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Apple v. Big Apple
If this keeps up, we may eventually need a new name for that fruit whose daily dose keeps the doctor away. As you will recall, last year computer maker Apple Inc. and The Beatles' company Apple Corps Ltd. settled their prolonged battle over use of the Apple name, with the California company getting ownership of the Apple trademark and licensing it back to Apple Corps. Now, Apple is taking on The Big Apple, claiming that New York City's GreeNYC environmental campaign uses an apple in its logo that too closely resembles Apple's apple.
New York has filed for a trademark on the stylized apple and Apple has responded by filing a formal opposition. Gerald Singleton, the IP lawyer representing the Big Apple, tells Wired magazine, "The city believes that Apple's claims have no merit and that no consumer is likely to be confused. This well-known city is using its new design in a variety of contexts that have absolutely nothing to do with Apple Inc." As for that fruit, perhaps the name "microsoft" could become available.Sphere: Related Content
Penalty for Libel: Banishment?
Because tribal reservations have sovereignty over many of their own affairs, their laws sometimes veer away from the common law most of us are accustomed to. But tribal leaders at the Rocky Boy's Reservation in northern Montana apparently went too far astray from accepted notions of fairness when they adopted an anti-defamation ordinance Feb. 7 that allowed them to seize a defamer's personal property and permanently banish the offender from the reservation. A tribal member found to have slandered another could face loss of home and property, relinquishment of tribal membership, and status as a "nonentity with no civil rights."
Some reservation members were none too happy with the ordinance, which was enacted in the wake of letters disparaging tribal council members and their families. But unhappiness turned to anger when tribal police arrested a 70-year-old woman for allegedly circulating a defamatory letter about the tribe's leaders after she was unable to get financial help to fix her roof. "No place else in the United States could this happen, but on the reservation," said another woman who was questioned by police under the defamation ordinance.
Members of the tribe revolted. They organized a petition drive and were successful in convincing the tribal council to repeal the ordinance in a unanimous vote. Recounting the story in the Helena Independent Record, columnist Jodi Rave says it demonstrates that "some tribal leaders are willing to gamble with -- and ignore -- citizen rights." Of course, it also demonstrates the power of citizens to fight back and win.
[Hat tip to Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.]Sphere: Related Content
Crossdressed Judge Reconsiders Resignation
Is it just that I live in Massachusetts, or is prudishness really dead? The most remarkable aspect of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Somma's OUI arrest was not that he was dressed in drag, but that the legal community's response was to say, "So what? Let's get back to work." When news of Somma's crossdressing broke a week after his arrest, he quickly submitted his resignation, anticipating a "media frenzy." But when area lawyers rallied to urge him to stay, citing his skill on the bench, no doubt even he was surprised. In a letter this week to Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the judge wrote:
I am gratified and humbled by the kind words expressed by so many in personal letters I received and in the several letters that were sent to the Court of Appeals supporting my reinstatement. That outpouring of support has led me conclude, contrary to my initial belief, that the media frenzy occasioned by this episode would not be an impediment to my continued service as a judge. Consequently, over the past few weeks I have been communicating with the Court of Appeals concerning my status and expect that these discussions will continue.
The circuit executive for the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals confirms that the effective date of Somma's resignation, which was to be April 1, is now extended to May 15. No one at the court is saying why the date was pushed back, but The Boston Globe reports today that some lawyers interpret the delay as intended to allow the circuit court time to consider rescinding Somma's resignation. Still, the article points out, rescission is by no means a done deal.
The real story here, as I said at the outset, is the legal community's reaction. The letter circulated in support of Somma said, "Recent events do not in any manner diminish Judge Somma's ability to fulfill his duties and to remain as a highly respected member of the bench." Globe writer Jonathan Saltzman zeros in on the import of this when he says:
The letter-writing campaign illustrates how perspectives have changed about behavior such as cross-dressing. Twenty years ago, several lawyers acknowledged, it was highly unlikely that the legal community would have rallied around a judge who was arrested under circumstances like those in the Somma case.
Is a judge's private life always out of bounds? Of course not, if it involves unlawful or unethical behavior. As Jeffrey Rosen writes this week in The New Republic, "Americans are infinitely tolerant of moral transgression, except where they're not." But perhaps the legal profession has reached the point where it accepts that a judge's personal preferences, provided they are lawful, are not reflections of morals and have no bearing on qualification to serve.Sphere: Related Content
Justice Goes to the Dogs (and Cats)
Pet food maker Menu Foods is ready to settle claims that its tainted products killed or injured thousands of household pets. The New Jersey Law Journal reports today that the Canadian manufacturer has reached a settlement in principal with lawyers for plaintiffs in the multi-district litigation, which consolidated some 120 lawsuits from throughout the U.S. Last year, Menu recalled 60 million containers of pet food after it received complaints of pets dying and ill after eating pet food contaminated with tainted flour imported from China.
No terms have been disclosed. A notice posted by Menu Foods on its Web site says that the terms of the settlement will be filed May 1 in federal court in New Jersey, with a hearing scheduled there May 14. The company had earlier estimated its costs associated with the recall to be $55 million (Canadian), and its notice this week said that estimate "remains unchanged." Allowing for other costs, that would suggest that the settlement amount is somewhere south of that.
Complicating these cases from the outset -- as Carolyn Elefant noted here when they were filed -- was the measure of damages for loss of a pet. Carolyn pointed to a post at the Milwaukee Injury Board in which David Lowe discussed the types of damages that may be available to pet owners. Arriving at an answer is complicated, Lowe said, because damages for loss of a pet vary significantly from state to state. But the scope of the recall, he wrote then, could present the appropriate opportunity "to test the old assumptions and make some new law in this area."
This week's settlement might indicate that neither side is ready to test those old assumptions. If that is not to be the legacy of this litigation, perhaps -- as Kia Franklin suggests at TortDeform -- it at least will lead to tougher regulation. After all, when it comes to the well-being of their dogs and cats, pet owners are not likely to roll over and play dead.Sphere: Related Content
Rodrigo González Fernández
DIPLOMADO EN RSE DE LA ONU
Renato Sánchez 3586


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The coronavirus pandemic hit millions of companies and employees hard, especially within the restaurant industry. Now that the world is getting back to “normal,” some businesses say their help-wanted ads are going unanswered.
For months, restaurateurs across the country have been complaining about an industrywide labor shortage. Some restaurant owners blamed increased unemployment benefits for the current restaurant labor shortage. Others say that’s not the case.
Some employees say all they really want are wages that make the risk worth it. Many workers are feeling restless. Others have lost faith in the industry as a viable career path.
News4Jax asked viewers currently in or fresh out of the restaurant industry their thoughts on how the environment has changed and what could drive unemployed people to pick other jobs besides those in the food industry.
Among the responses, we found, most dealt with three things: Pay and lack of benefits, customers, and simply finding a better job after restaurants closed during the pandemic.
Money, benefits & better jobs
The misconception most ex-restaurant workers want to make clear is that they had a decision to make when restaurants closed and new opportunities presented themselves.
“I know several people in the restaurant industry that used this time to swap industries,” Tscharner Darby told News4Jax. “It wasn’t that they were living off unemployment, they went and got better jobs.”
Another News4Jax submission touched on that same explanation.
“When the restaurants closed I found work in a call center,” Julia Gilbert said. “It’s been a year, I am now working from home. And it would take a financial disaster of epic proportions (like facing eviction and serving was the only job available) to convince me to even consider waiting tables ever again. Even part-time.”
Other food industry workers said money really drove them to find something new.
“Restaurants refuse to pay decent livable wages in general,” an anonymous submission said. “I worked for Cracker Barrel for 14 years and they wouldn’t pay me over $11 an hour.”
“The workplace is not what it used to be. Because of the shortage of employees sure to the pandemic, the employees that are working are making the same little pay and taking on tons of extra work,” another anonymous user said. “That’s what is driving a lot of workers out. And even with the small increase in pay it still doesn’t compensate for the amount of work that you will have to do now.”
Lack of benefits and perks was another reason listed when looking at why there is a lack of restaurant workers.
“I’ve spent close to 40 years in the restaurant industry,” Craig Carr said. “The lack of workers has nothing to do with unemployment benefits and everything to do with lousy wages and a lack of benefits/perks. I worked through the pandemic and never got a dime of unemployment. However, I’m considering leaving the business because I’m tired of being offered $13 an hour with no insurance benefits, or even a free meal during a shift. Also, restaurant workers hardly ever get an actual break...”
Restaraunt workers have had enough of rude customers. Waiters and waitresses rely on tips to stay afloat, which is why customers have driven them out the door.
“Customers have come to expect the same level of service post-pandemic they were used to pre-pandemic which is simply not possible,” Carlton Maddox said. “Labor shortages and supply chain issues have complicated day to day restaurant operations.”
Some in the food industry describe the way customers treat them as being “beaten down,” “stressed” and “disrespected.”
“I was a restaurant manager and left a few months ago for a new job outside of the food and beverage industry,” an anonymous user said. “I took a lower-paying job because the money was no longer worth the stress of managing a business full of over-worked employees constantly being beaten down by customers. The restaurant company had stopped paying bonuses so people were making less but working more. Even when sales returned, the company continued to cut from employees’ pockets to make up for what was lost during the start of the pandemic. Many like myself have walked away due to the stress and lack of appreciation from companies as well as the customers.”
So next time you sit down as a customer at a restaurant, here’s what you can do: Treat your servers, bartenders and kitchen staff with respect. Be patient. Expect the restaurant to be out of a few items. Tip and be polite.
You can still weigh in below and tell us your thoughts on working in the restaurant industry during the pandemic.

domain: news


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UK has its credit rating downgraded to AA2: Moody's says May Government is too relaxed on public debt and Brexit will hit the economy
- Moody's stripped the UK of its top-notch AAA rating in 2013
- Rating now down a further notch from AA1 to AA2
- Agency said Government has taken its eye of the public finances
- Added that Brexit is 'a negative' for UK economy
The UK has had its credit rating downgraded by a leading agency, which blamed the Government's relaxation of austerity and the likely impact of Brexit.
Moody's, which stripped the UK of its top-notch AAA rating in 2013, last night took the rating down a further notch from AA1 to AA2
The agency said the Government's plans to fix the public finances were increasingly in question and debt levels are expected to rise.
Flagging? The agency highlighted the economic risks that leaving the European union poses for the world’s fifth-biggest economy.
The UK's annual budget deficit has come down from about 10 per cent of economic output in 2010 in the aftermath of the financial crisis to 2.3 per cent.
But Moody’s said the outlook for public finances had weakened significantly as May’s government has rowed back on the austerity drive of former Chancellor George Osborne - most recently by removing the public sector pay cap.
'Moody's expects weaker public finances going forward, partly linked to the economic slowdown under way but also reflecting the increasing political and social pressures to raise spending after seven years of spending cuts,' it said in a statement.
The agency also highlighted the economic risks that leaving the European union poses for the world’s fifth-biggest economy.
'Ambitious': Moody's was not impressed by PM May's Florence speech.
'Moody's believes that the UK government's decision to leave the EU single market and customs union as of March 29 2019 will be negative for the country's medium-term economic growth prospects,' the report said.
The government hit back, saying Moody’s assessment of the Brexit hit to the economy was 'outdated' and that May had set out an 'ambitious vision for the UK’s future relationship with the EU' in her speech In Florence yesterday.
But a Moody’s official said the speech made no difference to the agency’s gloomy long-term view for Britain’s economy.
The evidence on the UK's economic vitality have been mixed this year. The most recent official data showed that retail sales were far stronger than expected in August, suggesting household confidence is robust.
And the Bank of England has hinted strongly that it thinks, in the face of rising inflation, the UK economy is strong enough to withstand gradual rate rises.
Against this looms the uncertainties surrounding how Brexit will unfold and its impact on trade, UK exporters and prices.
Moody's also cut its rating for the Bank of England to Aa2 from Aa1, but revised the UK's outlook to stable from negative, meaning a further downgrade is not imminent.
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Saskatoon – The National Farmers Union (NFU) has written to Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay asking him to take immediate action to stop Monsanto licensee, Forage Genetics International, (FGI) from selling genetically modified (GM) alfalfa seed in Canada this spring. The NFU also asked the Minister to put border controls in place to prevent importation of contaminated conventional alfalfa seed from the USA. Continue reading
Marks & Spencer has come under fire for abandoning its policy of selling only GM-free food. We’ve just updated our app to show that it’s now selling six products containing genetically-modified soya or corn despite having long presented itself as being opposed to such engineered products.
By Ishtar Babilu Dingir
What is food sovereignty?
Food sovereignty is about the right of us all to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and the right to define our own food and agriculture systems.
In other words, we have a right to a choice about what we eat and drink, and do not have to give in to others forcing genetically modified and otherwise adulterated foods upon us. Unfortunately, the biotech industry doesn’t agree, and it’s slowly infiltrating GM foods into UK food shops and supermarkets. Continue reading


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Co-operatives UK’s newly appointed CEO, Rose Marley, is offering one to one surgeries to talk all things co-operative.
The surgeries will run on the last Wednesday of every month and can be booked by anyone who wants to start a co-op, runs a co-op, works with or buys from a co-op to discuss ideas and issues, or ask questions.
Rose, who joined Co-operatives UK on 4 January said: “In my experience it can be really difficult to reach CEOs and raising questions publicly at events can sometimes be a daunting task. But actually it’s those voices - the ones you don’t always hear - where you get the insight, the best ideas, the reality of what’s happening on the ground.”
Book your slot
The 45 minute surgeries will be an opportunity to bring sector specific issues to the attention of apex body Co-operatives UK, or an opportunity to share a vision. Initially they will take place by video call due to lockdown restrictions but appointments will be available in person at the Manchester based HQ, Holyoake House, as soon as visitors are permitted.
Head of Membership John Atherton said: “This year we’re repeating the Big Co-op Census that we last ran five years ago. This will help us to establish what issues and challenges our members face in the current economic climate - and how we can best support the sector to thrive by providing the advice, support and lobbying that our members need.
“The census will provide us with quantifiable data and we’re excited to see the results. These surgeries are another way for our members to engage with us on a more personal basis.”
Trust in co-operatives
Rose adds: “We now have an opportunity to position co-ops as a way to build back better. Our recent YouGov poll* showed that trust in co-operative businesses is high – with nearly two thirds of consumers saying they trust co-ops, compared to just 35% for PLCs**. And at a time when major high street giants are folding, nearly half said they are likely to choose a co-operative business over a conventional business when shopping for goods or services. I’d love to hear ideas on how we can all capitalise on this trust that consumers have in co-ops in these challenging times.”
Who is Rose Marley?
Rose was appointed as CEO in October and joined Co-operatives UK on 4 January. With a strong background in creative industries, technology, the gig economy and entrepreneurship, Rose is a passionate advocate for social enterprise and values-led business. She founded Manchester-based social enterprise SharpFutures, which supports diverse, young talent into creative, digital and tech industries, and was directly appointed by the Mayor of Greater Manchester to lead a pilot campaign improving local travel opportunities and raising aspiration for young people in Manchester.
Book your slot
*YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2075 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd - 3rd December 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
**On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is 'I don't trust them at all' and 10 is 'I completely trust them', 59% chose 6 or above for co-op businesses compared to 35% for PLCs.


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Progress on rural broadband is in danger of getting doused by “the perfect storm,” and it could be a while before calm returns.
Electric cooperatives and others trying to deliver internet access to unserved communities are facing unprecedented shortages in the broadband supply chain, including fiber optic cable, electronics equipment and even labor.
The COVID-19 pandemic delivered a one-two punch, exploding demand for reliable, high-speed internet while hampering production as factories were forced to limit shifts or close. At the same time, billions of public dollars were being funneled toward rural broadband projects, most with specific development deadlines.
Fiber cable, largely a domestic product, is in extremely short supply and could stay that way beyond 2022.
Deliveries of semiconductor chipsets, a critical component of the modems or gateways that produce wireless connectivity, are running at least six months behind.
And soaring demand for skilled workers combined with pandemic-restricted training opportunities means available broadband crews have become scarce.
“We have an unprecedented perfect storm that’s contributing to everything,” says Scott Jackson, national marketing manager for Graybar, which specializes in supply chain management. “We are seeing very extended lead times.”
And “no region is immune,” says Nathan Weber, vice president of engineering for Vantage Point Solutions, which designs broadband systems.
“We have clients in more than 40 states, and we are seeing these challenges everywhere.”
Even the global leader in optical fiber is feeling the pinch.
“This extraordinary demand—which exceeded many industry forecasts—has created capacity constraints that have resulted in extended lead times,” says Kara Mullaley, market development manager for Corning Optical Communications. “These demand-driven capacity constraints have affected Corning as well as other manufacturers.”
Jim DaBramo, NRTC’s president for broadband solutions, says trying to close the digital divide amid a global supply bottleneck is like playing “three-dimensional chess.”
“It is a challenge for electric co-ops,” he says. “But they learn really fast.”
Feeding the Frenzy
As the coronavirus spread in 2020, schools, public services and the economy went online, and the federal government threw big money at getting unserved Americans connected.
“The pandemic opened everyone’s eyes to how critical broadband is for schooling, for people being able to work from home, for home health care,” Weber says. “We had a lot of demand pre-pandemic. Since then, demand has only accelerated.”
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan provides $350 billion to states and localities in fiscal recovery funds, which can be used for a broad range of needs including broadband infrastructure. These funds must be obligated by the end of 2024.
That followed about $150 million from the CARES Act for state and local authorities to spend on COVID-19 relief projects, also including broadband, by the end of 2020.
While the financial support is welcomed, “the large amounts of public money for rural broadband is feeding the frenzy,” DaBramo says. “The pandemic just exacerbated an already occurring problem.”
Internet providers are scrambling to meet milestones this year to receive money from the Federal Communications Commission’s $1.5 billion Connect America Fund II. More than $9 billion from Phase 1 of the FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, with build requirements over the next six years, is expected to keep the pressure on.
Amazon, Google and Facebook each plan to deploy fiber to their data centers, and big wireless internet providers and 5G developers are expanding, further squeezing fiber supplies.
“A lot of entities are buying a lot of fiber,” Jackson says. “We’ve never seen this in our industry.”
Even Corning didn’t foresee the level of demand.
“One year ago, operators needed to be convinced fiber was the right choice for their builds,” Mullaley says. “Those conversations have shifted to, ‘We know we need fiber; how quickly can we get it?’”
Across the industry, as lead time sits at more than a year for some types of fiber cable, optical network terminals (ONTs), Wi-Fi routers and core network routers are delayed four to six months due to the semi-conductor shortages.
A freak winter storm in Texas that forced lengthy power outages and shut down petroleum manufacturing is still reverberating in the supply chain. And raw materials such as steel for pedestals and plastics for PVC duct are in short supply.
And even when product is available, a national shortage of truck drivers caused by COVID-created bottlenecks in the commercial licensing process means key finished materials may linger in warehouses awaiting transport.
The situation leads to hard-to-find skilled crews sitting idle or moving to find work.
“I can’t have crews start and stop in two weeks because there are no materials,” DaBramo says. “If you have no work for the crew, they will continue to charge you and go somewhere where is there is work.”
Absorbing the Shock
Strategic planning on the front end may be the best solution to supply chain challenges.
The plan should phase in construction and be “adaptable and flexible when unexpected issues come up,” Weber says. “If you design around a specific product, and that product is difficult to obtain, that could paint you in a corner.”
That’s one lesson from when a tsunami hit Japan 10 years ago and disrupted the availability of certain raw materials and fiber components.
“Now we keep in constant contact with cable manufacturers and situational challenges on a weekly basis,” Weber says. “We pre-engineer plans now so we absorb the shock that may come from delays.”
NRTC agrees that it is vital that co-ops thoroughly plan for broadband build-outs and order materials well in advance to keep on schedule. As kinks in the supply chain emerged last summer, NRTC purchased $15 million of fiber for clients. A similar allocation for chips is under consideration, DaBramo says.
To buffer labor shortages, NRTC certified a program that enables numerous construction crews to work with their design methodology.
Graybar offers staff and inventory software to manage supply warehouses and drives trailers of rolling inventory to jobsites. The wholesale distributor has 290 locations, plus a “branch in a box” for Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, that is stocked two years ahead of its broadband build.
“We stay in our wheelhouse and work hand-in-hand with the co-op,” Jackson says.
To meet accelerating business and consumer needs, Corning is investing in new facilities and adding and upgrading equipment and ramping up production, Mullaley says. The company is planning a state-of-the-art optical fiber manufacturing plant in Poland set to open next year.
Electric co-ops accustomed to supplying their own materials with advance orders may fare well despite the crunch. Weber recalls one co-op broadband partnership began receiving fiber in June from an order made in last November.
“This unpredictability is why we plan,” he says. “We take the supply chain, a wonderful blend of complexity and efficiency, for granted. When it’s working well, we don’t even see it. When things break down, the intricacies are exposed.”
LREC Fiber Project Navigates the Supply Crunch
Lake Region Electric Cooperative in tiny Hulbert, Oklahoma, decided to deliver broadband internet access to its members when no other provider would. Now, at a time of extraordinary demand and unforeseen supply chain shortages, the co-op is finding a path to get the job done.
“The biggest impact is the construction timeline,” says Hamid Vahdatipour, LREC’s CEO. “Delays in construction increase the cost. It also leads to member dissatisfaction, because we are not able to connect them in a timely manner.”
He says the biggest concern was securing fiber optic cable and electronic equipment, noting one vendor offered delivery “sometime in 2022.”
“We limited our vendor search to ones that had materials on hand.”
Despite the challenges, he expects work to finish on schedule. They now rely on a handful of key lessons to navigate the crunch:
• Know what to take on and what to contract out.
• Pre-order critical equipment early.
• Don’t be afraid to change if necessary.
• Build in buffers.
• Availability often outranks cost.
LREC started Phase I taking on the whole job itself, from buying supplies to labor. For Phase II, they contracted both materials and labor. For the third phase, they’ll secure the materials while contracting out the labor and warehousing to avoid having to let staff go when the network is built, Vahdatipour says.
But will that increase costs?
Provided the project budget is within its feasibility study guidelines, cost increases are tolerable, Vahdatipour says. And they should be balanced by a higher-than-expected take rate, now at more than 60%.
“Members are happy to get it, and they want it as fast as they can get it,” he says. “They wanted it yesterday.”


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Digital bank Zopa has acquired buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform DivideBuy, having raised £75 million earlier in the month to pursue its M&A strategy.
The deal to buy DivideBuy’s point-of-sale (POS) finance technology and lending platform is expected to complete in the next few months.
It is Zopa’s first acquisition and will increase the digital bank’s revenue by at least 20% in the coming years.
Jaidev Janardana, chief executive officer of Zopa, said: “This acquisition helps us bring to life BNPL 2.0, an evolution of BNPL which we believe delivers the easy, integrated product which customers love, whilst also addressing some of the issues around affordability and responsible lending which have plagued the sector.”
Zopa’s BNPL 2.0 lending aims to offer only affordable credit by running credit checks and affordability assessments for all customers, and to share data with credit rating agencies to help other lenders build up a more accurate picture of customers’ financial profiles.
“We are proud to be entering the POS space with DivideBuy, a market-leader with a standout product and technology stack, and a culture that is closely aligned to our values of fairness and customer centricity,” added Janardana.
“Combining DivideBuy’s POS financing solution with Zopa’s best-in-class underwriting capabilities, regulatory permissions, and access to funding will enable digital-first journeys that bring new value to merchants and consistently delight customers.”
Through DivideBuy, merchants can offer interest-free payment options at checkout, allowing shoppers to spread the cost of their purchases over a two to 12-month period.
Robert Flowers, chief executive officer of DivideBuy, said: “We were delighted to be approached by Zopa in its search for a POS finance provider to support its vision of building Britain’s best bank. DivideBuy’s product, technology and culture align perfectly with Zopa’s values and brand strength, making this an ideal fit for the future of lending.
“Our LendTech solution will enable Zopa to leverage its core lending capabilities and build a market-leading POS finance solution.”
Flowers added that Zopa and DivideBuy are “committed to empowering our collective teams with new upskilling and career opportunities”.
This week, the UK government launched an eight-week consultation on proposed draft legislation that will see BNPL regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Main image: Zopa’s leadership team, including Jaidev Janardana, Zopa’s chief executive officer seated front and middle.


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Digital technology plays an important role and has a significant impact on Vietnamese enterprises’ activities.
In 2015, up to 95 percent of Vietnamese enterprises were using the Internet, but up to 60 percent of them faced difficulties with information technology (IT) applications, according to a report from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).
The VCCI, in coordination with Google Asia Pacific, organised a seminar called “Tap the vast potential of the digital economy: Are Vietnamese Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) ready?” in Hanoi recently.
The report from VCCI also showed that businesses which effectively applied IT were able to access information on laws and policies more easily, adopting administrative procedures more quickly and seeing better business results.
Vu Tien Loc, VCCI chairman, said the digital technology movement had developed rapidly and had made a significant impact on Vietnamese enterprises, especially small and mid-sized enterprises.
Proper reception and effective application of technology will help SMEs in Vietnam improve their competitiveness, he said.
State agencies also need to strengthen their application of IT to build policies that create favourable conditions for developing enterprises, he emphasised.
"Nearly 98 percent of Vietnamese enterprises are SMEs, but they generate up to 51 percent of total employment and contribute 40 percent to the national gross domestic product,” Loc said.
The Internet had opened up major opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises to reach past the Vietnamese border, he said.
Vietnamese SMEs have great motivation and know they need to grasp opportunities that will help them quickly grow into large enterprises, he said. According to Google, some 52 million people connect online in Viet Nam, and the country ranks fifth among those with the largest number of people connecting online in the Asia-Pacific region, after China, India, Japan and Indonesia.
Up to 55 percent of Vietnamese have smart phones, while only 46 percent own a personal computer.
The Vietnamese use their phones for many different activities ranging from seeking information to watching videos, getting directions, checking traffic conditions and managing a shopping list.
However, according to a Google representative, the digitalisation of Vietnamese enterprises remains slow for various reasons.
There is a lack of awareness of the benefits of online connection, a lack of internal technical expertise and people are in the habit of using cash due to security issues.
Kevin O’Kane, managing director, SMB, Google Asia Pacific, spoke at the seminar, saying any Vietnamese enterprise could become an e-commerce enterprise as there were customers available online on the Internet and on mobile platforms.
Customers typically expect businesses to have an e-commerce presence.
However, the majority of SMEs in Vietnam has not yet provided a mobile commerce experience and many have not adopted e-commerce practices at all.
This makes these businesses almost invisible to more than half of Viet Nam’s online population as well as the rest of the world, he said.


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Goldman Sachs has inflicted on the universe another report, a 43-page thing (before the 4-page disclosure addendum) with the usual mix of persuasive small-print annotated spreadsheets and reasonable-looking charts, in which it painted different scenarios of Tesla’s future, including two where CEO Elon Musk would be the next “Steve Jobs” or “Henry Ford,” which gave the stock nosebleed valuations of $442 and $478 a share respectively.
Independent, objective research? You gotta be kidding.
Goldman sucked more fees out of the various Tesla money-grabs than any other bank – and has big plans to redouble its efforts. The report even spells out the amount of Tesla’s future money grabs: $6 billion over the next four years.
To mollify critics that might otherwise claim Goldman had created just another promo piece to advance its search for fees, it also raised its price target but “only” to $200, from $170. That this is $40 below Tuesday’s close makes the report look somehow conservative on the surface. At the same time, it validates the trajectory of the price, which is up, and gives Goldman a chance to raise its price target again down the road.
The report purports to “quantify the full value of Tesla by modeling the ‘disruptive’ upside case,” not only based on the car itself but also on the batteries as a storage device for the electrical grid:
To measure what is truly transformational, we need to draw on the experience of past technologies like the iPhone, the Ford Model-T, and selected consumer durables like refrigerators/laundry appliances/dishwashers. All of these were new technologies that were widely adopted and radically revolutionized consumption patterns.
In scenario 1, only the second-best case, Elon becomes the next “Steve Jobs” whose “disruptive technology” was the iPhone. Tesla would conquer 2.7% of the global auto market by 2025. Sounds great. French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroën had $75 billion in revenues and sold 2.8 million vehicles in 2013 for a global market share of 3.4%. So, 11 years from now, Tesla’s projected 2.7% share would still be behind where PSA is today. Tesla had $2 billion in revenues in 2013, and its share of the 83.5 million vehicles sold worldwide isn’t even a rounding error. But it sports a market cap of $28.8 billion, over four times that of PSA’s $6.6 billion. The companies have one thing in common, though: they both lost money.
It would be too painful to compare Tesla’s metrics to those of a successful luxury automaker, like BMW.
As a first step to get to this small but illusory 2.7% market share by 2025, Tesla would have to raise another $6 billion in capital over the next four years (ka-ching!), Goldman says. Other people’s cash is something Tesla knows how to get and burn through.
Tesla’s Model S looks great – as do many cars at that price point. I see them a lot in San Francisco, where it’s a cool, somehow “sustainable” status symbol. It’s probably a very good car to drive, as you’d expect from something in that price category. And I’m glad it has arrived on the scene.
But an electric car as a “disruptive technology?” I mean, come on.
On September 14, 1899 – about 115 years ago – a guy named Henry Bliss got run over by a taxi at West 74th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. A plaque there points out that it was the first automobile fatality in the “Western Hemisphere.” The taxi was an electric vehicle. As were 90% of the taxis in New York City and about 30% of all cars sold in the US. Electric cars aren’t exactly new. What has kept them from dominating to this day? The difficulties associated with batteries. While batteries have improved immensely, these difficulties are still the same: cost, weight, range, and charging time.
So why did Goldman go bonkers over Tesla?
When Tesla went public in June 2010 and raised $266 million with enormous hoopla, fanfare, and hype, Goldman was one of the lead underwriters, and raked in the fees.
When in June 2011, Tesla did a follow-on offering, selling about 6.1 million shares at $28.76 ($175 million) to the public and another load in a private placement – including 644,475 shares to an affiliate of Daimler – Goldman was acting as sole book-running manager for the public offering, and raked in the fees.
In October 2012, Tesla did another follow-on offering, selling about 7 million shares at $28.25 a share ($197 million) to the public. Goldman was acting as sole book-running manager and raked in the fees.
In May 2013, Tesla did another follow-on offering, selling about 3.3 million shares at $92.24 a share to the public, along with $600 million in convertible notes (to pay back the loan it got from the generous taxpayer via the Department of Energy), for a total of over $1 billion. Among the lead bankers on the deal: Goldman. It had a field day raking in the fees.
In February 2014, Tesla went back to Wall Street and sold $1.6 billion in convertible notes. It listed all the usual reasons, from general corporate purposes to accelerating growth, but this time there was a new wrinkle, the “Gigafactory” where Tesla would produce batteries and change the world. Goldman acted as one of the book-running managers and raked in a ton of fees.
Each offering was larger than the prior one, as the company burns through more and more cash. Future offerings are going to be even larger. In its report, Goldman proposed $6 billion in total over the next four years.
What the report failed to spell out is that Goldman would get the lion’s share of those fees, and that those fees would be larger if the amounts of the offerings are larger, and that can only happen if the stock price gets hyped into the stratosphere. Hence, the motivation for Goldman’s awesome promo piece, in one elegant symbol: $.
Wall Street once again stands out as history’s most glorious, most efficient, sophisticated, and prolific “gigafactory,” to use Tesla’s newfangled term, for the production of self-serving BS. Investors beware!
But even Goldman couldn’t suppress some troubling indications: Model S sales in the US have flat-lined at about 1,500 to 1,600 units per month, down from over 2000 in August. So Goldman postulates nervously that “growth needs to come from Asia.” Ah yes, China, the deus ex machina for everything. On the proven philosophy, if you can’t sell enough of them in the US, go try China.
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Dozens of Girl Scouts gathered at Starbucks in Red Bluff on Saturday to give their contribution to the dreams on wheels event.
The event, hosted by Starbucks and "Children First" aims to gift foster children a new bike for the holidays.
Their goal this year was 120 bikes.
And they've already surpassed that.
The Girl Scouts helped out by collecting and donating helmets.
One of just many donations organizers say is making this event possible.
"The enormous support from the community has just been generous. We have had a lot of anonymous donors who want to remain that way, but still a lot of support,” said Robin Freisheim.
If you'd like to donate a bike they'll continue collecting them until December 10 at the Red Bluff Starbucks on Antelope Drive or at the "Children First" office until December 22.
- ‘Gift of Wheels’ with the help of Girl Scouts
- Girl Scouts Sue Boy Scouts Over Name Change
- Girl Scouts looking into cookie seller outside pot shop
- Community pitches in to replace lost Girl Scout cookies
- Police search for suspect who touched Girl Scout inappropriately
- Video released by RPD shows suspect in Girl Scout assault
- A man bought $540 in cookies so these Girl Scouts could escape the cold
- Berry-picking time for Chico Boy Scouts
- Boy Scout Fundraiser Dinner & Shoot Out
- WSJ: Boy Scouts may file for bankruptcy


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Mondelez International Inc (NASDAQ:MDLZ) EVP Vinzenz P. Gruber sold 40,377 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.68, for a total value of $2,288,568.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 112,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,355,925.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
NASDAQ MDLZ opened at $54.51 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $54.61 and a 200 day moving average of $52.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Mondelez International Inc has a twelve month low of $38.78 and a twelve month high of $56.72.
Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.57. The company had revenue of $6.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. Mondelez International had a return on equity of 14.07% and a net margin of 14.57%. Mondelez International’s quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Mondelez International Inc will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MDLZ. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Mondelez International by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 14,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $794,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in Mondelez International in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,865,000. Hancock Whitney Corp purchased a new stake in Mondelez International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $287,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its stake in Mondelez International by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $577,000 after buying an additional 1,079 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Mondelez International by 31.6% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.56% of the company’s stock.
Several research analysts recently weighed in on MDLZ shares. Wells Fargo & Co lifted their price target on Mondelez International from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Mondelez International from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. BidaskClub raised shares of Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 10th. Finally, ValuEngine raised shares of Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Mondelez International has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.50.
About Mondelez International
Mondelez International, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets snack food and beverage products worldwide. It offers biscuits, including cookies, crackers, and salted snacks; chocolates; and gums and candies, as well as various cheese and grocery, and powdered beverage products. The company's primary snack brand portfolio includes Cadbury, Milka, and Toblerone chocolates; Oreo, belVita, and LU biscuits; Halls candies; and Trident gums and Tang powdered beverages.
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Foodservice Industry Australia Awards of Excellence announced for 2012
The Foodservice Industry Association has announced its name has changed to Foodservice Industry Australia, at the recent Foodservice Industry Awards of Excellence for 2012.
The change of name and direction, with a new logo, aims to cement its critical role as the longest-running Foodservice organisation in Australia after 32 years of operation.
The highest accolade for an individual for long term commitment to the foodservice industry: “LEGEND of the Foodservice Industry” was awarded to Brian Byrns from Conga Foods this year. Mr Byrns is the eighth “LEGEND of the Foodservice Industry” award recipient since its inception.
With members already based across different Australian States, Foodservice Industry Australia declared it will continue to deliver high quality educational events, foodservice training, business programs and industry networking opportunities for the food service industry.
The Foodservice Industry Awards of Excellence were established in 2006.
Names of winners for 2012:
Legend of the Foodservice Industry- Brian Byrns, Conga Foods
Foodservice Representative of the Year – Manufacturer
Winner – Arran Mason-Blake, Nestle Professional
Foodservice Representative of the Year – Distributor
Winner – Jessica Carroll, Superior Food Services
Highly Commended – Jim Hare, Natures Cargo
Foodservice Representative of the Year – Service
Winner – Paul Dale, Cookers
Highly Commended – Vivienne Golabek, Chef’s Hat
Highly Commended – Mark Sweeting, Comcater
Distributor of the Year – Regional
Winner – Natures Cargo
Distributor of the Year – Tasmanian
Winner – PFD Food Services – Launceston
Highly Commended – Bulk Frozen Foods
Distributor of the Year – Metropolitan
Winner – PFD Food Services
Highly Commended – Del-Re National Food Group
Distributor of the Year – Service
Winner – Commercial Food Machinery
Highly Commended – Chef’s Hat
Highly Commended – Phoeniks
Highly Commended – Transplumb Group
Foodservice Product of the Year – Shelf Stable
Winner – Passionfruit Shortbread Creams, Charlies Cookies
Highly Commended – Zafran Red Curry Mix, Custom Culinary
Highly Commended – Bacio Perugina Semifreddo Mix, Nestle Professional
Foodservice Product of the Year – Frozen
Winner – Smoothie Cube, Patties Food
Supplier of the Year
Winner – Simplot Australia
Highly Commended – Kraft Foods
Key players within the Australian dairy industry have agreed to a new voluntary code of conduct.
Bellamy’s Organic has been hit hard by recent changes to infant formula imports into China with its ...
Herb and spice seller, Hoyt’s Food, has paid a $10, 800 penalty after the Australian Competition and...
Grocery distributor, Metcash, has announced its new Chief Executive Officer to replace Ian Morrice i...
Woolworths supermarkets has revamped and relaunched its Click & Collect online grocery shopping serv...
The number of Australian women who are obese or overweight during pregnancy is increasing, resulting...
Fonterra has teamed with a New Zealand food start-up to invest in “state-of-the-art” technology that...
Global FMCG giant Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) has announced that more than 3,500 of its consumer ...


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Nvidia has launched the GTX 1660 Ti version, however, seems like Nvidia isn’t stopping there as a non-ti version, Nvidia GTX 1660, has appeared online. Reportedly, the GTX 1660 will launch on March 14, 2019.
Being a non-ti Nvidia GTX 1660, the GPU will feature 1408 CUDA Cores which less than 1536 CUDA featured in the GTX 1660 Ti. However, this isn’t the only difference between the two GPUs.
The non-ti GTX 1660 will comes with 6 GB of GDDR5 memory unlike 6 GB of GDDR6 memory featured in Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti. Memory clock is also reduced with the non-ti version featuring 8Gbps while the GTX 1660 Ti features 12 Gbps.
As for memory bandwidth, it has also been reduced significantly due to the use of GDDR5 memory instead of GDDR6. Given that this is a cut down version of the 1660 Ti, reportedly Nvidia GTX 1660 will be available for $219.
However, in terms of clock speed, the GTX 1660 is 30 MHz ahead of the Ti version in base clock and the boost clock is 15 MHz ahead. Both GPUs are based on the TU116.
|GeForce GTX 1660 Ti||GeForce GTX 1660|
|GPU clock (base)||1,500 MHz||1,530 MHz|
|Storage||6 GB of GDDR6||6 GB GDDR5|
|memory clock||6,000 MHz||4,000 MHz|
|memory interface||192 bits||192 bits|
|Memory Bandwidth||288 GB / s||192 GB / s|
|Price||279 USD||219 USD|
|Release Date||February 22, 2019||March 14, 2019|
Given that this is just a leak, take it with a grain of salt until Nvidia officially announces the GPU.
However, this isn’t the only unannounced Nvidia GPU as RTX 2050 mobile has popped up online. RTX 2050 was spotted within the Dell G5 15 gaming laptop specs which indicates that it might only be available for laptops.
Given that Nvidia has introduced GTX 1660 Ti and will be introducing the alleged GTX 1660, it’s likely that RTX 2050 will be a laptop-specific GPU and Nvidia might launch GTX 1650 to cater to the ones upgrading from GTX 1050.
Mining GPUs aren’t designed to play video games since they don’t have any display ports. However, that is all changed as Nvidia P106 Mining GPU can be used to play games.
The Nvidia P106 is mining-specific GPU and is a GTX 1060 equivalent but, it costs way less. However, getting this GPU to run games requires some effort.


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updated 06:53 am EST, Tue February 18, 2014
Sony shifts 5.3M PlayStation 4 consoles, beats recent Xbox sales figures
Sony has sold over 5.3 million PlayStation 4 game consoles globally as of February 8th, the company has revealed. The news comes just days before the company launches the console in its native Japan on February 22nd. In comparison, Microsoft's January financial results toward the end of January showed it sold 3.9 million competing Xbox One consoles and 3.5 million of the Xbox 360.
Sony PlayStation 4
Chinese authorities lift Dropbox block dating back to 2010
Reports claim that Dropbox is once again accessible to users in China, after authorities in the country lifted a block on the service in place since 2010. Tech in Asia claims the service is fully operational, with file storage and sharing working for Chinese users. While the availability in China is useful for Dropbox, it is unlikely to give the company that many new subscribers, as it is noted in the report that overseas connections from China are show, while some local competitors are offering considerably larger quantities of data to users at no charge, such as Tencent and its 10TB offer.


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While this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival pretty much dissed electronic music, the fifth edition of Governors Ball taking place June 5-7, 2015 on Randall’s Island in New York City will feature a selection of electronic acts.
Flume, Flying Lotus, SBTRKT, Clean Bandit, Chromeo and Hot Chip are among a selection of confirmed dance acts, with EDM loudmouth deadmau5 making his first Big Apple appearance since 2011.
Here’s the deal on tickets: Single day general admission and VIP tickets will be available starting at 12 noon EST on Friday, February 20. A limited single day ticket pre-sale via Citibank will begin 12 noon EST today. Three-day GA and VIP tickets are still available for purchase while supplies last via GovBall.com.
Top image via Facebook


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The Carbon Fiber Mag Extensions add extra rounds to both Benelli and Mossberg shotguns. (Photo: TacStar)
TacStar recently debuted new shotgun accessories, adding Carbon Fiber Magazine Extensions for both Benelli and Mossberg shotguns.
The Carbon Fiber Mag Extensions deliver a “unbeatable strength to weight ratio,” according to TacStar. Averaging four times lighter than comparable steel extension tubes, the Carbon Fiber set up delivers durability in addition to weight saving.
The mag extensions are lighter than traditional extensions. (Photo: TacStar)
“These extensions are about four times lighter than traditional steel tubes; however, they are much stronger,” TacStar said in a news release. “The carbon fiber offers durability and toughness to go along with lightweight, making it the perfect material for extension tubes.”
The mag extensions boast a high visibility follower, machined from solid aluminum, to improve overall feeding in addition to a barrel magazine clamp. Extensions are available in seven-, eight- and 10-shot capacities with the seven-shot adding two rounds, the eight-shot adding rounds and the 10-shot adding five rounds to overall capacity on Benelli and Mossberg shotguns.
TacStar says the extensions, which are easy to install, are in stock through Lyman and retail for $79.


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PHILADELPHIA -- Mellon Bank Corp. announced the appointment of Paul S. Beideman as president of Mellon PSFS, its retail banking unit in Philadelphia.
Mr. Beideman joined Mellon in Pittsburgh in 1989 as manager of marketing, product development, sales, and service support. He was also in charge of merchant card services for Mellon's banks in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. He was senior vice president and head of retail banking at Mellon PSFS since 1990.
Prior to joining Mellon, he spent 17 years with the former PSFS -- Philadelphia Saving Fund Society. Among the functions he managed were the branch system and marketing.
He reports to Thomas F. Donovan, chairman and chief executive of Mellon PSFS, which has more than 100 offices in the Philadelphia area.


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India Fashion Awards is an initiative by Mr. Sanjay Nigam that celebrates the unsung heroes of the fashion industry. Season two of the awards took place in Delhi on 25th September 2021. The event was presented by Rajnigandha Pearls and powered by Mario and DLF Malls.
The award show took place in the presence of the esteemed jury and various guests from the fashion industry. The jury comprised of Rocky S, Sonalika Sahay, Maneka Gandhi, Ravi Jaipuria, Prasad Nail, and Varun Rana. The event was graced by Sunil Grover, Karan Chhabra, Vipul Goyal, Ashima Leena, Samant Chauhan, Paul David Martin, Manav Mangalani, Sham Khan, Ranbir Mehra, Kohlika Kohli, Varun Jaipuria, Naveen Jindal, Clara, Georgia, Mohit Hajela, Ambrish Arora, Vikram Jain, Robin Raina, BL Verma, Eric Flat, Vagish Pathak and Eric Fajole.


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The Emerging Consumer Drives Gaming and eSports Growth
It takes years of training, gathers thousands at stadiums, and pays increasingly large winner prizes. Video gaming is the second most popular sport after football globally. eSports meanwhile is taking the world by storm, with China at the forefront of more than 300 million fans worldwide that watch video gaming competitions. The Credit Suisse Research Institute, Emerging Consumer Survey 2018, explores the popular phenomenon in further detail.
League of Legends, WarCraft, Counter-Strike… Doesn't ring a bell? Well, it's time to catch up as these are some of the most popular video games played globally. To put video gaming into context: In 2016 some 2.6 billion people worldwide played video games. That is twice as many as those who played tennis or volleyball, making gaming the second most popular sport after football. In our view, this market is far from saturated and is set to offer strong structural growth in the medium term. Globally, consumer spending on video games has already reached 100 billion dollars, with just over a quarter of this driven by Chinese consumers.
The rising popularity of video games has resulted in the development of eSports, global tournaments where professional video game players and teams compete against each other. In 2017, the number of eSport fans increased by 19% to 335 million, more than the entire US population. By 2021, this number is estimated to climb to 557 million according to gaming market researcher Newzoo. The internet is the key channel through which these, largely younger, consumers follow the tournaments and competitions. Increasingly though, traditional media such as TV is catching on too. However, don't underestimate how keen fans are to watch these competitions live. The 2017 final of the "League of Legends" competition was held in the "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium in Beijing and attended by some 40,000 fans.
Young, Online, and Wealthier
The recently published Emerging Consumer Survey showed that video gaming is dominated by younger consumers. More than 65% of Chinese consumers aged 18-29 years play video games, whereas in Brazil and India gaming participation is approximately 45% for the same age brackets. The younger bias also holds true for the profiling of eSport fans although not as strongly as that for video gaming. This younger demographic of gamers and eSport fans makes them highly attractive for advertisers and consumer brands. The reason for this is that younger consumers in emerging markets tend to earn higher salaries and have higher income growth than older consumers.
Another feature that supports the growth outlook for gaming and therefore the relevance as an investment theme relates to the gender mix. The Emerging Consumer Survey highlights that at present there is a male bias towards gaming and eSports. In China, the largest gaming market, close to 50% of men watch gaming competitions compared to less than 30% of women. Similarly in Turkey for example, over 40% of men indicated that they regularly watch eSports compared to only 5% of women. However, other data also suggests that the gender mix in gaming is much less apparent in mobile games than in desktop or console-based gaming. This expands the potential gaming community significantly, considering that mobile gaming is showing much stronger growth than gaming through other devices.
The ability to engage in video gaming and eSports across emerging markets is greatly enhanced by the widespread adoption of internet access not least through smartphones. Smartphone penetration among mobile using consumers is above 70% for all countries surveyed with levels above 95% in the case of China. The findings of the survey also suggest that the smartphone is indeed the preferred device for gamers.
Industry with Great Growth Potential
While eSports is still in a nascent phase, it is rapidly growing: eSports has accumulated a mass following of 335 million people, with the majority of fans beginning to follow gaming competitions in the past three years. Market research firm Newzoo expects eSports to be worth 1.7 billion dollars in global revenues by 2021, up from last year's 655 million dollars. We believe that video gaming is a market that will also continue to generate above-average revenue growth as more advertising and media spending is directed towards it.


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Terso Solutions, a provider of RFID solutions for the health care industry, has announced an October release date for a new version of the company’s RFID-enabled medical cabinets. The new edition of the system will feature tags and interrogators compliant with the UHF EPC Gen-2 air-interface standard.
Terso offers a line of cabinets, refrigerators and freezers all equipped with RFID technology to enable automatic inventory tracking. All items contained in the Terso storage devices have RFID tags, and readers keep a constant inventory. When an item is removed, its absence is associated with the most recent employee to access the cabinet, determined by the RFID-enabled nametags used to gain entry. The system generates replenishment orders based on its inventory tallies.
Joe Pleshek, the director of business development for Terso, said the switch to the UHF EPC standard is to meet the needs of customers who are using the technology in other aspects of their operations. “By adopting UHF Gen-2 into our system, we are able to bring to market an operational platform that is universally accepted and can be integrated with current or future RFID systems,” says Pleshek.
The new cabinets will be joined by compatible freezers and refrigerators later in 2008.


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Frank Lucido is no longer the only plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging Beneful food kills dogs. An amended complaint filed in California last week against the Nestle Purina brand has added 26 more pet owners from across the country, as well as accusations that Beneful contains toxins and that Purina has been sliding money across the table to people who've complained about the brand, NBC News reports. "The immediacy of folks willing to participate was really quite extraordinary," Jeff Cereghino, the lawyer leading the class-action case, tells NBC. Purina continues to refute these claims, noting in a statement that "the class action lawyers clearly care more about dollars than dogs," while Keith Schopp, a VP of corporate relations, tells NBC that "we're really disturbed by the ongoing false and unsubstantiated allegations."
Another way Purina's countering: an "I Stand Behind Beneful" ad campaign with full-page ads in the New York Times and a TV commercial showing Purina employees promoting Beneful, NBC notes. "We're really proud of the Beneful product and there are no issues with the quality," Schopp says. "We thought one of the best ways to show that pride would be actually through the men and women who make Beneful and feed it to their own pets." In its statement, the company also takes on complaints that its dog food contains toxins and says that compensation offered to customers who complained were merely a "goodwill gesture [that] companies in every industry do … to provide the best customer service." Cereghino, for one, isn't buying it. "Despite Purina's aggressive defense of its product, the company is paying pet owners' claims and demanding secrecy. 'Why?' is a question Purina should answer," he says, per Digital Journal. (Here's what the TSA feeds its bomb-sniffing canines.)


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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — If you’ve been to the grocery store lately, you’ve probably noticed in addition to grocery prices overall being high — egg prices included.
According to the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association (APEA), the industry is up about 60 percent from last year. The current price of eggs in Alabama runs anywhere from $4.89 to $8.65.
In Alabama, most of the eggs are imported from other states — although there are a few egg farmers here.
“I have seen eggs go crazy over the past few months… how does that make you feel?” said Charles Varner, a local shopper. “It makes me feel like I’m buying platinum instead of eggs.”
APEA says the COVID-19 pandemic caused the industry to lose employees and bring in new ones at a higher cost. That coupled with inflation and the Avian flu are the three factors driving higher prices.
The Avian flu was largely to blame, according to APEA.
Nearly 58 million birds were lost across states in the last year, that combined with the pandemic and inflation created the perfect storm. The association says farmers have already been working to replace the laying hens that died during the Avian flu outbreak — and steps have been taken to tighten biosecurity at farms across the state.
“We had a series of Avian flu outbreaks in the Midwest where a majority of the eggs in the United States are produced and processed,” said Johnny Adams, the chief executive officer for APEA. “Because of that flu, we lost millions of laying hens and you know that means fewer eggs being laid at a higher cost.”
Tom Watkins, the owner of Moon Bakeshop, said he’s noticed the price of eggs skyrocketing.
“Let’s say, early part of the pandemic, we could get a case of eggs which is 15 dozen for between 25 and 30 dollars,” Watkins told News 19. “Right now, they’re floating around 100… it’s been a huge increase.”
The Moon Bakeshop says they haven’t gone up on their prices. They say they’ve been absorbing the cost increase on their profit end to keep customers happy and the demand for eggs hasn’t gone down.
While they believe production should increase before long, they are unsure of when egg prices and products that contain eggs will go back down.


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South Dakota State University is donating $25,000 to the Brookings Chamber of Commerce Gift Card Give Back program. The money is from private gifts devoted to the university through the SDSU Foundation. The chamber program uses an online shop where residents can purchase gift certificates to be used at and in support of local businesses.
“COVID-19 has certainly impacted our local economy and in particular, our small businesses,” said Kelsey Doom, president and CEO of the chamber. “The response to this program has been tremendous and every dollar means so much. We are thankful for the university’s efforts to be part of this program and ability to support our local economy through private gifts.”
The initial goal of the campaign was to raise $50,000, but over 90 donors have raised more than $125,000 to date. The money will be used as a match to the general public’s gift certificate purchases starting Thursday, meaning if someone buys a $20 gift certificate through the chamber to a local participating business, the program will match the amount and provide a $40 gift certificate.
“We are thankful for the opportunity and to have a way to support this program and our local economy,” said SDSU President Barry Dunn. “The past eight months have created serious challenges for small businesses within our community. SDSU is grateful for the support we received from the Brookings community in managing the virus and know that this program can help and assist businesses in our community during this ongoing pandemic.”
Gift certificates must be purchased through the Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce. The online store will go live Thursday. Shoppers may visit the chamber’s online store or visit the Chamber’s office at 1321 6th Street to purchase gift certificates.


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"The Sisterhood of the Shops at Selby & Snelling"
The St. Paul intersection is home to more than two dozen businesses owned by women.
Fourteen lady bosses strike a pose on Selby Ave. Photo by Caitlin Abrams
For some time now, I’ve considered St. Paul’s Merriam Park a hot spot for small, locally owned shops. I’m a sucker for Patina’s hostess gifts, and I often hit up Teeny Bee Boutique in search of treasures for the bébés in my life. What I didn’t know is that one special intersection—Selby & Snelling—is home to more than two dozen businesses owned by women.
Each entrepreneur brings a unique philosophy to her work. For instance, Teeny Bee’s Kristie Case focuses on a curated assortment of kids’ wares. Jill Erickson, owner of Spoils of Wear, stocks her shelves with ethical and sustainable fashion brands. Kae Kozlowski operates Brow Chic, a salon for eyebrow shaping, makeup application, and eyelash extensions. And the vintage game belongs to Kitty Van Hofwegen, of Everyday People; Hayley Bush of Lula Vintage Wear; and Megan McGuire of Up Six Vintage. Some could argue these three are the district’s grandes dames. “While vintage fits with my sustainability mission,” says Erickson, “I don’t focus on it because others in the ’hood do it better.”
Despite their different niches, the women are very supportive of one another. “You start a business, and it feels like you’re doing it all on your own,” says McGuire, “but you’re not.” She believes that when the neighboring businesses pool resources and send customers to each other’s stores, they are giving the shopper what they want: camaraderie.
The communication started at a series of meetings to discuss the new Whole Foods that opened on Selby Avenue in 2016 and the disruption from construction, the increase in traffic, a new apartment complex, and more. “We noticed the community really came together and talked to one another,” says Erickson. “A lot of important decisions had to be made and it became evident that we really needed each other.”
While the group certainly collaborates, they also put their money where their mouths are and keep their dollars local. “I have long believed that support means being a frequent local shopper and telling other people about it,” says Kozlowski. “I feel personally connected with the other businesses, and now my clients do, too. We all benefit from each other.”
Case, who opened Teeny Bee six years ago, felt she was on her own island. But as more locally owned businesses have opened, hers has only benefitted.
Some of the women even play shopkeeper for each other. “It can be super lonely manning your business on quiet days,” says Erickson, who sometimes swaps spots with her next-door neighbor and close friend, Case, to work the Teeny Bee till. The two even operate a YouTube channel where they discuss the hardships of owning a retail store in this tough climate dominated by e-commerce.
Veterans also play big sister to the new kids on the block. “Everyone genuinely wants one another to succeed,” says Liberty Fontimayor, owner of fashion boutique Common Coast. Since opening her doors in November, her new neighbors have stopped by to share business stories, offer guidance, and continually check in. Fontimayor returns the favors and includes goods from the nearby stores in her Instagram stories.
“I show my customers how they can pair a cool vintage tee with a new cardigan from my boutique.”
It’s obvious these women, like those in any thriving retail neighborhood, are much more than the sum of their parts. “We are creatives, event planners, mompreneurs, crime stoppers, and community builders,” says McGuire. “We’re examples for future female business owners.”
As escalating rent and taxes drive businesses off Grand Avenue, has this intersection become St. Paul’s new spot to #shopsmall? Only time will tell. But we need to play our part. We need the success stories like this to showcase the importance in supporting neighborhood businesses and the entrepreneurs who run them. A reminder to keep our dollars local and help ensure that storefronts remain vibrant, friendly shopkeepers stick around, and neighborhoods thrive.


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The Jakarta Post
Traditional British way of enjoying tea adds cold milk to the beverage, making the temperature safer for health. (Shutterstock/Petereleven)
Some drink their tea with milk, while others add sugar. A study, however, revealed that we actually do not have to sweeten tea to enjoy it, the Independent reports.
A research team from University College London and the University of Leeds analyzed the tea-drinking behavior of 64 men who usually added sugar to their tea. They were divided into three groups. One of the groups had to stop sweetening the hot beverage overnight, another one to reduce the sugar gradually and the last one continued to add sugar.
After four weeks, the findings showed that participants of the first and second group still enjoyed their tea, even with less or no sugar. Thirty-six percent of the group that stopped adding sugar claimed they would maintain the practice. Meanwhile, in the group that gradually reduced sugar, 42 percent no longer felt the need to add sugar.
The author of the study concluded that excessive sugar intake had raised public health concerns and that sweetened beverages have contributed to the intake, whereas the reduction of sugar intake in beverages could result in the reduced consumption of the substance.
Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said gradually reducing sugar intake allowed taste buds to acclimatize to a new formula.
“[…] might be less of a sudden shock to the system but, as the study reports, the end result is the same,” said Fry.
While there are researchers who feel that a larger trial is needed to confirm the tendency to cut off sugar, Fry declined the idea.
“[…] people have already given up drinking six-packs of substantially sweetened colas and switched to buying more of the zero-sugar brands,” he was quoted as saying.
Sugar may sweeten tea and other beverages but also leads to weight gain and tooth decay, and should be consumed in moderation. (sop/mut)


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With each passing day, it seems there are more stories about the threat Covid-19 poses to communities and the global economy. At the same time, the potential of a second wave seems increasingly of concern. As we have been analyzing changes in the last mile & urban hub delivery industry, we clearly see the adverse impact on businesses resulting from the pandemic. But we also see silver linings in supply chain optimization made possible by adapting innovative technologies, processes, and expertise to make our world safer and more productive.
In recent days, cross-border e-commerce has become the new hot-spot of the Asia-Pacific economic growth. In my experience with the business development process in China, the trade compliance of cross-border e-commerce is quickly becoming essential, but it has also become more difficult to develop.


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Make way for two-way viewing
In a world dominated by the internet and increasing interconnectivity profound changes to the TV and video ecosystem are inevitable. Deloitte predicts that the vast majority of TV viewers will continue to tune in based on TV schedules will continue to dominate TV viewing in 2012 with a majority of audiences remaining aligned with them. However, it also forecasts that only 0,1% of the $227 billion global ad market will be spent on targeted TV ads. While consumers will continue to enjoy programs via traditional TV in large numbers, most of the future growth in viewership will take place on new screens like PCs, tablets, and smartphones, and through new, nonlinear video formats. It is estimated that by 2015, younger audiences will spend only half of their video watching time on traditional linear TV.
A number of key trends are shaping, and will ultimately shift, the way that TV and Media are currently engaging their audience as well as how they achieve durable revenue growth:
1. Behold the multi-tasking mobile viewer
Two-way viewing is no passing trend, it is here to stay. The good news? People want to keep watching TV. The even better news? They want to interact and connect with it in new and revolutionary ways. Is it me or is there a whole lot of opportunity in this room right now?
The rapid worldwide adoption of mobile devices and social networking has transformed how we connect, share, and communicate. On average, just over half of US, and nearly one third of European, smartphone owners accessed Facebook on their device in the three-month period ending June 2011. Meanwhile, Twitter reached 12.5% of the smartphone audience in the US and 7.4% of their European counterparts. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Facebook had 845 million active users at the end of December 2011, of which over 425 million access the site daily.
Social media users spend an average of 5.4 hours a month engaged in networking sites and half of TV viewers tweet about TV shows. An analysis conducted by NM Incite, a Nielsen/ McKinsey Company, and Nielsen looked at the correlation between online buzz and television ratings and found a statistically significant relationship throughout a TV show’s season among all age groups. These figures indicate that such rapid adoption has the potential to transform how we watch TV. It will deliver more relevant and personalized TV than ever before. Viewers will have more ways to discover and share shows and movies they love. And social features from chatting to games will increase viewer enjoyment.
The rise of second screen viewers: a key trend that TV and media companies can ignore at their own peril..These individuals engage with social networks and TV shows in real-time through the use of a mobile device. Users post, tweet, and chat on their smartphones and tablets while watching their favorite shows full-screen. As the number of mobile device users is growing exponentially, we can only expect this trend to develop further. Deloitte predicts a growing number of tablets will be purchased by households that already own at least one, indicating a potential growth in the number of second screen viewers per home. Another set of mobile device users is on the rise: ‘Catch-Up Commuters’ who use their mobile devices to watch TV shows that they were unable to catch on TV.
There is an unprecedented opportunity to engage these connected audiences in fun, innovative and relevant ways that increase viewership, build brand advocacy and drive revenue.
2. More bang for your e-buck
Online, online, online. It’s where advertisers want talk to potential customers. It’s where TV needs to make that discussion possible. It’s a no-brainer.
Advertisers’ shifting interest from traditional TV to online ads is having a major impact on the TV and Media industry. The channels that garnered the most new ad dollars by 2010 were digital media (88%) and mobile media (52%). Experts predict that advertisers will increasingly invest in online display based advertising. The change in the social games business model, from paid add-ons to advertising revenue, also indicates a new interest from advertisers and sponsors.
Brands today must go beyond simply broadcasting their message; they must beckon the consumer into a conversation. Research consistently demonstrates that customers are more like to purchase a brand or product they have a social connection with. When consumers use digital media to search, shop, blog, socialize, or seek entertainment, their actions create opportunities for marketers to gain insight and gather ideas to improve their brands, marketing messages and media mix choices. Leading marketers are using two-way media such as blogs, word-of-mouth programs, and social networks to connect with consumers as these offer them the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with them.
TV stations can capitalize on this evolution by providing advertisers with innovative platforms where viewers can interact and engage with their brands. TV stations drawing on advanced analytics to present targeted advertising and sponsorship opportunities enable advertisers to know that they are reaching their desired customer demographics. Finally, online and mobile platforms facilitate information collection and analysis, while delivering immediate feedback from an engaged audience, creating tangible value for advertisers.
3. Who’s afraid of the big bad data?
Wow. That’s a lot of data. Not sure what you’re going to do with it? You’re not alone. Better figure it out soon though because that mountain of information is going to determine your business strategy. Ouch.
Massive amounts of data are being generated by users everyday through social networks, participation in games and other online activities. Recent figures indicate that the number of daily tweets has grown to over 250 million. In March 2012, Facebook was accessed by 526 million users daily. And that’s just the beginning. Users engaging in online games and other social networks and platforms are also contributing large amounts of data every single day.
For the past few years the rise in the data exhaust has left many TV and Media companies with heaps of information and no means to properly capture, explore and exploit it. Companies are looking to shift from monitoring this information (ex. How many likes and tweets does my show get?) to mining the data in order to create business value (ex. Who are the users talking about my show? What are they saying?). They have understood the untapped potential that the data exhaust represents and how unlocking it can support them in spotting emerging trends, being proactive, boosting viewership and increasing revenue.
Targeted insights can be a powerful tool for attracting ad dollars and creating new online revenue streams that will complement traditional TV income. The ability to extract value from the huge pool of data being generated is no longer an option for companies; it is a requirement. Detailed knowledge of viewer demographics not only opens interesting opportunities for advertising but can also be used to shape production and tailor programs to align with the identified preferences and desires of engaged viewers. Going forward there will be additional pressure on digital media teams to have a better command of metrics and KPIs tied to business objectives.
4. CMO: Clearly Must Outshine
It’s not easy being a Chief Marketing Officer these days. Digital marketing is taking over and changing the field completely and expectations are getting higher. No wonder CMOs are calling in the cavalry, but have they landed the pony express instead?
Nearly seven in ten (68%) global chief marketing officers (CMOs) feel unprepared for the demands of social media marketing, according to a study released by IBM. This is second only to the 71% who are challenged by the explosion in data. A large portion of CMOs also feel unprepared for growth of channel and device choices (65%), shifting consumer demographics (63%) and financial constraints (59%).
The IBM study found that even when respondents were divided into outperforming and underperforming segments, large percentages of out-performers still felt unprepared for many developing trends. On social media, 66% of the best performing organizations feel unprepared for social media marketing with underperforming companies only 4 points behind at 70%.
With increased pressure to drive business value through digital marketing, and in particular social media, CMOs have turned to third party suppliers for support in taking control. Although this has enabled them to better understand, engage with and monitor social media, it has also presented its share of challenges.
The Altimeter Group asked 140 Corporate Social Strategists their total strategy budget, number of full-time equivalent staff dedicated to social media, and organizational model. They identified 18 discrete classes of social business software and services, most of which do not interoperate with each other. Altimeter found that Advanced companies spend an average of $272,000 a year on custom technology development (the second highest spend on social technologies for Advanced companies), suggesting non-comprehensive tools and excessive configuration. Not surprising, only 29% of all companies have standardized internal tools, such as monitoring, analytics, or community platforms.


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Ransomware attacks are in the news again. Thankfully, business owners are becoming more aware of the damaging effects of malicious software. Companies now realize that without safe and reliable data backup, important business information can fall into the wrong hands or be lost forever. Good thing Windows 10 offers easy-to-use tools like File History and […]
Any business owner worth their salt knows the value of data to business. This is why it’s bizarre that many business owners don’t have a proper data backup strategy in place. Organizations of all sizes need to take a proactive approach to backing up their data, and there are several solutions they can implement to […]
“Prevention is better than cure,” says the scholar Desiderious Erasmus and it speaks true not only in the medical field but also in technology. To avoid having a problematic storage virtualization system, here are three common mistakes to watch out for. Poorly structured storage from the get go Within a virtualized data storage framework, information […]
Recently, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the creation of a new data analytics tool to lighten the burden on businesses when analyzing data in the cloud. This tool, referred to as “Glue,” is meant to clean up and organize data that comes into the cloud from various sources so that it can be analyzed by […]
Businesses today are relying on data to run their day-to-day operations. We use it to build client relationships, generate sales reports, develop marketing strategies, and so much more. But if something were to happen to it, a devastating disaster for example, you could risk losing your whole business if you haven’t properly backed up.


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The non-oil private sector of Saudi Arabia posted a growth in September for the first time since February 2020, amid stronger demand after a relaxation in lockdown measures, according to Purchasing Managers’ Index surveys compiled by IHS Markit.
The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 50.7 from 48.8 in August, going above the 50 mark that separates growth from a reduction for the first time for the past seven months, prior to the coronavirus.
“Business activity in the Saudi Arabia non-oil private sector ticked up in September, supported by a return to sales growth as the economy started to find its footing after the COVID-19 lockdown. In addition, the impact of a rise in VAT notably softened, after a sharp rise in prices and a dip in sales were seen in August. Cost inflation eased to just a marginal pace.”
In July, the largest oil exporter tripled its VAT to 15 percent to boost the Kingdom’s coffers which were adversely affected earlier by decreased oil prices and slashed crude production, which the experts opined will probably slow economic recovery from the pandemic hit.
The VAT imposed on consumer spending and on input costs for businesses partially made the conditions worsen in the month of August.
As per the survey, due to ease in the effect of VAT imposed, September witnessed a slow surge in input costs. However, the job markets continued to be subdued, with employment rate decreasing for the eight successive months.
Last week the Kingdom stated that in the second quarter of this year, the unemployment rate among Saudi citizens increased to a record 15.4 percent whereas the economy fell by 7 percent.
The Saudi economy still has “some way to go to fully recover,” said Owen. The production continues lower than standard level and job losses are still increasing, though at a slower rate. Companies need a constant rise in sales to support a strong end to the year, he added.


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Smart phones are becoming enriched with confidential information due to their powerful computational capabilities and attractive communications features. The Android smart phone is one of the most widely used platforms by businesses and users alike. This is partially because Android smart phones use the free, open-source Linux as the underlying operating system, which allows development of applications by any software developer. This research study aims to explore security risks associated with the use of Android smart phones and the sensitive information they contain, the researcher devised a survey questionnaire to investigate and further understand security threats targeting Android smart phones. The survey also intended to study the scope of malware attacks targeting Android phones and the effectiveness of existing defense measures. The study surveyed the average Android users as the target population to understand how they perceive security and what security controls they use to protect their smart phones.
- cyber security,
- mobile security
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/maurice_dawson/6/


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Anwida Soft has announced the release of the latest addition to the SPATIO reverb suite. SPATIO Inverse is an effect plugin that offers inverse reverberation....
The post Anwida releases SPATIO Inverse reverb plugin at intro offer appeared first on rekkerd.org.
This is a syndicated post. To read more, click the source link above.


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She's a gem! Kelly Brook wows at Fashion's Night Out in London wearing a jewelled nude minidress
She tends to stick to what she knows best when it comes to fashion in form-fitting dresses which accentuate her famous curves.
And Kelly Brook's style formula proved a winner as she stepped out in London last night (Thursday).
The 32-year-old model hit the Fashion's Night Out celebrations on Bond Street looking stunning in a chic shift dress with jewell embellishment.
Sticking to what she knows: Kelly Brook showed off her curves in a form-fitting nude minidress with gem detailing
With diamantes and brightly-coloured gems adding a touch of glamour to the otherwise plain garment, the brunette beauty kept her hair and make-up simple to show off her dress in all its glory.
The actress completed her look with a matching gold clutch bag and glitter peep-toe heels as she hit the town with her fellow fashionistas.
Fashion's Night Out is a global initiative, sponsored by Vogue and the CFDA.
Style queen: Kelly was all-smiles as she attended London's Fashion's Night Out celebrations in Bond Street last night (Thursday)
Showbiz pals: The 32-year-old model posed alongside singer Pixie Lott as they attended a party
It was launched by Vogue's US Editor Anna Wintour back in 2009 as a means to encourage consumers to shop and support the fashion industry during the tough economic climate.
As well as London, FNO events are taking place in some of the world's fashion capitals, including Paris, New York and Moscow.
And Kelly wasn't the only one who chose to make the most of the extravaganza in London last night, with the likes of Cheryl Cole, Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe and Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend, Florence Brudenell-Bruce, hitting events in the capital.
Fashion's Night Out: Cheryl Cole attended a bash at the Giuseppe Zanotti Design store on Sloane Street, while Pixie Geldof turned out to the Mulberry party
In a recent interview, Kelly admitted she didn't mind being labelled a 'bimbo' because her job has taken her all over the world.
Chatting to comedian Keith Lemon in a piece for FHM, she said: ''Ultimately you just go with it, don’t you? I just roll with it. If you fight against stuff all of the time, you’re going to make yourself miserable.
'So if someone says "Right, you’re going to be the smiley, girly, booby girl". You go "Okay, yes. I’m going to be that and see where that takes you." And so far it has taken me all over the world, I can wake up smiling and go to bed without driving myself mad thinking "I wanna be taken seriously".'
Celeb attendees: Daisy Lowe (L) and Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend Florence Brudenell-Bruce (R) both turned out for the Mulberry party on London's New Bond Street
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It pays to keep tabs on competition. Just as Google released Android Wear for iPhone earlier today and LG announced a gold-plated limited-edition of its Urbane watches, noted gadget leaker Upleaks published some interesting tidbits and press renderings for Motorola’s upcoming smartwatches and phones. According to these leaks, a second-generation Moto360 smartwatch is allegedly coming in September.
A Sport variant of the current-generation Moto 360 smartwatch should be due a month later, Upleaks claims. In addition, the Lenovo-owned company is purportedly working on a high-end smartphone that should be shatterproof.
The biggest selling point of the rumored phone should be its screen which Upleaks described as “shatterproof”. More powerful than the Moto X Style and smaller than the Moto X Play, the forthcoming phone reportedly has similar hardware like the recently unveiled Moto X smartphones.
Specs are said to include a 5.43-inch QHD display, a 21-megapixel camera out the back, a five-megapixel shooter out the front, a massive 3,760 mAh battery and 32/64B storage options. Purportedly running running Qualcomm’s solid Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB of RAM (the MSM8994 package), the phone dubbed ‘Bounce’ is expected to arrive in December, hopefully in time for Christmas.
A second-generation Moto360 lineup is said to include two models: a smaller Moto 360S and a larger 360L. Both should feature a round display with the dreaded “flat tire” area on the bottom of the screen like the current models. Interestingly, Upleaks notes that a Chinese variant will support iOS.
Motorola’s second smartwatch may come in three different colors.
On the outside, it appears more stylish and thinner than the current model sans the side button which is now located at the 2 o’clock position versus the 3 o’clock position on the current Moto 360, as shown below on photos posted by HelloMotoHK.
The upcoming Moto360S and Moto360L models were recently spotted in a filing of a Brazilian agency that certifies mobile devices. The photo below gives a good indication of design features: a regular Moto 360 is shown at left and an upcoming Moto 360S at right.
A leather strap seen on the leaked photo is not available for the current lineup. The new Moto 360 will allegedly arrive in September, probably after Apple shows its cards next Wednesday.
Moto 360 Sport
A Sport edition of the current-generation Moto 360 is expected sometime in November, after the second-generation models become available. Featuring a polyurethane body and what appears to be a Sport band of sorts, the device shown on the renders purportedly runs a new fitness tracking app with heart-rate, distance and pace tracking. The leaked app is not available on the current Moto 360.
Motorola is planning to formally unveil its Android-based smartphones and smartwatches at the IFA show in Berlin later this week. We’ll post more information as soon as the new hardware goes official.
Are you liking those new Moto360 watches?
How about that shatterproof phone?