year.
Luxurious stretch: China and the U.S. can look forward to an extended version of Infiniti’s Q70 to gain more space in the rear. The updated hybrid limousine is powered by a V6 engine and an e-drive with 50 kW. Its premiere will be at the New York Autoshow.
E-Scooter by Mahindra: The Indian company is set to launch its first ever electric scooter in the U.S. this summer. The GenZe will cost about 3,000 dollars and features a replaceable battery said to last for about 50 miles. The display has a touchscreen that connects to a smartphone via bluetooth.
A whole new Camry: Its debut is due in New York next week and Toyota has added some 2,000 new parts to its now completely redesigned best-seller. The new Camry is trimmed to deliver a more dynamic performance though the hybrid drive system remains the same.
Fuel cell vehicles in California.
All in all, 200 FCVs are currently out on the streets in California. To refill, they can choose from 19 public H2 stations, another 19 are set to follow in the next 18 months. The chicken and the egg seem almost on par for once…
Suzuki, MG, NIMS/SEU, Battery research.
Suzuki to save some fuel: The Japanese maker of small cars has announced plans to introduce ‘gas-electric hybrid technology,’ but it won’t be more than a mild hybrid. Suzuki hopes however, to go full-hybrid sometime in the future.
Anniversary EV: MG is celebrating its 90th birthday by showing a concept of an electric car. The MG Dynamo has been created at the parent company’s HQ (SAIC) in Longbridge and is currently on display at SMMT’s offices in Westminster, UK. The concept has been developed to help the company understand Europe’s demand for a pure electric small MG.
High quality fuel cells: The Japanese National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and the Chinese Southeast University (SEU) signed a memorandum of understanding to design new platinum-free electro-catalysts based on graphene for premium fuel-cell electrodes.
The devil is in the detail: New research on lithium-iron-phosphate batteries suggests, that scientists might have been wrong to use the Butler-Volmer equation all along. Instead, cell performance might be dependent on the speed electrons move between the electrode and its carbon coating.
BMW X5 e-drive, Hybrid and electric trucks.
Reading tip: Take a seat in the future – the electric SUV by BMW that is. John Voelkcer had the chance to drive an X5 e-drive plug-in hybrid prototype and packed its report with all the details hitherto known.
Study tip: Navigant Research predicts global annual sales of hybrid and electric trucks to grow from below 10,000 in 2013 to more than 100,000 in 2020, if companies can find strategies to utilise these vehicles efficiently to equalise higher initial costs.
navigantresearch.com via electriccarsreport.com
Denza, BMW, Chevrolet, Nissan, Merida.
Details of Daimler’s Denza: The first Chinese-German offspring will make its debut at Beijing Motorshow. For Daimler, it is the first product it ever designed abroad with its partner BYD. The Denza’s battery sits underneath the car in a shock-proof alloy frame. The price has still not been revealed.
welt.de (in German)
BMW i3 production: BMW has ramped up production of its electric car in Leipzig by 43% reports Bloomberg with reference to an email by BMW’s head of production, Harald Krüger. Due to high demand, 100 instead of 70 units of the i3 will now be built a day.
Spy shots of the new Volt: The 2016 Chevrolet Volt has been spotted on one of its test runs but highly covered in camouflage. It seems like the car will get a complete new bodywork and will be based on a new platform. Overall, it appears the new Volt will be sleeker than the current model.
Nissan unveils the Murano in New York today. The third generation follows the ‘Resonance Concept’ and will be available as front and all-wheel drive. However, Nissan has nor confirmed or denied plans for a hybrid Murano yet.
manufacturing.automotive-business-review.com, youtube.com (video)
E-Bike production growing: Taiwanese Merida will expand its facility in Yuanlin to meet increased demand for e-bikes and frames. Demand is driven by the introduction of Shimano’s new pedelec system Steps which requires special frames.
Toyota sales in Europe.
In Europe 21 percent of all Toyotas and Lexus sold in the first quarter of this year were hybrids, the company reports. The hybrid Yaris proved to be particularly popular with 15,305 buyers. 80% of Lexus customers preferred the hybrid-powered Lexus IS 300h over the regular Lexus IS.
Hybricon, V-Charge, Bombardier, D-Face.
Super-fast charging at 625 Ampere: In Swedish Umea, the new Arctic Whisper (HAW) electric bus by Hybricon Bus Systems has been charged ultrafast via Opbrid’s Bůsbaar. In the trial, 625 amps were pushed inside the battery for six minutes, making way for 2-3 min. charges at 500-1,000 kW in the future.
greencarcongress.com, youtube.com (Busbaar video)
Autonomous charging: In the EU project ‘V-Charge’ (for Valet Parking and Charging) ETH Zurich and the universities of Brunswick, Oxford, and Parma, are developing driverless park and charge systems for EVs together with Bosch and Volkswagen. A first prototype system is now up and running in Stuttgart, Germany.
EVs by Bombardier: Charles Bombardier of the company of the same name is drafting electric vehicle concepts based on Bombardier’s own inductive charging technology. In his vision, electric shuttles, one-man vehicles or electric motorcycles could all be charged contactless soon.
charlesbombardier.com via justpark.de (in German)
Bubble-car is back: In German dubbed “Knutschkugel” (snog ball), the BMW Isetta is back as EV with range extender. The D-Face concept by Japanese firm D Art was on display at the Taipei EV show and the company is looking to license the mini EV with a top speed of 45 mph in other countries.
GM, Electric car convertibles, Volcano charging a Nissan Leaf.
Reading tip: Brooke Crothers wanted to get to the source and asked two GM managers about the carmaker’s latest EV marketing strategies rather excessively. Dig in!
Click tip: “Where are all the electric car convertibles” our colleagues over at Green Motors asked themselves before simply building, well, rendering them themselves. Automakers, please take them as an example!
greenmotor.co.uk via insideevs.com
Video tip: Nowadays, dancing on a volcano is out, instead you better use it to charge your EV. Not literally of course, but on the way downhill as Neil Wagner does it in Hawaii.
Volvo, Volkswagen, Saleen, Formula E, Bosch eBike Systems.
Volvo electrified: The Swedes’ new SPA platform, the XC90 is based on, is most variable. According to Dennis Nobelius, VP for the 90’s models, the XC90 drivetrains will include everything electric, from a mild and plug-in hybrid to a fully electric version. Even a version featuring Volvo’s flywheel KERS is likely.
Jetta update: Volkswagen has freshened up its sedan for the New York Auto Show. Even though the 2015 Jetta is presented with a new diesel engine, the hybrid version remains. Apart from improving the aerodynamics, VW also introduces new driver assistant systems.
Tuned Tesla tease: Saleen has released first renderings of its redesign of the Model S (we reported) making it look even more racy. Still it is not known though, which mechanical advances we can expect from the tuning specialist when the first cars hit the streets this summer.
No electric race in Rio: The Formula E has issued an updated calendar for its inaugural race sessions. Rio de Janeiro has been dropped and a new host city is to be named shortly. Furthermore, the electric racing series will adopt the scoring system of the F1.
Bosch eBike Systems U.S. launch: The German company has officially launched its Performance Line in the states. As in most countries in Europe, Magura will carry out the service of the e-bike system starting from September this year.
Incentives in Normandy.
A total of 11,300 euros (15,600 dollars) is the incentive an EV buyer in Normandy now gets. The regional government almost doubles the usual allowance of 6,300 euros in an attempt to become France’s first ecoregion. Formidable!
Smart Highway, Ioxus, Neues, Vanmoof.
Smart Highway: In the Netherlands, the first stretch of the Smart Highway project has been unveiled. On 500 metres, drivers are now guided by glow-in-the-dark lines, which store sunlight during the day. Inductive charging while driving will also be implemented in the future.
21 million for ultracaps: Ioxus has received 21 million dollars from investors including IFC, a member of the World Bank, for their ultracapacitor business. The company plans to spend the money on improving service, sales and production in China.
Built-your-own EV: Japanese company Neues is looking at licensing its chassis for small EVs, which could be bodied however customers like. Examples of the kit-car inspired electric cars are currently being shown at the Taipei EV event in Taiwan; Neues is also looking for UK distributors.
Integration is key: Vanmoof stays true to its principle also with their electric bike. The ‘Electrified’ is powered by a battery that sits within the frame. Furthermore, the display, embedded in the head tube, features GPS to locate the pedelec anytime. Orders for the 2,248 euro bike (3,100 dollars) are now being taken.
technologicvehicles.com (with video)
Range Extended Metro Cab, Tesla Ad.
Video tip: Robert Llewellyn turns cab driver in this episode of Fully Charged, in which he tests the Range Extended MetroCab for London.
Video tip: Another fan made advert for Tesla called ‘Hope’ uses Tesla imagery and dubs it with Charlie Chaplin’s most famous speech from his movie ‘The Great Dictator.’
youtube.com (Hope ad), youtube.com (Chaplin’s full speech)
Mercedes, Lexus, Hyundai, Smith Electric Vehicles, Renault.
Electric B-class now in production: Mercedes-Benz has started production of the new B-class Electric Drive at its Rastatt plant, Germany. Sales of the Tesla-powered car will start in the U.S. this summer with the European market following at the end of this year. UK buyers might have to wait for a right-hand drive version until 2015 though.
Lexus NX unveiled: Just before its actual debut in Beijing, the Japanese carmaker has released details of its hybrid compact SUV. The hybrid Lexus NX is powered by the same drive as the IS300h but will come with front and all-wheel drive. Lexus is also introducing a new 2-litre turbo engine for the NX.
ix35 FC delayed: Hyundai’s hydrogen car was expected to arrive in the U.S. in March but the company has now said shipments of the H2 Tuscon from Korea are delayed for at least another month. In any case, Hyundai does not expect to see more than 100 vehicles on American roads this year.
Smith EVs to resume operations: CEO Bryan Hansel has now said that production at Smith Electric Vehicles has not stopped (we reported) but is being suspended. Production processes and the supply chain for the electric trucks need to be restructured before a new attempt to become profitable will be started this summer.
Renault production: French daily Les Echos reports the French carmaker is considering to cut one of two shifts at its plant in Flins, where the Zoe is built amongst other models. This would reduce the annual output from 140,000 to 110,000 cars.
EV sales in Denmark.
In Denmark, 142 EVs were sold in March making it the best-selling month to date. More than half of them were Tesla’s (79) followed by Nissan Leaf with 27 and Volkswagen’s e-Up which sold 15 units.
Auto-Stack Core, Hyundai, MotorBrain.
European fuel cell development: The ‘Auto-Stack Core’ project aims to develop a new generation of fuel cells for vehicles as well as the basics for serial production by 2016. Project partners include car and component manufacturers as well as system-integration specialists in various European countries. Coordinated by German ZSW, the programme is backed with 14.7 millions euros, 7.7 from the EU.
springerprofessional.de (in German)
Li-sulfur battery: Hyundai researchers discovered a new electrolyte based on sulfone which improves performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. Tests showed an increase of capacity by more than 50%, while capacity rentention was raised by up to 70%.
Compact electric drive: Together Infineon, Siemens, ZF and TU Dresden presented a prototype called MotorBrain, a small and efficient motor system. It only weighs 77 kilo and is said to be able to increase the range of an EV by up to 25 miles. No rare earth metals are required for the MotorBrain.
Tesla's Cross Country Rally, Audi e-tron guide.
Video tip: Take a look at what was going on behind the scenes, when Tesla employees travelled in two Model S from New York to Los Angeles in only three days earlier this year.
Reading tip: For those who lost track of which electric car the Audi e-tron actually stands for at the moment or how many there might be, Antony Ingram has compiled the “ultimate” Audi e-tron guide.
Audi, Beijing Automotive, Ford, BMW, Applus.
Tesla fighter I: According to Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, the electric Q8 (we reported) with a range of 700 kilometres will come to market in 2017 and feature inductive charging technology. Meanwhile a prototype of the 2015 version of the R8, which is said to come to market as all-electric sports car with 450 km of range, has been spotted at Nürburgring.
auto-motor-und-sport.de (Q8 – in German), autozeitung.de (R8 – in German)
Tesla fighter II: Xu Heyi, chairman of Beijing Automotive Group, said his company has partnered with an unnamed American firm to introduce a new electric car to China by the end of next year. According to Xu, the new EV will “outperform Tesla’s Model S.”
Focus update: Ford will present its Focus Sedan in New York with updated exterior and interior. While the drivetrain of the Focus EV will remain unchanged, U.S. customers now have the option of the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine with a new six-speed manual transmission.
China debut: BMW will show the i3 and i8 for the first time in China at the upcoming Beijing show. The press release is titled “market launch,” so it is likely BMW will start offering its i-range very soon.
iShare concept EV: Applus will show its design of an ideal electric carsharing verhicle in New York. The iShare is with two metres even shorter than a Smart and weighs just 530 kilos. Its doors are opened via barcode on the driver’s mobile.
green.autoblog.com (with video)
ECOmove, Turn-E, Local Motors, Battery replacement.
Danish lightweight chassis: ECOmove produced a carbon-fibre chassis specifically designed for EVs. The so called Qstrung technology will be used in a Porsche 356 Speedster replica which was converted to electric by German Turn-E.
ecomove.dk, turn-e.de (Speedster in German)
Local Motors found funding for its electric drift trike on Kickstarter easily, so expect to see grown-up men sliding past on very low bikes very soon. The Verrado is said to go 45 minutes on a charge.
green.autoblog.com (with video)
Prius battery replacement: The Prius is dead, long live the Prius was Tony Bradley’s motto, who did not want to give up on his hybrid Toyota when the battery died. Instead of going for a 4,000 dollar replacement, he went for a much cheaper, reconditioned battery.
Porsche 919 hybrid, Tesla's battery safety shield.
Video tip: The hybrid Porsche 919 has been spotted testing for WEC at Circuit Paul Ricard in France. Indulge in some hybrid humming…
Click tip: Tesla’s titanium plate protection for the Model S’ underbody (we reported) is now available. David Nolan already went for the free retrofit and has documented the result in detail.
greencarreports.com (with pictures)
Bentley, Mercedes, GM, Ryno, Mugen, Yo-Mobil.
Bentley’s plug-in hybrid: Rather sooner than expected, the Brits will present their first plug-in hybrid concept at the Beijing Auto Show. For now, the drivetrain is fitted into a Bentley Mulsanne but it will debut in the plug-in SUV in 2017. Bentley promises 50 kilometres (31 miles) electric range and 70% less carbon emissions.
MLC preview: Mercedes published a first picture of the Concept Coupé to be unveiled in Beijing later this month. The car is a predecessor of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz MLC SUV which is said to be planned as plug-in hybrid and diesel-electric hybrid model too.
GM means business – electric business: The company has now confirmed the 449 million dollar investments in both EV plants in Brownstone and Detroit-Hamtramck. At the same time, GM revealed plans for two new electric models but did not go into detail. This coincides with Opel’s rumoured small EV (we reported).
Ryno for real: The videogame-inspired monowheel can now be ordered in the real world for 5,295 dollars. The Ryno is balanced by a gyroscope like a segway and has a top speed of about 12 mph. Its battery allows for 10 miles of fun riding.
Mugen’s Shinden San: Team Mugen will enter this year’s TT Zero Challenge on the Isle of Man with a brand new electric motorcycle. The Shinden San is lighter and with 100 kW and 220 Nm also stronger than the 2013 model. The team thus hopes to finally win the race in which it has finished second twice already.
Low cost hybrid too costly: The Yo-Mobil by Russian Onexim was supposed to be Russia’s first low-cost hybrid. However, with rising costs for development and repeated delays in production, the group has now sold the rights to the state-owned Nami institute for the symbolic price of one euro.
rt.com via thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Tesla Model S convertible.
A Chinese investor has ordered 100 Tesla Model S convertible from Newport Convertible Engineering. While the conversion specialist will start with the production in July, a request for a formal partnership with Tesla to convert another 5,000 units has so far remained unanswered.
Solar Impulse 2, FEV, Electrovaya/Dongfeng, Enerdel/B3CG, DTU.
Fuel-free around the globe: Swiss Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have now presented their second generation solar plane. The Solar Impulse 2 only weighs 2.4 tons including the batteries (633 kilos) and can stay in the air for five days and nights in a row. Next year, the two plan to fly around the world on solar power only.
youtube.com (teaser video), nbcnews.com
Transmission for hybrids: FEV North America will present its new transmission at the SAE World Congress in Detroit. The plug‐in hybrid transmission includes a two‐speed all-electric driving mode and is designed to fit into downsized engine compartments.
— Ad —
Electromobility powered by Siemens – Siemens is presenting its drivetrain solutions for electric and hybrid cars on Hannover Messe 2014 from April 7th – 11th – Automation & IT Tour. Follow the red carpet and find Siemens’ solutions for electric cars in entrance area south. Visit also Siemens in hall 9, booth D35. www.siemens.com
Electrovaya and Dongfeng: The Canadian battery manufacturer is supplying the Chinese company with its latest generation of li-ion batteries. Its ‘Lithium Ion SuperPolymer 2.0’ are said to be 20% more powerful than the previous generation and fit both Dongfeng’s EV platforms.
Electric school bus: Li-ion battery manufacturer Enerdel partners with B3CG to develop and produce li-ion batteries für Canada’s school buses. The latter are build by Lion Bus and funded by the government. The batteries are supposed to hold 100 kWh, enough for about 50 miles range.
Iron and carbon to replace platinum: A team at Denmark’s Technical University has developed a new catalyst. They found that iron and carbon remain stable and active in acidic and alkaline environments and could thus replace the costly platinum in PEM fuel cells.
Journey of carbon, Volvo C30 Electric II.
Video tip I: BMW tells the story of carbon used in its i-series from the source to the finished car. Go on the “Journey of carbon.”
Video tip II: Siemens is currently exhibiting at the Hannover Messe and in this video focusing on the strategic partnership it has with Volvo. In a first step, a total of 100 Volvo C30 electric have been equipped with motors and converters from Siemens.


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Truckload carrier profits in the first quarter have been generally positive, with many companies posting year-over-year (YOY) profit increases ranging from double-digit percentiles to threefold, while few posted losses compared with year-earlier earnings.
Swift Transportation Co. Inc. in particular scored massive gains as net income rocketed to $19.4 million, which tripled 1Q 2004’s $6.4 million gain. Knight Transportation Inc. also extended profits to $12.8 million—a 38% increase YOY from $9.3 million. Marten Transport, Ltd. reported a 77% earnings increase to $4.8 million from last year’s $2.7 million. USA Truck, Inc. said its earnings more than doubled to $2.7 million compared with $1.0 million in the same period last year. Smithway Motor Xpress Corp. profits soared 50% to net $503,000, compared with $335,000 YOY.
However, some carriers reported a major downturn this quarter. U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. reported a net loss of $2.1 million, compared with a $800,000 profit in 1Q 2004. Covenant Transport, Inc. saw a loss of $649,000 compared with YOY earnings of $721,000.
“Truckload results were negatively impacted by softer than expected freight demand, higher operating costs, including record high fuel prices, and difficulty attracting drivers, which resulted in an approximately 2% sequential decline in average seated tractors, when compared to the fourth quarter of 2004,” U.S. Xpress stated in a release.
Covenant concurred that a downturn in freight volumes ushered in 1Q losses.
“Softer than expected freight demand impacted both the average miles per tractor and our ability to obtain the level of rate increases we originally expected,” said David R. Parker, Covenant chairman, president & CEO. “These factors outweighed a pretty good quarter from a cost standpoint. If demand does not increase relatively soon, our goal of improving our operating ratio in 2005 compared with 2004 will be difficult to achieve.”
However, industry-wide “softer” freight demand doesn’t appear to be the case as many carriers reported substantial revenue gains, excluding fuel surcharges. For example, Swift, which had tripled its earnings, said its revenues excluding fuel surcharges rose 13.4% YOY. USA Truck described freight demand as “steady” as revenues excluding fuel surcharges increased 13.8%. Knight Transportation reported a whopping 23% revenue growth excluding fuel surcharges.
As for U.S. Xpress and Covenant, analyst Chris Brady, president of Commercial Motor Vehicle Consulting, said first-quarter losses could be due to an economic downturn in their customer base. “For example, if you’re hauling parts for GM and Ford you’d have a problem,” Brady told Fleet Owner.
Another possible crimp on earnings might be customers doing business with other carriers for more competitive rates. “It could be they got too aggressive on pricing and lost some freight to other carriers,” Brady said.
Indeed, a measured pace of rate hikes actually helped rocket USA Truck to a near-threefold profit increase. “While freight volumes were stronger than most historical first quarters, we believe that our more moderate stance on rate increases over the past five quarters relative to the truckload industry helped bolster demand for our services during the seasonally lean volumes of the first quarter,” said Robert M. Powell, chairman & CEO.
“A pricing environment [for truckload carriers] as strong as this hasn’t come in years,” CMVC’s Brady noted. “Really, at this point, truckload carriers are able to pass along their input costs, increasing rates excluding surcharges. That’s due to tight capacity—year-over-year tonnage grew more quickly than capacity.
“The only thing carriers have to watch out for is whether freight growth will remain strong through the remainder of 2005 and not to get too aggressive in expanding capacity,” Brady added. “They may not be able to because of driver shortages.”


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For years, companies and techno-bros have been saying that self-driving cars are ready to roll. Now companies like the ride-hailing service Lyft are actually letting customers take rides in autonomous vehicles. And at CES this year, John Deere unveiled a self-driving tractor that lets farmers put the latest automation tech to work in the fields. But if the time for self-driving vehicles is finally nigh, what does that mean for the workers who make a living behind the wheel? This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Jan-21-2022, 13:00:00 GMT


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More than ever, Australian travellers are opting to go it alone, embarking on solo trips that inspire the freedom to go wherever, whenever they choose. With this in mind, leading provider of assistance services,Allianz Global Assistance (AGA) has released ‘The 5C’s For Solo’, a safety guide for solo travellers to ensure they remain vigilant and enjoy a worry-free trip.
Over 13 million Aussies went travelling in 2015, of which 1.7 million went it alone, a jump of 3.5 per cent on the previous year. Most significantly, travellers aged between 18 – 24 years led this charge. Not surprisingly, solo travellers were the only group that has grown in the past decade, with no signs of slowing down.
Allianz Global Assistance General Manager of Travel and Medical, John White said, “The past ten years has shown a steady increase in the popularity of solo travel amongst Australians of all ages.”
“When travelling solo, the safety net of travelling with friends or family is non-existent so it’s important to remain vigilant and prepare adequately ahead of a trip. We advise travellers to ensure they have the basics such as, a mobile phone to stay connected, cash in case of emergency, some basic knowledge of the local language and of course, travel insurance.”


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With the end of 2014 fast approaching, I wanted to provide some of ABI Research’s top level findings and success stories within the three primary smart card market verticals, whilst presenting a preview into our market expectations and makeup for 2015.
Firstly, I think it’s important to note that the SIM card and government ID market will bounce back in 2014, both expected to post shipment growth. In 2013, the government ID market retracted slightly, due to large scale deliveries the year previous into Indonesia’s pure contactless national ID card project paired with Germany’s near completion of its healthcare card issuance. These two projects pushed shipment numbers above the market norm, which presented an overinflated view of the market.
2014 YoY government ID shipment growth, although forecast to be flattish at 3.4%, is a step in the right direction. The market does need to be approached with an air of caution, as the persistent issues around project delays continues, a scenario which ABI Research foresees as an ongoing market bone of contention for the foreseeable future. Having said this, the future business pipeline looks healthy, not just driven by delayed project start dates moving into the future, but additional new projects specifically within the deployment of eID cards and smart driver licenses.
The SIM card market experienced a significant shipment decline in 2013, down approximately 200 million units. Large markets such as India, which implemented registration regulations have now stablished and those teething problems which resulted in long lead times between registration and SIM deployment which effective overall shipment levels last year have been worked through.
Although growing, driven by factors such as the deployment of higher end features such as SWP and increased coverage within the M2M market, long gone are the days of double digit YoY growth. The mature and over penetrated nature of the market has not gone unnoticed by those active vendors. It was already noted in 2013 that a number of the large SIM IC vendors shifted strategy, moving away from the commoditised low cost SIM market, moving toward a business model to support a lower volume, but higher value market in an effort to differentiate and move toward a higher value proposition which supports greater revenue generation per SIM. Moving into 2015 this will likely remain a key strategy, with the low cost volume side of the market continuing its migration to China.
And finally the payment cards market is once again proving to be another highlight of the year. China continues its migration to its PBOC standard, and is expected to ship volumes in excess of 600 million units by year end 2014 The U.S. is beginning to show some extremely positive steps towards its EMV migration, likely to exceed initial expectations with shipments totalling 180 million forecast by year’s end.
The payments market, from a vendor perspective, is fast becoming a U.S. v.s. China scenario. Next year’s market shares will be won and/or lost based on the continual success of migration in these two countries.
Initial reports suggest that the Chinese market is beginning to slow and flat growth would not be entirely unexpected, in large part due to oversupply and a high level of inventory currently in the hands of the Chinese issuers. Time will tell, but given the current expectations, it is largely expected that those vendors with increased activity in the U.S. may close the market share gap in 2015 on its competitors with majority share in China.


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Download imo desktop windows 10
Description.imo for Windows 10 (Windows) — Download
May 17, · IMO For PC – Download and Install on Windows 10/8/7 PC and Mac Published on: May 17, by Ayaan Mizan IMO app is the newly developing video calling and messaging software, which will be the best rival to the social networking giants like Mark Jukerburg’s Facebook, Whatsapp, etc. Download Imo on your Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP. Follow our lead, for easy steps on how to Download IMO for Windows you’ve downloaded IMO App on PC latest, it becomes very easy to operate so you can feel the pleasure of interacting freely with loves ones in distance locations via video calls. Imo app is not formally stated for use on PC, but if you . With Imo for Windows you can message and video chat with your friends and family for free, no matter what device they are on. — Send unlimited instant messages — Group chat with friends, family, roommates and others — Keep chats in sync with mobile — Make high-quality video and voice calls — Group video calls with friends, family, roommates and others — Share photos and .
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Nokia, Sony and others have already refused to participate in the MWC 2021 in Barcelona
According to Light Reading, major companies such as Nokia, Oracle and Sony have decided not to participate in the MWC 2021, which will be held in person at the end of June in Barcelona. Companies are not sure that the epidemiological situation is safe enough and do not want to endanger their employees and visitors to the exhibition.
Nokia stated in an email sent directly to Light Reading: “After careful consideration, Nokia has decided not to physically attend Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2021. The health of our employees, customers and partners is of paramount importance to us. Given the international nature of the event and the global rollout of the vaccine, which is still in its infancy, we made an informed decision to instead participate in a virtual event only. We understand that the GSMA is planning a number of online events and look forward to working with it to understand how we can participate. «.
Companies such as Oracle and Sony made similar statements. Refused to participate in the exhibition and Ericsson. Light Reading has contacted some other tech companies such as Intel, Lenovo, Qualcomm and LG. They said they have not yet made a decision to participate in the MWC 2021 in Barcelona.
GSMA, the organizer of MWC, expressed respect for the decision of companies that refused to participate in offline events. She announced that the virtual online platform will provide support for people who are physically unable to attend MWC 2021. The GSMA also reiterated that it will take a series of stringent measures to protect the health of conference attendees.


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Square Enix has announced that it will release a number of patches for Chrono Trigger over the coming months. The first patches will be coming later this month and although the publisher did not share their release notes, it did reveal that they will add an option to switch between the current high-resolution graphics and the original SNES visuals.
As Square Enix stated:
“We’re aiming to release the first of these patches in the first half of April, and the biggest change is that it will include an option to switch between the current high-resolution graphics, and the original graphical style of CHRONO TRIGGER.
We’ll post a full list of changes here when the first patch is released. For now, be assured that we’re working very hard on adjusting, updating and supporting CHRONO TRIGGER on Steam.”
This basically means that PC gamers won’t have to rely on mods in order to remove the game’s blurry filters or the game’s new sprites (that are obviously coming from the mobile version).


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A number of tax changes were implemented in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, signed into law on January 2nd of this year. The Act passed in response to the imminent expiration of the “Bush tax cuts” and other tax regulations originally passed in 2001 and 2003.
The U.S. Department of Justice, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section (AFMLS) considers asset forfeiture as the “most effective” way to dismantle a criminal organization, which necessarily involves a financial investigation to effectively locate criminally derived assets.
In the past decade, we’ve heard about a myriad of cases involving fraud and other white- collar crimes. In fact, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified common fraudulent schemes including Ponzi and pyramid schemes, health care fraud, business fraud and investment fraud.
A ruling affecting American consumers nearly everywhere went into effect on January 27 without much fanfare, but the reaction to it has been anything but quiet. The new compromise ruling, which states that retailers are allowed to charge consumers up to four percent extra to offset credit card swipe fees, has already become controversial.
What’s a better way to start off the New Year than to hear about yet another offshore bank circumventing tax laws?
One of the boldest taxes in Obamacare, aside from the individual mandate of course, is the excise tax on so-called “Cadillac Plans”. This tax effectively makes it illegal to buy better coverage by imposing a 40% (yes, FORTY percent!) tax on any plan with a premium in excess of what the government thinks is “fair”.
Well, you heard it from the Supreme Court – it’s a tax. Of course, you didn’t hear it from Obama (“it’s not a tax”), or from his administration. We almost heard it from former Speaker of the House (“it’s a ta… penalty”), but she corrected herself. Now that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been upheld and reclassified as a tax, what does it mean for the taxpayers?


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’Tis the season to be jolly, but don’t fall victim to holiday follies.
With just three weeks left until Christmas, beware of the cybercrooks who steal your hard-earned money.
In the last two months alone, 72 complaints of online loan scams have been filed, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre told the Sun.
Last December, there were 114 reports, and during this time of year, it isn’t just helpless seniors falling for the bait.
People who are desperate for Christmas spending money and can’t get a bank loan turn to the Internet looking for $2,000-$3,000 on average.
It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to get them through the holidays.
The loan-seekers borrow a few hundred from a friend or family member, and wire money to the loan company in order to get a few thousand dollars in exchange.
But they don’t get anything — and on top of being broke, they end up owing a friend money.
Ottawa police said they don’t notice a spike in fraud around the holiday season, but they do see more theft.
“Quite often the Salvation Army kettles are manned by elderly people, who are very easy targets,” said Const. Katherine Larouche.
Another seasonal trend is more home break-ins, where thieves take off with presents from under the tree.
If your gifts aren’t stolen, your identity might be. Look out for e-mails from banks, retailers, online greeting cards and even delivery verification requests from courier services, all phishing for your personal information.
Charity phishing scams are big in December.
“If someone sends an unsolicited e-mail from a company you’re familiar with, you should check (with the company),” said Diane Iadeluca, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Ottawa.
Updating your computer with spam filters is a good idea, and so is using common sense.
“Unknown links, don’t click on those at all,” said Iadeluca.
People who regularly shop or bank online and have credit card information stored on websites should be careful, she said. Iadeluca suggests using a credit card so there’s legal recourse to contest unauthorized charges on your bill, and recommends getting one with a small limit.
“You’re less liable for less loss,” she said.
Credit and debit card fraud-related offences total between $10 billion and $30 billion in Canada each year, according to the RCMP’s commercial crime branch, and almost 80% of those offences are executed by organized crime.


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Apple MagSafe: Duo charging station could appear soon
The iPhone 12-Event we saw a MagSafe charging station for the iPhone and the Apple Watch for around two seconds. This could be on the market soon.
At the event in October, Apple introduced MagSafe for the iPhone. These are a number of accessories that are magnetically attached to the smartphone. We also briefly saw a charging station that can charge the iPhone and Apple Watch. However, Apple has not yet announced a specific release date for this.
In Korea, the gadget should now have passed some tests that would be necessary for a release. In principle, that doesn't mean anything, but in the past the official market launch soon followed. Let's hope that there will be no more delays like we saw of AirPower know.


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On lead mixtape single Gone, featured in-mid-March, Mobb Deep rhymesayer Havoc assured listeners that he's still as dedicated to his hustle as the day he first picked up the mic. And he should be—as he emphasizes on the freshly-minted follow-up, he's being handsomely remunerated for his efforts. Cash Flow finds the East Coast street vet working both sides of the mixing boards, pairing a grainy synth-bassline with stuttering breakbeat to back bars chronicling his ceaseless quest for currency. Complete with guest rhymes by two fellow devotees of the grind, Slum Village members T3 and Illa J., this is just one of many bangers slated for inclusion on Havoc's 13 LP, scheduled to hit record stores and online retailers May 7, via Nature Sounds.
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The amount of innovation in the Bay Area, specifically the East Bay, is astounding. The East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA) recognizes the most innovative companies each fall. This year’s finalists include companies driving new heat exchanger technology, advancing sustainable material for the fashion industry, tackling human trafficking, and building smart tractors.
We at ThermoFusion are proud that several of our customers are leading these innovative ideas, we’re glad that we help them succeed. Congratulations to Nelumbo and Arris Composites. And congratulations to previous finalists: Bishop-Wisecarver, Inland Metal, Lam Research, MDC Vacuum Products, Mizuho OSI, Tesla Motors, Therm-X, The Clorox Company, and DOER Marine.
Click here to read the announcement from East Bay EDA.


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Juniper Research makes Top Ten Tech Predictions for 2020Tuesday, December 10th, 2019
Top Ten Tech Predictions For 2020: 5G Last Mile Solutions; OTT TV Advertising; and Open Data for MAAS Top The List
HAMPSHIRE, UK — As 2019 draws to a close, Juniper Research has created its list of the top 10 technology predictions for 2020. The Top 10:
- 5G – Last-mile fibre rollouts to be replaced by 5G connectivity.
- OTT TV – Advertising stakeholders to develop functional attribution Ecosystem.
- Mobility as a Service – Open data in transportation to drive MaaS beyond Europe.
- Games – Subscription models to flourish in games market, but ‘live’ elements to diminish.
- Netflix – To seek out new sources of revenue growth as competition rises.
- Google – To expand RCS services in Europe.
- Google – To leverage Fitbit health credentials to mount challenge to Apple Watch.
- Huawei – The ban will result in a more uneven 5G network growth.
- Robotics – Consumer robots to launch using subscription models.
- Voice Assistants – Security concerns to come to a head, causing trouble for smart homes
5G Networks to Replace Fibre Rollouts – Tops the List
With the first commercial launches of 5G networks occurring in 2019, Juniper Research has identified 2020 as the year in which 5G connectivity starts to replace costly rollouts of fibre networks in remote areas. We anticipate that the high bandwidth and throughput of 5G networks will provide a highly appealing and cost-effective alternative to the rollout of fibre.
Meanwhile, Juniper Research anticipates that OTT (Over-the-Top) TV services will experience launches of functional advertising attribution systems that will align advertising closer to the wider digital advertising ecosystem.
Additionally, Juniper Research believes that open data initiatives will provide the perfect platform to expand the presence of MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) deployments outside of Europe. We predict that increasing transparency between stakeholders will create new levels of efficiency for services launches in regions such as North America and Asia Pacific over 2020.


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Jaguar Land Rover chief wants alliances, not a merger
LOS ANGELES : Luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover's chief executive told Reuters he is open to more alliances to lower the costs of developing technology, but is not looking for a full-blown corporate merger.
"We feel the pressure" from demands to slash carbon emissions and develop electric vehicles, Jaguar Land Rover chief Ralf Speth said in an interview on the sidelines of the Los Angeles auto show.
But to the question of whether the company and its parent, Tata Motors Ltd. are seeking a merger for Jaguar Land Rover, Speth said: "The answer is no. We can really survive on our own."
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The British luxury sedan and SUV maker is "always open" to discussions of technology alliances and component sharing with other companies, Speth said.
Earlier this year, the maker of Jaguar sedans and Land Rover SUVs agreed with German luxury automaker BMW AG to develop electric car parts jointly.
Jaguar Land Rover currently sells an electric Jaguar I-Pace sport utility vehicle, and has said the next generation of its top-of-the line XJ sedan will be all-electric. The company has not said when it will launch the new XJ.
"There's no question in our mind that electric is the drive train of the future," Eberhardt said. "But from a customer adoption point of view it takes longer than anticipated."
Jaguar Land Rover has a product lineup, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, which could meet tighter European CO2 emissions limits which begin taking effect next year, but compliance will depend on the mix of vehicles customers buy, Speth said.
"In Europe, the mix (of vehicles) is encouraging, but not at the moment at the level we can say we are compliant right at the beginning," he said. "But there is time to go. We are cautiously optimistic."
A lack of public electric vehicle re-charging infrastructure remains a challenge in selling electric vehicles in the U.S. and Europe, Eberhardt and Speth said.
Jaguar Land Rover was unprofitable through the first half of its fiscal year ended Sept. 30, hit by Brexit-related production shutdowns and weaker demand in China. But Speth said the second half of the year should be better than the first.
Demand in the Chinese market is volatile, though Jaguar Land Rover sales have seen "double-digit growth" in recent months, Speth said. But that growth has been from a low volume. Speth said he receives data on the Chinese market daily.
Speth and JLR North America chief Joe Eberhardt were at the Los Angeles Auto Show for the North American launch of the Land Rover Defender, a modern reincarnation of sport utility vehicles identified with African safari adventures and British country estates.


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Like other advertisers, Toyota spent millions on its Superbowl commercial this weekend. But instead of enjoying positive word of mouth about the new Camry, the brand is dealing with backlash against a Twitter campaign that sent unsolicited @ reply messages to users who were tweeting with Superbowl-related hashtags, inviting them to enter a contest to win a 2012 Camry.
What’s worse, the tweets were sent from a series of accounts that had been verified by Twitter, provoking additional backlash against Twitter for appearing to endorse the spam campaign. The @CamryEffect1 through @CamryEffect9 accounts are now marked as Suspended Accounts, and the main @CamryEffect account has been changed to a Protected Account.
The tweets were sent using technology from LocalResponse, a start up that “helps marketers respond to real-time consumer intent.” This is a great idea in principle–but this fiasco shows that there is a fine line between an unsolicited message that’s appropriate and welcome to the user–and one that’s perceived as spam.
Toyota is reacting swiftly to address the firestorm, including an apology posted by Digital Marketing and Social Media Manager Kimberley Gardiner at The Next Web.
The bottom line: be very, very careful about any social media campaign that involves automated messaging. There’s a huge difference between getting an unsolicited phone call from a skilled telemarketer, and getting a robocall. The same is true on Twitter.
UPDATE 2/22: Under new guidelines created by LocalResponse, the platform that Toyota used to send these messages, this type of campaign could no longer be run on the LocalResponse platform. Details here: https://therealtimereport.com/2012/02/22/realtime-marketing-localresponse-spells-out-the-rules-for-doing-it-right/.


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Grab your wallets: House to consider internet sales tax
Because we're just not taxed enough, don't you know?
Old-line retailers are pushing Congress to enact the sales tax bill passed by the Senate last year to "even the playing field." What they rarely mention is that it will drive some smaller online outlets out of business while hugely complicating online purchases due to thousands of state and local tax jurisdictions that have to be considered.
Supporters and opponents of online sales tax proposals are focusing their lobbying energy on Goodlatte (R-Va.), who has released a set of seven principles that an online sales tax bill would have to meet in order to be considered by his committee
"House Judiciary has a busy schedule," but Goodlatte has plans to hold a hearing on Internet sales taxes in the first half of the year, according to Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice, which represents Facebook, Yahoo and online sales tax critic eBay.
Goodlatte "wants to hear legislative concepts that would fit his principles," DelBianco said.
A Judiciary aide declined to comment on whether the committee has plans for a hearing. The committee is "not actively drafting legislation at this time" but continues "to welcome ideas consistent with those principles from interested parties," the aide said.
Few people involved in the push expect the chairman to move quickly on a bill, especially now that he is being tasked with leading a legislative push on immigration reform.
Still, lobbyists are optimistic that the chairman can craft a bill with broad support.
The fight over an online sales tax bill shifted to the House last summer after the Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would allow states to collect sales tax on purchases that citizens make from out-of-state online retailers.
Currently, state sales tax is technically due for all purchases, but states only have the authority to collect sales tax on purchases that citizens make from retailers with a physical presence in each state.
Supporters say the bill would even the playing field between online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores. Opponents argue it would create mass confusion as online retailers are forced to navigate tax rates and rules for nearly 10,000 state and local tax jurisdictions.
Goodlatte has said that he wants to consider the issue carefully.
His "principals" specified that an online sales tax bill should not create a new or discriminatory tax, should not create greater burdens for online retailers than brick-and-mortar stores and should give online retailers "direct recourse" to challenge taxes an compliance burdens.
Additionally, an online sales tax bill should be simple enough for small businesses to easily follow, should encourage states to compete on tax structures, should respect state sovereignty and should protect customer privacy, he said.
Those are actually pretty good principles to follow when considering an internet sales tax. Unfortunately, they will be next to impossible to meet. The "greater burden" principle will be especially difficult to achieve. Brick and mortar stores only have to figure sales tax for their specific location - state, county, and local. Online retailers will have to develop software that can be plugged in to their existing checkout system that can handle transactions from everywhere in the US - a daunting and very expensive proposition.
The online shopping experience is so much easier with far less hassle that old line retailers can't match. In store purchases are fraught with bad service, limited choices, and all the hassle of driving and parking. Complicating the online shopping experience may benefit some chains, but in the end, internet sales will continue to rise even for the brick and mortar outfits.


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Irvine’s Boost Mobile has repeatedly said it’s not going after the iPhone crowd — obviously a marketing tactic since Boost can’t offer iPhones. So, should we be surprised that its latest phone offers a bit of touch-screen goodness?
The new Motorola Stature i9 is flip phone with a 2-inch touch screen on the cover to control the music player. It uses Motorola’s ModeShift technology, which appeared in past phones like the ROKR E8, MotoZINE ZN5 and the ROKR EM30. The smooth screen lights up on touch so users can skip songs, fast forward, etc. without opening up the phone.
There’s also a 3.1 megapixel camera (Boost’s first) with flash and auto focus, a memory card slot (extra memory not included) and stereo Bluetooth. Plus, at 15 mm, it’s the thinnest flip phone available using Boost’s iDen technology.
Boost, which recently introduced a new unlimited plan for $50/month, will have the i9 on sale the end of February for $299, with parent company Sprint adding it to its lineup shortly after for $199 with 2-year contract.
More photos (images courtesy of Boost Mobile):
From the web:
- ModeShift Helps Motorola Rokr E8 Stand Out (Information Week)
- Motorola i9 hitting Sprint/Nextel (Cellphone Signal)
- iDEN Motorola i9 with ModeShift shows up on FCC site (Mobile Guerilla)
- Sprint’s upcoming Motorola i9 comes out of hiding (Boy Genius Report)
More cell-phone news: Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local cell phone services. Latest mobile-news headlines:
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Mold maintenance management starts from ¥ 3 per month Pre-orders start from 1/XNUMX [Record on smartphone Free for the first month]
If you write the contents roughly
By age group, more than half of the respondents said they were "interested in smartphone price plans" in all age groups.
Visualization on a smartphone from the day it arrives Easy-to-operate mold maintenance support system Aiming for IoT in resin molding factories ... → Continue reading
Kyodo News PR Wire
Kyodo PR wire, which distributes press releases and news releases, connects information from "who wants to know" to "people who want to know."
This is a site that consumers should pay attention to, where news releases from major governments and government agencies including local governments and universities are gathered.
Wikipedia related words
If there is no explanation, there is no corresponding item on Wikipedia.


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This morning we woke up to a new photo of the DJI Osmo Pocket. Remember, back in July when we saw one of the first leaked photos of the Mavic 2 Pro. In the lower left corner, there was this little black device lying on the table that looked like a new Osmo model. Yes, that one. Well, it’s coming. Maybe as soon as November 28th!
DJI Osmo Pocket leaked photos
Recently, we reported on the FCC filing for a device called the DJI Osmo Pocket Wireless Module. Today we see a new photo, posted on Twitter by @OsitaLV of a black, DJI branded device that looks a lot like a handheld, gimbal action camera.
The shape of the camera itself looks very similar to the camera of the DJI Mavic 2 Pro but without the Hasselblad logo. From the photo, it is hard to say if it will be the same camera and sensor from the M2P.
About the DJI Osmo Pocket
The front of the device shows a display, two buttons (one record button) and two more buttons, a switch and a control wheel on an accessory attached to the main device. The attached piece could be used for controlling the angle of the camera or it could be a follow focus or zoom control. Somebody mentioned on Twitter that the design looked really bad with the control wheel seemingly stuck onto the device. Well, remember that photo from back in July? That picture showed a charging connector stuck in that same place. So, it seems that DJI wanted to make this action camera gimbal as pocketable and travel-friendly as possible with different accessories that can be attached. Smart design!
Competition for the GoPro Hero 7 Black?
Interestingly, GoPro just released the GoPro Hero 7 Black with the HyperSmooth feature and now DJI seems to come out with the Osmo Pocket. Coincidence? Nothing is known about the pricing on the Osmo Pocket at this point. The last time DJI, released the Osmo 2 is was priced very aggressively at $129. Do you think that DJI will come out below the $400 Hero 7 Black for this Osmo Pocket? Let us know in the comments below.
When will we see the DJI Osmo Pocket come to market? Well, that is the million dollar question, isn’t it? DJI has announced a special event, ‘Because Life is Big‘, in New York City on November 28th. The perfect time to launch a new product, right before the Holiday shopping season. Will it be the new Phantom 5, which would make for a very expensive Christmas, or will it be a likely much more budget-friendly DJI Osmo Pocket? I have my money on the Phantom 5, but I might be wrong. We will know in about a week’s time! ;-)
What do you think about the Osmo Pocket? Is it real competition for the GoPro Hero 7? Let us know in the comments below.
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We get an up-close look at McLaren's new monster.
Like most automakers, McLaren showed off its newest creation the week before the 2016 Geneva Motor Show kicked off. However, as we all know there's a difference between seeing a car in press images and in the metal. As such we're happy to bring you images of the all-new McLaren 570GT straight from Geneva. In case you have a short memory, the 570GT is the newest addition to the Sports Series and is designed to be as livable as a supercar boasting a top speed north of 200 mph can be.
All that livability is thanks to added storage space. We've seen some supercars that can barely hold two grocery bags. The McLaren 570GT isn't in that league. Aside from its tinted panoramic roof, the biggest new addition here is its side-opening rear hatch. According to Evo, that along with its trunk space gives the 570GT more storage space than a Ford Focus. That's just nuts for a car that packs a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 good for 562 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. Remember that whole thing about a car looking different in the metal than in press photos? Well the 570GT looks just as good in the flesh as it does when captured by a professional photographer working with a full army of photo editors.
The primary feature that makes the car more doable as a daily driver, the rear hatch, looks great when closed. This proves you don't need to sacrifice good looks to add practicality. Oh, and it also helps when the "Touring Deck," as McLaren calls the new storage space, is lined with leather. The rear hatch almost serves as an extension of the panoramic glass roof, a feature which should prove stunning in certain settings and scenery. While McLaren didn't exactly reinvent the wheel here the automaker did prove that supercar companies don't just need to focus on what's under the hood when it comes to adding model variations. We doubt a company like Lamborghini would ever tout livability but a car like the 570GT could change the game.