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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Despite KU's loss, Kansas will have a presence at the Final Four in Indianapolis: Prairie Graphics, a Lawrence company, is printing team T-shirts.
Jayhawks aren't cheap.
That's the take from Bob Bishop, whose Phat Boy Merchandising company had all four souvenir stands for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
With the exception of nearby Duke, fans of other schools couldn't match the buying power of KU's faithful.
"KU's shirts were all gone by the time Friday's game ended," Bishop said during a brief sales break Sunday on the coliseum concourse. "They're good. They're not cheap. They wouldn't be here if they were cheap."
KU's 200 T-shirts went fast, he said, while DePaul and Butler items didn't fare as well. Bishop still had dozens of Illinois shirts in stock, even as the Illini prepared to take on Florida in Sunday's first game. Florida won.
"Illinois is a big stiff, but we kind of expected that," Bishop said.
Atlanta-based Phat Boy handles all souvenir and program sales at the coliseum, whether it's for a Faith Hill concert or the NCAA's premier college sporting event.
Bishop figures to rake in sales of $150,000 for the weekend, with 40 items on the rack ranging from $3 keychains to $8 yo-yos to $59 pullovers.
Among the others: Child-sized T-shirts printed by Prairie Graphics Inc.
Prairie Graphics, based at 22nd Street and Haskell Avenue, is the smallest apparel supplier for the tournament, owner Jon Hofer said.
The company already cranked out 2,000 shirts for the first and second rounds, and started running Iowa State "Sweet 16" T-shirts Sunday afternoon. Oklahoma State's shirts will run this morning.
The company gives Lawrence and the state a presence in Indianapolis and the Final Four. Prairie Graphics shirts will be there, along with others from Lenexa-based Gear for Sports.
"March is our busiest month," said Hofer, whose company has $2 million in annual sales. "It is madness."
-- Mark Fagan's phone message number is 832-7188. His e-mail address is email@example.com.


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The apparel chain filed for bankruptcy in January and closed its e-commerce site and stores.
Web grocer Peapod gains traction, potentially triggering a massive expansion of e-commerce into the last bastion of store-based retailing.
In a sprawling fulfillment center outside of Chicago where each section’s temperature is set for the type of food it houses, Peapod produce guru Tony Stallone talks about his fresh tomatoes, coddled at about 50 degrees and waiting for shipment within hours to customers as far away as Indianapolis.
Like the peppers, pineapples and other fruits and vegetables processed through the Lake Zurich, Ill., facility, Stallone says, tomatoes will only retain their best characteristics, reddish, plump and sweet, if they're kept in areas with just the right temperature and air flow, then within a day of arriving at the fulfillment center shipped out in temperature-controlled containers to customers. Stallone, vice president of merchandising, should know. His expertise in handling fresh produce was handed down through a family business started by his lemon-trading great-grandfather.
Eyeing the prize
Because Peapod knows how to deliver fresh produce, meat and dairy products, the online grocery company says, it is also winning over shoppers for all things grocery—shoppers who realize that getting fresh food along with packaged goods on their doorstep doesn't require a trip to a crowded supermarket. It's an expertise, along with other things Peapod has learned while making more than 18 million home deliveries since forming in 1989, that co-founder and president Andrew Parkinson figures sets Peapod apart from the competition.
Already among the 50 largest online retailers with $451.33 million in 2010 sales, according to the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, and backed by the resources of Dutch supermarket giant Royal Ahold, Peapod is primed to ride a new e-grocery wave powered by technology developments like mobile shopping apps, digital marketing and a new legion of grocery shoppers who have grown up with the Internet. "I'm very excited about growth," Parkinson says. "Everything is coming together now—the technology, the demographics, and the strength of the e-commerce space in general."
But Parkinson and his co-founder brother, chief technology officer Thomas Parkinson, also realize that they must keep innovating in the face of growing competition. Retailers from Amazon.com Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to traditional supermarket chains and smaller retail stores are getting into the e-grocery game. The prize for the big mass merchants: Selling to online customers grocery products that they buy frequently and make up a big part of their budgets. The prize for retail grocers: Staying in the grocery game.
The big question for both kinds of retail chains: Will they invest in the fulfillment centers and truck fleets that Peapod commands? They'll have to do that to allow consumers to buy groceries online the way they do everything else, ordering on the web for home delivery.
Long the last bastion of retailing not to move in a broad way to the Internet, retail grocery can no longer hide behind the old song that consumers insist on schlepping to a store to personally see, touch and smell what they toss in their shopping carts. "The era of grocery ignoring online is at an end," says Nikki Baird, managing partner of advisory firm Retail Systems Research LLC. "If grocers aren't developing their online or cross-channel strategy right now, they're going to get left behind."
To be sure, the web only accounted for 1.4% of U.S. grocery sales in 2010, according to Forrester Research Inc. Grocery sales, excluding food services, totaled $589 billion in 2010, according to the latest estimate of the U.S. Department of Commerce. A report last year by Forrester found that less than 10% of online adults had purchased groceries online, and among online grocery buyers only 16% made such purchases more than once a month.
Nonetheless, "this web category is a promising one," says report author Sucharita Mulpuru, Forrester's senior analyst for e-business. One reason it's promising is that grocery sales are huge: Food and beverage stores accounted for 25% of U.S. retail sales (excluding motor vehicle dealers, restaurants and gasoline stations) of $2.35 trillion in 2010, according to Commerce Department figures.
Making grocery even more attractive is the fact that the base of online grocery buyers skews toward young and affluent consumers likely to increase their Internet spending. 56% of U.S. online grocery buyers in the Forrester report were between the ages of 18 and 43 (compared with 52% for all U.S. online consumers). The report notes that online grocery buyers also have a higher average household income than online consumers as a whole, at $93,000 to $86,000, and that they are more likely to have a college degree.
There are also signs online grocery shopping is picking up in other countries. In the United Kingdom, the web accounted for 3.4% of grocery sales last year, and that will grow to 5.2% by 2014, says market research firm Datamonitor.
While the supermarket chains have mostly held off adopting Peapod's model of online ordering for home delivery, those chains are investing more in the web, in many cases allowing online ordering for store pickup and employing digital marketing techniques.
Rick Tarrant, CEO of MyWebGrocer, a provider of e-commerce and digital marketing technology and services to more than 110 grocers, says store retailers that engage shoppers online win 18-20% more business from them. And using digital instead of paper coupons lets retailers tie offers to specific product SKUs and quickly monitor customer response, says Paul Stanley, vice president of marketing at Cellfire, a provider of online coupons.
Wakefern Food Corp.'s ShopRite supermarket chain is one of several grocery retailers using mobile apps from MyWebGrocer that let shoppers view digital versions of advertising circulars, see items Liked by their Facebook friends, and click to add items to a personal shopping list. Consumers can access those features on ShopRite's web site, and ShopRite recently became the first MyWebGrocer client to offer that functionality on a mobile site.

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How Coca-Cola Is Reshaping Its Strategy for Sparkling Beverages
Coca-Cola is now changing its approach from offering beverage choices to consumers to shaping their choices.
Pressure on sparkling beverages
In part one of this series, we discussed how soda tax will put pressure on major carbonated soft drink makers like Coca-Cola (KO), PepsiCo (PEP), and Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS). Aside from regulatory pressures, these beverage companies are also witnessing a continued shift in consumer preferences from soda to healthier beverage options. In 1Q16, Coca-Cola’s sparkling beverage volume remained flat while the still or noncarbonated beverage volume grew 7%.
Rival PepsiCo’s North America Beverages segment reported a 2% decline in soda volumes and a 7% rise in noncarbonated beverage volumes. Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) experienced a 2% rise in both its carbonated soft drink category volumes and its noncarbonated beverage volumes.
At the Deutsche Bank Global Consumer Conference held on June 16, James Quincey, Coca-Cola’s president and chief operating officer (or COO) discussed how the company is reshaping its sparkling beverage strategy amid the challenges the category is facing. Coca-Cola is now changing its approach from offering beverage choices to consumers to shaping their choices. Through its marketing efforts, designs, and reformulations, Coca-Cola aims to encourage consumers to pick added sugar beverages responsibly. The company intends to help consumers in making informed choices by providing clear facts about its beverages, nutrition information, and portion recommendations.
Coca-Cola and Monster Beverage (MNST) together account for 5.8% of the iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF (KXI). In 2015, Coca-Cola purchased a 16.7% stake in Monster Beverage.
Coca-Cola also aims to reduce its aggregate sugar content across its portfolio and continue to provide low-calorie and no-calorie products. The company is also shifting from a volume-based approach to a value-based approach. Coca-Cola is promoting smaller packages as healthier options compared to traditional sizes. Smaller packages are also benefitting the company’s profitability, as they carry higher margins.
Plus, the company has changed its marketing approach for the Coca-Cola brand. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola revealed a new “one brand” global marketing strategy that combined Coca-Cola, Diet Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, and Coca-Cola Life brands under the iconic Coca-Cola brand. Through this strategy, the company moved away from multiple brand campaigns to a single campaign with a new tagline “Taste the Feeling.”
In the concluding part of this series, we’ll discuss analyst recommendations for Coca-Cola.


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Subaru has announced a Forester Special Edition to mark the 50th Anniversary edition of its first boxer engine model, based on the Forester XC Premium model.
Subaru is refreshing its Forester to maintain its status as the brand’s best-selling model. Upgrades include soundproofing, interior and additional safety.
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Mitsubishi CEO vows to stay in US on heels of Suzuki's departure
It's easy to understand why many question Mitsubishi's existence in the States. After all, now that Suzuki is gone, Mitsubishi is the Japanese automaker with the fewest sales in America. Furthermore, the automaker's market share has dropped from .7 percent to just .4 percent after seeing sales fall 29 percent to 50,103 units through October.
In any case, Mitsubishi fans needn't worry. Speaking to Automotive News, Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko said, "We have no intention whatsoever of withdrawing from the US market." That's about as clear as clear can get. It's also worth mentioning that Gayu Uesugi was just named chairman of Mitsubishi Motors North America, and his main responsibility will be to revitalize the brand in the US.
Will Uesugi and Mitsubishi be successful in their push to sell more Mitsubishi models to Americans? Will a new Evolution be part of the plans? Excuse us as we shake up our Magic 8 Ball...
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The Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London, Ms Priscilla To spoke on 20th June at a business seminar held by Invest Hong Kong in partnership with the Institute of Directors, City of London branch. The event was part of London Technology Week, and supported by Tech London Advocates.
Hong Kong offers many strengths and advantages as a technology 'super-connector' for Asia, Ms To said, explaining that Hong Kong is well positioned as an innovation and technology hub for companies looking to tap into the Asian market. "Entrepreneurs from around the world and renowned research and technology institutes choose Hong Kong as a regional base for developing their ideas and innovations, making use of facilities just across the border to develop prototypes over a few days, and Hong Kong's connectivity and network, to tap into the Mainland and Asia markets," she said.
"Hong Kong is at the heart of Asia and at the doorstep of the strong production base in south China as well as the huge Mainland consumer markets. Internationally, Hong Kong's fixed broadband penetration rate and average broadband speed are among the highest in the world. Hong Kong has an average peak connection speed of 94.8Mbps, which is the highest in the world.
Ms To also highlighted the booming start-up sector in Hong Kong. "We are developing fast into one of the world's most popular start-up hubs. Our start-ups have increased by nearly 50% from 2014 to over 1,500 now, and many of these are actually technology or information and communications technology start-ups," she said.
Ms To also mentioned the initiatives put in place by the Hong Kong Government to promote innovation and technology development. In this year's budget, the Government allocated an unprecedented ₤1.6bn to promote innovation and technology development.
"Hong Kong has what it takes to play a key role in Asia for innovation and technology," Ms To added. "Using the seminar's theme today, Hong Kong is the technology 'super-connector' and we welcome the United Kingdom and worldwide players to join us to embrace the new economic order."
These comments were echoed by the Founder of Tech London Advocates, Mr Russ Shaw, who said Hong Kong would be a leading technology hub that allows start-ups to flourish. In addition the Head of Level39, Mr Ben Brabyn, Europe's largest technology accelerator, described the increased connectivity between London and Hong Kong as a collaborative effort that would encourage the technology sector.
The audience also heard case studies on high-tech companies who had set up or started up in Hong Kong from Managing Director of data analytics company fifty-five, Mr Rob Fenton, and Chief Executive Officer of advanced safety testing agency Vitargent International Holdings Limited, Mr Jimmy Tao.


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Mercedes to launch 22 models in India in next 4 years
The German carmaker is expected to launch a total of 15 models in the country, by the end of 2021.
According to a media report, Mercedes is looking to launch 22 new models in India over the next 4 years. These include a few EQ electric models as well as AMG models.
The German carmaker is expected to launch a total of 15 models in the country, by the end of 2021. In the past 6 months, they have already launched the A-Class, GLA, E-Class facelift, 2021 GLC, GLS Maybach, and the S-Class. The company also plans to introduce seven AMG models in India this year.
Mercedes is betting big on electric models as well. The carmaker is looking at local assembly of its electric vehicles. The EQS sedan has been listed on the website and could be the next all-electric model for India.
Source: Read Full Article


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Mastercard Pursues Further Crypto Partnerships
Mastercard actively seeks new crypto partnerships, expanding crypto-linked payment card offerings despite increased regulatory scrutiny and bank caution.
Mastercard is embracing the world of cryptocurrencies by actively pursuing new collaborations with cryptocurrency firms. This decision comes in spite of increased regulatory attention and a growing wariness from banks regarding the volatile crypto sector. Mastercard has already established successful partnerships with crypto exchanges like Binance, Nexo, and Gemini, providing crypto-linked payment cards in certain countries.
Binance cards, as an example, allow users to make payments in traditional currencies while utilizing their cryptocurrency holdings on the exchange. Raj Dhamodharan, Mastercard’s head of crypto and blockchain, highlights the company’s dedication to cultivating more partnerships and delivering safe cryptocurrency access as a core component of their value proposition.
Due Diligence for Crypto Card Programs
The failure of multiple high-profile crypto firms in the previous year, including the bankruptcy of the leading exchange FTX, has prompted banks to exercise increased caution when dealing with crypto clients. This reluctance is further amplified by a growing focus on compliance concerns in the market from U.S. regulators.
In March, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a lawsuit against Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. The regulator accused Binance of maintaining an illicit exchange and a deceptive compliance program. In response, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao disputed the allegations, arguing that the complaint failed to present a comprehensive account of the facts.
Although Dhamodharan did not specifically address Binance, he emphasized that all card programs are subject to comprehensive due diligence and ongoing monitoring. This statement comes as some banks, including Santander and NatWest, have opted to limit the amount of money UK customers can transfer to crypto exchanges as a means of safeguarding them from potential scams and fraudulent activities.
Mastercard’s Perspective on Crypto Transactions
In contrast to Mastercard’s strategy, Visa severed its global credit card agreements with FTX in November. Additionally, American Express announced in February that it did not anticipate cryptocurrencies supplanting its primary payment and lending services in the near future. However, the company had previously explored the possibility of using cryptocurrencies as an option for redeeming reward points in 2021.
When queried about potentially imposing restrictions on money transfers to crypto exchanges via Mastercard’s payment network, Dhamodharan underscored the company’s impartial position. He explained that Mastercard does not engage in selecting winners or dictating the nature of permissible transactions. He also noted that users of Mastercard’s network are subject to multiple compliance checks, and the company has invested significantly in crypto analytics technology.
Dhamodharan conveyed enthusiasm for the underlying blockchain technology that supports cryptocurrencies and anticipated an increasing influx of regulated money into this space. Mastercard’s ongoing commitment to forging new partnerships and expanding its crypto card offerings aims to ensure safe and secure access to cryptocurrencies for its global clientele.


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Allowing drivers to access more mobile phone apps on a dashboard display while at the wheel sounds like a recipe for disaster -- but at Mobile World Congress members of the Car Connectivity Consortium showed how they plan to do this while limiting di...
Huawei’s MediaPad M1 is an 8in tablet that has a body made from aviation aluminum metal. Its IPS screen has a 800x1280 resolution, is bordered by a thick black bezel and it features front-facing speakers. .
Nokia and HTC have settled their long-running patent infringement battles, which played out in several countries and have seen a handful of HTC phones banned from sale in Europe.
The European Patent Office (EPO) has upheld a narrowed version of a patent on 3G technology at the heart of several legal disputes in Germany, an EPO spokesman said Thursday.
The U.S. International Trade Commission will review a preliminary decision that found that HTC infringed on Nokia patents.
More powerful processors will allow smartphone vendors to turn their high-end models into gaming consoles, but slower growth will also force them to focus more on improving their less expensive products next year.
Nokia has won a sales ban on the HTC One Mini smartphone in the U.K., but its Taiwanese rival can keep on selling its HTC One flagship model pending the outcome of a possible appeal, the England and Wales High Court ruled Tuesday.
The Rockstar Consortium that acquired Nortel Networks' patents filed Thursday patent infringement suits against Google, Samsung, HTC and five other companies.
A number of HTC devices including its flagship HTC One smartphone infringe on a Nokia mobile networks standards patent, a U.K. court ruled Wednesday.
Taiwan has slapped Korean electronics giant Samsung with a fine for fabricating Internet forum posts that praised the company at the expense of rivals including its home-country handset competitor HTC.
Telstra has today announced it will exclusively sell the HTC Desire 300 Android phone as a pre-paid device in Australia.
Two new smartphones are going after customers who want supersized screens: Nokia's new Lumia 1520, launched Tuesday, runs Windows Phone and HTC's One Max is an Android offering. But how do the two stack up side-by-side? It's time for a face-off on th...
It appears that Amazon will eventually produce a smartphone -- the question is not if, but when.
Its fortunes in the West having stumbled, HTC is looking to the massive China smartphone market to keep it in business.
HTC has announced that its mid-range Desire 601 smartphone will be sold exclusively in Australia through Vodafone.
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Hepmil Media Group, a Singapore-based, technology-driven media company, has announced a $10 million Series A funding round led by Quest Ventures, Pavilion Capital, and Bent Pixels, according to an announcement.
Founded in 2015, Hepmil Media Group runs popular digital content platforms such as SGAG, MGAG, PGAG as well as the digital creator agency Hepmil Creators’ Network (HCN). Hepmil Media Group has evolved to attain capabilities in technology and production, talent and cast management, as well as in providing media inventory specific to the e-sports sector in Southeast Asia.
The funding, Hepmil Media’s first from institutional investors since its founding in 2015, will be used to support its expansion plans in Southeast Asia. The company is targeting Vietnam and Thailand in its expansion plan next year.
“Through expansion and investing in capabilities building to push new, innovative solutions for brands, we hope to be able to redefine Southeast Asia’s digital media and entertainment sector, and to remain the preferred platform for brands to work with,” said Karl Mak, CEO & co-founder of Hepmil Media Group.
With a presence in four markets across Southeast Asia, Hepmil Media Group claims that it witnessed a strong revenue performance in 2020 despite pandemic-driven challenges. To date, its creator network partners reached over 300 of the region’s top digital content creators who generate over 3 billion monthly views.
“With an increasingly digitalised audience in Southeast Asia, consumers and organisations seek differentiated, alternative, and now-current avenues to communicate, converse and convert,” said Jeffrey Seah, partner, Quest Ventures.
Quest Ventures’s portfolio companies include unicorns and well-established firms such as Carro, Carousell, ShopBack, 99.co, and others. Most recently, Quest Ventures and Singapore-based maritime venture builder ShipsFocus jointly launched a $7.5 million (S$10 million) fund to invest in early-stage maritime startups.
Co-investor Bent Pixels is a gaming lifestyle media platform. Founded in 2009, Bent Pixels draws on over a decade of expertise and deep relationships in the fast-paced, high-growth online video space.


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It's one of the oldest adages in motor racing, and down in the Toyota LMP1 camp, it's all the allies within the Franco-German-Japanese team can think about.
With two new the-paint-is-barely-dry TS030 Hybrid LMP1 cars competing this weekend, the Toyota has shown remarkable speed right out of the box, but the ability to endure—the whole point of the Le Mans exercise—has been the car's weakness so far.
"We have done three endurance tests, and so far, we have had to stop during every one of these tests..." said David Floury, technical director for the French ORECA team that Toyota has tasked with running the car.
Unlike Audi and other major auto manufacturers that spent at least a year testing their cars in private before venturing to Le Mans, Toyota, at the behest of the ACO, organizers of the 240hour race, asked the company to expedite its prototype program to fill in for Peugeot, which withdrew from the sports just a few months ago.
While that accelerated timetable benefits the event, it has been less than kind to Toyota. Using its former F1 base in Cologne, Germany, to design and build everything but the engine (the new 3.4-liter V-8 was produced by Toyota in Japan), the end results has been a pair of rapid TS030s that simply need more time to work out all of the kinks that tend to derail these 215 mph precision instruments.
Audi is famous for running as many as six 30-hour tests to make sure its diesel-powered prototypes can go the distance, and in an attempt to steal a page from Spinal Tap, Toyota wanted to go One Louder in testing the TS030 for Le Mans. Or, to be more accurate, three hours longer than their German rivals.
"Our longest test," Floury continued, "started at 9 a.m. and went to 6 p.m. the next day. It did not go so good... We stopped many times."
And what can Toyota fans expect from the team this weekend?
"I see very much potential with everything here," said Floury. "The hybrid system is very, very good, and the chassis and aerodynamics are very advanced. Toyota has done an incredible job with the engine in such a short [amount] of time. The foundation for everything is very good for the future, but I cannot tell you what our result will be at Le Mans this year..."
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Sunnyvale, Calif. July 10, 2012 -- KANA Software, Inc., a global leader in customer service solutions delivered on-premise or in the cloud, and used by more than 850 commercial and public sector organizations worldwide, today announced it has acquired the award-winning process-based contact center provider Ciboodle from the Sword Group.
Many of the world's best known customer-centric Fortune 500 companies and leading government entities rely on KANA and Ciboodle for advanced customer engagement across multiple channels. Recognized by leading analyst firms such as Gartner and Forrester Research, together the two companies create a formidable independent provider of customer service solutions, set to take advantage of an extensive $5 billion+ market opportunity for customer experience management, forecast to grow at between 5-12% through 2015 (6% CAGR) within the larger overall customer relationship management (CRM) space.
The Ciboodle acquisition adds new complementary product offerings and industry expertise, extending and enhancing the overall KANA value proposition – particularly around agent desktop, business process and case management in the contact center, and social CRM communities on the web – and comes on the heels of KANA's acquisition of Trinicom, a provider of cloud-based web customer service and customer interaction management, announced April 2012, which expanded the company's market reach to mid-sized businesses globally via software-as-a-service (SaaS).
"KANA is creating a new global customer service leader that is increasingly the choice for mid-sized and large enterprises alike, serving both the public and private sectors, with solutions available on-premise or in the cloud," said KANA President and CEO Mark Duffell. "With the acquisition of Ciboodle, we are bringing together two significant enterprise players in the customer experience management arena with strengths in depth for both the contact center and for web customer service."
"The combination of KANA and Ciboodle effectively accelerates each company's product roadmap by an estimated 12-18 months – allowing the new company to focus on our customers' more strategic initiatives in emerging disruptive areas such as cloud computing, mobility, and big data analytics that will clearly differentiate KANA in its established markets and help penetrate new ones as well," said Duffell.
KANA and Ciboodle both have focused on helping many of the world’s largest organizations transform their complex business requirements into effective customer experiences; yet each company has approached it from different foundations. KANA has built a strong reputation providing email response management, knowledge management, web self-service, and live chat, often referred to as web customer service (WCS), whereas Ciboodle has built a strong reputation providing business process management, dynamic case management and agent desktop solutions, sometimes referred to as contact center customer service. The end result is comprehensive customer engagement.
According to technology research firm Gartner, "The customer's experience within the service channels can enhance or ruin the perceptions of an organization's reputation and corporate brand. Many of the technologies designed to help employees do their jobs also influence the conditions that produce the customer experience. The same applies to the technologies that are designed to allow customers to help themselves. Customers benefit directly from a specific technology and/or from activities enabled by a technology that creates positive experiences, leading to greater customer loyalty, brand recognition and increased sales."
“Since 1986, Ciboodle has pioneered software and services related solutions that help customer-centric organizations deliver consistent service, so their customers can get answers to their questions quickly, simply and in ways that create a positive and beneficial relationship,” said Sword Ciboodle CEO Mike Hughes. “Going forward, the combination of these two companies who share a very similar culture, will fuel increased dominance in a wide array of markets including retail, communications, financial services, utilities and government, with the ability to grow in emerging and adjunct markets as well.”
Continuing to operate under the KANA name, the newly combined entity will have more employees and office locations across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific from which to support a growing base of customers numbering some 900 organizations – all of whom recognize the importance of elevating customer experience initiatives to the strategic executive agenda.
Global outsourcer Aegis, which has a significant presence in Australia, has again received a Silver MVP Quality Award from US-based Technology Marketing Corporation's (TCM) CUSTOMER magazine.
CUSTOMER's MVP Quality Awards acknowledge organisations with "a true commitment to high ethical quality standards, methodology and business compliance". Aegis Global CEO Sandip Sen said the company has earned the MVP Quality Award for the fifth consecutive year.
"This progression clearly outlines our dedication and commitment to providing the best customer experience while continuously maintaining an innovative approach to quality, and offering cost-effective, high-quality solutions to many of the world's leading brands," he said. TMC CEO Rich Tehrani said Aegis has demonstrated a true commitment to high ethical standards, stringent policies and challenging goals.
US computer giant Dell has opened a new operations site in Chengdu during a forum staged to highlight the Chinese city's potential as an IT hub.
The new Dell facility will combine customer service, sales and manufacturing. "Dell's Chengdu operations site is a milestone in Dell's 'Go West' strategy and underscores our deep commitment to the China market," Dell Global Emerging Markets chairman Admit Midha said. The establishment of Dell's Chengdu facility is also expected to help attract worldwide suppliers to the city and to spur related manufacturing industries in the area.
German software company SAP's Alex Atzberger said China is a very important market for his company. "Chengdu can be a hub of mobile and cloud (technologies) in China. Therefore it is important for SAP to have a development plan in this market," he said. SAP has sent engineers to Chengdu to develop cloud services and other technologies, and it is also working with many partners based in Chengdu and other parts of western China.
Leaders in Customer Experience Strategy consulting and the largest provider of Customer Experience Research and Analyst studies in Australia, Fifth Quadrant, this week announced the launch of its Co-creation and Customer Experience Design Practice.
Co-creation is a form of open innovation where ideas are shared. Customer Co-creation is the process of organisations creating products, services and experiences in collaboration with consumers, tapping into their intellectual capital and in exchange giving them a direct say in what actually gets produced, manufactured, developed or designed.
Co-creation is a key part of Fifth Quadrant's Customer Experience Design method and has been used across multiple industry sectors.
Research by Fifth Quadrant shows that despite 62% of organisations across Australia and New Zealand citing Customer Experience as one of their top strategies for 2013, very few involve customers or employees in the Customer Experience Design process. In many cases, it appears that organisations will invest significant time and resources in a customer experience design that doesn't create any significant benefit for the customer or the business.
In order to design differentiated experiences that actually meet customer needs, organisations may utilise Co-creation as a primary method of Customer Experience Design. "It is not possible for organisations to unlock personalised value for customers without having customers involved in the unlocking of that value" said Dr Catriona Wallace, CEO, Fifth Quadrant.
For more information on Fifth Quadrant's Co-creation methodology please contact Claire Chow on +61 2 9927 3399 and please see attachment.
Milpitas, CA (USA), and Melbourne, Australia - 14 June, 2013 – BolderView today announced that it has opened its doors in Australia and has become a Value Added Reseller (VAR) of Virtual Assistants powered by noHold.
noHold is the developer of the most interactive and diagnostic Virtual Assistant technology and Knowledge Management solutions. With successful Virtual Assistant implementations across multiple industries and on a global scale, noHold has realized the importance of providing a physical office in Australia and New Zealand. Specifically in Australia, one of the largest investor services companies as well as a popular online retailer have used noHold Virtual Assistants to increase First Contact Resolution (FCR) while reducing support costs and increasing customer satisfaction. Virtual Assistants are the future of web and mobile customer interaction.
Global technology market research companies are calling Virtual Assistants (VA) the wave of the future and they are predicting that more than 50% of online transactions will be handled by VAs in the near future. To date, Australian companies have not kept pace with those predictions. None of the leading providers of Virtual Assistant technology have offices in Australia/New Zealand. With no local marketing and sales presence, many ANZ companies are simply not aware of the benefits that Virtual Assistants provide.
BolderView’s founder recognised the opportunity and launched Australia’s first and only company focused exclusively on deploying Virtual Assistant solutions. Opening BolderView’s office in Melbourne means Australian & New Zealand companies have a local source for the world’s leading technologies and reselling noHold Virtual Assistants is a key component of that strategy.
“An existing successful relationship with BolderView’s founder, multiple happy customers and a market propensity to use Virtual Assistants made it very easy for us to decide to expand in Australia. We are happy to work with BolderView and looking forward to our continued partnership,” said Diego Ventura, CEO of noHold.
Dave Brown, Founder and Managing Director of BolderView said, “Companies in North America and Europe have been adopting Virtual Agent technology at an amazing pace. Australian companies are behind the curve – primarily because there’s been no local presence by any of the leading providers. BolderView is changing that. We represent the world’s most advanced Virtual Agent technology and we are very proud for noHold be part of our solutions.”


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After reading another WSJournal story, on the crisis-level tomato shortage, I stupidly expected to see stores looking the way they really should in snowy March, free of flavorless hardballs. But there are big piles even at our neighborhood Food Shitty, and the Manhattan Fruit Exchange had the usual half-dozen or more varieties, if pricier than usual. Once again, it illustrated the disconnect between semi-food, the processed crap delivered to fast food outlets in tractor-trailers, and what most Americans throw into their overloaded baskets. And how the two are covered.
But I have to give the Journal credit for setting the record straight on macarons. They are not fucking macaroons. Buried deep in its late-to-the-meringue front-pager, though, was a funny detail. McDonald’s actually started selling the things three years ago. So all the hysteria online and off over the fast-fooding of high-end patisserie was actually driven by ads, the ones that only recently started showing up in the Paris metro. Guess I’m only amazed we aren’t seeing more MSG-free “soup is good food” pieces as winter winds down.


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Honors students provide Christmas meals for area families
MANITOWOC – A group of Lincoln High students spread a little cheer before their holiday break by delivering Christmas meals to area families in need.
"I don't know what to say," Barb Phillips said as students delivered food for Christmas dinner to her home. "Merry Christmas to you guys. Thank you so much. You guys are sweet."
The Phillips family was one of 29 Manitowoc households to receive food for Christmas dinner from National Honor Society students. The food, enough for a Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas morning breakfast, was delivered to families Monday along with cookies, table centerpieces, paper plates, napkins and tablecloths.
Honors students were given Copps gift cards and explored the grocery aisles Monday choosing food for each of their assigned families.
"We cut out a lot of coupons so we could get as much as possible with the money given," Lincoln senior Caitlyn Cayemberg said. "My mom and I sat down and figured out we have $15 per person. We cut out coupons and looked for the best deals and the best quality of food."
Funding for the holiday meals project came from a generous anonymous donor, donations from Lincoln Principal Luke Valitchka and other staff, and from bake sales and other fundraisers put on by students.
As an educational component, students budgeted their meals and tracked expenses as they moved through the store to ensure they would not go over their limit. Several students had money left over, which they used to buy additional food for the families.
"I thought it went pretty well," senior Katie McMeans said of her shopping experience. "Originally we thought we were going to go over, but we found better deals on spices. We were able to get a few extra things for breakfast."
The teens planned meals and recipes for each of their families and included personal touches, such as their own family recipes.
For dinner meals, the students loaded their carts with hams, turkey and all the fixings. On the menu for breakfast is pancakes, bacon, and, in one student's case, a breakfast casserole.
"It is a family recipe that I have," Nicole Jagemann explained.
Once the shopping was done, students packed the groceries and spread throughout the community to deliver Christmas cheer — and food — to each of the 29 families, which were chosen by staff at area elementary and middle schools based on financial need and other factors.
"It was one of the most rewarding experiences delivering the meal," Cayemberg said. "The family I delivered to last year had 19 people in it. They were in tears when we brought all the groceries into their home."
Cayemberg and her partner on the project, Christina Maser, delivered meals to two different families this year. At the first house, the education they received at Lincoln High came in handy.
"Kristina and I are both in Spanish and realized (the food recipient) only spoke Spanish. We started speaking to her in Spanish, so it was really cool we got to use that," Cayemberg said. "As we brought in the groceries she began tearing up. It was neat to see how much the food meant to them."
The two students also provided a family recipe for a special ham glaze to each of their assigned families.
"When we dropped off the second one, the person just got home. We gave her the plates and cookies and she was really happy," Maser said "She told us thank you and seemed excited about the Coca-Cola and brown sugar glaze."
Phillips, on the receiving end of the food, said she was overwhelmed with the generosity of the project.
"Any help is great," she said. "My daughter will be coming to dinner, so I'll be able to share this with my kids."
Phillip Bock: (920) 686-2966, firstname.lastname@example.org, or @bockling on Twitter


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Big News network
17th December 2021, 07:12 GMT+11
The US Treasury has blacklisted 34 Chinese companies and research institutes, with Washington accusing one of the named institutes of developing ?brain-control weaponry.?
The Chinese institutes and firms were added to the department’s ‘Entity List’ on Wednesday, joining more than 260 other Chinese businesses – including smartphone giant Huawei – already on the list. Placement on the list forbids these firms from buying technology from the US without express permission from Washington.


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Beekeeper with PhD in Bee Science Celebrates 25 Years of Business
PITT MEADOWS, October 22, 2021 -- Dr. Bee, a specialty wellness brand with products like pure honey, bee propolis, and royal jelly, celebrates their 25th Anniversary on November 6, 2021. The anniversary is marked with the unveiling of a brand new logo that celebrates the history of this beloved family-owned brand.
A lifelong passion for honey bees led Dr. Ron Lin to establish Dr. Bee in 1996. Dr. Lin’s devotion to honey bees is rivaled only by his passion for educating people about them and their benefits, and his dedication to creating quality products have turned what was once a modest, local business into the hugely successful company it is today. Dr. Bee strives to continue educating people about the affordable, natural alternatives available to the chemical laden products found in most homes today.
“We want to sincerely thank you for trusting and supporting Dr. Bee for 25 years,” said Ron and Joanna Lin, founders of Dr. Bee. “We will always stay true to our roots to continue providing high quality honey bee products.”
Dr. Bee’s modern new logo communicates their values of science and dependability; the body of the bee represents a DNA helix. The company will also roll out new product labels in the coming months which will be easier to read and contain more information about the products. These changes aim to help customers better understand their honey bee products and provide a better experience from choosing their products to using them at home.
Dr. Bee 25th Anniversary Details:
- Brand refresh focused on providing customers with more information to help them choose a bee product that is right for them
- Online learning pages that contain comprehensive information that has been thoroughly researched and reviewed on pure honey, bee propolis, royal jelly and other honey bee products
- In-store sale from October 27 to November 7 at Dr. Bee’s Pitt Meadows, Aberdeen Centre and Crystal Mall locations
- Online sale from October 27 to November 7
About Dr. BeeFounded by Dr. Ron Lin (PhD in Bee Science), Dr. Bee is dedicated to sharing the wonder of honey bees with the world. Dr. Bee strives to provide pure, natural and science-backed honey bee products that enable people to live healthier. Products include Bee Propolis Throat Spray, Pure Royal Jelly Capsules, our award-winning Ice Honey, and much more. www.drbee.ca


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This hot dog king has a new throne.
After successfully launching the Papaya King Food Truck this past summer, the tube steak team will debut its first-ever food cart this Wednesday in Herald Square at 11 a.m. just in time for the holiday season.
"We wanted to expand our mobile offerings in a more compact vehicle, easier to transport throughout the city and bring to places that we can not park the truck," co-owner Jason Witkes exclusively tells the Daily News.
Aside from their iconic all-beef, naturally cased and always grilled franks, Papaya King will serve up a limited menu featuring veggie dogs, corn dogs, curly fries, tropical drinks and their newest decadent delight, fried Oreos. Items cost between $2 and $5.
Papaya King — which originated as a nut bread shop in 1932 — has been a hot spot for dog lovers like Bobby Flay (who favors sauerkraut and mustard) and Martha Stewart.
Witkes encourages eaters to savor tropical sips and ballpark franks even in the winter.
"Regardless of the weather, New Yorkers are still out and tourists are still visiting the city."


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Japanese sports brand ASICS has signed Indian tennis sensation Sumit Nagal as a brand ambassador, expanding its roster of notable athletes. This partnership solidifies Sumit Nagal’s status alongside Rohan Bopanna and Karman Kaur Thandi as brand ambassadors for ASICS.
Rajat Khurana, Managing Director of ASICS India and South Asia, expressed his excitement about this collaboration, stating, “We are thrilled to partner with Sumit Nagal, a true champion of the sport. Sumit’s dedication and passion for tennis are unmatched, and we are confident that he will continue to achieve great things. We are proud to support Sumit on his journey to the top, and we look forward to seeing him succeed.”
Khurana emphasized ASICS’ commitment to nurturing tennis talent in India and highlighted Sumit Nagal as a role model for aspiring tennis players. He expressed anticipation for Nagal’s future accomplishments in the sport.
In response to the partnership, Sumit Nagal expressed his humility and honor in joining forces with ASICS, a brand that shares his dedication to excellence and unwavering commitment to tennis. Nagal expressed excitement about embarking on this journey with ASICS, marked by relentless dedication and a shared goal of reaching new heights in the tennis world. He is confident that this partnership will enable him to unleash his full potential on the court.
ASICS, a Japanese multinational company headquartered in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, is renowned for manufacturing sportswear, particularly sneakers. The brand’s product range also includes sandals, apparel such as T-shirts, jackets, hoodies, swimsuits, compression garments, leggings, socks, as well as accessories like bags, backpacks, and caps.


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EPA Issues SSURO against EcoShield LLC for Selling an Unregistered Product Claiming Effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2
On August 5, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Stop Sale, Use or Removal Order (SSURO) against EcoShield LLC (EcoShield) for selling a clip-on badge product called the Eco AirDoctor Portable that claims to sanitize the air of pathogens. EPA states that the product was being sold and distributed in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) because it is an unregistered pesticide making false disinfectant claims. The SSURO against EcoShield is another in a series of enforcement actions EPA has taken against products that EPA believes are making claims in violation of FIFRA during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Some of these actions include the Amazon and eBay SSURO and the prevention of importation of the unregistered “Virus Shut Out” pesticide product. (See our blogs here and here for more information on these two actions.)
Under FIFRA, products that claim to kill or repel bacteria or germs, including disinfectants, are considered pesticides and must be registered with EPA. EPA will not register a disinfectant until it has been determined that it will not pose an unreasonable risk when used according to the label directions. In this case, Eco AirDoctor Portable was marketed as a “personal air sanitizer” that users hang from shirts or backpacks. The product claims to release chlorine dioxide gas to sanitize the air of pathogens. EcoShield also claimed on its website and social media that the product is a “safe and effective germ-killing agent” and, EPA claims, implies protection against SARS-CoV-2. EPA also expressed concerns regarding prolonged exposure to and inhalation of chlorine dioxide gas, which EPA states can adversely affect the health of users.
To find EPA-registered disinfectant products that are qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2, please search EPA’s List N, which currently contains 473 products, including products that went through the expedited review process for emerging viral pathogens.
Additional information on EPA enforcement actions on unregistered products is available here.


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Mobile technology news, reviews and advice
Samsung Galaxy S8
Switch and save
#WeGotThis - iD Mobile's new content series
21 June, 2017
iD launches its new pay monthly plan with the help of #WeGotThis - iD Mobile’s new content series starring Asim Chaudhry.
iD reaches the half million mark
24 January, 2017
24 January 2017 is a big day for iD, Carphone Warehouse’s mobile network. 500,000 customers have now signed up to one of its 4G plans.
iD's video series takes a trip to the circus
3 June, 2016
#DoYourOwnThing, the new campaign from iD, is a fascinating documentary-style series from the 4G mobile network…
What do the symbols on my screen mean?
9 October, 2016
Find out what all the symbols on your phone screen actually mean...
How to fix a mobile internet connection
3 February, 2017
If you're having problems with your mobile internet connection, here are some tips...


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Do you remember when the world wasn’t so crazy? When grown adults could camp out of a Walmart for days on end to buy the next iPhone for half of the price? After experiencing the ever-so hectic 2020, hoping to witness two customers punch each other out for a new television is on everyone’s list for pre-pandemic nostalgia. The one event that could bring this sense of normalcy back is right around the corner. Forget Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve, Black Friday is the holiday that could potentially rekindle the human spirit that has been smothered by social distancing protocols.
Yes, Black Friday is still on. The same holiday one associates with strange faces pressed up against a department store window and the occasional wrestling match for a Lego set will attempt to push through claims of it being a potential hotspot for COVID-19. According to USA Today, 36% of people surveyed said they were planning to go in-person for Black Friday, even with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s remarks of these actions being high-risk for viral spread.
How a Black Friday event will play out in today’s “new normal” will be a sight to see from many different areas of the country. California’s Black Friday will be completely different from states such as Arizona and Georgia. Yet, a growing national trend aims to be felt with the transition into online holiday deals. Although Black Friday might look different depending on the specific state’s regulations, there is one aspect to the shopping spree weekend that will remain the same.
Many companies are utilizing Cyber Monday to their advantage. The retailing industry’s initial hangover from its Black Friday festivities became its new proposed business model, as the growing prominence of the Internet and smartphones could no longer be ignored. Why argue with an elderly woman over a Barbie doll when there’s a quicker and better deal on Target’s website?
Online Black Friday shopping has seen a dramatic increase of numbers recently. According to The Los Angeles Times, the Internet housed around 7 billion sales for the past year, marking an annual increase of near 20%. The projections made by Adobe estimate around another 3 billion to be added to those sales increases. Online shopping has helped businesses rake in annual Black Friday sale increase numbers from 3.6% to 5.2%. In a time where businesses are hurting from the impact of COVID-19, these reports keep hope alive.
Local businesses around the country have used the reported trends toward online shopping to their advantage. According to Commercial Appeal, Memphis local clothing store, Falling Into Place, has since increased their online activity by 20% to adapt to the “new normal.” National powerhouses like Bed, Bath, & Beyond and Best Buy will be enforcing their COVID-19 protocols and utilizing tactics like curbside pickup and contactless orders in their handling of Black Friday, according to People.
The question remains on whether these efforts to curb the potential consequences of a traditional Black Friday will actually work. With profits looking good during an economic collapse, will public health still take priority?


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Stamp To Honor Special Olympics World Games
A competition bringing together athletes with intellectual disabilities from around the world will be immortalized on a new postage stamp.
The U.S. Postal Service is issuing a commemorative stamp in honor of the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles this summer.
The Forever stamp went on sale nationwide Saturday. It features the logo for this summer’s competition, which will be held July 25 to August 2.
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“The Postal Service is pleased to honor Special Olympics, an organization that — for nearly five decades — has changed the world by creating opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities,” said Dean Granholm, pacific area vice president for the postal service. “Using these stamps on your cards, letters and packages is a great way to show your support for these athletes.”
Special Olympics holds alternating winter and summer world games every two years in locations around the globe.
The Los Angeles games are expected to draw over 7,000 athletes from 177 countries, including 344 competitors from across the United States.


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How to watch live sex cams without paying a cent video Free quick sex cam
Of course, anyone getting premium goods outside the partner program gets no cut. He tunes in to the channel of a user named Flippin Ginja, a red-headed teen and amateur gymnast who is lounging on his porch swing."Guys, I’ve been drinking too much water," he tells his smartphone camera.It initially piggybacked off of Twitter, but was quickly cut off, likely because Twitter has its own plans for a live streaming service built around a company it just acquired, Periscope.We’ve finally hit a tipping point where live streaming makes sense, both as a killer feature on a platform like Twitter, but also as a standalone business like You Now. "The reason is the rise of i OS and Android," says Emmett Shear, the CEO of Twitch.He was part of a group that believed everyone would soon be the star of their own reality television series, all broadcast on the web.That included the infamous Josh Harris, a dot-com millionaire who imploded for his live audience, chronicled in the documentary We Live in Public.The comments on popular videos fly by far too quickly for the broadcaster to follow.
But now the mobile market is mature enough for a sea change.This growth is part of a broader boom in live streaming services.Meerkat emerged as a media and tech darling, easily winning the war for attention at this year’s SXSW.If a customer was in on the joke, Abuhamdeh would banter with them a bit.He shared stories from his home life, and slowly began to invite fans into it, broadcasting from his apartment, from a cousin’s wedding, while driving in his car or getting a haircut.


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With a new year and big changes on the horizon, companies might be considering a rebrand. But a review of 2016’s rebranding efforts serves as a reminder that consumers are more scrupulous than ever; if it looks like the changes are only skin-deep, re-branding can bring an unwelcome, negative reaction.
Is updating your brand a good idea for 2017? There were plenty of high-profile rebrands in 2016 from which to learn. A variety of business impulses prompted change. Subway, for example, pursued a more upscale customer. Pandora wanted a relaunch and refresh. In the case of Netflix, it was a practical matter of changing its logo so it would fit into a tiny mobile icon. Elsewhere, a new brand emerged from the merger of two iconic companies, such as Marriott-Starwood and Kraft-Heinz, or a split in two, like HP.
All these companies felt the need to send a clear, visual message to customers and employees that things have changed, and they did a pretty good job. But any rebranding runs the risk of negative feedback and plenty of media scrutiny. Mozilla took the unusual step of selecting a new logo in public, to gain customer buy-in upfront, rather than backlash later. Uber hit a wall of disbelief when its founder insisted on redesigning the logo himself, as part of a wider rebrand. Other companies in the grip of controversy, such as Wells Fargo, Facebook and Samsung, might do well to consider redemptive rebranding to fix their reputations.
When done right, a rebrand can refocus a company to bring new market traction. But if it looks like all you did was slap on a new moniker or icon, you’ll never reverse or refresh your reputation, and may even damage it. Are you ripe for a new brand to match the new year? If so, how will you ensure it’s more than cosmetic?


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McDonald’s and Pizza Hut entered – several fast-food giants have openly embraced NFTs and are creating digital assets to be sold or distributed in various marketing campaigns. This mass adoption of NFTs from one of the biggest commercial industries has opened the doors for NFTs to become popular among communities that were earlier unaware of the digital assets.
As more and more fast-food giants join the NFT wagon, others are forced to accommodate this change and introduce their digital assets as NFTs. To that extent, thousands of NFTs were recently released from well-known giants such as Burger King, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.
While these are the first to join the blockchain revolution, other popular brands such as Dominoes are sure to follow suit. Here are a few of the NFT assets released by fast-food giants.
McDonald’s China – the only fast-food restaurant chain yet to launch an NFT collection of 188 NFTs in last October. These NFTs were distributed in a giveaway on the franchise’s 31st anniversary of eyxistence in China. The NFT token called the “Big Mac Rubik’s Cube”, and was designed looks like of McDonald’s Shanghai headquarters.
Burger King is one of the largest global burger joints, with its headquarters in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Las tmonth the burger joint recently entered the NFT sphere by creating a digital token, “Keep It Real Meals”. The digital token is paired with several NFT collectibles in a marketing campaign, that will be offered along its new line of Celebrity Meal Packages.
Burger King’s customers can get their hands on these NFT collectibles by purchasing “Keep It Real Meals,” which features famous artists such as Chase Hudson, Larissa Machado, and Cornell Haynes Jr. To win the collectible, the customer must scan a QR code on the meal and have a chance to earn one of three collectible game pieces. On collecting all three, the customer will win a digital collectible with a year’s supply of burgers and a one-on-one call with the celebrity.
Last year, Taco Bell launched an NFT collection called “Taco Art” on Rarible. The collection combined illustrations of the most selling menu items, and was sold for up to ten ETH. All the proceedings from the NFT auction were donated to charity.
Pizza Hut is one of the world’s most famous pizza fast-food restaurant chains. Pizza Hut Canada launched its NFT as a “1 Byte Favourites” project – the NFT contained digital images of nice pizza slices, and the NFT holder was given instant access to Pizza Hut NFTs on Rarible.
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We’re KrASIA, a digital media company reporting on the most promising technology-driven businesses and trends across the Asia-Pacific region.
We’re rooted in 36Kr, a leading technology and business news portal in China.
China’s rapid digital transformation shaped people’s lives, opening up opportunities and conveniences that were previously unimaginable. This wave of change was driven by adventurous entrepreneurs and backed by funding from discerning venture capitalists.
36Kr had the privilege of chronicling the rise of China’s TMT sector and grew alongside a booming ecosystem that produced global tech empires such as Alibaba and Tencent. Next to the flagship product 36Kr.com, 36Kr operates the co-working chain Kr Space and Jingdata, a startup database.
As 36Kr’s first English-language offshoot, KrASIA aims to play a similar role in Southeast Asia, where digital transformation is picking up speed.
Building upon 36Kr’s know-how and deep connections, KrASIA offers fresh views about what’s going on in countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
Our distributed team of reporters and editors closely track the largest regional tech companies whose influence is growing by the hour, and keep up with the next wave of innovators who challenge the status quo.
We constantly ask ourselves: Can entrepreneurs and investors draw actionable insights from our coverage? In what ways will new developments affect how the region’s citizens interact with the internet—and each other?
In brief, KrASIA is about providing useful content for consumers, entrepreneurs, and innovators. From that foundation, we strive to deliver more services to help Asia innovate and create.


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AI and Digital Transformation Are Top Priorities for Marketers in 2018
DECEMBER 13, 2017
Looking ahead to 2018, marketers have already carved out their top priorities heading into the new year, according to a new survey. WARC recently surveyed more than 600 marketers from around the world to gauge their top priorities heading into 2018. The results showed that more than 50 percent of marketers are making artificial intelligence (AI) a priority in the yew year. In addition, about 24 percent of respondents claim that voice interfaces are a priority for 2018.


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The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Volkswagen Group SA will soon begin to yield result as the production of various types of vehicles in Nigeria will commence anytime from now.
This development is coming following strategic session of open dialogue held between the Volkswagen delegation and the Nigerian Government Representative led by the Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah in Lagos on Thursday.
Speaking in his welcome address, the minister said the government will learn and adopt models that have worked well in other parts of the world, and make them applicable to Nigeria.
He said Nigeria remains the choice destination for investment on the continent, saying the global auto giants has made a wise investment decision by coming to establish an vehicle production plant in Nigeria.
The minister said the government will continue leveraging on the nation’s comparative advantages in the commitment towards making Nigeria competitive for local production and thereby increasing the contribution of manufacturing to economic growth.
According to him, the outcome of the open dialogue session will lead to the gradual transition from the importation of used cars to the manufacture and distribution of new passenger vehicles in Nigeria, adding the government was committed to providing a conducive environment that would encourage the manufacturing of motor vehicles in Nigeria.
“This open dialogue session is a major step in our walk toward the development of a robust automotive industry that will contribute to the continuous economic development of the country. We believe in the strategic and catalytic role of the automotive industry in the diversification of the Nigerian economy.
“We remain committed to encouraging and partnering with relevant stakeholders, especially investors and friends of Nigeria, and we will meet our commitments and look forward to welcoming other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) interested in working with us.
Making a presentation, the Director General of National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr. Jelani Aliyu (MFR), said Nigeria offers not only a significant domestic market, but also the opportunity of a gateway to the West African market.
He said NADDC was pleased by the progress that has been made in the engagement with Volkswagen, and excited to be partnering with a strong stakeholder with a full understanding of the huge potential Nigeria represents, pointing out NADDC will work closely with the global auto manufacturers, amongst others to ensure that wholly Nigerian produced vehicles quickly become a reality.
According to him, these initiatives when fully implemented, will have the multiple effects of creating thousands of jobs, generating unlimited skills acquisition opportunities for Nigerians in the automotive design and development sectors and create avenues for enhanced government’s revenues through diversification.
The director general said the council was already working with relevant partners and financial institutions that will provide a sustainable auto financing scheme for Nigerians, noting Nigeria was amongst the few countries in the world where a hundred percent down payment is required before a vehicle can be purchased.
“With these initiatives already being put in place, Nigeria will move from a place where there are few highly expensive cars and millions of cheap very old ones, but a place where there are millions of modern new cars and even more of current high-end ones”.
According to him, NADDC is also partnering with N-Power to train over three thousand auto technicians, and provide them with world class exposures, adding NADDC is building three test centers in Lagos, Enugu and Zaria to make sure that the cars and components produced, sold and used in the country are world standard.
The NADDC director general revealed that the council was already working on the opportunities by the coming of electric cars, pointing out it was the direction of the future and that Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind.
“NADDC is working on building PPP Automotive Supplier Parks in Nnewi, Kaduna and Oshogbo that would go into automotive components production, and the agency is engaging NAACAM of South Africa, a consortium of OEM components manufacturers that supply the big global automotive companies, NAACAM will support as part of a body of many international technical partners”.
On his part, the Leader of the Volkswagen Delegation, Mr. Thomas Schaefer said, Volkswagen has been able to demonstrate with conviction that it is serious about its intentions in Sub–Saharan Africa.
Schaefer, who is the Chairman/Managing Director of Volkswagen Group, said the group is well placed to become a dominant player in Nigeria and Africa as the continent continues to stabilize and develop economically as the last frontier for the automotive industry.’


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Avalanche Studios has released a World Premier video called Just Cause 4 Tornado gameplay. The video shows off the powerful, new Apex Engine which is taking the series signature destruction and physics to a whole new level with the introduction of a fully simulated Extreme Weather events.
The video just shows one of the four unique Extreme Weather simulations in Just Cause 4. The tornado looks menacing from afar as it rips and tears buildings and vehicles in its path. The new engine will allow the player to experience a real tornado event by calculating every object’s trajectory in real-time. A storm chaser vehicle is also available for those who want to drive up close.
Rico’s fame grappling hook returns in Just Cause 4 with a few enhancement. The hook is now fully customizable and will allow players to experiment with it. The video shows some of the customizations like the ability to remotely attach multiple booster and air-lifters to any object in the game.
Just Cause 4 is a key entry to the series, releasing December 4th, 2018 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Watch the full gameplay trailer below.


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LumoXchange, a financial technology payments company headquartered in Little Rock, announced late Wednesday the launch of its currency exchange marketplace, which lets users choose their exchange rates and send money.
Although there are websites that allow users to compare exchange rates, no company has been able to combine the comparing of rates and sending money on a single platform until now.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson; Mike Preston, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission; and Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola attended Wednesday’s announcement at the Little Rock Regional Chamber.
LumoXchange is a graduate of the Little Rock Venture Center’s 2016 FinTech Accelerator, which is sponsored by financial technology services giant FIS of Jacksonville, Florida, and the state. The startup moved to Little Rock from Atlanta after participating in that program.
Founder and CEO Maf Sonko compared his online marketplace to Hotels.com. Its users can view exchange rates from the company’s international partner financial institutions and compare those rates, see customer ratings, select how their beneficiary will be paid and convert payments to local currency. Sonko claims users could save up to half on fees with LumoXchange.
He also said he bucked the trend by coming to a smaller city like Little Rock for the FinTech Accelerator. Sonko explained that he had already lived in several big cities but the company hadn’t found the right place to put down roots.
“The relationship that I gained in Little Rock and the ability to make the connections I needed to facilitate global payments was extremely important … coupled with the fact that it was very affordable to build a team here,” he said.
For its initial launch, the marketplace will be available for payments to people in Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Ghana and Nigeria. Later this summer, it will add payments to the Philippines, which is the fourth largest payments corridor from the U.S.
This will give the company a total market of $17.5 billion annually in cross-border payments by the end this year, according to a news release.
LumoXchange is also expected to announce more partner financial institutions and payments to more countries in the coming months.
During a six-week pilot, the company said it processed 2 percent of total inbound payments to Gambia and achieved a 95 percent customer retention rate. Sonko has been working on the marketplace for the past 18 months.
LumoXchange works through networks of financial institutions in each country where it offers payments. Local financial institutions compete to convert inbound payments by offering competitive exchange rates and options to pay beneficiaries directly into their bank account, mobile wallet or in cash.


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I just read an article in the New Yorker magazine, dated September 3, 2007, about the famous Thomas Jefferson bottles and American tycoon Bill Koch’s million-dollar battle to find out if they are authentic or not. And I have to wonder if he, or anyone else concerned about these wines, ever read an article I wrote in the Jan 1-31, 1986, issue of Wine Spectator.
In that issue, I wrote about the sale of an ancient, hand-blown bottle of 1787 Lafite engraved with the letters “Th. J.” to Christopher Forbes for $156,450 at a Christie’s auction in London. It was the highest price ever paid for a single bottle, and the record still stands. Forbes wanted the wine for his family’s museum of presidential memorabilia.
I remember telephoning his father, the late Malcolm Forbes, after the sale, and he was speechless when he heard the price his son had paid for the bottle. “I wish Jefferson had drunk the damn bottle,” he told me.
The article about the sale was accompanied by a small story headlined “Historical Doubt.” The first paragraph reads:
“An authority on Jefferson memorabilia doubts that the ballyhooed bottle of 1787 Lafite had any connection with the American statesman. But it’s reasonably certain that the bottle dates from the time when Jefferson ordered wines from the estate in Bordeaux.”
So from the beginning, there’s been skepticism about whether these bottles actually belonged to Jefferson. But that didn’t stop people from buying the wines.
Their history is shrouded in mystery. The cache, including 18th century bottles of Lafite, Mouton and Yquem, was supposedly discovered in a cellar in Paris, but the exact location has never been revealed. (Jefferson lived in Paris from 1784 to 1789.)
Hardy Rodenstock, a German collector and merchant, acquired the wines, and consigned the 1787 Lafite to Christie’s. Over the next two decades, about a dozen bottles traded in auctions and through private vendors. Apparently, Koch bought four of them, paying about half a million dollars.
I have always been a skeptic, too. It was clear the bottles were old, and even Eric de Rothschild said he believed they were truly 18th century Lafites.
But I remember what Cinder Goodwin, a research associate for the foundation that maintains Jefferson’s Monticello estate in Charlotesville, Va., told me back in 1986.
“When asked do we think it’s Jefferson’s bottle, we have to say we have doubts,” she said, as I wrote in my article. “They’ve made a sort of leap of faith in attributing it to Jefferson.”
When it comes to these “Jefferson” bottles, it seems a lot of people have made leaps of faith over the years…


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Though the economic slowdown has made maintaining a budget difficult, consumers' financial troubles are often self-induced, according to a new report from account management service Manilla.
Every year, consumers waste billions of dollars on unnecessary costs such as late credit card fees, unused cell phone minutes and ATM withdrawal charges.
Farnoosh Torabi, personal finance expert for Manilla, said these expenses can add up.
"Most Americans are struggling to stretch the few dollars they have in hand, while at the same time they are letting billions of dollars just fly out of their wallets and pocketbooks," said Torabi. "While this situation is troubling, this trend can be easily capped through a combination of common sense and building a workable household budget."
Some specific courses of action Torabi recommended includes adjusting a cell phone plan so that it includes fewer minutes and asking for cash back when making purchases via debit card, thereby preventing ATM surcharges. He added that paying bills online can help consumers avoid missing a payment.
Should a consumer not pay their credit card or loan bills by the due date, it can adversely affect their FICO score. However, creditors may occasionally make notations on a credit report indicating the consumer hasn't paid when they actually have. This may be corrected by meeting with a credit lawyer, who can file a credit dispute after spotting the error.


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a black plastic bag flies high above Valley Place
What's going on:
Council member Tommy Wells just introduced legislation this morning highlighting a new way to clean up the Anacostia River: charge 5 cents for every paper and plastic bag distributed by restaurant, take-out, grocery, and corner store establishments.Why should I care:
Sound crazy? This kind of program has seriously reduced bag pollution in cities like New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Because we all want a cleaner place to live and play. In the streams leading into the Anacostia River, nearly 50% of the trash (sad there is even any) is bags. Considering the fact that 20,000 tons of trash enters the Anacostia each year, this is a total emergency.How can I help:
Not to mention that so much of the litter on our own neighborhood streets is bags - mostly the small black plastic variety. And in this bill, those and every other non-recyclable bag would be completely banned.
1. Sign the Petition at www.TrashFreeAnacostia.comFor additional information, check out the Post's article on the proposed legislation.
2. B.Y.O.Bag. (they sell reusable bags at every major grocery store), or just opt out of bags altogether.
3. Smile. You are a difference-maker.
photo by DG-rad


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- The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max battery sizes have surfaced courtesy a database listing.
- The listing reveals the iPhone 15 models have slightly more battery capacity than the iPhone 14 series.
- The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro reportedly come with the same 27W peak charging speed as the iPhone 14/iPhone 14 Pro.
The iPhone 15 series debuted last week and is already up for pre-orders, with sales set to start later this week. The lineup includes the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Now, ahead of the sale, the battery capacity and fast charging speed details of the iPhone 15 series have been revealed, courtesy of a Chinese regulatory database.
iPhone 15 series battery capacities
|iPhone 15||3,349mAh, 12.981Wh|
|Apple iPhone 15 Plus||4,383mAh, 16.950Wh|
|Apple iPhone 15 Pro||3,274mAh, 12.70Wh|
|Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max||4,422mAh, 17.109Wh|
- The Chinese regulatory listing revealed the iPhone 15 has a 3,349mAh battery (rated capacity) and a wattage of 12.981Wh. The iPhone 15 Plus has a capacity of 4383mAh.
- The iPhone 15 Pro has a 4,383mAh battery and a wattage of 16.950Wh, while the Pro Max version has a 4,422mAh capacity.
- In comparison, the iPhone 14 series has 3,279mAh, 4,325mAh (iPhone 14 Plus), 3,200mAh (iPhone 14 Pro), and 4,323mAh (iPhone 14 Pro Max) capacities, respectively.
Separately, according to the Japanese publication Mac Otakara, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models are only capable of up to 27W peak charging speeds with a compatible USB-C power brick. The source of the article remains unclear at the moment but the iPhone 15 Pro appears to be retaining the same charging speeds as the predecessor, the iPhone 14 Pro.
What’s surprising is back in August there were reports that some iPhone 15 models would support up to 35W charging speeds but these reports appear to be inaccurate. Similar to iPhone 14 models, Apple says all four iPhone 15 phones can charge up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes with a 20W or higher charger.
Last year, the ChargerLAB publication concluded that Apple’s 30W USB-C power adapter could charge the iPhone 14 Pro models at speeds up to 27W. This will likely remain the same case for the iPhone 15 Pro.


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Co-Founder of Google Sergey Brin live demos Project Glass on TV
On The Gavin Newsom Show, Google co-founder Sergey Brin brought along with him the top secret Google Glass (not glasses since it’s one lens only). In the hour long interview, Brin let Gavin Newsom try on the glasses and test them out on live TV. So far the glasses have been pretty hush-hush with images only, and one recent video that was a short clip of someone on a trampoline. Well now, we get more of a tease with a better up close and personal look at them.


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Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) posted fourth-quarter results that fell short of the consensus forecast on Wall Street, but reaffirmed its outlook for 2022.
The Irvine, California-based heart device company yesterday evening reported profits of $335.3 million — or $0.53 per diluted share — on sales of $1.33 billion for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2021, for a bottom-line gain of 8% and sales growth of 12% compared with Q4 2020.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) sales grew to $872 million for the quarter, up 12% despite the “pronounced impact on hospital resources” in December from the omicron variant of COVID-19, said CEO Mike Mussallem. He cited the delta variant wave in the company’s third-quarter results.
Investors reacted by sending EW shares down more than 5% to $102.97 by afternoon trading today. MassDevice and MDO‘s MedTech 100 Index, which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies, was down slightly.


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Access to MacroChartmania.
The below chart explains why the worst is yet to come for the German economy. The country avoided falling into technical recession in Q3 this year due to a rebound in external demand reflecting improved export growth to Turkey and the United Kingdom. However, the economic momentum remains fragile as China, its most important trading partner with a total trade volume of around 200 billion euros (in 2018), is still facing economic turmoil. The latest data shows that Germany export growth to China is at its lowest level since early 2016, at minus 8.2% YoY in October. Based on preliminary trade data, all indicates that the contraction is not over yet, and could get worse in coming months, leading to a new fall in Germany’s manufacturing PMI in December/January.


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Among the various types of business intelligence and analytics platforms available, software tools that provide predictive analytics capabilities are arguably some of the most prevalent. The ability to foresee – with a reasonable to high degree of accuracy – what factors will affect a business' market or what decisions customers will make can be an invaluable advantage for any company, helping to facilitate actions and initiatives that are ultimately beneficial to the bottom line.
The cloud, too, is continuing on the surge in popularity that it has been riding for the past few years. As such, predictive analytics solutions that are primarily or completely based in the cloud are being adopted by more and more companies. There is a notably wide variety of worthwhile purposes for these platforms, and companies that are still on the fence regarding cloud predictive analytics implementation would do well to look at the gains that can be had.
Following Netflix's lead
The movie rental and online streaming service Netflix relies a great deal on its ability to use algorithms that help determine recommendations of titles to rent or watch, based on customers' past preferences. As one might imagine, this requires compiling a massive volume of consumer data, and the company employs hundreds of data analysts to examine data points that number in the billions.
For this reason, Netflix chose to adopt a cloud-based predictive analytics platform, according to Data Center Knowledge. The processing speed that such a solution can offer is invaluable for a service that is contingent on operating quickly and efficiently for its customers while simultaneously juggling countless user queries.
Common applications of cloud-based analytics
Research firm Decision Management Solutions recently conducted a survey of 350 businesses, all of whom used cloud predictive analytics as part of their daily data-related operations. According to Forbes, a number of sectors and business functions were identified as benefiting greatly from such tools.
The news source reported that as far as different industries were concerned, retail saw the most impact from predictive analytics, with positive effects 13 percent higher than the overall average. Financial services also gleaned benefits 12 percent greater than other industries, while industries such as health care delivery seeing a decline – 9 percent below average.
Overwhelmingly, customer analytics were viewed as most important to these cloud platform users, with 72 percent of respondents claiming the most interest based on this purpose. Marketing came in second, as it was named as most important by 58 percent of those surveyed.


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With the arrival of spring typically marking the start of the convertible buying season, prices of popular ‘drop-top’ models could increase by as much as 20% in value over the next six months.
Convertible Car News
7th May 2010
RM Auctions’ inaugural Sporting Classics of Monaco event held at the Grimaldi Forum on 1st May was a resounding success, achieving €33,235,917* ($45,101,139) in total sales and matching the highest dollar single-day collector car auction in history. The event’s top seller was a rare 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina SWB, s/n 3309 SA, setting […]
30th April 2010
Since TVR’s factory closure there has been many suggestions and rumours of the firm getting going again. Initially production was to be moved to Eastern Europe to cut production costs however the latest story is that German company Gullwing will be building the new cars.


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Chilean authorities are suing the giant breakfast cereal-makers Nestle and Kelloggs for putting children's cartoon characters on packets of fattening food in breach of an anti-obesity law, officials have said.
The government's National Consumer Service said in a statement it had filed a suit against the two companies plus Masterfoods, distributor of M&M chocolates, under June's "Food Labelling Law."
It accuses the companies of breaching the law by "using children's characters on packets of various products classed as 'high in'" certain unhealthy ingredients.
It said the companies had argued they had a commercial right to use the illustrated children's characters as a brand symbol.
Chile passed the law on 27 June aiming to curb high levels of obesity.
Chilean authorities estimate that one in three children under six in the South American country suffers from excessive weight.
The law obliges manufacturers to add warnings to packets of food high in sugar, saturated fats and other fattening nutrients.
It banned manufacturers from putting children's cartoon characters on products such as boxes of sugary breakfast cereals.
It also outlawed the selling of snacks that include toys, such as "Kinder Surprise" chocolate eggs and McDonalds "Happy Meals."
SERNAC director Enrnesto Munoz said the body was demanding a $110,000 fine for each company.


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In times like these of volatile markets, who’s got the guts to get in the fray? Apparently, Asians do. A survey by Nielsen shows Asian consumers are more likely to stay invested. What’s more — they are also more likely to put their cash in high-risk assets than their peers in Europe and the U.S.
Nielsen’s Global Consumer Confidence Survey on investment attitudes shows 48 percent of consumers in the Asia Pacific region said they were invested in the markets or used investment services. That compares to just 27 percent in North America, 21 percent in the Middle East and Africa, 16 percent in Europe and 13 percent in Latin America.
Asia’s appetite for risk is also seen in investors’ ability to withstand market volatility. Oliver Rust, the Managing Director of Nielsen says Asian investors tend to trade more aggressively and more frequently than their European counterparts.
More than half (57 percent) of Asia Pacific consumers say they’re willing to accept fluctuations of more than 10 percent. Only half of investors in the U.S. will stomach those swings and just 45 percent in Europe.
Rust says Asian investors tend to have a higher proportion of disposable income allowing them to take more risks.
Disposable incomes in Asia are higher because a growing working population has led to more households with singles, or couples without children in Asia, according to a report by Euromonitor. In fact, it says disposable income per household from 1995 to 2010 grew 13.2 percent in the U.S., while in China it surged 230 percent.
Mark Konyn, Chief Executive of Cathay Conning Asset Management says Asia's risk-taking also has to do with attitudes. “In a Western context, taking risk is often viewed as speculation, rather than investment. In Asia’s high growth economies, investors typically look for higher return opportunities and tend to have shorter time horizons.”
Shan Han, a sales trader at IND-X securities adds that inflation is another factor. He says “higher inflation has also meant that hoarding cash has not been a good strategy for savings because of negative real deposit rates,” prompting Asian consumers to seek higher returns.
Han cites Hong Kong as an example. During most of the 1990s, annual inflation averaged 8.5 percent, while 12-month bank deposit rates averaged 6 percent. That means investors who stashed their cash in the banks were losing 2.5 percent of their savings each year.
Within Asia, Hong Kong consumers tend to be the biggest risk takers. 55 percent of Hong Kong consumers are financial investors, outweighing the global average of 33 percent.
Rust says that has to do with “new money”. “First generation wealth holders tend to focus on capital growth, whereas second or third generation wealth holders tend to focus more on capital preservation,” he says.
That explains why a larger number of Asian consumers pick stocks as opposed to other asset classes such as precious metals and bonds. Almost three-quarters of respondents in Asia picked equities, even though they’re often seen as the riskiest assets class. In North America, only two-thirds picked stocks, and in Europe, less than half did.


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Huawei has postponed the launch of its foldable phone, the Mate X, a number of times, but it might be turning into a blessing in disguise for consumers. The company is not only working on cosmetic changes but also swapping the internals on. Huawei is making the Mate X as powerful as any flagship device.
TechRadar learned, “Huawei Mate X will indeed pack the Kirin 990 chip” at a briefing in New York City. Yanmin Wang, president of CEE, Nordic and Canadian Regions of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, confirmed to TechRadar that the company’s Kirin 990 chip would be coming in the foldable smartphone.
The Kirin 990 chipset is expected to debut with the upcoming Huawei Mate 30 series. The 7nm chipset is tipped to offer lower power consumption than the Kirin 980 and support all of the “mainstream” 5G formats.
Coming back to the Mate X, it was supposed to launch in September 2019 after the delay, but the release date has again been pushed back; this time to November. In the meantime, Huawei also saw fit to upgrade some of the Mate X's internals, including the camera. Earlier, the main snapper used RGB, but the updated camera will use RYYB, like the Huawei P30 Pro, which results in a better low-light performance.
Other specs of the Huawei Mate X are expected to remain unchanged, It could feature two FullView Display panels of 6.6-inch and 6.38-inch sizes. They can create an 8-inch OLED FullView Display panel with a resolution of 2200x2480 pixels, when unfolded, and a 6.6-inch display with resolution of 1148x2480 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, when folded.
The foldable smartphone packs a 4,500mAh battery, which supports proprietary fast charging. The Mate X expected to come with 6GB, 8GB, or 12GB RAM options, and 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB storage options, with support for expandable memory up to 256GB via Huawei’s Nano Memory card.


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New evidence of stereoscopic AR functionality in the latest Cupertino’s internal builds of iOS may indicate that Apple is still working on its fabled AR glasses — codenamed “Garta” — despite rumors to the contrary.
Reportedly, internal builds of iOS 13 contain an app that puts the iPhone screen into a head-mounted stereoscopic mode. The documentation, according to MacRumors, points at two modes: “worn” and “held”.
A text file in the release talks about an augmented reality shell for stereoscopic AR apps called “StarBoard” and speaks about a device codenamed “Garta”. The internal iOS 13 beta code is also packed with references to StarBoard, including strings like “ARStarBoardViewController” and “ARStarBoardSceneManager.”
So perhaps the rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated after all. Or maybe these are documentation and code leftovers and the glasses have been shelved for now until new AR technology comes through.
Could the Apple Glasses be previewed next week?
A report by Ming-Chi Kuo — the most reliable Apple analyst with an impeccable track record — claimed that Apple was going to start making the glasses as soon as the end of 2019, using the iPhone as its graphics processing unit rather than being a standalone product. If Kuo was right, maybe we will see a preview of the AR glasses at the September 10 event after all.
Think about it. That floating 3D translucent logo in the event invite could be a direct reference to AR objects floating in space. And since it has the same colors as the original Apple logo in the Macintosh, maybe this is a throwback reference at being as revolutionary as the original Mac was — which will tie nicely with the invite’s legend: “By innovation only.”
On the other hand, a Digitimes report published in the summer claimed that Apple had cancelled the product because it didn’t have the necessary technology to make it as revolutionary as Apple was envisioning.
Incidentally, the only reference I have found for “Garta” on the internet is “a badger-like mammal native to Iraq” reported by local residents of Basra, Iraq — “its appearance is dog or badger like but with a ursine like head, short hands, 15-cm-long claws, long hair, its genitals similar to a human, and appears every nighttime where it will attack residents of Basra.” However, there’s no zoological record of such a creature. In other words: the garta is Iraq’s Big Foot.
Maybe the Apple Glasses could be Apple fans’ own elusive legend that will never be found — at least for now. Still, I hope that at least we can see a preview of the AR glasses this month, with a launch in 2020. One can dream.


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- - Google
- -- Google SEO News and Discussion
- ---- Google Buys Search Algorithm Created by Israeli Student at Australian University
activeco - 10:41 pm on Apr 9, 2006 (gmt 0)
|In fact, something like this already seems to be in the mix to a degree. |
Sure it is.
I have seen not only related search terms, but thesaurus words playing a good role as well.
Thread source: http://www.webmasterworld.com/google/33834.htm
Brought to you by WebmasterWorld: http://www.webmasterworld.com


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AT&T borrowed $5.5 billion to boost its short-term cash flow, but reassured investors its business remains strong despite pressure related to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
The operator noted in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission the money will be used for “general corporate purposes,” and must be repaid by 31 December. Financing was provided by a dozen banks, including Bank of America, CitiBank and Goldman Sachs.
In a related press release it said the loan will supplement the nearly $12 billion cash on hand it had at 31 December 2019, providing “additional financial flexibility” during the crisis.
AT&T was forced to close a large portion of its retail stores in response to the pandemic in March and, along with several other US operators, pledged not to disconnect customers due to non-payment during the pandemic.
Looking ahead, the operator said it expects its core subscription businesses and cost-reduction efforts will yield enough cash to sustain continued network investments, dividend and debt payments, and investments in new opportunities as the economy recovers.
The company also highlighted strength in its supply chain, noting it expects “limited” exposure to near-term equipment shortages.
Further details about the pandemic’s impact on the operator are expected to be revealed when it reports Q1 earnings on 22 April.Subscribe to our daily newsletter Back


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Londoners could soon be reporting crimes in Post Offices.
They join coffee shops and supermarkets as possible alternatives to the traditional police station.
They're all among the ideas being considered by the Met, as it deals with 500-million pounds of budget cuts.
More now from Ronke Phillips.
More top news
Dressed in a hat and dark glasses, the singer and former X Factor judge seemed to travel around the Tube network completely unnoticed.
Ambulance chiefs said anyone with a long-term or chronic illness who feels unwell on Thursday should try to ensure they are not alone.
If you're struggling to stick to your New Year's resolution, this could help kickstart your enthusiasm.