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Apple’s latest transformation is complete. By delivering its first firmware over-the-air (FOTA) iOS 5 beta update in July, Apple (s aapl) has begun to free its wireless consumers from being tethered to a PC or Mac to receive firmware updates. And now that Apple has done it, most mobile consumers will understand the joys of wireless updates.
While Apple is just the latest of many mobile device manufacturers to use wireless updates, the company’s reputation for developing innovative products and its “celebrity cachet” are shining a well-deserved spotlight on FOTA technology and the value it delivers to consumers. Media that had never reported on over-the-air software updating suddenly are talking about Apple and FOTA, and the benefits consumers can expect. Eliminating the cable gives consumers an easier and faster process to keep their iPhones up to date with the latest features and performance improvements.
A quick history of wireless updates.
Most mobile OEMs, including LG, Motorola,(s mmi) NEC, Nokia,(s nok) Samsung, RIM,(s rimm) SEMC and Sharp, have been providing consumers with FOTA-enabled devices, many since the mid-2000s. Those companies as well as most of the world’s largest mobile operators deliver wireless updates to not just phones but to myriad types of connected mobile devices ranging from tablets to USB modems. Symbian was the first smartphone OS to support such updates, with OEMs such as Nokia, SEMC and Sharp introducing some of the earliest FOTA-enabled mobile phones. The majority of Android (s goog) consumers get their firmware updates over the air, and now, Apple consumers will too.
Here’s what they can look forward to:
- Saved bandwidth. Over-the-air update files are small (only the changes between the current and new versions of software are sent) so consumers (and operators) won’t utilize bandwidth unnecessarily. For example, Apple’s iOS 5 beta FOTA update was just 133 MB, compared to the hefty 824 MB original .ipsw file that would have been sent via a cabled update to overwrite the device firmware. This is especially important for consumers with monthly data usage caps, although some operators don’t count FOTA updates against users’ data limits. Updates also can be done over Wi-Fi, avoiding the mobile network entirely.
- Saved time. A small update file downloads more quickly and takes less time to complete the update process. This means less time that the phone is offline. A typical FOTA update can take 15 minutes, depending in part on the number of changes being made to the firmware. Advanced FOTA techniques perform the update in the background, so consumers can continue using the full functionality of their phone while the update is taking place.
- Added convenience. Wired updates tie the user to a computer. FOTA updates can take place wherever the consumer is and be installed whenever the user chooses.
- Improved reliability. Wireless updating is a highly reliable process that has become as common as making a mobile phone call or sending a text. The process doesn’t affect a consumer’s personal data stored on the device. In addition, if the device battery is low, the FOTA update either won’t begin or will stop when the battery is exhausted and resume when the device is recharged or connected to power.
- Greater satisfaction. FOTA enables OEMs and operators to keep consumers happy with their phones by delivering more frequent and timely updates to users’ devices. When users see the value of those new features and performance improvements, they are eager to receive and install updates, which increases consumer satisfaction with the device.
In addition to the consumer benefits, Apple will realize some significant business benefits to adopting FOTA. Other OEMs that use the technique have reduced customer care expenses and have avoided warranty costs and brand damage from product recalls. In addition, Apple’s application developer ecosystem may find that more of Apple’s installed base reaches a common iOS version sooner.
Wireless updates are one of those capabilities that just makes sense, and once you have it, you smile thinking about how arcane the old wired process was. With Apple now adopting FOTA, we can say cable-based updating is another technology being retired to the “Mobile Museum.”
Morten Grauballe is executive vice president of products and strategy for Red Bend Software.


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Kirron Kher launched the third outlet store of Vaya by Mira Sagar, at Colaba.
Mira Sagar is a textile revivalist, this being her third collaboration venture with Hyderabad based designer Gaurang Shah.
Vaya offers vast range of sarees-scarves-stoles-suits in Kanjeevaram, Uppada, Khadi, Kota, Benarasi and Patan Patola from the designer. Gaurang is a favourite with the likes of Kirron Kher.
Vaya also brings, for the first time very first time, Andraab. – a label launched in 1996 by three brothers – Muzaffar, Mubashir and Muzakir from Kashmir.
Known across continents for their exquisite hand woven Pashmina shawls, Andraab also makes stoles, scarves, bedspreads and wall hangings.
Andraab has admirers from every part of the world and their designs have been worn by various international celebrities and heads of state. It will be exclusively retailed for the very first time in Mumbai, only at Vaya, Colaba.

domain: news


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HIGH POINT — Declining consumer demand, coupled with rising inflation has put increased pressure on furniture retailers and manufacturers to keep their businesses moving in a positive direction this spring. For some the task has proved difficult as there are increasing reports of layoffs and closings across the furniture and mattress sectors.
To put in perspective what these economic disruptions mean for the furniture industry sister publication Furniture Today reached out to leading industry analysts to get a more specific perspective on where the industry is headed in the coming months and what steps companies may need to take in order to maintain positive momentum for this latest disruption.
Here’s what they had to say:
Jerry Epperson, managing director, Mann, Armistead & Epperson, LTD
The stock market has an incremental benefit to the industry when it’s strong. We feel it a little bit when it’s weak. Only 20% of the American population has an investment portfolio that they watch carefully. They know when it’s weak, however this doesn’t necessarily impact their month-to-month income.
What’s more important is the housing industry. Increases in interest rates has an impact on housing turnover. Mortgage payments from a year ago are almost 60% higher. That’s what we’re watching carefully. Direct tie with someone moving into a new dwelling and furniture demand. People that buy homes spend twice as much on furniture and mattress as those who rent. Home ownership has been going up. Young people want to own homes- millennials are aging into the ability to own a home. I don’t see anyone forced away from the housing market. What you’ll see is there will be new types of loans that will allow people to buy homes. They may be ARMs; they may be fixed rate for two decades and then a balloon loan financed. Some cases, they may rent the property in a rent to own scenario. All options out there just advertised and promoted more.
The stock market perceives our industry as being consumer and housing driven. When we had the downturn in 2008, consumers were suffering, and housing and banking were all suffering- that was a lot worse than what we’re looking at now. There isn’t as large a potential for foreclosures because loans are better today.
We have a lot of product coming into retailers right now that was ordered last year just as consumers aren’t coming into the store. Backlogs are way up at a lot of retailers. Both brick and mortar and online retailers are asking manufacturers to hold off on deliveries. They want to wait and see as they have no place to put inventory. Some retailers are keeping trailers and rail cars because they have no place to put the furniture.
I expect that shipping rates will be coming down in 2023. Over the last ten years, there has been tremendous consolidation in the shipping industry with four companies controlling 50% of the industry. Shipping companies made four times the money than they have ever before, and the rates and rate increases won’t hold. If we can’t get shipping/logistical packages from overseas to our stores more affordable than it is right now, imports will lose market share if the shipping rate is more than the value of the product.
We have very little control over the consumer. Furniture is an easily deferrable purchase. Part of our problem is that in 2020 and 2021, our retailers decided they didn’t need to advertise as much because they got as many sales as they did without advertising.
Right now, we need to get back onto how we got here—advertising and marketing. Our stores need to get back out there and promote, advertise. Our vendors need to get back into the market and advertise their products and tell people what they have and get some confidence in ourselves. The furniture industry offers a tremendous value to consumers, more so than other consumer products. People can personalize their home. We have to have to promote ourselves to the end user whether it’s the consumer or the retailer.
Peter Keith, managing director, senior research analyst, Piper Sandler
We started to see the economic backdrop impact on various groups at different times. Lower income spending began to soften in late 2021 with gas price inflation and the wearing-off of stimulus. Middle income spending began to soften in March/April due to the war in Ukraine and spikes in gas and food prices. Upper income spending is beginning to soften with May and June. While these households are good with savings rates and balance sheets, they are pausing and pulling back.
The larger companies have a little stronger advertising muscle as well as broad-based omnichannel strategy. This is critically important even in a tough backdrop. Consumers wants an omnichannel experience and companies need technology capabilities. In the last two years, companies haven’t had to advertise just keep up with inventory. Now it’s pivoting back.
One thing to be aware of with branded DTC companies which tend to be in a single category. They are very disrupted by privacy changes with Apple and Google. A lot that was built on performance/targeted marketing is becoming more difficult with privacy solutions.
No two recessions are exactly alike. This is more of a consumer goods recession. If you draw any comparisons, it should be to 2001 which was preceded by capex recession. At the time, there was so much spending in preparation for Y2k and then a big pullback in spending. Similarly, there has been large overspending on household goods with Covid and now that consumers are shifting spend to other spaces there is a ripple effect with inventory levels up and companies probably having over-hired.
It’s obviously critical that companies manage their expense structures and balance sheet. A recession is a shorter-term phenomenon. Companies that continue to make investments (even modest) can emerge stronger than before and their competition gets left behind. This is really about economic health– advertising and driving consumer interest.
There’s been a strong housing backdrop the last two years with a lot of movement/home sales and a strong catalyst to buy furniture. That’s slowing down. At the same time, consumers generally don’t buy all the furniture they need in the first six months of buying a home, there’s a lot of work that goes over the next 3-5 years as they furnish their home and make it their own.
Ken Smith, founding partner, assurance partner, Smith Leonard
I think we knew that the good business we had in the last half of 2020 and 2021 wasn’t going to last forever. A lot of us were surprised that this lasted as long as it did. The benefit that the residential side of the industry has is that backlogs are so big we have some time to see how this is going to play out.
We expected new orders to fall off. But with the inflation situation as well as the economy and impact of war etc. is that going to take it down further then it would have gone by itself? How much further is the $64,000 question.
The good news to me is that the banks aren’t in the same boat as in 2008. Furniture companies seem to be stronger than they were at that point in time. The furniture brands aren’t around anymore that were giving away product. We are in better shape to weather what will come.
I just wrote in my newsletter that we may find out a couple of months from now that we’re already in a recession. What companies need to do right now is take a look and say: What could a downturn look like? Make some plans for scenarios: if sales go down (in units) 15%, what adjustments would we need to make? If it’s down 20-25%, you should already have a plan in place- at least you’ve got it planned, so that when it comes, you’re ready. If you think it’s going to drop 25%, take a look at what you looked like as, say, a $75 million company versus $100 million company.
As hard up as we were for people, we made hires we probably wouldn’t have done today. There’s your first cut, if needed. However, the industry is still adding jobs—there’s a whole lot of things that are good now. There is still demand out there, but different segments of the industry will be affected differently. For the affluent, the economic issues don’t affect their buying. At the lower end, the consumer needs money for gas.
One thing I’ve always said about our industry is that we think of it as one industry and it’s not. We have 2200 odd exhibitors but they’re all selling different products to different markets- high end, low end, occasional, etc.
In terms of forecasting today, for what’s “normal” we need to look back at last couple of years in order to project growth. 2019 was the normal, but now it needs to be adjusted for price increase. Companies had to give a lot of raises to keep/hire staff. So, use that cost structure based on an adjusted volume structure.
When supply chains work, the import model works well. When you don’t have control, that changes things. It’s true to some degree in Mexico- you may own your plants and that gives you some control- but you don’t have control over Vietnam or China with supply-chain disruptions.
In terms of industry consolidation/acquisition, the companies who can really do that are public companies who have the access to capital to do more as opportunities become available. However, the larger companies don’t want to fool with buying something small. A lot of the smaller companies are driven by baby boomers aging out- do they have the kids coming in behind that even want it? If not, those are the opportunities that will be there to scarf up, if they are a good fit.
Bo Stump, partner, Stump & Company
An important thing for home furnishings is take a step back. The growth from 2019 through 2021 was really unprecedented. We like to remind folks here that yes, demand appears to be waning but when viewed holistically, not a whole lot, if any, are down compared to 2019. Some of that is driven by cost increases due to ocean freight, labor, supply chain etc. so companies haven’t been hit as badly as one might think.
One example: During Covid, Wayfair grew from $9 to $14 billion in sales. So, we start there. We think a lot of retailers clearly are over-inventoried and we’re used to 9-12 month lead times. We’re watching closely over the next two months to see what happens there. With lower price point goods, it’s not surprising that it’s the first area to feel that pullback. The luxury segment more resilient. That’s our expectation. Some clients have quipped they’re used to selling $350-$500 sofas. Once these go up to $650 to $700 that’s a non-starter for the end-user.
A lot of our clients are flat versus last year. There are some reasons for optimism but there are all these compounding factors that have made this difficult over the past two months. Lots of noise and lots of bad indicators. However, a decent number of clients say the cliff has already happened and now we’re in treading water. Time will tell. Some believe the worst is already over.
The general economy depends on how you view it. Some at the Fed are saying it’s not a fait accompli at all in terms of recession. And Goldman just upped the odds of a recession. It’s more of a pick your own adventure of what you feel the next 12-18 months will entail. Our team at Stump took a middle view that there is certainly a softening in the demand.
Our position as a firm that to prepare for real slackening, but to look at opportunity. For instance, with M&A on the sell side, for business owners looking to sell. There is an opportunity for bigger companies to become more active across all distribution channels- warehousing, e-commerce and brick and mortar. It’s a real advantage to being larger and able to afford full teams for purchasing and logistics and marketing. Smaller companies don’t have those advantages.
Our firm is expecting to stay busy no matter the macro environment. It could be a smaller player looking for a larger partner to navigate these stormy waters. Folks will be looking for avenues for growth and market share. Companies are thinking longer term- they want to get into other categories to round out the home- lighting, rugs, etc. Or they are looking for new avenues of distribution. Maybe a wholesaler is looking for brick and mortar, e-commerce or direct to consumer. I’m expecting a lot of that over the years.
Some companies have surprisingly resilient top and bottom margins. Higher price point luxury good producers don’t have the same level of concern. It’s not that they aren’t paying attention to the economy but given that they’re making products here- they couldn’t grow 50% a year like the overseas producers. From a P&L perspective they aren’t as lumpy as well.
With private equity, they have invested for a specific period of time. There is expectation of more investment in the industry. A lot of it may be more shuffling the deck—one PE firm sells holdings to another one. There could be a period of shuffling and consolidation among companies.
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Being stupid is part of the process that makes young people reach adulthood. But with each new generation, we always get the feeling that the level of stupidity is getting even higher. Want an example?
Supposedly, India’s youth are cooking flavored condoms and drinking water like tea, all to numb themselves. According to Gizmodo, the case was reported by CNN-News 18, an Indian news channel.
According to the broadcaster, since mid-July, sales of flavored condoms have soared in the city of Durgapur. Also according to the channel, a customer questioned the reasons for this and received the bizarre practice as an answer from a salesperson: young people were looking for this new way to get “high”.
To achieve such a feat, they would be boiling the condoms and drinking the water. While we highly recommend that you DO NOT try this at home, there is some truth to the experience.
The effects of tea
Polymer researcher interviewed by Vice magazine, Udayan Basak told the publication that, yes, theoretically you can get “high” drinking tea with condoms. Basak says these products contain polyurethane resins, used to ensure they last a long time and stretch even longer. Glycerin is also a component, ensuring the flavor.
“Ethylene glycol, a type of alcohol, is believed to be produced when polyurethane breaks down after boiling flavored condoms in water for six to eight hours,” Basak said, as reported by Vice.
A comparison made by experts heard by CNN-News18 is that the sensation caused would be like sniffing glue, creating a euphoric and hallucinogenic sensation that lasts for a few minutes. Of course, there are adverse effects such as intoxication and even addiction.
Although the story told by the Indian channel came from a salesman claiming he heard this from a teenager, it is possible that young people who put vodka in their eyes may also think that drinking tea with a condom is something that deserves a chance.


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ASHLAND, Ore. – Despite the pandemic forcing the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to make significant changes to its staff, local businesses in the area aren’t concerned about seeing smaller crowds.
Instead of crowds of tourists, local businesses in Ashland say they’ve been relying on community support to help keep their doors open. On the other hand, OSF does rely on tourists to fill seats in the theater. Throughout the course of the pandemic, OSF saw significantly less people buying tickets.
OSF announced on Wednesday that its executive director, David Schmitz, will be resigning. In addition, nearly 20 employees no longer have jobs with the festival. With a decline in tourism at OSF, the city of Ashland is also expected to see less people coming to visit. Even so, this isn’t a concern for local businesses.
“It really hasn't affected us,” said Rhonda Smith, owner of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. “Community support has been really great so we can't say enough about that."
It doesn’t go without saying that Smith hasn’t seen her fair share of business struggles. She says staffing is the biggest issue at the store right now.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory isn’t the only business who has the local community to thank. O’Ryans Irish Pub says its regulars helped keep the doors open over the course of the pandemic.
"We have our locals because we're known as the value bar,” said Michael Szelong, owner of O’Ryans Irish Pub. “As a result, we are not as much dependent on tourism as I would say some of the other bars and restaurants are. We've been sustained by the local community and our regulars so that's been very positive for us."
The pub is right across the street from OSF and Szelong says the theater definitely brings in a crowd every once in a while. The support from the local community, however, outweighs the business brought in from the theater crowds.


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Just one thing: adults won't fit inside.
Like most automakers, Hyundai is pursuing all-electric vehicles like never before. In fact, it recently announced the launch of a new division, called Ioniq, dedicated solely to battery electrics. Its first model will be called the Ioniq 5, a production version of the insanely cool Hyundai 45 Concept first shown at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. That vehicle is due to debut sometime next year, but today another all-new Hyundai EV has arrived and it happens to be its smallest one ever.
Based on the styling of the 45 Concept, this yet-to-be-named small EV is specifically for young kids and adapts the cool 'kinetic cube lamp' styling with those angular lines and a Performance Blue exterior color with slick orange accents.
Power comes from two DC motors that provide it with a top speed of - wait for it - 4.3 mph. There's even a motorsport-inspired centrally-mounted driver's seat because, you know, four-year-olds love to drive fast.
Interestingly, the body is made from wood instead of the usual plastic for toy cars. An official driving range has not been provided just yet, though something tells us this is totally insignificant. Hyundai hasn't said whether or not its new Power Wheels-like EV will go into production, but we wouldn't be surprised to see it offered in limited numbers, possibly as some sort of a dealership promotion.
You can also watch the video above to see the building process. This isn't the first time an automaker has offered a miniature car for kids. McLaren, for example, has done so a few times.
As for the rest of Hyundai's "adult" EVs, in 2022 the Ioniq 6, a production version of the Prophecy Concept, will begin rolling off the assembly line. The Ioniq 7, a large SUV that could be around the size of the Hyundai Palisade, will arrive in 2024.


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The inevitable trickle-down of 11-speed technologies comes to the always popular XT group, including its amazing front derailleur. Will it be enough to convince North American riders to switch back to double chainring setups?
It's impossible to make a stem shorter than 32 mm or so without moving it up on top of the steerer tube, or so we thought. The new Pacenti design adds a dimple to the handlebar to allow bike designers to push top tubes even longer.
SRAM has made some big news in recent weeks with the launch of its new GX drivetrain group and the Boost series of components, but there are some smaller items in the 2016 catalog that are worth noting.


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New Survey Shows Educational Campaigns of Local Business Coalitions Are Delivering Big Benefits
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) just released their 9th annual survey of more than 3200 independent business owners. The results provide (mostly) great news for independents and again show sustained “buy local” campaigns and Independent Business Alliances are yielding an enormous return on investment. Among the major findings:
- Independent businesses in communities with an active “buy independent/buy local” campaign run by grassroots groups saw revenues grow by a stellar 7.4% in 2015 — dwarfing the 4.2% increase for businesses in communities without such an alliance.
- 76% of business owners who actively market their participation in their group reported positive impact on their business, while just 17% of those who don’t actively promote the effort saw benefit.
- Independent businesses reported a 5.3% increase in employment in 2015.
The full report, (15 pp pdf) is well worth reading, or see ILSR’s summary. If your local group has not yet issued a localized news release to take advantage of this opportunity to build support for your work, ask us for a “plug-and-play” news release template. It’s an opportunity not to miss!
Note: If you’re among the many groups that use our graph showing 3 years of ILSR survey data on the benefits of buy local campaigns (on your website or in promotional materials), be sure to update with this 2016 graph.
For local groups engaged in this work, we recommend including this image on your websites’ “Join Us” page — it conveys in seconds why local businesses or your local government should invest in your work!
Get Started Right!
Both the English and Spanish versions of our Guide to Effective Buy Local Campaigns have been updated with 2016 data and a new graph. Get your free 12-page pdf here to learn the keys to creating these shifts in your community!
More Reasons to Go Local!
The graphic versions of these reasons make great posts for growing your social media audience.
Also on that page, we turned the “top 12 reasons” into a double-sided flier you can print and distribute on paper in your community/business (ask for one customized with your name/logo/url).
The newest study from research firm Civic Economics provides a wealth of state-by-state info on Amazon’s impact on tax revenue, displacement of local business & more, including a easy-to-use map to get data from your own state.
In related news, Amazon Inc. reportedly plans to open hundreds of new bookstores and enter the shipping business. See these stories and more of the most notable reporting on All About Amazon.
Locally-Owned Businesses Help Stop “Brain Drain”
This sociological study adds another strong argument for local business ownership to your arsenal.
Is Sprawl Suppressing Upward Mobility?
Research published recently in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning suggests more compact communities foster greater upward mobility for low-income people than those that sprawl.
Along with being more accessible by foot, bike and public transportation, denser communities tend to be comprised of more independent businesses. All this improves the ability of less-wealthy people to get and keep good jobs, assert the authors.
Black-owned Businesses Increase, But Their Valuation Is 1/3 That of Others
Good news or an indicator of lacking job opportunities?
What Happens to a Small Town When Walmart Abandons It?
As Walmart closes more than 150 U.S. stores, towns that welcomed the corporation often are left with no grocer, pharmacist or hardware store — a scenario we’ve warned of for at least 15 years.
Welcome to AMIBA!
New Business Members
Clayscott Insurance Agency (San Francisco)
PCR Consulting (North Granby, CT)
Tools and Tips
Effective Event Registration Pages
Good tips for groups who register participants online for events — to maximize your registration page, process and participation.
Fundraising for Local Business Coalitions
Our January affiliate webinar now is posted in Member Resources (login required): Diversifying Funding: A Local Success Story. Our thanks to Kelly Andrew, director of Local First Milwaukee, for her willingness to share her insights on their strategy, successes and lessons learned!
AMIBA on Tour
AMIBA co-founder Jeff Milchen will be speaking and facilitating workshops to help develop pro-local business initiatives in Nashville, TN; Lakeland, Cooper City and Jupiter, FL in March.
We’re now scheduling events in several regions for late-April to May. See why more than one hundred communities, trade groups and government entities have brought the experts from AMIBA to inspire their members, develop their campaigns or spark new local alliances! Overview here. For grassroots groups, underwriting from American Express OPEN can cover more than half the cost for any event scheduled through May! Contact us for details.


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SpaceX has successfully test fired the Falcon Heavy for the first time ever, proving that if nothing else, the engines will be able to ignite and send the rocket upward. Everything after that is still unknown.
The Tesla Semi would be 20 percent cheaper than a diesel truck. In automated convoys, it would compete with rail. Some wonder if electric trucks aren’t better suited for urban delivery, while others wonder if 2019 is too optimistic a release date.
SpaceX lost one of their latest Merlin rockets this week due to a currently unexplained error. No one was hurt in the explosion, but the company has suspended tests of the new design while it works to understand the failure.
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This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our


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There is no denying the benefits of Intel’s Core i3 and i5 processors thanks to the size of the new 32nm process. It is for this reason why the chipmaker has now shrunk the size of the Core i7-980X processor, which has the codename ‘Gulftown’.
The new processor is more powerful than Intel assumed — they even considered calling it the Core i9 instead. The basic clock frequency is 3.33GHz; this is just as fast as the current fastest model — the 45nm Core i7-975.
So where does this new 32nm get all of its power from? The first reason is due to doing away with the quad-core and replacing it with six physical cores instead — thanks to its Hyper-Threading technology. PC Authority explains that the Intel Core i7-980X is not worried about its Turbo Boost feature, and does not care about increasing its speed up to 3.6GHz — all without breaking a sweat.
It is certainly a nice idea to all have one of these awesome processors in our computer, but there is one thing standing the way — the price. Those in the U.S. will have to part with $999 of their hard-earned cash. We are not certain if it is worth such a high premium, there are a number of other cheaper chips on the market offering a great performance at a fraction of the price — although not as awesome as the Intel Core i7-980X processor.
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.


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After Apple’s (NSDQ: AAPL) SDK event, I drove north to Sunnyvale to meet up with Yahoo’s (NSDQ: YHOO) mobile group. I figured since I was in the neighborhood, and I’m from Seattle, I might as well make the most out of the trip. As I headed into the meeting with Steve Boom, Yahoo’s SVP of Broadband and Mobile, it was my goal to understand Yahoo’s mobile strategy, which has trickled out over the past year. As an unintentional outcome, I also found myself bouncing off what Yahoo was telling me with what Apple said earlier that day. What I learned is that both companies are trying to bring the Internet to the mobile phone, but in entirely different ways.
One of the first things Steve Jobs said on stage was that 71 percent of mobile browsing in the U.S. is conducted by Safari. “The iPhone is bringing the Internet to a mobile device for the first time,” he declared. That’s clearly a lot of usage and reach, but one might argue Yahoo’s goals are much grander. In a nutshell, Yahoo wants to be on every phone, not just the iPhone. By the end of the year, Apple guesses it will have about 10 million handsets in the market. Compare that to Yahoo, which can potentially reach 600 million subscribers today.
At that size, Boom said it’s a big enough market for applications and advertising to become truly successful. That’s also why he found it interesting that John Doerr, partner of world-famous VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said they were committing $100 million to a fund exclusively for iPhone applications (what could be conceived as a relatively small market). “The opportunity of the mobile Internet is much bigger than the iPhone — that


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PC Floors features in Supply Chain Today magazine
7th November 2014
RCR Flooring Applications company PC Floors has been featured in two issues of South Africa's leading logistics magazine, Supply Chain Today.
PC Floors specialises in creating jointless steel fibre reinforced concrete floors for industrial and warehouse applications. It lists many leading brands among its clients, including Walmart, Coca-Cola and Audi.
The first article, in the September 2014 issue, references PC Floor's involvement in the House and Home distribution centre in Johannesburg.
The October 2014 issue features an interview with PC Floors' Managing Director Adrianus Huijskens, and explains the importance of floor flatness in running an efficient and safe warehouse operation.
The articles can be read by following these links below:
Latest News from RCR Industrial Flooring
Serafin Unternehmensgruppe GmbH, shareholders of RCR Industrial Flooring, is proud to announce the launch of its new website, along with an updated brand identity that... read more
"RCR Flooring Services continues to expand its international presence to offer specialised technical services to global clients. 2023 begins with the creation of... read more


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- Busch is offering free beer for a year to NASCAR fans who tweet about Kevin Harvick, driver of the Busch-sponsored stock car. The contest coincides with the Monster Energy Cup Series finale on Sunday, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
- Whenever Harvick leads the race, fans who post tweets with the hashtags #Busch4Harvick and #sweepstakes will be entered for a chance to win the free beer and a limited-edition Busch can sporting Harvick's signature.
- Busch will determine the number of winners by the final number of laps Harvick led in the race, which takes place at the 1.5-mile track at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race is 400 miles long, giving Harvick multiple chances to lead and for Busch fans to win free beer.
Busch's Twitter sweepstakes aims to keep viewers glued to their TV and smartphone screens as the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series ends with the championship race. Busch has 75,200 followers, and likely will get a lift as those dedicated fans tweet about Kevin Harvick — assuming he manages to take the lead at least once during the race's roughly 267 laps. As NASCAR fans tweet about the race, they support viral publicity for Busch and extend its branding beyond its more limited following.
Busch has made Twitter a key part of its recent social media promotions and contests. In July, the beer brand challenged followers to a scavenger hunt, offering clues on Twitter that pointed its followers to a hidden store in a national forest. Fans who located the "Pop Up Schop" were given a chance to win a lifetime supply of beer, along with branded merchandise.
That scavenger hunt followed a similar challenge on social media, indicating that the campaigns have been successful for Busch. Earlier in the year, the beer brand celebrated the start of Major League Baseball's regular season with a social media contest to sponsor 10 recreational-league teams as part of its "Busch League" initiative.
Beer brands have run a variety of social media campaigns and contests to reach younger audiences who are more difficult to reach through traditional media, while cultivating deeper connections with their most ardent customers. Natural Light, another beer brand owned by AB InBev, last month hosted a Halloween costume contest that offered cash rewards to Twitter or Instagram users who shared pictures of their "real-life nightmare" costumes.
Miller Lite, a brand owned by AB InBev rival Molson Coors, ran a contrary campaign that urged fans to unfollow its brand on social media, an effort that Natural Light supported as the brands vie for market share amid a broader decline in beer sales.


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Newly released economic indicators fell short of market expectations, revealing that the Chinese economy still lacks momentum and downward pressure remains.
China's value-added industrial output, which measures the final value of industrial production, expanded 6 percent year on year in July, down from 6.8 percent for June, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Wednesday.
The decline in output growth ended a steady recovery trend recorded in the second quarter of this year.
NBS statistician Jiang Yuan attributed the drop mainly to flagging external demand, a weak property sector and lowered production of some consumer goods, including automobiles and cigarettes.
Year-on-year growth in the first seven months stood at 6.3 percent, the same level as the growth for the first half of the year.
The NBS data only tracks the output of large Chinese companies with annual primary business revenues of more than 20 million yuan (3.16 million U.S. dollars).
Industrial output in China's western regions increased by 7.9 percent in July, trailed by 7.4 percent in central areas and 6 percent in eastern regions.
Manufacturing output rose 6.6 percent, mining output added 5.6 percent, while that of the electricity, heating, gas and water sectors dropped 0.2 percent, the bureau said.
China's fixed-asset investment, a major driver of growth, also witnessed slightly slower growth, with no sign of improvement for investment in property and infrastructure.
Retail sales held steady in July, as the growth rate was just 0.1 percentage point lower than a month ago.


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For Shawn Ellis and Karl Townsend, brewing beer is a labor of love. In fact, the pair met eight years ago at a local tech company, where they discovered their mutual love for home brewing. The friendship grew from there and in 2019 they joined forces to launch their own brewing company with plans to open their doors in 2020.
“Then COVID. So, we had a bit of a panic moment, but we decided, you know what, let’s stick with it. Let’s go ahead and open,” said Ellis. “We shifted gears into just production and we started selling direct [to the] consumer.”
ShaKa Brewing launched in November of 2020. It is based in a small warehouse at 175 San Lazaro Ave. Suite 140 in Sunnyvale. While it’s not the fancy storefront the pair first envisioned, it turns out it’s exactly what they needed.
“We wanted to stay local because we want to focus on the community,” said Ellis.
ShaKa has touches of both Ellis and Townsend throughout. The brewery’s name is a combination of Shawn and Karl, while a majority of the beers feature pieces their everyday life.
The Sunnyvale lager is named after the business’s location. While the Riley Red ale is named after Townsend’s golden retriever Riley. Yardbird is a golden ale that features a picture of Ellis’s chicken Coco on the can.
Right now, ShaKa’s menu features five beers but the duo is always looking to expand. They test new beers in a smaller brewing station on site and get a helping hand from customers.
“If it’s horrible, we don’t feel so bad about throwing away 10 gallons of beer. It just didn’t work,” said Ellis. “Although that never happens because, surprise, surprise, beer gets drunk by somebody.”
ShaKa Brewery is only open on Fridays between 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. because Townsend and Ellis continue to work their day jobs. However, they do what they can to make sure customers receive top notch service.
“If people want to buy beer online, and they can’t make it on a Friday to come pick it up. All they have to do is email us,” said Ellis. “We meet people down here all the time. So, we’re super flexible. We even deliver beer. We throw beer in the truck and drive it around. If they live in the area, we just text them.”
The system is working. Not only are ShaKa’s beers served at local restaurants like Dish Dash and Murphy’s Law, but locals are buying as well. The company is already looking to move to a larger space.
“We’ve already outgrown this space. So, we’re looking for a bigger space,” said Ellis. “We want to stay in the area…because like I said, we want to be part of this community.”
Looking back, Ellis says while opening during COVID seemed like a bad plan, it actually helped the small brewery find its way.
“COVID threw everybody a curveball. We feel lucky that we were able to kind of roll with the curveball,” said Ellis. “In fact, it opened up opportunities that maybe forced us into a little more uncomfortable place than we planned. That’s worked out quite nicely.”


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A wave of bankruptcies continues to rock the retail sector, as regional discount chain Goody’s Family Clothing filed for Chapter 11 amid a sluggish economy and fierce competition with Wal-Mart.
Confirming last week’s report in The Post, Goody’s said yesterday its bankruptcy was due to “pressures from tightening credit markets, strain on merchandise flow and a sizable but isolated number of underperforming stores in the chain.”
The Knoxville, Tenn.-based retailer, which operates 355 stores spanning 20 states across the Southeast and Midwest, said it will close 69 stores and a distribution center in Russellville, Ark.
Goody’s is the latest big retailer to file for Chapter 11 as consumer spending weakens. Earlier this year, gadget retailer Sharper Image and home-furnishings chain Linens ‘n Things went bankrupt.
Linens ‘n Things had been taken private for $1.3 billion in 2005 by billionaire Leon Black’s buyout firm Apollo Management. Goody’s agreed to a buyout the same year for $327 million by an investment group led by New York-based Prentice Capital Management.
Goody’s, which had $1.4 billion in annual sales when it was taken private, said it has lost money during the past three fiscal years.
Earlier this year, the downturn forced management changes and drastic cost reductions, including layoffs at the company’s headquarters and the closing of 25 stores. In February, Chuck Turlinski resigned as CEO after a year on the job. Turlinski, who previously had been CEO of The Limited, said 2007 was “a challenging year.”
Goody’s yesterday listed assets of $313 million and debt of $443 million, with unsecured creditors including jeans makers Levi Strauss and Lee.


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Soyuz-2 to launch first demo mission for Pixxel constellation
(13 September 2019 - Roscosmos) Pixxel has signed a launch contract with GK Launch Services for its first tech demo mission to be launched in Q2-Q3 2020 from Baikonur on GK-operated Soyuz-2 mission.
The contract was arranged with the support of Precious Payload’s launch booking platform.
“We have chosen GK Launch Services because it bundles all the services in one package, offering transparent and standard insurance products along with launch services to the customers. Moreover, the company helps to solve less evident but equally important issues that traditionally brokers do, such as separation systems, logistics support, and right up to visa support. At the same time, having trusted our launch management to Precious Payload team, we have opted for focusing on our product and clients,” said Awais Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of Pixxel.
“We are pleased that Pixxel has chosen the most reliable launch vehicle, Soyuz-2, in the world for injecting their satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit. The smallsat launch market is gaining progress rapidly – new solutions are appearing that help customers find a provider of launch, integration, insurance and other related services. The team of GK Launch Services pays great attention to such solutions. The approach of Precious Payload to space mission management using modern IT-platform software helps customers be more informed about the advantages of cooperation with this or that launch provider. It is a useful tool for quick and better communication with our potential customers and the industry in whole,” said Alexander Serkin, CEO of GK Launch Services.
“We are happy that Pixxel has found GK Launch Services through our online platform. It will be a good test of our new service model for complete space mission management. In the growing small satellite market, launch providers are eager to make a product that provides comprehensive turn-key solutions for smallsat customers. GK Launch Services have developed an innovative online price calculator that meets market demand. The company also solves one of the key issues in the space sector, which is the provision of chain management,” said Andrey Maksimov, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Precious Payload.
Pixxel is an Indian space startup based in Bengaluru, India. Pixxel is building a constellation of earth imaging satellites to provide global coverage every 24 hours. The startup is the only Asian participant in the Techstars Starbust Space Accelerator where it is working with JPL NASA, US Air Force, Lockheed Martin, SAIC and IAI among other space stalwarts.
GK Launch Services is an operator of commercial launches. The company was established by the decision of Roscosmos and is authorized to conclude commercial contracts for the launch of spacecraft using Soyuz-2 family launch vehicles from the Russian spaceports.
Precious Payload is building a digital space mission management platform. The company helps with launch procurement, ground segment support, insurance, and regulatory aspects of access to space via an online service.


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A different perspective on insights generated by TV Attribution reports
Each week MediaQX curates for you the latest news from the sector, here is our latest newsletter: PubMatic cuts DSPs out of direct CTV, unveils Activate that streamlines video and CTV deals for buyers and sellers. FuboTV has partnered with iSpot.tv, is now able to quantify the number of ad impressions delivered to incremental households. ACR gives advertisers the keys to go beyond impressions, to understand who is watching and when.
Free Ad-supported Television (FAST) is a new model of television that is becoming increasingly popular among viewers who want to watch live and on-demand content without having to pay for a cable package or streaming service.


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You can’t help but spot a supercar, its sleek prowess cruising along the road with a throaty roar which just seems to magically part the surrounding traffic.
Aberdeen was once a hotspot for these beasts after the oil boom brought citizens a taste not only for big houses and new restaurants but also performance cars.
But since the oil crash, are their numbers dwindling?
Not quite, according to Roddy McAllister, who is dealership principle for the Leven Car Company.
If anyone should know about membership to the secret club of supercars, it’s Roddy.
He may not own a glorious model himself, but has spent the best part of a decade driving supercars as part of his job, previously working for the likes of Porsche, Rolls-Royce and BMW.
The dark Brexit cloud may be looming large over the UK car industry, but it will take a lot more than EU strife to silence the engine of an Aston Martin.
In fact, Roddy believes the market is showing tentative signs of recovery, and earlier this month organised a mini supercar road show in the Granite City to tempt potential buyers.
“When the oil price crashed it was as though a switch was turned off in Aberdeen,” said Roddy.
“The market definitely dropped off.
“But things have changed, and in fact, in the last week alone, we’ve sold four brand new cars to buyers in the AB postcode.”
The cars Roddy is referring to are Aston Martins and Lotuses specifically, with price tags ranging from £150,000 to £260,000.
But who can afford the privileged position of sitting behind the wheel?
“It’s hard to pinpoint our buyers,” said Roddy.
“They are doctors, business owners, directors of companies, the occasional lottery winner… but in my opinion they have all become more savvy with how they spend their money.
“Customers want to fund other projects with their cash, such as property and investments, which means there’s increasing demand for finance when it comes to their cars.”
This is true not only of Aston Martin and Lotus, but Ferrari and Lamborghini to name but a few.
A wave of more youthful buyers has required a new mindset for doing business too.
Car brochures would once eagerly have been waved at potential buyers, their glossy pages marking the key tool of persuasion.
But as technology marches forward, once well-thumbed booklets are slowly gathering dust.
“It wasn’t too many years ago that you didn’t leave the car dealership without a brochure unless you bought and drove home the car in question,” said Roddy.
“Now all our brochures are online.
“Social media too can be an incredibly valuable tool.
“Recently we sold a £200k car off the back of a single tweet.”
The internet has also enabled people to do their research before they even arrive at the showroom.
“Nowadays people do their homework,” he said.
“They know exactly what they are looking for and usually know if they are going to buy a car before they’ve even seen it in real life.
“We put pictures and videos on our website and often people put down deposits for cars over email.
“Then it’s shipped right to their door without us ever meeting in person or even speaking over the phone.”
But that doesn’t mean that this new breed of customer is any less discerning.
In Roddy’s opinion, cars like these are a passion not to be taken lightly.
“Of course you get the odd lottery winner who just wants to splurge,” he said.
“But for most people, it’s the second biggest purchase they will ever make.
“Usually it’s a car that they have worked hard for and want to enjoy.
“I often get folk in who say, ‘I’ve been saving my whole life for this moment’ or ‘the smell of the leather reminds me of my dad’.
“It can be a very emotional thing for people. I know that Aston Martin used to be seen as an old man’s car, but times have changed.
“The whole industry is far more dynamic and fluid than ever before.
“Interestingly we are seeing a lot more female clientele too which is great, it’s about time that women started buying their own sports cars.”
But for Roddy personally, the devil is in the detail.
“Each one of these cars is hand built and every element of the interior hand stitched,” he said.
“As for why people buy them?
“It’s hard to say, but it’s got to be something to do with that feeling you get when you roar off the start line.
“I get to drive these cars for a job, but imagine really owning one.”


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Office News & Analysis
| Friday Apr 10, 2015
It’s been a busy week in the document management space. Adobe let loose its Document Cloud, Accusoft and EMC teamed up on a release, and Microsoft shared some new releases and promises of things to come.
| Monday Mar 16, 2015
Microsoft has finally put Office 2016 IT Pro and Developer into technical preview.
To be clear about this, this is not the first time glimpse of Office 2016. It was in private preview, so we knew quite a bit about it already.
But now we have the definitive word. At the Convergence conference in Atlanta today, Microsoft gave a clear outline of where it stands with Office 2016 and where it wants to go with it.
| Friday Mar 6, 2015
Five years after Microsoft unveiled Office for Mac, it's released a look at its successor.
The preview of the new Office 2016 for Mac includes updated versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook. The full release is scheduled for the second half of 2015.
| Tuesday Mar 3, 2015
Microsoft has opened the box on its Windows 10 universal app platform at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain — and developers are expected to like what they see.
Kevin Gallo, director of Windows Developer Platform at Microsoft, said the platform advances Microsoft's development goals. It lets developers to code once and send that code to any Windows device, from a mobile phone or tablet to an Xbox console.
All of these Windows devices will now access a single Store for app acquisition, app distribution and updating.
| Tuesday Mar 3, 2015
Microsoft said today that it plans to give customers a glimpse of SharePoint Server 2016 at its mega-conference in Chicago in May. The news confirms what Bill Baer, senior product manager for SharePoint, told Todd Klindt, a SharePoint Consultant at Rackspace Hosting, last month.
Although Microsoft said it will demo the latest version of SharePoint at Ignite, it still hasn't revealed when the product will be ready for release.
| Friday Feb 20, 2015
Microsoft has started leaking news about SharePoint 2016 — and they suggest the company plans to showcase an early edition at Ignite, its upcoming all-in-one conference for everyone from senior decision makers, IT pros and "big thinkers" and to enterprise developers and architects.
In a just released podcast, Bill Baer, senior product manager for SharePoint, said the company will offer a look at the latest version of SharePoint at the conference, which will be held in Chicago from May 4 through 8.
| Friday Feb 13, 2015
Some Service Packs have long and useful futures. Some just crawl away under the IT bed and expire.
AvePoint’s new DocAve 6 Service Pack (SP) 5 falls into the former category. Given the fact that it provides an enterprise-class infrastructure management platform for SharePoint 2016, it seems assured of a long life.
Though how it will work with SharePoint 2016 is not completely clear given the holes in what we know about this pending product, John Peluso, vice president of Product Management at AvePoint, told us there is enough information to know that DocAve 6 Service Pack 5 can manage hybrid deployments for the new SharePoint platform, too.
| Friday Feb 6, 2015
Only two weeks after it announced they were on the way, Microsoft has released the preview version of Universal Office apps for Windows 10. This first batch includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
These apps are available for free download for PCs, tablets and phones that are running Windows 10 Technical Preview, and will be followed in the coming weeks by the other Office apps.
| Wednesday Feb 4, 2015
It’s going to be a big year for SharePoint, but details about what to expect are fuzzy.
Microsoft has promised a new on-premise version will be released later this year. However, it has been less forthcoming about SharePoint Online in Office 365.
Microsoft upgrades Office 365 on a regular basis and has given some indication as to where it would like to go with SharePoint Online. But a lot of questions remained unanswered.
| Wednesday Jan 28, 2015
You’d have to be a forensic accountant to understand Microsoft’s financials. However, a few things are clear from this week's second quarter earnings release.
The first is that the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant is starting to make serious ground in the cloud space. The second is that CEO Satya Nadella’s strategy of revamping and remarketing Windows is needed more than ever. The third: there's no beating Office 365, at least for the moment.
While the numbers triggered only tepid enthusiasm from the financial markets, from an IT perspective there are a lot of positives that show Nadella’s strategy of moving Microsoft from packaged software company to cloud-based software provider is beginning to pay off.
| Friday Jan 23, 2015
During this week's Windows 10 reveal event, Microsoft gave a glimpse of the future. And yesterday Microsoft’s Julia White, general manager for Office Product Management, provided a few more details.
Here's what we know. In addition to the soon to be released Windows 10 Technical Preview, look for a touchscreen version of Office as well as Office for Windows 10, a suite of apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook and Calendar.
| Wednesday Jan 7, 2015
There’s not going to be a device on the planet on which you can’t use Microsoft productivity tools. OK, maybe that’s pushing it a little too far. But that seems to be CEO Satya Nadella’s strategy and he’s executing on it one quick step after another.
Microsoft just announced that the Office for Android tablet preview is generally available. Anyone can go to Google Play and download the Word, Excel and PowerPoint preview apps. There’s “No wait list. No requesting access. Just go and download the apps!” states the Office 365 blog.
| Tuesday Dec 30, 2014
If we could really say what the future holds for SharePoint, we could probably sell the information back to Microsoft. All the signs point to major changes — but they also point to the fact that Microsoft is still dithering. While the company has committed to another on-premises version, after that all bets are off.
But let's speculate. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has made no bones about where he is talking Microsoft: “Mobile First, Cloud Frist.” There is no reason to think that he won’t do the same with SharePoint and certainly over the past months the developments around SharePoint Online have been mouthwatering.
| Wednesday Dec 24, 2014
If ‘X’ represents the mass of information in your enterprise, it also represents the size of the problem that you currently have with information management. In other words, the more information you have in your enterprise, the bigger your problem. And odds are it has gotten worse in the past 12 months.
That's not to say that there hasn't been a flurry of new technologies available to help you deal with this information overload. In the big data space alone, the explosion in the number of solutions available is staggering. It's even more mind blowing if you add in all those that have emerged in content management, analytics, business intelligence, cloud storage, mobile and so forth.
| Tuesday Dec 23, 2014
Microsoft is dropping its Public Website feature from SharePoint Online as of January, although it will continue maintenance for existing sites for two more years.
The service enables Office 365 users to build websites and customize them with in-browser tools. Using templates,companies can build public-facing websites with custom domain names, search engine optimization tools, social media integration and search-friendly URLs.


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Mandhana, Being Human To Expand Market
Mandhana Industries Ltd, a vertically integrated textile and garment manufacturing company which partners actor Salman Khan’s Being Human Foundation, plans for deeper access into domestic and international markets using the franchise route. It will manufacture and market the Rs 300 crore Being Human clothing brand, it already has a licensing agreement with the foundation for a global presence.
Manish Mandhana, managing director, Mandhana Industries, said that they have aggressive growth plans as they want to become a complete family clothing brand, and grow 40 to 50 per cent per year until 2020. They will be available at over 2,000 outlets in India and abroad, compared to 700 now. International sales in 16 countries contribute 25 per cent of Being Human’s revenue.
Mandhana will also add new products to its portfolio from April with the introduction of a boys wear line and a sportswear sub-brand called Being Active. Between 8 to10 per cent of the Being Human sales revenue goes to the foundation. In the next three months, it will demerge its retail business and hive it off as Mandhana Retail Ventures to add more brands and scale up business.
This year Being Human will flag off a store in France, in addition to one in Mauritius and two in Nepal, where it already has one.
The Being Active clothing line is aimed at the fitness market, currently dominated by Puma and Adidas. Their first year sales target is Rs 50 crore, Mandhana said.
In 2012-13, Being Human was a Rs 60 crore revenue brand. By 2014-15, sales risen to Rs 235 crore, and this year, it will clock in Rs 300 crore in retail earning. Over 10 per cent of the total revenue comes from online sales.


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Feature Image Source: iStock.com Let’s admit it, everyone feels the need to be an entrepreneur at least once in their life time. While the reasons could be varied from a bad manager to a monotonous job, the objective remains the same. They want to enjoy the power. Little do they know that their own personality […]
This month’s column on “Social entrepreneur spotlight” arrived a little late than usual to the publisher. The reason for this was my inability to find a link between the presidential candidates and social entrepreneurship on time.
This month our social entrepreneur spotlight is on Pablo González Cid, founder of Café Punta del Cielo, the first gourmet coffee brand from Mexico committed to the communities in its native country. Over fifteen years ago, Pablo started with the goal of building a company that would become Mexico’s authority on coffee while also giving back […]
This month our social entrepreneur spotlight is on Amy Hall, the director of Social Consciousness at Eileen Fisher. Hall guides the Eileen Fisher Company’s business responsibility, including supporting women through partnerships,
This month we are featuring a New Jersey local social entrepreneur, Tom Szaky, who “stopped viewing garbage as garbage and instead slowly started to see it as a commodity” by actively collecting “difficult-to-recycle packaging and products and repurposes the material into affordable, innovative products.” Who is Tom Szaky?
Social Entrepreneurial Organization Our blog focused on the finance industry this month, so I thought I would find a social entrepreneur from within the same field. However, the finance industry is more about organizations than individuals, though individuals do play a large role in the success or failure of their organizations.


text: Great news animal lovers–a new federal bill introduced last week could finally put an end to cruel cosmetics testing on animals in the United States. Endorsed by The Humane Society of the United States and industry giants such as LUSH, the Humane Cosmetics Act would ban animal testing in the American cosmetics industry and prohibit the sale or transport of animal-tested cosmetics. The bill was introduced by U.S. Representative Jim Moran (D-VA), who believes the U.S. needs to match the more humane alternatives to animal testing as adopted by the European Union. Want to learn how you can help? Click the bottom link to find out more.


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Miley Cyrus cuddled with animals in an instagram photo last night wearing an Enfants Riches Déprimés Distressed Black T-Shirt ($230.00, wrong color).
Miley Cyrus arrived at the MTV Video Music Awards today wearing a leather top and matching pants from the Alexandre Vauthier Fall/Winter 2014-2015 Collection and a pair of Manolo Blahnik Chaos Holo Sandals ($725.00). You can find similar holographic sandals at Zooshoo ($34.00).
Miley Cyrus left her hotel in New York City earlier this week wearing a pair of Vintage Levi’s Cutoff Shorts (sold out), a white tee cut into a crop top, a pair of Saint Laurent Pina Skullata Slip Ons ($395.00) and a pair of Marc Jacobs MJ 532/S Sunglasses (€225.00). You can get a similar tee from American Apparel ($22.00) and similar slip-ons from Vans ($55.00).
Miley Cyrus posted a new photo on instagram today of her MyGift Pink Leopard Print & Hearts Backpack ($19.50).
Miley Cyrus appears in Pharrell’s new video “Come Get It Bae” wearing a Beach Riot Monte Top ($106.99), Chanel Large CC Dangling Earrings (Sold Out), One Teaspoon Hendrix Bandit Shorts ($99.00) and Chanel Embellished Trainers (Not available online).
Miley Cyrus was spotted at a gas station in West Hollywood wearing a Vintage 70′s Lee Denim Overall ($30.00), the Chanel Large CC Dangling Earrings (not available online) and a pair of Nike Pink Benassi JDI Sliders ($30.49).
Miley Cyrus posted a new instagram photo today wearing a Trifecta Star Tee ($10.00) from her brother Trace’s Southern Made Hollywood Paid clothing line.
Miley Cyrus wore a rainbow tie dye O’Mighty Big Ass Alien Money Weed Peace Tee ($49.58) in an instagram photo today.


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At a time when the rate of personal money saving has reached record lows, how does a bank convince its customers to put money aside? In Bank of America's case, it tells them to "keep the change."
The Charlotte, NC-based financial giant's new "Keep the Change" program enables Bank of America's debit card holders to automatically deduct a small portion of a purchase into a linked savings account.
Under the terms of the program, if a shopper pays $3.25 for an item, the total cost of the item is rounded up to the nearest whole dollar -- $4.00 in this case - and the 75-cent difference is automatically transferred to their savings account at the end of the day.
Bank of America said it will match 100 percent of each transfer for the first three months, and will contribute five percent a year thereafter.
The new system is being touted as a way for customers to save money in a simple fashion. Bank of America executive Diane Morais calls it "an electronic change jar. People can now turn those everyday purchases for groceries, gas and meals into a simple way to save."
It also encourages customers to use their debit card.
Banks earn a fee for every use of a debit or credit card in a transaction. These fees, called "point of sale fees" (POS) range from 25 cents to $2 per transaction. The cost of processing the transaction is borne by the retailer, who may in turn charge the customer more for goods they purchase.
Mitch Goldstone, owner of online photo store 30 Minute Photo and an advocate of lower fees for card transactions, calls the new program "an underhanded scheme."
"This is going to lead to higher charges and more costs that will be on the backs of consumers and merchants," he said.
Goldstone said that a substantial number of debit card transactions, no matter their size, are processed as credit card transactions, which have even higher fees and end up costing consumers more in the long run.
Goldstone is one of several plaintiffs in a series of lawsuits against Visa, MasterCard, and several major banks, including Bank of America, that are out to reduce or remove the "interchange fee" from credit card transactions.
Ed Mierzwinski, consumer advocate and program director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), expressed similar sentiments about the new program.
"The savings are diminished compared to how much more the bank will make in these transactions. They are trying to increase the use of debit cards to increase their profits," Mierzwinski said.


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Northampton-based Datatrade’s newly launched Preventenance service will enable enterprises to be more proactive in their device maintenance and minimise downtime by pre-empting failures in their supply chain.
The new managed service runs real-time health checks on printers, scanners, handheld computers and other electronic assets to spot likely failures and enable pre-emptive and timely repairs and replacements to be carried out.
“By having total visibility of assets − from barcode printers on factory floors to electronic proof of delivery (EPOD) devices in vans and lorries − our customers can easily see, for example, when scanner batteries or printheads need replacing,” says Datatrade’s managing director Peter Laplanche.
“Our Preventenance service is more than predictive maintenance (PdM) or preventative maintenance (PM), it’s more intuitive. It relies in part on a cloud-based visibility solution where users can monitor the condition of all their assets from a simple dashboard.”
Datatrade claims customers using the new package will now see total visibility of their fleet and free access to 24×7 call logging by Datatrade itself – as opposed to a call centre – as well as next business day on-site printer fix by Datatrade field engineers. Installation and device performance reporting will also be among the services provided.
Businesses that rely on uninterrupted supply chains, including manufacturers, retailers, healthcare estates, utilities and T&L operators will see most benefit from the service says the company.
Such enterprises know only too well the true cost of downtime on factory floors, warehouses, hospitals and out on the road, and any initiative that prevents such instances happening increases profitability and operational efficiency.
“We’ve been offering managed print services (MPS) and mobile device management (MDM) in the back office for several years, delivering cost savings and efficiencies on a par with lease+click MPS found in front offices,” said Laplanche.
“What makes us uniquely placed to offer this more comprehensive service is our 30 years+ of experience, our strong relationship with OEMs like Zebra Technologies and an unparalleled team of field-based engineers − a rare sight these days.”


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Toyota is partnering with Aurora Innovation to begin testing autonomous vehicles on U.S. roads, running a shuttle that includes trips to or from the airport. The service comes as other companies, such as Waymo, Cruise and others are in the midst of extensive studies underway. Find out more at TheDetroitBureau.com.
Could this audacious electric scooter be the Honda Cub of the 21st Century? Ola is betting big on the S1 Ola is building the world’s largest motorcycle “Futurefactory,” and planning a staggeringly massive push into India’s electric scooter market. It has now made a “multi-million dollar investment” in an ultra-fast charging battery company from Israel. […]
The Chevrolet Equinox has managed to hold its own in a very competitive segment. In fact, it’s been GM’s top-selling non-pickup truck the past several years. After spending a week in the 2022 Equinox RS AWD, we can offer some insights as to why. Check out the review at TheDetroitBureau.com.


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HP (HPQ) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Goldman Sachs Group
Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of HP (NYSE:HPQ) in a report released on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $25.00 price objective on the computer maker’s stock.
Several other research firms have also commented on HPQ. Barclays lowered HP from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $23.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Zacks Investment Research lowered HP from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Loop Capital increased their target price on HP from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 13th. Deutsche Bank reissued a buy rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of HP in a report on Wednesday, November 22nd. Finally, ValuEngine raised HP from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $22.83.
HP (HPQ) opened at $20.11 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $32,772.94, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of -1.98. HP has a twelve month low of $15.45 and a twelve month high of $24.10.
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.1393 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 13th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. HP’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.58%.
In other news, insider Marie Myers sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.55, for a total transaction of $215,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 21,966 shares in the company, valued at $473,367.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kim M. Rivera sold 41,761 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.28, for a total transaction of $888,674.08. Following the sale, the insider now owns 84,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,804,522.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 944,749 shares of company stock valued at $20,827,115 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ark Investment Management LLC lifted its position in HP by 37.4% in the second quarter. Ark Investment Management LLC now owns 78,615 shares of the computer maker’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 21,399 shares during the period. OxFORD Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in HP in the second quarter valued at about $296,000. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in HP by 15.2% in the second quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 175,308 shares of the computer maker’s stock valued at $3,053,000 after purchasing an additional 23,110 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LP acquired a new stake in HP in the second quarter valued at about $439,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in HP by 28.7% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 157,604 shares of the computer maker’s stock valued at $2,755,000 after purchasing an additional 35,139 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.22% of the company’s stock.
HP Company Profile
HP Inc is a provider of products, technologies, software, solutions and services to individual consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses, and enterprises, including customers in the government, health and education sectors. The Company provides personal computing and other access devices, imaging and printing products, and related technologies, solutions and services.
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Japanese firm buys American Standard
SALEM- American Standard Brands has been purchased by a building supplies products company headquartered in Tokyo, but all U.S. existing facilities will remain open.
LIXIL Corporation announced Friday the $542 million transaction with an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners Inc. for 100 percent of the share capital of ASD Americas Holding Corp., the parent company of American Standard Brands headquartered in New Jersey. American Standard will continue to be headquartered in the U.S. and operate all existing facilities. The sale is subject to regulatory approval.
LIXIL already owns the American Standard brand in the Asia Pacific market, so the transaction will strengthen the brand and the company’s considerable manufacturing capabilities and technological best practices, according to Yoshiaki Fujimori, president of LIXIL Corporation.
“American Standard will serve as a key platform for LIXIL as we continue to fulfill our ambitions to become a worldwide leader in the building materials and housing equipment market,” Fujimori said in a written release.
Jay Gould, American Standard Brands president and CEO, indicated the transaction will help sustain the company’s position as a leader in the kitchen and bath products industry.
“We and our customers will surely benefit by combining LIXIL’s quality control, manufacturing technology and product development with American Standard’s sales networks, and I believe these will help the company maintain our position as a market leader,” he said.
A representative from the Salem facility was not available for comment.


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Despite the fact the decision was made back in 2014, it's fitting that the Netherlands is this month hosting the twelfth edition of the UEFA European Women’s Championship. Fitting, because women's football in the country is experiencing a boom in popularity yet seen almost anywhere else on Earth.
Participation levels at all ages are soaring, public interest is intensifying, and the national team is even selling out stadiums. While the women's game still has hurdles to clear, what is happening in the Netherlands is a sign of hope for the rest of the world.
To celebrate both the rise of women's football and the impending European Championship, Amsterdam-based brand Lack of Guidance teamed up with Nike Football to create an exclusive collection (and an amazing accompanying editorial, which you can see above) called "Zero Guidance."
According to the brand, "Zero Guidance" stands for a winning mentality, one that takes its own direction and defines its own set of rules. For the editorial, shot by Lois Cohen in the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, the brand selected 11 women that it believes possess this state of mind.
Unfortunately, the pieces on show won't be going up for sale. Instead, they're merely intended to shed light on a story that undoubtedly deserves more attention. Head over to Nike to read more about Dutch women's football.
Next up: how to find the perfect training shoe.
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Air Zoom Mariah Flyknit Racer


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Tesla the electric vehicle company is back in India. Nitin Gadkari who is the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and the Minister of Micro says that Tesla will start its work in India in early 2021.
Nitin Gadkari had a conversation with the editors of Indian Express and there he revealed this information. He talked about the other companies of India who are working on electrical vehicles.
He added that those vehicles might be affordable but technically as advanced as the Tesla. He said that The Tesla will start its work in terms of sales and later on they will go into the manufacturing part. The manufacturing is totally dependent on the kind of response they will get in the sales.
Nitin Gadkari gives a statement that was very much encouraging was that he said “India is going to become a number 1 manufacturing hub for auto in five years,”.
The CEO of Tesla Elon Musk gave an statement in the month of october saying that the company will come to india in the year of 2021. this piece of information he shared on his official twitter account. The caption he gave to the post was “Next year for sure,”.
The model which we are going to get in India is going to be much more affordable and easy to handle. The bookings are also going to start within few weeks, the exact date is not declared yet for the bookings.
The completely built units will be imported and likely to be priced Rs 55 lakh onwards. Tesla will most probably handle sales directly as it does in other parts of the world.
In 2016, Tesla has collected $1000 deposit from interested buyers in India. However, those consumers are still waiting for their cars and some of them had told indianexpress.com they felt let down by the company. So, soon we are going to have the latest cars in India.
Also read: Telangana: 4 people are arrested For Loan Apps Fraud


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The View from Manufacturers in China
April 20, 2020
With an unprecedented pandemic grinding normal life to a halt, no one knows what’s going to happen in the coming months. Instead, we are looking to countries that have already been through this to see how we can better prepare for the future. KBB talked to manufacturers in China to find out what it’s like there now.
KBB: How was your business in China affected by the virus?
“It affected business in China, and the first quarter has dropped down almost around 60 percent. Now, it’s starting to pick up and will return to normal soon.”
– Jonathan Lee, manager, Yingao Kitchen Utensils
“The coronavirus situation in China is effectively under control right now, and most companies in China – including ours – have resumed production. The virus situation in the States and the whole world is more and more concerning. Since our company exports to more than 65 countries, we are also affected by what is happening in those countries. Some of our overseas customers have asked us to suspend the shipment, so we hope the situation can improve in coming weeks and the global economy can get back to normal.”
– Rowena Liu, overseas marketing director, Xiamen R&T Plumbing Technology Co.
“Many large-scale home appliance industry exhibitions were cancelled or postponed, which indirectly affected the pace of new product launches, so we are currently exploring online product launch events. While the supply chain was affected badly in February, in March, 80 percent of the supply chain employees returned to work and can now meet the demand for recent orders. Brick-and-mortar retail business was also affected. Since March, most physical stores and warehouses except the ones in Hubei Province have been operating normally. Distributors were the first to be affected. Through a series of assistant initiatives, our distributors now have greater confidence to achieve the goals for the year.”
– Weige Guo, Fotile
KBB: How did your business innovate and change during this time?
“We have taken quite strict precautions inside the company. All employees must wear the mask and take temperature measurements twice a day. We do at least two disinfections in office production and in the employee shuttle. We make sure only one person is at a table in the dining room and there is adequate distance between people.”
– Liu, Xiamen R&T Plumbing Technology Co.
“During the pandemic, most people were quarantined at home. If a kitchen appliance failed to work, it would affect the everyday life of the user. Therefore, we quickly developed and implemented emergency service plans. On January 31, we urgently released the “FOTILE Reassuring Service Guide” to try to solve problems for users through remote means such as WeChat. At the same time, strict on-site pandemic prevention measures have been introduced and implemented. Each service technician of ours strictly checks their body temperature, wears a mask, disinfects hands and toolboxes and wears shoe covers before entering customers’ apartments. Through the urgent implementation of the remote customer service program, our customer service staff can respond to customers’ queries at home, and a small number of staff on duty in the office have also implemented pandemic prevention measures such as sitting far away from each other.”
– Guo, Fotile
“We have adopted a variety of online marketing and sales methods, but this is just one aspect of engaging our community. For us, sharing positive values is just as important as communicating product information. ‘Love and happiness’ are the values that we have been advocating for a long time, and this is no exception in the pandemic. During the pandemic where most people stay at home, they have started paying more attention to issues such as a balanced diet to improve immunity, upgrading of home-cooked recipes, and improving family relations. Accordingly, FOTILE released a series of digital content regarding home health and kitchen life, helping people enjoy their increased amount of time at home more.”
– Guo, Fotile
KBB: Do you have any positive thoughts to share with businesses enduring this now in the U.S.?
“The more difficult it is, the more a company must adhere to its mission and unite everyone to fight together with common values. Many outstanding companies in China and the U.S. have their own cultures and values. Hard times are tests for these corporate cultures and values. If a company passes the test, it gets stronger like never before. Like FOTILE, many Chinese companies actively took on responsibilities during the pandemic, supporting their customers and their communities, and helping slow down the spread of the virus. Undoubtedly, these responsible companies have won respect and support from both their employees and their communities.”
– Guo, Fotile


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“At every critical juncture of my life, there’s always been someone there who says, ‘There’s no way you can do this,’” Josie Maran, founder and chief executive officer of the cosmetics company bearing her name, told the audience at WWD’s Beauty Forum. “‘You can’t be a supermodel, you’re too short.’ ‘You can’t run your own company, you have no experience.’ ‘You can’t create that line of high-performance and natural products. It’s impossible.’”
Rather than listen to the naysayers, Maran took them as a challenge, becoming a successful model and in 2007 founding Josie Maran Cosmetics, a line of high-performance natural cosmetics.
Hermès is launching a Laundromat pop-up shop in NYC - dubbed Hermèsmatic - where customers can bring their old scarves to be dip-dyed by an expert. Get all the details on WWD.com. #wwdnews (📷: @donstahl)


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In order to sell its motorcycle in Malaysia, Bajaj has partnered with a local brand called as Modena (Motosikal Dan Enjin Nasional) which also has a minority stake of Kawasaki, Bajaj’s old partner (domestic ties with which have been recently snapped).
Modena currently sells step-throughs and scooters ranging upto 250cc in Malaysia. Through this partnership, they will assemble Bajaj branded motorcycles including Dominar 400, Pulsar, V and Platina. Currently they have a manufacturing plant in Kedah with a capacity of 1.3 lakh units. There will be a dedicated assembly line for Bajaj-branded motorcycles.
According to Money Control, Bajaj has plans to focus on Malaysia and Thailand as the prime markets to grow the ASEAN business. They have recently re-entered Indonesia with the help of partner KTM (which already sells its products in Malaysia).
The partnership will also involve technology transfer between the two companies but, considering the adamant stance of Bajaj, we do not expect them to bring Modena’s scooters to India.
All necessary clearances are received and sales of Bajaj’s motorcycles may commence as early as by next month. Bajaj may also be looking at localisation in Malaysia to enhance their cost-effectiveness for the local market as well as other ASEAN countries where they may export to (from Malaysia).


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It's a long-running joke that millennials can't afford to buy a house because of their love of smashed avo.
The proof may now be in the pudding - or the avocado.
Asked for their top 10 foods of 2019, New Zealand supermarkets revealed some interesting results.
Overall, bread was the most common frozen or grocery product at New World, Pak'n Save, Four Square stores and Countdown.
On Four Square's list, eight of its 10 biggest-selling products were types of bread.
Eggs, Weet-Bix and crumpets also featured highly, rounding off the last of the products with multiple spots in the top 10 of each supermarket.
Avocados topped Countdown's list, behind bananas and milk. Mayonnaise, chips and chocolate bars were also top priorities for Kiwis.
Available all year round, bananas rank fourth globally after rice, wheat and maize in human consumption.
On average, Countdown bought 18kg of bananas per person annually, according to 2016 statistics, general manager of merchandise Steve Mills said.
"Bananas have always been a favourite for our shoppers, and have topped the list for the last five years," he said.
"The top 10 list also shows that we like to treat ourselves to the occasional treat such as a block of chocolate and Coca-Cola."
The stats also showed we are a nation of cat lovers; cat food is in the supermarket's top 10.
It was not surprising to see staple foods like bread, eggs, milk and fruit top the list, Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford said.
"These are the items that Kiwis consume on a daily basis, and therefore get eaten quickly and purchased often," he said.
"There will be regional differences in the particular brands and products that people buy, but the key basic food items are broadly similar around the country.
"Occasional treat foods remain popular as well, and as a nation we love our pets, so pet food is also a big seller for many stores."
Over time there could be variance in the brands featuring in the lists, Harford said, but fresh products would always be king.
"Value for money is particularly important to customers at the moment, when there are pressures on household budgets."
Every week, about two million people shop at Foodstuffs supermarkets - 143 New Worlds, 57 Pak 'n Saves and 231 Four Squares.
About three million customers each week are served at Countdown's 182 stores nationwide.
The difference in the products between the supermarket chains could be influenced by how consumers shop, said Chris Wilkinson, managing director of First Retail Group, a business consultancy.
"Brand association and the location of these supermarkets will be influencing factors.
"From the data, it's clear that Foodstuffs shoppers prioritise the 'must-haves' with meal components [like] eggs, bread, chicken etc.
"Countdown's customers have more of a discretionary spend, with 'nice to haves', like chips, chocolate, soft drink, capsicums and avocados in their top 10."
• The top products for Foodstuffs (New World, Pak'nSave, Four Square) were between grocery and frozen items. Meanwhile, the product units were for the entire store at Countdown.


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Free Comic Day is here. DC and Marvel revealed their latest events in samplers for fans across America.
May 2 is Free Comic Book Day across North America and 2015 offers a sneak peek into Marvel and DC's latest comic universe events.
Don't Miss: Sam's Club Black Friday 2016 Details
Started in 2002, Free Comic Book Day allows independent vendors the opportunity to offer free comics and previews for upcoming series. And it's not just Marvel and DC, either. IDW Publishing's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers: Robots in Disguise #0 alongside Antartic Press's Steampunk Goldilocks and New England Comics ever-popular The Tick.
The official website puts up a list of available titles every year. This year's also includes media titles like Bob's Burgers, the Simpsons, Doctor Who, and Fight Club. And that's just some of the fifty titles up for grabs.
There's a mashup of adult, young adult, and children titles. Even some classics like The Phantom'll put on a show next to Sonic the Hedgehog and the reboot of Chapter House Publishing's Captain Canuck. Drawing in fans for a lot of different demographics is smart.
But there's a catch: you have to walk into the store and each store limits the supply per customer. The idea is to drive sales up while keeping the focus on specialty shows. It's a win-win for all parties, especially the fans. After all, with the major events coming up, it's like a peek into industry minds.
And about those events? Well, DC Entertainment announced in February that the universe would be converging together with 24 all-new titles to mix with the 25 ongoing titles. And new ones are on the way in Divergence.
That's just how co-publisher Dan Didio wants it. "Whether you’ve been a DC fan your whole life, or whether you are new to comics – there will be a book for you beginning in June."
Fans are invited to follow classic heroes like the Trinity (Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman) and introducing titles focusing on reinvented characters like Starfire and Cyborg.
Co-publisher Jim Lee focused on the fact "fans are being exposed to our rich portfolio of characters through multiple sources," such television, movies, and video games. It makes sense to cash in on that appeal. "We are looking to extend that experience within publishing to ensure there is a comic book for everyone."
Some older, legacy characters like Black Canary are going to be reinvented in the latest event, along with Starfire. It's a whole new world for some fan favorites.
Lee added that it's more than just a remake, a divergence of what fans known. "Beyond character and creators, the June slate will showcase different styles and approaches to storytelling as we add offbeat, irreverently funny titles such as Bizarro, Bat-Mite and Prez."
And on Free Comic Book Day, DC is offering 3 8-page previews of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman, Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok’s take on the Darkseid War with the Justice League, and Gene Luen Yang and John Romita, Jr's Superman. Samplers of key titles seems to be a good idea.
Didio described Divergence as an event where each "story will trump continuity as we continue to empower creators to tell the best stories in the industry."
But what about Secret Wars? Is there really such a thing in the world of Marvel? Well, it turns out there may be. Since the publishing powerhouse decided to blow up the Marvel Universe, fans have been curious on what to expect.
With the FCBD glimpse, more questions were asked than answers revealed.
While DC is waiting until June to set off the event, Marvel's on the run with a May debut. Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic have opened up Battleworld, where the remnants of forgotten and obliterated worlds must fight to leave Battleworld and return home to a completely different world than left. Trying to repiece the Marvel Universe's doors shut nearly 30 years ago will take a bit of time. But this time the creators aren't playing around.
Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso and Tom Brevoort, SVP Executive Editor, revealed at a January press conference that Hickman’s run of Avengers and New Avengers has been dropping clues for the past four years of what was in the works.
“Secret Wars is the culmination of the storyline that Jonathon’s been telling, beginning with the first issue of Avengers and the first issue of New Avengers that he wrote,” said Brevoort. Alonso added that “it’s the most coordinated event we’ve ever done” with all divisions on board and communicating in this new shared universe.
Many fans have been clamoring for news on the latest upsets, like a new Captain America and Thor, Brevoort and Alonso noted the significance is the feat is pulled off. After all, it’s hard to make all the events and issues work together to create a single event in the background.
Messing with parallel universes can be pretty tricky. Sometimes people win, sometimes they lose, especially with Earth as the center point. In the incursion, there’s a few options: no one does anything and both earths are destroyed, there’s a smaller multiverse, or something happens and “one universe is one Earth fewer than it was.”
Thus Battleworld was born. Black Panther reforms the Illuminati with “the smartest and the brightest superheroes in the Marvel universe” to find the best solution and reason for the event at all. Sounds pretty awesome, really.
And since Secret Wars is only running until December, the aftermath may be larger than previously assumed.
Marvel’s looking to offer some tidbits on reframing the universe through a sparring of heroes as DC looks to recreate a multiverse with a few new old faces. Including Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti’s runs on Harley Quinn, Starfire, and Harley Quinn/Power Girl. Hopefully, they’ll both succeed and this year’s FCBD will do big things.
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The biggest game in the world, 'Fortnite,' is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch
Tuesday, 12 June 2018 () · *"Fortnite" is headed to the Nintendo Switch — a perfect marriage of an absurdly popular game with an absurdly popular game console.*
· *Nintendo announced the news at E3 2018, the annual video gameindustry trade show, in Los Angeles.*
· *The game's arrival on Switch has been hotly anticipated by fans — and even some...
Looks like Sony didn't want Cross-play for a "dumb" reason according to former Sony boss, Xbox fans will be happy about the Fallout 76 Beta, and Reggie Fils-Aime explains Wii-U's failure. IGN - Affiliate -
It’s been a busy week for Nintendo, with its E3 showcase jam-packed with all sorts of reveals, including more details on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as well as favorites like Fortnite, Killer Queen.. Wochit -
Screenrant says rumors have surfaced of at least a half dozen more characters are coming...
to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch.
Unveiled by Nintendo at E3, the latest installment.. Wochit -


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Qualcomm announces its latest budget SoC, the Snapdragon 480, bringing 5G to more affordable smartphones. The latest chipset is built on an 8nm process and promises better performance compared to its predecessor.
Despite the budget status, the Snapdragon 480 comes with an integrated Snapdragon X51 Modem which supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G. The modem, Qualcomm claims, can reach download speeds of up to 2.5Gbps and uploads of up to 660Mbps on 5G.
As for performance, it has eight cores with two 2GHz high performance Cortex A76 cores and six 1.8GHz power efficiency Cortex A55 cores. It also comes with an Adreno 619 GPU. According to Qualcomm, they have increased both CPU and GPU performance by over 100 percent, meaning the budget chip is capable of performing close to the Snapdragon 730G normally found on more expensive devices.
Aside from the technical specs, the Snapdragon 480 also supports 120Hz refresh rate at up to full HD resolution displays, 64MP cameras, triple rear cameras, 1080p video recording at 60 fps, Wi-Fi 6, and Quick Charge 4+.
With that, we should expect budget 5G phones early this year from the likes of realme, OPPO, Xiaomi, vivo, Nokia, and more.


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Born in the USA: ‘Buffalo Wings and Rings’
As part of MSNBC’s Born in the USA series, MSNBC’s Tamron Hall talks to CEO of “Buffalo Wings and Rings,” Nader Masadeh, about his company and whether the presidential race is having an impact on the business world.
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