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In the ongoing clash between technology giants, an extraordinary complaint has emerged, pitting BlackBerry against Facebook in the Blackberry v Facebook Read Eye Opening Complaint. This eye-opening complaint has sparked widespread curiosity and concern, unveiling a series of revelations that expose Facebook’s alleged infringement on BlackBerry’s patents. The allegations have reverberated throughout the industry, capturing the attention of both experts and users alike.
BlackBerry vs. Facebook: An Eye-Opening Complaint
In recent times, the clash between technology giants BlackBerry and Facebook has reached new heights, with a complaint filed by BlackBerry that has caught the attention of industry experts and users alike. This complaint unveils a series of alarming revelations that shed light on Facebook’s alleged infringement of BlackBerry’s patents.
The Patent Dispute: Unveiling the Alleged Infringement
BlackBerry’s complaint against Facebook centers around the claim that the social media giant has unlawfully incorporated several features protected by BlackBerry’s patents into its platform. These features are believed to be crucial components of Facebook’s core functionality, including its messaging services, security protocols, and mobile interfaces.
BlackBerry’s complaint, filed in a federal court, asserts that Facebook’s unauthorized use of their patented technologies has not only affected BlackBerry’s business interests but has also impacted users’ privacy and data security. The complaint aims to bring these concerns to the forefront and seek legal remedies for the alleged infringement.
The disputed patents cover a wide range of technologies, such as cryptographic techniques for secure messaging, UI/UX designs for efficient mobile interactions, and innovations related to advertising and tracking mechanisms. BlackBerry claims that Facebook has knowingly utilized these patented technologies without obtaining the necessary licenses, violating BlackBerry’s intellectual property rights.
This complaint has triggered a significant debate within the tech community, as it questions the boundaries of innovation and the responsibilities of industry leaders in protecting intellectual property. Industry observers eagerly await the legal proceedings that will determine the outcome of this high-stakes dispute and potentially reshape the dynamics of the technology sector.
As the BlackBerry vs. Facebook case unfolds, it serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting intellectual property rights and the potential consequences of unauthorized use of patented technologies. The implications of this complaint go beyond the two companies involved, highlighting the broader significance of intellectual property protection in fostering innovation and maintaining a fair and competitive market environment.
As the BlackBerry v Facebook case continues to unfold, it marks a pivotal moment in the ever-evolving landscape of intellectual property rights and technological innovation. The ramifications of this eye-opening complaint extend far beyond the two companies involved, resonating throughout the tech industry. The outcome of this legal battle has the potential to redefine the boundaries of innovation, intellectual property protection, and fair competition. The eyes of the tech world are fixed on this landmark case, awaiting the resolution that will undoubtedly shape the future of patents, technology, and the delicate balance between corporate giants.
Prepare to be captivated by the intellectual wonders unveiled by UTB BLOGS. Contact us now to embark on a thought-provoking voyage.


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It is not pretty, but neither was the Volkswagen. Recall that the selling price for Volkswagen in the late sixties was just under $2,000. That is now forty years ago and a major inflation ago. Recall also that the majority of the major brands were created by entering the market with the cheapest solution. Who can forget the early Toyota?
The new vehicle standard is going to be light and electric because they are going to be range sensitive from now on. Everyone will be conscious that their personal weight and passenger weight is a major fraction of total load. This was rarely the case before.
Since we will be so directly conscious of total load, just like in an airplane, we will begin making our choices accordingly. At least until the third generation super capacitor power pack comes out with enough juice to carry a ton or so a thousand miles.
I see real merit in a short two seater vehicle not dissimilar to this. Getting rid of the unloved and barely used rear seat is a great weight saver. Right now, such a design would lengthen the effective range from current battery technology.
Manufacturing technology has clearly evolved and this is a massive shift into a brand new automotive market that is many time larger than the present market in terms of vehicle volume.
World's cheapest car is launched
The Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, has been launched in India.
Costing just 100,000 rupees ($1,979; £1,366), the Nano will now go on sale across India next month, with deliveries starting in July.
Tata hopes the 10-foot (3-metre) long, five-seater car will be cheap enough to encourage millions of Indians to trade up from their motorcycles.
Tata owner Ratan Tata has described the Nano as a "milestone". Analysts say it will not make a profit for six years.
Tata's managing director Ravi Kant said that from the first orders, a ballot would then select the initial 100,000 people to get their Nano.
"I think we are at the gates of offering a new form of transport to the people of India and later, I hope, other markets elsewhere in the world," Mr Tata added.
"I hope it will provide safe, affordable four-wheel transportation to families who till now have not been able to own a car."
Environmentalists are warning that the Nano will add to India's already clogged up roads, and pollution levels will soar. Tata says the Nano will be the least polluting car in India.
The four-door Nano has a 33bhp, 624cc engine at the rear.
The basic model has no airbags, air conditioning, radio, or power steering.
However, more luxurious versions will be available.

domain: news


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I’m not sure if you have read, but, apparently, we’re in some kind of recession or something. As bad as it has been, however, investors are always looking for the next big thing. Imagine if you had put a few bucks into Microsoft or Apple or Enron when they first started? Ok, bad example, but you get the point and so do people with money to spend.
So far, however, the only thing to come out of the music industry’s current state of chaos is more chaos.
On Wednesday, a music-sharing site for musicians called SoundCloud announced it had raised €2.5 million ($3.3 million). That same day, Macrovision Solutions Corp. said it was paying $16.5 million in cash for Muze Inc., which calls itself a media-preview and discovery service, with an emphasis on music.
A day earlier, a new Internet radio service called Goom Radio announced it had raised $16 million in Series A money from a trio of venture capital firms. Especially young listeners are flocking to streaming music. Yet economic viability is so far completely elusive, as Leonhard and his partners discovered. Even the most popular offerings, like Pandora Radio, are having a tough time surviving.
Meanwhile, add another body to the graveyard. According to reports from Digital Music News, PassAlong Networks is winding down and will attempt to sell various businesses. Good luck. The Nashville-based digital-media company offers online music services, just like dozens of competitors out there.
I think “volatile” is the appropriate term here, but that is the nature of the music industry anyway, particularly over the last 10 years, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that music services – combining two of the least stable types of companies: music and software – are all over the map these days and everyone tries to sort out where things are going and hopes the music service they invested in turns out to be the next YouTube or Twitter.


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Turkish businessmen and investors have shown their keen interest to invest in Bangladesh.
The interests were shown in response to call of Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi while exchanging views on trade and investment between Bangladesh and Turkey.
Tipu urged the Turkish businessmen to invest in various sectors of Bangladesh including garments, medicines, infrastructure and energy.
Citing lower than expected trade between the two countries, Tipu Munshi asked Turkish traders to increase volume of import-export products by exploring new areas of business.
He stated that Bangladesh's GDP growth has been increasing at a significant rate as compared to other countries in South Asia and Bangladesh has established itself as one of the investment destinations.
Consul General Mohammad Monirul Islam mentioned the enviable economic growth and social development of Bangladesh, especially the transition of Bangladesh to middle income and developing countries.
Describing the investment-friendly policies and programmes of Igas and Archesarkar, he described the various incentives and opportunities for investors, including demographic dividends, tax holidays, geographical location and special economic zones.
He hoped that more Turkish companies will follow the companies.
Turkish businessmen and investors mentioned that a business delegation of Bangladesh-Turkey Business Council will visit Bangladesh later this month.
Hulya Gedik, Chairperson of Bangladesh-Turkey Business Council, Yup Iqbal, Chairman of Fuzul Group, Suleiman Oraksiolu, Chairman of Orca Holdings, Firat Haskay, Chairman of Shirt by Shirt Group, Halil Ibrahim, Chairman of Ser Farmers, Azmi Kiran, and Chairman of Federal Farm took part at the meeting.


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The sudden rise with Kava rates around Vanuatu has seen transport cost also going up.
Farmers throughout Vanuatu have pushed for the increase of Kava rates from VT600 to VT1500 and though a set rate has never been set, kava prices still fluctuate.
The latest development to this rise has now seen transport operators raise their rates.
YTSNews has confirmation that ships now charge between VT1500 to VT3000 Vatu per bag Kava.
Given the on land transport cost at VT3000 per trip, the Kava business is becoming very expensive for farmers and buyers alike.
The question remains if the Government will ever try to regulate Kava trading and set some standards as guidelines for a minimal rate for kava purchase to ensure there is a reasonable rate for both purchaser and supplier.
Mass production of kava can however lower the rates and provide better options for the transport industry to also set reasonable rates with it’s operations.
There is however wide concern among consumers that if the kava prices keep raising, transport rates will rise and quality productions at Nakamal’s for consumers will drop as it is currently happening.
Though Vanuatu has yet to introduce quality control for the Kava industry especially for the juice consumption, it will only be a matter of time before the kava business will start to see the effects of over charging consumers for kava that is not of quality keeping in mind we do not yet have a measurement nor control system for kava juice..
The number of people consuming kava is starting to drop and the issue of Kava Bars providing ‘wota kava’ is becoming a everyday concern and for Vanuatu Kava, this is not good, as this issue’s is starting to make people spend less money on kava.
With the sudden increase in transport cost, the quantity of kava in a shell will reduce to make room for kava bar owners to make some profits but it also mean that maybe the kava will lose quality.


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A new study by BlockFi has revealed that 30% of US women are ready to enter crypto space in 2022.
The study covered a total of 1,031 female respondents in the US. Crypto awareness among female consumers is also on the rise, as some 92% of the surveyed people confirmed that they had heard about cryptocurrencies or altcoins.
In fact, 14% see bitcoin (BTC) as a sustainable long-term investment with another 4% thinking that NFT may prove just as much.
“It’s very exciting to know that women are becoming more aware of the benefits of owning crypto and expressing interest in working in the crypto sector. Looking towards the future, my hope is that crypto will become an essential part of everyone’s financial wellness plan”, said BlockFi founder and SVP of operations Flori Marquez.
Meanwhile, 24% of the surveyed US women said they already owned crypto and 70% of those owning crypto identified themselves as HODLers (the term used to describe crypto owners who don’t sell their crypto at the first market swing).
Meanwhile, 50% of the surveyed women said that they knew how to purchase cryptocurrency. BTC is the most popular crypto, with 71% of US women recognizing the asset and dogecoin ranking second with 42%.
According to one in ten women interviewed, the crypto sector presented some of the best employment opportunities as well. Ten per cent of all women said that they would be looking to apply to some crypto-related job position in the next 12 months or so. Elsewhere, 43% of Singaporeans already own cryptocurrency.
In the meantime, if you already own crypto and wish to spend it, we recommend turning to websites such as Bitcasino, 1xBit or FortuneJack.
Looking for your next crypto casino? Check out: Bitcasino, Gamb.co or FortuneJack.


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Nexus Launcher renamed Pixel Launcher
We’ve been hearing that Verizon would rebrand the 2016 Nexus phones, and that Google is renaming the Nexus line “Pixel,” with two HTC devices arriving this Fall that bear the monikers “Pixel” and “Pixel XL.” Well, Google has just renamed its Nexus launcher this week, putting an end to the speculation. The name of it? Pixel Launcher.
The leak was announced by LlabTooFeR, a famous leakster known for his HTC phone leaks, and he’s back to talk about the newly-renamed Nexus launcher because — to no one’s surprise! — the new Pixel Launcher is mostly Google’s take on HTC’s own Sense UI with HTC wallpapers that you find on the HTC 10 the Taiwanese phone maker launched earlier this year (which means that it’ll likely arrive with the upcoming Pixel and Pixel XL phones, too). “Google’s new Pixel Launcher,” the leakster wrote, with screenshots of what, by all appearances, is nothing more than HTC’s own Sense UI. There are a few other apps as well that I find surprising in the screenshots, but it has “heavy HTC influence” written all over it.
Nothing more is said about the Pixel Launcher, but the name itself helps those Google faithful who held out hope that Google would not go with the name “Pixel” for its upcoming smartphones. Pixel and Pixel XL sound a lot like Microsoft’s naming of the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL — names that are boring, indeed, with little originality given to them. At least the Nexus name was a brand with a name that meant something. “Nexus” refers to the center of the activity, and Google always said that its flagship was the shining example of what Android “should be.” Well, it appears as though that’s not the case anymore. “Pixel” sounds too much like “pixie dust” and fairy tales and is basically a name given to a kid’s toy phone in Toys’ R’ Us (not a mobile device that adults worldwide would want to own and use daily). I’m 100% certain that Pixel is not a name to which I’d assign a vote of confidence.
In any case, LlabTooFeR sounds as though the search engine giant has made up its mind about the new Pixel Launcher and Pixel smartphone moniker. We’ll know for sure on October 4th, but this is as good a clue as we can get right now.


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Today Nintendo posted an official message on its Japanese support website apologizing for the poor communication related to Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore.
The message expresses regret for the lack of information and adavance notice about the issue.
Nintendo reiterates the messaging that the game “adds new elements” from the western version of the game released in 2015 for Wii U, and work is progressing with a global version aiming for a simultaneous worldwide release. Of course, Japanese language will be available.
However, Nintendo admits that the fact that the game is based on the western release of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was not announced from the beginning, and screenshots from the Japanese version (which won’t appear in Encore) were initially included in the website, potentially causing misunderstandings for the customers.
Therefore, Nintendo replaced the screenshots on October 10, and added the mention about the nature of the game on October 17. Yet, they recognize that the release of information was insufficient from the beginning.
Customers who have already pre-ordered or pre-purchsed their copies at the Nintendo eShop and My Nintendo Store and wish to cancel their purchase will be allowed to do so.
The issue, of course, is that the western version of the Wii U game being used as a base for Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is heavily censored, so it’s not surprising that Nintendo had to issue an apology, even if it’s just for the fact that customers weren’t properly advised. It’s unlikely that the whole hoopla will be seen favorably by many Japanese gamers.


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Virgin Voyages is intent on setting itself apart, and its food choices do stand out: no buffet, no main dining room, no restaurants with an extra charge. Execution will be key.
Virgin Voyages is saying goodbye to an age-old cruise ship custom: the all-you-can-eat buffet.
The cruise operator, which launches its first ship in 2020, also said Wednesday that it will not charge an extra fee for any of its 20 or so food options.
For the 2,770-passenger Scarlet Lady, the line is doing away with a main dining room and assigned seating; offering extended hours; and placing a bar at every eatery. It should come as no surprise that the ship will be only for adults.
The traditional buffet will be replaced by a food hall-type option where everything is made to order rather than sitting around ready to eat. CEO Tom McAlpin said the approach would allow the line to reduce food waste, an issue that hospitality companies and airlines are increasingly beginning to address.
Most mainstream cruise lines include some restaurants — such as the main dining room and buffet — in the price of a cruise but charge extra for what are called “specialty” restaurants. Upcharges can be modest or steep, but typically are priced better than land-based counterparts.
But executives at Virgin Voyages said that strategy wouldn’t make sense for the brand and vowed not to hit passengers with extra charges at every turn.
“On a Virgin Voyage, it doesn’t make sense to be nickel and dimed or pay more for better food,” Chief Commercial Officer Nirmal Saverimuttu said at an event Wednesday night in New York City.
Luxury lines typically include all meals in the price of a cruise, but ships are much smaller than the vessels Virgin is building. The cruise line said Wednesday it was referring to its style as “Rebellious Luxe.”
True to its unconventional nature, the startup cruise line made the announcement at an event that also featured a collective soju shot mid-press conference, hosts in drag, and a merman perched in an oversized cocktail glass.
Restaurants will include The Test Kitchen, an experimental option where diners will only see a list of ingredients; an upscale Mexican venue; a Korean barbecue; a “veggie-forward” spot; a pizza place called The Pizza Place; a traditional steakhouse with seafood; and more.
Virgin is releasing details little by little in advance of the ship’s launch; McAlpin said he’d been sitting on Tuesday’s announcement for years. The company first publicly announced plans for the line in 2015.
“You design the ship around the restaurants,” he said.
The Daily Newsletter
Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.
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Photo credit: The Test Kitchen, one of the restaurants that will be on the first Virgin Voyages ship, is shown in this rendering. Virgin Voyages


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Electric taxis to deliver tools
Plant hire company Speedy has trialled the use of electric taxis to deliver tools, generators and other items to sites in London.
The new red converted delivery cabs will help meet growing demand for one-tonne, zero emission commercial vehicles, which are currently mainly diesel models.
The vehicles can accommodate two Euro-sized pallets with a total payload of over 800kg.
Aaron Powell, head of fleet at Speedy, said to Construction Enquirer: “The construction sector accounts for 10% of the UK’s carbon emissions and we recognise that the hire industry is uniquely placed to introduce innovative, sustainable solutions that can reduce this.”


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Posts Tagged «components»
AMD’s Kaveri onslaught: New A10 & A8 APUs, better pricing, lower power consumption July 31, 2014 at 8:00 am
AMD is launching a group of new SKUs for its Kaveri lineup and the new chips substantially improve on the value proposition of the product line.
Intel releases rare details of its custom CPUs for Oracle – and there’s a lot more to come July 29, 2014 at 6:27 am
Intel has finally shared some details on how it’s customizing chips for companies like Oracle. It turns out that these current parts go through extra validation steps and can adjust their core counts, frequencies on the fly.
New game consoles and 4K could reverse significant strides in power efficiency July 28, 2014 at 4:34 pm
A new report suggests American’s are burning a lot less power than three years ago — but can the trend hold up?
Stanford creates ‘Holy Grail’ lithium battery, could triple smartphone and EV battery life July 28, 2014 at 8:43 am
They’ve done it again: The battery barons of Stanford, led by Yi Cui, have created what those in the industry call the ‘Holy Grail’ of lithium-ion battery design. In specific, they’ve finally worked out how to create a rugged lithium electrode that can increase the capacity of a lithium-ion battery by three to four times — as in, this lithium electrode, on its own, could increase the battery life of your smartphone by three times, or significantly reduce the size and cost of an electric car’s battery pack.
The polariton laser: With 250x lower power consumption, could this be the answer to on-chip optical interconnects? July 23, 2014 at 2:34 pm
Engineers at the University of Michigan and Intel have succeeded in creating the first practical, room-temperature polariton laser. The polariton laser is of extreme interest because it requires just 0.004% of the current required by normal lasers, making it a prime candidate for use with on-chip optical interconnects. It is also believed that the polariton laser is the first new practical method of producing coherent laser light since the laser diode debuted more than 50 years ago in 1962.
Pyrrhic victory: Intel forces its way into mobile, but might destroy itself in the process July 21, 2014 at 12:17 pm
Intel is determined to shove itself into the mobile market, but it may be doing so in a way that destroys its own chance of ever earning a profit.
Intel’s mobile division has lost an astonishing $2 billion so far this year July 16, 2014 at 7:15 am
Intel’s Q2 results are excellent and the company’s profits much improved — but its mobile divisions continue bleeding money. When it called this contra-revenue, it wasn’t kidding.
Intel’s 14nm puzzle: As Skylake details leak, everybody asks – is the chip coming in 2015 or not? July 14, 2014 at 2:15 pm
Now, fresh rumors have leaked on Intel’s Skylake chipset plans, all still pointing at a 2015 release. Will Intel pull an upset and launch two new processors inside 12 months?
LG’s flexible and transparent OLED displays are the beginning of the e-paper revolution July 14, 2014 at 1:07 pm
In 2012 it was a flexible e-ink display. In 2013 it was the slightly flexible OLED display used in the G Flex smartphone. And now in 2014 LG has produced a massive, 18-inch OLED display that can be rolled up into a tight cylinder with a radius of just 3 centimeters (1.2 inches). In addition, LG has also announced an 18-inch OLED display that is highly transparent. By 2017, LG thinks it can combine both of these prototypes to create a 60-inch, UHD (4K) display that is both flexible and transparent. Is the dream of a flexible, fold-up ‘e-paper’ display finally upon us? Is that the death knell of the printed page that I can hear tolling in the distance?
Forget Moore’s law: Hot and slow DRAM is a major roadblock to exascale and beyond July 14, 2014 at 11:10 am
Any attempt to truly push the future of computing means fundamentally redesigning memory — but after 40 years, can DRAM be easily swept aside?


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Just three days after the announcement that Hugo Barra is leaving Xiaomi in February to "embark on a new adventure," it has emerged that the face of Xiaomi (soon to be ex-face of Xiaomi) is joining Facebook.
The news was posted by Mark Zuckerberg on his Facebook where he expressed his excitement about the new member of the Facebook family.
Barra will lead Facebook's virtual reality efforts, including the Oculus team.
Mark posted on Facebook:
Hugo shares my belief that virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform. They'll enable us to experience completely new things and be more creative than ever before. Hugo is going to help build that future, and I'm looking forward to having him on our team.
Barra confirmed the news on his Facebook profile where he wrote:
I'm excited to share my next adventure as I return to Silicon Valley-in a couple of months I'll be joining Facebook as VP of virtual reality (VPVR!) and lead the Oculus team. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun always says that the highest calling of an engineer is to make technology breakthroughs quickly and readily available to the widest possible spectrum of humanity. That will be my mission at Facebook and I look forward to building the future of immersive technology with Mark Zuckerberg, Brendan Trexler Iribe, Mike Schroepfer, and the visionaries in the Oculus team.
Barra has spent the last three and a half years as the public face and Vice President at Xiaomi and before that he worked in the Silicon Valley as Google's Vice President of Android Product Management where he helped to elevate the operating system to where it is today.
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- Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne's customized 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 will cross the auction block at the Barrett-Jackson event in Palm Beach, Florida, in April.
- Proceeds will benefit United Way for Southeastern Michigan.
- The car has been customized with "Dark Charcoal" racing stripes and "smoked" tail lamps to give it a sinister feel.
AUBURN HILLS, Michigan — Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne's customized 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 will cross the auction block at the Barrett-Jackson event in Palm Beach, Florida, April 4-6.
The proceeds from the sale will benefit United Way for Southeastern Michigan, one of Marchionne's pet causes.
Chrysler said the auction package includes the car and Mopar's latest 540-horsepower Hemi V8 crate engine.
Marchionne's Challenger aims for a "sinister" look. It gets a Pitch Black paint job and features a set of custom mixed "Dark Charcoal" racing stripes that were hand laid by the designers in the SRT brand design studio and applied by the master painters from the Chrysler Group's Product Design Office, according to a statement from Chrysler. The SRT designers wanted a sinister look from every angle, so the taillamps have been "smoked" and the iconic 392 Hemi fender badges have been re-created in gloss and satin black finishes.
Marchionne, one of the most well-known auto executives in the world, also signed his autograph to the hot rod.
The car rides low thanks to a Mopar-adjustable coil-over suspension kit. It also features a Mopar exhaust system. The factory forged 20-inch wheels are finished in matte black to round out the package.
The interior has custom-trimmed black leather seats embroidered with SRT and 392 logos.
Marchionne serves as campaign chair for the United Way of Southeastern Michigan campaign.
Edmunds says: A hot car for a hot cause.


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Update: Nokia has confirmed that Here Maps will hit Windows 8.1 devices in the Asia-Pacific region following its wide release in Europe and North America, though there's still no specific timeline.
Original story …
Nokia's Here Maps app will soon become available as a free download on every Windows 8.1 device, including tablets, laptops and desktops in both Pro and RT configurations.
The Here app for Windows 8.1 has so far been exclusive to Nokia's Lumia 2520, but it will become available as a free download in the Windows Store app marketplace "in the coming days," says a post on Nokia's Here blog.
The app will roll out beginning in North America and Europe, presumably continuing in other, undisclosed countries later.
Here Maps is already widely available on Windows Phone 8 smartphones, where it serves the same purpose that Google Maps does on iOS and Android: being the "all-in-one mapping solution," as Nokia puts it.
Faster maps and more
Nokia promises improvements in this newly updated version of the Here Maps app for Windows 8.1.
City pages will load as much as four times faster, among other improvements to overall speed, the company said.
Being that it's soon to become available for desktop and laptop users, they've also added mouse and keyboard controls.
The app's satellite image resolution has been increased as well, making satellite view easier to read even as you zoom in.
And Here Maps keeps a record of your searches and routes.
We've asked Nokia to clarify where and when the Here Maps app will launch outside the US and Europe, and we'll update this article when we hear back.


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Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics will debut a new game at E3 next week, according to GameTrailers' schedule of events.
The studio is set to appear on television channel Spike to announce a new game and show its first footage sometime in the 11am-noon PT (7pm-8pm UK time) window.
The studio's most recent release was Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, which updated the well-received action adventure title for PS4 and Xbox One in January.
Crystal Dynamics revealed it was working on at least two separate titles as of August 2013, one of which is a sequel to Tomb Raider intended for new-gen systems. The studio has kept quiet about what the other project might be.
Crystal Dynamics executive producer Scott Amos said in June 2012 that it was starting "with a blank page" in creating its next project.
Crystal Dynamics' Legacy of Kain series has been revived in the form of War for Nosgoth, a free-to-play assymetrical shooter developed by Psyonix.


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Rishi Sunak has moved to assure people that the £15bn cost of living package he recently announced will only “minimally” add to the UK’s inflationary pressures.
The chancellor today told Westminster’s Treasury Select Committee that he had been careful “to make sure fiscal policy was responsible in that context”.
The chancellor last month performed a major U-turn and announced a windfall tax on British oil and gas firms in order to help pay for a package of measures to help people with rising energy bills.
The measures will mean that everyone will get hundreds of pounds of direct payments from the government, with more money targeted at the lowest-wage workers and pensioners.
There have been concerns that the universal nature of the payments will lead to increased inflationary pressures in the UK at a time where prices are already soaring.
Annual UK inflation hit a 40-year high of 9 per cent in April and the Bank of England now expects growth in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to hit double digits this year.
“We are trying to make sure we are targeting those whose incomes are hardest hit, but we do not want to be fuelling extra discretionary spending,” Sunak said.
“This is a package which will have, we believe, a minimal impact on inflation, but inflation nonetheless.
“What we’re doing is doing it in a responsible way so it’s going to those people who are going to spend it on things that are absolutely necessary for them to have a standard of living that we think would be appropriate.”


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As social media continues to grow in prominence as a tactic for marketers, new research shows that Instagram is paying off, and videos on the platform are performing exceeding well.
Quintly recently published the “Instagram Study 2019” report, and statistics found that marketers who created an Instagram account for their organization were able to grow their following by 16%. In addition, video is now driving more interaction for these account holders. Statistics indicated that video posts were providing 49% higher interactions for marketers.
Hashtags also appeared to be a factor in terms of interaction for marketers. Organizations with 1,000-10,000 followers who used 1-3 hashtags per post saw significantly more interactions than companies with 10,000-100,000 followers who used 10+ hashtags.
On average, marketers who used no hashtags saw upwards of 275,000 interactions, compared to those who used 1-3 hashtags – these individuals saw a median of 165,000 interactions.
Instagram Stories Lead the Way for Marketers
Video continues to be popular on Instagram, but previous research suggests that Stories – the feature that allows users to post temporary videos on the platform – are paying off for marketers as well.
Social Media Today published the “Instagram Marketing Survey Report,” and data suggested that 90% of marketers are now using Instagram for marketing purposes. Furthermore, 81% are using Stories to resonate with their target audience.
Nearly 52% are using ads, 50% are utilizing Highlights, and 17% are using IGTV, another form of video on the platform.
“Without a doubt, Instagram Stories, which now has more than 500 million daily active users, is fast becoming a must-have in social strategies today,” wrote the authors of the report.


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The online experience for most consumers over the past few years might best be expressed with the kind of question you’d ask a stranger at a cocktail party who started acting a little too familiar: “Excuse me — do we know each other?”
That uncomfortable sense of disconnect — when consumers feel like brands are following them around or appearing out of nowhere — could be blamed on a lot of things. Recent developments from major platform providers as well as regulators, however, strongly suggests it comes down to the ongoing misuse of first-party data.
Less than two months ago, meanwhile, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect for any organization that does business with EU citizens, including companies based in North America. Like ITP, GDPR is predicated on the idea that consumers must explicitly consent to having their data stored and managed by third parties — which is why we all got that slew of those “Please confirm your preferences” e-mails from countless companies over the past few weeks.
The struggle to achieve GDPR compliance has been a boon to privacy and security software companies, but for advertisers it represents a more existential problem: how do you get the attention of potential new customers if they don’t already know who you are?
The First-Party Privilege
At a time when so many brands have taken the mantra that marketing should be more personalized and one-to-one, the arrival of ITP and GDPR serves as a reminder that access to first-party data is a privilege, not a right. The scandal involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica garnered international headlines, but in everyday conversations there is a consistent undercurrent about the failures to use first-party data properly.
“How many times do I have to see this ad?” a friend might comment while browsing online. “Okay, why is this popping up?” Someone else might say when a distracting or irrelevant ad appears on their smartphone screen.
Consumers are gradually becoming aware that these are attempts at personalizing marketing, but the primitive nature in the way first-party data is often handled is fuelling the controversies that have lead to ITP and GDPR today.
You don’t have to look far to see how first-party data can be used more effectively. The customer relationship management (CRM) systems many organizations use have strong recommendation engines and the ability to truly personalize e-mail.
It’s time to apply those capabilities in media — offer incentive deals, coupons or other elements that offer true value in exchange for the information consumers give to brands. Otherwise, a lack of investment and effort to develop that kind of seamlessness will mean they are failing their audience.
From Doomsday To A New Day
Brands have no choice but to adhere the the transparency required by ITP and GDPR. They do have a choice in whether they do so in a spirit of reluctance or empowerment.
Marketers could not only accept the new rules, for example, but they could also revisit the user experiences they’ve created with their campaigns and targeting practices.
Brands could re-invest in creative that doesn’t have to rely on poor retargeting or other shortcuts to win engagement and interest.
Finally, brands could prove that the best advertising is far from intrusive, and always respectful of the privacy and proper treatment that consumers expect.
ITP and GDPR doesn’t have to be a doomsday scenario for marketers — it could offer the chance for a “new day” scenario instead.


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Leading Provider of Real-Time Services Powered by ACR Technology to Exhibit at CES Unveiled and Booth #15126a in LVCC Central Hall at International CES 2015
San Francisco, CA — Cognitive Networks, a California-based provider of real-time services powered by automatic content recognition (ACR) technology, has produced a groundbreaking platform that enables Smart TVs to launch applications that are intelligently synchronized with live or time-shifted television.
The company will display and demo this new technology at the International CES, January 6-9 from Booth #15126a in the Las Vegas Convention Center Central Hall. The company will also exhibit at CES Unveiled on Sunday, January 4, from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino.
Designed for integration during the manufacturing process, Cognitive-enabled Smart TVs allow viewers to experience TV rather than simply watch it.
When activated on Smart TVs, Cognitive’s proprietary technology identifies content as it is broadcast and establishes an immediate connection with TV programmers, allowing them to automatically launch interactive applications in real time — all designed to enhance, support and maximize the viewing experience. Now, for the first time ever, Smart TVs can transform traditionally static content into entertainment that is more personalized … more interactive … more fun.
Essentially, Cognitive Networks makes Smart TVs “smarter.”
According to Cognitive’s founder and Chief Technical Officer Zeev Neumeier, traditional Smart TVs receive only video and audio from set-top boxes with no information about the content displayed. As a result, they cannot intelligently connect the applications plane with the video plane of the TV.
Smart TVs are, in effect, deliberately blinded by the void of program data from set-top boxes.
“Cognitive Networks is distinct from all other providers of content recognition services in at least three ways,” says CEO Michael Collette. “First, our patented system was custom-built from the ground up specifically to work with Smart TVs. Other companies have tried to port existing systems to TVs and have all failed due to a lack of understanding of the unique operating and performance requirements posed by Smart TVs. Second, our core technology was built specifically to allow television partners to identify and then respond immediately to viewer behavior, allowing them to truly ‘strike while the iron is hot’ — whether to augment the content or extend the value of an ad. Then lastly, we’re not just selling to major manufacturers; we are actually partnering with them. Since our founding in 2008 we have been incubated by a leading TV OEM. We are now fully deployed with LG, one of the world’s most dominant manufacturers. And as we are currently working with two other industry giants, our service stands poised for immediate integration into the next generation of Smart television. These relationships are destined to make us true market leaders in this genre.”
Earlier this year, Cognitive Networks earned one of Red Herring’s Top 100 North America awards, honoring the year’s most promising private technology companies in America based on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, including financial performance, technology innovation and intellectual property, management quality, business model, customer footprint and market penetration.
For additional information, please visit http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BI6FhUqrNl2EsiT6VE85S9OKwt9tgnaQOncN3hGBWRKFiarbwY2T4U263qJIPjfJdIP53kQCq_K-aw98oLkXQnORknvFZyD7bp20HH36rf94o4RcP3ceAzXNTMR4A-wF7EeV9x5HdlgG-mEeHco0tXj63bP6GwZd&c=5XPujnB3pjtr0kOq2fPUJwaACSkrciNBu4lkqQUjrg7FqXQ-2s9aDQ==&ch=zembcitz62lB7aLwZEoAg0z5zNrdyyt39O0_iRIr8zOBvpetjY45YQ==.
Please Note: Cognitive Networks is now VIZIO Inscape.
About VIZIO, Inc.
VIZIO’s mission is to deliver the ultimate entertainment experience through our community of connected consumers, advertisers, and media content providers. Through our connected entertainment platform, VIZIO is transforming the way consumers discover and experience media content. Since our founding in California in 2002, VIZIO has built an industry-leading brand and sold over 65 million products, including televisions, sound bars and other devices. VIZIO is a leading CE brand in North America with the #1 unit share in Smart TVs1 and #1 unit share in Sound Bars2. VIZIO product leadership is highlighted by a number of industry reviews and awards: the VIZIO P-Series SmartCast Home Theater Displays are the highest-ranked LED/LCD display on CNET in 2016, having received an editors’ rating of 4.5/5 stars3; the VIZIO Reference Series achieved a 2016 Editors’ Choice award from Reviewed.com; and the VIZIO D-Seriesearned a 2016 Editor’s Choice award from PC Magazine5. For more information, please call 888-VIZIOCE or visit www.VIZIO.com.
Information contained on this page is provided by companies via press release. YBLTV makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith.


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Before traveling to seven African countries, German Development Minister Gerd Müller is campaigning for "duty-free trade with Africa" but he is receiving criticism. The real problems must be addressed, say experts.
Duty-free has long ceased to be the decisive issue, as it has been largely established for African goods in Europe for many years, says renowned German Professor, “a development economist” in an interview. Rather, agricultural subsidies and trade barriers should have to be addressed. The professor at Leipzig University also accuses Europe of "neocolonialism" in monetary policy.
However, Minister Müller, also talked about these same topics, especially shortly before his trip to Africa. He seems to ignore the fact that the imbalance in trade has increased further in recent years, despite exemptions from duty. The Minister was accused to have been badly informed and he's therefore rightly criticized before travelling to Africa for a week.
Africa's negative trade balance
Trade relations between Europe and Africa are increasingly developing to the detriment of Africa. While imports from Europe and above all from Germany are rising slightly in most African countries, African exports to Europe are falling totally in most countries.
This is mainly due to price developments, oil and natural gas come mainly from Africa to Germany and Europe, followed by agricultural products. The prices of agricultural products, oil and gas have declined in recent years, which is why the trade balance of African countries with Europe has become more negative.
According to the economic promotion company, Germany Trade & Invest, German foreign trade with sub-Saharan Africa amounted to 26.1 billion euros last year. In particular, imports have risen compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for only 1.1% percent of the total foreign trade in 2017, just as in the previous year.
New Free Trade Agreements With Africa
If it is up to the will of the European Union and also of the German Federal Government, in the future even more European goods should be found on African markets. For now, the Europeans have identified Africa as a major sales market. By 2050, a quarter of the world's population will live in Africa, calculates the European statistics agency Eurostat. Africa is the "sleeping giant of the world economy," according to Berlin and Brussels. And you do not want to leave this sales market without a fight to the Chinese and Indians. Asia's trade with Africa has been gaining importance and volume for years.
For some time now, the EU has been negotiating with African countries about new trade agreements called Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), they provide for almost complete market opening also for European goods in the African markets. Advocates hope for new markets for both sides, an increase in efficiency through competition and low prices for consumers.
But in Africa, this causes displeasure. Critics fear that unlimited trade with Europe will weaken their economy even more. Their fear is, the most superior European products could displace Africa's own home goods, and this could add to the imbalance in trade between Europe and Africa.
Francis Tawiah (Duisburg - Germany)


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Tech-averse SMEs are driving with the handbrake on
16 Dec 2019
Forty-one per cent of accountants and bookkeepers say at least half of their small to medium sized enterprise (SME) clients provide paper documentation rather than electronic, fresh data from MYOB has found.
As well as a reliance on hard copy documentation, 20% of respondents say less than half of their SME clients use accounting software. Among the main barriers identified is an aversion to online technologies (30%), a finding supported by MYOB’s last Business Monitor report, which showed just under a fifth (19%) of SMEs plan to increase their investment in IT systems and processes.
MYOB Chief Product Officer, David Weickhardt, said the recent announcement that federal government will commit to electronic invoicing shows the dial is shifting to place online as a priority for all business.
“These major shifts we’re seeing in the way Australia will do business require a habit change. Most of the time, those changes seem more daunting than they actually are and in truth, it’s a lot harder to keep track of paper receipts than it is to adopt technology that does it for you. The shoebox should be a thing of the past,” he said.
It’s not just the benefits of accounting software that tech-averse SMEs are missing out on. Of the 523 accountants and bookkeepers surveyed, 53% said less than a quarter of their SME clients use apps, add-ons or product innovations to help run their businesses.
Of those who don’t, the main reason is they don’t believe their business is complex enough to justify their use (50%), they don’t have the technical skills (44%) or the cost is too high (43%). There’s also a large percentage who don’t understand the benefit these tools can provide for their business (41%).
“It’s a common misconception that smaller businesses don’t need accounting software or business management tools, but they underestimate the disadvantage they’re putting themselves at,” Mr. Weickhardt said.
“For businesses of all sizes, having online solutions will save the business owners time, reduce error and greatly help with forecasting and budgeting. These solutions allow the business owner to get back to doing what they love, rather than spending time on paperwork or compliance.”
Forty-two per cent of respondents say they’re the main business advisor to at least three quarters of their clients. The top ‘non-traditional’ services offered includes business reporting and monitoring, general business coaching and tech support.
“The breadth of advice accountants and bookkeepers provide to SMEs shows how much crossover there is and how well placed they are to introduce business owners to innovations that will help them efficiently run their business.”
MYOB is a leading provider of online business management solutions. MYOB makes business life easier for approximately 1.2 million businesses across Australia and New Zealand by simplifying accounting, payroll, tax, practice management, CRM, job costing, inventory and more. MYOB operates across three core segments – Clients and Partners (business solutions to SMEs and Advisers); Enterprise Solutions (larger businesses) and Payment Solutions. We also provide ongoing support via many client service channels including a network of over 40,000 accountants, bookkeepers and other consultants. We are committed to ongoing innovation, particularly through our Connected Practice Strategy and through the development of the MYOB Platform. For more information visit https://www.myob.com/au/ or follow @MYOB on Twitter.


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AAA has experienced an increase in calls over the years from motorists stranded on roads due to feeble, or dead, vehicle batteries, according to a AAA Auto Club South spokesperson.
Joanna Newton said the call volume for AAA service technicians to assist with jump starts and battery replacements on Labor Day weekends, rose 12 percent from 2009 to 2010. These calls came from motorists in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, she said.
The call volume rose 40 percent from 2008 to 2009, added Newton. She said, in the past decade, the number of AAA members calling for battery assistance increased from 4,000 a year, to 400,000.
“We want motorists to be prepared, if their battery fails this Labor Day weekend,” added Jay Bolster, Sr., manager of AAA Battery Service Operations. “It’s a busy holiday for motorists, and extremely hot — the heat alone can have a negative impact on battery life.”
He said the average lifetime of a battery used in hot weather is about two years, due to the large amount of power needed by the average modern car and motorist. Ordinarily, batteries last an average of 37 to 40 months in hot climates.
Modern-day vehicles exhaust batteries more quickly these days, Newton said, because they are equipped with many more items that need power, such as GPS systems, cell phones and iPods. Vehicles also drain extra energy to power fans, security-and-diagnostic systems, and engine-management tools, often when the car is not in motion.
“The basic car battery has not changed in more than 30 years, but cars have,” said Bolster. “Make sure you know how to change the battery in your own vehicle, and take your time with it because it isn’t always as easy to get at your car battery in today’s modern cars.”
A vehicle that starts slower than usual is an early warning that a battery is about to die, said Newton. Other early signs include interior lights dimming or flickering, and after-market equipment not operating properly, she said.
If these signs appear, drivers should test their battery to find out if it needs to be charged or replaced, said the spokeswoman. Motorists will find out their battery is dead if the car won’t start, and it experiences a number of rapid clicks, she said.
Newton said to properly jump start a car battery, the owner must read his or her manual, and wear goggles in case of an explosion, and check for corroded or lose connections.


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BlackBerry Milan Slider Canceled Because of Hardware Issues
The problems at RIM continue, this time with a device being canned… I’m talking about BlackBerry Milan, a slider that was recently leaked and then canceled because of hardware problems. Research in Motion has been having problems for a while now, including employees arrested when caught drunk on a plane, people getting trampled at a BlackBerry launch and the loss of the lawsuit for the trademark of BBX OS.
Many have voiced concerns that at this rate RIM is heading towards an inevitable takeover, possibly from Microsoft. Back to the BlackBerry Milan, this was supposed to be among the first BlackBerry 10 OS devices and it packed an interesting portrait QWERTY sliding keyboard. The hardware issues of this phone are not known yet, but my two cents are on the CPU side and maybe the sliding mechanism. RIM has yet to launch as successful dual core smartphone and while people are waiting for their fresh dual core Qualcomm devices, they went out and postponed them for the second half of 2012…
BlackBerry OS has a rumor saying that these BB 10 devices haven’t even entered production phase yet, so maybe the company is in standby and looking for Prince Charming (a buyer). We’re also waiting for models such as the beautiful BlackBerry London and maybe that Torch follow-up we’ve been hearing so much about…


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Halo: Reach is looking awesome, going by these multiplayer shots. And we do mean 'properly awesome'.
Get them over at 1UP, where the site's gone live with a massive hands-on of the multiplayer beta you'll be getting your hands on in two-and-a-half weeks.
The preview mentions four new modes for the full thing, featuring Headhunter, Stockpile, Generator Defense and Invasion. It looks properly mental, so give it a look.
Halo: Reach releases this fall for Xbox 360, with a multiplayer beta due to kick off two-and-a-half weeks from now on May 3.
Bungie's saying you should all look forward to E3 when they show off the game. And look forward to it, we shall.


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Leading Bitcoin Payment Service Provider BitPay Says BTC Accounts for 95% of Its Business Payments
The Bitcoin payment processor BitPay receives most of its revenue from Bitcoin (BTC), the largest and most popular virtual currency in the market. The information was released by the CEO of the company, Stephen Pair, during a recent panel. There, he discussed the latest hard fork that affected the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) network in November 2018.
According to StopAndDecrypt, Mr. Pair mentioned that 95% of their payments are done in Bitcoin. This is not surprising. There are thousands of virtual currencies in the market but Bitcoin remained the most dominant digital asset.
Just a few years ago, in May 2017, Pair suggested that they could be leaving Bitcoin in order to start offering support to other digital currencies in the market. At that time, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) was not yet launched to the market, but it was clear that it was going to be released.
He said that the Bitcoin blockchain stopped working for them and that the only solution was to start using a hard fork of Bitcoin. For him, there was no other option.
How does @BitPay deal with altcoins that want support?@spair: "We try to look at it from a market demand & technology perspective…during the ABC/SV split both sides asked but we run BitcoinABC (BCH) and that's not changing…but 95% of our payments are done in Bitcoin (BTC)." pic.twitter.com/fUjPVlf241
— StopAndDecrypt💯 (@StopAndDecrypt) February 19, 2019
About the latest Bitcoin Cash hard fork, he commented:
“We try to look at it from a market demand & technology perspective… during the ABC/SV split both sides asked but we run Bitcoin ABC (BCH) and that’s not changing… but 95% of our payments are done in Bitcoin (BTC).”
Bitcoin’s transaction fees have been decreasing during the last year. Since December 2017, when Bitcoin was reaching its all-time high around $20,000, fees were also very high. However, this changed later. In 2018 the fees fell dramatically after the implementation of Segregated Witness (SegWit) and the Lightning Network (LN).
Pair has also mentioned that they will not be going to accept other virtual currencies such as Dogecoin or Litecoin. Even when supporters of these coins sent emails and feedback requesting their virtual currencies to be supported, BitPay is not changing its stance.
Back in January 2019, Calvin Ayre announced he was not using BitPay for conducting his business. Calvin Ayre is the owner of Coingeek.com. He has supported Bitcoin SV rather than Bitcoin Cash during the last hard fork.
Although 2018 was a very bad year for Bitcoin and virtual currencies in terms of price, the company registered a revenue of $1 billion. Thus, it seems that the bear market did not affect the company’s strategy and market.


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Stay ahead of today's rapidly evolving grocery industry with the latest news and insights on Winsight Grocery Business, including updates on COVID-19.
Dollar Tree Lauds Rollout of Dual-Branded Combo Stores
The retailer has quietly stepped up its rollout of dual-branded Family Dollar-Dollar Tree stores, bringing the single-price point offering to rural towns and strongly outperforming legacy Family Dollar units.
New Investment Values Instacart at $39 Billion
New funding round, which values the company at more than Kroger and Albertsons combined, acknowledges the tech platform has "unlocked" complexities of grocery e-commerce and has more room to grow.


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Apple made a surprising announcement last year ahead of the release of iOS 15. Instead of pressuring iPhone owners to switch to iOS 15 right away, Apple would allow them to stay on iOS 14 and receive security updates for the foreseeable future. All devices compatible with iOS 14 can install iOS 15, but Apple was ready to try something new. At least that was the plan. Now, the company appears ready to push everyone still using iOS 14 to iOS 15 immediately as adoption is delayed.
Apple is pushing iOS 14 users to install iOS 15
When Apple first released iOS 15 last September, there were two options available in the Settings app: iPhone owners with compatible devices could download and install the iOS 15 update, or stay on iOS 14.8. Choosing the latter would allow users to stay on iOS 14 until they were ready to upgrade. This is how Apple describes the change on the features page for iOS 15 on their website:
iOS can now offer a choice between two software update versions in the Settings app. You can update to the latest version of iOS 15 as soon as it’s released to get the latest features and the most comprehensive set of security updates. Or continue with iOS 14 and continue to receive important security updates.
ace MacRumors He says, Apple removed the option to stay in iOS 14 when released iOS 15.2 last month. Initially we weren’t sure if it was a bug or not, but the option didn’t come back on iOS 15.2.1 this week. This seems to imply that Apple is ready for everyone to upgrade.
It’s also worth noting that Apple released iOS 14.8.1 in October. The software update included several important security updates for all the users left behind. As of this week, iOS 14.8.1 is no longer available. If your iPhone is still running iOS 14.8, the only option you have now is to update to iOS 15.2.1. Apple has yet to offer an explanation for any of this, but the answer seems obvious.
Why is Apple changing its policy?
On Tuesday, Apple shared the first official iOS 15 adoption numbers. on your developer portal. 111 days after launch, iOS 15 is installed on 72% of devices introduced in the last four years. Meanwhile, 63% of all iPhone models have been updated to iOS 15. Adoption of iOS 15 has been relatively slow.
ace 9to5Mac gradesApple’s first iOS 14 figures came in on December 16, 2020. At that time, 81% of devices from the last four years had already installed iOS 14, as did 72% of devices overall.
Most iPhone owners are still upgrading to the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, but others are putting it off now that they’ve been given the option. Apple doesn’t seem too pleased with this development, which makes it even more difficult to understand why the company added this feature in the first place. In any case, if you haven’t already, it may be time to upgrade to iOS 15.


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Will Adding Marvel Movies On Disney+ Hurt The MCU? Disney Execs Believe So
As per recent reports, Disney executives are worried that making Marvel movies available on Disney's streaming service Disney+ may possibly harm the Marvel brand. This is coming from an insider report.
Recently, after almost a year of being delayed, "Black Widow" finally made its global release on the 9th of July, 2021. This was not exclusive to theaters only as the film was also available on Disney+ Premier Access program. Subscribers were able to buy the film at $30 (approximately 35k Korean Won).
"Black Widow" was able to garner the largest opening weekend since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The movie was able to get a total of $80.4 million (92 billion Korean Won) in terms of ticket sales and $60 million (69 billion Korean Won) from Disney+ purchasers from subscribers.
Although this was the case, there was a 67% drop during its second week as it fell behind Lebron James' "Space Jam: A New Legacy." Currently, "Black Widow" is struggling at the box office and as of writing this article, the film is now the second lowest-grossing film in the MCU domestically.
"Black Widow" is only a little bit ahead of the 2008 film "The Incredible Hulk."
Following this, theater owners have had some strong words for Disney. For them, the decision to release "Black Widow" on Disney+ on the same day in theaters hurt both the movie and the theater industry.
Prior to this, "Black Widow" star Scarlett Johansson has gone on to file a lawsuit against Disney for allegedly violating her contract for "Black Widow" to be an exclusive theatrical release.
At present, Disney executives are worried that streaming is going to have a negative effect on Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
Perhaps if Disney did not release "Black Widow" in Disney+ at the same time in theaters, the film would've been able to bounce back.


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The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is looking into the allegations that Facebook-owned instant messaging application WhatsApp is abusing its dominant position by offering digital payments to its users.
WhatsApp payments crossed 400 Mn users in India last year in July, doubling its user base from the last recorded 200 Mn in 2017. WhatsApp has more than 2 Bn users across the globe, with India being its largest market.
According to a Reuters report, the case is based on a complaint filed in mid-March by a lawyer, whose identity has not been divulged. The two products, WhatsApp messenger and payment feature, once bundled can harm competition and violate India’s anti-trust laws, a source, close to the matter, said.
Now, CCI can direct its investigations arm to conduct a wider probe into the allegations or drop the case if it finds no merit in it. The report also highlighted that It is also possible that WhatsApp could escape a wider investigation as the extent of any market abuse will be clearer only when it fully launches the service. The case is still in the initial stages and the CCI has not reached a final decision yet.
The complaint comes at a critical time when WhatsApp Payments is making some headway in launching its services in India. The digital payments project has reportedly partnered with ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and State Bank of India (SBI), and was looking to launch its services by the end of May 2020.
Last month, the company had also assured the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) that it will comply with all Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) regulations and data localisation norms by May. But this week, the Supreme Court, while hearing the petition filed by Delhi-based think-tank Good Governance Chamber, directed NPCI and RBI to file their response on WhatsApp Payments data localisation compliance over the next three weeks.
The petitioner has also highlighted that WhatsApp has not created a dedicated app for the digital payments but has bundled its instant messaging app with payments feature.
Moreover, the petitioner alleged that the data sharing policy of WhatsApp is “inconsistent” and “non-compliant” with the guidelines issued by the NPCI and RBI, therefore, the system cannot be permitted to operate under UPI. The Good Governance Chamber also sought a change in the working model on WhatsApp Payments to make it more in line with the scheme of UPI payments in India.


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John Brush sat nervously in his Virginia Beach living room, his sweaty palms gripping the phone as he waited to hear the announcer yell, "Sold!"
It felt like years had gone by, but it had only been a minute since he'd bid more than $2 million on an 1804 silver dollar.
"When you're spending $2 million, your palms are sweaty," said Brush, president of David Lawrence Rare Coins. "It's kind of a surreal concept."
Engraved with a woman's profile, her wavy wind-blown hair tied with a ribbon, the coin is called the Mickley specimen, or the "King of American Coins."
It's one of eight original U.S. silver dollars that bear the "1804" marking.
The coin was being sold nearly 2,000 miles away at the Heritage Auction in Long Beach, Calif. Its previous owner paid $3.8 million for it in 2013. On June 14, Brush and his business partner, Dell Loy Hansen, bought the coin for $2.64 million.
Brush and Hansen, a businessman in Utah, bought David Lawrence Rare Coins last year. They buy and sell American currency, as well as some rare world coins. Brush also is the curator of Hansen's coin collection.
For months, the pair were on the fence about buying the Mickley silver dollar because of the expense.
Brush said the U.S. Mint stopped making silver dollars in 1804.
Although that's the year engraved on the coin, the Mickley dollar was made in 1834, when Andrew Jackson asked the U.S. Mint to make coin sets the country could give to emperors and kings, such as the King of Siam.
"Unfortunately the coins that were made in 1804 were produced with a die that had the date 1803," said Brush. "The government was cutting corners, so they did not create a die that said 1804."
In 1834, the mint stamped the new coins with the year 1804.
"1804 Dollars are always in demand and are considered to be on the list of 'dream coins' that collectors would hope to own," said Sarah Miller, director of numismatics at Heritage Auctions in New York, in an email.
Miller has collected coins since she was 11 years old. She helps collectors buy and sell collectible coins.
She said the Mickley coin was especially popular in 2013 because it hadn't been up for sale in years.
"It also was part of the famous Mint Cabinet – the private coin collection of the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia – for over a decade before it was purchased by well-known collector Joseph J. Mickley later on," she said.
Miller said Brush was able to get it for a good price because 15 months ago, Heritage sold another 1804 Class 1 coin in better condition for $3.29 million. Some 1804 dollars have sold for about $4 million.
Brush and Hansen are on a 2½ year quest to collect American coins from 1792 to today. They hope to obtain more than Louis Eliasberg, who had a complete collection of U.S. coins from 1792 to 1964.
"We want to try to duplicate this but add on another 54 years of coins," he said. "No one has ever done that."
So far, they've got 3,676 coins – only 64 to go.
Brush said David Lawrence Rare Coins owns the Mickley coin, but they'll broker it to Hansen's collection.
After they pick it up, it'll come to Virginia Beach and then join the rest of the collection in Utah. Hansen and Brush plan to start a virtual museum to display the collection.
"This is a lifelong dream," Hansen said of buying the 1804 dollar. "It was definitely one of the highlights of my career."
Saleen Martin, email@example.com


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KARACHI: While the economy is experiencing a slowdown and the automobile sector has been badly hit, Pak Suzuki Motor Company sees light at the end of the tunnel as it plans to expand its plant.
According to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of Pak Suzuki Motor’s expansion project posted on the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) website, the company would construct the new plant adjacent to its existing plant at the Pakistan Steel Industrial Estate, Karachi.
The plant would occupy an area of 75.062 acres and would include storage areas and an internal road network.
Suzuki Motor Corporation Japan, the parent company of Pak Suzuki Motor, would fund the project with an investment of $450 million. Initially, the plant will have the capacity to produce 120,000 four-wheelers per annum but later it will be enhanced to 200,000 vehicles per year.
Pakistan's auto sector in trouble but used car demand rises
“We have submitted our environmental impact assessment report to the Sindh government and now it is undergoing the review process,” said Pak Suzuki Motor environmental consultant Saquib Ejaz Hussain while talking to The Express Tribune. “The company is hopeful that the economic situation of the country will improve, hence, it intends to expand its business.”
He added that the first step of the review process was a public hearing, which had been conducted successfully.
“The second step is the expert committee review which is in process,” he said. “In this stage, Sepa forwards the report to different experts for assessment after which it gives approval or rejection.”
Hussain disclosed that the automaker was awaiting various regulatory approvals following which it would press ahead with its plans.
“Besides these hurdles, the company is closely monitoring the economic situation and government’s policies, particularly the ones concerning new plants,” the official pointed out.
In late 2018, some reports appeared in the media, stating that Pak Suzuki Motor was willing to invest $450 million provided the company was granted the green-field status, which was offered by the government to new entrants in the auto sector.
At that time, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood promised to grant green-field status to Pak Suzuki’s planned expansion project, which sparked protests by the new entrants who considered the move unjust and against the government’s desire of providing them with a level playing field. The automobile sector of Pakistan is going through a difficult phase as prices of cars have skyrocketed after the central bank let the rupee depreciate massively against the US dollar in the past around one and a half years coupled with high interest rates on auto financing.
In October 2019, car sales plunged 56% year-on-year to 10,853 units against 24,850 units in the same month of the previous year, according to the latest data released by the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (Pama).
In Pakistan, importers find way to dodge used car policy
“The company planned the plant expansion one and a half years ago when the country’s economy was in better shape,” said the consultant. “The company submitted its report to Sepa more than three months ago.”
He pointed out that the company might wait for an appropriate time to expand but because government processes took time, it wanted to get mandatory approvals beforehand.
On the other hand, Pak Suzuki Motor Company Head of Public Relations Shafiq Ahmed Sheikh said the company applied to Sepa around 14 months ago when the government gave verbal approval to Pak Suzuki’s huge foreign direct investment proposal for the new green-field plant.
“The government has so far not attached any importance or provided the approval to the Pak Suzuki’s initiative, therefore, the company may freeze its investment in the new plant,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2019.
Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.


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Eurozone crisis hurting Indian exports, says finance minister
Nov 14, 2011, 12:04 GMT
New Delhi - Protectionist measures adopted by some European countries to alleviate their financial crisis are hurting India's exports, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Monday.
'The tendency of some developed countries to resort to protectionist measures in the face of downturn of their economy is a matter of grave concern, not only to our exports, but also to the recovery of the world as a whole,' Mukherjee was quoted as saying by IANS news agency.
India recorded export growth year-on-year of 10.8 per cent in October, compared to 36.3 per cent in September.
The developments in European countries had created uncertainty in the global financial market which had hurt India's short-term growth prospects, Mukherjee said.
India's industrial output growth slumped in September, raising fears of a broader slowdown in Asia's third-largest economy.
India's economy grew by 7.7 per cent in the April-June period, the slowest rate in six quarters.
Read more about Europe


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Headlines from the Proactive UK newsroom.
FTSE 100 a short time ago was down 115 points to 5250 even though the US Federal Reserve has chopped interest rates to zero as part of a US$700bn stimulus programme to tackle the coronavirus crisis. It is the second emergency cut in interest rates in a fortnight and will be accompanied by a bond buying plan.
British Airways owner IAG (LON:IAG) is to cut capacity in April and May by 75% to cope with the impact of the US travel ban and severe restrictions to flights elsewhere. First quarter capacity will drop by 7.5%.
Not all businesses are doing badly from the crisis, however. Derviatives specialist Plus500 (LON:PLUS) says the market carnage has meant a surge in trading activity. As a result revenue and profitability for the full year will be substantially ahead of current consensus expectations.
Westminster Group’s (LON:WSG) sales of its fever screening equipment to airports have already jumped to US$720,000 with new enquiries running at 28 per day. Fever screening supplies over the rest of the year will likely be a material part of its business.
Elsewhere, Bidstack (LON:BIDS) has signed a new exclusive agreement with racing game developer Codemasters to deliver native in-game advertising into an upcoming 2020 title. Advertisers will be able to deliver contextually relevant ads in real time into natural spaces within the game.


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Tim Betar (video game streamer) has been very busy the past few weeks. After leaving Twitch, the 31-year old signed his first exclusive contract with YouTube Gaming. Betar joined Complexity Gaming in the role of streamer and coowner a few months later. Betar, a seasoned content creator who is a Dallas Cowboys enthusiast and lifelong fan of the team, has risen in his career.
Betar has expanded its merchandise selections significantly. Complexity and TimTheTatman have partnered up to bring you an exclusive cross-border merch drop Tuesday, October 5, at 12 noon CST.
This is the first in a series of several, with ESTNN having the complete catalog and any additional information that you may need.
If you attended TimTheTatman’s launch party to celebrate Complexity’s signing, the apparel will look familiar. The celebration event that TimTheTatman hosted at Complexity attracted over 1000 people. Those who were unable to attend the launch can still purchase these limited-edition items. The limited-edition merchandise includes hats and shorts as well as Complexity’s long history of success in esports.
The 31-year old is now part of a Dallas Cowboys-affiliated organization, which offers him the best of both the worlds. Complexity is also launching merchandise.
Complexity x TimTheTatman clothing will be available on October 5 at 12:00 CST. Although the exact time that the limited-edition merchandise will be on sale is not known, the term “limited” implies it will likely be available soon.


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Twitter is bringing political ads back to Twitter as the company continues to struggle to find advertisers willing to remain on the social media platform.
Earlier today, the Twitter Safety account took to the platform to announce that the company would be “relaxing our ads policy for cause-based ads in the US.” The company also revealed that it plans to “expand the political advertising we permit in the coming weeks.”
We believe that cause-based advertising can facilitate public conversation around important topics. Today, we’re relaxing our ads policy for cause-based ads in the US. We also plan to expand the political advertising we permit in the coming weeks.
The Twitter Safety team says that it will “align our advertising policy with that of TV and other media outlets” and that it will share more about its approval process for those seeking to advertise “as this work progresses.”
Moving forward, we will align our advertising policy with that of TV and other media outlets. As with all policy changes, we will first ensure that our approach to reviewing and approving content protects people on Twitter. We’ll share more details as this work progresses.
Twitter had previously allowed political ads on the platform but eventually banned them back in 2019. However, since Elon Musk acquired the company and brought a lot of turmoil to the company by laying off large swaths of the teams dedicated to trust and safety, advertisers have been leaving the social media app in droves.
Most of Twitter’s revenue comes from advertising and, since the company has seen its advertising partners drop, it isn’t suspect to think that the company is expanding back into political ads in order to try and replace all of the advertising revenue it has lost over the last few months. We’ll have to see how things shake out when politicians in the country surely attempt to flood the platform with ads.
The company is also considering making personalized ads mandatory on the platform.


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It happened with Spotify & Music. It happened with Netflix & TV. It’s happening right now with Curve & Banking.
Brexit is fast approaching. But what does this mean for our Curve customers across the globe. Find out as all your questions are answered.
This month saw Curve break Crowdcube crowdfunding records and placed in LinkedIn’s top 10 hottest UK start-ups. Here’s why.
After our smashing crowdfunding success, it is now time to meet the Curve A-Teamer behind our record-breaking crowdfunding campaign.
We raised £1,000,000 in less than 4 minutes and £4,000,000 in 45 minutes. Welcome aboard to our new investors!
We are delighted to announce that for the first time ever, Curve will be Crowdfunding in September. Here’s how you can share in our success.
Curve has just reached another milestone getting us one step closer to achieving our mission of bringing Banking to the cloud.


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Suffolk: Archant in strong position when economy recovers
RICHARD Jewson, chairman of Archant, publisher of The Star, expressed confidence in the future as the company published its interim statement today, highlighting growing circulations, online audience, cash generation and its increasing investment in areas of potential growth.
Mr Jewson announced headline turnover at �66.5m, down �0.8m (1.3%), with operating profit before amortisation of intangible assets and exceptional items at �1.9m, down 0.7m. The group operating loss was �0.9m, lower than 2011 (�1.1m loss).
He said: “Our strategy of driving growth in our key markets, maintaining cost efficiencies and continuing to grow revenue streams through investment in new business, is producing results, albeit against strong headwinds.
“Our core business is cash generative, circulations are growing and we are recording industry-leading sales performances. Our financial position is strong and a new banking agreement taking us through to 2016 was signed in June.
“We are firm in the view that it is right to continue to increase expenditure in areas where we believe we can generate growth. We shall maintain the interim dividend at last year’s level of 6.4 pence per share,” said Mr Jewson.
Local display advertising grew by 3.7%, though total newspaper and printing turnover, at �43.2m was 1.5% lower, whilst newspaper circulation revenues also showed growth on a like-for-like basis. Magazine revenues were down by 0.7% at �23.3m with pressure on advertising revenues, down 3.2%, and circulation revenues, down 2.6%. Total digital revenues at �3.1m grew 1.3%.
In the first half of the year Archant spent �1m more than in 2011 in developing new businesses and is continuing to seek out new opportunities to complement its existing portfolio. In April, it launched weddingsite.co.uk, positioned to become a leading online wedding planning solution and in June invested in Streetlife.co.uk, a hyper-local street level social media site.
- 1 Mapped: Where parasite dangerous to dogs has been reported in Suffolk
- 2 Swimming pool at primary school open again after two years
- 3 Plans for flats in former Ipswich pub progress
- 4 Baby porpoise washes up at Suffolk beach
- 5 Jailed in Suffolk: The criminals put behind bars this week
- 6 Lane on A14 reopens after severe delays on Orwell Bridge
- 7 7 walks in Suffolk with a stunning view
- 8 Road closed as emergency services attend two-vehicle crash
- 9 Caribbean trailer to open soon in town centre
- 10 Matchday Live: Needham Market v Ipswich Town team news and updates
Archant is also investing in digital media in its local business units including new software tools to improve advertising yield and audience engagement. Monthly average unique visitors to its websites averaged 4.5m per month to June, up 21.5% against the first half of 2011. In June, with growth of more than 80%, London websites broke the one million unique visitor mark and London24 is now the second largest news website in the capital.
Mr Jewson said: “We believe we are on the right track, though the absence of any real growth in the economy may hinder our progress. We have the right strategies, the right people and the right products for us to meet our customers’ changing expectations and deliver greater value to our shareholders. The economy will eventually recover and when it does we will be in a strong position to take advantage of it.”


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When Sherry Menor-McNamara took the reins at the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, the state’s leading business advocacy organization, she developed three primary goals to achieve progressive action: strengthen advocacy, increase membership and boost awareness of the organization. To attain these objectives, Sherry and her team have implemented a number of new initiatives. “We’ve taken a more proactive approach by offering ideas and solutions in packages that legislators can support, instead of reviewing bills that were already introduced and flagging them for how they affect business.”
In 2014, the Chamber formed a partnership with Senator Mazie Hirono to rally support for a range of Hawai‘i industries by bringing local businesses to Capitol Hill. Dubbed “Hawai‘i on the Hill,” the annual event has seen an increase of federal support for Hawai‘i’s tourism, military, technology and agriculture industries, represented by more than 50 companies from across the state. Sherry also created “Walk Around The Capitol,” where more than a hundred business owners meet with state legislators to rally support for local business. Another event, Chamber Week, coincides with the legislative session and raises awareness of the Chamber of Commerce’s initiatives to support the local business community. Sherry’s mission for the Chamber is simple—keep pushing business forward as the voice of business for close to 1,300 members representing more than 200,000 employees. “Our goal is to actively help create a positive working environment so that businesses can thrive in Hawai‘i,” Sherry says.


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Google introduced Chrome for Android with Android 4.1 and the Nexus 7. With the launch of the Nexus 4 and Android 4.2, the company ditched the stock AOSP browser for Chrome. While Chrome for Android is feature-filled, it has some major performance issues even on devices with a dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM.
Google aims to bring Chrome for Android on level with its desktop counterpart in terms of security and performance. Keeping this in mind, the company has released a beta version of Chrome for Android in the Play Store. Like the beta channel for the desktop version of Chrome, the beta version of Chrome for Android will provide users with some new experimental features, under-the-hood changes, bug-fixes and much more.
The official blog post from Google states that the beta version of Chrome for Android should already feature at least 25-30% improvement in Octane benchmarks on average. Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 users who have already tried the beta version of the browser have also reported an improvement in the performance of the app.
The beta version of Chrome for Android can be installed side-by-side with the stable version available on the Play Store.
Over the last 24 hours, quite a few popular Android apps have received major updates. Firstly, Mozilla has released a major update for the tablet edition of Firefox browser, aimed at improving the speed and overall fit and finish of the browser. The speed enhancements in the latest version is visible right from the reduced start-up time to the reduced loading and navigating web pages time.
Second in the list is LevelUp Studio’s popular Twitter client, Plume. The application recently got a major new UI refresh with a Holo based theme, but LevelUp Studio has further tweaked the UI of the app in the latest update. The latest update brings a new fly-in menu, some layout optimisations for the Nexus 7, and a much faster performance overall. Slowly and steadily, Plume has become the go-to Twitter client in the Android ecosystem.
Last, but not the least is a popular File Manager app for Android, ASTRO.The application has been updated after ages from its developers, Metago, and now features a drop-dead gorgeous UI. As of now, the latest version is only for Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean users, but the developer has promised to release the new update for older versions of Android as well.
Rovio has released an update for Angry Birds Space that adds 10 new delectable levels filled with “popcorn, cookies, and candy apples”. In these 10 new levels, the birds can bounce off jelly trampolines, and “pop corn to create delicious mayhem”.
Apart from Angry Birds Space, Instagram for Android has also received an update. The new update improves the search functionality of the app and contains some bug fixes as well. Below is the full change-log of the update -:
- Improved search functionality
- Support for location data taken from Gallery images when geotag is selected
- Fix for HTC Sensation 4G freezing using tilt shift
- Improved support and bugfixes for devices using the Instagram advanced camera
- Addresses tilt shift issues on lower resolution images
Dropbox for Android also got an update that adds custom-tailored video streaming for Ice Cream Sandwich users, and support for Korean language.
Endomono for Android also received an update today that adds some new features and enhances certain aspects of the UI. Below is the change-log of the update -:
- Interval training has had some beautification
- Add a profile picture from the phone using e.g. the camera
- An about screen added in the settings that shows the app’s version number and what’s new
- Numerous bugfixes (incl. GPS sleep bug)
Last but not the least, Google has also rolled out a minor update for Google Maps that fixes some of the Latitude related bugs with the app.


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13-strong design team take charge of Palesa’s wardrobe
Postponed mere hours before the queen was due to be crowned after a Covid-19 outbreak in camp, the biggest beauty pageant of them all, Miss World will finally go ahead on 16 March.
Botswana’s fairest in the land, Palesa Molefe, will be among the top 40 contestants heading back to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to resume the quest for glory.
Back in December, the 22-year-old received a heroine’s welcome on her return home, having captured the publics’ heart with her zest for life and down-to-earth nature.
Indeed, with the right wardrobe, many tip the bald beauty as a contender for the top three.
Having come in for slight criticism over a couple of Molefe’s outfits first time round, Miss Botswana organisers are pulling out all the stops to ensure that this time around she has clothes fit for a queen.
To that end, organisers have sought out 13 local designers to work on the Mochudi native’s wardrobe.
“Palesa is currently engaged with preparations for Miss World. She is constantly at the Gym, training on public speaking as well as back-to-back meetings with designers for her wardrobe,” revealed the Miss Botswana PR hierarchy in a recent update.
The design team is made up of: Botocy, Didah, Faddic, Versatile Creations, JJK, Urban Soul, Deanna by Deanna, Lame T designs, Glotto, House of Kay, House of Legends and clothing shop, Options.
“More designers are welcome though,” added the organisers.
Although the clock is ticking – Molefe departs for her delayed date with destiny on 11 March – the Miss Botswana team revealed there are still openings for sponsors to come on board.
“We are in talks with sponsors and are still open for partnerships to join us as we begin the 2022 leg.”


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Dutch biz incubator leases 100K sf at BK Navy Yard
Spinoff of B.Amsterdam will help Euro startups gain toehold in NYC, and vice versa
Europe’s biggest business incubator is heading to Brooklyn.
The Netherlands-based B.Amsterdam signed a lease for 100,000 square feet at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the city announced Wednesday.
The incubator, dubbed B.NY, will help fledgling European business break into the city, and vice versa.
The incubator will occupy Building 127 at the complex.
“Cities like Amsterdam, Paris and Stockholm are teeming with entrepreneurs looking to conquer the world with a new product or service. And they are all looking for ways to scale up,” said Kajsa Ollongren, the deputy mayor of Amsterdam. “With the creation of B.NY, these startups will be able to enter the US market faster and easier.”
The incubator will focus on design, hardware and tech companies and set aside at least 15 percent of its space for manufacturing.
Earlier this year Brooklyn Brewery signed a lease to take 75,000 square feet at the Navy Yard’s Building 77, and in June it was joined by tech incubator and seed fund 1776, which inked a 30,000-square-foot lease.


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Per-month ecommerce purchase rate outpaces rest of world
According to the January 2012 China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) study, “29th Statistical Report on Internet Development in China,” at the end of 2011, China had 194 million online buyers, representing more than a third of all internet users in the country and an increase of 33.5 million over 2010.
While statistics about China are usually staggering, China’s relationship with ecommerce is particularly noteworthy. A September 2011 survey of online buyers worldwide conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found that 86% of buyers in China considered themselves experts at ecommerce, compared to 70% in the UK and 72% in the US. And users in China are acting on that confidence—online buyers in the country reported an average of 8.4 online purchases per month.
If PwC’s stats held up for every online buyer counted by CNNIC, it would equate to more than 1.63 billion online transactions every month in China.
To put this number in context, eMarketer estimated online buyers in the US at 143.4 million in 2011. Multiplied by PwC’s findings of 5.2 purchases per buyer per month, that would put the US at 745.7 million purchases every month, less than half the number of ecommerce purchases the data indicates occur in China.
A longer version of this interview is available to eMarketer Total Access clients only. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Total Access client, click here.
Check out today’s other articles, “Video, Social Boost US Mobile Content Consumption” and “Denny’s Serves Up ‘Crave-able Content’ Through Social, Online Video.”


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A group of chefs in Turkey have rustled up what could be the ultimate late-night indulgence; the world's largest doner kebab.
Weighing 1,198 kilos and made from the meat of seven cows, the hefty snack set a new Guinness World Record.
The kebab was prepared by ten cooks in the Turkish capital Ankara.
The meat had to be held in place by scaffolding while it was measured.
Once its status as the world's largest doner had been confirmed, it was carved up and made into sandwiches.
The doner kebab is said to have been invented in Berlin in 1971, when a Turkish snack stall holder came up with the idea of putting the meat inside a pitta bread.


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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Internet stocks climbed Monday afternoon as shares of CMGI and CNET both racked up double-digit percentage gains.
The charging Net stocks led to some optimism about the sector from some fund managers at the PaineWebber Internet and Media conference in New York. See related Renegade reports from conference.
"We've had a correction, but the basic growth story is still intact," said Michael Romanowski, a fund manager at Fortis Advisers.
Inktomi (INKT) INKT rose 5 3/4 to 76 3/4. Fortis' Romanowski, who likes the stock, said Inktomi's management told him that the firm had signed up 300 merchants for their comparable shopping software. Inktomi officials said they expect to make a similar announcement later this week.
CMGI digs in for premium
CMGI (CMGI) cmgi general partner Peter Mills told CBS.MarketWatch.com that his company has been approached by large firms willing to pay a premium to the USA Networks (USAI) USAI, +0.84% offer for Lycos (LCOS) lcos . "This is not a personal battle [between us and USA Networks]. This is just about economics," Mills said. See full story.
CMGI rose 28 5/8 to 192 5/8. Shares of Lycos (LCOS) lcos jumped 7 1/8 to 105 3/4.
CMGI is considering creating another fund -- which could have an initial investment of $1 billion -- to look at later-stage companies, Mills said. "Net valuations aren't outlandish.We're just at the blade of the hockey stick. We haven't even reached the inflection point."
Gainers: Double boost
E-Bay's e-business model drew praise from money manger Marc Klee of American Fund Advisors, even as he noted the valuation is still a bit ahead if itself. The higher-than-expected attendance at the conference helped market sentiment for Net stocks, Klee said.
DoubleClick (DCLK) DCLK rose 3 to 134. The Internet advertising-services company on Friday announced a 2-for-1 stock split payable April 1.
Decliners: CyberShopped out
CyberShop (CYSP) cysp slipped 3 5/8 to 9 5/16 after the retailer confirmed reports that it has agreed to pay Yahoo (YHOO) yhoo to be featured in several categories on the portal'sshopping channel. See full story.
Some fund managers at the PaineWebber conference remained wary about the high Net valuations. Larry Seibert of Barrett Associates said he expects to see a 30 percent to 40 percent correction in these stocks before the summer.
"I'm trying to get excited about these Net stories, but the models are horrific." he said. "You just have to walk away and shake your head and say, 'I can't do this.' "


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April 6, 2018
Penguin has taken the all-language, global publishing rights for the upcoming new CBeebies series "Go Jetters," which is set to air this fall.
"Go Jetters" takes preschoolers on a geographical joyride all around Planet Earth, informing children about continents, countries and world landmarks.
The acquisition of "Go Jetters" is the latest in a series of brand partnerships a part of an ongoing joint venture between Penguin and BBC Worldwide.
Penguin will launch the "Go Jetters" publishing range in 2016 under its Ladybird imprint, with a range of formats aimed at 3- to 8-year-olds including picture, activity and novelty books.
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