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Vietnam is playing catch-up in a global race to develop its own digital currency and experts believe this will not only help the Southeast Asian country develop new technology but also present an opportunity to join the most technologically-advanced nations.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh last month endorsed the strategy for developing e-Government towards digital government in the 2021-2025 period. In Decision 942/QD-TTg issued on June 15, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) – the central bank – is assigned to research the pilot use of ‘virtual money’ based on blockchain technology in the next three years.
This is a remarkable change in the government’s policymaking given the reality that Vietnam has not yet recognised cryptocurrencies. So far, the central bank has repeatedly emphasised that owning and trading Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is risky for investors as these coins are not protected by law.
Virtual currency is a new concept in Vietnam. There are many different and confusing names in the market such as virtual money, electronic money, digital currency and cryptocurrency.
According to Investopedia, digital currencies can be considered a superset of virtual currencies and cryptocurrencies. Digital currencies can be regulated or unregulated currency that is available only in digital or electronic form. If issued by a central bank of a country in a regulated form, it is called a central bank digital currency (CBDC).
If existing in an unregulated form, it should be called virtual currency and may be under control of the currency developers instead of a centralised regulator. Cryptocurrencies are also an example of this type. Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most popular cryptocurrencies.
To date, Vietnam’s law has no specific definition of virtual currency and virtual assets. Current regulations only refer to the concept of electronic money (e-money) which is pegged to a fiat currency and exists in the form of pre-paid bank cards, e-wallets or mobile money.
SBV has repeatedly affirmed Bitcoin and other virtual currencies are not electronic money and cannot perform the function of a legal currency as a means of payment. Currently, SBV, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance are studying the legal basis for managing virtual currency and virtual assets. The finance ministry has also set up a research group on this issue.
While most experts agreed the central bank should clarify the concept of virtual money in the latest Decision 942, finance specialist Nguyen Tri Hieu said the “virtual” word can lead to negative thinking as it has been associated with fraudulent projects spreading in the media.
“I think the central bank may use the concept of digital currency or cryptocurrency to reflect the intrinsic value of this form of money,” Hieu told Viet Nam News.
More than 60 central banks across the world are exploring and actively developing their own digital currencies to modernise financial systems as well as counter a possible threat from cryptocurrencies, according to PwC.


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U.K. retail sales increased in August, as purchases of school uniforms bolstered clothing. Food sales declined.
Volumes rose 0.2 percent from July, when they were unchanged, the Office for National Statistics said in London on Thursday. Excluding auto fuel, sales climbed 0.1 percent. Both numbers were in line with the median estimates in Bloomberg surveys of economists.
Zero inflation and the strongest wage growth in more than six years are putting money in the pockets of consumers and helping them drive the British economy. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney told lawmakers Wednesday that interest rates may need to rise from a record low in the new year if the economy continues to improve.
Clothing and footwear rose 2.3 percent in August from July, the ONS said. The increase helped to offset declines at department stores and household-goods retailers. Food sales fell 0.9 percent, which the statistics office said reflected a greater number of people taking vacations last month.
“The figures show that growth is coming evenly from both small and large retailers,” said Kate Davies, a statistician at the ONS. “Small stores were particularly boosted in August by sales of school uniforms, while most of the growth in large stores was coming from online.”
The pound was little changed at $1.5495 as of 9:37 a.m. London time, after touching $1.5529 on Wednesday, the highest since Aug. 26.
Sales of auto fuel rose 1.3 percent, as prices declined 2.9 percent on the month, the biggest drop since January.
From a year earlier, retail sales increased 3.7 percent and climbed 3.5 percent on an underlying basis. Both measures were 0.4 percent higher in the latest three months. A 0.5 percent decline in September would leave sales unchanged in the third quarter, the ONS said.
Retail sales account for 5.6 percent of the British economy, which has grown for 10 consecutive quarters.
Prices, as measured by the retail-sales deflator, fell 3.3 percent from a year earlier, driven by a 12.3 percent drop in fuel prices.
The data come as investors count down to the Federal Reserve’s latest policy decision, which may see the first U.S. rate boost in nearly a decade. Carney said Wednesday that the decision on when to increase U.K. rates from 0.5 percent will come “into much sharper relief” around the turn of the year.

domain: news


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Etailer 11street has announced a slew of promotions just in time for the coming Raya holidays dubbed the Syioknya Raya campaign.
The 11street Syioknya Raya campaign has technically begun a bit earlier on 2 May last week but the promotions are ongoing till the Raya holidays and will feature discounts, giveaways and, most important of all, a new feature on the 11street platform. The latest upgrade to the user interface is the addition of a Muslim-friendly search filter that allows Malaysian consumers to search for Halal-certified merchandise.
The Syioknya Raya promotions also feature a host of Ramadhan buffet vouchers up for grabs at very agreeable prices from popular restaurants such as the Pullman Hotel chain, the Royale Chulan Hotel, the Westin Kuala Lumpur and more. Those who prefer a more modest dining experience can also purchase discounted food and beverage vouchers for a host of popular high street brands too. It’s not just about food though as 11street is also teaming up with CJ WOW SHOP for a variety of clothing and garments just in time for the festive season.
11street is also offering giveaways with RM30,000 worth of prizes up for grabs as well as RM9,000 for shoppers who purchase products via the 11street mobile app. For more details swing by www.11street.my


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While the future of manufacturing may be fraught with disruptions, opportunities still abound within the region, a panel concluded yesterday.
The discussion at the Asean-India Business Forum centred on disruptions ranging from technology and innovation to larger economic trends and how they affect manufacturers and supply chain processes across Asia.
The panel, comprising mainly industry representatives, agreed that innovation is essential.
Singapore Precision Engineering and Technology Association executive director Steven Koh said it may lead to increased competitiveness."With new technological advancements, constraints in time and space have been overcome. Companies can now monitor their operations remotely from a distance. The time for products to reach the market needs to be much shorter in order to be competitive.
"If you cannot adapt fast enough, your sustainability will be eroded."
This push towards innovation may be crucial for businesses to capitalise on the size of Asia's markets.
In India alone, consumption is projected to grow four-fold to around $1.48 trillion by 2025.
Ascendas-Singbridge deputy group chief executive Manohar Khiatani said: "The increasing importance of the Asian consumer is a given. However, digitalisation has changed consumer behaviour... This change will cause consumers to look for more specific and even customised products.
"Products will need to cater to the behaviour of the consumer or the demands of the huge market will not be filled."


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Mastering digital marketing is now essential
Do you want to advance your career in digital marketing in 2022? LinkedIn has shared fresh insights into the most in-demand digital marketing skills…
Digital marketing: the incredible transformation of the job market
For many people, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed where and how we work. The adoption of digital collaboration tools is widespread. As some sectors of the economy slowed down at the onset of Covid, many business owners got creative and started their own businesses.
Two of the most in-demand jobs, both now and in the future, are project managers, ranked #5 in LinkedIn’s global job posting data for Q3 2021. Digital marketers are close behind at number 6.
A study published by the Project Management Institute (PMI) shows that by 2030, 25 million new project managers will be needed worldwide to organize, plan and monitor the implementation of a project. In other words, 2.3 million new project managers are needed every year just to keep up with the high demand.
As the pandemic has pushed more and more people to shop and work online, the demand for marketers who are savvy with the latest digital technologies has continued to increase. According to LinkedIn, Digital Marketing Specialist and Digital Marketing Manager are among the four most in-demand jobs in marketing.
In this context, LinkedIn is a powerful tool for building professional relationships and attract a large number of recruiters. Hiring professionals from every industry use LinkedIn to find new talent, including digital marketers.
If you’re looking to grow your brand and digital marketing skills, a strong presence on LinkedIn is a must. When used properly, this social network can be a source of new opportunities for professionals looking for new roles.
Based on this information, his job offers and his activity LinkedIn claims that half of the top 10 jobs posted on the social network are in the digital or media field.
LinkedIn explained in its blog:
“While the pandemic has accelerated our industry’s transition to all-virtual, it has also accelerated demand for marketers in digital roles. Digital marketers are the most in-demand, while the media coordinator role is growing the fastest. »
LinkedIn reports that while the term “digital marketing” is in high demand, many elements are often overlooked.
“While many marketers present themselves as digital marketers, recruiters are currently struggling to find marketers with skills in digital strategy, omniture, link building, search advertising, and off-page SEO. »
So it makes sense to improve in more specific areas or make them more prominent on your profile. This increases the chances of covering the specific market need for know-how.
For this purpose, LinkedIn suggests using various LinkedIn Learning courses to improve and develop your skills.
“You can find a library of courses designed to improve your digital marketing skills at LinkedIn Learning. Digital marketing courses like SEO Foundations and Digital Marketing Trends are among the most popular LinkedIn Learning courses for marketers.
Sources: LinkedIn, Bizjournals


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updated 09:10 am EDT, Wed April 18, 2012
Nokia Windows Phone interest miuted by exec exit
Windows Phone saw mixed performance Wednesday as talk of strong sales was dampened by an abrupt executive departure. Nokia briefed AllThingsD that the Lumia 900's demand was still high and it was producing phones "as quickly as possible" to meet demand. Very few were opting to replace their phones to solve the missing data bug and were instead updating firmware, suggesting that the shipments weren't replacement units.
While it's thought that brief unavailability might have been due to AT&T and Nokia swapping in stock with the new firmware, a sign that it related more to demand would be a positive for the Finnish phone designer. Its shipments haven't been growing as quickly as needed, and European sales are still modest as customers are still regularly steered towards Android or iPhone hardware.
The platform nonetheless took a hit as Microsoft confirmed that its Windows Phone Product Marketing general manager Gavin Kim had left after just five months in the role. A low-key confirmation to ZDNet revealed that he had made a "personal decision" to leave, indicating that he had likely switched directly to a different company after himself having come from Samsung. Microsoft felt "very good" about Kim's work, but had already named Eugene Ho as the replacement.
As GM, Kim may have seen some success if at all involved with the Smoked by Windows Phone challenge, which for a brief few days had spurred rare lineups at Microsoft stores. However, Microsoft's collective marketing has so far done nothing to stop an ongoing slide in share.


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One of the top software engineers behind the Bitcoin digital currency wants to launch it into space.
Last month, Jeff Garzik floated the idea of Bitcoin in space on an internet discussion forum, pitching it as a way to always keep the system up and running — even if it’s attacked by malicious hackers.
The plan is to send up a Bitcoin computer on a tiny inexpensive satellite and have this machine communicate with terrestrial Bitcoin computers via radio. Garzik — who works at Bitcoin payment processor Bitpay and helps shape the open source software that drives the digital currency on thousands of machines across the internet — says that the satellite node could help the Bitcoin network fight back something known as a Sibyl attack. This is where malicious computers flood a node on the peer-to-peer network with bad data. It could give criminals a way of spending their bitcoins more than once, and it’s also part of the so-called selfish miner scenario that Cornell University researchers described last month, saying it could bring down the entire system.


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Article was first published in 2020
Kylie Jenner‘s legal team is speaking out in response to the Forbes article that claims she is not a billionaire.
The outlet accused Jenner and her team of “inflating the size and success of her business for years.” They say that she has pocketed around $340 million from her Kylie Cosmetics company, not the $1 billion that has been reported.
Kylie‘s lawyer Michael Kump told TMZ, “We have reviewed Forbes’ article accusing Kylie of engaging in deceit and a ‘web of lies’ to inflate her net worth. The article is filled with outright lies. Forbes’ accusation that Kylie and her accountants ‘forged tax returns’ is unequivocally false and we are demanding that Forbes immediately and publicly retract that and other statements.”
The lawyer added, “It is sad that, of all things, Forbes has devoted 3 reporters to investigate the effect of the coronavirus crisis on Kylie’s net worth. We would not expect that from a supermarket tabloid, much less from Forbes.”
Kylie has also spoken out in response to the claims made in the article.


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SWTOR Release Date
Just one quick news, that Bioware announced SWTOR release date. On December 20th game will be released in NA and two days later on 22nd December game will be released in EU.
It looks that someone will have good christmas holidays
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New Delhi: Tata group firm Titan Company Friday reported a 45.97 per cent jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 411.09 crore for the third quarter ended December 2018. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 281.61 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal.
Total income during the quarter stood at Rs 5,934.11 crore, up 35.34 per cent as against a total income of Rs 4,384.4 crore in the year-ago period, the company said in a BSE filing.
In a separate filing, the company said its board has also approved the succession plan for the managing director of the company, Bhaskar Bhat, who will retire on September 30, 2019, on attaining the age of superannuation.
Titan's jewellery division Chief Executive Officer C K Venkataraman will take over from Bhat on October 1, 2019.
"The formal process to induct Venkat on the board of the company and his appointment as Managing Director of Titan will be completed in due course and the same is subject to shareholders' approval," the company added.
During the quarter, Titan's income from watches was Rs 641 crore, a growth of 18.8 per cent over last year.
"The income figures are not comparable as the income last year was post a higher GST rate for part period, hence, the growth appears inflated. The real growth at net consumer prices is 12 per cent," the company said.
Titan's jewellery business recorded a growth of 36.8 per cent in the third quarter over last year and had an income of Rs 4,890 crore compared to Rs 3,576 crore last year.
Shares of Titan ended at Rs 991.30 apiece, down 0.41 per cent, from the previous close on the BSE.
Jayanti Chauhan, 42, is vice chairperson at the company promoted and built by her father. She will work with the professional management team headed by chief executive Angelo George, said people with knowledge of the matter.
New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) American toy and clothing retailer Toys 'R' Us is said to have shut within 24 hours a store it opened in Hyderabad to mark its second entry into India over some legal complexities with the mall owner, sources said.


text: Last March, renowned tech journalist and prognosticator Kara Swisher wrote a New York Times opinion piece with the headline, “Owning a car will soon be as quaint as owning a horse.” In it, she declared she would sell her own car and vowed she would never again own an automobile. “The concept of actually purchasing, maintaining, insuring and garaging an automobile in the next few decades? Finished,” she wrote. That column set off thousands of outraged commenters — and activated the radar at The War on Cars. We sat down with Kara at the Vox studios in downtown Manhattan to talk about what it’s like living without wheels of her own, why she loves scooters, and whether we’ll ever get the Star Trek Holodeck we’ve been promised.


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Brands update - August 2020 – 3 / 7 观点
The latest decision in the case of AMS Neve Limited v Heritage Audio has been handed down by IPEC. This has been a long-running case involving various issues relating to jurisdiction in EU trade mark cases.
The claimants brought proceedings at IPEC for infringement of an EU trade mark and two UK trade marks, and for passing off. The EU mark was a word mark for 1073 and the two UK marks were device marks.
UK-based audio equipment manufacturer, AMS Neve (AMS), claimed the Spanish company, Heritage Audio (Heritage), was selling and marketing imitation equipment to UK consumers. The products were sold under the mark 1073 and were marketed via emails, through websites and social media channels.
AMS pursued legal action in the UK against Heritage, relying on its EU trade mark and claiming infringement. AMS argued that Heritage targeted the UK public as the websites and social media accounts were available in the UK and the products were available for purchase by and shipped to UK consumers.
Heritage did not deny the products could be purchased by UK consumers but rejected that any marketing or sales occurred in the UK. Heritage also challenged English jurisdiction. Heritage argued it had not advertised or sold products within the UK, nor appointed a UK distributor. It further argued that all marketing and sales activities originated from Spain and if there was possible infringement, only a Spanish court had jurisdiction.
The judge found that the AMS had established a good arguable case that Heritage's website was targeted at the UK and that, through the website, it had advertised and offered its goods for sale in the UK. He held that the English court had jurisdiction to hear the claims for infringement of the UK trade marks and passing off, but not the claim for infringement of the EU mark. The claimants appealed against that decision and the Court of Appeal made a reference to the CJEU.
Subsequently, the defendants applied for a declaration of invalidity of the EU trade mark at the EUIPO (that EUTM has been declared invalid by the EUIPO, although the claimants have appealed the decision to the Board of Appeal). The defendants have not yet applied for a counterclaim for invalidity of the EU trade mark in the UK infringement proceedings but have indicated that they intend to do so. The defendants asked IPEC to stay the entire UK action pending a final decision by the EUIPO on invalidity.
EU trade mark owners may take legal actions in any EU Member State where targeted consumers of infringing offers are located. The CJEU held that it is irrelevant where the defendant is based, where the servers are situated, where the infringing products are located, or whether any sales occurred. What matters is the location of the consumers being targeted (with reference to Article 125(5) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001).
AMS was correct in taking legal action before the UK courts, despite Heritage not conducting any sales or marketing activities based out of the UK. UK consumers were being targeted and for that reason the CJEU decided that UK courts had jurisdiction to determine infringement of the EU trade mark in the UK.
The relevant law under consideration in this latest decision is Articles 132(1) and 128(4) of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1001.
Article 132(1) provides that, where an invalidity application has been made in the EUIPO – or in a counterclaim in another Member State court – subsequent trade mark infringement proceedings in a Member State are stayed in the absence of special circumstances (this is known as an invalidity torpedo).
Article 128(4) provides that – if an application for a declaration of invalidity of an EU trade mark has already been filed at the EUIPO before the filing of a counterclaim for invalidity of the same mark in infringement proceedings – the court shall stay the "proceedings" in accordance with Article 132(1).
The defendants argued that the effect of Article 128(4)/132(1) is that the entire UK action should be stayed. The question IPEC had to decide in this decision was what does the word "proceedings" mean in Article 128(4); is it just the counterclaim for invalidity that is stayed or the infringement claim, too?
The court held that Article 132 only applied in the specific circumstances mentioned (where infringement is filed after a claim for invalidity). An action for infringement is not the same as a counterclaim for invalidity: all that had to be stayed was the counterclaim and not the original infringement action. If this were not the case, a defendant could simply issue an invalidity application at the EUIPO after the bringing of an infringement action and then make a counterclaim (leading to an invalidity torpedo).
Even if IPEC had been required to stay the EU trade mark claim, it would not have stayed the rest of the action (infringement of the UK trade marks and passing off). Those issues could not be tried anywhere else and there would be no point staying them.
The decision has been appealed to the Court of Appeal.
Case Ref: IP-2015-000171
作者 Julia King


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OMNI Protocol Is Victim Of Latest Hack
A breach on the NFT system, OMNI, resulted in a loss of about 1,300 ETH. The attack on the NFT market happened on the 10th of July.
However, this is a worthless fund as no user assets were compromised. The attacker only took internal testing funds from the NFT protocol.
OMNI was swift to clarify that just the private testing funds were affected. Also, the platform noted the testing process was still in the beta stage.
The team has put the protocol on hold as they look into what caused the attack. According to PeckShield, it appeared to be a reentrancy hack on the platform.
According to the cryptographic security firm, BlockSec, the hack was caused by the old-school reentrancy of onERC721Received. Later, BlockSec revealed the flaws in the smart contracts. The company also demonstrated how the attacker had borrowed ETH using NFTs.
However, the borrowed ETH became a bad debt that the platform does not have to pay. Meanwhile, the team has not provided a comprehensive analysis of the attack.
They were lucky that the hacker took just money used for internal testing. Furthermore, attacks on the NFT and DeFi space have increased, with criminals stealing millions of dollars.
Hackers Continue To Target The NFT Space
Meanwhile, sales have slowed down in the NFT market. However, it is still among the most active segments in the cryptocurrency industry. This has made it a top target for cybercriminals and hackers.
These fraudsters look for opportunities to compromise systems and steal money. Such occurrences have happened quite a few times in 2022.
XCarnival, an NFT lending pool, lost around $4 million due to an attack in 2022. Moreover, the hacker also took a 1,500 ETH reward from the protocol.
Furthermore, multiple phishing efforts have affected Discord and other social platforms. Hackers also made these attacks against the Bored Ape Yacht Club. However, the Ronin Bridge hack is the most popular attack in the NFT space.
This resulted in the theft of more than $600 million. Analysts stated that hackers from North Korea were responsible for the event.
However, North Korea has recently seen the value of its stolen cryptocurrency decline. This is due to the ongoing market slump in the crypto sector.


text: By Teppei Kasai TOKYO (Reuters) – Silicon Valley-based VMware Inc said it will form a cloud computing partnership with China Telecom Corp, expanding in China at a time when many U.S. technology firms’ businesses there are experiencing fallout from a cyber security squabble. VMware said on Tuesday it will work with China Telecom to build a hybrid cloud service to be operated by the state-owned company, China’s biggest cloud service provider. U.S. equipment and software providers such as IBM Corp and Cisco Systems Inc have seen their China sales drop after last year’s revelations by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden of U.S. spying. “To us, we think about Snowden, we think about these allegations going back and forth, and it’s disappointing,” VMware Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger said in an interview on Tuesday following announcements of partnerships with China Telecom and Japan’s SoftBank Corp. He said, however, that allowing China Telecom to sell products under its own brand made it easier to do business in China.


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LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — An April 4article on the Australian Financial Review reports on an interview in which Prince Charles, the heir apparent to the English Crown, advocates for a more sustainable approach to fashion, including the use of natural fibers in general and wool in particular. He notes that these fibers are long lasting, reducing the need for new clothes, and naturally degrade once they have finally outlived their use. Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc. notes that designers and manufacturers who are heeding Charles’ call for a more environmentally friendly, naturally sourced, approach to clothing have every reason to let consumers know about their approach on both fabric labels and tags, including hand tags. The comments also are a reminder of the power of celebrity to promote fashion products.
The fashion business is about a lot more than just clothing, says Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling. After all, apparel is both intimate and public and we all make some kind of a fashion statement every time we leave the house, says the firm. Letting customers know about the environmentally sound manufacture and sourcing of a product is an outstanding way to reach out to the millions of environmentally aware individuals with enough disposable income to pay extra for specialized products, says the firm. When celebrities allow their names to be used in connection with green projects, that is another selling point that can be emphasized on larger hang tags. The company notes that small fabric labels, typically used for simple branding and conveying important or legally required information, can also more subtly communicate a message about the attributes of a product that make it special and appealing to certain groups.
Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling adds that it’s worth considering that the 69 year-old prince – who to be clear is not partnering with any particular fashion manufacturer — is an example of how celebrities can reach certain markets. While many marketers tend to focus exclusively on younger consumers, the reality is that older people buy things too and often have more money to spend. Products that might be aimed at somewhat older consumers should not be afraid to tie themselves in with older individuals when their products are largely purchased by a more mature demographic, says the manufacturer.
Readers who would like to learn more Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc. about how fabric labels and tags can help to sell their products can reach it at (213) 746-7772. They cans also check out the company’s web site, http://www.FabricLabels.com.
SOURCE Fabric Labels
This Article Was Originally From *This Site*
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Coronavirus Upheaval Prompts Independent Hotels to Look at Management Company Startups
The startup Life House has a new white-labeled full management service that doesn't require a costly rebrand or renovation. We expect only a few dozen hotels will sign up this year for it. But the new offering underscores the bigger picture, stark choices facing the owners of tens of thousands of independent hotels now.
Sean O'Neill, Skift | 2 years ago


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Apple World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) 2016 starts on June 13 in San Francisco, which is tomorrow. The keynote starts at 10.00 am PST, which is around 10.30 pm IST, and Apple will have a live-stream available.
WWDC is more about the software side of things, and new hardware is not expected. What’s certain is Apple will give us a preview of iOS 10, OS X, and new versions of Apple Watch and TV OS.
Here’s a look at the top things to expect from WWDC 2016
iPhone sales might have slowed down for Apple, but news of the mobile OS is still a big deal to millions of Apple users across the world.
iOS 10’s first preview will be at Apple WWDC, and not too many changes are expected on the design front. Reports say,Apple might introduce an ability to draw on photos in the app, just like the Skitch app.
Apple Music is expected to get a design upgrade. Bloomberg reported, Apple Music’s UI will be altered to “make it more intuitive to use.”
Also Apple might finally allow users to delete some pre-installed Apple apps, for which many of us have no use. Think Find Friends, Stocks, etc. According to a report on AppAdvice “metadata keys added to App Store apps” suggested that Apple is working on the feature.
Apple Pay could get support for payments via Web browsers, says a report by Re/Code. The report says, Apple told its partners the payment service is expanding to websites later this year, and will work on Safari on iPhones and iPads. New 3D Touch features are also expected.
But the big change in iOS expected is around Siri, Apple’s voice-assistant. In iOS 9, we saw Apple introduce proactive assistance to its mobile operating system, and Siri getting some boost. In iOS 10, Apple is expected to take this further, and yes Siri will finally be making appearance on OS X as well.
According to a report in The Information, Apple will open up the software development kit (SDK) for Siri, and it will be made available to third-party apps. The report adds the Cupertino-giant is working on an Amazon-Echo/Google Home style speaker device, which will come with Siri and the ability to stream music, get news headlines, etc. Whether we get a glimpse of this device at WWDC, remains to be seen.
Siri hasn’t quite kept up with rivals like Amazon’s Alexa or even Google’s voice-assistant in terms of the kind of features it offers. Now, Apple wants to make sure Siri is not left behind in the AI-race.
In a podcast NYT’s Farhad Manjoo spoke to Mark Gurman, the former Senior Editor at 9to5Mac known for his Apple scoops. Gurman explained the reason Siri wasn’t given such a free-hand across iOS was due to privacy fears as Apple wants to make sure the data collected by Siri is allocated to the right application.
He also hinted users might be able book an Uber or a table (in US) via the Hey Siri command.
MacRumors points out Apple is also looking at an iCloud Voicemail service to let Siri answer missed calls, record and transcribe messages for users. Plus Apple’s recent acquisitions of AI-based companies like VocalIQ, Perceptio could give Siri new capabilities. Perceptio is a start-up to boost AI systems while limiting cloud storage dependence, which might be more suited for Apple given their privacy obsession, notes the report.
OS X 12.1
Of course the big update for OS X 12.1 will be Siri on desktop. Microsoft’s Cortana is already available on Windows 10 desktops, and Apple is late in bringing its voice-assistant to its iMac, MacBooks. Siri is expected to have the same functions on OS X as it does on iOS.
Apple might also be working on an OS X feature to let a user unlock their MacBook or iMac via their iPhone when the two are in proximity, reports MacRumors.
Again we could see Apple make changes to the Music app on OS X. With 2015 not seeing a major overhaul for OS X, we’ll have to see if this year, Apple introduces some big new changes.
We’ll have live updates from San Francisco for the Apple WWDC 2016 keynote, so watch this space for more.


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GameStop’s UK storefront has recently updated their GTA V release date projections for March 1st, 2013 on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. This March release date seemed to be the best guess by industry insiders as for when to expect the next Grand Theft Auto title for Rockstar.
Whether this is a case of GameStop jumping the gun on details that haven’t been made public yet, or just a shot in the dark, is unknown. Since the game’s announcement back in 2011, there has been plenty of speculation as to when fans should expect the GTA 5.
Neither Take Two Interactive or Rockstar Games has made any announcements about the release date for Grand Theft Auto 5. In fact, they’ve made no announcements of any kind over recent weeks. The last we saw from the game’s development were screenshots that showcased the leisure andbusiness aspects of Los Santos.
As we wait for official confirmation from the companies on when to expect the release date for GTA V, there has been recent fake gameplay footage released, by those looking to capitalize on the excitement surrounding the game. Rockstar has asked fans for patience, explaining that accurate information for Grand Theft Auto V could be found on the official Rockstar site for the game.
- This article was updated on:March 7th, 2018


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Will The Kia GT Concept Be Called The Stinger?
Reports have it that Korean auto maker Kia is working on a sleek sports sedan with a rear-wheel drive. This was apparently first featured in 2011 in the form of the Kia GT concept. Oh, how time flies.
It now carries the codename CK, and has recently been spotted on the back of a truck. Sources said it is set to make its debut later this year at the 2016 Paris Auto Show in September.
Until recent reports that reveal it might carry the Stinger name, this particular Kia was called a GT. Is the revelation that it will be named Stinger a confirmation that the GT would be a sports car performance-wise? After all, Kia used the name Stinger for its sports car concept in 2014.
That particular sports car was ruled out for production because of a low demand, but elements of it—the design and apparently, the name—will be featured on this sedan.
This GT or Stinger is based on the platform used on the Genesis G80 and the G90 sedans. One of the available powertrains for that platform is the twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 fitted in the Genesis sedans. That can produce 365 horsepower. Customers can choose between 4- or 6-cylinder engines.
Whatever it will be called, this new Kia is slated to be a part of the 2018 lineup for the Korean brand. It will fit somewhere in the middle of the Cadenza and the K900, and would compete with style-led sedans such as the Audi A7 and the Mercedes-Benz CLS. The Kia, of course, will be way cheaper.
Cheap cars are the centerfold of Kia’s business model. Though this was a successful strategy at first, Kia and sister company Hyundai are experiencing declining profits amid increasing sales. The new strategy seems to be targeting more profitable segments, such as the one where this new Kia will fit.


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CMIE data shows that India’s unemployment rate rose from 7.60 per cent in March to 7.83 per cent in April. In Urban areas the unemployment rate rose to 9.22 per cent in April from 8.28 per cent in March whereas in rural areas it fell from 7.29 per cent in March to 7.18 per cent in April. According to the same data, large numbers of people are not even looking for a job, which might be because of disappointment and depression of trying and not getting a job after many attempts. It is also evident that this huge increase in unemployment rate is not only because of pandemic but, there is a bigger picture behind this scenario. Unveiling the curtains will make it clear. CMIE said that between 2017 and 2022, the overall labour participation rate dropped from 46 per cent to 40 per cent. The dark side of the story begins now. This decrease in labour force participation rate, which is because of disappointment of not getting a job actually decreases the labour force and thus decreases the unemployment rate. The disappointed ones are counted as ‘out of labour force’ and not as unemployed. The data we get to see about unemployment can thus be very well manipulated and this does not show the full story about labour market stress in our country. The problem is much bigger than what we get to see. Alongside, there are other worse problems related to employment. Only about 10 per cent of labour force is in the organized sector. Most of them are employed in the informal sectors. Contractual and temporary jobs are significantly increasing in numbers. Start ups have emerged as a major driver of gig economy in India. Gig workers are mostly unsatisfied with their benefits and work pressure. The informal sector is hit badly because of these reasons and it is really difficult to quantify the stress in job market. The role of government had been worse in the recent years in working as an employer of last resort. Back-door admission in jobs have become very common. Twelve million people have applied for only thirty-five thousand vacancies at Indian Railways for clerical jobs this year. Job loss had been massive in the pandemic years. Millions of people got unemployed. Is the government unaware of what the nation is going through? Obviously not. When we talk about unemployment, we should bring in inflation rate which is soaring high in the recent times. A.W. Phillips, a renowned economist stated that inflation and unemployment have an inverse relationship. In India we have reached a stage of stagflation, that is, simultaneous increase in inflation and stagnation of economic output.
Moody’s slashed India’s economic growth projections from 9.1 per cent earlier to 8.8 per cent. A terrific rise in price in all items from fuel to vegetables and cooking oil increased Wholesale Price Index to a record high of 15.8 percent in April and retail inflation to a near eight years high of 7.79 per cent. As a result of this hyperinflation Reserve Bank of India held an unscheduled meeting to raise the interest rate by 40 basis points to 4.40 percent, which is obviously a remedy to control inflation rate. In simple terms, increasing interest rate will decrease money supply in the economy, which will result in lowering inflation rate. Central banks have always been much more interested in controlling inflation rate than unemployment. There is a specific reason behind this.
In capitalist mode of production, the government is merely a puppet of large industrialists. Industries increases profit either by reducing wages or by making a worker do more intense work. But as times changed, they have become more interested in financial markets. Profit generated by investing in these financial markets is another way to earn for industrialists. In this age of liberalization this has become even more dangerous. After the 2008 Financial Crisis people got to see what speculation can actually cause. Even academicians promoted large scale deregulation. But profit is what an industrialist seeks and hence the government always tries to save the financial markets. In the trade off between inflation rate and unemployment, governments of various capitalist nations have gone in favour of controlling inflation rate. Increase in number of gig workers have endorsed this. Deviating the minds of people is what they try to do. The government always focuses more on inflation rate because high inflation rate can affect financial markets and can lead to huge losses for investors. Controlling inflation rate on the other hand can increase unemployment. But why should the government of Ambanis and Adanis even think of reducing unemployment when reducing inflation is their sole aim and manipulating unemployment rate becomes pretty easy? As Prabhat Patnaik said brilliantly, “…. apart from the produced surplus value, there is an additional source of income for the financial oligarchy that comes from primitive accumulation of capital. For this reason unemployment is less important from the point of view of this oligarchy than inflation; and this is duly reflected in government policy which privileges the latter over the former.”


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As states begin reopening, many facilities will need to rethink how to clean and disinfect the workplace to protect employees from COVID-19 and comply with State and Federal guidelines. However, these changes may require new or revised OSHA hazard communication strategies, depending on which cleaning/disinfecting agents are being used.
Craft Brewing Business recently published a list of six common OSHA violations in the craft brewing industry that was later picked up by Occupational Health & Safety. As more and more craft brewers emerge and expand their workforce, employers in the brewing industry are realizing their own unique responsibilities to protect their employees.
OSHA unveiled its preliminary list of the top 10 most-cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2019 at the National Safety Council Congress & Expo in San Diego earlier this month.
A well-known retail convenience store chain with more than 1,700 stores in California last week agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve allegations that it failed to train store personnel who handled hazardous materials.
Do all chemical containers need GHS labels? Lion instructor and Certified Dangerous Goods Professional (CDGP) Joel Gregier answers this common OSHA chemical hazard communication question in Safety + Health Magazine online this month.
For alleged repeat violations of OSHA work safety standards, a New Jersey chain-link fence manufacturer now faces nearly $200,000 in civil penalties.
In a memo aimed at field staff who perform workplace safety inspections, issued in September but posted to OSHA’s website recently, OSHA provides useful guidance for chemical industry professionals tasked with maintaining compliance with the updated GHS Hazard Communication Standard, or 2012 HCS.
US DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and OSHA recently issued a joint guidance document to help industry comply with overlapping hazard communication, or “HazCom,” rules for chemicals in the workplace and in transportation.
On-the-job injuries and illnesses cost US businesses 1 billion dollars per week, according to the 2016 Liberty Mutal Workplace Safety Index. With losses this staggering, it’s no wonder EHS professionals take safety training seriously. OSHA maintains a number of safety standards that address on-the-job hazards, ranging from fire safety to handling explosives, from using a respirator to operating certain machines, and much, much more.
At the recent National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo in Atlanta, OSHA released its list of the Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations. See the list below. We’ve indicated each OSHA standard’s spot on last year’s Top 10 violations list after each entry. As you will see, the list did not change much...
Shipping papers are a crucial part of safely
shipping hazardous materials.
See the top 5 mistakes shippers make on
shipping papers, and how to avoid them.


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International Apparel and Textile Fair (IATF), the industry’s biggest showcase platform in the MENA region and the sourcing hub for fabrics, textile, apparels and more, will be held at Dubai World Trade Centre from November 12-14, 2018. The event, being organised by Nihalani Events Management, will have nearly 110+ exhibitors from 14 countries.
IATF will bring together manufacturers and their agents along with some of the most influential buyers and designers to the MENA region. The event will provide an extensive platform to connect and network with industry professionals, create long and promising professional relationship and giving all exhibitors an opportunity to expand their business boundaries.
The show’s new and past exhibitors would be showcasing fabric, haute couture, machineries and ready-made apparels and garments along with a new edition to the categories this year, footwear and hand bags. The exhibitors would be travelling from Turkey, China, Japan, Thailand, India and so on to name a few. They would also be introducing new fashion trends, colour creations and design solutions to the MENA markets while making an impact within the industry, organisers said.


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Cell to be featured in upcoming Dragon Ball Z x Adidas collection.
The much anticipated Dragon Ball Z x Adidas sneaker collection has yet to be fully revealed but select sneakers have surfaced in recent weeks, including the "Majin Buu" Adidas Kamanda and the "Son Goku" Adidas ZX500 RM. The latest DBZ x Adidas sneaker comes in the form of the Adidas Prophere, which is inspired by the villain Cell.
The green, knit upper of the Prophere is highlighted by a spotted pattern that mirrors Cell's skin, while the purple and navy blue accents further the ties to the character's look. Pricing and a specific release date have not yet been announced but the "Cell" Adidas Prophere is rumored to drop in September.
In total, there are seven different Dragon Ball Z x Adidas sneakers set to release later this year. The collection will reportedly drop in pairs, beginning with Goku going head-to-head with Frieza in August, followed by Cell vs Gohan in September, and Vegeta vs Majin Buu in November. Lastly, the collection will conclude with a Shenron-inspired sneaker in December.


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Some of the world’s biggest fashion brands are asking locked-down models to shoot their own campaigns to promote the latest clothing collections.
While frustrated customers are unable to visit malls, retail giants such as Zara owner Inditex
Social distancing has ruled out models promoting items on catwalks or at jet-set locations, but one model agency has found an innovative solution — the do-it-yourself photo shoot.
Anthony Bourgois, the president of Women Management, part of the Elite World Group, gathered some of his best talent willing to stage photo shoots from home and won interest from different brands.
Read:Visa sees ‘massive’ digital acceleration with millions trying e-commerce for first time
“What we did at Women [was to send] a very big presentation to all our clients, basically telling them where models are, pictures of their location, because we want to help them to organize home shoots,” he told MarketWatch.
But Bourgois said some models are luckier than others and live with photographers, while others must make do with the camera skills of parents or nonprofessional roommates.
“Sometimes it is very, very easy because some of them are married or they are dating a photographer within the business,” he said.
For those who cannot access a nice location or somebody to help with pictures, “it is tough,” Bourgois said. Only about 40% of his talent have been able to secure work from home.
One of them is Héloïse Guérin, who lives with her professional-photographer husband, Victor Demarchelier, and their two daughters.
She has been one of Women’s most successful DIY talents because of her husband’s skill set. Even her children have been involved.
“It’s definitely a new experience — Victor has always used me for art projects, and we have worked together on a couple of shoots before, but this is entirely different,” she told MarketWatch.
Usually, Women’s models work with a team of over 20 stylists, makeup artists and set designers, but now, for Guérin and her husband, it’s a two-person affair.
“I do my own hair and makeup and put the looks together, I discuss styling with clients, and, my favorite part, I get to actually look at pictures with my husband and give my input,” she said.
Clients have talked about returning to photo studios at the end of May and in June as several jurisdictions ease lockdowns, Bourgois said, but the industry could look a lot different.
Instead of a veritable army, “we’re going to limit the number of people on the shoots — maybe instead of 20 people, we will try to do it with five people,” he said.
ASOS said in May it was encouraging its influencers to shoot from home as brands across the industry pivot to online sales.
Read:3 e-commerce exchange-traded funds for the online shopping boom
Figures from the online sales tracker Interactive Media in Retail Group show retail sales grew by 23.3% in April compared with the year-earlier month, and Bourgois thinks brands are realizing the necessity of models, he said, even in a postcoronavirus world.
He said: “Sometimes people say, oh, maybe in a few years, we won’t need models anymore, like, you know, but it’s not true, we can see that, without the models, the brands are really, really struggling.”


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It’s Friday, so chances are, if you work at an agency, you’re reading this with one eye on the clock, preparing to bolt the second your summer Friday kicks into gear. The perennial agency tradition is alive and well; it just doesn’t look anything like it used to. Instead of the typical half days every Friday between Memorial and Labor Day, summer Fridays today come in a variety of flavors: from four-day holiday weekends to a couple of full Fridays off.
Advertising agency BBDO, for example, used to allow all of its New York staffers leave early on Fridays. Now, employees are allowed to pick four Fridays during the summer to take off entirely, a change first brought about when the recession hit. The policy ensures that operations run smoothly even when a few people are out while allowing staffers to take it easy during the summer months.
“The industry has shifted from one that has historically relied on seasonality to one that’s always on, always busy and unpredictable,” said John Osborn, CEO at BBDO New York. “The mass exodus that would happen at noon just doesn’t make sense anymore; that wasn’t productive for anybody.”
Like BBDO, Deutsch Los Angeles, Ogilvy & Mather and Havas Chicago all have their own versions of summer Fridays. Walrus is quite generous, shutting down completely the week before the July 4 holiday weekend. Others, like Huge and Omelet, still stick to the tradition of giving their employees half days on Fridays throughout the season. The proponents all argue that summer Fridays not only help promote work-life balance but also boost productivity. And in an industry with an acute shortage of talent, it doesn’t hurt as a recruitment and retention tool either.
“In the agency world, it’s an industry standard,” said Hannah Lindsey, vp of talent at Huge. “It definitely helps us set the expectations up front and attract and retain top talent.”
Execs do acknowledge that since the practice is not as prevalent outside of advertising, and it is often a frustrating experience for clients. Work, after all, doesn’t come to a complete standstill on a random summer Friday. “It’s a hard sell for clients,” said Jennifer Marszalek, chief talent officer at Havas Chicago, who came from the client side. “It is unacceptable in other industries and a luxury that only agencies can afford.”
It may be a luxury, but it is rightly deserved, said Alison Brod, owner of Alison Brod Public Relations, a beauty, fashion and lifestyle PR agency. The demands of the industry and the “never-asleep” 24-hour media and social landscape tend to require more hours than other industries. Summer Fridays are a way to compensate for the hard work that gets done during the year, said Brod, who has done everything from organizing blowouts to getting a Hamptons home for her publicists to unwind on summer Fridays in the past.
“It is needed more than ever before because with email and the ease of communication, we are always on, answering clients’ urgent emails at 2 a.m. or monitoring social media post traffic,” she said. “Summer Fridays or not, everyone is on call even if they are at the beach at 5 p.m. on Friday.”
Not everyone is as passionate an advocate for summer Fridays, however, and would rather be done with the tradition entirely. James Cooper, head of creative at Betaworks and former chief creative innovation officer at JWT, called summer Fridays of any stripe “a relic from the past.” The tradition stems from the culture of long agency hours, which itself results from an outdated agency model.
“There’s no real reason to work late nights and weekends and then count on the summer for these benefits,” he said. “Instead of figuring out a more sustainable new model, agencies are focusing on these perks.”
Until that happens, staffers like Omelet producer Caitlin McBride will continue to happily log late hours, because they know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel: in her case, a day out with her colleagues at the beach.
“I’m spoiled for choice,” she said. “There’s a reason I’ve been here for over five years.”
Digiday+ Research: Agencies see different paths for online, offline ad spend this year
Agencies expect a big jump in online ad spend this year — but the same isn't true for offline ad spend.
Marketers seek agency-of-record relationships with influencer agencies as influencer marketing matures
Marketers are moving away from a project-based approach to a long-term vision with influencer marketing agencies participating in strategy meetings along with other agencies rather than being an afterthought.
Why acquisitions could be the inevitable future for embattled in-game ad companies
As game developers and big tech companies alike realize the revenue-generating power of mobile gaming, they have engaged in a flurry of merger and acquisition activity.
SponsoredQ&A: How Jounce Media and Teads are framing SPO’s role in driving sustainability
As supply chain concerns abound, marketers are increasingly focusing on the main motivators that drive efficiency in their operations, including financial considerations, supply chain transparency and, most recently, environmental concerns. Sustainability has not always been at the forefront of the digital video buying process for the ad industry, but brands like Teads are taking steps […]
Marketing Briefing: With younger consumers questioning brands’ trustworthiness, marketers turn to scenario planning
More certainty that a marketing play is an authentic fit for a given brand is key as consumers are more skeptical of advertising than ever.
The open programmatic market is in a tough spot
There’s a ballooning number of publisher-initiated programmatic auctions being pushed through a shrinking ad tech pipe.


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Ace designer Giorgio Armani's ambitious collection at the Milan Fashion Week has received a positive response and applause from the fashion critics. However, the fashion label had sent the models on a runaway which was at an empty theatre. This shocking decision was fueled by the massive outbreak of the coronavirus in Italy.
The Italian fashion house also closed its Autumn-Winter 2020 show for the general public. Instead, it opted to live stream the entire event. According to media reports, this was done as a major preventive measure. Reportedly, a spokesperson of the company said on Sunday that this decision was also taken to support all the national efforts for protecting the public health.
The Women’s FW20-21 fashion show will be held behind closed doors. This is a preventative measure decided by Mr Armani to support national efforts in safeguarding public health.— Armani (@armani) February 23, 2020
Watch the live streaming at 4pm CET today on https://t.co/NWwXAxiY4f pic.twitter.com/jAKhv2YlOG
The 16-minute show concluded with Armani himself coming in and taking a bow for all the audiences who were witnessing this event online. Talking about the disease, Angelo Borrelli of the Civil Protection Agency said that Italy is currently battling the largest outbreak of coronavirus. He also added at the press briefing that around 219 cases of the disease have been reported so far. Reportedly, five people have lost their lives and one has recovered after the outbreak of the virus. According to media reports, the authorities have been issuing a ban on public events in Italy.
The Shanghai Fashion Week which was supposed to be held on March 1 and 2, 2020 has also been postponed.


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The Best Buy Connect service will offer unlimited 4G WiMax service for US$45 a month with a month-to-month or two-year contract. The retailer says customers can waive the $35 activation fee and receive up to an additional $150 off select devices if they buy the two-year contract.
The store will offer the service as an option on 23 different computer models. These include laptops from Dell Technologies (Nasdaq: DELL), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Korea: SEC) and Toshiba Corp. (Tokyo: 6502).
The service plan has been in the works for a while. Best Buy and Clearwire announced the strategic wholesale deal in July 2010, but the retailer inked a distribution deal way back in 2005.
LightSquared's CEO announced that the LTE upstart had struck a similar mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) deal with Best Buy at the CTIA show last week. Trials for that service are expected in the first quarter of 2012.
Why this matters Best Buy, which has a massive U.S. retail footprint, appears to be presenting itself as a low-cost 4G mobile data service provider, offering the Clearwire service now and the LightSquared LTE service later. The offerings are likely to be more nomadic in nature to begin with because of the initial notebook platform, but Best Buy also sells plenty of handsets.
For more Dig into the history of this deal below:
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile


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There’s no question that the 2012 London Olympics have been the most socially-enabled games to date. With the combination of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, both Olympians and their fans have swirled up a social media frenzy over the past few weeks.
Londoner, Alex Nash (better known as Nash Money) has taken the social games one step further with his Twitter-enabled adidas adiPower Barricade tennis shoe. An innovator and footwear enthusiast, Nash took apart a pair of red Barricades – the same ones worn by Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray – and wired them to receive Tweets. Featuring an Arduino electronics platform, LCD display, and LED lighting the USB-enabled shoe polls the Twitter API to receive data directly.
This high-tech shoe could very well be the future of social integration in sports, and who knows, maybe by the time the 2016 Rio Olympics roll around, stars like Usain Bolt could be tweeting up a storm directly from the track.
Check out the video below to see how the @adidasbarricade came to life.
Related: Murray Brothers Play Olympic Opener in adidas Barricade


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2014 is the year that work became a central point of discussion in Silicon Valley. For the engineers and knowledge workers in the region, issues of diversity and inclusion finally got their turn in the limelight, forcing us to question our deeply-held views about the meritocracy of Silicon Valley.
We also had to confront news that several of our most iconic technology companies conspired to hold down wages for employees. While that legal case continues to wind its way through motions and procedures, the message remains crystal clear about how executives see their engineering talent.
Our efforts have not just been internal though, but have also affected the way our entire economy runs. Airbnb, Uber, and other startups in the sharing economy have started to redefine work in the 21st century. That transformation has led to much controversy, such as when Uber unilaterally lowered prices on its UberX service
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Acumen Research and Consulting, Recently Published Report On “Telehealth Market Size, Share, Growth Opportunity, Sales, Trends and Forecast, 2019 - 2026”
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
Original Article: Telehealth Market Size Worth Around US$ 20 Billion by 2026NEXT ARTICLE
The Top 100 Pharmaceutical Companies
Top 10 biotech and pharmaceutical companies worldwide based on market value in 2015 2015 ranking of the global top 10 biotech and pharmaceutical companies based on revenue (in billion U.S. dollars) Johnson & Johnson, U.S. 74...


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The 2017 Suzuki Swift spy photo and brochure leaks revealed the car to several people way ahead of its scheduled debut. The images were that of a car that is slightly longer, wider, and bigger than its predecessor, the Suzuki Baleno. Designed to challenge the Ford Fiesta, the 2017 Suzuki Swift is made with graceful lines that gave the car its impressive look.
By studying how the Suzuki Baleno looked and performed, makers of the 2017 Suzuki Swift were able to come up with a design that will be an improvement of its predecessor. Because weight-saving materials were used in its chassis and other parts, it will be more fun and lighter to drive, according to Auto Express.
From the leaked brochure, it appeared that the 2017 Suzuki Swift would be powered by a 1.2-liter, a 1.0-liter turbo, or a 1.2-liter hybrid system with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The car will come in several colors of red, black, aqua, white, blue, gold/champagne, silver and purple, a great array of choices for customers when it comes to car color. Those made for the local market will be available in three models: the XL, XG and Hybrid ML grades as well as models that are sporty, like the RS, Hybrid RS and RSt, according to Car Advice.
In terms of power train, the leaked brochure indicated that the 2017 Suzuki Swift will have 112 horsepower from a Booster jet engine matched by a six-speed gear box. The interior will have a modern touch screen infotainment system that is similar to that of the Baleno. It can be considered a great fuel saver, with a price starting at £9,100, according to Auto Car.
For people who prefer a car that is fast and a real money-saver, the 2017 Suzuki Swift is an obvious choice for the holiday season.


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Find out how we’ve earned our place as Europe’s leading courier network.
Uni isn’t for everyone – some people have different interests or graduate and decide they want to go into something that doesn’t require a degree. Mark is one such success story… and after joining CX, his business really took off.Read story
Darrin Armstrong, Managing Director of Lost & Found Courier Services, explains why CX is the perfect business partner.
“When I started couriering 14 years ago, things weren’t easy. The industry was much more conservative and risk adverse. It was…Read story
When Mike set up Dortudor Dot Com, he joined CX – and the rest is history. By using our platform to find work and by upholding his high standards of customer service, he has watched his business grow to be a huge success.Read story
Company news, industry data and customer stories from across the UK and Europe
Stay up to date with our latest news, products and services.
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Some skeptical and cynical investors might think that founders and their families get to do whatever they want inside a company. It turns out that founders themselves, at least if they keep majority control, get a lot of freedom to run a company how they see fit. Their descendants, not so much.
The ongoing, or on-again off-gain, case of a founding family’s quest to take Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) private again is becoming rather peculiar. The founding family of the higher end mall-based department stores was reported as wanting to take the company private last June.
When that was announced, Co-presidents Blake W. Nordstrom, Peter E. Nordstrom and Erik B. Nordstrom; President of Stores James F. Nordstrom; Chairman Emeritus Bruce A. Nordstrom; and Anne E. Gittinger had come together to explore the possibility of pursuing a “going private transaction.” That’s code for a founding family-led buyout.
And in October of 2017 it was reported that the family notified the board of directors that they were suspending their efforts to take Nordstrom private after news that financing was becoming an issue.
Jump forward to March of 2018, and now Nordstrom’s special committee to evaluate offers already has rejected the founding family’s indicative offer to purchase all the outstanding shares of Nordstrom’s common stock not already owned by the group, including approximately 21% of the shares owned by the Nordstrom family members in the group, for $50 per share in cash.
The big question here now is what Nordstrom is really worth on its own as a standalone business. It also might make some investors wonder if the independent people evaluating Nordstrom’s worth have a problem with the family members of this buyout group itself.
When word of the “go-private” deal broke last June, Nordstrom shares immediately jumped up 16% to $47.00, and at that time it had a consensus analyst price target of $47.35 and a 52-week trading range of $35.01 to $62.82. It turns out that things really are not all that different for Nordstrom shares when you jump forward to the present day:
- The stock was last seen down 1.5% at $51.13 and had previously closed at $51.90.
- Its current consensus analyst target price from Thomson Reuters was $51.88.
- Its 52-week range is now $37.79 to $54.00.
A look at Wall Street research reports and at history shows that Nordstrom traded as high as $80 back in early 2015. That was before the Amazon death star and other omnichannel pressures put any retailer with physical locations at risk. But if you look at the retail landscape now, many of the retailers have come back much stronger than Nordstrom, now that it seems like Amazon and the threat of online competition can’t just obliterate every single brick-and-mortar retailer.
The consensus target price is very close to $52 on a mean basis and right at $52 on a median analyst target. If the family is only willing to offer $50 per share initially, there appears to be a serious disconnect between real value and perceived value.
Now consider the highest analyst target price on Wall Street is only $60. Sure, it’s higher than now, but it implies less than 20% upside. And that’s after tax reform has passed, with an effective tax rate of 38% last year looking to be far lower in 2018 and ahead. Thomson Reuters shows an effective tax rate projection of closer to 28% in the years ahead.
Jim Cramer on CNBC has telegraphed that it might take $56 a share to acquire Nordstrom.
On March 1, William Blair’s team noted that management sounded more confident that its margins can both stabilize and grow. They also noted that the potential buyout clouds the near-term share outlook, and that is why they had only a Market Perform rating. The team at Piper Jaffray recently reiterated its Neutral rating and $48 price target. But D.A. Davidson has raised Nordstrom’s price target to $58 from $53, and the firm has a Buy rating.
On top of the special committee reviewing the potential offer as inadequate, the press release said:
The Special Committee has directed its advisors and management not to provide further due diligence information to the Group. Furthermore, unless the Group can promptly and substantially improve the price it is proposing to pay for the Company, the Special Committee intends to terminate discussions.
The Special Committee is committed to protecting the interests of the Company and all of its shareholders. The Special Committee is being advised by Centerview Partners LLC as financial advisor and Sidley Austin LLP as legal counsel.
No assurances can be given regarding the terms and details of any transaction, that any proposal made by the Group will be accepted by the Special Committee, that definitive documentation relating to a transaction will be executed, or that a transaction will be consummated in accordance with that documentation, if at all. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise this press release to reflect subsequent events, new information or future circumstances, except as required by law.
If the company is unwilling to offer any further due diligence and is demanding a substantial and nearly immediate uptick on the $50 buyout price, this is a deal that may just never come to fruition. At $51.38 a share, Nordstrom has an $8.6 billion market cap, and it already carries an additional $2.7 billion in long-term debt without more post-buyout debt being piled on to pay for going private.
This Nordstrom buyout is one of those potential deals that just doesn’t look right. And it might even have become personal rather than about raw financial matters.


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NEW YORK — The NASDAQ stock market has temporarily suspended certain trading requirements to help companies remain listed on the exchange and to ease the economic turmoil following this month's terrorist attacks.
The stock market, which lists more than 4,300 companies, said Thursday that the moratorium is effective until Jan. 2, 2002.
The move exempts companies from meeting minimum share price and public float requirements to stay listed on the exchange.Float refers to the number of outstanding shares available for trading by the public.
"It gives those companies that were on the cusp of delisting a chance to weather the uncertain times a little more," said NASDAQ spokesman Michael DeMeo.
The NASDAQ does not release the number of companies that face delisting, he said.
A company's shares must trade above a minimum price, usually a dollar, to stay listed on the NASDAQ. The minimum value of a public float of a company's shares varies.
Companies that fail to meet either requirement for 30 days are automatically notified they face delisting, but are given 90 days to comply with the regulations.
NASDAQ chairman and chief executive officer Wick Simmons said suspending the requirements will help stabilize the economy, which was already in bad shape before the Sept. 11 attacks in Washington and New York.
The uncertainty generated by the strikes has triggered tens of thousands of layoffs, sent stock prices to their lowest levels in years and shaken consumer spending.


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Telomerase Activation Sciences, Inc., and its officer Noel Patton, were recently accused by the FTC of making unsubstantiated claims related to two specific anti-aging products. Telomerase Activation Sciences (TA Sciences) is a Delaware corporation that advertised two specific products, TA-65MD and TA-65 Skin, to the public through brochures, fliers at physician conferences, through infomercials, and talk shows. According to the complaint, the products, also sold on Amazon and other websites, came with a price tag of between $100 and $1,200 per bottle, depending on the product and the pill count. The FTC alleges that TA Sciences made at least $56 million on these two products.
The Problem? TA Sciences Can’t Prove Their Products Work
Despite millions and millions in sales, the FTC alleges that TA Sciences made claims about their products that they can’t prove and that they engaged in false advertising. According to the complaint, the FTC argues that TA Sciences falsely advertised that TA-65MD and TA-65 Skin reverse aging TA-65MD prevents and repairs DNA damage, restores the aging immune system, improves bone density, reverses aging of the skin and the eyes, and prevents or reduces the risk of cancer; TA-65 Skin was advertised as decreasing recovery time for the skin after a medical procedure.
In 2012, TA Sciences paid for a segment of The Suzanne Show. The Suzanne Show was supposed to be an independent, educational show, but was essentially paid advertising for TA Sciences during that time. TA Sciences allegedly gave away free bottles, worth up to $4,000, to “consumers” in exchange for an endorsement.
In short, TA Sciences has never performed or published independent results of scientific testing done on those specific products.
FTC Wants to Stop TA Sciences from Misleading the Public
The FTC has asked the federal court to issue an order that prevents TA Sciences from continuing to mislead the public about their products and their benefits, performance, efficacy, safety, or side effects if they cannot present competent and reliable scientific evidence. Under the order, the defendant would be specifically prevented from mentioning that their products are proven to reverse aging, prevent or repair DNA damage, restore aging immune systems, or increasing bone density.


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TOKYO - Sony's chief executive says the company has accumulated huge losses because it has not responded quickly enough to changing market conditions but is promising a return to profit next year.
Kazuo Hirai was speaking Thursday to reporters after the Japanese electronics and entertainment company last week reported a 128.4 billion yen ($1.3 billion) loss for the fiscal year ended March. It is forecasting a 50 billion yen ($490 million) loss for the current fiscal year.
Sony has repeatedly disappointed investors by not achieving its ambitious profit forecasts.
Hirai vowed a turnaround centered on Sony's core technologies, such as image sensors, cloud-based services and wearable devices.
He denied the company will sell or pull the plug on its money-losing TV business.


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Rush is sharing a new visualizer for "Chemistry"
The track is from the forthcoming 40th-anniversary reissues of their 1982 album, "Signals."
The project will be out on April 28 and will be available in three distinct configurations, including the Super Deluxe Edition, the one-LP Picture Disc Edition, and the Dolby Atmos Digital Edition.
There will also be a limited edition Super Deluxe box featuring eight lithographs of Neil Peart's original hand-drawn lyrics for each song on "Signals."
The Super Deluxe box will only be available through the official Rush online store.
Photo Credit: Getty


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The Game Developers Conference has been the source of a lot of news this week and we’ve got another substantial bit that just came out of Nintendo.
While they didn’t do a ton of elaborating, Nintendo announced that 3D videos and movie trailers will be coming to the 3DS very soon. They also took the time to announce that Netflix will be coming to the 3DS this summer, provided you live in the U.S. or Canada, of course.
The 3DS version will also include the live bookmarking feature that allows you stop a movie on your 3DS and pick back up where you left off on another device.
While the Netflix bit likely won’t interest a lot of you reading this due to region restrictions, if they can do Netflix, I see no reason why they can’t do other streaming services that might be local to your area. Stay tuned for more info.
Source: Nintendo Everything


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With L.A. Noire's Nicholson Electroplating downloadable content only a week away, it's about time we got some more information on it. Rockstar just released a brand new, shiny trailer featuring everybody's favourite policeman Cole Phelps and his trusted Arson partner Herschel Biggs.
The trailer itself is (only) 35 seconds long, but that's more than enough to know that this is going to be one hell of a DLC! Nicholson Electroplating is set to be released on June 21 for 320 Microsoft points or $3.99.
Read more >
Good news! TakeTwo just released a press release, detailing the upcoming downloadable content packs, as well as the Rockstar Pass.
First of all, every pre-order bonus has been released as seperate content, with prices ranging from $2-$4. All the pre-order bonuses can be bought in one pack with the Rockstar pass DLC for $10 as a temporary discount (until June 24th, when the price will be $12). The Consul's Car pack will remain PS3 exclusive.
Two new cases will be available for $4 each. First of all, there's the Arson case Nicholson Electroplating which will be released June 21st. The second case, Reefer Madness, is a Vice case and will be available July 12th.Read more >
Rockstar just announced that they will release new information on the upcoming L.A. Noire downloadable content, including the upcoming cases, pre-order bonuses and the Rockstar Pass downloadable content, next week.
Rockstar hasn't told us what the exact details are, though it's highly likely that Rockstar will announce the release dates of the upcoming DLC, and will officially announce Nicholson Electroplating.
Personally, I've been waiting for new DLC ever since I completed L.A. Noire, what about you guys?Read more >
Rockstar just released a press release stating that the first title update for L.A. Noire has just been released, featuring several fixes, including:
- Fixes for several in-game store issues including age-verification for DLC purchases
- Fixes for minor gameplay bugs and graphical issues
- Fixes for several minor plot/objective/conversation issues
- Improvements in stat-tracking and Social-Club integration
This patch will be downloaded automatically when you start L.A. Noire, and is required to play the game unless you're not online on Xbox LIVE or the PlayStation Network.
Personally, I haven't encountered any (major) bugs yet, what about you?Read more >
With only one day left for the release of L.A. Noire in the US, the reviews are starting to flood in from many major gaming sites, including IGN, Joystiq and Gamespot. Most, if not all, reviews are extremely positive about the game, and mainly compliment the great story and motion caption technology.
Below is a list of some of the reviews.
LinkRead more >


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Breakaways are being taken away for good, leaving us with simply a few months to get our fingers on the long-lasting chocolate biscuit bar.
Nestle has introduced Breakaways might be discontinued from March after 54 years on British cabinets.
The historic chocolate digestive biscuit bar sealed in its traditional yellow wrapper is getting axed alongside Yorkie Biscuit bars resulting from a decline in gross sales, Nestle says.
If you like common Yorkies, do not stress – Nestle has promised they’re “staying for good”.
The deal with makers have vowed to exchange the outgoing bars with “exciting new products” later within the 12 months.
It stated one in every of them might be a brand new variation of the Blue Riband bar which can have hazelnut filling layered between the wafers.
Whether that may soften the blow for Breakaway fanatics stays to be seen.
A Nestle spokesperson stated: “We know followers might be upset to see it go, but it surely’s time for us to say goodbye to Breakaway.
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Chocolate maker chosen for Oscars
“We have seen a decline in the sales of Breakaway over the past few years and, unfortunately, we had to make the difficult decision to discontinue it.
“By saying goodbye to Breakaway, we will deal with our best-performing manufacturers, in addition to develop thrilling new improvements to thrill customers’ style buds.
“While we know it’s sad to see Yorkie Biscuit go, we want to assure shoppers that we have plenty of exciting new products lined up for 2024. Watch this space.”
The Breakaway, made with wholemeal, oat and coconut flours, was launched in 1970 by Rowntree Mackintosh earlier than being acquired by Nestle in 1988.
Its tragic downfall follows Nestle’s axing of the Caramac bar in November after 64 years.


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Miami-Bound IKEA Sets Sweetwater Sojourn
Thursday August 23rd, 2012 - 12:12PM
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IKEA is submitting plans for a Miami-Dade market store in the City of Sweetwater, FL. The store will be the company’s second in South Florida and fourth in the state.
Pending regulatory approvals, construction could begin as early as Spring 2013, with the store opening to follow as early as Fall 2014.
The new IKEA location will occupy 14.6 acres west of Miami International Airport at the intersection of the Dolphin Expressway and Florida Turnpike, adjacent to the Dolphin Mall. Plans call for the 417,000-square-foot IKEA Miami to rise above two levels of parking totaling 1,500 spaces. Store architecture reflects the unique design that defines IKEA worldwide, the company stated. In line with the company’s environmental initiatives, it will evaluate solar generation potential for the proposed store. If incorporated, solar power at the Miami store would complement the company’s renewable energy presence of 89% of its locations in the United States.
“We are thrilled with the reception afforded IKEA since entering the state nearly five years ago, so we are excited to submit plans for IKEA Miami where we can grow our Florida and southeastern U.S. reach,” said Mike Ward, IKEA U.S. president. “This proposed store would complement our South Florida presence established in Sunrise and bring the unique family-friendly shopping experience closer to existing and new Miami-Dade customers.”
Tags: Housewares Cookware & Bakeware Health & Personal Care Home Décor Home Environment Small Electrics Organization & Cleaning Tabletop Gadgets & Kitchen Tools Retail Sustainability
Dissecting what Ron Johnson got wrong during his brief, calamitous term at the helm of J.C. Penney is sure to be the focal point of retail strategy and tactics lessons for years to come. But Penney’s future could still hinge to some extent on what he got right.


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Silicon-based solar panels today cost close to $3 per watt to produce, SolFocus will manufacture solar systems at $2 per watt when it opens its first concentrator plant next year. Larger scale production (in the area of gigawatts) will cut the cost per watt to just 50 cents. The second generation should cut costs further, says Conley, to as low as 32 cents per watt.
The products are aimed at the commercial market, such as retail stores or office parks. SolFocus also intends to build large-scale power generation, where a field of panels could generate several hundred megawatts of power, Conley said. The company intends to have a 100-megawatt manufacturing facility in India operating at the end of next year, he said. SolFocus then intends to replicate that plant in China, Europe and somewhere in the Americas.


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Editors Blog – Electronic skin patches: beyond med-tech
Electronic skin patches have great potential in the healthcare sector. One company, In2tec, is proving to be flexible in design and application, discovers Caroline Hayes
In previous blogs, we have covered patches that can be used for healthcare and In2tec got in touch to tell us how it is developing this technology to help its customers realise the potential of flexible electronics in medical technology (med-tech).
In standard form electronic skin patches can monitor biology, such as glucose levels and activate attached components such as a diabetes medicine dispenser, in a comparatively unobtrusive form factor. Major benefits are to free up hospital beds, as patients can be remotely monitored at home using the patches, another benefit is that it allows the patient to continue with normal day-to-day routines.
Electronics design and manufacturing company, In2tec, is looking at ways to develop the technology, exploiting the small, lightweight and unobtrusive form factor.
Beyond the hospital
The potential for harnessing biological data without bulky, costly equipment is highly sought within many industries.
Beyond traditional hospital healthcare, the compact form and easily-implementable wireless data transmission make the technology ideal for situations where bulky medical equipment could not previously be carried, says In2tec, for example in-flight emergencies, search and rescue operations and disaster relief efforts.
Most patches are temporary, because patients are expected to see health improvements, and, when used to monitor athletes, the wearers will leave the field at some point. Some applications, however need more permanent solutions, for example treating long-term conditions, such as spinal cord injuries. Smart, wearable devices also make this method of treatment achievable. Devices can be implanted under the skin; the core principle is the same: using scaled down flexible electronic devices to deliver medicinal doses and complete data analysis.
By bringing long-term electronic skin patches to the average person, it is possible to enable better health tracking and self-diagnosis in a form that could be carried easily and conveniently, connected via Bluetooth to a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop. With the world’s population growing, and with healthcare resources and budgets stretched, this technology may become vital to avoid increasing waiting times and reduce the reliance on the costly alternatives used today, says In2tec.
Commercial availability is only a matter of time. Ordering a patch kit online and downloading the associated app, could become the standard for medical self-diagnosis. This will be a first step, with measured cases being escalated to medical professionals. This would free up precious healthcare resources to tend to the severe cases, whilst ensuring diagnoses and treatment is widely available in a timely manner and at a controlled, lower cost.
As medical wearable devices become commercially available, more applications are being explored. New applications for electronic skin patches are surfacing daily, says In2tec, which has incorporated flexible wearable technology into medical diagnosis and prevention methods, monitoring and improving issues during sleep, sports analytics, and GPS tracking devices are just some of the areas it is exploring.


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Thursday, January 8, 2015 7:49 am
Samsung Electronics on Thursday flagged a further on-year plunge in profits for the fourth quarter, as the world’s top smartphone producer continued to battle stiff competition from Chinese makers.
Operating profit for the October-December period was estimated at 5.2 trillion won ($4.7 billion), down 37.4 percent from the fourth quarter of 2013, the company said.
The profit estimate was higher than many analyst expectations with strong demand for high-margin chips mitigating slumping profits in the key mobile sector.
Sales totalled about 52 trillion won in the quarter, the company said, down 12.3 percent from a year earlier.
The estimate offered no net profit forecast or details of divisional earnings, which will be provided in an audited earnings report later this month.
The South Korean behemoth, which is also facing a once-in-a-generation leadership change, saw its net profit decline sharply by 20 and 50 percent in the second and third quarters of 2014 respectively.
The nosedive has been all the more dramatic for coming after several years of stellar growth, driven by surging smartphone sales.
But the company’s flagship Galaxy phones have suffered in the high-end market from the popularity of arch-rival Apple’s iPhone 6, while dominance of the middle- and low-end handset segment has been challenged by Chinese handset makers such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Lenovo.
Mainland China is the world’s largest smartphone market, and Xiaomi’s cheap, feature-packed handsets had already ousted Samsung as the top seller there in the second quarter of 2014.
Samsung plans to slash the number of smartphone models it issues in 2015, while boosting production of remaining models that can be sold more cheaply to compete with cut-price Chinese rivals.


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Ohio University alumnus Jake Sigal, the founder and CEO of Tome, Inc., has been named the recipient of the 2016 Konneker Medal for Commercialization and Entrepreneurship.
The Ohio University Foundation established the Konneker Medal to recognize current and former faculty members and students who have demonstrated excellence in innovation, invention, commercialization and entrepreneurship. The award is named in honor of Wilfred Konneker, an Ohio University alumnus renowned for his contributions to these fields.
Sigal has launched two successful startup companies: Livio and Tome. Both focus on digital audio, consumer electronics and internet-connected products. He has been awarded 11 U.S. patents for his innovations, which include a wireless internet radio system, a portable media player for digital content and various integrated automotive technologies.
Livio’s high-profile products, developed by Sigal, have included standalone internet radio collaborations with NPR and Pandora, and the Livio Connect software that facilitated the integration of mobile apps and vehicle hardware systems. Ford Motor Company acquired Livio in 2013.
Tome Software launched in 2014 and works with established companies to develop internet-connected products within the growing “Internet of Things” tech industry.
Sigal earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in industrial and systems engineering from the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. In 2014, Ohio University awarded him the Charles J. and Claire O. Ping Recent Graduate Award for his achievements. He has earned numerous industry honors, including the Automotive Leadership Up and Coming Award from the Detroit Free Press, and has been a semifinalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
“Jake Sigal has had remarkable success in creating new technologies for advanced communication,” said Joseph Shields, vice president for research and creative activity and dean of the Graduate College. “The Konneker Medal recognizes not only these achievements but also his accomplishments as an entrepreneur in making his inventions available to benefit the public.”
Sigal, whose companies are based in metro Detroit, frequently returns to the Athens campus where he once performed with the Marching 110. He said he enjoys speaking to Russ College students and other young entrepreneurs about the technology commercialization and business fields. He also actively mentors new startup companies in Detroit through the Techstars business accelerator program.
“My experience at Ohio provided the tools and people skills that allowed me to work with some of the best people in the world,” Sigal said. “Working with young entrepreneurs and students is a passion of mine. I like to discuss how it’s better to create a job than to go out and get a job after leaving school.”
Ohio University will award the Konneker Medal to Sigal at its annual Inventors Dinner celebration Feb. 8.
Photo of Jake Sigal courtesy of Tome Inc.


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Tesla’s top performance car, the Model SP100D can run a quarter-mile in 10 seconds, that’s incredibly fast. However, one Canadian company wanted to see how far they could push the Tesla drivetrain.
Ottawa-based EV Controls took the guts out of a Tesla Model S P85 and put it into a kit car, along with two battery packs from a Chevy Volt. They then took their creation to Luskville, Dragway in Quebec to try it out.
EV Controls filmed the entire run from both outside and inside the car for their YouTube channel.
The EV kit car, called 818, managed to shock onlookers when it covered all 1,320 feet (402 meters) of the track in just 9.869 seconds, trapping 129 mph (2017 km/h). That's more than a second quicker than a P100D with Ludicrous mode.
EV Controls primarily makes T1-C controllers that allows you to adapt the powertrain into other vehicles.
“The T-1 allows CAN control over the drive modes (Drive, Neutral, Reverse), displays the information coming back from the inverter, and allows you to control and adjust the power and regenerative braking limits. The T-1C does all this and adds 12 outputs to control a variety of outputs that any installation would require,” the company explains on their website.
They modified Tesla’s firmware to work with this controller, together they both produced about 530 horsepower, “about 60 hp more than the stock motor outputs,” states website The Drive.
Thanks to the 818 being a kit car, the team was able to lighten the load by about 2,500 pounds which to be fair, is much mightier than a Model S. The 818 came in at around 2,100 pounds.
Ludicrous Mode is the name for the 2015 turbo upgrade for all Model S cars. There is no battery involved either; it comes from what Musk called, “fairly advanced and exotic electronics.
Elon Musk claimed at the end of 2016 that the Tesla Model S P100D would be able “to do 0 to 60mph in 2.4 seconds and a 10.6-second ¼ mile via software update next month,” he stated on Twitter with the usual Musk confidence.
Looks like the Model S P100D Easter egg will allow it to do 0 to 60 mph in 2.4 sec and a 10.6 sec 1/4 mile via software update next month— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2016
Then, earlier this year, a Model S set a quarter-mile world record for the fastest stock four-door sedan ever. Coupled with a Ludicrous Plus upgrade, the car was able to mark the quarter mile at 10.72 seconds out the gate. Just a little shy of Musk’s prediction but still something to write home about.
A video of the event was recorded by YouTube channel DragTimes. They also revealed that three P100Ds went to the drag track to race that night, but only one hit the 10.7 range.
Since speed is definitely one of Tesla’s priorities, perhaps they should take a meeting with the team from EV Controls.


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It looks like fans will be introduced to two new Xbox consoles soon, including a slimmer version of the Xbox One this year and a more powerful Xbox Two sometime next year.
Microsoft is reportedly planning to unveil a slimmer version of their new-gen console, Xbox One, at this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo, or E3. The Verge states that the new Xbox One version will be slimmer by 40 percent supports 4K video. The site also claimed that the slim model will be equipped with a 2TB hard drive, which is twice the space capacity of the current model.
Kotaku echoed this claim, adding that the smaller model will probably be cheaper. Polygon further claims that the slim version of the Xbox One will get a redesigned controller as well. The console is scheduled for release in August, although the price for the console has not yet been finalized.
Meanwhile, several other news outlets have confirmed that Microsoft is also developing a more powerful Xbox console, codenamed 'Scorpio,' and is rumored to launch by 2017. The new Xbox will boast a more powerful GPU. Apparently, Microsoft is aiming for a partnership with Oculus.
The two upcoming Xbox consoles are said to be part of Microsoft's 'Project Helix', which aims to combine Xbox and Windows. According to sources, Microsoft is looking at the possibility of being able to release future game titles on both platforms.
E3 is fast approaching and - if the sources are correct - gaming fans will get to see a brand new console on the market before this year ends. And with the Playstation 4.5 also rumored to be unveiled at the games expo, its seems like it's going to be another 'Sony vs Microsoft' showdown.