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Blue Diamond Almonds has announced a new series of snacks for consumers to pick up this winter when looking to enjoy the flavors of the season.
The almond snacks come in two unexpectedly sweet options including Peppermint Cocoa and Snickerdoodle, which both feature the brand's signature almonds covered in sweet flavor. The almonds are being touted as the perfect addition to a seasonal charcuterie board, as a stocking stuffer or a holiday treat to leave out for guests to nibble at.
The limited-edition holiday Blue Diamond Almonds are launching in six-ounce cans with an MSRP of $3.49, and will be available at Whole Foods, Walmart and Kroger, and are available now on >Amazon. The snack will only be available starting this month through December to make it a holiday exclusive.
Blue Diamond Almonds are Launching Two New Holiday Flavors
1. Holiday Snacking Trends - The rise of holiday-themed snacks presents an opportunity for companies to capture a unique market during the winter season.
2. Seasonal Flavored Snacks - Consumers are increasingly interested in trying unique and limited-edition seasonal flavors, leading to opportunities for companies to experiment and create new products.
3. Convenience Snacking - Ready-to-eat snacks like Blue Diamond Almonds offer a quick and easy snacking option for busy consumers on-the-go.
1. Snack and Confectionery Manufacturing - Companies in the snack and confectionery industry can explore seasonal and limited-edition flavors to satisfy consumer demand for unique and exciting products.
2. Retail and E-commerce - Retailers like Whole Foods, Walmart, Kroger, and Amazon can benefit from carrying limited-edition seasonal snack products to attract holiday shoppers.
3. Hospitality and Catering - Hotels, restaurants, and catering companies can offer holiday-themed snacks like Blue Diamond Almonds as festive and delicious additions to their menus and offerings.


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LA’s most iconic electric bike brand wowed us earlier this year with a new concept electric motorcycle known as the SUPER73 C1X. At the time we only had the chance to look at a full-scale mock up of the eye-catching design. But now the company appears to have a functional prototype at their disposal.
We got our first look at the functional prototype via a brief teaser video sent out to reservation holders.
The video, embedded below, shows the SUPER73 C1X electric motorcycle making several passes through a parking lot, flanked by SUPER73’s electric bicycles.
The C1X prototype in the video is described as currently undergoing “preliminary testing”. We don’t know exactly what that entails, but the prototype appears to smoke a stock SUPER73 e-bike off the line, as one would expect.
SUPER73 is largely known as an electric bicycle company that is built around a strong community of riders and a powerful lifestyle brand.
When they unveiled the C1X electric motorcycle concept earlier this year, it was the first clue that the company had larger ambitions for two-wheeled EVs that passed beyond high-powered electric bicycles.
SUPER73 C1X electric motorcycle – so many questions
The SUPER73 C1X doesn’t have many published tech specs to its name yet, but the company said it is aiming for a top speed of over 75 mph (120 km/h) and a weight of under 300 pounds (136 kg).
SUPER73 is also aiming for a city range of over 100 miles (160 km), but we don’t have any details yet regarding the actual battery capacity. Though to be fair, there are electric motorcycles that are much closer to production that we still don’t have information yet about their batteries either.
The bike is said to roll on 15″ wheels and offer a 31″ minimum seat height, making it more comfortable for shorter riders. It may end up being closer to a Honda Grom or CSC City Slicker-sized motorcycle.
Don’t expect to see it rolling out to reservation holders anytime soon though, as it appears to have a good year or more of development and production planning on the horizon.
We’ve seen other lightweight electric motorcycles from e-bike companies take their own long and circuitous path to production.
The Ryvid Anthem electric motorcycle has a similar power level and top speed as both the SONDORS Metacycle and the SUPER73 C1X, and is expected to roll out to reservation holders next year.
CSC also has a commuter-spec electric motorcycle coming soon, offering the 80 mph CSC RX1E with an adventure bike-styled design yet with more urban friendly performance.
So while the SUPER73 C1X still appears to be prepping for testing, it will eventually roll out into a market with an interesting mix of lightweight and middleweight electric motorcycles designed to give riders motorcycle-level performance in a more approachable (and more affordable) format.
My single biggest remaining question though is this: How much will it cost?
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If your Halloween costume includes an eye-patch, cutlass, some serious swagger and the phrase, “Aye, matie,” you’ll probably be best advised to stay away from Hollywood parties where the word “pirate” this week is being connected to “$52 billion loss.”
A new report from Digital TV Research posits that revenue losses due to piracy are expected to double between 2016 and 2022 to the tune of $51.6 billion, a significant chest of gold, and that total doesn’t include sports and pay TV.
This post first originally appeared in Videonuze.
Some good news for the home entertainment industry – depending upon which segment of the industry you’re part of: Consumers spent nearly $18.3 billion in 2016, a 2% increase from 2015.
A new report from British telecom regulator Ofcom says that – for the first time ever – kids are spending more time online than watching television weekly.
The report said five- to 15-year-olds in the past year have increased their Internet time by some 79 minutes to 15 hours a week. Almost all of that time came at the expense of television. Young viewers in the past year spent 72 minutes less time with the television, and now average 13 hours and 36 minutes.
Mobile users in India looking to keep data usage down and still have access to online videos are getting a break from YouTube, which is rolling out a new feature that will allow consumers to download video at night when data rates are cheaper.
The “Smart Offline” feature isn’t currently offered from all mobile operators, but YouTube is making it available to any of them in the country.
“What,” you may be wondering, “is theSkimm?” And, “What are/is they/it going to do with $8M?”
theSkimm self-describes as a “company that makes it easier to be smarter.” You may better recognize the term “blog.” As in, it is one.
theSkimm is targeted at Millennials, and states as its mission to “provide a generation that is turning away from traditional news with a fresh way to stay informed.”
Last week’s NAB was, as always, loaded with new ideas and toys (although drones, I suppose, are getting to be old hat). The South Upper and Lower Halls remains the nexus for new technology relating to all things over-the-top, with a number of new entrants eating up whatever available space remains.
Here are some observations from my time in Las Vegas:
Digital publisher Mashable has gotten its second major infusion of capital in the past year, this time from Turner Broadcasting, which led a $15 million dollar round for the online news site as it continues pushing its efforts to expand its video offerings and break into TV.
Turner Warner Investments last year led a $17 million round for Mashable.
As the importance of originals continues to grow for SVOD players like Netflix and Amazon, other arms of the digital media industry also have begun to dip their toes in the original content pool, including media company Mashable, which this week announced it would work with Bravo Media to develop a slate of new digital series.


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Gwyneth Paltrow Trouble with Goop No Big Whoop
By Daniel Gates | 3:26 pm, December 18th, 2009
Could Gwyneth Paltrow‘s recent vacation land her in hot water?
A story getting a lot of play speculates that the actress might be the first celebrity “to run afoul of the Federal Trade Commission’s stringent new guidelines for paid endorsements.”
What’s Paltrow’s alleged offense?
Her recent praise of the La Mamounia Hotel in Marrakech, Morocco after a Thanksgiving visit.
On her lifestyle site Goop, Paltrow wrote glowingly of the hotel’s luxurious features, including its gardens, designed interiors, spa treatments, and dining options.
The FTC published new guidelines last month under which a celebrity who endorses a product or service “has to disclose any ‘material connection’ to the provider,” including free merchandise and services in addition to cash payments.
Since many high-profile guests like Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston are rumored to be given accommodations at places like La Mamounia in exchange for the publicity they attract, and since the new rules “specifically target new media like e-newsletters and websites” (Goop‘s two formats), DailyFinance.com speculates that Paltrow’s high praise could be subject to a high fine.
Gossip Cop suspected the reports were making a mountain out of a molehill. A representative for Paltrow dismissed the severity of the claims. “She always talks about places she has been and loves on Goop,” he told Gossip Cop, “This is no different.”


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TAIPEI/SHANGHAI: Foxconn said Thursday a “technical error” related to wages occurred when hiring new recruits at its coronavirus-hit iPhone factory in China, and apologized to workers after the company was rocked by fresh labor unrest.
Men smashed security cameras and clashed with security personnel as hundreds of workers protested at the world’s largest iPhone factory in the city of Zhengzhou on Wednesday, in rare scenes of open dissent in China sparked by allegations of delayed pay and frustration with tough coronavirus restrictions.
In videos circulating on social media, the workers said they were told that the Apple supplier intended to delay the payment of bonuses. Some workers have also complained that they have been forced to share dormitories with colleagues who have tested positive for COVID.
“Our team was looking into the matter and discovered a technical error that occurred during the setup process,” Foxconn said in a statement, referring to hiring new workers.
“We apologize for an input error in the computer system and we guarantee that the actual pay is the same as agreed and on the official recruitment posters.” The error was not explained.
The apology was a change of face from a day earlier when Foxconn said it had fulfilled its payment contracts.
The unrest comes as China is recording record numbers of COVID-19 infections and facing more and more lockdowns that have fueled frustration among citizens across the country. But it also exposed communication problems and a lack of trust in Foxconn management among some employees.
A source familiar with Foxconn told Reuters on Thursday that the largest protests had subsided and that the company was communicating with employees who participated in smaller protests.
The person said the company had reached “preliminary agreements” with employees to resolve the dispute and that production at the factory was continuing.
Growing worker discontent with the coronavirus outbreak, strict quarantine rules and food shortages has led many employees to flee the closed factory campus since October after management implemented a so-called closed-loop system that cut off the factory from the wider world.
Many of the new recruits were hired to replace workers who had deserted—estimated in the thousands by some former employees.
The Taiwanese company said it will respect the wishes of new recruits who want to resign and leave the factory campus, and will provide them with “sponsorship subsidies”. A Foxconn source said the benefits amounted to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) per worker.
Home to more than 200,000 workers, Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory houses dormitories, restaurants, basketball courts and a soccer field across its sprawling 1.4 million square meter facility.
The factory makes Apple devices including the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, and accounts for 70% of iPhone shipments globally.
Graph: Hunk of Apple (https://graphics.reuters.com/APPLE-INDIA/xmpjkgzxdvr/chart.png)
Apple said it had employees at the factory and was “working closely with Foxconn to ensure that its employees’ concerns are addressed.”
Several shareholder activists told Reuters the protests showed the risks Apple faces through its reliance on manufacturing in China.
said Christina O’Connell, senior director of SumOfUs, a nonprofit corporate accountability group.
Reuters reported last month that iPhone production at the Zhengzhou factory could drop by as much as 30% in November and that Foxconn aimed to resume full production there by the second half of the month.
The Foxconn source familiar with the matter said it was not immediately clear how much the workers’ protests would affect production for November, and that it could take a few days to get that done, pointing to the large size of the plant.
A separate source said the unrest made sure they could not fully resume production by the end of the month.
Graphic: Foxconn’s iPhone shipment forecast (https://graphics.reuters.com/APPLE-INDIA/znvnbdygevl/chart.png)
Apple has warned that it expects shipments of premium iPhone 14 models to be lower than previously expected.
Graphics: More than half of Apple’s revenue comes from iPhone sales (https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/FOXCONN-CHINA/zjpqjqargvx/chart.png)
($1 = 7.1353 CNY)
Read all files The latest technology news over here


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The fair, held in western China's Chengdu, is not inferior to those in Beijing and East China, Lee said.
The Chengdu Investment Presentation and International Cooperation Zone Project matchmaking event, hosted in the Tianfu New City Convention Center on November 2, was regarded as a highlight of the fair. The presentation and matchmaking activity saw the signing of 19 agreements worth 158.63 billion yuan, the fair's organizers said.
In one of the thirteen project investment deals struck, Siemens will help Beijing-headquartered BOE Technology Group Co., a supplier of internet-of-things technology, products and services, to upgrade and reform production lines with total investment valued at 1 billion yuan.
Six strategic cooperation agreements involving 115 billion yuan included one for an industry fund focusing on Sino-Germany (Chengdu) innovation cooperation.
The fair invited foreign and domestic companies to learn about the economic and social development of Chengdu and potential opportunities in the city. The companies also discussed cooperation with businesses and industry associations from Chengdu.
Local officials said the fair aimed to help Chengdu become a regional hub of the economy, science and technology, cultural creativity, foreign contact and comprehensive transport in western China.
The first phase of the 11th EU-China Business and Technology Cooperation Fair, another important event at the Western China International Fair, was held from November 2 - 6 in the Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone. Its second phase took place from November 6 - 8 in Qingdao.
Statistics showed that the first phase saw more than 150 companies from 14 European countries and more than 400 Chinese enterprises engage in more than 800 matchmaking talks.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161121/441473
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/western-china-catches-attention-of-the-west-300367899.html
SOURCE China Council For the Promotion of International Trade Chengdu Sub-council


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PressReader signs agreement with JetBlue
By Adnews Staff
Vancouver-based media aggregation company PressReader has signed an agreement with New-York-based airline JetBlue. Through this agreement, passengers on JetBlue flights will receive 24 hours of access to PressReader’s catalog of digital newspapers and magazines. These include the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, New York Magazine, Variety and Rolling Stone, among others. The publications will be available through the airline’s onboard wireless Internet service.
“We are so excited to be partnering with PressReader, the best all-you-can-read digital newsstand, to bring thousands of free newspapers and magazines to our 42 million annual customers,” said Andrew Litavis, manager of product development at JetBlue. “Our partnership with PressReader brings us one step closer to fulfilling our vision of delivering a multi-screen experience onboard, the idea that you can connect an unlimited number of personal devices to Fly-Fi and use them simultaneously with our fleetwide seatback entertainment.”


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LG has silently launched an entry-level smartphone LG K8 (2017) in India. The LG K8 was first showcased earlier this year in the company’s K series. Now it has made its debut into the Indian market. The smartphone is priced at Rs. 11,000 despite having entry-level specifications.
As per Mahesh Telecom, a Mumbai based retailer, LG has reportedly launched the LG K8 in India at the market price of Rs 11,00. However, the retailer claims to offer the LG K8 (2017) smartphone for Rs 9,999 only.
LG K8 (2017) Specifications
Coming to the specifications of the device, the LG K8 features a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) In-Cell IPS display and comes with a 2.5D curved glass. It runs on the Android 7.0 Nougat operating system.
The device is powered by a Quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, which is coupled with 1.5GB of RAM. The smartphone has 16GB of internal storage and it can be expanded up to 32 GB via microSD card.
Camera wise, the LG K8 comes with a 13MP primary camera with an LED flash and it sports a 5MP front facing camera. There is a fingerprint located at the back of the device. It also has sensors such as proximity, and ambient light sensor, etc.
The dual SIM LG K8 is powered by a 2,500 mAh battery. Connectivity options it offers are 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, NFC, and micro USB 2.0 port.
The LG K8’s entry level hardware does not justify its pricing. There are many affordable alternatives such as the Redmi 4A, Coolpad Cool 1 Dual, etc. available with such specs. Micromax recently launched the Micromax Canvas Infinity, which sports an Infinity display and almost same hardware.
The South Korean smartphone company has itself recently launched the LG Q6 smartphone in India, which features an 18:9 display and has been priced at Rs. 14,990.
Price and Availability
The LG K8 is priced at Rs. 11,000 but it is currently being offered at Rs. 9,999. LG has confirmed that the device will be available for purchase via offline stores only.


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Quirky print, R.I.P.
Fashion designer Kallol Datta recently launched his Autumn/Winter '13-14 collection through an art exhibition, instead of the ramp. He speaks to Dhara Vora about the reasons for this detour, and throws light on this new collection
His previous collection, at last year’s finale of the city’s fashion week, had Kareena Kapoor walking down the ramp in a mating snails-printed outfit. These days, the kohl-eyed, longhaired 29-year-old designer, is doing things differently.
He showcased his collection in the city through an exhibition at Project 88 gallery. Unlike international fashion weeks that utilise different venues in a city, Mumbai still sticks to its tabular one-venue-format. Hence, Datta’s detour was a refreshing take. Interestingly, an indigo kaftan from Senegal that belonged to his grandfather inspired the silhouettes of his collection.
“I tried this before in Delhi in 2011 and Kolkata in 2012, and it was well-received. So, I decided to exhibit in Mumbai too, especially as a social commentary on the goings-on in the fashion industry at the moment,” says Datta.
What Datta is referring to is the fixation with quirky prints. Though he popularised it, since his first collection he feels that the idea has become saturated now. “Young designers feel that a quirky print is necessary to grab eyeballs. But that’s not how this works.
The print has to be a composite of a bigger theme and not the whole deal. You can’t print a daaru ka bottle on a dress and call it fashion,” he laments. And to hammer his point, Datta has his outfits with ‘Quirky Print’ written over them, “It’s the shortest manifesto,” he asserts. The exhibition also saw a framed print with ‘Quirky Print!’ written on it, garlanded with black flowers.
Datta continued his subtle satire through images exhibited at the exhibition, which had his comments and doodles scribbled on them. Also, one section had images badly mounted and lit (on purpose) to further his point of bad implementation of a theme.
Is this an end to his runway appearances we ask, “You can’t beat the thrill of models on the ramp, the exposure, the music. I would want to showcase at fashion weeks too. But not regularly,” he signs off.


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By Will Tinson, Head of Business Development at Maxx Design
If 2020 taught businesses anything, it’s that they can never be too prepared. After a year in which many companies struggled, the New Year is the ideal time to reflect, plan ahead and be ready to make the most of what is already shaping up to be another turbulent 12 months.
Having a clear and focused marketing strategy is more important than ever; businesses need to cut through the noise and ensure they are reaching all the right people in an increasingly virtual world. By unpacking some predictions for the marketing industry in 2021, it becomes clear how companies should be spending their time and money to give themselves the best chance at success.
Conversational marketing became more prominent and important than ever in 2020. In a year shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, brands and companies have focused on being more human and warm in their approach to communications.
With so many industries working from home, people’s personal lives are far less separate from their professional lives. Through video calling, we are connecting in ways that are less corporate and that encourage a more human approach. This has changed how companies now build relationships with customers, and this is only set to continue as lockdowns around the world are still enforced.
Going forward, brands should implement conversational marketing in a meaningful way, offering customers the opportunity to connect. Doing so will have a strong impact on a business’ reputation and this could well set them apart in a busy virtual world.
Content that matters
Inbound marketing is often known as ‘content marketing’, due to the commonly used method of distributing engaging, relevant content across multiple marketing channels. Costing 61% less than outbound marketing and up to ten times more effective if executed correctly, this strategy is sure to see a swift uptake in 2021.
More B2B marketers than ever before are documenting their content strategies, with more than 41% doing so in 2020. This figure has been steadily increasing over the last couple of years – 39% in 2019 and 37% in 2018 – pointing to a further increase in 2021.
However, what’s really interesting is the fact that a documented content marketing strategy seems to be directly linked to success. When looking at B2B marketers with successful strategies, 69% document them compared to just 16% of the companies who are least successful with their marketing.
It is quite clear that failing to plan really does mean that you’re planning to fail when it comes to content marketing; businesses should be actively recording their strategies for 2021 in order to make the most of their efforts.
A survey by The Influencer Marketing Hub showed that the ROI for influencer marketing is estimated at £6 for every £1 spent, and in some cases, it has been reported to be as high as £20 or more. Not only this, more than 50% of marketers feel customers gained through influencer marketing are better for their long-term business. They spend more money, leading to higher average order values (AOV), and are happy to share their experiences about the product or service as well, leading to additional customers gained indirectly as a result of the initial marketing campaign.
With influencer marketing perceived as the fastest-growing method of obtaining new customers, the same survey showed that 63% of businesses who already budget for influencer marketing intend to increase their spending over the next 12 months.
Between 2017 and 2019, the influencer market exploded. But, as the industry developed, businesses realised that the size of an influencer’s audience wasn’t always the most important factor; those who had a more engaged audience typically yielded better results. As a result, micro influencers – who have been shown to have a higher engagement rate by 42% – have become the go-to, and this is likely to continue in 2021.
Socially conscious audiences
Consumers today are more socially aware than ever before. Gen-Z and Alpha actively engage in conversations surrounding social issues like mental health, equality, education, and climate change. As a result, many consumers now consciously search for brands that have social values in line with theirs, while avoiding those which may diverge.
Beyond this, consumers are increasingly looking for companies that are actively invested in the betterment of society and the solution of social problems; consumers can see beyond words alone and are looking for real action. Companies who prioritise “making an impact” on the world around them are much more likely to be perceived well, in addition to those who are open and honest about their efforts. In particular, millennials want companies to give customers the opportunity to be involved in these initiatives, so they can actively give back too.
More than ever before, businesses must identify their values and communicate them with their customers and potential customers. Engaging audiences in positive conversations and demonstrating your support and involvement in different causes will go a long way to engage young audiences and gain loyal customers.
Particularly in 2021, when the physical distance between brands and customers is wider than ever before, finding ways to form a meaningful relationship with your customer base is absolutely crucial.
Considering that 78% of salespeople that are engaged in social selling are outselling their peers who are not (LinkedIn, 2020), it is vital that businesses are encouraging employees to build their own personal brand. Doing so allows employees to build more trust with colleagues, clients and the wider industry, boosting their reputation and encouraging potential clients to reach out. Whilst we work remotely and our opportunities to network in person are cut off, there is a strong need for salespeople and key company personnel to build their personal brands.
As an example, the LinkedIn algorithm favours personal accounts over company pages; content will gain more traction if shared by key stakeholders rather than just uploading it to your company page. Not only this, personal brands increase the likelihood of referrals: when referred by other clients, customers have a 37% higher retention rate. They typically also have more trust and confidence in your business than a client that has no previous history with you.
In 2021, businesses should be setting their people up to succeed by encouraging them to talk more online, giving opinions, advice and insights into their career and life. Marketing teams can support them to create engaging content so that it doesn’t take up too much of their time.
When considering website optimization strategies for 2021, businesses should have accessibility and user experience as their main objectives. Whilst accessibility is a broad term, the main factors that should be considered are; a continuous shift to mobile devices; transparency and disclosure of information; and properly interpreting user intent. Businesses must make it a priority to build a web strategy that is focused first on audience need. By providing a great user experience, brands will more easily be able to deliver their message and generate results.
Whilst previous web strategies might have resulted in reems of content and unnecessary web pages for the sake of keyword rankings, this is now no longer an effective way of securing a customer’s or potential customer’s attention. The amount of attention that people are willing to give to a website is decreasing every year, so brands need to be able to rapidly make a statement, qualify the visitor and take action.
If 2020 was a year for saving, then 2021 is a year for investing. Despite much uncertainty around what the next 12 months will hold, there will always be endless opportunities available for brands to take advantage of. Prioritising marketing in the right way will support businesses in getting the best results possible.


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Ever wished you could wear your favourite digital technology? Well now is your chance, thanks to the world's first wearable and programmable T-shirt, which has been developed by the Scotch whisky maker Ballantine and CuteCircuit, a London-based designer of hi-tech garments.
The so-called "tShirtOS" comes with an interactive integrated display and a camera. A video showcasing a smart-shirt prototype designed by CuteCircuit has gone viral among the world's technology fans (check out the video at the end of this story).
As IGN notes, the T-shirt will be able to communicate with a proprietary iPhone app, presumably via Bluetooth, which means you could carry your phone up a sleeve.
The most challenging issues are comfort, price and durability, as the T-shirt does not seem to have been put to the test in the real world. Nobody has any idea how the gadget's camera and LEDs would withstand heavy rain, windy conditions or even a machine wash.
Redmond Pie notes that tShirtOS could herald a new era of wearable digital technology.
The embedded microprocessor in the garment connects wirelessly to any downloaded iOS app, which can directly interact with the T-shirt. With a built-in screen made of 1000 RGB LEDs, it can display text and images from social-networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
The T-shirt maker claims that the T-shirt has the world's smallest camera (measuring 2.5 x 2.9 x 2.5 mm) embedded in the garment, which is capable of taking snapshots for the shirt's 32 x 32 pixels resolution integrated display. It is not clear how the entire setup works. The gadget also features Bluetooth support, a built-in accelerometer and USB support for connecting peripherals.
Those interested may sign up the official Facebook page for updates relating to tShirtOS
Watch the World's First Programmable T-Shirt in Action Below:


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Johns Hopkins University is testing out a new virtualized desktop environment in two of its schools. The move is allowing the university to make its computing spaces more collaborative for students and extend software to students‘ personal computers. In the process, it’s also helping to ease some of IT’s workload.
Adoption of iPads and other alternative computing devices has started cutting into PC sales. Traditional computers–desktops, workstations, laptops, and netbooks–saw a steep decline in the first quarter of 2011 in the United States, with sluggish shipments worldwide as well, according to a new preliminary report released this week by market research firm Gartner.


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Indian broadcast ministry bans online and print betting ads
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B ministry) has issued guidelines to print, electronic and digital media to refrain from publishing advertisements of online betting platform.
Indian broadcast ministry bans online betting ads
The advisory also stated that any gaming advertisement must carry disclaimers like for eg. print/static ad should say that this game involves an element of financial risk and may be addictive and to play responsibly at one's own risk. Similarly, the advertisement should not present 'Online gaming for real money winnings.'
The I&B ministry said in a statement: “The advertisements of online betting are misleading, and do not appear to be in strict conformity with the Consumer Protection Act 2019, Advertising Code under the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995, and advertisement norms under the Norms of Journalistic Conduct laid down by the Press Council of India under the Press Council Act, 1978”.
The advisory further stated that gambling and betting is illegal in most parts of the country, and it poses significant financial and socio-economic risk for the consumers. Advertisements on online betting have the effect of promoting this prohibited activity.
"No gaming advertisement may depict any person under the age of 18 years or who appears to be under the age of 18, engaged in playing a game of online gaming for real money. Further, advertisements of online betting are misleading and do not appear to be in strict conformity with the Consumer Protection Act."
The guidelines have been issued in light of instances of advertisement of online betting websites and platforms in the media following a meeting between the ministry and ministries of Consumer Affairs, and Electronics & IT, along with Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), News Broadcasters Association (NBA), Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), and Online Rummy Federation (ORF).


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BATAVIA, Ill. (CBS) — After 81 years in business, Avenue Motor Sales in Batavia will close its doors for the last time on Friday.
As WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Berner reports, a piece of history will be gone forever in the far west suburb.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Berner reports
Avenue Motor Sales, at 1998 McKee St. in Batavia, has sold cars since 1930. It is a fourth generation, family-owned business.
The name, Avenue, comes from the days when cars were sold from a storefront.
When the dealership moved from Batavia Road to its present site at McKee Street and Randall Road in 1988, there were still cornfields nearby.
But on Friday, all those years of history will come to an end.
The owners say they had tried to survive, but General Motors would no longer supply cars. The service and parts division closed in September.
“We thought we would try to survive and we did, but when we lost our franchise we lost our floor plan, which was the financing for used car inventory,” owner John Clark said.
One of the reasons the dealership is closing, the owners tell the Aurora Beacon-News, is the state of the industry. In part, Clark blames the Obama administration.
Avenue Chevrolet was one of 1,100 dealerships General Motors decided to close after automakers approached the Obama administration for a bailout to avoid bankruptcy.
“We were one of the ones selected to close,” Clark said. “It is sad the Obama administration didn’t consider Main Street when they were worried about bailing out Wall Street.”
The dealership had been known as Avenue Chevrolet, but lost its Chevrolet franchise in June of 2009. At that point, Clark said they brought back the use of their Avenue Motor Sales corporate name. The dealer sold Chevrolets until Oct. 31, 2010.
Clark, 60, said the closing of the dealership is difficult for the family but it will also have a far-reaching economic impact in Batavia and for businesses that benefit from auto sales.
His two sons, 32-year old J.D. and 28-year old Jim, have been working for their father and have had to relocate to Ohio and Florida for work. They would have been the fourth generation to assume ownership of the car dealership.
“The closing of the dealership has also split up my family,” Clark said. “I’ll have to find a job. My retirement was invested in the dealership.”
Clark’s grandfather, William H. Clark, was a Chevrolet dealer for 48 years, and his father, Donald W. Clark, took over the business around 1946 and was a Chevrolet dealer for 50 years.
In the good days, Avenue Motor Sales employed 48 people and generated $300,000 to $400,000 in sales tax revenue for Batavia.
Clark said the site of the dealership may be sold or leased.
The Aurora Beacon-News contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.


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Iced drinks at large coffee chains including Starbucks found to be contaminated with human fecesBy Mason White 4:44 PM June 29, 2017
|Woman drinking iced coffee at Starbucks (illustration)
By: Emily Lewis WorldWideWeirdNews.com
(Scroll down for video) Large coffee chains in the United Kingdom, were criticized in a shocking report that revealed fecal contamination in drinks and on store surfaces.
The Watchdog program by BBC, has revealed that it had tested ice drinks from Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and Caffe Nero, and found some of them to be contaminated with bacteria found in human feces.
In addition to the drinks, investigators have tested tables, trays, and high chairs at the three chain stores, and found some of them to be contaminated with human feces.
A spokesperson for Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Tony Lewis, said that the levels of contaminants are very concerning as no amount of fecal bacteria should be found in food.
Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and Caffe Nero, all launched investigations following the report, and are looking for ways to prevent fecal contamination in iced drinks and around their stores.


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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – BoatTraderOnline.com has hired Cat McCarley to be a member of its national advertising team. McCarley will be responsible for developing online campaigns to meet the needs of manufacturers and service providers in the marine industry, the company said in a statement today.
McCarley comes to BoatTraderOnline.com from HarmonHomes.com and RoomSaver.com, two affiliate classified sites of Trader Publishing Company serving the real estate and hotel markets. Prior to Trader Publishing Co., McCarley worked in the radio communications industry and managed her own business.
“I am pleased to welcome Cat McCarley to our team,” said Rob Meredith, business development manager of BoatTraderOnline.com. “She has the knowledge and advertising experience we need to help drive our national sales efforts.”


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China's economy grows 3% in 2022, second-lowest in nearly 50yrs
China's economy in 2022 grew at the second slowest rate in nearly 50 years, raising concerns about the impact of the downturn on the global market, AFP reported. According to official data, the country's economic growth rate in 2022 was 3.0%. Experts attribute the trend to lower exports amid a reduction in worldwide demand as well as strict COVID-19 restrictions that impeded economic activity.
Why does this story matter?
- The year 2022 concluded with several challenges for the global economy.
- The spike in COVID-19 infections in China and over 5% US Federal Reserve policy rate projection are expected to impact the global economy in 2023 severely.
- Moreover, the trend in China is concerning, for the Asia-Pacific region traditionally relies on China. However, this situation might offer new opportunities for India.
China's economic growth much lower than target
According to reports, Beijing had set a growth target of 5.5% for 2022. However, last year's performance was nowhere close to that. Notably, the country's gross domestic product (GDP) increased by more than 8% in 2021. Meanwhile, its National Bureau of Statistics revealed that China's economy grew 2.9% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, down from 3.9% in the third quarter, according to AFP.
Slowdown attributed to COVID-19 restrictions, impact on exports
In 2022, China's economy took a severe hit that sent shockwaves globally. It also affected the supply chain and led to dwindling demand. Strict lockdowns, forced testing, and quarantine are reportedly the primary causes of the slump. They also resulted in the abrupt shutdown of factories and other production operations, affecting exports. Due to widespread protests, Beijing was forced to lift restrictions last month.
China's GDP may grow at 4.3% in 2023: World Bank
China's economy could grow 4.3% in 2023, as per the World Bank, which cut its 2023 growth projection this month from 5.2% predicted in June. As 2022 ended, China faced unprecedented difficulties. The 2022 performance marks China's weakest growth rate since a 1.6% contraction in 1976 when former Chinese premier Mao Zedong died. The statistics, however, excluded 2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
IMF's warning about slowdown in 2023
Earloer this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned that in 2023 one-third of the world would be in recession, according to CBS News. She added that "the three big economies—the US, EU, and China—are all slowing down simultaneously." She attributed the slowdown in activity to the war in Ukraine, rising prices, higher interest rates, and COVID-19 in China.
Impact of COVID-19 on China's growth
Out of the major economies, Georgieva picked China to have the toughest of times. She said that China's growth in 2022 is likely to be below or the same as global growth for the first time in 40 years. The "bushfire" of COVID-19 infections in the months ahead is likely to affect its economy and negatively impact both regional and global growth.


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Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc today reported pre-tax profits of £192 million for the three months to 31 December 2017, as major investment in new models and challenging trading conditions in key markets offset a solid rise in unit sales. In the third quarter, retail sales grew 3.5% to 154,447 units, driven primarily by a 14.6% increase in unit sales in China and an 18.2% rise in overseas markets. Increased sales in such markets reflected underlying demand for the new Range Rover Velar, the Land Rover Discovery, the recently-launched Jaguar E-PACE compact SUV and, in China, the long-wheelbase Jaguar XF. This improvement was offset by flatter demand in the USA, UK and Europe, and the impact of model year change-overs for the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC reported January 2018 U.S. sales: Land Rover sales increased 5 percent to 6,446 units from 6,163 in January 2017; Jaguar sales were 2,604 units, an 11 percent decrease from 2,939 units in January 2017; Jaguar Land Rover January U.S. sales for both brands hit 9,050 units, a slight decrease from 9,102 units in January 2017. After coming off a record-setting year in 2017, we are starting 2018 with a successful January sales month for Jaguar Land Rover. — Joe Eberhardt, President and CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC For the full year 2017, Jaguar Land Rover U.S. sales reached 114,333 units, up 9 percent compared to 105,104 units in 2016, and establishing a new all-time U.S. sales record for the combined brands.
Jaguar Land Rover has been named the largest automotive vehicle and engine manufacturer in the UK in 2017. The British company produced 532,107 vehicles, a 2.3 percent fall from a record high in 2016, at its three plants in Birmingham and Liverpool. It also produced 305,907 clean Ingenium engines in Wolverhampton. The news comes as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) announced that annual UK car production has fallen for the first time, having reached a 17-year high in 2016.
Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Chief Design Officer, was last night named Designer of the Year at the Festival Automobile International. The Grand Prix du Design prize recognizes McGovern’s Land Rover designs and their influence across the car industry.
Land Rover today announces a limited-edition high-performance version of the iconic Defender, with up to 150 V8-powered examples re-engineered to celebrate the Land Rover marque’s 70thanniversary in 2018. The Defender Works V8 pays homage to the early high-powered engines in both the Series III Stage 1 V8 from 1979 and subsequent Defenders including the 50th Anniversary Edition, which are highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors today. Defender Works V8 is the most powerful and fastest version that Land Rover has ever created. The 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V8 powertrain produces 405PS and 515 Nm of torque (the standard Defender delivered 122PS and 360 Nm). The Defender Works V8 will accelerate from 0-60mph in 5.6sec*, while top speed is increased to 106mph.
British car company Jaguar Land Rover is to open a software engineering center in Shannon, Ireland, with the creation of 150 jobs. The facility is to be focused on technology designed to power electric and self-driving cars being designed by the luxury auto-manufacturer. Company bosses say that the company chose Shannon based on its reputation as an engineering hub.
As the automotive industry moves towards 5G, Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are taking steps towards ultra-fast connectivity with an announcement at CES 2018, in Las Vegas, the world’s largest consumer electronics show. Every future Jaguar or Land Rover is set to benefit from the highly advanced QualcommⓇ SnapdragonTM 820Am Automotive platform. With this, Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will feature ultra-quick and efficient connectivity, limitless in-car entertainment and over-the-air downloads. Customers will also benefit from immersive in-vehicle experiences with stunning displays and graphics throughout. This new platform has been designed to increase vehicle intelligence and awareness to aid road safety. CES offers a glimpse of Jaguar Land Rover’s high-tech future, showcasing technologies that will enhance our customers’ experiences. This new exciting relationship with Qualcomm Technologies is a great example. The new Snapdragon 820Am Automotive platform will play an integral role in […]
Land Rover will mark its 70th anniversary with a series of events and celebrations in 2018, beginning with the restoration of the vehicle that started it all – one of the three pre-production Land Rovers shown at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show launch. This gave the world its first glimpse of the shape that would become instantly recognizable as a Land Rover. For years the whereabouts of this launch Land Rover was a mystery. The demonstration vehicle from the Amsterdam show was last on the road in the 1960s, after which it spent 20 years in a Welsh field before being bought as a restoration project; it then lay languishing unfinished in a garden. Following its surprise discovery just a few miles outside of Solihull, UK – where the car was first built – the experts at Jaguar Land Rover Classic […]
Despite tough conditions in some key markets, Jaguar Land Rover achieved its best ever full-year global sales in 2017 with retails of 621,109 vehicles, up 7% on the prior year – more than triple the 2009 figure. The company’s seventh successive year of sales growth was driven by the introduction of new models into new and existing segments, increased uptake of its Ingenium clean diesel and petrol engines and the development of its manufacturing operations around the world to increase capacity. Jaguar sales were up 20% for the year, retailing 178,601 vehicles. This was the brand’s strongest ever full-year performance and was driven by sales of the Jaguar F-PACE, XE and XF, including the all-new XF Sportbrake.
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC today reported December 2017 U.S. sales: Land Rover sales reached 7,980 units sold, down only 4 percent from December 2016; Jaguar sales for the month were 3,414 units; Jaguar Land Rover December U.S. sales for both brands hit 11,394 units, a 9 percent decrease from 12,573 units in December 2016. For the full year 2017, Jaguar Land Rover U.S. sales reached 114,333 units, up 9 percent compared to 105,104 units in 2016, and establishing a new all-time U.S. sales record for the combined brands.
World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua visited the NSPCC center Boole House in Coventry, to surprise a group of children with a unique Christmas lights switch-on. Jaguar and Joshua are teaming up to promote the NSPCC’s ‘Light up Christmas for Children’ campaign by encouraging the public to share their #LightsOn selfie and make a donation to the charity. Anthony Joshua’s festively-wrapped prototype Jaguar I-PACE was packed with gifts for the children at Boole House, where he arrived to pose for a #LightsOn selfie to promote the NSPCC’s campaign, and was quizzed by the children about his boxing career. He also toured Boole House to learn about the projects the NSPCC runs for children in the city.
More than 150 talented future software engineers from schools in 16 countries gathered in Abu Dhabi for the Land Rover 4×4 in Schools Technology Challenge world finals. The bright young engineers, aged 11-19, used computer coding to programme miniature remote-controlled four-wheel-drive vehicles they have designed and built for a two-day competition at the Yas Marina Circuit. One of the challenges saw the vehicles negotiate a demanding course that wound its way over and through Land Rover Discovery SUVs.
Our Video of the Week this time around is, as the Monty Python phrase goes, something completely different. The video is of Veronica Lamond’s book “Landy” read aloud. This is the first volume in the Landy Books Trilogy – introducing ‘Landy’ and his friends. A charming story for young children who love animals and the great outdoors. Parents and grandparents love reading it too. The Landybook series engage children in diverse, real-life activities through the lovable, animated characters of Landy (1956 Series 1) and Fender (1999 Defender). This Landy story, tells of Jack finding Landy abandoned at the bottom of a field and they then start their new life together. This Land Rover book is perfect for children aged 1 right through to 99. A classic traditional kids book you will all fall in love with.
In Jaguar Land Rover’s largest ever volunteering activity, more than 150 employees have taken part in the company’s first Mapathon event plotting roads, rivers and buildings across a sprawling area in the Kurigram District of Bangladesh using satellite imagery. The event marks International Volunteer Day and celebrates a 64-year partnership between Jaguar Land Rover and the Red Cross. Jaguar Land Rover employees join a global community of volunteers mapping areas where humanitarian organizations, such as the Red Cross, are helping vulnerable people. Bangladesh was chosen to support the Red Cross’ work in the area to implement disaster risk reduction activities and increase the resilience of communities.
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC today reported November 2017 U.S. sales: Land Rover sales increased 20 percent to 6,801 units from 5,659 in November 2016; Jaguar sales were 3,061 units, a 9 percent decrease from 3,381 units in November 2016; Jaguar Land Rover November U.S. sales for both brands hit 9,862 units, a 9 percent increase from 9,040 units in November 2016. Year to date, Jaguar Land Rover sales reached 102,939 units, up 11 percent compared to 92,531 units in 2016 in the United States. We have achieved a new November monthly sales record for the U.S. market, led by the excellent performance of our newest SUV models. The all-new Range Rover Velar hit its best monthly sales since its launch in August. Looking forward, we are confident we are going to wrap-up 2017 with another record growth year. […]
According to an article in Australia’s Motoring Magazine, the design of the new Land Rover Defender, still yet to be unveiled, will be aimed for the future, technologically advanced, and probably polarizing to old-school Land Rover Defender fans. Speaking to the Australian press at a roundtable discussion at the Los Angeles motor show today, McGovern declared that the all-new replacement for the 69-year old original would become the “backbone of the Land Rover brand”.
For our video of the week this time, we turn to a video by NorthAmericaOverland. Back in July of this year, the Muddy Chef Challenge was held up in Manchester, Vermont. This is an annual gathering of Land Rover enthusiasts that, as the name implies, involves both cooking and off-road driving. The Muddy Chef Challenge was established in 2008 in Stowe, Vermont. A handful of Land Rover aficionados got together with the crazy idea that off-roading could be combined with a vehicle-based gourmet cooking challenge and the Muddy Chef Challenge was born. Since then, the Muddy Chef has grown to become the largest Land Rover event of its type in the world. We are often described as “Top Gear meets Top Chef” and that’s perfect description. Over the course of three days, competitors will setup African Safari style campsites, experience challenging off-road […]
The luxury SUV has a new benchmark thanks to the introduction of the Range Rover SVAutobiography. The new model delivers a combination of craftsmanship and technology, epitomising the pinnacle of luxury travel whether driver or passenger. Available exclusively in long wheelbase, the Range Rover SVAutobiography combines advanced new convenience features, including rear doors that close at the touch of a button, to create a sanctuary for relaxation that doubles as a mobile technology hub.
Jaguar Land Rover’s top technicians from around the world gathered at the company’s Learning Academy last week putting their skills to the test in the annual Global Technician of The Year event, and Jan Olivier landed on top. The best of the best from retailers in 27 countries were put through a grueling three-day challenge to see who could demonstrate the best technical knowledge, skill and customer service.
Jaguar Land Rover was today honored to welcome The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to its Solihull manufacturing plant. The Royal visitors witnessed first-hand the £2.5bn invested in the site which has seen production and employment more than double since 2008.


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French antitrust investigators say Google breached its orders on talks with news publishers
PARIS (Reuters) - French antitrust investigators have accused Alphabet Inc’s Google of failing to comply with the state competition authority’s orders on how to conduct negotiations with news publishers over copyright, two sources who read the investigators’ report said.
In the 93-page report, known as a statement of objections, the investigators wrote that Google’s failure to comply was of an exceptionally serious nature, the sources said.
This comes amid complaints by French news publishers that Google failed to hold talks with them in good faith to find an agreement. The same publishers were not part of the $76 million three-year deal signed between the U.S. firm and and a group of 121 publications, as Reuters reported earlier this month.
The agreement was presented as a major step forward by both Google and the publishers who signed it, but left many publications infuriated.
The French competition authority can impose fines of up to 10% of sales on firms it deems in violation of its rules. Google’s annual sales amounted to about $183 billion in 2020.
The investigative report is a key element in the authority’s sanction process, but it is up to the watchdog’s board, led by Isabelle de Silva, to decide whether to issue a penalty.
A spokeswoman for the competition authority declined to comment.
In response to a Reuters request for comment, Google said in a statement: “Our priority is to comply with the law, and to continue to negotiate with publishers in good faith, as evidenced by the agreements we have made with publishers in the past few months.”
“We will now review the statement of objections, and will work closely with the French competition authority,” it said.
The French report on Google’s negotiating tactics comes at a time when countries around the world are pushing U.S. internet giants such as Google and Facebook Inc to share more revenue with news publishers. The issue gained international attention this week when Facebook banned all news from its services in Australia over a draft law there that would mandate arbitration.
According to the two sources, the French investigators say Google did not comply with requests from the watchdog to start negotiations with the publishers within a three-month deadline, and to provide all data the watchdog felt publishers needed.
The publishers’ lobby that signed the deal with Google, APIG, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. French news agency AFP, and another media lobby group, SEPM - both of which did not sign a deal with Google - did not respond to requests for comment.
Reuters reached its own global deal with Google in January on terms that have not been publicly disclosed.


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Q1 is rough, but Viacom has 'resolve'
EmptyViacom on Thursday reported an 11% decline in TV advertising revenue for the first quarter, including a 9% drop in the U.S., but management said the ad market has shown positive signs of late.
"In the last few weeks, we have seen the advertising market stabilize," CEO Philippe Dauman said on a conference call. He also echoed suggestions from a number of economists that the broader economy might be stabilizing and predicted a potential turnaround this year.
The CEO also argued that a growing number of companies, "even those in weakened market sectors," are looking to gain market share by advertising more again. Overall, the scatter market for ads remains "soft," but pricing is stable. His comments come amid a recent run-up in key media stocks on hope that the worst of the ad declines is over.
Earlier, Viacom chairman and controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone acknowledged that "the global economy continues to present significant challenges for all businesses, including those in the entertainment industry."
However, Redstone said Viacom is navigating the troubled waters well, and he defended his management team's lack of flashiness, which has led some analysts to call for a new CEO.
While economic drama always draws a crowd, he said Viacom hopes to win points and benefit when the economy turns around with "a well-planned strategy executed with understated resolve."
Viacom posted first-quarter earnings of $177 million, down 34% amid lower revenue at its film and TV networks businesses. Revenue declined 7% to $2.91 billion because of foreign currency exchanges, lower advertising revenue and weaker sales of DVDs and the video game "Rock Band."
The networks and film units saw revenue fall 8% and 5%, respectively. Operating income at the TV arm dropped 9%, and the film operating loss nearly doubled to $123 million following a $29 million one-time payment last year from Toshiba after it abandoned the HD DVD format.
Dauman deflected analysts' concerns about the Epix premium TV service joint venture with Lionsgate and MGM, predicting that affiliate deals will be ready closer to the fall launch. Asked by analysts about the worst-case scenario if the channel didn't get carriage, he said, "There is no worst case here." (partialdiff)


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Abercrombie Soars 30% After Q3 Results
Shares of apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) have soared on Wednesday after the company released its third-quarter earnings results and raised its full-year view. In late day trading, the stock was up around 30 percent to $40.51.
The company's results for the third-quarter topped analysts' consensus estimates as sales growth and strong international performance drove performance in the period.
"These significantly improved financial results reflect progress on several fronts over the past quarter. Our US chain store business posted healthy growth on top of a strong quarter a year ago, and we saw sequential trend improvement in our international business," Chairman and CEO Mike Jeffries said in a statement.
Looking ahead to fiscal 2012, Abercrombie raised its adjusted earnings guidance to a range of $2.85 to $3.00 per share. This is well above its previous guidance range of $2.50 to $2.75. Currently, analysts are projecting that the company will report full-year EPS of $2.48.
For the third-quarter, the company reported net income of $71.51 million or $0.87 per share, versus $50.91 million or $0.57 per share, in the year ago period. This easily beat Wall Street consensus earnings estimates of $0.59 per share.
Sales rose 9 percent to $1.17 billion from $1.08 billion a year ago. This also exceeded Wall Street consensus estimates of $1.11 billion.
Comparable store sales fell 3 percent in the quarter, but margins rose. Operating margin was up 220 basis points to 9.6 percent and gross margin rose 240 basis points in the period.
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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NYC multifamily sales hit a slump in October
Dollar volume falls under $1 billion September mark
New York City’s multifamily market slowed in October to its lowest level since April, according to a report from Ariel Property Advisors.
Dollar volume from sales across the city was down 53 percent from $1.7 billion in September, to $783 million in October. Sales slipped even further from last year’s figures. Dollar volume was down 58 percent compared to $1.8 billion in October 2014.
The city saw 85 sales across 51 transactions, a 38 percent and 18 percent decline respectively from the previous month.
“While the multifamily market got off to a slower [fourth-quarter] start in October, we believe this results from the lack of supply, not demand,” said Ariel Property Advisors’ Shimon Shkury. “Pricing remains very healthy for property owners and we’re expecting a strong finish to the year on several fronts.”
Brooklyn had the most impressive month compared to its neighboring boroughs, including Manhattan which dominated sales in September.
Dollar volume from Brooklyn sales totaled $232 million in October, a 4 percent increase from the previous month.
The borough saw 23 sales from 12 transaction, including Oak Tree’s $60.2 million acquisition for a 149-unit portfolio spanning Clinton Hill, Crown Heights and Fort Greene.
Manhattan multifamily sales took a hit across the board when it came to dollar volume, building sales and transaction volume. The area had $210.4 million in sales during October, a fraction of the $1.1 billion it reached the prior month. Nineteen buildings sold in 15 transactions, a decline from the 58 sales Manhattan saw in September.
Among those deals, Benchmark Real Estate Group picked up a pair of Chelsea rental buildings for $26.5 million.
Despite sluggish sales across the city, the Bronx had the strongest month overall. Sales jumped 463 percent from $29.7 million in September to $167.3 million in October. The area had more building sales than any other borough in October, with 25 buildings trading across 10 deals. Helping to boost sales, Asden Properties scooped up a 13-building portfolio in the area for $90 million.
Two sales in Queens accounted for 83 percent of the borough’s dollar volume. Galil Management purchased a 52-unit rental building at 83-30 Kew Gardens Road for $53 million and a Jackson Heights multifamily sold for $22 million. The borough had a total of seven sales and six transactions totaling $67.6 million.


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It was late afternoon at last Saturday’s Soul Congregation record sale/vinyl swap, and inside the cool, dimly lit Uptown bar The Legionnaire Saloon, Andrew Schneiderman was making deals: Five bucks for a Bob Seger record; a trade for a coveted gospel sampler.
Schneiderman and Soul Congregation organizer Cameron Thompson said that most collectors come in to buy or trade just a few records. “We make enough to buy more records,” Schneiderman said about the swap.
Still, Schneiderman and his business partner, Lloyd Cargo, have managed to turn their record-collecting passion into a full-fledged business. Since starting Manzanita Sound at the end of 2011, they have already ingratiated themselves in the tight-knit East Bay community that buys and sells vintage vinyl. They’ve amassed 10,000 records; become a fixture at local record swaps; and have picked up a monthly DJ spot at Bar 355, Manzanita Sound Soul Party, on the last Wednesday of every month. Manzanita has quickly built a reputation for showcasing rare and obscure jazz, blues, soul, funk, and R&B records, mostly pre-dating the early Eighties, which the collectors sell both online and in-person, out of their Oakland homes and at swaps.
Cargo and Schneiderman met in college in the Midwest; Cargo attended University of Michigan and Schneiderman was at Washington University in St. Louis. Cargo’s roommate was Schneiderman’s best friend from his hometown of Los Angeles, and they quickly bonded over records. After college, Schneiderman applied his studies in jazz and American culture to work for The Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, but he frequently visited the Bay Area, eventually moving here in 2011 to start Manzanita Sound.
Although vinyl’s comeback was already firmly established by then, Schneiderman said he had an “a-ha” moment. “I walked into Urban Outfitters and there was vinyl everywhere — $100 record players and a wall of records,” he said. “It reaffirmed what we already knew. It’s good to see people appreciate vinyl again.”
Schneiderman and Cargo started the business by offloading portions of Cargo’s extensive personal collection on eBay. But as the business grew — especially in France, Germany, and Japan — they needed to find new inventory.
“It’s a different model than the record stores, where the records come to you — we needed to buy more to sell more,” Schneiderman explained. “The Bay is rich in records, but it’s extremely competitive.”
In March, Schneiderman and Cargo equipped a large cargo van with crates full of records to sell at SXSW, and made stops along the way to dig for vinyl. The three-week trip yielded approximately 3,000 vintage 33s, 45s, 78s, and box sets — including a rare reissue. In Fort Worth, Texas, Schneiderman and Cargo visited a garage sale offering a bunch of 45s.
“We started digging and came across a bunch of copies of a reissue of ‘One Way Ticket’ by Bobby Crown,” Schneiderman recalled. “A man came into the living room, wearing PJs, and said, ‘That’s my record.'” The man turned out to be Crown, whose “One Way Ticket” single was originally released on a small Forth Worth label called Felco, but which found a new audience when it was re-released, along with his other early work, by Dutch rockabilly collector Cees Klop. The reissue is now part of Manzanita’s collection.
Schneiderman said local dealers frequently make trips to Detroit, the mecca for American record collectors, and to spots as far-flung as South America.
Manzanita’s inventory has included expensive rarities, like The Beatles’ Yesterday and Today with the “butcher” cover, which Schneiderman said he sold for a couple hundred dollars. But, he added, “That’s not our proudest sale — we like selling $10 records [just] as much.”
Schneiderman and Cargo each maintain private collections, in addition to Manzanita’s records, but almost everything is fair game when it comes to the business. “We’re willing to sell almost every record we have,” Schneiderman said. “I have the attitude that the record will come back to me.”
Cargo works part-time at the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, where he occasionally finds vintage records to add to the pile, but Schneiderman has made Manzanita his full-time job. Ultimately, his love of discovering music in its physical form and sharing it with other people is what drives him.
“It was intimidating when I first started going to swaps and talking to the person with the records,” Schneiderman said. “It can be easier to sell the higher-end records online, but we’re constantly trying to get people to come out to swaps to buy cheaper records. This is what I’m most into now — making people new to it feel welcome.”
Manzanita also launched a cassette label in April. Its first release was by Olympia, Washington artist Arrington de Dionyso. Schneiderman said they eventually hope to use their knowledge from selling records to start putting out reissues on the label.


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2013/09/04, 11:04 am
Twitter's Vine has had a rough road to the top, but the video sharing program has made it there, taking the number one spot among free apps on Apple's App Store.
2013/14/03, 01:03 pm
Popular microblogging site Twitter will continue to expand its offerings, bringing a new app to Apple's iOS platform that allows users to play and share songs.
2013/04/02, 07:02 pm
With the purchase of social TV analytics firm Bluefin Labs, Twitter is looking to integrate its microblogging service with television in a big way, leveraging its massive user base to gain a marketing advantage on rivals like Facebook.
2012/18/09, 08:09 am
Twitter on Tuesday updated its iOS application, adding a new landscape mode for iPad users, and new profiles with header photos.
2012/14/09, 02:09 pm
Charlie Miller, a security expert who gained fame highlighting exploits in Apple's Mac and iOS operating systems, has been hired by social networking service Twitter.
2012/01/08, 06:08 pm
Coming on the heels of multiple claims of past Apple talks with Twitter, including old whispers of an investment in the company, a new report reveals the iPhone maker may be looking at using the micro-blogging service to fill the gap left by Ping when the service shuts down this year.
2012/21/06, 04:06 am
A newly-published patent application reveals Apple's interest in helping users more easily generate metadata for their files through a process that would automatically cull social network streams and the Internet for relevant metadata.
2012/30/05, 01:05 am
Even as he admitted that Apple may kill off its Ping social music discovery service, chief executive Tim Cook promised to add more social integration into its other products.
2012/23/02, 02:02 pm
Investors at Thursday's Apple shareholder meeting had the opportunity to ask the company's executives about a range of topics, including the prospect of an Apple television set, a stock dividend, and its relationship with Facebook.
2012/16/02, 04:02 pm
While system-wide Twitter integration debuted in iOS 5 and is now coming to Mountain Lion, the new Share Sheets feature in OS X 10.8 will also allow users to quickly share links, photos and videos in a variety of ways.
2012/14/01, 01:01 am
In the wake of a recent controversy surrounding Google's decision to feature Google+ content in its search results, the company will face scrutiny of its social networking service from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as part of an antitrust probe, a new report claims.
2011/08/12, 07:12 pm
Apple's release of iOS 5 for both new devices and iPhones dating back to 2009 has had a significant impact on its integration partners, with Twitter noting a 25 percent increase in new accounts and Wolfram Alpha stating that Siri boosted its query volume 20 fold, disrupting the status quo in search and web services.
2011/10/11, 08:11 pm
Apple's handheld devices now account for more than 39% of the photos being posted on Twitter's social networking service, with Twitter-integrated built-in apps helping iOS 5 become one of its top 10 sharing clients.
2011/18/10, 02:10 am
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo said in an interview that the company views Apple as a "corporate mentor" because of the two companies' common focus on simplicity, while noting that iOS signups for the micro-blogging service have increased three-fold since the release of iOS 5.
2011/23/09, 09:09 pm
Twitter has scheduled a pair of "Developer Teatimes" for Oct. 10 and Oct. 12 with a "heavy focus" on the service's tight integration with iOS 5, possibly providing further evidence that the forthcoming update to Apple's mobile operating system will arrive in two weeks.
2011/05/09, 09:09 am
Links to share products on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter are now available for all items sold in Apple's online store, including third-party products.
2011/15/06, 11:06 pm
A new report claims social network Facebook is partnering with roughly 80 developers on a secretive "Project Spartan" HTML5-based application platform that would circumvent Apple's App Store on iOS devices.
2011/09/06, 02:06 pm
When iOS 5 for the iPhone and iPad arrives this fall, Apple will offer system-wide Twitter integration, making it easy to share content and talk to friends on the social networking service.
2011/31/05, 11:05 pm
As rumors swirl of an upcoming image service from Twitter, a new report alleges that Apple will participate as a major launch partner with system-wide support in iOS 5.
2011/24/01, 08:01 pm
Following up on its efforts to defend the trademark "App Store," Apple has launched a Twitter account promising exclusive offers and new app discovery, similar to its existing iTunes Twitter accounts and Facebook pages.


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Rich Lindsay has departed Finestkind Brewing LLC, the operating company behind the Smuttynose Brewing brand, after about 14 months as CEO, Brewbound has confirmed.
Lindsay joined the North Hampton, New Hampshire-based craft brewery after it was acquired by Runnymede Investments in a foreclosure auction last March.
In an email to Brewbound, Smuttynose spokesman Alex Weaver said Christopher Broom Sr., the owner and chairman of the brewery and the man behind Runnymede, would assume the title of CEO.
According to Weaver, Lindsay was hired “for his proven track record in stabilizing companies during periods of financial or institutional transition.”
Before he joined Smuttynose, Lindsay served as the president of Massachusetts’ Night Shift Brewing for about 10 months. Prior to that, Lindsay spent nearly three years as the CEO of Tuthilltown Spirits, and six years at Boston Beer Company in various finance roles, including CFO.
“Leaving the company in excellent standing and with a strong core team in his wake, Richard’s leadership and industry foresight has helped propel Smuttynose back onto a clear path of continued growth, community enrichment, and product innovation,” Weaver wrote.
The company declined to comment on the specific reasons behind his departure, saying only that he was “hired to lead the turnaround effort at Smuttynose.”
Those turnaround efforts included hiring new sales leadership, reengaging beer wholesalers, leading a core package redesign effort, and “bolstering the brewery’s marketing and communications department.”
“We’re very grateful for his leadership and wish him well in his future consultancy,” Weaver wrote.
The company also declined to comment on whether Lindsay’s exit was related to allegations that 35-year-old Christopher Broom Jr. — a manager and owner of Runnymede Investments, who played an active role in the purchase of Smuttynose – raped a 21-year-old woman around July 4, 2018.
In March, Broom was indicted for aggravated felonious sexual assault, according to documents from the Superior Court of New Hampshire. Broom was also previously arrested for driving while intoxicated last December.
Despite the internal strife, Weaver maintained that Smuttynose has rebounded from last year’s financial turmoil.
“Smuttynose has been in full growth mode,” he wrote. “We’re seeing solid sales growth across all New England markets and our internal small-batch brewery, Smuttlabs, has seen incredible year-over-year growth.”
In the coming months, Smuttynose plans to introduce rebranded core beer labels, including new designs for flagships Finestkind IPA and Old Brown Dog Ale, Weaver added.
UPDATE (3:29 p.m., May 10):
Following publication of this story, Weaver sent Brewbound a statement from Finestkind Brewing LLC owner and CEO Christopher Broom Sr. regarding the charges against his son, Christopher Broom Jr. The full statement is included below:
“My son, Chris Broom Jr., is facing criminal charges in Rockingham County, NH on sexual assault charges related to an incident which occurred last July in Portsmouth, NH. My family and I are convinced of our son’s innocence. We have great faith in our legal system. But I also understand that this may have an impact on Smuttynose Brewing Co., its employees and its partners. For that I am deeply sorry. The Smuttynose Brewing family has been working hard for almost 25 years. I am proud of these efforts. Those who know us know who we are and what we stand for. We are committed to brewing great beer and serving our community. That will continue to be our mission.”


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Jordan’s ’13 billion’ record is about to be broken… ‘Soccer God’ Messi’s championship shirt auctioned to benefit a child with a rare disease
Lionel Messi’s (Inter Miami) monumental jersey is going up for auction.
U.S. auction house Sotheby’s is holding an auction for six shirts worn by Messi at the World Cup in Qatar, starting today and ending next month, according to multiple news outlets, including the BBC.
The six jerseys will include the two shirts Messi wore against Mexico and Saudi Arabia in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as well as the shirts he wore in the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the first half of the final.
A portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to a children’s hospital in Spain supported by the Leo Messi Foundation to help children suffering from rare diseases.
It’s hard to estimate the value of Messi’s jerseys in this auction. It’s the shirt Messi wore when he lifted the World Cup for the first time in his career, and he went on to win the Ballon d’Or in 2023. It is also Messi’s most valuable jersey, making it highly collectible for soccer fans and collectors alike. 토토사이트
Sotheby’s described the auction as “one of the most valuable collections of sports memorabilia ever assembled” and expected bids of more than $10 million ($12.9 billion).
It’ll be interesting to see if it surpasses the auction price of basketball legend Michael Jordan’s jersey. A Chicago Bulls jersey top worn by Jordan when he won his last National Basketball Association (NBA) championship in 1998 fetched $10.1 million ($13 billion). It’s the highest price ever paid for an outfit worn by an athlete.
The jersey worn by Argentine legend Diego Maradona during the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England in Mexico, which led to the “Hand of God” incident, sold for $9.3 million ($11.9 billion). This is the highest price ever paid for a soccer player.


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More than five years and $5.5 billion after first breaking ground, Walt Disney opened its first Chinese Disneyland on Thursday to crowds eager for a theme park that was "authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese."
Spread over 963 acres - a space that includes two hotels, a 100-acre lake and the "most interactive" Storybook Castle ever built by Disney - the Shanghai park celebrated its official launch on June 9, a week before it fully opens to the public.
Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC that the park amounted to the "biggest step" the company had taken in any overseas market.
"China represents a great market for the Walt Disney Company because our stories are not only known here but they are universal in appeal, they touch people's hearts all over the world, no matter what country, no matter what culture."
"So this is, I think, a great market for Disney and a growth market as well. Obviously, the size of the market, the number of people is another reason. But this is... the biggest step actually that we've ever taken anywhere to grow in a market."
Unlike Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, which visitors say are near-carbon copies of the U.S. theme parks, the Magic Kingdom in the Middle Kingdom gave plenty of nods to its host nation, by mixing classic Disney features with Chinese customs and architecture.
For example, rather than an American-style Main Street, the main promenade is called Mickey Street, and the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac have been given a Pixar-style makeover.
Iger told CNBC that he saw the Shanghai park as part of a bigger push into the Chinese market and a "booster rocket" for people's appreciation of Disney.
"An immersive park experience the Disney way is something that people will remember for the rest of their lives and that goes a long way in terms of not just creating word of mouth, but in terms of creating people's interest in, passion for our brand and everything that it stands for and everything that bears its name," he said. "So it becomes very, very important, not just in terms of awareness but appreciation."
Disney has a lot riding on the Shanghai park, which was a joint venture between the U.S. company and Chinese state-backed consortium Shanghai Shendi Group.
The attraction of the Chinese market is obvious.
China's middle class is estimated to be about 500 million people-strong and is expected to continue growing in size and purchasing power, while remaining highly brand-conscious. About 330 million people - more than the entire population of the U.S. - live within a three-hour drive or train-ride from Shanghai.
McKinsey has projected that Chinese urban, private consumption would reach 26.804 trillion yuan ($4.08 trillion) by 2022, more than double that of 2012.
The park has already had thousands of visitors through its gates since it soft-launched on May 17, with many reporting that they enjoyed their first taste of Disney. But the bippity boppety boo didn't appear to be running at full power just yet.
The soft launch was marred by a worse-than-usual version of the universal complaint of all fun-park visitors: long queues, with some visitors reporting wait-times of up to five hours for some rides.
"We got here at 7 o'clock this morning. It's almost 4:00 p.m. now and we only tried out one attraction," one father, who gave his name as Xu, told CNBC on Thursday. "The waiting line is way too long."
Xu was visiting with his wife, Qi, their son, who was wearing a Captain America costume, and Qi's parents. Qi had another complaint: "Stuff is expensive here," she said, noting that the family had spent more than 2,000 ($300).
"We haven't bought souvenirs and eaten dinner [yet]," she said, adding that food in the park, while expensive, was "tasty."
A three-course set meal inside the castle sets visitors back about 368 yuan ($56), per person, without the additional service charge. By comparison, buying a regular Chinese rice dish outside the park costs about 85 yuan ($12.90). Shanghai workers make on average about 4,070 yuan a month ($620).
Despite higher food prices than some locals were accustomed to, visitors queued for as much as two hours to try a traditional American turkey leg for the first time.
One experienced mouseketeer agreed that the wait times far exceeded the norm on the day she visited.
"I have been to Paris Disney and Tokyo Disney. It only took around one hour to get onto a ride, but here in Shanghai, the queues are terribly long," a young girl named Li told CNBC. "I had to wait at least two hours to check out an attraction, at least. This is ridiculous."
However, the grumbles don't appear to have rained on the parade of visitors so far.
Ticket scalpers have been quick to capitalize on the park's popularity, with thousands of soft-launch tickets for sale this week on Alibaba's e-commerce platform Taobao for more than three times the 300 yuan ($45.70) turnstile price.
The tickets had been distributed to the families of Disney staff, Shanghai government departments, Disney's business partners and foreign consulates in China.
One scalper, Jin, told CNBC that he had a family member who worked for one of Disney's local business partners.
"The company bought loads of soft opening tickets at low prices and gave them to its employees and clients," he explained. "I then got the tickets from my relative and her colleagues, some free, some with a few hundred yuan. Then I can easily make big money selling them at a high price again."
Jin said he offered a "booking service," raising the ticket price if the buyer wanted to secure entry on a specific date.
Disney didn't immediately return an emailed request for comment.
But the soft-launch hiccups weren't the only headaches for the Shanghai park.
China's homegrown rival Wanda launched a theme park of its own in Nanchang in May, just ahead of Disney's opening.
Costumed Disney characters, including Marvel's Captain America, were spotted at Wanda's park, spurring Disney to issue a warning to its rival over intellectual property, the China Daily reported.
The report said Wanda claimed the Disney characters were operated by individual stores within Wanda Mall and did not represent Wanda.It's far from first time that intellectual property - long a bugbear for China - has been a problem for Disney on the mainland. Counterfeit versions of Winnie the Pooh and other characters are easily found in Chinese markets, and film piracy is common.
Before the soft opening, analysts were optimistic about the likely popularity of the park.
In May, Jefferies analyst John Janedis forecast 10 million visitors in the first year, and nearly 18 million annually five years after the park opened. With that attendance, he expected ticket revenue to increase from $386 million in the first year to $884 million in the fifth year.
The model projected profitability in Shanghai within three years.
—Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report.


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A western Pennsylvania man could spend life in prison after a woman found images of him molesting a child – on a notepad computer the suspect sold to her at a flea market.
There’s an emerging class of computers that combines a laptop and a tablet. Consumer Reports checked to see whether they’re worth considering.
More and more students are taking their smartphones and tablets to school these days. It’s something that is hard to avoid so some school districts are embracing it by using technology to enhance lessons.
One school district doing just that is West Jefferson Hills and their technology director Suhail Baloch joined The KDKA Morning News with Larry Richert and John Shumway to talk about how they do it.
A laptop is arguably the most important back-to-school purchase you’ll make this year.
A young boy was injured after the battery in his electronic tablet exploded.
The FDA is considering a new treatment for allergies that comes in the form of a tablet.
Electronic tablets are a must-have gift for many adults and fast becoming a must-have for children as well.
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) How do you know what to look for when searching for a tablet this holiday season? Does price equal quality? Dr. Frank joined Larry Richert to give his expert opinion on what Tablets to get if you have some money to spend and even if you don’t what good ones are out there for a modest price.
There are sleeping pills you can take at night and energy supplements you can take in the morning, but now there’s also something you can take before you go to bed that claims to get you going when you wake up.
As soon as that ball drops, a lot of folks can’t help but think about all that money they spent over the holidays. The good news is, you will save money on some things in 2013, without really trying.
E-readers are all the rage and they could make a good gift this holiday. However, there are a number of different options out there and there are some features you might not think to try out before buying one.
Amazon’s new tablet computer, the Kindle Fire, went on sale today. At just $199, it’s one of the most affordable tablets, which will put it on a lot of Christmas wish lists.


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The Toyota Camry was not the best-selling car in America in February 2014, nor does the Camry lead the way through the first one-sixth of 2014. Nissan Altima sales shot up 11% in difficult conditions in February and it leads the Camry by 1034 units going into March.
Not only was the Altima February’s best-selling car in America, it also posted the greatest growth figures among cars in the top 5. As auto sales fell stagnant, Altima volume jumped by more than 3000 units.
The Chevrolet Cruze outsold the Honda Civic in February 2014 but trailed America’s favourite compact, the Toyota Corolla. The Cruze also trailed the Ford Fusion (down 14%) as the top-selling Detroit brand car in February. Seven of the 20 top-selling cars in America last month were Detroit brand (or maybe Italian?) nameplates, even with last February’s results but up from six in January 2014.
Historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any of these best-selling cars can always be accessed through the dropdown menu at GCBC’s Sales Stats page, and for those not viewing the mobile version of this site, near the top right of this page, as well. GoodCarBadCar has already published the list of America’s best-selling trucks and best-selling SUVs in February.


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- Residential demand upbeat despite construction cost, interest rate rise; brokerage picks DLF, Oberoi Realty among top 4 bets
- Copper Set to Post Worst Quarterly Performance in Over 2 Years
- Maruti Suzuki Brezza 2022: Launch today! Check key highlights; live streaming link here
- Nothing Phone 1 confirmed to come with Snapdragon 778G+ SoC on July 12 - Know more
- Ratnamani Metals bonus share: Stock jumps 15%, hits 52-week high ahead of record date
Twitter co-founder Evan Williams steps down from board
Twitter Inc said on Friday one of its co-founders, Evan Williams, will be stepping down as a member of its board at the end of the month.
Williams, who also announced the move in a series of tweets, is currently the chief executive officer of online publishing website Medium and had also served as the CEO of Twitter.
"I`m very lucky to have served on the @Twitter board for 12 years (ever since there was a board). It`s been overwhelmingly interesting, educational—and, at times, challenging," he tweeted https://twitter.com/ev/status/1099062064838930432.
(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.


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Just how prevalent is social media for small businesses? It’s fair to say it’s nearly universal. Nearly 87% of small business owners say they use Facebook for marketing, according to a new survey from G2 Crowd via eMarketer. So, how’s it going for them? There are mixed results here. 38% said it was the most … Continue reading Just how prevalent is social media for small businesses?
We’ve heard so much about “Programmatic Ad Buying” in the past two years, it’s almost become a joke around our place. Everybody tells us it’s coming and we’d better be ready. If you’ve ever bought a self-serve Google ad or a Facebook ad, that’s really the kind of thing we talk about when talk programmatic … Continue reading If Programmatic Ad Buying is the future, why are advertisers not buying it?
Nearly three-quarters of broadband-connected homes now have a TV connected to the internet. The adoption of internet-connected TVs has mirrored the adoption of broadband in the US, but has slowed recently as more homes were connected. According to new research from The Diffusion Group (TDG), the penetration of Internet-connected TVs among US broadband households has … Continue reading 75 million U.S. homes now have internet connected TV
It seems we have basic trust issues with online information. Whether it’s the proliferation of fake news, bad or biased information online, or the ads we see, less than half of US internet users say they trust online ads. The exception to that would be search engine ads, which had a trust score of 61%, … Continue reading Which ads do people trust the most? Print & TV ads
I was honored to be included in the list of 16 "media influencers" as named in the 2017 monthly edition of Local Media Today, by the Local Media Association (an industry trade association of more than 2,400 newspaper, TV, radio, pure plays and other media partners). It's a pretty impressive group to be included in and I was … Continue reading Paul Dughi named as one of 16 “Media Influencers” by Local Media Today


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Samsung Galaxy Buds+ go on sale in a new Aura Blue color in the U.S.
At the Galaxy Unpacked event earlier this year, Samsung unveiled a new pair of truly wireless (TWS) earbuds alongside its flagship Galaxy S20 series. The new earbuds, called the Galaxy Buds+, were a minor upgrade over the original Galaxy Buds, featuring larger batteries in the earbuds as well as the charging case, support for multi-device connection, and a new dual driver system. Initially, the Galaxy Buds+ were released in three color variants — Cosmic Black, Cosmic Blue, and Black — but Samsung soon added a red color option to the lineup. Along with these four color options, Samsung also launched a special variant as part of the limited editing Samsung Galaxy Z Flip bundle designed by the American fashion designer, Thom Browne.
Late last month, we discovered yet another Deep Blue color variant of the Galaxy Buds+ in version 1.7.47-22 of the Samsung SmartThings app. But, at the time, we had no information about its release and we believed that the company would launch them alongside the Galaxy Note 20 series later this year in August. However, Samsung has now released the new Deep Blue color variant, officially called Aura Blue, in the U.S. and you can get it on Best Buy for $149.99 by following the link below. Do note that, other than the color, the new Aura Blue Galaxy Buds+ are exactly the same as previously launched variants.


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The company is this week launching the new line of Good Squared snacks to all US Starbucks ahead of a wider roll-out - but told this site that Project 7 would remain a confectionery business "first and foremost".
The Good Squared snack clusters are made with roasted nuts, dried fruits and ancient whole grains, and are non-GMO. With a suggested retail price of between $3.99 and $4.99, each 2.5-ounce bag contains three to four grams of protein per serving.
They are available in two flavors: Apple harvest with almonds, cashews, quinoa, pecans, apples, and ancient grains; and Urban Trail Mix with almonds, pumpkin seeds, blueberries, cranberries, quinoa and ancient grains.
Project 7 is known for its flavor innovation, such as the Build a Flavor gum line launched earlier this year that enables consumers to mix two flavors of gum – cookie dough and ice cream for example – to create a third flavor. The business launched its organic, gourmet gummy line across the US in March this year.
Project 7 CEO Tyler Merrick said the company had been developing the Good Squared range for around three years, and had invested a “considerable” amount of money in the products.
“Good Squared falls into the growing better-for-you category as it is made up of simple ingredients that customers recognize as well as enjoy on their own,” Merrick added.
Targeting coffee drinkers
Merrick added that Starbucks - the first chain to stock Good Squared - had been a "good partner" to Project 7.
“We have done some confection items there like our gum and gummy bears,” he said. “It goes without saying that Starbucks is one of the premier brands and retailers in the market and there are only so many outside products they carry in their stores so I am very grateful for them believing in us and giving us this opportunity.”
Good Squared was aimed at working professionals who are looking for a snack to go with their cup of coffee, according to Project 7, which is currently developing more flavors of the snack clusters.
“There will also be some other snack innovations we debut under the Good Squared brand over time as we learn how the market responds to these items," added Merrick.
‘Still a confectionery brand first and foremost’
He told this site there are a lot of crossovers between the confectionery and snack industries but added that confectionery would remain his company's focus.
“We are definitely still a confectionery brand first and foremost and that does not change,” Merrick said. “That is why we developed Good Squared. We wanted to start a snack brand under Project 7 that would allow us to try out some product ideas we have had.”
He added that he doesn't believe Good Squared will cannibalize sales of Project 7’s confectionery products.
“I think our existing gum customers that have come to know, support and love our brand are excited about us launching a snack brand… We are also trying to grow and bring customers who have not tried our gum or gummies before into our brand.”


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Audi reveals e-tron Scooter concept
The German luxury marque apparently wants in on the scooter wars.
Audi has revealed the e-tron Scooter concept, yet another e-scooter that aims to solve "last mile" mobility.
Borrowing its branding from Audi's electric vehicles, the 26-pound scooter can cruise for up to 12.5 miles at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour.
The automaker has attempted to distinguish the concept as part scooter and skateboard, allowing riders to keep one hand free and shift their weight to steer. Movable axles are said to allow maneuvers on "unusually tight" curves.
"Of course the e-tron Scooter also moves straight ahead," says Audi micro-mobility manager Thorsten Schrader. "But the feeling of flow only comes when you start carving on asphalt - and that is surprisingly easy with our new concept."
The company plans to begin selling the scooters to private buyers by late 2020, with a price tag around 2,000 euros (~$2,235 USD). Fleet sales have been mentioned as a possibility, along with package deals using the scooter as a free add-on when buying a new Audi vehicle.