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WASHINGTON — VF Corp. is hoping to establish a third way for Bangladesh apparel manufacturing.
As Western brands and retailers continue their efforts to strengthen fire and building safety standards in the Asian country’s apparel industry in the wake of two factory tragedies, Eric Wiseman, VF’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, on Wednesday outlined the steps the group has taken to make factories safer both as a corporation and as a member of the broader brand and retail initiative the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. These include a hybrid model that combines VF’s own manufacturing practices with those it requires of its contractors.
VF, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp and Gap Inc. led the launch of the alliance last July, after factory tragedies in Bangladesh claimed more than 1,240 lives. The catastrophes sparked a global outcry for reforms in the Asian nation’s apparel sector, spurring the global fashion industry, labor groups and international nongovernmental organizations to implement new safety plans and reforms to provide safe work environments.
Wiseman’s comments offered a rare glimpse inside one of the alliance members’ own on-the-ground initiatives and unveiled a new concept the company is launching in Bangladesh.
In a country where there is little Western investment or involvement in partnering with factory owners to build structurally sound factories, VF appears to be a virtual pioneer. Wiseman said VF is helping a supplier partner in Bangladesh build a new factory under the company’s “Third Way” program.
“The first way to make product is to make it in your own factories,” Wiseman said. “The second way to make it is to contract to somebody else’s factory. The third way is to work together with someone to bring our significant manufacturing expertise to bear and have them invest in a factory above and beyond all of the standards in that area. It is a factory that looks and runs like a VF-owned and -operated factory.”
VF made 100 percent of its own apparel in its own factories until the early Nineties. Today, it sources production from 1,800 independent contractors around the world and operates 30 factories of its own. Last year, independent contractors produced 70 percent of its units, with the remaining 30 percent coming from the company’s own facilities. The group, which generated $11.42 billion in revenues last year, sourced 500 million units across 35 different brands.
The factory currently under construction in Bangladesh, to be operated by The Rising Group, is the first in that country to be built under VF’s program.
“They will own and operate the factory, but it will be engineered by VF’s manufacturing expertise,” Wiseman said. “One of the things that happened in low-wage-rate countries — it happened over time everywhere — is they just load bodies in the factory because the labor is so cheap. We think we can get multiple advantages by using our manufacturing engineering capabilities to lay out a sophisticated VF standard factory that they will own and operate, and then they can take that learning and spread it to other factories that they may own or operate in the future.”
Tom Nolan, vice president for global sourcing at VF, said in a separate interview that the factory, about 37 miles north of Dhaka, is a two-story structure that will produce woven bottoms for VF and is slated to be completed and fully operational by July 1.
“We have been there since 1990 and continue to grow our business in Bangladesh,” Nolan said, adding that VF recently moved a footwear program to the country. “Regardless of any five-year commitment [through the alliance], we are there for the long haul and want to partner with factories to make it better.”
Through the alliance, VF has contributed $5 million to a $50 million Worker Safety Fund set up by the 26 alliance member companies, which is being used to provide training and worker empowerment tools. The alliance also provides another $100 million in low-cost capital, available to factories for loans to make safety improvements.
“With all of the activity in Bangladesh over the last 12 months, particularly since Rana Plaza, there was a call to action to do even more than what we had been doing and to do it together,” Wiseman said. The Rana Plaza complex housed garment factories and collapsed last April, killing 1,132 people.
Wiseman said 80 percent of the 91 contractors VF uses in Bangladesh, many of which produce garments for other companies, have been inspected. VF has also invested another $1.5 million to establish a compliance office in Dhaka employing 15 people.
A six-month progress report released by the alliance in February showed that 31 percent, or 222, of the 700 garment factories its members use in Bangladesh had been inspected. Nolan said there are now 830 factories covered by the alliance, and 44 percent of those have been inspected.
Underscoring the magnitude of the undertaking, a separate initiative, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, has 150 member companies covering some 1,500 factories in Bangladesh. It is also conducting inspections.
Late last year, H&M unveiled a sourcing project that includes implementing a living wage that covers workers’ basic needs; this will be implemented in model factories, from which the company will buy 100 percent of the capacity produced during a period of five years. Three model factories, two in Bangladesh and one in Cambodia, will be running the plan by 2014.
Joining Wiseman on a call with WWD was Ellen Tauscher, chair of the alliance, who said the group is “well on its way to achieving the aggressive milestones we created for ourselves when we began last year,” but acknowledged the companies still face significant challenges.
“There is still a lot of hard work to do. There is still a lot of political turmoil in the country, and there is still a lot of misunderstanding. We have language gaps, cultural gaps and time gaps — things that we have to overcome and that make it more challenging to achieve what we have to achieve. But I think because of the kind of people we have involved, we really have moved the needle to get to where we want to go.”
One of those challenges is unauthorized subcontracting, which was linked in reports to some production in the two factory tragedies.
Asked if the alliance members were still vulnerable to illegal subcontracting, Tauscher said it is an “issue,” but one that is being addressed.
“One of the reasons why we are so pleased to have companies like VF is not only do they have tremendous worldwide global reach but they have their own pedigree for their own manufacturing. We have learned lessons for how people get around the requirements for our existing member factories and operations. We make very clear that people that alliance companies are sourcing with cannot have subcontracting in factories that are not approved.”
Wiseman said VF has a “one-strike-and-you’re-out policy” with respect to unauthorized subcontracting.
“We hope that makes people think twice about it because they will lose a potential customer,” Wiseman said. “Will it happen again? Yes, it will. People still run red lights. But the penalty is one strike and you are done.”
“Azzedine has been one of the biggest influences in my life. He has always been such a strong, loving, fatherly figure to me. I call him Papa. His designs are indescribably unique, they are pieces of art. He knew how to make the female form look its loveliest. I have so many memories of him; my favorite might be during my first show with him in Paris. He liked me and he wanted to help me get more work. He called all his friends at Kenzo and Comme des Garcons, and asked them to book me. They said, ‘But she can’t walk!’ And he said, ‘but she has such a great ass!' His friendship and support has been the great privilege of my career. I can't imagine life without him. Repose en paix mon Papa.” - @stephanieseymour tells @wwd. #wwdfashion (📷: @steveeichner) #alaia #azzedinealaia
Azzedine Alaïa, flanked by two of his closest friends, models Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell.
He designed Seymour’s dress for her 1995 wedding to Peter Brant, and treated Campbell (who famously called him Papa), like a daughter. For more on the legendary designer, tap the link in bio. #wwdfashion #alaia #azzedinealaia
Azzedine Alaïa's “I-did-it-my-way” ethos stood out starkly at a time when brands are experimenting with consumer-facing fashion shows, coed formats and trans-seasonal collections – anything to perk up lackluster sales of ready-to-wear in an age of Insta-everything. “It’s not creation anymore. This becomes a purely industrial approach,” the late designer told WWD in an interview last year. “But anyway, the rhythm of collections is so stupid. It’s unsustainable. There are too many collections.” Read more about the iconic designer’s life and work on wwd.com, link in bio. #wwdfashion #azzedinealaia (📷: @WWD Archive, 1986) #alaia
Sneaker reselling app @goat’s latest exhibit, "The Greatest: New York," tells the story of New York's sneaker culture. To celebrate the exhibit, an intimate crowd gathered on Thursday night at the pop-up gallery space, located at Platform in Culver City, to hear guest speaker and illustrator @esymai talk about her own rise in streetwear and women in the business. "For me I'm just someone who is creative. I like to create things," said Chang. #wwdfashion
Azzedine Alaïa, one of the most iconic couturiers of the modern era whose body-con designs defined Eighties fashion, has died in Paris. The diminutive Tunisian-born designer, known for his structured knitted dresses with fitted waists and impeccably cut, figure-hugging second skin silhouettes was deeply admired by his peers, and counted supermodel Naomi Campbell - his adoptive daughter - among his inner circle, one of a gang of glamazons including Farida Khelfa, Carla Bruni and Stephanie Seymour who became ambassadors of his style. (📷: Alexandre Guirkinger) #wwdblast


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If you’re on the lookout for something new at this year’s Decorex International exhibition, then head straight over to Viero UK.
Exhibiting for a third consecutive year, we know what it takes to put on a show for our visitors – and this year we’ll be revealing some of our never-seen-before Italian surface finishes for the very first time.
“Decorex is the highlight of the year for our creative team, so we wanted to do something a bit special,” said Director Chris Walters.
“Our exhibition stand shows off a range of our most eye-catching, popular finishes as well as some new designs just for the exhibition.”
We believe Decorex is the jewel in the crown of the interior design calendar and that’s why we’re offering our visitors the chance to get up close and personal with the brand.
“A team of our specification managers and skilled applicators will be there to talk about new projects and offer inspiration,” added Chris.
“It’s not often we get the opportunity to talk about so many of our different finishes to so many different people in such a short space of time – we’re really excited to get it started.”
The Viero team will also be giving away our latest product catalogues for you to take away for inspiration.

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Tom Williams looks at the latest search engine optimisation news, including reports that Google’s desktop search has already peaked, publishers push for changes to First Click Free, and deep linking to Apps could be the future of SEO.
Was 2014 the Peak for Google Desktop Search?
According to the latest comScore report on US desktop search market share, 2014 may well have been the pinnacle of desktop for Google.
Figures for August 2015 showed Google down by 4 points from its high of 67.6% in mid-2014 to just 63.8% for August 2015. Microsoft (Bing) accounted for 20.6% and Yahoo 12.7%.
Here are the results month on month:
Google Changes URL Removal Tool Language
Google has subtly changed the language and action buttons for URL removal in its Google Search Console in a bid to help webmasters feel more confident using the service.
The Remove URLs tool has now changed to read “temporarily hide URLs” rather than “create a new removal request.”
Nothing has changed other than the language. The protocol or time the content is removed from Google’s index remains the same. However, it has been assumed that the change in language has been brought in to encourage webmasters to use the feature more proactively.
This is how the new page looks:
Google Changes First Click Free Policy
John Mueller took to the Google Webmaster Central blog to highlight changes being brought in to the First Click Free policy to better reflect the mobile, multiple device world of today.
Following feedback from publishers, the big change is that Google is limiting the FCF to just three articles per day, down from five articles previously. This change will be rolled out across Google Search and Google News.
John Mueller wrote:
Google wants to play its part in connecting users to quality news and in connecting publishers to users. We believe the FCF is important in helping achieve that goal, and we will periodically review and update these policies as needed so they continue to benefit users and publishers alike. We are listening and always welcome feedback.
Google Adds Brand URLs to Knowledge Graph Boxes
Google is now showing a hyperlink to the main brand website for any knowledge graph box shown in search results.
Now, if you search for major brands, such as PBD, BBC, Sky News etc, you will see a clickable URL next to the site name and company description.
Here’s an example, courtesy of Search Engine Land:
Deep Linking to Apps Could Change SEO Forever
Jayson DeMers believes deep links could fundamentally change SEO and link building. In his post on Search Engine Land last week, he wrote about how deep linking to apps could represent the future of link building.
Deep linking – pointing to a specific internal page, such as a product page or blog article, has been a central pillar of SEO for a decade or more. But now, DeMers believes linking to apps could represent the future of link building.
Instead of deep linking to an interior page of a website, the future of the industry could establish the importance of app-based deep linking. Basically, instead of having a link pointing to a deep internal page of a website, you’d have a link pointing to a specific area within a mobile application.
However, he is quick to point out that this is still a long way off, as the mobile-using population grows.
Panda Still Rolling Out, Slowly
And finally, Panda 4.2 is still rolling out. Two and a half months after its initial launch, Google’s Gary Illyes has confirmed that it is still rolling out, with Search Engine Land predicting there are still a few more months to go before this is finalised.
More Search Engine Optimisation News and Advice
Read last week’s SEO news roundup: Site Hacking up 180% in 2015
Learn our 15 crucial considerations for Technical SEO to help steer your web build in the right direction. Download your free Technical SEO Best Practices eBook and learn from the experts.


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|By PR Newswire||
|December 14, 2012 01:38 PM EST||
NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- V&M (www.VandM.com), the world's most distinct, curated marketplace of unique design goods, announced today that they have received multi-million dollar venture "seed" round funding, and completed a merger with one of Europe's leading online marketplace for 20th Century vintage modern design, Deconet (www.Deconet.com), forming a newly established global holding company, Global Design Partners LLC.
Combined, the expanded V&M will become one of the largest sources of one-of-a-kind design in the world with over 30,000 distinctive objects for sale from over 450 dealers in 25 countries. Total merchandise is valued at over $100 million and range from $75 for small collectibles to $2.25M for a hand-carved reproduction of a 26-foot Eli Wilner gilt frame at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with most goods between $250 and $5,000.
The newly-global V&M also expanded the firm's board to include seasoned internet and media veterans: Jonas Svensson, chairman and co-founder of Deconet, and co-founder of global interactive firm Razorfish; and Kevin Umeh, former CEO of Cint USA, maker of SaaS-based market research software, and Co-Founder of Macmillan Digital, Simon & Schuster's first online business. Jonas and Kevin will be joining R. Adam Smith, an experienced investor and board member in high-growth private brand, media, and luxury companies, and CEO of V&M; Richard Cooperstein, founder of L.A.-based private investment firm Media Investment Group, and a former senior executive at Facebook, Disney, and Viacom; and Louis Santor, a media and entertainment industry consultant and former senior executive managing L.A.-based New Regency Productions, a global independently-financed Hollywood movie production company.
Unlike V&M's competitors in the burgeoning high-end antique and vintage segment, the majority of V&M's products today are already e-commerce enabled, primed to take advantage of the 62% forecasted rise in e-retail sales in the coming years (Forrester Research US Online Retail Forecast, 2011 to 2016).
"The companies perfectly complement each other adding more value than the sum of its parts," says Tobias Seo, CEO of Deconet. "Our capabilities will offer the global antiques, vintage, fine art, and design market unmatched resources, together with great style. The company will represent over 300,000 monthly visitors immediately with the anticipation of doubling in the coming months."
The new company's revenues are a mix of affordable upfront listing fees with commissions of 15% or higher, depending on merchandise type, lowering new vendor entry costs. Subsequently, V&M has been quick to pick up hundreds of new vendors across a broad array of categories, including vintage, jewelry, photography, textiles, and artisan craft.
V&M will be based in New York with offices and representation in Los Angeles, London, Buenos Aires, as well as Stockholm, where Deconet's existing multi-functional team manages customers in seven languages, further reinforcing category leadership in the European market.
"Our acquisition will provide tremendous fuel to our future global expansion plans," stated Bill Indursky, V&M Founder, "Our client base consisting of savvy consumers and interior designers will be happy to see the widest range of pricing and selection of vintage merchandise in the industry."
"I am tremendously pleased with the progress of V&M since our initial investment in December 2010," adds R. Adam Smith, CEO of V&M and chairman of Global Design Partners LLC, "We look forward to the accelerated growth of premiere sources of merchandise, featured content, and editorial. The combination of our high quality traffic and marketing synergies should greatly increase the sell-through and revenues for our platform, and our valued vendor-base."
In the coming weeks, shoppers at www.VandM.com and www.Deconet.com will begin to see site design changes that will unify the companies within the V&M family, as well as have the ability to shop their combined inventory of antiques, vintage, and contemporary design.
V&M's completion of its significant seed round marks the beginning of fundraising for an expanded Series A for the company.
ABOUT V&M (VINTAGE AND MODERN)
V&M (Vintage and Modern, www.VandM.com), founded in 2006, is the leading curated marketplace for vintage furniture, antiques, art, photography, jewelry and design from around the world. Dedicated to offering its millions of visitors a high quality and unique shopping experience, V&M gives the trade and savvy public insider access to some of the best shopping on the web. V&M has been called "The best vintage shopping on the web" by the Los Angeles Times, "A must place to shop" by Vogue, "A Dream Source" by Apartment Therapy, "It's a Brimfield Antique Show for the web-savvy set" by Departures, and has been seen in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
Founded in 2008, Deconet (www.Deconet.com) is Europe's leading online marketplace for 20th century vintage modern design; bringing dealers, auctioneers, and private sellers from over 25 different countries together in a multi-faceted e-commerce platform. Featuring thousands of unique furniture, lighting, carpet, storage, and ceramic pieces, Deconet has developed a significant global following by sophisticated clients. Deconet´s mission is to connect buyers and sellers online, by offering key services that simplify online purchases, and enable powerful commerce for sellers.
SYS-CON Events announced today that Secure Infrastructure & Services will exhibit at SYS-CON's 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Secure Infrastructure & Services (SIAS) is a managed services provider of cloud computing solutions for the IBM Power Systems market. The company helps mid-market firms built on IBM hardware platforms to deploy new levels of reliable and cost-effective computing and hig...
Jul. 5, 2015 05:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,539
DevOps Summit, taking place Nov 3-5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, is co-located with 17th Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. The widespread success of cloud computing is driving the DevOps revolution in enterprise IT. Now as never before, development teams must communicate and collaborate in a dynamic, 24/7/365 environment. There is no time to wait for long development...
Jul. 5, 2015 05:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,464
The 4th International Internet of @ThingsExpo, co-located with the 17th International Cloud Expo - to be held November 3-5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA - announces that its Call for Papers is open. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the biggest idea since the creation of the Worldwide Web more than
Jul. 5, 2015 05:00 PM EDT
Announcing @ProfitBricksUSA to Exhibit at @CloudExpo Silicon Valley | #IoT #API #DevOps #Microservices
SYS-CON Events announced today that ProfitBricks, the provider of painless cloud infrastructure, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. ProfitBricks is the IaaS provider that offers a painless cloud experience for all IT users, with no learning curve. ProfitBricks boasts flexible cloud servers and networking, an integrated Data Center Designer tool for visual control over the...
Jul. 5, 2015 04:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,884
The cloud has transformed how we think about software quality. Instead of preventing failures, we must focus on automatic recovery from failure. In other words, resilience trumps traditional quality measures. Continuous delivery models further squeeze traditional notions of quality. Remember the venerable project management Iron Triangle? Among time, scope, and cost, you can only fix two or quality will suffer. Only in today's DevOps world, continuous testing, integration, and deployment upend...
Jul. 5, 2015 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 2,411
SYS-CON Events announced today that MangoApps will exhibit at SYS-CON's 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. MangoApps provides private all-in-one social intranets allowing workers to securely collaborate from anywhere in the world and from any device. Social, mobile, and easy to use. MangoApps has been named a "Market Leader" by Ovum Research and a "Cool Vendor" by Gartner. 20,000+ business custome...
Jul. 5, 2015 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,911
SYS-CON Events announced today that JFrog, maker of Artifactory, the popular Binary Repository Manager, will exhibit at SYS-CON's @DevOpsSummit Silicon Valley, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Based in California, Israel and France, founded by longtime field-experts, JFrog, creator of Artifactory and Bintray, has provided the market with the first Binary Repository solution and a software distribution social platform.
Jul. 5, 2015 03:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,565
DevOps tends to focus on the relationship between Dev and Ops, putting an emphasis on the ops and application infrastructure. But that’s changing with microservices architectures. In her session at DevOps Summit, Lori MacVittie, Evangelist for F5 Networks, will focus on how microservices are changing the underlying architectures needed to scale, secure and deliver applications based on highly distributed (micro) services and why that means an expansion into “the network” for DevOps.
Jul. 5, 2015 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,809
17th Cloud Expo, taking place Nov 3-5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy. Meanwhile, 94% of enterprises ar...
Jul. 5, 2015 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,285
Internet of Things is moving from being a hype to a reality. Experts estimate that internet connected cars will grow to 152 million, while over 100 million internet connected wireless light bulbs and lamps will be operational by 2020. These and many other intriguing statistics highlight the importance of Internet powered devices and how market penetration is going to multiply many times over in the next few years.
Jul. 5, 2015 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,386
SYS-CON Events announced today that Dyn, the worldwide leader in Internet Performance, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3-5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Dyn is a cloud-based Internet Performance company. Dyn helps companies monitor, control, and optimize online infrastructure for an exceptional end-user experience. Through a world-class network and unrivaled, objective intelligence into Internet condit...
Jul. 5, 2015 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,916
[video] Logging and Monitoring with @Sematext Founder @OtisG | @DevOpsSummit #DevOps #Logging #Monitoring
"We got started as search consultants. On the services side of the business we have help organizations save time and save money when they hit issues that everyone more or less hits when their data grows," noted Otis Gospodnetić, Founder of Sematext, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @DevOpsSummit, held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City.
Jul. 5, 2015 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,456
The basic integration architecture, as defined by ESBs, hasn’t changed for more than a decade. Most cloud integration providers still rely on an ESB architecture and their proprietary connectors. As a result, enterprise integration projects suffer from constraints of availability and reliability of these connectors that are not re-usable across other integration vendors. However, the rapid adoption of APIs and almost ubiquitous availability of APIs amongst most SaaS and Cloud applications are ra...
Jul. 5, 2015 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,213
In his session at 16th Cloud Expo, Simone Brunozzi, VP and Chief Technologist of Cloud Services at VMware, reviewed the changes that the cloud computing industry has gone through over the last five years and shared insights into what the next five will bring. He also chronicled the challenges enterprise companies are facing as they move to the public cloud. He delved into the "Hybrid Cloud" space and explained why every CIO should consider ‘hybrid cloud' as part of their future strategy to achie...
Jul. 5, 2015 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,484
[session] Dark Art of Container Monitoring By @Sysdig | @DevOpsSummit #DevOps #Docker #Containers #Microservices
Containers are revolutionizing the way we deploy and maintain our infrastructures, but monitoring and troubleshooting in a containerized environment can still be painful and impractical. Understanding even basic resource usage is difficult – let alone tracking network connections or malicious activity. In his session at DevOps Summit, Gianluca Borello, Sr. Software Engineer at Sysdig, will cover the current state of the art for container monitoring and visibility, including pros / cons and liv...
Jul. 5, 2015 02:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,548
[session] The Container New World By @KeGilpin | @DevOpsSummit #DevOps #Docker #Containers #Microservices
Containers are changing the security landscape for software development and deployment. As with any security solutions, security approaches that work for developers, operations personnel and security professionals is a requirement. In his session at DevOps Summit, Kevin Gilpin, CTO and Co-Founder of Conjur, will discuss various security considerations for container-based infrastructure and related DevOps workflows.
Jul. 5, 2015 02:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,418
"We have a tagline - "Power in the API Economy." What that means is everything that is built in applications and connected applications is done through APIs," explained Roberto Medrano, Executive Vice President at Akana, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 16th Cloud Expo, held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City.
Jul. 5, 2015 01:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,533
WebRTC converts the entire network into a ubiquitous communications cloud thereby connecting anytime, anywhere through any point. In his session at WebRTC Summit,, Mark Castleman, EIR at Bell Labs and Head of Future X Labs, will discuss how the transformational nature of communications is achieved through the democratizing force of WebRTC. WebRTC is doing for voice what HTML did for web content.
Jul. 5, 2015 01:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,306
Containers have changed the mind of IT in DevOps. They enable developers to work with dev, test, stage and production environments identically. Containers provide the right abstraction for microservices and many cloud platforms have integrated them into deployment pipelines. DevOps and Containers together help companies to achieve their business goals faster and more effectively. In his session at DevOps Summit, Ruslan Synytsky, CEO and Co-founder of Jelastic, reviewed the current landscape of...
Jul. 5, 2015 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 2,626
"A lot of the enterprises that have been using our systems for many years are reaching out to the cloud - the public cloud, the private cloud and hybrid," stated Reuven Harrison, CTO and Co-Founder of Tufin, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 16th Cloud Expo, held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City.
Jul. 5, 2015 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,255


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Apple will likely launch its iPhone 14 series next week, so I’m not surprised that Samsung is already taking shots at the Cupertino, California-based tech giant’s upcoming device.
Samsung’s latest ad starts off by saying, “heads will turn… just not in your direction,” before mentioning that Apple’s latest iPhone lacks the highest resolution camera on the market and highlights Galaxy S22 Ultra’s “epic moon shots.” The ad also shows off the foldable Galaxy Z Flip.
Watch the amusing ad below:
However, Samsung’s ad, unsurprisingly, doesn’t mention the rather pricey $2,269 Fold 4.
While Apple’s iPhone 14 series won’t fold or feature a 108-megapixel shooter, rumours point to the ‘Pro’ version of the device offering a new front-facing hole-punch camera and Face ID sensor.


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Johannesburg - Konami Digital Entertainment on Monday revealed the second playable demo for its stunning PES 2013 title will be released for, Xbox 360 on August 28 and on PlayStation 3 on August 29, with a Windows PC to follow later in September.
The new demo showcases the continued evolution of the game, and offers a truly immersive on-pitch experience.
The demo will be available via Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network. The free demo will offer 11 fully-licensed teams, and benefits from a raft of subtle but important gameplay improvements since the first demo was released in July.
“We wanted to show our hand early with PES 2013 as, frankly, there is a lot to enjoy,” commented Jon Murphy, European PES Team Leader for Konami Digital Entertainment.
“However, we are constantly refining the game and this second demo will show fans that we are always striving for perfection, and they will notice many additions and enhancements that bring PES 2013 even closer to matching the grace, unpredictability and skill that top-level football displays.”
The new demo offers six difficulty settings, and allows the user to play ten-minute matches. Since the first demo, the Tokyo-based PES Productions team has been constantly working to analyse how to improve PES 2013, and the new demo is a perfect example of their quest for football perfection.
The game’s balance between offense and defence has been equalised, and the targeting of passes using the game’s feted manual control system has been improved.
Similarly, the trajectory of passes has been refined, as has the blocking by defenders, shot speed, and the ways referees officiate – including the overseeing of offside situations.
Critically, the AI when a team is passing out of a defensive situation into a potential attacking one has been fine-tuned – an essential part of a game like PES 2013, where passing and movement are central to build up play.
Lobs and looping shots have also been made harder to effect, following feedback from the initial demo. Anthems for the starting line-ups have also been implemented.
With the focus of PES 2013 firmly on the field, the new demo also invites players to tackle a selected number of training trials. The full version of the game offers an exhaustive training roster wherein users can familiarise themselves with quick one-twos, tackling manual shooting and passing and dynamic first-touch moves to gain space on a closing defender.
The demo will feature a number of these tests so users can experience the sheer level of control PES 2013 offers.


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TAIPEI, SEPTEMBER 13 - In an interview with Business Weekly, Taisys Group Chairman Jason Ho discussed the company’s accomplishments in pioneering the eSIM ecosystem development, and Taisys’ Mobile ID delivering the high-security standard and convenience to securing one’s digital identity.
Business Weekly interviews Taisys Group Chairman Jason Ho
Issue No.1610, 2018.09.13
The World's First Operating eSIM Ecosystem
“The Smart SIM overlay, which is just a little thicker than a plastic wrap, is not to be underestimated: SIMoME (thin SIM), which we have spent 4 years on to develop, is the core technology and driving force for the eSIM.”
Jason Ho, Chairman of Taisys carefully explains the IC chip is eSIM that is device agnostic, transforming any smartphone to support eSIM over-the-air download of mobile operator services. When traveling, the user can also switch between local telecommunications services freely at any time and as needed without having to extract the original SIM inserted in the phone and thus enjoy the convenience of the one-card multi-number services.
If so, will this pose as a threat to the telecom operators who view locking the user’s SIM to their network as their main principle?
"eSIM has become the trend of the future. With the help of 5G popularization, it can provide consumers with more sophisticated and differentiated services, break through the current pricing deadlock of telecom operators, and generate more business models. We deliver eSIM as a service to end users on a form factor that creates flexibility and more value to mobile operators and white label partners”, says Ho.
Taisys has built up relationships with MNOs and MVNOs globally to enable data connectivity in over 200 countries. Consumers can purchase the slimduet® thin SIM directly from travel-related channels such as airlines, travel agencies, foreign currency counters at airports or E-commerce platforms, and then download the exclusive APP to shop for international roaming plans in the slimduet Platform.
In response to the limitations for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to provide international roaming, Taisys has cooperated with Japan's largest travel agency, H.I.S., and Malaysian and Middle Eastern MVNOs to fully play the role of the distribution center for transnational and cross-border operators and successfully build the world's first eSIM ecosystem.
One-Card Multi-Function, Mobile Banking at the Palm of Your Hands
The integrated value-added service provided by Taisys smart thin SIM not only provides one-card multi-number services and high quality and affordable global telecommunications services, but also fulfills the financial services of mobile banking through mobile phones. Even 2G mobile phone users in Africa and India can immediately benefit from the advantages as low-end mobile phones can be used to conduct mobile payment and wire transfer.
The SIMoME® Vault independent secure element developed by the company has passed the China Financial Authentication for financial mobile technology service certification of the People's Bank of China this March. The cryptographic algorithm of SIMoME Vault has also been verified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and will soon be FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified. The smart thin SIM, which can enable users to perform authentication and authorization on their mobile banking app for large amounts of wire transfer and other transactions, is most suitable for online banking. In addition, it can also be used for various application services such as Mobile ID, Fintech, medical and insurance. In August of this year, six Japanese companies (5 banks and 1 telecom operator) jointly launched an experimental project to develop the specifications for the digital certification and signature platform over Taisys SIMoME SIM, which was adopted as a supporting project for Japan Financial Services Agency, "Fintech Demonstration Experiment Center".
Ho says that most of the solutions provided by Taisys involve the integration of the most sensitive telecommunications and financial industry in the country. When working with government agencies, security is the top priority. "Our technology can withstand the strictest certification of countries at the national level; this undoubtedly indicates the high appreciation of the stability and security of our technology."
Mobile ID not only for Privacy Protection, but the Missing Piece to Full eSIM Implementation
With the emergence of new technologies such as Industry 4.0, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), tomorrow's world will widely embrace the lifestyle of an unmanned economy. However, the new technology is a double-edged sword. While we develop intelligence, we should also take care of personal privacy.
Ho believes that, in order to prevent ill-intentioned third-party companies from obtaining huge amounts of big data and to protect peoples’ privacy from running unprotected through the Internet, there are two important links in driving the unmanned economy. One is the popularization of 5G as promoted by the telecom operators, and the other is the establishment of a Mobile ID led by the government.
In recent years, the Japanese government has vigorously promoted the new personal number system called "My Number", bidding farewell to the era of the absence of identity cards, giving each civilian a 12-digit lifetime personal number that can be linked to banking and medical records, social insurance, tax filing system or mobile payment certification service. It is expected that the data will be integrated into mobile phone carriers by 2019 to allow people to perform various identity authentication actions with ease through their mobile phones.
Ho strongly supports this policy of the Japanese government, "Promoting Mobile ID is the ultimate means to truly implement online security of privacy." Taisys will work with the Japanese government with its exclusive Mobile ID technology to store certification on the Taisys smart thin SIM and protect personal information from leaking and at the same time, achieve anonymity that meets EU's GDPR regulatory requirements through the FIPS-certified hardware secure element. It is an infrastructure solution that not only meets security regulations but also controls privacy through technology.
“Furthermore, our technology can fill in the missing piece of the eSIM puzzle which is eKYC that is now unattainable by device manufacturers. The eSIM concept is all about user experience. With Mobile ID inside the thin SIM, user authentication can be done online, eliminating the need for user to physically present identification cards at MNO counters, complying to local government imposed KYC regulations electronically,” adds Ho.
With the world’s exclusive smart thin SIM technology, Taisys continues to create more convenient, safe and smart solutions. A thin film chip is rewriting the future of our technology-driven lives.
About Business Weekly
Founded in 1987, Business Weekly is the most influential Chinese business magazine, with an average weekly paid circulation of 147,339 audited by the ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation) during January to June 2009. It is the largest authenticated circulation in Taiwan.
Taisys Technologies is a world leader in providing mobile interconnectivity and vertical integration solutions to various industries. Taisys’ solutions enable telecom, financial institutions and government organizations to extend innovative mobile services in a secure and convenient manner.
Established in 2005 and headquartered in Taipei, Taisys has built solutions based on its patented core technology SIMoME® (Thin SIM), which decouples value-added services from the main SIM, and empowers industry players the ability to deploy innovative services on the mobile equipment.
Over 1,300 banking and 20 M(V)NO partners have deployed mobile-based value-added services enabled by Taisys’ technology and platform to 10 million end-users worldwide.


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Home | Search : "nokia slide"
Articles tagged for: nokia slide
June 14, 2010
With a bit of an odd form factor, the Nokia X5 is like a cross between the Nokia X3 and the E72 with a slide out full qwerty keyboard at the bottom.
December 01, 2009
It’s finally here — the Nokia 6760 Slide (or Nokia Surge reported here earlier) and looks like I got the suggested retail price right — Php14,000.
July 22, 2009
Nokia launched the Surge in the US and has also unveiled the Nokia 6760 Slide for the UK. I wonder what corresponding messaging device will arrive in Asia.
February 17, 2009
There were several leaked specs and photos of the Nokia E75 in the last couple of weeks. Last night, it was finally announced and we got photos and official specs below.
November 27, 2008
I think this could be the first time we are seeing a mobile phone that can reach 10.2Mbps on HSDPA and it comes from the new Nokia 6260 Slide.
February 25, 2014
Today, we sat down with several key executives from Nokia to talk more about the Nokia X Platform, the UI and some of its functionality as well as the design philosophy that came with it
November 13, 2012
The first thing that comes in to mind when we hear the word Nokia PureView 808 is its 41MP image sensor. However, we can’t help but wonder if it’s all there is to it? Head past the break to find out our thoughts about this cameraphone.
April 23, 2012
Weâ€™ve finally got our hands on the mid-range offspring of the Nokia-Microsoft partnership, the Lumia 710. The Windows Phone powered smartphone just sits perfectly in between its entry-level sibling Lumia 610 and its high-end counterpart Lumia 800. Check out our full review after the break.
February 09, 2012
Nokia’s new line of flagship smartphones will tout a spanking new Windows Phone 7.5 Mango mobile operating system. We finally got one of them to take out for a spin — the Nokia Lumia 800.
January 23, 2012
These are the latest updated prices of Nokia phone units being sold in Manila, Philippines as of June 2010. The items below were taken from Mega Exchange Store at the CyberZone, Mall of Asia, Pasay City. Update: See updated price list of Nokia Cell Phones for June 2011. Updated: Nokia C3 – Php7,295 Nokia C5 […]
October 15, 2011
The Nokia N9 arrived at my doorstep yesterday along with the Nokia 701 but I only got to unbox it today since I spent the night at a hotel reviewing Samsung’s 60-inch LED Smart TV. Posted my first impressions here back in June so this unboxing comes with the second impression.
August 14, 2011
The Nokia X7 first showed up in the Transformers 3 Movie to intrigue the public and it looks like it’s kinda working well for them. Read our full review of the Nokia X7 below.
July 20, 2011
Since the Nokia E71 came out several years ago, I’ve been a huge fan of the Finnish company’s full qwerty handsets. They’ve continued that same legacy and after 3 years, we still see the same signature with the E6. Read our full review of the Nokia E6 below.
June 24, 2011
While Nokia only promised one Meego device this year, they did not stop with the N9 but also pulled a surprise when they silently revealed the Nokia N950, the qwerty-version of the N9.
June 21, 2011
Probably the biggest announcement during the Nokia Connection 2011 here in Singapore is the upcoming Nokia N9. See photos and video of the demo after the jump.
May 19, 2011
This latest teaser video of the supposed Nokia N9 (or Nokia N950) gives us a better look at the upcoming Meego device Nokia is preparing to launch. Looking very similar to the Nokia E7, the N9 could very well be the successor to the Meego-powered Nokia N900 (and thus a possible N950 label).
May 18, 2011
A recent study by TNS Philippines showed that Nokia still ranks as the top choice of mobile phone users in the Philippines with 7 out of 10 users owning a Nokia phone. The same study showed Sony-Ericsson and Samsung also posted huge gains over the last 12 months (thanks to Android?).
April 12, 2011
Nokia, today, announced two new smartphones to be released in the 2nd quarter of this year — the full touchscreen Nokia X7 and the full qwerty Nokia E6. Check out details of the Nokia X7 below.
March 07, 2011
The Communicator is alive and has transformed into what is now the Nokia E7. It has gone a long way — slimmer, lighter and faster while retaining that signature form factor. Check out our full review of the Nokia E7 after the jump.
February 19, 2011
Saw this nice little TV phone tonight, brought home by my brother. At first I thought it was one of those LG Cookie models that has a built-in TV tuner with it but upon closer inspection, turns out it’s got a Nokia logo instead.
February 12, 2011
So it’s confirmed — Nokia has partnered with Microsoft to offer Windows Phone platform on Nokia hardware. See full details of the press release below.
February 09, 2011
If the recently leaked memo of Nokia CEO Stephen Elop shows some tell-tale signs of platform shifts for Nokia, they might just jump and take on other mobile OSes. The two most likely targets are Windows Phone 7 and Android.
November 11, 2010
So okay, it’s obvious that Nokia’s sale of the Nokia C6 is in direct competition with the LG Optimus One we reported earlier. Same date, same time, same locations and even almost same price.
September 14, 2010
Nokia also just announced the Nokia E7, a full touch screen and full qwerty slider phone that’s got a huge 4-inch display and 8-megapixel camera.


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Bonipak fires up solar energy
Bonipak Produce Inc. completed a 4-acre solar energy project in early March.
“Clean power is a big focus for us, along with sustainability and social responsibility,” said Don Klusendorf, director of sales and marketing for Santa Maria, Calif.-based Bonipak.
“The solar was part of that investment,” he said. “It saves about 33% on traditional energy.”
Fresh Venture Foods expects to grow
Gold Coast Packing Inc. and Babé Farms plan to add about 25,000 square feet to their joint Santa Maria, Calif., processing and shipping facility, Fresh Venture Foods.
The facility opened in December 2012.
“We’re starting to jump through the hoops to get the additional square footage in place,” said Brent Scattini, vice president of sales and marketing at Gold Coast Packing. “We still have to go through the permitting process.”
The expansion would increase total size to about 105,000 square feet, and truck bays from five to 10.
Strawberry vet joins Main Street Produce
Santa Maria, Calif.-based Main Street Produce Inc. has named Steve Circle director of strawberry marketing and sales, a new position.
Circle was previously sales director for Sunrise Growers, Placentia, Calif., where he spent 23 years.
“They closed their fresh strawberry program in December to focus their efforts on their frozen side through Frozsun Foods,” said Paul Allen, owner and president of Main Street Produce. “They’re a subsidiary of Frozsun.”
“I’m going to step off the day-to-day sales desk to help oversee other areas of the company,” Allen said. “I’ve been the sole person selling berries for almost 30 years.”


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The news was given at a meeting with staff representatives who were told the company was making changes to its operations in order to make the business more efficient and sustainable.
Ben Hadfield, managing director of Marine Harvest Scotland and global feed director, said: “We will be sorry to see staff leaving as we have a highly skilled and talented team here at Marine Harvest Scotland.
“However, the industry is moving at a fast pace and fish farming is in a very different place today from where it was ten or even five years ago. We have to ensure the business is sustainable and is fit to meet the challenges we face moving forward. By taking this action now we can be more certain of maintaining jobs in the future.”
The company has issued a 30-day notice and will now enter a period of consultation with staff representatives about which posts will be affected.
The restructuring will affect jobs in different departments across all the regions.
The company is contacting local agencies and politicians and will do everything it can to assist staff in gaining new employment.
Marine Harvest operates four hatcheries, five freshwater loch sites and 48 sea farms. Their farm operations are situated across the Highlands, Argyll and the Western Isles. Live fish are harvested at Mallaig and processed at the Blar Mhor processing plant in Fort William. The company has offices at Fort William and Rosyth.
The processing plant at Rosyth is not affected by this announcement as it is part of the Marine Harvest Consumer Products division and not Marine Harvest Scotland.
Plans to create a feed plant in Scotland will continue as part of the restructuring of the business as part of the drive to make the company more efficient and sustainable.
The company said the redundancies will not have an effect on forecasted volumes for 2016.
Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd is the largest salmon farming company in Scotland, producing more than 50,000 tonnes in 2015.
It was the first company in Scotland to farm Atlantic salmon and celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
Marine Harvest holds the Royal Warrant for the supply of fresh farmed salmon to Her Majesty the Queen.
Te company has held the prestigious Label Rouge quality accreditation in France since 1992.
The main markets for Marine Harvest fresh salmon are the UK, France, USA, Poland and China.
All Marine Harvest Farms, their harvest station and processing plant are audited and approved under the RSPCA Assured animal welfare scheme.
In 2015, Marine Harvest’s Loch Leven salmon farm became the first in the UK to be accredited by the ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council).


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Fabless semiconductor company Mediatek has unveiled a new 64-bit system-on-chip called the MT6732 which is 64-bit capable, thanks to its Cortex-A53 V8 architecture, and comes with an integrated LTE modem.
Clocked at 1.5GHz, it will have four cores and will be manufactured on a 28nm node. As far as performance is concerned, we've been told that it the Cortex-A53 is roughly equivalent to the Cortex-A9.
A spokesperson for Mediatek confirmed that the first devices based on that SoC would be launched later this year, most possibly during the last quarter of the year, a few months after its 32-bit, octocore SoC, the MT6595, appears in devices.
Both devices will have a Cat 4 FDD and TDD LTE modem and the 6732 will feature an ARM Mali-T760 GPU.
The 64-bit model however will be pegged as a no-frill mainstream solution while the 32-bit one will be pushed as the high end model complete with bells and whistles (Rogue GPU, 4K support, NFC, etc).


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BREMERTON — An Ace Hardware could be open on Kitsap Way as early as June.
A 10,000-square-foot hardware and garden center is proposed for 3506 Kitsap Way, a site left vacant after an arson fire tore through Arnold's Home Furnishings in 2009. Arnold's reopened in 2010, but the renovated showroom covered only the west half of the property. Ace will occupy the vacant portion to the east.
A permit application for the new hardware was submitted to the city last week. Residents have until Thursday to comment on the application.
Property owner Ralph Erickson is overseeing construction of the building, which is being built to Ace's specifications. An Ace operator will lease the building once it's completed. Site preparation work has already begun, and Erickson expects the store to open this summer.
"I think it's a terrific fit for the neighborhood," Erickson said.
Plans filed with the city show the hardware building set back from the street, with the existing entrances maintained from Kitsap Way and Morgan Road. Thirty five new parking spaces will be added, mostly along Morgan Road. A wedge-shaped, 1,700-square-foot retail space would separate the hardware and furniture store.
The new Ace would be the fourth in Kitsap County, joining locations in Poulsbo, Port Orchard and on Bainbridge Island. The businesses are franchised to local owners. Representatives at Ace corporate offices did not return calls for comment this week. The new Ace would be the only true hardware store inside Bremerton. Nearby hardware options include Kitsap Lumber on National Avenue and Lowe's in East Bremerton.
Arnold's Home Furnishings co-owner Steve Ford said the new Ace will help draw business to the Kitsap Way corridor. The pairing of hardware and furniture stores should work well, he said.
"We're excited as can be to have them moving in," Ford said. "I think they're going to be very compatible."
Erickson, a Bremerton native and retired Arnold's manager, said he fielded a number of proposals for the vacant property over the past four years. None was as exciting as Ace.
"It will be a nice boost to Bremerton," Erickson said, "and Bremerton could use a boost."
Comments on the Ace application can be sent to 345 Sixth St., Suite 600, Bremerton, WA 98337.
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-304-7764.
Monday-Friday: 5am-6pm / Saturday: 5am-8pm / Sunday: 4am-11am


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NES Rentals Holdings, Inc., a Diamond Castle company and one of the largest aerial equipment rental providers in the country, today announced that it has completed its purchase of West Georgia Aerial Lift, Inc. in Carrollton, GA. West Georgia Aerial Lift has 17 employees and 300 pieces of equipment.
“The team at West Georgia Aerial Lift has built a valuable organization and we are delighted to welcome them to the NES Rentals team,” stated Andrew P. Studdert, NES Rentals Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We are confident their customers will be pleased with the same high level of customer service and diverse product offerings at NES.”
Jimmy Lanier and Leighton Alston, co-owners of West Georgia Aerial Lift, will remain with the organization.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the team at West Georgia Aerial Lift,” stated Lanier. “We have joined an organization that values our ability to treat our customers with the level of service they prefer from a small organization, but with the broad product lines and expertise found at a larger operation with national reach.”
West Georgia Aerial Lift began officially operating as a branch of NES Rentals today. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.


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Lighthouse Exhibits Jacqueline Hake Has Been Named EDPA Midwest Chapter President
Trade shows have been a huge part of the business world for decades. Few opportunities can compare to what trade shows offer – the chance to network with peers, customers, clients, and more.
Few things are more integral to a business’ success when at a trade show than their exhibit. Their trade show exhibit design must be of the highest level or else the business won’t stand out and get noticed by attendees. As such, it’s important that business leaders work alongside professional exhibit designers to help ensure that they get noticed when at the trade shows.
There’s no question that exhibit design has been and will continue to be a driving force behind numerous industries since trade shows directly impact many fields of business. And here at Lighthouse Exhibits, we are proud to announce that our own Jacqueline Hake has been named as one of the leaders in the field of exhibit design.
Specifically, Jacqueline has been named the EDPA Midwest Chapter President for the 2019 year. The Experiential Designer Producers Association is a non-profit group that was formed to advance the interests of members engaged in exhibit design, production, and service.
The EDPA works to help promote advocacy, communication, education, and professionalism in the field of exhibit design, and we know that Jacqueline is a perfect fit. She has already worked tirelessly in the field for us, serving as the President and Creative director of Lighthouse Exhibits. Now, she is able to bring her skills and experience to this nonprofit organization and help enhance our field in exciting ways.
Over the last several years, Jacqueline has taken part in numerous events ranging from their own trade show appearances to things like the 2014 Design Challenge, where concepts were introduced and awarded scholarships to young students wanting to enter the world of exhibit design.
Every year, thousands of trade shows and events are held in the Midwest region, and Hake now has an opportunity to help ensure that the future is even brighter for businesses looking to arrive with their best designs on display. It’s an exciting opportunity for her, and here at Lighthouse Exhibits, we couldn’t be prouder in knowing that one of the true leaders in the industry is taking on an even more hands-on role by becoming a leader of a nonprofit organization that we have respected and worked alongside for years.
If you’re ready to make a difference in your trade show exhibit, Lighthouse Exhibit is here to help. Contact us today to get started.


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Apple’s biggest iPhone manufacturer has reportedly manufactured 100 prototype units.
Rumors about Apple leaning towards sapphire covered displays have been around since 2012, but they have never actually turned out to be true. The company stil uses Gorilla Glass in all of its iPhones, it has used it in every iPhone that has been released since 2012. But in recent months there have been some developments that hint towards the possibility of Apple finally making the switch, such as the $578 million deal with GT Advanced Technologies for opening up a sapphire manufacturing plant in Arizona.
Initially reported by a Taiwanese publication, Foxconn is said to have manufactured 100 prototype units of the sapphire covered iPhone at a factory in the Longhua district of Shenzhen. If the rumor is true, then its certainly a major milestone for Foxconn. The manufacturing process would have been more complex with sapphire as opposed to Corning’s Gorilla Glass, Apple would need to assess if its manufacturers can cope up and maintain favorable yield if it is to go ahead with these plans.
It won’t be wise to speculate right now if the next generation iPhone is going to come with a sapphire covered display, while it remains a possibility, its simply too soon. A 100 unit prototype batch doesn’t exactly sing praises of the manufacturing ability, rather its more like a proof of concept.


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May 22, 2013
Maryland farmers markets can sell wine starting in June
While some counties already permitted wine sales at farmers markets, a new law to take effect June 1 will establish a statewide permit for wineries that removes county-specific restrictions.
© 2014 Wine Communications Group - all rights reserved.
privacy & terms


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Bell Microproducts is set to post a turnover in the region of $1bn for its first quarter 2007 after registering strong double-digit growth in Europe.
The distributor - which ditched its OpenPSL and Ideal brands in the UK (CRN, 27 November) - has announced that global sales will fall between $990m to $1.01bn. That would represent a growth of between 14 and 16 per cent on an annual comparison.
Europe, which is Bell’s largest division, is expected to show growth of 13 per cent, with North American revenues set to jump by more than 20 per cent.
Latin America, which is its smallest division, is on for growth of around 14 per cent.
Chief executive Don Bell, said in a statement: “We are pleased with our strong revenue growth again this quarter. Our international businesses in Europe and Latin America performed well in the first quarter and both generated double digit revenue growth.”
Disk drives continue to play a dominant role in Bell’s business model, contributing around 30 per cent to total revenues during the quarter.
Bell’s components and peripherals division expanded by around sixper cent year-on-year to represent 47 per cent of total sales.
Driven by strong computer platform and storage system sales, Bell’s solutions division is expected to grow 27 per cent to represent 53 per cent of the business.
Watford-based Hills Components ceased trading last month and its current inventory will be auctioned off
Robots, predictive analytics and selling without a salesforce: Where the UK's leading MSPs think the market is heading
MSP bosses to share their thoughts on the future of the managed services market
Distributor on course to hit £20m revenue this year
In an interview with CRN, Wendy Mars says Cisco and its partners are no longer having to arm-twist customers on the need for digital transformation


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BTS launching a mobile game in which you can play the role of their manager!
The game called BTS World and is designed by Netmarble, one of the largest mobile game companies in South Korea, and officially launched on June 26.
The storytelling game sees players take over as BTS manager and work to grow the group’s career, earning access to exclusive photos and videos as they go.
Fans can already play a mini version of the game on the Netmarble website, in which the aim is to find the band a place to stay that fits the requirements of all seven members.
A promotional video was also posted online featuring a text message dialogue between members Jungkook and Jimin.
“Attention please,” says Jungkook. “It’s D-2 until the launch of the BTS World game.” Jimin then replies: “Wow! Really?” Then Jungkook invites fans to get involved. “Dear my manager, it’s D-2,” he says. “Promise you’ll play the game with us?”
#BTS월드 became the no. 1 trending hashtag on Twitter in several countries.
The game is the latest development in BTS’ rise to global fame. Who’s playing?
On June 27, Heize’s label Studio Blue revealed, “Heize will be releasing a new digital single ‘We Don’t Talk Together’ on July 7. The single was produced by BTS‘s SUGA and composed by SUGA, Heize, and El Capitxn, with lyrics by SUGA and Heize.” The collaboration is said to have been suggested by music staff from both labels. Meanwhile, Heize recently unveiled a fun, quirky...
EXO Month officially started! In July EXO plan on greeting their fans through different types of promotions from solo activities, unit debuts, to their 5th solo concert, ‘EXO PLANET #5 – EXplOration‘. On June 28, the group revealed a unique, lunar cycle calendar to mark the key dates of ‘EXO Month’! The month officially kicks off on...


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It now seems that mod support will not be coming to the PS4 version of Fallout 4 after all.
Mod support for the game has been incoming for some time, although its failed appearance thus far has been blamed on a few rumoured reasons. Last we heard was simply that the whole thing had been delayed.
Now Bethesda has more squarely placed the blame at Sony’s feet.
“After months of discussion with Sony, we regret to say that while we have long been ready to offer mod support on PlayStation 4," the company said.


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The shares of Matrimony.com Pvt. Ltd were off to a slow start on the stock exchanges yesterday post its IPO last week. The IPO got listed on the Stock Exchange yesterday (September 21) and registered a fall of 9%.
While the shares of Matrimony began trading on the NSE at INR 985, the same as its IPO price, the stock traded between INR 896.25 and INR1,024 per share before closing at INR 899.10, down 8.72% from its offer price. This gave it a market capitalisation of $313 Mn (INR2,030.13 Cr).
As per the latest NSE data today at the time of publication of this article, the stock is still down by almost 10% trading around INR 807.05-INR812.
The weak start followed an IPO that ended on a high note last week, with the issue being oversubscribed 4.41 times on the closing day. Prior to that, on day two, the Matrimony IPO got oversubscribed 1.36 times after it witnessed 67% subscription on the first day. The company had set a price band of INR 983-985 per share in order to raise $20.3 Mn (INR 130 Cr) against approximately 3.7 Mn shares.
When contacted, Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder and Managing Director, Matrimony.com told Inc42, “Matrimony.com is the first Consumer Internet company to be listed. We’re driven by strong fundamentals and are making good profits. Our EBITDA margins are good. It has grown from 7% in FY15 to 20% FY17 and 23% in Q1 FY18. This is expected to grow steadily upward on account of the strong operating leverage of the company. This year we expect it to be about 28%. One of the reasons for the weak start on the exchange could be the discount given to retail investors.”
Currently, there are no directly comparable listed peers for Bharat Matrimony. Although Info Edge (India) Ltd—which runs Matrimony’s competitor Jeevansathi.com—is a listed firm, yet its valuation is dominated more by its job portal Naukri.com and its stake in foodtech company Zomato.
Matrimony’s IPO has been closely watched by market goers as India’s internet ecosystem is starved of IPOs amidst steep losses. This has been Matrimony’s second attempt at going public after the company scrapped its IPO plans in December 2016 citing weak market conditions. Prior to Matrimony, the last big stock market listing by an Indian ecommerce firm was that of Infibeam in April 2016. However this number is on the rise as per a report by US-based research firm CB Insights, which states that the number of IPOs filed by Indian technology companies has increased dramatically by over 400% between 2015 and 2016.
Through the IPO, investor Bessemer Venture Partners is reportedly going to make a complete exit from the venture. One of the other investors of Bharat Matrimony, Mayfield, is also looking to sell a portion of its stake in the company. After its tepid debut on the stock exchanges this week, it will be interesting to watch out if the stock makes further gains in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, the matrimony IPO will be a precursor to many a tech startups to opt for an IPO, thus making exits through IPOs a real possibility for Indian VCs. In the second week of September, mobile gaming studio Nazara Technologies also revealed plans to offer an IPO towards the end of FY18, making it the first public listing in the Indian gaming space.


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'We also sell stamps'
USE them regularly - and buy more than a couple of stamps. That is the message as a fresh campaign is launched to save small post offices.
The campaign is spearheaded by Postmasternetwork, a commercial group set up to boost trade for sub-postmasters. It promotes partnerships with companies such as NTL Broadband, Marriott Hotels, luggage and bag maker Bags Direct and computer consumables supplier ISA Trading.
Postmasters who sign up to the organisation can sell the partners' products in their branches and take a cut of the profits. More than 6,500 postmasters have already joined since Postmasternetwork launched two years ago.
Launching its Support Your Local Postmaster campaign last week, the group announced similar deals with Axa Sun Life and Scottish Power. 'Many communities are worried about post office closures,' says Gary Coyle, managing director of Postmasternetwork and a subpostmaster for 17 years.
'Our campaign aims to raise awareness that consumers can help local post offices to survive by using them regularly and spending money on a variety of goods.'
There are 17,000 post offices in Britain, making it Europe's largest retail network. Postmasternetwork claims it can make the average postmaster £5,000 a year in extra revenue.
Coyle says: 'Close to half of all postmasters fear their businesses no longer have a future since the Government changed the way benefits are paid.
'But for proactive and enthusiastic postmasters, our network can make a difference. It's more important than ever that postmasters adapt and look for new ways to make money.'
Nick Tatum has been a sub-postmaster in Blaenavon, south Wales, for 25 years and has always sold clothing, so the Bags Direct promotion fits well. Nick takes 40% commission on sales of the bags.
Postmasternetwork estimates that postmasters could make about £2,100 profit a year from Bags Direct alone.
Nick displays other products from the Postmasternetwork range and has signed up for the new Axa Sun Life and Scottish Power promotions.
Home carer Beverley Probert, 34, from Blaenavon, says: 'I go into the post office about three times a week to pick up pensions for the elderly. They know me well and it is a useful shop. As well as stamps and stationery it is nice to browse around the clothes and bags. There isn't anything else like this in Blaenavon.'
Membership of Postmasternetwork is free. For more information, visit www.postmasternetwork.co.uk
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BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- For those living in the drier parts of inland China, spending more than 10 hours on flights for a subtropical seaside vacation in Thailand is becoming a thing of the past.
Stronger cooperation, more direct air routes and fast growing tourism is bringing the rolling waves and soft beaches of Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui closer to Chinese tourists in non-coastal areas, as airlines increase flights.
One of the latest openings is a new direct Nok Air flight between Pattaya and Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which reduces travel time between the two cities to less than five hours.
Earlier this month, Nok Air opened a direct route between Pattaya and southwest China's Zunyi. In late September, Thai Smile, another budget airline, launched flight between Bangkok and Datong in north China's Shanxi Province. Nok Air has plans for services to other Chinese cities including Baotou, Linyi, Yichang and Nanchang,.
"Adding new services to our growing China network will benefit both the tourism industry and economic development as we bring in more tourists to our country, and vice versa," said Patee Sarasin, Chief Executive Officer of Nok Air.
This is all part of increasingly closer relations, which enhances both economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
During the recent eight-day National Day Holiday, Thailand remained the second favorite destination for Chinese tourists after Russia, according to the China National Tourism Administration.
In 2016, Thailand attracted 8.75 million tourists from the Chinese mainland and it expects some 9 million in 2017.
In a larger picture, trade and investment are blooming, while cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative is under way.
In the first seven months of this year, China-Thailand bilateral trade climbed 11.6 percent year on year to 44.7 billion U.S. dollars, while Chinese investment to Thailand totalled 4.5 billion dollars by the end of July.
Imports from Thailand rose by 22.3 percent to 23.1 billion dollars in the January-July period, data from China's commerce ministry showed.
E-commerce played a role in bilateral trade. According to a report by DTimes and AliResearch, the research arm of Alibaba Group, in 2016, nearly 280,000 latex pillows from Thailand were sold through Alibaba's cross-border retailing site Tmall Global.
The sales volume of Thai products at Tmall Global rose 152 percent year on year in 2016. The huge demand for latex pillows from China has driven up natural rubber prices by three to four times in Thailand, a strong boost for local farmers' income, the report said.
The two countries are also working on a 253-km high-speed railway linking Bangkok with the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, the first standard gauge high-speed railway in the country.
During a visit to Thailand earlier this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out that Thailand's location makes it an important partner of China in the Belt and Road Initiative.
"China and Thailand are one family," Wang said.


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Dish Network to launch satellite broadband service for rural areas in 14 states, including Utah
NEW YORK (AP) — Satellite TV company Dish Network Corp. is launching a broadband Internet service that's aimed at rural areas that don't currently get high-speed Internet.
Dish Network said Thursday that the satellite broadband service, dishNet, will start at $40 per month for people who bundle it with certain Dish's TV programming packages. The new service goes on sale Monday.
The company is targeting about 14.5 million Americans who, according to a Federal Communications Commission report, live in rural areas and don't have access to high-speed Internet. In all, about 19 million people in the U.S. don't have high-speed Internet service.
The dishNet service will offer download speeds of up to 10 megabytes per second. Dish said this is fast enough for typical Internet uses such as accessing social networks, music or video streaming and Internet telephone services.
The $40 per month service will offer download speeds of 5 megabytes per second. The faster service will cost $50 per month on top of a Dish TV account. Standalone Internet service without Dish TV will cost $10 more.
This service is available in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Shares of Englewood, Colo.-based Dish rose 29 cents to $30.70 in morning trading Thursday. Its shares are down 14 percent from their 52-week high of $35.64 in mid-March.
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|Billionaire businessman Chief Akindele Coker dies at 88 by Godday Jubilee: 3:48 pm On June 29, 2020|
Billionaire businessman and father of one of Nigeria’s leading fashion designers, Folake Akindele-Coker, Chief Bode Akindele, has died.
Late Chief Akindele died on Monday, June 29 at the age of 88.
He was a foremost industrialist and the chairman of the Madandola Group of companies. He was until his death the Parakoyi of Ibadan land.
He reportedly called his family members for Lunch on Sunday, June 28 before he passed away in the early hours of today.
Folake who runs the international fashion brand, Tiffany Amber, is one of his daughters.
May his soul rest in peace, Amen.
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Nutrano Produce Group says while it is proud of the solid position it has built in the banana industry, it still has aspirations to grow.
The company is comprised of four core operating activities; bananas, citrus, tropical fruits and blueberries. Chief Executive Officer George Haggar says that bananas are a core part of the business, and the diversity of its growing base has become an important way to assure its supply to its customers.
"We have some interesting plans in the pipeline about how we want to connect strategically with our grower base to make sure that the supply chain all the way to the consumer is as good as it needs to be," Mr Haggar said. "We are a business that has aspirations to grow in bananas. We are proud of the base we have, but we see opportunities for us to be bigger, and more relevant across the whole sector."
Photo: George Haggar, Anthony Zecchinati, Ashlee Kilmartin and Chaise Pensini
Mr Haggar says that it is important for Nutrano to invest in the supply chain to lift standards; from growing to post harvest regimes, and how ripening and logistics work in with its customers. He admits that the notion of corporate banana farmers competing with family farmers does not feel right, and Nutrano would rather be working with "passionate families", who have plenty of experience in the industry.
"Along with citrus, bananas are the two larger divisions within our group," he said. "We currently source bananas from many growers across all of the growing regions in North Queensland and New South Wales. We don't grow bananas ourselves. We have a view that we will be better off forging ahead with strategic alliances with growers who have a passion for the industry. We have a healthy mix of supermarket customers and also service many independent retailers through the wholesale channels."
The company sees itself as a national banana enterprise, with operations throughout the Eastern Seaboard of Australia, and alliances in other states. Mr Haggar points out that each of Nutrano’s four core produce categories, requires a very different strategy.
"The way I will engage the citrus team, relative to the tropical fruit team, relative to the banana team, is very much specific to what the drivers are in that particular industry," he said. "What are the key consumer insights? What are our customers thinking and what do they need from us? How does the supply chain need to react to that? Market driven insights are the cornerstone of how we build strategy."
He also explains that companies must be in it for the long term.
"This the type of industry where not being able to sustain investment in research and development, or infrastructure, you have a risk of being caught out," Mr Haggar said. "Potentially then the direction you are heading is not a sustainable one, and we are trying to really think about that with a long game in mind."
Nutrano was a supporter of the Australian Banana Industry Congress on the Gold Coast, and acknowledged the organisers of the event for featuring a good mix of speakers, attendees and the whole of the banana supply chain was represented, in collaborating and sharing information. Banana production this year has provided some challenges for the industry as a whole.
"Every banana season is a saw-tooth in some shape or form - and this year has been no different," Mr Haggar said. "The dynamics of demand and supply, the impact of weather, rain or wind - we continue to battle those conditions. I think every year, though, you get better at communicating and you get better at reacting to the challenges that get thrown at you. But we go into a winter cycle now where we will face different challenges."
Nutrano has consistent supply throughout the year, engaging with a core grower base daily. Mr Haggar says investments have recently been made to improve resources surrounding quality and technical aspects in the field.


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Bumble, the three-year-old dating app where women make the first move, created a space to empower and educate women this weekend at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
The app is one of a number of digitally native brands using SXSW as a way to connect with consumers in real life but with a focus on healthy relationships—romantic, friendship or work—for women.
While the activation, from Austin-based creative shop Preacher, is full of neon lights and poppy colors that would surely make for an easy photo opportunity for attendees the focus for Bumble was making sure the content and programming of the space would “add value to [its] user’s experience,” explained Chelsea Cane Maclin, director of marketing at Bumble.
The space allows attendees to walk through real life versions of the app’s three platforms: Bumble Bizz, Bumble BFF, and Bumble Date.
The activation featured speakers like Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe, actress Gina Rodriguez, singer Keke Palmer, director Yoruba Richen, political commentator Sally Kohn and poet Cleo Wade (talent was wrangled by entertainment marketing agency FlyteVu). It is the biggest consumer-facing activation the app, which has 30 million users in 144 million countries, has done.
“Because Bumble is focused on in real life connections it’s important to be able to provide experiences to allow our users to interact with what we believe in and what we want to accomplish so this is a manifestation of that,” said Maclin.
Maclin continued: “When you’re trying to end misogyny, encourage online accountability and empower people though kindness and respect that’s a pretty lofty goal so we feel like we have to bring something more meaningful and education-based into our own activation at SXSW.”
Inside the activation attendees can work with Bumble’s crew to tweak their profiles on the app and even go on a five minute first date.
Recently, the app banned photos gun photos from the platform. Though, it’s worth noting that members of the military and police are allowed to have guns in their photos.


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Today, Qualifio announces that they’ve added support for 19 new languages. Together, these languages are spoken by more than 1.4 billion people worldwide. Let’s dive into the details.
The Qualifio platform continues to grow and develop internationally, and this means we need to add support for languages that are used by our newest customers’ audiences, including languages spoken in Eastern Europe and Asia.
We’re proud to announce that, last year, we have launched 19 additional languages for interactive marketing campaigns, bringing our total number of supported languages to 41.
Përshëndetje, zdravo, estonski! Here are Qualifio’s 19 new supported languages
The new languages are:
✅ Simplified Chinese
✅ Traditional Chinese
While some of the most common languages around Europe were already supported, some were still missing. So we’ve expanded our capabilities by adding new languages to our platform.
41 supported languages
Qualifio now supports interactive campaigns in the newly added languages. You can create Qualifio campaigns in any of 40+ supported languages. In addition to these languages, our platform (back-office) is available in 6 languages.
Knowledge base: You can also check out the supported languages here.
Need to support an additional language? Let us know!


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Luscious Garage gains national attention for being all-green, all-female, and all-hybrid
San Francisco, Calif.-"Green and Clean" is their motto and hybrids is all they work on, but that's just the beginning of the story at Luscious Garage in San Francisco. By focusing on providing a different type of experience for their customers, Luscious has been getting extensive attention from both local and national media and has gained a reputation in just one year for being unlike any other repair shop on the planet.
Luscious Garage Owner Carolyn Coquillette, 30, said she decided to become a technician after graduating with a BS in physics from the University of Michigan in 2000. She said she began taking auto tech classes and hybrid training at a community college and eventually made her way to the Bay Area three years later.
After working for several shops, Coquillette said she decided to open her own hybrids-only shop in 2007. It's been a big investment in time and money, but so far it's been well worth it, she said.
Coquillette is a Master Hybrid Technician who has studied all aspects of hybrid technology with an emphasis on plug-in hybrid applications, she said.
"The plug-in conversions have become a big part of our business," she said. "We're doing at least one per week. The plug-ins allows our customers to plug their cars into an electrical wall outlet and run on both gas and electricity, so they're getting the best of both worlds."
Hybrids are just beginning to get to the point where they require more than maintenance, Coquillette said. "We're starting to see these cars age, and the whole industry is just so young," she said. "We're learning more and more every day, and it's an exciting opportunity to be working on these vehicles."
It's been an ongoing and unending learning curve, she said. "I am comfortable putting myself out there and saying, 'I am a hybrid specialist,'" she said. "No one can really claim to be a hybrid expert because these cars are barely aging. The main thing is that we have a core understanding of these vehicles, and what we don't know, we can figure out."
Luscious operates out of a 2,300-square-foot facility with three bays and employs two hybrid technicians and one administrator, Coquillette said. The shop carries approximately $10,000 worth of parts in-house and has $50,000 in tools and equipment, she said.
Luscious is green in every way, she said, and has won several awards for being environmentally responsible. "We use natural light whenever we can; we have no ventilation system because hybrids don't smell, and we don't use things like air compressors unless we absolutely have to," she said. "We use a paperless operating system and have plants throughout the shop because they filter the air."
The media has flocked to Luscious, from BBS to CNET, CBS News, and ABC, she said. "We've gotten a ton of publicity, which is great, because it's essentially free advertising," she said. "I was recently interviewed for Time magazine and we've been featured in a lot of news pieces. People are intrigued about these cars, and hybrids are a hot topic right now."
Coquillette said she has observed several types of pattern failures and common problems with the Toyota Prius.
"With the first-generation Prius, we're having to replace the high-voltage batteries and transmissions, usually right around 150,000 miles," she said. "With the second-generation Prius, we're seeing some issues with cars that have been in collisions and develop electrical demons after being rebuilt."
All in all, hybrids are well-designed vehicles that will last a long time if maintained properly, Coquillette said. "These are extremely resilient cars," she said. "I have one customer who put 250,000 miles on a 2005 Prius without ever changing the brakes, air filter, or spark plugs and without losing any mpg. The engine light never even came on."
One of the most popular services that Luscious offers is a "vital service" package that includes a comprehensive inspection, oil change, tire rotation, and other basic maintenance, and costs $110, she said.
Luscious uses a custom-designed fully scalable Web site for every customer service function--from writing estimates, to e-mailing maintenance reminders to customers and generating work orders, Coquillette said. Customers can make appointments, pay their bills, and check the status of their repairs online, she said.
"We designed our own software and spent more than $75,000 on site development," she said. "It's paid off and proven to be worth every penny. It's like our fourth employee. People who own these cars are very tech savvy, and it's reassuring to them when they see that we're Web-based and in the same world as they are."
The atmosphere at Luscious Garage is a little different than what you might encounter at most repair shops, Coquillette said.
"We don't have any counters here," she said. "We don't have any barriers to separate our clients from our techs. It's a wide open space here, and customers are welcome to wander around and ask questions. There are no smoke and mirrors."


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The Ray Super Remote promises the world, with a touchscreen interface and claims of transcendent simplicity. But for most people, Harmony remotes remain a better choice.
In this week's wrap-up, AT&T gobbles up a huge media powerhouse. Looking ahead, Apple will hold an event soon where it might introduce new hardware.


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MACEDONIA — Store employees who sell alcohol in the city may want to be extra careful about checking that customers are old enough to purchase, as underage buyers could be working with the police.
Two women were charged with first-degree misdemeanor liquor sales to an underage person June 25 after they allegedly sold alcoholic beverages to a 20-year-old woman, not realizing that she was actually a city intern recruited by the police to go into stores and attempt to make the purchases. The operation is one way police test whether state law on underage liquor sales is being adhered to.
According to police reports, the arrests were part of a periodic "liquor detail," in which police and the woman visited every service station store in the city, as well as a Macedonia Commons Boulevard store, all on the same day.
At a Highland Road service station, police said a 26-year-old Kent woman working as a cashier, sold the intern a six-pack of beer, even though the intern provided her date of birth indicating she was under 21 years old.
Police said video and audio evidence of the transaction showed that when the Kent woman initially inputed the birth date, the computer system would not allow the transaction to go through, but then the woman inputed a random date and the sale was made.
Police said that when they confronted the Kent woman, she told them she was new on the job and believed that the intern was old enough. According to the report, the store manager told police that the woman had been trained in how to handle such transactions and ignored an alert that the intern was not old enough to purchase alcohol.
At the Macedonia Commons store, an 18-year-old Garfield Heights woman was similarly charged after she sold the intern beer. In that case, said police, video evidence showed that the employee never asked the intern for her date of birth and just keyed in a random date to allow the sale to go through.
Police said the woman told them that she also believed the intern was old enough, but the store manager said the sale should not have occurred because he recently sent a memo to employees providing information about liquor sales to underage persons.
Both women were charged in Macedonia Mayor's Court.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at 330-541-9431, firstname.lastname@example.org or @JeffSaunders_RP.


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Weiss Crypto Ratings Releases New Annual Report
By Luke Flowers – Crypto Specialist
The Weiss Crypto Ratings have launched a new detailed report on the burgeoning cryptocurrency markets. The report analyses the coins and assigns grades depending on the technology and the rate of adoption suggesting which are likely to succeed. The report also considers risk compared to the potential reward.
Though Weiss expresses that the markets have experienced lower prices since early 2018, their ratings suggest that some sections within the markets have experienced strong growth in network capacity, transaction volumes and network security. This in turn has led to more users buying crypto through further endorsement. Most of these improvements have been implemented through the development and evolution of the technology behind the projects.
The Weiss Crypto Ratings determine the score on two independent grades with the first factored on the technology and the rate of adoption. If a lot more users were to buy and sell Bitcoin, this would increase its potential score. The second grade is based on the risk/reward determined by short-term factors.
Three different cryptocurrencies received a Tech/Adoption grade A which were XRP, EOS and Bitcoin. Many investors have chosen to buy EOS or XRP due to the technology that powers the projects and solutions they are trying to achieve. XRP is trying to compete with SWIFT as a global remittance service able to transact almost instantly anywhere in the world to another device connected. Anyone can buy XRP to use as a cross-border remittance solution.
The risks associated with cryptocurrencies are still great and this is factored into Weiss’ Crypto Ratings. This reduces the overall score of many projects with only four gaining a rating of B-. The cryptocurrencies that secured the highest overall rating include XRP, EOS, Bitcoin and Binance Coin. We could see more crypto buying for these coins following the release of these ratings.
If you are seeking to buy crypto UK, then head on over to our platform for an extensive list of cryptocurrencies along with the latest news developments.


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Reliance Jio 4G launch: Mukesh Ambani announced special tariff plans that will bring cheer for students. "Any student who has a valid ID car will get the benefit of 25% more data on Jio's main tariff plans," Ambani said.
Reliance Jio 4G launch: Mukesh Ambani announced special tariff plans that will bring cheer for students. “Any student who has a valid ID car will get the benefit of 25% more data on Jio’s main tariff plans,” Ambani said. “Data should never be unaffordable for anyone. Reliance Jio will move India from data shortage to data abundance,” he promised. “Every snartphone in India will soon support 4G LTE. Jio’s network covers 18,000 Cities & 2 lakh villages,” he added.
Announcing the launch tariffs, Ambani said, we have a plethora of plans. “We start from Rs 19 per day data plan for the occasional data user. Then there is a Rs 149 monthly plan for the light data user. The data plan for the heaviest user goes up to Rs 4,999 per month,” he said. “We have provided the lowest LTE data rates in the world,” he added. Ambani went on to say that Jio is also rolling out many wi-fi hotspots across the country. “By the middle of the next year, we will have 1 million wi-fi hotspots across India,” he promised.
In a big-bang launch for Reliance Jio, Ambani at the 42nd RIL AGM said that all voice calls for Jio customers will be free. “The era of paying for voice calls is sending,” Ambani said. He also said that no roaming charges will be applicable for Jio customers across India. “Jio makes India the highest quality and lowest data price market in the world,” he said while announcing data rates. “With Reliance Jio, you will pay only Rs 50 for every GB that you use. The more data you use, the lower the rate,” he said. “I believe these are the absolute lowest data rates anywhere in the world,” Ambani added.
Mukesh Ambani began the 42nd AGM of Reliance Industries by talking about his plans for the launch of Reliance Jio. “Jio means to live and to be alive to very opportunity. World’s demand for digital oxygen, that is data, is growing exponentially. Jio aims to fulfill this need of Indians. Access to information will now know no barriers,” he said. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for Digital India is a life changing moment. Jio is a dedication to that Digital India dream of the Prime Minister, his vision for the 1.2 billion people of India,” Ambani said.