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Sedo is top parking company, but many newcomers rank in the top 10.
Sedo and SedoPro are the top domain name parking companies according to respondents in Domain Name Wire’s 7th annual domain name industry survey. But a lot of new parking companies are challenging it.
In absolute numbers, Sedo was ranked top. Google’s self-serve Adsense for Domains program, which is closing, ranked second.
A good way to look at the parking rankings is to consider what percentage of people who have used a particular service voted for that service. Most people have tried multiple parking services so they have a good idea of relative experience.
Here are the top 10, ranked by percentage of people who have used the service that voted it as their favorite. All companies in the top 10 were used by 47 or more survey respondents.
1. Sedo/SedoPro 76%
2. Google Adsense for Domains 70%
3. InternetTraffic 61%
4. HotKeys 38%
5. The Parking Place 37%
6. NameDrive 36%
7. Voodoo 35%
8. Bodis 34%
9. Rook Media 34%
10. Domain Advertising 33%
Amazingly, four of these companies weren’t around during last year’s survey: InternetTraffic, The Parking Place, Voodoo, and Rook Media.


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The value of exports from Cambodia to China in the first seven months of 2023 came in at $815 million, rising more than 16 per cent compared to the same period in 2022 with bilateral trade reaching nearly $7.1 billion.
According to the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia (GDCE), exports to China between January and July 2023 grew 16.2 per cent to $814.7 million from $701.2 million in 2022. Imports from China amounted to $6.3 billion, up 0.1 per cent from $6.3 billion.
Bilateral trade volume expanded 1.8 per cent to around $7 billion from a year ago. Cambodia experienced a trade deficit of more than $5.5 billion, marginally lower than the same period in 2022.
Data from the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia showed that in 2022, bilateral trade increased 4.4 percent to $11.7 billion from 2021.
Of that, Cambodia exported $1.2 billion worth of goods to China, down 17.9 per cent while Cambodia imported $10.4 billion, up 7.9 per cent.
Read the full article here.
by Hin Pisei |Phnom Penh Post Publication |date 13 August 2023 | 19:37 ICT

domain: news


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- The Rise of Electric Vehicles
- Shifting Consumer Preferences
- Changing Business Models
- The Role of Car Dealerships
- Opportunities for Car Dealerships
- Adjustments Needed
Electric vehicles (EVs) have revolutionized the automotive industry, offering a cleaner and more sustainable mode of transportation. As the demand for EVs continues to grow, traditional car dealerships are facing new challenges and opportunities. This article explores the impact of electric vehicles on car dealerships, analyzing how they are changing the business model and identifying the adjustments and opportunities that dealerships need to consider.
In recent years, electric vehicles have gained significant traction in the automotive market. With advancements in technology and increasing concerns about the environment, more consumers are opting for electric vehicles over traditional gasoline-powered cars. This shift is not only impacting the automobile manufacturing sector but also transforming the business model of traditional car dealerships.
Electric vehicles have gained popularity due to their environmental benefits, reduced operating costs, and government incentives. The advancements in battery technology have significantly improved the range and charging capabilities of EVs, making them a viable option for everyday use. As a result, the demand for electric vehicles has surged, and major automakers are investing heavily in their EV offerings.
Consumers are increasingly prioritizing sustainability and are drawn to electric vehicles due to their lower carbon emissions. The rising awareness about climate change and the need for eco-friendly transportation have prompted many individuals to switch to EVs. This shift in consumer preferences has created a new market segment that car dealerships need to address.
The rise of electric vehicles has disrupted the traditional business model of car dealerships. Unlike traditional combustion engine vehicles, electric vehicles require less maintenance and have fewer mechanical components. This change poses a challenge for car dealerships as they rely heavily on revenue generated from service and repairs.
Car dealerships play a crucial role in the sale and distribution of vehicles. However, with the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, their role is evolving. Dealerships now need to become knowledgeable about electric vehicle technology, charging infrastructure, and government incentives. They must invest in training their sales teams to effectively educate and assist customers in making informed decisions.
While the shift to electric vehicles presents challenges, it also offers numerous opportunities for car dealerships. Dealerships can embrace EVs by investing in charging infrastructure on their premises, providing customers with a convenient charging experience. They can also offer specialized services such as EV maintenance, repairs, and battery replacements. Additionally, dealerships can leverage partnerships with electric utility companies and offer bundled services to customers, further enhancing their value proposition.
To thrive in the era of electric vehicles, car dealerships must adapt and make necessary adjustments. They need to revamp their sales strategies to educate and promote the benefits of electric vehicles. Dealerships should invest in training programs for their sales staff to enhance their knowledge and expertise in EV technology. Additionally, they must create a seamless customer experience by providing test drives, assisting with charging infrastructure installation, and offering comprehensive after-sales support.
The increasing adoption of electric vehicles is transforming the automotive industry, and car dealerships must embrace this change. While it presents challenges, the shift to electric vehicles also brings opportunities for dealerships to evolve their business models and cater to the growing demand for sustainable transportation. By investing in the necessary adjustments and seizing the opportunities, car dealerships can remain relevant and thrive in the evolving market.
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Nick Zamanov is a head of sales and business development at Cyber Switching. He is an expert in EV infrastructure space and he is an EV enthusiast since 2012, Since then Nick strongly believed that electric vehicles would eventually replace Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars.


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One of the longest running coffee shops in Ballard has announced that they’re rebranding.
As part of the rebrand, Java Bean is going to change their name to Venture Coffee Co. The company, which has been operating in Ballard for almost 30 years, says they’ll keep many things the same, but with a new look.
“Just as we are built on tradition, we value innovation. We are updating our look, and as always, will continue to source excellent coffee and provide amazing breakfast bagels,” the sign reads in front of the shop.
Java will close from Feb. 25 to March 3 while they renovate.
Thanks Michael Allen Smith for the photo and the tip!


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mybestfit is a free shopping service that uses the only 3D whole-body scanner that measures a fully-clothed individual using safe, low-power radio waves. In less than 10 minutes, customers are scanned, size-matched, and have a Shopping Guide of what fits and looks good on them. Unique Solutions Design Ltd. has developed innovative fit solutions and technologies since 1994 with a focus on individual body size and shape. The company holds the largest database of body measurements in the world.The mybestfit technology was developed to combat the frustration customers experience when trying to determine their size across a variety of brands that lack sizing standards. Consumer research confirms that shoppers’ biggest barrier to trying new brands is the uncertainty of size and fit. The mybestfit shopping service aims to revolutionize the retail industry by increasing sales and eliminating costly returns.
“MyBestFit will make shopping for apparel fast and easy. Previous short-term installation of the concept resulted in increased sales for participating brands of 20%, an increased number of garments purchased from 1.3 to 3.6 garments, and a significant reduction in returns,” said Tanya Shaw, CEO of Unique Solutions, the company behind mybestfit. “Many people have three to five different sizes in their closet and more if their weight fluctuates. Size and fit is the single most important issue that keeps people from enjoying their shopping experience.”
The King of Prussia Mall is the first location nationwide for mybestfit. The company plans to roll the technology out at several shopping centers across the country in the next year. Located on the upper level of the Plaza, next to Sephora, the mybestfit kiosk is one of a handful of new retailers that has opened recently at King of Prussia Mall. Other new retailers include Tory Burch, Intimacy Bra, Soma Intimates and Tous, a retailer specializing in unique jewelry and accessories.
For more information on the mybestfit technology please visit: www.mybestfit.com


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Given the many health benefits of breast-feeding—and that most shoppers don’t want to hear an hungry infant screaming in aisle nine—you’d think stores would be more supportive of a woman’s effort to feed her baby. But perhaps a manager at a Walmart in Oklahoma likes crying children, or didn’t know that the state has a law protecting a woman’s right to nurse in public. Either way, he’s probably regretting telling new mom Elizabeth Moreno to quit nursing her child and cover up.
“I was kind of shocked, like, do what? I didn’t know what I was doing wrong,” Moreno told Fox 23 on Tuesday.
Moreno left the store last week feeling humiliated by the manager’s request, but she didn’t hang her head for long. On Tuesday, she and about 20 other mothers and their infants descended on the store to hold a breast-feeding demonstration called a nurse-in.
A nurse-in is like an old-school sit-in, but with more breast-feeding. To protest the manager’s behavior, Moreno and the other moms walked around the Walmart in Glenpool, about 15 minutes south of Tulsa, with their babies. As you can see in the video below, some of the women chose to openly nurse their infants while they walked.
“We did get some looks and stuff. People were very curious,” one of the moms, Renee McBay, told the station.
Moreno said that the when the manager approached her last week, he said another customer had complained about her breast-feeding.
“I was like, ‘Oh no, I’m protected by Oklahoma law that it’s OK to breast-feed in public,’ ” she said.
The station contacted a Walmart spokesperson, who said that the company is investigating the situation and that it supports a woman’s right to nurse her child inside its stores.
It’s unclear whether the manager in Glenpool was aware of Walmart’s corporate policy on breast-feeding in public—or if he knew Moreno had the legal right to nurse her baby on the premises. But in order to ensure that folks in the community are aware, she and the other nurse-in participants passed out pamphlets educating Walmart shoppers and employees about their right to feed a hungry infant.
Those pamphlets could come in handy elsewhere around the country too, because moms keep on being taken to task for breast-feeding in public.
Last June, Karlesha Thurman was shamed online for sharing a photo on social media of her nursing her baby during her graduation from California State University, Long Beach. Then in August, an employee at an Anthropologie store in Beverly Hills, California, asked mom Ingrid Wiese Hesson to stop nursing on the premises. Nearly 100 moms held a nurse-in at the store to support Hesson’s legal right to feed her infant, and the backlash against the retailer went viral across Facebook and Twitter.
In the workplace, women have long been illegally steered toward filthy bathrooms and closets in order to use their breast pumps. This week, news broke that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the petition of Angela Ames, who had sued her former employer, Nationwide Insurance, alleging that the company made it tough for her to use her breast pump in the office and coerced her into resigning from her job.
Maybe more nurse-ins are needed to help people finally understand that feeding a baby is not optional. Or perhaps moms should just threaten shoppers with the alternative and let their hungry infants shriek in public for 10 minutes. Let’s see how folks feel about that.
See video here http://www.fox23.com/videos/news/breastfeeding-mothers-protest-at-walmart/vDDmkJ/
Learn more here http://www.fox23.com/news/news/local/breastfeeding-moms-hold-nurse-glenpool-walmart/nj4MD/


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Shop-Vac issues termination letters Tuesday
WILLIAMSPORT — First-shift workers at Shop-Vac Corp. on Reach Road in the industrial park carried out letters of termination in their hands Tuesday.
Many walked somberly to their vehicles parked outside the factory that manufactures and sells vacuums worldwide.
Management declined to comment.
“It’s been 20 years,” woman carrying her desk items in a cardboard box said as she loaded the box into an SUV. “It’s going to be hard starting over.”
In the termination letter, a requirement under Department of Labor regulations, workers were informed the global COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis has resulted in the company facing “dire financial conditions.”
Two employees with Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships were handing out notices informing the displaced workers they would be able to be interviewed and potentially find work at the vehicle dealership.
Shop Vac is considered to be the world leader in heavy-duty vacuums for consumer, commercial, and industrial applications, and pioneered the world’s first in-vehicle vacuum system. Best known for its wet/dry vacs, the company also manufactures motors, air movers, fans, blowers, trash cans and mop buckets.
Shop Vac has been a privately held company owned by the Miller family for more than 60 years. Felice A. Miller was appointed its first woman President & COO last year, replacing her father, Jonathan Miller, who will continues as chairman & CEO.
Felice, is the granddaughter of Shop Vac’s founder, Martin Miller.


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Ridge Racer gets PSN re-release
Get your racing cars ready, because Ridge Racer Type 4 is coming to town! The PS1 classic is hitting PlayStation Network next month for both PS3 and PSP.
It was originally released in 1999 to raving reviews. The game offers arcade-style drift racing that is synonymous with the series. The re-release features 48 cars, over 300 variations, eight tracks, two-player split-screen and enhanced graphics. No price was given.
A new Ridge Racer game is also in development for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. They are also making a Nintendo 3DS version.
GTi Club+ Dated
Konami sends word that a completely updated and enhanced version of GTi Club+ will be released via the PlayStation Store on December 4. It will be priced at 14.99 Euros and will offer all new graphics and expanded gameplay elements.
To be a 335MB download, the game will feature a French locale within a giant game map. It will run at 60 fps and offer five licensed cars – Austin Mini Cooper, Renault 5, Fiat A112, Abarth, Lancia Delta and the VW Golf GTi.
Additions to the game include new game modes, as well as PlayStation Eye support. It also supports 5.1 surround sound and player-to-player voice communications.
Capcom Blames Rising Fuel Costs for Ailing Arcade Business
Capcom, one of the last remaining developers still making games for arcades, has blamed the declining Japanese arcade market on the rising cost of fuel, among other things.
Their latest earnings report shows “sluggish growth” in the ailing arcade market, even though the company opened up nine new arcade plazas across the country last year.
“There were several factors that negatively affected performance: the dissemination of home video game machines, intensified competition, declining popularity of card dispensing games for children, and the decrease of visitors to those arcades located in suburban shopping malls due to rising gasoline/petrol prices,” Capcom said.
The company notes that its arcade operating income took a huge dip in 2007 versus the previous year, leading to a nearly 10% drop in Capcom’s net profit for its arcade business.
TrackMania United Forever Gets New Tracks
The next edition in the TrackMania series, TrackMania United Forever, is launching this Friday and will feature even more tracks than before. The game will also feature quite a few new cars and will let players share their custom-created tracks as well as customized cars. Below is the car list:
- Stadium Car – Iconic TrackMania car that’s part F1 car, part sturdy buggy
- Fast racing Car – The fastest car in the TrackMania series will test your reaction times
- The ‘American’ – Sensitive suspension to challenge handling skills
- 4×4 Grand Class – Fast and flexible with a motor revved to the max
- Rally Car – Slide round dirt tracks with this ultra light and ultra powerful vehicle
- Roadster – Requires meticulous driving with expert acceleration and breaking
- Pick-Up – Rough and tumble racing with a mechanical monster
More after the jump.
Xbox 360 Arcade Officially Announced, Released
Microsoft has finally come out of the closet and announced Xbox 360 Arcade, a cheaper model of the Xbox 360. Aimed at families this coming Holiday season, the Arcade model will retail for $279/£199 that includes a 256MB memory card and a wireless controller as well as a disc containing full versions of the five following Xbox Live Arcade titles: Pac-Man, Uno, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rocket and Feeding Frenzy.
The new model is already available in North America. It will hit UK stores this Friday, October 26.
Cyclomite on InstantAction
Wideload Shorts sends word that it will release Cyclomite, an online browser-based game to support its launch of InstantAction, an online gaming site. To be released early next year, the game will have players pilot the titular vehicle through relentless meteor storms. There will be two multiplayer modes, hundreds of co-operative multiplayer levels, and a competitive versus multiplayer mode.
“For InstantAction to succeed, we need to have the top Indie developers participating. So we are stoked to have Wideload bring us an original title,” said Josh Williams, CEO of Garagegames.com. “We haven’t stopped there. We expect other top developers to announce their support Instant Action in the coming months.”
InstantAction.com is the first web-based game network that will provide original action games through standard web browsers. The site will go live during January 2008.
Contra 4 Shoots Release Date
The badass-ness of Contra is coming soon to your DS, as Contra 4 is being released on November 13. A dedicated website for the game will launch later this month. The game goes back to the series’ roots and will feature hardcore gameplay with two-player cooperative play.
Gridrunner Running to Xbox Live
Trippy shooter Gridrunner++ is headed to Xbox Live, as revealed by Jeff Minter, the psychedelic game’s creator, on his Livejournal blog. Already available on PC and Mac, with demos available from the Llamasoft website, the game is a traditional top-down shooter injected with flying sheep and weird stage names, among other things.
“I already have it running modified for the different aspect ratio and working off the x360 pad as opposed to the mouse, and I’m changing and extending the gameplay; it’ll be a much more involved game than the PC-only predecessor,” he wrote on his blog. “I’m getting all the gameplay working first then I’ll overhaul the graphics; we’ll likely go for algorithm generated 3D shapes rather than the hand-drawn sprites of the PC original.”
Space Ace Goes HD
The legendary animated arcade game Space Ace has been re-released in high definition. Video from the game has been transferred directly from the original film source, resulting in sharp images and vibrant colors which are said to be better than the original laser disc release.
Dubbed Space Age HD, the game will also feature a completely new five channel surround sound audio mix and more. Here’s the deal on the story:
In Space Ace you play the heroic Ace who must stop the evil Commander Borf from taking over the Earth! Borf plans to reduce all of humankind to infants and take over the planet. Only two people have the courage and strength to stop Borf and save Earth: the beautiful Kimberly and the heroic Ace. But as they approach Borf’s stronghold, Ace is hit by the Infanto Ray, changing him into a child, and Kimberly is kidnapped by the evil madman! The fate of Earth is in your hands!
The game will be available later this Fall on PC. It will also be released on Blu-ray and HD-DVD sometime next year.


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Small Business Owners Find Silver Lining Amid Economic Challenges
Members of 360 Business Coach,
In the ever-shifting landscape of economic sentiment, it’s crucial to stay informed about the latest trends affecting small businesses. Today, I bring forth some intriguing findings that shed light on the current mindset of small business owners across the nation.
Recent data from the CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Confidence Index reveals a noteworthy shift in attitude among small business owners, despite persistent challenges such as inflation. Optimism regarding the economy is on the rise, reaching its highest level since President Joe Biden assumed office. According to the latest quarterly data, twenty-eight percent of small business owners now describe the current state of the economy as “excellent” or “good,” marking a significant uptick from previous quarters.
What’s particularly striking is that this surge in optimism coincides with a heightened sense of confidence in the Federal Reserve’s ability to tackle inflation. Despite lingering concerns about inflation’s impact on businesses, there’s a palpable sense of cautious optimism among respondents. Moreover, the survey indicates that a growing number of small business owners believe inflation may have peaked, signaling a potential turning point in their outlook.
However, it’s essential to acknowledge that challenges persist, with inflation remaining a top concern for many small business owners. Nearly a third of respondents cite inflation as the biggest risk to their business, underscoring the ongoing impact of rising prices on operations and profitability.
Interestingly, as we delve deeper into the data, we uncover insights into the intersection of economic sentiment and political affiliation. President Biden’s approval rating among small business owners has experienced a notable decline, reaching a new low according to the CNBC|SurveyMonkey survey. This decline in approval ratings underscores the disconnect between the administration’s economic message and the perceptions of small business owners on Main Street.
Despite the political dynamics at play, it’s encouraging to note that overall small business confidence is experiencing a rebound, reaching levels not seen since the beginning of President Biden’s term. This resilience is evident across various political leanings, with small business owners expressing a more positive outlook on sales and hiring prospects.
In conclusion, while challenges persist, there’s a palpable sense of optimism among small business owners, buoyed by recent economic indicators and a growing confidence in the Fed’s ability to address inflation. As we navigate the evolving economic landscape, it’s crucial for small business owners to stay informed, adaptable, and resilient in the face of uncertainty.
Here at 360 Business Coach, we remain committed to providing you with the insights and support you need to thrive in today’s ever-changing business environment.
360 Business Coach


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Pagani has released a slew of images showcasing its new Zonda R track-only widow-maker. The Zonda F was already a wicked looking go-kart for boys with huge 'nads', but the Zonda R is wider, lower, longer and lighter than its predecessor.
By the way, it's also faster... and more expensive. (Do not apply unless your wallet is seriously overstuffed.)
The Zonda R is Pagani's final tribute to the current Zonda range, and yet is a staggering 90-percent new. Extensive use of an industry first, according to Pagani, carbon-fibre/titanium composite material sheds almost 200 kilo's ballast. That brings the Zonda R down to a featherweight 1030kgs.
A 550kW (740hp) 6.0-litre V12 engine combines with Pagani's first paddle-shift gearbox to propel the Zonda R from 0-100km/h in 3-seconds flat. A top speed of over 370km/h is also possible thanks to the R's trick aerodynamics package.
Only 16 Pagani Zonda R's will be produced, but only 15 will be available for sale - Pagani is keeping one for itself.
A mere 2.8 million Aussie dollars is all that's needed to get your hands on the R. For those who love their cars in carbon/titanium composites, it might just be the bargain of the year. Be sure to have a click through the gallery below, it's magic.


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Russia: Inflation falls in December
December 31, 2015
Preliminary data released on 31 December by the Federal Statistics Office (Rosstat) showed that consumer prices rose 0.8% over the previous month, which followed a similar increase in November. The reading fell short of the 0.9% rise the markets had expected. More complete data will be released on 13 January.
Inflation fell sharply from 15.0% in November to 12.9% in December. The reading marked a fourth consecutive decline from the peak registered in August (15.8%) and the lowest rate in 2015, despite the weakening of the Russian ruble and the recent embargo on Turkish products. Inflation slowed significantly in December 2015 due a base effect, as the annual variation in consumer prices rose notably in December 2014. Moreover, due to the base effect, inflation is expected to continue easing in the coming months, but upward pressures to consumer prices are likely to come from the persistent weakness in the Russian ruble and Russia’s ban on imports from Turkey and Ukraine. Inflation closed 2015 above the Central Bank’s inflation target of 4.5%.
Author: Ricardo Aceves, Senior Economist


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A fifth of today's consumers (21 percent, up from 16 percent in 2012) say that beverages play a very important role in deciding which restaurants to visit for meals.
This increase is primarily driven by consumers aged 18–44, who tend to use beverages for a wide variety of occasions, including snacks and social visits.
Operators are maximizing potential beverage occasions by promoting off-peak dining hours and launching innovative, custom beverages that get people in the door. Consumer demand for variety and customization will lead to even more innovation in terms of beverage type and flavor, and an increasing focus on health and natural ingredients will inspire drink development.
"Operators must focus on increased consumer demand for variety and health when they are developing or revamping their beverage menus," says Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic. "Restaurants with strong beverage programs can play into health and variety by offering customization options for core drinks."
To help foodservice executives understand the latest behaviors, preferences and attitudes of consumers regarding non-alcohol beverages, Technomic has published an update of its Beverage Consumer Trend Report. Interesting findings include:
- Fast-food concepts dominate: 89 percent of consumers purchased food and/or a beverage in the last month at a fast-food restaurant, more than for any other segment.
- Convenience and speed are strong beverage traffic drivers: 44 percent of consumers say they are more likely to visit concepts with than without a drive-thru for beverage-only occasions.
- More than two-fifths of consumers (44 percent, up from 39 percent in 2012) call for healthier beverages at restaurants.
- At least two-fifths of consumers strongly agree that full-service restaurants (46 percent, up from 42 percent in 2010) and fast-food concepts (40 percent) should offer greater beverage variety.


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Ford joins General Motor and Tesla in helping with ventilator and mask supply
- Published | 25 March 2020
The Ford is working with GE and 3M to source more vital equipment to the medical community
On 24th March 2020, Ford has announced it’s working with 3M and General Electric to create the ventilators and masks that are currently in short supply as the world battles the unique coronavirus pandemic. The organization joins other carmakers like General Motors and Tesla in helping out the medical association after idling their automotive plants owing to the effects the epidemic is having on both consumer demand and the global supply chain.
It all occurs at a crucial time. As more people are getting infected with the coronavirus, there’s an increased need for protective equipment like masks to keep health care workers safe and ventilators to treat people with the worst symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Many places are still in short supply of both.
According to Ford, it is assisting 3M to increase the total output of powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) masks, and the two organizations are also coming up with a new design based on off-the-shelf parts to go as quick as possible. Ford added that the new model could leverage fans from its F-150 truck’s cooled seats as well as HEPA air filters and portable battery packs for power tools that are already made by 3M. The automaker says it’s still trying to figure out how and where to build these new-generation PAPRs. But Ford believes it could potentially help 3M boost production of the masks tenfold.
In addition to that, Ford is working with GE’s health care unit to figure out how to help the company make a simplified version of its ventilators. Ford added that these ventilators could be produced at a Ford manufacturing site and also at GE location. Ventilators are already in short supply and will continue to be as the virus spreads, and as more people realize, acute respiratory symptoms of COVID-19.
Ford is also making and testing new face shields to help medical professionals mitigate the risk of becoming infected with the novel coronavirus, which can be spread by tiny droplets in a person’s cough or sneeze.
Many of the United States most recognizable companies have entered the effort to help reinforce the country’s increasingly stressed medical care system. Automakers are driving the charge in some ways by getting involved in sourcing supplies and assessing the ways to speed up the production of the most urgently needed equipment, like masks and ventilators. But turning up medical equipment manufacturing operations is likely to take a lot longer than people like President Trump have made it seem, regardless of whether he invokes the Defense Production Act.
General Motors announced that it was partnering with ventilator manufacturer Ventec Life Systems and offering the firm help with logistics, manufacturing, and purchasing issues to increase its output.
Tesla was able to buy what CEO Elon Musk said were surplus ventilators from China. The company handed more than 1,000 of them over to the state of California. Musk and Tesla also sent some 50,000 3M-made N95 surgical masks to the University of Washington’s Medical Center.
- Prebiotics consumption expands in food and beverage applications...
- Online education industry – How has COVID-19 impacted the growth dynamics
- Lithium ion batteries continue to gain phenomenal traction in the automotive sector...
- Personal Protective Equipment Industry – 6 Major Application Sectors Driving...


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Devices like e-readers, tablets and smartphones could get faster storage as early as next year with the new SD 4.0 media card specification, the SD Association said.
Can optical drives get new life? That's the idea behind Hitachi-LG Data Storage's concept of hybrid optical drives. First shown at Computex last June, Hitachi-LG Data Storage was showing its hybrid optical drive in action at Storage Visions today.
Storage company Rocstor has added two new USB 3.0 devices to their product line up, just in time for CES 2011.
CES just wouldn't be the same without its fair share of "World's first" claims. So, keeping up with tradition is Samsung, which has announced that it has created the World's first DDR4 DRAM.
The war is over and USB has won ... or has it? At CES this week a new wireless SATA interface will try to dethrone SuperSpeed USB by offering speeds of up to 6Gbps vs. USB 3.0's max of 5Gbps.
Samsung Electronics said it has completed development of the first DDR4 DRAM module, which offers twice the performance of today's DDR3 DRAM and reduces power consumption when used in a notebook by 40%.
Micron Technology today announced its highest capacity laptop solid-state drives (SSDs) based on its smallest circuitry technology; the largest SSD doubles the amount of data that can be stored compared to its predecessor.
Solid-state storage has helped to raise the wave of portable PC alternatives that has hit the market over the past few years, and 2011 is likely to see that technology become more affordable and better performing.
Samsung on Tuesday released its first solid state drive (SSD) built with consumer-class NAND flash but targeted for use in enterprise-class storage systems.
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has announced the industry's highest density, single-platter hard disk drive that has an areal density of 636Gbit/inch, almost 100Gbit per square inch more than its closest competitor.
Cloud sync service Dropbox has announced the final release of its client software. Dropbox 1.0 "Rainbow Shell" comes with performance increases, courtesy of a reduction in resources used by the program, as well as hundreds of bug fixes. However, the ...
Seagate has introduced a new high-speed, eco-friendly hard drive for low-power personal computers. The 3.5-inch desktop drive spins at 5900 RPM and includes the company's SmartAlign technology.
IBM has selected STEC solid state drives (SSDs) based on consumer flash memory for use in its midrange and high-end storage arrays, the maker of SSD technologies for OEMs said today.
It's a strange world. When Amazon Web Services booted Wikileaks off its servers last week, many people (including me) said it raised significant questions about the rush into cloud services.
Toshiba announced its first enterprise-class solid state drives (SSDs), which boast data transfer rates of up to 510MB/sec.
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Tesla (TSLA) decided to remove radars from its EVs around 2 years ago. The automaker has now decided to re-install it.
The forward-facing radar was an important component of the Tesla Autopilot self-driving system. But the automaker replaced it in favor of Tesla Vision as its neural nets and artificial intelligence (AI) systems advanced significantly.
However, it seems like Tesla is retreating from its decision and 2 years and millions of miles of FSD Beta testing has proven the importance of a radar.
The confirmation of the radar’s return to Tesla vehicles was confirmed last week by a Tesla ethical hacker named Green. He got his hands on a new Tesla Model X which is equipped with the latest Autopilot hardware suite known as Hardware 4 or just HW4 in short.
HW4 Tesla cars have the capacity for additional cameras and the latest FSD Computer. Now radar is also part of the HW4 setup.
However, according to Green, for now, he can only confirm the presence of the new radar in Model S and Model X HW4 vehicles only. Because of a different configuration setting, the physical inspection of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles is needed for final confirmation.
In a private message conversation, Green confirmed to us that it’s an HD/high-resolution radar but probably not an imaging radar.
My guess is if Tesla is adding HW4 to its entire lineup in production right now, the radar should be part of all Model S, X, 3, and Y.
Tesla is getting these new radars manufactured in Taiwan from an unknown supplier. But the label shows it’s Made in Taiwan.
Green took some good closeup pictures of the new radar component which he shared on his Twitter feed last week.
Interestingly, the above image shows the FCC ID of the new Tesla radar which is 2AEIM-1541584. I took this information and searched on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website.
The FCC website shows that Tesla applied for this radar’s FCC certification last year in July. This search showed some interesting information about the new radar (FCC model # 1541584). The operating frequency of the new Tesa radar is between 76,000 – 77,000 MHz.
FCC docs also show that the Tesla radar is installed behind the front bumper. Because its basic task is to help in detecting objects in the front. Radar becomes more useful in rain or snow where cameras are left with limited visibility. Radar also improves automatic emergency braking (AEB) performance.
“The device listed above comply with Part 15 of the FCC rules and Industry Canada’s license-exempt RSS Standard(s) and Eu Directive 2014/53/EU,” the FCC document states (see screenshot below).
The product complies with the FCC/IC RF Exposure for Low Power Consumer Wireless Power Transfer. The RF exposure limit set forth for an uncontrolled environment and are safe for intended operations as described in this manual. The furthest RF exposure that compliance was demonstrated at 20cm or greater separation from the user body.Source: FCC Certification
It will be interesting to follow the Autopilot/FSD Beta progress as Tesla re-includes radar into the algorithm once again. If it helps improve the Full Self Driving system, it might be Tesla’s best decision on retracting the removal of the radar from its vehicles. Stay tuned.
- Tesla update 2023.32.4 improves the clarity of Autopilot cameras, Model X Falcon Wing doors get new Service Mode release notes, more
- Tesla’s Dojo prediction by Morgan Stanley boosts TSLA stock price, report shows how critical the FSD supercomputer is for Musk’s tech empire
- Tesla FSD 12 wide release becomes imminent as Tesla removes ‘Autosteer on city streets’ feature from the Coming Soon list
- Elon Musk demonstrates Tesla FSD 12 in a live stream on X, not a single line of code is used to build this non-beta version of Autopilot
- Tesla adds the Traffic Flow speed matching feature for highways in FSD Beta v11.4.6 (video)
- Tesla starts rolling out FSD Beta 11.4.6 (2023.7.26) to non-employees, early testers report improvements in various scenarios
- Tesla joins World AI Conference in Shanghai with its Autopilot cars and Optimus robot, Chinese car companies are far behind Tesla in AI, says Musk
- Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Version 12 will not be beta, says Elon Musk


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A majority of American smartphone users keep their phones on or near them at least 22 hours a day, and analysts say it’s a short jump for wearable tech to take off. Research firm IHS estimates that wearable-technology firms could sell up to 9.4 million devices by 2016, up from an estimated 50,000 shipments last year. That figure includes smart glasses, smart wristbands and smart watches.
The fitness industry has also embraced wearable tech, with devices that track everything from how many calories you’re burning to how well you’re sleeping. Pebble’s watch is designed to work with your smartphone as a pedometer, control panel for music or caller ID screen.
But the always-on, always-connected lifestyle that smart watches and glasses encourage doesn’t sit well with everyone. Privacy advocates have cautioned that users have to think carefully about giving companies even more streams of data about their lives — not to mention the information those devices may capture from the unwitting people around them.
Pebble’s watch doesn’t collect information on its own, and the firm secures the data transfer between watch and smartphone. But if users are concerned about people seeing an e-mail or text message that pops up on their wrist, chief executive Eric Migicovsky suggests users take a common-sense approach: Turn their arms.
That sort of action should be the guiding star as wearable tech raises debates about the line between public and private life, said Daniel Post Senning, the tech and social media etiquette specialist at the Emily Post Institute.
“Everyone has these cameras on every phone now,” Post Senning said. “We have some responsibility on all of us to think that we’re always on film. The question is: Do we want that to be the standard, or is there another side? Do the people who are filming also have responsibility?”
Early adopters, Post Senning said, should act as “ambassadors” for this new technology and temper their enthusiasm with caution and common sense.
He also recommended that small courtesies, such as asking others before you take or post pictures, and letting others know when you’re shooting video, will go a long way. He also recommends propping the glasses on your head when you’re not using them.It’s a concern that hasn’t gone unnoticed among those using Google Glass. The company hasn’t offered official guidance on how it plans to navigate the privacy or etiquette questions its product is likely to generate, but some developers have tackled the topic.


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Jack Gillis and the Center for Auto Safety Reveal The Car Book's Best Bets for 2019
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2019
Contact: Richard Eckman, 202-939-1013; Grace Garver, 202-328-7700
JACK GILLIS AND THE CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY
REVEAL THE CAR BOOK’S BEST BETS FOR 2019
Available Online at TheCarBook.com
Washington, D.C. — Today, Jack Gillis and the Center for Auto Safety have released The Car Book’s Best Bets for 2019. The Car Book, in its 39th year, once again ranks the best vehicles in America. The Center for Auto Safety is making this resource more convenient to access than ever before. In addition to the traditional print version, The Car Book 2019 is now available online at TheCarBook.com.
“For 39 years, my goal with The Car Book has been to provide all the information consumers need to make an informed, safe and reliable vehicle purchase,” said Gillis, a noted consumer advocate and auto safety expert. “Perhaps most importantly, the information and ratings are totally unbiased and advertising free.”
“Every year since 1981, we have had the great honor of collaborating with the legendary Jack Gillis to produce The Car Book,” said Center for Auto Safety executive director Jason Levine. “It has grown and matured over these almost 4 decades, becoming a more complete, richer, and user-friendly resource for new car buyers who are more interested in safety than moon roofs or cup holders. Now, in addition to the print edition, TheCarBook.com empowers a new generation of consumers with the most up-to-date and thorough information on one of the most critical purchases they will make—in a format that easier to access than ever before.”
Just like the ground-breaking print edition, TheCarBook.com provides today’s car buyer with in-depth ratings of the 2019 vehicles, The Car Book’s unique crash test ratings, comparative complaint ratings, and all of the information needed to make a smart, safe and informed vehicle purchase. For online users only, the site also includes over 1,000 used car ratings going back five years.
One of the most exciting aspects of online version is the Decision Wizard—an easy-to-use search function, which allows consumers to choose the most important aspects of their ideal vehicle. The Decision Wizard offers multiple search avenues, from size class and price range to crash test results, warranty ratings and safety features, all of which gives consumers the ability to easily choose the car that best fits their needs.
TheCarBook.com presents all the information consumers need to make an informed car purchase including: crash test ratings; rollover ratings; maintenance costs; lemon ratings; fuel economy ratings; insurance costs; reliability ratings; insights into safety and luxury add-ons; our unique Best Bets in each vehicle category; and much, much more. In order to make this critical data as widely available as possible, TheCarBook.com is available for just $9.99 for a month’s access. Consumers can also become members of the Center for Auto Safety, and in addition to supporting their lifesaving work, the annual $48 tax-deductible contribution provides access to TheCarBook.com for an entire year, along with other member benefits. The print edition of The Car Book is also available to members or at Amazon.com.
History of The Car Book
In 1980, under Jack Gillis’ direction while at NHTSA’s Office of Automotive Ratings, the government published the first edition of The Car Book. It instantly became the government’s most popular consumer guide. But under pressure from the car makers, who didn’t want this information made available to the public, the Reagan Administration killed the book. The next year, to the great consternation of the government and the auto industry, Gillis left NHTSA and continued publishing the book in cooperation with the Center for Auto Safety. The Car Book 2019 marks the 39th year of publication. Since Gillis and the Center began providing consumers with access to this information, the auto industry has been forced to respond: Cars have become safer, warranties have improved, and the government has adopted a simpler system for its crash ratings. As Madison Avenue Magazine said: “Jack Gillis is out to change the way Americans buy their cars.” And he has.
Over the last 49 years, the Center for Auto Safety has successfully led the fight for lemon laws in every state, airbags in every vehicle, and recall repairs being made at no cost to the consumer. The Center is a membership-driven organization headquartered in Washington, DC and is also home to the Safe Climate Campaign, which fights global warming by working for big, specific measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more about the Center, please visit www.AutoSafety.org.


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If you think there isn’t enough competition in the payments industry, just wait a few years – there will be a lot less in the U.S. and European Union. Before I explain why let’s take a survey of the state of competition. No, the payments card industry is not a perfectly competitive industry that would warm the cockles of your micro-econ college professor’s heart. But then, what is?
In the U.S. we have Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, not to mention PayPal, several PIN debit networks, and a lot of startups, all slugging it out. In the EU the state of competition varies by country, but Visa, MasterCard, American Express and often some domestic systems are competing. Visa (either International or its European doppelganger) is the big dog in a lot of places. But Visa has a lot more competition than the leading player does in a lot of industries. And considering that payment card schemes have enormous network effects and scale economies, if anything, there’s a surprising amount of competition.
There’s been a lot of talk about even more competition, and challenges to the established players, in the U.S. and EU.
The Europeans have never been very happy that Visa and MasterCard – both perceived as U.S. companies (yes, this is odd given that Visa Europe is owned by European banks, but there you have it) – are the leading pan-European players. Then they got very worried when the efforts to create the Single European Payment Area (SEPA) picked up some steam. The Brussels-based Eurocrats and politicians fretted that Visa and MasterCard would wipe out the many domestic schemes. As a result there was a big push to create a homegrown pan-European system. The Monnet project, for example, consisted of a group of European banks that were considering giving Visa and MasterCard a run for their money.
In the U.S., the PIN debit networks consolidated and there was talk that they would compete with MasterCard and Visa. The telecoms started Isis, which was originally going in with a low-fee model. There have also been a slew of startups, from the long-gone Revolution Money to the on-a-hot-streak LevelUp, which have gone after the establishment with interchange-fee-buster models.
Sounds great: pretty competitive, and getting even more so! But leave it to the government to mess up an industry. Consider what’s happening in Europe. The European groups that were considering challenging MasterCard and Visa have all bit the dust. They needed revenue to enter. But with the European Commission insisting that it was going to stomp down interchange fees – possibly even to zero – they have abandoned those efforts. Meanwhile, the domestic schemes are facing a world of hurt because they are likely to lose the ability to compete with MasterCard and Visa by offering higher interchange fees. In perhaps the weirdest development of all, the European Commission has proposed legislation that will prohibit merchant surcharges for MasterCard and Visa but allow them – ‘encourage’ is probably a better word – for the three-party systems such as American Express and Diners Club. Yup – stigmatize the underdogs.


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Vegan & gluten-free Cornettos due to hit the UK
Just one Cornettooooooo! It’s gluten-freeeee! Well it is now. And you can (kind of) thank PETA.
I’m delighted to confirm the animal rights charity has just announced that Cornetto is bringing its dairy-free, gluten-free ice cream to good old Blighty, due to be released in February at Sainsbury’s.
Gluten-free Cornetto: From Italy to the UK
When the brand released its vegan gluten-free Cornetto in Italy last year, PETA raised a ‘polite petition’ asking for Cornetto to bring this creamy treat to our little island. Due to popularity in Italy and growing demand from Brits, our prayers have been answered. #Blessed.
Expect soya ice cream, topped with nuts and more vegan chocolate, in a gluten-free cone dipped in dark chocolate. Whether you’re coeliac, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan or just an eater-of-all-the-ice-creams, it’s damn wonderful news.
Now all we need is that big yellow thing in the sky to show up again, so we can all drape ourselves across garden furniture with dairy-free joy shoved into our faces.
The rise and rise of veganism
As veganism grows, so do fantastic products like this that make the transition easier for everyone (especially people who have dietary restrictions already).
Baileys now has a vegan version, IKEA are doing vegan meatballs, Ben & Jerry’s are unstoppable with its non-dairy launches, there are more and more vegan meal options at chain restaurants. You can now buy tofu and soya milk on the high street like it’s been there forever. Even Jeremy Corbyn is dabbling in veganism now. And now this.
What a time to be alive.
While you’re waiting (because let’s face it, we’re all hankering a slurp on a nice cone right now), try these bad boys from Morrisons (4U Free From cones) or Tesco’s own-brand Strawberry and Vanilla Cones.
Anyone tried these on a recent trip to Italy? Do let me know what you think, you jammy devils you.
Image credit: PETA


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Georgia Southern University Students Launch Tornado Relief Campaign
Two Georgia Southern University students have launched a community and campus-wide fundraiser assisting the victims of the devastating tornadoes that struck in Tuscaloosa, Ala., April 27.
Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority members Hayden Harrison and Megan Fussell have created “Georgia Southern Supports the Tide” t-shirts. The shirts incorporate the logo and theme of the popular men’s and women’s clothing retailer Southern Tide. To date, more than 1,100 t-shirts have been sold nationwide, and the pair will travel to Tuscaloosa at the end of spring semester to present the American Red Cross with a check from the proceeds of the T-shirt sales in the amount of more than $7,000.
After authorizing the usage of their company logo for the “Georgia Southern Supports the Tide” t-shirts, Southern Tide CEO Jim Twining revealed that the company will also join in the fundraising efforts by donating more than $25,000 worth of clothing to assist victims of the tragedy.
Harrison, a recreation marketing major, invented the concept, thinking a great way to make an impact while at the same time raising a significant amount of funds to support the cause was by targeting the University’s Greek community. “I was trying to think of catchy things to do to support disaster relief,” she said. “Many people in the Greek community on campus wear Southern Tide apparel,” she explained, about the reasons for gearing the campaign towards that segment of the student population on campus.
Fussell, a public relations major who created the T-shirt design, was especially motivated to assist with the tragedy because of personal reasons. “My childhood friend and neighbor is a student at the University of Alabama. His entire apartment complex was destroyed,” she said.
Additionally, the campaign is also collecting donated items to support the relief efforts, in conjunction with University of Alabama (UA) Greek Relief. “We have set up donation boxes at the Kappa Kappa Gamma house, the Office of Student Leadership in Russell Union, and also Bulloch Academy,” said Harrison. Suggested items include bottled water, blankets, toiletries, baby wipes, baby food, flashlights and individually packaged food that is non-perishable. Harrison said, however, that any donations are welcomed. “This is about Georgia Southern and the Statesboro community coming together,” she said. The deadline for dropping off donations is Friday, May 13.


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The bill proposed by Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn would roll back the existing and any similar future net neutrality rules from the FCC.
Analysts think Etsy's IPO goals could be conservative, despite three years of net losses.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the one question he asks himself before he'll hire someone. Essentially, what if he were not the boss?
HBO's subscription streaming service may see an April launch. The service will reportedly cost $15 a month and will likely be available on Apple TV.
Police are having trouble tracking down drones in Paris, which are causing security concerns at the city's tourist destinations.
Some redheads and their supporters are petitioning Apple to include a red-haired emoji.


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Vertu Motors has suggested that its 2021 pre-tax profits could be up to 60% more than forecast just a month ago after continuing its “exceptional” performance in the used car market.
Ands despite a cautious outlook on the second half of the year the group behind Bristol Street Motors and Macklin Motors said it now anticipates adjusted profit before tax for the current financial year – ending February 28, 2022 – will be in the range of £40m to £45m (previously £28m to £32m).
Vertu said that it had managed to maintain its used car stock levels, while current market conditions had allowed it to deliver strong gross margin retention.
It also said that new vehicle supply constraints, due to semi-conductor shortages, have had “no material impact” on its trading performance to the end of June.
Service revenues and profits have also strengthened in recent weeks as the impact of the timing of annual service and MOT work mirrors the prior year's lockdown and release, it said.
Vertu did acknowledge that challenges remained, however.
It said: “New vehicle supply levels will be constrained in the coming months potentially impacting profitability. As a consequence of reduced new vehicle supply, used vehicle supply may also be restricted.
“Uncertainty also remains around the possible impact of COVID-19 from potential future restrictions and colleague absence.
“The current UK wide labour shortages, high vacancy levels and upward pressure on employment costs remain a risk for the business.”
But Vertu’s trading update added: “The board remains very confident in the prospects for the Group, which is strategically well placed to capitalise on the changes and opportunities in the UK motor retail sector.”
Yesterday AM reported that Vertu had acquired Leicester’s Renault and Dacia franchised car dealerships from Renault Retail Group.
So far in 2021, Vertu added Huddersfield’s Hepworth Honda in March to become the Japanese brand’s largest European franchisee.
It has also added Citroen into its Macclesfield Ford dealership and Kia into its existing Volkswagen showroom in Nottingham as part of a multi-franchising drive and completed the £1.5m development of a new Macklin Motors Motornation used car and van showroom in Lookers’ former Glasgow Volkswagen Van Centre.
Forrester, meanwhile, is soon to be featured on ITV’s fly-on-the wall TV series Undercover Big Boss.
Earlier this week AM revealed images and video from a trailer for the new series showing the disguise donned by the high-profile industry figure in order to move freely among unsuspecting Bristol Street Motors staff.


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A trip to the jeweler is a necessary part of the wedding ritual. But now some jewelers are taking it a step further by offering not only wedding jewelry but also a wedding service.
At Albert’s Jewelers in Schererville, Ind., it started 12 years ago, when owner Joshua Halpern’s parents were celebrating their 30th anniversary and wanted to redo their vows. “A judge friend said, ‘Why don’t you get married in the store,'” he remembers. “We’ll do it as a publicity event.”
That led the store to open it up to other couples. Soon a tradition was born.
Every year since then the store has invited local couples to get married or renew their vows free of charge on Valentine’s Day, in front of a local magistrate, followed by a makeshift celebration [see box]. Dozens have taken them up on it; the record is 36 couples. And the event has become a big one on the store’s calendar. “Every time, after New Year’s, the inquiries start coming in,” says Helen Garrison, the store’s special events coordinator.
The couples run the gamut—some come in with street clothes, others in full wedding regalia. A few arrive by limousine. Albert’s had a couple of Steelers fans get married with their guests in Steelers garb.
The tradition has been taken up by other stores, notably Ben David Jewelers, of Danville, Va. Owner Mack David considers it a way of giving back to the community. “[The couples] can go to the courthouse and have a cold kind of wedding, or they can come here and have a nice wedding in front of a fireplace with nice music and flowers,” he says. “They have a great time. They thank us over and over again. They are so thankful they can have a wedding in a nice atmosphere.”
The event is popular with the stores’ employees—some have even gotten married in the store themselves. “It’s probably our most fun day of the year,” says Garrison. “You get involved with each couple and you hear all the stories. It absolutely feels like a real wedding. We’ve had people stand up there and cry.”
Both stores say that weddings only “sometimes” lead to jewelry purchases. “Men come in, and sometimes they need a wedding band,” says David. “But it’s really not meant to make a sale off of. The purpose is to have an experience at Ben David’s.”
Halpern notes it regularly gets newspaper and TV news coverage. “It’s made my Valentine’s Day unbelievable,” says Halpern. “Mother’s Day used to be better than Valentine’s Day for me, and now Valentine’s Day is much better.”


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Over in Germany, where the 3G version of the Acer Iconia A500 – the A501 – sells, it’s still stuck on Android 3.0, very much like the LG Optimusa short while ago. According to a recent customer support email, there’s no Android 3.1
Post Tagged with: "android 3.2"
The Motorola Xoom was the first Android Honeycomb tablet to market and it was obvious from the sheer number of issues the hardware and software revealed. Theeven launched minus SD card support when their competitors, like the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer have had
Several tablets already have already received the newly released (in late July) Android 3.2 update that boasts improved backwards app compatibility and better hardware utilization among other goodness mostly geared towards developers. We’ve seen the Asus, Acer and
Yesterday we found a listing on a Taiwanese online shop showing off the Sony S1 & S2 tablets for sale and now it seems Sony themselves published a bunch of photo’s showing off a few features including the possibility of Android 3.2 at launch. To…
No longer is Asus on a “coming soon” basis Android 3.2 on the Eee Pad Transformer. Rumor is that the update was scheduled for release at the end of July, and that’s exactly how it’s turned out. Asus is first up to announce, through their…
So far, the recently announced Lenovo tablets are the only Android tablets to have the official seal of Netflix approval. However, as recently discovered last week, Netflix can run fine on other Android tablets, in an unofficial manner by sideloading a particular Netflix app build.…
Dellusers have had the option to install an unofficial Android Honeycomb build for quite some time now, namely HoneyStreak HD7 by popular developer DJ Steve. It’s certainly not without problems since the source code for Honeycomb is not fully available, but then
Google officially announced Android 3.2, along with its SDK yesterday, after the recent roll-out to the Motorolatablet. The main new features are highlighted, excluding tablet specific fixes like the enabling of the SD card on the US Motorola Xoom.
New Android 3.2 features:
It’s now clear that last week’s Android 3.2 update for the Motorola Xoom was being rolled out to Wi-Fi only models. Verizon’s Motorolawon’t be left out – the company tweeted a couple of days ago that their model with be getting the Android
The Motorolamay be the first tablet to get the Android 3.2 update but that’s because it’s Google’s flagship tablet. Asus has said they are testing the update and will be pushing out the update soon. As far as tablets shipping with Android 3.2?
Now with Google’s flagship tablet, the Motorola, getting the Android 3.2 rollout, other tablet owners are wondering when their tablet will get the update. If you’ve got an Eee Pad Transformer, then Asus has you covered according to a tweet yesterday mentioning they
A Google employee a few weeks ago let it slip that the MotorolaAndroid 3.2 update was on its way. It looks like that slip was legitimate at and some U.S. Motorola Xoom owners have started seeing the next iteration of Android. So what
Motorola Xoom 3.2 update being rolled out, finally enables SD Card (update: Installation Instructions)
Update: Instructions for installing the manual Android 3.2 update for the Motorola
For those in the US – the Android 3.2 update that we mentioned last week, is now rolling out to your Motorola Xooms. There’s no official


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Beverage Suppliers Announce Wave of New Equipment and Software
Suppliers in the beverage industry have released a wave of new equipment and software solutions. From quality testing to the production line, here are 7 of the latest technologies:
- Crown Equipment Corp. revealed a new option for its counterbalance forklifts. The new edition comes with a shorter mast, ideal for warehouse dock and cross-docking needs. Though max load capacities are unchanged, the narrower mast cross-brace increases visibility for safer operation.
- Charles Ross & Son Co. introduced a 4-gallon Planetary Dual Disperser (PDDM-4) for free use in the Ross Test and Development Center. The new mixer is best for high viscosities, but the Ross T&D Center houses over 40 appliances for customers to find the best fit for their needs.
- Krohne Inc. released six new transmitters in the 24 and 80 GHz range as part of its Optiwave series of transmitters. The transmitters come with a complimentary PACTware device manager for better functionality.
- Sacmi introduced the 64-cavity CCM64MB, a new flexible and efficient cavity press for producing plastic caps rapidly.
- Kenworth Truck Co. introduced the Bendix Wingman Fusion driving assistance to two models of medium-duty trucks. The technologies aim to mitigate collisions, alert drivers to the speed limit, give warnings for lane departures, and more.
- The Comexi ML2 laminates efficiently with a broad range of coating and laminate options. Five interchangeable trolleys keep the machine versatile and effective.
- GEA Group’s Fillstar CX EVO system allows fillers to swap seamlessly between products with no changeover times and a reprogrammable control unit that never sacrifices sterility.
Finding Your Identity with Dustin Odham
In an era where screens dominate our time, finding your personal identity becomes a challenge. Our generation is shaping itself based on an increasingly virtual world, often losing touch with the inner self. In fact, a recent study suggests that we could end up spending at least ten years of our life in front of […]
Conversations from Shoptalk Europe: Retail Refined meets with Christoffer Sellin from COS
Shoptalk Europe 2023 brought the technologies and channels driving the future of retail into a clear perspective. This year’s annual event from May 9-11 in Barcelona allowed Retail Refined’s Melissa Gonzalez to sit down with key stakeholders making a difference in the market. COS (Collection of Style) is a European fashion brand doing innovative things […]
Why the Merger of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is Great for Golf
The PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and DP World Tour have announced their merger, putting an end to the conflict that has dominated sports business news for the past 18 months. This merger is expected to bring more financial opportunities, increased accessibility for fans, and a variety of golf events. It is seen as a […]


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Unlike traditional automobile brands, XPeng’s marketing has always been stylish and energetic as their main focus is to attract younger audiences. At Happy Valley, one could easily see the connection between the exciting high-tech vehicles and the thrilling fun that the amusement park brings.
It is said that the front of the car is like the face of the car, it represents the vehicle’s spirit and this is where manufacturers and designers pour most of their innovative energies and ideas into. It gives the car a unique character, just like how, in Transformers, Bumblebee’s is a Chevrolet and Optimus Prime is a Peterbilt truck.
What is most fascinating about XPeng G3’s exterior is that its windshield is merged with the sun roof creating a massive 1.9 ㎡ windshield that provides an extended panoramic view of the sky. The design is said to ensure safe travels by expanding the driver’s field of vision. The G3’s LED lights were inspired by the lightsabers from the Star Wars. As a staff member told us, “The combination of the front windshield and its air-inlet grille leaves a more cohesive and well-rounded impression than traditional vehicles do.”
“The grey G3 looks to me like a visionary car, with its smoothly-curved lines and high-tech equipment as well as its astonishing interactive and autonomous driving features.” says one of the young men waiting in line for the AI recognition machine that the company had installed next to the exhibition booth. Participants crossing their arms like an “X”, mimicking the shape of the XPeng logo in front of the AI recognition machine, received a small gift.
Ever since the launch of the G3 at the CES, XPeng has made multiple moves regarding their marketing strategies. From August 18 to September 2, XPeng held a G3 exhibition that lasted for 16 days at the K11 Art Mall in Guangzhou, with K11 Investment as one of the main investors in its Series B funding. The white vehicle and the art installation of “Van Gogh’s ear” gave an artistic vibe to the urban landscape.
In July, XPeng became the sponsor of the Chinese version of the hit American variety show Saturday Night Live, making it the first Chinese EV company ever to sponsor an online variety show.
As an EV startup, the company’s internet gene is not only embedded in its design and manufacturing, but also in its retail and branding operations. “This strategic cooperation with Saturday Night Live (SNL) is the debut of XPeng’s brand marketing. Internet variety shows are the entertainment innovations of the Internet. The main users of XPeng are of the internet generation, therefore we strongly value the internet gene of the show, and we hope to receive more recognition in new original ways.” says Mr. Lu Xiaobo, XPeng’s marketing director, “Our vision is to build highly-intelligent AI cars, providing users with accommodating, intelligent and practical functions. The self-parking feature that was presented on SNL is an innovation that is specifically designed for parking dilemmas in China and matches 70 to 80 percent of possible parking scenarios.”


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By Paul Pannone
By far the top newZ story for the week of October 15th was an eWedNewz exclusive: Bridal Guide magazine announces free advertising for the top 25 bridal shops in the United States. The announcement , made by Jim Duhe, publisher, created calls wanting to know more information and what signifies a top bridal shop. According to Duhe more information will be released shortly.
A trending story involving the top colors for proms, 2013, headed up the charts surpassing all other newZ. Strong statements from designer, Tony Bowls, identifies purple as a top color for next prom season. Bowl’s statement is confirmed by magazine publishers and tuxedo vest makers who created coordinating colors.
In other less exciting newZ, bridal market attendance continues to decline, despite propaganda designed to confuse exhibitors. Sources from Dallas, Chicago and New York that varied from first-time exhibitors to seasoned veterans expressed their concerns. eWedNewz continues to follow the story.
Red Galoshes threatens to shutdown a wedding website unless merchants migrate and cough up more money. eWedNewz continues to follow the story. So far attempts to reach Red Galoshes have not been successful.
Ralph Lauren retail tuxedos and accessories are coming to a local bridal shop near you, as retail sales continue to climb. Discussions with store owners in bridal, men’s clothing and tuxedo specialists say there has not been a reputable line of products under a major brand in years. Consumers are already looking for Ralph Lauren products for their 2013 weddings. Bridal store owners say they’re enamored by the Lauren brand and will find it easy to sell the groom his formal wear, after selling the bride a dress.
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Mackay Sugar preps potential buyers for co-gen sale
MACKAY Sugar Limited is reportedly after $100 million for its co-generation plant and is shopping it around to Australian and international power investors.
The Australian Financial Review's Street Talk reported Friday morning the sugar miller had hired advisers and told clients there would be a sales campaign.
The co-generation plant is the most profitable part of Mackay Sugar's business at the moment as it turns bagasse into renewable energy.
This move to sell the co-generation plant was outlined in Kidder Williams' report to turn the financial performance of Mackay Sugar around.
Mackay Sugar's board endorsed the report and has since implemented the other recommendation of charging growers a $2 levy for every tonne they get crushed.
Under Kidder Williams' plan, the sale of the co-generation plant was supposed to bring in about $90million which would be used to pay down Mackay Sugar Limited's $212 million debt.
It would be the largest contribution for the company to reach its goal of $140 million to pay off debt and invest in improving the mills.


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The calamitous decline in the number of shoppers in the City centre first became apparent in 2012.
In that year, the new Labour administration increased car parking charges by 20p for residents.
In 2013 they went up a gain meaning that residents faced a 36% hike in just 2 years.
We forecast that this could have major implications for City centre traders.
The additional traffic restrictions have simply accelerated the downward spiral with “to let” notice springing up all around the City centre as shops pull out.
In the period up to 2011 the, then LibDem led, Council had frozen parking charges.
It had even reduced them at an innovatory “shoppers car park” at Foss Bank.
Footfall figures reveal that for the first 3 years of the recession (2008 – 2011) the numbers accessing the City centre were remarkably stable.
2012 saw a 6% reduction while this increased to 12% comparing September 2013 with the same month in 2012.
New traffic restrictions were blamed for the accelerating trend.
Meanwhile the numbers of bus passengers has also fallen away although the Council has so far refused to reveal the 2012 passenger numbers.
As we said yesterday, the Council seems to be frozen into inactivity with no real idea what to do to get itself out of the self created crisis.
Nero showed a greater sense of urgency.


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Discovery Science Center is a 59,000-square-foot learning facility dedicated to educating young minds through interactive exhibits and programs. They use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr to share information about the venue.
A new study shows that, for the first time, consumers are spending more time on mobile apps than on the web. With that in mind, there’s many taking advantage of the opportunity to reach their mobile-inclined audience in new, innovative ways.
Starwood’s Preferred Guest program is a great way for frequent travelers to earn points to earn free nights at their brand hotels. Recently, this luxury hotel brand also began a Foursquare promotion offering guests additional starpoints for checking in on Foursquare.


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Boutique and lifestyle brand Hotel Indigo has announced its first property in the Middle East will now open in late 2020.
InterContinental Hotels Group’s flagship property is in Dubai's Business Bay, where it was due to launch over the summer.
Its interiors are heavily influenced by UAE culture and the Alserkal Cultural Foundation, Tashkeel and XVA Gallery have helped supply the hotel with 200 pieces of art and local design.
Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) led site supervision on the project, where each of the 269 rooms takes inspiration from the story of Dubai Creek, through Surrealist wallpaper exclusively created by local artists, bespoke shisha lamps or the wardrobes with carved wooden doors, hand-crafted in a Mashrabiya style.
In-house restaurant Open Sesame has a menu of Levant flavours and there's a Pop Art blends bar that's inspired by the bakalas of vibrant Dubai neighbourhood Satwa.
We look forward to checking in and checking it out!


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Salina’s public transportation system is going high-tech. Travel by CityGo routes can now be planned with Apple Maps.
Transit Data for the CityGo fixed route service has been available for a few months on Google Maps, but with the addition of Apple Maps, we are now able to accommodate iPhone and iPad users.
We hope our participation in Apple Maps will encourage current ridership and connect CityGo to new active riders. By showing the “Transit” link in every search for driving directions, Apple Maps in Salina is helping to promote public transit by informing drivers of the possible transit services they could utilize. This service can be used on mobile phones and devices that use the Apple Maps app.
For more information about OCCK, Inc., visit www.occk.com. For more information about CityGo and OCCK Transportation, visit www.salinacitygo.com. Or, contact the OCCK Transportation Center at 785-826-1583.


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Haryana police launches pink autos for women in Gurgaon
The Haryana Police Monday launched pink auto-rickshaws meant exclusively for women, a senior police officer said.Updated: Jan 21, 2015 21:07 IST
The Haryana Police Monday launched pink auto-rickshaws meant exclusively for women, a senior police officer said.
Joint commissioner of police Saurabh Singh launched the 25 pink auto-rickshaws.
The police said that this service aims to boost security for women in the city.
The drivers of these pink autos have been thoroughly verified by the police authorities.
Women accompanied by a male colleague or family member can also avail this service.
The service would be extended on demand, police said.
The auto service will be available at Huda city centre metro station in sec 29.
First Published: Jan 21, 2015 19:01 IST


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Technology is advancing at a fast pace. Taking into account some of the inventions that tech giants like Apple are dishing out into the market, the future holds a progressive image. Some of these inventions are revolutionary and literally life-saving. One such invention is the Apple watch. It is one of the most popular watches in the world, and after this article, you will want to buy it too.
It is literally like a mini-computer that is attached to your wrist and can provide helpful insights regarding your health. Owning an Apple watch can have a positive influence on one’s health as the device provides you accurate health calculations as well as provides helpful notifications for your health and fitness.
However, that is not the only utility of this great invention. An Australian nursing student has made a claim that will further increase the popularity of the Apple watch. She created a Tik-Tok video in which she claimed that her Apple Watch had detected her thyroid condition months before she was officially diagnosed with it.
The student’s name is Lauren Rebecca and she explained that back in October 2021, she experienced symptoms of fatigue, nausea, weight gain, and dry skin. Later in December of the same year, she was diagnosed with thyroid hemiagenesis.
However, her Apple watch was way before time. The device had already monitored her heart rate and gave a very accurate guess about her thyroid condition months before her diagnosis. Lauren got to know about this wonderful functionality of her device when she was checking the watch’s history.
Telling about this incredible feat of her watch, she explained in her Tik-Tok video that the users of Apple watch should turn on the notifications so that the users of this device can get accurate analysis of their health condition.
In her short video, Lauren said that she would have done something to curb her symptoms and possibly stop the possible advances of her thyroid disease had she checked her device before.
Lauren has also explained that although the Apple watch cannot be a substitute for a proper medical device, it can certainly prove to be a valuable asset for improving your health and performing timely checkups.


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Textile Industry Bodies Demand Revival Package
A roundtable conference of the textile industry associations have demanded of the government to announce revival package for the textile industry immediately in order to avoid a nosedive fall in exports. The conference has further demanded of energy tariff equalisation all across the country with availability of gas at a countrywide uniform rate and electricity at Rs 7 per unit.
These demands were presented in a roundtable conference attended by the office bearers and representatives from textile industry associations including the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association, Pakistan Ready-made Garments Exporters and Manufacturers Association, All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association and the Council of Power looms Associations at the APTMA House Lahore. The conference was organised by the APTMA. Those who addressed the press conference included Chairman APTMA Aamir Fayyaz, Vice Chairman APTPMA Pervez Lala, Vice Chairman PTEA M Naeem, Chairman PAKSEA Shahzad Azam, Tariq Fayyaz from PRGMEA and others.
The industry leadership was invited to deliberate and formulate a joint strategy for restoration of viability of all sectors of textile industry, particularly in Punjab. The participants sought a level playing field all across the country to let the textile industry grow. The industry leadership has appealed to chief minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif to play its role to save the industry of Punjab from destruction. The industry leadership also announced that they are planning to form Punjab Textile Federation or Forum.
They also stressed the government to announce immediately a textile industry revival package and mitigate the energy tariff disparity hitting 70 percent textile industry in Punjab against the textile units located in other provinces. The industry leaders also urged the government to overcome structural imbalances at the earliest.
The participants of the roundtable conference expressed their concern over a delay in the announcement of textile package saying that the industry was losing the opportunity of getting export orders from heimtextile exhibition in January besides losing the potential of GSP plus facility. “Revival of 35 percent closed capacity was also being delayed and the industry was not taking new investment decision because of the prevailing uncertainty,” they said.
They also said that the industry has lost exports billions $ in quantitative terms during the last two years because of it. They appealed the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to not only announce the much-awaited textile package but also start holding regular meetings with the textile industry under his growth-led strategy. They said despite the fact that the announcement of textile package has been delayed but still it is the right time for the government to intervene and save the industry.


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The Indiana Pacers are the hottest team in the National Basketball Association, and their winning ways are paying off for the team and its broadcast partner.
Not only is the Pacers’ bandwagon loading up with fans, it’s also packing in advertisers for its telecasts. By early December, advertising inventory on the team’s Fox Sports Indiana telecasts was sold out for that month and more than 90 percent sold out for the entire season.
While Fox Sports Indiana General Manager Jack Donovan wouldn’t say how much ad sales were up, he noted, “It’s a lot. We’re selling out faster and at higher unit rates.”
“It’s been a phenomenal year,” Donovan said. “It’s been like a freight train. And we’re still picking up speed. We think we’re going to have a great run for two, three, four years.”
Local sports marketers and media buyers said ad inventory during Pacers games last year was less than 70 percent sold. There are about 40 ad spots per game, Donovan said. Plus, Fox can sell other sponsor mentions during the telecast.
Since ad inventory sold either before the season started or in the early season is often priced based on last year’s ratings, a number of regular advertisers “are getting twice the audience they bargained for,” Donovan said.
Local media buyers estimate that ad rates on Fox Sports Indiana during Pacers games have increased since the beginning of this season from about $140 to $170 per rating point to $200 to $230 per rating point. That means a 30-second spot has gone from as low as $280 to now as high as $1,000.
“They’re putting up huge [rating] numbers and the demographics show they offer a highly educated, affluent audience,” said Bruce Bryant, president of Indianapolis-based Promotus Advertising. “With the supply dwindling and the demand still going up, that’s pushed their ad rates very close to the level of a good local TV newscast. That’s strong.”
Ads during news broadcasts and live sporting events are often most sought after, Bryant said, because viewers record those shows less often than others. “That means people aren’t zipping through commercials like they would with a recorded show.”
Renewals from last year’s advertisers were 90 percent, and Fox Sports officials have been able to leverage the Pacers’ hot start to ink several new advertisers, including Comcast, Subway and Franciscan St. Francis Health, Donovan said.
“Clearly, there’s more demand than there was a year ago,” he said. “Our current advertisers want more, and new advertisers are coming out of the woodwork.”
With much of its ad inventory sold, Fox Sports Indiana is now likely looking forward to the first-round playoff games and even next season.
“I can guarantee you that renewals for next year will be starting early,” said David Morton, president of local sports marketing firm Sunrise Sports Group. “Now is the time to leverage big deals for next season. Now that they’ve demonstrated what the following and the ratings for this team are, [Fox Sports officials] are negotiating from a position of strength with advertisers. That’s something they haven’t been able to do in a while.”
Pacers rating hike leads NBA
The increased ad sales have been triggered by skyrocketing TV viewership. Ratings for Pacers games on Fox Sports Indiana are higher than they’ve been in over a decade.
Through December, ratings are up 141 percent, the highest year-over-year percentage increase among the regional TV broadcasts for the league’s 30 teams, according to New York-based Nielsen Media Research.
Through 29 games on Fox Sports this year, the Pacers are averaging a 4.5 rating, which means about 50,000 households are tuning in to each game, according to Nielsen. Fox will carry 80 games live this year and also have the opportunity to televise some of the team’s first-round playoff games if the Pacers qualify for the postseason as expected.
The ratings, Fox Sports officials said, are still picking up steam.
The Dec. 10 Pacers’ 90-84 win over the Miami Heat in front of a sellout crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse earned a 9.33 rating (100,100 households), the highest ever for a Pacers game on Fox Sports, according to Nielsen. That surpassed the previous high of 9.32 set Feb. 4, 2003, vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Fox Sports has broadcast Pacers games since the 1996-1997 season.
If the team, which won 25 of its first 31 games, continues playing on such a torrid pace, sports marketing and broadcasting experts think its average rating could reach 5.0. That would put the team in elite company. Only three teams’ (Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Miami) regionally televised games last season eclipsed a 5.0 TV rating.
But even with viewership of Pacers games going up exponentially this season, Morton said Fox Sports officials need to be cautious with rate increases.
“The Colts are having success and they have a lot of inventory on their local radio broadcasts and local TV programming,” Morton said. “And there’s still IU, Purdue, Notre Dame, Butler, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indians and the new soccer team, the Indy Eleven.”
The Pacers’ market size also works against the team. While its TV ratings are now among the NBA’s highest, its audience size is still less than half of the regional audiences for televised Knicks, Lakers and Bulls games. And about 40,000 fewer than for Heat games, according to Nielsen.
Even so, broadcast experts estimate that, when this season is done, ad revenue from games on Fox Sports Indiana will be up at least 30 percent over last season.
Windfall for Pacers?
It’s not clear how much of a financial boost—if any—the Pacers will see. Many of the NBA regional TV deals are structured with the team getting a flat rate. Sometimes a team gets a small cut of advertising revenue once the broadcaster’s minimum threshold of sales is reached
Fox and Pacers officials don’t divulge terms of the deal, though Donovan said it was a multiyear agreement. Those familiar with such deals said Fox pays the Pacers $5 million to $8 million annually for broadcast rights. Fox would likely have to reach at least $5 million in ad sales before the Pacers got any additional money, sources said.
“If the Pacers’ run of success continues before the current deal with [Fox Sports Indiana] runs out, you can bet the Pacers will be asking for more money upfront,” Morton said.
While Pacers Senior Vice President Bill Benner said team officials are “delighted with the ratings,” he declined to discuss finances.
If the Pacers do what some basketball prognosticators are beginning to predict—win the NBA championship—an even bigger payoff for Fox Sports Indiana and the Pacers is likely ahead for next season.
“If that happens, I think demand [for ads during game telecasts] will exceed supply,” Promotus’ Bryant said. “It moves from sales to order-taking. And the price-negotiating part of it—that’s all but over.”•


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Investcorp-backed Ageras, a Danish online marketplace and accountancy software provider, has raised $73m from US-based alternative asset manager Lugard Road Capital.
German footwear company is reportedly valued at around €4bn and drew interest from several PE buyers
Funding will help the studios expand their development pipelines and accelerate global growth
Vendors reportedly sought a valuation of between €800m-1bn for the company
P101 deploys capital from its Programma 102 and Italia 500 vehicles for the deal


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Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Sears Holdings Corp. are standing strong in their positions not to pay out to victims of last year’s factory fire in Bangladesh.
The blaze at Tazreen Design Ltd.’s factory, which manufactured clothing for Wal-Mart, Sears and other retailers, killed 112 workers and injured many more. Investigators found Wal-Mart and Sears garments among the charred remains within the factory.
But both Wal-Mart and Sears say suppliers contracted the Tazreen factory without their permission, and neither company employs workers in the factory. The companies, which have instituted worker safety programs in Bangladesh, are not legally obligated to pay the victims.
At a meeting last week in Geneva, Switzerland, companies that manufactured clothes at Tazreen met to discuss compensation. Wal-Mart and Sears didn’t respond to invitations, nor did they show up, according to Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, a Washington-based international labor-monitoring group.
Read more about this story on Bloomberg.
For more recent InsideCounsel stories about labor and employment issues, see:


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Latest episode available to download now, also discusses missing credits for Metroid Dread developers
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You can now download the latest episode of The GamesIndustry.biz Podcast, in which we discuss some of the biggest stories from across the industry.
First up, we discuss the ongoing dance between Electronic Arts and football association FIFA. While EA has claimed it’s considering a rebrand for its best-selling football series, FIFA has suggested it’s considering licensing out its brand to additional parties.
We ponder what each side has to lose or gain, or whether ultimately these are just negotiating tactics and the world’s


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Innovation Direct™ inventor’s home improvement accessory receipient of initial interest from Georgia-based manufacturer; non-disclosure agreement sent…
Hello, Juan C. Blanco, Innovation Direct™’s Director of Product Licensing, checking back in with another report of an Innovation Direct™ inventor product idea receiving interest from a manufacturer. On this occasion, the invention is a home improvement accessory that has caught the eye of a Georgia-based manufacturer that has been in business for close to 80 years.
The e-mail indicating interest was received today from the company’s Director of Engineering. A non-disclosure agreement was promptly sent to the gentleman for signature via e-mail. Once the document has been returned fully executed, Innovation Direct™ will provide the manufacturer access to all of the detailed design information available on the invention.
We’ll continue to keep you posted on all developments with this situation, here on the Innovation Direct™ Blog. Check in often!


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Rice farmers in Nyando have expressed their joy and happiness after state promised to purchase their produce.
Two weeks ago President Uhuru Kenyatta gave a directive that the government should buy rice from Ahero irrigation scheme farmers.
Reacting on the state’s order, the Ahero Irrigation Cooperative Scheme Chairman Stephen Athembo said the offer is good and will help to revive rice farming in Nyando.
He said they have set up a price for the produce, adding that he has already ordered farmers to assemble their rice in stores.
“First I thank the president for the offer he gave us. Secondly, we have agreed that we are going to buy paddy rice at Sh40 per kilogram so all the farmers will bring their produce at the irrigation before we pay them as agreed,” said Athembo.
Speaking to the press on Monday at Ahero Irrigation Scheme’s office Julias Kungu said rice farmers have suffered a lot but at least they are going to have something in their pockets. Kungu who is the chairman for the Ahero Irrigation Scheme appealed to the state to support rice farming adding that it is the only surviving sector after collapse of sugar millers.
“We are glad that our president Uhuru Kenyatta has set aside some money to purchase our produce. We are now sure of kicking poverty out of our families, and enjoying good health and education,” Kungu noted.
His sentiments were echoed by West Kano Irrigation Scheme chairman who urged rice farmers to bring their produce to the irrigation center as there is a ready market.
Kabonyo Kanyagwal Ward Representative Oiko Pete and his counterpart from Ombeyi Ward Vitalis Otura warned cooperative societies against misusing rice famers’ hard earned money. The duo said misappropriation of money meant for the farmers will lead to dire consequences.
Barely two months ago Hivisasa wrote a story about the plight of rice farmers in Nyando who were crying over their wasting rice due to lack of ready market.


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For the fifth year running, Cancun scooped up a World Travel Award as the Best Beach Destination in Mexico and Central America. The Cancun Visitors and Convention Bureau was also a winner in its category. The awards ceremony took place at the World Travel Market in London, November 2-5.
Mexico was the guest country at the World Travel Market this year to mark the UK-Mexico Dual Year of cultural, commercial and educational ties. It is also a sign of the growing interest that the United Kingdom market has in Mexico and the rich travel experiences that it offers.
More than 400,000 visitors from the United Kingdom already travel to the Mexican Caribbean every year and the number is growing. In terms of international visitors, the United Kingdom now represents the third most important market for Mexico, after the United States and Canada.


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Aviva, the world’s fifth largest insurance company set a drift 200 years of trusted history, namely the UK insurance giant, Norwich Union. Aviva, along with many companies these days, is moving to operate under one single worldwide name .
Tropicana had been using the ‘straw in orange’ image on their cartons for years to send their message of ”fresh, straight-from-the-orange juice”. It was easily identifiable, it did a great job communicating their brand and the companys values. So why did Tropicana choose to rebrand and do away with it?
Putting to one side the costs involved in actually creating a re-brand (By the way, sales of Tropicana hit the floor: between January 1 and February 22; they were down 20%!), what’s in it for a company, and how important is a name?
The ‘iphone 5′
The iPhone 5 did not arrive on Tuesday. Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” event led to the announcement of the iPhone 4S, cloud services and a new iOS 5. With headines such as “Apple unveils refreshed iPhone 4S, but no iPhone 5″ and ”Apple shares fall after new iPhone launch” – what’s in a name? Now, don’t get me wrong, the iphone 4s is an excellent product with an improved camera and significantly extended battery life. It will run the latest iOS5 operating system, which is set for release on 12 October, but did Apple slip-up in not calling it the iphone5? Why was it not called the iphone 5?
The event was also the first major announcement for new boss Tim Cook who took over from Steve Jobs in August – was all this too much, too soon? The BBC stated:
“Other industry watchers were less charitable about the iPhone refresh, and the non-appearance of the iPhone 5. Gareth Beavis, phones editor at ‘TechRadar’ said that the new hardware would leave many people underwhelmed. It was quite disappointing. I think there is going to be a lot of anger from users expecting something big bold and quite exciting after a long time of waiting from the iPhone 4.” …more
With the launch of tablets such as the ‘Kindle Fire’ holding its own against the ‘iPad’ and Samsung's ‘Galaxy SII’ reporting sales of over 10 millions units, was the ‘iPhone 4S’ launch just a negative blip for ‘Apple’, a bad day at the office, or was it more a serious missed opportunity, a full-on ‘Bad Apple Day?’