text:
LG Electronics has all but unveiled its upcoming flagship smartphone, the LG G4, but that hasn’t stopped tech informants from digging up tidbits that the Korean manufacturer has not yet revealed. We already know that the LG G4 will feature a leather-bound back panel; however, a recent leak by tech watcher Evan Blass, also known as @Evleaks, shows the G4 in all its glory, and it’s pretty.
— Android Central (@androidcentral) April 13, 2015
Blass shared Saturday several images of the smartphone that appear to be official press renderings of the LG G4 directly from the manufacturer. With the images come hardware details indicating that the G4 will feature a removable 3,000 mAh battery as well as a MicroSD card slot. This means that users will be able to switch out the battery on the G4 and also expand its internal storage capacity.
With all of the criticism surrounding the recently released Samsung Galaxy S6, which does not feature a removable back or MicroSD card slot, these features on the G4 should be welcomed by die-hard Android fans.
â€” TechRadar (@techradar) April 13, 2015
With a removable back, users will also be able to switch out the style of back cover. The LG G4 will come with standard plastic backs as well as pricier leather backs.
Additionally, the leak reaffirms reports that the LG G4 will feature a 16-megapixel camera with an aperture of f/1.8. Camera lenses with a low aperture number take in more light, which allows for a faster shutter speed and cuts down on blur in photographs. In comparison, the Galaxy S6 features a 16-megapixel camera with f/1.9 aperture, and the iPhone 6 features an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.2 aperture. Samsung announced the decrease in its camera aperture in March, so it appears that LG is following suit.
The G4 camera app will include laser autofocus, a manual shooting mode and an infrared color spectrum analyzer, which offers more accurate color reproduction.
The LG G4 will also feature a 5.5-inch Quad HD (1440 × 2560) screen. LG Electronics is hosting a press event on April 28, when the G4 is expected to be unveiled, according to LG’s teaser promotions.


text:
The unique green formula of a British furniture manufacturer has seen it fight off competition from top businesses to secure a prestigious award.
Lancashire based HJ Berry won the North West section of the National Business Awards, sponsored by Orange – regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of British commerce.
HJ Berry was one of four on the shortlist in the Corporate Responsibility sector of the award’s programme.
The company, based in the Forest of Bowland, drew heavily on its commitment to the local area and environment.
Staff benefits include low-cost homes for rent in the pictureseque village of Chipping, around the factory site. In addition the company heats its manufacturing plant with off cuts of wood, and materials are sourced from as close to the factory as possible.
HJ Berry also has a policy of only using sustainable British-grown beech, ash, oak and other woods for its furniture and works closely with the Lancashire Woodlands Project.
Testimony to their long-term view on green business activity is the forest HJ Berry has created in the company’s grounds, with the planting of more than 20,000 trees – which will be ready to start being used for furniture production in 70 years’ time.
HJ Berry Managing Director John Woodruffe said: “We are absolutely delighted.
“As a British manufacturer, we are delighted that our work to support our people and the planet has been recognised with such a prestigious award.”
Now HJ Berry will be getting the show on the road once again, to attend the national finals of the British Business Award in London. More details of the awards are at http://www.nationalbusinessawards.com/regionals
HJ Berry started producing furniture in 1840 and is believed to be the oldest chair manufacturer in the country.
Part of its factory is based within a mill once used by a pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Sir Richard Arkwright.
The site still retains a waterwheel which powered the plant up to the 20th century.
Find out more about the company at http://www.hjberry.co.uk
Based in Kirk Mills, Chipping, Preston, Lancashire, HJ Berry manufactures furniture for the nursing and healthcare sector, as well as commercial and residential markets.
Press release issued by Jane Shepherd, Shepherd PR Ltd.
Mobile 07985 129315
This press release was distributed by ResponseSource Press Release Wire on behalf of Shepherd PR in the following categories: Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy, for more information visit https://pressreleasewire.responsesource.com/about.

domain: news


text:
On 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom (UK) decided by referendum to leave the European Union (EU). Once the UK officially requests the initiation of the negotiations (via the so-called Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union that lays down the provisions governing the withdrawal process), the EU and the UK will start negotiating the terms of withdrawal.
The EU has an exclusive competence for the customs union and for the common commercial policy. Once the UK has officially pulled out of the EU, it will have to establish its own tariffs and trade relations with the EU and third countries such as India.
UK’s withdrawal from the EU (also called Brexit) is expected to face complex and lengthy negotiations given that it is the very first time an EU Member State has decided to leave. Even though the outcome of the withdrawal procedure is unknown, several options are available to ensure sustainable trade relationship between the EU and the UK.
What will be the EU-UK trade relationship after the Brexit?
Over the years, the EU has negotiated preferential trade arrangements with neighboring countries such as Norway, Switzerland or Turkey. The EU and the UK would likely agree upon one of the following options in order to mitigate the impact of the Brexit on both the UK and EU economies:
- As a first option, the UK could join the European Economic Area which provides for the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital within the EEA with notable exceptions on agriculture and fisheries. The EEA comprises Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein as well as the 28 Member States of the EU. With this option, the UK would remain part of the European Single Market and goods would continue to move freely. The option would also allow the UK to set its own external tariffs vis-à-vis the rest of the world given that the EEA is not a customs union. However, being part of the EEA implies the implementation of a major portion of EU legislation without being involved in the decision-making process. EEA members also have to contribute significantly to the EU budget.
- The second option available to the UK would be to rejoin the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The EFTA provides for tariff-free trade in all non-agricultural goods between its Members (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). The EFTA is not a customs union and its members set their own external tariffs. The EFTA has agreed upon 27 free trade agreements (FTA) (covering 38 countries such as Canada, South Korea or Turkey) and FTA negotiations are ongoing with India. It is important to keep in mind that there is no direct trade agreement between the EFTA and the EU. Rather, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein have opted for the EEA while the trade relations between Switzerland and the EU are governed by several bilateral agreements covering trade in goods, trade in services and free movement of persons.
- The third option would be for the UK to enter into a comprehensive free-trade agreement with the EU. The scope of the FTA would depend upon the good will of the UK and the EU and may range from a mere FTA covering only trade in goods to a comprehensive agreement encompassing other areas such as trade in services, investment, research, etc. The EU already has a comprehensive FTA with South Korea and has concluded one with Canada and Singapore.
- The last option would be for the EU and the UK to negotiate a customs union (like the customs union between the EU and Turkey) where goods would move freely without facing tariffs. The EU and the UK will have to set a common external tariff to be applied on all goods entering the customs union, regardless of the port of entry. As an option, specific goods such as agricultural products could be excluded from the customs union (as it is the case in the EU-Turkey customs union).
In case the EU and the UK do not agree on one of the above options before the UK pulls out of the EU (2 years after the beginning of the negotiations), the relationship between the EU and the UK are likely to be governed by the rules laid down in the WTO Agreements. Goods imported from the UK into the EU would therefore be subject to the so-called Most-Favored-Nation tariffs levied by the EU.
Will the Brexit impact EU free trade agreements?
Over the years, the EU has negotiated various FTAs with third countries allowing for preferential market access. The UK withdrawal of the EU is likely to have a negative impact on them. Indeed, most of the FTAs have specific provisions on the territorial application and those agreements only apply to territories where EU law is applicable. Following the Brexit, FTA partners may wish to renegotiate the trade concessions given the loss of market access in the UK.
In addition, the UK withdrawal is not only expected to have consequences on the on-going Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between the EU and the United States but also on the FTA negotiations with other countries such as India. The Brexit will impact the size of the EU market and the trade flows thus modifying the concessions already agreed upon.
Will the UK remain a WTO Member?
The UK joined the WTO in 1995 under the terms of membership negotiated by the EU. By leaving the EU, one could imagine that the UK would have to renegotiate its own terms of membership with the current 161 WTO Members.
Depending on the choice made by the EU and the UK in the withdrawal negotiations, some of the elements of the UK’s WTO membership may need to be renegotiated. For instance, in case the UK decides to set up an external tariff different than the EU tariff, it may have to renegotiate its schedule of concessions and MFN tariff lines. However, given the absence of legal provisions dealing with this unique situation, it is difficult to predict what would happen at the WTO level.
The consequences of the Brexit are still unknown and will highly depend upon the outcome of the withdrawal negotiations between the EU and the UK. The negotiations are not expected to start before the UK officially activates the so-called Article 50 that triggers the 2-year negotiation period. The degree of uncertainty generated by the referendum is expected to impact EU relations with the UK over the next years and companies engaged in trading with the EU or the UK will need to closely monitor the negotiations to find out how the Brexit will impact their business.
[The author is a Principal Associate, International Trade Practice, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan, Delhi]


text:
Maruti Celerio diesel will be India’s most fuel efficient car at 30 kmpl
Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Indiaâ€™s largest automaker, is working on a new diesel engine which is to be seen on board Celerio hatchback and the companyâ€™s Light Commercial Vehicles of the future. This new 800cc diesel engine, smallest in the market, is beingÂ developed at the Maruti Suzuki plant in Gurgaon and claims to have a mileage of 30 kmpl.
Maruti Suzukiâ€™s new 800cc diesel motor, smaller than the 1000cc diesel engine currently seen on board Chevrolet Beat, is a twin cylinder engine capable of producing about 35 PS peak power and expected to return approximately 30 kmpl.
This engine will make its way to the Maruti Celerio whichÂ as on dateÂ is powered by a 3 cylinder K Series 1.0 liter petrol engine producing peak power of 67 PS and peak torque of 90 Nm mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. The Celerio with AMT gearbox has proved to be more in demand accounting for over 51% of total sales. Celerio hatchback sales with a diesel engine are also expected to increase, though it is not yet confirmed whether the diesel version will receive an AMT gearbox.
This upcoming 800cc diesel engine is also estimated to power the new Eeco van to be launched in 2016 thus making it the first Maruti Suzuki diesel van in the country. The present Maruti Eeco is available with only by petrol and CNG options while the Eeco with its diesel powertrain will be able to compete with Tata Ace Magic and M&M Maxximo.
Maruti Suzuki India has always offered their customers the most fuel efficient cars in the country. But, over the past few years, entry of new cars with new engines has put Maruti on the backfoot, with none of their cars in the top 10 list of most fuel efficient cars in India. With the new 800 cc diesel engine, Maruti will once again take the top position in the list.
10 most Fuel Efficient cars in India
1 â€“ Honda City diesel â€“ 26 kmpl
2 â€“ Honda Amaze diesel â€“ 25.8 kmpl
3 â€“ Tata Nano petrol â€“ 25.4 kmpl
4 â€“ Tata Indigo eCS diesel â€“ 25.4 kmpl
5 â€“ Chevrolet Beat diesel â€“ 25.4 kmpl
6 â€“ Tata Indigo XL diesel- 25.2 kmpl
7 â€“ Tata Indigo diesel â€“ 25.2 kmpl
8 â€“ Tata Indica eV2 diesel â€“ 25.2 kmpl
9 â€“ Ford Fiesta diesel â€“ 25.01 kmpl
10 â€“ Hyundai Xcent diesel â€“ 24.4 kmpl
via Economic Times


text:
Announced today in a press release, Google executive Marissa Mayer has been named as president, CEO and board member for Yahoo, effective tomorrow, July 17, 2012. It's a major coup for the struggling web brand, who gains one of the key public faces of search giant Google.
"I am honored and delighted to lead Yahoo!, one of the internet's premier destinations for more than 700 million users," Mayer said in a press release on Monday. "I look forward to working with the Company's dedicated employees to bring innovative products, content, and personalized experiences to users and advertisers all around the world."
Mayer headed up key Google services including Maps, Location Services and Local as well as geographical products ranging from Google Earth to Zagat and Street View for both desktop and mobile. The executive joined Google in 1999 as the company's 20th employee and at age 37, joins an exclusive club of female CEOs including HP's Meg Whitman.
"Marissa is a well-known, visionary leader in user experience and product design and one of Silicon Valley's most exciting strategists in technology development," said Yahoo! co-founder David Filo. "I look forward to working with her to enhance Yahoo's product offerings for our over 700 million unique monthly visitors."
According to The New York Times, Mayer "resigned from Google on Monday afternoon by telephone," but the executive claims “it was a reasonably easy decision” choosing to steer the entire ship at Yahoo! instead.
Given that Yahoo! abandoned its own once-popular search engine back in 2008 in a partnership with Microsoft, it's unlikely that Mayer will go toe-to-toe with her former employer, but co-founder Filo was quoted as saying, “we need to get back to basics” - so anything is possible.


text:
Vodafone Group is set to cash in to the tune of $US130 billion after agreeing to sell out of its US-based joint venture in the third-largest corporate deal in history.
According to Reuters, the deal will see the UK-based telco sell its 45% stake in US mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless to joint venture partner Verizon Communications in exchange for a massive $US130 billion windfall.
The deal, which is set to reshape the telecommunications industry globally, is the third largest corporate deal in history, trailing only Vodafone’s $US203 billion takeover of Germany’s Mannesmann in 1999 and AOL’s $US181 billion acquisition of Time Warner in 2000.
Get business news first
Sign up to SmartCompany’s daily newsletter
The massive deal will see Vodafone gain $US58.9 billion in cash, $US60.2 billion in Verizon stock and a further $US11 billion in related transactions.
Vodafone is set to return 71% of the proceeds, worth $US84 billion, to shareholders, while leaving the telco giant billions for potential mergers and acquisitions, as well as improvements to its mobile phone networks around the world.
Vodafone Group, the world’s second largest telco by subscribers after China Mobile, owns 50% of VHA joint venture in Australia, which trades under the Vodafone brand locally.


text:
Craft Brewing and Distilling News for October 15, 2019October 15, 2019
•Boston Beer Co. is rolling out a reformulation of its entire Truly Hard Seltzer line. All 13 flavors have been updated to be more flavorful, with a more fruit-heavy aroma and a crisper finish, according to the company. The revamped flavors will include a note on their packaging reading “Now crisper fresh taste.” Additionally, Truly will launch a variety of lemonade seltzers on New Year’s Day, 2020. The 5% abv additions will be available in variety 12-packs of Original Lemonade, Black Cherry Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, and Mango Lemonade as well as 16- and 24-ounce individual cans of Original Lemonade.Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.
Tagged : Boston Beer, Truly Hard Seltzer
GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 2021 DATA AND 2022 PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRIES. ORDER YOUR 2022 IMPACT DATABANK REPORTS. CLICK HERE.


text:
Every year on April Fools' Day, reporters in newsrooms around the world brace themselves. While we're usually a pretty skeptical bunch, April 1 brings out the worst in us.
We don't believe anything anyone tells us on this one day of the year, and rightfully so. It's a holiday that literally just celebrates people lying, and brands have been in on the act for years, leading to some really bad moments(Opens in a new tab) for journalists the world over.
That said, each April Fools' Day, there's usually one person pulling more of their hair out than anyone else in the newsroom.
Who's that person, you ask? Why, it's me, your friendly neighborhood space reporter, and here's why: Everything on my beat sounds fake to begin with.
Let's play a little game, shall we? I'll give you news items, and you decide if they're real or hoaxes.
Elon Musk says he wants to nuke Mars in order to make the red planet's climate habitable.
Multiple companies have plans to mine asteroids in order to extract their resources and either sell them on Earth or use them for space exploration.
An astronaut smuggled a corned beef sandwich onto a space capsule and ate it while in orbit.
Scientists want to take a photo of a black hole, an object that, by its nature emits no light.
Budweiser wants to brew beer on Mars, and it's taking steps to make that a reality.
KFC developed an elaborate campaign centered around sending a chicken sandwich to the edge of space.
So, which ones are real and which ones are fake? I know, it's hard to tell.
But you know what? All of(Opens in a new tab) these(Opens in a new tab) things(Opens in a new tab) are(Opens in a new tab) TRUE. They're all real headlines about real space things.
So you can forgive me when I took a very long pause and yelled at my computer (and editor) a little after Richard Branson "announced(Opens in a new tab)" on April 1, 2014, that Virgin Galactic intends to build a "lunar hotel."
Yes, a hotel on the moon sounds totally impossible, but in real life this man wants to fly rocket planes carrying celebrities to the edge of space and eventually send things to orbit.
A moon hotel just isn't that much more ridiculous sounding than any of those other ideas.
So please, be kind to space journalists this holiday and maybe consider not celebrating it at all, particularly if you're a brand.
What's the point in trying to trick us when you want all of us to believe you all year round?
All of us are just out here trying to bring you the news on our ridiculous beat, so maybe think twice before you outright lie about your new "moon hotel" or the grand opening of your asteroid mining operation.
Oh, also, just so you know, a derelict Chinese space station is expected to fall back through Earth's atmosphere, and some pieces of its charred remains might make it all the way to the planet's surface on April Fools' Day.
Seriously. That's not a joke.
This holiday sucks.


text:
iPhone 13, the new generation iPhone of the “Apple house” has been officially introduced with some significant and attractive improvements.
This is the 15th time Apple has launched new generation iPhone models and this iPhone 13 has nothing to break compared to previous models. Many people who have been “hands-on” early on this super mobile product including: iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max all share the same opinion that iPhone 13 cannot be considered as Apple’s “breakthrough” yet. but still possesses many “value for money, rice bowl” improvements.
The chip with the A15 Bionic processor is said to be the most powerful in the history of the mobile phone industry
Apple’s product developers spent a lot of time during the launch to introduce the A15 Bionic chip, they even said that other mobile companies were two years behind Apple and with the A15 Bionic chip. In this case, the iPhone 13 will be 50% more powerful “than its biggest competitor”, according to an Apple expert.
The A15 Bionic chip is designed based on the 5 nm+ process with 15 billion transistors, making data processing and storage outstandingly powerful. Put on the scale right with its predecessor, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 has “eaten”. The A15 chip with 2 high-performance cores and 4 energy-saving cores and graphics processing unit (GPU) performance is also rated to be 30% faster than current competitors. Specifically, the 16-core Neural Engine processing unit on the A15 chip can handle 15.8 billion operations per second. Of course, manipulations about AI, AR or heavy tasks will not be difficult for iPhone 13.
Smart camera and better performance
With any upgrade, the camera is always what users care about most. Not surprisingly, Apple continues to bring the iPhone 13 with commendable improvements. With the main camera cluster with 12-megapixel resolution but enhanced with a new sensor with a pixel size of 1.7 micrometers, up to 47% brighter than the iPhone 12, of course, the anti-shake support on the sensor is also indispensable.
About the super wide-angle camera (up to 120 degrees) is enhanced to help capture 50% brighter than the previous generation. 5-element lens with large sensor allows for faster low-light shooting, better focus. The high aperture and upgraded optical image stabilization system deliver outstandingly realistic dark scenes.
In terms of video recording mode, the iPhone 13 owns a cinamatic video mode with the ability to handle multitasking such as focusing on one point, switching to focusing at another point in the background, and then switching back to the foreground smoothly. Portrait mode is also available on the iPhone 13, allowing excellent bokeh shots. In addition, iPhone 13 allows video recording in ProRes format (a format that makes editing directly and easily like Apple Proraw) a powerful “weapon” for even professional photographers.
Quality screen comes with fan-pleasing changes
First, the “rabbit ears” of the iPhone 13 have been made about 20% more compact than the iPhone 12 to help optimize the usable area. The iPhone 13 has a ceramic coating on the main screen, which offers “superior” durability over all screen glass ever produced (according to Apple).
iPhone 13 has allowed the screen to display up to 120 Hz refresh rate, 18% brighter than iPhone 12, iPhone 13 Pro owns ProMotion screen like iPad Pro is Super Retina XDR with 1,000 nit brightness, ensuring maximum sharpness and experience for video, entertainment or graphics tasks.
Significantly increased battery life
A really welcome upgrade of the iPhone 13. Compared to its predecessor, iPhone 12, the new generation iPhone has better battery life from 1.5 to 2.5 hours according to different versions. The compact A15 chip to put a larger battery block into the new product is Apple’s big effort this time. Although the maximum screen resolution is up to 120Hz, when needed, it will automatically reduce to only 10Hz to save battery. For many people, such increased battery life is still “not enough”, but it should be understood that, for a “principled” manufacturer like Apple, such changes are already “bright spots”.
In addition, a new upgrade in colors such as light pink on iPhone 13 or Sapphire blue on iPhone 13 Pro, Pro Max compared to the previous generation is also a highlight that promises to be “hunted” with Apple fans.
Đọc bài viết bằng Tiếng Việt tại đây


text:
The Huawei MediaPad should launch in Germany in early November reports indicate. This is good news for German consumers who as of today can no longer hope to get their hands on a Galaxy Tab 10.1. Huawei's latest Android tablet PC debuted in Singapore several months ago and European Android got their first good look at the 7-inch tablet at last weeks IFA in Berlin.
The MediaPad is one of the first tablets to get the latest (and probably last) update for the tablet-native Android distribution –Android 3.2 Honeycomb. The Android tablet should retail for around $561; not a bad price for 1.2-GHz, dual-core Qualcomm processor and full 1080p HD playback.


text:
BUSINESSES that rely on speciality timbers say Tasmanian industry could be wiped out within a decade if the forest peace deal goes ahead.
Furniture designers and boat builders are among the businesses that rely on rare timbers like Huon pine and blackwood, and which yesterday lobbied for a proposed law to be changed.
Fifth-generation furniture designer and manufacturer Craig Howard yesterday predicted his business would close if all the forests earmarked under the deal were protected.
He urged the Legislative Council to amend the legislation before State Parliament, so protection of forests containing speciality timbers was delayed until more research was done.
“If we don’t have the raw material on hand I will lose my job,” Mr Howard said.
Boat builder Andrew Denman said creating more reserves would starve businesses like his of necessary material when demand for such products was rising.
“We’re not saying don’t reserve [those forests], but let’s not reserve them straight away,” Mr Denman said.
He predicted if that wasn’t done then “in 10 years we’re stuffed – probably sooner”.
The pair made the appeal to the Legislative Council with Speciality Timbers Alliance members George Harris and Murray Jessup.
The inquiry is investigating whether or not the Tasmanian Forests Agreement Bill, which underpins a deal signed by signatories, is viable.
In other evidence provided yesterday:
Former Labor forestry minister Julian Amos claimed Gunns executives had made threatening phone calls to an industry signatory at the start of the peace talks.
Timber Communities Australia chief executive Jim Adams said the scope of a socio-economic study into the peace deal had been broadened, which would delay its completion.
Mr Adams claimed signatories to the deal did not know what the final size of a World Heritage nomination would be until it was publicly announced by federal Environment Minister Tony Burke last month as 170,000 hectares.
This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on 苏州美睫培训.


text:
Luton Foodbank has gained after local Weight Watchers cleared out their cupboards to help families in crisis. Weight Watchers group leader Fiona Campion said: “Members have been donating unwanted Christmas treats along with essentials such as canned food and UHT milk. “We also launched a campaign so new members could make a fresh start to regain control in the New Year by giving away food they no longer need for a good cause.” She added: “Their generosity has been breathtaking. We have anything from 30 to 60 people attending meetings so we were able to make a sizeable donation.” Luton mayor and Foodbank founder member Cllr Sheila Roden (above right) said she was grateful for Weight Watchers’ contribution and that the charity continued to thrive.
> Also in the picure, from left: Pam Hutchins, Fiona Campion, Katy Masters and Jackie Lynch.


text:
The e-commerce platform will launch a series of star brand ads. These aim to target consumers across the country and give Myntra the opportunity to engage with fans of these celebrities.
New roster of Myntra brand ambassadors to join Advani and Akkineni to strengthen aspiration for Myntra among fashion forward clients
Harish Narayanan, Marketing Director of Myntra, said: “We are delighted to welcome all the Superstars to the Myntra family. These fashion icons, who are also acclaimed fashion connoisseurs, will be part of Myntra’s biggest all-star campaign ever. The campaign will strongly strengthen Myntra’s position as “India’s fashion expert” with differentiated fashion offerings and an unrivaled technology-driven shopping experience. This campaign will touch all demographics and build a deeper relationship with our customers across the country. ”
Last year, Myntra partnered with Advani as the national face of Myntra and Akkineni as the face of the South market.


text:
Guangzhou, China In mid-2019, Huawei launched its own operating system, HarmonyOS, in response to US actions separated from Google software.
This was the promotion of the most ambitious mobile software of China’s tech giant and hoped to help the mobile phone business survive.
On Monday, Huawei announced that HarmonyOS will be available on smartphones in April. Huawei phone users can download it as an update.
A spokeswoman told CNBC that users outside of China could also download it. Launched on Monday, the company’s new foldable Mate X2 device was one of the first other mobile phones to adopt the Harmony OS.
In 2019, Huawei was blacklisted in the United States, known as the entity list, restricting US companies from exporting technology to Chinese companies. As a result, Google cut off its relationship with Huawei. In other words, Huawei couldn’t use the licensed Google Android on their smartphones. In China, where Google apps like Gmail are blocked, this isn’t a big deal. But in the international market, where Android is the most popular operating system, it was a big blow.
The move by the Trump administration, coupled with sanctions designed to separate Huawei from critical chip supplies, has hit Chinese carriers’ smartphone sales.
Huawei needs to find a chip source for smartphones. But according to Canalys analyst Nicole Peng, HarmonyOS is another “very important” part of ensuring the survival of Huawei’s smartphone business.
Huawei advertises HarmonyOS as an operating system that can run on a variety of devices, from smartphones to TVs. In September, we released a second version of HarmonyOS, urging developers to create apps for the platform.
For overseas users, Huawei has also redesigned the interface of the app store called AppGallery to improve the navigation function.
The guest has a mobile phone showing photos taken during a Huawei press conference announcing the new HarmonyOS operating system in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, August 9, 2019.
Fred Dufour | AFP | Getty Images
“Search integrated into the App Gallery will be of great help in helping people find apps,” Penn said.
Huawei should also help push updates to existing users of the device and promote the use of operating systems abroad.
Currently, Huawei’s AppGallery has more than 530 million monthly active users.
Future smartphone issues
Apps are important for mobile operating systems. Apple’s iOS and Google Android are the two most dominant operating systems, as there are millions of developers creating apps for their respective platforms.
Huawei has a set of apps such as mappings and browsers under a banner called Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). HMS is similar to Google mobile services and offers developer kits that you can use to integrate location services and more into your app. HMS has 2.3 million registered developers worldwide.
And in China, it can be equipped with popular apps.
However, in the international market, Huawei may face some challenges. For example, the app store does not have key names such as Facebook and Google apps that are important to international users.
“If Huawei wants to succeed in telemarketing abroad, it needs a suitable application that is unlikely to reach HarmonyOS. Therefore, if you want to build an international telemarketing business, you can revisit Google Mobile Services. It’s important, “Bryan Ma, vice president of device research at IDC, said in an email.
As Google Android and iOS dominate outside of China, Huawei also has the urgent task of persuading users to switch.
“When it comes to challenges, it’s still in the realm … (whether or not) the product will be accepted by heavy users who use Google apps and services, for example,” said Canalys’ Peng.
Huawei, on the other hand, could run out of major supplies to make mobile phones in the future as the United States tries to disconnect mobile phones from chips. Huawei’s Mate X2 uses Huawei’s proprietary Kirin 9000 processor. Consumer business CEO Richard Yu said the company still has enough capacity for foldable phones, even after warning that supply could run out last year.
It is a major challenge facing Huawei, along with the uncertainty of success in the operating system.
“Huawei was able to continue to drive the local Chinese market without such concerns (for the HarmonyOS app), but it has a much bigger problem in that it’s struggling to get the components in the first place.” Ma said.
What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos
to request, modification Contact us at Here or [email protected]


text:
The natural beauty of the Azores has given birth to a cosmetics’ brand that is on everyone’s lips ‒ and on Kim Kardashian’s face
As the saying goes, “God works in mysterious ways”. Religious or not, Miguel Pombo proves just that. Only this could explain how a graduate in political sciences and international relations from the New University of Lisbon would become the founder of one of the most luxurious cosmetics’ brands in the country – Ignae Skincare – made from the best natural ingredients from the Azores and with loyal clients all over the world, including Kim Kardashian.
However in 2009, before reaching the reality TV star and Instagram goddess, 33-year-old Miguel Pombo was just a student working in Brussels. As part of a company that operated in the regulatory risk sector, the São Miguel native worked with clients from the chemical and cosmetics’ industries: “Working in this ‘boring’ area allowed me to understand what a cosmetic product was and why certain ingredients were chosen over others,” he explains.
After spending nine months in Belgium and hearing black sand exfoliation products being described as ‘exotic’ – while this type of sand is abundant in Azorean beaches – Miguel realised that his archipelago had (even) more to offer the world than stunning landscapes, excellent gastronomy and kind people. “I realised there was a lot in the Azores that could be used in cosmetic products.”
Vale das Furnas, one of the largest hydrothermal springs in the world, feeds Ignae’s products with water rich in micronutrients, but São Miguel offers even more essential ingredients such as camellia oil, bee honey and venom, volcanic clay and colostrum from Azorean cows, loaded with antibodies, peptides and growth factors, which promote dermis elasticity and stimulate collagen production. “Our cows live close to the sea and eat grass all year round, meaning they live in a less aggressive environment, which forces their immune systems to develop greater resistance. It’s what makes our colostrum different,” assures the founder.
After years of tests, working closely with departments from universities and national entities, and many prototyping errors, Ignae was born in 2017 under Miguel and his best friend, Pedro Oliveira. Today the brand has two other partners, who deal with commercial aspects and company management.
The Azorean brand’s range comprises five products, with prices starting at €80 – Day Complex (Miguel’s favourite); Night Complex; Enriched Regenerating Serum; Eye Complex (which ensures an average 36.4% reduction of wrinkles in 56 days); and Bee Venom & Clay Mask. Dedicated to anti-ageing and providing round- the-clock, overall skin care, every product has ingredients to combat the three main causes of skin ageing: glycation, which breaks down collagen; external damage, such as pollution and UV radiation; and decreasing collagen production, which occurs naturally with age. “We tried to keep the line as concise as possible, so we specialised in anti-ageing.”
The brand’s positive results – clinically proven by independent entities and deliberately tested by a critical group of women aged 45-55, so as not to “sweeten” the results – caught the eye of Joanna Czech, a celebrity facialist in the USA. After discovering the brand on Instagram, Czech highlighted it as one of her favourites, supplying it at her Dallas studio. That is how Ignae came to the hands – and precious face – of one of the biggest digital influencers in the world, Kim Kardashian, who used the Eye Complex, of which she claimed to be a fan in a video. “It was completely random. We did not have the resources to work with her, which makes us even more proud because we were lucky that someone trusted us and used the brand.”
It’s a fact: what Kim Kardashian uses, the world wants. Ignae Skincare began appearing on the pages of several glossy magazines and it is distributed around the world, from Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Portugal (Douglas perfumeries, TAP’s duty free and at Lisbon Airport), to the USA and Asia, and even the luxury Four Seasons hotel chain. And the brand still has a home in its birthplace: the spa at the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, which not only sells its products but uses them in signature treatments.
Despite not being in the market for long (as of time of publication), the extensive homework by its creators will soon yield more results: “We are developing two new serums that will incorporate something new. We discovered bacteria at Caldeira das Furnas that regenerates the skin to produce more collagen and an antioxidant that can reach the heart of the cells. These are global innovations that we began working on about three to four years ago,” says Miguel, adding that they should hit the market in 2019. We already knew these islands were beautiful, we just didn’t know they made us more beautiful as well.


text:
Store-way to Hunan: China
China is one of the largest stakeholders in ensuring global food security. Informed speculators are taking positions to benefit; they"re putting it all on red.
China"s solution is to control the global grain supply chain. By subsidising recent upgrades on internal loading and transportation facilities, and with its trading firms acquiring interests in origination markets as well transport and logistics firms, China is reducing the risk in ensuring its population"s food needs are met.
The well-documented population pressures within China, and increasing taste for meat from its growing middle classes, mean that grain for humans and feed for our animal friends (although they might be slightly less friendly at the point they"re about to be eaten) have placed food security at the top of the government"s list of priorities.
China is now turning its attention to the domestic supply chain.
One of the country"s main aims to is ensure that internal farming capabilities are on point, and have been improving these by using the most effective incentive known to man; paying more money. Inflated purchase prices for farmers have massively raised recent production rates in Chinese grains. In 2017, Chinese grain output was quoted as reaching the second highest output in history, at 617.9 million tonnes.
But the grain is going off.
Open air grains storage is being blamed as approximately one sixth of domestic grain – let"s face it, it"s rice – is stored in this way. As such, the government recently announced that they will be removing 95 percent of open grain storage by 2020 to reduce spoilage.
A recent Reuters report stated that this target should be achievable given recent policy changes, as well as citing Beijing"s stated aim to "optimise the grain storage capacity" and "improve the modern grain logistics system and efficiency". I would like to go one further and state that it"s even more achievable as all they need to do is "build roofs". I am available for all your highly paid government policy consulting needs.
Alongside this relatively low-tech – and given it was me who thought of it, it"s probably wrong-tech – suggestion, discussion has centred around the AgTech developments that are shaping the grains and oilseeds sector. An investment boom is being discussed for 2018 across all types of agricultural infrastructure, which should bode well for future storage technologies.
This is coupled with the fact that the previously mentioned financial support for the country"s farmers is now being withdrawn, which will have the effect of further reducing the country"s surplus and storage pressures.
But perhaps the answer to spoiled grain lies in marketing and innovation.
It was reported towards the end of last year that a 5,000 year old granary was recently discovered in East China, containing the remains of "a huge pile of carbonised unhusked rice".
Indeed, "the pile was about 60 cm thick and covered about 5,000 square metres. The pile stored about 100,000 kg of carbonised rice." I think some health food shops sell that as a delicacy?
We will be focusing on the role China will play in shaping the global grain trade in 2018 and beyond at Global Grain Asia.
The event will connect over 350 grains and oilseeds professionals in the most important destination market.
With Asian consumption dictating global food demand, trade flows and prices, this conference is perfectly placed to connect you to the major international players and inform you as to the future direction of the market.
Join the Asian millers, producers and traders who are leading the market, as well as 350 of your industry colleagues at the biggest consumption region in the world. We"ll be welcoming those who provide a vital role in the global supply chain in the regional trading hub of Singapore, bringing you closer to those shaping the market.
Future consumption demand and the impact on trade flows;
How international policy will shape global import and export
The future for grains and oilseeds as well as "competing" commodities;
Asian commodities contrasted against the other major grain import and export regions.
We are encouraging millers from all over the world to join us at the event for free. Their actions help shape the market and as such, they are best placed to share how they think it will develop.
This article first appeared in the January 2018 edition of the Global Grain blog
by Mike Jeapes, Portfolio Director, Global Grain


text:
UPS's medical drone empire is rapidly expanding - and now it will deliver CVS goods to your home
Courtesy of Tom Lopez/UPS
- UPS announced a slew of new customers to its rapidly-expanding drone-delivery service - including CVS Health, its first retail client for drone delivery.
- Through a new revenue-generating service for the University of Utah Health hospital campuses, UPS and drone company Matternet will move medical samples and other cargo.
- UPS Flight Forward will also service Amerisource Bergen and Kaiser Permanente in revenue-generating services.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
UPS's drone empire is rapidly expanding.On Monday, the package giant established itself yet again as America's leader in drone deliveries with the announcement of four new customers - including its first retail customer, CVS Health.
"We're first growing the portion of the business that has an approved regulatory framework - this is revenue-generating work in support of high-demand, value-added, critical instant delivery solutions on hospital campuses," Ganesh added.Ganesh has long emphasized the importance of developing sustainable business cases around drone deliveries - meaning, revenue-generating businesses rather than flashy, short-term drone stunts. But the CVS partnership will be merely exploratory to start.
Here are the four new partnerships and what UPS will do for them:
- CVS Health: UPS Flight Forward, the company's drone airline, will develop "a variety of drone delivery use cases" in the business-to-consumer realm. That will include urgent deliveries of prescription and other goods to the homes of CVS customers. Exact services and locations haven't been disclosed yet.
- AmerisourceBergen: The wholesale pharmaceutical distributor will work with UPS Flight Forward to ship medications, supplies, and records via drone. Qualifying medical campuses served by AmerisourceBergen will be first in the trial, followed by other campuses.
- Kaiser Permanente: UPS Flight Forward will move healthcare goods via drone on Kaiser Permanente's medical campuses. This will be revenue-generating once flights begin, according to a UPS spokesperson.
- University of Utah Health hospital campuses: In partnership with Matternet, UPS will embark on a revenue-generating drone-delivery service to move medical samples and other goods. It's similar to UPS's first medical drone client - WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Rivals are quickly gearing up in response
UPS announced earlier this month that it was the first drone company to score nationwide approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. That move raised eyebrows - showing that drone deliveries are commercially feasible even under rigorous regulations.
On Oct. 18, Wing, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, made its first commercial drone deliveries. Wing also has FAA certification. But the scope of its operation is limited to a town called Christiansburg, Virginia.
Wing has partnered with FedEx Express and Walgreens to deliver goods to customers' homes in the Southwest Virginia town, about 210 miles away from the state capital Richmond.Meanwhile, Amazon has pledged to take its Prime Air drone-delivery service to the real-world this year. At a September event, Amazon's Worldwide Consumer chief Jeff Wilke said its latest drone model would be fulfilling orders "in months."
- If the COVID-19 vaccine prices are too high for some, then why not use direct benefit transfer
- The COVID-19 crisis in India is getting worse with state administrations trying to hoard oxygen
- On Earth Day, companies commit to adopt more sustainable practices in an attempt to safeguard our tomorrow
- Tiger Global makes its first crypto investment in India making Coinswitch Kuber worth half a billion dollars
- Best pulse oximeters to keep a check on your SpO2 readings


text:
Shopping behavior among current frozen-food consumers has changed as well. On top of 70% buying more frozen fare than usual, 68% of survey respondents said their purchases included different items than usual and 72% picked up different brands than usual because of unavailability. Inventory issues likely influenced purchases of different items and brands, as 73% of shoppers said they encountered out-of-stocks when shopping for frozen foods amid the pandemic.
The most frequently purchased items were frozen vegetables, meat/poultry and pizza. First-time trials were highest for frozen meat/poultry, side dishes, fruit and entrees, while single- and multi-serve entrees saw double-digit percentages in first-time buyers. About a third of consumers stocked up more than usual on frozen vegetables, meat/poultry and pizza compared with their pre-pandemic purchases.
“The vast majority of consumers bought at least some frozen foods prior to coronavirus- induced shopping. The larger their freezer capacity, the greater the tendency to purchase frozen foods,” the study said. “Those patterns remained true during the weeks of panic buying and beyond, as frozen foods emerged as a sales powerhouse for immediate consumption and backup supply.”
When asked why they purchased frozen food, consumers cited long shelf-life (60%), the ability to stock up in case of food shortages (58%) and the desire to limit the number of trips to the supermarket (51%). Shoppers also pointed to ease of preparation (46%), faster preparation and cleanup (36%) and a belief that frozen foods currently are safer than fresh items (33%).
Frozen food customers, too, give the category high marks. Convenience earned the top score, with an average of 4.3 on a five-point scale. Quality was next, with an average of 4.1, followed by taste (3.9), price (3.8) and nutrition (3.6).
Half of consumers who bought frozen foods since the onset of COVID-19 in the United States expect to buy more in the next several months. Eighteen percent reported they plan to purchase “a lot more” frozen products, and 32% aim to buy “somewhat more.”
“This study suggests frozen will remain a category heavyweight for months and years ahead, as the category attracts new and returning customers who are relying on a variety of frozen foods to provide much-needed convenience and satisfaction,” according to Alison Bodor, president and CEO of Arlington, Va.-based AFFI. “These results show growth in the category that goes beyond the popularity with Millennials that was illustrated in our ‘2019 Power of Frozen’ study.”
The frozen category also has benefited from the upsurge in online grocery purchases during the coronavirus outbreak. Of those polled in the second week of April, 46% had ordered groceries online since early March, covering approximately a one-month time span. As a share of the total population, 39% had ordered frozen foods online since early March, signifying that 85% included frozen foods as part of their order versus 73% pre-pandemic, the AFFI-210 Analytics report noted.
“Grocery e-commerce, including shopping for frozen foods online, continues to skew toward urban areas, Millennials and Gen X, higher income and larger households,” the study said. “However, compared with pre-COVID-19, engagement intensified among current core users and engagement rose among population groups that typically trail in grocery e-commerce.”
Reference : https://www.supermarketnews.com/center-store/frozen-foods-become-sales-powerhouse-during-coronavirus-pandemic


text:
Alcatel-Lucent reported Q4 loss of 1.37 billion Euros, or 60 Euro cents a share, reflecting a 1.41 billion Euro asset impairment charge. Operating income was 66 million Euros. Revenues were up 13.8% sequentially to 4.1 bilion Euros, but down 1.3% from the year ago quarter.
While North American sales improved to 1.6 billion Euros from 1.41 billion a year ago, European revenue fell to 1.1 billion Euros from 1.28 billion, and Asia-Pacific fell to 714 million Euros from 775 million.
Ben Verwaayen, CEO Alcatel-Lucent, commented: “Our fourth quarter reflects the early progress of The
Performance Program announced last July. We announced clear choices on where we would operate, how we
would operate and where we would differentiate.”
“We have seen progress on all these choices, and close 2012 ahead on our cost reduction plans. We have
addressed half of the previously margin-diluting Managed Services contracts, and show continued and strong
growth in IP and Next Generation Wireless. We can see a clear statement of customer confidence through
growth in both our order book and backlog.”
The WSJ reports: Alcatel Chief Is Out as Turnaround Stalls
“The CEO’s departure comes at a turbulent time for the equipment maker. More than six years after France’s Alcatel merged with U.S.-based Lucent Technologies to create a telecom-equipment giant, the company is discovering that it can’t keep up in the global tech race. It is smaller by revenue than most of its competitors. But it competes in more lines of business than almost all of them. It has racked up billions of euros of red ink for its efforts.
Under Mr. Verwaayen’s leadership, Alcatel-Lucent has pinned hopes on leading the market for next-generation networks. But when France’s two largest cellphone operators launched the first next-generation wireless networks in the Paris area last week, they weren’t using Alcatel-Lucent’s gear.
Instead, they went with competitors who had figured out how to bundle the new network alongside existing ones all in the same small transmitter—something Alcatel-Lucent couldn’t easily match. The Paris-based company was outflanked in its back yard.
On Thursday, Alcatel-Lucent posted a €1.37 billion ($1.85 billion) loss in the fourth quarter, dragged down by an impairment charge largely on the declining value of its businesses making wireless network equipment and optical-network gear. It had full-year cash burn of €679 million—its seventh consecutive year of negative free cash flow.
The company has responded to its losses with a €2 billion loan package to buy time for a restructuring that aims to shed unprofitable products and exit underperforming contracts, especially in the troubled European market. The result is that a company with century-old roots in Europe will be doing less business there.
Alcatel-Lucent’s strategy for years has been to be an end-to-end supplier for the biggest telecommunications companies in the world. It supplies everything from the submarine cables that wire together continents to the software that phone companies use to calculate and send out phone bills every month. It can plan new wireless networks, make the equipment and then be the outsourcing company to maintain the whole thing.
But Alcatel-Lucent has struggled to turn a consistent profit across its businesses. Europe has been a particular problem. Amid a struggling economy, phone companies have been slow to upgrade networks. Alcatel-Lucent revenue in Western Europe was down 19% through the third quarter of 2012, according to company filings, and its wireless division, where the company has been losing bidding for European contracts, was off 23%.
Few companies—apart from China’s massive Huawei Technologies, which had nearly 50% more revenue than Alcatel-Lucent in 2011—compete on such a wide playing field. Sweden’s even-larger Ericsson focuses more on networks, services and software for mobile operators. When it comes to Internet routing and switching, Alcatel-Lucent competes instead against Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO -0.67%and Juniper Networks Inc. JNPR -0.71%In next-generation optical networks dubbed 100G, its rivals include companies like Huawei and Ciena Corp. CIEN +0.41%
That breadth has stretched a research budget that is already trailing bigger competitors. Ericsson spent 47% more on research in the first nine months of 2012 than Alcatel-Lucent. Huawei began outpacing Alcatel-Lucent in absolute research spending in 2011, even though Huawei’s China-based engineers cost much less.
Alcatel-Lucent officials say their situation means they simply have to be smarter than competitors about where they place their technology bets. “It’s not a matter of size,” Alcatel-Lucent’s Mr. Verwaayen said in an interview in November. “It’s a matter of choices that we make.”
Alcatel-Lucent is the offspring of two giants. France’s Alcatel descends from a French industrial behemoth that developed bullet trains. Lucent was the equipment arm for the original AT&T T -0.68%and includes Bell Labs, which helped invent the laser and the idea of a cellular network. In 1986, the two units were Nos. 1 and 2 in the global telecommunications-equipment market, accounting for a 49% combined market share.”
Eric Beaudet, an analyst at Natixis, a bank in Paris, said that Mr. Verwaayen had lost credibility among investors after promising a succession of restructuring plans that had failed to bring it to sustainable profit. In 2010, Alcatel-Lucent posted a net loss of €292 million. The next year, the company had a €1.1 billion net profit. For 2012, the company reported a full-year loss of €1.1 billion.
“With the C.E.O. having lost credibility, we believe that this move will be appreciated, even though a replacement has not yet been named,” Mr. Beaudet wrote in a note to investors. “We believe that the market should react positively to this announcement with Mr. Verwaayen having lost some of his credibility with the numerous successive restructuring plans.”
In a statement, Mr. Verwaayen said the company needed new leadership.
“Alcatel-Lucent has been an enormous part of my life,” Mr. Verwaayen said. “It was therefore a difficult decision to not seek a further term, but it was clear to me that now is an appropriate moment for the board to seek fresh leadership to take the company forward.”
Under his tenure, Alcatel-Lucent developed a unified set of network products, eliminating redundant French and American gear, and focused efforts around wireless broadband technologies as it fought larger rivals like Ericsson of Sweden and Huawei of China.
“Mr. Verwaayen had done as much as he could with the assets he had,” said Martin Nilsson, an analyst at Handelsbanken in Stockholm. “But when he came in, things were pretty bad there, and a lot of ground had been lost.”
Lucent, Mr. Nilsson said, had been reduced to making “legacy” wireline products for AT&T and other American operators, a once-lucrative business whose profitability had diminished following deregulation of the U.S. telecommunications industry in the 1980’s.
Alcatel had a similar symbiotic relationship with the French government, supplying most of the core equipment and land lines to France Télécom, or to public entities like Thales.
But Mr. Verwaayen’s austerity cure, which he successfully applied as chief executive of the former British telecom monopoly BT from 2001 to 2008, has not brought the same results at Alcatel-Lucent.
Mr. Camus, the Alcatel-Lucent chairman, credited Mr. Verwaayen for leading the company out of a difficult transition following its merger.


text:
Blog & Company News
Nov 22, 2012
IT and Mktg. Execs Prefer Open Source WCM
New study found that marketing and IT executives prefer open source Web Content Management (WCM) solutions. WCM solutions were given the highest satisfaction rate among respondents. According to the study, respondents noted its “dynamic, multichannel digital experience,” as the grabbing appeal.
The study conducted by research firm Forrester on behalf of Acquia, the for-profit company that supports Drupal, surveyed 160 organizations with 1,000 to more than 20,000 employees. In addition, Forrester interviewed seven respondents based in the United States to “evaluate the adoption of open source web content management platforms among enterprises that have not traditionally leveraged open source,” as stated in the Acquia release.
According to the release, findings revealed a 37 percent “highest satisfaction rate” for open source versus “home grown” at 22 percent and proprietary solutions at 8 percent. Additionally, 31 percent of enterprises surveyed said they plan on switching WCM platforms this year and 58 percent said their company has “considered or is considering open source WCM.”
Although the study recommends that companies should consider open source when switching WCM solutions, it’s important to keep in mind it was commissioned by a for-profit company that supports Drupal for open source WCM solutions.
Nevertheless, the report noted Drupal as one of the top five WCM solutions used by respondents’ organizations. Of those who already use open source WCM solutions, the study revealed 72 percent said it “gave them greater flexibility,” and 68 percent said it was “easy to customize.”
In fact, one survey respondent, as stated in the release, said that while functionality enhancements took nine to ten months with a proprietary WCM solution, open source gave them the ability to enhance functionality in a matter of days.
“As organizations retrench to become more dynamic and customer-centric, it’s abundantly clear that proprietary WCM solutions are not meeting the changing needs and expectations of business decision makers, who don’t want to be locked into a rigid platform for the sake of convenience,” said Tom Erickson, chief executive officer of Acquia.
For instance, when respondents were asked what other applications they would like to have bundled with their WCM solution, 35 percent said they prefer the “best-of-breed” approach versus the all-in-one package deal offered by proprietary WCM solutions.
“The Forrester study revealed that marketers – who are responsible for creating compelling content, community and commerce experiences across multiple channels – are now the ones more aggressively pushing for flexible and open WCM solutions like Drupal,” added Erickson.
The study concluded, however, that companies which were focused more on “key business drivers and objectives” had more success with open source, as opposed to companies who use open source specifically to cut costs.


text:
Get Latest Updates For Free!
Subscribe to get our Daily Scoops & New Car Alerts delivered to your mailbox instantly.
We hate spam! Check your inbox for a confirmation link.
Do you like this story?
After Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 revealed their updated, it was only a matter of time before Toyota presented the 2012 Toyota Aygo version redesign. All three triplets make their public debut at the Brussels Motor Show on January 10th.
On the styling front, the 2012 Toyota Aygo changes include a revised front bumper sporting a larger air intake and LED daytime running lights, darker-tinted rear windows and newly designed steel wheels caps.
Under the hood, the Aygo keeps the outgoing model’s three-cylinder 1.0 engine has been upgraded with a new combustion chamber and iridium-tipped spark plugs. However, Toyota has made several modifications to it in order to raise gas mileage and lower CO2 emissions. Output remains unchanged at 68HP (50kW / 68 PS) and 93 Nm (69 lb-ft) of torque. But emissions has been lowered to 4.4 L/100 km (64.2 mpg UK) while CO2 emissions are reduced to 102 g/km.
On the interior, highlights include additional sound-deadening material and a new audio system with Bluetooth/USB connectivity. The dashboard has gained a new dark grey finish while Toyota claims to have reduced the noise levels.
The 2012 Toyota Aygo will make its auto show debut next week in Brussels and will hit Toyota showrooms across Europe before the summer of 2012.
Gallery 2012 Toyota Aygo


text:
Cheng Lu CL
On November 30, according to foreign media reports, Alibaba will officially launch its new international platform Miravia in Spain. Aimed at the mid-to-high end of the Spanish e-commerce market, the platform is now available on the iOS app Store and the PC website miravia.es is also available.
A person close to Alibaba confirmed the news to Jiemian News. According to the other party, Miravia is a local e-commerce platform launched by Alibaba in Spain. It is operated independently, and the products on the platform are mainly Spanish brands and European brands. Within Alibaba, Miravia, AliExpress and Lazada are three independent businesses. Miravia mainly serves the Spanish market, Lazada focuses on Southeast Asia, and AliExpress focuses on cross-border e-commerce.
In fact, vendors were invited to join the new platform as early as October. In the communication with merchants, Ali said that this is a new cross-border independent platform for the European market, which will be announced soon, mainly aiming at the cross-border opportunities of B2C in Europe. It has already invited the leading brands of all industries on AliExpress to settle in, and in the short term only in the form of directional invitation to settle in.
An employee from Spanish Digital marketing company En innova Digital Export first broke the news on its linkedin page. Miravia, a new E-commerce platform launched by Arise Operating E-commerce Private Limited that will be showcased through a Mira Premiere VIP event on November 30, will debut in Madrid, she said, Arise will also hold events in Madrid, Deportivo and other cities in the coming days to showcase the company to potential sellers and consumers.
Arise Operating E-commerce Private Limited is registered in the Bras Basah district of Singapore, according to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore (ACRA). One headquarters building. In other words, Alibaba's Lazada is behind Miravia.
Different from Alibaba's AliExpress cross-border business, Miravia targets the middle and high-end local market and expects the two sides to complement each other. At present, the platform has displayed a series of shelf brands, including Lego, OPPO, CUPSHE, FOREO, NIVEA and other well-known brands at home and abroad, covering women's wear, beauty, home furnishment, food, health, cleaning and other categories, and most of the products are marked with "official store" black label.
Miravia is still in its early stages, with a strong emphasis on offers such as first-order discounts for new users, free shipping on items over €10 and free returns within 30 days.
The person close to Alibaba said the company chose Spain because it is one of the most promising European e-commerce markets, with a high penetration of Internet and mobile technology and huge growth potential for its mobile e-commerce platform.
This is also in line with Ali's overall business layout strategy. At the end of last year, Alibaba set up an "Overseas Digital Business section" to further strengthen its globalization strategy. Aliexpress and ICBU, as well as many subsidiaries facing overseas markets such as Lazada, Trendyol and Daraz, have jointly formed Alibaba's overseas e-commerce business.
Since the beginning of this year, the domestic consumption environment has been under pressure as a whole, and Alibaba has repeatedly said that China's e-commerce industry has changed from the era of traffic to the era of "retention". In this context, other businesses, such as overseas, have taken on the burden of growth.
Alibaba's latest quarterly results showed a positive performance in its global business, with its overseas digital business segment accounting for 8% of the group's total revenue. Among them, the international retail segment in Turkey and the Middle East market, Trendyol orders increased by more than 65% year on year, the growth rate continues to expand; In Southeast Asia, Lazada continued to narrow its losses by 25 per cent as it continued to improve its liquidity ratio by offering more value-added services and improving operational efficiency.
In June, Lazada made an organisational upgrade with the appointment of Mr Dong as CEO of Lazada Group and also CEO of Lazada Indonesia. Earlier, Alibaba raised nearly $400 million in capital in Lazada and is looking to expand its business from Southeast Asia to Europe.
In Alibaba's overseas e-commerce layout, the main strategy is localized e-commerce + cross-border + logistics services. Lazada, Trendyol and the new platform Miravia represent localized overseas e-commerce. Miravia is the first new business launched by Alibaba's overseas Digital Business section.
Earlier, Alibaba Chairman and CEO Daniel Zhang expressed his thoughts on the globalization sector in the earnings call, "The future expansion of overseas consumer markets must be a combination of local supply and cross-border supply. How to make good use of the advantages of China's cross-border supply and effectively organize local supply is the direction of our long-term efforts, and the construction of logistics system is the highest priority in the implementation of the globalization strategy."
However, the current overseas e-commerce war is hot. Unicorn SHEIN has gained a valuation of $100 billion, TikTok e-commerce has exceeded $1 billion GMV in the first half of 2022, and North American e-commerce platform Temu launched by Pinduoduo in September has topped the app list for many times. Ali's new play this card out of the sea can be recognized, but also to see a new round of market competition results.


text:
Calls for legislation are premature
Published 8:51 am Friday, May 24, 2019
When legacy businesses are threatened by new competitors, too often they respond by lobbying for regulation to quash them. It’s notable, then, that Marriott recently announced it is starting a new home-rental business, putting the world’s biggest hotel operator in direct competition with Airbnb, the world’s largest home-rental business.
Many in the hotel industry have dismissed Airbnb or attributed its success to stealing business by running unregulated and untaxed illegal hotels. There has been little hard research on exactly how Airbnb affects the hotel market. But now three professors in hotel management and marketing — Tarik Dogru from Florida State, Makarand Mody from Boston University, and Courtney Suess from Texas A&M — have analyzed Airbnb’s “disruptive impact” in 10 key markets. Their findings make a case for old-fashioned competition.
The sample cities are Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. These are the top-performing cities in supply of hotel and Airbnb rooms. The time frame covers the decade after Airbnb was founded in 2008.
Email newsletter signup
Over this period the available accommodations in these cities dramatically increased, in good part thanks to the entry of Airbnb. The researchers weren’t surprised to find a resulting loss in hotel revenue. For each 1 percent increase in Airbnb supply in a city, hotel revenue declined by 0.02 percent.
As with any disruptive new competitor, companies such as Airbnb bring out the regulators. And here the authors have a warning. “The application of excessive legislation driven by the interests of incumbent industries,” they note, “has the potential to stifle innovation that ultimately benefits the consumer” and harms economic growth. Let the competition continue.
— The Wall Street Journal


text:
The agreement expands the existing relationship between the two firms and will include Aston Martin gaining access to Mercedes technology - including electric and hybrid powertrains - that will form a key part of its expansion plans.
Aston Martin said the deal included "powertrain architecture (for conventional, hybrid, and electric vehicles) and future-oriented electric/electronic architecture for all product launches through to 2027."
While the firm declined to outline exactly what products were planned under the new agreement, new Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers said that the first Aston Martin cars utilising technology from the deal would be launched late next year.
He said that "it needs a little time to get the technology in different products" but added there would be "a kind of product firework in 2023".
With the new agreement in place, Aston Martin has targeted selling around 10,000 vehicles a year by 2025 and is aiming for revenues of around £2 billion and EBITDA profits of around £500 million. For comparison, the marque sold 5862 cars in 2019.
Lawrence Stroll, whose investment consortium completed its takeover of Aston Martin earlier this year, said that the 10,000 sales would be comprised of front- and mid-engined sports cars and "a portfolio of SUV products", hinting at new models joining the recently launched DBX. Around 20-30% of Aston Martin's sales by 2024 will be hybrid models. Stroll said the firm didn't plan to launch a full EV until 2025.
In return for the technology, Mercedes will gradually increase its stake in Aston Martin up to a maximum of 20%, providing a welcome boost in investment for Aston Martin and making the German giant one of its largest shareholders. The technology will be supplied "on commercial terms". Mercedes previously owned around 2.3% of Aston Martin shares as part of a deal that involved its AMG performance arm developing a bespoke V8 for the company.
Stroll called the agreement “a transformational moment”. He added: “Through this new expanded agreement, we secure access to world-class technologies to support our long-term product expansion plans, including electric and hybrid powertrains, and this partnership underpins our confidence in the future.
“This is truly game-changing. We now have the right team, partner, plan and funding in place to transform the company to be one of the greatest luxury car brands in the world.”


text:
Back in 2016, Amazon India started selling used as well as refurbished smartphones in the country. Going on the same footsteps, Flipkart seems to be all set to start selling refurbished smartphones.
According to a report by Economic Times, the e-commerce portal is all set to start the sales of refurbished smartphones by Diwali this year. The reasons that have led Flipkart to take this decision is to take the refurbished route are the high rate of handset returns and absence of pricing advantage following the implementation of GST.
It is claimed that Flipkart has a massive inventory of returned smartphones of which many do not have any damage. In an attempt to make these smartphones worth buying, Flipkart with check the units and sell them as Flipkart certified refurbished devices. The report goes on stating that these smartphones will have limited warranty and sold at 60% to 75% of their original pricing.
The refurbished category of Amazon India include smartphones those are professionally restored. These smartphones will look like brand new devices and the delivery timeline is the same as that of new products. The refurbished smartphones can be bought using the payment options such as credit or debit cards, internet banking and cash on delivery.
Besides selling refurbished smartphones via its portal, the company is also in plans to sell these devices offline. It is claimed that Flipkart is in discussion with distributors in order to sell brands suchas Micromax, Motorola, Lenovo, Panasonic, Sony and Samsung's Galaxy On series via the offline stores. Notably, even Amazon India is looking out for opportunities to sell its smartphones via the offline stores.


text:
Take transit or take a taxi, but take note: you're going to want to be at the opening day party tomorrow.
Leave the mascara at home—before heading into the office (or pre-prep for Friday night lights), get your make-up on tomorrow morning from 7:30-9:30 a.m. with the Nordstrom + Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation-hosted street party. Just outside the shiny, light-filled new store on Robson Street (which will be shut down to traffic for the fanfare), festive tents will be bustling with Nordstrom’s beauty and fragrance experts all offering complimentary consults and demos. Food trucks, a photo booth, and live music mean you can party like it’s 5 p.m….right up until it’s all over and you'll have to head into work. Or, keep the dream alive with the Opening Day Store Countdown at 9:30 a.m. Tents will be folded and nearly 950 employees will begin the opening ceremony ritual: department teams start their rallying cry with cheers, then the rest of the store chimes in for what has become a Nordstrom tradition: a rowdy store-wide opening countdown, where staff lines the aisles near the entrances to welcome and applaud the first customers through the doors. As if we needed more encouragement to check out those shoes and handbags. Friday, September 18: Beauty Bash, 7:30-9:30 a.m.; Countdown, 9:30 a.m.


text:
The European Union insisted Friday that agriculture be kept out of the EU-U.S. trade negotiations, despite Washington’s wishes to include the vast sector, and said any overall deal will be limited in scope.
The EU Commission announced its pro posals for a negotiating mandate from the 28 member states and said that the EU negotiations will be “strictly focused on the removal of tariffs on industrial goods, excluding agricultural products.”
EU Trade Chief Cecilia Malmstrom also said that she is preparing a target list of American products it will hit with punitive tariffs if the Trump administration goes through with its threat to impose duties on European auto imports.
Last July, during a period of heightened tensions over trade, U.S. President Donald Trump and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed to start talks meant to achieve “zero tariffs” and “zero subsidies” on non-automotive industrial goods.
With the U.S. criticizing the Europeans for allegedly dragging their feet in the talks, Malmstrom said “the EU is committed to upholding its side of the agreement reached by the two Presidents.”
Any agreement would fall well short of the scope of the free trade deal that had been discussed in recent years — but paused in 2016 after Trump slammed such wide-ranging international deals as unfair to the U.S.
Instead, Malmstrom said, the deal both sides are now looking at could be concluded “quite quickly. We could finalize this and it would be beneficial to all of us.”


text:
Van’s Kitchen — which is a women-owned and minority-owned business — has noted that it is a company built on diversity, and it supports people of all backgrounds through its actions and deeds.
In 1986, Van and Kim Nguyen and their daughter Theresa — all who had immigrated to the United States in 1966 — began Van Oriental Food. In 2014, with the retirement of her parents, Theresa became CEO and her husband Carl Motter became chief revenue officer.
The company lives its beliefs.
“We believe in providing opportunities so all people can fulfill their dreams,” said Theresa Motter. “No matter your gender, nationality, age or class, everyone deserves an equal opportunity at success.”
Team members are called Roll Models and the company celebrates the uniqueness that they all can bring to the table — they are a diverse bunch where communication at any given moment may be in English, Spanish or Vietnamese.
The company features some of these Roll Models with their inspiring stories on the Van’s Kitchen website.
The majority of Van’s line employees are of Latino and Hispanic heritage; when Van’s needed to up its production it was this group that most contributed to filling the needs.
Celebration of Heritage & Diversity
While diversity is a full-time commitment, Van’s Kitchen also joins in on celebrating and supporting certain times of year dedicated to various cultures.
In May, Van’s Kitchen joined in celebrating AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Heritage Month. With an extensive dedicated section on the company’s website, articles detail how people could celebrate with them by educating themselves, immersing themselves in the culture and supporting AAPI-owned businesses.
Van’s Kitchen also promoted the month with a dedicated e-mail “Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with Van’s Kitchen,” inviting readers to lean more.
In September, Van’s Kitchen will be celebrating diversity again with Hispanic Heritage Month which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. As with AAPI, Van’s has dedicated a page on its website to celebrate this culture and the Hispanic Roll Models who work with them.
Celebrating diversity with both employees and customers is an important foundational tenant for Van’s Kitchen and one the company hopes to support in multiple ways.


text:
Fri, Jul 23, 2021
light rain with thunder
Before going to press
7 days news
Chips + Components
Displays + Photonics
EV + Green Energy
IT + CE
Mobile + Telecom
Asia Supply Chain 100
Asia Supply Chain 100
South/Southeast Asian ranking
Internet, Cloud, AI
Accelerators & incubators
Research on demand
China smartphone AP
Quarterly data reports
Commentary and analysis
Biz Focus home
CONNECT WITH US
NEWS TAGGED CHINA MOBILE
Monday 1 July 2019
China Mobile to push down 5G phone prices below CNY2,000 by year-end 2020
China Mobile is working with Chinese handset players trying to roll out 5G smartphones priced below CNY2,000 (US$292) before the end of 2020 compared to a range of CNY8,000-10,000...
Wednesday 26 June 2019
5G to contribute almost US$900 billion to Asia economy over next 15 years
Asia's mobile operators are set to invest US$370 billion building new 5G networks between 2018 and 2025, according to the latest Asia Pacific edition of the GSMA's Mobile Economy...
Friday 24 May 2019
China smartphone market and industry – 1Q 2019
Smartphone shipments to China slid to 71.7 million units, down 31.3% on quarter and 16.7% on year in first-quarter 2019.
Wednesday 22 May 2019
Huawei well-prepared for US trade ban, says CEO
Huawei's revenue growth will likely slow to less than 20% for the whole 2019 from 39% in the first quarter of the year, due to the US trade ban, company CEO Ren Zhengfei has been...
Tuesday 12 February 2019
China smartphone market and industry - 4Q 2018
China smartphone market experienced a sluggish fourth-quarter in 2018 amid a weakening economy, instead of strong domestic demand in the period - traditionally a high season.
Tuesday 13 November 2018
China smartphone market and industry – 3Q 2018
Having ramped up their combined smartphone shipments by 6.5% on year to 192 million units in the third quarter of 2018, China-based vendors are likely to see a single-digit shipment...
Monday 12 November 2018
China smartphone AP shipments – 3Q 2018
Having posted a sequential gain of 13.9% in the third quarter of 2018, shipments of smartphone-use application processors in China are expected to decrease 4.6% in the fourth quarter...
Tuesday 25 September 2018
China 5G market unlikely to grow in scale until after 2022, Digitimes Research says
The end-user market for 5G networks in China may not enter a stage with meaningful growth until after 2022, as telecom operators there are aiming to kick off commercial operations...
Friday 10 August 2018
China Mobile announces 3% growth in 1H18 revenues
China Mobile has reported operating revenues of RMB391.8 billion (US$57.16 billion) for first-half 2018, up by 2.9% compared to the same period last year. Telecommunications services...
Thursday 9 August 2018
China smartphone market and industry – 2Q 2018
Shipments to the China market rebounded to a level above 90 million units in second-quarter 2018, with an on-quarter growth nearing 10%, according to Digitimes Research statistics.
Friday 29 June 2018
HTC, China Mobile team up for 5G program
HTC has signed a MoU agreement with China Mobile to join forces on a 5G program in China, according to a company announcement.
Thursday 7 June 2018
5G user base is expected to exceed 1.1 billion by 2025, but market unlikely to see boom as fast as that for 4G
Digitimes Research estimates the number of 5G users will reach 1.14 billion by 2025 to account for 13.4% of all mobile service subscribers.
Tuesday 22 May 2018
Microsoft to work with China Mobile in speech recognition
Microsoft will cooperate with China Mobile in developing speech recognition applications, the software giant has announced.
Monday 16 April 2018
China Mobile spearheads IoT, 5G deployments
Having secured a leading position in 4G networks, China Mobile is currently deploying its IoT and 5G networks in full swing with plans to kick off trial operations of its 5G networks...
Tuesday 6 March 2018
Taiwan IC designers to embrace explosive orders for IoT chipsets
With the global IoT (Internet of Things) chipset markets, particularly in China, expected to grow sharply in 2018 along with the rapid development of diverse terminal devices and...
Jul 23, 10:33
Chenbro launches the RM252/RM352 series server chassis to empower small base stations deployment in telecommunications
Tuesday 13 July 2021
MOBI standards guide innovation in blockchain services for growth in smart mobility industry
Wednesday 7 July 2021
ADLINK helping manufacturers upgrade businesses with private 5G network-enabled smart manufacturing solutions
Wednesday 7 July 2021
Coretronic leverages strengths to enable smart manufacturing
TSMC dossier (8): Can China establish leadership in semiconductor sector?
Mitac sees 52-week lead time for server component deliveries
Is GF a good buy for Intel?
Chip probing houses to gain from new iPhone SE series, say sources
Intel GF buyout unlikely, sources say
Google, VW, Toyota keen to develop car operating systems
Bluetooth LBS apps getting popularity for COVID tracking, says Digitimes Research
Development of on-device AI chips for smart speakers gaining momentum
Sorry, the page you are trying to open is available only for our paid subscribers.
to read more
New users, please


text:
Nike, Western Digital Rise; Stitch Fix, Steelcase Fall
NEW YORK: Stocks that moved heavily or traded substantially Wednesday:
3M Co., down $2.83 to $159.51.
The maker of adhesives and protective equipment is considering selling its food safety business, according to media reports.
Lululemon Athletica Inc., up $3.17 to $316.77.
The athletic apparel company will resume stock buybacks.
Western Digital Corp., up $2.45 to $38.92.
The hard drive maker is forming separate business units for its Flash and HDD technology assets.
Stitch Fix Inc., down $4.87 to $26.51.
The online clothing retailer reported a surprisingly big fiscal fourth-quarter loss.
Steelcase Inc., down $1.51 to $9.84.
The office furniture maker gave investors a disappointing revenue forecast as orders decline in its fiscal third quarter.
Beazer Homes USA Inc., down 49 cents to $11.65.
The home builder said orders jumped 37% during the first two months of its fiscal fourth quarter.
Johnson & Johnson, up 23 cents to $144.44.
The health care company began a study of a potential COVID-19 vaccine with partner Janssen Pharmaceutical.
Nike Inc., up $10.24 to $127.11.
The worlds largest sports apparel maker handily beat Wall Streets fiscal first-quarter profit forecasts on strong online sales.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor


text:
This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.
It's been bleak for digital media. Headlines blare about fire sales of companies like Mic and Gawker, layoffs at companies like HuffPost and Vice, and consolidation rumors. The anticipated digital advertising boom hasn't materialized, as most of the revenue is going to Facebook and Google and media companies have struggled to diversify their revenue with things like events, commerce, and subscriptions.
Still, it's not all gloom and doom. Jon Steinberg's streaming business news service Cheddar sold for a healthy $200 million to cable company Altice USA, underscoring the value of live news for millennials.
Viacom plunked down $340 million for Pluto TV, signaling a big market for ad-supported streaming TV. Spotify paid $230 million for podcast company Gimlet Media, showing there's value in media that commands people's undivided attention.
And investors are pouring money into media companies they think will survive and thrive the upheaval. Some, like Girlboss Media, are tapping into people's hunger for face-to-face community. Others, like The Athletic, are getting sports fans to pay for news with in-depth local and national coverage by established writers.
Business Insider asked more than 10 investors which media startups they think will blow up this year and why (most picked companies they've invested in).
Here are their picks, in alphabetical order:
Company: The Athletic
Recommended by: Daniel Gulati, managing director, Comcast Ventures
What it does: Subscription-based online sports media company founded in 2016.
Why it's hot: "The model is a win-win for writers and fans: Best in class subscriber retention, and a virtuous growth cycle of greater demand scale leading to more quality content, attracting more subscribers," Gulati said. "The bundle is growing to include podcasts, video and new sports, expanding the subscriber universe and delivering more value with each login."
Recommended by: Andy Johns, partner at Unusual Ventures
What it does: Started in 2016, BallerTV is a live and on-demand streaming service where families can watch their kids' sporting events. The company picked up Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade as an ambassador and investor this year.
Why it's hot: "What BallerTV has figured out from a technology and logistics standpoint is truly impressive," Johns said. "They're already live streaming and recording hundreds of thousands of games a year, making amateur sports footage broadly available for the first time. In the long run, I would expect BallerTV to be a top destination to see footage of amateur athletes, help coaches and scouts find the next great player they want to recruit, and build an amateur sports media empire on top of it to bring a modern media approach to an industry that is still exclusively covered by the local newspaper."
Recommended by: Christie George, president, New Media Ventures
What it does: Started in 2014, Blavity is an LA-based media and events company aimed at black millennials.
Why it's hot: "Black millennials have long been underserved by traditional media," George said. "Blavity deeply understands its audience and has built a brand that audience just loves. From day one, the company has been focused on diversified revenue, protecting them from market shifts and the ups and downs of what new features or platforms are popular at the moment."
Recommended by: Jeremy Liew, partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners
What it does: Started in 2016, Cheddar has thrived with the rise streaming services needing low-cost, live news content for millennials. It was acquired this year by cable provider Altice USA for a hefty $200 million.
Why it's hot: "It's monetizing through advertising and subscription fees (from the distributors)," Liew said.
Front Office Sports
Company: Front Office Sports
Recommended by: Eric Franchi, cofounder, MathCapital
What it does: 5-year-old trade publisher covers the intersection of sports and business for sports business executives and curious fans.
Why it's hot: "Adam [White, founder and CEO] has done so much in a short time, from audience to product to diversified revenue streams — sponsorships, events, etc.," Franchi said. "I believe they are showing us what the B2B media company of the future looks like."
Gallery Media Group
Company: Gallery Media Group
Recommended by: Matt Higgins, CEO, RSE Ventures
What it does: Gallery produces coverage and podcasts focused on lifestyle and entrepreneurship and was formed in 2017 when Gary Vaynerchuk, with RSE Ventures, acquired women's lifestyle digital media company PureWow.
Why it's hot: "The executive management team at Gallery Media Group has shown they can build a profitable, sustainable business without venture capital injections and against market headwinds," Higgins said. "They've capitalized on the whitespace for an array of niche audiences who weren't being served enough content — think pop culture through the lens of entrepreneurship and avid cheese fans."
Company: Girlboss Media
Recommended by: Heather Hartnett, CEO and founder partner, Human Ventures
What it does: Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso's 2-year-old professional network for millennial women, built around resources including online advice, podcasts, and conferences.
Why it's hot: "Sophia's created a community, and the media brands of the future need to have strong voice that resonates with a specific audience," Hartnett said. "Sophia is judicious about putting brands in front of her audience. If you have that audience that's loyal to your brand, you can have access to their life. It's a new LinkedIn for their demo."
Next Big Idea Club
Company: Next Big Idea Club
Recommended by: Karin Klein, founding partner, Bloomberg Beta
What it does: The Next Big Idea Club provides members with two new nonfiction books every season plus course materials, exclusive video shorts, and access to a discussion forum. Memberships support kids in under-resourced communities with coaching and resources.
Why it's hot: "Hearing what's recommended by Adam Grant (and Daniel Pink, Susan Cain, and Malcolm Gladwell) provides trusted perspective and ensures important big ideas surface from the deluge of content that's part of our lives," Klein said.
Company: The Mighty
Recommended by: Kobie Fuller, partner, Upfront Ventures
What it does: The Mighty is a 5-year-old social network for people facing health and disability challenges.
Why it's hot: "Already the largest online digital health community, The Mighty is on the path towards transforming how people will connect and grow with one another as they face struggles and opportunities for personal wellness," Fuller said.
Recommended by: Rachel Lam, co-founder and managing partner, Imagination Capital
What it does: The sports media company started in 2015 with an app that let people capture and distribute footage from sports games. It's since broadened to become a sports media company centered on premium video series.
Why it's hot: "They have built a brand that is authentic to the elusive Gen Z audience and athletes featured in their original content, and they have reimagined how to present sports entertainment content and experiential events to attract and build a Gen Z audience that does not watch linear sports the way that prior generations have," Lam said. "In addition, they have built a very large and fast growing audience watching their sports content, all without buying sports rights."
Religion of Sports
Company: Religion of Sports
Recommended by: Deepen Parikh, partner, Courtside Ventures
What it does: Cofounded by Tom Brady, Michael Strahan, and Gotham Chopra, Emmy-winning Religion of Sports is a collection of filmmakers, writers, and other creators who produce stories about sports' importance to communities.
Why it's hot: "There's never been another time like this in terms of distribution channels," Parikh said. "If you're creating the most premium content, that enables you to get that premium audience and price. They have very strong trust and loyalty in the athlete community. They create content for passionate supporters, they are appealing to any sports fan, they're getting paid by platforms. They can create direct relationships with consumers in the form of podcasts or video through their own platform."
Recommended by: Soraya Darabi, general partner, Trail Mix Ventures
What it does: Tinyhood is a site that offers online classes, on-demand chat support with experts, and online communities for new and expecting parents.
Why it's hot: "It's like MasterClass for parents," Darabi said. "It's coupled with a price point that's attractive and scalable, and it's purpose-driven. The community's online anyway. It could be rolled out to other verticals. And there's a lot of drag-along revenue in ecommerce and affiliate plays."


text:
Microsoft says that it sold 3 million Xbox One consoles last year. You read that right.
The company announced the updated sales figures in a post on the Xbox Wire blog this morning. While the post didn’t offer much in the way of further details or a breakdown of console sales in each country, it did thank users for their continued support.
With this announcement, Microsoft has taken the lead as it races to do gather enough users to do battle with Sony’s PlayStation 4 console. Sony announced that it had sold 2.1 million PlayStation 4 consoles back in December.
With the holiday shopping season over, Microsoft will need to keep its eye on the details to maintain the Xbox One’s sales momentum. That includes keeping users excited about the console’s upcoming Titanfall shooter, refining the Xbox One’s rather basic interface, and convincing buyers that the Xbox One is worth its $499 price tag.