text:
Tibet Airlines Co. Ltd., the newest start-up airline in China, has signed an agreement with CFM International to purchase three Airbus A319 powered by CFM56-5B engines. The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in the July of 2011 and the engine order is valued at $60 million U.S. at list price
Based at Konggar Airport, Lhasa, Tibet, the Airlines will start operation of domestic passenger and cargo and services from July 2011. The airline which was established in May 2010, will be the first airline based in the southwest Tibet Autonomous Region.
"We are very excited that Tibet Airlines has selected CFM56-5B to power their new fleet," said Jean-Paul Ebanga, President of CFM International. "We appreciate their trust and offer them our commitment that we will continue to earn that trust every day. The airline is off to a great start and we're honored to be a part of it."
"We selected CFM56 engines after an extensive technical evaluation," said Mr. Liu Yanping, President of Tibet Airlines. "The reliability, performance and low cost of ownership advantages that the CFM56-5B provides will help ensure our airline of a smooth and successful launch into service. CFM56 engine is also a good choice for the safety of our high-altitude mission."
CFM56-5B engines are a product of CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE and the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines. Throughout China, the CFM56 product line has proven to be the engines of choice for new start-up carriers.


text:
Most connected devices routinely send behavioral data from their users to third parties, reveals a collaborative study between Northeastern University and Imperial College London.
The research team from both universities tested 81 Internet-of-Things objects, including bells, refrigerators, televisions and smart speakers made by companies like Google and Roku.
It found that the majority of them, 72 out of 81 devices tested, collect information such as usage patterns, location data and IP address from their owners and send them to their partners, who are often web giants like Amazon.
The report explains that almost all smart TVs tested have communicated with Netflix even if they were not configured with a streaming video service account. One of the tested surveillance cameras even transmitted information to 52 different IP addresses.
This data transmission would allow a company holding information on a large portion of the devices in a household to develop user profiles that would be used to feed data-driven algorithms, such as targeted advertising, can we read in the report.
The research team points out that people using these devices are unaware that their data is being leaked and are demanding more transparency from manufacturers.
Our study is the first of what will undoubtedly be a long line of research that will allow consumers to better understand – and better control – the data that is exposed by their connected devices , said the study’s co-author, David. Choffnes, interviewing the Motherboard website.
It has also been shown repeatedly that connected objects are vulnerable to hackers, especially because many of them are poorly protected. Often, the default user codes and passwords are programmed by the manufacturers and are the same for all devices of the same model. People who buy them do not change them manually when they should.
David Choffnes advises the public to choose unintelligent technologies if he has the protection of his data at heart and especially to avoid products with microphones and cameras.
Jennifer Cruise is a financial reporter, focusing on technology and cyber security. Before joining PGM, Jennifer worked as a staff writer at Fast Company and spent two years as a foreign correspondent in London. Her work has been published on NPR, Business Insider, Medium and many other outlets.

domain: news


text:
To help clean up the world’s oceans, a scuba-diving group are recycling harmful plastic-waste collected from the ocean into protective face masks to help fight the Coronavirus.
With ocean plastic-waste causing huge environmental damage to the world’s oceans and marine life, PEDI aim to turn some of that harmful waste into practical protective equipment.
The innovative masks are all duel-layered, reusable, and have a filter pocket for extra-protection.
The eco-friendly and sustainable masks are currently for pre-order and come in give different designs based on sea animals.
Included in the collection are whale sharks, blue sharks, manta rays and great white sharks. The masks also come in children sizes, and additional filters can be purchased.
Each mask can be washed in a standard washing machine.
15,000 masks have already been ordered, which equates to the recycling of 1,267 pounds of harmful ocean waste.
PADI are making no profit from the sale of these masks, the price of each mask is the actual cost of manufacturing. The aim of the project is to provide helpful protective equipment to battle the coronavirus outbreak and raise awareness of ocean waste.
Each reusable recycled ocean plastic face mask is priced at £17.20, and comes with five replacement filters. To order visit PADI online.
For more information on the recycled ocean plastic face masks visit the Professional Association of Diving Instructors online.


text:
Shares of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) have been on a roll recently with a 20% gain over the last three weeks. But some investors are trimming their positions today. The stock dropped about 6.5% early Tuesday, and shares remained down 4.8% as of noon ET.
While today's dip might be profit-taking on the back of recent gains, there were two catalysts that likely initiated the decline. Some electric vehicle (EV) investors may have shifted investment funds into Ford Motor Company today, after it said that it was again raising planned production capacity for its F-150 Lightning pickup due to surging demand. That prospect of strong competition and a separate announcement from Tesla itself seem to be driving today's stock action.
China has been an important market for Tesla, and a controversial announcement may have made some investors skittish today, too. The company opened a new sales and service center for its EVs in China's Xinjiang region. The company announced it on Chinese social media, and it was reported by CNBC. The area is home to a Muslim population known as the Uyghurs, which the United Nations and various human rights organizations identify as being oppressed by China's government.
Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have walked a fine line trying to appease the Chinese government to maintain a welcome presence in the country. Recent criticism of Starlink satellites operated by Musk's SpaceX has come from China after what the Chinese called a near-miss with its space station.
While Tesla and Musk may have entered Xinjiang solely for business reasons, it inevitably sparked uncertainty over potential protests and pushback. Today's move in Tesla stock seems to make sense based on growing competition and the desire for investors to avoid controversy.
10 stocks we like better than Tesla
When our award-winning analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*
They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Tesla wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.
*Stock Advisor returns as of December 16, 2021
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


text:
Scoopon, the online group buying business, has been fined $1 million for making false or misleading representations to both businesses and consumers.
It also has agreed to a community service order by running a seminar on Australian consumer law for online group buying traders who are members of the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA).
Scoopon found itself in the Federal Court after being pursued by Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The court found Scoopon made false or misleading representations to:
- consumers about their refund rights, and the price of goods advertised in relation to some of its deals
- businesses that there was no cost or risk involved in running a deal with Scoopon, when this was not the case; and
- a business that 30 per cent of vouchers that would be sold would not be redeemed, when there was no reasonable basis for this representation.
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said:
“The ACCC understands that Scoopon has worked to improve its systems and processes which gave rise to this conduct to meet its obligations under the ACL. However, this penalty serves as a warning to other businesses in the industry to improve their practices or face action from the ACCC.”
The ACCC says online competition and consumer issues are a priority.
Online traders have the same obligations as traditional retailers.
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
Site highlights each day to your inbox.


text:
Coming into 2020, policymakers in eight states expressed support for regulated medical or adult-use cannabis sales, and advocacy groups in nine states had efforts underway to include legalization on ballots in November. With cannabis already legal for medical use in 33 states; legal for medical and adult-use in 11 states; and more members of Congress – even those who previously opposed legalization – now supporting cannabis policy, state legalization agendas were moving quickly. But what was set to be a banner year for the cannabis industry has been slowed down by COVID-19. Nevertheless, COVID-19 has shown legal, regulated marijuana’s place as an “essential business,” even if state legislative activity may not come until 2021 or later.
COVID-19 has shortened and reprioritized many states’ legislative sessions, eliminating time to hammer out crucial details of cannabis legalization laws, such as establishing a robust tax structure and ensuring compliance to decrease the illicit market. Already, at least five state legislatures considering legalizing cannabis in 2020 – such as New York – are expressing doubts they still can this year. In Arkansas, North Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Nebraska advocacy groups had to pause efforts to gather ballot signatures due to social distancing rules. In Montana, a county district judge even ruled against using e-signatures in place of in-person signing. Additionally, cannabis legalization measures tend to appear on ballots during presidential election years – when voter turnout is higher – leaving legalization by vote efforts to 2024.
The effects of the coronavirus pandemic cut both ways for the cannabis industry. Some businesses are cutting jobs, selling operations, are unable to remain open or are have constrained by social distancing rules, and are eligible for federal stimulus funds. Other cannabis businesses are resilient and have hired thousands of new employees across a half dozen states since the coronavirus began. In March, weekly sales topped $134 million in California, Washington, Nevada, and Colorado, a 17% increase from the weekly average in 2019. And Metrc’s track-and-trace data shows an almost 75% increase in system bandwidth usage since October 2019.
Despite facing setbacks in the face of COVID-19, the cannabis industry still has economic potential for states looking to increase revenues and create news to pad budget shortfalls projected to reach $350 billion in 2021. While cannabis tax revenue would not cover all losses, it would help states build revenue in the coming years. For example, Colorado has raked in over $1.2 billion in legal cannabis revenue since 2014 and California’s legal cannabis market generated $635 million in state and local tax revenues in 2019.
Still, states should be careful not to rush in. After serving almost 20 years in law enforcement and as the Director of Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division during legalization, I know firsthand that new legislation and regulation should not be taken lightly – no matter how dire a state’s economic circumstances. Creating an entirely new, regulated industry – one that merges agriculture, manufacturing, retail, the environment, public health, and social justice – takes time, careful planning, and adequate resources. When states are ready to usher in a robust, legal cannabis market, it’s important to be patient to get the details right. State legislators, regulators, cannabis businesses, and public interest groups should take advantage of this unprecedented “layover” period COVID-19 has created to start planning these details collaboratively.
This article first appeared in Forbes on May 20, 2020.


text:
Criminal gangs of car thieves face new legal curbs to prevent them buying DIY devices online to hack keyless technology and steal vehicles.
Ministers and police chiefs are considering legislation to close loopholes that allow the devices to be bought online on sites including eBay and Amazon.
Amid a surge in thefts, the Telegraph found firms freely selling electronic equipment to hack keyless cars, jammers to disable trackers and modern “skeleton” keys to open and drive away vehicles.
Police chiefs and motor manufacturers are concerned the ready availability of the technology is fuelling a rise in car thefts which increased by 14 per cent last year to more than 105,000.
Criminals are getting the equipment online and then “productionizing” it for cheap mass use by gangs of thieves, according to Thatcham Research, the motor insurers’ automotive research centre.
Kit Malthouse, the policing minister, held a summit of police and car industry chiefs last week to consider counter measures and is understood to be “open” to new laws to close the loopholes.
Assistant chief constable Jenny Sims, the National Police Chief Council’s (NPCC) lead on vehicle crime, said she was engaged in a “big piece of work” with the online firms to prevent sales of the devices to criminals and restrict it to legitimate businesses like garages, car dealers and locksmiths.
“We are looking at whether or not there are any legislative changes we can make, but at the same time we are working with sellers as legislation takes time. We’d rather do it voluntarily through the sellers who are cooperating,” she said.
It is not illegal to sell, buy or possess the technology but police can arrest prospective thieves if they have the equipment with them and can be shown to be “going equipped” to steal a vehicle.
One company based in Bulgaria offered an off-the-shelf “car relay attack unit.” This enables one member of a gang to scan and capture the signal from a keyless fob in a house before “relaying” it to a colleague by the car to open it and drive it…


text:
Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (TCNNF) is a vertically integrated cannabis company and multi-state operator in the US, notes Ryan Irvine, contributing editor to Internet Wealth Builder.
The company continues to grow operations and expand, building scale in retail and distribution in new markets through its hub strategy.
As at the end of its most recent quarter, Trulieve operated 162 dispensaries, which included 113 in Florida, 19 affiliated dispensaries in Pennsylvania, 17 in Arizona, and 13 in other states. It also operated cultivation and processing facilities in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Second quarter revenue increased 49% year-over-year to $320.3 million. Gross profit was $182.2 million and GAAP gross margin was 57%. Adjusted EBITDA grew 17% year-over-year to $111 million, or 35% of revenue compared to $105.5 million, or 33% of revenue in the first quarter of 2022.
The company reported a net loss of $22.5 million, an improvement of 30% over the prior quarter. Adjusted net loss was $1.1 million, which excluded several non-recurring charges. At the company’s most recent investor day, management reiterated its 2022 financial guidance (US$1.3-1.4 billion in revenue and US$450-500 million in adjusted EBITDA).
We believe industry consolidation will be an ongoing trend, and with Trulieve having executed seven acquisitions in 2021 alone, including the largest in the industry, we think the company is confident that it has the prowess to close and integrate a succession of acquisitions.
Following a very strong start to 2021, Truleive’s shares have corrected significantly over the past 8-12 months as the entire cannabis sector has sold off sharply. With shares trading at 7.7 times trailing EV/EBITDA, Trulieve remains at a discount to its peers despite higher profitability.
Currently, the company trades at 6.3x 2022 EV/EBITDA versus its closest peer at around 10x. By applying a multiple to Trulieve based on the low end of its peer equivalents multiples of 10, we arrive at a fair value of roughly $29.50.
At present, we are not recommending above-average exposure to the cannabis segment, which faces challenges in both Canada and the US. However, with growth and relatively reasonable valuations in the event positive legislation comes over the next 1 to 3 years, Trulieve continues to make sense in a growth portfolio for risk-tolerant readers. We maintain our speculative buy rating.


text:
Chrome Story has reported that Chrome OS will be taking another feature from Android. The OS, which powers Google’s Chromebook line, will be getting the notification badges found on devices running Android Oreo 8.0.
Google has not officially made any announcements regarding this new feature, but evidence for the feature’s existence was found buried within Chrome OS’ code. One of the comments makes mention of this new feature, though the details are scarce. For starters, we don’t know when the new feature will come out or what it will look like. However, one of the comments describes the badges as being in the top right corner of the app image.
One other lingering question lies in whether this feature will work with only Android apps or just Chrome OS apps. Again, nothing is confirmed, but one of the comments suggested that this change would apply to both Android and Chrome OS apps.
Another comment suggested that Chrome OS will get the pop-up feature that appears when you long press an Android app, such as displaying recent contacts in a messenger app. However, that feature’s inclusion has yet to be confirmed.
When Chrome OS first launched, it proved to be a popular choice for many people, thanks to the low price and long battery life offered by Chromebooks. However, Chromebooks were largely useless without an active internet connection. Recently, Google has taken steps to address this by including support for Android apps on Chromebooks, which makes the devices much more useful than they were before.
The wide array of Android apps allowed for Chrome OS users to play games, consume media, and enjoy other features without having to rely on an internet connection, though of course, Chromebooks do work much better with an active internet connection.
The inclusion of Android apps has led to some speculation that Google may seek to combine the two operating systems in some way. That remains to be seen, however, and it is possible that the mysterious Fucshia OS may replace both Chrome OS and
- Google may build Gemini AI directly into Chrome
- Google Chrome is getting a complete overhaul for its birthday
- Will my Mac get macOS 14?
- Google just made a big change to how Chromebooks apps work
- I took my son shopping for his first school laptop. Here’s what surprised me


text:
Update: Air Jordan 32 Rossa Corsa is available now on Nike SNKRS.
Is Jordan Brand concerned that it’s U.S. market share is now second to adidas, a brand that struggled for relevancy less than three years ago? Of course it is, but the brand has yet to reach its ceiling/roof because the brand will continue to grow on the foundation of innovation and Michael’s greatness, not temporary trends pushed by social media “influencers”.
The Air Jordan 32, unveiled in late August in Turin, Italy, grabbed quite a response from the world of sneakers. Not everybody will love it, not everybody will hate it, but everyone will have a reaction to it – and that’s incredibly valuable in today’s world of hyper-connected social media. Thus far the response has been positive, and with the combination of Flyknit, Flight Speed, and Zoom Air, we already know that the Jordan 32 will be one of the best performing basketball shoes of the year.
This Saturday’s debut release of the Air Jordan 32 in the sultry “Rosso Corsa” colorway can certainly be the first step towards regaining more market share, but one shoe can’t do all the work. It all starts with product and with the Jordan 32 being one of the most impressive new Air Jordans we’ve seen in almost a decade, Jordan Brand has all the tools to keep growing. More colorways are set to release and NBA PEs will be shown throughout the season, so get ready for the next chapter of Air Jordan beginning this Saturday.
Air Jordan 32 Rosso Corsa
Release Date: September 23rd, 2017
Color: University Red/Black
Style Code: AA1253-601


text:
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Google have signed a cooperative research and development agreement to produce a new suite of chips that will support the development of nanotechnology and semiconductor devices.
Google will fund the initial cost of setting up production and will subsidize the first production run, while NIST, with university research partners, will design the circuitry for the chips. SkyWater Technology will manufacture the chips, created for measuring the performance of devices used in a range of advanced applications.
NIST reports that the circuit designs will be open source, allowing academic and small business researchers to use the chips without restriction or licensing fees. To that end, chip designs that are open source will support researchers who will be able to pursue new ideas without restriction and share data and device designs freely.
“By creating a new and affordable domestic supply of chips for research and development, this collaboration aims to unleash the innovative potential of researchers and startups across the nation,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio. “This is a great example of how government, industry and academic researchers can work together to enhance U.S. leadership in this critically important industry.”
"Google has a long history of leadership in open-source,” said Will Grannis, CEO of Google Public Sector. “Moving to an open-source framework fosters reproducibility, which helps researchers from public and private institutions iterate on each other’s work. It also democratizes innovation in nanotechnology and semiconductor research.”
NIST also announced that it anticipates designing as many as 40 different chips optimized for different applications.
Access the full news announcement with more information on the chips via NIST.


text:
Home Tags Mergers And Acquisitions
Tag: Mergers And Acquisitions
Fiat Chrysler and Renault are reportedly in talks for a major deal that could shake up the global auto industry
A tie-up between Fiat Chrysler and Renault would help the carmakers better tackle the softer demand for new cars.
The deal between T-Mobile and Sprint that forms a $146 billion telecom giant to take on AT&T and Verizon is reportedly in jeopardy
Department of Justice staff recommends the deal, which would form a $146 billion company to take on Verizon and AT&T, be blocked, Reuters says.
Hollywood has seen some big deals of late and more could be on the way. But count Netflix out for now, Hastings said.
Mega-merger deals continue in 2019.
The top scientist at AveXis told us the ‘unique’ strength that powered its $9 billion sale to Novartis, and it could shape the future of g...
Manufacturing has emerged as a huge challenge for the booming gene therapy industry because these products are so new and complex.
The startup that secretly runs the internet just got acquired by one of its biggest rivals for $670 million
Nginix is getting gobbled up by F5 Networks in a deal valued at $670 million.
‘About as likely as Mexico paying for Trump’s wall’: Some experts say Elizabeth Warren’s plan to break up Big Tech will never ...
It's a bold plan, but experts tell us its unlikely to happen given the history of antitrust cases and how difficult it would be to carry out.
Careem's CEO told Business Insider last week that it was continuing to fundraise — but a strategic acquisition could make sense for Uber.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s $74 billion takeover of Celgene is in jeopardy after the former's second-largest shareholder has turned against it.
Investors in the energy-storage company Tesla is trying to buy for $218 million are suing to block the sale
The class-action lawsuit says the Maxwell board acted in its own interests and could have gotten a better deal for shareholders.


text:
Fortunately, this company has no long term debt. This gives them the flexibility to continue to destroy equity value for a few more years. Yes, they've had a nice run recently however this is the same CEO who took the stock from over 30 to the current level in a few years.
Returns on equity and assets have been negative. It's unlikely the founder has the right skill set to pull off the turnaround they've said they're embarking on. Hard to get excited about a concept that closed 31 North American traditional stores last fiscal year and says they are going to close 30-45 more sites in 2013/14. While value players may see a story here, there's no growth story when you will have closed 20% of your core market by 2014.


text:
Nordanex Systemverbund GmbH & Co. KG has entered with the IT specialist distributor BYTEC Bodry Technology GmbH into a new cooperation and is thus successfully expanding its solution provider portfolio.
Soennecken dealers satisfied with Christmas business
Overath, February 2nd, 2023 Contrary to expectations and despite global crisis and a generally volatile market situation, Soennecken eG draws a positive balance from its retailers for the past financial
IMPSGA event // A glimpse at tropical France
This next event is happening in France but quite far away. France has one of the largest maritime areas (2nd in the world just behind the United States of America)
IMPSGA event // Back to Great Britain
We are happy to announce that after Brexit and Covid, IMPSGA is returning to Britain on June 13th to 15th 2022
IMPSGA event // Prague
We are happy to announce that our first physical event after two years of online sessions, will take place in Prague on the 18 and 19th of October.
Soennecken expands DMS area: aktivweb new strategic partner
Thanks to the cooperation with aktivweb System- und Datentechnik GmbH, one of the leading providers of document management systems (DMS) in the D-A-CH region, Soennecken members will benefit from a
Launch of Canon Business Centre North East brings together global innovation and local expertise
Global brand Canon has joined with Platinum Partner, IT@Spectrum to launch a new office technology centre of excellence, Canon Business Centre North East.
Double cooperation between Soennecken and Mercator-Leasing
Soennecken and Mercator Leasing will cooperate on two major subjects in the future, namely in the areas of refinancing of IT products and as part of the new franchise model
MHERMIDA // HP Amplify 2020 interview
An honor to be chosen among +10.000 business partners worldwide to share my vision in an interview discussing Sales Strategies during COVID-19 with Helena Herrero President of HP Iberia and


text:
The most popular destinations for Brits looking to get away from it all are Dubai, Bangkok and Spain. Rob Gill reports.
Dubai and Bangkok are the top two destinations for UK holidaymakers looking to escape the British winter weather followed by the Spanish destinations of Barcelona, Malaga and Alicante.
These were the findings of research firm Sojern in its latest Global Travel Insights report for the final quarter of 2015.
“The UK saw a high amount of trips booked to Dubai and Bangkok (pictured above) between July and November 2015 for the travel period of December 1 through March 31,” the company noted.
The popularity of Dubai in the European winter is emphasised by the fact that 8 out of the emirate’s top 10 source markets between January and March are in Europe, with the UK leading the way followed by Germany.
Meanwhile, Barcelona also ranks as the favourite European gateway for winter sports holidays due to its proximity to ski resorts in Spain, Andorra and France. The Catalan city is closely followed by Munich, Geneva and Zurich as the most popular gateways for ski breaks in Europe.
Sojern also found that the majority of winter sports travellers booked trips individually with those departing on a Saturday the most likely to be booking in groups of two or more passengers.
The most popular departure day for ski travel is on Friday followed by Saturday, although those planning ski trips of more than three days were more likely to fly out on Sundays and Wednesdays.
In compiling the report, Sojern analysed travel behaviour across the world including data from airlines, online travel agencies, metasearch engines and other travel providers.
For long-haul travel throughout the year, the study found that the US and Thailand were the most favoured destinations for European holidaymakers for the whole of 2016. Among the destinations to drop down the list – albeit slightly – were India, Morocco, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The biggest year-on-year mover has been Brazil, which went up from 17th to 5th place in rankings based on search and booking data up to December 31. This increase may be attributed to Rio de Janeiro’s hosting of the summer Olympic Games during August. Although Sojern said there had so far been a bigger “jump” in departures during the first three months of 2016 compared with the Olympic period.
This data was however compiled before the outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil, which has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation. Sojern said it was too early to assess the impact of this crisis on booking patterns to the country and wider region.
New York has taken over from Bangkok as the top long-haul city for European travellers compared with last year, with the Thai capital ranking second. There are also four other US cities in the top 10 for 2016: Miami (3rd), Los Angeles (4th), Orlando (8th) and San Francisco (10th). Also making the list are Istanbul, Dubai, Phuket and Tokyo.
“Notable changes in this list include the rise of Dubai, which climbs from 11th to 6th position over the entire year, and Havana, which rises from 18th to 9th for first-quarter departures. Las Vegas drops off the list of top 10 cities for long-haul travel for Europeans in 2016,” says Sojern in its report.
Sojern found that the majority of long-haul trips booked by European holidaymakers were for 12 days or longer with most opting for travelling as a couple or family group. For example, 47% of UK travellers went away as a couple compared with just a third of US holidaymakers.
Unsurprisingly family bookings peaked at a share of around 30% in the summer school holiday months of July and August, while couples travelled more in the autumn shoulder season, particularly September and November.
“As most travellers research and book their trips only several weeks in advance, January and the first quarter of the year, in general, are the top months of departure, with the exception of summer holidays with departures in July and August,” said the report.
There is good news for the UK inbound market as it becomes the number one destination for US travellers for 2016 – taking top spot from India in 2015.
The Sojern report also takes a detailed look at the impact of the Paris terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015 in terms of both intent to travel and bookings. It found that those intending to travel to Paris from within Europe dropped by 50% on the days immediately following the atrocities compared with the previous week.
“Few things can hurt a tourist destination like a terrorist attack, and the impact of the events in Paris were clearly felt across the globe. French travellers were the first to rebound from the attack and showed increased travel intent from as early as November 21, just over a week after the attacks,” said the report.
“We began to see stabilisation in travel intent with no further week-on-week percentage decline for Paris across European cities including the UK, Germany and Italy at the start of December. From the UK we saw strong travel intent recovery on December 12, with a spike of 67% week-on-week in travel intent numbers.”


text:
Within a week,the beta versions forRobloxon Meta VR devices surpassed over 1 million downloads. Roblox Corp. CEO David Baszucki called it “another step towards Roblox everywhere, on all devices.”
The popular creation platform just released for the Meta Quest 2 and the new-ish Meta Quest Pro headsets, albeit via App Lab rather than a native app. WhileRobloxhas existed on various VR devices since 2016, its release on the Quest headsets comes as Meta is working to become a larger player in the VR space, particularly for games.
WhileRobloxis currently in beta on the headsets, that it’s able to reach such a milestone in such a short time bodes well for the success of the full version whenever that releases. In this year alone, young adults and older teenagers especially have been flocking toRobloxin droves.
What’s next forRoblox and other game platforms
Beyond Meta,Roblox’sfuture may soon involve PlayStation. During Microsoft’s FTC trial in late June, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Jim Ryan revealed that the company was working at bringing the creation title to Sony’s console.
Console-wise, the game only exists on the Xbox One. Sony has reportedly previously shied away from havingRobloxtouch the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 because of those consoles’ young userbase, and the title has come under fire for trying to encouragesaid audience to spend real-world money.
But Robloxkeeps growing in terms of player base and revenue, and its Meta turn may further increase that revenue stream. At this point, it’s a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if’ Sony will cut a deal in order to boost its third-party revenue.


text:
New Jersey Rapper Worldisgualaa Drops New Single “Go Baby”
New Jersey rapper Worldisgualaa is ready for the airwaves, coming in hot with his new single “Go Baby” and its new video. Amassing over 17,000 streams and counting in less than two weeks, Worldisgualaa is surely expanding his fanbase across different horizons.The new single comes right in time for the end of the summer, bringing a balanced vibe between hip-hop and light melodic notes. Approaching this release creatively and calculatedly, the official “Go Baby” visual speaks many volumes through its fun scenes. Fans and new listeners get to see some of Worldisgualaa’s personality, and a cool visual component to enjoy the song.
The scenes range from Gualaa at a press conference posing as the President of The United States while news reporters question his special announcement, and eventually transitions into the luxury lifestyle everyone loves to visualize. With the potential to be a viral sensation based on the quality of his content alone, Worldisgualaa is surely sitting on a good record and mini-film. Make sure you stream the official “Go Baby” video below:


text:
A new report claims there are quite a number of issues getting in the way of Apple’s rumored smartwatch.
All throughout last year it was constantly rumored that Apple is jump on the wearable technology bandwagon. The first wearable device that Apple is expected to unveil is a smartwatch which is commonly referred to as the iWatch. Now there’s no confirmation from the company that such a device exists, but as per rumors, the trial production of this device is underway but it is plagued by a few problems. Apple is said to be debating on what screen technology to use that would work best with regards to battery life. The smartwatch is reportedly plagued with battery issues as well and the manufacturing process is apparently being hampered by poor yield rates.
Previous rumors suggest that Apple might use an OLED display for the iWatch, but the new report claims that the company is going back and forth on the screen technology due to battery concerns. The smartwatch is said to sport a 100mAh battery at this stage, comparable to the 105mAh battery found in the sixth generation iPod nano. Rumor has it that the battery is only able to provide power for a couple of days, while Apple is looking to expand it to four to five days at the very least.
This isn’t the first time it has been said that manufacturing issues are slowing down trial production of the iWatch. It is believed that finish treatments for the smartwatch’s body are tricky which are resulting in poor yield rates that are not up to Apple’s mark. Despite all of these issues, it is still believed that Apple will be able to launch iWatch in 2014.
Source: The Information


text:
New Microsoft tablet with LTE reaches FCC
A listing on the website of FCC shows that Microsoft is planning to release a new tablet with LTE before July this year. The listing shows a model with FCC ID C3K1573 which is a portable computing device with WWAN, 802.11B/G/A/N and Bluetooth. A test report filing reveals the device will also support GSM, CDMA and LTE.
Most reports on the device were filed today. Unfortunately Microsoft has decided to hide as much as possible from our curious eyes.
Our best bet is that it will be a new Surface Tablet with LTE. This was expected as Microsoft Surface chief revealed during a Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit that the software giant from Redmond was planning to release such a device in 2014. During the AMA he wrote, “We didn’t talk about it today, but Surface 2 will be launching an awesome LTE SKU early next year”.
The Federal Communications Commission has to approve devices that make use of radio frequencies. Companies submit their products to the FCC long before launch to get approval.
Discuss this in our related forum
Click for more newsexclusivemicrosoft
Click to share
There are 2 comments
- MyCE Resident
- Posted on: 19 Feb 14 22:23
This device is listed as supporting GSM...
Has there not already been an announcement of a "sunset date" for GSM service?
- MyCE Resident
- Posted on: 20 Feb 14 02:27
Most popular headlines
- Fri 17 Oct 06:10 by DoMiN8ToR
Google today released the second version of Android L Preview. The latest versio...
- Sun 19 Oct 09:10 by Vroom
Review: Kingston HyperX Fury Reviewe...
- Fri 17 Oct 03:10 by DoMiN8ToR
Microsoft has announced stricter rules for adware, the company will now also con...
- Thu 16 Oct 05:10 by DoMiN8ToR
A Vietnamese website shows a hands on with the yesterday announced HTC build Nex...
- Tue 21 Oct 05:10 by DoMiN8ToR
An Android application called "Freedom" is spreading on the internet a...


text:
Posted on Friday, November 3, 2006 by Hannah Eldredge
Senior Fashion Design student Leanne Wierzba was recently awarded a three-month internship with Anne Valérie Hash in Paris. The internship was one of six grand prizes from the 2006 Arts of Fashion Symposium, where internationally renowned fashion experts from cities such as Paris, Brussels, Vienna, and London judged aspiring fashion designers.
The event was hosted by the University of North Texas, School of Visual Arts, and over 100 students from 43 U.S. colleges and universities participated.
The symposium began with a four-day series of master class workshops, which included seminars, debates, and lectures on various topics in the fashion industry, including copyright law, blogging, international scholarship, and business.
The event concluded with a runway-style fashion show featuring the designs of 40 candidates competing for the six grand prizes.
Students were asked to create fashion illustrations depicting the way to express the mind and the body. Of all the submitted illustrations, about 50 finalists were chosen to present their designs at the event. Wierzba presented a complete outfit, with a cutout bustier, skirt, and ankle boots, which was intended to express the feminine archetype in art and fashion and the Freudian slip. The outfit was made from ivory satin, with pleated portions in charcoal grey chiffon.
Wierzba describes her style as very personal: "It is about my experiences, concrete and otherwise. It comes out of history, memory, and the realm of dreams. I am driven by concepts that relate mostly to psychology and social behavior."
The three-month internship in Paris will most likely begin in May, at the end of the spring semester.


text:
According to a forecast, blockchain technology will provide about 40 million jobs worldwide and disrupt businesses and governments. The technology has the potential to contribute at least $1.76 trillion to the world GDP by 2030.
The reason for such a positive outlook is not unfounded. Despite finding its roots in cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology has applications in industries such as supply chain, healthcare and entertainment, yielding exciting outcomes.
Active hub in Vietnam
Despite the perception among some experts that blockchain technology is “complicated,” Vietnam-based KardiaChain is spearheading the global mass adoption of blockchain, driven by its groundbreaking interoperable blockchain network. This means that regardless of their protocols, KardiaChain’s blockchain network can seamlessly connect other networks in the blockchain ecosystems.
Its dual node system facilitates cross-chain interaction among existing and upcoming blockchain platforms, overcoming the longstanding challenge of public and private blockchain protocols being unable to carry out cross-chain operations which posed a significant hurdle for users.
"We see a very active hub with a young population in Vietnam, so we elected to create solutions that were easy and inexpensive to use thanks to low transaction fees," said Huy Nguyen, the chief technical officer and co-founder of KardiaChain.
The need for a cross-chain network is further underscored by the diverse requirements of different industries such as healthcare and finance, which a single blockchain cannot fully address.
Utility value that appeals to the masses
This interoperability lies at the core of KardiaChain’s success since its inception in 2018, positioning itself as the “first fully decentralised interoperable and self-optimised blockchain ecosystem.”
Despite the perceived complexity of blockchain technology, KardiaChain remains steadfast in its mass adoption plan (MAP).
For such novel technology to be embraced as the norm by society, it must offer utility value that appeals to the masses, says Tri Pham, co-founder and president of KardiaChain. According to Pham, this reasoning was behind the launching of Kyokai, “an end-to-end blockchain-built-in solution, aiming to provide adequate tools for all builders,” including non-crypto builders, in 2022.
“Kyokai’s true mission is to simplify blockchain concepts and focus on delivering value propositions,” Pham adds.
Beyond advancing the cause of global blockchain adoption, Kyokai, which translates to “beyond boundaries” in Japanese, will also be pivotal in a future where the digital realities and physical world seamlessly converge to create a new, unique experience.
The convergence of online and offline experiences
With an initial focus on Gen Z, who are early technology adopters, the blockchain operator hopes to deepen blockchain adoption. “With Kyokai, we’re giving them tools to seamlessly navigate between the physical and digital worlds, in an authentic, trustless, and verifiable environment,” notes Pham.
Pham envisions a future where the convergence of online and offline experiences could become a reality within the next five years. Already, the KardiaChain team has played a pivotal role in helping the Vietnamese government integrate the metaverse into its digital transformation strategies. KardiaChain is positioning itself to be the first blockchain to facilitate the bridging of the physical and digital worlds.
“This involves bringing documents, identities and locations into the digital environment, and the blockchain,” adds Huy Nguyen.


text:
Nothing's in my cart
5 minutes read
At VIVE, we believe Virtual Reality has the power to change lives. From storytellers and manufacturers to doctors and teachers, VR is impacting every part of society and sparking imagination like never before. Vive represents the best in VR experiences with our industry-leading PC-based solution, and we’re only at the very beginning of the journey.
Today at Google I/O, Google announced that the Daydream platform is expanding to support a new category of VR devices, standalone headsets. They don’t need a phone or PC to power them, and they’re easy to use, comfortable, and immersive. Everything you need for the best portable VR is built right into the headset.
We have been working closely with developers and consumers to define the best VR experiences over the past few years, and we are perfectly positioned to deliver the most premium standalone headset and user experience. Vive’s standalone VR headset will provide a deeper and more immersive portable VR experience than ever before.
More information on Vive’s standalone VR headset will be made available soon, but rest assured it will be simple, easy-to-use and with no cables to connect. Just pick it up, put it on and be fully immersed in your new reality.
If you’re a developer looking to get involved with Vive’s standalone headset, or want the latest invites and updates on developer events, please register at developer.viveport.com/standalonevr.
Stay tuned to this space for more details.


text:
On-demand smartphone apps are known for addressing the whims and desires of the comfortable. It turns out they can also serve the greater good.
Nonprofit Feeding Forward hits a global chord with its on-demand food-donating service.
Users of Android 2.3 or higher can become citizen scientists by downloading software and choosing the projects they want to power, such as fighting AIDS and finding new stars.
A fascinating behind-the-scenes video shows how mobile metal cabinets TARS and CASE really walked among the actors of Christopher Nolan's sci-fi opus.
Technically Incorrect: Monday sees the launch of the XM42, which claims to be the first ever legally available portable flamethrower.
Scientists have discovered that the universe contains twice as much infrared light than previously thought, helping us better understand the construction of space.
This compact Jack-of-all-trades also functions as a speakerphone and a receiver for non-Bluetooth devices like headphones and stereos.
As the H-1B debate continues, the tech industry faces an odd contradiction: a skills shortage along with an applicant surplus.
Made out of disabled shotguns, these robotic flutes play music corresponding to the rise and fall of US arms exports.
Now you can pair Manything with Philips Hue, Belkin WeMo, and other IFTTT-compatible smart home products.


text:
Tonkin became known as a firebrand for dealers for his forceful pushback against automakers during his one-year leadership of NADA beginning in February 1989.
While president of the dealers' association, Tonkin railed against manufacturers' fleet subsidies, retail rebates, cost transfers and mandatory advertising association memberships. In founding a group of dealers called the Rough Riders, he encouraged dealers to resist manufacturers' attempts to force excess inventories onto dealership lots.
During a stirring opening address at the 1990 NADA convention, Tonkin announced he was suing Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Toyota over fleet subsidies. He accused the manufacturers of unfairly paying fleet incentives that allowed the car rental companies to buy vehicles at prices below dealer invoice. That lawsuit ultimately was settled out of court.
At that 1990 convention, Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca followed Tonkin on the NADA stage and good-naturedly referred to Tonkin as a "pain in the ass."
In addition to Tonkin's preaching to dealers on stage, he also wrote a letter to NADA members urging them to lower their inventories to send a message to the automakers.
"What we did best was draw visibility to the issues that confronted dealers and concerned consumers," Tonkin said later about his turn as NADA's leader.
But such actions ultimately drew the attention of the U.S. Justice Department, which in 1994 began an investigation into alleged antitrust activities by NADA and its presidents dating back to Tonkin. In 1995, NADA agreed to a settlement. Though it admitted no wrongdoing, the association promised not to engage in antitrust activities and agreed to 10 years of Justice Department monitoring.
In 2009, Automotive News ranked Tonkin as one of the industry's 50 Visionary Dealers.
Tonkin opened his first dealership, Ron Tonkin Chevrolet, in 1960, according to the dealership group's Web site, which also said he became the country's first Ferrari dealer in 1966.
Today, the group operates 16 dealerships representing 15 brands. It ranks No. 98 on the Automotive News list of the top 125 dealership groups in the United States, with new retail sales of 8,291 vehicles in 2012.
"I don't know if I'd be good at anything else," Tonkin said in a 1996 interview. "But I do know that I can turn a dealership around, get it selling cars, get it making money again."
Tonkin stepped back from day-to-day oversight of the dealership group after a prostate cancer scare in the mid-'90s. Sons Ed and Brad have operated the franchises since then.
Ed Tonkin followed in his father's footsteps as head of NADA -- the title had changed to chairman -- in 2010. He lauded his father's legacy at the time.
'Made his mark'
"My dad was a phenomenal NADA president," Ed Tonkin told Automotive News. "Critical times call for critical measures. At that time, the dealers were really getting beat up with fleet subsidies, and he was the cause that really put an end to that. He really made a mark."
In 2006, Tonkin summed up his view on the franchise system.
"There is no better way," Tonkin told Automotive News. "The automakers that produce the cars are really not good at selling them. Every time they have made an attempt, it has resulted in failure. It's a different side of the business. They have to make them, and we have to sell them.
"The automobile industry is like a three-legged milk stool: the unions, auto manufacturers and the dealers. Remove any one of the legs and the stool falls over."
A memorial service was scheduled for Tuesday at Congregation Beth Israel in Portland, according to the Web site of Holman's Funeral Service.


text:
237,716 containers inspected, 348 seizures recorded in 2016: Jebel Ali Customs Centre
Jebel Ali Customs Centre, the modern facility and one of the major customs centers in Dubai, boasted a number of quality achievements during 2016.
The centre recorded 348 seizures of restricted, fake and prohibited materials.
This means a 24% increase compared to 2015 which recorded 281 seizures. The centre, which includes a client centre and seven inspection units, also inspected 237,716 containers and carried out 605,000 customs transactions last year.
Yousuf Al Hashemi, Director of Jebel Ali Customs Centre noted that the seizures contained more than 700,000 tramadol narcotic pills, and quantities of Naswar tobacco derivative, silica powder, smuggled cigarettes, fake goods, and endangered sandal wood in coordination with local and global security authorities.
"Thanks to the use of the latest technologies and devices, we had a much better performance compared to previous years following the vision and directives of our wise leadership. The figures of the first quarter of 2017 are promising: Around 729,000 customs transactions carried out so far using the latest systems including Mirsal 2 system which enables clients fulfill their requirements and fill out their applications online without the need of personal attendance".
"We have a number of plans for the future which will help develop Jebel Ali Operations room including a radioactive vehicle and container scanning unit. The inclusion of sophisticated inspection tools has raised commitment and performance levels in Jebel Ali from 42% in 2010 to 91.7% in 2013. In 2016, client satisfaction went up to 87%, and employee satisfaction reached 88% " he added.
Naser Al Jumairi, Director of Jebel Ali and TECOM Customs Centre explained that a Dubai Customs unit was opened at gate 11 for more convenience and client satisfaction.
Ahmed Al Jamri, Director of Jebel Ali Inspection Centre said the center has five advanced container scanning devices and five cargo scanning devices.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


text:
When it was made official a few months back that the next generation Ford Mustang would pack a powerful yet efficient 4-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine, many in the industry began to question
The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 1LE both come with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires that offer incredible grip in even the highest performance situations but these tires do not offer good tractio
The first and most significant new GM recall pertains to select 2013 Chevrolet Malibu sedans which are equipped with the optional power front seats.
The new Chevrolet Colorado is going to be revealed next week at the LA Auto Show. This new truck cannot come soon enough for Chevy.
First off, we have a short modification list for this bright red 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 Coupe and to make enough power to run in the 9 second quarter mile range – the new C7 only need
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is the biggest thing to hit the automotive industry in ages so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that GM rolled out a few customized C7 Corvettes to the massi
The Chevrolet Silverado Cheyenne Concept truck begins with a 2014 Silverado regular cab/short bed pickup powered by the EcoTec3 6.2L V8 that delivers 420 horsepower and 460lb-ft of torque to the re
The modern COPO Camaro drag racing program was introduced for the 2012 model year and since then, this limited edition, purpose built drag car has set records at tracks around the country.
In October 2013, General Motors sold 2,022 copies of the Chevrolet Volt which accounted for a drop of 31.7% compared to the 2,961 sold in the same month last year.
This new General Motors recall affects 18,941 Chevrolet Camaros from the 2013 and 2014 model year which all of those muscle cars being built between June 9, 2013 and September 6, 2013.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau study began on January 1st 2009 and ran through December 31st 2012, focusing on 2010, 2011 and 2012 model year vehicles so this report is more or less a study of
Tomorrow night, little kids around the United States will go door to door in search of free candy and those Chevrolet fans looking to show off their enthusiasm with their Halloween decorations can
The 2014 Chevrolet Impala is vastly redesigned compared to the 2013 model year Impala and the redesign is more than just new sheet metal and a nicer interior.
In this day and age, an increase in a newer model is hardly ever a surprise but considering that sales of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra cumulatively dropped by 8% in September a price
Now, I should start by pointing out that this comparison video between the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and the 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca has some pretty obvious issues that could be pro
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe equipped with the high performance Z51 package features different wheels and tires, a retuned suspension setup, an electronic limited slip differential, s


text:
Mackay Shields LLC boosted its holdings in Harley-Davidson Inc (NYSE:HOG) by 184.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 80,497 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 52,170 shares during the quarter. Mackay Shields LLC’s holdings in Harley-Davidson were worth $3,387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 2nd quarter valued at about $112,000. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co bought a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 1st quarter valued at about $103,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 2nd quarter valued at about $183,000. Cribstone Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Harley-Davidson by 75.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cribstone Capital Management LLC now owns 2,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banco de Sabadell S.A bought a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 1st quarter valued at about $127,000. 98.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Harley-Davidson stock opened at $43.28 on Wednesday. Harley-Davidson Inc has a 52 week low of $39.34 and a 52 week high of $56.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. The company has a market cap of $7.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.42, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.90.
Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 24th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.11. Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 10.08% and a return on equity of 31.70%. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. sell-side analysts expect that Harley-Davidson Inc will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
In other Harley-Davidson news, Director Jochen Zeitz sold 1,598 shares of Harley-Davidson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $69,513.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Lawrence G. Hund sold 37,040 shares of Harley-Davidson stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.33, for a total transaction of $1,604,943.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,287,550.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Several equities analysts recently weighed in on HOG shares. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 24th. ValuEngine cut shares of Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Wedbush dropped their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 7th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.23.
Harley-Davidson, Inc primarily manufactures and sells cruiser and touring motorcycles. The company operates in two segments, Motorcycles & Related Products, and Financial Services. The Motorcycles & Related Products segment designs, manufactures, and sells at wholesale on-road Harley-Davidson motorcycles, as well as motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise, and related services.
Further Reading: Asset Allocation and Your Retirement
Receive News & Ratings for Harley-Davidson Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Harley-Davidson and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
The farm known for peaches just got a little sweeter.
“We are excited to open The Cozy Peach at Schnepf Farms,” said Carrie Schnepf.
The fun-filled family farm can now be your home away from home. Instead of camping, it's glamping.
“What better way? We have vintage airstream trailers," said Schnepf.
The Cozy Peach features eight different classic trailers to stay the night in after a long day exploring the farm.
“They range from 1947 to 1972," said Schnepf.
They all still have their vintage flair, but with a few upgrades.
“We put in plush bedding, nice toilets, flat-screen TV’s and more," said Schnepf.
On top of that, trailer service!
“We will deliver breakfast right to your trailer," said Schnepf.
From a 1972 Silver Streak to a 1973 Airstream Land Yacht to a 1968 International Land Yacht -- even a Spartan Mansion.
"It’s 35 feet with two bedrooms, flat-screen television and a full kitchen, I mean this is seriously like living in an apartment," said Schnepf.
“We really are bringing the five-star experience to a vintage trailer," said Schnepf.
Unwind on your front porch, sit by your fire pit and cruise around the farm on vintage bicycles.
“You can really have a comfortable camping experience when you visit The Cozy Peach," said Schnepf.
Reservations open on March 15 and prices range from $125 to $175 a night. You can book soon at Schnepff Farms' website.


text:
Due to the holidays, I’d missed this important bit of news ’til now:
MacRumors.com reported last week that the No. 1 selling iPhone application in the in the iTunes Store is InfoMedia’s iFart Mobile. It’s reportedly generating nearly $10,000 per day for its creator.
Just thought you’d want to know.


text:
Jaguar Land Rover has received a £500 million loan guarantee to develop electric vehicles (EV) from the Prime Minister.
The announcement, which Theresa May made at 10 Downing Street during an automotive roundtable event earlier this week, will mean the car giant can more easily secure loans, credit and direct funding to support the design and production of zero emission vehicles.
The fund is not a loan in itself and instead has the purpose of backing up any loans Jaguar Land Rover takes out, meaning that if it were to default on them, they would be paid out by the government – it has been issued by UK Export Finance
It will come as welcome news to the firm, which earlier this month unveiled plans to manufacture a range of new EVs at its plant in Castle Bromwich in the UK.
Jaguar Land Rover has launched what it claims is the largest smart charging facility for EVs in the UK.


text:
Consumer Credit in U.S. Increases at Slowest Pace Since NovemberDanielle Trubow
Consumer borrowing in the U.S. increased in August at the slowest pace in nine months as credit-card use declined.
The $13.5 billion gain in credit followed a $21.6 billion advance in July that was smaller than previously estimated, a report from the Federal Reserve in Washington showed today. Non-revolving loans, which include borrowing for autos and college tuition, climbed $13.7 billion, the smallest increase since January.
Households wary of taking on more debt are being deliberate in using their credit cards for purchases as wage gains remain limited. At the same time, a stronger job market and cheap borrowing costs are giving households the wherewithal to buy big-ticket items such as motor vehicles.
The August gain in consumer borrowing was smaller than the $20 billion median forecast of 36 economists in a Bloomberg survey. Estimates ranged from increases of $15 billion to $30 billion. The report doesn’t track mortgages, home-equity lines of credit and other debt secured by real estate.
Revolving credit, which includes credit-card balances, fell $208 million, the first decline in six months, after a $5.4 billion July increase, today’s Fed figures showed.
The August gain in non-revolving credit followed a $16.2 billion increase in the prior month. Federal government lending to consumers, made up mostly of educational loans, increased $19.8 billion in August from the previous month before adjusting for seasonal variations.
Auto sales jumped in August to a 17.5 million annualized rate, the strongest since January 2006, according to data from Ward’s Automotive Group. The pace cooled last month to 16.3 million, capping the best quarter for the industry in more than eight years.
Faster employment is providing Americans with the means to keep spending. Employers added 248,000 workers in September, and the unemployment rate fell to a six-year low of 5.9 percent, a report from the Labor Department showed last week. At the same time, wages climbed 2 percent from September 2013, the smallest year-over-year gain in three months.


text:
WeedWorthy News Network
The legalities of hemp: Navigating the constantly-changing rules and regulations
Bruce Kennedy ~ WeedWorthy.com ~
A recent law seminar on industrial hemp underscores the industry’s challenges and opportunities.
Earlier this month, in a packed classroom at the University of Denver’s law school, more than 60 people listened intently to a line-up of speakers: experts who deal regularly with the legal issues surrounding industrial hemp in the United States.
The event’s organizers, the National Hemp Association (NHA), say they’re trying to assist those interested in industrial hemp as they navigate the sector’s rapidly-evolving legal statutes.
”The biggest need for a seminar like this is because the legal issues are complex, changing and inconsistent between state and federal (laws),” said Zev Paiss, the NHA’s executive director.
Paiss described the state of the U.S. hemp industry as being “very much in flux.” And he says that while hemp production is still prohibited on a federal level, 28 states have legalized the growing of industrial hemp.
“I’m very hopeful because we do have so many states that have passed something,” he told WeedWorthy during a break at the seminar.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the federal government to support what the states are already saying they want,” he continued. “And there’s like another dozen states that have legislation in motion right now; so by the end of this year, regardless of what happens at the federal level, we could have well over 35 states that have passed some kind of legislation.”
Congress, meanwhile, has also opened the door for more U.S. hemp production via the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015.
That measure calls for amending the federal Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of “marijuana.”
Hemp, while a cannabis variation, contains only trace amounts of the delta-nine tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) compound that gives marijuana its “buzz.” And the Act would further define hemp to mean a cannabis plant with a concentration of not more than 0.3 percent THC “on a dry weight basis.”
The Industrial Hemp Farming Act has broad bipartisan support. And despite the current congressional gridlock, there is hope and what Paiss says is “a growing chance” that the measure could be passed. At any rate the Act seems to be an indication of how the country sees the opportunities – financial and otherwise -- behind a revived, legal and legitimate hemp industry.
In a recent interview with MassLife.com Morgan Paxhia, managing director and co-founder of Poseidon Asset Management – a firm that focuses on investment opportunities in cannabis and hemp-related companies – said hemp has about 25,000 commercial uses, ranging from clothing to food and construction products. He also described it as a "whole different industry" from marijuana; with industrial hemp having the potential to become ten times as large as the legal cannabis industry.
Hemp is already part of America’s commercial landscape; you can buy hemp-blend carpets at JC Penney and hemp seed cosmetics at Target. But nearly all of that hemp is grown overseas. According to the Hemp Business Journal, U.S. companies imported more than $150 million of raw hemp last year, which was converted into around $500 million-worth of finished hemp products.
David Bush, a Colorado-based attorney who specializes in industrial hemp issues, says two factors have given the U.S. industrial hemp movement a momentum that cannot be ignored.
Along with grassroots support for hemp as a sustainable crop that can create many new jobs, there’s also pressure from families who have been treating their children with cannabidiol (CBD) oil derived from hemp and/or marijuana. CBD remains illegal on a federal level but that has shown promise as a treatment for seizures, chronic pain and other ailments.
“We see all kinds of people who are taking the situation into their own hands, and that’s driving the legal change,” he told WeedWorthy after addressing the NHA legal seminar.
“So change is not coming from the top, it’s coming from the moms and dads that have sick children,” Bush added. “It’s coming from people who are sick and tired of being told what to do with their lives. And because so much of what’s really driving things is medical, and it’s hard to argue with things that make people feel better, the law is starting to kind of drag itself along. And that’s what you’re seeing in state (legislatures).”
NHA’s Paiss says one of his organization’s main goals is to help educate both lawmakers and the general public when it comes to the differences between marijuana and hemp. And once that distinction is understood, he says, his job will become easier.
“When people understand what we’re talking about, and that we aren’t talking about marijuana, are very excited,” he said, “because they can see how we can reinvigorate rural economies and give jobs to farmers. When they understand what it is, there’s a lot of support out there.”
When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.


text:
Volvo has marked a milestone for the XC60 with the 500,000th unit rolling out of the factory in April, nearly six years after the model first went on sale in 2008.
According to the Swedish carmaker, the XC60 breached the 100,000th-unit mark in 2012 with 106,203 units being sold. The feat was replicated a year later as over 114,000 units were sold in 2013. In the first four months of 2014, 41,920 units were sold for an increase of 24.2% compared to the same period last year.
The 500,000th unit is destined for the United States, which happens to be the most popular market for the XC60 with around 73,000 units already sold in the country. A close second is China with approximately 70,000 units, followed by Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
"With the XC60, we have shown that we have the ability to compete on equal terms with our German rivals like BMW and Audi, and it gives us strength to do the same with future models," said Volvo Cars senior vice president for marketing, sales and customer service Alain Visser. "This is a car that is not only a success today but will continue to be one in the future."


text:
Airtel has signed up an agreement with SSL Wireless-one of the leading mobile and ecommerce service providers in the country for providing Mobile Top up services for the Airtel subscribers through different electronic channels.The signing ceremony was held recently at the boardroom of corporate headquarters of SSL Wireless in Karwan Bazar amongst the presence of high officials from Airtel and SSL.
The permission of online transactions opened the door for digitalizing different payment services like bill payment, online purchase, mobile recharge, etc. SSL has been working in the field of mobile financial services and online payment services for the last four years. SSL Wireless for the first time in the country is converging two different channels into one through technology where mobile top-up is meeting online payment. This service will bring ease and satisfaction to Airtel subscribers and cardholders of different banks and serve as a stepping stone for digitalization of mobile recharge services.
Through this service, Airtel subscribers will be able to top up their numbers by visiting Airtel’s authorized portal, www.easy.com.bd. The subscribers will be able to securely use VISA/MasterCard/DBBL Nexus or BRAC Bank ATM card to pay for the top up, the top up will be delivered instantly alongwith an invoice emailed to the user. With Airtel onboard, SSL Wireless brings online recharge service for most of the telecom operators of Bangladesh.
Mr. A.S.M Sakib Sikder, Head Legal of Airtel Bangladesh and Mr. Anisul Islam, General Manager of SSL Wireless signed the agreements on behalf of the respective parties. Ms. Rubaba Dowla, Chief Service Officer, Mr. Ruhullah Raihan Al Husain, Senior Manager, Ms. Sonia Mehzabeen, Manager Business Development, Sheikh Sazzad Salam, Manager Credit & Collection and Ms. Nilutpola Sharma, Head Service Experience from Airtel and Mr. Sayeeful Islam, Managing Director, Mr. Syed Mohammad Kamal, CEO, Mr. Ashish Chakraborty, AGM and Shahzada Redwan, Key Software Architect from SSL Wireless were present at the occasion.


text:
The winner of the battle for Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group will be paying a huge premium for the bride-to-be.
Hertz Global Holdings and Avis Budget Group are offering about three times the average premium for an auto- or equipment-rental business in their pursuit of Dollar Thrifty.
Dollar Thrifty shareholders are set to vote on Hertz’s proposal tomorrow. Avis on Monday asked Dollar Thrifty to delay that vote until Dec. 30 so the bids can clear regulatory approval. If Dollar Thrifty doesn’t postpone the vote and shareholders reject Hertz’s bid, Avis said it would start an exchange offer.
The fight between Hertz and Avis shows that a takeover target’s value can be boosted by an acquirer’s desire to prevent a rival from buying it, said Mike Shore, assistant professor of economics at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management in Nashville, Tenn.
"The irony is Dollar Thrifty is going to get much more than it’s potentially worth because the bidders have a vested interest in not letting the other one have it," Shore said.
Hertz and Avis are dueling for the last available publicly traded auto-rental company, putting competitive pressure on the company that loses, said John Healy, an analyst with Cleveland-based Northcoast Research Holdings.
"There aren’t enough small regional brands you could cobble up together to replicate Dollar Thrifty, so there’s an increased desire to pursue the asset," Healy said.
On April 26, Hertz’s initial cash-and-stock offer for Dollar Thrifty was valued at $41 a share, 17 percent more than the target’s average closing price the previous 20 days. That equals the average premium in car- or equipment-rental acquisitions since 2005, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Parsippany-based Avis and Park Ridge-based Hertz have raised their bids, with Avis’s most recent $53.09-a-share cash-and-stock offer representing a 51-percent premium.
Dollar Thrifty said Monday it supports Hertz’s $1.46 billion bid over Avis’s $1.52 billion offer because it can be completed more rapidly and better protects shareholders.
The winner of the bidding war would become the second- largest U.S. auto-rental chain by revenue, trailing only closely held Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Demand for rental cars will increase in the next two years, making Dollar Thrifty more valuable, Healy said.
Hertz said last week its offer, valued at $50.78 a share, is its "best and final" bid. The offer reflects "full value" for Dollar Thrifty, Richard Broome, a spokesman for Hertz, said in an e-mail. Hertz Chief Executive Mark Frissora said in a statement that the offer’s premium, now 44 percent, is "substantial."
The proposal includes a $44.6 million breakup fee Hertz would pay Tulsa, Okla.-based Dollar Thrifty in case the acquisition doesn’t win regulatory approval. Avis’s offer doesn’t include such a fee, which Dollar Thrifty had requested.
Dollar Thrifty has gained 31 percent since the day before Hertz announced its first offer in April. The shares fell from $53 on March 22, 2007, to $0.62 on March 9, 2009, and closed at more than $50 on Monday.
Six acquisitions of publicly traded auto- or equipment-rental companies have been completed since 2005, according to Bloomberg data.


text:
Apple Park campus in California to be home for Apple development for decades to come
Apple is nearing move-in date to their new home, now called Apple Park in Cupertino California. This incredible building, designed by Norman Foster Associates, is a new home to 12,000 Apple employees.
This incredible new campus was conceived by Steve Jobs, and brought to completion by Tim Cook. It is an investment of over $5 billion. First conceived in 2011 by Steve Jobs, Apple Park has been under construction since 2013 and is rumored to have cost Apple upwards of $5 billion… hard earned money that came from the sales of millions of dollars in iPhones, iPods, iPads, and Mac computer products.
Who ever anticipated that Apple’s resurgence, led by Steve Jobs himself, would lead to the incredible Apple Park in 2017? It’s such an amazing building – truly futuristic for the 21st century.
The building will house over 12,000 Apple engineers and employees building the Apple products of the future. Not just iPhones… but products we have yet to imagine from the world’s most valuable company. California is so lucky to have such an amazing company located in it’s borders.
On deck for Apple to introduce from their new building is the iPhone 8 – the iPhone for the 10th Anniversary of the product. How did 10 years go by so fast! What new hot features are expected in the next iPhone? The rumor mill is rampant these days about OLED screen technology, the screens that will flex and bend to give a rounded image illuminated as it curves. This is supposedly supplanted by a new charging technology, called USB-C, which is a more universal charger that will move away from the Apple lighting charger that is the current standard today.
And what about the iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad mini? Will we expect to see these revamped and relaunched from the Apple Park Campus in 2017? It seems it’s likely, as many technology publications are predicting the new iPads are likely to be introduced from the Steve Jobs Theatre soon. And how poetic a moment that will be… perhaps quite emotional… as the first products are announced from Apple Park we won’t be able to help but remember Steve Jobs.


text:
Coronavirus: If tourists aren't back by July or August, Cornwall could be in trouble
Cornwall would usually be buzzing at this time of year, but COVID-19 restrictions have left the county almost empty.
Monday 20 April 2020 11:34, UK
Tourism officials in Cornwall say 80% of the industry could collapse if holidaymakers do not return for July and August.
The loss of the Easter trade has already set the sector back around £300m.
Visit Cornwall chief executive Malcolm Bell told Sky News this is proving a major test for the county's tourism businesses.
"Many businesses are at their lowest cash point - they've gone through their winter eking out the cash," he said.
"It's actually worse than that - many businesses are close to their overdraft limit and of course now not only is no money coming in, you've got customers wanting their money back. Many businesses invested heavily during the winter."
Easter would have seen around 150,000 to 180,000 people visit Cornwall - increasing the county's population by about a third.
A #comebacklater campaign to ensure holidaymakers stay away from Devon and Cornwall has been running since the lockdown.
But the focus is now turning to the peak summer months.
Mr Bell said: "It's a really bad blow losing Easter. For the worst-case scenario, which we hope won't happen, if this went through to August we'd be talking about £1.2bn worth of lost earnings. According to our research that could be the end for 80% of the business."
He added: "If we get going in June or May, we may see 5% go. The longer it goes on that failure rate goes up. It's when you make your money. Two-thirds of income is made in spring and summer."
Caravan sites, holiday parks and cottage lets have all closed, and the knock-on effect to the wider industry is clear to see.
Tourist hotspots like Padstow on the north Cornwall coast are deserted - ice cream parlours and pasty shops empty.
The Camel Creek Adventure Park near Newquay would expect to welcome 2,000 to 3,000 visitors a day in April, but the site feels eerie.
Alexis Camelin, the park's operations manager, said: "We would have staff everywhere, painting, cleaning, getting ready, It's very, very strange."
Most of its staff are furloughed - but a few remain on site to look after animals, including crocodiles and meerkats.
The burger take-out counter and hundreds of kids seats are empty.
Mr Camelin admits he's never seen anything like it, saying: "It's surreal... it's daunting."
The focus now is being ready to reopen as soon as the restrictions are lifted.
"It's really about making sure we have a plan a, b, or c to any eventuality when the park will reopen and when the rules will start to be relaxed," he said.
The park is selling tickets for once it reopens and is donating 50% of the money to the NHS.
There is hope.
Mr Bell said there is "pent-up" demand - and it may mean the holiday parks remain open for longer this season.
He explained: "We still believe we can have a good July and August and into the autumn. We're arguing for holiday parks to stay open an extra month.
"There are opportunities to make up some of the ground but we won't make up all of it now - and the longer that goes on into May, June and god forbid July, it starts doing terminal damage to the sector."


text:
Fundtruck is seeking startups to finance!
Fundtruck is an original project launched by Sowefund, the first equity investment platform that allows everyone to co-invest in French companies alongside industry professionals.Ca m'intéresse
Fundtruck: the grand finale!
Remember the Fundtruck? The adorable little Citroen truck that crisscrossed the streets of the capital in September and October with a bunch of startups on board.Ca m'intéresse
The 2018 edition of the Fundtruck stops at ENGIE on September 20th
For its 2018 Paris tour, FundTruck will once again stop at ENGIE on September 20th from 1pm to 2pm.Ca m'intéresse
Sign up for the ENGIE Innovation Newsletter


text:
China produces first space-based 3D printing machine
Updated: 2014-12-08 13:58
SHANGHAI -- Scientists have produced a 3D printing machine, the first of its kind in China, which astronauts will be able to use while on space missions, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC) on Monday.
The machine is capable of printing optical lens brackets used in spaceborne equipment, complicated components used in nuclear power testing equipment, impellers used in aircraft research and special-shaped gears used in automobile engines, said Wang Lianfeng, a senior engineer with CASTC Shanghai's research arm.
The machine, which uses both long-wave fiber and short-wave carbon dioxide lasers, can produce items smaller than 250 millimeters.
The machine, which looks like a gray cabinet, can fashion items out of stainless steel, titanium alloy and nickel-based superalloy.
"The products made will have to be tested thoroughly, due to the strict quality requirements of aerospace products," said Wang, adding that the prospect for 3D printing is promising.
Additive manufacturing, which 3D printing is also known as, is the processes in which three-dimensional objects are made through the layering of material. It is advancing rapidly and is increasingly used for industrial purposes.


text:
The Federal Reserve is seeking comment on proposals to possibly curb fees that some say hurt shoppers who use debit cards. See full story.
RIM earnings jump on strong BlackBerry sales
Research In Motion Ltd. beat analysts forecasts for the third quarter and issued a better-than-expected forecast for the current period. See full story.
Oracle tops views as sales rise 47%
Oracle reports profit, revenue rise. See full story.
Gold’s prospects rosy in 2011 but pitfalls abound
Fears of falling currencies and rising inflation drew buyers from around the globe to gold in 2010. They’re like to stick around in 2011, but interest rates surges could dent bullion’s record streak. See full story.
U.S. stock watchers favor cyclicals in 2011
At its loftiest perch since before Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008, analysts say the U.S. stock market can rise further in 2011 as long as there are signs the economic recovery is strengthening. See full story.
Insiders — company officers, directors and largest shareholders — presumably know more about their firms’ prospects than do the rest of us. And right now they are selling their companies’ shares at a pace last seen in early 2007. See full story.
It’s a statistical quirk that when banks lose unhappy customers, their satisfaction scores go up. See full story.


text:
Madhya Pradesh - Cloth merchants, jewellers down
shutters against value added tax
Cloth market in Indore and elsewhere in the state along
with jewellers observed a bandh on Saturday to protest
the imposition of 5% value added tax (VAT) on clothes by
the Madhya Pradesh government. The jewelers were
protesting the budget proposals to bring unbranded
precious jewellery under the excise duty net and raise
customs duty on gold bars and coins.
Garmet retailers and wholesalers elsewhere in the state also joined the bandh.
The president of the Indore Retail Cloth Merchants' Association Dhanraj Wadhwani
said the bandh was total and all the shopkeepers downed their shutters in
protest against VAT imposition. "We will wait for another 2-3 days before
deciding future course of action." The bandh is also getting support from
readymade garment traders", he claimed.
Traders feel the government's decision will make garments dearer by 8-10% apart
from the VAT of 5% price factor will hit the trade hard.
Some of the areas affected by the bandh in Indore include Rajwada, MG Road and
others. Nearly 3,000 retail cloth shops downed shutters in the city.
Traders said the bandh on Saturday was symbolic and they would intensify the
stir in case the government fails to pay heed to their demand.
"The bandh was total affecting garment retail and wholesale business in the
city," Association spokesman Hansraj Jain said.
He said traders want immediate rollback of the VAT decision as it will adversely
affect the garment industry in the state.
The Government has proposed to levy 5 per cent VAT on garments, sugar and power
from April 1. The strike was supported by MP Cloth Business Association,
Readymade Garment Business Community and Indore Cloth Market Market Merchant
Members of various cloth associations took out a protest rally and staged a 'dharna'
at Mahaveer Chowk.


text:
*KFC INDIA AND THE HERO INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF ‘KFC STREET FOOTBALL’ AT THE FINALS IN GOA*
*Abhijith A. from Kochi was announced the KFC Street Football champion at the Hero Indian Super League’s finals in Goa*
Goa, 21 March 2023: As we conclude India’s most coveted football season, the Hero Indian Super League, KFC announced Abhijith A. as the winner of KFC Street Football – a unique platform for young football enthusiasts across the country to showcase their freestyle skills to millions of viewers. In December 2022, India’s fav brand of crispy chicken announced an iconic partnership with the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) for the 2022-23 season.
KFC in partnership with Hero Indian Super League scouted for football enthusiasts with some cool freestyle moves across 5 cities – Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata & Kochi.
At the Hero ISL finals in Goa the 5 finalists: Abhishek Jovan, Sabari, Rocky Khan, Abhijith Nair and Abhijith A. were given the opportunity to perform one last time in front of football fans from across the nation and an esteemed panel of judges.
The five finalists were shortlisted through a competitive selection process through the season that assessed their freestyle skills showcased through both, their social media entries, and their performance in the challenges presented at the KFC selection zone during Hero ISL matches.
Abhijith A was awarded the much-coveted trophy from KFC India and Hero ISL at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Fatorda Stadium) in Goa. He was felicitated by Pradeep Ramakrishnan, Chief Technology Officer, KFC India.


text:
Huawei Honor a Dual-Core Prize for Android Mobile Gamers
Nov 17, 2011
Previously thought of as a single core, mid-range device, Huawei Honor, was announced as a dual-core mobile gaming beast.
Huawei, the maker of fine mobile proud mobile products has just posted on its Facebook page that it will be bringing into the world a 1.4GHz dual-core CPU, popular at leading mobile casinos, which will be named Huawei Honor. The announcement comes as a surprise to many technophiles, who were expecting the smartphone to be as dull as every other mobile Huawei ever put out in the past. Boy, were they wrong.
The Huawei Honor will also treat Android casinos regulars to 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory expandable with a microSD slot and a 4 inch FWVGA screen, which means enough wielding power to offer affordable mobile casino gambling experience.
The 8MP snapper on the back capable of 720p HD video with HDR option built-in is certainly a nice addition to the package. The 1900mAh battery will ensure long hours of quality mobile casino games in one setting. A 2MP front camera is good enough for those mobile jackpot celebratory video calls.
The usual arsenal of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2.1, microUSB are a normal thing for a smartphone running on Android 2.3.5. The official release date still remains a mystery, so does the pricing policy, but most of the industry experts agree that we should expect a mild pricing approach to this mid-range smartphone.
Until the release date comes we advise all mobile gamers to take a look at the list of all available mobile casinos and select the right one for their current devices. They are welcome to do so with the help of our very own Casino Mobile Finder – a free tool, which will match any smartphone to a compatible mobile casino in a matter of seconds.
We have been contacted by the company’s representative, who confirmed that a mistake has been made on Facebook and Huawei Honor is in fact a single-core smartphone.


text:
Is Movik Networks the Next Starent? A Chat with Highland VC Sean Dalton
(Page 2 of 2)
did, and another office in the U.K. as it goes after the international market for mobile data delivery. What’s more, there are some parallels with the telecom industry in the early 2000s, with carriers all moving from 3G to 4G wireless systems and trying to upgrade their data services.
All of this fits with Dalton’s, and Highland’s, main investment themes—especially what global can do for local innovation. “Entrepreneurialism is a worldwide opportunity,” Dalton says. “In order to invest effectively in the U.S., you need to know what’s going on in other geographies.” And in Starent’s case, creating real value abroad was crucial. “A huge part of Starent’s success is that India was developing a big part of the product, not just [quality assurance],” Dalton says.
Highland has a separate China-focused team that has made eight deals in the past seven years, including investing in Beijing-based Web firm Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU). In Europe, Highland also has been involved in about 10 deals, mostly growth-stage investments, with companies such as PhotoBox (sort of the Shutterfly or CafePress of Europe), Wooga (like Zynga), and Spartoo (like Zappos).
Of course, we provincial types are most familiar with Highland’s Boston-area investments—in companies like Gemvara, SCVNGR, Session M, Kyruus, PerkStreet Financial, Heartland Robotics, and, yes, Movik Networks.
So I asked Dalton how the firm keeps its focus while being spread over so many geographies, sectors, and stages. Like others, Highland has developed a thesis around “how to scale a venture firm,” he says. One key component is consistent decision making. What he means is that “every decision is made as a firm, but from the entrepreneurs’ point of view, they are dealing with decision-makers in local areas,” he says.
Another part of the venture strategy is how each deal fits within the overall framework of Highland’s investments. “We don’t worry about [finding] the greatest opportunity in Europe or China,” Dalton says. It comes down to whether a deal is a great venture opportunity for Highland, he says, and that boils down to an assessment of the management team and the market. Not that everyone agrees on what’s a good investment. “Our best deals are the most controversial,” he says, pointing to Starent, Vistaprint, and Qihoo as examples of investments that spurred lots of internal debate.
As for his firm’s biggest failures, Dalton points to Amp’d Mobile, a California startup that flamed out in 2007 after raising more than $300 million in venture capital. “Ultimately it was VCs losing their mind,” and the company not executing the “basics of blocking and tackling” and not investing in the right people, Dalton says.
But back to Movik Networks—which, of course, is looking at a very different mobile landscape compared to what Starent saw 10 years ago. Mobile data networks are well established now. But some of the key challenges are that the average revenue per mobile subscriber is down, while data infrastructure costs are going up. “The question is how to ensure mobile [operators] can still be profitable while still making investments,” Dalton says.
Answering that question will require a truly global perspective—one that Movik is looking to build on as it prepares to demo its technology at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. And yes, the world will be watching.
Trending on Xconomy
By posting a comment, you agree to our terms and conditions.


text:
eSellerPro Raises £1M from Notion Capital
The company intends to use accelerate its core business, enter into new markets (including USA) and further invest in the product.
Founded in 2006 and led by CEO Keith Bird, eSellerPro provides a multichannel ecommerce platform designed to help retailers integrate their entire online sales process, simplifying and automating tasks such as inventory management, product listing and scheduling, sales order processing, payment and dispatch, customer communications and accounts posting, as well as maximizing sales opportunities across multiple channels such as eBay and Amazon.
The company currently has customers across the UK, US and Europe, including Tesco Outlet, Dixons, Royal Mail, BMW, JJB Sports, Maplins, Whirlpool and BT Outlet, among the others.
In September 2010, eSellerPro received a significant investment from Notion Capital.


text:
Internet Marketing secrets
(October 21, 2008 - Newcastle, UK) Marcor Direct, a limited company, today announced the launch of its first product, “Bootleg Marketing Secrets from the Far East.” The two-DVD set is a compilation of educational presentations from recognized Internet Marketing Experts Matt Bacak and Jo Han Mok, aimed at would-be entrepreneurs who want to launch at-home businesses. “Bootleg Marketing Secrets from the Far East” is available for £197 from http://www.bootlegmarketingsecrets.com.
“This DVD set is a perfect introduction to the Internet Marketing concept,” says Marcor Direct director Daniele Orelie. “The seminars are aimed at people with no experience or specialized technical expertise…”.
“As a busy mum of three, I have a family to run…which is a full-time job. But I also wanted to find a way to make extra money. The overhead is very low, you don’t need a lot of specialized equipment, and you can work around your family’s schedule,” says Daniele. “Having a flexible schedule means a lot when your youngest is three months old.”
In addition to the material from Matt Bacak and Jo Han Mok, the DVD set comes with bonus DVDs featuring Internet marketers Mark Anastasi and Patric Chan.
While these may not be household names, all have attained “legend” status in the Internet Marketing field. Atlanta resident Bacak has made over $4.7 million online in the past four years. Jo Han Mok made his first million dollars online at the age of 28, and was a multimillionaire by age 29. Anastasi went from homelessness to a $10,000 a month income in just 28 days. And Chan is the founder of the “You Chan Do It!” Personal Achievement Program, a speaker and Internet business coach.
Following close on the heels of the first product, the firm’s second DVD set is titled “Your Global eBay Cash Machine,” and features insider secrets to eBay success from eBay Power Sellers Amanda Clarkson and Adam Ginsberg. The four-DVD set includes nearly seven hours of instruction on the basics of launching a highly profitable eBay business. “Your Global eBay Cash Machine” is available for £297 from http://www.bootlegmarketingsecrets.com.
“I have watched and learned from all of these impressive instructors,” says Daniele. “And if I can start a successful home business using this information, anyone CAN.”
- Contact Information
- Daniele Orelie
- Marcor Direct Ltd
- Contact via E-mail
This news content may be integrated into any legitimate news gathering and publishing effort. Linking is permitted.
News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.