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Responding to soaring food prices and widespread allegations of collusion and price fixing, the South African Competition Commission (SACC) has commenced a large scale investigation involving over 30 companies involved with food production and supply.
Commissioner Shan Ramburuth said that the SACC had spent over two years researching food price fluctuations spanning a number of industries, and was now ready to launch formal investigations into companies suspected of artificially manipulating prices.
Commenting on an ongoing investigation into the bread industry, Deputy Commissioner Tembekile Bonakele said that three bread manufacturing companies had already settled with the SACC, with a fourth due to face court in June 2009. The latest investigation includes various grain silo storage companies and grain mills, accused of colluding to increase prices over their respective parts of the supply chain.
South Africa is in the process of finalising amendments to the Competition Act including the introduction of prison sentences for those found guilty of price fixing.
The United Kingdom’s Competition Commission has begun consultations on two proposed remedies arising from its recent investigation of the UK’s supermarket and grocery sector. The investigation did not find evidence of illegal conduct, but identified multiple factors contributing to high grocery prices.
The proposed remedies are:
The European Union (EU) has fined computer chip manufacturer Intel 1.06 billion Euros (A$1.89 billion) for engaging in repeated abuse of its dominant market position between October 2002 and December 2008.
The EU found that Intel illegally leveraged its 70% market share, offering hidden rebates to computer manufacturers NEC, Dell, Lenovo and Acer in exchange for undertakings that they sourced their x86 CPU chips exclusively or predominantly from Intel. In discussing the rebates, the EU stated that Intel’s conduct forced equally-efficient competing manufacturers to sell their chips below cost in order to compete.
Intel also directly targeted major competitor AMD, granting substantial payments to computer manufacturers on condition that they limited their sales of AMD products to certain market segments and postponed AMD product launch dates.
In separate conduct, Intel made direct payments to Media Saturn Holding, a major international retailer, on condition that it only sell Intel-equipped computers in its 770 stores across 16 European countries.
Intel intends to appeal the decision, with CEO Paul Ottelini stating “We believe the decision is wrong and ignores the reality of a highly competitive microprocessor marketplace…There has been zero harm to consumers. Intel will appeal.”
The world market for x86 CPUs is valued by the EU at 22 billion Euros ($A39 billion) per year.
China's anti-monopoly enforcement regulators, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC), have kept active in April 2009.
A month after rejecting Coca-Cola's China juice deal, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced its decision on 24 April 2009 to clear Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd's acquisition of Lucite International Group Limited subject to various conditions. Limits placed on Mitsubishi Rayon included divesting production capacity upfront, maintaining operational independence until divestiture is complete and obtaining consent for future expansion in investment capacity, whether by acquisitions or investment in new plants.
On 27 April 2009, SAIC officially published two draft regulations concerning monopoly agreements and the abuse of dominant market position, respectively, for public comment on or before 31 May 2009. A preliminary version of these draft provisions, together with a third regarding the investigation and sanction of the mentioned anti-competitive behaviours, were previously disseminated to a small circle of competition professionals in China for consultation.
A high-level executive from Korean company LG has entered a guilty plea to conspiring to fix the price of Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) screens. The executive will serve one year in prison for his part in the cartel, joining a fellow LG executive as well as 3 executives from Taiwanese manufacturer Chungwa, each serving between six and nine months.
In late December 2008, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) successfully obtained guilty pleas from cartel members LG, Chungwa, Sharp and Hitachi. As of late April 2009, over US$616 million (A$784 million) in fines had been handed down in relation to the cartel and charges brought against 9 individuals.
The worldwide market for TFT-LCD panels is estimated to be worth US$70 billion (A$89 billion) a year. The panels are used in a wide variety of consumer devices, such as computers, televisions, mobile phones and MP3 players.
A separate class action against the cartel companies remains on foot.
The Obama administration is showing signs of a more aggressive approach to antitrust investigation and enforcement, appointing Christine Varney as Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust at the DOJ, and selecting Jon Leibowitz as new head of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
An FTC Commissioner since 2004, Leibowitz was appointed as Chairman on 3 March 2009. Leibowitz has been an outspoken advocate of expanded FTC powers, arguing that the FTC’s legislated power to prohibit “unfair methods of competition” goes beyond the strict interpretation that the prohibition extends only to conduct that otherwise falls under the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts.
As new DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, Christine Varney has promised to bring the DOJ’s enforcement strategy closer to that shown by the EU, with stricter merger controls and an uncompromising approach to any attempt by dominant companies to abuse their market power. In her first public comments since her appointment on 4 May 2009, Varney said that the previous administration’s policy of “standing aside” had resulted in significant harm to the economy. She went on to signal that the administration was working towards repealing antitrust guidelines which restricted DOJ action.
Italian marine hose manufacturer Parker ITR has announced that it is willing to settle with any non-U.S. based direct purchaser of its hoses. The company was one of five companies to be fined after DOJ and EU investigations concluded late last year.
Any customer who agrees to the offer will be entitled to 16 percent of the amount spent on Parker’s marine hose between 31 January 2002 and 2 May 2007. The firm administering the settlement claims that it represents “the first private resolution of a company’s global cartel liability without any arbitration, mediation or litigation.”
Parker has already settled claims against U.S. direct purchasers, and intends to sign non-U.S. claimants onto standard agreements including releases from any future court action. No such court claims had been filed at the time Parker made the offer.


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Just five years’ time, and already the tech press is declaring the iPhone era waning. Or more accurately, some elements of the tech press weren’t too thrilled by the iPhone 5 announcement, and the rest fell asleep. Boredom is as contagious as the plague (just ask anyone at CNN). But the claim says a lot more about the tech press than it does about the iPhone.
It was the early summer of 2007. The revolution was set to begin, so my colleagues scrambled to cover all the bases. They set up shop amid the TV cameras and mobile satellite units, in the metropolitan business centers of America. I drove to Columbus, Indiana.
People thought I was nuts, which is often true. But if revolutions are to change everything, everywhere, all at once – if the premiere of the iPhone truly was to transform the lifestyle of an entire people in one day – then the revolution would be also be felt in Columbus, Indiana, population 39,000. “Wow,” said one guy in front of an AT&T store who had been waiting in line since the wee hours of the afternoon. “You’re really from the Internet? Now I know this thing is big!”
The Odd-Numbered Sequels Are Never The Good Ones
My friend and long-time partner-in-crime Carmi Levy is now the most recognized technology analyst on Canadian broadcast media. Whenever a major wave in the history of technology crashes ashore, Carmi is in such high demand that he rises before dawn to appear on morning programs on multiple networks.
Carmi’s initial verdict on yesterday’s iPhone 5 announcement, as published by the Toronto Star this morning, is that the product line may have reached a point where it is no longer revolutionary, and is now sustaining itself though the same process of incremental improvement that every other industrial product goes through – every automobile, every refrigerator, every packing crate.
“Sure, it’s a highly desirable evolution,” Carmi writes, “one that will easily sell millions and further expand Apple’s mobile empire. But Apple doesn’t do well with the evolutionary game: revolution is where Apple ranks supreme. The company is at its best when it creates new markets that didn’t previously exist – think iTunes – or re-thinks existing ones in ways that other vendors simply didn’t get, a la iPad. Simply upping the features list isn’t going to keep Apple light-years ahead of the competition. Outflanking them will.”
The thinking here is that Apple has built its business plan on the execution of revolutions. And Carmi is right to point out the dangers of Apple’s incremental strategy. But Internet headlines – especially the American ones – are published in black-and-white.
So over at Wired, we’re being warned that historically, after the fifth generation of “boring” but meticulous improvements to its products, Apple has been known to actually start making products worse. And by “worse,” Mat Honan appears to mean, “no longer really new.”
“Maybe smartphones themselves are becoming boring,” he writes, just before declaring that he’s seen the future and, on the iPhone scale, it’s fairly dull. At least Nokia’s Windows Phones have an identity now, he says; the iPhone doesn’t even have that any more.
And further down the pike, the fact that Wired declared the iPhone boring becomes a headline in itself. Instant artificial journalism: just add content and poof.
At the Nieman Journalism Lab, even though it published an eight-item bulleted list of new iPhone 5 features (which is better than some tech publications), Joshua Benton proclaimed the new device not really newsworthy. And the fact of its non-newsworthiness became the headline. At the Nieman Journalism Lab.
Here at the back of the AT&T Phone Center Store in Columbus, Indiana on June 29, 2007, folks standing in line call home to tell their families they’ll be late for dinner. Take a good look at what they’re using.
Hot + Cold <> Cool
As a reporter, I overhear folks talking in restaurants – it’s part of the way I gauge the “buzz” around a topic. Just after the iPhone 4S was released, a fellow sitting at the bar assessed it this way: It’s like going to a strip club and finding out, instead of new, hot girls, they have the same ones you saw yesterday. That image told me more than I possibly needed to know… about the iPhone phenomenon, as well as about the guy at the bar.
Here at ReadWriteWeb, our Dan Rowinski is conducting a poll which casts yesterday’s announcement in baseball terms (if you want to get Dan’s attention, just insert a baseball analogy), and asks you whether Tim Cook and Phil Schiller hit it out of the park. Right now, just under two-thirds of respondents are judging it a double or less, or what my friend Angela Gunn would call a “meh.”
Let’s zoom out for a moment. These are telephones we’re talking about. Telephones, the one industrial product that stand-up comedians in the day lampooned for having less identity than a rock. In America, there was a time when only one company produced telephones for everyone. While that might seem unfair and monopolistic by today’s standards, in the Dark Ages,the general perception was that no other company in its right mind would want to manufacture a telephone.
It is entirely possible for a single company to produce a single line of boring, uninteresting, uninspired, non-innovative products for decades at a time, and all the while be a monolithic, overbearing, calcified colossus that rakes in enough cash to acquire its own country. All that’s needed are a few basic ingredients, all of which are in abundant supply. One: The willingness of lawmakers to sustain the status quo. That’s the one thing America produces in surplus. Two: General, sustained, and cultivated disinterest. This is a product that American media produces with both skill and aplomb. All we need to do is repeat and repeat and repeat the same waves of headlines countless times… well, really six or seven times, before the whole topic becomes muted and colorless. To help you out with this, we’ll actually be glad to tell you when a topic is now uninteresting and thoroughly consumed, when we’re kinda bored by it all, and when things are no longer, to borrow from Paris Hilton’s extensive vocabulary, hot.
With Steve Jobs no longer available to voice his objections, there’s absolutely nothing to stop Apple from following in the footsteps (or, more accurately, footstep) of the Bell System and Western Electric. Ten years from now, the iPhone 15 could be a small, flat device with rounded corners, maybe seven rows of icons instead of five, and a 3D screen whose originality of concept Apple would be contesting in court with Samsung. What would be different about this world is that, on the day of the iPhone 15’s release, there would probably not be live Web TV pictures of a guy at a microphone reading live blogs as they come in over the same Web. (I always knew CBS would be able to inject its TV knowhow into CNET, but I never thought it would be like this.)
The Revolution is Cancelled for Low Ratings
If anything is truly in danger here, it’s the business model of tech media. I know, you’re trembling at the very thought. But for once, let’s be honest: If we were truly in the business of exploring and illuminating technology, which since the dawn of humankind (way, way before 1979) has always been about incremental improvements, then we’d be merrily dissecting the details of yesterday’s announcement and reporting on such things as the accuracy of the new algorithm that improves results in iTunes search, the mechanics of the lens that enables automatic panorama, and the relative ruggedness of the new Micro SIM card in heavy 4G usage areas.
We’d be the ones called boring instead of the products we cover or their manufacturers. That’s OK with me. As my friends all know, I’d rather be dull and right.
A good part of the reason the behemoth of the Bell System no longer looms over us, and that telephones are the stuff of headlines today, is because interested journalists in the 1970s and 1980s investigated the pre-established mechanisms, legal entanglements and cultural dynamics that sustained a business model predicated upon lack of innovation. People became interested in these things because journalists became interested. Journalists sparked curiosity.
And now we have a colossal company whose business model is based on innovation itself… controlled innovation. Strategic, decisive, measured, well-delivered change on the company’s own terms. From the vantage point of history, the fact that the step from iPhone 4S to iPhone 5 is as incremental and measured as it is, can be seen as a monumental achievement and a victory for free enterprise.
Think of it: It doesn’t really have to be all that different to be the most desirable thing on the planet.
If no one’s throwing a party, it’s because the tech press has become so jaded by the long lines and dramatic premieres that we have based our own business model around its continuation.
Here’s a news flash: Histrionic iPhone events may not be a permanent engagement. Apple will still be here, though we may not. And that won’t be Apple’s fault. Apple is not our mommy. If we want the more everyday and even mundane affairs of this business to be interesting to you, then we need to poke Pause on our Netflix, get out of bed, and while we’re writing cute headlines, think about taking a moment to add a story to them.
Real technology is less like a strip club and more like history. It’s a non-stop process. The smallest details don’t always stay small for long.

domain: news


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The Xbox 360 controller has been the de facto standard for years (NVIDIA copied it almost exactly for the SHIELD line), and the Xbox One has a refined and streamlined version of that design. So when Microsoft announced that a shiny new revision of the Xbox One controller would not only let you choose your colors and engraving Moto Maker-style, but also include a Bluetooth connection for easy dongle-free pairing with PCs, I couldn't help but get excited. Might Android gamers finally get access to the best controller around without any USB frippery or root-enabled work-arounds? Read More
While perhaps my own involvement with Blizzard Entertainment’s Hearthstone has waned in recent months, due in no small part to other games that have nabbed my attention, the online card-based arena battle game is no less extremely popular. When Blizzard released the large patch 188.8.131.5221 on August 9, quite a few players began to eagerly await the latest single-player expansion that releases on all platforms today.
Russia began investigating Google for antitrust violations last year after the largest search engine in the country, Yandex, complained to authorities. It alleged that Google's promotion of its own services over alternatives (like Yandex) on Android was anti-competitive. Now, the Russian Federation Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has issued a $6.8 million fine against Google. Surely, this will bankrupt the company. Read More
There are some neat things coming to Chrome in the future, and if you'd like to test them out before everyone else, you're probably already using either the Beta or the Dev version of the Android app. Keep an eye on the former: it's getting some of said features right now. The most interesting addition in version 53 is a new API for quickly checking out on mobile online purchases. It's sort of like the streamlined payment options already offered by PayPal and Visa, but it works with any payment system and it's built into the browser. Check it out in the video below: Read More
HTC launched the HTC 10 this spring to mostly positive reviews, a pleasant departure from several years of lackluster flagship phones. However, good reviews don't always translate into good sales. T-Mobile is known for kicking under-performing phones to the curb pretty quickly (see: the Priv), and it looks like the same thing happened to the HTC 10 last month. Almost no one noticed, though. Read More
Some Android fans were let down by the Galaxy Note7 this year. Many of its specs (curved screen, Snapdragon 820/Exynos 8890, 4GB of DDR4 RAM, 12MP camera, water resistance, etc.) seemed to be copy-pasted from the critically acclaimed Galaxy S7 edge, and the few extra features it did add (new S Pen, iris scanner, USB Type-C) led some to question whether the Note7's $800+ MSRP was worth it. However, quite a few Samsung fans got excited when they heard about a rumored Note7 variant with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The phone was initially leaked via China's TENAA (similar to the FCC). Read More
While the dream of all top-tier smartphones supporting wireless charging seems to be fading, there are still a fair number on the market equipped with the feature. It's a sweet way to juice up your phone without the hassle of dealing with wires and plugs.
Tronsmart has just released a new wireless charger called the Chocolate and passed along some coupon codes to share with you. The only truly notable feature about the charger is that it supports the new, faster generation of wireless charging with speeds up to 10W (1.4 times faster than the older generation). Read More
Republic Wireless unleashed a raft of new phones to go along with its new GSM network agreement recently, and now the other shoe drops. In addition to buying a phone from Republic, you can bring your own. It still has to be on the approved list, though. Read More
It is a sad fact of life that interesting, new concepts or ideas find it hard to set the world alight because generally, we humans don't like change. That's the basic message from Larva Labs, the team behind the Flow Home launcher, which has announced that it is discontinuing active development on the app, apart from some minor updates and bug fixes.
The idea behind Flow Home was instead of showing icons, to display the thing inside the icon: pictures, videos, news, tweets, or status updates (among others). It feels a bit like the HTC homescreen feature, BlinkFeed. Sadly, Matt Hall from Larva Labs says that two major things contributed to the decision to kill off the launcher: API shut-down for social networks (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), and lack of people using the app full-time. Read More


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Lightworks presents at Theory & Practice of Computer Graphics Conference
SHEFFIELD, UK (30 August 2010) - Lightworks, the world's leading supplier of rendering solutions for developers of advanced 3D computer graphics software, is pleased to announce the Company’s participation in this year’s conference for the Theory and Practice of Computer Graphics.
Neil Gatenby, a senior software engineer and lighting simulation specialist at Lightworks, will be one of three keynote speakers at this event. Neil’s talk, entitled “Ridge walks in the graphics highlands, avoiding the falls, reaching the summit” will address the issues and complexities that can arise when writing a high performance photorealistic renderer. He will discuss the use of GPU and CPU multi-processing as well as global illumination and anti-aliasing techniques.
This year’s conference is hosted at the University of Sheffield, England and takes place from the 6th to 8th of September. The aim of the conference is to focus on theoretical and practical aspects of computer graphics, bringing together top practitioners, users and researchers from across Europe.
For further details, go to the TP.CG website www.eguk.org.uk/TPCG10/index.htm
Lightworks is the world's leading supplier of rendering solutions for developers of advanced 3D computer graphics software. Now in its 21st year, Lightworks continues to develop products to provide customers with innovative and market-focused solutions for the creation of powerful and easy-to-use rendering applications. Renowned for providing physically accurate visualisation of real-world objects and environments, Lightworks is the ideal choice for companies wanting to target the Architectural, Interior and Mechanical Design markets. Lightworks gives customers fast and efficient access to leading-edge rendering technology, resulting in shorter development cycles, faster time-to-market for new products, and lower software development costs.
Lightworks technology is embedded in over 80 software applications and used by more than 3 million users worldwide.
Lightworks – 21 Years of Graphics Excellence


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Daily Archives: Friday, November 27, 2009
The 2017 edition of the KCCO Team Rubicon tee has arrived. The American Flag front print graphic is looking sharper than ever on a brand new military green blank. As always, a portion of proceeds benefits Team Rubicon and their Veteran-led disaster relief efforts. Snag your tee HERE and read about all the amazing things Team Rubicon is up to right HERE.


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DP World becomes sponsor of F1 Renault team
DP World became a sponsor and a global logistics partner of the Renault F1 team since the 2020 season of the global motorsport series. The sponsorship of the Renault F1 team was announced before the opening race of the season in Melbourne / Australia. Renault cooperating with DP World, aims to reduce its carbon emission to zero by 2030 in the Formula 1 racing series. "We expect that working with DP World will open up opportunities for concrete solutions to some of the logistical challenges facing our F1 team's supply chain and, consequently, the automotive industry," said Jerome Stoll, president of Renault Sport Racing. He also added that they look forward to bringing and creating innovations by combining their engineering skills through collaboration.
INNOVATION FOR AUTOMOTIVE LOGISTICS
DP World sees this cooperation as an opportunity to innovate in the field of automotive logistics. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DP World Group President and CEO, said: “One of our strategic goals was to develop innovative logistics solutions for the automotive industry. We aim to reduce costs, increase speed and transparency and reduce environmental impact in the supply chain. ” Renault F1 team ranked fifth in the F1 team ranking last year.


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By Tony Winterburn • 16 December 2020 • 21:27
Thirteen American States File Antitrust Lawsuit Against Internet Giant Google.
A coalition of states in the United States is expected to file an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc’s Google alleging that it altered the designs of its search engine to the disadvantage of rivals that offer specialized search results. The lawsuit could be filed as soon as Thursday, Dec. 17, and is much different from the one that the U.S. Justice Department filed against Google in October, according to reports.
The action was apparently prompted by complaints by publishers and other businesses whose publications rely solely on advertising revenue to survive. A Texas attorney general said he was suing Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG -0.49% Google unit on behalf of a coalition of states, alleging the company violated antitrust laws in manipulating digital advertising markets.
“This internet Goliath used its power to manipulate the market, destroy competition, and harm YOU, the consumer,” the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Twitter Wednesday. The new lawsuit targeting the company’s digital advertising business opens a second major front for government claims that Google illegally suppresses competition.
The Justice Department suit has led a burst of antitrust cases against some of Silicon Valley’s most titanic companies, including a suit that the Federal Trade Commission and dozens of states filed last week seeking a breakup of Facebook. Future state- and DOJ-led lawsuits targeting other aspects of Google’s ad-driven business are expected in the coming weeks and months. The DOJ is also probing Apple, and the FTC has been investigating Amazon, though those cases are in earlier stages.
Thank you for taking the time to read this news article “Thirteen American States File Antitrust Lawsuit Against Internet Giant Google”. For more UK daily news, Spanish daily news and Global news stories, visit the Euro Weekly News home page.
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In today’s top retail news, Athleta is jumping aboard the at-home wellness train, while Shopify touts the success of its new buy now, pay later (BNPL) feature. Also, Walmart is now licensing its technology to third-party merchants, and Mattel is seeing a spike in Barbie and Hot Wheels impulse purchases as shoppers return to stores.
With consumers increasingly focused on health following a global pandemic, Athleta is launching a new health and wellness platform in a bid to increase loyalty as the athletic wear brand tries to double its value. AthletaWell, which will be a part of the Athleta website, will include Spaces, where members will have access to curated topics centered around wellness, and Guides, where leaders in female well-being provide their perspectives, as well as online and offline activities led by guides, partners and VIP guests.
Walmart is extending a digital leg up to businesses and brands looking to enhance their online services by offering them some of the same technologies that the retail giant itself uses. The world’s largest retailer also teamed up with Adobe in a strategic collaboration to integrate Walmart’s Marketplace, eCommerce and in-store fulfillment and pickup technologies with Adobe Commerce, which offers solutions for merchants and brands. The partnership with Adobe Commerce gives retailers the chance to tap into Walmart’s cloud services and offer their shoppers easy pickup and delivery options.
The use of Shopify’s Shop Pay Installments feature is seeing explosive growth just one month after it opened up to all U.S. merchants, with purchases made using the BNPL product tripling in the second quarter versus just three months prior. Shop Pay Installments is now automatically enabled for new merchants signing up for Shopify payments, and Shopify has self-serve onboarding available for existing merchants.
Mattel is seeing strong growth in sales of both Barbie and Hot Wheels products as consumers return to in-person shopping, pushing the children’s entertainment company to a better-than-expected second quarter. Overall, Mattel sales reached over $1 billion, up 40 percent year over year, and CEO Ynon Kreiz said the company is “in the strongest position we have been in many years” as it focuses on drawing more value from its intellectual properties.


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Apple Reportedly Looking to Remove Samsung From A7 Chip Development
According to a report from The Korea Times, Apple is now looking at removing Samsung from its upcoming A7 chip development process. This means that Apple is looking at taking its chip development for the upcoming iPad and next generation of iOS devices to another company. The report notes that Apple will be moving the development to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).
Apple is sharing confidential data for its next A7 system-on-chip (SoC) with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). TSMC has begun ordering its contractors to supply equipment to produce Apple’s next processors using a finer 20-nanometer level processing technology,” said an executive at one of Samsung’s local partners in Korea by telephone, Wednesday.
Samsung is reportedly taking steps to cover the gap that Apple will leave once it removes its business, with the South Korean company looking to produce graphics chips for NVIDIA as well as its already existing handset production. Apple and TSMC are reported to be working together on a 20-nm A7 design, which will likely appear on next year’s models of iOS devices.
This year’s iPad 5 and iPad mini models are expected to receive updated versions of the company’s A6 chip with a transition from 32-nm to 28-nm. The iPad mini will likely receive the new A6X chip, which is currently in the 4th generation iPad/


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By Howard Baldwin, Contributing Columnist
How symbiotic is the relationship between wired and wireless technologies? Simple answer: very. Increasingly, the perceived gap between traditional cellular (3G, 4G), Wi-Fi, and wired technologies is narrowing.
There’s no question that the gap between wireless technologies is narrowing. Tiago Rodrigues, project director for the Wireless Business Alliance (WBA), sees venues such as sports stadiums, shopping malls, and even universities combining cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.
Read More »
Tags: 3G, 4G, broadband, mobility, New Normal, service provider wi-fi, wireless, wireline
Over the last few months, a growing consensus has emerged pointing to a dramatic change in the way people access the Internet.
In 2011, for the first time ever, worldwide annual demand for smart phones surpassed that of PCs, laptops and tablets combined. Then last month our Mobile Visual Networking Index (VNI) Update reported that global mobile data traffic is growing even faster than previously forecasted and will increase 18-fold over the next five years.
So by this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, the ‘top of mind’ for network operators, government officials and device manufacturers was the dramatic accelerating impact that mobile data consumption will have on Internet access, networks and users.
When we launched the mobile VNI report on February 14, a panel of industry, academia and government experts glimpsed into the future of mobile broadband and related policy issues, with three key takeaways:
Read More »
Tags: barcelona, cloud, fiber, global cloud index, heterogenous networks, mobile, mobile world congress, off-loading, policy, regulations, small cells, vni, wireless, wireline


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Can you grow enough produce for an entire city in rooftop greenhouses? Two entrepreneurs in Montreal, Canada, believe it might be possible.
Lauren Rathmell and Mohamed Hage cofounded Lufa in 2009. The company has four urban gardens in the Canadian city, all in rooftop greenhouses. Lufa’s most recent sits on top of a former warehouse and measures more than 15,000m2 – larger than the other three greenhouses combined. Its main crops are tomatoes and aubergines, producing more than 11,000kg of food per week.
Rathmell says the new greenhouse will accelerate Lufa’s mission to grow food where people live and help it to meet an “ever-growing demand for fresh, local, and responsible foods”.
The company – which says it’s not trying to replace local farms and food makers, acknowledging that not everything can be grown on rooftops – follows what it calls ‘responsible agriculture’ practices. These include capturing and recirculating rainwater, energy-saving glass panels, and an absence of synthetic pesticides. Any waste is composted and reused, and food is sold directly to customers on the day it is harvested. Lufa also has a fleet of electric vehicles to make those deliveries.
“Our objective at Lufa is to get to the point where we’re feeding everyone in the city,” Hage said in an interview in Fortune. Lufa’s fifth greenhouse is due to open later in 2021.
Read the complete article at www.weforum.org.


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So today in the news we have results for the Global version of Samsungs Galaxy SIV which smokes the US and European versions in the antutu benchmark scores and HTC has their Global edition of the One which has expandable storage and dual sim card slots. So what is it that keeps these flagships not being so flagship when they hit North America and Europe. Here's a little hint, money. If you think on it the FCC regulates what comes in here in North America and restricts certain devices based on a multitude of things, bandwidths, radiation levels, and money. Yes money controls all and unfortunately it's a dog eat dog world and in order to have certain premium devices we have to pay a premium price but it's never just that simple or is it?
Other things in the news today we have T-Mobile working on a revised bid in order to save the merger for Metro PCS. Also Samsung is televising their new Galaxy SIV Models and actually not bashing Apple. Lastly Lg Optimus Pro might be released in the upcoming months for AT&T. Thanks for reading!


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Remember the LG Lifeband Touch that was leaked before the CES? Well, the wrist gear is not the only wearable the company introduced at the event. It also unveiled the Heart Rate Earphones for what else, but to measure your heart rate as you exercise. Can’t see it selling in anything more than a niche market.
So if you insist on messing around in the sports section of an electronics store, then you will be able to see these two soon, though we can’t give you the price details on either right now. The highlight of the earphones is the integrated PerformTek technology which works to inform users about their heart rate, maximal oxygen consumption and more.
This data can be beamed via Bluetooth to the user’s phone or to their Lifeband Touch. The latter has a touch panel covering its face and it turns on automatically when the wrist is rotated. Meaning lifting it to your face is all you need to do to wake up the screen.
On the fitness angle, the smart wristband can get along with workout apps downloaded onto the handset to which it is connected. It embeds a 3-axis accelerometer and an altimeter to measure the distance covered, number of steps, speed, calories consumed and projected pace.
Apart from showing biometrics, the wearable can display the time, music controls and incoming calls. Both devices are set to be released in the US in the first half of this year, before other markets across the globe welcome it.


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Microsoft loses $125 on every Xbox 360
More than 30 per cent subsidy to build market share
Microsoft is paying a 31 per cent subsidy on its premium Xbox 360 that, according research firm iSupply.
Based on an analysis of the components in the gaming device, Andrew Rassweiler, manager of iSuppli?Â¢â€šÃ‡Â¨â€šÃ‘Â¢s Teardown Analysis Service estimated the bill of materials for the device runs at about $525.
The bill of materials does not include costs for testing, distribution, and marketing.
Full article: vnunet.com


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- 2 min read
DPIIT to discuss with cos issues related with data storage in draft e-comm policy on Jan 14
Representatives from different companies including Accenture, Adobe, Facebook, Genpact, Google, HCL, Infosys, Intel, Microsoft and TCS are expected to participate in the deliberations, sources said.
NEW DELHI: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has convened a meeting of industry representatives from IT and e-commerce sectors on January 14 to discuss the merits and de-merits of draft e-commerce policy on data storage, sources said.
Representatives from different companies including Accenture, Adobe, Facebook, Genpact, Google, HCL, Infosys, Intel, Microsoft and TCS are expected to participate in the deliberations, they said.
Besides, officials from Nasscom, E-commerce Council of India, Informational Technology Industry Council, CII and FICCI would also attend the meeting, they added.
The meeting assumes significance as the department is working to release the national e-commerce policy by the end of the current financial year.
The government in February last year released a draft national e-commerce policy, proposing setting up a legal and technological framework for restrictions on cross-border data flow and also laid out conditions for businesses regarding collection or processing of sensitive data locally and storing it abroad.
Several foreign e-commerce firms have raised concerns over some points in the draft pertaining to data.
The department has received huge response on the draft and it is examining all the views and comments.
As the draft policy includes several provisions related to data, the department is also looking at the Personal Data Protection Bill approved by the Cabinet last month.
Further, sources said that issues which needs to be looked upon include whether India should allow free flow of data across the border or inhibit or regulate it in some manner; and whether data localisation is required or not.
"These are the issues which have lot of pros and cons," they added.
The Personal Data Protection Bill spells out a framework for handling of personal data including its processing by public and private entities.
A company may have to pay a penalty if found violating norms under the Personal Data Protection Bill.


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July 8, 2021
According to Variety, the special edition Meisterstück launch – featuring director Spike Lee’s distinctive glasses as a running motif in a deep purple, the director’s favorite color – is inspired by his long-standing connection with Brooklyn.
First introduced in 1924, the Meisterstück 146 fountain pen is at the heart of this limited-edition set – with handcrafted gold nib etched with Lee’s signature – and features a leather notebook with the same design and a special purple ink.
This new collaboration, which is limited to 500 pieces, is part of the “What Moves You, Makes You” campaign that celebrates the ability to make meaningful change.
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Just when you though it was going to be over, Samsung’s woes have doubled, nay tripled, as the phone company has been brought to it’s knees even in it’s own homecountry of South Korea.
Yes, you read that right. Koreans have subscribed for the Apple iPhone 6 and it’s 6 Plus phablet brother as both phones have received triple what Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 got in pre-orders during the similar time frame, though the events were distanced as the Galaxy Note 4 was released in the country a month ago.
According to Wall Street Journal (Korea), the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus gathered 100,000 reservations on their first day outing which dwarfs the 30k orders gotten by the Note 4 on day one. LG U+, one of the major carries in Korean said it sold out it’s 20,000 reservations in 20 minutes while Korea Telecoms gathered 50k orders in about 30 minutes. SK Telecom, who represent the biggest subscriber base in Korea, declined to comment on actual numbers gotten but said it sold out all the spots — reported to exceed 40,000 units — within a short time.


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For years, the trading card game Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft has been on the market, which is also a merit of Ben Brode. The game director is now turning his back on the developer Blizzard Entertainment.
Ben Brode is one of the key figures when it comes to the success of Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft goes. In the future, both Blizzard Entertainment and the Trading Card Game will have to do without the previous Game Director, because he leaves the developer studio.
Brode was one of the original members of the Hearthstone team a decade ago and is instrumental in the success of the title, which now counts more than 70 million players around the world. His resignation he announced now via Battle.net forums, where he also reflects the successes of Hearthstone. It was incredible to have worked on a title that touched so many people, Brode said.
How he came to Blizzard, however, is worth a story of its own. In 2003 he was still working as a pizza delivery man and regularly brought food to the developer. As a result, he secured a job as a game tester of Warcraft 3 and worked his way up until he played a major role in game design and ultimately became the lead designer.
In the future, he will be dedicated to new projects. “I’ll help build a new business,” says Brode about his plans for the future. “We’re going to play games, but we have not decided otherwise yet, but I’m looking forward to designing, programming, and creating new things.”


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The Windows 8 launch in October promises to be like no other launch. I think it will drive home several points that many of us don’t seem to understand, like the fact that we both whine there isn’t enough innovation and run for the hills when someone innovates in a mature market. I think Microsoft will change a lot after this launch, and as a result, the PC ecosystem will be dramatically different next year.
This launch will put Nvidia and Qualcomm more solidly into the PC spotlight and likely put far more pressure on Intel and AMD. It will also slam the most creative marketing team Microsoft has fielded since Windows 95 against the most difficult marketing problem I’ve seen in my life — and I’ve been around for a while. The entire PC ecosystem, including Apple, is sweating this one. On top of all of this, Nokia’s future will be closely tied to the release of the Windows 8 product that will ship at the same time. In short, Microsoft’s client future — all of it — may be tied to what happens next quarter.
I’ll go further into that and close with my product of the week: a tablet that — for me — may be the perfect alternative to an iPad.
The Core of the Windows 8 Problem Is Us
This is the kind of thing that can drive a product manager, marketing officer, or analyst (like me) nuts. You see we all — I mean users here — complain that every new product looks a lot like the product that came before. New releases are increasingly boring and don’t seem very innovative. We pound on companies ranging from Microsoft to Apple, claiming they are losing their innovation mojo.
I mean, look at the Mac OS. It really hasn’t changed that dramatically since it launched, and it still is on version 10 and been there for a decade. Apple went through the nine previous versions in a little more than the same time.
What’s the most successful of the Apple iPhone competitors? The Samsung Galaxy II running Android, which is the phone that just got nailed for being a knockoff of the iPhone. How about the most successful non-iPad tablet? It’s the near-exact copy — I could argue it actually looks better — of the iPad 2, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which also was found to be too close to Apple’s product.
What is the phone that is the most different? Probably Windows Phone 7, which was designed to address all of the complaints surrounding the iPhone and the Android copies. The user experience is arguably better, but it is vastly different — and the result is that almost no one (except a few folks like me) carries it.
Even if you look at the iPad’s success, it was the result of Steve Jobs getting us to see it as a new category rather than a netbook with a touchscreen and no keyboard, which is what it actually was. Had we seen it as a cheap, crippled Mac with a different UI, I doubt he would have sold more than a few thousand. Now that it is established, if any major change were introduced — even by Apple — we would likely vote with our feet that we didn’t want it.
So for all of the change we scream, beg, and argue for, we are incredibly dishonest, because we really don’t like change. This will be the biggest problem for Microsoft to overcome for both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Even Steve Jobs never attempted something like this, and he was unmatched in doing product launches.
The Complexity Problem
Complex launches are very, very hard to do. This is why Apple launches one product at a time if it has the choice. It has separated the launch of the iPhone 5 from the iPad mini by a month so it can focus buyers on each product individually, because we are easily confused. Microsoft will be launching new laptops, tablets, all-in-ones, desktops, and smartphones in the same window. This is typically called a “big bang” launch, and this will be one of the biggest.
Now Microsoft has reduced some of the traditional component complexity that has historically resulted in a lot of initial breakage — at least with new hardware — by setting hard specifications. So you shouldn’t see major issues with any drivers on new hardware.
However, with existing hardware, virtually all of it is noncompliant with the full specification set, and it has far more complexity than what is being allowed in new hardware.
I really am recommending that only folks who have a tolerance for pain upgrade to Windows 8 in place and only do so if they have a good USB multitouch touchpad or one built on their laptop. Even then they may experience driver issues, so I’d suggest waiting until you can confirm someone has done this on your kind of hardware successfully.
I expect most upgrade problems will be with laptops, because most laptop pointing devices are noncompliant in that they don’t support five-finger touch, aren’t mounted flush, or aren’t big enough to be used with Windows 8. Attaching an external touchpad to a laptop is problematic, which is why I favor desktop hardware for the initial upgrades.
Even the touchscreens in market are likely noncompliant. Most are resistive, which makes them slow, and Windows 8 (outside of military products that have to support folks wearing gloves) will work best with capacitive touch — the rarer, more expensive option.
Deciding between Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets won’t be easy. The user experience and price should be better with Windows RT, but Windows 8 will provide for better legacy support. Personally, I think Windows RT by itself would have launched well with Windows Phone 8 and could have shown up earlier, but that’s not the way this is being done.
Finally, there is Windows Phone 8, which will represent the first time this platform has had hardware designed specifically for it. It should be far stronger than Windows Phone 7 but may get lost in the noise of the Windows 8/RT launch.
Wrapping Up: Legendary Launch
This is, by some significant magnitude, going to be the most difficult high-profile launch I’ve ever seen attempted. It is rumored to have a launch budget of more than $1 billion, making it also the most expensive, if these rumors are to be believed.
If Microsoft pulls this off, it will be in the record books for having done something that Apple couldn’t do. On the other hand, if it doesn’t, this could eclipse the Edsel as the most expensive failure in the history of any market. So, however this goes, it will go down in the history books and be remembered for all time.
It’s going to be one hell of a fourth quarter.
Product of the Week: Panasonic ToughPad Tablet Computer
My problem with tablets — and this includes all of the Android tablets, the iPad, and the Kindle Fire — is they suck outdoors and they are relatively fragile. Tablets are attempting to do things like replace books and magazines, which you read in bathtubs, on the beach, or outside on a lawn, and they suck in all of those places.
An accidental drop or a little sand or water will turn them into a doorstop, and their displays wash out outdoors. If you want to use one to doodle or draw, their screens are generally not accurate enough — and even if they were, they typically don’t come with anything to draw with.
The Panasonic ToughPad (there’s even a 7-inch mini version coming), while much more expensive than an iPad, addresses all of these problems.
It is semi-hardened so it will survive drops or getting wet, and it will shrug off sand. It has a high nit (very bright) non-glare display for outdoor use, so it will work well everyplace except in the brightest of direct sunlight — and even there you can still see the screen — and it comes with a built in stylus you can use for drawing.
Besides the display, it has some other decent features that the iPad lacks. It has built-in 4G with a hotspot router that lets you connect your friend’s iPad to the Internet, a MicroSD slot for memory expansion, and a micro HDMI to connect to a display or TV. And, of course, it is military specification certified.
Until a product ships in the U.S. with a transflective display — like the Qualcomm Mirasol (apparently now shipping in Asia) — and is hardened to boot, the Panasonic ToughPad is my own gold standard for a tablet. I like being outside, and that makes the Panasonic ToughPad my product of the week. This is the product the guys in The Expendables (fun movie by the way) would likely carry.


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Responding to the mounting interest in better eating on campus, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is offering dining hall customers an array of flavorful, varied and healthful foods through its healthy lifestyles initiative called Be Smart. Eat Smart. Live Smart. The program consists of 11 steps that executive director of auxiliary enterprises Ken Toong, executive chef Willie Sng and senior dietitian Dianne Sutherland have implemented over the past few years. Among the keys are ...
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Snow+: Two-wheeler electric startup Crayon Motors today (February 8) launched the electric scooter Snow Plus.
Snow+: Two-wheeler electric startup Crayon Motors today (February 8) launched the electric scooter Snow Plus. This is a low-speed electric scooter whose price starts from 64 thousand. It has been designed keeping in mind the needs of people who have to deal with light tasks on a bike. It has a 250W motor and this bike can catch a maximum speed of 25 kmph. According to the information given on the company’s website, Snowplus is an upgraded version of Snow, one of the company’s best sellers e-scooters.
Claims to be a better option for city commuters
According to the statement issued by the company, this scooter has features like central locking with digital speedometer, USB charging for mobile, anti-theft, geo tagging and navigation (GPS). The e-scooter is available in Super White, Classic Grey, Sunshine Yellow and Fleury Red colours. At the time of launch, Mayank Jain, Co-Founder and Director, Crayon Motors, said that low-speed e-scooters are a better choice for people who have to commute within a city. Jain says that through this scooter, customers will get the experience of traveling around cheaply.
To bring high-speed electric bike at the end of the month
Jain said that his company has started with low-speed e-scooters but now it is slowly preparing to introduce high-speed e-scooters. Crayon Motors will announce two new high-speed models by the end of this month. The low-speed e-scooter Snow+ launched by the company today is available in over 100 retail locations across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bihar.


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Apple Inc. has been awarded the most valuable brand for the 5th time by Interbrand, a consultant firm. The tech company with its headquarters in Cupertino, California is valued at $184 billion, 3% up from last year. This is Apple’s 5th win in a row.
Google which marks its 19th anniversary today comes in at $141.7 billion, 6% up from last year’s figure. Microsoft comes in at third place with a value of $80 billion and a 10% annual growth. Jeff Bezos’ led Amazon which is based in Seattle comes after Coca-Cola ($69.7 billion, a 5% drop), the only non-tech company in the top 4, with a value of $64.79 billion.
Apple’s biggest rival in the smartphone industry, Samsung is at the sixth position with a $56.2 billion value, a 9% increase from 2016. Facebook is the tech company with the biggest increase in brand value – a 48% increase to bring it to $48 billion.
Toyota and Mercedes Benz are the only two automobile companies on the list, valued at $50 billion and $47 billion value respectively. IBM (excluding the PC and server business owned by Lenovo) is the 10th with a value of $48 billion.
Huawei is far below at number 70 with a value of $6.67 billion and a 14% growth from last year. Netflix makes it into the top 100 for the first time with a value of $5.69 billion at number 78 and Lenovo closes the top 100 list with a value of $4 billion.
Want to know if your favorite company made it to the top 100 list? Check the full list in the source link.


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Good news! HTC One Dev Edition Android 4.3 US update is expected to be rolled out this week. This was revealed by Jason Mackenzie, president of global sales at HTC, in a tweet earlier today. This update will allow users to upgrade HTC One Developer Edition from 4.2 to 4.3. HTC has still not released the Android 4.2.2 update but is now set to release the latest Jelly Bean 4.3 update. In addition to the JB 4.3, the update will also bring HTC Sense 5.0. Here is the tweet announcing the news:
Good news – the latest Sense experience & Android 4.3 will push to One Dev Edition owners this week & One customers in Canada by month end.
Do you own a Developer Edition HTC One smartphone? Then get ready for the update. HTC One users in Canada will also receive the update by end of this month. Dev Edition typically brings the stock Android version without OEM modifications (like Samsung TouchWiz or HTC Sense). This update, however, does include the latest flavor of HTC Sense which some users might actually want.
The release date is few days away. We’ll keep you updated on it. Stay tuned.


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Do you know which technology trends are influencing your company’s distribution and supply chain management? How to address continuous changes?
If you would like to know more about the trends and how to address changes, join our GfK experts in the first webinar scheduled on January 30, 2019 at 4 pm CET. Our experts will share their insights on latest tech trends based on GfK unique point of sales and distribution panel data and the latest news from CES 2019.
Register now, secure one of much-desired free webinar places, and listen to the following sessions:
Do not miss this chance and save-the-date to hear about the latest tech trends & news from CES 2019!


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ATMA voices concerns over domestic rubber scenario.
The Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA) has voiced its concerns over the impact of lower production scenario in domestic rubber, which is turning bleaker by the day.
In a communication exchange between ATMA & the Commerce Ministry, ATMA showed concerns over low production levels in the range of 55,000 tonnes per month even during the height of peak season & called it a matter of grave concern to the industry. The governing body added that, albeit, the fact that rubber prices in India are ruling 20 per cent higher than international prices, the production is showing a constant fall. The issue needs to be addressed urgently.
ATMA also said that, given the steep fall in the production of Natural Rubber, imports are a must to meet the growing demand of tyres from auto & transport sectors. However, with the government’s stance of continuing to put curbs on rubber imports, making it difficult for the industry to source this key raw material at competitive prices.
High import duties on rubber & much lower duties on finished tyres is leading to indiscriminate surge in import and dumping of tyres in India. Latest statistics on tyre import for the period April-December 2015 show more than one lakh truck and bus radial (TBR) tyres are being imported in India each month.


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Bring a craft brewery to a small town and other businesses will thrive, says THAT Brewery and Pub owner Tamara Morken. She and husband Steve have owned and operated The Rimside Grill at the south end of Pine since 2014, creating a local favorite eatery. But in 2008, local businesses, property owners and residents felt the financial crash.
The couple went on the hunt for a more sustainable business, one that can survive financial down turns and work in a small, tourism-focused community, Tamara said. They traveled to Colorado, California and beyond. Steve had already been a hobby brewer and a member of Rim Country Home Brews, making micro breweries and craft breweries of particular interest.


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Miracle! Apple Watch saves 12-year-old girl's life
Apple Watch has again proved itself to be a life-saver for a 12-year-old girl. Here’s what happened.
The Apple Watch is definitely more than just wearable tech to flaunt! This has been proven a number of times in the past with many incidents highlighting when Apple Watch ended up saving people's lives during outdoor or indoor emergencies. Not just that, Apple Watch has also saved lives by detecting abnormalities in their health. Now, a new miracle has been worked by an Apple Watch to save the life of a 12-year-old girl in the US. It actually detected a rare form of cancer.
A report by Hour Detroit has informed that 12-year-old Imani Miles from the US got to know about her rare cancer on time due to the watch and this helped to save her life.
All credit goes to Apple Watch! Imani's mother, Jessica Kitchen found it weird that her daughter's Apple Watch was constantly alerting about an abnormally high heart rate. “That's really weird because it's never happened before. It just kept going off," Hour Detroit quoted Kitchen.
The concerned mother then took her daughter to the hospital, where doctors examined her and learned that the 12-year-old girl has cancer - neuroendocrine tumor - in her appendix, which is rare to see in children.
By the time doctors detected the presence of the tumor in Imani, it was clear she immediately required surgery. The report further confirmed that the surgery went successfully at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and she is currently recovering at home.
“If she didn't have that watch, it could have been so much worse,” Kitchen told the publication. However, the report didn't mention which Apple Watch helped Imani to detect the tumor. But the heart rate notifications feature is seeded on several Apple Watches such as Watch SE, Watch 7, and the newly launched Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra.
Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.


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New Delhi, 28th March 2023: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) issued a statement today in response to recent media articles involving ‘KYC scams’. The NPCI has assured all users that any payment made through UPI does not expose the sender’s KYC details, nor does it lead to the user’s mobile or app getting hacked.
The statement read, “With reference to recent media/social media articles on ‘KYC scams’ – The connection to UPI is misleading and incorrect. We assure all users that any payment through UPI does not expose the sender’s KYC details and neither does it lead to a user’s mobile or App getting hacked. UPI works on the principle of payment using a Virtual Payment address or UPI ID – using secure method of device binding and UPI PIN to transfer money. KYC details are not used or shared during a UPI transaction.”
The NPCI went on to reassure the public that UPI continues to remain a safe and secure payment method. They also stated that the intention of some of these articles and social media messages are to mislead and create mistrust about a payment method that has been widely adopted across the country.
This statement comes in the wake of recent media reports on ‘KYC scams’, where fraudsters obtain personal information from individuals under the guise of completing KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures. These fraudsters then use the obtained information to carry out fraudulent activities.
The NPCI’s statement serves to clear the air and reiterate that UPI remains a safe and secure payment method. It is hoped that this statement will help allay any fears or concerns that the public may have had about UPI’s safety and security.


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Saptrishi is all set to explore the digital space once again this time with the web show “Crime Stories” says he was intrigued by the subject and thought he has to be a part of this project and decided to get on board.
Saptrishi who is a known face on television and OTT has been a part of many web shows like Luv Lust and Confusion, Babbar ka Tabbar and many more is all set to turn intense with him playing the victims ex-husband in the Flipkart series ‘Crime stories’
The dramatized portrayal of real-life cases and sensational crime stories from police files have always evoked the audience’s interest. Often, actors want to pursue acting and opt for films and lately, it’s been the case OTT, which seems promising. Billed as an investigative thriller, “Death Note” will see Saptrishi playing the role of Shaumik Basu ex Husband of the victim Rita Basu.
The actor, who was last seen in Ekta Kapoor-produced show Naagin and Kundali Bhagya describes his character in the web show as a smart Businessman who owns a restaurant chain but is currently facing a downfall in his business line.
The Show ‘Crime stories’ is being produced by Key Light productions and will release on the Flipkart App


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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again air an entire fight card TONIGHT (Dec. 30, 2011), this time it's UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem," which will begin around 6:50 p.m. ET with a live video stream on Facebook of the under card bouts.
There are tons of ways to watch the pay-per-view (PPV) main card tonight, which (sorta) has a new start time of 10 p.m. ET, featuring the 265-pound showdown between massive heavyweight contenders, Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, in the five-round, non-title main event of the evening.
You can call up Comcast or your local cable and/or satellite provider and order the PPV on your television. For the Internet folks among us, you can also stream the event on your computers using UFC.TV, Yahoo! Sports or UStream, among others.
And if you're really in a pinch, you can watch UFC 141 on your mobile phone via the Android Market or even now on YouTube.com. Gamers can also catch the UFC 141 action on Xbox Live for the first time ever (more details here) with the help of their video game consoles.
However, if you need your UFC 141 results as soon as possible, for free, MMAmania.com will deliver up-to-the-minute results and live fight coverage, including round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of all the UFC 141 action before, during and after the event RIGHT HERE.
More details on the UFC 141 fight card, who is fighting who, as well as how to keep yourself updated all night long, after the jump:
265 lbs.: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem
Main card (pay-per-view):
Spike TV "Prelims:"
Preliminary card (Facebook):
To watch the UFC 141 "Prelims" on Facebook, (if you have a Facebook profile) simply "Like" the UFC Facebook page and check out the "UFC Live Streams" tab on the left-side menu.
Remember, too, that our round-by-round results of the under card fights on Facebook will begin to flow around 6:50 p.m. ET later this evening and run right on through to our main card pay-per-view (PPV) coverage, which is set to start at 10 p.m. ET! That includes our coverage of the "Prelims" special on Spike TV that will begin at 9 p.m. ET.
To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.


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The 2016 model year may well be known as the time mainstream luxury brands went electric. Although gas prices are expected to remain low in 2016 and market share for all electric vehicles accounts for less than 1% of US auto sales, European luxury brands are clamoring to introduce their own plug-in hybrid vehicles.
BMW is adding a plug-in hybrid version of both the 3 series and the X5 and plans to do the same for the rest of its line. Mercedes-Benz will release ten new plug-in hybrids between now and 2017 including the 2016 C350e and S550e, and Audi’s first plug-in hybrid, the A3 Sportback e-tron, is expected this fall with more to come next year.
In this article, we’ll examine why so many luxury car makers are adding plug-in hybrid vehicles and look at what we can expect to see in the next few years.
The Tesla Effect
One common explanation is that the European giants are “taking on Tesla.” Numerous articles can be found which claim one brand or another is trying to create a model that will compete effectively with Tesla. While Tesla has undoubtedly proven that there is a market for luxury-class electric vehicles, the brand reported 2015 third quarter sales of 11,580 or roughly a third of what BMW sold in just the month of August. The Tesla effect could certainly explain luxury automakers introducing one or two plug-in models, it doesn’t explain the large number of entries currently planned.
California Zero Emission Vehicle laws
A more plausible explanation is the legislation passed in California (and other states and countries) to encourage the sale of zero-emissions vehicles. While the federal government has regulated that that the average fuel economy of all vehicles sold must be 54.5 mpg by 2025, California has taken this one step further. California’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate requires that between 2017 and 2025 automakers must ramp up their production of ZEVs, like plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles, to account for 15.4 % of vehicles sold. California estimates that by 2025 when these rules are fully implemented, new vehicles will emit 34% fewer global warming gases and 75% fewer smog-forming emissions.
This legislation has been adopted by nine other states and the District of Columbia which add up to account for nearly one-third of US auto sales. As the chart above illustrates, the percentage of ZEV cars that must be sold by each manufacturer rises annually until it hits the 15.4% target.
This puts tremendous pressure on auto makers to produce commercially viable plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles over the next several years. Here’s what you can expect to see from each of the major European luxury car makers.
Audi (2016 Audi A3 Sportback E-tron shown)
What to expect: Audi’s first plug-in hybrid is already on the roads in Europe and it will be available in the US only as a five-door hatchback for the 2016 model year. The brand offers its own charging system, the Audi Energy Program, which comes with the vehicle and includes a home charger, carbon offset program and available solar power installation. The brand plans several new plug-in hybrids in the next few years including e-tron versions of the A6, Q7 and R8. Audi has partnered with Samsung and LG to design an all-electric version of the allroad that will go 300 miles on a charge.
BMW (2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e shown)
What to expect: BMW entered the EV market with the 2014 i3 and i8. The brand is now beginning its planned release of plug-in hybrid versions of its core vehicles—the 2016 model year will introduce an eDrive version of the 3 series, 7 series and the X5. The brand is already making strides towards the 2025 goal of 15.4%, September 2015 sales of the i3 and i8 made up close to 10% of BMW’s total car sales volume (excluding SUVs).
Mercedes-Benz (2016 Mercedes-Benz C350 Plug-In Hybrid shown)
What to expect: Mercedes-Benz released the electric drive B-Class in 2014, and is adding a plug-in hybrid to the C-Class, S-Class, and GLE-Class for the 2016 model year. A total of ten plug-in hybrid vehicles are in the works and a fully electric crossover with a range between 250 to 300 miles has been strongly hinted.
What to expect: Porsche currently offers a plug-in hybrid version of both the Cayenne and Panamera (as well as the very limited release of the 918 Spyder supercar). The brand intends to extend the E-Hybrid line to all of its models; the Macan and 911 E-Hybrids likely to arrive next. The company just won the prestigious Le Mans 24 hour endurance race using hybrid power and we’re excited to see how that will translate into their iconic sports car line.
Volvo (2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Plug-In Hybrid shown)
What to expect: Volvo’s first plug-in vehicle, the XC90 T8 Plug-In Hybrid, is expected to arrive in the US in the first half of 2016. The brand has plans to release similar versions of other models in its line. Volvo has a scalable platform in place to grow both their plug-in hybrid production and that of fully electric vehicles as demand for both increases.


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Old world charm downtown
The Paluzzi sisters -- Gina, Lisa and Carla -- love to cook. It's a passion they inherited from their Italian parents and grandparents whose kitchen was always the heart of their home.
In fact, on Gina's wedding day, mom Diane passed on to her daughter her treasured recipe book full of her own unique Italian recipes. It is a gift she cherishes to this day and it's a part of the girls' past that also helps define who and what they are today.
Last month, the sisters Paluzzi took their unique business venture to a whole new level when they opened the doors to Tre Sorelle (meaning, in Italian, Three Sisters), their new restaurant at 133 Mississaga St. E.
But Tre Sorelle is not new to Orillia.
Before they had an official name, the girls took their homemade pasta and sauces to Orillia's farmers' market, where they became a popular stop at the bustling outdoor square. They decided to take a leap of faith in November, 2004 and opened up in "a closet" across the street from their new location on the main street.
With their customers clamouring for more, they moved to a larger, 900-square-foot space on Peter Street South in 2006. They began to expand their take-out offerings -- but never wavered from their Italian-infused homemade recipes. As they attracted more and more young professionals and retirees, they began a unique service: people could bring in their own pans or dishes to be filled with Tre Sorelle's homemade goodness.
"That was and remains a very popular option," says Gina. "A lot of people are just too busy to cook but they can drop in here and choose from a whole range of food that they can bring home for their family. And it's all homemade."
In fact, despite now having a sizeable restaurant and offering a diverse lunch menu, the sisters refuse to cave into a fast-food mentality. If the slow food movement had a cheerleader in Orillia, it would be Tre Sorelle.
"We don't have commercial ovens," says Lisa. "We make it just as if we were at home and were making food for family. We don't believe in mass producing."
They also don't believe in using cheap ingredients. "My supplier has tried to get me to switch tomatoes," explains Lisa. "We've been using the same tomatoes -- the same tomatoes my mom used to use -- and we're not going to compromise just because they're a bit cheaper. We will never do that."
The sisters say they take their cues from their customers. "When we were on Peter Street, we had a few chairs there where people could wait if we were busy," says Gina. "Customers started suggesting we should add tables so they could eat there... but there just wasn't the room."
That's why they jumped at the opportunity to move into the former La Mezzaluna, which is almost triple the size of their former Peter Street location.
"It's scary because it's a pretty big move," says Lisa, noting they had to do extensive renovations, buy tables and chairs and myriad other items needed for a full-service restaurant. "But we knew that to grow, we would have to move and this is a great location."
In fact, the girls long pined for a return to the main drag. "You would be surprised but some people weren't sure where Peter Street was," said Gina. "We really wanted to be back on the main street. It's the centre of town, it's where everybody comes to shop; there's a lot of walking traffic and our visibility here is great. It was very important for us to be back on the main street."
And while the restaurant has only been open for a few weeks, it appears nobody is having trouble finding the new location.
"We've been full every day for lunch and the comments we've had have been fantastic," says Gina.
In fact, they face pressure to have longer hours -- and to stay open for dinner.
"To do things right, the way we want to -- to do everything home-made and authentic -- it takes a lot of preparation and time," says Lisa. "And we don't want to compromise on that just to stay open longer."
Just as important, the sisters continue to prepare dishes that customers can purchase for takeout to bring home to their families for dinner. "That's still a big part of our business," says Gina, noting their take-home dishes include everything from Panini sandwiches to various types of lasagna and fresh pastas to Italian sausage and meatballs.
In addition, the girls offer catering services and create gift baskets for various occasions.
While at least one of the sisters is always at the eatery, this restaurant is a family affair. The girls' parents are still very much involved with Mom, Diane, and Dad, Domenico, familiar faces at the downtown eatery, pitching in whenever a helping hand is needed. The girls' husbands and kids also help when needed.
"It's a family atmosphere," says Gina. "We say we offer old-world charm and we really do. It's a pretty unique place to come to visit, to eat and to look at the food we offer."
The sisters say they hope their downtown restaurant becomes a local landmark; they have no plans on going anywhere.
Gina was the first to come to Orillia, moving here 19 years ago when her husband, a teacher, got a job here. Soon after, her parents decided to come here as well, leaving their hometown of Sault Ste. Marie behind. Ten years later, Lisa, who had been managing a hair salon in Toronto, decided to move north as well.
Today, Gina, Lisa and Lisa's husband all work full-time at the restaurant. Carla continues to live and work with her husband in Toronto, but helps with marketing and website development.
"We love it here," says Gina. "What I like is it reminds me of home; I love the small-town feel. And it's central to Toronto and to the Soo. It's a great place to live and it's a great place to have a restaurant."
For more information on Tre Sorelle, which is open six days a week (closed Sundays), visit www.tresorelleorillia.com.


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Click here to order the May 2015 issue in which this article appeared.
On April 8, we unveiled the 2015 Direct Selling News Global 100 list. We were privileged to have several hundred of you in attendance to celebrate with us at the Global 100 banquet in Dallas, and many thousands more followed along online or on social media.
This year marks the sixth year for the Global 100 project, and each year it has gotten bigger and better. As we embark on the research, we strive to identify the largest companies embracing direct sales as an incredible channel of distribution that effectively brings unique, high-quality products and services to the marketplace while also giving people from all walks of life access to a path to entrepreneurship. The list has become a benchmark for the direct selling community and inclusion on it a point of much-deserved pride.
As you know, many of the key players in our community are privately held, and we poke, prod and cajole their executives into sharing financial details about their companies in an effort to bring more transparency about the success of direct selling to the world. Thanks in part to their shared vision, we are able to say with confidence that the 100 largest direct selling companies had combined sales of nearly $82 billion in 2014 doing business in more than 100 countries.
Our June issue will be dedicated to coverage of the list, with profiles of each company and in-depth analysis of the results. Expect to see a number of dramatic growth stories, including a $400 million increase in net sales by our Bravo Growth Award winner Mary Kay. You’ll also learn more about our Bravo Leadership Award honoree, Ambit Energy CEO Jere Thompson Jr., who has led that company to the No. 12 spot on the Global 100 with $1.5 billion in net sales in 2014, up $300 million from 2013, in just a few years. In all, 13 companies joined the $100 million growth club in 2014, each one an impressive achievement.
This year, we are excited to introduce a new component to the project: The North America 50. As its name implies, the North America 50 is a subset of the Global 100, and our June issue will feature both lists. The companies on the North America 50 are the most significant players in one of the world’s largest direct selling markets, and we were honored to have more than two-thirds of them attend the banquet. The North America 50 ranking is based on the global revenue of North American-based companies.
|Global 100 Keynote Speaker Jere Thompson Jr., Co-Founder and CEO of Ambit Energy|
As always, we owe a great deal of thanks to our Global 100 sponsors, whose generous financial support makes the annual banquet possible: platinum table sponsors ACN, Amway and Mannatech; gold table sponsors Ambit Energy, Isagenix, It Works!, Nerium, Nu Skin, Rodan + Fields and Stream Energy; and silver table sponsors Immunotec, Mary Kay, PartyLite, Plexus Worldwide, Scentsy, WorldVentures and Zurvita. If you would like information about how your company can become involved in the Global 100 project, please let me know. We would love to include your information in our research outreach for next year’s list, and executives from every direct selling company are invited to attend the banquet.
Even as they were gearing up for the Global 100 festivities, the Direct Selling News staff was hard at work crafting the material for this edition of the magazine. Inside, you’ll find great insights on how companies and their independent consultants are bringing a contemporary approach to traditional selling parties, how Team Beachbody has surpassed its direct response sibling, what Princess House is doing to make the world a better place and who is behind the social media magic that’s driving growth at Younique. Each story includes specific lessons that can be applied to any direct selling company. I especially like this gem from Princess House President and CEO Connie Tang: “Any changes we make—whether it’s to the compensation plan, the products, anything—still need to carry our values. Those can be shared cross-generationally. Millennials may express themselves different, but the values are the same.” Great advice for any company looking to join the Global 100 or move up the ranks.
It’s been a little more than a year since I joined the DSN team, and I continue to enjoy learning more about the wide variety of companies choosing direct selling. The innovation and success happening throughout the channel is exciting, and we appreciate the opportunity to share those stories. I hope to see many of you later this month in San Antonio at the Direct Selling Association’s annual meeting. Be sure to stop by our booth and say hello. It’s also a great time to make sure that everyone on your team who could benefit from a subscription to Direct Selling News is receiving one. Our team will take good care of you, and I look forward to the opportunity to connect in person!
All the best,
Lauren Lawley Head


text: Apple can look forward to a record breaking March quarter, thanks to surging iPhone sales. Between January and March 2015, the company sold 61.2 million units, an increase of 40 percent compared to the same period last year. By contrast, iPad sales continue to slump, decreasing 23 percent compared to last year. This means Apple’s tablet sales have now declined for the fifth consecutive quarter. Still, given that the company raked in $13.6 billion in profit, it should be able to handle flagging iPad sales, as long as the iPhone continues to sell well.


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|Home page Technology|
Yet another Facebook data leak sees 267 million profiles on sale.
Axar.az reports citing foreign media that Facebook has apparently once again been hit by a major data breach after the personal details of over 267 million profiles were found for sale online.
The hoard, which included private details such as names, email addresses, Facebook IDs, dates of birth and phone numbers, was being sold on the dark web for just £500 ($623).
Although the stolen data does not contain passwords, the information available in the database could be used by the threat actors to run email or SMS based phishing campaigns to steal passwords.
2020.04.21 / 18:32


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NEW YORK (Oct. 21, 2015) — YouTube peeled back the curtain on a paid version of the video site that doesn’t have any ads.
The site, owned by Google, introduced “YouTube Red,” a new subscription option that costs $10 a month and launches on October 28.
But you won’t lose access to the existing free version of YouTube. Red is a supplement.
Robert Kyncl, the company’s chief business officer, called it the “ultimate YouTube experience.”
Kyncl said “consumers are embracing paid subscriptions for ad-free content at an incredible pace.”
There are a few main benefits for subscribers: No ads, the ability to save videos for offline viewing, and access to YouTube and Google’s music streaming services.
There’s also an initial launch slate of 10 web shows that will only be available to paying subscribers.
“We have a lot more shows set to launch in 2016,” global head of original programming Susanne Daniels said on-stage at the press event.
With her remarks about investments in “landmark content,” she seemed to be inviting comparisons to Netflix and other subscription-based sites.
Subscriptions are a priority for YouTube because right now almost all of its revenues come from advertising. It is seeking to diversify its revenue streams by adding subscriptions, just as other major media companies have done.
The site’s executives have been exploring various subscription schemes for years.
Last fall YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said, “There’s going to be a point where people don’t want to see the ads.”
Earlier this year the company honed in on this idea and reached out to high-profile video makers for help.
An April letter previewed plans for “an ad-free version of YouTube for a monthly fee.”
The letter asked creators to sign up and said it would “generate a previously untapped, additional source of revenue for you.”
In essence, YouTube users who want to avoid ads will be able to “opt out” and pay a fee instead.
Hulu, which is mainly known for hosting full-length TV episodes, recently introduced a $12-a-month ad-free option.
Netflix and Amazon’s streaming services have never had ads.


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European PVC defies global uptrend
Import PVC prices emerge higher from the US
Production issues in Brazil attracted more PVC cargoes to its domestic market from the US, where supply concerns will already arise as Westlake and Formosa Plastics will conduct planned maintenances at their PVC plants during June-July. Accordingly, feeling free from stock pressure, US PVC suppliers revealed higher PVC offers to Italy .
Europe’s export quotas down
Production issues in Brazil not only diverted PVC cargoes from the US, but also from Europe to Brazil. European PVC suppliers’ quotas to its major export market, Turkey and other export destinations have been consequently trimmed based on their boosted sales to Brazil.
Asian PVC markets driven up on supply issues
Global PVC tightness has supported prices across Asia, defying lower ethylene prices and the softer trend in other polymer markets.
According to traders, a major Taiwanese producer announced its July PVC prices to China and India with increases of $40/ton from June, with other PVC suppliers following suit across the region.
Local PVC market bucks the trend as July expectations remain softer in Europe
Considering ebbing demand ahead of the long summer holidays in Europe as well as lower upstream costs, July expectations are voiced on a softer note despite globally firming PVC trend.
Demand from the construction sector remained below expectations, meanwhile.
Upstream, lower naphtha and spot ethylene prices triggered decrease expectations for July ethylene contracts. According to ChemOrbis Price Wizard, spot ethylene prices fell by around €85/tonon average since the beginning of the month.
A buyer opined, “July ethylene contracts may see drops of up to €80/ton due to upstream losses.”
Meanwhile, players reported that PVC suppliers may not concede to the 50% of the monomer outcome for July given their margin recovery targets.
More free plastics newsPlastic resin (PP, LDPE, LLDPE ,HDPE, PVC, GPS; HIPS, PET, ABS) prices, polymer market trends, and more...
- Softer expectations take hold of Europe’s PE market for November
- Asia PS, ABS markets under pressure from multi-year low styrene
- US PE exports to continue to dominate Q4 market outlook
- Taiwanese major sells out Nov PVC quota to India ahead of Diwali
- Will Asian spot ethylene markets pull back from 10-year lows?
- October hikes prove short-lived in Europe’s PP market
- Firming PE trend stumbles, medium-term expectations stifled in Turkey
- PET prices fail to rebound from near 3-year low in Asia, Europe
- African PP, PE markets start Q4 in limbo amid varying pricing policies
- Will Taiwanese major roll over November PVC offers?


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Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg
November 2014 is the first month Microsoft's next-gen console has beaten the PS4 in the United States since November 2013, according to NPD Group data.
It proved a successful month on several fronts for Microsoft's gaming wing, with Xbox Live having its biggest month in history, with more fans using the service on both the Xbox One and 360 in the company's history.
Microsoft also saw more Xbox One games sold in the US than the PS4 or Wii U for November 2014.
And senior marketing director Aaron Greenberg has revealed his hopes that the Xbox One can continue its strong showing in to 2015, a year that he has billed as a big year for gamers.
After being congratulated over the recently released NPD data on Twitter, Greenberg replied: "Thank you, we are just getting started!
Before commenting on 2015: "Very big year ahead for gamers.
"We have surprises planned too."


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A psychologist-slash-magician in Canada comes very close to revealing the secret behind a particular card trick in a new paper in the journal Consciousness and Cognition but then doesn’t, exactly. Still, the finding itself is pretty interesting, in that it reminds us that a lot of the decisions we think we’re making of our own volition are in fact influenced by environmental factors we don’t even consciously notice.
The lead author, is studying psychology at McGill University, and he also happens to be a professional magician. He asked 119 strangers on the streets of Vancouver to stop and “pick a card, any card” as he quickly flipped through a deck at their eye level. The entire shuffle took about half a second, but Olson intentionally lingered on one card for a beat longer than the rest — though he doesn’t share how he managed to get participants to unconsciously choose that one card. And choose it they did — 98 percent of them picked the intended card, though only 9 percent correctly suspected the reason why (some guessed, for example, that they’d chosen the 10 of hearts because of its bright red color; others said they picked their card for no particular reason at all). The trick closes with Olson asking them to hold the card box in their hands and then flipping it over, to reveal that “10 of hearts” — the card they chose — is printed on the bottom.
Olson writes in his paper that borrowing from standard magician card tricks could provide psychologists with a new way to study free will and how our environments influence our decisions. (We’ve covered that subject before — for instance, the seat you choose in a restaurant may be influencing what you order.) The university made a little video to accompany the study so you can watch the trick in action:


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- Facebook, in an internal data analysis published on its IQ page, found 79% of women and 75% of men favor brands that promote gender positivity in their messaging.
- The research said that U.S. consumers overall felt 8% to 10% more positively toward brands promoting gender-positive messaging, and that the tactic also created greater loyalty with 48% of men and women. Fifty-one percent of women reported preferring to shop from those brands and 45% of men said the same.
- Facebook offered actionable takeaways for marketers, including: sharing gender-positive imagery; thinking about how brands can support women, with the #FearlessGirl campaign from State Street and McCann Erickson as a standout example; encouraging companies to add women to their staff; and focusing on avoiding sexual stereotypes to instead portray people as multifaceted.
Diversity has become a more pressing topic in the industry in recent years, with growing calls to end gender bias at award shows and findings from leading trade groups like 4A's underscoring just how homogenized marketing is both in its work culture and consumer-facing strategies. The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority this summer banned gender stereotypes in advertising, and Facebook's study outlines how focusing on positive messaging instead won't just earn brands a pat on the back from progressives — it will actually drive business results.
It's a strategy that's been enacted by big-name brands like Carl's Jr./Hardees, infamous for its 'bikini babes' advertising, which earlier this year pivoted focus to more socially-conscious ads. The challenge for brands, as the study highlighted, is crafting messaging that isn't just lip service but feels authentic — an issue that's usually solved by simply hiring a more diverse workforce that can bring relevant perspective.
Even though gender-positive messaging can be a winning tactic, marketers must be careful to not come off as tone deaf. A body wash packaging play by Dove from May, part of its long-running and otherwise successful "Real Beauty" campaign, was met with widespread derision for drawing unflattering comparisons to women's figures.


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Mixing technical and political evangelism, the annual Telecosm conference, sponsored by George Gilder and his libertarian friends from Forbes magazine, is one of the highest-powered gatherings of technology experts in the nation.
But at last week's conference, held at Lake Tahoe, Calif., the most provocative moment came not on the ballroom stage but when Paul E. Jacobs, a top executive for Qualcomm Inc., conducted a private, late-night demonstration of his company's latest creation: a digital wireless phone fully integrated with a Palm Pilot hand-held computer.
Mr. Jacobs, who runs Qualcomm's consumer products group, was willing to show off the new unit because it will be formally introduced today -- although it will not be widely available until next year. If the new Qualcomm product, called the pdQ, lives up to Mr. Jacobs's demonstration, it could become the most popular item among the techno-elite since the Palm Pilot itself.
But the potential importance of the pdQ goes beyond novelty. Digital experts these days are betting that the ultimate challenge to Microsoft's desktop dominance will not come at the desktop, but from mobile devices that blur the line between computing and communications. The pdQ could be the first to fulfill that vision.
The potential pdQ applications range from E-mail messages that will automatically dial a phone number to wireless stock trading over the Internet.
The pdQ is smaller, lighter and easier to use than the Nokia 9000 Communicator, the first integrated phone and hand-held computer. In the next week Qualcomm intends to distribute programming tools to help the thousands of enthusiastic Palm developers come up with new applications to take advantage of the integration of wireless communications features into the traditional Palm Pilot. SETH SCHIESELContinue reading the main story