text:
aNewDomain.net — Sitting down to your computer just got a lot scarier. The impending prediction of an upcoming zombie apocalypse, infesting your trusty old Windows XP, has been confirmed by Microsoft.
Tim Rains, director of Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft, spearheaded this terrifying press release. Now, these aren’t your traditional Blockbuster zombies. There won’t be any skin-devouring creatures that stalk and corner 20-something’s in malls and residential neighborhoods. The Microsoft zombies are PCs whose central controls have been overrun by hackers in order to flood spam, steal bank passwords or launch distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Director Rains reiterates an announcement made earlier this year that Microsoft will end all support for Windows XP, which was released in 2001, after April 8th 2014. This means an end to security-related updates, which keep the current system fairly hack-free, and all other updates to the OS. The updates released up until April 8th (Zombie-Apocalypse Day) will counter specific software weaknesses, but not after. New holes in security will spring up, as they always have, and Microsoft simply won’t be mending them.
Flaw in the System
After April 8th Microsoft’s patch policy will actually worsen the situation. Rains explains that Microsoft protects its products by unilaterally releasing an update for all products when one vulnerability is found, checking to see if the other OSs have the same issue. For example, when a security breach is found in Windows 7, Microsoft will test XP and Windows 8 to check for similar holes.
Microsoft organizes its release of patches that way because the bad guys are known to reverse-engineer security patches to identify the vulnerability in question. They will then test other products for the vulnerability and, if they find it, write malware to exploit it.
The problem is that after April 8th Microsoft will continue issuing patches for any vulnerabilities it finds in Windows 7 or Windows 8, and the bad guys will continue reverse-engineering the patches, identifying the vulnerabilities, and trying them on Windows XP. When — rather than if — they find one that works, Windows XP will be at their mercy, since no exploited flaw will ever be fixed.
Presumably, the machines will end up as zombies in botnets with no antivirus software available to fix them. That is a problem not just for the owners of the individual machines, but also a major headache for the Internet at large.
“The risk is that after April 2014 large numbers of compromised XP systems will be used to launch attacks,” Rains told Tech Page One.
As for the scale of the problem, recent statistics show that 13.5 percent of Internet users still rely on Windows XP — only Windows 7 is more popular. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s online Malicious Software Removal Tool sees, with XP systems, a rate of infection for unprotected machines of about 1.5 percent.
Sometime after April, as the bad guys get their act together, almost all Windows XP machines will be effectively unprotected, and the infection rate will presumable balloon. If the rate exceeds 10 percent then the rate of infection for machines on the Internet will exceed 1 percent, and who knows what the overall impact will be.
Rains’ advice to Windows XP owners: migrate. In other words, move up to a newer operating system.
For aNewDomain.net, I’m Lamont Wood.
Based in San Antonio, Texas, Lamont Wood is a senior editor at aNewDomain.net. He’s been covering tech trade and mainstream publications for almost three decades now, and he’s a household name in Hong Kong and China. His tech reporting has appeared in innumerable tech journals, including the original BYTE (est. 1975). Email Lamont at firstname.lastname@example.org or follow him @LAMONTwood.


text:
Meizu finally unwrapped its latest high-end smartphone MX5 in India. The smartphone costs Rs. 19,999, and will be available for purchase exclusively on Snapdeal.
About 2 months back, the Meizu MX5 was unveiled in China. It comes with a full-alloy body that adds the smartphone to a premium category. What is remarkable though is that Meizu has managed to maintain the depth of the smartphone down to only 7.6mm, with mere 140 grams physical weight.
Another noticeable feature of the smartphone is its new mTouch 2.0 fingerprint sensor that’s incorporated into the home button. The firm assures that thanks to the fingerprint sensor it’s going to just take just 0.48 seconds to unlock the handset, as opposed to 3 seconds using a pin.
The smartphone boasts a 5.5-inch full High Definition (1920*1080 pixels) Super AMOLED screen, that works out at 401ppi. Powered by a 2.2GHz MediaTek Helio X10 MT6795T octa-core 64-bit central processing unit, the phone features PowerVR G5200 GPU and 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM. It runs Android Lollipop based FlymeOS 4.5.
For the storage purpose, the Meizu MX5 packs 16GB of built-in space, but sadly there is no expandable options. The company claims to release 32 and 64GB variants at a later stage. The handset features a 20.7-megapixel snapper at the rear with laser autofocus, and 4K video recording abilities. Up front for selfie obsessed there’s a 5-megapixel camera.
The power need is fulfilled by a 3,150mAh battery, which comes with fast charging technology. Meizu claims that phone can be charged up to 25% in just 10 minutes, and 50% in half an hour. As far as connectivity is concerned, it includes, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Hotspot, and GPRS/EDGE.

domain: news


text:
WASHINGTON--The wireless industry has turned a critical corner in its fight against state regulation, says a top Verizon Wireless official.
Nokia has teamed with HP to develop a solution that makes it easier to capture and transmit critical data from forms while in the field. The Mobile Forms Initiative, the companies say, will meet the needs of enterprise and public sector workers who need access to paper-to-mobile technology.
Dwango has raised $15 million following the completion of a private placement of preferred convertible stock. The company plans to use the funds to expand its content portfolio, as well as its distribution channel.
Motorola is sampling Freescale Semiconductor's new Mobile Extreme Convergence (MXC) architecture, which at the size of a postage stamp reduces the number of components, as well as the costs, needed to deliver smartphones.
3's 3G videophone users now have the ability to VideoBlog. The service is powered by Mobaila and is currently available in Italy.
Malaysia's Celcom is turning to Alcatel to expand and upgrade its GSM network. The contract is said to be a multi-million dollar deal for Alcatel.
WASHINGTON--The wireless industry is still trying to get language inserted into pending telecommunications reform legislation that pre-empts states from regulating them, but it's facing an uphill battle.
The FLO Forum adopted three new technical specifications in an effort to keep the planned deployment of Qualcomm's FLO technology in 2007. The technology is designed for the mobile TV market.
Sonic Solutions' Roxio Labs unit unveiled the Roxio Labs Website to gain customer insight into emerging technologies, including applications for mobile devices. The site gives consumers early access to new offerings and betas, which will enable the company to incorporate feedback into the final products.
Verizon Wireless continues to move full speed ahead with it EV-DO wireless broadband network. The latest: the carrier is introducing the service in Staten Island, which extends the EV-DO network to all five New York City boroughs.
Qualcomm is once again crying foul, filing its third intellectual property infringement case against rival Broadcom. This latest legal battle covers alleged infringement of Qualcomm's patents relating to WCDMA and wireless local area network chipsets.
Amp'd Mobile, Research and Markets, HelloSoft, Symbian, Analog Devices, Legend Silicon Corporation and Alltel Wireless.
Firefly Mobile is stepping up its pursuit of pre-teen, or tween, wireless customers with the national launch of its Firefly wireless phone.
Alltel, Western Wireless, Motorola, In-Stat, T-Mobile Croatia, Vallent Corporation, WavMax Broadband, DragonWave, Outsmart, TNS Telecoms, Reality Wireless Networks, Arabian Recab Trading Company, PeopleMatter, Hop-On, Reaxion Corporation, Verizon Wireless, Mforma, DataViz and WildPackets.


text:
The acquisition of Pearson Engineering by Israeli firm Rafael could see UK manufacturing of the Trophy active protection system for the Challenger 3 MBT — but how well does the deal sit with the UK government's defence industrial strategy?
TECHNOLOGY TRACKER: New handheld is fast and fully connected
With ten days to go before Inflight Online attends the Consumer Electronics Show to look at the latest wireless Internet devices and their place in the air-to-ground connectivity scene, one of the leading manufacturers has launched a smartphone combining multi-band communications with ultra-fast computing.
Taiwan-based ASUS is already leading the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) charge with its compact, moderately priced Eee. Now it has come up with the P565 smartphone, with an 800MHz processor, describing it as the fastest ever used in this kind of device. This performance compares with the iPhone’s 620MHz and the 528MHz of the HTC Touch HD, and provides “graphics and system performance beyond anything else on the market,” according to ASUS.
In its communicator guise the P565 can support GSM cellular – including HSDPA at 3.6Mbit/sec – and 802.11b/g WiFi.
Other features include ASUS’ own Glide touch-driven user interface, which along with the powerful processor is intended to support multiple simultaneous resource-intensive tasks, delivering the results to a high-resolution 2.8in, 480 x 640-pixel touchscreen.
Built-in applications include push mail, business-card recognition, Microsoft Office Mobile, calendars, weather reports, online news and GPS navigation around more than 200 cities.
More from Defence Notes
The Uruguayan army and navy are receiving second-hand platforms from key allies Brazil and the US
After jointly receiving a new hypersonic missile prototype contract, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are confident the weapon can be developed and designed to provide USAF with overmatch capabilities.
A recent report supports DoD claims that a new commercial broadband network would harm existing US military SATCOM and GPS services.
What do US policymakers make of UK strategic thinking in the wake of the Integrated Review, and how could subsequent events affect the transatlantic defence relationship?
Applied Physical Sciences receives Phase 3C research contract from DARPA for undersea sensing systems.


text:
Phoenix Business Journal
In the last 12 months one of the biggest trends in the food industry has been edible raw cookie dough.
Shops that serve cookie dough like ice cream have popped up in New York and Los Angeles, usually accompanied with a long line. There was even a food truck trying it out around Phoenix. Now, a husband and wife duo are trying to capitalize on the trend and serve it at multiple locations around the Valley.
John and Kendra Scheer are trying out the idea and are calling their company Scoopwell’s…
Source: Commercial NewsShare


text:
The Campaign For Wool is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the launch of a limited edition wool scarf, designed in collaboration with Amy Powney from luxury sustainable brand Mother of Pearl and manufactured by Johnstons of Elgin. It will be available to purchase both NET- A-PORTER and Mother of Pearl websites.
The 10th Anniversary scarf was conceived by HRH The Prince of Wales to commemorate the anniversary and showcase the benefits of wool. It will be available in three distinct Autumnal colourways -The Elgin, The Derwent and The Murray. The unisex scarf has been crafted using a unique wool fibre blend created for the celebratory scarf with fine wools from four leading wool growing countries connected to the campaign – The United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and profits from the scarf will support The Prince’s Foundation’s Future Textiles initiative and apprenticeship at Johnstons of Elgin.


text:
As marijuana legalization spreads across U.S. states, so does a debate over whether to set pot policy by potency.
Dr. Rachel Knox, an Oregon physician who counsels patients on using cannabis for various conditions, says she doesn’t see an increased risk of psychosis for people using such products under medical oversight. She opposes capping potency but suggests that products containing over 70% THC should be reserved for medical users while research continues.
“I think we should treat it with both freedom and with kid gloves,” says Knox, a former chair of the Oregon Cannabis Commission and a board member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, a trade group.
Read the article at The Denver Post


text:
What you’re looking at folks are some blurry shots of MetroPCS’ first LTE-capable handset, the Samsung Craft (r900). Announced back in May, this is the first time we’re getting a glimpse of the device itself.
The Samsung Craft sports a 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera complete with flash, touchscreen (size and resolution still unknown), a slide-out 4-row QWERTY keypad, CDMA mode, and will come loaded with the company’s proprietary TouchWiz UI. There’s really nothing outstanding about its specs except for the fact that it features LTE network compatibility, and given that Verizon won’t be launching their first LTE handset until 2011, not only will this be the first LTE device of MteroPCS, but also has the chance to be the first such phone available in the whole North America market.
No release date was mentioned, but it is expected to hit the market sometime this fall. As far as pricing is concerned, the source who linked these images revealed that it will retail for $299.99 sans contract.


text:
Fuel for thought -- E-bike sales soar as many turn to peddle power to solve the petrol crisis
The thought of having to join long queues and use what little fuel you have while waiting in line, has forced many to question the logic of doing so
- UK’s largest online e-bike retailer reports increased demand since fuel crisis began
- 100% increase in sales and enquiries
- Consumers seeking alternative transport for shorter journeys
As the petrol crisis continues and the price of fuel rockets, more and more people are actively seeking alternative ways to get about. According to the UK’s largest online e-bike supplier, E-Bikes Direct, there has been a notable uplift in demand in the past week as consumers move to peddle and e-power to get about, opting to save their fuel for longer journeys and big shops.
Matt Flanagan, CEO at E-Bikes Direct says, “We have seen a 100% increase in enquiries and sales in the past week. The thought of having to join long queues and use what little fuel you have while waiting in line, has forced many to question the logic of doing so and prompted another big upswing in demand for electric bikes. Aside from the negative environmental impact of spending an hour or more idling in line, there’s the constant worry that you’ll run out of fuel before you reach the petrol station. Or worse still, be turned away with an empty tank when the pumps run dry. It’s easy to see why people are looking for realistic, reliable alternatives, and an e-bike is a much more accessible option for many than an electric car.”
For anyone looking to make a short journey or a regular commute to work, an e-bike can be the perfect solution. Not only do e-bikes run on clean, electric energy that is readily available, but they also enable the rider to quickly circumnavigate traffic chaos, such as that currently disrupting roads close to filling stations – a problem many drivers are facing at the moment as streets become gridlocked and their journeys significantly delayed.
Matt Flanagan from E-Bikes Direct continues, “We are hearing from worried NHS and social care staff, as well as other key workers, that they are struggling to fill-up and are concerned that they won’t be able to make it into work. For those who live relatively nearby, an e-bike offers a good alternative and can take the stress and worry out of making the journey to work. Aside from being able to avoid the traffic queues and not worry about fuel levels, an e-bike comes with the added bonuses that it will help to improve your fitness and save you money at the same time.”
The RAC website reported earlier this week on the likelihood that petrol prices will continue to rise saying ‘When it comes to pump prices, it’s a pretty bleak picture for drivers. With the cost of oil rising and now near a three-year high, wholesale prices are being forced up’. The report added it’s ‘vitally important the emergency services and businesses that help to keep the UK moving can get access to fuel’.
As the price of fuel soars at the pumps, it seems there’s never been a better time to buy an e-bike. The cost varies depending on the style, battery power and a host of other features, but as an indication, E-Bikes Direct is currently offering several entry-level bikes retailing at around £700. Meanwhile, end-of-season sales offer savvy shoppers an opportunity to buy a higher-end model, often at a much reduced price. More information about e-bike prices and styles can be found at e-bikesdirect.co.uk.
1. For more information or images contact Jacqui Green firstname.lastname@example.org T: 07885 270349.
2. An interview with Matt Flanagan, CEO of E-Bikes Direct is available on request. A leading expert on electric bike technology, Matt has a wealth of experience gained from more than 16 years in the e-bike market.
3. To find out more about E-Bikes Direct visit http://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/.
About E-bikes Direct Ltd
Established in 2005, E-Bikes Direct is the UK’s biggest independent online retailer of electric cycles. It offers a range of bikes suitable for families, competitive riders and individuals cycling for pleasure that includes 'sit up and beg' shopping basket styles, folding e-cycles and mountain bikes.
E-bikes Direct stocks electric bikes from leading manufacturers including Dallingridge, Basis, Crussis, Raleigh, Oxygen, Haibike, Wisper, Cube, Merida, Forme, EMU, Batribike and Roodog and supports the national 'Ride to work' scheme.
Amongst its commercial customers are local police forces, national businesses and the military who utilize motorised bike fleets for transport.
This press release was distributed by ResponseSource Press Release Wire on behalf of JGMPR LTD in the following categories: Health, Leisure & Hobbies, Motoring, for more information visit https://pressreleasewire.responsesource.com/about.


text:
Automakers tool up for tough markets
Just over 16 months ago, France's Peugeot-Citroen Automobile Corporation took over the ailing Chrysler Europe group, becoming the world's fifth-largest car producer. Threatened by stiff competition from such giants as America's General Motors and Japan's Toyota, the French manufacturers felt the merger would not only give them a wider spread of models but also improve penetration of foreign markets.
Commenting on the much-publicized takeover, economic analysts at the Hudson Research Europe Ltd., in Paris, had forecast a number of similar defensive mergers over the next dozen years. "This in only the beginning of major mutation of the West European car industry," one observer noted. "There is probably room ultimately for only two large European manufacturers, plus a host of smaller ones."
Sure enough, only four months later, France's second- largest but strongly ambitious Regie Renault Automobile Corporation reacted. The nationalized French firm signed an agreement with the American Motors Corporation giving it direct access to strategically important outlets in North America. In return, Renault would distribute AMC's new Jeep is South America and France.
And last month, Renault took a further step to improve its competitiveness. It bought a 10 percent participation in Sweden's Volvo Motor Company.
The new agreement, which became effective at the beginning of this year, will permit Renault to establish a foothold in Northern Europe. Without actually going so far as full integration of industrial operations with the Swedes, Renault hopes eventually to increase its participation to 15 or 20 percent.
For its part, Volvo hopes to construct a more energy-efficient "European class" touring car by sharing technological research with the French. It will also have access to muchneeded funds through a 10 percent capital option on Renault Acceptance, a Dutch-based international credit group.
Such developments toward a more aggressive global expansion and market effectiveness indicate French eagerness to construct an innovatively solid, technological base that can hold its own against strong foreign competition during the 1980s.
The reasoning behind this is not just purely economic. It is also highly political. France simply cannot afford to lose out in the international automobile market without throwing the country into complete turmoil.
The French auto industry affects one-tenth of the country's 22 million-strong work force, ranging from assembly line welders to driving school instructors. Its reputation as the pillar of the French economy has given birth to the expression the "if the car industry goes well, all goes well."
Although France was not a top economic performer in 1979, with its sluggish 3 percent growth rate, the auto industry has had its best year ever. "We have beaten all past records in the 75-year-old history of our national car industry, " said Marc Quin, vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce for Automobile Manufacturers in Paris.
In 1979, French manufacturers sold more than 2 million cars at home and 1.7 million abroad. This represents a 2.4 percent increase over the previous year. In addition, the carmaker group does not expect a slowdown in production in the years to come. It confidently forecasts an overall 12.5 percent expansion of the industry by 1985.
"WE are extremely concerned by the difficulties faced by American car manufacturers, because US trends, whether good or bad, always tend to cross the Atlantic and hit us later," Mr. Ouin said.
Like every other industrialized country in the West, France is also painfully conscious of the effects that spiraling crude oil prices may have on its economy. French oil prices have already doubled in the past two years. Prices have reached more than $3 a gallon at the pumps, making France the second-most-expensive country for buying gasoline in Western Europe, after Italy. "But for the moment we are still doing very well, and I don't see any reason why we should be too pessimistic in the years to come," Mr. Ouin added.
Despite the unlikely possibility that the French economy can repeat the more healthy 5.6 percent annual growth rates of the 1960s and early '70s in present circumstances, car manufacturers do not feel that austerity measures will restrain automobile purchases at home.
"The Frenchman considers the owning of a car as one of his highest priorities ," Mr. Ouin said. "But even with skyrocketing prices, he is not showing any sign of kicking the driving habit." Exorbitant crude oil prices have only succeeded in restraining the average number of kilometers traveled by car. They do not seem to affect automobile interest."
Automobile demand abroad is also likely to increase by an average of 3 percent a year over the next five years, and the French are keen on biting harder into this part of the market.
Renault, which is worth over 57 billion francs ($14.2 billion), now has assembly plants in 27 countries, 33 affiliates, and over 7,000 sales centers throughout the world.
In the process of expanding its factories in Portugal, Renault is treading carefully over its re-entry into the North American market. With presently limited sales of the "Le Car" Renault 5, the company recalls with bitter regret its Waterloo in the early 1960s, when it tried to market the drawfish Dauphine, with Volkswagen as Renault's only serious small-car competitor.
Unlike VW, Renault failed to establish a network of sparesparts suppliers and despite exultant sales at the beginning, the Dauphine operation failed dismally. Renault plans to move into the North American market gradually and hopes to sell 200,000 cars a year by 1985.


text:
Microsoft has released its Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2, which includes new email security and beefed-up mailbox storage, as well as “significantly improved” support for mobile messaging. With this new offering, the company is aiming to make a real name for itself in the mobile market and better compete with rivals such as Research in Motion.
The update also addresses dozens of glitches, including the quite serious problem of email recipients being able to view the blind carbon-copy field of an email if it was forwarded as an embedded attachment.
With SP2, Microsoft hopes to make a dent in the mobile market. SP2 enables, for the first time from Microsoft, direct push technology to Windows Mobile 5.0, whereby email, contacts, tasks and calendar are pushed and synchronized directly between the server and the device.
Previously, users relied on short message service for new email notification and other Outlook actions. By enabling direct push, Microsoft would better compete with Research in Motion, maker of the popular wireless BlackBerry device.
Microsoft claimed that with Mobile 5.0 and SP2, enterprises can manage devices from 42 different makers with one software platform and server infrastructure.
Microsoft also touted SP2 as providing added mobile security, such as being able to set password lengths and automatic locking of the device after a certain number of incorrect password attempts (the device’s memory also would be erased and set to factory settings). Another notable feature is remote mobile wipe, which enables an administrator to clear a lost device’s memory and setting.
SP2 also enables a couple of other handy features on Mobile 5.0, such as being able to use the Global Address List over the air.
However, the SP2 release came one day before flaws in its newest mobile software ActiveSync 4.0 came to light. Microsoft has confirmed that devices running the software were not able to connect to a PC via a USB connection in some cases.
Microsoft said that in many cases interoperability issues with desktop firewall or applications that manage network traffic might be the cause. These applications appear to conflict with the TCP traffic between a device and the PC. The problem showed up on devices based on its Mobile 5.0 OS, including those from Dell, HP, iMate and Sprint.
Microsoft said it would update ActiveSync in late November, and posted a fix on its website.
The earliest Windows Mobile 5.0-enabled devices that support new SP2 mobile to hit the market would be Palm’s Treo and Motorola’s Q Mobile 5.0 devices, both slated for release in early 2006.
Microsoft claimed, in a statement, that its customer Hewlett-Packard plans to roll out SP2 across the company’s mobile environment in the near future. Another Microsoft customer, Lifetime Products, also claimed that with SP2 its mobile workers gained an extra half hour of productivity a day due to the enhancements, including direct push.
SP2 also promises more security. Notably, it includes support for the SenderID framework, an Exchange Instant Message Filter update that verifies that the actual server Internet address for email by comparing it against the known address of the domain it claims to originate from, in order to ward off spoofing attacks. The offering would rival DomainKeys, which has support from Cisco Systems and Yahoo.


text:
Mobile advertising spending is expected to represent 51% of the online advertising market in 2016, according to eMarketer projections. It was to meet the specific needs of this sector that S4M was launched. This French start-up specializing in the measurement of advertising audiences has developed a technology which allows an advertiser “to follow its advertising investments and to optimize them in real time, in complete transparency, from the advertising impression to the conversion” , explains to Frenchweb Christophe Collet, the founder of S4M. Targeting solutions have also been developed.
To ensure the reliability of its measurements, S4M ensures that it is working on obtaining certification from the Media Rating Council (MRC). Because advertisers and website editors don’t always trust each other. Thus, 97% of advertisers surveyed in the United States as part of a study by the Association of National Advertisers published in November 2015 want the measurement of advertising impressions to be carried out by a third party.
€ 6 million raised
“Advertisers need to get what they paid for, therefore to have impressions that are seen by their targets and then to measure everything that will happen behind this advertising impression,” explains Christophe Collet.
Founded in 2011, the company today boasts large groups in its customer portfolio, including Orange, Renault, E. Leclerc and McDonald’s. To accelerate, S4M raised 6 million euros in June 2015 in order to strengthen its teams (data scientists, engineers, etc.) and finance its international development, in particular in the United States and Singapore.
Interview with Christophe Collet, the founder of S4M:
CEO: Christophe Collet
The head office : Paris
Activity: mobile advertising
Funding: € 6 million raised in June 2016


text:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has finalised guidelines for the regulatory sandbox to test innovative financial products and technologies. The programme will help financial service providers collect evidence on the benefits and risks of new innovations in a regulated environment monitored by RBI.
The guidelines also finalised the application process for the sandbox programme. Fintech companies including startups, banks, financial institutions and companies providing financial services can apply for the programme. The directors or promoters or the applicant companies will have to satisfy the fit and proper criteria, according to the guidelines issued on Tuesday.
The set of mandatory compliances an applicant must satisfy include customer privacy, data protection, security of transactions, secure storage and access to payments data of stakeholders as well as KYC requirements.
The central bank had first proposed a framework for setting up the regulatory sandbox in April, which barred cryptocurrency-related products and services.
The sandbox will encourage innovations in retail payments, money transfer services, marketplace lending, digital KYC, financial advisory services, wealth management services, digital identification services, smart contracts, financial inclusion and cybersecurity products, according to a statement issued by the RBI.
The sandbox is also aimed at encouraging innovative technology in the fields of mobile payments, data analytics, application program interface (API) services, blockchain applications as well as applications under artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
A FinTech Unit (FTU), overseen by an inter-departmental group set up by the RBI with participation from industry experts, will oversee the process of the sandbox, starting with the preliminary screening of applicants. The FTU will be responsible for testing the design and suggesting regulatory modifications and evaluation of the final product for admission to the RS.
“The RBI will communicate the entire sandbox process including its launch, the theme of the cohort, successful applicants selected for RS, entry and exit criteria and products/services found viable and acceptable under the RS through its official website,” said the guidelines issued by the RBI.


text:
A new article by Apple details that amongst the tools used by archaeologists to dig the ancient site at Pompeii is the iPad Pro, used for recording data and preserving it for future reconstructions. For Tulane University professor Dr. Allison Emmerson, who is leading the dig, iPad Pro with Apple pencil supports is “the perfect archaeology machine” and it is revolutionizing the field.
iPad Pro empowers archaeologists to adopt new and more efficient workflows
Dr. Emmerson and her team is working on ancient Roman communities like women, the enslaved, and the poor which have been excluded from the study.
And in their process of unearthing and discovering the story behind the site and its people, the tech team co-led by Dr. Alex Elvis Badillo introduced the versatile iPad Pro which has helped them adopt new, more efficient, and paperless workflows to collect data faster, more accurately, and more securely. Dr. Jordan Rogers, an excavation supervisor said:
“The way I have always recorded on past digs was on paper with pencils or pens,” says Rogers. “And when you drew something, you did it on graph paper, and used string and levels to measure where things were located. Photos were taken on separate cameras that you had to upload manually once you got back home. Everything was in a different place, and every night involved many hours transferring your day’s notes onto your computer.”
Furthermore, iPad Pro’s larger battery, LiDAR scanner, and Apple Pencil support allow them to easily capture data. Another excavation supervisor, Mary-Evelyn Farrior said:
“I’ve used iPad in the field twice before this dig. But this is the first time I used iPad Pro and have been able to collect all types of information in one place. I’m sketching trench plans in Concepts with Apple Pencil, I’m taking photos with the camera, I’m typing in my observations on the Magic Keyboard. I’m able to bring all of these things together at incredible speed — and the battery has lasted all day in extreme temperatures and the dusty environment of the excavation.”
All archaeologists preserving the ancient history of Pompeii conclude that the iPad Pro plays a significant role in their excavation.


text:
- Starbucks Q1 2016 earnings beat estimates by a penny.
- Strong traffic during the holidays contributed to Starbucks’ results.
- Investors should expect Starbucks’ location expansion to continue.
Beverage restaurant chain Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) reported its Q1 2016 earnings yesterday (Jan 21), after market close. Its earnings per share came in at $0.46, exceeding analysts’ estimates of $0.45 per share. This represents a 15% increase over the $0.40 per share registered last year, when factoring out an extraordinary gain related to the acquisition of ownership interest in Starbucks Japan. Is Starbucks stock a buy after the latest earnings update?
Strong holiday performance
Holiday controversy over a neutral red cup didn’t hurt Starbucks the least bit. The second line item of Starbucks’ most recent earnings announcement began with “Strong Holiday Performance Drives 9% Comp Growth in the U.S. and Americas”. I conjectured in my Starbucks’ earnings preview that the controversy actually served as a draw. It’s difficult to tell whether or not negative discourse about the cup added to Starbucks’ sales, but it certainly didn’t hurt either.
Customers spending more
As further evidence of Starbucks’ brand strength, the report gave indication that customers are coming back in droves and spending more at the company’s established locations. Making purchases easier via mobile and digital pay increased the convenience for customers to go in and buy products. Rewarding customer loyalty also served as a catalyst for purchases. The earnings announcement indicated a “Record $1.9 billion load on Starbucks Cards in the U.S. and Canada”.
Same store sales increased 8%, representing an impressive feat for an established but growing multinational company. Customer transactions increased 4% on a consolidated basis, while ticket transactions increased 4%. It’s always a good sign to see customers return to established locations.
Other surprises in Starbucks Q1 2016 Earnings
I anticipated a stronger performance in Starbucks’ China/Asia Pacific Segment. However, the Americas actually came out on top with 9% same stores sales growth and 4% growth in transactions. The average ticket size in the region grew by 5%. Economic slowdown in China served as a deterrent to consumers in the China/Asia Pacific region where same store sales increased 5%. Transactions also expanded 4%, while the average ticket only increased by 2% in that region.
Looking ahead at FY 2016
Starbucks’ management gave the investing public many reasons for hope in its latest earnings announcement. The company plans to add 1,800 locations in FY 2016, representing an 8% increase over the previous year. Half of those locations will be in the China/Asia Pacific region, while 39% of those locations will open in the Americas.
Company management expects 12% YoY growth in FY 2016 revenue. Of course, one huge potential downfall to these lofty predictions lies in the outcome of the Chinese economy. Starbucks’ stock price could fall sharply if growth in the Chinese GDP falls more than expected. Starbucks also expects GAAP EPS in the range of $1.84 to $1.86 per share, which which was below analyst consensus estimates.
Starbucks trades at a lofty P/E ratio of 31 versus 19 for the S&P 500, as per Morningstar. This means that sour sentiment in the overall market combined with a dim outlook on Starbucks’ short term future may cause the stock price to correct. Long-term investors may want to take advantage of any correction. Starbucks sells a quality product with a strong brand and has eyes for the future, serving as a recipe for potential fundamental growth and subsequent growth in Starbucks stock price. Investors can also enjoy a 1.4% dividend yield.


text:
Mercadona has released its 2021 financial results, in which highlights the growth of its online sales, a great advance if we return to the fact that its path to digitization has not been easy and after several attempts it has finally consolidated its online shopping service.
In its digital transformation process, Mercadona has continued to advance to “consolidate a more digital, productive and sustainable business model”, and explains that during 2021 it has invested 1,200 million euros with this objective, a figure that added to the investments of the three previous years, exceeds 5,000 million euros.
Mercadona consolidates the growth of its online sales
According to their statement, Mercadona has increased its online sales in 2021 up to 510 million euros, which represents a growth of 40% compared to the previous year. In total, online sales account for 1.8% of the total sales of the Valencian company.
This is a great advance if we take into account that 2020 was the year in which the Mercadona online store became profitable, quadrupling the sales figures in its eCommerce compared to 2019.
Beyond the online area, in the Mercadona business as a whole, it has increased its turnover by 3.3% to 27,819 million, although reducing its net profit by 6% “due to the impact of costs,” the company explained.
Mercadona has two different types of online sales, hives, born in 2016 as a model of warehouses that are used exclusively for the company’s online ordersand whose objective is to optimize and speed up both the preparation of packages and last-mile deliveries.
On the other hand, teleshopping emerged in 2021 as a solution to reach online consumers in areas with lower order density, and for now the model is undergoing testing in Castellón and Tarragona. In this model, customers close to these supermarkets can place their order on the Mercadona website, and their packages are prepared and shipped by the physical stores.
New hives for Alicante and Seville
The company has shared that its Mercadona Online division (hives) increased its number of orders to reach 1.8 millioncompared to 1.2 million orders requested in 2020, while its team expanded to 1,636 people.
And speaking about its hives, Mercadona had three exclusive stores for online sales in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia at the end of the year, while the company shared its plans for 2022, in which to “have the trust of the bosses” , that is, their online consumers, The company plans to incorporate two new hives this year: one will be located. in Alicante and the other in Seville.
The first will have an investment of 14 million euros and the participation of 25 local suppliers. This hive will employ 150 people. The Seville hive will also have an investment of close to 14 million euros, and will be located in the southern Higuerón area.
Stay informed of the most relevant news on our Telegram channel


text:
JPMorgan's security breach is shocking for several reasons.
For one, the victims of these attacks are usually retailers that don't have access to either extensive customer financial information or expensive security systems. JPMorgan is the U.S.'s largest bank, and as such, has both. The institution currently boasts 65.8 million open credit accounts and 30.1 million checking accounts, and is its website is the most visited financial services site in America.
The fact that hackers were able to penetrate this bank's extremely sophisticated, expensive and state-of-the-art security equipment is highly disturbing. Not only did the cyber-criminals surpass these safety measures but they gained top administrative control over dozens of the servers. Experts have expressed confusion over the fact that the hackers did not steal account information that could translate into instant profits. Instead, they took customer names, addresses, phone numbers and birth dates.
However, Americans shouldn't start relaxing just because more data wasn't stolen. Thieves can still use general personal information to commit cyber-crimes, like phishing. To do this, criminals send emails to customers pretending to be the bank and asking for sign in credentials. Phishing also occurs over the phone, using automated messages demanding PIN and credit card numbers. Anyone with a JPMorgan account should stay vigilant and be aware of fraudulent sites.
Some consumers are annoyed with the figures JPMorgan has reported concerning the breach. Namely, that 76 million households were affected. "Households" is a term that deflates the number of customers who actually might have had personal information stolen, because individuals in one house could all have accounts with JPMorgan. So, many are concerned that the breach is much larger than initially thought to be.
If you don't think your store is properly protected, then update your credit card payment software to protect you and your customers.


text:
Jaguar Classic showcase iconic race-winning models built in the 1950s at the Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 24 November 2022: Jaguar Classic is gearing up to display its historic Jaguar C-Type and D-Type models at the second edition of the Gulf Historic Dubai Grand Prix Revival (GHDGPR) at Dubai Autodrome.
From 25-27 November 2022, classic car fans and motor enthusiasts will get a rare opportunity to get up close to two of Jaguar’s most iconic racing roadsters — while notably contributing to the festival’s celebration of motorsport’s golden age.
Jaguar C-Type: a winner for world-class performance and design
Jaguar C-Type was undoubtedly one of the most iconic cars in Jaguar’s illustrious racing history, driven by some of the most-admired drivers in history. In ......read more
• World’s first-ever Alfa Romeo Racing Academy set to deliver outstanding experiences to motor enthusiasts
• Alfa Romeo showroom nestled in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island - the regional home to Formula One
Abu Dhabi-UAE 21 November 2022: Gargash Group, one of the largest distributors of luxury performance-oriented cars in the UAE, today announced the opening of a new standalone Alfa Romeo showroom in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi—in line with Gargash Group’s strategy to expand its presence in the market and to meet the burgeoning demand for automobiles in the region.
The opulent opening was marked by the unveiling of the new showroom along with the launch of the world’s first Alfa Romeo Racing Academy.
To celebrate the momentous opening, ......read more
Dubai, 16 November 2022: Arabian Automobiles (AAC), the flagship company of the AW Rostamani Group and the exclusive dealer for Nissan in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, is excited to announce it is rolling out the Patrol Exchange campaign from 9th – 20th November as part of its most popular trade-in campaign.
As an attractive incentive this time around, Arabian Automobiles is increasing the trade-in value and steering focus on the Patrol range of cars, offering up to AED 20,000* for customers’ current vehicles, regardless of make and model, towards a brand-new Nissan Patrol.
The Nissan Patrol is known for its performance and style. Being an aspirational model in the UAE, the Patrol has created a following amongst owners and intenders in the region. Celebrating an unmatched legacy of 70 years, ......read more
The Ferrari 125 S, the very first car to wear the Ferrari badge, will premier in the Middle East during Casa Ferrari Abu Dhabi 2023 this weekend
Dubai, 16th November 2022 – Ferrari presents the Prancing Horse brand’s first-ever model to bear its logo, the Ferrari 125 S, to the Middle East for the first time this weekend. The pioneering and historic model that made its debut in 1947 will be proudly displayed for Ferraristi during Casa Ferrari, the ultimate Ferrari lifestyle event. Casa Ferrari will be held this weekend, from November 18th to the 20th at Yas Links, Abu Dhabi. It is a notable presence of the first-ever model in the year that also marks Ferrari’s 75th anniversary.
The 125 S is known the world over for bringing Ferrari its first racing triumph in 1947, marking the first milestone for the ......read more
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 15 November 2022
• Revenues in Q2 FY23 of £5.3 billion, up 36% vs. Q2 FY22 and up 20% vs. Q1 FY23
• Profitability and cashflow improved with positive EBIT margin of 1% and cashflow near breakeven, while the loss before tax narrowed to £(173) million
• The improved results reflect strong model mix and pricing with wholesales of 75,000 up 17.6% vs. Q2 FY22 and 4.9% vs. Q1 FY23, but lower than planned as chip supply constraints continue
• The production ramp up of New Range Rover and New Range Rover Sport improved with 13,537 units wholesaled in the quarter, up from 5,790 in Q1
• Strong demand continuing with client order book now at 205,000 units; our three most profitable models, the New Range Rover, New Range Rover Sport and Defender account for over 70% of ......read more
Kavak set to revolutionize the face of used cars in the GCC
Dubai, UAE: Monday 14 November 2022: Kavak has officially opened its doors to its largest customer hub in the world, in Dubai, which is set to revolutionize the pre-owned car industry in the GCC. The global giant, valued at $8.7 billion, recently announced its merger with regional player Carzaty.
Kavak is unlike any other platform for used vehicles in the region. It has removed the uncertainty currently surrounding used car purchases, which are rampant with risk. Kavak is not a middleman connecting buyers and sellers, it owns all its cars. All cars purchased by Kavak go through 240 points of inspection before making their way to Kavak’s inventory. This inventory is one of the widest in the region, currently offering hundreds of cars on hand and ......read more
To find out even more about the Volvo EX90, make sure to read our launch blog post as well!
The new Volvo EX90 is more than just a car. Revealed to the world in downtown Stockholm and to be introduced in the UAE market in 2024, it’s not just the most advanced Volvo car we ever created – it’s your entry ticket to a wider ecosystem of services and features that can make your life easier, more enjoyable and allow you to reap the full benefits of going all-electric.
It signifies our new approach to ownership, whether you choose to get a Volvo EX90 online or by going to a retailer. You decide how you access it, whether that is through outright ownership, by subscribing to it or by leasing it. Whatever works for you.
Life with your Volvo EX90 is further supported by the Volvo Cars smartphone app, ......read more
Prospective buyers get behind wheel for first time – then enjoy ride of a lifetime with double Dakar winner Roma
Dubai, UAE 9th November, 2022: Prospective buyers for the world’s first all-terrain hypercar have been putting the vehicle through its paces in Dubai, with the help of international rally raid star, Nani Roma.
The original Prodrive Hunter was built to tackle the notoriously tough Dakar Rally, and Roma, a two-times winner of the event, has played an important role in the development of the new road-going version unveiled in Dubai this week.
Super car enthusiasts and potential buyers got behind the wheel of the 600 bhp, four-wheel drive Hunter in the Al Qhudra dunes, before switching to the co-driver’s seat alongside the Spanish driver for a ride they will not easily forget.
Designed to ......read more
Dubai, 08 November 2022: Arabian Automobiles, the flagship company of the AW Rostamani Group and the exclusive dealer for Renault in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, is bundling new purchases of the award-winning and tech-smart Renault Koleos with a number of perks for customers to take advantage of, including free servicing, free insurance, and five years or one million kilometers of warranty.
Drivers seeking a car that is equipped to take you on road trips across the UAE while also designed to cater to your errands or school pick-ups will find all they are looking for and more with the Renault Koleos, one of the best sub-compact SUVs on the market. From advanced automotive features to a comfortable ride, no matter the duration or terrain, this SUV is all you will need.
The Renault Koleos rethinks everything, ......read more
• 22 Days, 21 Countries, 1 Electric Car, Endless Opportunities
• Welsh football fans to visit Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
(08 November 2022, Middle East) A four-man team of Welsh football supporters is undertaking an epic, 5,000-mile journey across Europe and Middle East in an MG electric vehicle, as they make their way to Qatar for the highlight of the global footballing calendar.
Having set off from Wales on Tuesday 25th October, the four electric car enthusiasts are currently travelling through Europe, and are expected to arrive in Amman, Jordan on 12th November. The team will be travelling through Jordan and Saudi Arabia, experiencing the rich culture that the region has to offer, with plans to visit iconic sites such as Wadi Rum, Al Ula, and Hofuf as well as the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh ......read more
• All-new Ford Territory has a modern design and advanced technology features that deliver an exciting, progressive customer experience.
• The globally available small SUV sets a benchmark in the Middle East to redefine the SUV segment with a 1.8L EcoBoost engine, seven-speed automatic transmission, four drive modes, and a suite of driver-assist technologies to offer maximum safety for all passengers.
• Prototype models were tested across diverse Middle Eastern terrains in temperatures reaching up to 49°C over an 18-month evaluation period.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 7, 2022 – From the heart of Saudi Arabia, Ford Middle East officially launched the all-new Ford Territory for the first time in the Middle East. The small SUV combines a modern and striking look, ample cabin space, and ......read more
If you’ve been thinking of upgrading your drive, now is the time to get your hands on an option as versatile and performance-focused as the Renault Duster. The latest edition of this Renault SUV ticks all the right boxes and makes for a perfect choice for those seeking an all-round experience to uplift their everyday commute.
One of the key features of the Renault Duster remains its accentuated approach to design, with leather seats boasting high-quality finishes, automatic air conditioning with rear air vents, and electric power steering from a features front, and remote engine start and a keyless entry system, allowing you to open and start the car without your keys, from an engineering one. You can also set the car into your preferred mood with the Media Nav 4.0 – 7” ......read more
Compact crossover SUVs have made a space in the world of an endless option of four-wheelers populating the busy roads today. Given the fact that they fit right in between small and large cars, these crossovers are perfect for people seeking a ride that has the best of both worlds. Of the many options across brands, the Renault Koleos tops the charts for more reasons than one.
What’s the engine got?
The multi-point injection 2.5-liter engine, with 170 horsepower and a top speed of 185 km/hour, makes the Koleos a competent vehicle in its class. The Koleos comes equipped with an X-TRONIC automatic gearbox for responsive driving and all-mode 4x4-i technology for more control on the road.
Comfortable cabin space:
The element of power does not overpower the interiors, and the design of the SUV makes it an ideal option ......read more
• Through its Reimagine strategy, Jaguar Land Rover is transforming to an electric-first business, on a journey to carbon net zero by 2039
• Strategic partnership with Wolfspeed will secure supply for Silicon Carbide semiconductor technology, integral to electrification of its next generation Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Jaguar vehicles
• Next generation electric vehicle inverters using Silicon Carbide technology will deliver significantly increased powertrain efficiency and extended driving range for clients
• Strategic partnerships with industry leaders are a cornerstone of Jaguar Land Rover’s Reimagine strategy
• Wolfspeed’s Silicon Carbide semiconductors have been used in Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E team’s in-house developed powertrains since 2017
• ......read more
• Kia EVs will be assembled at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America which officially broke ground near Savannah, Georgia
• Kia has assembled more than 3.8 million vehicles in Georgia since 2009
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 31, 2022 – At groundbreaking celebrations today for the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant (HMGMA), it was revealed that production is expected to begin in the first half of 2025 at the dedicated electric vehicle (EV) and battery plant facility.
Kia is a dynamic part of the world’s fifth-largest automaker, and made one of the biggest single foreign investments in the history of Georgia in 2006 by establishing a state-of-the-art production facility in West Point which accounts for nearly 40-percent of all Kia sales in the U.S.
“Kia was the first ......read more
26, October 2022 – Maserati's energy never ceases. To follow the resurgence of the GranTurismo legend, the new Maserati GranCabrio prototypes are now taking to the streets of Modena for the initial stages of development testing.
The energy of the Trident's sports cars is unstoppable and the journey into the future of the brand has already begun: GranTurismo and GranCabrio are the brand’s first cars to adopt a 100% electric solution.
Maserati is innovative by nature and is looking ahead into the future. The new models are intended to launch the Folgore electric range, with which Maserati will set the benchmark in every market segment: each car in the range will be full-electric by 2030.
Ahead of the launch of the new GranCabrio, expected next year, the prototype models are undergoing intensive ......read more
The first regional deliveries of the latest high-performance hybrid (HPH) supercar commence in the Middle East & Africa
McLaren Automotive, the British creator of luxury, high-performance supercars, has announced the start of regional deliveries of its high-performance hybrid supercar, the McLaren Artura, in the Middle East and Africa region.
All new from the ground-up, and built on brand-new vehicle architecture, this next-generation supercar is set to drive future growth for the company and is expected to contribute to circa 50% of the brand's regional sales in 2023.
Celebrating the start of deliveries of the McLaren Artura, an exciting track-driving event for McLaren customers and enthusiasts, as well as key automotive and technology media, was held from the iconic ......read more
Juma Al Majid Est., the exclusive distributor of Hyundai cars in the UAE, is announcing the arrival of the latest edition of Hyundai’s superstar SUV, Creta, as part of an overarching awareness ‘Feed Your Passions’ campaign.
The all-new Creta rewrites the book on compact crossovers, with a style that is sensuous and sporty, reflecting Creta’s impressive dynamic capabilities and fun-loving driving personality. From tip to tail there’s new thinking. The new Creta comes with a bold and dynamic muscular look, offering a parametric jewel pattern radiator grille containing a hidden signature position lamp and DRLs with LED head lamps. These convey a sense of boldness and uniqueness accentuated further with boomerang shape signature rear lighting.
Satisfaction is maximized with the ......read more
Arabian Automobiles, the exclusive dealer for INFINITI in Dubai, Sharjah, and the Northern Emirates, is marking October with an exclusive offer on the INFINITI QX55.
Finding the right luxury crossover is sometimes challenging, but the QX55 encapsulates style, efficiency and power, all of which draw onlookers’ and buyers’ attention. Arabian Automobiles is further adding to the car’s value proposition by rewarding new owners of the performance-inspired INFINITI QX55 with free servicing and insurance and five years of warranty.
From its intricate digital taillights to the double-arch grille resembling a Japanese bridge and all the way to its race-track-inspired front fascia, everything about the QX55 makes it one of the most appealing cars around right now, and it’s just as impressive on ......read more
Dubai-UAE, 18 October 2022: Highlighting its commitment to support the burgeoning demand for quality automobiles, parts and related IoT technology and strengthening the local supply chain, Taipei Automobile & Motorcycle Parts & Accessories Show (AMPA), organized a dedicated suppliers conference at the Swissotel in Dubai, UAE.
During the course of the event, Annie Shih, Deputy Division Director Industry Technology Research Institute gave attendees a preview of the latest Taiwanese technology including components, lighting, tires, body parts and electrical lighting, as well as an in-depth overview of Taiwan’s EV Supply Chain. Participants also took the time to engage in discussions pertaining to future trends and their current implications on the automobile industry. Key takeaways from this discussion included the demand ......read more
Dubai, October 17, 2022 – UAE based company, Ultimate Motors has been confirmed as the new authorised dealer for Automobili Lamborghini in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Since the 1st of August 2022, current and new Lamborghini customers across Dubai and Abu Dhabi can refer to the dealership located in Sheikh Zayed Road for all sales (including new and certified pre-owned cars), after sales and customer service.
Speaking about the appointment, Paolo Sartori, Regional Head, Automobili Lamborghini Middle East and Africa said: “We are excited to welcome Ultimate Motors as our new dealer in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. With a product offering more wide-ranging than ever, more technologically advanced and able to amplify our customers’ emotions, I’m sure that we will continue to grow the brand in the UAE, building on ......read more
There’s an aura accompanying people and things that emanate big-boss characteristics, and it wouldn’t take long staring at the INFINITI QX80’s premium features to realise that this SUV is a super boss.
When the largest INFINITI comes into view, the first sight will be the intricately formed, thickly framed, double-arch grille inspired by traditional origami craft; the chassis angles are the next notable attribute, accentuating the car’s sleek curves, enhanced by its deluxe chrome detailing. This exceptional design approach is reflected by the slender tail lights and LED headlights, resembling the eyes of a dominant beast and illuminating your steering direction.
On the inside, the QX80 is just as impressive, with quilted Nappa leather upholstery, distinctively tailored to last, with careful ......read more
Munich. The new BMW M2 delivers signature M performance in a highly concentrated form. With its 338 kW/460 hp six-cylinder in-line engine, the second generation of the compact high-performance sports car promises unadulterated driving pleasure. The debut of the new BMW M2 marks another highlight event in the model offensive celebrating the 50-year anniversary of BMW M GmbH, while making the first step into the world of its high-performance cars an even more enticing one.
Compact dimensions together with powertrain and chassis technology adapted from the BMW M3/BMW M4 are at the heart of a vehicle concept that endows the new edition of the two-door model with beguiling agility and handling that remain easily controllable even as the driver explores the car’s limits. This distinct character profile also manifests ......read more
● F-TYPE 75: To celebrate the final Model Year of F-TYPE and 75 years of Jaguar sports cars in 2023, customers can choose the F-TYPE 75 or F-TYPE R 75 special editions, powered by Jaguar’s supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine in 450PS and 575PS forms respectively, in both Coupé and Convertible bodystyles
● Curated exclusivity: Featuring unique interior and exterior design elements, rich specifications and the unique paint option of Giola Green metallic, the special editions are a fitting celebration of combustion engine performance before Jaguar becomes a pure electric modern luxury brand from 2025
● Visceral, exploitable performance: F-TYPE’s range of powerful, responsive engines includes four- and eight-cylinder options with outputs from 300PS to 575PS, offering outstanding driver ......read more
• Arabian Automobiles encourages the community to give hope to breast cancer patients by giving all what they can today
Dubai, 7 October 2022: Arabian Automobiles Company, the flagship company of the AW Rostamani Group and the exclusive dealer for Nissan, INFINITI and Renault vehicles in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, is proud to be collaborating with Al Jalila Foundation, a global healthcare philanthropic organization dedicated to transforming lives, to raise donations that will be contributed towards the research on cancer as well as the treatment of the patients.
Under the initiative’s annual #PINKtober drive, Arabian Automobiles is linking hands with Al Jalila Foundation to raise funds for the research and treatment required to continue to fight for people’s rights to live. The company ......read more
Lincoln Co-Pilot360 offers a suite of advanced driver-assist technologies that enable a safer, smoother drive
Ford’s SYNC4 infotainment system offers drivers enhanced voice recognition for the ultimate personalized experience through a large 13.2-inch center screen
The new Navigator offers unprecedented customization of seat positioning with 30 possible positions for optimal comfort
DUBAI, UAE,6 October 2022: The new Lincoln Navigator brings a range of unique, intuitive technologies to the Middle East, accentuating safety, comfort, entertainment, and the driving experience of drivers and passengers.
Already one of the region’s most popular large SUVs, the latest Navigator packs in a suite of advanced technologies that make the driving experience both safer and smoother. Lincoln Co-Pilot360, ......read more
In the heart of Italy’s fashion capital, Maserati hosted an exclusive soirée celebrating its new ‘sartoria |officina’ retail experience
Milan, September 30, 2022 – Last night, Maserati feted the opening of its world’s first new retail store along with personalities from the world of fashion, showbiz, sports and music in the heart of Milan’s elegant Magenta district. Intended to express the Italian House’s power and prowess in luxury craftsmanship, the innovative retail space combines the refinement of a sartoria – a tailor’s atelier – with the rawness of an officina – a workshop, allowing clients to unleash their creative passion to bring to life their own bespoke vision of the ultimate luxury sports car.
Italian – French – Egyptian model and ......read more
Prospective buyers for the Hunter to get exclusive Dubai test drives alongside rally star
Dubai, UAE 4th October, 2022: Prospective buyers for the Hunter, the world’s first all-terrain hypercar, will have exclusive opportunities to test drive the vehicle when it is unveiled in Dubai next month.
The Hunter is a 600 bhp, four-wheel drive car designed for journeys into the most dramatic and demanding desert regions, but with the comfort and style to stand out in downtown traffic and on urban highways.
It is developed from the competition car driven for Bahrain Raid Xtreme by legendary rally driver Sebastien Loeb in the world’s toughest motor sport race, the Dakar, and other rounds of the World Rally-Raid Championship.
Prodrive, the world-leading motorsport and advanced technology business, is building a limited ......read more
Modena, 3 October 2022 – One of the brand’s icons is back: Maserati presents the new GranTurismo, marking a new chapter in a story that began 75 years ago with the Maserati A6 1500.
The GranTurismo coupé combines the high performance typical of a sports car with comfort suitable for long distances, in both the version with a powerful internal combustion engine and with the most innovative 100% electric solutions. It represents a benchmark, embodying the concept of “The Others Just Travel”. This model is taking the House of the Trident forward into the future: it is the first car in the brand’s history to adopt a 100% electric powertrain.
From an aesthetic point of view, the GranTurismo design represents an ideal balance between beauty and functionality, without ostentation. With undeniably unique ......read more
Munich. As its 50th anniversary celebrations continue, BMW M GmbH brings us its first ever high-performance car with electrified drive system. A plug-in hybrid system comprising a V8 petrol engine and an exceptionally powerful electric motor endows the BMW XM with captivating dynamic prowess. The newly developed M HYBRID drive system, an extravagant design and the progressive luxury ambience inside the BMW XM come together to create a fresh interpretation of the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) concept for the high-performance segment that will open up that inimitable M feeling to new target groups and markets.
The highlight of the brand’s model offensive in its anniversary year, the BMW XM is also the first BMW M original since the BMW M1. Precisely crafted flourishes in the exterior design of the high-performance SAV recall ......read more
- Kia to host design celebration at Seoul Dongdaemun Design Plaza in October
- Members of public will experience the brand’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy through video, audio and sculpture
- VIP event (September 30) for leading members of Seoul’s influential design community to officially start exhibition
- Each of the five pillars of the ‘Opposites United’ design ethos will be represented by a unique exhibition space
- Further events to be held in 2022 to build on growing momentum around and plaudits for Kia design
(Dubai, United Arab Emirates) September 30, 2022 – Kia is hosting a ‘Kia Design Philosophy Exhibition’ in cooperation with the Seoul Design Foundation in October, with the intention of further communicating the principles behind the ......read more
Dubai, 29 September 2022: Arabian Automobiles, the flagship company of the AW Rostamani Group and the exclusive dealer for Nissan in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, has announced attractive limited period offers on the Nissan Patrol.
Further celebrating the Nissan Patrol’s 70th anniversary, Arabian Automobiles is bundling each new purchase of the car with 2 years of insurance, 5 years of free servicing and 5 years of Nissan Warranty.
Over the past 70 years, the Nissan Patrol is a legend that has built a legacy with deep-rooted heritage, power and superior capability. Since its introduction to the region in 1957, the Nissan Patrol has become a fundamental icon in the region and favored by its people, integrating itself as a culture within society. It is continuously enhancing Nissan’s brand image and is the ......read more
• More than 60 per cent of Jaguar Land Rover and franchised retailer employees* around the world to be retrained to develop, manufacture and service modern luxury electric vehicles over the next three years
• Majority of Jaguar Land Rover’s retail technicians to be trained in electrification this financial year - to tackle emerging skills gaps
• More than 9,500 apprentices are in training across Jaguar Land Rover and its retailers, with hundreds more to be hired next year.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 28 September 2022: Jaguar Land Rover today announces a global upskilling drive, in a bid to train 29,000 people in the next three years for its connected and data capabilities, and to support the rapid transition to electrification.
The company’s Future Skills Programme will see ......read more
27 September 2022, Abu Dhabi – Emirates Motor Company, the authorized general distributor for Mercedes-Benz in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, recently conducted an AMG service weekend at its newly expanded, state-of-the-art service center located on the Airport Showroom in Abu Dhabi.
The new facility covers an area of 13,500 square feet, and due to this huge expansion, the service center can now accommodate up to 18 cars at any given time. The workshop has undergone a comprehensive renovation in line with Emirates Motor Company's commitment to giving its clients the best possible service. Visitors to the showroom may see the workshop in its entirety, providing complete visibility and allowing customers to see the high caliber of work being undertaken.
To celebrate the expansion of the ultra-modern service center, EMC recently ......read more
Blending innovation with a redefined versatility, revolutionary design, and class-leading features, Kia Carens brings the best of automotive genius to the UAE roads
(DUBAI, UAE) September 21, 2022 – Al Majid Motors, the exclusive dealer for KIA in the UAE, has announced the arrival of Kia’s one of the most loved RVs, Carens. The global product from Kia combines the sophistication of a family mover and the sportiness of an SUV in one compelling package. Blending innovation with a redefined versatility, revolutionary design, and class-leading features, Kia Carens brings the best of automotive genius to the UAE roads.
The Kia Carens, designed for modern families, is a comfortable and spacious three-row RV with the longest wheelbase in its class. It comes equipped with Hi-Secure Safety Package as standard across all trims, ......read more
Jaguar Land Rover is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its operations and entire value chain by 2030, approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
This forms part of the company’s goal to achieve carbon net zero emissions across supply chain, products and operations by 2039
Company’s network of suppliers invited to align with Jaguar Land Rover’s sustainability targets
Achieving carbon net zero across entire value chain will benefit people, clients, and the planet
September 21, 2022, Dubai, UAE: Jaguar Land Rover is inviting its global supply network to commit to sustainability targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and help reach carbon net zero emissions across Jaguar Land ......read more
Dubai, 20 September 2022: Juma Al Majid Est. the exclusive distributor of Hyundai Motors in the UAE, is celebrating the Back-to-School season with exceptional offers on its lineup, including the compact SUV Tucson, the subcompact SUV Kona and the sedan Elantra.
Taking place from 7 September to 7 October, customers can look forward to a number of perks on the listed cars, including 5 years of roadside assistance across all three cars and 5 years/150,000 km manufacturer warranty on the 2023 MY editions of the Kona and the Elantra.
Suliman Al Zaben, Director of Hyundai UAE - Juma Al Majid Est said: “Every year, we look forward to welcoming the new academic season by rewarding our customers with attractive back-to-school offers. These campaigns are designed to emphasise customer convenience and put their needs at the core, in ......read more
• Flagship luxury sedan features the most elegant interpretation of Genesis’ design identity
• Advanced technologies including Multi-Chamber air suspension and Rear Wheel Steering offer the comfortable, quiet driving experience of a flagship luxury sedan
• A new automated experience enabled by features like EasyClose guides drivers at every moment of their journey – from boarding to driving
• The G90 offers a personalized space that goes beyond a means of transportation, with new features like Virtual Venue and Mood Curator that meet drivers’ emotional and aesthetic needs
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Sept. 20th, 2022 – Genesis Middle East & Africa HQs has today launched its flagship sedan, the G90.
The G90 brings the first full model change in three ......read more
A vital growth engine for the UAE economy, Jebel Ali has created a USD12.4 billion trading hub which facilitates 40% of Dubai’s vehicle & transport trade
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 14 September 2022: Dubai hosts the region’s biggest automotive trading hub and the largest used car market should come as no surprise. Dubai’s strategic location as a gateway between Europe, Asia and Africa, coupled with its unique logistics infrastructure has ensured the steady rise of the automotive sector in the emirate.
Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) a leading trade and logistics hub in the Middle East, part of DP World Group, facilitated over 1.2 million metric tonnes (MT) from Dubai’s total volume of around 4.8 million MT of vehicle & transport commodities transited through the emirate in 2021. This equates to USD12.4 ......read more
Modena, 14 September 2022 – The new Maserati GranTurismo has taken to the road ahead of its official reveal, in the Modena and Trofeo versions fitted with the V6 Nettuno engine.
GranTurismo is the Brand’s true icon and its energy is unstoppable: the high-performance coupé is already travelling many miles, with a selected number of employees from the Maserati Family in the driving seat.
The livery has only one main message: the return of a Maserati icon created 75 years ago.
It all began with the A6 1500, a model with a revolutionary spirit, the forerunner of a class of car that had never been seen before. It would go on to influence the automotive landscape all over the world, and successive generations of Maserati road cars.
Granturismo is a way of life 100% Made in Italy: a type of high-performance car, suitable ......read more
• BRABUS Crawler impresses at Conti Tuning Day – BRABUS Special Edition excels beyond the high-speed track
• Off-road Specialist Grabber X3 impresses tuning fans with 4x4 performance on all terrains
• General Tire supplies the ideal tyres for all SUVs and 4x4 vehicles
Dubai, 13 September 2022 -At the most recent special edition, 44th Conti Tuning day, everything revolved around vehicles from BRABUS. The German vehicle tuner brought along 10 impressive high-performance vehicles for comprehensive testing, including a brand-new customised Mercedes EQS and the BRABUS 900 Crawler. To ensure the right tyre performance beyond the high-speed track, it was equipped with the Grabber X3, General Tire’s off-road specialist tyre.
The BRABUS 900 Crawler – or “Supercar” ......read more
Dubai, 7 September 2022: Arabian Automobiles, the flagship company of the AW Rostamani Group and the exclusive dealer for Renault in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, is rolling out an attractive offer on the award-winning and tech-smart Koleos.
This is the best time to discover and experience the Renault Koleos in its MY2023 version as Arabian Automobiles Company is bundling every all-new purchase with free insurance, free servicing and 5-year/1 million km warranty.
Customers on the lookout for a car that does it all, from dropping kids to schools to planning road trips across the UAE and beyond, need not search further: the Renault Koleos is arguably one of the best sub-compact SUVs on the market. From technological features that make every day driving an experience to be excited about to its ergonomic layout that ......read more
Hamda Al Qubaisi selected for one-day test on the FIA F3 car
Abu Dhabi, UAE 6 September 2022: The FIA Formula 3 promoters are pleased to announce that Hamda Al Qubaisi, a Formula 4 and Formula Regional driver, has been selected to take part in a Formula 3 test on 16 September at Magny-Cours, France.
As part of a large diversity drive to give better access to the FIA single-seater pyramid to more female drivers, Hamda, aged just 20, will be testing for the full day with the aim to introduce her to the F3 category, cars and different set-ups, and get her acquainted with the demands and challenges of its environment.
The Emirati racer, who secured her maiden overall podium finish in the Italian Formula 4 Championship in 2021 was the first and only female to achieve that result. Hamda is considered the UAE’s most ......read more
Dubai, UAE, 6 September 2022: Arabian Automobiles, the flagship company of the AW Rostamani Group and the exclusive dealer for INFINITI in Dubai, Sharjah, and the Northern Emirates, has announced the launch of an exclusive offer for the INFINITI QX80, the brand’s most luxurious and refined SUV that caters to a perfect family drive.
Every purchased QX80 will grant customers access to free insurance, free servicing and a 5-year warranty.
The INFINITI QX80 is fully loaded with the most advanced vehicular technology, bundled within a unique approach to automotive design and with a power that surpasses the performance of the average SUV — it truly is a four-wheeled marvel, with a 5.6-litre V8 producing 400hp and 560nm of torque. A 7-speed automatic gearbox and Adaptive Shift Control also make your travels less ......read more
Team Abu Dhabi star says he can handle pressure in decisive Portuguese double header
Abu Dhabi, 5th September, 2022: Team Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori says he is ready to handle the pressure as he bids to secure the 2022 UIM F2 World Championship in a tense finale to the season over the next two weekends in Portugal.
His first F2 Grand Prix victory in Lithuania last month has given the Emirati driver a three-point championship lead over Germany’ Stefan Hagin to take into Sunday’s penultimate round in Ribadouro.
With the final Grand Prix of the campaign to follow a week later and 270km away in Vila Velha de Ródão, Al Mansoori is determined to follow team-mate and three-times world champion Rashed Al Qemzi to the F2 crown.
“I’m not surprised to ......read more
• Hydrogen is an additional option for electric drive systems.
• Fuel cells are manufactured in the company’s competence centre for hydrogen
• BMW Group leads the way in hydrogen technology in the premium electric vehicle segment
Munich. On 31 August, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG Oliver Zipse and Frank Weber, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Development, came together to inaugurate fuel cell system production at the company’s competence centre for hydrogen in Munich.
The occasion marks the entry to service of a small series of BMW iX5 Hydrogen cars around the world from the end of this year for test and demonstration purposes. The combination of fuel cell and high-performance battery is set to enrich the company’s ......read more
Pop-up brand experience puts guests within touching distance of the world’s most exciting race on water.
Friday 2 September, 2022, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Range Rover is proud to announce that owners across Europe will be invited to a one-off luxury brand experience – Range Rover House – to celebrate its partnership with the internationally renowned sailing championship SailGP.
The purpose-led, global sailing championship is the world’s most exciting racing on water and will return to the French Riviera for the fifth stop on the SailGP Season 3 race calendar on September 10-11. Range Rover will be title partner for the event – which will become the Range Rover France Sail Grand Prix – and also appear as official partner of the France SailGP Team. Following a ......read more
• The Genesis G70 Shooting Brake will make its Middle East & Africa debut this September
• Genesis transforms the award-winning Genesis G70 sedan into an iconic Shooting Brake
• The G70 Shooting Brake takes the athletic exterior of the New G70 and adds practicality with increased trunk space
United Arab Emirates – September 1st, 2022 – Today, Genesis Middle East & Africa has announced the official regional launch of the G70 Shooting Brake.
The name “Shooting Brake” refers to a car body style that is firmly rooted in the automotive history of Europe, and is a reoccurring theme for manufacturers in the premium luxury sector.
First premiered at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the G70 Shooting Brake is based on the new G70 sedan, with the added ......read more
● Genesis places first overall for tech innovation and highest among premium brands
● Hyundai Motor and Kia rank first and second among mass market brands
● Genesis ranks highest overall and among premium brands for second consecutive year and Hyundai Motor tops mass market table for third consecutive year
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 1, 2022 – Hyundai Motor Group is pleased to announce that its three automotive brands — Genesis, Hyundai Motor and Kia — have topped J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) StudySM in recognition of their product lineups’ high level of advanced technologies.
Genesis ranked first overall and top among premium brands for the second consecutive year. With an Innovation Index score of 643, Genesis secured a resounding ......read more
• Audi to compete in races across four cities in the Middle East for the first time
• Development of a power unit for the premier class of motorsport from the 2026 season
• Hybrid power unit will be developed at the Audi Sport facility in Neuburg
• New rules focusing on sustainability and cost efficiency are important factors for getting involved
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (31 August 2022) – Audi enters the premier class of
motorsport. From 2026, the premium brand will compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship with a specially developed power unit, taking place in four of the main races across the Middle East and beyond. The project will be based at Audi Sport’s facility in Neuburg near Ingolstadt. This is the first time in more than a decade that a Formula 1 ......read more
The awards honours Al Masaood Group for fostering sustainability, gender equality and healthy working environment
Abu Dhabi, October 25, 2022: Al Masaood Group, one of Abu Dhabi’s leading business conglomerates, has won four major accolades at the GCC Leadership Awards, recognising its exceptional contribution to fostering a healthy working environment, advancing leadership excellence, ......read more
Dubai, October 18, 2022: Rasso Bartenschlager, General Manager of Al Masaood Power Division, participated in a panel discussion titled ‘Electric Vehicle and Infrastructure Manufacturing’ at the Fleet & Mobility Summit. During the discussion, Bartenschlager highlighted the significance of adopting green mobility and using sustainable energy solutions. Furthermore, he touched upon ......read more
The group is showcasing latest solutions in construction and Oil & Gas sectors
Abu Dhabi, September 12, 2022 - Al Masaood Group Industrial, a part of Al Masaood Group and a highly diversified UAE-based business enterprise that offers a wide range of industrial solutions, is participating in the upcoming Middle East Manufacturing & Technology (MEMT) Expo, which is taking place from the ......read more


text:
Millennial and Gen Z consumers are leading the way when it comes to buying fashion in the metaverse, according to new research from Centra, the headless commerce platform for fashion and lifestyle brands.
The research of more than 2,000 UK shoppers revealed that just 9 percent of Brits across all age demographics have bought fashion in the metaverse and that Millennial and Gen Z are driving the demand.
Centra found that a fifth (21 percent) of Millennials and a further 19 percent of Gen Z consumers have already bought a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) fashion purchase or digital fashion asset, with men twice as likely than women to have bought fashion in the metaverse.
Almost two-fifths (38 percent) of those who had bought a fashion NFT had done so because they believed it would be an investment, rising to 46 percent of Gen Z shoppers. The novelty of owning a digital asset also ranked highly among the shoppers polled, with a third (31 percent) motivated by it being a new digital form of owning something from a brand they liked, and 28 percent said they liked the idea of owning something in a virtual world.
However, 34 percent added they didn’t want to own fashion digitally, preferring physical fashion garments.
Martin Jensen, chief executive and co-founder of Centra, said in a statement: “The metaverse is still evolving – and you could say that it is still shapeshifting as retailers and brands try and get their heads around the opportunities this next dimension of retail offers. And whilst the metaverse isn’t here in its final guise yet, it’s certainly real for consumers who are already showing demand and adoption when it comes to owning fashion digitally.”
Demand for metaverse fashion growing, but mistrust about the longevity of items sold remains
The research adds that 31 percent of Gen Z shoppers said they wanted to dress their digital avatars as the main reason for purchasing NFTs, with a further 23 percent saying they wanted to be just as "well dressed" digitally as they were in the real world.
As the metaverse becomes a reality, 39 percent of UK shoppers across all age groups believed digital avatars will become the norm within the next two years, while 44 percent said this would take longer to normalise, saying widespread adoption would happen in 5 years.
However, Centra does note that while a quarter (27 percent) believed NFTs to be the future of fashion, there remains an element of mistrust about the longevity of fashion sold within the metaverse among UK shoppers. Findings reveal that 29 percent said they thought fashion NFTs were a fad that would pass, while 25 percent didn’t trust NFTs.
A further quarter (24 percent) thought NFTs were simply a gimmick used by fashion brands to sell more ‘things’ to shoppers.
Jensen added: “Consumers are demanding more and more immersive experiences online to the extent that they want to replicate their personality and appear ‘in person’ in the digital world.
“This presents an significant opportunity for brands to get closer to their customers to understand what they want and how they want it, but that needs to be delivered alongside a metaverse offer that is compelling and that stands the test of time, so it doesn’t just become flash in the fashion pan.”


text:
Investigating G x E Effects on Beef Quality
Is there a genetic component to the incidence of dark-cutting beef carcasses? U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Meat Scientist Steve Shackelford is wondering if dark-cutting beef is influenced by more than the environment.
Show-Me-Select Board Approves Genomic Testing Requirement for Natural Service Sires
A Steak in Genomics™
All bulls purchased after February 1st, 2019 for use as natural service sires in the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program™ must be DNA tested to have genomic-enhanced EPDs. All bulls used as natural service sires after February 1st, 2020 must have genomic-enhanced EPDs, regardless of when they were purchased.
Taking Care of Cattle at the Feedyard
“My primary role at the feedyard is encouraging animal well-being and promoting wellness”, says Dr. Kip. “That happens in a variety of ways. One way I help achieve this goal is by encouraging our caregivers, otherwise known as pen riders, and training them with the skills they need to interact with the animals in a calm, comfortable and safe fashion.”
A feed strategy to help compensate for poor pastures
Western Canada is having one of the hottest and driest summers in 30 years. It might not be the widespread drought of the past, but this year’s pastures are either simply nonexistent or filled with nutritionally hollow grass. As a result, cattle performance is likely to be compromised now and in months ahead with a loss of body condition and immunity against disease.
How Coloradans are getting hooked on local meat
If you’re an omnivore, you might be among the many consumers increasingly concerned about their meat, Colorado beef retailers say. Many consumers are turning their trust over to local suppliers, said Brad Buchanan, owner of the Flying B Bar Ranch, which produces grass-fed beef in Strasburg.
Upper East Tennessee 2018 Cattleman’s Tour
The 2018 Upper East Tennessee Cattleman’s Tour was held during the week of July 9-14. A total of 37 participants from Northeast Tennessee, Southwest VA and Western NC took part in the tour where they traveled to upstate New York and visited several beef cattle operations in Pennsylvania and New York.
Mark Parker: The Top 10 reasons for farm couple spats
- Your definition of “a little late for supper” and hers differ by a couple of hours.
- You voted for “the lunatic” and she voted for “the numskull.”


text:
Below is part two of my conversation with Dr. Jeff Dutremble, senior director of enterprise sales for life sciences at Seismic, as we continued to discuss his background in healthcare, the role of sales enablement in life sciences and the internal and external factors currently affecting companies within the space.
What are you seeing right now in terms of the current regulatory constraints life sciences companies are facing from the FDA?
I would say they have a broad effect. It’s tough to read the newspaper now without seeing a headline highlighting the huge fines these companies are slapped with for violating regulations. It’s unbelievable how many millions of dollars they are dishing out for off-label promotion, not adequately discussing the risks of their products with the benefits, etc.
Companies face a tremendous challenge. The healthcare landscape is fast-paced and ever-changing. There is increased scrutiny. They need to be cognizant of these changes or suffer the consequences. That is why it is critical for life sciences companies to adopt a sales enablement tool.
When any information changes, when the FDA comes out with a new regulation, for instance, or there is an update to a product, marketing teams can update that information once, and it will trickle down to all sales assets across the enterprise and immediately be made available to sellers in the field, with the old, non-compliant versions expired, which mitigates that risk.
Large life sciences companies seem to be either consolidating or making salesforce cuts. What challenges do you think either of those scenarios bring? And where does sales enablement come into play when considering them?
A lot of these big companies are gobbling up smaller ones. The challenge there is that they acquire new sales and marketing teams that are accustomed to a certain set of tools. After several acquisitions, there comes a point when large organizations have a bunch of different systems. Nobody is on the same page. Nobody is selling the same way, and the message is all over the place. As a result, they have no way to know what’s working and how to get better. A sales enablement platform can help to consolidate systems, those sales and marketing tools, ensure everyone is on the same page with branding and messaging, and allow them to measure their collective efforts.
Regarding cuts, we just spoke to the CIO at a large pharmaceutical company who wants to cut their IT costs in half while doing twice as much. We’ve heard a similar story during other meetings. CIOs and other key stakeholders are looking to drive down costs because of increased shareholder scrutiny and industry and public pressures. They are forced to get creative and find ways to increase revenue while cutting costs. That’s a hard thing to do. Sales enablement can help life sciences companies accomplish that by helping marketing teams realize as much as a 30 percent increase in efficiency and sales teams to increase their revenue to rep ratio, essentially doing more with less, all in a compliant fashion.
How do you think being on both sides of the selling equation (as both a seller and a buyer) has benefitted you in your role at Seismic?
I understand what it’s like to sell in that landscape, and, to be sold to. I know the challenges reps face because I’ve been there. In turn, as a retired physician, I am familiar with many of the companies we prospect because I’ve either used their products or seen them in use. I think that gives us more credibility when we discuss sales enablement and our offering here at Seismic. We like to think that our clients see us as trusted advisors and consultants as opposed to a traditional sales team.
If you had to boil it down to one critical reason why life sciences organizations need to start thinking strategically about sales enablement, what would you say?
In 2017 and beyond, they can’t afford not to. One word: compliance. If reps are presenting materials that are outdated and non-compliant, companies are going to shed millions and millions of dollars in fines. More importantly, and this is at the heart of what we do, albeit indirectly, patients’ lives and livelihoods are at stake.
Physicians and other customers rely on the information reps present; they trust that’s it’s up to date. If it’s not, and a new risk associated with a product, for example, is not correctly reflected in the respective sales assets, the patient suffers. That’s the true bottom line.
And, on top of all that, there is fierce competition. It’s an arms race, and companies that don’t adopt some sort of sales enablement platform in 2017 will be at a huge competitive disadvantage. The ones that implement these platforms are going to sell more, generate more revenue and do more with less. It’s just that simple.
Who is your favorite professional golfer, past or present?
Payne Stewart—no doubt about it.
The guy was a stud, and his swag was unrivaled. Anyone that can win 11 PGA tour events wearing the clothes that he did gets my vote.


text:
Avalon Technology has unveiled its fastest USB flash drive yet. The new eight-gigabyte USB Speedster is ideal for consumers and small business owners who need to travel with or transfer large amounts of information.
The new drive features advanced encryption, and is compatible with nearly every operating system, including the latest editions of Linux, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The new drive is encased in a stainless steel water resistant design, with no cap to lose.
"This is great news for our company and for those in the tech world," Min Liu, vice president of product development for Avalon Technology, said in a statement. "There aren't many flash drives that come with this quality of encryption at this speed."


text:
The knighted British designer wrapped his latest 48-hour trip to Los Angeles by creating bespoke suits for Dan Stevens and Édgar Ramírez.
The show is a mix of new and old work.
One of the designer’s daughters is joining the company to work on its b. Délices chocolates business and to give its coffee shops in Ginza and other parts of Asia more of a French flair.
The following from the worlds of fashion, beauty, retail, society and media were among those who died this year.
The collection includes works by Henry Moore, Damien Hirst and Italy’s Memphis Group.
Rock has just released a new book, “The Rise of David Bowie 1972-73,” by Taschen.
The veteran lensman takes more than just photos of perfect physiques.
Coachella singer Garrett Borns, aka Børns, talks Taylor Swift, David Bowie and Gucci.
Exhibit includes images of Angelina Jolie, Kylie Minogue, Steve McQueen and David Bowie.
Consumers can order styles from her David Bowie-inspired fall collection at Decades and wear them two weeks later.


text:
After it was revealed that video game retailer GameStop was in talks for a buyout, rumors began to swirl around the future of the company. Recently, one of these rumors suggested that it could be ending its Elite Pro membership of its PowerUp Rewards program, which effective today, has proven to be true. While subscribers to this program will have to the end of its current expiration date to take advantage of the features, it will not be renewable once it comes to an end.
Considering this high-level tier of GameStop's PowerUp Rewards program began on September 13, 2017, it was effectively short-lived, as the program hasn't been viable for a full year yet. Many believe that the retailer began this program in order to combat digital and online orders that took away from its sales, but regardless of the reason, it clearly wasn't accomplishing what the company wanted it to.
Thus, an official e-mail was sent out to all subscribers, announcing this change to the program. While the Elite Pro membership will not be renewable, those who have it can continue with the standard Pro membership, and its benefits are listed in the screenshot of the e-mail below:
Of course, these benefits are a step down from the Elite Pro version of the program, as it offered 30 points for every dollar spent, 20% off on pre-owned games, 20$ extra trade credit on games, the items listed in the Pro membership above, as well as a Collectibles welcome gift and free 2-day shipping on a purchase of $35. Although it remains unclear exactly why GameStop chose to end this program, it's likely similar to what happened with the PowerPass rental program.
Nevertheless, many consistently wonder about the future of the gaming retailer, as digital and online services become more dominant in the industry. Notably, however, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter believes the next Xbox and PlayStation 5 will include disc drives, as the gaming giants essentially need to make some concession to retailers of their consoles.
Tell us, Ranters, what do you think about this decision by GameStop?


text:
Franklin’s only locally owned and operated pharmacy, Smart Pharmacy, joined forces with the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the new store. Smart Pharmacy is located at 10 West Palmer Street. Store hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Phone number 828-369-DRUG (3784).
Owner and pharmacist Jacob Reiche along with Pharmacist Manager Tori O’Neill are excited to offer a personal experience while working with you on your prescription needs.