text:
Read the Original Article at http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=240154206
Twentieth-century department store magnate John Wanamaker famously said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half."
With big-data analysis, it's now possible to know which half is which. Tivo Research and Analytics (TRA) correlates data on television viewing habits to third-party purchasing data to show advertisers which ads are driving more sales, whether it's consumer packaged goods, automobiles or even prescription drugs. TRA is even exploring correlations among television advertising and online advertising so it can help marketers allocate cross-channel campaign spending.
How does TRA do it? It's all in the data, and in TRA's case it's "naturally occurring" data, meaning it's not based on surveys, diaries or logs collected from a small sample of TV viewers. The company's Media TRAnalytics service, launched four and a half years ago, relies on data from cable company set-top boxes to compile actual -- not estimated -- data on what shows are being watched and which ads are being seen in roughly 4.4 million households. Nielsen, by contrast, uses TV viewing data from a panel of some 20,000 households to extrapolate what share of approximately 116 million households are tuning in to particular shows.
[ Want more on surprising insights into household matters? Read Big Data Knows When Your Home Will Sell. ]
Nielsen and TRA are in fundamentally different businesses. Nielsen's ratings tell you how many households are tuning into mainstream broadcast and cable television shows. TRA goes after "the long tail" of smaller networks and programs and it licenses Nielsen data so it can combine and offer both sources to customers who are already subscribers to Nielsen ratings data. More to the point, TRA answers the fundamentally different question: Was my advertising effective in driving increased sales?
"Just knowing what people are watching on television doesn't answer that question," says Mark Lieberman, TRA's CEO. "To do that, we went out and licensed purchase data on what people are buying in places like supermarkets, what cars they're buying and what prescriptions they're filling."
The essence of Media TRAnalytics is correlating TV viewing data with these third-party data sets, and doing so in a way that doesn't raise privacy concerns.
In the case of supermarket purchasing, TRA partners with loyalty card data aggregators Dunnhumby and GFK. More than 80% of supermarket purchases are tied to loyalty card records, and using double-blind matching processes, TRA can correlate TV viewing with consumer packaged goods (CPG) purchases across 40 million households. TRA knows that set-top box "123" belongs to the same household that holds loyalty card "ABC," but no personally identifiable information is held in TRA servers or tied to that insight, according to Lieberman.
With this combination, TRA can tell advertisers which and how many households in which zip codes are heavy purchasers of, say, breakfast cereals, and which brands they're buying. Further, it can tell them which shows these buyers watch and whether ad campaigns run on these programs are stimulating higher sales.
Retailers and consumer package goods companies use these insights in any number of ways. If they're simply trying to increase sales, they can run ads on shows watched by loyal customers. If they're introducing new brands or trying to gain market share, they can run campaigns on shows watched by buyers of rival brands.
The real win -- and the part that addresses Wanamaker's lament -- is that advertisers can track campaign results over time and quickly discover whether their ad investments are paying off.
"What we're doing is telling advertisers which programming is rich in households that have particular purchasing preferences," explains Brian Canning, TRA's chief technology officer. "You can identify which households are known to buy Wheaties, for example, and that are heavy purchasers of cereal in general. Then you can see the rating for every program on television against that universe of households."
Ratings are expressed as an index, so, for example, the show "CSI" might have an index of 120 for Wheaties purchasers -- 20% higher than the average index of 100. Without TRA insight, ad buyers typically purchase based on the gross rating points (GRP) and demographics of any given show. But it could be that when considering two shows with identical GRPs and similar demographics, one show over-indexes for buyers of particular products whereas the other show under-indexes for those buyers.
TRA gathers its data on TV viewing every day. TRA (formerly known as The Right Audience) was acquired by Tivo last summer, so it now has data from more than 1 million Tivo boxes as well as from more than 3 million conventional set-top cable boxes. With the Tivo data, TRA has data on not only every click on the remote but also time-shifting, ad-skipping, rewind and playback behavior.
TRA keeps 15 months' worth of daily viewing data so it can track campaign results over time, and it's by far the largest chunk of the 15 terabytes the company manages. The supermarket data is refreshed once per week while the auto ownership data is revised quarterly, so these sources account for less than 5% of TRA data.
[ Want more on Kognitio's database? Read Kognitio Tries Fast, Faster, Fastest Data Warehouse Strategy. ]
Media TRAnalytics is far from a petabyte-league big data deployment, but it quickly grew beyond the capabilities of the MySQL database the company started with four and a half years ago. The TRAnalytics service is exposed through an online portal, and the idea is to let media buyers and planners explore as many variables as possible to analyze programming and purchasing habits. But in those early days, complex, multi-dimensional reports were taking as long as 20 minutes. That was unacceptable, and with more data, more variables and more analyses on the way, the company knew it needed a more robust platform.
After reviewing alternatives, TRA switched from MySQL to the Kognitio database, and "all the problems went away," said Canning. Like Netezza, Greenplum and many of the other database options available four years ago, Kognitio offered the power of distributed, massively parallel processing on commodity X86 hardware, but it stood out (as it still does today) for its ability to exploit high levels of memory.
"Use of memory is huge because it's the only way to get reasonable, Internet-query speed response times," says Canning. "We can pin up to 5 terabytes of data into memory, and we need that to generate ratings for all of the shows that people might be watching at any given time."
Having as much as a third of all available data available in memory is unusual for a data warehousing deployment (although some vendors, like SAP, are now touting all-in-memory warehouses). The in-memory access speeds have become increasingly important as TRA now has roughly 10 times more data than it did four years ago. The complexity of reports has also grown, but even the most complex, multi-dimensional reports (with as many as 20,000 lines of data when extracted to Excel) take about one minute. The system has about 400 users from ad agencies, advertisers and TV networks. Last year some 12,000 reports were done on more than 50,000 ad campaigns.
TRA is getting into cross-media measurement through cookie-based information Experian has on the Web browsing habits of 70 million households. That will expand the scale of analysis and the number of correlations available yet again.
"The Internet has obviously become an increasingly important element to advertisers, but they want to know where they'll get the best bang for the buck," Lieberman said. "Should they spend 70% TV and 30% Internet or 40% TV and 60% Internet? We can go deep on TV and Internet ad impacts on purchasing habits to help them determine the right mix." Internet data, too, is privacy protected through double-blind correlation approaches, Lieberman said.
The data that TRA analyzes is all highly structured, so it doesn't fit the classic notion of big data variety -- or the need for Hadoop or a NoSQL database as a platform for variable data. But it's no less a big data deal for TRA customers.
With all the information that's available -- on what's being watched on TV, which ads are actually seen, what cars are owned, what drugs are being prescribed, what websites are visited and what's being purchased the day after seeing particular ads on TV or on the Internet -- it seems like there's very little that can't be known through the power of query, correlation and analysis.


text:
Popular messaging app WhatsApp is gathering lot of attention for updating it features and getting improved with all new additions. And now, there is a buzz that it is working on an enhanced Status feature that is currently under beta testing. According to \WaBetaInfo\ (@wabetainfo), a Twitter account that trail changes in WhatsApp's beta builds will soon allow users to download a GIFs directly in the chat, if they have links for the same.
Highlighting the direct GIF download feature, an image tweeted by WaBetaInfo shows a beta build (version 2.17.132) of WhatsApp on Android. As of now, WhatsApp includes GIF support but the same cannot be viewed via shared links. When a user gets a link for a GIF, they have to open it in the mobile browser to view/download the GIF. After the update, users will be able view the GIFs directly in the app by clicking on the 'Tap to download' option.
Well, if the reports that came out earlier this month is to believed WhatsApp is planning to enter the mobile payments segment in India . Also, the popular messaging app is supposedly preparing self to launch a payment system in the country, which will likely be based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform. If launched, it would be the first such offering from the social networking giant.
Without mentioning the sources, a report by The Ken website claimed that within next few months, the WhatsApp is all set to come up with a person-to-person payment system in India. Further, a job advertisement on the company's website said that it's looking for a candidate with a technical and financial background - who can understand India's UPI platform and the BHIM payments app to be its digital transactions lead for the country.

domain: news


text:
Indian steel giant Tata Steel today said a “process of transformation” was ongoing to ensure a “viable future” for its units that remain under the company’s ownership in the UK.
The company confirmed that discussions with British Steel Pension Scheme trustees and the UK Pensions Regulator will be concluded in the coming months.
“Tata Steels UK business continues its process of transformation that is essential to create a viable future for its UK strip products business. Tata Steels strip products business will continue to employ almost 8,500 people in the UK, manufacturing products for sectors like the automotive and construction industries,” it said.
“Tata Steel UK recently completed a consultation with its employees on proposals to structurally reduce risks in its wider UK business. It is also in discussions with the British Steel Pension Scheme trustees and the Pension Regulator to develop a structural solution for its UK pension scheme in the coming months,” a company statement said.
The latest on Tata Steels UK business came as it announced the completion of the sale of its Speciality Steels business to UK-based Liberty House Group for a total consideration of £100 million.
Indian-origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta led industrial group had earlier unveiled plans to add around 300 new jobs and multi-million-pound investments into the division it acquired from Tata Steel UK.
The acquisition covers several South Yorkshire based assets, including the electric arc steelworks and bar mill at Rotherham, the steel purifying facility in Stocksbridge and a mill in Brinsworth, as well as service centres in Bolton and Wednesbury in the UK and at Suzhou and Xian in China.
“As a responsible owner, Tata Steel in the last couple of years has undertaken a transformation plan at Speciality Steels, including investing in a state-of-the-art vacuum induction melting furnace, to ensure the business can have a sustainable future,” said Bimlendra Jha, CEO of Tata Steel UK.
Tata Steel claims to have invested £1.5 billion in its UK business since acquiring Corus in 2007.
The company said the investments to improve manufacturing capability will enable the production of premium steels in Shotton, Llanwern, Trostre and Orb in Newport, as well as environmental schemes for Port Talbots power plant in Wales.
“Investments in packaging steels, electrical steels, an automotive finishing line, laser welding and next-generation coated products support the companys focus on making differentiated and advanced steel products for key manufacturers in the UK and elsewhere,” Tata Steel said.
The Indian steel major has been working on finding a solution to its pension scheme liabilities as part of talks with ThyssenKrupp to merge its UK units with the German giants European steel operations.


text:
|Customers buy vegetables at a Co.opmart supermarket in HCM City. City authorities have urged businesses to ensure sufficient supply of essential goods and necessities for the upcoming Tết holiday. — Photo courtesy of Saigon Co.op
HCM CITY — HCM City authorities have urged businesses to ensure supply of essential goods and necessities and offer promotion programmes for the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday while following pandemic prevention measures.
Speaking at a conference last week, Phan Thị Thắng, vice chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee, said that although the city has basically contained the largest outbreak, the situation remains unpredictable.
Businesses should speed up production to ensure supply, restore disrupted supply chains with other provinces, and offer various purchasing methods and shopping experiences, according to Thắng.
Traditional markets and wholesale markets should reopen to ensure supply by the end of the year. The transport of goods from the city to provinces has been affected by provinces’ restrictive measures on coronavirus outbreaks.
The disruption has also been caused by store chains shutting down after employees tested positive for COVID-19, according to Thắng.
“Wholesale markets and traditional markets, supermarkets, and convenience stores had to stop operation during that time," she said.
Lê Trường Sơn, deputy general director of Saigon Co.op, said during the fourth COVID wave, the company experienced unprecedented challenges in supplying goods.
“We have prepared scenarios for the year-end market because the situation remains unpredictable,” he said, adding that the company has diversified its supply sources.
Lương Quang Thi, CEO of ABA Cooltrans, said the recent outbreak revealed huge challenges in storing and preserving food on a large scale, especially cold storage systems.
The current food security problem is not only about rice but meat, fish, and fruits and vegetables. He said the city should consider building more cold storage systems large enough to store goods in case of a future outbreak.
From now to the end of 2021, the city will be organising promotion programmes.
The city has asked distributors and manufacturing enterprises to jointly launch promotional programmes with priority given to online channels with non-cash payments.
The city will organise a conference to connect goods supply between the city and other provinces from December 2 to 5.
It will also hold a Promotion Fair 2021 from December 21 to 26 at Phú Thọ Sports Stadium in District 11 with more than 450 booths, including consumer goods, farm produce, and handicrafts (with promotions of up to 100 per cent).
The promotions include discounts, gifts, and lucky draws. Participating businesses must ensure the origin and quality of the products.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade will organise a month-long programme called “National Focused Promotion Month” in December. Participating businesses are asked to strictly comply with pandemic prevention regulations in line with the Ministry of Health regulations. — VNS


text:
The Galaxy S23 is really fast – and noticeably faster than its predecessor. The increase in speed is apparently not only due to the new Qualcomm processor and faster memory. In its new smartphone flagship, Samsung relies on the technology of a competitor: Huawei. The results are impressive.
Some innovations are more suitable as an advertising medium than others. A new file system is unlikely to persuade anyone to buy a new smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S23 apparently offers exactly that – and the advantages are remarkable.
Samsung Galaxy S23 should rely on Huawei file system
The new file system listens to the unwieldy name “EROFS” and was developed by Huawei. The advantages of EROFS, among others, are clear smaller partition sizes. Compared to EXT4, according to technology expert Mishaal Rahman on Twitter, the size is reduced from 3.9 GB to 2.5 GB (source: Twitter). Besides that the boot time is reduced by 10 to 15 percent. According to Huawei developers, EROFS should also ensure that Launch apps faster.
Samsung has not officially confirmed the use of the new file system in the Galaxy S23. However, in the configuration files of the new Samsung smartphones EROFS references found (Source: Twitter). In the middle of last year there were even reports that EROFS should be part of Android 13, but Google ultimately decided against it.
Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus hands-on video:
Galaxy S23 Ultra: Hollywood legend shoots film with Samsung smartphone
A new camera is without a doubt more promotional than a file system. Samsung built it into the Galaxy S23 Ultra a 200 MP camera for the first time.
In order to put it in the right light, the South Korean manufacturer has got celebrity help on board: Ridley Scott. The Hollywood director, who was behind the camera in classic films such as “Alien” or “Gladiator”, shot a short film with the Galaxy S23 Ultra alone. The results are indeed impressive.


text:
Long touted as one of the most recession-proof markets, the video game industry is finally beginning to feel the full effects of a worldwide economic recession. Research firm NPD Group announced video game software and hardware sales in the United States plunged $1.17 billion, or 31 percent, in June. Hardware sales fell 38 percent, to $382.6 million, while software sales dropped 29 percent to $625.8 million. Video game accessory sales also declined, by 22 percent, NPD Group said.
The latest report continues the trend of continuous month-to-month drops in sales compared to last year. Year to date, sales have declined 12 percent. “This is one of the first months where I think the impact of the economy is clearly reflected in the sales numbers,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier in a statement. “The size of the decline could also point to consumers deferring limited discretionary spending until a big event (must-have new title, hardware price cut) compels them to spend.”
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter told Reuters the reason for the continued drop might be consumers are looking to spend their money on less expensive forms of entertainment in an economic climate where everyone is watching their finances more closely. “The consumer is just not buying hardware at these prices. Clearly the consumer is just waiting for price cuts,” he said.
Reuters reported Nintendo’s motion-sensitive, demographic-defying Wii console led sales in June, moving 362,000 units and holding onto its spot as the best-selling console for the 21st consecutive month. However, the news service noted sales were down 45 percent when compared with June 2008. Nintendo of America’s vice president of corporate affairs Denise Kaigler told Reuters the company had higher expectations for the second half; Nintendo’s line of handheld consoles, the DS, sold 767,00 units. “Last year the focus was on the first half when you look at the strong launches,” she said. “This year our strong titles are coming out in the second half of the year.”
Handheld console competitor Sony, with its PlayStation Portable (PSP) device, sold far fewer units than Nintendo, with just 164,000 sold in June, NPD reported. The top-selling game for the month was Activision Blizzard’s “Prototype,” which is available on Sony’s PlayStation 3 (which moved 164,700 units in June) and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (which sold 240,600 units) console platforms. The title sold 600,000 copies.
“Even with the industry down 12 percent year-to-date, with a strong back-half performance, full year sales could still be flat to slightly up to 2008’s record-breaking performance.” NPD’s Frazier told USA Today. “Certainly there is plenty of opportunity in the industry, but the rate of change in many areas of the industry presents a lot of challenge as well.”


text:
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Zeyfoula Beytoula is about $10,000 closer now to achieving his dream of going to medical school.
is family were consuming with dinner one night. It was part of the national Coca-Cola summer promotion that has cash and prizes stashed in randomly selected Coca-Cola classic packages around the country. Beytoula and his family bought theirs at the Foodtown Supermarket on McDonald Avenue near their home.
During dinner, Beytoula discovered the lucky prize when he p


text:
“Thirty years ago, scientists figured out how to directly modify the genes in our food crops. No more of that inefficient and slow breeding! Farmers would grab plant genes by the horns nucleotides and bend them to their will!
Now, the preeminent science journal Naturehas devoted an entire issue to the question (to paraphrase that legendary IBM ad), where are the magic seeds? We were going to get seeds that would grow faster, yield more, save the environment, and be more nutritious. What we got were seeds for a few commodity crops such as corn, soy, and cotton that made their own pesticide or resisted herbicides, but otherwise provided little, if any, benefit to consumers. Continue reading →
Although the hubbub around California’s Proposition 37 to require GMO labeling may have died down, following it’s supposed defeat at the polls, concerns about GMOs have by no means gone away. The latest big story in the march to label GMOs is out of Hawaii, where an initiative to require labeling is being trumpeted, at least in the alternative media. Here’s a report from Anne Sewell on Digital Journal:
Toronto’s First GMO Kids Right To Know Walk, Nov 3 2012 Photos (Photos BY Sam Truax). Click image to see more from this event. Photo via http://www.gmo-news.com
“Honolulu – Hawaii might have cause to celebrate, as lawmakers have passed a new measure in the House Committee on Agriculture, requiring labeling on genetically modified food. But is the final bill everything it was hoped to be? Continue reading →
“This month, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) joins with our Health Liberty partners to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the founding of the Health Liberty Coalition by Mercola.com.
For many years, NVIC and the non-profit Consumers for Dental Choice, Organic Consumers Association (OCA), Fluoride Action Network (FAN) and Institute for Responsible Technology have each worked to protect human health through public education and informed choice advocacy.
At the heart of Health Liberty is respect for the informed consent and precautionary principles, which together serve as an ethical foundation for protecting consumer rights and ensuring product safety. Continue reading →
“BRATTLEBORO—YOU MIGHT THINK it’s very odd that a cheesemonger would tell you not to buy a cheese, but here I go: if you’re going to shell out the bucks to buy brie, you’re better off spending that money on another variety.
Now, there’s really nothing wrong with brie… if you’re in France. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration’s regulations on dairy products, if a cheese is made of unpasteurized milk, it has to be aged for at least 60 days.
But real brie is made of unpasteurized milk, and it’s aged for just a few weeks. (At 60 days aged, you wouldn’t want it. It’ll have the distinct and powerful aroma and flavor of ammonia, except you can’t wash the floor with it. Don’t bother trying to trim it — just throw it away.) Continue reading →
Vermont has long been regarded as one of the most progressive States in the Union when it comes to things like alternative medicine and access to healthy food choices. If this is what’s going down in Vermont, what’s happening in the rest of the United States that we’re not hearing about?
The biotech industry has had to use corruption and threats to keep secret what they continue to claim is safe and “substantially equivalent” to normal food.
(MONTPELIER, VT) – Vermonters were slammed by the biotech industry twice this month. They were hit the first time when 90% of the population wanted GMOs in their food labeled but the governor would not sign a bill requiring this because the biotech giant Monsanto threatened to sue the state. Monsanto thus stopped “informed consent” around food, leaving people without crucial information needed to decide what goes into their and their children’s bodies, and are thus essentially tricked into eating it in not know what is what. Instead of informed consent required in medical experiments– and this is one of the largest in human history – there is enforced ignorance. The biotech industry has had to use corruption and threats to keep secret what they continue to claim is safe and “substantially equivalent” to normal food. Continue reading →
“Montpelier – Rural Vermont has released its 2012 Report on raw milk production and sales. For the third year since the passage of Act 62, which enabled the direct sale of raw milk by farmers to consumers, Rural Vermont has presented an overview of how the law is working for farmers and the economic impact of raw milk sales.
The report was presented to the House Committee on Agriculture on January 24, 2012 and will be presented to the Senate Committee on Agriculture on Friday February 3, 2012. The report is available on the Rural Vermont website http://www.ruralvermont.org or by calling 802-223-7222.
The report is based on the results of surveys conducted by Rural Vermont, which reached 95 of the estimated 150 farms that are producing raw milk and selling it to consumers under the requirements of Act 62. The report provides an overview of how the law has been functioning, summarizes the data collected in the surveys and presents some recommendations for further adjustments to the law and the regulations. Continue reading →
Steven Hopp began a small farm to help supply his restaurant, the Harvest Table, in Meadowview, Virginia Photo: Shawn Poynter for The New York Times. Click image to go to the NY Times story.
“WHEN Steven Hopp envisioned his restaurant, the Harvest Table, he drew up a list of strict rules. Local farmers would provide the produce, meats and cheeses. Lemons would be banned: after all, why ship something that is mostly water when homegrown lemon thyme might suffice? Coffee and tea would be allowed because they are dried, but they should be organic, fair trade or both.
“Rural Vermont celebrates Governor Shumlin’s signing of S.105, the “Dairy Class Law,” that protects farmers and re-instates the right of Vermonters to control the foods that they eat.
Nearly five months after suspending raw milk dairy classes in response to a Notice of Warning letter indicating that raw milk dairy classes were illegal, Rural Vermont is excited to announce that a successful collaboration between farmers, legislators and the administration has resulted in the passage of a law that solidifies farmers’ ability to sell raw milk and protects the rights of Vermonters to learn about and make raw milk dairy products in the privacy of their own kitchens. Continue reading →
You wouldn’t think they’d need a special law for such an obviously good thing, but that seems to be the way things are these days. However, Vermont is perhaps one of the most progressive areas in the United States, and it’s encouraging to learn that legislators there were amenable to enshrining these important rights in law. From The Burlington Free Press:
MONTPELIER — A Vermont farm advocacy group that was ordered to stop offering raw milk workshops will get to resume the classes under a bill proposed in the state Legislature.
Rural Vermont had taught people how to turn raw milk into butter, yogurt and cheeses until it received an order to stop or face possible legal action from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture on Feb. 10. Continue reading →
“Our Butter Appreciation day at the Vermont statehouse was great! Our purpose was to openly challenge the Vermont Agency of Agriculture’s interpretation of Act 62 (the Unpasteurized Milk Law) by conducting butter making lessons inside the State House. Continue reading →
"Bernard is right; the pathogen is nothing; the terrain is everything."
-- Louis Pasteur's deathbed words
"One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all'." (Martin Luther King - Letter from Birmingham Prison, Alabama)


text:
The current generation of Nissan Micra hatchback, which was launched way back in 2010, is ready for getting a midlife facelift. The botox treatment should enable the current Micra to soldier on for a couple of years more.
That the boffins at Nissan have been busy working on giving the Micra a facelift is a known fact. However, no one seemed to know what the updated car would look like. The Nissan Micra facelift has now been spotted completely undisguised.
The Nissan Micra facelift was spotted near a shopping center in Thailand. The car was brought there for shooting the promotional videos.
The front fascia of the updated car sports new headlamps, new grill, new fog lamps and revised bumper. The new front end seems to have been inspired from that of the Nissan Extrem concept which made its debut at the 2012 Sao Paulo Motor Show.
The large air dam along with a wide grille bestows the new car with a hint of sportiness and does away with the ‘dolly car’ appearance of the current Micra. However, the front end styling of the new car might not be to the taste of everyone.
The car remains unchanged when viewed in profile. The only difference that is present is the new design for the set of alloy wheels. At the rear, the car gets a new bumper and a new tail lamp motif. The interiors of the new Micra are being expected to remain largely the same, albeit with few minor improvements.
The updated Micra, in all probability, would continue to be powered by the tried and tested 1.5 litre K9K diesel and the 1.2 litre petrol motor. Transmission options for the car would be the 5-speed manual and CVT Automatic.
There are very good chances of the updated car coming to us.


text:
The Tata Group has signed a binding share purchase agreement with SMS InfoComm (Singapore) Pte. Limited and Wistron Hong Kong Limited to acquire 100 per cent equity stake in Wistron Infocomm Manufacturing (India). It will enable the Tata Group to officially join the Apple supply chain as an iPhone assembler.
The deal is worth a total $750 million inclusive of a $550 million inter-corporate loan given by the parent to Wistron India. With the acquisition of the Wistron unit, the Tata Group will be able to move into end-to-end assembling of iPhones in India, becoming the first Indian company to join the ranks of Foxconn, Pegatron, Luxshare and Wistron in making iPhones.


text:
CFPB Sues LendUp Loans for Alleged Violation of the 2016 Consent Ordinance and Alleged Further Deception of Borrowers | Ballard Spahr LLP
The CFPB has filed a lawsuit against online lender LendUpLoans, based in Oakland, Calif., Alleging that LendUp violated a 2016 consent order that required the lender to take over $ 3.5 million in consumer lawsuits as well as paying civil penalties and misleading consumers with alleged false claims about borrowing costs and the benefits of repeated borrowing.
By doing complaint The CFPB, filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses LendUp of continuing to pursue the same illegal and fraudulent marketing that was the basis of the 2016 Consent Order and allegedly fail to provide timely and accurate notifications have to consumers whose loan applications have been denied. The complaint alleges violations of the Consumer Financial Protection Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”), and the ECOA Executive Order, Regulation B, imposing a civil fine.
LendUp offers individual and installment loans to consumers, markets itself as an alternative to payday loans and uses the brand identity âThe LendUp Ladderâ. The company’s website tells consumers that the LendUp leaders are “Incentives”[s] acting responsibly and enabling[s] Borrowers get access to apply for larger loans at lower interest rates over time. “
The CFPB claims that this statement is not only misleading but blatantly wrong. The investigation found that 140,000 repeat borrowers were being charged the same or higher interest rates on loans despite working up the steps of the LendUp ladder. The research also found that many borrowers were restricted from accessing larger loans even after reaching the top of the lend-up ladder. In addition, the CFPB alleges that in violation of ECOA and Regulation B, LendUp failed to provide timely adverse action notices on over 7,400 loan applications and issued over 71,800 adverse action notices without detailing why the loan was denied.
In one Press releaseActing director Dave Uejio accused LendUp of “structure”[ing] its deal on wholesaling deception and keeping borrowers in debt cycles, âadding that the bureauâ will not tolerate this illegal regime or allow this company to continue hunting down vulnerable consumers â.


text:
“Due to the outbreak of Coronavirus coupled with the Chinese New Year, there will be a delay in the launch of Galaxy S20 accessories like cases, screen guards and more”
The Samsung Galaxy S20 is expected to launch on February 11th, and will be Samsung’s headlining flagship smartphone for 2020. As with every flagship device, the Galaxy S series devices have typically sported a healthy ecosystem of accessories that launch alongside these phones. However, 2020 might be rather different. A report by MobileFun has cited information from production and manufacturing lineups to state that there would be significant delays in the shipping of accessories for the Samsung Galaxy S20, owing to the outbreak of Coronavirus in China, as well as the upcoming Chinese New Year.
Reports on the matter further indicate that due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, accessories that are manufactured in plants across China and shipped abroad would be going through more stringent screening procedures, in a bid to quarantine the virus and prevent its spread. On this note, the report notes that along with delayed and staggered shipments, production schedules have also been delayed by factories. As a result, those who purchase the Galaxy S20 may see considerable delay in getting their hands on accessories for the smartphone, such as cases, screen guards and more.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 is expected to come in multiple variants, and also feature 5G connectivity, among others. The device, which was so far slated to be the Galaxy S11, is also one of the most anticipated flagship smartphones of the year. Having a strong ecosystem of accessories for such devices is crucial, and the reason for that is to support the devices with ancillary gadgets that enhance the user experience. The Samsung Galaxy S20, on this note, may face some difficulties in sourcing accessories to users. It will be interesting to see if this impacts the overall sales of the device, going forward.
The Coronavirus outbreak in China is understandably having an impact on the technology industry. A recent report also stated that Samsung now expects minimised revenue gain even though 2020 expects to see a growth in 5G devices. With its chipset business under stress from the virus outbreak, it now remains to be seen if its flagship smartphone gets affected too. The upcoming MWC 2020 may also get affected as most major smartphone brands due to launch new products at the tech trade show are based in China, although a recent statement by GSMA clarified that MWC 2020 has not been cancelled despite the spread of Coronavirus.


text:
My Steve Jobs story:
I met Jobs when he came by the New York offices of the Wall Street Journal and made perhaps as grand an entrance as anyone can make in a small setting. He was there in, I believe, 1991 to have lunch with the mucketymucks at the WSJ to try to sell the paper on some favorable coverage of his struggling education-workstation startup, Next. Jobs walked in wearing a tailored suit that clearly cost many thousands of dollars — this was long before he adopted his uniform of Levi jeans and a black T-shirt. He took off his suitcoat and looked around for somewhere to hang it. Not seeing a hook or a hanger, he balled up his coat and tossed it into a corner. The message was: “Yes, I’m insanely wealthy, and I have exquisite taste, but who cares?”
His famed “reality-distortion field” was working well that day. After lunch, the CEO of the WSJ’s parent company, Dow Jones, and the managing editor — both ferocious and skeptical journalists — pulled aside the two of us who were there as computer-industry beat reporters and asked if we shouldn’t write a front-page piece on Jobs and Next. The other reporter and I explained that much of what Jobs had discussed was widely available, not unique to Next. Many of the capabilities that he had talked about in the present tense wouldn’t reach the market for years. Others might as well have been science fiction — they could become available in 10 or 15 years, or never. The idea of a story was dropped.
To be clear: The Next computer was a brilliant concept and beautifully designed. Was Jobs capable of anything less? Tim Berners-Lee used a Next computer when he developed the World Wide Web in 1990 and has said the computer greatly simplified the process, enabling him to write in a matter of mere months the code that gave birth to the Internet age.
Still, that lunch at Dow Jones should have meant the end for Jobs in the computer industry. (Pixar is another story.) It’s not that those of us at the WSJ had all the power, but we represented a pretty good test of the prospects for Next, and they were grim. Schools didn’t have the money to buy the expensive Next machines, and competition in other parts of the workstation market was already too entrenched, even for Jobs. Next should have stayed on its glide path into the ground, and Jobs should have been relegated to an important but limited role in the history books as the popularizer of personal computers. No company other than Apple would have hired him after his firing, given his lack of managerial success and his reputation for mercurial behavior. Even if, on his own, Jobs had come up with the idea for the iPod, the iPhone or the iPad, he would not have been able to bring them to market without the backing of a major company like Apple.
Then Gil Amelio rode to the rescue. Amelio is the largely forgotten executive who took over as CEO of Apple in 1996, at a time when Apple was under so much pressure that Sun was negotiating to buy it for a song and the Wall Street Journal (mistakenly) wrote a front-page story that was essentially an obituary for Apple. Amelio became the third CEO in the space of four years and lasted little more than a year in the job, yet it was Amelio who had Apple buy Next for $430 million in 1996 and brought Jobs back to Apple as an adviser. Amelio bought Next entirely out of desperation, after internal attempts at a next-generation operating system had failed and Apple needed to look outside its walls for technology.
Amelio had been close to buying Be Inc. and building off its operating system, but Jean-Louis Gassee saved the day that time. Gassee, a former Apple executive who was the CEO of Be and who was never known to lack for self-confidence, demanded far more for the company than Amelio was willing to pay. Only once negotiations with Be fell apart did Amelio turn to Next and Jobs. (Amelio said, “We choose Plan A instead of Plan Be.” Be’s assets were purchased a few years later for just $11 million.)
With Jobs back in the fold, Apple’s board soon forced out Amelio and named Jobs interim CEO, at which point the company was off to the races. Apple changed the way people live — one of my teenage daughters says, “My iPhone is my life” — and soared to the highest market capitalization of any company in the world.
But in the midst of all the encomiums for Jobs — and they are well-deserved — I find it fascinating that his successes of the past 15 years occurred on a razor’s edge. Without Amelio’s desperation and Gassee’s overreaching, the Jobs legacy would be far less than it is. Despite what was clearly genius, many of his breakthroughs came so close to not happening.
We should all just be thankful that they did.
For more commentary, see our special section The Legacy of Steve Jobs.


text:
Delhi Police has prosecuted 450 cabs of banned app-based taxi services including Uber in the past three days in its latest crackdown on these service providers. Also Read - Uber cab service resumed in 31 cities in India with new Lockdown 4.0 guidelines
In a bid to beat banned these taxi services in their own game, Delhi Traffic Police has asked its officials to download their apps and book cabs so as to challan and impound the cars when they arrives. Also Read - Uber launches 'Uber Connect' package delivery service to rival Dunzo and Swiggy Genie
“450 unauthorised cabs of Uber, Ola and TaxiForSure prosecuted in last three days in the recent crackdown by Delhi Traffic Police. The drive will continue till they obtain proper licence under Modified Radio Taxi Scheme 2006 of Transport Department of Delhi,” said Special Commissioner (Traffic) Muktesh Chander. Also Read - Uber to operate 'Essential' cab service to hospitals and pharmacy stores in 4 cities
The offending vehicles are impounded and a letter is being written to Transport Department to cancel the permit of the vehicles, he added.
Liability of the company (Uber, Ola or TaxiForSure) will also be fixed under sections 93(1), 193 and 199 MV Act.
Kalandara (report) will be made and sent to court against the company apart from challaning the driver.
Traffic Police is also requesting the Transport Department to initiate action under Section 188 of IPC against company executives for not obeying government directions.
The Transport Department of Delhi had banned Uber, Ola and TaxiForSure from operating their services on December 8, 2014 following the rape of a financial consultant allegedly by a cab driver working in partnership with Uber.
The government has also issued directions for blocking the website and mobile apps of these services. But these taxi services continue to operate in Delhi.


text:
Victoria Beckham wins coveted title at the British Fashion Awards
Victoria Beckham was celebrated at the British Fashion Awards last night, November 28, and took home one of the most coveted prizes.
The singer and designer attended the ceremony in London, which took place on Monday evening, and won the Designer Brand title beating internationally renowned fashion houses Burberry and Tom Ford.
Marc Jacobs presented her with the exclusive award and she thanked footballer husband David in her emotional acceptance speech:
"I am so nervous. Without him I wouldn't have had the courage to do what I am doing."
Writing on Twitter following her momentous win, Beckham told fans:
"We won!! Thank u so much to my amazing VB team!!!! Designer Brand of the Year at the British Fashion awards! X VB"
Watch her full acceptance speech and coverage of the stylish awards ceremony below:
Latest 10 Victoria Beckham News Stories


text:
Apple announced iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus RED Special Edition, the new generation of iPhone in a stunning red finish. Both phones sport a beautiful glass enclosure, now in red, with a matching aluminum band and a sleek black front. The special edition RED iPhone will be available to order online in select countries and regions tomorrow and in stores beginning Friday, April 13.
Related Article: Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus Announced: Upgraded Specs, New Cameras
Apple also introduced a new RED iPhone X Leather Folio, which will be available beginning tomorrow. Crafted from specially tanned and finished European leather for a luxurious look and feel, the new folio joins other RED devices and accessories available for customers to purchase.
A portion of proceeds for all RED purchases go directly to Global Fund HIV/AIDS grants that provide testing, counseling, treatment and prevention programs with a specific focus on eliminating transmission of the virus from mothers to their babies. Since partnering with (RED) in 2006, Apple has donated more than $160 million to the Global Fund, serving as the organization’s largest corporate donor.
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus RED Special Edition will be available in 64GB and 256GB models starting at an Apple retail price of $699 (US) from apple.com, the Apple Store app and Apple Stores, and is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary). The special edition RED iPhone joins iPhone 8 finishes in space gray, silver and gold.
Both special edition models are available to order beginning Tuesday, April 10 after 5:30 a.m. PDT, and start delivering to customers and arriving in stores in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and US on Friday, April 13. Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE and other countries and regions will follow later in April, with Chile, Colombia, India, Israel, Turkey and other countries and regions following in May.
The new (PRODUCT)RED iPhone X Leather Folio will be available from apple.com, the Apple Store app and Apple Stores for $99 (US) beginning tomorrow, and joins other RED products including Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones, Beats Pill+ Portable Speaker and accessories for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Related Article: iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus now Available Under Globe Plans
Stay tuned! For more info and latest tech news, kindly follow us on our social media sites:


text:
It’s about bloody time – said every LG TV owner in Australia. Streaming service Binge and Sports streaming subscription platform Kayo are now available on LG Smart TV’s from 2018 onwards.
That means, in the LG content store you can search for and install Binge and or Kayo with ease.
Both are products of Streammotion, and the apps would have been built almost simultaneously, and despite LG’s scale Samsung has had a long lead on LG here, with even Hisense launching Kayo earlier this year.
Nevertheless, it’s good to go now, and boy, doesn’t anything just look great on an OLED TV.
That said, it works on all LG Smart TVs from 2018, not just the OLED.
I signed into both Binge and Kayo quickly using their online verification code, rather than having to punch in passwords on screen.
Alison Hurbert-Burns, Executive Director of BINGE said: “We know people have been asking for it, so I am thrilled that we can now offer LG users the very best of drama, lifestyle, reality, docos and movies that are available on BINGE.
“We have seen massive subscriber growth since launching last May, and now with today’s announcement, even more Australians will be able to access the great content we offer.”
Tony Brown, Head of Home Entertainment Marketing at LG Electronics Australia said: “LG TVs are equipped with a range of features that amplify the content viewing experience.
“Joining our suite of existing content streaming apps, the launch of BINGE on select LG TV models will give Aussies even more choice when it comes to accessing their favourite movies, TV shows and documentaries.”
EFTM understands Kayo will formally announce their availability on LG TVs on Monday, to put some distance between their announcement and Binge, but expect the quotes to be similar, as it’s a great expansion for the service, and a great addition for LG TV owners.
Kayo does not offer dual stream or multi-stream viewing though, so it’s a single sport option for sports fans.
Check your LG TV for the Kayo and Binge Apps in the content store, and if necessary, do a software update on your TV too to be sure.


text:
While brick-and-mortar businesses such as restaurants may be hurting significantly as the coronavirus spreads across the country, online businesses or businesses with an online presence are seeing massive increases in orders. Just try to buy something on larger sites such as Walmart or Amazon and you’ll find that it might take one to two weeks to have your goods delivered, particularly if they’re essential goods like toilet paper, diapers, or face masks. But it isn’t just large sellers that are seeing business boom.
Even small online retailers are seeing huge increases in their orders, as consumers stuck at home due to government lockdowns or employers enacting work from home policies are doing more and more shopping online. Many online retailers also accept cryptocurrencies as payment, which has caused cryptocurrency payments to skyrocket too. Payment processors that fulfill the back-end functions to allow merchants to accept cryptocurrency payments are in some cases seeing a month’s worth of activity in just a few days, stressing their networks beyond existing capacity.
That trend isn’t just taking place in the US, either, as cryptocurrency payments are increasing across the world. With coronavirus quarantines and lockdowns occurring worldwide, and consumers still in need of goods and services, we can expect cryptocurrency payments to continue to increase from here on out.
The coronavirus outbreak may bring with it a silver lining, that cryptocurrency use will become even more widespread and accepted by an even larger number of companies. That will increase its user base, increase the network effects that are necessary to ensure widespread support for cryptocurrencies, and increase demand for cryptocurrencies as well. For cryptocurrency investment, that increased demand will result in higher prices for cryptocurrencies, benefiting their bottom line as cryptocurrencies rebound from a short-term price decline. In short, the future for cryptocurrencies continues to look bright, as even a global pandemic can’t put a dent in cryptocurrencies’ popularity.


text:
GLOBAL • FINANCIAL SERVICES
FEBRUARY 19, 2019
At the intersection of finance and technology lies a phenomenon that has been reshaping the world of money. The rise of the internet has brought about a high degree of disruption to almost all industries and financial services are no exception.
This dynamic intersection is called Fintech. Fintech stands for Financial Technologies. In its broadest definition, it refers to technologies used mainly by financial institutions, but also the technologies that are disrupting them, including mobile payments, money transfers, loans, fundraising, and asset management.
Fintech isn’t something that only banks and investors should be concerned about. It permeates almost every industry. Whether you’re a small business owner whose life has been made easy by Square, a child sending money to your elderly parents in need via Transferwise, or a student who crowdfunded their college fees via JustGiving – Fintech is everywhere.
Investment in Fintech has increased over the last three years by almost 60x in China to $10.1Bn; by 4x in India to $1.1Bn; 3x in Southeast Asia to $217M; and almost 10x in Africa to $203M (Ian Dowson (“Fintech investment trends” – as presented at London Fintech Week, July 2017). According to KPMG, 18 global investment in Fintech companies hit $57.9 billion across 875 deals.
Over the past 10 years, financial institutions have faced an ever-increasing regulatory burden. This has led many corporates to invest in Regtech (the use of new technology to facilitate the delivery of regulatory requirements). Regtech has emerged in response to top-down institutional demand arising from the exponential growth of compliance costs, and as such is almost a different phenomenon to Fintech.
Furthermore, blockchain technology continues to attract interest, as do Insurtech companies (technology innovations designed to squeeze out savings and efficiency from the current insurance industry model). There is also the possibility to create a so-called “smart contract” using blockchain technology (a contract that has the ability to be self-executing and self-maintaining).
Additionally, the emergence of data analytics in the investment space has enabled firms to hone in on investors and deliver tailored products and automated investing.
Like with some other sectors (e.g. Healthtech and Edtech), Fintech is pursuing customer centricity and user experience personalization as new generations increasingly expect speed, convenience, and high-quality service designed specifically for them. Banks, for example, are looking into ways to organize around their customers by using social media, integrating their digital channels, and offering 24/7 service.
One of the main trends in the sector is the growth of new technology-driven payments processes that facilitate easier payments, as well as the increased use of electronic devices to transfer money between accounts. Today’s digital natives and mobile-first users expect fast, convenient, and secure payment solutions.
Are you willing to enrich your network with valuable connections, share your experience and expertise, learn, and meet change-makers from Fintech and other key industries, from all over the world? Don't miss your opportunity and get your Expert Pass to the Seedstars Summit happening on the 5th of April in Lausanne, Switzerland!
New funding options have also emerged — such as P2P lending and marketplace lending platforms.
Fintech also plays a large role in institutions’ internal operations, as evidenced by the high levels of spending that large financial institutions invest in enhancing their IT capabilities.
The proliferation of Fintech in emerging economies is supported by high penetration of mobile devices with Internet access, a rising middle class, untapped market opportunities, a lack of physical infrastructure, and weaker data protection requirements.
Digital finance alone could benefit emerging economies by stimulating inclusive growth that would inject an additional $3.7 trillion into their GDP in a decade, according to a recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute. The results of a long-term impact study of a mobile money service in Kenya, M-PESA, concluded that mobile money had enabled 194,000 households (or 2% of the Kenyan population) to out of poverty, and had effectively improved the economic situation of poor women and female-headed households.
Fintech can also improve the overall welfare of the population – for instance, a recent MIT study showed that access to mobile money has reduced extreme poverty by 9.2 percent, and increased daily per capita consumption by an average of 18.5 percent among female-headed households.
Financial inclusion is one of the key elements in achieving many of the SDGs and can support overall economic growth.
When people think of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), they don’t usually think of financial services. However, decent work and economic growth — coupled with building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation (as outlined in SDG8 and SDG9) — are key to sustainable development of the planet.
While Fintech has positively impacted the lives of people in emerging markets, more than two billion adults remain excluded from the formal financial system — and more than half of them are women. Fintech companies will need to find ways to serve the world’s unbanked.
These populations are often ones that are already marginalized, including women, low-income, and hard-to-reach individuals. Being left out of the formal economy means these populations are denied processes such as the extension of savings, credit, insurance, and payment services.
Cybersecurity is another major concern for Fintech. Given the sensitive nature of the client data they hold, fending off cyber-attacks in one of the greatest challenges Fintech companies face.
With initial capabilities in place, it’s only a matter of time before Fintech make an even more significant impact in the financial services industry. There is no doubt that the financial services industry has become increasingly dynamic. Traditional finance institutions and new players will need to work together to evolve and meet evolving customer expectations.
ASIA • ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES
Can Green Startups in Asia Help Mitigate Climate Change?
The Metronome, the famous Manhattan digital clock in Union Square, started the countdown to the next climate disaster.
AFRICA • ECOSYSTEM ENABLER
Designing Virtual Learning Opportunities for Entrepreneurs in Africa [Q&A]
If we say that COVID-19 has changed the world, it would be an understatement. COVID-19 disrupted our world.
AFRICA • EDUCATION & CONSULTING
Can Vocational Training Help the African Economy Soar to New Heights?
When the time comes to make career choices, modern young people suddenly find themselves in a seismically active world, where rock-solid paradigms are cracking, new normals are forming, and opportunities are flowing like lava.
GLOBAL • INVESTMENT
5 Simple Mistakes Start-ups Can Avoid When Measuring KPIs
Despite some fantastic ideas, brilliant products and passionate owners, it’s a sad fact that most start-ups never make it to their third year.
GLOBAL • ECOSYSTEM ENABLER
New Seedstars Index: Efficient Tool for Data-Driven Decision Making
The Seedstars Index (SSI) has been fully reworked for the 2020 edition with the aim of achieving a higher quality predictive indicator for the success of an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Why SSI is a powerful tool for data-driven decision making:
AFRICA • OTHER
Bridging the Gap: How to Prepare Younger Generations to the Future of Work
Access without quality undermines investments in the sector and yields limited gains. Ivory Coast, and the continent more broadly, has witnessed an increase of the school attendance rates
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE • URBAN DEVELOPMENT
How Switzerland Won Its Title of the Country of Innovation
What makes Switzerland unique? How did the country manage to become the global leader in innovation?
GLOBAL • HR
Being a Better Leader: 5 Skills Founders Have to Learn to Survive Their First Year
It's not all doom and gloom. Founders have to realize that setting up a business is hard, but also that most challenges can be surpassed if tackled with the right mindset and skills.
GLOBAL • URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Civic Tech: Building More Transparent Societies in Developing Countries
Our society is at a tipping point. Consequently, there is an urgent need for developing sustainable economic and social solutions for change. This is where transparency comes in.
AFRICA • FINANCIAL SERVICES
Future bright as african tech startup funding grows
Africa has long lagged behind the rest of the world when it comes to investment, even in the continent’s most exciting tech areas.
AFRICA • AGRICULTURE
Agritech in Africa: Paving The Way For a New Era in Farming
Imagine a drone flying 100 metres over a section of Nigerian farmland, taking infrared pictures that will then tell the farmer if his crops are suffering from a disease – up to 10 days before the damage is visible to the naked eye.
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA • TECHNOLOGY
Overview of the Entrepreneurial Landscape in MENA by Omar Christidis, CEO of Arabnet [Interview]
Recently, we had a chance to talk to Omar Christidis, CEO of Arabnet
ASIA • ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES
Fighting Trash: How Myanmar Is Tackling the Waste Problem in the Country?
At the forefront of the Myanmar waste discussion, the historic nation grapples with managing unwanted products like plastic and food
GLOBAL • TECHNOLOGY
Migrant Workers: Four Ideas On How Technology Can Support Skills Mobility
In this article, we will focus on the question of mobility skills, because building the right framework and policies to enable the movement of people is primordial for a sustainable economy and social wellbeing of the world’s population.
AFRICA • TECHNOLOGY
Key Ways to Shape Africa's Tech Startup Sector: Media Perspective
Heyl has also taken an undisclosed share in the company, which was founded in 2010 by the late media entrepreneur Matthew Buckland, who passed away in April.
AFRICA • GOVERNMENT
Delivering Public Services Through Technology and Entrepreneurship
The delivery of public services such as healthcare, education, sanitation and criminal justice, is a key task for any government.
GLOBAL • PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
What Is a Password Manager, and Why Does Your Startup Need One
When you’re running a startup, it goes without saying that you’ve got a lot on your plate: managing your team, updating all your social media channels, responding to user feedback. The list goes on.
GLOBAL • HEALTHCARE
Digital Health: A Solution to Growing Problems in Healthcare
The Healthtech industry spans a broad number of sub-sectors: hospitals and practitioners; insurance companies; consumer-facing services; pharmaceuticals; and government – to name a few.
LATIN AMERICA • INVESTMENT
Chile — the Leading LATAM Startup Ecosystem
Known for its numerous breathtaking landscapes, wineries, and abundance of copper, Chile is a country that has so much more to offer.
GLOBAL • TECHNOLOGY
Proven Methodologies for Delivering an Interactive Workshop in the Tech Industry
Hosting a workshop at a conference or an event can be strenuous
GLOBAL • ENTERPRISE
How To Make The Most Out Of A Networking Event
Although some entrepreneurs out there attribute their success to luck, savvy startups know that real business opportunity is created through hard work and consistently showing up in the right place at the right time.
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE • FINANCIAL SERVICES
The FinTech Stars Journey: An Insight on the Three-Month Acceleration Program
Have you ever been to Astana? You would be surprised. Sky-high glass buildings, newly built smart quarters with entrances by a fingerprint scan, huge Expo area - firstly, a venue for the biggest Exposition “Future of Energy”
GLOBAL • MOBILITY
Mega Cities in emerging markets: what are the perspectives on Smart Mobility?
By 2030, almost 60% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. The rapid growth of cities in the developing world, coupled with increasing urban migration, has led to a boom in mega-cities.


text:
updated 12:00 pm EDT, Fri July 26, 2013
Finished devices could be coming off assembly line
A new photo shows what appears to be the back of a completed low-cost iPhone, sometimes known as the iPhone Lite, reports say. Unlike past leaks, the camera, headphone, and Lightning ports appear to be filled, and the back has various certification markings, including one from the FCC. The device hasn't been spotted in FCC filings, but like some other companies Apple typically requests that approvals be kept quiet until a product has been formally announced.
Although the authenticity of the hardware is difficult to judge, it is consistent with other leaked backs and schematics. The new differences could signify that the low-cost iPhone is entering mass production, presumably in time for an anticipated September launch alongside the iPhone 5S.


text:
Who looks out for the consumers for a monopoly-based industry like electricity, gas, or water utilities? The Citizen’s Utility Board (CUB) of course! Jan talks with Tom Content, the Executive Director of CUB about what that non-profit does to help control the reins of cost of utilities to the state’s consumers.
Wisconsin consumers may greet an unfamiliar sight next year: lower electricity rates. Madison-area electric bills are set to go down a little bit next year under a new settlement negotiated between Madison Gas and Electric and several local non-profits. The settlement follows a similar agreement reached in May between the Citizens Utility Board […]


text:
Americans stay home for July 4 weekend as coronavirus cases skyrocket
Published – July 3, 2020 10:55 pm
The number of coronavirus cases is skyrocketing again, forcing unprecedented restrictions on holiday gatherings.
Along America’s sandy shores, world famous beaches are closed and hand sanitizer and face masks are encouraged. Janet Shamlian reports.


text:
It’s the first day of Spring and it seems like we have put the cold weather behind us for good. As the temperature continues to rise, the yacht sales spring season has already begun. FHY has already closed two boat sales this month with two more due to close before April begins.
Broker, Scott Taylor, recently negotiated the sale of a beautiful Hans Christian 33T named Starlight to a couple who flew in from Turkey to close on the boat. Starlight was the second Hans Christian that the sellers had the pleasure of owning. Likewise, she will be the second Hans Christian the buyers have called their own. Since the sale, the new owners plan to return to Turkey with newly christened Phoenix.
Around the same time as the Starlight closing, Forbes Horton, company owner and broker, closed on the sale of a Bristol 41.1 named Cygnus. While she was for sale in Newport, Cygnus started her life on the Chesapeake. Her new owners, she a docter, are excited to become live aboards and happy to bring her back home.
With more sales to come before the month ends and new listings flowing in, we are excited to kick off a very busy and exciting Spring season!


text:
For years Intel has been the number one chipmaker, and still is but Samsung is in second place and has been able to adapt much better than the former in a new market that uses the chips for not only smartphones, but also tablets. So how can Intel ever compete when they do not even have their own devices to put their chips in?
Samsung not only supply chips to other brands, such as Apple but also use it in their own devices. One such device is the recently released Galaxy Tab and the soon to be released Gloria Tablet, as well as a host of their smartphones. Brooke Crothers from CNET News believes that this is something that Intel will not be able to compete with, so how can they keep onto that number one spot?
Crothers even points to the fact that Samsung is in an even better position, as they have a tablet device that is going toe-to-toe with the iPad, and some would say that it is better than Apple’s tablet — not sure that Apple fans would agree with that?
However, Mark Hachman from PC Mag reports that Intel has a plan for 2011, and that is to introduce 35 tablets using their Atom processor. They will also have a number of smarphones using this low-powered chip, but they still hold on to the fact that it is the netbook that will help keep sales of the Atom processor healthy.
You have to admire Intel for sticking by the netbook, but surly 2011 will be the year of the tablet? Samsung seems to know this, let us hope that Intel catches on before it is too late. Although let us not forget the fact that Intel also has to fend off Qualcomm as well.
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.


text:
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
National Hog Farmer is the source for hog production, management and market news
October 31, 2017
Export markets have been carrying their weight in 2017, but the lifting may get more strenuous moving forward.
“We’re very pleased with the results that we’ve been able to achieve this year,” U.S. Meat Export Federation CEO Philip Seng says during a Tuesday morning media conference call prior to the USMEF Strategic Planning Conference in Tucson, Ariz. “We’re up about 9% on pork exports” on a volume basis. “With these increases, it’s very clear that the international marketplace and the international component to the industry are actually pulling its weight because our exports are growing at least double to three times faster than our production.”
Seng sees the fact that the pork complex exports are up 9% is “very encouraging news for us because pork has always been a challenge to some degree. Mexico is up about 18%. … We’re watching Mexico because quietly it has become our No. 1 volume destination and it’s a very important market, a growing market for us.”
In addition to Mexico, U.S. pork is also finding its way into the marketplace of other countries around the globe in increasing fashion: South Korea, up 27%, South America, up 96%, and “the Caribbean, ASEAN and even Taiwan has become very good for us,” Seng says.
All that looks good, but then Seng sheds some light on the current trade issues. “Probably the most imminent thing we’re concerned about is as the U.S. goes into its fifth round of negotiations with NAFTA, is for NAFTA itself,” he says. “I think for the whole red meat industry, I don’t think anyone would disagree with me that it (North American Free Trade Agreement) has actually been a beautiful arrangement for the U.S. red meat industry.”
Seng says there is so much more to trade agreements and relationships than simple math of the volume and value of the product. “I’m reminded that in December of 2003, as you know, we had this little episode with BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), and overnight 72 countries closed their door to U.S. beef,” he says. One month later, Canada opened its door to U.S. beef from cattle 30 months and younger, and Mexico did the same in March of 2004. “We were celebrating just a few months ago that China opened its doors, but those two countries, countries that are our neighbors, our closest friends, they opened up within three months’ time. This was very central to the viability of the U.S. beef industry, and to a degree the survivability of the U.S. beef industry at the time.”
Building international markets is about building relationships. Seng shares numbers as a result of the NAFTA pact, from 1994 to 2016, the United States exported $32 billion worth of beef and another $32 billion worth of pork to Mexico and Canada. That level of business is hard to come by, and Seng feels leaving NAFTA would be a bad idea, “even threatening to leave NAFTA is basically a mistake.”
In addition to ongoing NAFTA discussions, Seng also discusses President Donald Trump’s follow-through on his promise to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, leaving the United States sitting on the sidelines while other countries, such as Australia, form trade accords with Japan. As a result, the United States has a duty of 38.5%, while the Australians have a 27.2% duty, but with a safeguard activated, Seng says the U.S. duty jumps to 50% on frozen product. “This leaves us at a disadvantage,” he says. As an immediate result, Seng says U.S. frozen product was down 26% in August.
U.S. pork producers may miss out even further. As Seng says just recently a major gyudon beef bowl chain in Japan is switching to pork from beef, “that’s a thousand outlets, and so as we look forward at markets where we’re concerned about what’s going on with the trade, it’s already having significant impacts.”
As talk continues about pulling out of current trade agreements, Seng is reminded of the old saying “the only bad trade agreement is the one that you’re not in.” There have been more than 300 different free trade agreements and economic partnership agreements initialed around the world, “and our competitors are working at this assiduously trying to conclude these agreements. … if you’re at a disadvantage in a trade agreement, you’re really disadvantaged,” he concludes.
You May Also Like
Current Conditions for
Enter a zip code to see the weather conditions for a different location.
Farm level data helps protect Freedom to Operate for pork producersApril 12, 2024
Global pork and food demand amidst rapidly changing demographicsApril 12, 2024
HPAI on pork producers’ radar, highlights need for biosecurityApril 12, 2024
House to consider farm bill in MayApril 12, 2024


text:
Allegro, Poland’s most popular e-commerce platform, plans to expand in the Tricity of Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia, hiring 1,500 people there and in other regions of the country.
“We are confident that the Tricity will become one of the main centres of the company in the next few years,” says Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
“On one hand, this is due to the hospitable climate of Pomerania, on the other hand, it allows you to build completely new technological solutions, based on the exchange of knowledge and a strong IT community in Tricity,” Struk says.
As the most recognisable e-commerce brand and the largest entity operating in the non-food retail industry in Poland in terms of GMV, Allegro.pl is also one of the 10 largest e-commerce portals in the world and one of the 100 largest internet portals in the world in terms of monthly number of visits. The platform attracts an average of 21 million internet users per month, which corresponds to 66% of Polish citizens aged 16 or more and 78% of all Internet users in Poland.
Allegro currently operates in six locations: Warsaw, Kraków, Toruń, Poznań and logistics centres in Błonie and Adamów near Warsaw. These will be joined by Katowice, Łódź, Gdańsk, Lublin and Wrocław and the first recruits are already on their way, initially in the field of technology.
“Allegro is looking for new software developers, product managers, data analysts and other specialists, who will co-create and develop our platform,” says Marcin Gruszka, Head of Communications at Allegro.
The number of offers available on the platform increased year-on-year by about 50%, and in the third quarter of this year for the first time exceeded 250 million. Allegro aims to develop new services such as the fintech Allegro Pay, Allegro Business platform and local auction platform Allegro Lokalnie.
Allegro operates the leading marketplace trading platform in Poland, Allegro.pl, and the price comparison engine Ceneo.pl.
“It’s always value added, when we welcome such a renowned end customer brand investing here in the BSS dimension,” says Marcin Grzegory, Deputy Director, Invest in Pomerania.


text:
nike dunk london edition shoes sale 2018 LeBron James‘ nike air classic bw varsity red light blue eyes nike air max leopard desert camo pants black event, giving the public agency over which of the athlete’s covetable player exclusives will make a full retail return. And after the “Gold Ceremony” LeBron 10 took home the victory, the brand announced they’ll be bringing back LeBron Watch, with releases set to arrive the 23rd of every month starting tomorrow.
What exactly this year’s LeBron Watch will entail is mostly a secret as of right now. However, it’s likely the aforementioned “Gold Ceremony” PE will be the culmination of the entire series. Up to that point, we may see the athlete’s newly introduced LeBron 18 at the forefront in a number of inspired schemes. It’s also possible that older pairs like the LeBron 8 “Miami” and “South Beach” will make an appearance as rumored last year.
For now, sit tight. Once the full details are revealed, expect to learn about it right here.
nike roshe olive and hyper pink girls shoes blue nike pegasus 2012 black gold shoes size 9.
nike huarache city straps for girls boots black
Release: 23rd Of Every Month
Nike confirms the return of #LeBronWatch. On the 23rd of every month, Nike will release a special PE-style drop
— Urlfreeze News (@SneakerNews) nike huarache hyper violet print fabric shoes


text:
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Oregon Zoo’s walk through winter wonderland of more than 1.6 million colored lights opens for its 30th season.
During this year’s Value Nights — Monday through Thursday, through Dec. 14 — ZooLights visitors get a $5 discount on admission.
You can buy your tickets online in advance and bypass the line at the front of the gate. To purchase online tickets, go to oregonzoo.org/zoolights.
© 2017 KGW-TV


text:
Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen) has commenced construction of a liquid drilling detergent manufacturing factory at an estimated investment cost of Ksh60 million.
Detergent making emerged from the company’s annual Global Innovation Seminar. Over the last eight years, the company has originated and implemented innovative projects which have spurred growth within the organization and also created opportunities in Kenya and other African countries.
Good to great
The KenGen detergent factory will be based at the company’s Olkaria Geothermal complex in Naivasha, with the plant components installation expected to be complete in 2021.
Speaking on the new development, the company’s Geothermal Development Director, Eng. Abel Rotich said KenGen move to set up the factory was driven by the institution’s Good-to-Great (G2G) Transformation Strategy.
The main focus of the strategy is to move KenGen from a good-to-great company by creating sustainable value from one generation to the next.
He also revealed that the KenGen detergent factory project is about 70% complete. “The intended completion and take-over date is expected to be somewhere in the first quarter of 2021,” he added.
The company has already obtained pre-requisite laboratory approvals from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) to manufacture the detergent. At the same time, KenGen has acquired Kebs approval to manufacture liquid hand washing detergent, liquid bleach, hair shampoo, carpet shampoo, car shampoo, liquid disinfectant and fabric softener.
KenGen submitted an Environmental and Social Impacts Assessment (ESIA) report for the proposed detergent plant to National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) on October 26, 2018, and got approvals on July 19, 2019.
The company is currently integrating innovation in its conversations and actions.
Apart from the KenGen detergent factory, other projects which KenGen has embarked on under the Good-2-Great Strategy include; commercial treatment and bottling of drinking water following the commissioning of Gitaru Water Drinking Plant, and the KenGen Calibration centre.


text:
Snapchat, the ‘ephemeral messaging’ app, is to gain new functionality, including support for advertising, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Sources said the app maker has been holding discussions with advertisers and media companies about developing a new service called Snapchat Discovery, which will also allow users to read daily editions of publications and watch video clips within the app.
It is believed Snapchat Discovery will go live in November, building on the success of the company that made its name with the messaging app that deletes images after they have been viewed.
Snapchat claims that more than 700 million pictures are sent via its service and more than 500 million stories viewed every day. It recently added an option for users to chat with text.
Some companies already use the service to offer promotions, but aren’t being charged to do so. But, by creating a paid advertising service, the company would be able to capitalise on its popularity with young consumers.
Research firm comScore recently found that the app had a 32.9 per cent penetration of 18 to 34 year olds in the US.
The fact that Snapchat appears to be developing services that could generate revenue is likely to increase interest in the company, which reportedly rejected a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook in November last year.
The company was recently linked with investment talks which could have valued the business at $10 billion. However, more recent reports suggested these talks came to nothing.


text:
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
What Does Kid Rock Taste Like? We'll All Know Soon Thanks to New Beer from Drinks America
This has to violate the Reinheitsgebot. Kid Rock Beer will be launched shortly by Drinks America Holdings, the folks behind Trump Super Premium Vodka and Willie Nelson's Old Whiskey River Bourbon.
Drinks America says it signed an agreement with Kid Rock to develop and market a premium domestic beer. The company, which is talking to brewers about contracting to make the beer -- what, no giant Kid Rock Brewery? -- says the beer will be for "beer drinkers who appreciate value with an easy to drink, traditional, good tasting American manufactured beer." I don't have a copy of the press release handy that announced the launch of Billy Beer, but I bet it said something similar.
Kid Rock, who was born Robert James Ritchie, has sold 25 million albums and was once engaged to Pamela Anderson. Kid Rock also apparently has a temper. He has been arrested several times on assault charges, including an incident last year at a Waffle House in Atlanta. For that offense, Kid Rock was ordered to do 80 hours of community service and take an anger management course.
Drinks America says it is working with "Kid Rock to make sure that every aspect of the beer and the marketing support is as exciting as everything else Kid Rock does."
I can hardly wait.


text:
Geisy Arruda has won a gift for their fans on Saturday afternoon (may 25). The fame was released with a photo that appears in a lingerie in a transparent and showed a design based on the test.
“I’m in love,” he wrote in the heading of your posting.
— Geisy Arruda (@geisyarrudareal) January 24, 2020
In the photo, and was attended by more than 30% of the taste and the comments.
“Well, you could make a cartoon about it,” quipped a fan. “I think it is perfect, even have fun, then,” said the other.
MOST OF THE GEISY ARRUDA”:
Geisy Arruda, publish the video to put on makeup in a new way
A fan sends you a photo very unusual for the Geisy Arruda, and celebrity in the Form of: “Look”
Check out what is happening in the world of the famous


text:
No matter where you live, the local economic landscape has undergone a massive transformation this past year. Amongst these changes is the surging prominence of food delivery apps. In nearly every major city in the world, you can see app-branded bags mounted on rear bike racks, with couriers racing toward the next pick-up or drop-off location. If you’re reading this, chances are that you’ve placed an order from a local restaurant through a third-party delivery app.
As these apps continue their reign over the food delivery market, restaurant owners are left wondering whether this is a symbiotic relationship or if they’d be better off starting their own delivery service.
How'd We Get Here So Quickly?
The user-friendly interface of food delivery apps has incentivized users around the world to place orders en masse. On top of that, independently owned restaurants have used these apps as a lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the global economy went into a freefall at the behest of stay at home orders in 2020, countless small businesses worldwide were forced to shut down. Many restaurants would have met the same fate had it not been for third-party delivery apps. Major players like GrubHub, DoorDash, UberEats, Just Eat, and others gave restaurant owners the opportunity to put their names and menus in front of a much larger audience in their cities when they needed it most.
The trend of massive worldwide increases in food delivery services is here to stay. If anything, their relevance is only going to grow as time passes. Yet, as the economy reopens, the glaring question for restaurant owners looms: do we continue paying fees to these apps, or should we devise and deploy our own delivery service?
Between a Rock and a Hard Place...
As COVID restrictions loosen and restaurant owners rethink their delivery model, let’s take account of the cost for partaking in the delivery app ecosystem.
There is a real catch 22 at hand here. First, restaurant owners are hit with exorbitant fees from third-party apps, typically paying on a per-order basis anywhere from 10% all the way to 35%. This means that small, independently owned restaurants can expect to break even at best on most meals when all is said and done. This was manageable pre-pandemic, when app orders constituted a markedly smaller percentage of a restaurant’s total business. During the pandemic, however, these restaurants felt the brunt of these added fees in a pronounced way. At the same time, restaurants wouldn’t have received or retained a fraction of their pre-pandemic business had the apps not provided quick access to the infrastructure needed to transition into an exclusively delivery-based model. In the wise words of an NYC restaurant owner, "If it starts becoming 30%, 40%, 50% of your business, it is not incremental business — it is your business."
See how quickly the waters get muddied here?
Since food delivery services have become a major staple of the modern dining experience, it wouldn’t make sense for restaurants to outright dismiss the delivery option. Considering that third-party apps charge up to a 35% “finders fee” per order, that isn’t a tenable long-term solution either. Further complicating things is that third-party apps have a majority of local couriers on payroll while providing them a level of flexible scheduling that independent restaurants can’t provide. Considering all that, shifting to an in-house delivery model seems like a daunting proposition for independent restaurant owners.
However, this doesn’t mean that a transition into the self-sufficient delivery model is out of reach. For one, going in-house gives restaurants a level of self-reliance that ensures they won’t be overshadowed by third-party delivery apps. In fact, your customer-base will likely support your new delivery model as well. It has been reported that 70% of consumers prefer to order directly from their choice restaurants over a third-party app, knowing that 100% of their purchase goes to the restaurant.
Practically implementing a new delivery system is a whole other game. Workforce management platforms like Ubeya are a great way to start. Look for platforms that include features such as timesheets, scheduling, payroll, and communication to make this sort of business expansion less daunting. Making sure that your teams are connected across differing positions and roles is an essential aspect to getting your delivery service in full swing. No matter the size of your restaurant, there are platforms to help you better manage such a major business transition.


text:
YesAsia deal adds 8,000 titles online
Music and entertainment site YesAsia.com has teamed up with Kingstone books, Taiwan's largest bookstore chain, to offer Taiwan-published books on YesAsia's site.
YesAsia caters to an audience of people aged from 18 to 25, most of whom are in North America and ordering films and music through the site.
The Kingstone deal adds a further 8,000 books to the site, which already carries several hundred titles from small Hong Kong publishers.
It also underscores a departure in strategy for the three-year-old YesAsia, from carrying its own inventory to publishing the catalogues of third-party merchants and shipping after orders.
YesAsia's outlet model, similar to that used by Amazon.com, now accounts for about 10 to 20 per cent of its business.
But information technology and operations director Albert Wong Ywai Keung expected that figure to grow, especially as YesAsia pursued outlet stores in categories such as cosmetics and gifts.
'If you want to have a good fulfilment you need to have a high inventory. But we are partnering up with offline enterprises because they already have the stock and the product expertise,' Mr Wong said.
Inventory risk and logistics costs have brought down most online book peddlers. These include Chinesebooks.com, which closed its store and sold its trademark to investor ITVentures. ITVentures had plans to offer books for electronic download but has shelved them indefinitely.
Mr Wong said YesAsia had survived because it had achieved enough volume to support daily shipments from Hong Kong to a warehouse in San Francisco. From there, orders were sent by normal post or express shipments to customers in North America.
Kingstone has a chain of about 100 stores in Taiwan, as well as a Chinese-language Web site selling books online. Most of the business at the site came from Taiwan and the publisher did not intend to close it, Mr Wong said.
CP1897 is perhaps YesAsia's largest domestic competitor, claiming an inventory of one million books, 500,000 in Chinese and 500,000 in English. The site is backed by Hong Kong publisher Commercial Press (HK) and Sunevision, and targets the Greater China market.
In Taiwan, online book buyers' choices include a Chinese version of Amazon.com, books.com.tw, 4book.com.tw and an online bookstore run by domestic newspaper China Post.
Mainland site bookoo.com.cn offers electronic books and Hong Kong's MultiMedia Internet Store sells computer and technology books online.
However, Mr Wong said sites offering a broad selection of Chinese-language books were few, especially those catering to buyers from outside Asia.
'There is not really a very strong overseas bookseller. I'm not aware of any big ones.'
Privately held YesAsia, with headquarters in San Francisco, reported sales of HK$17 million in 1999.
Mr Wong said sales were up 30 to 40 per cent from last year but the company was not yet profitable.
YesAsia's investors include Walden International Investment Group and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Private Equity.


text:
LA Times on What "Bolt" Means for Disney; Theaters Balk at "Bolt" Preview
The Los Angeles Times has published an article on how all eyes in the industry are on Disney’s Bolt (free registration required) to evaluate the success of the Disney-Pixar merger and see whether Walt Disney Feature Animation can begin to reclaim its past glories. The article details the history of Bolt, including story changes from Pixar’s John Lasseter and the departure of its original director Chris Sanders, and also notes the culture clash that has sometimes resulted in the post-merger world.
Elsewhere, the Times‘ movies weblog notes that several theater chains are balking at showing a 6-minute preview of Bolt ahead of Beverly Hills Chihuahua, saying that the extended preview reduces the number of screenings they can do in a day and also cuts into the advertising revenue they can raise by running ads of their own. Disney categorized the preview as a short film rather than an advertisement.
(via TZ staffer The Huntsman)


text:
As we already knew a little less than a month ago, Project xCloud will become part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription at no extra cost for users, which is officially scheduled to start on September 15th.
Now, according to The Verge, those interested in Project xCloud will have a preview starting today in the form of limited beta access. They will have to upgrade to the new version of the Xbox Game Pass beta application for Android and, obviously, be Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, which will allow them to try out a limited number of titles, as they will not have the full catalogue planned for official launch.
According to The Verge, the beta access will have about 30 titles available from the more than 100 games it expects to have for launch. Microsoft’s idea is to enable a smooth transition to the game streaming experience within the Xbox Game Pass application on Android.
However, the future of Project xCloud on Apple devices is still uncertain, so Microsoft is reducing the testing of xCloud on iOS in this uncertain scenario.
On the other hand, within the planned roadmap, the company plans to close the beta phase a few days before the official launch of its game transmission platform, in order to have everything ready by September 15th.
Microsoft is the last company that has yet to launch its cloud-based games transmission platform, an offer that will be added to the existing ones from Google and Nvidia, whose idea is to take advantage of the cloud’s capacities so that users do not have to have powerful hardware to play at full capacity with games that may demand a high level of power.


text:
To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PST, subscribe here.
Hello and welcome to Daily Crunch for December 10, 2021! Yes, it is Friday at last, which means we’re about one week away from news grinding to a halt so that we can all enter nerd hibernation for two weeks. Not that your humble servant is counting down. Still, we have a really solid mix of tech news today, featuring companies big and small. To work! —Alex
The TechCrunch Top 3
- Better.com CEO gets the (partial) boot: It’s rare that a tech exec goes viral. Mark Zuckerberg has managed thanks to some of his more stilted attempts at engaging with regulars. But most tech denizens just aren’t pop culture figures. Until they are, of course. Such is the case with Better.com’s CEO, who went viral — everywhere, including TikTok — for callously firing a bunch of his staff via Zoom. Anyway, it turns out that he’s not a lovely person the rest of the time either and is now stepping back from his company.
- Europe’s tech boom set to continue: The Exchange crew spent a good chunk of this Friday parsing the latest Atomic-Dealroom report on the European startup scene. Our takeaway was that while 2021 was a wildly good year for EU startups, the best could be just ahead, in calendar terms.
- Hungry? Just Flink it: OK so it turns out that turning startup name “Flink” into a verb is a bit awkward, but with the German instant grocery delivery service raising three-quarters of a billion dollars in a single go — pushing its valuation to $2.85 billion — it seems fair to expect that the Berlin-based company wants to reach verb status at least in its home market.
The 2021 IPO cycle is coming to a close, with just Samsara’s debut yet to come by our reckoning. So what should we make of HashiCorp’s and Nubank’s pair of public offerings that touched down this week? That the market for both OSS and fintech remains more than attractive enough to defend unicorn valuations.
- HURR wants to iterate on the Rent the Runway model: Rent the Runway’s IPO showed that the innovative business was struggling to cover its own operating costs. It has since stumbled as a public business. But that’s not stopping HURR, a British comp to the U.S. fashion rental giant. However, as TechCrunch noted in a bulletin regarding the company’s recent $5.4 million seed round, it has a few business model tweaks and additions that could prove material.
- Wisdom sounds pretty neat: Wisdom is a startup that, per TechCrunch reporting, has built a “social audio app that’s focused on surfacing ‘life advice’ and broadening access to mentorship.” It sounds a bit like the Equity podcast, and by like we mean the complete opposite. Jokes aside, Wisdom just raised $2 million more. It declined to share user numbers, instead offering up the community-adjusted EBITDA of audio startup metrics, namely that “mentors on its platform have shared some 600,000 minutes” of audio. Cool?
- Startup raises from Tiger, doubles valuation, didn’t even need the cash: I think that we could recycle that teaser line daily in this newsletter and not really ever miss. Still, today’s Tiger round is Nuvocargo, a Latin American logistics startup that is focused on facilitating cross-border trade. Its new $20.5 million round more than doubled its valuation to $180 million, up from $70 million earlier this year. “The company says it still had most of that cash in the bank when Tiger approached it,” TechCrunch notes.
- Everyone is building dark stores: The dark-store model for building rapid-delivery businesses is more than just a European project. Tiggy, a Canadian startup, just raised a $6.35 million round for its work.
- Breakout Ventures makes it to fund two: That’s the word from our own Connie Loizos. Fund II from Breakout is a $112.5 million vehicle, including money from the Thiel Foundation, oddly enough. Thiel money recycling in tech has struck us as odd ever since we realized he was funding a political candidate busy attacking tech companies.
- And in case you need to have a little fun, here’s a fast-paced Equity episode with Natasha and Mary Ann.
3 disruptive trends that will shape marketing in 2022
Since the pandemic began, the rules of the game for growth marketing have changed considerably.
Consumers are embracing Apple’s iOS 14.5’s privacy changes, regulators are taking a greater interest in browser cookies, and The Great Resignation are just a few X factors, but there are many others.
“What worked yesterday may not work today and likely won’t work tomorrow,” writes Jonathan Metrick, chief growth officer at Sagard & Portage Ventures, and Simon Lejeune, user acquisition lead at Wealthsimple.
- Less data, more privacy and the return of growth hacking.
- TikTok, influencers and the dominance of native creative.
- The Great Resignation and the Gettysburg for growth talent.
(TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here.)
Big Tech Inc.
- Jumia reports solid Black Friday data: While Jumia’s earnings have left quite a lot to be desired, the company did share that its Black Friday cycle saw a 30% jump in GMV. That’s good. Enough to truly shake up its economic performance? We’ll see in its Q4 2021 numbers. Still, it’s a nice little data point about the growth of e-commerce in Africa.
- Coinbase Ventures backs Router Protocol: There are layer one chains in crypto, like Ethereum. And there are layer two chains, like Polygon, which sit atop the Ethereum layer one chain. Router Protocol, in contrast, is a “cross-chain infrastructure [built] to facilitate communication across layer 1 and layer 2 blockchain solutions.” Why not just build better layer one chains? Not sure, frankly.
- There’s a new zero-day vuln out there: Here’s some bad news for your Friday, namely that many popular web services are “reportedly vulnerable to a zero-day exploit affecting a popular Java logging library.” Great!
- Spain wants more tech entrepreneurs: TechCrunch reports that a draft law relating to startups is making progress in the country, hoping to “cut red tape and remove bureaucratic obstacles for founding and investing in startups” in the country.
TechCrunch wants you to recommend software consultants who have expertise in UI/UX, website development, mobile development and more! If you’re a software consultant, pass this survey along to your clients; we’d like to hear about why they loved working with you.