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Overeager traders might have assumed that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock would only go up in 2023. Now is the time to be careful, though, as reality dawns on the market and Apple faces unforeseen challenges in the fourth quarter. All in all, I am neutral on AAPL stock and wouldn’t dare to short-sell it, but I’m not buying right now.
Apple is a world-famous manufacturer of smartphones, computers, wearables, and accessories. The company also offers streaming and other services. Apple’s market cap is fairly close to $3 trillion, and the company is one of the “Magnificent Seven” technology titans.
Yet, it’s a mistake to assume that Apple is invincible and unstoppable. I fully understand why AAPL stock might be considered a “forever stock.” Nevertheless, investors should time their entries carefully, and Apple is vulnerable to global economic headwinds just like any other company is.
Apple’s Epic Run Comes to a Standstill
Apple stock is one of the Magnificent Seven stocks that roared ahead earlier this year, but nothing in the financial markets can just go up forever without taking a break. Just look at the chart, and you’ll see that the buyers are exhausted, and Apple’s investors are probably getting frustrated.
Don’t get the wrong idea here. Short-selling Apple shares is almost always a bad idea. Just be aware of Apple’s issues and challenges before making any buying decisions. For example, Apple plans to release a cheaper version of its $3,500 Vision Pro virtual/augmented reality headset.
It might be $2,500, which is still quite expensive and unaffordable for many people. Moreover, if Apple is preparing to offer lower-priced headsets, it’s probably a sign that the company’s pricy headsets didn’t grab enough attention. It just goes to show that even a “magnificent” company like Apple can falter sometimes.
Apple’s Smartphone Sales Might Disappoint Investors
As I mentioned earlier, Apple has an earnings event coming up soon. We don’t know whether the company will report strong global smartphone sales figures or not. That’s important, as iPhone sales are crucial to Apple’s bottom line.
There are already potential signs of trouble, though. According to a Reuters report, data from Counterpoint Research indicates that “the global smartphone market contracted by 8% to its lowest third-quarter level in a decade” due to “subdued demand for major brands” such as Apple.
Furthermore, Apple’s smartphone shipments declined by 8% in the third quarter of 2023. Hence, this is Apple’s problem just as much as any other global smartphone company’s. Plus, Apple is apparently having trouble selling its smartphones in one highly-populated region.
Here’s the rundown. A Bloomberg report states that Apple’s “new iPhone 15 is selling far worse in China than its predecessor.” More specifically, during its first 17 days of availability in China, iPhone 15 sales were down 4.5% compared to iPhone 14 sales.
If Apple can’t sell many of its pricy Vision Pro headsets, and its iPhone sales seem to be slumping in China, the company’s upcoming earnings report might be lackluster or even a big miss. Now, let’s take a look at what analysts expect from Apple stock.
Is Apple Stock a Buy, According to Analysts?
On TipRanks, AAPL comes in as a Moderate Buy based on 20 Buys and nine Hold ratings assigned by analysts in the past three months. The average Apple stock price target is $207.51, implying 16.9% upside potential.
If you’re wondering which analyst you should follow if you want to buy and sell AAPL stock, the most accurate analyst covering the stock (on a one-year timeframe) is Krish Sankar of TD Cowen, with an average return of 47.5% per rating and a 93% success rate. Click on the image below to learn more.
Conclusion: Should You Consider AAPL Stock?
Analysts seem to be moderately optimistic about Apple — but not overwhelmingly so. Surely, they realize that Apple isn’t perfect and has its share of challenges and problems to deal with.
At the very least, investors might choose to wait until Apple discloses its third-quarter financial report before making any decisions. When all is said and done, I still like Apple, but I’m staying neutral on AAPL stock for the time being.


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In terms of outbound travel South Americans are ahead of everyone else in the Americas. In 2012, they undertook 12% more trips abroad than last year, marking a new record. The country clearly driving growth is Brazil.
This is one of the findings of the ITB World Travel Trends Report, compiled by IPK International and commissioned by ITB Berlin. Outbound travel from the US this year is forecast to rise by about 3%. The number of long-haul trips rose by 6%, while short-distance travel fell by around 1%.
Following an increase this year, in 2013 US travel figures are predicted to remain stable, at most. The unsettled economy continues to strongly affect consumers’ plans. Around 52% of Americans, more than half of those polled, said the recession influenced their travel intentions, although plans for trips abroad were less affected than local travel.
Around 23%, two percentage points more than in 2011, actually aimed to undertake more international trips, while only 14%, previously 21%, have no plans at all to travel abroad. In 2013, overall growth in the US market is expected to be zero.
Brazil, South America’s economic powerhouse, has overtaken everyone else in the Americas and currently leads the market in spending on trips abroad, which in 2010 rose by 50% and in 2011 by 30%. In 2012 it is forecast to rise by 16 billion dollars, compared with last year. As such, Brazil now plays a leading role in the global tourism market.
The destinations most popular with Brazilians are in Europe and the US. Economic uncertainty is now also manifesting itself in Brazil. Thus, 45% said the recession would affect their travel plans. Whereas last year 42% said they wanted to travel more, today that figure stands at 29%. Overall, in 2013 outbound travel is forecast to increase by around 2%, compared with 2012.
The decline in trips abroad has had a positive effect on local tourism. This trend is in keeping with the anticipated increase in foreign arrivals, which Brazil is preparing for as the host of two major upcoming sporting events, the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games, for which it has invested heavily in its tourism infrastructure.
Launched by the consultancy IPK International and sponsored by ITB Berlin, every year at the World Travel Monitor Forum in Pisa, tourism experts and scientists from around the world present current statistics and the latest trends in international tourism.
Details of the studies will be presented by the ITB World Travel Trends Report. The report is based on the assessments of around 50 tourism experts from 30 countries, on a special IPK International trend analysis undertaken in major source markets, and on core data supplied by the World Travel Monitor®, recognized as the largest continuous survey of global travel trends in some 60 source countries.
The findings reflect trends which emerged during the first eight months of 2012.

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No, apparently we will be seeing the game on Android, but most likely not until next year. Considering the game was announced during the Apple Event, one can only assume that Nintendo granted Apple a little bit of timed exclusivity for casting its net over to Google Play.
Watching the Apple Event this evening (or morning), we've got super exciting news as Nintendo's Miyamoto announced that Mario will finally be coming to iOS this year, with .
As a company renowned for its hesitance at releasing its games on anything other than its own platforms, this year we can expect to see Super Mario Run, an auto-runner with several game modes including battle mode, Road Rally.
In battle mode you can compete against friends and acquaintances across the world in completing the same courses as them asynchronously. Whoever wins the level depends on how many coins you've collected throughout and how many toad fans you've managed to gather.
The collected toad fans will then become residents of your mushroom kingdom, which can also be upgraded with the coins you earn.
Coming in time for the holidays (Q4 2016), Super Mario Run will be a premium game for iOS.
Want more? Check out our 27 other !


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The Lamborghini Urus.Lamborghini
The COO of Lamborghini makes no bones about what an SUV will mean for the exotic Italian automaker.
"It's going to change the landscape of the company," AlessandroFarmeschi told Business Insider when we sat down at the Detroit auto show last month.
When the Lamborghini Urus goes on sale later this year, it will enable Lambo to join the high-performance luxury SUV party - a party that kicked off way back in 2002, when Porsche debuted the Cayenne SUV. In the last year, the festivities have decidedly heated up, as Jaguar, Maserati, and Bentley have all jumped in (even Rolls-Royce is preparing to launch an SUV).
The motivation is obvious. In the US especially, SUV sales have been booming. Anyone selling a luxury version has been raking in the cash. Cadillac brought its XT5 crossover to market last June and within a short period of time was moving 5,000 units a month. Demand is indisputable.


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Jan 20, 2014
Samsung’s revamping the TouchWiz UI that powers their various Android devices, likely starting with the Galaxy S5. What will it look like? Well, evleaks, the notorious leaker known for releasing images and info of mobile hardware often before anyone else, has released some images of what the new TouchWiz will look like, resembling some of the non-skeuomorphic designs that other operating systems have introduced. Keep an eye on evleaks’ Twitter account for other leaks, as well as a number of sponsored posts, albeit ones that actually have to do with mobile.


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Home >> News >> Industry News
The British government announced the new tariff regime as it is exiting the EU. The UK Global Tariff (UKGT) was introduced last week to replace the EU’s Common External Tariff on January 1, 2021. With UKGT, LED lamps will be free from tariffs as the new regime aims to support sustainable economy.
According to the UK government, the UKGT is tailored to the needs of the UK economy and will simply nearly 6000 tariff lines to reduce administrative cost. In order to back green economy, tariffs on over 100 items related renewable energy, energy efficiency, carbon capture and the circular economy will be cut to zero and LED lightings are included.
As most of the LED lighting products in the world are made in China, the new UK tariff will benefit Chinese exports, who still suffer from the extra tariffs of the US due to the trade war.
Please contact our sales to obtain password


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April 12, 2019
ALEXANDRA OLSON and KEN SWEET
Read article at apnews.com
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Hembert Figueroa just wanted a taco. So he was surprised to learn the dollar bills in his pocket were no good at Dos Toros Taqueria in Manhattan, one of a small but growing number of establishments across the U.S. where customers can only pay by card or smartphone.
Cash-free stores are generating a backlash among some activists and liberal-leaning policymakers who say the practice discriminates against people like Figueroa, who either lack bank accounts or rely on cash for many transactions.
Figueroa, an ironworker, had to stand to the side, holding his taco, until a sympathetic cashier helped him find another customer willing to pay for his meal with a card in exchange for cash.
“I had money and I couldn’t pay,” he said.
The issue got some high-profile attention this week when retail giant Amazon bowed to pressure from activists and agreed to accept cash at more than 30 cashless stores, including its Amazon Go convenience stores, which have no cashiers, and its book shops. Amazon declined to say when the change would happen.
There is no federal law that requires stores to accept cash, so lawmakers are working on the issue at the state and city level.
Earlier this year, Philadelphia became the first city to ban cashless stores, despite efforts by Amazon to dissuade it. New Jersey passed a statewide ban soon after, and a similar ban is working its way through the New York City Council. Before this year there was only one jurisdiction that required businesses to accept cash: Massachusetts, which passed a law nearly 40 years ago.
“The potential societal cost of a cashless economy I think outweighs the potential benefits for businesses,” said Ritchie Torres, a New York City councilman for the South Bronx who introduced the bill.
Policymakers argue that while cashless stores and restaurants aren’t widespread now, the practice could expand to more services, including some that cater to lower-income customers.
Walmart-owned Sam’s Club opened its first cashier-less store in Dallas last year, using technology that allows customers to scan and pay for items with their smartphones. Kroger has installed similar technology in about 400 stores nationwide.
Stadiums in Tampa Bay, Florida, and Atlanta have started to go cashless, or nearly cashless, and the Barclays Center, where the Brooklyn Nets play, is now effectively cashless as well.
“I wanted to stop this before it became an everyday thing,” said William Greenlee, a Philadelphia councilman who introduced that city’s bill.
Advocates for cashless bans worry technology is moving too fast for the 6.5% of American households — 8.4 million — that do not have a bank account, according to figures from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Figueroa is among the much larger group considered “underbanked,” meaning they have a primary bank account but regularly rely on alternative financial services like check cashers. More than 24 million U.S. households are underbanked, according to the FDIC.
The issue disproportionately affects African-American and Hispanic communities. About 17% of African-American and 14% of Hispanic households have no bank accounts, compared to just 3% of white households, according to the FDIC.
Figueroa, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, only opened a credit union account two years ago. It took another year to build up enough funds to use his debit card regularly.
He still occasionally relies on a check casher if he needs money quickly, and much of his income comes in cash from his weekend job as a busboy. He has no credit card and no apps on his phone and has only shopped online three times.
Business owners who go cashless say they are following the lead of the majority of customers who are abandoning cash payments. Retailers are under pressure to cater to customers with heightened expectations for fast and seamless service, driven by companies like Amazon, Uber and Grubhub.
Leo Kremer, co-owner of Dos Toros, the taqueria where Figueroa tried to use cash, said the volume of cash transactions at his stores fell from about 50% a decade ago to 15% last year. That made the cost and logistics of handling cash especially onerous. Before going cashless, Dos Toros locations were robbed twice.
Still, Kremer said the company would adjust if legally required to accept cash.
“There are no bad guys on this issue. Everyone is trying to do the right thing and make sure there are no unintended consequences,” he said.
Critics say banning cash-free stores is an over-reaction.
There are no overall estimates of how many stores in the U.S. have gone cashless, but it remains a rarity. In New York City, the trend appears to be gaining traction mostly with “fast casual” dining establishments like Dos Toros. Far more common are stores that require a minimum purchase for non-cash payments.
“To call this a trend is a bit of an exaggeration. There are a handful of retailers trying this in certain situations here and there, but it’s not something the average customer would expect to see at every store at the mall any time soon,” said J. Craig Shearman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation in Washington.
Even among the wider U.S. population, cash is still used in roughly 30 percent of all transactions, according to a 2018 Federal Reserve study. The study found that most consumers prefer cash for transactions under $10.
Indeed, Shake Shack abandoned plans to open cashier-less locations after its first such store in Manhattan triggered a customer backlash. The burger chain is instead keeping cashiers while installing order-taking kiosks at more stores.
In testimony to a New York City Council committee, Kremer argued that businesses that “consistently serve the unbanked and underbanked population aren’t going to go cashless. It wouldn’t make sense for them.”
But financial experts who work with low-income people caution against making assumptions about the shopping preferences or buying power of those who rely on cash.
“I’m uncomfortable with the idea that certain people don’t shop here so it’s fine to exclude them,” said Justine Zinkin, CEO of Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, a financial counseling nonprofit affiliated with the credit union where Figueroa banks.
Like many New Yorkers, Figueroa regularly spends $10 to $15 a day on lunch. He says he would return to Dos Toros with his debit card now that he knows about the cashless policy.
“It was a good taco,” he said.
Around him, commerce is quickly moving online and cash-free. Card-only Uber is eviscerating the yellow cabs he hails once or twice a month. He does most of his shopping at corner shops and drugstores, and has never availed himself of the home-delivery services that chains like Walgreens and CVS are introducing to keep Amazon at bay.
Even services like Citi Bike, the bicycle-sharing company, require a debit or credit card. The service, which is affordable and even offers a $5 monthly program for low-income New York City residents, directs those with no debit or credit card to open an account at a credit union.
Beyond targeting cashless stores, Zinkin said the greater urgency in the digital era is finding ways to better include low-income people in the banking system, such as compelling banks to offer no-fee starter accounts and encouraging banks to open branches in underserved areas. In the Bronx, where Figueroa lives, the borough has the lowest concentration of bank branches per household of anywhere in the nation , according to a 2015 report by the New York City Comptroller’s office, while check cashers are common. Nearly one-fifth of households in the Bronx have no bank accounts, and one-third are underbanked, according to 2013 figures cited in an Urban Institute study.
“We hope the spotlight shifts from punishing small businesses to the financial services market,” Zinkin said. “We don’t want to be scared of technology, and hoping that technology goes away.”


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Ford has a new version of its monster 7.3-liter V-8 known to fans as Godzilla. The new version has been nicknamed the Megazilla, and it boasts even more power and torque. The Megazilla is set to join the Godzilla in Ford’s crate engine portfolio next year.
Dutch performance marque Donkervoort is out with a new sports car dubbed the F22. It serves as a follow-up to Donkervoort’s D8 series of track cars, and it brings a new chassis, a new technique for manufacturing carbon fiber, and the promise of up to 2.15 g in lateral acceleration.
Buick’s Encore GX is about to be updated and we have photos of an undisguised prototype. The update will see the subcompact crossover take on a new look previewed by Buick’s Wildcat EV and Electra-X concept vehicles shown earlier in the year.
You’ll find these stories and more in today’s car news, right here at Motor Authority.
Ford Megazilla crate engine revealed with 615 hp
Donkervoort F22 is a wilder follow up to the D8
2024 Buick Encore GX spy shots
Subaru recalls 2019-2022 Ascent SUVs for increased fire risk
Porsche has been building water-cooled 911s for 25 years now
$6,250 Squad solar EV coming to US—wherever 25 mph is enough
Rivian’s electric van deal with Mercedes on hold
2023 Kia Niro review
2023 Mercedes-Benz Maybach S-Class Haute Voiture targets fashion crowd
Tech update may boost range of future Hyundai and Kia EVs


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Activision Announces Key Details On Call of Duty League
Activision has finally unveiled some of the key details on the Call of Duty League. First and foremost, we can now confirm the name is in fact the Call of Duty League. The CDL will feature 12 teams in it’s inaugural season, battling it out for a prize pool in excess of 6 million dollars.
The teams will indeed operate under a franchise model, geolocated to cities around the world. Potential leaks may have spoiled the branding, although Activision has yet to confirm anything. The game will be played exclusively on Playstation 4, and the prize pool is set to be larger than what the 2019 CWL prize pool was. For more details, check out the league’s website.
Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images


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In the rapidly changing beauty landscape, the name Oladupe has been on everyone’s lips. Innovation draws in imitators. Olaplex, a pioneering force in the haircare industry, encountered its fair share of copycats, particularly on TikTok. The hashtag #olaplexdupe racked up a staggering 30.4 million views.
However, a recent revelation has allowed Olaplex to have the last laugh. It came to light that the viral TikTok sensation, originally believed to be a knockoff of Olaplex, was, in fact, none other than Olaplex’s own exceptional No. 3 Hair Perfector.
This intriguing twist of events has led us to delve into Olaplex’s ingenious marketing campaign, shedding light on the ever-evolving beauty industry and the clever strategies employed by this innovative brand.
Olaplex is the genuine article, a brand that is truly ‘undupable,’ and the cornerstone of this distinction lies in our unparalleled technology, which remains unrivalled in the industry.”JuE Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Olaplex
Olaplex or Oladupe: Pioneering Bond Repair
Back in 2014, Olaplex made a grand entrance, introducing a groundbreaking concept to the beauty world – bond repair. At that time, the general public had no clue about hair bonds, let alone how to pronounce the brand’s unique Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate molecule.
The brand catapulted into the limelight, largely thanks to early adopter Kim Kardashian. Olaplex’s promise was straightforward yet revolutionary: the transition from dark to peroxide blonde would no longer come at the expense of hair health. Even those with damaged hair could anticipate restoration. Unlike standard hair repair masks that merely gloss over damaged strands, Olaplex’s molecule delved deep into the hair, latching onto damaged disulfide bonds and reviving them from the inside out.
Fast forward nine years, and bond-building has emerged as a thriving hair care category in its own right. The market is going to be worth $264.1 million by 2028. Consequently, the search term “Hair Dupes for Olaplex” has seen a parallel surge in interest, boasting a staggering 4.7 million views on TikTok.
Even budget-conscious shoppers at Aldi have joined the bond-repair bandwagon, as the store shelves products that bear a striking resemblance to Olaplex, all at a budget-friendly price of £3.49.
Olaplex’s Cunning Marketing Campaign: The Clap Back
In the beauty industry, established brands often cite their biggest irritations as the low-cost imitations that exploit the originality and scientific achievements of the pioneers. In a stroke of brilliance, Olaplex introduced the fictitious Oladupe No.160, sporting the tagline “The only genuine Olaplex dupe.”
The number 160 in Oladupe’s name pays homage to Olaplex’s 160 patents. In a playful twist, consumers were directed to Oladupe.com. The first 160 registrants were promised a complimentary bottle of Oladupe, which, to their surprise, turned out to be none other than Olaplex No.3. The veil of humor was lifted, and the message became abundantly clear. Olaplex, it turns out, had ventured into the world of dupes, with their own product.
JuE Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Olaplex, provided clarity on this strategic move through a press statement: “This campaign tapped into the cultural zeitgeist, meeting consumers where they are and playfully educating them on the one-of-a-kind and proven repair and strengthening benefits of our bond-building technology, which cannot be copied or duped.”
Unveiling Oladupe: The Not-So-Classic Dupe
In the midst of this flurry of dupe products, celebrity ‘duper’ Taylor Madison introduced Oladupe as “the first ever genuine Olaplex dupe.”
She exclaimed enthusiastically, “I love Olapex, so I’m really excited to try this.”
After using the product on her own hair, Taylor enthusiastically remarked, “Automatically, it is so much healthier-looking and shiny.”
The Emergence of Dupe Culture and Olaplex’s Response
While imitation can be flattering, Oladupe stands out as a response to the prevalent dupe culture. Consumers grapple with the desire to invest in quality products, or in this case, find a cheaper alternative; a counterfeit. This is particularly prevalent among Gen Z and millennials,
To emphasise the message that consumers need to exercise discernment when encountering dupes, Olaplex’s CEO, JuE Wong, took a bold step. Wong created a deepfake video of herself. In this, she revealed the true nature of the campaign, while also demonstrating how easily consumers can be misled.
While platforms like TikTok are teeming with dupe culture, Olaplex has emerged as a pillar of trustworthiness. Olaplex proves that not all dupes can be relied upon.
While imitation is the highest form of flattery, we wanted to inject some humor into the realisation that the Olaplex brand can be imitated but never replicated,”JuE Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Olaplex
Olaplex’s Oladupe No.160 campaign is a testament to the brand’s unwavering commitment to innovation and the integrity of its pioneering technology. In the ever-evolving landscape of beauty, Olaplex reaffirms that while some things may be imitated, true excellence remains beyond replication.
The brand’s marketing ingenuity has not only educated consumers about the value of their unique bond-building technology but also playfully dismantled the illusion of being easily duped in the world of beauty.
Interested in the latest social media news and campaigns? click here.
Keep up with Social Republic and never miss a post.


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Soprano has won the New South Wales State Export Award, qualifying as a national finalist for the prestigious Australian Export Awards for the third year running.
The awards, granted by the NSW Government and the Export Council of Australia (ECA), recognise excellence in the export of goods and services from Australia across a range of categories.
A global leader in enterprise mobile communications, Soprano initially picked up a state award in the Digital Technologies category. The big win came after Soprano was named the overall New South Wales winner as Exporter of the Year, having been selected amongst all 12 national category award winners.
Winning Exporter of the Year qualifies Soprano for the national 55th Australian Export Awards, a national program where overall winners from all states and territories compete for an Australian industry award.
Every year companies invest hundreds of millions of dollars to better understand and serve their key stakeholders. In our fast evolving economy, digital interactions and mobile interactions in particular are becoming the preferred and most effective means of real time interactive communication to these stakeholders.
In the face of worldwide security threats, global businesses turn to Soprano for certified secure and efficient mobile communication solutions. Whether it’s checking on the safety of remote field workers or implementing a business continuity plan, Soprano’s enterprise SMS solutions help businesses to communicate with the right person, at the right time.
Our trusted partnerships with 13 mobile network operators has enabled us to expand to 5 major global regions, including: Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.
Today, over 70% of Soprano’s revenue comes from export sales. Our mobile messaging technology sends over 2 billion messages each year and is used by over 1,000 global enterprise and government institutions.


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Along with Matrix Partners, WI Harper Group announced a $4 million round of funding Monday for SNS Plus, which brings the total funding for the gaming company to $12.5 million.
Early this summer, SNS Plus, which is short for Social Networking Services Plus, had already published more than 60 games for Facebook and more than a dozen games on other platforms such as iOS and Friendster.
SNS Plus has offices in China, Taiwan and Thailand.
The two-year-old company has capitalized on its technology, which provides server, bandwidth, support centers and overseas operations to reduce the cost for bringing developers' games to the Asian market.
Several of the SNS Plus games have a very Zynga feel to them, especially a game offered on iOS called Happy Manor -- a farm-maintaining social game complete with cowgirls and chicken coops.
SNS Plus has put a deeper focus on brining mobile and online developers with HTML5-based platforms for its clients.
"Understanding the cultural differences in all of our markets, and constantly striving to meet the demands of our players is an exceptional advantage for SNS Plus," Along Chang, CEO of SNS Plus, said in a statement. "We have achieved great growth due to execution of our business strategy and the implementation of our capital markets strategy. Looking forward, we will continue our efforts to increase the influence of SNS Plus, and honor our commitment to building long-term, sustainable value for both our shareholders and customers."
The Chinese firm WI Harper Group is has focuses on early and expansion stage companies with significant operations in China since its inception in the early 1990s. The firm manages over $750 million in capital from its offices in Beijing, Taipei and San Francisco.


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Updating media center
Update: When we initially posted this article it seemed like it would be mostly good news for Windows Media Center fans.
However, a lot of people have had problems getting their guide data updated since the switch in providers.
We’ve always assumed that the Xbox was pulling that guide data from the service as Windows Media Center.
In its place the software giant released a DVD Player, but this was expensive and incredibly basic.
We were wrong, but that’s about to change for the better!


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has revealed that European users of the system booked a record 36,000 trips in July this year. It has also challenged competitors to disclose their own figures.Until now industry commentators had to be content with analysing in percentage terms the growth in European usage of corporate self-booking tools (SBTs). But this provided no insight to the actual size of the region’s self-booking market.
“I could tell you we saw year-on-year booking increases in Europe of 104 percent in Q1 this year, and 138 percent in Q2,” said Floyd Widener, vice president of GetThere and corporate travel at Sabre Travel Network. “But GetThere has been seeing triple-digit, year-on-year percentage growth in Europe for so many quarters now that it no longer means anything to industry-watchers.
“It’s time to start putting out some hard numbers to help procurement managers, travel managers and travel management companies assess the real growth and potential of these systems.”
Widener believes GetThere is the leading SBT in Europe, but says he’ll have to wait for competitors to publish figures before being able to prove it.
“In the absence of other industry figures it’s hard to benchmark our performance, but from what we’ve managed to glean we believe GetThere is the most widely-used system in the region, bar none. If anyone else wants that title they’ll have to publish better like-for-like figures.”
These would be independent, revenue-generating business trips, originating directly from corporations or from a white-label version of the system marketed by a re-seller.
They would exclude non-revenue transactions, trips processed by the SBT but originating from airline websites, partners or shareholders, and all leisure travel.
“We believe these criteria represent a common denominator and would help give the industry an accurate idea of the real volume of European self-booked business travel,” Widener said. “They would also provide a benchmark for future market growth and penetration.”
He said the European booking numbers were small in comparison to global figures (GetThere is processing well over a million bookings a month globally), but that growth in the region was both sustained and dramatic.
“Two years ago we were delighted when our monthly trip numbers for the region reached 6,000. If we can sustain this kind of growth we’ll be approaching the booking levels of more mature SBT markets very soon.”
Widener said full disclosure of relevant European trip numbers by all SBTs was in the interests of the travel management sector as a whole.
“SBTs have come of age in Europe and it’s time to stop being coy about numbers,” he said. “Our customers know what they’re booking, as do their travel management companies, but it’s time other companies out there see that these systems are being embraced and are making an impact.”


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Ericsson used to be a major player in mobile. So last night when I caught up with Kasim Alfalahi, CIPO and Senior Vice President at Ericsson (pictured on right), I had to ask: is Ericsson still trying to be a leader in this space?
“We are the world leader with respect to infrastructure,” Alfalahi told me on the convention floor of CES. “Our customers are AT&T, Verizon, Sprint… We are also a world leader with respect to where we take care of the infrastructure for the operators. In that space, we are the market leader. With respect to devices, as you know, we used to have Sony Ericsson, which was a joint venture between Ericsson and Sony. Our shares of that company we sold a year and a few months ago in November of 2011.”
But a lot of companies that entered the mobile space only to leave a short while later are now re-entering. Intel is just one example of a major player reemerging in mobile. Is this something Ericson will similarly do in the coming years?
“You never know exactly what you’re going to do in five years or ten years,” Alfalahi admits. “We made a conscious decision a year ago to basically sell our shares of that mobile business, so Ericsson is very much focused on the infrastructure of the service for the network.”
What Ericsson is focused on today at CES is the company’s new alliances in the automobile sector. Volvo Car Group and Ericsson are out in full force in Las Vegas to tout their joint efforts in the technical development of innovations for automotive internet services.
Volvo is delivering its “expertise in driver behavior” and “traffic security requirements” while Ericsson brings a vast wealth of experience through its consulting and systems integration. The result is a winning pair that’s poised to make automobiles smarter than previously thought possible.
Connected Vehicle Cloud based on Ericsson’s Multiservice Delivery Platform will provide infotainment, apps and communication services in new Volvo cars.
“We clearly see that cars in the near future will integrate the same level of digital services that consumers today are used to have in their homes or at work. This is a strategically important part of Volvo Cars’ investments for the future where we intend to take a leading position,” says Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President Product Strategy and Vehicle Line Management at Volvo Cars.
Are you on board yet for the evolution of connected cars?


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Manitoba Bridge Grant expanded to more businesses
Manitoba legislature (file image)
WINNIPEG -- Artists, photographers, and other home-based business owners are now eligible for a Manitoba government program that provides support to small businesses.
The province announced Tuesday morning it is extending the deadline for the Manitoba Bridge Grant Program, and offering more businesses the opportunity to apply.
The initial program allowed businesses such as restaurants and retail outlets that had to close as a result of the public health orders to receive a $5,000 grant to help with costs.
The new intake will allow event planners, photographers, and home-based businesses that do not have a storefront to apply for the grant. These businesses were previously ineligible for the grant when the program launched.
“While the public health restrictions are crucial to protect Manitobans and reduce our COVID-19 cases, the impacts are being felt by businesses directly ordered to close their physical storefronts, as well as home-based businesses who have seen their market and source of income greatly reduced because of public health orders that limit gathering sizes and restrict other activities,” Premier Brian Pallister said in a statement.
As of Tuesday, the province has received 6,300 applications from businesses, and have given $31.6 million in payments.
Applications for home-based businesses will go online on Dec. 9.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 31.


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|Photo by Freeimages.com/Sergio Castro|
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced the destination will act as the host for Seatrade Cruise Global for the next three years.
This year the cruise industry event, formerly known as Cruise Shipping Miami, will be held at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center from March 14-17.
Fort Lauderdale will be showing off the destination's Hello Sunny branding at the event, ranging from airport greeters and welcome signs; Hello Sunny branded welcome desks at conference hotels and the Convention Center; branded water taxi flags; selfie opportunities on Fort Lauderdale Beach; yellow cab welcome videos by Nicki Grossman; shopping programs at The Galleria and Sawgrass Mills Mall; trip giveaways; and more. Attendees will also get to enjoy a Taste of Las Olas Boulevard restaurant/retail passport discount program on the destination’s popular downtown street lined with boutiques, entertainment and restaurants.
Additional conference support includes a comprehensive CVB-driven marketing campaign with public relations and social media activities to promote the venue change to Greater Fort Lauderdale.


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"National Small Business Week is an opportunity to celebrate hard-working men and women who are creating jobs and driving our local economies," says Stephen V. Smith, founder and president of WordSouth.
Rainsville, AL (PRWEB) May 07, 2014
WordSouth is pleased to join with longtime client Farmers Telecommunication Cooperative (FTC) in hosting a business luncheon to celebrate National Small Business Week, which is May 12 - 16.
"Small businesses are a vital part of our rural communities," says Stephen V. Smith, founder and president of WordSouth. "National Small Business Week is an opportunity to celebrate hard-working men and women who are creating jobs and driving our local economies.”
The small business luncheon will be held at Wing House in Rainsville on Wednesday, May 14 at 11:30 a.m. All small business owners in the area are invited to attend. This event will include a free lunch, compliments of WordSouth and FTC, along with three guest speakers.
Foster Perry, director of the Small Business Development Center, will be speaking about how Alabama’s Small Business Development Center Network can strengthen local businesses. Perry completed undergraduate studies in California and India and went on to get a Master’s degree from the Tufts University - Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy in Boston. He has worked in San Francisco, New York and Latin America. Perry now lives in Huntsville.
The event will also feature Chris Townson, manager of customer service and support at FTC, speaking about upcoming technology that can help grow businesses. Jared Dovers, managing editor at WordSouth, will speak about marketing a business with a Facebook business page.
"An important part of our mission is providing the reliable broadband network that today's small businesses need to successfully run their companies," says Brandi Lyles, manager of marketing and public relations at FTC. "We're looking forward to hosting this Small Business Luncheon and sharing information with people who are providing important products and services while driving our economy.”
Small businesses have a strong impact on the U.S. economy. According to an SBA Office of Advocacy report, small businesses compromise:
99.7 percent of U.S. employer firms
43 percent of private-sector payroll
43 percent of high-tech employment
FTC is Alabama’s largest member-owned telecommunications cooperative, serving almost 17,000 subscribers in seven exchanges across DeKalb and Jackson counties.
"We have worked with FTC since 1996, the year our company was formed," says Smith. "As the region's telecommunications company, FTC provides the infrastructure that is necessary for job growth and quality of life in general. WordSouth is excited to partner with them for this Small Business Luncheon, and we encourage small business owners to come help us celebrate."
Small business owners should call WordSouth at 256-638-8856 or email beth(at)wordsouth(dot)com to reserve a seat at the luncheon for themselves and their key staff.
WordSouth engages the power of content marketing to help rural utilities connect with their communities. The company produces custom content, such as magazines, brochures, annual reports and bill inserts, through an all-encompassing approach that saves clients both time and money. For more information about WordSouth, visit the company website at http://www.wordsouth.com.


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-- First time to use Periscope for live broadcasting
-- Martin Handford's world famous pop-culture character visits Asia for the first time
HONG KONG, July 20, 2015 (Antara/PRNewswire) -- From July 9 to August 9, 2015, Hong Kong's largest shopping & entertainment destination Harbour City will be transformed into the 'Land of the Wallies,' as the 'Happiness Hunt -- Where's Wally? Art Exhibition' unfolds.
Harbour City has collaborated with the Hong Kong Tourism Board and car maker MINI for the month-long event, celebrating Wally's first steps on Asian soil since the elusive adventurer was created by British artist and illustrator Martin Handford in 1987.
On the Ocean Terminal Forecourt, Wally will emerge from the classic picture books and into the real world. During a search for his missing shoe, Wally, together with 47 other Wallies from the Land of Wallies, somehow stumbled into reality. The scene is curated with gigantic Wally books at the forecourt, where visitors can sit down, relax and indulge themselves in the colourful world of Wally.
The event will also see priceless original Where's Wally art work go on display for the very first time in addition to activities and memorabilia, and also coincides with the release of Harbour City's marketing campaign, carried out via Twitter's new live video streaming app Periscope. As the first Hong Kong brand to release a campaign of this kind via the new platform, Harbour City can now use a live broadcast of Where's Wally's tour to share Hong Kong sites and Wally sightings in one of Asia, and indeed the world's, most recognisable cities.
Commenting on the new venture, Karen Tam, Assistant General Manager, Promotions & Marketing, Harbour City Estates Limited said, "Periscope is the next big thing for our campaigns on Twitter. As Hong Kong's largest shopping destination and a leader in social media marketing, we're excited to be the first corporate brand in Hong Kong to engage with our visitors on Periscope. The Where's Wally Happiness Hunt and art exhibition at Harbour City - #whereswallyHK - is our mega event for the summer, and we can't think of a better subject to share with the world live on Periscope."
To commemorate Wally's first ever visit to Asia, the Hong Kong Tourism Board is also rolling out the red carpet, or should that be, the red and white striped carpet? Hong Kong Tourism Board has taken Wally on a tour to the Harbour City, Peak, Repulse Bay and on the Star Ferry, as part of the great globetrotter's exciting Hong Kong expedition. Moreover, Harbour City has invited special guest Ms. Miriam Yeung to attend the press event of Where's Wally? Art Exhibition.
Courtesy of Mini UK, the bodies of seven MINI cars have been specially decorated with the faces of Wally and his friends and the vehicles will be on display for all to see as part of the colourful and imaginative world of Where's Wally.
In addition to the wide ranging selection of activities that make up the Where's Wally? Art Exhibition, a number of other companies are working with charities to organise fund-raising events. To complement their Where's Wally themed menu, Pizza Express is also holding pizza making classes to raise money for Hong Kong Blood Cancer Foundation, while Creative Wally Workshops offer the chance to make your own Wally magical glasses and lost and found compass in aid of the Early Psychosis Foundation.
About Where's Wally
Created by Martin Handford and first published in 1987, Where's Wally? is one of the most recognizable characters in the world and a pop-culture icon. A global publishing phenomenon with 65+ million books sold worldwide, the successful series is published in more than 30 countries, has been translated into more than 38 languages and has been the #1 paid app in 11 countries.
About Harbour City
Spread over 2 million square feet of prime real estate, Harbour City is the largest and most diverse shopping destination in Hong Kong, with over 450 shops, 50 food & beverage outlets. #HarbourCity is on Twitter and Periscope as @hkharbourcity. To find out more visit www.harbourcity.com.hk


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Heinz teamed up with Cadbury to produce creme egg mayonnaise.
Remember a week ago, when Heinz tweeted they came up with a new silly idea claiming they were producing a weird combination of a product made with egg mayonnaise and creme? But, luckily it was an April's Fools day and we thought it was a joke.
Well, apparently it looks like the company was, in fact, being serious. Yup, Heinz is actually producing a Creme egg mayonnaise, (and we utterly don't know how to feel about it like Ew!).
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Heinz teamed up with Cadbury for the new Seriously Good Mayo made with the mixture of a creme egg and milk chocolate with mayonnaise to celebrate Heinz's 150th anniversary ahead of this year's Easter.
However, to be able to taste them, you shall anticipate until 11 April to find out its good taste which is claimed to be perfect for waffles and crumpets by Heinz.
As confirmed by their official Twitter handle, you can lick a spoonful of the creme egg mayonnaise at the upcoming event arriving at Ely’s Yard, Truman Brewery in London from 11th-13th April until its stocks last.
Upon the news, Raphael Capitani, Creme Egg brand manager said: "We’re excited to finally announce our partnership with Heinz to create this gloriously gooey, crazy combination and dream collaboration for so many Cadbury Creme Egg lovers. We couldn’t think of a better partner to make this spread. The surprising taste is so, so delicious!"
Likewise, Heinz Brand Manager Matina Davis also shed some of the company's idea on the new product, announcing: "In Heinz’s 150th anniversary year, we want to take every opportunity to celebrate and Easter has always been one of our favorite times of the year."
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Davis continued: "So we set out to create the most Easter-y mayo we could. And who better to partner with than Cadbury Creme Egg – the kings and queens of Easter and another of the nation’s most loved brands!"
"We’re delighted to launch the world’s first-ever Creme Egg Mayo, just in time for Easter. And very happy to report that it’s absolutely DELICIOUS. A real taste adventure. The only question we’re asking ourselves is why we haven’t done it sooner?!" he added.
Although we're yet to taste the Seriously Good Mayo, people are already expressing their disgust at the weird combo product.
One person on Twitter replied to Heinz saying: "I love @CadburyUK but Creme Egg is the worst thing they make so no thanks..not for me"
Whilst another one added: "I’m terrified of what I just saw."
Likewise, a third one said: "If Satan was a condiment. This is it."
Also see: Fans Believe "Aftermath" Poster of Game Of Thrones Reveals Who Will Die in Season 8
But, uh, would we know what they taste like until we try? Nope. Nevertheless, if you're on a London trip next week, or strolling around the Truman Brewery area, then know that you're absolutely in luck. So do try them and let us know what you think.


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A tax on mobile phones in PNG?
The government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is considering imposing a mobile phone tax, in order to generate revenue. This blog post examines the proposed measure and its potential impacts.
In the 2019 budget handed down late last year, the PNG government suggested that it would use 2019 to look into the possibility of introducing a ‘turnover tax’ on mobile telecommunication companies. It outlined two reasons for this: that these companies were making above average profits, and that complex pricing schemes in the sector made it difficult for the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) to adequately assess and audit them. Complex pricing schemes such as transfer pricing can be used by multinational companies to shift profits offshore. In the mobile telecommunication space in PNG, Digicel holds an effective monopoly as it has 92 per cent of market share (see page 19 of this recent report) and is the only network that covers rural and remote locations. There appears to be no publicly available information on how much, if any, company tax it pays.
Turnover includes most income, but excludes income not directly related to running the business, like interest. Turnover is relatively easy for the IRC to track. Additionally, there have been several recent years of poor growth and economic hardship – revenues have fallen consistently since 2013, as have employment and government spending on public services. There is also a large amount of debt to repay in coming years, and spending has already been cut substantially. New taxes, like the turnover tax on telecommunication companies, would improve the current budget situation by creating revenue.
However, turnover taxes encourage companies to do as much as possible in-house. Instead of outsourcing a service to a local business (which would involve a taxable transaction), companies have an incentive …read more


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PICKids: Free COVID vaccines from June 20-24
Jun 17, 2022
Free COVID-19 vaccines will soon be given out nationwide under the PICKids vaccination program.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali says the jabs will be given out for five days from the 20th until the 24th of June.
As such, he urged parents to take this opportunity to get their kids vaccinated.
Chicken prices expected to go up next month
The price of chicken is expected to rise next month.
The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry expects chickens to be more expensive once the price is floated after the maximum retail price scheme ends on June 30th.
It says the Finance Ministry is planning to provide aid to the needy, which would be finalized by the end of this month.
It also reminded traders not to take advantage of the floating price, by hiking up the price of the bird arbitrarily.
Too many talks over GE15 will affect political stability
The Prime Minister says extensive discussions over when the 15th General Election should be held will affect the country’s political stability.
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob says it will also affect the government’s focus in solving issues being faced by the rakyat, including the rising prices of goods.
However, he reiterated his assurance that GE15 will be held.
Find out what's happening in the entertainment world today and don't miss out on the current scores of your favourite sport!
Make sure you tune in to PETRONAS News Update on MIX fm at these times:
7am, 8am, 9am, 10am, 5pm, 6pm
8am, 10am, 12pm


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news you can booze
Posted by Mark J. Miller on April 15, 2013 04:04 PM
Everyone wants a piece of the craft beer industry, from big beer brands to major league ball clubs. But these days, it's getting harder and harder to tell a true craft brew from ones just made to look the part.
The most recent faux-craft siting occured at Yankee Stadium, where a vendor operating as "Craft Brew Destination" was in fact selling "craft" beers made by MillerCoors. Blogger Amanda Rykoff sounded off about the misinformation, noting MillerCoors beers (whether they're labeled craft or not) don't exactly fit into the Brewers Association’s definition of a craft brewer, which limits production to six million barrels or less and demands independent ownership. As NPR notes, the Yankees have been shamed into renaming the stand Beer Mixology Destination, a collection of words that mean pretty much nothing other than “Beer Here!”Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on April 5, 2013 06:30 PM
Gun Company Fires Back at Tommy Guns Vodka
Chicago mobsters back in the days of Al Capone favored a submachine gun known as the Tommy gun, which was then glorified in plenty of films and books about the era. But Tommy guns aren’t some relic of history. Saeilo Enterprises still makes them, and the owners aren’t very happy with Alphonse Capone Enterprises and its Tommy Guns Vodka, which is sold in a bottle shaped like the famous gun.
In fact, they are so annoyed that a lawsuit has been filed, the Chicago Tribune reports. Saeilo wants all of the Tommy Guns Vodka that is left to be turned over so it can all be destroyed. (Consumption counts as destroying, right?)Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on March 22, 2013 06:30 PM
Newcastle Gets Real
Newcastle has taken a new tack in its advertising and it’s all about turning old beer advertising on its head. Beer marketers love to throw “heritage” imagery at consumers to make beer drinkers feel like they are part of something bigger, so Newcastle decided to go back to its roots, the English town of Newcastle, where residents—known as Geordies—are filled with humor and realism. The result? Newcastle’s “No Bollocks” ad campaign.
“If you look at the Geordies, they’re very friendly, down-to-earth; they don’t take themselves too seriously, and tell it like it is. We figured that is a really interesting space for us to be in," says Newcastle Brown Ale Brand Director Charles van Es, according to Fast Company's FastCoCreate blog. "We wanted to use that wit and dry sense of humor as our brand voice. We want to be transparent about the fact that we’re marketing to you and the fact that our beer comes from England.”Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on March 19, 2013 02:37 PM
Hipsterrific U.S. beer brand Pabst Blue Ribbon and surfing powerhouse O’Neill could have had a legal battle, but the chill brands instead decided to pound it out and make some money together.
O’Neill turned out a new surf look recently that caused someone in the Pabst legal department to give them a call to note that O’Neill was getting a little too close for comfort to the logo for Pabst, which is owned by the enterprising bunch at Metropoulos & Co., the company that just linked up with Apollo Global Management to buy the rights to Twinkies for $410 million.
But instead of a brouhaha, the two companies decided (no doubt over a cold one) to chill out and partner on a co-branded line of clothing.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on March 8, 2013 06:12 PM
Miller Lite is turning to an old page in its playbook, with a new gang of celebrities designed to boost the flagging brew in a fresh slate of TV commercials served up on another iconic platter for the franchise, "Miller Time." The new go-to guys for Miller Lite include Vince Vaughn, Ken Jeong, Chuck Liddell and Questlove.
But interestingly, Miller brand managers say that their new campaign (watch below) will not seek to trade too heavily on the appeal or persona of any one of its new stable of celebrity pitch people. One ad wonders what it would be like to hang out with actor Jeong, who will star in the upcoming Hangover Part III—but he's self-deprecating in the spot.
"Celebrity is not our strategy," Con Williamson, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, the agency behind the campaign, told Ad Age. "Our strategy is solely focused on Miller Time." That, of course, will leave Miller strategically opposed to the growing number of tight tie-ups between beverage brands and individual celebrities, including Justin Timberlake and Bud Light Platinum, Taylor Swift and Diet Coke, and Beyonce and Pepsi.Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on March 8, 2013 05:07 PM
Heineken’s Star Bottle Arrives Stateside with New Campaign
Heineken’s new taller, sleeker and starred bottle is already available in 170 countries and is now being rolled out in the United States with a new “Arrive Big” ad campaign featuring the brand’s “Man of the World” in such exotic locations as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Lagos, Nigeria and New York City. In each location, the protagonist finds himself in prickly situations at various clubs, yet somehow ends up with the girl and the beer (and an #arrivebig hashtag, to boot) in the end.
“Our priority is to ‘break the mold’ in beer marketing with cinematic, sophisticated ads that feature our ‘Man of the World,’ a progressive, cultured guy, who is inventive in any situation,” said Colin Westcott-Pitt, vice president of Heineken, in a press release. Heineken doesn’t go so far as to pull a New Coke move and break the mold inside the bottle, of course.Continue reading...
Posted by Alicia Ciccone on February 21, 2013 07:02 PM
In response to the shrunken job pool and the ever-growing ocean of job seekers, many companies are taking a non-traditional approach to filling openings.
Enter Heineken and their 'extreme' interviewing process. The Dutch beer giant released a viral video, simply titled "The Candidate", in which viewers get to watch a handful of unsuspecting hopefuls interview for an internship with the company's Event and Sponsorship department.
What follows—holding the boss's hand, reviving him after he passes out and rescuing an employee during a fire alarm—makes for pure, reality-show gold.Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on February 6, 2013 03:02 PM
Milan Design Week may be held in Italy’s fashion capital, but it will have a bit of Dutch flair again this year as Heineken looks to ensure visitors get a glimpse of its branding.
The brewer, which is celebrating its 140th anniversary, has partnered with a few designers to create a new exhibit space in Milan – The Magazzini — leading up to the big April event.
Last year, Heineken created a pop-up nightclub for the event that was the creation of 19 young designers from around the world. The approach led crowdsourcing.org to name Heineken one of the “leading global brands to embrace crowdsourcing and co-creation.”
Moving forward with the crowdsourcing concept, the brand has now asked people to visit its Facebook page and use elements of its bottles, advertisements and labels from the past 140 years to “remix” them into a bottle of the future. The top 30 will be showcased during Milan Design Week, and a winner will also be announced that week.
The designer of the chosen bottle will also get to see their creation made and know that, for at least a limited time, beer drinkers worldwide are cradling their creation.
Heineken and its collaborators will also host a series of daily workshops at The Magazzini during Design Week.


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Xiaomi has just announced its 1000th service center in India. According to the company, these 1000 service centers are spread across more than 600 cities and the latest one is located in Hyderabad. According to the announcement by Xiaomi, it has also emerged as the industry leader when it comes to after-sales service when compared to its rivals according to a report from Red Quanta. Its focus is not limited to smartphones as it announced 500 authorized service centers for its Mi TVs.
Manu Kumar Jain, the Vice President for Xiaomi and Managing Director for Xiaomi India issued a statement saying, At Xiaomi, our focus is on making innovation accessible to everyone. We make this happen by delivering best specs with high quality at an honest pricing. Therefore, we extend quality across all our pillars including customer service. To highlight the importance of after-sales services, Jain went on to add, After sales is one of the most important functions in Xiaomi and it is the second biggest workforce in our India team. With over 6000 workforces contributing to the service network, we are building a strong network of dedicated employees who are focused on providing the best quality to our customers.
Watch: Honor 10 First Look
The company recapped a number of initiatives that it took to improve the efficiency of its service centers. The first was the introduction of an E-token system where users can pre-book a visit to their nearest service center on Mi.com or the Mi Store app. According to the company, this leads to, what seems like a 72 percent reduction in wait time at service centers within a year.
The company pointed out that it experienced 100 percent growth while growing the number to total service centers after launching its 500th service center back in June 2017. It added that 95 percent of cases are resolved under 4 hour repair time while an average of about 84 percent of all cases are resolved in under 2 hour repair time. Users can also track the status of the devices that they have submitted through Mi.com website. Last but not the least, Xiaomi also allows users to pre-book TV installation service online depending on what time is comfortable for the user instead of the company deciding the time.


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Rarely in the spotlight, Apple-branded retail stores have left indelible impression on a million hearts worldwide. For Indians, who have a constant yearning to be "delighted" right in their neighbourhood, Apple stores are iconic tourist spots, to be visited while holidaying abroad.
The gains took the Silicon Valley giant's market valuation just shy of $1 trillion and lifted the wider technology sector.
Tepid reaction for Apple's new iPhones in China amid tough competition
Apple is expected to unveil three new iPhone models that are so similar to last year's lineup, they may be upstaged by details about the company's upcoming video service.
Known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed in his latest research note that Apple may be gearing up to introduce its all-new iPhones design in 2020.
Apple has slammed Google for creating a false impression about its iPhones being at hacking risk owing to security flaws that allegedly let several malicious websites break into its iOS operating system.
Internet giant Google has updated its Gmail app for iOS devices with a new image blocking setting to prevent Gmail from automatically loading attached images.
The report added that the attack was updated over time for extracting information from devices running different operating systems. This was said to be done as the tech usage of the Uighur community changed.
The company plans to set up online selling platform, and open three of its iconic stores in India in 2-3 years.
The webstore is likely to come up over the next 3-5 months as it involves duplicating its global online store template for the Indian market, said the executives who are aware of Apple’s plans.
Here’s where it could benefit India – especially where Apple is concerned – as Trump has ‘ordered’ companies to look for alternatives to China. For Apple, manufacturing iPhones and other products in India has started to gather momentum. Apple’s made-in-India phones will be sold across Europe and other countries. These include the 2018 models of iPhones – the XS, XS Max and XR.
Apple is reportedly gearing up to launch a foldable device in two years, more likely to be an iPad than an iPhone, analysts at Swiss investment bank UBS have predicted.
JP Morgan has raised its outlook on 5G smartphone shipments which are now expected to reach 200 million units globally by 2020, from an earlier estimate of 80 million, owing to aggressive pickup of 5G, especially in China.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has told investors that all three iPhone models slated for release next year would support 5G technology.
Apple has refreshed the operating systems of iPhones and Apple Watches with the release of updated iOS 12.4 and WatchOS 5.3 versions.
To make its devices more gaming-centric, Apple may add quick and ultra-smooth displays to its 2020 line-up of iPhones, for which the company is currently in discussion with Samsung and LG.
In a bid to bring more diversity to its keyboards, Apple is rolling out 59 new emojis to its keyboard for iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches this fall.


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Representatives from more than 25 advertising agencies and social media companies are joining to form the Social Media Advertising Council, which will aim to set the first standards for buying and measuring marketing in social media, the organization said on Wednesday.
Several local advertising executives are involved in the launch of the organization including Tom Gerace, CEO of social network Gather.com in Boston, who announced the creation of the council Wednesday in New York.
The goal of the SMAC is to create a common vocabulary, standard buying units and uniform measurement methods for marketing within social media.
Social networking advertising revenue will hit an estimated $1.82 billion in 2009, out of a total online ad market of $30 billion in the United States, according to research firm e-Marketer in New York.
Other local executives involved in the effort include Larry Weber, CEO and chairman of The W2 Group Inc. in Waltham; Diane Hessan, president and CEO of Communispace Corp. in Watertown; Dave Balter, CEO of BzzAgent Inc. in Boston; and Kel Kelly, founder and CEO of Kel & Partners.


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Jun. 21, 2021
Extra virgin olive oil is becoming more common in Japanese households and restaurants, with families and chefs increasingly appreciating the healthy properties and unique flavors of high-quality olive oil.
Feb. 16, 2021
Consumption and production are on the rise in Asia's two largest economies. Consumers still prefer imported brands to domestic ones.
Jun. 30, 2020
Japanese producers enjoyed a record-breaking year at the World Olive Oil Competition, proving that one of the newest frontiers in olive cultivation can compete with the rest.
Sep. 17, 2018
Many European agricultural products will enjoy reduced taxes or an entirely tax-free status when exported to Japan, opening the way for EU farmers and exporters to penetrate a market of 127 million people.
May. 12, 2014
Organizers said nearly 200,000 consumers joined extra virgin olive oil exhibitors and expert tasters for the third edition of Olive Japan.
Sep. 17, 2012
Sell your oil in small bottles and stress the health benefits. Those are among tips from Spain’s Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX) for companies seeking a slice of the world’s third biggest economy.


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Note: This article is reproduced from a November 28, 2018 article in Hotel Management online by Elliott Mest
Due to a continued upswell in the U.S. economy, CBRE Hotels’ Americas Research is forecasting a strong performance for U.S. hotels in 2019, anticipating a 10th consecutive year of growth.
In its December 2018 edition of “Hotel Horizons,” CBRE anticipates U.S. hotel occupancy will increase to 66.2 percent in 2018, a fifth straight record level for the industry. Occupancy will receive a boost from an anticipated 2.1 percent increase in demand, overcoming an estimated 1.9 percent net increase in supply for the year.
“It all starts with the demand for lodging accommodations. Without leisure, corporate and group travelers on the road seeking hotel rooms, there is no need to worry about all the other performance metrics,” R. Mark Woodworth, senior managing director of CBRE Hotels’ Americas Research, said in a statement. “From 1988 through 2017, the average annual gain in accommodated room nights in the U.S. was 2 percent. For 2018 and 2019, we believe demand growth will exceed this long-run average.”
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After analyzing data through the third quarter of 2018, CBRE Econometric Advisors, CBRE’s in-house source for the economic forecasts that drive its models, issued an upward revision to its outlook for U.S. gross domestic product in 2018 and 2019.
The improvement in the CBRE-EA economic forecast is based on the remaining impact of the fiscal boost from tax-law changes, capital spending, improving wage growth and consumer confidence. “We have already seen the positive influence these factors have on the economy, and lodging industry, in 2018. The impact will persist in 2019,” John B. (Jack) Corgel, professor of real estate at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and senior advisor to CBRE Hotels’ Americas Research, said in a statement.
“Given the upward revision to the economic forecast, our projections for 2019 growth in demand have risen from the 1.9 percent figure presented in our September 2018 report to the 2.1 percent in the current December 2018 report. The direct result is a boost in our 2019 projected occupancy level from 66.1 percent to 66.2 percent,” Woodworth said in a statement.
While lodging demand for the entire U.S. market is forecast to increase 2.1 percent in 2019, the demand for accommodations in the 60 markets covered by CBRE is projected to grow 3.3 percent. This is significant because the majority of hotel investment activity occurs in the nation’s largest cities. Supply growth in the 60-market Hotel Horizons universe (3.6 percent) is forecast to be almost double that of the nation as whole (1.9 percent).
“Supply is expected to grow at a greater pace than demand in 65 percent of our Horizons markets during 2019. However, despite the surge in new competition in these preferred markets, all 60 will enjoy an increase in [average daily rate]. In fact, we are forecasting ADR increases greater than the projected 2.2 percent pace of inflation in 39 of our 60 markets,” Woodworth said. Jacksonville, Fla.; San Jose-Santa Cruz, Calif.; San Francisco; Newark, N.J.; and Atlanta are all lodging markets forecast to enjoy 4.4 percent or more ADR growth in 2019.
“Despite the continuation of demand growth and record occupancy levels, concerns persist about the level of room-rate increases. To that, I direct people’s attention to the pricing dynamics we are seeing at the local level,” Corgel said. “Looking at the Hotel Horizons market data, we find a correlation between the occupancy level, changes in occupancy and changes in ADR. In short, markets with the greatest increases in ADR are those with the highest occupancy levels and strongest changes in occupancy. It is apparent that property-level operators in high-performing markets are taking advantage of the basics of supply and demand when setting their room rates.”
With so many consecutive years of record occupancy levels and demand growth, hotel owners and operators worry about the inevitable time when this period of extended prosperity will come to an end. After all, lodging is a cyclical industry.
CBRE is not forecasting any economic or lodging industry recessions through 2022. However, industry growth is forecast to curtail beyond 2019. CBRE-EA expects higher interest rates, equity market corrections, credit-market problems and some shrinkage in employment as risk factors occurring in late 2019 and 2020 adversely affect the lodging industry in 2021. Fortunately, the economic slowdown is expected to be relatively mild and short.
“The year 2021 seems far away for most industry participants; however, those with an ownership interest need to be planning their future investment strategies. In the meantime, the magnitude of profit growth may not be spectacular, but the probability for revenue growth is solid, and operating margins remain well above historical levels,” according to Woodworth.


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Eater San Diego shares the top stories of the week from our local food and drink scene, including word on a preview pop-up from burger giant Shake Shack and a look inside a Portland coffee roaster's new local brew bar.
Shake Shack Plans Burger Pop-Up at Modern Times Beer
Burgers and beer? Mega-popular burger shop, Shake Shack, is scheduled to open its first San Diego location at Westfield UTC next month but, first, it will preview its menu at a pop-up on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Modern Times Beer's Fortress of Ratitude barrel-aging facility. Signature items, including ShackBurgers and crinkle-cut fries, will be served.
Portland's Coava Coffee Roasters Debuts Downtown
One of the Pacific Northwest's top-notch coffee roasters, Coava, has just launched its first San Diego outpost in downtown San Diego. Located at the base of The Westin on West Broadway, the modern industrial brew bar offers traditional espresso drinks and pour-over coffee using small-batch, roasted, single-origin beans.
Bay Area Burgers Landing in La Jolla
Joining the mix at The Shops at La Jolla Village by the end of the month is The Melt. Based in San Francisco, the eatery offers a menu of comfort food classics. There are burgers made with a blend of Angus and Wagyu beef, grilled cheese sandwiches stuffed with mac 'n' cheese and soft-serve ice cream.
12 Top Karaoke Spots in San Diego
Sing your heart out at these bars and restaurants around San Diego that either offer karaoke every evening or feature dedicated weekly karaoke nights. There's a spot for every kind of singer; get up in front of a crowd at Mission Hills' classic dive bar The Lamplighter or book a private room at Karaoke 101 in Kearny Mesa. The world is your stage.
Ballast Point Adds Pizza Kitchen to Scripps Ranch Brewery
Ballast Point Brewing's Old Grove location, which was once the company’s main production facility, has replaced its rotating roster of food trucks with an in-house pizza kitchen. The addition is now feeding the tasting room with a menu of salads, pizza by the slice and whole pies that are also available to-go. We'll cheers to that.
Candice Woo is the founding editor of Eater San Diego, a leading source for news about San Diego’s restaurant and bar scene. Keep up with the latest Eater San Diego content via Facebook or Twitter, and sign up for Eater San Diego’s newsletter here.


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Florence, SC - FLORENCE, SC (WMBF) - A new tenant is moving in at the Magnolia Mall in Florence.
Representatives from Magnolia Mall say Old Navy will be the new retailer to fill the space at the mall's main entrance next to Ruby Tuesday.
Old Navy will occupy over 12,000 square feet at the mall.
Old Navy is closing its current location at the Florence Mall and relocating to the Magnolia Mall.
The Old Navy store is expected to celebrate its grand opening at the Magnolia Mall in early November.


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Tuesday, August 23, 2011 by Thomas Phillips
This post started out very differently. It was going to at look the iPad and its three primary competitors. Then, out of nowhere, HP announced it was going to discontinue the TouchPad after a month and a half on the market and it was going to shutdown its entire mobile unit. How bad was it? AllThingsD reported that Best Buy had only sold 25,000 units of the 270,000 in their inventory. On August 16th Arik Hesseldahl reported:
Best Buy, sources tell us, is so unhappy that it has told HP it is unwilling to pay for all the TouchPads taking up expensive space in its stores and warehouses, and wants HP to take them back.
Two days later, HP said that it would be shutting down its mobile unit.
So what is left? The Register, a UK based tech blog, has been reporting that there is little interest in Europe for Tablets that are not iPads. With so much uncertainty, is getting any tablet that is not the iPad a safe bet? Can you trust that the other tablets are going to be supported after purchase?
In my opinion, there are really only two options left: The iPad and Android-based tablets. Clearly, the iPad is the benchmark that all other tablet makers see as the biggest competition. Apple sold 500,000 iPad 2s during the first weekend — twice the number TouchPads that HP shipped. Apple has sold 25 million total iPads. With that many units sold, it is hard to ignore its success. The iPad had a lot going for it even before it shipped in 2010. Additionally, the iPhone and iOS brought mobile computing and smart phones to a wide audience. Developers flocked to the phone’s huge audience and robust development tools. Apple is the second largest company in the world. So it’s safe to say that the iPad is not going anywhere.
While Apple is a huge player, there are reasons to look at Android Tablets. Apple keeps tight control over what can be installed on the device. In recent months, Apple has even clamped down on in-app sales. The message to developers: It is Apple’s world and their word is final. This philosophy makes a lot of people uncomfortable.
Google’s Android takes an opposite approach to development. The mobile OS is based on an open source platform that tablet and handset makers can adapt as they see fit. Hardware makers and retails have all launched competing app marketplaces to compete alongside the official Android Market. Over the past three years Android-based smart phones and handset makers have shaped Android to fit their own image. In the more mature smart phone market, there are a lot of choices. The tablet market is still developing. To keep up with the shifting demands of the Android-based tablet market, Google plans on releasing two more major versions of the OS before the end of 2011.
Currently, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the clear front runner. Based on the popular Galaxy S (Samsung’s flagship handset) the Tab has a pretty strong pedigree. Barnes and Noble’s Nook Color takes a radically different approach to the tablet space. Instead of scaling up a cell phone, the Nook Color centers its interface on ebook consumption. The third option is Motorola Xoom. The Xoom is the only Android tablet based on version 3 of the OS. Most reviews gave the hardware high marks, but pointed out that the software design did not feel ready for prime time.
There is also the BlackBerry PlayBook. It has some major limitations. People buy BlackBerries for email and the Playbook (currently) does not have an email application1. You can only get email through the browsers or when it is paired with a Blackberry phone. There were some third party apps, but RIM, the company that owns Blackberry, shut down its app store because of security issues. If you are a hardcore Blackberry user and are strongly committed to BIS (BlackBerry Internet Server) the Playbook should work for you.
Where is Microsoft in all of this? They have stated that Windows Phone 7 is a phone OS. Windows 7 and Windows 8 are going to be the focus of their tablet strategy. Windows 8 is still at least a year away.
Overall, the tablet that will work best for you will depend upon the price, features, and brand loyalty you have towards one of these technology giants.


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Get your calendars out, because developer Creative Assembly has announced an impending… announcement regarding the release date for Alien: Isolation. The news we all want to hear is but a few days away, as they’ve confirmed the reveal will happen at their developer session at EGX Rezzed, which kicks off tomorrow. Their session is on Saturday.
Everything we’ve seen of Isolation points to it being the survival horror Alien game fans have been clamoring for for years. Decades even. Head past the jump for a new behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming game.
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Slack Technologies (WORK) recently signed a new multiyear enterprise deal with Amazon (AMZN 1.20%). Slack will start using Amazon Chime for voice and video calls, and increase its usage of AWS (Amazon Web Services) for additional storage, compute, database, security, machine learning, and analytics tasks.
Amazon will allow all its employees to start using Slack. It's unclear how many of Amazon's 840,000 employees will use Slack right away, but it could replace IBM (IBM -0.57%) -- which rolled out Slack to its 350,000 employees earlier this year -- as Slack's top customer.
Slack and Amazon are teaming up as both companies face tougher competition from Microsoft (MSFT -0.20%). Microsoft Teams competes against Slack in the enterprise collaboration market, and Microsoft Azure is the world's second-largest cloud infrastructure provider after AWS. Here's what this deal means for all three companies.
Why Slack needs Amazon
Slack's tools streamline business communications and partially replace traditional channels like emails and phone calls. Slack's revenue rose 57% last year, and climbed another 50% in the first quarter.
Slack expects its revenue to rise 42%-44% annually in the second quarter, and 36%-38% for the full year. Slack remains deeply unprofitable, but it expects its non-GAAP net loss to narrow this year.
Slack's total number of paid customers grew 28% year-over-year to 122,000 in the first quarter. Slack generates most of its revenue from smaller businesses, but 963 of those customers generated over $100,000 in annual recurring revenue -- up 49% from a year ago. It claimed to reach 12.5 million concurrent users in late March.
Slack's growth in paid users and revenue remains impressive, but its limited number of big enterprise customers and competition from Microsoft Teams crimps its ability to raise prices and boost its margins. Therefore, serving Amazon's employees would increase Slack's exposure to the enterprise market, widen its moat against Microsoft, and possibly bolster its margins with economies of scale.
Slack's integration of Amazon Chime, which competes against Microsoft's Skype, Zoom, and Cisco's Webex, will also strengthen its calling and video conferencing capabilities, which have become increasingly important throughout the COVID-19 crisis. In the past, Slack mainly let its third-party partners integrate their own voice and video calls with its platform.
On the AWS front, Slack's tighter integration of AWS Chatbot could improve its chat capabilities, and Amazon AppFlow could streamline data transfers between Slack and AWS. In short, the partnership sounds like a win-win deal for both companies.
What the deal means for Amazon and Microsoft
Amazon Chime controls a tiny sliver of the enterprise collaboration market compared to Microsoft Teams and Skype, which are both bundled with Microsoft's Office 365 services. Chime's video conferencing features are generally more refined than its other collaboration tools, so partnering with Slack should toughen up those soft spots.
Slack's increased usage of AWS' services could also support Amazon's growth against Microsoft's Azure. Amazon's AWS revenue rose 33% annually last quarter, but Microsoft's Azure revenue surged 59%.
Microsoft enjoys two distinct advantages against AWS. First, it can bundle Azure with its market-leading Windows and Office platforms. Second, companies burned by Amazon -- most notably brick-and-mortar retailers -- generally prefer to help Microsoft instead of feeding Amazon's most profitable business.
Amazon's deal with Slack marks a reversal of that strategy. Slack, which claims to have never used Azure's services, prefers to help Amazon instead of Microsoft -- which clearly wants to kill Slack after nearly buying it in 2016.
It matters more to Slack than Microsoft and Amazon
This deal won't meaningfully tilt the balance in the ongoing cloud war between Microsoft and Amazon. However, it's a meaningful victory for Slack, and it indicates that Microsoft won't run the niche underdog off the road anytime soon.


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Mercedes-Benz has pushed forward with a controversial plan to sidestep dealers by introducing an online sales model with fixed prices for all cars from 2022.
Customers will be able to choose to buy their new car online or go into a dealership to purchase their next car.
Dealerships currently buy cars from Mercedes, then on-sell them to customers at a marked-up price.
While customers will still be able to buy cars from a showroom, dealership businesses have effectively been cut out of the loop as buyers pay Mercedes directly, either online or at a dealership.
The price of cars will remain the same whether bought online or at any of the brand’s outlets.
Fixed prices mean there is no need to cross-shop between sales outlets, pitching Benz showrooms against each other in hope of getting a better deal.
Mercedes says customers will be better off under the new arrangement.
It adopted the strategy for the electric Mercedes-Benz EQC electric SUV in 2019, when dealers voted overwhelmingly against the proposed plan.
Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis says the new deal will become reality in two years’ time.
“Following the successful application of the EQ agency model in Australia, and after many years of local consideration, Australia will implement this model for all passenger car sales — not just EQ — during 2022,” he said.
“This change has already been successfully introduced in Sweden more than twelve months ago and Australia will be another of the earlier markets to make the switch.”
Mercedes expects one in four global sales to be completed online before 2025.
Honda will adopt a similar approach in July 2021, when it will reduce the size of its network and adopt national prices for new cars that currently vary to some degree from dealer to dealer.
The new sales model is similar to that of Tesla, which offers the same no-negotiation prices on its website and in a small number of dealerships owned by the head office. Similarly, Apple’s popular line of laptops and smartphones essentially cost the same price whether bought online or in physical retailers.
Mercedes-Benz board member responsible for marketing and sales, Britta Seeger, says customers “do not have to worry about negotiating” under a system which started in Sweden in 2019.
“What we wanted to achieve is to reduce the complexity for our customers while we further increase flexibility and convenience,” she said.
“And additionally, and of high importance for our customers is that the pricing is transparent and we provide it uniformly across all the channels.”
Local boss Horst von Sanden said in 2019 that fixed prices were “more transparent, more honest”.
But the move was not welcomed by Mercedes dealers.
James Voortman, chief executive of the Australian Automotive Dealer Association, said at the time it was a “kick in the guts” for the brand’s existing retailers.


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"Nine yachts competing in the event...."
Oratori beach, Puerto Portals.
Yachts slipped her moorings during a storm.
The circus continues in Palma; La Corte del Faraón (Pharaoh's Court) musical at the Trui Theatre; Puerto Portals Christmas market with its ice party.
The proceeds will all go to SOS Animal, which rescues and seeks to house abandoned animals.
Elizabeth Hurley Beachwear Collection at pop-up store in Puerto Portals.
Ocean Victory is valued at 300 million dollars.
178 million of the investment has been in ports operated through concessions.
The sixteenth SOS Animal fiesta was held in Puerto Portals on Sunday.
The incident was in Puerto Portals and the watch is worth 25,000 euros.
The Guardia Civil suspect that the three robbers were part of a highly professional gang from eastern Europe.
Since 2013, Corinna Graf has held one of the most important positions in Majorca's luxury industry. She is the CEO of Puerto Portals.


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AURORA, Colo. — Sixteen years after launching its original touring comfort tire, Goodyear has launched the latest iteration, the Assurance ComfortDrive, which it calls the "most comfortable" riding all-season tire in its portfolio.
The tire, which features an "innovative" tread design and sidewall features that the company said deliver "outstanding" comfort and handling in wet conditions, was one of two new products the Akron-based tire maker revealed to dealers Feb. 3 at the opening session of its 2020 Customer Conference in Aurora.
The other tire is the WinterCommand Ultra, a studless winter tire that Goodyear said is for drivers who want to maximize traction and starting and stopping power in winter driving conditions.
Around 1,400 dealers and guests are attending the four-day event, which concludes Feb. 5 at the Gaylord Rockies Convention Center.
Mike Dwyer, chief customer officer, introduced both tires during the morning session, which also featured presentations from Steve McClellan, president of Goodyear Americas; Dave Beasley, vice president, North America, commercial; Cary Budzinksi, senior director, North America, commercial sales; and Scott Rogers, president, North American consumer.
The Assurance ComfortDrive will be available in 44 sizes covering 16- to 20-inch rim diameters to fit sedans, minivans, CUVs and SUVs such as the Audi Q5, Buick Encore, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Explorer, GMC Acadia, Honda Accord, CR-V and Pilot, Kia Sorento, Lexus IS and RX, Nissan Maxima, Subaru Forester and Toyota Rav4 and Sienna.
Goodyear introduced the original comfort tire 16 years ago, then updated the line 10 years ago with the Assurance ComforTred Touring tire. The ComfrortDrive will replace the ComforTred in the tire maker's portfolio.
"We know that drivers value a premium ride," Mr. Dwyer said. "Not only does the Assurance ComfortDrive deliver on that, it also provides outstanding handling and wet performance to give consumers confidence when they drive."
Among the tire's attributes, according to Goodyear, are:
- ComfortFlex technology, designed for smoother transitions and impact absorption to deliver refined handling;
- Optimized AquaChannel grooves symmetrically balanced to help maximize water evacuation and reduce hydroplaning;
- A noise-reducing tread pattern that helps eliminate sound from the road;
- Evolving traction grooves and TredLock technology, combined with soybean oil compound, helping to maintain traction while providing control and responsiveness.
- Sustainable compounds: In addition to soybean oil, some Assurance ComfortDrive tires feature rice husk ash silica, helping to reduce waste going to landfills. The specialized tread compound handles well in wet and cold conditions without compromising fuel economy or tread life; and
- Built-in wear gauges, allowing consumers to check tread depth.
The WinterCommand Ultra, meanwhile will launch in the third quarter with 23 sizes initially, covering 15- to 18-inch rim diameters predominantly for passenger sedans and CUVs, such as the Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Nissan Rogue, Dodge Charger, Volvo XC90 and GMC Acadia.


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[Public Shopping to gross 1 trillion won in sales due to strong sales of face masks]
South Korea's government-owned home-shopping operator Public Shopping has gained 762.8 billion won ($675 million) in sales in the first 10 months period of this year. Furthermore, it expects to gain a total of 1 trillion won ($884.9 million) by the end of this year, the company said yesterday.
"It's confirmed that our annual sales will surpass our initial target of 830 billion won ($734.5 million)," said Public Shopping in a statement. "We've recently set a new goal of amassing 240 billion won ($212.3 million) in the period from November to December."
Home Shopping added that its operation has been in the black with a cumulative surplus of 14.5 billion won ($12 million) as of the end of September. The company forecasts that it would reach 20 billion won ($17.7 million) by the end of this year.
The non-store retailer attributed its success to the rising contact-free shopping trend, which was mainly caused by the impact of COVID-19, on top of the government's decision to designate the company as an official retailer of face masks.
35 million units of a face mask, an item that has become indispensable amid the new normal, were sold in the first nine months of this year in South Korea.
The state-owned enterprise Public Shopping was founded in 2015, as part of the government's efforts to build strong distribution channels in the country. The enterprise has been under the umbrella of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups since January 2018.


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In a surprising turn of events, Samsung is expected to launch a smartphone offering 5000 mAh battery pack. The device is expected to be launched in India next month. This launch could very well be of the extremely hyped Galaxy A9 Pro from it’s A series, this smartphone is also rumored to pack a battery of around 5000 mAh.
With Galaxy A9 Pro, Samsung could offer a premium mid-range smartphone that offers long battery life. It is believed the device carries model number SM-A9100, confirming it belongs to the ‘Galaxy A’ range and is expected to be priced around Rs 35,000.
Talking about the specs of this smart phone then it sports whopping 6” Super AMOLED 2.5D curved display delivering screen resolution up to 1080p screen resolution. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 Octa core processor combined along with 4GB of RAM. It operates on dated Android 5.1 Lollipop OS out of the box. It is a dual SIM Smart phone that entails 16MP camera at the rear with OIS, f/1.9 aperture, LED Flash while on front it mounts 8MP shooter along with f/1.9 aperture for clicking selfies and for video calling.
It bears 32GB of memory on the board which can be further expandable up to 128GB with the help of MicroSD card slot. It incorporates finger print scanner embedded on the Home button and has a combination of metal and glass when it comes to its body design which is similar to what we have seen in Galaxy S6 series smart phones. It accommodates connectivity options like WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.1, ANT+, NFC, 4G LTE etc. In China it was priced at the amount of 3499 Yuan so in India we can expect it to be priced at the amount of INR 35000.
The report also states that the device will be available in gold, pink and white color variants. The smartphone will be available for pre-order from Flipkart while there is no word on exact release date yet. Samsung recently announced its flagship Note series smartphone, Galaxy Note7 in India at Rs 59,900. The smartphone comes with 5.7-inch Quad HD dual curved edge display, Exynos 8890 processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Samsung has also improved the S Pen with slimmer tip and increased pressure sensitivity. The smartphone goes on sale in India on September 2. Hence, around this same time we expect A9 to be launched too. This is it for now, stay tuned for further updates.