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Microsoft is launching the personal version of Microsoft Teams today in preview. It’s part of a broader effort by Microsoft to remain relevant with consumers and win them back after a series of exits from consumer-friendly services. Microsoft isn’t rebranding Teams here or offering a totally separate version, nor is the company looking to compete with iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or other dedicated chat apps. It’s simply repositioning the existing Microsoft Teams app with features that might appeal to a set of people looking to do more than just chat.
Launching initially as a preview for iOS and Android, Microsoft Teams for personal use will include the basics of text chat and video calling, combined with shared lists, documents, calendars, and location sharing. There’s even a neat dashboard of events, locations, tasks, and images that everyone in a group has shared. Microsoft is trying to take all of the best features of Microsoft Teams for work and make them relevant for when you might need them at home.
Microsoft sees the repositioning of Teams for work and life as not just offering yet another chat app to the market but something that provides ways for groups of people to get things done, like planning a vacation with friends or a family activity. “I think if all you want to do is just have a chat with someone, there are plenty of great standalone chat apps,” admits Liat Ben-Zur, a Microsoft executive working on the company’s “Modern Life” initiative, in an interview with The Verge.
Microsoft Teams is now being designed for “people who find themselves coordinating lots of group type events,” says Ben-Zur. “Everything from busy moms … to people who head up Girl Scout troops, fantasy football leagues, people who are doing book clubs, people running social advocacy groups. People who are constantly finding themselves in groups trying to coordinate various things in groups.”
The mobile versions of Microsoft Teams for iOS and Android will be updated to allow anyone to log into the apps with a personal Microsoft Account. You’ll be able to quickly switch within the apps from a work to a home account and use the personal version alongside other Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Microsoft is also building a Safe feature into Teams for personal use, which will allow groups to store and share information like a home Wi-Fi password or Netflix account information directly within the Teams app using two-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption. It’s similar to the OneDrive Personal Vault feature.
Microsoft’s repositioning of Teams for personal use means that it’s not trying to directly replace Skype just yet either. “We’re still fully committed to Skype,” explains Ben-Zur. “Skype is a fantastic app that hundreds of millions of people around the world are using to solve the specific need of video chat and connecting, and we are fully committed to that. We really see Teams as kind of the evolution … the more than chat app, the more than video app. For folks that just want a very purpose-built app, Skype is a great solution, and we support it and encourage it.”
It certainly sounds like most of the focus for new communications features will be on Teams and not Skype in the future, though. Skype used to be the go-to app for video calling, but it has struggled in recent years, allowing Zoom to surge in growth during a pandemic where everyone has to connect with work, friends, and family in different ways.
While Microsoft, Google, and many others have been racing to respond to Zoom’s sudden success recently, the personal use version of Microsoft Teams has been in the works for more than a year. The Verge exclusively revealed the existence of Microsoft Teams “for life” last year, after the company launched a free version of the app back in 2018. “We have been working on this for some time,” explains Ben-Zur. “We’ve been doing research on this way before the pandemic hit.” Ben-Zur says the work on Microsoft Teams for personal use “started with a belief that time is our most precious commodity.”
The Microsoft Teams consumer preview will start rolling out today and over the coming weeks for Android and iOS. Microsoft is planning to release additional features in the mobile preview based on feedback before expanding to the desktop and web versions of Teams with a launch later this year.
Source: The Verge


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Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) booked a profit after financial items of SEK 2.204 billion (€226.2m-$257.3m) in the first half ended May 31 compared with a loss of SEK 3.978 billion (€391.3m-$464.5m) the previous year, while the net profit was SEK1.697 billion (€166.9m-$198.1m), up from a loss of SEK 3.063 billion (€301.2m-$240.9m). In the quarter the bottom line was a positive SEK 2.767 billion (€272.2m-$323.1m) against a negative SEK 4.991 billion (€490.9m-$582.8m) the year earlier.
Net sales came in at SEK 86.569 billion (€8.51bn-$10.10bn) in the first half, up from 83.612 billion (€8.22bn-$9.76bn) a year ago and representing a 12 percent increase in local currencies with the Covid-19 pandemic still affecting the top line. At the start of the second quarter, around 1,300 stores were temporarily closed. At the end of the period, most of the group’s markets still had restrictions resulting in reduced footfall and around 140 of its stores remained closed.
Net sales in the period June 1–28 increased by 25 percent in local currencies compared with the corresponding period last year. At present, around 95 stores are still temporarily closed due to the pandemic.

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Electric car inquiries in the UK are increasing during the fuel crisis | Electric, hybrid and low-emission cars
When gas stations ran out of fuel in parts of the UK on Friday, business soared at Martin Miller’s electric car dealer in Guildford, Surrey.
After the busiest day of his company EV Experts ever, interest doesn’t seem to wane. This week the schedule of test drives is fully booked and business is tight.
“People buy electric cars for the environment, to save money, and because the technology is great,” he said. “But Friday was one of those moments when people said, ‘You know what, that’s a sign that we need to go electric’.”
As chaos reigns supreme at gas stations across the country amid bottlenecks, the fuel crisis has resulted in unexpected spikes in inquiries and sales for many electric vehicle (EV) dealers.
EVA England, a non-profit representing new and aspiring electric car drivers, has reported an increase in electric car inquiries and interest from electric car dealers, especially over the past week.
“Saturday was crazy, but Friday topped it, it was very strange,” said Miller, who started his company four years ago. “I now have bartered cars with no petrol to move.”
In addition to existing factors such as the expansion of London’s ultra-low emissions zone, the fuel crisis has proven to be another trigger, he said. “People used it as ‘this is the moment I won’t put it off any longer’.”
The EV market is no longer the domain of innovators and early adopters, he said, with the most popular models Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen ID 3 and Jaguar I-Pace.
Ben Strzalko, the owner of Electric Cars UK in Leyland, Lancashire, said that as a small business, it would take a few months to feel the effects of the fuel crisis on sales.
But every time there are problems with gasoline or diesel, they are “another tick for the people who are making the transition to electric cars”.
He said “a lot of electric car owners will be hacking to pieces this past week” if they can plug their cars into their homes. And as an EV driver, he admitted that he felt a little complacent as he drove past lines of 20 cars in front of gas stations in his Tesla over the weekend.
Matt Cleevely, the owner of Cleevely Electric Vehicles in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, which specializes in used electric vehicles, had a flurry of inquiries from customers over the weekend and Monday mornings citing the fuel crisis as the reason they switched to electric.
He expects that enthusiasm will continue to grow and that the petrol shortage will bring fuel to the fire.
Although he is sorry that non-electric drivers cannot get fuel, he said that as an electric car owner, it is “very nice” not to have to worry about where to get gasoline at the weekend.
“It’s very convenient that we were able to refuel on our driveway. It’s one of the greatest advantages of an electric vehicle. “
The National Franchised Dealers Association also said several dealers have reported an increase in EV inquiries since the crisis began.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reported “Bumper growth” in plug-in car sales in July, with battery electric vehicles accounting for 9% of sales. Plug-in hybrids accounted for 8% of sales and hybrid electric vehicles almost 12%. Also in July, more electric vehicles than diesel were registered for the second month in a row.
The UK has pledged to ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars by 2030 and new hybrids by 2035.
Warren Philips, director of volunteer communities at EVA England, said the turning point for electric vehicles has already been reached, but the fuel crisis “underscores how electric cars could work for the majority of people”.
He added: “The interest is already there, that only adds to it. And in the future with things like Cop26, with the climate crisis, with probably rising fuel costs … people will start looking at electric cars where you just skip this whole step. “


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New Delhi, Mar 28: BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion on Wednesday slashed prices of its handsets by up to 26 per cent as it looks to grab a bigger share of the smartphone market in India.
The reduction in prices of handsets comes after the Canadian company cut prices of its tablet PC PlayBook in December last year.
“RIM as a brand has moved from just an enterprise device to as a more consumer device. Be it our services or the product, we have seen a strong uptake by the youth and therefore, to get the devices into more hands, we are cutting the prices,” RIM India Managing Director Sunil Dutt told PTI. The move will help us tap a wider base of the large market that India is, he added.
While the price of entry-level model — Curve 8520 — has been reduced by over 18 per cent to Rs. 8,999 from Rs. 10,990, the price of Torch 9860 has been reduced by over 26 per cent per cent to Rs. 21,990 from Rs. 29,990 earlier.
The retail price of Curve 9380 and Curve 9360 has been reduced to Rs. 16,990 and Rs. 18,990, respectively. The handsets were earlier available for Rs. 20,990 (Curve 9380) and Rs. 19,990 (Curve 9360).
“These four handsets comprise a bulk of sales in the country, it is 60 per cent of the business from India,” Mr. Dutt said.
According to a CyberMedia study, smartphone shipments touched 11.2 million units in calendar year 2011, recording a year-on-year growth of 87 per cent.
While Nokia was the leader in the smartphones segment with 38 per cent share, Samsung followed with 28 per cent share in CY 2011. RIM stood at third place with a 15 per cent share.
Mr. Dutt said the company aims to further enhance its presence and leverage the demand for its products.
“The focus is not just on reducing prices, but we want to address a larger number of people and give them the overall experience of BlackBerry. We will continue to focus on bringing locally relevant products, services and applications to Indian consumers,” he said.
In December last year, RIM had slashed the price of its PlayBook by more than half to Rs. 24,490 for the 64GB version under an offer from the original price Rs. 37,990. This was further reduced to Rs. 19,990 earlier this month.
A report released by Cybermedia Research indicates 21 per cent market share for BlackBerry PlayBook in India, he added.
The price of the 16GB version was however raised marginally to Rs. 13,990 from Rs. 13,490 (available under the offer). The device was originally launched at Rs. 27,990.


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Stake.com in 2022 signed on as the main partner and jersey sponsor for English Premier League team Everton FC. That deal followed its sponsorship of Watford FC during its short time in the EPL before being relegated back to the lower competition. The group also counts Canadian hiphop star Drake as its lead ambassador. It also sponsors or has partnership arrangements with a host of top MMA fighters as well as the UFC.
However, the group’s marketing efforts have raised concerns in the UK and the US where there are much stricter limitations on gambling advertising than compared to Australia’s laws.
The owner of the Alfa Romeo team, Sauber Group, also welcomed the sponsorship deal.
“Formula One has seen a huge increase in interest over the last few years and the arrival of brands such as Stake are representative of the massive exposure our sport can offer,” Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Managing Director of Sauber Group and Team said.
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.


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By Matt McCallAug 13, 2019
“What are we missing here?”
That’s what Yahoo Finance anchor Akiko Fujita asked me yesterday during the interview on her show, The Ticker. We had talked about the selling in the market, the trade dispute with China, where there may be opportunities, and more. Then she wanted to know what investors are overlooking. It took me a fraction of a second to answer.
“The opportunity in China,” I said.
I know the headlines are scary. I know stocks sell off when we get the latest tweet or threat from the U.S. or China to add more tariffs or devalue currency.
But there are two critical reasons to buy now, and most investors are missing them:
Investors are selling stocks in this sector along with everything else… just because of the trade headlines. This creates a huge buying opportunity that could easily return 10X your money in the coming years.
I don’t want you to miss it.
You can watch my full interview on Yahoo Finance below. And then let’s talk about an investment that may have the biggest upside potential I have ever seen.
Highlight: “August is typically a treacherous month… [and] people are selling first and asking questions later,” says @MatthewMcCall. “Which to me, is creating great opportunity.” @paynecmwealth’s Aaron Dessen also weighs in. https://t.co/xpAujlCWBd pic.twitter.com/7PoldBVaYO
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) August 12, 2019
No one else is talking about this yet, which means even more upside potential. But I’ll tell anyone who will listen.
During the summit, I said it probably has the biggest upside potential I’ve ever seen in my investing career.
In a nutshell, the Chinese government announced two years ago that it intends to make its domestic biotechnology sector constitute 4% of the country’s economy by 2020. That’s a HUGE deal if you connect the dots.
When the Chinese government says it’s targeting one of its domestic industries for massive growth, it pays to listen. Whether you like the government there or not, it has a history of creating economic champions whose stocks soar in value.
From there, our analysis is straightforward. The Chinese economy is projected to reach roughly $15.7 trillion by 2020. In 2017, the revenue generated by China’s domestic biotech industry was a tiny $5.4 billion, according to Goldman Sachs. So in order for China’s biotech industry to constitute 4% of the economy (or $627 billion) by 2020, the industry must increase its sales by 116-fold.
For decades, China focused on growing its “basic” industries like manufacturing, mining, oil, shipping, and infrastructure building. But now, the government is set on fast-tracking high-tech industries like artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, e-commerce, and biotechnology.
China wants to compete on the highest levels and dominate all the critical industries of the future. This includes having a huge domestic biotechnology industry that develops and sells the medical treatments and therapies of the future.
If you’re worried about trade relations with China, here’s what you need to know: With all of the tension between the U.S. and China, biotech trade is actually getting better between the two countries.
In 2018, China eliminated tariffs on 28 classes of medicines. Nobody talks about that. It’s the diamond in the rough of all the gloom and doom headlines.
For many years, Chinese companies licensed drugs from their large Western counterparts to sell in China, so the link between U.S. and Chinese drug companies is already strong. Cross-border deals between the U.S. and China increased 70% from 2012 to 2018.
Up until now, the “drug trade” has been one-sided with China licensing drugs from the U.S. That is quickly changing. Chinese biotech firms are starting to license their drugs to U.S.-based companies to sell outside of China.
Investing in industries with huge growth potential and gale-force tailwinds at their backs is how you set yourself up to make giant returns. Think of the internet in the 1990s… personal computers in the 1980s… and smartphones over the past decade.
Chinese biotechnology is that kind of industry right now. It is absolutely loaded with incredible potential and powerful catalysts. I go into even more detail in the 10X Innovation Summit. Be sure to watch it now before it’s too late so you can catch my discussion of nine catalysts set to push Chinese biotech stocks higher. I’ll also share a Chinese biotech stock for you to consider.
I said it earlier, and I’ll say it again: This is undoubtedly one of the best early stage investment opportunities you’ll ever see in your life. And I don’t say that lightly.
I don’t know that the government will hit its deadline of 116X growth by 2020. It may take a few years beyond that, but so what? That kind of growth in even 10 years will make the Chinese biotechnology sector one of the greatest growth stories in modern history.
Let me leave you with the last two words I said during the interview….
P.S. It’s not too late to learn more about my approach to uncovering stocks that go up 1,000% or more. You really need to see it to believe. Also, you can still learn about the free 10X stock picks I gave away. But the replay won’t be available much longer, so you need to act now. Watch this before midnight Eastern time tonight.
The car as we know it is on the verge of a transformative change not seen since Karl Benz invented it nearly 135 years ago. In fact, the whole transportation sector is now poised for its version of 2.0.
I’m not exaggerating when I say this will lead to trillions of dollars in money sloshing around in the coming decades. What is coming will create one of the five biggest investment opportunities you’ll ever see in your life, no matter when you were born. Learn more here.
Marijuana has been outlawed most everywhere for decades… but now a wave of legalization is starting to sweep the world. This will create massive new markets and massive stock market winners. Learn more here.
The next big breakthrough in battery technology is an innovation that will have multi-trillion-dollar economic implications. I can tell you this mega innovation isn’t a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of “when,” and I believe it will go down as one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century.
Those on the right side of this innovation stand to build incredible wealth… just like people did from the creation of the internet and the smartphone. Think of this as your “field guide” for profiting from the next big battery breakthrough. Learn more here.
Don't miss out on the incredible megatrends that are shaping today's market. Gain access to the most powerful market insights and stock advice from Matt McCall absolutely FREE. Join Today!


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eBay is ending its long term relationship with PayPal as the former announces it is dropping the latter as its main payment processor.
The two companies have had a close working relationship for many years. The online auction website even purchased PayPal way back in 2002 fulfilling a need for a reputable payment processor. The two companies split again in 2015 with PayPal once again becoming its own publicly traded company.
The move comes as they announced in a blog post a deal with Dutch company Adyen to process payments. PayPal will continue to be a payment option for the forseeable future but will feature less prominently than before.
The switch to Adyen will lead to a more seamless payment method. Unlike the current process where customers must go to another website to make payment Adyen will process payments in the background right from eBay’s website.
eBay and PayPal have an existing deal through till 2020 so the roll-out will be a gradual process. In the second half of 2018 Adyen will be integrated on a small scale to some customers in North America. Expansion of the service will then continue throughout 2019. By 2021 eBay expects Adyen will process the majority of transactions on the website. PayPal and eBay have also reached an agreement where PayPal will continue to be an option till at least 2023.
Founded in 2006, Amsterdam based Adyen already boasts some high profile clients such as Netflix and Uber. In November 2017 Air Canada also partnered with the company to provide international payment solutions.
Unsurprisingly PayPal shares fell on the back of the news. Time will tell as to whether the payment processing giant will take a permanent hit from the loss of business.


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Little change for Anaheim company switching hands
December 31, 2013 by Mark
Anaheim based Midcom Corp. has been acquired by HKA Enterprises Inc., with the transaction being finalized on December 2.
Midcom employed around 1,500 people, which when added to HKA’s workforce will bring its employment totals up to approximately 6,500. Staffing company Midcom specialized in engineering and specifically technical and aeronautics staffing.
The former Midcom Corp. is now to be known as Midcom, a division of HKA Enterprises Inc. Midcom will be the parent company’s center of sales and operations for the West Coast. At the moment, there are no plans to install new executives. As is the case whenever a business changes hands and there is even a slight name change, stationery printers will probably be notified of the change. New letterheads, invoices, and business card printing orders are likely for those employees being retained.
HKA, which has offices throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada, is a staffing company specializing in providing engineers and tradesmen for the oil, gas, engineering, IT, and manufacturing industries. With the acquisition of Midcom Corp., HKA solidifies its position as one of the key names in the country’s staffing market. The company is headquartered outside Greenville, South Carolina.
Bruce Clayman, the President of HKA, said:
“Midcom is an outstanding organization and will significantly enhance our existing turn-key staffing delivery model.”
According to Laura Long, HKA Marketing Coordinator, the company is projecting revenues in 2014 of $200m, which will be a 40% increase attributable to the acquisition of Midcom.


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PHILADELPHIA, Pa., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anexinet Corporation, a leading provider of digital business solutions, announced today that TMC has named ListenLogic as a 2018 CUSTOMER Product of the Year Award winner. ListenLogic was elevated to winner for its ability to gather data across contact center records, social media posts, email conversations, marketing surveys and automatically return meaningful business insights. Anexinet recently announced 20 ListenLogic enhancements including new artificial intelligence (AI) and an ensemble of machine learning methods. View full news release at https://www.anexinet.com/blog/anexinet-enhances-listenlogic/.
“We created a flexible model so companies of all sizes can quickly get value from ListenLogic, including both SaaS and on-premise delivery of our solution,” said Al Sporer, EVP and GM of Anexinet’s Digital and Analytics Business Unit. “In an effort to showcase how quickly ListenLogic can help our customers, we’ve built a rapid PoC model to allow customers to provide samples of their omni-channel data which we’ll turn into intelligent insights.”
To see your data turne into intelligent insights with ListenLogic 3.0, please visit https://www.anexinet.com/listenlogic/.
The 2018 CUSTOMER Product of the Year Award recognizes vendors that are advancing the call center, CRM and teleservices industries one solution at a time. The award highlights products which enable their clients to meet and exceed the expectations of their customers. Judges were impressed with ListenLogic’s ability to create actionable insights--beyond traditional data aggregation--to unlock precise sales and customer trends.
ListenLogic omni-channel analytics features include:
“On behalf of both TMC and CUSTOMER magazine, it is my pleasure to honor Anexinet with a 2018 Product of the Year Award,” said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. “The ListenLogic solution has proven deserving of this elite status and I look forward to continued innovation from Anexinet in 2018 and beyond.”
The 20th Annual Products of the Year Award winners will be published in the 2018 1st quarter issue of CUSTOMER magazine.
To learn more about Anexinet, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or via the Anexinet Insights Blog.
Anexinet (www.anexinet.com) specializes in helping companies design, build, and run their digital applications and platforms. For 20 years, Anexinet has delivered intelligent insights, customer engagement and enterprise modernization solutions that drive impactful business outcomes. Partner with Anexinet to be your Digital Architects, so you can focus on your core business.
For more information, contact:Betsey RogersPublic RelationsBridgeView Marketing603email@example.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5bb165c3-0aa4-4b8c-a036-5533ac7fe926
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Home » Keywords » Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits
Items Tagged with 'Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits'
Website provides resources to trade customers, hospitality industry
March 31, 2020
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Miami and Dallas, announced it has launched an online hub for trade customers, providing timely updates and important resources to help businesses in the hospitality industry navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
It can be rare in the increasingly competitive wine and spirits world to get a fresh start, but that’s exactly what happened three years ago when two family owned, multigenerational mega distributors of alcohol beverages — Southern Wine & Spirits and Glazer’s — joined forces to become Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (SGWS).
Distributor now offers Coravin Wine System on-premise
September 15, 2017
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Miami and Dallas, has become the preferred on-trade sales partner for the Coravin Wine System, a technology that enables users to pour a glass of wine without pulling the cork.
New division will serve as broker in Caribbean and Latin American regions
March 7, 2017
Miami-based Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits LLC announced the launch of its new Travel Sales and Export division, becoming the first major U.S. wholesale distributor to offer brokerage services to travel and export market channels, the company says. The new division will serve supplier partners as a broker across the Caribbean and Latin American regions, the cruise line industry, and duty-free operators in the Americas. As a broker, Southern Glazer’s will act as an agent of record and provide sales, marketing and logistical support to these markets, it says.
Miami-based Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits LLC announced the planned departure of Rob Swartz, executive vice president of integration. Swartz led the team responsible for the integration of Southern Wine & Spirits of America Inc. and Glazer’s, Inc., which was announced in 2016. With the integration of the two companies well underway, Swartz transitioned out of Southern Glazer’s effective Dec.31, 2016, the company says.
Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits receives case number 4 million
October 25, 2016
Napa, Calif-based Delicato Family Vineyards announced that Bota Box, the eco-friendly wine producer of premium 3- and 1.5-liter bag-in-box and 500-ml Tetra Pak wines, has reached another pivotal benchmark for the family-owned winery by reaching 4 million cases in sales.
Distribution company runs operations in 44 states, District of Columbia, Carribean, Canada
August 15, 2016
Miami-based Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC announced the completion of the business combination between Southern Wine & Spirits of America Inc., Miami, and Glazer's Inc., Dallas, forming Southern Glazer's. Southern and Glazer's announced Jan. 11 the signing of a definitive agreement to combine their businesses, the company says.
Not too many people would disagree that a marriage is an exciting amalgamation of two people, but it also requires patience and understanding as two separate entities become a family. Although the emotions are different, mergers and acquisitions in the business world require the same patience and understanding.
Beverage Industry’s December issue highlights five beverages brands that are “shooting for the moon” in terms of innovation. Also in this issue, we spotlight the premiumization of the private-label beverage market, the latest trends impacting the use of tea ingredients in beverages, the growth of beverage sales in the eCommerce platform, and much more!


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It is known that Samsung is working on Galaxy A-series whose launch is expected to commence pretty soon. However, the company has now revealed that it might be launching the new A-series lineup in India on February 28th. The line-up will include the Galaxy A10, A20, and the Galaxy A30. The detailed specifications of the Galaxy A50, Galaxy A10, and Galaxy A30 have surfaced the internet last week, and the images have surfaced today.
It seems the company will make the new series official just a day after it unveils the Galaxy M30 on February 28. The reason behind the company choosing India has the launchpad for the 2019 A-series is to turn the A series into the country’s biggest brand, and aims to achieve $4 billion in sales till the end of 2019 from just the new Galaxy A phones. The Galaxy A10, Galaxy A20, and Galaxy A30 are expected to be similar to the Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20, and Galaxy M30, with Infinity-U/Infinity-V displays.
We may also see the Galaxy A50 make an appearance soon, as photos of the device including specifications have surfaced in the phone’s service manual recently. However, it remains to be seen if A50 will debut in India first like the other phones in the series. Either way, we should know more details on February 28th when Samsung launches the Galaxy A-series in India. Stay tuned. Samsung will be holding launch events in three major cities for fans.


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STORY: Bed Bath & Beyond named an interim CFO, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday, after former chief financial officer Gustavo Arnal fell to his death from a New York City skyscraper in what was later ruled a suicide.
Accounting head Laura Crossen, who has worked at Bed Bath & Beyond for more than two decades, will step into the interim CFO role at a tumultuous time for the struggling retailer.
Arnal's death comes after he, major shareholder Ryan Cohen and the company itself were sued over allegations of artificially inflating Bed Bath & Beyond's stock price in a “pump and dump” scheme.
Arnal sold over 55,000 shares in the so-called meme stock last month, according to Reuters’ calculations based on SEC filings. The sales amounted to about $1.4 million. Arnal still had about 255,000 shares remaining.
The lawsuit alleges Arnal made misleading statements to investors, and sold off his shares at a higher price after the scheme.
The class action lawsuit was brought by a group of shareholders who claimed they lost around $1.2 billion.
The company said it was "in the early stages of evaluating the complaint, but based on current knowledge the company believes the claims are without merit."
Last week, Bed Bath & Beyond said it would close 150 stores, cut jobs and overhaul its merchandising strategy in an attempt to turn around its money-losing business.
Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond fell as much as almost 17% in morning trading.


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A number of issues have been cited in the decision.
Plans for a new multi-million euro retail centre in Westmeath have been cut short.
Galway company, Tiane Limited has been looking to create a 11,000 square metre retail park beside Golden Island Shopping Centre in Athlone.
The proposals were refused permission by Westmeath County Council last summer, and an appeal has since been rejected by An Bord Pleanála.
A number of issues were cited in the decision, including the proximity to shops in the town centre and potential negative impact on the viability of existing premesis.


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Earlier there were reports that Apple will introduce iPhone 8 with Touch ID which will be embedded into the screen and there was even a video leaked where a Vivo device was unlocked by the fingerprint icon on the screen. Now Qualcomm at MWC declared that it is building fingerprint scanners that go under the Smartphone display.
The company is using similar design to its ultrasonic fingerprint detection method which was revealed by Qualcomm earlier. Qualcomm will be using ultrasonic as it can read a fingerprint through your smartphone’s display panel but only if it is not very thick. So the scanner with Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint detection could only work on OLED panel displays as they are only 1200 μm thick.
Qualcomm’s new sensors are also capable of detect heart beat rate and blood flow which could also be used when the device screen is off. The scanners will also work under water, so now users can unlock their waterproof devices when it is immersed in the water. Company also unveiled also announced two new basic scanner with the ultrasonic technology but they are only effective under metal or glass. These scanners are expected to be integrated into the device by the end of the year whereas fingerprint scanner under the screen can be launched by the mid of 2018.


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The devastation wrought by the great recession is still all too real for millions of Americans who lost their jobs, businesses and homes. The scars of the crisis are fresh, and every new economic report brings another wave of anxiety. That uncertainty is understandable, but a review of recent data on the American economy shows that we are on a path back to growth.Omigod! We've turned the corner. Happy Days are Here Agai.... What's that? There's still a little downside?
While the economy has a long way to go before reaching its full potential, last week’s data on economic growth show that large parts of the private sector continue to strengthen. Business investment and consumption — the two keys to private demand — are getting stronger, better than last year and better than last quarter. Uncertainty is still inhibiting investment, but business capital spending increased at a solid annual rate of about 17 percent.
Together, private consumption and fixed investment contributed about 3.25 percent to growth. Even the surge in imports, which lowered the rate of increase of G.D.P., actually reflects healthy and growing American demand.
We have a long way to go to address the fiscal trauma and damage across the country, and we will need to monitor the ups and downs in the economy month by month. The share of workers who have been unemployed for six months or more is at its highest level since 1948, when the data was first recorded, and we must do more to ensure that they have the skills they need to re-enter the 21st-century economy. Small businesses are still battling a tough climate. State and local governments are still hurting.Train millions of 45-year olds to take jobs in the service sector at half their former income? Is this what you mean Mr. Geithner?
And while making smart, targeted investments in our future, we must also cut the deficit over the next few years and make sure that America once again lives within its means.Yah! We're talking about cutting Social Security; making sure that your new job as an on-line customer service rep (which you stole back from some guy in Mumbai or Manila by undercutting his wages) will be still there for you until you're 75, and finally eligible for a pension.


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At the 23rd Transport Symposium in Tarragona, the supplier exibited it‘s 38H Paper Roll Clamp, an ideal tool for handling large rolls of all types and grades of paper. With a variety of clamp arm configurations and pad surface types, it can be optimized to meet specific needs.Read more
Together, the companies will design and build seven state-of-the-art vessels for sustainable sea transportation for UPM in Europe.
“This arrangement is a consistent step in UPM’s logistics strategy. It will safeguard a sustainable, competitive and reliable shipping solution for our businesses and customers on long term,” says Lauri Rikala, Director, Global Break Bulk Shipping, UPM Logistics.Read more
To date, the state of Florida has contributed nearly $71.5 million toward harbor deepening. That funding, combined with significant financial support from the federal government and a private tenant, helps keep the project two years ahead of schedule with anticipated completion in 2023, based on continued funding from all partners.Read more
TS 23, organized by Fastmarkets RISI, in association with the International Forest Products Transport Association (IFPTA), focussed on the issues surrounding the worldwide transport, materials handling, and distribution of forest products.Read more
SAVANNAH, GA, Sept. 12, 2019 (Press Release) -The Georgia Ports Authority plans to double capacity at Garden City Terminal to 11 million twenty-foot equivalent container units per year. In Fiscal Year 2019, port-related industries announced $5 billion in new investment and 12,000 new jobs coming to Georgia.
Port-related announcements of expansions and new business accounted for nearly $5 billion in investment and 12,000 jobs across the state of Georgia in Fiscal Year 2019, a year in which the Port of Savannah moved a record 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units.Read more
BURLINGTON, ON, Sept. 4, 2019 (CNW) -Bunzl Canada (bunzlcanada.ca) today announced the opening of a new, state-of-the-art distribution centre in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. The company's previous investments in the province have included the acquisition of sanitation supply businesses Emballages Maska and Plus II Sanitation, which now operate under the R3 Redistribution brand banner.Read more
With the integration of the Jöbstl Group, Kuehne + Nagel is expanding its overland network and simultaneously strengthening the region as the gateway to Eastern Europe. In future, particularly those customers requiring European groupage services can benefit from the transport operations offered by the Jöbstl Group.Read more
Historically, Germany was a net exporter of softwood logs, but since 2009 the country has almost doubled import volumes, while exports have only grown modestly.
In 2018, softwood log imports were slightly higher than they were in 2017, reaching 8.3 million m3 (a new record high). Just two countries, Poland and the Czech Republic, together accounted for almost two-thirds of the import volume to Germany.
Log imports from Norway and Estonia fell substantially in 2018 from 2017, while Poland and the Czech Republic increased their shipments, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.Read more


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Fashion dodges Brexit’s impact: upward sales since 2016
Since the celebration of the referendum in 2016 until now, fashion sales in the United Kingdom have maintained an upward trend which this year has started to reduce.
British fashion sales, for now, dodges the impact of Brexit. Since the celebration of the referendum in 2016 until now, fashion sales in the United Kingdom have maintained an upward trend which this year has started to reduce. Between July 2016 and October 2018, the evolution of retail income in the sector has only dropped in eight occasions.
The agreement in principle between London and Brussels on the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union is convulsing British politics these days. Yesterday morning, the resignation of ministers and other high positions in the government have succeeded each other continuously. The Parliament’s instability also made the stock market and currency shiver, fearing an ultimate vote against the agreement. The 29th of March 2019, date for the disconnection, is getting closer by the day.
Fashion, a consumption good of short duration very sensitive to citizen’s levels of trust, answers fast to social and political crisis. In the specific case of Brexit, the figures of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) do not show as of today any worrying symptom regarding the sector’s evolution of retail sales.
In July 2016, right after the urns gave the go-ahead to the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, fashion sales in the country grew an interannual 3%, at current exchange rates and without correcting the calendar’s effects. Nevertheless, that summer, sales contracted a 1.9% in August and another 4.4% in September.
However, ever since October 2016, British fashion retail started an upward period which lasted for the next twelve months, having peaks of 8.3% scored in April 2017. Since October 2017, the rising trend was moderated with a new period characterised by ups and downs.
So far this year, the evolution has been accentuated even more. The year started with four consecutive months registering step backs, with decreases of 0.5% in January, 2.4% in February, 3.3% in March and 3.5% in April. Between May and August, rises and drops succeeded each other alternatively, but two months of rises were followed in the months of September and October. Despite all that, the advancements of the last two months are quite far away from the escalations registered in 2017.
Fashion sales in the United Kingdom started last year a period of ups and downs which has diminished the rising trend of 2017
In spite of the last twelve month’s instability, Spanish fashion has continued to commit to the British market. Until August, the Spanish exports to the United Kingdom grew a 12%, reaching the 936 million euros. However, the European Union conjunct’s trend has been diametrically the opposite.
In the first eight months of the year, the European exports to the United Kingdom have collapsed a 10.5% compared to the same period last year, according to the data gathered by Icex. However, other countries have stepped back too, although in a lesser measure. Germany, for example, has dropped a 4%; France, reduced 8% and Spain has scored a low of 5.5%, to name a few.
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Heat on 140 shops for sale of abortion drugsNitin Yeshwantrao | TNN | Jun 27, 2012, 12.44 AM IST
THANE: Nearly 140 pharmaceutical shops in Thane, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts have been slapped with a showcause notice by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the sale of pregnancy terminating medicines without a proper prescription from doctors.
The FDA is conducting surprise checks on pharmaceutical shops, to verify stocks and account books that are maintained by distributors to assess sale of abortion drugs.
The drive comes in the wake of female foeticide cases being unearthed in Beed and other areas of the state.
recent reports in Beed and other rural pockets of Maharashtra where a female foetus is being aborted by families in collusion with the medical practitioners.
While state authorities too have stepped up vigil on radiologists and abortion clinics. , the FDA officials are also taking a stock of sale of abortion drugs.
Recently, the FDA's region-wise raids led to the arrest of two fake doctors who were running clinics in Bhiwandi. area who would operate from the slum localities.
The FDA team has scrutinized sale records of 288 pharmaceutical shops in the recent past and found that 140 could not account for the sale of abortion medicines, it is learnt.
The FDA inspection has also revealed that quite a few medical stores were involved in selling huge quantities of cough syrups, Corex or Rexcough, without prescriptions. FDA officials said licences of 29 shops have been suspended pending inquiry.


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Sustainable California butchery and restaurant group Belcampo has permanently shuttered its NYC outpost at Hudson Yards, marking another high-profile, mid-pandemic restaurant casualty at the flashy, billion-dollar Manhattan development.
A representative for Belcampo confirmed to Eater that the company no longer has a presence in Hudson Yards and, for now, has no set plans to move elsewhere in NYC. Hudson Yards has already filled the vacancy with NYC’s third outpost of Miznon, the popular Israeli fast-casual restaurant, which opened on November 20.
Belcampo’s Hudson Yards location has been closed throughout the pandemic amid operating restrictions that were put in place for health safety in NYC. In August, a representative for the company told Eater that “the inability to have indoor dining due to COVID-19 has caused us to operate our restaurants differently, including making the difficult decision to suspend operations at some of them, including Hudson Yards.”
The restaurant and butcher shop did not reopen when NYC malls were allowed to open back up — without indoor dining — in early September.
Belcampo’s Hudson Yards location, which opened in March 2019, was heralded as the company’s splashy East Coast debut. The restaurant, which featured only meats raised on its sprawling California ranch, was slammed with hourlong waits immediately after opening, pushing the restaurant to temporarily shutter its takeout counter due to “unprecedented demand.” But the spot was later deemed a critical miss, with Eater critic Ryan Sutton finding offerings like the 28-day dry-aged burger to be “thoroughly average” and the charcoal-rubbed ribeye both overcooked and over-salted.
Belcampo has five retail and restaurant locations across California that are currently open for outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery, according to its website, plus an online shop that delivers nationwide.
The closure is the second high-profile loss for Hudson Yards following the shutdown of fine dining spot TAK Room in August. Headlining chef Thomas Keller pulled the plug on the project after the restaurant “could not find an economically viable path to continue operating without expected seasonal, New York tourism and traffic.” The Hudson Yards location of Keller’s bakery chain Bouchon Bakery also shuttered at that time.


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The digital transformation which has been powering the growth of many technology companies in the US is now starting to drive growth globally according to Box CEO Aaron Levie. He says that Box has a global opportunity where multi-national enterprises want to drive the same digital transformation that has been happening in the US.
Aaron Levie, Box CEO, discussed on CNBC how the digital transformation is key to driving Box’s growth globally.
Digital Transformation Driving Global Growth
As our business gets more seasonally loaded toward the back end of the year as we sell to larger and larger enterprises. That’s what ultimately drives a much higher billings growth outcome in Q4. We continue to move up-market serving larger enterprises like major top ten banks, pharmaceuticals, life sciences companies, as well as the federal government and global manufacturers. That’s what’s driving that surge in Q4 billings and growth rate.
We have a global opportunity where large enterprises, especially multi-national enterprises, want to drive the same digital transformation that we’ve seen in the US. That means everything from changing their business processes to collaborating and working in new ways which leads them to need platforms like Box and other technologies. We are seeing incredible growth in markets like Japan, Canada, Australia, and throughout Europe.
Our Partner Model is Critical to Our Success
We are working with major partners like IBM and other system integrators to be able to reach and enable customers. We are working with technology partners like Microsoft, Google, as well as a much broader ecosystem including companies like Slack, Okta, and others, to ensure that when customers want to modernize their IT environment Box is the system of record for the data and content that they work with.
Partners are core to our strategy both from a technology standpoint to ensure that customers have an integrated experience with their information technology investment as well as helping us actually reach those customers from a distribution and sales standpoint. Our partner model is critical to our success.
We Are Building a Fundamentally Open Platform
Our fundamental belief is that in the digital age enterprises are going to need a platform to help them secure, manage, govern, and drive the workflows around their core business information. That is what the platform is that we’re building. Whether it’s financial documents, digital assets, a pharmaceutical company with their drug trial information, or an ad company with their ad campaigns, we want to be the platform that helps them manage and secure that data.
We will have to work with technology partners like Microsoft, Google, IBM, and others to ensure that the technology that they’re investing in can link to the data that customers store within Box. We are building a fundamentally open platform and whether that is linking up to the artificial intelligence or machine learning technology that IBM, Microsoft, Google, and others are building or the common applications that we use every day we want to ensure that Box can connect to all of those applications so that you can have one source of truth for your data but integrated everywhere.


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Germany, like many countries in Europe, is already seeing a major transition to electric vehicles (EVs), even following a year ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It comes as no surprise then that German company Volkswagen sold more units of the ID.3 in Germany in December 2020 than any other EV company by a margin of almost 2,000 units, according to EV Sales.
The ID.3, which sold a total of 7,144 units in December, was followed by the Renault Zoe (5,349 units) and the Tesla Model 3 (3,293 units), all of which made up an impressive 16% of the total auto market.
Number of EV registrations in Germany went up by 207% in 2020 vs 2019
In France, it was 158%.
Though I don't include PHEV in EV mix, in Germany PHEV registrations exploded! +342% in 2020 vs 2019. (+304% in France) pic.twitter.com/wEGdZNF8WI
— Prabin Joel Jones (@prabinjoel) January 17, 2021
The year’s top-selling vehicle in Germany was the Renault Zoe, having sold a total of 30,376 units throughout 2020. Volkswagen’s ID.3 sold 15,140 in 2020, making it fourth in Germany’s best-selling EVs for the entire year, just behind the Tesla Model 3 with 15,202 units sold.
Tesla’s progress on its own German factory will surely put extra pressure on the German-based automaker, but Volkswagen may catch a bit of a break over slowed operations at the construction site, due to controversies surrounding the companies environmental practices.
In any case, Volkswagen’s upcoming ID.4 is expected to help the company hold its own against the EV giant, and if 2021’s anything like 2020, then the company is safe for now, at least in its home market of Germany.


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AT&T to Trial LTE Broadcast at College Football Game
AT&T recently announced plans to test its LTE Broadcast technology at the forthcoming college football championship game on Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas. LTE Broadcast allows network operators to transmit a video signal (or other content) that can be accessed by all compatible devices in a given area at the same time without impacting network performance. AT&T said it will distribute select content from the game, such as helmet cam and other footage, via LTE Broadcast. "This trial demonstration signifies the early stages of our foray into LTE Broadcast, but we see a promising future with this technology," said AT&T in a blog post. "It could offer a variety of valuable future uses such as the ability to deliver software updates to not just smartphones, but also to the Internet of Things like connected cars and other devices, as well as new one-to-many commercial services for businesses." AT&T is testing the technology with a select group of invitees. It didn't say what equipment will be involved.
Google Home's Broadcast Feature Goes Live
Google today enabled the broadcast feature on Google Home devices in English in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. Now, people with Google Home devices in their house can broadcast announcements or statements from their phone-based Google Assistant to their Home device.
Sony Xperia Phones Can Now Broadcast Games to Twitch
Sony today announced a new partnership with Twitch that will let select Xperia smartphones broadcast gameplay directly to Twitch. Twitch has allowed Android devices to view gameplay before, Sony's Xperia Z3+, Xperia Z4, and Xperia Z4v smartphones, and the Xperia Z4 Tablet can now push Android games to Twitch live.
Google to Let Android Users Trial Games from Search
Google gave developers a handful of new tools to improve the gaming experience for Android device owners. Perhaps the most significant of the new tools is one that will allow people to trial games for up to 10 minutes directly from Google search results.
Facebook Adds Social Functions to Live Video
Facebook today announced two new features for live video that should make it more interactive and social. First, there's Live Chat With Friends.
Verizon Going After College Sports Fans
Verizon Communications, the parent company of Verizon Wireless, is prepared to launch a mobile video service later this year that will focus on college sports. The company is specifically targeting millennials with the offering, who it says prefer to consume video content on mobile devices rather than televisions or PCs.
They should start in Blacksburg VA
Last year when I was a Verizon customer I experienced the same thing.


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This year, “Cyber Monday” signifies more than just a chance to get the best post-Black Friday deals. It also kicks off the first holiday online shopping season since the U.S. Supreme Court sales taxA sales tax is levied on retail sales of goods and services and, ideally, should apply to all final consumption with few exemptions. Many governments exempt goods like groceries; base broadening, such as including groceries, could keep rates lower. A sales tax should exempt business-to-business transactions which, when taxed, cause tax pyramiding. ruling in South Dakota v. WayfairSouth Dakota v. Wayfair was a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision eliminating the requirement that a seller have physical presence in the taxing state to be able to collect and remit sales taxes to that state. It expanded states’ abilities to collect sales taxes from e-commerce and other remote transactions. . It’s a big step but also doesn’t represent a huge sea change, given the evolution of online commerce in recent years.
Previous Supreme Court precedents stipulated that states couldn’t require retailers to collect sales taxA tax is a mandatory payment or charge collected by local, state, and national governments from individuals or businesses to cover the costs of general government services, goods, and activities. es unless the business had a physical presence—usually a building or employee—in the state. Following years of debate and state tax laws that pushed the limits on how to view physical presence, South Dakota v. Wayfair gave the Court an opportunity to revisit that standard. The Court tossed aside the physical presence standard and ruled for South Dakota, though it gave states some guidelines on how to protect interstate commerce.
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So, what’s next? In the fallout from Wayfair, some states have already moved forward on mandating all sellers above a certain size collect their sales tax. Not all them have made the simplifications the Court suggested in the Wayfair ruling, but states have generally refrained from taking any actions that would noticeably disturb e-commerce.
On the surface, many online shoppers may see little or no difference from the past year or two. Given its rapid expansion, Amazon had long since agreed to collect taxes on direct sales it makes in every state. Even before that, the physical presence rule meant that large retailers such as Walmart, Target, and Best Buy already collected taxes from online sales. As for online marketplaces such as eBay, Etsy, and Amazon (through its third-party seller platform), Cyber Monday shoppers still may not see any post-Wayfair changes. With a few exceptions, most states haven’t set ground rules for the tax treatment of marketplace sales, so many consumers on those platforms still may not see sales tax included (but yes, they’ll owe use taxes).
That being said, Overstock, Wayfair, and other mid-to-large Amazon competitors will be expected to collect sales taxes in several states before the holiday shopping season has concluded. For those businesses, compliance may be doable, but it won’t be cheap. Without further simplification and uniformity, the Government Accountability Office has estimated that complying with the myriad state and local sales tax rules could cost businesses hundreds of millions of dollars annually. If we leave Cyber Monday with any thoughts on tax policy, it should be that much-needed simplification to state sales tax regimes would save everyone money in the long term.Share


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Apple's fortunes return in India after short dip
- Author: Arturo Norris May 06, 2017,
May 06, 2017, 22:04
The news, which Cook disclosed in an interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer, indicates that Apple's executive leadership is intent on heading off any potential conflicts between the company and President Trump, who has promised to bring jobs back and pressure corporations to invest more domestically. Apple's main manufacturing partner, Foxconn, has a huge robotic presence - and is spending more and more on robotics for manufacturing. Amidst the financial predictions, JPMorgan says that there is a "high likelihood" that Apple will announce the iPhone 8 at WWDC in June.
When quizzed upon smartwatch competition, Cook added that engineering "is hard" when compared building a smartwatch to building a phone.
"We're very optimistic about our future in this remarkable country with its very large, young and tech savvy population, fast-growing economy and improving 4G network infrastructure", Cook said. Cook said India's young demographic and rising income levels are making the company hopeful about growth in India.
That puts the focus on the next iPhone launch, which is anticipated in mid to late September.
Apple plans to announce the first investment in the fund later this month, Cook said.
The technology behemoth said that it sold 50.76 million iPhones in its fiscal second quarter to 1 April, which was down from 51.19 million during the same period a year earlier.
Apple reported a 4.6 percent rise in revenue to $52.9 billion. And so we're putting a lot of energy in, just like we have in other (geographies) that eventually wound up producing more and more.
"If you're an Apple customer, you have not had that", Milunovich said on " Squawk Box".
Furthermore, Apple continues to lose ground in Chinese markets, as sales declined by 14% to $10.73 billion over the same period a year ago.
In a conference call with analysts, CEO Tim Cook highlighted progress in cloud offerings, services revenue, which has now topped $7 billion for two consecutive quarters, and a 45% increase in transactions for Apple Pay. With sales slowing for Apple in the U.S. and China, investors are looking to see if growth in India can compensate for this.


text: Swedish vegan oat-milk brand Oatly is making a bold statement with its new advertising campaign on skyscrapers across Europe, reminding consumers that animal milk is not made for humans. The ad shows a container of its oat milk beverage with the slogan, “It’s like milk, but made for humans.” While the ad is promoting Oatly’s product, it is also calling out the dairy industry’s claim that cow’s milk is meant for human consumption. “If you asked most people if they think it is wrong to unnecessarily harm other sentient beings, they would answer that it is,” Sandra Higgins, founder of ad-creator Go Vegan World, said of the power of pro-vegan billboard advertisements. “This is because we all know that other animals feel. [Posters and billboards] expose this inconsistency between our values and our behaviour. We claim to respect fact, yet we live according to myth.” Oatly’s new advertisement is the latest initiative since it rebranded in 2013 with new packaging and slogans such as, “Yes, we are vegan. So?” and “We only do oats.” The brand has since risen in popularity and expanded its product line to include canned vegan lattes, ice cream, oat-based yogurt, and creamer, currently available in Europe with new products in the works for a launch in the United States in coming months.


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SEEKING creative engineering solutions to packaging problems is earning a small Manchester firm orders from some of the world's top companies.
Household names such as Proctor and Gamble, Unilever and Coca Cola are turning to the seven-strong team at Ashton-under-Lyne-based Global Packaging Solutions feeling confident that it can produce and manufacture engineering designs to overcome potentially costly packaging problems.
It is Global's creativity and ''can do'' approach which has seen a steady rise in orders, with turnover doubling in the past year - from £237,000 to more than £400,000.
Managing director Barry Hobson said: ''Whereas, some other machine manufacturers may say there is nothing they can do to overcome a particular problem, we will assure our customers that we can do it.
''We are willing to take on new ideas, go out in the market and sell them.''
Global's relationship with world-wide chemicals giant Unilever could see one of the company's system designs introduced to fabric manufacturing plants across Europe.
And it has recently clinched a £150,000 contract to update systems at top Norwegian packaging firm Lilleborg.
Global was founded five years ago by current Mr Hobson, who took the ambitious step of setting up his own company after a series of personal and professional setbacks.
He was soon joined by technical director Steve Gray and the pair steadily built the business which now boasts seven staff.
Delighted with his company's current success, Barry is setting his sights even higher. ''I hope Global will become an internationally recognised name.''


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India’s data consumption is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 72.6 per cent to 10,96,58,793 million MB by 2022, according to a study.
“With lower than ever data tariffs and increasing number of smartphone penetration in the country, which is around 40 per cent as of 2017, it is safe to assume that the Video on Demand (VoD) market will be a significant beneficiary of these developments. Internet consumption is clearly on the rise in India,” according to the Assocham-PwC study.
Data consumption in India will grow from the level of 71,67,103 million MB in 2017 to 10,96,58,793 million MB (megabytes) in 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 72.6 per cent, it said.
While the average Indian used to spend more on voice services than on mobile data services until 2013, the majority of an average mobile bill is now spent on data.
The average monthly spend on voice services in 2013 was Rs 214 compared to Rs 173 spent on data. In 2016, the spend on voice fell to Rs 124, while data spend rose to Rs 225, according to the report.
Video streaming constitutes roughly 65 75 per cent of the traffic, as per the Nokia Mobile Broadband Index 2018.
While internet penetration is increasing in India, with mobile internet penetration set to reach 56.7 per cent in 2022 from a mere 30.2 per cent in 2017, connectivity and consistency in speed issues need to be addressed, said the study titled ‘Video on Demand: Entertainment reimagined’.
It further said that in a country where approximately 65-70 per cent of the population resides in rural areas, no service meant for the masses can afford to ignore this market.
Internet connectivity and speed issues are significant in rural areas as against urban areas. It is important for OTT (over-the-top) players to cater to the rural market if they wish to stay relevant. Thus, apps like YouTube, which support low Internet connectivity, will be able to penetrate faster into rural areas, according to the study.
The report also noted that there has been a value shift to platforms.
“Social media and technology platforms, instead of content creators and packagers, have emerged as the primary beneficiaries of the increase in user time and spending,” it added.
Another major aspect in the journey of OTT players will be the ability to personalise experiences. Emerging technologies would help companies create unique experiences that add value to the services provided to users.


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People’s Design Lab 2018- And the “winners” are…
The People’s Design Lab contest has come to an end! We would like to thank everyone who voted this year. Your continuous support for this project clearly demonstrates the need for a stronger policy push that will ensure the cease of wasteful and toxic products. But now let’s take a look at the results!
We are (not) proud to announce that this year’s winners are:
plastic bags for the designed for the trash category,
plastic bottles for the single use plastics category,
plastic food packaging for the overpackaging category, and
food contact material for the toxics category.
According to the Collins Dictionary “single-use” was the word of the year 2018. As depicted by the results of the PDL contest, plastics are the “hot” topic of the year. Considering the urgency and the scale of the problem, plastic pollution has proven to be an urgent issue that citizens, governments, companies, and many organisations around the globe are concerned about and are willing to take the extra steps to fix.
While the EU is currently taken important steps to reduce the impact of plastic pollution within the European strategy for plastics in a circular economy, there is need to keep pushing forward to drastically rethink and reduce the production, consumption, and end-of-life of plastics.
hanks to your contribution the People’s Design Lab is ready to push for a more sustainable future! As stated at the beginning of the contest, Zero Waste Europe will exert pressure on European institutions in order to put a limit to the most wasteful practices. We are happy to announce the next scheduled steps that will follow after your response.
In terms of plastic bottles, Zero Waste Europe will strongly advocate for the use of deposit and return systems to achieve collection rates above 90 %.
Regarding plastic bags and food contact material, Zero Waste Europe welcomes the rise of packaging-free shops in Europe. This is something we will further promote as a lifestyle but also as a concept by further investigating the impact of these shops through a big upcoming study in 2019.
ZWE will also engage in bringing to light all the potential health hazards related to food contact packaging.
We are very excited and optimistic for 2019. There are many actions ahead and we count on you to continue to push for better designed products that cover the needs of the consumers while not endangering human or animal life.


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In a recently released statement on their official website, PUBG Corp stated that they understood the situation and would be working to remedy it. They said that they would be dissociating authorization from Tencent (the Chinese connection) in India, and would do it themselves instead.
“PUBG Corporation fully understands and respects the measures taken by the government as the privacy and security of player data is a top priority for the company. It hopes to work hand-in-hand with the Indian government to find a solution that will allow gamers to once again drop into the battlegrounds while being fully compliant with Indian laws and regulations,” the statement read.
ALSO READ: Pierre Gasly wins F1 Italian Grand Prix
“PUBG Mobile is the mobile version of Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), an intellectual property owned and developed by PUBG Corporation, a South Korean gaming company. The company is actively engaged in developing and publishing PUBG on multiple platforms, including PUBG Mobile in select territories, to provide the best player experiences possible.”
Just recently, Akshay Kumar had announced the release of a new game FAU-G, as a replacement for PUBG, which was wildly mocked and derided by fans.
Earlier, PUBG gamers had taken it upon themselves and made pleas to PUBG Corp on Twitter to end ties with the Chinese company and unban the PUBG Mobile app in India.
Within just an hour of its announcement, PUBG had received over a thousand search hits on Google. And one of the most searched related queries was about who owned PUBG. Searches for terms like ‘PUBG owner’ and related queries such as ‘Who owned PUBG’ and ‘PUBG Owner Country’ also spiked.


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Debbie Coakley, Contributing Editor
WIRELESS INTERNET TECHNOLOGY, EXPANDED FIELD DEMOS GENERATE EXCITEMENT AT FARM SHOWS
The nation’s leading farm shows aren’t resting on their laurels. They’re continually expanding exhibit space, adding demonstration areas, utilizing new technology and offering seminars to keep exhibitors and producers coming back each year.
Among the trends is using high-speed wireless Internet access to offer more services to exhibitors, notes R. Craig Fendrick, executive coordinator for the North American Farm Show Council. Members of the organization recently met and discussed farm show trends. "Exhibitors are bringing computers to the show, and they want to be able to show visitors what’s available - everything from global positioning systems to parts lists to actual costs to dealers for products," he explains.
Many shows also are increasing their livestock demonstrations and exhibit areas because of the upswing in the livestock industry. Fendrick notes that shows are adhering to U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. (See related article "Biosecurity Basics" in this issue.)
Below, managers of five shows across North America reveal what they’re introducing this year to make their shows bigger and better.
CANADA’S OUTDOOR FARM SHOW
Living up to its promise of delivering innovative and technologically advanced agricultural products and services, Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show has expanded its lineup of expos and demos. The show is slated for Sept. 11-13 on the University of Guelph’s Research Farm, located in Woodstock, Ontario. It annually draws 30,000 visitors from North America and beyond.
6he show’s new expos are ag fibre, dairy, nutrient management, tractor and sheep/goat. They join beef, biotech, energy, farm women, Internet, organic and woodlot.
The Ag Fibre Expo will emphasize new technology and products and examine the market potential for industrial uses of crops grown for fibre. "This year’s expo will bring leading-edge technology and information on crops such as flax, switchgrass and reed canary grass," says Ginty Jocius, president of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show. "Predictions are that growing crops for industrial fibre production will soon be a major demand on tillable acreage."
For the Dairy Expo, Cover-All Building Systems Inc. is erecting a 70-by-120-foot barn to house the robotic milking demonstration, which debuted at last year’s show. "The robotic milker was a very popular demonstration," Jocius notes. "We’re excited about showcasing this event in a permanent structure."
Jocius says nutrient management is a major issue facing all farmers, who will be able to check out the latest in environmentally friendly technology at this new expo area.
The show also will showcase "super crops," which can be used for medicine and food safety. Featured will be tobacco plants that express a human gene for interleukin-10, which could be used to treat Crohn’s disease. Also, Toxin Alert Inc. will reveal how it has produced antibodies for a pathogen-detecting plastic wrap to show when harmful bacteria is present in foods such as raw chicken.
Other events will include field, livestock and seed/crop demos. Notable is the livestock expansion. "The livestock market is healthier," Jocius points out, "and more companies will be exhibiting their equipment and products."
In keeping with the show’s new technology theme, Bell Canada will introduce at this year’s event its wireless two-way Internet connection for the farm. "It will be available to rural subscribers across Canada," Jocius notes. "This satellite technology will make a significant difference in how farmers are able to access and send information."
Jocius points out that the beauty of an outdoor show is that there’s lots of room for expansion on the site’s 1,000 acres. For instance, parking and streets can be added to accommodate the growing number of exhibitors.
FARM PROGRESS SHOW
New things on the outside and inside of the exhibit field are in store for visitors to the Farm Progress Show, Sept. 25-27, in Lafayette, Ind.
This year is the first time attendees will be able to park their cars at one of two gates and then walk to the exhibit field to pay admission. "This change allows us to create an opening welcome mat for attendees," says Mark Randal, vice president of shows for Farm Progress Companies. "We’ll also offer a variety of services for visitors who arrive early. Farmers can purchase a continental breakfast and get information about the show so they can plan what they want to see and make the best use of their time."
Once inside the grounds, visitors will find more than 800 acres of field demonstrations plus a 75-acre "tent city" with hundreds of exhibitors. New this year are expanded livestock demonstration and exhibit areas. "The cattle industry is doing well, and we’ve had a lot of interest from smaller farmers who are growing their livestock area, as well as from animal health and equipment companies interested in co-sponsoring events at the show," Randal says.
Another event that will generate a lot of interest is a pilot project the Farm Progress Show is conducting with the National Farm-City Council on the last day of the show. "With fewer people living in rural areas, it’s important to bridge the communications gap and open channels to educate adults and children about the benefits agriculture offers them," Randal says.
Nonfarm school groups will be encouraged to attend the show on the final day to take advantage of educational opportunities provided by Purdue University and others. "Giving young people a special day to visit the show will be good for exhibitors in two ways. First, it will allow them more time to spend with customers on the first two days. It also will drive stronger participation on the final day."
Other improvements are under way for the live Web cam, introduced last year. "We’ll transmit information from yield monitors in the field through high-speed wireless Internet access and display it on a video screen so farmers can see the data firsthand," Randal says.
In addition, the high-speed wireless Internet technology will allow exhibitors to access their company’s database or Web site quickly and easily right at their booth. Then they can search for and print out information requested by farmers rather than take their name and mail the information later. "We want to set the standard of utilizing the latest technologies to help exhibitors make the most of our show," Randal concludes.
NATIONAL FARM MACHINERY SHOW
Farm equipment manufacturers know it as the Louisville Show. And farmers across the Midwest and elsewhere in North America know it as the place to learn about innovations in farming techniques and equipment. The National Farm Machinery Show will take place Feb. 13-16, 2002, at the Kentucky Fair Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. Attendance at the 37-year-old show has topped 280,000 visitors annually for the past several years.
"Virtually all majors line of equipment - as well as seeds, chemicals and livestock supplies - are featured at the show," says Harold Workman, president/CEO. "As we find ourselves in the midst of a technological revolution, the National Farm Machinery Show and its exhibitors are providing agribusiness professionals with comprehensive product comparisons under one roof."
Workman boasts that although the show is indoors, it added substantial exhibit space during the 1990s and has another expansion scheduled for 2003. "We feature more than 800 exhibitors in more than 1 million square feet of space. We’re looking to add 170,000 square feet of exhibit space and 57,000 square feet of conference space."
The exhibit space likely will highlight the show’s international exhibitors and attendees, who come from as far away as The Netherlands, India, Italy and Japan. And adding conference space will provide opportunities to do more seminars and feature more speakers. "We can’t fulfill the requests we have now," Workman notes. "Exhibitors want the opportunity to have seminars for their customers and have a place to meet with people privately during the show."
The National Farm Machinery Show currently produces seminars in conjunction with Farm Journal magazine. "We usually have one on economics and another featuring Ken Ferry, a corn planter expert," Workman says. "They are great companions to the show and provide more value for attendees."
The close of the exhibit floor each day heralds the beginning of another show - the annual Championship Tractor Pull. "The tractor pull is a major asset for the National Farm Machinery Show," Workman explains. "It provides an evening of entertainment for exhibitors and attendees. Plus, the tractor pull draws local residents to the show and focuses local attention on the importance of the agribusiness industry."
SUNBELT AGRICULTURAL EXPOSITION
The diversity of field demonstrations makes the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition shine. The outdoor and indoor show features harvesting and tillage demonstrations for crops ranging from cotton, peanuts, corn, soybeans and Bermuda grass hay. Last year turf grass harvesting and sprigging demonstrations were added. The show takes place annually at Spence Field, a World War II airbase in Moultrie, Ga. The dates this year are Oct. 16-18.
"We want to bring the latest cutting-edge technology so attendees can come in and experience it firsthand and see how it can fit into their operation," says Chip Blalock, executive director for the 24-year-old show. "We want to show technology before it’s the norm on the farm."
The turf grass addition was a result of exhibitor requests. This year the turf grass domes will double from 2 to 4 acres to accommodate additional equipment demonstrations. "Turf grass is a huge business in the Southeast," Blalock notes. "Furthermore, farmers are looking to diversify their operations among various crops to enhance their risk/return ratio."
The demonstrations take place on a 600-hundred-acre working farm in the midst of the three-day technology showcase, so visitors get to see how well varieties perform and the latest equipment in action. "Each year we bring attendees something new - whether it is the variable application of fertilizer throughout a field, precision irrigation techniques or auto-steer tractor technology," Blalock says.
Something new this year at the working farm is an Integrated Cotton Production Winter Grazing Trial. The four-year study will look at the profitability of integrating winter beef cattle grazing into cotton production. It also will monitor the impact of winter grazing on subsequent production of cotton (and peanuts in rotation) in conventional and strip tillage systems. USDA is conducting the study in cooperation with the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and the Georgia Cotton Commission.
"Demonstrations like this will be a major draw for attendees who are looking for a source of income in the off season," Blalock says.
This year the show’s international business center will expand to accommodate the growing number of international visitors. In 2000 attendees came from 30 international countries, including Europe, the Pacific Rim, Africa and the Middle East. The Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism staff manages the center during the show, matches up visitors with exhibitors with products in which they’re interested, and then escorts them to the booths. "This is a great opportunity for exhibitors to expand their international marketing efforts," Blalock notes.
WORLD AG EXPO
Topping the introduction of the E-Commerce Pavilion and the Heritage Complex at the 2001 World Ag Expo might seem a difficult feat. But visitors and exhibitors at the next show, Feb. 12-14, 2002, will be greeted with an easier drive into the site, additional outdoor lots and extra emphasis on international trade. What’s more, an attendee registration system is in the works and could be ready by 2003.
First, the main feeder street into the International Agri-Center grounds, where the show takes place annually, will be widened from two to four lanes through an economic development grant to the city of Tulare, Calif. Parking also will be reconfigured not only to more easily accommodate RVs and VIP parking, but also to add 13 outdoor exhibit spaces.
"Even with 2.1 million square feet of exhibit space, we try to allow the show to grow in a controlled manner to accommodate more exhibitors," notes Gary Schulz, general manager of the International Agri-Center, the show’s sponsor. "Our goal is to give attendees the most opportunities to see the latest technology, equipment and products in one place at one time."
The Heritage Complex, introduced in 2000, is the hub of international activities during the show. Schulz reports that about 2,000 international visitors come from 60 foreign countries. "Two-thirds of exhibitors surveyed indicate they are interested in forming joint ventures globally or exporting."
The E-Commerce Pavilion, which features seminars presented by e-commerce exhibitors, will be moved closer to the Heritage Complex so exhibitors can conduct one-on-one selling and counseling seminars in the professional offices at the building.
Also in the works is a conference and trade show this fall for exhibitors. An expert in trade shows will inform exhibitors how to get the most from World Ag Expo. Schulz also plans to bring in contractors for canopies and tents, the table decorator, electrical contractor and Yellow Freight, which handles most of the show’s shipping. "We want exhibitors to know what’s ahead of them in terms of marketing strategies, as well as being aware of all the mechanics of exhibiting they need to consider," Schulz notes.
For the 2003 World Ag Expo, Schulz is exploring options for registering attendees. For instance, visitors would pre-register or register on site and receive a special name badge. Then when they stop at booths and request information about products or services, exhibitors can easily swipe the badge to electronically gather the person’s name, mailing address, or demographic information.
"Exhibitors are eager for us to implement this program," Schulz says. "It will provide them with a profile of the entire crowd, and specifically those showing interest in their product or service." AM
Debbie Coakley is a freelance writer based in Warrenville, Ill.


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Vermont officials hope to defend the state's looming food labeling requirement with help from some of the world's largest agrichemical companies.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Attorney General William Sorrell filed motions across numerous federal courts seeking internal research on genetically modified crops conducted by DuPont, Monsanto, Syngenta and other seed companies.
State lawmakers in 2014 enacted the nation's first law compelling food companies to label the presence of genetically modified ingredients, or GMOs, in their products.
The measure is scheduled to take effect on July 1, but the Grocery Manufacturers Association — an industry group representing numerous large food and beverage companies — is fighting the law in federal court in Vermont.
Vermont Assistant AG Kyle Landis-Marinello said that company documents could prove to be significant as the case proceeds.
“We think these are really the bare minimum documents that they should be giving us,” Landis-Marinello told the Journal.
The Associated Press reported that DuPont contested the filing and asked a judge to move the matter to Vermont federal court. Monsanto officials told the Journal that the company also plans to "oppose the motion as untimely and unwarranted."
Food companies and health authorities classify GMOs as safe, but critics argue that they could pose unintended health and environmental consequences — particularly as farmers increasingly use pesticides on crops genetically engineered to resist them.
The Journal reports that Vermont attorneys are also seeking consumer research on GMO labels from food giants ConAgra, Kellogg and Frito-Lay.
As the Vermont lawsuit continues, Campbell Soup and other companies vowed to implement GMO labels nationwide rather than alter products for the small New England state.
Pending legislation in Congress backed by the food industry would establish a voluntary GMO-free label and pre-empt state labeling laws like Vermont’s, but that measure has stalled in the U.S. Senate.


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Dallas, Texas 07/10/2015 (Financialstrend) – Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), the chip maker with an edge over behemoth blue chip companies, is faltering at the stock markets. The company has reported fall of nearly 1.93% in its latest trading session, indicating not all is right with the chip maker.
Intel Corporation stock trends, in the past month have been contrary to latest analyst reports. Research notes and analysts opine that the chipmaker is likely to beat estimated earnings for the quarter.
The company is scheduled to report on July 15, 2015.
Experts believe the fall in Intel’s share price is indicative of the decline in the market share for desktops and Personal computers. Considering Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is dependent on the PC industry, its recent performance has been much woebegone than expected.
However, Intel has been attempting to change course and enter other segments of the chip market, such as tablet processors. In January the company noted that its erstwhile Cherry Trail processor will include better graphics performing features and see better integration. These would a generation ahead of its Bay Trail tablet processors the company had noted. One of the notable users of Cherry Trail is Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Surface 3 tablet. However, this chip is not in use on any other vendor made tablets.
However, industry media reports, namely DigiTimes Research noted that soon many of the non-branded tablet vendors would be selling Windows 10 tablets running on BayTrail processors. Apparently, Cherry Trail will be available only by September, in low-cost alternatives.
Therefore, the likely growth in the market for Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) products is regarded as an upside by most analysts. Intel has in the past ten quarters beaten five consecutive earnings estimates. Hence, analysts predict that the chipmaker will post an earnings report for this quarter, which is likely to beat industry estimates.


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Selling Sound: Bose Knows
Slide Show >>
In the late 1980s, Bose salespeople went door to door to demonstrate the company's speakers, promoting what the company promised was rich sound without the bulkiness of other systems. "You had to hear it to believe it," says Bose President Bob Maresca. A lot of people heard -- and believed.
Many still do. Bose ranked as the most trusted consumer brand by far among 22 well-known tech companies, ahead of heavyweights like Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), Intel (INTC), and Sony (SNE), according to a recent survey of 4,732 U.S. households by Forrester Research.
What's more, many people are likely to keep on believing in Bose, according to extrapolations made by Forrester. An estimated 17.5 million households plan to buy Bose products, compared with 7 million expecting to buy from Apple, Forrester says. This was the first time Bose was included in Forrester's trust survey, but the findings don't appear to be a fluke.
Market researcher NPD Group, in a survey of more than 600,000 people between April, 2005, and March, 2006, found that in home audio, Bose was less than a percentage point away from No. 1 Sony in terms of customers' repurchase intent. A bigger proportion of people who bought Bose gear said they were likely to purchase it again than did buyers of nearly every other brand.
What's bolstering Bose's marque? In recent years, it has been an association with Apple. The companies collaborated on a set of speakers for Apple's digital music player, the iPod, and in 2004, Bose released the $299 SoundDock Digital Music System. "They pioneered the all-in-one premium iPod speaker system," says Ross Rubin, an NPD Group analyst. Speakers turned out to be the best-selling category among iPod accessories, a fast-growing $5 billion market, according to Envisioneering Group.
The fact that Apple admitted licensing its iPod connector technology to Bose and, at first, offered the speakers exclusively in its own stores was a big vote of confidence from a company not known for forging alliances. "It was the first time [Apple CEO Steve] Jobs acknowledged an outside collaboration," says Richard Doherty, director of Envisioneering Group.
For Bose, that made a huge difference. "There's been an uptick in their image since the iPod has been connected to it," says Nick Shore, founder of branding consultancy Way Group in New York. "They feel almost like the Mercedes Benz of sound systems" (see BW Online, 2/15/06, "Delivering Two Kinds of Quality").
What Steve Jobs giveth, he can also take away. In February, Apple released its own brand of iPod speakers, generating concern Bose sales would suffer (see BW Online, 3/01/06, "Apple's Latest Audio Offensive"). But Apple's speakers are bigger, more expensive, and appeal to a different customer, says Rubin. The SoundDock is still featured prominently at Apple's stores and in Apple ads. "Our relationship with Apple has been good," says Maresca.
In fact, some analysts expect Bose will introduce more iPod-related gear in the next several months. "Bose is [in iPod accessories] for the long run," says Phil Hess, director of Bose's home entertainment division. "It's a segment we are going to focus on."
Another focus for Bose is marketing. The closely held company doesn't disclose spending figures. But detractors say a lavish ad and marketing budget keeps prices and visibility for Bose products higher than is warranted by their sound quality. Others say the company overemphasizes design to the detriment of audio.
Bose is unfazed by the brickbats. "Unless we believe we offer significantly better performance, we won't [make a product]," Maresca says. "We are careful to never over-promise." The company, like many rivals, offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on its products.
AMPLIFY THE BRAND.
Besides, there's a lot to be said for Bose's sleek design, say several analysts. Bose's Wave music system's plastic cover has no molding marks -- no mean manufacturing feat. The company's Lifestyle home theater in a box has only two speakers, instead of the industry-standard four, making it easier to set up, explains Rubin. "They have components that look good, don't take up a lot of space, don't have controls all over the place," he says.
Then there are the stand-out features, such as automation. Bose uses research into how a human ear responds to sound to build automated tone control into products. Many other audio makers' gadgets require the user to use knobs and dials to adjust volume. With Bose, sound levels are adjusted by Bose's ADAPTiQ technology, which analyzes a room's acoustics and makes automatic adjustments aimed at improving sound performance of speakers.
Industry insiders believe Bose could leverage its growing branding power to expand into new product categories and markets. Today, Bose sells everything from the SoundDock on the low end to the $3,999 Lifestyle home entertainment system. The company has a decision to make: "Do [they] want to expand the market and compete more aggressively on price, or just sell to the existing, [high-end] customer base?" says Ted Schadler, a Forrester analyst. Bose potentially could move beyond sound systems into consumer electronics more broadly, he says.
Many analysts expect the company to introduce a competitor to the Sonos Digital Music System that allows users to beam music wirelessly from the PC to a stereo, speakers, or home theater system (see BW Online, 5/8/06, "Sweeter Music From Sonos"). Given that Bose has already introduced the AL8 wireless link, allowing users to listen to their Lifestyle system remotely, a Sonos-like device would be a logical extension.
But the company's product strategy is set by its founder, Amar Bose, whose eccentricity is legendary. Still the CEO after more than 40 years, Bose, 76, invests all of the privately held outfit's profits back into research. "We are not in it strictly to make money," says Maresca. "Dr. Bose is extremely eclectic in his research interests. The business is almost a secondary consideration." That said, since 2004, when the company reported $1.3 billion in revenues, Bose's sales have risen 38.4%.
An electrical engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bose founded the company in 1964 out of frustration with the quality of speakers on the market. He is fond of saying, "if I worked for another company, I would have been fired a long time ago," according to published articles. Indeed, Maresca recalls how Bose invested tens of million of dollars over 19 years developing headset technology before making a profit. Now, headsets are a major part of the business.
Similarly, Bose's love of sports cars led to 20 years of research into suspension systems. The company is in talks with auto makers to have its product, unveiled in 2004, installed into high-end cars that might hit the road in five to seven years. "We are far more patient than most companies," says Hess.
But sound systems remain the brand's sweet spot. The company, which released several home listening systems last year, gained nine points of market share, to a total of more than 20%, and is now second in market share in home audio to heavyweight Sony.
The company has come a long way since it had to sell its systems door to door. Where Bose goes from here is an open question, but one thing's for sure: When it comes to the brand, consumers like what they hear.


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The World Got To See Sammy Sosa’s New Look And People Are Genuinely Concerned About Him
Sammy Sosa made an appearance this week on ESPN before the MLB All-Star game and made waves with his new look. Not only was the retired baseball player wearing an all pink outfit, complete with a magenta fedora, his skin was even lighter and rosier than the last time he made a public appearance –where his lighter skin was called into question. If you’ll recall back in 2009 for a Latin Grammys appearance in Las Vegas, Sosa’s skin was much lighter. He even wore contact lenses. After the Latin Grammys, he was interviewed by “Primer Impacto” about his skin. Sosa told the news show that he wasn’t trying to be like Michael Jackson, who had vitiligo and used skin lightening creams to reduce the spots that develop due to the condition. Sosa denied having vitiligo and said, “I don’t think I look like Michael Jackson.”
Sammy Sosa’s skin lightening took a giant leap recently.
Credit: ESPN/ NBCLatino/ CSNChicago
In this interview for ESPN, Sosa talked about his experiences as a player in the Home Run Derby. But it is his extremely light skin, much lighter than his last appearances back in 2009, that sparked conversation on social media.
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It was just a matter of time when mighty Microsoft will release their operating system in mobile world. For now the field of mobile and tablets applications was majorly taken by big two, Apple and Google with their operating systems iOS and Android. But now after Microsoft released their own tablets and smartphones, Lumia phones to be more specific, which are getting more and more popular, especially in 2015. Because of Windows operating system running inside them which is more opened and loved by people then first two because of Windows past success with desktops operating systems, Apple and Google should really get worried and make a plan if they want to keep their piece of fame in mobile apps world.
Now it will be interesting to wait and see what will happen and will the Microsoft win a war again against Apple like it happened in golden era of battle between these two giants. We don’t need to underestimate Google for sure because we don’t even need to explain why. This is gonna be a real “World war” in mobile apps dominating battle, and the one who wins and manage to attract users with some new innovative ideas and tools will get a huge profit from nowadays worldwide spread of mobile phone users and internet network.
For now let’s just sit and wait for Microsoft’s next move and as soon as we get some new we’re gonna announce it here in this post so stay tuned guys!
Check this paragraph often if you’re interested to know what will happen next and see you soon!