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Like winemakers who reckon a difficult vintage is far more fun to make than an easy one, Adam Brett-Smith’s command of the written word rises to the challenge of a tough year. The famously difficult 2016 vintage in Burgundy, he writes in his annual overview of the wines of Domaine de la Romanee Conti (DRC), was “born out of tumult, even despair, at a terrible cost.”
The heavens conspired against Burgundy, France that year. Winter 2015-16 had been weirdly mild, with no frost or snow to rid the vineyards of pests and diseases. Spring was one of the wettest on record; mildew was rife. Then a window of warm weather in April cheered people up until three days of “savage frosts” wrecked everything.
“On the morning of April 27th, Brett-Smith – managing director of Romanee Conti’s importer Corney & Barrow – writes, “it was discovered that virtually all the young shoots of Montrachet, Bâtard Montrachet, Échézeaux and Grands Échézeaux had been literally burnt off.”
The other vineyards were spared the massacre. Corton, Romanée St Vivant, Richebourg, and the two monopoles (exclusively owned vineyards) La Tâche and Romanée-Conti were unscathed; as the year wore on, things began to look up. From 15 July (winemakers are always very precise in their dates) a glorious summer finally began, leavened by a couple of rainstorms, beneficial as they mitigated what were becoming worryingly dry conditions.
“It was a year of two sides,” DRC’s owner Aubert de Villaine said on a morning January in Corney’s tasting rooms, a stone’s throw from the Tower of London. “It was very difficult, and then it showed another face in the middle of July. The wounds were cured.”
The summer wasn’t enough to save Échézeaux and Grands Échézeaux though, where 90 per cent of the crop was lost (de Villaine bottled 980 magnums of the first and 710 of the second).
“But the rest of the summer was perfect,” he said. “It erased the problems, except in terms of quantity. In our minds we were prepared for it to be hard, but when we saw how dark and intense the juice was, it was a divine surprise.”
The Romanee Conti wines have met with acclaim. This isn’t unusual of course, for one of the half-dozen most famous estate in the world, whose wines sell for many thousands of pounds per bottle (the Romanee Conti 2016 is released, pre-tax, at a price of £9,750 per case of three). (One of the reasons that Domaine Romanee Conti is so expensive is due to the low-yielding soil in this region of France, which means that only a few cases can be made each year.)
There’s something heroic about bottles bearing such price tags coming out of such desperation
But don’t forget this was a vintage born of despair. There’s something heroic about bottles bearing such price tags coming out of such desperation. And even more wonderful, that they should be so beguilingly delicious. When de Villaine describes this year as “this incredible scenario… which now places 2016 amongst the most perfect vintages of these past few years,” you may believe him or not, but there’s no doubt these wines will endure, and be remarkable, for years to come.
One of our top-rated bottles was the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, La Tâche Grand Cru, 2016. Dark fruit aromas leap out of the glass – this is a sprightly nose compared to the other wines and it’s absolutely seductive. There’s power here, a cushion of dark, opulent fruit around a backbone of fine tannins, lush mouthwatering acidity and those greenish notes from the stalks (de Villaine used around 70 per cent of stalks this year – they’re there, but very restrained). Restrained opulence and gorgeous with it. Read more about the Pinot Noir.
We have also reviewed the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2017 vintage. The 2017 vintage is “superb both in quantity and quality,” says the domain’s owner Aubert de Villaine.


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As Per NITI Aayog-CII Report, The Govt. Should Promote Adoption Of EV Technologies In Two Wheeler Segment
A special task force constituted by government-run think tank NITI Aayog has proposed the removal of all permit requirements for electric vehicles. Created to offer suggestions on clean transportation, the task force has argued that electric vehicles are largely environment-friendly and should, therefore, be promoted more actively by the government.
Furthermore, renewing permits on a yearly basis is not only costly but also time-consuming, stated the task force in a report jointly created by NITI Aayog and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
“It would require a change in existing permit regime, at national and state level. Safety issues will need deliberation such that they do not impede the success of such intervention,” it added.
In the report, the newly-constituted task force also advocated a long-term vision for intra-city electric buses. Elaborating further, it said, “Retrofitting CNG engines with electric drive trains and pantographs for opportunity charging en-route can be a way forward for electric mobility in Delhi.”
The country’s growing two-wheeler and three-wheeler market represents a huge opportunity for the adoption of EV technologies, according to the special committee. In this segment, the Indian government should encourage a large-scale integration of such solutions.
Apart from this, the task force also suggested instituting a limit on high-mileage polluting vehicles under the Pollution-Under-Control (PUC) regime. At the same time, the government should consider allowing retailing of biofuels and other green mobility solutions.
Among its other recommendations are “Introduce on-road parking fees based on the area and time to decongest prime streets and incentivise public transport in areas with adequate supply for public transport services, for instance, the metro stations.”
To further curb pollution, the report voted in favour of banning vehicles that are older than 20 years. Additionally, traffic police should have the right to confiscate non-compliant vehicles plying on the roads, the committee by NITI Aayog argued.
Under the “Action Plan for Clean Fuel”, another task force created by the think tank suggested providing incentives, in terms of pricing and taxes, on cleaner fuels, while also discouraging the use of environmentally-harmful energy sources.
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It stated, “Lower taxes on the cleaner fuels are sought and for the purpose, GST can create a level playing field in the country,” it said.
As per the committee, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is currently one of the cleanest and cheapest fuels for transportation in the world. Arguing that India should take similar steps like the US and China, where LNG is widely used, it said, “Long-haul road transportation, inland waterways and railways are the important areas where LNG can be used as transportation fuel.”
Recently, after Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari made waves last month when he said, “there is no need for any policy now”, NITI Aayog has now taken a U-turn, stating that there needs to be a policy to promote the adoption of electric vehicles in India.
Speaking on the matter, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said that India cannot depend entirely on the market or the ministries to deliver a transportation model for the future. He added, “We need a policy to put in all together (charging infrastructure, battery swapping) and we can’t just have people running around on their own and ministries working in silos.”
As stated by Kumar, a cabinet note on the EV policy has already been prepared and NITI Aayog is currently identifying the “principal driver of this policy”. While the government has to assume the role of an aggregator of the burgeoning EV demand, Rajiv believes that municipality and state governments also have an integral part to play in facilitating the adoption of electric vehicles.
The Burgeoning Electric Vehicles Opportunity In India
The electric vehicles (EV) market is expected to record double-digit growth rates with the rise in sales volume annually in India till 2020, according to ASSOCHAM-EY joint study.
The study titled ‘Electric mobility in India: Leveraging collaboration and nascency’, further said that despite electric vehicles not being mainstream, stricter emission norms, reducing battery prices and increasing consumer awareness are driving EV adoption in India.
As per the study, at present, electric vehicle industry is at a nascent stage comprising 1% of the total vehicle sales and is dominated by two-wheelers (95%). The study also suggests that EVs will be a stepping stone in designing an intelligent transport infrastructure in India.
In the light of the NITI Aayog’s push for a concrete policy on electric vehicles, the industry could receive a major boost, especially if the government decides to offer the right infrastructural and financial support needed to make India an all-electric car nation.
If the shift to electric vehicles is successful, it could potentially help India save up to $300 Bn (INR 20 Lakh Cr) in oil imports and nearly 1 gigatonne of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, as per a recent report by FICCI and Rocky Mountain Institute.
(The development was reported by Gadgets Now)

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After revealing its choice of Olive Sprig as its 2022 Color of the Year, PPG has three trends that its experts believe will be top of mind in the next year:
Rise of glamour and art deco influences
2022 will see glamourous design and art deco elements come to the forefront in hospitality design. Hotels and restaurants are likely to incorporate the opulence of these styles while layering in comfortable, inviting and cozy touches.
“Our color experts found that consumers are more inclined to adopt more colorful selections after difficult inflection points throughout history, often seen during the Roaring Twenties or after the Great Depression,” said Ashley McCollum, color expert, PPG. “As part of this cyclical history, PPG is seeing post-pandemic optimism infiltrating commercial and residential design spaces, translating into a design aesthetic that creates a sense of escapism. Similar to the Roaring Twenties, we are seeing many hotels starting to opt for Gatsby-inspired design, using deep rich hues like PPG’s Gooseberry, Castle Stone and Ancient Copper, and pairing these colors with dark woods and brass accents to really turn up the drama, but also not avoiding comfort.”
Evoke calm with Olive Sprig
Olive Sprig, a highly adaptable muted green, creates a sense of calm in both guestrooms and public spaces. With close ties to hues found organically in nature, this green is versatile enough to be used in any type of hotel, from budget chain to premier boutique.
“Whether their stay is for business or leisure, hotel guests expect a relaxing and restful stay whether they are at a premier boutique or more budget-friendly lodging,” said McCollum. “PPG’s 2022 Color of the Year, Olive Sprig, has the versatility to be used with a mix of design styles in both guestrooms and communal spaces while also evoking a sense of calm and rejuvenation.”
Prioritizing health and hygiene
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have made it important to design spaces fitted for contactless services and sterilization of rooms and spaces. “As hotels continue to navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and work to prioritize the health of guests and staff, builders and designers are aware of the increased need to use protective products for hospitality projects,” said Brian Osterried, color expert, PPG. “PPG recently received EPA registration for its COPPER ARMOR paint powered by Corning Guardiant technology, proven to continuously kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, within two hours of contact on the painted surface for up to five years.”


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As cannabidiol, or CBD, becomes more and more popular as a treatment for chronic pain, Dr. Jonathan Kost, Medical Director of the Hartford Hospital Pain Treatment Center, warns that it’s important to be aware of the possible risks associated with these products extracted from hemp.
Only one CBD medication has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Epidiolex, which is being used as a treatment for rare forms of pediatric epilepsy, Dr. Kost said. It also has been classified as a Schedule V drug, with a low potential for abuse, by the Drug Enforcement Agency.
“That being said, CBD has shown in studies the potential benefit,”Dr. Kost said, “in the treatment of multiple conditions involving neurodegenerative diseases (such as multiple sclerosis, ALS and Parkinson’s disease), psychosis conditions (schizophrenia), cancer tumor progression (glioma, melanoma, pancreatic, breast and hepatic cancers), anxiety and pain conditions. However, more research is definitely needed.”
CBD products today run the risk of being adulterated, contaminated or mislabeled under federal and state laws. A 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine found that more than two-thirds of the products they purchased online were mislabeled, containing more CBD than listed on the label, less of it or none at all.
Because there are few rules about how hemp-derived CBD products should be tested, online sellers and less responsible retailers could be selling contaminated or even adulterated CBD products. And it can be almost impossible for a consumer to tell the good ones from the bad.
Potential hemp CBD contaminants include: residual solvents, pesticides, mycotoxins and foreign matter.
What to look for with CBD manufactures:
- Valid Certificate of analysis (accredited in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
- Does the product contain 0.3 percent THC or less? (THC is the main active ingredient in marijuana. Hemp oil can contain trace amounts of THC.)
- What ingredients are used in the product?
- Is the cannabinoid (THC and CBD) content listed on the product consistent with the analysis report?
- Does the lab report confirm that the product is free of contaminants?
Overseas, some use hemp to cover crops, which helps suck out the pesticides and heavy metals on soil so that food crops can be planted the following year. Tests have revealed that 70 percent of products were found “highly contaminated” with heavy metals like lead and arsenic, herbicides like glyphosate (the active ingredient in RoundUp) and a host of other contaminants including pesticides, BPA and toxic mold.
Glyphosate is classified by the World Health Organization as a probable carcinogen, and has also been shown to be lethal to amphibians such as frogs. To ensure that there are no glyphosate residues in their products, hemp CBD producers should have their products tested regularly by an ISO certified lab for glyphosate and other pesticides, noting that glyphosate requires a separate test.
CBD products should be tested for microbiological contaminants such as bacteria and mold and should also source ingredients that are USDA Certified Organic. Consumers also want to avoid products made with GMOs. CBD companies should source non-GMO ethanol and certified organic or non-GMO ingredients. Due to the lack of regulatory oversight, people using CBD products need to be educated to the above mentioned risks and to do their homework to find companies that make every attempt to deliver a safe and effective CBD product.
For more information on pain management at the Hartford HealthCare Pain Treatment Center, click here.


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Dodge is betting on a massive web campaign on November 4th to power the launch of its new full-size truck. It has bought ad space on several popular websites, including Yahoo, MSN, and AOL, and predicts it will make about 1.3 billion viewer impressions that day.
The campaign will feature video content created by movie director Tony Scott, and will center on the theme that the Ram “Never Backs Down From a Challenge.” Overall, Internet advertising will account for 17 percent of the Ram’s marketing budget during the launch. Most automakers are gearing up their efforts on the web due to tightening ad budgets and declining audiences for traditional media. Dodge’s senior advertising manager Mark Spencer pointed to the ability to target the Ram to very specific customers. The campaign will be able to deliver more than different 30 marketing message to buyers, including those looking at competitors’ trucks.
Source: Automotive News


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Black Friday – the official beginning of the holiday shopping season – has passed, and that means there’s a feeding frenzy of money-hungry retailers who would step over their own grandmothers to pilfer your pockets. Unfortunately, shoppers are no better as they salivate over the chance to save fifty bucks on an HDTV. An anthropologist’s dream, these shoppers revert to a pack mentality that leaves us wondering if the act of coming down from the trees 80,000 years ago was nothing more than a symbolic gesture. We’ve already seen signs of the madness throughout the US, but it’s safe to say that many parts of the world will be prime targets over the next several weeks for a summary divorce between you and your money.
Unfortunately, while retailers crawl over each other in an attempt to empty the contents of your left pockets, spammers are silently lining up to take what’s left from your right pockets. It’s long been known that spam is a seasonal business – those wily scam artists target events and fragile psychologies, seemingly better than anyone – and no season is bigger in the Western world than Christmas, thanks to money-driven organizations that rely on a small, six week window to make or break their bottom lines. That makes this time of the year incredibly dangerous, not just for our credit card bills, but for the ever-increasing risks of identity theft, email scams, and malicious software designed to silently soak up every piece of information that the enterprising spammer needs to have a merry Christmas indeed.
Here are a few considerations you should make, this and every holiday season, to protect yourself from a visit from the spam elf:
Christmas is stressful. There’s plenty of research to suggest that Christmas is not only incredibly stressful, in fact it’s downright deadly. Massive stresses on the wallet are exacerbated by the pressures to deal with family. To make matters worse, in this part of the world, the icy blasts of arctic air shoot through you like a million tiny icicles. The days become very short, with most people waking in darkness, and dealing with it again when they arrive home for supper. The phenomenon known as seasonal affective disorder is so pervasive in modern society that it’s generated its own business in light therapy devices. The holiday season is stressful, plain and simple, and when people become stressed out, they become fatigued, and they don’t think so clearly. It’s a prime opportunity for spammers to slip one past you as you sift through the unending glut of email that bombards inboxes this time of year.
Spammers aren’t nearly as dumb as they appear to be. We’ve been seeing more and better phishing attempts, and it appears that the phishers are very successful, pulling down a cool $687 million in the first half of this year. In fact, the spam business as a whole is a $20 billion business, and as long as it’s making that kind of coin, we can expect spam purveyors to do everything it takes to keep their solid gold pools in working condition. That makes the minefield even more treacherous, because spammers will do whatever it takes to prey on innocent users. People are far more vulnerable when they’re tired and stressed, and there’s no stress like holiday stress.
Malware under the Christmas tree
2012 has seen an interesting and disturbing shift in the state of spam. While overall numbers of email spam continue to decline, the amount of dangerous spam is on the rise. Some criminals have even made a business out of equipping other wannabe criminals, with 2012 seeing the release of Blackhole 2.0. Spam emails are laden with malicious links and images (an attempt at getting around spam filters), and a single click could be devastating. Kaspersky Labs are reporting that, while spam levels continue to dip, spam messages with malicious attachments are on an alarming rise.
Making it personal
Spam is getting more personal, and there’s a simple explanation. The mass-blast method of sending ridiculous messages from Nigerian princes and widowed old ladies has some appeal, because, incredulously, it works with a certain portion of the masses. But cyber criminals seem to be finding more traction with personal attacks, or at least more well-crafted ones.
Be wary this holiday season. Let your users know that their stress can add to the danger. And here’s hoping you don’t mortgage your house in an attempt to line your Christmas tree with gifts, or worse, the spammers’.


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In the past year, Elon Musk and Tesla have fascinated the world with new innovations like the Tesla Cybertruck. There is excitement about most new Tesla products, but one hugely important one has been largely overlooked. With far less fanfare and no stage performance by Musk, Tesla started offering car insurance last September. In the long run, this is going to have a major impact on most of our lives – perhaps even greater than Tesla’s more eye-catching innovations.
Tesla Insurance is only available for Tesla vehicles in some states of the US at present. It will expand the number of territories gradually over time. But as with the Tesla Cybertruck, the company first wants to see how the business holds up to whatever is thrown at it and whether it cracks under pressure.
For those eligible for Tesla Insurance, the company claims to offer premiums 20% to 30% lower than rivals. Yet even if you are in an area where you can request a quote, Tesla won’t necessarily make you an offer. It sometimes still refers drivers to a traditional insurance partner instead. It may be that Tesla chooses the clearer, less risky cases and sends more complex ones to insurers with more experience and appetite to handle them.
So why is Tesla selling car insurance? For one thing, it has the real-time data from all its drivers’ behaviour and the performance of its vehicle technology, including camera recordings and sensor readings, so it can estimate the risk of accidents and repair costs accurately. This reliance on data may well mean it never branches into selling insurance to drivers of other manufacturers’ cars.
At the moment, Tesla is offering insurance premiums calculated with aggregated anonymous data. In future it could roll out more customised services, like the ones offered by insurers using telematic black boxes, to offer drivers (cheaper) quotes based on how they actually drive.
Every time there is an accident, Tesla has instant access to data about the driver behaviour that led to it. One attraction for the company is that it can evaluate how some of its technologies, like autopilot, stability control, anti-theft systems and bullet-resistant steel, can reduce risk.
Another motivation for Tesla is that some insurers charge a relatively high premium for Tesla cars. One reason is that they still don’t have much historic information about the cost of repairs of electric vehicles. By vertically integrating insurance into its offering, Tesla brings down the price of owning its products.
At the same time, insurance is a barrier to many innovations that Tesla is targeting for the future. With the insurance taken care of, it will be easier to sell self-driving vehicles or send people to Mars (with sister company SpaceX). Like many things Elon Musk does, this both solves a short-term problem and fits the longer-term strategy. It’s a little like how Tesla focused on producing luxury vehicles first to finance the infrastructure for selling cheaper cars like the Tesla Model 3.
How insurance is changing
Tesla has one more reason for offering insurance, which is that the sector is changing: a tech company disrupting it fits the zeitgeist perfectly. My research at Loughborough University has looked into this disruption. I evaluated 32 insurance providers around the world including Tesla and found that artificial intelligence, big data, the internet of things, blockchain and edge computing were all rewiring insurance, both literally and metaphorically.
Broadly speaking, the work of the insurer is shifting from local human expert underwriters to automation driven by big data and AI. The existing industry players that I evaluated essentially fell into three categories. Some had recognised they cannot compete with tech companies. They were focusing on interacting with customers, branding and marketing, while outsourcing everything else to companies with the relevant skills.
Other insurers were trying to add new technologies to their existing business model. For instance, some are using chatbots that apply machine learning and natural language processing to offer live customer support. Yet another group had more fully embraced the new technological capabilities. For example, life insurers like Vitality and Bupa now encourage customers to use wearable monitoring devices to offer them guidance on improving their health and avoiding accidents.
Alongside all these were the new breed of insurers, with Tesla perhaps the best example. Others include Chinese giants Alibaba and Tencent. Just like Apple and Google are making incursions into banking and finance, these are tech-savvy companies with many existing customers who are adding insurance to their portfolio of services. In every case, the capabilities of AI and big data-driven automation have acted as a catalyst.
What it means for drivers
In the short term, Tesla drivers can look forward to insurance that is arguably more seamless and convenient and may well be cheaper – particularly if they clock up fewer miles and drive safely. (Drivers should still compare prices with other insurers: the likes of Progressive and GEICO are among those that insure Tesla vehicles.)
In the longer term, this is a sign that insurance – like banking, road tax and many services – will be driven by real-time data. It will probably change our behaviour for the better. We will probably drive slower, eat healthier food and exercise more – even if libertarians will be uneasy.
This shift will challenge our attitudes towards personal information privacy. Some of us will value the benefits of being open and transparent with our personal information, while others might seek solutions that keep their data with them. Edge computing has potential here, since it allows some data processing to be done on your device so that your personal data doesn’t need to be sent to a central server.
So Tesla and Elon Musk have not just added another revenue stream to their many successful endeavours. They are also helping to fundamentally change the way that we interact with insurance providers. In the future, insurers will be more like a partner on our journey both by car and on foot – both on Earth and beyond.
Alex Zarifis is funded partly by grants from the UK government via UKRI/ Innovate UK.


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EA has revealed to Financial Times that pre-orders for their game EA Sports FC 2024, which replaces the original FIFA brand, have reached 6.8 million people, a 25% increase from the pre-orders of FIFA 23. Financial Times also disclosed that EA pays FIFA $150 million annually, making it the second largest contract for FIFA, second only to the FIFA World Cup sponsorship package. However, when FIFA demanded additional fees, EA had to make the decision to separate and create their own brand.
Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA, stated that the company has invested heavily in promoting the new brand and dedicating resources to ensure the success of the game. They have gone to the extent of purchasing rights in the Spanish LaLiga competition to include FC24 in the game’s title.
In addition, EA’s approach has shifted from selling games for PC or consoles in the traditional manner to creating a unified experience across PC, console, and mobile platforms.
According to survey data from GfK, a market research firm in the United Kingdom, EA Sports FC 24 topped the charts as the best-selling game of the past week. However, physical sales have decreased by 30% compared to FIFA 23, indicating a shift towards digital downloads among gamers.
TLDR: EA has seen a significant increase in pre-orders for their new game EA Sports FC 2024, with 6.8 million people already on board. The company has made bold moves, such as separating from the FIFA brand and investing in marketing and partnerships to ensure the game’s success. Additionally, EA has adopted a multi-platform strategy, offering the game on PC, consoles, and mobile. Despite being the top-selling game, physical sales have seen a decline, suggesting a preference for digital downloads.


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Container glass industry welcomes green claim proposalRead more
Brussels, 16 February 2017
Europe is the cradle of the manufacturing industry and has been at the forefront of industrial revolutions and technological innovations. The industry directly employs over 34 million people across all Member States, in supply chains comprising hundreds of thousands of SMEs and larger suppliers. It also indirectly accounts for millions of additional jobs in related sectors.
The European manufacturing industry has tremendous capacity for research and innovation, boasts a skilled workforce and has earned a global reputation for quality and sustainability. What it now needs is the swift and determined support of the European institutions and the Member States to create more jobs and growth in Europe.
The time has come to raise the alarm about the considerable challenges that we are all facing. Between 2000 and 2014, the share of manufacturing in total EU output fell from 18.8% to 15.3%, while 3.5 million manufacturing jobs were lost between 2008 and 2014.
Meanwhile, countries around the world are putting industry at the very top of their political agendas. The “Make in India” strategy aims to ensure India is “the next manufacturing destination” and “Made in China 2025” seeks to turn China into the “leading manufacturing power”. The recent US shift towards “America First” will inevitably have a strong impact on their industrial policy.
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Glass is made from natural ingredients – making it best for preserving taste and quality. As a tasteless and odourless material with no chemical interaction, glass prevents the transfer.


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Many factors influence consumers’ decisions to buy one mobile phone over the other – but it seems that embedded content is an increasingly important one.
A survey by independent app store GetJar has found that brand remains the key purchase decision factor (28% respondents), followed some way behind by user experience (17%).
But coming up in third place is embedded content, which GetJar says is now more important in purchase decisions than price, design or even touchscreen capability.
Ilja Laurs, founder and CEO of GetJar Networks, said that a phone’s user interface and brand are dominant factors for deciding which handset consumers choose.
"The big change in consumer preference we see within this survey is the importance they are placing on content," he said.
The survey asked respondents to rank a list of 10 phone features by order of importance including brand, screen size/resolution, user experience/phone software, phone memory, quality of camera, price, touchscreen, music player, embedded content and overall design/look and feel.
Those taking part in the poll, conducted across the 130 countries in the GetJar network, were also asked to grade each of those features individually on a five-level scale of importance.
The content that comes with the handset placed third with 12 per cent of respondents worldwide saying it is "extremely important" to their choice of new handset ahead of phone memory (8%), price (5%) and design (7%).
While the poll showed increased demand for embedded content across all the major international regions, it is US consumers that appear to place it higher on their list of priorities than those in Europe.
In the US 60 per cent of respondents said it was "extremely important" to their choice of handset compared to 47 per cent in Europe.
The findings also indicate that the uptake of new handsets will be faster in Europe, with only 25 per cent of those surveyed saying they will not get a new phone this year compared to 40 per cent of US consumers polled.


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Kandi Burruss in a Halloween Costume That Will Make Your Head Spin
With Halloween just a few days away, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss is already wearing a costume that is sure to make your head spin. Earlier this week, the mom of two took to Instagram to show off her look. This Halloween, Kandi is channeling her inner Cotton Kandi, which she says is a cartoon character she loves. She also teased fans by taking a few photos of herself posing with friends.
For her Halloween costume this year, Kandi worked with an expert team including makeup artist Lah Luvie, photographer @MorrisDe/DeMorris Marable, and digital creator Hause of Glam. The result was an impressive look that includes a jagged mesh panel, faux fur shoulders, and bright red choker.
Kandi also wore a leopard-print bodysuit courtesy of Hause of Glam. Her makeup artist, Lah Luvie, fashioned a leopard face that was definitely worth the hype. In addition to the face paint, Kandi’s hair and nails were adorned with gold accents. The hair was styled into a sleek ponytail by Jodie Rowlands, who fastened the braids with gold cording.
Another one of Kandi’s favorite Halloween costumes is her Pennywise look. She recently dressed as the fictional cartoon character in a video posted to Instagram. She explained the process of the look to fans on the social media platform. In the video, she recommended products that she used to achieve the costume. She also gave some advice to newbies who are dressing up for the holiday.
While Kandi isn’t the only celebrity that is going all out this Halloween, she has been doing it with aplomb. She has also dressed up as a zombie cheerleader, a mail carrier, a princess, a magical fairy, a skeleton, a cheetah print top, and a spider queen. Even her daughter, Royalty, got into the spirit by dressing up as a zombie at a party.
Meanwhile, her sister, Blaze Tucker, dressed up as Liberty from Paw Patrol. In other Halloween news, Chris Brown’s daughter Royalty also posed as a zombie, and Usher and Jermaine Dupri posed as a couple at the party. However, it’s Kandi’s feline look that is the show stopper. It’s frightening but gorgeous.
Despite her daughter’s Halloween costume, Kandi was still showing off her other epic looks. Her son Ace Wells Tucker also had a spooky Halloween. He donned a Grim Reaper costume. He also wore a red garter belt and a white wig. The only thing missing from his outfit was a mask. The costume is reportedly available on Amazon for 99 cents.
This year, her costume was the best of the best. Besides, her cat costume has been a hit with fans. She’s been making jokes about her costume twice on her Instagram stories. She’s also been teasing her fans with a live stream of her outfit. She’s been sharing photos of her friends’ Halloween costumes, too. She’s also gotten a few well-deserved compliments on her look. Hopefully, she’ll continue to share her Halloween costume with us!


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Hundreds of new jobs will be created for a new site near Coventry Airport. DHL has announced the expansion of its UK-based operations, with 10 new depots to be built across the country.
The firm is investing close to £500m on its logistics operations. And nearly half of the investment is going on a new hub SEGRO Park Coventry Gateway, located south of Coventry Airport.
The new facility will have the capacity to handle over 500,000 items per day and is expected to create over 600 new jobs. The new investment comes after the firm saw a 40% rise in demand since the start of 2020.
Peter Fuller, CEO of DHL Parcel UK, says: "This investment is a real demonstration of the excellent work our people and partners have delivered over the past two years to get us to the level of growth wheremajor expansion is required to meet customer demand. E-commerce is going to continue to shape theworld around us, this investment."
Pablo Ciano, Executive Vice President CorporateDevelopment at the firm said: "The Covid pandemic has not only driven digitalization, but also significantly changed consumer behaviour, rapidly accelerating the growth of e-commerce and shifting shopping habits. At Deutsche Post DHL Group we believe this shift to online shopping will remain intact and, as e-commerce is one of the important pillars in our Group Strategy 2025, we’ll continue to invest in the sector.
"This investment in the UK is a key part of that, supporting the expansion and modernization of our European network. I’m really looking forward to supporting the business on its growth path in my new role as CEO DHL eCommerce Solutions starting August 1."
- Row over calls to protect Coventry's greenbelt


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More than a third of U.S. consumers expect to purchase a consumer electronics product this holiday season, although that’s true of fewer people than this time last year. That’s according to the Holiday Purchase Intentions Report issued this week by research firm NPD Group.
“After two years of strong growth supported by at-home pandemic-era needs, consumers expect to spend fewer dollars this holiday season on CE,” Paul Gagnon, vice president and industry advisor for NPD, said in the release. “Categories like smartphones and smartwatches are benefitting from consumers planning to spend more time away from home.”
Smartphones are, nonetheless, expected to once again be a popular category this holiday season, with 27 percent more consumers interested in such a purchase compared to the holiday season two years ago.
In addition to smartphones, headphones, tablets, e-readers, and smartwatches are also expected to be popular, according to the firm.
“Excitement around newly released devices and a longer stretch of holiday promotions will help determine what consumers purchase this holiday season,” Ben Arnold, executive director and technology industry analyst for NPD, said in the report. “In addition to these high interest categories, TVs and smart home products remain CE staples during the holiday timeframe. We can expect promotions to drive unit sales in these categories for the fourth quarter.”
In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found last month that amid rising inflation, two product categories that are exempt from this trend are smartphones and televisions. Prices for smartphones dropped 21 percent year-over-year, and television prices dropped by 17.9 percent, even as other categories saw double-digit increases.
Why is this? As explained by CNBC, it isn't so much that the devices themselves are getting less expensive, but rather because of how BLS keeps track of the data.
“Normally, the CPI contains price comparisons for identical items, whose prices don’t change much from year to year. So, it might compare eggs with eggs, for example. But in the case of smartphones, the statistics bureau has to control for devices that get better each year. If smartphones are improving and the price is staying the same, then the bureau records a price decline,” the CNBC analysis said.
“If a replacement smartphone is different from its predecessor and the value of the difference in quality can be accurately estimated, a quality adjustment can be made to the previous item’s price to include the estimated value of the difference in quality,” BLS explained. “For example, CPI analysts have estimated the value of smartphone features such as screen resolution. So if a manufacturer provides a higher resolution screen to the latest model in their smartphone line, the CPI adds the value of additional resolution to the price of the predecessor item. Similarly, should the screen decrease in resolution, the value of the higher resolution would be subtracted from the predecessor’s price.”
Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.


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Pharmaceutical and medical companies are having increasing concern for the need for sustainable packaging. But there may be other benefits to using fiber molded packaging besides sustainability. Here are 8 other reasons to consider fiber molded.
Europe usually precedes the US in sustainability laws and regulations. It also seems like the US usually follows suit within 5 years or so of the new regulations being implemented in Europe.
Every year Americans fill an estimated 4 billion prescriptions and buy even more over-the-counter medications. But we all know that the problem with recycling prescription bottles is that most curbside programs don’t accept them, which is why.
Environmentally-friendly, natural, organic, green, recycling… These are just a few common interpretations of the word sustainability. But what does it really mean? The EPA defines sustainability as the creation and maintenance of the conditions.
Last month, an innocent question on Tumblr sent the Internet into a frenzy debating the color of a dress – some seeing it as white and gold, others as black and blue. Even when Roman Originals, the company that manufactures the dress, confirmed.
There’s no question that today’s consumers consider sustainability and social consequences when shopping, and many are putting their money where their values are. In fact, according to Nielsen’s recently released 2014 Global Survey on Corporate.
When it comes to sustainability, we are all quite familiar with the “Go Green” mantra – from calls to buy organically grown food the local farmers' market to reminders to energy proof our homes or to use of reusable water bottles and shopping.


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Japanese developer and publisher Sunsoft will seemingly be hosting a second presentation next week.
The company, which was prolific during the ’80s and ’90s but has been quiet in recent years, held a presentation in August 2022 called Sunsoft is Back, in which it announced some new games.
This second stream, which is titled Sunsoft is Back 2, will go live on April 19 at 11pm PT / April 20 at 2am ET / April 20 at 7am BST.
The first livestream, which can be replayed above, revealed three titles – an action roguelike called Ikki Unite which supports 16 players online, and re-releases of rare Sunsoft NES platformers Gimmick and Ufouria: The Saga.
During the first stream, the host – a virtual character called Sunsoft-Nosuke – noted: “There were honestly a few [announcements] that we couldn’t present today. That one, that one, that one or that one. I couldn’t even unveil the remake.”
It’s possible, then, that this remake could be announced during the second presentation next week.
Sunsoft is the video game division of Japanese electronics manufacturer Sun Corporation. In October 1978, Sunsoft began to develop video games in arcades with two titles, Block Challenger and Block Perfect.
It had several arcade hits in the early 1980s, such as Arabian, Ikki and Kangaroo, and on July 25, 1985, it began its relationship with Nintendo with the release of its first Famicom title Super Arabian.
Sunsoft is perhaps best known in the west for its Batman title, often known by fans as “Sunsoft Batman”.
In the first presentation, Sunsoft-Nosuke noted: “Sunsoft is known for being a video game developer and publisher for over 40 years, but in the recent few years we were not so active because of grown-up things.
“However, during this period, we were preparing for something.”


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With the 4th anniversary of Xiaomi coming on 12th July, the company has decided to provide many offers to customers. With the Xiaomi super sale all set to happen for 3 days, it is expected that people will be definitely benefited. Besides many other offers, flash sales have been happening for a price of just Rs 4. In this offer, MI LED TV 4(55 inch) Redmi Y2, Redmi Note 5 Pro, MI Band 2 devices can be purchased by users for just Rs 4 as announced by Xiaomi.
Besides the company is also selling many smart phones at offer prices and Xiaomi has also partnered with banks like State Bank of India and wallet services like Mobikwik to offer cash back offers. For a purchase worth 7500, SBI customers can get 500 cash back, and PayTM users purchasing products worth 8999 can get cash back of 500, and payment using Mobikwik can help users get a discount of 25%. This flash sale happens at 4pm, and electronic devices can be purchased for Rs 4.
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 has its price
reduced from 29999 to 27999, and Mi Max price has been reduced from 15999 to
14999. Besides sale of several items like Redmi Note 5 Pro, MI LED TV will
begin by 12pm. Xiaomi MI Max 3 the flagship model with its
excellent features is all set to be launched as well.
Single use plastic be banned in TN from January 1, 2019 Accordingly Tamilnadu Plastic Manufacturers’ Association (TAPMA) has planned to hold a demonstration on Thursday, asking Tamilnadu government to withdraw its plastic ban that would take effect from January 1, 2019. Meanwhile TAPMA members allege that the government order is discriminatory in nature, which allows the use of plastics in many government sectors and large scale private sectors, while the same is banned for the public and small scale private sectors.
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A Lanarkshire shopping centre is preparing to fully reopen with the Scottish Government further easing Covid restrictions from April 26.
While full details have yet to be confirmed non-essential retail, restaurant operators and leisure outlets at EK, East Kilbride is getting set to welcome back customers after a period of almost four months.
The centre itself has remained open for access to essential retail with a limited number of stores trading.
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There will be free parking for up to three hours on Saturdays, all day on Sundays and after 4pm every day.
A spokesperson for EK, East Kilbride said: “We have been following government advice closely throughout the pandemic and are delighted that we are now in a position to shortly welcome more visitors to the centre.
“This has been an extremely challenging time for everyone and we would like to thank all our retailers and employees for their tireless work to keep the centre safe and secure for all those working and shopping here.
“Although we are pleased to see restrictions lifted, it is important to remember that the country is still dealing with the pandemic and certain measures will continue to be in place at the centre, including the wearing of face masks and social distancing.
"We would like to thank all those visiting the centre for their patience and understanding and for continuing to follow all advice and guidance.”
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Retailers will be operating their stores in line with their company policies and stores will have socially distanced queuing systems, which customers should be mindful of.
Some stores will also be operating one-way entry and exit systems. The EK website ( www.eklife.co.uk ) has information on centre opening times with specific store information available from individual retailers.
The centre has also introduced a new car parking system that will be fully operational from April 26.
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Contactless payment is now available and parking tokens will be on a ‘one use’ cycle, meaning that no token will be handled by more than one person before it is sanitised.
More details can be found at https://eklife.co.uk/car-parking


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Driverless cars will transport people through the streets of Milton Keynes from 2015, in the biggest test yet of the futuristic vehicles in Britain.
Vince Cable, the business secretary, announced that 20 of the vehicles will travel on special pathways separated from pedestrians around the Buckinghamshire town's shopping centre.
By mid-2017 it is planned that 100 fully autonomous cars will be in operation, sharing pathways with pedestrians and equipped with sensors to avoid collisions.
The driverless pods, which can carry two people each, will be able to travel at a maximum speed of 12mph and come with screen that allows passengers to check email and browse the internet while being ferried to their destination.
"By 2050, very few – if any – new cars will be powered solely by the traditional internal combustion engines, so it is important that the UK car industry is at the cutting edge of low-carbon technologies," Cable said.
"Driverless cars are another invention that has the potential to generate the kind of high-skilled jobs we want Britain to be famous for, as well as cutting congestion and pollution and improving road safety."
Cable unveiled the £1.5m project on a visit to Northampton on Thursday, where he also announced a £75m fund to produce and test low-carbon engines.
While the exact specification of the pods is yet to be finalised, a prototype image of the vehicle has three wheels and a see-through lid that flips up for passengers to step in or out. Each journey could cost £2, although that will be subject to a study next year.
Initially the driverless cars will ferry passengers from the town's rail station to its shopping centre just over a mile away – currently a 20-minute uphill walk.
One person close to the project said the exact make and model of the cars was yet to be decided, but that one option under consideration was the EN-V by General Motors, dubbed the "bubble car", which was first unveiled in 2010.
Most big carmakers – including Nissan, Toyota and Volvo – are already developing self-driving technology and incorporating it into models on Britain's roads.
Volvo claimed a first in August when it tested a car with "steer assist", which took control of the brakes, engine and steering from the driver at the press of two buttons.
In California, Google has claimed that its driverless cars have travelled 400,000 miles without a crash.
But it is not the technology behind autonomous vehicles that is problematic, according to Professor Martin Spring of Lancaster University, it is how they will fit into the existing road system.
"This is an important experiment to have, but we could miss an opportunity by trying to make it fit into a system designed for humans," he said, describing insurance claims as one area of uncertainty for self-driving cars.
Geoff Snelson, strategy director at Milton Keynes council, said there was some trepidation about the plans – "some have said 'Crikey, it'll never be safe'" – but that it added to the town's reputation as a place to experiment with novel technologies.
"Locally the immediate reaction has been overwhelmingly interest and excitement," he said.
"We've had questions about how it will work in practice but the initial response is people are very, very excited. We're hoping people will be queuing up to use the cars and will see it as a point of interest to come visit Milton Keynes."


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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Radley Corporation, a global provider of MES and WMS software and Smart Label Solutions, a supply chain management provider of RFID products and engineering announced a technology partnership. The strategic relationship will provide existing and future customers with access to a comprehensive platform of RFID services, software solutions, hardware and supplies.
"We are proud to partner with SLS," said David Barks, Sr. Vice President of Radley Corporation. "Continuing to expand our RFID technology product platform opens the door for many of our current customers to consider RFID in the coming years and will also help us succeed in future opportunities." He added, "Their experience, history in the industry and understanding of RFID technology will be invaluable during RFID project implementations."
Both companies are headquartered in the state of Michigan and have been serving the manufacturing and supply chain industries for decades; watching RFID technology grow and evolve. Radley's software which captures data throughout an organizations processes, whether utilizing traditional bar codes, machine integration or the use of RFID allows their customers to have access to real-time data across the supply chain that can be integrated into an ERP or business system(s). "The collaboration of our consulting and hardware experience with Radley's software platform creates a sophisticated end-to-end RFID solution offering," said SLS's President, Jeff Hudson. Smart Label Solutions specializes in custom engineered RFID labeling and hardware; providing the evaluation, recommendation and roadmap to implementing multi-site integrated systems meeting the latest technology requirements and is best known for their smartPORTAL for harsh environments.
Radley Corporation will be showcasing an SLS portal at the RFID Journal Live! conference and exhibition taking place May 3-5 in Orlando, Florida. Be sure to stop by the Radley booth #112 and the SLS booth #1042 to learn how you can make RFID technology work for you.
About Radley Corporation Radley provides EDI, manufacturing and warehouse solutions to organizations around the world looking to improve the efficiency and productivity of their business logistics processes. To learn more, talk to a Product Specialist at 616-541-6010 or visit www.radley.com today.


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Gambling Companies Make Up 10% Of Swedish TV Ad Spend
The online gambling market in Sweden is undergoing changes which include the planned privatization of the state-owned betting monopoly Svenska Spel. As this unfolds many interested parties are looking to gain an advantage of their competitors by securing market share. This has led to a massive marketing campaign on gambling related TV ad spending which has shown some interesting facts.
A report by Stockholm based media consultant firm Mediavison shows that 10% of all Swedish television ad buys are gambling related which is an increase from the 3% in 2013.
There are over 30 domestic and international operators who spent money on advertising in H1 of 2016 of which international gambling operators make up 75% of the gambling spend. The numbers are surprisingly good as overall TV advertising spend is down by $11.8 m for the first seven months of 2016 and this trend is expected to continue according to the Advertising and Media Statistics.
Offshore gambling companies have doubled their TV ad buys in the last two years with Unibet in particular investing heavily in TV ads. In fact they have surpassed the state owned Svenska Spel as the largest gambling advertiser on Swedish Television. This investment seems to be paying off as it is the offshore operator with the largest number of active customers for the Swedish market. It remains to be seen if this spending spree will continue once the new regulations take hold.


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Maruti Suzuki is currently concentrating on bringing in more S-CNG vehicles and the flex-fuel technology is also being developed for the future
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is reportedly developing zero-emission vehicles for launch before the middle of this decade. While the exact timeframe has not been revealed, MSIL appears to be focussing on its S-CNG lineup along with flex-fuel technology to lower the emission levels and to offer customers high fuel efficiency in its product portfolio.
In a virtual conference on the largest carmaker in the country’s Q2 earnings yesterday, it has been said that the launch date for EVs will be decided by the parental Suzuki firm based out of Japan. MSIL’s Chairman, RC Bhargava was quoted saying, “Having volumes of a few 1000s is very good but they leave us unexcited. We will not be happy if we sell 1000 cars in a month, we have gone to much higher volumes.”
Tata Motors has made immense strides in the passenger electric vehicle segment since the launch of the Nexon EV in early 2020 based on the Ziptron technology and only a few months ago, the updated Tigor EV was introduced. The eco-friendly range will be expanded further in the coming months as the Punch EV is currently being considered and the electrified Altroz has been in the works for some time already.
Bhargava wants to see greater demand for EVs as he noted that if his company starts to sell EVs, it would like to be around 10,000 units per month as he is targetting higher volumes from the get-go. In addition, he is convinced that the prices regarding batteries, infra, and electrical elements are really hard to predict right now.
MSIL, as we previously said, is concentrating on meeting the demand for CNG models as the arrival of the more stringent BSVI emission standards led to the discontinuation of many entry-level diesel engines, and to meet high fuel economy, CNG cars are preferred by customers in large number in the mass market space.
This comes on the back of the central government encouraging CNG vehicles for personal transportation and for instance, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said flex-fuel engines will be made mandatory for all vehicle types within six months. MSIL reported a decline of 66 per cent in its consolidated profit to Rs. 486.9 crore in the quarter ending last month against Rs. 1,419.6 crore during the same period last year.


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While some drought-stricken areas in Texas suffered from the death of Christmas trees to thirst and fire, at least one Amarillo nursery is well- insulated from the drought’s devastation this holiday season.
Christmas tree enthusiasts kept Coulter Gardens and Nursery, 4200 S. Coulter St., busy Friday as customers lined up to buy a new shipment of cut fir trees that had just arrived from Oregon, owner Warren Reid said.
Devastating Texas and New Mexico droughts have not affected Christmas tree supplies for Reid’s store. Reid said he gets his plants from areas that were not affected.
He said cut firs came from Oregon as usual, but he had to switch things up with his pinon pine Christmas trees this year. Insect infestations in central New Mexico killed pinon pines in that area, forcing Reid to seek a supply of the plantable trees from Oklahoma.
“Seventy to 80 percent of what we grow in Amarillo comes from outside of Texas,” he said. “A lot of our bedding plants come out of Denver, a lot of shrubs come out of California, and trees come out of Oklahoma because of freight issues and those areas are more acclimated to Amarillo temperatures than Dallas or Houston is. Because of where we buy our stuff from, the drought didn’t affect our supplies for us.”
The worst consequence of the drought for Reid’s business was the hit he took in bug spray sales. The drought killed off pests like mosquitoes, eliminating demand for his organic and nonorganic bug repellents, he said.
But many Texas and Oklahoma tree farmers have not been so fortunate, the Associated Press reports.
Texas experienced less than 11 inches of rain this year, compared to a yearly average of about 24 inches. Oklahoma also fell short of its 30 inches of average rainfall with 18.7 inches this year.
The AP reported evergreen trees, which thrive in more temperate climates, have had an especially tough time surviving in drought conditions, although drought-resistant plants such as the juniper brush are also dying out.
Most Texas farmers will import trees from North Carolina to supplement any of their own trees they may have left, Marshall Cathey, president of the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association, told the AP.
Farmers do not plan to raise prices because in the current, downed economy, most people do not want to pay more than $40 or $50 for a Christmas tree, the AP reported.
Texas families who hoped to cut down a homegrown Christmas tree in Texas will have a harder time finding one this year, the AP said, further hurting dozens of Texas’ 120 Christmas tree farmers’ chances to break even this year.
The deaths of young saplings are maybe the worst aspect of the drought, guaranteeing the effects of the drought are far from over.


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Uganda’s mobile money use drops by $182 million in two weeks
Friday, August 3, 2018
By Nelson Wesonga, Moses Kyeyune
Mobile Money use fell by more than half a trillion Shillings following the introduction of tax on the transactions, Bank of Uganda (BoU) has said.
Mr Charles Abuka, the BoU’s director of statistics, said: “…the value of Mobile Money transactions declined by Shs672 billion in the first two weeks of July 2018, compared to the first two weeks of June 2018, in part, following the announcement of the Excise Duty Amendment Act, 2018, introducing a tax of one per cent of the value of the transaction that would apply on mobile money transactions.”
Mr Abuka told the parliamentary Committee on Finance yesterday that the decline suggests users could have switched from electronic transacting to cash.
Photo courtesy of Simone McCourtie.


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Lackluster demand for its flagship Galaxy S6 smartphone and higher marketing costs led Samsung Electronics to another quarter of falling sales and profits in the April to June period.
Facebook has posted strong sales results for the second quarter, showing continued success in its advertising business, though its costs also rose sharply.
Enterprise customers can expect to hear more from e-commerce giant Alibaba Group. The Chinese company is accelerating the global expansion of its cloud computing business, with a US$1 billion investment.
Japanese gaming icon Nintendo posted a profit for the April-June quarter on Wednesday thanks in part to surging sales of a game in which players can squirt ink all over the place and transform into squids.
Twitter reported a higher than expected increase in revenue on Tuesday, suggesting progress in the company's efforts to grow its ad sales.
An appeals court has ruled that shareholders cannot sue Facebook or Mark Zuckerberg in a case that accused the company of withholding key financial information from the public until after its IPO.
Cloud services continue to grow by leaps and bounds for Amazon.com.
After ten years of making networked set-top boxes, Cisco Systems plans to quit the business, selling its Connected Devices division to French firm Technicolor, the companies said Thursday.
Qualcomm will cut costs by about $1.4 billion per year and study the possible sale of assets as part of a company realignment.
AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV appears headed for approval, with Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission circulating to commissioners an order recommending approval, although with some conditions.
Yahoo has reported an uncharacteristic rise in revenue for the second quarter, but it came with a hefty sum spent on boosting its search traffic.
Apple reported an unusual misstep in the April-to-June quarter, selling fewer iPhones than analysts had been expecting, but it wasn't all bad news from Cupertino.
Microsoft has reported its first quarterly loss in three years, largely as a result of a $7.5 billion write-down for its acquisition last year of Nokia's devices and services business.
Mainframes mainstay of IBM results... Tech lobbying booms... Uber takes to courts... and more tech news
IBM has reported another quarter of declining revenue and profit, though sales of its new mainframe gave it a lift.
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Editor's Note: We thought this piece was important to revisit; since publication of this piece, both the Amazon-Berkshire Hathaway-JPMorgan trifecta and Amazon's recent acquisition of PillPack were announced.
Amazon’s entry into healthcare is inevitable. (In fact, Amazon is already in healthcare. As are Google, and Apple, but that’s an article for another day). The recent rumors don’t shed much light on the timing and trajectory, and industry experts are hotly debating the extent to which Amazon could play in the space, but 1) Amazon’s partnership with Merck to develop digital voice-enabled solutions for people living with chronic diseases, 2) the 1492 initiative leaked this summer indicating Amazon has healthcare tech in its sights, and 3) Amazon’s recent entry into OTC and acquisition of medical device licenses are just a few signals of where Amazon might first make major impact. In the infographic below, we highlight Amazon's potential three steps to enter the industry.


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KAMPALA, UGANDA: Telecom giants, Africell Uganda Limited has announced it will be exiting the Ugandan market in October this year after seven years of operations.
“Africell UG will stop services on October 7, 2021. The decision is being made in the long-term interest of the Ugandan telecom sector,” the company announced in an internal memo passed out to its employees.
Last week, DailyExpress reported that the telecom company owned by Africell Holdings (53%) and Hits Telecom Holdings (47) was reportedly closing down operations to exit the economy as the side effects of Covid-19 continue to bite.
Africell Uganda which has been in existence since 2014 when it purchased Orange Telecom that also sought exit of the Ugandan Market due to economic uncertainties has also announced exit of the market citing the same reasons.
“We believe that the opportunity to achieve this impact is increasingly limited. We have therefore taken the difficult decision to permanently end Africell UG’s operations in Uganda,” the company said further revealing that they can no longer achieve the dream of impacting through a digitally-led transformation of society, hence the need to pull out of the market. ”
At the time of its launch, Africell inherited an estimated 1,000,000 subscribers from Orange Telecom, and this number at the time of its exit has grown to over 3,000,000 in 7 years, according to the company’s subscriber analytics.
“As of September 8, 2021, Africell UG is no longer accepting new customers. In the next month, we will be helping current customers switch to other operators,” the company said further.
The company however assured its employees that whereas it ceases operations in October, their last day for employment will be November 2021 and will be paid all their due emoluments.
“In addition to a full salary and benefits during your notice period, Africell UG will offer you severance pay and payment of unused annual leave allowance,” the company told employees.
The company noted that each of the employees would be contacted by the human resource manager to explain their specific packages.
“Although Africell regrets the immediate impact this decision will have, we believe it is a justified long-term transition and we are closely supporting affected employees and customers.”
Africell has been the third-largest telecommunications company in Uganda by customer numbers with the company majorly specializing in offering 4G fast internet service and affordable data packages in the country.
Africell’s imminent departure follows the exit of Smart Telecom which closed operations in Uganda at the end of last month.
Smart Telecom, owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), indicated that the effects of the Covid-19 was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.


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The US' top source of Internet traffic, Netflix beats the Net neutrality drum in a new filing to FCC, with a nod to HBO's viral comedy-show clip.
At the IFA electronics show, CEO Boo-Keun Yoon promised safer, healthier, and more energy-efficient homes and said the transformation will come as fast as smartphones did.
GE's microfactory, FirstBuild, teams with the AllSeen Alliance to bring its innovative approach to appliances to the Internet of things.
The consumer electronics giant has thrown its weight behind an effort to get devices on the Internet of Things to communicate and cooperate. There are several such groups, though.
Tech giants join forces to create the Open Interconnect Consortium, setting up a rivalry with a similarly minded, Linux-focused group.
In an effort to decrease buffering and increase streaming speeds, the video service signs a deal with the Internet service provider to get a direct connection to broadband customers.
Nest, Samsung, and others found an Internet of Things standards group, following a handful of other organizations.
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Alaska pollock producers say they’re working with the federal government to assure all loopholes are closed before the Federal Register announcement is published that seals a ban on import of Russian seafood, including imports of Russia-caught seafood processed in China.
Under an executive order issued by the White House on Dec. 22, no Russia-originated seafood is permitted for import into the U.S. after mid-February. The ban includes salmon, cod, crab and pollock, either harvested in Russian waters or by Russian vessels anywhere.
The bulk of the world’s supply of pollock, a popular and succulent whitefish, is harvested in Russia and Alaska. Alaska pollock is mostly sold as once-frozen fillet blocks or surimi caught by U.S. trawlers and processed in the U.S., while Russian caught pollock is frozen at sea and then reprocessed in China before being sold in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere.
An article posted on Jan. 10 by the online publication SeafoodSource notes that only three pollock harmonized tariff schedule (HTS) category codes are restricted under the White House executive order.
CEO Craig Morris of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) said Jan. 15 that it is working with the federal government to be sure any loopholes in the initial executive order are closed before the document is published in the Federal Register, which he expects to be done soon.
Meanwhile, the federal Office of Foreign Assets Control guidance listing the HTS codes has no legal status and subsequent rulemaking will formally define relevant HTS codes subject to that executive order.
Morris said a major concern is that U.S. consumers purchasing retail pollock know where their fish is coming from and that their purchases are not supporting Russian’s war in the Ukraine.
“This executive order will close that loophole,” he said.
As for Alaska pollock sales overall, fish sticks are doing particularly well and GAPP is really optimistic about a strong upcoming Lent season, he said. Lent begins Feb. 14 and ends March 27.


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BLUE SPRINGS, Miss., (Sept. 22, 2012) – For the fifth consecutive year, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi, Inc., (TMMMS) team members and their families teamed up with the local community to support National Public Lands Day (NPLD). This year’s activity drew approximately 700 Toyota team members and their families who volunteered at Howard Stafford Park in Pontotoc. They performed painting, planting, trash clean-up, installation of new fire pits and a new walking track around the park’s lake.
ERLANGER, Ky. (July 24, 2012) – Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. (TMMC) announced today that it will invest more than $100 million and hire approximately 400 team members to increase Lexus production at its Cambridge, Ontario facility.
Filed under: Japan , Plants/Manufacturing , Nissan , Toyota , South Korea The strong yen has Japanese carmakers looking to optimize every efficiency in order to keep their cars competitive in export markets. One strategy gaining momentum is to do some island hopping, specifically, moving plants and manufacturing to Kyushu, the southernmost main island in the Japanese archipelago. Car production there as a percentage of total Japanese production has doubled from 2001 to 2011, but more startling are the recent increases: Nissan just moved its Note and Caravan production there, Toyota is boosting production there by 600 percent, and total units made in Kyushu climbed 21 percent from 2010 to 2011. The three big factors involved are lower personnel costs, lower auto parts costs and increased productivity because of newer, more efficient factories. Companies can save ten percent on personnel in Kyushu versus traditional manufacturing centers like Aichi and Kanagawa, which are on the main island of Honshu and near major cities like Nagoya and Tokyo. Kyushu is also much closer to the South Korean peninsula, and the weakness of the South Korean won means importing lower-priced Korean auto parts is an even more attractive option. Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun says it could soon be the Detroit of Japan. The prediction could be sped up if intergovernment talks can rework laws on transportation: it’s illegal for trucks with South Korean plates to drive on Japanese roads, so trucks hauling parts get shipped to Kyushu ports and their cargo is transferred to Japanese trucks. Japanese and South Korean officials are working to determine how to allow trucks from across the strait to travel unhindered from Korean auto parts factories to Japanese car factories. Kyushu on the road to becoming Japan’s Motor City originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 12:02:00 EST.
Filed under: Japan , Plants/Manufacturing , Nissan , Toyota No surprise here. Both Nissan and Toyota have moved to cut production in Japan , according to Reuters . Nissan has made it clear that it will will drop capacity from the 1.35 million units produced in 2011 to 1.15 million in 2013. In 2012, Nissan expects to produce 1.22 million vehicles in its home country, though production is expected to increase in countries like China , Brazil and Russia to help offset the drop. The report says Nissan has already stopped production on two lines at its Oppama plant, and the manufacturer has plans to stop production of the Tiida in Japan altogether. The story is much the same with Toyota. The manufacturer has announced that by 2014, it will cut production in Japan by around 10 percent to 3.1 million vehicles. Before the financial crisis, Toyota produced 3.9 million units domestically. But that was when it still made financial sense to build machines in Japan and export them around the world. Japan has seen its currency strengthen against the dollar, making exports less and less financially viable.
Filed under: Car Buying , Crossover , Toyota , Electric Announced almost two years ago , Toyota finally gave us some more details about the was the all-electric RAV4 EV will be sold to the general public during the 26th Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles today. The important number? The MSRP for what Toyota calls a “fully equipped” RAV4 EV is $49,800 and will be available before the end of the year. Toyota says the RAV4 EV’s range is 100 miles and that the car will charge from empty in approximately six hours on a 240V/40A charger. The new RAV4 EV has LED and halogen headlights and it has special “environmental blue” color emblems on the outside. The vehicle will be made at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc., plant in Woodstock, Ontario. The first generation of the new RAV4 EV was unveiled back at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show . Our First Drive report is here . With a battery and powertrain designed by Tesla , the new RAV4 EV certainly appears to be one of the new breed of compliance EVs . We had heard that the RAV4 EV will be lease only, but the official press release says the car “will go on sale in late summer 2012 through select dealers, initially in four major California metropolitan markets.” Those markets are Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles/Orange County and San Diego and the news matches the rumor we heard last year, that sales about be limited to California.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (April 5, 2012) – Toyota Technical Center (TTC), a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, North America, Inc., (TEMA), announced today that the company will hire approximately 150 engineers, technicians, advanced researchers and scientists by the end of 2012.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (April 5, 2012) – The Toyota Technical Center (TTC), a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., (TEMA), announced today that the company has opened a dedicated office in California’s Silicon Valley furthering Toyota’s commitment to localizing research and development activities in North America and enhancing the customer’s experience with in-vehicle infotainment systems.
CAMBRIDGE, Ontario (March 28, 2012) – Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. (TMMC) will increase RAV4 production at its Woodstock, Ontario assembly plant from 150,000 annual capacity to 200,000 vehicles.
Filed under: Etc. , Hirings/Firings/Layoffs , Toyota Halfway down a press release announcing that Shigeki Terashi was named president and COO of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMA) was this: Jim Lentz is named CEO of Toyota Motor Sales, effective April 1. Lentz is the first American to take that position in the company. TMA is the holding company under which all of Toyota’s North American operations are grouped. Terashi will fulfill two roles when his new appointment is official on April 1, the new one and his current one as president of Toyota Engineering and Manufacturing, NA. Lentz will rise from his current position as COO. He became one of the prominent faces of Toyota during the company’s recent recall issues, publicly making the interview rounds and testifying before Congress to address the situation. Follow the jump for Toyota’s press release on the management shuffle. Continue reading Jim Lentz becomes first American CEO of Toyota Motor Sales Jim Lentz becomes first American CEO of Toyota Motor Sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:02:00 EST.
ERLANGER, Ky. (January 20, 2012) – Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA) announced today North American vehicle production for 2011.


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The Sony Airpeak drone has officially landed, with Sony giving us our first glimpse of the new flying machine at CES 2021.
And what an entrance it was, with Airpeak filmed soaring above a snowy landscape and carrying a Sony A7S III, as it kept pace with a prototype Sony Vision S car at a race track.
The short demo video emphatically answered our main question about Sony Airpeak – what kind of drone will it be? With its mildly terrifying wingspan, nifty retractable landing gear and high-end Sony Alpha payload, there's no doubt that this will (for now) be a drone for professional cinematographers.
That's a slight shame for those of us who were hoping Sony might tackle DJI head-on in an aerial photography dogfight, with an equivalent of the DJI Mavic Air 2.
But Sony has left the door open for future iterations on its Airpeak brand – could we still see a consumer drone fly from its Alpha bunker? And what else did the CES 2021 demo teach us about the first Sony Airpeak drone?
Here's everything we know so far about the exciting airborne Alpha...
- These are the best drones you can buy right now
Sony Airpeak drone release date and price
At CES 2021, Sony confirmed the Airpeak launch date that it mentioned in its first official announcement back in November 2020.
In a short statement, it said "Sony will launch a new business targeted for professional photography and video production in the spring of 2021". For worldwide readers, that means we should get more information in March or April 2021.
Interestingly, Sony refers to Airpeak as a "project" and "new business", rather than a standalone product. So it's certainly possible that the drone shown in the CES 2021 demo will be the first of a new range if Airpeak drones.
In previous years, Sony has given 'project' status to new platforms that slowly develop into fully-fledged products. For example, Sony's Project Morpheus announcement in 2014 was an early prototype system for what ultimately became PlayStation VR two years later.
Sony Airpeak is a different division, of course, and appears to be pretty fully-realized already. But it's likely to be the start of a a big new sub-brand that could ultimately be home to several drones.
Sony Airpeak is clearly a very high-end drone that will likely go head-to-head with the likes of the DJI Inspire 2.
So far, Sony hasn't given revealed anything about possible Airpeak pricing and, with so few concrete details, it's tricky to estimate a ballpark figure.
The DJI Inspire 2 is available in various bundles, depending on which of its Zenmuse camera modules you go for. And It's not yet clear whether or not Sony will sell the Airpeak drone bundled with an Alpha camera like the Sony A7S III or A9 II.
But even without a camera, the DJI Inspire 2 starts at $3,299 / £3,059 / AU$4,699. That's a very general idea of how much this level of professional drone costs, but we'll update this page when we hear more about official Airpeak pricing.
Sony Airpeak drone news, rumors and features
So far, Sony has kept an impressively tight grip on rumors surrounding its Airpeak drone project. The only information we have so far is from the official Airpeak page and the teaser video (below) shown at CES 2021.
On November 9 2020, Sony said that it had "launched a new project for drones in the field of AI robotics" and that Airpeak will "support the creativity of video creators to the fullest extent possible, aiming to contribute to the further development of the entertainment industry, as well as to improved efficiency and savings in various industries".
Sony then followed this up at CES 2021 with this slightly more precise announcement: "As the first phase of this project, Sony will launch a new business targeted for professional photography and video production in the spring of 2021." This would include a drone whose payload could include "an Alpha mirrorless camera to capture high quality, full frame aerial photography and video." You can see this in action in the video below.
Despite its size, Sony says that Airpeak is "the industry's smallest class of drone that can be equipped with the Alpha system" and that it "aims to contribute to the world of entertainment while also pursuing new possibilities for creative expression".
In terms of official information, that it's so far. But there are clearly many more Sony Airpeak secrets to reveal.
For example, in the early images we can see that it appears to have what look like pairs of obstacle avoidance sensors on the front and rear, plus another camera above that.
The interesting part of the Sony Airpeak announcement is that it's in "the field of AI robotics". It's not clear yet how all these additional cameras and sensors will help the pilot fly or shoot with the Airpeak drone, but we're looking forward to finding out.
Rivals like the DJI Inspire 2 can detect and fly around obstacles using infrared sensors, and use advanced visual tracking algorithms to lock onto subjects. Sony Alpha cameras are already masters of the latter, but it'll be interesting to see how this all integrates with the Airpeak system and where Sony might make new leaps.
Also, while the Airpeak gimbal has clearly been optimized for Sony cameras like the Sony A7S III (below), we're keen to hear exactly which cameras it'll support and if (as seems likely) this will be restricted to Alpha models only.
Will we see other Sony Airsense drones?
The arrival of such a high-end professional drone would be appear to dash earlier hopes that we might see Airpeak rival some of DJI's popular consumer drones, like the DJI Mavic Air 2.
Sony has also called Airpeak a new business targeted at "professional photography and video production". But there was a small glimmer of hope for hobbyists when Sony said that this was just the "first phase of this project".
Could we eventually see a Sony drone that's the flying equivalent of a Sony RX100 VII, rather than a professional rig for filmmakers? We'd love to see it, but for the timebeing it looks unlikely.
That said, Sony has given us a glimpse what that concept could like with some patents over the past couple of years. Of course, patents don't necessarily lead to final products – in fact, more often than not, they remain wireframe concepts. But they at least show that Sony has been considering a more consumer-focused drone.
The first patent for a Sony drone was picked up by Sony Alpha Rumors back in 2018. This showed a folding design where the rotors all fold into a square holder, which is fronted by a touchscreen controller. The idea being that you can detach the touchscreen holder in order to fly the drone.
This concept was further developed in another patent in October 2019 which hinted at other features like gesture control – for example, one page contains an idea labelled "stretch out palm under flying device".
Interestingly, much of these patents refer to a device that has more in common with entry-level drones like the AirSelfie 2, which arrived back at CES 2018, rather than a aerial powerhouse like the new Sony Airpeak drone.
But one thing is clear from both the patents and official Airpeak announcement – Sony's idea of a drone is an AI-powered flying camera that does a lot of the heavy lifting, in both flying and image-taking terms, for you. Whether Sony applies this philosophy to a DJI-rivaling consumer drone, though, remains to be seen.


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BEIJING – Declaring war on the “white pollution” choking its cities, farms and waterways, China is banning free plastic shopping bags and calling for a return to the cloth bags of old – steps largely welcomed by merchants and shoppers yesterday.
The measure eliminates the flimsiest bags and forces stores to charge for others, making China the latest nation to target plastic bags in a bid to cut waste and conserve resources.
Beijing residents appeared to take the ban in stride, reflecting rising environmental consciousness and concern over skyrocketing oil prices.
“If we can reduce waste and save resources, then it's good both for us and the whole world,” said college student Xu Lixian, who was buying tangerines out of cardboard boxes at a sidewalk stall.
The ban takes effect June 1, barely two months before Beijing hosts the Summer Olympic Games, ahead of which it has been demolishing run-down neighborhoods and working to clear smog.
Businesses will be prohibited from manufacturing, selling or using bags less than 0.00098 of an inch thick, according to the order issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet. The council's orders constitute the highest level of administrative regulation, and follow-through is carefully monitored.
More durable plastic bags still will be permitted for sale by markets and shops.
The regulation, dated Dec. 31 and posted on a government Web site Tuesday, called for “a return to cloth bags and shopping baskets to reduce the use of plastic bags.”
It also urged waste collectors to step up recycling efforts to reduce the amount of bags burned or buried. Finance authorities were told to consider tax measures to discourage plastic bag production and sale.
Internationally, legislation to discourage plastic bag use has been passed in parts of South Africa, Ireland and Taiwan, where authorities either tax shoppers who use them or impose fees on companies that distribute them. Bangladesh bans them, as do at least 30 remote Alaskan villages.
Last year, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban petroleum-based plastic bags in large grocery stores.
In France, supermarket chains have begun shying away from giving away plastic bags, and German stores must pay a recycling fee if they wish to offer them. Ireland's surcharge on bags imposed in 2003 has been credited with sharply reducing demand.
Yesterday, in a bid to curb the environmental impact of nearly 1 billion plastic bags used by New York City consumers annually, members of the City Council passed a bill requiring large stores to set up recycling programs.
In Beijing, the elderly proprietor of a combined clothing and grocery shop said the Chinese government measure could reduce sales initially but would be beneficial in the long run.
“It's a bother, but these bags really do create a lot of pollution, so it should be a good thing,” he said, adding that the measure would make little difference to his costs because he spends just 10 yuan ($1.35) a month on such bags.


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The Mac Observer is always on the lookout for great products when we're at trade shows, conferences, and expos, and at CES 2014 in Las Vegas we found a couple that really stood out for us. Read on to see which products earned TMO Editors' Choice Awards this year.
Just because Apple won't have a booth at CES next week doesn't mean the iPhone and iPad maker won't have a presence. This year CES will be using the company's iBeacon technology for an on-site scavenger hunt to collect digital badges and win prizes.
The Mac Observer Spin The Mac Observer Spin is how we show you what our authors think about a news story at quick glance. Read More →
CES is promoting iBeacon technology in a big way this year. That has to make all of those Android phone makers that chose to go with NFC feel pretty good.
As a "perk" for MacTech attendees, the non-profit organization, New Starship, setup a full replica of the Enterprise NCC-1701-D bridge from Star Trek: The Next Generation. According to New Starship Founder and CEO Huston Huddleston, these props are partially from the (now defunct) Vegas experience and mostly from the touring production thereof. A dozen images and more details await... after the jump!
The Mac Observer is planning to interview Apple developers at MacTech 2013 in Los Angeles next week. If you’re a Mac or iOS developer and are attending MacTech, read on for information on how to set up an interview with TMO's Dave Hamilton.
The BtX350 wireless compact bluetooth stereo speaker provides rich, full-bodied sound, strong bass and wirelessly streams via Bluetooth or connects to non-wireless items, such as iPods, with a standard 3.5mm plug. The addition of easy to reach operational buttons, makes this a useful speaker.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 7 to developers on Monday, just two weeks after the company announced the first beta at the annual World Wide Developer Conference on June 10th. In addition to support for iPhone, iOS 7 Seed 2 also supports iPad for the first time.
Since 2009, The Mac Observer has been interviewing Apple developers at WWDC to take the pulse of the developer community and allow them to tell their stories to the readers. All of these interviews have been extraordinary, and we thought it was time to provide links to every interview for reference.
Scott Morrison was teaching high school computer science when he decided he needed a hobby. So he decided to learn Objective-C as a hobby. One thing led to another, and soon he was creating mail plug-ins for OS X 10.3 Jaguar's Mail app.Mr. Morrison quit his job with some trepidation, worried about the isolated life of a developer, and started his software business. He told his story to TMO's Dave Hamilton at WWDC.
Eight years ago, Dave Teare and his business partner were developing websites with Ruby on Rails. They were working with forms and had to constantly enter user names and passwords. That was tiresome, so they eventually developed a tool that allowed them to enter that data with a click. It was to be a one month project. Eight years later, 1Password is going strong on OS X and iOS. And Windows. And Android.
Alf Watt attended MacWorld New York in 1999 and saw Steve Jobs launch AirPort in the first iBook and base stations. A geek at heart, he immediately wanted to understand this new technology, and iStumbler for Mac OS 9 was the result. Later, he headed a team at Apple working on Wi-Fi technologies. Basically, Mr. Watt has spent ten years making an invisible technology, indistinguishable from magic, very visible. The story of how that turned out includes fascinating technical tidbits about how Wi-Fi works.
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