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The Chinese smartphone maker Gionee has expanded its smartphone portfolio with two new models. Presented in Beijing, China, the handsets are known as M6 and M6 Plus. They target people who want improved security and that’s why both smartphones... Read more
The recently launched Plextor M6 Pro line of solid-state drives may have run into a serious problem with reliability according to numerous complaints posted on the Internet.
According to many users of drives that belong to the M6 Pro... Read more
Plextor has taken the chance to present yet another new solid-state drive line at Computex 2014 but this one promises to be rather interesting. The new SSD line is called M6 Pro SATA SSD and comes with the rather interesting PlexTurbo... Read more


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LONDON, Sept.28 (Reuters) – Britain will begin talks with the 11-member Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on Tuesday to join the pact it sees as an important part of its future trade plans post-Brexit.
The CPTPP trade pact removes 95% of tariffs between its members: Japan, Canada, Australia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Singapore, Mexico, Peru, Brunei, Chile and Malaysia.
Britain hopes to carve out a niche in world trade as an exporter of high-end consumer goods and professional services. Joining the pact would complement trade deals London is seeking, or has already concluded, with larger members.
Other members of the pact have already met to discuss the British candidacy, but Tuesday’s virtual meeting will see British participation in the CPTPP British Membership Working Group, chaired by Japan, for the first time.
“This is an important step on our way to join the CPTPP, which will allow us to forge stronger bonds with both old friends and some of the fastest growing economies in the world,” the secretary said. to International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan in a press release.
Joining the CPTPP in its current format could add around Â£ 1.8bn ($ 2.5bn) to the UK economy in the long run – or less than 0.1% of gross domestic product before the pandemic, according to the pandemic. UK government modeling.
Although it represents only a minimal gain for exports and economic growth, it blocks market access, including for the legal, financial and professional services sectors, and is seen by ministers as an important means to gain influence in a region where China is increasingly the main force. (Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

domain: news


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Pandemic-induced lockdowns, combined with a rapid shift to online spending, has disrupted the Canadian payments ecosystem in a way that will significantly accelerate digital payments.
Total Finance Feature: ‘Canada’s Prepaid Payments Industry Growing, Attracting Innovation Among Homegrown And Global FinTechs’
By Jennifer Tramontana — Executive Director, CPPO This article first appeared in the July 2021 Edition of Total Finance and online. The COVID-19 pandemic has
In a recent interview with Cards International, Jennifer Tramontana, co-founder and executive director of the Canadian Prepaid Providers Organization tells Douglas Blakey that prepaid is


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Vectura to get $10 million milestone as Hikma files ANDA for generic copy of GSK’s asthma drug
Vectura Group (LSE: VEC) on Friday said it is set to receive $10 million in milestone payments from partner Hikma Pharmaceuticals (LSE: HIK) after the latter filed an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for the generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s (LSE: GSK) asthma drug.
Vectura has partnered with Hikma to develop the drug compound VR315 US to treat asthma and as maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction and reducing exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The drug is delivered using Vectura’s inhaler.
The company said the launch will be a major value driver for Vectura.
Vectura’s Chief Executive James Ward-Lilley, says: “The FDA acceptance of the ANDA filing is an important regulatory step for our VR315 programme,” adding, “We believe that the strong data package submitted will facilitate the approval of VR315 and gives us confidence that Hikma can be among the first companies to launch this product in the US.”
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set a GDUFA goal date of 10 May, 2017 for Hikma.


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For all its powerful potential, retail IT users know all too well the error problems with RFID, especially when the more powerful UHF chips get close to liquids or metal.
But as RFID enters mainstream status in 2006, retail users are going beyond traditional engineering means to address those shortcomings and falling back on the time-honored shared-risk, shared-reward approach with suppliers.
Consider the case of Rachel Bolt, assistant director of information systems for the $700 million Piggly Wiggly grocery chain, with 114 stores in South Carolina and Georgia.
Shes a big fan of RFIDs potential, but she absolutely considers the read rates shes seeing today as “not acceptable,” she said.
“With a 97 percent read rate at the case level, Im still going to have to count it. Whats the point?”
Bolt said that she wants 100 percent read accuracy, but when asked what she would realistically accept, she paused and said, “99.99999 percent.”
“This means that were not actually doing RFID today. Were simply enabling ourselves to play in that space. There are foundational pieces that a company must have in place. If and when the time is right for us to start receiving the products in our DC [distribution center], well have what we need to implement RFID, but Im not ready to embrace it yet.”
To deal with less-than-fully-reliable pallet readings, Bolt is asking that her suppliers provide more accurate advance ship notices. If that happens, she is considering leveraging RFID to allow for the Holy Grail of supply-chain: good faith receivings.
That would involve allowing a consumer goods manufacturer—such as Nabisco—to bring deliveries to the chain and “drop it, leave it and nobody has to check it in.”
Such a potential process with the chains more than 900 suppliers “puts the fear of God” into their operations people, Bolt said.
Thats where shared-risk, shared-reward comes into play, in the form of a negotiated error rate. Piggy Wiggly has been in discussions with Nabisco for just such a negotiated rate.
Bolts plan is to conduct periodic audits. If the audit is covering two months of shipments and if, lets say, products come up short by one percent, the supplier would be charged that amount retroactively for the prior two months.
“Wouldnt that put the impetus of accuracy into their court rather than ours,” Bolt asked. “True good faith receiving, its incredible what that could do to streamline our process.”
But its all based on a foundation of accurate RFID readings, which Bolt cant get.
Part of the debate involves where retailers should use UHF (Ultra-High-Frequency) as opposed to HF (High-Frequency) versions of RFID.
The newer UHF versions have two key differences: read distance and read speed.
UHF can read from a much greater distance, roughly five meters on a typical passive UHF tag, compared with about a meter for the same tags HF cousin, said Raghu Das, a managing director for IDTechEx, a technology consulting house in the UK.
UHF also has the edge when it comes to faster data transfer rates, allowing many more tags to be read simultaneously.
But UHF suffers from two distinct disadvantages, and that is the core of the error issue. Much more so than HF, UHF readers get flummoxed by liquids and metals.
“Water has a tremendous effect on UHF” and that includes “moisture in the human body,” Das said. “Thats one of the reasons people are struggling to get it working.”
Although the liquid issue can be dealt with, liquids can crop up in sly ways. The liquid inside the bloom of warehouse workers have caused problems and there have been reports of tracked cows confusing the readers, too.
Dog food maker Purina is reported to have experienced UHF RFID problems when tracking bags of dry dog food. Why? The dry food apparently absorbed enough moisture from the air to confuse the readers.
Engineering RFID Tricks
The initial compromise has most retailers experimenting with UHF for backroom warehouse supply-chain tracking only, with HF being used for the initial item-level shelf experiments.
HFs shorter read distance is preferable for item-level anyway because it can reduce readers “seeing” an unintended product.
IDTechEx sees the UHF error rates—coupled with the likely increase in item-level experimentation in the next few years—causing a seesaw effect with UHF versus HF purchases.
“Today, the cumulative sales of RFID, the majority arent high-frequency,” Das said. By the end of, “2006, UHF will become the dominant frequency by tag volume sales. High-frequency will still have dominance for dollar value. By 2007, UHF will dominate in both. By 2010, HF will be the dominant frequency again.”
Das sees another potential downside for UHF use in item-level tracking. “Wal-Mart initially said that it wanted all drugs to be tagged with UHF,” which might not work with a liquid drug, Das said. But another possibility is that the UHF tags could generate sufficient hurt to impact the product.
“An RFID tag is like any electronic circuit. If its on, it will heat up,” Das said. “At quite a high frequency, there is a chance that it could knock off some of the weak parts of a long molecule drug.”
Others in the RFID space doubted that the small RFID tags could generate sufficient heat to impact products.
What there is almost universal agreement on among retail and consumer goods IT managers is that RFID is problematic, expensive, will require extensive investment and is absolutely worth it.
“This is not an IT problem. This is an engineering problem,” said a veteran IT manager at cigarette giant Phillip Morris, who asked that his name not be used.
“Its not the time to shy away from it because everyone has a lot to learn. Were in for five years of incredibly painful learning. If you look at the Wal-Mart experience, it is certainly very concentrated on the learning side. Its a disruptive technology and it will change the nature of B2B.”
By an engineering problem, the Phillip Morris manager is referring to tweaks with positioning the chips and the pallets they are typically on, as well as reader positioning.
“If you are transmitting and receiving these waves from one antennae, youre doomed,” he said. “Thats how we have to organize, to make the network intelligent with diversity antennae systems, collaboratively scanning with multiple receivers.”
Asked how difficult it is to make such a process work reliably, the Phillip Morris manager said, “Damn tough, but the EPC reader spec allows for this, allows for collaborative readers.”
Yankee Group analyst John Fontanella agreed. “This absolutely is an engineering problem, but I believe most CIOs have a very accurate idea of the limitations of RFID,” he said. “You need to have that pilot. You need to have that experience.”
Gerd Wolfram is the chief technology officer of the Metro Group, Germanys largest retail chain with about $68 billion in annual revenue, 2,400 stores in 30 countries and about 250,000 employees.
Wolfram is quite familiar with the challenges surrounding RFID, but sees things getting better. “UHF on the pallet is not a problem. With Gen2, its getting better and better. Compared with Gen1, you read quicker, you read more and you get a better read rate. In the end, you can read more in a shorter time.”
But he wants more action from global standards groups. “Whats still missing is the standardization” from UPCGlobal, he said.
He doesnt see the UHF vs. HF debate settled, but he is leaning toward the conventional approach. “There still is discussion whether we should use UHF for item-level tagging. The pro is that if you use UHF, then you only have one reader generation in the store,” Wolfram said.
“On the other hand, there are limitations [liquid and metal conflicts] that are not solved today. Were going to start with HF. I personally think it will be HF for the item level. Its the right technology.”
From the perspective of Stan Drobac, the VP of RFID strategy for RFID tag manufacturer Avery Dennison, Wolfram is ahead of the pack by simply having focused on it at such a specific level.
“The whole question of UHF versus HF is a level of detail that many CIOs havent gotten into at all,” he said.
Retail Center Editor Evan Schuman can be reached at Evan_Schuman@ziffdavis.com.


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TWO DESTINATION Chesterfield Champions have come up with plans for town promotional hoardings on prominent developments throughout Chesterfield to raise awareness of forthcoming schemes.
Marketing group Destination Chesterfield, which includes local authority and business partners, has commissioned the hoardings and the initial work has been awarded to design company FWD Motion, base at Renishaw Hall, and manufacturing partner Banner Box, of Staveley.
David Whiteley, Director of FWD, said: “Our brief was to brighten up a number of rather un-sightly areas and inform people living and visiting Chesterfield about the changes planned for the town.”
The first installation was at the site of the proposed Phase 3 development of Ravenside Retail Park, opposite the main police station on Markham Rd, and further installations were created for hoardings at Chesterfield College and the new Shorts Solicitors development on Saltergate.
However, the single biggest installation of its kind ever completed by Banner Box, will be for the Market Hall re-development in the town centre.
This multi-million pound flagship re-development is at the heart of the plans to make Chesterfield’s 800 year old market up-to date and fit for the 21st century customer.
Mr Whiteley added: “Thousands visit Chesterfield market every week and the first priority was to make sure we made an un-sightly construction site look more pleasant.”
The most recent phase saw a final hoarding being created at the former site of Chesterfield FC on Saltergate. This 10 Acre site is being re-developed by Barratt Homes into housing.
Banner Box’s Paul Noble said: “We were delighted to be asked to participate in the creation of these grand format pieces of work.”


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Technology market analyst Canalys predicts that 100 million smart speakers will be in use in people’s homes by end of 2018. By 2020, there will be more than 225 million installed units.
Additionally, Canalys predicts that Google’s Home series will account for about 30 percent of installed smart speakers at the end of 2018. Amazon’s Echo devices will account for about 50 percent, while Apple’s HomePod will only account for about four percent.
The U.S. currently leads the world in smart speaker adoption. However, smart speakers have been available in the United States for a while. According to Canalys research analyst Vincent Thielke, Amazon and Google have engaged in a price war in an attempt to build the largest install base. However, these companies are turning to other uses for speakers, as well as other untapped markets.
“Their business development teams are targeting commercial opportunities, such as hotels, offices, gyms and airports, with initiatives such as Amazon’s Alexa for Business and Alexa for Hospitality,” said Thielke.
As for untapped markets, China is the “sleeping giant” according to research analyst Hattie He. In 2017, China had only an estimated three percent of the installed base. However, Canalys predicts China will have 10 percent of the installed base by the end of 2018.
“China has massive potential, with more than 450 million households, over three times the number in the U.S.” said He.
While China will take over as the second highest installed base of smart speakers this year, Canada will drop off the list.
Canada had a small spot on the 2017 Top 5 list with about two percent of the installed smart speakers. However, Canada won’t be among the Top 5 at the end of 2018 as new players squeeze the country out.
Interestingly, Canadians seem to prefer Google Home to Amazon Echo devices. While Canalys predicts Amazon has more speaker units installed, Google Home is the leader for us. According to a survey from the Media Technology Monitor in June, 55 percent of Canadian smart speaker owners own a Google Home.
Amazon Alexa trails at 22 percent. Sonos and HomePod round out the bottom of the list with four and three percent respectively.
In 2017, the U.S. dominated with 73 percent of the installed base. That’s expected to fall to 64 percent at the end of 2018 as other markets adopt more smart speakers.
The smart speaker industry is growing rapidly around the world. It will interesting to see how this burgeoning industry will play out. Both Amazon and Google are investing heavily in smart speakers and other players are considering entering the market too.


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Tech giant Apple launched new features to track and bound screen time apps from its Apple store. According to the New York Times report, Apple then started policing the race. It removed or lemmatized the features of a few of the most famous third-party apps to observe the screen time. It contains the applications that gave tight parental controls over the phone usage of children.
Information gathered from the analytics firm Sensor Tower and the Times that removed or restricted from the Apple store, at least 11 of the 17 most downloaded parental-control and screen-time apps. Apple allegedly blamed them of having the features that ran afoul of Apple Store policies, even either those applications had a history of having the approval stamp of Apple.
OurPact Most-Installed Parental-Control App
According to the Times, the parental-control app OurPact was the most-installed app with three million downloads when it booted from the App Store of Apple in February. The CEO of OurPact, Amir Moussavian said with unhappiness that they pulled them out of the blue without any warning. Apple this behavior is killing the industry systematically.
Furthermore, many other developers also expressed that Apple authorities force them to gut key features if they want to remain in the Apple Store. In December, Tech Crunch also shared a report regarding the bolstered Apple policing of screen time apps of the third party. Tammy Levine, the spokesperson of Apple, gives her statement to Times that Apple has the same policy for all the apps as well as for those apps also who compete with their own services.
She also said that their incentive is to have a vibrant application ecosystem that gives consumers access to as much quality apps as possible. Due to making privacy concerns as a reason, Apple forced developers to change some specific features. Also, Levine expressed that actions of Apple not concerning to roll out of its own characteristics. Apple does not do enough as they are facing criticism to boost people to stay away from their screens, last year Apple rolled out a suite of latest features designed to assist the customers track and limit their usage.
However, the in-house parental features of Apple just work among other iPhones and not compatible with Android smartphones and devices. The Times reported that users also said that they are far more agreeable than the third-party applications.


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U.S. COMPOSITE MARKET PMI
Markit Economics will announce April composite market purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data. Composite PMI rose to a record high of 62.2 in April.
BOE INTEREST RATE DECISION
The Bank of England will announce its new interest rate decision. The bank kept the policy rate unchanged at 0.1% at the previous meeting held in March.
CHINA TRADE BALANCE
The General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China will announce April trade balance data. China’s total trade surplus stood at USD 13.8bn in March, compared to USD 103.25bn in January and February.
U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
US Bureau of Labor Statistics will announce the April unemployment rate. Unemployment edged down to 6% in the U.S. in March.
EUROZONE CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
European Commission will announce the April consumer confidence data. Euro zone consumer confidence rose 4 points to -10.8 in March.
The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) will announce the April consumer price index (CPI) data. Consumer prices increased by 1.08% in March compared to the previous month, while the annual inflation stood at 16.19%.
Markit Economics will announce April PMI data. PMI rose to 52.6 in March.
PRELIMINARY FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS
The Ministry of Trade will announce May preliminary foreign trade statistics. Exports and imports decreased to USD 8.9bn and USD 13.5bn in April, respectively.
THE RATES OF REAL PROFITS CREATED BY MEANS OF FINANCIAL INVESTMENT
Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) will announce the April rates of real profits created by means of financial investment. The US dollar yielded the highest monthly real profit in March with rates of 4.11% and 7.25% according to the domestic producer price index (D-PPI) and consumer price index (CPI), respectively.
INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ DAY
On Saturday, international workers’ day will be celebrated. The confederation of Turkish Trade Unions, Confederation of Turkish Real Trade Unions and Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey will place a wreath at Taksim Square and make their individual statements.
CHP CENTRAL EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
Republican People’s Party (CHP) Central Executive Board members are expected to gather on Monday with the participation of the party’s president Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Faik Oztrak, the speaker of the CHP, will make a statement following the meeting.
PARLIAMENTARY SESSIONS SUSPENDED
Following the 17-day lockdown decision, the Parliament has suspended its sessions following the adoption of the law on the suspension of enforcement and bankruptcy proceedings until May 31, to prevent loss of rights due to the restrictions applied during the pandemic. Parliament will continue its legislative session as of May 18.


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Indianapolis Prepares Chefs & Food Trucks For Super Bowl
Think of Super Bowl 2012 and you can’t stop thinking of food in the same breath. Besides preparing for the game this year, host city Indianapolis is also preparing its chefs and food trucks for heightening the Super Bowl fever. Food obsession is bound to attain new dimensions and this is visible, most of all, in the food trucks around the city.
1) Tasty Things To Come
Indiana chefs are cranking up the taste quotient a little bit more in anticipation of the game. One such chef, Kate McKibben, of Mable on the Move, a popular food truck, says, “We’ve got Buffalo chicken mac and cheese and we’ve got an organic grass fed all-beef hotdog with homemade chili and cheese and on top.” Mable on the Move is just one of the 13 food trucks, which have been selected to participate in Super Street Food Showdown. The truck owners and their chefs are lining up everything from sliders to pizza. These food trucks have been allowed to park downtown, where they would be serving the Super Bowl fans as well. Marshawn Wolley of the Super Bowl Committee, said, “We’re really celebrating the trends that have emerged in Indianapolis relative to food culture, street food, food trucks, locally sourced food items and the emergence of celebrity chefs.”
2) Chefs Join In Too
Apart from the food trucks, six local chefs, celebrities in their own right, will also display their dishes made with, again, locally sourced food items. One such excited chef, George Neely, thinks that “to be part of that (Super Bowl) and grow as a business, it’s just a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
3) Something for Everyone
The food trucks claim that they have something for everyone among the thousands of ‘hungry’ Super Bowl fans who are going to descend on the city of Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Wolley shares a little nugget about the scale of food, “The Super Bowl is second only to Thanksgiving in the amount of food consumed in 24 hours.”
In case you live in Indianapolis and are going to host Super Bowl fans at home, you may look for some Super Bowl party ideas and better still, choose some healthy Super Bowl recipes. Whatever your way to celebrate the Super Bowl season, just make sure you do not lose out the score.
Image Courtesy: broadrippetickets.com,


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Clarksville, Ark. --- The University of the Ozarks Bookstore will be open Saturday, Aug. 6, and Sunday, Aug. 7, for customers to take advantage of the Arkansas Tax Free Weekend.
The Bookstore, located on the bottom level of the Seay Student Center, will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6, and from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7.
Legislative Act 757 of 2011 exempts clothing items valued at under $100 (per item), clothing accessories under $50, school supplies and textbooks from the state sales tax for a 48-hour period Saturday and Sunday. School supplies include instruction items and items that students commonly use in class such as notebooks, paper, pencils, markers, rulers, protractors and calculators. Computers are not exempt from the sales tax.
Arkansas residents may also purchase items on-line tax free during the weekend. Credit cards will be charged at the time of the purchase. The Bookstore website can be found at www.cbamatthews.com/ozark/.


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My friend Paul Kedrosky — who unfortunately wasn’t able to make it to mesh last week, and therefore wasn’t able to share any of his wisdom in person — is right to point us towards a great post from Marc Andreesen about the non-bubblishness of the current tech bubble.
The Netscape co-founder has a long and very worthwhile analysis of why we so often see bubbles. which are actually extremely rare (this NYT story has some thoughts on that as well), and also notes several things about the current tech “bubble” that make it different from the first one — and he is ideally placed to have some perspective on that. Among other things, he notes that there are far fewer tech IPOs now (and therefore less hype and potential for financial disaster) and also that:
— It is far cheaper to start an Internet business today than it was in the late 90’s.
— The market for Internet businesses today is much larger than it was in the late 90’s.
— Business models for Internet businesses today are much more solid than they were in the late 90’s.
This is a logical consequence of time passing, technology getting more broadly adopted, and the Internet going mainstream as a consumer phenomenon.
Andreesen says that he believes it is “about 10 times cheaper to start an Internet business today than it was in the late 90’s, due to commodity hardware, open source software, modern programming technologies, cheap bandwidth, the rise of third-party ad networks, and other infrastructure factors. And the market size for a new Internet business is about 10 times bigger than it was in the late 90’s.”


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|Bid||16.90 x 2200|
|Ask||17.10 x 1100|
|Day's Range||16.98 - 17.27|
|52 Week Range||13.98 - 24.34|
|Beta (5Y Monthly)||1.00|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||35.59|
|Earnings Date||Aug 04, 2021 - Aug 09, 2021|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||19.25|
(Bloomberg) -- The summit between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin left two things clear: Russia is almost sure to test Biden’s resolve on cyberattacks, and the U.S. president may find his red line with his Russian counterpart difficult to enforce.In a meeting in Geneva on Wednesday, Biden said he gave Putin a list of 16 critical sectors that shouldn’t be hacked lest the American government respond with its own cyber forces. But the U.S. has previously struggled to figure out how to curb cyberattack
DURHAM, N.C., Jun 17, 2021--N-able (formerly SolarWinds MSP), the purpose-built technology partner for managed services providers (MSPs), announced today it has named Jeff Nulsen as its new chief marketing officer. Nulsen, who has previously held senior leadership positions at Bluehost and Vistaprint, brings a deep expertise in the marketing and product fields to N-able, along with a keen understanding of the small-medium enterprise sector.
More than 65,000 ransomware attacks costing companies $170,000 each on average are expected this year, John Chambers, former CEO of Cisco Systems and JC2 Ventures founder and CEO, told Yahoo Finance Live.


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Tadashi Yanai is everything a typical Japanese chief executive isn't: aggressive, opinionated, and unapologetic. His company, aptly named Fast Retailing Co., has become Japan's fastest-growing store chain, mainly by bucking tradition and challenging established rivals on their own turf.
Yanai's secret is selling casual duds such as slacks and socks much like McDonald's meals: His chain of 500 no-frills apparel outlets, called UNIQLO, with total sales of $3.3 billion expected this year, offers a set menu at unbeatable prices. For the full year through August, the company forecasts pretax income of $866 million, making it far more profitable than retail giants such as The Daiei Inc. and JUSCO Co.
Yanai's scorched-earth pricing strategy has earned Fast Retailing the enmity of corporate and government leaders in Japan, who blame it for stoking deflation in the apparel industry. But Yanai, 52, revels in his reputation as Public Enemy No.1 in the go-along-to-get-along world of Japanese business. "Japan has to get used to survival-of- the-fittest-style capitalism," he says. "Deflation is not a dirty word."
Strong words from a late bloomer in charge of what was until just a decade ago a backwater chain of 22 dowdy men's clothing emporiums started by his father. Now, Yanai, who debuted this year on a list of Japan's 100 biggest taxpayers, is riding high as the largest shareholder, with a stake of 26.6%, in a company with a market capitalization of $10 billion. And he intends to introduce UNIQLO (for "unique clothing") to Britain, where a total of 50 stores are planned in the next three years.
A graduate of Tokyo's prestigious Waseda University who loved traveling in his youth, Yanai hit upon his formula while on a trip to Hong Kong. There he marveled at the low price tags on Chinese-made clothes. He decided to do something about it. By sourcing clothes directly from Chinese factories, mostly in Guangzhou and Shanghai, he found a way to cut costs drastically--and pass those savings on to customers. Today, nearly 90% of all items sold by Fast Retailing are made in China under exclusive contracts subject to strict quality standards.
Some analysts doubt Fast Retailing can maintain its breakneck pace of growth. That negative buzz helped send the stock plunging in recent months; it is now a third off its November, 2000, high. But Yanai has no doubts. After Britain, his next target is the U.S. "Our goal," he says, "is to be bigger than Gap." Whether he succeeds abroad or not, Yanai has already changed Japanese retailing.


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Manchester United’s unreleased 2021/22 third kit has been spotted for sale in shops in Australia, according to reports. The new jersey, which is a darker shade of blue, is yet to be officially confirmed by the club.
Earlier this week, the club showcased the new away kit, which is yet another retro kit. The blue fit is inspired by the Manchester United team from the early ’90s and has been received well by supporters on social media.
The third kit, fitted with yellow details, has been spotted in stores, signaling that official confirmation of the new strip is just around the corner.
The images were published by TheKitman.co.uk, who describes the kit as ‘black with blue trim’, rather than two different shades of a darker blue.
The 2021/22 season marks the first campaign with TeamViewer as the club’s official shirt sponsor, having had American car manufacturer Chevrolet on the front of all kits since 2014.


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CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago tech company that promised consumers cash back for frequenting approximately 200 restaurants and other businesses suddenly shut down operations in late June, with little warning to anyone.
Spring Rewards allowed tens of thousands of users to register their credit card or debit card on its website, and when people used those cards at businesses in the company’s network, they would earn cash back when hitting certain spending thresholds.
On June 21, Spring emailed tens of thousands of customers, notifying them it was discontinuing operations, and users would have only six days to redeem any remaining rewards before the program ended.
A spokesperson said “we have been going through a very thoughtful and deliberate process for many months,” but the announcement took many businesses who hired them by surprise.
Sopraffina Marketcaffe apologized to its loyal customers after learning of Spring’s shutdown, saying it was sorry for the “embarrassing and regretful situation,” adding Spring didn’t provide enough notice for the restaurant chain to set up a seamless new rewards program.
“We felt like it was important to be open and honest,” said Taryn Kelly, vice president of marketing for The Rosenthal Group, which owns and operates Sopraffina, Poag Mahones, and Trattoria No. 10.
The loyalty program offered by Spring was a way for Sopraffina and some 200 other businesses to thank loyal customers for repeat business.
“We have customers that come to our restaurants two, three, sometimes four times a week; and having a loyalty program is our way of being able to communicate with those customers and giving them rewards for their business,” Kelly said.
Spring’s other clients also were taken by surprise, including Sweetwater Tavern and Grille, part of the Bottleneck Management restaurant group.
Sweetwater sent an email to customers apologizing for the sudden end to the rewards program, and providing a $10 discount, acknowledging the end of the loyalty program was “frustrating,” a “hassle,” and on “short notice.”
That short notice didn’t sit right with Kelly either.
“I found out via email about a week ago. Sitting at my desk, got an email that said we made the unfortunate decision to end our rewards program effective one week from now,” she said. “I understand that businesses need to shut down immediately for a lot of reasons, but it was just unfortunate to hear it that way, and that it was happening so quickly.”
Calls to Spring reached only a busy signal, and when CBS 2 visited the River North offices listed on customer emails as recently as June, all that was there was an empty space.
Spring said it moved to another location months ago, and was in the process of updating its address.
Spring also said no customer information is at risk due to the shutdown. The company said it did not store credit or debit card information, but instead used encrypted tokens as stand-ins for card numbers.
“We would suggest that there is nothing newsworthy related to the company, but instead merely a disappointing but mundane set of commercial events,” a spokesperson stated in an email.
However, an internet search revealed Spring’s certificate to conduct business in Illinois was revoked two years ago.
In 2017, the Illinois Secretary of State revoked its authority to do business in the state, for failing to file required annual reports and to pay annual franchise taxes.
Spring apparently ignored the repeated notices, telling CBS 2 “we have not had anything revoked by any governmental agency.”
The company called the matter “an administrative oversight going back to 2016.”
The Secretary of State’s office disagreed, countering “they will be hearing from us shortly.”
The state plans to pursue back taxes, penalties, and interest.


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KUB is rolling out fiber optic internet. When will you get it?
About 25,000 homes could get fiber optic Internet from the Knoxville Utilities Board by the end of the year, and another 35,000 homes will get access in 2023.
KUB’s newest service is part of an effort to modernize the utility’s network and provide an affordable option in East Tennessee, Jamie Davis, vice president of fiber and chief technology officer, told Knox News.
You may have already heard that some residents are getting early access to the service. The 210,000 households that get their electricity from KUB will have Internet access, probably within the next six years.
Eventually, thousands of East Tennessee households will have Internet access for the first time.
Advocates say utility fiber is a business recruiting tool, an educational leg up for students and a digital equalizer for underserved and underserved communities.
Related to:How KUB broadband can impact the region’s economy and everyday users
Related to:Can KUB build and deliver broadband in a fair and affordable way?
The Internet rollout will affect all KUB customers, as the utility board estimated last year that rates for customers receiving electricity from KUB would increase by 3% annually from 2022-2025.
“(What) we want to say is we’re going to provide the fastest internet in the region with the friendliest customer service, and that’s for everybody,” Davis said. “It’s not about servicing profitable spaces.”
Do you want KUB internet? Here’s what you need to know about when you can get it and what you’ll pay.
When can I register for KUB Internet?
If you are a KUB electricity customer, you will eventually be able to sign up for KUB fiber optic internet.
KUB is rolling out internet service in stages, so the exact date you will receive it will vary.
KUB launched a pilot program in July with about 250 clients in small areas of Knoxville’s north and east sections.
“I call (the pilot) a soft launch for the restaurant,” Davis said. “It’s a new product for us. So while we have experience with the technology, we won’t be sure it’s good before that grand opening, but we’re very close to it.”
Districts that already have access due to the pilot program.
- Lincoln Park
- Five points
- Morning side
- Park City
It is expected that the districts will have access to KUB Internet by the end of the year.
- Cumberland Estates
- Greenwood Heights
- Wooded acres
- Fair Oaks
- Nice mountain range
Some of the dozens of districts expected to gain access to KUB Internet by early 2023;
- Greenwood Forest
- Highland Park
- Villa Gardens
- Harrill Hills
- Parts of Union and Granger counties
Not sure if your home qualifies? A visit kub.org/fiber:, and click the “check availability” button. Enter your address to see if your home is still eligible.
If your address still doesn’t match, you can sign up for updates.
Customers will only be able to register online once their district is eligible. Davis said it will take about two to three weeks before the Internet is up and running as each neighborhood connects to the network.
Davis said wait times will decrease as KUB grows its workforce.
Spreading Internet access is based on two things: where some of KUB’s existing electrical infrastructure is located and which neighborhoods have the greatest need for affordable Internet.
“We know where we need those improvements,” Davis said. “One of the big reasons we prioritized the Rocky Hill area is because we know it’s an area that doesn’t have the best electrical reliability.”
KUB received A $15 million grant from the State of Tennessee provide access in parts of Jefferson, Granger, Sevier and Union counties.
How much does KUB Internet cost and how fast is it?
KUB will offer three different speeds at three prices. All plans are unlimited, meaning you won’t experience slowdowns after using a certain amount of data. There are no contracts, promotional offers or setup fees, so the price on your bill is consistent.
- The Gig. 1 Gbps upload and download speeds, $65 per month. Best for homes with an average amount of appliances. Davis said the two-hour movie will download in about three minutes, and you won’t see the “spinning wheel of death” while streaming.
- The Gig 2.5. 2.5 Gbps upload and download speeds, $150 per month. The plan is for the “end gamer,” or someone running computer programs that require more bandwidth, Davis said.
- The Gig 10: 10 Gbps upload and download speeds, $300 per month. Davis said most people won’t need that much, but if they do, “holy mom, if you need me, I want to come up to your house.”
Additional equipment and services, such as TV services (for an additional monthly fee starting at $43), and an HBO subscription and Amazon Firestick, can be connected to your Internet service, according to the KUB website.
Will internet be included on my KUB electricity bill?
Your KUB Internet account will be separate.
KUB said research has shown customers don’t want a long, confusing bill.
This separate bill will show the flat rate you pay for Internet each month with no additional fees, Davis said, and will be separate from your water and electric bills to avoid confusion.
Davis said if customers don’t pay their electric bill, they don’t have to worry about their internet being shut off.
Who do I call when I need help with KUB Internet?
If you’re having Internet problems and need help, call 865-524-2911, the same KUB number you would if you had questions or concerns about your electricity, water or gas.
Davis said the phone menu has been updated and people can now select help for the Internet.
The addition of the new utility also adds more phone calls and service people to deal with customer issues as they arise. But KUB is ready for it. Davis said KUB plans to hire about 200 new employees between call center and service positions.
Customer service is a high priority, Davis said.
“I challenge our team every day to deliver the Internet products they want in their homes,” Davis said. “Always on, always fast, no spinning wheel death. That’s our goal.”
Many areas of the county and East Tennessee don’t have many options to choose from. According to the Federal Communications Commission, about 46% of Knox County residents have access to 1 gigabit fiber internet.
Of the 53% of county residents who have access to any fiber internet service, only 2% will choose between multiple providers.
KUB serves customers in Knox, Union and Grainger counties.


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Paris Fashion Week went out with a bang today, courtesy of the Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu shows. At the former, Nicolas Ghesquière sent out a lineup of sport-influenced apparel and new takes on classic bag shapes, while at the latter, Miuccia Prada outfitted top models in the silhouettes of the ’60s. That’s not all that happened in Paris—Vogue.com photographers captured the buzz backstage and on the streets too. Read on for all of today’s top stories.
Louis Vuitton Takes on Sport Culture
The famous monograms of Louis Vuitton might not paint visions of sportcore in your head, but the company is actually just as famous for its sailing team as its Damier bags. Nicolas Ghesquière tapped into some of that heritage in his Fall 2016 show, with scarf dresses that echoed rippling sails, stretch knits, and bold striped accents.


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An iPad cover with a secondary flexible display. That next generation of Apple's Smart Cover is the subject of a patent application from Apple, made public by the U.S. Patent Office and Trademark Office on Thursday.
The application, called Cover Attachment with Flexible Display and originally filed on Aug. 11, 2011, describes a cover with "at least a portion of the flexible flap" covered by a display for visual information. A communication channel and power connection link it to the tablet.
'Room for Improvement'
The cover apparently could be used as a full secondary display to the main tablet screen, or, when folded and used as a tablet stand, could provide alternative playback controls in a portion of the cover or could show additional information, such as subtitles for the main screen. It could also become a full touch-screen keyboard.
The application also shows the possibility that one horizontal portion of the flexible cover could display handwritten notes, such as from a stylus or a finger on a screen. The application description notes that, while tablets allow "an extensive variety of tasks to be performed, the overall functionality of this device type" still has room for improvement.
For instance, the application states, "increasing the display area could lead to a significant expansion in functionality." However, the application points out that increasing the existing display area would require increasing the device size, which would reduce its portability.
If Apple's patent application ever became reality, it wouldn't be the first two-screen tablet -- although it could be the first where one of the screens could be folded over and used in connected segments. There are several, barely known two-screen tablets. For instance, Sony has one out, a small dual screen device called the P Tablet. Acer has released a pricey, $1000+ dual screen TouchBook, and there are models from Kno, Toshiba and others.
The Late Courier
But the best-known antecedent was Microsoft's famed Courier tablet prototype.
That tablet never was actually announced by the Redmond, Wash.-based technology giant. In fact, it may never have existed in what we call reality, although it became a vision to technology dreamers for a while. In months prior to the spring of 2010, it was known exclusively through leaked photos and a video. The video showed an innovative, two-screen tablet device, with screens that could act as one large, virtual desktop.
In April 2010, Microsoft executives were reported to have told its internal team that the project was dead. A Microsoft official told news media at the time that the company is always developing new ideas and that such a device would be evaluated in the future.
But, even if it never actually existed as hardware, Microsoft may have the last laugh. While Apple is trying to get a patent for a screen display in the cover, Microsoft has received a patent for the Courier's two-screen design.


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The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) is hosting its first-ever Enterprise Interoperability Showcase conference on Nov. 15, 2006, at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Mich., to tackle the multi-billion dollar challenge created by proprietary IT investments over time that no longer support today’s business process needs- ranging from the shop floor and across the global enterprise, to trading partners and from dealer to supplier.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) estimates that the automotive industry wastes $5 billion annually due to the lack of interoperability, and has provided similar data for other industries. The lack of end-to-end visibility of data when needed impacts decision-making and creates waste at all levels.
AIAG’s conference will present perspectives from industry leaders on successfully integrating the global extended enterprise, as well as feature presentations and demonstrations covering specific industry scenarios in the areas of engineering, quality, material replenishment, warranty and manufacturing. Fred Killeen, chief systems and technology officer, General Motors Corp., will deliver the event’s keynote address and other key speakers include:
— Karla Norsworthy, vice president software standards, IBM Corp. – What
Interoperability Means to Users
— Dr. Steve Ray, division chief, integrated manufacturing systems,
NIST – Virtual Supply Chain
— Mark Schenecker, board member, European Enterprise Interoperability
Centre, Brussels; director, industry standards, SAP – Enterprise
Interoperability Centre (EIC)
— Dr. Christine Legner, Universitat St. Gallen, Switzerland –
Interoperable Data Exchange – Interoperable B2B Collaboration (BMW-
— Pat Snack, AIAG executive loan from GM – AIAG Community Approach to
An exhibit area will showcase solution providers who have or are developing applications to support interoperability and a networking reception will conclude the event.
Individuals may register for AIAG’s Enterprise Interoperability Showcase by visiting www.aiag.org or calling AIAG customer service at (248) 358-3003. Details on the agenda and speakers are available at http://mows.aiag.org/staticcontent/EIAttendee.pdf.
Founded in 1982, AIAG is a globally recognized organization where OEMs and suppliers unite to address and resolve issues affecting the worldwide automotive supply chain. AIAG’s goals are to reduce cost and complexity through collaboration; improve product quality, health, safety and the environment; and optimize speed to market throughout the supply chain. Headquartered in the metro Detroit area, its more than 1,500 member companies include North American, European and Asia-Pacific OEMs and suppliers to the automotive industry. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.aiag.org.


text: BusinessWeek has posted a special report entitled “Apple: The Next Generation.” The feature includes five articles: “Apple: Sweetness Regained” (It’s making healthy sales gains in schools, corporations, and the government sector — without the benefit of an iPod halo effect); “Will Uncle Sam Like the Taste of Apple?” (iPod’s success has made federal buyers warm up to Jobs & Co.’s other products, and this may spark more corporate sales); “The “Big Mac” Supercomputer Biz” (Apple wasn’t a serious player until researchers discovered how well its high-end computer clusters perform for a relatively low price); “Apple’s Back-to-School Blast” (The company’s desktop share in the K-12 field may be weakening, but its laptop sales are taking off. Can it overcome Windows-centric tech administrators?); and “No “Halo” Effect? Look Again” (The success of iPods and Apple stores stopped Macs’ market share from sinking lower. And signs indicate even more future converts).


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|By Business Wire||
|February 28, 2013 12:00 PM EST||
The Rocky Mountain Venture Capital Association and KPMG LLP are proud to name the 22 early stage and growth companies presenting at the 30th Venture Capital in the Rockies Winter conference (VCIR Winter 2013). This year’s companies embody the diverse innovation taking place in the Rocky Mountain region, with an emphasis on mobile and cloud computing technologies.
The VCIR Winter 2013 conference will be held at the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek, Colorado, March 5-7, 2013, showcasing companies from Arizona, Colorado and Utah.
“We are excited to be celebrating the 30th year of the VCIR Winter conference,” said Michael Bearup, office managing partner, KPMG LLP and conference co-chairman. “The conference continues to be the single most important event in the region to connect innovative companies with experienced investors and service providers.”
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper will issue this year’s opening address. As an entrepreneur himself, Hickenlooper will share his vision of making Colorado relentlessly pro-business. In addition, Jeremy Bloom, co-founder of Integrate, an advertising technology and services provider, will give the keynote address.
“The selected companies represent the best and brightest in the Rocky Mountain region,” said Chris Marks, conference co-chairman and partner of High Country Venture, a Boulder-based venture capital firm. “As we enter a new era of mobile and cloud computing, these promising companies are at the forefront of innovation and leadership.”
- BlogFrog works with brand marketers, agencies and publishing partners to harness the power of social influencers through content-driven campaigns that are meaningful and useful for consumers. Its Influencer Marketing platform manages all aspects of high-impact social marketing campaigns, helping brand marketers identify and activate influencers, distribute content across all social networks, and measure campaign performance.
- BlogMutt is a blog writing service that provides small businesses with relevant, quality blog posts each week from a crowd of hundreds of qualified US writers.
- BusyLife Software is mobile commerce. BusyLife offers comprehensive mobile software products such as QwikCart™, an integrated to point-of-sale solution. QwikCart™ provides merchants with branded, mobile commerce solutions that enable their consumers to purchase goods and services from anywhere at any time for pickup, delivery or shipping.
- CipherPoint secures sensitive and regulated content in web-based application environments including premise-based collaboration platforms such as Microsoft SharePoint, cloud, and other web-based applications. CipherPoint's transparent data encryption technology secures content and data from the web tier, affording the highest level of threat protection to sensitive and regulated content.
- Cloud Elements provides pre-built integrations into leading cloud services that help app developers eliminate weeks to months of development time by automating the selection, provisioning, monitoring and maintenance of connections into cloud platforms. "Elements" include custom API integrations with: payments, subscription billing, single sign on, messaging, social media, analytics, and customer service & management applications.
- ContactPoint offers LogMyCalls, a SaaS marketing analytics and automation for the phone. LogMyCalls pulls data from every customer interaction to score leads, manage marketing ROI, provide real-time marketing data and even automate instant CRM actions.
- GeoStrut is the world’s only manufacturer and distributor of lattice structure carbon fiber towers. Using GeoStrut technology allows telecommunication towers, masts and poles to weigh merely ten percent the weight of similar towers made from steel.
- Giiidget is compressing the way the world communicates.
- Laconic Security was founded to address the vacuum in the cloud data security space with innovative and responsible solutions. Its premier product, Laconic Vaults, delivers absolute data privacy to help organizations maximize the potential of cloud storage savings.
- Lagrange Systems has designed a uniquely patented and decentralized approach to cloud-based application delivery that allows for easily combining multiple cloud vendors into a single platform, thus providing higher availability than any single provider can achieve.
- Mobile Pulse provides a SaaS-based solution that enterprises and governments use to measure, compare, and diagnose mobile broadband performance. Mobile Pulse customers are using the service to evaluate carrier and device choices while also using the data and reports to negotiate better rates with their providers and hold them accountable to specific performance criteria.
- OpDemand makes it easy to deploy, monitor and maintain Amazon Web Services and Heroku, helping companies spend less time on operations and more time building their business.
- PaySimple is a cloud-based, SaaS platform for managing and growing small businesses. Available direct to small business and through its large-scale partnership distribution, thousands of businesses are using PaySimple’s turnkey technology to automate billing, accept electronic payments, improve cash flow, manage customers, view real-time business performance, and operate anywhere on its mobile platforms.
- PlayerLync has created a tablet-based platform for secure enterprise communication. The platform provides a more efficient and secure method of distributing large video files, secure documents, or integrated messaging to tablets with an extremely intuitive yet powerful set of end user and administrative tools.
- Prediculous will become the leading provider of casual social sports games. While current sports games are built for the few, die hard fans, the company is building social sports games for all fans.
- RoundPegg allows companies to manage culture from the cloud. Its culture platform features socially-enabled Web-apps that allow companies to measure, manage and monitor their unique culture by pulling levers to hire, develop and engage employees in alignment with the desired culture.
- Roximity delivers relevant offers and alerts based on a users location and preferences.
- Serious Integrated enables original equipment manufacturers to add modern graphic/touch front panels to their products. The company's proprietary software-on-hardware is complemented by breakthrough user interface design tools, delivering a modern look and feel in remarkably short time and minimal custom engineering.
- Surefire Medical develops innovative infusion systems for the interventional oncology market that are designed to precisely deliver therapy through a unique microcatheter with an expandable tip that collapses in forward flow and dynamically expands to the vessel wall in reverse flow. A growing body of clinical evidence indicates that Surefire Medical's infusion and specialty catheter systems increase embolization efficiency, minimize reflux and reduce damage to healthy tissue.
- Threadlife makes shooting video as easy as taking photos and creates movies that are ready to watch, and ready to share. Threadlife encourages the creation of and collaboration on endless, ever-evolving stories.
- TruEffect provides a software as a service advertising technology suite to advertisers and agencies to deliver, measure, manage and target their Internet media activities: ad serving, data management and analytics. TruEffect uses a First-Party customer data approach that enables advertisers to improve targeting the right ad to the right person, more accurately measure advertising effectiveness, and reduce waste in the media buying process all to increase return on ad spend for their customers.
Venture Capital in the Rockies (VCIR) is the region’s oldest and best-attended venture capital conference and will hold its 30th annual VCIR Winter edition in Beaver Creek, Colorado in 2013. Along with the annual VCIR Fall conference, the two VCIR conferences encompass the premier venture investing conferences in the Rocky Mountain region and among the most respected venture conferences in the country. Creating a dynamic marketplace for ideas and investment, each year both editions of VCIR invite 35 to 40 companies seeking investment to present to panels of venture investors, as well as an audience of other entrepreneurs, CEOs and professionals servicing the venture community. More information can be found at www.vcirwinter.com or www.vcirfall.com.
SYS-CON Events announced today TechTarget has been named “Media Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7–9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, and the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. TechTarget is the Web’s leading destination for serious technology buyers researching and making enterprise technology decisions. Its extensive global networ...
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The IoTs will challenge the status quo of how IT and development organizations operate. Or will it? Certainly the fog layer of IoT requires special insights about data ontology, security and transactional integrity. But the developmental challenges are the same: People, Process and Platform. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Craig Sproule, CEO of Metavine, will demonstrate how to move beyond today's coding paradigm and share the must-have mindsets for removing complexity from the development proc...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Commvault, a global leader in enterprise data protection and information management, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7–9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, and the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Commvault is a leading provider of data protection and information management...
May. 29, 2016 04:30 AM EDT Reads: 3,233
SYS-CON Events announced today that MangoApps will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. MangoApps provides modern company intranets and team collaboration software, allowing workers to stay connected and productive from anywhere in the world and from any device. For more information, please visit https://www.mangoapps.com/.
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The essence of data analysis involves setting up data pipelines that consist of several operations that are chained together – starting from data collection, data quality checks, data integration, data analysis and data visualization (including the setting up of interaction paths in that visualization). In our opinion, the challenges stem from the technology diversity at each stage of the data pipeline as well as the lack of process around the analysis.
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Designing IoT applications is complex, but deploying them in a scalable fashion is even more complex. A scalable, API first IaaS cloud is a good start, but in order to understand the various components specific to deploying IoT applications, one needs to understand the architecture of these applications and figure out how to scale these components independently. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Nara Rajagopalan is CEO of Accelerite, will discuss the fundamental architecture of IoT applications, ...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Tintri Inc., a leading producer of VM-aware storage (VAS) for virtualization and cloud environments, will exhibit at the 18th International CloudExpo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, and the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
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In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Bruce Swann, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Adobe, will discuss how the Adobe Marketing Cloud can help marketers embrace opportunities for personalized, relevant and real-time customer engagement across offline (direct mail, point of sale, call center) and digital (email, website, SMS, mobile apps, social networks, connected objects). Bruce Swann has more than 15 years of experience working with digital marketing disciplines like web analytics, social med...
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A strange thing is happening along the way to the Internet of Things, namely far too many devices to work with and manage. It has become clear that we'll need much higher efficiency user experiences that can allow us to more easily and scalably work with the thousands of devices that will soon be in each of our lives. Enter the conversational interface revolution, combining bots we can literally talk with, gesture to, and even direct with our thoughts, with embedded artificial intelligence, wh...
May. 29, 2016 12:45 AM EDT Reads: 2,052
SYS-CON Events announced today that EastBanc Technologies will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. EastBanc Technologies has been working at the frontier of technology since 1999. Today, the firm provides full-lifecycle software development delivering flexible technology solutions that seamlessly integrate with existing systems – whether on premise or cloud. EastBanc Technologies partners with p...
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SYS-CON Events announced today BZ Media LLC has been named “Media Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. BZ Media LLC is a high-tech media company that produces technical conferences and expositions, and publishes a magazine, newsletters and websites in the software development, SharePoint, mobile development and Commercial Drone markets.
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WebRTC is bringing significant change to the communications landscape that will bridge the worlds of web and telephony, making the Internet the new standard for communications. Cloud9 took the road less traveled and used WebRTC to create a downloadable enterprise-grade communications platform that is changing the communication dynamic in the financial sector. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Leo Papadopoulos, CTO of Cloud9, will discuss the importance of WebRTC and how it enables companies to fo...
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SYS-CON Events announced today the How to Create Angular 2 Clients for the Cloud Workshop, being held June 7, 2016, in conjunction with 18th Cloud Expo | @ThingsExpo, at the Javits Center in New York, NY. Angular 2 is a complete re-write of the popular framework AngularJS. Programming in Angular 2 is greatly simplified. Now it’s a component-based well-performing framework. The immersive one-day workshop led by Yakov Fain, a Java Champion and a co-founder of the IT consultancy Farata Systems and...
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Customer experience has become a competitive differentiator for companies, and it’s imperative that brands seamlessly connect the customer journey across all platforms. With the continued explosion of IoT, join us for a look at how to build a winning digital foundation in the connected era – today and in the future. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Nguyen, Group Product Marketing Manager at Adobe, will discuss how to successfully leverage mobile, rapidly deploy content, capture real-time d...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that BMC Software has been named "Siver Sponsor" of SYS-CON's 18th Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7-9, 2015 at the Javits Center in New York, New York. BMC is a global leader in innovative software solutions that help businesses transform into digital enterprises for the ultimate competitive advantage. BMC Digital Enterprise Management is a set of innovative IT solutions designed to make digital business fast, seamless, and optimized from mainframe to mo...
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May. 28, 2016 09:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,218


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Vastavam web: China’s commerce ministry on Thursday accused the United States of being temperamental over bilateral trade issues, and warned that the interests of U.S. workers and farmers ultimately will be hurt. China believes its previous trade negotiations with the United States were constructive, but because the U.S. government is being unpredictable and challenging, Beijing has had to respond in a strong manner, commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng said.
Washington’s accusations of forced tech transfers are a distortion of reality, and China is fully prepared to respond with “quantitative” and “qualitative” tools if the U.S. releases a new list of tariffs, Gao said. Financial markets are worried of an open trade conflict between the world’s two biggest economies after three rounds of high-level talks since early May failed to reach a compromise on U.S. complaints over Chinese practices and a $375 billion trade deficit with China. China said it will impose additional tariffs on 659 U.S. goods, with duties on 545 of them to kick in on July 6, after Trump said Washington will impose tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese products.
The U.S. goods affected on July 6 include soybeans, fruit, meat products such as pork, autos, as well as marine products.China will take action to defend its interests, and U.S. unilateralism will ultimately damage the interests of its own workers and farmers, Gao told reporters. Beijing could hit back at U.S. firms listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average if Trump keeps exacerbating tensions with China over trade, state-controlled Chinese tabloid The Global Times said on Thursday. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who views China as a hostile economic and military power, said on Tuesday that Beijing had more to lose from a trade war. China imported $129.89 billion of U.S. goods last year, while the United States purchased $505.47 billion of Chinese products, according to U.S. data.


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The Majid Al Futtaim group has broken ground for the construction of a shopping mall in Masdar City with an investment of Dh340 million, the company said in a statement on Monday.
My City Centre Masdar will feature more than 77 stores across 18,800 square metres (sqm) of gross leasable area (GLA), including a 5,793 sqm Carrefour Hypermarket and a number of dining options for people living within Masdar City and the surrounding communities.
When complete in the second quarter of 2019, the shopping mall will be the largest Majid Al Futtaim community mall in the UAE, the company stated.
The group added that Amana Steel Contracting has begun main works as the company’s main contractor on the project.
“My City Centre Masdar, Majid Al Futtaim’s first shopping destination to open in Abu Dhabi, will exemplify leadership in sustainable design and operation, in line with Masdar City and the UAE capital’s long-term sustainability goals,” Gaith Shocair, chief executive officer of Shopping Malls at Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said in a statement.
The mall will be among the UAE’s most sustainable malls, designed to meet the requirements of an Estidama Three Pearl, which is equivalent to the LEED Gold rating, for exceptional performance in energy and water conservation.
Majid Al Futtaim plans to increase investments in the UAE by Dh30 billion by 2026, taking its total investments in the country to Dh48 billion.
Source: Gulf News


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The biggest winners in the stampede by telephone and cable TV companies into each other's business actually may be the firms that sell technology needed to deliver new services.
As executives from the telecommunications and cable TV industries make and unmake alliances, nervously trying to find new business and protect turf, electronics firms are queuing up to vend equipment for the information superhighway.
For example, a request for proposals to provide technology enabling cable TV systems to offer telephone service has drawn 45 responses from 80 companies, said Richard Green, president and chief executive of Cablelab, the cable industry's research consortium based in the Denver area.
"All the big players, from AT&T to Siemens, Ericsson and Northern Telecom, responded with proposals.
Even some big software providers, including Microsoft, responded," Green said. "We're evaluating their proposals now.
"We're very impressed with the quantity and quality of proposals."
Others hoping that telecommunications upheaval will yield new business include General Instrument Corp., the Chicago-based provider of cable boxes for TV sets and signal-processing equipment.
Working with DSC Communications Corp., a Plano, Texas, telecommunications-equipment firm, General Instrument is developing voice telephone capabilities for cable systems as well as high-speed data transmission and interactive video, said Charles Dougherty, marketing manager of the firm's communications division.
"We have platforms available for video transmission," said Dougherty, "and we'll have a voice platform ready in 1996. We'll be doing field testing in 1995."
Another company poised to exploit the trend is Motorola Inc., the Schaumburg-based electronics giant, which will provide equipment for a test in Arlington Heights next year that will provide phone service over the cable system operated by Tele-Communications Inc.
Indeed, Motorola's cable TV telephone system, developed at its campus in Arlington Heights, is already hooked into the TCI system there for on-campus testing. And Motorola engineers use the system for much more than making plain old telephone calls.
On a recent afternoon, for example, William A. Johnson, engineering manager at Motorola's communications systems office, dialed up a colleague in another building and put his picture on a television set using ordinary video cameras purchased from a nearby electronics store.
Johnson and his colleague also linked their computers over the same cable connection to play electronic games. He then scanned the Internet at high speed to pull up information from databases from Washington to Japan.
There was little of the usual waiting involved in on-line computer use because Johnson's connection ran 40 times faster than that of a good home computer connected to telephone lines.
"Our only speed limits come from the lines used by the computers where the databases are stored," Johnson said. "We've eliminated the bottleneck on our end."
Motorola's equipment to convert a cable system into a futuristic telephone network is intended to be a pay-as-you-go moneymaker for a cable system rather than a huge upfront investment, Johnson said. The equipment is modular, so a cable operator can buy a small amount of phone capacity to get started and buy more as he adds customers.
Each cable TV subscriber who opts for phone service from his cable operator will get a box of electronics in his home that will cost the cable providers a few hundred dollars apiece, said James Phillips, Motorola's vice president for personal communications systems.
"Cable operators are used to getting $30 or $40 a month to provide a range of services," Phillips said. "If they can get your phone business as well, they'll double the revenue generated by their system."
Motorola's early relationship with TCI, the biggest cable company, may be a good sign for its hopes to become a major provider of phone electronics to the industry, said Carl Weinschenk, New York bureau chief of Cable World magazine.
"The only major problem for the industry right now is the failure of Congress to pass a national law updating telecommunications regulation," thereby opening the gates for full nationwide competition between phone companies and cable TV providers, Weinschenck said.
"Without a federal law, this will happen on a state-by-state basis with progressive states like Illinois and New York leading the way. It will slow the rollout of new equipment to do it this way."


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Since the inception of Nu Skin’s Force for Good Foundation, more than $212 million in cash and food donations to life-improving projects around the world have been made. With a combined effort, Nu Skin’s employees, customers and distributor force have demonstrated their difference through generosity and have created more than 100,000 smiles a day.
With a focus on helping individuals world-wide improve their lives for the better, Nu Skin has focused their charity efforts on three main categories; Education, economic support and health. Projects for education included Educate the Children (Malawi), Nu Hope Libraries (Korea) and Nu Skin Children’s Hope Project (Japan). Economic project opportunity included Japan Disaster Relief, Thailand Flood Relief and Nu Skin Force for Good Days. Finally, projects for health included the Greater China Children’s Heart Fund, Child Foundation (Philippines) and the Southeast Asia Children’s Heart Fund.
For more than 15 years, Nu Skin, and those involved in the business, have given of their time, energy and monetary substance freely. Touching nearly every region of the world, Nu Skin looks to remain a force for good through everything they do. This emphasis of doing good, is felt throughout the entire organization as a strong emphasis of ethics and of demonstrating one’s difference is place of every employee and distributor.
Indeed, there is more to business than simply reaching revenue goals, expansion and impressive product lines. Doing good throughout the world, especially within the business community, definitely matters. A recent article in Direct Selling News reiterates this message - in today’s society, people expect more from the companies they do business with, and a company caring solely about the bottom line is not the most important thing.
“Consumers demand that brands supply not products, but solutions – not function, but benefits,” said John Quelch, author and senior associate dean, Harvard Business School.
The 2010 Edelman goodpurpose study found that 80 percent of Americans believe corporations hold a unique and powerful position to make a positive impact on good causes. The power behind the success of Nu Skin giving back comes from their active and passionate sales forces.
This is the exact approach Nu Skin has taken for more than 15 years, and promises to stick to for years to come. This coming Thursday, Nu Skin will hold their 2012 Force for Good Day Read and Feed Event. Every June, Nu Skin holds its annual Force for Good Day where the company’s worldwide family of employees and distributors provide worthwhile community service for those in need in their local area. This year, Nu Skin’s corporate employees will fill 10,000 bags with a book and a healthy lunch for needy children in Utah County.


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YETI, the company behind the wildly popular coolers and outdoor gear, this week announced it will open a retail location in the Holy City on Friday, June 14th. The new store will be located at 360 King Street.
“Charleston’s passionate outdoor, fishing, and culinary communities make it an ideal city for our latest store,” Matt Reintjes, President & CEO at YETI, said. “South Carolinians have long been wonderful supporters of YETI and we are excited to further share our brand in this unique coastal city.”
In addition to offering a selection of YETI’s hard and soft coolers, drinkware, and outdoor living accessories, the 5,000-square-foot retail location will also include a bar that will serve as a local gathering place featuring craft beer, wines, custom coffees, and quick bites. The store says it will host a variety of live entertainment, including music, film screenings, Ambassador demonstrations, and educational workshops.
In celebration of the grand opening on June 14th, YETI will open its doors to the community for a weekend of events and celebrations. On Friday, visitors are invited to explore the store, enjoy live music, and try food from Austin’s Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ. The celebration will continue Saturday with additional live music acts and a cookbook signing with YETI Ambassador and James Beard award-winning pit master and restauranteur, Sam Jones. On Sunday, YETI will auction a limited collection of painted coolers designed by celebrated coastal artist, Paul Puckett, with all proceeds benefiting the Charleston Waterkeeper water restoration project. A Father’s Day social will follow that afternoon and dads can get a beer on the house, with any purchase.
To learn more about YETI’s retail locations and stay up-to-date on the latest news, visit yeti.com.
Charleston Weekend Events
There’s ALWAYS something to do in Charleston – especially on the weekend. If you need help finding plans, just consult...


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Developer Behaviour Interactive has announced that the Hellraiser series is the latest franchise to join multiplayer PvP title Dead by Daylight.
A tweet from the game’s official account confirmed the news following a week’s worth of teases. The killer known as The Cenobite leads the DLC, based around the series’ iconic villain Pinhead. If you’re familiar with the character, it’ll come as little surprise that his attacks will be based around his chains. They also include his Mori finishing move that drags a player straight down into Hell.
The new killer is currently available on the game’s public test servers on the PC for a few weeks. According to the patch notes on Reddit, it seems this pack will be one of the few to not include a survivor character at launch, although one is said to come later. The pack will then be released to everyone else a few weeks later, tentatively around September 7.
This’ll be Hellraiser’s first appearance in a video game. Creator Clive Barker has stepped into our realm a few times however, most prominently in Clive Barker’s Jericho in 2007. Dead by Daylight meanwhile has had plenty of guest appearances from the world of horror, including Halloween, Saw and Nightmare on Elm Street characters all guesting as DLC packs over the years.
Earlier this week, the game’s development team also confirmed that the game’s crossover with Netflix’ Stranger Things will come to an end on November 17. After this date, players will no longer be able to buy Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington or The Demigorgon. Those who already own them will get to keep them after this deadline, however. So get on that sooner rather than later.
You can check out Dead by Daylight‘s Hellraiser teaser for yourself in the tweet below.
We have such sights to show you! #Hellraiser… coming soon.
PTB info here 👉 https://t.co/fyZpIESRa7 pic.twitter.com/dzrfqb2DFV
— Dead by Daylight ⛓ (@DeadByBHVR) August 17, 2021


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The Italian government is planning on offering incentives to Lamborghini in order to produce the upcoming Urus SUV in Italy.
The production of the Lamborghini Urus SUV was believed to take place outside the Italian auto market, in Slovakia most likely, because of the lower production costs but it seems that the Italian government feels different about the subject because it is planning on offering significant incentives to the car manufacturer in order to produce the luxury SUV at home. Lamborghini hasn’t made up its mind at this time whether to add the third model to its lineup, after the Aventador and the Huracan, but considering the fact that it will bring the brand closer to its fans, chances are the Urus will see daylight.
A decision regarding the new production version of the Urus will be made by the end of this month, apparently, and if it will be positive for assembly, the car manufacturer will start thinking about where this will be put together. If Italy will be chosen, than Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s government will be offering up to 100 million euros in tax breaks and other benefits. The offer might be even more impressive considering the fact that the Italian government has expressed its desire to keep the production of the Urus at home. We have no clue at this time what the SUV will be all about but this will be competing with similar models coming from Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
Source: Automotive News Europe


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Boosted: 2012 IndyCar Engine Rules Revealed, Revive Turbo Engines
Presently, all cars entered in the IndyCar series use a single type of engine sourced from a single manufacturer. That will change in 2012, as the series announced new engine regulations that call for smaller, turbocharged engines sourced from multiple companies.
Presently, power in each and every IndyCar racer comes courtesy of a 3.5-liter V-8 developed and manufactured by Honda. Come 2012, cars will use engines sourced from several different companies, although they must conform to some basic specifications. At this point, the preliminary spec sheet calls for an engine that is turbocharged, capable of running on ethanol, have a maximum displacement of 2.4 liters, and no more than six cylinders.
In racing, those regulations are anything but stringent. IndyCar's idea was to inspire companies to develop various engine designs to aim for the perfect balance of fuel economy and power. Fuel economy will be a critical factory, as IndyCar plans on ultimately regulating power output. Although no firm rules have been set, it's believed output will be restricted between 550 and 700 horsepower, depending on the track.
"We will continue to evaluate rules that will keep a level playing field across the board with the various engines that could enter our sport," said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations for IndyCar.
"For example, we could see a V-6 competing against an inline-four at all Izod IndyCar series events in the future. We will require reference engines as a benchmark in performance while looking at sonic air restrictors, fuel flow restrictions, and more as key criteria for competition."
Although a chassis supplier has not yet been set for the 2012 car, this instills any interested manufacturer with a greater challenge, as it will need to design and build a chassis capable of housing any number of engine configurations.


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Some Main Street shop owners in Lakewood Ranch said out of control teens are ruining the entertainment district's atmosphere.
"It gets into that mob mentality where there's no supervision and anything goes. There can be hundreds of them on a weekend," said shop owner Renee Towns.
She said she supports a new measure by the owners of the entertainment to impose a 6 p.m. curfew on kids sixteen and under.
"The back door of my store is in a dark corner we get a lot of young ones who are getting friendly with each other," said Towns.
Lakewood Ranch parent Ian Whittemore said he is against the new curfew.
"Having kids get together in an environment like this where it is fun I think is actually great and if you have a few kids that do something you can't take it out on all of them," said Whittemore.
The curfew begins this week.


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Once implemented in a physical location such as Cooportunity Market, FocalOS aims to drive huge efficiency, reduce waste and promote more sustainable practices throughout the business.
Cooportunity Market, the only organic food cooperative in Los Angeles, has teamed with retail automation provider Focal Systems to launch Focal’s Shelf Cameras and “Self-Driving Store” operating system to its two stores in Santa Monica and Culver City. Their partnership marks the first full deployment of the operating system, which rolled out this past March. The first-ever zero integration installation shows artificial intelligence’s (AI) ability to leap-frog over existing systems.
Focal’s Shelf Cameras scan all in-store inventory every hour, enabling store managers to remain up to date on supply at all times. Focal’s AI detects when products are low, items are out of stock and when certain perishables are close to expiration. It then automates ordering and order writing based on the information and alerts the back room to any products that need to be removed from shelves. Once implemented in a physical location, FocalOS drives huge efficiency, reduces waste and promotes more sustainable practices throughout the business, according to the company.
“I’ve worked for the co-op for over 28 years, and it’s never been more challenging,” noted Aung Min, Cooportunity’s general manager. “We need data and technology to help us strategize and make smart inventory decisions, and we need to support our team. Labor is so tight right now, and we’re looking for ways to make it more fun and fulfilling to work in our grocery stores.”
“We’ve spent the last seven years perfecting our Self-Driving Store operating system, with the goal to optimize and automate grocers and retailers of all sizes,” said Francois Chaubard, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Focal Systems. “With our zero-integration platform, the stores will be live and transformed in a matter of hours with the most impactful cloud-based and AI-powered OS in the world. We’re excited to enable the Cooportunity Markets to remain competitive and uphold the co-op business model amidst their highly capitalized grocery competitors.”
The news comes shortly after retail executive Suzy Monford joined Focal as chief strategy and marketplace officer. Monford’s last position was president and CEO of Seattle-based PCC Community Markets,
“Since the start of my career, I’ve worked to innovate and reimagine food economies and business models,” observed Monford. “The modern grocery marketplace has gotten more complex and competitive. Partnering with the Cooportunity Markets is a first step to unlocking success for the more than 5,000 co-ops in the U.S., and will help democratize access to fresh, sustainable food. We look forward to this partnership and many more in the years to come.”
Focal has raised more than $40 million in venture capital funding to date and has scaled its solutions to retailers on three continents.


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Throughout the two editions of the F2P Campus, all the mentors have focused on sharing experiences and tips to make the best free-to-play games possible. All except one: Amir Rajan.
After hits like A Dark Room, A Noble Circle and Mildly Interesting RTS, Rajan is certain that there is life beyond free-to-play games. “I came here to be the 10th man, the one that tells the previous nine that they’re wrong,” he said in his public talk.
These days, the vast majority of the mobile videogame industry agrees that the most successful model is free-to-play. But that doesn’t mean that good results cannot be achieved by doing things differently.
Developing that goes against the tide
As Paul Graham mentions in his article Beating the Averages, “If you do everything the way the average startup does it, you should expect average performance.” This is what Amir Rajan calls going ‘off-meta’.
A good example of this strategy can be found in Faith, a pixel horror game inspired by the era of MS-DOS, Apple II, Atari, and ZX Spectrum classics. The developer not only went off-meta by choosing an unusual genre like horror, but also made it totally retro. In spite of (or maybe because of) this, it managed to be one of the best horror games of 2017 according to IGN.
Departing from the usual way of doing things is not only a matter for genres or art; it can also be applied to the business model. “There are developers who have created premium paid games in 2019 that have done very well,” Rajan says, although this is not the only option:
- Custom free-to-play: Google is developing tools to allow targeting of in-app purchase ads and displays depending on the player’s profile and whether or not they are likely to pay.
- Subscription services: Apple has just launched Apple Arcade, a kind of Netflix for premium mobile videogames.
This strategy is also valid when attracting the attention of the press and players. “In contrast to games as a service, games such as Subnautica chose to share their progress in real time on a Trello board. The community loved it.”
Another example can be found in Roblox: they published their first version almost 16 years ago and since then they have continuously improved it, which has led them to amass an immense number of players and close a funding round of more than $150 million in 2018.
“Find your gap and try to get those 1000 loyal fans to support your work,” concluded Amir Rajan.


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According to online publication Cp-Africa, the asset management arm of J.P Morgan will take a stake in the African ventures through a German holding company in an all cash for equity investment. However, the amount of the investment was not disclosed.
Zando’s Co-founder and Managing Director, Manuel Koser, said: “Attracting such a reputable international investor to support our future growth shows commitment and confidence in our business… This investment will assist the business by supporting its vision and all of its operations.”
Tunde Kehinde & Raphael Afaedor, Jumia cofounders and joint-CEO’s noted that the investment was a “real turning point” for the Nigerian-based company and the enhancement of online retailing in the country.
With Nigeria’s middle class improving and consumer consumption growing, the J.P Morgan investment confirms Nigeria will become a very large market in the not-to-distant future.
Robert Cousin, an official of the investor, while commenting on the deal said the company was “excited” partnering with the African online businesses.
Jumia was launched in June 2012 and offers a wide range of general merchandise categories such as fashion apparel, shoes, electronics, mobile phones, books, toys, beauty products and many more categories. The company currently operates in Nigeria, Egypt and Morocco, with plan to expand in additional countries in the coming months.
Zando is a leading online fashion store offering choice and accessibility to South African consumers with over 300 local and international brands and a large selection of styles featured online.


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New @facebook.com e-mail, new message tools spell more ad opportunities
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said Monday that it is offering @facebook.com e-mail addresses as part of a new suite of communications tools that the company will use to keep users on the site longer and serve up tailored advertising.
The social networking behemoth, which has been dogged by privacy concerns, said its new communications system combines e-mail, texts and instant messages and will allow users to track the history of conversations and filter their message box for the most relevant conversations.
Even though Zuckerberg said it isn't an "e-mail killer," users will be able to get facebook.com e-mail addresses that analysts say will keep users engaged longer on the social network site for 500 million users around the globe. It will also make it easier for users to communicate through Facebook, as a center for all one-on-one conversations. Microsoft's Hotmail has 361 million users worldwide, and Yahoo has 273 million and Google's Gmail has 193 million users.
The new messaging system is intended to look more like a online chat than e-mail, which Zuckerberg called "slow" and "too formal." The new e-mail function will be rolled out in the next few months by invitation.
When asked about how the company will use information contained in messages, e-mails and SMS, Zuckerberg said it will use that data the same way it does for other parts of the site: to serve up ads.
"The space on the right (for ads), we will try to make as relevant as possible," Zuckerberg said, when asked what the company will do with the content of e-mail and instant messages that are part of the system. "If you put in (your e-mail) that you like Green Day, we will put in an ad for concert tickets."


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Tech magnate Garrett Camp made headlines in 2020 when he quit his position of board director of Uber, a company co-founded by him, to focus on its product strategy. Camp has also formed companies such as StumbleUpon and the start-up incubator Expa Labs, and is part of The Giving Pledge.
Entrepreneur, engineer and industrial designer, Elon Musk, is famous as founder of the electronic payment firm PayPal, and the SpaceX spacecraft company. He is also the CEO of Tesla Motors. Elon Musk has plans to revolutionize transportation on earth as well as to space through futuristic technology.