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Ericsson invests $3M in Cambridge MEMS startup, Sand 9
- Don Seiffert, MHT
Cambridge-based microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) company Sand 9 Inc. has gotten $3 million in an extension of its Series C round, this time coming from Sweden-based telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson Inc. (Nasdaq: ERIC).
Sand 9 makes timing products for wireless as well as wired uses, which it describes as “providing the ‘heartbeat’ for all electronic applications." The company says its MEMS-based technology is less affected by noise, sudden shocks and temperature changes than quartz-based timing devices, therefore reducing loss of packets of data and increasing efficiency, Sand 9 says.
Contacted by Mass High Tech, Todd Borkowski, director of product marketing at Sand 9, said he could not comment on whether Ericsson products already use Sand 9’s technology, nor whether the investment might be a precursor to an eventual acquisition. He also did not specify how many employees the company has at its Kendall Square headquarters, saying only that it’s “less than 50.”
“Ericsson has a well-earned reputation as one of the world leaders in communications infrastructure and base station equipment,” said Sand 9 CEO Vince Graziani in a statement. “Their investment in Sand 9 validates our emphasis on MEMS timing products that deliver high robustness, without sacrificing performance.”
The investment comes about three months after the company announced a $23 million late-stage venture investment led by Intel Capital, the venture arm of Intel Corp. Sand 9 has now raised at least $40 million in equity since it was founded in 2007.
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Hours after President Trump said Sunday he had "second thoughts" about escalating the trade war with China, the White House sought to explain his remark because it was...Politicsread more
Clouding the G-7 gathering, which represents the world's major industrial economies, are the tit-for-tat tariffs between Washington and Beijing.Politicsread more
President Donald Trump said that he would have a major trade deal with U.K. after it leaves the European Union.Politicsread more
Despite Kudlow's expectations, China said on Saturday that it strongly opposes Trump's decision to levy additional tariffs on $550 billion worth of Chinese goods, and warned...Politicsread more
President Donald Trump said Sunday he was not happy after North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles over the weekend.Politicsread more
Carl Medlock used to work at Tesla. Now he's one of the few people in the U.S. that can fix the company's original Roadster electric vehicles.Technologyread more
The announcement for Target also comes on the heels of a strong quarterly earnings report, where it showed it drove more people to stores and got them to spend more money...Retailread more
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The summit comes amid fears over a global economic slowdown, and U.S. tensions over trade allies, Iran and Russia.Politicsread more
U.S. manufacturing grew at a substantially slower pace in January as new order growth plunged by the most in 33 years, driving overall factory activity to an eight-month low, an industry report showed on Monday.
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity fell to 51.3 last month, to its lowest level since May 2013, from a recently revised 56.5 in December.
January's figure was also well below the median forecast of 56 in a Reuters poll of economists, missing even the lowest estimate of 54.2. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.
(Read more: Manufacturingretreats from 11 month peak: Markit)
The January reading marked a second straight month of slowing growth from November's recent peak reading of 57, which had been the highest since April 2011, suggesting the economy may be losing some of the momentum it had enjoyed in the second half of 2013.
The biggest red flag in the ISM report was the huge drop in the forward-looking new orders index, which fell to 51.2 from 64.4 in December. That 13.2-point drop was the largest monthly decline in that key component since December 1980.
Indicators of employment, production and inventory growth also declined from December. At 52.3, the employment reading was the weakest since June and well below December's 18-month high of 55.8.
Meanwhile, the prices index surged to 60.5 from 53.5, the highest reading since last February.
In a separate report, U.S. construction spending rose modestly in December to its highest level since March 2009, as a jump in private residential projects offset weakness in public construction.
Construction spending was up 0.1 percent to an annual rate of $930.5 billion, the Commerce Department reported. Economists polled by Reuters had expected an increase of 0.2 percent. Construction spending in November was revised to show a 0.8 percent rise instead of the previously reported 1.0 percent increase.
The December construction spending data was buoyed by a 2.6 percent jump in private residential construction. Overall private construction spending increased 1.0 percent to an annual rate of $663.9 billion, the highest level since December 2008.
Public construction spending, however, fell 2.3 percent, its biggest drop in a year, with state and local outlays falling 2.7 percent. Federal construction spending was up 2.0 percent in the month.

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ATLANTA — Coca-Cola USA, a division of Coca-Cola Co., has introduced a half-liter PET bottle in certain cities in the United States and plans to sell it nationally next year.
The Atlanta-based firm introduced the 20-ounce Coca-Cola contour bottle in 1994.
``The 20-ounce is sold and marketed to on-the-go, immediate-consumption venues like convenience stores,'' said George Barkley, Coca-Cola spokesman. ``The half-liter is designed to be a single-serve, at-home package. It's what a person would consume at home in one sitting.''
The 16.9-ounce Coca-Cola classic, diet Coke and Sprite are sold in multipack carriers. Initially, the company planned to target 11 percent of U.S. markets. By the end of July, it was available in approximately 30 percent of the U.S. markets, including cities in Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Colorado, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Louisiana and Utah.
The half-liter PET bottles are blow molded by Ball Corp. of Muncie, Ind.; Southeastern Container Inc. in Enka, N.C.; and Western Container Corp. of Big Spring, Texas. Southeastern and Western are owned by Coca-Cola bottlers and were in the top 15 in Plastics News' 1997 survey of North American blow molders.


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Latest News on Anurag Jain
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Jun 29, 2017
Shah Rukh Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui named in complaint against firm that pulled a Rs 500 crore online scamShah Rukh Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have been named in an FIR against Webwork Trade Links in a Rs 500 cr online scam
Dec 09, 2010
E-Governance Initiatives In Madhya PradeshAnurag Jain, Secretary to Chief Minister & Dept. of IT, Govt. Of Madhya Pradesh talks about the state's e-governance initiatives.


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LAKE PLACID – Speaking to more than 200 business officials from the Adirondack region at the Conference Center Thursday, market research consultant Bill Siegel asked the crowd to yell out whom they work for, all at the same time.
Following the cacophany, Siegel presented a slide asking the crowd “What village is this?” Then, “What region is Lake Placid in?”
After the assembled crowd in the room said “Lake Placid” and “Adirondacks” in unison, the founder of Longwoods International made one last remark.
“I rest my case,” he said.
On a day where the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism convened more than 200 business officials from across the Adirondacks at the 2016 Adirondack Destination Marketing Summit, Siegel presented those last two slides to hammer home the main theme of the day he and ROOST were trying to convey: branding and marketing the Adirondacks as one destination.
Siegel’s keynote speech was entitled “The power of one voice,” and the presentation highlighted how tourism branding and advertising provides a “halo effect” for potential visitors and economic stimulus. Pointing to successful marketing campaigns like “Pure Michigan” and “New Mexico True,” Siegel showed data that claimed visitors are much more likely to visit, start businesses or move to destinations thanks to branded marketing campaigns.
Following the presentation, ROOST CEO Jim McKenna said the concept of conveying the Adirondacks as one marketing destination with one message is one of ROOST’s primary goals. He said it’s still a struggle to get the entire region on the same page with the same message after decades of fragmented marketing efforts and town vs. town rivalries. He said he still sees pushback from some in the region, but he’s hopeful Thursday’s Summit will get the region’s businesses thinking more.
“I’m not sure yet how people are taking it, but what I thought was important that I hope people took away was that we have to get ourselves under one message, because if we don’t, it becomes a lot harder to increase our overall business,” McKenna said.
“That’s why we’ve seen ROOST starting to get as much as possible into Adirondacks USA, to give it a little bit of an identity,” ROOST’s CEO added. “And also to give it a geographic location. So that’s one thing we are doing, but we also recognize that we have more than just the Adirondacks. We’ve got certainly Lake Placid, but we also have some key destinations that the trick is going to be, how do we come up under a single brand while still having an identity for the key components? That’s what we are really trying to focus on now.”
That focus was touched on in Siegel’s other session, a presentation to a smaller group of assembled locals showcasing data Longwoods International had collected specific to the region. Bar graph after bar graph showed data broken down as “Lake Placid” or “Other Adirondacks.”
Siegel, originally from Toronto, proclaimed to the crowd that his research had shown in recent years Lake Placid was focused too much on selling itself as the location of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, and that “The Olympics won’t take you to the future.”
Siegel then asked the assembled crowd to raise their hands if they were from Lake Placid or the Adirondacks, with many more raising their hands for the entire region. After that introduction, Siegel presented dozens of slides presenting nuanced statistical information about visitors, why they come to the region and what they did in the region.
“You’re going to be shocked,” Siegel said of the differences in data between Lake Placid respondents and Adirondack respondents.
Longwoods International’s data analyzed 1,422 trips that included the Adirondacks from a 285,000-trip sample across the country. More than 1,000 of the trips were classified as overnight versus more than 300 day trips.
The most stark difference in data between Lake Placid and the Adirondacks was in gender, as nearly 70 percent of Lake Placid visitors were males, versus a majority of nearly 60 percent of female respondents to the rest of the Adirondacks.
“I’ve never seen it quite that big,” Siegel said of the difference.
The data also highlighted the lack of diversity in the region’s visitors, with fewer than a dozen percent of both Hispanic and African-American visitors to both Lake Placid and the rest of the Adirondacks.
One of the other main takeaways for the crowd was that many visitors were classified as “touring,” or visitors stopping in the Adirondacks while visiting other places. Nearly 20 percent of Lake Placid visitors were touring, as 10 percent of Lake Placid visitors came from California.
Despite the data, McKenna said businesses in the region have improved their cohesive efforts in the last few years.
“We see even communities like Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, that have historically been a little more competitive with each other, working together with one thing,” McKenna said. “We see northern and southern Franklin County; we’ve heard they’ve always been two different areas of the county, geographically far apart. By getting people to understand tourism as a region, we feel we are getting through (to) some of those.
“I feel it’s still a challenge,” he continued, “but that’s the first part of the area we are getting somewhat successful with. We’ve got to further that.”
As Siegel highlighted “Pure Michigan,” several audience members pointed out that Siegel’s examples were on the state level. He retorted by pointing to regional marketing campaigns conceived by Longwoods International, including “Finger Lakes Wine Country” and “Michigan’s West Coast” with a capital of Grand Rapids, resembling the Adirondacks region with Lake Placid as a hub.
“That is not a slogan; that’s a strategy,” Siegel said.
“How you put them together, that’s a creative challenge,” he added.
McKenna said turnout for the first-of its-kind event, focused on gathering businesses from the entire Adirondacks, was much more successful than he anticipated.
Other presenters included ROOST Director of Marketing Jasen Lawrence speaking about travel planning, and tourism and hospitality social media expert Sheila Scarborough presenting on improving websites, reputation management and search engine optimization with algorithims, among other presenters.
[Full article here.]


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Win! 50,000 Steam keys for PC game Hostile Waters
Skyforge: we have 1,000 gift packs to give away
22 Cans has temporarily re-opened crowdfunding for Godus, allowing those who missed out on earlier campaigns to get in on a few special extras.
Priject Godus headlines
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Godus “Late Believer” backer tier now available


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2022-23 TEPA Award Finalists, Winners Announced During National Conference in Austin, Texas
HOUSTON – November 29, 2022 – The Energy Professionals Association (TEPA) announced the organization’s 2022-2023 TEPA award finalists and winners during the national conference in Austin, Texas. On Thursday, November 10th, Jared Patterson, TEPA president and Shannon McGriff, TEPA Executive Director announced the finalists and winners for Supplier of the Year, ABC of the Year and Affiliate of the Year. The awards, which are presented annually during the conference, have become a coveted honor among retail energy businesses that meet TEPA’s standards of ethics, education and advocacy in the market.
The TEPA ABC of the Year recognizes the most promising and innovative TEPA ABC company in areas such as contract negotiations, ethical business practices and customer service. The 2022-2023 TEPA ABC of the Year winner was awarded to CSD Energy Advisors. The TEPA ABC of the Year finalists included Broker Online Exchange, Atlas Retail Energy and Priority Power Management.
The TEPA Supplier of the Year award recognizes the TEPA member company with the most comprehensive, innovative and strategic vision for competitive retail electricity and natural gas markets. It takes into consideration the company’s customer service reputation among its customers and employees. The 2022-2023 TEPA Supplier of the Year was awarded to Constellation. This year’s TEPA Supplier of the Year finalists included Shell Energy, NRG, Freepoint Energy Solutions and SmartestEnergy US.
The TEPA Affiliate of the Year award recognizes companies that provide products and services that improve energy procurements processes and support competitive energy markets. The 2022-2023 TEPA Affiliate of the Year is CPower Energy Management. Finalists in this category included Enerex and POWWR.
“We’re incredibly honored that some of the very best companies in retail energy have chosen to be TEPA members,” said Shannon McGriff, TEPA Executive Director. “Eight years ago, we started recognizing the incredible advancements in technology and products, as well as customer service, with our annual awards presentation. During that time, it’s become a coveted honor to be recognized as a TEPA award recipient who are recognized by their peers from across the country. We’re proud of each of our 2022-2023 finalists and winners who have gone far above and beyond to build a better competitive energy marketplace for customers across the country.”
- CSD Energy Advisors is an energy management firm based in Houston, Texas. The company uses market knowledge to help clients reduce costs and improve their energy management strategy. From energy procurement to demand response and energy storage, CSD Energy Advisors creates custom solutions for any business’s energy needs.
- CPower Energy Management is a Demand-Side Energy Management Company that helps organizations save on energy costs, earn revenue through energy curtailment, increase grid reliability, and achieve sustainability goals.
- Constellation is a leading supplier of energy products and services. Constellation’s family of retail businesses serves approximately 2 million residential, public sector and business customers, including three-fourths of the Fortune 100. Constellation is focused on helping customers reach their energy and climate goals through innovative retail supply and clean energy solutions.
About The Energy Professionals Association
Established in 2005, The Energy Professionals Association is a 501(c)(6) comprised of independent energy aggregators, brokers and consultants (ABCs), as well as energy suppliers and other energy related entities seeking the advancement of fair, competitive energy markets. TEPA is a self-regulating body aimed at improving processes and ensuring “ABCs” maintain an acceptable level of market knowledge and responsibility while transacting in the marketplace. Members of the ABC indirect sales channel community provide a forum for developing common interests and perpetuating the integrity of competitive markets. For more information visit https://www.tepausa.org.


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Panasonic GX7 a compact size micro four thirds camera announcement confirmed as the camera is coming in August. A trusted source from 43R had a chance to test the upcoming GX7 camera. The first look to the GX7 is the image quality of the sensor beats any other micro four thirds camera to date.
The sensor of the new Panasonic GX7 isn’t multi-aspect and not organic. This will be the sensor expected to arrive in late 2014. The new sensor has 16 megapixels effective resolution and Panasonic managed to increase the single pixel area and Micro-lenses have been optimized. The Venus engine also improved.
The other featured of the GX7 as rumored before.
Panasonic GX7 Will Feature Best MFT Sensor To Date
The Panasonic Lumix DMC GX7 will also feature built-in image stabilization and viewfinder. The camera will also feature an autofocus assist light and a hot shoe mount, and a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second.
Panasonic GX7 Specs List
- 18-megapixel image sensor with 16 megapixels effective resolution like GH2
- On sensor stabilization
- Shutter speed up to 1/8000
- 5fps (4fps with continuous A)
- Focus capability in very dark conditions
- Tiltable 2,76 million dot EVF
- Tiltable 3 inch LCD with 1,04 million dots resolution
- Integrated WiFi and NFC
- Focus peaking
- Stereo Microphone
- Same video quality as the GH3
- Full black or black-silver color options
- Magnesium body
Panasonic GX7 Price Will Be Above $1000
The new GX7 camera will not be cheap and from trusted sources it is rumored that the price of the GX7 will be a little bit above $1,000. Even the Panasonic GX7 camera body only price may start from 1000 euro.
There will be also a kit version GX7 with the 14-42mm zoom lens or GX7 with the new 20mm pancake lens. The new Panasonic GX7 will be shipping in September.


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Will electric cars overload the power grid? This is a question that’s been raised recently, and one of people’s biggest concerns when it comes to electric vehicles (EVs). Is there any legitimacy to the question or will electric cars actually do the opposite and fix the power grid?
Many experts are convinced that the power grids in countries and states around the world will be able to handle the extra demands from electric cars. Not just that, but an increase in electric cars might actually be able to fix some of the issues our power grids currently face.
It’s true that global transportation systems are becoming increasingly electrified. It’s also true that this will require additional energy from the power grid. However, many experts are sure that we can not only handle extra demand but that in countries like the UK, Canada, the US, and Australia, electric cars will actually fix the power grid.
Let’s take a look at how different areas of the world are preparing for this increased energy demand, as well as how they anticipate it can be a positive thing in the long run.
The Impact of Electric Cars on the Power Grid
Blackouts—one of the first issues mentioned alongside claims that the world’s power grids can’t handle projected increases in electric cars. By 2030, there will be an anticipated 125 million electric cars on the road. To put things into context, we’re hovering around six million right now. With this sharp increase in electric vehicles, the thought of meeting electricity demands is admittedly a daunting one.
Some countries are prioritizing a shift away from petrol-fueled vehicles and with prices of EVs becoming more affordable each year, the trend towards roads filled with Teslas and Nissan LEAFs will undoubtedly continue.
However, this means that more and more people would be plugging in to residential grids. The concern is that the electrical distribution networks sourcing neighborhoods and urban areas with power aren’t ready to provide additional loads.
All of these claims and worries are made with one main assumption—that we’ll need to power EVs with current power grids and without any technology or behavior changes. Faulty grids with no upgrades contributing to blackouts and brownouts? Sure, that’s a possibility.
But what if EVs provided much-needed incentive to not only be able to power an increasing number of electric cars, but also fix the power grids themselves?
Much of Europe is preparing for a transition to electric cars. The UK has plans to ban fossil fuel-powered cars in the next couple of decades. With more internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) being replaced by EVs, estimates indicate that brownouts in the UK could begin as early as 2030—when there are as many as 10.5 million electric cars on the road.
However, all of this is based on the assumption that governments will either do nothing or simply scale up existing networks. Charging alternatives have been proposed that will not only alleviate concerns about power grid overloads but will also contribute to a transportation future that’s even more sustainable.
Many experts believe that by meeting future energy demands, bad driving habits will have to change—which is a good thing for power grids and the planet. Current and future EV drivers will need to consider charging their vehicles during non-peak hours and when renewable energy sources are highest.
They’ll also need to consider using rapid charging stations and car park EV charging—meaning less charging on residential power grids. Fortunately, the government is making this easier with infrastructure changes that increase the number of public charging stations. And it can do so with enough power to “support a nation full of EVs.”
Not only is the power grid expected to be able to handle the increase in electric vehicles, but electric vehicles are also expected to help support the power grid. Great Britain’s electric vehicles may actually be able to store 20% of GB’s solar energy—saving it until it’s needed elsewhere.
Electric cars might put the key into the ignition of a decarbonized transport sector. Smart charging and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology could allow the country to use renewable energy more efficiently and return power back to the grid during periods of peak demand.
In North America, some provinces and states have goals for a transportation future responsible for less CO2 emissions. While power companies know that some challenges lie ahead, they’re ready—and excited—to take them on. Most Canadian provinces have excess generation capacity now, that is many times sold at a loss to other states. Meeting increased demand driven by EVs would not only be possible, but also profitable.
Just across the border in the US, vehicular electrification has been expected to increase national energy consumption by as much as 38% by 2050. While this would require significant energy increases in certain states (upwards of 55% in Maine), proper planning means that the US would be more than ready to handle this.
Like elsewhere in the world, smart charging strategies would mean that charging happening during non-peak hours could be done easier, and more sustainably. An EV could be plugged in but charging technology would only send energy when a sufficient amount of energy is available.
If the charging is done in such a way that is smarter, utility companies will be able to produce energy at quantities closer to capacity. This is not only environmentally cleaner but also means lower rates, too.
Similar to what is possible in the UK, experts in North America are excited about the capacity of EVs to store energy. An EV is a “battery on wheels.” Vehicle-to-grid technology means that electric cars can take on extra power from renewable energy sources. In peak hours (during the day), that stored energy can be returned to the grid. EVs can be plugged back in for recharging at night when demand is lower.
Concerns about power grid failures are just as prominent in the Southern Hemisphere as they are up North. Like elsewhere in the world, Australia is ready to handle an increase in electric cars—as long as they’re smart about meeting demands.
A typical charge requires about 6-8 kWh of energy—equivalent of a small household. If everyone were to plug in their cars when they arrive home from work at 6 pm (which is also when everyone is cooking and watching Netflix), the grid could quickly become overwhelmed.
However, this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case and one of the most effective solutions is also one of the most simple solutions—charge EVs during non-peak hours. If EVs are charged overnight when there is more capacity, it may take longer but it’s also much better for the grid. A smart charging system would make this possible.
Vehicle-to-grid innovation is also being rolled out in Australia and may help EVs ‘fix the grid.’ Electric car owners could use their cars to transport, store, use, and even sell energy. If this sounds complicated don’t worry, it’s not. Digitalization would mean that all of this could be done without the driver taking any action.
It would be as simple as plugging in and letting the vehicle and grid technology do the work. V2G charging units are in their final stages of testing and could be available in the Australian market by the end of 2020.
It’s All Good for the Grid
While it’s definitely true that more electric cars on the roads will also require more power, it’s also true that this can improve power grids around the world. Smarter charging will require some changes in driver habits but will also help support the grid. Vehicle-to-grid technology means that the sustainability of EVs will get better as they can serve as batteries for renewable energy and help prevent grid overloads.
The electrification of the transportation sector is coming. Utility companies and drivers can benefit from these changes. Making appropriate changes now will mean an energy sector that is more effective, profitable, and sustainable in the long run.


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DP World Limassol hosted leading cruise sector executives at the 2nd Limassol Cruise Executive Summit. The aim of this event was to promote Cyprus and Limassol as an attractive cruise destination and elevating cruise tourism.
Eleven large cruise operating companies based in Europe and the United States took part in the cruise executive Summit that was held between May 29 and 31. The initiative was carried out by DP World Limassol as the operator of the New Cruise Terminal in cooperation with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Limassol Municipality and Haifa port.
Representatives of international cruise companies, included Royal Caribbean, Crystal Cruises, and Holland America, had the opportunity to visit historic monuments such as the Ancient Kourion Theatre in Limassol, the Tombs of the Kings in Paphos and Famagusta Gate in Nicosia. They met with the Mayor of Limassol, as well as other tourism industry stakeholders exchanging view to improve the touristic product.
The guests visited the traditional Cypriot villages and enjoyed traditional local cuisine, in an effort to better understand Cyprus’ cultural heritage. Executives also, visited the modern facilities of DP World Limassol’s New Cruise Terminal and held meetings with tourism officials gaining a positive impression of both the Cruise terminal and the level of service.
DP World Limassol’s General Manager, Charles Meaby said “the Limassol Cruise Executive Summit is a unique opportunity for the executives of international cruise operators to get to know what Cyprus has to offer”.
And he added: “The cruise sector is a priority for DP World Limassol, while cruises are a major opportunity for Cyprus to interact with tourists from markets that traditionally don’t visit Cyprus in large numbers; like the United States and Germany.
Meaby continued “Our goal is to turn Limassol port into a base port and an attractive option for companies operating in the cruise sector. A thriving cruise market could bring numerous benefits to the local economy, such as create new jobs and upgraded services. The potential of the tourism industry and especially the cruise sector is especially promising; however, in order to make the most out of the opportunities that are opening up, all the stakeholders must be willing to cooperate”.


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Apple’s WWDC keynote on Monday put a spotlight on video games with a new gaming mode and a special guest.
Making a surprise appearance at the event was famed developer Hideo Kojima. He expressed his appreciation for Mac computers and revealed that his game Death Stranding: Director’s Cut will come to Macs later this year. Kojima also said his studio is working on future titles that will come to Apple’s platform.
Game mode is a feature coming to MacOS 14 Sonoma, the latest operating system for the company’s desktops and MacBooks. The new mode prioritizes using CPU and GPU cycles while gaming to provide a smoother experience and more consistent frame rates. There’s also lower controller and speaker latency by doubling the Bluetooth sampling rate, which translates to less input and audio lag. There will also be a new toolkit for developers allowing them to easily port over their games to Mac.


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Over 48% of women prefer cash over digital means: Report
Consumption of evolved services such as insurance still continues to be low (1%) despite 29% of women being aware about insurance products
In an interesting insight, PayNearby, India’s leading branchless banking and digital network, today said that more than 10,000 women entrepreneurs have dispensed over ₹900 crores of financial services in the last financial year. The report further highlighted that more than 76% of female customers, who availed basic banking services at PayNearby’s retail outlets preferred biometric authentication as a mode of cash withdrawal. Interestingly, cash which dominated the payment space among women in FY 2021-22, still continues to hold strong, with around 48% of women saying they preferred dealing in cash. Aadhaar-led transactions and UPI QR too have gained momentum. Cards continue to have minimal presence in this segment.


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Want to know why white label press release distribution services are one of the best-kept secrets in marketing?
Many of the businesses and brands that you see being featured on national news outlets didn’t get there by happenstance. They don’t necessarily have major network partnerships. And the news media probably never heard of them before receiving the brand’s press release.
So, how in the world did they get nationwide coverage of their company’s news—without otherwise being on a news station’s radar?
The answer is quite simple: these brands and businesses are using white label press release agencies. Below, we’re going to tell you how our white label service can get your press release the same amount of coverage those other businesses enjoy; keep reading for more information!
What is White Label Press Release Distribution?
A white (or private) label is given to products when the original manufacturer’s branding is removed and replaced with a purchaser’s brand name. In press release distribution, the white label company will publish the news release without their own name and only include the company that paid for the service.
Press releases will read similarly to a standard news article and may be seen on major news outlets and in places like Google News, Yahoo, and Bing. There won’t be any links back to the white label distribution service and your press release will simply appear to be newsworthy and interesting (without the help of a third-party distributor).
Why Use a White Label Press Release Service
A press release service will save you the time it takes to make connections with journalists, the headache of pitching your press release, and the effort it takes to have it featured on multiple outlets at once.
A white label press release service will provide these same benefits but never let anyone know that they’re behind the scenes, giving your brand that much more credibility from the news release exposure.
Additionally, some white-label distribution services have a team of writers who can help perfect the wording and grammar of your release. This is ideal if you don’t have the time or writing experience to create a stellar press release.
How a Press Release Can Build Your Brand
A press release is a cost-effective way to help promote your brand’s reputation and visibility—even if you choose to hire a white label service. You’re able to communicate with your target audience via several types of print media in a manner that doesn’t necessarily feel like an advertisement, leaving a positive, lasting impression.
When your press release is covered by well-known, reliable websites, news channels, and radio stations, you can establish your brand as an authority in your industry. In turn, this will build trust and recognition among new and existing customers.
A digital press release will be featured on a website and typically include a link (or two) back to your website. These backlinks will prompt readers from the original publication to click on your website, increasing traffic, potential new sales, and possibly even domain authority.
Domain authority may also be increased simply by having those high-quality backlinks from the initial publication to your website. All of this leads to better brand recognition, reputation, visibility, and eventually increased sales!
Publishing press releases regularly is a cost-effective option that will allow your company to remain in the public’s view, continually gain new customers, improve your digital reach, and ultimately position your brand as a household name.
Choosing a White Label Press Release Agency
There are several clear reasons why using a white label press release agency can and will work for your brand. The only thing that is left to do is to find an agency that meets your needs!
Of course, you’ll want to check out how many network partnerships that a press release service has. You’ll also want to consider their pricing structure, if they have a competent writing team, and whether they are truly a white label service.
Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, you’ll find that Press Synergy fits the bill when it comes to the number of nation-wide partnerships, the value we provide, our talented writers, and the fact that our services are in fact, white label. Contact us today to learn how our white label press releases can benefit your brand!
Can I get a discount for ordering white label press releases in bulk?
We offer several options when it comes to purchasing in bulk, ranging from a single press release to ten. Additionally, we give you the ability to ‘bring your own’ press release and simply allow us to publish it.
Which press release distribution package should I choose?
Unfortunately, there are no clear-cut answers to this—it depends on your brand’s needs and goals. If your aim is to build your company’s reputation or increase long-term visibility, we would recommend considering the packages that include five or ten white label press releases.
Why should I choose a private or unbranded press release distribution from Press Synergy?
The answer is simple: Press Synergy is unrivaled when it comes to the number of network partnerships we have, our pricing, and of course, our unmatched results! Additionally, we pair you with one of our talented writers that you’ll have direct contact with throughout your press release writing process—no one else offers this!


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Your next Target run in Louisville might soon include beer
Target stores in Louisville plan to be selling beer soon.
Although the sale of alcoholic beverages is not expected to be a major revenue producer, the effort comes at a time when many big box chain stores are facing hard times because of competition from online retailers.
The Minnesota-based Target Corp. headquarters has published legal advertisements in the Courier-Journal stating an intent to apply for a state retail-package license and a malt beverage-package license for each of the six Metro Louisville outlets.
Target's two Louisville-area stores in Southern Indiana — in Clarksville and in New Albany — for nearly a decade have been selling beer, wine and hard liquor, said Jerry Moffitt, the manager of the Clarksville store and a former worker at the New Albany site.
Moffitt said the sales of alcoholic beverages "is more of a secondary thing," and that the Hoosier stores sell more wine than beer or spirits.
He said the ability of the Louisville stores to sell beer would put Target on a competitive par with some discount outlets that sell alcoholic beverages, such as Walgreens.
Two calls to Target's corporate media hotline in Minneapolis on Thursday were not returned.
Roz Welch, a manager of the Target on Towne Center Drive at Springhurst in eastern Jefferson County, said the store does not intend to sell any cold beer. She said the beer will be stocked in the grocery section and that the store intends to offer a large selection of craft beer.
The Target stores for which package sales licenses are being sought in addition to the Springhurst store are: the St. Matthews Target at 4174 Westport Road; the Jeffersontown store at 4640 Taylorsville Road; the Bashford Manor store at 3600 Mall Road; the Middletown Target at 12975 Shelbyville Road; and the Okolona store at 7311 Jefferson Blvd.
The Target store on Dixie Highway has closed.
Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at 502-582-7089, or via email at email@example.com.


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Pray.com, which offers a Christian faith app that has been downloaded over 1 million times, has been “leaking” user data, researchers from cybersecurity firm vpnMentor told Fox News.
The Pray app is designed for daily prayer, Bible stories and Christian meditation, according to the app’s download page. “It has been incredibly popular since launching in 2016,” vpnMentor said in a research note.
“Pray.com’s developers failed to properly secure vast amounts of data collected from the app,” vpnMentor said, potentially exposing users to fraud and online attacks.
The researchers said they discovered four misconfigured Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 buckets and identified Pray.com as the owner.
That resulted in “many of the files stored within them [being] publicly accessible to anyone with access to the bucket’s URL (easily obtained),” vpnMentor explained. “Through further investigation, we learned that Pray.com had protected some files, setting them as private on the buckets to limit access.”
AWS S3 buckets are a popular cloud storage solution for many apps and websites, but users must set their own security protocols, vpnMentor said.
The researchers added they have no way of verifying whether data has actually been leaked. “We have no evidence – and no way of knowing – whether the data in our reports has been accessed or leaked by anyone else; only the database owner can know that,” the cybersecurity firm said.
“We don’t know if anyone has actually accessed data and downloaded it,” Ran Locar of vpnMentor’s research team told Fox News in a phone interview. Locar, along with Noam Rotem, led the research team that looked into the data exposure.
The company’s attempts to contact Pray.com. were unsuccessful. “After our first two attempts at contacting Pray.com failed to elicit a reply, we contacted AWS directly to notify them…but there remains no evidence that the [Pray.com] has attempted to resolve the issue,” vpnMentor said.
Fox News has contacted Pray.com but has not yet received a response.
Amazon’s AWS is not responsible for the server misconfigurations cited above, vpnMentor said.
What makes a leak like this dangerous is “most of the people affected don’t even know…they didn’t agree to have their data exposed,” Locar said, adding that user data sometimes contains PIN numbers and credit card numbers among other very sensitive data.
“That stuff also got grabbed and sent to their servers,” Locar added.
“[This is] a very strong privacy lesson,” Locar said. “If an app is asking for permission, it will grab the data and the data is no longer in your control.”
“When using an app on any device, carefully review the permissions it’s requesting and find out for what purpose they’re needed. If an app asks for access that doesn’t make sense, you can refuse,” vpnMentor said in the research note.


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- Title: COLOMBIA: GOVERNMENT TALKS MAY MEAN END TO TRUCK DRIVERS STRIKE
- Date: 23rd October 1996
- Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (OCTOBER 23, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. TV TRUCKS LINED UP 0.07 2. SV TRUCKERS CHANTING AND BLOWING WHISTLES 0.21 3. TV TRUCKERS BLOCKING TRAFFIC ( 2 SHOTS) 0.36 4. SV TRUCK WITH COLOMBIAN FLAG 0.43 5. SV POLICE CAR 0.47 6. SV POLICE WITH BATONS STANDING BY ROAD 0.51 7. SCU OF POLICE GUN AND PAN UP TO POLICEMAN 0.56 8. SV POLICE CAR 1.01 9. SV TRUCKERS BARRING TRUCKS ON ROAD 1.08 10. SV POLICE WITH TRUCKERS 1.13 11. SCU JOSE RAMOS, TRUCKER, SAYING THAT THEY DON'T HAVE NYTHING TO RIDE ON, THEN OTHER UNIDENTIFIED TRUCKER NTERRUPTS SAYING THE HIGHWAYS ARE BAD AND THEY RAISE HEIR TOLL PRICES (SPANISH) 1.33 12. SCU VICTOR M. LONDONO, TRUCKER, SAYS THAT THEY ARE ANKRUPT (SPANISH) 1.41 13. SCU RAMOS SAYING THAT THEY ARE ASKING FOR THE ESIGNATION OF TRANSPORTATION MINISTER AND OF MR. ARULANDA, FROM THE TRUCKERS UNION, BECAUSE THEY DON'T NOW ABOUT TRANSPORTATION. HE GOES ON TO SAY THAT THEY EED A PERSON THAT KNOWS ABOUT TRANSPORTATION, EVEN IF T'S A WOMAN (SPANISH) 2.04 14. TV TRUCKS LINED UP 2.09 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 7th November 1996 12:00
- Location: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia LATIN AMERICA
- Reuters ID: LVA49V9A2A42F3I2RU19GAOX098T
- Story Text: INTRO: There has been a breakthrough in moves to bring an end to Colombia's truck drivers' strike following late night talks with the government.
The progress is good news for road users whose motorways have been blocked by strikers for days.
____________________________________________________________________ Colombian truckers began climbing back behind the wheel early on Friday (October 25) after their leaders signed a deal with the government to end their crippling 11-day old strike.
Colombian Truck Drivers' Association (ACC) head Javier Suarez said the accord granted an immediate 16 percent raise in cargo freight rates with the promise of another inflation-linked increase at the start of next year -- short of the instant 30 percent hike originally demanded.
The breakthrough in talks between the independent association, the Transport and Interior Ministries and private transport companies came late on Thursday, a day after Interior Minister Horacio Serpa threatened to use police and the military to help smash the nationwide strike by clearing road blocks and forcing truckers back to work.
Key sectors of the economy, primarily those linked to import and export, had issued stiff criticism of the transport paralysis earlier in the day but heaved a collective sigh of relief with news of the agreement.
But the lifting of the strike seems unlikely to offer an instant fix for the crisis-hit coffee sector, which has seen sacks of coffee -- a quarter of that promised for October delivery -- delayed by the truckers' action.
Earlier in the week, private coffee exporters said many would be forced to default on this month's delivery contracts even if the stoppage ended before the weekend because of the backlog of coffee in port and in warehouses.
In addition to the rise in freight cargo rates, a joint committee of truckers, industry representatives and Transport Ministry officials will be created to look at other concerns highlighted by the drivers' association, Transport Minister Carlos Hernan Lopez said.
These include the cost of highway tolls, the price of operating licenses and associated taxes and maximum load restrictions on cargoes.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None


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Since the march of the supermarkets began, British taste buds have been exposed to a whole range of new wines from new grapes and new regions across the world, and the fashion has moved away from sweetness.
The glam era of the mid-1970s is the subject of a new exhibition at Tate Liverpool. Featuring work by David Hockney, Andy
Anne Hathaway is busy doing the promo rounds for new movie One Day, and made a couple of quick stops at some New York TV
With the sales in full swing now is the perfect time to look at the trends and decide what to invest in and what to avoid.


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No brand run by sane people would willingly pay to invite people to publicly heap scorn upon it. And yet they regularly do just that.
Take, for example, McDonald’s, which on Thursday morning posted and promoted this tweet.
— McDonald’s (@McDonalds) July 9, 2014
It didn’t take long for the embarrassing retorts to fly.
@McDonalds there’s a ton of things better than mechanically processed poison.
— // Jess // (@JessxJolie) July 9, 2014
Altogether, the post wasn’t a terribly popular one for McDonald’s: it got 90 responses, 61 retweets (mostly from people who did not appear to be cheddar enthusiasts) and 98 favorites. Essentially, McDonald’s paid for the privilege of being told how bad its food was. And it didn’t even do it well.
McDonald’s isn’t new to this kind of thing. Most notably, in 2012 its #McDStories hashtag was an instant fiasco. After launching the campaign, the hashtag was hijacked by Twitter users wanting to share their jokes and not-so-fond memories of McDonald’s. The the campaign went so far off the rails so quickly that McDonald’s got rid of the hashtag altogether. After that, the brand revamped some of its strategy, with a “playbook” and a simple red, yellow and green light strategy.
Thursday’s cheddar tweet was hardly disastrous, but it does raise questions about where brands choose to funnel their social media spend.
David Vogeleer, vp/acd and head of the Martin Lab at the Martin Agency, said that while trolls are to be expected, the tweet itself is kind of “bland.” “You don’t even know what the best result is for that conversation,” he said. “When you have interesting content or something to say to spark a conversation, that’s what you want to promote.”
Ly Tran, director digital-strategy and architecture at Austin’s Proof Advertising, thinks tweets are an inexpensive and relatively failsafe way to test a few different approaches. “Social is a real-time experiment in what is interesting,” she said. “Some of these promoted tweets you’re paying under a buck, or just over, for engagements.” If that’s the case, it’s probably not such a big deal if a tweet — promoted or not — falls flat. “The cost is nominal, and I applaud them for being fearless,” said Tran.
According to Lainey Garcia, external communications manager for McDonald’s U.S.A, the brand regularly has a few “thousand” mentions in a single day. “While there were a few mentions negative in tone [to the cheddar tweet], this is nothing out of the ordinary,” she said. “We are looking forward to continuing to engage our fans around this exciting new menu item, and others we’re proud of.”
The company declined to elaborate further on how it decides what tweets to promote, or any other aspect of its social strategy.
More in Marketing
TikTok has officially launched its new e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, earlier this month on August 1. Using the new e-commerce platform, brands and creators can sell products directly on the platform, potentially creating new revenue streams, and tap into the short-form video platform’s growing popularity.
‘The influencer industry can be really vile’: Confessions of an influencer marketer on the industry’s unfair hiring practices
While the influencer industry might sound exciting and like it’s full of opportunities, one marketer can vouch for the horrific scenarios that still take place behind the scenes.
After a tumultuous 12 months, marketers are getting a clear picture of how they really did during a time of true uncertainty. And, as it turns out, it wasn’t all that bad.
Ad position: web_bfu


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Silver Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR to be Released May 23 along with Fujifilm GFX100 Announcement
Fujifilm announced they will release the silver Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR lens on May 23.
Adorama instead still says that “Fujifilm will start shipping the XF16mmF2.8 on 05/31/2019“.
Here on FujiRumors we also exclusively broke the rumor for you guys, that the Fujifilm GFX100 will be announced on May 23. Now go out, spread the word… and quote the source ;).
- Fujinon XF16mm f/2.8 WR: BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS, FocusCamera


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The very long queues seem to be disappearing at petrol filling stations at the moment as station owners have started complying with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) order not to sell in kegs again. However, most of these filling stations now sell at N87 per litre unlike the previous days when a litre was over N100.
ENCOMIUM Weekly’s visit to some of the filling stations on Wednesday, December 9, 2015, confirmed the new development.
We gathered from Mr. Moses, the manager of Mobil Filling Station, Agege, Lagos, at about 11.30am that they sell fuel only into vehicles at the rate of N87.
“There has not been any change in the price of fuel. We still sell at the normal price which is N87. We are not selling in kegs because we do not want to get arrested and sanctioned. The DPR gave out an order that no filling station should sell in kegs and any caught selling in kegs would be shut, so that is the order we are following.”
We went on with our findings and noticed that the queue in filling stations has reduced and it is mostly vehicles that queue to buy fuel as the filling stations were not selling in kegs.
We gathered from the manager of NNPC, Omole, Ojodu Berger, Lagos, that they sell at N87, the normal price. According to him, the queue for fuel has reduced. “The reason for the reduction of the crowd is that there has been more supply. The NNPC is pumping more fuel to filling stations. For example, it was only this filling station that was selling along this axis but now you can see two or three of them selling so people are able to go to other filling stations to get fuel.
“I know about NNPC Mega station selling at N87. To us in this place at Omole here, it is a big sin to sell in cans. Apart from the fact that government said we should not sell, we ensure that they do not sell in jerry can for safety. It is a criminal offence, moreover the task force operatives are all over the place monitoring the people that are selling into cans. If you are caught, you will be arrested and if we sell in the NNPC Mega station we will be fined N5 million, so you can see we cannot sell anyhow.
“The government said selling in jerry can is not good and it is for safety reasons and also some people that are into black market business. It is better for the people to stay alive than die because of their negligence.”
Mr. Alli, a bike man, told us that he has not been able to get fuel in keg. “I have checked some of the filling stations along this Omole axis to Berger and Ogba but they do not sell in keg, only in my bike. There was a day I bought in keg at the expressway Berger and they sold it for me at N87 per litre.”
We spoke with one Mr. Samson, who has been affected businesswise.
“I have been wanting to buy fuel in keg for three weeks now, they just tell us they cannot sell in kegs and I use generator for my business. Now that I’m not able to get fuel it is drawing my business back. I even took my car to several filling stations that at least when I buy in my car they would sell in keg for me, but they do not sell. As at now, it is only this axis probably some select filling stations on this road because yesterday, when I was coming back from the Island, I saw filling stations selling in kegs at Ikorodu coming towards Ojota and towards Ikeja but on getting here today, I heard they have arrested people that were buying in kegs. Probably, it is widespread that filling stations should not sell in kegs, the government should help us out and find a solution to this ugly situation because it is really affecting people.”


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T-Mobile published the mixed financial results for the third quarter on Tuesday but lifted its 2021 target. The wireless network company is also proud of the 1.3 million post-paid additions per quarter. The number of its customers has increased to 106.9 million.
T-Mobile’s total revenue for Q3 reached $ 691 million, with a reduced profit per share of 55 cents. Revenue increased by 2% annually to $ 19.6 billion.
Analysts expected to earn 52 cents per share of revenue of $ 20.18 billion.
Read More: zdnet.com


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Tourism Australia has today launched a new $1.5 million program to help the domestic business events sector get back on its feet in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
Tourism Australia’s Business Events Boost Program will provide convention bureaux, convention centres, professional conference organisers and event managers with the opportunity to leverage the agency’s expertise and help win new domestic business.
Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said getting the domestic business events industry up and running as quickly as possible is critical to the industry’s recovery.
“Business events are one of the most crucial sectors of our tourism industry delivering huge economic benefits to communities around Australia,” he said.
“The sector has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis with the widespread cancellations of many domestic business events and a significant number of international events postponed.
“With restrictions now starting to lift and interstate travel starting to re-commence, this program will help venues and destinations to better market themselves in what is a highly competitive industry and secure lucrative corporate meetings, annual conferences, exhibitions and incentive events.
“Business events have major flow-on effects by helping to fill hotels, bars and restaurants, and will provide a much-needed boost to businesses and local economies as they rebuild from the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.”
Program set to ‘kick-start domestic business events’
The program is a domestic iteration of Tourism Australia’s internationally focussed Advance Program and will provide the industry with funding for innovative marketing and distribution initiatives.
The program represents a shift in focus towards the domestic business events space and is being delivered by Business Events Australia as part of a broader recovery strategy.
Penny Lion, executive general manager of events at Tourism Australia, said domestic business events are crucial for the industry while international travel restrictions are in place.
“We are very pleased to be launching the Business Events Boost Program as part of our overall strategy to help the Australian business events industry recover from the impacts of COVID-19, and are looking forward to partnering with them to deliver initiatives to help kick-start domestic business events,” she said.
The new Business Events Boost Program will run throughout FY2020/21. Applications are set to open on 1 July 2020 and close on 30 September 2020.


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Google Buys Twitter Rival Jaiku
Helsinki-based Jaiku made its Web debut in July 2006 and allows members to post instant updates about their activities and whereabouts online from mobile phones.
Current Jaiku users will still be able to use the service, but the addition of new users will be limited to members who invite friends to join and those who Jaiku accepts via invitation.
"The idea here is to enable our team to get right to work with Google's engineers on delivering a new, better service to you as quickly as we can instead of spending our efforts on optimizing the current back-end," Jaiku founder Jyri Engstrom wrote in a blog post.
Read the rest of this post at AppScout: "Google Buys Twitter Rival Jaiku"
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Realme will be launching Realme 5s in India on November 20. Now just ahead of its formal launch tomorrow, the Realme 5s has surfaced on GeekBench. The model number featured on the Geekbench site is the Realme RMX1925.
According to the GeekBench listing,Realme 5s will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. In addition, the listing also shows that the Realme 5s will run on Android 9 Pie operating system out-of-the-box. The Realme phone has received a single-core score of 314, while its multi-core score comes at 1386, as per the Geekbench listing.
A Flipkart teaser has already confirmed that Realme 5s will be powered by the Snapdragon 665 SoC. The other phones with the same Snapdragon 665 chipset include the Oppo A9 2020, Xiaomi Mi A3, Oppo A11, Redmi Note 8, Moto G8 Plus and more.
Realme 5s will sport a waterdrop-style notch and a slight chin at the bottom of the display.The right side of the phone will have a power button whereas the volume rocker seems to lie at its left side. The phone will be equipped with a 6.51-inch high-definition display. Realme 5s will be featuring5,000mAh battery.
Realme 5s will feature quad rear camera set up at the back with the diamond-like pattern. The phone will be equipped with a 48-megapixel primary sensor with LED flash. The back of the phone will also feature a fingerprint sensor. The Realme 5s will come in Crystal Red, Crystal Blue and Crystal Purple colour options.


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Luxury business brings exclusive products from Japan to Yorkshire
Sheffield has welcomed a new retailer which stocks exclusive goods from Japanese producers.
Goods at Atelier Japan, based in a 300-year-old former toolmakers’ building in Arundel Street, include handbags crafted by a former Samurai Sword producer, hand-painted traditional fans and intricately designed jewellery.
The store has been six years in the making and is the brainchild of Johnny Pawlik, founder of ethical marketing company Mantra Media, and his business partner Masa Kuno.
Pawlik said: “We saw these small family businesses in Japan – that had been around for 300, 500, even 1,000 years – struggling.
“The domestic market there was shrinking because of the low birth rate; we wanted to do something about it.”
While Sheffield is known for making steel, Kyoto was a centre of traditional arts and crafts. Pawlik and Johnny and Kuno worked with the Kyoto Prefectural Government on the project.
Pawlik added: “We told them the building where our Sheffield store is is a former toolmaker building. The whole street used to be ateliers, or what we would call workshops.
“They loved that heritage aspect and said Sheffield was like the UK’s Kyoto.”
Firstly an Atelier Japan e-commerce platform was launched, proving popular. Last year a physical store opened in a Kyoto hotel.
Now the Sheffield store is expected to be in high demand, particularly among the city’s international student population.
Most of the products on sale – from matcha tea to hand-painted ceramics, coasters and artwork – are not available to buy elsewhere in the UK.
Pawlik said: “Many of the products are one of a kind. They cannot be made again because they were created from a particular clay that no longer exists, for example.
“We’ve been inundated with requests from people asking when we will open, what we have in stock and even if they could work in the shop. The Sheffield community has embraced this in an incredible way.”
The store opening has also created two jobs, with recruitment open for a part-time retail assistant and part-time retail manager.


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In yet another example of China’s continual economic prominence, Ford has announced that it will import the Ford Focus from China to North America (U.S. Canada) in 2019.
As demand for small cars continues to decline in North America and elsewhere around the world, the American automaker is betting on the decision to save $1 billion in investment costs compared to the original plan to build the US / Canadian-market Focus in Mexico.
The abandonment of the Mexico plan coincided with President Trump’s threats to slap tariffs on imported vehicles, though then-CEO Mark Fields said the decision was solely based sales forecasts and not political pressures.
Ford global operations president Joe Hinrichs stated:
“Finding a more cost-effective way to deliver the next Focus program in North America is a better plan, allowing us to redeploy the money we save into areas of growth for the company – especially sport utilities, commercial vehicles, performance vehicles as well as mobility, autonomous vehicles and electrified vehicles.”
What do you make of Ford’s decision? Will you buy a made-in-China Ford Focus? Will you buy any car made in China? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
New, 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Costs More Than Camaro ZL1
The Blue Oval’s high-octane muscle car is priced to matched its performance.
Ford has announced pricing details for the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, the most powerful street-legal Ford ever.
With a starting price of $73,995, the latest Mustang Shelby GT500 is priced higher than the Chevy Camaro ZL1 ($64,695) and Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye ($73,440). It is also $12,460 more expensive than the less powerful sibling, the Shelby GT350.
Adding the Carbon Fiber Track package increases the price to $90,000 but adds carbon fiber wheels covered in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 track tires, a carbon fiber wing and dive planes. The package eliminates the rear seats to cut weight.
The optional $1,500 handling package gets you adjustable strut top mounts, a Gurney flap and removable splitter end plates, while the $3,000 technology package comes with a better audio system, a navigation system, rain-sensing wipers, a blind-spot monitor, and puddle lamps.
Engineers went the extra mile to make the new Mustang Shelby GT500 a capable everyday driver and not just a track-carving monster, but shouldn’t underscore the massive supercharged 5.2L V8 breathing under its hoods. Billed as the world’s most power-dense supercharged production V8, the powerplant produces 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft. of torque, sent to the rear wheels by a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
If you could only choose only one, which would it be — 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 or the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye? Let us know in the comments below.
New, 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Officially Makes 760HP
This Mustang has the world’s most power-dense supercharged production V8.
We already knew the new, 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 would be the most powerful street-legal Ford ever, but we didn’t know precisely how much power drivers would have to play with. Until now, that is…
Ford has announced that the GT500’s 5.2-liter supercharged V8 — paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that spinsthe rear wheels — produces 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft. of torque, making it the “most power- and torque-dense supercharged production V8 engine in the world.”
The high-octane Mustang is more powerful than the 650-hp Chevy Camaro ZL1, but it falls short of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye’s 797-hp 6.2L V8. It can complete the quarter-mile run in under 11 seconds and reach a top speed of 180 miles per hour (289.6 kilometers per hour).
In addition to the powerful, Ford’s engineers applied a revised front fascia that improves the drivetrain cooling capacity by 50 percent, an optional Carbon Fiber Track Package featuring a much larger rear wing that makes 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of downforce at 180 mph, carbon fiber wheels, and nicely-bolstered Recaro seats.
The 2020 Shelby GT500 goes on sale in summer 2019. Do you want one?
Electric Ford Mustang Classic Comes To Goodwood Festival of Speed
Old hardware gets infused with new tech to deliver what is presumably an exhilarating experience.
Ford brought an electric Ford Mustang to the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, but it’s not the modern electric Mustang you probably expected. This one is on the ‘classic’ end of the spectrum.
Developed by Britain’s Charge Cars, the model in question is a 1960s Mustang with a fully-electric drivetrain. More specifically, engineers swapped out the gas guzzling V8 for four electric motors, one for each wheel to effectively create an all-wheel drive system.
The four electric motors get their energy from a 64 kWh battery pack and generate a combined 536 horsepower and 885 lb-ft. of torque, allowing the electric Mustang to go from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in under 3.99 seconds, reach a top speed of 149 mph (240 km/h), and drive up to 200 miles (322 km) on a full charge.
Charge Cars plans to only build 499 units of the charged up classic Mustang, and you’ll have to pay a lot to get one. Prices start at at £300,000 ($380,620).
That out of the way, watch this classic 1965 Ford Mustang get drunk on autonomous tech.


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There are lots of ways to cut back on your back to school budget — you might, for instance, do a full inventory of any pencils and scissors you have in the house. But if you do have to get to the store for some missing items, you’ll find lots of retailers are eager for your business. According to the National Retail Federation, back to school spending is expected to fall by 7.7 percent this season, while more parents report plans to purchase hand-me-downs at secondhand stores (though they’re also expected to increase spending on electronics, like laptops, by 11 percent).
The big chains are doing all they can to encourage you to buy from them at any price. And the government hopes to help, too, as several states are offering “tax holidays” for back to school shopping (see a list of states and dates here). We’ve compiled a list of some of the best deals out there…
To read more click here.
Recessionwire is a blog chronicling the upside of the downturn.


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"Vietnamese Use Vietnamese Goods"
- What are the Problems?
Two years after the Government launched the "Vietnamese Use Vietnamese Goods" campaign, consumers had a better view of locally made products; however the plan has not progressed well. Experts at a conference in Hanoi on August 2011 aimed at promoting Vietnamese-made products concluded that better product design and quality, with reasonable price and better after-sales service are factors that make domestic goods more appealing to Vietnamese consumers, reported Tuoi Tre newspaper.
Even though a recent survey by global market research company Nielsen showed Vietnamese Goods Trend of 83% of consumers in HCM City and 95% in Hanoi were aware of the buy-Vietnamese campaign launched in 2009, only a small percentage of Vietnamese consumers would prefer local products over foreign imports.
To further the campaign on "Vietnamese Use Vietnamese Goods", the government issued encouraged results of the in-country survey conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion, an agency under the Party Central Committee's Commission for Publicity and Education, revealing that 59% of customers surveyed would buy Vietnamese goods. Meanwhile, 38% said they would encourage relatives and friends to use domestically made products, while 36% who used to buy just foreign-made goods said they would buy more Vietnamese products. According to the survey, the most popular Vietnamese products were textiles and garments, footwear, foodstuffs, fruit and vegetables, household appliances and home decorations.
According to the paper, experts suggested how to strengthen Vietnamese products and their sales as follow:
Vietnamese Consumers' Confidence is Still Optimistic
The MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence 2011
Note: The Index is based on a survey which measures consumer confidence on prevailing expectations in the market for the next 6 months based on five economic indicators: Economy, Employment, Stock Market, Regular Income and Quality of Life.
- The Index score is calculated with zero as the most pessimistic, 100 as most optimistic and 50 as neutral.The latest survey was conducted from 15 March to 27 April 2011 and involved 10,374 consumers from 14 regional markets.
The confidence index of Vietnamese consumers published by the MasterCard's survey recently showed that for the second half of 2011 the outlook is still optimistic. Despite the loss of 13.2 points quarter on quarter, the Vietnamese consumers' confidence is still ranked 3rd regionally after China and Singapore.
The overall regional average rate for consumers across Asia/Pacific showed a 6.5 points drop quarter on quarter. Consumers are concerned about the slow pace of the global economic recovery with a dip in optimism recorded over the last six months, said the survey.
According to the bi-annual survey, Vietnamese consumers, even though positive, became less optimistic across all five indicators compared to six months ago with ‘quality of life’, ‘economy’, ‘regular income’, ‘employment’ and the ‘stock market’ all lower. Ten out of the 14 Asia/Pacific markets also experienced an overall decline in consumer confidence when compared to the previous six months, especially the three markets: Thailand, New Zealand and Japan showed widespread pessimism across the five key indicators.
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Not-too-sweet Lovino sangria is back in time for fall
In Wisconsin, fall heading into winter isn’t the obvious time to enjoy sangria.
You know sangria — it’s the wine punch with Spanish origins that’s often embellished with cut-up fruit and served icy cold.
Countering the notion of sangria as a summer-only beverage is one of the tasks Jennifer Clearwater, owner of Wisconsin-made Lovino Sangria, has set for herself as she works to get Badger State wine-lovers lapping up this ready-made sangria, weather be damned.
She makes a valid point: “We drink cold beer all year-round and we drink cold cocktails year-round — why not sangria?”
Pick up a bottle of Lovino, which sells for about $15, and you’ll see a tagline on the label that reads, “It’s not for a season, it’s for a state of mind.”
Clearwater, whose primary job is as director of philanthropy for Milwaukee’s Discovery World, explained that her family purchased the brand and recipe in November 2016 from Milwaukeeans Erica and Jamie Zdroik, who started Lovino in 2012 using a homemade sangria recipe.
So this is a reboot of Lovino, which had disappeared from local shelves for almost two years, from after it was listed for sale until this summer when Clearwater got it up and going again.
She’s the sole owner, but it’s definitely a family business with husband Rob, a general contractor, offering business know-how, as well as help with sales and delivery. Her parents, John and Eleonore Tankovitch, are also in on the action, helping with finances and with some of the day-to-day operations.
Clearwater admits that she and Rob, who live in Port Washington, didn’t start out as sangria drinkers: “My husband doesn’t like red wine, and I don’t gravitate toward sweet drinks. I love Napa Cabernet.”
But they bought a bottle of Lovino several years ago because Clearwater was intrigued by the fact that it was locally made — and they both fell in love with this “not-too-sweet” riff on the refreshing wine drink.
When the company was put up for sale, she became obsessed with the idea of buying it. “I couldn’t stop talking about it. My husband is really the entrepreneurial one — I didn’t think it would be me who would be so enthusiastic” about becoming a business owner, she said.
Now, she’s setting out to sell her product to Wisconsin and beyond. “It’s going to be a marathon, not a sprint,” she said.
She’s gotten a distributor’s license, with Lovino as the only brand they carry. Her ambition is to take it nationwide, “state by state,” and to eventually go international.
“They sell Miller and Coors and Bud around the world — why not Lovino Sangria?” she asks.
Lovino — its name a combination of love and vino — was originally made at von Stiehl Winery in Algoma with Cabernet Franc as its base. Under Clearwater, it remains Cabernet Franc, but she decided to switch production to Mona Rose Winery in Ashwaubenon, primarily because it has a lower case limit for its private labels wines.
“We didn’t want to go into debt, and we didn’t want to take out a loan,” she explained. “So we looked around the state to see who makes good Cabernet Franc, and we really liked the wine at Mona Rose.”
When they took the Lovino recipe for a test run, they found that “it was a little tart — it was missing a little something,” said Clearwater.
So she and Rob and her mother sat down with winery owner Craig Fletcher and “tried a few drops of this and some squirts of that until we hit it right.”
The current recipe, which is very similar to the original, is 90% Cabernet Franc with some mixed-berry concentrate and a little infusion of orange and coconut extracts.
(Mona Rose winemaker Craig Fletcher also produces communion wine for some local parishes and was the subject of a 2014 column.)
Lovino is sold at a number of retail shops throughout the state, as well as at several restaurants. (In the Milwaukee area, that includes Wine Cellar of Wisconsin in Elm Grove, Jeff's Spirits on Main in West Bend and a smattering of restaurants.)
Clearwater knows that people might wonder why they should pay $15 for sangria when there are less-expensive choices available.
“Its starts with a well-made wine,” she says. “It’s what you would pay for a decent bottle of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon.”
You’ll find information, as well as some recipes, on Facebook: @LovinoSangria.
Anne Schamberg is a freelance writer who lives in Waukesha. Email her at email@example.com.
Many wines to sip
The Journal Sentinel Food & Wine Experience offers a rare chance to sample an array of wines in one place. The annual event will be Nov. 4 and 5 at the Wisconsin Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave.; hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Among the Wisconsin wineries and wine businesses that will be pouring sample-size portions are: Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery in Kewaunee; Door Peninsula Winery in Sturgeon Bay; Von Stiehl Winery in Algoma; Captain’s Walk Winery in Green Bay; Forgotten Fire Winery in Marinette; Falling Waters Winery in Crivitz; Vines to Cellar in Port Washington; and FrenchBébé Beverage Co. near St. Croix.
In addition, Total Wine & More, the superstore chain, will sponsor a Wine Cellar area on the main exhibit floor and also pour wines in the Critic’s Choice area featuring Top 30 restaurants.
Advance tickets to a single day of the Grand Tasting are $50; to both days, $75. Tickets to Saturday’s Critic’s Choice cost an extra $30; and to a special Saturday Meet & Greet with Pastry chef and Food Network host Duff Goldman, including his cookbook, an extra $60. Tickets to the Grand Tasting and Critic’s Choice also will be available at the door.


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DALLAS, Jan. 24, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE – Puration, Inc. (PURA) (“PURA”) today announced a home-grown source of hemp for its CBD extractions to go into its EVERx CBD Sports Water. PURA has partnered with Nouveau, Inc. (NOUV) and Kali-Extracts (KALY) to source CBD from NOUV’s hemp cultivation operation and KALY’s proprietary extraction process.
DALLAS, Jan. 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE – Puration, Inc. (PURA) (“PURA”) today announced with Illegal Burger (a subsidiary of West Coast Venture Group) (WCVC) and AmeriCanna Cafe (a subsidiary of Priority Aviation – name change pending after recently acquiring AmeriCanna Cafe) (PJET) an EVERx CBD Sports Water Event in Denver, Colorado to introduce the all new EVERx CBD Sports Water. The event will be held two nights, Wednesday, February 13th, and Friday, February 15th. Miss USMJ Models will be on hand to autograph the 2019 Miss USMJ Calendar recently published by USMJ (USMJ) on sale now at www.missusmj.com and www.etsy.com. Look for more details on the two-night event to be announced next week.
Green Cures & Botanical Distribution, Inc. (GRCU) a Colorado Corporation (“The Company”) is pleased to announce the expansion of its CBD lifestyle brand Hollywood Hemp. The Company is launching their premium Hollywood Hemp Water brand into the CBD infused beverage segment with Alkame Holdings, Inc. (ALKM). Hollywood Hemp Water will be produced using Alkame’s patented technology and formula, in conjunction with GRCU’s water-soluble CBD ingredient.
DALLAS, Jan. 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE – Puration, Inc. (USOTC: PURA) (“PURA”) today announced doubling its EVERx CBD Sports Water Production schedule in reaction to December and January retail sales. After delivering on a record number of wholesale orders in December, PURA is already receiving re-orders in mid-January. One distributor reported selling out of its inventory and doubling the size of its next order. “The recent retail sales reports we’ve received from distributors are nothing short of remarkable,” said Brian Shibley, CEO of Puration.
DALLAS, Jan. 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE – Puration, Inc. (USOTC: PURA) (“PURA”) today introduced its all new EVERx CBD Sports Water Bullet Bottles to ring in the new year. EVERx has been undergoing an all around update after reaching over a million dollars in annual sales. The EVERx logo has been refreshed, with patented cannabis extraction partner Kali-Extracts (USOTC: KALY), the EVERx formula has been improved, and with copacker partner Alkame Holdings, (USOTC: ALKM) and their new state-of-the-art bottling production line, EVERx now has an entirely new bottle.
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / January 3, 2019 / Alkame Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: ALKM) today released its corporate review & update to Shareholders. Alkame Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: ALKM), a publicly traded health and wellness technology holding company with a focus on patentable, innovative, and eco-friendly products, wanted to take the opportunity to provide you, our valued investors and shareholders, with an update on the progress of the Company and provide the current status on various fronts. The past acquisition of Xtreme Technologies (2015), while an essential transaction for our company allowing us to take control of the Patents and IP along with a co pack operation, had created quite a turnaround situation for the company.
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2018 / Alkame Holdings Inc. (OTC PINK: ALKM), along with its wholly owned subsidiary Bell Food and Beverage, Inc. are pleased to see the passing of the Farm Bill. On the 20th Day of December 2018, President Donald Trump signed the U.S. Farm Bill into law. The Farm Bill overall is a $867 billion-dollar bill that deals with several agricultural issues, including the legalization of industrial hemp.
DALLAS, Nov. 02, 2018 -- via OTC PR WIRE -- Puration, Inc. (USOTC: PURA) (“PURA”) today announced the acquisition of Telluride Health Company, the innovator behind Telluride.
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / September 25, 2018 / Alkame Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: ALKM), a publicly traded health and wellness technology holding company with a focus on patentable, innovative, and eco-friendly products is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Bell Food and Beverage, Inc. has been awarded a 5-year Production Commitment from Pacific Flavors International Inc., a leading international food supplier and exporter of Oregon Blueberries. For 20 years, Pacific Flavors, Inc. has been successfully showcasing the very best of the Pacific Northwest region's indigenous sustainably sourced Blueberries. Oregon Blueberries are one of natures perfect foods that are high in Potassium, Iron, and Calcium, and low in calories.
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / July 19, 2018 / Alkame Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: ALKM), a publicly traded health and wellness technology holding company with a focus on patentable, innovative, and eco-friendly products, is happy to provide this update to shareholders and review major events and accomplishments. First and foremost, we are very happy to announce the first step in bringing the company current in its reporting with the filing of the 2015 10K. Robert Eakle, Chief Executive Officer of Alkame, stated, ''It's exciting to push this first domino over, and we are very much looking forward to sharing our incredible story as filings are released in rapid succession.
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / June 20, 2018 / Alkame Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK: ALKM) (the "Company"), a health and wellness technology holding company with a focus on patentable, innovative, and eco-friendly consumer products, was alerted by OTC Markets to promotional activities regarding the common stock of the Company. The Company was not involved, in any manner or form, in the promotional activity and only became aware of the promotional activity after being alerted by OTC Markets.


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(Crain's) -- Wickes Furniture plans to start a going-out-of-business sale this weekend, as the retailer found no takers to save the chain and begins to wind down its operations.
Wickes to begin going-out-of-business sales this weekend
Hilco Merchant Resources LLC, a Northbrook-based asset disposition firm, was chosen Monday to liquidate the company's inventory. Working with Hilco are HRE Holdings LLC, Tiger Capital Group LLC, SB Capital Group LLC and Planned Furniture Promotions Inc.
Wickes, based in Wheeling, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month as the weak housing market eroded sales at the retailer's 43 stores.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday before a Delaware Bankruptcy Court to approve the agreement with the Hilco-led liquidation group, terms of which were not disclosed.
Hilco beat out more than a dozen other bidders for the right to sell off Wickes' assets "from the rugs on the floor to the pictures on the walls," said Rick Kaye, an executive vice-president at Hilco.
No one stepped up at the auction to buy Wickes and keep it in business, said a source familiar with the retailer's bankruptcy proceedings.
The agreement with Hilco does not include Wickes' real estate or store leases, the source said. Those assets will be sold through a separate auction process to be held at a future date.
Wickes Furniture, owned by private equity firm Sun Capital Partners, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Feb. 3 in Delaware.
Liquidation sales are expected to continue until April or mid-May.


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Last Friday, GM broke ground for the expansion of GM Auto. Which is the corporation’s wholly owned manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg, Russia, which has been in operation since 2008.
This expansion, which will boost annual production capacity from the current 98,000 vehicles to 230,000, is a consequence of a partnership with the Russian Federal Ministry of Economic Development.
And a consequence of that is that GM will be investing $1-billion in its Russian operations over the next five years, which should lead those “GM-is-going-to-move-everything-to-China” conspiracy theorists to modify their approach.
The plant will build various Chevrolet and Opel models for the Russian market, including the Opel Astra sedan, which is to make a worldwide debut at the Moscow International Motor Show in August.
Beyond GM Auto, GM is also part of a joint venture, GM-AVTOVAZ, which is based in Togliatti.
Once everything is up and running, there will be a GM vehicle capacity of 350,000 vehicles per year in Russia.
(GM News Photo)
Said Dan Akerson, GM chairman and CEO, “General Motors is embarking on a new era in Russia, one of the world’s fastest-growing vehicle markets, as part of our strategy to build where we sell. The global vehicles that we produce and the manufacturing systems that we are putting in place are creating long-term benefits for Russia’s automotive industry, its supply base and its economy.
“Our growing investment is the strongest possible endorsement by General Motors of our intent to make Russia a significant part of our international operations. Our vision in Russia, as in all the other markets where we do business, is to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles.”
Lest you think that GM has turned its back on U.S. manufacturing, it is worth noting that the same day, the company had the line-off ceremony for the production of the 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter versions of the Ecotec four cylinder engines at the GM Tonawanda Engine Plant in Buffalo, NY, which is the consequence of a $425-million investment that had been announced in February, 2010. The engines are for the 2013 Chevy Malibu and the Cadillac ATS. A couple months later, in April, 2010, the plant was awarded an additional $400-million for the production of a forthcoming, all-new V8 engine for pickups.
(GM News Photo)


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Chris Spielman continues to step up amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
The former Ohio State All-American linebacker set out to raise $40,000 for coronavirus relief. He's already made a big dent in that goal by auctioning off a chunk of his personal memorabilia and gear, highlighted by the $12,000 sale of his 1984 Big Ten championship ring.
Now, Spielman's looking to raise another hefty chunk with another piece of Buckeye history, auctioning off his 1986 Big Ten championship ring.
Spielman's other sales have included an autographed, a game-worn Buffalo Bills jersey for $1,125 as well as his personal 1994 All-Madden Team leather jacket for $2,565, a Detriot Lions jersey and pants set packaged with his 1994 Pro Bowl watch for $2,500, and a game-worn signed Browns jersey and helmet for $1,525.


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Technology stocks fought to avoid dragging the Nasdaq Composite Index lower for the third consecutive session on Friday, with the tech-heavy benchmark inching up 4.75 to 1,825.32 by midday.
Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) and Dell Computer (Nasdaq: DELL) were among the stocks standing in the way of a comeback. Intel was down 63 U.S. cents to $25.84, while Dell had fallen $1.06 to $25.88. Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO), however, was up 13 cents to $15.38.
Blue chips held on to slim gains, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 34.63 to 9,833.69. The Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index was up 2.47 at 1,150.42.
The day’s economic news sent mixed signals to investors. The National Association of Purchasing Management’s Chicago region said that its index of manufacturing activity fell in March to its lowest level since the 1982 recession. However, the closely watched University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment reportedly showed a slight increase for February.
The U.S. Department of Commerce, meanwhile, said that American incomes and spending edged higher in February.
The E-Commerce Times Index was up 0.57 percent at midday. eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) was up $2.19 at $36.31 after launching three new Web sites overseas. The online auctioneer said it expanded into Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland.
Meanwhile, the bad news from technology companies continued. The once high-flying Blue Martini Software (Nasdaq: BLUE) fell 25 cents to $2.31 after lowering its outlook for the first quarter ending March 31st and announcing plans to cut jobs.
“The economic slowdown and the uncertain business climate in the industries we target has resulted in the closure of fewer licensing contracts during the quarter than previously anticipated,” said Blue Martini president and chief executive officer Monte Zweben.
Versata (Nasdaq: VATA) fell 75 cents to 28 cents after the e-business software maker said it will lay off 30 percent of its employees, take a $5.5 million to $7 million charge to first-quarter results, and delay filing its 2000 annual report with securities regulators pending an accounting review.
BEA, RealNetworks Higher
BEA Systems (Nasdaq: BEAS), meanwhile, rose $2.38 to $28.56 following reports that its chief executive officer intends to stick by previous financial forecasts.
Corel (Nasdaq: CORL) gained 13 cents to $2.44 after the maker of WordPerfect and other software reported a quarterly profit.
RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK) was also higher, picking up 59 cents to $6.97 on a Wall Street Journal report that it is in talks with three major record companies about a possible license agreement.


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German luxury car manufacturer Audi dropped to third place behind rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW in global sales rankings. But 2016 was a great year for Audi as its deliveries rose to a new record despite the diesel emission scandal.
On Saturday, a spokesman said that the sales of luxury cars and sport-utility vehicles (SUV) of Audi have increased from 1.80 million in 2015 to 1.87 million in 2016. Despite the diesel emission scandal, the growth of the Audi is remarkable.
The company raised the deliveries in the United States by 4 percent where Volkswagen's was found guilty for the emission test in 2015. In Britain, Audi managed to increase the sales by 6.4 percent which is its No. 2 European market. The growth figures were first reported by German daily newspaper Die Welt in its Saturday edition.
Audi is set to announce the official sales figures for December on Monday. The figures will reveal why the firm has dropped into third place from second in terms of global luxury car brands.
In an interview with Die Welt, Dietmar Voggenreiter, Audi AG Chief has said that the company may start selling diesel-powered vehicles again in U.S. After the emission test cheating scandal, the diesel model deliveries were banned.
Excited about the 2017 Maruti Suzuki Swift? Here's how it look like. Click through the images below and see for yourself how good the styling is.


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Apple has released the iOS 12 developer beta 5 for compatible iPhones and iPads. The new developer beta brings a lot of changes. The final build of iOS 12 will be released to the public in September alongside new iPhones. Registered developers can install the iOS 12 developer beta 5 via Apple’s Developer Center or as an over-the-air update if their devices have the proper certificate.
The iOS 12 developer beta 5 arrives just a couple of weeks after the fourth beta. Apple has also released the fifth developer beta versions for macOS 10.14, watchOS 5, and tvOS 12. The latest iOS 12 beta brings a bunch of new features such as a new splash screen for the Photos app and darker Control Center controls. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest features Apple has added in the iOS 12 developer beta 5 and what the beta tells us about Apple’s future products.
New AirPods case in the offing
The latest developer beta hints at a new AirPods case, which has been rumored for quite some time. Folks at 9to5Mac discovered updated pictures of the new charging case hidden within the beta. The case has a status LED on the exterior to let users see the charging status without having to open the case. The amber light suggests it is currently charging or low on battery. The green light indicates the case is sufficiently charged.
The new AirPods case will be particularly useful when charging them using the upcoming AirPower charging mat. Apple announced AirPower last year, but is yet to start shipping the wireless charging mat. The iOS 12 developer beta 5 also includes the model identifier AirPods1,2, which would be an improvement over the current AirPods1,1. The Cupertino company is expected to announce the new charging case alongside the upcoming iPhones in September.
iOS 12 developer beta 5 hints at dual-SIM iPhones
TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said earlier that Apple would launch dual-SIM iPhones in 2018. Kuo predicts the dual-SIM model will be sold in select regions, which may not include the US due to resistance from wireless carriers there. Apple is preparing to launch three iPhones this year. It is unclear which model(s) would get the dual-SIM option.
The latest developer beta contains references to the “second SIM tray status”, “second SIM status”, and a “dual sim device.” It’s a clear indication that Apple is preparing the iOS 12 to support two SIM cards. Dual-SIM card phones are particularly popular in emerging markets such as China, India, Brazil, and Nigeria. Having two SIM cards on the same phone allows users to switch between different carrier data plans without swapping out the SIM.
HomePod gets the ability to make and receive phone calls
In its current form, Apple’s HomePod smart speaker isn’t worth its $350 price tag. It has a lot of limitations. But the iOS 12 developer beta 5 hints HomePod will get tons of new features this fall, including the ability to make and receive phone calls. The smart speaker will also be able to create notes, add reminders, send and read text messages, and more when connected to the same WiFi network as the iPhone.
Currently, HomePod doesn’t allow users to make or receive phone calls, something that most of its cheaper rivals already do. If HomePod owners do want to talk via the smart speaker, they have to make the phone call on their iPhone and then transfer it to the smart speaker. The Cupertino company is testing the new software for its smart speaker internally, which should be rolled out to the public later this year.
Battery Health comes out of beta mode
Apple added Battery Health with iOS 11.3, and the feature has been in beta ever since. In iOS 12 developer beta 5, the Battery Health feature is no longer in beta mode. The feature was introduced after user backlash over performance throttling on older iPhones with degraded batteries. The Battery Health feature allows users to choose whether they want to deal with below-bar performance to get better battery life or compromise battery life for performance.
Other major features in iOS 12 developer beta 5
Among other things, the latest beta brings Lyric Search explainer in Apple Music, increased wallpaper saturation, and darker Control Center controls. There is also a new splash screen for the Photos app, new icons for media type albums in the Photos app, ‘Share Across Devices’ toggle in Screen Time, and smaller text for clearing notifications. The beta has also removed family members from Screen Time, though you can still find them under Apple ID > Family Sharing.
According to Apple’s release notes, the iOS 12 developer beta 5 also contains some new bugs. The company noted that if you use Apple Pay Cash to send or request money via Siri, it might result in an error. If you restart your device, the Bluetooth accessories paired with it might not function correctly. Also, Siri is unable to open an app by name while using CarPlay. Apple added that some Siri Shortcuts might not work as intended.
We expect the company to fix these bugs in the future beta versions. The previous betas also contained many bugs that have been fixed now.


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Opel has released a new video for the Ampera-E.
This video focuses mostly on range, which is listed at more than 500 km*, according to Opel.
Range is King: The days when electric cars were just for short trips are gone. With a range of more than 500 km* on a single charge, the Opel Ampera-e is unrivaled in its segment. Find out more about the new Ampera-e: http://www.ampera-e.com
Charged with fresh thinking: The Opel Ampera-e is the electric revolution for everyday use. Despite being fully packed with the most cutting edge technology and outstanding digital connectivity, the Opel Ampera-e still has plenty of room for five passengers and an impressive amount of flexible cargo space.
*Preliminary value, measurement based on the standardized New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Naturally, the maximum range in everyday use deviates from the NEDC values. In practice, factors such as road characteristics, weather conditions, driving style or additional load influence the range. For more on electric range and how we measured it go to http://www.opel.com/ampera-e