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Vogue, Vice put editorial collaboration on hold
Vogue and Vice are indefinitely delaying their editorial collaboration.
Sources suggested the decision was led by Vogue, although Vogue and Vice announced the decision in a joint statement that read: “Both Vogue and Vice are committed to creating the most relevant, innovative content experiences for audiences, and at this time, have mutually decided to delay their content collaboration.”
The partnership was announced in October and widely covered, with most of the press focusing on the opposite nature of the partners, Vogue representing airbrushed sophistication and Vice bringing its gritty reportage. The resulting content was supposed to run on a new site over a 100-day period, with Condé Nast taking the lead on the advertising. Vogue touted the partnership in its high-profile March issue.
But then Vice found itself at the center of a huge workplace harassment scandal that The New York Times exposed in late December. Vogue has had its share of negative attention for its own part because of its association with famous fashion photographers that have been accused of harassing models. Launch sponsors including Gap pulled their support and redirected their spending to other brands at Condé Nast, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.
Earlier in February, the publishers said they were still committed to the project and that it would launch at the end of the month. At the time, Vogue provided a statement that read: “Vogue feels optimistic about Vice’s significant commitments to a respectful, inclusive and equal workplace and are encouraged by the collaborative efforts their editorial team has shown during the past several months. We look forward to sharing the content we’ve created together in the coming weeks.”
Today, however, they said otherwise.
The publishers didn’t give an end date for the delay, which leaves room for the possibility that the partnership might never be fulfilled.
Existing staffers and contributors were working on the collaboration, so no layoffs are expected.
Creator platforms emerge as a front in misinformation battles
As individual creators play bigger roles in media, the platforms that support their businesses will reckon with the dawning disinformation age.
L’Oréal eyes at-home tech market to accelerate its DTC plan
L’Oréal will launch two at-home beauty technologies in 2021. Normally, the tech incubator team launches one product a year.
‘Convince the gatekeepers’: How The Week Jr. is growing its U.S. subscriber base
Thanks to one of the most intense news cycles on record, The Week Jr. grew by telling stories in a manner that parents can't do on their own.
SponsoredThe evolution of shoppable content lies in social media streams
With the physical and social aspects of shopping stripped away due to various lockdown restrictions around the globe, shoppable social media is poised to fill the void. In a recent example, Instagram launched its Reels and Shop tab for users to connect with brands and creators — and to discover products. The social media platform will […]
“Covid was a huge catalyst”: Brands look to maintain improvements in returns process
A report by PwC found that 53% of consumers said return policies impacted where they choose to shop.
With many employees wary, company leaders prepare their return-to-office coronavirus vaccine policies
Employee skepticism around vaccines remains, despite reassurances by company leaders that they will offer a safe workplace.


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Take a guess at how many people actually fail to turn off their gadgets during takeoff and landing of a flight. Ten percent? No, that’s too low. Twenty percent? Still too low.
In a study released on Thursday by two industry groups, the Airline Passenger Experience Association and the Consumer Electronics Association, as many as 30 percent of all passengers said they had accidentally left a device on during takeoff or landing. About 67 percent said they had never done this, always ensuring that their electronics were turned off. Four percent were unsure.
In another segment of the study, passengers were asked if they turn their devices to “off” when instructed to do so by the pilot. Although 59 percent of passengers said they do fully turn their electronics off, 21 percent said they often simply switch to “airplane mode,” which disables the main radios of a gadget. Five percent sometimes adhere to the rule. And others were either unsure or do not carry electronic devices on a plane.
The device most often left on is the smartphone, the study found.
The Federal Aviation Administration did not respond to a request for comment about the study.
“Airline passengers have come to rely on their smartphones, tablets and e-Readers as essential travel companions,” said Doug Johnson, vice president of technology policy at the C.E.A., in the study.
Last year, after months of pressure, the F.A.A. said it would begin a review of its policies on electronic devices in all phases of flight. But the agency does not have a time frame for announcing its findings or for possibly changing the rules.
On Thursday, Senator Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, sat down with Anthony R. Foxx, the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., who has been nominated to be the next secretary of transportation, to discuss changing the F.A.A’s rule.
Senator McCaskill has been pressing the F.A.A. to reconsider the policy and has threatened to do it legislatively if the agency does not change the rules in a timely manner.
Late last year, Senator McCaskill also sent a letter to Michael P. Huerta, acting administrator of the F.A.A., that said airline customers were “growing increasingly skeptical of prohibitions on the use of many electronic devices during the full duration of a flight.”
John LaBombard, a spokesman for the senator, said in an e-mail on Thursday that her office planned to make the prohibition of gadgets on planes a topic during Mr. Foxx’s upcoming confirmation hearing.
The study published by the A.P.E.A. and C.E.A. found that four out of 10 passengers would like to use their devices during all phases of flight, including takeoff and landing.
As I reported in 2011, travelers are told to turn off their iPads and Kindles for takeoff and landing, yet there is no proof that these devices affect a plane’s avionics. To add to the confusion, the F.A.A. permits passengers to use electric razors and audio recorders during all phases of flight, even though those give off more electronic emissions than tablets.

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Since its inception in 2009, Uber has developed into a technological juggernaut disrupting the traditional taxi business in more than 600 cities across world.
Uber, described as ride-sharing platform as opposed to a taxi operator, has managed to unlock the power of technology to solve a solution faced in everyday life.
Through its mobile platform, consumers are able to submit a trip request which will then be forwarded to a database of available crowd-sourced taxi drivers.
However, despite its virtually unrivaled kingship, Uber has become the subject of controversy in as many cities as it operates in. From numerous protests held by traditional taxi drivers blaming Uber for their loss of business to regulatory controversies in relation to the manner in which the company is structured, thereby affording it significantly lower labour costs than its traditional competitors. Included are tax agents, including Kenya Revenue Authority, that have also demanded their dues.
These challenges and controversies have not only hit the company’s bottom line, but have had a direct impact on the executive management, leading to a number of high profile departures from the Company. Only recently, the CEO and Founder of Uber had to step down. Truly, the road to the top is never an easy one.
Following the recent change in executive management, Uber had an opportunity to reinvent its image. These plans, however, seem to have been thwarted by Transport for London’s (TfL), the London transport regulator, recent decision to not renew Uber’s licence to operate in London.
While London is not the only city to deny Uber the right to operate – indeed it joins the ranks of New Delhi, Mumbai and Cape Town – the loss of support in such a major market is bound to have a profound effect on Uber.
While not venturing into the specifics of TfL’s rational behind not renewing Uber’s licence to operate, we must note that this is clearly a show of regulatory power that few regulatory authorities can match. It is no secret that multinational companies, relying on their intensive resources, are rarely known to bow down to the whims of “mere” regulatory bodies.
This is all too true in Kenya where Uber drivers have held numerous protests over the past two years – a resounding cry for help so to speak. This, however, has been met by lack of action not only from regulatory bodies involved, but from the legislature as well.
True, Uber, as an entity offering a service that brings efficiency, flexibility and affordability into the taxi industry, is to be welcome. Not only does Uber enable driver-partners, it also brings much needed competition to the taxi industry. However, we should not be blinded by the benefits and fail to protect our own. At the end of the day, charity begins at home


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When it comes to smartphone game development, it's Apple's iOS that leads developer adoption, according to the second annual Game Developers Conference
State of the Industry survey, conducted last month.
Ninety percent of over 1700 North American smartphone game developers polled said they're currently making games for iOS. That edges out Google's Android platform, for which 80 percent of respondents are currently making games. Those figures are virtually flat compared to last year.
While iOS and Android clearly dominate the category, smartphone game developers are also currently making games for Windows Phone (21 percent), BlackBerry (5 percent) and PlayStation Mobile (5 percent).
Among the more than 2600 game developers polled across all platforms in total, smartphone/tablet platforms were the second-most popular when it comes to games currently in development, narrowly beat out by the PC/Mac category
Second screen development
One of the rising trends in game development is allowing the ability for customers to play and access one game through a variety of devices. That might mean a second-screen experience such as a companion app, or a Universal app that works on iPad and iPhone.
Forty-eight percent of the 2600 developers polled said they plan on making their game playable or accessible across multiple devices. Seventy-six percent of the people who are implementing cross-device compatibility said they would do it via a cross-buy/Universal app. Twenty-four percent are implementing second-screen compatibility, such as a companion app.
We'll have a few more interesting data points from the GDC State of the Industry Survey in the coming days. GDC will take place at the Moscone Convention Center
in San Francisco, California during March 17-21, 2014.
Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech


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Unveiled in concept form at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year, a forum member at Temple of Vtec became an amateur spy photographer when he snapped several photos of what appears to be the production version of the 2011 (or possibly 2012) Honda Odyssey. The pictures were taken on the 1010 Freeway in Woodland Hills, CA.
Like the concept, this model has the same general style as the previous generation (current generation) Odyssey. Honda has used plenty of subtle camo, but the larger front grille is obvious and the black paneling on the side is being used to cover the new rear window design as shown on the concept (below). The production model also promises to be lower and wider than the current model, giving increased room and improving handling.
During Honda’s press conference at the Chicago Auto Show, a company representative confirmed that the 2011 model will get improved fuel economy of 19-mpg city and 28-mpg highway, which should help the Odyssey maintain retain its segment-best fuel economy rating.
See the link below for more spy photos at Temple of Vtec.
GALLERY: Honda Odyssey Concept


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The good folks over at Ford are back, bringing an intimidating new look to the new Ford Ranger. Ford is bringing back a black appearance package, offering a series of updates for the new Ford Ranger. The new kit provides key elements of the Ranger done up with a blacked-out finish, which joins the Chrome and Sport Appearance packages.
The Black package includes a new black grille, body-color bumpers, high-gloss black wheels, black running boards, a black spray-in bed liner, black fender vent surrounds, black mirrors, black sill plates, a black bash plate for the FX4 trim, and a black lower valance. The package adds an intimidating appeal, offering a stunning way to dress up your new Ranger.
Take a look at the black appearance package in the image up top and speak your thoughts on it after the jump. Head over to Ford to find out more about the new black appearance package and look for it this Summer.


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Longines has presented its new Record collection in Beijing. Embodying the essence of the Maison’s expertise, these self-winding models combine performance with timeless design. Behind each model lies a movement certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute.
Since its first cooperative endeavour with Wallpaper magazine several years ago, Maurice Lacroix has regularly entrusted the mission of reinterpreting its Pontos model to well-recognised designers. This year, Jean Nouvel and Oki Sato took up the challenge of revisiting the Ponto Day Date version of this model.
Swiss watches enjoy an unrivalled worldwide reputation.
The Swiss watch industry has decided to strengthen the criteria of the Swiss made label.
Buying or selling counterfeit products undermines know-how, finances organised crime, and threatens jobs and innovation.


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December is a month filled with family, holiday parties and eating—lots of it. If you didn’t partake in National Cookie Day last week (the official day of observance was Tuesday, Dec. 4), there’s no need to cry into your glass of milk: SoDel Concepts is taking their love for desserts to a whole new level by offering decadent varieties at all 10 of their restaurants for the entire month of December.
The promotion is meant to showcase the skills of Dru Tevis, the company’s new corporate pastry chef. “These incredible desserts demonstrate—in a very delicious way—that we are taking our dessert program to the next level,” says Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts.
Gingerbread cream pie with a brown butter-oat crust, caramel-cinnamon whip and pumpkin bread is one of the desserts featured during dessert month at Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar in Rehoboth Beach.// photo courtesy of SoDel Concepts
Tevis is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York (now the International Culinary Center) and kicked off the promotion with cookie plates designed for each restaurant. The restaurants’ chefs contributed recipes, and in some cases, they made most if not all the cookies at their establishment.
No two plates are alike. At Catch 54 in Fenwick Island, the plate includes strawberry brownie bites, thumbprint cookies, gingersnap cream pie with bourbon buttercream and caramel nut bars. Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach is selling persimmon empire biscuits, hazelnut baci cookies, tiramisu chocolate truffles and gianduja-walnut brownies.
The restaurants will introduce new dessert specials each week but will run the cookie plate option all month. Check the restaurants’ Facebook pages for details.
For information about SoDel Concepts, visit sodelconcepts.com.


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KARACHI: GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Pakistan Ltd has suspended the manufacturing of Panadol, saying it has become unsustainable to produce the over-the-counter medicine on negative margins.
In a regulatory filing to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday, the pharmaceutical company said it’s “forced to declare” force majeure — a condition in contracts that frees all parties from liability in an extraordinary event — with respect to the production of Panadol tablets, Panadol Extra tablets and children’s Panadol liquid range.
These products are based on paracetamol, a generic drug for reducing pain and fever. There’s been a shortage of Panadol products in the local market with increased demand amid a rising number of dengue and malaria cases.
Editorial: Panadol shortage
“Despite exhaustive efforts of the company to mitigate this matter through dialogue, the situation is now beyond our control,” it said, adding that it has repeatedly appealed to the federal government to approve the “adjustments to the selling price” of the Panadol range of products amid an “extraordinary and rapid” increase in the cost of raw material.
Speaking to Dawn, Topline Securities Deputy Head of Research Sunny Kumar said GlaxoSmithKline buys a “major chunk” of paracetamol, which is the raw material for Panadol products, from PSX-listed Citi Pharma Ltd while importing the rest from foreign countries.
“The raw material that Citi Pharma imports to make paracetamol has also become expensive. It’s a global phenomenon,” he said.
Mr Kumar said the pharmaceutical company isn’t at fault. “At the same time, it’s understandable that the government is under pressure to give the public some relief by withholding drug price increases. The only solution is to increase the prices to a level that justifies production on a sustainable basis,” he said.
The company obtained the price increase approval in the Drug Pricing Committee (DPC) of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) on Jan 12. Subsequently, the DPC recommended that the federal cabinet approve the same increase. However, the cabinet rejected the proposed increase “after a prolonged delay… without any intimation of reason(s) given to the company”.
Although the pharmaceutical firm received a routine Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) adjustment for 2022 from Drap on Aug 25, the same is “not commensurate with the debilitating increase in the prices of the raw material of paracetamol”.
Under the prevailing drug pricing policy, pharmaceutical companies are allowed to increase prices in line with the CPI unless the measure of headline inflation is in double digits. In that case, the increase can’t be more than seven per cent for lifesaving drugs and 10pc for other medicines.
In a letter to the principal secretary to the prime minister, the company urged the federal government to take urgent action and rationalise the prices of the Panadol range in line with the recommendations by the DPC of Drap.
Meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline told investors on Friday it recorded a net loss of Rs345.2 million in the July-September quarter as opposed to a net profit of Rs363.9m in the comparable period a year ago.
Published in Dawn, October 22th, 2022


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June 16, 2023
With many western sneaker brands reducing orders, the Taiwanese footwear and sporting goods manufacturer’s net income attributable to shareholders dropped 64% to TWD 749.4 million ($24.4 mm) in the first quarter from TWD 2,073.0 million, on 13% lower revenues of TWD 19,502.8 million ($634.0 mm) down from TWD 22,395.0 million.
Avoli is a new, women’s and girl’s volleyball brand being launched by Nike and Under Armour veteran, Rick Anguilla and former Lululemon VP, Mark Oleson.
Zamberlan hired Bob Whip as U.S. general manager for the 94-year-old Italian rugged footwear manufacturer, succeeding Phil Benson, who is departing after 15 years to join a private equity company.
Following Rockport’s Ch. 11 filing earlier this week, Stella International, its largest supplier, confirmed that it was owed about $24 million for footwear already shipped to the company.
Mad Dogg Athletics has appealed the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s ruling that invalidated several claims in a pair of Mad Dogg’s exercise bike patents, in a dispute with rival Peloton.


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Live2Lead: Gainesville features one of the most sought after business speakers, Patrick Lencioni – author of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”September 28th, 2015 by gainesvillechamber
Live2Lead: Gainesville will take place Oct. 9 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Paramount Plaza
“The groundwork of all happiness, is good health” – Leigh Hunt
At the beginning of every year, people all over the world have thoughts and dreams of becoming healthier individuals. They put away all indulgences, make plans to adhere to strict exercise routines and eat well. Although some fall to the wayside, those who put their health first reap great dividends. Intrinsically, we know that our health is a crucial component to living longer lives, performing our best and reaching our goals. How then, do leaders neglect to make the evaluation of their company’s health central to their assessment of success?
On Oct. 9, Live2Lead: Gainesville, in partnership with the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, will delve into strategies to increase organizational health with Patrick Lencioni. Live2Lead: Gainesville will live simulcast Lencioni, the most sought after business speaker according to the Wall Street Journal, along with John C. Maxwell, Valorie Burton and Kevin Turner who will take to the stage in Duluth, GA. The event will begin promptly at 8:30 am at the Paramount Plaza located at 2900 SW 13th St.
“Of course I want to be number one, but being happy and healthy is the most important thing.” – Venus Williams
Addressing the model in his latest book “The Advantage”, Patrick Lencioni makes an overwhelming case that organizational health “will surpass all other disciplines in business as the greatest opportunity for improvement and competitive advantage.”
Lencioni is the CEO and founder of The Table Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations become healthier and more effective by providing a host of products and tools to leaders who want to improve teamwork, clarity and morale within their companies. He has written 10 best-selling books, selling over four million copies. Lencioni is probably best known for authoring “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” which speaks to his key areas of focus: leadership, employee engagement, teamwork and organizational health.
“I am truly excited to bring this experience to Gainesville. I believe that every person at some point has been affected by an unhealthy organization; but it is not enough to know that something exists. Live2Lead provides a solution-focused platform to give ownership to all who attend to go out and intentionally build healthier organizations” says Keira Simmonds, owner of LYFEhouse and host of Live2Lead: Gainesville.
Come on out and hear from Patrick Lencioni. Bring a friend, invite your boss and lead Gainesville. A special thanks to event sponsors Business in the Heart of Florida, Opie Software and Livevotingapp.com.
Tickets are currently on sale and available for purchase at www.leadgnv.com.


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Quito, ECUADOR – Safety measures enacted due to the Cotopaxi volcano eruption have created confusion for travelers intent on visiting the world’s second highest active volcano. Cotopaxi National Park has been closed to visitors, but Tierra del Volcan, the region’s largest tour operator, is safe and open for business.
Tierra del Volcan operates Hacienda El Porvenir, one of the largest and oldest hotels in the region. Hacienda El Porvenir is in a declared ‘safe area’, and is protected by its location, high in surrounding hills. This unique location not only means the hotel is currently the closest open hotel to the Cotopaxi volcano, but also offers a world-class viewing experience.
Jorge Perez, owner of Tierra del Volcan, says they’re using the disruption as an opportunity to review all of their existing programs. “We are excited to announce a brand new roster of activities. We’re offering everything from volcano climbing, to mountain biking, horseback riding, cooking classes to craft workshops.”
Perez adds it’s exciting to look to the future. “There’s no question the last four weeks have been stressful for everyone. But we are resilient. We could have simply sat back and watched visitors slip away, but instead, we’re using this as a great opportunity. We are developing new activities, new options and new tourism packages that embrace all our region has to offer.”
Tierra del Volcan is safe and open for business. Perez adds “If you’ve ever thought about watching an active volcano from a completely safe area, we look forward to your visit. It’s truly a unique experience.”
Contributing members are responsible for the accuracy of content contributed to the Member News section of AdventureTravelNews.


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The Lt. Governor of Delhi VK Saxena has approved the proposal and notification will be issued within seven days.
At least 300 hotels, restaurants, eateries, online delivery services, shops for medicines and other essential commodities will be allowed to operate round the clock in Delhi. The Lt. Governor of Delhi VK Saxena has approved the proposal and notification will be issued within seven days.
“Starting next week, over 300 establishments ranging from hotels, restaurants, eateries to online delivery services of food, medicines, logistics and other essential commodities, transport and travel services, apart from KPOs and BPOs will be able to operate and carry on with their business on a 24X7 basis in the national capital,” a press note released by the LG office stated.
Sexena has termed the decision as a “Diwali Gift” to the residents, entrepreneurs and traders of Delhi. The decision, providing exemption under Sections 14, 15 and 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act, 1954, is expected to boost employment generation and promote a conducive business environment in Delhi. The decision will also provide fillip to the much-vaunted ‘night-life’ in the city.
Exemptions under Sections 14, 15 & 16 of the said Act enable commercial establishments to operate on a 24X7 basis, subject to certain conditions that entails welfare of labour and security etc.
LG also took a serious view of inordinate delay on part of the Delhi’s Labour Department in disposing of the applications made by various establishments for these exemptions.
“It may be noted that out of total 346 pending applications – 18 applications of 2016, 26 applications of 2017, 83 applications of 2018, 25 applications of 2019, 4 applications of 2020 and 74 applications of 2021 – had not been processed by the Labour Department on time. These applications were kept pending for no reason even as just two applications – one of 2017 and another of 2021 – were processed and sent for approval, in a display of unexplained discretion on part of the Labour Department, which strongly indicated prevalence of corrupt practices,” the LG alleged in the note.
The statement further said delay in routine applications negatively affects the confidence and sentiments of the business community. The LG also pointed out that it took repeated observations and persuasion from the LG Secretariat for the Labour Department to put in place a Digital Mechanism for receipt of applications.
The LG has strictly advised such applications must be disposed of within a prescribed timeline so that a positive, investor-friendly environment can be created in the national capital.


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T-Mobile customer with travel plans for Europe this summer? Thanks to the Uncarrier’s new “Summer Unleashed” promo, your trip will now include unlimited high-speed data at no extra cost.
This morning, T-Mobile announced that all Simple Choice customers get “unlimited high-speed data across all of Europe” (except in Andorra), with speeds up to 4G LTE levels. That means no massive roaming bills or never-ending hunts for WiFi hotspots. As T-Mobile puts it, if you are traveling throughout Europe, “your phone just works = exactly like it should.”
The promo kicks off July 1 and ends August 31, so if your travel plans include dates in that range, send a little “Thanks” over to T-Mo.
In semi-related news, as a part of this “Summer Unleashed” deal, T-Mobile announced that for this weekend, everyone who flies on a plane equipped with Gogo internet service, gets an hour of free each way. And that includes those on AT&T and Verizon as well. T-Mobile has been working closely with Gogo for some time, so this is yet another way for them to show non-T-Mobile customers the added benefits of being a T-Mo customer.
This deal kicks off Friday, June 24, and ends Sunday, June 26 at 11PM ET.


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Analysts Discuss Chrome OS Prospects
Pund-IT analyst Charles King said that tablets are currently a market with one vendor -- a situation that will change radically as we get closer to the holidays and into 2011. Indeed, several tablets based on Android are coming to the fore. The Dell Streak launches in the U.S. next month, and Google and Verizon are designing a tablet together.Of course, Chrome OS may well thrive on tablets as well, or any form factor that supports a consumer's need to boot up instantly and be online. Earlier this year, Google engineers posted pictures of a Chrome OS tablet prototype. Certainly Google hasn't been bashful about its desire to get its software paired with ads on as many Web-connected devices as possible. "From Google's perspective, it makes sense to be on as many devices as possible, no matter what the form factor," Epps added. IDC analyst Al Hilwa believes Google must perform a delicate balancing act, justifying to OEMs the value of offering tablets with two different OS'. "Google is unlikely to do anything to hurt the momentum of Android and they should indeed be careful not to create confusion with device makers on this," Hilwa said. "There is such a thing as too much choice when OEMs may hesitate to commit as they try to understand a product's positioning or differentiation." Google also doesn't want to confuse consumers. A Chrome OS tablet might cannibalize an Android tablet. Worse, two OS' may paralyze consumers into not buying either and send them for an iPad or Windows 7-based tablet instead. Hilwa said the consumer market may be headed toward storing everything centrally in the cloud, making multiple devices a necessity. "That is the where Chrome OS is going I believe," said Hilwa. "How that dovetails with the Android strategy of today is still to be worked out." Hilwa said one solution could be that Google makes Chrome OS an alternative personality for Android specific to those devices that intend to share information centrally and may be embedded as an optional feature in Android down the road. Pund-IT's King said Chrome OS' future looks bright: "Computer users and usage are becoming increasingly mobile and Internet-centric," King said. "If that's truly the case, then demand for Web-centric OSs like Chrome could grow over time.
Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab for later this year. HP and several of the vendors building Chrome OS netbooks are building Android tablets for the masses as well.


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(CBS/AP) CHENEY, Wash. - A man has been cleared of a theft charge after a jury in Washington state found him not guilty of stealing a 99-cent hot dog.
John Richardson got the sausage from the self-serve counter of a Cheney, Wash., grocery store in December. He ate it while he shopped but forgot to include it when he paid for his groceries.
Store managers confronted Richardson and called police.
It took jurors about five minutes to reach their verdict in the February trial. Juror Patrick Reeves tells The Spokesman-Review someone would "have to be an idiot" not to realize Richardson simply forgot to pay.
Prosecutor Julie McKay didn't buy that. She says Richardson refused a deal to pay a $200 civil penalty and have the charge dropped.
Store officials declined to comment.


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The U.S. is expected to put forth controversial proposals during the next round of North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. The U.S. will allegedly be putting forth proposals for what it calls “seasonal windows” when it comes to agriculture trading with Mexico and Canada.
The article says this type of a proposal would be a form of “managed trade” by establishing seasonal ag trade restrictions in North America. The president of the Mexican National Agriculture and Livestock Council offered an example of what that means. He says America wants to establish conditions saying that when Georgia produces strawberries, Mexico either won’t be able to export strawberries to the U.S. or would only be allowed to put the same amount of strawberries into the marketplace that Georgia has.
Ag trade hasn’t been limited by seasonal windows since 2008, when a period of 15 years of gradual reduction was established. Mexico’s general coordinator of International Affairs says the Mexican government and producers won’t even consider discussing the proposal.


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See the cars and trucks at the North American International Auto Show
By Current State • Jan 20, 2014
The North American International Auto Show is open to the public at Cobo Center in Detroit through Sunday. Here are just a few of the cars and trucks on display.
Hear Current State's coverage of the Detroit car show all this week.


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The South African avocado export forecast has been cut by some 2m cartons as the effects of Covid-19 on international markets becomes clearer.
South Africa is now expected to export around 16m cartons, as opposed to the 18m originally forecast.
“It is clear that with the closure of hotels, restaurants and other sectors of the hospitality business the demand for especially green skin avocados is reduced,” said Derek Donkin of the South African Subtropical Growers Association (Subtrop).
“It is also not easy to achieve normal supplies to the Baltic States and Southern Europe. Our marketing committee has therefore agreed that we should adjust the forecast.”
Donkin added that at this point sales were mainly focused on the retail sector.
Export programmes have been running fairly smoothly with good demand so far this year. However, with the main arrivals from Peru expected later this month, the mid-season period will see higher supply levels, Donkin said.
While normal activities regarding market access are restricted by disruption in air travel, there are some important discussions taking place within the industry.
Subtrop said planned inspection visits for Japanese officials would take place as soon as things return to normal, while negotiating access to the Indian market is also “very close”.
Access to both these countries will bring a new dimension to South Africa’s international avocado marketing activities.
Meanwhile, domestic are going well, but have also been affected by the closure of hospitality sectors.
“We believe that our avocados are marketed at attractive price levels and that is important to maintain momentum. It offers good value for money,” said Donkin.


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The mobile app market will see more growth over the next four years than it has since its inception eight years ago, according to new research from Ovum.
Additionally, more than three times as much revenue will be made between 2016 and 2020 than was generated between 2008 and 2015. However, app saturation and increasing user acquisition costs in mature markets, such as the US and Western Europe, will lead to a noticeable deceleration in download volumes through 2020.
- Global app revenue will more than double over the next four years. App revenue will increase over the period between 2015 and 2020 at a rate 2.2 times faster than it grew last year. The market is expected to grow to more than $79 billion by 2020, up from $36 billion in 2015.
- App download volumes will also increase, but at a slower pace. Global download volumes will grow 1.8 times over the same period reaching 378 billion downloads in 2020, up from 211 billion in 2015.
- Emerging markets will be key over the forecast period, driving the sharpest growth rate over the next five years in terms of both app downloads and revenue. In particular, as technology in markets catch up to developed countries, they will register a much greater growth rate in terms of revenue per app download. Nevertheless, mature markets will continue to capture the greatest share of app revenue through the forecast period.
Lastly, China’s quickly maturing app market, which accounts for more than half of all app downloads globally, will soon become of top-grossing market in terms of revenue. China’s massive mobile gaming industry as well as its growing middle class will help the country drive up app downloads and revenue.
App revenue will become increasingly important as hardware sales struggle in the coming years. The global smartphone market is expected to slow considerably over the next few years. Despite a record-setting holiday quarter, 2015 was likely the last year of double-digit growth for smartphone shipments.
Mature markets were at the heart of this year’s deceleration. Adoption has reached new highs in key markets in the United States, Europe, and China. The pool of first-time buyers in these countries is shrinking rapidly, and sales are now primarily coming from phone upgrades.
Meanwhile, emerging markets will continue to see robust shipment growth. India and Indonesia, in particular, will help fuel a large share of the shipments growth within the global smartphone market over the next few years.
Will McKitterick, senior research analyst at BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on smartphones by country that forecasts the market through 2021 to reflect slower, stabilizing growth in the long term.
Here are some key points from the report:
- The global smartphone market is still growing at a steady pace due to more widespread adoption in emerging markets. We estimate the global market will hit about 2.1 billion units shipped in 2021.
- Shipments growth over the past few years has been driven by the falling price of smartphones, which has made handsets more accessible in emerging markets. The average selling price of a smartphone in India nearly halved between 2010 and 2015.
- With relatively low smartphone penetration, we forecast Indian smartphone shipments to grow rapidly over the next five years. Nevertheless, India has a long way to go before it surpasses China as the world’s leading market for smart handsets. India is estimated to account for roughly 10% of the global smartphone market in 2016, considerably less than China’s 30% share.
- The global platform wars are over, even as smartphone adoption continues to rise across various markets worldwide. Android and iOS are estimated to account for 97.3% of global platform market share in 2015, compared to 96.3% last year.
- Apple closed the year with another strong quarter on the back of its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launches. Still, the vendor saw a slight decline in YoY growth of its share of the market in the face of stiff competition from Samsung and Chinese vendors such as Huawei.
In full, the report:
- Forecasts global smartphone shipments through 2021.
- Explores why India is the next high-growth smartphone market.
- Breaks down the global smartphone platform wars.
- Discusses smartphone vendor performance market share.
To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:
- Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the smartphone market.


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In its every increasing attempt to take over the video streaming industry Amazon has brokered a deal with A&E Networks. The new contract will bring popular shows from A&E, bio, History and the Lifetime Channels to Amazon’s popular streaming and 2-day-shipping service.
With the addition of A&E Networks Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service now offers more than 33,000 TV episodes, movies and documentaries.
Amazon Prime Instant Video costs just $79 per year and is available via PC, Kindle Fire HD, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and iOS devices.
Buyers of the service also receive free 2-day shipping on any items Amazon holds in its warehouses.
While Amazon has not revealed which shows will come to its service we expect to see the likes of Pawn Stars and Storage Wars among other scripted TV series, documentary and TV movies.
As Amazon continues to carve out its own space in an industry dominated by Netflix, the company managed in 2012 to pen a ton of new deals including multi-year contracts with NBCUniversal, MGM, and Epix.
Amazon Prime Instant Video is about to witness a new competitor emerge as Red Box jumps into the video streaming game. However, unlike its competitors RedBox plans to focus squarely on movies. The Red Box platform could draw immediate interest since the company is pairing its offer with 3 free RedBox rentals per month for the same cost of a Netflix or Amazon Prime Instant Video subscription.
With the video streaming sector heating up we are sure to hear about new offers in the coming months and those deals are likely to become increasingly lucrative — for content producers.


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At the Apple press event on Tuesday, Apple(AAPL) unveiled the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, with four-figure price tags, and even a cheaper iPhone. The models replaces iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.
As always, Apple played up the improvements on the camera system, the battery life, and the hardware improvements. On the outside, the iPhones don't look different than last years models.
When it comes to the camera system, the iPhone 11 pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max will have three cameras on the back of the phone. Yes, THREE!
As for the battery life, the iPhone 11 Pro will last four hours longer than the iPhone XS and the iPhone 11 Pro Max will last five hours longer than the iPhone XS Max. WOAH.
The iPhone 11 Pro will start at $999, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max will start at $1,099. Which is the same as Apple charged for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.
The new iPhones will be available for pre-order on Friday and go on sale in stores on September 20.
For more information: Apple


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Our clients often ask us what happens after a recall has been completed and what to expect from a visit from a regional CPSC inspector. We advise to be prepared to demonstrate what actions were taken regarding the Corrective Action Plan (CAP). The main purpose of the inspection appears to be to provide confirmation that
Some CPSC breaking news unrelated to the shutdown! Last Wednesday, President Trump renominated Ann Marie Buerkle, who has served as Acting Chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission since February 9, 2017, to serve as permanent Chairman of the Commission. The appointment is for a seven-year term beginning…
Earlier this month, the Consumer Product Safety Commission in tandem with the Department of Justice withdrew its “material misrepresentation” claim in its ongoing lawsuit against arts and crafts retailer Michaels Stores. The Government had alleged, inter alia, that Michaels made a material misrepresentation to the agency in its Section 15(b) Report for certain glass vases that shattered during normal handling. The Government’s withdrawal of this claim raises interesting questions as to what constitutes a “material misrepresentation” – in this case to the CPSC – and why the claim was withdrawn.
On March 30, 2017, Crowell & Moring’s Advertising & Product Risk Management Group hosted a webinar in which we discussed likely changes on the horizon at the Food & Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. We also discussed the relationship between these agencies and the Department of Justice,…
More than two months after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the automotive industry continues to face substantial uncertainty regarding the direction and priorities of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over the next few years. For now, we can only guess. The new Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, was confirmed January 31. She takes over a NHTSA that had been working hard to keep up with emerging technologies – while acting increasingly muscular in its fines and other punishments under the prior administration.
For some safety agencies, it is much easier to read the tea leaves under the new administration. For example, at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, for example, we know that there is a new Republican Acting Chair (Ann Marie Buerkle), and that the five commissioners will remain 3-2 in favor of Democrats until at least October 2017 when Democratic Commissioner Marietta Robinson’s term on the Commission expires. See prior article here. And, following Acting Chair Buerkle’s public remarks last month at the annual conference of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO), we know that her top three priorities include: (1) collaborating with all product safety stakeholders; (2) taking a balanced and reasonable approach to regulation; and (3) expanding product safety education and awareness for consumers. See prior article here.
Thursday, March 30, 2017 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Aggressive enforcement, massive recalls and proactive safety agendas left an indelible impression on the product safety world under the Obama administration. Product safety is no longer a bipartisan affair. But what will the Trump administration mean for your regulatory compliance programs? What changes will we see…
Historically, as administrations change at the safety agencies, new priorities and shifting judgments on risk-based hazard assessment drive regulatory burdens up or down. The effect of President Trump’s executive order requiring the repeal of two rules for every one promulgated is yet to be seen when it comes to rulemaking at consumer facing safety agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Food and Drug Administration, and Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The CPSC, as an independent agency, could take the position that the E.O. simply does not apply to them. The White House agrees. But the reality is that very few $100 million rules have been issued by the CPSC over the entire life of the agency. That is because its enabling statute favors voluntary industry standards over mandatory rules. Indeed, many of the CPSC rules affecting product performance have been mandated by Congress and could not be repealed by the agency absent an act of Congress. Still others may require some APA process before they can be legally repealed or changed.
Join Us for a Webinar – Thursday, March 30, 2017 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Aggressive enforcement, massive recalls and proactive safety agendas left an indelible impression on the product safety world under the Obama administration. Product safety is no longer a bipartisan affair. But what will the Trump administration mean for your regulatory compliance programs? What changes will we see and how will they affect your safety program?
Join us for a roundtable discussion of what the regulated community can expect under the new administration at the Food & Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Safety Administration. We’ll help you to forecast where policy shifts on by focusing on topical discussions of emerging products such as autonomous cars, drones, miniaturized cameras and e-cigarettes, and emerging issues including fire and lithium ion batteries, as well as hacking concerns on interconnected products.
This past Wednesday, in her first public remarks as Acting Chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Ann Marie Buerkle announced her top three priorities. As our readers know from our previous post, on February 9, then Commissioner Buerkle became Acting Chair of the CPSC after Commissioner Elliot Kaye stepped down as Chairman. Speaking to the annual conference of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO), Acting Chair Buerkle announced that her top three priorities include: (1) collaborating with all product safety stakeholders; (2) taking a balanced and reasonable approach to regulation; and (3) expanding product safety education and awareness for consumers.
The overarching theme of Chairman Buerkle’s remarks could not have been more clear: the core mission of product safety does not change with respect to who is in the White House—the focus needs to remain on safety, data, and science, and, to further that mission, all product safety stakeholders should remove their stereotypes of different groups within the community and work collaboratively and creatively to further a common goal.
To that end, Chairman Buerkle stated that she will continue to approach product safety as she has done since taking her seat on the Commission in 2013 in order to further the agency’s mission—she will strive for good governance, build relationships across the safety community, take advantage of available data and science, and rely upon the expertise available inside and outside of the Commission.
Acting Chair Buerkle’s top three priorities include:
Continue Reading CPSC Acting Chair Buerkle Announces Top Priorities at Product Safety Conference
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has a new Acting Chairwoman: Commissioner (and former Congresswoman) Ann Marie Buerkle. Although no formal announcement has been made, those within the agency have acknowledged that current Chairman Elliot Kaye relinquished the chairmanship yesterday. Commissioner Buerkle, one of the two Republican members of the Commission and Vice-Chair…


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Kyash, a would-be challenger bank in Japan, raises $14M
The new era of tech-enabled banks is coming, even in regulation-heavy Japan. Kyash, a fintech company with visions on becoming Japan’s first challenger bank, said today it has raised $14 million to continue its expansion.
To be clear, Kyash isn’t a bank. Yet. But it is currently applying for a host of licenses in Japan that could allow it to offer banking-style features, including checking accounts, ATM withdrawals and money remittance. Right now, it is a payment app that offers a connected Visa card in the style of Monzo, N26, Revolut (which has a Japan license) and others of that ilk.
The startup was founded in 2015 by Shinichi Takatori, a former banker and management consultant who saw the potential to merge tech and finance.
“I really noticed that information and communication has become ubiquitous but money itself hasn’t changed for a long time,” Takatori told TechCrunch in an interview.
The company took some time — two years — before it released a consumer product, but it quickly tied up with Visa to offer a prepaid debit card that connects to the Kyash app. That provides benefits like instant payment notifications, clear balance and lower fees for overseas spending, while
This post was originally published on this site


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Word on the street is that teenagers and young adults are turning away from Facebook and YouTube in favour of the ‘next best thing’, but the latest statistics suggest otherwise.
New Roy Morgan research shows that the two social media platforms are the most used by Australians aged 14 to 24.
For September, the poll found that 76% of Australians in this age bracket visited Facebook in an average week, and 70% accessed YouTube.
These figures were still behind the consumption of free to air television, with 90% in this age group watching it in September.
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Next in line in the social media rankings was Google+, used by 26% of respondents. This was equalled by Twitter at 26%, while just 5% used professional networking site LinkedIn.
Art posting site Pinterest is new to the Roy Morgan research. It tracked at 8% for September.
Photosharing site Instagram was also recently added to the survey, but the statistics were not revealed due to the short-term gathering of results. Usage of new photography sensation SnapChat was not recorded in the survey.
Roy Morgan Research digital director Tim Martin said the results show the effect of combining both social media and television marketing to reach mass audiences.
“Australia’s media landscape has undergone some major changes in the past decade, and continues to evolve at a dizzying rate,” he said.
“While social media has great resonance with teenagers and young adults, their viewing of free to air hasn’t declined as a result.”
Martin explained to SmartCompany that they expected to see a decline in television viewing as social media use rises, but this was not the case. He said it was also expected that the use of the dominant sites such as Facebook and YouTube would decline as more social media options are adopted, but this was also not true.
Rather, young Australians appear to be adding more social networks to their daily usage, instead of replacing one with another, as they each have different qualities to offer.
The trick for businesses hoping to market goods and services to the teen and early adult market is to adopt a multi-dimensional, cross platform approach.
“Marketing and media in the digital space come with unique challenges but offer huge potential. Understanding the demographics, attitudes and behaviours of consumers visiting different kinds of websites and social media platforms is vital,” Martin said.
David Waller, senior lecturer in the School of Marketing at University of Technology, Sydney, says the statistics demonstrate the further fragmentation of marketing avenues, and an increase in the challenges faced by businesses when it comes to reaching their desired audience for advertising.
“In the old days you’d advertise in Smash Hits magazine and reach all the teenagers and tie it all together,” he says.
He says while brands need a presence across all the platforms, if consumers feel bombarded by advertising on sites they reserve for socialising, they simply switch off.
“Advertisers need to be media smart and find ways to make people aware of their brands, but not be annoyed by them,” he says.
Waller also highlights the multi-tasking nature of teens and young adults when it comes to engaging with social media. He says it can be hard to capture their attention, as they will watch a show, follow Twitter and post on Facebook all at once, making it even harder for advertisers to capture their attention.
He points to collaborations between brands and TV shows via product placements, or celebrity endorsement on sites such as Twitter, as ways to crack tough audiences.


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Billionaire Eugene Kaspersky says bitcoin is a brilliant innovation, but the world is not ready for cryptocurrency just yet. However, the CEO of Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab believes that will change — in 100 years.
Kaspersky made the remarks in an interview with Arabian Business, during which he denied reports that his Moscow cybersecurity company develops spying technology for Russian intelligence.
Kaspersky says he believes that digital currencies will eventually overtake paper money in the future. However, he thinks that will require a new world order, where there’s a single government instead of the many different nation-states that we have today.
“Cryptocurrencies are a great idea, but the world is not ready for them yet. The world must be united if we want to have encrypted currencies. At the moment, governments will want to control them.”
Moreover, Kaspersky believes it could take another century for mass crypto adoption. And then even, the Russian mathematician does not believe that bitcoin will replace the entrenched legacy financial system that’s in place today.
“In the future — perhaps in 100 years’ time — all the world’s governments will be one government. States will unite under the (Government of the Earth). And only then we will have one currency. Some other currencies may be available, but on a global scale, the currency will be unified.”
“In the future, the currencies will be digital rather than paper. Today’s digital currencies, such as bitcoin, cannot replace the current financial system.”
“But some of the ideas and techniques on which these currencies are based can be used in the future currency with little modification, leveraging blockchain technology.”
With this latest remarks, Eugene Kaspersky was doubling-down on similar comments he made back in 2015. At the time, Kaspersky praised cryptocurrencies as a remarkable innovation.
However, he warned that governments would try to ban crypto if it gets too popular because virtual currencies are an existential threat to governments and central banks.
“I am beyond certain that different countries will try to forbid the use of cryptocurrencies, because they are beyond their control. Authorities will not pay attention, as long as [cryptocurrencies] do not pose a threat. When they start supplanting national currencies, they will be banned immediately.”
Kaspersky’s pessimistic timetable and outlook for bitcoin’s future is a stark contrast to that of billionaire Jack Dorsey.
Dorsey is a bitcoin bull who’s the CEO of social media network Twitter and mobile payments company Square.
In a podcast this week, Dorsey reaffirmed his optimism that the world will ultimately have a single currency, and it will most likely be bitcoin. Dorsey says that’s the “exciting” direction the future is naturally moving toward.
Unlike Eugene Kaspersky, Jack Dorsey does not believe that mass bitcoin adoption requires the abolition of the nation-state.
If anything, Dorsey says crypto will unite all the different countries of the world because it will be used as the single currency. Dorsey previously said that he believes the world will have a single global currency within the next decade.
“[The internet] will want to have a native currency, or a currency that’s effectively global and exists on its own territory instead of through the territories of the various nation-states that we have today. I can’t think of anything more exciting than that.”
“I want to help make it happen. That’s why getting more into bitcoin and cryptocurrency was so interesting for us.”


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ADI awarded 2015 Arecont Vision distributor of the year
ADI has announced it was named the 2015 North American Distributor of the Year by Arecont Vision. ADI was recognized for its commitment to delivering first-rate IP solutions and the expansion of the IP video surveillance market.
June 12, 2015 By SP&T Staff
The annual award recognizes a distributor’s contributions to the IP video surveillance market, and success in supporting Arecont Vision as a key vendor. It was presented during the ISC West show in Las Vegas, NV.
“ADI engaged in true collaboration with Arecont Vision in North America over the past year,” said Carole Dougan, vice president North American sales, Arecont Vision. “Together we built strategic joint initiatives that delivered strong revenue achievement and accelerated growth to the benefit of customers across the United States and Canada.”
“Arecont Vision is an important supplier for ADI, and we are honored to be recognized as their Distributor of the Year,” said Marco Cardazzi, vice president of marketing at ADI. “At ADI, we are committed to the IP market and remain focused on providing our dealers with the latest technologies, support and service they need to succeed in today’s market.”
ADI offers the full line of Arecont Vision IP surveillance products including high-performance megapixel IP cameras and accessories. Arecont Vision participates in the ADI Expo Training Series and One Day Sales Events across North America, and hosts training opportunities at local ADI branch locations.
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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 has become the fastest-selling game in EA’s golf series.
It sold 225,000 copies in week one, beating previous record holder PGA Tour 08, reports Gamasutra. EA also estimates the new Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and iPhone game saw week-one digital revenue double last year’s amount.
Gamers have already recorded over 184m shots across 7m different games on PGA Tour 12 since it hit shelves on April 1st in the UK and March 29th in the US.
The golf game debuted at No.6 in the GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top 40 chart last week. It rose to No.4 this week.


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Cupertino, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Move over, Google Glass. Here comes iGlass, and it’s cheap and disposable!
Apple announced today that as part of its venture into wearable technology, it is releasing a Beta version of what it hopes would be its answer to the $1,500 Google Glass.
The iGlass will be released together with the Apple watch in early 2015.
Apple’s iGlass will do just about everything that the Google Glass is capable of, except that it is cheap — at $39.99 — and disposable. And did we mention recyclable?
The iGlass is made of collapsible cardboard that attaches with a ribbon (included) to a baseball cap (not included). Giants fans, this is for you!
When not in use, iGlass can be collapsed and neatly stored in your drawer or your car’s glove compartment. However, iGlass must be partnered with either an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus (sorry Android fans, you just have to stick to the more expensive Google Glass). The iPhone is then attached, snuggly, to the cardboard casing and all you need to do is download the iGlass app from the Apple Store to make it work.
Pre-orders are now being accepted, just in time for the gift-giving holidays. So, delay your gift-giving for now and send your loved ones a raincheck for the iGlass coming in January to an Apple Store near you.
Mountain View, California – Will 2014 prove to be a banner year for American fugitive Edward Snowden? Mr. Snowden is now living in Russia, on the run from American charges of espionage and theft relating the National Security Agency top secret leaks.
First, The New York Times Editorial Board published an op-ed piece calling for an offer of clemency or plea bargain for Mr. Snowden, considering the value of his leaks and the N.S.A. abuse he has exposed.
Now, the country’s premier tech company Google is reportedly in secret negotiations with Snowden, offering him a hefty-paying position in Mountain View upon his return to the U.S.
The Adobo Chronicles has learned that Google has hit a snag and plateau in terms of the marketing of its much-ballyhooed product, the Google Glass. “Obviously, we needed a recognizable and controversial face to model our product, and what could be a better choice than Snowden,” said Google CEO Larry Page. “He’s also easy on the eyes, and the Google Glass fits perfectly on the well-defined contours of his face,” Page added.
Analysts, however, suspect that having Mr. Snowden be the model for the Google Glass is just a front, and that Google’s real intention is to make Snowden the chief of its Internet Surveillance Department which would monitor any secret or unauthorized intrusion by the N.S.A. into Google’s data system.
San Jose, California -One of the major complaints about Google Glass, the Silicon Valley tech giant’s latest innovation scheduled to hit the market soon, is its prohibitive price. Pre-orders of Google Glass cost a whopping $1,500 each.
In a stunning announcement at an innovator conference at the Google campus in Mountain View this weekend, Google founder and CEO Larry Page unveiled a $5 version of Google Glass which was immediately cheered by millions of Americans now living at below the poverty level.
Page was, however, tight-lipped on the features of this new product and how it compares with the $1,500 edition. “Consumers will just have to find out for themselves,” Page said.
Here’s a photo of the new product unveiled Saturday:


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NEW YORK, April 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Century 21 Department Store announces the official grand expansion of its flagship location in downtown Manhattan this month. The retailer will unveil the newly renovated space with a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 9, 2013 at 9:30am EST. In an effort to further upgrade the shopping experience, Century 21 has added three new selling floors to house its extensive offerings of pure designer merchandise in every category, totaling six floors and over 225,000 square feet of shopping under one roof. As a result of the store expansion and ongoing renovations, Century 21 has helped support the local economy with the creation of numerous jobs.
The newly expanded location will feature The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf cafe. A new M.A.C Cosmetics store will also open on the ground floor, which will be fully staffed with the brand's makeup artists. Additional updates include renovating store fixtures and decor, creating extra fitting rooms and widening aisles to create a more spacious shopping atmosphere. Revamps will continue through spring as the retailer finishes renovations on its shoe department, making it even easier for guests to navigate.
"The redesign is all part of our commitment to deliver the best possible shopping experience," said Raymond Gindi, CEO of Century 21 Department Store. "We are extremely excited about the expansion and proud to be part of the downtown evolution as the area's fashion anchor for over 50 years. Renovations have and will continue to create new jobs, helping to support the local economy and downtown community."
"We are thrilled to be opening at Century 21's Financial District NYC location and to be a part of the revitalization of the neighborhood," said M.A.C Global Brand President Karen Buglisi. "At M.A.C, we pride ourselves on both artistry and community building and we welcome New Yorkers and visiting tourists to experience M.A.C at our fully staffed counter now open on Century 21's newly renovated cosmetics floor."
About Century 21 Department Store: Century 21 Department Store, established in 1961, is legendary for its exceptional offering of pure designer merchandise in every category at 40-65% off retail every day. A leader in high-end fashion retail for over 50 years, Century 21 Department Store offers men's, women's and children's apparel, footwear, outerwear, lingerie and accessories along with cosmetics and home goods at select stores. The retailer is headquartered in Downtown Manhattan, with other locations in Brooklyn, Paramus, Morristown, Long Island, Queens, Lincoln Square Manhattan and coming soon to The Outlet Collection Jersey Garden as well as online at C21Stores.com.
About M.A.C Cosmetics: M.A.C (Make-up Art Cosmetics), a leading brand of professional cosmetics, was created in Toronto, Canada in 1984 and is part of The Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. The company's popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from makeup artists, models, photographers and journalists around the world. M.A.C is now sold in 83 countries/territories worldwide. Follow M.A.C and M.A.C Senior Artists on Twitter @MACcosmetics (twitter.com/maccosmetics and a list of the Senior Artists can be found here twitter.com/MACcosmetics/mac-senior-artists/members), become a M.A.C fan on Facebook (facebook.com/maccosmetics) and watch M.A.C videos on YouTube (youtube.com/maccosmetics). For a M.A.C location visit maccosmetics.com.
About The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®: Founded in 1963, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is the largest and oldest privately held specialty coffee and tea retailer in the U.S. Embodying a passion for connecting loyal customers to one another with carefully handcrafted products, the company is known for sourcing and providing the finest ingredients and flavors from around the world, as well as product innovations such as The Original Ice Blended® drink. Since its inception from one cafe in Los Angeles, California, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® has grown to become an international icon with more than 800 company-owned and franchised cafes in 22 countries. The Coffee Bean began its expansion into the east coast, opening its doors for New Yorkers on August 28, 2011. The much-anticipated New York expansion came after nearly 50 years of serving up a full selection of signature blends to international acclaim. 'The Bean,' as it is affectionately referred to by its loyal fan following, aims to add a handcrafted and customized touch to the Manhattan coffee landscape and fill a noticeable void between the coffee conglomerates and the independent 'mom and pop' shops.
SOURCE Century 21 Department Store


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Turmeric prices in India have increased by Rs 200-300 a quintal in primary agricultural markets on pick up in demand and fears of lower production this year.
“Prices have increased in the last 2-3 days across all centres. In some places, prices are up as high as Rs 400. Demand usually picks up after January 15 and this increase can be related to it,” said Erode Turmeric Merchants Association President RKV Ravishankar.
“Prices had bottomed out last year. They have gained now as turmeric production is expected to be 10 percent due to lower cultivation. Poor prices last year were a dampener on growers,” said Amrutlal Kataria, a Nizamabad-based trader.
According to Ministry of Agriculture data, prices of finger variety turmeric almost touched Rs 6,000 on January 12 against Rs 5,640 a week ago at Erode in Tamil Nadu.
In Nizamabad, another major turmeric trade centre in Telangana State, the finger variety turmeric ruled at Rs 5,815 a quintal against Rs 5,532 a week ago.
On National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), unpolished turmeric for delivery in April ruled at Rs 6,198 on January 13. According to NCDEX, spot prices have increased to Rs 5,725 from Rs 5,582 a week ago.
Last year during the same period, prices were a tad higher than Rs 6,000 a quintal.
Prices could have gained further but for the four percent ceiling on price movement on NCDEX, said Poonam Chand Gupta, another trader in Nizamabad.
“Speculators seem to be pushing prices up,” said Ravishankar.
“Prices are gaining as there are fears that there could be as much as 25 percent crop loss in states such as Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Even in Maharashtra’s Sangli district, the crop has been affected,” Gupta said.
Excess rainfall during October had affected the development of fruit in the three States, he said, adding that even in Tamil Nadu, another major producer, production was lower due to non-availability of farm labour in the aftermath of the novel Coronavirus pandemic.
Telangana is the largest turmeric producer, followed by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh with the three States accounting for nearly half the country’s total production.
During the 2019-20 season (July-June), India’s turmeric production was estimated at 9.46 lakh tonnes compared to 9.61 lakh tonnes the previous year, despite the area under the crop rising by 4,000 hectares to 2.57 lakh hectares.
According to Telangana Agricultural Department data, the average daily arrival of the finger variety turmeric is 86.7 tonnes this year against last year’s daily arrivals of 73.7 tonnes in Nizamabad.
However, the average daily arrival of the bold variety turmeric is 19.75 tonnes this year versus 39.3 tonnes last year.
“The growth of the finger variety has been affected by the rains. Its length will be a little shorter,” Kataria said.
Ravishankar said turmeric production would be around last year’s level, though the trade was talking of plus or minus 10 percent.
“We will get to know the real position only when arrivals begin fully, though the trade may talk about crop loss here and there,” he said.
The turmeric crop has begun arriving in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh since last week, while it will start in other parts of the country in a month’s time.
Exports have helped turmeric prices gain. “Exports have increased by nearly 40 per cent this fiscal. The market is good for exports,” said Gupta from Nizamabad.
“Exports this fiscal have been good with Bangladesh being a major buyer,” said Erode Merchants Association’s Ravishankar.
Gupta said that Indian turmeric was probably finding its way into Pakistan from Bangladesh in view of Islamabad banning imports from India following the Balakot air strike in 2019.
Ravishankar said it was likely given the fact that specifications for turmeric from Bangladesh was not much different from those for India. “Bangladesh imports of Indian turmeric have doubled,” he said.
According to the Spices Board, Indian exported 99,500 tonnes of turmeric valued at Rs 8,581 crore during April-September 2020 against 69,500 tonnes worth Rs 6,338 crore during the same period previous fiscal.
According to Kataria, turmeric exports gained as its usage increased in view of Coronavirus pandemic. “People began using it more in their food to tackle COVID-19,” he said.
The rise in exports comes despite a ban by Sri Lanka on turmeric imports from India since December 2019. Colombo had banned Indian turmeric, resulting in the spice’s prices ruling over Rs 3,000 a kg in the island nation during October-November last year, to boost domestic production.
Sri Lanka was annually importing around 5,000 tonnes turmeric from India.
The ban on Indian turmeric imports had led to smuggling of the spice through the sea route.
Indian exporters were least perturbed by the ban, saying Lanka’s stoppage would not have much impact.
(Subramani Ra Mancombu is a journalist based in Chennai, who writes on topics in commodities and agriculture)Disclaimer
: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.


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The New Year Event Attracts 250 Million Viewers
CNBC reports that the video platform is preparing for a scenario that will see the company raise more than previously anticipated. The filing at the Hong Kong exchange is likely to take place at the end of this week or early next week.
However, the pricing details won’t be included in the filing but are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Bilibili has made great success in China and the startup was initially backed by Tencent, Alibaba, and Sony.
Bilibili’s stock price also received a major boost after the platform attracted 250 million viewers during its New Year’s Eve gala event, officially called “The Most Beautiful Night of 2020.” The event consisted of three-chapters and took about four hours to complete.
Earlier, Bilibili reported that average monthly active users (MAUs) rose by 54% to 197.2 million, while average daily active users (DAUs) soared by 42% to 53.3 million, representing a 54% and 42% year-over-year (YoY) increase, respectively, in the quarter to end-September.
“Our effective user growth strategy and expanding content library helped us to reach an even broader audience. In August, our MAUs exceeded 200 million, marking a new monthly record. This milestone is just the beginning. We envision that the inevitable video-lization trend will lead to great opportunities for Bilibili to grow and expand as the go-to platform for online content in China,” said Rui Chen, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Bilibili.
“As we leverage our core capabilities in providing engaging content and community experience, we are committed to further improving our brand equity and capturing this market opportunity. We believe the investments we are making now to increase our stronghold in China’s entertainment market will yield considerable and sustainable return in the long run.”
Earlier this year, the business was valued at around $8 billion after Sony acquired a 4.98% stake in the platform for $400 million. Bilibili’s share price rose north of 350% in 2020.
Building on the recent success, China-based video platform Bilibili expects to raise more than $2 billion in Hong Kong secondary listing. “The Most Beautiful Night of 2020” — a four-hour online event that took place on December 31 — attracted 250 million viewers.
About the Author
Mariliana has an MSC in consumer analytics and business strategy. She has a special interest in fast-moving industries and big data.


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HANG IN THERE. That was the first plea American Eagle Outfitters offered its nearly 1.5 million Facebook friends three days after its trio of e-commerce sites had crashed.
The online retail outlets—ae.com, aerie.com and 77kids.com, which target teens and kids—suffered what American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) termed a “major incident” on July 19. “This has caused all of our sites to go down,” a Facebook update said on July 22, at 1:26 p.m. “We’re working together 24/7 to get them up and running as soon as possible. Hang in there….we’ll make it up to you. Check back soon.”
Those back-to-school shoppers who checked back too soon at the sites received this message: “We’re making updates to our sites.” This was no planned maintenance, however. Behind the scenes, AEO and its external hosting provider IBM were scrambling for several days as the sites stayed dark.
The reasons for the four-day outage (and subsequent four more days of technical aftershocks) related to backup and disaster-recovery technologies and processes that failed, according to several articles on retail tech site StorefrontBacktalk.com.
As the articles describe, atypical and concurrent failures with IBM’s hosting servers and backup plans as well as with Oracle’s Data Guard utility program ultimately proved to be the sources of problems. (Stephanie Oschwald, a spokesperson for Pittsburgh-based AEO, did not return several messages seeking comment. IBM and Oracle declined to comment for this article.)
[ Read about e-tailer Zappos.com’s $1.6 million pricing mistake ]
On July 23, at 5:39 p.m., AEO announced on Facebook that the sites were A-OK. “We had a few glitches but we’re back! We missed you while we were gone. Free shipping now thru Monday, July 26 11:59 PST. Automatic on your entire purchase (US and Canada only).”
However, noted StorefrontBacktalk.com, four more days of technological healing lie in wait for the AEO site, “when it limped along with various parts not functioning until Tuesday afternoon, July 27th.”
An Unprecedented Outage
The shock of a 100-hour e-commerce outage now over and the damage done to their critical back-to-school sales period, executives of the $3 billion AEO have to be left scratching their heads in frustration—and wondering just how much “teeth” they had written into their service-level agreements (SLAs) with IBM. (For the record, StorefrontBacktalk.com reported that AEO had recently filled the position of “Manager—Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery,” and not a moment too soon.)
AEO’s websites weren’t the first to go down unplanned, nor will they be the last. Dating back to the mid-1990s, history is littered with tales of site outages, complex IT fixes and lost revenue—embarrassing for the companies and career killers for those in charge. Any Amazon.com unplanned downtime, for instance, is still reported with as much zeal as a Jennifer Aniston “new boyfriend” sighting.
But the duration of AEO’s site outages could be considered unprecedented for an e-retailing brand.
“In my career, I can’t remember a mission-critical application that was down for four days,” says Paula Rosenblum, an analyst at RSR Research and former retail CIO. “It’s almost impossible to conceive—and I say that not as an analyst but as a former CIO.”
Deals, Discounts and Disappointment
The timing couldn’t have been worse for AEO, at the outset of its “back to school” summer push. In its stores, AEO’s July performance was a “disappointment,” according to a Zacks Investment Research report on retailers. The retailer had also lowered its quarterly earnings outlook in July.
The company not only lost online revenue during the outage, but also attempted to make up for the downtime by offering its customers deep promotions—such as this deal promoted on its Facebook page on July 30: “Thanks for hanging in there while our site was down…this Friday & Saturday (7/30 & 7/31) online only take 25% off your entire order & we’ll throw in free shipping, too!… Thanks again for hanging in there!”
Brian Walker, a Forrester Research principal analyst who follows e-commerce, doesn’t term the AEO outages unprecedented, but unusual. “Sites routinely will become slow and the customer experience and conversion rate may be affected,” he says via e-mail, “but to be down for four days has a significant business and customer impact.”
AEO’s “direct businesses” (those three websites) rung up more than $340 million in sales in fiscal 2009, which accounted for approximately 12 percent of the retailer’s overall sales.
Outsourcing E-Commerce Ops: Deal or No Deal?
Outsourcing e-commerce operations in retail is not a new proposition—and IBM and Oracle, for that matter, are not fly-by-night operations. “Using managed services or SaaS solutions for all or key parts of the e-commerce platform is routine today,” says Forrester’s Walker. “On average, eight hosts will be involved in supporting a typical e-commerce transaction.”
Even with the site outages, the outsourcing proposition is still sound, Walker says. “There is no guarantee that doing this in-house is any better,” he opines, “and in many ways can be much harder to do as resources, budgets and skillsets may be harder to have at the right levels.”
However, it’s important that a company outsourcing its operations not abdicate every decision and responsibility over to the hosting company. “Often in these situations there will be some shared responsibility between the business and IT-support staffs,” Walker says. Trouble happens, he says, when something as simple as a failure to communicate an upcoming big promotion or event that will likely result in a spike in online traffic big enough to take down a website.
Interestingly, during the sites’ outages, AEO’s mobile site was still functional, according to StorefrontBacktalk.com. RSR Research’s Rosenblum says that’s a “good news / bad news” situation. The good news: The mobile site was up, and AEO could have done a customer redirect from the online site that was down to the mobile site, if they chose. The bad news: It would appear that AEO is running separate, siloed systems (for customer databases and queries, for instance) for what are, essentially, similar e-commerce channels, Rosenblum says.
“Our research shows us that too many retailers are in a similar situation,” she says. “They spend an inordinate amount of scarce resources—IT and human—forcing multiple channels into synch. The opportunity costs associated with these activities are incalculable.”
Forrester’s Walker advises other retailers to use AEO’s outage as a wake-up call. “Get your responsibilities, processes and systems together now, test them, and correct as needed,” he says. “Having a clear plan in and of itself will pay huge dividends in the event something happens, and with the technology and architectures we have available today this can be done at a reasonable cost.”
“Consider the downside of having the business offline for a few days during the holidays,” he adds, “and the ROI is pretty clear.”
Do you Tweet? Follow me on Twitter @twailgum. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline.


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Half of marketers feel they should have complete control over the written captions and visual elements of an influencer’s post, according to new research.
The study, from influencer marketing service Takumi, also shows that only almost half of all marketers want industry guidelines to be developed further, while less than half of the influencers surveyed trust brands to work with them fairly.
Its latest study, ‘Trust, transactions and tend-setters: the realities of influencer marketing’, reveals what 4,000 consumers, marketers and influencers really think of the influencer marketing industry. It focuses on four key themes: legislation, authenticity, influence & trust and creativity & control.
Marketers outsourcing their creative content generation to social media influencers need to trust influencers as much as they claim to. Although up to 86% of marketers say they trust influencers, some brands are stifling the results by controlling the creative process.
Incredibly, two in five (39%) US & UK marketers, and over half (55%) German marketers want complete control over the caption and visual of an influencers’ post, viewing it as the same as an advertisement they have paid for another channel, such as TV or radio.
What matters most to influencers when working with brands?
On average, less than half (46%) of the influencers surveyed trusted brands to work with them fairly and it’s clear marketers and influencers are wrangling over creative control. Many creators are struggling to work with opaque briefs – and brands are holding influencers to the same quality standards as they their own teams, but without giving influencers the budgets, timescales, and clarity afforded to in-house creative teams.
Top reasons consumers ‘unfollow’
A third (34%) of all consumer respondents credit influencers with purchases made in the past six months, rising significantly to 91% of 16 – 24 years olds in the UK and US. Almost a fifth of consumer respondents also trust influencers’ recommendations more than their friends’. But consumers’ trust is easy to lose. Top reasons for unfollowing influencers are:
More than a third (37%) of consumers trust influencers to clearly signpost paid partnerships, but shockingly, almost two thirds (62%) of influencers say they have been pressured by brands to contravene guidelines at least once.
Almost nine out of ten marketers (88%) and influencers (87%) in the UK and US, agree their markets’ regulatory guidelines are clear – but in Germany, this falls to just 52% of marketers and 11% of influencers being confident about ad disclosure guidelines. Overall, there is strong agreement that these guidelines need further development, with 46% of marketers in all three markets responding as such.
Adam Williams, CEO of Takumi says: “Over the course of 2019, the influencer marketing industry has come under increasing scrutiny, and trust among consumers, brands and influencers across the world is being put to the test.
“Influencers continue to directly inform consumer purchasing behaviour, but consumers are increasingly savvy. Through this research, consumers have made it clear what wins their trust, and what they value; transparency, authenticity, honesty.
“Marketers must take a proactive and responsible role in educating about and enforcing correctly labelled ads. Developing and upholding regulations is a shared responsibility.
This will require good communication with influencers, many of whom are struggling with opaque briefs. Influencers are asking for greater clarity but also want creative licence and the partnerships that can successfully achieve this will be the real winners.”


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It’s not just Windows Phone 8 handsets that will be debuting soon after Microsoft officially launches both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 operating systems. A few Windows 8-powered tablets will be released before 2012 is over, including the Asus Vivo Tab RT.
Over in the UK, Three had announced on Wednesday that it will be releasing the Vivo Tab RT sometime in the near future, but with no specific release date. As Windows 8 launches on October 26, it can be assumed that the slate will be debuting in the UK early in November.
Pricing has not yet been confirmed for the tablet, although it is predicted that Three may price it at around £400 without a contract. The carrier didn’t supply any further comment after the initial announcement, but it said in the original statement that the Vivo Tab RT should be a great device for multi-tasking, playing games, watching movies and operating business applications, particularly Microsoft Office 2013.
Back in the U.S., the Asus Vivo RT will be released next month by AT&T. Just like Asus’ Android-powered Transformer tablets, the Vivo RT will include an optional keyboard, allowing users to operate the tablet as a laptop if they see fit.
The device would come with a 1.3 GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 2 GB RAM, a 10.1-inch Super IPS display with 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution and 4G LTE connectivity. As Three doesn’t have a 4G LTE network yet, this feature would only be available for now on carriers that have their own 4G networks, including AT&T.


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The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically impacted our way of life and business. As more people change their way of consuming, traditional retailers and food and beverage (F&B) outlets need to adapt quickly or face drastic consequences. —
In Singapore, over 4000 businesses wound up in March 2020, and the figures more than doubled in April 2020. Many of these casualties are traditional retailers who were unable to pivot and adjust their offline sales channels when the pandemic hit.
Although there have been many advancements and innovations made for e-commerce and digitalisation, many traditional business owners are still behind in the adoption and successful leveraging of such solutions. The root cause usually does not differ far from reasons like the lack of knowledge, and the worry of not being able to catch up with technology while having to meet daily operational demands.
While the future remains uncertain, one fact is definite; e-commerce is gaining market share and will continue to do so. According to eMarketer, the e-commerce sector is expected to grow to $5 trillion by 2023. It has now become even more critical that businesses set up and strengthen their e-commerce and digitalisation capabilities in order to survive in the future.
Many businesses that have embraced and successfully implemented digital outreach solutions and online sales channels are least affected by the pandemic and still generating revenue. On the other hand, businesses that have not made the necessary digital transformations are experiencing an immense negative impact on their sales when most cities around the world went into lockdown.
Amidst the gloomy economic outlook and challenges in digital adoption, several agencies bring hope by providing relevant services to ease the steep learning curve that many establishments are experiencing. One such agency is InfinaCo. - a Digital Transformation Agency in Singapore. InfinaCo. is extending its suite of services to assist many traditional businesses and SMEs to establish an online presence with minimal friction quickly.
The most prominent solution offered by InfinaCo. is V-MORE’s Customer Acquisition Solution, which has benefited many traditional retailers from the beginning of the pandemic. V-MORE is a fast-growing advert dollar sharing platform with a vibrant e-commerce ecosystem; her Customer Acquisition Solution taps into an existing framework which explains its increasing popularity amongst businesses needing effective digital transformations.
Explicitly addressing the pressing needs of businesses in Singapore, V-MORE has also partnered with agencies like InfinaCo. to assist and guide business owners on how to best implement its digital solutions and strategies on her platform for positive results.
While the fight with the virus carries on, businesses are also uniting to help one another overcome the challenges with digital solutions and thrive in the new norm.
Name: Bay Dong Hong
Email: Send Email
Organization: Infina Company Private Limited
Release ID: 88962548


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Corporate travellers are increasingly turning to Airbnb, with the number of organisations using the survey increasing by 32 per cent, and overall spend increasing by 42 per cent year-over-year, according to data collected by Concur.
The number of business travellers expensing Airbnb accommodation, which grew 44 per cent year-over-year to the end of Q2 2016.
The analysis examined Concur customer data representing $77 million in Airbnb spend and more than 320,000 Airbnb expenses over eight quarters.
While the average Airbnb expense was $242, small and midsized companies, as the fastest adopters, spent $2800 on Airbnb stays on average during Q2 2016.
“Concur travel and expense data shows us that while Airbnb usage is growing across all segments and industries, momentum is strongest among small and midsized businesses and in the tech and higher-ed segments,” said Tim McDonald, executive vice president of global products at Concur.
In fact, in Q2, six of the top 20 Airbnb spenders were universities, while eight in this top 20 were technology companies. San Francisco topped the list of cities for Airbnb spend by business travellers, followed by London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Austin, Seattle, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Sydney.
“While hotel spend still accounts for the majority of business lodging spend, there’s an increase in business travellers exploring alternative lodging, especially during major conferences and events,” McDonald said.
For example, Airbnb bookings in San Francisco was six times higher than average during Salesforce.com’s 2015 Dreamforce conference, while in Q1 of 2015 and 2015, Austin ranked number three in Airbnb spend globally, which corresponds with South by Southwest.
In recent years, Concur has been a supporter of the sharing economy for business travel, earlier this year expanding its relationship with Uber to make it easier for businesses to track and claim expenses for Uber rides.


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The Fifteen Percent Pledge, founded by Aurora James, is making waves once again as it opens online applications for its Achievement Award. This groundbreaking movement, which began in 2020, aims to challenge corporations to allocate at least 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses, in line with the proportion of African Americans in the United States. The Achievement Award, in partnership with Shop With Google, is a vital component of this mission, and it promises to be an even more significant force for change in its second installment of the prize.
Fifteen Percent Pledge and Google have been partnering since November 2021. That same year, they announced the Business Equity Community, an online database dedicated to connecting Black-owned businesses to retailers that have committed to the Fifteen Percent Pledge. Since then the BEC has helped over 625 brands develop partnerships with major retailers. The partnership also includes free digital training and workshops for these businesses to help them grow exponentially. Last year, the Pledge and Google collaborated with Shop With Google to announce the first-ever Achievement Award.
“We are so excited to work with Shop with Google for a second year in a row to award a total of $250,000 to three Black-owned businesses as part of our Achievement Award program,” James tells ESSENCE.com. “As a Black business owner, I know first-hand the importance of access to capital which remains a huge barrier for Black entrepreneurs as they grow their businesses.”
$200,000 goes directly to the winner while $35,000 and $15,000 will go towards additional finalists who are aiming to continue expanding their businesses. The generous cash awards will significantly boost their financial capacity while enabling them to thrive in industries that have long been marked by racial disparities. Last year’s winner was Christina Funke Tegbe, founder of the luxury skincare brand 54 Thrones. Previous winners include Sergio Hudson, Hyper Skin, and Busayo NYC.
Applications are now open for the Fifteen Percent Pledge’s Achievement Award at 15pp.org/award.


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Pie Five Pizza Co. opened its doors on Friday at 1778 Hanley Rd in Richmond Heights, near Menards.
Pie Five offers 11-inch pizzas, in under five minutes with the toppings of your choice (up to 30) — any pizza is $7.49. The hours are 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. every day.
According to a press release, Dallas-based Pie Five Pizza Co. is a subsidiary of RAVE Restaurant Group, which owns, franchises and supplies more than 300 Pie Five and Pizza Inn restaurants domestically and internationally.
A Penn Station sub shop plans to open next door.


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Blog: Trip to Thailand
Leonie Barrie | 23 September 2006
Thankfully the situation in Thailand seems to have stabilised after the military coup on Tuesday ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra. I must confess to having more than a passing interest in the situation since I travel to Bangkok tomorrow. It’s been a good five years since I was last in Thailand, but I have very fond memories of the place and hope I don’t find things have changed too much – apart from the sight of tanks and soldiers on the capital’s streets of course.
The main thrust of my trip is to visit the Bangkok International Fashion Fair and Bangkok International Leather Fair 2006 which take place from 27 September to 1 October, but I’m also due to visit some manufacturers too, and it will be fascinating to hear first-hand how they think recent events will impact on Thailand’s clothing industry. It goes without saying that I’ll share my findings with you here.
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