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Online tools can offer an easy way to keep an eye on your money, but security worries remain. New EU rules could change that next year, says Emma Lunn.
How many bank accounts do you have? The chances are that you have a current account for day-to-day transactions, a savings account, an individual savings account, a mortgage and credit card, among others quite possibly more than one of each. And it's highly unlikely all your financial products are with the same provider. Shopping around can yield better deals but it can also make keeping an eye on your financial situation tricky and time-consuming.
Account aggregators, or personal financial management (PFM) software, offer a solution. These compile information from different financial institutions and types of account in one place. Aggregators are nothing new (the now-defunct Egg Money Manager was launched in 2001), but they're becoming cleverer and more intuitive as well as being available as smartphone apps rather than just on the web. And new European Union regulations coming into force next year mean that we're likely to see more aggregators entering the market.
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Dutch bank ING is the latest institution to back an aggregator app, Yolt, which is currently in the beta-testing phase for iOS and Android. It takes on more established players such as OnTrees (owned by MoneySupermarket and available on the web and iOS) and Money Dashboard (available on the web, iOS and Android). All three services integrate users' financial accounts from different providers into a dashboard. Features vary but, in general, users can get an overview of their finances, see where they are spending their money, and see a predicted month-end balance based on upcoming payments.
So what's in it for the aggregators? Unsurprisingly, they haven't invested millions in technology for altruistic purposes, and they usually make money by sharing data, selling products, or both.
"Data selling is something a lot of aggregators need to do to keep their businesses running," says Jamie Campbell of Bud, a new account aggregator that launched in November 2016. It aims to be part personal-finance dashboard, part fintech marketplace, and says it does not sell customers' data. "Our company makes revenue from the bank partnerships and the introduction of new financial services to customers." To this end, Bud has already partnered with a number of fintech companies such as Nutmeg (investments), Azimo and TransferWise (currency exchange), and PensionBee (pensions). It's also finalising a partnership with Western Union.
The security threat
However, it's not just data privacy that users are likely to be concerned about. Accessing your account details requires a way of logging into your account. Handing over your PINs and passwords to a third party raises some serious security issues. A few platforms, such as Bud, say they have built their systems internally, but most apps including Yolt, OnTrees and Money Dashboard use a US-based data-aggregation platform called Yodlee that has become the industry standard provider in this area.
When you supply your bank authentication credentials, it's Yodlee that stores them, accesses your account, reads your balance and then provides your account aggregators with your data but not login information. Importantly, the account aggregators themselves are mostly designed to be read-only, which means that they can't carry out transactions or move money around. But what would happen if Yodlee (or any platform that holds this information) was hacked and the details leaked?
Unsurprisingly, Brian Costello, chief information security officer at Envestnet, Yodlee's parent company, is keen to point out a major security breach is unlikely at his firm. "Envestnet Yodlee's security controls are indeed bank grade' and are regularly assessed by regulators, industry standard bodies, and our financial institution clients," he says, "Additionally, a key control for us is the encryption of consumers' credentials. Credentials are encrypted when at rest, when in motion and usually both."
Check your terms and conditions
Yet in a worst-case scenario in which account details were leaked, account aggregation users may find they're not covered for losses by their bank as they normally would be. It's important to read your bank's terms and conditions before you hand over your details as not all financial institutions take the same stance on this kind of security issue.
For example, Lloyds' position is that customers who provide their secure credentials to a third party in order to participate in aggregation are putting themselves at risk. The bank's terms and conditions state that online banking credentials should not be shared with any party and doing so removes Lloyds' online fraud guarantee protection. Meanwhile, TSB says it assesses all fraud incidents on a case-by-case basis. A statement from the bank says that, provided the third-party firm was authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), it's unlikely a customer would be liable for fraud as a direct result of sharing their details with a third party. Both OnTrees and Money Dashboard are regulated by the FCA, while Yolt's parent company ING is regulated in the Netherlands. (However, it seems to us that the presence of Yodlee a US company in the chain could complicate things.)
OnTrees is open about the fact that use of the platform may breach banks' terms and conditions. Its small print states that "the use of this service may result in your bank refusing to pay out on any fraud associated with your account regardless of whether it is connected in any way to the service".
However, Money Dashboard claims that "use of an aggregation service is not a reason for your bank not to compensate you". Indeed, Money Dashboard's head of operations Rory Bailey describes the terms and conditions of banks such as Lloyds as "unhelpful and potentially confusing" and claims that a bank would need to prove the account aggregation service was the source of any fraud in order not to pay out. "Our application is read-only and we have stringent security standards on a par with the rest of the banking industry. For these reasons, we remain confident that a consumer would not be disadvantaged by using our service," he says.
A helping hand from the regulators
However, despite assurances from the aggregators, Professor Alan Woodward, a computer-security expert from the University of Surrey, is not so sure. "It's convenient to see all your accounts in one place, but I don't know whether it's worth it. The services are read-only, but the information obtained in any hack could be used in other ways to access accounts or in a scam," he says. "Aggregators talk about encryption, but that's more marketing than anything else most people won't know what it means anyway."
Whether using an account aggregator makes good security sense at present is clearly open to debate. The risks that Yodlee is hacked and its encryption cracked may be small, but the potential consequences given how many firms it serves could be huge.
However, we're likely to see more account-aggregation services launching from next year due to new European Union regulations and at that point the security position may improve. The open banking initiative under the second payment services directive (PSD2) will force banks to open up access to customer data for third parties through the form of secure application programming interfaces (APIs).
"As of next year, we will likely see the arrival of aggregators in Europe that do not require your login details in order to access and aggregate your data: all of the benefits without the privacy and security risks," says John Egan, director at digital financial services firm Anthemis. "It seems increasingly likely that banks themselves will also look to aggregate people's data in order to help them optimise the decisions they make." When this happens, aggregators may become much more popular tools.
Emma Lunn is a multi-award-winning journalist who specialises in personal finance and consumer issues. With more than 18 years’ experience in personal finance, Emma has covered topics including mortgages, first-time buyers, leasehold, banking, debt, budgeting, broadband, energy, pensions and investments. Emma’s one of the most prolific freelance personal finance journalists with a back catalogue of work in newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, the Mail on Sunday and the Mirror. As a freelancer she has also completed various in-house contracts at The Guardian, The Independent, Mortgage Solutions, Orange and Moneywise.
She also writes regularly for specialist magazines and websites such as Property Hub, Mortgage Strategy and YourMoney.com. She’s particularly proud of her work writing about the leasehold sector and a Guardian front-page story about a dodgy landlord. She has a real passion for helping people learn about money – especially when many people are struggling to get by in today’s challenging economic climate – and prides herself on simplifying complex subjects.
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Scientific-Atlanta Inc. reported a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $47.4
million (31 cents per share), compared with $15.7 million (10 cents) for the
same period last year.
Revenue at the set-top vendor increased 3.6% to $404.2 million.
S-A said it shipped 387,000 "Explorer 8000" home-entertainment set-tops
during the fiscal year, including 158,000 during its fourth quarter.
Time Warner Cable and Comcast Corp. placed significant orders for the 8000
during the quarter.
The vendor shipped a total of 197,000 HD set-tops in fiscal-year 2003,
including 58,000 in the fourth quarter. Cumulatively, S-A has shipped more than
300,000 HD set-tops.
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Observer UK Investigates Rising Food Prices
Alex Renton, in the The Observer Food Monthly, investates the rising price of eggs, "up by 35-39 per cent on the past 18 months," and finds that it's not the farmers and not the supermarkets - it's the middlemen:
The job: investigate the allegation that supermarkets have been taking advantage of the global food-price rises to carve some extra profit for themselves. It didn't seem like the hardest thing I've done for OFM. Line up few tearful chicken farmers, some smug retail buyers, a confused punter or two - it should all fall into place pretty easily, I thought.


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New Tariffs on Chinese Goods Have Apparel Manufacturers Worried
When U.S. tariffs were levied in September on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, some apparel companies saw the writing on the wall even if they wanted to erase it.
The 10 percent tariffs did not cover apparel or footwear, but it did include fabric and handbags along with a threat for more tariffs.
Now a new round of tariffs spearheaded for early next year on $257 billion in trade with China will undoubtedly include clothing. And those 10 percent tariffs are expected to shoot up to 25 percent on Jan. 1.
With change in the wind, clothing manufacturers such as Michael Weisberg decided not to wait for new tariffs to kick in. This year, he started shifting production of his BeBop and Gypsies & Moondust juniorswear labels from China to Vietnam. Last year, 60 percent of that production was done in China. This year it is down to 40 percent, with most of that manufacturing shifting principally to Vietnam and then Cambodia and India.
“This year, our production in China started to decrease as soon as Trump started trumpeting tariffs,” said Weisberg, who is chief executive of Second Generation, the labels’ parent company, headquartered in Vernon, Calif., just outside Los Angeles. “But it is tough because there isn’t enough capacity for everybody to go to Vietnam.”
Because the BeBop and Gypsies & Moondust customer is a more price-sensitive consumer, Weisberg felt the company needed to move to factories outside China to keep prices down. He calculates that additional tariffs will increase the wholesale price by 50 cents to $1 a garment if they go into effect next year. “Our business is moderate and sensitive to any price increases,” he said. “It is not a risk worth taking. Unfortunately, you sacrifice reliability and speed by not being in China. Until this thing blows over, we have to be careful.”
Other manufacturers are waiting before the tariffs take effect to move their production because China is an efficient place to make clothing. All the raw materials and inputs are there as are well-managed factories with decades of experience.
David Vered, president of Los Angeles–based YMI Jeanswear Inc., said about 60 percent of his denim pants and non-denim pants are made in China and the rest are produced in Vietnam. “China is really good at having everything [raw materials],” he said, noting that most of the fabric used for his production in Vietnam comes from China. “But if the tariffs come into play, we will have to move a lot of our production to Vietnam.”
However, Vietnam doesn’t have the capacity to produce the outerwear and swimwear that YMI’s licensees make in China. “That would be a big issue if it comes to tariffs,” he noted.
Another manufacturer waiting to move production is Stony Apparel Corp., whose labels include Eyeshadow and Love on a Hanger. About 80 percent to 90 percent of the Los Angeles company’s collection of dresses, T-shirts, tops and pants for juniors and girls is produced in Chinese factories, said company co-founder Steve Maiman.
But he does have to keep costs down for his price-sensitive customers. “We are looking into alternatives to supplement what we do,” he said. “If we move, it would have to be within a reasonable distance from China, such as Vietnam or Cambodia, because most of the fabric we use comes out of China.”
Moving production can’t be done with the snap of a finger. Most apparel production is planned 12 months to 18 months ahead of schedule, said Elise Shibles, a member of the international law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg. “So current consideration of product placement likely wouldn’t be evident in trade data until over a year from now,” she noted.
To have tariffs or not have tariffs
No one is too clear about whether the Trump administration will expand its tariffs on Chinese products. There will be a clearer indication of what will happen after the mid-term elections on Nov. 6 and after a critical meeting in late November in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of the Group of 20, an international summit of governments and central-bank governors. Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to meet there and discuss the escalating trade war.
But many are pessimistic about an immediate solution. “We are on track for this thing to happen,” said Steve Lamar, executive vice president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, a Washington, D.C., trade group that represents the biggest and most important apparel and footwear manufacturers in the United States. “It doesn’t seem like the groundwork has been laid for a breakthrough.”
He has been hearing from manufacturers, both big and small, that they are worried and are seriously considering shifting production to other countries. Vietnam is the preferred country for production, but the country’s factories right now can’t accommodate a sudden big influx of business. “All the new businesses going into Vietnam may drive up costs and create a capacity restraint,” he said.
Taking a more sanguine approach on impending tariffs is Julie Hughes, president of the U.S. Fashion Industry Association, a Washington, D.C., group representing apparel and fashion-goods importers. She doesn’t believe new tariffs are necessarily a done deal. “I don’t think they are going to do anything until the two leaders [of China and the United States] meet. The Chinese are pretty smart,” she said. “I suspect they have a strategy.”
The mid-term elections, she said, will also help to interpret the future of more tariffs. If the Republicans keep the U.S. House and Senate, there will be nothing to hold Trump back from adding more tariffs on Chinese goods. If the Democrats win the House and the Republicans keep the Senate, it may slow things down. If the Democrats win both the House and the Senate, expect a big opposition to tariffs.
But if tariffs are imposed after that November meeting in Buenos Aires, expect the Trump administration in early December to draw up a list of more goods to be added to the more than 5,000 items already on the tariff list. Those new tariffs could go into effect as early as January or February.
“This could be a devastating blow to our industry,” said Vered of YMI Jeanswear. “I hope it is not going to happen.”


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- Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo is released from jail in the United States after serving a sentence for taking $2.5m in bribes.
Google Mulling “Strategic Investment” in Device Maker Jawbone — Google is considering making what several sources close to the situation describe as a “strategic investment” in Jawbone, the high-profile San Francisco maker of a number of wireless and wearable devices such as the Up fitness tracker.
- As companies put efforts into building better phones with lower price tags, a cheaper phone doesnât require as many compromises as you might expect.
The 42-player, AI-only Civilization game that’s currently
going down is already one of the most amazing things the Civilization community â no slouches when it comes to weird and wonderful spins on the game â has come up with. In over 20 years playing the series I have never seen anything like this.
ThingsInTheLight posted a photo:
- Utah gymnastics has the highest average attendance in womenâs college sports nearly every year, beating out the likes of Tennessee and Connecticut basketball.
Du nuh nuh nuh nuh, Inspector Gadget is coming to Netflix. The absolutely amazing 80s gadget adventure show is being resurrected in CGI form along with the amazing 80s spy show Danger Mouse and three other kids’ shows. The best part? This is happening very soon. Inspector Gadget premieres on March 27.
Does Samsung want to make an electric car? Jeff Gamet and Bryan Chaffin think so. They also look at the Pebble Time, which has raised tons of money on Kickstarter, even as Apple prepares to release the Apple Watch. With Apple getting ever-larger., they also want to know what it means to be an Apple fan today, and what it might mean tomorrow.
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Attention Kmart investors: Traditional retailers who venture online face massive financial losses and a skeptical stock market.
Last year, traditional retailers saw a pop in their stock prices when they announced plans to build online stores. But a growing number of e-tailers in recent months have downsized or shut down, forcing investors to question the enormous expense necessary to power online sites--even for traditional retailers with deep pockets, such as Staples.
Stock in the office-supply retailer has been foundering, largely because of losses pegged to the expense of starting its Web store.
While the company earlier this month indicated that its Internet unit would have a lower loss than expected and would make a profit sooner than previously thought, shares of Staples have barely budged from their 52-week lows.
Staples stock closed Tuesday at $15.69, up 19 percent from its 52-week low of $13.18 but 45.7 percent below its 52-week high of $28.87.
"Our larger concern with (Staples') stock, and one we think the Street shared in terms of magnitude of importance, has been the Internet," Merrill Lynch analyst Peter Caruso wrote in a report earlier this month. "With no real solid foundation by which to judge how large losses could be, the Internet has represented a cloud of ambiguity that has resulted in an unexpected decline in earnings so far this year."
Kmart has also taken a beating as the beleaguered retailer struggles to find its online niche.
Kmart stock dropped almost 7 percent for the week when the retail giant earlier this month announced it would pump another $55 million into online division BlueLight.com. Venture capital firm Softbank chipped in another $25 million.
"Any benefits that BlueLight brings to Kmart in the foreseeable future are going to be so small in relation to Kmart's total operations," said David Simons, managing director of Digital Video Investments, an institutional money management researcher.
The Internet has also grounded the stock of office-supplies retailer OfficeMax.
Earlier this month, OfficeMax said its e-commerce sales for the first half of 2000 increased 439 percent to $52.3 million. But losses still reached almost $11 million.
OfficeMax blamed the loss on "incremental spending in marketing and advertising"--a major expense for all e-commerce units trying to build brand awareness. OfficeMax stock closed Tuesday at $5, down 53.7 percent from its 52-week high of $10.81.
|Bricks and clicks|
Although traditional retailers that venture online have not performed well, many Internet-only retailers seem to be in a death spiral.
Value America closed its retailing operation and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this month, following the earlier demise of such e-tailers as Toysmart.com, Boo.com and Reel.com.
Toys "R" Us is the latest player to concede that running an online site may be more difficult than expected. The toy retailer recently cut a deal that transfers expensive sales and fulfillment operations to Amazon.
Although earlier pairings of online and offline companies have often ended in failure, analysts say the Toys "R" Us-Amazon deal could start a new wave of partnerships, as pure-play e-tailers seek to draw on the strengths of brick-and-mortar rivals.
"Investors will look at retailers to see if they have these kinds of relationships with online players," said Daniel Ries, an analyst at C.E. Unterberg Towbin. "Doing it on your own is much too expensive a proposition."
Other established brick-and-mortar players, including Disney, Hollywood Entertainment and Levi Strauss, have decided against running their own e-commerce sites.
Experts pinpoint the demise of many e-tailers on overly rapid growth, lavish spending on marketing, and inattention to core business strategies. But most believe that e-commerce is here to stay, and traditional retailers must experiment with online models--even if it means massive short-term losses in companies' Internet units.
"Obviously the irresponsible build-out didn't work, but that doesn't mean that there isn't an opportunity to sell stuff on the Web," said Darren Chervitz, a senior analyst at the Jacob Internet Fund. "It would be foolhardy for offline retailers to not even have an online presence."


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updated - December 6, 2021 Monday EST
Back in December 2013, a lot of people were expecting good things to be brought by the year 2014. Some of them were delivered to the satisfaction of consumers, but others were a complete disappointment. While it is true that plenty of new technologies released this year are impressive, the others that got people really excited were failures.
Here's a look at three of them.
Amazon Fire Phone
When Amazon made an announcement that it was going to release its first ever smartphone, many consumers, particularly those loyal to the company, looked forward to its release.
According to Digit, one of the reasons behind this was because of the four different front panel cameras that were supposedly designed for 3D applications. The Amazon Fire Phone was only made available to the U.S. market though and to make matters worse for the firm, its sales were really low.
The Android One has been launched two months ago. When it was first announced by Google, the company said that entry-level Android devices will be equipped with it. It was also supposed to provide full support to Original Equipment Manufacturers as well as give consumers access to inexpensive devices with updates. Up to now, smartphones installed with the OS are still doing poorly in terms of sales.
Last Sept. 17, the Apple iOS 8 was released. Of course, the first version did come with bugs and problems, but it was still considered to be somewhat a success. The iOS 8.0.1, which was released a week after, was said to be the resolution to the issues the first version experienced. It failed to do this though.
As Bezilch has pointed out, to make things even worse, those who installed the software in their iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ended up having a very pricey phone that can't even receive and make outgoing calls.
TOP 10 FRANCHISES OF 2021


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Family restaurants are still putting children's health in second place to profits by stuffing their menus with junk food, according to a new report by the Soil Association.
The association scored 10 popular family restaurants out of 30 points based on food nutrition, sourcing, provision, food policy and information available.
Top of the list, which was put together by a food nutritionist using the Government's new minimum standards for school meals as a benchmark, was TGI Friday's.
However, the Soil Association said its pole position placing with 16 points simply illustrated the "pitiful meal options in other restaurants".
Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director, said: "Sadly, our survey of children's food in restaurants reveals that all the major providers of children's meals are simply continuing their unhealthy business of serving up junk food to children."
Chicken chain Nando's
New restaurant chain Leon was picked out by the report authors as an example of low-cost, healthy and nutritious meals for children, as was Rainforest Café in London.
Restaurant ranking (out of 30)
1) TGI Friday's, 16 points
2) Harvester, 15 points
2) Beefeater, 15 points
3) Pizza Hut, 14 points
4) Brewers Fayre, 13 points
5) Garfunkels, 12 points
5) Hungry Horse, 12 points
6) Little Chef, 11 points
7) Nando's, 7 points
8) Café Rouge, 8 points
By Chris Druce
E-mail your comments to Chris Druce here.


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Microsoft signalled last week that it would release the so-called Gold Code for its forthcoming operating system to PC manufacturers on 24 August, by which time Ballmer expects all potential system bugs to have been removed.
Microsoft's antitrust case is expected to move back to trial court level as soon as 24 August, where a new judge will review the sentencing.
According to legal experts, Microsoft may have managed to sidestep any possible court injunction preventing distribution by making the new software available so soon. Microsoft had already informed PC makers that they could ship computers running Windows XP before the planned 25 October launch date, adding to the time pressure on its legal opponents.
"The further along Microsoft is in the development process, the more it is able to argue to a judge that the government waited too long to react," said Emmett Stanton, a lawyer at the law firm Fenwick & West.
Bob Brammer, a spokesman for Iowa's attorney general's office, refused to comment on rumours that state officials intended to push for an injunction to prevent Windows XP from shipping. "We certainly are taking advice about the case, but it is off limits to discuss what we might do next," he said.
Much of the criticism from opponents has centred on Microsoft's decision to bundle applications such as a media player, instant messaging and digital photography software with Windows XP.
One industry analyst predicted that Windows XP would reach consumers without any significant delay, partly because of its importance to the PC sector. "The release is going to happen," he said. "I don't think we're going to see an injunction. Too many people have too much riding on this."


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Rockstar parent company explains why we don't get a GTA or Red Dead Redemption every year
Annualisation of franchises as big as GTA and Red Dead Redemption is not something Take-Two wants to do.
Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar, has reiterated its stance on releasing entries in the latter's franchises every year. Games like GTA, Red Dead Redemption and even Max Payne won't benefit from coming out every year, the company explained.
"The market asks us, 'Why don't you annualize your titles?'," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said at the MKM Partners Investor Day Conference, as transcribed by Gamespot.
"We think with the non-sports titles, we are better served to create anticipation and demand. On the one hand to rest the title, and on the other hand to have the highest quality in the market, which takes time. You can't do that annually."
Zelnick went on to say that it hopes to have enough commercial success in any given year to offset the effect of not annualising its major franchises. He also added that not releasing Rockstar-developed games every year makes them a "massive consumer events" when they do.
GTA 5 has so far shipped 54 million units worldwide since its release in 2013.


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By Ben Levisohn
Yesterday’s pain erased two days of gain. Can the market make any back today?
- Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Doesn’t look that way. S&P 500 futures have dropped 0.4%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures have fallen 0.4% and Nasdaq Composite futures have declined 0.6%.
Shares of the Gap (GPS) have dropped 5% to $37.30 in pre-open trading after the retailer said same-store sales fell 6%.
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) has fallen
4.3% to $37.62 3.2% to $55.55 after the banking giant missed earnings forecasts as trading volume declined.
Wells Fargo (WFC) has gained 0.3% to $47.85 after the bank beat earnings forecasts thanks to lower expenses.
Ford (F) has gained 0.6% to $15.72 after the automaker was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
H&R Block (HRB) has gained 5.7% to $30.03 after it reached an agreement to sell its bank unit.


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The beloved, Eisner Award nominated comic book series Middlewest by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona will come to a breathtaking conclusion this July. The final issue of the series, Middlewest #18, will pack a punch with a stunning virgin cover, without trade dress, by Young.
Browsing: Skottie Young
Savage Dragon is about to hit a major milestone, and to celebrate, Image Comics has tapped a number of artists to cover Savage Dragon #250.
Magic has returned to The Marvel U, and with it a whole bunch of new, young, wielders of the mystic forces. Someone should really make a school or something. Your Major Spoilers Review of Strange Academy #1 from Marvel Entertainment awaits!
When Savage Dragon #250 arrives in May 2020, writer Erik Larsen has teamed with some well know artists who provide variant covers for the issue. Today we get our first look at the Rob Liefeld and Skottie Young.
Marvel Comics has already announced Strange Academy #1, but today, we get a video trailer featuring the work of Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos.
Marvel has released our first look at Skottie Young’s Wolverine #1 variant cover that arrives on February 19th, 2020.
You may have already seen the news that magic in the Marvel Universe has become more powerful and more people are able to wield it. To keep the world from falling into chaos, Doctor Strange is opening Strange Academy.
A young man and his talking fox must reconcile his family’s history. What will Abel do in this dangerous lands in Middlewest #11 from Image Comics!
Time to experience the unbearable darkness of Deadpool… Your Major Spoilers review of Deadpool #6 awaits!
Even more variants are rolling out for the upcoming Uncanny X-Men #1 from Marvel Comics. The publisher has released the latest featuring Skottie Young’s art.
Image Comics has announced the coming release of Middlewest from writer Skottie Young and artist Jorge Corona, that is scheduled to arrive in November.
Welcome to the weekly rundown of comic book reviews from Major Spoilers. There is a lot of stuff on the site, but this is your one-stop post to find all of the comics we’ve reviewed this week.
THE FANTASTIC FOUR ARE BACK! Right? Let’s find out as we take a look at the super-sized first issue of Fantastic Four #1 from Marvel Comics in this week’s Dueling Review podcast.
Image Comics has announced the coming release of Middlewest, an all-new fantasy adventure from Skottie Young and Jorge Corona.


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KOLKATA: The global economic crisis has affected the Darjeeling tea industry. The premium first flush teas, which become available in the market from March, have fetched 25% lesser price in the European markets this year. In 2008, the same type of tea had fetched Rs 1,250 per kg but this year it has gone down to Rs 937.50 per kg.
Talking to ET, Sanjay Bansal, chairman of Darjeeling Tea Association said: "Nearly 85% of high quality first flush tea is exported to European nations. Germany is one of the biggest buyers of Darjeeling tea. Since there is a liquidity crunch in the European countries, the buyers are not keen to pay last year's prices." Incidentally, the premium first flush and second flush teas are major revenue earners for Darjeeling tea industry.
India produces about 9-10 million kg of Darjeeling tea annually. Of this nearly 50% of the production is rain's tea, which do not fetch higher prices and are mostly sold in the domestic markets. Darjeeling tea planters depend on the first flush and second flush teas for their profitability.
While Darjeeling planters are busy in hard bargaining with overseas buyers, the Tea Board along with the UK Tea Council, is in the final stages of discussing an appropriate system that will define Darjeeling tea and the mechanism to ensure that the Darjeeling tea planters get the right price in the European markets.
For the last few years, tea planters through the board have been seeking a conclusive definition of Darjeeling tea in the global market. The most recent proposal from the board to its European counterparts has suggested the blend must consist at least 90% of Darjeeling tea to qualify to be called so.
Though the UK Tea Council and the EU Tea Committee are not opposed to the idea of finding a clear definition of Darjeeling tea, there has been some apprehension on the implementation of such a definition. The UK Tea Council has been vested with the task of representing the 27 EU trading partners on this subject. The trading rules not just in the UK but in other European countries are being considered.


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Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, recently revealed parts of the company's plan for self-driving cars. Rather than actually building autonomous vehicles, Apple seems intent on developing the software that underpins them. But there is still one big problem.
Apple has been a consumer-technology company since its inception, and it is relatively late to the automotive industry. Competitors like Tesla, Waymo, and even Uber have been gathering data about how people drive for years.
If Apple is going to compete, it needs data.
In a note sent to clients on Wednesday, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas laid out several methods for how Apple could make up for lost time.
One of the solutions he explored was an acquisition or partnership with Tesla, which has been producing and gathering data since its inception in 2003.
During Tesla's first-quarter earnings call in May, Morgan Stanley asked CEO Elon Musk about the possibility of an Apple partnership and received the following, vague answer:
"I don't think they want to have that conversation — there's not been any indication that they do," Musk said on the company's earnings call. "But obviously, Apple's company makes some great product ... I use their phone and their laptop, it's cool. I don't know what they're going to do on the car front."
Partnering with an established firm isn't the only way to gather the piles of data Apple will need. It could start gathering its own data, but that could be much more costly. Jonas estimates that Apple will spend about $16 billion over the next four years in research and development around the auto industry because of its late entry into the market, much more than the $4 billion he expects Tesla to spend over the same period.
Apple will need the massive amount of data to develop artificial intelligence and self-driving algorithms, according to Jonas. If the company is able to gather the data and create a competitive product, it could mean big revenue for the firm.
"Each 1% share of the miles market at $1/mile (including the transport service and any related/ancillary revenue) is worth $200bn in revenue and potentially tens of billions of pretax profit," Jonas wrote.
Morgan Stanley has a price target of $177 for Apple, 20% higher than its current price of $147.48. Apple shares are up 26.26% this year.
While Tesla is up 76.89% this year, Morgan Stanley thinks it's headed lower. The firm's price target is 19.8% lower than the current price of $380.31.


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The number of search terms being withheld by Google is continuing to rise, it has been revealed in a new study. The findings show that nearly two-fifths of all site traffic directed lacks this important piece of information.
It is a year since Google started to encrypt the searches of signed-in users, and there have been many search marketers and SEO analysts left frustrated by the changes. The result that so many search terms are not being disclosed will not necessarily come as a huge surprise though.
The study, carried out by B2B marketing software company Optify, studied the analytical fortunes of 424 web sites over an 11 month period. It looked at more than 17 million visits and 7.2 million referring keywords.
The study concluded that 39 percent of all directing terms were being withheld.
Instead, Google Analytics is showing its account holders ‘Not Provided’, in place of the referring phrases and keywords. A similar moniker when the data is not retrievable is used by other analytical platforms.
Whilst the average levelled at 39 percent, many businesses are seeing varying fortunes. Another conclusion the study reached included that 64 percent of the firms studied saw between 30 and 50 percent of their search term results not disclosed.
Whilst many marketers will simply determine that greater and better analysis of the information being returned is needed, many others could see a future issue.
For example, there is already talk that Google could be setting itself to charge for access to such data.


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Microsoft is investigating purchasing Barnes & Noble’s entire digital book business. According to documents obtained by TechCrunch, Microsoft is investigating the outright purchase of Nook Business from it’s current partner Barnes & Noble.
Reportedly, Microsoft would purchase Nook Media’s digital business which currently includes the Nook tablet itself as well as the Nook e-book market for periodicals, and text books as well as fiction and non fiction writing. While the purchase would include the Nook tablet division, it seems Nook already has plans to discontinue it’s dedicated tablets in favor of partnering with other devices sometime in 2014. The company doesn’t seem to have any plans to discontinue it’s dedicated e-readers.
These documents indicate a possible purchase price of at $1 billion dollars, well below the $1.8 billion Nook Media was valued at earlier this year. If the purchase comes to fruition it would be Microsoft’s latest move to shore up holes in it’s digital content offerings. Currently it offers music, television shows and movies to through Xbox Music and Xbox Video, and games through Xbox proper. Adding Nook to the fold would complete Microsoft’s digital media offerings.


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Tandemkross continues its dominance in the Ruger MKIV aftermarket accessory department, debuting a new magazine disconnect for the pistol series.
Designed for the Ruger MKIV and MKIV 22/45, the Blast Shield Magazine Disconnect Replacement is designed to allow for the safe removal of the magazine disconnect feature. This permits the gun to fire regardless of whether a magazine is inserted or not.
Additionally, the Blast Shield ensures proper magazine alignment while also shielding the sear and hammer from debris. Tandemkross says the magazine disconnect’s construction boosts overall performance on the Ruger MKIV platform without costing consumers an arm and a leg.
“Listening to customer needs and doing things in an innovative way is how we get things done at Tandemkross,” Business Development Director Bryan Haaker said in a press release. “The first question we received when the Ruger MKIV released was how to remove the magazine disconnect in a safe way that doesn’t break the bank. We’re happy to be introducing the Blast Shield, a $20 solution to a $100 challenge. At Tandemkross, we know the answers are not in our building but out there with you, the shooting community.”
The Blast Shield Magazine Disconnect Replacement offers a retail price of $19.99.


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By the investment worth $70 million to be made, Tofas will produce lightweight commercial vehicle in the northwestern province of Bursa from the first quarter of 2016. The mini cargo Facelift project of Tofas which would be made with participation of FCA Italy has been approved. According to the announcement that sent to Turkey’s ‘Public Disclosure Platform’, the said project which was approved by the executive board of Tofas would cost worth $70 million including homologation spends. Between the years 2016-2021, a total of 260 thousand vehicles are being planned to produce predominantly to be for the export market
According to the previous statement from the firm, Tofas, the Turkish automotive firm had announced they were maintaining its R & D studies and strategy focusing on new models, would obtain a long-term foreign finance up to $250 million to use in its commercial vehicle investments. Previously Tofas had announced a total of $1,4 billion for the investment of New Doblo in 2013, New Sedan project; in 2014 two-new passenger car project, the part worth $360 million of that project was completed for Doblo project and its exports were launched last December to the USA. So, the company currently has passenger car investment worth $1,04 billion. The new production amount in the projects is the number of 1,3 million units
The number of 580 thousand units of 1,3 million unit production is Sedan model which would account for worth $520 million that planned to be manufactured by 2023. The rest 700 thousand units of the production will belong to the two new passenger cars that would cost $520 million. Having the capacity utilization of 400 thousand units at its plant in Bursa, Tofas produces Fiat brand vehicles such as Linea, Doblo, Minicargo models and mostly exporting.


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CES 2013 - Are smartwatches the next big trend?
Las Vegas - The 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show is in full swing, and one of the trends this year appears to be smartwatches. Several different models were unveiled at this year's CES.
Samsung reveals world's first curved OLED TV
If a flat screen TV isn't enough to satisfy, perhaps a curved TV will. Just making its way on display, the Samsung curved OLED TV is the first of its kind.
Computers and coffee tables merge with Lenovo's 27-inch Horizon
Las Vegas - Lenovo Group has unveiled its IdeaCentre Table PC, which is 27 inches. When stood-up, it functions like an all-in-one PC; but, it's a "table PC" when laid down on a surface.
Op-Ed: CES 2013 - Is it consumers or companies that want Smart TVs?
Smart TVs are one of the items being showcased at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with companies introducing what's to come on the market. But are Smart TVs really what the consumer market wants?
Video: 'Pacific Rim' CES trailer
Las Vegas - At the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, a new trailer has been unveiled for the upcoming summer movie known as "Pacific Rim."
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The funeral for Hedaya, the final victim identified in the Surfside condo collapse, took place Tuesday in her native Brooklyn.
Beyoncé, Lorraine Schwartz Create GIA Scholarship
The superstar will hand-select two Black professionals to receive full tuition and paid expenses for its Graduate Gemologist program via distance education.
The Beyoncé Knowles-Carter x Lorraine Schwartz Scholarship will be awarded to two Black professionals, personally selected by the superstar.
The two scholarships award full tuition and paid expenses for GIA’s Graduate Gemologist program through distance education.
“It is an honor to have this scholarship in my name, but the best part is teaming up with my friend Lorraine Schwartz to give two people an opportunity to learn,” Beyoncé said in a press release about the scholarship.
“We both believe that learning is constant. This is a chance to learn from the best, create generational wealth and turn a love of gems into a career.”
Beyoncé and Schwartz bonded over a shared love of jewelry.
The two first worked together in 2003, when Schwartz designed the earrings Beyoncé wore on her first solo album cover, “Dangerously in Love.”
Beyoncé has played the role of client and muse throughout Schwartz’s career, with the latter creating much of her red carpet and editorial jewelry, sharing her diamond and gemstone knowledge along the way.
For Beyoncé’s last birthday, Schwartz gifted her a GIA scholarship, which was matched by GIA to fund a second scholarship.
“This scholarship is an homage to Beyoncé for the inspiration she’s given me throughout my career,” said Schwartz, who hails from two generations of diamond dealers.
“It’s about the love formed from relationships and knowing that at the end of the day, we are all the same. Now I have the opportunity to bring that inspiration full circle and show the community the endless possibilities that are in this industry, especially for Black professionals.”
Earlier this year, Lorraine Schwartz announced a partnership with the Natural Diamond Council to offer $1 million of financing to BIPOC designers. Recipients will also receive mentorship from a host of Schwartz's celebrity friends and clientele, including Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles.
Applications for the GIA scholarship will be accepted starting today at 9:00 a.m. PST to March 16 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
For more information or to apply, visit GIA’s website.
The men allegedly stole, or attempted to steal, watches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars off victims’ wrists.
The jewelry company wants to guide customers making the choice between a natural and a lab-grown diamond.
Create appraisals with the Jewelry Appraisal Solution on the Zing by Jewelers Mutual Group® platform and leverage the expertise of Gemworld.
Statistics and sales over the last several years have proven that men’s jewelry is now a fast-growing area of the market.
The second collection from the Rebecca Romijn-designed brand features natural sapphires and lab-grown diamonds.


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The chief executive officer of luxury automotive manufacturer Bentley Motors, Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, has spoken publically about the country’s lack of basic supplier infrastructure when it comes to supplying needed parts for automakers. According to Schreiber, the country’s government is doing a good thing by providing £1 for the into low-carbon engines for their automotive makers, but there is virtually no attention paid to the “basics” that would make the industry successful.
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Tilera’s Server Chip Challenges Intel, Sort Of
It’s been awhile since there was a new chip on the scene to get excited about; one that didn’t come from Intel, and wasn’t aimed at a mobile phone. It’s been even longer since there was a chip aimed at servers. Today is one of those days.
A start-up called Tilera today unveiled a chip it calls the TILE-Gx. Essentially, it’s a super-chip with 36 cores which — so the company claims — beats a traditional Intel server chip on the key metric of performance per watt.
For those who don’t keep score in the arcane world of semiconductors, I’ll revisit some of the basics of the above paragraph. We all know that Intel and its one main rival, Advanced Micro Devices, sell chips for servers. Those chips, and those that go into PCs, are generally known as x86 chips, a name derived from the instruction set they share.
On the other hand, there are ARM chips, which are a different breed, and exist in a very different ecosystem. Scores of companies make ARM-based chips for all kinds of different uses, and they license the basics of the designs from ARM, the company, which last year did $636 million in revenue.
ARM chips show up in phones and tablets from the likes of Broadcom, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and Nvidia, but not so much in PCs and servers. ARM is even the basis for Apple’s A4 and A5 chips. At CES last year, Microsoft said it would create a version of Windows 8 that will support ARM chips. And a company called Calxeda (which I initially got mixed up with Tilera) is aiming to bring ARM cores to chips running in servers.
Tilera, based in San Jose, Calif., is backed by investments from Bessemer Venture Partners, Walden International, Columbia Capital and VentureTech Alliance; plus a trio of strategic investors, Quanta Computer, NTT Finance and Broadcom. Its new chip is based around an entirely new architecture developed by Tilera’s CTO Anant Agarwal, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It forgoes both the traditional x86 and ARM architectures. Aimed squarely at servers, its intention is to get the same work done that a traditional Intel server chip does, while using less power to do it.
That’s not a trivial benefit, especially in data center environments where servers are bunched together and pushed to the performance limit. The biggest operational expense in running them is going to be power. So it’s on this point that server vendors and chip vendors obsess over saving a watt here and there — over the machine’s useful lifetime, the costs will add up considerably.
How it does this is what makes it interesting. Essentially, the cores on the chip do something that an Intel chip can’t do: They communicate among themselves. The way I understand it — and I admit I’m simplifying it greatly — the cores on an x86 chip rely on a single communications channel, called the Bus, to communicate. The Tilera architecture allows each core to communicate directly with the other cores, thus eliminating the need for the Bus and cutting back on the need for power.
The top-end chip — there are two versions — has 36 cores. A core is essentially the main computing engine on a chip. If you’re reading this on a PC, chances are the chip inside it has two cores, maybe four. It used to be that chips had only one core, until it became logical to put two or more on a single chip. I’ve always compared multicore chips to roommates folding laundry together. When there’s a big pile of laundry to be folded, one person can certainly do it, but two or four get it done faster and with less effort. Multicore chips basically prove the old adage that many hands make for fast work.
There’s an obvious appeal to a chip like this, but there are a lot of strikes against it. First, much of the server ecosystem is pretty well entrenched. Companies run what applications they already have, and are usually loath to mess with their computing environments much. Changing the architecture of the CPU chip inside the servers is about as major a decision as a CIO may ever make, and one they don’t make lightly. First they’ll have to test it and run it for awhile, and then see how it interacts with other systems. It’s not the sort of decision that happens just overnight. Also, a new architecture brings with it a lot of software compatibility questions that will give many IT departments pause.
Meanwhile, Intel, which sells chips that go into most of the world’s mainstream servers, will continue to push its power consumption down. At the same time, it’s been trying like crazy to use its Atom line of chips to mount an attack on ARM’s territory and win business from phone and tablet vendors. That effort is just now seeing its first early successes. If there’s a great long-term story in chips that bears watching, the grappling between Intel and the ever-expanding universe of ARM vendors is certainly it.
Correction: I initially thought the Tilera chip was based on the ARM architecture. I’ve revised the story to correct that.


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The demand for electric cars is increasing day by day all over the world. And you also want to have the best electric car. Many big companies are launching their best cars. All the companies are launching their own cars with the best features. In recent times, Swedish car maker Volvo has also started its electric journey. The Volvo carmaker has shared its plans to introduce its second electric vehicle, the Volvo C40 Recharge, in the Indian market by 2023. The company has manufactured this electric car at Volvo’s manufacturing plant in Ghent, Belgium. The company will bring this car to India through the CBU (Fully Built-up) route. Earlier the company has launched Volvo XC40 Recharge. Volvo recently announced that the company will manufacture fully electric cars by 2030. According to the company, all the features of the SUV will be given in the C40 recharge. In this, customers will get a lower and sleeker design. Let us tell you that the company will make this car on the CMA platform only.
Volvo C40 Recharge Electric Motor, Battery & Range
The Volvo C40 Recharge shares its electric powertrain with its platform sibling, the XC40 Recharge. Volvo has equipped both with a dual-motor setup making 408PS and 660Nm. The C40 recharge also gets the same 78kWh battery pack but has a WLTP-claimed range of 420km (+2km). The company has given 150 kW DC fast charge in this vehicle so that you can fast charge from 10 to 80 per cent in just 40 minutes. It has a good infotainment system like the Volvo XC40.
Volvo C40 Recharge Exterior
The Volvo C40 Recharge looks quite impressive from the outside. Its wheelbase is 2,702mm. The crossover is fitted with 19-inch wheels and gets a black roof. You can see its sharp crossover styling from quite a distance. In addition, the C40 Recharge offers an electronically operated tailgate that can be opened via a leg swipe. The state-of-the-art Pixel headlights technology, vertically designed rear lights and body-covered front grille are some of the more styling elements that add to its appeal.
Volvo C40 Recharge Interior
2022 Volvo C40 Recharge interior is leather-free as durable canvas textile is used as the right choice. The cabin feels spacious and comfortable. In addition, the 5-seater crossover offers an air purifier in the interior, transparent backlit ambience, tinted rear glass and panoramic roof, and smart storage features to improve the car’s ergonomics and comfort. The crossover gets 414 litres of boot space and a front storage compartment. Furthermore, an optimized sports steering wheel and charcoal headlining create a dynamic cockpit-like feel.
Volvo C40 Recharge Rivals
While it won’t be a direct competitor, it will compete with the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, BMW i4 and its sibling XC40 Recharge.
Volvo C40 Recharge Features
Its list of features will include a Google Android OS-powered infotainment system with built-in apps and services, a digital driver display, a panoramic glass roof, wireless phone charging and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
launch and price
The Volvo C40 could go on sale by July 2023. The electric SUV could be priced at Rs 60 lakh (ex-showroom).
Car News India is striving to make cars information accessible to as many people as possible and those who are our new blogger friends can access the required information, how did you like the information about our free keyword research tool, please comment Thank you


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Comcast's NBCUniversal (NASDAQ: CMCSA) unit is in talks with its partners in the joint venture Hulu, Disney and Fox, about joining the duo in providing networks to a live-streamed Hulu skinny bundle.
According to the major showbiz trades, NBCU is the early phases of these negotiations. NBCU controls the NBC broadcast network, along with cable channels including Bravo, USA and Syfy.
It was reported Monday by the Wall Street Journal that Disney is on what would be a ground-shifting Hulu product, providing ABC, ESPN and the Disney Channel. Fox, meanwhile, will offer up the FOX Broadcasting, Fox News, FX, Fox Sports 1 and its regional sports networks. The IP-only pay-TV package will reportedly run about $40 a month.
The WSJ report said Hulu is aiming to launch its pay-TV service in the first quarter of 2017.
As part of its regulatory conditions for the 2011 NBCU purchase, Comcast is more restrained than Disney and Fox in terms of management of Hulu. And Comcast, of course, has its own cable operations to think about.
Hulu has so far declined official comment, but the company is set to make its annual upfront presentation to advertisers Wednesday.
The prospect of an SVOD platform operator owned by three of the major programming conglomerates cutting out the middle man and distributing their goods through their own extension of the pay-TV ecosystem is something the major MVPDs will be watching closely in the months ahead.
Hulu readying live-streamed pay-TV bundle, WSJ says
Cablevision launches Hulu integration into its set-top boxes
T-Mobile gives a free year of Hulu service to Verizon customers who dump Big Red


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Does Apple yet care approximately Beats?
Apple’s huge fall iPhone event is tomorrow, however, if you’ve been hoping for one thing new from Beats, prepare to be disillusioned. the corporate doesn’t decide to announce any new hardware from Beats, the most important premium earpiece company within the world, a supply about to things tells The Verge. In fact, any and every one proof close new headphones from the corporate points toward new merchandise directly from Apple. There’s a powerful probability that we’ll see associate updated try of AirPods. There has additionally been observing Apple manufacturing its own over-the-ear headphones, which might presumptively vie against choices from Beats, the earpiece company Apple spent $3 billion exploits.
There’s a decent probability 2018 can finish with no new merchandise from Beats in the slightest degree, that is unmapped territory for the earpiece maker. Since Apple bought Beats physics in 2013, its subsidiary has free either a brand new try of headphones or a speaker once a year til now. which will look like a jarring shift initially, however upon nearer examination, you’ll notice that Beats has for the most part solely created repetitive updates: it’s on the third edition of its Solo, Studio, and Power beats lines, all of that have received minor updates over the years rather than emotional really new and innovative merchandise. The last new headphones it introduced were the beatsX back in 2016, and people have however to receive the associate repetitive update.
BEATS HAS LEVERAGED ITS POSITION AS A STAPLE OF YOUTH, SPORTS, AND FASHION CULTURES
What Beats has done extraordinarily well is leverage its position as a staple of youth, sports, and fashion culture. You’ll see Beats headphones being worn by several of the highest athletes within the world and in a very variety of music videos from major artists so as to sell similar headphones over and another time, despite the death of the latest hardware. Beats systematically release new colourways of its headphones (a promoting strategy popularized by Jordan complete and utilized throughout the sneaker and fashion industry) to stay it’s completely relevant. however one would suppose Apple spent billions on Beats for over its engineering team that helped produce Apple Music and a few sporadically repainted headphones.
To be fair, that strategy has worked: Beats simply inked a deal to be the official headphones of the NBA and USA Basketball; it’s signed major celebrities like LeBron James, Neymar, Colin Kaepernick, and Serena Williams as complete ambassadors; and, by most metrics, it owns nearly fifty p.c of the premium earpiece market. however it may be argued that this isn’t essentially thanks to the standard of the merchandise the Studio 3s square measure smart headphones, however not the most effective within the trade, as Vlad Savov noted in his review however additional thus thanks to the company’s exceptional promoting team.
So what would happen if Apple truly developed merchandise for Beats as over associate afterthought? we have a tendency to could ne’er grasp. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reportable that Apple is getting ready its own over-the-ear headphones that will vie directly with the Studio three and Solo three headphones, the bread and butter of its subsidiary. Apple’s standalone audio history has been up and down recently; it found success with its wireless AirPods, however, it’s had a way more durable time with its HomePod sensible speaker creating inroads against Amazon’s Echo and also the Google Home speaker.
In his report, Gurman noted that the forthcoming over-the-ear earpieces from Apple square measure designed to vie for the high-end headphone market, a section that Beats has targeted with its Beats professional (which additionally haven’t received the associate update in years). And Apple’s AirPods have already claimed an outsized portion of the wireless earpiece market, which is able to probably exclude Beats from getting in that forum. Apple goes once each the high-end earpiece market and also the wireless market while not utilizing the earpiece company it purchased. If Apple doesn’t unleash new merchandise from Beats unless they’re repetitive updates to existing merchandise allow us to not forget the Beats Pill, that hasn’t been updated since 2015 what house will that leave for Beats to evolve as over a sideshow for Apple’s self-branded products?
Jordan complete earns most of its cache from the retro shoe colourways it created within the ‘80s and ‘90s, however it still releases a try of latest shoes once a year for athletes and customers United Nations agency need the most recent and greatest in sneaker technology and luxury, despite competitive against its parent company Nike in nearly each respect. the connection has become dependent, benefiting each party for the larger smart of the organization. however, from the skin trying in, the connection between Apple and Beats is apparently parasitic, with Apple syphoning off what it desires from Beats at the can be it a music streaming service or engineers to create a brand new try of wireless headphones. That isn’t uncommon once acquisitions happen, but, normally, those corporations square measure united among the parent organization, not unbroken around at arm’s length whereas maintaining their own identity.
APPLE LEVERAGED THE CULTURE THAT BEATS BROUGHT WITH IT
Back in 2014 once Apple noninheritable Beats, I wrote that a part of the rationale for the deal was that Apple required associate into black culture, a section it might harness once it came time to launch its streaming music service. And it’s done simply that: nearly every major hip-hop unleash on the service pulls in additional streams than Spotify, that has over a hundred million additional users. Apple leveraged the culture that Beats brought with it alongside its own glorious promoting groups to create a service that has become the go-to place for hip-hop fans. however simply because Apple has reached now with Apple Music doesn’t mean it ought to neglect Beats, that continues to be one in all the most aspects that connect Apple to the youth and concrete markets besides iPhones.
Apple has its eyes attack the high-end audio market to vie against the likes of Audio-Technica, Bose, and a quickly rising earpiece scheme. however, neglecting the team that has been able to sell slightly above-average headphones at an unsafe pace for nearly a decade doesn’t look like a wise business move for either party. If you’re the official earpiece company for us Basketball, it looks informed continue emotional new headphones. And if you’re Apple and your history with headphones and speakers has exactly one win, despite several makes an attempt you ought to meet the corporate you own that hasn’t incomprehensible, however.


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Tesla Giga Berlin opening likely on 22nd March, awaiting final approval
Electric car major Tesla is likely to open its third Gigafactory outside the US, the Giga Berlin later this month, reports a German publication Der Tagesspiegel. The report claims that the Giga berlin is awaiting final approval from the local authority and is slated to open on 22nd March. The report also claims that all the obstacles facing the opening of Tesla's electric vehicle plant were cleared.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk along with around 500 guests are expected to be present at the event. The event would also see the first 30 made-in-Germany Tesla Model Y crossovers being delivered to the consumers. Tesla built the Giga Berlin plant at its own risk using more than 20 temporary approvals.
The manufacturing facility has already built several pre-production vehicles but it is not yet allowed to sell them to the customers. Several drone flyovers of the factory have shown hundreds of electric vehicles parked on the premises. Some people expect that Tesla has built more than 1,000 pre-production Model Y cars at the facility out of its quota of 2,000 units, which Tesla was allowed to produce.
Tesla Giga Berlin is expected to boost the automaker's business and market share in the European market significantly in the coming days. Europe is considered one of the largest markets for electric vehicles, thanks to several countries offering a wide range of demand generating subsidies for EV buyers. The facility will not only make electric cars for the European market at its Giga Berlin plant but also export the EVs to other overseas markets.
In its first Gigafactory outside the US, the Giga Shanghai, Tesla currently manufactures Model 3 and Model Y cars, which are two of its bestselling products. The Giga Shanghai not only helped Tesla to boost its sales in China but in some other regions as well, where it exports made-in-China electric cars.ht


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Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) a Global Information Technology Solutions Provider for the Enterprise announced today that it has brought Michael Lea on board as General Manager for Americas focused on Process Manufacturing. Lea is a 25-year technology veteran who has demonstrated strong consultative sales management and leadership qualifications and has continued to remain a thought-leader about advanced software and business solutions designed to meet the diverse and rapidly evolving business demands of his clients.
Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) a Global Information Technology Solutions Provider for the Enterprise today announced the appointment of John Greenaway as Chief Revenue Officer – EMEA, effective immediately. Greenaway previously served as a Channel Director at Infor for the last 10 years, where he was responsible for growing revenue across EMEA. As Chief Revenue Officer - EMEA, Greenaway will champion ICCG’s efforts to expand its software consulting and implementation footprint into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) a Global Information Technology Solutions Provider for the Enterprise today announced the appointment of Annette Cunningham as Chief Operating Officer – EMEA, effective immediately. Cunningham previously served for 4-1/2 years as a Regional Vice President of Sales at Infor managing a team of industry-leading sales people and channel partners. As COO, Cunningham will lead ICCG’s efforts to expand its software consulting and implementation footprint into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The complexities of running a business with enterprise resource planning software aren’t lost on today’s executives. But ERP is at the center of everything a company does. It tackles the core tasks of managing and integrating core business processes in real-time. The enterprise software typically addresses project management, scheduling, procurement, production, sales, order management, distribution, billing, shipping, logistics, and supply chain management.
eWeek released a list of their “Top 10 Enterprise Resource Planning Software Providers." If you haven’t seen the article yet you can read it here.
The Infor® M3 Inventory Planning Workbench (IPW) is an online configurable spread-sheet style grid for viewing and/or simulating and editing inventory, demand, and supply across multiple variable time buckets. Filtering of items and color-coding of cells helps the user to focus on exceptions like low-stock, short coverage time, orders vs forecast deviations, expiring stock, and more. Configurable columns allow the user to add information about forecast fulfillment percentage, dynamic coverage time, planned re-classifications, and other measures and KPIs.
With M3 Inventory Planning Workbench, you can:
■ Plan and analyze scheduling proposals to meet inventory needs.
■ Simplify identifying issues with demand and supply, through color coding and filtering of items.
■ Directly release scheduling proposal into real manufacturing orders—directly from within the grid.
■ Plan across multiple warehouses to provide greater business insight.
■ Deliver role-based and configurable capabilities to production planning, customer service, buyers, and more.
Independent Computer Consulting Group Extends Relationship From India And US To Europe, Targets New Verticals
Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced that Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) has become a Gold Channel Partner in Europe. This builds on the existing, extensive relationship between Infor and ICCG, who is already a global delivery and Alliance partner.
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires that food and beverage companies take a more proactive approach to food safety. This is a shift from the more reactive approach that food and beverage companies have historically followed. With FSMA in place, companies must identify risks, create procedures for mitigating hazards, and execute against those procedures to ensure all threats to the safety of the food supply chain are contained, as well as demonstrate that their programs are valid and that they are continually being improved upon.
The high-level issues facing food and beverage manufacturers today might feel like the same challenges the industry has been dealing with for years, but the context in which these challenges exist have changed dramatically. Consumer demand for greater product innovation and transparency, ever-increasing quality and compliance pressures, tighter profit margins, new channel opportunities, and a dynamic workforce are just some of the factors that are shifting market dynamics to the point where food and beverage manufacturers need to take a fresh approach to how they do business.
In some cases, technology is driving the change; in other cases, technology offers the solution. In this changing environment, successfully managing growth and profitability depend on how well food and beverage manufacturers can evolve while embracing modern technology.
For everything there is a season, as those in the food and beverage industry are keenly aware. In parts of the world, harvest season is here; for others, it is spring planting. And, as 2019 coasts through the 1st quarter, it is also the season for summarizing achievements and setting new goals. Eager to capitalize on the growth momentum, F&B companies continue their plans for 2019 budgets and are prioritizing the major initiatives for the coming year. With many game-changing innovations now available, companies should start early to strategize on the technology investments that will be key to seizing new opportunities.
Topics: Food & Beverage
The top US food and beverage companies have lost billions in market share since 2009 with shoppers heading towards specialized, fresher products instead of well-known big brands.
To stand out, you need to go niche and move into microvertical markets to keep up.
Continue reading to learn about the 4 things you can do to prepare your business to take on microvertical challenges.


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Today, Amazon is opening its latest brick and mortar storefront. This time around, it’s in New York City in the SoHo neighborhood. Amazon’s latest physical location will exclusively feature goods with 4+ star ratings from its online storefront. Inventory will also be shaped by local shopping habits based on previous purchases in the area on Amazon.
Given that Amazon recently expanded its autonomous Go grocery stores, it’s no surprise that Amazon is moving towards additional locations. Today’s opening departs from previous bookstore locations with a wider-range of products. More details below.
Amazon opens 4+ star retail location in Soho
Amazon’s latest retail location will be located in the popular SoHo neighborhood. In fact, it will be just around the corner from Apple’s storefront. After purchasing Whole Foods last year, it became clear that the online giant was interested in expanding its physical presence. Today’s opening departs from its previous ventures with a focus on highly rated products, where as Whole Foods and Go are primarily groceries and its other locations are bookstores.
“We started with some of the most popular categories on Amazon.com including devices, consumer electronics, kitchen, home, toys, books, and games, and chose only the products that customers have rated 4 stars and above, are top sellers, or are new and trending,”
Amazon Prime pricing, in-store
Much like Amazon Books, you’ll find the same pricing in-stores as you would online, as long as you’re a Prime member. Digital tags within the store will display two tiers of pricing, denoting the difference. This is often one of the major downfalls of brick and mortar stores. Amazon is beating them with lower prices online. But that’s the luxury of being one of the largest companies in the world.
Time will tell how popular this store will ultimately be for Amazon. Without a doubt, it will be a nice novelty location for shoppers to swing by. Most importantly, it gives Amazon another storefront in the New York area as a follow-up to last year’s Books opening.
Consumer data drives Amazon’s decision
One of Amazon’s biggest strengths is its access to consumer data. By offering a wide range of products to shoppers around the world, it can pick up on trends and act accordingly. The new 4-star location focuses on top-rated gear but will also serve as a testing ground for Amazon to put these practices into motion.
There’s a certain irony that Amazon is making such a push into physical storefronts. Some would say that they have slowly killed off brick and mortar stores. But it’s certainly exciting to see how a new player in the space might reimagine your shopping experience around town.
You can learn more about Amazon 4-star right here.
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Hey folks, we’ve got some DEEECENT news for you! We’ve partnered with the amazing East Side Games (of Pot Farm fame) to make a new Trailer Park Boys mobile game for iOS and Android!
The game will be launched Spring 2016, and you can get exclusive news about the release by signing up at www.eastsidegames.com/tpbgame now!
You awesome fans have been requesting a TPB game for a while, so we know you’ll be pleased as fuck. We can’t wait to launch this next year!


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- The week in security: Superfish a super problem, ransomware too
- Personal data on 50,000 Uber drivers exposed in breach
- White House privacy proposal aims to give consumers control over data
- Lenovo to flush 'crapware' from its consumer PCs after Superfish sin
- The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Friday, February 27
Virgin Australia - News, Features, and Slideshows
Virgin Australia has confirmed that its Sabre booking and check-in system was restored at 4pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) after an outage that lasted two hours.
Virgin Australia has confirmed that its Sabre booking and check-in system is currently experiencing an outage due to a global issue with Sabre.
Problems with Virgin Australia’s new Sabre check-in and booking system which led to delays for passengers earlier in the week have now been fixed, according to the airline.
Virgin Australia has implemented a new booking and check-in system called Sabre across its domestic and international networks.
Virgin Australia has sent out an alert to customers warning them about fake travel itinerary emails which may contain a virus or spyware.
- OpenText CMO: Role of marketing technologist will be short lived
- Adshel to deploy beacon technology across outdoor advertising panels nationally
- CIO, CMO take top two posts at Myer following Brookes' departure
- CommBank CMO adds strategy to her executive marketing responsibilities
- Companies don’t have policies to disrupt traditional business models: Forrester’s McQuivey


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After so many rumors, Samsung has come out with the announcement of updated Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 smartphones in its Galaxy ‘J’ series. Users are expecting new features. However, but instead Samsung has added metal design, fingerprint sensor, VoLTE support instead of adding any significant new feature.Both J5 and J7 smartphones will run on Android 7.0 Nougat.
The smartphones have already launched in Europe with the price at EUR 279 (roughly Rs. 19,600) and EUR 339 (roughly Rs. 24,600) correspondingly.
A different variant of theses smartphone was also released in the US as AT&T exclusive. It has several differences in features and these differences include 2GB RAM, a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front camera, and a slightly smaller 2400mAh battery.
Alongside Samsung has also come with the announcement of Galaxy J3. It is expected to made available in Europe in the month of August.
Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 smartphones will be available in the variance black and gold color. They are expected to make available by the end of June and July respectively.
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) will hava a 5.2-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) Super AMOLED display and it will run on 1.6GHz Exynos 7870 octa-core processor and Mali T830 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Storage wise, it will have 16 GB Internal storage which will be expandable up to 256GB.
Samsung Galaxy J5 will have a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080×1920 pixels) display, USB Type-C port, and it will have 3GB of RAM IP54 rated so it will be splash resistant. The phone will have a 3600mAh battery too.
Both phones will have 13-megapixel rear and front camera with LED flash on both sides. Other software features and accessories will be the same for Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) and J7(2017)


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- Unilever says it's updating its principles for food and beverage marketing to children, including a change that will no longer target marketing communications to children under 12.
- The company said for television and other measurable media, it will not run ads where children aged under 12 represent over 25% of the audience
Consumer packaged goods giant Unilever said Wednesday that it's updating its principles for marketing food and beverages to children, including that it will no longer target ads to children under 12, amid widespread concerns about childhood obesity.
The company, whose portfolio includes Ben & Jerry's and Klondike, said the change will apply to all food and beverage products, and defines marketing communications as TV and radio ads, digital activity, social media and digital ads, apps, PR materials, online games and other communication like product placements. The company said it previously had allowed ads for products that met its "Highest Nutritional Standards," which take into consideration factors like sodium, saturated fat and sugars.
In a blog post, Unilever said a key reason for the new principles is the fact that the World Health Organization calls childhood obesity one of the most serious public health issues of the 21st century.
"It's a move designed to help parents, caregivers and kids make informed choices about the food and drinks they buy, and to address the rise of social media, and the vast increase in products on sale," the post said.
Unilever also said it will not direct any social media at kids under 13. It will also restrict its influencer policy, not using influencers under the age of 12, nor influencers who primarily appeal to children under 12. (Major social networks like Facebook and Instagram don't allow users under the age of 13.)
Unilever said the changes in targeting take into consideration both the content of the advertising and its placement. The company said for television and other measurable media, it will not run ads where children age under 12 represent over 25% of the audience. For the content, it said creative execution marketing communications should not be designed to target kids under 12.
The company added that it will only show kids under 12 in its marketing communications if it's for products that meet high nutritional standards or if it's "relevant to the marketing message," like a family activity, it said. "Parents or gatekeepers will always be portrayed in control of the access to a product," the company writes in its policy.
It also said it will limit the use of licensed cartoon characters and of "brand-equity" characters to point-of-sale communications (like in-store displays or ice cream freezers) and will only use them with products that meet its "self-imposed Highest Nutritional Criteria." The company said it previously allowed the use of characters in its marketing communications.
Unilever says it has been applying specific measures for the marketing of food and beverages since 2003 and has adopted those principles since then. The deadline for the new measures is the end of this year.
Other companies have rules around marketing food and beverages to kids. General Mills, for example, says it does not direct any marketing to children under 12 unless it meets "strict nutrition standards." In the U.S., those standards are the ones established by the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, General Mills says.


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Kerosene wick lamps produce both light and hazardous soot
The bright orange flames of kerosene wick lamps used in millions of impoverished households around the world are significant sources of global warming and pollutants linked to respiratory diseases, according to a new study.
By Louis Sahagun
November 30, 2012


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The biggest news in tech is happening right now.
If you are not yet paying attention, you will soon be, as Netflix and the Amazon Echo are getting a new app, Amazon TV, and the likes of Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video, and Amazon Prime Music.
These apps are all aimed at new customers, and are not aimed at Netflix and other online streaming services.
The new apps are also meant to compete with Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, both of which are designed for streaming.
The big question is whether these apps will be enough to get you to the big time.
As I discussed in this story, the major problem with these apps is that they are too expensive to make for a typical user.
If we compare Netflix and its other apps to Apple’s own streaming services, the Apple app has a higher price tag and higher average user acquisition cost per user than Netflix.
The Amazon app has similar pricing and user acquisition costs to Apple, but is also more affordable, offering a lower price tag.
However, Netflix has some additional advantages.
The biggest of which is that it has an exclusive agreement with Apple to provide its content for Apple TV.
Apple TV is an incredibly popular device for consumers.
It has more than 60 million users, with more than 100 million paying subscribers.
This device is so popular that Netflix is not just trying to compete, but also to make sure that Apple TV users get the best deal on its streaming service.
Netflix will not have to offer its services on Amazon’s Fire TV if Amazon decides to start offering its services through its own device.
Netflix and Apple are also very close partners.
Apple is a big part of Netflix’s business.
Netflix owns a majority of its stock.
Netflix is owned by Walt Disney Co., which is also a huge investor in Amazon.
Apple has invested in Netflix for several years.
And Netflix has also invested in Apple for the last few years.
Apple and Netflix have been very close to each other.
And so Netflix is trying to do what Apple has done for decades, which is to create a great customer experience.
The question is: Will this work?
There is a huge potential for Netflix to succeed.
Netflix has been trying to be a great competitor to Apple for years.
In a lot of ways, Apple is Netflix’s biggest competitor, because Apple has been building the most successful streaming devices in history.
However that doesn’t mean that Apple is going to be able to compete effectively with Netflix.
There is another important difference between Apple TV, Amazon Video and Netflix.
Apple offers its services free of charge, but only on a limited number of devices.
Netflix’s products are expensive, and so its products are more attractive to a wide variety of users.
Apple also has a history of offering its products for free, and there is a good reason for that.
It is the way that Apple has designed its products to work.
So, if Apple is willing to pay for its services, it is likely that it will do so on the cheapest device that it can find.
Netflix, on the other hand, is trying the opposite strategy.
It wants to charge for its products and make sure its customers get the lowest price.
The only way that Netflix can compete effectively against Apple is to offer an app that is as good or better than Apple’s products.
That means that Apple’s existing apps have to be updated to work with Netflix’s apps.
And that is going’t be easy.
There are a lot more things that Apple and Amazon have in common than just a shared history of being both great companies.
Netflix also has more in common with Amazon than with Apple.
Netflix offers an app on a tablet that allows people to watch movies, TV shows, and movies for free.
That is a very different experience from the one that people have at Amazon, where they can watch shows and movies in a way that is completely free of cost.
Amazon also offers an iPad app, called Kindle Unlimited, which allows people who don’t have a Kindle to get unlimited access to thousands of titles.
In addition, Amazon’s Prime Video service allows people with Prime membership to stream video from Amazon’s video stores to devices with a TV, like Amazon Fire TVs, and also to devices like Apple TVs and Apple TVs with Roku streaming boxes.
Netflix doesn’t offer any of these services.
And Amazon’s TV app is very different than Amazon’s streaming services and from Netflix’s app.
Netflix would have to go to the top of the market to compete against Amazon and Amazon Video.
And for the most part, Amazon and Netflix are going to fight tooth and nail for their market share.
That’s the key to Netflix’s success.
But what about Amazon?
Netflix has many big problems.
Netflix does not have a strong product strategy, especially in the home.
In fact, it does not even have a product strategy.
The problem is that Netflix has a very low user acquisition rate.
The vast majority of users do not sign up


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Pyrenees Shire Council is warning residents to watch what they toss in the newly introduced glass-only waste bins after non-glass items were dumped in Avoca’s glass skip recently.
According to council, a number of items were dumped in the collection bin last week including a milk bottle, ice cream container, stubbie box and plastic wrapping.
The requirement to separate glass from regular recycling came into effect in the shire on November 2 as council’s new recycling contractor, Australian Paper Recovery, only accepts paper, cardboard, steel cans, aluminium cans, plastic milk bottles, soft drink bottles and plastic detergent bottles.
Pyrenees Shire CEO Jim Nolan said residents need to ensure they’re doing the right thing when it comes to recycling.
“We want everyone to do the right thing so the efforts of some are not wasted because of inappropriate actions by a small number of people,” he said.
Glass can be dropped off at collection points located around the shire including the rear of the Avoca Town Hall, the Park Road serviceway at the RV dump point in Beaufort, and the Avoca, Beaufort, Landsborough and Snake Valley transferstations.
For more on this story see Page 5 of The Advertiser, Friday, November 15


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DCash, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) commissioned by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), has remained offline for more than a month as technical issues continue to impact the platform, triggering growing concern among its users.
“The DCash platform remains unavailable, resulting in the temporary inability of all users to conduct transactions,” the CBDC operator said in a statement from February 14, the latest update to date.
It added that “[t]he ECCB continues to work with service provider Bitt Inc to restore full system functionality.”
The ECCB announced in mid-January that the platform had suffered an “interruption” that did not compromise any data, but it forced DCash’s operator to halt all transactions.
DCash is a digital version of the Eastern Caribbean dollar. The digital payment option was put to use in five island economies that lie in the region: Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
To roll out DCash under a pilot project, the ECCB partnered with a number of banks, credit unions, and businesses, and commissioned service provider Bitt Inc to develop the CBDC.
Josh Lipsky, Director of the GeoEconomics Center of US think tank The Atlantic Council, told Bloomberg that the woes encountered by the CBDC’s operator highlighted the difficulties faced by countries that decide to launch their respective central bank-backed cryptoassets.
“This is an important case study in things that can go wrong in the rollout and expansion of a digital currency,” Lipsky said. “Every country trying [to] do a large rollout has had problems.”
Despite this, Geo. F. Huggins & Co., a Grenada-based holding that was the first business to accept a DCash payment about a year ago, remains convinced that the CBDC could become a key part of the region’s payments landscape.
“As we start to emerge from [COVID-19], we think that DCash will become one of the preferred payment options in the near future,” said Najuma Francis-Patrick, Corporate Marketing Manager at Geo. F. Huggins & Co.
The Eastern Caribbean CBDC was launched in March 2021. Meanwhile, the Barbados-based Bitt has been involved in various CBDC projects across the globe, including the roll-out of Nigeria’s eNaira.
– Caribbean CBDC Remains Offline for More Than 2 Weeks Amid Technical Issues
– CBDCs in 2022: New Trials and Competition with Crypto
– Chinese IT Companies, Banks Expand Range of Offline Digital Yuan Solutions
– Russian Central Bank & Government Fail to Agree on Crypto Regulation; New Limits Proposed
– BIS Claims a CBDC Interoperability Victory – While US Congressman Bids to Block Digital USD
– S Korean Presidential Candidates Manifestos Issued as NFTs; Crypto Enters National Statistics