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As you may have heard, the Louisville legend Muhammad Ali passed away this past week. The city of Louisville is welcoming back our icon with a celebration of his life. His funeral will be held at the KFC Yum! Center this Friday following a procession through the city. Due to the dignitaries and monumental celebration taking place next to El Toro, our office will be closed this Friday. Sales and ad operations will still be working and available and there will be no interruption in service.
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In the new role, Adil will be responsible for creating a differentiated and superior customer experience and will continue reporting to the MD and CEO.
“Saba’s rich experience of over 18 years in diverse roles including human resources, project management, customer insights and operations will be very relevant and valuable for Aegon Life Insurance. She has led transformational roles in digital innovation; created and launched a well thought business strategy working with a core group of people as well as led a recent project on customer driven innovation,” said Vineet Arora, MD and CEO of Aegon Life Insurance.
Adil joined the company in 2007 as one of the founding members and has since played a role in creating a powerful culture, aligning the organisation to company values, building a strong employee value proposition, capability building for a future fit organisation and personalised employee experiences.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- ET Markets
- Smart Investing
- Ministries told to Spot New Assets for Monetisation
The Centre has asked ministries and departments to identify fresh assets that could be monetised expeditiously to bring back on track the monetisation process, which currently stands way short of the budget target for this fiscal year.‘India One of the Best-Performing Mkts in Region, Time to Lean in’
A new generation of Indian entrepreneurs are challenging themselves and the country to think differently about what the future of business could look like, TPG Capital’s founding partner Jim Coulter told ET in an exclusive interview.Tata Consumer to Acquire Bisleri for About ₹7,000 Cr
Almost three decades after selling soft drink brands Thums Up, Gold Spot and Limca to Coca-Cola, Ramesh Chauhan is divesting Bisleri International to Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) for an estimated ₹6,000-7,000 crore.
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The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce predicts that Lunar New Year spending in Thailand would hit a three-year high of 45 billion baht ($1.36 billion), up 13.6% as the economy picks up and Chinese tourism increases.
Spending often increases as local Thais and tourists from China and other Asian countries celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Since Chinese tourists made up roughly a third of Thailand’s 40 million foreign visitors in the year before the pandemic, China’s reopening has sparked optimism that they will soon return.
At least five million Chinese tourists are expected this year, with about 300,000 arriving in the first quarter so far.
According to UTCC president Thanavath Phonvichai, businesses are also bullish about China’s reopening since it would boost tourism and jobs in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, which he expects to increase 3.6% this year.


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ePHOTOzine brings you a daily round up of all the latest photography news including camera news, exhibitions, events, special offers, industry news, digital photography news, announcements and launches.
Sony introduce a series of small cameras which they say will give a 'big performance'.
- 12 Jan 2012
Sony introduce a mixture of high-zoom and tough compact cameras.
- 20 Feb 2013
Sony has announced three new compact cameras, the top of the range model features an 18.2 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor.
- 30 Jan 2012
Sony has announced the RX1R II, a palm sized camera packing a 42.4 megapixel full frame image sensor.
- 14 Oct 2015
- Sony Corporation


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One of YouTube’s largest International stars, Rémi Gaillard, has always been a crowd-favorite when it comes to YouTube. With over 3 Million subscribers, his videos regularly get more than 1 Million views. His most popular video features Gaillard in a high-powered Go-kart in full Mario gear chucking bananas at cars as he drives around town; he’s also known for being a great soccer (trick) player, as well as his catch phrase, seen above “It is by doing whatever, that we become whoever.” Indeed, the anonymity of tomfoolery ultimately sky-rocketed Gaillard into a perhaps unwanted spotlight, and his most recent video featured some unwanted nudity that triggered YouTube’s censorship.
Gaillard has always held a Dailymotion account, though the bulk of his social media pushes and followers reside on YouTube; however, where YouTube saw censorship, Dailymotion saw a front-page opportunity.
“Rémi Gaillard returns with a censored video”
The Dailymotion team has pounced on the opportunity, pushing the video to the home page of the site, communicating the #NSFW video via Twitter & Facebook.
— Dailymotion France (@Dailymotion_FR) September 9, 2013
While Dailymotion remains, by far, the 2nd largest UGC video site behind leader YouTube, there is clearly still room for improvement. At a recent YouTube event, entrepreneur Jason Calacanis spoke (and subsequently blogged) about how YouTube is creating unsustainable working conditions for its artists, and sooner or later, many of those stars will begin exploring alternatives.
Gaillard won’t be deleting his YouTube account anytime soon – in fact, even Calacanis admitted his company will still post videos to YouTube – however, it is clear that YouTube’s power over its artists must, and will diminish in the coming years. Large players like Netflix & Amazon Instant Video are looking at YouTube & Dailymotion with envy – zero investment in the artists, and phenomenal returns.
It’s not all fun and games in the web video industry; however, for now, we can still enjoy the fruits of their labor.


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As part of its plans to roll out Rainforest Alliance-certified teas worldwide by 2015, Lipton is making the United States its next market for the product.
Lipton tea bearing the Rainforest logo will hit U.S. shelves in May, and the goal is that all Lipton products globally be certified, Vindi Banga, president of Foods, Home and Personal Care for Unilever, which owns Lipton, told Reuters.
Lipton markets about 12 percent of all tea sold worldwide.
Next up for Unilever is to exclusively use palm oil certified by Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil for its beauty products by 2015, Banga said, adding that the Netherlands-based Unilever purchases about 4 percent of all palm oil produced globally.
Also, Unilever, which had $61 billion in global sales in 2008, is developing its own criteria for sustainably sourcing tomatoes for its products, including Ragu tomato sauce. Unilever buys about 7 percent of the world’s tomatoes, Banga said.
Acreage certified by the Rainforest Alliance has ballooned. Farm and forest land certified by the group totaled 131 million acres in 2008, up 23 percent from 107 million acres in 2007, Reuters reports.
It’s not just Lipton adding to Rainforest Alliance’s portfolio of clients.
Gloria Jean’s Coffees International, a Sydney-based company, is nearing its 2010 target to sell 85 percent Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee, according to the article.


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Coinrail, which is among the world's top 100 crypto exchanges by trading volume, said in a statement that some of the lesser-known cryptocurrencies, such as NPXS, belonging to its users were stolen by hackers. The crash widens bitcoin's year-to-date losses to as much as 50%, wiping about $120 billion off its market value this year.
Bethesda Confirms Development of "Starfield", a New Sci-Fi Franchise
Starfield is the first new franchise in twenty-five years from the acclaimed developers of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. We know virtually nothing about the game other than that it will be set in space, and that it isn't coming out any time soon.
South Korea has emerged as a hotbed for trading in virtual currencies over the past year. The Coinrail virtual currency exchange was breached over the weekend.
While the price of Bitcoin may have taken a nosedive, there's still likely to be a heavy appetite for it as some traders speculate on when the price might suddenly surge in order to make a quick buck. NY time on Friday and was trading at US$6,782.42 as of 10:30 a.m.in London on Monday, bringing its decline since December 29 to 53 per cent. Bitcoin was one of those affected, falling 10 percent to its lowest price in two months.
"Investors have been increasingly anxious about cybersecurity issues", said Adrian Lai, founding partner at Hong Kong-based investment firm Orichal Partners.
Photo of Merkel and Trump captures G7 tensions
Russian Federation used to be included rounding out the group to G8, Trump has been lobbying for the country to be let back in. Also standing across the table are French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Theresa May .
Cryptocurrencies have plunged since the end of 2017, when bitcoin hit a record high near US$20,000, having surged from less than US$1,000 just 11 months earlier.
Enthusiasm for virtual currencies has waned partly due to a string of cyber heists, including the almost $500 million theft from Japanese exchange Coincheck Inc.in late January. That prompted a Japanese authorities to step up scrutiny of exchanges.
Investor Alistair Milne ran a Twitter poll on Sunday soliciting input on what people thought sparked the dip - in perhaps a sign of the times, half of the roughly 3,700 respondents blamed "aliens" with 9 percent and 12 percent blaming the Coinrail hack and the CFTC subpoenas, respectively.
Limonest : Deux fillettes retrouvées mortes à la gendarmerie
Les pompiers, appelés sur place, n'ont rien pu faire pour ramener les fillettes à la vie, selon le journal le Progrès . Il a été entendu par les enquêteurs ainsi que d'autres témoins.
South Korea is one of the biggest markets for trading in digital currencies but the boom in their popularity has forced the government to tighten regulations, following similar moves in other countries.


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Another month and another set of data issued: this time from the FCA, telling us what people have been doing with their retirement savings since pension freedom was introduced.
It is easy to get a bit blasé with this recurring information, especially as the freedoms have not been the car crash some feared it would be. People are generally acting sensibly, so commentators find themselves content to ignore some of the stark messages underlying the headline data.
The FCA data, which covers the first quarter of 2016, shows 60 per cent of annuity purchasers simply bought from their holding provider. Most of you will be thinking that is nothing new. And it is not.
For many years, too few people have been shopping around for the best deal at retirement and since pension freedoms it has got worse. But just because it is something that has been happening for a while does not mean it is acceptable.
Annuity sales have fallen significantly over the last couple of years but around 80,000 people will still buy one this year. Sixty per cent of those – nearly 50,000 people – may get a poorer deal as they have not shopped around. That is a significant number of people getting less income every year for the remainder of their life.
Some commentators will say there are many good reasons for people staying with their holding provider. Good service, trust, brand or guaranteed annuity rates are the usual excuses rolled out. And occasionally some of these may be correct: many people can get a better deal by exercising a GAR than shopping around. However, most people will be getting a poorer retirement income than they would have done if they had looked elsewhere.
I do not believe it is a coincidence the FCA data shows only 38 per cent of annuity purchasers get advice and that correlates almost exactly to the numbers shopping around. People who take advice are likely to get decent outcomes: the right products chosen, the best shape of annuity and the best rate.
With this in mind, we need to get the 60 per cent that do not take advice and do not shop around to do so or make it simpler to compare and contrast options.
Hopefully the work underway driven by the Financial Advice Market Review will mean more people having access to advice in future. To help with the other aspect, we may be able to learn a lesson from the now defunct secondary annuity market.
That market had fundamental issues, so it was correct to kill it. But there were moves, supported by the Government, to create a “hub” where customers could find out who wanted to buy their annuity and what price they were willing to pay for it. In other words, a simple way for customers to shop around.
The Government also suggested any individual looking to assign their annuity would be required to confirm they had received a minimum number of quotes before the provider could consent to the assignment.
If steps like these were considered for the secondary annuity market to make sure people got good value, why is the Government not looking to put them in place for the primary annuity market, where up to 50,000 people a year are getting a raw deal?
Next year is likely to see the introduction of a much simpler wake-up pack, reducing the mass of information people get as they approach retirement. The FCA is also keen to include an annuity comparator to illustrate how much people may lose out on by not moving. Both of these initiatives may help to some degree.
However, if we really want to improve the lot of the 60 per cent not getting advice, the simplest way to do so is to make it compulsory to shop around; the position the Government was moving towards in the secondary annuity market.
Andrew Tully is pensions technical director at Retirement Advantage


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NFT’s marketplace Rarible officially launched its integration with the Tezos proof-of-stake blockchain on Thursday. This new collaboration will allow Rarible to offer Tezos NFT in its market and enable secondary sales of Tezos projects, while allowing users to mint NFT for a low cost.
- Mintable app enables minting of NFT in layer 2 protocol, Immutable X
Rarible’s integration with Tezos marks the third layer 1 blockchain supported by the platform, along with and Flow, Dapper Labs’ blockchain network that runs NBA Top Shot. In Rarible’s effort to build a multi-chain platform to consolidate the NFT space, the integrations with and Polygon are as follows, according to Rarible CEO Alexei Falin, who told Cointelegraph:
“Rarible strongly believes that the future of NFTs is cross-chain, and that interoperability is the key to a simplified and successful NFT ecosystem. We have seen many alternative blockchains gain prominence in the NFT space for their unique offerings. specifically Tezos for its low costs and energy efficient minting process through proof of stake validation. “
The integration will take place in two phases, according to the company. Users can now mint, buy and sell new native Tezos NFTs, as well as participate in the secondary market, starting with metaverse collectibles called Digits from video game developer Ubisoft (LON :). Now, Rarible plans to mint new collections through custom contracts and establish copyrights for imported collections that already existed at Tezos.
Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.


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Search Tags: shopping
Kohl's Department Stores opened two new stores in the Washington area on Wednesday.
T.J. Maxx and sister company HomeGoods have signed on as anchor tenants at the Shops at Georgetown Park as owner Vornado Realty Trust.
Shopping for the perfect size has moved from the back fitting room to the center of the mall. A size-matching station called Me-Ality has been installed at Fair Oaks Mall.
Online shoppers know prices fluctuate. Now brick- and-mortar stores are starting to experiment with the same instant price changes.
As summer draws to a close, companies are lowering prices to make room for new product versions or to get rid of seasonal items.
Some say it's a great time to connect, but parents can find it stressful. One solution may be to involve kids in the back-to-school budget.
Clothing and shoes under $100 are part of Maryland's tax-free week.
Nearly two years after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced plans to bring four stores in two years to the District along with at least 1,200 jobs, and then upping the ante a year ago by adding two more stores to the mix, D.C. is still waiting on those stores.
Subscription clothing services now allow a man to eliminate the boredom of trying on outfits in a store.
Hi: 41 °F | Lo: 28 °F


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TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese inflation slowed for a sixth straight month in January as fuel costs fell, government data showed Friday despite the Bank of Japan's massive monetary easing to stoke growth.
Core consumer inflation, excluding volatile fresh food prices, came in at 2.2 per cent year-on-year, down from 2.5 percent in December, with the rise in overall consumer prices standing at 2.4 per cent, the internal affairs ministry said.
Prices climbed from year-earlier levels largely because the government raised sales tax from 5.0 per cent to 8.0 per cent on April 1 last year, which drove up retail prices.
Adjusted for the tax increase, the core consumer-price index rose a marginal 0.2 per cent from a year earlier in January, after growing 0.5 per cent in December, far short of the Bank of Japan's goal of 2.0 per cent inflation.
Inflation is a key measure for Tokyo's bid to end years of stagnant or falling prices that have been blamed for holding back growth and denting firms' expansion plans.
Prices had been on the rise, largely due to Japan's heavy energy bills after the 2011 Fukushima crisis forced the shutdown of the country's nuclear reactors, but oil prices have tumbled in recent months and consumers snapped their wallets shut after the tax rise.
In other news, Japanese retail sales fell 2.0 per cent in January from a year earlier, more than economists'median estimate of a 1.3 per cent decline, government data showed on Friday, in a sign underlying demand remains weak.
But factory production in January rose a faster-than-expected 4.0 pe rcent on-month, growing for the second straight month, according to official data released Friday. The latest figures from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry beat economists' median forecast for a 2.8 per cent rise, and followed a revised 0.8 per cent rise seen in December.


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Tesla end-to-end Ai model( tesla ai team members, tesla neural network architecture, tesla ai day, tesla artificial intelligence car, Tesla fsd chip)
Tesla’s full-self driving suite is totally different from the current buildout when the Tesla rollout is groundbreaking v12 features said Elon Musk on Twitter, this Tesla, utilizes “end-to-end Ai” features in v12.
This week imminent v11.4 version is released for employees, Elon also said the new version will come with “so many major improvements ” which is v12, this v12 features will have new features “end-to-end Ai”, and this strategy drastically differs from the current FSD.
Elon Musk said about the v12 version.
We also learn from Elon that this “end-to-end Ai” model can analyze all steps b/w initial input to final output.
Arguably, v11.4 should be v12.0, as there are so many major improvements. v12 is reserved for when FSD is end-to-end AI, from images into steering, brakes & acceleration out.
Arguably, v11.4 should be v12.0, as there are so many major improvements.
v12 is reserved for when FSD is end-to-end AI, from images in to steering, brakes & acceleration out.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 7, 2023
How does Tesla’s end-to-end Ai model work?
This is the major change Tesla has done with FSD, This end-to-end Ai uses an artificial neural network with an FSD suite, it helps in learning, analysis, and comparing or it improves with every mile driven, the millions of miles traveled by the owner with FSD can help the system to improve times in terms of behavior.
How this v12 works: v12 uses the camera as input & gives an output in the form of a three-dimensional representation of an environment surrounded by a car then it will use Tesla traditional path algorithms to give output like acceleration, braking, steering, and other driving behaviors and so one…
so finally end-to-end Ai model uses a car camera to give input to a neural network and displays the output in steering, acceleration, braking, and other driving outputs.
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- Ford aiming for 2 Million BEVs in 2026, learn what inverters say. | What do you say Ford will do or not?
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- 23.42% Electric two-wheelers market raised YOY, Ola is always on Top of others come after | EV Sales Report April 2023
This end-to-end Ai model required less effort to build component-based systems, this model makes the process simple and can help Tesla to work on other driving features, this model really optimizes the process at that level.
As you know any model has pros and cons, this model also has minor cons like lack of prediction and different to identify problems.


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If you thought the whole King/Candy Crush Saga vs. Stoic Studio/The Banner Saga debacle was bad, apparently the claim King has made against Stoic created more issues than we initially thought.
If you missed our initial follow up report, the developer of Candy Crush Saga, King, has filed a claim against Stoic Studio for their game series, The Banner Saga. Despite King saying that their claim is purely to stop real copycats from having more grounds to argue in the future, it seems their legal team is actually fighting The Banner Saga in the very real sense.
Now that The Banner Saga has launched to critical acclaim, the team is already gearing up for a sequel. In light of this whole trademark debacle, it seems that won’t be possible, and you’ll find out why in a minute. In an interview with Polygon, Stoic Studio’s Alex Thomas had this to say regarding the situation with their Banner Saga sequel:
“Two years ago, the three of us at Stoic set out to make an epic viking game: The Banner Saga. We did, and people loved it, so we’re making another one. We won’t make a viking saga without the word Saga, and we don’t appreciate anyone telling us we can’t.
King.com claims they’re not attempting to prevent us from using The Banner Saga, and yet their legal opposition to our trademark filing remains. We’re humbled by the outpouring of support and honored to have others stand with us for the right to their own Saga. We just want to make great games.”
This is very interesting considering the statement King previously made, which we described in our previous report, linked above. You can find the pertinent information from their statement below:
“We do not have any concerns that Banner Saga is trying [to] build on our brand of our content. However, like any prudent company, we need to take all appropriate steps to protect our IP, both now and in the future.
In this case, that means preserving our ability to enforce our rights in cases where other developers may try to use the Saga mark in a way which infringes our IP and rights and causes player confusion. If we had not opposed Banner Saga’s trademark application, it would be much easier for real copy cats to argue that their use of ‘Saga’ was legitimate.”
So things are definitely getting really ugly. Unless King removes their claim against Stoic Studio and their right to the name The Banner Saga, we might not be getting a sequel to the game, ever. What do you guys think – is this completely ridiculous?


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Ducati North America has launched a new social media site intended to connect enthusiasts, Desmo Owners Clubs (DOC), dealers and the company.
The Ducati Community, at www.ducaticommunity.com, is debuting in North America before reaching the rest of the world. Users will be able to share photos, videos, text and more. The site can be synced with Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, and it follows a blog-type format. Applications for the iPhone and Android will be available in the coming weeks.
“We are beyond excited about the launch of the Ducati Community site. This new platform will keep us at the forefront of technology and current Web media practices. Ducati owners can now share everything from a cell phone image of Nicky Hayden in the paddock to a lap of Willow Springs from their last track day. All of this can be done right from a cell phone and reach users around the globe instantly,” John Paolo Canton, PR Manager for Ducati North America, said in a press release. “It is not just a website, it is a way to connect people and give them the full Ducati brand experience.”
Ducati will relay news on the site, as well as information on model unveilings, major events and unique promotions, so Ducati Community users can view them first. The site is free to use, and Ducati says sign-up is easy.


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Confidence Grows In Florida For Traveling, Despite Surge In COVID CasesFloridians’ confidence about traveling safely has nearly doubled since the first quarter of the year despite a recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
Disney World Offering New Florida Resident 'Summer Fun Ticket' DealIf you’re planning a trip to Disney World this summer, it may cost you a little less than planned with the launch of a new ticket offer just for Florida residents.
Miami-Based Carnival’s Largest Cruise Ship, Mardi Gras, Arrives At Port CanaveralThe largest ship ever built for Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line pulled into its home part of Port Canaveral on Friday morning.
Norwegian Cruises Wants To Resume Sailing From US Ports In JulyMiami-based Norwegian Cruise Line wants to resume sailing from U.S. ports in July and asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for permission to return to U.S. waters for the first time in more than a year.
'We Are A Very Safe Destination': Vacationers Flocking To U.S. Virgin IslandsYou still can’t take a luxury cruise line to the U.S. Virgin Islands but you can fly and tourism is turning around, even with the cruise ship business dead in the water for now.
Travel Tuesday: Despite Level 4 Travel Warning, Americans Still Flying To MexicoThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging Americans to avoid all travel to more than 160 destinations because of very high COVID-19 risk. While that Level 4 warning includes Mexico, Americans are still flying there for getaways.
Orlando Launches First Tourism Ad Campaign Since PandemicOrlando tourism officials just launched a $2.2 million marketing campaign to try and attract visitors back to Central Florida.
AAA: 60% Of Floridians Are Uncomfortable Traveling During PandemicA new AAA travel survey, conducted in January, reveals that 60 percent of Floridians are uncomfortable traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visit Florida Plans 2022 In-Person Trade ShowWhile online this year, Visit Florida intends to hold its next global trade showcase in-person in early 2022.
Travel Tuesday: Coronavirus Precautions Hotels, Airbnb Are TakingThe pandemic lockdowns began about eight months ago and if you haven’t taken a getaway, you may be eager at this point. But how do you make sure you choose a safe place to stay? Be sure to check the coronavirus precautions being taken at hotels and Airbnb locations.
Doctor Explains Why You Should Avoid Thanksgiving, Christmas Gatherings: 'Not Worth The Risk'Dr. Mallika Marshall warns against large family gatherings this year due to the risk of spreading COVID-19.
Cruise Industry Cancels Sailings Through End Of Year, Despite New CDC Safety GuidelinesUS cruise lines will not restart operations before the end of the year despite new safety guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Traveling For The Holidays? Here Are Some Tips To Limit Your Exposure To COVIDAre you planning to hit the road for any of the upcoming holidays? Well, here are some tips to help you limit your exposure to COVID.
AAA Survey: Florida Holiday Travelers Concerned About Pandemic & Presidential ElectionAre you planning to travel this holiday season? A new AAA survey determined that the pandemic and presidential election are key influencers in how comfortable people feel about traveling in the coming months.
Travel Tuesday: How To Ride Public Transportation During The COVID PandemicAre you taking public transportation or ride hailing services during the pandemic? Here's a look at what some services are doing to try to keep riders safe and steps experts say you can take.


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NAGOYA, July 10 (Reuters) - Japanese auto components supplier Jtekt Corp said it was holding off on expanding production in Mexico, awaiting the outcome of talks over the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA.
The auto industry has been plagued by uncertainty since U.S. President Donald Trump last year launched a renegotiation of NAFTA, seeking to repatriate manufacturing jobs to the United States. Jtekt President Tetsuo Agata said prospective automaker clients were waiting for the outcome of the talks before making new decisions on their Mexico operations.
“They are watching the NAFTA situation carefully. So we also have to hold off on new production plans,” he told reporters at its Nagoya headquarters. Jtekt is a Toyota group supplier which manufactures vehicle steering systems. (Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)


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4.2.2.The images come from Taiwan's National Communications Commission, which certified the device this past week. The 7-inch tablet is listed as model P1640. Previous rumors have the specs of the tablet including an NVIDIA Tegra 4 SoC clocked at 1.8GHz, a 7-inch display at 1280x768 resolution, a 5MP rear camera, a front camera of unknown quality, stylus support and Android
There is no word on pricing or availability of the device, but if it has been certified by the NCC, it could be hitting Taiwan's store shelves soon enough. There's no word on if the tablet will be making its way to the U.S. It's expected that NVIDIA will announce more this week at IFA in Berlin.


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Wearable technology has been getting a lot of hype lately; Deloitte recently predicted that wearables sales worldwide will account for over $3 billion this year.
So is it time for app makers to start jumping on the bandwagon? After all, there is a growing market for apps on these new devices and won’t early movers have an advantage?
Not so fast, experts say. While there are opportunities for app makers in the wearable space, without clear market leaders, it’s not quite the next mobile.
“Everyone’s talking about wearables,” says Gary Yentin, the CEO and founder of mobile app marketing company App Promo. While wearable apps “will exist and will do well,” he says the developers of mobile devices still “need to get the fundamentals right.”
One of the big problems, according to Yentin, is that the market remains highly fragmented, making it hard to get an audience.
The fragmentation issue runs deep when it comes to wearables, there aren’t a lot of standards, there’s very little interoperability between devices and many existing and upcoming devices focus on doing one thing, for instance, there are a number of fitness devices but most of them are focused on measuring a few metrics during one specific activity.
Rob Woodbridge, a mobile consultant and the founder of mobile strategy site Untether.tv says he thinks wearables will take “mobile in a different direction,” with medical devices and the ability to measure things like sleep, giving developers the opportunity to go beyond making things like games.
But he says that whether it’s time to start working on apps for wearables is still a “big question.”
“I see a huge opportunity for software developers to start consolidating that data that comes from the wearable technology in use today,” Woodbridge says. “We don’t have a ‘wearable operating system’ yet so that will be something that will happen in a way.”
He points to OptimizeMe “as a good early example of an app that could bring together all the wearable data into an easy to use interface.”
On one the videos on Woodbridge’s site he talks to Cas Ladha, a Newcastle University computer scientist who is the lead developer of Climbax, a wristband for rock climbers.
In the video Ladha tells Woodbridge that building the device’s hardware was easier than coding the software because: “there’s nothing like this … we’re starting from ground zero.”
The market-share for wearables will certainly grow over the next year, but questions still remain about what devices, and even what type of devices, will catch on and whether they’ll get mass market share or remain niche products.


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DailyMail released its Windows 10 app quite a while ago, and it looked a whole lot different than it does now. The app used to look like a newspaper - something like the New York Times website. While it was designed competently enough, it didn't really fit the site's content matter all that well.
The new redesign of the DailyMail app makes it look a whole lot different and injects a ton of color and style into something that was previously devoid of both. The new update gives the entire website a brand new look and feel, offering users something that might better strike their fancy when they go to read an article on the DailyMail.
If you were previously put off by the design of DailyMail but want to check out a few articles, now seems like the perfect time to give the site another chance.


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Despite showing no signs of spending less in recent months, a new Deloitte survey found that nearly three-quarters (74%) of Americans believe higher prices could slow their spending in the months ahead. Deloitte's study also revealed that mobile and social connections are helping shoppers make savvier buying decisions in the wake of the recession.
Households in the United States are taking note of events that could curb their willingness to spend. For example, more than seven out of 10 (71%) respondents cite concerns about higher energy prices, up from 54% at this time last year, and nearly one-half (47%) point to higher medical costs. Additionally, 44% indicate political unrest in other countries as a factor that could cause them to lower their spending.
While four out of 10 (43%) consumers surveyed feel the economy is still in a recession, Americans in higher income brackets appear to have a more optimistic outlook than those at lower income levels. Nearly half (45%) of households earning $100,000 or more say their confidence in the economy has improved over the past six months, compared to 24 percent among those earning less than $100,000.
"Consumers continue to be resilient and give retailers reasons to be optimistic, despite their apparent lack of confidence in the economy," said Alison Paul, vice chairman and U.S. retail sector leader, Deloitte LLP. "With day-to-day expenses on the rise, retailers must be innovative and offer more than just low prices to attract customers. By interacting more intimately with consumers through mobile, social media and other emerging platforms, and articulating a message of value and quality, retailers will do well with worried shoppers."
CONNECTED, PERCEPTIVE CONSUMERS
Consumers appear aware of recent changes in retail stores and are taking advantage of the powerful Web-based decision-making tools to seek out the best price, service and experience.
"The recession has redefined the consumer's relationship with retailers, and social and mobile applications have accelerated this change," said Paul. "Consumers are making more deliberate, informed decisions using a variety of tools and data. This presents a challenge and an opportunity for retailers to enhance both the in-store and online experience — knitting those together in a compelling way to build shopper loyalty."
Good deals are harder to find, according to survey respondents. Just over one-quarter (27%) of consumers surveyed say stores are offering more value for their money, down from nearly half (45%) of consumers who said so at this time last year. Meanwhile, 60% search more online to get the best product or price.
Among survey respondents who own a Web-enabled smartphone (32%), more than four out of 10 (43%) said they have used it specifically in a store to assist in their shopping; 37% wanted to use their phones while in a store but couldn't because of connectivity issues. Additionally, four out of 10 (40%) consumers surveyed interact with retailers through social networking sites to find out about promotions, browse products, or review recommendations.[Source: Survey conducted by Deloitte. 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2011.]


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Kroger Company (The) (NYSE:KR) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Monday, October 16th.
According to Zacks, “Stiff competition, volatility in food prices, aggressive promotional environment and waning store traffic are making things tough for Kroger that underperformed the industry in the past three months. This is quite evident from second-quarter fiscal 2017 results, wherein bottom line continues to decline year over year for the fourth straight quarter. On the contrary, top line continues to improve fueled by Customer 1st strategy, digital efforts and recent buyouts, and also came ahead of the estimate for the fourth quarter in row. The company’s dominant position among grocery retailers enables it to sustain sales growth. However, higher investments in new services and compelling pricing strategy may hurt margins. Further, a high debt load also remains a concern. Management as a part of “Restock Kroger” plan is considering the sale of convenience store business and had also reiterated its fiscal 2017 earnings per share view.”
A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. UBS AG restated a “hold” rating and set a $24.00 price target on shares of Kroger Company (The) in a report on Thursday, October 12th. Stephens upgraded shares of Kroger Company (The) from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $36.44 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 12th. Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc. reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Kroger Company (The) in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. Pivotal Research upgraded shares of Kroger Company (The) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $21.34 to $25.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. Finally, Hilliard Lyons reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Kroger Company (The) in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $29.23.
Kroger Company (NYSE:KR) traded down 1.20% on Monday, reaching $20.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 13,210,348 shares. Kroger Company has a 52 week low of $19.69 and a 52 week high of $36.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.44 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50 day moving average of $20.89 and a 200 day moving average of $24.70.
Kroger Company (The) (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, September 8th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.39. Kroger Company (The) had a net margin of 1.32% and a return on equity of 28.04%. The business had revenue of $27.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Kroger Company will post $1.97 earnings per share for the current year.
WARNING: This piece was originally reported by Dispatch Tribunal and is the sole property of of Dispatch Tribunal. If you are accessing this piece on another domain, it was stolen and republished in violation of US & international trademark and copyright law. The legal version of this piece can be read at https://www.dispatchtribunal.com/2017/10/28/kroger-company-the-kr-downgraded-by-zacks-investment-research.html.
Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger Company (The) by 3,334.2% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 72,026,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,124,067,000 after buying an additional 69,929,316 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger Company (The) by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 69,201,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,613,786,000 after buying an additional 852,864 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger Company (The) by 17.7% in the 2nd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 49,409,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,152,232,000 after buying an additional 7,446,349 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Kroger Company (The) by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,414,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $919,140,000 after buying an additional 100,796 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger Company (The) by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,045,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,904,000 after buying an additional 908,078 shares in the last quarter. 75.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Kroger Company (The)
The Kroger Co (Kroger) manufactures and processes food for sale in its supermarkets. The Company operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, jewelry stores and convenience stores throughout the United States. As of January 28, 2017, it had operated approximately 4,000 owned or leased supermarkets, convenience stores, fine jewelry stores, distribution warehouses and food production plants through divisions, subsidiaries or affiliates.
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Gather AI Becomes the Largest Autonomous Inventory Management Platform in the World
Gather AI, a provider of AI-powered autonomous inventory management solutions for warehouses using commodity hardware, announces today that it is acquiring the business of Ware, another large player in the market. With this acquisition, Gather AI is now the market leader in the space with 25 customers, more than any other autonomous inventory management company, and the technical platform best able to meet accelerating customer demand.
The global warehouse market is expected to grow at 7.7% CAGR and reach USD 1.26 trillion by 2030. Driving this growth are the global restructuring of manufacturing and logistics and a transition to online commerce. This strategic shift is causing a rapid overhaul of the supply chain with 71% percent of warehouses reporting that this is driving a change in the way they manage their inventory. To keep up with this restructuring, operators are accelerating their digital transformation.
Gather AI is transforming warehouse operations. With its solution, AI software enables drones to fly autonomously through warehouses to photograph inventory stored in pallet locations. AI reads bar codes, text, and other information in the images and automatically compares it with what’s in the warehouse management system (WMS). The warehouse manager can view inventory data in real time from a web dashboard and easily view their warehouse.
Gather AI has seen an 8x revenue growth in the last year. Customers have seen a tremendous benefit from the solution including a reduction in inventory counting staff from six to one, finding $1 million in lost inventory, reducing full facility scans from 90 days to 2.5 days, and boosting revenue with innovation and differentiation. Results like these helped Gather AI raise a $10 million Series A last year.
Customers will be integrated into the Gather AI platform in the coming weeks with the support of the combined Ware and Gather AI teams.


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Daimler is recalling the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class models, says a new report from Bloomberg Businessweek. According to the report, the recall is due to the faulty airbags of the new cars.
Wolfgang Zanker, a spokesperson for the company, explained through the news source that the passenger airbags of the new models of the A-Class have the tendency not to inflate properly in the time of an accident. He added that the problem is estimated to have affected around 6,000 cars in Germany where most of the vehicles were sold.
The recall made by Daimler is actually the second this year. It should be remembered that company made a similar move earlier to its Citan vans due to the same reason.


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The new smartphone Vivo X30 is going to get launched on the 16th of December. The smartphone will be having a total of four cameras. We have finally got an opportunity to witness what sensors are used behind the lenses. It was officially announced that the main camera would be a 64 MP shooter, and other information was received from reliable sources.
The advertisement has revealed that the phone will have an excellent portrait camera. The images clicked by that camera would be the same as those clicked with a 50 mm lens professionally. The portrait camera will be accompanied by a 32 MP sensor. We will also get a wide-angle camera of 8 MP, and the periscope will be coming with a 13 MP sensor. The camera setup will have OIS and EIS. However, we do not have much information about the module that will be present. Our source tells that the smartphone will support 60x digital zoom, credit goes to the “Super-telephoto” periscope camera.
So far, the model of the phone that was viral on social media featured only the back panel in Red and Coral colors. However, now we have also got an image of the front panel, which reveals an extraordinary punch-hole design at the upper right corner of the screen. This is the first official confirmation. There are other specifications, such as it be having an Exynos 980 chipset along with a 5G modem. The operating system might get renamed as Jovi operating system.
People are eagerly waiting for the phone to make there; it’s an impression. Being a powerful beast, people will also have huge expectations from the camera performance. The processor is also strong, along with the 5G modem. With the phone on the brink of release, Vivo might set new limits of smartphones, and the same maybe get replicated by other brands; however, the features, when added for the first time has a different essence.


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An inspiring line-up of industry experts from a wide range of sectors will provide delegates – BETA members and non-members – with thought-provoking and informative presentations on subjects ranging from digital marketing and credit card fraud to customer service and protecting intellectual property.
First Data Solutions business development director Tony Mooney will focus on ways to combat the threat of card fraud, Bill Smith, aka The Shop Doctor, will draw on his vast experience to talk about developing retail opportunities, Richard Dearden, managing director of John Lewis, Brent Cross, will discuss the crucial role of customer service, Leeds-based Blacks Solicitors look at protecting intellectual property, Mike Berry from the Digital Marketing Institute will explore how digital marketing can help your business and the current economy will be put under the spotlight.
“The BETA Conference is the ideal opportunity for members of the equestrian trade to hear expert presentations and catch up with colleagues old and new,” said BETA executive director Claire Williams. “As always, we hope that delegates come along, enjoy the day and leave knowing a little more than they did when they arrived,”
The conference begins with coffee and registration at 9am, with the first presentation taking place at 10.30am after the AGM for BETA members. Delegates are welcome to make the most of the event by booking in for a pre-conference overnight stay with dinner if they wish. Conference prices have been held from 2012. For further details and booking, contact Tina Hustler, telephone 01937 587062 or email email@example.com.


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The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch has arrested Prince Kumar, director of Digital Revolution Technologies Ltd from Brindavan for running ponzi scheme under guise of digital marketing.
Prince Kumar, a resident of Muzaffarpur in Bihar, has been accused of forging documents and misappropriating Rs 1.5 crore from investors in Odisha. He was produced before the court of CJM, Mathura and is being brought to Odisha.
The EOW said Prince Kumar and his company duped hundreds of investors across Odisha giving false assurances of high returns under different schemes involving various digital/online products.
The company collected huge money from investors assuring them very high returns and misleading them that this company is running successful Desi/ Indian version of Whatsapp, YouTube, Amazon, email, online/digital gaming, digital payment, Netflix etc. kind of products.
“Prince Kumar gave false assurances to investors that their deposit amount would double within one year. In doing so, he was able to induce the investors to invest in the company although the company has no commensurate/real business activity to pay high returns,” the EOW said in a press release.
“The deposit collected by the company under the cover of Direct Digital Marketing is nothing but Ponzi Scheme,” the EOW said adding the investigation of the case is on.


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Bloomberg Businessweek reports that Amazon is planning to introduce a television set-top box this fall, according to three people familiar with the project who aren’t authorized to discuss it. Details are limited, but the device is being developed by Amazon’s Lab126 division, which created the Kindle family of products.
Amazon already offers a lineup of Android-powered tablets, ... Read More »
Previously announced at CES as the Asus Qube, the new Asus Cube with Google TV is now available from online retailers for $139. We are huge fans of Google TV so we always welcome new hardware OEMs to the platform, but I’m not convinced yet that the Asus Cube is the best ... Read More »
CES is full of Android-related devices connected or built into televisions, but the new Archos TV Connect is the very first Google-certified device to deliver the full Android experience on a TV. While Google TV devices may have a version of the OS developed specifically for large screen displays, Archos has chosen to use a ... Read More »
Google hinted we would see some new Google TV devices at CES 2013, and today ASUS revealed the Qube. Device specs are limited, but ASUS is touting that the Qube will feature a remote with motion controls — a first for Google TV.
Rumors suggested that ASUS and Google might be working on ... Read More »
In a world where Google TV has never really caught on and the latest Android powered gaming systems don’t really offer a true Android experience, you’d think someone would be able to deliver an “Android powered smart TV providing the full Android ecosystem.”
Say hello to the Archos TV Connect, an add-on which transforms your ... Read More »
If you are in the market for a cheap Google TV box, you now have two choices. The Hisense Pulse just went on sale for $99, joining the Vizio Co-Star that also retails for $99. Both boxes feature similar specs and functionality, so it’s not immediately clear which is the better ... Read More »
One month ago a video teaser of Google TV v3 leaked out, and today Google is pushing out the update to LG devices. The new release includes voice actions, an updated guide called PrimeTime, and a new YouTube app that automatically syncs with your phone. Owners of the LG Smart TV (G2 Series) ... Read More »
We were starting to wonder if Google had forgotten about Google TV, but a new video previews some upcoming features that are coming soon. Google recently announced that Google Play Movies, TV Shows, and Music were now available on Google TV and it appears some bigger changes are on the horizon. Google hasn’t ... Read More »
I am a huge fan of Google TV, so I was really excited when VIZIO placed their $99 Co-Star up for pre-order back in July. We emailed their PR team to see if we could get a sample unit to review, but they never responded and I just went ... Read More »
Google TV has struggled to gain adoption in consumer’s living rooms, but it’s one of my favorite Android powered platforms and I believe it still has huge potential left. VIZIO recently started selling the $99 Co-Star and this week Hisense and Samsung both announced they would offer Google TV products later this year.
... Read More »


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Here's a video of the upcoming new gameplay video based on the anime game Naruto Shippuden, highlighting a boss fight between Madara and Hashirama. The level of detail is enhanced for this first part to land on the last generation of consoles.
Revealed last December, Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is the next fighting game being developed within the Japanese studio CyberConnect2. This new album has the feature to go further in history, but also to spend the last totally dated gaming consoles.
Also, the video released by the publisher Namco Bandai under the Jump Fiesta December marked an increase in the visual rendering of the franchise.
Note that the game was playable on the Japanese show. Also, here is a sufficiently satisfactory quality new video that presents a boss fight (Madara) controlling Hashirama. The clash is over the titanic blows exchanged, initiating some visually impressive attacks.
For now, Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is expected during 2015 in Europe on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.


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Vendor lead times in the UK manufacturing sector lengthened to the greatest extent since 2011 in September, according to the latest PMI.
Input costs and output charges rose at faster rates against a backdrop of supply chain constraints, including lack of vendor capacity and shortages for a number of inputs. Rising commodity prices and the exchange rate were also factors.
The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index slowed to 55.9 in September, down on 56.7 in August and against a neutral reading of 50.
Duncan Brock, director of customer relationships at CIPS, said: “The biggest news this month is the fall in the productivity of manufacturing supply chains as suppliers lost the fight to keep on top of promised delivery times and their performance weakened to the greatest extent for six-and-a-half years.
“The blame lay squarely at the feet of capacity constraints and some commodity shortages in food, but also other materials such as plastics and steel.”
Manufacturing production rose for the 14th month running in September, though it eased from August’s high, linked to new business. Firms reported increased sales to Europe, the US, China and Brazil.
The business outlook remained positive, with 51% of companies expecting production to rise over the coming year, reflecting efforts to expand overseas customer bases, improved efficiency, company expansion and investment plans and new product launches.
Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit, said: “On balance, the continued solid progress of manufacturing and export growth is unlikely to offset concerns about a wider economic slowdown, but the upward march of price pressures will add to expectations that the Bank of England may soon decide that the inflation outlook warrants a rate hike.”
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The automotive industry, like many others, had to pivot a lot this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many automakers saw a sharp downturn in sales as foot traffic to their dealerships came to a grinding halt in the spring; and with the pandemic forcing the cancellation of all major auto shows, manufacturers were also deprived of one of the best ways to showcase their latest products. Despite this, there was really no shortage of attention-grabbing automotive headlines in recent months.
Now that 2020 is basically behind us, let’s take some time to reflect on some of the biggest automotive headlines and newsmakers we saw over the course of the year.
5. Ford Bronco Returns
The return of the Ford Bronco was, without a doubt, one of the biggest automotive news stories of 2020. The off-roader is exactly what fans have been looking for, combining retro looks with off-road capability, powerful turbocharged engines, an available manual transmission, and the latest technologies. As one of the last true off-road vehicles on sale, the Jeep Wrangler has long boasted a massive following, but now it has a worthy rival in the Bronco.
The first Ford Bronco models will begin arriving at dealerships in Canada early next year. Prices start at $40,499 for the entry-level base model and range up to $58,494 for the ultra-capable Bronco Wildtrak model.
4. SSC Tuatara Cracks 300 MPH, Internet Calls Shenanigans
Ferrari shocked the automotive world in 1987 when it claimed the latest and greatest car out of Maranello, the F40, was capable of reaching 201 mph. These days there are family sedans capable of hitting those speeds, so 300 mph has become the new pie-in the-sky figure for supercar manufacturers to achieve.
American manufacturer Shelby Super Cars (no relation to Carroll Shelby and the company that bears his name) debuted the first customer example of its new Tuatara supercar earlier this year, which it claimed was capable of breaking 300 mph. The company then backed its claims up, releasing a video of the Tuatara hitting a whopping 331.15 mph on a closed road in Nevada. Some YouTubers later discovered some discrepancies between the video footage of the top speed run and the GPS data, however, which company founder Jerod Shelby acknowledged in a statement released on YouTube.
SSC plans to re-run the record-breaking top speed attempt sometime in the near future. We don’t doubt its 1,750 horsepower, twin-turbo V8 hypercar is capable of cracking 300 mph, but without the proper video footage to back it up, these lofty claims don’t mean much.
3. GM Partners with Nikola Only for Company to Be Outed as a Fraud
Earlier this year, General Motors proudly sent out a press release announcing it had partnered with Arizona-based company Nikola Corporation. Under the deal, GM would provide Nikola with access to its electric and fuel cell technology for it to use in its upcoming line of electric and hydrogen semi trucks. GM also agreed to engineer and manufacture the Nikola Badger electric pickup truck on behalf of the start-up. For its part of the deal, GM would receive an 11 per cent stake in Nikola, worth an estimated $2 billion.
Shortly after all this, an alleged short-seller report published by a financial firm called Hindenburg Research accused Nikola CEO Trevor Milton of inflating the capabilities of the company’s technology and misleading investors. It also accused Nikola as being an “intricate fraud built on dozens of lies.” Milton later resigned from the company after admitting that some of the allegations were accurate. Somewhat surprisingly, GM didn’t back out of the deal entirely, although the American automaker will no longer be engineering and producing the Nikola Badger pickup truck for the company.
2. Quebec to Ban Sale of Gasoline Cars
Here in Canada, one of the biggest automotive headlines of the year was Quebec’s decision to ban the sale of gasoline cars by 2035. The province’s decision will put it on the same path California, which this year also decided to outlaw the sale of new gas vehicles by 2035. The decision was made as Quebec looks to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 37.5 per cent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels and to become completely carbon-neutral by 2050. The debate over this extreme measure will rage on in the coming years, but no matter how it plays out, it’s good to see Canadian politicians being pro-active with regard to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
1. COVID-19 Rocks Auto Industry
This choice may seem a little anti-climactic, but there’s no denying that COVID-19 was the biggest automotive news story of 2020. The pandemic forced the cancellation of events worldwide – some of the only in-person vehicle debuts happened at CES, which isn’t even considered an auto show – caused vehicle sales to decline dramatically, and has drastically changed the trajectory of the industry as a whole.
We’re still in the midst of the pandemic at the time of writing, so who knows what the automotive industry will look like when all this is behind us? We wouldn’t be surprised if COVID-19 was also the biggest automotive news story of 2021 – though we certainly hope that isn’t the case. Stay safe out there, autoTRADER.ca readers!


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Wagers at New Jersey’s online and retail sportsbooks rose 27 percent in November, to a whopping $330.7 million, and revenue rebounded from October. New Jersey’s handle now sits at $928.1 million in less than six months since legalization, an undeniable success, according to analysts for PlayNJ.com.
By comparison, the October handle in Nevada, the nation’s largest legal sports betting market, was $528 million.
“New Jersey continues its march toward becoming the nation’s largest legal sports betting market,” said Dustin Gouker, lead sports betting analyst for PlayNJ.com. “The main driver is online sports betting, which now accounts for the vast majority of all bets in New Jersey. The state’s embrace of mobile betting has shown the path forward for any other state planning on legalizing and regulating sports betting.”
New Jersey’s online sportsbooks accounted for $238.6 million, or 72 percent, of total bets in November, with retail sportsbooks making up the remaining 28 percent, according to official reporting released Wednesday. That compares to 67 percent of total bets flowing through online sportsbooks in October.
Overall, November revenue recovered from a weak October. New Jersey’s $21.2 million in November gross revenue nearly doubled the $11.7 million October win and fell just short of the state’s high-water mark of $23.96 million in September.
New Jersey could soon face some headwinds, though. Momentum to legalize mobile sports betting in New York — a primary feeder market for New Jersey — is gaining. That could chip away at New Jersey’s growth. In addition, legal online sports betting could begin in Pennsylvania by early 2019.
“New Jersey’s period of having the mobile sports betting market to itself is coming to an end,” Gouker said. “A lot of wagering takes place near the population centers in New York and Philadelphia. At this point it would be premature to estimate its effect, but New Jersey’s astronomical growth so far will no doubt slow if and when New York joins the market.”
DraftKings Sportsbook — which accounts for nearly all of Resorts’ online revenue — fueled Resorts’ to $7.2 million in online gross revenue, up 41 percent from $5.1 million in October. DraftKings — which represented 34 percent of the online win in November, down from 44 percent in October — remains the online market leader. But its market share narrowed, led by:
FanDuel Sportsbook at The Meadowlands remained the market leader among retail sportsbooks, posting $2.6 million in November gross revenue, up 165 percent from $1.1 million in October. FanDuel represented 42 percent of the retail win in November. But competition is increasing, including by DraftKings, which opened a retail book inside Resorts AC in late November. FanDuel was followed in gross revenue by:
“DraftKings’ advantage from being the first to hit the online market is slowly beginning to dissipate, and no New Jersey sportsbook will be affected more by legalization in New York than FanDuel at The Meadowlands,” Gouker said. “With the market set for change, it’s critical for operators to establish a solid foundation in terms of revenue and users now.”
Legal Online Gambling Sets Annual Revenue Record
New Jersey’s online casino and poker industry cruised pass the annual revenue record it set last year by generating a record monthly total of $26.9 million in November. New Jersey’s monthly total was up slightly from October, and pushed the state to $269.7 million in 2018 revenue, surpassing the $245.6 million tallied in 2017.
An even greater milestone lies just ahead. The industry has now generated $992.1 in revenue since launch in November 2013, and should surpass the $1 billion mark in December.
“New Jersey has proven that online gambling is a critical component to the health of a market’s gambling industry,” said Steve Ruddock, lead online gambling analyst for PlayNJ.com. “As the industry closes in on $1 billion in lifetime revenue, there’s no longer a debate: online gambling is an Atlantic City success story.”
Nowhere has online gambling meant more than at the Golden Nugget, which is home to the Golden Nugget, Betfair, and SugarHouse online casino brands. By generating $9.2 million in November, down from $9.7 million in October, the market leader has generated more than $250 million since launch, and is on track to break $100 million for the year.
Some important online casino and poker data from the November report:
To access more business news, visit NJB News Now.Related Articles:


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- Since the late 1970s, Iran has been affected by international sanctions
- Domestic coffee consumption per capita grew by 21% between 2018 and 2019
- Sanctions have forced Iran’s coffee businesses to change their approach
SINCE THE Iranian revolution in 1979, the US has imposed some of the world’s toughest sanctions on Iran.
Aimed at punishing the country for its nuclear arms programme, the sanctions are seen as a way of isolating Iran and forcing the government to the negotiating table.
However, like all sanctions, the government isn’t the only one affected.
Since the introduction of stricter measures in early 2018, Iran’s currency, the rial, has steadily devalued, making imports significantly more expensive. Meanwhile, high inflation means the cost of living has risen, with the prices of some food items increasing by more than 110%.
Iran’s burgeoning coffee industry has not been immune. Although traditionally a tea-drinking nation, Iran’s consumers have increasingly turned to coffee over the last two decades, particularly among the younger generations. Between 2018 and 2019, domestic coffee consumption per capita grew by a fifth.
However, to avoid incurring penalties, most international coffee traders have ceased working directly with local roasters and cafes.
Instead, they send the coffee to Dubai or Turkey first, which causes significant delays to deliveries. In some cases, the green coffee can take up to seven or eight months after a harvest to arrive.
Furthermore, access to courses and international coffee events, such as those offered by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), has been severely restricted. This has stifled the ability of Iranian coffee professionals to keep up with the sector’s latest developments.
“Sanctions have had a noticeable impact on the coffee industry in Iran,” says Fariba, who works as a coffee researcher in Tehran. “They have made us isolated in almost every way.
“Iranians who don’t have residency in other countries are not allowed to participate in international coffee courses and events, which is the hardest of all.
“They have also caused Iran many economic issues and devalued its currency. So in many areas, such as buying and importing green coffee beans and coffee equipment, there are a lot of challenges.
“It also caused a rise in the price of cafes and roastery products, which make it harder for people to justify buying coffee.”
While sanctions have undoubtedly hit Iran’s coffee industry, it has also opened up unique opportunities. In particular, the absence of international chains such as Starbucks and Costa Coffee has allowed domestic coffee businesses to develop more freely.
“It’s been very difficult, but it’s interesting for us because we have to innovate,” says Mohsen Majidikhah, the owner of Tehran-based Sam Cafe, in a recent Al Jazeera interview. “When I compare myself with people running businesses abroad, I feel I am doing better because we have to invent our own things here.”
This sentiment is echoed by Fariba, who says that the growing interest in specialty coffee has led to the formation of events outside of the globally established bodies.
“After the merging of the SCAE and SCAA in 2017, Iran has been banned from holding those courses,” she says. “But there are still many coffee courses, events, and competitions which are held without the SCA support.”
Those with expertise in the specialty coffee community have also helped, offering online classes, training, books, websites, and podcasts in Farsi, Iran’s official language. According to Fariba, this, alongside local events and competitions, has been essential to retaining interest and pushing the industry forward.
“Even though there’s no further international participation, it keeps young people motivated and willing to grow. Despite the impact of sanctions, we don’t like to think that we have been forgotten – so we try to keep it up and improve ourselves in any way we can.”


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As Funding Flows Into The Wig Category, Marketplace Upgrade Closes $1M Seed Extension Round
Wig and extension marketplace Upgrade has closed a $1 million seed extension following its $1.7 million seed round in May last year.
The new round was led by The Artemis Fund and Mercury Fund, Logitech CEO Bracken P. Darrell and ANIM. They also led the seed round. The seed extension brings Upgrade’s total funding to over $3 million. The funds will power website enhancements, including the launch of a subscription model to enable stylists in Upgrade’s network the ability to market, sell and distribute custom wigs.
“Think Etsy, but for wigs,” says founder Britney Winters. “The purpose is to help our stylists grow their businesses and get more customers outside of the usual word of mouth and also equip them with the tools and resources to operate more efficiently on the customer side.”
Vetted stylists on the platform pay a monthly subscription fee for various tools allowing them to message customers, and offer payment protection, buy-now-pay-later options and one-click shipping. Currently, there are 30 stylists in Upgrade’s network, but it’s amassed a waitlist of 300 additional hair professionals. Upgrade’s platform will roll out financial services to legitimize the stylists’ businesses and assist them economically. Micro loans will be introduced by the end of the year, for example.
Winter’s upbringing inspired her to create Upgrade’s business model. “I grew up in a low-income community, and many of the first entrepreneurs that I saw were hairstylists,” she says. “I’ve always had a lot of respect for stylists because they empower other women to look their best, which can also make them feel good about themselves. Although stylists provide so much value to the community, a lot of them operate with limited funding and resources, which can ultimately affect the customer or experience. After operating our core business over the past few years, we’ve noticed some commonalities between the stylists’ pain points. This idea was birthed out of necessity to help the stylists continue to expand and grow their businesses.”
Upgrade’s stylist support extends to the physical world. In November, it opened a multi-use flagship location in Winter’s hometown of Houston that Winters says is thriving. It provides warehouse capacity for Upgrade and salon suites stylists can rent out to work with their customers. Winters elaborates, “It’s a showroom where customers can come in and touch the hair, try on different looks, get a free consultation….We also have a sizable lounge area as well as a wig bar that was designed to promote this sense of community and give women this space to socialize.”
Upgrade has partnered with local female entrepreneurs to host pop-up shops and events at its flagship. “It’s been a great way for us to stay connected to the community as well as empower other female entrepreneurs who are targeting a similar demographic,” says Winters. While it’s not her aspiration for Upgrade to have a huge physical retail footprint, it expects to expand to select large select cities such as Los Angeles and New York.
The expansion will take funding. Winters is planning to raise a series A round soon, a process that’s become easier of late as funding has poured into the wig and extension category. Beauty Independent recently reported that wig customization company Parfait raised $5 million. Last June, it covered wig brand Waeve’s $2 million seed raise.
“There’s a lot more awareness about the industry and the pain points,” says Winters. “We were one of the first companies to lead the way. With this recent round of funding, I’m really encouraged because it shows that people are now starting to understand that this is a large market, and there’s a lot of opportunity here. We’re excited to continue to be one of the pioneers that’s disrupting the market to make it more convenient and more accessible for the masses.”


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In a busy week for news, let’s take a look back at the biggest news stories from the worlds of Forex, Fintech and Crypto in our best of the week segment.
Reddit Targets XRP, Cryptocurrency Jumps 100%
The trading week began with news that XRP became the third most valuable cryptocurrency after the Reddit-based XRP Pump discussions increased significantly.
XRP caught the attention of r/SatoshiStreetBets, a crypto-focused Reddit group, and the cryptocurrency jumped from $0.28 to $0.58 in just 48 hours.
The recent addition of nearly $13 billion in XRP’s market cap means that the digital currency is at the same level before the SEC’s action in December.
Read more on the XRP leap in price here.
GameStop Buyers Suffer Another Setback as Revolut Bans Trading
As Finance Magnates reported on Tuesday. Revolut stopped users from investing any further in Texas-based video game retailer GameStop and movie theatre chain AMC.
The challenger app attributed the move to new restrictions imposed by their technology provider, the US broker-dealer, DriveWealth, LLC.
Read more on the Revolut GameStop trading ban here.
IG Group Halts New Account Registration as Market Chaos Continues
London-listed IG Group (LON: IGG) has suspended the opening of new accounts as the trading platform is facing technical issues with the ongoing frenzy with some stocks.
The coordinated short squeeze by the amateur traders on the popular subreddit, WallStreetBets has brought many major hedge funds to their knees, which held short positions on stocks like GameStop, AMC Entertainment, and a few others.
Read more on the IG Group stopping new accounts here.
WallStreetBets Goes in for the Kill: Melvin Capital Lost 53% in January
As Finance Magnates reported on Monday, the r/WallStreetBets (WSB) saga that shook the world last week is far from over.
Hedge fund Melvin Capital lost more than 50 percent in January because of the WSB squeeze. The fund was in such bad shape that Citadel and Point72, two other hedge funds, injected $3 billion into Melvin as an emergency effort, bringing the fund’s total AUM back to roughly $8 billion.
Read more on Melvin Capital losses here.
Exclusive: WSB Founder J. Rogozinski on GME, What’s Next for WallStreetBets
In a Finance Magnates exclusive, WallStreetBets Founder Jaime Rogozinski, took time out from changing global trading as we know it, to speak to Finance Magnates.
In what is understood to be Jaime’s final interview for a while (he has just signed a movie deal) this could be your last chance to hear from the horse’s mouth exactly what happened with GameStop, r/Wallstreetbets and what is next for the ‘degens’.
The must-see/hear/read interview with WSB Founder Jaime Rogozinski can be found here.
Rob Frasca Talks Ndau as an Adaptive Store of ValueGo to article >>
ETH at $1690: Did WallStreetBets Push Ether to a New All-Time High?
As Bitcoin continues to struggle to reach the levels that it captured earlier this year, the price of Ethereum has hit a new all-time high (ATH) again.
Finance Magnates looked at why ETH is at an all-time high and whether the infamous WallStreetBets had anything to do with it.
With expert insight from Tim Sabanov, the Lead Technical Architect at Zumo, Doug Schwenk, Chairman and Chief Executive of Digital Assets Research (DAR) and others, no stone was left unturned in analysing the ETH price rises.
Read more on the ETH at an all-time high here.
Could Robinhood Shut down? Traders & Regulators Raise Questions & Criticism
Robinhood came under fire from its disgruntled user base and lawmakers alike last week after the platform made the decision to block its retail customers from trading some 50 assets. Most notable among these were GME, AMC and a number of other ‘meme stocks’ that WSB had latched onto.
The combination of Robinhood’s trading limitations and the too-close-for-comfort relationship with Citadel has enraged its customer base. Similarly, lawmakers in the United States took aim at Robinhood after it barred retail traders from GME and other stocks.
Therefore, it is likely that Robinhood could suffer some long-term consequences for its decision to bar retail traders from certain stocks last week. But, could the damage be so severe that it might endanger the very existence of the platform?
Read our analysis here to find out more on whether Robinhood could be shut down.
World’s First Polkadot ETP to Be Listed on SIX Exchange
21Shares AG, one of the leading issuers of crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs), announced this week that it is launching the first-ever Polkadot ETP on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX Exchange). Additionally, the company mentioned that Polkadot was included in the 21Shares HODL basket ETP as the second-largest constituent recently.
According to the official announcement, the Polkadot ETP will allow clients to invest and diversify their portfolios. The company mentioned that it has seen a significant surge in demand for crypto assets recently.
Read more on the world’s first Polkadot ETP here.
SBI Expands Crypto Lending Services Adding XRP
SBI VC Trade, the cryptocurrency unit of major Japanese conglomerate, SBI Holdings, has extended its digital currency lending support to XRP tokens, the company announced this week.
The service will be offered under VC Trade Lending and will allow XRP holders to earn interest by depositing their holdings with the platforms. SBI launched its lending services last November with only Bitcoin support.
Read more on the SBI XRP expansion here.


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Too Few Entrepreneurs Able to Scale Up Their Business: Peterborough Chamber Report Identifies Six Barriers to Growth
PETERBOROUGH, ON, April 21, 2016: Today, the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), released the report, Breaking Barriers: Ontario’s Scale Up Challenge, which identifies the major roadblocks preventing Ontario businesses from expanding and presents recommendations to best support business owners in taking their ventures to the next stage of growth. According to the report, based on interviews with nearly two dozen business owners, sector associations, and other organizations, as well as a survey of over 350 Ontario business owners, too few entrepreneurs are continuing to build their business, or “scale up”, in the province.
The report adds to a recent chorus of voices calling for governments, the business community, and other actors to build on the province’s entrepreneurial spirit by creating the conditions to enable our most promising firms to scale.
To position Ontario for long-term success, the report proposes recommendations to address six specific barriers preventing businesses from growing, which includes a lack of access to talent with scale up experience, gaps in the right kinds of financing, and lower incentives to growth offered through public programs.
Chief among the Peterborough Chamber’s recommendations are for governments to improve businesses’ access to talent in the short-term by creating a scale-up visa to quicken access to essential international managerial talent. According to an OCC survey, 63 percent of businesses that are looking to grow face a talent shortage. The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce also encourages governments to gain a better understanding of where current gaps exist in the Canadian financing landscape.
Other recommendations of the report include:
Scaling Up Report
Launch of "Breaking Barriers Ontario's Scale up Challenge"
The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce acts as a catalyst to enhance business growth, opportunity, innovation, partnerships and a diverse business community.


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Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk arrived in Manhattan federal court on Thursday for a hearing on whether he violated a fraud agreement and should be held in contempt, the latest twist in a high-profile battle between the billionaire and the government.
Musk's fight with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has raised investor worries that it could lead to restrictions on his activities or even his removal from Tesla, while distracting him at a pivotal point in the electric car maker's expansion.
Tesla, which built its reputation on luxury cars, has faced several production challenges with its Model 3 sedan, which it is counting on to reach the mass market, recently offering a version starting at $35,000.
Wearing a dark suit and tie, Musk sat at the defense table with his lawyers in a packed courtroom, looking slightly nervous.
The SEC on Feb. 25 accused Musk of violating his October 2018 settlement by posting material information about Tesla on Twitter six days earlier, without first seeking approval from company lawyers.
Musk has countered that the information was not material, and did not need to be vetted.
Started with a tweet
The battle concerns a tweet that Musk sent to his more than 24 million Twitter followers: "Tesla made 0 cars in 2011, but will make around 500k in 2019," meaning 500,000 vehicles.
Four hours later, Musk corrected himself, saying annualized production would be "probably around" 500,000 by year end, with full-year deliveries totaling about 400,000.
The SEC called the earlier tweet "obviously different" from Tesla's Jan. 30 outlook, when it targeted annualized Model 3 production exceeding 500,000 as soon as the fourth quarter, and projected 360,000 to 400,000 vehicle deliveries this year.
Musk's lawyers countered that the earlier tweet merely restated a forecast he had given on Jan. 30, when he said Model 3 production could total 350,000 to 500,000 vehicles.
They have also said the SEC had conceded during settlement talks that Musk did not need pre-approval for all tweets about his Palo Alto, California-based company.
On Wednesday night, Tesla repeated its Jan. 30 vehicle delivery forecast, but said first-quarter deliveries had fallen 31 percent from the prior three months to about 63,000. Its share price was down more than 8 percent on Thursday afternoon, after earlier falling as much as 10.7 percent.
It is rare for the SEC to seek a contempt finding, though some legal experts said the regulator has a strong case over Musk's earlier tweet.
"It seems pretty clear that this particular tweet was not run through the scrubbing system that Tesla was supposed to have in place," said Stephen Diamond, who teaches securities law at Santa Clara University School of Law.
Musk says SEC ‘broken’
A contempt finding by U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan could subject Musk to new sanctions such as a higher fine or removal from Tesla's board or as chief executive, legal experts said.
James Cox, a Duke University law professor, said Nathan was unlikely to impose a severe penalty such as giving up control over Tesla.
"We have to understand that Tesla is at a very important point in its history, and I don't think any judge would want to be viewed in hindsight as the cause of the demise of Tesla," he said.
"She could give him a good tongue-lashing, and tell him this is it, and next time she's not going to be so nice," Cox added. The settlement resolved an SEC lawsuit that accused Musk of violating securities laws by tweeting last Aug. 7 that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private at $420 per share.
That tweet sent Tesla's share price up as much as 13.3 percent. Musk's privatization plan was at best in an early stage, however, and financing was not in place.
In settling, Musk agreed to step down as Tesla's chairman, and the company said it would adopt procedures to oversee all of Musk's communications, regardless of format, and pre-approve written communications that could be material to the company.
Tesla and Musk also agreed to each pay $20 million civil fines.
Musk critical of SEC
The legal battle, which began in September, has not stopped Musk from being an outspoken critic of the SEC.
He has since labeled the SEC the "Shortseller Enrichment Commission," recalling his attacks against hedge funds and other investors who sell Tesla stock short, hoping it will fall.
In a December interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Musk said he did not have respect for the SEC. He also said his tweets had not been reviewed in advance since the settlement.
And in the early morning of Feb. 26, after the SEC filed its contempt motion, Musk tweeted: “Something is broken with SEC oversight.”


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Lakeland Dairies has become the first co-op to set its July 2022 milk price.
A spokesperson for the processor issued a statement earlier this afternoon (Thursday, August 11th, 2022).
In the ROI, the spokesperson outlined, Lakeland Dairies has increased its milk price by 2.25 cent/litre to pay 57.35 cent/litre inclusive of VAT for milk at 3.6% fat and 3.3% protein.
According to the processor, on average, the Lakeland Dairies payout in ROI will be 60.6 cent/litre for July milk.
In ROI, all fixed milk price contracts will receive an 8 c/litre supplementary payment.
In Northern Ireland, Lakeland Dairies has increased its milk price by 2.0 p/litre to 46 p/litre.
On average, Lakeland Dairies will pay out 47.42 pence/litre for June milk in Northern Ireland, including adjustments for constituents and quality, and volume bonuses and zero cartage charges.
Furthermore, in Northern Ireland, all fixed milk price contracts will receive a 7 p/litre supplementary payment.
July 2022 milk price
The spokesperson pointed out that ongoing buoyancy in dairy markets is “starting to level off”.
Auction prices are “well down” from recent highs, and there is a “cooling off” in demand for higher-priced product categories.
They pointed to global economic conditions, including severe inflation, high input costs at farm and processing levels and rising interest rates, aligned with seasonality and weather events, which they added, will continue to impact the international balance of supply and demand.
“Consumer sentiment is being affected by generally increasing costs across all kinds of goods and services including food and energy.”
“Lakeland Dairies continues to monitor market developments,” the spokesperson concluded.
Speaking in advance of the imminent round of milk price announcements by the Co-ops,
Meanwhile, earlier this week, ICMSA dairy chairperson, Noel Murphy, stated that the association expects farmer prices to hit 57c/L for July supplies.
Murphy noted that the Ornua base PPI is returning over 57c/L before added value, and markets have “stabilised” at this higher level.
“Returns from across the globe remain strong in what has been a solid year so far for dairy products, despite the easing of prices on wholesale markets such as the GDT in the last number of weeks.”
“Dutch Dairy Quotes returns for Butter and Skimmed Milk Powder dipped below 60c/L in July, despite returning prices above 60c/L since the middle of March earlier this year.”
“A similar pattern has also emerged for whole milk powder. We are taking this as the traditional ‘settling down’ and reduction in trading associated with the holiday period, but the underlying strength cannot be doubted.”
“The minimum price we will accept as presenting that strong market is 57c/L going forward in the final quarter of the year,” he concluded.
See more on milk prices on That’s Farming.


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Dress Code for Women Bartenders in Bangalore Soon
Bangalore: Women employed in bars and restaurants in this tech city to serve liquor and food will soon have a dress code to ensure their safety and security, an official said.
"We have submitted to the Karnataka High Court a set of guidelines to be strictly followed by owners of bars and restaurants employing women to serve their customers," a state home department official told IANS.
The guidelines were issued on the directive of the high court in response to a petition by the Bangalore Ladies' Working Bar and Restaurants Owners' Association, which accused the police of shutting down bars and restaurants employing women on grounds of indecency and causing public nuisance.
According to the guidelines, the women employed by licensed bars and restaurants should be 21 years and above, wear full trousers and full shirt or T shirt with or without a blazer or a salwar kameez (a Punjabi suite) to prevent any indecent display of their body.
"The high court has directed the city police to allow licensed bars and restaurants to hire women bartenders in accordance with the guidelines and see how they conduct over the next three months," the official said.
Association counsel R. Goplakrishna said the owners would study the notification and find out how best they can comply with it as they would have to bear an additional expenditure to also meet other requirements.
"The guidelines will add to the operational cost of running a bar and restaurant, as owners have not only to pay salary to the women bartenders, but also provide a decent dress and arrange for their transport from home and back to ensure their safety and security," Gopalakrishna told IANS.


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Metropix has been recognised for its outstanding customer service to its clients by the largest and longest running award scheme in the UK residential property industry. The ESTAS determines the best suppliers in the industry through research carried out amongst their clients who are asked a series of questions about the service they have received from their suppliers. This years’ competition saw over 30,000 surveys completed.
As well as making the Shortlist Supplier list and taking away a ‘Best in Sector ‘ award Metropix were presented with a Bronze award in the Supplier of the Year category.
Simon Brown, Founder of The ESTAS said “The ESTAS are special because shortlisted and winning firms are selected purely on the service they deliver to their clients. In fact just taking part shows a firm’s commitment to their customers so to be shortlisted is a great achievement in itself and for the winners this is the highest accolade they can receive in the industry.”
Jon Notley, Chief Commercial Officer of headline sponsor Zoopla added, “This is our sixth year sponsoring The ESTAS and we are delighted to be once again supporting this key industry event. Customer feedback is essential to any organisation and it is fantastic to see the best in the industry being recognised for their efforts. Many congratulations to all of this year’s winners.”
Steve Sanashee, Customer Relations Manager of Metropix said “We are absolutely thrilled with our achievement at this year’s ESTAS. It’s fantastic to win the floor plan award itself, but to come away with the Bronze award for overall supplier makes this an extra special accomplishment for us.”
“We have some exciting projects lined up, which we will be sure to share with our customers soon. Our commitment to first class service, training and support to every customer remains the highest priority to us and we’re relishing the challenge of retaining both awards, through the endorsement of our loyal customers.”
“With awards reliant on customer votes and scores, we would like to say an enormous ‘thank you’ to all of our customers who took the time to make this possible for us”.
The Awards are organised by The ESTAS Group Ltd. www.theestas.com


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The blogosphere is a mysterious and wondrous place. Today I somehow came across a blog ostensibly called The Fake Diary of Steve Jobs, which appears to be the real blog of the Apple CEO but after a little reading you realize it’s a parody. However last week there was a post that actually made at least a little sense, which was also surprising to some of his regular readers.
“Steve Jobs” laments the waste in Microsoft software products.
For years people have been begging Microsoft for leaner, simpler products with fewer features. Not just befuddled and baffled consumers but CIOs at big companies, guys who manage tens of thousands of PCs, who are considered "thought leaders," and who definitely have Microsoft’s attention. They don’t want slightly fewer features. They want a lot fewer. Like 90% fewer.
Call it the twenty-seventh form of waste, "the waste of too many features." Such complex software is commonly called "bloatware," and Microsoft is famous for it.
So what does Microsoft do? It rolls out a huge new OS and a new version of Office with a 10x gain in features. Then it hires an army of MBAs to go "unlock value" and get customers to use all those features that they’ve already told Microsoft they don’t want.
Very true. Although the new user interface in Office 2007 is pretty slick once you get used to it, you still face an enormity of functionality that can be very daunting. No wonder that only a couple years after demolishing their only real competitor WordPerfect, Microsoft is now facing some pretty serious upstart competition from the likes of Google.
The author, whoever he really is, goes on to propose an interesting reason why Microsoft loves to promote features the customer doesn’t really want.
I hate to play armchair analyst but [Microsoft CEO Steve] Ballmer’s roots — a Detroit kid growing up with a dad who was a Ford manager — are too significant to ignore. Remember Detroit in the 1970s, when customers started saying they wanted smaller, cheaper, leaner, simpler cars? Toyota and Honda listened, while the Big Three kept cranking out monstrously huge cars and then putting all sorts of effort (advertising, discounts on the lot, dealer incentives, blackballing dealers who tried to open Toyota or Honda stores, spouting empty patriotic rhetoric about buying American, blah blah) thinking that by doing this they could get customers to buy the cars that they’d already told Detroit they didn’t want.
This — not Harvard, not Stanford — was where Ballmer’s worldview was formed. There at Detroit Country Day School with the other kids whose dads ran the Big Three in the last days of Detroit’s golden era. Now at Microsoft we’re seeing a repeat of this phenomenon.
Brilliant! I don’t place much credence in his supposition, but it is still a brilliant hypothesis! And as with many companies today, according to "Steve" Microsoft has lost touch with its roots.
Microsoft seems to have lost sight of the fact that its rise to power came as a result of Bill Gates positioning Windows as smaller, cheaper, easier and faster than OS/2 Presentation Manager. Windows 3.0 was lean and mean and, relatively speaking, open. OS/2 with PM was big, bloated, expensive, and all about locking you in to IBM. IBM was the big monolith trying to protect its market share and suck everything into its maw. Microsoft was the disrupter, using a little toy weapon to attack a fortress.
And that’s the lesson. How many of us have lost touch with what created our initial success? How many of us have added so many products and features and services that we no longer effectively serve our core business model… if we even remember what that was? What price "innovation?"