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A virtual trade event, organised by Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Commerce Ministry, is set to take place from November 2-4, 2020, facilitating digital trade in gemstones and jewelry in response to the challenges to international travel and trade caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Somdet Susomboon, Director General of the DITP, tells Jewellery Outlook Editor David Brough.
What are your plans for the November virtual event, “BGJF (Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair) Special Edition – On Ground to Online Exhibition”?
As you know, coronavirus has continued to spread throughout the world, disrupting travel and creating many health issues. Even though Thailand has been very successful in limiting the spread of the virus within the country, the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, has decided to officially postpone the 66th Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair until 23-27 February 2021 to prevent possible health and travel difficulties for event participants.
However, the DITP is determined to ensure the continuity of our gems and jewelry trade fairs, as well as providing trading opportunities for those involved. So this year the DITP has created the online trade channel with a special “BGJF Special Edition – On Ground to Online Exhibition” activity. This will give opportunities to conduct gems and jewelry business through our virtual platform.
This virtual event will be held from 2-4 November 2020. Exhibitors will be able to introduce new products and exchange information through this virtual trade show platform. It also provides engaging and interactive virtual event experiences for all attendees.
What is the main purpose of the virtual event?
The Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair is one of the world’s leading trade shows for international buyers and sellers, as well as a very important opportunity for Thailand to showcase the high quality of its gems and jewelry industry.
The global pandemic has challenged us to transform our regular event into an online platform in order to provide an opportunity for buyers and sellers who would normally visit the BGJF to conduct their trade online as if they were joining a physical trade fair. We expect about 600 Thai and international companies to participate in the event.
We are currently working closely with our partners to offer interesting and exciting programmes to be featured during the online exhibition, including seminars, business matching activities, exchange of ideas, video calling, as well as highlighting some of Thailand’s latest creations.
Are you optimistic that the February 2021 edition of the Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair will go ahead as scheduled? What measures will be implemented to ensure the safety of visitors and exhibitors?
The 66th edition of the BGJF has been rescheduled to be held at Challenger Hall 1 – 3 IMPACT, Bangkok, from 23 to 27 February 2021. It is difficult to foresee what will happen regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the DITP will provide the event with a hybrid platform for all attendees both offline and online, as well as ensuring that the highest levels of safety, security and public health precautions are in place for the benefit of attendees.
At the 65th edition of the BGJF held in February 2020, the DITP welcomed almost 10,000 visitors from 106 countries with 994 exhibitors – a 10% increase compared to the previous year – with 2,086 booths.
Even though the COVID-19 outbreak had just begun in Thailand at that time, we worked closely with the Public Health Ministry’s Disease Control Department to implement the strongest precautionary preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19. As always, our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants.
For next year’s event, we will implement a stringent series of hygiene and sanitation measures to ensure the safety of those who will be participating in the event, following guidelines provided by Public Health Ministry experts. These measures will include the continuous use of health screening, hygienic cleaning of all surfaces throughout the event, and the establishment of a well-staffed medical centre close to the exhibition halls.
How important are gems and jewellery exports to the Thai economy? How is this sector coping during COVID-19?
Thailand’s gems and jewelry are renowned worldwide for their quality, creativity and craftsmanship as well as total business solutions. We have a long established global reputation for creating the finest jewelry through the brilliance of our skilled craftsmen.
Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of silver jewelry and the third largest exporter of colored stones after the US and Hong Kong.
In 2019, the industry generated approximately 15.6 billion USD in export sales, an increase of 30.91% compared with the previous year. Exports of gems and jewelry, excluding unwrought gold, were worth 8 billion USD, an increase of 6.34 % compared to 2018.
In Thailand, the industry is an important provider of incomes for numerous SMEs and over 1.2 million skilled people from upstream to downstream.
Despite restrictions imposed to counter the threat of coronavirus, the gems and jewelry industry in Thailand is beginning to show signs of recovery. When the nationwide lockdown was eased, the renowned Chanthaburi gems market re-opened for business and now its trading levels have almost returned to normal.
The 2020 export target for gems and jewelry products (excluding unwrought gold), set by the DITP, is 8.18 billion USD, a 1% increase over 2019.
With the global economy struggling, the DITP has introduced various strategies to continuously promote exports of Thai gems and jewelry.
We will maximise the capabilities and connections of DITP’s 58 Thai Trade Centres worldwide to initiate more business connections among public and private sectors, as well as various gems and jewelry associations.
The DITP has identified key potential markets such as Hong Kong, India, China, Japan, ASEAN, the US, the EU, and the Middle East where we will push to expand our exports to these destinations.
We believe online activities are important to counter the restrictions on travel and lockdown. To achieve this, the DITP is helping businesses to adopt online marketing and providing online business matching services for Thai entrepreneurs to meet potential international clients via teleconferencing. Moreover, the DITP is now partnering with the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand to promote certified products through DITP’s B2B E-commerce platform “thaitrade.com”.
What steps is DITP taking to safeguard and develop the Thai gems and jewelry sector during these difficult times?
The Thai Government has been working tirelessly with both public and private sectors to initiate various incentives, marketing programmes and training schemes to efficiently transform Thailand into the world’s premier gems and jewelry trading hub.
Government agencies have introduced a series of measures to facilitate international trade, including taxation and financial incentives, product standardisation, as well as domestic and international marketing strategies. Regulations and procedures that obstruct trade have been either reduced or streamlined to eliminate trade barriers.
The DITP continues to play an important role in promoting Thailand’s gem and jewelry industry globally. Thus, both the “BGJF Special Edition – On Ground to Online Exhibition” and the Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair (BGJF) are major international trading platforms where all key players in the global gems and jewelry business congregate to source materials, trade, and network with existing and potential partners.
The DITP has initiated a global campaign, entitled “THAILAND’S MAGIC HANDS: The Spirit of Jewelry Making”. This is aimed at gaining international recognition for Thailand’s gems and jewelry industry, connecting the spirit of jewelry making to the traditional way of life and advanced skills of making intricate creations.
In addition to being an important manufacturer and exporter of high quality gems and jewelry, Thailand is also an attractive destination for sizable international jewellery companies to establish their entities right here in Thailand. Thailand offers a strong infrastructure, a capable workforce making it an attractive investment destination.
In 2020, Thailand ranks 21st among 190 countries according to the World Bank’s Doing Business annual ratings. Major corporations such as Pandora, Rosy Blue Diamond and Abbeycrest have already set up operations in Thailand.
Moreover, Thailand is well on its way towards its goal of becoming the world’s gems and jewelry trading hub in the near future.
Is the DITP increasingly using digital technologies to promote the Thai gems and jewellery sector internationally?
Due to the current COVID-19 situation, the DITP is taking into account various social distancing and lockdown measures that is limiting travel. To overcome this problem, the DITP has initiated a number of online activities such as webinars, podcasts and Instagram Live aligned with the “New Normal” era.
The DITP has hosted webinar programmes with media from India, the UAE and Hong Kong, as well as a podcast programme with the US media in June and July. The keynote speakers included directors of the DITP’s Thai Trade Centres, who have real expertise in specific markets. They discussed the excellence of Thailand’s jewelry industry and in particular its exceptional craftsmanship, and our journey to become the world’s jewelry hub.
Apart from joining online media events, people can visit such online channels as bkkgems.com, Facebook and Instagram for more information about our trade fairs, as well as industry news to keep up with all the industry insights. The DITP also plans to introduce further digital opportunities and social media marketing that will help to overcome difficulties and obstacles created by coronavirus.
The BGJF Special Edition – On Ground to Online Exhibition is the latest digitalised initiative launched by the DITP to promote Thailand’s gems and jewelry industry internationally. Please mark it down on your calendar and visit us on www.bkkgems-vts.com during 2-4 November 2020. The online opening ceremony will take place on Monday, 2 November 2020. We hope to see all of you there – virtually. Thank you.


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“She does have an eye,” continued Moufarrige, a veteran executive at Compagnie Financière Richemont, who famously replaced Karl Lagerfeld with Stella McCartney, then age 25, as head designer of Chloé in 1997. “I like the way [Lohan] dresses. Her house [in Los Angeles] is a mini-department store. She changes outfits five times a day.”
Lohan signed a multiyear contract with Ungaro. Although financial terms were not disclosed, it calls for her to do trunk shows, make appearances and “be where the activities of the brand are,” according to Moufarrige.
One thing Lohan won’t do is appear in Ungaro advertising. “I’ve got a moving advertising campaign through Lindsay,” Moufarrige enthused. “She’s a super consumer, and it’s a new idea. She’s photographed thousands of times a week.”
Ungaro plans to eventually launch an attention-getting print campaign without Lohan, but the company plans to await reaction to the first show and to expand distribution before making significant investments.
As for Archs, 35, Moufarrige said he was attracted by her two-year-old signature collection, which she shows on the runway during Paris Fashion Week and sells to a handful of specialty stores in Europe and the Middle East. “She has a lot of fluidity and a lot of color, and it’s easy to wear,” he said. “She was spot-on in terms of the DNA of Ungaro.”
Born in Barcelona, Archs studied fashion at Central Saint Martins in London before going on to design for such brands as Nina Ricci, Cacharel, Hussein Chalayan, Emilio Pucci and Prada.
“I like to think of my style as pure and light, but very sexy,” Archs said in an interview between fittings. “The reality of women is they all naturally want to be sexy.”
Archs first met Lohan at the end of June and said, “We get along really well. I think she’s fun. She has an eye for fashion. She’s very enthusiastic. She’s very much for the youth, for the sexiness.” The two women have subsequently met several times in Los Angeles, London and Paris to ready the spring-summer 2010 line.
Archs declined to give too many clues about the first collection, to be shown at the Carrousel du Louvre, saying only, “It’s not too much couture.”
Lohan and Archs will be charged with waking up a brand whose women’s ready-to-wear business is described by Moufarrige as “stagnant,” sold to only about 75 stores worldwide. “We should be at 300,” he asserted.
Indeed, the brand is a far cry from its peak in the late Nineties, when the bridge line Emanuel by Emanuel Ungaro, licensed to Italy’s GFT, generated some $170 million at wholesale. Launched in 1991, Emanuel was conceived for the U.S. market and was hailed as GFT’s most profitable division.

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TikTok looks like it's preparing to jump on the subscription bandwagon, according to a report by The Information.
The ByteDance-owned video platform currently supports tips, which let fans send money to creators who are 18 years or older, with at least 100,000 followers, and good standing on the service. Viewers can also gift their favorite creators virtual currency during livestreams—though it's not exactly a get-rich-quick scheme, especially if you rarely go live.
It's unclear exactly how TikTok's subscription plans will work; the company did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment. A spokesperson told Engadget that "We're always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience."
Meta this week announced plans to monetize Instagram by letting creators charge for exclusive content and benefits. A limited number of users can now set a monthly price, add the "subscribe" button to their profile, and offer supporter options like private Live and Stories broadcasts, interactive stickers, and an easily identifiable backer badge.
Sister platform Facebook launched a similar system in 2020, helping creators "build sustainable businesses powered by the support of their communities." Meta promised to not collect any fees from Facebook or Instagram subscription purchases until 2023, at the earliest.
As The Information pointed out, a TikTok subscription model could look very different from rival services, thanks to the app's algorithms that encourage endless scrolling without needing to follow individual creators. Those charging a subscription fee may not appear at all on people's For You pages; or perhaps only their exclusive content will be hidden behind a paywall.
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Global brands target London
Published: 06 December, 2016
CBRE research highlights wave of new entrants to London
Over 75 new retail entrants have been drawn to London in 2016, with the prime streets in Mayfair and Chelsea proving to be a magnet for luxury brands, according to new research from CBRE.
Two thirds of these new entrants were European, with 16 from the UK, 11 from France and nine from Italy. These included leading French fashion brands Vanessa Seward, IKKS and BA&SH and Italian menswear brand Stefano Ricci.
From the US, sportswear brand New Balance opened its first UK flagship with a 12,570-sq ft store on Oxford Street, while the Dominique Ansel Bakery was one of six US brands making up the 13 new entrants from the coffee and restaurant sector.
CBRE’s research assessed the number of new retailers, both domestic and international, entering the Central London market with their first Central London store during 2016. The trend supports the reputation of London’s retail property as a safe haven for investors and 2016 is set to be a record year for London retail, with investors expecting to acquire more than £2bn worth by the end of December.
Phil Cann, Head of UK Retail at CBRE said: “London remains the most attractive destination for a first UK presence, and the range of retailers expanding their portfolios here is proof of the capital’s draw. Despite perceived high rental levels and competition for space, as well as any uncertainty immediately after the vote to leave the EU, retailers will always look to the areas and streets which best reflect their brand and allow them to develop their offering and reach new audiences.”


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LPG Gas Cylinder Price: LPG cylinder is used in every household across the country. That’s why people are also very curious to know how much the cylinder has become expensive or cheaper. In the beginning of January, the government oil company had cut the prices of gas cylinders by Rs 102.50, due to which […]Continue Reading..
In such a situation, the budget for the common people has been completely shaken by buying a gas cylinder of Rs 900, for some time the gas subsidy given by the government has also stopped coming, the amount of subsidy is not reaching the bank, if If you too are not getting the benefit […]Continue Reading..
New Delhi : PM Ujjwala Yojana: Under Ujjwala Yojana 2.0, government oil companies have distributed 79 lakh LPG connections till the end of November. This information was given by the Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameshwar Teli in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. The maximum number of […]Continue Reading..
If you are Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) gas cylinder subscriber? Have you been getting your LPG cylinder home-delivered? Please take note of this new rule that implies from today. From today (November 1), customers will be required to furnish a one-time password (OTP) to get their LPG Cylinders home delivered. Oil companies will implement Delivery […]Continue Reading..
From next month the home delivery system of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder is going to see a major change. Consumers who book a LPG cylinder will now need a one-time password (OTP) to be delivered at the doorstep according to a report published in Hindustan Times. Here is a major updates regarding the new OTP based delivery of LPG […]Continue Reading..
Internet has made many of our essentials easy today. The work in which people used to spend a lot of time is now completed in a pinch. Through the internet, customers can now easily book gas cylinders in a pinch. WhatsApp has made this task much easier. All gas cylinders are now offering the facility […]Continue Reading..
Paying gas bills has become much easier and convenient nowadays. Long gone are the days where you had to stand in hefty lines to pay your gas bills. Today, like electricity and broadband bill payments, many online payment options have included gas billing payments on their interface with really good offers Online Portals and UPI […]Continue Reading..
If you’re a HP Gas customer, then we have some good news for you. Now you can easily book your gas cylinder through Whatsapp. Though, booking will also be continued through IVRS (Inter Active Voice Response System) facility as before. But, the company has introduced this new facility for booking & delivery of gas cylinders […]Continue Reading..
LPG Cylinder bookings in West Bengal shot up almost 50% after the 21-day lock down was announced on Tuesday. “On a normal day IndianOil (IOCL) receives an average 2.4 lakh bookings for refilled cylinders. This shot up to almost 3.5 per day following announcement of the lockdown. Earlier, consumers with double LPG cylinder used to wait at […]Continue Reading..


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Land Rover’s decision to bring back the Defender was exciting news for SUV lovers. The new edition’s hardware and tech mark a huge evolutionary leap forward for the vehicle. Still, nothing quite compares to the looks of the classic model. Now, it appears that restomod specialists Twisted want you to have the best of both worlds: The tuner is offering a traditional Defender that’s been upgraded for our modern (electric) times.
Although based in the UK, the company’s North American wing will begin selling an electric conversion of previous-generation Defenders in the US, according to Car and Driver. And while these editions are not officially sanctioned by Land Rover, they do present the easiest way to get your hands on a zero-emission 4×4 from the iconic car.
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Twisted’s Virginia outpost already sells Defender outfitted with a 6.2-liter GM V8, but it plans to start selling the all-electric NAS-E in the very near future. The zero-emission SUV will be powered by a transplanted electric drive train made in collaboration with Dutch company Plower. The drive train features a single electric motor and is devoid of a conventional transmission. Despite this, drivers will still be able to select gears to make off-roading easier. It will also be available in two versions, one that 214 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque and another that offers 320 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque.
The tuner has said the vehicle will have a battery capacity of 60 kWh and a photograph of the vehicle’s undercarriage suggests it will feature two separate battery packs. While Twisted has not announced any charging info, it did say that the vehicle will have a range of 200 miles, which isn’t too shabby for an off-roader. (It must be noted that it’s unclear how the company arrived at this estimate, and European range figures tend to be higher than the final EPA number.)
It’s currently unclear, how many of NAS-E 4x4s Twisted will produce, but the auto magazine reports that the company spent $10 million acquiring 240 of the final Defender. Initially the electrified Defender will be available in three colors, Malibu Yellow, Yosemite Green and Tahoe Blue. The standard NAS-E starts at $185,000, while the more powerful NAS-E Plus starts at $210,000. You can register your interest in one of the vehicles with Twisted now through its American website.
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Singapore – P&G-owned skincare brand Olay has launched a brand new campaign – Adult Fearlessly – and it has partnered with Shopee to exclusively run it on its platform ahead of Olay’s special sale event Brand Day. The event will be held on October 14 to 16.
The campaign seeks to reach and engage with millennial women around Southeast Asia to bring a message of empowerment that they can #adultfearlessly, and overcome the perceived challenges of “adulting,” such as that with investing in their skincare needs.
Together with Shopee, Olay has conceptualized and co-created content such as a video called “Fearless with your choices,” which aims to shift the mindsets of millennials as they confront their fears of turning 30. It is also said to highlight the positive aspects of the journey leading up to such age.
The campaign will be rolled out in phases across six markets including Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Lucy Moran, Senior eCommerce Director of Olay for APAC shared that the brand wants to focus on how consumers are integrating their lifestyle with their skin needs.
“As one of the top facial skincare brands in the world, we are continually innovating and advancing the way we connect with our consumers. With e-commerce driving a major shift from offline to online sales, there is potential to achieve further growth in this segment,” said Moran.
“Riding on this momentum to broaden our reach in Southeast Asia, we are partnering with Shopee once again to bring more engaging and convenient experiences online, where consumers are able to access Olay products– all at the click of a button,” she added.
Meanwhile, Shopee’s Regional Managing Director Ian Ho said that the Health & Beauty category is one of the top-performing on the platform as the new normal has driven even more consumers to browse and buy skin care products online.
“We are proud to be able to support Olay in their e-commerce growth through this campaign. Our shared consumer insights and widening base of millennial users have enabled a hyperlocal strategy for Olay to deliver the best online shopping experience. We are confident in supporting Olay to achieve another successful campaign with us,” said Ho.
This will be the second collaboration between the two brands. In April, Olay’s regional campaign for its Retinol 24 product line was also run by the partnership with Shopee.


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Yesterday, financial markets were focused on the U.S. Consumer Price Index. Forecasts indicated an increase in inflation for August compared to the previous month, primarily due to rising fuel prices and robust consumer spending. An uptick in U.S. inflation would provide further impetus for the Federal Reserve to consider an interest rate hike. Stock markets posted gains as investors reacted to August’s core inflation data, which came in hotter than expected.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 70 points, or 0.2%, while the S&P 500 recorded a 0.12% increase, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced by 0.29%. Tesla shares closed flat after billionaire investor Ron Baron reiterated his optimism about the electric vehicle manufacturer. Other large-cap technology stocks saw significant gains, including Amazon, which rose by over 2%. Microsoft and the parent company of Facebook, Meta, all closed higher.
August’s core inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, increased by 0.3%, surpassing expectations of 0.2%, and rose by 4.3% on an annual basis, in line with forecasts. At the same time, key inflation data increased by 0.6% compared to the previous month and by 3.7% on an annual basis. Dow Jones economists had forecasted 0.6% and 3.6%, respectively, confirming the markets’ ongoing focus on the Federal Reserve’s inflation management. Federal Reserve policymakers pay particular attention to these core data as they offer a better indication of long-term inflation trends.
The sharp increase in gasoline prices significantly contributed to August’s inflation, with a 10.6% increase compared to the previous month. Gasoline was the primary driver of price increases, accounting for over 50% of the Consumer Price Index. The national average price was $3.85 per gallon. Wall Street widely anticipated a pause in interest rate hikes during the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting. According to the CME’s FedWatch Tool, futures pricing data for Fed funds indicated a 97% probability of rates remaining unchanged starting Tuesday evening.
Attention is now significantly focused on the performance of inflation in the services sector, a crucial element of the economy. Prominent Chinese private real estate developer, Country Garden, has recently garnered renewed interest following creditors’ approval to extend the payment period of six bonds to three years. This decision has provided relief to bond investors, while the financial sector seeks to discern whether the Chinese government’s recent economic stimulus measures, such as reducing interest rates on existing mortgages and offering preferential loans for first-home purchases in major cities, will be sufficient to restore consumer confidence and lay the foundation for a future real estate market recovery.
Country Garden Holdings’ shares fell by 4.55% the previous day after rebounding when some bondholders approved extending payments for three years, thus avoiding default. Meanwhile, the Nikkei index appears to be recovering after three weeks of losses. The Nikkei was weighed down by comments from the Governor of the Bank of Japan, Kazuo Ueda, who stated that the central bank’s 2% inflation target is achievable. This could lead the BoJ to move away from nearly a decade of negative interest rates. Ueda’s suggestions about abandoning negative interest rates did not impact the Treasury, which conducted a five-year bond auction, with ¥2.498 trillion issued at 0.291%.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 Market Indices:
- DOW Jones: -0.20% at 34,575.53
- S&P 500: +0.12% at 4,467.44
- NASDAQ Composite: +0.29% at 13,813.58


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Compensation for shopkeeper falsely accused in Olympics slur by Hackney Council
Bungling council chiefs have promised to pay compensation to a shopkeeper who threatened to sue them after they falsely accused him of selling fake Olympics decorations and confiscated his goods.
A council investigation later revealed the products were legitimate – and that the Trading Standards officer responsible for the blunder was using the wrong list of prohibited Games logos.
Newsagent Hamdy Shahein was offered �2,000 for lost trade and �200 for the “inconvenience” in a letter he received from Hackney Council’s legal department on Saturday (August 19).
In Thursday’s Gazette he had announced he was considering suing the authority, despite their earlier apology, for damaging his reputation and costing him sales.
The shopkeeper, who runs Hamdy’s News in Stoke Newington High Street, was mortified when a team of Trading Standards officers called for police backup when they swooped on his shop just before the Olympic torch passed through the borough on July 21.
He had spent �250 decorating the outside of his store with London 2012 bunting and balloons, and gave away �150 worth of plastic flags to children. The products were also for sale inside his shop.
But the officials forced him to take down the decorations and confiscated the goods, claiming they were counterfeit. In the Gazette the following week, a council spokesman wrongly insisted the products were “unofficial”.
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The interim head of licensing and regulatory services wrote to Hamdy to apologise for “any distress or inconvenience caused and assure you that this was not our intention. The incident escalated in a manner which the officers involved had not intended.”
Hamdy said the apology and offer of compensation is “a step in the right direction”, but added he feels the amount is “paltry” when the “slander, libel and harassment” he suffered is taken into account.
He said he will donate the money to charity, and hopes the council will increase their offer for that reason.
“Even though a lot of my customers told me to sue, I decided not to. It’s tax payers’ money they’re offering me, and that’s all our money,” he said.
“I wanted them to publicly apologise to embarrass them - because they embarrassed me. Now I just want to close the chapter.”


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Realme 10 series is expected to launch in November asap
Realme 10 series is expected to launch in November asap. Much information on the forthcoming Realme 10 series gadgets has recently leaked online, suggesting their formal release is imminent. And now, the corporation confirmed that the announcement will come sometime next month.
Teaser marketing for Realme’s 10 series has also begun in earnest, with the company disclosing that performance, design, and display will be the series’ three focal elements or “leap-forward technologies,” according to the devices’ pricing points.
Realme 10 series is expected to launch in November asap.
The “display” component should be covered by the 10 Pro+’s rumored curved screen, which is unusual for smartphones in this price range. Previous speculations and leaks suggested that the 10 Pro+ will have a Dimensity 1080 SoC, while the 10. Whether or not a 10 Pro will be placed between them is still up in the air, in case you were wondering. The 10 Pro+ includes:
- A 120 Hz refresh rate.
- A 50 MP primary camera with optical image stabilization.
- A 5,000 mAh battery with 67W charging capabilities.
However, the battery life of the 10 remains the same despite the addition of a flat screen and slower 33W charging.


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The company to begin with opened a new state-of-art warehouse in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
DTDC, a logistics player is looking to scale up its infrastructure in order to meet the rising demand, particularly from the healthcare industry. Subhasish Chakraborty, Founder, CMD of DTDC said, " To further enhance our services and streamline operation to serve our customers better, we are building major logistic hubs across the country and expansion for greater business growth and delivering value to customers across length and breadth of the country”.
As per a company statement, the demand for doorstep delivery of medicines and vaccine soared up amidst the pandemic. In order to capture the rising demand, DTDC which claims to deliver over 12 million consignments monthly through its multi-modal transportation network is now looking to reach all the available pin-codes in the country.
The company to begin with opened a new state-of-art warehouse in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The company narrative is to partner with the e-commerce giants, channelizing their products across the categories through it. The plan is to replicate similar infrastructure setup in other parts of the country going forward.
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Peeple, the controversial app that allows users to review people like they would evaluate a movie, restaurant or a bad plate of pasta, has been relaunched in North America after a period of beta testing. Dubbed the "Yelp for people", the app was met with massive criticism and outrage when the concept was introduced in October 2015. Now, a slightly different version of the app is available for download from Apple's App store.
There is extreme public apprehension about the legal, privacy and practical issues presented by the app, not to mention the possibility that it could transform into a digital version of the Burn Book from Mean Girls. But, Canadian co-founder Julia Cordray and her business partner Nicole McCullough say the social networking reputation app is a "positive app" used for "spreading kindness and accolades".
They add that the app will also have "anti-abuse and accountability features baked right in". They have also assured users that the main criticisms of the app have been taken into account and its features have been adjusted to reflect that.
According to their website, Peeple is a "concept that has never been done in a digital space. We want character to be a new form of currency. Peeple will provide you a safe place to manage your online reputation while protecting your greatest assets by making better decisions about the people around you."
The reputation building tool will allow users to rate other people in three categories – professional, personal and dating.
Unlike the app's earlier version which let users add people to its database and give them star ratings and reviews without their consent, the new design gives you complete control over what goes on, your profile and the ability to deactivate it as well. Also, no one can add you on to Peeple without your consent.
The app has also done away with its five-star rating system and opted for "Peeple number" - a tally of the positive and negative reviews received on the app.
A premium, paid-for service called The Truth License, will soon be introduced that will allow subscribers to see all reviews published by others to help keep people "accountable for what they write".
Users can also share or brag about the positive recommendations they get through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, email or text.
The statement announcing the relaunch of the app also mentions the "ironic" backlash that the founders and developers of Peeple faced from people who opposed the app before it was released.
According to the statement, "the developers of Peeple were threatened, their privacy was invaded, and they were castigated and shouted down on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. They were overwhelmed by thousands of harassing emails, comments, and phone calls. All this before the Peeple app ever actually saw the light of day. People taught Peeple a valuable lesson and now the app is better than ever."
The app is currently available to iOS users in North America with an Android version rolling out later in 2016.


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Top Digital Marketing Agency Based in Charlotte Continues to Recruit Top-Level Talent
Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) December 13, 2013
As one of the leading digital marketing firms for start-up and technology companies, Command Partners has been steadily growing their team of marketing professionals. Command Partners has announced that it has brought on Duncan Moffat as the firm’s new Marketing Analyst. Moffat will be working with the website development and search marketing team to provide an in-depth, data-driven perspective and tactical recommendations on search engine optimization efforts.
Moffat has significant website development experience, and has a strong knowledge of website best practices and how to create a user experience that will generate business results. With strong mathematical and analytical skills thanks to his background in physics, Moffat can strategically interpret the various metrics that define the performance of modern websites.
"I’m very happy to be joining a leading-edge company like Command Partners. What most attracted me to Command Partners is that they’ve established themselves as the leading agency in modern areas like crowdfunding,” states Moffat. “I think that innovation is a good gauge of a healthy company and I’m glad to help Command Partners continue to grow and take the lead."
Moffat holds an Honors Degree in Physics from the University of Aberdeen (UK) and a Masters Degree in Renewable Energy Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. Before joining Command Partners, Moffat spent three years in London as the co-owner of Greenhouse Renewables, a renewable energy company that specialized in helping businesses reach their environmental goals through the use of solar panels.
“Duncan makes an invaluable addition to our expanding marketing team and brings a worldly perspective from working in multiple countries,” said Roy Morejon, President of Command Partners. “This kind of global experience is ever more important in the world of online marketing as many of our clients are multinational corporations. He brings great experience and a unique perspective to our group. He’ll have a profound impact here and help us better serve our clients.”
With the addition of Moffat, Command Partners has consistently added high quality talent to its Charlotte-based team. Command Partners has developed an impressive client base in 2013, continuing to retain today’s most innovative companies while positioning themselves as leaders in digital marketing strategy helping high growth startups. Contact Command Partners today for your digital marketing needs.
About Command Partners
Command Partners works with clients around the globe and focuses on the top strategies for driving online visibility and lead generation, including social media marketing, search engine optimization, public relations, strategic advisory and social recruiting. To learn more about the company’s services, visit http://www.commandpartners.com, Like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @CommandPartners.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/commandpartners/duncanmoffat/prweb11421009.htm


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Similar to every other major industry, food manufacturing isn’t immune to the rapid advance of technology and changing market conditions. The global food giant, Kellogg, recently announced it would lay off 1,100 workers in a bid to improve efficiency. The layoffs, which follow similar job reductions at other major industry producers, come at a time of great change in the grocery industry.
Tech firms like Instacart are helping speed the transition to “delivered on demand” grocery shopping. Meanwhile, giant retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target have entered the food sales business in full force. The most disruptive element, however, remains automation, which will ultimately be the deciding factor in determining how the industry evolves and how employees will be affected by these changes.
Evolution of the Food Industry
Nowadays, it is no secret that automation has had a profound impact on manufacturing. It lowers labor costs and increases productivity, which in turn, creates greater profitability and more shareholder value.
It is a perfect scenario, except for one thing: More automation often means fewer jobs. Here is a fascinating statistic that shows the true impact of automation: Even though the United States has lost five million factory jobs since 2000, manufacturing production continues to rise. In fact, it rose by 17 percent from 2006 to 2013 alone. The primary reason is automation. Hyper-efficient robots are doing the work that people used to do, while helping the workers who remain become even more productive.
Although trade and outsourcing often get the political blame for manufacturing losses, the truth is that automation will be continue to be the primary driver of this phenomenon. Today’s corporations must fight fiercely to remain competitive in an environment where shareholder value is supreme and competition from disruptive outside entities is a constant challenge. Food manufacturers such as Kellogg continue to look to robotics to help keep costs low and productivity high.
What this Means for Future Workers
Given the relentless progress of automation and the general trend away from brick-and-mortar stores in favor of delivered goods, further job losses in the global food industry are highly likely. Although it is important to remember that manufacturing jobs may be lost, other kinds of jobs in the industry will flourish.
More specifically, jobs on the technology side of the food industry will likely continue to blossom, as companies seek new ways to manufacture and distribute their products more efficiently and for less money. Workers with expertise in logistics, automation and other heavily tech-influenced areas will continue to be in high demand. In this sense, there is still an ongoing need for talented workers in the food industry.
The Bottom Line
Although automation is undoubtedly good for businesses, its impact on employees is a mixed bag. Recent job losses in the food manufacturing industry show the negative effects this has caused. However, it is important to remember that automation also opens up new employment opportunities that are in line with skills needed to thrive in the 21st century. Organizations that streamline processes with automation and expand their vision of human resources will be in the best position to succeed in the future.
Contact us at Duffy Group, Inc. for more information on the changes in the food manufacturing industry.


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As the final lap of Birmingham’s top charity trading company approaches, the team at Lloyds TSB has changed into top gear.
Lloyds TSB are moving up the rankings in the Great Trade UP after getting their hands on a week with one of the finest vehicles to come out of the Midlands – the Jaguar XK.
The Lloyds team made the trade with Jaguar Land Rover, in exchange for an overnight stay for two at the swank Callow Hall Hotel in Derbyshire. It takes the team up to eighth place in the tradeup league, which is still headed by the lawyers at Beachcroft. There are only two weeks to go in the competition.
Vinderjeet Pandha, of the Lloyds team, said everyone there was fired up by the competition, even though she accepted it would be difficult for the team to catch up with the top levels of the league.
She said: “It was a great trade to make, it’s a fantastic car and whoever ends up with it can have the option to upgrade to the supercharged version. It was them who contacted us through the hospital when they heard that we had the weekend in the hotel. We are all really looking forward to our next trade.”
She said they might be going back to the hotel group they got the weekend in Derbyshire from, as they had heard they might be interested in trading on up.
The Great Trade UP has teams trying to swap up as high as they can from a single balloon. When the time is up the things they end up with will be sold, with all money going towards the new unit.
It is based on the experience of Canadian Kyle McDonald who bartered his way through 14 trades, beginning with a red paperclip and ending with a house. The 17 teams playing were each given a BCH red balloon a month ago at the launch event and have traded this for an item of a higher value and are still going. The teams will trade until May 15 aiming to finish with an item of huge value which they then “cash in”. Whoever raises the most money will be named Great Trade UP champion.
The Great Trade UP is organised by Birmingham Children’s Hospital alongside BBC Radio WM. The Great Trade Up lasts until May 15. If you are interested in making an offer to one of the teams, contact the Great Trade UP organiser on 0121 333 8539 or firstname.lastname@example.org who will put you in contact with the appropriate team.


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In the lobby of MakerBot’s office is a framed issue of the Economist, featuring a cover story about the rise of the 3D printing industry. It’s from 2013, when MakerBot was the pride of the burgeoning consumer 3D printing market.
Last month, the company laid off about 20% of its staff and closed its three retail stores, in New York, Boston, and Connecticut. Was it all just hype?
Not exactly. MakerBot has sold nearly 80,000 printers to date, and its online model repository, called Thingiverse, is still registering roughly 1 million 3D-design downloads a week. But 3D printing technology remains too slow, too expensive, too techie to have much mainstream appeal, which is why MakerBot is setting aside its aspirations for the home market and focusing instead on the education and professional markets.
MakerBot says its printers are in more than 5,000 US schools already, and CEO Jonathan Jaglom is determined to get as many printers into as many school districts and universities as possible. Growth in this market will depend in large part on MakerBot’s ability to educate educators. To that end, the company has developed starter kits geared toward academic settings and says it will soon be producing curricula to help teachers create 3D models.
“The founder of MakerBot—the initial audience of MakerBot—these were tinkerers, these were makers,” Jaglom says. “But the schoolteacher in Ohio—she’s not.”
It’s easy to imagine how 3D printing might revolutionize visual learning. During our recent visit to MakerBot, company spokesman Johan-Till Broer showed Quartz a 3D-printed model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull and a model of an outboard motor, and told us about a history teacher who had 3D printed a diorama of Pompeii to show his students how the lava had flowed through town. No doubt the 3D-printed Pythagorean theorem model that Jaglom keeps on his desk—like this one— would be useful to math students struggling to see how the square of one side of a triangle can be as big as the squares of the other two combined.
Jaglom also sees potential for MakerBot 3D printers in designing and prototyping, purposes that span both the education and professional markets. ”Ten years ago you needed to know some CAD program to design 3D models,” Jaglom said. Now you can just point a tablet’s camera at a notebook and start printing your designs.
This potential avenue for growth would potentially put MakerBot machinery under the same roof as industrial 3D printers from MakerBot’s parent company, Stratasys, which last week announced it had 3D-printed more than 1,000 parts for Airbus’ A350 XWB planes that shipped in 2014. It’s hard to think of a more definitive way to show that 3D printing is hitting its stride on the industrial side than to point out that there are 3D-printed parts in use on commercial passenger jets. But that’s from printing that’s done on a massive scale, with huge printers running virtually all the time. MakerBot printers are smaller, more personal devices. Jaglom sees MakerBot’s role in the professional market as the drawing board to Stratasys’ production line.
In the future, Jaglom says, “I would be surprised if plane manufacturers don’t have MakerBots in house.” The actual parts “might be produced by Stratasys, but maybe those parts were designed and iterated on a MakerBot.”
Despite the change in focus, MakerBot hasn’t given up on the household market—not entirely anyway. For example, the company is exploring the use of new composite materials that could have broader consumer appeal. Broer shows off a 3D-printed hammer made of iron and wood filaments that can be printed on any of MakerBot’s current printers.
Jaglom says there could be a time when consumers print out their own hammers, nails, coat hangers, or other household necessities. But this won’t happen en masse anytime soon. Printers for the consumer market remain stubbornly slow, and MakerBot’s cheapest model costs about the same as a Macbook—not unaffordable when you think about how many people are buying Macs, but not the kind of price that allows a relatively new company in a relatively new market to make much of a splash with the average consumer. (To that end, MakerBot’s new displays at Sam’s Club discount warehouse stores will come with a “What is 3D Printing?” poster.)
“What’s left after the hype?” Jaglom asks. He pulls out his 3D-printed business card holder, displays his 3D-printed pencil holder, and points to his 3D-printed coat hook, all of which he made on his office’s printer. It was the same printer he used when, from his couch at home, he used his smartphone to print off a piece of artwork, via the MakerBot mobile app. “This is utility,” he says.
Indeed. There still could be a time when we use 3D printers in the way that had been envisioned—a printer in everyone’s living room—but that reality is taking longer than many had hoped.
“We’re big believers in the consumer market,” Jaglom says.
But at the moment, he concedes, ”we are leaps away from where we want to be.”


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In what appears to be a continually evolving situation, the Chairman of the Garenne Group has handed in his “untimely resignation”.
The news that Julian Winser has retired comes after a series of high-profile blows to the group, most recently the collapse of its biggest owned business, the Jersey based construction firm Camerons.
The Garenne Group used to own dozens of businesses spread across Guernsey, Jersey and the UK, but following the announcement in August last year that the group would be restructuring there have been several sales and management buyouts, leading to the group’s portfolio shrinking considerably.
Just earlier this week it was announced that RG Falla – who used to sit under the Group umbrella - had been acquired by a private investment company in Guernsey. Another company, Geomarine was sold through a management buyout earlier this year.
The departure of Mr Winser leaves three executive directors split across Guernsey and Jersey. They have chosen to share the role of Chair while a new Chair is found.
“These three directors are pursuing their new business model and are currently in detailed negotiations with the directors of other group companies in delivering management buyout opportunities,” the Group told Express.
It has been a difficult period for the Group, and it has bemoaned supply chain issues that led to the collapse of Camerons, “where a number of fixed price contracts tendered immediately before the start of the pandemic could not be completed within their contracted sums due to spiralling costs”.
“That financial pressure and significant upset has been felt by the group directors who are experiencing the pain of seeing the group that they have served being reduced in size and influence.”
Despite this, the Group remains positive and continues to focus on its new investment-based business model.
It said: “Since that time a series of management buyouts and sales have been engineered and the board is pleased that new shareholders have become owners of some very successful businesses.
“They are benefiting from the strong foundations laid whilst those companies were members of the group. The group directors are pleased to note that these businesses are prospering under new leadership. This change in business model was prompted by the retirement of two key executives and retirement planning for the principal shareholder.”
It said there are “bright futures” for its remaining businesses.
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Kroger is reporting the economy is hitting the food retailer in unexpected ways, saying people are resorting to stealing food.
At Kroger stores alone, shoplifting arresting are up 15% from last year.
Lexington Police say shoplifting happens everyday, but now they're seeing an increase in people stealing food from grocery stores.
They say it could affect your bottom line.
The shoppers that spoke with 27NEWSFIRST say it's happening because people are desperate and say it's so bad they can even understand why people would risk stealing groceries.
Lexington Police arrested two people on Monday for shoplifting a combined $150 from the Hamburg Meijer.
Police say they used the self-checkout but didn't scan or pay for their items.
Now police want to use them as an example saying there are alternatives to stealing like using the local food bank.


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As he pulled cars off the Pulaski Highway impound lot, Madero said he thought the truck would be prized property at the lot’s twice monthly auction.
“It was a nice truck, in good condition; it probably would have gone for $16,000,” Madero said.
But the truck never made it to the auction block. Instead it was taken off the auction list for several months by impound lot officials before disappearing off the lot completely.
“I wasn’t surprised. They do it all the time,” he said. “The city is supposed to auction off the cars and give the money to the owner or lien holder after the fees are paid. They shouldn’t be pulling cars out of the auction.”
The fate of the 2007 GMC Acadia marks a new phase in an ongoing investigation by Inspector General Hilton Green into alleged improprieties by city officials at impound auctions.
The Baltimore Sun first reported that Green was probing the purchase of a boat by city Department of Transportation deputy director Anthony Wallnofer Jr. from Frankford Towing, a company that was lobbying the city for increased towing fees. The boat was sold at auction to Frankford towing and later purchased by Wallnofer.
But now sources familiar with the case said Green has widened his probe to investigate what happened to the GMC truck that should have been auctioned.
“I have no comment,” Green said. “All I can say is that the investigation is ongoing.”
City law requires cars towed into the impound lot to be sold after an owner is given adequate time, usually 45 days, to claim the car and pay towing fees, storage charges, or unpaid parking tickets. The money remaining after the fees are paid goes to the owner.
But police can seize a vehicle before it is auctioned as part of a criminal forfeiture case provided a judge approves it, but Madero said the car disappeared too quickly.
“It would have taken months for a judge to approve it,” he said.
City Department of Transportation spokeswoman Adrienne Barnes said the truck was taken off the auction list by the police department.
Baltimore police spokesman Sterling Clifford declined to comment.


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Police: Robber flees store with cash register
Frederick police have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in the robbery of a downtown convenience store.
Police say he robbed the store early Sunday.
Police say Rupert entered the store armed with a knife, jumped over the counter and tried to open the cash register. Police say when he couldn't get the register open, he fled the store with it.


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Google, in its annual developers conference on Wednesday, 19 May, announced advancements in Google Search to Quantum Computing to Android 12.
The tech giant unveiled updates to Maps and Workspace as well. Here’s are some of the major announcements from Google at this year’s developer conference.
As anticipated, Google finally revealed the full version of Android 12. The android OS gets a major design overhaul with a new approach to design called 'Material You'.
Users can expect improved security, more control over their data privacy, and better camera functionality.
Google announced that Maps is gaining a new eco-friendly route option that will give you the most fuel-efficient routes. Detailed maps of city will also show pedestrian crossings.
Users will be able to spot busy areas on the map with yellow highlight and use enhanced 'Live View'.
The most popular browsing app – Chrome is now equipped with new password tools. Users can now import passwords from other managers into Google's tool.
But, the most notable feature of the Chrome update is that it will notify if any passwords have been compromised and walk you through the process of changing your password.
Search is improvising results and is going through major changes. One example used during the I/O conference was to take a photo of a pair of boots and search if they could be used to hike Mount Fuji. The system will process the image and provide the requested answer.
Google will also add 'About this result' option to all English search results worldwide, providing key information and context for various websites and services.
The company noted in the conference that it has 4 trillion photos, but hardly any are ever viewed by the users.
While the company did not say much on what it is doing to engage consumers into viewing their photos but Photos is working on a tool that makes it easy to remove a certain person, or timeframe in your life, from your Photos' memories.
Google Wear OS
Co-developed with Samsung and Fitbit, Google says that the updated Wear OS will be faster, have prolonged battery life, and will have always-on heart rate monitoring.
The tech giant informed that soon users will be able to diagnose skin conditions by pointing your phone's camera at a bump or rash on your skin and getting an answer a few seconds later.


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Posted on 3/14/2021 by Alyssa Hubbard
Keystone Resort is Extending the 20 - 21 Ski Season!
Great news! Keystone Resort has announced they will be extended the 2020 - 2021 an additional week, from their original closing date of Sunday, April 4 to a week later, Sunday, April 11. It was also mentioned that there was a chance of further extensions based on the conditions. March snowfall forecasts look promising with the current storm cycle expected to bring up to 2 feet of snow to Keystone over a 3 day period. Spring is one of the best times to visit, with milder temperatures and plenty of bright, sunny bluebird ski days. April lodging rates are some of the most affordable as well. Book your April stay with SummitCove Lodging today!


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February 10, 2023
SEOUL – IT behemoth Apple announced Wednesday it will launch its mobile payments service Apple Pay in Korea, where rival Samsung has already enjoyed a dominant position in the market for years.
“Apple will launch Apple Pay in Korea,” Apple said in a statement without further details.
Apple’s local partner, Hyundai Card, also released a statement saying it looks forward to collaborating with Apple to introduce the digital wallet to South Korea.
“We will share more details in the coming months,” it added.
This is the first time the two companies have made their partnership official.
Although a Hyundai Card spokesperson declined to disclose the service’s launch date, experts here expect Apple Pay to be launched well within the first half of the year, likely in March or April.
The rollout of the US IT giant’s digital wallet is expected to strengthen competition in the local mobile payments market that is dominated by Samsung Electronics’ Samsung Pay, which started its service in Korea in 2015.
Although Apple Pay is used by over 500 million people in more than 70 countries, in Korea, Samsung Pay reigns supreme with over 16 million users.
Since 2020, rumors have circulated that Apple Pay was looking for a partner to launch its services in Korea. In October last year, a leaked document of the terms and conditions for Hyundai Card customers using the Apple Pay service further fanned the flames.
The launch of the long-awaited digital wallet, however, hit some snags. Even after Korean financial authorities finished a review of Apple Pay’s terms and conditions in December, an additional review on issues related to the installment of payment devices with near-field communication technology took longer than expected.
On Feb. 3, the financial regulator finally announced that local credit card firms can now introduce Apple Pay, adding that it hopes the introduction of the new service could enhance convenience for customers.
The Financial Services Commission also said local credit card companies should not pass on costs arising from the use of Apple Pay to customers or store owners.
During the FSC review process, Hyundai Card also had to give up its exclusive partnership with Apple Pay.
Industry insiders expect that even without the exclusive partnership, Hyundai Card will likely be the sole partner of Apple Pay and enjoy a first-mover advantage for around half a year as it will take some time for Apple to sign partnership deals with Hyundai Card’s competitors here.
Hyundai Card decided to drop the exclusive partnership because the Korean credit card company would not be able to provide compensation to its key retailers for installing a new near-field communication device used for Apple Pay, as it is subject to antitrust scrutiny.
The lack of a prevalent NFC device in Korea is one of the key obstacles to Apple Pay’s expansion.
Most local retailers here use magnetic secure transmission, or MST, technology, in which devices such as smartphones emit a signal that mimics the magnetic stripe on a traditional payment card.
Currently, users of Samsung Pay can pay with both MST and NFC technology.
Nonetheless, Apple Pay works with only NFC technology, a short-range wireless technology that is applied to a limited number of large franchise outlets such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, Ediya Coffee and Lotte Hi-Mart in Korea.
According to industry sources, less than 10 percent of 2.9 million stores with card readers use NFC technology in Korea.
Since it costs around 150,000 won ($119) for store owners to install the new card reader with NFC technology, the lack of technological infrastructure remains a hurdle for Apple Pay.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Card Vice Chairman Chung Tae-young has been hinting on social media since Jan. 14 that the Korean card company will soon provide Apple Pay.
After posting a picture of apples with a caption that says “Lovely Apple” in January, which immediately reignited speculations of Apple Pay’s Korea launch, he also posted a picture of an apple missing a bite last week in a not-so-veiled reference to the collaboration.
On Monday, he posted a picture of the card company’s employees grabbing from a table with apples in the lobby of the Hyundai Card headquarters in Seoul.


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Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Josh James started the Web analysis firm Omniture in 1996 in Lehi, Utah, and to this day it’s one of the most widely used marketing tools for tracking and analyzing how people click through websites and how they buy things online.
Omniture grew really fast. When James took it public in 2006 it was valued at $336 million, and when he sold it to Adobe in 2009 it went for $1.8 billion. He got rich then soon bolted Adobe, and about a year later he was out raising money again for a new venture, Domo.
And that’s what makes his...
Monday, January 19, 2015
Looks as if Domo, the business intelligence startup founded by former Omiture CEO Josh James, is getting ready to be more chatty about just what its product does and what it’s been doing with the $250 million it’s raised.
It announced plans for Domopalooza, a customer conference to take place in Salt Lake City in April. There’s not a ton known about the product except that it gathers data from all of a company’s existing applications — Salesforce.com CRM, SAP ERP, 300 of them in all — to help it react faster to changes or errors in its processes.
Friday, January 16, 2015
It’s been nearly four years since Josh James, the former CEO of the marketing software firm Omniture, started building his new software company, Domo. And now, at last, he’s ready to talk about it.
In that time, James has straddled some curious extremes between the public and the private. Chatty and gregarious, the 41-year-old Utah native seemed to do everything he could to draw attention to the company. There was the $10,000 contest to guess its name. Then there was the funeral — a weird marketing stunt to retire the old name.
And then there was the money: Boatloads of...
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
It's no secret that companies are becoming increasingly concerned about having a large and engaging presence on social media. And while they may be hiring digital strategists or social media specialists to help forward those goals, very few CEOs are putting in the effort to be socially active themselves.
According to business intelligence and data visualization company Domo, just 30 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs have a presence on at least one social channel. And even that small percentage isn't truly connecting with their audience on social media, they're simply broadcasting impersonal and generic messages to promote their company's products...
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Peter Aceto, the CEO of Tangerine, recently said in The Globe and Mail, “I would rather engage in a Twitter conversation with a single customer than see our company attempt to attract the attention of millions in a coveted Superbowl commercial.”
This is the preference of a truly social CEO. Unfortunately, chief executives that embrace and understand the promise of social media are rare, so rare that we call them “blue unicorns” in our book, A World Gone Social. Why blue unicorns? Because CEOs that embrace social as much as leaders like Aceto are still so uncommon that we aren’t...
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Business runs at the speed of light, but keeping track of data can be a monumental challenge. How do you know whether that sales forecast from marketing is matching up with reality? When you launch a new corporate website, is there any way to see if users are sticking around reading about your new products? Plunging into the data takes hours.
These business intelligence dashboards present data using some visual flair to help managers make sense of complex data with just a glance. They are highly configurable so the dashboard only shows the data most relevant to your business without...
Monday, November 10, 2014
There's a reason HBO called its TV-series parody of startup culture Silicon Valley and not Utah. Silicon Valley, in every sense, is still where it's at, if the "it" in question is a preponderance of venture-capital-backed tech startups. Take, for example, these VC stats, courtesy of the Associated Press. The dollar amounts indicate VC funds invested in tech startups in the first nine months of 2014:
1. San Francisco, $9.32 billion, 506 deals
2. San Jose, California (Silicon Valley), $3.78 billion, 237 deals
3. New York, $3.05 billion, 272 deals
4. Boston, $1.05 billion, 158 deals
5. Los Angeles-Long Beach,...
Friday, November 7, 2014
Decades before the current crop of home-grown entrepreneurs in Utah Valley graced the state’s Silicon Slopes, Utah County was home to two of the three largest software companies in the world: Novell and WordPerfect. That was in 1985. Now, more than a quarter century after those companies’ hay days, Utah County is still producing tech giants. In fact, the county has become the epicenter of the state’s technology sector.
But exactly how has Utah County’s tech community become such a force to be reckoned with? And how does it consistently give birth to multi-million dollar and billion-dollar companies?
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Andy Kelley, president of Effective Student Marketing, recently offered his expert advice to postsecondary education CEOs in Leading by Example: Why it is Imperative for Higher Ed CEOs to get Active on Social Media.
The article appeared in Career Education Review, a journal providing education leaders with in-depth information they can use to remain competitive in today’s education arena. In it, Kelley first lays a strong foundation for the use of social media as a powerful marketing tool in higher education. He then builds a case as to why school leaders should personally get on social media sites like Facebook,...
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Jeff Bezos has had plenty of literary exposure as CEO of Amazon. But would you have guessed one of his favorite books is Madeline L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time"?
CEOs from Bill Gates to Elon Musk have some favorite novels on their bookshelves that you may not have predicted. A new infographic from business intelligence and analytics platform Domo and business management website CEO.com breaks down top CEOs' favorite books, revealing a few quirky picks far from the realm of business and economics.
Check out which CEO is a fan of Charles Dickens and whose favorite book is by J....


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UK meat suppliers fear sales to Europe could collapse overnight unless hauliers maintain full access to the continent following the end of the Brexit transition period.
Three-quarters of UK hauliers could be left without a permit to drive into Europe from 1 January, when lorries will lose their automatic right to provide road transport services, as a result of leaving the single market.
Instead, they will have to apply for permits via the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) scheme, under which the UK is expected to receive 2,088 permits, a significant shortfall on the 8,348 UK registered international road hauliers last year.
The move to the ECMT scheme will be reciprocal, meaning EU lorries will also be limited in the UK, unless Downing Street and Brussels can reach an agreement by the end of the year.
Failure to do so will not only restrict the number of lorries available for British companies, but will limit how many deliveries they can make within Europe. ECMT permits do not allow for cabotage, meaning hauliers would only be able to make a single drop-off within the EU.
“Many of our lamb suppliers are delivering to five or six different customers, sometimes across two or three member states, because we’re able to deliver lamb as quickly as domestic suppliers in their own market,” said Peter Hardwick, trade policy advisor at the BMPA.
This allows European buyers to receive daily deliveries of small quantities, manage their stock levels, and make orders largely on a just-in-time basis.
Any changes to this would be “highly disruptive,” said Hardwick, “and will mean the competitive advantage we had in being able to supply flexibly across European markets will be lost”.
A possible haulier shortage is one of the “fundamental things still to be resolved” to ensure meat sales to Europe are uninterrupted next year, said Phil Stocker, CEO of the National Sheep Association.
“There’s going to be a lot of people who try to ship lamb early this year in advance of any hiatus in early January,” he said. “That may well lead to a bit of a shortage in the UK.”
British fruit buyers have begun redirecting routes away from cross-Channel ‘ro-ro’ ports in order to avoid potential disruption, using container ships instead into ports such as Liverpool and Tilbury. While some in the meat sector are looking at this as an option for export, there are doubts over its practicality.
“If you put things on a ship it’s slower. You’ve got a limited shelf life chilled product here, why would you do that?” said Hardwick.


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While supply chain issues have been slow to resolve, experts are hesitant to call this the new norm due to...
This report reveals that the hybrid working model has become the most popular way of working today among office workers.
Kraft Heinz modernized its forecasting, planning processes, and culture to respond to two significant challenges: COVID + Market Volatility.
New data indicates that remote/hybrid workers are more negatively impacted by the effects of inflation than full-time in-office workers.
This report's results point to the accelerating adoption of sustainable resale & recommerce options, with Gen Z influencing other generations
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Sprint and Verizon are the last major wireless carriers in the U.S. to agree to a settlement with the government over millions of dollars in unauthorized cellphone charges.
Sprint has agreed to pay customers up to $68 million in relief over billing practices known as “cramming,” and Verizon Wireless will pay $90 million. Late last year, AT&T and T-Mobile settled similar cases with the government, agreeing to pay $105 million and $90 million, respectively.
In all four cases, the carriers are accused of letting companies charge consumers tens of millions of dollars for services such as ringtones or horoscopes that the consumers had not requested. Generally, the carriers profited from these premium SMS services by keeping 40 percent of the revenue.
Today’s settlements were announced in a release distributed by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman.
UPDATE: In a separate announcement, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said an estimated 774,900 Washington customers were victims of bill cramming. “I will not tolerate deceptive billing practices,” he said, in a release. “My office will hold any company accountable that tries to hide unauthorized charges in the fine print of a consumer’s bill.”
As part of the agreements, all four carriers announced that they would stop billing customers for premium SMS services in the fall of 2013.
“It’s both unfair and illegal to charge consumers for services they did not request, a practice that Sprint and Verizon engaged in over several years,” said Schneiderman.
Under the settlement terms, Sprint will pay $68 million and Verizon will pay $90 million. Of these amounts Sprint and Verizon will provide $50 million and $70 million, respectively to consumers who were victims of cramming. The rest of the funds will go to Attorneys General and the Federal Communications Commission.
[Update: An earlier version of this story only reported Sprint’s settlement because the news was just breaking.]


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Trying to resolve the WYSIWYG dilemma
By Carole Sloan, founding editor-in-chief -- Home Textiles Today, 7/28/2003 12:00:00 AM
It was an interesting Showtime in High Point, NC, earlier this month.
The given was that business wasn't good, but no one was tearing their hankies to shreds. There seemed to be a slight uptick in the offing, based on incoming retailer and cut-and-sew manufacturer and jobber orders.
And new placements at Showtime appeared to indicate that something better — not necessarily good — might be brewing.
But the biggest buzz was centered around the proliferation of companies from Asia — China especially. Not only were there the veteran Chinese pros — with all of five to eight years experience — but also the real newcomers of just-born to a year or so in terms of dealing with the American market.
The temporary spaces were chock-a-block full of company names that were new to many of the buyers walking those halls. Issues relating to quality, delivery and fidelity to the color/pattern/construction of a given item were raised by many shopping the lines.
"Is what we see what we actually get?" was one of the ever-present questions. And this is the critical challenge for the American companies to resolve, whether cut and sew or fabric suppliers. The horror stories are getting more horrible. But at the same time, there are those whose diligence in working through these problems are paying off for them.
I'm hearing more and more people asking what gets done with the stuff a customer cancels. Who pays? There's the question of whether the blue or green or red in whatever the product is consistent within the same shipment. Or even more serious: How does one return flawed fabric or product across the big water?
These are situations that the American manufacturing community as well as retailers — not just in the home textiles world — will be juggling for years to come. They cannot be ignored even in the face of what is turning out to be an omnipresent concern — the lifting of quotas in 2005. Yes, they are related, but quality of business operations are paramount, quotas or no.
We would love your feedback!


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Microsoft uses data mining to fight phishing
Microsoft is using data-mining techniques from a third party in its Internet browsers to guard against "phishing" attacks, where dubious Web sites try to harvest personal information from unknowing victims. Digital Resolve, of Norcross, Georgia, announced Tuesday that Microsoft is licensing data that comes from its Trusted Server technology, which crawls the Internet and builds lists of Web sites and their legitimate IP (Internet Protocol) addresses.
The data will be used by the antiphishing filter in Microsoft's Internet Explorer versions 6 and 7 in addition to Windows Live Toolbar, a browser search box, Digital Resolve said. Microsoft nets phishing filter technology | InfoWorld | News | 2006-09-05 | By Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service
Back to: PC Security, privacy news


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TUI UK, the owner of tour operator Thomson, yesterday denied that cutting 800 jobs showed the traditional package holiday was finished.
Peter Rothwell, TUI's director for Northern Europe, said: "It's very easy to get fooled by the 'package holiday is dead' brigade. We've sold more package holidays this year than last year." He said he would sell about 5m to British customers this year.
But he admitted the market was changing rapidly. This was due to the rise of low-cost airlines, the growth of online travel agents, such as Lastminute.com and Expedia, and holidaymakers booking via the internet. Mr Rothwell said there was "no big shop closure programme" but he would review the company's 860 Lunn Poly travel agents as leases came up for renewal.
A Thomson spokesman said: "The days of everyone walking into a travel agent to book their holidays are gone. We will gradually reduce the shops." Mr Rothwell said the job cuts were "principally in administration" as the company streamlined its UK office network, spread across sites in the south-east, Coventry, Newcastle and Manchester.
One senior travel industry source said: "What TUI is doing is indicative of a much bigger change in the dynamics of the market. The cost bases of traditional operators are way out of line with the likes of Lastminute or Expedia."
Mr Rothwell said that so far this year customers had booked 500,000 Thomson holidays online.


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While not one of the most groundbreaking devices to be released this year, Samsung’s long-rumored Stratosphere 2 is expected to serve as a relatively decent entry-level handset on Verizon. A couple of images have revealed dummy units for Samsung’s upcoming QWERTY slider officially making their way to retailers across the country, signaling that a launch may not be too far off.
The device is expected to feature a 4-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. As with all new devices released on Verizon, the handset will have access to the carrier’s nearly-completed 4G LTE network, boasting impressive data speeds. Pricing still remains up in the air, but we’re assuming $99 would be the sweet spot for what you’re getting here.


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UK house price inflation eases in July
House prices increased 2.1% year-on-year in three months to July, following the 2.6% rise seen in three months to June. This was the weakest growth since April 2013. Prices were forecast to gain 2%.
On a quarterly basis, house prices dropped 0.2% three months to July after easing 0.1% in three months ended June.
Meanwhile, house prices increased by more-than-expected 0.4% in July from June, when they declined 0.9%. This was the biggest growth in seven months and above the expected growth of 0.3%. ■


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The controversy about The Day Before continues. Fntastic, the studio behind the MMO survival game has yet again delayed the game to December 7, when it will be released on Steam as Early Access. The announcement is coming a week before the supposed launch of the game.
After The Day Before’s gameplay trailer was revealed in January 2021, Fntastic announced that it would be released in June 2022. Eventually, it was delayed to March 1, 2023, because of a planned transition from Unreal Engine 4 to UE5.
Sometime in January this year, the game was hit with a copyright claim, according to the studio, which led to The Day Before being delisted from Steam. Fntastic later released a statement on January 25 saying “Steam blocked our page at the request of a private individual, because of the name The Day Before”.
Fntastic further mentioned that the individual registered the game trademark in the US soon after the January announcement and reached out to them on January 19 with a complaint asking the studio to contact him.
As a result of the copyright claim, Fntastic said they had to cancel their planned post of a lengthy gameplay video in January. Also, the studio postponed the launch of The Day Before from March to November 10, 2023.
At this point, many fans had already started suspecting that the entire game and the bogus copyright claim might have been a huge scam. However, a few had kept their fingers crossed and hoped that the game would finally become a reality.
However, the November 1 announcement by the studio that the game would be postponed again may well be the last blow that snuffs any ray of hope left in most believers. Trust is already severed and Fntastic may have to do more than a lengthy statement to rebuild that trust.
Fntastic claims to have won the rights to The Day Before
In the November 1 statement, Fntastic said they have won the rights to The Day Before through a decision confirmed by the Intellectual Property Tribunal. The announcement was also accompanied by an official gameplay trailer with a narration that sounded like an AI voice.
“We dedicate this victory to all our future players, and it’s all for them,” read part of Fntastic’s statement which was published on X. “For five years, we have been doing our best to give people this dream game. We also want to thank our volunteers for their constant support and faith in us.”
ALSO READ: Best Video Game Art Books Of 2024
Fntastic further said that The Day Before Steam page has been restored by Valve and will be available soon. Also, the studio said the “full version release will happen when we are certain this is the best version of the game possible” without giving any specific date or timeline.
In other words, the game may be in Early Access forever. The company claimed that since it was their “first huge game, and there may be unforeseen circumstances”, feedback from Early Access will help them to finetune the game until it is ready for full release. They confirmed that only the full version will come to next-gen consoles.
What many found skeptical was the price point of the Early Access which was pegged at $39 while the full game would be priced at $49. Also, it mentioned that those who purchased the Early Access version will not have to purchase the full game again.
On X, Austin (@H720Gaming) in response to the announcement said, “I’m okay with all this except the EA price. It seems just a bit steep. Not horrible, but I think $30 price point would be better. Especially considering all the skepticism”.
Johan (@Johan50123) shared a similar sentiment about the Early Access price, “Another delay, well of course. Nobody is shocked. But But €/$39 for Early Access is wayyy too much…. It should be about €/$20 or €/$30. And you don’t pay the devs right? (the volunteers I mean).”
The Day Before gameplay trailer sparks more controversies
In addition to the uninspiring AI narrative that I mentioned earlier, people have also accused The Day Before of copying other games including Dead Red Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Cyberpunk 2077. A YouTuber called Randomly uploaded a video that showed how The Day Before copied the words of other games—sometimes verbatim.
This is not the first time that The Day Before is being accused of copying. Certain parts of the gameplay trailer released on February 2, 2023, shared a resemblance to other popular games. Although visual was not the subject of discussion at this time, it also seemed highly watered down compared to the first time that the game was first revealed.
Have a look at the official The Day Before gameplay trailer below and share your thoughts on the graphics and gameplay as well as whether it looks familiar.
Remember to share and bookmark this website to stay up to date on all the hottest news in the gaming industry.


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MOSCOW, May 7 (RAPSI) – The Moscow Commercial Court has upheld the decision of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) on Auchan, which was found guilty of violating trade law in 2013, the FAS said in a statement.
The statement reads that one of Russia’s largest foreign retailers took different payments for the same amount of promotional service from dairy product suppliers. The retail chain was issued a warning to amend the violations.
The FAS also instituted administrative violation proceedings against Auchan. The retailer refused to recognize the regulator’s decision and took the case to court, which dismissed it as unsubstantiated.
Before that, the court also dismissed Auchan’s complaint against the decision made by the Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation (Rosalcoholregulirovanie) to bring the retailer to account for deliberately distorting information in its declarations on alcohol marketing.
It was announced in early November 2013 that the Moscow Region Department of Rosalcoholregulirovanie found discrepancies in these declarations.
For its part, the Moscow Region’s Ministry of the Consumer Market and Services suspended Auchan’s license to sell alcohol in the region. The conflict was settled after the retailer amended violations with regard to alcohol marketing declarations.
The Auchan international retail group was established in 1961 by Gerard Mulliez. It runs over 1,200 outlets in 13 countries. Auchan has operated in Russia since 2002, where it has 25 Auchan and 13 Auchan City megastores, two Auchan Garden stores and two Raduga stores as of June 2010.


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Big kudos to Localcircles on medicine price control
The Govt has taken Localcircles issue of high medicine prices to action. It has included Dexamethasone, Enoxaparin, Methylprednisolone, Paracetamol, Oxygen to the list essential medicines for COVID-19 management, according to the National List of Essential Medicines 2022. Attached list.
Congrats to all members who raised the issue of rising prices of medicines. This is only step 1 though. More is needed.! more
Hope it gets implements and org does not circumvent with new names and doctors to prescribe the same.Hope there is going to be a watchdog scrutiny being done to keep the drug manufacturers in check more
Congratulations-LC and all of us who will get benefits of low cost treatments. Make Sure that Chemists Do Not Change Presciption to Sell High Priced Branded Medicines. more
Thanks to Local Circles too. more
Make Cost Audit applicable for all pharma products and companies. more
Thanks for Sharing. Good step by the Government . Additionally, government or someone, please circulate unbranded medicines which are available at lower prices as against Branded medicines for the same drug medicine, manufactured by small pharmaceutical manufacturers - Dipak Ashar more


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The first triple-core processor, Toliman, is essentially a core-disabled version of the Agena quad-core processor. It includes a full Agena package, including the 2MB of shared L3 cache, with one core disabled.
Toliman, which will eventually herald the AMD Phenom 8000-product name, is scheduled to launch in February 2008 with mass availability in March. AMD representatives, speaking on conditions of anonymity, confirmed the initial 2.4 GHz Phenom 8700 and 2.3 GHz Phenom 8600 tri-core processors will launch with a 95W thermal envelope.
In late 2008, AMD will shift almost all of its 65nm quad-core offerings to 45nm. AMD will then follow up these initial quad-core offerings with 45nm dual-core and triple-core processors in 2009.
The first of these 45nm tri-core processors, codenamed Heka, will launch with DDR2 and DDR3 support. However, AMD guidance also details that Heka will ship with two different varieties: one with a shared L3 cache, another without. All 45nm quad-core AMD processors incorporate shared L3 cache, with the exception of the Propus family processor.
AMD guidance goes on to state that all mainstream Phenom quad-core processors, both with shared L3 cache (Deneb) and without (Propus), shipped in 2009 will feature DDR3 exclusively. Heka, on the other hand, will feature a mix of DDR2 and DDR3 support.
AMD tri-core processor plans unveiled - 45nm in 2009
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 05 2007 @ 00:10 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck


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Tsys, payment supplier has added North American support for its Tsys NFC Payment Solution.
This has been done in preparation for Canadian bank CIBC’s planned launch of commercial NFC services. Tsys’s technology works with any TSM, enables mobile account creation and mobile device identification.
Tsys’s technology has support for generating the EMV data necessary for provisioning a mobile device. It also supports lifecycle management scenarios, such as dealing with lost or stolen devices and the re-provisioning of card data for reissue and product changes.
Source: NFC World
In the world of NFC technology there are constantly exciting new innovative ways for consumers to use their smartphones to more easily accomplish tasks.
There is now a major grocery store chain in France that is set to launch what is being called the world’s first fully NFC-compatible supermarket. Shoppers will tap their NFC-enabled phone next to the items they choose to buy and put them into their cart as they go along. At the check out the shopper will tap their phone to the register to pay for all of their items.
Shoppers will download and use a special app designed for the store on their smartphone and next to every item in the store are special NFC tags that transmit information about the product to the user’s phone. This not only allows users to see clear pricing details on the products but also gives the user the opportunity to check nutritional information and other data before they decide to add it to their cart.
Other advantages beside the convenience of using NFC technology for grocery shopping include being able to link the customer’s loyalty card to the app making it easier to receive discounts. And this also allows the user to more easily track their total grocery bill while shopping.
Here’s a short Youtube Video with a demonstration of a woman grocery shopping and doing other average day activities using a BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the NFC capabilities.


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Stark Enterprises announces retail property acquisition
Pickerington, Ohio — Stark Enterprises acquires The Shoppes at Stonecreek in Pickerington, Ohio. The 45,000-sq.-ft. retail center is located east of Columbus and is currently 100% occupied. Featured tenants include Lifetime Fitness, Petland, Advanced Vapor, Lomonico’s and Roosters.
“This acquisition further expands our footprint outside of Northeast Ohio and is a prime opportunity for us to prove the transformational impact we have on our properties,” said Ezra Stark, COO for Stark Enterprises.
New PetSmart brand unites health and philanthropy
Pet lovers can now feed their own pets a wholesome meal and serve one up to a pet in need at PetSmart.
The retailer has launched a new natural pet food line called Good Natured. But the natural formulation of the food is not the only special feature of this new brand: It also has a charity component. For every bag of food purchased, PetSmart will donate a meal to a pet in need through PetSmart Charities or PetSmart Charities Canada.
“At PetSmart, we know pet parents want the best for their pets. That’s why we are thrilled to launch this wholesome, quality food that is also affordable,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “Good Natured’s natural formulation is a great match for pet parents who want to serve up a healthy option to their own pet, while also providing a wholesome, nutritious meal to pets in need.”
PetSmart says the Good Natured line is a value-priced, natural, wholesome pet food. It features quality, real ingredients, with meat as the first ingredient, and is free from corn, wheat, soy, artificial preservatives, colors or flavorings to keep pets healthy and strong. Dry and wet food options are available for cats and dogs, and the largest package size is available for under $30.
Donations from every purchase of Good Natured food will benefit thousands of PetSmart’s shelter partners, freeing up the shelters' funds for adoption and other programs. PetSmart expects donations from customer purchases of Good Natured products to reach 250,000 pounds of food – equivalent to 500,000 meals – in the first year of sales.
Walmart donates nearly $1M to help retail’s front line
Walmart is one step closer to fulfilling its mission of donating $100 million toward increasing the economic mobility of entry-level workers.
The retailer and its Walmart Foundation are donating nearly $1 million to Innovate+Educate to fund research and build recommendations that support the advancement of entry-level workers in retail and adjacent sectors.
The grant is the first of its kind to help incumbent entry-level employees in retail attain higher paying jobs based on articulated skills and competencies from the employers in a select region.
“We chose Dallas, Texas, as the first site for this exciting work. After analyzing the labor data provided by Burning Glass Technologies and other sources, doing site selection interviews, and learning more about the work on the ground already underway in pathways by Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas and the Dallas Regional Chamber, we felt confident this was a great place to implement the work and create a model to scale,” stated Jamai Blivin, CEO, Innovate+Educate.
Blivin stated that there are thousands of unfilled retail jobs in the Dallas area, many of them middle-skill jobs, and a great network of employers that appear willing to move to a competency-based hiring and training model for incumbent workers that will not only impact retail but also adjacent sectors such as grocery, pharmacy, telecommunications and banking/finance.
“Through an innovative approach, Innovate+Educate is working to better define the requirements needed to help today’s entry-level workers advance in their careers to attain middle-skills jobs,” said Gayatri Agnew, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Walmart Giving. “Gathering this first-hand research is a unique and valuable mechanism to create an important blueprint that will help companies build clear pathways and training programs for advancement, ultimately supporting the economic mobility of workers nationwide.”
Earlier this year America’s largest retailer launched the Opportunity Initiative to help the retail industry close the skills gap that keeps many Americans out of jobs. The donation entails a series of grants as part of a five-year, $100 million commitment.


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At Mobile World Congress earlier this week, Samsung announced they are adding approximately 90 custom APIs to the Android operating system that will run on their phones and tablets in the future.
These custom APIs (application programming interface) will allow companies to make more secure and enterprise compatible apps for Samsung phones and tablets that are running the Android operating system.
Two key companies with mobile medical ties have already signed on to use these enterprise APIs, SAP and Calgary Scientific. You might remember that Calgary Scientific is the same company that makes the ResolutionMD radiology viewing app for the iPhone and iPad.
Samsung went on to announce that their custom Android operating system will enable health care providers to use SAP’s Mobile EMR, a medical application that gives secure access to a chronological view of a patient’s vital signs, to clinical documents, and to medical imaging.
So what does this all mean? Basically, Samsung wants enterprise users, and they clearly want to go after the medical community. By adding special layers of security to the Android operating systems that will run on their phones and tablets, Samsung wants to alleviate the concerns of Hospital CIOs and other information technology officers.
By the way, Samsung made sure to let attendes at the conference know these APIs will be available on the tablet Android operating system — HoneyComb (Android 3.0).