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- Nokia 6.1 Plus user guide spotted on official website; India launch imminent
- Nokia 3.1 went on sale for the first time in India at Rs 10,499
- Top best Android One smartphones to buy in India which receives faster software updates
- Nokia 6.1 Plus Android One is Nokia X6 global variant
- Nokia 3.1 launched in India for Rs. 10,499: Android One, 18:9 display and more
- Nokia X6 India launch to happen in August or September as Nokia 6.1 Plus
As we already know about the fact that Nokia will re-enter into the smartphone business in 2017. Nokia itself officially confirmed the news. And, we have earlier seen some leaks about a Nokia-powered Android phone called 'Nokia D1C', and now we have another information regarding this phone.
Nokia is rumored to launch three to four Android-powered phones at MWC 2017 and rumors say that the company will launch two flagship phones along with an entry-level phone and a mid-ranger.
Also Read: New Nokia Phone Concept Hits the Web and it's Absolutely Gorgeous
Having said that, leaks till date suggested that the Nokia D1C will be the company's entry-level smartphone with entry-level specs. The smartphone has been through benchmark listings already, and the latest leak from Nokiapoweruser reveals more detailed specs of the upcoming phone.
Two Variants In Tow
According to NPU, the Nokia D1C will be made available in two display variant sizes, which was earlier rumored as well. However, the important thing here is both the phone differ internally as well.
A 5-inch Variant
The lower end variant will boast of a 5-inch 1080p screen along with 2GB of RAM and a 13MP rear camera. The smartphone will also get an 8MP sensor on the front. There might be 16GB of internal storage along with support for expandable storage.
A 5.5-inch Variant
Another variant of Nokia D1C comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p screen along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Also, the rear camera on this variant will be of 16MP, but boasts of the same 8MP front-facing camera.
Snapdragon 430 SoC Will power both Variants
One noticeable thing with this leak is that both the variants will be equipped with the earlier reported 1.4 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU along with the Adreno 505 GPU for taking up the graphics
Boots Android Nougat
The best feature of all. The Nokia D1C (two variants) will run Android Nougat out-of-the-box. Though this was not a new leak, it is one of the most anticipated features of the phone.


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ANA today (04AUG15) announced service adjustment between Tokyo Haneda and China starting 25OCT15, including new nonstop service to Guangzhou and Shanghai Pu Dong. Reservations for new flights listed below are now available.
Tokyo Haneda – Guangzhou
NH923 HND0925 – 1350CAN 763 D
NH924 CAN1505 – 2000HND 763 D
ANA currently operates 1 daily flight from Tokyo Narita
Tokyo Haneda – Shanghai Pu Dong
NH971 HND1830 – 2110PVG 763 D
NH972 PVG0820 – 1205HND 763 D
ANA currently operates 2 daily flights to Shanghai Hongqiao from Tokyo Haneda
Tokyo Haneda – Beijing NEW 2nd daily service
NH963 HND1725 – 2035PEK 777 D
NH964 PEK0830 – 1245HND 777 D
ANA’s press release says NH963/964 to be operated by 767, however GDS inventory lists 777. NH963/964 will replace Tokyo Narita – Beijing NH905/906, which NRT PEK will be reduced from 2 to 1 daily.

domain: news


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Channel partners fearing the possibility of artificial intelligence (AI) making their business irrelevant can take comfort in insight shared from IDC pointing to IT brands remaining important as more companies...
Check out which articles grabbed the most attention this week
Pure Storage moves to two-tier program, reveals it cut dozens of North American partners last year
Daily tech news and analysis channel partners need to know now, including channel's sales challenge, tablets and PCs' stabilization, U.S. sites' GDPR problem and more
What's been happening this week on Channelnomics?


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Adaptec spokesman Adam Trunkey confirmed today that both companies, which supply adapter cards for computers and workstations, have received letters from the FTC asking for more information about the proposed acquisition.
Trunkey said the FTC requests, issued last week, are broad in scope and seek information "related to business practices, product development, and research and development efforts." The federal government increasingly has been scrutinizing technology mergers.
All mergers in the United States valued above $15 million receive some examination by the federal government. The issuance of second requests for documents, which happens in only a relatively small number of cases, indicates that regulators may have particular concerns.
The companies announced the acquisition in mid February. Under the deal, Milpitas, California-based Adaptec would pay cash for all the outstanding stock of Symbios, which is a division of Hyundai Electronics America. The companies said they hoped to close the deal 90 days after it was announced, pending regulatory approval.
Both companies make tools that connect peripheral devices to computers or workstations. Adaptec, which focuses primarily on Intel-based machines that run on Microsoft operating systems, is a large supplier of SCSI or "scuzzy" adapter cards.
Symbios, by contrast, makes products for higher-end machines, such as Unix servers and RISC (reduced instruction set computer) workstations. The company had been slated for to go public before Hyundai put it up for sale.


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Fears mount in Asia over Japanese food
Supermarkets across Asia are selling fewer Japanese products and restaurants in "Little Tokyo" districts are suffering as fears rise that Japan's food chain is being dangerously tainted with radiation.
No Asian government has yet imposed a ban on Japanese food imports, a step taken Wednesday by the United States which is now barring dairy products and fresh produce from regions around a stricken nuclear plant in eastern Japan.
But South Korea is considering a ban and other Asian governments began testing Japanese food imports shortly after radiation started leaking from the Fukushima power station, which was crippled by a devastating earthquake and tsunami nearly two weeks ago.
testing has so far not detected any major contamination of imports, and Japanese as well as other authorities around the world have insisted the crisis will not be as bad as the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
But with radiation continuing to leak and Japanese authorities unable to say how much contamination has already occurred, nor exactly where it has gone, people around the Asia-Pacific are growing increasingly anxious.
"Over the past two weeks we've had the lowest number of customers since I opened three years ago," said Japanese restaurateur Shigeyoshi Yasumoto, who runs the Saika eatery in the Philippine capital's "Little Tokyo" enclave.
Across the street, a speciality Japanese mini-supermarket was almost empty of customers this week and the Filipino store manager said business had almost dried up.
"I can't blame the customers. I wouldn't buy Japanese products myself nowadays, although we assure the public our stocks were pre-March 11," the manager said, referring to the date of the 9.0-magnitude quake that hit Japan.
Japanese authorities sought in the early stages of the nuclear crisis to assure people that radiation had not entered the food chain in harmful levels, but they acknowledged this week the situation was becoming more dangerous.
Japan has found radiation exceeding legal limits in 11 kinds of vegetable grown near the damaged plant. The government Wednesday banned the shipments of some of those vegetables, as well as untreated milk, from the affected areas.
In a potentially even more alarming development, authorities said Wednesday that radioactive iodine over twice the safe level for infants had been detected in Tokyo's tap water.
In South Korea, some retailers and consumers were taking no chances despite the nation's food safety agency testing all food imports from Japan.
Two of the biggest South Korean supermarket chains, Lotte Mart and Homeplus, suspended sales of some Japanese fish this week.
"The customs inspection officials declared them safe but we decided to ban them from stores because consumers were so afraid," said a Homeplus spokesman, adding the retailer had bought more fish from Russia to fill the void.
Huh You-Kyung, a lawyer in Seoul, said she had no plans to eat even fish caught at home, one of the closest countries to Japan geographically.
"You may say I'm overreacting with baseless fear, but I'm trying to think as protectively as possible for my baby daughters' safety," she said.
Tensions were similarly rising in Hong Kong, where thousands of people work in about 600 Japanese restaurants.
"We can see the impact now, a drastic drop in these businesses and it is threatening the livelihood of people who work (in Japanese restaurants)," Yuen Fuk-wo, chairman of the Eating Establishment Employees General Union, told AFP.
The World Health Organization has given a guarded response to the situation in Japan, cautiously endorsing the government's actions while emphasising that the contamination threat for the food chain remains unknown.
"We still don't have a lot of specific information," Swiss-based WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told AFP by telephone when asked about how much radiation was leaking and the dangers this posed for people and the food chain.
But he said it appeared the Japanese authorities were acting properly in issuing alerts about contaminated products and food bans.
"It appears to be the case that they have taken the precautionary measures necessary," he said.
Pavel Tkalich, an engineer who advised authorities in Ukraine about how radiation had spread following the Chernobyl disaster, similarly said no one yet knew the extent of contamination in the food chain in and around Japan.
"Everything depends on the quantity (of radiation)," said Tkalich, who is now an associate professor at the National University of Singapore's civil engineering department.
"How much of the radioactive material falls into the agriculture, how much exactly gets into the water, but the information is not yet clear."
In the case of Chernobyl, millions of people are believed to have been exposed to some form of radiation in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, where millions of acres (hectares) of farming and forest land remain contaminated.


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The storms of July 10 that swamped the Madison area not only caused flooding, but in the case of Chalet Ski & Patio, it caused a partial roof collapse. The store has been closed since, as repair and remodeling work continues before it re-opens at a future date.
In a July 19 news release, Tony Millonig of Chalet Ski & Patio said the store would temporarily close to repair the damage. All the merchandise was removed from the building and relocated to their warehouse in Belleville, and the store will be restored to its “original condition” in preparation for a grand re-opening, he said.
The company’s service department, warehouse and company offices remain open. For updates on the date of the re-opening, check chaletski.com or call 273-8263.


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Mexican Pork Market
Fernando Ortiz-Hermida – Genesus Ibero-American Business Development
The Mexican pork market has been strengthened over the course of the current year. Despite having a slight decrease in the Easter season, which is normal due to a lower red meat consumption, the market has recovered its pace and has put prices up during the summer that is coming to an end, as we can see on chart 1.
Between May and August, Mexican pork producers experienced a profit growth of about 20 cents per pound, which was reflected in approximately 50 dollars’ net profit per head (Chart 2). In relation to the per capita consumption of pork in Mexico, by 2017 it is forecast to be at its highest level in the recent history of the country, that is, over 18.0 kg, 17.9 kg below the per capita consumption of chicken but 3.8 kg higher than beef. In other words, the per capita consumption of pork increased between 2006 and 2016 at an average annual rate of 2.8 percent.
During the last decade in Mexico, domestic pork production has continued to grow, especially from 2011. The outlook for continued expansion in the coming years is favorable. Control of PED, improved sanitary measures, and increased investments to improve herd through better genetics are expected to increase the number of heads sent to the market by 7% per year by 2017, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of Mexico. Also the national herd is projected to get expanded in about 60,000 more sows.
However according with USDA Mexico’s pork production will grow 4.5 percent in 2017 up to 1.44 million tonnes. This growth will be mainly due to a larger number of animals slaughtered and the weight of these because of the improvement in feed and genetic systems, the USDA reported. Regarding to consumption per-capita, the USDA forecast report indicates that it will be 2.27 million tonnes, or 2.8 percent more than in 2016. This is in line with the Mexican government’s report.
In a more general context both Mexican and Canadian feed prices continue on the upside as a result of FX (Exchange Rate) effects adding pressure to end users, including animal protein. Producers without access to the export markets show lower margins, increasing the possibility of consolidation, particularly in the Mexican beef and pork sectors
This post was written by Genesus


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Plans to extend Sunday trading hours have been defeated following a vote at Belfast City Council.
The council voted 12-3 against the move, with Sinn Féin, the DUP and SDLP all opposing it.
Protests were held by shop workers outside Belfast City Hall on Friday morning ahead of the meeting of the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee.
Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: “Retail NI welcomes the comprehensive vote by Belfast City councillors to drop plans to relax Sunday trading across the city.
"This would have given a further unfair competitive advantage to large supermarkets and disadvantaged local small shops, whose Sunday morning trade is vital for their survival."
Gordon McElroy, president of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said he was disappointed by the result.
"The chamber represents the entire business community of Belfast - from small independent retailers, coffee shops, bars and restaurants to large multi-nationals - and, with their absolute best interests at heart, we believe that extended Sunday trading would positively benefit trade in the city, which would have a cumulative effect across the whole of Northern Ireland.
"The chamber will continue to lobby for Belfast to be designated a holiday resort, which we believe will not only help attract additional visitors to the city, but provide life and vitality to our city for those who currently visit but are frustrated by the lack of business and attractions which are open on Sundays before 1pm."


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Concordium, the Layer 1 science-backed blockchain dedicated to creating a safer digital world, has announced the upcoming launch of EUROe, a fully regulated MiCAR-compatible, Euro-backed stablecoin developed by Finnish fintech powerhouse Membrane Finance, natively on Concordium. Offering a secure and regulated digital Euro, the launch removes crypto exposure, bridge risk and regulatory issues, presenting a quantum leap linking the existing financial system with Web3 and the decentralized future of finance.
The announcement coincides with Concordium and Membrane’s joint sponsorship of the Dutch Blockchain Week, taking place in the Netherlands from November 13th to 17th, 2023.
EUROe’s anticipated issuance on Concordium offers compelling benefits to companies and investors. Projects can rest assured they are interacting with a regulated asset thanks to Concordium’s emphasis on security and compliance. With a token native to the Concordium blockchain, EUROe holders will not face bridge risk, which occurs when stablecoins are bridged back to their native chain to be redeemed. Furthermore, Concordium’s robust identity verification framework brings trust to DeFi transactions, as all entities know they are interacting with verified parties, without the latter needing to divulge sensitive information. Investors and businesses can therefore interact with EUROe safely on Concordium.
Lars Seier Christensen, Chairman and Founder at Concordium, said: “EUROe’s built-in regulatory compliance and seamless on- and off-ramp to the Euro is a boon to investors and DeFi projects wishing to take advantage of a Euro-pegged stablecoin for their investments and business goals. By integrating EUROe on Concordium’s regulatory-ready and enterprise-grade technology, Membrane Finance is unlocking a new era of DeFi for players who value compliance, privacy, and safety.”
EUROe maintains a locked 1:1 backing with EUR, ensuring users can confidently deposit EUR and redeem EUROe with the assurance of a seamless and very low cost conversion process. To enable the integration with Concordium, Membrane Finance will first release a smart contract that controls the issuance, minting, and redeeming of the EUROe stablecoin as a CIS-2 token on the Concordium blockchain.
Juha Viitala, CEO of Membrane Finance, stated: “Concordium’s emphasis on privacy-preserving identity verification infrastructure and regulatory compliance provides the optimal framework for the next generation of DeFi projects. Thanks to the integration of EUROe on the Concordium blockchain, existing and future projects and their users can seamlessly transact with the token without needing to worry about bridge risk or identity fraud.”
EUROe’s upcoming launch highlights a strategic move in the creation of a harmonized ecosystem where both regulation and innovation coexist, offering a future-proof blockchain platform suited to support a diverse range of projects. Concordium invites businesses, investors, and innovators to join the EUROe launch, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of digital finance. For more information, visit Concordium.com
Concordium is a permissionless green layer 1, a science-backed blockchain that balances privacy with accountability through its ID layer and Zero-knowledge proofs. Creating trust with ID is key to scaling businesses. Concordium provides a fast, secure, and high-scale blockchain platform that makes building use cases and using dApps easy. Concordium differs by having verified ID and instant finality with high throughput, and low transaction fees, pegged to FIAT. With leadership from Fortune 500 companies, Volvo, IKEA, Credit Suisse, Uber, and successful Fintech platforms, the team is scaling the chain to its extensive network of the world’s biggest enterprises.
About Membrane Finance
Membrane Finance is a Finnish leading financial technology company. Known for having architected EUROe, an EU-regulated, fully-reserved Euro stablecoin to bring fiat Euro liquidity onto the blockchain, Membrane specialises in linking traditional financial infrastructure with blockchain solutions and are committed to fostering financial innovation and inclusion. As a subsidiary of Equilibrium Group, known for its expertise in web3 infrastructure, Membrane Finance is at the forefront of driving blockchain-based financial adoption.


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Samsung may be looking to acquire Nuance Communications, which makes speech and voice recognition technology that is used across the board, with even Apple using it for its personal assistant app, Siri. Furthermore, Nuance’s technology is also used in many other devices that benefit from voice input, dedicated GPS units (PNDs) being one of them. In addition, the company owns the popular virtual keyboard Swype which Samsung uses/preloads on many of its mobile devices.
Perhaps more interesting is the fact that Nuance is a force in the healthcare sector, the area that is increasingly getting attention from Koreans.
At the moment, it’s still unclear whether this deal will actually happen, but that hasn’t stopped investors from pumping up Nuance’s stock price. The company, in case you wonder, is currently valued at around $5.5 billion. For those who need this sort of information, the (in)famous Carl Icahn is Nuance’s largest shareholder.
It remains to be seen how the industry would react if Samsung ends-up owning Nuance. Most Android users wouldn’t notice a thing with Google Now relying on different (Google’s own) technology to detect the words you’re speaking.


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The actual sales figures surrounding Microsoft's Surface Pro (and Surface RT, for that matter) haven't been announced, but one thing was almost immediately clear on launch day: there weren't enough Surface Pro units to go around. This week, Microsoft
is actually addressing the shortages that consumers in the U.S. and Canada faced on the 9th, stating in a blog post: "We know some retail and online locations have been low or out of stock of Surface Pro and we’re working to address this."
What's the company doing to address it? In America, it's hipping additional units of the 64GB SKU to Best Buy, Staples and Microsoft Store now, while 128GB units will ship again "later this week." We're told that some of those should make it to shelves by the end of this week. Not surprisingly, Microsoft notes that the priority is on fulfilling orders for those that made reservations. Canada is following a similar timeline but may take an extra few days to start arriving.
Microsoft has also stated that "demand is high," and that it's "working as quickly as it can" to get the Pro to market. In other words, hang tight!


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|By Business Wire||
|December 6, 2012 08:00 AM EST||
The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA®), HomePlug® Alliance, Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA®) and Wi-Fi Alliance® will together promote and demonstrate the connected home during 2013 International CES, January 8 – 11. Demonstrations in South Hall 1, Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth 20300 will showcase how these technology standards from the four alliances create the ultimate connected home experience.
The market is experiencing exponential growth in the demand for connected home devices and applications. Trends toward ultra-high-speed broadband access, pay TV, and OTT services and device-to-device connectivity are changing the way consumers play, watch and listen to media. This evolution, combined with an influx of digital devices in every room, is expanding the scope and requirements of the connected home. As the connected home environment continues to evolve and expand, DLNA, HomePlug, MoCA and Wi-Fi Alliance, combined with their more than 650 member companies, play a crucial role in delivering a seamless and rich experience.
“From wired to wireless devices, DLNA Certified® products take advantage of the high speeds and broad deployments of home networking technologies,” said Nidhish Parikh, chairman and president of DLNA. “As part of this year’s joint alliance activity at CES we will be showcasing the flexibility for consumers to enjoy their photos, music and videos on DLNA Certified® products where they want it and when they want it.”
“HomePlug Certified products deliver reliable performance and true plug and play networking for millions of consumers worldwide,” said Rob Ranck, president of the HomePlug Alliance. “We are delighted to join with the three other alliances at CES 2013 that share the vision of enabling a connected lifestyle for consumers.”
“It is an honor to be with the industry’s most established and respected home networking standard alliances. Through our collective presence, we demonstrate to the industry, from service provider to equipment vendor to consumer, that the technologies for getting media where you want it, when you want it are all represented,” said Rob Gelphman, VP of Marketing and Member Relations, MoCA.
“We are now in the era of the truly connected home, and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ products help realize the full potential of easy-to-use connectivity in appliances, electronics, computers and more,” said Wi-Fi Alliance marketing and program management director Kelly Davis-Felner. “We’re pleased to work with other organizations and our member companies to bring the connected home to life on the show floor.”
The alliances encourage CES attendees to come to the booth and see how these technologies deliver the connections for the connected home. The meeting spaces and demo area will be located in the Connectivity Alliances TechZone in South Hall 1, LVCC, Booth 20300 during 2013 International CES. For more information, please visit http://www.cesweb.org/Show-Floor/CES-TechZones.aspx#10jump.
Members of Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) share a vision of an interoperable network of personal computers (PC), consumer electronics (CE), mobile devices and service providers in and beyond the home, enabling a seamless environment for sharing and growing new digital media and content services. Founded in 2003, the group established and maintains a platform of interoperability based on open and established industry standards that, when used by manufacturers will support the sharing of media through wired or wireless networks. More than 240 multi-industry companies from around the world have joined DLNA, committing the time and resources necessary to achieve their vision. DLNA's Promoter Members include: ACCESS, AT&T, AwoX, Broadcom, CableLabs, Cisco, Comcast, DIRECTV, Dolby Laboratories, DTS, Ericsson, Google, HP, HTC, Huawei, Intel, LG, Microsoft, Nokia, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony, Technicolor and Verizon. Additional information about the Alliance, its participating companies and membership benefits is available at www.dlna.org or find the Alliance on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dlnacertified or on Twitter @DLNA.
About HomePlug Alliance
HomePlug® Alliance is a group of 60 companies working together to develop technology specifications and certification & logo programs for powerline networking. With HomePlug technology, the electrical wires in the home can now distribute broadband Internet, HD video, digital music and smart energy applications. Over 300 products are HomePlug certified, and over 100 million devices are in the market. HomePlug products are used worldwide by consumers and service providers to improve home networking performance while expanding coverage and Wi-Fi® mobility. HomePlug® is a trademark of HomePlug Powerline Alliance, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
About Multimedia over Coax Alliance
MoCA® is the worldwide standard for home entertainment networking and is the only such standard in use by all three pay TV segments—cable, satellite and IPTV/telco. MoCA technology is also used as an in-home backbone to extend Wi-Fi® connectivity. The Alliance has certified 118 certified products and has 52 members worldwide representing the home entertainment networking value chain including service providers, OEMs, middleware developers, consumer electronics companies and chip vendors. Visit mocalliance.org and moca4installers.org for more information. Copyright © 2012 Multimedia over Coax Alliance. All Rights Reserved. MoCA and the MoCA logo are trademarks of Multimedia over Coax Alliance, registered in the U.S. and other countries.
About Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global non-profit industry association of hundreds of leading companies devoted to seamless connectivity. With technology development, market building, and regulatory programs, the Wi-Fi Alliance has enabled widespread adoption of Wi-Fi worldwide. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ program was launched in March 2000. It provides a widely-recognized designation of interoperability and quality and it helps to ensure that Wi-Fi-enabled products deliver the best user experience. The Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more than 15,000 product certifications, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services in new and established markets. Wi-Fi®, Wi-Fi Alliance®, WMM®, Wi-Fi Protected Access® (WPA), the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, the Wi-Fi logo, the Wi-Fi ZONE logo and the Wi-Fi Protected Setup logo are registered trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, Wi-Fi Direct™, Wi-Fi Protected Setup™, Wi-Fi Multimedia™, WPA2™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™, Passpoint™, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast™, Miracast™, Wi-Fi ZONE™ and the Wi-Fi Alliance logo are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
The 20th International Cloud Expo has announced that its Call for Papers is open. Cloud Expo, to be held June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, brings together Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things, DevOps, Containers, Microservices and WebRTC to one location. With cloud computing driving a higher percentage of enterprise IT budgets every year, it becomes increasingly important to plant your flag in this fast-expanding business opportunity. Submit your speaking proposal ...
Dec. 4, 2016 12:45 PM EST Reads: 2,112
You have great SaaS business app ideas. You want to turn your idea quickly into a functional and engaging proof of concept. You need to be able to modify it to meet customers' needs, and you need to deliver a complete and secure SaaS application. How could you achieve all the above and yet avoid unforeseen IT requirements that add unnecessary cost and complexity? You also want your app to be responsive in any device at any time. In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Mark Allen, General Manager of...
Dec. 4, 2016 12:30 PM EST Reads: 1,664
The Internet of Things (IoT) promises to simplify and streamline our lives by automating routine tasks that distract us from our goals. This promise is based on the ubiquitous deployment of smart, connected devices that link everything from industrial control systems to automobiles to refrigerators. Unfortunately, comparatively few of the devices currently deployed have been developed with an eye toward security, and as the DDoS attacks of late October 2016 have demonstrated, this oversight can ...
Dec. 4, 2016 12:00 PM EST Reads: 747
"ReadyTalk is an audio and web video conferencing provider. We've really come to embrace WebRTC as the platform for our future of technology," explained Dan Cunningham, CTO of ReadyTalk, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at WebRTC Summit at 19th Cloud Expo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 4, 2016 11:45 AM EST Reads: 369
Major trends and emerging technologies – from virtual reality and IoT, to Big Data and algorithms – are helping organizations innovate in the digital era. However, to create real business value, IT must think beyond the ‘what’ of digital transformation to the ‘how’ to harness emerging trends, innovation and disruption. Architecture is the key that underpins and ties all these efforts together. In the digital age, it’s important to invest in architecture, extend the enterprise footprint to the cl...
Dec. 4, 2016 11:15 AM EST Reads: 2,194
Bert Loomis was a visionary. This general session will highlight how Bert Loomis and people like him inspire us to build great things with small inventions. In their general session at 19th Cloud Expo, Harold Hannon, Architect at IBM Bluemix, and Michael O'Neill, Strategic Business Development at Nvidia, discussed the accelerating pace of AI development and how IBM Cloud and NVIDIA are partnering to bring AI capabilities to "every day," on-demand. They also reviewed two "free infrastructure" pr...
Dec. 4, 2016 11:15 AM EST Reads: 891
"Dice has been around for the last 20 years. We have been helping tech professionals find new jobs and career opportunities," explained Manish Dixit, VP of Product and Engineering at Dice, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 19th Cloud Expo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 4, 2016 10:45 AM EST Reads: 872
More and more brands have jumped on the IoT bandwagon. We have an excess of wearables – activity trackers, smartwatches, smart glasses and sneakers, and more that track seemingly endless datapoints. However, most consumers have no idea what “IoT” means. Creating more wearables that track data shouldn't be the aim of brands; delivering meaningful, tangible relevance to their users should be. We're in a period in which the IoT pendulum is still swinging. Initially, it swung toward "smart for smar...
Dec. 4, 2016 09:45 AM EST Reads: 541
Extracting business value from Internet of Things (IoT) data doesn’t happen overnight. There are several requirements that must be satisfied, including IoT device enablement, data analysis, real-time detection of complex events and automated orchestration of actions. Unfortunately, too many companies fall short in achieving their business goals by implementing incomplete solutions or not focusing on tangible use cases. In his general session at @ThingsExpo, Dave McCarthy, Director of Products...
Dec. 4, 2016 09:30 AM EST Reads: 604
Successful digital transformation requires new organizational competencies and capabilities. Research tells us that the biggest impediment to successful transformation is human; consequently, the biggest enabler is a properly skilled and empowered workforce. In the digital age, new individual and collective competencies are required. In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Bob Newhouse, CEO and founder of Agilitiv, drew together recent research and lessons learned from emerging and established compa...
Dec. 4, 2016 09:30 AM EST Reads: 795
Businesses and business units of all sizes can benefit from cloud computing, but many don't want the cost, performance and security concerns of public cloud nor the complexity of building their own private clouds. Today, some cloud vendors are using artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify cloud deployment and management. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Ajay Gulati, Co-founder and CEO of ZeroStack, will discuss how AI can simplify cloud operations. He will cover the following topics: why clou...
Dec. 4, 2016 08:00 AM EST Reads: 707
The WebRTC Summit New York, to be held June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, announces that its Call for Papers is now open. Topics include all aspects of improving IT delivery by eliminating waste through automated business models leveraging cloud technologies. WebRTC Summit is co-located with 20th International Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo. WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web ...
Dec. 4, 2016 06:45 AM EST Reads: 1,234
In his keynote at 18th Cloud Expo, Andrew Keys, Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise, provided an overview of the evolution of the Internet and the Database and the future of their combination – the Blockchain. Andrew Keys is Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise. He comes to ConsenSys Enterprise with capital markets, technology and entrepreneurial experience. Previously, he worked for UBS investment bank in equities analysis. Later, he was responsible for the creation and distribution of life sett...
Dec. 4, 2016 06:15 AM EST Reads: 6,982
20th Cloud Expo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy.
Dec. 4, 2016 05:30 AM EST Reads: 1,769
WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web communications world. The 6th WebRTC Summit continues our tradition of delivering the latest and greatest presentations within the world of WebRTC. Topics include voice calling, video chat, P2P file sharing, and use cases that have already leveraged the power and convenience of WebRTC.
Dec. 4, 2016 04:30 AM EST Reads: 1,568
Amazon has gradually rolled out parts of its IoT offerings, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to optimizing their backend AWS offerings, Amazon is laying the ground work to be a major force in IoT - especially in the connected home and office. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Kocher, founder and managing director of Grey Heron, explained how Amazon is extending its reach to become a major force in IoT by building on its dominant cloud IoT platform, its Dash Button strat...
Dec. 4, 2016 04:00 AM EST Reads: 6,238
Internet-of-Things discussions can end up either going down the consumer gadget rabbit hole or focused on the sort of data logging that industrial manufacturers have been doing forever. However, in fact, companies today are already using IoT data both to optimize their operational technology and to improve the experience of customer interactions in novel ways. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Gordon Haff, Red Hat Technology Evangelist, will share examples from a wide range of industries – includin...
Dec. 4, 2016 03:45 AM EST Reads: 1,586
"We build IoT infrastructure products - when you have to integrate different devices, different systems and cloud you have to build an application to do that but we eliminate the need to build an application. Our products can integrate any device, any system, any cloud regardless of protocol," explained Peter Jung, Chief Product Officer at Pulzze Systems, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 4, 2016 02:15 AM EST Reads: 894
The cloud promises new levels of agility and cost-savings for Big Data, data warehousing and analytics. But it’s challenging to understand all the options – from IaaS and PaaS to newer services like HaaS (Hadoop as a Service) and BDaaS (Big Data as a Service). In her session at @BigDataExpo at @ThingsExpo, Hannah Smalltree, a director at Cazena, provided an educational overview of emerging “as-a-service” options for Big Data in the cloud. This is critical background for IT and data professionals...
Dec. 3, 2016 11:00 PM EST Reads: 4,177
"Once customers get a year into their IoT deployments, they start to realize that they may have been shortsighted in the ways they built out their deployment and the key thing I see a lot of people looking at is - how can I take equipment data, pull it back in an IoT solution and show it in a dashboard," stated Dave McCarthy, Director of Products at Bsquare Corporation, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 3, 2016 11:00 PM EST Reads: 977


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Just a couple of days ago we wrote up that GameStick, an Android-powered portable gaming system, hit Kickstarter looking to help fund their project. In just 30 hours, they topped their $100,000 goal and are on their way to making the next big thing.
To celebrate, the company has announced official support for XBMC and DLNA, which will turn your GameStick into an even more powerful tool while plugged into your HDTV. The two features will be pushed to the systems via firmware update sometime in September, but GameStick developers emphasized that the consoles will remain completely hackable.
Did you happen to pledge any money for one?
GAMESTICK REACHES KICKSTARTER FUNDING GOAL IN ONLY 30 HOURS
The Most Portable TV Games Console Confirms Support of XBMC And DLNA
GameStick Change Pledge Tiers to offer Developers Even More
London & San Francisco; January 4th, 2013; The team behind the GameStick raised a glass yesterday evening in thanks to the 1000+ Kickstarter backers that pushed them over their $100,000 funding goal in just 30 hours.
“The response from the Kickstarter community has been truly overwhelming. We are confident in our product and what we hope it will mean for gaming but we were taken aback at how quickly the message was adopted,” says Anthony Johnson, CMO, PlayJam.“There is no better feeling than having
hundreds if not thousands of people endorse your idea.”
The team has been busy keeping up with the hundreds of questions and requests that continue to come through the Kickstarter message boards and in response have today announced support for XBMC & DNLA, two of the most sought after features.
“While we are shipping as a dedicated games console, we are keen to ensure that users have the ability to hack the device if they so wish and will be providing support for XBMC & DNLA via an optional firmware update in September. We encourage users to hack the device – the time for
closed, proprietary systems is ending which bodes well for true innovation”, concluded Johnson.
GameStick is described as ‘The Most Portable TV games Console Ever Created’. The team behind the project are passionate about accelerating the race to change the face of big screen gaming with a product that will now, as promised, launch in April of this Year.
Supporters flooded to the Kickstarter page just moments after the campaign launched and began pledging. The ‘Early Bird’ pledge tier, giving backers the chance to grab themselves a GameStick at a discounted rate, proved so popular that it sold out in a matter of hours resulting in people moving in
droves to the next tier. At the time of writing, the average pledge towards GameStick was $98.
Interest from the developer community has been extremely strong with over 300 registrations on the www.gamestick.tv website and a new tier offering early access to the SDK and 30 days premium positioning within the games store having been added for $500.
GameStick will feature a purpose-built game store through which users will be able to browse and download content. The proposition will be powered by PlayJam’s existing Games Network for Smart TV which currently supports developers such as Relentless Software, First Star Software, and Disney.
To visit the Kickstarter page and pledge your support, please visit: http://kck.st/12SSvMO


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OPEC seems to be nearing the point of irrelevance to the world and is in the worst negotiating position for Americans.
The only long-term winners in the solar space are short-sellers.
A 'deer in the headlights' strategy will cost you. Even if you want to hold on for a long shot, sell your OCZ shares now and buy after Nasdaq delists.
The afternoon on the third day lower is the sweet spot for active traders buying a dead-cat bounce.
Google continues its reign as the most important entity in online marketing, but incorporating others makes all the difference.
BlackBerry resembles a headless monster more than a leading tech company. But the drop in share price has created a reasonable risk versus reward.
Without SEC protection, market makers and specialists could lose their cut from every trade, causing spreads and transaction costs to collapse.
Investors have plenty of reasons to take Tesla profits off the table, but the fear of Tesla cars catching fire isn't one of them.
Traders can still profit from biotech and drug stocks even after shares have been decimated.
Energy prices are the biggest influence on inflation, which explains why gold prices aren't going up.


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After TikTok, PUBG Players on Twitter Fear Their Game Could be Next
The TikTok ban seemed to have scared PUBG players as well, who feel that their favourite game might be next on the list of things to be banned by the government.
In the past few months, a majority of youngsters in India have been completely ensnared by two apps - namely, TikTok and PUBG. While the former is a fun app which allows you to make short videos by adding a range of filters and music of your choice, the latter is an online multiplayer game, which allows you to play in real time.
...Read the full article on news18


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Jun 12, 2014 Amazon’s streaming music, making its own Kindles and releasing its own smartphone.
Apr 20, 2015 The battle between Amazon and publishers gets dirty, and there are casualties
May 22, 2014 But, of course, the web is tough for traditional retailers.
May 8, 2014 FedEx is changing its large item shipping rates. Will that change your orders?
May 8, 2014 Retailers and e-tailers are going after impatient shoppers.
Apr 23, 2014 Amazon takes a page out of the Zappos playbook and offers employees cash to quit their jobs.
Apr 11, 2014 A look into Amazon's purchase of digital comic book site Comixology.
Apr 11, 2014 Amazon just bought comiXology for Kindle. Why non-comics fans should care.
Apr 4, 2014 Our regular quiz looking back at the week's tech news.


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MINSK, 26 December (BelTA) – The Vitebsktorf branch of the Vitebsk Oblast natural gas provider Vitebskoblgaz intends to increase the export of peat products by 1.5 times by 2025. The figure was mentioned when Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich and Chairman of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee Aleksandr Subbotin visited Vitebsktorf's peat manufacturing facility in the town of Obol on 26 December. The facility celebrated the 100th anniversary since its foundation, the Energy Ministry press service told BelTA.
Thanks to massive retooling Vitebsktorf managed to modernize the plant and equipment of its peat manufacturing enterprises. Outdated equipment was replaced. The fleet of peat-extracting vehicles was expanded. The area of peat fields was nearly doubled, Viktor Karankevich said.
With Vitebskoblgaz assistance the division commissioned a new peat separation line in Obol. It allowed automating manufacturing processes, expanding the choice of manufactured products, and improving its quality. The products Vitebsktorf makes sell well in Belarus and abroad. The division intends to increase the export of peat products by 1.5 times by 2025, the energy minister stressed.
Vitebskoblgaz Director General Aleksandr Brantsevich added that in view of external circumstances Vitebsktorf had taken comprehensive measures to diversify the geography of sales. The export of peat products was close to $3.8 million. Shipments to Russia doubled, he stated. Peat was also shipped to Türkiye and other countries. Export promotion efforts will continue.
Aleksandr Subbotin also mentioned effective introduction of new technologies and the expansion of the product lineup in Vitebsktorf. “I am glad to see that an entire lineup of peat machines has been developed here and the products, which are made, are sold in Belarus and abroad,” the Vitebsk Oblast governor said.
The 200,000th big bale package of pressed peat was solemnly made in Obol on 26 December.


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Back in December, a brand new privateness protocol used to be launched for bitcoin money customers known as Cash Shuffle. The utility has observed secure building since its inception and this week Cash Shuffle builders say that the platform’s alpha trying out has been a hit and the staff has observed plenty of testers. After the appliance’s code is polished up some extra, Cash Shuffle will likely be launched to most of the people quickly.
Cash Shuffle Development and Testing Progresses
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) proponents will quickly see the strong launch of a blending utility that can lend a hand keep a person’s transaction privateness when the usage of the BCH community. The BCH mixer Cash Shuffle used to be launched this previous December and customers may just use the pre-release model and experiment with the plugin for the BCH pockets Electron Cash. Then in March the blockchain and mining company Coingeek announced the corporate would lend a hand fund the Cash Shuffle building procedure. Furthermore, the programmers Josh Ellithorpe, Jonald Fyookball and different builders had been serving to development Cash Shuffle’s building.
This week a couple of builders together with Ellithorpe and Fyookball detailed that the Coin Shuffle alpha trying out has been going really well.
“We just did a test on Cash Shuffle (alpha) and it worked! A few more things need to be fixed before it can be released to the public, but it’s awfully exciting,” defined one of the most blending platform’s builders on Reddit.
Ellithorpe added to the Reddit put up through thanking the entire testers experimenting with Cash Shuffle platform.
“Just want to extend a huge thanks to all the testers! Really helps a lot to get support from the community to finally get Cash Shuffle in a stable state for everyone to use,” Ellithorpe emphasised.
BCH Proponents Can Help Test Cash Shuffle Today
Moreover, Jonald Fyookball main points that folks can lend a hand check the Cash Shuffle platform and learn to use the appliance through following this walkthrough. Essentially other people must obtain Electron Cash three.three for Windows or Mac and fund it with a minimum of .0011 BCH. Then customers can obtain the Cash Shuffle protocol (don’t unzip) and upload the plugin to Electron Cash through settling on the zip record. After that, you’ll have the ability to see the ‘Shuffle tab,’ choose your specified addresses and press shuffle. It will take about 60 seconds for the shuffling procedure to begin after which it will have to end. If the transaction ‘times out’ Fyookball says it’ll be since the liquidity bot is busy serving to others, wherein case testers will have to wait 5 mins and take a look at once more.
Bitcoin Cash supporters had been happy to listen to concerning the development of Cash Shuffle this week, and look ahead to the strong model launch. There aren’t many privacy-centric programs for BCH transactions, however information.Bitcoin.com reported at the Bob Wallet building closing week which additionally does some BCH blending. However, Bob Wallet continues to be in its preliminary phases the usage of testnet, and Cash Shuffle appears as although it’ll be able first.
Do you look ahead to the strong launch of the Cash Shuffle utility? Let us know your ideas in this matter within the remark segment underneath.
Images by means of Shutterstock, Reddit, and the Bitcoin.com Explorer.
Want a complete listing of the highest 500 cryptocurrencies and notice their costs and total marketplace valuation? Check out Satoshi Pulse for all that sizzling marketplace motion!


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Day: April 7, 2021
Intel’s new 3rd gen Xeon Scalable CPUs brings significant improvements to the table through built-in AI acceleration
Today, Intel has released the latest generation of its server-exclusive processors, the 3rd generation Xeon Scalable CPU.
Show off your wallpaper design skills and stand a chance to win a USD3,000 creator rig from this contest hosted by TEAMGROUP
TEAMGROUP has announced a wallpaper design contest that targets creative individuals rather than its major gamer user base.
Review – ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q (R9-5900HS | RTX 3080 (100W) | 2x16GB DDR4-3200 | 1TB NVMe SSD | 15.6″ 1440p 165Hz)
It’s finally here, the new 2021 ROG Zephyrus G15 now comes with a new chassis and updated hardware for high-performance productivity work as well as
ViewSonic has announced the latest high refresh rate gaming monitor, the VX2718-P-MHD.


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Mariah Carey’s busy Christmas season just got a lot more festive, with the release of the official Mariah Carey Barbie doll.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Hot off the success of the Barbie movie and on the heels of Carey’s “Merry Christmas One and All” tour, the officially licensed doll features a likeness of the singer in a glittery red gown with dazzling silver accessories and red high heels. Inspired by a similar outfit that Carey has worn on stage, the doll comes appropriately with a handheld microphone.
The newly released Mariah Barbie is quickly selling out on Amazon, while it’s still available (as of this writing) on Walmart.com. You can also find the doll on eBay. The official Mariah Carey doll comes in collectible packaging and includes a doll stand and a Certificate of Authenticity.
Mariah Carey Official Barbie Doll
Carey has had a long-time fascination with Barbie, revealing in her New York Times bestselling memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, that she once recorded a secret album of pop-punk music inspired by Malibu Barbie (the singer even recorded a song of the same name).
Rumors of a Mariah Carey Barbie doll, meantime, had been swirling since last year, when the official Mattel Barbie account began following Carey and replied conspicuously to one of her holiday tweets.
but there's just one thing we need 🎄🙌
— Barbie (@Barbie) October 16, 2022
In a press release, Mattel says, “The Mariah Carey Barbie doll captures the incredible vocalist’s signature flair and dazzling style in a festive look.”
Carey, meantime, calls this a “once-in-a-lifetime dream,” adding that “If I could go back and tell my little girl self that one day, I would have a Barbie made in my likeness, I think she would flip out! I hope all collectors and fans everywhere enjoy the holiday season and hopefully the Mariah Barbie will be a wonderful addition to it!”
The Mariah Carey Barbie doll comes on the heels of multiple holiday campaigns for the singer, who’s currently the face of a new Victoria’s Secret campaign and starring in an ad for The Children’s Place, alongside her twins Moroccan and Monroe. Her Christmas tour, meantime, is currently underway, taking Carey across the U.S. and Canada. Find tickets on SeatGeek.com and use promo code HOLLYWOOD10 to take $10 off your purchase.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter


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General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM). Despite the impact of the pandemic, GM’s 3Q20 results were significantly better than we anticipated, helped by massive cost cutting, incentive programs, and pent-up consumer demand. However, we remain concerned that the coronavirus will reduce large discretionary purchases in 4Q20 and 2021, and look for seasonally adjusted annual sales (SAAR) to fall by 9% to 15.5 million vehicles this year. At this stage in the economic cycle and with COVID-19 still a significant threat to industry sales and profits, we are cautious about GM and other automotive stocks.
The stronger-than-expected 3Q20 results were driven by strict cost controls, the absence of UAW strike expenses that hurt results in 3Q19, and higher margins in the GMNA segment. Revenue was in line with the prior year at $35.480 billion.
The North American division (GMNA) posted a 3Q20 adjusted EBIT profit of $4.4 billion. The stronger results reflected higher pricing, less incentive spending, and market share growth. The EBIT-adjusted margin increased to 15.0% from 10.8% a year earlier. Revenue was comparable to the prior year at $29.1 billion, while wholesale vehicle unit sales were down modestly.
General Motors International (GMI) reported an adjusted EBIT loss of $0.3 billion. Wholesale volume fell 29%, due primarily to the impact of COVID-19. Equity income from the company’s operations in China was comparable to the prior year.
The GM Financial division reported net revenue of $3.421 billion, down from $3.659 billion. Third-quarter adjusted EBIT was $1.2 billion, up from $0.7 billion. The increase was attributable to high used vehicle prices.
GM has begun to report results for its new division, GM Cruise. In 3Q, the division reported a pro forma EBIT-adjusted loss of $0.2 billion, compared to an EBIT adjusted loss of $0.3. The losses reflect continued investment as the company moves towards the commercialization of an autonomous ride-sharing fleet.
EARNINGS & GROWTH ANALYSIS
The company’s 3Q20 results follow similarly strong earnings from Ford and Fiat Chrysler in recent weeks. Strong demand for trucks and SUVs led both companies to beat analyst expectations. While consumer spending in certain sectors lags prepandemic highs, spending on cars and car parts has been strong. Nevertheless, GM has withdrawn its guidance for 2020.
The 2020 consensus estimate is $4.28.
Looking ahead, we expect the SAAR to fall to 15.5 million units in 2020, down 9% from 17.0 million in 2019. Given current economic uncertainty, we believe that more consumers will put off the purchase of new cars and other expensive discretionary items. Given that most auto purchases are financed, the decline in vehicle sales could also accelerate if lenders tighten credit standards. In addition, we believe that sales of used cars, which are cheaper for buyers and a source of cash for hard-pressed sellers, could further pressure the SAAR in the near term.
FINANCIAL STRENGTH & DIVIDEND
Total debt, consisting of both short-and long-term borrowings, stood at $118.5 billion.
However, the company suspended the dividend on April 27, 2020. The suspension is expected to save the company $1.6 billion annually.
MANAGEMENT & RISKS
Mary Barra succeeded Dan Akerson as CEO on January 15, 2014. Ms. Barra was previously EVP of Global Product Development & Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. She has also held a number of engineering and staff positions at GM, including plant manager and general director of Internal Communications in the North America division. She began her career with General Motors in 1980.
The GM board has also separated the chairman and CEO positions. Ms. Barra is a member of the board, but Director Theodore (Tim) Solso has succeeded Dan Akerson as chairman. Former CFO Dan Ammann has been named GM president, with responsibility for regional operations worldwide. Chuck Stevens has replaced Mr. Ammann as CFO.
General Motors and its subsidiaries face risks from general economic weakness, as well as from changes in consumer preferences and spending patterns. The company is also at risk from higher costs for components and raw materials, and from supply disruptions. In addition, GM operates in a highly competitive industry that continues to show signs of excess manufacturing capacity.
General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, FAW, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy. The company emerged from bankruptcy in July 2009 and went public through a new share offering in November 2010.
Our 2021 estimate, and well below the historical average for price/book, price/sales, price/cash flow and price/EBITDA.
On November 11 at midday, HOLD-rated GM traded at $41.15, up $0.07.


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A new chapter opens in the long history of brand-related rumors Apple, and his intentions to land in the world of motors with an electric and possibly hyper-technological project. Several months ago the most popular name was that of Hyundai, and there were also half admissions, later modified and retracted, on a negotiation. Much has been said about Magna, the ‘shadow’ builder of several international brands who has all the necessary material to follow a project with the creature led by Tim Cook. Magna has just formed a joint venture with LG, another company Apple is considering. There would have been a contact with Nissan, and Stellantis has an ‘indirect connection’ as well, as Apple’s senior vice president of Services, Eddy Cue, is on the board of directors of Ferrari.
The new name to be linked to Apple is now Toyota, the Japanese giant that has in its hands several technological projects of absolute importance relating to hydrogen, autonomous driving, driving assistance and robotics. According to the DigiTimes website, the two companies met to begin discussing a possible collaboration; the focus of discussions should be the battery, or how to power it in what is an all-electric project for Apple.
According to several sources, Apple would like to start building its semi-autonomous electric vehicle in 2024 and is currently focused on planning the required supply chain. Reuters talked about developing a new battery design that could give the car four-wheeled iPhone status.
But be careful: last March Akio Toyoda sent a kind of warning to Apple and hi-tech companies willing to enter the auto segment. “The industry is happy to welcome new competitors. But after making a vehicle, I would like them to be prepared to deal with customers and adapt to the market in the long run. New tech companies have the potential to breathe new life into the industry by offering customers a wider range of choices. But these same companies will also have to be ready to take responsibility for the entire life cycle of their vehicles, including maintenance and scrapping ”. A message that can also be read in another way, that is, as an invitation to Apple to join a well-established manufacturer to try to climb the market together.
FP | Samuel Prosino
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


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Butcher’s Pet Care is kicking off its first brand campaign in five years in a bid to re-position itself as ‘the everyday choice in naturally nourishing food for dogs’.
Developed by creative agency, LIFE, the TV campaign gives an insight into the pet-owner bond and captures everyday moments that will be instantly recognisable to owners across Britain.
A spokesman said: “It makes ‘nourishment’ the focus of the story, not just nourishing food for dogs, but also through the unique relationships between dogs and their owners.”
The last 18 months have seen Butcher’s invest in a £4m brand transformation programme which included product and portfolio improvements, re-designing its packaging including replacing plastic on its canned offering in favour of 100% recyclable cardboard.
This rejuvenation has been driven by Rachel Collinson, director – Food for Dogs, who said: “This business is built on a long-standing belief that every dog should be able to enjoy natural, nourishing food – it’s the least we can do when they give us so much every single day.
“The LIFE team has really captured the nuances in these relationships; reflecting and celebrating modern attitudes towards our dogs right across the UK. The category is changing and we’re really proud of the work so far that puts us right at the forefront of it.”
The ad was shot in urban and rural locations across the UK and features dog owners and their pets. It will launch around Britain’s Got Talent tomorrow (April 13) and will run for eight weeks.
Niki Cook, marketing director at LIFE, said: “Butcher’s passion and commitment to making naturally nourishing dog food accessible and affordable for dog owners across Britain, has been the driving force behind this campaign. They are on mission to provide dogs with the food they’d choose for themselves and, watching our four-legged ‘actors’ happily devouring bowls of Butcher’s between scenes, I feel confident that they are delivering on that ambition!”


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February 22, 2002
N.Y. dairy farmer optimistic about the future of his cooperativeMethuen, Mass. -- New York dairy farmer Carl Peterson of Delanson was recently elected to his 11th term as Chairman of the Board of Agri-Mark, the largest dairy cooperative serving the New England Market with more than 1,400 farmer-members. Peterson has served as Chairman of the dairy organization since 1992. Roughly 400 of Agri-Mark's dairy farmers operate family farms in New York State, one of the expanding markets for their cooperative's Cabot brand of Vermont cheddar cheese and other dairy products. "Agri-Mark just ended the last year with a $5.7 million profit," says Peterson, "despite the negative impact the terrorist attacks had on our industry. Sales of our Cabot brand of dairy products continue to increase every year, and our new whey protein operations were also very profitable." Agri-Mark's year-end profits will mean an additional $.25 per hundredweight on a year's production to each of its farmer-members. Peterson says Agri-Mark farmers also received another $5.7 million in monthly premiums in addition to the past year's profits. He notes the co-op is now working to increase farm milk prices in the national Farm Bill now being debated in Washington. During the elections of officers at a recent Agri-Mark meeting, dairy farmer Stuart Gadbois of Salem, Conn., was reelected to the position of Agri-Mark Vice Chairman, while Neal Rea of Cambridge, N.Y. was reelected Secretary. Paul Percy of Stowe, Vt., was reelected Treasurer, and dairy farmer John Malcolm of Pawlet, Vt., will join these officers as the other member of the co-op's Executive Committee. Peterson says that there are a lot of challenges ahead for Agri-Mark and he is glad to have the opportunity to continue to work with the Board of Directors, members and management staff to further develop Agri-Mark's business. "I am grateful for the chance to chart the future direction of Agri-Mark as it relates to the Northeast dairy industry," he says. "That is both a tremendous challenge and opportunity, one that I am looking forward to." The co-op Chairman is among the 15 dairy farmers elected by local members to serve on the Agri-Mark Board of Directors. The co-op had sales of $570 million in fiscal 2001 and markets 40% of the milk in the New England Market for its farmer-owners. "Co-ops like Agri-Mark are formed by farmers to work together in the marketplace," says Peterson. "As Northeast dairy farmers we continue to face the threat of lower milk prices and increased competition from other regions of the country for our markets. The investments we have made in our modern manufacturing plants and our Cabot brand will continue to generate farm dollars and protect our farmers from roller-coaster price fluctuations." "We're focused on adding value to our farmer's milk, whether it be on the wholesale or retail end of the business," says Peterson. "If farmers want long-term profitability, co-op's like Agri-Mark have to capture more of the consumer's dollar in the marketplace for their farmer-owners. That's the best chance for survival in this business that I see." Based in Methuen, Mass., Agri-Mark is the leading dairy farmer owned cooperative in the New England market with 1,400 farmer members from New England and New York State. The cooperative markets about 40% of the farm milk in New England and is active on regulatory and legislative issues for its members. Agri-Mark farmers own and market much of their milk under their award-winning Cabot brand of Vermont cheddar cheese and other fine dairy products.


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DHX Media Ltd.
and Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc.
have struck a global deal to develop, co-produce, distribute and jointly manage licensing for a new Mega Man
animated series based upon the legendary Capcom Mega Man video game franchise. The deal was announced today by Yuichi Kinoshita
, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu Entertainment USA
, Inc., and by Asaph Fipke
, Chief Content Officer of DHX.
Under the terms of the deal, Dentsu Entertainment USA and DHX will manage all global rights for the new Mega Man animated series. Distribution and licensing in the United States will be handled by DHX in collaboration with Dentsu Entertainment USA. Dentsu Inc., parent company of Dentsu Entertainment USA, will manage distribution and licensing in Asia. DHX will manage distribution and licensing in all other territories. Dentsu Entertainment USA and DHX will both participate in all revenue streams related to this agreement.
DHX’s Chief Content Officer, Asaph Fipke, said, “We’re very excited to be working with Dentsu on Mega Man. This is yet another deal born of our strategy of teaming up with leading companies on high-profile kids’ brands that we can leverage across our platform of production, distribution, licensing and broadcast. We see this as an excellent opportunity to build on the rich legacy of the Mega Manvideo game series and introduce the famous boy robot to a whole new generation of kids worldwide.”
Dentsu Entertainment USA’s Kinoshita said, “Mega Man has a rare, nearly three-decade-long tradition with fans. We are excited to work with DHX to bring this newly imagined version of a long-beloved character back to the global marketplace.”
Aimed at kids 6 to 9, as well as their parents who grew up loving the videogames, the animated series will feature exciting new technologies and robots, as well as the introduction of Mega Man‘s alter-ego, Aki Light, a normal, upbeat, schoolboy robot. When activated, his skin re-forms – in a flurry of computer code and visual pyrotechnics – into a suit of impenetrable nanocore armor, including the iconic Mega Buster arm cannon and helmet. Beloved characters, like Rush, will return – while new characters, like Mega Mini™, will make their debut! The new Mega Man animated series has a target air date of 2024, coinciding with the franchise’s 30th anniversary.


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Facebook experimenting with a Sympathise button09 December 2013
A Sympathise button could complement the existing Like button.
Apple purchases Twitter analytics firm Topsy03 December 2013
Technology giant Apple has acquired firm with unfiltered access to Twitter's raw data.
Sony confirms PlayStation Network to get original programming03 December 2013
Sony has confirmed that it will enter the original TV programming market via PSN and PS4
BT reportedly working on own music streaming service29 November 2013
Spotify et al look set to add yet another music streaming rival in BT.
YouTube Music Pass subscription service details emerge28 November 2013
The recently updated Android YouTube app contains a number of details concerning a YouTube Music Pass subscription service.
Google adds voice control to Chrome search27 November 2013
You can now search for things vocally in Google, thanks to a brand new Chrome extension
TrustedReviews Homepage Refresh: Let us know what you think21 November 2013
Our homepage is now ready for winter, tell us what you think of the new look.
Tesco offering 12-months free unlimited broadband for limited period18 November 2013
Tesco is offering 12-months free unlimited broadband if you take a Tesco home phone line for 12 months.
Virgin Media announces super speedy 152Mb broadband coming early 201411 November 2013
Virgin Media has announced it will be launching 152Mb top speed broadband early next year, which will be “twice as fast as anyone else”.
YouTube launches Google+ comment system fix07 November 2013
YouTube has followed through on its promise to clean up commenting with new Google+ powered measures.
Google Helpouts provides live video help for everything05 November 2013
Google Helpouts has just been launched as a way to provide live video help on any topic you care to mention.
Facebook to start tracking users’ on-screen cursors?30 October 2013
Social network testing software that’ll register your hovering habits, meaning they'll literally be tracking our every move.
YouTube rumoured to be launching on-demand music service24 October 2013
YouTube will apparently launch its own subscription music service by the end of the year.
Netflix to make its own movies, following original TV success23 October 2013
Look out Hollywood, Netflix is about to enter the movie-making business.
Facebook suffering from “status update” system outage21 October 2013
Facebook is currently suffering from a system outage that is affecting status updates, messages and timeline posts.
Facebook changes teenage privacy settings18 October 2013
Facebook has changed its privacy settings for teenagers, lifting the previous restrictions imposed upon those under 18-years-old.
Amazon wants YouTube stars for instant video push11 October 2013
Online retailer wants the cream of short video talent to bolster its Prime Instant Video service and its Lovefilm streaming service in the UK.
Twitter trialling breaking news deliveries via direct message10 October 2013
Users can follow the @EventParrot account to get the biggest breaking news sent straight to their inbox.
BT and EE sign mobile network deal10 October 2013
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WAILEA – The Maui Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual installation luncheon Friday at the Fairmont Kea Lani resort.
It will also celebrate its centennial and present a Business Showcase and Mini Trade Show. Economist Paul Brewbaker will address the members and guests.
The Business Showcase will be from 10:30 a.m. to noon, with the luncheon following.
The cost for the luncheon is $45 for members, $75 for others. For more information, send e-mail inquiries to office@
mauichamber.com. To make a luncheon reservation, visit www.mauichamber.com.


text: NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- If you're still in doubt that a major shift is taking place in the retail sector, peruse the roster of speakers who took the podium for the Financo Forum held in New York City Monday night. What has traditionally been an A-list panel consisting of department store veterans and merchandizing big-wigs, was this year revamped to include a slew of social media execs and techies. Financo, an investment banking firm that caters solely to the merchandising sector, has been hosting this buzz-worthy event for 21 years, usually igniting rigorous debates (and the occasional raucous one) among the list of CEOs in attendant. But the panel, which included Rue La La's CEO Ben Fischman, Google's ( GOOG) retail industry director Daniel Schock, Lululemon Athletica ( LULU) founder Chip Wilson and Facebook executive Stephen Zangre, was subdued this year. CNBC anchor Nicole Lapin moderated the round-table discussion, along with Financo's chairman Gilbert Harrison. Technology's impact (specifically Facebook and Google) on the retail industry was the push-button topic, drawing among the 300-plus attendees in the room a veritable "Who's Who" in the industry, including J.Crew's ( JCG) Mickey Drexler, Saks' ( SKS) Steve Sadove, Coach's ( COH) Lew Frankfort and footwear mogul, Steven Madden, all questioning if their companies are doing enough. "We have been successful not because we are selling merchandise at a value, but because we are creating urgency and excitement," Fischman said. Rue La La, whose parent is GSI Commerce ( GSCI), is an invitation-only sample sale site. "It's about the sex and sizzle," Fischman continued. Darts were thrown at Amazon ( AMZN), which did not have a representative at the Harmonie Club, as the panelists likened the e-commerce giant to Wal-Mart ( WMT). While Amazon owns a foothold in nearly every category, Fischman said Amazon isn't a merchandiser. "There's no theater there," he said. "Amazon is about convenience, but great retail isn't about convenience." Indeed, the panelists all agreed that in order for brick-and-mortar to compete with Amazon, the focus needs to be on elevating service. Likewise, all agreed that mobile shopping will be at the forefront in 2011. "If only now you are starting to think about creating a mobile app, you are incredibly late," Fischman warned.


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Google, says Thirdage.com, is going after a new market. In an attempt to emulate the success of Skype, Google is offering its Gmail users free Internet phone service and direct dial from their computers. The new system, which is automatically made available to Gmail customers, started on August 25, 2010. According to Google’s blog, the price for calls to the U.S. and Canada will remain free for the rest of the year.
“Really cheap” rates for international calls are also offered through the computer dial-up system. The current quoted rate is 2 cents a minute for calls to Britain, France, Germany, Japan and China (the price increase when calling a mobile phone). Calling a landline in Mexico is 10 cents a minute.
Craig Walker, Google’s product manager for real-time communications, is enthused about the opportunity for Gmail users to make calls from their Gmail page. In the past, Gmail only allowed a voice system for customers if both were at their computers, signed in at the same time.
Gmail voice and video chat will be a nice way to keep in touch with people while at your computer, using the microphone and speakers. Now, the user can just call friends using their phone number. Even if they are not by their computer or logged in to Gmail, the user gets connection if they answer.
One of the most spectacular bonuses for Google’s new online phone service is the lack of need to download any additional applications, with the exception of installing the voice and video plug-in, if it hasn’t been done already. The program is being rolled out to U.S. Gmail users over the next few days. When “Call Phones” show up in the chat list, the customer will be ready to start calling (Oh, wow, it is already on my chat list!). Reception is expected to be clear; the benefit is more efficient communication.
Gmail has provided a link for more information: www.google.com/chat/voice/
Third Age Staff August 26, 2010, Internet Phone Service Offered by Google
Robin Schriebman, Software Engineer, Call Phones from Gmail


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Holiday season off to bustling start
On Saturday morning a college friend posted, “I told my husband it is my civic duty to shop today,” to which I replied, “It is my civic duty to watch football today.”
The Thanksgiving weekend is different things to different people — whether it’s feasting with friends, walks in the woods, getting that last load of wood or doing a home winterizing project. It’s four days before the full-court press of the holidays.
Like we didn’t have enough going on, the weekend also got stuffed with football and an artificial start to the Christmas shopping season.
I used to love shopping. Living in small towns, a trip to the big city of Eugene or Olympia usually meant a trip to THE MALL. Oh, joy! I made such a sport out of it and by the time I was a senior in high school I declared shopping my hobby. However, I knew my expendable income was coming to a stop soon with tuition bills looming the next four years.
That Christmas I lavished my family with gifts I would not be able to afford for years to come.
All these years in the outback, a trip to a mall is a bit overwhelming. On a recent venture to get socks at a mall in Portland, I was awestruck by the bounty. Of course I didn’t get out of there with just the socks. That was two weeks ago, before the fervid burst of shopping the media says is now upon us.
Black Friday means nothing in Wallowa County, we would have to travel to participate in that holiday, but Small Business Saturday is something to which we can all relate.
Civil War erupts
But that was the day of the Civil War. Eh, hem.
I was tickled to hear the announcer explain that once, long ago, the Civil War was the only game that mattered to these two schools who could barely even beat each other. One year, they couldn’t even do that and the game ended in a tie.
But for more than a decade both teams are usually listed in the pre-season Top 25. I’m still not used to it and it’s so much fun.
I didn’t go to a school with a football team so I’ve adopted our home teams and a few others around the country that have interesting football programs. Even the unranked Vols will get my attention in an SEC game.
By Monday, after a weekend of food, football and lolling, I was finally ready to shop, so I visited the Soroptimist Thrift Shop — a treasure trove of bounty, Wallowa County style. It’s a good place to start holiday shopping for decorating and wrapping odds and ends and the occasional stocking stuffer. The sign at the door, “Only 6 more shopping days until Christmas,” gives one a sense of urgency.
In the next few weeks, shops and organizations are providing ample opportunity to shop locally while finding good deals.
This coming weekend, the ski and skate swap is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. upstairs from the Soroptimist shop in the IOOF Hall on Northeast First Street in Enterprise. Stage One, around the corner on Main Street, hosts a flea market Saturday at 9 a.m.
Both Friday and Saturday the Handcrafters Guild has its bazaar at the Wallowa County Fairgrounds’ Cloverleaf Hall and the Jingle Through Joseph Bazaar is at the Joseph Community Center — both starting at 9 a.m.
Dec. 7 and 8 Enterprise celebrates Winterfest with shopping, music and the lights parade Saturday night.
Most of the county’s shops host their own holiday open houses. Check with your favorite merchant for date and time.
And for the non-shopper? Pick up Buckskin Bucks from the Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce — scrip accepted at almost 50 businesses county-wide.
By the time the Ducks and Beavers play their respective bowl games, the shopping will be over and another feast’s leftovers will be in the refrigerator. In the ensuing weeks, enjoy the bustle.


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Dogecoin price has surged beyond $0.43 following its listing on Coinbase Pro
Dogecoin has seen significant upward momentum in the last few hours after its official listing on the Pro platform of the publicly-traded exchange Coinbase. The exchange revealed yesterday via a blog post that it was opening its arms to Dogecoin. Coinbase Pro members can now add the crypto asset into their account awaiting trading which begins tomorrow at noon Eastern Time.
The exchange outlined that members must have a sufficient amount of Dogecoin in the account before being allowed to trade. Coinbase also warned that it may stop a client’s trading if it doesn’t go in line with the market’s health and order. DOGE/USD price is currently hovering at $0.43, up more than 36% in the last 24 hours.
Where to buy DOGE?
eToro is one of the leading multi-asset trading platforms where you can easily sell and buy Dogecoin and other crypto assets. It is straightforward and wouldn’t trouble even the most basic trader looking to trade crypto assets. The platform has several learning resources to guide beginners. eToro is also highly regulated so you can trade DOGE at peace.
Buy DOGE with eToro >
Coin Kong allows for fast buying of major cryptocurrencies. It comes with several features that work to your advantage including robust security and transparent fee charges. Signing up on the site is simple and in the unlikely event, you encounter issues, customer support service will be available to help you out.
Buy DOGE with Coin Kong >
Why is DOGE a buy?
Dogecoin sits just outside the top five cryptocurrencies with a market cap of $55 billion. It is set to displace both BNB and ADA if it continues with the uptrend. The meme cryptocurrency has enjoyed a good year with year-to-date figures showing a 6,000% increase in DOGE/USD price. Before May’s crypto market crash, this figure was at 12,000%.
The cryptocurrency has continued gaining credibility thanks to tweets from eccentric billionaire and holder Elon Musk. The latest Coinbase announcement that it would support trading of the crypto on its Professional trading platform will certainly boost its adoption and recognition.
Dogecoin outlook shows the price is set to continue rising and will likely push above the $0.50 level if the positive momentum persists.
Be the first to comment


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Q.U.B.E. might be coming to the Wii U soon. The game’s official Twitter account tweeted out an image of Q.U.B.E. running on the Wii U. Nothing was officially announced about it coming to Wii U but the image basically speaks for it self. Additionally one follower tweeted Q.U.B.E. if the game would be coming to PlayStation Vita and [...]
Guacamelee! is a Metroid-vania style action-platformer set in a magical Mexican inspired world. The game draws its inspiration from traditional Mexican culture and folklore, and features many interesting and unique characters. Guacamelee builds upon the classic open-world Metroid-vania style of games, by adding a strong melee combat component, a new dimension switching mechanic, and cooperative same-screen multiplayer for [...]
Medica Molecule has officially announced the release date for Tear Away for PlayStation Vita. Tear Away will be available on October 22nd in North America and Europe a day later. Media Molecule also revealed the reversible box art for Tear Away which you can see below.
Draw Slasher is coming to PlayStation Vita on April 23rd in North America and April 24th in Europe. Gamers will take on the role of Hanzo the Ninja as you use the Vita’s touch screen to play through the game. Draw Slasher will feature a full story mode, a hardcore mode to harder difficulty and two arcade modes [...]
A new PS Vita update version 2.10 will be out in a few days and some of the main details about it are configurable folders with up to 10 icons in them and better streaming web video. The list of features in the update are below. Folders You can configure folders. Up to 10 [...]
Walmart is offering an excellent deal on PlayStation Vita games currently. Customers who purchase two PlayStation Vita games will receive on PlayStation Vita game of their choice for free. You can take advantage of this deal by clicking here.
A fellow gamer asked AckkStudios on their Facebook page if there were any plans for bringing Two Brothers to PlayStation Vita. Surprisingly AckkStudios responded that while nothing has been officially confirmed yet, they did state they’re working on it and that it’s something they want to do. Currently Two Brothers is coming to Wii U eShop and [...]
Sony revealed today at their PlayStation Blog website that the platforming puzzle game Stealth Bastard is coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Stealth Bastard features 80 levels, online leader boards and a level editor. Curve Studios is also hosting a contest to change the name of Stealth Bastard. Curve Studios wants to change the game’s name to a less [...]
Before I begin this, I’d like to mention I was a Vita owner since December 2011, I actually paid to import the handheld from Japan prior to it being released in North America. I supported the handheld, bought all the new PSN games that came out for the handheld during its dry launch season after [...]
Publisher 505 Games has revealed that it’s bringing it’s popular PC game Terraria over to the PlayStation Vita. Terraria wil be available sometime time this summer. We don’t have an exact date just yet but now we have a release date range. Terraria was also released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this week.


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How Covid-19 has changed the PR industry
By Judith O’Leary, founder and managing director of PR and digital comms agency, Represent
It goes without saying that almost every business and every industry has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The growth and success of the PR industry is largely dependent on the growth and success of other industries and with budgets being cut left, right and centre, the impact of the crisis on many of us has, of course, been significant.
But the PR industry is a strong and a robust one and I am confident we will recover. As we emerge from lockdown and begin the process of recovery, it’s important to look beyond the economic impact of Covid-19 and more towards how the crisis will change the industry in the years to come.
A return to the traditional
Right from the outset of the crisis, we have been flooded with hundreds of social media posts and WhatsApp messages spreading misinformation about Covid-19.
No, eating more garlic or ingesting disinfectant will not prevent you from getting the disease. Putin did not release 500 lions in Moscow to persuade the city’s residents to stay indoors as part of the effort to fight the virus. And 5G is not responsible for the spread of Covid-19. The list goes on! And while the rumours ranged from the ridiculous to the absurd, the spread of misinformation has certainly reignited a resurgence in the more traditional media with continuous false news eroding trust at a time when clarity and accuracy of information are needed more than ever.
Authenticity is key
Consumers do not want to be sold to. They are gravitating towards authentic brands that are offering real value to people during this difficult time, not to brands trying to take advantage of the crisis and promoting their latest offers and deals.
Just look at fast food chain, Subway, who was forced to apologise after one of its shops offered free masks to customers who bought two or more of its sandwiches. It was widely seen as opportunistic and highly insensitive at a time when protective equipment was in desperately short supply for health and key workers.
Compare this to Brewdog who despite being adversely affected by the crisis, started to produce hand sanitiser from its distillery here in Scotland in order to “do everything we can to try and help as many people as possible stay safe.”
The difference between the two approaches is staggering. Never has authentic and meaningful brand communication and brand proposition been more important.
It’s still all about ROI
Proving return on investment has always been a challenge for the PR industry. Yes of course there are a whole host of metrics we measure to demonstrate value but brands will be demanding even more tangible returns on their investments as budgets are squeezed as a result of the crisis.
That’s why it is even more important than ever that we upskill across all digital communications and it is exactly why Represent has evolved from a traditional PR agency into a full service digital comms agency. Diversification will be key to agency survival in the years ahead.
The way we work
Perhaps the most obvious point to make about how the industry will change relates to how we will work. We have gone from seeing and communicating with colleagues on a daily basis to scheduling Zoom meetings and hosting virtual Friday catchup drinks. And while some companies will return to the office over the course of the coming months, many will not.
As companies look to streamline operations and reduce costs, many of us will continue to work remotely and manage our team from afar. That means managing company culture and boosting staff morale will become even more important for agency owners and leaders as we must ensure we continue to attract and retain the best talent into our industry.
There is no denying Scotland’s PR industry has been hit extremely hard by Covid-19, as is the case with so many other industries. Yet as we emerge from the crisis and recover economically, we must focus on the way the industry has changed for the better. Authenticity, honesty and truth have never been more important, nor has the opportunity for us to upskill as an industry and deliver even better, more creative, tangible campaigns on behalf of our clients.
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The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word biotechnology probably isn’t a high-performance snow ski. But when biotech startup Checkerspot considered how to apply its proprietary microalgae-derived oils, it quickly settled on outdoor recreation. It didn’t hurt that cofounder and CEO Charles Dimmler is a lifelong backcountry skier and that many at Checkerspot are outdoor enthusiasts.
“It’s a lot better from a business-building perspective to target high-value applications,” says Dimmler, who believes consumers of outdoor recreation equipment care deeply about product materials, are willing to pay for higher performance, and have been neglected by a petroleum-based chemicals industry that has become increasingly focused on commodities of huge scale.
Founded in 2016 by biotech vet Dimmler and molecular biologist Scott Franklin, Checkerspot leverages new biotechnologies to render new non-petroleum-based polyurethanes and coatings that outperform traditional plastics. Realizing they needed a product to demonstrate the efficacy of Checkerspot’s proprietary compounds, Dimmler brought pro skier and product designer Matt Sterbenz aboard to lead the company’s winter sports venture and launch its WNDR Alpine division. Its resulting Intention 110 backcountry ski is the winner of our 2020 Innovation by Design Award in the Sports and Recreation category.
“If you look back at the history of materials,” Dimmler says, “innovation has been characterized by what you could resource, what you could find, what was available. In the 1950s and 1960s, I would argue that the world wasn’t demanding plastic but the petroleum industry brought something to the world based on what was available.” Breakthroughs in industrial biotechnology, Dimmler says, have unlocked the potential to work with non-petroleum-based compounds that can now be produced at scale, providing product developers and designers with a slew of ecologically sustainable building blocks.
“Designers and product developers don’t feel like there are new materials and ingredients coming from the petroleum industry,” Dimmler says.
Headquartered in Berkeley, California, Checkerspot operates a design lab in Salt Lake City, and the proximity to the Wasatch Mountains allowed WNDR Alpine to perform frequent real-world prototype testing as they developed the new skis. What they discovered was that Checkerspot’s trademarked algae-based polyurethanes bonded naturally with domestically sourced aspen to create a ski that is both lighter and stronger than conventional equipment. Available to consumers via the WNDR website since late 2019 (alongside other outdoor recreation products that the WNDR team curates but doesn’t design and manufacture), the Intention 110 sold out of its most popular lengths and has garnered rave reviews from Powder, Freeskier, Men’s Journal, and other outdoor enthusiast press.
The company isn’t focusing exclusively on the $4 billion global ski equipment market. It’s also partnering with the Swiss-based specialty chemical company Beyond Surface Technologies and with W.L. Gore (makers of Gore-Tex) to develop new finishes to enhance the wicking ability of high-performance textiles. Dimmler believes Checkerspot-designed materials will also have applications in the personal care and beauty markets.
“Sustainability is not a fleeting trend,” he says. “It’s been growing in crescendo for the last 10 years, at least. Consumers are looking for things that perform better and are more sustainable.”
See more honorees from the 2020 Innovation by Design Awards here.


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Get weekly updates from Reason.
Today's Top Topics
Recent Research and Commentary
Food nannies want the government to control your diet.July 29, 2011
“What will it take,” asked New York Times writer Mark Bittman last Sunday, “to get Americans to change our eating habits?” This is a subject of great concern to progressives today. As A. Barton Hinkle explains, many of them are deeply distressed that—despite incessant lecturing on the subject—too many of their fellow citizens continue to eat what they like, rather than what progressives think they should eat.
McDonald’s nudges kids to eat more fruit, fewer fries after being given a good shove by regulatorsJuly 26, 2011
Starting in 2012, all McDonald's Happy Meals will include apple slices (and a very tiny serving of fries), a move McDonald's claims was "absolutely not" motivated by ever-mounting pressure from regulators to do something about America's hordes of chubby children. Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward is skeptical.
How long before the government places graphic warning labels on junk food?June 29, 2011
The logic of Washington’s graphic new cigarette warning labels holds that government should frighten people away from consumer goods that impose social costs. But as A. Barton Hinkle observes, if we apply that consistently, then there is no reason federal regulators should not adorn junk food packaging with garish photos of morbidly obese corpses, cutaways of clogged ateries, or glistening mounds of fatty tissue hacked out of cadavers.
View Resources by Type
- Does Your Body Belong to You?
Food nannies want the government to control your diet.
A. Barton Hinkle
July 29, 2011
- McDonald's to Kids: Apple Slices For All, Whether or Not You Want Them
McDonald’s nudges kids to eat more fruit, fewer fries after being given a good shove by regulators
July 26, 2011
- Nanny State Propaganda
How long before the government places graphic warning labels on junk food?
A. Barton Hinkle
June 29, 2011
- Moralizing Against McDonald's
The clownish antics of nanny state busybodies
May 23, 2011
- Obama's War on Fun
The president breathes new life into the Nanny State
May 17, 2011
- Commit Yourself
Self-control in the age of abundance
April 18, 2011
- Nudgers vs. Nannies
The civil war between British busybodies
January 4, 2011
- Follow the Bouncing Buck
The year's highlights in blame shifting
December 29, 2010
- Obama's Obesity War
It's time for some self-restraint.
December 14, 2010
- The Fitness Divide
What happened after JFK told America to take a hike
November 12, 2010
- Attack of the Food Police
Why the government has no business banning Happy Meals
November 8, 2010
- Leaving Taxes or Candy on the Table
Research suggests sin tax projections in Washington will just create a heavier tax burden and leave the state needing to make future cuts
Anthony Randazzo and David Godow
October 25, 2010
- No Fat Kids!
Michelle Obama's misguided war on childhood obesity
April 7, 2010
- Keep Your Laws Off My Body
The case for legalizing drugs, prostitution, organ sales, and other consensual acts.
March 4, 2010
- Have a Coke and a Tax
The economic case against soda taxes
Veronique de Rugy
December 14, 2009
- Stand Down, Trans Fat Fighters
Some trans fat may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers
May 29, 2007
- Smart Growth Types' Dumb Rhetoric
Linking suburbs to obesity just an attempt at social engineering
May 19, 2003
- Brian Doherty
- Nick Gillespie
Editor in Chief, Reason.com and Reason TV
- Katherine Mangu-Ward
Managing Editor, Reason
- Jacob Sullum
- Jesse Walker
Media ContactChris Mitchell
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