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Lawsuit Accusing Google Of Collecting Data Of Users During Incognito Browsing To Continue
Google was listed in an infringement case brought by the US Department of Justice in 2020. Google is accused of having a “false” control on internet search sites and advertisements, according to the US department, which also accuses the company of “ethnocentric activities that are detrimental to competition.”
The case, which was first filed in June 2020, alleges that Google monitors and records user search history, along with other practices, including though Browser’s Private browsing mode or even other privacy-focused browser windows being used.
The suit, filed in the Northern California District Court, charges that the browsing data of users is collected by the Google when a person is suisng its services, such as plug-ins, Google Analytics, as well as Google Ad Manager, regardless of browser mode.
According to sister site CNET, the complaint alleges that Google is “intercepting, monitoring, and extracting emails” and collecting data of users without their permission. Holders of Android devices and Google account who visited any website featuring features like Google Analytics in private browsing are eligible to join the court case.
It is seeking $5,000 in penalties per customer or 3 times real compensation, that may price Google more than $5 billion (£4 billion).
What is the Google’s Response about this case?
It’s worth noting, though, that Google Chrome’s incognito or private mode was never intended to make a user go invisible on the internet.
According to a Google spokesman, the organization will “aggressively defend itself” in the case, stating that “as we explicitly state every time you open up a new incognito window, websites may be able to gather details about the surfing activities throughout your visit.”
Simply put, Chrome incognito is designed to allow people to access the net without having their operation stored locally on their laptop.
In support of Google’s reply, Chrome does also offer users a simple message when they open a new incognito browser, as seen in the instructions when you open an incognito tab. It alerts users that Chrome has been changed.
It tells people that while a user is using google, Chrome will not save the search history or documents, their operation Lawsuit Accusing can also be accessible to sites, ISPs, including network administrators like a college or worker.
Users can see this notice when you open Chrome on any device either its Windows, macOS, Apple, iOS, or Linux — any device that supports the browser — shows this note.
Google announced earlier that it would stop serving precision-targeted advertising and will no longer watch individual users while they search the internet.
In a blog entry, David Temkin, the director of product management for advertising protection and security, said, “We stay dedicated to maintaining a thriving and transparent environment.
where collecting data of users can access a wide spectrum of ad-supported services with assurance that the confidentiality and preferences are protected.”
Google Vs. Brown
Brown v. Google reported that after the users open the Chrome’s private mode mode, it starts gathering data. Some other sites which employed Google Analytics or Ad Manager in certain cases submitted “a secrete, independent letter to Google ‘s databases in California,” according to the complaint.
Google claimed that clients were provided ample details on where and how their actions could be monitored when using the private mode in their request for a Lawsuit Accusing termination. Also, the corporation has been contacted for comment by some best tech blogging sites.
As per Google’s lawyer, “Google clarifies that ‘incognito’ doesn’t really indicate ‘invisibility,’ and also that the person’s behavior over this session can be transparent to sites they use, as well as the third-party monitoring or targeting tools they choose.”


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KENYA – French retailer Carrefour, has made a debut in Kenya’s second largest city, Mombasa with the opening of its 9th store.
The new store is located at City Mall in Nyali, where South African retailer Shoprite was the anchor tenant, prior to embarking on its plan of exiting the Kenyan market.
With over 2,000 square meters of selling area, the new supermarket will be home to a variety of quality products to address the immediate shopping needs of customers who live, work and vacation within Mombasa and its surrounding areas.
According to Majid Al Futtaim the regional franchise holder of Carrefour, the store offers more than 20,000 products alongside a home-made bakery section, a fresh fishery and a butchery counter, as well as a tasty deli section plus a wide selection of non-food and electronic products.
“This is an exciting milestone for us since we ventured into Kenya in 2016, and we are looking forward to extending our quality goods and services to our customers here on the coast. Mombasa tumewasili!” Carrefour Country Manager at Majid Al Futtaim said.
The retail chain will also provide on-demand delivery services from its Nyali store through its partners Jumia Food and Glovo, reports Capital News.
The service allows customers to order from the comfort of their home and enjoy Carrefour quality and low prices delivered right to their doorstep.
“This is an exciting milestone for us since we ventured into Kenya in 2016, and we are looking forward to extending our quality goods and services to our customers here on the coast.”Carrefour Country Manager at Majid Al Futtaim
The opening of the new branch at the City Mall will create both direct and indirect job opportunities for Kenyans by employing 190 people.
Carrefour already operates eight stores in Nairobi, with plans to open two more stores in the Coastal region at the Diani Centre Point Plaza and Shanzu Mall by 2023.
By the end of 2020, the supermarket chain is targeting to have had opened six new outlets, driven by the sh.3 billion (US$28.3m) loan facility it obtained from South Africa’s Standard Bank Group to finance the expansion.
Meanwhile, Kenyan retail chain Naivas Supermarket has opened its doors to the public as the new anchor tenants at Hazina Towers where Nakumatt Lifestyle used to be.
The opening of the new store, situated at the heart of Nairobi City, covers more than 16,000 square feet and now puts Naivas stores count at 67 and it’s the fourth outlet in Nairobi CBD.
The IFC backed supermarket has also revealed plans of opening a new outlet at the city, targeting the growing middle class and working-class market.
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The new Nintendo Switch game console is displayed at a pop-up Nintendo venue in Madison Square Park, March 3, 2017 in New York City. But it's still too early to tell whether the Switch will be a blockbuster on the scale of the original Wii, which sold more than 100 million units.
Have you been able to pick up a Nintendo Switch yet?
Facebook Talks Up AR At F8 Conference
Game developer EA has also built a Mass Effect-themed helmet mask that pulls in stats from your progress in the game. Facebook is planning to tap into augmented reality technology popularised by the hit smartphone game Pokemon Go.
Even more impressive was the big launch of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
This has created the odd situation where there have been more copies of that game sold than there are consoles to play it on.
Nintendo Switch, the new home gaming system that people can also take on the go, has sold faster in its launch month than any other video game system in Nintendo history. Roughly 460,000 copies of the Wii U version of the game were sold in March, and the Switch version sold an estimated 925,000 units.
After GOP Forces Runoff for Georgia House Seat, Trump Says Dems 'Failing'
A voter leaves a polling site after casting a ballot in a special election in Marietta, Ga., Tuesday, April 18, 2017 . Ossoff has drawn volunteers and donors from out of state who see the race as a way to strike a blow against Trump.
Both the Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild broke internal sales records during their release month this past March. Breath of the Wild sold half that number (albeit in two consoles) in a fraction of the time. Granted there is a difference between shipped and sold, but hopefully Nintendo will add some clarity to the issue when it holds its quarterly financial meeting later this month.
Breath of the Wild's reported sales success doesn't come completely out of the blue.
I'm so glad Nintendo chose to take a risk and truly shake up the Zelda formula for what simultaneously feels like a return to the freedom and exploration of the first game in the series-not entirely coincidentally-and something very new, and I bet they're pretty happy with the decision, too. No real details were provided on whether or not the Switch version will differ in any way or provide local multiplayer support with multiple Switch units - but you'd hope that was on the cards.
Aaron Hernandez kills himself in prison
The going consensus seems to be that Aaron Hernandez's life was looking up; at least as much as it could, given the circumstances. Hernandez and Tebow played three seasons together at the University of Florida, winning the BCS National Championship in 2009.


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PARIS — L’Oréal reported Wednesday its sales for the nine months ended Sept. 30 fell 2.7 percent to $12.46 billion, or 10.5 billion euros at current exchange. The French beauty giant also said it is targeting a sales increase of 7 percent and double-digit profit growth for the year.
On a like-for-like basis, the company’s business was up 6.5 percent in the nine-month period, L’Oréal said in a statement.
Currency fluctuations had a negative impact on the company’s sales by 9.3 percent for the nine months, compared with a negative impact of 10.5 percent for the first six months of 2003.
By division and for the first nine months on a like-for-like basis, sales of L’Oréal’s professional products rose 8.4 percent to $1.71 billion, or 1.45 billion euros; the consumer products’ business was up 7.6 percent to $6.83 billion, or 5.78 billion euros; luxury products’ sales were plus-1.9 percent to $2.86 billion, or 2.42 billion euros, and the active cosmetics activities registered an 11.1 percent uptick to $697.4 million, or 590 million euros. The company’s total cosmetics sales rose 6.4 percent to $12.19 billion, or 10.32 billion euros. Its dermatology division posted sales up 9.6 percent to $250.6 million, or 212 million euros.
By geographic zone in the nine months, L’Oréal product sales in Western Europe rose 5 percent to $6.51 billion, or 5.51 billion euros; its North American business was up 4.2 percent to $3.36 billion, or 2.84 billion euros, and L’Oréal activities in the rest of the world showed an increase of 14.2 percent to $2.32 billion, or 1.96 billion euros.
L’Oréal said sales in the third quarter were up 5.2 percent and in line with the group’s forecast.
“The strong growth achieved since September and the intense program of new product launches in the fourth quarter suggest we can hope for an increase in sales of around 7 percent for the year as a whole,” Lindsay Owen-Jones, L’Oréal’s chairman and chief executive officer, said in the statement. “In view of these facts, I can confirm that the target in 2003 is to achieve another year of double-digit growth for net operational profit.”— Brid Costello
Tchibo Bid Unconfirmed
BERLIN — Spokesmen for both Allianz and Tchibo declined to comment on widespread rumors that Tchibo had made a formal offer Wednesday for Allianz’s 43.6 percent stake in Beiersdorf.
Speculation that Tchibo’s bid could reach $147.50 (125 euros) per share initially sent Beiersdorf stocks to a new yearly high of $140.43 (119.01 euros). However, the high didn’t last, with the stock closing Wednesday in Frankfurt at $127.20 (107.8 euros), down from $134.76 (114.20 euros).
JLo and Co. Settle Suit
NEW YORK — Terri Williamson, Glow Industries, Jennifer Lopez, Coty Inc. and Sweetface Fashion Company LLC announced Wednesday that they have settled the trademark infringement suit brought by Glow Industries in the United States District Court, Central District of California.
According to a statement issued jointly by Williamson, president and founder of Glow Industries, and Coty, pursuant to a settlement agreement, all parties have agreed to dismiss the pending claims and counterclaims in the litigation.
The initial lawsuit, originally filed by Williamson in August 2002, claimed that Lopez and her fragrance licensee, Coty Inc., infringed on her company’s trademark through the use of the Glow by JLo name on Lopez’s first fragrance. The lawsuit also alleged trademark dilution and federal, California statutory and common-law unfair competition.
Under the agreement, Glow Industries will continue to use the Glow mark on its bath, body care and fragrance products during a limited transition period. Lopez also will continue to own and use the Glow by JLo mark for her fragrance and related products. The other terms of the settlement agreement were not disclosed.
Williamson, while citing legal reasons for not commenting on the terms of the settlement, said she will most likely rebrand her product line and company by spring 2004. “I am extremely committed to my target market — health-conscious men and women ages 25 to 45,” said Williamson. “I’m a member of that club — it makes sense. Also, we have a very loyal customer base that feels a lot of ownership with this brand.”Glow Industries, a four-and-a-half-year-old firm, sells to upscale specialty stores nationwide, including its own namesake store in Los Angeles, select Nordstrom doors and boutiques at Ritz Carlton hotels.
Williamson did not further comment on specifics of the rebranding, saying plans have not yet been finalized.
“I am glad that we have reached a mutually satisfactory conclusion to this matter,” said Michele Scannavini, president of Coty’s Lancaster Group Worldwide division, in a statement. “We are pleased that we were able to work constructively with Glow Industries to come to a resolution.” In the statement, Scannavini also commended Williamson for the development of her product line. A Coty spokesperson declined to comment further.
@chanel and @pharrell dropped what’s being dubbed as the world’s most exclusive sneakers yesterday. The Adidas Originals NMD Hu, which Williams designed in collaboration with Chanel and @adidasoriginals, has a waiting list of over 120K people who pre-registered online at chanelatcolette.fr –– and only 500 pairs are on sale. The singer predicted the resale value of the shoes could reach $40K. Read the full interview on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdfashion (📷: Dominique Maître)
@imanshumpert is diving deeper into his creative endeavors and relaunching his clothing line, Post 90s, and is helping to raise money for the hurricane victims in St. Maarten with a jersey he’s designed with his brother. The Cleveland Cavaliers player talked to WWD about kneeling during the national anthem, working with fashion brands and how he wants to be more than an @nba player. Read the interview on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📷: George Chinese)
Not only does #TheProfit return to CNBC tonight, but @marcuslemonis has launched @shopmarcus, a new shopping and lifestyle retail experience in Aspen and Chicago, with more locations to come. The retail stores offer in-store stylists and a variety of contemporary womenswear selections.
“It’s life, I’m going to face it,” @mingxi11 sighed. “I fell, but you know, I think the most important thing is that I get back up. I had the love, the help from my sister — the girl next to me Gizele [Oliveira] — she’s so nice. When I went backstage everybody was trying to comfort me like ‘Oh Ming, it’s OK.’ I’m really, really touched. I think it’s them who gave me the courage to go back on stage for the finale,” Xi told WWD of her fall at the @victoriassecret fashion show. (📷: David Fisher) #wwdfashion #vsfashionshow #victoriassecret
@louisvuitton tapped @therealpeterlindbergh for its latest city-centric photo book, which is part of a series called Fashion Eye. The primarily black and white book captures the spirit of Berlin in 57 images shot between 1989 and 2019. “Berlin is an inspiration for me, more than a city. I mean @millajovovich is simply Berlin!” said Lindbergh. #wwdfashion
“You know, I think audiences expect a certain performance so I have to deliver to them what they’re expecting to a certain degree. But I’m also a different actor and a different person, I have my own spin on the character,” says @noahegalvin of his takeover of the leading role in “Dear Evan Hansen” following the departure of @bensplatt, who originated the role. Read WWD’s interview with the 23-year-old actor on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
For pre-fall 2018, @etro created richly-colored wonderland, using tapestries, textiles and wallpapers from the Eastern world at large. The line featured floral and graphic prints and jacquard motifs, like this two-piece look featured here. #wwdfashion (📷: Giovanna Pavesi)
@kith is moving into children’s. The men’s and women’s streetwear brand has launched Kidset, a Kith kids line located in New York at 64 Bleecker Street. The line includes mini versions of staple Kith pieces like the Astor bomber jacket and the Kith box logo sweatshirts, along with a wall that can display up to 120 pairs of shoes from @adidas, @newbalance, @timberland and more. #wwdfashion
“I just wanted to create this fully rounded character, but I do think what excited me most was just the opportunity to give a group of people representation that I feel needs it. I like to do characters in projects that stand for something and Karolina definitely does, so that was really exciting to me,” @ginnygardner says of her new role in @hulu’s “The Runaways.” Gardner plays Karolina Dean, a queer superhero, which is a rarity for @marvel. Read more about Gardner’s character on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @dandoperalski)


text: Shares of Potbelly Corp. /zigman2/quotes/207637689/composite PBPB +2.01% fell more than 12% in the extended session Tuesday after the fast-casual restaurant chain reported a wider quarterly loss and sales that were below Wall Street expectations even as its delivery, drive-through, and takeout sales rose 45% in April. Potbelly said it lost $13.3 million, or 56 cents a share, in the fiscal first quarter, compared with a net loss of $18.4 million, or 76 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted for one-time items, Potbelly lost $7.7 million, or 32 cents a share, in the quarter, compared with a loss of 12 cents a share a year ago. Sales fell to $87.6 million compared with $98.1 million a year ago. Analysts polled by FactSet expected the chain to report an adjusted loss of 23 cents a share on sales of $90 million. "Simply put, the pandemic arrested the strong turnaround momentum we initiated in Q4 last year," Chief Executive Alan Johnson said in a statement. "We understand challenges will persist over the next several months, and are taking the necessary steps to support and fortify our business." Potbelly drew down its $40 million credit facility and cut costs and expenses, it said. It is negotiating with landlords and considering closing up to 100 shops, the company said. Shares of Potbelly had ended the regular trading day down 1.3%.


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Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, RTX 3070, RTX 3080 Laptop GPUs Announced at CES
Nvidia has launched a new line of GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs for gaming laptops at CES 2021. We already know that over 70 laptop models will get these new GPUs and more than half of these models will also feature 240Hz screens or better.
These new Nvidia GPUs are RTX 3060, RTX 3070, and RTX 3080 and start at $999, $1299, and $1999, respectively.
Like the desktop models, these laptop GPUs are based on NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture. They feature second-generation RT cores for real-time ray tracing and 3rd-gen Tensor Cores. These GPUs are also include NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and NVIDIA Broadcast.
The GeForce RTX 3060 promises to offer 90fps in most recent games at 1080p using the highest quality settings. It is also said to be faster than GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
GeForce RTX 3070 aims to offer 1440p gaming at 90fps on Ultra settings. Laptops designed for esports could offer 240fps on high settings with better optimization. It claims to be 50 percent faster than RTX 2070.
GeForce RTX 3080 is for top-of-the-line gaming laptops and can offer 100+fps at ultra settings in most recent games.
Brands like Alienware, ASUS, Lenovo, Razer, and others have already announced their laptops powered by NVIDIA RTX 30 series mobile GPUs. These laptops will hit the market starting on January 26.


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Delhi | Mumbai | Amritsar | Jalandhar | Bangalore | 11th August 2020: AI and IoT powered electric mobility start-up eBikeGO has roped in Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh as its brand ambassador. With this association and the recently announced government’s new EV policy, the company is aiming to build mass appeal, positive voice and widespread adoption for electric mobility thereby looking to capture 10% of electric two wheeler market share by 2022. With existing operations spanning Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur and Hyderabad, Harbhajan’s onboarding will help the company create a more ambitious presence and focus on expansion to newer markets like Chennai and Pune. Creating a larger geographical footprint, the company will tap into customer segments, and look at generating more business use cases where a need for e-mobility is most felt.
Industry reports predict an unprecedented global demand for sustainable mobility. While Indian demand to pent up by CAGR of over 44% during the period 2019 to2025 and to meet this demand growth, ebikeGO is looking to expand its fleet to 5000 smart bikes by the end of the year 2020.
Founded in the year 2017, eBikeGO was born out of Amritsar and now based in Mumbai, with the commitment to promote e-mobility as the new alternate clean mode of travel, adapting quickly to the fast changing consumer lifestyle and preferences. The young EV start-up, in last three years has successfully offered pollution free and low- cost rides to commuters through its large fleet of 1000+ electric bikes, across eight cities of the country. eBikeGO has been a strong player in the B2B segment offering electric mobility, powering big E-commerce businesses such as Big Basket, Zomato, Myntra, Burger King, Nandos, Grab.in, Delhivery, Fasoos and many more.
Building a complete eco-system for clean and green energy, the company is redefining the mobility landscape by reaching out to both business-to-consumer (B2C), through its (subscription-based model) by freeing the consumer off the burden of ownership, (responsibility and liability) and business-to-business (B2B) by creating last mile delivery efficiencies and economics (facilitating and designing an intelligent vehicle), where existed none.
Talking about his new role as the brand ambassador of eBikeGO, Indian cricketer and youth icon Harbhajan exclaims, “eBikeGO is a new-age mobility companion, and its efforts in the area of clean and green commute are commendable. I look at this association as a great opportunity and as my own way of contributing towards sustainable mobility and a cleaner environment in our country. Months of lockdown in India has led to drastic drop in the levels of pollution. For the first time in 30 years people from Jalandhar could see the Himalayas, and my dream is that this be our future too !”
Enthused about this valuable association for the company, T Irfan Khan, Founder and CEO eBikeGO adds, “Harbhajan is a youth icon yet his appeal cuts across age groups. We are excited to collaborate with him as his persona fits well with the brand. Not many know that the cricketer is a bike enthusiast and loves to travel too. He also shares his roots and culture with the company that was also born out of Punjab. His concern about the environment, go-getter attitude and a unique ability to deliver all-round performance resonates deeply with our brand. We are in the middle of scaling-up our operations and looking to capture 10% of the electric two-wheeler market by 2022. We are continuously evaluating various business models for both our B2B and B2C customer segments. At such a critical juncture, we believe our association with Harbhajan will play a big role in helping achieve the goal of taking e-mobility to masses.”
It has been two to three years of relentless effort that the company has put forth with various state governments in drafting EV policies. eBikeGO is happy to have humbly contributed to the Delhi Government’s recent initiative of bringing in a new EV policy and acknowledges and appreciates the Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership. The company looks at this milestone as a joyous moment for the sector. eBikeGO is hopeful that financial incentives and infrastructure support pledged by the government will provide a fillip to the EV industry and further accelerate and promote a wider adoption of electric mobility and vehicles.
eBikeGO has witnessed an encouraging growth, despite the COVID pandemic, it has responded to every evolving market problem with innovative solutions. In recent times during the nationwide lockdown and continued social distancing norms the demand for delivery across e-commerce platforms grew exponentially, completely paralyzing the delivery ecosystem. E-commerce players struggled with the shortage of delivery executives with most of the drivers migrating back to their homes. At this time, eBikeGO stepped up its efforts and introduced the ‘eBikeGO Rider model’ – first ever end-to-end delivery solution offering IoT enabled e-bikes with trained riders. The move has been hugely appreciated by e-commerce stakeholders. Right from the start, the company has invested in a fleet and offered product-market fit by servicing the delivery ecosystem. This strategy has paid off well and helped it strengthen partnerships with BigBasket, Myntra, Delhivery, and Zomato. To build on the direct to consumer segment, the company has made electric mobility accessible for the common man at a click on www.ebikego.com – no EMI, no registration, no maintenance, no fuel – just click and drive whenever you need it at easy monthly subscription. The ability to evolve their product offering has helped the company enable greater adoption of e-mobility solutions even in these tough times.
eBikeGO’s is committed to its vision and larger social responsibility of making the world a better place by reducing pollution and freeing our planet Earth from fossil fuel usage and dependence. As natural resources stand on the verge of depletion, the company is committed to restoring the environment and improving sustainability.


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DUMAS, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) —An accomplishment 18 months in the making for the Wiswell family in Dumas, opening up their brewery.
“It’s been quite the experience trying to get open,” said J.L. Wiswell, Toppled Turtle Brewing Co. Co-Owner.
For Wiswell and his family, it’s been quite the journey indeed, opening up their doors to awaiting customers.
“Several false starts thinking we were going to get there. Finally after about 18 months, jumping through hoops for city inspections and getting the city variances that we need to for zoning. We finally have the chance to open. We’ve had a lot of community support. In our opening weekend we sold out of one of our beers,” said Wiswell.
Arriving at this point hasn’t been the smoothest of sailings.
“I thought we would be just like a restaurant and it turns out there was specific wording in Dumas ordinances that said that beer-making facilities, any kind of alcohol-making facilities would be treated like a chemical plant. So what we had to do was go through and explain what we were going to be doing, get a variance that says we could produce alcohol in the city limits of Dumas,” said Wiswell.
The building the brewery is in, has served as everything from a quilt shop to Phillips and Son store when it was first built around 100 years ago.
Phillips and Son was taken over by the kids before they closed their doors and that’s what the Wiswells hope Toppled Turtled will become, something they can pass down for generations to come.
“My legacy starts here and I’ll be able to have my kids take over, just like the Phillips had their kids take over. So that’s what I’m excited about,” said Wiswell.
Wiswell says for now, due to TABC regulations, they’re only allowed to sell their beer to-go.
To learn more about Toppled Turtle Brewing Co., click here.


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These front-of-package labels may "so thoroughly mislead the public that another option deserves consideration - eliminate all nutrition and health claims from the front of processed food packages," Marion Nestle and David Ludwig, two nutrition experts, wrote in the journal.
The agency recently announced it had sent 17 warning letters to food manufacturers asking them to correct misleading labels. The same day, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg issued an open letter to the industry underscoring the importance of reliable food labeling.
"The Obama administration has given the signal that the FDA will be more aggressive in the area of food labeling," said Bruce Silverglade, legal affairs director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which had been discussing the issue with the agency for months and this week released a report called "Food Labeling Chaos: The Case for Reform."
Indeed, last fall Hamburg announced her agency would be taking a closer look, noting that "some nutritionists have questioned whether (label) information is more marketing-oriented than health-oriented."
Though many of the center's labeling concerns remained unaddressed, Silverglade praised the FDA's warning letters, saying he hopes the deceptive food labeling "party is over and we are in a new era."
An FDA study released this week found that, for the first time, more than half of consumers surveyed say they often read labels. But they are also skeptical of industry claims such as "low fat," "high fiber" and "cholesterol free."
Here is a guide to help you navigate the still-confusing food labeling landscape.
The problem: Products are marketed as supportive of the immune system because of the vitamins they contain. It's true that severe vitamin deficiencies can weaken immunity, but such deficiencies are not common in the developed world. Otherwise there's little scientific evidence that vitamins, minerals and specific foods benefit the immune system.
Example: Northfield-based Kraft Foods' Crystal Light Immunity powdered beverage mixes. The front label for Crystal Light Immunity's Natural Cherry Pomegranate drink says "Antioxidants A, C & E help support a healthy immune system."
Critical view: "These vitamins are necessary to stay alive, but adding them to Crystal Light won't lessen your chances of contracting a disease," said the center's Silverglade.
Company response: Responding in the center's recent report, Kraft said: "We do not expect, or claim, that consumption of Crystal Light Immunity … will — in and of itself — significantly impact immune function." Kraft spokeswoman Bridget MacConnell told the Tribune that the firm has "a team of nutritionists and legal experts who carefully review the science and the law before we put any claims on our products."
Possible fix: The center proposes that any immunity claim by a foodmaker get approval from the FDA first.
The problem: Food manufacturers are adding fiber to yogurt, ice cream, drinks and other foods that were previously fiber-free or contained only small amounts. But there's no evidence that the "isolated fibers" being added have the same beneficial effects of naturally occurring dietary fiber. It's generally agreed that oat bran and barley, for instance, lower cholesterol and thus have a cardiovascular benefit. That's not the case with isolated fiber.
Example: Minnesota-based General Mills' Fiber One line of products, which includes yogurt, toaster muffin mixes and breakfast bars. The label on a box of bars boasts that they contain 35 percent of the needed daily amount of fiber. That's because the bars contain inulin, a powdered, isolated fiber derived from chicory root.
Critical view: "The label just says fiber," Silverglade said. "But isolated fibers don't have the same effect."


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The Tata Group and private equity fund Bain Capital are evaluating the $1-1.5 billion buyout opportunity but are yet to firm up any plans, said the people mentioned above.
“Talks are continuing with the Burman family and a deal could get hammered out in the next couple of months,“ said one person cited above.“ Discussions with the other groups have reached an impasse,“ the person added.
Gaurav Burman, director of Dabur India declined comment while a representative for Amazon said, “we do not comment on speculations“.
The proposed joint venture is expected to be similar in function to Cloudtail India, the largest seller on Amazon, which is a 100% owned subsidiary of Prione Business Services, a joint venture of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's Catamaran Ventures and Amazon Asia. This entity was created in 2014 and enjoys preferential rates and fees on the Amazon India marketplace, being the only Platinum seller remaining on the platform.
While the exact structure of the deal is unknown, the announcement of the venture is a fortnight to a month away, said the sources quoted above.“Until the discussions on GST settle down, Amazon India will not announce the venture,“ said a partner at one of the entities which works closely with Cloudtail.
Analysts are of the view that the formation of a captive selling entity will help Amazon control inventory and customer experience. “Cloudtail has been doing well. These ventures help Amazon comply with the DIPP norms and exercise greater control over inventory, manage customer experience and comply with the regulations of GST for tax collection at source,“ said Satish Meena, senior forecast analyst at Forrester Research.
“For family offices, this is a better investment opportunity as compared to investing in a marketplace directly due to better returns,“ said Meena of Forrester.


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Independent fibre backhaul network also key to creating ‘formidable competitor’ to British communications institution
US largest acquirer of European targets: deals between European countries down 51% in one year
Latest Thomson Reuters figures reveal resurgent global tech sector
Cavendish Corporate Finance leads on sale
Prestigious June ceremony announced for ninth annual awards
Profitable exit for VC firm
First investment out of CVC Growth Partners Fund
Venue management business has interests all across Western world
Manchester-based digital agency CTI Digital specialises in e-commerce platforms
Increase largely driven by large volume of deals in Asia
Construction industry supplier service passes into private hands
Two big players in weather forecasting join forces
Private equity firm announces major investment in workplace technology company
Venue’s business valued at £307 million
Popular restaurant search app goes West to new frontiers
Warwick Business School academic welcomes deal
Share prices significantly higher than those of non-acquirers
Huge deals for media giants Time Warner and AT&T
Strengthening global economy sees highest level of M&A activity since 2007.
UK-founded e-commerce conversion company Ve has acquired digital advertising company GDM Digital in a $12 million transaction.
This whitepaper sets out to explain how cloud computing is now taking shape as the primary platform for all business software.
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In his second of a series of blog posts, Ben Hutt, CEO of digital recruitment marketplace Talent Party, shares his thoughts on the three commitments that business owners should make to achieve balance
Budget restraints are holding back learning and development programmes: but should businesses be asking if they can afford not to train their staff?
Entrepreneurs pride themselves on forging their own path: but can learning through traditional education routes still be useful?
The gap in businesses’ measurement of customer experience means they don’t know what customers really want, research finds


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HP to acquire online photo startup
Hewlett-Packard plans to acquire online photo services startup Snapfish, the computer maker announced on Monday.
Palo Alto-based HP hopes to boost sales of its popular photo printers and ink by targeting the San Francisco-based company's 13 million members.
Snapfish's website contains roughly 350 million photos, which users can organise into digital albums, share with other members, turn into calendars or mouse pads, and have printed for as little as 15 US cents per photo.
The companies would not disclose terms of the acquisition, which is expected to close in April.
Snapfish is an independent unit of District Photo, which started as a black-and-white photo lab in Washington DC in 1949. District Photo is the world's largest mail-order film processor, with labs in the US, UK and Canada.
HP is the latest technology powerhouse to move more aggressively into the lucrative niche of online photos. Americans will purchase roughly 20.5 million digital cameras this year, up more than 70 percent from last year, according to the trade group Photo Marketing Association.
On Friday, Internet portal Yahoo! signed a deal to buy Canadian photo-sharing startup Flickr Inc., which lets people upload digital photos from computers and camera phones, publish photos in their blogs, share digital photo albums with anyone else who uses the service and alert other users whenever they upload a new photo or album.
Last summer, Google purchased digital photo software company Picasa, which helps users edit and circulate large numbers of photos.
Larry Lesley, senior vice president for HP's Consumer Imaging and Printing division, said the computer maker plans to ask all 1.5 million HPphoto.com customers if they would like to migrate to Snapfish when the deal closes next month.
Then Snapfish's 80 employees will work with HP to produce new products and services - including promotions that help people who don't have fancy photo printers print images from their digital cameras.
"This is absolutely a natural extension of our digital photography strategy," Lesley said on Monday. "It's not just about printing 4-by-6 photos. We're talking about creating things with images you couldn't possibly do at home or at retail - personalised neck ties, baby blankets, all kinds of things."
Copyright © 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Game’s instant win and drawing combine for a lucky surprise
There are two ways to win playing 5 Card Cash, as every fan of the game knows – instantly and during each night’s drawing. A Dundalk man beat the odds to do just that, claiming a $10,000 instant win with his ticket’s Royal Flush and a $3 win in the July 5 drawing for a two-card match.
The retired General Motors employee told Lottery officials that he enjoys the game tremendously, playing just about every night.
“I was out with my wife and grandkids last week when I stopped in the Soda Pop Store to get a ticket,” said the 71-year-old. “I saw the cards and was certain that I’d won something, but not how much.”
Unable to wait until he returned home, the Baltimore County man visited another Maryland Lottery retailer to seek help determining how much cash he had coming. “I could tell by her expression that it was big,” he said. “When she said $10,000, I was shocked. My wife just refused to believe it could be.”
The big winner, who plans to keep playing his favorite Lottery game, said this prize will go toward eliminating family debt. “I enjoy trying to match the cards every night and, though I know winning the $100,000 top prize is a long shot, so was winning this check I have today,” he said. “It can happen.”
The game’s latest $10,000 win came at the Soda Pop Store located at 7715 Westfield Road in Dundalk. For selling a winning 5 Card Cash ticket of $10,000, the retailer will receive a $100 bonus from the Lottery.


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Pakistani media shook down after this one news: Khadija Shah is ready to leave Sapphire!
Shah, as the Creative Director of Sapphire, is credited for having helped the brand soar to new heights because of her creativity since its inception, about three years ago.
The industry insiders are now insisting that she is on the verge of leaving her position. This is, however, not going to be an ordinary departure, since we don’t have as many successful Creative Designers as her.
Lately, there are too many brands and designers launching their collections, but we all know how many are ACTUALLY worth buying.
Let’s see what Shah has to state about the rumour, and whether she is going to address it or not!


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Amplitude has announced the opening of a new data centre facility in Frankfurt, Germany.
According to the company, it chose Frankfurt as the site for its new site due to Germany’s stringent privacy and technology standards. Amplitude has also selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as the host for the facility for its rigorous privacy and security protections.
The data centre will support data storage, data ingestion, querying and visualisation, and is compliant with General Data Privacy Regulations (GDPR) and certified in ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II.
The facility will support integrations with Snowflake, Braze, AppCues, and Airship, with additional partner integrations available in the future.
“Organisations around the world are looking to build better products through data, so we’re making big investments in global infrastructure that put exceptional security and privacy standards front and center,” said Daniel Bailey, Vice President of EMEA at Amplitude.
“Customer data privacy must be a priority, especially when sharing and storing data in the cloud. As our European customer base continues to rapidly grow, and with the evolving privacy standards within the EU, we’ve invested in this data centre to meet customer needs and ensure they are able to adhere to the highest standards of security and data privacy compliance.”


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Google’s Sundar Pichai does not have an easy job: he’s now overseeing both of Google’s(s goog) key computing projects — Android and Chrome — while attempting to convince everyone that Google won’t play favorites with its Motorola division. Clearly, however, not all Android partners are created equal.
Pichai’s appearance at D11 Thursday didn’t break a lot of new ground, save for the “pure Google” version of the HTC One handset that Pichai showed off to the crowd and the news that the curiously named Google Play Music All Access service is coming to iOS. He showed off the HTC One, curiously enough, in response to a question from All Things D’s Walt Mossberg about Google’s relationship with Android partners and specifically its relationship with Samsung, a company which dominates the Android world and which introduced a smaller version of its flagship Galaxy S 4 Thursday that Pichai claimed he first learned about on Techmeme this morning.
If that’s true, then Google certainly has different relationships with different partners. Later in the session, Pichai said he was “very excited” about what Motorola has planned over the next six months. While we first heard confirmation of the Moto X Wednesday, the remaining products in what CEO Dennis Woodside called “a portfolio of phones” Wednesday are not something widely known beyond the rumor mills.
There are a couple of interpretations here.
- Communication between Samsung and Google has dried up if the head of Android didn’t know (or didn’t care to know) that his most important partner was releasing a smaller version of its highest-profile phone until the rest of us did, the same day he was making a high-profile public appearance to show off a competitor-designed phone.
- Not only is Pichai aware of all the Android products that Motorola has planned for 2013, he’s had a chance to discuss the thinking behind the decisions made in designing the phones, even if the Android team isn’t doing anything special for Motorola, as both Pichai and Woodside insisted this week.
- This is probably most likely: Nothing has really changed and that Android continues to be a chaotic mess that Google makes a half-hearted attempt to stay on top of but which no one can really manage, given the sheer number of partners and devices involved. Google has certainly worked closely with Android partners in the past as they got their first phones out the door, including Samsung, HTC, and LG, so it’s not that surprising that Android leaders would have worked closely with Motorola as it reboots.
It’s an interesting time for Pichai and Android as he assumes the guiding role vacated by Android founder and longtime leader Andy Rubin, who Pichai said “stepped back” two months ago to pursue other interests at Google. There’s a lot of “co-opetition” in the Android world at the moment, and Pichai has the fun task of dealing with it.


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The U.S. Commerce Department reported Monday that CE and appliance sales rose 3.6 percent in October compared with last year.
But the mood of top executives I spoke with privately last week at the traditional International CES Press Preview and the industry’s Anti-Defamation League’s awards dinner was not one of celebration. It was one of anxiety.
They seemed to know before the Commerce Department released its report on Monday that October sales, compared with September, were down 1 percent. That’s not the type of performance that breeds confidence when going into the core of the holiday sales season.
Everyone knows Black Friday promos will be more aggressive than ever, and even then, will it have been worth it? Will inventories be clear? Will there be some profits to go along with all the expected volume?
While financials of worldwide manufacturers and chains with general merchandise look better recently, what has got to give CE retailers and manufacturers fits is that the market has not shown major traction all year.
We’ll soon see if all the Black Friday — and Black Thanksgiving — deals that are set will at least create major volume growth for calendar year 2010


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New Kuehne + Nagel data shows increasing cross-border trade despite trade war threat
The Nowcasts of global Kuehne + Nagel indicators (gKNi) show an upward trend in the world’s largest ports.
Despite recent trade tensions between the US and China, ports in the United States and Asia have hit record highs in May, 2018.
The data shows that ports in the US are experiencing particularly increased container volumes.
The real-time data collected by LogIndex, part of Kuehne + Nagel Group, indicates heavy traffic in top ports such as Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York or New Jersey.
Overall, cargo and container throughput in the world’s largest ports has risen by 3.2% year to date, with the biggest increase in Singapore (+6.2%) based on Nowcasts from LogIndex.
So far, there are no direct ramifications owed to lingering trade tensions.
Other imports statistics imply a business-as-usual-mode - at first glance at least: The import of iron and steel reached an 8-months-high in April (+75% YoY), based on LogIndex’s analysis of Bills of Lading (BOL, in USD).
However, some commentators suggest that part of the strong growth is driven, in fact, by the trade tensions as anxious shippers rush to get their cargo to overseas markets.
World trade is inching up based on the country forecasts available for May and June.
There are regional differences, however.
Asia is very dynamic, in contrast to Europe, digesting the high euro during the first quarter.
The US, Australia and Canada are the fastest growing countries in the group of Advanced Economies, posting a year-over-year rate of 4.7% compared to 16.1% of Emerging Markets (LogIndex’s estimates for May).


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- Xbox users have started noticing that the option to share clips to Twitter is now gone.
- In response, Microsoft confirmed that it has removed the sharing option from the system.
- Not too long ago, Twitter rolled out a new API pricing structure. Coincidence?
Bad news for Xbox users. After a few days of its disappearance, Microsoft confirmed that they have indeed removed the ability to share Xbox clips to Twitter from Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles.
Here’s what Xbox said in a tweet replying to a user’s complaint about the absence of Twitter’s share button,
We have had to disable the ability to share game uploads to Twitter directly from the console and Game Bar on Windows. You can still share your favorite moments to Twitter via the Xbox app for Android and iOS.
If you’re not familiar with what’s been going on, Twitter, now under Elon Musk’s leadership, had just rolled out a new API paywall pricing plan back in March 2023 that could cost Microsoft at least $42.000 a month. While Redmond officials haven’t confirmed the main reason for Twitter’s disappearance from its beloved console, many suspected that this could be the reason.
The pricing plans start from $100 per month for smaller creators with a limit of 3,000 tweets per month at the user level.
The good news is, Microsoft didn’t completely kick Twitter off its system. As mentioned, the tech giant further said that users can still share their clips via the third-party Xbox mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
So, how do I share Xbox clips on Twitter, then, you may ask? If you relate to this question, here’s what you can do.
How to share Xbox clips on Twitter.
1. Download the Xbox companion app. Depending on your mobile, you can download it through iOS App Store or Android Play Store.
2. Press the Xbox button on your controller, then go to Capture & share ➜ Recent captures.
3. Select the clip that you want, then click Upload to the Xbox network ➜ Upload.
4. On the Xbox app on your phone, go to My Library ➜ Captures.
5. Click on the clip, then hit Share. The clip will be downloaded automatically and you can upload it on Twitter.
As you may also remember not too long ago, Microsoft has also discontinued its assistance for Twitter on its advertising platforms, so it seems like the headbutting between these two tech giants isn’t stopping any time soon.
If you’re looking for tips to fix your Xbox One that won’t load games, we’ve also prepared a set of guides you can try
What do you think about Xbox removing the Twitter share button from its consoles? Do you find these tips helpful? Let us know in the comments!


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Fifteen years ago, I entered the world of software training. Freshly armed with a laptop, copious handouts, and a projector the size of a microwave; I crammed my kit into a suitcase and proceeded to travel the length and breadth of the country. I kept Flybe in business and racked up enough BP points to treat myself to free Ginster’s and Ribena once a month. Why? Because it delivered value, customer engagement, and customer understanding.
Last month Panorama’s Care in Crisis documentaries threw a stark light on the funding crisis facing the care sector. Now that the dust is settling and attention is already being diverted, it is important to ensure that the issues raised, and still very much present, are none the less addressed.
Year on year, business and workforce development challenges continue for all social care providers and the SCA Care Showcase 2019 will continue to support organisations with the latest developments and information on key issues to help you respond to these challenges.
It’s always very rewarding coming away from an interview with a customer I am writing a case study for. Working mostly at a desk, behind the scenes and largely removed from day to day contact with customers, it’s reassuring to see the PASS up and running out there in the real world, displaying on their dashboards as I walk into their offices.
Fiona Williams talks to everyLIFE about the digital care journey and the future of technology in social care.
Press Release: November 2018 – Liverpool is leading the way in the use of smartphone technology to deliver and monitor better quality care in people’s homes.


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The grounding of Evergreen’s MV Ever Given in the Suez Canal on Tuesday March 23rd has had knock-on effects right down the supply chain. Within just 24 hours, dozens of vessels were backed up as the vast ship blocked both north and southbound channels of the canal. Ever Given is among the very largest container ships in the world. At400-metres (1,300-foot) long and 59 meters (194 feet) wide, the vessel is too large to navigate even the enlarged Panama Canal.
With over 50 ships passing along it every day, the Suez Canal is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, carrying at least 10% of global maritime trade. The 220,000 ton vessel got stuck diagonally across the canal after it went off beam when hit by 40 knot winds and a sandstorm which compromised the ships steering and the crew’s ability to see where they were going. Rescue tugs’ attempts to get the ship back on course were hampered by its sheer size and the gridlock continued to escalate.
The blockage had an almost immediate impact on oil prices which spiked on news of the event, which affected over 13 million barrels. Avoiding the jam would add 15 days to ships’ journey times so hundreds of ships formed the queues at either end of the canal.
Over half of the ships using the canal are container ships and, while shippers with cargo on the Ever Given itself may be worrying about physical damage resulting from the impact, there is another aspect to the risk facing all the containers caught up in the delays. Temperatures in the desert around the canal can rise and fall dramatically. Perfect conditions for container rain which can cause severe water damage to both packaging and contents. The longer ships are sitting here, the higher the risk. And with 10% of cargo damage due to moisture, the resulting cost to businesses globally from this single delay is potentially huge. It’s a clear reminder of the importance of having the correct moisture control solutions inside containers, wherever they are going.
Ships opting to take the alternative route, would have to pass round the southern tip of Africa – an area famous for rogue waves and extreme weather conditions. And, of course, your cargo will be at sea for at least two weeks longer. Again, the lesson is that cargo protection and securing should be configured to prepare for any eventuality and recent events in Suez are proof that, if something can go wrong, it will.
Cordstrap works closely with businesses across the globe to design and engineer innovative and dependable solutions that protect cargo across all modalities and routes.
Our specialists take a very forensic approach to moisture risks. By monitoring thousands of smart containers traveling millions of miles we have data that allows us to confidently assess the likely temperature and humidity risks to shipments anywhere in the world. With this intelligence we are able to work with customers to ensure they have the correct Moisture Control product for their specific cargo and route. The Cordstrap range of Moisture Control products delivers the highest absorption rates currently on the market.
We take a similarly scientific approach to protecting your cargo from movement damage and have engineered a huge range of cargo protection systems designed to secure any load type on any modality across the world.
Our solutions are all CTU Code compliant and have earned approval from the world’s leading regulators and insurers including: Germanischer Lloyd, the IMO, Mariterm AB, Eurosafe and the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
We are a truly global company with a support network that can work with key people right across your supply chain to ensure they know how to prepare for every eventuality. To ensure that your cargo is protected from all that the future holds, get in touch with your local cargo protection expert today.


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This week, Durig reviews one of the largest publicly traded hospital companies in the United States. Community Health Systems (NYSE:CYH) has spent the past few years paring down its portfolio of hospitals with an eye to retain those locations that are most profitable. The results of these divestitures are starting to be seen and the company has now put up two consecutive quarters of positive growth. In its most recent quarter results, one can see that same-store metrics tell a compelling story, especially in the competitive healthcare sector (see bullets above).
This week, Durig takes another look at the number two grocer in the United States. Albertsons has made a significant turnaround in the past few years after its purchase of Safeway stores in early 2015. With its most recent quarterly results, the company has now logged seven consecutive quarters of identical store sales growth. In addition, the company’s online grocery sales grew by 40% year-over-year, a massive win for this traditional brick and mortar retailer. (Other results from its Q2 results, see bullets above)
This week, Durig looks at an energy company that is making the transition from its historical focus on natural gas to be more focused on oil production. Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) has been making strides this year to transition towards a more oil focused production portfolio. Chesapeake has already increased oil in its production portfolio from 17% in 2018, to 24% as of the end of the second quarter. The company estimates it will exit 2019 with oil representing 26% of its production. Oil is a higher margin product, so Chesapeake is already seeing the fruit of its decision (see bullet points above).
This week, Durig Capital takes a look at an industrial designer, manufacturer and marketer of aftermarket parts for light vehicles, commercial trucks and other industrial uses. Tenneco (NYSE:TEN) is on track and getting ready to create two market leading companies after its landmark acquisition of Federal-Mogul late last year. Its second quarter results tell the story of a company working diligently to grow its business, even among some industry slowdowns (see above).
Tenneco’s 2024 bonds have a yield-to-maturity of just about 7.85%. This is a fantastic yield, especially when investors can’t even get 2% from the current 30-year U.S. Treasury bond. In light of this and the company’s solid Q2 performance, these bonds are ideal for additional weighting in Durig Capital’s Fixed Income 2 (FX2) High Yield Managed Income Portfolio, the aggregated performance of which is shown below.
This week, Durig Capital takes a look at a company that provides compression services and equipment for the oil and gas industry. With the demand increasing for takeaway capacity from oil and gas fields around the country, CSI Compressco’s services become even more valuable and essential. The company had a fantastic second quarter, with record setting utilization, increased revenues and adjusted EBITDA.
Second quarter overall utilization came in at a record setting 89.1%.
Revenues increased by 36% over second quarter 2018.
Adjusted EBITDA increased 22% over first quarter and 41% year-over-year.
Outstanding interest coverage of 2.2x.
This week, Durig Capital looks at the healthcare sector to review one of the largest publicly traded hospital companies in the United States. Community Health Systems (NYSE:CYH) has spent the last few years rationalizing its portfolio of hospitals. The company is beginning to realize the effects of this strategy as evidenced by its same-store results for the second quarter (see above).
This week, Durig Capital reviews one of the leading producers of steel products in the United States. AK Steel (NYSE:AKS) produces steel for the automotive, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. There has been much talk of bringing back manufacturing jobs to the U.S., especially in the production and manufacturing of steel. AK Steel is one of the companies trying to ensure continued heavy manufacturing capabilities within the United States. It recently reported its second quarter results (for the three months ending June 30, 2019) with the highlights (listed above).
This week, Durig Capital looks to a Canadian issuer, a specialty pharmaceutical company that is successfully treating long-term HIV patients with its unique medicines so that patients have the opportunity to have a better quality of life. Theratechnologies (TSX:TH) has two landmark drugs, Trogarzo™ and EGRIFTA™ specifically developed to help HIV patients. The company has reported its second quarter results (for the three months ending May 31, 2019) and continues to see outstanding growth over its product lines.
This week, Durig Capital takes a second look at an issuer involved in the design and manufacture of semiconductors. Magnachip Semiconductor (NYSE:MX) has been around for over three decades and is currently the largest independent supplier of OLED display drivers to panel makers for smartphones. The company is riding the wave of transition from LED to OLED in the smartphone world. This has paid handsomely as its full year 2018 results can attest (above). In addition, the company’s first quarter also posted continued wins for its Standard Products division.
This week’s bond review focuses on one of the nation’s largest publicly traded hospital companies. Community Health Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CYH). CYH has spent the past few years divesting hospitals in an effort to reshape its portfolio towards urban and suburban markets. The company continues to make that shift and has now added urgent care centers in some of those markets to help drive additional patients to its hospitals. Its fourth quarter and full-year 2018 results look to be an indicator that the transformation is gaining a foothold.
This week’s bond review delves into the retail sector with a specialty retailer of durable consumer goods who also offers its customers financing on their purchases. Conn’s Inc., which is headquartered in Texas, has a market presence that stretches across the southern United States. Conn’s set some records in its most recent quarterly results (third quarter for its fiscal year 2019).
- Record third quarter retail gross margin of 41.2%
- Record quarterly credit segment revenues of $89.9 million.
- For the first nine months of fiscal year 2019, the company registered its second highest nine month operating income ever
- Excellent interest coverage of 2.4x.
This week, Durig Capital looks to the healthcare industry, where a medical supply logistics provider has made some key acquisitions to broaden its revenue sources. Over the past 18 months, Owens & Minor has acquired Byram Healthcare, a direct to patient medical supply distributor, along with Halyard’s surgical and infection prevention (S&IP) business. Combined, these two acquisitions are slated to add $1.45 billion in annual revenues for Owens & Minor. The company’s last reported quarterly results (third quarter 2018) show revenue growth coming through these most recent additions.
This week, Durig Capital ventures to the technology sector to review an issuer involved in the design and manufacture of semiconductors. Magnachip Semiconductor (NYSE:MX) has been around for over 30 years and is the largest independent supplier of OLED display drivers to panel makers for smartphones. The company’s latest reported quarterly results (three months ending September 30, 2018) were excellent.
Adjusted EBITDA increased 13% year-over-year.
Gross profits were up 10.8% over the prior year period.
Operating income increased by 17.9% over Q3 2017.
Revenues were up 16.6% year-over-year and were at the highest levels since Q4 2012.
Interest coverage over 3x for the third quarter.
This week, Durig Capital takes a look at a leading marine transportation company. Teekay Corporation provides marine transportation, storage, and vessel leasing for the oil and natural gas industry. The company’s third quarter saw increases in its subsidiaries revenues over second quarter. Here are some highlights from its third quarter results.
Teekay Tankers nearly doubled its quarterly revenues from the prior year period.
Teekay Corporation recorded adjusted cash flow from vessel operations of $19.8 million as compared to $1.2 million a year earlier.
Teekay LNG revenues increased to $123.3 million as compared to $104.3 million a year earlier.
This week, Durig Capital reviews a bond from an issuer that was snapped up a few years ago by one of the most enigmatic figures in corporate America. In late 2016, SolarCity was acquired by Elon Musk’s company, Tesla. The acquisition made sense- combine the maker of electric cars and energy storage with a company that produces solar panels that produce energy (seemingly to ultimately charge Tesla’s vehicles). Tesla has since integrated SolarCity’s products into the Tesla portfolio. Tesla’s most recent reported quarter (Q3 2018) was truly historical.
Free cash flow of $881 million.
Operating income of $417 million
Cash flow from operations of $1.4 billion.
Interest coverage in Q3 of 2.4x.
This week, Durig Capital takes a second look at an iconic cosmetic company that is continuing to refine its market strategy. Revlon, founded in 1932, has been identified with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars over the years. The company, under the direction of a new President and CEO, has recently posted some fantastic results for the third quarter including:
Adjusted operating income increased by 82% year-over-year.
A 35% increase in Adjusted EBITDA.
An increase in e-commerce sales of 23%.
Significant sales increases in China as well as North America.
This week’s bond review looks at a diversified conglomerate that has been reshaping its portfolio of companies to grow and increase synergies. Griffon Corporation has spent the past few years strengthening its business segments, particularly its Home and Building Products segment, acquiring leading brands like ClosetMaid and CornellCookson. Griffon had a fantastic third quarter. Some of the highlights include:
A 44% increase in revenues year-over-year.
Home and Building Products sales increased 59% over third quarter 2017.
Business orders for the company’s Telephonics business were up 30% year-over-year.
The Defense Electronics segment has accumulated Contract backlog of $346 million.
This week, Durig Capital looks to the skies as it reviews an issuer that is focused on the design and manufacture of aircraft parts and systems. Triumph Group has spent the past few years shedding non-core business assets, consolidating locations and streamlining its operations with an eye to cost reductions. Its latest quarterly results showcase its progress on this journey. Its fiscal year 2019 first quarter results included the following:
A 6.5% increase in net sales as compared to Q1 FY 2018
An increase of 126% in adjusted EBITDA as compared to the prior year period.
Interest coverage was an outstanding 2.3x for Q1
Triumph Group is projecting a 5% increase in net sales in FY 2019.
Backlog increased by 5% over the previous year period.
Diversification is the word this week as Durig Capital takes a second look at the number two grocer in the United States. Albertsons recently posted its first quarter results for fiscal year 2018. The company showcased some impressive financials including the following:
Adjusted EBITDA of $815.8 million, an increase of 5.7% year-over-year.
39% increase in net cash provided by operating activities.
108% increase in e-commerce sales.
Interest coverage of nearly 3x.
This week’s bond issuer is a company entrenched in production and transportation of natural gas. CSI Compressco’s (CCLP) first and second quarters have been outstanding, both recording consecutive increases in revenues. The oil and gas industry’s activity level has been steadily increasing over the past 18 months and CCLP has started to see the effects of this on all three of its business segments – Compression Services, Aftermarket Services, and Equipment Sales. Its second quarter results gives investors reason to look twice at this natural gas services company.
Q2 revenues increased 33% year-over-year, and 17% over Q1 2018.
Adjusted EBITDA increased 21% over Q1 and 19% year-over-year.
Compressions Services increased gross margin by 460 basis points.
At the conclusion of Q2, new equipment sales had generated a backlog of $102 million, revenue to be recognized later this year and the first half of 2019.
This week, Durig Capital takes a look at a 130-year old company, whose name is synonymous with direct selling. Avon Products is now a global manufacturer and distributor of a wide range of beauty products. The company’s recently posted its most recent quarterly results. Some of the highlights include:
A 62% increase in operating profit.
The company’s average order was up 6%.
- Operating margin was up 160 basis points over last year’s Q2.
This week’s bond review delves into the retail sector with a specialty retailer of durable consumer goods who also offers its customers financing on their purchases. Conn’s Inc., which is headquartered in Texas, has a market presence that stretches across the southern United States. It’s most recent quarterly results show a company registering wins from a multi-year planned strategic repositioning. Total operating income increased by 62.3% over the prior year period. In addition, Conn’s posted a record quarterly retail gross margin of 39.6%. The company’s credit segment had positive outcomes as well, generating its first positive operating income in four years as credit revenues grew over 8% year over year. Conn’s continues to grow, opening two new stores in its most recent quarter, with more scheduled for this fiscal year. The company’s 2022 bonds are in demand right now, with a yield-to-maturity of about 7.18%. This competitive yield as well as the opportunity for diversification into the retail sector, makes these bonds a smart addition for Durig Capital’s Fixed Income 2 (FX2) Managed Income Portfolio, the recent performance of which is shown below.


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THE WESTIN PORTLAND HARBORVIEW HOTEL
The building that housed the old Eastland Hotel will remain standing, but the inside is being gutted to make way for brand new, upscale accommodations. The overhaul is necessary to compete in the increasingly competitive Portland hotel market. The number of rooms available in the city has doubled in the past 10-years. There are also 3 other new hotels currently under construction.
For more information on the hotel click here: WESTIN PORTLAND HARBORVIEW


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Who owns your bank data?
For years, the answer to this question was straightforward: your bank. But then digitisation happened, and with it came many new services: Spotify suggested music you might like, Uber plotted your best route home. Slowly, people started to see the power of data to deliver more convenient and personal services.
Tellingly, so did EU lawmakers through the updated Payment Services Directive (PSD2) requiring all banks in the bloc to create APIs that are shared with officially approved third parties. Customers can then give their bank credentials to these brands to access new services or simplify payments.
For example, UK start-up Funding Options matches businesses with lenders. By using bank APIs to scrutinise accounts, Funding Options helps customers avoid filling out forms and sharing sensitive identity documents thereby reducing a lengthy process to a few minutes.
However, PSD2 doesn’t just promote open banking but also security through strong customer authentication and it will continue to apply in post-Brexit UK.
Opportunities and threats
It's easy to see why banks might be nervous.There's the liability issue: in the event of a data breach, most consumers will direct their complaints to banks, even if it was the fault of a third party.
They also worry that disruptive newcomers – whether small start-ups or established brands such as Amazon and Facebook – could steal their customers.
A recent Payments and Open Banking survey, suggests customers’ reluctance to share personal data remains a problem. According to the survey, payment service providers are trusted by 9% of respondents internet giants by 7%, while online banks and FinTechs would only receive data only from to 3% of consumers. Traditional banks still have advantage over newcomers as 17% of European respondents say they trust traditional banks and card providers to exchange their personal information (17%). This would suggest that banks themselves may be best placed to explore the new opportunities.
Banks as data aggregators
France's Crédit Agricole opened its APIs as early as 2012 and launched its own CAStore to showcase applications and services created on top of them. Spain's BBVA opened its APIs in 2013. Banks can commandeer developers to build innovative new services on top of their own customers' account information.
Another option is for the bank to be the aggregator itself. In Germany, challenger bank Fidor has already done this. It offers customers access to a range of products from multiple providers inside its portal. Analysts argue that more transformative innovations are yet to come with APIs set to move banking services into everyday life.
But for this to materialise, users will have to overcome their trust issues.
To reassure them, EU regulators are insisting on strong two-factor authentication for all PSD2-related transactions. But the legislation hasn't yet precisely defined what strong consumer authentication is. The good news is that security specialists are already developing secure digital banking solutions that go way beyond two factors.
Risk management services, for example, analyse thousands of attributes from the user and the device, such as geo-location, device profiling, IP address, device assessment, and behavioral biometrics.
Crucially, it provides the trust to make the authentication process not just strong, but also fast and friction-free.
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The MG ZS EV is a sporty electric car first unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. It went on sale in Europe later that year, with sales beginning in 2020 for other markets like Japan and China.
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The MG ZS EV's cabin is spacious enough for four passengers, and the seats are comfortable. The car also has a host of advanced safety features, including automatic braking and lane keep assist.
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Sole of the UX
Tej Chauhan was invited by Team One ad agency to design the “Sole of the UX” tires for the new Lexus UX, inspired by the John Elliott Nike AF1 sneaker, revealed at New York Fashion Week 2019.
Presenting multiple unique challenges, this type of delivery was made possible by having a specialist team working at the very highest level, and with the expertise of our long-time partner Frank Heijlighen and his team at 3D Systems Benelux. The result was one of the most talked-about reveals of NYFW.
Image credits: Team One
HYPEBEAST – Best Five Moments of New York Fashion Week 2019 – No.2: Sole of the UX tire collaboration
“…straight out of the future… one of the shows biggest talking points…” – HIGHSNOBIETY
“…an arctic-cool edition that would be as highly coveted as any limited release kicks…” – Design Milk


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Face-Tracking Technology Licensed to Camera Maker
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 25, 2012 — DigitalOptics Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tessera Technologies Inc., announced that it has licensed its Face Tracker technology to Cammsys Co. Ltd., a camera module maker focused on the mobile phone market.
The company’s face-tracking technology enables cameras to automatically adjust focus, color and exposure settings, optimizing portraits even in the most challenging conditions. Using face-oriented algorithms, the technology instantly detects faces in a camera viewfinder and tracks them moving through the image if the camera is rotated or subjects shift their poses. It also incorporates an advanced tracking algorithm to lock and anticipate face-position changes, allowing for high-quality photography when the subject is in motion.
“Cammsys is the latest in a series of camera module makers to adopt our market-leading image-enhancement technology, through its license of our DigitalOptics Face Tracker technology,” said Dr. Bob Roohparvar, president.
For more information, visit: www.doc.com
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- Snap plans to start a hub for gaming inside the Snapchat messaging app later this year, unnamed sources told The Information. Snap is already signing on game publishers to participate in its efforts.
- It's not clear whether the gaming titles will focus on augmented reality (AR) gaming, which has been a focus for the company in the past year. Previously, the company debuted Snappables, AR games that are played with facial gestures on a mobile device. Bud Light, Dunkin' Donuts and King Digital, maker of Candy Crush, were among the first brands to partner on sponsored Snappables earlier this month.
- Last year, Snap bought a web-based 3D game engine called PlayCanvas. Disney, Nickelodeon and King Digital are among the companies that have used PlayCanvas to develop games.
Snap's plan to start a messaging-based gaming platform comes as the company seeks additional ways to engage its younger-skewing audience with Snapchat. Luring gamers is one way for Snap to generate more ad revenue from the video game industry and possibly develop subscription revenue for games down the line. As The Information notes, CEO Evan Spiegel has expressed admiration for Chinese tech giant Tencent, which attributes 40% of its revenue to in-game purchases in the WeChat messaging app.
Tencent, which last year invested invested $2 billion in Snap, earned $12.7 billion from gaming and its "Kings of Glory" mobile game had 160 million active users, per Variety. Almost two-thirds (60%) of Americans play video games daily, while 36% play them on a smartphone, the Entertainment Software Association found. As smartphones become the primary way that people consume media, video games are likely to grow more popular, leading to a natural progression in app evolution.
Snap's rival Facebook in January similarly launched a pilot program to appeal to game creators. The test focused on helping creators build more meaningful and engaged communities on the social network, and boost discovery and distribution on Facebook-owned platforms like Instagram and Oculus. Meanwhile, Facebook this month also started a video service to attract gamers who stream their game play online for others to watch, similar to Amazon's Twitch.
Snap may be focusing on AR gaming down the line to differentiate its platform from competitors. Daily engagement with Snapchat has fallen 7% from last year, amounting to average use per user of 33 minutes a day, signaling why the company is looking to expand its offerings and entice more people to register and stay on the platform.


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Yaantra (Earlier Gadgetwood) Will Invest The Funds To Establish Presence In 25 Tier II Cities By 2018
On-demand mobile repair and refurbishment startup, Yaantra (earlier known as Gadgetwood) has raised $3.1 Mn funding.
Yaantra had earlier raised about $6 Mn funding from Carpediem Capital, an India-focussed private equity fund, and its investors in September 2016. The recent round of funding took the mobile repair and refurbishment startup’s total funding to about $10 Mn.
“The company has also built and benefited out of its proprietary sales channels like its e-commerce portal Yaantra.com and pan-India retailer network with over 15,000 retailers on-board. Equity infusion at this juncture will help Yaantra explore other key financing and strategic relationships. We are excited to be backing this growth story”, said Anurag Bhargava of Duane Park Private Limited and Chairman Yaantra.
Founded in 2013 by Jayant Jha, Ankit Saraf and Anmol Gupta, Gadgetwood rebranded to Yaantra in October 2016. It sells refurbished multi-brand smartphones with warranty across India. Apart from this, it provides on-demand multi-brand smartphone repair services across Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
As per an official statement, the company has a capacity to repair and refurbish over 100K smartphones per month and claims to employ over 700 people.
Talking about the funding, Jayant Jha, co-founder and CEO, Yaantra said, “We have been growing profitably and at over 25% m-o-m in sales. Yaantra expanded its presence to all major cities in India, and started with expansion to Tier 2 cities and are targeting presence in 25 cities by 2018.”
Earlier today, another startup Zefo that also deals with reselling of used phones along with other items such as furniture and appliances, raised $9 Mn funding. In August reports surfaced that ecommerce giant Flipkart is also gearing up to sell refurbished smartphones by Diwali.
According to a recent report by US-based research firm Persistence Market Research (PMR) global sales of refurbished and used mobile phones are estimated to account for revenues worth $ 19.7 Bn in 2017; by 2025-end this number is expected to reach nearly $40 Bn. With the recent round of funding, Yaantra will look to strengthen its position against other Indian players in the mobile repair and refurbished sale space including Greendust, JustLikeNew, Blubirch, Reboot, Budli and Cashify.


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Price action: Corn futures spent the day chopping around unchanged. September corn settled 7 cents lower for the day, while the rest of the market ended fractionally to 3 1/2 cents higher.
Fundamental analysis: Fund activity has signaled that they are still convinced the Midwest will grow a large corn crop, despite ongoing near- to record-high temps with little rain in the forecast. Today's drought monitor update showed drought is expanding in the Corn Belt with most to all of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois in some form of drought. Also pressuring September futures is the fact southern growers are beginning to ship their corn crop north to ease tight supplies.
Another limiting factor for the corn market is concern the recently improved export demand will soften as prices rise, as was the case in 2012. This morning's weekly export sales report signaled solid new-crop demand the week ended Aug. 22.
Technical analysis: December corn tested but failed to close Monday's upside gap. To do so, the market must fall to $4.74 1/2. Resistance is layered from the psychological $5.00 mark to Monday's high of $5.08 1/4.
Hedgers: 100% sold on 2012-crop in the cash market. 25% of expected 2013-crop production is sold via cash forward contract for harvest delivery.
Cash-only marketers: 100% sold on old-crop. 25% of expected 2013-crop production is sold via forward contract for harvest delivery.
Price action: Soybean futures closed 3 to 10 1/2 cents lower today as prices slumped into the close on what was considered improving weather forecasts. The September contract, which goes into delivery Friday, finished 3 cents lower while November futures closed mid-range to end 4 1/4 cents lower.
Fundamental analysis: Weather continued as the key driving force in the market although position squaring ahead of the long Labor Day weekend and month-end brought some selling pressure into the market in late trading.
The drought monitor released today confirmed the expansion of the drought with 100% of Iowa now rated with some level of drought and moderate drought conditions listed for western Illinois. Forecasts remain mostly hot and dry through the weekend, but some forecasts released late in the session call for slightly cooler temperatures and increased chances for precipitation for areas of the Midwest.
USDA's weekly export sales report brought some support early in the day's trade as it showed sales of 673,800 MT for 2013-14.
Technical analysis: November soybean futures quickly found support at the $13.60 area, just underneath yesterday's low. But it also ran into resistance underneath yesterday's high of $13.87 3/4. The key area of support starts at the top of Monday's gap at $13.48 and runs down to the bottom of the gap at $13.31 1/2. The longer the gap remains open, the most positive the outlook. If the gap fills, this week's rally will be shrugged off as a bull trap. A close above Tuesday's high of $14.09 1/2 would rekindle bullish enthusiasm.
Hedgers: 50% of expected 2013-crop production is sold via a forward-price cash contract for harvest delivery. 100% sold on 2012-crop in the cash market.
Cash-only marketers: 50% of expected 2013-crop production is sold via a forward-price cash contract for harvest delivery. 100% sold on 2012-crop in the cash market.
Price action: Wheat futures favored a weaker tone throughout the day and posted a low-range close. SRW futures ended 5 1/4 to 7 cents lower, with HRW down 5 1/4 to 8 3/4 cents. HRS futures ended with losses of 4 1/4 to 10 cents.
Fundamental analysis: Early pressure was tied to strength in the U.S. dollar index, as the situation is Syria has created a "risk-off" atmosphere in the markets and U.S. GDP data topped expectations. The lack of strong buying in the neighboring corn and soybean markets added to the negative tone.
The weekly export sales report was neutral for the market, but it reflected solid demand. Sales of 551,300 MT were within expectations and up 12% from the previous week. Traders will be interested to see the impacts of a strengthening dollar on next week's report.
Technical analysis: December SRW wheat futures posted a downside day of trade on the daily chart. The low-range close gives bears momentum heading into the overnight session. Near-term boundaries are contract-low support of $6.35 1/2 and Monday's high of $6.76 1/2.
Hedgers: 50% of 2013-crop is sold in the cash market. 100% sold on of 2012-crop.
Cash-only marketers: 25% of 2013-crop is sold. 100% sold on 2012-crop.
Price action: Cotton futures were mixed today, but in the end nearby futures built on yesterday's losses and ended around 40 points lower. Far deferred futures ended around 40 points higher amid bull spread unwinding.
Fundamental analysis: Some early short-covering gave way to stepped up selling given strength in the U.S. dollar, which makes U.S. cotton less desirable on the global market. This morning's weekly export sales report added to the negative tone, as it showed sales of just 68,800 running bales (RB) for 2013-14 and 2,200 RB for 2014-15. Export commitments are running 22% behind year-ago, which is around three percentage points slower than what's needed to reach USDA's export forecast.
Technical analysis: December cotton futures posted a downside day of trade on the daily chart, posting its lowest close since June 24. Bears' next target is the June low of 81.72 points. Initial resistance is at Monday's high of 85.54 points.
Hedgers: 50% of expected 2013-crop production is hedged in December cotton futures at 83.87 cents. 50% of expected 2013-crop production is also sold via cash forward contract for harvest delivery. 100% sold on 2012-crop in the cash market.
Cash-only marketers: 50% of expected 2013-crop production is sold via cash forward contract for harvest delivery. 100% sold on 2012-crop.


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Coffee drinkers are facing a tough wake-up call: Retailers are finding it increasingly difficult to hold the line as rising commodities prices percolate through the system.
At the Coffee Tree Roasters shops in metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pa., prices have just increased for the first time in at least two years.
"We held out to try to see where the market was going to settle out," said Bill Swoope, co-owner of five coffee shops as well as Iron Star Roasting Co., a wholesale roaster in West Mifflin.
In the past year, the price of a pound of coffee beans has more than doubled on the commodities market in New York, to $2.23 a pound Thursday. Roiled by everything from changes in the Brazilian crop to the cost of transportation from Africa to increasing demand from a growing middle class in China and India, the fuel of choice for many has become so precious there are reports of thieves stealing containers of beans at ports or even stripping trees in the fields.
No matter where restaurants, cafes or grocers source their coffee, they're all bound to feel the impact. "The market pushes prices even for fixed contracts," said Swoope, who plans to raise his wholesale prices in June.
Unlike rising gas prices, coffee prices aren't visible on big signs on every street corner. And those who sell coffee have dealt with the spike differently.
But since last May, the J.M. Smucker Co. has announced three rounds of price hikes -- a 4 percent increase followed by a 9 percent increase and then a 10 percent increase -- on its Folgers and Dunkin' Donuts packaged coffee products. Kraft has been raising prices on its Maxwell House brand.
The bean counters at the Eat'n Park restaurant chain in Homestead limited themselves to a 10-cent increase on a cup of coffee earlier this year. The company's purchasing team is betting that supplies will ease and costs will return to more reasonable territory; indeed, last week's trading prices have backed off slightly from the highs.
"If you raise your price a lot, people ... think you're more expensive" on everything, said Kevin O'Connell, senior vice president of marketing. Eat'n Park serves nearly 7 million cups of coffee each year, excluding free refills.
Sorting out the impact of rising coffee prices from the overall economic slump may be difficult, said Rich Westerfield, who co-owns Aldo Coffee in Mount Lebanon. Many people who used to get a big latte have already downsized to the small in the past couple of years.
It doesn't help that coffee has become a poster child for unnecessary expenditures.
"You have every financial analyst out there saying, 'If you want to save money, cut out the latte,'" Westerfield pointed out. "Why not cut out a bottle of water?"
Despite higher prices, cutting back on caffeine might be even harder than cutting back on gas. Coffee ranks as the top hot beverage among convenience store customers, according to 2008 data from the National Association of Convenience Stores. It quotes data from major coffee associations indicating more than 150 million Americans drink it daily.
The coffee category accounted for more than $3.9 billion in sales in the 52 weeks ended in mid-April, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm that tracks sales from U.S. supermarkets, drugstores and mass-market retailers. The numbers do not include sales through Wal-Mart, warehouse stores or convenience stores.
That total sales figure represented an 8 percent increase in dollar sales over the previous year, but a mere 2.3 percent gain in unit sales.


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Sri Lanka’s leading online retailer, Kapruka, has unveiled plans to introduce support for cryptocurrency payments. The news comes as the South Asian country intensifies efforts to adopt legislation tailored to regulate its blockchain space and attract investments from the crypto industry.
Kapruka to Launch Cryptocurrency Payments Within Weeks
Kapruka (Kapruka.com), a major e-commerce […]
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TRENDnet’s second group of announcements include a slew of IP cameras and easy-peasy wireless-N extender.
TRENDNet said it will refresh its network camera line with the rollout of twelve IP cameras during the first half of 2012 featuring better imaging at lower prices.
Eight of the cameras will feature megapixel resolution with H.264 compression, six support 802.3af Power over Ethernet and six support 802.11n wireless.
Other features in the mix include infrared illuminators for low light/night viewing and motorized pan/tilt. TRENDnet said street pricing will range from $65 to $300.
For your wireless extension ease, TRENDnet will have the TEW-736RE 300Mbps Easy-N Range Extender for you starting next month.
The company said this new addition is all about ease of setup, with a simple push of the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button on your router and the TEW-736RE being all it takes. The TEW-736RE comes with a three year limited warranty and will list for $59.99.