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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Nestle SA, the world's largest food company, on Thursday reported a 16% improvement in 2007 profit as it reaped the benefits of its increased focus on healthier foods and managed to pass off higher commodity costs to consumers.
Net income at the maker of Dreyer's ice cream and Nescafe instant coffee rose to 10.7 billion Swiss francs ($9.8 billion), or SFr27.81 a share, from SFr9.2 billion, or SFr23.56 a share, a year earlier. The average forecast of seven analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires was for profit of SFr10.4 billion.
Sales climbed 9.2% to SFR107.6 billion, driven by strong growth in coffee, health-focused products and in emerging markets. Organic sales rose 7.4%, consisting of real internal growth of 4% and price increases of 3%.
Nestle reiterated its long-standing guidance of an annual organic growth between 5% and 6% and an increase in operating profit margin. It proposed to raise its 2007 dividend by 17% to SFr12.20.
Nestle NSRGY, +4.22% (001205604) shares rose 4.1% in Swiss afternoon trading.
Numis analysts called the results "very strong" and were positively surprised by the strength of the operating margin.
The company attributed the "milestone performance" to its ability to increase prices to offset "extremely high input costs", particularly in sugar, milk and wheat used to make KitKat bars and Buitoni pasta. Chief Executive Peter Brabeck-Letmathe said the strength of the Nestle brands and the constant drive to launch new products help drive continued strong sales.
"Our success is now driven more by our capacity to innovate and use our R&D pipeline to launch new, added-value products and services, than by raw material prices or the economic climate," he said in a conference call with journalists.
Nestle has in the past year expanded its nutrition business with the purchase of Novartis AG's NVS, +1.10% medical nutrition and Gerber baby food businesses for a combined $8 billion.
Some rival food companies have been less successful at managing the surge in commodity costs. Kraft Foods Inc KFT whose Cote d'Or chocolate competes with Nestle products, last month said fourth-quarter profit slipped 6.3% as dairy costs soared.
But European rival Groupe Danone GDNNY (012064), which also has a strong focus on healthier foods, reported a strong profit increase and higher-than-expected sales growth earlier this month.
Commenting on raw material prices, Brabeck-Letmathe said he believes milk prices have peaked and cocoa and coffee prices are also set to come down in 2008.
Brabeck-Letmathe, who in April will be succeeded as CEO by Paul Bulcke after 12 years at the helm, said last month that Nestle will meet its long-term sales and profitability targets in 2008 even if the U.S. enters a recession.
The strong results helped spark a small rally in the food sector in Europe. Danone shares rose 1.1% and shares of Italy's Parmalat (PLT) added 0.6%.
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British retail sales grew strongly in the year to August 2014, and are expected to increase next month, according to the CBI’s latest quarterly Distributive Trades Survey.
The survey, conducted between 24 July and 13 August, showed that sales were broadly average for the time of year with retailers more optimistic about their business situation for the next quarter than at any time since May 2002.
During the period, sales volumes rose particularly strongly among grocers, chemists and furniture & carpet retailers, while specialist food & drink retailers recorded a fall in sales volumes.
Orders placed with suppliers also increased, which had been anticipated by firms, and numbers employed grew in line with expectations, at the fastest pace since November 2013.
Online sales volumes also picked up in the year to August, and is expected to strengthen further next month.
CBI deputy director-general Katja Hall said: "The high streets have been bustling with shoppers this summer and it is good to see firms so optimistic about their business prospects for the next three months – higher than at any time since 2002.
"Retailers looking forward to stronger growth in September are keeping their shelves well-stocked in anticipation," Hall added.
Many subsectors reported increased sales: grocers (+60%), chemists (+66%) and furniture & carpets (+63%). On the other hand, specialist food and drink saw sales fall on a year ago (-34%).

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On its face, this is a partnership that just makes sense.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., an industry pacesetter on environmental sustainability, hosts millions of guests every year on the world’s oceans, fully aware that healthy seas are the basis of its business. For that reason, and because it’s right, RCL demands ABC – Above and Beyond Compliance – surpassing environmental regulations as part of a nearly 25-year-old initiative called Save the Waves.
World Wildlife Fund, which began more than 50 years ago in Switzerland, shares this reverence for the oceans as a life-support system for everything on earth, including more than a billion people who rely on them as their main source of animal protein.
Today the two entities announced a five-year global partnership to help ensure the long-term health of the oceans, focused on strengthening RCL’s sustainable supply chain strategy and emission reductions through 2020.
“Our mantra at Royal Caribbean is ‘Continuous Improvement,’ and this partnership with WWF represents a great opportunity to make a big step forward in meeting our special responsibility to protect the oceans,” said RCL Chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain. “It is also gratifying to see that our determination to make a meaningful difference is shared by our employees and our guests.
“This new partnership aligns all of us at RCL with WWF’s mission to conserve the world’s oceans. Together we are setting aggressive goals and together we will start implementing them right away.”
In addition to setting and announcing specific goals at the outset of this partnership, RCL and WWF are also working together to develop and announce new targets by June 30 aimed at furthering destination stewardship.
“The threats that are facing the ocean are greater than ever – in the last 30 years, some ocean wildlife populations have declined by nearly 50 percent,” said Carter Roberts, WWF-U.S. president and CEO. “If we are going to reverse the downward trends, we must take serious steps to repair, restore and protect the oceans.
“This initiative centers on two core concepts: first, committing to specific and measurable targets to reduce carbon emissions, increase sustainable sourcing and build destination stewardship; and second, comprehensively engaging their millions of travelers to learn about the ocean and then act to help save it.”
Environmental sustainability targets for 2020 already jointly developed by the new partnership include:
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent.
- Responsibly source 90 percent of its wild-caught seafood by volume from MSC certified sustainable fisheries, fisheries in full assessment for MSC certification, comprehensive Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), and/or sourced from International Seafood Sustainability Association (ISSA) member companies.
- In North America and Europe operations, responsibly source 75 percent of its farmed seafood by volume from ASC certified responsible farms, farms in full assessment for ASC certification, and/or comprehensive aquaculture improvement projects.
- By June 30, 2016, RCL will set specific traceability goals with targets for obtaining MSC and ASC chain of custody.
In addition, Royal Caribbean and WWF have agreed to develop and announce new targets by June 30 that will address destination stewardship. As part of this, WWF and RCL will collaborate to strengthen RCL’s destination sustainability assessment and selection process.
During the partnership, RCL will also contribute $5 million to WWF – which devotes 85 percent of its spending to worldwide conservation efforts – as well as collaborate on increasing awareness about ocean conservation issues among the millions of guests who cruise each year on RCL ships.
The organizations made their announcement at an event in Donsol in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines, home to a model community-based ecotourism program. At the event, RCL also made a separate, $200,000 donation to WWF-Philippines in support of conservation programs in the Donsol area.


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SBA issues new regulations for women-owned small business federal contracting program
Last updated 5/28/2020 at 6:22am
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration published Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting program regulations that will provide a free, online certification and eligibility application process for women-owned small businesses and economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses. The timeline for implementation of changes to SBA’s the program has been delayed to accommodate those affected by the current pandemic.
Starting July 15, SBA will begin to implement changes consistent with the Small Business Act as amended in the National Defense Authorization A...


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Ten more games confirmed alongside a new Announcement Trailer!
Evercade dropped a brand new announcement trailer today, giving us an in-depth look at their retro handheld console. We’ve known the details and specs of the console for a while but we certainly get a nice demonstration of the unique cartridge system from which the Evercade will run original ROMs. We’re especially liking the look of the console and cartridge packaging, which is certain to give retro fans a nostalgia trip!
Alongside the announcement trailer, we also got details of the Mega Cat Studios cartridge, which will be joining the growing list of licensed multi-game cartridges that the Evercade will run games from. Intriguingly the Mega Cat Studios cartridge will bring an eclectic mix of original “retro style” games to the party featuring popular titles like Coffee Crisis and Log Jammers.
Here’s the full games list for the Mega Cat Studios Catridge;
The post WATCH: The New Evercade Announcement Trailer (+New Games!) appeared first on Funstock.


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News & Reviews: rtx
Jul 29, 2020
It seems that Konami has recently unveiled 3 gaming PCs including the C300, C700, as well as the C700+ and they come equipped with specs such as up to an Intel i7-9700, RTX 2070 Super, and up to 16GB RAM. While the release date of the desktops is expected to be around the end of September 2020, there is no news on the Malaysia release date as of now.
ASUS unveils new TUF, ROG and Zephyrus gaming laptops with 300Hz displays, RTX 2080 Super and 10th Gen Intel Core processorsApr 02, 2020
ASUS has officially unveiled several new additions to existing laptop lineups such as the TUF series, ROG Strix series, as well as the ROG Zephyrus series for the year of 2020. All the laptops that are mentioned below will come with notable tech specs such as a 300Hz monitor, up to an RTX 2080 Super graphics card as well as a 10th generation Intel Core series processor.


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Electronic drums and electric guitar pedals have been building a history of crossover success for years.
In fact, in 2016, the Electronic Musicians Guild was formed to support musicians who wanted to play in both genres.
But what about electronic drum kits?
What about electronic electronic drums and electronic guitar pedals?
That’s the question the Electronic Drum Kit Association is asking.
In a recent article, the group explained that many drum kits, and even electric drum kits in particular, are designed to be played both ways.
But the group is also working to address the fact that drum kits and electric drum pedals are both different in some way.
While both can be used to create electronic sounds, there are also different types of electronic drum kit, including electric drums, and electric guitars, which have different electronic components.
The group says there is a need to change the way that these types of kits are marketed and sold.
“Electronic drum kits are not the same thing as electric drum kit,” said the group’s president and CEO, Paul T. F. Williams, in a statement.
“The two do not share a common base of technology, and are often created and sold differently.
While it’s possible to design a kit to be both, there is not a single set of rules or standards that apply to both.
We believe that the best way to support and educate consumers is to allow the marketplace to work for both of these kits.”
Electric drum kits use components that have been designed to function in a certain way.
The electric drum and guitar pedals do not have that ability.
The Electronic Drum Kits Association’s position is not that electric drum drums are inferior to electric guitar drums, but that they are less compatible.
The association wants to encourage manufacturers to make better drum kits for the two genres.
“In order to make the most out of the electric drumkit, manufacturers must be mindful of the differences between electric drummers and electric instruments,” the group said.
“Drum kits should be designed to create sound from both electric instruments and drums.
This is critical to creating a satisfying sonic experience for both.
In the meantime, the electric kit market has matured to the point where manufacturers can create a wide variety of electric drum sounds with minimal investment.”
As a result, the industry as a whole is making strides toward embracing a range of musical instruments that are both electric and electronic,” the statement said.
The Electronic Drum Kicks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to educate consumers on the benefits of drum kits.


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Influencer marketing is becoming more standardized
Influencer marketing sprang from the idea that social platform stars with loyal followings would be able to market more effectively to their fans. But now, like all marketing, the area is becoming more standardized.
Brands are taking advantage of a growing number of self-serve ad tools in the market. Here’s how it works: An advertiser creates a list of influencers, usually about 20 that it wants to work with. They’re determined by a host of attributes, from whether they speak to a market the company wants to reach, to brand-safety issues, to, of course, price. Most of the time, these influencers are so-called “micro-influencers,” who have smaller followings and theoretically more engagement.
Then, the advertiser provides creative assets to the influencers so they’ll post it on their own social platforms. It’s closer to a publisher relationship than a creator one and a far cry from the beginnings of the influencer marketing industry.
“This is the most cost-effective way for us,” said Jane Tattersall, vp of marketing at LottoGopher, a lottery ticket e-commerce advertiser, which is using engage:BDR’s IconicReach self-serve platform for its advertising. The company has an in-house creative agency, so it didn’t want to hire influencers for long-term relationships to make creative. “I’ve been using influencers a long time. When you need many of them, it takes a long time. Then, you have to negotiate a bunch of contracts.”
The self-serve ad method is closer to a platform-style relationship: Brands only need to choose where to spend their money. At LottoGopher, the company has a program running with 20 influencers, and it’s hoping to add up to 20 more. It wants to reach more luxury and aspirational customers — people who like expensive stuff and may play the lottery to get it — and is supplying creative. “This is much more cost-effective for us,” said Tattersall.
There are other benefits: Brands have long bought into the wisdom that influencers with giant numbers of followers see less engagement. A survey of 2 million social media influencers by influencer marketing platform Markerly showed that for unpaid posts, Instagram influencers with fewer than 1,000 followers have a like rate of about 8 percent, while those with 1,000 to 10,000 followers have a like rate of 4 percent.
But working with small influencers sacrifices on reach. Combine the two, and it works out. “It’s like media. We can’t afford or have aspiration to go with the No. 1 TV network. We get a cross-section of people who have a total audience across the broad base.”
“The biggest volume of things on Instagram are actually advertiser-supplied creative now,” said engage:BDR CEO Ted Dhanik. “That already exists. All we did was automate the process. An advertiser uploads a creative, and an influencer posts it.”
Prices are determined mostly by time. Influencers can leave posts up for between one and 12 hours. If it’s a big influencer, brands will pay a fee upfront. Others — most influencers under 100,000 followers — get performance-based coupon codes. If the post performs, they get paid.
It’s notable because it’s in some ways the inverse model of brands using influencers like agencies. As Digiday reported earlier, major brands have begun going straight to social stars to make their creative for them. It marked a sea change: Cheaper and faster, influencers are essentially replacing agencies as content arms, a far cry from the early days when influencers entered into “creator” relationships or at least endorsement contracts with brands.
At Urban Floor, a national flooring company, the brand wanted to reach more luxury customers to break into the luxury homes and luxury living space. The company now supplies content to 10 influencers, each of whom has 500,000 followers, and they post them on their Instagrams, according to marketing head Jordan Sandoval. “It’s a very new concept right now,” said Sandoval. “But we’ll try it out and see if it works.”
With advertising in flux, Twitter is outsourcing ad monetization to ad tech
Since May 13, Twitter has been selling ad inventory through the mobile advertising marketplace Inmobi.
Two years in, Bose’s first CMO outlines his plan for the brand
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As America returns to the office, Xerox returns to advertising
As the next generation enters the workforce, Xerox tailors its ad strategy to them.
SponsoredHow enterprise-grade CDPs are enhancing data processes and improving customer experiences
Produced in partnership with Marketecture The following article highlights an interview between Martin Kihn, Salesforce’s senior vice president of Marketing Cloud, and Ari Paparo, founder and CEO of Marketecture Media. Register to watch more of the discussion and learn how brands are making the most of enterprise-grade CDP technologies. As brands expand across channels and […]
Marketing Briefing: As Pride approaches, marketers should be ‘truly invested’ as marketing backlash continues
Marketers and agency execs say that this current moment will likely make clear the brands that are truly committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community and those that had simply made Pride an annual marketing moment.
Why Airbnb’s global head of marketing says in-housing agency critique is a fallacy
As the in-housing agency trend continues, Digiday talks to Airbnb about its strategy.


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Slow Hotel Demand Drags Industry Recovery Estimates Into 2024
Hotels Post Another Week of Small Gains in Key Performance Metrics
A slow rise in demand for U.S. hotel rooms is now showing signs of dragging the hospitality industry’s recovery from the pandemic into 2024, longer than originally expected.
Demand and room revenue have been improving over the past several months, but new estimates indicate that’s not fast enough for the industry to fully recover to last year’s level until several years from now. Hotel demand, which fuels occupancy, is not expected to fully recover until 2023, and room revenue is expected to be restored to pre-pandemic levels by 2024, according to new data from the hotel research firm STR, which is owned by CoStar Group, the publisher of CoStar News, and Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics.
“Performance recovery is going to remain slow and well off of the pre-pandemic pace until the context for travel improves and group business begins to return,” Amanda Hite, STR’s president, said in a statement.
Hite said the $32 billion gain that STR projects in U.S. hotel room revenue from 2020 to 2021 is still 32.5% lower than it was in 2019.
The industry’s recovery in occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room shifted to incremental weekly gains in July following big increases from mid-April into June.
STR reported more small improvements for the week that ended Aug. 8. U.S. hotel occupancy, however, fell just shy of 50%, a 1 percentage point gain from the previous week. “This probably is a trend we will see all the way through August,” said Jan Freitag, STR’s senior vice president for lodging insights.
The average daily rate for U.S. hotel rooms rose to $100.88 from $100.04 the previous week, and revenue per available room hit $50.37 from $48.96 the prior week.
Freitag noted that week-over-week room demand averaged 1.9% from the beginning of July through last week, down from a nearly 8% weekly average between mid-April through June.
Western states still lead the country, however, in occupancy because of leisure travelers. South Dakota posted the highest with 71.6%, with help from the estimated 250,000 visitors headed to Sturgis for the annual motorcycle rally that started last Friday.
Montana came in next with 70.3%, followed closely by Idaho at 70%. But New Jersey’s 67.6% bumped Wyoming’s 66.6% out of the way. Freitag said the hotels on the Jersey Shore topped 75% in occupancy last week.
The South Dakota bike rally has raised concerns the large number of people not wearing masks or social distancing could lead to the coronavirus spreading to wherever they live. Big surges in coronavirus cases in Florida, Texas, California and other states played a big role in curbing hotel demand.
The Washington Post reported that images from the Sturgis rally prompted the governor of Delaware to mandate masks for gatherings of 100 or more ahead of a weeklong motorcycle rally starting Aug. 22 in Laconia, Delaware.
Hoteliers hope that leisure travelers can help their businesses survive until group meetings and conventions return.
To illustrate how bad that segment of the business has gotten, Freitag noted that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported zero convention business for the third month.
Group occupancy in hotels across the United States came in at 5%, “so yes, there are very, very small groups in some areas but certainly not in Las Vegas,” he said.


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INDIA: Iconix and Reliance form joint venture
Iconix Brand Group today (22 February) announced a joint venture with Reliance Brands to sell labels like Ed Hardy, Mossimo, London Fog, and Ocean Pacific in India.
The deal will focus on growing royalty revenue through existing and new licensing deals with both manufacturers and retailers. It will also provide marketing and brand management services.
Existing Iconix businesses in India with brands such as Mossimo and Ed Hardy will be rolled into the partnership.
"Partnering with Reliance, a company that has a dominant presence in India, one of the most compelling retail growth areas in the world, is an essential next step in our global expansion strategy," said Iconix chairman and CEO Neil Cole.
"With this new partnership in place, and together with our existing global partnerships in other regions, we are on our way to achieving our long term goal of growing international revenue to a third of our total business."
Iconix Brand Group posted a 28.7% decline in seond-quarter net profit today (25 July), despite seeing sales rise....
UK clothing company Supergroup has entered into an exclusive long-term franchise agreement with Reliance Brands to launch the Superdry brand in India....
Brooks Brothers and Reliance Brands have announced the formation of a joint venture in India. ...
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The vast majority (83 percent) of C-level executives expect the changes they made in the areas of people, processes, and applications as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic to become permanent, according to data from a new survey-based report published by Radware.
According to the report, ‘C-Suite Perspectives: Accelerated Cloud Migration but Lagging Security’, the pandemic accelerated the migration of business infrastructure and applications into the cloud. 76 percent of companies adopted cloud services faster than they had planned, and 56 percent of respondents said that the contactless economy - e-commerce, on-demand content, video conferencing, etc. - had a positive impact on their business. The quick migration helped to maintain business operations but potentially exacerbated cyber security gaps, due to an increased attack surface. 40 percent of survey respondents reported an increase in cyber attacks amid the pandemic. 32 percent said that they relied on their cloud provider’s security services to provide security management for their public cloud assets.
“The transition to remote work and new online contactless business models is not temporary and is affecting the future strategy on how organizations invest in cyber security,” said Anna Convery-Pelletier, Chief Marketing Officer at Radware. “Normally, businesses would make this shift over an extended period of time. However, the pandemic forced a massive shift to remote work which is now creating new security challenges.”
Other key findings include:
- Shift to remote operations: more than 80 percent of respondents said they believed more than 25 percent of their employees would work remotely in the future, a sharp contrast to pre-pandemic work-from-home policies, when only 48 percent of companies enabled more than 25 percent of their employees do so, and 6 percent did not enable remote work at all.
- Emergence of new revenue models to support contactless economy: roughly two in five respondents from the retail sector said they made real estate changes, including store closures. Many retailers faced pressure to adopt practices that ease the customer experience, such as curbside pickup, e-commerce, and increased use of contactless payments. More than any other sector, retailers reported the need to adopt cloud or hybrid cloud environments to make their networks more resilient, 57 percent said they plan to host their assets in either a public or private cloud environment by 2022.
Radware worked with Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. (EMA) to conduct a global, online survey of 260 executives in July 2020 with nearly equal distribution of the respondents from AMER, EMEA and APAC. The respondents represent a wide range of industries with a minimum revenue of $250 million and that have 1000-9,999 employees.


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If anything good comes out of Calgary’s tax fiasco and small business revolt this week, it should be an appreciation for the fragility of Alberta’s cities.
Small business owners were staring down bankruptcy, reporting tax increases of 60 per cent and higher when they were asked to shoulder the deepening impact of a hollowing out of the downtown office sector.
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Calgary’s council saw it coming, then dithered. Unwilling to ask homeowners to step up any further, council stepped away from even temporary solutions. Finally hundreds of business owners rallied outside city hall Monday. Council voted to rapidly slash the budget and lay off staff.
Edmonton can swagger and boast, pretending it dodged this bullet through good financial management. But that’s not the whole story. Edmonton faces similar risks. It has the same tax structure, and its businesses are likely starting to feel the same pain, albeit at a lower level.


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Wondering how to watch live sport streaming on Apple TV? The answer is easy: XBMC, AirPlay, Mac/PC screen mirroring and, of course, native Apple TV sport apps. Finding football, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, UFC, WWF, or anything else on your Apple TV can feel like and impossible task to anyone one who sits down and sees the limited options in Apple iOS interface, with its limited content partnerships. Though it looks bleak there is a very bright cloud to this quandary and that is the never-ending combination of features we can through at this magical little box.
apple tv 3
We all know that Apple’s HDTV is set to revolutionize the TV industry, but what about the content industry? Would the idea of an Apple TV set with Siri, FaceTime, and Airplay, an iSight Camera, along with the look and feel of an Apple product not be enough for you to want to buy one? I would say yes, as would a few others, I assume. I found myself arguing with a friend about the idea that Apple could not release anything until it got its content partnerships worked out. I, personally, could not disagree more. I would think Apple would be prone to releasing a fantastic television set that revolutionizes the TV hardware/software industry and not even worry about the content right away.
FireCore has released an update to their aTV Flash (black) for Apple TV 2. aTV Flash (black) 1.6 adds integrated subtitle downloads (courtesy of OpenSubtitles.org), support for purchased iTunes content, expanded codec support, refined video playback, improved networking, Wake-on-Lan (WOL), additional translations and a bunch of other improvements and bug fixes.
Tim Cook took the stage at the D10 conference this year to discuss Apple Inc., iOS, Samsung, lawsuits, patents, Steve Jobs, and the almighty Apple TV. The new head of Apple made one thing abundantly clear; the Apple TV is no longer a “hobby” project: “This is an area of intense interest for us,” Cook said, referring to the TV business. We’re going to keep pulling this string and see where it takes us.”


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December 05, 2019
(9:30 a.m. EST) -- Years in the making, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises' private island nestled in the Bimini island chain of The Bahamas, opened to cruise passengers today with a call from MSC Divina.
The ship docked shortly after 9 a.m. Its arrival at the private island was watched virtually by members of the Cruise Critic forums, who expressed excitement at the first photos coming from the island.
“I am pumped,” said Rob-Bob on an Ocean Cay thread.
Ocean Cay was designed with conservation in mind, bringing a focus to the endemic marine life through coral restoration, best environmental practices and plans for scientific research and education programs.
Located just 65 miles from Miami, Ocean Cay offers cruisers longer stays ashore, including nighttime activities such as lightshows and traditional Bahamian Junkanoo parades.
Highlights of the private island experience span snorkeling shipwrecks to stargazing. A lighthouse is a focal point of Ocean Cay serving as a bar, lounge, attraction and entertainment venue. While there are no waterparks or wild thrill rides, Ocean Cay offers up spa treatments, cabanas and eight beaches.
When the time comes for a drink or snack, families will find unique food trucks serving up complimentary bites, along with a more traditional beach buffet called Seakers. Plenty of tiki bars will serve drinks (included if you have an MSC drink package), including a local Bahamian-owned bar called Springer's, with views to the marina.
The launch of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve has been long coming; the island's debut was originally set for December 2017, and has since been pushed three times from October 2018 to November 2019 and finally to December 2019.
Responding to inquiries on Twitter at the time of the original delay, representatives from the cruise line stated: "We determined the ongoing environmental due diligence and related highly complex operation will require additional time…"
The latest delay came as a result of hurricane delays and sand leveling issues.
"Our work on the island is an ongoing process as our commitment to protect, restore and conserve this beautiful cay is part of a multi-phased effort," MSC Cruises said in a statement.
Four MSC ships will sail to Ocean Cay from Miami: Meraviglia, Seaside, Divina and Armonia. Other ports of call on these sailings include Nassau on short sailings and a wide variety of Caribbean ports including Ocho Rios, Cartagena, Costa Maya, San Juan and more.


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Team Fortress 2 has already been on the market for 18 months, but the multiplayer shooter from Valve Software didn’t reach the peak of its popularity until last weekend — thanks in part to this month’s release of Meet the Spy, the latest in a series of machinima shorts Valve produces to introduce the game’s characters. Up until last week, Valve’s director of business development, Jason Holtman, told me in a conference call, TF2 was hitting maximum concurrency numbers of 32,000 players; over Memorial Day weekend, however, that more than doubled to 68,000. (The single best sales day was also last weekend.)
Like the game itself, Valve’s video series is a clever reworking of traditional first-person shooter conventions, eschewing realistic violence and macho fantasy for cartoonish graphics and ironic wit. (In Meet the Sniper, TF2’s ruthless Aussie marksman gets flustered by his disapproving parents.) Meet the Spy is by far the most ambitious installment, depicting a trio of befuddled squaddies who try to locate an enemy agent in their midst, only to be undone by comic mishap and a surprisingly romantic plot twist.
The series was originally based on monologues that Valve writer Erik Wolpaw drafted for internal use, first as audition scripts, then as a reference guide for the voice actors ultimately hired to record the in-game dialog. According to editor and director Marc Scapparo, the plan was always to evolve these movies over successive installments, from mere character sketches to full-fledged shorts. Working with a Wolpaw script, Scapparo and his team spent a month capturing in-game footage for Spy, then another month enhancing it in post-production. As with Valve’s games, the video was constantly screened to test audiences, and iterated according to their feedback. In the original version, for example, the Red spy was unmasked as the Blue spy, which confused many early viewers, especially those not familiar with the game — sending the team back to the studio for a story overhaul. “Humor’s pretty subjective,” as Wolpaw put it to me. “[But] if someone doesn’t understand what they saw, that’s a pretty objective [problem].”
While Meet the Spy was just a single element in the promotion of Team Fortress 2’s latest update, it’s certainly one of the most buzzed about. TF2 lead developer Robin Walker partly attributes this popularity to the fact that Scapparo and Wolpaw are members of the game’s development team, not external marketers. In the Valve development philosophy, he said, “marketing is a game design problem.” Then there’s the buzz you get from unauthorized distribution: Though it was officially put on Steam, Valve’s online distribution service, on May 19, a leaked copy had already been uploaded dozens of times and seen by countless gamers days earlier.
Denying persistent Internet rumors to the contrary, Walker told me the video was not intentionally leaked by the company. However, he added, “We regard [the leak] as an unbridled success,” pointing to the additional burst of press it provoked. The developers even added a last-minute knowing wink to the final product. If you look carefully at the alarm system in the beginning, the “Intruder Alert” signal sits alongside a new warning message: “Leaked Video.”


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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Honda has the U.S. regulatory approval it needs to launch full production of the auto-making giant's first aircraft.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said Wednesday that Honda Aircraft Co. received the certification on Tuesday.
HondaJet's model HA-420 business jet is expected to be the first in a line of aircraft made at a manufacturing hub and headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The jet can seat up to seven and has a list price of about $4.5 million. Honda says it has received more than 100 orders, primarily from customers in North America and Europe. Originally, the company had said deliveries would begin by 2010. It hasn't said what its new delivery target is.
The milestone comes three decades after Honda's founder set a goal of entering the aviation market.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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UMN researchers create new 3D printing method
Sydney Baum-Haines for Minnesota Daily: A team of University of Minnesota scientists has developed a futuristic method of 3D printing.
Michael McAlpine, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University, and his lab created a new method of 3D printing that prints working electronics on uneven surfaces. His team believes this research could be the first step towards printing on human skin.
The research was published online in May in the academic journal “Advanced Materials.”
“We’re trying to expand the capabilities of 3D printing from hard plastic to what we call functional materials,” McAlpine said.
Printing electronic materials has a variety of possible applications, many of which are medical, he said. McAlpine foresees that surgical robots could be enhanced to send surgeons controlling them signals of what they feel using this method. Other uses could include printing sensors onto prosthetic limbs to give the wearers feeling. Full Article:
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This comprehensive guide to the world’s largest licensors provides retail sales data and trends for licensors in all sectors.
U.K-based company Sambro has signed two new licensing deals to create products for Moose Toys Shopkins brand and Universal's Jurassic World.
Cartoonist Berkeley Breathed’s classic comic strip “Bloom County” has been licensed to Acco Brands USA for 2017 calendars, in a deal secured by Idea Patch.
Printing company Blueprint is developing a range of stationery for the pop culture brand Tokidoki in the U.K.
The CBBC show “Wolfblood” has a secured a licensing agreement with publishing company Bonnier via agent Bulldog Licensing.
To celebrate the return of "Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries" on ABC TV in Australia, ABC Licensing has launched a collection of 1920s-themed gifts and accessories.
Carte Blanche Group has inked a new deal with Saban Brands to bring the Power Rangers and Paul Frank brands to its line of 3D lenticular cards in the U.K. and Eire.
Santoro has added two new product lines for two of its art brands–Mirabelle and Kori Kumi.
Greeting card designer The London Studio is shifting its business toward a licensing model to allow founder Soula Zavacopoulos more time for creative development.
Moleskine has teamed with The British Library to launch a new line of notebooks featuring Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Xcel Brands has announced two new partnerships for the Isaac Mizrahi brand with 1-800-Flowers.com and FineStationery.com for floral arrangements and greeting cards.
Hasbro has teamed with Aquarius to create a range of collectibles featuring Hasbro’s classic brands.
Disney Consumer Products and Marvel Entertainment have collaborated on several products to promote the upcoming film Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, released this Friday.
Brands with Influence has signed two new licensing deals for the U.K. charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
DRi’s Pets Rock design brand is ready for the New Year, with a number of product launches planned for 2015.
Wedding Paper Divas has teamed with Hollywood wedding planner Mindy Weiss for a range of how-to content and stationery.
Mark Feldstein & Associates is planning a line of Wacky Waker Alarm Clocks featuring Avanti Press’ humor brand.
Warner Bros. Consumer Products is partnering with Pottery Barn and other licensees with DC Comics-inspired school supplies.
Greeting card brand Hallmark has tapped P&L Global Network will develop a new licensing program for its brand in Latin America.
Xcel Brands has teamed with Dempsey & Carroll to create a line of fine stationery for the Isaac Mizrahi brand.
Grumpy Cat is traveling the U.S. with a number of recent appearances and a host of new licensing partners.
©2015 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


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Cybersecurity salaries revealed: There's a talent shortage and firms will pay top talent base salaries as high as $220,000
European cybersecurity firms are willing to fork out top salaries for foreign talent working in the US.
Darktrace, Deliveroo, and Babylon Health are 2021's hottest European tech listings. The investor who wrote them early checks says his Silicon Valley rolodex was key to picking winners.
Hoxton Ventures wrote early checks for Babylon, Deliveroo, and Darktrace. All three are set to be publicly listed this year.
The British cybersecurity firm was valued at $2.37 billion during its initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange on Friday.
Cybersecurity firm Darktrace is planning a London IPO and targeting a valuation as high as $4 billion
Darktrace will give the London Stock Exchange another chance to prove itself as a hospitable home for tech startups.
We asked the CEO of cybersecurity unicorn Darktrace about the challenges of 2021: 'The old ways of doing things have gone out the window.'
Darktrace CEO: "When the world is moving fast around you, you have to be laser-focused on what's right in front of you."
Here are the 15 hottest European AI startups in 2020, according to 8 venture capitalists backing the technology
The global AI market is predicted to be worth close to $117 billion by 2025.
The CEOs of Europe's biggest startups say COVID-19 will speed up the adoption of tech across everything from healthcare to banking
The CEOs who run Europe's unicorns say everything has changed.
The UK's unicorn founders issued a dire warning that COVID-19 will crush promising tech startups without financial help
Citymapper, Darktrace and Deliveroo are among those that cosigned a letter addressed to the UK government.
Read the letter sent by the UK's biggest unicorn startups begging for government support during COVID-19
The letter warns officials that the current financial support schemes are 'not accessible' to startups.
Fear of coronavirus has split opinion among big VC firms over whether they should keep traveling to Asia
One of Darktrace's biggest backers has shut down all travel while others say the crisis will pass within the next few months.
Meet the power players at $1.7 billion cybersecurity giant Darktrace, which is thought to be preparing to IPO
Darktrace is widely expected to IPO in the near future. We took a look at the top team set to take the cybersecurity unicorn to the public market.
How one tech exec at $1.7bn cybersecurity firm Darktrace overcame a tough family background and landed a job one of Europe's biggest unicorns
Mike Beck grew up as one of the few mixed-race children in a small English town. Now he's a senior exec at one of the world's biggest cybersecurity firms.
Darktrace, the security startup worth $1.65 billion, posts massive growth as its executives get dragged into a $5 billion fraud trial
Darktrace has distanced itself from Mike Lynch, who is facing a lawsuit alleging fraud, but its executives will act as his witnesses during the trial.
Billionaire investor Mike Lynch has left the board of unicorn cybersecurity startup Darktrace as he faces fraud charges
Mike Lynch has stepped down from Darktrace's board after facing criminal charges in the US over the $11 billion sale of Autonomy to HP.
BI Prime: Poppy Gustafsson is the 35-year-old CEO of Cambridge-based cybersecurity firm Darktrace, which was recently valued at $1.65 billion. Darktrace has made a name for itself by spotting strange hacks and scams.
Darktrace is one of the most valuable startups in the UK after raising $50 million at a valuation of $1.65 billion.
Hackers reportedly took over a digital parking lot kiosk and connected it to a porn site for no apparent reason — and it hints at a worrying trend
Devices connected through the Internet of Things are the source of many creative hacks, according to the Darktrace 2018 Threat Report.
Hacking internet-of-things devices is a growing problem for companies, the CEO of the cybersecurity firm Darktrace said at a conference this week.
Hackers are using old tricks and new cryptocurrencies to turn stolen computing power into digital coins.
The money came from Insight Venture Partners, Summit Partners, KKR, and TenEleven Ventures.


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Ubisoft's darker iteration on the Prince of Persia franchise comes to light on multiple consoles December 2; was originally dated for mid-November.
Ubisoft today announced that Prince of Persia: Warrior Within for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and PC has gone gold and is off to production. The title, originally scheduled to release on November 15, then moved to November 30, is now going to be on store shelves December 2. The delay likely had more to do with the cluster of blockbuster titles, including Halo 2 and Half-Life 2, being released in mid-November than production tweaks for the action/adventure title.
News source: GameSpot


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APPLE has announced that two of its most popular gadgets have major flaws. Affected customers who bought last year's iPhone X, or a specific MacBook model, are now eligible for free repairs. Apple reveal the iPhone X with no home button and facial scanning recognition Face ID to unlock the device The issues were only revealed after Apple launched new Exchange and Repair Extension Programs for both devices. "Apple has determined that some iPhone X displays may experience touch issues due to a component that might fail on the display module," the Californian tech giant explained. According to Apple, affected displays will sometimes stop responding to touch – altogether, or sometimes "intermittently". Apple also said you could end up with ghost touches, where "the display reacts even though it was not touched". Interestingly, Apple usually says that a "limited number" of devices were affected on these recall pages. But for the iPhone X, there's no such message – which could … [Read more...] about Apple admits some iPhones and MacBooks are BROKEN – here’s how to get your free repair
LOOKING for a great iPhone XR Black Friday deal? You've come to the right place. Now that most of 2018's top smartphones are out, retailers are battling fiercely over pricing – and at least one is already offering an early Black Friday sale on the new iPhone XR. Best iPhone XR deals Black Friday 2018 Online retailer Mobiles.co.uk appears to be the first retailer stumping up a "pre-Black Friday" sale – ahead of the big day on November 23. The digital phone shop has revealed three separate offers on the new £749 iPhone XR as part of the sale. The first offer gets you the phone on O2 with 15GB of data, plus unlimited minutes and texts. That'll cost you £34 per month with an upfront payment of £185. iPhone XR at O2 (15GB data) for £34 a month (£185 upfront) – buy now This deal will cost you £1,001 upfront, which is a little higher than the iPhone XR's outright cost. However, if you bought the phone on its own, you'd also need to pay for a … [Read more...] about iPhone XR Black Friday 2018 deals – UK phone shop offers EARLY discounts on latest Apple smartphone
The iPhone outsold Chinese rivals on Alibaba platforms during China’s Singles Day on November 11. Singles’ Day is a holiday in which people not in a relationship buy themselves gifts. AdvertisementAlibaba, the e-commerce giant that is the equivalent of China’s Amazon, sold a record $30.8 billion in gross merchandise during the day. Apple’s position as number one mobile brand is therefore pretty darn impressive! told CNBC. “This shows the Chinese smartphone users are maturing fast and they are looking to buy more high end devices, which is a good sign not only for Apple but other brands.” … [Read more...] about iPhone triumphs over local rivals on record Chinese shopping day
ProductConditionLocationPriceApple iPhone X 64GB Gray, SilverRefurbishedeBay$599Deal alert! The iPhone X, Apple's finest smartphone of 2017, has received a new price cut on eBay. The reseller who was offering refurbished units of the device for $630 has now slashed the price even further. You can currently grab the 64GB version of the iPhone X in Gray or Silver for $599. For comparison, the cheapest listing for a refurbished unit we we're able to locate on Amazon costs $790.49, so a discount of $190.49 is something to consider.These iPhones are unlocked and work with all major US carriers like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. The seller states that the products are "fully functional" and in "a very good condition". A 3-month warranty is included, and if you're not happy with your purchase, you can get a full refund from eBay within 30 days of purchase.The iPhone X is Apple's first "all-screen" model. Its standout features include a 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED … [Read more...] about Deal: iPhone X (refurbished) on sale for $599, save big!
Apple and Amazon are cozying up in a deal that will see the tech giant significantly expand the availability of its hardware on the shopping site. The agreement covers Apple’s latest devices, including the iPhone XS and XR, the iPad Pro, and the Apple Watch Series 4, Cnet reported. Notably, Apple’s HomePod smart speaker will not appear on the site, a move designed to prevent the HomePod competing directly with Amazon’s Echo alternative. Up to now, Apple offers very few of its products on Amazon, with most items sold by third-party sellers instead. Apple gear will land on Amazon’s site in the coming weeks for online shoppers in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and India, and will also include its range of Beats headphones. While those intent on purchasing Apple kit can simply head straight to Apple’s online store, adding its products to Amazon’s site could help the company bag even more sales as shoppers without any … [Read more...] about Apple to boost its Amazon presence with listings for iPhones, iPads, and more


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Poco is preparing to launch its first entry-level smartphone, the Poco C40, later this year. The Poco C40 will be announced on June 16, which will be the global launch date for the smartphone. Poco has also revealed a number of the smartphone’s features ahead of its introduction.
Poco Global confirmed on Twitter that the POCO C40 will go on sale globally on June 16th, with a digital launch event hosted by the company. When it comes to the design of the POCO C40, the firm claims that it will have an exclusive design created by the company. Poco also teased the smartphone’s appearance, showing the Poco C40 from the back in the company’s distinctive yellow colour. A fingerprint sensor is also visible on the back of the phone.
#POCOC40 was exclusively designed by POCO!
The fan-favorite POCO Yellow is joining the party!
— POCO (@POCOGlobal) June 3, 2022
Other teased features include a 6,000mAh battery, which Poco claims will be the largest battery ever on a POCO smartphone. It will also include a 6.71-inch teardrop notch display, making it the largest POCO smartphone display to date.
Poco C40: Rumoured Specifications
PassionateGeekz recently released the Poco C40’s specifications and render. The smartphone could have a 6.7-inch IPS LCD display with a 60Hz refresh rate and an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1560 pixels. According to the leak, it will be the world’s first handset to include a JLQ JR510 entry-level processor.
The phone will come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It will be powered by a 6,000mAh battery that enables 18W charging, however it will only come with a 10W charger.
It will have a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, as well as a 50-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel secondary snapper on the rear. There will be a 3.5mm headphone jack on the smartphone, as well as 4G LTE compatibility. It might come in three colours: green, yellow, and black.
Poco also appears to be working on the X4 GT, which could include a 6.6-inch LCD panel with a full-HD+ resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. A MediaTek Dimensity 8100 SoC will power the smartphone.


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Apple launched its most recent series of products on September 7. During the 90-minute-long presentation, the tech giant introduced a number of new products, including the much-awaited iPhone 14 series, the new Apple Watch Series 8, and the enhanced AirPods Pro 2. While introducing the latest model of the AirPods, Apple played Indian rapper Badshah’s song Voodoo, and fans who were glued to the screens watching the event, have not been able to keep calm ever since.
Reacting to the integration of his song, Badshah said, “I had absolutely no idea that my song Voodoo was going to be played for Apple’s keynote event. when I heard it, I thought it was played only for the Indian market so I checked my setting to confirm but then got to know that it’s just 1 event streamed live worldwide.”
He further added, “I was so happy and surprised to see my song being integrated for the new AirPods Pro, a big shout out to Apple. Of course, I am really excited about their products – iPhone 14 and especially the Apple Watch ultra and AirPods Pro that I use every day.”
The rapped added this collaboration of his song with J Balvin is “extremely groundbreaking” and “very important” for the Indian music industry and for his career. “This collaboration of mine on Voodoo with J Balvin who’s the biggest Latino superstar is extremely groundbreaking and very important for the Indian music industry and for my career as well,” he signed off.
On Twitter, Badshah even agreed with a user calling his song being played at the event ‘Apple’s peak moment’. “Hanji baat to sahi hai,” he wrote in his response.
Voodoo was released in April this year and marked the first collaboration between Badshah and international superstar J Balvin.
Keep visiting this space over and again for more updates and reveals from the world of entertainment.


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General Motors is expected to announce a deal that would allow consumers to buy GM vehicles on ebay's online auction site. Buying cars online isn't new, but up until now it's mostly been used cars. GM's deal with eBay is aimed at boosting new car and truck sales.
GM To Sell Cars On eBay
News & Features NPR ·


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It is just one of the biggest names in CBD: Verma Farms– the country-wide acclaimed ‘hempire’ that was just recently bought for an (undisclosed) eight-figure amount. Among the most well-appreciated e-commerce M&A advisors, FE International agented the bargain. And the name behind that name? AJ Agrawal, the 31-year-old business owner who expanded Verma from the ground up in simply two years.
While that might sound like a breakneck rate, Agrawal has a history of expensive success, simply put. Cofounding a service in 2012 and becoming a CEO of an additional one by 2013– all before graduating from the University of San Diego’s service school– was just the start of Agrawal’s business success.
His method, skillset, and understanding have set him apart from early. Barely out of college, he was 24 when the world first began noting his out-of-the-box leadership style– that repaid.
He established (and also still presently owns) the marketing firm Verma Media– a company Forbes called “unique” and also “San Francisco’s largest blockchain marketing firm.” Reducing his chops in branding, associate, and digital marketing, he shares that he got his beginning at Verma Media, collaborating with brands like AmEx, Shopify, Juul, and Expedia. “This allowed me to have experience scaling and building brand names, which provided me a massive benefit when starting my very own DTC [direct-to-consumer] brand name,” he claims. “As well as besides Verma Farms, I have built four other direct-to-consumer brands that do over $1M in income yearly,” he claims.
However, his following venture wasn’t something he planned on; the idea concerned him on vacation.
Claiming Aloha to CBD
On vacation to one of Agrawal’s preferred locations– the lush, laidback islands of Hawaii– Agrawal bumped into an unanticipated treasure that would certainly alter the trajectory of his career and tradition: CBD.
“The first time I attempted CBD, I remained in Hawaii,” he claims. “Spending time in Hawaii is already a surreal experience– including an added component of leisure with CBD made it so clear to me that I wished to capture the experience, container it up, as well as share it with the globe.”
A brand was born in that minute: the sensation of harmony and peace lots of look for on vacation, easily accessible anywhere. “It aided that I already had a big focus on health in my individual life,” claims Agrawal. “I was a D1 collegiate athlete, which was where I was first subjected to taking my health seriously– however, in my late twenties, I experienced what many young adults do as we begin to age: a battle to loosen up, recoup well after exercises, as well as sleep.”
” As a means to give thanks to the state for presenting me to CBD, I based the whole Verma Farms brand off it– the culture, the elegance, the way of life, the colors, the flavors,” he says. “Hawaii has such a unique area in my heart.”
Verma Farms Is Born
Agrawal saw possibilities in the hemp sector, as well as shortly after his journey, the 2018 Ranch Bill passed. Countless new brands exploded right into the once-fledgling market.
“I understood it was sink or swim,” he claims. “This assault of brand names surged into this area, the hemp and CBD area, and I recognized if we didn’t separate ourselves from the beginning, we would certainly never ever make it,” says Agrawal.
The good news is for Agrawal; branding was his support. “Since there were so many counterfeit, faux-brands from abroad that didn’t even place CBD in their items, we certainly started the differentiation process by highlighting high quality and also security; we were supplying a premium item. Top-quality, regulated and tested products making use of US-grown hemp.”
With exceptional branding experience, creative methods, and a real story to inform, a way of life brand name was swiftly created. “I decided to lean right into the Hawaiian narration,” states Agrawal. “In our packaging, branding, selection of flavors, and items– however additionally in our method to the business, the farming, the entire thing. Hawaii is all about purity, keeping the natural environment immaculate– it feels so pure, untapped. We utilized a socially and eco-conscious focus.”
CBD gummies with flavors like Blueberry Wave, Maui Melon, as well as Beary Beach were offered together with dried-out fruit-plus-CBD offerings– pineapple, mango, and papaya. “We were giving people a literal preference of the island way of life,” he claims.
The assurance of the aloha spirit– and some leisure– in a container or jar worked; Verma Farms was building a large following. “We had regular 20% mama development,” he claims (which, deserves noting, mostly took place throughout a pandemic as well as a recession). “We did $1 Million in revenue in the initial year alone.”
At once, when Americans could not see Hawaii, Agrawal used them a taste of it in the house– an escape from the truth around them. He rode the typical green wave of hemp’s national development; the CBD gummy market alone is expected to reach $14B by 2028.
Development as well as Sale of a CBD Empire
Verma Farms was completely bootstrapped, says Agrawal, which made the most of success as he took no outdoors investments. He points out autonomy and performance as tactical guideposts that enabled his service to survive the pandemic and flourish sufficient to acquire a 2nd company: Penguin CBD.
The purchase of another company in 2021 enabled Verma Farms’ appraisal to increase; a lot to ensure that six months later, mergers and purchases large FE International led to an amazing deal, marketing business (that as soon as had only $200) for eight-figures.
“I could not be more thankful for the past two years– as an entrepreneur and individual,” says Agrawal. “From the first time trying CBD on the coastline in Maui to item testing as well as tasting the Verma Farms gummies we made, to maintaining a business alive in 2020, to obtaining Penguin CBD, to the sale now, it’s been such an extensive trip. I can not wait to share what’s next with the world.”
Agrawal continues to own and also run Verma Media and has multiple DTC projects in the works.


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Ringing in the new year as an investor means taking a retrospective at the trials and tribulations of the past 12 months but it’s also about looking ahead to how the market will play out in 2022. Will interest rate hikes do real damage to growth stocks? Are COVID, supply chain disruptions and inflation still going to be the defining factors two, three or four quarters from now? And how about the computer chip shortage and its ongoing impact on sectors like automotive?
It doesn’t always take a crystal ball to see into the future, though, as some trends are clearly in the crosshairs. For instance, it seems a given that in 2022 the ongoing digital transformation will continue to rejig industries across the board, 5G networks will expand their rollouts and connected tech will be further integrated into our lives, particularly in the automobile sector where sensors, data analytics and entertainment features will become even more ubiquitous.
And though there are many tech companies working in these trends, portfolio manager David Driscoll likes Analog Devices (Analog Devices, Stock Quote, Charts, News, Analysts, Financials NASDAQ:ADI).
“Their future is all based on 5G telecommunications and driverless vehicles and all the computer chips that go into electronics in a vehicle,” said Driscoll, President and CEO at Liberty International Investment Management, speaking on BNN Bloomberg on Friday.
“They’re focused on the future, they’re participating in that and they’ve made recent acquisitions to help to bolster their lineup. As a result, they’ve been able to grow their profitability at a much faster speed,” he said.
Some of that growth was on display in Analog’s most recent quarterly report where revenue and earnings were at all-time highs. The company’s fourth quarter fiscal 2021 topline was $2.340 billion, up 53 per cent year-over-year, while adjusted EPS was up 20 per cent to $1.73 per share.
Analog, which makes integrated circuits for electronic equipment, saw growth across all of its end markets. The company had 45 per cent year-over-year revenue growth in its largest segment, Industrial business, which covers areas like automated test equipment, measurement and scientific instruments along with factory automation and connectivity. There revenue hit $1.178 billion for the quarter and $4.011 billion for the fiscal year.
Analog’s Automotive segment saw a Q4 97 per cent year-over-year increase to $453 million and a fiscal 2021 increase of 60 per cent. Those numbers compare with the less-than-rosy picture that came from the sector in 2020, with the company saying despite the ongoing chip shortage that has hobbled the industry, the rise in consumer interest in electric vehicles and ‘enhanced in-vehicle experiences’ has propelled Analog’s Auto segment forward.
As for its other segments, Communications grew by 13 per cent over the fourth quarter (hitting revenue of $352 million) and by just one per cent for the fiscal year (hitting $1.198 billion in revenue), while the company’s Consumer segment, which covers signal processing for audio, video and power capabilities, grew by a whopping 107 per cent over the fourth quarter (to $357 million) and by 35 per cent for the fiscal year (to $860 million).
“2021 truly demonstrated the vital importance of semiconductors to the modern digital age,” said Analog CEO Vincent Roche in a November 23 conference call marking the fourth quarter. “We invested ahead of this inflection, building a comprehensive portfolio to better solve our customers’ most complex problems in this ubiquitously sensed and connected world. As we enter 2022, our backlog and bookings remain robust, and we continue to invest in manufacturing capacity, positioning us well for another successful year ahead.”
Roche said along with the organic growth Analog has been experiencing the company’s M&A activity has expanded the company’s scale and scope in recent years. In terms of major acquisitions, Analog has bought two other integrated circuits companies in recent years beginning with LTC in 2017 for $14.8 billion and then this year with Maxim Integrated in a $20-billion deal.
“Since acquiring [LTC] we delivered on our goal to double its historical growth rate. Equally impressive was our ability to improve on Linear’s industry-leading gross margins,” said Roche. “More recently, we completed the acquisition of Maxim Integrated. Similar to previous acquisitions, we’re combining the best from ADI and Maxim to develop a new operating system that enhances customer engagement and drive long-term profitable growth. And I’m very pleased with the progress that we’ve made already.”
But Driscoll says he likes Analog not just for its tech, as the company goes above and beyond when it comes to shareholder appreciation, paying out strong dividends and continuing to buy back shares on a regular basis. Analog’s dividend yield currently sits at 1.6 per cent.
“Their dividend continues to grow at ten per cent where the historical average for companies out there in the world is about six or seven,” Driscoll said. “So, this is a name that we’ve owned for a few years and continue to buy more of it.”
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Facebook is losing ‘its grip on consumers’ (SowetanLive)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), which once seemed poised to take over the Internet, is showing its limitations: a host of newer services are gaining ground among trend-setting youth; a much-hyped smartphone app has received a tepid response; and grand ambitions such as taking on Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) in the search business seem ever more fanciful. In a volatile Internet industry where companies can rise and fall almost overnight, one might even say that the nine-year-old Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is suffering a mid-life crisis.
Can Simplified Advertisement Process Dilute Facebook Ad Revenue Woes ? (DazeInfo)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is getting rid of half of 27 ad units to modify and simplify its system which was discombobulating advertisers. The social media giant which is making a nerve-racking attempt to revive its revenue will still display ads inside users newsfeeds and on the right hand side of its webpage but it precipitously reduce the options marketers have to choose for those alleged ad-units. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is reducing its Ad units in coming weeks or months but this streamlined system will not affect the pricing on its advertisements.
Day of reckoning for Facebook shareholders? (MarketWatch)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) investors headed to the company’s annual shareholder meeting next week should know by now what happened to the money they lost investing in the social network’s $18 billion initial public offering in May 2012. They have two reminders, one of which is the billions in cash on Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) +1.40% balance sheet. The other is the steady stream of insider stock sales that have continued apace right through April and May of this year.
More cities trying to lure data centers (ArgusLeader)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is set to invest up to $1 billion in Altoona, Iowa. Not far away, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is planning an estimated $400 million expansion in Council Bluffs. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is doing business in Wyoming, starting with a $112 million project. In each case, the tech giants are building massive data centers – a target industry shared by Sioux Falls and becomingly increasingly competitive nationwide. “It’s not necessarily trying to land the Facebook or Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) or any other large, large projects,” said Dean Dziedzic, director of strategic initiatives for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
Google to buy traffic app Waze after Facebook deal falls through (Information-Age)
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is poised to acquire Waze, an Israeli traffic and mapping app start-up, for over $1 billion, according to newspaper Haaretz. Waze’s technology analyses mobile GPS data to compile traffic patterns and allows users to add useful information to crowdsourced maps. The app has 36 million users around the world, the company said earlier this year. Social networking giant Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) was originally in the frame to acquire Waze. However, the deal stalled because Waze was not prepared to relocate to one of Facebook’s R&D centres in Silicon Valley, New York or London.


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Jupiter star dims as profits drop
FUND manager Jupiter has suffered a sharp dip in sales and profits following the acrimonious departure of its founder, John Duffield. Industry sources say that net sales of tax-free ISAs this year are likely to be down by some 80% to £126m and that profits have slumped to £40m from £170m last time.
Virtually all fund managers are expected to show lower sales this year, after the fallout in technology stocks which has scared off investors. But most are likely to be down around 30% to 50%, far less than Jupiter.
Jupiter has been hit by the defection of senior fund manager Alan Miller to Duffield's new operation, New Star. Top-performing Richard Pease is to follow soon.
Jupiter said its 2000 profits had fallen in comparison with the previous year, because they did not include fees from Asian property funds. These fees were one of the key issues in the dispute with Duffield.
It refused to comment on its Isa sales, but claimed to be one of the most popular providers.
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Citigroup customers were told to upgrade to a newer Apple iPhone personal banking application after a security glitch was discovered during a routine security review.
The flawed mobile banking app may have saved personal account information such as account numbers, bill payments and security access codes in a hidden file on users’ iPhonesthe report said. Information may have also been saved on users' computers according to the report.
Citigroup notified customers in a letter dated July 20 about the security flaw. The bank is telling its customers to upgrade their apps to a new version, which corrects the problem and deletes any information that may have been saved on the iPhones or computers without their knowledge.
The bank also said it has no evidence that hackers have accessed any data on users' phones.
“We have no reason to believe that our customers’ personal information has been accessed or used inappropriately by anyone,” Citi spokesperson Natalie Riper said in a statement.
The report indicated there is growing concern about security challenges with wireless apps with potential leakages of confidential information.
Citi said its app for credit card customers was not affected by the security flaw, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story.
Citigroup shares were up more than 2 percent Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares of Apple were down less than 1 percent.


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Consumer privacy is a hot topic that is not going away any time soon. Guests are increasingly concerned about their personal information—and for good reason. Frequent data breaches, improper collection and usage, sharing and selling without consent, unwanted solicitations, ignored preferences, and identity theft are all too common.
To combat this, new legislation and rules are being rolled out around the world to allow consumers to control who has access to their personal information and how it is used. This includes rights such as: affirmative express consent, right to requesting copies or deletion of personal data, right to know or change how personal data is used (e.g., shared or sold), right to say no, and the right to be informed of a data breach.
According to a November 2018 report by market research company, Forrester, Predictions 2019: Privacy And Data Ethics, “The marketing-privacy ecosystem is about to change—again. If 2018 was the year of regulatory action, then 2019 will be the year of consumer action. This will open new opportunities for brands that choose to make privacy a competitive differentiator, and create significant business risk for those that choose to ignore it.” The report went on to say, “New laws give people new rights to exercise; new tools make it easier to hide from marketers; and new approaches to transparency and consent will finally give people the ability to make purchase decisions based on how a company treats personal information.”
Becoming a Customer Data Privacy Ambassador
This is a pivotal time for businesses like hotel organizations to transform into one that protects and honors consumers’ privacy choices and preferences. That protection will translate into elevating the brand, guest satisfaction, and, most importantly, customer retention, which then contributes to increased revenue.
In the Forrester report Make Privacy A Competitive Differentiator, Fatemeh Khatibloo helps marketers navigate the complex connections between privacy, trust, and ethical data use. “Consumers are increasingly aware of the value of their personal data. As a result, companies can no longer afford to dismiss customer concerns about the use of that data—failure to respect customers’ data preferences will drive them to more customer-obsessed competitors,” she wrote in the report.
To become a “Customer Data Privacy Ambassador,” here are five key focus areas for hotels.
Affirmative Express Consent
Provide Preference Options
Provide guests with choice and contact preferences—for example, time, date, channel, offer, and product.
Secure and protect customer data by implementing and maintaining technical and organizational measures to ensure data security. Limit access to data only to those who have a need and protect the data using encryption in motion and at rest.
Focus on Guests
Build a customer-focused privacy response process for authenticating identity for customers from third-party data sources, handling special situations, and creating processes that walk consumers through the data removal process or personal data requests.


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Pickup truck driver near Toronto unplugs Tesla while owner naps in car
A driver near Toronto just had a particularly bizarre experience when trying to take a nap in his Tesla.
In a video uploaded to Reddit by OrdinarySpecialist38, a pickup driver is seen pulling over and unplugging a Tesla Model 3 at a public charging port near Milton.
The video went viral on Reddit after the Tesla's owner, who was asleep inside the car, shared the footage.
The peculiar act was captured by the Tesla's Sentry Mode system, which activated the camera once the truck pulled in.
OrdinarySpecialist38 asked on Reddit, "anyone know the incentives for this behaviour?"
The Tesla owner explained he was "napping in the back seat, opened my eyes to see this Discount Bill Burr pull out the plug and fudge with the adapter and port."
The car's owner said once he saw the truck driver unplugging his car, he poked his head outside and yelled to him, "PUT MY THING BACK IN."
Some users on Reddit assumed the man was just fed up with the inflated gas prices in Ontario.
"Just because you're bitter that gas prices are the highest they've ever been doesn't mean you need to be a jerk to an EV owner," one Reddit user wrote.
Although it's unclear what his motives were, the truck driver left the scene without further incident.
It's safe to say the original poster will be napping with one eye open from now on.
Join the conversation Load comments


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It may seem like a rumor, but the data is coming from a report from the Game Developer Conference from this year. What is happening now is not new. Every time a new console will launch, a moment of pondering and thinking will came. The developers will have to choose again this year between the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X. While these two giants are fighting to dominate the marketing from A to Z, Nintendo is doing its own thing.
The battle between PlayStation and Xbox continues
The question is how many video games we will see on each console, and which developer will choose to work with what console company — the data collected through a report from the Game Developer Conference about this issue has impressive results.
The results are showing that more developers are inclined to work with PlayStation 5 then with Xbox Series X. The little survey had around 4.000 responses, and as a percentage, PlayStation 5 has 11%, and 9% comes to Xbox Series X.
At the same time, we don’t know if the announcement or the Xbox Series X will affect in a way or another the numbers. The survey happened way before the name appeared officially.
Game devs prefer PlayStation 5 over Xbox Series X
Besides this, the survey contained another question for the developers. They were asked about the platform they will use for the next projects. The things are dangerous as we see the percentages because PlayStation 5 is having 23%, while Xbox Series X has 17%.
Unfortunately for the Xbox console, the results are not that happy. More than one developer from five is choosing the console, while the PlayStation 5 has more than one developer from five choosing them.
Finally, these data will change during the time, of course, but at this moment, it seems that many developers target PlayStation 5. Both consoles will launch somewhere in 2020, near the Holidays.


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Buy NZ Made hits out at Australian supermarket stance
Buy NZ Made has labelled the Buy Australia campaign by that country’s supermarket duopoly as “aggressive”.
The campaign by Australian supermarkets Coles and Woolworths has seen New Zealand produced goods stripped off supermarket shelves across the Tasman.
Big Australian supermarkets Coles and Woolworths are systematically removing New Zealand produced goods from their “house brand” labels simply for being non-Australian.
Frozen foods, cheese and fresh vegetables are among the products affected.
“The Buy NZ Made campaign is about celebrating the excellence of New Zealand products,” Buy NZ Made’s PR and marketing executive Scott Willson says.
“We have no intention of taking a protectionist stance by suggesting that people avoid products that aren’t New Zealand made.
“Consumers can buy things that aren’t made here if they wish. What we do promote is that we make a lot of great products in New Zealand, our business people are world-class and we should be very proud of that.
“It’s therefore disappointing to see the Buy Australia campaign using such aggressive tactics against our producers”.
Buy NZ Made is a non-government run organisation that promotes and supports the manufacturing, exporting and retailing of New Zealand made goods.
Buy NZ Made member businesses are directly impacted by the Australian supermarket stance.
It is estimated that the Australian campaign could potentially cost this country over $700 million in exports and be in breach of competition laws as well as the Closer Economic Relations (CER) treaty.
“The actions of Coles and Woolworths to shut out New Zealand producers from a very large section of the Australian retail market is anti-competitive and most likely in breach of Australian competition law,” Australian commercial lawyer Ian Robertson told NBR PRINT recently.
The two supermarket companies control about 80% of Australia’s retail market, giving rise to the question of misuse of market power.


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Don’t count Alabama as the favorite among red states to legalize adult-use marijuana sales.
Republican House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said this week he has no plans to bring recreational cannabis up for debate during his term.
“We are at least four years from that,” Ledbetter said, according to AL.com.
Ledbetter’s current term ends Nov. 6, 2026.
Under Alabama law, voter-led ballot initiatives are prohibited, so any adult-use legislation would have to go through the state Legislature.
Alabama has a GOP-trifecta in which Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the Legislature.
Lawmakers approved medical marijuana sales in May 2021, and the market could open later this year under several restrictions.
Alabama regulators last week greenlit 90 MMJ businesses to advance to the review and scoring process for business licenses.
Read full article on Marijuana Business Daily


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Dell-owned VMware launches blockchain platform for enterprises
Dell-owned software company VMware has commercially launched its blockchain platform for enterprises.
VMware first beta announced the platform in 2018 under the name Project Concord. The finished product, VMware Blockchain, is aimed at helping businesses to build and deploy decentralized applications.
VMware says its blockchain platform addresses the issues of scalability and performance with its proprietory consensus mechanism called Scalable Byzantine Fault Tolerance (SBFT). This mechanism preserves fault-tolerance and defense against malicious attacks, maintains decentralized trust, and supports governance in multi-party networks, VMware said.
The blockchain platform also supports the DAML smart contract language by crypto startup Digital Asset.
VMware is targeting financial services, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and supply chain industry players as key customers for its blockchain platform.
“We have been focused on building an enterprise-grade blockchain platform that meets the most stringent application requirements of the financial services industry and other mission-critical distributed workloads that require reliable and high-performance blockchain services,” said Brendon Howe, VP and general manager of blockchain at VMware. “VMware Blockchain delivers to customers the enterprise features they need for production today and the flexibility to adapt to future needs in the rapidly evolving blockchain space.”
© 2020 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
Go to Source
Author: Yogita Khatri


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Britain's biggest energy firms face penalties for poor service
Britain's biggest energy providers have been threatened with hefty fines unless services are improved.
Regulator Ofgem sent out letters warning operators they must be quicker about reporting any breaches in maintaining their network of pylons and cables.
They face the prospect of penalties that would have 'a proportionate impact on shareholder returns'.
Warned: Ofgem told energy operators they must improve their services
In the letter, Ofgem said it was concerned that some operators, when assessing whether they have complied with guidelines, 'may be exposing customers to unacceptable levels of risk regarding security of supply'.
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Samsung has stated that about half of Galaxy note 7’s with a potential battery cell problem have been returned. As you may now some devices have been known to catch fire, explode or swell upon charging. Though these statements have not all been verified. Never the less it is imperative if you are one of the consumers affected with this problem that you return the phone to place you bought it from and get an exchange or refund etc… Replacement phones have been in stores starting September 21st.
Samsung has been doing damage control ever since the defect was discovered. It’s too early to see how it will affect Samsung long term. Shame on Samsung for taking so long to get replacement devices back to consumers with reports of customers having a hard time returning them. With airlines warning passengers not to use note 7’s and reports of passengers being warned to turn on any Samsung phones, Samsung has a way to go to restore its image. Not to mention the goliath that has just been released the iPhone 7 and 7 plus. Needless to say you would not want to be the CEO of Samsung in its current state.


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Tarald Kleppa Øvrebø checks on ShrimpVision's first batch of king prawns, at the High Technology Centre in Bergen.
These young shrimp farmers from Bergen are taking on the giants of Asia and South America, by focusing on quality and sustainability.
It’s February, and the snow is settling outside Bergen’s High Technology Centre.
Inside one of the centre’s specially-heated rooms, Tarald Kleppa Øvrebø is showing us a basin filled with thousands of Litopenaeus vannamei – commonly known as Whiteleg shrimp.
Shrimp farming usually takes place in warmer countries such as Thailand or India, and has previously been linked to issues such as water pollution and destruction of mangrove forests.
Farmers are now making improvements, but produce still has to be shipped for long distances, which has a negative impact on the climate.
Kleppa Øvrebø and his co-founders at ShrimpVision are instead planning to raise their prawns in using more environmentally-friendly methods, closer to consumers in Europe.
The entrepreneurs will start by selling to high-end restaurants, but eventually, they want their prawns to feature in sushi boxes and on dinner plates across the continent.
Founders Tarald Kleppa Øvrebø (left) and Sjur Øyen are on a mission to produce more environmentally-friendly prawns for European customers.
RAS Technology = better prawns
Company founders Tarald Kleppa Øvrebø and Sjur Øyen are planning to use Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) technology to grow their shrimp.
“Most of the farmed prawns that we eat are shipped halfway across the world,” Kleppa Øvrebø notes. “We believe it is much more sustainable to produce these prawns on land, closer to consumers.”
“As we are using a closed system, we can also limit the spread of disease – allowing us to use a lot fewer antibiotics in our products.”
The entrepreneurs are planning to produce two pilot batches this year, before scaling up to a bigger facility and selling their prawns commercially next year.
To add to their green credentials, they are aiming to warm up their facility with waste heat from a nearby smelting plant.
ShrimpVision will use RAS technology, providing more control over the farming process. Photo © Benchmark Genetics.
Norwegian aquaculture – more than just salmon
The founders of ShrimpVision believe that western Norway is the perfect place to grow many species, not just salmon and trout.
“Norway’s aquaculture companies have already developed a lot of technology and good practices that we can take advantage of,” says Sjur Øyen.
“Besides this, Norwegian seafood has an incredibly strong reputation out in the world!”
ShrimpVision is not the only company in Norway that is betting on new species and new types of aquaculture.
Lerøy’s Ocean Forest project involves growing large quantities of mussels and kelp next to fish cages, and the company is aiming to produce a staggering 1,000 tonnes of seaweed annually over coming years.
Companies are exploring new types of aquaculture in Norway. As an example of this, Lerøy is exploring how to grow both blue mussels and seaweed next to the company’s fish cages.
Greater Bergen is “right at the heart of things”
Since starting their business last year, the founders at ShrimpVision have earned an impressive row of grants and prizes.
They scooped the top prize of 1 million NOK in the Research Council of Norway's STUD-ENT entrepreneurship programme, before going on to win a further 300,000 NOK as part of the Gründerhub competition last autumn.
Øyen adds that the support they have gained from Bergen's aquaculture ecosystem is second to none.
"When you are in Bergen's Marineholmen district, you feel as if you're right in the heart of things", he says. "It's really inspiring to be so close to so many world-leading companies and organisations - it feels like a true privilege."
"After launching the business, we were called into the Rector's office - but in a positive way!," Øyen says.
"The University's Department of Biological Sciences has stood behind us all the way, and has even provided a specially-heated room for our prawns at the High Technology Centre", he explains. "We wouldn't be here today without their support."
With the whole of Greater Bergen's seafood ecosystem cheering them on, these founders might just teach the giants of Asia and South America a lesson or two.
Are you interested in setting up a new company in the Greater Bergen region? If so, you could receive crucial support from Invest in Bergen.
Our organization can provide information, introductions to useful contacts, and even help you to find your ideal business location in Greater Bergen. If you’re interested in these services, simply get in touch with us today.


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Most Popular Articles
iGR: More People Listen to Music While Driving
AUSTIN, TEXAS—Iain Gillott, Founder and President of iGR, has published an interesting article in RCRwireless.com. (The entire piece can be found here.) Said Gillott:
“…in August 2013, iGR fielded one of its many consumer surveys and focused on wearable devices and connected cars.
“In April of 2014, iGR conducted a large U.S. consumer survey and asked the same wearables/connected car awareness questions.”
I’ll summarize the changes in results over the 8-month meantime:
• The number of those who said they made phone calls while driving dropped, as did the number of people who said they used navigation apps in their smartphones.
• More people said they were listening to music in their cars, and when we asked which technologies were in their current car and how often they were used, an increase in the use of satellite radio, Bluetooth connectivity and hands-free voice were noted.
• When purchasing a new vehicle, “technology” is still ranked a distant No. 4 behind safety, reliability and fuel efficiency.
• The interest in some new technologies in the car did increase between August and April. For example, more people were interested in live traffic updates and automatic alerts to emergency personnel in the event of an accident.
• Interest in other “connected car” features such as built-in Wi-Fi was flat – no change.
• The number of consumers willing to pay to get LTE installed in their next car dropped by double-digit percentages.
• Consumers want their LTE either free or included in their current data rate plan.
Gillott continues: “Overall, what this data shows is that far more – and we mean much more – education is needed on connected cars, the services offered and how they benefit the average consumer. And those benefits need to be tied to safety, reliability and fuel efficiency. If connected car technology can be shown to save money, improve reliability or make the drive to school safer, then consumers are likely to pay more attention and, perhaps, be willing to pay a little more.”
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Read each issue online in our Digital Edition Format in your Web browser.
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Also in the January Issue
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AUGUSTA — Augusta officials will pay $550,000 and let the city's only adult video store reopen under the terms of a settlement the Augusta Commission approved Tuesday.
The city has been wrangling with Augusta Video Inc. for eight years. City commissioners tried to stop Augusta Video's X-Mart Adult Supercenter from opening in 2002 by passing a zoning ordinance limiting businesses from opening along the city's gateway corridors.
The Gordon Highway store is a few miles from downtown.
Counsel for the company says it will likely open in a few weeks.


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Back in 2011, Google’s incoming CEO Larry Page promised to put ‘more wood behind fewer arrows.’ Since then, Google has made good on the promise and proceeded to shut down a large number of products (Reader, iGoogle, Buzz), and integrated or combined many others. Now, after watching Google’s I/O 2014 keynote, it would seem that Google’s spartan, utilitarian days are over: We’re now back to Google’s timeworn strategy of throwing product ideas at a wall to see what sticks. Has Google lost the plot again, or is there a method in the madness?
Today, Google will be delivering the keynote for its 2014 I/O conference. The event will be streamed out live, and we’ll be covering the keynote with regular updates. We expect to see a lot of big news coming out of the Mountain View company, so return here at 12pm ET (9am PT) for all the nitty gritty.
Finally! Thanks to Pornhub, the world’s largest porn site, we have some real statistics to back up the assumption that Apple users are prone to regular self-loving. Is this proof that, despite any preconceptions that the media might have, that Windows and Android users get more action than those stylish iDevice hipsters?
Thanks to some ingenious engineers at Google, you can now turn your desktop PC into a quantum computer. Well, OK, not quite: You can simulate a quantum computer on your PC by running the Quantum Computing Playground web app for Chrome. The Playground allows you to run famous quantum algorithms, such as Grover’s, or even to write your own quantum script. Short of buying your own quantum computer — which, despite what D-Wave says, you can’t — this is the next best thing.
Here’s a lovely bit of irony for you: Adblock Plus, which is by far the most popular add-on for Firefox and Chrome, is actually increasing the amount of memory used by your web browser, rather than decreasing it. Furthermore, ABP also increases the amount of time (and CPU cycles) required to render a website. Instead of making web surfing more responsive, ABP actually makes your surfing experience slower.
At an event yesterday, Intel revealed the rather surprising next stage of its strategy for squeezing into the mobile market: Chromebooks! Following the failure of its smartphone efforts, and a slow start in the Windows 8 and Android tablet spaces, Intel now appears to targeting netbooks of all things. The more things change, the more things stay the same, I guess. Furthermore, not only was Google on hand at the event to trumpet its new allegiance with Intel and x86, but it also took the opportunity to stick a knife in the back of Chrome OS’s support for ARM. I wouldn’t be surprised if, as part of this renewed partnership with Intel, Chrome OS slowly shifts to an x86-only OS.
Google, after removing the age-old, comfortable-like-an-old-pair-of-socks http:// from the beginning of URLs in Chrome’s address bar, is now trialing an even more drastic move: Killing off the URL entirely. In a new version of Chrome, the full URL vanishes from the address bar, instead replaced by an always-present “Search Google” box. This is obviously a play to drive more search traffic — but, as much as it pains me to say it, it’s probably a very good way of helping most users avoid phishing attacks.
Mozilla this morning unleashed the largest update to Firefox since… well, ever. Firefox 29, which is available to download now for for Windows, Mac, and Linux, introduces an entirely new UI — called Australis — that does away with the Big Orange Button (BOG), adds some rounded corners, and, as a result, looks almost exactly like Google Chrome.
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