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If streaming is taking over the music industry, where do indies fit in? Welcome to the alterna-streaming revolution at Bandcamp.
Last year, Bandcamp announced that they’ve paid out $150 million to indie artists in the past 8 years. This year, Bandcamp followed up with even better news for indie artists.
According to a post on the company’s blog, Bandcamp digital albums sales grew 20%, tracks 23%, and merchandise 34%. This marks a striking contrast between the indie scene and the rest of the music industry. In line with 2016 total sales industry-wide, vinyl led the way with a 48% growth over 2015 numbers. CDs also grew 14% as well as cassettes at 58%.
According to a Nielsen report, digital album sales fell 20%, tracks 25%, and physical albums 14% in the mainstream market. In addition, in regards to physical media, Midia warned,
“At some stage, perhaps in 2017, we will see streaming in many markets hit the glass ceiling of demand that exists for the 9.99 price point. Additionally the streaming-driven download collapse and the impending CD collapses in Germany and Japan all mean that it would be unwise to expect recorded music revenues to register uninterrupted growth over the next 3 to 5 years.”
The collapse in physical and digital music formats come from an industry-wide push towards subscription music rental offerings. While the music industry celebrates over 100 million paid music subscriptions, the news poses a serious problem for fans, labels, and indie artists. Bandcamp explained why,
“As more people subscribe to music rental services, the already paltry rates paid to artists are going down (and no, artists don’t necessarily make it up in volume). But it’s not only artists who are struggling. The companies built solely around subscription music rental continue to struggle as well. Some say the model is simply broken. The success of Netflix is often used as a counterargument, but the music business is not the movie business.”
However, the company cited the push towards a subscription model as harmful for music as an art form.
“Longer term, if subscription music rental can’t work as a standalone business, then it will only exist as a service offered by corporate behemoths to draw customers into the parts of their businesses where they do make money, like selling phones, service plans, or merchandise. And when the distribution of an entire art form is controlled by just two or three nation-state-sized companies, artists and labels will have even less leverage than they do now to set fair rates, the music promoted to fans will be controlled by a small handful of gatekeepers, and more and more artists will be hit with the one-two punch of lower rates and less exposure. The net effect for music as a whole is worrisome.”
Yet, Bandcamp keeps growing steadily with its business model. Over 2,000 independent labels came on board, with hundreds of thousands of artists joining the company just last year. 2017 looks solid for the privately held company as well as independent artists who have teamed with them. The company finished the blog post offering artists an alternative to mainstream labels.


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A phone that can is flexible enough to bend,roll and twist!! .
The rumours abound that next year will see the launch of the first flexible phone. Most of the mobile manufacturing companies are working on the technology – LG, Philips, Sharp, Sony and Nokia among them – although reports suggest that South Korean phone manufacturer Samsung will be the first to deliver with its Galaxy Skin.Samsung is expecting to keep its top position by this new series of Galaxy phone. Apple is keeping their usual way of silence and it is expected that mobile giant is also working on this new technology for their new generation phones.
The displays feature energy-efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) that are highly compact and can be deployed on flexible materials such as plastic and foil. Samsung has begun testing the new devices with flexible displays with a few customers, according to the Wall Street Journal. The screens will be "foldable, rollable, wearable and more, also will allow for a high degree of durability through their use of a plastic substrate that is thinner, lighter and more flexible than conventional LCD technology," says a Samsung spokesperson.
Nokia also showed a concept phone at Nokia World with a flexible AMOLED screen that operates entirely by flexing called the 'Nokia kinetic device'. Nokia confirms the phone can be operated by also twisting the screen in different directions.The device comes with a large flexible OLED display that you can bend from the middle or from around the edges.But there is no confirmation on the release date of their new flexible phones and Nokia is working on this new technology phone to regain its crown in the mobile market again.
Whatever the technology, it is certain that in 2013 our phones will be not just smart, but bendy and also different operating mode by twisting rather than touch.

domain: news


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Sorainen has successfully defended Valdas Sarunas, a former director of Lithuania's Kedainiu Aruodai grain producer and seller, against a claim for damages brought by the company.
In recent years, blockchain technology has offered the business world a variety of new and innovative ways to improve and grow. Starting with initial coin offerings, blockchain technology has found its way into the financial services industry and many other fields of business in Lithuania. The trend of “asset tokenization” has recently become popular among companies seeking to adopt innovative modern technologies and create novel ways to apply blockchain technology when doing business. However, as convenient and simple as it may seem, asset tokenization is an extremely complicated business model, challenging not only the traditional approaches to the sale and purchase of assets, but also raising questions about the relevance of applicable laws and regulations currently in effect.
The Riga and Vilnius members of the former Derling alliance in the Baltics ⎯ Kronbergs Cukste and Dominas, respectively ⎯ have replaced the former Estonian member of the alliance, the Derling law firm, with Glikman Alvin, and have rebranded as the Levin Law alliance, which they describe as "a new force in the Baltics using the combined strength of established firms."


text: The presence of fingerprint scanner on the modern smartphone is not a surprise any more. In recent years, mobile devices have been increasingly equipped with on-screen fingerprint sensors, instead of the more familiar ones located on the back cover or at the bottom of the front panel. And recently the Chinese company Vivo introduced a new technology to capture the user's fingerprints through the gadgets' display.The relevant novelty was presented at a recent press conference. On-screen fingerprint scanner of the fourth generation from Vivo has become even faster and more accurate than its predecessor. So, its fingerprint reading speed has increased by 40%. For example, to unlock a smartphone equipped with this novelty will take only 0.35 seconds. In addition, the new scanner has shown more stable operation in bright light. It became known and the first smartphone, which will be equipped with a screen fingerprint scanner of the fourth generation. It will be the recently announced Chinese company's own smartphone - Vivo X23. And whether the novelty will justify the hopes of the manufacturer and potential users - time will tell.


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The heart of the city of London was forced to a stop when more than 12000 cab drivers kept the keys away from their vehicles. The strike that was forced up on the people of the London city was the result of the clash between the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) and the growing cab renting service Uber.
According to the claims made by LTDA, Uber is performing its actions illegally for certain cars. As a result of the strike, the important landmarks like St. James Leicester Square, Piccadilly etc suffered a lot.
According to the Licensed Taxi Drivers Organization, Uber should be banned immediately or farced to change the way they carry out their services. According to LTDA, the fare system is exactly as on the normal Taxi’s. LTDA does not have any issues with Uber using the system of paying for the distance that is travelled for the licensed taxis. The issue for them is the fact that the other vehicles under Uber like UberX, EXEC, etc also follow the same pattern. This is what is illegal.
On the other hand when the Licensed Taxi Drivers Organization was busy enforcing the strike, Uber recorded a 850% growth in the category of new sign ups. According to Jo Bertram, General Manager for Uber App in Britain and Ireland has claimed that the people of London want Uber and it is here to stay. I have been following Uber for quite some time now and one thing is for sure that Uber is certainly on a rise and plans to stay at top for log.
With the truffle between Licensed Taxi Drivers Association and Uber heating up rapidly in UK and Ireland, the front to gain will only be Uber.
[ Via ]


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In addition to introducing compatibility for 18 more banks and credit unions in the United States, Google has announced that it has partnered with PayPal to provide customers with the facility to spend their PayPal Balance using Android Pay.
The feature will start rolling out over the next few weeks, though it’ll only be available for users in the U.S. However, in a statement issued to Pocket-lint, PayPal revealed that it hopes to expand the integration to other markets in the future.
Using PayPal with Android Pay will work in exactly the same way as a regular credit or debit card; simply place an NFC-enabled smartphone on a card reader or payment terminal, then authorize the payment if necessary. That’s all there is to it.
The partnership should drive new customers to Android Pay
Forming a partnership with PayPal should drive some new customers to Android Pay, as there are plenty of users who’ve been requesting a way to spend their PayPal Balance in retail stores without withdrawing the funds, and now they finally can.


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An anonymous reader writes “A campaign started by HelloFax, Google, Expensify, and others has challenged businesses to get rid of physical paper from their office environment in 2013. According to the EPA, the average office worker uses about 10,000 sheets of paper each year, and the Paperless 2013 project wants to move all of those documents online. HelloFax CEO Joseph Walla said, ‘The digital tools that are available today blow what we had even five years ago out of the water. For the first time, it’s easy to sign, fax, and store documents without ever printing a piece of paper. It’s finally fast and simple to complete paperwork and expense reports, to manage accounting, pay bills and invoice others. The paperless office is here – we just need to use it.’ The companies involved all have a pretty obvious dog in this fight, but I can’t say I’d mind getting rid of the stacks of paper HR sends me.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Campaign To Remove Paper From Offices


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Industry veterans Sharmeelee Bala and Katie Mullen will accelerate innovation as JCPenney continues its transformation
JCPenney announced two executive appointments to fortify the Company’s e-commerce and omnichannel investments.
Sharmeelee Bala has been named chief information officer (CIO). She will assume responsibility for the information technology (IT) organization and global technology systems that power the Company’s stores, operational centers and supply chain, and corporate functions. Bala will lead development of solutions to unite JCPenney’s physical assets with its evolving digital footprint.
Bala joins the Company from Gap Inc., where she held leadership positions since 2018 and most recently served as the head of product engineering. Bala also spent 20 years with Walmart in a number of technology and executive roles of increasing responsibility. She earned a master’s degree in engineering technology from BITS Pilani in India.
Katie Mullen becomes JCPenney’s chief digital and transformation officer (CDO). Mullen will lead the growth of the e-commerce business, including jcp.com, as JCPenney reimagines how consumers experience JCPenney no matter when, where, and how they want to shop. Mullen will also be responsible for driving enterprise strategy and the Company’s transformation agenda.
Mullen most recently spent nearly three years with Neiman Marcus Group, serving as chief transformation officer and then chief digital officer. Previously, she was a partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group. Katie has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master of business administration degree from University of Pennsylvania.
“With a strong balance sheet and unique products and services backed by our iconic American brand, JCPenney is a destination for best-in-class talent like Sharmeelee and Katie,” said Marc Rosen, chief executive officer. “Sharmeelee and Katie will be invaluable partners as we move forward with our digital journey and transform the business through technology and innovation.”


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‘Creamy’ potato milk hits UK shelves today
And other stories from the stranger side of life
Potato milk will become the latest non-dairy alternative to hit UK shelves this week. Described as “deliciously creamy” and capable of producing the “perfect foam” for a latte or cappuccino, the Swedish potato milk brand Dug goes on sale in 220 Waitrose stores today, said The Guardian. The plant-based milk market is now worth about £400m a year, with oat milk the current bestseller.
MP ‘too p**sed’ to remember Boris call
A Conservative MP’s wife joked that her husband was too drunk to remember what he discussed during a call with the PM on Saturday. Johnny Mercer, a former defence minister, received the call from Boris Johnson after an afternoon of drinking while watching sport. His wife, Felicity Cornelius-Mercer, tweeted at 9.18pm that her husband was “so p**sed he can’t remember what was said”.
Decapitated skeletons found in Bucks
Dozens of decapitated skeletons discovered by archaeologists in southern England are thought to belong to “criminals” from the Roman period. The skeletons were found when archaeologists on the HS2 project discovered a late Roman cemetery, thought to be the biggest of its kind in Buckinghamshire. The researchers said the decapitation suggested the skeletons had once been “criminals or a type of outcast”.


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Microsoft will end support for Windows 8.1 in January 2023
Microsoft is preparing to send reminders to Windows 8.1 users that support will end on January 10, 2023. The software giant will start sending notifications to existing Windows 8.1 devices next month, as the first reminder before the shutdown. the January 2023 takeover, The Verge reported. .
Microsoft won’t offer an Extended Security Update (ESU) program for Windows 8.1, so businesses won’t be able to pay for additional security patches and will have to upgrade or accept the risk of running software without security updates.
Windows 8.1 users will now have to decide whether to upgrade their operating system or buy a new PC. Most Windows 8.1 machines won’t even support Windows 11, Microsoft admits, due to its stringent CPU requirements. “Most Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 devices will not meet the hardware requirements for upgrading to Windows 11, alternatively, compatible Windows 8 and 8.1 PCs can be upgraded to Windows 10 by purchasing and installing a version completeness of the software”, explains Microsoft. in an accompanying note.
This leaves Windows 10 as the likely upgrade path, which will continue to be supported until October 14, 2025. Windows 8.1 machines won’t magically stop working on January 10, 2023, but without software updates. and security patches, it’s a giant risk to continue running the OS next year.


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Denmark lifts ban on one-use-only drinks cans
Denmark has finally bowed to pressure from the European Commission to lift its ban on drinks cans, which the EC argued was in breach of the Packaging Waste Directive.
“The initiative changes the situation around the case that at present is pending at the EU court,” said the Danish Environment Ministry in a statement. A mandatory deposit scheme will replace the ban.
The history of the argument is somewhat convoluted. In 1996 the Danish Government informed the EU Commission that, as part of the implementation of the Packaging Waste Directive, it intended to keep its bottle return system in its existing form, including the ban on the marketing of metal packaging for beer and soft drinks.
However, the Commission felt that cans, glass and plastic packaging complied with the requirements of the Directive and argued that the materials in the packaging involved could all be recycled. “What is important to the Commission is not that packaging is reused, but that it is technically possible to recycle the material,” the Danish government commented.
The Commission therefore argued that Denmark could not ban the marketing of beer and soft drinks in cans and in 1997 sent the Danish government a so-called letter of formal notice on the Danish ban, the first step towards bringing the matter to the court.
In 1998, the Commission broadened the conflict with Denmark, so that it covered not only the Danish can ban, but also the view of the Commission that Danish producers should be allowed to use both refillable packaging and one-way packaging.
The Danish Government rejected the EC’s view that the Danish bottle return system infringed the Directive or any other EU legislation and alleged that the directive had not established complete harmonisation in any case. The Government called the Danish regulations a “natural follow-up of the environmental intentions of the Directive”.
The Danish fondness for glass bottles stems from the success of its recycling scheme. In 1997 the total consumption of bottles for wine and spirits in Denmark amounted to 130,000 tonnes, or 260 million bottles. The return rate for bottles in the voluntary deposit and return system was estimated at close to 90%. The remaining bottles were collected in the municipal collection schemes with other glass packaging.
Whole bottles were washed and refilled, enabling Denmark to avoid an estimated 60,000 tonnes of waste. In addition, the initiative reduced the consumption of energy and raw materials for new bottles.
However, the latest announcement represents a collapse of this system and the Danish Government’s position. EU environment commissioner Margot Wallström welcomed the announcement. She indicated that the Commission could drop the ongoing court case in a few days if Denmark’s plan proved it redundant.
The plan has also pleased Danish and non-Danish drinks manufacturers alike, for whom it will be an opportunity to expand their sales into new areas given the new harmonisation of packaging. The industry body for the steel packaging sector, APEAL, stated last year that legislation designed to cut down on the use of one-use-only packaging for beverages has no legal or scientific basis and was discriminatory, citing Denmark as one of the main culprits (see related story).
The new deposit system will set a price of DKr1.5 (€0.20) for containers of under a litre in volume and DKr4.25 (€0.57) for those of a litre and over. The Danish Environmental Agency is to set up a labelling system to ensure that bottle return machines will only take packaging sold with the deposit.


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MEXICO CITY - Grupo Oplex SA de CV of Mexico City is forming a joint venture in Mexico with a Spanish plastics foam converting company. The Mexican company reached a formal agreement in early May with Termocel SA of Barcelona to set up a 50/50 joint company. It will produce converted foam products for automotive, appliance and computer markets in Mexico, said Oplex's marketing director Javier Kassel.
The venture will invest around US$1 million initially to equip a 30,000-square-foot plant in existing buildings located at Oplex's Aeroplex auto parts complex in Tlalnepantla, north of the Mexican capital, Kassel said.
It will buy PVC and other foam material, much of it from U.S. suppliers, and make foam-backed, self-adhesive tapes, die-cut foam gaskets, filters and other converted products.
The firms plan to launch the new venture in January and sales are expected to reach around $2 million in the first year. The partners hope to expand the company to achieve annual sales of $8.5 million in five years.
To begin with, the automotive market will represent around 80 percent of the new plant's sales.
``This company [Termocel] is very similar to ours. It is small to medium-size, and they run the business pretty much as we do - hands-on, not [a] very sophisticated, large organization,'' Kassel said.
Termocel, with about $6.8 million in annual sales, has about 600 customers and produces 4,000 different foam products. Around 40 percent of its current business is with the automotive sector, with appliances representing another big share, Kassel said.
The Barcelona firm has sought a joint venture partner in Mexico for several years and was introduced to Oplex two years ago through contacts at Mexico's trade and industry ministry Secofi and foreign development bank Bancomext.
Kassel reckons there is a wide-open market for the converted foam products worth around $32 million. Existing competition is limited, he says.
``There are a lot of garage shops that make maybe one or two parts,'' Kassel said.
Kassel said the new venture will help Oplex compensate for a reduction in its traditional auto and other products in Mexican markets.


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I was among the skeptics about the iPhone, and advised people to wait for version 2.0 — for a phone that was much better than this one and not tied to AT&T as the sole network.
So I’m wondering why Apple’s huge price cut yesterday is such a surprise. There were reports that sales had plummeted after the early hype-driven mania, which surprises me not at all. But the people who bought the iPhones earlier this summer should be feeling like suckers, because they have been taken in by a classic example of marketing manipulation.
UPDATE: Apple is making a small concession. It’s offering “every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store.” In other words, early adopters have to buy something new from Apple to get this credit — there’s no rebate on the iPhone itself; suckers squared.
I hope Apple is planning a 2.0 version that fixes the thing. My guess is we’ll see something fairly soon that works with the higher-speed network AT&T has running in some cities, but even that’s not enough to make me a customer. Not even close.
Some hackers say they’ve freed the iPhone from its AT&T dependency, but I’m waiting to see what countermeasures Apple and the telecom company take to “fix” this hack. We’ll know, once it becomes more common, just how hard-wired the pairing is going to be.
Meanwhile, as noted a few days ago, I’ve been testing the Nokia E90 Communicator, which is about twice the size of the iPhone and about 10 times more useful for what I do.
One addition to my mini-review: I also discovered it makes a nifty portable video player. I ripped a DVD of several early Heroes episodes (yes, I’m now officially hooked) to the device and watched them on a plane. The audio and video were excellent.
I still carry an iPod Nano for music, but Nokia doesn’t have to do a lot more to make the E90 as close to ideal as anything is likely to be for the next year or so. The iPhone isn’t in the same league, in my view.


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Health Ranger tests off-the-shelf foods for pesticides and heavy metals
Published: 9 months ago
The Health Ranger announces a new lab test report format for off-the-shelf food and supplement tests.
Sign up for a free INBOX at GoodGopher.com (register for the Good Gopher Mail service, it's free) to receive all lab test results as they are published.
Also check http://NaturalNews.com for daily news on food lab tests.
For more updates, visit: https://www.real.video/channel/hrreport


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T-Mobile’s ‘Ditch & Switch’ Promotion
August 5th, 2016
We’ve got some good news and some bad news regarding T-Mobile’s “Ditch & Switch” promotion.
The good news is that consumers can actually get more than the advertised $650 maximum by switching to T-Mobile.
“T-Mobile does not impose any limits on the amount that it will reimburse for what is owed to a previous carrier for the consumer’s phone,” according to a recent decision by the National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the appellate unit of the advertising industry’s self-regulatory bodies that includes NAD.
The bad news is that the trade-in credit that consumers receive when they swap phones as part of the reimbursement process “may only be used to pay the consumer’s obligations to T-Mobile.” That means switching to T-Mobile requires consumers to incur out-of-pocket costs to pay off the outstanding balance owed to their old carriers (read: early termination fees). While consumers are eventually made whole through a prepaid card, a previous NAD ruling said that making consumers pay these fees conflicts with claims that T-Mobile will “pay off your phone,” “pay off every last cent,” or “cover every penny,” all of which imply that T-Mobile settles up with your former carrier directly.
RELATED: Mixed signals from cellphone ads
NAD, which initially looked into T-Mobile’s advertising after competing carrier AT&T complained, had recommended that T-Mobile discontinue these statements as well as claims that the most T-Mobile will pay consumers who switch is $650, which may have led some consumers to expect less than what they could actually get. T-Mobile appealed the ruling, at which point the case went to the NARB.
The NARB said T-Mobile should either modify its “up to $650” claim or drop the claim entirely. It also recommended that the carrier more clearly explain the reimbursement process and time frame. T-Mobile, for its part, said it would abide by the NARB’s decision.
However, the company’s apparent grasp of the meaning of “up to” leaves something to be desired. Currently on its website (see small print in the screenshot above) T-Mobile states that consumers can get “up to $650 or more” by switching to T-Mobile. But doesn’t “up to” indicate a limit and “or more” an amount that is limitless? If that’s not a mixed signal, we don’t know what is.
Find more of coverage on phones here.
The National Advertising Division, or NAD, is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. It is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. NAD asks advertisers to substantiate or change their claims in advertisements. As part of a voluntary system of self-regulation, however, its recommendations can be ignored by the offending advertisers. In those instances, NAD refers the offender to federal consumer protection agencies.


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BERLIN, May 12 (Reuters) - German internet service provider United Internet reported lower than expected first-quarter sales on Friday on advertising revenues that fell short, but confirmed its full-year targets based on how the second quarter was progressing.
It also said it had written down the value of shares held in venture capital investor Rocket Internet with an impairment charge of 19.8 million euros ($21.6 million).
Earlier on Friday, the company said it planned to buy a majority stake in mobile operator Drillisch in a staggered stock and cash deal which would boost competition at the low end of the crowded German telecoms market.
United Internet, which is due to release full results on Monday, reported sales of 989.2 million euros and eanings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 215 million.
Analysts had expected first-quarter revenue of 1.02 billion euros and EBITDA of 219 million euros, according to a Reuters poll.
“Advertising revenues of United Internet’s portals in the second quarter so far are within the budgeted range,” the company said in a statement, confirming it still expected sales this year to rise by around 7 percent and EBITDA to increase by about 12 percent. ($1 = 0.9153 euros) (Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Greg Mahlich)


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Tag - Axiotron
The Modbook Pro X tablet modification Kickstarter has blown past its goals. Earlier this week, the project passed its $150,000 milestone, with 36 people having contributed to receive a full conversion from the company. Notably, none of the donors chose to send in an existing computer, with all contributors receiving the tablet choosing for Modbook to source the entire project.
Last week, we launched the Crowdfunding Critic here on MacNN and Electronista, and promised that every Tuesday and Thursday we'd highlight a new campaign. While we were working on yesterday's selection, we got wind of this -- the Modbook Pro X, by Modbook, Inc., a modification of Apple's 15.4-inch MacBook Pro into a massive pen-enabled tablet. Based on it, we decided to do our second article in the series a day late, but we think this one is worth the wait.
The resurrected Modbook Pro will be made available with a selection of SSD-only drives. The change from standard hard disks to solid state drives will give the tablet computers a significant speed boost compared to previous versions of the Macbook Pro modification, which is set to go on sale by mid-November.
As previously reported, a new line of Modbooks was announced today. Re-born after a two-year absence, the ex-Axiotron Modbook line has been refreshed under new ownership with the Modbook Pro. The Modbook Pro takes a factory-standard 13-inch MacBook Pro, removes most of its case and adds a Wacom pen interface with 512 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, along with a ForceGlass screen.
A teaser image on Facebook materialized earlier today, showcasing what appears to be a new OS X Modbook tablet conversion. The Modbook was originally a plastic-cased MacBook converted by engineers at Axiotron into a 13-inch pen-controlled tablet. The intellectual property has been purchased by a new company now bearing the Modbook name. The teaser images are short on details, but the associated text suggests a product announcement is expected on Thursday.
Axiotron has updated its handwriting recognition application, Quickscript 3.0. The software uses a handwriting recognition engine from Vision Objects, and recognizes cursive handwriting, hand printed text and single characters, with support for 26 languages. It supports direct input into applications like Word, Excel, Pages and TextEdit. It uses Kopernikus digital assistant software, which supports AppleScript, allowing users to open applications and perform other tasks by writing short commands on the Quickscript writing pad.
Demonstrating at its Macworld booth, Axiotron has launched the Modbook Pro, a new tablet conversion option. The computer is based off of the 15.4-inch unibody MacBook Pro, and thus represents the first Modbook not to be converted from a 13-inch basic MacBook. It uses an aluminum frame with a black luster finish, and is said to support simultaneous pen and finger input.
Steve Wozniak will be making an appearance at next week's Macworld Expo, an announcement has revealed. The Apple co-founder will not be appearing on behalf of his former company, however, but rather as a member of the board of advisors for Axiotron, builder of the Modbook MacBook conversion. Together with other people in Axiotron, Wozniak will help to unveil new technology at Axiotron's booth, 502, starting at 12PM on January 6th.


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Sri Lanka Design Festival 2012
This year's Sri Lanka Design Festival continued its focus on how brands and manufacturers can improve speed to market while maintaining their eco and ethical credentials. just-style visited the country, and saw a number of eco-factories, attended the South Asian Leadership Forum and a sustainability event. You can find all the articles from the trip here.
Collaboration, speed to market and building the 'Made in Sri Lanka' brand emerged as key themes at this year's South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum, held as part of last week's Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF).
Sri Lankan clothing producer Timex is expanding its own brands in Asia and Europe as part of plans to move into higher margin areas to offset rising costs in its domestic manufacturing operations.
Suppliers may need to undergo only one audit a year on their sustainability and environmental credentials if an eco-index initiative by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) takes off.
Sri Lanka is cementing its position at the vanguard of sustainable and ethical fashion production because "it's the right thing to do, and something we wanted to do," according to Nikhil Hirdaramani, director at one of the country's leading manufacturers.
The power of the fashion industry to induce consumers to become more sustainable was a key theme of today's Sustainable Fashion Symposium at the Sri Lanka Design Festival.
Clothing brands can improve their speed to market and sustainabilty through the development of shipping hubs near their sourcing markets, delegates at the Sri Lanka Design Festival were told today (16 November).
I'm in sunny Sri Lanka. Sadly, I'm not poolside sipping on cocktails, but hard at work bringing you the latest from the 2012 Sri Lankan Design Festival, which began tonight (15 November).
- Improved supplier capabilities benefit Next
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- India's labour law reforms edge a step closer
- Retailers voice concerns on Scottish independence
- H&M goes green with Conscious Denim
- Under Armour "resonating strongly" with consumers
- TPP talks "make progress" but issues remain
- Adidas defends position despite investor unrest
- Brandix selects first "game-changing" innovations
- Apparel Market in China to 2018 - Market Size, Trends, and Forecasts
- Wool in the 21st Century: new prospects for a familiar fibre
- Global market review of denim and jeanswear – forecasts to 2020
- Global Database of the Top 1000 Apparel Producers - Company Names, Financial Performance, Key Executives, and Contact Details
- Global Database of the Top 1000 Cut and Sew Apparel Producers - Company Names, Financial Performance, Key Executives, and Contact Details


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WASHINGTON – On a short subway ride,Katie Braggs,20,reached in her purse for her source of entertainment.
Inside what looks a pack of cigarettes or a small deck of cards,Braggs has her lifetime music collection – some 500 songs – literally at her fingertips.
“Oh my gosh,I love it so much,” the 20-year old college student said of her new Apple iPod,a sleek digital music player wildly popular among young people. “It's perfect for me.”
Braggs has transferred most of the music on her CDs to her iPod,and she uses Apple's iTunes Music Store to download new music for 99 cents a song. To her,songs exist not on CDs or records,but in cyberspace – as digital files.
Spurred by the growth of the Internet,digital music will eventually usurp CD technology,fundamentally changing how music is distributed and stored,industry experts agree. Like records and tapes,CDs will retain some usefulness,but they'll largely be relics.
“If you're looking ahead,the CD is basically dead,” said James V. DeLong,a Washington lawyer who directs the Center for the Study of Digital Property,an offshoot of the Progress and Freedom Foundation. “It's really impractical to be putting bits of information on pieces of plastic and then sending them all over the country in trucks.”
Even with exponential growth,the digital music industry is in its infancy. The most glaring question is how the recording industry,which has spent millions of dollars fighting online piracy in courts,will adapt and profit from it,DeLong said.
Despite the recording industry's effort,unauthorized file sharing continues to grow. In November an average of more than 5 million users were logged onto unauthorized networks,more than double November 2003,according to BigChampagne,a company that tracks online file sharing and legal download stores.
Eric Garland,BigChampagne's chief executive officer,said for every song downloaded on iTunes,there are 100 swapped on unauthorized networks.
“Paid downloads are still a very small market,” he said.
Nothing spurred the movement to digital music more than the explosion of file sharing on the Napster network in 1998,when millions of teenagers swapped their music collections online to the chagrin of the recording industry.
Its trade group,the Recording Industry Association of America,sued the network,which operated on a central server,out of existence in 2001. No Napster-like Utopia for file sharing has emerged since,but several alternatives have surfaced,most of which RIAA has sued.
Today's file-sharing networks are decentralized. Called “peer to peer,” users connect only with other users,not with a central server.
To eradicate P2P networks,RIAA would have to disable the software on every individual computer,Garland said.
The recording industry has turned to suing thousands of individuals who make large quantities of copyrighted material available over file sharing networks and to going after the makers of the software that allows for the activity.
Last week,the Supreme Court agreed to take up one of those cases,in which lower courts ruled that makers of programs like Grokster and Kazaa are not liable if their software is used for copyright infringement.
Even if the courts side with the record companies,Garland said unauthorized file sharing will always be around. Software developers are constantly working on stronger P2P technology that will soon be available,he said.
Garland said it's simply a generational divide: Teenagers who had the world's music catalog available to them on Napster simply expect that kind of access,and they'll keep switching computer programs until they get it.
“The people who did not experience that,they just think it's ‘stealing music,'” he said.
Laith Mosley,27,an avid iPod user,said he's downloaded music on unauthorized networks before,but since the RIAA has sued thousands of individuals,“It's not worth the risk.”
Now Mosley uses iTunes. The service controls more than 70 percent of the market.
About 54 million songs were downloaded on paid services in the first half of 2004,up from 11 million in the last half of 2003,according to Nielson's SoundScan.
iTunes has sold more than 150 million songs in its three-year history.
“People with iPods are definitely buying music from iTunes,and by contrast with recent history,are buying more digital music than ever before,” said Jeremy Horwitz,editor-in-chief of the independent iPodlounge.com.
Though there about a dozen cheaper digital music players,the iPod,which costs $250 to $600,depending on the model,remains dominant. That's partly because it works with the iTunes store,but also because the iPod has a sleek,elegant design and is practically effortless to use,Horwitz said.
“And no one else has been able to duplicate or supercede it,” he said.
In the last three years,a subculture has developed among iPod users. Horwitz said interest in iPodlounge,a niche online publication,has soared to 1.7 million readers in November alone.
“It's definitely a fad,” said Steven Kyle Joseph,24,a professional actor from New York and an iPod owner.
Braggs,who attends Catholic University of America in Washington,said,“You walk around campus,and you see people with them everywhere. It's like everyone has one.”
Braggs owns an iPod mini,which stores fewer songs than the standard iPod. Like cars and cell phones,iPod-minis come in several colors. Braggs chose lime-green,which she said reflects her personality.
Although the iPod is the digital music player of choice,there is no uniform way that users acquire music. Some,like Braggs,buy from the iTunes store or share with friends. Joseph still buys CDs,transferring the music to his iPod for when he travels or exercises.
The success of iTunes shows there is a viable market for pay services,Horwitz and Garland said.
To take the digital music movement mainstream,Apple would need to lower the price of the iPod and expand iTunes' catalog of about a million songs to 20 to 25 million,roughly the amount of music available for sale,they said.
Garland said Apple could also do better by allowing users to buy into a subscription service so that they only have to pay once. The thought of adding another dollar to the credit card tends to keep people from spending more than an average of $20,he said.
Horwitz said,“If Apple can attract enough mainstream consumers to the iPod platform – people who aren’t familiar with tools for online piracy and prefer not to risk being sued by the RIAA – they can grow the legal market for music even further.”


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Sneakers: Listeners' Stories Laced With Love
from National Public Radio
October 2, 2009
Last week, All Things Considered reported about the 60-year-old feud between sporting giants Adidas and Puma being put on hold for a day for a soccer match to celebrate International Peace Day.
Adidas and Puma make some of the most iconic shoes. And people are passionate about their sneakers, running shoes, tennis shoes â€” whatever you want to call them. So, NPR asked listeners to share their favorite sneaker stories and photographs of their shoes.
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
- All Things Considered, October 2, 2009


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With the coming of Google TV 2.0, giddiness over access to the Android App Market has left another key app-related feature unnoticed: Google TV users will be able to install non-market apps as well. This feature builds a space for creation and proliferation within separate app markets, as well as space in which other Android-powered copycat streaming devices that could compete with Google TV products.
In the GIGAOM article from which this is article is sourced, a comparison is drawn between the tablet market and the Google TV market, as tablets provide an easy to see example of a wide diversification of spin-off products which offer access to third-party app markets, but even without a tablet comparison its easy to see how similar Google TV copy-cats are already abundant in the streaming TV space: Boxee, Roku, Netgear, WD, Seagate and others all have options available to consumers. While it is likely that these impersonators don’t have access to the Android Market, it also seems likely that with time and interest, more and more apps will be optimized for these devices, or they may simply elect to go Android themselves.
Could this seemingly unchecked creative space for both product proliferation and app optimization eventually lead to competition for Google TV products? And more importantly, does Google TV have anything to fear?
Well, the good news is that Google has strict requirements for Google TV hardware makers: devices must support ARM chips, include plenty of RAM, and work with a cable box and a full QWERTY keyboard. Hence, it seems hard to believe that others will sneak to the forefront of innovation or customer need. However, if other contenders in the connected TV space go Android, grab enough apps and offer access to a separate app market, they could potentially steal some thunder.
The key will be to avoid too much fragmentation: multiple Android-based platforms could cause consumer confusion and apps that work on one platform and not another could lead to developer frustration. On the other hand, any device that gets consumers using Android over iOS could only help Google TV succeed. Besides, impersonation is the most sincere form of flattery, and competition breeds innovation.
Yesterday we told you about the problems Google is currently having with some of the major networks. For those of you who need to catch up, ABC, CBS, and NBC are all blocking Google TV devices from accessing the video content on their websites, and Fox is considering doing the same thing.
Boxee CEO Avner Ronen thinks this is bupkis, which is not all that surprising considering these same networks might just consider giving Boxee the same treatment when their Boxee Box is released next month. Ronen had the following to say on the subject:
“We think that it makes much more sense for the business model to be based on the content and not on the device or the screen size. If someone paid for a video (or is watching the video with ads) it should not matter which device (or) browser he is using.”
It will certainly be interesting to see how this whole Google vs network TV fiasco plays out, and if Boxee is met with the same fate.
D-Link and Boxee are now taking pre-orders for their latest iteration of the Boxee Box. Shipments are slated for November 2010 with an expected “street price” of $199.
The release delays we mentioned back in July were at least partially due to a switch in processors. The originally intended NVIDIA Tegra 2 has been replaced by Intel’s CE4100, the same chip used in Google TV. According to Avner Ronen, founder of Boxee, this decision was credited to internal testing that proved faster decoding rates between formats.
Source: Media Beat
Yesterday, Roku announced they have lowered prices across their entire line of streaming set-top-boxes, in anticipation of competition from other Internet TV devices like Google TV. Their SD (standard definition) box is now $59.99, their HD offering is now $69.99, and their high end HD-XR is now $99.99. The SD box is down $20 from $79.99, and both the HD and HD-XR are down $30 dollars.
Roku currently offers a variety of streaming options, including channels for Netflix, Pandora, Amazon, as well as content from the NBA, MLB, and UFC sports associations. The pricing is clearly an attempt to give them an edge over companies like Google, Apple, and Boxee, which are all expected to be releasing products this fall. In terms of functionality, however, we will have to wait and see how the Roku box will stand up against the other offerings.
We’ve said it before, and we’re saying it again. Boxee has yet again announced a change of plans for the release of its first set top box. Some of you may remember last month when Boxee delayed the device, once slated for June, until this coming November. Unsurprisingly, there isn’t a concrete release date at this time, but Boxee CEO Avner Ronen is assuring an announcement will be made very soon. This persistant flip-flopping is surely a reaction to the Fall release of Google TV, and the increasing rumors of an updated Apple TV. Boxee would love their device to be first in the race for the market, but it is yet to be seen if they can actually pull it off.
It has been nearly a month since Google TV was first announced at I/O this past May. Since then, the reactions from the media, as well as the general public, have been a mixture of wonder, anticipation, skepticism, and disregard. Given the fact that very little is known about how the platform will actually perform, opinions are being formed based on a mixture of the information that was received from Google at I/O, and what has been trickling out of the tech blogs and media outlets. What is obvious from following all of the data streams is that people are generally torn over what to think/feel/expect from Google’s latest offering.
On one hand, you have those that are genuinely excited and eager to sample the search giants foray into home entertainment. Many of these folks are looking through the lens of business and profitability more so than the entertainment aspect.
James McQuivey, writing for Forrester, points out that TV brings in about $70 billion a year in advertising revenue, about the same in cable and satellite subscription fees, and another $25 billion in electronics sales. If you take into account the additional money makers, such as paid on-demand movies and prime time sporting events, TV is an almost $200 billion dollar-a-year industry.
Some feel that Google should have stopped with TV ads, which to date has pulled in an estimated $200 to $500 million since 2007, but by being in control of how users find and view their content, Google is better poised to target ads based on viewing habits and personalized search. Current estimates place the average US viewer in front of their TV for nearly 5 hours a day, which makes Google’s venture into TV almost a no-brainer.
From a user standpoint, those eager to get their hands on Google TV are looking forward to the ability to watch all their favorite online content directly on their TVs. There are certainly a number of alternatives (some better than others), but unless you are a DIY enthusiest or do not mind using multiple pieces of hardware and/or software, there really has not been a user friendly be-all, end-all solution for pulling content from Youtube, Netflix, and other major online video sources.
Google also has Android on it’s side. With the mobile OS user base, as well as the Android Marketplace, growing every day, Google is gaining a legion of supporters who are likely to have an interest in what Google TV has to offer. The Android Marketplace instantly gives Google a tried and tested platform for delivering apps, and provides developers an accessible market to host apps and content tailored for TV use. Also, with Logitech offering an interactive and useful means of controlling Google TV, the basis of the Android argument gains even more credibility.
On the other hand, you have the skeptics. These individuals, some for business reasons, others more personal, are of the opinion that integrating TV and the Web has been tried before, often unsuccessfully. Some point to Apple’s largely failed attempt with Apple TV, or the much delayed Boxee hardware box, which many wonder if it will ever see the light of day.
Speaking of Apple, Steve Jobs, unsurprisingly, has been one of Google’s most vocal critics. Speaking recently at the Wall Street Journal’s D8 conference, Jobs had this to say about Google TV, and TV in general:
“The television industry fundamentally has a subsidized business model that gives everyone a set-top box, and that pretty much undermines innovation in the sector. Ask TiVo, ask Roku, ask Google in a few months. The only way this is going to change is if you start from scratch, tear up the box, redesign and get it to the consumer in a way that they want to buy it. But right now, there’s no way to do that….The TV is going to lose until there’s a viable go-to-market strategy”
Jobs is not the only industry figure to voice their opinions about Google TV. TiVo recently weighed in on the argument in a post on the company’s official blog, where VP of marketing Tony Lee sought to remind everyone of his company’s impact on television, namely revolutionizing DVR.
Others have argued that Google will face opposition from cable and satellite providers (Dish Network excluded), and that TiVo and Hulu pose serious threats to their success. There are several flaws to these arguments, however. With practically all cable and satellite providers offering set-top boxes with DVR functionality built right in, often times at no extra cost, there is little reason to seek an expensive, third party option. Of course, TiVo does offer many features not found in these other devices, including the ability to stream Netflix, but with a Google TV hardware box likely to cost roughly the same, consumers might be inclined to go the Google TV route.
Also, if Google can partner up with a couple more service providers in addition to Dish Network and bring Google TV powered hardware to millions of homes via standard set-top boxes, Google could gain a serious edge over the competition.
Still, the path for Google to achieve dominance in TV is not clearcut, as serious competition potential still exists. The major elephant in the room for Google is Apple, and although the heavily rumored Apple TV 2.0 was not announced at WWDC 2010 as expected, you can bet Apple has something in the works. There are others too, like Boxee, which could be a thorn in Google’s side, especially if bought out by a giant like Microsoft.
Until Google TV is actually released, however, many will continue to remain on the sidelines. Google certainly has some hurdles to overcome, but if they play their cards right, and continue to establish partnerships with major companies, Google TV has the potential to go as far as they chose to take it. Until then, we will continue to wait with anticipation, and keep our eyes on the debate which is sure to carry on in the months to come.
Every Sunday, we recap the most important news of the week for those of you who need to play catch up. This week was less chaotic than expected given the lack of an Apple TV 2.0 announcement at WWDC, but there was still plenty to cover. See below for a link to our articles for this week:
Boxee box delayed until November
Project Leap: another Web-TV player emerges
Samsung to add Google Maps to TV’s
TiVo’s Tony Lee: We revolutionized TV first
Images of what appears to be a Sony Google TV box surface
Samsung, LG among newest possible Google TV partners
Google beefing up video index to prepare for Google TV
Chinese electronics company TCL announces Android-based TV
No new Apple TV announcement at Apple’s WWDC 2010
With no specific release date for Google TV as of yet, many people might be wondering what they can do in the mean time to watch Web content on their TVs. It’s not as difficult as one might think, and can be done with technology you most likely already have in your home, or with various hardware devices available for purchase. Let’s look at a few (but not all) of these options.
1. Apple TV
What ended up being a rather niche device still holds value in the Web to TV market, especially for those who hold a large library of media from the iTunes store. While this device does the job of bringing your iTunes library to your TV, it unfortunately is not useful for much else. Those who are a bit more tech savvy can attempt to install the Boxee software (which we will discuss next), but this process is not intended for beginners and can bring mixed results. Priced at $220, this is an ideal choice for iTunes users who want a simple and effective way to bring content to their TVs.
Boxee is quickly becoming a popular solution to bring Web content to TV. It offers a free, cross-platform software solution, an upcoming hardware solution (seen above), and access to various online content including Netflix, Hulu (sometimes), Youtube, and more. If you currently own a laptop or spare PC with any form of video out (VGA, DVI, S-VIDEO or HDMI) and audio out (minijack or otherwise), you can connect your computer and TV using inexpensive component cables and load up your favorite video. The software, as previously mentioned, runs on all platforms, but Linux users beware: there is still no streaming support for Netflix. Despite the occasional hiccups with Hulu, and the potential volitile relationship between Boxee and Google TV, it is a very user friendly solution which offers both a software and hardware solution.
If you find yourself streaming a lot of content through Netflix, Roku might be an ideal solution to enjoy this content on your TV. Available in three formats, a standard definition, HD, and HD with Wireless-N, this device connects to your television using either standard RCA, S-Video, or HDMI and allows you access to all streaming content on Netflix, Amazon Video and, if you subscribe, MLB.tv and NBA Game Time. While it currently does not allow the option to view other content such as Youtube videos or Hulu, if you find yourself streaming a lot of content on Netflix, this is a very affordable and easy to use option.
4. Game Consoles, Blu-ray players, TiVo
Depending on what form of content you are seeking, next gen consoles, Blu-ray players, and certain DVRs like TiVo allow access to certain Web media. Netflix streaming, for example, can be accomplished on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. Playstation 3 can also be used to view content on Hulu, although it is a several step process. Many Blu-ray players also allow for Netflix streaming, as well as other content such as Blockbuster and Youtube. And if you own a newer TiVo DVR, you are ready to stream Netflix.
There are a variety of other options as well, although they can be more costly and involve much more time and energy to set up. Several brands of HDTV’s come internet ready for streaming various kinds of online content. Additionally, if you are a DIY enthusiast, home brew DVR solutions like Myth TV allow for the streaming of various online content, and Windows Media Center is quite popular as well. Out of all the options presented here, Boxee is currently the nearest all around solution to bringing your favorite Web content to your TV. The forthcoming of Google TV is surely striking fear into the hearts of those at camp Boxee, and it will be interesting to witness how the relationship between these two companies evolves.
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Tokyo – D&M Holdings said here Thursday it has sold most of the assets of its digital video
Burbank, Calif. — Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group said it named Thomas Gewecke president
Denver –– A Dish Network plug-in for the Archos 705 Wi-Fi and 605 Wi-Fi portable media players
Irvine, Calif. – Iogear expanded its Bluetooth product line with the addition of two SKUs.
San Diego — Sony Electronics, which launched a national electronics recycling initiative last
Miramar, Fla. — High-end home theater projector manufacturer Sim2 named Charles Boornazian, formerly
New York – Apple will open its third Manhattan locale and its 204th
New York — Dell held a public unveiling of the Dell XPS One all-in-one PC here last night at a
EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. - Ralph J. Wolfe, 82, long-time CE executive with General
San Francisco – The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association will makes its
San Antonio — The Progressive Retailers Organization was at the Westin La Cantera Hill Coun
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. – Ingram Micro Consumer Electronics (IMCE), a division o
The Home Technology Specialists of America Spring Meeting was held April 3-5 at the Hyatt Regency
If you are having trouble accessing TWICE content or wish to subscribe to TWICE Online please email firstname.lastname@example.org or call 866-71-PRESS (866-717-7377).


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iPhones can automatically blur the backgrounds of still images but not video. Enter Focos Live, a recently released application that brings to iPhone video the effect Apple calls Portrait mode (and everyone else calls “bokeh”). The effect gives photographers the ability to unfocus the background to draw attention to what’s going on in the foreground.
“With the functionality of taking portrait videos with aperture and bokeh effect, Focos Live is the next big thing when it comes to computational photography,” Focos Live developer Xiaodong Wang says.
He points out that his iPhone or iPad app can even be used to change the focus of a video after it has been filmed.
However, Focos Live can’t film with the bokeh effect on cameras that can’t already take bokeh still images. That includes the rear cameras on the 2020 iPad.
Focos Live offers far more than bokeh video
This application isn’t a one-trick pony, however. It can do far more than just film with the bokeh effect. Multiple videos, still images and more can be combined. It also can handle speed ramping — speeding up or slowing down a recording. There’s an audio manager built in, too.
Cielo de la Paz, a professional photographer who was featured by Apple in the Shot on iPhone ad campaign a few years ago, did some testing of this new software. Check it out:
Focos Live can be downloaded today from the App Store. Lifetime unlimited use costs $14.99. Subscriptions run $1.99 a month or $8.99 a year.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the iPhone 12 will add support for bokeh video. The feature supposedly will extend to earlier models, too (possibly because Samsung mocked the iPhone 11 for not including it).
Xiaodong also created Focos, which lets user do far more with their Portrait mode still images than is possible with Apple’s Camera application.


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In order to record coffee consumption in nutrition and health studies, researchers usually rely on self-reporting by participants. However, this is not always reliable. It would therefore be desirable to conduct additional studies to objectively verify individual consumption using biomarkers. A research team led by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now validated the suitability of a specific roasted coffee compound and proposes it as a new, practical food biomarker.
from Pressemitteilungen – idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft https://ift.tt/mOlfJ41


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Washington State China Relations Council names new leader
Heim most recently worked for the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington as assistant director of the Confucius Institute. She also led other China initiatives for the Jackson School.
“We’re excited to have Kristi take on leadership of the council,” said Michael Rawding, who chairs the council’s board, in a statement. “Her knowledge of China and Washington state, and entrepreneurial ideas to build economic and cultural relations between the two, are the perfect combination to guide the council into the future.”
China is Washington state’s largest trading partner in terms of imports and exports, buying $14.5 billion of Washington products (mostly airplanes) in 2012, and shipping $8.5 billion in Chinese products through and to Washington, according to figures from the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research.
“Through the council, I believe I can help the state and region better promote our strengths and our brand in China,” Heim wrote in an email interview. “I am convinced that we have a chance to make a difference in building a better world, and we can start right here.”
The council is the oldest non-governmental statewide trade association in the United States that focuses on China. More than 100 companies are members.
Steve Wilhelm covers manufacturing, aerospace and trade for the Puget Sound Business Journal.
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Premium-Inhalt. There's been a cavalcade of exciting announcements coming out of E3 2011, but what do they mean for diehard PC gamers? Our editors have been on the show floor testing new hardware, playing games and talking to developers all week long in an effort to find out.
Premium-Inhalt. Apple has surpassed HP and all other equipment manufacturers to become the world's largest consumer of semiconductor technology, largely because of the popularity of its mobile devices.
Premium-Inhalt. In case you missed Wednesday night's episode of the Colbert Report, we thought we'd show you getting his head 3D printed by . Is that the geekiest thing you've ever seen on the or what?
Premium-Inhalt. After a long and winding path that has seen stops at both the iPhone and the iPad, developer Silvio Rizzi has finally released his newsreader app on Apple's longest running platform, in the form of the aptly named .
Premium-Inhalt. Today was going to be about finally getting my Cisco AnyConnect VPN client set up in so I don't have to work in Ubuntu, write in LibreOffice Writer in Ubuntu, then reboot into Windows to actually publish the article to PCWorld. Apparently, that is easier said than done.
Premium-Inhalt. Does anyone want ? The fading social network continues its desperate quest to find new investors, but the situation looks bleak.
Premium-Inhalt. When Akshay Kothari and Ankit Gupta began designing the for iPad at Stanford University, what they were really hoping for was a good grade.
Premium-Inhalt. Amidst a sea of , demos, I was pleased to get some hands-on time with From Software's Dark Souls at E3 2011. It's a game that demands to be played, its somber atmosphere standing in stark contrast to the tightly-scripted, shock-and-awe action sequences that dominate the E3 show floor.
Premium-Inhalt. Volition's Saints Row was once regarded as little more than a shameless clone. But times change, and while GTA has evolved into a mature open world drama, Saints Row: The Third goes in the complete opposite direction.
Premium-Inhalt. Movie-goers in the know are wary of sequels because, more often than not, those second and third installments fail to come up with anything original. It's entirely fitting, then, that an iOS game released to promote the feature film should fall into this sequel trap of merely repeating past glories. What's disappointing, however, is that chooses to repeat past glories.
Premium-Inhalt. According to Shigeru Miyamoto, speaking with , you'll likely only be able to use one of Wii U's fancy new touchscreen controllers on the system at a time -- which explains the reports circulating yesterday that the controller would not be sold separately.
Premium-Inhalt. Quirky story of the day: a "senior informant" speaking with earlier today told of how they allegedly saw the Activision CEO's personal assistant discussing the possibility of Kotick getting some hands-on time with Battlefield 3 -- and being turned down.
Premium-Inhalt. Arma 2 is an interesting game, even amongst the crowded world of military-themed shooters. It's enormously ambitious, with large-scale battles, one of the most realistic physics models in the industry and a dynamic campaign that unfolds according to players' actions. It's also got a few flaws and has something of a learning curve to it. If you've been interested in the game but not enough to drop money on it, you may want to check out Arma 2 Free, releasing later this month from developer Bohemia Interactive.


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Quebec Gets Its First Ever "Tesla Model S" Taxi
Photo cred - @teslataxi
Electric taxis are definitely the way of the future. Montreal already has plans to launch a fleet of electrically-powered cabs, though that's not for a few years. Hoping to make more money, while also helping the environment, one cabbie in Quebec decided to take the initiative and be well ahead of the curve, becoming the first North American taxi driver to drive an electric cab, reports TVA.
Christian Roy, after reading about electric taxi driver Trond Gustav Sømme from Norway, decided to also make the switch to a Tesla electric taxi. Despite some initial funding issues (the car costed $97, 000), Roy eventually got the money together, with some help from Fin Taxi, and has since reaped all the monetary benefits of his new electric ride.
With the high price of gas, taxi drivers spend a lot of money on fueling their cars, though Roy doesn't have to worry too much about that anymore. According to Roy, his Tesla car only costs him 3 cents per kilometer, and as he charges $2/km, the profit margin is quite extradorinary, and hard to ignore.
The only issue Roy has encountered is the limited amount of charging stations available for his Tesla car. Only a few exist in the Roy's area, though he believes that once Tesla cars become more widespread (a dealership is planned for Montreal in 2015) a lot more charging stations will pop up.
Driving an electric taxi looks to be a win-win for the drivesr and the environment, with the former saving/making a lot more money and the latter being saved from all 'dem toxic fumes cars normally spout. Even if cabbies aren't too concerned with Mother Nature's well-being, the money the stand to make by switching to Tesla seems too good to pass up, so hopefully we'll see more electric cabs on the road sooner rather than later.


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Potato prices are rising as last year’s crop finishes from storage and the new crop gets higher volume into the pipeline.
The summer is a contrast to 10 weeks ago when the potato market was reeling from the effects of the pandemic, which saw foodservice demand drop and prices cut in half from March to May.
Compared to the last two years, the volume for this period is very similar, said Raul Lopez, agronomist and vice president of Agtools Inc. BB #:355102
Blue Book has teamed with Agtools Inc., the data analytic service for the produce industry, to look at a handful of crops and how they’re adjusting in the market during the pandemic.
With ups and downs, the total volume continues in the annual range of 2.2 billion pounds. There is a slight decrease in volume this year in the second half of July. It seems that this market has recovered after the lockdown.
F.O.B. PRICE FOR IDAHO CONVENTIONAL POTATOES 50 LB CASE SIZE 70S
The F.O.B. price in the last 90 days has been increasing, Lopez said. In early May the price was lower than the 2 previous years. The lowest price was below $10. In the second half of May, it increased to $14 and remained steady until the first week of July that started an upward trend, reaching $20. It seems that this trend has not stopped yet, he said.
NEW YORK TERMINAL MARKET FOR CONVENTIONAL IDAHO POTATOES SIZE 70S
The New York market has been cheaper this year compared to the previous one. During May, the price dropped from $26 to $20 and for a few days even below that, Lopez said.
In the month of June there were ups and downs, and remained in that range, however in July, the price has started to increase very fast. For the 3rd week of July, the price has reached $28, and it seems that it will continue increasing.
Idaho produces almost 40 percent of the volume in 2020. Colorado produces almost 12 percent and Central California approximately 7.5 percent of the volume. Idaho and Colorado have supplied less volume compared to 2019, and California, Washington and Canada have increased their volume in this period.


text: Google Wallet revamp tipped for I/O event When might we see the rumored Apple car? Apple offering free Macbook Pro repairs Motorola: 'iPhone prices are outrageous' Is Apple hiring staff for its car project? Best new apps for tablets & smartphones Google Play Music app comes to iPad Apple aiming to sell 5m Apple Watches Is Apple developing its own VR headset? Apple MacBook next to receive Touch ID? Zane Lowe on leaving BBC for Apple Apple Watch 'had health sensors removed' iPad Pro case leak sheds light on dimensions Apple's 'electric car will be self-driving' App Store adds 'Pay Once and Play' section Apple developing an electric car? Nike Fuelband now obsolete to iOS users Apple raises iOS app size cap to 4GB Best new apps for tablets & smartphones Android 5.0 beats iOS 8 in stability test iMessage and FaceTime now more secure Apple tipped to rival Tesla in car market iPhone 'kill switch' sees thefts decline Is Google working on a new Apple Pay rival? Aperture will be unavailable in the spring iOS 8.4 to include revamped Beats Music? Will iOS 9 use less storage than iOS 8? Apple Watch app will assist diabetics What is 2015's most anticipated smartphone? The week's biggest tech news in pictures Best new apps for tablets & smartphones Apple begins rollout of Photos for OS X Is Apple developing its own search engine? Apple to hold product unveiling this month? Apple building Beats-based streaming service? Is Apple making a Street View rival? Apple 'wants Apple Watch apps ready soon' The week's biggest tech news in pictures Apple Watch UK release date uncertain? How many speakers will the iPad Pro have?


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ExOne (NASDAQ:XONE) will be posting its quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, March 15th. Analysts expect ExOne to post earnings of ($0.05) per share for the quarter.
Shares of ExOne (NASDAQ:XONE) opened at $9.33 on Tuesday. ExOne has a 52 week low of $6.72 and a 52 week high of $14.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a market capitalization of $150.76, a P/E ratio of -7.23 and a beta of 3.41.
In other ExOne news, Director John Irvin sold 3,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.01, for a total value of $31,031.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $50,050. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold 31,120 shares of company stock valued at $311,791 in the last quarter. 31.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Several research analysts have issued reports on XONE shares. Canaccord Genuity upgraded ExOne from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $9.50 to $13.00 in a research report on Monday, November 13th. Zacks Investment Research cut ExOne from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded ExOne from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $9.50 to $13.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. ExOne has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.67.
The ExOne Company is a provider of three dimensional (3D) printing machines and 3D printed and other products, materials and services to industrial customers. The Company’s business primarily consists of manufacturing and selling 3D printing machines and printing products to specification for its customers using its installed base of 3D printing machines.
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Survey: Layoffs leading to IT theft
- South Florida Business Journal
Employers beware: A new study finds that 58 percent of office workers who face being laid off admit they will take valuable data with them – if they could get away with it.
A survey of 226 office workers on Wall Street, conducted by IT security experts Cyber-Ark, found many are downloading sensitive company secrets, just in case they lose their job.
The 57 percent of office workers who admit to having taken competitive corporate data say they will use it as a negotiating tool to secure their next job with the knowledge that it will be useful to future employers.
Topping the list of information being taken is customer and contact databases, followed by plans and proposals, product information, and access and password codes.
Memory sticks are often the “weapon of choice,” followed by photocopying, e-mailing, CDs, online encrypted storage Web sites, smart phones, DVDs, cameras, Skype and iPods.
And, apparently, there are some folks out there with photographic memories, as 7 percent said they would try to memorize the data.
“The damage that insiders can do should not be underestimated. It can take just a few minutes for an entire database that has taken years to build to be copied to a CD or USB stick,” said Adam Bosnian, Cyber-Ark’s VP of products, strategy and sales. “With a faltering economy resulting in increased jobs cuts, deferred promotions and additional stress, companies need to be especially vigilant about protecting their most sensitive data against nervous or disgruntled employees.”
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The theme of Intel's third quarter earnings today is paying no mind to last year and focusing on how much better things are compared to Q2.
Chipzilla is indeed doing much better sequentially. But to finger the issue more precisely, Intel had suffered a particularly awful second quarter this year. (It was also hit with a $1.45bn antitrust fine imposed by the European Commission). Now, conditions seems to be improving, although they still look poor when compared to Q3 of 2008, when Intel posted its highest revenue ever for that quarter and described the economic crisis as "creating stress that may impact our business."
Intel's financial boss Stacy Smith called the three months ended June 27 "exceptional" (but that's his job, isn't it?). He attributes Intel's healing coffers to a return of PC sales, improved factory output and costs, and lower unit costs across all lines of businesses than anticipated.
Intel chief executive Paul Otellini said it was "the right products, at the right time, for a recovering global economy." He later added that he "wouldn't argue" with some third-party forecasts for PC unit growth of 10 per cent or more in 2010.
Net revenue in Q3 was $9.4bn, an 8 per cent drop versus $10.2bn year-over-year. On the other paw, its the largest second-to-third quarter revenue growth in over 30 years for Intel. The 8 per cent drop is also an improvement from the 15 per cent and 26 per cent year-over-year declines in the first and second quarter respectively.
Intel's net income for the quarter was $1.9bn, down versus $2bn year-over-year. Operating income in Q3 was $2.6bn, compared to $3.1bn in the same period last year.
Enterprise microprocessor revenue for the quarter was $3.87bn, down from $4.07bn year-over-year. Laptop and mobile device chip revenue was $2.92bn, down from $3.39bn year-over-year.
Otellini said while sales of Atom microprocessors and chipsets for low-cost netbooks and PCs continue to expand, traditional notebooks continue to lead mobile growth in terms of revenue. Atom revenue was $415m in Q3 2009, compared to $200m in the year-ago quarter.
The chief executive added that the back-to-school selling season "exceeded expectations."
The company's gross margin, a favorite bellwether amongst industry watchers, rose seven per cent to a total of 57.6 per cent. It's above what Wallstreet was expecting but below the 58.9 per cent reported in the same quarter last year.
From a global perspective, Intel experienced a small decline in all regions. China continues to dominate chip demand:
Revenue from Wind River (the embedded OS supplier Intel purchased for $844m in June) was $36m, about what the company said it expected. Costs during the quarter associated with the acquisition was $11m.
For next quarter, the chip giant predicts revenue of $10.1bn, plus or minus $400m. Because Q4 2009 was when things really started getting heinous for Intel, that would compare with $8.2bn net revenue year-over-year.
Intel breaks out the earnings charts right here (PDF). ®


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Fresh strawberry prices have spiked as yields dropped on California summer plants well before the arrival of the fall crop.
Flats of eight 1-pound containers shipped for about $20 from Santa Maria and $16 from Salinas and Watsonville Sept. 15, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That was up from $7 to $8 in both California districts Aug. 4.
A warm winter — symptomatic of the state’s drought — brought a quick start to strawberry production this year. Now buyers are seeing the downside of that early surge in volume.
“The crop started pretty heavily back in January, more than typical,” said Jim Grabowski, merchandising manager for Watsonville-based Well-Pict Berries. “Everything got pushed up and just kept coming earlier and earlier. Now the plants aren’t producing as much as they normally would and numbers are running substantially lower than previous Septembers.”
“It’s a good market for the growers,” Cindy Jewell, director of marketing at Watsonville-based California Giant Berry Farms, said Sept. 15. “The season started early, on some fields a month ahead of time. The plants are just slowing down on production.”
“Our fall crop is starting to kick in down in Santa Maria, so that’s helping to put some more fruit in the pipeline,” she said. “But we’re definitely short. Our northern districts — Watsonville and Salinas — are continually slowing down with regard to volume, so this could continue for a few weeks.”
Well-Pict’s fall strawberries are out of Oxnard. “That crop is running a couple weeks late,” Grabowski said. “It’s not picking up any of the slack yet. It may be the first or second week of October.”
California growers, strawberry producers included, have also felt the pinch of a short labor supply, Jewell said.
“We felt it a lot more this summer than in the spring,” she said. “It’s a huge concern with labor being tight and no movement in Washington on immigration reform. It’s not just berries. It’s across the board — any labor intensive crop is feeling the same effects.”


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© Didier Weber / RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg
The commission for the surveillance of Luxembourg's finance sector launched a new online information portal to raise awareness among consumers of all ages of various financial issues that arise on a daily basis.
One of the key components of the initiative is lëtzfin.lu, a new website that informs consumers and objectively answers questions about personal finances. Its purpose, the official press release reads, "is to educate and protect consumers by providing them with basic financial information to help them analyse and understand their financial situation and make appropriate and informed choices."
Minister of Finance Pierre Gramegna explained that "the financial crisis has shown that financial education must play a more important role in the lives of all citizens.
Indeed, financial education enables consumers to make informed and responsible financial decisions, and this is even more essential in a digital world in which information is circulating ever faster." He congratulated the CSSF for their initiatives taken in this area, and for raising awareness "of sustainable finance."
The website offers practical tools such as explanatory video, simulated credit calculations, and other application to establish personal budgets or test your own financial knowledge. The commission also unveiled a new app that allows children to manage their pocket money and, by doing so, learn how to manage their personal budget and "appreciate the value of money."


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March 17—In the wake of COVID-19 outbreaks in Amazon warehouses, a global alliance of unions is calling on the company to take a series of urgent measures to protect workers and their communities.
The alliance, coordinated by UNI Global Union, is making these demands as workers in Italy are striking and workers in Spain are filing complaints to make the company fulfil its legal and ethical obligations to provide a safe workplace.
Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union said “Amazon workers are on the front lines of this crisis. Amazon is facing increased demand as families around the world prepare to stay home, and with that increased demand comes increase risk for workers. Workers are doing their part, but Amazon is failing to abide by safety rules set by governments in Spain and Italy once again putting profits over people. Amazon needs to negotiate with unions to ensure worker safety and smoothly functioning supply chains.”
Italian Amazon workers are on strike in Castel San Giovanni (Piacenza) and announced a “state of agitation” in facilities in Piedmont and Passo Corese near Rome over unsafe conditions. Already, Amazon warehouse employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
Italian Union CGIL claims that Amazon is not fully adhering to COVID-19 protocols jointly negotiated between trade unions and the government.
Tania Scacchetti, Confederal Secretary of CGIL, said “Amazon workers are mobilizing for their health as the e-commerce multinational continues to fail to provide the right protection. The company puts productivity and profit before safeguarding the personal safety of its employees.”
After confirmed coronavirus cases in Amazon warehouses in Barcelona and Madrid, Spanish union Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO) has filed a complaint with authorities in Barcelona over Amazon’s response to the outbreak.
Additionally, in the United States the company has been rapidly hiring workers to fill growing demand. In the United Kingdom, workers are reportedly being forced to work overtime.
“Amazon is once again putting its own profits ahead of worker safety,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) and of UNI Global Commerce. “Jeff Bezos should remember that workers make Amazon run, and that his continued denial of workers’ rights is inconsistent with effectively mitigating this crisis.”
Appelbaum is also the President of the Amazon Alliance.
The full statement of the alliance is below:
Union alliance responds to Amazon’s inadequate coronavirus measures
Amazon should not put profit above the health of employees and the safety of their communities. The company is experiencing a dramatic spike in demand, which means more delivery and warehouse workers are working at a faster rate at a time when public health experts recommend caution and social distancing.
For office workers, Amazon has restricted travel and asked employees to work from home, but it has not taken equal, adequate measures to address the crisis in its “fulfilment centres”—including consulting with workers and unions. Amazon can and must do better to keep workers safe.
Given the confirmation of coronavirus cases in Amazon’s warehouses, the unions of the Amazon Alliance call on the company to open a dialogue with workers and unions, at local, regional, and national levels regarding steps taken to protect workers and subcontractors.
- Give workers all necessary protective equipment, frequent and regular hand washing breaks, and the required space for “social distancing” within the warehouses. If these measures slow down the pace of work, do not penalize workers for failing to hit targets. With mass employment and frequent interpersonal contacts, fulfilment centres are extremely susceptible to contamination. It takes extra time to protect the safety of not only workers, but of customers.
- Enhance facility and vehicle cleaning and if necessary, temporarily take facilities offline for deep cleaning.
- Give workers adequate paid sick leave to deal with the impact of the coronavirus. Amazon shouldn’t force workers to choose between their family’s health and paying rent or buying food—this is not consistent with stopping the spread of the virus.
- Pay workers for all normally scheduled hours in the case of temporary closures or limited hours of operation of any Amazon worksites due to the coronavirus. In the case of full or partial closures, contract drivers should still be paid at their normal rate for the time they would otherwise be working. Do not force workers to use holidays or accrued vacation time for closures related to the virus.
- Make overtime voluntary, as workers may have extra responsibilities with school closures and sick loved ones.
- Require all subcontractors, including staffing agencies and delivery service partners, to take common-sense steps to protect the safety of workers and customers. Many Amazon contractors are already forced to operate at razor-thin margins, and Amazon must commit to reimbursing contractors for additional costs related to cleaning, providing personal protective equipment, and paying sick leave.
This crisis can be an opportunity for Amazon to learn that social dialogue and collective bargaining are vital tools that modern societies and companies use to protect workers’ health and save people’s lives. Coordinated by UNI Global Union, the alliance is comprised of unions from 22 countries including ver.di, the GMB, CCOO, CGIL, the RWDSU, and the Teamsters.


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Interac to Use Microsoft Azure for its Digital Payments Ecosystem in Canada
Interac has today announced it will be using Microsoft Azure’s cloud capabilities to manage the continued growth of digital transactions, thanks to a surge in demand for its payments solutions which require “a trusted, reliable and secure cloud platform.”
According to a report from Payments Canada, electronic payments accounted for approximately 79% of overall Canadian payment transactions in 2020 alone. And because of the COVID-19 pandemic, even more Canadian consumers are opting for digital methods of payment instead of cash or cheques.
During the pandemic, the company says it processed almost one billion Interac e-Transfer transactions since the beginning of April 2020.
“An important part of our digital transformation strategy is integrating a secure and compliant cloud platform that positions us for future growth and meets the demands of the quickly evolving digital payments landscape,” said Peter Sweers, Chief Technology & Operations Officer at Interac. “We chose Microsoft Azure for its increased scale, security and always-on resiliency.”
Azure will provide Interac with an innovative hybrid model of public and on-premises private cloud that will enable the business to move faster and maintain its high reliability levels.


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PITTSBURGH - Lexus of North Hills has teamed up with Maniac Magazine to host the annual White Party set for May 11, 2012 at The Smart House on Mt. Washington.
This year, proceeds from the event will benefit A Child's Place at Mercy. A Child's Place is dedicated to helping children who are victims of abuse.
The party will feature a fashion show and concert, and the purchase of a VIP ticket includes the chance to win a lease from Lexus of North Hills.
General admission tickets are $50 and VIP tickets are $100 and can be purchased online now by clicking here.


text: It looks like Hong Kong case maker VCOER is truly dedicated to BlackBerry 10. They are working on even more designs for their BlackBerry Z10 case lineup. The cases are said to be made of high quality materials, so these don’t sound like cheap plastic shells to us. According to rumors, VCOER plans on having the cases available as soon as the second week of February. Hit the break for more pictures.


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Those of you who bought the titular title, will likely be filled with glee or something to learn that the game has apparently sold enough to warrant a sequel.
Not only is Dragon’s Dogma a certified home-run but there is good news across the board for the Japanese publisher/developer as Capcom has reported fairly decent increases in profits for the first financial quarter of the year.
A large part of that financial kick up the rear end though, came from Dragon’s Dogma, which despite its relatively lukewarm and possibly underrated critical reception, evidently captivated enough minds and wallets to make the game a success.
In addition to first-quarter fortunes, Capcom also went into a little detail regarding their second quarter earnings. It’s all hadokens and rainbows here too as their profit for the second quarter leapt an almost improbable 300% based on year-on-year figures which equated to the company bringing in roughly ¥1.3 billion/£11 million/$17 million respectively.
In regards to their digi-distro, Cappy-C is also bringing home the green posting sales of ¥13.7 billion/£111 million/ $175 million respectively.
No official announcement has been made yet on a Dragon’s Dogma sequel, though there have been plenty of murmurings pointing to one prior to the announcement of these financials. Presumably its a matter of time at this point. Having not played the original myself, I’m not really in any sort of position to be excited for a sequel – but what about the rest of you?
Does a second Dragon’s Dogma do anything for you?


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Trade opens at parking lots at Anjalee & Urkaliar Sankhamti
Shillong, May 24: The East Khasi Hills district administration has made arrangements to enable farmers to evacuate their produce and for meeting local requirements.
In a statement issued on Monday, the office of the deputy commissioner said arrangements have been made for only farmers, aggregators, wholesalers and retailers to trade at Anjalee parking lot and Sankhamti parking lot, Urkaliar from Tuesday to Friday for the former, and Tuesday to Friday for the latter.
For Anjalee parking lot, only farmers from Mawlai, Mawryngkneng, Mawkynrew and Mylliem Blocks will be permitted and for Urkaliar, farmers from areas who have received specific passes from the BDOs for the purpose.
Similarly only wholesalers or retailers, iTeams who have valid passes will be permitted to make purchase, for evacuation of produce outside the state or for dropping to locality stores.
According to the deputy commissioner, no middlemen or individual, household buyers will be permitted and they may purchase from their locality stores only. Such persons will not be permitted to enter the market areas, the DC said.


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Retail landlord Hammerson has struck a deal to sell half of Grand Central shopping centre in Birmingham to one of Canada's biggest pension funds, as it reported a jump in full-year profits.
The FTSE 100 company, which already owns Birmingham's other well-known shopping centre, The Bullring, bought Grand Central last month for £335m from Birmingham City Council.
Chief executive David Atkins said the acquisition of the "highly prized trophy asset", which launched in September, fitted with its strategy of owned prime shopping centres across the country.
It has now entered into a joint venture agreement with the Candian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), taking its acquisition costs to £175m, although Hammerson will manage the shopping mall on behalf of the venture.
Separately Hammerson, which owns 10 shopping centres in France as well as 21 retail parks and 11 major centres in the UK announced an 11.3 per cent jump in net asset value per share to 710p last year, thanks to a 7.1 per cent uplift in the value of its properties.
Its share price has risen by nearly five per cent to 561p on the back of the strong results.
Like-for-like rental income grew by 2.1 per cent, with UK shopping centres and retail parks up by 2.1 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively, while rental income at its French malls rose by 2.5 per cent.
Hammerson also owns a number of premium designer outlets through its investment in Bicester Village owner Value Retail and a separate joint venture called VIA Outlets with Value Retail, Dutch asset manager APG and Meyer Bergman. Brand sales at Value Retail and VIA Outlets rose by 11 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.
Profits including valuation changes rose by four per cent to £726.8m in the year to 31 December while adjusted profits rose by 21 per cent to £210.9m.
Hammerson is currently working on five major developments including a mixed use scheme at the Goodsyard in Shoreditch and a joint venture with Westfield to turn the tired Whitgift centre in Croydon into a new £1bn retail destination.
In September, the developers cleared a major hurdle after being granted a compulsory purchase order to buy a further 50 per cent leasehold interest in the Whitgift site. The pair expect to achieve planning consent in the coming months and to start work in 2017, a year later than originally planned.


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It has, without any doubt, been a costly week for billionaires. No sooner has a Francis Bacon work reached a record price than up pops the world’s most expensive diamond.
If that were not enough to make even those with the deepest pockets wince, then along comes a prized 1963 Andy Warhol painting, which sold for $105 million (£65 million) at a New York auction, shattering the record for the famed pop artist.
Meanwhile in Geneva, the enormous rock known as The Pink Star was sold to anonymous auction buyer for more than £52 million, far surpassing its expected price of £37 million.
Sotheby’s says the sale of the vivid and flawless 59.60-carat pink diamond is the highest price ever paid for a gemstone at…