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Computers manufacturer/marketer Systemax announced yesterday it’s getting out of the ProfitCenter Software (PCS) hosted software business. The company is working on transition plans with current customers and not taking on any new hosting arrangements.
Founded 2002, PCS is a java, Web-based order management and e-commerce system. Systemax chairman/CEO Richard Leeds said in a release that the company has been unable to profitably market, sell and implement the software on a hosted platform model.
The PCS segment generated less than $500,000 of the Systemax’s total revenue of $3.0 billion for 2008.
With its SaaS approach, PCS certainly blazed a new trail, says Curt Barry, president of multichannel operations and fulfillment consultancy F. Curtis Barry & Co. “Every time a vendor or resource fails in our industry, to me it’s a tragedy,” he notes.
Barry’s company began receiving several calls from PCS clients about the shutdown last Friday. It’s now working with several PCS users to help them make transitions to new vendor platforms.
An orderly decision and transition realistically “needs to happen in the next six to eight months for companies,” Barry says, based on a recent discussion with PCS president John Marrah.
Barry says that Marrah assured him that Systemax will do everything it can to help the current PCS clients. He also says Systemax is actively looking for a buyer for the application and technology used in the PCS product.
As a result of the consolidation, most of the PCS workforce will be leaving the company, while the remaining PCS workforce has been consolidated into the Systemax’s Port Washington, NY, location.
These and other PCS-related actions are expected to result in incremental one-time pretax charges to earnings during the rest of this year of about $4 million to $5 million. Excluding these charges, Systemax expects the consolidation will save more than $10 million annually.
Systemax bought the CompUSA brand, trademarks, and e-commerce business in February 2008, and late last month it won a bankruptcy auction for the e-commerce business and intellectual property of Circuit City Stores. The company also includes the Global and TigerDirect brands.


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Sorry Peeps, but when it comes to Easter treats the people have spoken: chocolate and peanut butter are the most coveted candy this year.
According to a recent American survey from deals site RetailMeNot, Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Eggs are the No. 1 most-wanted treat for Easter — which falls on April 16 this year — at 53 per cent, followed by classic chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, both of which are tied at 48 per cent.
Former fan favoutite Peeps fell to the fifth spot trailing quite far behind Hershey's Eggs at only 34 per cent.
The fact that a chocolate treat is most desired during Easter should come as no surprise. According to research firm Nielsen, Easter surpasses Halloween when it comes to chocolate sales and consumption.
Also on HuffPost

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Katelyn Ohashi May 5: LeBron James is currently taking on Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs.
and so have my joints, offers Montana in a campaign spot.
Chennedy Carter G Texas A&M Atlanta Dream 5.
A multi-media campaign coming in May includes Phelps and Raisman on the front of Silk Soymilk cartons.
Derrick Brown DT Auburn Carolina Panthers 8.
But it’s another thing to take that strategy and actually make it work.
From a consumer standpoint, I don’t think it personalized baseball jersey unfamiliar for them to see Reebok there, when you look at the heritage of the brand, where the brand was born.
blank baseball jerseys Biles 6.
Noah Igbinoghene DB Austin Miami Dolphins 31.
Kobe Bryant 7.
Justin Herbert QB Oregon San Diego Chargers 7.
• Danone North America brand Silk has signed Michael Phelps and Aly Raisman as the faces of its soy milk portfolio.
NYSJ: In the U.S., adidas ran a series of 5- and 10-second spots just prior to breaking the longer commercials.
• The NBA said that 205 players – 163 players from colleges and other educational institutions and 42 international players – have filed as early entry candidates for the 2020 NBA Draft presented by State Farm.
Jordan Love QB Utah State Green Bay Packers 27.
Ronda Rousey 9.
I remember that conversation.
Antonio Brown The Top 10 Most Tweeted About Female Athletes in 2019 per Twitter Sports 1.
Becky Lynch 7.
I’m going to look now and see where I can go just to do the training side of it.
The Super Bowl Music Fest will bring phenomenal talent and energy to the heart of the Super Bowl LIII campus in downtown Atlanta.
The technology is more apart of the game than ever.
According to a just-released report from marketing and research firm The NPD Group, the worldwide sales of sports equipment, apparel and footwear is predicted to have a 1% growth in 2010 and close near the $300 billion mark.
Mikiah Herbert F customized baseball jerseys Carolina Minnesota Lynx 7.


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The day when the U.S. joins many other large markets globally in converting to EMV chip-and-PIN cards from magnetic stripe versions will not occur any time soon. But it will come eventually, observers predict.
“At this point it’s a matter of when, not if, we’ll see EMV in the United States,” George Peabody, director of the emerging technologies advisory service at Mercator Advisory Group Inc., a Maynard, Mass.-based firm, tells PaymentsSource.
EMV is an international standard for chip-based payment card transactions that requires a PIN to authenticate the cardholder, and it provides some security advantages over signature-based mag-stripe cards, Peabody says. The chip in an EMV card and the point-of-sale terminal engage in a two-way authentication procedure, which is especially important in offline transactions in which the merchant does not secure issuer authorizations, he says.
“Security is about layered defenses,” Peabody says. EMV adoption would make it extremely difficult for fraudsters to create cards with stolen card data, he says.
Today’s efforts in developing tokenization protocols, in which sensitive transaction data are replaced with a code, and encryption of payment details throughout the entire transaction cycle can complement EMV, Peabody says. “End-to-end encryption and tokenization are techniques to look after the card data from the terminal,” he says. EMV protects the card data between the card and the terminal.
U.S. EMV adoption is a long-term prospect, agrees Cliff Gray, an associate at The Strawhecker Group, an Omaha, Neb.-based consultancy. Eventually, payment schemes will encrypt transactions from time the card is swiped until it reaches the issuing bank, he says. Current measures encrypt transaction data from the merchant to the processor, leaving a gap from the processor to the issuer, Gray explains.
EMV would be one component of this advanced payment scheme. “From the card itself, an encrypted credential will pass through smart, safe merchant devices and only be decrypted at the issuer,” Gray says. “That is the real long-term eventuality.”
For now, however, advanced fraud-protection measures will help ensure the longevity of the mag-stripe card, suggests Kim Fitzsimmons, senior vice president at First Data Services in Atlanta. “With the introduction of tokenization and encryption, the current mag-stripe payment method has a life into the foreseeable future,” she says.
Fraud-prevention efforts will be an important factor in determining how U.S. card technology evolves, Fitzsimmons says. “Issuers, acquirers and merchants are going to continue to look for fraud-mitigation options to further reduce risks with the current payment scheme in the United States,” she says.


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Registration takes less than 1 minute.
Panama Canal has seen fuller vessels and unscheduled "sweeper" ships moving cargo to the East Coast.
Although legislation had passed both chambers of NJ legislature unanimously, the override failed 25-14 in the N.J. Senate.
MOL Project & Heavy Cargo covers four MOL Group companies – Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, MOL Logistics, Utoc, and Mitsui O.S.K. Kinkai.
The German ocean carrier said its financial results were impacted by costs from merger with Chilean liner CSAV.
ConAgra and Lululemon said they expect shipment delays for several more months as a result of West Coast port congestion.
The new container service will connect ports in China, Taiwan and South Korea with Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile.


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Toyo supports sustainable natural rubber economy initiative
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. is participating in the Sustainable Natural Rubber Initiative (SNR-i), an effort put forward by the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) to ensure the sustainability of natural rubber as a resource.
IRSG launched this initiative based on five core priorities: Supporting improvement of productivity; Enhancing natural rubber quality; Supporting forest sustainability; Water management; Respect for human and labour rights.
For its part, The Toyo Tires Group has established “Collaboration with business partners” as a priority theme of its Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) policy, and has formulated “Toyo Tires Group CSR Procurement Guidelines,” which it shares with its partners.
“Participation in SNR-i will strengthen the company’s CSR initiatives across the entire supply chain while contributing to the achievement of a sustainable natural rubber economy”, Toyo said in an official statement.


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This Friday at The Turf Club Ian Alexy will be celebrating the release of his new EP "Deserters" at The Turf Club in St. Paul Minnesota. The record will be available through all major digital retailers on Friday, but you can stream it here right now! Ian will be appearing on KFAI's Free Wheeling with Jackson Buck today at 230 pm central time, to play a few tracks and talk about the new EP. 90.3 in Minneapolis and 106.7 in St. Paul.
Listen to the live stream here.
IAN ALEXY - DESERTERS


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It may be going through a bit of a dry spell, but Sony’s director of product planning and platform software innovation (phew) Don Mesa has insisted that there’s plenty of interesting software on the horizon for the PlayStation Vita. In an extensive interview with IGN, the executive said that there are more than 100 titles set to release on the struggling system in 2013 alone. He added that consumer satisfaction is extremely high.
“I know there’s been a lot of noise about Vita recently,” he said. “There were some negative impressions and so forth. One thing we haven’t had the opportunity to do is talk about how our Vita owners are feeling about the platform. It’s a good gut check for all of us, to know what’s happening now.”
Apparently, 86 per cent of surveyed consumers are satisfied with the console, while a further 90 per cent play their system “on a regular basis”. Average usage sits at an impressive 18.7 hours a week, which may have been skewed by the fairly recent release of Persona 4 Golden. Furthermore, Mesa pointed out that a third of all games are being sold digitally through the PlayStation Network.
Of the upcoming software line-up, Mesa pointed to indie releases such as Hotline Miami, Thomas Was Alone, and Lone Survivor – but he also promised that there are plenty of first-party titles in the pipeline, too. “There are games that [the] Worldwide Studios guys are building that are going to be very interesting and innovative, but to give it away too early – we’re always worried about copycats,” he joked.
Earlier in the month, SCE UK’s Fergal Gara teased that the publisher has plenty of Vita titles in production, as well. What sort of games would you like to see come out of the platform holder over the next nine months? Let us know in the comments section below.


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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Lucky Strike cigarettes are seen during the manufacturing process in the British American Tobacco Cigarette Factory (BAT) in Bayreuth, Germany, April 30, 2014. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/File Photo
(Reuters) -British American Tobacco on Tuesday raised its annual revenue growth forecast to more than 5% at constant currency as the cigarette maker’s focus on newer products like e-cigarettes and tobacco-heating devices pays off.
The company had previously forecast revenue growth in the range of 3% to 5%. It, however, kept unchanged its growth expectation for adjusted earnings per share in the mid-single digit range.
The maker of Lucky Strike and Newport cigarettes said the raised forecast comes as “new category” products had gained shares in all key markets, including the United States where menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars are facing a possible ban.
The company also said it expects its full-year cigarette volumes to be ahead of the total industry, which it expects will be down about 3% this year.
It said 1.4 million more consumers started using its new category products – e-cigarettes, tobacco heating and oral nicotine products – in the first quarter, bringing its total non-combustible user base to 14.9 million.
Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.


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Black market weed is legal marijuana’s biggest road block
For an entire year now, anyone of age who wants to smoke marijuana in Washington has been able to stroll into a retail store, purchase it, drive it home, and smoke it without breaking the law.
Tourists and casual, curious users are buying it. The sales have brought in $64 million in excise tax revenue in the first retail year. That’s nearly twice the conservative estimate state forecasts charted in 2014, but way under the half billion in revenue touted as a potential by campaigners back in 2012.
But supporters say tax revenue could get that high in 10 to 20 years, especially as improvements are made to this budding industry.
At the moment, the majority of Washington pot smokers are sticking to their old habits. For the ones who have been using marijuana illegally for years, making the switch to legal pot requires serious dedication.
Marijuana smokers need to pay significantly more and they need to drive to one of the 161 legal pot stores across the state, which are generally restricted to areas outside of main, accessible shopping districts. That leaves a thriving black market — legal marijuana’s biggest road block.
Lawmakers have approved a new bill that tweaks the marijuana law in ways that discourage the illegal market.
That’s great news for producers like Boris Gorodnitsky, co-owner of New Leaf Enterprises, a multi-million dollar marijuana business that has yet to make a profit.
“The only way to eliminate the black market is to provide a better product,” Gorodnitsky said. “And that means accessible marijuana shops with reasonable prices.”
The new law changes the tax structure for marijuana. Now, instead of 25 percent at every level from grower to retailer, it moves to a one-time 37 percent tax at the point of sale. The hope is that will help drive the legal pot prices down and get more consumers out of the underground market.
Gorodnitsky envisions marijuana shops nestled in busy shopping corridors across the state.
“Another huge obstacle is the fact that a lot of the local jurisdictions have put moratoriums and bans on the cannabis business,” he said. “They apparently are under the illusion they’re keeping pot out of their city, but the only thing they’re doing is keeping the criminal pot in the city.”
The new bill also tries to get those cities to lift their moratoriums by offering them shares of the state tax revenue. Only the ones without bans will have access to those greens.
Gorodnitsky was among the new marijuana entrepreneurs pushing the Legislature for industry improvements, like the bill that just passed. Ultimately, he is excited to let go of those battles and move beyond the uncharted waters phase of marijuana in Washington.
“I look forward to the day when I can just run my business,” he said.


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The value of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin has gone on a spiral showdown over the past year. The price of one bitcoin once went from $900 to $20,000 in 2017 and then in the next 12 months spiralled down to less than $4,000. And this fact has created a whole lot of speculation of the currency not being really sustainable.
Ecole Polytechnique’s Linda Schilling and Herald Uhlig of the University of Chicago have sought to address some of these vital economic questions about cryptocurrencies as a whole. In a theory, the two scholars describe at lengths how cryptocurrencies could become less speculative just like its inventor Satoshi Nakamoto intended them to be.
The two imagine a future with cryptocurrency being a widely accepted means of payment. A world where technical issues involving security and safety in the payment systems have been resolved.
A Decade Of Bitcoin
It’s already 10 years since Bitcoin first came to the scene. A pseudonymous inventor going by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto first published online a white paper comprising the designs of the Blockchain system in 2008.
Bitcoin trading operates on the basis of the distributed ledger technology that is the Blockchain system. Nakamoto, whose is still underground came up with the idea of Bitcoin as a reward system that the software would generate for users who win the competition to verify transactions on the network by using computing power to resolve complicated equations.
Ever since thousands of cryptocurrencies have copied the idea and attracted billions of investment not just in the US but the world over. Academics studying the phenomenon have similarly multiplied.
Cryptocurrency To Compete With Fiat Money
Schilling and Uhlig went ahead to further pose a mathematical formula similar to one that exists in real life where digital currency competes with traditional money in usage.
The academics use a construct which involves a central bank (the Fed) that manages inflation. The supply of bitcoin increases till it reaches a limit that was imposed by Nakamoto. Since Bitcoin has no central authority, no one would be there to stop it from inflating.
However, this hypothesis doesn’t match today’s cryptocurrency environment in different ways. Current cryptocurrencies face serious challenges from hackers who break into digital exchange platform and transfer currencies to their accounts. Holders of currencies also often prefer speculating their investments rather than spending them on regular buys.
The Fundamental Price For Bitcoin
What would be the fundamental price for bitcoin if people were to choose between bitcoins and dollars? According to Schilling and Uhlig, the bitcoin price follows a martingale sequence where its expected future price equals its present price. People would be willing to spend a bitcoin as much as they would a dollar and none would appreciate against the other.
The academics also derived an equation to explain the speculation in bitcoin and what would control it. The scholars further point out that if people expect bitcoin’s price to rise, then they would hang onto the bitcoins rather than spend it.
The two also demonstrated a sequence of calculations that demonstrate that it possible for bitcoins movements to affect feds inflation target for the dollar. Similarly, fed’s monetary policy action could also affect bitcoin prices.


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|Global Metal Apocalypse||
_English Doom merchants Conan are nearing the July 31st release date for their North American debut, "Monnos" via Gravedancer Records. The monstrous record has already been praised by Pitchfork for finding "the perfect guitar tone" and now the entire new album is available for streaming via AOL Noisecreep here.
Conan are currently plotting their first strike on North American soil and are planning to venture across the pond later this year. For now, fans can sink their teeth into 'Monnos' in a variety of formats. The CD and digital versions of the album will be available on July 31st, while a beautiful imported gatefold vinyl is available for pre-order at the Gravedancer Records webstore.
Stay tuned for more news on Conan and check out the full new album now!
Global Metal Apocalypse


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Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (TAST – Snapshot Report) continues to see hot sales as Burger King’s marketing builds momentum. This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) is expected to see double digit earnings growth this year and next.
Carrols is the largest Burger King franchisee in the United States with 717 restaurants, as of the beginning of Apr 3, 2016, and has operated Burger King restaurants since 1976.
Most of its restaurants are located in the Northeast, the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic states.
Another Big Beat in the First Quarter
On May 10, Carrols reported its first quarter results and blew by the Zacks Consensus for the second quarter in a row.
Earnings were $0.05 compared to the Zacks Consensus which was looking for a loss of $0.08. That’s a 13 cent beat. That’s coming on the heals of last quarter’s big 15 cent beat.
Total restaurant sales rose 15.2% to $222.5 million from $193.2 million in the year ago quarter, but that included $53.4 million in sales from an extra 190 Burger Kings acquired from 2014 to 2016.
Comparable restaurant sales jumped 5.7% compared to an 8.4% increase in the first quarter of last year. That was a strong comp so it’s impressive that it was able to lap it.
Burger King’s promotions are working to boost sales, additionally lower beef costs helped increase overall profitability.
Raised Full Year Guidance
Carrols is still optimistic about the rest of the year. It moderately raised full year sales guidance to a range of $935 million to $960 million from previous guidance of $930 million to $955 million.
It kept its comparable restaurant sales guidance unchanged at 2% to 4%.
Commodity costs are now expected to decrease from 0% to 2%, previously the company had looked for a 1% decrease to a 1% increase. New guidance includes a 5% to 10% decrease in beef costs.
Zacks Consensus Estimates Rise
The analysts liked what they heard as they’ve been raising estimates since the report.
2 estimates were raised for 2016, pushing the Zacks Consensus up to $0.58 from $0.53. That’s growth of 54% as Carrols only made $0.38 last year.
1 estimate was also raised for 2017. Analysts are looking for $0.70 a share, which translates into further earnings growth of 19.6%.
Shares Near 2-Year Highs
Shares have been on quite a run over the last 2 years but look like they might be taking a bit of a break here.
Investors are paying for the growth, which is still stellar.
For those investors looking to cash in on low gasoline prices and consumers desires to eat out more, Carrols is one to keep on the short list.
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August 24, 2006 |
NEW DELHI: If the cola giants can reinvent themselves as 'total beverages' companies, with a diversified offering of carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, a predominantly tea-and-coffee company from India with a clear mandate to go global can surely do an encore. Tata Tea has just stepped into swirling waters of the $10-bn US bo ttled water market (or $ 18-bn if you consider all non-carbonated drinks) by acquiring a 30% stake in Energy Brands for $677bn. Energy Brands' sells the Glaceau brand of bottled water in three value-added variants ?
February 5, 2007 |
MUMBAI: What does Sachin Tendulkar do soon after hitting a century at the Wankhede stadium during the Ranji Trophy finals on Friday? He heads to the Future Group office to ink a deal establishing a new career as an entrepreneur. A joint venture is being formed in which Sachin is a stakeholder along with Future Group and Manipal Health Services. So, before Sachin starts his blitzkrieg at the World Cup in March his fans may choose to drink Sach branded energy drinks and exercise on SDrive treadmills.
March 21, 2012 |
NEW DELHI: Fruit juice concentrates maker Rasna Private Ltd is setting up a separate subsidiary-Rasna Beverages, to manufacture, distribute and market high margin ready-to-drink beverages like energy drinks, fortified water and premium juices in tie-up with global firms. "We plan to form different brand licensing and collaboration arrangements for different product categories like energy drinks and water," Rasna chairman said. The company is in talks with two European and one American firm to form either brand licensing arrangements or technical collaborations.
August 18, 2007 |
NEW DELHI: Coca-Cola India is set to play a larger role in the soft drink company's global scheme of things, even as it is planning to bring in an array of beverages from its global basket in the non-carbonated space. To begin with, the soft drink company is setting up an equipment-testing centre in Hyderabad to test coolers for the Asia-Pacific region. Other similar initiatives will be in the space of engineering, technical R&D, and utilising the Indian talent pool for meeting global needs in areas such finance and marketing.
February 9, 2006 |
NEW DELHI: Boozing without the fear of an horrible hangover may be just a dream till now, but it could turn into reality if the efforts of an Indian company to commercialise an American technology bears fruit. Apart from hangover-less boozing, the technology promises a number of health benefits by supplying more oxygen to the body. The Indian firm interested in the technology, Alchemist, has cut a $5m deal to take over the American firm holding patents for a line of oxygen-rich products.
May 13, 2016
By Saliha Nasleen Mocha ain't moksha Coffee within a sensible limit can do some good to us, but breaching the barrier comes with a host of health hazards, writes Saliha Nasline Everyone loves that morn ing cup of joe. Whether it's to wake up and get going on a working day or to relax during a weekend, many of us say, "my day isn't complete without it". Do you rely only on your first cup of coffee in the morning or rush to office and...
January 27, 2012 |
With growth slowing in mature markets, beverage company Coca-Cola is looking to Atul Singh , president India and South West Asia, to deliver double-digit growth. Coca-Cola has given Singh another three years at the helm and $2 billion to make India one of its top five markets. Singh, who's worked with Colgate-Palmolive and PriceWaterHouse, talks to ET about his plans. Excerpts: Beverage Partners Worldwide, Coke's global JV with Nestle for iced tea, has been dissolved within a year in India.
October 27, 2010 |
MUMBAI: Tata Global Beverages, the world's second-largest branded tea maker, has acquired a minority stake in US-based beverage and bottled water firm Activate , signalling its re-entry into the vitamin water space. Three years ago, Tata Tea sold its 30% stake in Energy Brands Inc (Glaceau) to Coca-Cola Co for $1.2 billion. The acquisition is in line with the company's plan to become a leader in the health and wellness beverages space as tea consumption is the on decline globally, and newer categories such as energy drinks and enhanced water, which have been outperforming colas in a few markets, have emerged future growth drivers.
December 26, 2008 |
MUMBAI: The action is hotting up in the kids' health drinks market. The growing kids' health drinks market in India is headed for a big war with the existing biggies like GlaxoSmithKline and Heinz engaging in a no-holds barred war for eyeballs. FMCG majors like Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Dabur India are also adding fuel to the fire with their new malted food drinks. While HUL has already test-launched its new brainfood?Kissan Amaze?for kids, Dabur India is preparing to nationally roll out its health drink?
April 28, 2012 |
BANGALORE | KOLKATA: Water is now more than just a thirst quencher, and dairy drink's more than flavoured milk. They can now rejuvenate you and boost your performance in the form of energy drinks, vitamin water, fortified milk and yogurt, and enhanced iced tea, among others. A slew of companies, including Groupe Danone , Dabur, PespiCo , Coca-Cola, Amul, Britannia and Rasna , are betting on such functional beverages to woo the young, health-conscious Indian consumer.


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The controversial Craigslist adult services section, which attorneys general in 18 states have demanded be taken down, has been deactivated and covered with the word “censored” for locations inside the United States.
It was not immediately clear whether Craigslist took down the erotic services section or added the non-active label, which had white letters on a black background. However, the erotic services links were still active outside of the U.S.
A message sent to Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and a spokeswoman were not immediately returned. The censored label was first reported late Friday by TechCrunch.
The San Francisco online classified ads site has come under increasing criticism form groups like the Rebecca Project for Human Rights the section is being used to advertise prostitution, especially with underage girls.
A week ago, the 18 attorneys general wrote an open letter asking Craigslist to take the site down.
“Is moving advertising around our best hope for addressing these harms?” he said. “Then the ads fall under personals, and how long before the demand is that we shut down personals? And where do those ads go next? What other sections of our site would they like us to shut down?”


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The number of e-commerce startups are rising in Myanmar as many youths venture into retail trading via free social network sites like Facebook.
In recent years, startups have been using Facebook for trading and also taking advantage of the free advertisement platforms to boost trade, retailers said.
“Previously, we traded through our own Facebok page. But now, as we have free advertisement websites, there has been a lot of improvement in trading,” said Ma Thazin, who is an online retailer.
More people are getting engaged in e-commerce as online retailing allows not only to sell new products but also used ones. Among the product mobile phones, IT gadgets and kitchenware are most popular in Myanmar, retailers say.
“I think [online retail business] will become more popular in the future. It may be widely used internationally but as we don’t have good internet coverage in Myanmar, it will take some time to develop,” said another online retailer.
According to Asia-Pacific Internet Group, the online retail market in Southeast Asia has experienced double digit growth in the last few years.


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The OKEx said that unusual transactions were registered on Friday morning, March 30, to manipulate prices for bitcoin futures contracts. As a result, prices were significantly different from the current rate of the first cryptocurrency.
As a result of the investigation, it was found that one of the users closed a large number of positions, not taking into account the current prices, resulting in the bitcoin price fell to unusually low levels.
Representatives of OKEx promise to make public the relevant transactions after the completion of a full investigation.
The Exchange team also refers to clause 6.2 of the user agreement, which grants it the right to control the accounts in the event of the detection of deliberate manipulation of prices.
To prevent forced-liquidations due to price differences after the settlements in "bi-weekly" and "quarterly" futures contracts, we will rollback the transactions as mentioned, and all futures contracts will be delivered at 00:00 Mar 31, 2018 (Hong Kong Time). Further announcement will be made if there are any changes in delivery time.
The exchange's team assures that the process of crypto and fiat trading has not been affected and continues to be carried out in normal mode.
In addition, in order to compensate for the inconvenience, the exchange will remove the commission for trading bitcoin futures from April 1 to 7.


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China, the United States and France – these are the main source markets for tourism in Milan. Most of the travelers who visited the "capital of Lombardy" in 2018 came from the new world power – China – 393,000 visitors (+ 1.9% compared to 2017).
American visitors took the second position with 347, 000 travelers (up by 9.3% compared to the previous year) and then came the French with 299,000 tourists (+ 1.4%). The data were announced by the Chamber of Commerce of Milan Monza Brianza Lodi.
Currently, the data confirm that tourism keeps growing. In 2018, the arrivals were 7.7 million (an increase of 2% compared to 2017). Foreigners exceeded Italians with 4.4 million arrivals and 9 million overnight stays, compared to 3.2 million arrivals and 6.4 million overnight stays for the Italians. During the last year, the presence of foreigners has been stable while the number of tourists from Italy grew by 7% for arrivals and 4% for accommodation.
Main source markets of tourists in Milan in 2018
|Source market||Tourists # (thousands)||Growth (%)|
Lombardy tourism continued to grow in 2018, and it has a total of 16.8 million arrivals (+ 1.2%). Foreigners exceeded Italians with 9 million arrivals and 23.5 million nights, compared to 7.7 million arrivals and 15.7 million nights for Italians.
Hotels are driving the growth with + 0.8% arrivals and + 0.8% attendance, hosting 8 million foreigners last year with 18 million nights spent and 6.5 million Italians (+ 3.8%) with 12 million nights (+ 3.2%). The data were published by the Milan Chamber of Commerce for Inbuyer, through Regional Initiative.
"The Lombardy Region” - says Lara Gizzards, Regional Councilor for Tourism, Marketing and Fashion – “is increasingly attractive internationally. From food to wine, from handicrafts up to technology and innovation, the world certifies the right award to the excellence of our products and to the creativity of our master craftsmen.”


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The paying clients of the credit reporting industry are not consumers, but the creditors who both furnish and use the information contained in the credit bureaus’ databases. For example, discovery in recent lawsuits has uncovered the fact that TransUnion had received over $6 million per year from MBNA (Maryland Bank of North America) alone.
Litigation discovery has also shown that the credit bureaus have made it their business to drive down the cost of disputes to such a low point that processing these disputes has become a substantial source of revenue stream for the credit bureaus.
And also according to Automated Injustice, outsourcing of disputing has become a highly profitable business for the credit bureaus. Before 2004, when Equifax still handled some disputes in-house, its average cost per dispute was $4.67.
Toward the end of 2004, Equifax began using an outsource vendor called ACS in Montego Bay, Jamaica. ACS investigations cost Equifax only $1.08 each. An almost 80% cost reduction was apparently not enough, though. As it stands today, DDC, an agency in the Philippines, has enabled Equifax to reduce the cost to $0.57 per dispute, despite the number of accounts that are disputed.
Many consumers look at their report and find multiple inaccuracies. The consumer then files one dispute to cover all five errors. The credit bureau forwards the dispute to the outsourcing agency overseas and pays them $0.57 to process all five errors.
The credit bureaus charge a fee to data furnishers for providing incorrect data. Each dispute on a report is assessed a $0.25 fee per bureau; therefore, if five items are disputed each credit reporting agency charges $1.25 to the lending institution that reported the information incorrectly (five errors @ $0.25 each). The bottom line is a $0.68 profit on a $0.57 investment.
While this information is public record, based on Congressional testimony, it has not been widely reported on any media outlet, including the Internet.
Considering the number of people who are injured by the credit bureaus need to turn a profit from everything they do, one would assume that the report would have made national headlines. However, due to the credit reporting agencies considerable investment in propaganda campaigns, advertising and lobbying, negative information about them is rarely publicized.
But now you know how the bureaus really get paid, so pass this on to your affiliates and clients.


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The Just Between Friends sale offers bargains in children's and maternity wear as well as toys, furniture and other items.
- Filed Under
Some families will turn children's and maternity clothing they no longer need into money this weekend; other families will find some bargains buying those same items.
At the Just Between Friends consignment sale, buyers typically can save between 50 percent and 90 percent on children's and maternity wear and other items, organizers say.
Anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 shoppers can come through during the three-day sale, which runs Friday through Sunday at the Reno Livestock Events Center, said Sarah Fierro of Reno, who, with her husband John, runs the sale. ...


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The state minister for textiles announced the government’s plans at the recent Consortium of Green Fashion event in Mumbai. And as the event itself showed, sustainable fashion is fast gaining currency among students and experts alike, says Meher Castelino.
Maharashtra may soon establish a textiles park dedicated solely to eco-friendly products. The indication came at the recent Consortium of Green Fashion (CGF) 2015 in Mumbai where the state textiles minister made a case for the sustainable fashion cause.
“Eco-friendly textiles production is the need of the hour, and a textiles park dedicated to eco-friendly products needs to be established,” said Minister Chandrakant Patil at the opening ceremony of CGF, organised by Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha School of Fashion Technology (SOFT), Pune and Nirmala Niketan College of Home Science, Mumbai.
“The state government is committed to this, and will establish special textile parks for the creation of eco-friendly textiles. The government will lend special support for establishing such industries,” announced Patil. The minister also appealed to fashion design students to conduct more research, geared towards the maximum implementation of eco-friendly initiatives. He noted that ‘recycle, reuse and reduce’ should be the key in designing.
Sustainability in fashion is becoming a trend to watch out for worldwide, and India too is making efforts to bring to the forefront not only the use of organic cotton and fabrics; but also to help in preserving environment and assisting textiles and crafts persons survive in a competitive and fast-moving world. The many initiatives taken by designers, institutes, experts and the government seem to be on the right track, with new plans being chalked out to take this very important agenda ahead.
[ Source :- fibre2fashion ]


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The Nasdaq posted its second consecutive record close Wednesday in mixed trading as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said a spike in inflation likely was temporary, easing worries that the central bank could soon pull back on economic support.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down 71 points, or 0.21%, to 33,874, the S&P 500 slipped 0.11%, while the Nasdaq rose 0.13%.
The Nasdaq also set an intraday record Wednesday.
Economic data released Wednesday were mixed. The Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index for June was 62.6, topping economists' estimates of 61.5. New-home sales in May, meanwhile, declined unexpectedly.
Stocks closed higher Tuesday after Powell said prices have risen more than the Fed expected, but added he had a “a level of confidence” that prices eventually will come down as supply chain bottlenecks are resolved.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose early Wednesday to 1.49%.
“A pretty substantial part, or perhaps all of the overshoot in inflation comes from categories that are directly affected by the reopening of the economy such as used cars and trucks,” Powell said Tuesday in response to a question before the House
Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.
“Those are things that we would look to stop going up and ultimately to start to decline,” he added.
Powell’s remarks followed a meeting of the Fed’s policymaking committee last week, when officials signaled they could boost interest rates and begin tapering asset purchases sooner than expected.
The Fed's hawkish tilt sent stock markets reeling last week but Wall Street has steadied after Powell's assurances the central bank wasn't close to raising rates.
“We believe the Fed’s new outlook will not translate into significantly higher policy rates any time soon," said a report from strategists at BlackRock Investment Institute.
Bitcoin prices rebounded Wednesday, rising 1.4% to $32,890 and taking the world's largest cryptocurrency above the critical $30,000 level that it breached on Tuesday.


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(Photo by Flickr user Ed Schipul, used under a Creative Commons license)
SXSW V2Venture, the latest program in a (rapidly) growing family of SXSW events, has announced the finalists for this year’s competition.
While the Las Vegas-based event does hold panels, discussions, hands-on demonstrations and a slew of networking events, the big show is V2V’s pitch competition. The competition brings together some of the best up-and-coming startups from across the country to pitch venture capitalists in classic demo-pit fashion. Startups are placed into categories such entertainment and content, health and wearables and social.
One of five startups selected to compete in the V2V finals for enterprise and smart data technologies is Wilmington-based cybersecurity startup My Digital Shield, which provides network protection for small businesses.
The pitch event will take place Wednesday, July 22.-30-
This startup aims to change the game in Delaware esports
Cybercriminals are adding to the stimulus check drama
360VR Technology wins $75K in Tulane startup competition
Worried about COVID-19 scams? Here’s how to get free phishing training at home
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Hometown Story comes to 3DS on October 22
Natsume has dated Hometown Story, the life-simulation game from Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada, for release on October 22 on Nintendo 3DS.
Hometown Story — previously known as "Project Happiness" — will arrive in Japan this December and Europe early next year, which is when an iOS version is due in North America.
Players manage a shop in the Harvest Moon universe and befriend the other characters, encouraging growth of the town's population.
Natsume is a longtime publisher of the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series.
Source: Operation Rainfall


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Amazon Aims to Court Developers With In-App Merch Deals
Amazon is certainly trying hard on all those fronts. Especially the latter.
In that vein, the company on Tuesday morning kicked off its Mobile Associates API program, a new way to give developers who are creating apps for the company’s proprietary Android-based app store another source of revenue by partnering with Amazon on in-app purchasing.
The value proposition is simple: Developers load the ability for users to purchase items from Amazon.com into their apps, via a linked Amazon account. For any goods ordered through the app, developers can earn up to six percent from the cost of those user purchases. The rest goes to Amazon.
Example: If I’m a game developer creating a sports app, I could let users buy real, physical soccer balls (or some other contextually relevant item) listed on Amazon.com from inside the app, using Amazon’s one-click purchasing method. I get a cut of the deal, while the user gets a shiny new toy sent directly to their home.
Clever, for sure, and a whole heck of a lot like Amazon’s existing affiliate program for websites, where Webmasters can make an extra buck whenever an Amazon products is purchased through a link on a third-party site. It also obviously plays heavily to Amazon’s strength as an online retailer, and gives the Seattle-based commerce company yet another potential pathway to making money off of its Appstore.
It’s an even better deal for developers, who have another option to potentially monetize their apps. As Amazon pitches it, the usual models are either paid or “freemium” (free to download, with better features and functionality added after buying them inside the app later on); in Amazon’s ideal world, more developers will be able to afford to launch free apps while getting paid through the revenue cut on in-app transactions.
The most striking part: It’s essentially yet another pathway back to Amazon’s retail operation, preloaded onto millions of Kindle devices that already serve as media and shopping portals for millions of Amazon customers. The more apps served up to users with the new functionality, the better the chance for increased retail sales.
If it actually works, and users do indeed want to do their purchasing of physical goods via in-game apps, everyone ends up getting paid. And getting paid is definitely one way to keep your developers happy.


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April Auto Sales & Delayed Hummer EV Reveal
April auto sales numbers are in, and there are no surprises as the Coronavirus continues to disrupt the industry.
While a number of manufacturers don’t report monthly sales, the ones that do give us some insight into the industry as a whole. Analysts at cox automotive estimate that 620,000 new vehicles were sold in April, which is down 53% from last year and down 37% from March. The lowest sales month on the books was in January 2009, but these April numbers could eclipse that. There is a silver lining though. Analyst seem to agree that the industry bottomed out in April, and will begin a slow climb into May.
We were really hoping to get a closer look at the new Hummer EV, but it’ll have to wait.
GMC just announced they’re postponing the original May 20th reveal of the Hummer EV. They haven’t announced a new date yet, but say that even with the delayed reveal, initial availability is still on track.
Coronavirus could be to blame for the cancellation of a joint EV venture.
Citing the “current environment” Lincoln and start-up Rivian have decided not to continue developing a fully electric vehicle based on Rivian’s EV skateboard platform. Lincoln says their future plans still include an all-electric vehicle, but didn’t give specifics. Ford, which invested 500 million dollars into Rivian, says their partnership is still strong, and their commitment to electrification is unchanged.
Self-driving cars are coming to the rescue of those in need in California.
Cruise, which is owned by GM, had to pause its testing program and park it’s autonomous vehicles amid COVID-19. But they’ve since redeployed their fleet to make meal deliveries to low income and senior citizens in the San Francisco area. Volunteers and autonomous vehicle operators are still in the vehicle at all times. Working with local non-profits, Cruise says they’ve delivered over 4,000 meals.
And that does it for this week’s Motor News update.


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The Australian PMI moved back into the black in June, increasing by
9.9 points to 51.5 (readings above 50 points indicate expansion in
activity, with higher results indicating a faster rate of expansion),
according to the AiGroup.
The June result comes in the wake of
April’s largest ever monthly fall in the Australian PMI. However, while
the result is the largest ever monthly rise, it was narrowly focused on
some sub sectors and indicates an improvement from recent depths rather
than a recovery to buoyant conditions.
Almost all of the
improvement reflected in June’s Australian PMI was concentrated in the
large food and beverages sector, with new orders from food wholesale
distributors improving with the relaxation of trading restrictions. Less
positively, manufacturers who supply locally made metal products and
building materials to the construction industry reported a sharp
reduction in new orders.
Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox
said that the manufacturing performance edged ahead in June largely on
the back of a solid lift in the large food and beverages sector as
restrictions on cafes and restaurants were eased.
and equipment sector enjoyed a spike in sales associated with
end-of-financial year buyers taking advantage of the expanded instant
asset write-off provisions,” Willox said.
However, Willox added
that the building materials, metals and chemicals sectors remained in
contraction. Across the manufacturing sector, production lifted, and
encouragingly new orders rebounded strongly following sharp contractions
in April and May.
“Employment on the other hand merely stabilised
after the contractions of the previous two months. Wage levels also
levelled off after the very rare fall recorded in May. We are still well
short of a recovery even with the quantity of fiscal stimulus in the
economy and the next couple of months will provide a critical test of
how well the economy is positioned to cope with the withdrawal of
stimulus currently scheduled for the end of September,” Willox said.
Australian PMI findings for June:
of the seven activity indices in the Australian PMI indicated expansion
in June, three indicated contraction and one was stable (see table
below). Production (up 9.9 points to 52.3), sales (up 19.0 points to
56.1) and new orders (up 20.6 points to 55.7) jumped into expansion
while the manufacturing exports index improved but remains in
contraction (up 16.1 points to 47.2), indicating declining exports.
of the six manufacturing sectors in the Australian PMI contracted in
June (trend), with only the large food and beverage sector indicating
expanding conditions (up 0.4 points to 55.4). Some machinery and
equipment (up 1.9 points to 48.2) manufacturers reported that the
extension to the instant asset write-off for businesses helped to
- Input costs continued to increase in June but
at a slower rate than the previous month (down 5.2 points to 60.2).
Manufacturers’ selling prices declined, on average, but at a slower rate
than in May (up 6.5 points to 48.9).
- The average wages index
increased by 4.2 points to 49.8, indicating stable average wages across
the manufacturing sector. The seasonal bump in the index that usually
occurs in July with the annual minimum wage decision will now likely
occur in November when this year’s 1.75 per cent increase becomes
operative across manufacturing awards.


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Rayman Returns in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Posted 11 Sep 2022 at 20:45 by Joshua Phillips
Ubisoft Forward, Ubisoft’s answer to Nintendo Direct, recently revealed an exciting new gameplay demonstration of the upcoming Mario + Rabbids sequel: Sparks of Hope.
In this gameplay we get to see some high octane action as the Rabbids and co face-off against the often misunderstood Wiggler on an epic, unlikely battlefield of a moving train.
Fans of the first game may notice some interesting changes to the movement, as well as new abilities from the Luma-inspired Rabbids.
New playable characters will also be available in this ambitious sequel, including Bowser, a once formidable foe for the Rabbids and Mario.
But the biggest revelation is that 90’s platform hero Rayman will be making his Mario + Rabbids debut!
Rayman won’t be in the base game but will arrive as DLC. Whether or not he comes as a solo character with some weapons or play host to his own adventure akin to the Donkey Kong DLC of the first Mario + Rabbids remains to be seen.
Fans of Rayman have been starved in recent years, with his last appearance being 2013’s Rayman Legends, so his inclusion will be welcomed.
Rayman has had close encounters with Mario in the past, donning his famous dungarees in Rayman Legends and appearing as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, but this will be the first time they meet each other face to face.
Only the most extravagant team of Heroes can rekindle the sparks of hope across the galaxy! Team up with Mario, Rabbid Peach and their friends on a cosmic journey to defeat Cursa and save the galaxy!
Explore planets throughout the universe that are filled with strange inhabitants, memorable quests and hilarious secrets! Outwit enemies in an innovative combat system mixing turn-based tactics and real time action. Combine forces with the Spark’s immense energy and anything becomes possible…for better OR worse!
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of hope releases in Europe on October 20th!


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Nebraska’s top sights light up red in May
LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) – Gov. Pete Ricketts on Thursday proclaimed May 1-7 as National Travel and Tourism Week to celebrate the contributions of the tourism industry to the state.
Landmarks across the state will light up red each night the first week of May.
See the full press release below
Officially proclaimed National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, the annual celebration highlights the contributions of the tourism industry to the state and country’s economy. Celebrated May 1-7, Nebraska Tourism works with notable tourist destinations to light up red each night. Destinations that light up include Chimney Rock, Golden Spike Tower, Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, Lincoln Children’s Zoo (sign), and Lauritzen Gardens (Marjorie K. Daugherty Conservatory).
Nebraska Tourism Executive Director John Ricks said, “We thought this was a fun way to unify tourist destinations across the state, from Omaha to Bayard. Red is the party color chosen by the US Travel Association and will look spectacular on these destinations when the sun goes down each night.
Ricks will be touring the state next week delivering speaking engagements and honoring Nebraska hospitality workers with industry-submitted Frontline Awards. Scheduled appearances include:
Tuesday, May 3
- 3:00 p.m. (CST)
- Let’s Celebrate Tourism Lunch
- Big Apple Amusement Center
- 500 W 4th St.
- Kearney, NE 68845
Wednesday May 4
- 12:00 p.m. (CST)
- North Platte NTTW Tourism Awards Luncheon
- Best Western Plus
- 3201 S Jeffers St.
- North Platte, NE 69101
This year, the US Travel Association is highlighting the critical role travel will play in economic growth and charting the way forward through the Future of Travel theme. This year’s theme shows how the travel industry can restore the workforce, help communities recover, foster sustainability, usher in new innovations, and reconnect travelers across the United States and around the world.
Some facts about tourism in Nebraska:
• Tourism is the third largest industry in Nebraska with total visitor spending of $3.6 billion in 2021
• Nebraska welcomed more than 10.7 million overnight visitors in 2021
• 71% of Nebraskanians want more tourism in their community than currently exists; 23% above the national average
• 89% of Nebraska residents believe tourism is an industry that improves their quality of life
Celebrated annually during the first full week of May, NTTW was created by Congress in 1983 to increase the economic power of travel in the United States. challenges of the past two years.
Download our apps today for all our latest coverage.
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DRAPER, UT – For all the high-tech advances in automotive electronics over the years, the lowly ole car horn on your steering wheel is the one feature that is still as simple as it was 50 years ago.
Now a company called Flexpoint Sensor Systems says they are applying for a patent for an innovative horn pad which replaces the tried and true spring-loaded electrical contacts that control a traditional car horn today.
Their horn pad will replace springs, metals and heavy plastics with ultra-thin Bend Sensor technology. This new patent will expand the current patent for the horn sensor and pad design.
Several automotive brands have issued recalls due to faulty horn pad sensors which can affect air bag releases and other steering controls in addition to the horn.
With the horn pad fully validated through rigorous industry-standard testing, Flexpoint is currently marketing the product to major automakers as a complete turnkey solution.
Comparisons between Flexpoint’s horn pad and existing horn assemblies show that it can cut costs by up to 60% by eliminating costly mechanical bulk such as springs, brackets, heavy plastics, and metal. The Bend Sensor is also a more durable solution, with a lifecycle extending into millions of actuations without failure or change in performance.
“We have been working hard over the past few years to complete this horn pad design and we fully expect that it will help us rapidly expand our presence in the auto industry,” said Flexpoint CEO Clark Mower . “We see a number of factors aligning that we believe will allow us to expand our revenues rapidly. The auto industry is recovering strongly and the demand for cost-effective, eco-friendly solutions has never been greater. We feel our technology is a perfect fit for these demands and patenting our horn pad design will enable us to adopt a more aggressive marketing approach. As the horn pad design utilizing our sensors is incorporated into a large number of automobiles in the upcoming months and years, it is important to make sure that the our proprietary innovations are protected.”
SOURCE: Flexpoint Sensor Systems


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Transsion Holdings-owned online smartphone brand Infinix on Thursday announced the launch of its latest Hot S3X smartphone in India. Successor to the Infinix Hot S3 launched earlier this year, the Hot S3X now comes with improved features including a larger 6.2-inch HD+, a dual rear camera setup with an additional 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a selfie camera with AI enhancements. The phone will be released in the Indian market during Flipkart's upcoming Big Diwali Sale early next month. Let's check out the Infinix Hot S3X price in India and specifications.
Infinix Hot S3X price in India has been set at Rs. 9,999 for the lone variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The phone will be sold exclusively via Flipkart during the e-commerce platform's upcoming “Big Diwali Sale” to be held between November 1 and November 5. Colour options of the phone include Ice Blue, Sandstone Black, and Tradewinds Grey.
The dual-SIM (Nano) Infinix Hot S3X runs the custom XOS on top of Android 8.1 Oreo, and sports a 6.2-inch HD+ (720x1500 pixels) LCD panel with an 18.75:9 aspect ratio, 500nits brightness, and 86 percent screen-to-body ratio. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC, paired with an Adreno 505 GPU, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of inbuilt storage. Storage on the smartphone is expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB).
In the camera department, the Infinix Hot S3X gets a dual rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor, both with f/2.0 apertures, PDAF, HDR, and dual-LED flash. On the front, the handset sports a 16-megapixel selfie camera with 4-in-1 “big pixel”, f/2.0 aperture, and softlight flash.
Connectivity options on the Infinix Hot S3X include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, a Micro-USB port with OTG support, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors onboard the phone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, electronic compass, fingerprint sensor, and proximity sensor. There is a 4,000mAh battery under the hood. The weight of the phone is 150 grams.


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Many of us are considering a long-delayed overseas trip. However, despite what our politicians are telling us, the pandemic is not over yet, and there is always the risk you could catch COVID on holiday or just before you depart. So, here are a few general tips about what you...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Most Americans have received at least two vaccine doses, and many people are going on three or four, but some Johnson & Johnson recipients who were sold on a “one and done” vaccine are sticking with a single dose. What You Need To Know.
Grand Rapids Business Journal
MillerKnoll may be a new entity, but its diversity, equity and inclusion work started long ago. Formed in 2021 from the merger of Herman Miller, established in 1905, and Knoll, founded in 1938, MillerKnoll is a design company that offers office, workspace and home furnishings for the modern world. Its...
Shares of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) inched 0.91% higher to $181.09 Friday, on what proved to be an all-around positive trading session for the stock market, with the S&P 500 Index (SPX) rising 2.47% to 4,158.24 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) rising 1.76% to 33,212.96. The stock's rise snapped a two-day losing streak. Johnson & Johnson closed $5.60 below its 52-week high ($186.69), which the company achieved on April 25th.
The Cape May County Department of Health will be providing a second booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines will be provided at the Department of Health’s offices, at 6 Moore Road in Cape May Court House on June 6 and June 20 from 3 p.m. to 5 for initial doses and boosters.
JJSF is a $2.5b consumer staples company that is the market leader in soft pretzels. Although J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) has increased dividends for 18 consecutive years, it is trading at 35x PE with a 2% dividend yield. With the US10Y at 2.75%, the returns expected from JJSF are just not that attractive. In addition, over the past 5 years, revenues have remained pretty flat and margins are continually under pressure. Insiders have also been continuously selling since November 2020 (with no insider buys).
If you own your own company or are an aspiring small business owner, here's your chance to learn from one of the best in the industry. Supply chain issues are impacting businesses across the state and the U.S. The pandemic Learn how to better navigate your business through them with an expert.
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Lawn & Landscape magazine has revealed the keynote for the 2022 Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference, taking place Aug. 10-12, 2022, at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, Arizona. Jack Shaw is an Innovation and Emerging Technology Strategist with more than 30 years of experience helping leaders transform their organizations'...


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Manufacturing in the Philippines returned to “marginal” year-on-year growth in June, with the purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rising to 50.8 as quarantine restrictions were relaxed in areas that account for half of the economy and are home to many manufacturers and exporters.
The above-50 PMI in June indicated expansion in manufacturing activities, reversing the below-50 indices in April and May, which indicated contraction. This was the time when the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus — Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal — was placed under the most stringent lockdown in order to contain a COVID-19 outbreak.
“Declines across output, new orders and employment eased while exports rose sharply during the month,” said Shreeya Patel, an economist at London-based global information provider IHS Markit Ltd., in a report on Thursday, July 1.
“Expectations of greater production levels were reflected in firms adding to their stock levels, amid hopes of a stronger third quarter,” Patel said.
However, Patel said the remaining quarantine restrictions still stifled domestic demand, while port congestions slowing global trade were hampering export sales.
The Philippines nonetheless bucked the trend in ASEAN where the regional PMI slipped to 49 in June from 51.8 last May as most other countries in the region posted negative indices when factory production and order books fell due to tighter lockdown measures and supply bottlenecks.


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Europa Park has announced it will remain open between Halloween and its winter season for the first time
The park will be decorated with 180,000 pumpkins, 15,000 chrysanthemums, 100,000 'autumnal flowers', 3,000 bales of straw and 6,000 corn plants
Rides and parades will be dressed with spooky themes, while the grounds will have special effects and lighting
Catering will also offer Halloween-themed food and cocktails
For the first time in its history, Europa-Park has announced it will remain open between Halloween and the start of its winter schedule as part of a ‘HALLOWinter’ offering.
The move is the latest in a series of special openings that has seen the park extending its season.
Europa Park will be open every day from 8th to 26th November 2021 from 11.00am to 7.00pm, with the classic winter season starting on 27th November and running up to and including 9th January 2022 (excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day).
The entire attraction will be decorated for HALLOWinter, with over 180,000 pumpkins arranged around the park, as well as 15,000 chrysanthemums, 100,000 'autumnal flowers', 3,000 bales of straw and 6,000 corn plants. The theme will be completed with spider trees and 'ghostly illuminations' to ensure a thoroughly spooky atmosphere.
During Halloween season, Europa-Park will also be offering an ice show called 'Surpr'Ice with the Celtic Shadows' and a puppet show called 'The Grave Diggers', while 'Hellfire Fountains' will transform the lake in Adventure Land.
Monsters and night creatures will spook guests during a Halloween parade and pumpkin trolls will greet visitors in the Grimms fairy-tale forest.
The Flight of the Vampires ride will also offer a special experience during Halloween, while the Spooky Steps children's labyrinth will be overlaid with Halloween fun for the youngest visitors.
The catering team has also been busy dreaming up specials such as a blood-red, poison-green Scary Burger, pizza Diavolo and poutine chicken pumpkin, as well as a Hallogreen cocktail.
Halloween photo points will be available for guests who want to take home a souvenir.
Ticket prices will start from €55.00 per person for adults and €47.00 for seniors and children aged 4-11-years. Infants up to 3-years-old will go free.Editor's notes
Although Europa Park closes in February, the park's hotels remain open for wellness breaks throughout the winter months.
Europa-Park opened for its first winter season in 2001, when around 180,000 visitors attended – by 2019, that number had grown to around 700,000.
The park is home to an annual Christmas market and Santa Claus Convention, during which visitors wearing a Santa Claus suit get a discount on their ticket price.


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The Amazon Go-style cashierless store concept is being heralded as the next big thing in convenience retailing, except in Philadelphia, USA, that is.
In February, Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney signed a new bill requiring that all stores must accept cash; the first time a major US city has made such a declaration. With the legislation set to be enacted at the start of July, it could be the first time that efforts have been made to growth of the curb the cashless-store concept developed by Amazon and others.
“Most of the people who don’t have credit tend to be lower income, minority, immigrants," a Philadelphia councilman told the Wall Street Journal last month. "It just seemed to me, if not intentional, at least a form of discrimination.”
Following Philadelphia's move, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York are all reportedly considering introducing a ban on cashless stores, to prevent unnecessary discrimination.
Setting A Precedent
Commenting on the measure, e-commerce delivery expert ParcelHero has said that the move could set a precedent for other markets – in the UK, Tesco and the Co-op are trialling cashless technology, as is Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, not to mention countless other retailers in Europe and Asia.
"Fears that cashierless stores could disproportionally affect minorities from low-income households, who don't have smart phones or online bank access, have led the American city of Philadelphia to pass a ban on all cashless stores – including till-less shops. And it’s a move that could be followed across the USA and on this side of the Atlantic," says ParcelHero’s head of consumer research, David Jinks.
"But worries about the impact of the spread of such stores on elderly and disadvantaged households which don’t have access to payment apps and online accounts led Philadelphia’s mayor to sign a bill last month prohibiting cashless stores; and a New York councillor is pushing for a similar ban."
Protecting The Elderly
In the UK, Jinks believes that cashierless stores could be prohibited even before the technology has had time to take root.
"Concerns that the vulnerable and elderly don’t have access to electronic payment methods means the Government frequently insists on the retention of old-fashioned payment methods," he said.
"For example, many merchants are still forced to accept cheques – even though they were supposed to be phased out last year - because the UK Government backtracked on their withdrawal as they are still used by elderly shoppers."
"There's also no change to its position on small change. Against its own Treasury’s advice, the Government is insisting on the retention of low value coins - even though three-quarters of all transactions are now made by card. Again, this is because poorer households and the elderly may have limited access to full bank services. Clearly this approach needs updating as inflation means the 1p piece is now worth considerably less than the 1⁄2 p was before its withdrawal in 1984."
Could this prove a fillip to traditional high street stores? Jinks believes this is likely, however it would curtail the retail sector from moving forward as an industry.
"With High Street stores fighting for their lives, the benefits of queue-free shopping and the considerable savings in wages cashierless stores offer retailers are exactly what is needed," he said. "But if the Philadelphia experiment of banning such stores spreads to the UK, that would spell the end of these trials."
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.


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Apple loses top designer Jony Ive
Apple’s chief designer Jonathan Ive is leaving after more than two decades in which his iconic designs for the Mac, iPod and iPhone turned one of Silicon Valley’s faded giants into the world’s most valuable company. Janine Gibson discusses what this means for Apple and what Sir Jonathan will do next with Tim Bradshaw and Matthew Garrahan.
Contributors: Katie Martin, capital markets editor, Janine Gibson, special projects editor, Matt Garrahan, news editor, and Tim Bradshaw, global technology correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.


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CALGARY — SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts announced on April 5 that construction has begun on the Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary Downtown and SilverBirch Conference Centre in Calgary’s beltline neighbourhood.
Construction on the hotel and conference centre is expected to be completed in early 2019 and will bring 390 long-stay suites to Calgary’s downtown area, making the property one of the largest Residence Inns in the world.
Being built at the corner of 10th Avenue and 5th Street SW, the all-suite property will feature complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi throughout, free hot breakfast daily, complimentary grocery delivery, 24-hour onsite food and beverage market, health and fitness options and public areas that include a terrace lounge and roof deck.
The hotel will also include a 10,000-square-foot SilverBirch Conference Centre offering unlimited and all-day access to Connections Café. The conference facilities will be distraction-free, ergonomically designed and will offer the latest built-in audio visual technology as well as complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the facility.
A second component, also under construction, consists of a residential rental tower that will comprise 303 units over 33 storeys along with a fitness centre for residents and indoor as well as outdoor social space. This building will also offer over 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail anticipated to serve hotel guests, residents and the neighbouring community.


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Investors in the America's most valuable publicly traded company have had a bumpy ride since a 4:1 stock split at the end of trading on August 28. (See chart below.)
But today, Apple stock rose three percent to reach US$115.36. That lifted its value back to US$2 trillion.
This came a day before its "Time Flies" announcement, which is creating a great deal of buzz among techies.
Whathifi.com is betting that all the hype is about the release of Apple Watch Series 6, given that Time Flies is the event's name.
"The high-end ticker is expected to sport a similar design to the Series 5," it stated, "but with speedier internals and blood oxygen monitor."
Macworld contributor Dan Moren agrees that a new Apple Watch, or possibly even iPad Air models, may be unveiled.
"Presumably that means a Series 6," he wrote, "but rumors have also circulated around an additional lower cost model to replace the aging Series 3."
Nobody is expecting a new Apple car, however, even though that was mentioned by former CEO Steve Jobs as far back as 2008.
In the meantime, investors can take pleasure in how the stock fared today, in comparison to much of this month.


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Big Boi recently brought to light offensive "golliwog" dolls in a New Zealand airport, which depict black people in a racially offensive manner. He tweeted photographs of the dolls, which got people talking and wanting to take action.
Big Boi's outburst attracted the attention of The New Zealand Herald, who contacted the airport and had the dolls removed.
Airport corporate relations manager, Richard Llewellyn spoke on the incident, stating: "Once we were made aware, the retailer was immediately asked to remove the product from sale. In this case we acknowledge that this is a product widely regarded as inappropriate. We apologise for any offence caused as a result of this product being on sale at the airport"


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Introducing Gran Turismo Sophy: a Superhuman Racing AI Agent Trained Through Deep Reinforcement Learning
Gran Turismo Sophy, a revolutionary new racing AI agent, was unveiled on February 9. The new technology was developed through a collaboration between Polyphony Digital Inc. (PDI), Sony AI and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE).
Gran Turismo Sophy was created using state-of-the-art deep reinforcement learning technology developed by Sony AI and Gran Turismo, as well as through large-scale training via SIE’s cloud gaming infrastructure. Gran Turismo Sophy takes machine learning to the next level by introducing an AI agent to a hyper-realistic racing simulation that requires real-time decisions on a continual basis for the duration of the race.
Michael Spranger, Sony AI COO, describes Gran Turismo Sophy as “an AI agent that learned to drive by itself at a very competitive level and is able to compete with the best drivers in the world.”
Gran Turismo Sophy began as a blank slate and evolved from an AI that could barely maintain a straight line on a track into a race driver that can compete against the best Gran Turismo Sport drivers in the world.
Gran Turismo Sophy opens up new possibilities for gaming and entertainment. Below we explain how this exciting project came to life.
The First True Test
Gran Turismo Sophy’s training began in April 2020 with the formation of Sony AI. From this point onward, the Sony AI team worked closely with Polyphony Digital to develop and improve the agent’s capabilities. The first "Race Together" event took place on July 2, 2021, where Gran Turismo Sophy competed for the first time against a team of four seasoned GT drivers, led by 2020 FIA Gran Turismo Championships triple champion, Takuma Miyazono.
In solo time trials, Gran Turismo Sophy showed superhuman speed, recording faster lap times than its human counterparts. However, wheel-to-wheel competition against humans proved to be a different case altogether.
“I think we all underestimated how hard it would be to get the sportsmanship side of it right, and learn to do that without being overly aggressive or overly timid in the face of competitors,” said Peter Wurman, Sony AI Director and Project Lead.
Racing Done Right
An AI agent's performance is upper-bounded by the complexity of the challenges it faces, and Gran Turismo can present a great challenge to an AI system because it captures the dynamics and physics of the sport where other similar games only get racing physics partially correct.
“I wanted to recreate cars and the entire culture around cars in a video game,” said Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital.
Charles Ferreira, a PDI engineer, added: “The realism of Gran Turismo comes from the detail that we put into the game, from the engine, tires, and suspension to the tracks and car models.”
It's this realism that makes this a unique AI challenge and pushed the Sony AI team and Gran Turismo Sophy to new heights.
Training with Mass-Scale Infrastructure
Using a technique called reinforcement learning, Gran Turismo Sophy learned to drive through positive and negative feedback using inputs such as how fast it is going, which way the wheels are pointed, the curvature of the track, etc. Mirroring how humans require an estimated 10,000+ hours to become proficient at a skill, Gran Turismo Sophy duplicated itself and took on multiple different scenarios simultaneously. This required a great deal of computing power, which was provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
“With a standard AI simulation, a model is created and then run. Analysis occurs and updates are then added to that simulation and run again. This process can sometimes become extremely time-consuming,” said Justin Beltran, Sr. Director, Future Technology Group, Sony Interactive Entertainment. “However, leveraging SIE’s worldwide mass-scale cloud gaming infrastructure, Gran Turismo Sophy was powered to deploy state-of-the-art learning algorithms and training scenarios and successfully run tens of thousands of simultaneous simulations in this cutting-edge environment that supported this revolutionary technology."
Returning to the Track
The next race session occurred on October 21, 2021, with the hope that Gran Turismo Sophy would win every competition that day, including the team race.
Not only did it dominate across the board, but the team also witnessed it adapting to a tough situation when it had a wipeout early in the third race and still went on to win the race. It took 1st and 2nd place in all three races and won the team score by double-digits over the humans.
While GT Sophy proved its capabilities by outracing the human drivers, the intention of this project is not to replace or diminish human interaction. Instead, it is about expanding and enriching the gaming experience for all players. Sony AI is calling this "AI for Gamers."
“We’re going to create artificial intelligence that will unleash the power of human creativity and imagination,” says Hiroaki Kitano, Sony AI CEO.
Ace-driver Miyazono added: “I want to race with GT Sophy more in the future. I really learned a lot from the AI agent."
"The goal with Gran Turismo Sophy is ultimately to entertain people,” said Yamauchi.
“We envision a future where AI agents could introduce developers and creators to new levels of innovation and unlock doors to unimaged opportunities,” explained Ueli Gallizzi, SVP of Future Technology Group, Sony Interactive Entertainment. “We could see new levels of user engagement, better gaming experiences, and the entry of a whole new generation into the world of gaming.”
We can’t wait to see what lies ahead as the worlds of artificial intelligence and interactive entertainment are bridged, and Gran Turismo Sophy represents the next step in this exciting journey.


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Online marketplace eBay has sent the Government its Mobile Manifesto eBay is submitting its Mobile Manifesto to the Government today, setting out what industry and policymakers must do in order to improve the UK’s mobile infrastructure in order to support growth in the country’s digital and retail economy.
The report includes seven ‘critical areas of focus’ that will boost the UK’s wider economic recovery through the support of this growing industry.
The eBay study found that consumers are being held back from spending owing to frustrations with the speed at which they can complete everyday functions like browsing and shopping on their smartphones.
Half of the 2,000 consumers questioned (45%) are in fact dissatisfied with the speed at which they can download data on their mobile phone.
With the auction for 4G spectrum suffering delays, eBay is calling for Ofcom to proceed as quickly as possible to enable the rollout of next generation broadband in 2013.
According to Verdict research, Ofcom should prioritise improvements to mobile internet coverage on transport routes such as railways and roads as over a third of consumers (36%) already shop on their mobiles whilst travelling — a number which could be boosted to benefit retailers with faster mobile internet and better coverage.
“As smartphone and tablet ownership increases there will be even greater potential rewards for companies investing in mobile, and this is particularly true for retailers,” added Mirian Lahage, Vice President of Global Fashion at eBay. “At eBay in the UK we now see around 10% of sales by value transacted on mobile devices, but we need the right infrastructure in the UK to match this demand. “
Anton Gething, Co-founder & Product Director at nToklo, the social commerce and recommendations experts, added: “I agree with the driving principles behind the manifesto eBay has put forward today. However, although one of the manifesto points is ‘optimising for mobile’ it seems more of a self supporting list for virtual online brands like eBay and does not emphasize enough the need to support the struggling brick and mortar retailers on the high streets and the opportunities mobile can offer to support this aspect of the retail economy.
“In addition to the longer systemic visions put forward in the manifesto, government should turn an immediate focus to promote and support the high street economy, which both employs and offers direct touchpoints to introduce new mobile strategies to consumers. Whether through improved access to Wi-Fi or educating consumers on how mobile devices and platforms can be used for mobile commerce, the High Street still offers a lucrative opportunity for retailers.”


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As per latest report Flipkart owned Myntra has achieved reasonable success in promoting private fashion labels on its site and the offline foray is an extension of this attempt to promote the private labels while keeping the main thrust on the online model. Meanwhile this news comes on the heels on Myntra debuting a new format of fashion retail store in Bengaluru called Roadster Go for the second store of its private label Roadster, which has a 30 second self-checkout facility.
Accordingly the first offline store was opened in Bengaluru in March last year. Ananth Narayanan, CEO, Myntra-Jabong said "The first Roadster store was all about consumer engagement, so we wanted to increase the amount of time that a customer spends interacting with a brand. Meanwhile with this store, we wanted to use technology and make it intuitive for customers and make the customer journey inside a store much easier”.
Furthermore the offline model tries to rope in the
section of the fashion buying population that is not very comfortable making
such purchases online and wish to go through the physical ‘look and feel’
process before they make the purchase. Presently Myntra believes it is keeping
an eye on the profitability aspect as well and claims its private labels
business is already profitable.
PM Narendra Modi is in Singapore for East Asia Summit Sources from Singapore stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for a two day visit during which he will attend the East Asia Summit, an ASEAN India informal meet, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership summit and hold a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence. Meanwhile the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a tweet PM Modi's
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More than a quarter of British Netflix subscribers allow their friends and family to use their accounts, with at least 17m homes estimated to be password sharing across the embattled streaming platform’s biggest markets in Europe.
Netflix announced plans to crack down on the practice as one of a number of strategic moves designed to stem investor panic after it had more than $60bn (£47bn) wiped off its market value last week when it reported its first loss of subscribers in a decade.
The world’s biggest streaming service, which expects its 221 million global subscriber base to shrink by millions more when it reports its next set of results covering April to June, has estimated that about 100m homes that pay for its service globally share their passwords with others.
In the UK at least 27% of Netflix’s estimated 14.9 million subscribers, more than 4m accounts, allow other households to use their accounts to watch shows from Bridgerton to Stranger Things for free, according to the research firm Digital i, which said the true figure is almost certainly higher.
“Our estimates came from analysing account activity, and we corroborated this with various other sources,” said Ali Vahdati, the Digital i chief executive. “That said, we still believe our results to slightly underestimate the [actual] incidence of password sharing.”
Its analysis revealed that account sharing is most prevalent among younger Netflix fans, with at least 29% of 18- to 24-year-old UK subscribers doing so. This compares with a more moderate 18% of 45- to 54-year-olds.
The research found that in Netflix’s five biggest European markets – the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy – a “minimum” of 17 million subscriber households share their passwords. The Spanish have proved to be the most prolific sharers, at 47% of subscribers, followed by Germany (42%), France (35%) and Italy (33%). The UK, Netflix’s biggest European market by some distance, has the lowest level of password sharing of the five.
A decade of barnstorming growth had previously led Netflix to take a lenient approach to password sharing, with the company’s co-founder and co-chief executive Reed Hastings stating it had “no plans” to crack down on the practice.
“Password sharing is something you have to learn to live with because there’s so much legitimate password sharing, like you sharing with your spouse, with your kids,” he said, speaking in 2016. “So there’s no bright line, and we’re doing fine as is.”
However, a combination of Netflix nearing saturation in many of its biggest markets, rising competition from rivals such as Amazon and Disney+ and a string of price increases has put pressure on the company’s growth, prompting the management to change its tune.
“When we were growing fast [password sharing] was not a high priority, but now we’re working super hard on it,” Hastings said at the company’s financial update last week.
Last month, Netflix began a trial charging subscribers in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru – password sharing is particularly high in Latin America – $2 to $3 a month to add up to two extra profiles outside their household to their account.
The UK streaming boom ground to a halt in the first quarter this year. Last week, research from Kantar showed that the number of UK homes that have at least one paid-for subscription streaming service fell by 215,000, ending a decade of uninterrupted growth as households cut budgets to cope with the cost of living crisis.
The research found that the proportion of consumers planning to cancel at least one video streaming service stating the reason as “wanting to save money” has hit an all-time high of 38%.


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The coffee market is also growing strongly in Africa: ten African brands are making huge profits, and the first four are exported all over the world.
Tag: Competitive scenario
Since the invention of single-use coffee pods in 1997, their market share continued to grow and still does today, surpassing even drip coffee in 2011. Is it the new field into invest? Lean more
China continues to be one of the largest growing markets for the coffee shop industry. But what is the secret of its new coffee business model?
Nestlé and Starbucks are expected to close an agreement by the end of 2018. It will allow Nestlé to sell coffee from the Starbucks brand. Nestlé will pay Starbucks $7.15bn (£5.28bn), and at least 500 Starbucks employees will work with
The Eastern European coffee market seems to be a growing business, as reported by Bloomberg. This market is entirely dominated by Poland and Russia and it has increased its percentage share up to 5.3 percent, compared with only 1.8 percent
Are Coffee Shops going to scrap free wifi in order to avoid the use of laptops in their cafes? According to The Guardian, it is what it is happening in different coffee shops all over the world. Dough Lover, Brighton’s
Costa Coffee declared a decline in its sales of 1.5%, relating to the third quarter of 2017, as reported by the Guardian. However it is still one of the most important coffee chains in the UK. The Company was created
China is best known as a tea-drinking country, but, in the last few years, it has become one of the largest coffee consumers in the world, when speaking of the emerging countries. In particular, coffee consumption has grown among young
The Ukrainian branch of Russia’s largest coffee chain, Coffee House, did not succeed in finding a buyer for its assets and had to cut the number of coffee shops. Previously, the Ukrainian chain included 17 sites, but now only four coffee
The coffee bean is one of the world’s most valuable agricultural products from the tropics: it’s worth over $100 billion worldwide. The coffee chain is characterised by a huge difference between production and consumption: on one side we have 25 million small farmers producing 80% of the world’s total coffee supply, for less than $2 a day, on the other side we have the “Big Four” coffee roasting companies – Kraft, P&G, Sara Lee and Nestle – buying about 50% of the coffee produced worldwide. This make the relation between buyers and producers in the coffee chain [Sign in to continue]


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Asus’ Republic of Gamers has just teased their upcoming Ryzen-powered laptop in a new video. This will also be the world’s first Ryzen laptop that we’re aware of, and will be revealed in a couple of weeks at Computex 2017.
The video shows Ryzen’s circular orange logo with an ROG-themed notebook sitting in front of it. The words “Something Has Awakened” can be seen at the bottom while video’s brief description includes the #Computex2017 hashtag.
The video doesn’t reveal much about the laptop, but one thing you can bet is that it won’t be cheap since Asus reserves ROG for premium gaming gear.
AMD has already promised that its Ryzen Mobile CPUs will launch in laptops in the third quarter. The CPUs will pack on-die Vega graphics core, offering a “phenomenal” gaming experience for notebook computers.
At their Financial Analyst Day yesterday, AMD claimed the Ryzen Mobile would offer 50% better CPU performance and 40% better GPU performance than its current generation. Not only this but the company also promised 50% less power usage versus APUs it offers today.
AMD also revealed that it has been working for months with top hardware partners to introduce new gaming systems which will include both ultraportables and two-in-one PCs.
The Sunnyvale based company hopes the Zen-based APUs will mark its return to the high-performance mobile sector. But, it’s not the only market AMD is planning to target this summer.
As detailed at FAD, AMD also has Ryzen Pro up its sleeve for the commercial PC market. The chips will roll out over the year and next, with performance on par with what Intel offers.
Are you looking forward to the reveal of Ryzen laptop by Asus ROG? Let us know in the comments.