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Chocolate sales in China reached Chinese Yuan 7.7 billion (€846m) in 2009 according to Euromonitor, after growing by a compound annual rate of 10 per cent since 2004. The market is still relatively undeveloped, with average per capita consumption a tiny 90 grams – well behind developed world rates, says the research firm, but this means that strong potential for growth remains.
Prior to the 1990s, few Chinese had ever tasted chocolate, except those who had contacts abroad, says Shao Feng, marketing director of the snack foods division at Chinese food conglomerate Cofco. Now, sales are being driven by rising incomes in the major cities and an increasing desire for Western products.
“Women now have higher salaries and can afford to buy themselves snacks,” says Shao. Cofco bought a registered Swiss brand – Le Conté – and imported Swiss manufacturing equipment and know-how to start the country’s first chocolate factory in the Shenzhen special economic zone near Hong Kong in 1991.
Yet it has struggled to compete with international confectionery heavyweight Mars. The company was one of the first foreign firms to enter China, setting up a manufacturing facility in 1993. Aggressive advertising and a wide distribution network has turned its Dove brand into China’s best-known chocolate, and also established the taste profile for chocolate in the market, explains Lawrence Allen, a former executive at Hershey’s and Nestlé, “This was virgin territory. There was a willing consumer who wanted to try a foreign, exotic product. And Dove was everywhere. It was classic mobile warfare.”
Dove had a 9.4 per cent share of the market in 2008, well ahead of Le Conté’s 5.7 per cent, according to Euromonitor. Dove is marketed as a ‘silky, smooth taste’, often accompanied by an image of a beautiful woman. Cofco is now trying to rival Dove’s position with a new slogan – ‘The richest, purest, and most beloved Le Conté’. “Their chocolate is sweeter, while we have a higher cocoa content. Our chocolate is more pure,” explains Shao.
But Allen, author of the China business book ‘Chocolate Fortunes’, doubts that Cofco can rival foreign brands, “The Chinese first tasted chocolate when they received it as a gift from abroad. It is still seen as a foreign indulgence.”
However, Shao claims that the Chinese consumer is more interested in quality than the origin of the brand. His view is perhaps supported by the surge in dark chocolate products entering the market. They accounted for a third of all new product launches in 2008, according to market research firm Mintel, although the trend slowed last year.
Many brands highlight the percentage of cocoa clearly on their packaging. Mars launched a 66 per cent cocoa product last June (called ‘Chun hei qiao ke li’, which means pure dark chocolate), one of the highest on the Chinese market. Ferrero followed a few months later with the introduction of Ferrero Rondnoir in two test markets, Guangzhou and Nanjing. Meanwhile, Cadbury’s and Lotte offer 45% cocoa content products in China, while Lindt has introduced a 99% cocoa content bar and reports good demand from older women.
“The growth of dark chocolate is very noticeable,” said Kevin Zhu, analyst at Euromonitor. “These products are positioned as a premium and target females who care about their figure.”
Health concerns in China are creating some niche categories. Beijing Yili Food specialises in sugar-free chocolate. “Our target consumers are young girls who don’t want to gain weight and people with diabetes. There are more and more diabetics in China,” said spokeswoman Zhang Bin. Nestlé says it is adapting its successful Wafer range to meet growing needs for ‘healthy snacking’. A strawberry yoghurt wafer, launched this year, contains added calcium.
Chocolate packaging is also evolving in China as consumers in major cities become chocolate lovers. Packs containing bite-sized chocolate pieces are popular, particularly among consumers still developing a chocolate-eating habit. “Many Chinese won’t eat a bar in one go. You often see an open chocolate bar sitting on an office desk, with the top folded over with a paper clip,” said Allen.
Hershey’s Kisses proved popular for this reason and their pouch packaging has been copied by others. Manufacturers are increasingly targeting upwardly mobile women with more handy packets, however. Lotte’s cocoa-rich Dreamy Chocolate comes in a plastic bottle, the kind more commonly known to contain chewing gum. Dove has recently launched Xin Sui, which consists of different flavours of chocolate drops sold in plastic containers even smaller than Lotte’s chewing gum bottle. Both packs are well-suited to carrying in handbags.
However, such products are rarely found beyond Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities. In those regions, gift-giving remains the major driver of chocolate sales. Boxed assortments made up about 40 per cent of total sales in China in 2009, according to Euromonitor, as wealthier consumers sought to show off their rising status by lavishing chocolates on business relations. Weddings, Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day are increasingly important for chocolate makers too.
Ferrero has done well out of this trend, taking a number three position in the market thanks to its boxes of gold-wrapped Ferrero Rocher. “This is the perfect product for China,” says Allen, pointing to the traditional Chinese belief in gold as an auspicious colour.
Nonetheless, Shao claims that Le Conté is ahead of Ferrero in sales thanks to Cofco’s much wider distribution network. Unlike most foreign firms, its reach extends into the ‘second-tier’, or smaller, Chinese cities. Allen believes that Cofco’s chocolate brands will benefit as these cities develop, tapping into desires of the upwardly mobile population who no longer want to buy the cheap compound chocolate made by some of the domestic brands. “When the middle section of the market opens up, Le Conté will be there. You’ve still got a billion people out there who have never tasted chocolate.”
Meanwhile, in the top-tier cities, brands that nurture an image of exotic luxury will continue to win sales. One such name is Belgium-based Senz, which has recently introduced its Art of Expression range. “Chocolate produced in Belgium has a good image,” says Euromonitor’s Zhu. The product also contains macadamia nuts, another exotic ingredient. Indeed, chocolate with nuts is expected to be a growing trend in new chocolate launches in China, according to Helen Zhao, research manager at Mintel in Shanghai.
Source: Confectionery Production


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There are two million people with amputations in the U.S. For many of these patients, prosthetic devices offer greater mobility. Now, researchers are testing a new generation of prosthetics that are like nothing you’ve seen.
The prosthetics help amputees get around but have limitations.
Here's how it works, the brain signal travels down his spinal cord, through the nerves; electrodes in the prosthetic pick up signals from the muscles. So, the prosthetic device that actually works according to your thought.
Tand is not yet available for patient use.
Until now—only thought-controlled arms were available. Although the cost of the “bionic leg” hasn’t been determined, and the device is still being studied , researchers say a version could be available for consumer use within three to five years.

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Meet the all-in-one technology that will disrupt the current payments landscape. Cryptobucks, developed by South Florida’s Aliant Payments and Shokworks, is a blockchain technology payment app that has enabled worldwide acceptance of Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum since 2018. But a new addition to the app makes Cryptobucks one of the first payment applications in which a merchant can accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and cryptocurrency payments all in one easy-to-use app.
The current payment infrastructure was originally developed decades ago, before the internet. Since then, there have been very few changes. In 2017, Aliant Payments CEO Eric Brown recognized this problem and started moving into blockchain and cryptocurrency payments.
Aliant, a traditional payment processing company founded in 2003, partnered with Shokworks, an industry disrupter in digital spaces, to develop Cryptobucks. The app converts digital currency into U.S. dollars and deposits it to merchants’ bank accounts within 48 hours. A future update will allow merchants to decide what percentage they want to liquidate vs. remain in digital currency.
The process is easy for the merchant and customer. Merchants don’t need their own digital wallets – Cryptobucks does all the work. Customers with digital wallets can complete transactions in less than a minute, and credit card users in less time. Cryptobucks works with all digital wallets, so consumers do not have to download a specific wallet to pay with crypto, and can use Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, etc.
“What makes Cryptobucks so great isn’t just that it’s the first cryptocurrency-and-credit-card-to-merchant transaction app in the market, but that it comes from a trusted payment processing company with nearly two decades of experience,” said Aliant Payments CEO Brown.
Cryptobucks had several early successes, including the NFL’s first cryptocurrency deal. Brown collaborated with Litecoin to integrate cryptocurrency payments for the Miami Dolphins’ 2019 season.
“Using cryptocurrency is perfect for sports teams, airlines, gaming organizations, automotive sales, jewelry, real estate and more,” said Shokworks COO Daniel Laplana. “Cryptobucks is safe, secure and easy-to-use. We’re proud to work with Aliant Payments on this groundbreaking app.”
Shokworks is an industry disruptor in digital spaces and has recently launched a unique gamification platform with Rivals Media Group, a VR platform with unlimited possibilities with Immersity, a geo-messaging app that connects the digital and physical worlds with Rypplzz, and a skill-based game, High Speed Hands.


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CANNES, France — The traffic in new products was busier than usual at the Tax Free World Association annual meeting, which ran from Sept. 18 to 23 here, as beauty manufacturers hawked their wares for distributors and travel-retail operators.
Among the major fragrance initiatives to be shown was Salvatore Ferragamo’s Signorina eau de parfum. The scent, due out starting in February, targets young women. IFF perfumers Sophie Labbé and Juliette Karagueuzoglou conceived its juice, and its bottle sports the brand’s signature grosgrain ribbon.
“I believe that in terms of volume, Signorina can be the double of Attimo,” said Luciano Bertinelli, chief executive officer of Ferragamo Parfums. “Everybody in every area says [the new fragrance] can match with our tastes. It can probably be the line number one or number two [item] in the next 18 months.”
Signorina marks the first time Ferragamo Parfums is investing in U.S. magazine advertising, while in China there will be TV ad campaigns in the future.
Meanwhile, the Attimo franchise is set for expansion, too. The Attimo Pour Homme scent is slated for a launch in September, the same month Attimo L’Eau Florale for women will come out.
The international introduction of L’Amour Fou in February will be the Emanuel Ungaro brand’s first major fragrance launch in six years. To help bolster it, Ferragamo — the Ungaro fragrance licensee — will for the first time air TV advertising in France.
Procter & Gamble is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Escada fashion fragrance franchise with the reedition in January of three of its bestsellers of the series — Sexy Graffiti, Island Kiss and Rockin Rio. “We’re starting to see a turnaround of the brand,” said Joanne Crewes, president, P&G Prestige.
“It was slowing down for us,” added Carolyn Tastad, vice president, P&G Prestige Global Market Operations. This fall, P&G will attempt to capitalize on its huge Gucci Guilty franchise by launching an Intense version for men and for women.
The company is also rolling out a Boss Collection series of five artisanal fragrances in which fabrics are correlated with olfactive families.
Another huge franchise for P&G is SK-II. The brand’s Cellumination will be introduced in Asia’s travel-retail locations before it hits domestic markets.
Over at Inter Parfums SA, a new Lanvin men’s scent, called Avant-Garde, is due out starting in February. Then, one month later, the Boucheron fragrance line will be relaunched with four existing fragrances updated with new packaging. And a completely new Boucheron scent is slated for 2013.
This year, Inter Parfums SA’s strategy, according to its chairman and ceo, Philippe Benacin, “was to push the three new launches, which were Jimmy Choo, Montblanc Legend and Burberry Body, and to have strong launches, which was the case. These three fragrances are very successful.”
Together, they have generated this year in ex-factory terms 60 million euros to 80 million euros, or $80.6 million to $107.4 million at current exchange, he said, adding that would lead to 20 to 22 percent revenue growth for Inter Parfums SA this year.
Also in 2011, the company doubled its marketing budget to 100 million euros, or $134.3 million.
ICR-ITF president Roberto Martone called business from the ICR fragrance distribution branch “extremely good. This will be another fantastic year for our company.” The ITF manufacturing arm is “doing well,” too, he said, adding the two new Trussardi fragrances were well-accepted.
“This is very important because for us, Trussardi will be a strategic brand for the future,” said Martone. From Dsquared — the largest brand in ICR-ITF’s portfolio — early results for the new Potion for Man scent were quite good, he continued.
“We think in a year and a half we can recover the loss of turnover from Cavalli,” said Martone, referring to the designer fragrance license that ended with his company on June 30.
Parfums Lalique, which is owned by Art & Fragrance, showcased various projects, including a new iteration of the Nilang eau de parfum, introduced in 1995 but discontinued two years later. Its juice remains the same as the original’s, but its packaging has been reworked. There’s also a numbered and signed crystal Nilang bottle decorated with gold and containing perfume extract, due out in December. The rest of the line was launched in France in mid-September before its rest-of-the world rollout in mid-October.
The annual limited edition of the Lalique de Lalique edp for 2012, in a crystal flaçon with rose, jasmine and honeysuckle-leave designs, was created with Parfums Lalique’s 20th anniversary in mind.
“We wanted to pay homage to the olfactive pyramid of Lalique de Lalique,” explained Julie Carry, marketing manager for Parfums Lalique.
TPR Holding is relaunching its recently acquired Freeze 24-7 skin care brand in Bloomingdale’s, starting in eight doors.
For the brand, TPR Holdings president Brian Robinson’s strategy involves “heavy sampling, strong p.r., product innovation, strong visibility and developing good partnerships with the retailers and normalizing relations.”
In April, two new Freeze 24-7 products will debut.
Another focus for TPR is its Oscar Blandi hair care line that boasts about 25 stockkeeping units.
“We’re looking to elevate the brand, because we still think there’s white space in that prestige area,” said Robinson. “With Oscar Blandi, we’re doing a packaging harmonization, and we’re really focusing on what we see our unique proposition is — which is quick fixes. So our claim to fame is we’re the leader in dry shampoo.”
His intention is to make the line more shopable and to bring it international, using Sephora as a preferred partner.
“Right now we’re just trying to assess the landscape on what the proper distribution is,” said Robinson. New products for Beauté Prestige International next year include L’Eau d’Issey pour Homme Sport in spring and a new women’s fragrance for the Issey Miyake brand starting at the end of 2012. Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male line will be extended with two collectors’ editions, among other introductions. Early next year, Narciso Rodriguez will get two limited editions, an eau de toilette délicate and an eau de parfum délicate. Some other novelties for the brand comprise a floral eau de toilette and an amber edt. An Elie Saab Le Parfum edt is set for second-half 2012. Additional product news at the TFWA trade show included:
• Euroitalia is rolling out the Yellow Diamond scent and will launch the third John Richmond fragrance in Italy in October.
• La Prairie is introducing the U.S. Cellular Power Charge Night, an overnight antiaging treatment, before rolling it out elsewhere in February.
• Perfume Holding recently launched Divine from La Perla and Eau de Iceberg. The company is to introduce Ferrari Essence Oud in November in the Middle East and a second Ducati scent, Fight for Me, in October in Germany and Italy.
• Bulgari’s three-unit Secret de Gems antiwrinkle skin care line, whose formula includes amethyst, is to come out in numerous European and Asian countries in October and will hit U.S. shelves in February.
Exclusive: @britneyspears is continuing to expand her brand. The pop icon, who appears in @kenzo ’s latest campaign, is partnering with Epic Rights to launch a line of branded merchandise. Read @hernameislex ‘s story, link in bio. #wwdnews #britneyspears
The Duchess of Cambridge channeled Princess Diana’s look upon giving birth to Prince Harry, when she and the Duke of Cambridge departed the hospital with the new baby Prince this afternoon in London. #wwdeye #princeofcambridge
The new Prince of Cambridge has arrived! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posed with the 8-pound newborn. She wore a look from one of her go-to designers, @jennypackham. Tap link in bio for more. #wwdeye #princeofcambridge
Jewelry label @alisonlou has made a name for itself with fine jewelry that speaks to the Millennial market. Now @twallz21 reports that the label is bringing those playful ideas to a new affordable line of lucite hoops with the launch of Loucite by Alison Lou. Here’s a look from the line modeled by @emrata. #wwdaccessories
@sarahjessicaparker and @gilt are teaming up on a bridal ready-to-wear line. Tomorrow, Parker will launch SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Bridal — and as part of the launch, Gilt will offer 15 exclusive styles from the SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker footwear collection that were designed to complement the new line. Made out of 10 styles, the line is designed for a variety of occasions, from bridal showers to receptions. Get more details on WWD.com #wwdfashion
A grooming moment between @tanfrance and @antoni last night at the The LGBT Community Center Trailblazer Awards honoring Anna Wintour, Ricky Martin and more. See more photos at WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
“It was a very surreal feeling. It wasn’t like we were in the studio together coming up with it — it’s more like he discovered it and loved it. I didn’t let myself get my hopes up, but then it happened it was very exciting,” said singer-songwriter @nombe on discovering that @pharrell would be using his song, “Cant Catch Me” on his HBO documentary series “Outpost.” The German-born singer — named Noah MacBeth — talked to WWD about feminism, using art as a platform for political expression and personal style. Read more on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
This season, denim is going west – in influence. Brands like @fathersdaughterla (pictured here), @tommyhilfiger Jeans, @levis and more are opting for raw, top-stitching styles. (Styled by @thealexbadia; 📷: @ryanplett)


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(CBS DETROIT) - The Detroit Auto Show announced on Wednesday a 35-vehicle brand lineup for this year's show.
The 2023 North American International Auto Show runs Sept. 13-24 at Huntington Place in Detroit.
"We're thrilled to be able to bring auto show audiences a broad spectrum of brands and vehicles," said Detroit Auto Show Executive Director Rod Alberts. "As a dealer association-backed auto show, one of our main goals is to display all the brands that are sold in our region. This blend of bringing together corporate- and dealer-supported vehicles is trending at auto shows nationwide, and it's really become the catalyst for the future success of shows across the country. Dealers are still the closest conduit to the consumer."
The brands on display
- Alfa Romeo
- Aston Martin
- Land Rover
As part of the new Powering Michigan EV Experience indoor track ride-along activation, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Tesla and Volkswagen will showcase their EVs.
In addition, this year's show will feature an Exotic and Luxury Showcase.
"We will showcase some of the latest and most intriguing products available – from current and future vehicles to electric products to 800 horsepower exotics," Alberts said. "It's a powerhouse display of vehicles appealing to every type of car enthusiast and show visitor."
Actress and singerduring the annual black-tie charity preview on Friday, Sept. 15.
The show opens to the public on Saturday, Sept. 16, and.
2023 Detroit Auto Show Dates
- Media Day, Wednesday, Sept. 13
- Technology Days and AutoMobili-D, Wednesday, Sept. 13 and Thursday, Sept. 14
- Mobility Global Forum, Wednesday, Sept. 13 and Thursday, Sept. 14
- Charity Preview, Friday, Sept. 15
- Public Show, Saturday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 24
for more features.


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Now in its fourth edition, Public Coast Brewing Co. is excited to once again host its HAYDAY! 40 Oregon Beers, 1 Epic Beer Fest. This year’s festival will take place on Saturday, August 26, 2023 from 3:00-7:00pm at the brewery in scenic Cannon Beach, Oregon.
HAYDAY! will feature 40 Oregon craft beers – including selections from coastal breweries and beyond – as a celebration of another incredible year in Oregon beer.
“Oregon has always had a vibrant beer industry, and we take a great deal of honor in being a part of the brewing community,” said Ryan Snyder, owner of Public Coast Brewing Co. “We started HAYDAY! as a way to showcase the breweries around the state who inspired our vision. After last year’s fest was canceled, we’re excited to finally welcome guests back safely to continue this celebration filled with excellent beer, delicious food and fun for everyone.”
HAYDAY! attendees will enjoy a coastal celebration of Oregon beer, live music from Nervous Jenny, and fantastic eats from the Public Coast Culinary team.
There are two admission options, General Admission and the VIP Experience. Advance ticket purchase is required and HAYDAY! is open to only those of legal drinking age. VIP ttickets are limited and end on Tuesday, August 22.
- $40 per ticket
- Includes: Commemorative glass, samples of more than 40 beer and beverage options
- $100 per ticket
- Includes: Commemorative glass, samples of more than 40 beer and beverage options, food vouchers and non-alcoholic beverage offerings (up to $30 value), selection of one standard beer to take home in commemorative 32-ounce growler (up to $30 value)
To purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.tickettomato.com/event/8201.
Public Coast Brewing
264 E 3rd Street
Cannon Beach, OR 97110


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A cellphone seized during the arrest of a Russian man the U.S. wants extradited for allegedly laundering vast sums through bitcoin transactions should provide key data for the investigation, Greek police said Thursday.
Anyone holding the digital currency bitcoin could soon face some unsettling problems—up to and including financial losses, whipsawing prices and delays in processing payments.
Giving early adopters the first access to new technologies can help diffuse those technologies among the masses. A notable example is Google's rollout of Gmail: In 2004, about 1,000 select users were given exclusive access ...
The head of the failed Japan-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of embezzlement and data manipulation.
The head of the failed Japan-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox is due to appear in Tokyo District Court on Tuesday to face embezzlement charges.
Bitcoin reached a huge new peak in value in June 2017, when one unit of the virtual currency was worth US$2,851 (£2,208), up from around US$600 just a year earlier. More than 10m people worldwide are now thought to own bitcoin ...
When there is a rapid growth in any of the crypto-currencies and assets such as Bitcoin, Ether, Zcash and others, many will call it out as a bubble. Indeed, on a relatively short time scale it clearly looks like a bubble.
Unlike gold or dollar bills, the digital currency known as bitcoin does not physically exist. There is no there there.
The very design features that make Bitcoin technology appealing to its users are also weaknesses being exploited for the theft of the cryptocurrency – new research reveals.
It's worth more than an ounce of gold right now, it's completely digital and it's the currency of choice for the cyberattackers who crippled computer networks around the world in recent days.


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In the wake of Karl Lagerfeld’s passing, French fashion house Chanel has released a new episode of its ‘3.55’ podcast. The inaugural guest of the Métier Class by Chanel series was none other than its iconic creative director, who candidly spoke with Monocle’s Editor-in-Chief Tyler Brûlé during one of his final interviews.
It was recorded just hours before the Métiers d’Art show last December and gives a rare glimpse into Lagerfeld’s inner workings. As he delved deep into his creative process, disinterest in social media, and desire to remain a mystery, it was evident that his declining health had no impact on his wisdom and witty spirit. He also touched on the importance of authenticity in the fashion industry, sharply expressing, “Never compare, never compete!”
In the remaining episodes of Métier Class by Chanel, which will be released throughout the month, Brûlé speaks with other integral members of the house. Through his conversations with president of fashion Bruno Pavlovsky, creative consultant Amanda Harlech, and brand ambassador Pharrell Williams, listeners will be given insights into the brand’s attention to detail and legendary artisanship. And for a project of such significance, there was no better place to start than the enlightened mind of Lagerfeld himself, a glimpse of which you’ll get in the interview, below.


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11 July 2018, Sweetcrude, Abuja — Nigeria exported Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG, valued at N482.54 billion in the first quarter of 2018, according to latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS.
The NBS, in its first quarter 2018 Foreign Trade Statistics, stated that LNG export in the quarter under review appreciated by 15.83 per cent from N416.588 billion recorded in the fourth quarter of 2017.
In addition, the report stated that the country exported other petroleum gases valued at N30.754 billion, rising by 8.21 per cent from N28.42 billion recorded in the fourth quarter of 2017; while other medium petroleum oil export slumped by 53.5 per cent to N5.73 billion from N12.32 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017.
In general, the report noted that Nigeria’s total export stood at N4.7 trillion, rising by 20.02 per cent and 56.01 per cent over fourth quarter 2017 and first quarter 2017 crude oil export respectively.
The report added that Nigeria’s export in the first quarter of 2017 was dominated by crude oil, noting however, that the proportion of non-crude oil export increased from 17 per cent in the last quarter to approximately 24 per cent in the review quarter.
The report said: “The value of crude oil export at N3.58 trillion in the first quarter of 2018, which accounted for 76.3 per cent of the total exports from Nigeria.
“In the review quarter, mineral products accounted for N4.14 trillion or 88.28 per cent of the total export from Nigeria. This category of export saw a 10.05 per cent growth from the previous quarter, and as in previous quarters, it was dominated by crude oil exports.
‘The second largest component of export was machinery and transport equipment, which recorded N389.74 billion or 8.30 per cent of the total export in the review quarter. This was a sharp increase from N12.47 billion as recorded in the last quarter of 2017.”
Continuing, the NBS report noted that in the first quarter of 2018, Europe and Asia remained the top two export destination continents, recording N2.284 trillion and N1.311 trillion respectively, adding that value of exports to these two continents showed a steady growth of 48.47 per cent and 26.81 per cent respectively compared to the previous quarter.


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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and though we may not be in for a white Christmas here in the Lone Star State, we’re still hauling out the holly and decking way more than just the halls. No matter where you go in Texas you are bound to find some absolutely magnificent Christmas lights displays. Grab your hot chocolate, pick out a Christmas tree, and check out 11 of the most impressive Christmas Lights displays in Texas.
Every year a neighborhood on the South side of Corpus Christi transforms into a winter wonderland of lights and fun!
Located in McKinney Park in Odessa, you’ll find the annual holiday lights display light up nightly from 6-11 PM. The city of Odessa says Starbright Village is the “Largest display of lights in the Permian Basin”, with a holiday village featuring over 270,000 lights that play along with Christmas music on the radio.
Take one of Santa’s Hayride Tours through a spectacularly Texan Christmas light display in College Station! Also, stop by Santa’s Town for food and shopping after viewing the lights. The tree lighting is a gorgeous display you have to see with your own eyes.
The Blanco County Courthouse in Johnson City has some of the most impressive holiday lights in the Hill Country. From late November through December, the Blanco County Courthouse and its surrounding trees are draped in 100,000 Christmas lights. It’s one of the best spots in America to celebrate Christmas.
The annual Gift of Lights drive-through light display at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth features over 600 LED light displays on the 1.5 miles of track. On the inside track is Santa’s Village, where you can get popcorn and hot cocoa, and meet the big guy himself.
Visit the Houston Zoo nightly through Jan. 9 to view an awe-inspiring, twinkling lights display that features light animals and blacklight jungle displays. There are plenty of other activities as well, such as gingerbread decorating, caroling and of course, the animals! (Those that aren’t sleeping, that is)
Beginning Nov. 23, you can drive or stroll through this Christmas park in San Saba, which has more than a million lights set to curated Christmas broadcast over local FM radio. This free is open nightly beginning at dusk until 10 p.m., and runs until Jan. 5.
Do some Christmas shopping, catch a meal with a friend or just stroll around in historic downtown Grapevine. Every year Main street is decked out in thousands of lights and decorations and features lighted displays to commemorate the holiday season. Known as “the Christmas Capital of Texas”, Grapevine has a lot to offer the holiday crowd such as tractor-drawn wagon rides, and lots of Christmas photo opportunities.
For a beautiful, festive experience take a walk down the San Antonio Riverwalk. The beautiful trees that line the San Antonio river are adorned each year in hundreds of thousands of sparkling Christmas lights. For a real treat, take a night time riverboat tour!
Vitruvian Park in the North Dallas town of Addison is the perfect place to go to see some incredible Christmas lights displays. The park is lit from Nov. 28 until Jan. 1, and features live music on Saturdays.
Called the “largest choreographed lights and music show in North Texas”, Christmas in the Square in Frisco is a truly exciting holiday experience. Snow machines create snow flurries every 15 minutes so you and your family can go walking in a winter wonderland no matter what the weatherman calls for.
Starting Dec. 8 and running nightly until Dec. 22, the Trail of Lights is a beloved Austin tradition that has been going on for over 50 years – with a brief hiatus in 2009 and 2010. The trail of lights features over two million lights, a ferris wheel, carousel, kettle corn and all kinds of displays and exhibits for the whole family!


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Stay in the know and receive the latest international franchising news, insight and investment opportunities
Global ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins has announced the signing of 18 new store development agreements in the Greater Toronto Area with with six new and existing franchise groups. There are currently almost 100 Baskin-Robbins stores located in the Greater Toronto Area.
Grant Benson, CFE, vice president of global franchising and business development, Dunkin’ Brands said, “Our secret to continued growth includes passionate franchisees who provide a high-level of customer service to guests every day. We are thrilled that these new and existing franchisees will be expanding our brand in Canada.”
Following a 12-year tenure as the head of McDonald’s Canada, John Betts will be succeeded by Jacques Mignault06 Jul 2020 | Read Article >
The international coffee franchise to feature in nine Marine bases across the States03 Jul 2020 | Read Article >
Franchisees Brent and Michele Brouse are opening Wilmington's first Potbelly Sandwich Shop, with 13 new shops across North and South Carolina in the pipeline.30 Jun 2020 | Read Article >
The Asian food franchise will enter the U.K. market in 202130 Jun 2020 | Read Article >
The pizza franchisor is providing further contactless delivery options for socially distancing customers30 Jun 2020 | Read Article >
For further information on the Tiger Bills franchise please submit your details below.


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Hanna Andersson, LLC
On December 5, 2019, law enforcement informed the Organization that credit cards used on its website were available for purchase on a dark web site. The Organization investigated, and confirmed its third-party ecommerce platform, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, was infected with malware that may have scraped information entered by customers into the platform during the purchase process. The earliest potential date of compromise identified by forensic investigators is September 16, 2019, and the malware was removed on November 11, 2019.
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Google today announced a comprehensive update to the Google Assistant. Most of the changes are meant for developers, but everyone will benefit from Assistant's improved ability to interact with third-party applications. To start, Assistant will help people find apps in a more seamless and natural way. For example, updates to the app directory will surface trending sections that change over time. New subcategories are on deck, as well, which will break down directories to provide more fine-tuned results. Google says it is able to do this by using the description developers provide for their apps and keyboard match that text with spoken voice queries made by end users. Finding apps will be aided by implicit discovery, as well, or the ability to connect with an app using contextual queries, such as "fix my bike." Developers will have access to badges that call out family-friendly apps, as well as expanded international support thanks to the addition of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. Other changes target how apps use Assistant to interact directly with people, such as transferring phone calls from the Google Home to a smartphone. Apps will have new powers for handling the end of conversations, such as providing polite or informative farewells, cancelling requests, and finding the right time to suggest account linking. Last, Google wants to ensure developers and their Assistant-powered apps are engaging with users. Moving forward, apps will be able to provide daily updates, gentle suggestions, and push notifications (thanks to a new API.) For example, Google says developers will be able to send alerts via Assistant about upcoming sales or discounts to those who've expressed interest. Google is encouraging developers to put these new tools to use within their Assistant-connected apps. Google hopes the end result will be more useful and informative apps for end users that are discovered and accessed via Google Assistant.
Google today announced a significant change to the appearance of Google Maps. According to Google, it has updated the look of driving, navigation, and transit maps in a way so ancillary information is more visible, such as gas stations when driving or train stations when riding the rails. Maps now relies on a new color scheme to define its legend and (hopefully) make it easier for people to differentiate between points of interest based on color alone. For example, orange signifies food and drink options, while green is for outdoor spaces, and purple is for roadside services. Google believes once people understand the color scheme, they'll be able to spot what they want or need quicker when using Google Maps. Google says this change will impact all versions of Maps (mobile, desktop), as well as other Google services that rely on Maps, such as Assistant, Search, Earth, and Android Auto. The changes will be rolled out over the next few weeks.
Google today released a new version of Google Home, the mobile app smartphone owners use to interact with their Google Home speaker and Chromecast dongles. Google says the revised application should make it easier to find content to share with connected speakers and television sets. To start, the app has been given a full visual makeover that Google claims is more intuitive. It now recommends content from all the user's connected media services, such as Spotify or Netflix, so music and movies are simpler to start streaming. Search has been improved and can now handle keyword searches based on actor, artist, genre, or category. Google Home can now be used to cast movie trailers to a connected TV. Last, the app gives people more control over their entire viewing and listening experience. For example, the redesigned controllers give people the ability to tweak bass or treble on supported speakers, including the Google Home device. The Google Home companion app is free to download from the Play Store.
Google today enabled the broadcast feature on Google Home devices in English in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. Now, people with Google Home devices in their house can broadcast announcements or statements from their phone-based Google Assistant to their Home device. For example, parents can say “Ok Google, broadcast I’m on my way home!” to the Assistant on their phone, and it will broadcast to their Google Home for those to hear. People will need to be signed into the same Google Assistant account on all devices for this to work. Google first announced the broadcast feature earlier this year. Broadcast will become available to more languages and countries over time.
Google is testing a new application for Android phones that can help people better manage on-device storage. Files Go, according to Google, can be put to use to clean up space and keep files organized. For example, it can identify rarely-used apps, spam, and duplicate images that can all be removed to free up storage. Files Go's built-in search tools can assist in finding photos, videos, and documents. The app also makes it easy to quickly and securely share files offline. The app itself is small at just 6 MB. Files Go Beta is free to download from the Google Play Store, though Google warns it may still be buggy.
Skype has updated its mobile app with new tools for customizing pictures similar to Instagram and Snapchat. The photo effects include face stickers, captions, celebrity lookalikes, location and weather, and face swaps for adding a dash of whimsy to shared images. A "magic wand" button appears on the screen after users snap a photo and provides access to the effects tools. Photos can then be shared with friends and family via chat or highlights. Microsoft says the sticker selections will change over time, especially as holidays come and go. The new version of Skype is free to download from the Google Play Store and iTunes App Store.
Google plans to add new safety features to its Chrome browser over the coming weeks that will address user complaints regarding several types of shady behavior. First, Chrome 64 will attempt to foil unwanted redirects. Google says the browser will show any and all redirects originating from third-party frames in a new infobar rather than allowing the redirects to move forward. This will give users the opportunity to remain on the original page they were reading, or to jump to the new content if they wish. Often, these redirects come from aggressive web ads. Second, Chrome 65 will tackle pop-unders. Sometimes when browsing, users click on a link that opens the content they want in a new tab while at the same time the original tab navigates to an unwanted page. Google says some web site purveyors use this method to circumvent popup ads. In Chrome 65, Google will detect this behavior and trigger an infobar, once again giving people the choice to move forward while preserving the original tab. Further down the road, Google hopes too address hard-to-detect behaviors that might include links to third-party web sites disguised as play buttons or other site controls, or transparent overlays on web sites that capture all clicks and open new tabs or windows. These are frequently the cause of user complaints and Google will do what it can to prevent or minimize them.
Google can now let you know just how long the wait will be at your favorite restaurant. Google is adding live wait times to Google Search and Google Maps. Moving forward, the Popular Times section in search results includes an estimated wait time that's live to the moment. Google says tapping any of the hour bars in the Popular Times section displays the average wait for that time of day. Summaries of each day's wait times are available when scrolling left or right. This new tool is being added to Google Search first, with Google Maps to follow shortly.
Google says the November security update for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL includes several behavioral and bug fixes to address user complaints. To start, the new software should resolve the clicking noise heard in some Pixel 2 earpieces during phone calls. Moreover, the update adds a new saturated color mode and tweaks maximum brightness settings for both displays to increase color saturation and lead to a brighter look. Google says the update also ensures the UI will avoid behaviors that might lead to screen burn-in. "These features have been carefully designed so as not to detract from the user experience," explained Google. "Since all OLED displays experience some degree of decay over time, we’ll continue to make enhancements which maximize the life of your Pixel screen." Some users complained of muted colors in the phones' displays, as well as burn-in on the Pixel 2 XL. Other changes in the update include improved Bluetooth pairing and media data visibility with older accessories, as well as improved speed and autofocus behaviors in the camera. The last set of tweaks adjust headphone volume warnings and YouTube's ability to switch from WiFi to LTE during playback. The system downloads for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are rolling out over the air gradually. Google plans to bring further enhancements to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL via the December security update.
Google Assistant on Android handsets is now able to identify songs playing in the background. As long as the music is audible, querying the Assistant with "what song is this?" will cause the app to listen for several seconds and identify the song. Results include the song title, artist, album, lyrics, and links to associated online music services, such as YouTube, Spotify, and Google Play. The feature is free to use and is being rolled out gradually. Google's new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL handsets include a song-recognizing feature that runs in the background and displays the song/artist information on the ambient display.
Google today made its monthly security update available to its branded Android devices. November's patch plugs a handful of security holes that threaten Android devices. Google found dozens of vulnerabilities, most of which were classified as moderately dangerous though some were rated as high and others as critical. Some of problems are related to specific hardware and the associated software drivers that control them, such as components from MediaTek, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. Other vulnerabilities impact the kernel, system, and media framework directly. Google is pushing a patch dated November 5 to resolve these issues. Google said the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus Player, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P devices will receive the November security patch directly over the air. The updated factory image for each of these devices is available for download from Google's developer web site. Google says none of these security holes have yet been exploited. Google already supplied the patches to its handset partners and will soon get one to AOSP.
Samsung today said select customers will soon be able to beta test Samsung Experience 9.0 before its official release. The Samsung Experience, formerly called TouchWiz, is the user interface that Samsung created for its device ecosystem. Starting November 2, Galaxy S8 and S8+ users based in the U.S., U.K., and South Korea will have access to Samsung Experience 9.0, which is based on Android 8 Oreo. Samsung hopes to use the beta period to assess user feedback and fine-tune the platform before its release for "the next flagship Galaxy device." Interested beta testers will need to have an active Samsung account and meet certain (unspecified) requirements. Samsung said the beta may be distributed via the Samsung+ app in the U.S., which is available from the Google Play Store. People can apply to test Samsung Experience 9.0 through the app.
Google today pushed out a significant update to its YouTube Kids mobile application, giving both kids and their parents new features to enjoy. For example, kids can create their own profiles each with a customized appearance. The app is more fine-tuned for children's ages. Older kid will see more content on the home screens, while younger kids will be served less text. For parents, the app has a new setup process to help them select the content that's most appropriate for their kids. Last, kids get their own passcodes to protect their profile so siblings can't make unwanted changes. Google says the kid passcode can be overridden by adults. YouTube Kids is free to download.
HTC today announced the U11 Life, a mid-range handset that resembles the company’s U11 flagship though it tones down specs to reach a reasonable price point. The U11 Life is almost identical to the U11 at a glance, but it trades the U11’s high-quality glass for plastic. HTC achieved the mirror-like finish by using a clear acrylic exterior with metallic paint on the inside surface. The point, according to HTC, is to give people a device that looks like a flagship at a more affordable cost. The U11 Life has a 5.2-inch full HD LCD display and it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor with 3 GB of memory and 32 GB of storage. The U11 Life has a 16-megapixel camera at f/2.0 on both the back and the front. Where the rear camera has phase-detection autofocus, the front camera has fixed focus. The device does include the U11’s squeezable Edge Sense feature for initiating certain actions. Other features include USB-C noise-cancelling earbuds, HTC Alexa voice assistant, IP67 water resistance, and Android 7 Nougat. (HTC will update the phone to Android 8 Oreo by the end of November.) Perhaps most importantly, the U11 Life will be widely available to U.S. consumers. T-Mobile plans to sell the phone and feature it in stores as a “Smart Pick.” The U11 Life will be sold unlocked from HTC starting on November 2 and should hit T-Mobile stores the following day, November 3. The U11 Life is priced at under $349.
Google today made its Google Assistant available in a couple of Romance languages. The Google Assistant now speaks in Spanish and Italian on Android handsets. Google says Spanish is available in the U.S., Mexico, and Spain, while Italian is available in Italy. The Assistant already speaks English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese. Google says support for Spanish and Italian will roll out to end users over the next few weeks.
Cricket Wireless today announced the ZTE Overture 3, an inexpensive Android handset. The phone has a 5-inch FWVGA screen and it relies on a quad-core 1.1 GHz processor with 16 GB of storage. A 5-megapixel camera with flash adorns the rear, while a 2-megapixel camera sits on front. Both can capture video up to 720p HD. The phone is powered by a 2,115mAh battery. Others features include Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, WiFi, and LTE 4G. It runs Android 7 Nougat. Cricket says the ZTE Overture 3 will reach stores on November 10. The phone costs $50, but Cricket will give it those who port in their number for free.
Google today announced a new feature headed to Android phones that should ease Bluetooth pairing pains. The tool, called Fast Pair, makes discovering and pairing with nearby Bluetooth devices much simpler. Google says Fast Pair is being made available to devices running at least Google Play Services 11.7 and Android 6 Marshmallow (and up). Fast Pair relies on Bluetooth Low Energy. Accessories will need to adopt the technology in order for Fast Pair to work properly. Devices with BLE on board will, when put in pairing mode, send information regarding the device identity to nearby Bluetooth devices. The Android phone will see the BLE broadcast and send information back to Google's servers to learn the product name, find the product companion app, and verify the product image. Google then pushes a notification with a "tap to pair" feature complete with the product details. Users need only accept the notification to complete pairing automatically. Google says people will be able to test Fast Pair with Google Pixel Buds or Libratone's Q Adapt On-Ear headphones. Plantronics' Voyager 8200 series wireless headsets will also soon support Fast Pair. Fast Pair is being made available to Android devices over time.
HMD Global today announced the Nokia 2, an entry-level Android smartphone that promises two-day battery life. The phone has a metal frame, polycarbonate rear plate, and Gorilla Glass 3 front. The display measures 5 inches and offers 720p HD resolution. Underneath the hood, the Nokia 2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage. The primary camera has an 8-megaixel sensor with autofocus and LED flash, while the front camera has a 5-megapixel, fixed-focus sensor. The phone packs a huge 4,100mAh battery for extended uptime. Other specs include CAT 4 LTE, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, WiFi, and FM radio, and support for dual SIM cards or one SIM and one memory card. The Nokia 2 runs Android 7 Nougat with the Google Assistant on board. The Nokia 2 goes on sale later this year for about $120. There's no word yet if it will be made available to North American consumers.
Google today announced that YouTube TV subscribers can now access the television service directly from compatible TV sets and streaming boxes. Until today, the service was limited to a mobile app on smartphones and tablets that needed to be cast to TV sets. Google says the YouTube TV app for TV devices is available today to the Nvidia Shield, TVs with Android TV built-in, as well as the Xbox One, One S, and (soon) One X. In the next few weeks, this same app will arrive on additional smart TVs from LG, Samsung, and Sony, as well as the Apple TV streaming box. Subscribers with any of these devices will be able to access and view YouTube TV directly from their television set and can leave their phone or tablet on the coffee table. The app for TV boxes includes the three existing tabs for live TV, recorded/library content, and the home screen. Google changed the app's white background to black for TVs, and added a new Live Guide that's better at displaying what's coming on later. People will be able to use their streaming box or game controller to control live TV, and can pick up where they left off on mobile devices. YouTube TV supports up to six individual users on a single account, each of whom has access to an unlimited DVR of recordings. YouTube TV offers about 50 channels, including live broadcasts from ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, to many of the major markets around the country. It costs $35 per month.
Google today said it has updated the way it handles queries in Search and Maps when people travel. Moving forward, people will be served search results based on their actual location, not the domain they've indicated on the web (such as .com, .uk, .de, etc.) Google says people using Search in the U.S. will automatically be served Search and Maps results for U.S. locations. When a U.S. user travels to Canada, Google will automatically switch to the country service for Canada in order to deliver the best, most-relevant results while that person is traveling. Google will switch country service back to the U.S. when that traveler returns to the States. People can customize this if they wish. Google says the update won't impact how well Google Search and Google Maps work. Instead, results should automatically follow people as they move from country to country. The reason behind the change is that many people often type in the domain for their home country even when traveling abroad, which can skew results. The change is being made to the mobile web, the Google app for iOS, and desktop Search and Maps.
Google says it will update both the Pixel 2 XL and Pixel 2 smartphones in the coming weeks to resolve various issues spotted by early adopters. Starting with the Pixel 2 XL, Google says it will give users more options to tweak the screen's color through a tool added to the display settings. One complaint about the device is its more natural-looking display, which shows muted colors. The new color profile will let people boost saturation for a brighter look if they wish. "One of our design intents was to achieve a more natural and accurate rendition of colors. Based on the recent feedback, we’re adding a new mode for more saturated colors," said Google in a blog post. Concerning burn-in on the display, something witnessed by Phone Scoop and others, Google insists the display falls in line with other OLED displays. "Our current investigation of burn-in confirms that the differential aging is in line with that of other premium smartphones and should not affect the normal, day-to-day user experience of the Pixel 2 XL. Regardless, we use software to safeguard the user experience and maximize the life of the OLED display, and we’ll make ongoing software updates to optimize further," explained Google. For example, it will reduce the brightness of the software control panel that appears persistently at the bottom of the screen, and work with app vendors so the control panel can be switched from black to white, and even disappear entirely when not needed. The smaller Pixel 2 will get its own software patch, though this one targets a clicking sound in the earpiece reported by some customers. Google suggested those who dislike the clicking sound disable NFC for now. It's not clear if the software patch will have the same effect. The separate software updates will arrive at some point in the next few weeks. Both phones will be given an extended warranty. The original warranty was good for one year; now, Google will provide the Pixel 2 XL and Pixel 2 with two years of protection. "We’re very confident that the Pixel 2 delivers an exceptional smartphone experience, and to give users peace of mind, every Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will now come with a two-year warranty worldwide," concluded Google. Technical details concerning the screen color tweaks and burn-in issues are available on Google's user forums for those who might wish to read more.
Amazon today announced that it will soon offer a slew of LG Android smartphones through its Amazon Prime Exclusives program. Among them is the LG Q6 (pictured), marking the first time this particular phone is being made available to U.S. consumers. The Q6, announced in July, features a 5.5-inch, 18:9 display with full HD+ resolution, curved aluminum frame, and minimized bezels. It runs Android 7.1 Nougat and includes Google Assistant and facial recognition for unlocking the phone. The main camera has a standard-angle 13-megapixel sensor and the front camera has a 100-degree, wide-angle 5-megapixel sensor. The Q6 is powered by a Snapdragon 435 processor and includes a 3,000mAh battery and NFC. The Q6 costs $300, but Amazon Prime members can buy it for $230 through Amazon Prime Exclusives. Handsets sold under the Prime Exclusives banner cost less because users agree to view advertisements on the lock screen. Amazon said the Q6 will become available in the coming months. Amazon is also slated to sell the LG G6 ($400), G6+ ($500), and X charge ($150), all of which have been for sale directly from carriers since earlier this year. All four phones are sold unlocked with support for AT&T and T-Mobile.
Google today made the first developer preview of Android 8.1 Oreo available to app writers and beta testers. This update to Android is anything but minor, as it includes a significant number of under-the-hood changes. First up is the Neural Networks API, which lets apps take advantage of hardware acceleration for on-device machine learning operations. Android 8.1 makes changes to notifications. For example, apps can now only make a notification alert sound once per second. Android 8.1 helps developers target low-RAM devices through two new hardware features that let them split their APK into versions for normal and memory-constrained handsets. The beta makes improvements to Oreo's autofill behaviors. For example, developers can create custom descriptions so the Android system shows only partial text strings to protect data such as credit card numbers. Google made it simple to take advantage of the Safe Browsing API, which lets apps detect when an instance of WebView attempts to navigate to a known bad URL. Developers can then customize how their apps respond to known threats. A new shared memory API lets developers create, map, and manage anonymous shared memory that can be used by multiple processes or apps. The WallpaperColors API adds support for managing wallpaper colors. Last, new behaviors can be assigned to the fingerprint reader on Android handsets, including the opportunity to permanently lockout users who fail too many times to unlock their device with a fingerprint. The Android 8.1 Oreo Developer Preview is available to registered developers and Android beta testers. Google has made system images available for direct installation on compatible handsets, though an over-the-air update will also reach registered Google users in the near future.
Google today added support for add-ons to Gmail on the web and Android devices. Add-ons allows power users to bridge Gmail with other business apps for smoother productivity and workflows. Moving forward, Gmail will be able to "contextually surface your go-to app" based on the email at hand to get things done faster. Google says add-ons function the same across the web and Android, so they will only need to be installed and activated once. Google has been testing add-ons with developers since earlier this year. Some of the first to support add-ons include Asana, Dialpad, DocuSign, Hire, Intuit QuickBooks, RingCentral, Smartsheet, Streak, and Trello. The Trello add-on, for example, lets people turn emails into actionable tasks within Trello than can be shared with colleagues. Google says add-ons for Gmail will first be available to its G Suite business customers.
Google today added some 50 games, activities, and stories intended for families to Google Assistant. Using Google Assistant on Android devices or Google Home, families can initiate fun and learning activities by saying things such as "Okay Google, let's learn" or "lets play a game" or "tell me a story." Google says the kid-friendly update is meant to help families spend time pursuing activities together than don't necessarily involve screens. The new family fun stuff can be configured for kids younger than age 13 (with parents permission) so children can have their own personalized account via Family Link. The new features are rolling out to Android and Google Home devices today.
Google has updated its voice-based assistant on Android smartphones to respond to a new catchphrase. In order to activate Google Assistant by voice, smartphone owners have until now needed to speak the "Okay Google" catchphrase. Some feel the phrase is awkward to speak. A new update pushed to the Google Assistant app allows people to use the slightly-easier-to-say "Hey Google" phrase instead. This latter phrase has been available to the Google Home product for a while. Google Assistant is free to download from the Google Play Store.
Google today made good on its promise back in May to release a tool for improving online and in-app payments. Pay with Google allows people to pay with any card on file, including the card they might have associated with Android Pay, Google Play, YouTube, or Chrome. As people navigate the checkout process online Google sends the merchant all the payment and shipping information, negating the need for people to type those details in manually. The transaction then moves forward as it normally would. In order for the service to work within web sites and applications, developers will need to add it themselves with the Google Payment API. Google tells developers they only need to insert a few lines of code to make Pay with Google an option at checkout, and Google doesn't take any fees. Some of the early adopters online include Eat24, Fancy, Kayak, and PostMates, with others including AirBnB, Hotel Tonight, and StubHub coming soon. Some of the first payment services to support Google Pay include Braintree, Vantiv, and Stripe. Pay with Google competes with Apple Pay on the iPhone, which, in addition to handling retail transactions, also helps Mac users with online and in-app payments. Pay with Google is launching first in the U.S. and the U.K.
Google today outlined a number of improvements it has made to the Play Store in order to help both consumers and developers make the most of Android apps and games. The most significant user-facing change is the addition of a "Try It Now" button that accompanies Instant Apps in the Play Store. This allows people to jump right into the app for sampling purposes without downloading or installing the full application. The idea is to give people a taste of what the app or game delivers without requiring them to download or pay for it right away. Google believes this will boost download numbers for developers. The Play Store now includes trailers for games and expanded screenshots depicting gameplay, as well as previews for upcoming releases. The curated Editors' Choice section is now live in 17 countries, providing the best apps and games with even more visibility on end-user devices. Google has made changes to the way it handles subscriptions, though these changes mostly benefit developers. For example, developers can now offer shorter free trials (minimum of three days), as well as enforce one free trial to reduce the potential for abuse. Moreover, beginning in January the subscription fee expense for developers will drop from 30% to 15% for customers who stick around for more than 12 months for any given subscription.
Samsung today said it will work with Google to bring Google's ARCore augmented reality content to a wider range of its smartphones, including the Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note8. Using the ARCore SDK, developers will be able to create augmented reality experiences for millions of Galaxy handsets. Google announced ARCore in August. The effort will see less-demanding hardware requirements for running AR apps on Android devices, expanding AR's reach to some 100 million phones. In addition to its stance on AR, Samsung also provided an update on its efforts in the virtual reality space. For example, it continues to iterate on its Gear VR headset for Galaxy smartphones and recently introduced the Samsung Internet VR, a browser optimized for the Gear VR. Another app called Samsung PhoneCast VR lets people translate 2D apps into 3D AR through mirroring for improved gameplay. Samsung offers developers the Samsung Gear VR Framework, an open-source VR rendering engine with a Java interface. The Java UI gives developers a familiar environment in which to create without forcing them to learn new SDKs. Samsung says it will continue to work with partners such as Google and Facebook/Oculus to push mobile-based AR and VR forward.
Google is allowing people to use their non-Gmail email service within the Gmail app for iOS. Apple's own iOS email app and Microsoft's Outlook email app both already support multiple email services, as does Gmail on Android handsets. This will be the first time Google has brought the feature to its iOS Gmail app. Those interested in testing the feature can sign up with Google to take the beta app for a spin. The beta app will be distributed through TestFlight, rather than the iTunes App Store. Google hasn't said how long the feature might be in testing before it reaches final form.
Google today updated its YouTube TV and Google Home products, giving them the ability to speak with one another. Moving forward, YouTube TV subscribers will be able to control YouTube TV on their television set via Google Home. People will need to link their YouTube TV account with their Google Home (or Chromecast). Once that step is complete, they can utter requests such as “Play last week’s ‘NCIS’” or “Play the MLB game” and Google Home will take care of the rest. YouTube TV costs $35 per month and is available in many U.S. cities. Television stations are limited to about 50 in total, though that includes live broadcasts from most major networks. Google Home and Chromecast are additional hardware purchases.
Google today revealed the Pixel Visual Core, a custom-designed co-processor that is built into every Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphone. The Image Processing Unit has eight cores, each with 512 arithmetic logic units (ALUs) that can handle some three trillion calculations per second. Google claims the Pixel Visual Core with HDR+ can run five times faster and at less than one-tenth the energy than running directly on the application processor. The Pixel Visual Core is laying dormant for the time being, but Google says it will turn the co-processor on soon. Google created advanced software to manage the Pixel’s ability to capture rich photos and it wants to extend that to other photo apps. The Pixel Visual Core will eventually allow third-party apps to use the Pixel’s HDR+ technology. Google plans to enable the Pixel Visual Core as a developer option in the developer preview of Android Oreo 8.1 (MR1) in the coming weeks. Later, Google will let third-party camera apps access it using the Android Camera API, giving them access to the Pixel 2’s HDR+ technology. The end result should be much better photos on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL when using photo apps other than the stock camera.
Google today made it easier for pet lovers to manage pictures of their feline or canine companions. Google says Photos will now treat pets as the family members they are, grouping them alongside people and allowing users to name and/or label them. Google believes this will improve search and discoverability of pet pictures within Google Photos. Moreover, Google Photos can now sort between breeds to help separate pictures of different dogs. Accordingly, Google Assistant has been improved with the ability to create albums, collages, and movies of pets. Google Photos users can, of course, make their own pet creations whenever they wish. Google Photos' new pet recognition feature is rolling out to most users worldwide today.
Researchers say they've found a serious gap in the WPA2 security protocol that can allow hackers to use key reinstallation attacks (KRACKs) to compromise most WiFi devices. The researchers say the method allows hackers to read encrypted information transiting via WiFi, including passwords, emails, photos, credit card numbers, and more. KRACKs can access nearly all WiFi traffic and, depending on the individual network safety configuration, insert code and alter data, such as send malware. The researchers claim the weakness is in the WiFi standard itself, and not in individual products, which is why the vulnerability is so widespread. Devices running Android, iOS, Linux, Windows, macOS, and other platforms are impacted. The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) agreed with the researchers' assessment and warned, "The impact of exploiting these vulnerabilities includes decryption, packet replay, TCP connection hijacking, HTTP content injection, and others. Note that as protocol-level issues, most or all correct implementations of the standard will be affected." In other words, even if WiFi devices are being used properly, with passwords, they are still vulnerable. Google said it is aware of the issue and will patch the vulnerability in a future security update. The WiFi Alliance has not yet responded to the researcher's revelations.
OnePlus has made OxygenOS Open Beta 25, based on Android 8 Oreo, available to the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T smartphones. Owners of these phones can, if they wish, download the beta build for pre-release testing. The beta includes core Android 8 Oreo features, such as the new Quick Settings design, auto-fill, smart text selection, PiP, and notification dots. Items specific to OxygenOS include new a OnePlus account login for access to Shot on OnePlus, as well as the ability to upload photos directly to Shot on OnePlus through wallpapers. OnePlus warns there are some bugs in the beta build, including slow downs with the fingerprint reader, stability issues with NFC and Bluetooth, and the loss of the camera shortcut to Google Photos. OxygenOS Open Beta 25 is free to download for those signed up with OnePlus' beta program. OnePlus says users will be able to downgrade to the Nougat-based version of OxygenOS if they find Open Beta 25 too unstable.
Google has made it possible for people to control media playback on their Chromecast devices through their smartphone. The new behavior is available via Google Assistant on Android and iOS devices. People can issue voice-based commands on their mobile phone to play music and/or videos directly on Chromecast dongles, whether the dongles be attached to speakers, television sets, or embedded in boomboxes. People who own multiple Chromecast dongles can specify which one their phone controls. Prior to this change, a Google Home was required to control Chromecast dongles from a phone. Now, Google Home is no longer needed. The feature has been rolling out slowly, but Google confirmed that it is now available to everyone.
Google today expanded the scale of its Google Express service with the addition of Target stores nationwide. Starting immediately, people who live in the 48 contiguous states can ask Google Assistant on the Google Home product to purchase items from Target. Target offers two-day delivery of most items, and orders over $35 ship for free. Google says the device will soon support the Target RedCard for discounted shopping, as well as common purchases for easy reordering. Google is bringing this same voice-based support for Google Express to Google Assistant on Android and iOS smartphones in the near future. People will be able to say something like "Ok Google, buy a kids bomber jacket from Target," and Google Assistant will call up a selection of jackets on the phone with purchase links. Google says some 50 retailers support Google Express. The company didn't specify how soon Google Express will reach phones.
Google has made Google Opinion Rewards available to iOS users through a new app. As it does on Android handsets, Google Opinion Rewards will send surveys to iOS devices that people can complete for cash rewards. Google says surveys have between one and 10 questions, and always take less than 30 seconds to complete. iPhone owners can earn up to $1 for each completed survey. Google says iPhone users will have to link their PayPal account to make use of the rewards (on Android, the rewards are deposited into users' Google Play accounts.) The Google Opinion Rewards app is free to download from the iTunes App Store.
Google today announced a new service called Movies Anywhere, which allows people to bring together their movie collections from Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu into a single library that can be accessed from any device. Google is launching Movies Anywhere in the U.S. first and it includes movie purchases from major studios Disney, Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. As an incentive, Google is offering free access to a handful of movies to those who link two or more accounts to Movies Anywhere, including last year's Ghostbusters and Jason Borne. Use of Movies Anywhere is free.
Google today said it is taking steps to ease the process of making video calls between Android handsets. Starting with Nexus, Pixel, and Android One devices, users will be able to initiate video calls directly from the phone dialer or text messaging app. There are some hitches. Both the caller and the callee will need to be on carrier networks that support ViLTE video calling. If ViLTE is not available, both the caller and callee will need to have the Google Duo video calling app installed. Google says it hopes to bring the merged video/voice call interface to more Android handsets over time, including the second-generation Pixel devices.


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While many cultures, particularly in the developing world, rely on insects to make up a large part of their diets, the very thought can incite a nose-up-turning reaction from Westerners—bug eating is ratings boost fodder for gross-out reality show television, not dinner at a five star restaurant. But, the European Union aims to change that with a push towards entomophagy, the scientific name for eating insects.
Since raising livestock takes a tremendous toll on resources, the environment and continually poses serious widespread bacterial contamination risks along with ethical dilemmas, then bugs, it seems, are the antidote—a low impact and highly nutritious source of food that's proving to be such a promising alternative to meat products that the UK Food Standards Agency will receive £2.65 million ($4.2 million) from the European Commission to begin promoting insects as part of a healthy diet.
The monies will be distributed to the research institutes that can provide the most effective platform for promoting insect protein as a reliable, healthy and tasty source of food. Holland's Wageningen University Professor Marcel Dicke, who is one of the researchers applying for the grant, told the Sunday Times that it will probably start with ground up insects in burgers and sauces, and "by 2020 you will be buying insects in supermarkets."
From the Organic Authority Files
Unlike animals raised for food, many insect species prefer the dense over-crowding common on factory farms. And ounce for ounce, the nutrition profiles are similar—if not better than meat—with one study finding grasshoppers offering almost as much protein as lean ground beef, but with a third less fat. Insects would not require the intense amounts of antibiotics or growth hormones regularly fed to livestock and could even be raised live in restaurants rather than processed and transported around the globe.
Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger
image: Derek Beres


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First Bitcoin Exchange Will Be Opened By Moscow
The capital of the Russia has revealed that they have opened their first digital currency exchange; just days after the Russian authorities reversed the plans to penalize the use of Bitcoin.
The Bitcoin exchange was opened by a team of Bitcoin enthusiast, who will offer a 24/7 offline service for the exchange of the digital currency as per a local report published by the ForkLog.com.
Situated at Novy Arbat, 8 St., a one-way exchange has been allowed by the BTC exchange through which customers can sell the bitcoins with the exchange carried out in private. For now, buying the digital currency is unavailable at the exchange.
If it has a success, they will intend to register the exchange service officially, so that there should be no problems with the authorities.
The customers can come and go to undertake cash and cashless payments for the transactions of Bitcoins as it open 24 hours a day. During the day, a transaction fee of 4 percent will be applied from the Bitcoin exchange, whereas in the evening, it will increase to 10 percent.
The Plan to criminalize with the use of Bitcoin reverses by the Russians
In the report of CCN, a digital currency ban had been proposed by the Russia earlier this year by the Finance Deputy Minister in Russia with the hope that a draft law, which will call the penalization of the Bitcoin would pass to the State Duma.
Russia has relaxed its stance against a digital currency ban in July by adding a new amendment regarding the ban of the Bitcoins bill so that it will allow purchasing the digital currency in the Russia.
As the Russian authorities have reversed their idea to penalize everyone caught in the operations of cryptocurrency in the Russia, which will result in the fines as high as $ 38,000.


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In November 2013, Kanye West flipped out on reporter Sway Calloway during an on-air interview. In the midst of ranting about his impact and financial woes, Sway suggested Ye continue his Yeezy clothing brand “on his own” instead of seeking support from major corporations. The multiple Grammy-winning artist responded in the viral clip, “How Sway? You ain’t got the answers, man.”
Now, almost a decade later in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the Yeezy CEO revealed that Sway “actually” had the answers.
While grinning, he said, “You know what? I will go ahead and say Sway had the answer. I know people gonna be like, ‘No!’ “
Of course, social media users had a lot to say about West addressing the viral moment and admitting he was wrong. One person tweeted, “@RealSway had the answer the whole time but @kanyewest just had to learn the ins/outs, find the right team, grow as a person/artist/entrepreneur etc.. just Life University. All things fina work together in the end for him tho. Get to it Ye!”
A second person agreed that Sway or Ye had the knowledgeable “answers back then” to produce an independent clothing line. Dozens more agreed in “hindsight” Sway was right, while others called him “hard-headed” for not looking at the bigger picture.
One individual wrote, “Sway said to ‘take a step back & release it yourself’ instead of trying to get these big brands to sell your product. He had the answer, Kanye just didn’t want to do it that way, he wanted to be recognized and accepted by the fashion industry. Ye was hard headed.”
Another said, “Both Ye and Sway was right back then. Ye was right in turns of having a certain structure and learning the business overall. Sway is right 2day in hindsight cause now that Ye has the knowledge and infrastructure, you can empower yourself rather than thru companies.”
“For him to humbly admit Sway was right means that Sway should be in some sort of hall of fame.”
A handful requested that the “Donda” artist have another sit-down with Sway to apologize humbly. One said, “Naw, he gotta say it with the same energy he was on 10 years ago! Matter fact he need to pull up on Sway and do another interview.”
West is currently at war with Adidas over his Yeezy brand after a decade of working together. He’s verbally attacked executives on social media and accused Adidas of blatantly copying his popular Yeezy design. In June, the 45-year-old pointed out the similarities between his Yeezy slides and Adidas’ Adilette 22 slides and called out Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted.
“These shoes represent disrespect that people in power have to the talent,” Ye wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post. “This shoe is a fake Yeezy made by Adidas themselves. I’m not talking to DC about this either. Kasper come talk to me. Happy Monday.”


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Despite Google’s efforts to place an emphasis on Android as a viable gaming platform for developers, Apple’s iOS operating system remains the dominant mobile gaming operating system.
At Google’s Developer Day event, the company announced plans to add more tools to the Play Store that allow developers to analyze their title’s performance, as well as shifting how it promotes specific games.
“There are many instances when great games don’t get the visibility and attention they deserve,” said Paul Bankhead, Google Play’s director of product management in a statement. “We’ve begun tuning our algorithms to optimize for user engagements, not just downloads.”
According to Google, the Play Store now takes a game’s star rating into account, as well as how often players come back to play the title, in order to determine its placement in the Play Store and how it is promoted. The company also has plans to launch new game editorial pages in February where editors will highlight high-quality titles, which sounds very similar to the editorial sections Apple features in the App Store.
Game developers will also be able to adjust their own prices and run promotions through the new Google Play Developer Console, with the company says will launch on Monday.
Google says that when it tested out the new Play Developer Console features, the company saw 20 times more downloads when deals were running.


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A MARKET Rasen business that has been servicing and repairing cars for more than four decades has closed its doors for the last time.
GB Motors started life in Chapman Street in 1966 and two years later moved to Serpentine Street, where it has been a familiar site for the past 43 years.
But owner George Bycroft isn’t hanging up his spanners just yet, he will be offering his wealth of experience just up the road in Tealby at Youngs Garage.
“There have been many changes in the design and reliability of cars since I started out, and today’s vehicles rely much more on diagnostic equipment,” said George.
“Youngs Garage has a much larger and more modern workshop and has invested in all the equipment, so working with them I feel I can still offer my customers a great service.
“The two lads there are as good as any you’ll find in any garage and between the three of us, we will have almost 100 years of experience.”
And George will also be continuing with his MG restoration and servicing.
“The ethos at Youngs Garage is very similar to mine in that they are mechanics and not just fitters,” added George.
“It’s good to know that in an era of the ‘fast fit tick box servicing’ traditional, thorough repair work can still be found locally.”


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Indications are that 2019 will be a year of heightened risk for New Zealand businesses. Property owners are now starting to experience a reverse ‘wealth effect’ as property values edge downwards.
This is likely to impact consumer spending. Slowing international economic growth due to major trade stresses is starting to create uncertainty in our local marketplace. Business confidence is heading down as businesses grapple with minimum wage increases as well as capital gains tax proposals.
Most, if not all, of these come under the category of uncontrollable risks, ie. not worth losing sleep over. This leaves the ones you could do something about. It remains a pretty big list. How to Manage Business Risk
So what are the risks most likely to impact New Zealand businesses this year? Here are a few to think about.
Customer payment default
When economic conditions become volatile, customer defaults tend to spike. This can be caused by cashflow problems (passing on the pain, bank lending rules tightening, business slow), or by insolvency / business closure. ANZ New Zealand Business Outlook
Customer business failure
Significant losses from the failure of larger New Zealand companies continue. Another Mad Butcher goes under: Glen Innes store placed into liquidation Ebert Construction failure: creditors to be left $34m out of pocket
Some surprising stories are emerging of established businesses starting up in new locations, appointing suppliers, hiring staff and setting up new premises, then liquidating without anyone getting paid.
Intellectual Property issues
Creative industry operations could be exposed to:
- Theft of IP
- Infringement of competitors’ IP
- Problems relating to:
- Overseas expansion Surge in China theft of Australia company secrets
- New product creation IPONZ
Loss of goodwill
Social media can throw an intense and immediate spotlight
on anything a major business does wrong. This also applies
to smaller businesses which may not have the same resources to recover. Any type of business runs the risk of losing huge amounts of goodwill in this way. Matt Kuchar and Mexican Caddie How To: respond when social media attacks your brand
Blame climate change, Donald Trump or whatever you prefer, natural disasters are on the rise globally, Natural disasters – statistics and facts. How many businesses in New Zealand or elsewhere could be affected by natural disasters in 2019? The worst natural disaster risks facing New Zealand
Business model obsolescence
In China there has been a big shift to online shopping for most consumer products, seriously prejudicing the survival of many of China’s retail businesses. There was a famous bet in 2013 between Jack Ma from Alibaba and Jianlin Wang from Wanda Group (the biggest commercial developer, which owns most of the shopping malls in China) regarding whether online consumption would surpass 50% of total retail volume in 10 years time. That date is fast approaching, and Wanda is already selling a lot of its stores to Suning, an online shopping platform. A 16 million bet on the future of Chinese retail.


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Published on February 15th, 2014 | by Zachary Shahan2
Nissan Leaf Sales Sky High In Europe
February 15th, 2014 by Zachary Shahan
The Nissan Leaf may very well be the “Model T” of the electric car world, or at least the Toyota Prius of this fast-growing sector. This post below from EV Obsession highlights a number of hot stats the Leaf has claim to at the moment, mostly focused on European sales. Enjoy!
If you keep up with all the European electric car sales reports I publish, you already now that the Nissan Leaf is crushing it — in Europe as well as globally. Well, Nissan just put out a news release all about this, and it includes a number of cool…


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November 02, 2016 1 min read
Valve is firming up its policies and guidelines surrounding the use of images on each game store page, and it’s good news for anyone trying to decide whether to purchase a game or […]
The post Valve Demands All Steam Game Images Are Real Screenshots appeared first on Geek.com.
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Tag Archives: art
Tue, Jun 04, 2013 | 17:22 BST
The AIAS along with the ESA has announced 16 pieces of gaming art which will included in the 2013 Into the Pixel collection. The 10th annual exhibition will be shown during E3 next week.
Sat, Mar 02, 2013 | 16:55 GMT
Sat, Jan 19, 2013 | 19:05 GMT
Tiny Speck has reached its Indiegogo fundraising goal, which means a limited run book filled with artwork from Glitch, the co-operative MMO which shut down in 2012, will be handed out to supporters. With 14 hours left on the clock, the initial $17,000 funding goal has been surpassed with backers contributing $107,724 towards its creation. All funds raised will go into producing the hardcover book, additional perks for those who helped fund it, and what’s left over will help fun “Tiny Speck’s next venture.” The developers hope to have the book finished by early February or March. Have a look at the video below, and hit the link if you would like to throw more money their way.
Sat, Sep 22, 2012 | 20:20 BST
Dishonored is the latest video game recipient given the salt art treatment by artist Bashir Sultani. The video of his work is below, and is something fun for you to watch on a Saturday as you while away with something wonderfully wile. Dishonored is out in North America on October 9 and throughout Europe on October 12 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 | 21:47 BST
Zodiac Assassin was a PS3 title in the concept phase during 2005 and was passed over by Sony for Ninja Theory’s Heavenly Sword instead, according to an online portfolio belonging to a Sony Cambridge art director. The game had a Kill Bill-style vibe to it, and the female lead was a master of disguise who would travel to various locales such as Japan, Mexico, and Turkey. Head on through the link for a look at the concept art. Thanks, Siliconera.
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 | 21:01 BST
Those who frequent museums are familiar with audio-visual tours. Some have cumbersome boxes you hang around your neck attached to earphones, others may clip to your waistband. However, back in December, the Louvre went 10-steps further by purchasing 5,000 3DS handhelds in order to not only implement a stereoscopic 3D map users could examine, but also to provide patrons with more interact experience with the objets d′art they came to view.
Sat, Feb 25, 2012 | 19:40 GMT
Games are “only form of artistic expression” allowing users to “explore and experiment”, says Melissinos
Chris Melissinos is featured in a video posted below the break discussing what he feels makes video games an art form.
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 | 15:46 GMT
Bethesda concept artist Adam Adamowicz, who created amazing art for Fallout 3, Skyrim and other Bethesda titles, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. The sad news was quietly announced by Pete Hines after Skyrim won big during the Academy of Arts & Sciences awards at DICE. A lovely tribute to the man who helped create some of the wonderful games we enjoy, and written by a fellow concept artist, can be found over on Awesome Robo. Our thoughts and most sincere condolences go out to each one of his family and friends.
Sat, Jan 14, 2012 | 18:44 GMT
Concept art for a Day 1 Studios pitch, based on the steampunk comic Gotham by Gaslight, has surfaced thanks to a posting from its artist, Julie Farrell. Discovered by Supererogatory, the UI art was created two years ago, according to, but it looks as though THQ didn’t bite. According to what Farrell told Joystiq, the game would have had a story mode, grenades, a “slowmo” button, and shooter elements. Speaking on her portfolio page, Farrell said at the request of THQ, she has taken her art down, but it is still viewable over on Kotaku. Gotham by Gaslight was created by writer Brian Augustyn and featured art from Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. The comic, a one-off from DC, took place in turn-of-the-century Gotham City, and focused on Bruce Wayne trying to stop Jack the Ripper.
Thu, Oct 27, 2011 | 01:10 BST
Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has shared a sketch – a “graffiti” – by long-time series artist Yoji Shinkawa, which was the genesis of Metal Gear Solid’s cyborg ninja.
A cyborg ninja character of some kind has appeared in every core Metal Gear game since. See the full sketch through the break.
Thu, Oct 13, 2011 | 17:23 BST
To hype up the upcoming release of their latest Kirby game, Nintendo has released a batch of high-quality Kirby artwork. More »
Thu, Sep 08, 2011 | 16:20 BST
Amazingly talented sand artist Natalya Netselya has released a video featuring her latest work using her favorite medium, and it’s the first one she has ever created for a video game, and what better one to base it on than Uncharted 3.
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 | 21:40 BST
Complete your weekend with the shorts posted below. You can ask God to forgive you for it at church tomorrow.
Mon, Jul 04, 2011 | 06:20 BST
On holiday weekends, those with post quotas to meet spend a lot of time weeping quietly over their empty inboxes, RSS feeds and IM contact lists. To save you time, I’ve rounded up the barrel-scrapings which result.
Fri, Jul 01, 2011 | 23:59 BST
The New York Museum of Modern Art will be holding an art exhibit featuring several indie video games next month.
Thu, May 26, 2011 | 14:10 BST
The winners of 2011′s Into the Pixel have been announced and 17 works of videogame art have been selected.
Mon, May 23, 2011 | 06:41 BST
Are games art? Yes. They are. Don’t argue! It’s the law.
Thu, May 12, 2011 | 22:44 BST
It’s hump day. Lucky you. Not much left of the week, or today for that matter, so, no need in trying to escape. Have some short stuff to close it out with instead.
Fri, Mar 18, 2011 | 14:15 GMT
Into The Pixel is now accepting digital game art submissions until April 15 for the 2011 exhibit to be held at E3 in June.
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 | 22:42 GMT
These little snippets of Metroid prime concept art were one of the must-sees of the weekend. You don’t want to be left out, do you?


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A team led by ZHOU Guanghong at Nanjing Agricultural University cultivated pig muscle stem cells for 20 days and harvested 5 g of muscle meat. This is the first meat developed from muscle stem cells in China. According to Zhou, the cultured meat had similar texture and color to ordinary minced pork.
Global Times, November 21, 2019
Nanjing team prepares porc muscle meat from porc stem cells