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As we have seen, the metaverse is the next step in the evolution of our computing and communications infrastructure which started with the personal computer, followed by the internet, mobile internet and the smartphone. Games have followed their own parallel track, and even though consoles are still popular, the smartphone is subsuming gaming. Our work lives which were very much in-person went online because of the pandemic, and are getting enriched with virtual backgrounds and immersive views.
Shopping too is getting transformed with richer real-time interactions, enhanced with augmented reality. Mint wrote about the use of augmented reality recently: “Brands like Lenskart and CaratLane allowed customers to try on their products virtually. Dhamodaran Subramanian, general manager, Takeleap, a technology media company with offices in Chennai, Delhi and Dubai, estimates that AR-driven conversion could now be anywhere between 20-30%. Several international and Indian brands are launching or expanding their AR technology and use. In July 2020, for instance, Gucci partnered with Snapchat, using its AR try-on lens for sneakers. And in May this year, Walmart announced it was acquiring Israeli startup Zeekit, which had developed a dynamic virtual fitting room.”
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, had this to say in an interview with LA Times in May 2020: “Just as every company a few decades ago created a webpage, and then at some point every company created a Facebook page, I think we’re approaching the point where every company will have a real-time live 3D presence.”
Grant Paterson of Wunderman Thompson says: “[The metaverse] is the future of the internet, a vision in which we will shift seamlessly between virtual and physical experiences, economies, environments and ecosystems… The rapid growth and diversification of these virtual environments will force the marketing industry to fundamentally reconceptualize how brands communicate with consumers.”
Even as there is an entertainment and social focus for the metaverse, business-to-consumer commerce will also be transformed. Like any new technology, evolution will happen through innovations in many different directions; there is no single dominant vision of the consumer of the future and the metaverse.
In this context, it is our imagination which can help envision and create tomorrow’s B2C metaverse. We can think of today’s 2D websites and apps as the rudimentary forerunners. In the past quarter century, they have taken us to places and shown us products we otherwise would never have experienced or seen. The natural next step will be to create parallel worlds where our digital twins (embodied by software agents) roam looking for the next things to buy, and even negotiating on our behalf to get deals. These agents will be persistent – unlike today, where the relationship ends once we exit the website or shut the app. These AI embodiments will have a life of their own, epitomising our always-on world, learning from our actions, and anticipating our next needs.


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Pick n Pay announces retirement of CEO credited with retailer's turnaround
Pick n Pay has announced that Richard Brasher will retire as CEO in April.
The former Tesco (UK) executive had planned to move on after eight years at the helm, but delayed his retirement because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Brasher said the past year in particular had been the most unforgettable of his long career.
"He has almost doubled Pick n Pay’s store network, and has grown turnover from R55 billion when he joined the company (in 2013) to almost R90 billion." said chairman Gareth Ackerman in a statement.
Brasher will be replaced by Netherlands-born Pieter Boone, former COO of multinational Metro AG.
Pick n Pay has heaped praise on the outgoing CEO, but how well did the company perform during his tenure compared to its competitors?
Bruce Whitfield interviews Evan Walker, Portfolio Manager at 36ONE Asset Management.
Where he performed beyond expectations is he inherited a very mediocre supermarket division and over the last couple of years... the new revamped Pick n Pays are a lot fresher-looking... That's really where he has succeeded.Evan Walker, Portfolio Manager - 36ONE Asset Management
Unfortunately during that period a lot of competitors have moved on and become a little bit more sophisticated... and have taken market share away from Pick n Pay even with these revamped store base.Evan Walker, Portfolio Manager - 36ONE Asset Management
In terms of share price appreciation Spar have done incredibly well; they found avenues for growth. Likewise, Clicks...Evan Walker, Portfolio Manager - 36ONE Asset Management
Walker points out that Pick n Pay invested heavily in Australia, saying it exited ten years too late.
That amount of invested capital really did mean that the South African balance sheet for Pick n Pay didn't have a lot of expansion opportunities, and they were way behind the curve on central distribution which has taken a lot of capital over the last eight years.Evan Walker, Portfolio Manager - 36ONE Asset Management
That's a mammoth task from a computerisation point of view and profiling your store base - that's a huge task which he's obviously got in place now for his successor...Evan Walker, Portfolio Manager - 36ONE Asset Management
Listen to Whitfield and Walker discuss the trend of bringing in foreign CEOs to run local retail businesses:
Source : https://previews.123rf.com/images/sunshineseeds/sunshineseeds2006/sunshineseeds200605267/149407994-johannesburg-south-africa-february-22-2017-entrance-to-local-pick-n-pay-supermarket-grocery-store.jpg
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According to an official statement shared by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in accordance with the timelines mentioned in the Information Memorandum (IM) for the Spectrum Auction for Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 2021, the authority has received bids.
These bids were received on 22 September, 2021 are from CMPAK (Zong), PMCL (Jazz), PTML (Ufone) and Telenor Pakistan, for both 1800 and 2100 MHz spectrum bands. After scrutiny of the submitted bids, PTA has declared that all four bidders as qualified. The auction will be conducted for 1800 MHz band on 28 September, 2021 in line with auction rules published in IM, whereas, no electronic auction will be conducted in 2100 MHz band.
Current spectrum auction will provide improved quality of service to the consumers of AJ&K and GB and enhance coverage footprint for Voice and Data services. This will positively impact the tourism sector of both the provinces. Total revenue generated and final auction results will be declared after completion of auction on 28 September, 2021.
PTA is conducting the auction process with assistance from an internationally reputed consultant, JV Telconet/ Frontier Economics who have been onboard since April 2021, and conducted thorough consultation with cellular industry and other stakeholders.


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World organic cotton production grew by 56 per cent last years, reveals Textile Exchange. Organic cotton makes up 0.7 per cent of total cotton production worldwide and involves more than 1,82,000 farmers. The number of facilities certified to voluntary organic standard also rose, with facilities certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) up 15 per cent and those following the Textile Exchange’s Organic Content Standard up 16 per cent. While 19 countries now boast of organic cotton production, 98 per cent is concentrated in seven countries: India, China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Tajikistan, the United States and Tanzania. India, Tanzania, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and China lead the way in transitioning land to organic. About 44 per cent of the growth in India’s production is attributed to its increase in the proportion of certified land used to grow cotton, which increased to 70 per cent from 45 per cent.
One of the biggest obstacles for organic farmers remains access to cotton seed that hasn’t been genetically modified, especially in India and China. Organic cotton is also seen as a component in addressing global climate change.
Textile Exchange is a global non-profit that creates leaders in the sustainable fiber and materials industry. The organisation collects and publishes critical industry data and insights that enable brands and retailers to measure, manage and track their use of preferred fiber and materials.


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The ERA (Entertainment Retailers Association) has revealed that the best-selling physical game so far in 2017 in the UK is Grand Theft Auto V, with Ghost Recon Wildlands and Horizon Zero Dawn rounding out the top three.
Citing GfK data, here’s what the ERA says were the best-selling physical games from the first half of 2017 in the UK:
- Grand Theft Auto V – 334,280
- Ghost Recon Wildlands – 311,792
- Horizon Zero Dawn – 286,538
- FIFA 17 – 242,385
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – 204,778
- Resident Evil 7 biohazard – 190,545
The ERA says video game sales were up 8.4% compared to the first half of 2016, and games account for more than 48% of the entertainment retail market in the first half of 2017.
Overall, Ed Sheeran’s Divide is the best-selling piece of entertainment in H1 2017, moving 2.06 million copies. Rogue One is second (1.18 million) and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is third (1.03 million).


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Hero MotoCorp is working on several electric vehicle projects even as it has asked the government for a more cautious, clear and realistic roadmap towards the adoption of such technology in the country. The company is fully geared up for the EV challenge.
Hero MotoCorp intends to enhance its participation in the EV space by pursuing its internal EV programme in addition to partnering with Ather.
Hero MotoCorp is an India-based holding company and a two-wheeler manufacturer. The company is engaged in the manufacturing and selling of motorized two-wheelers, spare parts and related services.


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Earlier this week, local vegetarian restaurant Seva made Thrillist’s list of the Top 22 Best Vegetarian Restaurants in America.
Thrillist is a website based in New York City and founded in 2004 which ranks food, drink, travel and entertainment.
According to Seva manager Colin Leach, this award is due to not just to the “eclectic cuisine,” but also largely in part to the local community’s rallying support.
“We’ve been here for so long so we have a very loyal following,” Leach said. “Regulars come in every single week, sometimes three or four times. We have local owners to help represent our community. It really is a ‘townie thing.’”
Originating in downtown Ann Arbor in 1973, Seva has continuously served the local Ann Arbor community for over four decades. In an effort to provide customers with free parking and a wider-range of seating, after 41 years on East Liberty Street, Seva moved to the Westgate Shopping Center next to Zingerman’s Roadhouse.
As stated on their website, “Our new home is a little bigger, a lot fresher, and full of light…you have to come see our stained glass new home, and Jeff’s hand-made cement/bottle glass bar …”
Decorated with plentiful vegetation, lava lamps, island seating adjacent to the grandiose bar and local art plastered on the brightly-colored purple walls, Seva works to curate a specific ambiance for students and Ann Arbor residents.
LSA junior Grace Toll says Seva is not just a “typical” vegetarian restaurant, but one that provides a multitude of options for any kind of customer.
“I think I enjoy it so much just because there really are so many choices,” Toll said. “Most restaurants are like, ‘Oh, you don’t eat meat? Here’s a salad,’ but Seva has many options that are actually really good.”
Each week Seva provides a new specials menu including half-off appetizers like falafel bites and bruschetta, or a selection of custom-made entrees such as spinach-feta quesadillas filled with ricotta, jalapenos, cilantro and a Mediterranean black-bean salad or Jackfruit tacos stuffed with spicy jackfruit carnitas, corn salad, seasoned pinto beans and vegan nacho cheese.
Not only does Seva give customers the option to make any meal vegan by substituting their homemade almond-cheese they also have an entire menu dedicated to those who eat gluten-free.
LSA sophomore Jeremy Clemente, who dropped into Seva on the cold Wednesday evening, said he enjoyed his vegetarian meal.
“I had the falafel bites and bruschetta as an appetizer and an impossible burger with yam fries as my entree,” Clemente said. “The food was all very flavorful and had nice presentation. I enjoyed my meal and the spicy mayo that came with the yam fries was especially memorable.”
Since 2014, veganism has grown over 500 percent. According to LSA junior Jacalyn Webster, president of the Michigan Animal Respect Society, veganism is the most sustainable diet one could possibly have.
“Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1.1 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 40 square feet of forest, 20 pounds CO2 equivalent and the life of an animal,” Webster said.
According to Webster, Ann Arbor is a hub for vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Besides Seva, there are a myriad of plant-based eateries including The Lunch Room, Fresh Forage, Detroit Street Filling Station and the Vedge Cafe.
“I went vegan five years ago and I remember if I went to any regular supermarket they didn’t have plant-based milk alternatives,” Webster said. “Now, they’re everywhere. I mean, I go Walgreens and there is Silk yogurt. Ann Arbor itself is amazing, I would definitely call it a ‘vegan hub.'”
Hope Mleczko, daytime manager of Seva, is proud the restaurant was named one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the country and hopes this pushes more people to go vegan.
“We’re in very good company being on that list, it is quite an honor — we are very happy to named as one of the best.” Mleczko said.


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Chicago Reaches $10M Settlement With Uber Eats, Postmates
December 6, 2022 12:02PM CST
The City of Chicago is agreeing to a ten-million-dollar settlement with Uber Eats and Postmates. Uber agreed to the payout following a city investigation into allegations of misconduct against Uber’s meal delivery platforms. Both were accused of listing Chicago restaurants on their platforms without the restaurants’ consent, being in violation of the City’s emergency fee cap ordinance, and other advertising-related conduct.


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Headline has acquired four new Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich.
Executive publisher Marion Donaldson acquired the books for Headline from Simon Trewin of WME.
Headline has been Janet Evanovich’s UK publisher for 15 years, and in that time has published over 30 of her books, including 17 Stephanie Plum titles, all New York Times bestsellers. Evanovich has over 75 million copies of her books in print around the world and has been translated into nearly 30 languages.
The first book in the new contract, Hardcore Twenty-Four, featuring the iconic bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, will be published in November 2017.
Donaldson said: "Headline is so proud to be the publishers of such a talented, creative and bestselling author, whose novels are beloved of millions of fans around the world. We have a fantastically ambitious and creative strategy for Janet’s books, which will delight existing fans and attract masses of new readers for years to come."


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Yahoo's tenure as an independent internet company is coming to an end. On Monday, Verizon confirmed its $4.8-billion buyout of the beleaguered web pioneer. Verizon won the bidding war for Yahoo after a five-month-long auction, following the Yahoo's announcement in February that it would consider alternatives as its revenue continued to plummet. All that's left of Yahoo now is its 35.5 percent stake in Yahoo Japan Corp. and 15-percent interest in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.; Yahoo will hand over its email services, websites, advertising tools, and real estate assets. The deal, expected to end the tenure of Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, will reportedly close in the first quarter of 2017.
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Lenovo, PayPal, and Validity lead an open industry alliance to revolutionize online authentication
(Phys.org)—Leading Internet companies, system integrators and security providers have formed the FIDO Alliance (Fast Identity Online) to revolutionize online authentication with an industry supported standards-based open protocol. FIDO Alliance founding member organizations Agnitio, Infineon Technologies, Lenovo, Nok Nok Labs, PayPal, and Validity are developing the specification and FIDO-compliant products.
The Internet requires users to confirm their identity to logon and access many online accounts and services. Current password authentication is weak due to reuse, malware and phishing, and leaves enterprises and end-users vulnerable to financial and identity theft. FIDO's standards-based approach automatically detects when a FIDO-enabled device is present, and offers users the option to replace passwords with authentication methods that are more secure and easier to use. The FIDO Alliance encourages and invites participation from all companies and organizations that want simpler, stronger authentication.
The FIDO standard will support a full range of technologies, including biometrics such as fingerprint scanners, voice and facial recognition, as well as existing authentication solutions and communications standards, such as Trusted Platform Modules (TPM), USB Security Tokens, Near Field Communication (NFC), One Time Passwords (OTP) and many other existing and future technology options. The open protocol is designed to be extensible and to accommodate future innovation, as well as protect existing investments. The FIDO protocol allows the interaction of technologies within a single infrastructure, enabling security options to be tailored to the distinct needs of each user and organization. As more organizations join the FIDO Alliance, more use cases and technologies will become part of the solution.
"The Internet—especially with recent rapid mobile and cloud expansion—exposes users and enterprises, more than ever before, to fraud. It's critical to know who you're dealing with on the Internet. The FIDO Alliance is a private sector and industry-driven collaboration to combat the very real challenge of confirming every user's identity online," said Michael Barrett, FIDO Alliance president and PayPal Chief Information Security Officer. "By giving users choice in the way they authenticate and taking an open-based approach to standards, we can make universal online authentication a reality. We want every company, vendor, and organization that needs to verify user identity to join us in making online authentication easier and safer for users everywhere."
"At the core of National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) is a call for the private sector to lead in developing open technology standards that will enable a more trusted and secure Identity Ecosystem. The new FIDO Alliance has pledged to do just that," said Jeremy Grant, who is leading the implementation of NSTIC as Senior Executive Advisor for Identity Management at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).
"I am excited to see what the FIDO Alliance's members can do to deliver the kind of usable, cost-effective, privacy-enhancing, interoperable strong authentication innovations envisioned in the NSTIC."
"IDC forecasts the strong authentication market to realize more than $2.2 billion in revenues alone by 2016. This demand is driven by social networking, internet, cloud and mobile, all of which will require higher and higher levels of authentication by governments, corporations and consumers," said Sally Hudson, IDC Research Director, Security Products and Services. "We believe that standards based, automated solutions such as those advocated by FIDO will contribute greatly toward making this a reality."
The FIDO Alliance is committed to overcoming prevailing limitations by developing an authentication ecosystem with a standardized, global protocol and necessary interfaces. With users free to select any FIDO-compliant token type, even devices previously considered proprietary can be adapted for use, and new vendors with new protocol-compliant devices easily become part of the marketplace.


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AS the battle to gain a larger portion of subscribers in the insurance sector intensifies, Zimnat Life has partnered a local mobile operator and launched a new product.
In its latest report, the Insurance and Pension Commission noted that the economic situation was weighing heavily on the insurance sector and called on players in the industry to be more innovative.
Telecel last week partnered Zimnat Life to roll out a mobile insurance product, Telecare, that offers its subscribers funeral, hospital and local and international travel cover.
Head of marketing, Clever Isaya, said the initiative was unique in the market as Telecare provided three different insurance plans under one service.
“Our affordable tariffs will ensure our customers have access to hassle-free insurance all from the convenience of their mobile phone,” Isaya said.
Customers will be able to make premium payments on a monthly basis from their mobile phones.
Under the new product offering, any customer who subscribes to the service will also automatically get free funeral cover of up to $250 for any of the registered dependants on the plans.
The partnership between both companies is expected to ensure that the cost of insurance is reduced for the ordinary person in the street.
After paying $0,45 a month, users benefit from $250 funeral cover, $5 000 for local travel and $20 a day via hospital cash-back for up to 30 days.
Under the partnership, Telecel will provide the mobile platform for its subscribers to access the service, while Zimnat will underwrite and administer the full service.
All claims will be settled through Zimnat, but subscribers are able to submit their claims at any Telecel office for onward transmission to Zimnat.
Telecel Zimbabwe is currently the second largest mobile phone network in Zimbabwe after Econet Zimbabwe with just above two million active subscribers.
Mobile-based insurance was once attempted by Telecel’s biggest rival Econet, but their product called EcoLife flopped after a fallout between organisers of the project.
EcoLife allowed Econet customers to acquire free life cover after meeting a minimum monthly spend on their telephone service with the minimum threshold to qualify being airtime of $3 per month.
Customers did not pay any monthly premiums, as compared to Telecare and other regular insurance schemes.
The information technology system established by Econet used a software system developed by Namibian company, TrustCo.
After just a year of working together, Econet argued that TrustCo began demanding a higher fee for each customer than had originally been agreed, generating a row that ultimately led TrustCo to cancel the contract, while Econet was then forced to terminate the service.
Hundreds of thousands of subscribers lost their money in the process.


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Spring Branch ISD is hosting Parent U: Keeping Your Child Safe in the Online World for all SBISD families on Tuesday, April 4 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. The virtual event will inform attendees about online trends, their potential dangers and how to be technologically aware.
On average, 79% of Texas kindergarten through 12th-grade students have access to the internet and devices at home. Therefore, it is important to be conscious of social media applications, gaming platforms and monitor internet activity to ensure users are kept safe from online threats.
This Parent U event will be hosted by SBISD’s Family E3 team in collaboration with Crime Stoppers of Houston, which engages the community in conversations about crime and public safety.
For more information, visit the Parent U site or contact the Family E3 team at FamilyE3@springbranchisd.com


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The future of the House of Fraser store in Bath is uncertain, after new owners announced shop closures would probably form part of a plan to transform the fortunes of the chain.
Chinese retailer C.banner is taking a 51 per cent stake in the department store firm, shifting control from previous Chinese owner Nanjing Cenbest.
The retailer intends to launch a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) under which it is likely to close some stores and renegotiate rents on others.
House of Fraser has not announced how many of its 59 shops in the UK and Ireland could close.
We asked House of Fraser if it could commit to the future of its store at 13 Milsom Street in Bath - better known as Jolly's.
This iconic store is one of the oldest department stores in Europe and was "lovingly restored" by House of Fraser, according to Visit Bath.
A spokesman for House of Fraser told Bath Live: "We can't offer any comment on the CVA at this stage."
What is a Company Voluntary Arrangements or CVA?
According to the website companyrescue.co.uk...
A CVA is a legally binding agreement with a company's creditors to allow a proportion of its debts to be paid back over time. 75% of the creditors who voted need to support the proposal.
Once the proposal has been approved then all unsecured creditors are bound by the arrangement. The company can carry on trading as normal and the directors remain in control. The CVA is monitored by a supervisor who has to be a licensed insolvency practitioner. The arrangement usually lasts for 3-5 years.
However the spokesman did say the plans would be about creating a House of Fraser business "fit for the future".
Bath Live understands House of Fraser will not comment on the company voluntary agreement until early June.
The agreement on the future of the business is expected to be completed by the end of June.
There are more than 6,000 House of Fraser employees and 11,500 concession staff.
New majority shareholder C.banner also owns other well known British brands, such as Hamleys.
Would you miss House of Fraser in Bath? Email email@example.com with your views.
There are already plans to transform an area near Jolly's
As we reported in January this year, property firm Longacre has planning permission for three developments nearby.
The first application will convert former retail storage area in Old King Street to create three apartments.
The second application will see a rundown building in John Street transformed into six high quality apartments and retail space.
And the final application is to refurbish existing residential accommodation in Milsom Street, above Jolly’s to create 14 apartments.
The three schemes will collectively deliver 23 modern and stylish apartments for those who want to live the dream in the heart of one of Bath’s most prestigious shopping areas.
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For Bath:Save the number 07939 497390 to your phone - we recommend saving the contact as 'Bath Live News' - then send the word NEWS to us via WhatsApp.


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Electronics retailer Maplin is to open another 13 stores this year after annual sales and profits figures reached record levels today.
The group, which has 83 outlets in the UK and Ireland, continued its rapid growth with a 13.3 per cent leap in like-for-like sales last year.
That helped the Barnsley-based group to pre-tax profits of £17.9 million, a rise of 40 per cent on last year, while total sales were 30 per cent higher at £99.2 million.
Maplin has grown dramatically since a £42 million management buyout in 2001 led by Graham Caldwell the managing director and Keith Pacey the chairman. Profits in 1999 were only £1.4 million
Last year Maplin opened 13 out-of-town stores and the 13 planned for this year is part…


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- 2020 outlook withdrawn due to ongoing uncertainty regarding market development
- Preliminary results for first quarter: consolidated sales of around €9.4 to €9.8 billion; adjusted EBIT margin of around 2 to 3 percent
- More than 40 percent of production locations worldwide have temporarily ceased activities
- CEO Dr. Elmar Degenhart: “We are safeguarding liquidity by cutting costs substantially and thus maintaining our ability to function effectively”
- About 30,000 employees registered for short-time work in Germany as at April 1, 2020
- Solidarity with workforce: Executive Board and executives worldwide forego 10 percent of their salary in April
Continental is withdrawing its outlook for the current fiscal year due to the uncertainty regarding the duration of restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the related possible consequences for production, the supply chain and demand. As announced by the company today in a mandatory disclosure, the timing for a new outlook for 2020 currently cannot be determined since the situation remains very dynamic. Previously, Continental had anticipated consolidated sales for the current year of around €42.5 to €44.5 billion and an adjusted EBIT margin of around 5.5 to 6.5 percent.
At the same time, the technology company published its preliminary business figures for the first quarter. Based on these figures, Continental expects to achieve in the first three months of the year consolidated sales of around €9.4 to €9.8 billion and an adjusted EBIT margin of around 2 to 3 percent. In the Automotive Technologies group sector together with the former Powertrain division, sales of around €5.7 to €5.9 billion and an adjusted EBIT margin of around 0 percent are expected. In the Rubber Technologies group sector, sales of around €3.7 to €3.9 billion and an adjusted EBIT margin of around 7 to 8 percent are expected.
“In periods of crisis, financial liquidity is of top priority. To this end, we are cutting our costs, optimizing our working capital and postponing projects and investments that are not urgently required until further notice. We are, however, continuing to push ahead at full steam with key development projects as well as preparations for upcoming production start-ups. In this way, we are maintaining our ability to function effectively and confidently,” said CEO Dr. Elmar Degenhart. At present, more than 40 percent of Continental’s 249 production locations worldwide have temporarily ceased activities for a few days to several weeks in order to protect employees and in response to the drop in demand.
The consequences are reflected in reduced working hours. In Germany alone, about 30,000 employees and thus half of the current workforce have been registered for short-time work as at April 1, 2020. This affects all corporate functions – from production and research and development through to administration, including employees at Continental’s headquarters in Hanover. Certain business units already started reducing working hours in mid-March 2020.


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The use of voice activation has been growing steadily, thanks in large part to people's experience with smartphone assistants – Microsoft's Cortana, Apple's Siri, Google Voice, Samsung's Galaxy among others – but it is set to reach a whole new level over the next year as Amazon Echo enters the mainstream.
At the Radiocentre annual conference, held in London in May 2017, the industry body's planning director Mark Barber unveiled research – co-funded by Global, the media company that owns a host of UK radio stations, and by Radioplayer, a partnership between the BBC and UK commercial radio – showing that 9% of UK households currently own one or more Amazon Echo devices (which had only been launched in the country some six months earlier).
But one in four expect to buy one soon and, with 87% indicating they will do so within the next 12 months, he predicted that by early 2018 some 40% of households could have an Echo device installed. "If that seems quite steep," he said, "it's worth considering how quickly smartphones were adopted. The Echo is not only cheaper but people aren't tied into existing contracts that prevent them entering the market early."


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Roof window installers, builders and homeowners across the UK and Ireland can claim rewards every time they buy a VELUX white painted window during autumn.
Lowestoft-based housebuilder, Badger Building, has used Freefoam’s fascias, soffits, rainwater goods and drainpipes across its range of homes.
Two natural roofing slates from CUPA PIZARRAS have been assessed and certified by BRE Global, the expert in Life Cycle Assessment.
Market-leading single ply roofing manufacturer Sika Sarnafil and two of its Registered Contractors have triumphed at this year’s Single Ply Roofing Association (SPRA) Awards.
Twenty of the UK’s best roofing apprentices are gearing up for the two-day final that will see two of them awarded BMI Apprentice of the Year 2019 accolades.
NARM has recently received a number of complaints relating to glass rooflights – this article from the Association explores them in more detail.
In partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), Smartroof has developed a new NVQ
Freefoam has released a video of its Commercial Director, Colin St John, explaining the big changes to the roofline market over the last two decades, and their implications for the future.
Kingspan’s pipe and ductwork products have been installed on the Grade II-listed Hanover at NOMA in Manchester, providing space-saving insulation to enhance the performance of its building services.
Marley has recently pulled out the stops to help a customer with a challenging roofing project in Henley-on-Thames.


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ArthroCare Bid Signals Ortho Consolidation
If completed, Smith & Nephew’s acquisition of ArthroCare would help it diversify into the ENT market, but the deal may not get done as analysts speculate that competitors Stryker and J&J could step in with counteroffers. The interest surrounding ArthroCare emphasizes the pressures being put on large joint makers to find new ways of making money in orthopedics.
You may also be interested in...
Zimmer has agreed to buy Biomet by the first quarter of 2015, furthering the trend of consolidation in the $45 billion orthopedic device industry. The companies had combined revenues of $7.8 billion in 2013.
China’s MicroPort Scientific paid $290 million in cash for Wright Medical’s hip and knee business, which has a pipeline of products – including FDA approved implants – ready for sale in China’s growing orthopedics market. The acquisition pits MicroPort against multinationals that previously held an edge selling implants to Chinese patients and doctors who seem to favor devices that carry approval from the US FDA.
The sports medicine market comprises a number of product segments, many of which span several different orthopedics specialties.This space is expected to experience strong growth going forward as companies develop innovative ways, including some lower-cost approaches, to treat the joint and soft-tissue injuries commonly suffered by athletes and other sports enthusiasts.


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Today, we requested that the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform undertake an “independent” investigation of the General Motors ignition switch recall delay, in light of newly obtained emails by lawyers suing GM.
Those emails suggest that the Treasury may have timed its final sale of GM shares to precede public knowledge of the ignition switch fiasco. They also cast doubt on GM CEO Mary Barra’s previous account of what she knew and when she knew it.
Here is the text of a letter I sent today to Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), in photo, the incoming Chairman of the Oversight & Government Reform Committee:
At a February 2010 Oversight Committee hearing on the risk from Toyota gas pedals, you asked a remarkably prescient question: “Does the government treat Toyota the same as it does all other automakers?”
Then-Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was unable to explain why the …
A special inspector general report on compensation for executives at General Motors and Ally Financial blasts the Treasury Department for allowing excessive pay at the companies as taxpayers lost billions of dollars on the auto bailouts. The watchdog group issuing the report monitors the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which was set up to save financial corporations deemed “too big to fail” due to systemic risk to America’s financial system. The program was expanded to allow for the bailing out of the auto industry, despite the questionable use of funds specifically designated for financial institutions.
A NY Times piece states that the report criticizes the Treasury Department for loosening restrictions on TARP program pay limitations as follows:
Top executives at General Motors and Ally Financial, both of which received bailouts from the United States Treasury Department in 2009, were paid excessively even as taxpayers lost money, according to a special
General Motors announced disappointing earnings results today and issued a warning that first quarter results will underwhelm as well. The reasons behind the earnings’ miss are surely going to be explained away by pundits and proponents of the company still known as Government Motors to many. Sorting through the smoke and mirrors can lead to some important and simple explanations as to what is going on at GM.
Before looking at the reasons why GM has drastically underperformed the broader markets since the Obama-orchestrated bankruptcy process of 2009, let’s take a look at one of the most critical takeaways from the latest earnings announcement. GM is now approaching pre-bankruptcy debt levels with over $36 billion in short and long term debt. The company issued $28 billion of new debt with $20.2 billion of that going to pay down existing debt.
What’s that you say? You thought GM had a …
The internet was ablaze Tuesday evening with stories presenting a perceived positive move by General Motors’ outgoing government-appointed management. All hail! “General Motors to pay first dividend since 2008,” trumpeted the headlines. GM shares immediately spiked up in after-hours trading with shares rising about $1.60 or 4% on the news. Unfortunately for those duped by the proclamation, GM followed the story hours later with a profit warning. For the time being, the bad news outweighed the good with GM shares reversing course and ending the day Wednesday with a loss of over one and a half percent on a day that the market rallied.
So, let’s ask the questions mainstream journalists won’t. Why in the world would GM announce a dividend (subsequently hurting investors who buy on the news) hours before giving negative guidance? Why was this decision and announcement made by outgoing management just days before new CEO, Mary …
I made these remarks today at the National Press Club in Washington, DC before the luncheon speech of outgoing General Motors CEO Dan Akerson:
President Obama justified the auto bailout by predicting it would make money for the taxpayer. With Treasury now selling its remaining shares, the direct loss is about $10 billion. So on its most fundamental level, the auto bailout is a failure.
But that $10 billion figure dramatically understates the true cost. There were separate multibillion dollar bailouts of Ally Financial, formerly know as GMAC, and Delphi and other suppliers. There was cash for clunkers, the government guarantee of warrantees, accelerated fleet purchases, etc., etc.
Treasury also allowed a novel application of the tax-loss carryforward provisions of the tax code during the GM bankruptcy, shielding $30-$40 billion in GM profits from taxation.
In addition to all these costs, the bailout probably ensures future bailout costs when GM …
Peter Flaherty, president of the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), today posed key questions to the General Motors leadership at a National Press Club press conference, including whether the company will repay to taxpayers the $10 billion direct cost of the GM bailout.
News that the U.S. Treasury Department has sold its remaining stake and that Mary Barra will take over as GM’s new CEO have put the spotlight on the company and its future. GM executives have pointed to GM’s $26.8 billion in cash as evidence of its improved financial position. Analysts have raised the possibility that the company will buy back shares or institute a dividend.
Questions for GM:
1) Will GM compensate taxpayers for the $10 billion loss they have taken on their involuntary “investment” in the company?
2) If not, why should taxpayers take a loss now on their GM “investment” when the company allegedly …
General Motors has announced that Mary Barra will be replacing Dan Akerson as CEO as of mid-January. Ms. Barra was previously the head of global product development. As such, she already has to take partial responsibility for the over-hyped and low-selling Chevy Volt along with the upcoming Cadillac version of the car. With Consumer Reports now stating that the new Cadillac ELR (a glorified Chevy Volt) gave them “sticker shock,” will the ELR be the first major embarrassment for Ms. Barra?
Anyone who has followed the Chevy Volt story could have guessed at what the prospects for a gussied up and rebadged Cadillac version of the car, for over twice the price, would be. The vehicle may well be GM’s worst idea in history. I can not imagine what the motivation for GM to manufacture such a car might be. The decision to produce the car should scare the bejeezus …
I will hold a press conference on Monday, December 16 at 11:00am to pose key questions to General Motors leadership, including whether and when the company will repay to taxpayers the $10 billion direct cost of the auto bailout.
News that the U.S. Treasury Department has sold its remaining financial stake and that Mary Barra will take over as GM’s new CEO have put the spotlight on the company and its future. GM executives have pointed to the company’s gigantic cash position as evidence of its improved finances. Analysts have raised the possibility that the company will buy back shares or institute a dividend.
The NLPC press event will precede current Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson’s scheduled luncheon to present an update on the company’s progress before a National Press Club audience in Washington, DC.
NLPC has been a persistent critic of the auto bailout. NLPC Associate Fellow Mark Modica, …
The US Chamber of Commerce’s “On the Road with Free Enterprise” tour has quietly entered its second month. The main story currently on the “Free Enterprise” website is a piece titled “First Ever Sushi Tech Combats Fish Fraud.” The fact that General Motors is hypocritically co-sponsoring a free enterprise tour might bring to mind the words fishy and fraud as well.
“Beneath the deep purple cuts of healthy tuna and the smell of fresh wasabi, there lies a sushi underbelly in America that will make your stomach turn,” reads the first line of the all-important “fish fraud” story. Likewise, GM’s anti-free enterprise bailout process exhibited an underbelly of political cronyism that turned the stomach of those (like GM bondholders and Delphi non-union retirees) who saw there rights subordinated to the politically-favored UAW.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines free enterprise as: “freedom of private business to organize and operate …
Great news for consumers who are considering buying General Motors’ green wonder car, the Chevy Volt. I know how excited those environmentally conscientious Volt enthusiasts can get, but a little patience can pay off big time if potential buyers hold off for a year or so on their purchase. According to GM CEO Dan Akerson and following another dismal month of Volt sales (1,306 in April), the car that defies logic will soon be available for up to $10,000 less money. The good news extends to shareholders of GM as the next generation of the Volt will supposedly be profitable for the company. So, as we say prepare to say goodbye to the current generation of the obsolescent Volt, let’s take a trip down memory lane to review how past promises for the car panned out.
The Chevy Volt’s taxpayer-funded roots date back to the Bush Administration, with a concept …


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9 million toys from China pulled because of magnets, lead
Some Columbus shoppers hoping to delight their favorite children with a special toy were anxious and angry yesterday as another huge recall of popular toys was announced.
"You wonder what's going to be next," said Lynn Lusher of the North Side, checking the label of a Barbie doll to see where it was made. "It's at a magnitude right now that's difficult to comprehend."
Lusher was looking for presents for her grandchildren at Toys 'R' Us on Morse Road and was unhappy to find "Made in China" on the box.
"These are the repercussions of sending our manufacturing offshore," she said as she put the Barbie back. "There's a real strong ripple effect now for consumers."
Mattel recalled 9 million toys yesterday that it had manufactured in China. One, a die-cast car that looks like a military jeep and features Sarge from the movie Cars, is coated with lead-based paint. The others have small magnets in them that could kill a child if swallowed. Those include selected Barbie play sets, Polly Pocket sets and Batman action figures.
Two weeks ago, Mattel recalled 1.5 million Fisher-Price toys made in China that contain lead-based paint.
"I'm very concerned," said Westerville resident Jennifer Brockmeyer as she and her husband, Jason, shopped with their 1-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son yesterday. She said they don't own any of the recalled toys.
"We just got lucky," she said, noting that her daughter loves to put toys in her mouth.
Parents wondering if their children's toys might have lead-based paint can have them tested free at the Columbus Health Department or with lead-testing kits available at hardware stores, said Laura Studevant, chief of environmental hazards for the department.
"In the case of lead paint, it's constantly shedding," she said. That's why children can ingest lead even if they just handle a toy that has lead-based paint.
High lead levels in the body can cause attention-deficit problems, impair growth and reduce ability to understand language. Lead was banned from paint in the United States in 1978.
Most of the lead that children ingest is from old paint on walls and woodwork, Studevant said.
The problem with the magnets is that they are high-powered and small. If a child swallows more than one, they can be attracted to one another inside the body, pinching off part of a child's intestine and eventually perforating it.
Since 2003, one child has died and 19 have required surgery after swallowing magnets from toys, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Retailers throughout central Ohio rushed to identify the recalled toys yesterday and pull them from shelves.
Wal-Mart, the nation's largest toy seller, also placed electronic blocks on cash registers to preclude the sale of the toys at its 18 Columbus-area stores.
"That ensures that items cannot be purchased at all during the process" of taking them off shelves, said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Marisa Bluestone.
She said customers can return the defective toys to Wal-Mart for a refund, with or without a receipt, if they were purchased at any Wal-Mart.
Bluestone also said Wal-Mart is "examining additional quality-assurance efforts" from suppliers in light of recent product recalls.
Columbus-based Big Lots, where toys account for 5 percent of sales, instructed employees at its 1,369 stores nationwide to pull the defective items, said Tim Johnson, vice president of strategic planning and investor relations.
Johnson said the merchandise will be returned to Mattel, which will destroy it.
Greg Larson, owner of Larson's Toys and Games in Upper Arlington, searched his store for recalled items but found none. Still, he worried that people might cross toys off their Christmas shopping lists.
"It's pretty frustrating to hear all these things," he said. "As a retailer, it's sort of out of our control. We're buying products in good faith, and we're relying on our suppliers."
Owners of recalled toys can ship them back to Mattel free and receive vouchers for the cost of the toy. A prepaid shipping label is available on the company's Web site, www.Mattel.com.
Mattel said yesterday's recalls might not be the last this year.
» Web extra Latest product recalls, warnings


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Who said Segways aren’t cool? Not the dude riding a hybrid hydrogen and electric-powered Segway Apex H2 motorcycle, that’s for sure.
Or at least that’s probably what he’d say if this concept motorcycle ever makes it to production.
The Segway Apex H2 appears to be a follow-up to the previously seen Segway Apex, an electric motorcycle first unveiled by the company in late 2019.
While the original announcement of the Segway Apex electric motorcycle was met with significant skepticism, the company seems to have been pretty serious about the motorcycle project.
We even saw the bike being track tested last year, though it was a bit ironic that a bike named the “Apex” had trouble hitting apexes.
Now Segway is following up with the Segway Apex H2.
The hybrid bike adds a hydrogen fuel cell to the Apex and reworks the frame to offer a new, futuristic design.
The hydrogen canisters providing the combustible fuel would be swappable and refillable, which would potentially reduce the time needed for recharging compared to a conventional electric motorcycle. However, it would also require significant infrastructure for swaps during a journey or the ability to ship canisters to riders to keep on hand for swaps at home.
The funky design includes not one but two single-sided swingarms, meaning the Apex H2’s wheels appear to float in place from the right side of the bike.
According to Segway, the Apex H2 will produce 60 kW (80 hp) of power and offer a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of four seconds.
It would be rated for a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph), making it highway capable.
Segway says they’ll actually produce the bike too, listing a two-year timeline leading up to 2023 deliveries. They’ve priced the bike at approximately $10,700, which puts it above the cost of an entry level Zero electric motorcycle and twice the price of a SONDORS Metacycle – though both of those electric motorcycles get charged by an old-fashioned wall plug. No hydrogen there.
Segway appears to be serious about bringing the Apex H2 to production, but we’ll believe it when we see it. Until then, let’s hear your thoughts on the bike in the comments section below. Are hydrogen electric hybrid motorcycles a better solution than fast-charging electric motorcycles? Let’s hear it!
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Apple on Tuesday announced a list of accessibility features that are aimed to help users with disabilities. The new features, which are coming to the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac later this year, are claimed to use hardware, software, and machine learning advancements to help people who have low vision or are visually impaired or the ones with physical or motor disabilities. The features include Door Detection for iPhone and iPad users, Apple Watch Mirroring, and live captions. Apple also announced updates to VoiceOver, with 20 additional locales and languages.
One of the most useful accessibility features that Apple introduced as a part of its latest updates is Door Detection that uses LiDAR sensor on the latest iPhone or iPad models to help navigate users to locate a door. The feature uses a combination of LiDAR, camera, and on-device machine learning to understand how far users are from the door and describe the door’s attributes, including whether it is open or closed, the company said.
If the door is closed, the Door Detection feature can help people open it by pushing, turning a knob, or pulling a handle. It is also claimed to read signs and symbols around the door, such as the room number, and even recognise the presence of an accessible entrance symbol.
The Door Detection feature, which will work with the iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPad Pro 11-inch (2020), iPad Pro 11-inch (2021), and the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2020) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021), will be available through the pre-installed Magnifier app.
Apple’s Magnifier app will have a new Detection Mode to enable access to the Door Detection feature. It will also have People Detection and Image Descriptions as the two new features that can work alone or simultaneously along with Door Detection to help support people with visually impaired or low vision.
Alongside the updates within Magnifier, Apple Maps will also get sound and haptic feedback for users who have enabled VoiceOver to help them identify the starting point for walking direction, the company announced.
The Apple Watch will also get dedicated Apple Watch Mirroring support to let users control the smartwatch remotely using their paired iPhone. The new offering will help users control Apple Watch using iPhone’s assistive features, including Voice Control and Switch Control. Users can use inputs such as voice commands, sound actions, head tracking, and even external Made for iPhone switches as alternatives to tap the Apple Watch display.
All this will assist people with physical and motor disabilities.
Apple said that Apple Watch Mirroring uses hardware and software integration on the system, including AirPlay advancements, to allow users to use features including Blood Oxygen and Heart Rate tracking and Mindfulness app. The mirroring feature will work with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later models.
Apple Watch users will also get double-pinch gesture support. This will help users answer or end a phone call, dismiss a notification, take a photo, play or pause media in the Now Playing app, and start, pause, or resume a workout — all by using the double-pinch gesture. It will work with AssistiveTouch on Apple Watch.
For deaf users or those with hearing impairments, Apple announced Live Captions on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It will be available later this year in beta in English for users in the US and Canada on the iPhone 11 and later, iPad models with A12 Bionic and later, and Macs with Apple silicon.
Live Captions will work with any audio content, including phone and FaceTime calls, as well as video conferencing or social media app, streaming media content, and even in case users are having a conversation with someone next to them, the company said.
Users can adjust font size for ease of reading. The feature in FaceTime will also attribute auto-transcribed dialogue to call participants to make it more convenient for users with hearing disabilities to communicate with each other over video calls.
On Mac, Live Captions will come along with the option to type a response and have it spoken aloud in real time to others who are part of the conversation, Apple said. It also claimed that Live Captions will be generated on device — keeping privacy and user safety in mind.
Apple’s native screen reader — VoiceOver — is also getting 20 additional locales and languages, including Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. There will also be dozens of new voices that are touted to be optimised for assistive features across all supported languages.
The new languages, locales, and voices will also be available for Speak Selection and Speak Screen features. Further, VoiceOver on Mac will work along with the new Text Checker tool to fix formatting issues such as duplicated spaces or misplaced capital letters.
Apple also introduced some additional accessibility features to celebrate the Global Accessibility Awareness Day this week. These features include Siri Pause Time that will help users adjust how long the voice assistant waits before responding to a request, Buddy Control to ask care provider or friend to play a game, and a customisable Sound Recognition that is claimed to be customised to recognise sounds that are specific to a person’s environment, like their home’s unique alarm, doorbell, or appliances.
The preloaded Apple Books app will also include new themes and customisation options such as bolding text and adjusting line, character, and word spacing to deliver a more accessible reading experience to users. Further, the Shortcuts app on Mac and Apple Watch starting this week will help recommend accessibility features based on user preferences using a new Accessibility Assistant shortcut.
Apple Maps will also get a new guide from the National Park Foundation, Park Access for All, to help users discover accessible features, programmes, and services to explore in parks across the US Guides from Gallaudet University. It will additionally highlight businesses and organisations that value, embrace, and prioritise the Deaf community and signed languages.
Users will also get accessibility-focussed apps and stories from developers in the App Store as well as the Transforming Our World collection in Apple Books with stories by and about people with disabilities. Apple Music will also highlight the Saylists playlists where each will focus on a different sound.
Similarly, the Apple TV app will feature the latest hit movies and shows featuring authentic representation of people with disabilities.
Users will also get the ability to explore guest-curated collections from the accessibility community’s standout actors, including Marlee Matlin (“CODA”), Lauren Ridloff (“Eternals”), Selma Blair (“Introducing, Selma Blair”), and Ali Stroker (“Christmas Ever After”), among others.
The Apple Fitness+ service this week will also bring trainer Bakari Williams who will use American Sign Language (ASL) highlight features, including Audio Hints, which are short descriptive verbal cues to support visually impaired or low vision users, and Time to Walk and Time to Run episodes becoming “Time to Walk or Push” and “Time to Run or Push” for wheelchair users.
ASL will also be a part of every workout and meditation on Apple Fitness+, and all videos will include closed captioning in six languages. Trainers will also demonstrate modifications in each workout to help people requiring accessibility assistance join in.
Apple is additionally launching SignTime to connect Apple Store and Apple Support customers with on-demand ASL interpreters. SignTime is already available for customers in the US using ASL, the UK using British Sign Language (BSL), and France using French Sign Language (LSF). Furthermore, Apple Store locations around the world have already started offering live sessions throughout the week to help customers discover accessibility features on iPhone, and Apple Support social channels are showcasing how-to content, the company said.


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Edinburgh Fashion Week Hailed A Success
Edinburgh Fashion Week has been hailed as a major success by event organisers, This is Edinburgh.
Reaching maximum capacity over the launch weekend and doubling expected footfall targets, 10,000 people attended the lively fashion hub on The Mound, with reserved and VIP tickets selling out within three days.
Mre than 40 city centre businesses, including Sam Brown, John Lewis, French Connection, Walker Slater, Covet and Oliver Bonas, were involved in the event. which showcased the city’s favorite high street retailers, designer boutiques and independent stores and which attracted hundreds of people to the packed programme of events.
‘Edinburgh’s rich and unique shopping experience’
“The enthusiasm from both business and members of the public to get involved in Edinburgh Fashion Week was outstanding,” said John Donnelly, Chief Executive, Marketing Edinburgh. “To have over 10,000 people through the door on the opening weekend demonstrates there’s a real demand for events that celebrate Edinburgh’s rich and unique shopping experience.
“I’m incredibly hopeful we can build on this for future years.”
Gordon Millar, founder of Scot Street Style, added: “A vibrant new energy was unleashed in the cobbled streets of Edinburgh, thanks to everyone involved in the inaugural #EdFashionWeek! Organisers and participants tapped into a strong appetite to raise the profile of creativity in the capital, and draw the eyes of the world onto our beautiful boutiques and super-talented students.”
‘There’s been a huge buzz in the city’
Karina Baldorf, owner of independent store, Kakao by K, wsa equally enthusiastic about the event. “Edinburgh Fashion Week has been great for small boutiques in the city, like mine. Edinburgh is a hugely diverse and vibrant city and it’s great to see this being translated through fashion as well. There’s been a huge buzz in the city over the last few weeks and I’m grateful to have been part of it.”
Edinburgh Fashion Week was the first event of the year by the This Is Edinburgh city centre campaign, with Spa in the City in May, followed by Film in the City’s outdoor cinema experiences in June and Edinburgh Restaurant Festival in October.
To find out more about events happening in and around Scotland, pick up the latest issue of The Scots Magazine. In the shops now or order online by clicking here.
Fashion Week Facts
- #EdFashionWeek reached more than 2.5million Twitter accounts.
- In the immediate run up and during Edinburgh Fashion Week, the hashtag was used more than 3,600 times.
- Over 100 entries were received from local men and women keen to be crowned best dressed in Edinburgh.


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The companies last week agreed to work together to standardize a new technology from Motorola called "1Xtreme," a wireless transmission method capable of handling voice and high-speed Internet access for future wireless networks. The technology thwarts efforts by rival Qualcomm to promote its High Date Rate, or HDR, technology as a wireless voice and Internet delivery means.
Motorola and Nokia presented their plans for 1Xtreme to the Third Generation Partnership Project, a standards body, this week.
News of yet another standard is significant. The wireless world is already divided in many respects, with most European and Asian countries unified around a common technology standard called "GSM," while the United States largely has implemented a technology standard from Qualcomm called "CDMA."
Further segmentation of the wireless networking market will only make it more complicated for network operators to install wireless technology, as there will be competing standards to consider. That could result in higher costs for consumer cell phone users, because a variety of technologies complicates the ability of a network operator to deliver the service a subscriber has signed up for.
It also pits three Wall Street high-fliers against each other. Motorola, Nokia and Qualcomm all have ridden a wave of expectations for the wireless phone market, expected to boom over the next few years. Qualcomm was one of the best performing stocks of 1999.
"There's no way around multiple standards today," said Craig Ellingsworth, a senior wireless industry analyst at The Yankee Group. "We can't get people around the world to agree on one thing."
Wrangling over technology "standards" is nothing new. Standards are an important part of the technology because, in the abstract, they provide a means for different systems and software to communicate with each other, even if they are made by different companies. The recent tug-of-war between Microsoft and America Online on Internet messaging--in which the two firms fought over support for standards--is evidence of this.
Both Motorola's and Qualcomm's technologies are so-called third-generation, or "3G," wireless technology. 1Xtreme will compete directly with Qualcomm's HDR technology, which was unveiled last year. The difference between the two is that Qualcomm's technology separates Internet traffic to a different channel. Proponents say it gives that traffic a distinct path, while critics believe it adds a separate network that is unnecessary.
Battles between Motorola and Qualcomm are ongoing. The companies this week said they have settled a bitter patent dispute over wireless technologies.
Wireless carriers expect to widely launch mobile Internet services over phones, and higher-speed connections are a prerequisite to offering much more than the simple text messages and content--such as stock quotes and sports scores--that current systems allow. Both technologies, from Qualcomm and the Motorola-Nokia combination, aspire to solve the capacity problem.
Qualcomm's CDMA systems can deliver data at a slow 14.4 kbps (kilobits per second), hardly conducive to advanced Internet applications.
But most CDMA-based wireless service providers are expected to begin upgrading their digital networks next year to 3G systems capable of delivering data at 144 kbps. Those systems also are expected to double carriers' voice capacity.
However, although both Qualcomm's HDR and Motorola's 1Xtreme technically are 3G systems, they represent the next evolution beyond early 3G networks. Both technologies offer much higher data rates than the earliest 3G systems, giving wireless carriers the ability to deliver more and better Internet applications.
Qualcomm's HDR, which is backed by Lucent Technologies, promises speeds of 2.4 mbps (megabits per second) by splitting voice and data on two separate channels on the network. Qualcomm expects to offer some microchip samples later this year with commercial shipments in 2001.
Although the technology is being developed rapidly, many analysts question whether HDR is the best solution for wireless carrier networks after current CDMA upgrades.
"I really question whether (HDR is) going to pan out at all," said Weston Henderek, a wireless industry analyst at Giga Information Group. "These carriers are spending billions of dollars to build out their networks, and they're going to do it all over again in a couple years. What is the incremental benefit in spending more on HDR? To me it has all the makings of a niche high-speed product."
Others wonder whether Qualcomm's separate Internet network approach is best.
"From the carriers' perspective, if you can put one technology in rather than two, it's less expensive," said Jon Dorfman, a wireless industry analyst at the Strategis Group.
At the same time, analysts believe Motorola and Nokia may be rushing to develop their technology, which is slated for commercial service in 2002.
"I think this technology holds a lot of promise. I just think they're being a little unrealistic with their time frame," Ellingsworth said. "It took (the latest version of CDMA) about three years to get through the standards bodies."
Qualcomm representatives echoed similar sentiments, touting their technology as one that will be ready for market long before most other third-generation wireless technologies.
"We see (1Xtreme) as a press release and a presentation right now," said Qualcomm spokeswoman Christine Trimble. "HDR already has been demonstrated and tested. It's commercially viable. Theirs remains to be seen."
Moe Grzelakowski, senior vice president and general manager for network solutions at Motorola, said CDMA needs to be enhanced no matter what, given the expected growth of wireless Net access. "The question becomes, 'Do you also do HDR?'" she said.
Motorola estimates that CDMA technologies, though rapidly growing, will represent just 15 percent of the global wireless market, with technologies such as GSM leading the way.
Regardless of which technology earns the most support from carriers as they upgrade their networks over the next few years, analysts say Qualcomm will be a significant beneficiary. The company's strategy of licensing its CDMA technology has paid dividends, making Qualcomm a hot stock last year.
"(Qualcomm is) still going to get the royalties," Henderek said. "They're playing both sides of the fence."
Analysts said Qualcomm would prefer to own the underlying technology, as well as produce the chips that power handsets and base station equipment. But the company stands to gain even if the competing 1Xtreme, which is based on Qualcomm CDMA patents, proves successful.
"Qualcomm doesn't lose," Dorfman said. "They could win and they could win bigger."


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Segment 1: Steven Esposito, Executive Director, Wealth Advisor, Senior Portfolio Management Director, Morgan Stanley in Lake Forest, joins John to talk about how the market volatility now is similar to the dot com bubble and why it’s a great opportunity to focus on quality companies whose stock prices have dropped because of the overall market panic.
Segment 2: Joan E. Solsman, Senior Reporter, CNET, chats with John about a variety of tech stories including Google revealing AR glasses in development that can instantly translate a conversation in a language you don’t speak and Meta temporarily turning off augmented reality filters for Facebook and Instagram in Texas and Illinois because of legal worries related to facial recognition and privacy laws in those states.
Segment 3: Ted Rossman, Bankrate.com Senior industry analyst, joins John to talk about some good news regarding credit card debt despite spending surging in the 1Q. Ted also offers some tips to help lower your credit card debt.
Segment 4: WGN Reporter and Crain’s Daily Gist host Amy Guth gives us a round-up of the latest business stories including Rivian and Tesla both announcing vehicle recalls, and casinos setting records in the month of March.


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“On TV & Video” is a column written by the sell side of the digital media community.
Today’s column is written by Frans Vermeulen, Chief Operating Officer at Tru Optik, a TransUnion Company
Advanced TV has a lot to recommend it as an advertising channel. Marketers see it as an opportunity to transition away from cookie-reliant channels in a way that preserves the data and targeting capabilities of those channels. And some buyers who haven’t traditionally purchased linear TV advertising view it as a way to extend their reach beyond search and social.
Three trends are accelerating the convergence of digital and linear TV in both the advanced and linear marketplaces. First, advertisers are using more of their own data. Second, they are prioritizing data-driven decision-making across the planning, targeting and measurement processes. And finally, they are implementing flexible buying strategies.
Let’s examine each of these trends in turn.
First-party data accelerates in the TV space
Data-driven decision making is now a reality across both advanced and linear TV, thanks to the growing number of addressable devices and the opportunity to align consumer insights with planning, targeting and measurement.
Now, television platforms want to integrate even more consumer data from marketers, for whom the activation of CRM and other first-party data is a critical priority. A 2021 Merkle study found that 88% of marketers now rate the collection and storage of first-party as either a high priority (58%) or highest priority (30%) objective.
This sea change in marketer goals is a direct response to the increasing restriction of identifiers and the evolving regulatory landscape. But even with more robust first-party data assets, marketers still need help to scale these insights, especially in emerging ecosystems like streaming, connected TV and over-the-top.
Leveraging those often limited first-party data sets into (very attractive) streaming media ad inventory has been notoriously difficult. That’s why we now see first-party data being modeled and expanded, combined with third-party audience data for activation across streaming media end points.
Convergence of linear and connected TV operations
Few brands or agencies have fully converged teams and resources, though we’ve observed that concerted efforts are underway. As long as linear and CTV remain siloed on the buy side, organizations won’t be able to tap into and execute against specialized data sets across these viewing modalities.
A handful of companies on the sell side have started merging their sales and operations, an encouraging sign. As an example, cable operators invested many millions of dollars in the past decade to enable set-top boxes for video on demand and linear addressability.
On the programmer side, NBCUniversal is a great example of a TV network acting to bring about linear-digital convergence. In December 2020 it announced a partnership with Freewheel to incorporate more technology into the buying process for both linear and digital ads, complementing earlier investments in measurement and inventory fluidity via its measurement solution CFlight.
Next, I expect the buy-side to implement more integrated teams after having success in converged-planning experiments. This trend will become pronounced in the second half of this year.
Traditional TV networks will embrace more bundled offerings for advertisers looking to balance traditional planning with more advanced targeting strategies. While the majority of ad-supported video on demand inventory is sold directly, we’re seeing large TV networks more aggressively package inventory and data solutions for preferred programmatic deals.
This trend will accelerate so long as TV networks retain reasonable and predictable control of inventory and ad revenue while enabling buyers to apply more sophisticated, data-informed trading strategies via a demand-side platform of choice.
ViacomCBS gave its acquired streaming platform Pluto TV a starring role in its 2019 upfront pitch. In 2020, pushed by accelerated and pandemic-driven consumer adoption of streaming channels, more networks embraced bundling, including Disney, Hulu, Fox and Tubi. I don’t foresee consumers reducing their in-home streaming by any significant amount, so I expect that this trend will only accelerate.
What is the future of the TV upfront? Evolution, but not death. There’s no question audience-based trading will continue to change upfront strategies. But there’s still good value for marketers who reserve inventory in advance in exchange for discounts from sellers, additionally reducing risk for both parties.
Marketers and linear TV networks are making serious strides to adopt more data-driven strategies that track with the rise of in-home streaming and the convergence of digital capabilities with traditional TV viewing.
For most homes, digital video has become natural, often driving more personalized interactions by enabling consumers to select what, when and how they watch. When the TV industry is able to embrace the data and capabilities enabled by these digital experiences, we’ll be better for it — driving more business efficiencies and more relevant, seamless advertising experiences for consumers, including lower ad loads.


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Rumors of an Amazfit T-Rex Pro landed back in January, and now a new leak has given us a full picture of what to expect.
The information has been leaked to 91Mobiles, which as a good track record. It features a rugged 47mm case, chunky build with plenty of GPS battery life designed to be used in the outdoors. The Amazfit T-Rex Pro lands a year later, and as expected it’s not a major overhaul of the device.
New biometric tech will bring the T-Rex in line with newer Amazfit smartwatches such as the GTS 2 and Bip U Pro. The T-Rex Pro uses the BioTracker 2 core, which will offer SpO2. Software features are still TBC, but we’d expect to see the same stress tracking and blood oxygen monitoring seen on the company’s smartwatch offerings.
The design is pretty much unchanged, and will be available in black, grey and green. There won’t be the same camo design as the original version.
The leak alleges that there will be a new operating system on board “based on RTOS” – so it will be interesting whether that changes the usability, battery life or feature set on board.
The company has added new GPS standards, which should boost accuracy and lock-on speeds.
And it’s now rated 10ATM, which means it can survive up to 100m underwater, making it even more rugged.
It’s not clear whether the T-Rex Pro will also get Alexa and wrist-calling functionality, as we’ve seen on the Bip U Pro. It seems like it will, although the leak just refers to hardware specs so far.
The Amazfit T-Rex is built by Huami, which has just changed its name to Zepp Health outside of China. It snapped up the Zepp brand back in 2019 and renamed its app earlier this year.
The Amazfit T-Rex will likely launch in China and India before the West, and our spidey-senses tell us we won’t have long to wait.
How we test


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A reward is offered for information on an alleged thief.
Myles Guitard, 25, is described as 5-foot-10 and 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
He is wanted by Greater Sudbury Police Service on a variety of charges, including theft and breaking court-ordered conditions.
Police allege he attended a retail establishment on Jan. 6, around 4 p.m., and stole merchandise.
Three days later, on Jan. 9, he “also attended retailers at about 4 p.m. in the downtown area and at 5:30 p.m. in the Val Caron area, on both occasions stealing merchandise.”
Guitard has “many outstanding charges and was on court-ordered conditions at the time of the previously mentioned occasions,” police said.
He is wanted for three counts of theft under $5,000, eight counts of breach of recognizance and four counts of breach of probation.
Guitard is believed to be in the City of Greater Sudbury.
If you know this person and where he is presently located, you are urged to call the Crime Stoppers tip line toll-free at 1-800-222-tips or locally at 705-222-tips (8477).
You must call this number to be eligible for a cash reward.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,000 for information that leads to the arrest of Guitard.
Tips can also be submitted online at www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.


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U.K. Centrum Ad Review Sets High Bar For Gender-Specific Claims
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
The U.K. Advertising Standards Agency says that while a television ad for Centrum multivitamins tailored to each gender did not make improper claims directly, the spot creates potential for consumers to believe it implies those claims.
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Pfizer will discontinue advertising claims for Centrum Ultra Women’s and Silver Women’s multivitamin supplements for “breast health” and Centrum Ultra Men’s and Silver Ultra Men’s for “colon health.”
FDA ODSP details “data, research results, and other information” it needs on NAC that could sway proposing a rulemaking to allow its continued use in supplements. One detail missing is what the agency’s asking for are NDI notifications for NAC.
Procter & Gamble and Amazon are among nine companies FTC ordered to provide detailed information to help the agency identify causes behind ongoing supply chain disruptions. Chairwoman Khan says the information should “shed light on market conditions and business practices that may have worsened these disruptions.”


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No other industry has captured Bay Street and Wall Street like the cannabis industry. Canada legalized adult-use recreational cannabis in October, and it finally opened the floodgate on cannabis and cannabis-related stocks. Yes, medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001, but the revenues from that were limited. Sales from recreational cannabis use are significantly higher. And, with other countries in the western world looking at legalizing recreational marijuana, sales will surge even higher. Despite huge sales and an amazing outlook, many analysts and investors still think investing in cannabis is not worth the risk. That fear may be misguided.
Don’t Bet Against the Cannabis Industry
It’s been a great year for cannabis bulls. Things didn’t start out that way. Recreational cannabis use was legalized in Canada in October, the same time that the broader markets experienced a sell-off. The swoon lasted for the entire fourth quarter of 2018. This led many analysts to say that the so-called cannabis bubble had burst and that the industry was too risky.
Had you listened to the talking heads you would have missed out on one of the most exciting industry’s out there right now. Case in point, over the first two and a half months of 2019, the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF (NYSE:HMMJ)—the world’s first weed ETF—has advanced 56% and the Marijuana Index is up 31%.1,2
Over the same time frame, the S&P 500 is up a respectable 13.8%.
There is reason for the ongoing optimism. First, cannabis stocks are starting to report their first full quarters to include sales from recreational marijuana. Revenues are soaring in the triple digits and the 2019 outlook remains robust for both well-known marijuana stocks and lesser known players.
The outlook beyond 2019 is also exciting for the entire cannabis industry. One recent study believes the worldwide cannabis market could reach $57 billion by 2027. One of the largest markets of course, will be North America, where sales are expected to top $47.0 billion, capturing 83% of the global market, within 10 years.3
In the U.S alone, the cannabis market could hit $16 billion by 2025. Those projections don’t factor in revenues that could come should the entire country legalize recreational marijuana use. Right now, 10 states have legalized recreational pot use, much to the chagrin of the Federal government. And more states will be holding referendums in the lead up to the 2020 U.S. election.
While the cannabis industry is far away from maturing, even conservative investors are getting on board. Canadian pension funds, which are not known for going out on a limb when it comes to investing, are pouring into the cannabis industry.
In the fourth quarter of 2018, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board bought shares in four different cannabis companies, valued at approximately $77 million. Meanwhile, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board snapped up $1-million in shares of Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX:ACB)(NYSE:TCB).4
Admittedly, those numbers are small, especially when you consider Canadian pension funds are worth hundreds of billions of dollars. But it does go to show that even in the early stages of legalized pot, investing in recreational cannabis has quickly become more mainstream.
Learn-To-Trade.com, Canada’s Leader in Stock Market Trading Courses
The cannabis industry is in its infancy and publicly traded Canadian pot stocks are leading the way. While some pundits believe investing in cannabis stocks is too risky, the fact is, investing in any industry or sector can be. But it doesn’t need to be. Investing in any industry or sector can be risky. But it doesn’t need to be. The trading experts at Learn-To-Trade.com
can teach you how to trade with confidence and profit on a consistent basis.
As Canada’s oldest and leading provider of stock market trading courses, the instructors at Learn-To-Trade.com will teach you everything you need to know to become a successful trader. We’ll show you how to conduct a technical analysis, read economic cycles, and spot market trends. You’ll also learn how to trade cryptocurrencies, about forex trading, foreign markets, commodities & futures trading, and stock index trading. We’ll also teach you about risk management and capital preservation.
At Learn-To-Trade.com we understand that investors have different needs. That’s why we provide a unique, Lifetime Membership that allows you to re-attend any part of the program as often as you’d like.
To learn more about Learn-To-Trade.com’s stock market trading course, contact us at 416-510-5560 or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org
- “Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF,” Horizons Exchange Traded Funds, last accessed March 13, 2019; https://www.horizonsetfs.com/etf/hmmj?gclid=CjwKCAjw1KLkBRBZEiwARzyE79Ml1ATO96t974TCfWliTHr7syhjhjt_WFchbuR0wYTJWVLHXjjUCRoCbOYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
- “North American Marijuana Index,” The Marijuana Index, last accessed March 13, 2019; http://marijuanaindex.com/
- “Multiple Analysts Project Incredible Growth for Cannabis Investors,” marijuanastox.com, March 12, 2019; https://www.accesswire.com/538731/Multiple-Analysts-Project-Incredible-Growth-for-Cannabis-Investors
- “Canadian Pension Funds Buy Cannabis Stocks,” The Globe and Mail, February 25, 2019; https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canadian-pension-funds-buy-cannabis-stocks/
Photo Credit: iStock.com/Kazyaka


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Yahoo admits it's experiencing tough times
It's Internet doom and gloom time again as Yahoo tells Wall Street that this quarter's financials won't look pretty.
More doom and gloom descended on the Internet sector when Yahoo! said yesterday that it expects to report poor financial results at the end of the current quarter. The company’s chief executive offer, Tim Koogle, will also step down as CEO but remain as chairman once a replacement has been found.
Yahoo said that the quarter’s numbers, which will be revealed on April 11, have been heavily impacted by the current US economic slowdown.
The company expects revenues to be in the range of $170 million to $180 million. It expects net profits to be approximately break-even.
“All businesses in the United States are facing challenging economic conditions that have weakened further in recent weeks, and as consumer confidence and spending has deteriorated, a broad range of customers have delayed their spending across all media formats until their economic outlook improves,” said Koogle. “As a result, we expect revenues and profits to be reduced most significantly in the marketing services area of our business in the first quarter.”
Yahoo is largely reliant on online advertising for its revenue, and the company says that as in any economic slowdown, customers are cutting back marketing budgets. As a result, it argues that the current setback is short term.
"We remain confident that Yahoo!'s strong set of core assets will enable us to manage and execute through this short-term environment and emerge from it even stronger in the long-term," Koogle said. "Our user base, page views and time spent per user continue to grow, and our business and enterprise services business is solid."


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Multiplayer effectiveness will be then tracked by the game across all three websites, and users of the winning faction will receive reward in- game benefits, that will transfer to the full sport after it releases.
http://www.dubbomtb.org.au/?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=user&id=1657156»» More Details
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|Pogue’s Basics: Use YouTube's built-in stabilizer - |
|Sony’s new toy teaches coding and robot construction to kids - |
|The coolest tech toys from Toy Fair 2017 - |
The toys on display at the 2017 New York Toy Fair, though, are way cooler than anything we had as kids. Held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, New York Toy Fair showcases the year’s biggest toy trends. Mattel (MAT) easily had one of the largest booths at Toy Fair 2017.


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The Index of Consumer Sentiment Quarter 1 2023
In Q1 2023, consumer sentiment has bounced back surprisingly strongly, although it remains much lower than its pre-pandemic norm. Things are bad, but consumers are starting to see signs that they may improve.
Sentiment has risen across the board, but the rise is driven by particularly strong improvements in the scores for some types of consumer.
With four years’ worth of data about consumer sentiment in the UK, the Index of Consumer Sentiment is proving its value as an indicator of how customers are feeling, and therefore how they’re likely to behave.
Download the latest report to explore the findings in more detail.
Consumer sentiment has bounced back surprisingly strongly
The latest index of Consumer Sentiment score is the most positive news we’ve seen for quite some time. Having hit a record low at the end of 2022, consumer sentiment has bounced back 9 points to 64.3.
This shows that consumers have started 2023 with more optimism than they have felt since the beginning of last year.
The key findings
The Index for Consumer Sentiment has risen 9 points to 64.3
The overall score remains low (10–15 points lower than its pre-pandemic level)
Consumers are still experiencing financial challenges, but they are a little more optimistic about the future
UK consumer sentiment has increased more steeply than either USA or the EU
UK and US sentiment remains low
EU consumer sentiment remains higher, but has increased less strongly
TLF Research founder, Nigel Hill, had the following to say in his foreward:
As the level of inflation hit multi-decade highs, especially for every day basics such as food and energy, Q1 2023 has seen a 9% improvement in the Index of Consumer Sentiment.
The detailed findings show that people’s level of confidence about their finances is far from simple.
Download the full report now and let us know if you have any questions.
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The Index of Consumer Sentiment Quarter 4 2022
Download the latest report now. Download the latest report now. In Q4 2022, consumer sentiment has reached its lowest level since 2018, and seems to be on a continuing downward trend. All of us are more worried about our finances and the economy than we have ever been. But we’re ...
The Index of Consumer Sentiment
We now have over three years’ worth of data about consumer sentiment in the UK from our Index of Consumer Sentiment. In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss why TLF Research started measuring consumer sentiment, what the trends show, and why it matters.
Index of Consumer Sentiment: Two Rollercoaster Years
We began tracking consumer sentiment in 2018. Needless to say, it’s been through a lot since then, and this is a chance to dig in and analyse what’s going on in consumers’ minds.
How Do You Think Consumers Are Feeling Now?
UK Consumer Sentiment has been on a rollercoaster ride this year, what does it tell us about future behaviour?
Is it time to review your customer research?
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WINNIPEG, MB – Torque Brewing has announced the details of the first release in a new monthly Torque Small Batch series.
Take Two Double IPA (7.5% abv):
Juicy, fruity, tropical. Smooth and not too bitter (for a DIPA), with lots of aromas/flavours like pineapple, coconut, citrus, peach, and passionfruit.
Take Two will be released tomorrow (November 12th) in an edition of 200 cans available exclusively at the Torque Brewing taproom while supplies last.
Source & Photo: Torque Brewing


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VANCOUVER, BC - Sept. 15, 2016 - iQmetrix, a leading provider of interactive retail solutions, has ranked #289th on PROFIT Magazine’s list of Canada’s 500 Fastest-Growing Companies. This is iQmetrix’s seventh consecutive year on the PROFIT 500 list.
Ranking Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies by five-year revenue growth, the PROFIT 500 profiles the country’s most successful growth companies. A joint venture between Canada’s premier business brands, the PROFIT 500 is published in the October issue of Canadian Business and online at PROFITguide.com.
“Companies become a part of the Profit 500 through innovative thinking, smart strategy and sheer grit,” says James Cowan, editor-in-chief of Profit and Canadian Business. “These firms demonstrate what Canadian entrepreneurs can achieve, both at home and across the globe.”
“We’re honored as a company to make the PROFIT 500 list for the seventh year,” says Christopher Krywulak, iQmetrix President and CEO.“As we continue to grow and reach new heights as a company, we’re doing so alongside the success of our clients — all of which is possible thanks to the hard work and perseverance of our incredibly talented teams who have an unwavering dedication to delivering great retail experiences.”
At iQmetrix, we are passionate about retail. Our purpose is to create great experiences for retailers, their employees and the end consumer. Our products bridge the gap between physical and virtual retail channels, offering the latest in retail management and customer experience technology. Our interactive retail solutions, including endless aisle and digital signage, bring elements of online and mobile shopping experiences into the physical store to engage and educate shoppers during the purchase process. iQmetrix POS is a modular system for managing all aspects of a store chain operation, including POS, ERP, inventory, and HR. Based on a platform philosophy, our solutions allow users to effectively manage back-of-house operations and the in-store customer experience. In a nutshell, we give retailers what they need so customers can get what they want. Founded in 1999, iQmetrix is a privately-held software as a service (SaaS) company with offices in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. www.iQmetrix.com
About PROFIT and PROFITguide.com
PROFIT: Your Guide to Business Success is Canada’s preeminent media brand dedicated to the management issues and opportunities facing small and mid-sized businesses. For 33 years, Canadian entrepreneurs across a vast array of economic sectors have remained loyal to PROFIT because it’s a timely and reliable source of actionable information that helps them achieve business success and get the recognition they deserve for generating positive economic and social change. Visit PROFIT online at PROFITguide.com.


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Rocket Fuel (FUEL) Earns Coverage Optimism Score of 0.13
Press coverage about Rocket Fuel (NASDAQ:FUEL) has been trending somewhat positive recently, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. Accern ranks the sentiment of news coverage by monitoring more than twenty million blog and news sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Rocket Fuel earned a coverage optimism score of 0.13 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news stories about the technology company an impact score of 45.1304443840701 out of 100, indicating that recent news coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the near term.
Shares of Rocket Fuel (FUEL) opened at $2.60 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $122.18, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.73 and a beta of 0.63. Rocket Fuel has a fifty-two week low of $1.70 and a fifty-two week high of $5.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.
Separately, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $4.00 price objective on shares of Rocket Fuel in a report on Wednesday, October 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $4.38.
Rocket Fuel Inc is a technology company, which offers a Programmatic Marketing Platform that is designed for helping marketers and their agencies to connect with consumers through digital media. The Company’s service offerings are organized around platforms, including Data Management Platform (DMP) and Demand Side Platform (DSP), which are used by customers themselves or integrating with other customer relationship management or marketing platforms, and together in various permutations as its Programmatic Marketing Platform.
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Thunderbolt is on the way, and it may be coming to another one of Apple’s computers. According to AppleInsider, Apple’s preparing to release a brand new iMac in May and included in the rebuild is the fancy new Thunderbolt port that’s currently gracing the presence of the latest MacBook Pro systems on the market.
Thunderbolt is the new Intel technology that’s slated to replace USB and Firewire, as well as DVI and other technologies that require high transfer rates. Thunderbolt can bi-directionally push 10 GBPS across the connection, which is more than enough to stream a full quality Blu-Ray movie as well as transfer large files across a network at the same time.
Currently there are very few products that support Thunderbolt, but Canon has been rumored to be working on Thunderbolt enabled prosumer video cameras for the marketplace. According to Intel, Thunderbolt will begin to make its way into devices by late spring.