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Now the federal government has joined a new high-stakes battle with St. George businessman Jeremy Johnson.
With a revised indictment on 86 charges — as opposed to the previous single charge — federal prosecutors have set the stage for a fresh round of legal skirmishes with the online sales entrepreneur.
Charges and sentences
Below are the charges and possible prison sentences facing Jeremy Johnson, Loyd Johnston, Bryce Payne, Ryan Riddle and Scott Leavitt. The sentences upon conviction likely would take into account federal sentencing guidelines.
Conspiracy » Five years
False statements to a bank » 30 years
Wire fraud » 20 years
Bank fraud » 30 years
Fraudulent banking activities » 30 years
Money laundering » 10 years.
The Swallow case
Indicted St. George businessman Jeremy Johnson has alleged that Utah’s new attorney general, John Swallow, helped broker payoffs to enlist the aid of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in derailing a Federal Trade Commission investigation of Johnson’s I Works business.
Swallow and Reid have vehemently denied the allegations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has said it is investigating.
This time, though, Johnson has company — four of the men who helped him run his company called I Works, which was highly profitable until it was sunk by mounting problems with customers demanding their money back for charges some said were unauthorized.
The new indictment made public Wednesday essentially elaborates on the charges Johnson was set to plead guilty to in December when he sank a plea deal that would have netted him about 11 years in prison.
Now Johnson and the four I Works employees — Loyd Johnston, Bryce Payne, Ryan Riddle and Scott Leavitt — face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy, bank fraud and money laundering.
The indictment revolves around whether the five defrauded Wells Fargo Bank when things began to go sour at I Works, which had taken in $275 million from about 2000 to 2010, with Johnson’s take about $50 million, according to legal documents.
I Works sold various products over the Internet, the most popular being access to websites about how to obtain government grants for personal expenses, make money at home using Google, and lose weight and stay healthy.
According to the new indictment, beginning sometime around 2006, an increasing number of customers started reversing credit card charges from I Works and affiliates. Consumers were unaware that when they ordered a CD or another product for a shipping and handling fee of about $1.99 or so, they also had agreed to be billed monthly for charges of up to $60 for a complementary service or product.
Some also were "upsold" additional services and products without their knowledge, the Federal Trade Commission alleged in a 2010 lawsuit.
Johnson acknowledges disclosures of what’s known as upsells on early I Works websites could have been better, but he disputes that the consumers were largely unaware of the charges. He points to the 3 million or so people who called to cancel before they were actually billed, citing that as proof that disclosures were adequate.
Still, federal prosecutors say that in 2009, banks began cutting off I Works credit- and debit-card processing accounts after the company’s charge-backs began exceeding 1 percent of all its total charges, the maximum set by Visa and Mastercard.
That allegedly drove Johnson and the other four to start creating shell companies that disguised their relationship with Johnson and I Works. Otherwise they would not have been able to open new accounts and keep charging customers, prosecutors say.
According to the indictment, Johnson sent a text to Johnston on May 11, 2009, instructing him to set up new accounts "without my name on them."
It also cites other messages to Johnson about creating various companies using names other than Johnson’s, and he replies: "I am OK with this but I still want back up merchant accounts [even if we just use them a tiny bit to keep them open] and I want many different corps so all the processing is broken out in many places and I want the ability to put shit processing in one of those corps not tied to us at all knowing full well it will blow up in a few months."
Johnson or his employees are accused of preparing applications for merchant accounts that had straw owners, false business histories, used drop boxes for mailing addresses and referred to fake websites set up only for banks or underwriters to verify they were in compliance with regulations but through which no actual sales were ever conducted, the indictment says.
Johnson and his co-defendants’ story is at odds with that portrayal.
Johnson has said that I Works’ charge-back problem largely came about because it was the victim of fraud by other companies with which it had contracted. I Works was paying $40 or so to outside companies when those companies sold I Works products. Some used stolen credit cards to make a sale, received their commission and then did a charge-back, he said in interviews before a judge warned him not to talk to the media.
Some companies put up blogs with fake testimonials and drove sales that way, while making it difficult for I Works to trace the source of those sales, he said. Ultimately the fraud helped sink the company, Johnson claims.
By 2009, it was apparent the I Works business model wasn’t working. The company gradually ceased operations so that by end of the 2010, when the FTC sued, it was making no sales and barely functioning, Johnson said.
Now he and the other defendants are protesting loudly, saying they are the victims of a face-saving vendetta on the part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office that wouldn’t back down when it found it had no case. They based their protest on a previous indictment that named only Johnson on one count of mail fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.Next Page >
Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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SPAR 2017 Preview – Teledyne Optech
Booth # 400
Contact: Albert Iavarone
Teledyne Optech will transform the surveying market with the release of its new Polaris Terrestrial Laser Scanner at the upcoming SPAR 3D Expo and Conference, April 3-5, Houston. This versatile, productive and user-friendly scanner will be on display in booth #400 and visitors will have the chance to win a $500 Best Buy gift card by signing up for a system demonstration. If you can’t make it to the show, please register online at www.teledyneoptech.com/polaris.
Bridging the gap between indoor and outdoor scanners, the Polaris can survey targets up to 1600 m away in long-range mode or collect up to 500,000 measurements per seconds in short-range mode. Its 360°×120° field of view captures indoor panoramas from a single site, while its rugged design, light weight, and swappable batteries let it travel deep into the field.
Visitors can try out the Polaris and its streamlined user interface themselves. For effortless surveying, the Polaris automatically detects its location with its built-in GNSS receiver and selects the planned survey parameters for the site, so that even untrained operators can execute a survey. Alternatively, operators can set up surveys in the field and resection/backsight the system using the menu-driven GUI on its touchscreen.
The Polaris will be on display at booth 400 along with the Maverick, the newly upgraded 1-MHz Galaxy ALTM, the automated Eclipse airborne system, and the rest of our surveying products.

domain: news


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Canon launched the full-frame 5D Mark III DSLR camera in Singapore last week. We spoke with Canon to find out more about their latest and greatest.
You've seen what went behind the scenes, so here's our video highlights of our third prestigious HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards event that took place on 24th Feb at the Mandarin Orchard Singapore. A total of 71 awards were given out comprising of both Readers' Choice and Editors' Choice awards.
24 February 2012 marked the date of our third prestigious HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards event. Comprising of Readers' Choice and Editors' Choice awards, it was a massive undertaking spanning several months of hard work. While the former was derived from sorting over 155,000 reader votes, the Editors' Choice awards looked into 159 products across various categories. We show you how we pulled it off.
One does not simply walk into CP+, one must experience it! And the second-best way to being there is to immerse yourself in our highlights video - where the best of show cameras (and booth babes) are captured in full motion color picture.
The OM-D E-M5 is a new, gorgeous, retro-tastic Micro Four Thirds camera from Olympus. It is the first from Olympus to come with an electronic viewfinder, and is aimed at enthusiasts who want a serious MFT option. We managed to score some personal time with an early prototype, so check out the video for more details.
What will CES 2012 and its treasure trove of technology announcements bring to the world? We give you a glimpse of what's to come in the CES 2012 roundup.
Can we really trick the Face Unlock feature on Android 4.0? We test this out on a pre-production unit of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus!
NVIDIA primes Tegra 3 as the enabler for tablets in 2012 and shows us examples of how consumer expectations and demands of a tablet have evolved. Plus check out what the tiny Tegra SoCs are doing in super cars.
During an NVIDIA press conference in CES 2012, a senior director for Microsoft Windows showed us a sneak peek of a tablet using NVIDIA's Tegra 3 ARM-based processor, but running Windows 8. Check it out!
As we unwind for the coming new year, it's time for some lighthearted material. Here's a clip our video team pieced together of the more memorable outtakes captured during our production in 2011. Have fun watching them and a Happy New Year from all at HardwareZone!
- China invests 100 billion yuan into state fund for Internet
- Foxconn considering building US$7 billion display factory in the U.S. with Apple
- Aggressive battery design caused Note7's demise; this is how Samsung will prevent it from happening again
- New firmware update is available for the Surface Pro 4
- Apple sues Qualcomm for US$1 billion over royalty fees
- LG G6 rumored to come with Google Assistant
- These Samsung Galaxy devices are getting the Android 7.0 update
- Updated Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 launches in India with Snapdragon 625 processor


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Going by Apple’s profits this year, the smartphone/tablet market is becoming a one-man game. Apple has surged ahead like anything and it’s success so far, seems undaunted. New stats reveal that Apple’s increased market share has meant a fall in other phones’ fortunes.
Looking at the figures, even Android despite all its popularity, affordability and features has slid down to 42.6 percent this year from more than 54 percent last year. RIM’s cursed fortunes are still haunting it and it has come down from almost 15 percent to just 5.7 percent. The surprising part is that despite selling Lumias and Omnias like anything, the WP7 platform has also slid from 3.2 percent to 1.5 percent. The fate of others including Bada and Symbian is not even worth a discussion.
So, firstly, how has Apple managed to wield its Black magic over the market? Two words, actually one – iPhone 4S. Well, firstly, Apple’s iPhone 4S despite having a sky-high price tag still appeals to every Joe and Jane. Secondly, this is the first time Apple had three iPhones on the market the iPhone 3G, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Finally, Steve Jobs’ death in October 2011, created hype for the iPhone 4S like never before.
Also the scene with Android in the meantime wasn’t so sappy. After numerous launches in the first half of the year, Google unveiled its next Android OS – the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. Ever since then, handset manufacturers are waiting on an Android update for their current devices and engineering their upcoming ones to the next version of Android. This has created a lag where the iPhone 4S has picked up market share.
Windows Phone OS had created a lot of hype in the start of 2011, but slowly, as people got to know they understand that it has a long way to go when it comes to matching up with Android and iOS.
RIM, Symbian and Bada, the less said the better.
So, the main concern here is – is the smartphone market becoming a set market of a few players? Is the space for new players to enter the market narrowing down? Are giants like Apple and Samsung going to eat up the opposition and rule the market in the future?
Well, the smartphone market is an ever changing market, as is evident from the figures above. Yes, Apple and Samsung rule for now and it is difficult to assess if any OS will be able to match up with them. But who has seen the future? The Ice Cream Sandwich is yet to get into the hands of the average consumers, so the jury isn’t out yet.


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Changing Aging Blog
Sign up for Changing Aging News
From the Minneapolis St. Paul Business JournalBYLINE: Lauren WilbertBaby boomers in Minnesota consider themselves young until at least age 80 and say they will invest in technology to help them live independently, according to a survey released this week by Ecumen.That will open opportunities for businesses that successfully cater to those needs, particularly in the insurance, technology, senior housing and advertising industries. Some businesses already are creating a new niche to cater to the \young at heart' seniors, while others will need to work on their marketing to connect with this audience.Ecumen, a Shoreview-based senior-housing nonprofit, surveyed 564 Minnesota baby boomers between the ages of 42 and 60 for the organization’s first Age Wave study.he research found that Minnesota boomers overwhelmingly believe technology will play a major role in their aging experience. Half said they’d spend $100 a month on technology to help them live independently, and 5 percent said they’d spend as much as $500 per month.Many boomers already are buying health technology for their aging parents and are savvy about products on the market, said Eric Schubert, Ecumen’s director of communications.'Technology is a huge part of their life,' Schubert said. 'Boomers have grown up in this TiVo, iPod age, and every sector of life that boomers have gone through, there’s been huge change.'Ecumen might even seek out partnerships with large retailers to sell digital health technology. Other businesses might look at the trends and develop partnerships of their own, Schubert said. 'While we’d love to bring everything to market, there’s clearly some [companies] better poised to act on things.'Tweak the messageBoomers' buying power will continue to grow, as evident in the sheer number of them. Ecumen’s study estimates that by 2020, Minnesota will have more seniors than children.Take into account that boomers plan to work into their 70s and even beyond and it becomes clear that the 'silver tsunami' will affect the way employers structure their hours. Many companies are trying to provide flexible work schedules to accommodate this work force. In retirement, boomers will do something they enjoy, and businesses can benefit from boomers' expertise,Schubert said.Insurance is another area set for changes. Most senior plans are sold as 'long-term care insurance,' a name that boomers hate, he said. 'It’s basically the precept that aging is about living, no matter what stage you’re at. So often aging is about the end of life and declinism, and boomers just aren’t going to go with this.'Boomers would rather buy a hybrid health care package that resembles a life-insurance policy that they could leave for their heirs, he said.Preferences in housing also are creating huge opportunities for developers and places like Ecumen.No one surveyed said they would like to live in a nursing home, and most said they’d prefer to live in a rural or suburban setting over an urban one.Entering the marketCommercial Equity Partners (CEP), based in Woodbury, is just one example of companies racing to enter the boomer market.CEP, which specializes in building business campuses, has partnered with Ecumen to develop a senior-living community in Woodbury adjacent to HealthEast Care System’s Woodwinds Hospital.The project would be 325,000 square feet and include a fitness center, common area, housing for 250 people, restaurants, a general store and transportation to places outside the development.CEP first has to convince Woodbury’s City Council to change the zoning, which now is designated for medical office developments. But already, the project is attracting investors and potential residents, said Bill Knutson, CEP’s vice president of senior housing.'It’s [focused around] emerging needs in health care, and our role is to understand how all these relationships can mesh.'


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Whilst Apple Pay gave many iPhone users a different way to pay for fries with their burgers nearly a year ago in the USA, there is mounting excitement over two rumours that have surfaced recently, both indicating that Google’s variant of the system, Android Pay could be live within the USA in the next few days and that McDonald’s will be one of their launch partners!
The internal memo circulated to McDonald’s ‘Managers and Crew’ seen above specifically mentions that ‘Android Pay begins August 26’ and that ‘Service procedures are the same as with Apply(sic) Pay’. Poorly written memos aside, it does also mention Samsung Pay being ready for August 21, which hasn’t quite worked out, considering the official launch will be on September 28!
Before passing off this rumour though, another of McDonald’s memos has surfaced on Reddit, which looks a lot more official and gives the rumour a bit more credence, however it does mention the same dates for both Android Pay and Samsung Pay as the first rumoured memo. You can see the memo which surfaced on Reddit below, here:
Whatever happens, it is safe to assume that we can expect Android Pay to arrive along with the Android Marshmallow release and, if we’re really lucky, as early as this week! With over 14,000 restaurants along in the USA, and nearly 35,000 worldwide, having McDonald’s as a launch partner will be an excellent testing ground for Google, as McDonald’s have already established themselves all over the place within fairly easy reach of people who want to try buying a Big Mac with their phones. One thing that is for certain is that for Android users using flagship devices without NFC inside, it might be worth considering an upgrade!
Source: Android Police


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Seesmic to Ditch BlackBerry
Seesmic today announced via its blog that effective June 30 it will no longer develop for the BlackBerry platform. It said it will focus development efforts on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7, instead.
|Is this a big deal?||jameskpolk||
This forum is closed.


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Who left this chicken at a Fort Collins Starbucks?
Update: The stray Starbucks chicken has been adopted, according to the Larimer Humane Society.
There's a moment in everyone's life when they're petting a stranger's kitten outside a Starbucks asking its owner about the mystery chicken resting comfortably in one of the coffee shop's nearby garden beds.
No? Just me? OK.
Danielle Brockel, an employee at the Starbucks off of North College Avenue near Willox Street posted a photo of a chicken to a Fort Collins question and answer Facebook group Tuesday afternoon, alerting its followers to the stray chicken that, according to her estimates, had been there for almost 12 hours.
And, since I delight in little wacky happenings such as this, I got in my car and drove to meet my mystery chicken face to tiny, beaked face.
HISTORY: The tale of Fort Collins' Taco Bell house
Surrounded by the traffic of North College and a bustling development, it's a mystery as to where the chicken could have wandered from. Employees guessed that it could have come from the more rural area north of the shopping center and one commenter on Brockel's post threw out guesses that she came either from a farm to the south of the Starbucks or a honey shop to its north.
Another commenter made the astute observation: "She likes coffee with her eggs."
Mariana Colorado, with her 2-month-old kitten, Max, and boyfriend had just settled on a table on the coffee shop's patio Tuesday afternoon when they saw her.
"We were like, 'What the heck? Is that a chicken?' " Colorado said, laughing.
OUR SUMMER IN THE CSA: Getting closer to our food
"I wonder where it came from," she said, adding that it could belong to one of the residents of the Poudre Valley Mobile Home Park across the street.
Brockel said after a full day of hanging outside the coffee shop, a customer wrangled the chicken and it was taken to the Larimer Humane Society, which will hold her as a lost pet for five days before putting her up for adoption.
So here's to the little gal being found and brought home. Oh, and to my own selfish hopes that Colorado was right and she was indeed from across the street. After all, how many times has a chicken crossed the road to get a cup of coffee?


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Cars packed the parking lot of Mulberry’s new Walmart Neighborhood Market on Wednesday during the store’s grand opening.
About 120 showed up for the new Walmart’s ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony at 3500 Mulberry Highway 64 on Wednesday morning, said store manager Maranda Zolliecoffer.
Residents and city officials toured the store, signed up for giveaways, ate cake and took home product samples during the first day of opening.
"Everybody is super excited about the variety we are offering here," Zolliecoffer said. "I think the biggest surprise for many is how much we’ve put into this small space."
Monica Freeland, assistant to the Mulberry mayor, attended the grand opening and said the store would be an asset to the community.
"Particularly for our community, they don’t have to go as far so they’re saving money by shopping here, and it’s amazing what’s in this little store," Freeland said. "It’s not huge, but it has a nice variety. You can find your basics and a few extras."
Elizabeth Rush lives in Mulberry and said she is one of those thankful to have a store closer to home.
"I won’t have to go no further than here," Rush said. "I can even have my medicine changed to here and I won’t have to go to Alma."
Mulberry’s new Walmart offers fresh produce and meats, a fully functioning pharmacy and many other grocery store items. Site to Store service will be available for deliveries, and all the money services except the coin store will be offered.
Slightly smaller than other Neighborhood Markets, the Mulberry store is the first of its size in Arkansas and is about the size of the Walmart Express convenience stores.
Store hours will be 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. on Sundays. Walmart hired 36 people to staff the new store location.


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Newport Beach, Calif. — Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a leading California-based family-style pizza chain for more than 45 years, has promoted Jim Metevier as chief executive officer (CEO). Metevier previously served as Mountain Mike’s president and chief operating officer (COO) since 2018 and boasts more than 30 years in the restaurant industry — experience that has been instrumental in accelerating the brand’s considerable sales and franchise growth in the last half-decade.
After being acquired in 2017 by new owners Chris Britt and Ed St. Geme, who made several key executive hires, including Metevier, Mountain Mike’s Pizza has emerged from being a notable regional chain to a fast-growing national powerhouse with a multi-state footprint, with nearly 300 restaurants in operation and a robust development pipeline.
“Jim’s elevation to CEO is a natural milepost for the Mountain Mike’s Pizza brand, as he’s already proven himself to be an integral part of our success and growth over the last 5+ years,” says Chris Britt, principal owner and co-chairman of Mountain Mike’s Pizza. “A charismatic leader and experienced change agent, Jim has developed exceptionally strong relationships with our dedicated franchisees, who embrace his passion for this brand, and we have the utmost confidence he will continue to help maintain our steep growth trajectory.”
Since Metevier joined the brand as president and COO, Mountain Mike’s Pizza has thrived in myriad facets of business. Throughout his tenure, Metevier oversaw the brand’s operational systems and processes, restaurant excellence and overall guest experience, and brand marketing and development. System sales across digital platforms (mobile web, mobile app and third-party) continuously rose and now account for 43% of Mountain Mike’s systemwide sales. Mountain Mike’s Pizza also signed agreements to open nearly 200 new restaurants with Metevier as COO, including new-state debuts in Texas, Idaho, Utah and Arizona. The acclaimed brand also inked large development agreements in Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin and Washington.
With nearly 300 units in operation across seven states, Mountain Mike’s is primed to continue expansion throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.mountainmikesfranchise.com and www.mountainmikespizza.com.
SOURCE: Mountain Mike’s Pizza


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Natasha Jen, a partner at design consultancy Pentagram, traveled far to find packaging design inspiration for direct-to-consumer tea brand Teabox.
When Jen visited the tea company’s gardens and production warehouses in Darjeeling, India, she noticed that distinct stenciled lettering appeared on every shipping crate.
“It was used back in the day when the East India Trading Company was around,” Jen said. “With stencil you can just cut it out of a plate and spray paint, and that would have been faster than some other applications.”
The crates inspired the new Teabox packaging design. Jen created a slick modern typeface based on the original stenciled lettering and paired the black font with solid blocks of color. The package color correlates to each tea variety, such as brown for chai and seafoam for Nova green tea. Some varieties feature two color blocks, denoting a theme like “Serenity” and “Renew.”
Teabox hopes to use its simple, modern packaging to make tea more approachable. According to Jen, most tea companies still rely on antiquated design cues to market their products. Teabox’s mix of modernity and tradition reflects the future of tea, which looks bright. Analysts predict that the tea industry will continue to grow, driven by consumer health-consciousness. In the trend-spotting arena, Similar to Teabox, Celestial Seasonings recently changed its logo, and the brand update retained Victorian Era design elements.


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BUA Foods’ PBT Soars By 85% In Q1 2023
Despite economic headwinds, Nigeria’s leading food manufacturing company BUA Foods has released its 2023 first-quarter earnings showing a profit before tax rose a whopping 85% to N49.5 billion.
The impressive growth in profit follows a string of stellar performances spanning the last two years since it became a publicly listed company on the Exchange.
Its top-line revenue rose to 60.3% to close at N144.3 billion providing enough buffer to absorb rising operating costs. The group’s revenue came from all its 7 major business segments, with every single one of them posting revenue growth quarter on quarter.
Also, earnings per share rose from N1.27 to N2.25 in the period under review.
It’s Sugar businesses which include fortified, non-fortified, and molasses contributed N93 billion to revenues compared to N54.1 billion in the same period in 2022 while Sales from its fortified segment doubled to about N61 billion.
Also contributing significantly to topline revenues is its Bakery Flour business which grew from N18.3 billion to N29.6 billion in the period under review. The company owns an energy-saving and waste-reduction type flour mill in Port Harcourt built for efficiency.
BUA Pasta’s business which involves the processing, manufacturing, and distribution of pasta such as its IRS premium and slim products also delivered impressive revenue growth. Revenues for the division also rose from N15.9 billion to N19.4 billion.
Despite the rise in revenues the company also faced significant cost pressures as its cost of sales rose by 42% to N87.6 billion, albeit lower than the pace of revenue growth. In its 2022 audited accounts, it reported that it experienced a rise in raw materials and energy costs pushing
Another major margin pressure was in its operating expenses which rose 3 folds to N9.2 billion. It was driven by a spike in its selling and distribution costs. The company spent N6.2 billion on selling and distribution, compared to just N708 million in the prior year, as it focused on an aggressive sales strategy.
Despite the rising input and operating costs, BUA Foods still earned a profit margin equivalent to N27.9 for every N100 of sales, compared to N25.3 reported in the corresponding quarter in 2022.
BUA Foods’ first quarter result is the best since the company was listed in 2021, helping it retain its title as the most profitable food manufacturing company on the Exchange.
Asides from almost doubling its earnings per share to N2.25, it also generated cash of N34.9 billion in net operating cash flow deploying about N7.4 billion of the cash to repay loans.
Cash at the end of the period rose from N27.6 billion in December 2022 to N50.3 billion as of March 2023.


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Sean Thomas knew from the time he was 13 and working at a Wendy’s fast food restaurant in Ohio, mop in hand, that he wanted to one day own his owner burger joint.
Some even say it’s “in his DNA:” His grandfather, Dave Thomas, founded the popular fast food franchise.
Now, after 20 years, Sean Thomas’ dream has come to fruition. After a delayed grand opening due to a global pandemic he never saw coming, Thomas’ first restaurant, Fresh Stack Burger Company, is finally up and running in Kildeer.
“One of our missions was to bring food and be of service to people here in northwest Chicago,” he said. “We thought, ‘Well, we could stay closed and try to wait this thing out, or we could follow through with our mission and open up in some sort of limited capacity while keeping everybody’s safety top of mind.’”
Thomas, of Downers Grove, along with co-founders, Mookie Lee and Patrick Wartan, and their consultant chef Fabio Viviani, held a virtual ribbon-cutting event May 11 with a handful of local business leaders to showcase the building.
“We are delighted to have you join our family and we wish you ... all the best of luck,” Kildeer Village President Nandia Black said to the owners during a meeting on the Zoom video app. “I know you’ll be seeing a lot of our residents coming to your wonderful restaurant.”
Fresh Stack Burger, located at 20413 North Rand Road, near Whole Foods Market, is open for carry-out and curbside pickup, as well as delivery through some third-party apps. The restaurant also operate a temporary drive-thru in an attempt to increase safety for customers and employees, owners said.
“Obviously we have to be somewhat flexible and innovative in these crazy times,” Thomas said about the alternative methods.
The self-proclaimed “fast-casual” restaurant offers a full-service bar, as well as an array of burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads and milkshakes. Thomas’ favorite menu item, the “Friescream” milkshake, pays homage to the Wendy’s combo of dipping french fries in Frosties, he said.
“The Frosty and fries is a combination of sweet, salty, hot and cold," he said. "We have a combination of the sweet and salty, but we also have a creaminess and a crunchiness contrast that’s absolutely delicious. ... They’ve been a real big hit.”
The physical space boasts a hybrid of Midwestern and modern touches to match the menu. The owners wanted a “fresh, vibrant, open and airy” atmosphere, Thomas said.
Thomas grew up watching his grandfather, who has since died, manage the Wendy’s franchise and continue to grow it. They spent time traveling to visit stores, and he watched the businessman sit in on meetings and conduct deals for the company.
Thomas’ aunts still operate family stores in Columbus, Ohio, but he’s the only one of his cousins who has gone into the industry professionally, he said. He explained that he’s used the concept of a burger restaurant for various business proposal assignments all throughout school.
“I just love the restaurant business, I do,” he said. “I love everything about it. I like the energy. I like the people. I like bringing happiness to to our guests.”
What he calls his grandfather’s hands-on approach, attention to detail and the way he prioritized great customer service in the training process at Wendy’s are some of the biggest tips Thomas has taken away to implement in his own business operations “to create memorable experiences,” he said.
Local officials praised the founders’ decision to open despite the COVID-19 health crisis, as well as their creativity in planning a virtual grand opening ceremony.
“It sets the path for other businesses opening to do the same and gain a lot of exposure they might not have otherwise gained,” said Claire Slattery, executive director of the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce.
Owners are looking into building a food truck and secret menu, they said. For now, though, they are “obsessively cleaning” the building and making sure their vendors up the chain are also employing safety standards. Once customers are allowed to dine in again, safety procedures will continue and tables will be distanced, Wartan said.
“On a day in the — hopefully — not-too-distant future when on-premise dining returns to Illinois, we’ll be ready for you,” he said.


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What was just a food preference has now become a way of life in Japan. Consumers there have made it clear that they don't want GMO products in their food.
“When I toured Japan three years ago, the Japanese' adverse attitude toward GMO products had become a trend. Now that attitude is entrenched,” says Kirk Leeds, executive director for the Iowa Soybean Association.
Leeds, Iowa farmers and representatives from the Iowa Department of Economic Development recently returned from a trade mission to Japan. While there, they talked with soybean importers, processors and food manufacturers.
“U.S. farmers already export food-grade, or non-GMO, soybeans to Japan. But there's considerable growth potential in that market,” he says. “That comes at the expense of commodity beans. But we have to respond to the consumers' desires. They want non-GMO soybeans and are willing to pay some more for those products. The same is true with organic food-grade soybeans.”
Soybeans are the most consumed oilseed crop in Japan, according to USDA's Foreign Ag Service. Roughly ¾ of the usage is for oil, 20% is for food and the rest is for feed use. The food-grade soybeans are used for tofu, miso (soybean paste), natto (fermented whole beans), boiled soybeans and soy sauce.
Over the years, Japan has been one of the best customers for all U.S. soybeans. The Asian country was our No. 1 soybean buyer until China and Mexico surpassed it in purchases in 1999.
But the market for U.S. commodity soybeans is a mature one, according to Leeds. International competition, particularly from Brazil, means it's a market the U.S. can't take for granted.
“On this trade mission to Japan, we heard repeatedly that we need to be price-competitive,” says Jim Stillman, Iowa Soybean Promotion Board chairman. “Right now our soybeans have better overall quality. But Brazil's growing conditions produce a bean that tends to be higher in protein and oil than ours. To maintain our commodity bean market in Japan, we're going to have to continue to provide the full package of price and quality.”
U.S. food-grade soybeans are clear winners in Japan. While U.S. food-grade soybean exports have declined in the last decade, they still dominate the Japanese market. And, says Leeds, that market should grow with the Japanese consumers' steadfast opposition to GMOs.
In 1993, the U.S. shipped 980,000 metric tons of food-grade soybeans to Japan, or 75.6% of that country's total imports. By 2002, it's estimated that U.S. exports dropped to 659,000 metric tons, or 57.9% of Japan's imports.
In the same time period, Canada's exports increased from 57,600 metric tons to 150,000 metric tons (from 4.4% to 13.2%). Japan also increased its own food-grade soybean production from 68,000 metric tons to 200,000 metric tons. That tripled its percent of the market from 5.3% in 1993 to 17.5% in 2002.
Japan's increased production stems in part from a government program that pays farmers handsomely to convert rice acres to soybeans. Japan grows more rice than it consumes, but is only 5% self-sufficient in soybeans.
Growing food-grade quality beans is just half the battle for farmers who want to sell to the Japanese market, according to Leeds. “It was obvious to us again on our trip in November that the Japanese truly value long-term relationships. The food-grade soybean market is one the U.S. can do well in if producers and exporters are willing to engage for the long term.”


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HOMEOWNERS at Churchill Retirement Living’s Summerson Lodge in Portsmouth have been busy putting their knitting skills to good use to help raise money for charity Age UK.
To support Age UK and Innocent’s Big Knit, owners at Summerson Lodge in Alverstone Road, Southsea, and their friends have knitted little woolly hats which will adorn Innocent smoothie bottles in February 2015.
For every bottle of smoothie sold with a hat, Innocent will donate 25p to help Age UK support older people in winter.
Churchill Retirement Living’s Lodges across the country have been taking part and together have knitted 870 woolly hats.
Spencer McCarthy, chairman and group managing director for Churchill Retirement Living, said: ‘We are very proud of our owners and their Big Knit efforts.
‘Churchill Retirement Living is delighted to be supporting such a worthy cause. The money raised goes to support vulnerable older people, which is something we care deeply about.’


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For social media platforms like Facebook, augmented reality represents a whole new art form with which users can express themselves online. Now, Facebook is giving those users a new brush.
One of the most popular mobile games out there for kids has added an augmented reality mode that brings the titular character into the real world.
News: Microsoft Japan Concept Video Demos How HoloLens Will Help Pilot the Drone Ships of the Future
Although the HoloLens is still primarily the domain of developers and researchers, the device is nevertheless on the cutting edge of showing us what will be possible with augmented reality in the coming years. The latest example comes via Microsoft Japan and a new concept video that shows off how the HoloLens will be used in the relatively near future to pilot autonomous ships.
News: Apple iPhone X Owners Get a Trio of Super-Realistic Snapchat Lenses Aided by the TrueDepth Camera
Snapchat has released three new augmented reality Lenses that boast uber-accurate face tracking courtesy of the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X and ARKit.
With the Masters, one of professional golfing's four most prestigious annual tournaments, now in full swing, Snapchat is giving users the ability to commemorate the moment in augmented reality.
News: App from Japan Uses Apple's iPhone X to Transform Your Face & Voice into the Cutest Anime Character
Apple's iPhone X now has the power to turn anyone into a Japanese anime character, thanks to a new app that harnesses the device's TrueDepth camera.
What's black and white, sounds like actress Kristen Bell, and is standing in your living room talking to your kids right now? Don't worry, that's just Genius the Panda, an augmented reality character from the Yakables app for iPhones and iPads.
Less than a week after ARKit 1.5 became available to the public through the iOS 11.3 update, the App Store has its first app with AR features (Artsy) to leverage Apple's AR toolkit update.
With the heavily anticipated installment of the God of War game series arriving on April 20, PlayStation has taken the opportunity to make its first foray into mobile augmented reality with a companion app.
Part of the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges experience that was once exclusive to users of Lenovo's Mirage AR headset is now available to anyone with an ARKit-compatible iOS device.
The annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is one of those events that everyone talks about, so an augmented reality experience in the festival's mobile app and from one of its headlining acts, Eminem, basically means the technology is officially cool.
News: Magic Leap's Website Has an Immersive Reality Experience Hidden in Plain Sight, if You Know Where to Look
Magic Leap loves to stoke mystery around its still unreleased product, the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition, and now we've found yet another piece of the puzzle in the form of an Easter egg on the company's website.
Department store chain Zara is temporarily ditching its mannequins and dressing up its stores with augmented reality experiences featuring virtual versions of real fashion models.
All those early prototype images Magic Leap is so fond of showing off are great, but they rank a far second when compared to a new set of images just revealed by Microsoft in relation to the HoloLens.
Snapchat has added yet another social feature to its mobile app, and this one makes it possible to use augmented reality with a group of friends over video.
It turns out that the government of Saudi Arabia has managed to do something last month's Game Developers Conference couldn't — give us a few new glimpses of the Magic Leap One being worn by someone other than Shaq.
With a fresh series of videos and a new webpage, Snapchat has composed an answer to its own question, "What is Snapchat?"
Alongside the usual collection of holiday-themed Lenses, Snapchatters received an extra-special treat from Snapchat over the weekend—a world-spanning Easter egg hunt.
Why would Magic Leap, a company preparing to launch its first augmented reality headset this year, need a developer for iPhone and iPad apps? It's not as crazy as it sounds.
News: Meet the 8-Year-Old ARKit Developer Who Just Uploaded Her First Augmented Reality App to Apple's App Store
While you were busy browsing Instagram, composing tweets, or chasing Snapchat updates, an eight-year-old ARKit developer was hard at work on her first step toward taking over the tech world via augmented reality.
News: Apple's iOS 11.3 Update Arrives for All With AR Vertical Surface Detection via ARKit 1.5 for iPhones & iPads
If you have an ARKit-compatible iPhone or iPad, check for a software update, as iOS 11.3, with ARKit version 1.5 in tow, has just dropped. As we previously reported, ARKit 1.5 brings several new augmented reality features for app developers to use.
Dev Report: Microsoft's First HoloLens Update in Over a Year Now Available in Preview, Hints at Big Plans for 2018
After more than a year and a half of silence, the rumors have morphed into reality: Microsoft has finally released an update for the HoloLens. And with that update comes a collection of new features that hint at big plans for the HoloLens this year.
Given Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's blockbuster movie pedigree and the promotional power that usually accompanies his work, there's a certain predictable symmetry in the news that Rampage, a movie adaptation of the classic arcade game, has now become an augmented reality mobile app.
With the Google Maps API giving entertainment brands the means to build their own location-based AR games, Niantic is raising the bar for the genre with new updates to Pokémon GO.
Space might be the final frontier, but NASA is making a detour into augmented reality first. The Spacecraft AR app, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in collaboration with Google, debuted exclusively for Android this week (an iOS version is also in the works).
News: Walmart Shoppers Can Now Use Their Smartphones to Become Marvel's Black Panther via Augmented Reality
Marvel and Walmart are looking to capitalize on the uber-successful Black Panther film with a mobile augmented reality app designed to push the franchise's merchandise.
As part of its ARCore push this week, Google has promoted Just a Line from one-time AR experiment to a full-fledged app.
Flying under the radar during Magic Leap's big week at the Game Developers Conference, the company settled a potentially ugly lawsuit with a former employee.
Continuing with its new paradigm of using augmented reality to cover the news, The New York Times has published a feature story that takes a peek into the late David Bowie's eclectic wardrobe of on-stage outfits.
News: Here's What Magic Leap's Creator Portal & Lumin SDK Docs Reveal About How You'll Develop for & Use Magic Leap One
Now that we've had a chance to jump into the Lumin SDK documentation at Magic Leap's Creator Portal, we now have much more detail about how the device will function and utilize software than any single piece of content released by Magic Leap to date.
News: Google Opens ARCore Floodgates with AR Section on Play Store & Exclusive AR Apps from eBay, Lowe's & Jet.com
In the weeks following Google's AR toolkit launch last month, the availability of quality ARCore apps has been somewhat limited. That changed on Tuesday, as a flurry of new and updated apps arrived on the Play Store, including some AR experiences available exclusively on Android.
Just weeks after officially launching its mobile augmented reality toolkit, Google can now claim one of its first Android and ARCore app exclusives with the Curate app from Sotheby's International Realty.
Having pushed more than two million downloads of its Bait! game for the Gear VR and Daydream platforms, VR developer Resolution Games is bringing the virtual fishing fun to augmented reality.
Sony's Ghost Corps, the caretaker of the Ghostbusters franchise, just released some pre-alpha gameplay footage from the upcoming Ghostbusters World location-based AR game to whet the appetites of would-be hunters of the paranormal.
While much of the technical specifications of the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition still remain a mystery, some clues to its internals are hidden among the guides in the now freely-accessible Creator Portal.
Following the surprise release of Magic Leap's SDK on Monday, March 19, Unity, Unreal Engine, and Mozilla followed up by announcing official partnerships with the company.
A funny thing happened on the way to the release of the virtual reality epic Ready Player One — augmented reality grabbed a major piece of the spotlight. Specifically, Microsoft's HoloLens.
Magic Leap has reached a major milestone in the lead-up to the launch of its Magic Leap One: Creator Edition by opening access to its developer portal and software development kit (SDK) to all developers.
Apple's TrueDepth camera made its debut in the premium-priced iPhone X late last year, and since then, the reviews have been pretty positive. Now, Apple might be preparing to make the Animoji-friendly sensors available in more iPhones, as well as the iPad Pro, later this year.
News: Magic Leap Filings Point to 'Magic Shop' Branding for Online Store, L.E.A.P. Creator Conference Event
Magic Leap's recent flurry of patent applications prompted us to look around for any trademark movements from the company, and it turns out that the Florida-based company has been quite busy.


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Check out where the new Chipotle is being built in South Jersey
Even though Cape May County still does not have a Chick-Fil-A located inside its borders, another popular restaurant chain is coming to Cape May Court House starting next spring.
Across the street from the ACME in Cape May Court House will be a new Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurant that is currently in the process of being built. The lot next to the Mattress Firm on Court House-South Dennis Road is where the new Chipotle will be located with a ‘Chipotlane’. Unlike a regular drive-thru, this ‘Chipotlane’ is for advance orders made from the Chipotle App so customers do not have to leave their vehicles for pickup.
To make way for the new Chipotle Restaurant, an old medical office building is going through demolition and there have been delays to this project. In order to start this Chipotle project, variances had to be obtained from Middle Township for parking, signage, and a landscape barrier. Also, developers had obtain Waivers that would allow new spacing parameters for parking, alignment of the new building to the property lines, and clearance for the location of the new entrance drive, along with a community impact statement, an environmental impact study, and a traffic study.
In other words, a lot of red tape had to be navigated and many T's crossed to bring this new Chipotle to Cape May County. Hopefully, the citizens of Middle Township will support this new business considering other fast food chain restaurants such as Wendy's and Burger King were unable to stay in Cape May Court House over the years while the McDonald's has been there for decades.


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Camden to consider river to harbor walk options
Camden — In an effort to bring Camden to the next level, the town has received a grant to design a river to harbor walk, running from Shirttail Point to Camden Harbor.
The grant will allow a design to be created and also will study which private ...
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Israeli SaaS customer collaboration startup Lightico raises $14.5M
Israeli software-as-a-service customer collaboration startup Lightico Ltd. has raised $14.5 million in funding to accelerate product development and expand its global presence.
The funding round was led by Mangrove Capital Partners and included previous investors lool ventures and Crescendo.
Founded in 2014, Lightico provides customer experience software online focused on accelerating sales and service requests in call centers. The company’s cloud software allows customers to sign documents, complete forms, share documents and identification, see images and videos, and process payments digitally and securely all while on a call with a customer service representative.
Described its services as groundbreaking technology that replaces the clunky, costly and frustrating processes at the last mile of customer journeys, Lightico claims it delivers frictionless, real-time collaboration that streamlines company processes and improves customer experience.
Lighico is growing rapidly, having quadrupled its employee headcount and increased its revenue five times over in the last 12-months. The company claims to service millions of consumers through more than 250 of the world’s largest financial institutions, telcos and insurance companies with real-time customer collaboration technology. Some of its clients include Salesforce.com Inc., BT Group plc, GlaxoSmithKline plc and Avis Budget Group Inc.
“By simplifying regulated transactions between businesses and their customers, Lightico makes businesses more profitable, customers more loyal and agents more motivated,” sZviki Ben-Ishay, Lightico’s founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
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Since Apple decided to abandon Intel processors, the word ‘ARM’ has been on many people’s lips. Well, the future may very well be based on this type of architecture, and if there is a company in the industry with a firm eye on the future, it is NVIDIA.
ARM in the hands of NVIDIA? The rumor begins to gain strength!
Therefore, NVIDIA showed interest in buying ARM, in what may well be one of the most interesting, expensive businesses … And of course, with the greatest impact ever in the industry. After all, if the graphics card giant manages to get the semi-conductor designer under its wing, it will gain incredible power in several industries! (This will undeniably attract the attention of regulators)
Having said all this, what seemed to be just a rumor, is now starting to gain a lot of strength! In the end, both Bloomberg and the Financial Times are saying that both parties had a week of intense negotiations and apparently very profitable! The deal could even take place for a whopping $ 32 billion. In case you didn’t know, Softbank (current owner of ARM) paid 31 billion in 2016.
Furthermore, what do you think about all this? Share your opinion with us in the comments below.
AMD’s flagship may correspond to an RTX 2080 Ti
The big question here is … Is it cheaper than the RTX 3080? Apparently yes!
Well, it’s an exciting time for PC fans like me! After all, as we all know, NVIDIA is expected to launch graphics cards based on the Ampere architecture for consumers in the coming months. However, as the rivalry seems to be back, AMD is also in the process of launching its ‘Big Navi’ products from the new RDNA 2 architecture.
Read the rest of the article here.
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Since I was very young I became interested in computers and technology in general, I had my first PC at 10 and at 15 I built my first tower, since then I never stopped. Whatever technology is, I’m in the front row to find out more.


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Trai notice to Bharti Airtel for not complying with tariff norms
Trai says Bharti Airtel didn’t inform it about certain segmented tariffs offered to consumers to retain them
New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has pulled up Bharti Airtel Ltd for failing to comply with tariff reporting requirements by not informing it about certain segmented tariffs offered to consumers to retain them.
Trai has sought a reply from the telecom operator within 10 days.
In a letter dated 15 March, Trai has sought responses from Airtel to queries ranging from circle-wise launch date of these tariffs, criteria for classification of consumers availing these tariffs and whether these were reported to the regulator.
Trai has also asked Airtel to furnish circle-wise data of consumers who have opted for these tariff offers and the benefits that accrue to them. Mint has seen a copy of the letter.
“The regulator had earlier written a letter to Airtel on 23 February regarding the same after it received complaints from operators and consumers about 20-odd segmented tariffs. Airtel tried to delay its reply and said other operators were also doing it (offering segmented tariffs). Now Trai has given them 10 days to reply,” a person familiar with the matter said, requesting anonymity.
When contacted, Airtel confirmed that it has received the notice. “The matter is sub judice and pending in the TDSAT”, it said.
Operators are required to report any new tariffs to Trai within seven working days from the date of their implementation after conducting a self-check to ensure the tariffs are transparent, non-discriminatory and non-predatory.
Trai’s rules also restrict operators from offering segregated or segmented offers or plans to retain customers, by making sure that all tariffs are displayed on a company’s website
The new norms on pricing released by Trai on 16 February also state that in case of violation of tariff reporting requirements, an operator can be penalised Rs5,000 for every day of delay, subject to a maximum of Rs2 lakh.
Under the new tariff order, Trai said it will also examine tariffs of a significant market player (SMP)—which is an operator holding a share of at least 30% of total activity in a relevant market—to determine the existence of predatory pricing by looking at whether the tariff is below the firm’s average variable cost over a certain period, and whether the operator has an intent to drive out competition. If the tariff is found predatory, an operator will be liable to pay a penalty of up to Rs50 lakh per tariff plan per telecom circle.
Incumbent operators have alleged that the change in Trai’s definition of “total activity” will result in an unfair advantage to Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, which enjoys huge traffic on its network. The new definition of “total activity” is based on any of two parameters—subscriber base and gross revenue—while an earlier definition included subscriber base, revenue, switching capacity and volume of traffic.
“These parameters were a part of Trai’s own criteria in the past. As a result, victims have now been made the perpetrators. In a cruel twist of fate, one operator, who by its own admission is the world’s largest data network, may be free to offer any sort of predatory tariffs, while older operators are now subject to regulation and cannot compete without falling foul of a new definition of what constitutes predatory pricing,” Rajan S. Mathews, director general of lobby group COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India), said in a statement on 20 February.
Incumbent operators Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular had on 5 March approached TDSAT for a stay on Trai’s new tariff order. The tribunal has refused to grant an interim stay and given Trai three weeks to file its reasons on why the new tariff order should not be stayed. TDSAT has also asked Airtel and Idea to file their replies two weeks after that. The next hearing is on 17 April.
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Logix India 2019 is scheduled to take place in New Delhi from January 31-February 2, 2019.
Logistic companies are shifting to larger warehouses, and other factors such as GST, stricter overloading norms, and better fuel efficiency are aiding the shift to higher-tonnage CVs
While there have been fluctuations in the economy and freight demand due to GST implementation, the impact of the same would be temporary and would be corrected over the near term.
Logistics companies are making concerted efforts to keep pace with this growth in demand by digitizing their solutions and offering online freight services, according to a Frost and Sullivan Study.
In the study, entitled "The Connected Truck,” more than half of the logistics experts surveyed fear that their industry could get left behind as digitalisation progresses.
GST will propel GDP growth to newer heights, lower income disparity and simplify decision making of businesses. The GST rollout will be a milestone for the nation as its implementation will have a far-reaching impact on the Indian economy.
The much-delayed GST rollout can help boost the GDP by 100-200 bps as this will help faster and cheaper movement of goods across the country with a uniform taxation structure, said a report by Care Ratings.
Vaahika is an online marketplace startup focusing on intercity goods transport and connecting transporters and shippers


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All Australian Apple Stores shut to halt coronavirus spread, but Samsung offers to clean iPhones
Don’t drop your iPhone: Apple has shut all its Australian stores for two weeks in an unprecedented move to fight coronavirus but Samsung has a very different offer.
DO NOT drop your iPhone or wash one of your AirPods for the next two weeks.
Tech giant Apple closed all of its 22 Australian stores today (Sunday) in an unprecedented worldwide shutdown of outlets outside Greater China in a bid to stem the spread of novel coronavirus.
The two-week closure, announced by chief executive Tim Cook on Twitter, even surprised local Apple employees who reportedly learned about the scheme on social media and initially questioned whether it applied to them.
But, in a surprise countermove, rival Samsung took a different tact, revealing plans to clean germs from all brands of smartphones in its stores, starting in 19 countries and later expanding to Australia.
Apple’s surprise announcement came after it closed all 42 Apple Stores in China on February 1 after the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
Mr Cook said those stores had reopened by Saturday after a downturn in infections, and the company was now seeking to “reduce density and increase social distance” in more stores to cut the spread of the disease in other countries.
“In our workplaces and communities, we must do all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Mr Cook said in a tweet.
“Apple will be temporarily closing all stores outside of Greater China until March 27 and committing $15 million to help with worldwide recovery.”
Apple’s online store would remain open for business, he said, but the closures will mean no customers can have products repaired or assessed until they reopen.
Mr Cook stressed the company’s casual workforce would “continue to receive pay in alignment with business as usual operations,” leave policies would be extended, and office workers would be encouraged to work from home if possible.
The move was well received within the industry, with Creative Strategies principal analyst Carolina Milanesi calling it a move to put “people first” and “the right thing to do,” and came just a day after Apple revealed its annual Worldwide Developers Conference would be held as an online event in June this year.
Apple’s biggest rival Samsung is taking a totally different approach to fighting the virus, however, revealing plans to disinfect smartphones of all brands, including iPhones, for free in its stores.
The ‘Galaxy Sanitizing Service’ cleans bacteria from smartphones using UV-C ultraviolet light that has been lauded as a “promising, safe and inexpensive tool to reduce the spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases,” according to a study published in Nature.
The service will initially be available in Samsung Experience Stores in 19 countries including the United States, New Zealand, Japan and Spain, though the company is said to be planning to expand the offer to countries including Australia, Canada, France, Italy and the UK “soon”.
Originally published as All Australian Apple Stores shut to halt coronavirus spread, but Samsung offers to clean iPhones


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I know—Comcast bashing is getting way too easy these days. But its hard to resist when you find out that it took 20 calls and 3 personal visits over five weeks for the company to figure out why Kenneth Bayes, a subscriber in Haymarket VA, could not get service. Then it hit them—they never ran cable to the guy's house. It is just the kind of customer service debacle that Comcast has been blaming on their rapid growth. According to Rick Germano, senior vice president of customer operations, "We are a victim of our own success, to a degree."
Granted, when you experience the kind of growth Comcast has in recent years, I can understand how customer service might drop off. But what happened here was pure ignorance. In fact, it seems that they are going out of their way to irritate their own customers in some cases. So my question is: when will customers start seeing the benefits of the "billions of dollars" Comcast claims to have poured into improving their network, customer service and sales operations? [Washington Post via Fark]


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BERLIN (Reuters) - The next time you walk into a shop, consider this:
You may not be using your phone, but it is giving out a unique signal that the retailer may be monitoring. A face scanner may check your age and gender while sensors pick up your body heat to help locate popular parts of the store.
Consumers have become used to players like Amazon closely following their shopping habits online, triggering targeted product recommendations, advertising and offers.
To counter the online threat, bricks and mortar retailers are playing catch-up, using increasingly sophisticated technology to improve staffing, layout and marketing.
Some people are less comfortable being watched in the offline world, prompting many in the business to promise to use only anonymised and aggregated data unless shoppers explicitly give their permission to be tracked.
But as retailers get more sophisticated and link the data they collect to loyalty card schemes, shoppers are starting to sign up to schemes that follow their movements in return for targeted discounts and apps that help them find products.
German fashion house Hugo Boss is using heat sensors to help place premium products. Luxury chocolate store Godiva has installed meters to count shoppers so it can match staffing to peak hours and measure the draw of window displays.
"Our customers are trying to run their stores or malls more efficiently," said Bill McCarthy, Europe and Middle East head of ShopperTrak, the U.S. firm behind the Godiva counters.
"They are just trying to get real smart with data in the way the e-commerce guys are smart with data," he said.
The Chicago-based company says its counters, while not a new idea, helped Godiva's store in London's Regent Street improve customer service and hone its window displays, boosting transactions by 10 percent in six weeks.
As retailers seek ever more information, ShopperTrak has been investing in high-tech video and phone tracking systems to analyze how customers and staff behave inside a store.
"The information that we collect is strictly anonymous. We make extra efforts to ensure we keep nothing that is potentially personally identifiable," McCarthy said.
Tesco, the world's third biggest retailer, drew criticism from British privacy groups earlier this month with plans to scan the faces of queuing customers to determine their gender and rough age to better target adverts.
The company, which put the tracking of customer behavior on a whole new level with its Clubcard loyalty card two decades ago, said it would not record images or store personal data.
Its advisers say some other retailers are less responsible.
"Too much is happening without consumer consent," said Simon Hay, chief executive of Dunnhumby, the customer science company owned by Tesco that is behind its loyalty scheme.
"You have to be transparent with data, tell people what you're doing with it and why and give them something in return."
That has long been the philosophy behind loyalty schemes, which are getting ever smarter as retailers link data from more sources. British shoppers now access an average of six loyalty schemes via their mobile devices compared to four in their wallets, a survey by mobile payments firm CloudZync showed.
Even if a customer does not use their smartphone while in a store, retailers can already deploy wi-fi signals to track their location to within three meters, said Darren Vengroff, chief scientist at U.S. data company RichRelevance.
"Every retailer wants to better understand their customer," said Vengroff, previously the principal engineer at Amazon who helps clients like Wal-Mart, Searsand Marks and Spencer provide more targeted offers to shoppers.
"The challenge is to make it really personal and not just a bunch of technology like 'Big Brother' watching you and 'Minority Report' as you're walking down the street."
If a retailer identifies that a high-value shopper has just entered the store by their phone signal, it would be better advised to get a member of staff to give them extra attention rather than bombard them with text messages, Vengroff said.
Last month, a group of U.S. companies specializing in location data for retailers agreed to a privacy code of conduct which includes signs posted in store to alert shoppers to the use of tracking technology and instructions for how to opt out.
"Even in an anonymous state, you can begin to pull together a profile of a customer, when they are coming to store, when they are mobile," said John Sheldon, global head of strategy at consultants eBay Enterprise.
"These are early days for these capabilities," Sheldon said, adding he expects the advent of wearable computing devices such as Google Glass to accelerate the trend towards more location-based tools to navigate shoppers towards deals.


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Aston Martin is the coolest automotive brand in the UK according to the annual CoolBrands list.
The luxury sports car manufacturer came second in the list overall, with Apple taking the top spot. Mercedes-Benz was the only other automotive brand in the list in 11th place.
The CoolBrands list, now in its 12th year, follows a vote by a combination of 3,000 consumers and a panel of 37 designers, style experts, media personalities and figures from the worlds of TV, fashion and music.
The company’s position shows a climb of five places over its 2012 CoolBrands debut.
Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands Expert Council, said: “The brand qualities we examine in the CoolBrands survey – such as authenticity and innovation – can be key influences on consumer purchasing, so performing well is not just a thumbs up for a brand’s reputation, but an indication of its future success.”
The official 2013/14 CoolBrands Top 20:
2. Aston Martin
9. Virgin Atlantic
12. Bang & Olufsen
16. BBC iPlayer
18. Sony Music
19. Alexander McQueen


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In a recent interview, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer talks about the pricing window for the next-generation “Project Scorpio” Xbox console slated for the 2017 holidays. He doesn’t provide any hard figures, but compares Scorpio to the Xbox One S
Are you ready for next week’s Cybathlon, the world’s first ever international sporting competition in which disabled athletes compete using bionic assistive technology? It sounds seriously awesome
The first season of Marvel’s Luke Cage series on Netflix goes in new directions, but ends up in a good place. The post The only thing ‘Luke Cage’ lacks is a villain big enough for a fair fight appeared first on Digital Trends .
Jeffrey Wright plays a programmer behind the futuristic theme park/world of the epic HBO sci-fi western, Westworld. In this exclusive interview, we learn about the questions the provocative series evokes, and the moral dilemmas it raises in a world already confronting VR and AI. The post ‘Westworld’ tackles the morality of technology, explains star Jeffrey Wright appeared first on Digital Trends .
New MacBook Pros are coming at the end of October, a guy destroys iPhones in an Apple Store — and Apple knows about the iPhone 6 “Touch Disease” issue!
The LG V20 combines the photographic talent of the V10 and the G5 into one phone, but is this enough for it to be 2016’s winner for LG? We’ve been using the new phone to find out. The post LG V20 review appeared first on Digital Trends
Technically Incorrect: Charles Wasko, mayor of West York, says he isn’t interested in being politically correct.
Technically Incorrect: In France, someone is apparently unhappy with Apple.
Panasonic has developed a new flexible battery that could one day power devices like bendable smartphones. The tech is currently able to hold between 17.5mAh and 60mAh, and can twist up to 25 degrees. The post Panasonic made a flexible battery that may one day allow for bendable phones appeared first on Digital Trends .
The Que bottle is stylish, 100 percent plastic-free, and collapsible to half its size. Whether you’re a fitness fanatic or a frequent traveller, this water bottle hopes to be a must-have
Perhaps still reeling from what’s widely viewed as the bruising he took in a debate watched by more than 80 million people on TV earlier this week — countless more online — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday opened a campaign rally with a previously discredited attack.
The newest version of Google Maps adds integration with Calendar, Gmail, and Google Contacts. Upcoming events now appear in maps. Dedicated restaurant albums for food pics are also in tow
For many attendees, the Land Rover Discovery launch spectacle was as exciting as the new SUV itself. The stage setting was a world-record 42.6-foot-high Lego structure, from which adventurer Bear Grylls rappelled. The post Land Rover launches fifth-gen Discovery from world-record Lego structure appeared first on Digital Trends .
Plus, enter our contest for a chance to win a signed copy of “The Tetris Effect.”
Getting into space is expensive, period, and leaves developing nations out. The UN trying to fund the purchase a spaceship of its own to change that. Best of all?
The unannounced “Ti” version of the upcoming GeForce GTX 1050 card has appeared in 3DMark 11 and GPU-Z, the latter of which reveals the card’s details. The GTX 1050 Ti scored a 10054 in 3DMark’s Performance test and 3860 in the Extreme test. The post Nvidia's rumored GeForce GTX 1050 Ti card appears in 3DMark 11 benchmarks, GPU-Z appeared first on Digital Trends .
Sphero’s Force Band lets you control the BB-8 Droid with nothing but gestures. It’s like being a real Jedi! We used the Force to spin BB-8 around our office and talked to the Force Band’s creators to learn more. The post Sphero’s new Force Band grants you intergalactic superpowers appeared first on Digital Trends .
An angry man in a Dijon, France Apple store goes nuts smashing iPhones with a steel ball. The post Watch an angry customer smash iPhone after iPhone in French Apple store appeared first on Digital Trends .
HTC has started a new campaign called #GreenIsGood, which will last until October 8 and offers the HTC 10 for $150 off. You can also get the Desire 626 and 626s for $80 off, the UA Healthbox for $100 off, and the UA Band for $60 off
“Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones” were big hits. Has Netflix done it again with Luke Cage, hard-working street-level superhero?
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- Here are the first cities to get AT&T’s mobile 5G network – CNET
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- Toyota develops new lower-cost, less-resource-intensive magnet for EVs – Roadshow
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- Swype discontinues its keyboard app for Android and iOS
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By Tom Collins
A Western Ontario farm family is getting out of the dairy business to sell Christmas trees in Eastern Ontario.
Pam and Grant Martin of Sunholm Farms at Ethel in Huron County have agreed to purchase Cedar Hill Christmas Tree Farm at Pakenham, west of Ottawa, to be closer to Pam’s mother, who runs Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush.
The Martins were finalists in the national dairy farm sustainability award in 2012 and won the organic dairy farm of the year award this year.
“Lots of people were completely floored when we made the announcement we had agreed to purchase the Christmas tree farm and sell our organic dairy operation,” said Grant. “The decision to sell this farm was very difficult. I was born and raised here and love the community, the land and our cattle. I also love a challenge and learning new things. These are a couple of reasons why we decided to make the move.”
Pam said her four sons are excited about being able to help at their grandmother’s sugar bush. She is looking forward to dealing with a more easy-going commodity in Christmas trees.
“Being married to a dairy farmer sometimes feels like you’re married to a dairy farm,” she said. “It’s a 365-day-a-year thing. I don’t know how many weddings we’ve gone to in the past where we go to the wedding in the afternoon, we run home, milk the cows, and make it back for dessert. The freedom to have a weekend off. We haven’t actually wrapped our heads around that yet. I think for the first little while we just may feel confused.”
The Martins’ 140-acre dairy farm is up for sale for $4.7 million and comes with 49.7 kg of quota, 80 milking cows, the barn and a four-bedroom home.
Grant said a key selling feature is the organic nature of the farm.
“We believe that organic agriculture will continue to enjoy excellent growth rates,” he said. “The three organic milk price increases this year and more quota incentives are a sign of things to come.”


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CDC Issues Health Advisory Alert for Miller’s Biodiversity Raw Milk due to Brucella
The CDC announced that the New York State Department of Health and Pennsylvania Department of Health is investigating Brucella RB51 exposures that may be connected to consuming raw (unpasteurized) milk from Miller’s Biodiversity Farm in Quarryville, Pennsylvania. This investigation is associated with the third known case of brucellosis from Brucella RB51 due to raw milk acquired in the U.S., since August 2017. This strain of Brucella is Rifampin/Penicillin resistant. A New York resident, who drank raw milk purchased from Miller’s Biodiversity Farm in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, was diagnosed with brucellosis in November 2018. Milk samples from the dairy tested positive for Brucella strain RB51. People who consumed raw milk or raw milk products from this dairy since January 2016 may have been exposed. In late December 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of Health quarantined that farm’s raw milk and raw milk products for possible Brucella contamination. @ https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00417.asp
HAN Archive - 00417 | Health Alert Network (HAN)
Health Alert Network (HAN). Provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).


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This article has been updated from a previous version.
It’s no secret that everyone’s been feeling – what seems like – the never-ending burden of high costs of living. For most of 2023, Canadians were under the strain of high interest rates, and subsequently, high mortgage or rent payments, insurance premiums, and soaring food prices.
Inflation eased from highs of nearly 6% at the beginning of 2023 to the current 3%. The Canadian economy has managed to keep its head above the water and avoid a recession. Heading into 2024, however, economists are predicting either a mild recession or combatting inflation without significant economic damage.
Canadians can expect some respite this year, but it will likely take some time for inflation to reach the targeted 2%. We can expect to spend more money on the same issues that plagued the economic landscape as last year, but in the meantime, here’s how you can prepare and save money in each of these areas.
1. High housing costs
The Bank of Canada started raising its overnight lending rate in March 2022, and continued with eight successive rate hikes. While the full effect of these rate hikes is yet to be reflected in the housing market, it has deterred prospective homebuyers from the market and has widened the unaffordability gap for current homeowners.
National home prices have been on the decline by 3.4% since October. As inflation comes down (an indication that the rate hikes are working), experts are predicting the return of a buyer’s market. That is, sellers have to match the buyers’ bid, and homebuyers waiting on the sidelines may find 2024 to be a favourable time to enter the market.
Interest rates are predicted to see cuts by mid-2024.
Homebuyers looking to lock in a lower mortgage rate should consider comparing mortgage rates before getting a pre-approval. Depending on the lender, mortgage pre-approvals typically last anywhere from 60 to 120 days, subject to conditions such as credit score and continued employment.
While mortgage rates will come down, they won’t return to the lows of 0.25% that homeowners might have purchased in, earlier on in the pandemic.
Homeowners will continue to see a large chunk of their income being spent on mortgage payments. That being said, if your mortgage is coming up for renewal, make sure to compare mortgage rates get the lowest rate available for you.
Last quarter, rental prices in Canada reached a new high, with a 9.9% year-on-year increase. Rate cuts, higher an increase in new building construction, and a buyer's market could slowly bring down high rent prices too. However, rent costs will continue to be prohibitive for many Canadians in large cities such as Toronto and Vancouver.
2. Auto insurance
You can expect to shell out more for your auto insurance this year too. There are a few reasons for that:
Inflation: Inflation has been a major driver of higher insurance premiums. To keep up with inflation, insurers must increase their rates. Last year, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario approved rate increases for several insurers, and some of those rate changes will be in effect this year. That means you’ll likely see an increase in your car insurance premium when your policy is up for renewal in 2024.
Auto theft: The rate of auto thefts reached an all-time high over the past year, prompting the auto and insurance industry to term it a “national crisis.” The rising incidence of auto thefts resulted in $1.2 billion in insurance claims, which translates into higher premiums for the customer.
High repair and replacement costs: as per the Transportation Consumer Price Index, the cost of car parts, repairs and maintenance jumped by nearly 6% from November 2022 to 2023. Not only will car parts continue to cost consumers more to acquire, but long wait times for repairs are expected to continue into 2024. Your insurance policy may provide a rental car; however, the bill for service will be bigger since the duration is longer than usual. These expenses can drive prices up across the industry and trickle back down to consumers.
Car insurance providers in Ontario have already started to re-rate policies for increased driving kilometres, among several other factors. And it’s the driver’s responsibility to inform their insurance company of any changes to their driving habits, such increased commute time or frequency and their postal code. Omitting facts like this can void your policy. If you’re worried about increasing rates, compare auto insurance quotes to find your cheapest premium.
Another essential — food — hasn’t escaped inflation, which means trips to the grocery store and restaurants will remain expensive. According to the recent Canada’s Food Price Report a family of four can expect to pay $700 more on their grocery expenses.
The report also anticipates restaurant menu prices increasing by 3% to 5% due to rising commercial rents, food prices, and labour market changes.
“2024 will be a much friendlier year for consumers,” Sylvain Charlebois, the lead researcher on the report said in an interview to CBC news. “We are expecting prices to go up, but in a more modest way.”
Ways to save money on your mortgage, auto insurance, and food in 2024
The new year is a time for setting goals and making resolutions to change old habits. Unfortunately for many, it also comes with post-holiday bill shock. Paying down your credit card balance should be a priority.
You could also consider these money-saving hacks for 2024:
Lean into tech: There is an app for nearly any conceivable task these days, including alerting you to sales when prices drop. Get price alerts for the big-ticket items on your wish list (or for that matter, even daily expenses like groceries) to ensure you never miss a bargain.
Make mindful purchases: Don’t enter the grocery store without a list, and make sure you stick to it. The same goes for online shopping — only put the items you need in your cart. While we encourage the responsible use of credit cards, do consider any cashback offers or rewards that may ease your burden with day-to-day expenses. For instance, you could offset some of grocery bill cost with a card that offers cashback on grocery purchases.
Do your research: Spending more money can sometimes save you money. If an item is of better quality, you may have it for longer and not have to purchase it as often. Research your purchases rather than making quick and often price-related decisions to avoid buyer’s remorse.
Compare insurance prices and mortgage rates: You might already shop around for clothing or popular items, like cellphones, but what about your personal financial products, like car and home insurance, or a mortgage? Comparison shopping is free, lets you see the lowest rates from various providers and lenders, and can help you find the best price for your needs.
Save 20% on average on car insurance
Compare quotes from 50+ Canadian providers in 3 minutes.


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At the MeeGo conference 2010 in Dublin, Ireland earlier today, AMD announced its plan to join the MeeGo project. MeeGo, as you might know, is the result of Intel and Nokia combining their mobile operating system projects into a single effort. AMD Software Development Corporate VP Ben Bar-Haim was on hand and had this to say:
"MeeGo represents an exciting, open-source mobile operating system we expect to be adopted by mobile and embedded device makers over time,"
"We are glad to provide engineering resources to joint industry efforts like MeeGo and expect that this operating system will help drive our embedded plans and create expanded market opportunities for our forthcoming Accelerated Processing Units."
A glance at AMD's CPU/APU roadmap adds some clarity to the initially confusing idea of AMD joining forces with Intel. In 2012, AMD plans to release its 28-nm Krishna and Wichita APUs, which are overtly aimed at consumer ultraportables, netbooks, and tablets alike. It just so happens that MeeGo is geared toward the latter two categories, too. Today's move will likely pave the way for AMD-powered MeeGo slates in a year or two. (Thanks to Engadget for the tip.)
|Fractal's double-wide Node 804 case can swallow a dozen drives||35|
|Friday night topic: Where is that plane?||2|
|WSJ: Microsoft, Google pressure Asus into shelving dual-OS tablet||25|
|Deal of the week: Discounted tablets, wireless keyboards, cheap SSDs, and more||11|
|Xbox One tightens gap with PS4 in U.S. shipments||39|
|Amazon Prime gets a price hike; Google Drive gets a price cut||44|
|Somehow this translates into a dual-Hawaii card, right?||95|
|Report: Microsoft waives Windows Phone fees for Indian handset makers||33|
|Mozilla showcases Unreal Engine 4 running in Firefox with no plugins||36|
|The uncompressed audio sounds AMAZING over my $5000 speaker wire. It's truly worth every gigabyte.||+62|


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Sprint’s plans to buy out the U.S. arm of T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom came to an end today, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to the Journal, Sprint’s leadership was concerned that it would be too difficult to get United States regulators to agree to the merger.
The announcement is not yet official, but is said to be planned for Wednesday. If the merger had succeeded, the two companies would have united under the Sprint banner, possibly abandoning all of the “un-carrier” moves made by T-Mobile in recent years, including free one-week iPhone test drives on the network and unlimited music streaming on a variety of services.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere has often been openly critical of his competition, including Sprint and its new “Framily” plan:
[tweet https://twitter.com/JohnLegere/status/496364231156330496 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/JohnLegere/status/496721758981193728 align=’center’]
Sprint has been attempting to revitalize its own network, which it has marketed as “America’s newest network” in recent ads, and according to the Journal’s report now believes that it is now more capable of surviving on its own.
Update: Sprint has yet to announce plans to stop pursuing T-Mobile, however the wireless carrier just named a new CEO.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), August 06, 2014 – Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) today announced that its Board of Directors named Marcelo Claure as the company’s next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 11. Claure, 43, joined the Sprint Board of Directors in January and is the Founder and CEO of Brightstar Corp., a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp. As President and CEO, Claure’s first priority will be to continue the build out of Sprint’s network by leveraging its strong spectrum holdings as well as ensuring that Sprint always maintains truly competitive offers in the marketplace.
Since founding Brightstar in 1997, Claure has grown the company from a small Miami-based distributor into a global business, with $10.5 billion in gross revenue for the year ended in 2013. Brightstar has become the world’s largest specialized wireless distributor and a leading provider of diversified services to the wireless industry. Claure was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, highlighting exceptional global leaders 40 years of age or younger. Throughout his career, Claure has received several Entrepreneur of the Year and CEO of the year awards.
“Marcelo is a successful entrepreneur who transformed a start-up into a global telecommunications company. He has the management experience, passion and drive to create the strongest network and offer the best products and services in the wireless industry,” said Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son. “While we continue to believe industry consolidation will enhance competitiveness and benefit customers, our focus moving forward will be on making Sprint the most successful carrier.”
“I’ve had the unique opportunity to spend the past few months actively engaging with Sprint’s Board, management team and front-line employees,” said Claure. “I am honored to have the opportunity to now lead the Sprint team as we mobilize to become the wireless carrier of choice in the U.S. In the short-term, we will focus on becoming extremely cost efficient and competing aggressively in the marketplace. While consolidating makes sense in the long-term, for now, we will focus on growing and repositioning Sprint.”
Claure will resign his position at Brightstar effective August 11 and SoftBank announced it would acquire Claure’s remaining interest in the Company.
Claure succeeds Dan Hesse, who joined Sprint as President and CEO in December 2007 and led the company through a series of acquisitions, including the merger with SoftBank, and a multi-year overhaul of its nationwide network, including the shutdown of the Nextel network. Hesse received Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and was named by Glassdoor in 2014 as being among the highest-rated CEOs by employees, and twice received Wireless Week’s Leadership Award. In 2014’s American Customer Satisfaction Index, Sprint is the most improved U.S. company in overall customer satisfaction, across all 43 industries, over the last six years.
“I’m proud of the resilience of Sprint’s people during a difficult transformation and I’m optimistic about how they will build on a foundation of innovation to succeed in the future,” Hesse said. “It’s been an honor to have led such dedicated teammates for more than six-and-a-half years. Marcelo has been a great addition to Sprint’s Board and his entrepreneurial background, business savvy, industry experience and strong relationship with Masayoshi Son make Marcelo an excellent choice to lead Sprint going forward.”
“Dan has guided Sprint through a challenging period and has built a solid foundation for future growth. The Board sincerely appreciates his leadership,” said Son.
Claure will be based at Sprint headquarters in Overland Park, KS, and plans to relocate to the Kansas City area.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Lincoln-brand dealers face an Oct. 1 deadline to comply with new operating guidelines designed to make’s luxury marque more competitive in the luxury-vehicle market.
The guidelines are intended to upgrade the customer experience, the auto maker says.’s plan to begin measuring compliance April 1 is among the pillars that support an aggressive strategy to breathe new energy into the storied brand.
Another pillar is a dealer network that is smaller than the current 1,100-store organization.
“Without those two elements, everything’s lost,” Ken Czubay, vice president-sales and marketing, says here at the National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention.
The auto maker declines comment when asked how many dealers it hopes to cut nationwide.
’s Lexus brand, the U.S.-market’s luxury-segment leader for 11 years running, has fewer than 500 dealers and recorded 229,329 new-vehicle deliveries in 2010, according to Ward’s data.
Lincoln’s swollen network accounted for 179,023 sales last year, more than half of which were Mercury-brand vehicles, which Ford phased out of production last year.
But Czubay confirms a dealer-count bogey in the 320 range to cover the top 130 markets.
Lincoln has 434 dealers in those markets now, down from 500 in October when Ford first announced its plan to rejuvenate its luxury brand’s business.
The operating guidelines outlined for dealers include implementation of a certified pre-owned vehicles program and customer-service upgrades, such as providing car washes and loaners when Lincoln owners bring in their vehicles for repair.
These are “basic elements that are required to conquest customers in the luxury market,” says Jim Farley, group vice president-global marketing, sales and service.
A third pillar of Lincoln’s plan for success is new product. Farley promises seven new or refreshed products over the next three years.
The first of this group, the MKX midsize cross/utility vehicle, is launching now. The rollout also includes a C-segment vehicle, the brand’s first.
Farley also reminds dealers Lincoln now has its own dedicated design chief, former Cadillac designer Max Wolff, who bolted to the Blue Oval company in January.
Dealers largely seemed unfazed by the push to trim their numbers. “Nothing new,” says one as he exited the meeting with Farley, Czuby and other executives.
“I think Lincoln has a bright future,” says Chuck Eide, general manager of Sioux Falls Ford in Sioux Falls, SD.


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19.03. The European microtechnology industry has recently been more eager to invest than in previous years. In the annual economic data survey, which the IVAM Microtechnology Network has conducted in February 2015, almost a third of the participating companies stated that they have invested more in 2014 than in the year before. This is a higher percentage than in the past years and also, it seems, above the European average.
We congratulate the winners of the 7th IVAM Marketing PrizeMMT GmbH from Siegen, Germany convinced the jury with a communication campaign for the product launch of „Airtune“. Implemented were e.g. naming, logo design, corporate design, online presence and POS advertising material.
Profile of MMT GmbH
The Marketing Prize in the category "Video" goes to FRT, Fries Research & Technology GmbH from Bergisch-Gladbach.
Watch the awarded video of FRT GmbH.
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Printed electronics, printed diagnostics and 3D printing: ΣYSTEMS INTEGRATION in Finland focusses on high-tech printing04.03. New high-tech printing processes play a significant role in developing new products for various industries. Printed ...
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