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One of Adobe's key announcements the last time its massive, spendy Creative Suite was updated to CS5.5 was that the software would be available as a subscription and not just as an outright purchase. The subscription offer seemed to lower the barrier to entry for the suite—which includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and more depending on the edition and runs from $1,299 to $2,599 when purchased outright—but a subscription could be had for just $65 a month. At this year's Adobe Max convention, meanwhile, the company announced Adobe Creative Cloud, which was available for just $49.99 per month.
But the president of a prominent Adobe user group yesterday posted an open letter to the company, stating that the company's new pricing policy shuts out longtime users of the Creative Suite. The problem, according to National Association of Photoshop Professionals president Scott Kelby, is that upgrade pricing for version 6 will only be available to users of version 5 or 5.5. So users of anything before that will have to purchase the software at full price, "as if we were never Adobe customers at all," Kelby wrote.
Adobe's Web site includes CS5.5 upgrade pricing going back to CS2, and even touts a limited-time 20 percent discount for upgraders. But when it comes to CS6, a Nov. 9 blog post by Adobe senior vice president David Wadhwani on Creative Cloud includes the upgrade caveat: "With regards to upgrades, we are changing our policy for perpetual license customers. In order to qualify for upgrade pricing when CS6 releases, customers will need to be on the latest version of our software (either CS5 or CS5.5 editions)."
This last bit is what has Kelby and thousands of his organization's members steamed. "I feel the timing of this new pricing structure is patently unfair to your customers (and our members)" writes Kelby.
The more than 300 comments on his post are no less vociferous. "This is not the way to treat loyal customers. Customer service has taken a huge nosedive from too many companies who have grown too large to see the little guy," writes one commenter, Fred Lang. John Van't Land writes, " I can’t afford annual upgrades that cost more than most other software original purchases. It is simple greed. I’m starting to have the same feelings toward Adobe that Steve Jobs had."
But at the end of his post, Kelby has a proposal for Adobe to put things right with its users, who overwhelmingly support his arguments: Make CS6 the "transition upgrade"—that is, one that users know will be required for future upgrades. Whether or not the giant creative software maker will listen remains to be seen.
For more from Michael, follow him on Twitter @mikemuch.


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17th December 2018
With rents reaching significant levels and new office schemes emerging slower than demand for them, Bath businesses are being forced out of the city.
“The challenge the city clearly faces is retaining those businesses that are expanding on the back of their success and in attracting new businesses, competing hard with the offering down the road in Bristol,” says Commercial Property partner Ben Jones.
“One of Bath’s many selling points is its rich retail and gastronomic offering and this is supported by a strong business community in the city. If that commercial hub shrinks, it will undoubtedly impact on the city’s independent shops, boutiques and vibrant restaurant scene,” he added.
To read the full article in The Business Exchange please click here.

domain: news


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RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook using a 1GHz OMAP 4430 processor originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 18:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Sunday, January 09, 2011
BlackBerry PlayBook was deadly fast in use, but up until now, we've still been left to wonder what kind of silicon was powering it. According to a RIM representative that spoke to us just now on the CES show floor, a dual-core OMAP chip from Texas Instruments is doing the honors -- more specifically, it's the blisteringly fast 1GHz OMAP 4430. And now, you know.


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Morningstar Farms is introducing the latest addition to their Incogmeato line, with a mouse-ears shaped twist. The plant-based brand has partnered with Disney to bring soy-based, Mickey Mouse-inspired nuggets to retailers nationwide, hoping to appeal to a younger audience. Disney is also hoping to enhance their presence in the plant-based category, adding over 400 new plant-based offerings to menus at their Florida and California resorts last year.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream has released its second flavor collaboration with Tyler, The Creator, following last year’s “Snowflake” flavor. “Pluto Bleu,” a blood orange and blueberry combination, launched on Thursday and will become available on the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream website starting on September 21.
Candy brands American Licorice, Goetze’s Candy, Jelly Belly, and Spangler have teamed up to create the “Boo Box,” a Halloween-themed box filled with candy, activities, and a mask. The box comes as brands search for new avenues to explore for the upcoming candy season in the wake of Covid-19 and its potential stifling of the trick-or-treating tradition.
Meanwhile, Hershey’s has launched a website to map out the safety of trick-or-treating by county. Color-coding the counties depending on the number of confirmed cases in each of them, the page makes recommendations for each risk level, with suggestions like going out with masks on or staying in with a scary movie. The holiday plays a key role in generating annual revenue for candy brands, but the pandemic made this year’s celebrations uncertain. Brands are searching for ways to combat that while staying safe, with many choosing to begin Halloween promotions earlier to encourage more spending.
Sports-focused nutrition brand Honey Stinger and shoe brand Merrell have released a shoe collaboration, announced Honey Stinger in a tweet on Thursday. The limited edition trail running shoe takes visual inspiration from the brand’s signature honey color and are available directly through Merrell’s website. “Teaming up with Merrell to create this limited-edition shoe was a natural fit for the Honey Stinger brand,” says Honey Stinger CEO Mike Keown. “Their deep passion for the outdoors and commitment to sustainable sourcing are well aligned with our own values, and we are excited to be able to express and celebrate both of those aspects with this unique collaboration.”
Frozen dessert brand Enlightened has released two new seasonal flavors in their Keto Collection line, partnering with Delish to bring consumers “creative ways to give their favorite dishes a low-carb twist,” says Delish editorial director Joanna Saltz. The Pumpkin Cheesecake and Peppermint Brownie flavors will be available nationwide through the holiday season, marking the beginning of this year’s seasonal festivities.
PepsiCo is launching Drinkwell, a sleep and relaxation-focused beverage that propels Pepsi into the functional beverage category. Set to hit shelves in the first quarter of 2021, the release strikes at a time when more and more consumers are reporting sleeplessness as a result of pandemic-induced anxiety.
General Mills is introducing a keto line called :Ratio, also in response to consumer trends that point towards a demand for healthier, better-for-you options. The release includes five varieties of yogurt and two snack bars, and is backed by figures provided by General Mills that claim the ketogenic category will grow by +5.5% by 2027 thanks to consumers' increased interest in it.
Gravity Products, parent of the weighted blanket brand Gravity Blanket, has announced its partnership with Target, bringing their blankets to 900 brick and mortar locations and Target’s online platform. The blanket brand has quickly extended its reach into several retail locations since being founded in 2017, including Amazon, Macy’s, and Bloomingdales, but their partnership with Target marks their largest one to date.
Bulletproof raised $13M in capital, and credited the influx of cash in part to the pandemic-led shift to consumers seeking out immunity and wellness products in larger quantities than ever.
Israel-based company Meat Tech 3D announced its acquisition of an undisclosed cell-based fat producer, furthering its reach even more after launching daughter company Chick&Tech earlier this month, and kicking off what Head of Business Development Simon Fried describes as the “first of many” acquisitions for the startup.
True Gum, a plastic-free and plant-based gum brand based in Copenhagen, received a €1 million investment from a German VC to push their expansion efforts forward as consumers continue to seek out sustainable versions of their favorite legacy products.
Kraft-Heinz is selling Lactalis, which includes brands like Breakstone’s, Knudsen, and Cracker Barrel, for $3.2 billion, its CFO Paulo Basilio announced. The sale comes as part of an effort for Kraft-Heinz to regain their footing after a $12.6 billion loss in February 2019.
Phytolon announced $4.1 million in funding for its production of plant-based food colors, which are increasingly in demand as the popularity in plant-based products booms.
Grocery stores are falling back into favor as consumers return to in-person shopping after months of opting for online options. Chains including Publix, Albertsons, and Trader Joe’s all saw year-over-year growth in August, with Whole Foods Market reporting an increase in visitors last month. Kroger also saw a growth of +8.2% in revenue compared to last year, marking a potential light at the end of the tunnel for many of the chains that experienced a drop in customers beginning in March. As more people return to in-person shopping, a survey by Takeoff Technologies found that while delivery speed is a main factor for online shoppers, price is the priority for those going into the stores. It also found that household size plays a bigger role in the decision to shop online than household income or age, meaning that online retailers should focus on large families as a key demographic, and improve prices and delivery speed to sway in-store shoppers to switch to virtual shopping.
As the plant-based market continues to grow and overtake animal products, the category faces more legal challenges in its journey to establish the industry in the mainstream. Most recently, Oklahoma’s ‘Meat Consumer Protection Act’ has allowed plant-based brands to use terms like ‘meat’ and ‘beef’ to describe products, with the stipulation that they disclose the product’s true sources, like soy, “in type that is uniform in size and prominence to the name of the product.” The law, which will go into effect on November 1st, has been challenged by the Plant Based Foods Association and plant-based meat brand Upton’s Naturals due to the “oversized” nature of the required disclaimers. PBFA executive director Michele Simon explains that while the brands are not hesitant to share that their products are vegan with consumers, “it’s customary for the font size of product names to be the largest on the label...Our members want the flexibility to be able to choose the labels and messages of their choice, so long as they are truthful and not misleading.” She added that certain members of the PBFA would even consider removing the products from the Oklahoma market if the law goes into effect. Because the plant-based craze is still relatively new and so many products are being added to its lineup, there are issues to be worked out when figuring out how to describe vegan products that are designed as replacements for traditional animal ones. As this process continues, brands are subject to an uncertain and unclear standard that is still in its infancy.
Kosher Crisis Hits $19 Billion Market With Rabbis Stuck at Home by Bruce Einhorn, Bloomberg
Innovation takes on a different meaning as pandemic forces CPGs to get creative by Christopher Doering, Food Dive
Unioncrate is an AI-powered Supply Chain Planning Platform that gives CPG brands the technology they need to compete and win in a rapidly changing consumer landscape. Our automated demand and supply forecasts deliver unmatched accuracy, collaborative visibility, and actionable intelligence, simplifying a manual-heavy process and slashing hours from your week.


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The start of a brighter future for New Ferry is emerging.
It is not far off five years since Pascal Blasio deliberately blew up his furniture store.
The explosion it created on March 25, 2017, at Homes in Style on Bebington Road in the Wirral town injured 81 people and caused devastation to nearby homes and businesses.
Mark Craig, secretary of New Ferry CLT, said his group had been involved in refurbishing 78/80 New Chester Road over the last two years.
The project, funded as part of a £500,000 sum from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Town Centre Fund, will see the building support two commercial units and four flats.
Mr Craig said: “The building will become a community asset, with future rental income reinvested into community projects in New Ferry, such as pop-up markets, a summer festival and the Christmas lights."
One of the businesses moving into the New Chester Road building will be Becky’s Sewing Boutique, which will move from a site further up the road.
This move will help to keep the sewing shop open and the town’s Post Office, as that is moving into the premises currently occupied by Becky’s Sewing Boutique.
In this way, the CLT’s work is helping to keep two shops open.
Mr Craig also discussed Wirral Council’s plans for the town.
Although much of the detail has yet to be finalised, the council is set to bring some retail space to the town rather than purely building more homes.
Mr Craig said: “Ground floor retail [with residential units above] can be made to work, there are businesses who don’t want to be reliant on the internet.
“They need a physical presence, but there are a lot of places that are squeezed out of the market because of soaring rent prices at the moment.
“But moving forward, if we get this right we could attract new businesses and entrepreneurs."
The ECHO visited New Ferry to see what people in the town thought should be done to revive its fortunes.
Brain Connolly, 52, said The Wirral pub needed to reopen and a supermarket was needed.
He added: “The town needs something to freshen it up.”
Lizzy Dodds, 64, had other ideas. She thought the town needed a fruit and veg shop and somewhere to buy fresh fish, but agreed that more pubs were needed.
There was a general frustration at the number of boarded up shops in New Ferry among those the ECHO spoke to and a feeling of waste, with spaces being left unused.
Peter Hunnybun, 63, said there used to be a suit shop in the town, but that had now gone.
He added: “We want shops for men’s and women’s clothes. We could do with a shoe shop and a market also.”
Mr Hunnybun suggested one of the closed down shops could be turned into an indoor market.
Wirral Council has said that progress is being made on a “wide-ranging programme” for New Ferry.
One sign of this will be the demolition of the final block of damaged properties on the pedestrianised part of Bebington Road.
Having finally acquired all of these properties, Wirral Council now has contractors on site starting the work to bring down 48-54 Bebington Road and clear the site for redevelopment.
This block adjoins an already cleared site on Bebington Road and is opposite the cleared site of the 2017 explosion itself.
Put together, these sites make up nearly two-thirds of those earmarked for regeneration.
The council has also moved one step closer to spending £700,000 on buying the former Co-op building at the junction of Bebington Road and New Chester Road, with the final decision on the purchase to be made at its most important committee, policy and resources.
Got a Wirral story? Email me at email@example.com
A preferred developer has also been appointed, allowing detailed plans for what will be done to boost the town to be drawn up.
Cllr Tony Jones, chair of Wirral Council’s economy and development committee, said: “We cannot underestimate the importance of this progress.
“The regeneration of New Ferry is – and has been since the gas explosion in March 2017 – a top priority for the council.
“However, it has been and remains, a complex and long-term process due to the fact that the majority of the land and buildings earmarked with the masterplan were in private ownership."
The Labour councillor added: “It has taken investment and a lot of hard work to get us to the point where a large proportion of these sites are now owned by the council and we have been able to recommend the appointment of a preferred developer with a great deal of confidence that together we will deliver the New Ferry masterplan.”


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WeBuyCars, in partnership with The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), is pioneering an online registration of motor vehicles and a change of ownership process.
This new online platform offers a more efficient method for motor vehicle dealers and financial institutions to transact directly with Natis.
It removed the need to physically handle documents or visits to registering authorities when buying and selling a car.
It will also reduce waiting times when buying and selling a car as the process is handled online with rapid turnaround times.
Previously, vehicle dealers had to use the services of a middleman to register and change ownership when they bought and sold cars.
The previous system was associated with filling in large amounts of paperwork, standing in lengthy queues at licencing authorities, and long waiting periods.
The new online system, an expansion of the current Natis system, offers a faster and more seamless experience.
It was first launched in 2022 and has been in operation on a trial basis at WeBuyCars to test its efficiency and allow the RTMC to identify areas of improvement.
The RTMC has now opened the platform to all motor vehicle dealers and financial service providers in South Africa.
WeBuyCars CEO Faan van der Walt explained they created the online system out of frustration with the problems experienced with the previous car registration and licensing process.
He said previously you were unsure if you could successfully register a vehicle after purchasing it from the owner.
“The registration document might be fraudulent or out of date. So, it was always a gamble when buying a car,” he said.
The new system allows dealerships to check online whether the cars they buy are legitimate. Registration is also instantaneous.
Users will also have peace of mind that when they sell a car to a participating dealership, it is immediately off their name.
Although this is a positive first step, he said that going fully digital to buy and sell a car will take time.
The first step was the launch of the system to register and do notifications of change of ownership online. “This is the first step towards going digital,” he said.
“Hopefully, in future, South African car dealerships and individuals will be able to buy and sell cars completely paperless.”
The new online registration system is currently only available to car dealerships and financial institutions, with a public launch set for next year.


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Sweet displays on show at World Bee Day celebrations in Perth
Apiary enthusiasts will have the chance to quiz experts and see honey traced from the hive to the jar as part of World Bee Day celebrations in the Perth CBD on Friday.
Visitors will get the buzz on research efforts under way to foster and protect the Australian honey bee industry, and view a selection of bee-friendly plants and a safely enclosed hive.
The sweet display will be set up in the Murray Street Mall from 8am to 3pm, with a host of experts on hand to deliver demonstrations and answer questions from the public.
They will include experienced staff from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, the Cooperative Research Centre for Honey Bee Products, the University of WA and the Bee Industry Council of WA.
DPIRD principal agribusiness development consultant Gerard Leddin said World Bee Day aimed to raise awareness of the importance of bees and beekeeping.
“WA has a thriving bee industry with approximately 4400 beekeepers — commercial and hobbyist — who own more than 53,000 hives,” he said.
“Our local honey bee industry is notable for its high quality produce and freedom from pests and diseases.”
Visitors will be able to learn about the latest research to support the safety and integrity of honey products, including leaps in traceability.
For example, WA researchers recently developed a test for nectar “signatures” in honey according to CRC for Honey Bee Products chief executive Liz Barbour.
“Traceability of honey products from the hive site to the jar can now be done, and all our WA monofloral honey nectars within the honey can be identified and confirmed with a simple test,” Dr Barbour said.
“This testing can also look at the sugars to check the honey is pure from the honeybees and whether the honey is raw, or in other words, has not been heat treated and still has the pollen in the honey.
“When you look at honey production on a global scale, WA’s monoflorals are very rare. This is why we are working towards making affordable testing available for beekeepers to help provide evidence around the purity and source of their honey.”
Another recent research milestone saw the development of a sensor to improve monitoring of the bacterial disease American foulbrood, one of the few bee diseases present in WA.
Meanwhile, beekeepers will be provided an update on a bee flora management decision tool to assist in managing hive locations.
There will also be information on the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program, which operates sentinel hives around WA to detect new incursions of bees from overseas which could introduce potentially devastating pests and diseases.
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See the latest spy shots of the Suzuki Kizashi; Suzuki's upcoming mid-size sedan slated for launch in early 2010.
These most recent spy shots of the upcoming Suzuki Kizashi are some of the best seen so far. They provide a pretty good view of the car and you can get an idea of what its final design will be as it gets closer to production. The accompanying photos were taken earlier this week while the Kizashi was undergoing testing in Germany under very light camouflage.
The Kizashi will be Suzuki's first mid-size sedan as the compact carmaker moves its brand upmarket and introduces products into the middle segment of the passenger car market. The mid-size segment is one of the most fiercely competitive in the US market and the Kizashi will go up against best-selling models such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and the Chevy Malibu.
The sedan will come with a 2.5 liter/150 hp 4 cylinder engine and a meatier 3.6 liter V6 with about 300 hp coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Suzuki has announced it will also later produce a wagon and CUV version of the Kizashi. The Kizashi will be built in Sagara, Japan, and will be launched in the US in early 2010.


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OPINION: In March, the first national dairy-free milk delivery service will be coming to British doorsteps, a clear sign that…
Displaying items by tag: dairy markets
Fonterra shareholders are gathering in Hamilton today for a special meeting to decide the future composition of the co-op's board.
Prime Minister John Key has praised the dairy industry for driving innovation and technology at the opening of Waikato Milking Systems new $13 million building in Hamilton today.
The dairy industry contributed 37% of the total value of New Zealand's primary exports in 2014-15, according to DairyNZ.
The downturn in the dairy industry is likely to bring positive changes in the way farms are managed, says ANZ’s managing director for commercial and agri, Graham Turley.
The latest dairy auction has seen the dairy index up for the second time in a row, in what will be a welcome result for dairy farmers.
The long-term dairy market remains strong despite the severe downturn affecting milk prices, says Rabobank.
An agribusiness consultant and former banker, David Jones, says the so-called ‘dairy crisis’ is not ‘armageddon’.


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According to the announcement, the free-to-play trading card game Marvel Snap from Disney will launch in October.
As part of the D23 Expo on Friday, Disney held a unique Marvel & Disney Games Showcase event.
A number of big announcements about forthcoming Marvel video games were made at the event.
One of those games was Marvel Snap, which will play a significant role in Disney’s video gaming ambitions for the remainder of 2022.
The easiest way to think about Marvel Snap is Disney’s attempt to merge the Marvel brand with approachable online trading card games like Blizzard’s Hearthstone.
At launch, there will be more than 150 cards in Marvel Snap, each with a different power level and unique ability.
Players will attempt to win two of the three “lanes” in a match by using these abilities.
Marvel Snap battles take place in real-time and are incredibly brief, with players having 12 cards in their deck to declare victory.
Many Marvel fans are eager to test out Marvel Snap. However, they won’t need to wait for very long. The official launch date for Marvel Snap is October 18.
It will be made available on computers and mobile devices. The team has spent years making sure that the game is one that “everyone, gamer or not, can’t wait to pick up and play,” according to Ben Brode, who was once the game director for Hearthstone and is now the chief development officer for Marvel Snap creator Second Dinner.
Marvel Snap is now accepting pre-registrations for iOS and Android devices from those who want to check it out as soon as it becomes available.
Players will get a Special Variant card if they play during Marvel Snap’s debut month.
An Iron Man version featuring Dan Hipp’s artwork is available for iOS. The Android version is a Max Grecke Hulk.
It should be mentioned that Marvel Snap has been highly commercialized since it is a free-to-play game.
However, marvel Snap received criticism from beta users for its expensive Nexus Events access, which offered few prizes.
Even while those users subsequently received refunds, many other players began to doubt Second Dinner’s claim that each card could be unlocked for no cost.
Players had to spend money for a little chance of obtaining uncommon cards, as was anticipated from a TCG. Unfortunately, marvel Snap’s debut monetization strategy hasn’t been made explicit yet.
The card game has a lot of promise if Marvel Snap can resolve its revenue problems and provide players a reasonable opportunity to acquire the cards of their choosing for free.
Additionally, if Marvel Snap is a hit, selling new card variations might be a terrific method for artists to monetize their work.
However, there is a significant “if” involved in whether Marvel Snap can figure out how to monetize.


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Skype has introduced a ‘Photoshare’ update to its iOS app, giving users the ability to transfer snaps via instant message
The new feature is expected to become a popular alternative to emailing photos and encurring costly MMS charges, as there are no file size restrictions attached to the update.
The Microsoft-owned firm has also implemented software improvements, which it claims takes less of a toll on battery life.
This means users can keep the app running for longer without fear of their mobile devices running out of juice.
The update is available on kit running iOS 4.3 or later, and can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store now.


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Antivirus vendor Symantec has bought leading anti-spam firm Brightmail in a $370m cash deal.
Brightmail, which already uses some Symantec antivirus technology in its existing product line, provides anti-spam filtering for about 1,800 large enterprises and many major ISPs. Symantec's client base for its antivirus products is largely consumer-based.
"By joining forces with Symantec, we can provide our combined base of customers around the world with the broadest messaging security solution in the industry," said Enrique Salem, Brightmail president and chief executive officer, in a statement.
The anti-spam firm has also supported Symantec in a number of legal cases against spammers.
From a technology standpoint the move may see a change in Symantec's antivirus strategy to accommodate Brightmail's heuristic technology. Heuristics relies on spotting typical features and activities of spammers and malicious software writers.
The move will surprise some, as Brightmail had been expected to try for an initial public offering.
The takeover is expected to be completed by July.
Addison Lee is working on autonomous taxis for commuting and pleasure
IBM and Technical University of Munich team demonstrate how Shor's algorithm, which can't be cracked by conventional computers, can be solved quickly with quantum computing
Hubble Space Telescope finds superflares from young red dwarfs could strip away planetary atmosphere
Younger stars are 100 to 1,000 times more energetic than when they're older
Two of the big four supermarkets will use the system to control sales of restricted products


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This list comes from iSeeCars and covers both new and used pickup trucks
New and used pickup trucks are still selling. Obviously, sales have dropped during the Covid-19 crisis, which means most new and used pickup truck sales slumped too. The folks at iSeeCars measured how long it takes a vehicle to be sold.
iSeeCars analyzed over 4.4 million new and used cars sold from March through June 2020.
The research shows the average new car takes 96.9 days to sell compared to 57.8 days (pre Covid-19). That’s November 2019 through February 2020. The average time to sell used cars for March through June is 68.9 days compared to 50.1 days (pre Covid-19).
“The effective demand for these vehicles has slowed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic due to lockdowns and downturns in the economy, but the change was much more dramatic for new vehicles than for used vehicles,” said iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly.
Here are the fastest-selling trucks, according to iSeeCars research:
The big surprise is the Honda Ridgeline.
Not only is it the fastest selling used pickup, it’s the second fastest-selling new pickup as well, according to iSeeCars’ research. The Toyota Tacoma is first for new trucks, but third for used. Keep in mind: in 2019, Honda sold less than 40,000 Ridgeline models in North America. At the same time, Toyota sold over 260,000 Tacomas in the region.
Another interesting note: The Ram 1500 Classic placed second on the used truck list. Considering how old that design is, the speed in which people buy them off the lot is surprising.
No surprise that the Nissan Frontier came in last with new truck sales; especially considering its upcoming changes. Interestingly, it placed fifth on the used truck list. People are still snatching them up while they can.
Check out this video of the newest Honda Ridgeline vs the Ford Ranger.


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One of the biggest problems that still causes resistance among drivers who want to have an electric vehicle, besides the price, is the time it takes to completely fill your batteries, which can be measured in hours.
Subaru took the Geneva Motor Show to introduce the concept Viziv 2. If you think you've heard something like that, do not be surprised: the new conceptual utility comes a year after the Japanese brand show Viziv concept, also during the Swiss event.
The new Kia Soul EV was spotted completely undisguised while attending an official shoot. The car will be powered by a 81.4kW electric motor, delivering a total output of 110 horsepower and a maximum torque of 29 lb-ft.


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This week's Deals with Gold includes discounts for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Alien: Isolation, and ScreamRide.
Microsoft has announced that the Hauppauge Digital TV Tuner for Xbox One is now available throughout North America.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has clarified when Xbox One will be getting Windows 10—or, more accurately, he's clarified when it won't be getting the new ...
Forza Horizon 2's Pre-Order Car Pack is now available on Xbox One, offering players another chance to get the game's pre-order bonus cars.
Microsoft has announced the date and time of its Xbox E3 2015 Briefing, promising "an amazing games lineup."
Gameplay footage taken from the rumored remastered version of Gears of War has appeared online.
343 Industries has revealed the new name of Halo 2: Anniversary's Relic multiplayer map and also released a new playlist update for Halo: The Master ...


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TARGETLINE Promotes Heather Crowe to Assistant Customer Service Manager
TARGETLINE, the promotional products supplier based in Ossowa, Mich., announced the promotion of Heather Crowe to assistant customer service manager. Crowe has been with the TARGETLINE team since 2005 and continues to prove herself as an invaluable asset time after time.
"I'm happy to be part of such a great little family here in Michigan," Crowe said. "We've already got an excellent customer service team, but we're always striving to exceed customer expectations."
For more information, visit www.targetline.com.


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The European Commission’s June 28, 2023, proposal for a third Payment Services Directive (PSD3) presents an opportunity to increase payments security, open the door to further innovation and enhance industry standardization.
The initiative is part of a larger global trend toward open finance and increasing competition across financial sectors. According to the commission, PSD3 will prepare the EU’s financial sector for ongoing digital transformation and its opportunities and risks.
PSD2 Laid the Groundwork
PSD2, which went into full effect at the end of 2020, brought forward the requirement that banks allow third-party providers access to customer accounts through APIs. That change acknowledged the dawn of open banking, through which new financial products and services can be built on top of banking infrastructure and data.
PSD2 introduced two major service categories.
- Payment Initiation Service Provider – Provides bill payment, money transfer and other services
- Account Information Service Provider – Provides aggregation and analytics for multiple accounts
PSD2 provides a legal framework for how third-party services access, secure and manage sensitive financial data. It also determines how they are authorized and regulated.
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is a crucial tool in ensuring security for payment information. If an online transaction rises above a certain threshold and is not exempt, SCA requires customer authentication to include at least two of the following elements.
- Something the customer knows, such as a password
- Something the customer has, such as a card or phone
- Something the customer is, such as biometrics
The challenges around implementing SCA in the payments industry were worth overcoming because they led to a drop in fraud, according to the European Banking Authority (EBA).
“The EBA has found that the share of fraud by value is three times higher for payments authenticated without SCA compared with payments authenticated with SCA,” according to the EBA.
Consumer acceptance of SCA has been mixed. One survey found 42% of respondents feel safer buying online with SCA, but 21% said SCA made it difficult to make payments. Finding the payments sweet spot between security and speed continues to be critical to building customer trust and enhancing business performance.
PSD3 would build on its predecessor to account for new developments around payment technology, emerging fraud threats and discrepancies in enforcement.
The commission’s proposal has several objectives.
Combat Payment Fraud
The proposal seeks to strengthen fraud protections by building on SCA. It addresses emerging fraud types, such as impersonation, not covered adequately by PSD2.
Improve Payments Capabilities
PSD3 aims to enhance transparency in areas such as account statements and ATM charges. It ensures consumers can safely make domestic or cross-border electronic payments in multiple currencies. It includes rules for how long locked funds may be held and how much payment service providers can block.
Level the Playing Field for Banks and Nonbanks
PSD3 grants nonbank payment service providers access to all EU payment systems.
Enhance Open Banking
PSD3 would improve data interfaces, remove obstacles to open banking services and give consumers more control over data access permissions. Opening payment information is the first step to open finance, in which financial data is accessible through secure channels.
Improve Cash Availability
The measure allows EU retailers to offer up to 50 euros to customers without needing a license or acting as an agent of a payment institution. Certain ATM operators also could operate ATMs without licenses, but they would have to disclose any fees.
Strengthen Consistency and Enforcement
PSD3 would enact most payment rules in a directly applicable regulation to enforce implementation standards and clarify penalties.
Digital Identity Verification Can Fuel Payments Growth
Just as SCA is crucial to PSD2, powerful identity verification will play a central role in PSD3.
The work is already underway to enhance the payments industry, introduce new services and fortify it with strong security and privacy protocols. Organizations that implement agile digital identity verification capabilities into their workflows can position themselves to quickly adjust to PSD3 and other evolving regulations around the world.
Business Verification (KYB)Enhanced Due Diligence Procedures for High-Risk Customers
Identity VerificationProof of Address — Quickly and Accurately Verify Addresses
Business Verification (KYB)How to Verify Legitimate Businesses and Merchants


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The banking industry migration to the EMV Compliance Standard has so far been successful.
Nearly a year after the adoption of EMV, which introduced Chip and PIN technology as the industrywide standard for payment cards, no card skimming incidences have been reported to Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) by its member banks.
According to Fidelis Muia, KBA Director of Technical Services the exercise has so far been effective in comprehensively addressing card skimming fraud, creating a market opportunity to promote payment card usage.
“We anticipate the enhanced security features will spur customer confidence, resulting in more customers using their payment cards not only at the ATM point but also in retail outlets and via online platforms,” added Muia.
Chip and PIN technology features an embedded microprocessor chip that provides enhanced transaction security, and to authenticate transaction, the cardholder must key in their Personal Identification Number (PIN).
According to Central Bank of Kenya data, more than 13.9 million payment cards (ATM/debit cards) were in circulation by February 2015, representing a 20.9 per cent increase over the previous year.
KBA Chief Executive Officer Habil Olaka said the industry transition to EMV was a commendable feat due to the volume of cards in the market.
“Many countries have yet to introduce chip cards because of the cost of upgrading their systems and infrastructure, as well as issuing the new cards,” he said.
“We are pleased with the level of implementation of the EMV standard and it is remarkable how the banks have made the investment purely because they see the value of enhancing the user experience,” he said.
In 2014, Kenya became one of the three countries in Africa – after Nigeria and South Africa – to transition away from magnetic stripe cards at an industrywide level, placing the country at par with other leading countries in enhancing fraud mitigation systems.
“As banks continue to issue the new chip cards, we would like to urge the banking public to pick up their cards and use them. We also remind the public to remain vigilant with their PIN and security information,” added Olaka.
Olaka made his remarks during the launch of the Card and Online Safety Awareness Campaign dubbed Kaa Chonjo! (Be Alert!) that KBA coordinates annually on behalf of the sector.


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After facing mounting criticism on social media, a Danish video game developer has excised a scene from an educational game that depicts the 18th-century slave trade.
Critics had taken to Twitter to condemn the game, Playing History: Slave Trade, saying that it trivialized slavery, specifically a level in which players were required to stack black slaves on top of one another to fit them on a ship, similar to the video game Tetris.
On Monday, the developer, Serious Games Interactive, removed the level and issued an apology on Steam, an online distribution platform for video games. “Slave Tetris has been removed as it was perceived to be extremely insensitive by some people,” the company said in a statement. “This overshadowed the educational goal of the game.”
The game was released a few years ago, but gained attention last week after it was released on Steam.
Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen, the chief executive of Serious Games, defended the educational potential of the game. “I wanted to change the way you can teach history in schools by seeing it from the inside,” he wrote in an email on Thursday. He added that he had hoped the controversy would lead to a discussion of the merits of the game, but the backlash became overwhelming.
“We really don’t need the agony, harassment of us and people associated with us — not to mention the random threats,” he said, adding that his company is reconsidering whether to release other titles on Steam.
Serious Games, based in Copenhagen, has two other titles in the Playing History series, the Plague and Vikings. The company said on its website that the series “revolves around experiencing engaging and personal stories set in exhilarating points in world history.”


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DIGITAL DIGEST: 2ND MARCH 2017
Abbey Torrance and Emma Saddleton round up the best social and mobile news from the last two weeks in this, the Digital Digest.
YouTube to Kill The 30 Second Un-Skippable Ad
Hot off the press is the news from Google that by January 2018 the 30-second un-skippable ad will no longer be available.
Why have they changed this? Google found that un-skippable 30-second ads are the video format that viewers like the least. They had a high rate of abandonment as a result of users not being able to skip longer videos.
What does this mean for brands?
Basically, it means clients and their partners will have to work together to create smarter video content that will deliver brand messaging and inspire consumers within shorter edits. The longest format is now 20 second. Brands should be studying past performance to see what has delivered great results historically so they can replicate any learnings.
Google suggests on their blog that brands that captivate users within the first five seconds are driving better results, “With tone being one of the most effective tools for grabbing the viewers’ attention.”
eConsultany’s article said, “Specifically, Google’s study found that humour generates greater ad recall, brand awareness, and time spent watching. If the comedy factor is inappropriate, suspense or emotion is said to be similarly effective.”
The Google Barometer Is Back and It’s Showing How Addicted We Are To Our Phones
Google’s Consumer Barometer has been released for this year and has highlighted our dependency as a nation on our smartphones. From using it to manage and access to do lists; to buying things from other countries, the survey includes 625k interviews from around the world to build up a great resource for insights.
The Drum has summarised some key findings here. For the UK specifically:
- Britons own an average of 3.3 connected devices
- 97% of people under 25-years-old own a smartphone and 92% of those who do, use it whilst watching TV
- Those aged between 35 and 44 years old are the second most likely group to post content online after the 25 year olds.
- People aged 25 –34 and 35 – 44 are the most concerned about data protection and privacy online
The study has been running for five years. You can have a look and build your own charts and graphs here: https://www.consumerbarometer.com/en/.
Mobile World Congress Is in Full Swing
The world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry is well under way. Thousands of people flock to Barcelona every year to learn about the new innovations and developments at The Mobile World Congress, or MWC as you’ll see it called on social media.
The conference runs until today, Thursday 2nd March, and there have been some major announcements already. We have collated the top stories below:
- The Nokia 3310 is back and yes you can play Snake!
- Porsche release a laptop, running Windows 10, whilst Peugeot release an autonomous car that drives differently depending on your mood
- The world’s first self-driving electric car is unveiled from Roborace
- Samsung release their first Gear VR headset alongside their new creative lab
- Ford announce a Vodafone partnership that will see 4G modems being installed in a number of European models moving forward.
Amazon is Officially the Largest Paid Search Advertiser in 2016
The latest research from Kantar has revealed that Amazon was the top spender on paid search last year. Search is the backbone to the majority of the advertiser’s marketing.
Netimperative report that, “The study – which ranked the top 20 UK paid search advertisers based on Google.co.uk desktop text ad clicks on the top 50,000 keywords between January and December 2016 – revealed that amazon.co.uk generated almost 35 million clicks, over 8.5 million more than the next advertiser in the ranking.”
This shows the beast that is Amazon and just how big it is!
It is a very competitive space. Travel companies, in particular, fight it out. Here is a list of the top spenders on search in 2016 from the Netimperative article:


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TikTok promotions make products go viral every week, but when Mielle Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil went viral, controversy came along with it.
Monique Rodriguez founded Mielle Organics in 2014. In a short time, the company established itself as a household name for Black women because of Rodriguez’s dedication to creating natural products for textured hair. The Mielle Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil is one of the brand’s best-selling products. According to Mielle’s website, the oil is supposed to “Nourish hair follicles, smooth split ends, and help with dry scalp.”
How it all started
In December 2022, 22-year-old Tik Toker Alix Earle, an influencer with 4.4 million followers, mentioned the hair oil in her “Top 2022 Amazon Purchases video.” In the video, Earle claimed that after using the product for only a month, she saw “tremendous hair growth.” After the video, more white Tik Tokers started to review the product and it quickly sold out. Some sellers upped the price from $9 to $29. The product’s increased popularity turned into backlash and frustration from women of color with textured hair. They did not see the reason why someone with straight hair would advertise a product that was not made for their hair type. Even in the comments under the video women of color voiced their frustrations.
One user wrote,” Y’all have thousands of products to use but just had to have the one for type 4 hair.” Another said, “Mielle oil is in the texture aisle for a reason. Please let us have something for our hair.”
Meanwhile, other responses chided commenters for taking the issue so seriously and told them not to “gatekeep products.”
Here’s the problem
“I feel like it’s fairly insulting, and I feel like we can never have anything to ourselves,” said Tiffany Bundy, junior psychology major. “I feel like some white people are trying it out to see if it works, but they know the target is African American people, so now it’s just a ‘popularity spiel’ or ‘trend’ on TtikTok that has really gotten out of hand.”
This isn’t the first time for controversy in Black hair products. When brands aimed at textured-haired people get popularized by white people, aside from the products selling out, the brand also might change the formulation of their products to better appeal to a white audience. Popular brands for textured hair such as Shea Moisture and Cantu were accused of changing their formulas once they gained more attention from white consumers, leaving textured hair people with products no longer suited for their hair types.
“Once the product gained some popularity, I started to get a feeling that the ingredients might change and it would not be the same product, but a new one that could be possibly harmful and not provide the same results,” said Christel Darcelin, junior criminology major.
Rodriguez responded to these questions in a statement released to Instagram, “So you know that my journey with Mielle started from a place of creating the product I wasn’t finding in the marketplace. We remain forever committed to developing quality, efficacious products that address the needs states for our customers’ hair types! Sincerely, The Queen of Hair.”
Hair care aisles hold a vast difference in the number of products marketed toward textured hair versus those marketed toward non-textured hair. The “disappearance” of one product for textured hair has a greater impact and can be seen in the small number of options presented.
“I think that that’s why it is important to have brands that cater to the needs of Black women’s hair texture. It’s hard enough to find something that works but has to be on a constant search because things like this keep happening and it’s exhausting,” Darcelin said.


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"Those [senior-license] applications are duplicate forms that come in pads, 25 to each pad and 200 to a box. Any Walmart would have been sent a bunch of forms. If they run out, all they have to do is let us know and we'll send them more."
Taylor said the reader's inability to get an application was the first senior license-related complaint he'd received.
"All the information so far has been positive," he explained. "We're right there in the ballpark with [the number] we thought we would sell in the first year. Sales have been good. So far, we're pretty pleased."
DNR officials began selling the licenses to gain a larger share of federal excise taxes specially earmarked for fish and wildlife programs. License sales are one of the factors that determine how much money each state gets, and West Virginia was losing money because it didn't require people 65 and older to purchase licenses.
Rather than burden seniors with having to purchase annual licenses, DNR officials got the bright idea of creating a one-time $25 "senior lifetime license" that had to be purchased by anyone who turned 65.
The feds agreed to give West Virginia 10 years' worth of benefit for every senior lifetime license sold. The money will benefit many of the state's fish- and game-enhancement projects.
Every new DNR initiative, including the senior license, has growing pains in its initial stages. My reader's difficulty getting an application is a case in point.
All this should be rendered moot within a year or so, which is when agency officials hope to do away with traditional licenses and go to a fully electronic system. All licenses would be purchased via computer, smart phone or electronic tablet, and all big-game animals would be checked electronically.
At least that's the plan.


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Lining Up to Stop Online Theft
Web-security firms team with financial institutions to cash in on new guidelines
By Thomas Gaudio
March 27, 2006
Internet-security providers stand to profit as U.S. banking institutions scramble to comply with new federal guidelines designed to stamp out online theft. Two local companies—StrikeForce Technologies and Green Armor —have in the past month signed deals with credit unions and firms that create online platforms for banks.
At present, a user name and password are all that is required for a person to do something like transfer money between accounts online. But procedures handed down by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) call for financial institutions to have more safeguards in place by 2007.
The FFIEC, sanctioned by the U.S. government, creates standardized systems for agencies like the Federal Reserve to use when evaluating and rating financial organizations.
The new procedures, titled “Authentication in an Internet Banking Environment,” are an update to the FFIEC guidelines released in 2001 that addressed electronic banking. Escalating fraud and major changes in the law and technology prompted the revisions.
For companies like Edison-based StrikeForce, the FFIEC’s decree presents a major opportunity. Last month, the electronic security company signed a deal with Corillian, an Oregon-based provider of Internet-banking platforms to financial organizations. The partners will offer a well-protected banking environment to online customers under several joint agreements, says George Waller, vice president of marketing at StrikeForce.
Corillian will offer two of StrikeForce’s technologies—VerifyID and ProtectID— with its products. The two companies will share revenue on sales of the combo systems.
Identity theft caused $53 billion in losses in 2004, says Waller, and there’s no end in sight. “Everyone’s grabbing a partner,” he says. “Everyone’s making deals.” He says the guidelines have opened up a market of nearly $2 billion for companies like StrikeForce.
VerifyID, one of StrikeForce’s main products, scrutinizes people setting up bank accounts for the first time. The program analyzes billions of personal records from credit-reporting agencies in real time to “form questions on the fly that you have to answer in under a minute,” says Waller. Incorrect responses prevent further attempts; subsequent requests are routed to the bank’s help desk.
ProtectID, StrikeForce’s second suite of products, works to authenticate users during banking transactions through measures that include placing a call to a customer’s cell phone. Companies can also use ProtectID devices to scan irises and take fingerprints—usually of employees with access to sensitive data.
ProtectID’s techniques all conform to the new guidelines for acceptable means of confirming a person’s identity. The report says companies need multiple layers of protection to guard against electronic intrusions such as phishing, pharming and malware. Phishing refers to bogus e-mails that lure people to fake Websites. Pharming redirects Web surfers from legitimate sites to phony ones without their knowledge or consent. Malware piggybacks onto seemingly innocent downloads of files like MP3s, stealthily sets up shop on computers and steals sensitive info as its being typed.
Green Armor, which is based in Hackensack, uses its Identity Cues system to address phishing and pharming. Online customers of six credit unions across the country will soon get an eyeful of the local company’s patented software. Each user will receive a unique logo that will appear on a bank’s Website with every login. The Cues software also verifies customers by linking to a user’s computer and communicating with it behind the scenes during transactions to determine factors like time zone, operating system and browser type.
Joseph Steinberg, CEO of Green Armor, says the Identity Cues logos will alert people to the fact that the authentication software is in use. The absence of a logo will indicate that something is amiss and prompt people to contact the authorities. That way, “investigators can get involved in the process earlier and get the criminals to go elsewhere,” Steinberg says.
This story originally appeared in print as well as online.


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Express Funeral Funding Launches New Website
CLARKSVILLE,IN For Immediate Release – Express Funeral Funding recently launched a complete redesign of their website, providing the FASTEST. EASIEST.® access to everything Express! The new platform provides a sleek, leading-edge design, coupled with impeccable functionality and a comprehensive overview of the expansive services Express Funeral Funding offers.
Learn the industry’s FASTEST. EASIEST.® three-step funding process, submit claims online, gain access to the Express Hub and calculate funding totals with ease. The new website also offers the latest Express news, featured industry publication editorials and so much more.
The new website will be updated frequently with new service launches, industry and Express news along with events and press releases. Visitors are encouraged to explore the new website and to sign up for direct emails from the company at http://www.expressfuneralfunding.com/contact-us/.


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You can become and Antiguan Barbudian citizen through an investment of US$100,000, which is the equivalent of 12 bitcoins according to the market’s current prices.
According to Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Program Act which was amended by the country’s parliament, payments can be also made by using bitcoin along with other cryptocurrencies.
Antigua News Room reported that the country’s Prime Minister and Minister of Finance & Corporate Governance & Public-Private Partnerships, Hon. Gaston Browne made the announcement regarding the resolution.
Holders Can Make Investments in Antigua and Barbuda
Browne stated that the decision was made to make things more convenient for citizenship pursuers that hold cryptocurrencies. The program supports this method of payment so that it will attract a wider sector of investors which are looking for citizenship.
“And the truth is too, it expands your market because we have a number of cryptocurrency investors who may be quite willing to take up our citizenship but would only pay in cryptocurrencies,” Browne told the country’s parliament. “If you do not accept the cryptocurrency then you would be literally locked out of that market.”
The payments that will be made in cryptocurrencies will be converted daily to US dollars to prevent any losses that may result from volatility.
To be suitable to receive citizenship from Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Program Act, applicants can opt to make an investment in the country with sums ranging between US$400,000 and US$1.5 million, or they can contribute US$100,000 to its National Development Fund. Additional sums need to be paid according to the number of dependents the person has.
As the island state has introduced several efforts intended to stimulate the growth of a crypto-friendly environment. Last year in April, the country’s cabinet told its attorney general to create a draft for a legislation that would support bitcoin payments for government services.
At the time the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Everly Paul Chet Greene maintained that blockchain’s immutability permits the tracing of transactions and would thus lessen the reputation of tax haven of the island state.
Its prosperous financial sector and its developed internet gaming industry has made the state seem quite prone to money laundering and other fiscal criminalities. Greene also reasoned that allowing bitcoin payment for government services would reinforce Antigua & Barbuda’s reputation as an innovator in its area.
“Here in Antigua & Barbuda we know we are always very much front and center of new developments; we are leaders, trendsetters in the Caribbean,” Greene stated at that time.


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Instagram’s new ‘Saved Posts’ feature has big implications for marketers
Hours after Instagram unveiled a bookmark feature called “Saved Posts” on Wednesday, allowing users to save posts they’d like to revisit later, Audi became one of the first brands to offer up a fun hack.
The auto brand posted nine different pieces of a single Audi R8 image in random order on its Instagram page, encouraging users to bookmark each piece in the correct order to solve the puzzle. Those who solved it correctly would see the completed shot of the Audi R8 in a seamless whole on the “bookmarks” tab on their own Instagram profiles. The puzzle has been solved over 3,200 times so far.
“We’re always looking out for updates that will allow us to be creative,” said John Matejczyk, founder and executive creative director at Muhtayzik Hoffer. “This was the perfect chance to unlock an idea we’d been thinking about anyway, letting people go back to their childhoods and rearrange pieces of a puzzle.”
While Audi may have been one of the first, it most definitely won’t be the last. Saved posts turn Instagram from a browsing tool into a curation tool, a move that puts Instagram squarely in Pinterest’s territory. The move may seem relatively benign, said Jill Sherman, svp of social strategy at DigitasLBi, but Instagram is clearly encroaching on one of Pinterest’s most coveted features with this move.
“People go to Instagram for discovery and inspiration, so this is a logical feature to implement,” she said. “A brand post that used to have a 30-second shelf-life potentially has a three-month shelf-life — maybe even longer.”
More important, the feature has big long-term implications for brands beyond just hacks, especially when taken in conjunction with a series of other updates that the platform has rolled out recently.
Just last month, Instagram introduced links in Instagram stories, which can be used to promote both content and conduct e-commerce sales by brands and businesses. It has also been testing shoppable photo tags with a few select partners. It could easily monetize Saved Posts as soon as these early e-commerce tests mature into a real business — letting users save products to buy later.
“In the immediate sense, brands don’t have access to what people are saving yet, but they have to think about what it can mean down the road,” said Mike Mikho, CMO at Laundry Service. “It is an obvious step for Instagram as it moves to introduce more e-commerce functionality and has obvious implications for brands from a data and commerce perspective.”
For Matt Heindl, senior director of social media at Razorfish, the feature is particularly useful for brands who have long-lead products. Bridal or wedding products and home improvement, for example, are good fits, where consumers create virtual mood boards in advance while browsing. A brand like Lowes, for example, could be able to target people saving paint brands’ photos or images from décor influencers.
But perhaps the biggest win for brands will be when Instagram starts using the data collected to improve ad targeting. It doesn’t seem improbable, given that the update is housed under the “Instagram for Business” tab, with the blog post saying: “For Instagrammers stumbling upon a business they want to remember, a new product they like, or a memorable ad, they can now keep track of favorite posts right from their profile.”
“It most definitely will serve as another data point for paid targeting purposes down the line,” said Will Thompson, associate director of social at Giant Spoon. “I also anticipate you will see a lot of call-to-actions to save posts, as it will also affect the algorithm and increase the likelihood of a brand’s content showing up in one’s feed.”
More in Marketing
Even if a game isn’t make or break, sports leagues and brands want fans to be paying attention — and they’re hopeful new strategies will get it.
In the packed DealBook conference in New York yesterday, owner Elon Musk bluntly told them to shove it.
WorkTok, or CareerTok, is in full force. Combined, those hashtags on TikTok have over four billion views and it is benefiting Gen Z.


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A great article that underlines the significance of GTDW China Trade Development Week Program as the crucial meeting between east and west for governments, trade agencies & multilaterals, multimodal supply chain & logistics, ports + anti illicit trade, brand & IPR protection to create safe, smart and secure cross border trade through technologies.
Globalization owes a lot to the humble shipping container.
In the distant past, loading a ship was a complicated affair involving pallets, crates, and winches. This process was labor-intensive and expensive, meaning most goods were simply not worth shipping overseas.
In the 1970s, the standardized shipping container solved this problem on a wide scale and turned the world economy on its head. This standardization drove the cost of shipping down as the efficiency of ports skyrocketed. Modern ports can now move upwards of 70 containers per crane per hour.
It doesn’t matter anymore where you produce something now, because transport costs aren’t important.
– Rainer Horn, Hapag-Lloyd
Made in China
With the barrier of shipping costs effectively removed, production began to migrate to countries with cheaper production costs. China is at the center of this new paradigm: nearly one-third of all global containers move through Chinese ports, and seven of the top 10 ports in the world are all located in China.
Asian countries dominate shipping container traffic, taking up four of the top five spots. Singapore, with a population of just 5.4 million, moved nearly 34 million 20-foot containers in 2017. That’s more than Italy, France, Russia, Sweden, and the U.K. combined.
The United States is still the number two country in the world in terms of the number of containers handled. Two massive ports in Los Angeles control over a quarter of the North American market share, and the Port of New York & New Jersey is the largest on the Eastern Seaboard.
Hosted in partnership with APMEN Shanghai join 800 global trade leaders & 40 exhibitors.


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Special to the Democrat by Jay Revell, Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Vice President
Tallahassee has a long history of entrepreneurship. That history has led to an emerging and thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem today. In a talk to the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce that covered the past, present, and future of entrepreneurship in Tallahassee, Lucas Lindsey told the stories of those who are making entrepreneurship work so well in the capital city. Lindsey is the Executive Director of Domi Station, the home for entrepreneurial start-ups in Leon County. In its third year of programming, Domi is a unique partnership between private funders, Leon County Government and local higher education institutions.
Lindsey was the keynote speaker at an Entrepreneurship Forum produced by the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. The event, sponsored by Sachs Media Group and the new Tallahassee/Leon County Office of Economic Vitality, was part of the ongoing Entrepreneur Month. E-Month, as it is called by the OEV staff and partners, has featured a month-long calendar of events focused on entrepreneurship in November. The Chamber event was held at the FSU Turnbull Conference Center and had a crowd of over 100 local business leaders in attendance.
During Lindsey’s talk, he featured three unique stories of entrepreneurship in Tallahassee. Speaking of the past, Lindsey told the story of George Langford and his early days of launching Municipal Code Corporation in Tallahassee. Lindsey said that the MCC team describes themselves today as a “65 year old start up” that chose to make a home in Tallahassee while having a global business footprint.
Lindsey featured local technology company Uber Ops as an example of the present state of entrepreneurs. Uber Ops founder Edward Gonzalez Loumiet faced pressure to move his growing company to the technology hub of Austin Texas, but he made a choice to stay in Tallahassee and help build a stronger technology base here. Today, his company reaches across the country, but Tallahassee is still home base.
Lindsey also pointed to the future of entrepreneurship when he told the story of Jasmine Anderson. Anderson is the founder and owner of Distressed by Jas, a company that sells custom made distressed jeans. She is the winner of the recent Downtown Retail Incubator competition hosted by Tallahassee Community College and the Downtown Improvement Authority. As the winner, she will receive a free lease for her retail space in the TCC Capital Center. Lindsey notes that efforts like this are bringing more entrepreneurs to the forefront in Tallahassee.


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Jun 5, 2019
StatsCan in talks with provinces, retailers to improve cannabis sales data
StatsCan in talks with provinces to improve cannabis data
Statistics Canada is in talks with provincial regulators to obtain up-to-date information from cannabis retailers that would provide highly accurate sales data for the legal marijuana sector.
James Tebrake, assistant chief statistician for economic statistics at Statistics Canada, told BNN Bloomberg on Wednesday that the statistics agency plans to obtain the level of granular data for the cannabis sector that it already receives for some food items when it compiles its monthly inflation figures.
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to track down to the level of gummy bear sales, but we’re entering a new data world where we’re able to get scanner data right down to the product level, and the figures that we’d be able to report on would be much better than doing a survey, for example,” Tebrake told BNN Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Economist Cannabis Summit conference in Toronto.
The move from StatsCan would greatly enhance the level of accuracy of how popular certain segments of the cannabis market is and how it can better plan and market those items.
For example, Deloitte released a report earlier this week citing a survey where 37 per cent of 2,000 Canadians polled indicated they would purchase cannabis-infused beverages, despite only 3 per cent of them currently consuming them. Having more accurate sales figures would provide companies interested in getting involved in the cannabis drinks market segment with more reliable information on whether to increase their investment in that category or scale it back.
Tebrake didn’t give any indication when StatsCan would be able to finalize nationwide access to cannabis sales data, but given the fragmentation of various retail regulations across Canada’s provinces, he expects some provinces such as Quebec and New Brunswick that own and operate pot shops to be early partners in providing that data.
“It takes a lot of time when you have to negotiate that kind of data,” he said. “Our challenge is that each province is set up a little different … You develop a model for one province but you can’t just copy and paste for other provinces. Even if we start with one or two provinces to get an idea, that would be the way to go.”
Canadians bought $55 million worth of cannabis in stores in March, according to StatsCan. That’s little changed from the $54 million spent in November, the first full month of legal cannabis sales in Canada.
Several analysts have concluded that the current inventory buildup – pegged at 143,773 kilograms of unfinished dried flower compared to the 30,802 kilograms of finished product – is likely due to ensuring there is adequate supply of cannabis edibles and other products when that segment of the market is able to be legally sold later this year.
Tebrake stated it was “inconclusive” to make that determination.


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Apple acknowledges error on 6% Daily Cash back for Apple Store purchases
Yesterday it was reported that Apple appeared to have increased the Daily Cash back it offers Apple Card users when shopping using the Apple Store app. Today, an email was sent out to cardholders stating that this was an error and not intentional. Cardholders aren’t out of luck though as it appears Apple is letting users keep the 6% in Daily Cash rewards.
The email states that cardholders “may have noticed that a recent Apple purchase was eligible for 6% Daily Cash instead of the standard 3% Daily Cash. This was an error due to a system issue; however, in addition to the 3% Daily Cash that you already received for this purchase, we will be providing you with a one-time credit for an additional 3% Daily Cash back — totaling 6% Daily Cash for that purchase.”
It was first believed that Apple had upped the Daily Cash reward for shoppers. In 2019, Apple ran a promotion for the holiday season that offered 6% cash back when purchasing in-store or online with Apple Card.


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According to a local news report someone is setting up a new amusement park on the site where the last Mircacle Strip park location was in Panama City Beach, FL. It will be called Swampy Jacks Wongo Adventures and it will feature attractions aimed primarily at the 10 and under crowd. Check out the videobelow to see the site already well under construction with several rides already set up along with props and decor done by local artists. So nice to see amusements returning to the Miracle Strip once again. It will start small, but everything will be pay per attraction and they have plans to grow and add even more as time goes on, including a mini-golf course by next summer.
Welcome to the DCEmu Homebrew and Gaming Network. This Network of sites is owned and ran by fans of all games consoles, we post news on all the consoles we cover about hardware aspects, gaming and Homebrew. Homebrew and Emulation are software thats made using free and legal tools to play on games consoles. This Network is the only worldwide network of sites where coders can upload and post comments they deserve for all their hardwork. We have a Network that currently supports PSVita, WiiU, Nintendo Wii, Xbox360, PS3, PS2,PS1, Snes, N64, Gameboy, Nes, Xbox, Gamecube, Nintendo DS, PSP, GBA, Dreamcast, Sega Saturn,3DS, DSi, Switch, PS4, Pandora, xboxone, GP2X, iPhone, Windows Phone, iPad, Android and also Mobile Phone Emulation. When new consoles appear we will expand to cover those consoles. We also cover Theme Park News and news and reviews of Beer, cider, lager, wines and spirits.
news of their own releases and get the credit and
Please help DCEmu become stronger by posting on the forums every day and make our community larger.


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by Jeffery Kang, CEO and founder, IngDan
It’s an election year. From coast to coast, evidence of democratic principles and practices are front and center, playing out everywhere from small town hall meetings to global front page news. However, as a successful entrepreneur who has built one of the largest IoT hardware supply chain platforms, I know first-hand that the philosophy of “democracy for all” rarely makes its way into the business world.
We’re living in a new era, where the possibility for IoT devices has reached stratospheric heights – and this is just the beginning. Analysts forecast that 6.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide in 2016. Yet, entrepreneurs in the US – who are drivers of this change – are subjected to exorbitant cost models of production, creating a lag in innovation. This article illustrates why it’s imperative to democratize the IoT supply chain to accelerate innovation and empower anyone with the dream and drive to build and ship smart devices.
IoT hardware innovation democratization – What it is, and why the time is ripe to implement this radical new approach.
By 2017, more than 50 percent of all IoT products will come from startups that are less than three years old (Gartner). Consumer devices will represent the majority of physical devices, and enterprises will represent the majority of spending. No matter how you slice it, startups are driving the IoT device revolution.
The rise of global open source hardware platforms offers tools for creating lower-cost IoT hardware, but the industry falls short when it comes to support for distribution and market awareness. Most of the startups we talk to have invested a lot of time and most, if not all, of their funds developing prototypes, but they still need a lot of help to get to market. To accelerate innovation, IngDan is spearheading the democratization of smart device production for startups by establishing an ecosystem that takes entrepreneurial ideas from concept to consumer.
This new innovation model addresses the fundamental, yet difficult to solve, problem of access. Startups need readily reliable access to services beyond what traditional supply chain providers offer. They need access to world-class R&D and emerging technologies, access to small-batch manufacturing for prototype and fulfillment, access to funding, promotion, market exposure, and access to consumers of their products.
What does IoT hardware democratization look like?
Imagine having unlimited access to a state-of-the-art lab with global R&D researchers who are developing new technologies in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, cognitive services and robotics. Thanks to this lab, your working prototype is born, and ready to be incubated. Not in the traditional way where you get advisors in exchange for vast sums of equity, but incubated as a spin-off from the lab and backed by a supply chain that’s got your back.
Production of your final working prototype speeds along because you have easy access to funding, product testing, and small-batch manufacturing. Now imagine that your device is showcased in a technology center purpose-built to demonstrate innovative smart hardware creations. It’s a place where consumers and retail buyers alike come to experience your product first-hand. Then, simply by scanning a barcode they place an order for your device, whether if it’s for a single consumer, or for hundreds of units for a retailer. Or maybe your smart device has had a successful launch on a crowdfunding site, thanks to your IoT supply partner. Either way, your entrepreneurial dream has just come true.
China’s supply chain benefits startups in many ways.
China is the global leader in IoT hardware manufacturing and its manufacturing industry is suited to rapid product development, including small-batch manufacturing that is driving smart hardware innovation. A few ways startups benefit from working with China’s IoT hardware supply chain platforms include:
- Affordable access to sophisticated R&D and emerging technologies.
- Strong leadership in hardware manufacturing for startups looking to scale-up.
- Largest number of smart connected devices install base in the world, surpassing the US and Europe. (IDC)
- Rapid economic growth driving development of new technologies, from smart cars to smart cities, and leading the way in wearables. (GSMA)
- World’s largest machine-to-machine (M2M) market with more than 74 million M2M connections and the global leader in the deployment of the Internet of Things. (GSMA)
Hardware doesn’t have to be hard.
It’s the dawn of a new era for IoT smart device startups where the benefits of an enterprise-scale innovation model can be enjoyed by all. Created on the premise and promise of this new business model, IngDan – China’s largest intelligent hardware innovation platform – is removing the “hard” in hardware for IoT entrepreneurs. Internet-based collaboration services connect hardware developers with suppliers, manufacturers, experts, and customers in the same way as office collaboration tools do, so companies can create, manufacture, market, sell and ship devices regardless of location or size.
Jingwei (Jeffrey) Kang is the Founder and CEO of IngDan, and the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Cogobuy Group, the first online platform for selling IC components in China. With more than 18 years in the multimedia and electronic component industries, Kang also founded and co-founded several successful electronic component distribution and multimedia companies. Ernst & Young awarded Kang the 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year, China.


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American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010 in support of small businesses in the United States, generating an estimated $120 billion since the event began. This year the event garnered a record-high total of an estimated $19.6 billion in sales over $17.8 billion in sales in 2018. The shop small movement celebrates small businesses and the valuable contributions they make to their communities and the economy.
“We all came together on Saturday to prove that shopping small really does add up,” Elizabeth Rutledge, Chief Marketing Officer at American Express, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to report that shoppers are increasingly making a conscious effort to Shop Small and support their local communities, and over the past 10 years consumers reported spending an estimated total of more than $120 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturday.”
- The day has become a national tradition, with 70% of American adults surveyed reporting being aware of the day.
- 96% agree that shopping at small, independently-owned businesses support their commitment to making purchases that have a positive social, economic, and environmental impact.
- 97% of consumers who shopped on Small Business Saturday agree that small businesses are essential to their community.
- 95% reported the day makes them want to shop or eat at small, independently owned businesses all year long.
- 92% of merchants say the day helps their business stand out during the holiday season.
- 59% say Small Business Saturday contributes significantly to their holiday sales.
- 74% say participation brings more customers into their small business.
Why Small Businesses Matter:
- For every $100 spent at a local business, $68 of it stays within the local economy—compared to just $43 for large businesses.
- Small businesses make up more than 99% of all businesses in the US and employ 47.5% of the country’s workers.
- On average only 50% of these businesses survive to pass the five-year mark.
Photo: via American Express


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The current downturn in the sales of boxed games has been caused by boring content and no innovation.
That’s according to Ubisoft’s Alain Corre, who says the market is desperate for new ideas – and if it doesn’t get it, spending on video games will continue to fall.
Currently, the UK games market is down 33 per cent year-on-year.
That’s over 130m lost as consumers refuse to buy the sequels and identikit games that have made it to market this year.
There have been too many ‘me too’ games in the business in the last few years,” said Alain Corre, EMEA MD.
After a while people will go ‘eh’ and move on. But give them something fresh and they’ll buy a console just for your game.
All the creators have to take risks. So I was pleased to see that after the E3 presentations, there are a lot of new things on show.”
With appearances in all the major press conferences, plus a headline-grabbing debut for its new IP Watch Dogs, Ubisoft was singled out by many as the star of E3.
And its strategy for offering fresh content has been praised from one of the most powerful people in video games – PlayStation president Andrew House.
Ubisoft has a genuine appetite for pursuing the new,” he told MCV.
Our philosophies meld on this point, where we are are trying to deliver innovation at all points in the lifecycle.”
Corre added: You need to be unique, original and to surprise people – take a risk on your products and gamers will take a risk on you. Then the market can start growing again.”


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There’s no shortage of supercharged interpretations of how technology is pushing fashion forward at this year’s “Manus x Machina”–themed Met Gala. But one of the more interactive translations of the idea is taking place on the red carpet rather than inside the museum—we’re talking about the gown that Tommy Hilfiger designed for model and social media darling du jour Gigi Hadid. The dress has that whole space age–chic thing in spades—along with empire-waist supermodel proportions, thanks to a diaphanous overlay, which in turn reveals a spangled, embroidered corset. It was, according to Hilfiger, a true collaboration between man and machine. “My inspiration came from modern machinery fused with Old Hollywood glamour,” says the designer. “We looked at nostalgic, feminine pieces from our most recent Fall 2016 collection and then reimagined them with a futuristic spin.”
Hadid is not such a far-fetched subject when it comes to the technology-inspired dress. The model wields a hefty influence on social media platforms, ranging from her addictive Snapchats to her millions of Instagram followers. “It’s exciting to see Gigi embrace these same values and use social media to share the world of fashion with her followers globally,” says Hilfiger, who certainly believes in the young starlet’s sway over her audience: He has collaborated with Hadid on her own capsule collection under the Hilfiger umbrella, as well as enlisted her as a “Tommy Girl,” or brand ambassador. “She’s offering a unique, behind-the-scenes glimpse into her life,” says Hilfiger of his date’s social media proclivities. “This inclusive and optimistic spirit is what makes our industry so exciting and compelling, and I find it very inspiring.” Not to mention that it provides some very welcome red carpet sparkle.


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En Route taps Gwendal Hamon as head of food
Onboard food service solutions provider En Route International has named Gwendal Hamon as its new head of food development. The appointment comes as the company continues to expand its commitment to culinary innovation. Leading the global New Product Development team, Hamon will be responsible for all food innovation within the business, focusing on the En Route’s main product categories: cheese, bakery, snack boxes and handheld snacks.
Having trained as a chef at French catering college Lycée Hôtelier de Dinard, Hamon went on to work at a number of top London hotels, including Claridge’s, Jumeirah Carlton Tower and The Queensberry before moving into the airline industry. He initially joined British Airways as cabin crew, gaining extensive passenger-facing experience in air travel hospitality, before combining this knowledge with his culinary expertise in a number of food development and marketing roles for the airline.
These included: inflight and lounge menu design manager; brand partnership & sponsorship executive; and global food and beverage manager. Most recently, Hamon headed business development at Monty’s Bakehouse.
“[En Route] is known for its relentless pursuit of innovation and I am delighted to be able to drive this forward as we continue on our journey,” said Hamon in a February 21 statement from En Route.
Hamon will report to Hamish Cook, Executive Director at En Route, who added: “As we continue to fast track our global growth, having an industry expert like Gwendal on our team allows us to further focus on creative and agile food solutions for our global clients. We’re delighted to have him on board.”


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For-Auction is a new Australian auction company that will soon roll-out a national network of affiliates in every Australian state.
Offering local service with an International reach, For-Auction offers clients the opportunity of selling goods from their home or via a local For-Auction affiliate, taking out the cost and risk of transporting goods for sale, when it is no longer required.
With technology replacing the traditional way of doing business, especially in this post covid-era, consumers behaviour has changed for good and For-Auction is taking one step forward into the future, by fully adopting the reach that digital delivery affords, much to the benefit of today’s vendors.
For-Auction will sell vendors goods as their own small or large dedicated auction, rather than jumbling it in with huge quantities of other people’s goods and thus giving greater market focus for the seller. Digital delivery allows for this to be done economically now, whereas this can’t be done viably in a traditional bricks and mortar cost model.
The company will soon announce a series of auctions and vendors can now make enquires via this website-forauction.com.au


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- News tagged "lg"
Thursday, 15 Dec 2011
LG's latest collaboration with Prada, the Prada Phone by LG 3.0, has more details revealed, including a dual-core 1GHz processor and Google Android 2.3 loaded within. The phone will be available for pre-order from January 2012.
Monday, 5 Dec 2011
Google is said to be sending out over-the-air updates of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to its employees who own the Nexus S devices as part of an internal testing.
Monday, 28 Nov 2011
Prada and LG Electronics renewed their exclusive mobile phone partnership to develop the upcoming Prada phone by LG 3.0 which will be launched in early 2012.
Thursday, 10 Nov 2011
Select newer European and carrier-independent LG Optimus devices will be getting the Gingerbread treatment, according to LG's official Facebook.
Tuesday, 1 Nov 2011
Senior Technical Director of HDTV Magazine, Rodolfo La Maestra, revisits basic concepts of 3D TVs in an article featuring a simple visual comparison between the main active and passive factions.
Tuesday, 11 Oct 2011
LG unveils eco-friendly LED-backlit LCD TV with purportedly the lowest power requirements in the market thus far.
Monday, 26 Sep 2011
Three major television manufacturers, LG, Philips and Sharp, announce they will be coming together to aid the development of a multi-platform for smart TV apps.
Tuesday, 6 Sep 2011
LG unveils new Dual Play-enabled 3D televisions at IFA, which enables players to use the same TV display but see different images, thanks to different 3D-style glasses.
Friday, 2 Sep 2011
LG Electronics reveals "LG PenTouch TV" at IFA - a series of plasma HDTVs which enables viewers to interact with the Internet or to create and modify a variety of content on the screen via a touch-sensitive stylus pen.
Wednesday, 31 Aug 2011
LG has made cleaning a tad simpler with its newly launched smartphone-controllable Roboking VR6180VMC vacuuming robot.


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According to jiwei.com, a new company with former SK Hynix vice president Choi jinseog as the legal person will take over the grid core and build DRAM production line on this basis.
According to the enterprise investigation, the new company, named Chengdu gaozhen Technology Co., Ltd., was incorporated on September 28 this year with a registered capital of 5.109 billion yuan. At present, the company has two major shareholders: Chengdu Jiji Semiconductor Co., Ltd., with a capital contribution of 3.065 billion yuan, holding 60% of the shares. Zhenxin (Beijing) Semiconductor Co., Ltd., with Cui Zhenji as the legal person and executive director, has invested 2.043 billion yuan and holds 40% of the shares. The company was established in November 2019.
Choi Jin seog is a well-known technical expert in the semiconductor industry in South Korea. At the beginning of the 21st century, Hynix, the worlds second largest memory chip company, was on the verge of bankruptcy and was almost acquired by MgO. Hynix recruited Cui Zhenju, a senior engineer at that time, from Samsung Semiconductor department. He led his technical team to raise the companys R & D capability to the same level as Samsung in less than two years, making Hynix come back from the dead. According to reports, Cui left Hynix after not being elected CEO.
Enterprise investigation shows that, less than one year after its establishment, Zhenxin (Beijing) semiconductor, as the second largest shareholder of the new company, has applied for 43 patents, including lithography technology, semiconductor equipment, etc. all technologies are developed in cooperation with the Institute of microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
At present, grid core (Chengdu) integrated circuit manufacturing Co., Ltd. has two major shareholders: Global foundations, which holds 51% of the shares, and Chengdu Gaoxin Industrial Investment Co., Ltd., which holds 49% of the shares. It is not clear how Chengdu hi tech will take over the offer.
Before Wuhan Hongxin, which plans to invest 100 billion yuan, disclosed itself or will be ruined, Chengdu Gexin was once regarded as the largest factory corpse in the industry.
Around 2016, thanks to the support of then CEOs Sanjay JHA, the worlds second largest chip manufacturer, prepared to build a factory in China. A person in the industry told AI finance and economics news agency that Gexin successively contacted with Nanjing, Chongqing, Chengdu and other places, and signed a cooperation framework agreement with Chongqing, but since then, Chengdu jumped out and promised that Chengdu could also give preferential terms given by Chongqing, and new preferential policies could still be discussed. In the end, the grid core was robbed by Chengdu. At that time, the planned investment scale simulation exceeded 10 billion US dollars.
In the initial blueprint, the first phase of Chengdu grid core is the less advanced 0.18 micron process, but it is clear that it is a 12 inch factory rather than an ordinary 8 inch factory; the second phase plans to introduce the 22nm SOI manufacturing process developed by Germany.
There are two opinions in the industry about the suspension of Chengdu grid core: one is that lattice core wants to take the old and even obsolete 8-inch second-hand equipment in Singapore factory to Chengdu grid core, and use the equipment to discount into shares, but it has not negotiated with the Chengdu municipal government. The other is the 8-inch second-hand equipment with lattice core stopped at the customs because it is not in conformity with the declared 12 inch equipment and has not been cleared. At that time, the factory buildings had been built, and the employees were waiting for the equipment to be transported in, but the cooperation broke down and the production line was stagnant.
In May 2020, Chengdu grid core issued three notices in succession, announcing that the company was completely shut down due to business conditions. After laying off the remaining 74 employees, the plant covering an area of 1000 mu was completely vacant. At present, in the rumor that there will be a new supplier, the industry is waiting to see whether Chengdu grid core can really usher in a new life.


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The technology company has been under intense scrutiny since it ousted Carol Bartz as chief executive earlier this month. While many investors welcomed Ms Bartz’s removal, there is widespread concern on Wall Street that the board may not pick the right successor or future structure for Yahoo!.
In a leaked memo to employees, Mr Yang said the company’s advisers are “fielding inquiries from multiple parties that have already expressed interest in a number of potential options”.
Mr Yang said the company’s advisers, Allen & Co, are also “working with us to develop ideas that we will pursue proactively”.
Despite a failure to innovate at the speed of rivals, Yahoo!’s websites remain some of the most popular in the world and a significant lure for advertisers.
The company also owns a 40pc stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.
Meanwhile, Groupon's chief operating officer is leaving to join Google five months after joining the company, and ahead of a highly-anticipated initial public offering.
Groupon said on its official blog on Friday that Margo Georgiadis was leaving the company to take a job as president of Google's Americas business.


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Tesla shares have fallen to an eight-month low, after a majority of Elon Musk’s Twitter followers supported selling 10% of his stake in the company.
In a tweet, Musk, the world’s richest person and owner of Tesla, said he would sell 10% of his shares if his followers approved.
According to the survey conducted by Musk, 58% of his followers on Twitter supported the idea of selling the stake that he put forward, pledging to respect the results of the poll.
According to Bloomberg, this stake that can be sold is estimated at about $21 billion based on Musk’s total stake in Tesla of 170.5 million shares.
Meanwhile, Tesla Inc.’s stock fell by 4.7% to $57.55 on the New York Stock Exchange, after the stock recorded a 7.3% decline during trading, which is the largest daily decline since last March 5.
Since the beginning of this year and until last Friday, Tesla’s stock has risen by 73%, while the broader S&P 500 index, on which the stock is registered, has risen by only 25%.
At the same time, Ron Wyden, a US senator from Oregon, expressed his dissatisfaction with Musk’s initiative, regarding the idea of selling part of the company’s shares, for a vote on a social networking site.
“Whether or not the world’s wealthiest man pays any taxes at all shouldn’t depend on the results of a Twitter poll,” he wrote. “It’s time for the Billionaires Income Tax.”
Musk’s fortune has also grown rapidly in recent months with the steady rise in Tesla’s stock price, at least on paper.
However, according to current rules, taxes are only due when he makes a profit on the sale of shares.
After crossing the $300 billion barrier as the richest person on Earth, Elon Musk’s fortune exceeded 10 billionaires in the auto sector by $52 billion.
Musk’s fortune jumped to record levels, exceeding the $300 billion barrier at the beginning of this week.
He is the first person in history to reach this value on the Forbes lists. Not only that, but his wealth continued to rise to record $338 billion, according to instant statistics.