text:
Myanmar is experiencing a technological revolution. With a rapid growth in technology, the country went online almost overnight. People in Myanmar are benefiting from this advancing tech in their everyday lives.
All private and government-owned traditional newspapers are adapting to the current trend by having digital versions of their papers on digital channels. To increase interaction with readers, most of the news media post their digital content on their own Facebook pages, then linked to their websites. Some media organizations, such as 7Day and The Voice, developed mobile apps for their publications. The digitization of news allows readers to instantly access breaking news in both Myanmar and English languages via Facebook, websites and mobile apps.
Today, our entertainment circle is wider than ever before. Due to the growth of mobile electronic devices, TVs are not the only option for the entertainment at home. News, which was once available only in newspapers or magazines, is now on WebTV, allowing people to access live news updates. Today, people can tune into the radio online and watch TV programs via mobile apps or Facebook. Entertainment companies are offering their services to users using this new technology. We can now stream TV shows, dramas, movies, comedies and cartoons from all over the world just a click on a smartphone or a laptop. Moreover, playing online international games on mobile devices has become a popular pastime in Myanmar.
As technology advances in Myanmar, so does transportation. Local start-ups, such as Oway Ride*, introduced a very new meter-based ride hailing service, allowing users to order taxis through mobile apps or call centers for the first time in Yangon and Mandalay. With this tech-based taxi service, we no longer need to wait for taxis and negotiate fares. In addition to the local start-ups metered taxi service providers, international giants Uber and Grab are also introducing their services, which increases market competition. We believe that instead of using Uber and Grab, it is best to use home-grown taxi apps such as Oway, as it helps to support local business in Myanmar. And Oway Ride is providing the best services in town.
New technology is also digitizing the payment system in Myanmar. With electronic cash, payments can be transferred easily, without exchanging physical notes. Today, mobile money services such as True Money* allow users to purchase car tickets, pay electricity bills and top up phone balances electronically. Moreover, almost all banking services are easily accessible on mobiles at any time through mobile banking applications. Visa*, an international payment service provider, kicked off its financial services in the country, offering user-friendly e-payment services for users. The increased use of e-cash in the form of credit cards in Myanmar shows the country’s increased living standards.
Do you want to book a flight, hotel or get tickets to a concert? Today in Myanmar, booking or ordering something is easy, thanks to technology. People can now make reservations at restaurants or order food online with just a tap on their mobile devices. We can plan local or overseas trips using e-payment systems. This technology is even helping local start-ups to develop food delivery service via online booking. Now, food from our favorite restaurants can be delivered to our door by simply clicking the “order” button.
To avoid going to crowded malls, people can shop from the comfort of our own home by ordering online. Since online shopping has grown in Myanmar, businesses have started to distribute their products and services both offline and online. Today, people in Myanmar can make educated purchasing decisions by comparing products online before adding something to their cart. With live chats and active call center numbers offered on sites, shopping services are becoming more user-friendly in Myanmar. Today, online shopping is not limited only to fashion and trendy products. Users can shop for a variety of old and newly published books online. The We Distribution publishing house, founded by Myanmar entrepreneurs, is the first ever online sales platform for book lovers. Books ordered at We Distribution are carefully packaged and delivered in a matter of days.
People in Myanmar, especially millennials, are strengthening the economy through the use of technology. With advancing tech, the number of start-ups on digital platforms has greatly increased. Local entrepreneurs are solving problems through innovation on digital platforms. Their businesses focus on tackling the challenges that the community is facing by developing apps such as Kargo, an online truck-pooling service and GoP, an app for cheap package tours. The development of the digital sector and start-ups in Myanmar has been acknowledged worldwide. Star, an e-ticketing service for local buses, and tech and local innovation hub, Phandeeyar, provides seed funding and business advice to local start-ups and supports technological development in community. Digital square is quickly growing in Myanmar and the digital start-up community is also expanding every day.
Although not everyone with internet connectivity is experiencing all the tech-related benefits, it’s undeniable that technology is increasing development and raising living standards in Myanmar.
Htet Htet Win is a Senior PR & IMC Executive at Vero’s office in Yangon.


text:
SA’s 1GB data prices still higher than African counterparts
Despite mobile operators making efforts to reduce data prices, South Africa’s mobile data prices are still expensive in comparison with other African countries.
This is according to a new report by Cable.co.uk, in which 5 292 mobile data plans in 233 countries were gathered and analysed to compare the cost of 1GB of mobile data across the entire world.
The report ranks South Africa at number 135 out of 233 countries, with 1GB of mobile data in the country costing an average of $2.20 (R37).
In the previous edition of the report, South Africa ranked number 136 out of 230 countries. At the time, the report noted the average price of 1GB of mobile data in SA was $2.67 (R39), while the most expensive was $34.95 (R509) and the cheapest $0.12 (R1.75).
For the current report, Cable.co.uk says it measured data plans in SA, with the most expensive 1GB data price being $22.12 (R373) and the cheapest selling at $0.07 (R1.18). The sample data was collected on 23 May.
Delving into Africa
According to the report, Sub-Saharan Africa has just five countries among the top 50 cheapest in the world – Ghana, in 40th place overall, is cheapest in the region at $0.61 (R10.31).
It notes the region also has five out of the 10 most expensive countries in the world, with Saint Helena the most expensive in the world ($41.06), joined by São Tomé and Príncipe ($29.49), Botswana ($15.55), Togo ($12.94) and Seychelles ($12.66) at the bottom of the table.
Nigeria ranks at 48, with the average 1GB mobile data price in the west African country standing at $0.71 (R12). Kenya is at number 61 with an average price of $0.64 (R10.82).
Israel is home to the cheapest mobile data plans in the world, with 1GB of data costing an average of just $0.04.
The most expensive place in the world to buy mobile data is Saint Helena, where the average cost of 1GB is $41.06 – over a thousand times the cost of mobile data in Israel.
Italy is second-cheapest, with 1GB costing $0.12 on average, says Cable, adding it’s followed by San Marino ($0.14) in third place.
All but one of the seven North African countries are in the cheapest half of the table. Algeria is the cheapest at $0.48, and the most expensive in the region is Mauritania ($2.74).
Cable points out that all countries in this region are cheaper than the global average of $3.12. Northern Africa is the cheapest region in the world overall, it says.
Commenting on the worldwide rankings, Dan Howdle, consumer telecoms analyst at Cable.co.uk, says: “Many of the cheapest countries in which to buy mobile data fall roughly into one of two categories. Some have excellent mobile and fixed broadband infrastructure and so providers are able to offer large amounts of data, which brings down the price per gigabyte.
“Others with less advanced broadband networks are heavily reliant on mobile data and the economy dictates that prices must be low, as that’s what people can afford.
“At the more expensive end of the list, we have countries where often the infrastructure isn’t great but also where consumption is very small. People are often buying data packages of just tens of megabytes at a time, making a gigabyte a relatively large and therefore expensive amount of data to buy.”
Howdle explains that many countries in the middle of the list have good infrastructure and competitive mobile markets, and while their prices aren’t among the cheapest in the world, they wouldn’t necessarily be considered expensive by consumers.
The report comes as South African mobile operators have heeded the call to reduce the price of mobile data.
This is according to figures from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (ICASA’s) prepaid tariff analysis report, which examined tariff notifications lodged with the authority for the period 1 July to 31 December 2021.
When looking at the 500MB data bundle, ICASA’s statistics show three of the four operators amended this specific offering.
It says Cell C replaced its 800MB data bundle, which it offered for R80, with a 500MB data bundle at R65. This switch-up made Cell C’s 500MB data bundle offering the “most affordable” among the four mobile network operators.
Vodacom amended the price of its 500MB data bundle, reducing it by R10, or 12.7%, from R79 to R69, which can be translated to an in-bundle rate of R0.14 per MB.
MTN also revised the price of its 500MB data bundle, reducing it by R6, or 8%, from R75 to R69, according to the data.
This means Cell C, Vodacom and MTN charge relatively the same rate (R69) for 500MB.
Telkom made no amendment to its 500MB data bundle offering between the fourth quarter of the 2020/21 financial year and Q4 of the 2021/22 FY period, notes ICASA.

domain: news


text:
Fifth Time in Six Years -- Recognizes Strong Collaborative Relationship
MILPITAS, Calif., Nov. 18, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lumentum Holdings Inc. (“Lumentum”) announced today that it received the 2015 “Excellent Core Partner” award from Huawei -- one of the world's foremost providers of network solutions for the telecommunications market. This represents the fifth time in six years that Lumentum has won this distinction.
Lumentum President and CEO Alan Lowe accepted the award from Huawei’s Kevin Wu, SVP of Global Procurement, Chief of Production Procurement Committee, and Member of Global Procurement Committee. Mr. Lowe received an inscribed plaque on stage at Huawei’s annual Core Partner Conference held recently in Shenzhen, China. Out of the approximately 1,000 Huawei suppliers, only 140 are invited to the event and then only a handful actually get this coveted and prestigious award. It is the highest honor given by Huawei to any of its suppliers.
“It is exciting to receive the 'Excellent Core Partner' award again,” said Alan Lowe. “Our relationship with Huawei only continues to grow, and Lumentum takes great pride in the collaborative efforts both companies have achieved in the previous six years. I look forward to further solidifying our partnership and working together as next generation networks are installed.”
Lumentum provides Huawei a wide range of solutions that include optical components and modules for its transmission, transport and datacom products that support flexible network management. Lumentum’s products include Wavelength Selective Switching (WSS), 100G modules and 100G components, tunables, pluggables and passives. Huawei is deploying Lumentum’s market-proven solutions globally for high-speed data networks.
In 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014, Lumentum (at that time, operating as the CCOP business segment of JDSU) also received the “Excellent Core Partner” award from Huawei for its service, product performance and quality.
Lumentum (NASDAQ:LITE) is a market-leading manufacturer of innovative optical and photonic products enabling optical networking and commercial laser customers worldwide. Lumentum’s optical components and subsystems are part of virtually every type of telecom, enterprise and data center network. Lumentum’s commercial lasers enable advanced manufacturing techniques and diverse applications including next-generation 3D sensing capabilities. Lumentum is headquartered in Milpitas, California with R&D, manufacturing and sales offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.lumentum.com.
Investors: Chris Coldren, 408-404-0606; email@example.com
Media: Greg Kaufman, 408-546-4235; firstname.lastname@example.org
Lumentum Holdings Inc.
Please note that the presentations, reports and/or filings of Lumentum presented below contain time-sensitive information accurate only as of the issue date. Lumentum will not be reviewing or updating the material that is contained in these items after the issue date. The information contained in these presentations, reports and/or filings may be updated, amended, supplemented or otherwise altered by subsequent presentations, reports and/or filings by Lumentum. By opening any of the documents presented below, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.


text:
Hong Kong Means Business
Life & Style
Venture Hong Kong
Subscribe now to the weekly newsletter of
Hong Kong Means Business
and get all the industry and regional news and insights you need to stay on top of your business and promising market opportunities worldwide. This valuable SME resource is free.
Items Per Page
Young designers thrive virtually
Those born since the early 1990s are often referred to as “digital natives” since they grew up in an internet-powered world.
22 Sept 2020
Greater Bay Area enhances Hong Kong’s portal role
One of the most profound changes the world has seen in the first two decades of the 21st century has been the massive expansion in Mainland China’s economy.
15 Sept 2020
Pressure cooker for talent
Having spent decades growing into its role as one of the world’s financial capitals, with big, mature firms, Hong Kong has recently turned into a nursery for nimble young start-ups.
8 Sept 2020
FILMART Online draws nearly 7,000 buyers
As restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19 kept audiences out of theatres across the world, entertainment quite literally streamed online. And Asia’s leading film and television content market also moved into the digital realm.
1 Sept 2020
Bicycles ride to rescue in Taiwan
One of the surprising beneficiaries of the global COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be the humble bicycle.
25 Aug 2020
Indonesia in transformation spotlight
The world’s manufacturing infrastructure and supply chains were undergoing profound changes last year, driven by trade disputes, rapid technological advances and the long-running rise of Asia.
18 Aug 2020
Redefining business for digital era
For the past decade Entrepreneur Day (E-Day), organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), has been a highlight on start-ups’ calendars in the city and beyond.
11 Aug 2020
Thailand beckons Hong Kong entrepreneurs
As traditional earnings models are under pressure from a basket of challenges - including the COVID-19 outbreak and Sino-United States trade conflict - many Hong Kong small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are looking to diversify into emerging markets such as Southeast Asian countries.
4 Aug 2020
Traders flock to cyberspace
The COVID-19 pandemic is keeping many suppliers, exporters, importers, buyers and investors confined at home – and no intelligence, artificial or otherwise, will reveal when regular physical travel can resume.
29 July 2020
COVID the transformer
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought drastic changes for all businesses with sectors such as cruise liners going into suspended animation while others, such as entertainment, transform themselves with such innovations as drive-in concerts (main picture).
28 July 2020
Self-driven scoops scour waters
Plastic pollution in oceans, rivers, harbours and lakes has become a hot-button issue around the world, including in Hong Kong where most people live and work near waterways and see the problem every day.
21 July 2020
Start-up sector bullish on comeback
Hong Kong’s start‑up scene was very much seen as riding high last year, a scenario viewed as set to fuel the innovation that is the lifeblood of the city.
14 July 2020
Virtual fair, real business
For hundreds of thousands of suppliers and buyers looking to continue with business despite COVID-19-induced travel restrictions, a convenient solution is at hand.
7 July 2020
Solution for financial indigestion
Scanning reams of financial documents while sorting through bundles of data is an essential skill for anyone running a business – and Hong Kong fintech start-up Apoidea has won favour with investors by offering artificial intelligence (AI) solutions which take on this process.
30 June 2020
Rapid reliable tests vital in virus fight
The rapid spread of COVID-19, which has infected more than eight million people across the planet and led to over 400,000 deaths, presents the world with an unprecedented health and economic challenge, especially to the frontline medical professionals risking their lives taking care of COVID-19 patients.
23 June 2020
Volatile environment favours start-ups
The COVID-19 outbreak is driving drastic overhauls of economies and business operating models worldwide.
16 June 2020
Artworks go under digital gavel
With live auctions cancelled since January and no offline events scheduled until July, Christie’s Asia-Pacific has needed to be creative in its approach to keeping buyers and sellers interested.
9 June 2020
Hotels gear up for recovery
Measures to control the COVID-19 outbreak – especially restrictions on travellers from overseas and Mainland China – have had a heavy impact on Hong Kong’s tourism and hospitality sectors.
2 June 2020
Semiconductor maker follows the sun
Relocating operations has been a perennial theme for businesses in Hong Kong. From the 1950s to 1970s manufacturers flocked to the city, turning it into the factory of the world for everything from textiles and toys to semiconductors.
26 May 2020
Expansion hub for Korean bank
As two of the four “Asian Tiger” economies which achieved spectacular expansion in the 1980s, Hong Kong and Korea (the others being Taiwan and Singapore) have extensive and growing trade, investment and business links.
19 May 2020
Items Per Page
Cannot find what you are looking for?
Contact our Customer Service Officers
Chat temporarily unavailable
Subscribe to Hong Kong Means Business
Your online destination for Asia business intelligence.


text:
Carrefour Taiwan has strengthened its cage-free commitment, in partnership with EAST
Carrefour cemented its cage-free ambition, confirming that only cage-free eggs will be sold in all of the company’s hypermarkets and supermarkets from 2025.
In February, Carrefour completed its takeover of rival retailers Wellcome and Jasons Market Place, further expanding the influence of its animal welfare policy. Carrefour now has 66 hypermarkets, 262 supermarkets and 25 premium supermarkets in Taiwan, second only to PX Mart by store count.
Lawrence Wang, CEO of Carrefour Taiwan, on the retailer’s renewed commitment, said, “Carrefour’s food transition is rooted in the belief that every person is worthy of the best; this should not only apply to humans, but to animals, too.”
An estimated 85% of Taiwan’s 43 million laying hens live out their lives in tiny wire cages, treated as egg-laying machines and deprived of all that comes naturally to them.
Carrefour has already established designated cage-free zones in all of its locations, launched a line of cage-free private label eggs, and sourced free range eggs certified by the Cage Free Alliance for its Carrefour Quality Line.
“Consumers shouldn’t underestimate the power of their decisions, even something as simple as choosing which eggs to buy. Together, many small changes in the same direction have the power to bring Taiwan’s agriculture sector in line with global trends to create a more sustainable future.”
Yu-Min Chen, deputy chief executive of EAST, applauded Carrefour for helping to transform the way hens are treated in Taiwan’s egg industry.
“We urge other corporate leaders to follow Carrefour’s lead and embed animal welfare in their corporate social responsibility efforts,” she concluded.


text:
Realme is currently working on a new C series smartphone known asRealme C11 (2021). Now Realme C11 (2021) has been spotted on the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) site with model number RMX3231 revealing its key details.
As per the FCC listing, the Realme C11 (2021) smartphone will come with a huge 5000mAh battery. The phone will run on Android 11 out-of-the-box. The listing was first spotted by tipster Mukul Sharma.
The tipster further says that Realme C11 (2021) will run Android 11 out of the box. The phone will measure 165.2 x 76.4 x 8.9mm in dimensions and weigh 190g, according to the FCC listing.
Realme C11 2021 has already been spotted on the BIS certification. So the phone will most be launching in the Indian market as well. It was also spotted on the EEC and TKDN certification websites.
Realme C11 (2021) will be the successor of Realme C11 smartphone launched in India last year. To recall, Realme C11 features a 6.5-inch HD+ mini-drop fullscreen display with 1600 x 720 pixels resolution. The smartphone is powered by the latest MediaTek Helio G35 Processor with 2GB LPDDR4x RAM, 32GB internal storage which is expandable up to 256GB with microSD card slot.
Realme C11 runs on Android 10 with Realme UI running on top of it and is backed up by a 5000mAh battery. On the camera front, the phone comes loaded with a dual-camera setup with a combination of 13-megapixel primary lens with f/2.2 aperture, LED flash and 2-megapixel depth sensor. For the front, there is a 5-megapixel selfie camera.


text:
DETROIT - What types of vehicle options and features will consumers demand in the coming years?
That's hard to say for sure, but the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress and Exhibition offers a glimpse of what's ahead.
About 50,000 engineers and other industry folk attended the annual event in Detroit last month. The show's 1,200 displays cover just about every system that goes - or may soon go - into vehicles.
For instance, Lear Corp. demonstrated a completely flexible interior that would allow customers to choose what seats, dashboard treatment, instrumentation, steering wheel and other features they want.
TRW Inc. touted experimental car doors that unlock two ways: when an on-board camera recognizes the face of an authorized driver or when an electronic pad registers the fingerprint of such a person.
Delphi Delco Electronics Systems demonstrated the future use of X-by-wire systems. Those can control steering, throttle, braking and suspension. They also eliminate mechanical links from driver's controls to control acuators.
The SAE extravaganza, Detroit's biggest convention, was also big on safety systems, too.
Those include brakes with faster response time, air bags with more refinements, and collision avoidance systems with radar and vision sensors that signal impending danger.
A Dohring Co. Inc. survey indicates more customers want vehicle safety features.
For example, 76% of people surveyed ranked air bags as important and very important (up 13% from a similar survey two years ago), 85% gave the same important ranking to ABS brakes (up 7% from two years ago), and 81% highly ranked traction control (up 4% from 1998).
"Customers' demands for safety features continue to grow," says Dohring Senior Vice President Rik Kinney. "It's a call to manufacturers that safety sells."
SAE displays also featured state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment for dealership service technicians.
That included GenRad's CD-ROM-driven Worldwide Diag-nostic System. It's described as a next-generation diagnostic tool for vehicle diagnostic demands of the 21st century.
Some convention participants say that as cars become more complex, service technicians will become highly specialized in various areas of expertise, much like doctors are.
Making sure they know how to use that equipment properly is essential, says Frank Ligon, technical support operations manager for Ford Customer Service Division.
"Quality training is key to our quest in attaining customer satisfaction," he says.


text:
The New York Knicks will wear the logo of website publishing platform Squarespace on their jerseys this season, the team announced Tuesday.
Terms were not disclosed by the Knicks, who became the 17th NBA team to sign a deal to wear an advertising patch on their jerseys.
Squarespace, which was founded in 2003, is based in New York and reached $100 million in revenue in 2015. It has raised nearly $80 million from investors in the last seven years, according to ESPN.
The logo will begin appearing on Knicks jerseys for Friday night's preseason game against the Washington Wizards.


text:
The station, unlike the other, is located in a covered area, seven electric cars can be charged at the same time, and two of the outlets are DC with a capacity of 25 kW. The five AC outlets have a capacity of 22 kW. The number of outlets available at the same time is currently only in the main building of the company Latvenergo on Pulkveža Briea Street, but the shopping center is visited by an incomparable number of people daily.
Guntars Baččūns, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Latvenergo AS: “We want people to change their habits and switch to electric cars. To do that, the infrastructure is important. You have to realize that you will be able to charge the car and there will be no problem. This is half the solution to see more electric cars in Streets “.
Latvian Economy Minister Yannis Wittenbergs also praised the creation of such an ambitious complex of electric mobility infrastructure.
“In the future, this network will have to become more dense across the country in order for electric vehicles to be used in traffic without concern, until there is no concern that the battery will not be rechargeable and cannot be resolved,” Wittenberg says.
“Nowadays, collaboration is one of the key elements of business development. We have the knowledge, and it is important for Spice to attract customers and know that they will be satisfied,” adds Guntars Balčūns
The new station is located almost at the entrance to the supermarket, which is really convenient. The unusually large number of outlets, in turn, allays electric vehicle users’ fears that the only major component will be occupied.
Nowadays, the pace is changing so fast that you need to be able to do so many things at once and this is her great opportunity – to shop and have a car shipped!
Despite the growing interest in electric cars in Latvia, many are refraining from buying due to the high prices. State support, which we hope for in 2022, will be very useful here.
“The program envisions that individuals can receive up to 5,000 new cars from the state for the purchase of electric cars, for legal entities this will be a complex measure of 30% of park costs,” says Latvian Minister of Economy, Wittenbergs.
To use the Elektrum brand charging points, it is necessary to download the application. Unlike e-mobi charging stations, where you have to pay for charging time, here the user pays for kilowatt-hours.
So far, though, there aren’t many visitors, and most ports use Fiqsy’s shared network vehicles.
“The moment the infrastructure is fully loaded, the machines will be standing next to each other, then we will be successful in this business. As long as the station is empty, the situation is not always favorable, but we believe there will be customers, and with that in mind, we are creating Infrastructure,” Guntars Baļčūns is optimistic.
Others are currently reading
Economy Minister Wittenberg: In the future, the electric charging network should become more dense throughout the country
Subtly charming zombie buff. Amateur analyst. Proud tvaholic. Beer fanatic. Web expert. Evil troublemaker. Passionate internet maven. Gamer. Food evangelist.


text:
Eslambolchi Hatches Content Search Startup
The new venture is a sort of digital media search engine that will locate content for users based on their own personal preferences. Eslambolchi described this format to Light Reading as a "peer-to-source" technology that simply makes it easy for users to sort through all the digital content on the Internet much more quickly than they could have before.
"This is about the user mining the Internet for content," says Eslambolchi. "It's knowledge mining. It is something that's been embraced."
The new peer-to-source service is different from peer-to-peer services in that it's entirely Web-based and requires no client software or browser plug-ins. Also, by only pointing to URLs and not hosting content itself, Divvio hopes to steer clear of hotly contested copyright issues.
The real techology behind the company will be a "personalization engine" that learns the users' tastes, according to Eslambolchi. Divvio says it has a unique, patent-pending technology it calls the Adaptive Learning Intelligent Platform (ALIP). "ALIP will enable Divvio to build dynamic content channels of premium, popular, and hard-to-find content, customized for its users, based on preferences and streaming habits," according to the company's press release. The software will take this personalized content and allow the users to aggregate it into "channel" formats for viewing or listening online or on mobile devices.
When the company is launched it will start out as a free service with a target-advertising-driven business model similar to Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)'s adwords. That could change, though, in the future. "I think we’re going to take it to the mobile environment and might think about a subscription model," said Eslambolchi.
Divvio has landed an undisclosed amount of seed money from some big names, including Allegis Capital ; Palm Inc. chairman and 3Com founder Eric Benhamou; Presidio STX (the investment arm of Sumitomo Corp. ); Farzad Naimi, CEO of Litescape; Geoff Ralston, former chief product officer at Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO); Sachio Semmoto, chairman of eAccess Ltd. of Japan; and others.
— Raymond McConville, Reporter, Light Reading


text:
It’s been exactly six months since legal retail marijuana sales began in Colorado, and today is the first day that retail marijuana business licenses are open to all applicants — not just those who previously held medical marijuana licenses.
Click here for an application checklist and the required application forms. Please note that these licenses would not go into effect until October 1, 2014, and businesses would still require local approval.
In these brief six months, the Centennial State has already experienced overwhelmingly positive results! There has been a 10.1% decrease in overall crime from 2013. As of May, the state had collected $10.9 million in taxes from adult use stores alone. The Department of Revenue has licensed nearly 600 retail marijuana businesses — including dispensaries, cultivators, and infused products manufacturers — and 10,043 individuals to work in the industry.
Collateral sectors are also feeling the love, especially in the tourism industry. Colorado ski resorts enjoyed a record-breaking season, with 12.6 million visitors, and 14 million Denver tourists spent an all-time high of $4 billion. More families and businesses are also moving to the Mile High City. In 2013, Denver attracted more sales of single-family homes last year than during the housing boom, and is ranked among the top commercial real estate markets to watch.


text:
TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd 7974.T plans to shift part of the production of its Switch gaming console to Vietnam from China to diversify manufacturing sites, a spokeswoman at the Japanese video game maker told Reuters on Tuesday.
The move would make Nintendo the latest company to relocate production out of China amid a Sino-U.S. trade war punctuated by tit-for-tat import tariffs spanning industries.
Nintendo, which outsources almost all Switch console production to contract manufacturers in China, plans to make the partial shift to Vietnam this summer, the spokeswoman said.
The shift is aimed at diversifying risks and not to escape the impact of potential tariff hikes by Washington on products imported to the United States from China, the spokeswoman added.
The Nikkei first reported the plan earlier on Tuesday.
Last month, the Nikkei business daily reported that U.S. technology leader Apple Inc AAPL.O has asked major suppliers to assess the cost implications of moving 15% to 30% of their production capacity to Southeast Asia from China as it prepares to restructure its supply chain.
Washington has held off launching a fourth tranche of tariffs on $300 billion worth of goods, a measure that would see almost all Chinese imports to the United States impacted by tariffs.
Reporting by Yoshiyasu Shida; Writing by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Christopher Cushing
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


text:
Wondering how downgraded Deus Ex: Mankind Divded looks in-game compared to the cinematic trailer? Well, not that downgraded at all. While the full game is still a ways off from release, the newest gameplay trailer at least gives gamers an idea of what Eidos Montreal is shooting for with the upcoming game on home consoles and PC.
During Square Enix’s E3 press conference they rolled out the first gameplay trailer for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and explained a little bit about the game. Adam Jensen is now working for an elite group at Interpol after leaving Sarif Industries. It’s two years after the events of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and cybernetic transhumans are hunted down and quarantined away from the rest of society. People fear the augments. This leads Jensen into a quest to discover who is truly behind the Illuminati and how he can possibly get Alex Jones to stop shouting so much. No, I’m kidding about the Alex Jones part but most of you probably wish that I wasn’t.
The gameplay trailer itself doesn’t actually reveal a lot of actual gameplay. We do get to see a few of Jensen’s new abilities in play, such as his ability to turn into a shielded , armored polygon man. I imagine that’s a neat trick for people who likely will take the loud and violent route through the game.
We also see the projectile arm blades in action and the wrist-mounted EMP device that disables augmented individuals.
Most impressive to me is that so far the game actually looks a lot like the cyberpunk concept art that we all envisioned Deus Ex to look like, but previous gen’s hardware prevented that vision from coming true. The gameplay this time around looks awfully close to to the cinematics and that’s a huge step up from the jarring difference in the cinematics presented in Human Revolution to the downgraded gameplay graphics that console gamers ended up getting stuck with.
Again, details on Deus Ex: Mankind Divided are thin, but we do know that weapon customization is back, open-world traversal is apparent and the ability to shape and sculpt the world through player-made decisions returns.
You can keep an eye on Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which is due for release in early 2016 on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC, by heading on over to the official website.


text:
TOKYO (CBS.MW) -- A multinational online autoparts exchange that is expected to draw the participation of about 3,000 firms including Toyota Motor, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler AG is set to begin operation by the end of this year, Japan's leading business daily reported Friday.
According to the Nihon Keizai daily's report, the virtual exchange, tentatively called "GNX," will allow the low-cost transmission of design information and order data.
GNX also is expected to boost international competition among parts manufacturers by increasing transactions outside of traditional industry groups, the paper said.
The network will use a common communications network for the auto industry, so that information can be exchanged with manufacturers around the world from a single terminal.
Industry associations in Europe, Japan and the U.S. recently agreed on how to proceed with setting up the global exchange, the Nikkei reported.
The Japanese version, JNX, which is set to start in October, aims to have 1,000 companies hooked up within 3 years. In the U.S., the Advanced Network eXchange, or ANX, already has about 400 members and it will also be linked to the European Network Exchange (ENX).
The worldwide GNX network will be set up by connecting these three exchanges. The network also hopes to eventually include South Korean and Australian firms, the report said.
Shares of Toyota TM, +0.81% added 50 yen, or 0.9 percent, to 5,590 yen by mid-morning in Tokyo Friday.


text:
Greenyard USA/Seald Sweet is extremely proud to be participating in Food Lion’s “Summers Without Hunger” Campaign. Starting June 3rd, Food Lion customers will have the opportunity to make a much-needed difference in their neighbors’ lives by making a $5 donation to Feeding America® and its 30 regional food banks located across Food Lion’s service area. The campaign is supported by Greenyard USA / Seald Sweet and other five major suppliers to Food Lion who will each donate up to 250,000 units of product to help fight hunger in the towns and cities Food Lion serves.
The first shipment of Seald Sweet’s clementines arrived June 2nd at Maryland Food Bank, delivered by TQL, who also donated the freight. The kickoff was held today, presented by the Food Lion Director of operations for Baltimore, Maryland Food Bank representative and Steve Marinello, Greenyard Logistics VP. Everyone attending followed the safety protocol and remained socially distanced throughout the event.
When Food Lion presented this campaign, the need to support children and their families was essential. Now, since COVID-19, the need for fresh food has never been greater. Making fresh fruit and vegetables available to children is vital to providing nutritious, healthy, and delicious meals and snacks as well as good habits for a healthier future. “It is our mission as a company to promote a healthier future. Providing fresh fruit and vegetables to consumers, supporting communities in need are all very good reasons to go to work every day!” stated Steve Marinello, V.P. of Greenyard Logistics, present at the launch of the campaign at Maryland Food Bank.


text:
A price war has developed
on the server front after multinationals faced competition from original design manufacturers (ODMs) that make the machines.
Over the last year or so, companies such as Quanta Computer have undercut Dell and HP and won big orders from the likes of Google and Amazon.
reports that HP is fighting back by striking a deal with giant Taiwanese combo Foxconn to offer cut price X86 servers to customers.
Meanwhile, Dell has struck a deal with Microsoft to offer cloud based systems in a bid to sell private cloud data centres.
But while the news might be good for enterprises looking to pay less for their X86 servers, it can’t be good news for margins.
And Intel, which supplies the majority of microprocessors that power servers, must be worrying about an effect it may have on its margins.
Apple and Samsung
were the biggest buyers of semiconductors in 2014.
Together, they bought $57.9 billion worth of chips last year, up by $3.9 billion in 2013, according to Gartner.
In terms of the total market for semiconductor, both companies’ accounted for 17 percent of the total market.
Gartner said the two firms have been top of the semiconductor consumption market for four years in a row.
That, said analyst Masatsune Yamajo, means decisions they make “have considerable technology and pricing implications for the whole semiconductor industry”.
Samsung was still top buyer but its decision to withdraw from some parts of the PC market as well as losing market share to other vendors meant its growth rate wasn’t as great as in the past.
Gartner estimates that the top 10 companies bought $125.6 billion of semiconductors, accounting for 36.4 percent of the whole market in 2014.
After Samsung and Apple, the remaining eight top ten buyers were HP, Lenovo, Dell, Sony, Huawei, Cisco, LG Electronics and Toshiba.
The entire semiconductor market worldwide amounted to $339.9 billions last year.
Sales of PCs
in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) grew by two percent in the fourth quarter of last year.
Although that’s hardly a stellar figure, Western Europe showed better results with growth of 10.7 percent.
In all, shipments amounted to 93.3 million units.
IDC’s report said that the market grew because of healthier shipments to ordinary people in the quarter, with vendors stocking up for Christmas and January sales.
Next month, there will be Microsoft promotions which will bring prices down on notebooks with less than 15-inch screens.
HP, and Lenovo dominated the market place, with shares of 23.3 percent and 19.6 percent respectively.
Dell has 9.8 percent share in EMEA, followed by Acer, Asus and “others”.
Sales of notebooks
during the fourth quarter of 2014 amounted to 46 million units.
That’s according to Digitimes Research, which said in a report that shipments were flat compared to the same quarter in 2013.
Of the notebooks shipped, Taiwanese original design manufacturers (ODMs) shipped 36.6 million, representing nearly 80 percent of the total marketplace.
ODMs make notebooks which are then rebranded by multinationals or sold as so called “white boxes”.
The chief ODMs were Quanta with 33 percent, Compal with 31.4 percent, Wistron with 15.8 percent, Inventec with 7.5 percent and Pegatron with 6.9 percent.
Digitimes Research said HP was the number one vendor in the quarter with 23 percent market share, Lenovo second, Dell third, Asustek fourth, Acer fifth, Apple sixth, Toshiba seventh, Samsung eighth and Fujitsu ninth.
Insurers with a worldwide
presence are set to spend over $100 billion this year on IT. That will gladden the hearts of vendors.
This is the view of IDC Financial Investments, which says that the number is an increase of 4.4 percent compared to 2014.
The global insurers want to spend this money to boost “efficiencies”, meaning that they will invest in data warehousing, claims and policy administration systems.
Li-May Chew, lead director for IDC’s Financial Insights division, said that the insurers need to act.
She said: “Replacements or refreshes are required as legacy IT systems become increasingly complex, inflexible and archaic, to the point of negatively affecting technology integration and interoperability.”
In other words, they’re out of date.
The insurers want to modernise their systems and use the cloud to cut costs – and customers want the insurers to do that too.
They want to make sure their customers use PCs, mobile devices and social networks.
They need to protect themselves against fraud.
Li-May didn’t say which vendors would benefit from the increased spend – but the emphasis is on mobile computing, cloud services, social networking and big data analytics.
So the usual suspects – that is to say IBM, HP, Dell, Oracle and others will be sitting patiently waiting for the phone to ring so they can pick up the orders.
Shipments of PCs
during any fourth quarter used to be strong until two years ago.
But figures released by Gartner said that worldwide PC shipments grew by a miserly one percent during the last quarter of 2014.
Shipments amounted to 83.7 million units and analysts at the company think the results are a “slow but consistent improvement after two years of decline”.
Tablets had been responsible for displacing PCs but that peaked in 2013 and the first half of last year.
People are drifting back to PCs, said Gartner, although different regions showed different results.
The US market showed the highest growth and the European region was strong too.
Lenovo is now the worldwide leader in shipments with 19.4 percent of the market, followed by HP and Dell. Acer and Asus were fourth and fifth.
HP showed growth of 16 percent in the quarter, while Lenovo’s growth slowed.
The chief driver for sales were mobile PCs including thin and light. Prices around the $300 mark helped boost sales.
A report said
that integrated infrastructure and platforms – that is to say vendor systems containing servers, disk storage, networking kit and systems management software – grew by 38 percent in the third quarter of last year.
IDC said vendors turned in revenues of $616 million in the quarter, a year on year growth of 38.2 percent for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in the quarter.
Eckhardt Fisher, research analyst at IDC, said the growth is linked to fast spreading adoption of business intelligence systems and the perceived benefit to enterprises that brings.
The market leader for the integrated infrastructure division saw VCE as the leader, followed by Cisco-Netapp, and then HP.
Cisco grew its share by close to 163 percent for the quarter, compared to the same quarter in 2013.
VCE also took prime position in the integrated platforms sector, followed by Cisco-Netapp and HP. But here HP belonged strongly – growing by 271 percent in the quarter.
The entire market for the third quarter shipped 238 terabytes – up 63.5 percent compared to Q3 2013.
Manufacturers of X86
based servers are taking market share from intermediary companies such as Dell and HP.
And, according to Taiwanese wire Digitimes, that trend is sure to increase.
It reports that Taiwanese manufacturers Quanta and Wiwynn will sell more servers to big users during 2015.
The main motivation for the move away from companies like HP is that the boxes are cheaper to source from manufacturers than through middlemen.
And as the trend to data centres continues to grow, companies including Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon and Google will seek to cut costs and establish cloud data centres by directly sourcing product.
that Quanta’s direct business for servers now represents 90 percent of its business, while only 10 percent are shipped to third parties.
Despite evidence that sales of tablets showed signs of decline in 2014, one market intelligence is bucking the trend by predicting healthy sales in 2015.
ABI Research said that although 2014 was “lacklustre”, it predicted that there will be solid growth during the next five years with shipments of tablets close to 290 million units in 2019.
But the growth is not for every vendor – Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Google will show year on year falls in shipments.
On the other hand, Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG, Microsoft and Samsung are predicted to show higher volumes in 2014.
Senior analyst Jeff Orr doesn’t have good news for Apple. He said: “Historically, Apple has counted approximately 35 percent of its iPad sales in the last calendar quarter of the year. Unless Apple can pull off a 32+ million unit quarter, sales for 2014 will be down for the first year since the iPad launched.”
He said that Apple probably shipped 68 million iPads in 2014, but managed to sell 74 million in 2013.
On the operating systems front, Android has 54 percent of branded tablets, Apple iOS has fallen to 41 percent, and Windows 8 has a meagre five percent of shipments.
HP’s storage marketer Craig Nunes has said that the cost of flash storage to fall below that of spinning-disk storage within the next couple of years and widescale adoption is starting to rise.
Nunes said that if you can get the affordability right on flash, if you can drive it down and cross over spinning disk, people will buy it.
Flash is a far better alternative because it is faster and has better service levels and HP’s efforts to improve the cost-efficiency of its arrays are paying off.
The maker of expensive printer ink has shipped more flash capacity over the last few quarters than it has 15,000 RPM disks. These disks have historically been the medium of choice for mission-critical applications requiring fast storage. Now HP wants Flash to outsell its 10,000 RPM business and this could become a reality in a year.
An average enterprise should have the ability to deploy flash for more workloads without having to cut corners elsewhere.
Nunes said HP is also working on ways to make flash more scalable. The company’s flagship all-flash array, the 3PAR StoreServ 7450, offers 480 terabytes of raw storage capacity that can accommodate nearly 1.4 petabytes of data thanks to built-in optimization software.
Nunes said that HP’s 3PAR operating system also includes functionality that avoids the performance degradation all-flash arrays tend to suffer past a certain capacity threshold.
HP recently introduced a new add-on for its 3PAR arrays called Personas that make it possible for admins to change how information is exposed to applications with a few straightforward commands.
Personas evolved from virtualization technology with the kind of functionality and management features that users expect when managing servers. “Personas is not an emulation layer, it is not a management UI over a totally different architecture,” he said. “It’s the same thing that served up your VMware environments and KVM environments except it’s now serves up” blocks and files.
It looks like shareholders are not allowed to collude with HP board members to blame its god-awful Autonomy buy on the British company after all.
Shareholders and HP agreed to bury the hatchet so that they could sue the former owners of Autonomy. US district judge has said that such a deal was wrong because it absolves HP completely from any blame.
Judge Charles Breyer concluded in a San Francisco court filing that the shareholders appear to be relinquishing a whole universe of potential claims regarding HP governance and practices with no factual predicates that overlap the Autonomy acquisition – the subject of this litigation.
He rejected the motion for preliminary approval of the second amended settlement. Judge Breyer added that HP had abdicated its duty to ensure that shareholders’ rights were being protected.
HP bought UK data search and analysis firm Autonomy for $10 billion, but a year later it claimed it found “serious accounting improprieties” and had to write off $8.8bn from the transaction.
Autonomy has denied any wrongdoing and argued that it played by the rules and HP knew about its accounting practices prior to the buyout.
HP said it was disappointed the court did not approve the settlement as submitted, the court recognised that a settlement releasing the HP directors and officers from Autonomy-related claims ‘represents a fair and reasonable resolution of the litigation’ HP remains committed to holding the architects of the Autonomy fraud accountable.
A report said that increased production by major Chinese vendors will topple US players from their grip on the server market.
Digitimes said that Lenovo, Huawei and Inspur are likely to ship a total of two million units in 2015, knocking Dell off the number two slot.
Earlier this year, Lenovo bought IBM’s X86 business and that means the company is likely to ship a million server boxes in 2015.
Meanwhile HP, the market intelligence firm said, will show a decline in server shipments of 10 percent this year.
By the end of next year, the combined shipments worldwide from Chinese vendors is likely to amount to nearly 20 percent.
Meanwhile, the multinationals are threatened by ODMs (original design manufacturers) like Quanta, which are squeezing the Dells and HPs of this world by selling units direct at a knockdown price.
The move towards thin clients has slackened after some growth prompted by Microsoft’s decision to deck Windows XP support.
IDC said shipments of terminal clients and thin clients amounted to 1.35 million units in the third quarter of this year, falling by 1.8 percent and bucking predictions.
While Windows XP made some move from PCs to thin clients, public projects were delayed and that accounts for the slippage.
Thin clients represent a massive 97 percent of enterprise client devices. Within the thin client umbrella, those without operating systems – so called zero clients – still hold 24.6 percent share.
The winners in the thin client race for the third quarter are HP, Dell, Ncomputing, Centerm and Igel. Of these, Dell saw growth of 16.6 percent compared to the same quarter last year, while Ncomputing’s share slumped by 44.7 percent. HP more or less held its own although its share fell 4.3 percent compared to the same quarter last year.
The generation of vast amounts of data continues to fuel the disk storage systems revenue in the third quarter.
With revenues of $8.8 billion, up 5.1 percent from the same period last year, 25 exabytes shipped in the quarter, said IDC. Capacity shipments soared by 42 percent during the quarter, compared to Q3 2013.
IDC said sub $100K external array revenues grew by over six percent during the quarter, but shipments ODMs (original design manufacturers) directly to hyperscale datacentres showed positive growth.
EMC remains at the top spot for the quarter, followed by HP, Dell, IBM and Netapp.
ODM direct sales accounted for 24 percent of the market however, outstripping the traditional vendors. And this trend is continuing, as we’ve reported previously, with ODMs also shipping more and more servers directly and bypassing the brand names,
Strong orders from both the enterprise and from the retail market meant growth in notebook sales during the month of November, largely due to HP’s position in the market.
That’s according to data from Digitimes Research which claims the top five multinational vendor and Taiwanese original design manufacturers (ODMs) showed shipments growing by 10 percent in the month, following a decline in shipments in October.
All the vendors are attempting to stem the growth of tablets and smartphones and the research outfit claimed HP ordered four million notebooks from its ODM partners in the month – with Quanta, Compal, and Investec benefiting from the push by the US giant.
The researchers claim that shipments of global tablets will be in stasis for 2014, when all the figures are added up. And it also predicts sales will decline in 2015.
Digitimes Research estimates that combined shipments of notebooks and tablets will be over 350 million units in 2015 but the major vendors incuding Apple, Lenovo, Samsung, HP, Asustek, Dell and Acer will take steps to secure their positions in the marketplace.


text:
Food and Nutrition Fancy a big, heaping serving of salt on your breakfast plate? Yuck. I don't know about you, but the thought turns my stomach. However, recent studies show that many of us are getting our half and sometimes even a full day's worth of salt in our first meal of the day. What's even more alarming about this statistic is that this is true even for those of us who make our own breakfast at home.
When served low-sugar cereals, children are more likely to eat a nutritious, balanced breakfast - even if they add a little table sugar, a new study has found. The study, "Effects of Serving High-Sugar Cereals on Children's Breakfas... Read Post
Conventional nutritional wisdom has suggested that having a big breakfast jump starts your metabolism and helps you eat less the rest of the day — and stay slim. But a study published Monday in Nutrition Journal turned that notion o... Read Post


text:
According to Joystiq, a few Sony store employees informed them that the 3G model is being discontinued.
The $199.97 PS Vita 3G bundle, which currently can only be bought in-store, includes the PS Vita handheld, 8GB memory card and avoucher for a free game.
Online retailers such as Walmart, GameStop and Amazon still list similar PS Vita 3G bundles from $299.99. The online Sony store lists a PS Vita 3G bundle for $249.99.
Last month, Sony announced a PS Vita price drop in Japan from 24,980 yen to 19,980 yen, which went into effect Feb. 28. A week later, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida stated that the price drop would not come to North America.
Polygon has reached out to Sony for comment about the price drop and the rumored discontinuation of the PS Vita 3G model.
Update: "The reduction in price is the result of a limited time sales promotion through retail," a Sony representative told Polygon.
More from Polygon
- Polygon Daily Open Thread - Thu July 31
- Anime, Cartoons, Comics! Plight Vol. 2, no. 15.3: Summer Crusaders
- Polygon Daily Open Thread - Fri Aug 1
- Hi, nice to meet you.
- Pokémon Discussions: Springing forward
- Infamous Second Son: 2.5/5 For Me!
- Tell Us Your Story
- RIP Friends List?
- Xbox One Update Beta Invites
- Wait. Could the iPad Mini be a better gaming handheld than the PSVita?


text:
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (DPS) Raised to Buy at Zacks Investment Research
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE:DPS) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday. The firm currently has a $102.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Investment Research’s price target points to a potential upside of 12.37% from the stock’s previous close.
According to Zacks, “Dr Pepper has robust long-term fundamentals – strong position in the flavored CSD market, aggressive RCI cost savings and regular cash returns to its shareholders. Continuing the strong performance seen in 2015, the company delivered solid top-line and bottom-line results in the first half of 2016. Solid execution, pricing gains, innovations, strong NCB performance, powerful marketing programs and productivity improvements have been driving strong sales and earnings growth for Dr Pepper since 2015. Moreover, Dr Pepper raised its earnings expectations for 2016 twice this year. Dr Pepper’s allied brands have been an important driver of volume growth and profits in recent quarters. However, sluggish volumes of its carbonated beverages, including the diet versions, due to CSD category headwinds, raises concerns.”
DPS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Susquehanna reissued a “hold” rating and set a $99.00 target price on shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 26th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group in a research note on Friday, July 15th. Jefferies Group boosted their target price on shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 28th. Deutsche Bank AG boosted their target price on shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 28th. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lowered their target price on shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group from $90.00 to $89.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.86.
This story is the sole property of American Banking News and it was originally published by American Banking News. If you are reading this story on another website, that means this article was illegally copied and re-published to this website in violation of U.S. and International copyright law. The original version of this article is available at http://www.americanbankingnews.com/2016/09/20/dr-pepper-snapple-group-inc-dps-raised-to-buy-at-zacks-investment-research.html
Shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE:DPS) traded up 0.083% during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $90.845. 583,912 shares of the company traded hands. Dr Pepper Snapple Group has a 52 week low of $76.56 and a 52 week high of $98.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.803 and a beta of 0.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $94.21 and a 200-day moving average of $93.00.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE:DPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 27th. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.05. The company earned $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. Dr Pepper Snapple Group had a net margin of 13.04% and a return on equity of 37.43%. Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Dr Pepper Snapple Group will post $4.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 9th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s payout ratio is 48.51%.
In other news, insider David Thomas sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.20, for a total transaction of $194,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 40,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,888,000. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Martin M. Ellen sold 15,462 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.63, for a total value of $1,494,093.06. Following the sale, the insider now owns 5,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $527,793.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of DPS. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 35,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,335,000 after buying an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $136,394,000. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group by 1.8% in the first quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 159,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,276,000 after buying an additional 2,799 shares in the last quarter. DnB Asset Management AS raised its stake in shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group by 22.6% in the first quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 18,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,650,000 after buying an additional 3,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group by 6.0% in the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 1,050,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,965,000 after buying an additional 59,638 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.07% of the company’s stock.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Company Profile
Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc is an owner, manufacturer and distributor of non-alcoholic beverages in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Company’s products consist of flavored (non-cola) carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) and non-carbonated beverages (NCBs), including ready-to-drink teas, juices, juice drinks, water and mixers.
Receive News & Ratings for Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS), a leading global media measurement and optimisation platform, today announced that it has rolled out new ad measurement tools for YouTube Shorts, the short-form video experience for users to create and share short, catchy videos.
Through the Total Media Quality for YouTube product suite, IAS is now providing viewability and invalid traffic measurement for YouTube Shorts’ rapidly growing inventory so that advertisers can be assured that their ads are seen by real users. YouTube Shorts now reaches 1.5 billion logged-in monthly users with 50 billion daily views.
This expansion is the latest demonstration of IAS and Google providing advertisers with greater transparency into the performance of their ad campaigns.
“YouTube Shorts is enormously popular with advertisers, and we are pleased to broaden our work to provide this greater level of transparency,” said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO, IAS. “YouTube Shorts continues to grow quickly and globally, providing an incredible opportunity for our advertising partners.”
For more information, visit integralads.com.
About Integral Ad Science
Integral Ad Science (IAS) is a leading global media measurement and optimization platform that delivers the industry’s most actionable data to drive superior results for the world’s largest advertisers, publishers, and media platforms. IAS’s software provides comprehensive and enriched data that ensures ads are seen by real people in safe and suitable environments, while improving return on ad spend for advertisers and yield for publishers. Our mission is to be the global benchmark for trust and transparency in digital media quality. For more information, visit integralads.com.


text:
U.S. stocks extended losses as poor earnings from Gilead Sciences (GILD) dragged the entire health care sector lower. Markets were also down after a monthly reading on consumer activity in the U.S. showed a tendency to save instead of spend. Consumer sentiment fell in April as Americans grew more concerned over future economic conditions. This marks the fourth straight monthly decline. Economic activity in the Chicago area weakened in April as a softer global economy tempered demand for U.S. products. The Chicago PMI was just above the level that separates expansion from contraction. Rovi (ROVI) announced that it had reached an agreement to buy Tivo (TIVO) for around $1.1 billion in a cash-and-stock deal. The companies expect annual cost synergies of at least $100 million. TheStreet's Keris Lahiff reports from Wall Street.
More from Video
CAG has hung onto the bulk of its recent gains, and could rise to the $50 area, according to the charts and indicators.
Breaking down an approach to the long side of this biotech stock.
AMSC CEO discusses that and China challenges.
One of pharma's biggest CEO's talks M&A action on the exchange.


text:
Govt aims to force traders to buy back or replace faulty goodsTraders may soon have to buy back or replace faulty or substandard goods they sell to customers should the amendment to Consumer Protection Act 1998 come into effect.
Traders may soon have to buy back or replace faulty or substandard goods they sell to customers should the amendment to Consumer Protection Act 1998 come into effect.
The government, which has initiated the process of amending the Act, plans to introduce drastic changes to the law to protect the interest of consumers who are shortchanged by traders.
“The provision is expected to curb the practice of selling substandard or faulty products and pave the way for customers to exchange such goods or get the money back within a week of conducting the transaction,” said Gokul Prasad Dhital, director general of the Department of Supply Management. “The goods would be bought back or replaced based on invoice customers receive.”
The department took this initiative after it found that customers were being cheated by traders.
“The practice of buying back or replacing substandard and faulty products is common in foreign countries,” Dhital said at a programme organised in the Capital on Friday. “We will introduce this provision here as well once the amendments made to the Act are approved.”
The changes made to the Act are currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
To further protect consume`rs’ interest, the government is also planning to empower officials deployed to conduct market monitoring by allowing them to fine unscrupulous traders on the spot.
If traders fail to maintain the price list, or are found selling adulterated or expired products, market monitoring officials can slap a fine of Rs10,000 on the spot.
“There would be a three-fold increase in the penalty amount if traders are found making the same mistake for a third time,” Dhital said, adding, “A fine of Rs100,000 would be levied if malpractices pose direct threat to consumers’ health.” He also informed that businesses would be shut down if government’s instructions are defied time and again.
The revised Act also envisages empowering market monitoring officials to file cases related to malpractices at the court and make recommendations for release of those found guilty on bail.
It also includes provisions on expediting the process of framing guidelines on consumer related issues and issuing verdict on cases related to malpractices within a week.
The revisions made to the Act also propose establishment of a consumer court in each of the 75 districts.
“The lack of consumer court has resulted in poor implementation of various laws framed to protect consumer interest,” Puspa Ram Poudel, general-secretary of the National Consumers Forum Nepal, said, adding, “Provisions should be introduced to regulate the services sector as well.”
Sanjeev Kumar Karna, director general of the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, stressed the need for proper coordination between various oversight agencies of the government. “This will make market monitoring more effective,” Karna said.


text:
VW investments show importance Chinese market
The Volkswagen Group is investing €2 billion in China. Half of the money will be used to increase VW’s share in the joint venture with the Chinese JAC Motors to 75%. With the other half, the Germans will take a 26% stake in battery supplier Gotion High-tech.
The investment demonstrates the importance the group attaches to China. More and more Western companies are investing in the Chinese market. It is the largest car market in the world, so a presence there is not unimportant. What’s more, the Chinese government is now more flexible when it comes to takeovers of local companies by Western car manufacturers.
“China is the second-largest economy in the world, with a relatively strong growth path: a growing middle class with growing car ownership,” said Rico Luman, sector economist automotive at ING. “A car manufacturer wants to be there. China is already very important for Volkswagen in particular.”
JAC, with which the German group has a joint venture, builds electric cars. By increasing its stake, VW hopes to secure its presence in a large sales market. The group expects to sell 1,5 million partly or fully electric cars a year in China in 2025.
Of course, it will also need batteries for this purpose. With its investment in battery supplier Gotion High-tech, the Volkswagen Group will become the company’s largest shareholder. This is remarkable, as China until recently protected its market from foreign companies.
Fewer restrictions due to trade conflict
China will completely open its car market from 2022. Since the end of 2018, China has already been more flexible toward foreign investors. It is no longer always necessary for Western companies to enter into a joint venture of up to 50% with a local partner.
BMW was the first to do so. China allowed the manufacturer to increase its stake in the Brilliance China Automotive joint venture from 50 to 75% for €3,6 billion. Tesla was even allowed to set up a mega factory near Shanghai on its own. Tesla CEO Elon Musk expects to be able to build more factories in China in the coming years.
The fact that China is adopting a more flexible stance may have to do with the trade conflict between China the US. This strategic economic game harms both parties. “China has now turned its attention to Europe as a trading partner, think also of the development of the new Silk Road,” says Luman.


text:
Ford Motor Company could be on the point of making greater use of 3D printing to gain an edge in the manufacture of prototype parts.
But it is not just rapid prototyping with 3D-printed parts that is benefiting the American automaker’s production models, the company is using it on its race cars as well. In
Ford won the 2015 24 Hours of Daytona with a 3D-printed intake manifold with carbon-fibre plenums on its race car.
Also, a Ford EcoBoost-powered race car hit the track at the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix in the last weekend of May using 3D-printed parts, much like the intake manifold used on the Daytona Prototype.
According to Ford, computer-aided design mock-ups are sent to the company’s rapid prototype laboratory where they are analysed and the data input into one of many 3D printers.
In one week’s time, Ford has a finished product ready to be cleaned, painted and used.
Victor Martinez, 3.5-litre EcoBoost race engine engineer, shared that Ford began testing a number of revisions to its intake manifold toward the end of the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season.
During the offseason, the company 3D-printed several intake manifolds and tested them on the dyno and verified performance on the track.
“The prototype manifold exceeded our expectations in testing, so in the essence of time we decided to use it for the race,” said Martinez. “We modified our intake with carbon fibre components, painted it, and then it was ready to go to the track.”
Moving faster means everything to us too,” said Jeremy Godin, vice president of product for Mishimoto Automotive of New Castle, Delaware (and Stourbridge in the UK). Ford is one of a number of OEMs which Mishimoto could be working with in future.
The products that Mishimoto makes — radiators, racing thermostats, intercoolers — enhance the performance of car engines, so their customers move faster. For car and racing enthusiasts, Mishimoto is almost like a pit crew, replacing their stock parts with improved, higher performing products.
But, like a pit crew, the leading manufacturer in aftermarket performance cooling products is always pushing to make their process faster and more efficient.
“It’s all about speed to market,” noted Godin, who compares the market to a “pie that nobody has had a slice of yet. First person there gets the whole pie.”
Godin joined Mishimoto four years ago and some products then took as much as two years to come to market.
“Now development timeline is a fraction of that,” said Godin. “A lot of that is through the tools that we’ve brought on site,” from coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) to 3D printers.
Mishimoto first acquired a Stratasys Dimension uPrint, which allowed the company to rely less on cardboard and sheet metal for prototypes.
“A lot of the times that fell short, because you can’t simulate complex geometry with basic sheet metal parts,” says product engineer Steve Wiley.
He also saves time, because he can work on other projects while the 3D printer is making a model. However, materials were costly — more than $700 for five spools of ABS — such that the engineering team had to consider carefully whether it made sense to 3D print a component.
Then, earlier this year, Mishimoto bought a MakerBot Replicator Z18. It has a much larger build volume which means Mishimoto can 3D print larger parts in a single piece. AT the same time, MakerBot PLA Filament, which costs only a few cents per gram, means they could prototypes more freely.
“Given how much Mishimoto relies on 3D printing for its business the machine will pay for itself,” says engineering manager Kevin McCardle.
When MakerBot staff visited Mishimoto’s offices in New Castle, Mishimoto engineers talked through the development of Mishimoto’s Mustang Ecoboost Intercooler. Tests have showed that Mishimoto’s Ecoboost intercooler lower air intake temperature by 35°F (19°C) more than to the Mustang’s stock intercooler.
Once Mishimoto receives a new Mustang, it removes the part in question and creates a more efficient part that has the same shape.
For the intercooler prototype, Mishimoto made 3D printed end tanks and attached them to a core made from wooden two-by-fours. Once Mishimoto confirmed the fit of the intercooler with a 3D printed prototype, it went straight into production of the end tanks without having to wait to review a sample part.
This process saves Mishimoto about six weeks of development time.
That’s six weeks of getting the whole pie on a $475 intercooler. And Mishimoto makes about 150 new products a year, 30% of which involve 3D printing. That’s a lot of pies — and hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales each year that could never have happened without tightening their process.
“At Mishimoto, five years from now I could see us having a wall of 3D printers,” Godin says. “It will continue to allow us to get to market faster.”
Post a Comment


text:
Hindus and Jains across London are celebrating Diwali this Sunday, with Sikhs also marking Bandi Chhor Divas.
In the run-up, shoppers stock up on everything from divas and candles to ghee, rice and Indian sweets.
In the capital's "Little India" in Southall, many supermarkets also now have dedicated Diwali-themed aisles.
But the trend has caused concern among some independent family-run stores who say this commercialisation of Diwali is causing them to lose revenue.
The south Asian community has a strong deep-rooted connection to Southall, in west London, as highlighted in the hit British film Bend it Like Beckham.
The community is now in its second and third generation in the capital and many are seeing their religious festivals being highlighted in mainstream supermarkets.
But some local businesses believe this is at the detriment of their hard work within the community.
'We are the community'
Sira's Cash and Carry in Southall started as a small family business more than 50 years ago in The Broadway and sells south Asian household products.
Indy Sira said: "Diwali is a really special time for us. It's an exciting time where we're celebrating such an amazing occasion.
"It's not that we only understand the community, but that we are the community."
Ms Sira said there was a "noticeable trend" of supermarkets "capitalising" on the festival.
She said the family-run business felt a financial loss when supermarkets began stocking Diwali products.
She wanted to see them acknowledge "the ground work" done by businesses in the community in this area.
She added that businesses such as hers had spent decades building brand awareness of their products which were now being sold in superstores, sometimes at a fraction of the price.
However, some Londoners feel that buying Diwali products in supermarkets has made the festivities more accessible and introduces other communities to the celebration and its associated foods.
Tesco Southall community champion Madhu Rana, who has worked for the company for almost 35 years, said the store's approach has "changed quite a lot in that time".
She said that now there are "huge varieties" of products.
"You can get each and every thing for your Diwali festival," she said.
Store manager Nick Constable said the supermarket also has special aisles for Diwali, Ramadan and Christmas.
"It's a combination of all the diversities of all the religions," he said.
"With the independent businesses, they do their own products and they cook on site as well.
"We do the packaged versions of all of those sort of things, so it gives the customer that choice across all the products."


text:
Ken Rogoff (Harvard University) recently wrote a very informative piece on the Project Syndicate website. He discussed the relationship between the drop in oil prices and its impact on economic growth. The price of oil has dropped from US$114 in June 2014 to $45 in December 2015 but the global GDP increase has only been around 0.5%. Over the last 20 years there have been a number of rapid fall in oil prices.
1985-86 – OPEC members decided to ignore quotas in the hope of regaining market share
2008-09 – The GFC saw a demand shock which shouldn’t have a significant impact as in the past the supply has adjusted to the reduced demand.
2014-2015 – the reduction in the price of oil has both demand and supply factors. A slowing Chinese economy has seen a downward movement in commodity prices – less demand for oil. This has been accompanied by increasing oil supply mainly from the fracking industry in the USA:
2008 – 5 million barrels a day.
2015 – 9.3 million barrels a day
Lower prices = more disposable income.
With lower prices consumers should have greater disposable income but it hasn’t stimulated a significant amount of extra demand. However Rogoff does mention that the emerging-market importers have a much larger global economic footprint than they did in the 1980’s, and their approach to oil markets is much more interventionist than the advanced countries.
China and India subsidise retail energy markets to keep prices lower for consumers but the drop in oil prices has meant that lower subsidies are now required and what government’s have saved has gone towards other areas of spending.
Oil is now seen to be less of a driver of global business cycles and even with investment in exploration falling by $150 billion in 2015 futures market have oil prices rising to $60 a barrel only by 2020.
2016 brings its challenges to oil producers with a forecast of tightening monetary conditions.


text:
Honda plans to release the next-gen Civic Type R some time in 2015, but until then the automaker continues to test it. The latest battery of evaluations is cold weather testing in Sweden. That meant the future hot hatch got to put on some camo and went to play in the snow. Our spies caught it at work, though.
The latest spy shots of the more hardcore version of the Porsche Cayman show it with basically no camouflage. Rumored to be called the GT4, the sports coupe is purported to be the little brother to the 911 GT3 in Porsche's lineup.
The next-gen Ford Taurus has been spotted testing in China. It's covered in camouflage, but that doesn't hide the massive, hexagonal chrome grille at the front. The look seems to take the style of the Fusion and just make everything a little bit bigger.
We're getting our first quality look at the next-generation Lincoln MKX in production guise thanks to these fresh spy shots, and they suggest styling that hews very closely to the concept from earlier this year.
Jaguar is preparing what looks to be a very modest upgrade for its long-serving XJ, now heading into its fifth year in production. The fullsize luxury sedan's changes are so limited it seems like a stretch to even refer to these changes as a proper update.
The current BMW 5 Series is just a few years old since its 2009 debut, but the Bavarians are already preparing to put the model out to pasture. Here's our first glimpse at the production bodywork for the next-gen sedan after spotting the wagon version during testing – twice.
The Boxster and Cayman are like the scrappy siblings compared to their star brother – the Porsche 911. And now it looks like the rivalry is about to get even more serious, as our spies have captured this hotted-up Boxster doing some winter testing.
Following the niche-oriented iQ and FR-S, Scion is preparing its first new model with mass-market appeal in quite some time with the iM. Just unveiled at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show in concept form, our spies recently shot some photos of a slightly camouflaged production iM doing some testing in Southern California.
With fresh entries from Lexus and Mercedes-Benz and a newer entry from BMW, Audi is in a rather precarious position with its A4 sedan, which has been on sale in its current form since 2008 (aside from its 2012 mid-cycle refresh). It's high time a new vehicle takes its place.


text:
The trade friction between the United States and China has become intense. Both countries must continue holding sincere negotiations, thus cutting the negative chain reactions of sanctions and retaliation.
The United States has announced that it will impose punitive tariffs on $50 billion (or about ¥5.5 trillion) worth of Chinese products a year, on the grounds of Beijing’s infringement of intellectual property rights. Washington will implement the duties in stages, starting on July 6.
China has declared that it will impose retaliatory tariffs on the equivalent scale of U.S. products immediately after the United States takes its measures. When it was slapped with punitive tariffs on its steel and aluminum exports to the United States, China also took retaliatory measures.
The United States and China combined account for about 40 percent of the world’s gross domestic product. An exchange of sanctions and retaliatory measures between the two economic powers will increase concern among markets and companies, stagnating the world’s trade and investment.
Such moves would hamper the growth of the global economy, while also exerting serious adverse impacts on both the United States and China.
Using prudence in implementing additional duties, both countries need to aim at settling the issue through dialogue, no matter what.
The United States has listed high-tech products, such as semiconductors and robotics, as items targeted for its punitive duties. It has also launched discussions on restricting China’s investment in the United States.
The string of punitive measures seems to be aimed not only at trimming its trade deficit with China, but also at curbing China’s attempt to build economic hegemony in leading-edge industries.
Trump must change ways
In the United States, there has always been criticism about China spurring on the development of its advanced industries through the provision of massive subsidies and the like, distorting fair competition.
Also strongly running alongside such opinions is the view that the ulterior motive for China’s aggressive investment in the United States is its intention of taking advanced U.S. technology out.
Such concerns are shared by other developed economies, including Japan and countries in Western Europe.
The U.S. awareness of the issues involved can be understood, but U.S. President Donald Trump’s heavy-handed methods, such as brandishing sanctions in blatant disregard of international rules, are inexcusable.
If Washington wants to have Beijing mend its unfair practices, it would be rational for the United States to attempt to solve the issue by cooperating with European countries and Japan in step with the due process of the World Trade Organization and the like.
As long as the United States makes light of international rules itself, it can hardly expect its trading partners to abide with the rules.
Having continually held negotiations, the United States and China have tried to find a way to avoid punitive tariffs. There was a moment where U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin promised China to put the tariffs on hold as China planned to allow more imports of U.S. agricultural commodities.
Trump, however, scrapped the fruits of the negotiations unilaterally, coming up with his idea of embarking on sanctions.
As things are, trust in the U.S.-China relationship, which was being built with such effort, will fall apart, making it impossible for constructive trade negotiations to continue any longer.
Trump should drastically amend his negotiation tactic of using saber rattling to press trade partners to make concessions.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Sign Up for the Silicon Valley Business Journal Afternoon Edition Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
Elon Musk speaks out about Tesla and franchise laws
Tesla Motors has been taking some heat recently over its retail outlets, which may violate the law in many states because the company owns and operates them itself, rather than selling through locally-owned franchise dealerships as other car companies.
Now Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is weighing in on the matter.
In a blog post Monday, Musk laid out why the company is pursuing this route, despite acknowledging that it's a lot more trouble. Basically, Tesla's cars are different enough from what current dealerships are selling that it has to own its own stores.
"Existing franchise dealers have a fundamental conflict of interest between selling gasoline cars, which constitute the vast majority of their business, and selling the new technology of electric cars. It is impossible for them to explain the advantages of going electric without simultaneously undermining their traditional business. This would leave the electric car without a fair opportunity to make its case to an unfamiliar public."
Musk said that most customers only come to the dealership once they've already decided to buy a car – and they typically already know which one they want. Because customers come to the dealership already predisposed to buy a gasoline-powered car, and because the dealers have an incentive to steer people toward a gas powered car, Tesla's cars would always be at a disadvantage in a traditional dealership setting.
Tesla's solution has been to essentially target car buyers earlier in their purchase decision. Tesla stores don't actually sell any cars on premises – rather, they aim to inform whoever wanders in and entice them to think about ordering a Roadster or a Model S sometime later. That's why Tesla outlets tend to be in high-traffic retail areas like malls and shopping centers, and also why they tend to look an awful lot like Apple stores. Tesla is hardly alone in experimenting with this marketing model, either. Audi recently opened a string of similar retail outlets in Europe.
Jon Xavier is the technology reporter at the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
- Most popular
- Silicon Valley claims 3 of nation's 10 most expensive housing markets
- After big tech lease downtown, can Santa Cruz build a beachside
- Google executive’s heroin overdose death on yacht yields arrest
- SJSU kicks off $126M student housing project
- Breaking ground: Hip AC Hotel replaces Hampton brand in downtown SJ
- How a revamped Apple operates under Tim Cook vs. Steve Jobs
- Silicon Valley tech companies lure younger interns with top perks
- VC Janmohamed on why Big Data is the 'new black,' the B2B cloud swoon
- Palo Alto apartment tower sells for $405K per unit
- 14 Silicon Valley area IPOs coming — but only 5 are tech companies
Sign up to receive afternoon and morning edition newsletters and breaking news as it happens.
Advertising Sales Director San Francisco Business Times | San Francisco, CA
Work For: Aerotek Aerotek | South San Francisco, CA
UNIX Systems Engineer / Administrator (IT) ettain group | San Jose, CA
Part-Time Experienced Automotive Technician Wheel Works | San Jose, CA
Server Assistants - Bussers Olive Garden | San Jose, CA


text:
‘We need to look at our business models’: ‘We have to think bigger’
By Ayesha Rascoe / Staff Photographer February 14, 2019 10:37AM / Dubai (AP) A global luxury magazine executive says there is a growing fear that the Dubai Luxury Hotel project is not sustainable.
Hassan Al-Ali, chief executive of luxury hotel company Al-Thawra, says the hotel will never be profitable and it’s unclear if it will ever reach its promised destination.
But he says Dubai’s future could be in luxury resorts in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as in hotels in China.
Al-Ali says the industry has been struggling for decades to adapt to a changing landscape and that the hotel’s planned development of Dubai’s Red Crescent city centre is the latest example.
He says the hotels project is a continuation of the same mistakes that have caused hotels and other developments to fail in the past, and the Dubai hotel project is just one of many.
He also said the company plans to expand its operations to the Gulf of Aden.
Dubai’s Red Cross has already said it will help with the rebuilding effort.
Dubailand, a member of the World Bank Group, has also announced a $500 million loan guarantee for a $2.5 billion hotel and development project in Dubai.
The project, known as Al-Madinah, is being developed as part of the $4.7 billion World Tourism Infrastructure project, with the aim of creating a $200 billion economy by 2030.
It will create 250,000 jobs and boost the local economy.
But Al- Ali says the project is far from meeting the ambitious targets and that he is concerned that there may be too much government involvement.
Al Ali says Dubai is a leader in developing tourism, but there is also a need to diversify the city’s economy.
He says Dubai will be better off if it takes a different path, and focuses on creating jobs.


text:
Get a strange and funky condo or loft in downtown Minneapolis!
Here are some Minneapolis condos and townhomes for sale that were listed on the Northstar Regional MLS within the last 10 days:
Here’s a bit of good news for owners of Minneapolis condos:
If you measure the number of pending sales from October 2009 through 2010, pending condo sales increased 12.9% while single family home sales rose 2.1%. Condo sales are seeing bigger gains than house sales.
The price bracket that saw the most significant gains above all other price brackets for sales volume was the 100K and under range, which climbed by 11.8% when compared to the same twelve month period last year. Surprisingly, the 300K Mpls condominiums was the second hottest bracket, coming in at a close 11.4%.
The under $100,000 price range, which increased 11.8 percent, outperformed all other price points in terms of sales activity, driven by a huge increase in condo sales compared to the same twelve-month period last year. The $300,001 and above bracket was a close second with a gain of 11.4 percent. The worst performance was seen in the 100K to 150K price range, which saw a decline by 4.2%
The big factor to watch now is inventory levels. Since last year, the supply of of single family homes increased 6.9%, while condo inventory decreased 7.1%, a trend that could shore-up Minneapolis condo prices.


text:
Apple released the sixth developer preview of OS X Yosemite today, according to online reports.
Developer Preview 6 appeared in the Mac App Store for registered developers earlier Monday. 9to5Mac.com first reported its arrival.
Today's update followed by two weeks the fifth version of the preview; that had been released two weeks after the fourth, which debuted July 21.
Although Apple has also handed non-developers a public beta, the Cupertino, Calif. company has said it plans to update that edition less frequently. Apple released the first public beta on July 24.
If Apple ships a new public beta after every other developer preview, as some expect, then it would offer users monthly updates: Thus the next public beta could release on Thursday, Aug. 21.
Both the developer previews and the public beta can be installed only on Macs running OS X Mavericks, the October 2012 upgrade. Yosemite will run on iMacs from the mid-2007 model on; 13-in. MacBooks from late 2008 (aluminum case) and early 2009 (plastic case) forward; MacBook Pro notebooks from mid- and late-2007 and on; MacBook Air laptops from late 2008 and later; Mac Mini desktops from early 2009 and after; and the much beefier Mac Pro from early 2008 and later.
Participants in the Yosemite beta will be able to install the final edition in place of the sneak peek when the polished version launches this fall. Computerworld has forecast that Yosemite will ship on either Oct. 15 or Oct. 22 -- the two dates that best match the timeline used last year.
The latter date is the most likely: It best matches Maverick's Oct. 23, 2013, launch date.
If Apple hews to a once-every-four-weeks schedule for the public beta, and offers an update Thursday, it will have an opportunity to issue just two more before the projected Oct. 22 release date.
Mac owners can still sign up for the Yosemite public beta at Apple's website.
Read more about mac os x in Computerworld's Mac OS X Topic Center.


text:
The Clap After more than 10 years, Souq.com in Egypt has rebranded into Amazon.eg.
Who is affected🤷 Existing Souq.com customer information like wish lists, orders, delivery addresses, payment methods, and customer support queries will seamlessly and safely transition to the new Amazon.eg accounts.
Customers — whether new, coming from Souq.com, or from Amazon outside of Egypt— can shop on Amazon.eg for delivery in Egypt by using the Amazon mobile app and selecting ‘Egypt’ from the settings, according to Amazon.
Why is this important🤔 Amazon.eg provided more than 3,000 jobs and established over 15 delivery stations throughout Egypt. The Egyptian market ranked first in terms of Amazon’s investments in the African continent.
Amazon acquired Souq.com in 2017, with reports at the time indicating that the deal was around $1bn.


text:
Huawei is resisting for now well the sanctions that result from the trade war between the United States is China according to the latest IDC figures. The manufacturer remains just number 2 in the world, between Samsung and Apple. A result achieved despite a contraction in sales in the fourth quarter of 2019, and record figures for Apple.
A Huawei Matte 30 Pro / Credits: Phonandroid
Huawei does not publish quarterly figures, but some organizations, such as IDC, regularly make relatively accurate estimates of the group's economic health. According to IDC figures, Huawei remained very aggressive in 2019 and even managed to maintain its position as the second largest smartphone manufacturer in the world after Samsung and ahead of Apple over the year. The game was far from won.
Huawei continues its journey in the storm
The manufacturer is facing U.S. sanctions, including a ban on pre-installing the Play Store and Google apps on its smartphones. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the manufacturer delivered 56.2 million smartphones worldwide, establishing its market share in the quarter at 15.2% (down 7.1% from 2018). You could almost say "only" because it is for once especially Apple that boosted its sales in the quarter (73.8 million units, 7.9% year on year), becoming number 1 in the world with 20% market share.
The Apple firm was followed by Samsung and its 69.4 million smartphones sold giving it a market share of 18.8% (-1.2% year-on-year). However, these figures are more than offset over the year: according to IDC, Huawei still managed to sell 240 million smartphones over the whole of 2019. IDC explains: "Despite the challenges Huawei faces outside China and a significant drop in deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2019, the firm managed to overtake Apple in second place overall in 2019."
Read also: Huawei could quickly replace Google apps on its smartphones
With such figures we dare not imagine what it would have been like if the United States had not decided to attack Huawei so violently…
Source: Huawei Central
Major manufacturers' market shares in Q4 2019 / Credits: IDC